Category Archives: L.E.A.D.

Building trust

Trust underpins all relationships between leaders, managers and employees. It provides the basis for engagement and effective working relationships in the pursuit of shared goals.

73% of employees and only 66% of managers have a great or moderate degree of trust in what their leaders tell them about the future of the organisation.

Interestingly, 85% of leaders believe they have instilled in employees and managers a great or moderate degree of trust in their ability to achieve organisational goals.

Clarifying the future and effectively communicating what it holds for individuals is paramount to building trust. Without an understanding of the organisation’s future, employees cannot be expected to place their trust in the strategies being put forward.

From LMA’s L.E.AD. survey book “Today’s workplace – Present realities…Future realities”, 2013
Available for purchase, click here to order a copy of the book.

Are you an employer of choice?

Recognition and reward coupled with learning and development are key characteristics of employers of choice for leaders, managers and employees.

More than half of the respondents in the latest Leadership, Employment and Direction (L.E.A.D.) Survey selected these characteristics as essential offerings for an employer of choice.

Also ranked in the top attributes selected by employees are:

  • pays above average salaries
  • is a place where you can have fun
  • management is passionate
  • management operates ethically

The message is clear – look after people and they will flock to your organisation.

To see the full ranking of characteristics selected by leaders, managers and employees, click here to print the order form for a copy of the latest L.E.A.D. survey book.

 

From LMA’s L.E.AD. survey book “Today’s workplace – Present realities…Future realities”, 2013

Bullying still an issue in the workplace

Whilst the majority of organisations have developed and implemented policies to address workplace behaviours/issues, around one in four staff have observed bullying in the workplace.

16% of employees have experienced bullying in the workplace personally and 4% are currently experiencing it, suggesting that the policies are either not strong enough or not being consistently applied.

How does your organisation ensure that policies regarding workplace behaviour are adhered to?

From LMA’s L.E.AD. survey book “Today’s workplace – Present realities…Future realities”, 2013
Available for purchase, click here to order a copy of the book.

Growing pressure – tempering expectations to reduce pressure

According to the latest L.E.A.D. Survey research findings, the amount of pressure being felt by the people in organisations in Australia and New Zealand is on the rise and getting worse.

The weight of expectation is bearing down on people at all levels – so what can be done to temper expectations and maintain work/life balance?

The pressure is on and growing for leaders in particular with 63% feeling more pressure now than they did three years ago (up from 53% in 2011). Likewise, employees are feeling pressure rising with 58% feeling more pressure compared to three years ago (up from 51% in 2011).

Paradoxically, managers are feeling the highest level of increased pressure but the extent to which this is being felt hasn’t changed over recent years. Managers appear to be the meat in the sandwich of expectations from above, below and externally (customers/clients).

Q. Compared to three years ago, NOWADAYS are you (your staff) generally experiencing ‘more pressure’, ‘the same pressure’ or ‘less pressure’ at work?

Amount of pressure on you compared to three years ago Employees
Managers Leaders
About self (%)
More pressure 58 71 63
The same pressure 30 23 29
Less pressure 11 6 9
Not sure 2 0 0

 

The main sources of pressure on employees appear to be well understood by managers and leaders – the expectations placed on employees by them and by customers/clients. Manifested in changes to responsibilities and changes to organisational structures, employees can struggle to get the right balance between work and other aspects of their lives and start to feel pressure.

Q. What would you say are the top five biggest sources of pressure for you (your staff) at the present time?

Top 5 Rankings of Pressures on Employees Employees
Managers
Leaders
About self About staff
Changes to or added responsibilities 1 3 3
Balance between work & personal life 2 5 4
Higher performance expectations 3 1 1
Higher customer/client expectations 4 4 2
Changing organisational structures 5 2 5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The pressures on leaders and managers paint a similar picture with heavy demand on time and heavy workload creating pressure and impacting on their ability to achieve work/life balance.

Q. What would you say are the top five biggest sources of pressure for you (leaders and senior managers in your organisation) at the present time?

Top 5 Rankings of Pressures on Leaders / Managers Leaders
Managers
Employees
About self About Leaders
Balance between personal & work life =1 2 =7
Continuously being in demand =1 3 =6
Increase in their personal workload 3 1 =6
Ensuring effective communication within the organisation 4 6 =3
Quality of staff in the organisation 5 =2 =3
Increasing competition in the marketplace 6 =11 =1
Expectations of customers/clients =7 5 =1

 

 The reaction to pressure for many is to start looking elsewhere for positions that take some of the pressure off, or at least afford the individual better ways to manage or cope with pressure. Leaders and managers are no different.

As well as looking to better manage their own pressures to work effectively, leaders and managers need to be observant and identify when the pressure is having a detrimental impact on their people and support them in dealing with it.

So what should leaders and managers do?

  • Tune-in to the nature and extent of pressures being felt by employees at all levels – acknowledge that the pressures you’re feeling are also highly likely to be evident in the worlds of others.
  • Explore avenues to reduce and minimise pressure by working collaboratively on strategies and approaches that meet the individual’s needs.
  • Coach managers and employees in how best to manage personal pressure.
  • Work to identify different avenues to reduce pressure to a manageable level – you will develop a better connection with people and play a more effective supporting role as leader or manager.
  • Be prepared to review and discuss pressure regularly to ensure it remains manageable and acceptable at all levels.
  • Make the goal of achieving the desired work/life balance a goal for every individual and be prepared to flex to meet the needs of all personnel.

“When leaders and managers understand their own pressures and the pressures facing their people, they can try to empathise. Create a workplace environment that better manages pressure and ensure it positively impacts on performance and productivity.”
Grant Sexton, Executive Chairman, LMA

Top 5 pressures on leaders and managers – 2013

The latest update of the Top 5 pressures on leaders and managers from the L.E.A.D. Survey highlights that high demand on time and a heavy workload is creating pressure on leaders and managers, impacting their ability to achieve work/life balance.

Q. What would you say are the top five biggest sources of pressure for you (leaders and managers in your organisation) at the present time?

Top 5 Rankings of Pressures on Leaders / Managers Leaders (about self) Managers (about self) Employees (about self)
Balance between personal & work life

=1

=2

=7

Continuously being in demand

=1

4

=6

Increase in their personal workload

3

1

=6

Ensuring effective communication within the organisation

4

6

=3

Quality of staff in the organisation

5

=2

=3

Increasing competition in the marketplace

6

=11

=1

Expectations of customers/clients

=7

5

=1

 

The reaction to pressure for many is to start looking elsewhere for positions that take some of the pressure off or at least afford the individual better ways to manage or cope with pressure. Leaders and managers are no different.

As well as looking to better manage their own pressures to work effectively, leaders and managers need to be observant and identify when the pressure is having a detrimental impact on their people and support them in dealing with it.

So what should leaders and managers do?

  • Tune-in to the nature and extent of pressures being felt by employees at all levels – acknowledge that the pressures you’re feeling are also highly likely to be evident in the worlds of others.
  • Explore avenues to reduce and minimise pressure by working collaboratively on strategies and approaches that meet the individual’s needs.
  • Coach managers and employees in how best to manage personal pressure.
  • Work to identify different avenues to reduce pressure to a manageable level- you will develop a better connection with people and play a more effective supporting role as leader or manager.
  • Be prepared to review and discuss pressure regularly to ensure it remains manageable and acceptable at all levels.
  • Make the goal of achieving the desired work/life balance a goal for every individual and be prepared to flex to meet the needs of all personnel.

Here for the long run

Four in ten workers anticipate staying with their organisation for another five years – a 50% increase since 2009.

The expectations of workers in terms of longevity in their current organisation have ebbed and flowed over the years, but in the last four years there has been a strong increase in intentions to stick with their current employer for the long term.

Creating an environment where people want to stay is a challenge for any manager or leader.

As the saying goes, ‘People go where they are wanted but only stay where they are appreciated’.

From LMA’s L.E.AD. survey book “Today’s workplace – Present realities…Future realities”, 2013
Available for purchase, click here to order a copy of the book.

Faith in the future

94% of employees believe they cope well with change within their organisation, yet this confidence is not held by their leaders and managers, with just 79% and 75% respectively who believe their employees cope well with change.

Far from being fearful of change, employees now expect it and have generally responded positively to the notion of change in their organisations.

Leaders and managers should learn to recognise and harness this commitment to change. For organisations to prosper in the future, change is a vital ingredient that must be present and must be welcomed and nurtured.

From LMA’s L.E.AD. Survey book “Today’s workplace – Present realities…Future realities”, 2013
Available for purchase, click here to order a copy of the book.

Feeling the impact of an aging workforce

It is estimated that more than half the workforce in Australia and New Zealand is now aged 45 years and over – a stark contrast to past decades where the median workforce age was ten or more years younger.

The impacts of an aging workforce are already being felt in many organisations across Australasia. In fact, in 2012 35% of business leaders, 30% managers and 19% of employees said their organisations were already feeling the impact.

Employees, managers and leaders perceive that the aging workforce will have a more negative than positive impact on the organisation, with 41%, 55% and 49% respectively anticipating a negative impact on their organisation.

An aging workforce creates challenges for the organisation and its ability to function effectively into the future. Being able to plan for the succession of older employees while providing avenues for the development and growth of all employees becomes more difficult as the age profile becomes skewed.

Has your organisation implemented any initiatives to deal with an aging workforce?

From LMA’s L.E.A.D. Survey book “Today’s workplace – Present realities…Future realities”, 2013
Available for purchase, click here to order a copy of the book.