Originally published in the February 2003 Issue of Link & Learn.

Britain's managers believe their organisations have become more productive after introducing new working practices and successfully implementing large-scale changes, according to an annual survey into the state of the workplace. However an undercurrent of tension is coming to the surface, made apparent by escalating workloads, increases in workplace conflict, bullying and job insecurity and the growing use of office politics.

The Management Agenda (published annually by UK-based, Roffey Park) examines the challenges that managers and organisations are facing. This year's report has been developed from an in-depth survey of 372 managers. It covers trends relating to organisational life, organisational culture, the employee deal, working across boundaries, and new sections on corporate social responsibility, meaning at work, e-learning, diversity, and virtual management.

In the report, 65% of managers claim that change has improved organisational performance (up from 47% in 2002). Often these changes have involved new working arrangements being introduced, such as the use of 'virtual' teams, flexible working, outsourcing, home-working and 'hot-desking'.

"Organisations are now realising the benefits of large-scale change programmes," said research authors, Claire McCartney and Linda Holbeche. "Although this is positive, tensions beneath the surface are running high and these have been exacerbated by recent changes. An increase in workplace conflict, bullying and the growing use of office politics suggests that a pressure-cooker problem is building within organisations."

60% of managers believe office politics is on the increase in their organisation and 79% claim that conflict in the workplace has increased. 18% have personally experienced harassment or bullying at work, predominantly verbal hounding -- although 9% referred to physical attacks. 12% claim that sexual harassment occurs in their work environment. Asked who are the main perpetrators of harassment, the respondents pointed to senior managers (63%), their boss (29%), their colleagues (20%), and customers (18%).

"Clearly, organisations should be careful about who they place in positions of trust," said the Management Agenda authors, "and they need to monitor these people to make sure that such trust is not abused."

33% of managers feel less secure in their jobs than they did last year. 83% work consistently longer than their contracted week and 63% report that their workload has increased over the last year. 70% claim to suffer from work-related stress, caused by a lack of time (58%), increasing workloads (54%), a lack of organisational support (47%), and a lack of control over their workload (38%).

One of the Management Agenda's most intriguing findings is that 47% of managers are looking for greater meaning in their lives. 53% admit to having experienced tensions between the spiritual side of their values and their daily work. Surprisingly, 44% would value the chance to discuss spirituality or 'meaning' in the workplace with their colleagues.

"Against a backdrop of economic turbulence, societal instability and the ongoing war against terrorism, it's not surprising that an increasing number of managers are searching for meaning," said the authors. "Organisations should recognise this need and do more to give employees a greater sense of purpose and pride in the work they do. This includes more responsible business practice."

88% of managers want their organisations to act socially and environmentally responsibly, for example through community work, recycling, respecting diversity, fundraising activities, and charitable giving. 37% of organisations now have a corporate social responsibility statement in place, though many respondents see this as mere window-dressing.

Managers believe that the key priorities for organisations in the future will be strategic alliances, the need to stick to the core business, and e-business. The key challenges for the future will be managing change, recruiting and retaining talent, dealing with increased competition, and managing in an unstable economic climate.

When asked about the HR function in their organisation, only 25% of managers said that HR is proactive and adds value to the business. 62% class it as reactive; 41% believe that HR professionals lack credibility and 40% say HR has little influence within their organisation.

"Within a modest number of organisations, the HR function is valued and is increasingly seen to make a real difference to the business," said the Management Agenda authors. "Sadly this view is very much in the minority. HR professionals need to do more to increase their credibility internally."

47% of managers admit that they are considering a move to a different organisation. They want an opportunity to broaden their skills (53%), more challenging work (44%), greater appreciation (43%), more money (41%), and a better match between their own values and those of their organisation (37%).

To help alleviate some of the pressures at work, managers want more frequent reviews of workloads, improved internal communications, and an increased focus on coaching.

The survey also reveals the problems of 'working across boundaries'. It finds that managers encounter difficulties working across different time zones (71%), adapting to cultural differences (57%), maintaining regular contact with international team members (51%), and coping with the demands of travel (49%).

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