In May the Semco UK Team had the privilege of speaking at the Annual UHR Conference for People Professionals in Higher Education to share our approach and philosophy on workplace wellbeing.
This year’s conference theme of “Working Well”, was about exploring whether we’re truly working well and if the way we work is sustainable both as individuals and for the wider organisations we’re part of.
The topic of workplace wellbeing has surged in recent years, with the spotlight put on mental health at work, alongside the repercussions of covid-19. It seems UHR’s Working Well theme couldn’t have come at a more relevant time, and just as May’s Mental Health Awareness Week commences.
But are we looking at fixing workplace wellbeing in all the wrong places?
Unfortunately, from our experience, wellbeing at work is often focussed purely on a people level. Companies roll out wellbeing initiatives and programmes to improve people's stress levels, all in the hope that a yoga day, a gym membership, or a mindfulness workshop will instantly alleviate people from the burdens they carry. While the intention is well meant in many cases, these programmes do little to change how people are feeling, or the reality of work they are experiencing.
Data from Gallup’s ‘State of the Global Workplace: 2022 Report’ found 33% of UK workers report feeling worry a lot of the day, 15% of UK workers report feeling anger a lot of the day, 20% of UK workers report feeling sadness a lot of the day, and 41% of UK workers report feeling stressed a lot of the day.
It’s quite clear, that work is making us ill. But the common message on workplace wellbeing is – “you're broken because you can’t cope, so here’s how we’re going to fix you.” Sounds a little patronising don’t you think?
Too many organisations would much rather believe that it’s an individual's fault, rather than take a deeper look at the system of work itself. They focus on the symptoms, not the cause. More resilience training, more health and wellness benefits; the list goes on. All while the expectation is for people to take on more work, and smile in the process.
It’s a myth we’re sold that workplace wellbeing is a people problem – it's a systemic problem.
We need to find a new way forward.
To clarify by what we mean about the system of work, we mean the way we’ve been operating in top-down hierarchy. Where these is a chasm of inequality between those at the top and bottom. Where command and control is the default, and overwork, stress and burnout are treated liked badges of honour.
The very nature of the outdated system creates an environment in which people are constantly constrained – it's truly no wonder, that no matter how many wellbeing initiatives are rolled out – the pain remains present.
This approach to the way we work hasn’t changed much since the 19th century where Taylorism, Fordism and Scientific Management became the blueprint of work life.
At Semco, we believe that instead of making the best of ‘what is’, we can design a better ‘could be’, and in doing so, stop trying to fix the people and fix the system of work.
The pains of the system.
The way we work is causing the pain we are feeling when it comes to wellbeing. What happens at work, has a ripple effect on how we feel, how we connect with others, and both our physical and mental health.
But what are the pains and frustrations being felt?
During our talk at UHR we asked attendees to answer a poll about the struggles they face with the system. The areas where they feel restricted, frustrated and unhappy.
Using the Semco Style’s principles we asked them what their experience of work currently is. Here’s what came to light;
71% revealed that they are frequently constrained by arbitrary rules.
88% revealed that the bureaucracy in their organisation is often needless and gets in the way.
81% revealed that they don’t feel the power to make decisions is equal and fairly distributed.
89% revealed they operate in silos.
The insights reveal what we know to be true at SSI UK, that work isn’t working. Instead, the way we operate is crushing engagement, stifling progress, and ultimately making people unwell.
From the ‘As is’ to the ‘Could be..’
The troubling truth is, we’ve been so used to this way of working that for many organisations it’s hard to imagine a better could be.
During our talk we wanted to share what a better system could be like, so that people had a real feel for what’s possible. Using the Semco Style principles as a lens through which to look at how we work, we’ve shared these examples below.
Trust as it is
Recently we shared the story of Monzo bank, who were exposed in the press for implementing surveillance software on employees computers. Unfortunately, stories such as this are becoming all too common as remote working increases. But this represents a complete lack of trust.
It may not be surveillance, but there are many examples of processes and procedures within organisations that signify to employees that they are not trusted.
Trust as it could be
Trust is the cornerstone of Semco Style, if you don’t have trust, you simply don’t have the right environment for great work to happen.
If Monzo were to adopt a Semco approach, we would envisage them treating adults-like-adults. Trusting that if they are working from home, work is getting done. We would also imagine that they might create the space for participation, by working with their teams to create better remote working.
Control as it is
Have you ever had to get sign off from multiple people to buy stationery? Or maybe you’re budget holder and despite this you must get permission to hire someone in your team.
Bureaucracy for its own sake, creates a cottage industry and a need to justify your own existence. There’s no such thing as common sense. In many organisations there is a natural imbalance in the control you have over the work you do, with the power sat elsewhere in a parent child dynamic that is far from engaging and motivating.
These unnecessary control system may prevent damage to a small degree, but ultimately, they end up harming people.
This need for control comes from fear and the belief that “If we don’t have these controls, things would be anarchy!”
Alternative controls it could be
At Semco Style, we believe in Alternative Controls. This is still a requirement for some level of boundaries, but it’s about being “in control without being controlling”.
A few tools that come to mind, are Busting Bureaucracy and Boundaries for Action.
These practices help you to review administrative power, where rules and procedures are defined, as well as coming together to create norms and boundaries.
Autonomy as it is
Do people really have much of a say in how their work gets done, or the goals they should achieve? - Rarely. Autonomy at work is a rare thing. What we see instead, is micro-management and goals being set from the top down.
Someone recently shared wih us that they had to complete a 9 page appraisal. It not only took them hours to complete, but they then had to spend time the next day going through all of those 9 pages with their manager.
This is an example of an old way of working. Controlling behaviour and goals of individuals, where performance indicators are set top-down, meaning people have little room to contribute and explore their own goals or ideas.
Self-management as it could be
If we were to look at this case study through the lens of Semco Style, we would use the principle of self-management. Through self-management this individual would be able to set their own goals – and definitely not be wasting their time justifying themselves to a manager.
Self-management gives people a certain amount of room to choose and decide for themselves which goals should be set, and actions that should be taken. It’s about being in consultation together, rather than in this top down dynamic.
Alignment as it is
In our consultancy work we frequently see siloed working, with departments or functions working away in isolation. They don’t know what each other is doing, which then creates friction because there are unintended consequences of decisions made which is driven by internally-focussed product owners rather than what the customer or end user wants. Sound familiar?
Extreme Stakeholder Alignment as it could be
A principle of Semco Style is Extreme Stakeholder Alignment, organising around and with the client. It’s about creating smooth alignment between everyone internally, but also externally. That’s why it’s called ‘extreme’, because we don’t just want to create internal alignment, we also want to ensure that what we’re doing as an organisation or business is aligning with the needs of the end-user.
When we think about alignment, two Semco tools come to mind. Co-creating a social contract, and co-defining roles and responsibilities. These are two practices where you can organise around the client.
First of all, deciding what working together looks like to ensure you’re meeting the needs of your customer, but then also organising roles and people's responsibilities to align to internal and external demands.
Creativity as it is
Organisations are desperate to increase creativity and innovation, but the way they approach this falls drastically short.
The most common pitfall we see is the good old suggestion box. Too often organisations use a suggestion box in order to get feedback and generate new ideas. The truth is, the suggestion box is a blackhole where ideas go to die.
Suggestion boxes don’t provide people with the opportunity to truly express their ideas in the fullest sense, let alone contribute in a meaningful way to real organisational problems.
Creative Innovation as it could be
Creativity and problem-solving are two of the 10 key skills needed in the workplace by 2025 according to the World Economic Forum. Yes, that’s even with the emergence of AI technology.
At Semco Style, a core principle is Creative Innovation, where we help organisations make room for continuous improvement and entrepreneurship. It’s about creating a space where teams can experiment, learn and invent. While also respectfully challenging the status quo.
It’s time to humanise work
These examples show what’s possible when we stop looking to fix the people, and instead get to the root of the problem and fix the system.
At SSI UK, our mission is to humanise work. It’s about inclusion in the workplace, the right and wrong imbalance of power, and about how we treat one another in a genuinely human way.
Growing a profitable company does not have to come at the detriment to people’s health and wellbeing. As Ricardo Semler says, “Growth and profit are a product of how people work together.”
If you’re intrigued to hear more about the tools we use at Semco Style, join our email newsletter, or sign up to our next free webinar. There’s so much more to share with you.
