| There has been a lot of hullabaloo recently about | | | | sales, sales, profit, profit, and profit come hell or |
| the problems facing Australia in retaining talented | | | | 'high-water' with no regard to workers who were |
| workers and the subsequent pressure placed on | | | | viewed as lazy.For the first 6 months Liam |
| those remaining behind in the workplace.The | | | | worked hard at raising the company standard. |
| incidence in stress claims is rising and is having an | | | | This often required Liam travelling away from |
| impact on the economy and enterprises in | | | | home.Liam started to achieve some credible |
| general.The incidences of people who work 'day in | | | | results and after 6 months had NSW and QLD |
| day out' who in many ways are closet | | | | co-operating as a team for the first time in 12 |
| workaholics is increasing.We are told that 1 in 5 | | | | years and sales and profits started to increase. |
| Australians are suffering from some sort of | | | | This came to the notice of the overseas parent |
| mental illness and that 1 in 7 teenager's at | | | | but the pressure was not lessoned. This was |
| high-school suffer from depression. This comes | | | | despite him working 14 -16 hour days.Liam wasn't |
| from proven research but my guess is that it is | | | | happy and looked at his options. He took the |
| probably higher, after all these subjects are still | | | | option to resign although he could have taken |
| quite taboo in our society.Why be the richest and | | | | leave under workplace health and safety |
| unhappiest person in the cemetery? Take a walk | | | | guidelines. In his resignation letter he tabled his |
| around the local cemetery sometimes and read | | | | concerns about the company's breach of their |
| the inscriptions - it's actually quite interesting what | | | | duty of care, and other known incidences that he |
| you read.People are becoming crankier, less | | | | had brought to management and that he had not |
| tolerant, and the workplace is rapidly becoming a | | | | been given the reasonable relief he had |
| battleground where much emotion is wasted in | | | | requested.I became involved with this process and |
| argy bargy, meetings and petty grievances.It | | | | represented Liam in discussions with the Chairman |
| could be argued that 'workaholism' could be in part | | | | of the Board.What does the law say?Under the |
| contributed by the ageing population, different | | | | Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 employers |
| generational expectations, talented workers | | | | have an obligation to ensure the health and safety |
| moving offshore and the move from permanent | | | | of all workers by managing risks at the |
| employment to contract working. This is simply | | | | workplace. This includes physical, mental and |
| untrue.The lesson seems to be that some have | | | | emotional. In addition, employers are under a |
| work and others don't, slaving away 12 hours plus | | | | common law duty of care and will be found liable |
| per day in order to keep the wolf from the door, | | | | if they break the law and a breach of their |
| the mortgage paid, the annual holiday and | | | | statutory and common law obligations are proven. |
| whatever else pushes their buttons and sacrifice | | | | There are heavy penalties for individuals and |
| quality of life - for what?.Australia has one of the | | | | organisations that disregard the law.All employers |
| most highly qualified unemployed 'work-force' in | | | | have an obligation to be totally upfront and |
| the world.I am a firm believer in education and as | | | | realistic about the job on offer. For more |
| one wise person said 'if you think that education is | | | | information you will find articles at( Biz Momentum |
| expensive try ignorance'. I am committed to life | | | | which are available for you free of charge.What |
| long learning so long as it benefits my clients and | | | | should the company have done?- The company |
| me.But what about the commonsense approach | | | | should have had in place a workplace stress |
| of sharing the load and looking after our back | | | | policy.- Management should have taken their duty |
| yard.Why aren't company's learning from their | | | | of care under workplace health & safety |
| mistakes, taking responsibility (a dirty word today) | | | | seriously. In this instance employee moral began |
| and ensuring that they are adequately resourced | | | | to suffer because of mismanagement.- The |
| and taking the time to know their people. Or could | | | | company should have had a policy on working |
| it be that the relentless drive for shareholder | | | | hours and what constituted reasonable |
| value has blinded the eyes of these executives | | | | expectations for after hours, work including |
| who sit in their ivory towers issuing edicts | | | | management.- The company should have taken |
| mindless to the fact that below them often sits a | | | | Liam's reports and discussions seriously and |
| smoking powder keg. If you were privy to the | | | | investigated his concerns.- The company had a |
| previous company secrets that I was when I was | | | | general duty of care to ensure that there was |
| CEO and the mindless way my superiors though | | | | adequate employees' to cover the work.- The |
| of and treated their employees you would be | | | | company should have consulted their industrial or |
| shocked. Or when I was in Banking and the way | | | | legal professionals- The company should have |
| the Bank paid out $500,000 in unbudgeted | | | | given Liam adequate time to recover and re-size |
| redundancies in 1994 besides other amounts that | | | | his position. He had more than proved he could |
| were cleverly disguised in various ways simply to | | | | operate successfully through the financial and |
| get rid of people.In my daily work as a strategic | | | | leadership results.What should Liam have done?- |
| human resource management advisor I am privy | | | | Liam followed the right processes documenting his |
| to the heartaches of people as they tell me their | | | | difficulties and speaking with management- Liam |
| difficulties. Most of these difficulties focus around | | | | kept file notes of these discussions.- He requested |
| other work colleagues or overwork. Chronic | | | | leave that was reluctantly given but only for 1 |
| overwork has a tremendous impact of personal | | | | week, insufficient to recover.- He should have |
| health, family life and company productivity.I have | | | | gone to his Doctor and taken advice and in my |
| to confess that I was once a workaholic for | | | | view taken long term leave through WH&S.- Liam |
| many years before a heart scare woke me up in | | | | took industrial advice.- Taken counselling - we all |
| time and thankfully without doing any major | | | | have issues that sometimes speaking with |
| damage to my health. This is not just my story | | | | someone else can help resolve.The Wash-upI |
| but one of many that is illustrated by the following | | | | meet with the Chairman of the Board and |
| true story that I was involved with (names and | | | | stressed the seriousness of Liam's situation. Yes |
| identities have been changed).The following is a | | | | the Chairman understood this and acknowledged |
| true story with details changed to protect | | | | there had been some wrong doing by the |
| privacy.Liam was the General Manager of an | | | | company.As Liam had voluntary resigned the |
| organisation that operated in New South Wales | | | | Chairman proposed that a payment of $60,000 |
| and Queensland. He was very experienced in his | | | | be offered as a without prejudice payment on |
| field and had been a secret workaholic for 15 | | | | signing a deed of release.It was ultimately Liam's |
| years.He had been employed to help get the | | | | choice and he accepted.Philip Lye is Director of |
| company back on track after the overseas | | | | Biz-momentum ( services in startegic human |
| parent company had put the cleaners through | | | | resource management, review and preparation of |
| management and left the company drift for 3 | | | | HR policies, procedures and workplace health and |
| months without leadershipSoon after starting he | | | | safety compliance strategies.Philip speaks a |
| began to experience increased pressure and the | | | | conferences and forums on strategic business |
| mantra seemed to be 'I've been working on the | | | | issues. |
| railroad all the dead day long'Yes it was sales, | | | | |