|
articles & white papers on
Talent Retention Team
Building
& Corporate Culture
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national
Sydney Morning Herald -
Sydney,New South Wales,Australia
By Gwyn Topham
February 6, 2006
Long hours are the badge of honour of the new
elite in the office
CAN this
really be Sydney? A city that draws young travellers and migrants from around
the world on a promise of beaches and good living has a new reality: a cost of
living higher than New York or Rome.
It's the
seventh-most expensive place in the world to buy a house. Repossessions are
again a familiar sight. With burgeoning mortgages, child-care bills and debt,
people are stretching to the limit. For many of those, that means working longer
hours than ever. Australians work some of the longest hours in the Western
world, despite relatively high living standards. So what's going on? Is it
purely the economic pinch? Or as some suggest, do we now believe workaholicism
is a badge of honour?
We have
reached a point where hours that were once seen as exploitive are now passed off
as a lifestyle choice. Australian Bureau of Statistics research and figures
show we have become addicted to work. Work has not only become a means of paying
our increasing debt but has become bound up with personal identity.
Madeleine
Bunting, British author of Willing Slaves: How the Overwork Culture Is Ruling
Our Lives, says overwork has become a sign of status. She quotes the
sociologist Zygmunt Bauman: that now, workaholics preoccupied with the
challenges of their jobs 24 hours a day are not found among the slaves but in
the lucky, successful elite. The hardworking elite in Sydney are likely to be
found in law firms - from junior levels to partners - in hospitals and in
banking and finance.
The trick,
Bauman says, is no longer to minimise work time but "to efface altogether the
line dividing … work from recreation". The theme is taken up by David Brooks, a
sociologist writing about young workers in the US: if "employees start thinking
like artists and activists, they actually work harder for the company … if work
is a form of self-expression, then you never want to stop". Both could easily
have been talking about Paul Bootlif, 33, a advertising executive who barely
separates his job and life, and is happy to work all hours - "an ego-driven"
thing, he says.
For those
who don't find fulfilment at work and are locked into long hours, Bauman writes,
aspirations to freedom are channelled into consumption. Hence, says Bunting, the
desire for the perfect home, interiors, gadgetry - or a harbour view and
drinking trendy cocktails. "Overwork and consumerism feed off each other."
But many,
as American Barbara Ehrenreich describes in her book Nickel and Dimed,
are locked into low-wage industries that make the idea of either conspicuous
consumption or choosing a work-life balance a cruel joke. Though as Bunting
points out, even for the majority who have a degree of choice, those choices are
made not in isolation: "They are the product of the organisational culture of
our workplaces, which promotes concepts of success, team spirit … and a powerful
work ethic."
According
to Helen Trinca and Catherine Fox, authors of Better than Sex: How a Whole
Generation Got Hooked on Work, jobs now have "an often implicit requirement
of full commitment", leaving little time or energy for anything else, a
transaction that didn't exist even a decade ago. Michel Foucault's ideas of
self-policing societies apply equally to the workplace, they say: firms no
longer need a boss or a clocking-in card to ensure their staff stay on the job.
And for those who break through the culture of presenteeism, mobile phones and
BlackBerries keep alive the tentacles of work. The Work Life Balance Foundation
says one of the issues it tackles is that expressing a desire for work-life
balance can brand you as uncommitted and unmotivated. Yet it also reassures
employers that "many people love their work and for them the perfect balance is
working very long hours". So what do the Gordon Gekkos, who think lunch is for
wimps, make of those who find "perfect balance" means shorter hours?
Professor
Sue Richardson, of the National Institute of Labour Studies, says: "Some
employers do make some effort to accommodate the non-work needs of their
employees - but there are very strong, subtle cultures here that say, 'By all
means take that time off, but don't expect to be promoted'. Men pick it up very
strongly and don't want to pay that price. Women pick it up, take a deep breath
- and do pay that price, or don't have children." This month, British unions are
holding a Work Your Proper Hours Day. The date marks the moment when the average
employee stops "working free" and starts earning, based on the number of days
clocked up in unpaid overtime each year. For the one in three Australians who
put in more than 48 hours a week, their unpaid overtime would stretch to March
26.
We are
living through an "epidemic of overtime," says Richard Marles, assistant
secretary of the ACTU. "It's the critical issue of our age. We're a nice,
well-off Western society, middle of the road in terms of health, education,
lifestyle. But where we really stand out is in terms of working hours." Most
recent figures from the Bureau of Statistics make startling reading. Average
hours for full-time workers have been increasing for the past quarter of a
century. The proportion working more than 60 hours a week has shot up by 81 per
cent. And Australian full-time workers are more likely to put in more than 50
hours a week than those in any other OECD country.
It wasn't
always thus. Australia led the way in reducing work hours: the first country to
achieve a 48-hour week, down to 40 by 1948. Marles says: "Once again, the place
of work in our lives has got out of control. The cultural change we need to
bring about is the same - placing work in the proper context in our lives."
While one result of Mark Latham's short tenure as leader of the Opposition was
to highlight work-life balance as a political issue, the history of similar
ventures abroad might prompt scepticism. The British Prime Minister, Tony Blair,
launched a work-life balance campaign in 2000, while ensuring Britain was able
to opt out of the European Union's proposals for a maximum working week. After a
decade of discussion of work-life balance in the US, rights to paid holidays and
maternity leave remain far below those enjoyed in Europe. Now the issue is on
the political agenda in Australia - at the same time as labour reforms that many
believe will make it difficult for employees, on individual contracts, to resist
overtime.
Should
long hours be a matter for concern? "It really depends on the individual," says
a Sydney career psychologist, Jim Bright. "Some people who absolutely love their
work and have relatively few commitments or have a large support network can
thrive on it." But Bright warns: "For others with a small family or health
issues, or those compelled to do it against their will, it can be exceedingly
stressful and lead to a whole range of things such as accidents or mental
illness."
The
current route to tackling overwork is an appeal to corporate self-interest. US
consultancy worklifebalance.com tells chief executives: "Work-life balance …
provides the biggest and easiest upside opportunity to immediately impact your
business." A survey of Australian companies by Managing Work Life Balance
International claims firms which have implemented life-friendly policies have
experienced a drop in sick leave and staff turnover. Companies also report
increased productivity - a point emphasised by Marles, who says: "Human beings
are not limitless sources of energy." He points to studies at the University of
South Australia Centre for Sleep Research, showing that beyond 45 to 50 hours a
week, time at work has little productive value. This applies as much to office
jobs as manual ones. "The first thing to go is your brain, basically."
Businesses
may not have the luxury of taking such decisions for long, however. Demographics
point to a decline in young people coming to the workplace, meaning, Richardson
says, that those who do will be in a much stronger position: "If we can sustain
high levels of employment, for some types of worker the balance of power is
shifting." Those "ambitious to climb up the slippery pole" will just have to do
the hours, she says. "For the rest, mental and physical health and the capacity
to care for others depends on demanding better hours and conditions. But they
need to learn that they have the power to say that to their employer."
You
never know when inspiration's going to strike …
Paul
Bootlif, 33, works for Arnold advertising agency and is no stranger to long
hours. "I come in at 9am and finish on average at eight or nine in the evening,"
he says. "Most weekends I do a little bit of work. If there's something huge on
- a pitch for an advertising account - I'd be in all weekend and probably work
until midnight. That's quite common in advertising. "I get off on the fact that
it's not a nine-to-five gig. Every day's interesting and stimulating and you get
new challenges thrown at you. You're juggling a lot of things."
And his
working day doesn't finish when he leaves work. It spills into his social life
and shapes his friendships and interests. "We invariably end up going to the pub
with workmates, talking about work. So the social life intermingles a lot of the
time. I don't separate the two," he says.
"I tend to
go to the movies, watch TV - trying to get plugged into popular culture - and
that feeds back into my work. You never know when inspiration's going to strike;
you're constantly looking for ideas where the next ad's going to come from.
"Money is important but secondary. It's an ego-driven job - being happy with
myself and high creative standards. "I have a girlfriend - she's constantly
upset with me and wanting to spend more time with me. I have broken dates and
stuff. She's understanding - to a certain degree. Less so when I work till 5am
and end up going home and knocking on her door.
"I think
if anything it's just going to get more hectic. I have more goals I want to
achieve. If I lost my job tomorrow I'd have a well-earned holiday - and then
probably get straight back into it."
http://www.indystar.com
Indianapolis Star - United States
November 14, 2005
Survey on retention issues 'shocking'
Even as U.S.
workers emphasize the importance of time and flexibility as key to them staying
in their jobs, employers aren't getting the message.
Just 35 percent
of employers cited time and flexibility as a key driver of retention, compared
with 60 percent of employees, according to a study released last week by
Spherion Corp., a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., staffing agency.
That study showed significant disparities across the
board in evaluating how employers and employees view other retention issues,
too, from compensation and growth potential to management climate and supervisor
relationships. Experts said that disconnect may indicate something has to change
if companies expect to hang on to their staffs.
"Frankly, it was
shocking," said Richard Lamond, Spherion's chief human resources officer. "The
competition for talent is going to get very heated. If you're not . . . at least
willing to be flexible, you're going to be competing in a shrinking market."
In addition,
employers surveyed said they expected only 14 percent of their work force to
leave within the next year, while 40 percent of workers surveyed said they
planned to find a new job in the same time period. Just 34 percent of human
resources managers said retention is one of their key concerns.
Copyright 2005
IndyStar.com.
Globe and Mail -
Canada
By VIRGINIA GALT
October 15, 2005
WORKPLACE REPORTER
Lousy
people skills are biggest hurdle for leaders
While
promoted for technical abilities, most need help in leadership methods, VIRGINIA
GALT finds.
Leaders are promoted
for their abilities to "bring in the numbers," take tough stands and create
strategic plans.
But when they bomb -- as 35
per cent do -- it is usually because of lousy people skills, according to new
research by Development Dimensions International Inc., a Pittsburgh-based
consulting firm.
Even the most driven executive will have trouble delivering
financial results if no one is following his or her lead, says DDI, reporting on
a global survey of 4,559 leaders and 944 HR professionals.
While most of the
leaders participating in the survey -- from front-line managers to chief
executive officers -- sought and welcomed their promotions, they acknowledge
that about 25 per cent of their organizational plans or strategies fail because
"they are not appropriately executed or implemented."
Many report that they
were promoted for their technical skills but could use more help developing
leadership skills. However, 68 per cent describe themselves as "self-made"
leaders.
There was a
seat-of-the-pants quality to their answers when DDI asked these managers how
they acquired their skills and knowledge. In order of importance, the survey
respondents cite: observing others, trial and error on the job, guidance from
their current supervisors, reading, advice from co-workers and peers, and formal
training.
First-time leaders,
in particular, "feel poorly prepared for their roles and are struggling with the
transition," says DDI in its report, Leadership Forecast 2005/2006: Best
Practices for Tomorrow's Global Leaders.
Nonetheless, the
survey found that management turnover is down from previous years -- and 75 per
cent of those surveyed would welcome further promotion.
"The majority of
leaders still possess the passion and drive for further promotions; however,
only 39 per cent fall into the 'highly ambitious' category and 8 per cent have
absolutely no desire to climb the corporate ladder," the report said.
On the other hand,
one in four managers has considered giving up a leadership position to pursue
personal or other career goals.
"We found that those
most likely to consider dropping out are first-level leaders (35 per cent) . . .
who make the difficult transition from individual contributor to front-line
leader and who might be yearning to go back [to the trenches].
"Over time, the
front-line leadership role has become more stressful," says DDI, which found
that the desire to drop out decreases higher up the corporate ladder.
Those at the top of
the heap also tend to report a better work/life balance than those who are still
in the middle and striving to advance.
"One may argue that
overburdened leaders need to work smarter, not harder, by leveraging their
resources and their employees' talents. At the same time, leaders recognize
their own ambitions, and [their] drive for achievement can contribute to their
problems with work/life balance," DDI reports.
Furthermore, many
willingly make the sacrifice. "Of the leaders who have poor work/life balance,
60 per cent are willing to give up even more personal time if they can reach
higher levels of leadership. Perhaps strikingly, 76 per cent of leaders with
good balance are willing to give up more personal time if it means that they can
advance."
In return, they would
appreciate more organizational support so they can expand their skills and
manage more effectively, says the firm, and this should start at the front-line
management level.
Most managers are promoted
because of past performance, but need to broaden their skills to perform
effectively in their new jobs.
"Because people have
an innate desire to learn and grow, they need the stimulation offered by
development so that they do not lose their motivation, become complacent or seek
more interesting challenges outside the organization, DDI says.
The firm found that,
while 65 per cent of internally promoted leaders rise to the occasion and
succeed, more than one-third fail.
Most likely to
succeed, the firm says, are those who can bring out the best in people, learn
from their mistakes, respond to feedback, adjust quickly to change and develop
an ability to see many perspectives.
For those who would
like to be considered for promotion, DDI has prepared the following checklist of
"leadership potential" indicators:
- Motivation
(propensity) to lead: Has upward ambition; actively pursues leadership
opportunities.
- Authenticity: Is
genuine and true; has integrity; promotes trust; is confident.
- Brings out the
best in people: Optimizes talent; inspires performance; unites others toward
common goals.
- Learning agility:
Learns from mistakes, learns new information; is curious.
- Receptivity to
feedback: Seeks and uses feedback; accepts criticism; is humble.
- Adaptability:
Accepts change; adjusts quickly; balances many demands.
- Conceptual
thinking: Thinks broadly; sees many perspectives; understands connections.
- Navigates
ambiguity: Simplifies complex situations; sees in shades of grey.
- Culture fit: Has
personal style or qualities that fit with the company culture.
- Passion for
results: Gets things done; overcomes problems; refuses to give up.
vgalt@globeandmail.ca
Why internally
promoted leaders fail
Development
Dimensions International Inc. recently asked 944 human resources professionals
from 42 countries why internally promoted leaders fail. Here are the results,
expressed as a percentage of HR professionals selecting each reason:
- Poor people
skills: 53 per cent
- Personal qualities
(style, attitude, habits): 53 per cent
- Poor fit with
company culture: 44 per cent
- Couldn't get
results: 43 per cent
- Don't have the
skills to do the job: 36 per cent
- Poor strategic or
visionary skills: 33 per cent
- Poor motivational
fit with the job: 27 per cent
- Inadequate
preparation: 22 per cent
- Lack of experience
(not ready for the position): 21 per cent
- Unrealistic
expectations for the job: 18 per cent
- Other: 7 per cent
SOURCE:
DEVELOPMENT DIMENSIONS INTERNATIONAL INC.
http://sify.com
Sify - Taramani,Chennai,India
14 October , 2005
Horizons
2005 calls for talent retention
Retaining talent, Basel II norms, entrepreneurship and mergers and acquisitions
were some of the topics covered in 'Horizons 2005', the annual management
seminar of the Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode held at its campus on
October 8, 2005. The seminar was inaugurated by Dr A C Muthiah, Chairman, SPIC,
Chennai and Chairman of the Board of Governors, IIM Kozhikode and Dr Krishna
Kumar, Director, IIM Kozhikode, delivered the welcome speech.
Google India's HR Head
Manoj Varghese talked about HR in emerging sectors and the issue of talent
management and retention. He said in the IT-enabled sector, many techniques are
pushed too soon into management roles due to the need for more people at the top
level of the pyramid. He emphasized that a key factor in enabling talent is to
modify the education philosophy. It should focus on equipping the participant
with the know-how to find the best solution rather than teach 'one way to do
it', he said.
Somas Jeevan, HR Head
of EDS, highlighted that people management was about managing diversity - be it
cultural, educational, technological or functional. He also shared his
experiences in setting McDonald’s outlets in India. M J Aravind, partner,
Artiman Ventures, recounted his struggle during the start of his own venture,
Daksh. He highlighted his planning methodology to overcome the complex
legalities and infrastructural problems that he faced.
Bijou Kurien, Chief
Operating Officer of Titan Industries, spoke on India’s capability in creating
global brands. He talked about the success attained by Tanishq in branding
jewellery, which has been traditionally viewed as a commodity. He said that to
be global it is necessary to use the capability advantages along with better
government initiatives in areas of policy making and implementation. And on
Basel II norms for banks, it was the turn of CRISIL CFO D. Ravishankar. He spoke
about the different types of risk a bank faces and the difference in
standardised credit rating of external agencies and the internal IRB rating that
bank could go for.
The architect of
mega-mergers like GlaxoSmithKline and Tata-Tetley, Homi Khusrokhan, presently
the ED of Tata Chemicals, said the prime reason for failure of many mergers is
ignoring of the revenue synergies in favour of cost-cutting. He stressed the
need for convergence of values and treating people with culture sensitiveness.
FICCI was the knowledge
partner for this event, and Sify.com was the Media partner.
http://www.canada.com
Montreal Gazette - Montreal, Quebec,
Canada
Michael Stern
Financial Post
October 08, 2005
Not
all staff are your 'most important assets'
To
retain employees you value, stop treating everyone equally
You've heard the
phrase, "the war for talent." As business gets tougher and more competitive,
more and more companies will be looking harder for the right people to lead
their organizations. At the same time, a host of experienced, well-trained Baby
Boomers are now starting to eye the clock, counting down the days until they
either retire early or open up that bed and breakfast they've dreamed of in Nova
Scotia.
The result: a growing
talent shortage that will force your company to aggressively compete for the
management it needs. But this war will not be won at the recruiting level alone.
Winning companies will also have to get sharper about holding on to the talent
they already have. In light of companies' need for experienced management, and
given the cost and disruption associated with employee turnover, you might think
most employers would already have made retention a priority. However, in my
experience, it just ain't so. Getting serious about retention is hard work. It
requires employers to monitor and measure employee performance, satisfaction and
compensation. It forces them to get serious about employee motivation and
development. Hardest of all, it requires them to be honest and ditch the old
adage, "Our employees are our most important asset."
The truth is, only some
of your employees are key strategic assets. Most of the rest, by definition, are
average or below-average performers. While you're in no hurry to drive them
away, you shouldn't be bending over backwards to keep them, either. You need to
reserve your energies for the 10% or so who matter most. This is a difficult
leap for many executives and companies to make. Treating people differently
smacks of discrimination and unfairness. But to keep your good people, this is
exactly what you have to do.
Example: after a tough
selling season, your company regretfully freezes salaries or budgets for next
year, or cancels year-end bonuses. Who is going to respond worse to this news --
the employees who have been working the hardest and expecting the biggest
rewards; or the laid-back staffers who are just hoping to hang on to their jobs
till retirement? Who are you more likely to lose thanks to such policies
--second-tier performers, or confident, successful executives with other
employment options? The answer may be obvious, but it's amazing how many
employers ignore these natural laws. They establish narrow salary bands for all
employees (thereby discouraging high performers), or begrudge giving their
executives the discretion needed to reward top people discreetly.
Imagine this: one of
your best employees comes to you with a family problem. Perhaps someone is sick,
or a relative has died and an estate needs closing. How comfortable would you be
telling them to take a week off -- and by the way, we won't count it against
your vacation allotment? ("It'll be our little secret.") Special gestures
such as these do wonders for motivation and morale. But many companies fear
offering special dispensations to only some employees, and to tell the truth,
some don't really like giving their executives that kind of discretionary power,
either. But attitudes like these will have to change as the war for talent
escalates. If you can't treat your best performers like the stars they are, some
other employer will -- and you are likely to lose them.
As an executive search
consultant, I meet with hundreds of experienced, successful executives every
year. You wouldn't believe how many say they consistently get no feedback from
their organizations. They have no idea how their bosses see them, or how much
their contribution is appreciated by the company. Many Canadian bosses seem to
have some allergy to patting good performers on the back.
If I am hoping to hire
these people for a client, statements like these are music to my ears. It's one
thing to offer a promising candidate an exciting new position; it makes my job
much easier when the candidate has been kept in the dark and treated like a
mushroom. When employees jump ship, most do so only partly because there's a
good opportunity waiting. They know there are always risks in adjusting to new
companies and situations, so there has to be a bit of a push, as well as a pull,
to get them to leave.
To hold on to your best
people, make sure you know who they are. Then make sure they know who they are.
Get to know each one better, and find out what their individual hot buttons are.
One size does not fit all. Would they prefer more challenging assignments or
more time off? Would they like less travel or more performance-related
compensation? Find ways to recognize their contributions and give them what they
want. Companies that don't prioritize their best people should not be surprised
if they have retention problems. Top performers are assets that are always in
play.
Michael Stern is
president and CEO of Michael SternAssociates Inc. (www.michaelstern.com),
an executive search firmheadquartered in Toronto with affiliate offices in major
businesscentres worldwide.
© National Post 2005
http://www.expertclick.com
NewsReleaseWire.com (press
release) - USA
September 14 2005
Employee,
employer, spouse, significant other, parent, child, sibling, volunteer, church
goer, friend, manager, team player, traveler, mentor, protégé, chef, maintenance
person, mediator and more. How can you wear so many hats and keep your head on
straight?
How can you balance your life? Forget it! There is no such thing as being
completely or permanently in balance. You, like a tightrope walker, are
constantly re-balancing. You are perpetually out of balance on your way to
momentary balance only to find yourself out of balance once again. If you’re
mentally and physically present at work, your family is not getting your time.
If you’re mentally and physically present at your daughter’s baseball game, your
in box is overflowing. You haven’t even considered getting to the gym or reading
something spicier than the quarterly report.
The Answer: Focus. Pay attention to the right thing at the right time. Your goal
is to be fully present; in the moment. To coin a phrase, aim to be serially
balanced. You can have it all, just not all at once. Comedian Steven Wright
disagrees. He says, “You can’t have it all. Where would you put it?”
The Key: So what’s a normal, crazed person to do? The key came from the
valedictorian at a Boulder,
Colorado high school. This fresh faced young woman, Moonbeam Goldberg,
approached her graduating class, parents and other dignitaries. She proclaimed
the deceptively simple solution for living a more balanced, full life. “Walk
while you’re walking and sleep while you’re sleeping. Don’t sleep while you’re
walking. Don’t walk while you’re sleeping.”
What This Means For You When you’re with your family, be focused on them. If
thoughts of work dance in your head, tell those thoughts to skedaddle. Most
people don’t feel they spend too much time with family and too little at work.
Your professional tasks can take over your life if you let them. Set boundaries.
Four Steps Take these four not-so-easy steps to be more in balance:
1. Determine what’s important to you. What do you value most no matter what?
2. Keep those priorities right in front of your nose at all times.
3. Say “No” to anything that detracts from your priorities.
4. Spend your time on your priorities. Otherwise, they are not really your
priorities. If you proclaim that your health is a priority, spit out the Twinkie
and get moving.
Sit down with paper and pen, or PC and mouse. Answer these questions:
1. What hats do you wear and what tasks come with each hat?
2. What hats can you hang on the hat rack? You can always put a hat back on at a
later date.
3. In what order will you prioritize your hats? Hint: They can’t all be number
one.
4. Have you delegated tasks and hats? Have you tossed unnecessary hats and tasks
into the dumpster-o-life? Or do you keep precariously stacking hat upon hat?
5. Have you made time for your physical, mental and emotional health? Remember,
you can’t give what you don’t have.
6. Are you laughing enough? Everyone will benefit if you get a grin.
7. Cultivate simple pleasures that take less time and money. A walk with your
family can be accomplished every week instead of waiting for the semi-decade
wallet buster trip to
Disneyland.
Having more life balance is a choice. Choose or lose.
http://www.personneltoday.com
PersonnelToday.com - UK
Author:
Michael Millar
07 June 2005 01:00
Work-life
balance puts EU economy in danger
This is the
view of David Arkless, senior vice-president of corporate affairs for Manpower,
which is launching an initiative with the Chinese government to encourage better
working practices and higher productivity in China. It is the first large-scale
project of its kind between a governmental institution in China and an
employment services corporation, and Arkless believes it shows that the Far
East is a real danger to the UK economy.
“At present,
there is a dearth of skills right up the management line,” he said. “But in 15
years, China will be the biggest consumer economy in the world.”
It is
in preparation for this boom that many companies are offshoring business and
investment to the Far East, and not because of cheap labour, Arkless said.
Foreign
businesses are presently investing about $100m (£55m) a week into China,
according to Manpower figures. Shanghai alone has seen a 20% rise in economic
growth in the past year.
If
Europe wants to keep up economically, there must be less regu-lation of
business, Arkless said.
He
called potential changes to the Working Time Directive and the Agency Workers
Directive ‘nonsense’, which harked back to old-fashioned socialist policies.
He
said that while work-life balance was fine in principle, “you need a working
economy for there to be work”.
“It’s all
about supply and demand,” Arkless said. “Work-life balance is really hard when
you are under such pressure.”
His
comments mirror recent calls for the work-life balance to be tipped back towards
work.
Bill Midgeley,
president of the British Chambers of Commerce, recently said that this balance
would determine Europe’s survival as a major economic force.
Chancellor Gordon Brown has promised less regulation, but unions say that
employers cannot be trusted to regulate themselves.
http://bostonworks.boston.com
Boston Globe -
Boston,MA,USA
June 5, 2005
By Diane E.
Lewis
President Bush's nomination of John R.
Bolton as
US ambassador to the United Nations has drawn attention
to an issue some workers have complained about for years: the bullying boss.
Examples of bosses who rely on
intimidation aren't hard to find. Donald Trump perfected the role on ''The
Apprentice.'' The Donald not only pits potential job candidates against each
other on the weekly show, but also brashly fires someone.
Albert J. Dunlap, former chief executive
and president of Sunbeam Corp., had a slash and burn style of layoffs and
restructuring that led to the nickname, ''Chain Saw Al.'' Then, there's Martha
Stewart, the doyenne of good taste. Prior to her incarceration last year, the
offices of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia weren't always considered a great
place to work. In fact, one staffer called Stewart ''the boss from hell,''
according to published reports.
Supporters say
Bolton,
56, the under secretary of arms control and international security at the State
Department, is strong and forceful, the kind of boss who gets things done. Yet
questions about his treatment of subordinates caused Congress to temporarily put
aside his nomination after allegations surfaced that
Bolton
was overly aggressive in his dealings with the people he supervised.
Senate Democrats said they wouldn't vote
for or against
Bolton until they had more details about his management
style. They also wanted more time to review reports that
Bolton
berated intelligence specialists. Republicans, who lacked the votes to push the
nomination through, defended Bolton as a solid choice for
US ambassador.
Debate over the nomination - which could
resume as early as Tuesday, when the Senate returns from its Memorial Day break
- has fueled discussions about bullying bosses and how management by
intimidation affects morale, retention and, ultimately, the employer's bottom
line.
One study, released by
Wayne
State
University, reveals that one in six workers are bullied by
bosses in any given year. Gary Namie, director of the Workplace Bullying and
Trauma Institute in Bellingham, Wash., said companies support bullying behavior
because they believe mean bosses get better results.
''Oftentimes, these leaders are seen as
motivating staff,'' said Namie. ''They may achieve some results, but the results
are short term. Usually, beneath those results is a lot of lingering resentment
followed by talent flight.'' Namie, a consultant for The Workplace Doctor, said
employees who cannot escape bad bosses cause problems later on, becoming
disenchanted, angry, and disloyal. These are the employees who sabotage the
workplace or a company's products and services.
Namie said that workers complain about the
bosses' bad behavior, but receive little or no relief because bullies choose
their targets carefully. ''Intimidators do not intimidate up the ladder,'' he
said. ''They tend to ingratiate themselves with the people above while beating
down or kicking the people below.'' Said Namie: ''This is the CEO, supervisor or
vice president who laughs at the chairman's jokes, cuts his grass, plays golf
and eats lunch with him. So, when exposed as being a bad boss, the people at the
very top are less likely to believe the complainers. They are more likely to
think that something is wrong with the person who complained.''
What recourse does the employee have?
Attorney Robin Bond, president of Transition Strategies LLC, an employment law
firm in
Philadelphia, said there is no legislation that specifically
addresses bullying in the workplace. However, if a bosses' language or behavior
creates a hostile work environment, a legal claim can be made.
David Yamada, a professor at the Suffolk
University Law School in Boston who specializes in employment law, said an
employee could allege workplace bullying under the theory of intentional
infliction of emotional distress. ''You could also file for workers'
compensation,'' Yamada said. ''And you could sue an individual for interfering
with your employment relationship and that could include the boss. In that case,
the actions of the bully would have to be seen as so disruptive of someone's
ability to do the job that it interfered with the employment relationship.''
Yamada is the author of the Healthy
Workplace Act, a bill that bars psychological harassment. The proposed
legislation has been filed in four states since 2002, including
California,
Hawaii,
Oregon, and
Oklahoma. It has not been signed into law in any state. In
2004, however, a ballot question passed in
Amherst
that asked the region's state representative to submit legislation that would
declare workplace bullying an occupational health hazard. The question also
required that a statewide study be commissioned on workplace bullying and abuse.
In some cases, workers who file
discrimination or sexual harassment charges are bullied by retaliating
supervisors. For example, Sarah Apsey was 26 when she landed a job several years
ago as an office manager at a subsidiary of GKA Inc. in Weston, which has since
closed. When the company president started making unwanted advances, Apsey
reported his actions. Soon after, he called her at work and went ''off in a
tirade, screaming and yelling,'' according to legal papers.
Last year, the
Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination awarded Apsey
$9,500 in back wages, with 12 percent interest retroactive to the day she filed
her complaint, $75,000 in damages for emotional distress.
Concerned about the work environment, some
US firms hire executive coaches to help mean bosses
change their behavior. Lauren Mackler, a psychotherapist and business coach in
Newton, works with executives who have difficulty managing anger at work, and
communicating with subordinates. She said the bosses' bad behavior is rooted in
coping strategies learned during childhood.
Mackler helps the poorly behaved develop
new strategies by delving into the role their families played in shaping their
values, core beliefs and reactions. She recalled a top executive who belittled
and berated a subordinate who gave their opinions. Fearful of being embarrassed
or worse, fired, they stopped sharing their ideas. When a subordinate quit and
reported the executive's behavior to higher-ups, the company hired Mackler.
Mackler said the boss who berated his
workers created a situation that encouraged backstabbing and vicious gossip.
''They were all vying for 'Dad's' affection and approval,'' she said. Mackler
put together a development plan for him that included an assessment of his
childhood and family life. It helped the client come to terms with his anger and
aggression, she said.
Changing a negative workplace also
requires the attention of leadership. But, John Challenger, chief executive of
the outplacement firm, Challenger, Gray and Christmas, said bad bosses are
sometimes perceived as untouchable because of lucrative contacts or the revenue
they bring in. ''The bad boss may have leverage that makes him or her difficult
to confront,'' said Challenger. ''It could be emotional leverage, or it could be
the person's hold on a major account or set of accounts. It could even be the
fact that he has access to key people in the organization.''
But all too often, Challenger said,
companies do not take action until their reputation - and profits - are at
stake.
http://www.cio.com
Jun. 1, 2005 Issue
of
CIO Magazine
CIO - Framingham,MA,USA
BY: SUSAN CRAMM
Your Work or Your
Life
How to overcome the
corporate conspiracy that keeps you chained to your job
If you want your
life to be more than a series of meetings, e-mails and business trips, you are
not alone. My objective in nearly every coaching relationship is to help my
client find a balance between work responsibilities and personal life. Former GE
grand pooh-bah Jack Welch has said in recent articles and interviews that he
believes great managers don't have work-life-balance issues because they have
the necessary "systems" in place. This is a ridiculous comment, even for those
with a stay-at-home spouse and legions of personal assistants. The only managers
who don't have work-life-balance issues are those who have already given up
their lives to the company.
Welch says your
boss wants to make "your job so exciting that your personal life becomes a less
compelling draw." You may wish that your boss would embrace the whole you (and
not view your children as competition), but most executives think of home and
family as something to be dealt with—like a physical or emotional handicap.
According to Welch, the typical boss is willing to "accommodate
work-life-balance challenges if you have earned it with performance." In other
words, you mortgage your life to the company in the present so that you can own
it in some misty future.
Unfortunately,
this strategy doesn't really work because by the time you realize that your work
and life are out of balance, your habits, expectations, responsibilities and
relationships (or lack thereof) have hardened. You have created your own
"system"—that is, the combination of your organization's culture, your position
and your work habits—which works as long as you put your job first and
everything else second, third or not at all. This system is tuned for long hours
away from home. Eventually, your spouse, children, church and community become
accustomed to your absence and develop routines that require your funding but
make your day-to-day involvement unnecessary.
It's important to
realize that balance is not about having more free time; it's about living a
fuller, richer life that is more enjoyable and more significant. It means
putting work in perspective as one of the many things that you do and aspire to
be great at, but not the thing that defines who you are. Balance doesn't
necessarily mean working fewer hours—everyone, including the CEO, works for
others and responds to demands beyond their control—but balance does mean
gaining control over when, where and how work is done.
If you are one of
the many whose narrowed worldview consists primarily of work and sleep, the
process of recalibrating your system to define yourself beyond your job is
difficult. The key to gaining balance is making external commitments that appear
on your calendar and treating them with the same level of dedication you give to
your work. Welch speaks the truth when he says that within most companies,
"work-life balance is your problem to solve" and that "people who publicly
struggle [with it] get pigeonholed as ambivalent, entitled, uncommitted,
incompetent."
Rather than
letting work expand to fill all your time, set limits. Take advantage of the
fact that companies and managers value results rather than effort; figure out
how to work smarter (see my column
"It's Never Too Late for Time
Management"), and how to manage up and stand your ground. When
someone tries to impinge on an external commitment, adopt the mantra: "Don't
complain; don't explain." Just let them know how much time you have, and work it
out from there.
Those of you in
your 20s have the opportunity to build balance into your work-life schedule from
the beginning. Continue or incorporate the extracurricular activities that you
enjoyed in college (the healthy ones). If you eventually get married and have
children, you will need to give up some of these activities, but you will have
"hard-coded" a system that will not require you to change companies, positions
or a career path to become the spouse and parent you wish to be. Be aware,
however, that if you do this, it will impact the companies you choose and the
positions you aspire to.
A balanced life
may result in a slight tarnish on your managerial star, or even the realization
that you are in the wrong job or at the wrong company. But what's the
alternative? For all the passion you put into your work and the joy that you get
from creating and collaborating with others, at the end of the day, it's just a
job. It doesn't hug you when you are sad, and it won't take care of you when you
get old.
Most of us are not
destined to and don't want to become the next Jack Welch. Good thing, because
even he sounds a little melancholy when he says that "my kids were raised,
largely alone, by their mother" and advises us that when it comes to work-life
balance, to do as he says, not as he did.
http://www.timesargus.com
Barre Montpelier Times Argus -
Barre,VT,USA
May 29, 2005
By MARGARITA BAUZA
Knight Ridder Newspapers
What to do about a really
bad boss
Stephanie Givinsky was
never one to take abuse from people. When she found herself working in an
eight-person urban planning firm with a brilliant boss who regularly ridiculed,
blamed and yelled at her and her co-workers, it didn't take long for her to
quit. She found another job at a firm founded by one of her former co-workers.
Everyone else followed suit and, eventually, her former boss closed the firm.
"He was good at what he did," Givinsky said. "He was good with clients and a
good schmoozer but he was also great at shifting the blame. I wouldn't put up
with it." Givinsky, who is now a teacher, is not alone in her suffering. One in
14 people in Michigan say they regularly experience aggression at the hands of a
boss, according to a 2004 survey conducted by Wayne State University's program
on Urban Labor and Metropolitan Affairs.
While management schools have been preaching collaboration over autocracy for
decades, bully bosses still persist. Stories of verbal and physical abuse at the
hands of John Bolton - the Undersecretary of State and President George W.
Bush's nominee to be ambassador to the United Nations - have made daily
headlines recently.
Among the most fantastic stories: A foreign aid worker said Bolton, then a
private attorney, chased her down a hotel hallway in Moscow in 1994, yelling and
throwing things at her and pounding on her hotel door. Carl Ford Jr., a former
State Department intelligence chief, described Bolton as a "quintessential
kiss-up, kick-down sort of guy" during Senate confirmation hearings two weeks
ago. The light this case has shed on workplace bullying is welcomed by
researchers who have for years tried to draw attention to abusive bosses and the
havoc they wreak on workers' lives and on the stability of an organization.
"It has implications on productivity," said Loraleigh Keashly, academic director
of the Dispute Resolution program at Wayne State University. "People who are
exposed to chronic workplace problems have similar symptoms as those who suffer
from post-traumatic stress disorder. They have anxiety, depressed mood. "There's
spillover into people's marriages because people take that home with them. And
there's other victims: the co-workers who witness abuse experience distress
themselves. The net expands quite broadly."
What to do is quite tricky.
"There's little you can do with a sadistic manager," said David Sirota, author
of "The Enthusiastic Employee: How Companies Profit by Giving Workers What They
Want." Sirota is also chairman emeritus of Sirota Consulting, in Purchase, N.Y.,
a firm that specializes in workplace attitude issues and executive training.
There are usually two sides to sadistic managers, Sirota said. A common trait:
They are subservient to the authorities above them and brutal to those below.
"Theirs is a personality that is clicking heels with their bosses and stomping
on anyone who is in any way weaker, and certainly with subordinates." Since they
are continually kissing up, in many organizations they are promoted, and they
often wind up at very senior levels, he said. Usually, it's not until they're on
the verge of becoming a CEO that their reign ends, he said. "If a guy is a real
brilliant man but his employees hate him, they are not going to give him the
job. Most of them get their comeuppance. "Certainly in terms of managing people
you wouldn't want them there," he said. Companies need to pay attention.
"There's a slew of studies that show how you treat people has a major effect on
how committed people feel to an organization," said Mike Roehling, a labor
relations professor at Michigan State University. Studies that look at pay and
treatment as factors that contribute to worker satisfaction consistently show
that treating people well is crucial to retaining good employees, Roehling said.
Studies show that the worse people are treated, the more problems employers have
with theft, sabotage and tardiness. Likewise, "when you abuse a good employee,
they don't stick around. Either way, you lose," Roehling said.
In the United States, there's little legal recourse victims can take, unless
they can prove the harassment can be tied to gender, race or disability, said
Linda Burwell, an attorney at Nemeth Burwell, PC, a Detroit law firm
specializing in management labor and employment law. "It's not unlawful to be a
mean boss or to be a jerk; it is unlawful if the boss is targeting certain
employees," Burwell said. "If he's only yelling at African Americans, older
people or females, you have a claim." Whistle-blower legislation also protects
employees who are harassed after making an ethics complaint, she said.
"Is it bad for business? Yes. Does it cause problems with recruitment? Yes. But
it's not an actionable claim."
http://www.management-issues.com
Management-Issues -
London,UK
Author: Management
Issues News
25 May 2005
Adapt or
die –
the management challenges of flexible working
The revolution in
flexible working could lead to more than half of Britain's middle managers
facing the axe if they fail to adapt to the changing nature of the work.
According to new
research from Henley Management College, British management has reached a
crossroads now that the flexible working revolution has taken hold. And as the
way that people communicate and collaborate changes, managers will who are
unable to adapt to new ways of dealing with dispersed teams will be the first to
go if economic conditions tighten.
British management has
reached a crossroads now that the flexible working revolution has taken hold
The research, part of the long-term Tomorrow's Work project initiated by
Microsoft, argues that the impact of increasing flexibility and mobility is to
make the physical office – a container in which information and knowledge is
processed - a thing of the past.
With more
outsourcing and work being undertaken by people on different kinds of contract,
managers will need the ability to motivate and inspire staff who are not core
employees. At the same time management will become more about resourcing than
about discipline.
But while good
management practices are needed in the office as well as when managing remotely,
the report warns that poor management is more likely to be exposed when flexible
working is introduced.
"For years, managers
have been used to managing people simply by watching over them," said Peter
Thompson, director of the Future Work Forum and project leader for the report.
"With the rise of
flexible working, that style will have to completely change or else we face the
prospect of managers holding back the tide of flexible working like a modern-day
King Canute."
Thompson said that
communications, trust and objective setting are critical for managing remote
workers, both now and in the future. Mangers also need to agree and measuring
outputs rather than when work is carried out.
As one participant
in the research put it: "people who manage on the basis of good structure and
organisation will have less adjustment than those who manage by human
interaction."
But, as Thompson
also acknowledged, flexible working does not suit everyone and requires higher
levels of self-motivation and initiative.
Ironically, many
managers told the Henley researchers that they consider the reliance on IT that
flexible working demands as its main disadvantage, because when there are
problems with technology the impact is greater than when managing workers in
close proximity to the manager.
Another problem for
remote workers that emerged in a report published earlier this month by IBM's
Institute for Business Value is that isolation from the office makes many feel
alienated, underappreciated and mistrusted, even though they often work harder
than their office-based colleagues.
In particular,
remote workers said that they missed out on the social interaction of office
life, leaving them unable to learn about new job opportunities, identify shifts
in organisational direction and mobilise resources on an informal basis.
But the benefits of
less commuting led to a better work life balance for most employees, although
both the IBM and Henley research found that remote workers often worked longer
hours in some cases.
Other key
organisational advantages of flexible working were staff attraction and
retention, the better utilisation of resources over a longer day and the
improved customer service that could come about by having people on hand when
the business demands it.
But concerningly,
none of the companies that took part in the research provide employees or
managers with training specifically aimed at flexible working.
In some
organisations it was expected that HR would provide advice and guidance, but in
only one instance coaching was specifically mentioned for managers who find the
adaptation difficult.
Alistair Baker,
Microsoft's UK managing director, said: "IT is fundamentally changing the way we
work. This creates opportunities for business, but also requires people to adapt
if they want to take advantage of them."
http://www.emediawire.com
Emediawire (press release)
- Ferndale,WA,USA
May 25, 2005
Dramatic Work-Life Balance Benefits
Revealed
New Employee Opinion Study by ISR. Management Techniques that Drive Increased
Corporate Revenues Identified in Study
US workers are putting in longer hours than ever
before, resulting in increased stress, poor work-life balance and less
confidence in corporate leadership, according to results of a new ISR employee
opinion study. This study polled more than 50,000
US employees at financially high-performing companies from a variety
of markets, including the consumer goods, financial services, manufacturing and
professional services sectors.
US workers are
putting in longer hours than ever before, resulting in increased stress, poor
work-life balance and less confidence in corporate leadership, according to
results of a new ISR employee opinion study. The latest ISR employee opinion
study polled more than 50,000
US employees at financially high-performing companies from a variety
of markets, including the consumer goods, financial services, manufacturing and
professional services sectors.
Employees reporting high levels of stress and poor work-personal life balance
also reported their leaders as doing a less adequate job of setting clear
direction (63% favorable) and communicating to employees about important matters
(68% favorable) and encouraging cooperation (79% favorable). Alternatively, the
employee opinion study shows that employees reporting low levels of stress and
strong work-personal life balance scored 74% favorable on their leaders’
abilities to set direction, 75% favorable on communicating important matters and
89% favorable on encouraging cooperation.
“One of the more interesting findings that this study confirmed was the direct
connection between good management practices and an improved bottom line,” says
Dr. Rebecca Masson, Research Director at ISR.
ISR compared the current study’s results to similar recent employee satisfaction
studies linking workplace culture to key business outcomes and found managers
that sufficiently staff their departments to handle the workload, avoid
excessive workload and distribute work fairly, allow flexibility in scheduling,
and are considerate of employees’ lives outside the workplace will yield more
satisfied customers, lower rates of absenteeism and safety incidents, and
increased revenue.
Among industrialized economies, the
US ranks as one of the highest in average annual hours worked per
person, and that ranking has remained virtually unchanged since 1990, according
to an International Labor Organization report. US workers are working long hours
and those hours will grow even longer as baby boomers retire. The
US labor force annual growth rate is projected to decline from an
average rate of 1.6 percent over the last 50 years to .6 percent over the next
half century (US Dept. of Labor).
How can companies maintain a productive balance between work-personal lives for
their employees in an age where the competition for talent is fierce?
“Recruiting the right people to promote your brand is vital,” says Dr. Kim
Morris, Project Director at ISR, “but employers need to invoke workplace
strategies to thwart excessive workload from labor shortages by empowering
employees from the bottom up. This can be accomplished through a variety of
ways, such as training and development opportunities, encouraging and
recognizing good performance, building team effectiveness and cooperation to
distribute and share the load, leading with a clear sense of direction, and
communicating important matters and decisions throughout the ranks.”
Other methods for maintaining a productive work-life balance, according to the
ISR findings, include the ability to promote a strong workplace management
culture. This environment is found to promote effective leadership (especially
communication and direction), strong integrity, and clear career opportunities
up and down the organization, said Dr. Morris.
http://releases.usnewswire.com
U.S. Newswire (press
release) - Washington,DC,USA
5/24/2005
Trends among the 2005
Best Companies for Women of Color
Working Mother Magazine
Announces 2005 Best Companies for Women of Color; Survey Finds Women of Color
Less Satisfied With Their Work Environments Than Male and White Female
Colleagues
Contact: Ryan McGinn, 212-255-8455 or
ryanm@rosengrouppr.com, for Working Mother
Magazine
NEW YORK, May 24 /U.S. Newswire/ -- By 2008, women and minorities are expected
to make up 70 percent of workforce entrants, according to the U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics, and eight companies are poised for this demographic shift.
Allstate, American Express, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, General Mills,
Hewlett-Packard, IBM, JPMorgan Chase and PricewaterhouseCoopers have all been
recognized as Working Mother Magazine's 2005 Best Companies for Women of Color.
Despite the growing number of women of color in corporate America, Working
Mother Magazine found that many still consistently report being less satisfied
with their work environment than their male and white female counterparts. Since
the list's inception in 2003, Working Mother has also found that diversity at
work helps all employees.
"It is critical that companies respond to this agenda because women of color are
uniquely challenged in the workplace by issues of both race and gender," said
Carol Evans, CEO of Working Mother Media. "Companies need to specifically
address these challenges if they hope to retain these talented women."
Trends among the 2005 Best Companies for Women of Color include:
--
Succession planning programs which identify and then groom high potential women
of color executives to run operations.
--
Leadership training sessions tailored for women of color.
--
Mentoring programs designed to help women of color build relationships across
racial lines.
--
Flexibility programs to address extended family work-life balance issues.
--
Mandatory diversity training for all new-hires and managers.
--
Manager compensation tied to support and advancement of women of color.
This year, Working Mother surveyed men and white women at each company as well
as women of color employees. While women of color report high rates of
satisfaction overall, there remains a significant gap in satisfaction between
them and other employees.
This is the third year in a row Amex and IBM are among Working Mother's Best
Companies for Women of Color and the second year for Allstate, JPMorgan Chase
and General Mills. This is the first appearance on the list for Anthem Blue
Cross and Blue Shield (a subsidiary of WellPoint, Inc.), Hewlett-Packard and
PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Methodology: To apply for the list, companies from across the country provided
Working Mother Magazine with detailed information-including the number of women
of color employed and hired in 2004 and the number who hold top positions. In
addition, employees at each company respond to a confidential employee survey
revealing how they see their companies, their managers and their own prospects
for success within the company.
Working Mother's 2005 Best Companies for Women of Color will appear in the
magazine's June issue, on sale today, and will for the first time be available
online in Spanish at
http://www.workingmother.com.
Founded in 1979, Working Mother magazine reaches nearly 3 million readers and is
the only national magazine for career- committed mothers. Its 19-year signature
initiative, 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers, is the most important
benchmark for work/life practices in corporate America. The publication also
releases the annual list of the Best Companies for Women of Color in the June
issue. Working Mother is published by Working Mother Media (WMM), which also
owns the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE), NAFE Magazine, the
annual 100 Best Companies WorkLife Congress, as well as the Best Companies for
Women of Color Multicultural Conference and regional Town Halls. This year, WMM
will launch its Best Small Companies for Working Mothers initiative
© 2005 U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770
http://networks.silicon.com
Silicon.com – UK
May
24 2005
by Steve
Ranger
Flexible working will wipe out middle managers
Bosses who can't manage
dispersed teams face the boot.
Middle
managers are facing the chop because they lack the skills to manage teams of
flexible and remote workers.
According to research from Henley
Management
College, managers must change the way they run
their teams as more staff start working outside the office. It warns that if
economic conditions tighten, then managers without the skills to manage these
dispersed teams will be the first to go.
New forms of technology - such as cheap broadband and wireless - along with
recent
UK employment legislation have been drivers
for increased flexible working.
Flexible working will mean managers will have to trust their staff more and move
away from the traditional controlling style of management, the research said.
And poor management techniques are likely to show up faster when the team is
working remotely, the Managing Tomorrow's Worker report said. "With more
outsourcing and work being undertaken by people on different kinds of contract,
managers will need the ability to motivate and inspire staff who are not core
employees. At the same time management will become more about resourcing than
about discipline," it said.
Peter Thompson, director of the Future Work Forum and author of the report said
UK management is at a crossroads: "For
years, managers have been used to managing people simply by watching over them.
With the rise of flexible working, that style will have to completely change or
else we face the prospect of managers holding back the tide of flexible working
like a modern-day King Canute."
But the Microsoft-sponsored research predicts that the changing nature of work
can give IT executives a chance to boost their role, since management change
must go hand-in-hand with technology change.
As new technology is the key to flexible working, IT directors must work with
human resources and business managers to understand the working culture and
training issues that might impact on the use of technology, added the report.
Cayman
Net News - grand cayman,Cayman Islands
By Belinda Blessitt-Vincent, MBA
Lecturer,
University
College of the Cayman Islands
May
23, 2005
Waves of Change: Human Resources and Business
Success
This article is part of the ‘Waves of Change’ series written by
members of the Department of Business Studies at the
University
College
Cayman Islands.
www.ucci.edu.ky
It is now commonly recognized that Customer Relations Management
that focuses on the internal customer – the employee – leads to business
success. Caring for our human resources and maximising their effectiveness is
one of the ‘waves of change’ that needs to be addressed in the
Cayman Islands’
work environment.
Ritz
Carlton, an international hotel chain based its world-wide success on a
simple philosophy: ‘To take care of customers, you must first take care of those
who take care of customers.’ The result has been maximised efficiency and
effectiveness since satisfied employees deliver high service value. Of course,
the natural result is that their satisfied customers create sales and profits
for the company.
How do companies in the
Cayman Islands create this change? How do they care for their human resources and
in so doing, maximise effectiveness? They can do this by paying attention to
factors relating to individual employee’s performance, employee motivation, and
employee retention.
The performance of an individual employee is a major determinant of
organizational success. However, when few employees know how to perform their
jobs, when there is high turnover, or when employees work ineffectively, they
become a liability and put the organization at a competitive disadvantage.
‘Employees’ are often seen as the front-line staff of the business,
and through their work the organization succeeds or fails. However, the
efficiency and productivity of front-line staff is often determined by a key
manager. If key managers do not develop their staff, the business cannot
succeed. The significance of key managers is often overlooked when considering
the performance of an organization’s human resources.
In management studies, the formula determining performance is:
Individual Performance equals Ability times Effort times Support (IP = A x E x
S). In many work environments the support component seems to have disappeared,
and the emphasis has been only on ability and effort.
In the psychological contract between employee and employer, the
employer often forgets their role as supporter in this partnership. With greater
emphasis being placed only on employees’ ability and effort – without employer
support - it is more likely to lead to poor performance and even the
inappropriate dismissal of an employee. Such a scenario is not a good example of
organizational development. Employers should be cognizant of their role in
providing support if they hope to create productive work environments.
Productive organizations support the performance of individuals.
Organizational support can be provided in many forms: training and development,
equipment and technology, setting clear performance standards, support from
management and co-workers – to name a few. When an organization’s support is
added to the employee’s ability and effort, the business will be more
profitable, and just as importantly, it will be seen as a caring organization.
The end result will then be maximised effectiveness.
In management theory, motivation is seen as ‘complex and
individualised’ but organizations will need to develop uniform strategies and
tactics to address equity across the organization and set clear expectations for
their employees. Leaders and motivators will have to openly display elements of
fairness and justice.
As part of the changing workplace, employers will need to find out
what employees expect from their jobs and whether the rewards they receive are
desirable and ‘fair.’ How d | 
Toronto
-
Calgary -
Vancouver - Ottawa - Montreal - New York - Rochester - Minneapolis
- Washington DC
