CAO’s ABOUT HAPPY WORKPLACES

As a follow-up to a previous post, I identified the fact that I had engaged some CAO’s in a bit of a roundtable discussion to chat about some issues related to municipal leadership. I asked them – Why they thought it is important to create a happy working environment for their employees?

After all, it only makes good sense that when we are “happy” we tend to be more productive, engaged and focused. And when we are feeling good about ourselves and the people around us, there is a dynamic that sparks our productivity and interest in performing well.

The general notion of building trust and engaging with others happens in a more spontaneous fashion when people are happy in their work environment.

We have all heard that expression “the team is really jelling”. It suggests in part, that people are working together in a cooperative and productive manner. They rise to the challenge as a team and the general response was that overall performance was typically beyond the expectations.

Yet when a team is dysfunctional, there is that inherent sign of discontent and the obvious friction between each other. A dysfunctional team is clearly not a happy team and typically a team that is not performing to its expectations.

So the next question to the CAO’s was – What roles does a leader in the organization have in creating that happy work environment?

The overwhelming consensus was, there is an obvious role for leaders in establishing a happy work environment. The group agreed that it wasn’t easy, it’s not magic but there are some basic approaches that are critical to creating the happy work environment.

The first fundamental step is to ensure that you are recruiting the right people and as obvious as that step is, it is the most difficult to achieve. A number of the CAO’s said it was important to avoid the trap of simply hiring the “most qualified candidate” based on outdated; criteria, job descriptions and processes. They pointed to the fact that in their experience too often the rigid practise of checking off the boxes related to the skills and qualifications approach does not provide any assurance of success.

These CAO’s spoke about the importance of investing both time and energy to determine and assess the soft skills a candidate brings to the table. Several CAO’s said they subscribe to the old adage “hire for attitude and train for skills”.

The focus on having the right attitude in concert with the basic skills is the key to success. It seems a number of the CAO’s had real challenges with their recruitment process and ended up with the wrong candidates in positions. Those hiring errors resulted in even bigger challenges and often led to unwinding the employment relationship months later.

The message was clear. Take the time and get to understand who your candidates are and what they bring to the table on the “people side” of the equation.

A couple of the CAO’s also indicated that they make extensive use of psychometric and personality testing instruments to delve deeper into the type of personality the candidate has. They claimed that in several instances they relied on specialized recruitment/assessment tools to make the right hiring decisions. Ensuring that you have the right fit for your organization is critical given that we conduct our business in a fish bowl.

One CAO recalled his experience of hiring three times for a critical position and the last time the process was put under the scrutiny of a microscope with not just Council and staff watching, but the media and the community. The challenges of leading that recruitment exercise was not something that CAO wanted to undertake again at any cost!

Hiring decisions are very significant and costly undertakings, especially at the more senior levels of the organization.

While focused on the question of the recruitment process, one of the CAO’s also suggested that some thought be given to include members of the team that would be working with the new hire as part of the actual interview process.

It was suggested that this approach is one way to let the team take some responsibility for their future success. Another CAO mentioned how she often tasks her teams to develop the interview questions for the purpose of probing the issues important for the team to explore with potential candidates.

The concepts here are to build sufficient flexibility into the recruitment process to allow the team to have the opportunity evaluate the fit with the actual working group. Another CAO confirmed similar success in at least two occasions. He noted that once the team understood that their input was important to the selection process the group buy-in and acceptance of the new member(s) was almost seamless. They were ultimately accountable for their final decision in the recommended hire.

The team understood it was their decision that influenced the outcome of the hiring process and they subsequently took a greater direct role in working closely with the new member to address any performance/relationship issues. They did not want to forfeit any future opportunities that management would assign to them that would give then such direct impact over their future success.

Another CAO raised the question of the role of the boss and the impact that person has on workplace satisfaction. The individual suggested that when the boss keeps an open mind to new initiatives and demonstrates flexibility toward changing circumstances it helps to foster a more conciliatory, flexible and happier work environment.

The CAO noted that throughout his experience the “boss” that lead by example rather than simply issuing the edicts and retreating to the ivory tower, helped to establish greater credibility and demonstrated a willingness to meet the workforce face-to-face. Developing a more congenial and collegial environment where people felt they were also empowered and recognized by the “boss” fostered a happier work environment.

A leader who recognizes that people are human and will at times make errors will help to consolidate goodwill and respect from the team. People appreciate knowing that their boss has their best interests at heart and the culture of the workplace often reflects the style and attitude of the leader. That expression “the tone begins at the top” is likely quite appropriates when it comes to laying the foundation for a happy organization.

Finally, CAO’s, completely agreed that there is a clear connection between a happy work environment and the retention of talented employees. The CAOs suggested that in their experience, a workplace in turmoil will generate far greater turnover than one that is collegial and engaging.

Hey and if you haven’t done so already check out an anonymous career website www.glassdoor.ca which empowers employees to share candid reviews about their employers. The site offers some interesting insight into the various workplaces and is great tool for prospective job seekers.

Oh and BTW, to those of you who don’t quite get it – beware that the tables are most definitely turning and it is becoming an employee’s marketplace!