Fixed Patterns vs. Letting Go of Patterns

The saying "If you do what you did, you get what you got" will probably sound familiar. Following set patterns provides stability and a sense of security, so it can be mentally challenging to break them. Yet change is often the key to success, especially when it comes to working with people.

At paraDIGMA groep we think differently about people and work. Within organizations we often see that there is only one policy or approach in conducting performance appraisals or absence management. The solution is sought in structure, while it should be sought in culture. A personal approach, tailored to the employee, can contribute to greater mutual understanding and performance levels. An important factor to remember here is that not every person is the same and sometimes has different values and norms. Therefore, to really get to know your employee well, the idea of having structured conversations must go overboard.

Personal attention

Suppose: Absenteeism within your organization is high. Your current absenteeism policy does not sufficiently reduce these rates. Absenteeism caused by non-medical reasons can often be prevented by good leadership and a healthy organizational culture. At paraDIGMA groep , we believe that absenteeism is fundamentally not a medical problem, but rather a management opportunity. We look at absenteeism from the source; a disturbed working relationship between colleagues, difficulty with a good work-life balance or an excessive workload, can significantly increase the likelihood of an employee's (long-term) absence. A healthy organizational culture and mutual trust between organization and employee are important aspects of this.

Mutual trust

Another example: within your organization, performance reviews take place twice a year. One of your employees has been performing below average for some time. You could wait until the performance review in two months to bring this to his attention. By building mutual trust between supervisor and team members, topics such as personal circumstances and underperformance can (also) be discussed. In this way, action points can be drawn up immediately so that a subsequent conversation can be used as a development conversation towards the future. Instead of "Why did you handle this the way you did?", questions such as "What do you need to develop further?" can take center stage.

At paraDIGMA groep , we still often see organizations take action only after the absenteeism has already started. We advocate a preventive approach. By trusting employees and offering them freedom, responsibility and autonomy, a healthy organizational culture is created with productive and enthusiastic employees. This ensures that managers know the team members really well and can act on certain signals.

By recognizing that breaking fixed patterns has a positive effect on the employees and therefore the organization, better and more efficient cooperation between and within departments is created. In addition, mutual trust also increases work happiness. By advising, stimulating and reflecting, paraDIGMA groep offers organizations the insight to take big steps in the sustainable employability of employees.

Learn more

If you would like to learn more about how you too can look at people, work and health in a different way, please feel free to contact one of our specialists.