Episode 28: With Barbara Clifford, on how your work environment is harming your employees

I have spoken often about how disengagement is one of the biggest and understated risks to an organisation. Many executives’ associate disengagement with productivity and don’t consider the risk exposure. When employees are disengaged, they are at best satisfied with the bare minimum level of productivity and focus. Which is why statistic shared from Gallup’s recent State of the Global Workplace: 2022 Report, that 83% of workers in Australia are not engaged or are actively disengaged, is incredibly concerning. This is an increase from 80% in 2021. So, disengagement continues to be one of our greatest risks today, though it is not being addressed as the risk it needs to be.

So, to help me discuss disengagement and how so many workplace environments are harming their people, I am excited to have Barbara Clifford, the co-founder of The Hinwood Institute join me. This is a topic both Barbara and I are both passionate about.

At The Hinwood Institute, Barbara is the lead trainer and coach in Time Management, and she is a recognised leader in Stress Management. She is a highly experienced coach, speaker, columnist, facilitator, and accredited mediator.

Barbara works closely with busy business leaders to support and equip them with tools to make courageous decisions in pressure situations for the long-term benefit of their business, team, and their own personal wellbeing. Giving them a sense of order; taking them from Chaos to Calm and transforming their stress into a source of strength.

Within this episode, Barbara and I have a candid discussion on importance of addressing dysfunctional and toxic work environment and the growing risk associated to disengagement, which is a quiet and understated risk within Australian businesses and governments today.

Some of the points we touched on include:

• Stressed employees who are working from home, challenged by pressure and expectations.
• Why productivity dropped with working from home, even when employees were working hard… bust some those myths around performance.
• Setting employees up for failure in terms of the infrastructure or support, or tools or resources that are there to deliver.
• When incompetency is not as it seems, employees unfairly being left in the cold.
• The importance of feeling appreciated.
• Adopting a position of curiosity, not judgement.
• The balance between efficiency and effectiveness.
• Understanding if there is really a time management issue, or actually a lack of understanding by the business management.
• The need for managers to be able to adapt and flex styles to the needs of the environment… through COVID, and now as we enter this new phase of returning to the office.
• Not devaluing mistakes or errors.

 

If you are ready to look at disengagement through a different lens, then reach out to the Unearth Team (unearth.com.au). Addressing disengagement is one of the biggest opportunities for business and government today, so don’t miss this opportunity or the rewards.