1. Maintaining a Positive Culture in Challenging Times
“The time demands strong minds, great hearts, true faith and willing hands…” Josiah Gilbert Holland, 19 th Century Poet
Steve Mitchinson
Managing Partner
National Chairperson ATA
May 2009

2. Maintaining a Positive Culture in Challenging Times
Your illustrious panel for today
Joan Brierley Ron McLachlan Neil Harrison Phil Everist
ATA Chapter Manager Project Manager Managing Director
Chairperson WA Police Assistance Centre Iinet Ltd Alive & Kicking

3. Culture : Why it is important
Gallup
38% higher customer satisfaction scores
22% higher productivity, and
27% higher profits!
Families and Work Institute
Earnings & Benefits have only a 2% impact on Job Satisfaction
Job Quality and Workplace Support have a combined 70% impact.
Watson Wyatt
maintaining a positive reputation
being appreciated
believing that the work is important
having interesting assignments.
Towers Perrin –
an environment of stimulation, contribution, recognition (monetary and otherwise)
development, learning and support (from day-to-day management and senior leadership)
The Society of Human Resource Management - "How can we keep talent from jumping to our
competitors?“
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4. What does it mean to be “engaged”
• A heightened emotional and intellectual connection an employee has for
his/her job, organisation, manager or co-workers that, in turn, influences
him/her to apply additional discretionary effort to his/her work.
In a nutshell…
Engaged people like
coming to work,
and are inspired to
do their best
best!
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5. Questions to Ponder
The situation:
•An aging workforce filled with baby boomers who suddenly can’t afford
to retire
•Proliferation of Gen Y managers who aren’t equipped to lead in
troubled times
•Negative impact of employee engagement organisational performance
So lets have a look at:
•How do you evaluate employee data and use it to make a difference on
engagement levels
•How do you energise and motivate your workforce during the change
periods
•The impact of “corporate responsibility” on employee engagement
•Understanding your roles & impacts as leaders in creating a culture of
engagement
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6. Workforce Trends We can Expect
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7. Top 5 Talent Management Opportunities
Best-in-class companies will take advantage of the
downturn to address their post-recessionary talent
management requirements in five key areas:
1. Take advantage of talent
2. Use the downtime
downtime.
3. Listen to employees
4. Leverage (and evaluate) your leaders
5. Encourage all levels of leaders
From: Recessionary Management: The Top DOs and DON’Ts for Managing Talent in the Current Downturn
Copyright © 2009 Human Capital Institute and Taleo Corporation.
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8. Top Tips To Attract, Retain and Motivate Employees
By Don Grimme, Co-founder GHR Training Solutions
1. Pay employees
2. Respect
3. Praise accomplishments...and attempts:
4. Communication
5. Recognition
6. Involvement
7. Listen
8. Share Information
9. Celebrate
10.Create Opportunity
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9. Drivers of Employee Engagement
Personal
Co-workers /
Trust & Integrity relationship with Employee Development
Team members
Manager
Direct links between
Career Growth
The Type of work Pride in the Brand Individual & Company
Opportunities
Performance
There are many things we can do to create an engaged workforce…
Putting you and your business in the fast lane

10. Drivers of Employee Engagement
Personal
Co-workers /
Trust & Integrity relationship with Employee Development
Team members
Manager
The Culture Direct links between
Career Growth
The Type of work Pride in the Brand Individual & Company
Opportunities
Performance
There are many things we can do to create an engaged workforce…
Putting you and your business in the fast lane

11. Drivers of Employee Engagement
Personal
Co-workers /
Trust & Integrity relationship with Employee Development
Corporate & Social
Manager
Team members
Career Growth
Opportunities
Responsibility
The Type of work Pride in the Brand
Direct links between
Individual & Company
Performance
There are many things we can do to create an engaged workforce…
Putting you and your business in the fast lane

12. Corporate & social Responsibility
Employees cite corporate responsibility issues as one of their key criteria
when choosing an employer - an organisation’s ability to retain employees
may depend on its ability to meet individual work requirements and align
business practices with employees’ values
•84 per cent of employees want to work in an environmentally-friendly
office.
•90 per cent of women and 78 per cent of men said their employer should
have the environment at the top of mind.
•81 per cent of 18-24 year-olds wanted to work in a ‘green’ office, as did 86
per cent of 35-49 year-olds.
Source:
USING ICT TO DRIVE YOUR SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY, Telstra 2009
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13. Employee Engagement Quadrant
High Disengagement Purposefulness
F
O
C
U
S
Low Procrastination Distraction
Low High
ENERGY

14. Employee Engagement Challenge
High Disengagement Purposefulness
F
O
C
U
S
Low Procrastination Distraction
Low High
ENERGY

15. Possible Approaches
• Keep promises & follow through - Walk the Talk
• Keep promises & follow through - Walk the Talk
• Open and honest
• Open and honest
Managerial • Tell it like it is – even when bad news or a difficult
Managerial • Tell it like it is – even when bad news or a difficult
topic – balance +ve & -ve
Interventions
Interventions •
topic – balance +ve & -ve
(Visibly) Rewarding the right people for the right
• (Visibly) Rewarding the right people for the right
reasons
reasons
• Building one on one relationships and trust
• Building one on one relationships and trust
• Demonstrate how individuals contribute to
• Demonstrate how individuals contribute to
Communications organisational goals (strategic communications)
Communications organisational goals (strategic communications)
Interventions • Employee Surveys
Interventions • Employee Surveys
• Consistent, regular face to face communication
• Consistent, regular face to face communication
• Timely and honest responses to what is heard from
• Timely and honest responses to what is heard from
employees – “Captain Rumour”
employees – “Captain Rumour”
• Empowerment - Flatten managerial and decision-
making hierarchies.
Organisational
Organisational • Increase autonomy and decision-making authority.
Interventions
Interventions • Using cross-functional teams
• Structured development and Effective career
mapping
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16. Wisdom of Spencer
Employees leave their managers, not their employers
So how can you improve your ROI - your Return on
Interactions
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17. Introducing Whole Brain Thinking
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18. A Whole Brain Approach
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19. Leveraging Individual Strengths
Tick your top then to reveal up to 30 opportunities to improve
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20. Engage – Don’t Frustrate
Tick your top then to reveal up to 30 opportunities to improve
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21. Maintaining a Positive Culture in Challenging Times
Steve Mitchinson
Managing Partner
National Chairperson ATA
Your illustrious panel for today
Joan Brierley Ron McLachlan Neil Harrison Phil Everist
ATA Chapter Manager Project Manager Managing Director
Chairperson WA Police Assistance Centre Iinet Ltd Alive & Kicking