... apparently Chelsea and Man Utd fans are at risk
• Twenty-four criteria that groundsmen and greenkeepers can influence positively in the workplace;
• Four criteria that would be harder to influence;
• Four criteria that are plainly random, plus one to help those who just want to ‘get it over with’.
List 1: The ones we can influence to some extent (in alphabetical order)
1. Attendance Record** 2. Ambition (Evidence of) 3. Communication Skills *** 4. Conduct /Disciplinary Record** 5. Enthusiasm/Keenness/ Passion 6. Eye for detail and presentation
7. Family to support, wife and children, mortgage to pay
8. Flexibility (Evidence of) 9. Health Record**
10. Honesty and Trustworthiness (Evidence of)
11. How well they fit into the team/team player
12. Ideas they have to save money 13. Initiative (Evidence of) 14. Job Performance** 15. Man-management Skills***
16. Mechanical Skills e.g. vehicle or irrigation system maintenance, can operate grinder***
17. Positive attitude to the work/ Self Motivation/Commitment (Evidence of)
18. Punctuality/Timekeeping Record** 19. Relevant Experience** 20. Reliability (Evidence of) 21. Skills/qualifications/training** 22. Supportive of others (Evidence of) 23. Versatility (Evidence of)
24. Willingness to do overtime/put themselves out/go the extra mile
**Numbers 1, 4, 9, 14, 18, 19 and 21 seem to be the most likely to be looked at first when considering groundsmen and greenkeepers at all levels for retention or redundancy.
***Numbers 3, 15 and 16 could be considered next although, arguably, number 3 should be in the previous group for consideration.
List 2: The ones we have less influence over
1. Boss’s preferred candidate 2. Cost of keeping the individual 3. Employment prospects elsewhere
4. Length of service i.e. “last in - first out”
List 3: The Random Approach - these four were actually suggested!
1. Game of scissors, paper, rock 2. Toss a coin 3. Turn a playing card
4. Which football team they support (apparently Chelsea and Man Utd fans are at risk)
List 4: The ‘Let’s Get This Over With’ Approach
1. A willingness to volunteer for redundancy (a short list this one!)
Please note that these lists do not necessarily include criteria contained in pre-existing formal agreements, negotiated between staff and management in many larger organisations.
Such criteria would be well known to the people who have secured such agreements, and it might well be something for you to consider when negotiating your package at the job offer stage with a smaller enterprise like a golf club or a leisure centre. You might also want to make redundancy criteria a feature of your next pay settlement, perhaps immediately or when the economy is starting to recover.
Processes and Procedures for You
A couple of my respondents were generous enough to send me procedural documents that include a schedule showing the stages of their redundancy process as well as the criteria they use and the weight or significance given to each one, e.g. Job Performance 30%, Initiative 10% and so on.
My respondents have kindly agreed to let me distribute copies to interested parties. If you are interested just visit my personal website which is:
www.franknewberry.com, click first on the ‘Contact’ tab and then the ‘Request Information’ tab to make your request.
Action You Might Take
It can be clearly seen that there are a wide range of reasons employers can pick from in order to make the case for a redundancy. Some of these you can do something about, if you act quickly and preventatively. Others you are perhaps powerless to influence. We can all, at least, recognise the things we can do something about and take steps to try and secure our futures at this difficult time. Here are some of the suggestions that my research yielded:
1. Do some preventative work
If you have not already done so, consider checking what your employer is required to do by law when making people redundant - Pitchcare’s and the Association’s Legal Helplines, and the ACAS office, should be able to help you to get clarity.
2. Be suspicious
Look and listen carefully for hidden clues when your employer says things like ‘your job is safe’, or anything else
that is relevant to your job security. 3. Ask for it in writing
If statements sound dodgy to you then ask your employer to put it in writing for you
4. Be Prepared
If your skills and abilities are in question, be prepared to back up your assertions with evidence that you meet the criteria to be retained. Again the Legal Helplines should help you to be prepared
5. Exchange Perceptions and Expectations
Consider having a ‘heart-to-heart’ with your boss or your employer, at which you share perceptions and expectations of each other at this difficult time. Make a record of what was shared and give your boss/employer a copy for approval. Make sure it gets approved!
6. Get yourself onto the Board
Make a case to get yourself on to the Board, or whatever body makes key decisions in your organisation (in some or any capacity). This will enable you to get an early warning of the potential for redundancies. You could then be in a position to ensure that the right decisions are made.
7. Build Better Relationships
Get off your backside (if you need to) and start getting to know your organisation’s decision makers really well. Take an interest in their lives and become a friend to them. It is harder to make a friend redundant than someone who never speaks to you or does not seem to care about anything that is important to you.
8. Look for ways to bolster the ‘Bottom Line’
Keep in touch with commercial developments in the turf care sector and suggest to management ways that income can be increased and savings made. Talk to your contacts and suppliers in the trade and ask them for ideas. Get everyone thinking the ‘Kaizen’ way i.e. ‘Quality can never be too high and costs can never be too low’. Sooner or later someone will offer something better than your organisation for less money. Let that someone be you.
Good luck keeping your job!
*I am very grateful to the following people who kindly sent me information and/or gave me encouraging responses: Kerran Daly MG, Martin Forrester, Mike Gash, David Golding, Marcus Hamon, Tony Hawes, Peter Jones, Rosie McGilvray, Billy McMillan, Gordon Moir, Clive Osgood, Laurence Pithie MG, John R Ross, Lee Strutt MG, Paul Woodham and Paul Worster.
Frank has been coaching and training groundsmen and greenkeepers for over twenty years. If you need further help with communicating difficult decisions you can reach Frank through
Pitchcare.com or via the contact tab on his personal website
www.franknewberry.com
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