Tuesday, March 26, 2013

(a mental) Hup, One, Two, Three…


In our last article we focused on how to help maintain a physically healthy workforce and workplace. Now we're going to look at both from the mental point of view. In other words, how can we help to keep and develop a mentally healthy workforce?

This is a much more difficult area to deal with, partly because the signs of mental distress are more subtle than their physical counterparts, and partly because most of us are unwilling to admit that we or a close colleague are having difficulty in coping.

Incidentally, in this blog we are looking mainly at the problems that develop, or which are first observed, in the workplace. Most of us have 'baggage' of some sort that we bring to work, but in most cases we have found ways in which to absorb that baggage and deal with it in a healthy way. That sort of issue does not usually show itself in the workplace unless, of course, it is triggered by other things such as tiredness, work stress, bullying or harassment and so on. Nor shall we be looking at those people who have psychological or psychiatric conditions. These should have been identified at interview, when appropriate arrangements should have been considered to help them, if appropriate, during their employment.

So let's start with the expression 'mental fitness'. What does it mean? There are probably as many answers as there are workers, because we each have our idea of what makes us happy, or satisfied, or motivated.

Perhaps a better question is 'what does it mean to be mentally unfit?' If we see a colleague who is always snapping at people, or who seems constantly listless and unmotivated, or who takes frequent unscheduled breaks from work, we would suspect that something is wrong, and that the worker's attitude is not conducive to good working relations, or productivity, or even staff retention.

So a person who is seen as 'mentally unfit' might be so stressed by work, or co-workers, or outside factors that are unresolved, that it impacts negatively on their ability to fulfil their employer's reasonable expectations of them. These might include, for example, meeting targets, or amount of time spent working, attending training courses, flexibility in taking on different jobs, etc.

And all this can be true of a manager, even a senior one, just as much as of a junior employee.

As always, there are responsibilities on both employers and employees in trying to achieve a healthy workplace – not forgetting, of course, the increasing expectation through legislation and the courts that employers are the ones to shoulder much of the responsibility and cost of putting effective measures in place, and they are the ones with most to lose financially if things go wrong.

So here are some suggestions, starting with the workers, that may be helpful – as before, these are in no particular order:

  • Your main concern must be for your own mental welfare. After all, if you are not functioning properly, how can you be sensitive to how others are coping, and how are you going to help them?
  • Your holiday entitlement is given to you for a very good reason, so make sure you use it. A survey carried out by CareerOne in August 2011 revealed that some 88% of workers (across all industries) worked more than their scheduled hours during the first 6 months of the year and, with the skills gap increasing, that figure may now be higher. We all need to work outside our agreed hours from time to time, but even if you get paid for overtime, make sure you are not working to the point of overtiredness. If you're too tired, your judgement starts to become faulty, leading to poor decision-making, irascibility and lack of creative insight. And if you are involved with machinery, you can become dangerous!
  • Don't be afraid to talk to someone if you feel that you're not coping. There is no shame in admitting to feeling out of your depth, or overworked, or stressed. After all, if you broke a leg at work, you wouldn't try to hide it, would you? Things that happen to us, or affect us, mentally, are no different in that they simply reflect that a part of our body needs some help to perform better.

  • So you can try talking to a friend, or colleague with whom you get on, or a line manager. You may well eventually be referred to HR, where there should be staff trained to deal with this type of issue and who will have access to programmes or techniques that can help.


  • Remember, if you are good at your work, the business will want to retain you, and they will be just as interested in promoting a good outcome for you as you are.


  • Unless there are problems of a developing mental illness or some other chronic problem, there should be no impact, long term, as far as your job and promotion prospects are concerned. Indeed, if there were these could be regarded as discriminatory and potentially illegal.


  • Make sure that you have a life outside work. There is much pressure and competition in the workplace, and this sometimes encourages people to focus too much on work matters and promotion, even to the exclusion of friends and family. This is wrong. Work should provide you with stimulation and security, along with the money you need to develop your home, your family, your interests and so on. One day you will retire from work, and the people and interests you have maintained outside of your career will be more important than ever to you.

For employers, the position is in many ways quite different. The legal and administrative burdens associated with employment are heavy, and increasing, and so often an employer can only deal with any stress or other mental issues after the problem has arisen, because they simply won't know that there is a problem until someone says something.

Fortunately, there some good and well-established things that can be done, both to help the worker who develops a problem and to help the employer in dealing sensitively and correctly when the time comes:

  • Where possible, and where appropriate, staff involved in HR and those who are in charge of groups of people (project managers, team leaders, and so on) should be given some degree of training regarding how to deal with mental health issues in the workplace.

  • Anyone attending training will need to attend refresher courses every one to two years. Health in the workplace is not a static issue, and new guidelines and legislation are always in the pipeline, so businesses need to be able to best protect themselves and their workers.
  • Your books of instruction and guidance manuals should make all workers aware that the business treats mental health issues seriously, that it will do all it reasonably can to support workers who run into problems and should set out a 'pathway' which workers can follow to seek assistance.

Indeed, it may be worth considering including some form of statement of intent, along the lines of the Mindful Employment Charter proposed by Sane Australia. Although this is a purely voluntary arrangement, it does demonstrate that an employer is taking the subject seriously and is keen to look after its workforce.

  • As part of the training requirement mentioned above, managers etc. should receive guidance on how to deal with interviews that take place regarding mental health issues. These need to be sensitive to the individual, of course, but some real skill is needed by the interviewer in trying to get an understanding of the worker's problem/s without seeming to be too intrusive or hectoring. Good communication is needed, here, to help discover the correct way forward – and to protect the business in case of any legal backlash.
  • Encourage workers to take their holidays! For example, at the start of the business year, consider getting your workforce to specify first/second/third choice dates for their main holiday, and then discuss these at a meeting (this can be done by section, or department) when all the affected workers can discuss this with the group leader. The business shows that it cares enough to make the workers take their entitlement, and all the different dates can be properly synchronised so that the business operation is not unduly affected.
  • Encourage line managers and supervisors to look out for the warning signs, perhaps by talking to each of the workers in an open, friendly, way and by being aware of the 'mood' of the workplace. These health issues always have a starting point, and the earlier it is identified the more successful an outcome you are likely to achieve.
  • Don't forget that proper, detailed, reporting (in writing) of the whole process is essential. As far as possible this should be open reporting, so that the worker gets to see and agree copies. The report should cover, but necessarily be limited to, a statement of the problem, the subsequent discussion leading to an agreed definition of the problem, identification of any other factors which may be relevant (such as bullying, too much work, and so on) and an agreed statement of the way forward. This could include, perhaps, re-training, counselling, the seeking of medical advice, use of an Employment Assistance Program or, of course, the invoking of disciplinary procedures. Again, everything must go in writing, and the employee must receive two copies, one of which is to be signed and returned to the interviewer. It is always best to assume that matters such as this will proceed to court even though, in reality, only a minority of cases do.

According to ComCare (November 2012), the average cost to an employer of an employee taking leave due to stress is about $250,000. If (as discussed in the previous article) some 45% of the workforce will develop some form of mental illness, the potential cost to a business having, say, 1000 employees is, on current figures, $112,500,000. And that figure does not allow for inflation, and assumes that each employee has only one bout of illness! This means that there's an excellent business case for the relatively small investment in your employees' well-being

If you are the victim, of course, it's even worse. You will have to cope with the disruption to your life and work, and the measures necessary to get you back on your feet, and your family and friends will have to cope with you! This means that there's also an excellent case for the relatively small investment in your own well-being, as well.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Hup, One, Two, Three...


Question: how fit are you?

Answer: probably a lot less than you think you are – but, there are things that can be done which are fairly painless and can help you a lot.

We all know that current lifestyles encourage us to be lazy in many ways. We sit down to do our jobs, we shop online, we listen to music or watch movies, we love to go out to restaurants and bars. In fact, too many of us spend too much of our time doing just one thing – sitting.

And, some years down the line, we see our doctor about something and find out that our blood sugars are too high (diabetes), or we can't sit comfortably on ordinary chairs (too fat), or we're coming down with one of the various depression-related conditions. And that's if we're lucky. Because if we're not, we have a heart attack or stroke and our lives really go pear-shaped.

So being 'fit' is not just about the number of press-ups you can do, but is also about being mentally fit and it is only if you are both mentally and physically fit that you are able to give 100% to your work, and that is something that should concern an employer just as much as an employee.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), about 60% of workers do not manage to attain the recommended 30 minutes per day of moderate physical exercise. In fact, in every single occupation group that was measured, more than half of the workforce failed to meet this guideline. And in the National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, carried out in 2007, the ABS found that 45% of Australians (adults from 16 to 85 years of age) have had, or will have, some form of mental illness.

That means that, statistically speaking, 27% - about one in four – of the workforce has, or will have, both mental and physical problems at some point during their working life. Potentially that represents a huge cost (and not just in money) to employers, and perhaps the time has come when employers should be thinking about how they can help workers achieve not just work targets but also life targets. In that way, an employee stands a better chance of not only surviving employment but also being better equipped to deal with the pressures and changes that arise. They may also be able to make a much better contribution to their work, both in the form of the physical energy that better physical health will give them, and the motivation and creativity that so often comes out of a better state of mental health.

To stick with the employers for the moment, it is difficult to say with any certainty what legal responsibility employers have for their employees' health. Whilst there is a general duty of care for the health and general well-being of staff, with specific reference to safety in the workplace issues, for example, (physical health), and the anti-bullying and anti-discrimination provisions (mental health) there is as yet nothing to require an employer to take any further general steps to help employees with their health requirements.

This area will, no doubt, develop as legislation and the courts become involved, but there are very good non-legal reasons for which employers should become proactive, not least the ones mentioned above. All employers want their workers to be more productive. Indeed, many employees will want this as well, especially those working on targets and looking at bonuses. So here, in no particular order, are some suggestions as to how to improve staff satisfaction and productivity, and the company's bottom line:

Is it possible, in the case of workers who spend time at a desk, to encourage them to move around a bit more?
  • For instance, introduce a 'no food on the desk' policy, so that workers have to go to another area to eat, and are unable to work through lunch.
  • Depending on your type of business, you may consider removing fixed telephones from the desk, so that workers have to use mobiles, and encourage them to walk around whilst using them. (This may not be possible in offices where staff spend a lot of time on the phone, and would require computer access while talking.)
  • You could have a fridge in the kitchen/staff room, to encourage people to bring in their own food rather than purchase fast food.
  • You could set up a games area, so that staff can enjoy activity games such as those played on a Wii or Xbox while they are having a break.
  • You could also consider offering subsidised gym memberships, and staff activity days out as incentives for targets achieved.
And here are some ideas for those in the workforce:
  • After you've had your lunch or other meal, try to get away from wherever you're working and walk for 5 or 10 minutes. This will raise your metabolism and your mental alertness.
  • Make sure that, if your employer offers you 'healthy' facilities, you take full advantage of these. An employer may have some responsibility for providing a healthy workplace, but workers also have a responsibility to use the facilities offered.
  • If your work involves significant periods in front of a monitor, make sure that you get a break every hour or so away from the screen. Otherwise, you may well find that you get headaches and/or eyestrain, and will quite likely get some postural problems as well. Also, do think about your seating and hand positions – you don't want to get RSI or back problems, and both can be quite easily avoided with appropriate chairs or wrist supports.
  • If you can, try cycling to work. It's good for the environment, you avoid the traffic queues and you get to work feeling good about the day. And when you're going home, it's a good way to get rid of the stress of the day, so it's good for the family as well!

Of course, all the above is about physical health and there's no doubt that, if physical health can be improved, then mental health issues are likely to be less of a problem.

On the other hand, to ignore the problems of stress, depression, burn-out, etc., is to encourage potentially significant problems in the workplace, and these can affect other workers as well, which will inevitably impact upon targets and output. We will have a look at this area in our next article.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Communication - or is it?


“Communication” is a much-used word, and a very important one at that, one which we all use frequently and, perhaps, have pride in ourselves for our ability to achieve.

Governments 'communicate' their message to us, people send each other 'communications', we use 'telecommunications' to talk to each other on the telephone, or send emails and texts, we 'communicate' with our inner selves to better understand and project ourselves to others – we do so many things that involve the word 'communicate' (and its derivatives) that we surely all have a pretty good idea of what the process entails.

But perhaps we are kidding ourselves.

Well, firstly, let us look at the word itself. “Communicate” comes from a derivative of the Latin word “communicare” and means to share out or divide, communicate or impart, all sharing the quality of “making common”.

So we already have a problem – you cannot communicate 'to', you can only communicate 'with', because only the latter enables you to share information or opinions with someone else.

So what, you might ask?

Well, almost every aspect of our daily lives involves talking – on the phone, in person, via computer, and so on – or sharing information, such as text, images or video footage, and there is little point in our having all these interactions with other people if what we are trying to convey is different from what these other people are seeing and hearing. We might as well be talking in different languages to each other (actually, we are, in effect) because it is only if A has correctly interpreted what B has said that A can respond in a way that is relevant and actually advances the course of the conversation.

Of course, in day to day life it doesn't really matter if confusions or ambiguities arise out of a chat about the weather, or the film you watched. But it really does matter in a business context, where clarity is essential to (for example) the making of a legal contract, or dealing with a disciplinary issue, or perhaps helping a co-worker in an emotional situation.

Here are some suggestions, in no particular, order, as to what we can all try to do. It's not an exhaustive list, and if you have some different, or better, ideas of your own, that's excellent – at least we'll all be thinking about the subject, and that can only benefit us all:

  • Have a clear idea, in your own mind, of what you want to say, and how to say it, before the mouth opens! If the message starts out as garbled, it's not going to get any better on its way to the other person.

  • You may feel impassioned about a particular matter but, even if it is your passion about something that you want to convey to someone else, keep it under control and retain the discipline to get across the key points of the message.

  • In a formal setting, such as a staff appraisal, or a disciplinary meeting, there are a number of things to consider:

  • make an agenda of all the important points you want to raise before the meeting, and stick to that agenda no matter what. Tell the other person what these points are, so that there is no surprise in store for them during the meeting and they have the chance to consider their response.

  • during the meeting, these points should be presented in a succinct way, but always in a manner that is seen as open and unthreatening, and which invites thoughtful and positive response.

  • don't get side-tracked. If issues are raised which need thought or comment, that's fine but if they are not directly relevant to the matter in hand, they should be deferred until a separate meeting.

  • think about the language you are using. If you are senior to the person to whom you're talking, they may feel reluctant to ask for clarification or expansion of any points you are trying to make. Of course they won't tell you, so you'll be having a conversation but without full comprehension taking place. In other words, there will be no communication. A position of authority may not be the only stumbling block to communication. If you and the other person don't have the same language as your first language, or if the educational background of one person is inferior to that of the other person, there are many ways in which problems can arise, so (if necessary) ensure that your words and your concepts are expressed simply, and clearly, and if necessary have a translator with you.

  • try not to talk in a monotone! If you can vary your speech patterns (louder and softer, for example, or slower and faster) there is more chance that your listener will stay interested and want to be a part of the conversation.

  • listen, listen, listen! Remember, you have two ears and just one mouth, but you will only learn anything through the ears. Your point of view may not be the only one, or even the right one and, especially when dealing with a sensitive issue, you need to hear what the other person has to say – and to make sure that they know that you are hearing them.

  • be aware of your body language. This will reveal more than you think, and you don't want to look as if you are bored, or in a hurry to do something else (even if you are)!

  • If possible, try to be on the same (physical) level as the person with whom you're talking. Otherwise, the conversation can look or feel like bullying, and is always an obstacle to an open, candid, exchange of views.

  • In a disciplinary situation, it can be very tempting to open with conversation with something like “ Mr X tells me that you've made an inappropriate comment to your team” or “Ms Y says that you always try to undermine her authority”.

Make sure you resist the temptation to put the conversation on an accusatory or aggressive footing, as the person you're talking to will just feel got at, and will retaliate in some way, or will just close up into their shell. Neither are helpful responses, and your behaviour could be regarded as hostile should matters proceed toward a formal claim of some sort.

Instead, you could try an approach along the lines of “Look, it's been suggested to me that there may have been a problem with your team meeting yesterday/ your interactions with Ms Y. I don't know anything about this, so why don't you tell me how you see the situation, and if there's anything I can do to help”. This may encourage the person to open up to you, and this will pave the way to a resolution of the problem. After all, just because you get a complaint about someone, it doesn't mean the complaint is valid, and disaffected persons can just as easily turn into aggressors as victims.

It is probably appropriate to say, at this stage, that whatever communications arise in the workplace, and particularly when these arise as the result of meetings of any sort (appraisal, disciplinary, board, planning, etc.) they should always be recorded in writing and, generally, copies should be circulated to each of the participants for them to sign and return as acknowledgement that what is claimed as taking place actually did take place, that all relevant points have been accurately documented, and that a diary is set up for any follow-ups that may be needed. And all this should be in plain English, translated if necessary into the recipient's native tongue.

Finally, perhaps we could all learn a lesson from the service industries, against which the single biggest source of complaint, year after year, is lack of communication. That doesn't just mean a lack of letters or emails (although that is infuriating enough), it also means that the organisation doesn't listen to what is being said to them, ignores or only deals with a part of the question or problem, or responds in a language that the recipient doesn't understand. And the funny thing is that it takes so much less time to deal with the matter correctly in the first place!

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Why Internal Recruiters and External Recruiters Clash

Or why can't we all just get along?!?!?!

Firstly I think I need to let you know that I have only ever worked on the external side of this clash. But many of my friends and also our Operations Manager, David Styles, either are or have been internal recruiters in the past.

That out of the way, today I want to talk to you about what I see as an increasing level of hostility and frustration between internal and external recruiters. Why is this the case, and what can we do to make things better? And how do we get to a place where both sides can see each other's worth?

I have been doing this job for over 10 years now, for both big and small companies. And right now the level of hostility between internal and external recruiters appears, to me, to be at an all time high. This is manifesting itself in outcomes that are good for no one: people not getting jobs, jobs staying unfilled, aggressive communications from both sides and dubious behaviour - again from both sides.

There are a couple of reasons why I believe this to be the case. The biggest of these, I feel, surrounds the perception that internal recruiters have of external recruiters. This perception bleeds in to all dealing with externals and sits at the base of many of the issues externals have with internal recruiters. But what is this perception, and where does it come from?

External recruitment is a sales job, and it shares many of the same employment issues that plague other sales jobs. Financial targets, KPIs, and performance bonuses that can lead to a high pressure environment that many (I would even say most) simply cannot stand. Add in to this the often perceived power differential between the client company and the agency and you end up with a high turnover industry which quite often leaves a toxic taste in the mouth of people that don't gel with it.

Now have a look at the background of many, if not the majority, of internal recruiters. Notice the trend there? Many many internal recruiters have come from an external background. This background colours their impression of external recruiters right from the word go. Now I will admit that sometimes it does happen but, really, how often do people change their careers if they enjoy what they do? So now we have a new internal recruiter with an external background that, at best, has left them with an ambivalent attitude and, at worst, an outright hostile attitude towards external recruiters.

Now let's look at why a company hires external recruiters to do their internal work. The first reason is recruitment is expensive, in both time and money and, on paper, bringing in an experienced external recruiter to remove agency fees and to manage the recruitment process makes great sense. Why wouldn't you pay a couple of hundred thousand in salaries for internal recruiters, if last year your agency spend was multiple millions? But talk about massive expectations! To justify your existence you have to find people - just like an external recruiter, but for only one client! Not only that, but every time you do have to use an external recruiter you will be holding your hand up and saying you failed on that one. Ouch!

So that brings us to the basis of where we are today. Internal recruiters with a poor opinion of the recruitment industry are having to deal with the very people they were meant to replace, but are unable to do so. It's no wonder it starts bad and from there it just gets worse.

Given the starting point of the relationship between internal and external recruiters, the interactions between the two rapidly deteriorate. External recruiters quickly develop a poor impression of their internal counterparts which is seen purely from their own vantage point. Where an internal may be doing their job well they can be leaving an external recruiter with the impression that they are blocking for the sake of blocking, are more interested in the process than the result, and many many other complaints. When these frustrations kick in external recruiters start behaving in ways that simply make internal's impressions even worse, such as contacting line managers directly or deliberately trying to cut the internal recruiter out.

So how do we get past this? And, while I know there are bound to be other options, my thoughts follow.

The first step is to acknowledge that both roles have their place in the world and to acknowledge that neither internal nor external recruiters represent a singular solution to a company's recruitment challenges. In the same way that no external recruitment consultant can fill every role a company has, no internal recruiter can either. This means that an internal recruiter needs to be able to utilise external recruiters without it being seen as a failure. This needs to be built in to the understanding a company has of what an internal recruiter can and can not do. Expecting to replace a multi-million dollar spend with a significantly lower salary cost should raise alarm bells straight away.

Once a company has a realistic expectation of what an internal recruiter can do for them, the next stage is to actively work with external recruiters to build a mutual understanding of what each party needs. External recruiters are not there to replace your internal recruiters. They are there to complement them. Build up relationships with external recruiters through open communication and you will have the best of both worlds - someone to minimise your recruitment spend, as well as a backup net to source those people who are just too hard to consistently find directly.

External recruiters, you need to realise that there is a place for internal recruiters and they aren't there just to make your life hard. Build a relationship with your internal counterparts and they can become some of your best clients. Try to put yourself in their shoes and understand how your actions can be impacting on them and, in turn, making their lives difficult. Once you have an internal recruiter on side you will have a powerful advocate in that company.

Finally, life is too short to give ourselves heartburn by setting ourselves up in conflict with either our clients or potential suppliers. Everyone needs to take a deep breath, accept that the other exists, and then look at a way in which to work with the other. In the end, while recruitment is what both sides do, the jobs we do are different and internal and external recruiters should be complementing each other and not trying to destroy the other.