NEWS
BRIEFING Keep up to date with the latest news surrounding the role of the EA
It ’ s official – work location does not impact performance
It ’ s 2024 and the debate on working from home continues with discussions across industries on redefining the traditional notions of work life , and whether it has an impact on employee and organisational productivity . Delving further into the debate , Project Management Institute ( PMI ) surveyed thousands of professionals globally and found compelling evidence that organisations can provide work location flexibility , agility and empowerment without affecting project execution and performance – calling into question the merit of return-to-office policies .
PMI revealed that teams don ’ t have to return to the office to increase project performance and that enabling teams to adapt is the key factor leading to greater performance . Despite this , leaders were less likely to see remote work as beneficial as in-person work as the study found that 35 % of leaders see remote work as always / usually lesseffective than in-person work , compared to only 23 % of project managers .
“ Empowering project professionals and teams with the autonomy to determine and implement the most appropriate ways of working
– irrespective of their physical location – positions them for greater success in navigating uncertainties , evolving business landscapes , emerging challenges , and project demands ,” explains Pierre Le Manh , president and CEO at PMI .
Enable to drive performance The research also found that enablers ( specific supportive programming that helps individuals and teams learn new skills and competencies ) play a much larger role in driving project performance than work location . In fact , providing teams with enablers is crucial in today ’ s dynamic business
environment to navigate the demands for flexibility and agility .
PMI says the three most common enablers organisations provide are :
w Coaching and mentoring w Training on new ways of working w Communities of practice to share knowledge and expertise .
Organisations that offer employees at least three enablers reported significantly higher project performance rates . However , those that do not offer any enablers were more likely to experience scope creep challenges and increase budget losses on failed projects . S
Pay gaps under the microscope
For the first time , the Workplace Gender Equality Agency ( WGEA ) has published the gender pay gaps for Australian private sector employers with 100 or more employees . It shares the median base salary and total remuneration employer gender pay gaps , as well as the gender composition per pay quartile for all compliant reporting organisations . These can be viewed by accessing WGEA ’ s Data Explorer online and searching by employer .
Meanwhile , the organisation is urging employers to take action and improve their approach when it comes to gender equality . CEO Mary Wooldridge has shared the first three steps you and your boss can take :
w Do a gender pay gap analysis to understand what is driving gender inequality in your workplace ( WGEA has a gender pay gap analysis to help EAs get started ). w Develop an action plan to address the gaps you have identified . w Set up the right team to lead and implement the plan – Mary recommends the CEO , executive team , HR and line managers . S
Winter Issue 2024 | Executive PA 17