Management fads are fun, and one that keeps resurfacing is hating on HR — aka Human Resources. We can all think of times when HR has caused us a special kind of pain and suffering — payroll screw-ups, pointless performance reviews, unintelligible procedures…so, is it time to get rid of HR?
Would it surprise you to learn that just eight percent of organisations consider annual performance reviews valuable? And that a further 45 percent of HR leaders think performance reviews are inaccurate in appraising an employee’s work? Employers and staff alike have long reviled performance reviews – and not much has changed in the 1,700-odd years since their inception.
Does your organisation employ fundraisers? A fundraiser or fundraising team are probably some of the most important staff in your organisation, potentially responsible for a large chunk of your revenue. But with headlines like ‘Charities’ fund-raising costs swallow millions in donations’, how much to pay your fundraisers can be a controversial question.
Did you know that for every dollar your organisation invests into volunteering, the flow-on benefit to the community is valued at more than $4? That’s according to peak body Volunteering Tasmania, which last month launched a free online calculation tool to help organisations accurately assess the economic impact of their volunteer programs.
Four standout ideas we picked up at the conference from the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, the Happiness Institute, the Kitchen Garden Foundation and World Vision that you can apply to your organisation.
Why is it so hard to get diversity right? Many organisations attempt to identify, educate and implement policies and activities to improve diversity in their workforce. Despite this, we are yet to see impactful and sustainable change.
Feeling ill? Well, staying at home would seem to be the sensible course of action. Yet for many, going to work while sick has become the norm, even a necessity in the face of the pressures placed on us by the organisations which employ us. In many cases, illness is no longer seen as a valid reason for not working; rather, it is considered to be something that people must put up with and get over. Sick days are for wimps. Yet, working while ill – or “presenteeism” – adds to the costs of organisations.
Do you dread having tricky conversations with colleagues about performance, pay, restructuring or workplace conflict?
Throughout a career, every not-for-profit leader will face these conversations. But for many, they can be the most difficult parts of a job.
Since Susan Henry joined Starlight Children’s Foundation in 2001, they’ve twice been accredited as an Aon Hewitt Best Employer. With staff engagement currently sitting at a phenomenal 89%, we had a chat with her to try and find out what the secret is.
In the lead-up to her presentation at the 2015 Not-For-Profit People Conference, Yumi Stamet – a Workforce Adviser for the National Disability Services (NDS) – spoke with us about Buurtzorg, a Dutch NFP that has grown from just 4 staff in 2006 to over 8,000 staff today, by pioneering a system of self-managing teams. Buurtzorg has the most satisfied workforce of any Dutch company with more than 1,000 employees.