Tool Box
Issue No. 47 - June/ july
How many workers are on task?
by Mr Shayne Bakewell
‘Presenteeism’ describes a situation where someone turns up to work, gets paid, but contribute less than he or she could to the business. The reasons are several but the solution comes down to one thing – leadership. So says Carnegie Management consultant, Joe Tyney, who estimates in a typical business, about 45% of workers are ‘presentees’.
Workers may simply be ‘disengaged’ and disinterested in what the business is about, or have valid medical reasons for performing below par, but ‘presenteeism’ is very hard to detect.
“They are present but not productive. They are there to do a job but they are doing well below what’s expected of them. There is no focus on what they are being paid for,” Joe says.
Assuming a manager’s job is to “drive them harder” does not work because “driving” is not an exact science.
“Very, very good people won’t perform in their jobs if they don’t feel they are being treated well. It’s all about leadership – it’s easy to sit back and give orders.”
Minimising ‘presenteeism’ to improve workplace productivity doesn’t happen in two or three weeks. It takes solid effort and ability to effect change doesn’t depend on the manager’s age so much as management style.
The first step, and what Joe spends much of his time teaching managers, is to connect with workers personally.
“I encourage managers to talk to workers, to everybody, every day - to develop a rapport...
