February 3, 2003—There is good news and bad news from an annual survey into the state of the UK workplace.
The good news is that Britain’s managers believe their organizations have become more productive after introducing new working practices and successfully implementing large-scale changes.
The bad news is that an undercurrent of tension is coming to the surface, made apparent by escalating workloads, increases in workplace conflict, bullying, job insecurity and a growing use of office politics.
These are the results of the latest ‘Management Agenda’ report, produced by the research and training specialists at Roffey Park.
In the report, 65% of managers claim that change has improved organizational performance (up from 47% last year). Often these changes have involved new working arrangements being introduced, such as the use of virtual teams, flexible working, outsourcing, homeworking and hot-desking.
“Organizations are now realizing the benefits of large-scale change programs,” said report authors Claire McCartney and Linda Holbeche. “Although this is positive, tensions beneath the surface are running high, and these have been exacerbated by recent changes. An increase in workplace conflict, bullying and the growing use of office politics suggests that a pressure-cooker problem is building within organizations.”
McCartney and Holbeche say that 60% of managers believe office politics is on the increase in their organizations, and 79% claim that conflict in the workplace has increased. 18% have personally experienced harassment or bullying at work, predominantly verbal hounding, although 9% referred to physical attacks. 12% claim that sexual harassment occurs in their work environment. Asked who are the main perpetrators of harassment, the respondents pointed to senior managers (63%), their boss (29%), their colleagues (20%) and customers (18%).
To help alleviate some of the pressures at work now, managers want more frequent reviews of workloads, improved internal communications and an increased focus on coaching. In another area waiting for a solution, the survey reveals the problems of working across boundaries. Cited most frequently were the difficulties of working across different time zones, adapting to cultural differences and maintaining regular contact with international teams.
Full details of the Management Agenda research and report can be found on the Roffey Park Web site.
—Elliott Chase
Reprinted with permission; copyright 2003 i-FM
