The Workplace Council's
Life on the Web 2000 - 2008

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, 2008 adds up to 95 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

Even though visitors have come from many countries, the Workplace Council is not in a position to describe the status quo of workplaces in all those countries. With all the uncertainties and unsettling forces on the world scene, the guide to describing the status quo should include information beyond whether or not the business is losing or making money... or the price of its stock. In fact some of the ingredients which go to make up the status quo may in fact determine whether the company makes a profit.

Managers are correctly concerned about selecting the highest quality raw materials and skilled personnel when creating a product or service. But along with those issues is the often overlooked need to create and maintain good productive interrelationships among staff. A commanding supervisor or untrained workers can create a "people culture" which affects the way the product is produced... and can therefore also affect whether there is a financial profit or loss. As mentioned on the "welcome" page, much of this web site is concerned with the human factors of success.

Employers in in all kinds of enterprises or industries still need to find skilled workers and others willing to be trained, so recruitment and retention will be an even greater priority for 2008. Although some managers have added fitness facilities, flexible hours, special bonuses and other perks, they are now realizing those benefits may be appreciated, but 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.

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