Employee Morale, Employee Retention and Common Civility
I recently had a conversation with a director of a major
law firm about morale among employees. It was low, and
employee retention was beginning to be an issue.
As we talked, it became apparent that while the lawyers had
access to everything that would help them perform to their
potential, the same could not be said for everyone else in
the firm. People from managers and supervisors to support
staff at all levels felt their contribution was not valued.
The problem was not money. On the contrary, these people
were paid very well, and in fact that may have become part
of the problem. Senior management felt that any unrest in
the ranks could be quieted by simply giving them more
money, and they were quite dismayed to find that was no
longer doing the trick. For them, money was the first and
only form of reward and recognition to offer employees.
Why would they think that, and why would they be surprised
to learn they were wrong?
I wonder how often they actually thought about the feelings
and attitudes of their people, and my guess is — only
when there was a problem. Of course the problem was there
all the time, and growing worse, but they just didn’t
notice.
10 Key Points on Training the Aging Workforce
Will baby boomers retire at 60? Will there be a massive employee shortage in a few years? What can companies and government agencies do? This is a very important topic,
given demographic trends worldwide. Let me provide an overview with these 10 points.
1) The Conference Board published a good report in 2005
titled America’s Aging Workforce Posing New Opportunities
and Challenges. Quotes:
“Some 64 million baby boomers (over 40 percent of the U.S.
labor force) are poised to retire in large numbers by the
end of this decade. In industries already facing labor and
skills shortages, forward-thinking companies are
recruiting, retaining, and developing flexible work-time
arrangements and/or phased retirement plans for these
workers (55 years of age or older), many of whom have
skills that are difficult to replace. Such actions are
putting these companies ahead of competitors who view the
aging workforce largely as a burden putting strains on
pension plans and healthcare costs.”
“More older workers want to remain in their jobs for both
personal fulfillment and financial reasons. In a related
forthcoming study from The Conference Board, more than half
(55 percent) of older employees surveyed said they were not
planning to retire because they find their jobs
interesting. Significantly, 74 percent also cited not
having sufficient financial resources as a reason they were
continuing to work, and 60 percent cited the need for
medical benefits.”
Not only in the US: the largest single group within the UK
workforce in 2006 was comprised of people between 45 and 59.
2) Some consulting companies like Accenture seem to be
betting that the solution will be to improve technology for
knowledge transfer and train younger employees as soon as
possible.
Oh, Behave — 10 Tips to Resolve Employee Conflicts
Put many different people together in one place, day after
day after day, and conflicts are bound to happen. Most
people work them out on their own, but what happens when
the conflict doesn’t go away and threatens the productivity
of your entire staff or team?
We’ve all seen it – Mary isn’t speaking to Susan; Ted and
Tom can’t be put on the same project; Bill goes behind
Karen’s back and “forgets” to include her in project
discussions. Some days, it’s like working in a
kindergarten. As the manager, what is your role in
resolving workplace conflicts?
The knee-jerk response of most managers is to overlook the
conflict, in the hopes that it will go away. After all, we
think, these people are adults; I shouldn’t have to tell
them how to behave.
Unfortunately, left alone, a workplace conflict can fester
and grow out of proportion until it takes on a life of its
own and all-out war is declared. Other employees take sides
and the conflict becomes more important that getting the
job done.
Here are some tips to control potentially damaging
conflicts before they escalate.
1. Set standards. Make sure you have a written set of
standards for workplace behavior and conduct. That way,
employees know what’s expected of them right up front.
2. Don’t ignore rule-breakers. If workers continue to
bicker, argue and backstab, call them on it immediately.
Discuss it privately, but make sure the transgressors know
that their conduct is unacceptable. Get a commitment from
them to not engage in the behavior in the future.
Taking the Sting Out of Employee Evaluations
Employee evaluations serve an important purpose. They let
both the employee and the company know how things are
going. Ideally, they offer feedback, guidance and
recognition; too often, though, they become just another
drudgery and serve no real purpose. Here are some ways to
improve the experience for both sides.
For the Supervisor.
1. The number one rule is that an employee must never be
surprised by his or her evaluation. Good managers deliver
evaluations regularly by praising areas where the employee
excels and offering guidance and instruction when the
employee falters. It’s not fair to your staff to keep them
in the dark about their work performance and then spring it
on them once a year.
2. Keep a written record on each employee. It doesn’t have
to be fancy, just a folder where you can jot down notes
when Sally does something exceptional or when you have to
discuss Bob’s tardiness. Keep copies of any “attaboys” your
staff gets, too. It’s easy to forget things that happened
eleven months ago and then end up basing the evaluation on
the work of the past month.
3. Never criticize an employee’s performance without
offering some corrective action. If you are going to grade
someone down in “interpersonal skills”, make sure you offer
concrete examples of when he or she didn’t handle a
situation very well. Then brainstorm a little and encourage
the employee to suggest ways in which he or she might
improve in that area.
How to Motivate Employees Without Breaking Your Budget
It’s January and it’s the time of year when most people
look to make changes, and that includes changes in their
jobs. It is also a time when most companies begin posting
new positions. Depending on which side of this scenario you
are sitting on will determine if that is good news or bad
news for you and your company.
Consider this. In a recent job satisfaction survey,
compensation was indicated as the most important factor for
job satisfaction for employees under the age of 35 as well
as those between the ages of 36 to 55. (Source: SHRM 2006
Job Satisfaction Survey.) Surprising? Maybe, particularly
when you consider that over 20 aspects of employee job
satisfaction were examined including career advancement
opportunities, benefits, flexibility to balance life and
work, and compensation.
What does this mean for your organization? As the pool of
talent continues to compress, compensation costs are likely
to increase. However, it is important to note that
compensation isn’t the only factor that impacts job
satisfaction and your success in recruiting and retaining
talented employees will rest upon your ability to create a
compelling employment package and satisfactory work
environment overall.
Sound expensive? Not to fear. In a recent Red Ladder poll
(November 2006), when asked their greatest wish for
themselves or their co-workers in the coming year, here’s
what employees said:
Why Is It So Difficult To Find The Right People?
Regardless of which business sector you are in, it has
become increasingly difficult for businesses to recruit the
right people in recent years.
The reason for this lies in the dramatic change in the
business environment over the last 10-15 years. This means
that the traditional methods of recruitment just aren’t as
effective nowadays
In the same way that you need to be aware of the key issues
in your market in order to trade successfully, you also
need to be aware of what is going on in the candidate
market to successfully attract and recruit the right people.
• No More Jobs For Life - Gone are the notions of ‘jobs
for life’ with any one employer. Similarly, people tend to
have less loyalty towards any one employer. Today’s school
leavers will have not just a number of different jobs
throughout their lives, but also a number of different
‘careers’ through their lifetime
The 5 Keys To Inducting New Employees
When it comes to inducting new employees into your business
you only get one chance.
Get it wrong and you have started to sow the seeds of doubt
in the mind of your new starter in the first few weeks.Get
it right and it will make a huge difference to how the
person settles in. Without being perfectionist, the key is
to make sure that every new starter feels excited and
positive that they have made the right choice in joining
your business.
The way to do this is to:
1. Get The Practical Stuff Right
Make sure you have practical aspects such as a desk, phone
and computer ready, with a password. Get their name added
to your email system or have a uniform ready for them as
appropriate. Will they need business cards? Do they need a
key or security pass to access the premises? Having
everything ready and organised before they arrive shows you
place a high value on the service you provide to your
people as well as your customers; something that sets a
very good tone with a new starter.
Establishing Meaningful and Objective Performance Criteria
Jane and Bob understand that establishing criteria for
successful performance is key to ensure that they get the
performance they want. Yet they’ve found that their
colleagues in other departments don’t set up criteria from
the get-go.
Why?
Managers often do not know how to establish meaningful
criteria for job performance, let alone extras like
training and development.
To establish performance criteria, Jane and Bob ask
themselves, “What are the conditions for satisfaction? How
will we know the project, task, training, development was
successful? How will we know the work has been completed
and done satisfactorily?¨
For example, when Jane and Bob send Roy for training, how
will they know if Roy’s training gives them a good ROI?
What do they need Roy to learn, absorb, or implement
because of the training he took? (And Jane and Bob know
that if they can’t determine what the outcome should be,
they shouldn’t send Roy to this training.)
What factors do we include in objective criteria?
The 5 Most Common Mistakes with Employee Benefits
Progressive companies are increasingly relying upon
employee benefits to attract and retain top talent
according to a new MetLife study. 55% of employers rank
‘employee retention’ as their No. 1 benefits objective.
Unfortunately, the same study showed that only 33% of
workers feel strongly that their company effectively
educates them on their benefits options. This reveals just
one of the many problems the employers face when confronted
with the daunting task of developing a benefits strategy
and communicating it with their workers. If you’re going
to use benefits to build a solid workforce, here are the
five most common mistakes to avoid.
Lack of communication
Perhaps the biggest mistake employers make is not involving
the employees during benefits decisions. Open
communication is key. Finding out what employees want in
regard to benefits should be your first step before making
any changes. Communicating your objectives will make
employees an active part of the decision making process.
Different employees have different needs. Don’t assume
that the folks in the warehouse are interested in the same
benefits as the middle managers in accounting. This is a
big mistake.
Hiring For Your Craft Show Business
What sort of things should you consider? What do you want
your employee to do? Is the expense of an employee, or you
going to make more money, or is it going to cost you more
in the end? These are some of the questions you are going
to have to ask yourself before you decide to add to your
workforce.
Here are 4 things you should consider before you decide to
hire:
Cost vs. Profit – Having an employee can certainly increase
your production, and even help you make more sales. But, it
is important to consider whether an employee – with wages
and expenses – is going to warrant the added expense in a
growth of profit. If you are in a position where you cannot
keep up with the demand for your craft, and people may be
willing to pay a little more for it to get it, then it
might be time to hire another set of hands.
