A national survey has revealed that money and job security are not the biggest source of conflict in the workplace but work load is. The Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) commissioned a survey of a 1000 full time employees the report “Tough Talk” found 32% of employees stated that the primary cause of difficult conversations at work was workload and that within the public sector this increased to 45%.
The report covers the last 12 months and indicates that there is a growing problem of conflict over workloads even before the public sector budget cuts are implemented. Cuts which will inevitably include further reductions in staffing and increased workloads. Employees at the front line are understandable concerned that they may get the brunt of the public’s increased dissatisfaction and frustration.
No doubt the response of most front line staff will be “don’t blame me” when customers complain about service cuts and staff shortages. Many will feel very bad that they can’t do a good job. Some will suggest people complain to management or their MP but indicate it won’t do much good because everyone knows it is a result of the “cuts”.
The report highlights that many staff feel that management don’t support them, increase workloads and ignore the resulting problems. A good line manager will offer staff some protection from unreasonable workloads and a good manager will not leave front line staff to cope with a frustrated and angry customer. But in local government much will depend on how senior managers and councillors have conducted the budget debate. Was the wider community involved and were their views taken account of. Some local authorities were very clear early on about the size and scale of budget saving required and made it clear libraries would have to close, grants to the voluntary sector would have to be cut, charges would be introduced or increased and some elderly people would no longer be eligible for help at home. Others maintained efficiency savings would mean front line services would not be effected.
Even where councillors and senior managers do front up cuts to services front line staff will find that cost cutting inevitably leads to staffing reductions and bans on the use of overtime and agency staff. What senior managers and councillors need to be absolutely confident about is that these cost cutting measures don’t compromise the basic service to vulnerable people. It is one thing to have to queue twice as long for your library book it quite another to lie in a soiled bed.
Blair McPherson is author of People Management in a Harsh Financial Climate and Equipping Managers for an Uncertain Future part of a series on developing managers on a tight budget published by www.russellhouse.co.uk