The Group’s Senior Executives talk a lot about ‘transparency’, ‘collaboration’, ‘inclusion’ and ‘feedback’ but when push comes to shove, they will always try and shoot the messenger if they don’t like the message.
Following the publication of its latest proposals on hybrid, compressed and flexible working, and the message from Mr Charlie Nunn, Group Chief Executive, the bank has disabled the comments section on Interchange. In trying to justify its actions, Lloyds says of its original announcement: “Many of you said you were confused and made more anxious by comments on Interchange”. It goes on to say: “Keeping comments on Interchange remain our clear preference and we hope you understand why, on this occasion, we have taken a different approach”.
The bank is being duplicitous. Staff were anxious because of what Lloyds was proposing to do with hybrid and compressed working and not because of what they’d read on Interchange. Trying to blame those staff who commented on Interchange for its own policy failings is unconscionable. Lloyds staff know full well why the Interchange comment section has been disabled. It’s because Lloyds is afraid that its latest set of proposals will produce the same reaction from staff. Lloyds is running scared of what its staff think and that’s not a good position for any organisation to be in.
Mr Nunn needs to understand difficult truths. The fact is that he and Ms Sharon Doherty, Chief People and Places Officer, have not been able to convince staff of the need to change the way they work currently. According to its own survey, only 50% of staff think the bank needs to change how it does things in order to transform Lloyds Banking Group. When you resort to trying to shut your staff down because you don’t like what they are saying, you have lost the argument.
And Mr Nunn and Ms Doherty have lost the argument for change.
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