MCE Employee Wellbeing News

Recently featured in an article on BBC Asia was the Boteli Valve Group based in China. The Group have a monthly output of $5 million (£3 million), but the company’s director is more worried about the faith of his workers than the profit of his company.

Although the employees work under the customary symbols of the aetheist Chinese communist state, every Monday morning the senior managers get together and pray about the business. Once a week, members of staff are encouraged to attend an on-site Christian fellowship meeting, where they read the Bible and pray for each other.

Company director Weng-Jen Wau believes that as a result the attitudes of the workforce have been transformed.

Far from being a one-off, there are a growing number of businesses run by Christian entrepreneurs in one of China’s key enterprise zones. Their success is now being studied by the Chinese government. Professor Zhuo Xinping, Director of the Institute of World Religions, tells the BBC journalist that Chinese researchers are considering whether in Western history there is a link between economic prosperity and Protestant Christianity – and they are questioning what that might mean for today’s China.

Christian faith may sound like an unlikely component in China’s future economic success.

But the notion that newfound faith can inspire a workforce to increased levels of productivity is being taken seriously not only by Christian businessmen, but by China’s Communist – and officially atheist – leaders.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-10942954

The Bank of England has fuelled anxiety over UK recovery hopes after warning of a squeeze on households from slowing growth and high inflation, as well as uncertain international prospects.

Governor of the Bank of England Mervyn King said there was “great uncertainty” over the outlook for the US as well as the eurozone – the UK’s biggest trading partner – hampering efforts to build an export-led recovery.

The Bank of England in its quarterly report painted a grim picture of disposable incomes hit by the deficit-tackling measures, with some firms facing lower public sector demand following the cuts. This gloom comes after recent surveys showed a sharp slowdown in high-street sales, falling house prices and consumer confidence at its lowest for more than a year.

However, the forecast is not all gloom. The department store John Lewis has today agreed to advise public sector bodies on how to improve by involving their staff in their management.

Charlie Mayfield is quoted in today’s Daily Telegraph saying; “Whilst not a guaranteed solution to today’s challenges, the strengths of an employee-led model – such as an empowered and informed workforce and a close alignment of motivation between managers and employees – has helped us create a strong culture of trust, innovation and customer service.”.

An initial 12 “Pathfinder” projects have been announced by Francis Maude, the Cabinet Office minister. These include local mental health and children’s services.

Conflict is to be welcomed at times. It can reveal truth. It can lead to progress.

Conflict occurs when there is a clash of interests, there is the outward cause of the dispute, and under the surface the inward emotions it produces.

Sam Goldwyn put it like this, ‘ To every complex question there is always a simple answer and it’s always wrong!’

Dunn identifies the traditional responses to conflict, ’Fight or Flight’. He also asks is the conflict capable of resolution?

Humility is not a fashionable quality, but might lead an honest individual to ask the question ’to what extent am I responsible for the problem?’

If we’re prepared to ask that question it’s possible we can make progress. Begin by finding a good time to reflect, when you are at your best. Get things into context. Stand back. Ask someone who can help. This should be a person who you trust, but is not always going to say what you want to hear! As you seek to work through the conflict check out your mindset. Do you react ? Should you change that habit and become more responsive, more empathetic?

If you can begin to work on this process you may need to take stock of your emotions. Is fear impacting your reaction?

How can you be creative in this situation? Are there new solutions, ideas that could make a positive difference and break the cycle of conflict?