With redundancies being felt across the country, employers are being warned to focus their attention on the their remaining staff to avoid creating an ‘aggressive’ workplace culture.
A report released by Human Synergistics of over 1,700 businesses across Australia and New Zealand has found that the majority of businesses are suffering from an aggressive, blame-ridden culture, where employees and managers are competitive and power driven.
“When organisations cut staff, they tend to place a lot of emphasis on those leaving, but to ensure the people left behind remain productive it is essential for leaders to focus on culture and prioritise ways to inspire and motive remaining staff,” explained Quentin Jones, managing director of culture consultancy, Human Synergistics International.
In a post-redundancy aftermath, employees are searching for motivation, inspiration and assurance that they are valued from their boss.
Human Synergistics have provided the following tips to employers to maintain a supportive post-redundancy culture:
1. Be honest about the situation, you don’t know the future
2. Be accessible – open door policy is a must, walk the corridors – employees need to voice their concerns and feelings in order to deal with them.
3. Be empathetic – acknowledge the loss and how people might be feeling.
4. Focus on the big picture, purpose and remind people about core values
5. Keep language positive and action driven.
6. Reset goals and share them amongst the organisation – maintain a long term focus.
7. Make sure the focus is on ‘working together’ – this will ensure motivation levels are maintained.
8. Show that you are responding effectively to the current situation – staff will be more forgiving if they know redundancies were the last resort.
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