People are important, so what?
It make sense that people are critical to a businesss. Without the people, You couldn’t operate.
Your people interact with your customers, without them you would not have customers or people to service and help them. I think we can agree people are important.
It make sense that people are critical to a businesss. Without the people, You couldn’t operate.
Your people interact with your customers, without them you would not have customers or people to service and help them. I think we can agree people are important.
Many, if not most organisations have an HR team, it’s their job to do all the people compliance, put policies and procedures in place to protect employees and the employer and ensure there are critical programs for roles, responsibilities, leadership and development, 360 feedback, secondments, and other programs to support employees.
However, it’s the leader’s role (supported by HR) to hire, retain, manage, develop their people. It means getting the right people in, supporting and developing them, creating an environment where people are developed, rewarded and recognised.
Now more than ever, managing your people is important. The war on talent has meant that getting good people to join your organisation/team is harder than it’s ever been, therefore looking after your existing employees and retaining your existing workforce is critical.
Every employee wants something different and therefore understanding where they are at, and what they need to be successful and work to be rewarding is critical. A lot of HR can be theory, policies and procedures. However, it needs to be practical hands-on approach to work with each team or employee to ensure that you set up all the teams and the organisation for success.
This will also come down to the culture, it’s about building a culture that people want to work in, that is bottom up built rather than top down.
If you want to work with someone that is brilliant at working with leaders, businesses and employees to redefine culture with a practical, action-oriented approach – look up Colin Ellis. Unbelievable outcomes!
2023 is another year of uncertain times, but one thing is for certain, attracting and retaining the best talent is critical to ensure you can deliver on your goals and key metrics.
At Whiteark we work with companies on their people strategy, with hands on experience we offer a range of services and templates that can be used to help you implement some good people strategies.
Check more good stuff from our thought articles library
What kind of leader are you?
Jo Hands asks the question: What kind of leader are you? Leadership is a gift. It's not easy. It's not a popularity contest. It's about setting up your team for success. Sometimes as leaders we get lost. Meetings, emails, approvals and pressure and we lose sight of what is important - taking people on the journey. We've all worked for good leaders and not great leaders and therefore know what good leadership is ...I think I've learnt the most from the bad leaders that I've worked with.
Leadership is a gift. It's not easy. It's not a popularity contest. It's about setting up your team for success.
Sometimes as leaders we get lost. Meetings, emails, approvals and pressure and we lose sight of what is important - taking people on the journey.
We've all worked for good leaders and not great leaders and therefore know what good leadership is ...I think I've learnt the most from the bad leaders that I've worked with.
Three key considerations for leadership;
Lead from the heart
Consistency is key
Understand your why
Leadership evolves over time. Everyone has their own style and styles are adapted for different people but leaders that lead from the heart is critical to success.
Leading from the heart is not weak but connecting with people and driving and pulling people with a clear vision. A leader that takes this approach will get a better outcome than a stick approach.
Consistency is critical. Having a consistent style and consider how this impacts your team etc. Have you ever worked for a leader who was chaotic and you didn't know what you would get on each and every day? It creates an unproductive and toxic work environment.
Everyone has become a leader for their own reason. Know your why. Be deliberate in understanding the why and deliberate driving the outcome you want. Being passionate and deliberate will drive the best outcome for your team.
At Whiteark we are passionate about leadership and working with leadership teams to get the best out of their people. Reach out to us for a no obligation conversation and advice around managing talent.
The Chiefs Podcast | Tune in to more leadership lessons
Article by Jo Hands, Co-Founder Whiteark
Looking to hone your leadership skills? Let us help.
Whiteark is not your average consulting firm, we have first-hand experience in delivering transformation programs for private equity and other organisations with a focus on people just as much as financial outcomes. We understand that execution is the hardest part, and so we roll our sleeves up and work with you to ensure we can deliver the required outcomes for the business.
Our co-founders have a combined experience of over 50 years’ working as Executives in organisations delivering outcomes for shareholders. Reach out for a no obligation conversation on how we can help you. Contact us on whiteark@whiteark.com.au
The war is real...
Jo Hands writes all about the war on talent - and it’s no joke. This time last year (May 2020) companies were downsizing, reducing pays, making employee take annual leave and in survival mode. Employees were worried about the security of their jobs. The whole dynamic has shifted. It's an employee market. Why and what does this mean?
This time last year (May 2020) companies were downsizing, reducing pays, making employees take annual leave – in short, they were in survival mode. The result? Employees across the world were worried about the security of their jobs.
But now, the whole dynamic has shifted. It's an employee market.
So why and what does this mean?
The Why.
Companies are recruiting
Lack of international talent working in Australia
Employers are focused on getting people back to the office
The economy is going strong
People are looking for flexibility and more money
The What.
What does this shift mean for employers…
Companies
The recruitment market is hot and therefore companies need to position themselves to attract the right / best talent
Companies need to build a talent plan to retain good people - it needs to be different, new and tailored
Finding the right talent is critical for success of delivering the strategy for the organisations
Companies need to be clear on their point of difference for working for them
Staff / candidates want to understand what flexibility means - what are your policies and how it practically works
Companies might need to consider partnering to get the right capability if market tight
Building a positive culture has never been so important and critical to ensure you retain and attract amazing talent
Employees / Candidates
People are looking for a sea change, reassessing their priorities and rethinking how much they are working and where they work
People aren't looking for the normal perks as priorities have changed
It's an employee / candidate market - be clear on what you want from your job, position yourself right and look for the perfect company
Smile and enjoy the process and do your pros / cons to make a good decision about what company to you with
People play an important role in the success of your business. In fact, without them you wouldn't have a business a business at all. So be proactive to really think about the changes you are making to responding to the shift.
As a leader you need to lean in to ensure you understand where your team is up to and ensure you take a proactive approach.
The war is real, are you ready to fight?
Article by Jo Hands, Co-Founder Whiteark
Looking to capitalise on these trends and plan your own people strategy? Let us help.
Whiteark is not your average consulting firm, we have first-hand experience in delivering transformation programs for private equity and other organisations with a focus on people just as much as financial outcomes. We understand that execution is the hardest part, and so we roll our sleeves up and work with you to ensure we can deliver the required outcomes for the business. Our co-founders have a combined experience of over 50 years’ working as Executives in organisations delivering outcomes for shareholders. Reach out for a no obligation conversation on how we can help you. Contact us on whiteark@whiteark.com.au
How to make change stick
Colin D Ellis explains how to make change stick. Organisations talk a lot about change and transformation, but in general most aren’t very good at doing it. A recent SAP survey found that of the 84 per cent of organisations that started transformation initiatives in the past year, only 3 per cent had actually successfully completed one.
Organisations talk a lot about change and transformation, but in general most aren’t very good at doing it. A recent SAP survey found that of the 84 per cent of organisations that started transformation initiatives in the past year, only 3 per cent had actually successfully completed one.
Thoughts from Colin D Ellis
One reason for this is that while senior managers get very excited about smarter, faster ways of doing things when they’re pulling their business plans together, they forget that to achieve them they have to stop doing some things and redefine the way they get others done.
Cultural evolution is frequently cited as the biggest enabler of successful change, yet very few organisations ever take it on, opting instead for quick-fix training solutions, restructures, operating model changes or (as is currently en vogue) promises of hybrid working.
It’s not that any of these things are wrong, it’s just that in order to deliver transformation and make change stick you need to establish a new foundation upon which to build them. Those foundations contain the following:
A sound business case for change. This will answer the ‘why this and why now?’ questions from staff and stakeholders alike as it’s not good enough to simply say ‘we need to transform’, there has to be a sound and logical rationale for doing so
A redefined culture. This is the activity that almost all teams or organisations forget to do and yet it’s the most important. Without redefining the vision, behaviours and collaboration principles expected of each other you have nothing to transform to
Public accountability. There needs to be a senior executive within the business who is prepared to throw their reputation, energy, money and effort behind the activity to ensure it delivers what was promised in the case for change. This person will also encourage all the other executives do their bit to ensure that the change happens.
Clear, unambiguous communication. This should focus not only on the activities required to complete the initiative, but also on the personal change required to achieve success. I don’t mean an email or poster, in Comic Sans font, pinned up on a noticeboard, but regular effort from those accountable for the transformation.
With an appropriate level of justification, definition, accountability and communication, culture change or transformation isn’t as hard as some would have you believe. If you’re not prepared to do these things, then your staff would like you to stop talking about transformation as if you mean it. However, if you are, then you can guarantee then they’ll be up for it too and that will make everything stick.
Colin D Ellis is an award-winning speaker, facilitator and best-selling author of Culture Fix: How to Create a Great Place to Work. You can find out more about him and the work that he does at www.colindellis.com
Key considerations for building connection across the organisation post Covid-19
Phoebe Reid writes about the key considerations for building connection across the organisation post Covid-19. Companies are finding themselves in unfamiliar territory as their employees return to the office post Covid 19 and are learning how to work together again. Building connectedness is an important part of working together successfully and links closely to employee engagement and ultimately meeting business goals.
Companies are finding themselves in unfamiliar territory as their employees return to the office post Covid 19 and are learning how to work together again. Building connectedness is an important part of working together successfully and links closely to employee engagement and ultimately meeting business goals.
For this to happen, leaders need to lead! Behaviour needs to start at the top and it will flow, employees want and need to have purpose and great leadership will support this happening. Spend the time with your team, have regular check ins, discuss and review/set their KPIs and goals, chat about how they are going, and generally be there for them.
Connection, growth and belonging are all key to a company’s success. Humans naturally enjoy each other’s company and being able to work collaboratively, so it’s often the corridor or kitchen conversation where you really get to understand what is going on. It is about finding the right balance between flexible work from home and time together in the office.
Some initiatives and areas that impact connection building in the workplace are;
Connectedness Initiatives
Having fun at work has been missed by many, it might be the Friday night drinks, bring your pet to work day or the monthly birthday celebrations, people have missed the opportunity to connect. Make sure this is a priority, put together a calendar of fun events, ask your team members what activities would make them feel more connected to each other and actively create an informal environment to reconnect.
Team lunches with employees from different departments are a way to get employees interacting with people from across the business and further promotes connection. Employees will benefit from having team activities like a volunteer day where the team can go and help at a charity. When implemented properly, these activities can be excellent for cultivating a sense of unity and belonging.
Promote the benefits of the office like being able to collaborate in person, informally bounce ideas off each other, the coffee machine and of course Friday night drinks! Set up wellbeing information sessions, often your employee assistance program provider can run these. Organise fitness in the park or at a nearby gym for your employees. For some, the office offers a sense of calm and control over their day and fewer distractions than at home, these people will be key to connecting those that are feeling more anxious about being back in the office. Schedule your team meetings on a day that everyone is in to promote face to face time.
To help employees focus and reengage with your strategy, run cross functional sessions on your strategy and 5-year plan, discuss what’s working well and get feedback on what you can be doing better. Sessions on behaviours and values could also be considered. Consider joint departments leading regular town halls to; share what is going on, interview new starters, share good news like record sales or new business and also acknowledge specific achievements of team members.
Having the right Flexible Work Policy supports connectedness. In developing your policy seek feedback to see what employees preferences are around flexible work. As with any successful change, seeking feedback and employee input will result in a more effective outcome. Employees are working from home in a variety of combinations from 1-5 days per week. Finding overlap days where the majority of the team are in the office is important. Having team meetings on these days and organising fun activities described above to connect people will help with this. Ensure that you have the flexibility to review your policy as things change or if the current arrangement isn’t working.
Employee Engagement
Employee engagement represents the levels of enthusiasm and connection employees have with their organisation. It’s a measure of how motivated people are to put in the extra effort for their employer and is often a sign of how committed they are to staying.
Now would be a good time to run an employee engagement survey. Tailor your questions to get constructive feedback for your business and ask questions about what initiatives will help them in feeling more engaged and connected to your business and their colleagues. Then use this feedback to run cross functional focus groups, then develop an action plan and actually implement it. Too often employees take the time to fill in the survey and provide feedback and nothing is done, this can be demotivating.
This article has described just some of the ways that you can build connectedness across your business post Covid 19. Please get in touch if Whiteark can help you with developing your business and people plans.
Quick tips for engaging your workforce
Jo Hands unpacks some quick tips for engaging your workforce. Engaging your workforce isn’t easy. Every generation is engaged differently. So one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to increasing engaging with your workforce doesn’t work. You need to think outside the box and ensure your approach is tailored.
Engaging your workforce isn’t easy. Every generation is engaged differently. So, one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to increasing engaging with your workforce doesn’t work. You need to think outside the box and ensure your approach is tailored.
Statistics show (and it make sense), if you have an engaged workforce they are more productive, more gets done and the financial results of the organisation are improved. So all in all it’s a great result. Every company should want this outcome but how do they get it and what do companies do wrong?
Most companies do their annual employee engagement survey and measure what they need to improve. They then come up with a number of initiatives to drive improvement – they focus on them for about 2-3 months and then they fall off.
These activities are normally determined by management on what they think will fix the engagement. Without engagement from the right level of people these activities don’t do the trick.
What I have seen work really well is to have a People Committee – this committee is made up of representatives from each team and they are responsible for regular / informal pulse checks and work on key initiatives that can put in place to increase engagement. This works really well and I have done this in 4 separate companies.
The team determine what they want to do and all you need to do as leader is give them the support to put the initiatives in place. They will come up with initiatives you will never have thought of, they will drive them and execute them and feel part of the improvement that is being put in place/made.
This will drive engagement.
Have fire side chats with the team to talk through what drives them, what needs to change and where they need support. When you start a new role or on an annual basis make sure you speak to every single person in your team and really understand how people feel and how you can make a difference.
Engagement is more important than ever. What are you tips to engage with your employees? Please feel free to share in the comments or join the conversation on LinkedIn.
Looking to develop your team? Reach out.
Whiteark is not your average consulting firm, we have first-hand experience in delivering transformation programs for private equity and other organisations with a focus on people just as much as financial outcomes.
We understand that execution is the hardest part, and so we roll our sleeves up and work with you to ensure we can deliver the required outcomes for the business. Our co-founders have a combined experience of over 50 years’ working as Executives in organisations delivering outcomes for shareholders. Reach out for a no obligation conversation on how we can help you. Contact us on whiteark@whiteark.com.au
Article by Jo Hands, Co-Founder Whiteark
Some key people capabilities for companies to consider
Phoebe Reid writes about the key people capabilities companies need to consider. Capabilities describe the skills, knowledge or attitudes needed for a given task and are used to assess an employee's effectiveness. They can be looked at as human or people capabilities and technical capabilities. In this article we are focusing on some of the key people capabilities that companies should consider as essential for their organisation.
Capabilities describe the skills, knowledge or attitudes needed for a given task and are used to assess an employee's effectiveness. They can be looked at as human or people capabilities and technical capabilities. In this article we are focusing on some of the key people capabilities that companies should consider as essential for their organisation. These are particularly helpful in informing and supporting your decisions in attracting, developing, rewarding, and retaining employees.
Empathy
Empathy is the ability to understand someone else’s thoughts and feelings. It is about taking the time to listen to team members and fellow employees and consider their thoughts and concerns, not just your own. If you have empathy you are able to better communicate with others in a way that makes sense to the them. It also gives you a better understanding of how people are communicating and interacting with you.
According to Forbes, empathy is “increasingly recognized as a pivotal leadership tool in today’s global market, benefiting leadership effectiveness”. Where empathy can be very powerful at work, especially with leaders, is when empathy is demonstrated, it shows that they care about their team a human and individual and aren’t just following the policies and rules without considering the person. If you treat others as you expect to be treated and show empathy, this will almost always result in a better outcome for the individual and the organisation.
Communication
Communication is a fundamental capability that you need to have to be effective and ultimately successful. Communication skills are so important, they allow you to understand and be understood by others through; clearly explaining ideas to others, actively listening, speaking to audiences, and giving and receiving feedback.
Great communication is essential to having a productive, successful, and efficient company.
Effective communication plays a big part in helping to have a strong, efficient, and happy team, has a very positive impact on employee engagement, improves customer satisfaction and increases productivity.
Resilience
Headsup describes resilience as “the ability to cope with the ups and downs and bounce back from challenges”. At work there will always be tricky situations from workload pressures, difficult working relationships, and the challenge of juggling personal situations at the same time. If you have greater resilience this will go a long way in helping you manage stress. As it is well known, high levels of stress can often lead to mental health conditions.
Resilient teams are able to bounce back from setbacks and failures and embrace new challenges with energy. Having empathy and caring relationships within your team will assist your team in being resilient too.
If you are resilient you are usually able to demonstrate strength in being adaptable as well. During these Covid times, this has been more important than ever as many people have had to move from working very quickly in the office to home, dealing with so much uncertainty and change personally and professionally.
Flexibility
These days when we talk about flexibility we automatically think of working from home and having a flexible work arrangement. As a people capability, MindTools defines flexibility well as, “the capacity to adjust to short-term change quickly and calmly, so that you can deal with unexpected problems or tasks effectively”. Being open to change and different ways of doing things is critical to being successful as a ‘flexible’ employee. Employees and leaders who can demonstrate flexibility in a range of situations and can communicate well will be more efficient and effective.
An effective leader who has strength in this capability, listens to others, communicates well, adapts their style for the situation and audience, has strong relationships and easily change plans as the situations change.
Many of these capabilities link together, if you have strength in one you will often have strength in others. As an employer, if your people plan considers key people capabilities in all stages of the employee life cycle, this will have a positive impact on retention, productivity, engagement and ultimately your company’s success.
Looking to develop your team? Reach out.
Whiteark is not your average consulting firm, we have first-hand experience in delivering transformation programs for private equity and other organisations with a focus on people just as much as financial outcomes.
We understand that execution is the hardest part, and so we roll our sleeves up and work with you to ensure we can deliver the required outcomes for the business. Our co-founders have a combined experience of over 50 years’ working as Executives in organisations delivering outcomes for shareholders. Reach out for a no obligation conversation on how we can help you. Contact us on whiteark@whiteark.com.au
Article by Phoebe Reid
When should you recruit versus developing existing staff?
Phoebe Reid writes about recruiting versus developing your existing staff. It is fabulous when everything seems to be humming along with your team, they are working well together, have a good understanding of their role and business and are motivated and engaged. But then someone resigns!
It is fabulous when everything seems to be humming along with your team, they are working well together, have a good understanding of their role and business and are motivated and engaged. But then someone resigns! This can throw a real spanner in the works if you haven’t planned for it. By having meaningful succession and talent planning and robust career and development planning processes you are able to better plan and be prepared for these situations. This will help inform your decision to recruit externally or promote someone internally that you have already identified with the right skills and experience.
This article will look at the two options to filling vacancies when someone leaves your business, or a new role is created: recruiting externally or hiring from within.
Recruiting externally
There are a number of reasons to recruit externally, there are times when you need some new talent to bring new skills and different organisational experiences, so it is important to find the right balance between hiring new employees and promoting current employees. You will usually assess each role as the vacancy arises. Existing business challenges can sometimes be solved with new ideas, so recruiting a fresh set of eyes who can look at the role and business in a different way may be the right solution.
A clear and known recruitment policy will assist you in hiring right. By this we mean hiring not only the right person with the necessary skills and experience, but also the candidate with the right cultural fit – this is just as important. The selection and interview processes play a big part in hiring successfully and ultimately retaining these employees.
if there is a vacancy for a highly specialised role, you should consider the effort and resources needed to train an existing employee versus hiring a new one who already has the essential skills. It may be easier and more cost effective if you run a recruitment process and find an external resource.
Hiring from within
Many leaders think of recruitment as the only option when someone resigns, if you are a smaller business this may sometimes be the case, however in medium or larger businesses there will often be an internal option. A recruitment policy that consider hiring internally before looking externally is recommended.
Employees who are given training, development and have a career path defined for them, are more likely to stay in your business. The cost to hire is huge, according to Employment Hero, the average cost of a new hire can be anywhere between $3,500 to $5000, with executive roles being much greater than this. Then you have the expense and time it takes for the new employee to be trained and learn their role and business. So, this is a significant reason to focus on developing your staff where possible.
Look at the way you support and engage your existing employees. Support them with internal training and upskilling opportunities, which will have a positive impact on the culture and overall employee engagement. When employees feel challenged, supported and that their company invested in their growth and career, engagement is higher, and turnover reduces.
As part of your succession planning process you should consider which roles are the hardest to hire and invest in developing employees with these skills so that you have options. Ideally for some roles you will have a successor who is ready or possibly ready in the near future already identified in your business. This is also the case where there is a skill shortage and you know that skills are really hard to recruit in the market.
Looking to unite your team? Reach out.
Whiteark is not your average consulting firm, we have first-hand experience in delivering transformation programs for private equity and other organisations with a focus on people just as much as financial outcomes.
We understand that execution is the hardest part, and so we roll our sleeves up and work with you to ensure we can deliver the required outcomes for the business. Our co-founders have a combined experience of over 50 years’ working as Executives in organisations delivering outcomes for shareholders. Reach out for a no obligation conversation on how we can help you. Contact us on whiteark@whiteark.com.au
Article by Phoebe Reid
Development planning for your team to set them up for success in 2021
Phoebe Reid writes about how the global Covid pandemic has brought uncertainty to both businesses and life. To be set up for success in 2021, it is important that employees can shift their mindset from just surviving each week to truly thriving.
The past year has been like no other for organisations with the global Covid pandemic and the uncertainty that it has brought to businesses and life. To be set up for success in 2021, it is important that employees can shift their mindset from just surviving each week to truly thriving.
To achieve this, key people and culture processes need to keep happening! One of the key people processes that may have been overlooked in 2020 is development and career planning discussions.
With the start of a new year it is a good time to re-visit development plans with your team. This should be an ongoing conversation, not a document that you dust off once a year to tick the box. Employees really need to own their development plan with their managers coaching, input and support. You want your employees to know what career progression opportunities are available, so documenting and regularly discussing this will help facilitate their career progression. Employee development plans help address future business needs and also succession planning.
Why have development plans?
Most people are motivated by self-development. If self-development is aligned to the company’s goals, this helps to build employee motivation and engagement for your business. If you have an effective development planning process both employers and employees will benefit.
For employers, spending the time and effort on employee development throughout the year can have a financial impact to your business, as an effective process can save you time and money on recruiting, inducting and training. It also gives you valuable data to feed into your talent and successful planning processes. Meaningful and realistic development and career plans will help to retain your top talent as they have a clear understanding of their career path and opportunities.
According to a Deloitte survey, more than two-thirds of millennials believe that it is management’s job to provide them with accelerated development opportunities in order for them to stay. This highlights that this is an essential step to the manager employee partnership.
Employees want to learn and grow within an organisation and an effective development plan supports this. Focusing on career development is one way to positively impact employee engagement levels. They will feel more engaged if they believe that their employer is focused and committed to their growth.
One of the main reasons employees resign from their role is because of the lack of career progression. Defining career paths and having two-way realistic development and career planning conversations are ways to reduce this reason for leaving.
Steps to an effective development plan
Many employees have a career and development plan, but it isn’t meaningful or realistic. Achieving a successful employee career and development plan can be broken down into a few steps;
Consider and reflect on the business priorities and individual development areas
Discuss and define SMART development goals
Managers realistically assess their employees’ potential for career progression and that the plan reflects this
Follow-up and revisit this plan throughout the year, remain flexible and priorities and needs can change
Looking to unite your team? Reach out.
Whiteark is not your average consulting firm, we have first-hand experience in delivering transformation programs for private equity and other organisations with a focus on people just as much as financial outcomes.
We understand that execution is the hardest part, and so we roll our sleeves up and work with you to ensure we can deliver the required outcomes for the business. Our co-founders have a combined experience of over 50 years’ working as Executives in organisations delivering outcomes for shareholders. Reach out for a no obligation conversation on how we can help you. Contact us on whiteark@whiteark.com.au
Article by Phoebe Reid
The New War For Talent - Get Ready in 2021
Are you ready for the new war on talent? Does your company have the capability it requires for the new post COVID world? Are you actively searching for the capability your business is missing. If not why not. Through 2020 companies have pivoting on strategy, priorities, reset targets and navigated the new uncertain environment that we now live in.
Are you ready for the new war on talent? Does your company have the capability it requires for the new post COVID world? Are you actively searching for the capability your business is missing. If not, why not?
2020 brought:
Headcount freezers
Salary reductions
Low or no bonus payments
Lack of job security
High unemployment rate
Increase in gig economy employees
Through 2020 companies have pivoting on strategy, priorities, reset targets and navigated the new uncertain environment that we now live in.
In light of these changes companies need to critically assess the capability of the business / teams to ensure that the organisation is set up for success in this new post COVID world.
As a leader making difficult people decisions is the hardest and most important part of your role. Looking at the overall capability of the team / business versus what is required to deliver on the strategy and priorities and hiring the right person / right level is critical.
If you lead a business or team have you reassessed the capability required for your new priorities and have you ensured the team is set up for success. It’s critical that you identify these areas early and ensure that you utilise a good recruitment firm that understands your business, your culture and understand what you need to be successful.
2021 is the year of the ‘new war’ on talent. There is talent in the marketplace that wouldn’t normally be there due to COVID, people are looking for new opportunities and change in priorities and it’s a really active market. Don’t miss the opportunity to get the right talent for your business.
Areas that are going to be hot in the market in 2021:
Process reengineering – being able to process improvement efficiencies across the business to drive overall reduction in costs and better customer experience
Transformation leads – to be able to help business execute changes to drive sustainable savings. These are unicorns to find people that can execute transformation and ensure savings can be realised
Data & analytics – do we really understand our customer, consumer trends and how this impacts their behaviour and using predictive analytics to drive operational and strategic decisions
Cashflow management – process, cashflow forecasting and tactical and strategic levers to maximise cashflow and minimise working capital management
Reporting – regular reporting and insights on key lead indicators to understand the performance of the company and ability to pivot where changes are required to be made
You are a leader of your organisation / team – make bold people decisions that drive the best outcome for your shareholders / members and ultimately your employees. Your decisions might not be popular but they should be strategic and focused on ensuring the organisation can maximise the outcome.
The biggest differentiator in any organisations results is the leadership team – right people, right structure and clarity on accountability between the key areas of the business. An open culture where the leaders are encouraged to challenge each other and put ideas and thoughts that focus on the strategy of the organisation. When Private Equity companies buy companies they assess the investment teams considering the strength of the management team and providing structure and incentives to drive the best behaviour. When a company is bought normally 65% of the leadership team are changed and CEO is removed in first 12 months. Private Equity companies understand the value of the right leadership team and the sooner they get this sorted the sooner they can focus on maximising the business outcomes.
Many leadership books talk about lessons learnt and many say – I shouldn’t have wasted time to make changes to the team, I should have moved earlier and wanting to be popular leader made me not want to make the changes that were required and ultimately didn’t generate the respect of the people in my team.
As a leader you have a massive responsibility to navigate and ensure the business is making the right business decisions – start with your people. If you haven’t got the right leadership team you can spend all the money in the world on transformation, system changes, processes etc but it won’t give you the outcome that is critical.
Don’t miss out on good talent that your business needs. 2021 is the year to be bold in business which means getting your leadership team right and ensuring that capability gaps are fixed with the perfect hire.
Keen to know what you think on the challenge on talent... Let us know on LinkedIn and tag us in discussions on #whiteark
2021 will bring:
New strategy
New priorities
New operating model
It’s the time to assess the capability in your own organisation. What capability does your company need? What are you missing?
Looking to capitalise on these trends and plan your own people strategy? Let us help.
Whiteark is not your average consulting firm, we have first-hand experience in delivering transformation programs for private equity and other organisations with a focus on people just as much as financial outcomes. We understand that execution is the hardest part, and so we roll our sleeves up and work with you to ensure we can deliver the required outcomes for the business. Our co-founders have a combined experience of over 50 years’ working as Executives in organisations delivering outcomes for shareholders. Reach out for a no obligation conversation on how we can help you. Contact us on whiteark@whiteark.com.au
What are the key considerations for successfully transitioning your staff back to the office?
Phoebe Reid writes about us moving towards the new working landscape. As we start to move towards Covid normal, businesses are starting to plan for their employees to return to the office. Here are some things to consider and action from a people perspective.
As we start to move towards Covid normal, businesses are starting to plan for their employees to return to the office. Here are some things to consider and action from a people perspective.
Flexibility
A company that embraces flexibility around work location is here to stay. If they haven’t already, every organisation should start working on a plan that details what this looks like for their business.
Ideally the plan should be developed with HR, managers and employees. We suggest that it considers areas such as technology set up and support at home, learning and development opportunities, engaging the team in multiple locations, the risk management impacts on the business and having a robust performance review process to support employee performance.
Staggered start times, a roster for when employees are in the office with workforce bubbles, and working from home days, are all considerations. In most workplaces a hybrid model will need to be agreed. Businesses need to be also able to flex back to working from home as required until we have a vaccine, so flexibility really is key.
Health, Safety and Policies
The health and safety of employees is a critical consideration. It is important that you consult www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au or your equivalent state site to create your Covid Safe Plan.
Some items to consider;
Do you have the right policies?
Do you have a policy and process if an employee be required to self-isolate?
How will you keep confidentiality and privacy in dealing with employees who have suspected or confirmed COVID-19?
Do you have a policy for employees that have travelled to another country and need to quarantine?
Does your working from home policy needs updating?
Some other thing that you need to plan for are; your office layout, signs for meeting rooms, making sanitiser and masks available, cleaning schedules, a register of who is in the office.
Communication
Communication is critical to the success to any change, but especially relating to people.
Start planning;
How you communicate key messages about social distancing, personal hygiene and associated policies
Using www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au posters and hand outs to communicate the key message
Where possible have meetings by phone or online instead of face to face
Your mental health plan to be proactive in supporting employees who are struggling
Employee wellbeing
For many people, especially those with an existing mental health issue, returning to the workplace can bring up a range of feelings including fear and anxiety. If you have one, promote your Employee Asisstance Program (EAP) to help support your team’s wellbeing. These organisations will also have support materials that you can share with the team. If you don’t have one, consider partnering with a provider.
Beyond Blue have some great tips to help manage mental health as employees transition back into the physical workplace. They are;
Prioritise self-care by maintaining positive habits
Manage your information intake
Understand what constitutes a mentally healthy workplace
Celebrate the opportunity to reconnect
Send out a short pulse survey to employees to get a feel for how people are feeling about returning and what would make the transition as smooth and positive as possible. As always employee feedback is key to the success of any change. Book in one on ones, check in to see how people are feeling and plan some fun Covid safe team activities.
Focus on recognition
According to the Achievers Workforce Institute, 2020 Culture Report, recognition is the number one request from employees in the postCOVID world.
When employees were asked “how organisations could better support them through the COVID-19 pandemic”, one-third said they wanted more recognition.
To be effective it is important that recognition is; timely, specific and ideally values based. If recognition aligns to your company values, you are constantly reinforcing the values and the behaviours that ultimately under pin your culture.
Looking for a harmonious transition? Reach out.
Whiteark is not your average consulting firm, we have first-hand experience in delivering transformation programs for private equity and other organisations with a focus on people just as much as financial outcomes.
We understand that execution is the hardest part, and so we roll our sleeves up and work with you to ensure we can deliver the required outcomes for the business. Our co-founders have a combined experience of over 50 years’ working as Executives in organisations delivering outcomes for shareholders. Reach out for a no obligation conversation on how we can help you. Contact us on whiteark@whiteark.com.au
Article by Phoebe Reid
How to proactively manage the mental health of your employees
Phoebe Reid writes on the effect of Covid19 on mental health and wellbeing. According to The Australian newspaper, over 1 million Australians have sought mental health treatment during Covid 19. In Victoria this is a real worry with a 30% rise in mental health cases…
According to The Australian newspaper, over 1 million Australians have sought mental health treatment during Covid 19. In Victoria this is a real worry with a 30% rise in mental health cases presenting over the 4-week period from mid-September.
Mental health is a concern for businesses in normal times, but in these unpreceded times this data demonstrates the potential crisis that our society is facing.
Beyond Blue www.beyondblue.org.au shares that around one in five Australian employees are working with a mental health condition. Mental health conditions are common and don’t discriminate, the most resilient person can be affected by work stress, as well as other life challenges.
They also state that the many benefits of a mentally healthy workplace include; improving productivity, increased employee engagement, lower turnover, meeting ethical and legal obligations and employee connectedness is greater.
As a manager or leader, you can help support your team in managing their mental health. Here are some tips to doing this.
Listen and be flexible
Listen to your team and be as flexible as you can, understand their personal situation and be as adaptable as possible to help support their work-life balance and mental health. Working from home for many people has created new challenges and extra stress, so offering flexibility, having realistic expectations and understanding their personal situation will help you support your team members with their individual needs. Show your true self, sharing a personal story with your team can be very powerful, revealing that you can also be vulnerable allows others to connect with you more and see you a person, not just their manager.
Communicate regularly and share what is going on
Regularly check in with your team and ask them how they really are going is important. Truly listen and understand what their needs are. Seek to find out if they need any extra support, again listen and keep the communication lines open. Each person will be different and how they are feeling will change, so keep asking and adapt your style to suit the individual. Where possible share as much as you can with your team about what is going on in the business and be clear and realistic in your expectations of them.
Workplace connectedness
Research is showing that connectedness is at its greatest at the moment within many teams. Which is fabulous, we all need human connection for our overall wellbeing. Teammates play an important role in supporting each other as well as managers. If colleagues feel comfortable to share and check in with each other this can help to make them feel more valued and connected to their workplace. This usually happens organically but if it doesn’t promote this in your teams. Team activities and working on shared projects or goals can help bring these work connections together. Having fun also helps! Chat to your team about what activities make work fun.
Wellbeing initiatives and mental health support
Encourage your team to take up any wellbeing initiatives that your company offers. Some employees might be interested in knowing about personal and professional development opportunities to keep them motivated. This doesn’t have to be costly, there are lots of free webinars available at the moment. Where possible provide access to counselling services and mental health and wellbeing support, is a key component to supporting the mental wellbeing of employees. If you have an Employee assistance program, they usually in addition to counselling have access for employees to mental health and wellbeing education sessions, that is just as important as educating leaders and managers.
Provide ongoing training for leaders on mental health and wellbeing. Not for profit organisations like Beyond Blue and Black Dog Institute have many valuable resources that everyone can access.
Take a break
Currently in Melbourne we are unable to travel very far, so people haven’t been taking annual leaving and having a break. Encourage your team to take a long weekend or some time off. This is really important for mental health and recharging their social and emotional wellbeing. People are feeling burnt out which can often trigger mental health concerns. Lead by example and take a break yourself, a refreshed manager is much more effective for their team!
Looking to unite your team? Reach out.
Whiteark is not your average consulting firm, we have first-hand experience in delivering transformation programs for private equity and other organisations with a focus on people just as much as financial outcomes.
We understand that execution is the hardest part, and so we roll our sleeves up and work with you to ensure we can deliver the required outcomes for the business. Our co-founders have a combined experience of over 50 years’ working as Executives in organisations delivering outcomes for shareholders. Reach out for a no obligation conversation on how we can help you. Contact us on whiteark@whiteark.com.au
Article by Phoebe Reid
As a business owner or manager, it can be difficult to know whether a particular issue is related to capability or capacity.
In general, CAPABILITY refers to the skills and knowledge needed to perform a task, while CAPACITY refers to the available resources (time, staff, equipment, etc.) to complete the task.