If your New Year’s resolution doesn’t include some positive steps for your employees, then you are missing a trick.
There are some great enlightened businesses out there who know that the secret to longevity and real business success is made up of two critical, unequivocal elements which include their employees. A great engaged workforce who love what they are doing and secondly fantastic innovative customer service. Yes, there’s a lot of other elements in-between and around, but none of those will amount to much if the two most critical factors aren’t in place. If you’re one of those businesses then great. Congratulations, please get in touch, I would absolutely love to feature you. If you aren’t, then I’d also love to hear from you as to why not , your employees are important right? The reason I suspect that there are businesses out there who don’t get the first two factors right is because of the report published by CIPD in October 2011 which discloses that stress and mental illness has become the biggest reason for absence across the UK. A discussion about the report , which can be found here http://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/pm/articles/2011/12/news-review-2011-sickness-absence.htm talks about the heightened threat of job insecurity, the perils of lack of work/life balance and the necessity for flexible working, and wellbeing strategies at work. A lack of attention to any of these for any business may well end up with a cost attached. So what are we to do? We can’t wave a magic wand and wish away the economic reality. We know that there are employees who have greater resilience to uncertainty and increased hours/workload, less pay etc. These unfortunately are the features of the economic climate that seem to be in play. There are some employees who find it more difficult to cope with such measures. I am an idealist. I would dearly like to think that we can make people happy at work. I am thankfully though through years of practical hands on experience, also a realist. I know that there are many factors to achieving an engaged workforce, not least the attitudes and beliefs of our employees. What I do know though is that we can help people navigate diffic ult terrain in a different way. A way which minimises stress and enhances work-life balance, and promotes engagement and commitment. Dame Carol Black has suggested a number of measures to help the situation. These are also outlined in the report above. The suggestions are helpful, although some may be difficult to implement in reality. I do understand though the realistic approach being suggested given the size of the problem. We all know that a sticking plaster is essential while we wait for healing to take place. Without the sticking plaster we may bleed for much longer. It’s also essential though that we need to practice not getting hurt in the first place. And this is where an internal people strategy is vital. A strategy to help your employers navigate the terrain; to understand how important their wellbeing and commitment is to the success of the business as well as to their own lives. You also need great people managers. Managers who know how to motivate and get the best out of your people are vital to the success of your business. Stephanie Bird of CIPD reported “Last year’s government-commissioned review of employee engagement highlighted the link between effective leadership and people management skills, enhanced employee engagement and improved business performance. Yet the UK invests less in management development than its main international competitors, and its managers are rated less positively by employees.” I have worked with organisations in the past who when it was pointed out that it might be beneficial to pay attention to the wellbeing, engagement levels and work/life balance of staff, have considered such scrutiny “naval gazing” when they should be focusing on the important outcome, customer focused results. It is sometimes a successful strategy to only focus on outcomes, in the short term. In the long term, though it doesn’t sustain or make the business a great success. If you don’t get the int ernal customer service right, then the external customer service will usually be hanging by a thread. Don’t let this happen to you. The right balance can be beneficial to your business. Additionally if you whip your employees with the “economic reality” stick and use it as an excuse not to pay attention to them, then in happier times, they will march through the door and take all of that experience and skill with them. Research is indeed now showing the benefits of a happier more engaged workforce. Why not plug into these benefits now, and make a commitment to your people for 2012. If you’d like to see more about solutions for managing employees, see related links below. What do you think about the issue? Do please post your comments. 
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