Is your workplace sick?
Is your workplace ‘sick’? We don’t mean sick the way some young people might say new music, or clothes, or a film is sick—meaning that it is unusual and different, but also trendy, cool and highly desirable.
No, we mean is your workplace sick the way we (human beings) sometimes get sick.
When we’re sick we are unwell, we’re not functioning properly; we’re not ‘firing on all cylinders’. So we can’t perform the way we’d like to—things don’t happen the way we expect them to happen. Sometimes there’s an ache, or a pain that’s quite specific. This gives us a clue to where something is wrong. At other times it’s not so obvious, the symptoms may be many, subtle, indirect, or variable; but we still know something’s not right. Being unwell can be mildly irritating, or it can be completely disabling. It can be frustrating, it can slow you down; or it can stop you in your tracks. Being unwell can make some things difficult but others absolutely impossible. It can be demoralizing and in some cases it can lead to people giving up altogether.
In our experience all of these symptoms can also be found in sick workplaces. Unhealthy workplaces don’t function very effectively. They’re bad for people and they’re bad for profits. A workplace can be seriously sick—or just a little off-color. Either way there is room for improvement.
However in most workplaces it’s the people (a person or group of people, you know, “Them!”) who get the blame. It’s rare that anyone really stops to ask; ‘What’s wrong with this place? Why do these things keep happening? Does it have to be like this? Could it be different – could it be better? Why can’t we fix this?’
Sometimes when we’re sick we go to the doctor. Most times we can get well again. But there aren’t too many doctors who can ‘diagnose’ and ‘cure’ an unhealthy workplace. There are some specialists in universities and high-powered consulting firms who know about these things. However they tend to be expensive, not very accessible; and they talk a language which is difficult to understand. These, ‘specialists’ often have their own formula, or ‘model’. They want the client organisation to conform to their model, the one-right-way a business should be structured and run. But we know the variations are almost limitless and that there isn’t one-right-way to do most things.
That’s why we are starting this blog. We are not in an Ivory Tower (or a glass tower either) and hopefully we’re talking in plain language. We want to connect with people in workplaces who are interested in these issues. In particular we want to talk with managers, supervisors, team leaders and business owners who are interested in creating and sustaining ‘healthy’ workplaces. In our experience a ‘healthy’ workplace is also a happy and productive workplace. And we’re not just talking about Occupational Health & Safety here—although that’s an important part of the story; we’re talking about the well-being, productivity and performance of the workplace as a whole. We know that training isn’t always the answer (that’s why it’s only part of what we do) but we also understand that in various ways it is possible to make a difference. ‘Sick’ workplaces can become healthy and productive.
So, do you think you’re in a ‘sick’ workplace? Or were you once in a sick workplace? Did it get better? Or worse? How? What happened? Why don’t you tell us something about it? We may be able to help but even if not, others out in Blogspace will have ideas to share. We look forward to hearing from you.
Peter Waterhouse & Peter Hancock
http://www.wli.com.au/
Related Articles:
No, we mean is your workplace sick the way we (human beings) sometimes get sick.
When we’re sick we are unwell, we’re not functioning properly; we’re not ‘firing on all cylinders’. So we can’t perform the way we’d like to—things don’t happen the way we expect them to happen. Sometimes there’s an ache, or a pain that’s quite specific. This gives us a clue to where something is wrong. At other times it’s not so obvious, the symptoms may be many, subtle, indirect, or variable; but we still know something’s not right. Being unwell can be mildly irritating, or it can be completely disabling. It can be frustrating, it can slow you down; or it can stop you in your tracks. Being unwell can make some things difficult but others absolutely impossible. It can be demoralizing and in some cases it can lead to people giving up altogether.
In our experience all of these symptoms can also be found in sick workplaces. Unhealthy workplaces don’t function very effectively. They’re bad for people and they’re bad for profits. A workplace can be seriously sick—or just a little off-color. Either way there is room for improvement.
However in most workplaces it’s the people (a person or group of people, you know, “Them!”) who get the blame. It’s rare that anyone really stops to ask; ‘What’s wrong with this place? Why do these things keep happening? Does it have to be like this? Could it be different – could it be better? Why can’t we fix this?’
Sometimes when we’re sick we go to the doctor. Most times we can get well again. But there aren’t too many doctors who can ‘diagnose’ and ‘cure’ an unhealthy workplace. There are some specialists in universities and high-powered consulting firms who know about these things. However they tend to be expensive, not very accessible; and they talk a language which is difficult to understand. These, ‘specialists’ often have their own formula, or ‘model’. They want the client organisation to conform to their model, the one-right-way a business should be structured and run. But we know the variations are almost limitless and that there isn’t one-right-way to do most things.
That’s why we are starting this blog. We are not in an Ivory Tower (or a glass tower either) and hopefully we’re talking in plain language. We want to connect with people in workplaces who are interested in these issues. In particular we want to talk with managers, supervisors, team leaders and business owners who are interested in creating and sustaining ‘healthy’ workplaces. In our experience a ‘healthy’ workplace is also a happy and productive workplace. And we’re not just talking about Occupational Health & Safety here—although that’s an important part of the story; we’re talking about the well-being, productivity and performance of the workplace as a whole. We know that training isn’t always the answer (that’s why it’s only part of what we do) but we also understand that in various ways it is possible to make a difference. ‘Sick’ workplaces can become healthy and productive.
So, do you think you’re in a ‘sick’ workplace? Or were you once in a sick workplace? Did it get better? Or worse? How? What happened? Why don’t you tell us something about it? We may be able to help but even if not, others out in Blogspace will have ideas to share. We look forward to hearing from you.
Peter Waterhouse & Peter Hancock
http://www.wli.com.au/
Related Articles:
- Symptoms of a 'sick' workplace
- Why blaming doesn't work
- Why focus on workplace learning?
- Curing a sick workplace: Coffee and cake, or onions?
Labels: blame, continuous improvement, learning and development, unhealthy workplace, workplace culture
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