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Abbott Carrington

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About: Abbott Carrington Partners
For complex industrial or workplace relations queries that require specific advice, consultants can be relied upon to provide professional assistance, helping you to manage your workplace and get the best from your workforce.

Termination of employment
Redundancy and restructuring
Workplace agreements
People and culture
Managing your human resources: EEO consulting and support
Equal opportunity issues, including sexual harassment, discrimination and bullying and harassment
Occupational health and safety: compliance, training and management

Consultants can also provide onsite assistance tailored to your business's requirements. Our consultancy services will help you run a more productive, efficient and responsive business.

Our starting point is always to understand your strategic intent and business strategy in the context of your current concerns. We apply a range of diagnostic tools to gain clarity regarding the issues at hand, and then work with you as the Leader on effective strategies and solutions.

We offer:

Teambuilding
Alignment of Staff to Business Goals
Executive Coaching
Recruitment and Selection
Staff Retention Strategies
Human Resource Management
HR Diagnostic
Policy Development and Implementation

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TEAM BUILDING

Team Building Team Building is the process of improving collective performance.
A simple but effective methodology involves:

Establishing ownership of shared goals
Removing inhibitors/blockages to achievement of those goals
Introducing enablers (awareness, resources, information, processes, etc.) to help achieve those goals

Using team building processes (e.g.: health checks, performance management, 360 feedback) in the correct sequence to gradually raise performance, akin to climbing a ladder one rung at a time.

Team Building is often ineffective because:

In many cases, advanced techniques are used whilst there is a lack of buy in to the shared objectives (commitment to team building activities is predicated on commitment to the overall direction/goals)
Interventions are made out of sequence (e.g.: a poorly defined structure, roles and responsibilities will undermine attempts to improve interpersonal relationships)
Many offsite events fail to add any real, lasting value because the approach taken to team building is too generic (any offsite event should be designed to meet specific goals and outcomes)
There is often a lack of understanding of the difference between a group and a team (team building with a group can be counter productive, detracting from individual performance without any compensatory collective benefit)
There is a lack of assessment of the team (diagnosis is required in order to develop effective intervention strategies

Objectives
In the Forming stage (Forming-Storming-Norming-Performing), individuals are committed, at most, to their own objectives. Members will only invest time in Storming activities if they think it is worth it - that is, if the collective objectives are seen as important as their own.

A common mistake is for individuals to think that being committed to their own objectives means they are committed to the team.

As in the age-old metaphor where a house needs to be built on rock, the foundation of all team building is commitment to the shared goal.

Techniques
If team building is viewed as a commodity, as a product to be purchased from a supplier, then it is unlikely to have any lasting value. Having an awayday, playing games or doing fun things will generally lead to lasting and improved collective performance only in the context of a good plan, where events are bespoke (designed to meet specific objectives and outcomes). In fact, having an awayday without good design is taking a gamble - it may achieve something, be a waste of time, or even damage teamwork.

The choice of intervention strategy depends not only on the current state of teamwork, but on the nature of the people. For highly motivated individuals, it can be enough to set a high level direction and then allow individuals to contribute to the detailed development of the goals. For others, whose natural motivations are more individual, there may need to be objective-based rewards that require teamwork. In some instances, where high levels of teamwork cannot be achieved, they may only be effective in the Forming stage, which is highly dependent on leadership.

Groups
A group is a set of people with individual objectives who happen to share the same boss, or the same workplace, or be part of the same organisational unit. In a group, individuals might even have the same objectives - e.g.: in a sales force, everyone might have the same sales target to meet, but they may also compete against each other rather than cooperate.

A team is a group that works towards a single, common objective. In fact, they might have different individual objectives, but those objectives contribute to the higher collective one. E.g. in a sales team, one person might make appointments, another provide technical sales support, another prepare a bid document, and another make the sale. But they are all accountable together for the sales and are not judged solely on individual objectives.

Strategies
Interventions fall into four main areas:

Individual - e.g.: development of individual skills; establishing familiarity with shared processes
Relational - e.g.: improvement of unconscious dynamics; engendering a sense of common purpose and commitment
In/Out Groups - tackling the barriers between different organisational units
Cultural - building a teamwork ethos in larger organisations

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PEOPLE SOLUTIONS

People Solutions
Alignment of Staff to Business Goals
We apply our unique Alignment Model to ensure that everyone's work, and the "people solutions" we provide, are integrated and aligned to the business strategy. For instance, there is no value in recruiting new staff into a troubled business when there has been no review of the overall organisation design, future needs and way of working.

Executive Coaching
Executive Coaching targets leadership development, improved business results and personal development goals.

Simply put, executive coaching consists of a series of structured, one on one, interactions between a coach and an executive aimed at enhancing the executives effectiveness in their work environment and personal lives. These interactions can be face to face, by telephone and combined with team meetings as required.

Our coaching is about unlocking potential and filling gaps between where people are and where they would like to be.

Coaches serve as facilitators, motivators, consultants and sounding boards dealing with business goals, people interaction and self management issues. While behaviour change will often be a key focus, the coach's role is not that of a therapist. It is not about unravelling personalities, but often involves people doing things differently to achieve desired results.

The essence of executive coaching offered by the Abbott Carrington Partners is confidential independent feedback and good action ideas we help integrate into real time job and personal situations.

Recruitment and Selection
Ensuring that you have the right people, in the right place, at the right time to fill your capability gaps and align to business objectives is the second branch of Talent Management.

Abbott Carrington Partners Recruitment and Selection solutions comprise best practice selection and assessment methodology. Our solution has been designed to assist you in making accurate and objective selection decisions to build a talented workforce. Ensuring you attract, identify and select the best talent by integrating competency, motivational fit and cultural fit requirements into the recruitment process will keep your organisation ahead of the competition.

Abbott Carrington Partners will help your business grow through best practice Recruitment and Selection.

Staff Retention Strategies
The current challenge amongst business owners and managers is the recruitment and retention of good employees. In the present market it seems like a game of musical chairs, with more chairs than players.

Skill shortages will only get worse as the baby boomer generation moves towards retirement, attracting and retaining staff will become even more critical in the years ahead.

Successful business managers recognise that their people are their greatest asset. If you can recruit and retain good people, you establish a competitive advantage, one that is very hard to beat. Your employees are usually the biggest investment you make in your business, and should give you the greatest return.

One thing I won't speak about much in this article is money/remuneration. Why? Remuneration is rarely the single motivating factor, for someone leaving, or accepting a position. Don't get me wrong, money is important, but if you are paying the market rate for the position, and most businesses are, then their decision is based on one or more other factors. If a person's employment decision is based only on the financial aspect of the position, then you should seriously consider if this is the right person for your business.

So why do staff leave and what can you do to make them stay? There are many reasons and you can't fix them all, however, there is a lot you can do, and in most cases simple solutions will bring staff turnover down to an acceptable level. This will significantly reduce the time and expense of recruitment.
The main reasons employees leave are:

Management: This would have to be the single biggest reason people leave their job, and it's because a person's manager can directly affect most if not all the following reasons.
Career Prospects/Development: If you don't have a system in place to develop an employees potential, they will find it with your competition. Government funded training is a great way to start.
Work/Life Balance: I have known people to take positions for less money in order to have a balanced lifestyle.
Over managed / under managed: These terrible cousins can clear a workplace faster than a Friday afternoon. You need to develop a good balance between necessary direction and trust/responsibility.
Unachievable Targets: Make sure the targets you set are achievable; take into account economic conditions (national and local), demographics, local competition and business infrastructure. Focus on what it takes to achieve the target rather than the target itself.
Unappreciated: Small rewards and recognition. When was the last time you stopped, looked your employee in the eye and sincerely said thank you on a job well done? Never underestimate the power of this small but often forgotten courtesy.
Induction and Training: Many new employees never receive an effective induction or an acceptable level of initial training. These employees have usually been to a few interviews, and if they impressed you then chances are they impressed someone else. They are likely to be offered another opportunity at the same time, one they may consider if you have not lived up to expectations.

What can you do to minimize staff turnover?

Exit interviews: It is essential that you conduct exit interviews with all staff that leave your employ, in order to find the specific reasons people are leaving your organisation. Your solution can then be specific, effective and implemented at minimum expense.
Recruitment: It is a great step to get the right person in the first place. Take the time to ensure that your hiring process is systematic, objective and based on established selection criteria.
Induction/Initial Training: It is critical that a new employee's introduction to an organisation is a positive experience that reinforces their decision to accept the employment offer. How a new employee is inducted has a major influence on the perception that employee has of the organisation, its people and its level of professionalism. It is not uncommon for a new employee to leave within days and weeks of starting.
Career Development: Good performers can get bored once they have mastered their job role. Even small business can offer a variety of inexpensive solutions. Their may be small projects they can work on as you slowly build trust and give them more responsibility, over time this allows you to work on your business leaving operational functions to your best performers. There are many Government funded training options to help develop employee skills. Increasing the Autonomy and responsibility a person has will in many cases increase their level of commitment. This needs to be done gradually over time but the rewards will be worthwhile.
Reward and Recognition:These can be inexpensive yet very effective. A monthly award with a plaque, recognition amongst peers, an early Friday finish for an employee who has excelled and movie tickets are a few suggestions. Never underestimate the power of "Thank You"
Flexibility: You can be innovative about how an employee can structure their working arrangements. Some options include part-time work, job share, working from home, flexible working hours and part year employment.

Many of these solutions are inexpensive to implement, yet can provide a significant return. All of these solutions will involve listening; your staff will usually let you know what they think so long as you can create the environment for them to do so. Act on this advice before the problem/s develop.

Now more than ever, staff recruitment and retention will be one of, if not the major factor in determining your business success. Businesses that establish themselves as employers of choice now, place themselves in good stead to overcome the skill shortage challenges that will most certainly intensify in coming months and years.

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HR MANAGEMENT

Human Resource Management
Human Resource Management (HRM) is the function within an organization that focuses on recruitment of, management of, and providing direction for the people who work in the organization. Human Resource Management can also be performed by line managers.

Human Resource Management is the organizational function that deals with issues related to people such as compensation, hiring, performance management, organization development, safety, wellness, benefits, employee motivation, communication, administration, and training.

At times, the two main functions of Human Resource management (HRM), seems to be at odds with one another. There are certainly instances where it is impossible to arrive at solutions that are in line with both the aims of the company and the desires of the employee. When this happens, effective Human Resource management is faced with the task of finding a resolution that protects the interests of the company, but at the same time provides and acceptable level of satisfaction to the employee. This process can sometimes take a great deal of expertise on the part of the Human Resource personnel, but ultimately will help establish the best solution for all concerned parties.

Among the human resource issues that are generally handled by HR management personnel are the drafting of position descriptions for all levels of employment within the company, setting the standards and procedures that are used for hiring new employees, and determining benefits that are extended to existing employees. Disciplinary procedures, as well as procedures for recognizing employees for exemplary work, also fall under the province of Human Resource management. Human Resource management often seeks to provide the highest quality benefit packages possible, given the current financial position of the company. To this end, personnel concerned with Human Resources will seek the best in group health insurance, retirement programs, profit sharing, and vacation and personal days.

Preparing and maintaining a company employee handbook is often the province of Human Resource management. As part of that process, the management team will ensure that all guidelines and regulations contained within the text are in compliance with local, state, and federal laws that impact the status of employees. Human Resource management will also provide all employees with opportunities to understand the provisions within the handbook, both as part of new employee orientation and as an ongoing employee education process.

Often, Human Resource management and personnel are called upon to mediate grievances between employees and immediate supervisors. In these situations, the mediator will seek to represent the best interests of the company, ensure that the dialogue and process is in compliance with laws governing employment within the country of residence, and seek to effect resolution and reconciliation of all parties.

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HR DIAGNOSTIC

Human Resource Diagnostic
The HR Diagnostic present some questions which may prove helpful for you to think about when planning your development programs for human resources (your people) in your organization.

Use them to provoke thought and to stimulate discussion. Consult with others in your organization. They will help you to identify the critical human resource issues facing your organization.

The aim is to begin to explore how a considered and planned approach to people management can improve business performance, to the benefit of all.

Warning Indicators
Your organization is more than likely in trouble if any of the following holds true:

chronic industrial relations problems
no means of resolving employee grievances
increasing / erratic employee turnover
increasing number of customer complaints
no pride in the organization
inter-group conflicts
no career paths for ambitious talented employees
dissatisfaction with pay and conditions
unclear job roles
no clear performance measures
quality is unimportant
bad product service / delivery records
poor recruitment standards / practices
no management development programs
no induction training for new employees
critical skill shortages
inter-departmental conflict
you do not know if any of the above are applicable
you ignore any of the above

Culture, organization, people, systems (COPS), checklist
Culture

Do your staff identify with the organization and 'the success of the organization' as being of direct benefit to themselves?
Do your staff see themselves as having common interests with their work colleagues and group? Is there a strong team spirit?
Is work allocated on the basis of individual expertise rather than position in the organization?
Are there sufficient skills / power bases in the organization?
Are there appropriate leadership skills within the organization?
Are your staff encouraged to say what they think about the organization?
Does your organization encourage innovation and creativity amongst staff?
Is quality emphasized in all aspects of the organization?

Organization

Does the structure of your organization encourage effective performance?
Is the organization structure flexible in the face of changing demands?
Is the structure too complex? If so in what areas?
Do your staff have clear roles and responsibilities?
Does your organization structure tend to push problems up rather than resolve them at the point where they occur?
Do your procedures and management practices facilitate the accomplishment of tasks?
Do you constantly seek to challenge your organization structure?
People
Do your staff have the necessary skills and knowledge to perform their jobs in the most effective manner?
Do your staff understand their jobs and how they contribute to overall business performance i.e. have clear goals and objectives?
Do your staff have a customer service orientation?
Are people with potential spotted and developed for the future?
Are your staff encouraged to perform well through the giving of recognition, feedback, etc.?
Do your people know what their expected performance standards are?

Systems

Do your organization's systems (e.g. employee selection and recruitment, promotion, planning, management, information and control) encourage effective performance among your staff?
Are these systems consistent across the organization?
Are there clear rewards for effective performance within your work group?
Does the organization review its systems frequently and ensure they mutually support each other?

You may now wish to consider and write down:

What are the three critical people issues facing your business?
What plans /actions can you take to address these issues?

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L I N K S

Links: Abbott Carrington Partners provides the following links.

Consumer Affairs Victoria
Australian Taxation Office
ASIC - Superannuation Advice
ASIC
Fair Work Ombudsman
Workplace Authority
Occupational Health %26 Safety
ATO - Superannuation Advice
Job Search

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POLICY MAKING

Policy Development and Implementation

What does policy do?

Effective policy making should improve the organisations performance, shaping behavior of stakeholders.

Policy work can:

Improve decision making
Good policy work relies on powerful tools such as the use of evidence, analysis and evaluation.

Explain why things need to change
Effective policy development, documentation and communication help organisations to communicate their intentions and explain their actions.

Help us to focus on what is important
Policy work shows how the organisation is implementing change and how it is dealing with new challenges.

Inform judgements and guide actions
Policy guidelines help decision makers across our organisation to solve problems, to plan ahead and to make appropriate judgements.

Manage risks and entitlements
Good policy always considers risks to people and organisations.

Strengthen relationships and build capacity
Policy activity engages people and organisations within and outside the organization in an exchange of ideas and information.

Three levels of policy making

Why three levels?

Policy making is a continuous and complex task that crosses all levels.

1. Directional policy

Directional policy is the most general level of policy making. Directional policies signal the major intentions and priorities of the organisation. They are fewest in number and broad in scope. Directional policies signal long term commitments.

2. Strategic policy

Strategic policies describe the actions that we will take in pursuit of our major directions. This intermediate level of policy making provides clarity and detail about how our organisation will implement major directions. Strategic policies provide a more detailed picture of how we are making change and accounting for our progress. They emphasise specific targets, outputs and milestones.

3. Operational policy

Operational policies are the most specific and are often narrowly scoped. They enable the organisation to fulfil its day to day. They are collected in manuals, handbooks and other resources. They can include guidelines for decision makers and procedures that set out a prescribed course of action for specific circumstances.

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CONTACT US

CONTACT US:
Christopher McGimpsey, Managing Director
0400 190 213
Christopher McGimpsey

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