At a time when there is so much uncertainty around job security, one company is going the extra mile to keep its staff informed - building trust and listening to their concerns.
Ian Morrice, managing director of The Warehouse, says what staff need is a clear sense of direction and a belief that their employer has a robust plan for the future.
"It's important to us that our staff know we are managing our way through the current climate," he says. "We have to increase people's general feeling of wellbeing and motivation."
Speaking to business leaders in Auckland recently to mark the 2009 JRA Best Workplaces Survey, Morrice said open communication was the best policy in times of great uncertainty.
"It is important that staff at The Warehouse know and understand the substance of the company's plans for the future.
"We also make sure the communication is two-way, something we do by holding weekly team meetings and delivering key visions in bite-sized chunks. Good communication with staff must be done regularly. And listening to what staff say, and answering their questions, is key."
Leighton Abbot, a senior consultant at JRA, says now is the time for managers to show leadership and for organisations to display "absolute clarity around 'what we do' and 'why we do it'."
The survey finds only about one-third of staff believe their employer has a clear vision of where they're going and how they're going to get there.
"It's no surprise that these employees rate their 'sense of common purpose' and their confidence in leadership around 20 per cent higher than other staff, and are also much more likely to know how their work contributes to the success of the organisation," says Abbot.
"They want to know what they can do, and how their team and their department can help the organisation reach its goals," he says. "They are watching and waiting for direction. This is unquestionably a time when leadership must step up to the plate."
JRA will be running the JRA Best Workplaces Survey in association with the New Zealand Herald from June 1 to August 31. Registrations are now being taken.
Take part in the Best Workforces survey 2009 The JRA Best Workplaces '09 survey is run in association with The New Zealand Herald
