We Need To Talk...

This is a repost, but with pictures, of the piece I wrote for the LinkedIn UK HR Group blog http://discusshr.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/we-need-to-talk.html.

Brain fibres enabling communication and neuron connections

At the start of February I attended an inspirational HR-focused event.  It was refreshing to be surrounded by people who had made a conscious choice to be there, who came in their own free time because they shared a genuine interest in the topic and they wanted to learn and be involved.  There was a buzz and a sense of camaraderie, in the way you hope there will be at a learning and awareness session.  My fellow attendees were willing and active participants - honest and authentic.  At the end of the evening there was a mutual conviction that, between us, we can improve the world in which we live and work.  

Neurons

The event was organised in response to reactions to an extraordinary and powerful online blog post published on 12th January – if you have not read it, I urge you to do so now: http://thehrjuggler.wordpress.com/2013/01/12/day-43-courage/

These courageous words resulted in people around the globe talking and tweeting on the subject of Mental Health in the workplace.  With HR interest rising and numerous individuals asking what they could or should do, it was clear that the dialogue needed to be brought into the off as well as on-line arena.  Alison Chisnell, HR Director at Informa (and host of the blog on which Jon, the author, posted his piece) offered a meeting space.  A number of people worked together at speed to determine the format and experts, including Mind, the NHS and various individuals who have been or are impacted by mental health issues, agreed to be speakers and be involved.  Jon went public at the event and wrote about doing so on https://projectlibero.wordpress.com/2013/02/05/it-starts-with-a-conversation/.  There is a simple and well written blog about the evening that is more eloquent than I on the impact of the evening http://treacletiger.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/start-conversation.html.  I hope that by talking here about my own thoughts on the evening and by sharing some of the recommendations made, that I can encourage you too to think about how you should approach this issue in your workplace and with the organisations and people with whom you do business.

According to ACAS Mental Health problems cost employers in the UK £30 billion a year through lost production, recruitment and absence http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1900 .  I suspect that the hidden and non-financial costs have an even more severe impact on work, employees, their friends, families and business.  It is a sad fact that the approach towards Mental Health by the majority of employers is woefully inadequate and the time has come for that to change.  I am not advocating that we form a militant group and campaign, there is an easier solution – to dispel common fears and misconceptions, to remove the stigma and to enable us understand so that we can do the right thing... we simply need to talk.

Despite the fact that one in four of us will suffer Mental Health problems in our lives, there is still a social reticence about admitting to being a victim, and/or living with and supporting someone with Mental Health issues.  It is clear that this reserve is partially rooted in fear.  People don’t know how to start the conversation and they are embarrassed and don’t want to say the wrong thing.  Mental Health is seen by many as a dark and complex issue that, by its very nature, is private and should be hidden from others.  Certainly it is personal – the reasons why people suffer from Mental Health issues are complex and varied and each victim is an individual, so there is no simple, standard approach or treatment.  However, I think we should take a step back and consider ourselves and those we come into contact with. 

Humans are wonderful.  We are sentient and expressive beings – we would all be the poorer for not being able to feel and think about the world around us.  However, there are times when our emotional and mental reactions are overwhelming and uncontrollable and can prevent us from being the person we like and feel we are, or can make us antisocial and potential dangerous (to ourselves or others).  Mental Health is a broad term that encompasses a range of issues such as clinical depression, Bi-polar disorder, anxiety, phobias and Schizophrenia; unlike emotional problems, these cannot be resolved swiftly – they require treatment (often medication and therapy) to control the symptoms and to lessen the impact on the individual and others.  It is probable that a number of Mental Health sufferers are also suffering emotionally and often not just because of their own health but also because of the way in which we, the people they work and interact with, treat them.  The stigma of Mental Health is so strong that people avoid talking about it and hence they exacerbate the problem, because they isolate and alienate individuals who are already suffering.

There is often a fine line between Mental Health and emotional health.  Each one of us is who we are due to the environment in which we have grown up and the circumstances impacting our lives at any moment in time.  I am not naturally tidy, but I have friends who are fastidious; they say it is because of the spotless households in which they lived as children, where even an ornament out of position was viewed as unacceptable – regimented neatness is their comfort zone.   I know others who close in on themselves and cease contributing to discussions whenever voices are raised - they have told me that they were deeply disturbed by arguments between their parents when they were small and that the increased volume of colleagues, enthused or trying to stress a point in an argument, is sufficient to make them feel uncomfortable.  I love films, but potentially I am an embarrassing companion, as I can easily be reduced to a weeping wreck when watching characters show how much they care for each other - I know that this is partially due to my own insecurities, my devotion to my friends and family and my own desire to be loved.  Many parents find news footage depicting suffering children immensely disturbing, because they transpose themselves into the scenario and can imagine how awful they would feel if it was their own offspring.  Each of these people, me included, is reacting emotionally –although emotions can induce some symptoms that are similar to those experienced by a portion of Mental Health sufferers (such as sleeping disorders, anxiety and sadness) these responses tend to be short-term and can be treated and resolved swiftly.  However, many people suffering from Mental Health issues also have to contend with emotional pain, either because of their condition or induced through the reaction of others around them.  Many sufferers feel isolated due to many others’ desire not to bring matters into the open.  By appreciating the impact our emotions have on us, it is perhaps easier to start understanding how others may be feeling.  Empathy is a good step towards trying to support and be helpful.

On a moral and social level we have a responsibility to be considerate towards others.  Even without that, employers have a legal duty of care to employees.    We in HR need to devise strategies to promote well-being and to ensure that we and others are equipped to support when an employee has a problem.   BUT strategies and policies will not solve a problem.  Good managers and colleagues are attuned to those around them – if you know your people and how they are, you can spot when they aren’t themselves.  You must foster a culture of trust and understanding where management and employees are comfortable having non-judgemental and open conversations.   We need people to be able to ask with ease:

                “What do you do to look after your health and well-being? And what can I, your manager, do to help?” 

If managers invest in their people, by talking with them, their team members will in turn be more engaged and committed to their employer.  If employees feel comfortable talking about Mental Health, awareness and understanding will increase and colleagues who are suffering will no longer feel so isolated or ashamed – everyone can be a winner.

Progress won’t happen unless we make an effort.

We have started...come and join us.

As Jon says in his original post: “here’s to 2013 and a change in attitudes...”

Horse Play

“A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!”

I am struck by the fact that a man famous for voicing his need for a horse, when “His horse is slain, and all on foot he fights” (Richard III, William Shakespeare), has been confirmed as the most likely identity for a body buried in a car park in Leicester, UK  http://www.le.ac.uk/richardiii/.  At the same time horses in various guises (burgers, lasagne, pies, etc…) seem to have been given to many people who do not want them…well at least not in that form.  You couldn’t make it up! 

Horse & rider at San Bartolome de Pinares, photograph by Daniel Ochoa de Olza, 
Guardian Eyewitness series January 2012

There are numerous lessons for the workplace that can be gleaned from both pieces of news.  Here are five for starters (perhaps an unfortunate choice of phrase):   

1    It’s easy to damage a brand.  The 15^th century was a turbulent time, fraught with political and civil unrest.  However, Richard III was a popular monarch; according to David Grummit, a War of the Roses specialist based at the University of Kent, he was "regarded by most of his contemporaries, especially during the 1470s and early '80s, as a paragon of chivalric virtue and an accomplished soldier... in death, Richard was doing nothing more than he had done for most of his life." Despite being unseated from his horse and losing his protective headgear and coronet, he bravely remained fighting on foot, even after being deserted by a number of his followers.  He became the last Plantagenet monarch of England when he died at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.  As is usual when a new order commences, the arriving dynasty, in this case the Tudors, need to cement public approval to ensure their future.  Artists, eager to gain patronage and secure their own safety, often stress the benefits of the “new regime”, denigrating the former.  Shakespeare’s demonic depiction of Richard III, as a nephew-killing and physically deformed man, can be considered a powerful piece of propaganda on behalf of the Tudors http://www.richard111.com/richard_iii__shakespeare.htm ; this would have helped the playwright to receive a warm reception with Elizabeth I and her court.  Research into the unearthed body shows that the King neither had a hump nor a withered arm, so the pictures made of him during his lifetime were probably more accurate than perhaps some had thought.  

Richard III circa 1480

There is an interesting book I read as a teenager, called “The Daughter of Time”, written by Josephine Tey (the nom de plume of a respected detective story writer from the middle of the last century, Elizabeth MacIntosh).  The book presents evidence that seems to vindicate Richard III of the murder of his nephews – in the 1950’s this book helped inspire the creation of the Fellowship of the White Boar, an international  society dedicated to clearing Richard’s name.  The organisation was renamed The Richard III Society and has, since the mid fifties, fiercely campaigned to shift public perception of the potentially maligned monarch – it was part of the collaborative group of organisations responsible for the research into the corpse in the car park – along with the University of Leicester and Leicester City Council.  Despite the pro-Richard campaigners, public imagination over the centuries has been captivated by the image of the deformed, wicked uncle who murdered his own nephews in the pursuit of personal ambition – the Tudors gave Richard a compelling, but not attractive, brand. 

As a side note, in my experience it is common practice for a new leader to blame the old regime for issues he/she is trying to overcome (as is so often demonstrated in politics as well as business).  The responsibility for economic woes and tough decisions is often laid on those who came before.

Today, in the horse meat scandal, leading retailers and manufacturers are looking for culprits (other than themselves) and taking expensive measures to protect against the adverse impact of being seen to have lied to their customers/the public, and for not having been in control of produce – Findus plans legal action against its suppliers (despite the obvious damage to their corporate brand, I must confess to smiling at the joke doing the rounds on Twitter about how "staying in with a hot Italian stallion" sounds cooler than "heating up a ready-meal lasagne"); Tesco’s sales losses, due to the crisis, are anticipated to be in excess of £1 million; to mitigate further damage, the retailer has harnessed the power of various media channels to circulate a statement aimed at reassuring customers that it is taking the issue seriously.  Individuals and organisations need to be aware of how they are perceived, both internally and externally, and be seen to be responsive. 

2    Technology is significant.  It would have been impossible to ascertain the identity of either the body or the ingredients of suspect processed food without DNA testing (or "DN Neigh" as Baron Prescott tweeted).  The corpse’s DNA was a close match to that of a known descendant of the King's sister and even miniscule amounts of horse meat can been identified in various products – although in some instances it is clear that no meat other than horse was used in the so-called “beef” processed meals.  Both stories have become international phenomena, in part due to the numerous websites, blogs and social media commentaries.  Without the use of modern technology, neither incident would have become news.  Increasingly, leaders will need to consider the impact of technology, to ensure competitive advantage as well as its ability to enable rapid and effective communication (both planned and unplanned).

3    Evidence based decisions are required to support proposals.  Researchers at the University of Leicester undertook extensive analysis to determine the identity of the corpse http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=mfi6gOX0Nf4#!   The curvature of the spine and the slender frame indicate a physique similar to that described by the contemporaries of King Richard III.  Forensic knowledge was used to determine the cause of death – almost certainly a severe blow to the head with a sharp object, that sliced through the skull, this would be consistent with battle wounds and accounts of the King’s demise.  Regrettably, more and more evidence is coming to light in the “horse meat scandal”, which seems to indicate that inappropriately described ingredients have been used in processed food that has been distributed right across Europe (and that it might have links to known criminal rings, who arbitraged the cheap price of horse meat in Romania against Western European markets, after a change in legislation in Romania resulted in large quantities of horses being killed and the price dropping).  To avoid inappropriate actions and to enable better decisions to be made, organisations need to use all the facts and information available to them to support the decision making process.

4    Honesty is crucial Consumers trust food producers to provide the product as described on its packaging.  Although horse meat is popular as a food in many countries (notably not the UK), that does not excuse retailers and food manufacturers from passing off equine produce as minced beef.  Misled members of the public will avoid producers and retailers whom they know have lied to them.   King Richard III was viewed with mistrust by a number of his subjects, which contributed to his demise - http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cd7476e2-7119-11e2-9b5c-00144feab49a.html#axzz2KQsHnpMz. 

At exactly the same time as the academics were breaking the news to the press about their extraordinary discoveries, another story was unfolding: that of the former UK MP, Chris Huhne, who unexpectedly plead guilty to perverting the course of justice.  Huhne’s persistent lying and willingness to pass the blame for his actions onto others has done much greater harm to his reputation than the fact that he was caught speeding.  He would have been well advised to have heeded Shakespeare’s words in the play, Richard III

                “An honest tale speeds best, being plainly told”.

In these days of Twitter, Reddit, Pinterest and Facebook, word spreads as fast as people can hit the share button and, as former RBS traders and other banks now know, ill advised words and actions are easily uncovered.  Authenticity and honesty are prerequisites of good leaders and employees.

5    People are emotional as well as rational.  As the success and national support of the dressage teams in the Olympics last year testify, the UK is a nation of horse lovers with strong equestrian roots.  Horse meat is not dangerous to eat (unless the animal has been treated with drugs, such as “Bute”, which is potentially harmful to humans); however, many people are repelled at the thought of horses being used as a food.  An innate repugnance at consuming an animal that is loved and admired, combined with a dislike of being deceived (especially by big businesses that are seen as having a huge influence over our lives) results in a powerful combination, inflaming public anger and distrust (the media fanning of the blaze with emotive writing only serves to intensify this reaction).  It is clear that Richard III inspired and still stirs up strong emotions in people.  Some of his defenders are almost evangelical http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tgr94xGp1DM and his enemies clearly loathed him - there is evidence that Richard’s body was stabbed and mutilated after his death (e.g. puncture wounds to his buttocks) – this was probably to humiliate his corpse and as an act of retribution.  Similar to the events surrounding Gaddafi’s death in Libya, where his death was slow and his battered body was paraded through the streets, it appears that the mob took advantage of his capture to vent their frustration and anger.  http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/23/gaddafi-last-words-begged-mercy    A leader should never underestimate the power of emotions.  To inspire people to action, you need to engage on an emotional level as well as presenting a compelling, well reasoned vision.

Crystallised Thinking

Small actions can make a big difference, both in and outside work.  However, the recent advice from Roy Stokes, a spokesperson at the UK’s Environment Agency, to make “an army of snowmen” for a “balanced thaw”, as a way of reducing severe flooding, made me smile.  It conjures up such a wonderful image – by way of an explanation for his proposal: compacted snow thaws at a slower rate than free lying drifts, so the inevitable melt-water will be produced over a longer period, thereby enabling more effective drainage.  http://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/build-an-army-of-snowmen-government-advice-on-how-to-stop-floods-8463536.html

Compacted snow shares some similarities with employee engagement – you need a culture where everyone is bound together, so that, as things hot up, the individuals don’t melt and leave; the greater cohesion helps to ensure that the business is sustainable and that employees are happy to make a greater effort than perhaps their role at its most basic level demands.  I have slight concerns over the analogy, as it sounds as though success depends on putting individuals under pressure.  However, in the current economic environment, almost every business is under strain and they need their people to perform as a united and durable team, working together to overcome obstacles and achieve clear objectives.

I must confess to still being a child at heart and I love snow.  Despite the obstacles experienced recently in the UK: disruption to travel and other inconveniences, I revelled in it while it lasted.   The usual urban noise was muffled, irregularities were evened out under the deep white blanket that swathed my neighbourhood in its chilly folds, the lime trees outside my front door were frosted “with pearl”, people smiled and greeted each other as they passed in the street and everything was beautiful.  It was hard not to think of J R Lowell’s poem, The First Snow-Fall:

         

THE SNOW had begun in the gloaming,
          And busily all the night
          Had been heaping field and highway
          With a silence deep and white.

          Every pine and fir and hemlock
          Wore ermine too dear for an earl,
          And the poorest twig on the elm-tree
          Was ridged inch deep with pearl

Snow and snowflakes are a good example of how little things have the capacity to make a significant impact – each individual flake is so fragile and small, but when their numbers are combined they have the power both to encourage people to undertake extraordinary things (as is illustrated by the numerous pictures posted on social media of families and friends sledging, playing in the snow and creating amazing snow sculptures) and also to effect undesirable outcomes, such as forcing people and businesses to a standstill – witness much of the UK over the past few weeks with schools, airports, wider transport systems and businesses closed.  I am surprised that no trade union has chosen the snowflake as its emblem - the ability to negotiate and bargain with employers often depends in many ways on the numbers of individual members whom a union represents. 

Since the 1980s there has been a notable decline in union activity across both the USA and the Europe (union membership in the UK has halved since 1979 dropping from 13.5 million to circa 6.5 today), but, with economic austerity biting and people struggling in many countries to make ends meet, some are wondering if this trend will reverse.  I suspect that significant union growth is unlikely.  Global competition, outsourcing, legal constraints and the break-up of national bargaining structures, as well as legislative changes to cease “closed shops” (i.e. organisations where union membership is a pre-requisite for employment) have all contributed to the decline in union membership.  However, despite the evidence of decline, the trade unions are not toothless – in Greece there have been regular public sector strikes against the austerity measures; Slovenia experienced its largest public sector strike for twenty years last April; the UK public sector arranged a series of co-ordinated strikes in 2012 and further incidents are anticipated this spring; and a significant number of workers of Unilever are currently on strike, in protest against changes to their pensions http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16615297.  Despite these strikes, the capacity for unions to take industrial action has been reduced (both legally and organisationally), but this does not mean that employee dissatisfaction has diminished – workplace conflict is evident in the increasing number of employment tribunal applications.  However, perhaps unions are finding a new role in the workplace - a noticeable trend is that of unions helping to resolve workplace disputes through mediation rather than blunt protest.

I find UK’s current trade union membership figures thought provoking.  It is noticeable that:

• there are considerable gaps between public and private sector union membership (56% compared to 14%);
• small employers tend to be less unionised than larger workplaces (15% in workplaces with fewer than 50 employees vs. 35% in organisations with 50+ employee); and
• membership seems to be influenced by age (only 10% union membership is to be found in the 16 to 24 age group compared to 33% of those aged 50 or over). 

Union membership is more prevalent in certain sectors than in others – there has been a rise in union membership over recent years within Education in the UK (currently circa 52% of the workforce is unionised) – perhaps because economic constraints are making these workers feel insecure.  The IT and Communication sector has only 13% penetration.  I do wonder if this is due to individuals’ ability and ease to have their opinions heard.  Technology has given people a voice that they formerly never enjoyed – witness the graphic photos and videos taken by people on their mobile phones, depicting atrocities occurring in various parts of the world, posted on YouTube or other sites on the web, resulting in global awareness and support.   The power of a tweet or blog can be immense if it strikes a chord with readers. 

There has been an extraordinary response to a series of postings on a well respected UK HR blogger’s site, Alison Chisnell a leading HRD.  It started with a brave and honest post, published as part of a seasonal selection by a self-nominated guest writer: http://thehrjuggler.wordpress.com/2013/01/12/day-43-courage/.  By writing candidly about what it is like to suffer from mental health problems whilst in employment, the author brought a traditionally taboo subject out into the open.  I suspect that for many HR professionals who read it, the impact was all the greater because the writer comes from our own community.  It is telling on the state of public and typical workplace responses to mental health that the writer wanted to remain anonymous - they feared potential repercussions if their identity was known.  However, even without having a name, there have been some wonderful consequences: other individuals have spoken out about their own experiences; people have been jolted into wanting to be better informed; an action group has been established HR for Mental Health; the issue is being taken up across the globe via social media (the Twitter hashtag #HR4MH can lead you to more information) and an event is occurring in London on 5th February in association with the charity Mind, at which mental health in the workplace and the ways in which HR can support individuals will be discussed http://hrformentalhealth.eventbrite.co.uk/.  There must have been something in the air in the second week of January as the day before the amazing Courage post, I had written suggesting that people should speak out and confessing to my own experiences of destabilising mental health and how that changed my attitude towards fellow sufferers.  People cannot simply “snap out” of poor mental health – in the same way as you cannot mend a broken bone with the click of your fingers.  Better understanding and awareness is vital.  I am so glad that the wind of organisational and cultural change can be heard whispering words of hope.  A few green shoots are appearing...    

I do believe that from small beginnings true change can occur and that an army of like-minded professionals can create "a balanced thaw" in the prejudice towards and misunderstanding of mental heath, to make the world a better place.  The snowflake like writer (a fragile individual with the courage to speak out and whose words were crystal clear and strikingly beautiful) has now been joined by others... together we can unite and set off on the right path for the future.

With this in mind, I will sign off with a short piece by JP Priestley that can be appreciated on many levels:

“The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found?”

Speak Up

Just before leaving the office last Friday evening I was invited to participate in a survey by one of the world’s leading specialists in recruitment solutions and consulting, they were seeking my opinions on the employment of individuals with criminal records.  I was interested to see the manner in which they classified criminals, the range stretched from murderers through alcohol or substance abuse addicts to individuals with driving offences.  By coincidence, I have also recently been interviewed by an individual undertaking academic research into the provision of counselling support within the work environment.  There’s a fine line between criminality, addiction and illness.  Illness, if not treated appropriately, can make people behave in antisocial and potentially even criminal ways.

A few years ago, my other half and I went on what should have been a dream trip to India.  Don’t get me wrong, much of it was amazing – and I intend to return.  I often think of Shimla – a hill station retreat, with magical views of the Himalayas, providing a welcome escape from the searing heat in the plains during the summer – in parts the town is very English, with Tunbridge Wells style mock tudor houses, a typical stone church, local theatre and Edwardian era hotels (with hard mahogany beds, beaded lampshades, billiard rooms, stone hot water bottles and names such as Savoy and Cecil), perched on the vertiginous hillside; monkeys regularly disrupted the electricity by severing the cables strung between the roofs.

Shimla

Shimla monkey and Himalayas

I too was disrupted – I was suffering from an adverse reaction to the Malaria tablets prescribed by my UK doctor and swooping depression gripped me in its darkness for much of the time, making life seem futile and myself loathsome.  It was with difficulty that my companion persuaded me to come out of our room and I found the precipitous fall into the valley below dangerously alluring.  It was not until I had this experience that I fully appreciated how debilitating mental illness can be and how little control an individual has over it – you cannot “just snap out of it” and often, while suffering, your thoughts and reactions are not rational.  I am ashamed to admit that, although I thought I comprehended mental illness and the impact that it can have on an employee and their work, my understanding was purely on an intellectual basis and I needed the actual experience of being trapped inside a deep well of despair to make me feel differently about the issues and how I approach mental health in the workplace.

It is extraordinary what an impact emotions and mental well-being have on us physically - I am sure you are familiar with the wobble that affects your voice when you are distressed.  I currently have a paralysed right vocal chord and hence I am dependant on my left in order to speak.  It is noticeable that if I am stressed (for example when I have to present at a demanding meeting or hold a difficult conversation with an employee) there is an audible effect on my voice (it loses tone, rises in pitch and becomes "breathy").   I was in a video conference early yesterday and had some challenging facts to communicate, a colleague in Switzerland noticed the change in my voice and, unable to hear me easily, asked me to speak up.  He and I were both embarrassed when I explained that I could not.  I would have made things easier for both of us if I had let people be aware of the current challenges that I am trying to overcome.  I’m not quite sure why I haven’t made my predicament common knowledge amongst my colleagues – perhaps I don’t want to be seen as weak, called names (even as a joke) or viewed as incapable...

People often don’t speak out – especially when they view their problem as being embarrassing, emotionally or mentally based or of a personal nature and hence inappropriate to be raised at work.  The big news story in the UK today is the joint report by the Metropolitan Police and NSPCC (National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children) into the sexual allegations made against the former UK celebrity Jimmy Savile, "Giving Victims a Voice".  Without wishing to diminish in any way the awfulness of the experiences that the victims had to endure, there are some serious learnings for all of us both in and outside work.  The problem was not unearthed (and hence some incidents prevented) because many of the victims chose to be silent and the few who did speak out were not given credence by people in authority.  It now transpires that there were at least 214 crimes, impacting children from as young as eight.  Savile indulged himself in numerous locations, including care homes, at the BBC, in schools and NHS properties and hospitals.   There is no doubt, from the comments of those who have now spoken about their experiences, that Savile's predatory behaviour has had a permanent impact on their lives. 

I am concerned at what prevents people from raising issues before a trouble escalates.  My reticence about my own health is a small example of an individual not wishing to stand out or to be viewed as problematical or incapable within a particular situation.  We need to be mindful of the fact that times change and so do attitudes.  Perhaps the Savile victims did not speak out because of the environment at the time (witness the descriptions now being provided of the internal culture at the BBC in the 1970s in which women felt it easier to accept sexist behaviour than complain http://www.independent.co.uk/arts- )entertainment/tv/news/bbc-bosses-showed-cavalier-attitude-to-culture-of-harassment-8229941.html ).  Returning briefly to the survey I was asked to complete last Friday – even fifty years ago, by knowingly employing a homosexual in London I would have introduced “a criminal” into the work environment (homosexuality was not decriminalised in England and Wales until 1967).  Mental health is still seen as a taboo subject and seldom raised by employees (unless they plan to take you to tribunal for “work place induced stress”!).  But if people don't speak out things will never change.  

Mental health is explored to a significant degree in Shakespeare’s King Lear.  Lear is driven to madness by the indignity and circumstances he brings upon himself (with friends and family turned against him); his Fool (in effect his court jester) is often the only sensible voice, speaking the truth and saying how things should be in a difficult world; Poor Tom (whose madness is feigned by Edgar as a form of disguise and protection) is deemed by Lear to have become insane due to suffering similar misfortunes to himself.  Poor Tom makes the audience question what madness is (much as the reader does when reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Catch 22).   We live in challenging times.  Increasingly organisations need to employ a diverse workforce who can help them navigate a successful path through the rapidly changing business environment.  We must create a workplace where people are not scared and where they feel safe speaking out for the benefit of themselves, others and the business. 

King Lear, Act III, Scene IV engraving by John Boydell c1792

Given the at times disturbing subjects covered in this blog, I think you deserve a smile for making it this far.  The below video shows what can be achieved if you are prepared to utilise your knowledge and skills but operate in a different way from the norm, especially if you are a little baaarmy (excuse the poor pun): 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2FX9rviEhw

Many of the world’s most notable people are those who have been/are prepared to stand out from the crowd, say what they think and achieve unusual things.  It is up to us as employers to create a workplace where a diverse range of individuals are able to thrive and contribute and where their differences are embraced and seen as adding value.  

End of Year Quiz 2012

The same rules apply as in previous years, i.e. there are twelve questions, one for each month of the year.  The questions (and hence the answers) are about events and news that occurred in the specific month they represent during 2012.  If you take the first letter of each answer (in chronological order) they will spell out my hopes for you for at this start of 2013.  I hope you enjoy the challenge and that it reminds you of some of the many things that have happened.

January                 

What was the name of the failed Russian Federal Space Agency Mars probe, launched in November 2011, parts of which were anticipated to re-enter the earth’s atmosphere during first week of January 2012?  The Media tried to create hype around the concern that people might be hit by debris.

February      

On 8 February artworks by Vincent van Gogh, Camille Pissarro and Edgar Degas were sold for £13.7 million at Christie’s in London.  From which famous film star’s personal collection did they come? 

Vincent van Gogh's autumn landscape Vue de l'Asile et de la Chapelle de Saint-Remy

March          

Which city’s main dam, Warragamba, reached capacity at the start of the month, resulting in the emergency evacuation of residents and significant flooding after the dam overflowed?

Warragamba dam

April             

On 26 April, the Special Court for Sierra Leone at The Hague delivered its verdict in the trial of the former President of Liberia.  He was found guilty on 11 counts of aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Sierra Leone Civil War.  What is his surname? 

Former Liberian President

May             

Which nation decided on 9 May to stop its plans for the reintroduction of the cheetah, as to do so would rely on importing animals from another continent?  The last Cheetah became extinct in this country in the 1940’s. 

Cheetah

June           

Which planet’s solar final transits of the century occurred June 5-6?  The next pair of transits by this celestial body are predicted to occur in 2117 and 2125.

July             

Bob Diamond, the Chief Executive of Barclays was compelled to resign on 3 July following the financial scandal in which the bank tried to manipulate interest rates systems, namely Libor and which other?

August            

What is the name of NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory mission rover, which successfully landed on Mars on 6 August?

Artist impression of NASAs Mars Science Laboratory rover

September     

Which Czech-born actor (born 1917), famous for his portrayal of Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus, Inspector Clouseau’s long-suffering superior in the Pink Panther films, as well as roles in many 1950’s and 1960’s classics, including The Lady Killers, Spartacus, El Cid and Fire Down Below, died September 27?      

October       

Name the winner of the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize, announced on 12 October, and awarded for “over six decades (of having) contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights”.

Nobel peace prize medal

November    

The head of state and senior ministers of which Middle Eastern country brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Hammas on 21^st November (the Foreign Minister, Mohamed Kamel Amr, and US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, made the announcement)?

December   

What is the nationality of Milner, the founder of the Fundamental Physics Prize, the most financially lucrative academic prize in the world (three times the size of the Nobel Prize and more than The Nobel and Templeton Prize combined)?  As well as the nine winners for 2012 (who will elect a winner for 2013), two special awards were made on 11 December 2012: one to the British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking for his discovery of Hawking radiation from black holes and his quantum analysis of gravity and space; and the other to eight scientists involved in the discovery of the new Higgs-like particle at CERN.

Milner

Here's wishing you a wonderful 2013 full of good health, happiness, success and growth.