Editorial

Park that thought

I was about to start the year with a spot of blue sky thinking. Thankfully, and not a minute too late, I’ve discovered blue sky thinking is so last year. Had I not checked, I’d have unwittingly engaged in what a recent survey says is “the biggest verbal faux pas when it comes to lame office lingo”.

Instead, I plan to lob a few ‘thought grenades’ around the office. These will be the result, hopefully, of some productive ‘thought showers’ dreamed up at ‘information touchpoints’. Meetings, too, it seems, are so last year.

You can be certain I won’t be taking it offline, thinking outside the box or, heaven forbid, ‘opening up my kimono’! (The latter, for those of you who are not up with the latest business jargon, is the way to put your cards on the table these days.)

According to Office Angels, a UK recruitment consultancy which recently surveyed 1600 workers, using last year’s phrases in front of your colleagues is a surefire way to mark yourself out as past your sell-by date.

Surprisingly, 55 percent of those surveyed thought using the latest language “improves your standing at work”. I say surprisingly because another survey, this time of 2900 Scottish workers, found management jargon can alienate staff and leave bosses looking untrustworthy and weak.

Workers were fed up with the use of phrases such as ‘blue sky thinking’, ‘heads up’ and ‘the helicopter view’ saying it could be an obstacle to understanding and lead to low morale in the office. Bosses, however, seemed oblivious to the dangers with more than half believing jargon to be harmless.

Yet another survey found that many people are too embarrassed to ask what the jargon means, and this lack of understanding can lead to a breakdown in communication.

You’d think that people would want to communicate as clearly as possible—but perhaps not. Perhaps some prefer to obfuscate and confuse, or to make a simple idea sound more profound than it really is. If you want the trust of your workers, however, the message is clear—drop the jargon and say what you mean.

Anyway, it’s time I got back to that blue sky thinking. With the summer we’re having, it’s the best I can do.

Lyndsey Swan
Editor

Contents

Constructive culture
A culture of openness paves the way to hiring and keeping the best people, according to Tony McCabe, group employment relations manager for construction company Fulton Hogan. Louisa Clery reports on how this culture means that the company is one of the best employers in New Zealand.

The rules of attraction
In these days of skill shortages, innovative recruitment methods are essential. Miriam Bell talks to a range of companies who have fine-tuned their recruitment procedures in order to attract quality staff on an on-going basis.

Better than all the rest
With the competition for talent remaining tough, says Stewart Forsyth, doesn’t that reinforce the need to value such talent? He takes a look at the recruitment scene for 2007 and suggests strategies to ensure you retain a competitive advantage.

360-degree feedback: how was it for you?
Increasingly, organisations are adopting 360-degree feedback as an important tool in enhancing the development of managers and key employees. But, says Mike Hughes, the success of the process is dependent on careful planning and implementation. He explains how to ensure the process adds value. 

Ringing the changes
There are three things we can count on in life—death, taxes and change, says Donna Andronicos. She explores some of the common challenges facing organisations in our ever-changing environment.

HEALTH & SAFETY: Activity-friendly workplaces
Struggling to include physical activity in a busy life is a feature of modern times. SPARC’s Bronwyn Polson explains how activity-friendly workplaces can help in dealing with this problem, as well as generating healthy and happy work environments.

Saving for the future—the KiwiSaver scheme
Kiwis don’t have a great reputation when it comes to saving for their future, but that looks set to change when the KiwiSaver scheme comes into effect in July. Cathy Magiannis explains how the scheme works and what employers have to do.

RECRUITMENT: The talent black hole
With our ageing workforce and a fondness for experiencing the great OE, the global skill shortage is hitting New Zealand particularly hard, says George Brooks. He advocates pursuing dynamic and alternative attraction techniques to keep ahead of the competition.

The year of the executive contractor?
There are ways to deal with today’s tight labour market, says Nichola Reid. She takes a look at the role an executive contractor can play and explains why businesses are increasingly turning to contractors to fill the gaps.

LEGAL SOLUTIONS: Leave it out
What are your options if an employee takes unauthorised leave because a pet has died?  And what can you do when you find that you can easily get by without an employee who is about to return from maternity leave? Rani Amaranathan has the answers.

Signed and sealed
The individual employment agreement is the foundation stone of the employment relationship. John Rooney and Kate Trethewey outline the basic requirements of this important document.

WELLNESS: Time well spent
You may be met by excuses, but Sarah McCrum says there’s plenty of evidence to support making relaxation time part of the working day. She explains how to spread the word.

CASE IN POINT: By public demand
Can an employee’s entitlement to a public holiday be transferred to another agreed day? A recent decision confirms it can, so long as certain criteria are fulfilled. Anna Clark explains.

LEADERSHIP: Hooked on Fish!
Cyndi Crother-Laurin’s experience working at Seattle’s ‘world famous’ Pike Place Fish Market led to her redefining her idea of leadership. Jennifer Young reports on her address on the topic at the recent World Congress for Total Quality Management.

LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT: Selling e-learning
E-learning is playing an increasingly important part in workplace training and development. Iain McCormick explains the steps to take to sell it in your organisation.

PUBLIC SECTOR: In the balance
It can sometimes be difficult to balance the good faith obligations owed to a particular individual with the good faith obligations owed to other staff, says Paul Robertson. He examines a case that illustrates how things can go wrong.