66 DEBATE


Continued from page 65


What we argue is, if we can get the management of those things right and if we can support better quality work, then we should see improved productivity and also better health and wellbeing within the workforce.


CR: We need to find a way of measuring productivity by looking at output over input, rather than measuring input over output. We have to recognise the business case for true, agile working and enabling and encouraging people to work in a way and at times that are the optimum in the optimum way for them.


MJ: There have always been people who feel the need to work long hours for whatever reason. Sometimes people feel that they are obliged to work long hours, and sometimes they’re far less productive.


In my experience the issue has always been down to poor leadership and management, not understanding the reasons why people are doing this, not even noticing that they are doing it and certainly not dealing with the fact they are doing it. It doesn’t surprise me in the least about the impact on health.


Who would have thought at the end of a pandemic we’d actually have more jobs than we’ve got people for


How much could better core management help with productivity?


DC: I see on a day-to-day basis how a good manager has that influence and ability to motivate and get their team working. They also have that positive attitude towards upskilling their workforce and are happy to look at that investment.


There are businesses that don’t have that middle management in place and there is no engagement between the workforce and the directors, there is no route to voice opinions and implement changes. It’s a belief system as well, they have got to believe in their employees and invest in them.


LM: Middle management is fundamental to the successful operation of an organisation,


particularly a large one. It’s that link between the senior managers and employees.


Middle managers have that privilege of being there, listening to employees, understanding the nature of the work the employees do, the way work is organised and are able to feed that back to senior managers.


In terms of good quality management, it’s about having the ability to communicate, to show you value what your employees are doing, to manage them effectively so that they are meeting objectives but, at the same time, being able to make tough decisions about core performance and managing that side of things.


SG: Improved productivity is more likely to come from upskilling and the upskilling of management. It is about how we support businesses in achieving this.


CR: Management style will determine how things are in the workplace and is one of the biggest causes of conflict. It’s one of the biggest causes of people being unhappy at work. We need to do more in terms of training managers to be better.


Good managers resolve issues early, make sure that employees have a voice, which is so important. Are there multiple channels for employees to have that voice? Poor managers don’t tackle issues and allow things to spill over into conflict.


MJ: Leadership and management are very different things and it’s the leadership that gets the best out of people. It’s the leaders amongst us who notice problems, who help people to get through those problems, who turn people who are really struggling into a company’s greatest successes.


AW: There isn’t one solution to dealing with productivity so it’s about making changes in the workplace that can have the most impact. There’s no golden bullet. Technology is hugely important, upskilling is hugely important but, if we could spend a little bit of time focusing on basic fundamentals of management, we’d get a lot further a lot faster.


Where are the quick wins for productivity?


MJ: Something simple, like making sure that everybody within the business knows how what they do contributes to what the business is trying to achieve. It costs nothing apart from a little bit of time and has a massive impact.


CR: Communication, both in terms of people’s roles within the business and how important they are but, also, do people actually know what’s available within the organisation? Don’t assume,


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ever. Also training managers to make sure they know how to deal with issues that crop up and have quality interactions with their staff.


DC: There is an awful lot of support out there for businesses and they’re not aware of it. There is a lot of stuff we can do to help middle managers.


SG: It’s that honest recruitment piece. Does it have to be a short-term or zero-hour contract? Are you going to offer progression? Is it agile working and ongoing honest conversations? There’s a massive amount of, ‘Oh, you’re doing a great job,’ because it’s easier to say than it is to sit down and have that difficult conversation with somebody that will save you time in the long run. It’s also about support and health and wellbeing.


If we could spend a little time focusing on basic fundamentals of management, we’d get a lot further a lot faster


AL: Listening to people’s experiences and working with them to come up with practical solutions. It’s the simple stuff like, ‘How do we deal with stress, anxiety and depression?’


We can do things in and outside work time, whether it’s walking meetings, where you get the opportunity to walk and talk, peer support and mentoring, which is really important, particularly for new starters and for managers, or seeking external support around getting people physically active and helping them on their recovery from health conditions.


AS: There are lots of things that can help productivity from a digital point of view. Skills are important, funding is important, removing legacy technology is important. But there are also those softer skills around leadership. There’s a lot to be done.


LM: We need better managers. It’s recognising that, so that within an organisation there is a recognition of the need to invest in managers, so they are able to support or implement flexible working, support health and wellbeing, the work life balance. It’s the fundamental issue here.


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