Sedgwick’s Post

Have you ever considered returning to a former role? In our latest blog, we discuss if and how you can return to a former place of work ⤵️ https://nsl.ink/diW9

Back in the Air Force, at my last duty station, I was assigned to a multi-unit office. The (for want of a better term) office NCOIC right before I arrived was a Navy Chief. According to what became office lore, after an office brief, the Chief told the team "you are all doing a great job, keep it up," and then checked an item off his meeting agenda. Fortunately, the team all had a close relationship and it didn't impact our team's morale, to the extent that this became a running joke in the office even after the Chief left, carried on by the subsequent NCOICs. That's not the case everywhere. Employees need to feel valued. Insincere acts don't accomplish that goal. A cut and paste happy anniversary card, a company-wide e-mail, etc. can end up having a negative impact on your team. I've been fortunate in that by and large, I've worked for good leaders who have demonstrated they actually do value their team members. Some things are overt - bringing in cakes or plants on birthdays, or a personalized thank you card after a tough negotiation. Other things are less obvious - allowing flexibility to work remotely, or to change their starting times to meet obligations, trusting employees to finish their assigned tasks without the need to be under the leader's eye, working on a specific development plan to avail someone of the opportunities of advancement. Note that I'm not saying *actual* advancement (unfortunately, not everyone will get promoted all the way up the chain) - just knowing that there's opportunity and that your management team supports you. Finally, pay and benefits must be considered in the calculus of demonstrating to employees that they are valued. People stay where people are valued. Treating people as though they are fungible will result in a fungible employment base, which will have a negative impact on cohesion, tribal knowledge, and expertise. To steal a line from a song, you get what you give.

Today was my last at Department of Internal Affairs (NZ) for a while. I’m taking a sabbatical. Why would I voluntarily give up a fantastic well-paid job in the current climate? Many of my colleagues and friends probably think I’m crazy. Hell, I sometimes wonder if I’m crazy. But those who know me, know I have form. Five years ago almost to the day, I started at Te Tari Taiwhenua on a four-month fixed term contract. This was a deliberate move after returning to Wellington having quit my previous job some months previously, to travel. So it’s fitting to come full circle. My personal vision at that time was less work and more travel. My number one value was Joy. My strategy was to move out of permanent in-house positions to fixed term and hourly rate contracts to free me up to spend more time in France doing the things that help me to live well. So why am I still at Te Tari in a permanent capacity all these years later, you ask? In short, because at Te Tari, I’ve been encouraged, enabled and supported to live and work in a way that is consistent with my vision and my values. Oh, and there was the minor disruption of the Covid lockdown, of course. I’ve worked for some fantastic organisations with some bosses who I consider role models and colleagues who I consider friends, but my time at Te Tari has taught me what a great place to work looks like. Thanks to my long-suffering managers Kim Chambers who hired me despite knowing my form, Louise Yarrall and especially Melanie Carpinter, who have tolerated my frequent leave requests with good grace. Thanks to my leadership colleagues Ann-Marie Nansett, Sean O'Neill, Joseph Makisi, Alexandra Palmer, Cherish Wilkinson for showing me what true collegiality looks like. A special thanks to Andrew Earnshaw for always having my back and for graciously covering me while I’ve gallivanted around. And thanks to all the incredible people who I have recruited over the last five years, had the privilege to work with and learn from. I like to say I only hire the best people and you have proven me right without exception. Too many of you to count but special mention to my current team Jamie Douglas, Michael Francis Stuart, Besa Chembo and Miro King. You’re a pretty special bunch and I am going to miss the robust discussions, your excellent advice and insights and, above all, the banter. I don’t think I’ll find such a diverse bunch of likeable characters anywhere! I’m looking forward to my time away, prioritising my wellbeing - supporting my youngest son while he goes to school for a term in France, a couple of creative projects, and then another long pilgrimage walk- 2,500km from Canterbury to Rome. 🥾🇫🇷🇨🇭🇮🇹🍾👌 But I’m also looking forward to returning, refreshed and hopefully re-energised for work. In the meantime, I’ll update here from time to time and if you want to follow my adventures more closely, you can follow me @livesparallel on Instagram.

Happy HR Birthday to me ... 25 years ago! So much has changed in that time. Back then, we did not use email to communicate (it was around, but not used regularly). We used the phone, a lot, and also typed up memos and put them in little envelopes to send via DX! We did not have laptops, so never worked from home. We got our HR advice from a bunch of Croner Employment law books that sat on a shelf (mostly collecting dust). Updates would come in the post every year with changes. We were called "personnel" rather than HR. Wellbeing, employee Xperience and Diversity and Inclusion were not discussed. We wore suits to work!

It really says a lot about a company when their employees are engaged enough to: 📝 1. Complete a survey. 😂 (Seriously. How many times have you sent a survey to the circular file?) Nearly half of our employee-owners actually responded! AND 👍2. Provide honest feedback about their company and the results are overwhelmingly POSITIVE. 🎉 (Our overall Workplace Experience Score beat our industry benchmark by 6% and was up 2% from the previous year!) 🥳 What's our secret sauce? Employee-ownership! 💥Employee-ownership is the foundation of our culture and the driving force behind our success. Click below to learn more about AMERICAN SYSTEMS and what it means to be an employee-owner! 👇 #ownyourfuture #esop #topworkplace #employeeowned

📌 Best Places to Work in 2024 It's here! Whether you're contemplating a career move or a potential investment, check out the latest list of best employers from Glassdoor (as reported by the companies' employees). #job #jobsearch #bestplacestowork2024

What is most important for you to stay at your current employer? For me it is: 1) Fair compensation and benefits for work. 2) Challenged with a variety of work (I hate doing the same mundane tasks everyday). 3) I can see the positive impact that my work has on the company, team members, or individuals. 4) Valued and appreciated! 5) Empowered to work autonomously within the strategy and direction of the company.

The 2024 Glassdoor “Best Places to Work” just came out (see below). These ratings are based on employees’ own evaluation of job satisfaction. Many but not all of these are publicly traded companies. As my readers know, I look at Glassdoor ratings as a quality proxy in my stock selection process. I prefer companies with an overall “very satisfied” rating, 4.0 and higher. Thanks for reading my posts!

On the first day of resumption for the year 2024, January 8th, I decided to surprise my team. Instead of waiting till April to recognize and appreciate their hard work, I brought forward our recognition and appreciation day. I didn't want it to be simple so I added some spice by asking them to vote while also reading out uniquely crafted P.S letters. I know that working for owner-managed businesses can be challenging at times, especially with some of the unwholesome practices but I truly believe that we can change the narrative by treating people right and creating a positive work environment. At the end of the day, it's not just about the tangible rewards and recognition. The intangible things also matter. Things like respect, empathy, paying salaries on time, providing work tools, having clear job descriptions, and open communication are all crucial in creating a healthy and productive work environment. So, on this day, I want to appreciate all hard working professionals, you would be celebrated soon. This is Onyinye Uzor in her traditional dance steps 😀. Permit me for some days as I will be showing you the faces of my wonderful team members. #employeerecognition #employeeexperience #teamdevelopment

Of all our achievements at Flock Consulting, this one stands out as one of the best. When I started Flock five and a half years ago, my main goal was to create a workplace where people loved coming to work. Before that, I had worked in toxic environments where staff were merely seen as tools for income, and customers were not viewed as long-term partners. One day, I decided that instead of constantly complaining to my wife, I should take action. That's when Flock was born. From the beginning, I knew we needed to build everything around a strong set of values and a positive culture. These principles drive everything we do, both internally and externally. They shape how we work together as a team and how we engage with our customers. I firmly believe that a happy team that enjoys their work leads to happy customers through the high quality of work driven by a passion to always do our best. To me, this is not rocket science, yet I still see many toxic environments and leaders who haven't realised that true leadership doesn't come from creating a toxic workplace. Being shortlisted for this award fills me with pride, knowing we are on the right path. The application process was a great way to show our team that we truly care. Despite our high score, we identified areas where we can still improve. This is an ongoing journey, and our aim is to keep enhancing the work we have done so far. Big thanks to the whole team who make Flock and Reportabl. one of the Best Places to Work Spencer Ho Glenn David Daniel Matthee Mark Turner Darren Morrow Amanda Kwok Katie Double Hannah Oldroyd Andrew Wong Andrew Watts Sanae Herd Bee Kaan Rose McPherson Kieran M. Nicole McRae Ph.D., CPIM #greatplacestowork #values #culture