This article explores how outdated leadership styles, poor communication, a lack of employee investment, and low productivity contribute to work not functioning well for individuals, teams, and organisations.
As Culture Consultants we have seen what happens when work is working. Businesses are significantly more profitable. Employees are more engaged and have higher levels of well-being and absenteeism is lower compared to other organisations.
Yet in 90% of businesses today, work is not working. And this is impacting individuals, teams, organisations and society as a whole. Productivity in the UK has reached an all-time low, decreasing year on year to levels below the lowest productivity levels pre-pandemic (ONS, 2024). So what is it that means work is not working?
Leadership Styles need updating
Firstly, leadership style and skills need to be updated to reflect the current needs of employees and organisations. Leaders of old were tasked with ‘policing’ performance. Ensuring people were present, and in some industries operating like machines in the production process. Today, repetitive, mundane, dangerous or dirty tasks can be robotised, freeing up humans for more meaningful work. Yet leaders are lagging behind in terms of gaining the skills required to effectively lead teams in today’s environment. Sprinkle in some artificial intelligence and the complexity increases – even faster, in a more uncontrollable manner.
The result is 80% of workers currently report being stressed due to poor communication. Yet, 34% of workers wouldn’t tell their boss they are stressed for fear of repercussions. So it’s no surprise half of workers report being disengaged (Praslova, 2024). Despite this, UK employers investment in training is 26% less in real terms than it was twenty years ago in 2005. Globally, the UK continues to lag behind in employee investment with our EU counterparts investing double the UK value. This means the UK would need to invest an additional £6.5 billion per annum to be on par (Learning & Work Institute, 2024).
So whilst work is not working, the investment and hope for improvements in the future currently remains bleak, especially in the UK. How can we expect employees to improve their productivity when employers are failing to invest in improvements?
Organisations need to invest in training, coaching and upskilling
Secondly, organisations need to invest in training, coaching and upskilling their current workforce. This includes ensuring that the skills which are due to exit the employee market are replaced where required. With 1.4 million more people due to retire over the next 17 years than will enter the employment market is it imperative that organisations learn how to work smarter and not harder.
Embrace Technology
Thirdly, there is an opportunity to embrace technology for businesses. But to do this business leaders need to rethink their organisational design. Technology provides ample opportunities, but often ways of working, processes and job design need to be reconfigured to harness the power, speed and capabilities of technology. Effective job design can increase productivity, improve engagement levels, reduce absenteeism and deliver higher-quality work when done effectively. Job design is an area where Business Psychologists have the upper hand, understanding the psychology and the processes required to deliver organisational success.
Listen to your employees
Fourthly, listen to employees in your organisation. They have the answers on how teams can work smarter and not harder. There are numerous techniques to empower the creativity of teams and facilitate innovation. Creating a psychologically safe space where divergent thinking can be applied to future problems and opportunities can deliver untold benefits.
For more information on psychological safety assessments, surveys and advice, please email [email protected].
Ensure your business has a robust culture strategy
Finally, ensure your business has a robust culture strategy which is aligned across the organisation. Often a toxic culture can arise from situations due to a lack of focus, much like weeds growing in an untendered garden. In times of uncertainty, fear can creep in and lead to unhelpful behaviours which start to fuel uncertainty, fear and self-preserving behaviours which can be detrimental to business success.
For support ensuring that work really works in your organisation please reach out for a free 30-minute consultation.
