Team Health Check Action Guide

QUESTION 2
I have access to everything that I need in order to perform well at my job.

Watch a brief video that walks you through Gallup’s take on their version of this question.

Getting people what they need to do their work is important in maximising efficiency, demonstrating to employees that their work is valued, and showing that the company is supporting them in what they are asked to do. Great managers help employees see how their requests for materials and equipment connect to important organizational outcomes.

Key Insights

  1. The need that sits behind this question is ”Free me from unnecessary stress”

  2. If they don’t have the right materials, within 6 months of starting in a role, engagement will drop by 50%

  3. Three types of material and equipment need to be considered

    • Hardware: Tangible tools and equipment

    • Software: Systems, processes, and information that maximise productivity

    • Humanware: Appropriate staffing and handling of requests

Team Activity to Unpack

  1. On post it notes ask team members to write their answers to the following questions “If we had a magic wand and could produce a new piece of equipment, tool, or valuable information on the spot, what would we ask for?  Why?”

  2. Collect and shuffle the responses, and then pass them back out for the team members to read aloud

  3. Ask team members to pick the top three items for consideration.  Filter these by (a) how easy it will be to make it happen (b) the impact from making it happen.  Share them with your leader and update on progress to implement.

Additional Questions to Ask

  1. What are the essential materials and equipment you need to do your job right?  How happy are you with the availability of these needs?

  2. In the past six months, have you had to rework certain projects because of insufficient resources?

  3. How do you feel about our current workload and our environment?

  4. Are there areas where we might need to do more advanced training?

  5. What resources would affect performance the most?

Suggestions for Action

  1. Look for materials and equipment that will assist team members in performing their jobs more efficiently and effectively

  2. Involve team members in using problem-solving skills to determine the materials and equipment they need to do their jobs right

  3. Discuss team members' requests by putting them into context against things such as budgets, trade-offs, and other factors

  4. Ask each team member if there are any materials and equipment roadblocks to their performance

  5. Complete a bureaucracy busting exercise.  Get the team to make a list of the things that are getting in the way of them doing their jobs.  Get the team to prioritise the biggest opportunities based how easy it will be to make it happen, and the impact from making it happen, then implement