Blog
2016(8)
- Forecasts projections and budgets 18-04-2016
- Some lessons from NZ in the 1792 - 1840 06-04-2016
- Nature the great game changer 22-02-2016
- TPPA 10-02-2016
- Tourism is creating some interesting businesses 26-01-2016
- Digital prospecting for clients is an increasingly crowded space 12-01-2016
- A slow giant is still a giant! 06-01-2016
- Housing affordability is no news 01-01-2016
2015(5)
- Bad budgets are like a blunt knife 25-08-2015
- What are accountants thinking 14-08-2015
- Where are the customers yachts? 26-03-2015
- I was not misled: I simply was wrong - Warren Buffet 03-03-2015
- Being Wrong - holiday reading 07-01-2015
2014(8)
- Top performance takes intention and followup 27-11-2014
- Credibility trumps skill 11-08-2014
- If you don't sell a terrible thing happens..... 16-07-2014
- This sat me on my heels for a minute 08-05-2014
- Financial instability 19-04-2014
- Medical insurance 13-03-2014
- A good day out 25-02-2014
- Car buying 24-01-2014
2013(9)
- Employment needs a new model 21-11-2013
- Doing nothing much well is critical 19-11-2013
- Small change in terms big change in profit 29-10-2013
- The yacht race is a great business metaphor 26-09-2013
- Tax rules are difficult 20-07-2013
- How much soldiering on is good 01-07-2013
- Counter intuitive behaviours needed to win 16-05-2013
- Is your business adapting 05-04-2013
- Time it marches on 19-02-2013
2012(14)
- Accountants are good for business 27-11-2012
- Actually NZ is better than you think 19-10-2012
- BYOD - a current business trend 19-09-2012
- Supply and Demand 28-08-2012
- Administration the invisible force 08-08-2012
- Fees for monthly payments 15-07-2012
- The new hourly rate 25-05-2012
- Beijing 20-04-2012
- Electronic tools 03-04-2012
- China 2012 v 2005 16-03-2012
- Year end 02-03-2012
- The taxman cometh 17-02-2012
- Trust 13-01-2012
- Holidays 09-01-2012
2011(25)
- Rationale behaviour creates undesirable results 09-12-2011
- Accounting skills are most valuable in tough times 02-12-2011
- On-line advertising 28-11-2011
- Social Welfare with a hard edge 10-11-2011
- Entitlement and fairness 03-11-2011
- Technology opportunities 28-10-2011
- Distractions aplenty 28-10-2011
- Exchange rate management 23-09-2011
- Holidays are good 15-09-2011
- Giving it away? 15-09-2011
- Penny and Hooper 26-08-2011
- A perfect size 05-08-2011
- Is it time to buy that offshore business? 29-07-2011
- Value 23-07-2011
- Capital Gains Tax myths 08-07-2011
- The cost of monthly payments 15-06-2011
- Cars their Colour and FBT 06-06-2011
- And they're ready 26-05-2011
- What if Australia needs an extra 500,000 staff 13-05-2011
- Lean Accounting 08-05-2011
- Common themes for most businesses in NZ at the moment 11-04-2011
- Funding Development Projects 22-03-2011
- How good are your financial processes? 22-02-2011
- When did you last think about your structure? 22-02-2011
- Key business issues to think about at the moment 22-02-2011
Employment needs a new model 21-11-2013
There are three big things going on that mean work is different to the "good old days.- I was told many times as my kids were growing that they would be doing jobs that do not exist today;
- Businesses everywhere are having to make significant change constantly if they are to stay afloat - we are in a global market;
- Technology is so much a part of our lives that the rules of what is possible is constantly up for discussion. If you doubt me go look at smart materials, 3d printing, nano technology or you smart phone.
- More people have many jobs and/or are based at home;
Given all that it amazed me to hear the postal workers union rep stating that the NZ government was failing posties by not giving them jobs for life. Their job for the last five years should have been to have those 2,000 posties retrained, re skilled and redeployed so the news never had to happen. What is the root cause of an environment where there is such a strong systemic failure?
It is human to think the person who arrives in a crisis is on your side. But actually all good parents know that sometimes being on your kids side is about guiding them much earlier so the crisis does not happen.
The symptoms I see suggest that the best interest of the worker was forgotten/lost long ago:
- one of the biggest hurdles to health and safety adoption is staff engagement (yes management has a lot of responsibility to shoulder but actually if the unions were proactive the unionised shops should have awesome engagement not the sullen compliance that means employers are at huge financial risk;
- one of the oft stated issue in NZ is weak management. Smart employee advocates would be supporting the owners to have well trained effective management processes that work in NZ and provide an effective and respected leadership and direction. We tend to see an us and them approach;
- a major constraint to lean processes (an idea from the 1960s, well before that actually but lets not go there) is employee engagement. The biggest investment and risk to roll-out employees;
- the significant cost of managing a workforce is the litigation risk of getting rid of poor performers. The reason for that uncertainty is an employment law framework that assumes every employee is good unless proven otherwise - which is a huge drain on productivity and outside the skill set of most;
- NZ has an inherent growth rate in productivity of 2% the OECD is about 4%. Guess who will win this race. What focus are the unions having on increasing productivity? The headlines suggest the union advocates see productivity as evil! Our labour market is has a very inflexible price. It is better to be unemployed that paid a little. That means on the world stage unless we can produce more in the same time (ie be more productive) we cannot compete.
- I'm going to stop there are just tons of points pouring out of my head and this is meant to be a blog not a rant (or is that the same thing?)
So in my view employees should be looking for a new deal:
Sadly I am sure we will hear more headlines from union reps complaining that nasty employers are laying off staff and the government should be stopping it. May be the press will call them on it..... yeah right.
- How often will I be retrained in the next 5 years?
- What are the productivity growth expectations on this firm and how will you achieve those. What do I need to be good at to support that development
- If I request a change of process, protection or other H&S matter how will that be decided.
- What are you doing to make sure your managers are world class.
- What do we need to do so my hourly rate doubles over the next 5 years.
- how much of your turnover is being applied to new technologies?
Blog
2016(8)
- Forecasts projections and budgets 18-04-2016
- Some lessons from NZ in the 1792 - 1840 06-04-2016
- Nature the great game changer 22-02-2016
- TPPA 10-02-2016
- Tourism is creating some interesting businesses 26-01-2016
- Digital prospecting for clients is an increasingly crowded space 12-01-2016
- A slow giant is still a giant! 06-01-2016
- Housing affordability is no news 01-01-2016
2015(5)
- Bad budgets are like a blunt knife 25-08-2015
- What are accountants thinking 14-08-2015
- Where are the customers yachts? 26-03-2015
- I was not misled: I simply was wrong - Warren Buffet 03-03-2015
- Being Wrong - holiday reading 07-01-2015
2014(8)
- Top performance takes intention and followup 27-11-2014
- Credibility trumps skill 11-08-2014
- If you don't sell a terrible thing happens..... 16-07-2014
- This sat me on my heels for a minute 08-05-2014
- Financial instability 19-04-2014
- Medical insurance 13-03-2014
- A good day out 25-02-2014
- Car buying 24-01-2014
2013(9)
- Employment needs a new model 21-11-2013
- Doing nothing much well is critical 19-11-2013
- Small change in terms big change in profit 29-10-2013
- The yacht race is a great business metaphor 26-09-2013
- Tax rules are difficult 20-07-2013
- How much soldiering on is good 01-07-2013
- Counter intuitive behaviours needed to win 16-05-2013
- Is your business adapting 05-04-2013
- Time it marches on 19-02-2013
2012(14)
- Accountants are good for business 27-11-2012
- Actually NZ is better than you think 19-10-2012
- BYOD - a current business trend 19-09-2012
- Supply and Demand 28-08-2012
- Administration the invisible force 08-08-2012
- Fees for monthly payments 15-07-2012
- The new hourly rate 25-05-2012
- Beijing 20-04-2012
- Electronic tools 03-04-2012
- China 2012 v 2005 16-03-2012
- Year end 02-03-2012
- The taxman cometh 17-02-2012
- Trust 13-01-2012
- Holidays 09-01-2012
2011(25)
- Rationale behaviour creates undesirable results 09-12-2011
- Accounting skills are most valuable in tough times 02-12-2011
- On-line advertising 28-11-2011
- Social Welfare with a hard edge 10-11-2011
- Entitlement and fairness 03-11-2011
- Technology opportunities 28-10-2011
- Distractions aplenty 28-10-2011
- Exchange rate management 23-09-2011
- Holidays are good 15-09-2011
- Giving it away? 15-09-2011
- Penny and Hooper 26-08-2011
- A perfect size 05-08-2011
- Is it time to buy that offshore business? 29-07-2011
- Value 23-07-2011
- Capital Gains Tax myths 08-07-2011
- The cost of monthly payments 15-06-2011
- Cars their Colour and FBT 06-06-2011
- And they're ready 26-05-2011
- What if Australia needs an extra 500,000 staff 13-05-2011
- Lean Accounting 08-05-2011
- Common themes for most businesses in NZ at the moment 11-04-2011
- Funding Development Projects 22-03-2011
- How good are your financial processes? 22-02-2011
- When did you last think about your structure? 22-02-2011
- Key business issues to think about at the moment 22-02-2011