UK workers: Why good enough is no longer good enough

Kate Russell says that over the last 10-15 years, there’s been a noticeable decline in the British work ethic. HR needs to take control.

Recently I was asked to take part in a Five Live debate centring around the findings of Centre for Social Justice think-tank that 82% of employers are concerned about British workers’ work ethic. One of the other contributors suggested that British workers are lean, mean and keen to knuckle down and deliver. I am going to stick my neck out here and I make no apologies for doing so.

I don’t agree; from where I stand (delivering HR services and training to a very wide range of industries and sectors) there’s considerable evidence that a substantial body of British workers cannot be described as lean, mean and keen by any stretch of the imagination.

In today’s economic environment many organisations are fighting for their lives and it is vital that business takes steps to ensure that all employees are performing to their optimum. Let me be clear. I am not suggesting that British workers are lazy (some are, but you get lazy in any language). In fact, most people want and try to do a good job. But over the last 10-15 years, there’s been a noticeable decline in the British work ethic. While I fully support a reasonable work-life balance, I have seen a somewhat casual attitude to work spread across some members of the workforce and employee expectations are often that the employer should make provision for them to work flexibly, but there’s no 'quid pro quo' when the employer asks for flexibility.

Let me give you an example. I have employed a number of people in my company. They are very nice, diligent people. Last year the mother of one of my employees was very ill. My employee asked if she could make a few calls during work time to sort out her mother’s care arrangements. Of course I agreed. She made several 45 minute calls while I was in her office and at different times a number of my consultants were in the office with her and reported the same length of conversation. I had no problem with that. But I did notice that while she thanked me for my kindness and flexibility, she didn’t come in early or stay late as a token effort to repay the time off even once. And when I asked her to stay one evening for 15-20 minutes to complete some work, she said she couldn’t because her daughter (aged 13) needed her tea. This sort of thing does tend to make an employer grit her teeth... and it is not an especially unusual response.

Work–life balance is here to stay so employers have to make sure that employee delivery is at a level acceptable to the employer while the employee is actually at work. Most employees do achieve the employer’s standards, but it’s abundantly clear from the application of my question to employers, “are all of your employees meeting all of your reasonable management standards most of the time?” that the answer is always no, and that tells us we have work to do.

Unfortunately, many managers are singularly reluctant to do so.

It is commercially crazy to accept an under-performing employee. The cost of employing staff is the highest it has ever been (salary + 34% + the cost of any other benefits you provide) and is set to get higher.

However, with costs rising and the economy still struggling, it’s time for business to revise its own expectations of employees and ask more of its staff. Too many employers are routinely tolerating poor performance. It’s like paying for a Rolls Royce only to take delivery of a Corsa. (There’s nothing wrong with a Corsa, but you take my point I hope!)

HR now has a fantastic opportunity to get into the business driving seat and make a real difference. We should be training line managers to clarify and raise standards, help them understand the essential requirement to gather objective data, drive them down the performance improvement route where necessary and generally stop tolerating the ‘I’ve done just enough to get away with not being disciplined’ brigade.

HR’s function is now more crucial than ever to ensure that ‘OK’ performance is raised to deliver at 95% all the time. Are we prepared to grasp the nettle? Can we afford not to?

 

Kate Russell, The HR Headmistress and MD of Russell HR Consulting.