Something’s not right, but you can’t pinpoint it: what a workplace review involves
And why you don't need to have it worked out before you start
I've sat on the other side of the table, as the leader who knew a review was needed. Something wasn't right. I could see plenty of signs, but I couldn't pinpoint all that was wrong or how far it went.
When the consultants came in, they didn't arrive with a plan, and I didn't expect them to. They started with questions, of me and of the other key people involved, and only after listening did they work out what the review needed to look at. That first conversation turned out to be one of the most valuable parts of the process.
So if you're wondering whether you need it all worked out before you get in touch, you don't. Working out what's really going on is part of what a review does.
What a review is
A workplace review is a structured, independent look at how an organisation, or part of it, is actually working day to day, rather than how it's meant to work or how it looks on paper. You come away with findings and recommendations, so you have practical steps as well as a clear picture of where things stand.
Being independent matters. When you're close to the work it's hard to see it clearly, and harder still to assess something you're part of without some unintended bias. It also carries weight: a conclusion you reach yourself can be argued with, but the same conclusion reached by someone with no stake in the outcome is much harder to dismiss.
I've brought in outside help myself in prior leadership roles, for much the same reasons. Doing it all in-house would have meant working beyond the expertise I had, at times when I didn't have the hours to give it. Getting directors and staff on board, especially those who were harder to move, was always going to be easier with someone independent leading the work.
What it isn't
A review isn't a performance process, because it looks at how a group works rather than how one person is performing. It isn't the way to deal with a complaint about a particular person either, as that needs a different process. And while a survey can be part of a review, a survey on its own won't give you the full picture.
When a review fits
Most reviews don't start with a clear question. More often, there's a niggle, big or small, that something isn't working the way it should. Over time, frustration and costs build, often well before anyone names it. When that's the case, it's usually worth lifting the lid and taking a proper look at what's holding things back.
Some signs you might recognise:
Turnover and recruitment costs keep creeping up, and productivity isn't where it should be.
Nobody's quite sure who does what, or who's responsible when something falls through the gaps.
Growth has stalled, or new ideas never seem to get off the ground.
Key knowledge sits with one or two people, and nobody's sure what happens when they move on.
Tension between staff keeps resurfacing, even after it seems to have been dealt with.
The way people talk about working here has shifted, and not for the better.
Something goes wrong, and people are left wondering how nobody saw it coming.
The services you offer no longer quite match the way your people and systems are set up to deliver them.
A new leader, management team or board can see plenty that isn't right, but can't yet put the detail behind it.
Sometimes the gap is bigger. You might have a clear strategy, but nothing in the day to day is moving towards it. Nobody's giving it the attention it needs, or reporting on whether it's on track, so the gap goes unnoticed. Looking at it properly may show that the plan can't be delivered the way things are currently set up. That's still a useful place to land, because you come away knowing what needs to change for it to work.
What a review can look like
A few reviews I've been part of over the years give a good sense of what might be covered, and where one can help.
There was a busy service that ran long hours and relied on professionals who were already carrying heavy workloads and commitments to cover some of its shifts. At the busiest times there often weren't enough of them. When someone was late or didn't make it in, the gap fell on the staff already there, and the people relying on the service waited longer. Working it through with the people who knew the roster best, we found the way it was built left no room for a gap. Adding shifts and changing their length meant that when someone was late or didn't turn up, there was still enough cover.
There was also a team whose workload had grown and whose ways of working had changed, but whose roles hadn't. Positions and responsibilities hadn't been looked at for years, while practices and technology moved on and people came and went. The team had adapted, but not in a way that really fitted what it was being asked to do.
Another review looked at what was being reported to a board, what wasn't, and how. Moving to simple traffic-light reporting made it much easier to see where things stood, what needed attention, and where to put time and resources.
And in one organisation, procedures were either well out of date or didn't exist. We built an online record of what work was done, why, and how, which made bringing new people up to speed and moving people into new roles much easier. Two people worked on each area, so the knowledge didn't end up sitting with one person, or only in their head, again.
What a review looks at
A review is shaped around what you want to understand. Most cover one or more of three areas: workplace culture, systems and processes, or a particular team or part of the organisation. These overlap more often than not. A concern about workplace culture can turn out to have a systems problem underneath it, and a process that isn't working often shows up first as tension between people.
Sometimes the starting point looks like a business question. Are we charging the right prices? Is our software still up to the job? Are we keeping up with the latest payroll or industry changes? A review won't set your prices or choose your software, and it doesn't take the place of specialist advice. What it will often do is find the people and process side of the problem, and that frequently leads back to a more fundamental question: do we have the right people doing the right work? Where part of the answer needs a lawyer, an accountant or another specialist, the review says so.
How that plays out depends on the situation. Sometimes it's best for those professionals to take it from there. Sometimes it makes sense to work with them as part of the review, or alongside them afterwards if you'd like support putting the changes in place.
How a review works
It starts with a conversation about what's prompted the review, what is and isn't being looked at, who takes part and what you'll receive. That scoping is a real piece of work in its own right, and it's where the review gets its shape.
Information is then gathered in whatever way suits your organisation and your people. That might be one-to-one conversations, small group sessions, a survey or the documents you already have, and usually it's a mix, because each shows you something the others won't.
From there, it's about looking for patterns rather than single incidents, what comes up repeatedly and where perspectives differ, so you can see what sits beneath the symptoms. Often the information has been in your organisation all along, and what's been missing is someone with the time, experience and distance to step back and make sense of it.
You receive a written report setting out the findings and recommendations, prioritised so it's clear where to start. It might include a presentation to your board or leadership team if that's useful. The decisions about what happens next stay with you, and you can make them well informed.
Why it matters
Most of the issues above don't feel urgent until something goes wrong, or until they start getting in the way of a direction you've already committed to. In my experience, that's when people tend to act, and by then the fix is usually bigger and costs more than it would have earlier.
There's a human side too. When people get a genuine chance to say how things are, and understand what it's for, they have far more confidence in whatever follows. And that makes a real difference when you're asking them to change.
Where to start
I work with organisations across Otago and Southland, or further afield by arrangement. Reviews are something I design and deliver, tailored to the size of your organisation and what you want to understand. If you don't have the time or expertise to do it yourself, or you're too close to it to see it clearly, that's where I can help.
If something's on your mind, I'm always happy to have a no-obligation chat about it, at a time that suits you.
I've put together a short guide for anyone considering a review, whether you run a business, lead a team or sit on a board. If it would be useful, please get in touch and I'll send you a copy.
And if you're an accountant, a lawyer or someone else who advises businesses, and this sounds like one of your clients, you're welcome to a copy too.
Della Henderson, Principal Consultant, Ruru Workplace Solutions