Solutions

Control-solutions /

CONTROL: ARE YOU DOING ENOUGH?

() Are you enabling staff to have their say?p.37 (()())

Give more control to staff by enabling them to plan their own work, makedecisions about how that work should be completed and how problemsshould be tackled (eg through project meetings, one-to-ones, performancereviews etc). ()Allocate responsibility to teams to take projects forward:

**Discuss and define teams at the start of the project. **Agree objectives and goals.

**()Agree team roles.

**Agree timescales.

**() ()

Agree the provision of managerial support (eg through regular progress meetings).

- Talk about the way decisions are made within the unit is there scope for more team involvement?

Are you making full use of employees skills and abilities?

** -

Enrich jobs by ensuring that staff are able to use various skills to get tasks completed, and that staff can understand how their work fits into the wider aims of the unit.**Talk about the skills people have and if they believe they are able to use them to good effect.

How else would they like to use their skills? () How much supervision is actually needed?

()Only monitor employees output if this is essential.

Regular meetings with staff could be arranged to see how things are going.

()

At these meetings managers could provide advice and support where necessary and ensure that staff are coping.

A supportive environment is crucial.

Staff need to know that managers will support them, even if things go wrong or if they find that they are unable to cope with added pressures.

41.2.3. 4.

p.67Consultation and communication () Communicate with workers about how and why decisions are made. Whenever possible, seek team involvement with making these decisions. --

Develop and maintain a working environment in which workers are consulted and can provide feedback on changes impacting on their tasks. -- Develop a system that enables workers to have input into broader organisational issues (for example a suggestion scheme/box).

Know when it is appropriate to consult with workers and ensure the outcomes of a consultation process are fed back to them.

Appropriate supervision

Ensure that managers are competent supervisors without micro-managing.

micro-managingmicro-managing ()Micromanaging is defined as attempting to control every part of something, no matter how small or inconsequential ().

If you are overseeing a team of employees and you want to control every single thing that they do, down to what type of paperclips they use and when they make phone calls, this is an example of micromanaging.

Consult with workers when developing performance monitoring systems. Provide a method through which workers can review and contribute to the output of monitoring systems. Develop team-based targets which assist in building effective teams and by measuring team performance against the organisational goals. When assigning work, negotiate objective and reasonable standards to increase workers perceptions of ownership and fairness.

Avoid asking workers to regularly stay after hours without prior consultation. In participation with workers, develop clear policies on the development, implementation and purpose of electronic performance monitoring (EPM). (Electronic performance monitoring, EPM)*(Ambrose et al ., 2000)

**(Computer performance monitoring)(Electronic performance monitoring, EPM) ()()()()()()()

()()()()

Smith (1992)

Carayon

Griffith(1993)

Westin(1986)(Electronic performance monitoring, EPM)

EPM() EPM is a system to measure outputs at either an individual or group level (e.g. calls per hour). Ensure all workers are aware of these policies.

Train supervisory workers in the objective, appropriate and ethical use of EPM.

/EPM Avoid unnecessary monitoring of workers and/or excessive or punitive use of EPM data in performance review processes. -

(Silent monitoring)

(spying) (Leventhal, 1980)

-

(Leventhal, 1980)

-

(Ambrose et al., 1998)

At the individual level, solutions are aimed at assisting individuals to cope or build resilience.(resilience)

Turner(2001)(resilience)Turner(2001)

*-

*-

*- (2008)

(resilience)

*

* (Miller, 1981)

(),

Appropriate activities to be considered at this level of intervention include:

corporate induction programs

access to employee assistance programs

training about resilience

health and wellbeing programs/ counselling/therapy for people experiencing distress from sources both in and outside of the workplace.Work harder

Play harder