Australian firms urged to redesign work, not push harder

Cuppa used a Sydney event to argue that Australian organisations should redesign work, rather than ask employees to work harder. The discussion focused on productivity and burnout.

Senior leaders from organisations including Amazon, Deloitte, Medibank and Xero joined panellists from EnterpriseWorks, Gallup, Medibank and Foundations for Tomorrow. They debated whether productivity gains can come from changes to systems, management and operating models, rather than longer hours or heavier workloads.

Data presented during the discussion suggested disengagement remains a major obstacle. Claire de Carteret, Managing Director APAC at Gallup, said employee engagement across Australia and New Zealand stands at 21%, meaning fewer than one in four workers feel energised, connected and productive at work.

Panellists linked that issue to frontline management, arguing that manager training is one of the fastest ways to improve performance. Managers are now expected to handle performance, wellbeing, psychosocial risk, AI adoption and change leadership.

Only one in four managers strongly agrees they have been adequately trained for the demands of the role, according to data shared at the event. Speakers said that gap has grown as businesses place a broader operational and people burden on middle managers.

System strain

Darren Moglia, Founder & Managing Director at EnterpriseWorks, shared research sponsored by monday.com that pointed to rising workplace complexity in Australian organisations. According to the findings, the average organisation now uses about 305 systems, with only 16% centrally managed.

The research also found workers spend about 45% of the week in meetings, while fewer than half of those meetings are seen as helping meaningful work move forward. It also found 42% of employees spend significant time on manual reporting, rising to 62% among senior leaders.

The data showed a gap between strategy and execution. While 83% of employees said they understand their organisation's strategy, only 51% believe their day-to-day work is connected to it.

Speakers said those findings help explain why many businesses have struggled to lift output, even after heavy investment in software and digital tools. Fragmented processes and unclear accountability, they argued, absorb time that might otherwise go to customer work or decision-making.

AI was discussed in that context, rather than as a standalone solution. Panellists warned that introducing AI into disjointed organisations could speed up flawed processes rather than remove friction.

"The biggest risk is not that AI will take our jobs. The biggest risk is that we've lost our capacity for growth, our people are burning out, and we get left behind on the AI opportunity," Moglia said.

Medibank example

Pam Gavan, Hub Lead for People Partnering at Medibank, outlined changes made through the insurer's Work Reinvented program. They included removing low-value approval processes, reorganising teams around customer outcomes rather than functional silos, and using employee feedback to identify friction points.

According to the account given at the event, the program improved engagement, reduced low-value work and supported a four-day workweek model in parts of the business. The example was presented as evidence that productivity gains can come from redesigning work rather than simply intensifying it.

The panel also identified several practical steps for organisations. These included asking employees which tasks create frustration or consume time without adding value, clarifying the three priorities each employee should focus on each day, replacing unnecessary meetings with a clearer operating rhythm, and giving managers support to hold one meaningful coaching conversation with each team member each week.

Another recommendation was to simplify systems before adding more technology. That reflected the broader message that extra tools can deepen confusion if core workflows and accountability are not already clear.

Wider debate

Event host Luke Cook said the discussion quickly moved beyond the assumption that more hours, more pressure or more tools would solve the problem. He framed the issue as one of accumulated organisational complexity.

"What struck me most about this conversation was how quickly the room moved past the usual productivity talking points of more tools, more hours, more pressure and into something more honest. When you get CEOs and senior leaders speaking candidly with each other, rather than presenting to each other, you get to the real issue faster: organisations have normalised complexity that nobody signed up for," said Cook, Founder of Cuppa Co Lab and Cuppa TV and host of the event.

Cook said the aim was to create a forum for open discussion about how work is actually organised inside large businesses.

"That's exactly the kind of conversation we set out to create with Cuppa by bringing people together to talk openly about the things that actually shape how work gets done, not just the headlines," he said.