When organisations are faced with crippling, complex and seemingly unsolvable culture challenges, they often put sole responsibility on the HR team to ‘fix’ the problem. But this rarely works because you can’t outsource culture to a single function in the business – it needs to be deeply embedded into all of your business practices.HR practitioners aren’t the keepers of culture – they are the culture leaders and enablers. They set the scene and provide leaders and managers with the tools they’ll need to help their teams live out the organisational values in an authentic and impactful way.

In this episode of Let’s Take This Offline, Siobhan McHale, Executive General Manager of People, Culture and Change at Dulux and speaker at this year’s AHRI National Convention and Exhibition, offers a range of practical frameworks to help HR practitioners reframe their role from ‘business partner’ to ‘business leader’ and offers advice to help HR have a greater impact at an executive level when it comes to driving culture transformation projects.

Skip to the section that interests you most:

• 5:37 minutes: How to get buy-in for culture change without having to take ownership of it
• 8:00 minutes: McHale explains the difference between a culture disruptor and a culture leader.
• 15:15 minutes: Tips to help identify patterns in your culture.
• 20:17 minutes: Advice on how to look at culture from a commercial perspective.
• 30:00 minutes: The difference between emotional intelligence and group intelligence.
• 35:33 minutes: How to get change resistant people over the line.
• 40:55 minutes: McHale responds to a made-up scenario about a CEO whose too focussed on short-term results to focus on long-term culture impacts.

Check out the episode transcript here.

Extra resources:

For more conversations to inspire HR, listen to season one of Let’s Take This Offline here.

If you’d like further information and resources to help put McHale’s insights into action, check out the links below:

Learning opportunities

• Sign up to AHRI’s National Convention and Exhibition⁠ in Melbourne on 20-22 August to hear more from Siobhan McHale.

Further reading

• Learn more about Siobhan’s books here.
• Read this article where Siobhan shares more details about how to become a culture transformer.

Member-exclusive content

• AHRI members can Join the ⁠AHRI LinkedIn Lounge⁠ to connect with your peers and for access to a member-exclusive bonus episode.

Connect with us

• ⁠Connect with AHRI on LinkedIn⁠.
• ⁠Connect with Beth Hall CPHR on LinkedIn⁠
• Connect with Siobhan McHale on LinkedIn.
• Visit Siobhan’s website.

Subscribe so you never miss an episode. You can follow the podcast on Spotify, Soundcloud or Apple Podcasts. AHRI members receive exclusive bonus content via the LinkedIn AHRI Lounge.

The post Podcast: How HR practitioners can become cultural leaders appeared first on HRM online.

The EOFY is the ideal time to review policies, procedures and employee record-keeping to ensure everything is up-to-date and accurate. In addition, there are likely to have been compliance, regulatory and employment law changes over the past 12 months, or which will roll out in the new financial year. These also need to be accounted for.

Now is the time to take stock about the year that has passed, review what’s been done well, and identify areas for improvement in the year ahead.

Our handy checklist touches on all areas within HR’s mandate, including:

• Payroll and superannuation obligations
• Employee contracts, entitlements and awards
• Employee files and records
• Recruitment and staffing
• Performance management and professional development
• General HR hygiene (workplace health & safety, employee discipline and termination, leave policy, expenses policy reviews)

With links to relevant government websites and handy tips, our EOFY checklist will ensure your business is in the best possible position to excel in FY25.

The post 2024 end of financial year HR checklist appeared first on HRM online.

Have you ever presented information to your peers and colleagues with confidence and then presented that exact same information to a group of senior stakeholders and felt completely out of your depth?

If so, you’re not alone. Feelings of Impostor syndrome or a sudden onset of self-doubt are incredibly common when engaging with executive and board-level leaders for the first time. Often, it’s the absence of executive presence that makes it more challenging.

“The more self-aware, comfortable and confident you are within yourself – when you’ve done some personal or professional development work and when you have a good [understanding of] how you add value – you’re more likely to have that grounded sense of confidence,” says Fiona Pearman, facilitator, coach, author and c0-founder of Quantum Impact Group, alongside Kate Boorer.

Executive presence means you’re less likely to get “hijacked by your nerves” when you find yourself in a situation where you need to demonstrate leadership and influence, she says.

Acquiring these skills takes time, but there are small things you can start doing today that will help you build these critical leadership behaviours over time. Pearman shares five key tips below.

1. Ask really good questions

People often underestimate the value in asking a really good question, says Pearman.

While she warns against over-preparing, Pearman suggests taking the time to understand the environment you’re entering – who’s in the room? How do they communicate? What are their end goals? – and then thinking about some of the questions you might ask to help move the group towards their end goal. 

This can be a great way to cement your presence as a considered, strategic and big-picture thinker. For example, if you’re with a team that is problem-solving, you might ask questions such as:

• What might we be missing here?
• Have we gathered sentiment from anyone who’s not in this room?
• If we asked someone to identify a flaw in our plan, what might they say?
• Are we able to clearly articulate the problem we’re trying to solve?

“The more we can resource ourselves to understand what the parameters are, the less likely we are to [experience] the derailers of executive presence, which are things like self-doubt, the nervous system going into fight, flight or freeze, or being worried that people are going to judge us if we say the wrong thing,” says Pearman.

2. Consider your communication style

As you’re working on developing your own communication style, Pearman suggests taking the time to notice how other executives hold themselves.

“Notice what they’re doing, but also what they’re not doing,” she says.

For example, they might avoid being the first to speak in a meeting, or perhaps they’re restrained when it comes to offering a solution to a problem and instead ask the right questions to help people get there on their own.

The way you communicate matters too, says Pearman.

“If you notice people with executive presence, one of the things you often hear is less is more.

“They don’t pad and they don’t fill. They’re actually pretty comfortable with silence. They’re not trying to people-please, and the absence of that gives them that gravitas and executive presence.”

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do the preparation work that you’re naturally inclined to do, you just don’t need to explain everything, she says. Let your confidence speak for itself and be prepared and available to go deeper should the situation call for it.

Read HRM’s article on how to make your communication more impactful.

3. Don’t feel you need to be the subject matter expert

Many people have an internal bias telling them they’ll look weak or incompetent if they have to ask questions or admit to not knowing something, says Pearman.

“What happens in our early career and leadership journey is that we often rely on our subject matter expertise. We rely on working really hard and knowing our stuff. Particularly for women, we keep thinking that another course or another degree will be the fastest track to executive presence, and yet it never is.”

This isn’t on the individuals, she adds. It’s the result of systemic, social pressures that often hold people back, especially women.

“We keep thinking that another course or another degree will be the fastest track to executive presence, and yet it never is.” – Fiona Pearman

But these challenges occur for all genders, she adds. Pearman has done a lot of coaching work with MBA students through Macquarie Business School and says it’s “phenomenal” how far-reaching these confidence issues are.

“These are all talented, high-potential leaders, and they were hoping their degree would be the ticket to the next stage, yet there was this whole piece around the way they were showing up with their executive presence that, for many of them, was undermining their ability to communicate, engage and inspire people.”

When Pearman works with clients, she has to do a lot of “course correction” to overcome this expertise-versus-presence challenge.

“It’s about getting people back in touch with that inquisitive, curious part of themselves. Being able to ask for help from a place of personal power is very different from tentatively asking questions nervously.”

A great example of this in action is seen in an article HRM published last week. Clare Murphy FCPHR, Executive Director Organisational Enablement at EACH, wrote about how she recently took on responsibility for the finance, IT infrastructure, quality and risk units in her organisation, as well as maintaining her former HR responsibilities.

Murphy noted that she wasn’t a subject matter expert, especially with IT, but she was able to utilise her well-honed HR leadership skills to her advantage.

“Not having an IT background can have its benefits, as I had to ask a lot of questions to understand what was needed, and that enabled a roadmap and communications strategy that has been translated into language everyone can understand and relate to,” she said.

“The most critical skills are the ability to listen, bring together different people and perspectives to work collaboratively together. My general approach is to put out what is proposed and ask people to tell me what’s wrong with it or what’s missing. If you listen to their responses, you can make better decisions.”

4. Have a meeting before the meeting

Executive presence can flow from appropriate consideration prior to an important meeting.

Say you’re presenting to the board and know they’re interested in seeing progress around your employee retention strategies, for example, but perhaps you’ve seen an increase in turnover or what you proposed last time isn’t quite working.

This might feel like a challenging thing to present back to the board, but, as AHRI’s National President and Chair Michael Rosmarin FCPHR said in a previous HRM article, the board is there to help you.

“It’s often a good idea to seek out the Chair and speak to them before the meeting and say, ‘I’ve got something challenging that I’d like us to discuss in the meeting.’ These meetings aren’t about just presenting your work for approval; they’re about getting input and feedback and often working through challenges together,” he said.

Pearman agrees that a “meeting before a meeting” can be a smart way to not only allay any personal nerves, but also get senior stakeholders on side, as you can learn about their priorities and communication styles and tailor your response to them.

“Learn who will be in the room and the dynamics that might be at play,” she says. “What sort of questions might you be asked?”

Read HRM’s guide to developing social capital in the workplace.

5. Develop commercial business acumen

There’s an expectation on leaders that they’ll be able to engage in a robust commercial discussion, says Pearman.

“If you have shied away from understanding a P&L or balance sheet, spreadsheets or financials, that is an area to expand your knowledge on, because even mid-level leadership roles are expected to have a good understanding of the financial implications of choices and decisions.”

This means even when you’re viewing a citation through a people lens, you’re talking about costs, she says.

“When we speak [executives’] language, when we speak into their budgets, into their constraints, into the challenges they have, then we’re solving a problem together. It’s not like HR are coming with their own view of the world. You’re coming into their world and figuring out how you can support them to be more effective in achieving their commercial goals.”

Want to learn more about effective leadership and management? Sign up for AHRI’s short course to understand your leadership style and learn how to create key performance indicators.

The post 5 tips for developing executive presence appeared first on HRM online.

I have encountered first-hand the reluctance within organisations to fully leverage the strategic value of HR professionals in boardroom deliberations. 

Despite the undeniable significance of human capital-related issues in shaping organisational success, the lack of HR expertise at the board level remains a prevalent challenge.

Korn Ferry’s 2019 findings revealed that a mere three per cent of Fortune 1000 board members have a background as senior HR executives. 

Global human capital expert and Professor of Practice at UNSW Dr Juliet Bourke, who will be speaking at AHRI’s National Convention and Exhibition in August, says the resistance towards appointing board directors with human capital backgrounds is often explained as the board needing ‘generalist’ rather than ‘specialist’ skillsets. She says that represents a misunderstanding about the breadth, complexity and strategic thinking chief people officers require.I agree with her. Here’s why.

How HR leaders can demonstrate board legitimacy   

In Australia, Generation Z (born 1995-2009) will comprise almost a third of the workforce (27 per cent) by 2025, according to Gartner. Baby Boomers (born 1946-64), who currently hold the lion’s share of senior executive positions, comprise a quarter of today’s workforce (25 per cent), but as they are reaching their retirement years, they will account for just eight per cent of the workforce by 2025. 

This represents not just a change in percentages, but a radical change in the human capital landscape, and it implies that a future-fit board must have currency in, and legitimacy with, the changing workforce.

One of the primary obstacles I see lies in a misunderstanding about what an HR professional does; their remit is certainly not confined to traditional personnel matters. This narrow and outdated perception disregards the strategic acumen and operational agility that HR leaders bring to the table, perpetuating misconceptions about their suitability for board roles. 

“HR professionals offer a nuanced understanding of organisational dynamics and human capital imperatives that is indispensable in guiding strategic decisions.” – Samantha Martin-Williams, Chair and Non-Executive Director

As a champion of contemporary, inclusive governance, I recognise the importance of challenging these entrenched perceptions and advocating for the transformative potential of HR expertise within the boardroom.

Organisational dynamics and external factors also contribute to the reluctance to fully embrace HR representation on boards. Traditional paradigms of corporate governance, dominated by individuals with finance and operational backgrounds, often overlook the critical expertise that HR brings to strategic decision-making. 

Despite the undeniable importance of human capital-related issues, some chairs persist in overlooking the invaluable insights that HR professionals offer, leading to missed opportunities for sustainable organisational relevance and overall success.

To overcome these challenges, it’s imperative to foster a deeper understanding of the strategic work of HR and advocate for the transformative impact of the people profession’s expertise in the boardroom. 

By championing contemporary, inclusive governance and challenging entrenched perceptions, organisations can harness the full potential of HR to drive organisational excellence and sustainable growth.

How HR leaders can navigate the complexities of board dynamics

I’ve witnessed first-hand the invaluable contributions HR leaders make to boardroom deliberations. Beyond their traditional remit, they possess a wealth of experience that uniquely qualifies them to navigate the complexities of board-level governance.

As a Chair of People, Culture and Remuneration Board Committees, I have witnessed the critical role of HR expertise in managing risk – such as those related to talent attraction and retention, upskilling and reskilling – and the impact this can have on organisational culture. 

HR specialists bring clarity to complex issues, ensuring that the human element isn’t overlooked in risk management strategies.

“I’ve witnessed first-hand the invaluable contributions HR leaders make to boardroom deliberations.” – Samantha Martin-Williams, Chair and Non-Executive Director

For example, most board packs include a dashboard-style report or reports. The dashboard combines financial and non-financial metrics as a means of managing risk appetite. I believe the true health of an organisation lies in non-financial metrics, such as key person risk, talent pool attrition, engagement and sentiment scores.

Human capital specialists bring a unique ability to interpret these metrics, providing a deeper understanding of the human side of the business. This nuanced interpretation goes beyond the purview of generalists, offering a comprehensive view of how the workforce is adapting to changes and areas of concern.

In my interactions with non-executive directors, I have emphasised the holistic perspective that HR professionals offer, transcending functional boundaries to inform strategic decision-making. 

By leveraging their extensive repertoire of skills honed through change initiatives, merger and acquisition activity, remuneration negotiations, and compliance imperatives, HR professionals offer a nuanced understanding of organisational dynamics and human capital imperatives that is indispensable in guiding strategic decisions.

Want to learn more about how to develop executive presence to enhance your HR leadership? Sign up for AHRI’s webinar on this topic on 1st of May. Free for AHRI members.

HR’s board impact underscored

According to research, companies with diverse executive boards enjoy a 36 per cent higher return on equity and a 25 per cent higher likelihood of financial outperformance, underscoring the business impact of HR representation. 

Through mentorship programs, cross-functional collaboration and continuous learning initiatives, HR can enhance their efficacy as strategic advisors and champions of organisational excellence. 

My own journey as a non-executive director with a deep skill set in human capital has been characterised by a steadfast commitment to inclusive governance and transformative leadership. 

I was very encouraged to see the 30% Club Australia and Deloitte Australia take up this cause via the publication of its recent report Green Shoots of Change in the Boardroom (March 2024). This report identifies the importance of boards broadening their composition to be more future-fit, and profiles examples of directors from human capital, customer/marketing and digital backgrounds. 

Disappointingly, as Bourke observed, “There were far fewer appointments of directors from human capital backgrounds even though the talent pool is full.” She added, “Changing the status quo requires energy and persistence. It also requires impetus and inspiration.” 

The report is definitely worth a read, and my hope is that it will help turn the tide so that having boards with human capital skillsets will soon be the convention. 

A version of this article originally appeared in the April/May 2024 edition of HRM Magazine.

Samantha Martin-Williams FAICD FGIA is an experienced non-executive director and Chair, and a former CEO and commercial lawyer. She is the Deputy Chair at Newcastle Airport and Vice Chair of the Supply Chain and Logistics Association of Australia Board. She is Chair of the People, Culture and Remuneration Committee at NGM Group Australia and a Director at Fishburners, Australia’s largest startup innovation and entrepreneurial community.

The post The value of HR leadership at a board level appeared first on HRM online.

Labour force figures released in January revealed in seasonally adjusted terms the unemployment rate rising from 3.9 per cent to 4.1 per cent. At the same time, the workforce worked 2.5 per cent fewer hours.

These figures could be explained by the fact that numerous sectors are struggling to fill roles, says Charles Ferguson, APAC General Manager of global hiring solutions provider G-P.

Research by G-P finds that 75 per cent of Australian executives have faced difficulty in securing skilled talent and that 82 per cent of businesses are now actively engaged in global recruitment.

The figures point to an opportunity for HR professionals armed with the right skills to help executives and boards lead their businesses into the next stage of success, says Ferguson.

“In the Asia Pacific region, I would suggest we’re at a strategic inflection point in terms of the way we measure productivity, and the way the workforce functions within the economy,” he says.

When we come up with a better way of measuring productivity, he says, it will involve the various tools, such as automation and AI, that each worker can use to do their job more efficiently. That will also be a measure of the success of each organisation’s HR program.

Productivity is in the hands of business

Matt Grudnoff, Senior Economist at The Australia Institute, agrees that the way we measure productivity – the simple measure of output per worker – requires a refresh.

“If you go back 40 years, goods production was the dominant part of the economy,” says Grudnoff. “Now, services are the dominant part. It used to be easy to measure productivity – the number of cars produced by the number of workers. But how can you measure the productivity of a librarian, or a journalist, or an aged care worker?”

Whatever the measure, increasing output per worker is going to be a central responsibility of the role of the HR professional, he says.

“The vast majority of people think productivity is about workers,” he says. “But workers have the least power in terms of improving productivity. All they can do is get educated, and Australian workers are doing that at higher rates than they ever have.”

The government also has some control over productivity, says Grudnoff, but not a great deal. It can introduce policies that encourage innovation, but it can’t enforce them.

The vast majority of power over productivity is held by businesses, he says. 

“Businesses decide how they are structured,” says Grudnoff. “They decide the type of capital and equipment available to workers to make them more efficient. They decide almost everything in terms of output per worker.”

“Overwhelmingly, productivity is about business, and HR people are the ones at the front line of organising a business in a more productive way.”

“It used to be easy to measure productivity – the number of cars produced by the number of workers. But how can you measure the productivity of a librarian, or a journalist, or an aged care worker?” – Matt Grudnoff, Senior Economist, The Australia Institute

A new future requires a new people strategy

There was likely concern for the future of fabric workers during the industrial revolution when their jobs were automated, says Ferguson. Eventually, those workers were retrained into roles required by future-ready businesses. 

That is exactly what is required right now. But in today’s work environment, there is rich reward for businesses that achieve a quick transition.

“This is a seminal moment for the HR function,” says Ferguson. “HR has this unique opportunity to assert themselves, to say, ‘The way we operated pre-pandemic is fundamentally different to how we’re going to operate post pandemic.’”

That includes how and where hires are made. Businesses that don’t utilise the global employment marketplace will naturally have a harder time filling roles, he says. 

It also includes how much flexibility can be offered around where and when people work, what training programs must be in place, where employment investment is made, what can be automated, and more.

“As the people responsible for being the nexus between technology, productivity, automation and human capital management, how do we strategically put those things together to elicit the most impact to the business, shareholders and stakeholders?” says Ferguson.

HR must also be skilled up

Just as workforce designers during the industrial revolution had to look to the future and learn new ways of work before they could reskill the fabric workers, today’s HR professionals also require new knowledge to guide businesses to future success.

“At the moment, I’m not hearing much conversation around what HR needs to be successful,” says Ferguson. “Organisations like the Australian HR Institute have been telling this story for a while, but now the rest of the business world needs that story to be heard. It needs to be brought into the boardroom.”

The HR function should be looking at strategic workforce planning, says Ferguson. It must define future jobs, skills associated with those jobs, which parts of jobs can be automated and how and where talent can be found. 

Do they need to be sourced from the business’s local community, or from across Australia? Or can the job be done by a person with the right skills who lives in Chile, says Ferguson.

“This is a seminal moment for the HR function.” –  Charles Ferguson, APAC General Manager, G-P

In terms of practical outcomes for HR from recent jobs data, Ferguson offers four insights.

1.  “Do the research required to have the conversation with your peer group within the business around how to strategically analyse the workforce planning aspect,” says Ferguson. 
2. “Decide on the methodology to assess the current state of the workforce, to identify the gap between where you are and where you need to be.” 
3.  “Collect relevant, credible data that is relatable to people outside HR. If it isn’t quantifiable, it doesn’t have correlation to the business audience. How does employee satisfaction relate to sales productivity, for example?” 
4.  “Identify which jobs really do need to be done on-site and which can be done anywhere in the world, to help solve the talent challenge.”
   

If we don’t get employment and productivity right, we all end up poorer, says Grudnoff.

“Only three things affect the economy in the long run – population, participation and productivity,” he says. “The first two give us the number of workers, and productivity gives us the output per worker.

“If your output is higher per worker, you’ve got more money per worker, and everybody benefits. The higher the productivity, the more wealthy the country will be.”

Develop the necessary skills to build and sustain a high-performing work team and tap into the full potential of team members with this short course from AHRI.

The post Businesses are the key to unlocking productivity in Australia appeared first on HRM online.

Never underestimate the influence that HR has in a business, says Joanna Bell FCPHR, General Manager, People, Culture and Governance, Pharmaceutical Society of Australia.

“A proactive board will be asking you questions; a great HR leader will be able to anticipate the questions with a well informed paper and strategy,” she says.

Whether you’re reporting directly to a board or a sub-committee, the skills you’ll need to develop are the same – the ability to succinctly summarise key information (an underrated skill), tell a compelling story with data, and communicate with clarity and conviction.

What to include when writing a board report

The contents of a board paper will be specifically tailored to your business’s goals and needs, but there are some common metrics that Bell suggests benchmarking and reporting back on, such as:

• A review key HR policies (such as flexible working policies)
• Employment data, FTE, turnover rates and time/cost to hire
• Remuneration and performance data
• Governance and market disclosures
• Talent management and succession planning
• Diversity, equity and inclusion strategies and progress
• Work health and safety updates
• Engagement surveys and action plans

Some of these will be consistent, standing items on the agenda, others will only pertain to specific times of the year, says Michael Rosmarin FCPHR, Chair and National President of  AHRI and Chief People  & Group Services Officer at Link Group.

“For example, performance and remuneration discussions are likely to occur in alignment with the organisation’s review period, but other topics such as progress against your people strategy or retention risks will be more regular agenda items,” he says.

Bell suggests prioritising information – cherry pick the data the board will most care about. For example, she says the board is always concerned with attracting and retaining key talent.

“They want to know if we have the right capabilities to deliver on our strategic plan. What are the risks and mitigation actions around this? Show how your people and culture team can add value as an enabling function to deliver against this strategic plan.

“There’s so much available data you can get from an HR system, so highlight key takeaways for the board,” she says

She also suggests benchmarking your statistics against your own internal year-on-year or month-on-month metrics and, if possible, against other external organisations.

“Then you can better forecast what you need and understand the story your data is telling.”

How to present your information to the board

First and foremost, your people strategy has to reinforce the overall business strategy, so make sure your data is directly speaking to that goal.

Perhaps your company is in hyper-growth mode, for example, so you could emphasise the talent and skills that you’re helping to cultivate. Or maybe the company is undergoing a merger or acquisition, in which case you might focus on your change management processes.

“Your people strategy has to be clearly aligned to achieving the business goals and strategy ,” says Rosmarin.

He also suggests developing a dashboard that you can easily use to measure and track performance and identify trends.

“This might look like a simple traffic light system with some commentary that gives a good indication of the company’s health and how it’s performing.”

He also emphasises the importance of keeping the end goal in mind – is the paper for approval, information or discussion? Structure your action items and agenda around this.

“I suggest starting with your ‘for approval’ items, so they don’t get missed. Then you’d go into your ‘for discussion’ items. Anything that’s ‘for information’ might be assumed to be read and only explored in the meeting if there is a specific question, because you want the meeting to focus on discussing the important issues.”

“Remember, what you highlight will be questioned, so make sure your data is accurate, anticipate and be prepared with answers.” – Joanna Bell FCPHR, General Manager, People, Culture and Governance, Pharmaceutical Society of Australia

“I always tell people who are providing papers to a board that directors will read all the information you provide and to therefore be thoughtful and only include information that is relevant and important. Try to keep each paper to one or two pages, and make sure it is clear and easy to understand what you’re saying.”

It’s also important to be explicit on what you’re recommending versus what you’re asking for input on, he adds.

When it comes to presenting information, Bell follows the three C’s method: keep it concise, clear and captivating (i.e. ensure it’s visually appealing).

“It should grab the attention of the reader and compel them to dive deeper into the sections of your report. Tell them what they need to know at a high level. And remember, what you highlight will be questioned, so make sure your data is accurate, anticipate and be prepared with answers.“

To keep things concise, Rosmarin says it’s paramount to provide background materials ahead of the meeting, so the conversation can focus on solutions and strategic issues rather than regurgitating information.

It’s also worth considering the activities of other functions which may impact your work in HR, he adds.

“For example, the Sustainability team may be involved in charitable giving or partnerships which have a potential people engagement piece. Think about how to bring those areas together to achieve greater impact.”

Developing business partner skills

There are useful complementary skills you can build that will help you to become a stronger board presenter, says Bell.

“Get to know your board. Speak with them; your board are people who have their own interests and concerns. So learn what keeps them up at night. 

“And if you haven’t already, ask to sit on a governance, risk, finance or P&C board subcommittee. Then get the backing of the subcommittee to support you to present to the board.”

This helps you to be seen as a true business partner, she adds.

You also have to be commercial, adds Rosmarin.

“You have to understand the business strategy and the financial plan. All people initiatives need to be seen in the context of how they are helping shape the business. The nice thing about working in HR is that you are often able to think longer-term, and I think that’s a real gift. You’re focusing on how to create a truly sustainable organisation.”

Need help writing a board report? Learn how to write clearly, professionally and succinctly to capture the attention of your intended business audience with AHRI’s short course in professional writing skills.

Common mistakes to avoid

Be careful of overloading a paper with too much information, or using inaccurate data, says Bell.

“Avoid reporting on all the issues and not having any strategic initiatives aligned to address them or producing a report that has a lack of structure. A board report has the ability to effect great and lasting change, so make it impactful,” she says.

When writing a board report, don’t bury tricky or complex matters in a mound of other information, says Rosmarin. And try to avoid addressing these for the first time in the meeting.

“It’s often a good idea to seek out the Chair and speak to them before the meeting and say, “I’ve got something challenging that I’d like us to discuss in the meeting”. These meetings aren’t about just presenting your work for approval; they’re about getting input and feedback and often working through challenges together. Remember, the board is there to help – they want to add value. “

Effective board reporting is a fantastic way to demonstrate the value of the people function to the broader business and further boost HR’s influence, says Bell.

“It can help businesses to make better decisions. Sometimes HR professionals feel frustrated at not being heard or valued. But I think there’s an opportunity for every HR professional to influence and be seen as a trusted adviser by the board.”

A longer version of this article first appeared in the February/March 2024 edition of HRM Magazine.

The post HR’s guide to developing and presenting a board report appeared first on HRM online.

With mass layoffs and cost-of-living pressures mounting, it’s no wonder employers are concerned about employees’ wellbeing, engagement and discretionary efforts waning this year. Rates of burnout continue to rise in workplaces across the world, according to the 2023 State of Workplace Burnout. 

The survey of people across 40 countries found that over 38 per cent of participants were experiencing all three of the dimensions of burnout defined by the World Health Organisation: exhaustion, cynicism and reduced efficacy. 

That’s up from 34.7 per cent of participants in 2021 and 29.6 per cent in 2020.  Organisational psychologist and co-author of the report Dr John Chan says that while awareness of burnout has increased in recent years, the onus is often put on the individual employee, which isn’t constructive.  

“The implication can be that if you’re feeling burnt out, maybe you’re not doing enough yoga, or enough time management, or you haven’t downloaded the latest and greatest app out there to help you get away from burnout,” says Chan. 

But, he says, organisations and structural factors should be the thing to change. 

“If we see a fish dying in the river, we don’t think about how we can make the fish stronger. We ask how we can clean up the pollution and fix its environment,” he says.

“It’s not just about how to make people stronger – it’s about how we can change their environment.”  

Executive coach Melody Wilding has seen rates of burnout increase in her clients throughout the pandemic and agrees that organisations and leaders have a big role to play in prevention. 

“People can make it seem like if you just have a self-care routine in the morning, you’ll cure your burnout. I wish it was that easy – unfortunately, it’s not,” she says.  

“Organisations certainly have a huge responsibility to make work more sustainable and to provide people with the right resources to value wellness.” But why are we feeling so burnt out? While the resulting symptoms are quite consistently the same, psychological research suggests there may be several distinct root causes of burnout.  

Here are three common types of burnout to look out for – and how to prevent them.

1. Overload burnout

Task overload tends to be the most commonly recognised cause of burnout, says Wilding. 

“This is someone who is so overbooked, completely overscheduled, over-committed; they are putting in overtime, they’re working on weekends, they have trouble detaching from work. 

“In this case, you burn out because your system – your nervous system and your mind – can’t handle everything you’re trying to throw at it.”

How to address it

1.Turn leaders into examples

Leaders should examine their own behaviour to see what tone they are setting from the top down, says Wilding. 

“As leaders, people look to you for the norms, so if you are never taking a break, if people can just book time with you all over your calendar and your lunch break, then you’re setting the expectations for what other people should do,” she says.  

Leaders should model behaviours such as taking time off, spending time with family, or blocking out time on their calendar for deep-thinking work.  

“All of that really matters and gives other people permission to do the same,” says Wilding.

2. Advocate for more resources and fair pay 

Examining people’s workloads and not letting things get out of hand is also critical.   

“Too many managers try to have people do two to three jobs – and it’s just not possible,” says Wilding.

“Listen to your people if they say they’re strapped for time or resources. And then advocate for them at the leadership level.” 

As Chan and his co-researchers point out, financial stressors can also have a big impact on someone’s wellbeing and compound burnout, so compensating workers fairly – particularly in junior roles – is essential.  

This year’s State of Workplace Burnout survey found young workers (18-24) were the group most impacted by burnout – and Chan says macro-factors might be at play.  

“For three years wages have been stagnant and now inflation is going up quickly. Those who are older probably have more financial reserves they can use as a buffer,” he says.  “Those who are younger don’t have that padding.” 

A response in action

One of Wilding’s clients led a small team that was being asked to do more than they could reasonably handle.  

“For her, solving this was an exercise in her own assertiveness. She had to go to her leadership team and make a case for why they needed more resources, the potential consequences and the cost of inaction,” she says.  

“She didn’t get approved a new full-time employee – but they did say, ‘Well, we’ll give you this amount of contract workers to be able to get this work through.’”

“If we see a fish dying in the river, we don’t think about how we can make the fish stronger. We ask how we can clean up the pollution and fix its environment.” – Dr John Chan, Organisational Psychologist

2. Underchallenged burnout 

The flipside of having too much to do – having too little on your plate – can lead to under-stimulation and make someone feel like they’re wasting their potential. 

“As humans, we need to find the right level of stress. We can’t be stressed too much, which is overload burnout, but we can’t be stressed too little,” says Wilding.  

“When you’re bored, when you don’t have enough stimulation in your job, you begin to check out. That can lead to cynicism, which can lead to mental depletion. If people don’t have opportunities for growth and learning, they can feel this type of burnout.”

How to address it

1. Build growth and learning opportunities  

Wilding suggests creating avenues for people to take on stretch projects, regularly checking in about where they want to go, and paying attention to people’s strengths. 

“Are there mentorship opportunities? Can they have access to certain classes or a professional development stipend that allows them to attend a program or a conference, for example?”

2. Create opportunities for connection  

“Under-challenge burnout can also happen as a result of not having connection with people, so try to create opportunities for meaningful – not forced – connection,” says Wilding.  

Interestingly, Chan’s team found a difference in burnout levels between those working in hybrid environments and those working solely from home. 

“Those who were working from home between two to three days showed the highest levels of wellbeing, and the lowest levels were those who were working from home over 80 per cent of the time,” he says. 

A response in action

Another of Wilding’s clients takes a quarterly team health survey to check the emotional pulse of her team.  

“She asks questions about how engaged people feel. Do they feel their work is reflective of their talents? Do they feel connected with their team members?”  

Tracking these trends over time, the client was able to see that when the company went through an acquisition, satisfaction ratings dropped.  

“She could see that the team was feeling disconnected from one another, that they didn’t feel like they had an opportunity for brainstorming, for example, and she could open up that opportunity.”

“Listen to your people if they say they’re strapped for time or resources. And then advocate for them at the leadership level.” – Melody Wilding, Executive Coach

3. Neglect burnout 

The third cause of burnout – neglect – is an important one for leaders to take heed of now, says Wilding, as many organisations are facing uncertain circumstances in the near-term.  

“This one is where people feel worn out because they feel helpless; they feel like they can’t affect change, or they don’t have agency and autonomy of what’s going on around them. 

“It’s really easy for people to feel like, ‘Well, I’m just at the whim of everything happening around me, I feel very helpless,’ and they may fall into this type of burnout as a result.”

How to address it 

1. Give people tools to navigate uncertainty  

“Especially now, it’s important that leaders and HR are giving people the tools to navigate uncertainty and ambiguity,” says Wilding.  

“Part of this is around framing the situation and acknowledging that things are tough right now. If people feel dismissed and invalidated, that’s just going to further make them feel incompetent or invisible.” 

She adds that it’s helpful to be “clear about what the priorities are today because that clarity allows people to know where they can plug in best”.  

2. Share your own experiences 

“If you, as a manager or leader, have gone through burnout, that’s really valuable for your people to hear.”   

By sharing what worked for you and normalising the experience, you can help banish any sense of shame around burnout. 

A response in action

Another of Wilding’s clients pulled her team together after there were stirrings about possible layoffs in the organisation.  

“She got her team together and said, ‘Hey, this is the state of what’s going on right now. This is what I know. My commitment is to give you the information I can when I have it. But for right now, I want to create a space for all of you to talk about what’s going on and how you’re feeling with the change. And I want us to have an eye towards constructive problem-solving – how can we support you?’” 

Giving people the space to talk through concerns meant she could gain clarity on the communication she needed from her superiors, as well as help people feel heard amid stressful circumstances. 

Next steps

As businesses prepare to weather the potential storms of 2023, it’s critical that HR professionals are able to help managers and leaders think more holistically about the different ways people can experience burnout. 

Workflow management is just one piece of the solution. Businesses also need strong, empathetic people management and well-designed motivation strategies in order to create a mentally robust workforce. 

Even as competing business priorities start to creep in, HR leaders should think twice before putting engagement strategies on the back burner.

This article first appeared in the April 2023 edition of HRM Magazine.

Ensure your teams get the mental health support they need with this short course from AHRI.

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Influence, like its equally abstruse counterparts ‘respect’ and ‘trust’, can be a difficult quality to acquire and an incredibly easy one to lose.

It is less obvious than power – which can be bestowed upon someone whether or not they’re ready for it – but it’s more complex than simply having sway in a situation.

It’s an amalgam of the two – the sweet spot that allows you to manoeuvre a situation without commandeering it. It is about skilfully nudging someone towards a particular outcome while also encouraging autonomy.

While influential workplace leaders might evoke images of high-powered senior professionals and CEOs, COVID-19 has brought HR professionals into that same fold – some for the very first time.

AHRI’s October 2020 pulse survey revealed that HR professionals felt their influence on their respective executive teams had increased by almost 15 per cent over the COVID-19 period. 

While this is great news, it’s not surprising. Leaders and employees alike have looked to HR at every turn this year for cues about navigating a work environment that has been turned on its head.

HR has never had more weight. Your words and decisions have never had a greater impact. And your value, perhaps, has never been so clearly written in stone. So how can you use this new-found influence to become architects of the workplaces of the future? More importantly, how can you make sure it doesn’t slip through your fingers?

“If people are only coming to you when things are broken… then I don’t think you’ve got much influence. You want to be brought into the fold from the beginning to help shape the approach.” – Tracey McPherson CPHR, HR director, Kuehne+Nagel

Shifting focus

“If I had to explain the concept of influence to a layperson, I’d describe it as a catalyst for change,” says Charmi Patel FCIPD, associate professor in International Human Resource Management at Henley Business School in the UK. “Importantly, when we say we’re ‘influencing’ someone, that could be a good influence or a bad influence.”

The weight of the workplace challenges that HR has been speaking about and championing for years is finally hitting home for the wider organisation, says Patel.

“The pandemic has made us realise how important ‘soft’ issues are. Hard issues, like money, are very important, but the ‘softer’ aspects like wellbeing, compassion, emotional health, empathy, gratitude… these all became important aspects that were previously regarded as ‘back office, HR stuff’ that would happen once a year. It was like a tick-box sort of thing. Now, suddenly, we’re seeing it all on the forefront.”

It’s a shame it took a global pandemic for some organisations to wake up to this. What matters, however, is that these conversations are finally getting the attention and resources they have always deserved. 

Instead of having to work tirelessly to get executive buy-in for people-related workplace initiatives, such as a wellbeing program, many HR professionals are now finding they’re being proactively sought out for their advice.

Tracey McPherson CPHR, HR director at global transport and logistics company Kuehne+Nagel, says HR professionals know they’re influential when they are asked for their opinion from the get-go.

“If people are only coming to you when things are broken and need fixing or if there’s an issue with something, then I don’t think you’ve got much influence. You want to be brought into the fold from the beginning to help shape the approach,” says McPherson.

Hidden influence

Professor Vanessa Bohns, associate professor of organisational behaviour at the ILR School, Cornell University, wrote the book on influence, literally. Her upcoming book You Have More Influence Than You Think delves into the ways we can “see, feel and experience our influence on others”.

This comes off the back of a long-term interest in social influence studies. Notably, in 2013 she co-authored a paper with Francis Flynn which investigates the ways in which we underestimate our influence over others in the workplace.

“We describe influence as changing someone’s attitude or behaviour,” she says. “This doesn’t necessarily mean reversing or altering someone’s initial attitude or belief. It could also mean strengthening or validating their initial position.”

It can, however, be hard to understand the power of your own influence if you don’t know it exists in the first place.

“We tend to underestimate the role of self-conscious emotions, like guilt and embarrassment, in the workplace,” says Bohns. “As a result, we sometimes fail to recognise the influence we have over other people through those emotions.”

For example, other research she conducted shows we can underestimate how often people are likely to agree to our requests, even if they don’t want to, because it’s too uncomfortable or awkward to say “no”.

“This is true for prosocial favours we might ask too, as well as for unethical requests… all those things are harder to say “no” to than we realise when we are the ones doing the asking,” she adds.

“Research shows that people in positions of power tend to be particularly bad at taking the perspectives of people with less power than them. For this reason, they may be, perhaps ironically, particularly bad at recognising their influence over people below them.”

Our tendency to underestimate our influence can lead us to engage in all sorts of unhelpful or inhibiting behaviours.

Firstly, it can stagnate innovation. Leaders who aren’t aware of their influence might be less likely to spearhead new initiatives in the workplace, Bohns and Flynn suggest, or become “unwilling to admit their role in their subordinates’ performance failures”.

This, they posit, could lead to ineffective approaches to performance management. For example, leaders may become overly reliant on external incentives, such as rewards or punishment, instead of relying on their influencing skills as a way to encourage or motivate their people.

This lack of awareness can also cause leaders to become unnecessarily assertive.

“Those overly aggressive strategies, which are borne from our insecurities about the influence we think we’re lacking, can backfire. We can actually lose the influence we’ve been trying to gain. For those reasons, I think developing an awareness of the influence we have already can also help us to nurture and maintain [it], as well as ensuring we don’t abuse it,” says Bohns. How do you go about doing that? Bohns envisages a few ways in which you could train people to better see their own influence, including: 

1. Taking time to visualise interactions you have with other people as if you were a neutral observer or a fly on the wall; this helps you get out of your own head.
2. Listening to other peoples’ perspectives in order to understand how your actions have impacted, or are likely to impact, them. This helps you get into someone else’s head. 
3. Testing out your influence in small ways, while simultaneously doing (a) and (b).

“Most of us have a self-attribution error,” says Patel. “We think we’re not that good or that we don’t have that influence. To get that balance check, it’s really good to have mentors at work. They will tell you about your influence in the workplace.

“They’ll give you objective information without massaging your ego and without using flattery. They’ll tell you where you genuinely stand. So try to make the time for one or two coaching sessions each year, just so you can keep your self-esteem built up and really understand your strengths and weaknesses.”

 “We tend to underestimate the role of self-conscious emotions, like guilt and embarrassment, in the workplace. As a result, we sometimes fail to recognise the influence we have over other people.” – Professor Vanessa Bohns, associate professor of  organisational behaviour at the ILR School, Cornell University.

A new-found influence

McPherson works in an HR team of four within the Australian arm of Kuehne+Nagel. It employs around 800-900 people with an approximate 50/50 split between blue and white-collar workers – so employees’ needs and experiences are quite varied.

As the pandemic kicked off in Australia, McPherson and the HR team were quite stretched. While McPherson never felt she didn’t have influence over the executive team, she saw an increased level of trust, collaboration and agile decision-making during the thick of the crisis.

“We were having to make decisions pretty quickly because things with COVID-19 were unravelling really fast. HR needed to be across all things people. 

“Our response was very much led by our MD,” she says. “But we had to make joint decisions, especially when these decisions would be impacting people’s lives – our employees, customers and suppliers.” 

McPherson can point to a specific moment when she felt her influence within the organisation expanded. The company had just discovered that multinational companies like theirs wouldn’t qualify for JobKeeper. 

There were lots of quick decisions being made by various departments about COVID-safe regulations and business continuity strategies, but their main goal was to safeguard their employees. 

“Our MD said to everyone, ‘Before you make any decisions from a people perspective, you need to speak with HR’. I already had a really good relationship with the business directors, so that line of communication influence was there, but I did feel the trust and respect heightened,” she says.

While this increased influence made McPherson feel valued, that doesn’t mean it came without stress.

“I mean, obviously you feel very responsible. I had a line of sight of what was happening and unfolding within our organisation across each state. [COVID-19] wasn’t just impacting our peoples’ work lives, there were so many things happening in their personal lives, too. We’ve had a lot of employees who lost elderly parents and loved ones during COVID.

“There were so many balls we had to juggle from a leadership and people perspective.  Knowing I had the support and backing of my MD and the trust and respect of the senior leadership team… meant we became very agile in our decision making.”

Positional versus social influence 

Influence isn’t synonymous with positional power. Even a leader’s influence is fragile. 

In her research paper, Bohns makes an interesting point in saying “followers confer legitimacy on their leaders, and if a leader fails to meet [their] followers’ expectations, this legitimacy can be revoked along with the leader’s influence”. So while those sitting at the hierarchical peaks may perceive themselves as influential, that doesn’t mean others feel the same way about them.

Instead, social influence is what drives a lot of progression in workplaces and society at large. It’s this type of influence that HR professionals can be taking advantage of.

Bohns points to separate research which suggests peer-to-peer influence (social influence) can actually be more powerful than leadership-led influence, especially when faced with an ambiguous situation. 

After studying two employee groups in an advertising agency, the researchers found that our impression of our colleagues’ ethical behaviours was the strongest predictor of our own tendencies to engage in unethical acts at work, such as taking a sick day, concealing errors and padding expense accounts.

“In fact, employees’ beliefs about what their peers thought was a better predictor of their unethical behaviours than their beliefs about what their bosses and agencies thought of these transgressions,” Bohns and Flynn note.

There’s a flip side to that too. If we know our peers are engaging in ethical behaviours, such as caring for the environment, we’re more likely to follow suit.

McPherson says HR leaders need to think about those in their team who don’t have positional power or exposure to executives. How can you help them increase their level of influence?

“Less experienced HR professionals often sit in on business meetings and are asked to share HR insights or updates – they have a spot on the agenda but don’t necessarily influence decisions. However, if they’re given guidance and coaching, and develop trusting and respectful relationships [with executives], they can truly become HR business partners.”

Bohns says this kind of bottom-up influence is more prevalent than we think. 

“We also tend to forget that bosses and people in positions of power have the same concerns as other people: they want to be liked and respected, and they worry about letting the people who depend on them down. That gives subordinates a lot of influence, which they tend to overlook and underestimate.”

For those struggling to influence upwards, Patel suggests helping leaders to see the bigger picture and consider their place within it.

“When your influence is only seen through your actions, sometimes it’s a good idea to benchmark against other people, like your competitors, in order for the executives to hear what you’re saying. 

“You might not always have the power to do something, but you can talk about benchmarking and spotlight what other companies are doing. That gets powerful people to listen.”

Maintaining your influence

To maintain their influence, Patel says HR professionals need to be prepared with data-backed advice for the executive team.

“You can do monthly or fortnightly surveys of your people and just keep that data on you so you can help others [the executive team] understand how employees are coping in general. These things can be easily quantified, and they bring credibility to the HR profession,” she says.

“I always say one thing to the HR directors I work with: get evidence. You don’t have to pay millions to consultancies. You don’t have to go to McKinsey, you are your own McKinsey. Get your people together. Get valid scales and survey items. Do interviews with your people to know what they want and how they want it.”

Don’t present a bunch of data to the executive team without a strategy for using it, Patel adds. 

“You need to sit down and analyse why the data looks the way it does and what interventions might be necessary.”

Looking forward, McPherson says it’s important HR remains involved in these influential conversations.

Leadership teams will also be looking to HR to validate what the future of work will look like and what the parameters should be.

“While the data will inform some of our decision-making, we need to look at our leadership behaviours and challenge our ‘pre-COVID’ mindsets. I think while we are in COVID everyone has been trusted because there’s been no alternative. Once we go back to this new normal, however, where people may not want to commute two hours a day to work, for example, how are managers able to deal with that?”

There’s a lot of responsibility sitting on HR right now; businesses are asking for a lot. But remember that this is a watershed moment for the people management department. 

You have the chance to tear down archaic systems and redesign workplaces that centre the human experience. You can create new norms, implement cutting-edge processes technologies and shift executives’ priorities in the right direction.

So how will you grab this opportunity with both hands?

Think about the lessons gleaned from this crisis, design a clear, data-backed plan and then start putting your influencing power to the test.

This article first appeared in the December/January 2021 edition of HRM magazine.

With great power comes great responsibility. Refine your skills and get the most out of your new influence with AHRI’s short courses.

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This article discusses domestic and family violence and may be triggering or distressing to some readers. If you’re in a position where you need support, you can call 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) or visit Services Australia for more information.

As Australia has woken up to the scale of domestic and family violence in our country, thanks to the tireless efforts of many advocates, workplaces have made large strides in being able to support people who have experienced it.

Amid reports that domestic violence has surged during COVID-related lockdowns and warnings that employers should be assessing all the safety risks to at-home workers, a new resource has been launched with an aim of broadening the interventions around family and domestic violence.

Coming at the issue from all angles

Any comprehensive workplace response to domestic and family violence should also include responses to employees who engage in such behaviours, says a group of major employers and key advocates, led by gender equality advocate and Male Champions of Change founder Elizabeth Broderick.

Broderick says the topic has not been part of the battle against domestic and family violence to date but that this needs to change. The next step is for workplaces to balance accountability and support for employees who perpetrate violence against their family, while ensuring the safety of those experiencing it remains the main priority.

“It’s complicated territory, but all organisations should be prepared. Working with specialists in the field, we’ve developed an evidence-informed resource to guide organisational responses,” Broderick says.

That resource, the Employees who use domestic & family violence: A workplace response handbook, is aimed at being part of a whole-of-community response to the issue.

While the overarching objective of the resource is the safety of people affected by domestic and family violence and any response must place them first, workplaces should be prepared to have a conversation with perpetrators and encourage those employees to access specialist referral services, such as No to Violence, which work with those who use violence to change their abusive and violent behaviours.

Having the tough conversation

“We know this is a challenging and sensitive area for employers, but they must play their part by encouraging employees who use domestic and family violence to seek help, and to support people to feel able to change their behaviour and own the action required to do this, along with ensuring there are appropriate consequences when their behaviour impacts on workplaces,” says Broderick.

There are challenges associated with this. There is no one-size-fits-all approach available and identifying whether someone is using domestic or family violence is not straightforward.

“People who use domestic and family violence rarely self-disclose or seek help at work, and when they do it is usually because they need to attend court or an appointment related to their use of violence and abuse,” says Broderick.

Other signs may come from poor performance, extended periods of leave or distraction at work. They may also continue abusive behaviours towards their partners and families while at work, usually through email, phone or texts.

Worryingly, research shows often someone the perpetrator worked with knew about their violence tendencies and ‘covered’ for them while they engaged in this behaviour. This is exactly why HR needs to take the lead in having proactive conversations about family and domestic violence in the workplace. It needs to be clear at all levels of your workplace’s culture that this behaviour won’t be tolerated, and bystanders need to feel safe to speak up if they suspect their colleague is engaging in violent behaviours.

The first place to start is to develop a culture where the drivers of gender equality are understood and the workplace is committed to communicating their approach. It is not enough to leave it to the HR department alone to sort out; the communication needs to come from the top and trickle down to every single person in the organisation.

That’s not to say these conversations will be easy. You can almost guarantee they won’t be, which is why it’s important to take the time to understand what referral pathways are available and how they can help, says Broderick.

“There is an army of experts out there ready to help,” she says.

The handbook includes helpful resources, such as:

• principles to underpin organisational approaches to the issue
• guidance on managing situations where an employee has (or is alleged to have) used domestic and family violence
• legal obligations for employers
• a sample policy and communications which leaders can adopt or adapt for their own organisations.

Download your free copy of the handbook to find out more.

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Recently a friend of mine found out her partner’s workplace had a confirmed case of coronavirus. At the time information about the situation was even more scarce than it is now. All they knew was the diagnosed individual was being treated and those who had close contact with them had been told to self-isolate for fourteen days. 

Any employees who developed symptoms in the meantime were advised to seek medical attention. The company’s office underwent a deep clean and my friend’s partner was informed it was business-as-usual less than 48 hours later.  

Viruses have a domino effect, or perhaps it’s more like a ripple. One person gets infected and everyone around them needs to reevaluate their health, and then everyone around them needs to reevaluate theirs and so on.

In the case above, it wasn’t just one workplace affected by this, my friend’s organisation needed to decide what to do with her. Was she a risk? It had no handbook to deal with this. It was decided her office would follow the lead of the other company. My friend was told to pass on the advice her partner received and if he wasn’t required to quarantine, then neither was she.

That’s one business placing the health of its workforce in the hands of another business of which they have next to zero knowledge – they aren’t even in the same industry. It’s a tough decision. Was it the right one?

On one view, it seems very risky. From another perspective, there is something hopeful about that level of inter-organisational trust. But the real question is, how much choice did they have? 

Trust the facts

Recent data out of the US shows employees are looking to employers to update them about COVID-19. The Edelman Trust Barometer looks at trust levels on a global scale. Recently they released a special report that looked at Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Africa, South Korea, the U.K. and the U.S during the current pandemic. Sixty-three per cent of respondents said they wanted daily updates from their employer. Most importantly, “my employer” rated higher than governments and traditional media outlets as a place to find trusted information. 

Trust in business, particularly employers, has been a rising trend. In the 2019 Trust Barometer “my employer” ranked roughly 25 per cent higher than the media and in 2018 traditional media bottomed out as the least trusted institution.

In the current COVID-19 pandemic the rapidly changing circumstances have left many completely unsure of what to do. The overwhelming message we are receiving from politicians and experts alike is that we are dealing with a lot of uncertainty. It is called the 2019 novel coronavirus for a reason.

Finding a guide

The COVID-19 pandemic puts us in a strange place when it comes to trust. The Department of Health and all manner of public health experts have said quarantine, event cancellations and social distancing are some of the best ways to slow down the spread of the virus (also called “flattening the curve”) but no one is naive enough to argue large scale shutdown doesn’t in and of itself cause harm.

Every business wants to stay open, and they’re also aware they have to do so responsibly. But beyond “wash your hands”, “stay home if you’re sick” and “for the love of God don’t touch your face” there is widespread confusion on best practice.

So it makes sense that leaders in private sector organisations are looking at each other, and the public is looking at all of them.  Some of the top stories around COVID-19 have been the response from CEOs. American news outlets are awash with reports of Silicon Valley executives’ current actions and the Australian media is talking to private sector luminaries. Take for example Leigh Sales interviewing the CEO of Telstra on the 7.30 Report about the impact COVID-19 will have on our communications systems.

In the Edelman study, the vast majority of respondents felt their employer was better prepared for the virus than their country. Seventy-eight per cent said they expect business to act to protect “employees and the local community”.

That’s a lot of pressure

The report suggests there is room here for governments and business to team up. There was twice as much trust in a business/government partnership than each alone. People are reassured to know that Australian supermarket executives have been meeting with the federal government.

While we don’t have the statistics on the level to which Australians trust their employers right now, it’s safe to assume they want strong leadership. The best thing every organisation can do right now is communicate clearly and communicate often. Employees want to know if colleagues have contracted the virus, what they can do to stop the spread, and how the organisation is navigating the economic instability.

In the story above, my friend’s partner was informed of the situation on the messaging platform Slack by his colleagues. It turns out he wasn’t on HR’s mailing list, so if those secondary communication methods weren’t there he could’ve missed the alert entirely. 

The Edelman report’s advice is to keep those lines of communication open, make sure everyone is on the same page and receiving the information you’re putting out and, most importantly, make sure it’s correct. 

How do you think trust is impacting this crisis? How much information should you be giving staff? We’d like to hear how HR is managing this situation in their organisations.

AHRI wants you to feel equipped to deal with the current COVID-19 pandemic. Visit the Coronavius Guidance page to find out more.

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