Workplace stresses and financial pressures have crossed all our desks at some point, but research indicates these factors are hitting Gen Y the hardest.
Global HR think-tank Reventure has surveyed more than 1000 Australian workers, finding those aged 23 to 37 are much more stressed than their Gen X and Baby Boomer colleagues, with finances an area of top concern.
It is fair to say that the emphasis and interest in workplace wellbeing across Australia is on the rise. Organisations are keen to implement programs that not only look after the wellness of workers but also in return create productive and happy working environments.
Dr Lindsay McMillan is the managing director of Reventure Limited who recently published their sixth report, Workplace Wellbeing, as part of their national campaign a future that works. The report surveyed over 1000 Australian workers and shed some light on what the expectations are and the effectiveness of wellness programs.
In an exclusive interview with OHS.com.au, Dr McMillan discusses what bought about the need for the focus on wellbeing in workplaces and what the expectations are from employees.
OHS: Why is the focus on wellbeing in the workplace increasing and what bought about the need for this focus?
Dr McMillan: The focus on wellbeing is increasing, with one-quarter of Australian workers noticing this uptake in the last year alone. This is because workplaces are undergoing rapid periods of change and are realising that they should be actively pursuing renewal agendas and addressing these changes.
As technology continues to impact how work is conducted, with work following us home in our pocket, the amount of time people work is increasing. More and more we are seeing that people view work as a calling rather than an occupation.
There is a real risk that employee wellbeing is becoming secondary to work output, which can lead to disengagement, increased stress and other worrying results. It is important to focus on wellbeing and make sure employees are not being disregarded as these changes take place, because ultimately employees are the most important asset an organisation has.
OHS: What expectations do people have from organisations and wellness programs?
Dr McMillan: Our most recent research report, Workplace Wellbeing shows that employees have higher expectations than employers when it comes to what should be done to foster wellbeing.
85% say that employers should proactively address stress; 75% say they should foster a community feeling; 74% say that they should provide access to a counselor and 66% say that they should provide opportunity for physical activity like gym memberships and team sports.
Employees are sending a strong message here that workplace wellbeing is important to them and is a factor in choosing whether to stay or go. Ten per cent of Australian workers will not apply for a job without a wellbeing program.
One quarter of Australian workers believe the focus on wellbeing in the workplace is increasing and one in five workers are willing to sacrifice promotion in order to obtain better wellbeing in the workplace.
That’s the findings of a Workplace Wellbeing survey of over 1000 Australian workers by Reventure Ltd, a not-for-profit think take who undertake research about workplace matters.
Reventure Ltd managing director Dr Lindsay McMillan says the report sheds some much needed light on current worker perceptions and expectations of wellbeing, where the responsibility for wellbeing lies, and the effectiveness of wellbeing programs.
“A more concerted effort to genuinely understand what employee wellbeing means to Australian workplaces is key before strategies are implemented. Wellbeing is not a buzz word to attach to any new HR strategy, but rather it requires careful considerations, factoring in worker’s evolving needs in our rapidly-changing work landscape,” said McMillan.
“This is Reventure’s sixth report as part of our national campaign, a future that works, which aims to provide practical workplace solutions in response to increasing rates of employee turnover and dissatisfaction around the nation.”
A future that works was a nationwide research project conducted by Reventure Ltd, which found nearly half the Australian workforce will be looking for a new job in the next year.
“CEO’s don’t know what to do with wellbeing because it has an emotional overtone to it,” said McMillan.
“Sleep in its own right is something we haven’t researched yet. There’s some compelling information on sleep. At the moment the average Australian spends 10.9 hours a day on screen time.”
The research found that 51% of workers believe unrealistic workload expectations have the greatest negative impact on wellbeing in the workplace. Two in five Australian workers see employee wellbeing programs as important when job searching and around three-quarters believe wellbeing programs are worth the time and money.
Are you working to the bone? Are you worried about job security? Is there a bad vibe in your workplace vibe? If you feel that your wellbeing is not being looked after sufficiently at work you are far from alone, with a new workplace report finding that 73 per cent of Australian workers are stressed because of their work.
The report, Workplace Wellbeing from the “a future that works” campaign, found that the most common causes of workplace stress included:
Employers across the country are being sent a clear message from Australian workers: workplace stress is a significant issue and employers need to put in place strategies to address it.
That’s according to Dr Lindsay McMillan, lead researcher of the new report Workplace Wellbeing.
Employees would sacrifice other workplace benefits for employers to focus more on their wellbeing, research has found, yet efforts in this area appear to have stalled.
Over the past 12 months, most Australians (66%) reported that their workplace's focus on wellbeing had not changed, while for 10 per cent it had gone backwards, according to Reventure's survey of 1,005 employees.
Only 24 per cent reported an increased wellbeing focus, says Dr Lindsay McMillan, who led the research, but between employees and employers there was a significant difference in this perception (20% versus 33% respectively).
The mismatch in perceptions extends to other areas: 64 per cent of employers say employee wellbeing is taken into consideration (greatly or somewhat) when making business decisions, compared to just 39 per cent of employees agreeing.
OHS leaders need to be aware of the changing nature of employer’s responsibilities, which were the key findings of a recent report on workplace wellbeing, which also found that 73% of Australian employees are stressed about work while 62% are stressed about health and fitness.
The Workplace Wellbeing report, which was conducted by not-for-profit workplace research organisation Reventure, said that workers believe employers should create an environment that increases employee trust and satisfaction (86%) and an environment that proactively addresses stress in the workplace (85%), but only two in five workers believe their employer understands how to improve wellbeing in the workplace.
Converge and Reventure launched their latest research report into workplace wellbeing on 23 November 2017. The report, not yet available online, is based round a survey of just over 1000 Australians comprising over 80% full-time or part-time employees, The report has been produced as a guide for businesses and may be of some interest to health and safety people but is of limited application.
8 December 2017
The Australian, Australia
Section: General News • Article type : News Item
Stress at work is common, with 73 per cent of workers suffering from it.
Most Australian workers are stressed at work and many believe their employers had the responsibility to combat the issue, in an emerging trend driven by millennials.
A new workplace survey has revealed 73 per cent of workers are stressed about work and stressed workers are 2½ times more likely to look for a new job in the next year than those who are not stressed.
The survey also shows 85 per cent of workers believed it was the employers’ responsibility to create an environment that addressed stress in the workplace.
The elements that employees believe have the most negative impact on wellbeing in the workplace are unrealistic workload expectations (48 per cent), job insecurity (41 per cent) and low team morale (38 per cent). Lead researcher Lindsay McMillan said the results were a wake-up call for Australian businesses and employers needed strategies to address the issue.
He says the results revealed generation Y was more stressed in all areas of their life than generation X and baby boomers.
Ever wondered what the greatest negative impact on wellbeing in the workplace is? Or if Australian workers think wellbeing programs are worth the time and money?
Well a new report from the a future that works campaign will soon reveal that and much more after it asked over 1,000 Australian workers the big workplace questions.
According to Australian staff, feeling valued at work and receiving praise or recognition from senior staff are two of the most important factors when it comes to being productive.[1]
Research also shows that the amount spent on hiring and training a new employee can cost up to 6 to 9 months' of that person’s salary[2], further highlighting how putting budget towards regular small gestures to show appreciation is much more cost effective than recruiting.
As previously explored in FINSIA’s article, “Thinking outside the box”, technology alone is not a disruptor but an enabler in helping entrepreneurs to grow their business.
But what about larger organisations? How does the advancement of technology, specifically AI, affect day to day business operations, the millennial workforce or industry sector?
Australia’s health and aged care workers consistently go above and beyond their job description – to the point of even providing financial guidance – a new report has found.
The recent report from Reventure found that almost half of Australia’s 960,000 aged care and health professionals were over the age of 55 and in danger of being overworked.
20 November 2017
West Australian, Perth
Author: Lindsay McMillan • Section: Your Money • Article type : News Item
Australian health and aged-care workers are working beyond their job description, at times even providing financial guidance, according to a new report from global HR think-tank Reventure.
This female-dominated profession is at risk of being chronically overworked and an ageing population will exacerbate the problem.
Aged-care workers are saying that on top of their everyday duties, they act as secretaries, a family support conduit, the roster data manager and even a financial guide.
That is simply too much to ask of workers who already perform a physically and emotionally demanding job, and it is up to business leaders to make a cultural change in the workplace.
In 2050, one in five Australians will be over the age of 65. With an ageing population, the industry needs to better prepare the workplace to ensure employees are not exhausted.
It is very important the industry continues to attract the right type of people. However, it will lose its appeal if there is an unhealthy workplace culture of overworking in the industry.
In Australia, there are 960,000 health practitioners and aged-care professionals. The Health Services Union says 44 per cent of workers are over the age of 55.
Health and aged care is too important to get wrong. It is one of the few industries that cannot be replaced by artificial intelligence.
The Industry Insights report is the newest research to be published by Reventure as part of the national A Future That Works campaign.
The report outlines challenges faced by five Australian industries — aviation, tourism and hospitality, professional services, health and aged care and education.
This report aims to identify the unique challenges arising in the workplaces of significant industries and offer a tailored solution.
The campaign was launched by Reventure after research found 49 per cent of Australian workers were likely to look for a new job in the next year.
This campaign is aimed at highlighting effective and practical solutions so that workplaces can more actively engage with modern challenges.
Lindsay McMillan is lead researcher at Reventure
18 November 2017
Adelaide Advertiser, Adelaide
Section: Careers • Article type : News Item
CREATING a work environment which is about purpose, not results, can help leaders engage their workers, as well as staff to motivate themselves.
Global HR think tank Reventure has devised four strategies, based on its research of Australian workplaces, for workers to implement to rejuvenate their efforts.
Lead researcher Dr Lindsay McMillan says leaders can often get caught up in the numbers, but workers are the most valuable asset of any workplace.
“Increasing productivity is no longer viewed in archaic terms such as longer working hours but how the workplace can effectively understand and harness employees’ individual talents,” he says.
“Each year, the bottom line is the focus of reporting and the measurement of success – leaving little time for visionary thinking or employee development, which can also genuinely grow the organisation.”
TALK ABOUT THEIR PURPOSE, NOT RESULTS
A common pitfall among leaders is to motivate workers solely with financial outcomes or competition, whether it is with their salary or gaining profits for the organisation.
However, employees increasingly are looking for purpose in their work.
Leaders also need to help workers understand how their personal attributes – such as their abilities and values – uniquely enable them to do their work well.
TALK ABOUT YOUR OWN PURPOSE
While understanding what drives employees, ensure the organisation has a purpose, or find out about it, to which employees can align themselves.
SWAP ROLES FOR GOALS
Instead of a list of KPIs and direct reports, a job landscape outlines a list of end goals, how goals interconnect and how they relate to the goals of other workers in the organisation.
A job landscape is assigned to an employee and can promote a more connected and understanding workplace culture.
RESURRECT CREATIVITY
Carefully select team members for projects to ensure they collaborate and learn from others with different skillsets.
Or, encourage workplace “huddles” which allows workers to have short bursts of creative input to solve problems.
4 November 2017
Daily Telegraph, Sydney
Section: BW Magazine • Article type : News Item
Taste testing sweets and beer every day, free travel and playing with dogs - they would have to be up there with the best jobs ever. Getting one of these seemingly ideal jobs, the ones most of us would probably do for nothing, is like landing the lottery. But for a lucky few, it's a daily reality.
But getting real job satisfaction can be like finding the holy grail. However, it is possible to land a job that combines your passion for life with a paycheque, says Sydney career coach Jane Jackson.
"When it comes to dream jobs, it's about finding something that makes your heart sing and that you look forward to every day," the author of Navigating Career Crossroads says.
"If you're moving from a job you're not happy with, you have to ask yourself what it is you are dissatisfied with, then assess what makes you tick, what motivates you. Once you have done that, do some research to find which industries appeal to you and then think about whether your passions and hobbies can be monetised.
"Lastly, network with people who do these jobs and explore how you go about getting into such a job. Don't be afraid to offer your services on a volunteer basis while you're researching."
A 2016 snapshot of the Australian workplace by employment researchers Reventure found that 44 per cent of Australian workers were extremely or very satisfied with their job. However, 49 per cent of workers said that they were likely to look for a new position in the coming year.
Tragically, stillbirth is a relatively common in Australia, with around six babies a day being stillborn.
That means you’ve got up to 12 working age-parents a day, or 4380 people a year who need adequate support during one of the toughest times in their lives.
The tourism and hospitality sectors are booming but that has opened up a serious skills shortage.
By 2020 the hotel sector nationally is expected to need another 123,000 skilled and unskilled workers.
The Australian tourism and hospitality industry has been encouraged to seek new ways to combat recruitment and retention challenges as the Government’s Tourism 2020 target nears.
Industry Insights, the newest report from global HR think-tank Reventure, found tourism and hospitality were experiencing a skills shortage with 38,000 current unfilled vacancies in the sector. Dr Lindsay McMillan, lead researcher at Reventure said it was important to get the workplace settings right for the two industries, both of which are major Australian employers.
Industry Insights, a report from Reventure, found tourism and hospitality already face 38,000 unfilled vacancies in the sector.
Dr Lindsay McMillan, lead researcher at Reventure, said it was important to get the workplace settings right for the two industries, both of which are major Australian employers.
