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Management Coaching

What are you going to do for your “Human Resources” this year?

A recent survey conducted by the Chartered Management Institute confirms that UK managers believe 2008 will be a tougher year for business. Confidence levels have dropped considerably and many have raised concerns about a shortage of management skills, the impact of rising business costs and high levels of debt.

Almost half of UK employers (48%) in the survey claim that a shortage of management skills in the UK will have a negative impact on their company's performance. In spite of this, twenty per cent of employers are predicting a decrease in training and development this year and only one-in-three plan to acquire qualifications and run courses. Is this wise? Surely this should be the time to invest in your managers, so that you can keep them ahead of the game in what could be a challenging year ahead. Keeping your managers and staff motivated allows their creativity to unfold - vital when the market is slowing. Negativity never gets anyone anywhere. Positive managers will always achieve more than negative ones. It is difficult for staff to remain negative when their manager sets a positive example and encourages them to excel in what they do.

Conversely employees seem to be just as motivated as last year and want to be more successful. One-in-five plans to seek promotion with their current employer and one-tenth claim they plan to learn a new language in 2008. Nearly one third are aiming to make more money and 38% report they want to spend more time with family and friends to improve the balance between their work/life balance. So what happens when these individuals have negative messages coming from their manager? Short answer - they leave.

Jo Causon, Director of Marketing & Corporate affairs at the Chartered Management Institute, said, “In the current climate, it is natural for employers to feel some degree of uncertainty. However, the decline in organisations developing their managers is a great concern. If employers fail to invest in the skills needed for long-term success, the UK will find it difficult to compete on a global scale in the future. It is encouraging that some individuals are taking the initiative and planning to develop themselves through qualifications and higher education in the New Year.”

Improving your managers’ performance by introducing coaching into your organisation is the first positive step you can take to moving your company forward in 2008.

News

More than half of staff hurt at work take legal action (People Management online 15/07/08)

Survey finds 54 per of injured employees sue

Anna Scott

The survey highlights the importance of risk management in safeguarding employees health, according to RSA.

Over half of UK employees injured at work have sued their employer, research has found.

A survey for insurer RSA found that 11.8 million people have suffered from illness or injury caused by their job in the past year. Of these, 54 per cent have taken legal action, 33 per cent have taken the issue to trade unions and 14 per cent have made complaints to their line managers.

The usual suspects of illness caused by work – stress and back problems – affected the majority of the 1,979 respondents.

Colin Bradbury, underwriting director at RSA, said: “If there are team members missing or unable to take part in decisions, this can only have a negative effect on the business and involve the company in significant costs.
“This highlights the importance of risk management in safeguarding employees health and ensuring a productive workplace.”

Articles

'We're all going on a summer holiday'... or are we?

People Bulletin 10.7.08

Summer holiday plans are in disarray as redundancy fears and the pressure to deliver results begins to take its toll across the UK. According to the latest research from the Chartered Management Institute, many of the UK’s executives have postponed holiday plans and, even if they do go away, many refuse to stop working.

The survey shows that one in four executives will not use their full holiday entitlement this year, preferring to ‘carry days over’ to 2009. The finding comes against a backdrop of redundancy rates doubling, to 3% over the past year, with 23% of employers admitting their staff fear restructuring and job insecurity.

The survey also indicateded that ‘belt tightening’ is taking place at a business and personal level. For example, rather than spend money on a holiday, 37% of individuals want to ‘exchange unused holiday time for cash’, but only 16% of employers agree to this. Private healthcare is also sought in exchange for annual leave, yet only 2% of organisations agree to the swap.

Respondents are also blaming a lack of support from employers for their ‘lack of rest’. Asked why they are unable to take their full holiday entitlement, 34% cited extensive workloads. 31% also claimed they have to use holiday time to care for dependents. Just 9% said they have the option to give back unused holiday for flexible working options.

The survey goes on to show that holiday plans have been affected by UK executives’ determination to remain employable. For example, 23% use their holiday entitlement to develop skills making them ‘recession proof’, 49% don’t want to let clients or colleagues down and 27% are focused on ‘meeting project deadlines’.

Even if they do go on holiday, significant proportions continue to work. The survey reveals that 39% regularly check work emails and 29% dial-in to pick up voicemail messages. One in five also argue that it is a good time to ‘catch up on background reading’.

Jo Causon, Director, Marketing & Corporate Affairs at the Chartered Management Institute, said, “There is clearly a fear that ‘out of sight means out of mind’ but without a proper break individual performance can suffer and employers will notice mistakes more than they will absence through holiday. Individuals need to recognise this and use holiday time to recharge their batteries.”

According to the survey, there are signs that individuals recognise the value of holidays, even if they fail to follow their own advice. Three-quarters (74%) actively encourage team members to use their full entitlement and 89% say it helps refresh their enthusiasm for work. Asked about the impact of their line manager going on holiday, 57% see it as a positive opportunity to ‘take on more responsibility’ and 48% enjoy the chance to ‘work more closely with senior managers’.