Organisations are full of human beings, stacked high with them indeed. Whether hot desking or working from home, employed or on-contract, people breathe an organisation’s air and rub shoulders physically or digitally with other human beings. Although machines, platforms, robots and computers have radically changed the way in which we work, organisations are still humming with people. Why is it … then that after at least two centuries of practice, so many initiatives designed to enhance human performance fail to hit the mark? Why is it that organisations still don’t get the human bit of human being? This book explains why.If you want to break this pattern, The Manager’s Guide to Human Beings is here to help. By clarifying the core characteristics of our human self, it gives managers a framework against which the myriad of approaches that flood the HR market can be considered and indicates why some are doomed for failure and some have a higher chance of success. In this short and accessible book, the manager is taken below the surface, to the very core of what human beings are all about and given practical ideas to make life easier in the real world of managing real human beings. By developing a more complete understanding of your people and yourself, you have a greater chance of improving the performance of your team and, more importantly, helping to build a more fulfilling life for the human beings around you. And that includes you.The Manager’s Guide to Human Beings is the missing link in HR books. All those who manage or lead people, regardless of sector, seniority or discipline, whether managing nurses or investment bankers, will find this book a resource to come back to time and time again.
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The Manager’s Guide to Human Beings was a thoughtful approach to the environment of a company. I liked the way that Bronach Crawley encourages us to look at the whole atmosphere in a different way and try new approaches. Bronach has an extensive background in psychology, human resources, and consultation. She talks about how organizations are full of human beings. No matter how the employees actually perform their work or how many machines or computers are found in the organization, there are still human beings involved. This book is an informative guide to help you enhance human performance in the organization. One important way this is done is by looking at the characteristics of human beings. As a manager, you want to try to understand your people, as well as yourself. By understanding your employees and why they behave the way they do and interact the way they do will help you to get the relationships to be better and the company to perform better overall. Communication, respect, and honesty are all important in the atmosphere also. Bronach provides a guide and framework in order for you to succeed at making changes that will help you and your employees make your company be more successful.
My last job was in the human resources and accounting department at a manufacturing company. For the last couple of years, the company was failing financially more and more each year. I saw specific items mentioned in this book happen at this company. One was the way that they put economic activity way over the value of the human beings. My position was one of a couple of positions held by long-term employees where we were left go and our responsibilities were given to others. The employees were paid low wages and rarely ever given any increase in wages. During the last couple of years, the employees had their wages reduced by 20 percent, were given no holiday bonuses, and had their health insurance cancelled. There was also a large lack of respect and honesty. At the same time that the owner was selling the building we were located in and it was listed on the internet, he called a meeting with all of us to tell us that they weren’t selling the business or the building. I also saw where there were days where the entire day was taken up with employee issues, either one employee, or an issue between two employees. And I saw the way the attitudes of the employees changed towards each other and the company as time went on. Where we used to all join together to help each other when needed, now there was more of an atmosphere of keeping to ourselves. I feel that this is a very beneficial book for any type of manager or leader, especially if they would like to see a change in their organization.