Fresh thinking for old challenges

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We recently launched our new Better Workplace Projects and we are getting terrific feedback on the impact like:

“The session was excellent – great buy in from everyone and really positive feedback afterwards.”

“The team and I loved the session and felt very positive and inspired”.

Why are they having this impact?

It’s fresh thinking for old challenges!

We look at what drives people engagement and high performance through a positive psychology lens where the focus is on how we use our strengths to improve rather than just how we fix the problems.

We also reinvent the performance management process to provide a positive and continuous development experience that gets people engaged, aligned and accountable.

In our interactive Better Workplace Project Introductory Workshops, we introduce you to the best practice models that underpin the methodology and have an open conversation with you about how these might be used to address the people and culture challenges and opportunities and deliver high performance in your organisation.

For a small investment of $800 plus GST and a couple of hours of your time, we can help you to get started or step up on that journey to a Better Workplace.

Our Better Workplace Project Introductory Workshops are delivered by our Practice Leader, Peter Maguire, who has consulted to hundreds of organisations on people and culture strategy and practice. Peter has an extraordinary breadth of experience with clients in public, private and NFP sectors and in a wide range of industry and people culture settings. He is also a former Investors in People Assessor and has presented internationally on HRM best practices.

Dealing with family and domestic violence

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Over the past few months, there has been a succession of changes in provisions of modern awards and the Fair Work Act relative to family and domestic violence. In this article, our aim is to provide you with a sense of how they come together and what that means in terms of your legal obligations and how to manage those.

Early this year, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) released a report “Family, domestic and sexual violence in Australia 2018” which told us that:

 

Family and domestic violence is the most significant social and welfare issue that we have in Australia and we can all do something about that.

Introduction of “Leave to deal with family and domestic violence” in modern awards 

The significance of this issue is such that the Fair Work Commission deemed it necessary to insert “Leave to deal with family and domestic violence” provisions in all modern awards. In essence, this provides an entitlement of up to 5 days of unpaid leave per annum for employees regardless of their employment status ie whether they are full-time, part-time or casual, they are entitled to the full 5 days each year.

An employee may take unpaid leave to deal with family and domestic violence if the employee:

(a) is experiencing family and domestic violence; and

(b) needs to do something to deal with the impact of the family and domestic violence and it is impractical for the employee to do that thing outside their ordinary hours of work.

That leave entitlement for award-covered employees came into effect on 1 August 2018.

Extension of entitlement to non-award employees

On 12 December 2018, the Fair Work Amendment (Family and Domestic Violence Leave) Act 2018 took effect and essentially extended the modern award entitlement effective from that date.

So effectively that means that all employees now have access to this entitlement as follows:

 Entitlement to unpaid leave

An employee is entitled to 5 days’ unpaid leave to deal with family and domestic violence, as follows:

(a) the leave is available in full at the start of each 12 month period of the employee’s employment; and

(b) the leave does not accumulate from year to year; and

(c) is available in full to part-time and casual employees.

So our take on that in implementation is:
  1. For existing award-covered employees and those who are subject to an agreement that incorporates the award, the entitlement takes effect from 1 August 2018
  2. For award-covered employees and those who are subject to an agreement that incorporates the award and who commenced employment after 1 August 2018, the entitlement takes effect from their date of commencement.
  3. For existing non-award employees and those who are subject to an enterprise agreement that doesn’t incorporate an award, the entitlement takes effect from 1 December 2018.
  4. For  non-award employees and those who are subject to an enterprise agreement that doesn’t incorporate an award and who commenced employment after 1 December 2018, the entitlement takes effect from  their date of commencement.
  5. All employee have the entitlement to 5 days per annum regardless of their employment status ie whether full-time, part-time or casual.

Interaction with new rules on Flexible Working Arrangements

We recently reported on these new rules.

New rules on flexible working arrangements are here

Two of the categories of workers who have entitlements under these rules are:

  • employees experiencing family or domestic violence; and
  • employees caring for family members experiencing family or domestic violence.

Accordingly, we can expect that eligible employees like these might well seek both leave to deal with family and domestic violence and flexible working arrangements. Alternatively, because the leave is unpaid, people might be more likely to seek flexibility in working arrangements that allow them to maintain their income while varying their hours of work to meet their personal or family needs.

If these matters cannot be resolved at workplace level, they may well end up in the Fair Work Commission via the disputes resolution clause in a modern award or enterprise agreement.

Additionally, while these rules on flexible working arrangements technically apply only to award covered employees, it should be expected that they would be regarded as a procedural and fairness benchmark for dealing with requests from non-award employees.

Care should be taken to ensure that any workplace policies on any of the above are reviewed to reflect current minimum standards and benchmarks.

We will publish an article soon on what employers can do to genuinely and positively influence the incidence and impact of family and domestic violence and why you should be doing that. Stay tuned!

What are you doing for mental health month?

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October is Mental Health Month and World Mental Health Day is on October 10, a day for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy.

This a great opportunity for businesses to get proactive in dealing with a major challenge for Australian society and every business – the impact of mental illness.

A recent Pricewaterhouse Coopers report identified that ignoring it costs Australian businesses around $10.9 billion a year in lost productivity. And with poor mental health likely to affect one in five employees, by taking action the benefits can be profound.

PwC discovered that on average, across all businesses, for every one dollar invested in mental health initiatives, there’s a return of $2.30 and reports showed that in many industries the returns were even greater. 

Source: Heads Up

So what that says is that working on improving people’s mental wellbeing at work will generate great returns for business owners. That means that looking after your people is not just the right thing to do but also the smart thing to do.

So what are you going to do to get started on the mental health improvement journey?

There are lots of resources at Heads Up, the website of the Mentally Healthy Workplace Alliance.

Mental Health Australia which is leading the campaign for World Mental Health Day also has useful information and materials to promote mental health in the workplace – see https://1010.org.au/.

This is an area where Ridgeline HR is committed to making a difference through our Better Workplace Projects, a key component of which is creating mentally healthy work environments.

This post is one way that we can help to raise awareness of the issue and encourage employers to be proactive and tackle mental health in your workplaces.

Join us by sharing this and other promotions of mental health to help that happen and make a difference.   Pictured: Croydon Chamber of Commerce  AGM giving a thumbs up for workplace wellbeing.

 

 

 

 

What are our “Better Workplace Projects”?

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In essence, they are whatever you need them to be. Here are some different elements of better workplaces that we might include in a “Better Workplace Project” depending on client needs, preferences and budget:

  • A Respectful Workplace: implementing a values-based approach to behavioural standards that are to be applied across the business and addressing legal requirements relative to bullying, harassment, discrimination, gender inequality and related unsatisfactory behaviours.
  • An Aligned Workplace: providing clear direction to employees on organizational goals and structures and what they translate into in terms of the roles and performance expectations of teams and individual employees.
  • A Safe and Healthy Workplace: developing and implementing a risk management and employee engagement strategy that helps to improve the wellbeing of people in the areas of physical, emotional and mental health as well as addressing legislative requirements in relation to workplace health and safety.
  • A Connected Workplace: developing and implementing consultation and communication processes that ensure effective employee voice and timely and constructive communications between people across the business as well as better informing management decision making.
  • An Engaging Workplace: developing and implementing performance feedback and development processes that are timely, balanced and friendly whereby each employee has a performance and development plan of their own. Managers meet with them regularly to review progress against the plan, provide positive feedback on achievements and guidance and encouragement with areas for development.
  • A Sustainable Workplace: equipping and coaching leaders to maintain the impetus focused on constantly reviewing workplace policies and practices and identifying and harnessing opportunities for continuous improvement.

If you are interested in making your business a “Better Workplace”, give us a call on 0438 533 311 to see how we can help.

Make every day RUOK Day

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Today is the official RUOK day, that day once a year when the spotlight is shone on mental health and what we can all do to support those doing it tough on the mental health front.

Those 4 simple steps can make such a difference:

  1. Ask RUOK?
  2. Listen
  3. Encourage action
  4. Check in

And please here are 4 things that you don’t want to do:

  1. Don’t tell me to cheer up.
  2. Don’t be judgmental, telling me what my problem is.
  3. Don’t be instructional, telling me what I must do.
  4. Don’t give up on me – just being there helps.

20% of people have mental health challenges so the odds are that 1 in 5 people in your workplace do too.

In our Better Workplace Projects, we help employers and employees to develop high performing, caring and supportive workplaces where peoples’ wellbeing is a priority because it is both the morally right and the commercially smart thing to do.

We want you to “Make every day RUOK Day” but also to reduce the incidence of mental health problems by having a great place to work. Don’t let your workplace be a contributing factor to Australia’s mental health challenge.

There are lots of resources available at RUOK and Heads UP.

These are some of the tools that we use in our Better Workplace Projects.

Give me a call on 0438 533 311 if you would like to learn more about how we might help.

 

7 ways to build trust

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In the backwash of the banking royal commission, the investigations into paedophilia in religious institutions, ongoing domestic violence and gender inequality, much publicised cases of underpayment of wages by rogue employers and gig businesses and rorts by members of parliament and government officials, there is a lot of talk about “trust” and Australia having a “crisis of trust”.

Interestingly, one of the primary qualities that great employers have is trust and there is a great opportunity for businesses to make a difference in our community by leading change through the practice of trust.

Are there things that you as an employer can do differently to be more trusting in your people and to be more trusted by your people?

Here are a few suggestions for any leader.

 

Respect my views

Seek my opinions and ideas, listen to any concerns I have and always ensure that you understand what I am saying and why. Respond to me in a timely, polite and constructive way. Never leave me wondering where I sit with you and any issues of concern.

Believe in me

I want to do a good job and want you to help me do that. Accept that sometimes I might make mistakes but that, with your help, I will learn from them. See me as someone worthy of investment and optimism rather than through the lens of risk and micro management.

Let me be myself

All of us have our own styles and strengths and that diversity is powerful. Give me opportunities to use my strengths so that I can enjoy and succeed in my work, grow in my own way and enhance my value to the business.

Let’s get to know each other (appropriately)

If we understand who each other is, what each other’s strengths are and what we rely on each other for, we have the foundation for building a positive and constructive relationship. I may be able to help you with something that you are struggling with just as I expect you as my employer to support me.

Give me clarity

I want to know where we are going and what it is that you need me to do to help you get there. Put a plan in place and help me to do my part by having clear goals and responsibilities and a plan of action. Catch up with me regularly to coach me and support me to deliver on the plan. Celebrate successes and capture the improvement opportunities.

Give me a sense of belonging

Have clear statements of purpose and values that tell me what the organisation stands for (ie why it exists and how it behaves). Engage me by living that purpose and values every day in every way so that I am inspired to perform for you and go the extra yard.

Believe me

If I tell you something, believe that I am telling you my truth. If I tell you I can’t come in today, believe that I have a good reason for that. If I tell you that I am unwell, don’t make me go to the doctor to prove I am unwell – let me get better. If I am struggling to get the desired outcome with something, accept that I am trying my best and look at how you can help me to deliver what you want.

Our EngageMentality coaching and organisational development model focuses on peoples’ strengths and building respectful and productive relationships in the workplace. Building trust is a central element of the process. To find out more, call Peter Maguire on 0438 533 311.

Ditch the bus and get a boat

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One of the most repeated lines about developing high performing teams is the often misquoted Jim Collins line about “getting the right people on the bus”.

I attended a workshop the other day where this line was used and then one of the participants in the workshop told a story that said so much more about teamwork and high performance than the bus analogy ever could.

So what’s wrong with “the bus”? Whenever I hear this, the image I see is one of one person in charge (the driver) and everyone else just sitting there doing nothing other than being there. To me, it arguably depicts presenteeism (being there but not productively).

The counterpoint in this workshop was a story of a rowing crew where they were all in tune on the team strategy. They were all aligned with what tactics they would deploy in different scenarios that might arise in the race and they trusted each other to do their bit as and when the particular scenario presented.

An approach that I prefer is to replace the bus with a rowing rig where everyone has to stroke in time and the cox (ie our business leader) is calling out the stroke keeping people informed on what is required at each stage of the race. Everyone is making a contribution here.

So, do yourself a favour – ditch the bus and get a boat if you want to give your people the right picture about what good leadership and teamwork looks like.

 

Is good financial advice better for morale than a pay rise?

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Smart employers understand that anything that they are able to do affordably to help their employees handle all of the pressures which go with living in a modern world has spin off benefits in employee wellbeing and productivity. One of those significant pressures is financial insecurity.

This article provided courtesy of our friends at FMD Financial tells us why and what you can do about it. 

Research shows 46% of employees worry about their finances and that worry can stop them achieving at work and feeling positive about their job. It’s a statistic that is motivating employers to take action. Improving financial wellbeing among staff was the top employer initiative for just 30% of companies in 2014. That figure has now jumped to 56% according to AON Hewitt’s 2016 Hot Topics in Retirement and Financial Wellbeing research.

Companies like RAA in South Australia are leading the charge. Senior Manager, Pay and Benefits, Tatjana Bergen, says providing employees with access to qualified financial advisers who build an ongoing relationship with the organisation and its employees is an important part of their commitment to supporting the financial wellbeing of staff. “FMD adviser, Dan Arcadiou, is regularly on site to meet with employees and FMD have developed a dedicated online survey our staff can access via the Intranet to get a better understanding of their financial situation at any time.”

It seems there is both a bottom line benefit and a moral imperative to boost financial wellbeing among employees. Eighty-five per cent of Australian employers say they’re focused on financial wellbeing because it’s the right thing to do, but almost as many (80%) are motivated by the desire to improve employee engagement.  Yet barriers to seeking financial advice remain. Employers may not know a good financial adviser or how to evaluate one. And recent scandals among big bank advisers have understandably put many business and HR leaders off taking that first step.  Experts agree people need to be empowered to take control of their financial wellbeing just as they do with maintaining a healthy lifestyle through a good diet and exercise. Fitness programs, fruit boxes and gym passes have long been a part of Australian workplaces, so why not high quality financial advice tools and qualified financial advisers?

As professional work continues to become more flexible but also more uncertain, good financial planning is becoming crucial to the growing contract workforce. Contingent workforce specialists Entity Solutionshave partnered with FMD to offer their workforce access to quality advice to help them plan for the future. CEO Neil Merola says “It’s key to ensure every independent professional has the opportunity to protect their lifestyle and where possible, maximise their income.”  With evidence suggesting many professionals are unprepared for maintaining their lifestyle in an uncertain job market, now is the  time to help employees take greater control of thier financial futures.

Talk to us about running an advice clinic at your workplace to give employees access to a reputable financial health check. Or if you have questions about your financial wellbeing, complete our quick and easy online financial health checkor book a free 1 hour consultationwith a qualified adviser.

Check them out at https://www.fmd.com.au

 

How mature are your HR practices?

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Questions are often asked about the value of HR to an organisation and the level of influence that the HR function has on overall business direction and decision-making.

More recently, with the disclosures of corporate malpractice and unethical executive conduct in the finance industry in particular, there are significant questions about the culture of the organisations concerned and, by extension, as the culture custodians, where were HR in all of this.

The truth is that HR can look very different in different organisations and is more often than not reflective in style of the mindset of senior management. Is the focus compliance or is it about real employee engagement? Is it about risk management and enforcement or is it about leadership and values-based behaviour? Or is it just a processing function administering operational procedures and conflict transactions?

Where does HR sit on the scale of maturity in your organisation?

Back in 2005,we developed a maturity model based on our experience in dealing with hundreds of organisations and this 4C model is a core part of our consulting and coaching offerings. While in our consulting, we focus on “People and Culture”, you can apply the methodology to any business function.

Here is what it looks like:

C1 = Commitment: this is the ground floor, the point at which an organisation makes a specific commitment through a vision statement or a values statement or a set of goals in a business plan or a policy statement or a contract which sets out an obligation that the business commits to.

C2 = Capability: this involves the organisation investing in the resources needed to give life to the commitment including the right people, processes, tools and equipment.

C3 = Competency: here the organisation has invested in the learning and support that people need to effectively play their part in utilising the resources and they are delivering good outcomes in the area of the commitment.

C4 = Culture: where the commitment has been fully embedded in everyday activity in practice, people believe it and they are consistently delivering high performance outcomes.

A lot of the organisations that we have worked with in our compliance activities are at C1 to C2 level and a significant number are quite limited in the breadth or range of commitments that they have made in real terms. Managing people is an ongoing challenge for these businesses.

Then there are the others who aspire to be employers of choice and really get the connection between employee engagement and wellbeing and high performance. With the right leadership, a positive mindset and values driven behaviours, those aspirations can be realised. Our 4C framework provides a simple and effective roadmap for getting there.

If you look at the people and culture practices in your organisation, where do you sit on the 4C scale?

6 tips on effective communication

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Why is it that, whenever you conduct an employee survey or business diagnostic, communication comes up as one of the key areas for improvement?

In part, it is because we are human and we each deliver and receive and interpret information in our own individual way.

In part, it can be because, as business owners and managers, we are technically competent in what our businesses do but we are not necessarily trained or skilled in communication techniques.

In part, it is also because, in any business, the timely and accurate flow of the right information to the right people is critical for getting work done efficiently and optimising job satisfaction for the people involved.

In part, it can be because we don’t think through the actions that we are taking or changes that we are implementing by consciously considering who is affected and needs to be communicated with.

And, in part, it can be because in the everyday hurly burly of running a business, we can forget to communicate or have trouble listening to others who have something to say that is significant for them.

So what can you do to improve communications in your business?

  1. Project positivity from the top.
  • Be honest and transparent
  • Be clear about the purpose
  • Set good practice standards in policies (not just consequences for breaches)
  • Ensure that all of your managers/leaders believe the message and “sing from the same hymn book”
  • Be timely
  • Be responsive
  • Celebrate successes
  1. Define the audience on 3 levels

Tailor your message to people to take account of:

  • Whole of business communications (what everyone needs to know)
  • What particular teams might need to know about the impact for them and
  • What individuals need to know about the impact for them

Consider other stakeholders as well eg customers, suppliers, contractors, etc and what you need to tell them if they are (potentially) affected in some way

  1. Build it into project management
  • Identify stakeholders in each project up front
  • Identify key points and messages to be given in the project
  • Build these communications into the project plan
  • Make sure it happens
  • Review the effectiveness of communications as part of the review process on project completion.
  • Learn from that and continuously improve
  1. Validate understanding

This is about ensuring that the people concerned “get the message” and know what it means for them. It is really just a question of asking them what it means for them, ensuring they understand and observing what is happening in practice

  1. Give your people genuine voice

This is probably the improvement opportunity that comes up most often in employee surveys and there are lots of options such as:

  • Set up a staff consultative committee or representative workplace improvement team
  • Do regular employee surveys to get people’s views and spot check progress
  • Have a publicly committed to improvement plan for people and culture
  • Ensure that you have trusted and effective grievance and suggestions processes in place
  • Give people regular and balanced feedback about how they are going
  1. Make sure you have the capability

Continuously work on your communication processes and skills as a core business competency that impacts critically on all aspects of running a business.

If you don’t have the strengths internally, look externally to get help in communications design, positive policy writing and coaching for people in your business who play key roles in communications.

The spin offs are higher efficiency, happier people and a more profitable business.

Ridgeline HR offers a variety of coaching, consulting and contracting services to assist businesses with consultation and communication requirements and enquiries can be directed to Peter Maguire on 0438 533 311 or email pmaguire@ridgelinehr.com.au.