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SpiritWorks is not bound to one faith or indeed to any faith, but attracts those from a variety of faiths and those with none. The following article gives one particular individual’s perspective on our work.
EMPLOYEE 'SICKIES' COSTING BUSINESSES £1.75BN A YEAR [OH, June 2003]
STRESSED-OUT WORKERS ARE TOO BUSY TO TAKE ALL THEIR HOLIDAYS [OH, July 2003]
Contrasting headlines taken from consecutive copies of the magazine 'Occupational Health'.
The first quotes a CBI survey which calculates a cost of £1.75bn a year and suggests that up to 15% of absences are not genuine. John Cridland, CBI deputy director-general, said: "Firms can help reduce days lost by making senior managers responsible for absence management…"
The second quotes a survey by the insurer Royal & Sun Alliance suggesting that missed holidays means that nearly £4bn worth of work goes unpaid every year.
'The research paints a grim picture of office life, with stress and long hours leading to burn-out and health problems.'
If this state of affairs is viewed by short term financial interest then the situation seems satisfactory yet perverse – a cost of £1.75bn yields savings of £4bn net gain £2.25bn.
A further headline in the June issue reads
MANAGING ABSENCE IS BIGGEST HR HEADACHE
'Absence management rather than stress management is the most pressing workplace headache for UK HR managers'
The use of language in that quote hints that managing absence is making our human resources managers ill? Maybe the task is so challenging they will be too busy to take holidays? What a sad picture these quotes paint. A long hours culture yet with low productivity. We are in a cycle of decline. To counter this decline there is, at the moment, a rush of consultancy firms offering ways of managing absence.
One seminar I have seen advertised has four speakers – three lawyers and one medical doctor. Its emphasis is entirely on management – 'Employers feel powerless to act in cases of absent employees for fear of contravening the Disability Discrimination Act and being liable to unlimited damage claims.' The course seeks to teach managers to 'follow best practice to minimise the risk of claims.' I am sure that the course is good value for money yet it seems to typify our current thinking; that we seek to manage the consequences of our way of working rather than challenge and change our way of working.
In recent years there has been a growing movement to seek and enhance spirituality in the workplace. A response driven by a belief and frustration that work doesn't have to be as dire our opening quotes suggest. SpiritWorks Ltd is one such company whose stated mission is to: 'inspire, encourage and enable business to reach its highest potential and liberate the human spirit.' It is a consultancy which sets out to reduce absenteeism, reduce sickness levels, reduce staff turnover and raise morale and productivity. Within our prevailing management culture of fear and negativity these are bold claims. What is different about the SpiritWorks approach?
This article does not seek to describe the training techniques which SpiritWorks uses. All readers are recommended to check that out for themselves – start with a visit to the website. Rather this article seeks more to explore why SpiritWorks is successful and why it fully justifies the use of the word 'Spirit' within the company title.
As an Industrial Chaplain, I wanted to know more, and have completed the Advanced Practitioner Programme and am now a licensed SpiritWorks trainer. So how was I personally challenged in respect of my planned role as a trainer? This is not superficial training. It is not possible merely to deliver the material as though reading from a book. The techniques and skills required demand much more; this is advanced, creative structured training.
But a requirement, at least equal to the skills level, is the integrity of the facilitator, and his/her commitment to the group. Working to the finest traditions of teaching, throughout the process the trainers hold on the highest intent with regard to the outcomes sought by the group. At all times the value of each one present is recognised and enhanced, and care is taken of individual needs. To that end the trainers are encouraged to hold to some of the personal disciplines drawn from our spiritual traditions e.g. journalling , examen of consciousness, and visioning.
In practice this means that, in many cases, you will find more trainers present in a SpiritWorks team than in other commercial training organisations. The integrity of the process demands the care and attention of a full team. When Jeremiah wrote to the exiles in Babylon he asked that 'they seek the prosperity [shalom] of the city to which they had been carried'. So it is with a SpiritWorks team who seek the shalom – peace and wholeness, a prosperity founded on well being, on honest dealing and true justice, of the groups with which they work.
Georgeanne Lamont the founder of the company has researched and identified some key characteristics which are found in successful 'soul friendly' companies [“The Spirited Business”, Hodder and Stoughton 2002]
Key characteristics: [actual quotes]
Servant Leadership: " the leader enjoys people and instinctively serves them, deriving great pleasure from helping people grow."
The least important is the most important: "Those people who appear marginal are central to the success of any operation, and these companies instinctively know that. They appreciate these people and give them the freedom to turn their work into the fine art that it is."
Balance: ……they tend to welcome a mix or personalities and experience, old and young, women and men, black and white, able bodied and disabled."
Financial targets: " There is nothing soft and fluffy about their vigorous financial management and commitment to financial success."
A greater purpose: "They practise the virtues of generosity, compassion, doing the right thing and caring about the wider community and the world in which they live and work."
The intangibles: Words such as 'soul' and 'spirit' are not meaningless here; they may not be defined but they have a place."
The small detail and the larger picture:…."thoughtfulness over details takes care of people's physical needs and leaves them free to take care of each other, the customers and their work. But these companies also see the larger picture. They are not alarmed by short term changes. They do not respond reactively but have a vision of where they are going and work with the long term in mind.
Love: " these companies love where they are, they love what they are doing, they love those whom they are with."
The above list reflects a 'kingdom' model of behaviour. Whether acknowledged by the companies or not all the characteristics shown can be found within the life and example of Jesus Christ and in his revelation of the kingdom of God.
These represent the ideal and are found in abundance in too few of our businesses. How then can the SpiritWork's approach succeed in improving business performance and employee happiness in situations where perhaps none of the above characteristics are present? The underlying principles can be identified and in truth are as applicable to any church based organisation as to any multi national corporate giant.
Listening
Both a fundamental underlying principle, and one of the foremost skills within the SpiritWorks approach. Henri Nouwen wrote…..Listening is the highest form of hospitality.. and added…..Hospitality is not to change people but to offer them space where change can take place…
How then does take place within a group training session. How then do we practise hospitality such as will offer this space where change can take place?. The skills, integrity and commitment of the facilitator, as described above, are critical. When we are in the workplace we are influenced by three cultural levels At our roots is our native culture which gives us our core values, our sense of right and wrong our sense of identity. Laid on top of this is our professional culture the ethics by which we work the standards by which we operate.
Then, for so many in today's working world, is poured over us the corporate culture within which we are expected to perform- organisational procedures, mission statements, interaction with organisational structures. In a sense this third layer, this top level, is more a mix of practices rather than values, practices which can, and do, change overnight. It might be pictured as taking a steak or a salad and pouring over a different dressing. The appearance of the food changes as does the aroma and the initial taste yet underneath nothing is changed.
Sadly, for much of our time at work we operate only within this cultural level drowned as it were by the current thinking, the current 'dressing'. The quotes at the head of this article reflect this third level corporate culture approach. The intention is to manage absence, perhaps by yet another departmental restructure, yet there is no engagement with the underlying cultures and issues.
When a group, or an individual, is listened to in such a way as to find the space described by Nouwen then there is shift, in that we move from this top level of imposed corporate cultural influence and engage with the two core levels beneath it. This safe place encourages trust and freedom, it becomes 'ok' to express thoughts, feelings values and visions which otherwise may remain hidden. It becomes 'ok' to make yourself vulnerable; emphasising again the need for integrity and commitment by the facilitating team. But the benefits can be considerable. Creative ways of solving problems, ways to move the business forward are now more likely to emerge.
Cycle of dynamic Grace
The listening creates the space in which change can take place. The training techniques used to then determine business issues, and to undertake creative problem solving underpinned by the core values of the group, are rigorous and effective enough to satisfy even the toughest of financial directors. The techniques identify issues, vision the future, undertake creative problem solving and set strategies and objectives.
The work is disciplined yet is fun – laughter in a training session is expected. Its discipline, and possibly its effectiveness, lies in the way in which it mirrors the dynamic cycle of Grace. The Christian psychiatrist Dr. Frank Lake summed up the holistic rhythm of life following his study of the life of Jesus. This reveals a pattern of input and output which produces life giving energy; , unconditional acceptance and sustenance make up the inputs, a sense of significance and achievement make up the outputs. This pattern in which we belong, we bask, in order to believe and behave is understandable and acceptable.
Yet how often do we try and move backwards through the cycle whereby we only accept people providing they behave in an approved manner? How often do businesses demand compliance with a company culture [ third level influence] before accepting the value and worth of individual employees? How often does such an approach lead to frustration and possibly sickness; high rates of absenteeism coupled with a culture which demands the forfeiting of holidays?
Each SpiritWorks training session reflects Lake's cycle of Grace. Individuals are valued and accepted, in depth and challenging material is offered as sustenance; encouragement and support is offered as understanding and thinking change; and care is taken over detailing 'what happens next?'
Listening skills; a life enhancing ethos; and high quality, disciplined training- a winning combination bringing together the spiritual wisdom of centuries with the latest in business thinking.
As a chaplain, I have struggled for some years to find effective ways through which my faith can be applied within the workplace. My training with SpiritWorks has been a great help in my personal journey. I am pleased that now I have additional skills and understanding which I can use to the benefit of both companies, charities and churches. As a faith community we should welcome the skills, passion and wisdom of such companies as SpiritWorks and take heart that the Spirit is, indeed, at work.
Colin Hockridge
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