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Record fine for ''Serial underpayers''03-Apr-2012

Record Victorian penalty as shoe store operators fined $220,000 The former operators of a chain ..

Inspire Success eNewsletter - Counsel & Exit (Having the difficult conversations)07-Mar-2012

This month our focus is on those difficult conversations that we sometimes must have with our people..

Inspire Success eNewsletter - OHS Harmonisation special02-Feb-2012

Inspire Success January newsletter focussed on the harmonisation of the Workplace Health & Safet..

Inspire Success proud sponsor of Jobs on the Coast30-Sep-2011

We are proud to announce that Inspire Success have joined us as the third main sponsor of JobsOn..

Inspire Success wins Central Coast Business Excellence Award 201102-Sep-2011

We are very honoured to have been awarded the inaugural Micro Business Award 2011 for the Central Co..

Backpay of $500k ordered by Fair Work Ombudsman15-Mar-2011

A Melbourne fruit and vegetable retailer has been forced to backpay 265 workers over $500,000 in wag..

Public Holidays - Easter and Anzac Day07-Mar-2011

Hows this for a coincidence - in 2011, both Easter Monday and ANZAC Day fall on Monday, 25 April! ..

Inspire Success wins Micro Business Award 201021-Oct-2010

Inspire Success wins Micro Business Award 2010 for the Wyong Regional Chamber of Commerce. We a..

Company director fined over underpayments03-Aug-2010

A Sydney company director has been fined $16,900 for his involvement in the underpayment of eigh..

Hamilton transport company fined for underpaying truck driver03-Aug-2010

A transport company at Hamilton in South-West Victoria has been fined $25,000 for underpaying on..

Inspire Success

Providing hints, tips and ideas that help you maintain high performing workplaces that are customer focussed and free of conflict

Code of Conduct – what is the benefit to the business?

Rae Phillips - Friday, February 24, 2012

The code of conduct includes detail on compliance with laws and regulations (such as harassment and discrimination on the workplace), conflicts of interest, confidentiality and security matters, fairness and equity, contact with the public and media, values of the business and guidelines on general behaviour.

The benefits of a code of conduct include:-

  • Creating an agreed way of behaving and operating for the entire company;
  • Improved company performance when linked to the company’s business and strategic objectives;
  • Good company culture – employees know what is expected of them in terms of behaviour;
  • Good communication with employees having a framework to look up when faced with difficult decisions;
  • Having a set of values – having a sense of what the company values are and what the company stands for.

It also can enable your company to stand out from similar companies and show what your company values and believes in. The code of conduct applies to all employees, permanent and casual, and contractors. When someone joins your company they should review and understand and sign off on the code of conduct and therefore agree to comply with your guidelines.

If you have decided to implement a code of conduct in your company you will need to communicate the guidelines to all your team and provide them with training so they understand the expectations. The code should be practised and promoted by management to lead the way for your employees. Once set up the code of conduct should be part of the induction process and discussed with all new employees on joining. The code of conduct is part of your employee handbook and also very useful to keep on the company intranet so employees can access it any time they need to.

It is important to keep your code up to date and therefore it should be reviewed regularly (usually once or twice a year), adding any new policies that have been introduced to the company. Also if your company has grown or changed since the last review you may need to add a section e.g. selling products online, social media – you made need to add detail on acceptable behaviour around new changes.

Is this something that could be an issue at your place? Inspire Success is all about implementing practical solutions that help create high performing workplaces which are customer focussed and free of conflict - no matter what size your business is. Contact Inspire Success for further information raephillips@inspire-success.com

Key Processes for Employee Exit:

Rae Phillips - Friday, February 24, 2012

Having a clear process to follow during Employee Exits will ensure you protect your business and its assets, and help the Employee leave with dignity. It is also a great time to get feedback from them about their time at your place.

  1. Have a clear exit policy

    The purpose of an employee exit policy is to have a process in place when an employee is leaving your employment (resignation, retirement, end of contract etc) When an employee resigns from their position, they should submit a written letter of resignation to their immediate supervisor based on what their notice period is. This could be stated in the employee’s letter of engagement or (if no letter exists) be linked to the National Employment Standards notice table....  During the employee's notice period; they must continue to assume their normal responsibilities and should assist with a handover to the existing team or their replacement if in place.
  2. Conduct and Exit Interview

    An exit interview is often overlooked but is an extremely valuable organizational effectiveness tool. The purpose of exit interviews is to understand the employee’s perceptions and experiences and get feedback about the job the employee held, their work environment, and your place. A good exit interview system can help reduce turnover and increase employee satisfaction and commitment by addressing some of the things that people are leaving because of.

  3. Follow an Exit Checklist

    It is important to have a process in place and a set of steps to follow and ensure the list is completed when each employee finishes. This is extremely handy to ensure you don’t forget anything when the employee leaves. The best person to complete the checklist is usually the employee’s supervisor and should be done on the day they leave. The checklist can include the following (but is not limited to these items below):
  • Arrange for the employee to do a formal handover to someone within the business or at least document the procedures of their role explaining any complicated/important elements
  • Conduct an exit interview
  • Notify other employees that they are leaving
  • Collect any company property including their company laptop, Smartphone, company credit card, keys, security passes, parking pass, name badges and business identification, a uniform if the business owns it, any tools, electronic devices or other business property they have
  • Ask them to clean out their desk
  • Process all outstanding payroll, leave accrued and expenses. If they had a mobile phone account ensure this account is reconciled
  • Delete their computer access, have their files in network folders copied to the network, cancel their accounts. Remove them from the company intranet
  • Disable their building or property access
  • Remind them of confidentiality clauses in their letter of engagement
  • Ensure you have their current address and phone number is on file in case the they need to be contacted after they leave
  • Make sure they and their supervisor sign off on the checklist when it is done.

In the end, it is always nice to part on good terms, and you never know the person leaving your employment may become a client or refer business to you in the future.

We always say that it is best to help a departing employee leave with dignity – regardless of the reason they are leaving.

Is this something that could be an issue at your place? Inspire Success is all about implementing practical solutions that help create high performing workplaces which are customer focussed and free of conflict - no matter what size your business is. Contact Rae Phillips at Inspire Success for further information raephillips@inspire-success.com

What will OHS Harmonisation mean for you and your business?

Kate Cahill - Friday, January 20, 2012

What exactly will OHS Harmonisation mean for you and your business and what will the penalties and fines under the new laws be?

The purpose of the WHS Act 2011 is to harmonise existing Occupational Health and Safety legislation across Australia through the creation of uniform health and safety obligations. Our later article discusses which states will commence this new legislation from January 1st 2012 and which will be delayed.

While dates have been set for commencement it has been announced that businesses will be able to postpone implementing new occupational health and safety regulations by up to twelve months, if the regulations require them having to make significant changes and require a long period of time.

Federal Workplace Relations Minister Chris Evans has stated that Safe Work Australia has arrangements to assist businesses in the transition into the new system on January 1. Evans said the extension would be granted to businesses that have to fulfil the model regulations which subsequently would require the completion of several duties.

The new WHS Act 2011 seeks to:-

  • Protect workers and other persons against harm to their health, safety and welfare through the elimination or minimisation of risks arising from work or from specified types of substances or plant
  • Providing for fair and effective workplace representation, consultation, co-operation and issue resolution in relation to work health and safety
  • Promote the provision of advice, information, education and training in relation to work health and safety
  • Provide a framework for continuous improvement and application of higher standards of work health and safety

In this article we will focus on the increase in potential penalties and fines – under the new laws, companies face fines up to $3 million per offence, while individuals face fines of $600,000 or 5 years in jail.

What happens if a serious injury, illness or dangerous incident occurs?

Under the work health and safety laws, incidents such as fatalities, serious injuries and illnesses, and dangerous incidents must be notified to WorkCover immediately, and incident records must be kept for five years. 

If you are the person with management of control of the workplace, you must also preserve the incident scene until an inspector attends, or directs otherwise. Render assistance, if it is required, and allow police and ambulance officers to fulfil their functions.

If someone suffers an injury or illness where workers compensation is, or may be payable, contact your insurer within 48 hours. 

What is a serious injury or illness?

A serious injury or illness includes:-

  • an injury or illness that requires immediate treatment as an ‘in-patient in hospital’
  • amputation
  • serious head, eye or burn injuries
  • de-gloving or scalping
  • spinal injury
  • loss of bodily function
  • serious laceration
  • exposure to a substance, which requires medical treatment within 48 hours  

What is a dangerous incident?

A dangerous incident exposes someone to a serious risk, such as: 

  • the uncontrolled escape, spillage or leakage of a substance 
  • uncontrolled implosion, explosion or fire
  • electric shock
  • the uncontrolled escape of gas, steam or pressurised substance
  • falls from height of any machinery, equipment, substance or the like
  • damage to any plant that requires authorisation in accordance with the WHS Regulations (eg registrable plant) 
  • collapse, malfunction or damage to any authorised plant
  • the collapse of a structure or excavation (including shoring)
  • an inrush of water, mud or gas
  • the interruption of underground ventilation.  

How will you be penalised for breaching your duties?

 

Company

Officers

Workers

Category  1  Reckless Conduct

$3,000,000

$600,000 or 5 years imprisonment

$300,000 or 5 years imprisonment

Category 2
Breach of Primary Duty

$1,500,000

$300,000

$150,000

Category 3
Breach of Regulatory Duty

$500,000

$100,000

$50,000

What is reckless conduct?
A person engages in reckless conduct if they, without reasonable excuse, engage in conduct that exposes an individual under their duty of care to the risk of death or serious injury or illness.

What is breach of primary duty?
A breach of primary duty is when a person engages in actions or omissions that expose others to risk of serious injury/illness.

What is breach of regulatory duty?

A breach of regulatory duty is when a person fails to comply with a duty.  

 

Is this something that could be an issue at your place? Inspire Success is all about implementing practical solutions that help create high performing workplaces which are customer focussed and free of conflict - no matter what size your business is. Contact Rae Phillips at Inspire Success for further information raephillips@inspire-success.com

Employees working from home - Is it a good idea any more?

Kate Cahill - Friday, January 20, 2012

Last year, a Telstra employee made a successful workers' compensation claim against Telstra because she fell twice while working from home and claimed her injuries occurred in the course of her employment. Telstra were found liable to pay her workers compensation.

As a result of this and other similar cases, many employers have had concerns about allowing their employees work from home.  Working from home arrangements don’t have to be to be feared but the risks do need to be managed carefully.

Under NSW OH&S laws, the employer is expected to maintain a working environment, equipment and systems of work that are ‘safe and without risks to health’. That includes your employees working at home. The employees working from home should have the equipment they need just as if they were in the office – a chair, desk, computer, adequate lighting, clear access to exits, a first aid kit and knowledge of safe working procedures.

What do your responsibilities include?
• provide or maintain a working environment that is a safe and without risks to health
• provide or maintain equipment and systems of work that are safe and without risks to health
• provide the information, instruction, training and supervision necessary to ensure the health and safety at work of workers
• make arrangements for ensuring the safe use, handling, storage and transport of equipment and substances.

It is important to put in writing agreed procedures regarding working arrangements particularly regarding hours of work and access (eg. to check that the workplace is safe and that safe systems of work are in place, or to review systems and procedures following an accident).

A workplace assessment / risk assessment of the home environment is another step in identifying health and safety hazards, and deal with them. The person doing the assessment should focus on the part of the home which is used as a workplace - or you can give employees a checklist for self-audit rather than send someone in to tick the boxes.

This checklist – which confirms there is an appropriate desk, chair and lamp, for example, and that electrical cords have been tagged and tested – must be completed and handed back. The idea is that employees who want to work from home would need to complete a self-assessment form and sign up a document that frees you, the employer, from liability in the event of an OH&S issue.

Under NSW OH&S laws the following are some steps to follow when an employee requests working from home:-

  1. Establish whether the duties are suitable for work from home – if special equipment needs to be used or work procedures followed that are not appropriate for home then the job may not be suitable for being done at home;
  2. Establish what equipment will be necessary for the employee to safely work from home – ensure employee’s desk, chair and computer are suitable. Check if any other equipment is needed by the employee. NSW Regulations require that all places of work have a first aid kit. A basic (type C) kit is sufficient for most home-based work situations;
  3. Establish that the home working environment is healthy and safe – ensure there is sufficient lighting, exits are clear, there is a smoke detector, sufficient power points (ensure power points are not overloaded) and if an earth leakage protect device is required;
  4. Establish that the employee who will be working from home has the information and training necessary to do the work safely – ensure they have been trained on safe working procedures to prevent the occurrence of injuries;
  5. Establish agreed hours of work and communication procedures -Establish the days and hours on which work from home can be done and agree on procedures for recording work hours, including actual starting and finishing times (this is important for workers compensation purposes). It is also useful to establish the way in which performance will be monitored and assessed and to establish communication procedures to ensure that appropriate information is passed between the person working from home and his or her co-workers and management;
  6. Revise your workplace rehabilitation program – you may want to include a commitment to provision of suitable duties at the main workplace when this is necessary as a rehabilitation strategy, and to clarify arrangements for monitoring work from home rehabilitation programs.

It is important to monitor your employees working from home arrangements – things change, standards may drop so ensure there is open communication with these employees and a clear procedure where the employee reports any health and safety concerns or any incidents to you.

The Fair Work and Anti-Discrimination legislation allows employees to request flexible working arrangements in certain situations, so as an employer you need to have reasonable business grounds to refuse a request. If you do refuse a request inform your employee of the reasons and document these, keeping all records around this.

At Inspire Success, all our people work from home and we  use a home based work agreement to outline who is responsible for what and get the expectations clear from the start.

Is this something that could be an issue at your place? Inspire Success is all about implementing practical solutions that help create high performing workplaces which are customer focussed and free of conflict - no matter what size your business is. Contact Rae Phillips at Inspire Success for further information raephillips@inspire-success.com

 

IT Security in the Workplace – our TOP 12 Tips

Kate Cahill - Friday, January 20, 2012

For the next few months we will discuss a different safety topic for IT within your company. This month we look at the office desktop and the security issues to be mindful of.

We all know that IT security is extremely important, it is essential to protect your business from a data breach. Here are our TOP 12 tips to help keep your confidential information secure on office desktops.

  1. Every employee should have their own profile set up and all logins should be protected with strong passwords which need to be changed every 4-6 weeks;
  2. Every time employees leave their desk, they should log off. Screen savers should also be set to log users off after a few minutes of inactivity;
  3. Login details and passwords should not be written on pieces of paper and never written on a post it and stuck to computer screens;
  4. Educate staff about your IT security, keep up to date with what scams are happening currently in the computer world and let staff know what to be careful of and monitor this;
  5. All information on a business network should be saved to a central location to reduce risk;
  6. Have a good privacy policy and make protecting sensitive data a part of the company culture;
  7. Use a good firewall and a secure wireless connection;
  8. Keep anti-virus and anti-spy ware software up to date. Most small businesses have anti-virus and anti-spy ware software in place, but forget or neglect to make sure they have the latest versions or the latest updates, which can open the business up to all sorts of data security breaches;
  9. Keeping computers up-to-date individually is time consuming and can create inconsistencies in the business. Having a network server centralising the rollout of software patches and updates makes managing a network far easier;
  10. Make sure you and your employees only download applications that come from reliable sources. Because applications (e.g., games, mobile apps) may contain viruses, spy ware etc, it's important to know and trust the source of an application before downloading it;
  11. If you outsource any critical functions or store information offsite, ensure you vet third-party security practices such as cloud providers or ISPs. You are still responsible for that data and should ensure the third party is secure.;
  12. Have very specific policy developed around this area of your business. Set standards with new employees, check often and ensure that you follow your policy to the T.

Is this something that could be an issue at your place? Inspire Success is all about implementing practical solutions that help create high performing workplaces which are customer focussed and free of conflict - no matter what size your business is. Contact Rae Phillips at Inspire Success for further information raephillips@inspire-success.com

Legislation Update - The status of the Work Health and Safety Act in each state

Kate Cahill - Friday, January 20, 2012

The harmonisation of OHS laws across Australia is in process and is being introduced in order to standardise the state/territory based system we have in place at present. The Commonwealth and each state and territory government have agreed to harmonise their work health and safety laws, including Regulations and Codes of Practice, so that they are similar in each jurisdiction.

As you may have heard, the implementation of the new WHS Act is not going smoothly with some regions deciding to implement the new laws at different times rather than the date of 01/01/12 as had been planned for. This will make life difficult for some Australian businesses, in particular those who cross state borders who will be faced with complying with current OHS legislation and then the new legislation.

Update on status of WHS Act in States
ACT - Model law passed and expected to commence 1/1/12
NSW - Model law passed and expected to commence 1/1/12
VIC - No law before the parliament. VIC Government has confirmed that it will defer to 1/1/13
Tasmania – Have introduced model legislation to Parliament but date of commencement not confirmed
SA – WHS will be delayed
NT – Model law passed and expected to commence 1/1/2012
QLD – Model law passed and expected to commence 1/1/2012
WA -  WHS will be delayed

NSW has confirmed a 1 January 2012 commencement date for the WHS Act, and has approved $550,000 in training grants to get businesses up to speed with the new legislation. Queensland will continue with the 1 January 2012 commencement and has enacted 11 of the new Codes of Practice while amending 24 of its existing State codes. Commonwealth parliament passed the Work Health and Safety Bill 2011, which will cover employers under the Comcare scheme. The Commonwealth legislation will come into effect on 1 January 2012.

While harmonisation is delayed in some states it will happen and will affect your business. However, some businesses can delay the new laws by twelve months. Federal Workplace Relations, Minister Chris Evans, announced in November 2011 that Safe Work Australia has arrangements to help businesses move to the new system from January 1. "The transitional arrangements will apply to the model occupational health and safety regulations and provide delayed commencement of up to 12 months or more where the new laws result in a new or significantly different set of duties," Senator Evans said.

For more information on WHS legislation http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx  Contact Inspire Success if you would like to discuss how this affects your business.

The Award Variation or Individual flexibility agreement:

Rae Phillips - Wednesday, November 30, 2011

If your employees are covered by a modern award, you are able to make an agreement with one or more of these employees to vary the application of modern award terms dealing with:

  • working hours and days;
  • overtime rates;
  • penalty rates; and
  • allowances and leave loading.

The flexibility agreement allows for variations to modern awards in order to meet the genuine needs of employers and individual employees while ensuring minimum entitlements and protections are not undermined.

Here are 5 things your award flexibility agreement must include to be considered legal:

  1. It must outline exactly what has been agreed to, and how the terms of employment have been varied.
  2. It must demonstrate how the agreement does not disadvantage the employee in their terms and conditions of employment.
  3. It must state the date that the agreement will commence.
  4. It must state that the agreement can be terminated by either party by giving 4 weeks written notice of termination.
  5. It must be signed and dated by both you and the employee.

It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that the employee is better off overall than if there was no award flexibility agreement. The employer’s ‘better off overall’ assessment will usually involve comparing the employee’s financial benefits under the flexibility agreement with the financial benefits under the applicable award or enterprise agreement. The employee’s personal circumstances and any non-financial benefits which are significant to the employee can also be considered.
After you have made an award flexibility agreement with an employee, you must keep a copy of it on file and also give a copy to the employee.

Remember, you cannot make the signing of an award flexibility agreement a condition of employment and you can only make an award flexibility agreement with an employee covered by a modern award. However you can't make an award flexibility agreement with an employee who is covered by an enterprise agreement.

For further information you can review the Fair Work Act website http://www.fairwork.gov.au/media-centre/latest-news/2011/06/pages/20110627-high-income-threshold-rises-to-118100.aspx  (Is this the right link?) Contact Inspire Success if you would like to discuss how this affects your business.

Reducing stress in 2012

Kate Cahill - Wednesday, November 30, 2011

With employees working long hours and a focus being put on maximising the efforts of the workforce pressure is inevitably felt, pressure which we all call stress. For those whose work week has been stretched to the limit work life imbalance is created and work eats into personal time. Sacrifices are made to keep the wheels churning at work. With results from surveys such as fivefootfour and redballoon showing us that a number of employees are not happy in the workplace it is important to ease the pressure cooker of stress at work. Here we look at stress management tips in the workplace for the individual and the business owner ...

Some stress can be a positive thing.... stress can be a motivator, some of us enjoy working under pressure or feel we work best when we have some pressure or stress. However, when stress is having a negative effect on your wellbeing it’s time to look at ways to get the balance back. Finding ways to manage workplace stress is not about making huge changes to every aspect of your work life or rethinking career ambitions. Stress management requires focus on the one thing that’s always within your control: you.

Tips on managing job stress:-

  • Take care of yourself – when stress is adversely impacting your health or interfering with how you do at work or on your personal life it’s time to make changes. When you take care of yourself you are stronger and more resilient to stress. Even small changes can give you back control and make you feel happier and more energetic. Changes can include small but positive lifestyle choices and ensuring you stick to them – an exercise class, yoga, meditation, listening to music, a weekend away etc whatever helps you unwind, enjoy it. It’s a very important way to improve your physical and emotional well-being.
  • Reduce job stress by prioritizing and organizing – create a balanced schedule, don’t over commit and plan regular breaks. If you have too much on your plate list what “must” be done and what “should” be done and push the to do items that are not essential to the bottom of the list. Take breaks during the day to clear your mind. Stepping away from work to briefly relax and recharge will help you be more, not less, productive.
  • Reduce job stress by breaking bad habits – resist being perfect, reduce clutter, rule out negative thinking. No project, decision or person is perfect so don’t set unrealistic goals or expectations of yourself. Aim to do you very best and be happy that you have done that. Reduce the clutter, tidy your desk, file documents, get your emails organised and stick to your to-do list and cross off items as achieved. These will all help you to feel less overwhelmed every day. Focus only on the things you have control over and don’t stress or worry about the things out of your control.
  • Connect with others at work – listen to your colleagues, communicate with them, enjoy some social time with colleagues after work hours. Being part of a supportive team can really help relieve stress and make you happier in the workplace.

Reducing stress of your employees:-

Happy people are more engaged with their work, build better relationships with colleagues and clients, have less sick days and tend to remain in a role longer. It's in your best interest to keep stress levels in the workplace to a minimum. Managers/ leaders can act as positive role models, especially in times of high stress. If you can remain calm in stressful work situations, it is much easier for your employees to also remain calm. Here are our top three tips to reduce stress in your workplace:-

Improve communication

  • Share information with employees to reduce uncertainty about their jobs, questions, futures
  • Clearly define employees’ roles and responsibilities
  • Make communication friendly and efficient

Consult with your employees

  • Give your employees opportunities to be involved in decisions that affect their jobs
  • Ensure your team’s workload is suitable to their abilities and resources
  • Avoid unrealistic deadlines
  • Show that your employees are valued
  • Offer rewards and incentives
  • Praise good work performance, both verbally and officially, one example would be having an employee of the month award
  • Provide opportunities for career development
  • Promote a work culture that gives employees more control over their work.

Have a friendly social climate

  • Provide opportunities for social interaction among your employees
  • Establish a zero-tolerance policy for harassment
  • Make management actions consistent with organizational values.

Also see our previous article on tips for managing stress in the workplace

Is this something that could be an issue at your place? Inspire Success is all about implementing practical solutions that help create high performing workplaces which are customer focussed and free of conflict - no matter what size your business is. Contact Rae Phillips at Inspire Success for further information raephillips@inspire-success.com

Get 2012 off to a Productive Start

Rae Phillips - Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Getting organized and being productive are often on our New Year’s resolution lists. Productive people ensure their time is spent working towards their goals. They prioritize what must be done to reach them, recognizing when an activity ultimately delays their success. Being productive means steering clear of distractions and not succumbing to procrastination. Here are some tips to help you get 2012 off to a productive start and make the most of your time every day at work.

  1. Set goals – setting goals at the start of the year is important and tracking the progress you make towards your goal ensures you keep on track. Setting goals keeps you focused and motivated. By considering whether the things you do are carrying you closer to meeting your goals, you’ll be able to focus on genuine productivity.
  2. Manage time and improve your time management skills. Time management requires discipline but gives you a greater degree of control over what you do during the day.  Good time management makes you more efficient and can make improvements to your life at work and at home.
  3. Get organised – make a to do list, keep track of due dates and long term reminders, manage interruptions and work on one task at a time are some ways to help get your organised. Being overwhelmed by a lack of time, space or energy won’t allow you to set goals. Breaking the process down and being organised at every step will see you setting goals in next to no time.
  4. Keep meetings to the set time – schedule meetings for a set time, ensure the meetings start on time and don’t go over the time allocated 
  5. Manage your inbox – email is essential for businesses but managing your inbox can be hugely time consuming.  It is important to think about how you organize, reply to and even think about your emails. Some tips include setting a time frame on how long you spend on email every day, act upon an email with a response, save it or delete it, prioritise/use folders for emails, have a separate account for personal and work email and unsubscribe from excess email subscriptions. Email is a fantastic tool when managed well but does take some work to get them under control
  6. Manage time on mobile phone –The use of smartphones is on the rise and this means we can now use our phones for a lot more than calls and text messages. We can now check emails, use the internet, open documents, work on different software etc. On the plus their usage can help increase your productivity, you are accessible 24/7, you never miss emails, messages or updates. The downside of this is the risk of burnout and constant distraction. It’s important to manage the time spent on them and not be completely dependent on it.
  7. Stamp out stress – stress has many causes including long hours, heavy workload, job insecurity and work conflicts. If stress is excessive and going on for some time it can lead to physical and mental ill health. Learn about methods to prevent and reduce your  job stress
  8. Go paperless - Get things done efficiently (and save the environment) by going paperless in 2012. Going paperless can save money, reduce clutter, save space, keep your data safe and allow documentation and information sharing. Just ensure you back up the information and documents!
  9. Be productive while working on your PC – are your systems out of date, slow or problematic – improve your PC systems to increase your productivity. Upgrading your systems (when required) enhances security and helps increase productivity and decrease costs
  10. Have fun - finally, all the above mentioned tips are meant to make you productive enough to take time out now and then, and enjoy time away from your desk.  Getting to know your team/colleagues and enjoying social events with them can help to make people more motivated. And what better way than the upcoming Christmas parties...Have fun!
Is this something that could be an issue at your place? Inspire Success is all about implementing practical solutions that help create high performing workplaces which are customer focussed and free of conflict - no matter what size your business is. Contact Rae Phillips at Inspire Success for further information raephillips@inspire-success.com

End of Year, tips for a productive and less stressful 2012

Kate Cahill - Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Are your employees happy.....

As 2011 comes to an end it is good for everyone to look back on the year that was. As a business owner it is very important to learn from the good times during the year, the accomplishments, the growth but also to look at any difficulties and challenges faced in the last 12 months and learn from them. A critical thing to monitor and be involved in is your organisation culture and to have a think about the general “feel” within your organisation as the year ends. As we have discussed in recent newsletters a happy workforce is a productive workforce. The surveys recently completed by fivefootfour and redballoon provide interesting reading on the happiness or unhappiness of Australian employees currently.

According to the fivefootfour survey the Australian workforce is largely unhappy. The report on the Australian workforce released by fivefootfour revealed some interesting results and certainly some food for thought. They wanted to look at how happy Australian employees are in work and the key things that motivate them.

The top 5 findings were:

  1. Only 54% of Australian workers are happy at work, 25% feel depressed most of the day once a week.
  2. 60% of the Australian workforce is bored.
  3. The three big issues behind workforce unhappiness are flexibility, creativity and the misrepresentation of Gen Y.
  4. 35% of Gen Y's will be looking for a new job in the next 12 months.
  5. The ideal workplace composition consists of a mix of employees motivated by the following 7 drivers:

*Flexibility and balance (27%).
*Knowledge for growth (23%).
*Ambition to progress (16%).
*Creativity and freedom (16%).
*Mentoring and learning (11%).
*Variety and momentum (4%).
*Collaboration and interaction (4%).

Workplaces stressors such as lack of work life balance and a lack of job satisfaction are taking a toll on the health and well being of Australian workers. The report also found that 25% of Australians feel ‘blue’ or depressed most of the day once a week and 49% once or twice a month; 60% of the Australian workforce is bored in their current job; and that creative thinkers are jumping ship.

Trudi Sampola, co-founder of fivefootfour, commented:- “Australian businesses need to get more flexible and start recognising the importance of understanding their employees’ values and motivations on an individual level,” says Trudi. While a flexible and engaging workplace is a priority for many employees, 78% of Australian workers want a job that allows them to think creatively.“Businesses that identify the creative thinkers within the team, and give them the opportunity to integrate this value into their role, will reap the rewards,” says Trudi. 35% of Gen Ys (who make up 23% of the Australian workforce) in the survey said that they are likely to look for a new job in the New Year.

Trudi points out the German workforce have more worklife balance and flexibility and as a result are more productive in her comments -“Germans are very clearly output focused versus placing a currency on the number of hours spent in the workplace. Australia needs to change the workplace game, less emphasis on clocking up the hours and more emphasis on getting the job done,” says Trudi.

The Insync Surveys (http://www.insyncsurveys.com.au ) and RedBalloon 2011 Dream Employers Survey (http://www.redballoon.com.au/corporate/articles/google-wins-again) attracted over 7100 responses from the general public. According to the results from this survey the top three drivers that make a Dream Employer in 2011 are:

  • pay, benefits and conditions (38 per cent) - up 11 percentage points from sixth position in 2010
  • work-life balance (37 per cent) - up nine percentage points from third position in 2010
  • culture (36 per cent) - down three percentage points from second position in 2010

This is a shift from last year when the top motivation was brand or company reputation, dropping from 41 per cent in 2010 to 27 per cent this year.

Is this something that could be an issue at your place? Inspire Success is all about implementing practical solutions that help create high performing workplaces which are customer focussed and free of conflict - no matter what size your business is. Contact Rae Phillips at Inspire Success for further information raephillips@inspire-success.com

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