BLUF
The health of Australian workplaces is going down the gurgler, according to a new study.Summary
This article argues that only 12 per cent of Australian workplace teams can be considered healthy. That's the startling conclusion based on new research from software firm Atlassian. The study found:
Low levels of workplace trust.
Complicated organisational structures.
A belief that decisions are not made openly.
Leaders need to do more to build purpose, transparency and cohesion within their teams.
Work futurist Dom Price says good teams are defined by trust, communication, purpose, honesty and praise. However, identifying weaknesses in leadership is a little more tricky. Price has this to say about the findings of the study:
Good leaders collaborate. The research showed that leaders are putting too much pressure on themselves to have all the answers.
Attempting to find solutions without collaboration (such as trying to boost team culture) won't work and could even exacerbate existing issues.
Leaders must remember to work as a team rather than pursuing a 'lone genius' method of leadership.
Workplaces are having to deal with the loss of staff the Great Resignation.
To deal with this mass movement in the labour market means asking: 'How do we want to work as a team?'
Price argues that it doesn't need to be complicated; have an honest discussion with your team.
According to Price, one of the major problems is that the office workday is still being applied to remote workers.
Teams need to be working and managed slightly differently when working remotely.
References
Jul 2021 The Guardian Remote working is not going away: who wins and loses when workers stay home?
Oct 2021 Positive Psychology Understanding Leadership Strengths in the Workplace
Nov 2021 Psychology Today Is It the Great Resignation or the Great Reprioritization?
