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Flexible working | business results - case study

Jo Sellwood — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:51:00 GMT

When Jo Sellwood and Sharon Mullen co-founded Strategi Search & Selection they were determined to create a business that was not based on a culture of `presenteeism’. They had learned first-hand that long hours in the office do not necessarily lead to increased productivity or job satisfaction.

Work/life balance

From the outset, a key objective for the business has been to offer individuals the best of both worlds. A successful career with prospects for promotion combined with the other things that are important to people like work/life balance or time for other responsibilities or interests. Essentially, they set out to build a company that delivered the service it promised to clients with an adult environment where staff can decide what their work life will look like.

Flexi/part-time/full-time

For some the choice has been to divide their time between home and office, for others to plug into the Strategi office network as appropriate. This menu of options is key to offering a flexible choice of working according to Strategi. “It’s important to highlight that we are in a highly client focused business and our consultants travel extensively across the UK and internationally so home working is only one element of the role. The most effective choice is usually to combine local office, home office and regional or international office depending on where you need to be on a particular day. Also, by working flexibly and only travelling when client or company meetings require people find that they can get a lot more done”, says Sharon.

The company is equally flexible about part-time or full time working and it is not unusual for a member of staff to move from part-time to full-time or vice-versa depending on their circumstances.

300% increase in turnover - business results

It appears that Strategi’s flexible working model has proved a real success with very low staff turnover and a substantial business growth rate as illustrated by a 300% increase in turnover over the past five years.

Sharon continues: “Crucially as an employer we get immeasurable return in terms of loyalty and commitment. Flexible working has become a massive retention tool for us, although that wasn’t the main reason for doing it initially. For example, we have talented people with family responsibilities who need to spend some time at home and cannot find the same flexibility they get with us from other employers.

“It’s not just about a job either – we offer significant career development opportunities for those who have other responsibilities or are simply at a point in their careers where they just want a bit more flexibility. It’s also good for people to know that the flexibility is there for the future even if they are not interested in that option at the moment.”

Overcoming challenges - communication

As the business grew and the model expanded, one challenge has been to create a culture where people are encouraged to communicate and feedback to each other on a regular basis. Many critics of flexible working highlight that it is impossible to mimic the informal but valuable discussion that takes place around a water-cooler or over lunch when everyone is based on the same place.

For Sharon, the key is communication, communication, communication. Strategi consultants combine regular telephone contact with text, email and teleconference support on a daily basis. By using a wide range of communication tools speed of response across the team is instant. Crucially, a `real-time` feedback loop also takes place after all key contact.

“This is one of the things that we have taught people that works really well”, says Sharon. “If I have just spoken to a client who has mentioned something to me that I think would be useful for another member of the team, I will immediately pass this information on through a text, email or voice message. In fact, it is my obligation to pass on that communication. That way we are always constantly in the loop. It has to be this way if you want to make a success of flexible working. “

This approach is supported by a significant investment that Strategi has made in its IT support systems. The current platform again offers `real-time` access to company information through its IT system. This means that wherever the consultants are, they can log onto the system and get up-to-date data.

Creating a high performance culture

The high performance culture at Strategi encourages people to work as teams. “Our motto is work as one team and perform as a team. It quickly becomes evident if a consultant is not closing the loop or communicating effectively. Continual communication and peer pressure from others in the team will normally ensure that this is highlighted quickly”, says Sharon.

Building relationships

Another contributor to the success of Strategi’s approach is an understanding of how you build relationships on a remote basis. This is especially important when some staff choose to base themselves predominantly in the office whilst others use flexible working more extensively. In order to help the Strategi consultants bond as a virtual team, they have developed a number of different tactics to help with relationship building. This ranges from individual one to one’s and mentoring sessions to regular social events where everyone on the team can enjoy meeting up more informally.

It could be argued that it is harder to self motivate whilst working flexibly and/or home working especially as Strategi does not monitor what people do on a daily basis. So how do they identify the sort of people who can operate in this type of environment?

“The flexible working competency base needs people who are self motivators, driven and very bright. They also need to be willing to work hard. Our consultants all tend to be at a more experienced senior level and thus at a different stage in their careers. There is not the same need to socialise and to validate themselves with their peers which would be more true of those in the younger generation X and Y groups who tend to prefer our office working option”, says Sharon.

“It is also important to set a clear expectation of the delivery of services and of each other as individuals”, regardless of where they are working from she adds.

Working smartly

Flexible working is not a cop out – far from it according to Sharon. “We have to be careful to ensure that people do not work too many hours as you don’t have the obvious cut off point of leaving the office at the end of the day. The types of individuals we employ are extremely driven and very high achievers and the temptation is to continue working in the evening. Whilst we discourage this, working in search and selection is not a nine to five job. As long as consultants make up the time during the day and the job gets done, it’s up to them how to balance their lives and successfully handle the assignment. By working smartly you can deliver a top notch service to clients and achieve the results.”

The company balance sheet highlights the dividends of properly implementing a flexible working model. In fact, since the recent acquisition of Strategi by GW Group, this flexible working model is now starting to be rolled out across the two other recruitment companies in the Group – FSS and Crone Corkill.

Walk the talk

Sharon herself `walks the talk` and is an excellent example of the benefits of flexible working. As a mother of triplets (two girls and a boy) who turn three in September she is able to juggle the responsibilities of being a Director of Strategi where she manages the whole of the consultancy team (who operate on a national and international basis) as well as being a mother. Her four day week gives her the flexibility of being able to undertake her family duties before returning to her office to turn her attention to work matters.

Legal protections | expectant mothers

Dundas&Wilson — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 11:53:00 GMT

Eilidh Wiseman. partner in employment at UK law firm Dundas & Wilson

Nicola Brewer, Chief Executive of the Equality and Human Rights Commission recently questioned whether extending maternity leave could hamper women’s careers, if this meant employers became wary of employing women of child bearing age. In her view, if the right to take time off was placed on a more equal footing between the sexes, this would remove the perception that childcare responsibilities are a women’s issue. So what legal protections exist for new and expecting mothers who encounter an unscrupulous employer?

Returning to work: flexible work arrangements

Mothers returning to work after maternity leave have a statutory right to request flexible working arrangements. This can include changing their hours, time or place of work. A request does not need to be made straight away and, provided the mother has 26 weeks’ continuous service and has not made another flexible working request in the last 12 months, she can request flexible working arrangements until her child is six years old (or 18 years old if the child is disabled).

Statutory procedues

Whilst there are prescriptive statutory procedures for making and considering a request, there is no entitlement under the legislation for the request to be granted. If an employer fails to follow the statutory procedure for considering a request, the maximum penalty is only £2,640.
Of far greater importance in this area is the concept of indirect sex discrimination and the use of this remedy by women who are refused part-time work.

If a manager refuses a request to work flexibly a mother may, in certain circumstances, be able to challenge the refusal by bringing a claim for indirect sex discrimination. To establish indirect discrimination, the mother would need to show that the employer’s policy, for example of only having full time managers, indirectly discriminated against women.

Indirect discrimination

Indirect discrimination occurs where a policy, provision or practice is applied equally to men and women, but puts women at a greater disadvantage than men, provided this cannot be justified. Employment Tribunals have accepted that women are more likely to be responsible for childcare. Therefore, it is likely that a practice of only having full-time managers will put women at a greater disadvantage, as they more likely to have childcare responsibilities. To avoid a finding of indirect sex discrimination, an employer would need to objectively justify the requirement that a role needs to be worked on a full time basis. Awards for indirect sex discrimination are uncapped, so this is potentially a more valuable remedy in these circumstances.

Redundancy before, during or after maternity leave

New and expecting mothers have enhanced protections against dismissal and any dismissal related to pregnancy, taking maternity leave or requesting to work flexibly will be automatically unfair. In addition, mothers may also have sex discrimination claims if they are treated less favourably because of their pregnancy or maternity.

Therefore, an employee threatened with redundancy after announcing her pregnancy will be protected against any dismissal which is on the grounds of pregnancy. This does not create a blanket ban against making a pregnant employee redundant: where there is a genuine redundancy situation, dismissal can be justified.

Employment Tribunals are however adept at uncovering the “real” reason behind dismissals and expecting mothers who sense their pregnancy is the real reason they are selected for redundancy should keep clear records of communications, emails and other actions that support their claims.

The same applies to mothers who are selected for redundancy several months after returning from maternity leave. Expecting and new mothers may also be able to claim indirect sex discrimination if the selection criteria for redundancy is more likely to favour male employees (who are less likely to have child care responsibilities). For example, a requirement that employees must work full time would be more likely to favour male employees who are less likely to work part time.

Part-time roles

If a new mother is granted part-time work there is an expectation that the role will shrink to reflect the reduced working hours. The terms of any arrangement will be a matter of negotiation between the employee and employer. However, if in reality the employee is expected to fit a five day week into three or four days and starts suffering from stress and work overload as a result, there are protections in place.

Employers have a statutory duty to ensure the health, safety and welfare of employees and to take reasonable steps to resolve problems related to stress. In the first instance, we recommend that any concerns are raised with relevant managers. Where reasonable concerns are brought to their attention, employers need to act. Breach of the duty to take reasonable care for the health and safety of employees in the workplace could give rise to a personal injury claim.

Unlawful discrimination | can references to an employee’s associate amount to unlawful discrimination?

Emma Bartlett — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 14:46:00 GMT

Not for the first time this year, the UK has been put it in its place by the European Court of Justice (the ECJ) over its interpretation of EU equal treatment legislation. It's now generally the case that employees are protected from discrimination relating to themselves or an associate (e.g. family or friend). This is commonly referred to as discrimination by association.

Coleman v Attridge

In Coleman v Attridge Law, the scope of disability discrimination under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (the DDA) was referred to the ECJ. The ECJ held that the DDA did not provide adequate protection for Mrs Coleman, carer of her disabled son. Although Coleman had accepted voluntary redundancy from her employer, she subsequently claimed disability discrimination against them. She claimed she was treated less favourably than other employees returning from maternity leave who didn’t have a disabled son and that her redundancy was the final act of discrimination.

On the face of it, the DDA only provided protection for those discriminated on grounds of their own disability, not that of a third party. As the Framework Directive aims to eliminate discrimination on grounds of disability (amongst other grounds) in the workplace, the ECJ considered this included protection for those who suffer discrimination because of their association with a disabled person.

As a result of the ECJ’s decision, the Employment Tribunal (EAT) will need to consider whether a “purposive” interpretation of the DDA will allow Coleman to be protected in principle.

Does this mean a change in the law?

Do we care (please excuse the pun)? The ECJ’s decision may result in a change in the law, unless the Employment Tribunal interprets the DDA as compliant with the Framework Directive. The government’s response to the consultation on the Equality Bill, published this week, states that it “is considering the implications of the Coleman case” but that it does not propose to introduce protection against discrimination for carers.

Current legislation

Unfortunately, the discrimination legislation since the 1970’s has been drafted piecemeal so is not expressly aligned. However, associative discrimination on grounds of gender harassment was specifically included in this year’s amendments to the Sex Discrimination Act 1976. Associative discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation, religion or belief was specifically included in the relevant 2003 regulations introducing protection on these grounds in England and Wales.

The 2006 regulations implementing protection on grounds of age discrimination is however worded differently again. It provides expressly for harassment by association, but not for direct discrimination by association. It is likely that Employment Tribunal’s will be asked to take a “purposive” interpretation of the 2006 regulations in the same way they will be asked to interpret the DDA to provide this cover.

The case to watch out for later this year, will be the Court of Appeal’s decision in English v Thomas Sanderson Blinds Ltd, which is presently listed for end of October. Mr English claimed harassment based on homophobic comments of his work mates, which were not aimed at either him or an associate. Nevertheless, he was offended. Did the Framework Directive aim to eliminate this sort of harassment? Probably…

Flexible working solutions | work/life balance

Silverhawk — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:33:00 GMT

Amanda Alexander is correct in many of her observations. I founded a consultancy, Silverhawk Partners, to help clients to access flexible talent at a senior level. There are many cultural and economic benefits in offering people flexible working opportunities. My background briefly, is that I ran a communications consultancy, Clarion Communications, which was acquired in 2001 by WPP. PR is a career that attracts many women who have the excellent communications and client handling skills required; it is, however, a client service dedicated business that operates 24/7 with deadlines, demands and expectations.

Family and work

As we grew, we had an increasing number of women who needed to combine family and work; my option was to lose these talented and experienced people in whom we had invested training and experience. And both internal and external teams prefer continuity and enjoy working with people they know.

Flexible workforce

Our mode therefore, was to offer all of our staff the opportunity to work flexibly. Our teams worked together to establish working routines, within agreed guidelines. It made for an excellent working environment with unparalleled levels of staff retention within our industry. When I sold the company, I myself, who as Chairman/CEO had worked three days per week for five years, found it extremely difficult to find interesting and challenging work on a flexible basis.

No more wasted talent!

So the idea for Silverhawk was borne out of the realisation that there were many professionals like me who had reached a point in their careers where they want to work more flexibly and that companies and organisations were missing out on vital talent opportunities by being too rigid in their employee conditions. It is not just women with children who need flexibility, although this group were certainly the trailblazers.

An enlightened employer who embraces flexible working throughout the organisation will be able to attract and retain the best quality talent; individuals who are committed and able to deliver results whilst integrating work into the demands of running a young family. This applies to men and women. It is often the culture of the organisation that prevents them from being effective and encourages the perception of them feeling sidelined, and somehow “parking” their career aspirations.

HR should drive change | flexible working

It is true to say that the new legislation mitigates against women of child bearing age and it is very tough for operators of SMEs, the lifeblood of our economy. The solution has to lie in employers redrawing the essentials of the workplace. Flexible working offers both cost and culture benefits. With the advance of technology and changing social demands, it is vital for HR departments to implement policies that will genuinely change culture.

There is an underlying belief that if someone is not in the office, they are not contributing; this is simply not the case. People who work flexibly are committed to getting the job done; they approach their work with a positive attitude and are keen to deliver.

Flexible working - the business benefits!

Enlightened organisations, particularly in the current economic climate, will see that it is better to pay 80% of someone’s salary and have 110% commitment, as is the case for most people who work flexibly. The alternative is the drain of talent, intellectual capital, and years of training and development, not to mention frustrated, highly qualified individuals who simply cannot find the solution to their working lives and would rather opt out altogether than be forced into a full time role.

Are you a forward thinking organisation?

Silverhawk Partners has a talent pool of almost 1000 highly qualified and talented senior professionals across a range of professional functions and from a wide variety of industry sectors who have opted to work flexibly. This is an extremely valuable source of talent; the majority of these candidates are not available through traditional recruiting channels and HR should take note that these people provide vital weaponry in the war for talent!

Our clients seldom request a flexible worker; they demand a skill-set; but when they see what can be gained by creating a flexible role to accommodate both candidate and hiring manager they are clearly impressed with the outcome. A forward thinking organisation will have flexibility embedded in its culture, with genuine take up and respect for those that have chosen the flexible option.

It is important to work with clients to demonstrate how flexibility can reap benefits within an organisation and to understand the challenges that are faced. We work with companies and public bodies who have all the policies and practices in place but rarely get sufficient take up. This is mainly because employees are not keen to hold up their hands for flexible working in case they are sidelined for promotion.

HR - be an enabler not a blocker

Recent research undertaken by Working Families showed that the majority of flexible working arrangements within organisations are made on an informal basis. We would urge HR to integrate this approach into working policies. In order for flexible working to be effectively integrated throughout the organisation, HR needs to be seen as an “enabler”, not a “blocker”. Open communication is critical.

Teams work much better and more supportively if they are allowed to work out a system that supports the entire team. HR can work with managers to ensure that there is genuine take-up and respect for people working flexibly, but also awareness of the impact on other team members.

HR can also ensure that clear guidelines are set from the outset for both sides (manager and person working flexibly) to understand what is meant by flexibility. If there is an agreed set number of days in the office, try to maintain that timetable. Don’t structure a full time job in four days and expect the individual to perform. We offer workshops for teams to go through all the issues that can be faced to ensure that everyone’s concerns have been taken into account.

Talented mothers | losing talented working mothers unnecessarily?

Judith Germain — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:18:00 GMT

I am the managing director of Dynamic Transitions, a leadership company that advises on Talent Management. We specialise in working with Troublesome Talent® and improving leadership performance within organisations.

Soon to be a first time mum I have found it relevantly easy to juggle my work with motherhood. I acknowledge that this is because I am a master of my own time and have the ability to schedule my work around antenatal appointments and the sickness of early pregnancy.

Not many working mothers are able to afford this luxury, especially if they are in management as there are preconceived ideas that pregnant women can’t cope with the demands of a senior role. Worse still there is an assumption that women lose their mental capacity once they become pregnant.

I decided to set up Dynamic Transitions for a number of reasons. I was a senior HR Manager from the age of 24 (having spent 8 years in the Insurance industry) beginning in the Retail Industry. I had worked with a number of market leaders at director level often with senior operational responsibility. In terms of HR I had ‘seen most things’ and found that I was enjoying the talent management/leadership side of HR far more than the strategic/operational aspects. My increasing business/operational responsibilities at senior level (including mentoring of the Board) were becoming a far bigger pull.

I realised that running my own business enabled me to choose the areas I wanted to work in and even greater autonomy than I had working within a company. I thoroughly enjoy mentoring business owners and senior teams as it is an effective marriage of my business strategic/operational skills and my HR ones. I also enjoy designing and delivering innovative leadership programmes that embed quickly and effectively within the management teams. My maverick approach works well with my clients ensuring that they quickly receive the outcome that they desire.

Advising organisations on talent management around women:

Are working mothers inherently at a disadvantage in the modern workplace?

I don’t believe all women are at a disadvantage as business practices differ across industry sectors and types of company. There does seem to be a substantial disadvantage to women who are wishing to enter the managerial grade or are changing jobs from one company to another however. I have found that businesses, generally speaking, find it difficult to reconcile what they believe are the needs of the business and the desires of the working mother. Often the business makes a number of assumptions, and is too worried to get their assumptions verified in case their questions trigger potential claims of sex discrimination.

Some HR professionals are even concerned that they would be unable to justify hiring a young working mother in a managerial position and therefore prefer to avoid hiring her.

Some working mothers at interview do not consider the concerns that the employer may have and therefore do nothing to negate them. This puts them at a substantial disadvantage to other professionals who are better prepared.

What can employers do to help foster a more equitable work environment for women?

There is often a presumption by businesses that management roles need a full time commitment demanding a minimum of 55hrs a week to deliver satisfactory results. If a woman has young kids then it is presumed that much of her time and mental energy will be spent baby sitting them through various illnesses, attending sports days and other unforeseeable events. Employers can look at the way that they design their roles and the assumptions that are made about them. It can often be cheaper for employers to hire two people to fulfil a role than to hire one – it also offers them a clear contingency plan. With the changes to flexible working and the likelihood that fathers will be given increasing rights within the workplace – it makes sense for companies to consider the way that they design roles and the output that they expect from them. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest that key talent is being lost from organisations due their own inflexibility.

Many organisations also foster an environment that is incompatible with working mothers without realising it. This can cause the working mother a dilemma – should she stay at work to show her commitment, ignoring her responsibilities as a parent? Or should she go home to be there for her children?

For example, it is common for senior management to have meetings that finish late in the day, to be rewarded by attending team building exercises that take place over the weekend, or there is a need to attend overnight conferences. Whilst it isn’t wise to assume that the working mother cannot attend it is wise to consider the necessity of some of these activities.

Organisations can also do much to educate the workforce on the need for flexible working and the need to consider the output of individuals rather than the input. All because someone is working less hours does not mean that they are producing less.

Can flexible work approaches [to accommodate the extensive talent pool of stay-at-home or working mothers] offer a net advantage to employers?

There is often a higher level of commitment from people working flexibly as they are often available 5 days a week although they are only being paid 3 days a week. They are also more likely to work the odd 5 day week to help the company meet its objectives, providing some sort of contingency to the business.

Companies that support flexible working arrangements tend to retain key talent in the workforce, lower their attrition rate and become more attractive to new recruits – especially Generation Y employees. Flexible working is becoming increasing important to secure and retain these employees and a company that can do that now will be investing solidly for the future.

What can HR do to address this issue?

Education, education, education! HR can ensure that senior management understand that flexible working arrangements are not just for working mothers but is an integral part of the company’s talent management/succession plan. Flexible working is a key requirement to secure the top talent of the future and a company that can do this well has a better chance to survive.

HR can also measure the impact to the business of flexible working so that the company can have accurate information which means that they do not need to rely on unverified assumptions.

HR can also ensure that jobs are designed to suit the needs of the business, now and in the future.

Tug of war | between corporate comms and HR?

Ian Buckingham — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 22:14:00 GMT

The CEO is dead, long live the ceo (Ian Buckingham’s weekly column: www.by2w.co.uk

It’s a while since the ancient art of “tug o’ war” featured in the Olympics. But it’s alive and well in a boardroom near you. Internal communication, that golden thread between employees and customers, is starting to take the strain!

Melcrum study

According to a Melcrum study back in 2006 which compared the generic site of the internal communication function between 2003 and 2006, there’s a very real “heave ho” taking place between HR and Corporate Communication to control the internal communication strings.

During the period in question, 44% of corporate communication functions across the multi-sector survey claimed to include internal communication among their reporting lines. This was a 14% increase in three years. The HR figures were roughly half that amount, but increased by 10% over the same period. It is also evident that, during the period of the study a number of HR functions were attempting to sweep internal communication into the employee engagement and industrial relations pot.

Where is corporate communication?

The growth in the demand for control over internal communication within HR and Corporate Comms was apparently at the expense of functions like the office of the CEO, Organisation Development and Marketing. I believe that’s a worrying trend. These figures become most interesting, however, when seen in the context of a 2005 study by the same organisation (see Buckingham, Brand Engagement, Palgrave/Macmillan 2007 ) which reports that where organisations claim to have a formal employee engagement programme, 67% claim that this falls within HR, 55% attribute engagement to Internal Communication as a distinct function and 27% claim it is the responsibility of their Organisation Development function. There’s no mention of Corporate Comms which is worrying when you consider that employee engagement is, in effect, the highly evolved form of internal communication at the opposite end of the spectrum from tactical “push” communication campaigns.

Internal partnerships

Now the more statistically astute of you will have detected that the figures in the last paragraph don’t add up to 100%. And that’s the crux of this argument. Internal communication is not simple message management controlled by the HR or Corporate Comms function. Truly evolved internal communication requires partnerships across the business functions and professional collaboration which is why so many departments believe that employee engagement, its most glamorous manifestation, falls within their remit. Unfortunately, take a look at the recruitment press and it becomes clear that the internal communication profession is still dominated by message managers. Where’s the glamour in owning the intranet and newsletters?

Engagement specialists

The cream of the profession, however, is typically a skilled engagement specialist with a solid, credible business pedigree who is as comfortable in the newsroom as they are in the boardroom. They have the respect of their executive peers given that the best internal communication role models a partnership mentality. Internal communication should bring together the key people disciplines to ensure a clear and consistent representation of the vision, strategy, goals and employment brand.

Formal engagement programme

That’s why any formal engagement programme needs to evolve out of what I call an engagement axis! If too closely aligned to any one department it becomes subjugated to and inevitably falls foul of issue cherry-picking and internal politics (creatives vs pragmatists vs authenticity vs budget hunters etc). It’s time we all afforded Internal Communication the respect it deserves and credible practitioners similar kudos. It’s vital to the management of the brand, employee motivation and retention, innovation and ultimately customer service, needs to be led by specialist practitioners and must be properly funded by budgeted not discretionary spend.

Come to think of it, that just might be why so many of the internal generals are bracing their backs and tugging at that rope! I’m intrigued to hear about the fun and games where you work so don't be shy.

Female leaders | oh how far we’ve come!

Nina Simosko — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 08:44:00 GMT

I read an interesting quote recently that highlights just how much progress we have made in our collective thinking about women in leadership positions.

Emotional and erractic women, they shouldn't be in a position of power!

The quote, from a rather interesting source was in regard to the consideration of the appointment of a woman to the Supreme Court of the United States. The respondent, our 37th U.S. president, Richard M. Nixon, said the following: ”To play an awful long shot, is there a woman yet? That would be a hell of a thing if we could do it.”

Although, it appeared as though Nixon well understood the political advantages of such a move, he also said: ”I’m not for women in any job. I don’t want any of them around. Thank God we don’t have any in the cabinet.” To top off these comments, he added: “’I don’t think a woman should be in any government job whatever. I mean, I really don’t. The reason why I do is mainly because they are erratic. And emotional. Men are erratic and emotional, too, but the point is a woman is more likely to be.” These comments were captured on audiotapes in 1971, 37 years ago, and later made public through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Political landscape has changed

Imagine if you will Nixon’s reaction to today’s political landscape! What would he think about an African American or a woman as the Democratic nominee for the POTUS [President of the United States]? How would he handle an African American female as the U.S. Secretary of State? What would he have to say about a female Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives?

It’s rather amazing to see just how successful some “erratic and emotional” women have become. In fact, I wrote about some women that had Mr. Nixon been president in today’s day and age, he would surely have had political dealings with. Now, in fairness, Nixon did deal with foreign political leaders who were women, such as Golda Meir of Israel, with whom he had good rapport and a solid working relationship. But that was another country’s leadership administration in which he had little say. However, when it came to the leadership of the United States during his tenure as president, his choice about who held leadership roles was all too clear from his comments.

Challenges aspiring women leaders face today

I’m currently reading a very interesting book on a related topic called Through the Labyrinth in which the authors, Alice Eagly and Linda Carli, describe the challenges and obstacles facing aspiring women leaders today. But be assured that the lessons of this book are relevant to both men and women alike as the book not only defines the problem, but the authors also offer practical solutions and hope for a better future for our culture and companies that are willing to heed some guidance.

I am pleased to have entered my professional life in the post-Nixon era. I say this because his comments represented widely held opinions of that day about the role of women in culture and made it very difficult for women to attain prominent leadership roles of any sort. After all, think back…I don’t believe there were articles back then entitled The 50 Women to Watch such as Carol Hymowitz wrote in the Wall Street Journal back in November 2007.
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Nina nets it out: While not necessarily perfect, today’s corporations do in fact offer far greater opportunities for women to achieve influential leadership positions than any other time in our history. And these trends seem as though they will continue. But, as with anything else, don’t wait for society or a corporation to ‘make things right’ on their own. Take responsibility for your circumstances and proactively request what you genuinely believe you deserve.

So what can be done to allow more women to be in influential leadership positions? To push the thinking on this topic a bit further, I'd like to propose the following questions to ponder and initiate a dialogue:

1) What can employers do to help foster a more equitable work environment for women?

2) Are working mothers inherently at a disadvantage in the modern workplace?

3) Can flexible work approaches [to accommodate the extensive talent pool of stay-at-home or working mothers] offer a net advantage to employers? Or, said another way, how can employers tap the vast talent pool of stay-at-home or working mothers?

Meetings | conducting effective meetings - what's your favourite biscuit?

maryjaneflanagan — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 08:30:00 GMT

Name of weekly column: Purple Patch

This week's contributor: Mary Jane Flanagan, training director, learnpurple

The complexity of the meeting

Meetings can be a tricky business deciding on attendees, length, location, agenda, how to keep the meeting on track to achieve the desired outcomes and the follow up. That does not even begin to take into account where to seat people. You need a PHD in psychology to read everyone’s’ body language and a degree in emotional intelligence to adapt your behaviours accordingly. It’s exhausting just thinking about it!

However despite the many books and myriad of advice telling people how to pitch, poach and present it seems all the attendees care about are the biscuits.

Oh crumbs!

I came across a piece of research recently conducted by The Holiday Inn who interviewed 1000 business professionals about what biscuits they would most like to have. The No 1 choice was a chocolate digestive; just think of all those sticky chocolate fingers all over the notes. They would then like to Hob Nob with a Hob Nob and despite the fact I am more likely to give them my 6 year old and his friends after school, Jammie Dodgers come in a credible no 3. It seems the absolute no-nos are anything plain and crumbly. Now at last - a piece of really useful advice which means we can make can now make an informed decision about what to serve.

I recently heard of a catering manager that was relieved of her post for - amongst other things - continuing to provide biscuits in wrappers that were too loud when meetings were being joined via video or telephone conferencing.

Many of our clients now provide trays of miniature delicacies that would not be out of place in the Ritz at three. We know of a well-known conference venue in Covent Garden that has taken the retro route with Viceroy biscuits (remember the ones in the foil wrappers?), bags of flying saucers and sherbet dib dabs for during breaks.

Now that takes the biscuit...

So if you want your meeting to be rated a 5* forget the politics, send back the digestives and pick up a penguin, rated no 4 on the hotlist just above the custard creams.

learnpurple run courses on running effective meetings, emotional intelligence and impact and influencing skills.

Sex Pistols | and the A-Z of Engagement

Ian Buckingham — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 13:21:00 GMT

"The CEO is dead, long live the ceo" (Ian Buckingham's weekly blog www.by2w.co.uk).

A while ago, (at rather short notice it must be said), I was asked to contribute a quirky few words about employee engagement for inclusion in a book on this hot topic, soon to be published in the US. This contribution is part of a free resource offered by the Employee Engagement Network entiled Employee Engagement Keys from A-Z. It's a bit of fun but, as with all jest, there's a hint of truth in there too so if it works for you why not have a crack at creating your own if you're facilitating a workshop or are desperate for ways to spice up the next team brief?

The A-Z of Employee Engagement (from Olde England)

A – “Anarchy in the UK”. The Sex Pistols taught us a lesson about engagement and control that’s worth remembering as we become part of the establishment ourselves

B – “BS Bingo”! A great way to pass the time at the next leadership conference (eyes down for a full house of empty phrases)

C – chief engagement officers (line managers and supervisors) are the new CEOs

D – enough planning already - just DO It!

E - encourage your line managers to be the great communicators their people already know them to be

F – Facebook is the organisation’s friend. Social media isn’t a fad, embrace it

G – “it’s great after being out late, walking my baby back home”. Now that’s engagement!

H – Hire people who are in tune with the values of your organisation (never mind PR and employer brand, the promises we keep are the ones that count so sort out that employment brand)

I – However well crafted communication should start and end with and “I” - “I see what’s in it for me”

J – Jack Johnson. He’s "on message" with several generations! Why exactly is that?

K – “knock, knock”. It’s an economic downturn. Can the leaders open the door to the think tank and come out please?

L – real Leaders look in the mirror when things are going wrong not out of the window

M – Managers are an endangered species we’re not campaigning to save

N – “Naked” (and other “power” words)

O – Ordinary is good. Take back ordinary. Let’s make authentic communication ordinary, the norm!

P – Planning is our friend. But rather like doughnuts, too much planning really slows you down

Q – “The Queen is dead. Long Live the Queen”. Whatever you may think of them Hero Leaders come and go. Line managers last a lot longer

R – “With great power comes great responsibility”

S - supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. You remembered it. Geddit?

T – Taste, sight, sound, smell, touch – engagement’s about appealing to the lot

U – U2!?. More than a legendary rock band but a reminder that we’ve a great network out there and we’ve all got something to share and learn

V – Veal! A controversial topic and a great reminder that great engagement relies on communication that is fit for audience purpose

W – Wales. I wonder what lessons we can learn from the Welsh about postcolonial centralised communication functions?

X – The generation who are responsible for much of the engagement activity

Y – The generation who are responsible for translating much of the engagement activity

Z – Zoo! Whatever formal engagement strategies there may be it’s always going to be a fantastic, colourful jungle out there with grapevines aplenty so open those cages and connect with the people

This oddball offering and other more highbrow free resources are available at the Employee Engagement Network set up by the Canadian consultant and general good guy David Zinger. Why not take a look and join in the debate?

A short story on brand | written with a little help from a glass of wine

Rob Fox — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:35:00 GMT

Vin est arrive!

This short story starts around four thousand years ago. A Persian woman wakes up very early one morning suffering from a mild headache and feeling a little depressed. Grappling around in the semi-darkness for something to drink, she mistakenly picks up a dish containing the juice of rotting grapes, and takes a few hefty gulps. A few minutes later, her headache has gone, her depression has lifted, and she’s feeling pretty optimistic.

She recognizes her transformation is the result of her drinking the mouldy grape juice.Impressed with the liquid’s powers, she starts to make bottles full of the stuff, and invites her family and friends around for tasting sessions.They love it, so she begins to sell them bottles to take home. Her friends tell their friends and so on, and soon there is a constant queue of people knocking at her door eager to buy her product. She quickly becomes very wealthy. Envious of her wealth, people persistently ask her for the secret to making wine, but she keeps this to herself.

Welcome corporate identity!

One night, she is enjoying a glass of her wine while talking with a neighbor - who she mistaken believes is a close friend. Her neighbor insists that she drink more than her usual amount. And, as you do, after a few glasses, she drops her guard and tells him her secret.She doesn’t see her neighbor for some weeks, but when out shopping in the local market one day, she’s shocked to see him busily selling wine to an enthusiastic crowd. She notices that he has his name on the bottles he’s selling and complains angrily to him - asking him why he is selling her wine, and why he has his name on the bottles - after all, she owns wine.He casually shrugs off her complaints, telling her that the wine he is selling is his wine, and it has his name on the bottle to distinguish it from her wine. Welcome corporate identity!

Viva advertising!

Her neighbor enjoys boasting of his success, and in a short time he tells many other people the secret of how to make wine. Soon hundreds are making and selling the stuff, and to distinguish themselves from each other, the competing wine makers start to create elaborate labels for their bottles. Some start to post up big drawings of their product - of people drinking it and having a good time. Some put their wine in unusually shaped bottles. Some start to offer two bottles for the price of one, a free wine glass with every purchase, or to give away handy little table mats to put wine bottles on. And some make claims that drinking their wine will result in happiness, fertility, eternal life, genius, strength, heath, wealth and more. Viva advertising!

Brand is born

Some millennia later, a very clever French wine maker is sitting in the evening summer sun, admiring his flourishing vineyard yet deeply worried about the state of his finances. He sells lots of wine, yet he knows that most people seem just to drink the cheapest bottle they can most easily lay their hands on. He ponders on the notion that convenience often wins out over quality.

Nevertheless, he is fuelled by a deep conviction for his work.He believes passionately that wine making is an endeavor that fuses both artistic and scientific qualities, that wine is the essence of France, and that unlike other drinks, wine appeals to a deep-seated human need to be considered a discerning and sophisticated person. As the sun’s light turns all to gold, he has a flash of brilliance. He is determined to imbue his wine with a rich sense of sophistication. He is going to communicate this idea singularly to a wealthy set of wine drinkers, and share his knowledge with them that the elements that make up the soil of his vineyard, together with its geographic position and age of the vines, all contribute to his wine’s richly complex and potently unique taste.He is going to create the wine connoisseur. And he intuitively knows that by doing this, he will sell more of his wine for more of their money.Brand is born.

Hello brand experience

Decades later, a laid back Californian wine maker is surprised at the number of people who write to him asking if they could visit his vineyard and get involved in making wine themselves. At first, he thinks that doing this would be more trouble than it’s worth. But, being an innovative and sociable chap, he tries the idea out on a small scale. He’s astonished at the results. He discovers that people so enjoy the experience that they are prepared to pay well for it. Also, he notices that his visitors become avid consumers and advocates for his wine, his business and his brand. He gets really into it, carefully planning out the experience he wishes his visitors to have, taking care of all the devilish details, and not missing an opportunity to do small yet surprizing things to help make his visitors feel special.In fact, he gets so into it, he builds a five million buck business.

Employer brand comes to life

Despite his rigor, after a few years the Californian wine maker realizes that people who come to visit his vineyard really know their wine, and that they are looking for something much richer than he is offering. He realizes his clients want a tailored experience that blends deep insights and practical knowledge with up-market social activities, that play directly to their passion for wine.He appreciates that they want personal service and to have the opportunity to talk to experienced and knowledgeable people who are engaged enthusiasts for their work. He thinks and works hard to meet this need.He offers programs to his people to help them ensure their knowledge is right up to scratch, and he helps them to feel confident and skilled in listening and respond to clients’ questions. He works with his people to discover and deliver ways to better tailor the experience they provide to individual clients, and he does a few fun things to take his peoples’ minds away from their humdrum, and to offer them new perspectives. His people love it. His clients love his people even more. They are growing a fifteen million buck business on the back of the idea.The employer brand comes to life.

The last sipper

The wine glass is more than metaphorically empty, and a big question remains outstanding - what does the “brand history that hasn’t happened yet store” have in stock for us next? All ideas always appreciated. Please email: robfox@engagingideas.co.uk

Thank you.