Surviving tough times!

I was taking part in a radio show recently, offering some helpful CIPD views on how to deal with employee stress in times of uncertainty – particularly when jobs are under threat.

No easy answers of course, but one individual interviewed on the street said it all when he commented, “Yes, times are tough, but at least we know the organisation is looking out for us”.

 How different from the one who commented, “I think I am better off looking for more freelance work than relying on my employer.”

What might the performance levels of these two individuals look like? Who’s going to be the most motivated to focus their talents on adding value for their employer?

One of the lessons from Shaping the Future was that organisations that can engineer a sense of shared purpose, getting people signed up to their reason for being, are more likely to be successful in the long term. People are more likely to work with the organisation to cope with change, and more prepared to learn new skills and change their way of working. The organisation that makes their employees feel valued by keeping them informed of change and the reasons for it, as well as the implications for them personally, is less likely to cause unnecessary stress and more likely to keep the performance levels of employees up.

It’s still a revelation to me that so many managers and leaders appear ignorant of the research evidence that demonstrates the added value in terms of performance and productivity that is to be had from engaged and motivated staff. They still prefer to be guided by the narrower thinking of economics and shareholder value, which may bring returns in the short term but is far less likely to drive sustainable success in the long term.

As a result they too often resort to short-term knee-jerk reactions to cope with change, rather than fully understanding the consequences of their decisions in terms of the loss of morale, commitment and ultimately the talent that will walk out the door when times get better.

A recent report HR in tough times: adapting to a changing world, from the CIPD and Tomorrow’s Company, suggests that companies that focus solely on financial issues are more likely to fail, and that to adapt to the challenges of the next decade they will have to redefine success. This means using criteria such as impact on society, individuals and the environment as well as profitability to measure success. Such a change may prove challenging to the mindset of current leaders but if we can at least get them to accept the truism and benefits of making their employees believe they are looking out for them they might get a little bit closer to sustainable performance.