February 23, 2011
Carlisle City Council have recently issued guidance telling Council workers that if they want to gossip during their work time, they should clock off! They have a similar policy for smokers as well, presumably both inspired by the stance that non-work related activity should not be taking place on company time.
I can understand where this has come from, with budget restrictions and job cuts meaning fewer workers doing more work, the council presumably think all staff need to be forced to concentrate on the job they’re being paid for. But it is unlikely to be the best way to ensure high productivity.
The first issue is that the Council seem to be concentrating on inputs rather than outputs. The question they ought to be asking themselves, is not ‘exactly how much time has been spent working?’ but instead, ‘is this person performing well or not?’. If the answer is that they are meeting targets and objectives, then whether they gossip or not is largely irrelevant. Secondly, one will never stop gossiping at work by diktat, nor should they want to stamp it out completely. People have always gossiped at work, and in many cases this can be useful, as sharing information will help people feel informed and secure.
Sure, gossiping can also be negative; putting down the boss, spreading rumours about colleagues or inaccurate speculation about the state of the business can be dangerous and harmful. And non-work related gossip needs to be managed to ensure it’s not too distracting (both for those chatting and others around them), but as long as it’s not excessive it could help to develop positive relationships between employees.
The most important point here is that when employers try to control every aspect of someone’s job, employees feel less valued and trusted, which in turn creates a breeding ground for resentment. The organisation then risks these feelings being translated into even bigger problems, such as rising sickness absence or staff turnover.
Leave a Comment » | 
Absenteeism, Management | Tagged: budget, Carlisle City Council, control, gossip, gossiping, job cuts, positive relationships, Productivity, resentment, rumours, Sickness Absence, trusted, valued | 
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Posted by Cary Cooper
February 17, 2011
The NHS is one of the most valued institutions in the country, which has provided free at source health care for all. It is also the largest employer in the country, and has been probably the most politically re-organised public service. No matter what political party comes to power, they concentrate on two areas of the public sector, the NHS and education. These are the two political footballs of successive governments. In some respects, this is understandable because they both cost the public purse a great deal of money, but the constant restructurings due to government initiatives creates ‘change fatigue’, and ultimately health worker stress. The level of sickness absence in the NHS is very high indeed, and the Boorman report recommended a number of policies and interventions to unpack the problem and deal with it.
In the past we have thought of the NHS as a tanker, where central government would intervene to try and navigate this huge service, and all its constituents parts, in a particular direction. Over recent years, many have come to the view that we should look at it as a flotilla of individual ships (i.e. Trusts), heading in a particular direction but with wide variation and scope for varying their navigation within the flotilla’s area of operation (e.g. services offered, how to manage waiting times, what operations to prioritise, etc.). We need more of a ‘hands off’ policy here, as was done with interest rate determination which was taken away from the politicians and given to the Bank of England.
Next Thursday Clare Chapman, Director General of Workforce at The Department of Health, will talk about the implications of the recent changes in the NHS; including how the public need to get value from the investment in the training and development (roughly £5b) of the next generation of health care professionals. Anybody wanting to attend this lecture, which will be held at The Work Foundation in London between 11.30-2pm, Thursday 24th February, should contact Sally Nelhams (s.nelhams@lancaster.ac.uk) for the details.
Leave a Comment » | Management, NHS, Public Sector | Tagged: Boorman, central government, Clare Chapman, flotilla, health care, HR Director, NHS, operations, political footballs, public service, Sickness Absence, tanker, The Work Foundation, training and development, waiting times | Permalink
Posted by Cary Cooper
February 16, 2011
Follow-up blog to Mission to Mars – we’re virtually there!
Last June I posted a blog about the ‘simunauts’ mission to Mars. Well, they’ve made it! To get there, they have been part of an six-man crew that occupied a capsule, just 20m long and 4m wide, for the past eight months. All very exciting, except these people haven’t actually travelled anywhere – they are part of a research project to learn how humans might handle the long journey, if we were ever to travel to Mars.
Previously, similar research projects have been stopped early because of disagreement and fighting between the crew members – perhaps not surprising given the cramped living conditions and potential for boredom. Well, I’m happy to report that this group have been more successful. To help avoid cabin fever they have books, video games and even karaoke. What they must also have is a great deal of team spirit, resolve and sense of purpose in knowing that they’re contributing to something worthwhile. It takes something special to contribute to research in this way when you know it is possible to ‘get off’.
After their ten day ‘landing’ on Mars, the crew will be enduring another spell in the capsule for their return voyage that finally comes to an end in November. While the landing will have provided a sense of achievement and a welcome break to routine, the realisation that they’ve got to make the same journey again will be a real challenge to their levels of engagement and resilience. So, perhaps spare a thought for these guys when you’re in the midst of a long meeting or doing a repetitive task – because there’s definitely something to be admired about how these people can work together to achieve their team’s objective.
Leave a Comment » | Motivation, Uncategorized | Tagged: cabin fever, Engagement, Mars, repetitive, resilience, simunauts, team spirit | Permalink
Posted by Cary Cooper
February 11, 2011
A major international bank recently issued lengthy, detailed guidelines on what their staff should wear at work. Formal corporate wear was firmly on the agenda, and dressing down was definitely out. The release of the document sparked copious discussions about how people should dress at work and whether it makes a difference to performance. So does it really matter?
There are two main schools of thought on this. One theory is that a professional dress code breeds more professional behaviour while others counter that dressing casually helps create a more informal and less stressful work environment. Obviously the decision depends on the particular circumstances, but if someone is doing backroom or non-customer facing work, why can’t they come to work in more casual dress? I can understand that if someone is dealing with a client or customer they don’t know then a smart appearance can make a good impression; but if they know the customer or supplier very well, and have a good relationship, is it still necessary to ‘dress up’?
My gut reaction is that it’s the second of the two theories that holds true. Given the times we are operating in – substantial job insecurity, heavier workloads and excessive pressure to deliver – casual clothing might help to create a more friendly and less stressful work environment. It might not seem much, but I don’t believe that wearing our business ‘uniforms’ will help defuse the pressure cooker workplaces that this post recession period has brought.
2 Comments | pressure, Stress, Uncategorized | Tagged: appearance, clothing, corporate wear, dress, job insecurity, performance, pressure, professional, smart, stressful | Permalink
Posted by Cary Cooper
February 10, 2011
Mindfulness based approaches to well-being
Early last year Cary wrote about a programme being piloted in several schools teaching mindfulness skills. While I don’t have the results from that pilot study, I have just came across some recent research looking at the effectiveness of mindfulness-based therapy (MBT). This is a meditation-based treatment with foundations in Buddhism which has been gaining increased attention in recent years, both in practice and in university psychology departments around the world.
The basic idea on which mindfulness practices are based is that experiencing the present moment in a non-judgmental way can effectively counter the effects of stressors. MBT practices include focusing on ones breathing and body, noticing but not judging thoughts and paying attention to the present moment, rather than dwelling on the past or speculating on the future.
While this might sound a bit ‘wishy-washy’, the research I mentioned at the start of this blog has found solid evidence that it’s effective in the treatment of anxiety and improving mood (Hofmann et al., 2010, link below). In addition to this, and quite compelling to me, is the fact that the basic practice this therapy is based on – mindful meditation – has been around for thousands of years!
To date Western science has largely ignored the ancient wisdom of the Eastern spiritual traditions, but there are signs that the gap is closing. I suspect that in the future we’ll see a lot more of these ideas being integrated into mainstream stress management programmes. This is already happening in many different practices and universities and I hope the trend, and also the evidence base, will continue to grow.
Hofmann et al.’s paper: http://www.mindfulnessblog.nl/images/pdf/Hofmann_2010_MBT_anxiety_depression_review_metaanalyse.pdf
Leave a Comment » | Guest Blog Spots, Stress, Uncategorized, Well-being | Tagged: buddhism, evidence, Hoffman, mainstream, MBT, Mindfulness, spiritual | Permalink
Posted by Cary Cooper
February 4, 2011
The CIPD survey results revealed today that 1 in 5 workers currently fear for their jobs. On top of this uncertainty, a third are also struggling with lower standards of living – as inflation and wage freezes take their toll. To help us get through this “The organisation [CIPD] is calling on managers to demonstrate high-quality leadership in order to raise morale and engagement in the workplace.”
Personally and professionally – I couldn’t agree more! The need to build morale, engagement and resilience has been demonstrated by the phenomenal response to Part One of Robertson Cooper’s new free guide, ‘Building morale and resilience – the key to surviving difficult times’. The number of people who have downloaded the resource, as well as the direct feedback we’ve had, suggests this is a very real challenge for lots of organisations right now.
The CIPD results hint that in this time of uncertainty there are lots of areas organisations will need to get right in order to survive and stay competitive. Priorities will need to include: equipping managers to rise to the leadership challenge, effective communication, ensuring organisational justice, providing necessary training and support and building resilience. These areas are all covered in Part Two of the guide mentioned above – which has been launched today – and the advice offered can be applied to any organisation undergoing major change.
Things may seem grim now, but using this as an opportunity to improve working practices will bring benefits when things are looking brighter. If your workforce is engaged and resilient employees are able to cope with all the pressures associated with working life – whether they are change-related, because of the economy or even something very specific like poor working relationships. Communicating positive and supportive messages during difficult times might be hard but it can be done, and it really will make all the difference!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-1236217
To download your free copy of ‘Building morale and resilience – the key to surviving difficult times’ please follow this link: http://resilience.robertsoncooper.com/
Leave a Comment » | change management, employee engagement, Leadership, Management, Motivation, Personal Resilience | Tagged: change, CIPD, communication, Engagement, Leadership, managers, morale, organisational justice, positive, resilience, Robertson Cooper, training | Permalink
Posted by Cary Cooper
February 2, 2011
It is fantastic to hear today’s announcement that the UK government is investing £400m in making talking therapies available on the NHS. This is wonderful news given that one in six people suffer from a common mental disorder such as depression, anxiety or stress. The emotional strain on those affected and their families can be enormous, and the costs to society in terms of treatment, lost productive value, sickness absence and so on, total nearly £100b per annum. So the funding certainly makes sense from both a fiscal and a moral stand point.
However, as well as making the resources available to treat people, we also need to get at the source of this 21st century epidemic. WHO has predicted that by 2030 ‘depression’ would be the number one burden of disease in the world. It’s therefore imperative that as well as treating mental illnesses, we explore the factors that underpin them, so that more preventative measures can be taken in the future.
Some of these sources have already been identified through the government’s Foresight project on Mental Capital and Wellbeing. Factors include debt, the breakup of the family and community, loss-related events in people’s lives, poor housing and other environmental issues, being bullied at work, lack of early identification of symptoms and many more. Whether it is in schools, communities or in the workplace, we need to tackle some of these issues at source if we are to stop the increasing tide of mental ill health in our society. We can make a difference if we are brave enough to find solutions to the reasons people become ill in the first place, and take action before it is too late.
Leave a Comment » | health, Stress | Tagged: anxiety, debt, Depression, epidemic, government, mental health, mental illness, NHS, Sickness Absence, Stress, talking therapies, treatment, UK, WHO | Permalink
Posted by Cary Cooper
