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Developing the right HR plan for 2023

If nothing else, the past few years have taught us all how important it is to have the right people, with the right skills and motivation in our businesses. Having staff that will cope with change, support each other and make the right decisions has been a critical part of organisations successfully weathering this extremely difficult period.

And 2023 is shaping up already to be another year full of curve balls and surprises that your business, and team, must cope with.

Being prepared, focusing on the right HR areas, and having a strong HR plan in place will take centre stage this year as we navigate the year ahead.

So, how do you get the right plan in place?

  1. Start with your business goals.

Key to having the right HR plan in place is being clear about your business goals for 2023, and understanding what you need from your people to achieve them.

  • Are you planning growth? Then you will need a strong employment brand and recruitment strategy to attract top quality candidates
  • Are you changing your product or service offering? This will mean you need a team which is comfortable with change, and ready to grow and develop their skills.
  • Do you expect it to be a tough year? Your team will need to be resilient and engaged, to help them cope with the challenges this brings.

Knowing what you need from your team for success will enable you to focus on the right areas and ensure your plan is meaningful.

  1. Conduct an environmental scan.

Legislation, economic conditions and immigration settings all impact on your people. In today’s world it is essential to understand what is going on around you and to plan how you can work around impediments by having strong HR initiatives which enable performance and deliver staff retention.

  • Do you expect a fair pay agreement to be initiated, or has one been already?
  • How will immigration impact your talent pipeline? Do you need to work hard to retain staff as it is difficult to recruit?
  • How will your people cope with the increased cost of living? Do they need help with financial planning and are your wage levels keeping up with the market to support them through this?
  1. Assess your current HR practices.

Most Companies have gaps or improvement areas in their HR practices. Having a real understanding of deficiencies by working through each HR topic thoroughly will give you a clear overview of potential focus areas. It is important to dig deeper and go beneath the surface when undertaking this assessment.

  • You may have a performance review process in place, but do the reviews actually happen? And does it result in improved performance or is it a tick box exercise?
  • If you do conduct engagement surveys, do you create a strong plan off the back of them? And does your plan improve engagement?

Be honest as a business on what you do well and what areas don’t work as intended. This will ensure you identify the right areas to work on.

  1. Prioritise and create your plan.

Once you have assessed your current practices and highlighted areas for improvement, it is time to link these back to your business goals and environmental scan.

  • What HR areas will have the most impact?
  • What improvement initiatives will support your business goals the most?
  • What areas will cause your plans to fail if you don’t get them right?

In every business there are always any number of people initiatives that you can introduce.

Identifying the key actions in your HR plan will ensure you take the right steps in 2023 to create a highly engaged and productive workforce.

Positive People has been helping businesses create fit-for-purpose HR plans for organisations for over 25 years. Contact us now or call 09 445 1077 to discuss your 2023 HR Plan.

 

 

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Hot HR topics for 2023!

Hasn’t it been some start to the year??!!

After a seemingly never ending 2022, and the slow but apparent disappearance of the nasty Covid experience, most of us were looking forward to a long, relaxing, sunny Christmas break. However, the challenges just keep coming!

Being well prepared for whatever the year might throw at us is of paramount importance in 2023, as we look to settle back into the work routine and set our goals for the year.

With 2023 being an election year, we predict more uncertainty in both the labour market and with employment legislation. There may be changes to immigration settings, Fair Pay agreements may be halted, and we still haven’t seen how much change our new Prime Minister will make to current policies.

Operating in an environment where the future is unpredictable can be a challenge. The key to successfully navigating through this will be knowing what is important to your team, focusing on what you can control and doing it well.

Our predictions for what will be important in 2023 in the HR space are:

  1. Wellbeing and resilience

A Wellbeing strategy is no longer a “nice to have”. With all the challenges and uncertainty in the environment, it is a critical focus area. The success of your business will rely heavily on your team’s ability to cope with change, external economic pressures, and the stress this can cause. Having a well-planned and executed Wellbeing plan will help your team navigate through this period personally and ensure it doesn’t impact their performance.

  1. The talent shortage will continue.

While the labour market has cooled slightly, and even with changes to the immigration settings in some sectors, the talent shortage looks set to continue. We anticipate that the massive pay offers we saw last year won’t be repeated, as businesses start to realise the long-term impact of these, but it will still be competitive. Your employer branding and offering must be enticing and unique if you want to ensure top quality people join you and stay.

  1. Culture as a priority

The ‘talent disaster’ sparked by the great resignation has highlighted how important it is for people to be aligned with the Company’s mission and values. A positive and strong Company culture is essential to attract and retain top talent. Toxic workplace behaviours have been exposed and are no longer tolerated by staff. Having a real understanding of your Company culture and what needs to change is essential.

  1. Employee Experience

The recent staff shortages have turned the tables and meant a strong focus needs to be placed on what you can offer your staff. Recognition, growth, career opportunities, rewards and flexibility have become “non- negotiables” for employees. More and more staff are looking for a Company that genuinely values them and offers them what they need at work.

  1. Learning and Development

Much of the personal and skill development of staff has been on hold over the past few years, and motivated team members will be keen to move forward, learn and progress their career. Continuous learning supports change readiness, and staff are more open to trying new things and moving forward. It also is a key motivator for most people. Reassessing your development programs to ensure they are hitting the mark, and that you have options across all your team will pay dividends for you as your business moves forward this year.

Now is the time to truly reflect on your HR practices, culture and employee experience.

  • Do you have it right for 2023?
  • Is what you offer enough?
  • What do your team think?

Create a strong HR Plan

Creating a strong HR plan, which develops these aspects of HR and ensures you and your team are ready for success in 2023 will have you well placed to weather any other storms which come our way this year.

We can help with the development of your HR Plan. Working with you, Positive People have over 25 years of HR knowledge and experience. 

Call us on 09 445 1077 or email info@positivepeople.co.nz

 

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Leading your team through change

Change is inevitable, and as businesses adapt to rapidly changing markets it is more certain and more frequent than ever before. But how do you effectively lead your team through a restructure, relocation or major system or process change? Almost as certain as the need for change itself is the likelihood that you will encounter some form of resistance.

We embrace many massive personal changes in life like moving homes, marriage and new jobs. But these are elective changes that we’ve chosen for ourselves. Imposed change can bring about quite a different reaction.

This might be due to:

  • Loss of control
  • Fear of losing our job, status or responsibilities
  • Having to deal with ambiguity and additional workload during the transition
  • Being pushed out of our comfort zone resulting in concerns about whether we have the right skills or experience to be successful in the new environment
  • Loss of things that are valued

These are some of the reasons that people even with relatively minor changes proposed to their job can strongly resist.

To successfully negotiate change as a leader you must seek to understand and address the different emotional impact on each person in your team.

Most of us will move through a cycle of denial, resistance, exploration of options and information and finally commitment or acceptance of the change. Recognising where each member of your team is at will help you to move them through the process.

  • Denial – allow people time and space to let things sink in, provide as much information as possible and clarify why you are making the change
  • Resistance – encourage involvement, provide channels for feedback, keep communicating and reinforcing your key messages
  • Exploration – share the progress that has been made and what needs to happen next
  • Commitment / Acceptance – measure and celebrate successes, set short and long-term goals and focus on embedding the change and continuing to make improvements

If you’re still facing negativity and resistance, encourage your team to focus their energy only on what they can change or influence and then take action. Set up a session to discuss their concerns and divide these concerns into three groups:

  • What they can change or control themselves
  • What they can influence
  • What is outside of their control or influence

Follow this up by brainstorming what actions they can take to change or influence the issues from these categories. You can also talk about strategies for letting go or moving on from what cannot be controlled or influenced.

Lastly – look after people impacted by change, and look after yourself!

In restructuring processes, it’s important to check in with your team regularly. Offer them support and encourage them to seek support from others in their network. This could include family, friends, a counselor, careers counselor or financial adviser. There are a number of government-funded organisations and resources available as well as services your company can access to assist and support your employees.

Remember to:

  • Acknowledge and celebrate the wins – big or small
  • Accept people’s actions and behaviours as their responses to change and don’t take them personally
  • Take care with your own responses
  • Vent when you need to – but to the right person
  • Take care of yourself by eating well, getting enough sleep and making time for exercise and relaxation

 

In any change or restructuring process, it is essential that you follow proper HR processes.

 

Here at Positive People we have a proven track record in managing successful change processes that meet legislative obligations and support you to help your team feel respected, supported, involved and informed throughout the process. If we can help you with a change process, please call us on 09 445-1077.

Chanel Finnigan No Comments

Fair Pay Agreements – What could they mean for you?

The Fair Pay Agreements Act has now been passed, and applications to initiate bargaining can be made from 1 December 2022. This raises a raft of questions about how this will work and what the implications will be for employers.

Unfortunately, even though the legislation has been published, many of these questions remain unanswered. We anticipate a lot of change and a number of challenges in the implementation in 2023.

So how will it work practically?

Initiating and bargaining parties

  • The process begins when an eligible Union applies to MBIE for approval to start bargaining as they have either 1000 workers or 10% of the workforce who would be covered supporting the application. It can also be initiated by a public interest test showing that the employees who would be covered receive low wages.
  • Once bargaining has been approved employer associations may apply to be the employer bargaining party. If no one steps forward as an employer bargaining party after 3 months, a default bargaining party will be invited to participate and given one month to respond. If they decline, then the Union can apply to the Authority for the terms to be set without bargaining.
  • Bargaining must be publicly notified by the Union and efforts must be made to notify all employers in writing, who may have employees who will be covered.

While at this stage most employer associations have not agreed to be employer bargaining parties, with the default setting being a determination by the Authority it is in business’s best interests to come to the table on this – or risk having no say in the terms.

The bargaining processes

The bargaining process is very similar to normal collective agreement negotiations. Employers will need to:

  • Act in good faith
  • Provide information to their employees around bargaining
  • Provide employee information to the Union (unless employees opt out of the process)
  • Allow employee bargaining representatives on-site to provide information to employees
  • Allow employees to attend up to two, two hour paid meetings about the Fair Pay Agreements

Mandatory clauses

All Fair Pay Agreements (FPA) must have certain mandatory clauses, like pay rates, overtime provisions, penalty rates (if they apply), training and development arrangements and leave provisions, amongst others. So it will be worth reviewing your agreements now to see what’s likely to change and consider your approach. If you pay a higher base hourly rate and no overtime, you may end up having both once an FPA is in place, so we encourage you to consider your position now.

If my workforce isn’t currently unionised, will this change?

A FPA would cover all employees in an occupation or sector, even those that are not Union members. You will however have to understand how to manage your work force with several agreements in place. Employees can still have an IEA and an FPA can also be in place. However, they are covered by whichever agreement is most favourable, so you could have multiple agreements to balance.

Which Industries are likely to have Fair Pay Agreements first?

Several Industries have been signalled as first cabs off the rank (Security, Bus drivers, Cleaning, Early Childhood Centres, Hospitality, Forestry and Supermarkets). There are reports that at least one Union has already started collecting signatures to start the initiation process. Heavily Unionised industries would be easiest to target first, and with a real chance of a change in Government next year, Unions will want to move as fast as possible to secure an FPA before then. The speed with which this can progress will be hampered by the Unions’ resource constraints and the ability of MBIE to process requests. As this is new territory, we anticipate it will take a while to get set up and will have teething problems, which is likely to mean a slow start to any processes.

However, as employers, being prepared will be key.

What can you do to get ready?

While there isn’t much an employer can do to influence which industries are targeted first, or when bargaining for an FPA is initiated, you can make sure that you are tight with whatever industry or sector bargaining forum you may belong to.

You can also ensure you provide good communication and dialogue with your team if and when you are approached for either Union access or to start the process. Ensuring your team receive accurate and thorough information from you will help to keep your relationship strong and stand you in good stead for the future.

As this new legislation spreads into workplaces, as always, your best strategy within your own business is to have a strong bond with all your employees. This will ensure that any inevitable challenges and hiccups that arise are successfully ridden out in your business.

Positive People have over 25 years’ experience in Industrial Relations and can support and update you through the changes Fair Pay Agreements will bring. Contact us now to discuss any questions you may have.

Call us on 09 445 1077 or email info@positivepeople.co.nz

 

 

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What do your people want from you?

A secure job, fair pay and good working conditions?

That would have been the most common answer some time ago. Today it is way more complex. While these may still hold true for some employees, in this changed environment there are now a variety of considerations.

Top of the list is what the employee experience within your organisation is like for each individual employee.

Does your Company satisfy the workplace needs of each and every one of your employees? Do you explore with your employees to find out what these are?

Whatever their individual workplace needs may be, the solution to satisfying these needs and therefore promoting high motivation, lies in aligning employee experience with engagement and the organisational environment in which they work.

Enhance the employee experience

From the moment a potential employee casts their eye over the job advertisement the employee experience begins. When they go through the application process, receive communication about the role, the interview, the remuneration and conditions negotiation, the offer or the regret letter, the discussion about the start date, the on-boarding process and the induction, and then the day-to-day working, the employee experience is being established and burned in for that employee. It will also establish your true employment brand and indicate to an employee if working for your business truly gives them what they want.

Lift engagement

Engagement is one of the key priorities for any employer to focus on. Not only is it about providing meaningful work that is understood and enjoyed by every employee, but it also embraces the whole culture of your organisation and how it feels to be part of it.

Creating an environment where employees WANT to be involved and committed is the key to high motivation. This responsibility rests with you – the employer. What can you do?

  • Find out what your employees want from their workplace
  • Find out what they think and feel about working for you

Do this through a combination of short sharp engagement surveys and discussion groups.

  • Put in place some fixes that address any of their concerns
  • Embrace their suggestions and improvements
  • Measure their thoughts and feelings again

In these ways you will gain some understanding of how engaged your whole team is with your business. And then you will be able to take steps to enhance their engagement.

Promote a great culture

Review all your systems, processes and people initiatives to see if they truly do enhance the employee experience. You may have to introduce new or fine-tune current systems. You may have to make some big changes.

Ideally you would tie all this together as part of your People Strategy driven by a practical HR Plan.

In order to implement a program that enhances the employee experience and lifts morale and motivation, draw up an HR Plan. This sets out what you have decided to do to improve your organisational culture in a straight-forward and practical way. It gives you targets, deadlines and a way of measuring your progress.

Here at Positive People we have been assisting businesses optimize their people contribution for over 25 years.

Call us on 09-445 1077 or email us at info@positivepeople.co.nz to talk about how we can help.

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Don’t miss an important talent option!

The war for talent is tough right now.

It seems to be a candidate market, salaries are being driven higher, the number of applicants per role is significantly down and roles can stay vacant for months.

But perhaps there is a trick missing? What about your internal talent?

Are you making the most of some fantastic people you already have? 

Sometimes in our haste to fill a gap that a resignation leaves, we miss taking the chance to reflect on our current team. We can miss the best talent that is already right under our noses.

Now is the time to do things differently, take some calculated risks and build stronger loyalty with our current team by giving them opportunities to develop and shine.

  • Could you take someone working in a different part of your business, who is proactive, knows your business and has loads of potential, and upskill them to fill the role?
  • Could an HR Advisor transition into a H & S leadership role with some development in this field?
  • Could someone who is ready for leadership in a sales team lead an operations team?
  • Could your new IT recruit be a really smart technical Customer Services Rep?

They may take a bit longer to get up to speed, but if you already know they have the capability to learn and the drive to make it happen, then seriously consider it.

Surely that is less of a risk than leaving the role vacant for months while you search for someone your think may be right. And perhaps end up compromising and settling for less than ideal anyway.

4 easy steps to make this happen

  1. Know your talent . Do you have a talent identification process in your business? If you don’t, now is the time to start. This helps you understand who has the capacity to grow in the future. It also allows you to make a plan to ensure you retain them.
  2. Review each vacancy afresh as it comes up for the skills you really need. We often draft up job ads with a wonderful long list of required skills. The current situation is an ideal time to look at this critically.

What can you train? What could be developed by an external course if a candidate is really motivated? Do you              really need extensive experience in a role?

Often if we have someone who is capable of learning and has the right behaviours, attitude and aptitude this                   will predict 90% of their success in a role.

  1. Take a calculated and bold step forward. Once you know what’s essential in a role, it is time to review your talent list. Instead of thinking who ticks “most of” the boxes, think about who has the potential to achieve in the role in the future.
  2. Create a thorough development plan. If you are moving someone into a new role where some development is required, taking responsibility for ensuring they receive this development is critical. You want to set them up for success and show you believe in them.

While the market is tough right now, it will pass.

However, if you have an open approach to your internal talent development, you may well be pleasantly surprised. You will also develop a culture of growth and opportunity that will help you emerge as an employer of choice, with a strong successful motivated team, primed for the future.

Positive People has over 25 years’ experience helping businesses develop talent. Call us today on 09-445 1077.

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Recruiting successfully in a tough market.

Speed is of the essence

Candidates will be making several applications at once. You can avoid a bidding war by moving quickly and securing them first.

  • In the past having an “applications close” date on your job ads was the norm. This allowed you time for all possible candidates to apply. You could then select the best. In today’s market if you try this approach, by the time you are making calls the best candidates will have been snapped up already. Making time to review applications every day means you can move quickly to interview talent and have the best chance of getting them on board.
  • Long recruitment processes with several interviews and tests can take weeks to complete. By the time you have proven you have the perfect person you will likely have lost them to another offer. Take the time to streamline your process – you can still make a robust selection decision in a couple of days if you are smart, creative, and flexible with the process. Make sure you know what is essential and cut out anything which isn’t.

Make your role stand out.

In a situation where a candidate is in the mix for multiple roles, think through how you can be different and make sure you are their number one choice.

  • How engaging is your job ad? Does it reflect your organisation and what candidates are looking for in a role? Flexible working, job security and career opportunities are top considerations so think through what you can offer that’s attractive and make sure it is highlighted.
  • The first impression counts. Think through your phone screen and initial contact. How can you make them excited about the role? What’s special about your business? How do you make them feel comfortable? Having a warm, engaging first up conversation will go a long way towards making your role their first choice.
  • Remember an interview is a two-way process. While you are assessing the candidate’s job fit, they are also assessing you, the role, and the business. Make the interview as engaging and interesting as possible, and that every person involved in the hiring process is right on top of their game.

Increase your sourcing channels

Placing an ad on SEEK and waiting for the magic “perfect” candidate to apply may leave you disappointed. Widening your channels will increase your reach, and your candidate pool.

Think about:

  • Linkedin
  • Referrals
  • Local social media pages
  • Professional networks
  • Training organisations

Make sure you have the offer right.

The market has shifted over the past year and is far more competitive. Do your research before your recruit so you know you have the right salary band for the current environment. If you don’t, you will turn candidates off at the first conversation, or with your job ad. And once a candidate has turned you down the chance of getting them to change their mind is minimal.

It is a candidate’s market right now. Your traditional approach probably needs a shake-up if you want to be successful. The right candidate is out there. If you understand the market and are creative with your approach, you will find them!

Our Positive People team understand the market and have the skills and experience to help you recruit well.

Contact us today if you have a recruitment need. info@positivepeople.co.nz

Or 09-445 1077 or 021-1845 661

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Vaccine Mandates – Navigating the changing landscape

It’s not that long ago when we were confronted with the conundrum of how to manage COVID-19 vaccinations at work. At the time we did our best to deal with challenging scenarios, differing views, the impact on working relationships and team culture.

We had difficult conversations with people who had to change their roles and others who lost jobs. Now we’ve come full circle. As the COVID-19 landscape changes, employment vaccination policies are once again under scrutiny.

While each situation will need to be managed carefully to reflect the unique individual, role and circumstances, here are some general pointers to consider.

  • Avoid creating a perception that management are dealing with this behind closed doors. This could create a climate of mistrust and further exacerbate matters.
  • Don’t make hasty decisions. There may be unintended consequences that damage your reputation and create animosity.

Here’s what you can do:

  1. Consult and communicate with your team about potential changes. Genuinely consider and respond to feedback. Some may have concerns about their own health or how clients may feel about changes. Others may believe that relationships were irreparably damaged and that resurrecting the subject will be destructive.
  2. Undertake another risk assessment. WorkSafe guidance indicates that a mandatory vaccination policy could be justified ‘where the nature of the work itself raises the risk of COVID-19 infection and transmission above the risk faced outside work’. Engage an expert who can support you through this process.
  3. Ensure you have a reasonable COVID19 policy in place, covering health and safety protocols e.g. hygiene measures, testing, sickness absence management. You could still encourage vaccination as one potential safeguard.
  4. If you change your organisation’s vaccination stance, establish how you want to manage vacancies for those who lost their jobs and could, in theory, come back on board. Do you want people to find out directly from you, or through the grapevine? Both approaches have pros and cons.
  5. Put in place a fair transparent selection process with clear criteria e.g. tenure, if you have more interest than roles available. You may need to make unpopular decisions so open communication with the team will be key, even if their desired outcome is not the result.
  6. Be certain about the uncertainty. None of us know what twists and turns the pandemic may take and it would be prudent to talk about potential future vaccination policies should the situation change.

In short, take your time to reflect on the situation, different viewpoints, potential implications and consider the needs of all your key stakeholders. Use the opportunity to re-establish trust and build a positive, consultative culture. Together, you will find the right approach.

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ACCREDITED EMPLOYER WORKING VISA (AEWV) – TIME TO PREPARE NOW

ENSURE YOU’RE IN A POSITION TO HIRE MIGRANTS WHEN YOU CAN 

ACCREDITED EMPLOYER WORKING VISA (AEWV)

TIME TO PREPARE NOW

Many employers have had difficulty recruiting staff during the pandemic and are delighted at the prospect of the borders opening and staffing issues being resolved. Most businesses are seeking to be in a position to be able to hire migrants as soon as they can. At the same time processes at Immigration NZ have been changing. Immigration NZ are introducing a new visa known as the Accredited Employer Working Visa (AEWV), and all employers will need to be accredited to either renew somebody’s visa or hire somebody on a work visa. It essentially replaces the Essential Skills visa and Talent Accredited employer visa.

What do you need to do to be ready?

23 May 2022 is the first date an employer can apply to become accredited and by 4 July 2022, you will need to have received your accreditation to have anyone in your employment on a work visa.

So, time is tight!

To be ready to apply by 23 May 2022, it is a good idea to determine what type of accreditation you will require and what information you will need to supply.

Types of Accreditations.

  • Standard volume – you will employ 5 or less on the new AEWV work visa per year
  • High volume – you will employ 6 or more on the new AEWV work visa per year per year

Note: This does not include employees on other visas eg: Student visas

There are two other categories; franchises or employers wanting to place migrants with controlling third parties. If you fall into either of these brackets, it will pay to search the requirements directly on the Immigration NZ website.

Employers who currently are accredited under the talent visa program will need to re-apply using the new process.

Accreditation Requirements

To gain either level of accreditation you must show that you:

  • Are a genuine business by providing financial information and company details
  • Have no recent history or regulatory non-compliance, complete a declaration to this effect and have background checks undertaken
  • Minimise the risk of exploitation by having your recruiting Managers complete an online employment rights module, providing evidence of a sound and fair recruitment process and providing work related settlement information to migrants.
  • Are paying at least the median wage for the job (which is $27.76 as of 4 July 2022)

The cost for  application is currently: standard $740 or high volume $1220.  You can upgrade to high volume at any point for $480. If you receive accreditation a job quota will apply which will register all your migrant workers and keep track of the number in your employment.

Job Check

Every time you want to hire a migrant, you will need to apply for a job check, and there will be a cost involved with this. The job check opens from 20 June 2022. You may use a job check for multiple positions if all the job details and conditions of employment are the same.

A job check will confirm:

  • The job pays at least the median wage
  • The terms and conditions of employment meet all the legislative requirements
  • The job has been advertised to New Zealander’s, including advertising the rate of pay and skills and experience required
  • The job is for at least 30 hours per week

For more information on the requirements for each level the Immigration NZ website provides further detail. 

It’s been a long time coming, and we know many businesses are struggling to recruit staff.

Being prepared and receiving your accreditation early will put you in a good position to make the most of borders opening and improve your chances of attracting amazing new employees.

Positive People can guide you through the employment related requirements and offer support to ensure you are ready for when the borders open.

 

Contact us now – we can help.

09-445 1077

info@positivepeople.co.nz

 

 

 

 

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Management Fatigue

Hands up… who is tired or a bit deflated right now?

Many of our clients are telling us that the ongoing uncertainty we are all living in, the changing work environment and heavy workload over the past two years is taking its toll. Leading people and driving business survival/success at this time can be exhausting. Humans are wired to cope with peaks of pressure very well, but don’t fare so well over extended periods of time.

So, what can you do?

Firstly, you need to look after yourself.

As a leader, you probably feel like you have no choice and must get on with it. That’s what good leaders do, right? But the reality is that you will not be able to support your team if you are fatigued and not in the right headspace.

Taking care of yourself may feel like the last thing you have time to do. But it is important to ensure that your business is tracking in the right direction and your team has the leader they need. You might set parameters around when/how often you check your emails, shorten meeting times by setting a clear agenda, delegate some responsibilities or empower your team to make some decisions. Focus on what you can control.

Once you are rejuvenated, share your story with the team – set the tone, lead the way. If the team see you making effective changes, they will feel that they too can take ownership of their own situation rather than feeling helpless.

Then, it’s time to take further action.

  • Sit down with your team to talk about where they are at, their pain/pressure points and figure out some sensible solutions together.
  • Assess if your methods of reward and recognition are effective. Do your team feel that their contribution is valued? Do you celebrate successes? Do you genuinely thank people regularly? Ask for feedback on what could be better. Trial some new approaches.
  • Regularly check in on progress – quick pulse surveys can be good to see if any changes you have made are hitting the mark.
  • Longer term, you might want to think about building resilience within your business by developing leadership capability around how to manage and deal with pressure, arming your people with helpful tools and techniques.

If you have had enough of the fatigue and you are ready to do something about it, talk with your Positive People consultant for ideas and recommendations. We are here to help.