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Kindness is good for workplaces – how can we make it happen?

Why Conducting an HR Audit is a Smart Move

As Organisational Psychologists working across New Zealand, it’s not uncommon for us to see strategic people initiatives and organisational development take a back seat. And it’s understandable—when you get focused on day-to-day making time to take that helicopter view to review your people strategy, policies and processes can easily slip down the list of priorities.

But here’s the thing—it’s incredibly worthwhile, and conducting a Human Resource or People audit is one effective way to achieve this. A well-executed audit helps identify potential risks before they become bigger problems, ensures your people processes and systems are aligned with legislation and best practice, and also identifies ways to create a more engaged and high-performing workplace culture. Research indicates that aligned systems are also associated with improved organisational performance, higher levels of psychological safety and trust in leadership, reduced staff turnover, increased employee satisfaction, and greater productivity.

For many organisations, it’s not simply about ticking boxes; it’s about being proactive.  Many of our clients—from aviation and insurance to communications, the primary sector, and government—have told us that the outcomes of our audits have enabled them focus on what’s strategically important. Think of it as putting a fence at the top of the cliff, rather than relying on the ambulance at the bottom.

What is an HR Audit?

Put simply, an HR audit is a structured review of your current HR systems, practices, documentation, and strategies. It’s designed to highlight what’s working well, what’s not working well, and identify  recommendations for improvement.  To name a few this might include reviewing onboarding and recruitment processes, employment agreements and compliance with current NZ employment legislation, policies and procedures, performance and development practice, talent management practices and so on.

Final Thoughts

An HR audit can be one of the simplest, most effective ways to strengthen your foundation. It doesn’t need to be overwhelming. In fact, most clients find it incredibly helpful to have a fresh set of eyes across their systems—along with clear, prioritised actions they can implement.

If you’re interested in exploring what an HR audit might look like for your business, feel free to get in touch.

The Science of Story Telling: An Essential Leadership Skill

Great leaders utilise stories to help their audiences connect to their message. A great story is not just heard; it’s felt. Stories can persuade, convince, and convert. For some guidance when it comes to spinning a tale, Will Storrs, journalist and author of A Story is a Deal, shares four storytelling techniques to move people to action and drive results:

1. Make Your Audience the Hero: Your audience must identify with the protagonist or the struggle if you want to persuade them. People engage when they see their own issues reflected. And, as a BBC Storyworks study confirmed, an emotional relationship to a story enhances the listener’s long-term memory.
2. Keep it Simple: When crafting a story, keep it clear and concise. Avoid jargon and overly-long, abstract descriptions. Reality is complex, but it can be edited for clarity.
3. Clarify Obstacles and Goals: In a business context the story should have a lesson that relates to a solution offered by your service or product. This encourages belief and prompts action.
4. Be specific and Concrete: Specifics are memorable because they activate the brain’s visual imagination.

Want to change a mind? Ask this question

The road to less arguing and better problem solving starts with asking one simple question… Have you ever tried to change the mind of someone you disagree with? Good luck! And yet, psychologists say that remembering one simple question is the first step on the road to less hostility and more productive dialogue. Finding common ground may seem unlikely, especially in times like these. But it all begins with listening. Then, for the sake of initially engaging your partner, forget about facts. Regardless of their veracity, reciting a list of studies and statistics will likely just raise defensiveness. Beating people over the head with evidence that proves they’re wrong, only makes them more likely to insist they’re right. “People generally put their affiliation with their group and their sense of themselves as a competent and good person ahead of rationality,” writes Jessica Stillman in INC. Yelling doesn’t work either. Stridency might make you feel relief in the moment, but it almost always backfires and hardens other peoples’ beliefs. So, what’s left? Asking the “magic question.” According to science writer David Robson, author of the 2024 book, The Laws of Connection, you need to convince people of your good intentions for the conversation. Ask them:  "Can you tell me more about how you came to think that?” Is this enough to have someone do a 180-degree opinion turn? No. But, it is a start. You cannot change anyone’s mind if you don’t convince them you are open to understanding them. https://www.theglasers.com/communication-capsule-blog

Six peak experiences to help us thrive

This a fascinating article on peak experiences that help us thrive. So many leaders I work with  have helping their people thrive and grow as their purpose. There are six key themes in the article for life - here's how they can apply at work. Leaders can help people:

• Invest in relationships. Creating opportunities for people to build relationships at work. You can't make people have a best friend at work but we know this is a key driver of engagement. As leaders we can create the environment where they can have friends at work. Sarah Wright's research suggests it's the basic things - create opportunities for rapport building before meetings, have some social events like a shared lunch and after work drinks.
• Practicing virtues. Relationships are also strengthened when we put others’ needs ahead of our own. Such actions are called virtues and can be practiced so they get easier. Michael Leiter developed the 4As for building good culture and protecting against burnout - accomodating others, appreciating, acknowledging and being aware of the people around you.
• Embrace confelicity. This is an archaic word meaning celebrating the joy of others. Active constructing responding is a great way of doing this and is essential to building relationships. Its also a great tool for leaders to look out for when people are proud of what they have done - to know people better and to recognise what they are proud of.
• Helping. Making time to serve others is one of the best ways to strengthen social ties. When you are of service to another, the other person will nearly always reciprocate, thereby strengthening the relationship. There are great articles on creating a culture of generosity at work where people are encouraged to help each other - building relationships and productivity.
• Purpose. People who have identified their purpose in life and act on it have high levels of satisfaction in their lives. Purpose activities nearly always involve other people, providing a platform to have key moments doing something you love and to accentuate its value by adding a social component. We need to help people connect their work to purpose and remind them of your organisations purpose.