Why your organisation needs a mentoring programme.

In today’s competitive work environment attracting and retaining staff is hugely important. One of the strategies that is being increasingly used in recruitment and retention packages are mentorship programmes that can offer a wide range of benefits for both mentors and mentees.

In the past mentoring was often seen as a great way to help new employees integrate into the workforce but a strong mentorship programme can do so much more

• Knowledge Transfer - Mentors provide valuable insights and practical knowledge gained from their own experiences which can help helping mentees navigate challenges more effectively. Mentors can also have industry-specific knowledge and a background in best practices that may not be available through formalised study.

• Career Development - As well as providing guidance on setting and achieving career goals, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and developing the skills needed for success, mentors can introduce mentees to their professional networks, expanding their opportunities for career advancement and collaboration.

• Personal Development - Mentors help mentees identify and work on areas for skill improvement and personal and professional development. Their encouragement and constructive feedback helps mentees gain in confidence and self-assurance.

• Feedback and Support - Mentors offer constructive feedback and guidance which helps mentees recognise areas for improvement and how to enhance their performance. Mentors also serve as a source of encouragement during challenging times, offering a listening ear and advice to navigate both professional and personal issues.

• Increased Productivity - Mentors assist mentees in aligning their goals with the broader objectives of the organisation, contributing to overall productivity and success. Learning from a mentor's experiences can also help mentees avoid common pitfalls and achieve their goals more efficiently.

• Diversity and Inclusion - Mentorship can contribute to diversity and inclusion by connecting individuals from different backgrounds and fostering a culture of support and understanding.

• Succession Planning - Organisations benefit by developing a pipeline of talented individuals who are groomed for leadership roles through mentorship programmes. Mentorship also helps to pass on institutional knowledge and expertise from experienced employees to newer generations, ensuring continuity within the organisation.

• Mutual Learning - While mentors share their knowledge, mentees can bring fresh perspectives and ideas, creating a dynamic exchange of knowledge and fostering a culture of continuous learning.

By connecting experienced individuals with individuals who are eager to learn, mentorship programmes can play a crucial role in professional and personal growth as well as in creating a supportive environment that enhances skills, builds relationships, and contributes to individual and organisational success.

Quiet cutting. A new trend?

Increasing uncertainty in the workplace has led to some organisations to look at different ways of reducing costs. One of the ideas that has increased in recognition is ‘Quiet Cutting’, a way to restructure an organisation by reassigning staff so they remain employed but are moved to new roles that can be less prestigious, have lower pay, and more demanding.
 
Currently, some employers are looking at this as a strategy that can play a significant role in the workplace dynamic because it offers a way of stopping talent loss by leveraging existing staff to meet immediate requirements and maintain stability. Other organisations though can see it as a passive but hostile way to lose workers.

It’s a situation that can be difficult for employees to deal with. Whilst they might feel some initial relief that they are still in a job and may even be retrained, it could also be seen as a demotion and a way of making them quit so their employer can avoid paying redundancy. However, its seen though, it can have a significant effect on an employee’s wellbeing. Employees start to question their abilities, their value, the way the organisation works and its culture. Feelings of confusion, fear, anger, self-doubt, diminished confidence, and anxiety come to the fore, which can also impact on other employees. Even those who aren’t at risk of reassignment see a situation that’s out of their control and may start to look at alternative employment options.

Despite the potential cost benefits, quiet cutting can have a detrimental effect on organisational culture, employee wellbeing, and productivity as employees become disengaged, uncertain about their future and unhappy in a role they didn’t ask for or want. However, the situation can be managed in a more positive way. If the purpose of the changes and future plans are effectively communicated, a reorganisation can increase understanding, reduce uncertainty, and solidify employee commitment. Involving employees in the process and providing support services can also contribute to building a better outcome for both the organisation and employees.

Resilience and accountability to ‘Win the Day’

Keywords

Resilience – Coaching – Accountability – Productivity

In this episode of Resilience Unravelled Dr Russell Thackeray talks to Ben Kirk, a productivity and high-performance expert. Ben shares his story of how he and his family adapted to the change of moving to Sweden for 10 years. He discusses the setback he faced in his entrepreneurial journey and how he bounced back by leveraging those lessons in his current role as a business and executive coach in Australia. Ben goes on to talk about the role of a coach being direct and challenging and how coaching can help individuals identify and overcome procrastination and perfectionism and provide support and accountability, particularly for those who struggle with these issues.

Main topics

• The significance of resilience and learning from mistakes in the context of accountability.

• The importance of continuous improvement and goal achievement and this approach promotes learning and progress, even in the face of setbacks.

• How coaching can help individuals identify and overcome procrastination and perfectionism.

• The importance of creating habits and routines, understanding triggers, and increasing clarity.

• Implementing strategies for personal and professional growth and the concept of weekly review.

 Action items

• Explore Ben’s website, wintheday.com.au

• Connect with him at https://www.linkedin.com/in/benkirk/

You can listen to the podcast in full and find out further information here. Our upcoming guest list is also available along with our previous blogs.
Find out more about our innovative Resilience and Burnout solutions.   

Productivity – balancing consistency and intensity

We’ve always been told that the harder we work the more successful we’d be. However, the definition of what success is and how we achieve it changing, and one of the ideas now being considered is whether working consistently gets the same results of working longer and harder - but without the burnout.

It’s younger members of the workforce who are driving this, by recognising that you can achieve goals without having to compromise your own physical and mental wellbeing. That being consistent, even for short periods each day, can be as important as intensity in achieving longer term goals. In terms of productivity, it’s a relationship that varies depending on the individual and the context.

Finding the right balance is the key. Consistency is often associated with establishing habits and routines. It helps create a stable and predictable work environment, making it easier to plan and manage tasks. Regular, small efforts over time can lead to significant progress. An overemphasis on consistency alone though may lead to a lack of innovation or the ability to tackle big challenges that require bursts of intense effort.

Intensity, or focused and concentrated effort meanwhile can be highly effective for tasks that require deep concentration or creative problem-solving. It can lead to quick progress and breakthroughs, especially for complex or challenging projects. But relying solely on intensity can lead to burnout if sustained for long periods and may also make it challenging to maintain a consistent level of productivity over the long term.

Combining consistency and intensity can provide a solid foundation for productivity. This might include setting regular work hours, creating a dedicated workspace, consistently prioritising tasks, identifying key tasks or projects that require intense focus and dedicating specific periods of time maybe through time blocking techniques. It’s also important to recognise the importance of rest and recovery. Balancing intense work periods with breaks and time away from work can help prevent burnout and maintain long-term productivity.

Ultimately, the right balance between consistency and intensity will depend on individual preferences, the nature of their work, and personal circumstances. Experimenting with different approaches and being adaptable to changing needs can help you find the most effective productivity strategy for yourself and also ensure you stay physically and mentally healthy.

To nap or not to nap?

In the past napping at work was a quick way to get fired but now some organisations are starting to consider whether ‘taking a nap’ should be part of the working day.

The average adult needs at least seven hours of sleep a night to achieve optimal health but many people don’t get anywhere near that with Nuffield Health’s 2023 ‘Healthier Nation Index’ (a survey of 8,000 UK adults) highlighting that, on average, we’re only getting 5.91 hours of sleep a night, down from 6.11 in 2022 and 6.19 in 2021. This discrepancy positions insufficient sleep as one of today’s pressing health issues.

In the workplace, whilst we might think that powering through the day without breaks is the most effective way to work, it’s actually counterintuitive to health and to productivity. We’re actually wired to take time to recharge through ultradian rhythms with our brains actually achieving maximum productivity when we follow 90 minutes of work with 20 minutes of a recharging activity - something like yoga or mindfulness, or just something as simple as taking a nap.

Around 3% of GDP is lost each year due to sleep deprivation, so offering employees the opportunity to recharge with a nap during the day could not only help to improve their physical and mental health but could also see them contributing more. Research shows well-rested employees are better cognitively and this includes essential work functions such as learning, decision-making, attention to detail and memory recall.

Of course, creating a napping policy would take some commitment and resources and the idea of “sleeping on the job” is still anathema to most companies. But if you want your team to be at the top of their game then maybe giving them the opportunity to have scheduled naps could mean improved mental wellbeing, increased employee performance and productivity and perhaps even a way to attract and retain top talent.

Is hybrid working driving productivity paranoia?

Whilst the majority of home and hybrid workers feel they are very productive, research shows that their employers are not always as convinced.

Microsoft’s Work Trend Index Pulse Report, from September 2022 found that whilst 87% of the employees surveyed believed that they were productive at work, only 12% of the leaders surveyed said they were confident that their employees were being productive.

This disconnect between employer and employee perceptions of their productivity is referred to as productivity paranoia and the gap between how much leaders perceive employees are working and what they’re actually achieving developed during the rapid change to remote and hybrid working. Leaders couldn’t physically see what their employees were doing, which led to many leaders not trusting that their employees at home were working as much as they should be.

This breakdown of trust with its focus on productivity and use of performance metrics can negatively impact on relationships in the workplace on both sides. Mistrustful employers start to implement strict monitoring systems, set unrealistic expectations and use controlling or fear-based management styles that increases employee anxiety and reduces job satisfaction. The emphasis on quantity over quality generates a disregard for the work-life balance which drives down employee wellbeing and productivity.

Meanwhile, employees at home feel the absence of a supportive work environment and a lack of communication, transparency and trust leads to feelings of proximity bias. At the same time constant scrutiny and unrealistic expectations increases stress and even burnout, which negatively affects productivity, creativity and ultimately leads to increased staff turnover.

Whilst productivity is crucial for a company's success, an excessive focus on it without considering the well-being of employees is counterproductive. Leaders should strive for a balanced approach that recognises both the importance of productivity and a healthy work environment. Encouraging open communication, providing support and resources, and offering flexibility can help create a positive work culture where employees can thrive and be more productive in the long term.

Soft skills. The key to productivity, staff retention … and success

In the past, soft skills such as communication, teamwork and emotional intelligence have often been seen as less important than more tangible, technical skills. Although this perception has been changing, at times of recession or when budgets start to be cut, training in soft skills is one of the first things that organisations axe. But in the longer term, cutting back on soft skills training can be being detrimental to your organisation as these are the skills that can improve productivity and help to create a workplace culture that improves staff retention.

A study by Boston College, Harvard University and the University of Michigan, showed that soft skills training in areas like communication and problem solving boosted productivity and retention by 12 %, and delivered a 250 % return on investment based on these increases. A further study of over 2,000 business leaders and employees by Ethical Angel revelled that 9 out of 10 of the business leaders surveyed believed that their businesses would be more productive if their staff had better developed soft skills.

Whilst technical skills connect employees to the physical function of their jobs, soft skills help to build the connection between them and their job, organisation and colleagues. Soft skills help to create an environment of belonging and purpose that increases employee engagement, something that is also known to directly impact on business outcomes such as productivity. 

To work effectively with one another, we need the soft skills that allow us to understand and interact with other people and emotionally navigate situations.  Ensuring employees are equipped with the right soft skills for their role is therefore essential in enabling them to communicate and collaborate more effectively and also to develop greater understanding and the positive working relationships which improve the overall workplace culture. This in turn can improve teamwork and job satisfaction, raise morale and increase efficiency and performance which all contribute to increased productivity and better employee retention.

As UK business faces the possibility of economic slow down and recession, organisations will need to be on top of their game as they navigate through enforced change.  Emotionally intelligent employees with soft skills such as resilience, empathy, communication, problem solving, teamwork and self-confidence, will needed more than ever to make a real contribution to improving overall business performance and ultimately an organisation's success.

Embracing the 4-day working week?

In 1926 Henry Ford became one of the most high profile employers to reduce the working week from six days to five. As well as the benefits this brought to his employees, his business actually benefited as productivity rose as his employee’s leisure time increased. Since then, the five-day working week has generally become the norm but now the question being asked is whether a further decrease in hours would not only lead to improvements in productivity, but also to employees mental and physical health.

The 4-day Week Global initiative is a coordinated, 6-month trial of a 4-day working week.  It’s currently running in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the UK where there are 3,000 workers in 70 companies each having an extra full day off each week whilst still being paid 100% of their salary.

Supporters of the idea highlight the benefits that a reduced working week might bring. Staff who work less may be healthier and less stressed so there could be a noticeable reduction in burnout, depression and anxiety as well as countering the negative impacts of remote working. Reduced hours would improve employees work life balance with more options for flexible working and increased time for family responsibilities and commitments, socialising, exercise, continuing education and volunteering, all leading to an improvement in both mental and physical health. 

Advocates also argue that employers have a lot to gain from a shorter working week. Employees who are better rested and generally happier tend to be more focused, and motivated. This in turn could boost productivity and engagement and reduce the number of absences caused by illnesses, stress, and mental health conditions. Moving to a four-day working week could also make companies more appealing places to work and help in recruiting and retaining the best talent.

Despite these benefits, many businesses are hesitant. Even if predictions that reduced hours would increase productivity are true, its quite possible that changing work patterns would prove difficult and expensive to particularly in industries such as hospitality, retail and health implement where choices would need to be made in terms of staffing and opening hours. Although a reduction in hours might seem a good option for people unable to work from home, perhaps the question should be whether more time off or an increase in salary would be most beneficial?

The feedback from the initiative at the halfway point of the project has been mixed, with some companies taking part finding it difficult to implement and benefit from a different operational model. Other response has been positive though so with three months to go its becoming increasingly obvious that whilst shortening the working week isn’t a silver bullet for increasing engagement, productivity and improved employees physical and mental health, in some businesses it may well help.

The demise of the annual performance review

Over the past few years there has been a growing trend away from annual performance reviews. As a result many organisations including Deloitte, Adobe and Accenture are now reporting improved employee morale, productivity and innovation.

With the changing nature of business and employee expectations, organisations need to adapt quickly to ensure business continuity. An annual process of management, monitoring, evaluation and realignment no longer provides this.

By its nature, an annual performance review consolidates a year’s worth of feedback into one meeting with recent events understandably at the fore. This means managers feel they don’t have to provide in-the-moment or regular feedback and employees hold back their thoughts about their role, the organisation and their ideas for potential changes or improvements. Often there is no organisation-wide standard so reviews can be seen as unfair when promotions and salary increases are included as part of the process. 

Many employees want more feedback so the focus should perhaps change to continuous performance management. This would allow a more informal, agile and less stressful process with the organisation able to dynamically set goals, get feedback and improve productivity along with better collaboration, greater alignment and more collective responsibility. Employees would benefit from increased recognition and work evaluation, more performance feedback and empowerment and the alignment of their personal goals with organisational ones

There is a clear correlation between higher level of motivation and timely, accurate feedback so maybe its time for managers to look for ways to give effective continuous feedback.?

The rise of the silent meeting

Meetings are indispensable to the functioning of any organisation. Whilst some people love them, there are just as many who hate them and see them as endless drains on their time, a hinder their productivity or the cause of their anxiety and stress.

Meetings are organised to share and exchange information. But are all meetings effective? Are all attendees equally proactive? Are all presentations engaging? Often the more introverted members of the team aren’t confident enough to put their views forward whilst the more extrovert just don't stop talking. Frequently meeting preparation isn’t done so people are guessing at what was proposed and are putting forward ideas that aren’t based on the complete picture. This all leads to time wasting, less knowledge sharing and the introverts hating meetings even more. But meetings do have their place so simply eliminating them isn’t an option hence the rise of the silent meeting.

Silence at work is often thought to be something that should be avoided so meetings often involve a lot of mindless chatter. But some companies have started to put silence at the forefront of what they do. Instead of the traditional bullet-pointed presentation kicking things off, meetings start with everyone studying a short document to access all the information. They can then make their own notes and think through their point of view before expressing it.

This process might seem to take up a large chunk of the allocated time but, because everyone has fully understood the information before they speak, repetition or confusion is cut out and only what’s really necessary gets discussed. Meetings therefore don’t take as long to conduct and are more productive. Silent meetings also give everyone the chance to speak and share their ideas which is especially important for quieter, more introverted team members who tend to stand back if other more confident people monopolise the conversation.

Silent meetings work in many forms and generally are better for remote attendees, non-native speakers, introverts and often for attendee equality. They operate equally well face-to-face or virtually so why not see if it works for your organisation.

A list of upcoming podcast guests is available here or read our previous blogs.
Find out more about our innovative Resilience and Burnout solutions.

Time Management. The bigger picture.

Jane Shaw is Learning & Development professional who started her career in the hospitality industry. She did a full time MBA at Henley then bought a pub in Suffolk, before going back to L&D, becoming an Associate specilising in senior leadership teams, EI, executive and group coaching. She is now starting a Masters in Business Psychology. She feels running a pub is very similar to learning and development. It’s about facilitating a room full of people - sometimes a very diverse group with some who want to be there and others that don’t.  

Jane considers herself a life long learner. For example everything she knew about leadership and management ten or twelve years ago has been reshaped completely.  Deepening knowledge also has the benefit of increasing self-awareness and the ability to empathise whilst exposure to different perspectives improves connection with other people. She also feels the process of learning is good for you with huge benefits to mental health. Learning or training whether academic or vocational is important to good mental health.

Jane doesn’t really believe in time management beyond the productivity checklist which she considers a helpful concept. She thinks time management is broader and bigger than this – it’s about how we manage ourselves and it links to many different things. Often people attend time management courses and come back very enthusiastic but after a short period slip back. Jane thinks the question we should be asking ourselves is how are we managing ourselves. In the bigger context it is apparent that more people are asking themselves this question now than three years ago. Post pandemic people are perhaps struggling to reset the boundaries, of what’s acceptable, about how they work, what productivity looks like and how that gets measured, how they compare themselves to others and their productivity and how they can still establish credibility with their bosses when there has been less presence around and people aren’t seen to be doing as much.

There is the question of whether it is about task management rather than time management. If you do the right things and do these things well then you are never doing nothing so why manage time when it’s about the choices you make. Every tool is about a task rather than the time itself. It's the same thing over and over again. The task is what matters not the time itself. You need to disengage to engage – its OK to not do anything, you just need to give yourself permission.

Leaders who inflict pointless meetings on the workforce are adding to burnout. The person who holds the meeting finds it more valuable and more enjoyable than anyone else. To many attendees it’s just a waste of time. Using Teams has made people feel that time is a limitless resource. Everyone is talking about going back to how it was but many people weren't happy with meetings before February 2020. Now it’s not about going back, it’s about cherry picking what was good and then moving forward. There is the opportunity to reframe. In poorly led organisations continuing to use the same processes and will produce inferior results and people will be expected to work harder but will still be doing the wrong things in the wrong way. Employees will walk away or end up taking time off with stress. People are slightly more fragile after Covid. Many have been stretched to the point of breaking but no one has informed the leadership world. Some old management ideas are still in place so it’s fundamental that we re-examine leadership to reset these ideas and be open to change. Influential thought leaders are saying that leadership cannot continue in the same way.

You can listen to the podcast in full and find out further information here. Our upcoming guest list is also available along with our previous blogs.

You can find out more at https://ninedotsdevelopment.com