Remember Charles Schultz? He was the American cartoonist whose comic strip, “Peanuts,” proved to be one of the most popular and influential in the history of the medium. “Peanuts” is still widely reprinted on a daily basis and continues to share valuable “P2P” lessons about “people (and beagle) philosophy” through those timeless characters! I still love to read it…
When you were growing up, how many times did you hear, Be Nice or Mind Your Manners? Are you still tuning in to that basic “people philosophy” as an adult?
What about in your workplace? It seems like we spend more time with our coworkers than we do with our friends and family these days. So when bad manners and negativity run rampant in our workplaces, it can be even more frustrating. What do you think escalates bad manners even further? You guessed it…like it or not, it’s technology!
According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, “Texting has been blamed for a lot of things – harassment among teenagers, driver distraction, and bad grades among students. Now it’s also being blamed for bad manners at work.”
In a research study of 9,000 U.S. workers and managers by Thunderbird School of Global Management, it was determined that all the texting and emailing interrupting us in meetings and face-to-face conversations at work erodes human civility and make us, well, for lack of a better word, rude! “All the e-conversations steal our attention from the people nearby, amounting to what once would have been a snub,” says Christine Pearson, author of The Cost of Bad Manners.
Here we go again…It keeps coming back to “P2P” (people-to-people) at home and at work! So, let’s make more of an effort to get back to the basics of minding our manners. When we use the phone or any other form of technology, and especially when we’re F2F - to smile more and adopt a “be nice” philosophy.
Novel idea – Practicing a “Be Nice” philosophy might make you and your co-workers actually want to come to work each day! The by-product is a boost in morale, increased productivity, finer customer service and improved results! Good grief!
Showing posts with label Employee engagement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Employee engagement. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Friday, July 23, 2010
No Dress Rehearsal!
Maybe our workplaces have been in “dress rehearsal” mode for the past couple of years…think about it! The run of a very successful show came to an end (with the recession) and the preparation for a new show (the upturn) now brings change and a “new normal” - new scripts, new roles, a change in directors/producers, renewed focus on advanced ticket sales, realigning budgets, and, above all, working the new and existing cast members very hard – all in anticipation of another opening night and successful run!
Will the cast’s “top performers” stay if they are not led and directed effectively? Asked to play too many roles without the proper training or sufficient number of supporting cast members? Will patrons (customers) continue to buy tickets and refer others if the box office delivers poor service or is closed most of the time due to budget cuts? I think not!
We’re hearing more about the early stages and signs of an economic recovery. One sign of better economic times is when more people start finding jobs. Another is when they feel confident enough to quit their current job - yes, I said quit!
Take a look at some recent findings!
• According to numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the quits rate — defined as the percentage of people who have voluntarily left their jobs — has crept steadily upward in private industry over the past year. In April 2010, nearly 2.1 million people voluntarily left their jobs, up dramatically from just the prior month, when 1.5 million quit.
• Recent data from the Kenexa Research Institute's WorkTrends database, an annual survey of approximately 11,000 workers, the global rating of leadership effectiveness is 51 percent. Indian and Brazilian workers reported the highest ratings (69 percent and 59 percent, respectively) followed by workers in the United States (54 percent).
• Another survey published in the May edition of the Harvard Business Review, about 25 percent of companies’ top employees said they plan to leave their current job with a year. The survey questioned 20,000 workers who were identified as “high potential” by their employers.
Think about your answers to the following questions…
Can your organization afford to loose you or even one of their top 25% now that we’ve come through the worst?
How have survivor syndrome (doing more with less) and the lack of positive, effective leaders/managers affected performance, results, and growth – personally and organization-wide?
How has the pull back of training dollars for essential skill-building, leadership and professional development programs affected long-term, sustainable growth – employee attraction and retention at all levels, market share, and bottom-line results?
Have we cut back too far? Have we been and continuing to be “penny-wise and pound-foolish?”
The Bottom-Line: Leaders and managers, listen up! You have the power to create a workplace environment that will attract top talent, drive engagement and boost retention. There is a direct link to improved results, higher bottom-line performance, earnings per share and total shareholder return. It’s proven!
Ever looking at the bright side, I see good news in all of this! It’s time to turn up the dimmer switch once again! The “new normal” brings opportunities for all organizations at all levels – it’s time to rebalance and reprioritize – Now! This is “no dress rehearsal!”
• Employees - the #1 asset of any organization - have realized their potential, are willing to invest in themselves and work hard; they will expect more from their employers regarding professional development and career opportunities.
• Managers/Leaders – All Employers will hopefully realize they need to invest in the future of their organizations by reallocating budget dollars for leadership and professional development programs and motivational conferences – for all levels of employees.
• People Looking for New Jobs have worked very hard at getting ready for the upturn! They have re-invested in themselves - created a re-freshed life/career plan; re-built core and technical skills, and more…As others choose to move on, let’s open the doors and windows of new opportunity to these “employees-in-waiting.”
The road to results is through our employees! Having the right people in the right jobs at the right time…This is no dress rehearsal! The show must go on…Now!
Need help? Let’s talk “P2P!”
A Positive Workplace Means Business! It Just Makes Cent$!®
Will the cast’s “top performers” stay if they are not led and directed effectively? Asked to play too many roles without the proper training or sufficient number of supporting cast members? Will patrons (customers) continue to buy tickets and refer others if the box office delivers poor service or is closed most of the time due to budget cuts? I think not!
We’re hearing more about the early stages and signs of an economic recovery. One sign of better economic times is when more people start finding jobs. Another is when they feel confident enough to quit their current job - yes, I said quit!
Take a look at some recent findings!
• According to numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the quits rate — defined as the percentage of people who have voluntarily left their jobs — has crept steadily upward in private industry over the past year. In April 2010, nearly 2.1 million people voluntarily left their jobs, up dramatically from just the prior month, when 1.5 million quit.
• Recent data from the Kenexa Research Institute's WorkTrends database, an annual survey of approximately 11,000 workers, the global rating of leadership effectiveness is 51 percent. Indian and Brazilian workers reported the highest ratings (69 percent and 59 percent, respectively) followed by workers in the United States (54 percent).
• Another survey published in the May edition of the Harvard Business Review, about 25 percent of companies’ top employees said they plan to leave their current job with a year. The survey questioned 20,000 workers who were identified as “high potential” by their employers.
Think about your answers to the following questions…
Can your organization afford to loose you or even one of their top 25% now that we’ve come through the worst?
How have survivor syndrome (doing more with less) and the lack of positive, effective leaders/managers affected performance, results, and growth – personally and organization-wide?
How has the pull back of training dollars for essential skill-building, leadership and professional development programs affected long-term, sustainable growth – employee attraction and retention at all levels, market share, and bottom-line results?
Have we cut back too far? Have we been and continuing to be “penny-wise and pound-foolish?”
The Bottom-Line: Leaders and managers, listen up! You have the power to create a workplace environment that will attract top talent, drive engagement and boost retention. There is a direct link to improved results, higher bottom-line performance, earnings per share and total shareholder return. It’s proven!
Ever looking at the bright side, I see good news in all of this! It’s time to turn up the dimmer switch once again! The “new normal” brings opportunities for all organizations at all levels – it’s time to rebalance and reprioritize – Now! This is “no dress rehearsal!”
• Employees - the #1 asset of any organization - have realized their potential, are willing to invest in themselves and work hard; they will expect more from their employers regarding professional development and career opportunities.
• Managers/Leaders – All Employers will hopefully realize they need to invest in the future of their organizations by reallocating budget dollars for leadership and professional development programs and motivational conferences – for all levels of employees.
• People Looking for New Jobs have worked very hard at getting ready for the upturn! They have re-invested in themselves - created a re-freshed life/career plan; re-built core and technical skills, and more…As others choose to move on, let’s open the doors and windows of new opportunity to these “employees-in-waiting.”
The road to results is through our employees! Having the right people in the right jobs at the right time…This is no dress rehearsal! The show must go on…Now!
Need help? Let’s talk “P2P!”
A Positive Workplace Means Business! It Just Makes Cent$!®
Friday, August 7, 2009
What’s Right with People? Have You Asked them Lately?
One of my last positions in the corporate world several years ago involved the administration of the employee survey that took place every other year. As the manager of the employee strategy, I interacted with employees at every level of the organization. Overseeing the data collection, analysis of participants’ responses, and the cross-functional action planning processes for improvements that followed was very “engaging” and interesting work.
Many employee surveys are developed and based upon Gallup organization research. After hundreds of focus groups and thousands of interviews with employees in a variety of industries, Gallup came up with the “Q12,” a 12-question survey that identified strong feelings of employee engagement. Results showed a strong correlation between high scores and superior job performance. This research and its overall connection to managerial effectiveness and business results have been invaluable to many organizations ever since. Even some CFO’s (the numbers people) have seen the light about the connection between engagement levels and bottom-line results!
In addition to Gallup, many organizations and global consulting groups have explored the subject of employee engagement. You may recognize some of them: The Conference Board, Towers Perrin, SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management), ASTD (American Society for Training and Development), and the Corporate Leadership council, to name a few.
It’s important to remember that surveying employees and changing the culture are two very different things. Many organizations/companies pay a lot of money (internal salaries and/or external consulting fees) to perform engagement studies and surveys. After spending a lot of time (and money) analyzing and preparing reports for the “upper deck” leadership and creating strategies to implement positive change, in many cases, the work and successful execution of these strategies comes to a stop or gets side tracked, leaving the employees thinking this effort was just “another flavor of the month” program… Lots of time and money spent for what?
Many of you have heard me talk about engagement statistics in my workshops and community college classes. To keep it simple, I’ve combined, averaged and rounded some of these stats for you. Did you know? In most organizations, approximately…
• 20% of employees are fully engaged
• 20% are disengaged
• 60% are what I call the “somewhat’s” – those who are somewhat engaged and somewhat disengaged.
I bet, if you stop and think about your organization, your numbers would be similar. You know the players…
The “engaged”…those who are a joy to work with! They come to work early with a smile and a great can-do attitude. They are eager to learn; run with the ball and, need minimal supervision on our part. Be sure to continue to recognize and reward them appropriately and to offer them development opportunities so they will remain “engaged.”
The “somewhat’s” are the solid middle - the C and B players who are the core of the organization; and, the disengaged, well…you know who they are, too.
With what group do you think we as managers spend most of our time? If you answered, the disengaged, you are correct. Studies show, most managers spend about 80% of their time on (disengaged) employee issues – performance management, attitude adjustment, and other interpersonal and team building issues. Did you know that disengaged employees cost organizations over $300 billion in lost productivity each year?
Do you think it is possible to move the disengaged up into the “somewhat” or engaged groups? Well, hope and positive thinking prompts us to try! But, the hard reality is that rarely do these disengaged folks change their behavior. Improving engagement is a shared commitment and continuous dialogue – between (effective) fully engaged managers and their employees. Do you have employees who feel like "round pegs" in "square holes?" Our conversations with employees should center around the question, "Is this who you are or who you want to be?" It comes down to asking "what can I as a leader do to help you as an employee meet your personal priorities?"
As managers, we need to try to help the “disengaged” with performance improvement plans, coaching, and the like, for a reasonable period of time; of course, always with the guidance of HR. Please, do what is fair, but wasting too much time (and money) is futile… Disengaged employees can have wide-ranging negative effects on a business. Best practices manage them out before they pollute the environment any further.
So, where then should we devote most of our efforts as managers? Where are the odds higher for moving employee performance upward? You’ve got it! With the “somewhat’s!” Research has proven that there is a much higher rate of success in moving the “somewhat’s” closer to the engaged group than there is with improving the disengaged.
So, do yourself and your organization a favor! Open up the conversation channels with all employees, especially the “somewhat’s,” on a regular basis. Ask them their opinions on some key engagement topics: company practices, career & development opportunities, people in leadership and management, quality of life, competitive rewards, and their general work activities, processes, resources. Take the time to develop what’s right with the “somewhat’s” – they are the sleepers!
During these challenging economic times, the “new normal” of leaner organizations has brought survivor syndrome into full bloom. Engagement has never been more critical. As managers, it’s critical to pay close attention to those that are left – those who are really running the day-to-day organization, who are executing your business strategy, who are driving your business results!
Is it easy? No...There is no one-size fits all solution for creating an engaged workforce. No matter what generation - employees want balance, work satisfactionand a good manager who appreciates them.
Did you know?
• +10 – Increasing positive emotions can add 10 years to your lifespan
• Positive interactions don’t just make your job easier; they are vital to a healthy and fulfilling work life
• 65% of Americans say they received NO PRAISE for their work last year – no wonder they are disengaged!
• 9 out of 10 people believe they are more productive when they’re around positive people
• #1 reason people quit jobs – they don’t feel appreciated!
To survive, smart companies do what they have to do – they take advantage of business downturns to continue to develop their people - train in the downturn, implement in the upturn! This preparation helps the company to weather the storm - keeps the best and brightest of its talent more fully engaged which will help them to recover much quicker and more successfully.
Although, as managers, we can’t do much about the economy at large, we can do certain things to safeguard our organizations against professional and organizational disaster. Engaging employees is at the top of the list!
It’s back-to-basics, again folks! Patience, perseverance and positive…
If you’re a people-manager, what is the number one thing you want your employees to do every day? Answer: Come to work! Uplifting employees and boosting morale can help to improve the workplace environment; (you and your) employees will want to come to work! Without the people, nothing happens!
What is the one thing you can start doing today to create a more positive workplace environment for you and your employees? Rather than focus on the negatives about people in your workgroup and organization - flip it around and ask, “What’s right with people?” And, watch what happens!
A Positive Workplace Means Business! It Just Makes Cent$! ®
Many employee surveys are developed and based upon Gallup organization research. After hundreds of focus groups and thousands of interviews with employees in a variety of industries, Gallup came up with the “Q12,” a 12-question survey that identified strong feelings of employee engagement. Results showed a strong correlation between high scores and superior job performance. This research and its overall connection to managerial effectiveness and business results have been invaluable to many organizations ever since. Even some CFO’s (the numbers people) have seen the light about the connection between engagement levels and bottom-line results!
In addition to Gallup, many organizations and global consulting groups have explored the subject of employee engagement. You may recognize some of them: The Conference Board, Towers Perrin, SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management), ASTD (American Society for Training and Development), and the Corporate Leadership council, to name a few.
It’s important to remember that surveying employees and changing the culture are two very different things. Many organizations/companies pay a lot of money (internal salaries and/or external consulting fees) to perform engagement studies and surveys. After spending a lot of time (and money) analyzing and preparing reports for the “upper deck” leadership and creating strategies to implement positive change, in many cases, the work and successful execution of these strategies comes to a stop or gets side tracked, leaving the employees thinking this effort was just “another flavor of the month” program… Lots of time and money spent for what?
Many of you have heard me talk about engagement statistics in my workshops and community college classes. To keep it simple, I’ve combined, averaged and rounded some of these stats for you. Did you know? In most organizations, approximately…
• 20% of employees are fully engaged
• 20% are disengaged
• 60% are what I call the “somewhat’s” – those who are somewhat engaged and somewhat disengaged.
I bet, if you stop and think about your organization, your numbers would be similar. You know the players…
The “engaged”…those who are a joy to work with! They come to work early with a smile and a great can-do attitude. They are eager to learn; run with the ball and, need minimal supervision on our part. Be sure to continue to recognize and reward them appropriately and to offer them development opportunities so they will remain “engaged.”
The “somewhat’s” are the solid middle - the C and B players who are the core of the organization; and, the disengaged, well…you know who they are, too.
With what group do you think we as managers spend most of our time? If you answered, the disengaged, you are correct. Studies show, most managers spend about 80% of their time on (disengaged) employee issues – performance management, attitude adjustment, and other interpersonal and team building issues. Did you know that disengaged employees cost organizations over $300 billion in lost productivity each year?
Do you think it is possible to move the disengaged up into the “somewhat” or engaged groups? Well, hope and positive thinking prompts us to try! But, the hard reality is that rarely do these disengaged folks change their behavior. Improving engagement is a shared commitment and continuous dialogue – between (effective) fully engaged managers and their employees. Do you have employees who feel like "round pegs" in "square holes?" Our conversations with employees should center around the question, "Is this who you are or who you want to be?" It comes down to asking "what can I as a leader do to help you as an employee meet your personal priorities?"
As managers, we need to try to help the “disengaged” with performance improvement plans, coaching, and the like, for a reasonable period of time; of course, always with the guidance of HR. Please, do what is fair, but wasting too much time (and money) is futile… Disengaged employees can have wide-ranging negative effects on a business. Best practices manage them out before they pollute the environment any further.
So, where then should we devote most of our efforts as managers? Where are the odds higher for moving employee performance upward? You’ve got it! With the “somewhat’s!” Research has proven that there is a much higher rate of success in moving the “somewhat’s” closer to the engaged group than there is with improving the disengaged.
So, do yourself and your organization a favor! Open up the conversation channels with all employees, especially the “somewhat’s,” on a regular basis. Ask them their opinions on some key engagement topics: company practices, career & development opportunities, people in leadership and management, quality of life, competitive rewards, and their general work activities, processes, resources. Take the time to develop what’s right with the “somewhat’s” – they are the sleepers!
During these challenging economic times, the “new normal” of leaner organizations has brought survivor syndrome into full bloom. Engagement has never been more critical. As managers, it’s critical to pay close attention to those that are left – those who are really running the day-to-day organization, who are executing your business strategy, who are driving your business results!
Is it easy? No...There is no one-size fits all solution for creating an engaged workforce. No matter what generation - employees want balance, work satisfactionand a good manager who appreciates them.
Did you know?
• +10 – Increasing positive emotions can add 10 years to your lifespan
• Positive interactions don’t just make your job easier; they are vital to a healthy and fulfilling work life
• 65% of Americans say they received NO PRAISE for their work last year – no wonder they are disengaged!
• 9 out of 10 people believe they are more productive when they’re around positive people
• #1 reason people quit jobs – they don’t feel appreciated!
To survive, smart companies do what they have to do – they take advantage of business downturns to continue to develop their people - train in the downturn, implement in the upturn! This preparation helps the company to weather the storm - keeps the best and brightest of its talent more fully engaged which will help them to recover much quicker and more successfully.
Although, as managers, we can’t do much about the economy at large, we can do certain things to safeguard our organizations against professional and organizational disaster. Engaging employees is at the top of the list!
It’s back-to-basics, again folks! Patience, perseverance and positive…
If you’re a people-manager, what is the number one thing you want your employees to do every day? Answer: Come to work! Uplifting employees and boosting morale can help to improve the workplace environment; (you and your) employees will want to come to work! Without the people, nothing happens!
What is the one thing you can start doing today to create a more positive workplace environment for you and your employees? Rather than focus on the negatives about people in your workgroup and organization - flip it around and ask, “What’s right with people?” And, watch what happens!
A Positive Workplace Means Business! It Just Makes Cent$! ®
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