Developing a Web Site

One motivation behind the Workplace Council developing a web site, was gaining access to a larger number of people interested in discussing workplace practices. As for the development of content, many of the topics had been discussed previously by business leaders over several years of breakfast meetings held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Those leaders described solutions to problems they had encountered in their leadership of companies or organizations. Using those ideas provided the framework, and it was hoped that visitors to the site would raise questions and add new ideas. There have been contacts from visitors, but the Council would welcome more.

Visitors to the site have come from a wide geographical area which as of September 30, 2009 adds up to 100 countries which are listed below. The USA is the only country where visitors are tabulated under specific categories.

Taking Stock of the Workplace Status Quo

At the beginning of 2009 due to the world-wide economic crisis, some companies have closed and others are operating with a much reduced budget and staff. According to predictions from economic advisors, employers and employees will continue to work with these uncertainties for months and perhaps a few years.

In spite of these circumstances which may also include a smaller budget, CEOs and managers should try to select the highest quality materials and skilled personnel when creating a product or service. Along with those issues is the often overlooked need to create and maintain good productive interrelationships among managers and staff and just among staff. In some workplaces the challenge of dealing with the economic situation may have given both managers and staff the opportunity to work closely together as they searched for a solution. In other workplaces the uncertainties and fear may have made relationships worse ? Whatever the situation, the relationships of managers and staff will always be an important ingredient of the workplace status quo.

In recent years in order to retain good staff, leaders of companies have tried to provide new benefits such as fitness facilities, flexible hours, special bonuses and other perks, but they now realize that no matter how much those benefits are appreciated, they are not enough to retain employees.

Instead employees are interested in the freedom and the training to perform the job they were hired to do with the assurance of support and resources... and without having a supervisor looking over their shoulders. In addition to the satisfaction of completing a high quality piece of work, employees also need respect and recognition for their accomplishments. They feel proud and part of the company when open style management allows them to participate in helping to solve operational problems. They are especially susceptible to fairness. Employees are people involved in a life they live off the job and will deliver a better job performance when that other life is also recognized.

Among all the responsibilities of a CEO and the management team, they are still responsible for constant evaluation and keeping the business on track, for looking into the future and gathering data which may or may not change their direction.

return to top of page
home | about us | best practices | contact us | life on the web | links