Miserable at work? Take a leaf from Zuckerberg’s book

By Dr Lindsay McMillan

Many think it’s a lofty ambition, but Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is adamant that purpose in the workplace is what it takes to create a happy and healthy life.

Our research backs up Zuckerberg’s recent speech to Harvard graduates extolling the virtues of achieving purpose and meaning at work.

Our report found that in the Australian context, workers were looking for work that has greater meaning and that fits into their wider life goals - 72 per cent of Australians are looking for purpose and meaning in their work and almost 50 per cent are looking to change jobs in the next 12 months.

The message was echoed in Zuckerberg’s speech, who said that purpose creates true happiness and that everyone was entitled to a sense that they have a role at work.

This is a call that should be heeded by Australian leaders who want to create engaged, productive and healthy workplaces.

Purpose is what makes our lives feel worth it – and when 35 to 40 hours of our weeks are spent at work, it is not worth doing a job that has no point or no purpose.  

What Mark Zuckerberg is doing, is encouraging millennials to create opportunities that are meaningful for their employees when they reach the top.

That is a great thing to encourage for the future, but we need to get leaders of today sitting up and listening: employees need to have a purpose or they will leave. 

To attract and retain employees over the long haul, there needs to be a process for business leaders to follow, and that’s what our report provides.

Organisations can start building a culture of purpose and meaning through our six-steps which lead to higher engagement, productivity and satisfaction.

It is great to hear from influential, international leaders about the importance of purpose – let’s hear it from the leaders of Australian businesses too.

To read the report, Delivering Purpose and Meaning click here.

Time for Australia to learn a French lesson and embrace the right to disconnect

By Dr Lindsay McMillan

Australian workers should be given the right to switch off from emails outside of working hours to combat technology-related stress.

Policy-makers, employers and unions must recognise the negative impact that technology-related stress is having on employees, and take steps to improve the work-life balance.

According to my research of more than 1,000 employees last year, almost half of employees agreed that technology brings with it the feeling of being ‘always on’.

One possible solution to this is embracing recent reforms introduced in France, which gives employees the right to disconnect from emails outside of work hours.

The French legislation, dubbed the Right to Disconnect, came into effect on January 1, requiring companies with 50 or more employees to negotiate new out-of-office email guidelines with staff.

Firms now have a duty to regulate the use of emails to ensure employees get a break from the office.

The French solution follows moves made by a number of big companies to let employees completely switch off, with Volkswagen turning off their email servers after work.

As well as legislative or internal policy change, it is vital for employers to buy into this change, and improve the culture of workplaces.

Employers must make their expectations explicit to their employees, and recognise that having a stressed and tired workforce does not benefit them in the long run.

The sooner we move away from the old-fashioned idea that you work until you drop, the better, and it is one of the reasons I have kick-started the a future that works campaign.

The campaign is all about improving workplaces for employees by providing research and strategies that actively tackle the challenges facing the workplaces of 2017.

And the first step workplaces could take to begin 2017 is learn this valuable French lesson.

Four day work week - is it a good idea?

By Dr Lindsay McMillan

On face value, a four-day work week seems like the answer to Australia’s work/life balance struggle, but in practice it is more a passing fad than a sustainable solution.

A four-day work week may allow workers another day for family and ‘living’, but it does nothing to address the bigger issues occurring when workers are at work.  

Our research of 1,000 Australian employees revealed that 46 per cent feel like they can’t turn work off anymore, whether they were in the office or not, so a four-day work week may not change much for these workers.

While the debate around the four-day work week signals Australia is at least beginning to acknowledge the important role workplace wellbeing plays, it does not achieve genuine change.

In order to achieve this we need to take a holistic approach to our workplaces to improve outcomes for workers, management and the organisation.

Employees need to take a closer look at the culture and relationships within workplaces which are closely linked to inclusion, development, engagement and life enhancement – four principles that are essential to maintain a healthy workplace.

We need to respond to the big challenges innovatively and proactively and as part of a broader discussion that aims to deliver productive and purposeful workplaces.

It is our aim, through the a future that works campaign, to ignite a robust debate about changing entrenched work practices and improving outcomes for Australian workers. This is achieved through a comprehensive reform process, rather than partial measures like a four-day work week. 

To read the report, Delivering Purpose and Meaning click here.

Business leaders tell-all: Ten tips to be the next Mark Zuckerberg or Steve Jobs

By Dr Lindsay McMillan

From relinquishing total control and delegating to others, to being open to changed work practices, the CEO tell-all is part of our national workplace campaign a future that works.

We have put together a list of the top ten pointers for people wanting to become the next big business leader and provide instructive views into what it takes to be a successful CEO from interviewing 50 of Australia’s big bosses.

This research reveals what it takes to be the next Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg. 

CEOs from around the country have said that the days of hierarchical, dictatorial workplace are over and leaders must lead through engagement, partnerships and compromise.

Overall the report tells us that CEOs are cautiously optimistic about what the future holds, but see challenges in the rapid rate of change and massive upheaval technology is creating.

This is a unique insight into the minds of business leaders and provides some interesting food for thought for the business community.”

And here are the ten pointers for the CEO of the future:

1.       Model the change they want to see occur in future workplaces.

2.       Recognise the authority and seize it to make even small changes that impact on ourselves as CEOs but also their workplaces and employees, and the industry in which they specialise.

3.       Talk about how you measure performance around vision and innovation not just the short-term benchmarks.

4.       Relinquish authoritarian control, delegate to and trust in others who will work in teams – and grow their resilience and wellbeing.

5.       In a team environment the CEO will need to compromise on decisions, see opportunities and skills in the team, negotiate, persuade and lead.

6.       As a modern leader, be nimble, adaptive and creative – innovate and show vision to compete in a global market in a time of rapid change.

7.       Be a friend to ambiguity and uncertainty.

8.       Find a way to let go of the day-to-day control and step away from the detail, and to reflect on what you have done, where you are going, and what you are contributing.

9.       Be open to changed work practices which reward creativity, provide community, engage in sustainable practices, nurture and support staff and see connectedness of business, family and community life.

10.   The changes do not have to be revolutionary, but they start with each and every CEO being open to connecting head and heart, listening carefully and slowing down to allow reflective in-action to guide decisions.

To read the report, CEO Insights click here.

TGIF (thank god it’s Friday) is the general sentiment around Australian workplaces

By Dr Lindsay McMillan

“Thank god it’s Monday” is a phrase that is not often heard from workers, with 72 percent of Australian workers found to be searching for more purpose and meaning in their work.

According to our recent piece of research, employers have lost focus on their most important asset – their workers – and are failing to foster a sense of purpose in individual roles.

This is a significant problem with a Gallup Poll showing that a ten per cent improvement in a workers' connection with the mission or purpose of their organisation would result in:

• an 8.1% decrease in turnover
• a 4.4% increase in profitability
• a 12.7% reduction in safety incidents

And not to mention the increased healthiness of the workplace as a whole.

However, in the increasingly fast paced business landscape, the goals of employee retention through fostering growth and connection are frequently swept aside in an ill-fated bid to blindly chase profit.

What these companies forget is that the opportunity costs of losing valuable and skilful employees pose significant obstacles to their ability to maximise their potential performance as a business.

Firms have the opportunity to deliver real workplace reform for their employees and need to start seeing the benefit in developing and retaining valuable and skilful workers.

Our new report recommends a step-by-step process to avoid this situation and provide a more fulfilling workplace for employers and employees by building a culture of purpose and meaning

A business that focuses solely on the bottom line will miss the bigger picture and will lose their most valuable employees to companies that understand the importance of creating a meaningful and fulfilling work environment.

Fostering growth and connection to an organisation has become a must in the modern workplace.

‘Outsourcing epidemic’: CEOs reveal sobering views of technological disruption

By Dr Lindsay McMillan

Australian CEOs have expressed concerns that the rapid pace of change in the workplace and technological advancements could be creating an “outsourcing epidemic.”

That’s the verdict from CEO Insights, our latest survey which examined the views of 50 CEOs over an 18 month period.

The new survey delivers a unique insight into the views of Australian business leaders who have spelt out their concerns about what the future holds.

I think it is fair to say that this latest research reveals Australian CEOs are concerned about the future of workplaces.  

The rapid rate of change and the impact this is having on how business is done and what is expected of them is of increasing concern to the business leaders.

Our first report, 2016 Snapshot of Australian Workplaces, provided the employees view of the workplace and the latest report is the flip side of the coin.

Of course technology is having a revolutionary impact on business practices and it is clear from these responses that not all of it is positive.

There is a real concern amongst some CEOs that technology and globalisation has made it too easy for companies to outsource key functions, and this is having too big an impact on local employment.

As technology advances and global interconnectedness increases, more businesses will take the road of outsourcing key functions, but the concern is as to the impact.

Yes you have the intended consequences of more agility and flexibility and profitability, but also unintended ones around losing core skills and corporate knowledge, and impacts on staff.”

The survey also reveals that CEOs are seeing technology actually make it harder to communicate with what are becoming more disparate teams.

With technology allowing work to be conducted in different places, often across borders, CEOs expressed concern that it was making it more difficult to communicate across staff.  

These findings highlight the concerns of CEOs and the issues facing workplaces in this time of great change.

To read the report, CEO Insights click here.

Tick tock, employee spirits continue to drop

By Dr Lindsay McMillan

A recent report from the World Economic Forum has brought back some startling statistics on professionals and the meaning of work.

A 2013 Harvard Business Review survey found 12,000 professionals felt their job had no “meaning and significance” and a 2015 British poll found 37 per cent thought their job was “utterly useless”.

Now let’s fast-forward to 2016 and to Australia – after taking the pulse of 1,000 workers, global HR think-tank Reventure found 72 per cent of workers are looking for more purpose and meaning at work.

While there are robust workplace debate currently being undertaken in Australia – they do not address the core problem.

The debate around the four-day work week and penalty rates signals while important does not tackle the age-old question of why people should turn up to work each day.

Our latest report showed 77 per cent of millennials are looking for purpose and meaning in work. We need solutions that address these changes and we are hoping today’s announcement sparks conversation on how to respond to the big challenges, innovatively and proactively.

a future that works’ six steps to build a culture of Purpose and Meaning are:

1.                   Foster Employee Participation and Inclusion

A culture of respect and valuing employees can be generated and sustained by the simple act of inclusion.

 2.                   Communicate the Alignment between Individual Roles and Organisational Goals

 Leaders need to be able to identify and articulate the way in which an individual employee’s role contributes to the achievement of the common purpose.

 3.                   Encourage Autonomy and Active Engagement

 After there has been a clear identification and articulation of purpose, workers should be afforded a high degree of autonomy to carry out their role and make an active decision to work towards this vision.

 4.                   Provide Resources and Information

 To increase autonomy, employees should have all the information and resources they require to effectively do their job.

 5.                   Serve a Greater Purpose

 While an altruistic outcome is not a requirement for developing meaningfulness, this is a recommended addition to help maximise the update of purpose among workers.

 6.                   Reinforcing Engagement

 Actively implementing these strategies will result in higher levels of engagement, and may be reinforced through incentivisation that is not only linked to financial outcomes, but measures of application and alignment. This can be achieved through career construction and job crafting.

Is Microchip Mania the newest fad gripping workplaces?

By Dr Lindsay McMillan

With Swedish company Epicenter unveiling plans to embed a chip into 150 workers to monitor their work hours, the question that is on everybody’s lips is; has technology gone too far?

The answer is yes.

This new workplace practice is a signpost in a troubling road of unhealthy workplaces in the future and demonstrates the increased role technology is playing in the workplace, especially for younger people.

Whilst technology has undoubtedly increased productivity and connectedness, it seems to be having a troubling impact on work patterns and the ability of workers to switch off from their job.

In fact, our 2016 study of over 1,000 Australian workers found 46% feel technology also brings with it the feeling of being ‘always on’ and unable to completely shut-off from work – and this was taken before microchips became part of the equation.

Work-life balance is vitally important for all Australians and it’s important that ubiquitous technology does not negatively impact on healthy relationships and lifestyles outside of work.

To address this requires a concerted response from employers and industry to change the culture - or it will only get worse.

One key issue is how emerging technologies are contributing to stress - 54 per cent of millennials are currently experiencing technology-related stress.

If microchips to track worker movement is the future for millennial workers, one can only assume this technology-related stress will only get higher.

One in ten workers is verbally abused or bullied

By Dr Lindsay McMillan

Our new research shows that 10 per cent of Australian employees have experienced verbal abuse or bullying in the workplace.

And that doesn’t include serious incidences of conflict or other negative impacts from work – which another half of workers have experienced at some point in their career.

These are some of the concerning findings from our 2016 Snapshot of the Australian Workplace – a national survey of 1,001 workers.

Any abuse is not on, but to see 10 per cent of workers surveyed say they experience this behaviour in the workplace is a real wake up a call.

Bullying and abuse in the workplace can have a devastating effect on an individual’s mental and physical health and an organisation’s culture.

Employers, employer organisations and unions need to work collaboratively to drive down these damning numbers and work towards creating happier and healthier workplaces.”

Our research also found that:

•            20 per cent of workers experienced high levels of negativity in the workplace;

•            18 per cent experienced conflict with their boss

•            14 per cent experienced mental or physical health decline as a direct result of their work.

Statistics like these are why we started A Future That Works, a campaign to focus business leaders, employers, employees and contractors on how to improve and renew their workplaces.

The first step is to identify the problem – the next is to pursue solutions such as workplace bullying prevention plans and proactively promoting respect in the workplace.