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31 January 2011Risk & Critical Procedures
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New Year, Same Culture, Same Pressures!
18 January 2011
How's the Working Culture?
Here we are again and ready to take on the New Year. So what will be different this year?
When you get into work is it business as usual? Or will people share their interest in your New Year's resolution, and make efforts to help you achieve them? We are repetitive creatures by nature, as thats how we learn, so it is very easy to slip right back into the old routines - so how do we 'unlearn' and bring more enjoyment into our working lives without being branded? Would welcome your comments on this.
In talking with a manager from a bank recently he said, in certain offices you can "cut the air with a knife. The environment is very intense..." Why is it necessary to work in an intense environment? Does it produce consistent productivity and a strong desire to do well by the company? Does it breed loyalty and commitment? I think not.
If the company is doing well, why is there still significant pressures to bear? It seems, and I have heard this mentioned more than once, if companies are under pressure due to downturns, then pressure to perform across the board increases dramatically along with the changes that are introduced. Changes that frequently contribute to those pressures e.g when staff cuts are made.
Ironically, when the company is having a great year, there also seems to be pressure to get that extra 3% or 5% profit. Good Year, Bad Year, what's the difference in the working culture? I suppose the question is "How much is enough?" What is the trigger point in order to ease up a little and put some of the hard earned profits back into producing more harmony into the workplace and develop a strong desire to stay and work with the company (and not just for it) because you really enjoy it and not because they pay you well. Personal happiness for many, seems to come at a price.
Why are working cultures allowed to develop into such intense and unhappy environments? Basically it is Fear. No one seems to shout 'Fire!' so most sit and smoulder away because everyone else is.
"Some men die by shrapnel,
and some go down in flames,
but most men perish inch by inch,
playing at little games".
Is the threat of reprisal too great for you to try and make the changes that would benefit not only yourself but your colleagues also?
Des Allen
Filed Under: Corporate Fatigue / Tagged with: fatigue, stress, tired, sleep loss, poor decisions, frustration
