Is anyone too important to go on holiday?

August 22, 2011

The virtues of a holiday are well appreciated by most, even if booking, packing and travelling can seem stressful. Preparing to leave work for a week or two can also add to the pre-holiday strain, and some even avoid taking time off for this reason – but is there anyone who is really too important to go on holiday? We recently saw the Prime Minister return from his break in response to the riots – not soon enough for some – but that was a highly unusual situation. I suspect however, that there are quite a few people who put themselves in the ‘indispensable’ category, when they might not really need to. Even those who don’t eschew holidays all together still insist on working while they’re away.

I do understand some of the arguments these people put forward for the latter – that it makes departure less stressful as you don’t have to prepare a novel of a handover document, and that you avoid coming back to an overwhelming inbox. But I can’t help thinking that perhaps another reason is the desire to feel needed. They don’t want the office to collapse without them, but when it actually doesn’t, their self-importance takes a bit of a knock. Some claim that they feel reassured that all is well by checking their emails every morning, and that this helps them relax and enjoy their holiday more. But what would they do if it wasn’t? David Cameron may be an exception but for most of us, much as we might not like to admit, someone will be able to step in and hold the fort.

So for your own benefit, and for those around you, trust your colleagues to cover and enjoy the opportunity to forget about work.

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Posted by Cary Cooper

Inspiring offices

August 17, 2011

On the BBC website today they are running a piece about the influence of buildings on the well-being of their users.  More specifically, that buildings can look great from the outside but actually be very detrimental for the people inside. A similar sentiment was expressed in a recent episode of The Secret Life of Buildings, which focused on the effects of work environments on employees.  The case for the potential for workplace design to impact on happiness and productivity was compelling, and the Interpolis office in Tilburg was incredible!  The psychology behind this was interesting too, and neatly demonstrated some of the key principles of well-being.  For example, control over the way we work is one of the key drivers for employee well-being, and the programme demonstrated how this also extends to our control of the workplace environment.  Deloitte carried out an experiment with plants, with some offices having plants chosen for them, and another allowing the staff to select their own.  As predicted, the positive impact proved greater for the latter group.

Unfortunately lots of UK offices are a long way from being innovative and inspiring.  Small steps (like the plants) can make some difference, but fundamental change is more difficult.  Regrettably even the minor improvements tend to be placed on the ‘nice to have’ list, and are rapidly dropped if budgets come are under scrutiny.  And this is a problem we have with psychological well-being too.  Despite empirical evidence, some people are still very dismissive of its impact.  In The Secret Life of Buildings they looked to other countries for inspiration and examples of best practice, to engage the unbelievers on an emotional level.  I’m not suggesting we all travel quite that far – but even getting stakeholders to visit a team functioning well compared to one that’s struggling could be more influential than a whole raft of data.

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Posted by Cary Cooper

#cleanup

August 10, 2011

I was going to write this week about the government’s e-petition system and whether it will get people involved in the political system. However, the last few days have seen much more direct action, which demands a more immediate response.  Although the rioting has moved beyond protest to criminality, there are lots of questions being raised about the bigger forces that have culminated to provoke these outbursts.  There are many short and long term strategies that will need to be carefully considered, as well as lessons learnt from how the situation was handled. 

For now though I’d like to focus on the silver lining, and that is that communities have come together to clear up in the wake of this mindless violence.  The heartfelt reaction from the majority of the public reinforces the fact that this was a minority action, and the willingness to brandish brooms is a testament that there are many who are still proud of their cities – if not all of their inhabitants.  While technology and social media facilitated some of the riot planning, it has also been used a force for good as various hashtags to organise the clean up materialised almost as soon as the riots began.  Hopefully with their help we’ll soon be able to put these scenes behind us and focus on how to avoid seeing them again.

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Posted by Cary Cooper

Maternity = leave?

August 4, 2011

It was recently suggested by a government advisor, that government should consider the scrapping of maternity leave rights.  This has caused a very strong reaction not only from working women but also from many HR professionals.  The UK has more than adequate maternity leave provisions, but not as generous as many of our European neighbours, particularly the Scandinavians.  Having raised the issue, we should reflect on why we provide this benefit in the first place.

Firstly, because to deny maternity leave would obviously seriously disadvantage women in their careers, given that they are the child-bearers.  The counter argument might be that you could protect women’s jobs, but not provide the paid cover — as they do in many US firms.  This would of course put massive financial burdens on many working women, and might encourage them to go back to work earlier than would be good for them, their family or the workplace itself.  A certain amount of bonding is fundamental for new families, to lay the foundations for effective parenting later in life.  Indeed, this is the argument used in countries that have introduced and promoted parental leave arrangements to encourage fathers to take up paternity leave.

Secondly, many women would not return to work because the obstacles might be too difficult to negotiate.  We would then be limiting our talent pool, and the diversity of that talent, potentially depleting women’s added value in many areas of UK business and the public sector.

And finally, women have fought long and hard for the right to be mothers and workers, sometimes even to their disadvantage with the perennial juggling act of trying to balance work and the family (as men still tend to make less of a contribution to the latter).  If maternity rights were abolished, then women would be forced to either risk their careers or sacrifice their desire for children and a family life.  Would this be psychologically healthy for UK society?  Would we really want to prevent women from developing their ambitions, to box them into only one role or another?  As Virginia Woolf stated in Professions for Women “Even when the path is nominally open —when there is nothing to prevent a woman from being a doctor, a lawyer, a civil servant—there are many phantoms and obstacles, as I believe, looming in her way”.

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Posted by Cary Cooper

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