Working long hours? Suffering headaches, gastric problems, irritability, weight loss or gain? Then you could be one of the millions of Australians suffering from work related stress each year. And this is no wonder given that one third of the Australian workforce is working over 50 hours each week. With corporate mergers, downsizing and a drive towards greater productivity, companies are continually demanding more of their employees whilst providing them with less job security. The result being an overworked and over stressed workforce that costs WorkCover NSW and ultimately our businesses, millions of dollars each year in compensation pay-outs.

Surprisingly, those who suffer stress are more likely to be those positioned at the bottom end of the company ladder. These are the employees who do not have the authority to set their own goals or control patterns that enable them to work most efficiently.

• Communicate with your staff regularly so that they are comfortable in approaching you. By knowing about issues, you have the opportunity to address them quickly.
• Keep employees informed of department/company developments.
• Praise and recognise your staff for their efforts and achievements.
• Know your employeeâs limits and work with them to set realistic goals.
• Address any issues/obstacles as they arise e.g. shortages in resources, etc. They will feel a lot better knowing that their manager is trying to do something about it.
• Treat mistakes as learning experiences and an opportunity to further develop.
• Foster a respectful, fun & harmonious working environment. Lead by example.
• Give your staff some input in decision making (where appropriate of course).
• Be aware of personal factors that may affect staff e.g. a sick family member, divorce.
• Finally, recognize that people have a life outside of work! Encourage them to maintain a good balance between work and home.

A well-balanced person makes a well-balanced employee, which makes a satisfied manager and company.

Researched and prepared by: Mireille Levrault B.A. Consultant ö Permanent Division

We would like to extend our many thanks to all our clients who took the time to answer questions from the Australian Achiever Awards, relating to our customer service. We achieved an excellent result and its great to see that our clients recognise the value of good customer relations. Discovering People scored a highly commendable 94.7% overall. This is how we scored in each category:

• Time related 94% Value 87%
• Care & attention 98% Client needs 90%
• Attitude 96% Communication 97%
• Overall Perception 96%

Some of the comments Australian Achiever received from our clients are:

"beats the competitors hands down ö really tries to have a good understanding by focusing on the philosophy of our business ö they listen hard"

"courteous and professional at all times ö penetrating and thorough, always thinking things right through"

For more information you can check out the Australian Achiever Awards website:

www.achiever.com.au

Superannuation Update

Employer contribution superannuation is to be increased to 8% as from July 1^st, 2000.