How managers affect productivity

The role of the manager is to get the job done through the efforts of others; therefore, the manager's task is to elicit superior performance through the efforts of the team they lead. Seems pretty simple so far, so how does it all go so wrong?

So, according to CIPHR's research, the manager controls more than half of staff happiness, yet why do poorly trained managers fare so badly in aspects of organisational behaviour? I believe it should be mandatory for all managers to receive tertiary level training in organisational behaviour.

Non-recognition of effort sends a pretty clear message of why bother; furthermore, allowing non-performing staff members to keep doing what they are doing reinforces the demotivational forces.

In these days of flat organisational structures after years of downsizing, overworking of team members is mandatory and people accept that, what they don't accept is a lack of employee care. Not honouring commitments and dishonesty are clear demotivational forces that don't really require discussion yet present in most workplaces.

When managers hire and promote the wrong people, everyone in the team suffers motivational, attitudinal and finally productivity issues. Along with a lack of coaching and staff development, the lack of constructive feedback hinders team and individual performance.

Finally, the lack of an intellectual challenge after being stuck in the same job could be addressed by job rotation allowing creativity to prosper. Micro-managing employees leads to a lack of trust that flows into every decision undertaken with team members just biding time until another opportunity presents.

I’m done

I'm done, after 13 years in a state government position, it is time to return to private enterprise. Even after nearly a decade and a third in the government I still don't think like a government worker and I hope I not viewed as a typical government worker.

I possess an entrepreneurial mindset and the slow mechanisms of government infuriate me, the opportunity to provide a taxpayer funded service is hindered by the bureaucratic infighting and empire building that plagues the sector. I have opportunities presenting in a recovering economy,

I don't want to run the risk of being viewed as institutionalised and unemployable in the private sector anymore. Yet, I know how to apply for positions in the government sector and I can always return should I want to see my career out in a government managerial position.

As an Advanced Skills Lecturer I had a pretty good position but it wasn't enough, there was no further opportunities for me, the white-anting, undermining and backstabbing that occurs in the government has to been seen to be believed. I'm getting out of a safe and stable job that is slowly suffocating me.

I have ten years left in the workforce before I can access my retirement benefits, I have a decade to set myself up and retire. Most people do not have the opportunity to officially retire at 60 as a self-funded retiree.

Instead, they have to keep working until they are 67 before they can draw a government pension that leaves most on or below the poverty line. I have a decade to ensure this isn't me.

Cargo shorts or chino shorts?

So it's chino shorts for fashion and cargo shorts for utility. I can't believe cargo shorts have been copping such a bad wrap by the fashion police, I reckon they look pretty good on the right person, the sporty outdoors type.

I don't dispute chino shorts are the better option in a more formal setting, if indeed you can wear shorts out formally. What I mean is on a hot summer’s day in an outdoor party, drinks, races, lunch or barbecue, the chino shorts look best.

Whenever I am out in South East Asia, the look is mostly casual anyway and the extra pockets are more than handy for carrying what I need so I don't need to carry a backpack around as keys, sun glasses, wallet and mobile phones all fit in pockets. The fashion police can make their rules, only the easily influenced will heed them.

Wayfarer glasses

Ray Ban is a brand I really identify with, I love the style and my preference is the glass lens as opposed to the plastic generally on offer - the style is timeless.

The Wayfarer is the style I identify with. A number of years back my Ray Ban glasses were broken and I sought some driving glasses to keep in my glove box.
I ended up with these wrap around glasses that made me look as if I was a member of a motorcycle gang. Naturally I sought out Ray Ban but the just couldn't deliver the style I wanted.

Since then I have purchased another set of Ray Ban glasses in the Wayfarer style that carry the Ray Ban name but feel a whole lot more flimsy than I normally experience with Ray Ban.

Notwithstanding, since I have checked out Wayfarer glasses in shops I notice that they always carry the Wayfarer name on the inside of the frame where as mine do not. So I went out and purchased a new set of Wayfarer glasses - I'm happy again.

The Philippines beach life

I have spent the last twelve years back and forth to the Philippines as I had a terrific holiday regime through my former employer. I had amazing diving adventures during that time, the Philippines is my favourite South-East Asian country to dive.

After thirteen years of employment I have now resigned am poised to take up another position for an international firm with a reasonably generous leave roster for an international position. During those travels I have been able to visit countless beaches and enjoy the Philippine beach lifestyle. I have ten years to save for retirement, I need to start planning now.

I am considering living part of the year overseas during my retirement phase of life, I will consider a number of options including both renting and buying in the Philippines. The cost of apartments in Manila is outrageous, similar to developed countries despite the labour content being considerably less, I would suggest the price of land to be less too, even in a major centre.

The possibility to be able to purchase a property in a provincial area is very appealing to me. The Philippines frequently cites there are 7107 islands in the archipelago with some outstanding islands and beaches at these islands. Admittedly I would prefer an apartment in a centre like Manila despite the high density living and pollution as I have spent some time living in regional areas. I can head down to the beach every day if I select an island carefully.

That being said, the reduced cost of living in provincial areas coupled with a retirement pension converted from AUD to PHP is very alluring. Naturally I would need to be very selective in both the region and the island. I would want enough of a population to have access to facilities such as medical, recreation and groceries. I still have plenty of time to research and select a property as long it is at the right price as I am only allowed to own a 49% stake.

Zombie pedestrians

Mobile phones are a great device; they act as a calendar, an organiser, a document writer and editor, eBook, a tool to connect to the internet, a message tool and even sometimes a telephone.

Yet, people can’t leave their phone alone, they walk around weaving all over the place, getting in people’s way and obstructing the flow of pedestrian traffic. This even involves crashing into people, stationary objects or even mobile objects such as motor vehicles.

I don’t understand why people can’t put their phone down while they are walking. They are not only a hazard to themselves, they are a hazard to others around them. Just stop and get out of the way, pull to the side and lean against a wall, a rail, sign post or tree - just get out of the way. I hate it, it is so rude as people only care about themselves these days.

Becoming a barista

I am looking forward to retirement, I want to give it away and work part-time, volunteer more and maybe undertake some more study. Naturally, my ROI will be zero so I will have to choose a subject that will challenge me intellectually.

Maybe this is the time to undertake an arts degree, critical thinking, philosophy or creative writing. I used to ugh at some of the university degrees but may find myself at least taking some units. What I know it won't be is business or engineering.

I could take up painting or woodworking; forget metalwork, I did that to earn a paycheck. I think I may take up some part-time work st Bunnings (a national hardware store) as I have seen plenty of old guys working there, I guess to supplement their pension or self-funded retirement account and keep active.

I am considering a similar pathway, when you are semi-retired you don't feel the stress of the job, you are providing advice and serving customers. You work part-time and just learn your job tasks making a small income to ease the burden on your finances.

I'm even thinking of becoming a barista, there is an art to coffee, you can be a little creative and I can talk coffee to interested people. Really, all I need to do is keep myself busy during the day, a challenge is required and a little income is always helpful. I am warming more to becoming a barista the more I think about it.

On-the-job assessing

As a training and development practitioner, I really enjoy the training component of the role; needless to say, assessing forms a key requirement of the training skill-set. What I really enjoy is on-the-job assessing, this allows myself as an assessor to really immerse myself in the trainee's actual working environment.

When I travel to site, I am able to view current industry practices in a realistic environment with trainees required to perform under the same workplace pressures they experience in their normal job role.

Notwithstanding, the trainee is required to perform their assessment on the equipment in their workplace, this maintains my currency in the industry in regards to machinery and equipment trends.

As a trainer and assessor, this industry consultation process also satisfies the requirements of trainer currency and on-going industry applications as well as individual workplace processes. As a dual professional, I am required to maintain both vocational and training competencies.

In reality, this is more difficult than one expects as I had to spend a disproportionate amount of my personal time undertaking tertiary training to develop university level training and development competencies.

The opportunity to engage in professional development on-the-job is welcomed, I love keeping up with the latest trends in the machinery maintenance and repair field. The technology now utilised in this field is extraordinary, productivity is linked to technology and automation is a large driver of technological development.

We generally conduct off-the-job training with trainees, we engage in classroom training for the knowledge development process before heading into the engineering workshop for skills practice before engaging in the practical assessment.

This is a simulated working environment, the issue we face is the learning and assessing tools and equipment, they tend to be outdated and not as related to current work practices as organisational management believes.

For the training organisation, the benefits of reduced capital expenditure and maintenance allows a more efficient use of resources. The benefits of utilising the client's resources allows a seamless learning environment where trainees are comfortable being assessed in their work environment.

Trainees who are familiar with equipment, procedures, tooling and work flow tend to perform better. It is my preference to assess trainees on-the-job for they are richer for the experience and so is the assessor.

This is all about confidence, a person who is relaxed generally performs to their potential with a greater benefit to their employer. it is about making people comfortable in their work environment, they can either perform the assigned tasks or they can't so you don't want to let nerves skew results.

The end of Google +

Now Google has announced the end of Google+ there are a number of upset people who will have their G+ accounts deleted. So much for the internet being forever, April 2nd is the end of G+ and our accounts gone.

Despite protests and an online petition, Google won't be backing down on this decision. G+ never had the following that the mainstream social media sites have such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, YouTube, Reddit, LinkedIn, Tumblr and Pintrest. Unfortunately, this situation embarrassed Google management and they needed a reason to shut down this unpopular social media site; they still have YouTube so I don't think they will back down on closing down G+.

We need more tradies in politics

We need more tradies in politics, for people not acquainted with the term tradies, this is a person holding a vocational qualification in a certified trade. Trade based training is strictly controlled by the state government with the qualification awarded by the government and not a training institute.

In Canberra we have way too many career politicians with no real background in running a business, working in a business or even holding down a job. Currently we have a whole cohort of people who finish high school, head off to university and gain a certain political ideology along with a law or arts degree and then enter politics.

Then these people head into government as a political advisor, communications advisor or some other role rubbing shoulders with our political masters. Tradies on the other hand learn the job from the bottom up, trades are workplace based with part-time training and assessment over a four year period.

Tradies have a first hand knowledge of the job, it is a true hands on role and the high performers are identified and slotted into supervisory and management roles. This is what we need in government, practical people who solve real life problems on a daily basis - this is how you prepare people for public administration.

Heading to the Public Sector Commission

I returned home late on a Friday afternoon, it was the final day of the year for me so we had been out for our Christmas drinks and I then had a barbecue out on the back lawn with my father.

There was a letter sitting on the kitchen counter when I returned home later in the evening with OHMS in bold print on the top of the envelope. This is an official government letter, On Her Majesty's Service usually spells trouble and I was concerned I had some sort of traffic offence.

Instead, I had been contacted by the Public Sector Commission to give evidence in an investigation they were undertaking. To be fair, I had initiated this investigation as a breach of employment standard as I had applied for a position and had been unsuccessful.

No big issue there, job applications are a competitive process and there are winners and losers. You can never challenge the decision but you can challenge the process and I was able to support my claim that I was overlooked for the position because I had reported misappropriation of government funds as we had claimed funding that we were not entitled to claim.

I had evidence that poor practices were being undertaken, certain individuals were receiving promotions without a competitive process and positions were being abused. My claim had merit as I spoke to the case officer on the telephone as she requested further details for clarification.

She then presented the case to the executive and they made a decision as to whether the claim had merit and should be pursued. The official letter from the Public Sector Commission left no doubt in my mind, they were taking this case seriously.

I had also told her that I was seeking alternative employment and resigning over the matter. I informed her I did not want to drop the matter as whilst there was no personal benefit for myself, I could improve the prospects of future applicants for fair and equitable treatment.

In Western Australia we have just had a high profile case where government employees had acted in a corrupt manner for procurement of state government tenders. This case had been plastered across the front page of the newspaper for days on end forming a huge discussion on talk back radio, letters to the editor and kitchen table discussions.

Now I had unearthed questionable practices in a state government agency that could be interpreted as corruption. Apparently there had already been a Corruption and Crime Commission investigation but I was unaware of the outcomes as only the person who had made the report was notified and that reporter was anonymous - despite this, I was the one held responsible.

It is unlawful for an organisation to take action against a person making a report of impropriety. All I know is that I am glad I have found another employer and I no longer have to work here anymore. I had to return for weeks after Christmas and I am then free of this poorly managed organisation.

Living well is the best revenge

The best revenge is success and happiness; what I have learnt from dealing with dysfunctional work environments is you should get out and never look back. 

However, if you are in a dysfunctional work environment with generous pay and conditions, that makes the decision a little harder. From what I have learned, I had the ability to get out, they have no such ability and this is the catalyst of their bitterness.

The art of revenge then is to let the people who dislike you know that they have no effect on you; be nonchalant but do not overplay it as you may come over as desperate. You have moved on, the best part is, when they haven't and they are still filled with anger and resentment then George Herbert is correct, living well is the best revenge.

Vasse Felix Classic Dry White

What I liked about the naming of some Western Australian wines is their understated style. The Classic Dry White from Vasse Felix is a great example of a great drinking now style - no need to cellar.

The Semillon Sauvignon Blanc is a summer blend with a basic 60/40 Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc that is light straw in colour, this light style is great value drink is priced slightly under $20 per bottle.



The zesty citrus and passionfruit flavours are layered over an initial dryness tapering off to a slightly sweet finish. This wine is drinking now and I wouldn't be cellaring more than 48 hours.

For me, this is a fantastic drink on a hot afternoon, I can't ever recall drinking this wine any later than daylight hours - this is summer. The screw cap is convenient, corks are out so I don't even require a bottle opener anymore so this is a great drink for on the boat or out in the backyard.