14 Mar 2008 02:10:56 | Lorraine Pirihi
Why are people changing jobs so quickly these days? Here are a
few reasons why:
They have a boring job therefore they feel they are not
achieving anything. They have no leader to follow. They feel
unappreciated. They work long hours and want a life. They are
not paid what they are worth. The above reasons are not taken
from any figures or facts stated in publications and general
media. This is what the people themselves tell me. They are the
words from the coal face, real people…managers, personal
assistants, administrative staff, sales people; regular
run-of-the mill people.
It doesn't take much to retain valuable people and one of the
easiest ways is to offer flexibility.
Where is the Family Friendly Workplace?
One of my clients - John - who is a manager in a large
organisation - was telling me that his wife Mary, an accountant
recently changed jobs, from working part-time in a suburban
practice to full-time in the city. She did this as a career move
as she couldn't find stimulating work part-time in suburbia.
(I'm sure many women can relate to that).
Having two children - 7 and 4, she leaves for work when they're
still asleep in the morning and arrives home around 6.30 p.m. at
night.
Luckily her husband works locally and can handle the morning
care and has his in-laws do the afternoon care. His wife is
already feeling stressed, tired and guilty because she cannot be
around for her kids.
How easy would it be for an employer to offer more flexibility
say 3 days a week start at 10.00 a.m., 3 afternoons finish at
4.00 p.m. Mary wouldn't mind a cut in her pay packet - she just
wants to balance her life.
At this rate, Mary will not remain too long with her current
employer as she will find the long hours will take their toll.
It's even harder for the single parents. Not to mention the
long-term effect it has on the person and their kids. A grumpy,
tired and stressed person doesn't make for a good productive
employee or parent.
Think Laterally
Why isn't there more flexibility in the workplace? Just because
people 'start' at 9.00 a.m. and 'finish' at 5.00 p.m. (I know
some of you work longer hours), doesn't mean people actually
'work'.
In fact 80% of the day is generally non-productive. To find out
exactly where your time goes, fill in a timesheet for one week
(email us and we'll send you one of ours). Record what you have
done for a full working week and you will be amazed where you
spend your time. In most instances you will find your time is
taken up by various interruptions, many of which can be
avoided,non-productive meetings, and activities which generally
are a waste of time.
If you're one of those people who have difficulty saying 'no' to
people you will definitely have major issues managing your
workload.
Working in a noisy open plan office will also decrease your
productivity.
My Former Life
Many years ago I had a stint working as a postie, starting work
at 6.00 a.m. each day. It was a great job. In fact it was the
longest 'job' I had held - 3 years. I left when I was 6 months
pregnant with my first child.
As a postie, the quicker you worked, the sooner you went home.
As soon as the mail was sorted you would go out on your round,
do the deliveries come back and go home. Now that was an
incentive to work as quickly as possible.
In the '9 - 5' workplace you have to be present and yet there's
no incentive to actually work as quickly or productively as you
can.
Solutions For The Employee
If work is getting too much for you to handle and the hours are
getting you down, speak to someone who'll listen, offer some
realistic solutions. Do you need to learn how to get organised?
Do you require assistance with the workload? Do you need to
learn different skills for your role? There's no harm in asking.
If they won't listen it's up to you to choose what action you
will take… whether to stay or go.
Solutions For The Employer
Ask your people how they really feel and work out a solution.
Just because they haven't told you about their concerns doesn't
mean that everything's fine. If you have people who consistently
work long hours then you will definitely have a major problem.
You want your people to be 'on the ball', alive and energised so
they are valuable to your organisation. If they do not achieve a
reasonable balance between their work and home life then at some
stage they will break down. They may take extra time off work
due to the pressures they are constantly under or eventually
leave.
The Final Word
Don't turn a blind eye. Get proactive with your people.
Communicate regularly with them, find out how they are managing,
listen to what they have to say and where required take action.
To retain your valuable employees you have to work at it,
otherwise you run the risk of not only losing them but all that
time and money you've invested in them.
About Author :
Lorraine Pirihi, principal of The Office Organiser is
Australia's Personal Productivity Specialist. She is also a
Business and Life Coach.
