c o r p o r a t e s p i r i t a u s t r a l i a

The spirit of a good company is its people

"Our priorities are the opposite of large competitors. Convention dictates that a company looks after its shareholders first, customers second and last of all worries about its employees. Virgin does the opposite. For us, employees matter most. It just seems common sense to me that if you start off with a happy, well motivated workforce, you're much more likely to have happy customers, and in due course the resulting profits will make your shareholders happy."
Sir Richard Branson, CEO Virgin, 1998.

Companies that survive longest are those that work out what they can uniquely can give to the world and then give it. Not just growth or shareholder return but excellence, respect for employees and customers and an ability to make people happy.

The management of people inside organisations is clearly a potential of competitive advantage for companies. Effective management of people will contribute to the creation of skills, encourage consistent effort by employees and reinforce a culture that maximises productivity and quality. By putting people first, profits will automatically follow.

People are the lifeblood of any organisation and they are hungry for meaning, purpose and motivated by their innermost values. Todays employees are rejecting being regarded as simply 'human resources' or managed as some kind of business cost. They want to be viewed as citizens of their companies with rights, free speech, a share of the wealth and a say in the governance of their companies.

A high-performance workplace features high employee involvement, a focus on teamwork, a commitment by the employer to training and a values-based culture.

We create an understanding within your organisation that enables your employees to recognise they can and do make a difference.

A High Performance Workplace is one where:

· All employees believe in the company, it's products or services, its people and themselves
· Strong leadership communicates vision, embraces change, and generates enthusiasm
· Highly productive employees are accountable and work together as a highly effective team.
. They show initiative and involvement beyond their job description
· A positive atmosphere encourages innovation and creativity
· An atmosphere of “Open-Communication” is the platform for Idea-sharing and Problem-Solving”
· A system of reward and recognition is highly valued by management and staff as a means to maximising performance

In these changing and often uncertain times, some organisations are tempted to 'tighten the belt' and it is often the training budget (if one ever existed) that gets squeezed. This is in every sense false economy, as the key to survival in tough times is committed people and loyal customers. By denying the personal development and ongoing training needs of employees, organisations risk at best alienating staff and at worst creating an environment characterised by burn-out, discontentment and ultimately exodus of key people. If staff are unhappy, stressed or have left the organisation, it is a fair bet that clients won't be far behind them.

Following several years of 'downsizing', 're-engineering' and 'restructuring' those people still maintaining their careers in the corporate world, have gained the upper hand. Good people can and will choose to work for organisations which reflect their values, offer them the ability to balance work and life and encourage personal and professional development.

  For more information on this program please contact lawrence@corporatespiritaustralia.com
Office Telephone/Fax +61 3 9842 5545 or contact Lawrence directly on mobile +61 (0)418 105 563  

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