Picture this – a single employee comes forward and alleges their manager is frequently abrupt when speaking to them and others. They’ve documented interactions and state other employees feel the same way but won’t speak up out of fear.
The HR representative commences an investigation, and as part of that, interviews the remainder of the team. On paper everything points to this being an isolated incident with this particular employee, the manager is counselled on appropriate interactions. Close the book, move on.
Pretty routine. Open & shut right? Let’s widen the lens and take a holistic look at the team.
Turnover is pretty steady and sits in the high 30%’s – but that’s normal right? People chase more money elsewhere & besides, young people are afraid of a bit of hard work.
Absentee rates are pretty high – but as I just said people just don’t want to work these days.
Team meetings are pretty quick because there’s no interaction. The manager speaks to a sea of downcast faces then back to work.
Feedback on performance is done annually, the manager speaks and the employee listens and overall the process is seen as a massive waste of time.
The longest serving employee has been there 2 years.
Now let’s widen the scope and look at the entire organisation.
Turnover is high at 30% +. Most of the turnover occurs in the first 12 months of employment. If they happen to employ a good fit for a role they quickly move on, but no one can work out why. Rarely do people stick around for 5 years or more.
The number of overall applicants for vacant positions is low, suitably qualified applicants are all but non existent. As a result only a small amount of people are talented enough to achieve the operational goals.
There is little focus on wellbeing, executive management might talk a big game but on the ground that messaging is nowhere to be found. After all, they are relying on a few to prop the team up which manifests burnout and anxiety.
The organisation makes no secret of the fact that their management style is profit over people. Growth at all costs.
Instead of dealing with problematic leaders they’ll just shift them into another job.
And around and around we go. This fictional company is built on a house of cards, and without HR intervention it will collapse.
Like what you see? Click around and discover how partnering with us can give your business a competitive advantage by aligning strategy with people & culture. Contact us to arrange an obligation free chat and experience a little bit of our magic.
You can find us on our socials, give us a like on Facebook and follow us on Instagram
We help you build a sustainable and enviable workforce through people and culture initiatives. A focus on building the capacity of the business through an inclusive and valued workplace.
THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE IS A KALGOORLIE BASED HUMAN RESOURCES (HR) CONSULTING COMPANY THAT SPECIALISES IN DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS WITH SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES. WE CAN PARTNER WITH YOU TO GAIN A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE THROUGH EMPLOYEE INITIATIVES.
CONTACT US TO ARRANGE AN APPOINTMENT TO DISCUSS WHAT SOLUTIONS WE CAN PUT IN PLACE TO DRIVE ACHIEVEMENT OF YOUR STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL GOALS.
AT THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE YOU ONLY PAY FOR THE WORK WE UNDERTAKE FOR YOU; NO ANNUAL OR MONTHLY FEES; NO CONTRACTS; JUST QUALITY, LOCAL, SERVICE.
Every September in Australia for 1 day our socials are flooded with posts about R U Ok day. Big corporates do the obligatory “Ask a mate if they are ok” post, emails are sent out from our employers encouraging us to ask for help, then …………… nothing.
And while R U Ok day is great place to start for raising awareness, there is still a lot more that needs to be done to support employees with mental health issues.
There has to be more after asking R U Ok?
We all know 2020 hasn’t been great for mental health, and I’m not going to spend time in this space because the reality is workers compensation mental health claims have been rising by an average of 22% year – on – year since 2017. However, The Wellbeing Lab in-conjunction with the Australian HR Institute conducted a State of Wellbeing in Australian Workplaces survey in December 2019 with updated 2020 questions to capture the post bushfires and COVID impact. You can read the report HERE. to see the latest data with a COVID element applied.
According to the Black Dog Institute, the key to employers addressing mental health in the workplace is putting effort into implementing proven programs to support their colleagues, instead of simply holding coffee mornings to raise awareness. “Australia does not need any more mental health awareness campaigns because we do not have a mental health awareness problem,” said Sam Harvey, chief psychiatrist at the Black Dog Institute. “GP surgeries up and down the country are full of people asking for help with their mental health.”
The Institute has gone as far as identifying 4 key signs your workplace isn’t taking mental health seriously –
You have morning teas on awareness days
Morning teas are social – they fool us into thinking that workplaces are ’doing their bit’. But do they really have your back when it comes to mental health? New research shows that Australia does not have an awareness problem, and that it’s time to move on from these campaigns. Workplaces need to use the momentum generated by morning teas and channel this into something constructive.
They don’t offer flexible work arrangements
We’ve been hearing about work-life balance for over a decade, and for good reason. Offering flexibility is a sure way for workplaces to look after their employees and this has never been more significant in a remote working COVID environment.
You feel guilty taking a mental health day
Mental health is just as much a reason to take personal leave as a physical illness. Research shows that mentally healthy workers are more productive and less likely to take sick leave, so it’s actually a win-win for both employee and employer. If you struggle to ask for, or are denied, a mental health day, something needs to change.
There is no practical training offered
It’s 2020 and mental health is now part of Australia’s national agenda. This means workplaces need to implement mental health training for you and your colleagues and put support systems in place.
My son works for a big employer in our hometown, this year they won an award for their industry leading mental health program to support its employees. The first my son, who has worked for this organisation for the past 4 years, heard about this initiative was when I sent him a screenshot of a LinkedIn post made by his employer. A bit of a disconnect between what they say they are doing and what they are actually doing isn’t there?
A lot of people in senior positions don’t know how to have a conversation about wellbeing, for many leaders they are from a generation (particulary males) who were taught that talking about feelings was airy fairy and best left alone. It’s also these attitudes that are killing our fathers, brothers and sons.
If you are concerned about someone’s mental health & wellbeing, talking to them about it just involves a simple sentence: “I’ve noticed you have been more or less (followed by the behaviour)” For example, I’ve noticed you’ve been arriving late to work, I’m just wondering if everything ok?. You are just stating you’ve noticed a behavioural change, no assumptions, no diagnosing, its just the start of a conversation
Workers who reported that their managers often expressed care, compassion, gratitude, and appreciation towards them were statistically more likely to be able to manage their wellbeing, and reported higher levels of job satisfaction, performance, and commitment to their organisations.
But as with everything in life being able to do this, and do it well, is a learned behaviour. Training and coaching needs to occur throughout the organisation. It isn’t enough to roll a program out at the corporate level and neglect training those on the ground. It needs to be a whole of organisation approach.
Workplace Wellbeing strategies should provide a systems-wide approach to caring for wellbeing by providing workers, leaders and their organisation with an evidence-based framework that is easy to understand and measure and encourage small daily actions that can be incorporated into the way people work. Kylie McLerie from Collective Culture Consultancy can support your organisation, big or small, to implement a framework. You can find Kylie HERE.
As we head to the close of 2020 I will leave you with this thought
Practice what you preach, your token words don’t make you a better person. Your behaviour does.
Like what you see? Click around and discover how partnering with us can give your business a competitive advantage by aligning strategy with people & culture, or, give us a like on Facebook for regular updates on industry trends, blog posts & photo’s of me having coffee at my regular haunts and / or my dog & cat disrupting my work day
You can find us on our socials, give us a like on Facebook and follow us on Instagram
It’s time for HR to move beyond policies, practices and processes, HR’s value proposition to business is to ensure HR professionals and their practices’ produce positive outcomes for key stakeholders, employees, line managers, customers and investors.
THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE IS A KALGOORLIE BASED HUMAN RESOURCES (HR) CONSULTING COMPANY THAT SPECIALISES IN DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS WITH SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES. WE CAN PARTNER WITH YOU TO GAIN A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE THROUGH EMPLOYEE INITIATIVES.
CONTACT US TO ARRANGE AN APPOINTMENT TO DISCUSS WHAT SOLUTIONS WE CAN PUT IN PLACE TO DRIVE ACHIEVEMENT OF YOUR STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL GOALS.
AT THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE YOU ONLY PAY FOR THE WORK WE UNDERTAKE FOR YOU; NO ANNUAL OR MONTHLY FEES; NO CONTRACTS; JUST QUALITY, LOCAL, SERVICE.
When it boils down to it recruitment is ALL about psychology, right from the moment a job vacancy arises through to the candidate starting and being retained, psychology impacts every step of the way
Before you commence the journey towards recruitment success you need to be able to answer the following 2 questions. What is the primary motivator for jobseekers and exactly WHO are you looking for?
Who are you looking for?
You can’t recruit effectively if you don’t understand the brief. What are the ideal skills and capabilities? What behaviours will best suit your ideal culture? (remember you are recruiting for the culture you want, not the culture you have). Are the skills required scarce?
Think about: Soft Skills – What soft skills does a candidate need to thrive in this role?; Culture and values – From a culture perspective, what are the necessary soft skills/values needed for this role?; Top performer – Who at our company is a high achiever in the same role?; Technical knowledge – What technical knowledge and/or qualifications are needed for the role?
A framework such as our Key Behavioural Capability Framework identifies the capabilities required to achieve organisation and team objectives. It guides the recruitment of suitably qualified staff. Through the use of the Framework your recruitment practices can be adapted to ask behavioural questions that will quickly identify candidates who possess the skills, behaviours and values to drive achievement of your operational outcomes.
Whats the motivator?
According to the Australian HR Institute 2019 Turnover and Retention Report, the top 5 reasons for leaving a job are: lack of career progression opportunities; better pay elsewhere; poor workplace culture; lack of training & development and poor work life balance.
It makes sense then when composing our advertising we touch on these motivators to appeal to those who place a high priority on them.
For the purpose of writing the remainder of this blog a quick Google search has pulled up some Core Values of a random organisation, and I’m going to pretend I’m looking for an Administration Coordinator.
Our Key Behaviours & Capabilities for the position – Welcome new challenges and persist in raising and working through novel and difficult issues; Promote a culture of integrity and professionalism within the organisation; Liaise with stakeholders on key issues and provide expert and influential advice; Build a culture of respect and understanding across the organisation; Drive a culture of achievement and acknowledge input of others; Exercise due diligence to ensure work health and safety risks are addressed; Comprehend the wider contexts in developing long term goals and determine strategies and actions required to achieve such goals; Encourage others to challenge “the way we’ve always done things” to increase efficiency and effectiveness.
The psychology behind the job ad
Your job ad needs to consist of more than a list of duties followed by a list of skills. Remember you are attempting to make a connection with the jobseeker, you want to use language that creates the ability for the jobseeker to imagine what it is like to work for you. Bullet points don’t convey the same amount of impact as taking the candidate on a journey with you.
Employ tactics that excite and engage
“The People & Culture Office is seeking an experienced Administration Coordinator to join our dynamic team.
A key role in our organisation, the Administration Coordinator drives the achievement of our strategic goals through leading a team of administration and finance professionals.
To succeed in this role you will require demonstrated experience in a similar role, including the ability to effectively lead and mentor high performance teams; you will require excellent time management and communication skills coupled with the ability to build effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
But what is really important to us is you, we recognise that our people build our organisations success and our values guide everything we do, including who we recruit. We value employees who embrace a culture of respect, integrity and achievement. Who have a safety focus and who exercise due diligence in all that they do; who strive to achieve because we know when you do well, we do well.
In return we will offer excellent compensation and benefits, personal development opportunities and a great place to work”
The psychology in the interview process
Asking behavioural questions is a good way to spot candidates who’ll excel. Behavioural based interviewing is the understanding that past behaviours determine future behaviours, by asking scenario based questions you can analyse candidate responses to measure their suitability for the role in question.
For example adaptability is essential for thriving in a rapidly changing work environment. Given that 54% of employees may require significant Employees who are adaptable are more likely to achieve better outcomes as priorities shift or setbacks occur, since they’re already comfortable making strategic adjustments. or upskilling over the next few years to keep pace with new technology and evolving business needs, adaptability is essential. You may want to ask questions such as:
Tell me about a time when you were asked to do something you had never done before. How did you react? What did you learn? Listen for: Excitement about tackling new challenges and willingness to leave their comfort zone, knowing they’ll learn something valuable from the experience.
Describe a situation in which you embraced a new system, process, technology, or idea at work that was a major departure from the old way of doing things. Listen for: Eagerness to explore new ways of working and improve based on what they learn; if they discovered a better way; whether they embraced the change.
Interview for culture fit. Companies with inclusive talent practices generate up to 30% higher revenue per employee. Employees should be fundamentally aligned with your company’s mission and core values. But finding the right person for the job doesn’t mean finding someone who’s exactly like everyone else. Ideally look for someone who not only “fits” your ideal culture but can also enhance it. Weed the top performers out by asking:
What are the three things that are most important to you in a job? Listen for: Alignment between what’s most important to them and what the role and company have to offer.
Tell me about a time in the last week when you’ve been satisfied, energised, and productive at work. What were you doing? Listen for: An indication that the work environment and day-to-day responsibilities are right for them.
65% of candidates say a bad interview experience makes them lose interest in the job
Its all about them, not you
The whole point to the interview process is to get to know the candidate so you are able to get an accurate insight into how they will fit within your team. All candidates feel nerves but an overly formal, stuffy recruitment process does little to put those nerves at ease. The goal is put the candidate at ease so they relax enough so their personality shines through.
Build rapport by centering the conversation around them. The goal is to solidify trust and uncover their wants, needs, and strengths. Stay genuinely curious. Be authentic. Don’t fool yourself into thinking tricky questions, formal / big panel style interview processes makes you appear professional.
To jobseekers, the recruitment team’s style offers a glance into life after hire. And for your organisation, it’s an opportunity to differentiate yourself from competitors chasing the same talent. Hiring is an intimate process. Make candidates feel welcome, and they’ll be far more likely to see it through to the very end – the start of their journey with your business.
Like what you see? Click around and discover how partnering with us can give your business a competitive advantage by aligning strategy with people & culture, or, give us a like on Facebook for regular updates on industry trends, blog posts & photo’s of me having coffee at my regular haunts and / or my dog & cat disrupting my work day
You can find us on our socials, give us a like on Facebook and follow us on Instagram
It’s time for HR to move beyond policies, practices and processes, HR’s value proposition to business is to ensure HR professionals and their practices’ produce positive outcomes for key stakeholders, employees, line managers, customers and investors.
THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE IS A KALGOORLIE BASED HUMAN RESOURCES (HR) CONSULTING COMPANY THAT SPECIALISES IN DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS WITH SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES. WE CAN PARTNER WITH YOU TO GAIN A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE THROUGH EMPLOYEE INITIATIVES.
CONTACT US TO ARRANGE AN APPOINTMENT TO DISCUSS WHAT SOLUTIONS WE CAN PUT IN PLACE TO DRIVE ACHIEVEMENT OF YOUR STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL GOALS.
AT THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE YOU ONLY PAY FOR THE WORK WE UNDERTAKE FOR YOU; NO ANNUAL OR MONTHLY FEES; NO CONTRACTS; JUST QUALITY, LOCAL, SERVICE.
I know you work in HR but what do you ACTUALLY do?
I don’t know a single HR person who hasn’t been asked this question at least once.
More than just policies and hiring & firing, HR is an integral component of any business looking to succeed. Human Resources is the function in an organisation that manages all employees and ensures maximum engagement & productivity, as well as making sure the company is protected from any issues that may arise from the workforce.
So what is it I can do for you?
A lot of businesses have been sold this idea that an outsourced HR function is a booklet of extremely (boring) generic policies, a template of an employment contract, a lock in contract and monthly fee’s whether you use the service or not.
Heck no! And I can’t stress this enough HECK NO!
Quality HR is a function that will add value to your business, policies are there to support the operations, but the role of HR in a business is a strategic one.
While a lot of senior managers view HR’s role as being there solely for the company, a good HR person will balance whats best for employees against a managers expectations. HR’s main objective is to minimise risk against an organisation, so understanding how managements expectations will impact the workforce, both in a positive and negative way, and being able to communicate that in a respectful and persuasive manner, is the role of HR. Theres no point in acquiescing to every request from management if it’s likely to bring the organisation before Fair Work and / or totally destroy the reputation of the organisation within the community and as a good employer.
Managing risk isn’t just about keeping Fair Work from your door, it’s managing the risk of not having the right people in the right place at the right time, the risk of developing a poor reputation as an employer, the risk of not being able to recruit in a proactive and cost effective manner, the risk of losing your top talent because you aren’t addressing performance issues and the risk of setting your pays way too high or way too low.
The People & Culture Office is Kalgoorlie owned and operated; with a background in mining & trades and considerable experience in undertaking high volume recruitment we are your local choice for quality HR services that will add value to your operations.
No lock in contracts, no ongoing fee’s and nothing but one on one quality service.
If you’re looking for less selling and more helping its time for us to chat.
Like what you see? Click around and discover how partnering with us can give your business a competitive advantage by aligning strategy with people & culture, or, give us a like on Facebook for regular updates on industry trends, blog posts & photo’s of me having coffee at my regular haunts and / or my dog & cat disrupting my work day
It’s time for HR to move beyond policies, practices and processes, HR’s value proposition to business is to ensure HR professionals and their practices’ produce positive outcomes for key stakeholders, employees, line managers, customers and investors.
THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE IS A KALGOORLIE BASED HUMAN RESOURCES (HR) CONSULTING COMPANY THAT SPECIALISES IN DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS WITH SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES. WE CAN PARTNER WITH YOU TO GAIN A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE THROUGH EMPLOYEE INITIATIVES.
CONTACT US TO ARRANGE AN APPOINTMENT TO DISCUSS WHAT SOLUTIONS WE CAN PUT IN PLACE TO DRIVE ACHIEVEMENT OF YOUR STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL GOALS.
AT THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE YOU ONLY PAY FOR THE WORK WE UNDERTAKE FOR YOU; NO ANNUAL OR MONTHLY FEES; NO CONTRACTS; JUST QUALITY, LOCAL, SERVICE.
Like what you see? Click around and discover how partnering with us can give your business a competitive advantage by aligning strategy with people & culture, or, give us a like on Facebook for regular updates on industry trends, blog posts & photo’s of me having coffee at my regular haunts and / or my dog & cat disrupting my work day
It’s time for HR to move beyond policies, practices and processes, HR’s value proposition to business is to ensure HR professionals and their practices’ produce positive outcomes for key stakeholders, employees, line managers, customers and investors.
THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE IS A KALGOORLIE BASED HUMAN RESOURCES (HR) CONSULTING COMPANY THAT SPECIALISES IN DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS WITH SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES. WE CAN PARTNER WITH YOU TO GAIN A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE THROUGH EMPLOYEE INITIATIVES.
CONTACT US TO ARRANGE AN APPOINTMENT TO DISCUSS WHAT SOLUTIONS WE CAN PUT IN PLACE TO DRIVE ACHIEVEMENT OF YOUR STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL GOALS.
AT THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE YOU ONLY PAY FOR THE WORK WE UNDERTAKE FOR YOU; NO ANNUAL OR MONTHLY FEES; NO CONTRACTS; JUST QUALITY, LOCAL, SERVICE.
My friend was stood down from her job due to COVID-19 on March 23, she, along with her colleagues, hasn’t had any contact or communication from her employer at all during this time. At the time of writing this blog that’s been 11 weeks.
I have another friend who’s team at work was sat down by their manager a matter of hours after initial lockdown announcements were made and were told they’d probably have to make people redundant. This is a business who’s core operations were not affected by the lockdowns at all. No discussion about how the operations may change or how the business values their employees and will aim to do everything in its power to retain jobs – straight to the fear inducing.
Kylie McLerie from Collective Culture Consultancy, a Kalgoorlie based business consultancy service that specialises in leadership development, believes that “Leadership is, or should be, a people based exercise. Effective leaders are always remembered for how they made people feel valued and part of the big picture, not simply a cog in the wheel.”
Leadership comes from inspiring and empowering those around you, a position title doesn’t make you a great leader, which is why you find great leaders at all levels of an organisation. (You can read more about this here).
If I were to ask you to think of your most inspiring and well respected managers or supervisors at work, and their most admirable traits, many of you would respond with some common themes; honesty & integrity; good communicator; inspirational; accepts accountability; empathy; ability to delegate & empower; humility; transparency; resilience and decision making capabilities.
Kylie McLerie states the ability to be a great leader comes from the ability to “be the standard that you expect. If it isn’t modelled from the top then it won’t be part of the culture”
“What you do has far greater impact than what you say” Stephen Covey
An organisations culture is the standard it accepts, not the standard it expects. If a leader can’t emulate the right behaviours then why should your employees?
Which brings me to my opening quote “A fish rots from the head down”
If a leader in your organisation thinks is kosher to not follow policies and procedures; lead by intimidation and fear; not communicate; speak poorly of clients, employees and / or people from minority groups; withhold relevant information from employees, then guess what?
Your employees will think that it’s ok to act that way as well
It will impact business profitability significantly.
Employees will have low rates of engagement and productivity, they’ll speak negatively about their experiences while working for you and you’ll suffer frequent and high turnover – and that’s just the obvious symptoms of poor leadership.
“Leadership is not about you; it’s about investing in the growth of others” Ken Blanchard
In 2015 a behavioural statistician, Joseph Folkman, commenced a study to look at the legacy of poor leadership within organisations. The aim was to conduct analysis to reveal any correlation between an executives capacity to effectively lead, and the impact of that leadership style on their direct reports and so on throughout the organisational structure.
Joseph gathered 360 degree feedback on 6000 leaders, looking specifically at the feedback from their direct reports and was then able to match those direct reports to 360 degree feedback from their direct reports.
The results were statistically significant. Managers who came in at the lowest 10% for their coaching skills had direct reports who’s coaching skills rated in the 45th percentile. Thats 5 points below average. On the flip side to that, Managers who scored exceptionally well for their coaching skills had direct reports who scored in the 60th percentile, or 10 points above average, for their coaching skills.
It is clear from this study that good coaches tend to develop good coaches and that poor coaches influence others in the opposite direction.
If you promote internally you can see the legacy implications of poor leadership.
“Value your team, you’re only as good as the people around you” Ali Kent
Like what you see? Click around and discover how partnering with us can give your business a competitive advantage by aligning strategy with people & culture, or, give us a like on Facebook for regular updates on industry trends, blog posts & photo’s of me having coffee at my regular haunts and / or my dog & cat disrupting my work day
It’s time for HR to move beyond policies, practices and processes, HR’s value proposition to business is to ensure HR professionals and their practices’ produce positive outcomes for key stakeholders, employees, line managers, customers and investors.
THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE IS A KALGOORLIE BASED HUMAN RESOURCES (HR) CONSULTING COMPANY THAT SPECIALISES IN DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS WITH SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES. WE CAN PARTNER WITH YOU TO GAIN A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE THROUGH EMPLOYEE INITIATIVES.
CONTACT US TO ARRANGE AN APPOINTMENT TO DISCUSS WHAT SOLUTIONS WE CAN PUT IN PLACE TO DRIVE ACHIEVEMENT OF YOUR STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL GOALS.
AT THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE YOU ONLY PAY FOR THE WORK WE UNDERTAKE FOR YOU; NO ANNUAL OR MONTHLY FEES; NO CONTRACTS; JUST QUALITY, LOCAL, SERVICE.
This morning I made my pilgrimage to the local coffee van in the park, my journey there is adjacent to a number of bike paths and walking trails. For the past 7 weeks my well trod journey has presented young & old out riding bikes, walking, Mum & Dad and the 2.5 kids out living their best lives in the sun & soaking up nature.
The global pandemic has seen the best and worst of humanity, amongst the stories of dust ups in the Woolies loo paper isle are stories of bike sales going through the roof as people step away from their smartphones and endless social commentary about the future of work.
Nationwide lockdowns and directives from all levels of Government to stay home has opened the door to many employees having a work from home conversation with their bosses.
If the past 7 weeks have taught us anything, for many employees having to continue to structure their work around traditional office hours, in a traditional office building, dealing with traditional office politics is an outdated, and unwanted mechanism.
See, the thing with employees is they have lives outside of work. They have children and elderly parents, friends and pets they’d prefer to spend a lot more time with. Big, big lives that don’t always fit into the neatly compartmentalised structure of the daily grind we have been conditioned to accept.
What happy, productive employees need is flexibility. The freedom to structure their workday around the other demands in their life.
COVID-19 gave parents the ability to work from home and spend a lot more time involved in their kids lives, lots of very confused (but happy) dogs were going for lots of walks and trips to the park as more and more people grabbed any opportunity to get outside and soak up the sun & fresh air. For many, our lives simplified and became a whole lot more free, quite literally overnight.
People found that with out the constant interruptions and frustrations of office politics they got so much more work done.
But, as with everything what works for some won’t resonate with everyone.
Recently Mark Bouris interviewed Georgia Vidler, Director of Product at Canva on his podcast The Mentor. Understandably their conversation quickly turned towards the changes Canva had implemented to continue being a productive organisation in the face of the lockdown & social distancing requirements in Sydney. Mark admitted that prior to this period he always thought people requesting the flexibility to work from home were having a lend of him, what he found was he had a much, much more productive workforce.
While employees were positive about the changes made, there was a good percentage who indicated they liked working from home but also craved the social interaction that working in the office gave. They didn’t want to be back in the office full time though, they wanted a blend of both. This lead to Mark looking at creating 2 teams and having them in the office a week about, of course this means going forward he needs less office space, giving up a whole floor in the Sydney CBD will offer considerable cost savings.
But more importantly to the sustainability of the business, Mark was able to see a different – a better way – of working and ran with it.
I’m not pollyanna, I am aware that not everyone working from home will do the right thing, but chances are if they are that way inclined they probably aren’t working to full capacity in the office either. A line manager who has an understanding of each job role and the expected outputs will pick up on this pretty quickly and effective performance management processes will address the shortfall in achieving the expectations of the organisation.
Given that you pay people to do a job, not sit in a chair, if the job isn’t 100% customer facing does it really matter where the employee works from? And if they are achieving their outputs does it really matter if they only work for 7 hours on the odd day here and there instead of sitting on Facebook for the last hour of the day because people can’t get past the concept that unless they are “at work” for 8 hours then they aren’t getting full value from their employees.
I know I’d rather an absolute star who applies themselves and gets their work done in a 4 day week than pay someone to fluff around for the majority of the day and be under the pump to meet deadlines.
Quality over quantity baby…….. Quality over Quantity.
What changes do you hope to come out of the global pandemic? Have you made any lifestyle changes that improves the quality of your life?
Like what you see? Click around and discover how partnering with us can give your business a competitive advantage by aligning strategy with people & culture, or, give us a like on Facebook for regular updates on industry trends, blog posts & photo’s of me having coffee at my regular haunts and / or my dog & cat disrupting my work day
It’s time for HR to move beyond policies, practices and processes, HR’s value proposition to business is to ensure HR professionals and their practices’ produce positive outcomes for key stakeholders, employees, line managers, customers and investors.
THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE IS A KALGOORLIE BASED HUMAN RESOURCES (HR) CONSULTING COMPANY THAT SPECIALISES IN DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS WITH SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES. WE CAN PARTNER WITH YOU TO GAIN A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE THROUGH EMPLOYEE INITIATIVES.
CONTACT US TO ARRANGE AN APPOINTMENT TO DISCUSS WHAT SOLUTIONS WE CAN PUT IN PLACE TO DRIVE ACHIEVEMENT OF YOUR STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL GOALS.
AT THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE YOU ONLY PAY FOR THE WORK WE UNDERTAKE FOR YOU; NO ANNUAL OR MONTHLY FEES; NO CONTRACTS; JUST QUALITY, LOCAL, SERVICE.
Have you ever walked into a business and it’s evident that it isn’t everyones ideal work environment?
They just don’t suit the vibe of the business………… there’s something that’s just off.
I’m not talking about appearance. Hiring for cultural fit isn’t about how someone dresses, how attractive they are, the presence of tattoo’s, piercings and everything else that falls under the umbrella of employment prejudice.
This is about defining your strategic direction and values and then developing a set of strategic people processes that will assist you with achieving your business goals.
People processes that are developed around a balanced scorecard.
Businesses who place too heavy of a focus on skills risk having a dysfunctional workplace culture. At the extreme end of this concept are organisations that recruit based on skill based selection criteria’s, and score each candidate based on their ability to meet each criteria, at the lower end, and most common use of this practice, is to look at a resume and base the hiring decision around a degree, trade or years of experience in a particular industry.
The problem with this approach is that yes, technically they can do the job, but is that person actually someone that you would want to represent your business?
Do they have personal attributes that align to your values? Do they understand where your business is headed and have the right attitude to help you get there?
Skill & Competency versus Behaviours & Capability. The approach should be balanced, a nice little blend of both.
Drilling down, this is about finding employees that fulfil your expectations in regards to personal attributes, relationships, delivering results and the functional aspects of their jobs.
This is why we’ve developed our Key Behavioural & Capability Framework, to provide a toolkit towards achieving a competitive advantage through your people.
This balanced approach to your people management feeds into everything you do, it permeates through each and every initiative involving your employees. It starts with your organisational strategic direction, the framework takes your operational goals & values, develops a set of behaviours and capabilities and cascades them through assessing the capability of your organisation, how you recruitment, how you manage performance, how you develop your employees and how you plan for the future.
An all encompassing HR strategy to meet your business needs.
Employment Law & people management is a complex beast, if you need assistance navigating your way around we are on hand to provide support & add value to your business
I‘d love to meet with you to discuss how I can create a HR Strategy that adds value to your business, Contact Me for an obligation free chat.
This post is the 4th in a series of how quality HR solutions can add value to your business. Catch up here, here & here
HR is so much more than a set of policies and procedures. Strategic HR Management is about developing value adding strategies surrounding compensation & benefits, workforce planning, recruitment, performance management and career development. The policies and procedures aspect of HR is about compliance and risk management; they work within the wider business environment but their core purpose is to provide a risk management framework to manage the industrial relations and employee relations aspect of the business.
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It’s time for HR to move beyond policies, practices and processes, HR’s value proposition to business is to ensure HR professionals and their practices’ produce positive outcomes for key stakeholders, employees, line managers, customers and investors.
THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE IS A KALGOORLIE BASED HUMAN RESOURCES (HR) CONSULTING COMPANY THAT SPECIALISES IN DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS WITH SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES. WE CAN PARTNER WITH YOU TO GAIN A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE THROUGH EMPLOYEE INITIATIVES.
CONTACT US TO ARRANGE AN APPOINTMENT TO DISCUSS WHAT SOLUTIONS WE CAN PUT IN PLACE TO DRIVE ACHIEVEMENT OF YOUR STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL GOALS.
AT THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE YOU ONLY PAY FOR THE WORK WE UNDERTAKE FOR YOU; NO ANNUAL OR MONTHLY FEES; NO CONTRACTS; JUST QUALITY, LOCAL, SERVICE.
