Focus on basics to increase NZ's falling productivity

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According to a recent Treasury report, New Zealand's real gross domestic product per capita in the 1960s ranked in the top five countries in the OECD.

Fast-forward 50 years and we struggle to make it into the top 20 countries. So what's going wrong?

There are a variety of factors impacting on any economy's productivity but Chris Lawry, a consultant with workplace survey specialists JRA, believes that staff engagement - or lack of - plays a significant role in productivity.

"There is conclusive evidence that more engaged employees are more productive employees," says Lawry.

So if we are to increase our productivity as a nation, what can organisations do to increase employee engagement?

"As with most things in life, it's the basic things that, if done well, make all the difference," says Lawry.

"There are a number of basic but critically important factors that drive engagement - things like having a personal sense of belonging to the organisation, a personal belief in what the organisation is trying to accomplish and confidence in the organisation's leadership."

International research by global employee research organisation Kenexa mirrors JRA findings in New Zealand. As Lawry says, "it doesn't seem to matter where in the world you work, the key drivers of engagement are similar".

"People want to have confidence in their leaders, they want to have a job that excites them and provides a sense of personal achievement and want to feel a sense of common purpose within their organisation."

If organisations get these basics right, maybe we can start our climb back up the OECD rankings.

JRA is running the 2011 JRA Best Workplaces Survey in association with the NZ Herald and sponsored by the New Zealand Chambers of Commerce, KiwiBank, and HainesAttract. The survey runs from June 1 to August 31 and registrations are now being taken.

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