UN-Productivity
I’m all for devolving work where appropriate.
And I’m all for letting people get on with their jobs.
But letting people get on with their jobs does not mean letting them do what they like. And it does not mean let them do next to nothing.
Now I know this sounds like stating the obvious—but let me hazard a guess. I guess that as many as 10% if not more of your workforce spends at least 50% of their working time unproductively. In some cases this will be because they’re in non-jobs, i.e. jobs that are in part of in whole unnecessary and add little or no value to your operation. In some cases, this will be because their jobs and objectives are poorly defined or even non-existent. Some of them will be work-shy.
Most, however, are probably poorly led—their managers failing to invest the time necessary to monitor, review, guide and direct their performance against agreed job descriptions and objectives.
Let me give you an example. A recent report released in the UK by management consultants Knox D’Arcy found that managers in the public sector spent just 15 minutes a day actively managing their staff.
And if you think that’s a bit shocking, they also found that junior staff in local councils spent an average of 68% of their day on unproductive activities.
This is at a time of unprecedented pressure on UK local government budgets. The report reckoned that if the gap was bridged to junior local council staff’s private sector counterparts (who spend only 58% of their time unproductively!!!) then this could save 500,000 members of staff.
Imagine therefore how many staff could be saved across both public and private sectors if staff worked at a productivity level of 100%. I make it about 6 million.
Now—before hands are raised in horror at the prospect of 6 million more folk added to the 1.66 million already in UK dole queues, let me put a positive spin on this. Those 6 million could be used more productively in the roles they currently occupy or in the roles your business or activity, private or public sector, really needs.
Tags: 15 minutes 6 million council staff dole queues gap government budgets job descriptions junior staff local council local councils local government management consultants private sector counterparts productivity level public and private sectors public sector queues unprecedented pressure workforce working time
And I’m all for letting people get on with their jobs.
But letting people get on with their jobs does not mean letting them do what they like. And it does not mean let them do next to nothing.
Now I know this sounds like stating the obvious—but let me hazard a guess. I guess that as many as 10% if not more of your workforce spends at least 50% of their working time unproductively. In some cases this will be because they’re in non-jobs, i.e. jobs that are in part of in whole unnecessary and add little or no value to your operation. In some cases, this will be because their jobs and objectives are poorly defined or even non-existent. Some of them will be work-shy.
Most, however, are probably poorly led—their managers failing to invest the time necessary to monitor, review, guide and direct their performance against agreed job descriptions and objectives.
Let me give you an example. A recent report released in the UK by management consultants Knox D’Arcy found that managers in the public sector spent just 15 minutes a day actively managing their staff.
And if you think that’s a bit shocking, they also found that junior staff in local councils spent an average of 68% of their day on unproductive activities.
This is at a time of unprecedented pressure on UK local government budgets. The report reckoned that if the gap was bridged to junior local council staff’s private sector counterparts (who spend only 58% of their time unproductively!!!) then this could save 500,000 members of staff.
Imagine therefore how many staff could be saved across both public and private sectors if staff worked at a productivity level of 100%. I make it about 6 million.
Now—before hands are raised in horror at the prospect of 6 million more folk added to the 1.66 million already in UK dole queues, let me put a positive spin on this. Those 6 million could be used more productively in the roles they currently occupy or in the roles your business or activity, private or public sector, really needs.
And sorting that, my friends, takes leadership.
Tags: 15 minutes 6 million council staff dole queues gap government budgets job descriptions junior staff local council local councils local government management consultants private sector counterparts productivity level public and private sectors public sector queues unprecedented pressure workforce working time
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