As Human Resources was going to press, the starters gun was yet to sound, but there was no mistaking that the federal election race was well and truly underway. With the economic forecast continuing to be buoyant, promises have been coming thick and fast. From Mark Latham’s promise to cut PAYE tax if he is elected, to the Prime Minister’s vows to allocate more money for his ‘tough on drugs’ initiatives.
As Human Resources was going to press, the starter’s gun was yet to sound, but there was no mistaking that the federal election race was well and truly underway. With the economic forecast continuing to be buoyant, promises have been coming thick and fast. From Mark Latham’s promise to cut PAYE tax if he is elected, to the Prime Minister’s vows to allocate more money for his ‘tough on drugs’ initiatives, be sure this is just the start.
When we hear promises from politicians, we tend to take them with a grain of salt. Why? Because we’ve been lied to before. We have an expectation that what they are telling us is no more likely to happen than the hundred other things we were promised and never received.
Corporations face similar dilemmas. No amount of sticking up cheery posters on office walls telling employees that they are the single most important asset the business has, will prevent mass defections when the job market picks up if the company has a dodgy track record when it comes to its staff.
The problem with good times is that the advantage comes back to an organisation’s employees – particularly its talented employees. The other problem, of course, is that times of rapid expansion usually follow hot on the heels of depressed market conditions; times when employees gritted their teeth and stayed put, knowing that the world was not a particularly friendly place to be unemployed in.
Just as the Howard Government will be judged largely by the actions it has taken during its incumbency rather than its promises of future actions, a company’s behaviour during tough market times is what its employees remember. This is an organisation’s real culture.
If your company has been using the tough times to downsize, cut back on work-life balance initiatives or even leadership and development programs, then this is what the staff will remember. If faced with a choice, as they inevitably will be, to work someplace else, your company’s record on these initiatives are what they will weigh up. Put simply, if your company is thought of as a good place to work, then the likelihood is your best people will stay. With your best people remaining, you’re likely to continue to be a good place to work. And so it goes.
Mark Latham faces a tough challenge in usurping the coalition Government. Apart from general voter disenchantment with the government of the day, he must rely on his ability to create a compelling vision for the future. He has no track record in office and the Howard Government has spent a very long time in power. Latham’s predecessors were ineffective in dislodging John Howard from power because they were unable to create such a compelling vision. Surely the Labor party must look back at Kim Beasley’s ‘small target’ policy and shudder. To succeed, Labor must essentially convince the Australian people to take a chance on a politician’s promise.
However Latham has operated an exceedingly clever campaign. He has turned it into a values-driven one. Importantly, he has embodied those values. Highly regarded values such as honesty and simplicity have been on show regularly. He recently fielded questions from a general public meeting in Cessnock for 90 minutes, then not rushing off to a carefully stage managed event, but rather lingering and mingling for a further 30 minutes.
Simultaneously, John Howard was campaigning in the most stage managed of fashions, keeping the media in the dark as to his schedule to avoid any nasty surprises. The contrast was stark.
So too, HR practitioners must now live out the values they espouse. When your managing director tells you to get ready for a round of downsizing, will you stand up and argue against it? You know the damage it will cause, but are you ready to take your place at the strategy table rather than meekly waiting to be asked?
