HR Consultant Geelong

Reassuring employees in uncertain times

Employees are suffering greater job uncertainty and anxiety in an already difficult period due to lack of reassurance from employers, new research has shown.

“Getting the balance right for your organisation’s future”, a summary of key findings from Leadership Management Australasia’s (LMA) Leadership, Employment and Direction (LEAD) Survey, found a lack of reassurance among business leaders and senior managers about the future of their organisations and their employees’ futures.

What you can do

LMA says the things leaders and managers can do to ease the uncertainty in difficult times include:

Provide reassurance. Provide as much reassurance about the organisation’s future as possible. If this is difficult due to extreme uncertainty, at least provide something for employees to look forward to such as information and communication as the picture becomes clearer;

Regular updates. Give regular updates and information, and offer alternatives to enable the workforce to decide their own future. Invite thoughts and input from all; and

Provide support. Ensure employees have support and encouragement from management, to enable them to commit to the organisation and engage with their work.

Among other findings in the report was that around four in 10 leaders and managers had a work/life imbalance due to working large numbers of unpaid hours.  This was causing a decline in job satisfaction and leading to a significant change in the rankings of factors defining an employer of choice.
Among business leaders and senior managers, the importance of family- and  life-friendly workplace practices catapulted into the top five factors, along with the organisation actively seeking input and feedback from staff, presumably including leaders and senior managers.