HR Forum: employee engagement

Showing posts with label employee engagement. Show all posts

Dos and dont's for a successful, company-sponsored fundraising program

It’s been said, “Charity begins at home, but should not end there.”

Indeed! Charity fundraising within the workplace is an excellent way to support worthwhile causes while giving back to the local, regional and national community. At the same time, it offers distinct benefits to your employees who participate, including enhanced camaraderie and team-building.

So what does it take to build a successful fundraising program that raises valuable dollars AND employee engagement? Here are some important dos and don’ts to keep in mind:

Do choose charities and nonprofit organizations that complement your corporate culture. Which charities pair well with your company’s mission statement and overall image? Generally speaking, there are eight types of charitable organizations, including religion, education, foundations, health, public-society benefit, humanities, international affairs, and environment and animals.

Do survey your staff to determine which charities interest them most. Involving your employees in the selection process early on should boost the support for your fundraising efforts later.

Do your homework and only choose charitable organizations with a solid reputation and strong service record. Remember: Your company will be associated with the cause – for better or for worse.

Don’t neglect to set goals for your fundraising efforts. Your objectives might include raising a certain amount of money, volunteering a set number of hours, getting a certain percentage of employees involved or establishing your company as a community leader.

Do consider the various ways your company can raise funds, such as monetary donations, special events (like auctions, bake sales and walking relays) and contests. Securing monetary donations is probably the most common, where companies may choose to match employee dollars to raise even more money.

Do get your employees involved. Fundraising activities are a great way to connect employees and unite them on non-work related projects. You might be surprised at how energized employees become for certain causes and what they so willingly bring to your program.

Don’t overlook the resources required for certain fundraising activities, such as up-front expenses and the time employees will need to volunteer to coordinate and participate in activities. Be careful that events aren’t too disruptive or interfere with your company’s workflow.

Do celebrate your success. Talk up your efforts and achievements through social media channels like Twitter and Facebook, as well as on your website and corporate blog. Contact your local papers and radio stations, too, to share especially strong results.

Is your cube-mate super laid back ... or dead?

What a dead-end job.
There was stiff competition for the position.
She must have been dying for a promotion.

The puns are running amok over the story of a Los Angeles County employee who lay dead and slumped over in her office cubicle for an entire day before anyone noticed. Last seen alive at 9 a.m. the previous Friday morning, the 51-year-old auditor was found by a security guard doing his rounds on a Saturday afternoon. The woman most likely died from a stroke or heart attack.

Your first inclination may be to snicker, but the honest truth? This is absolutely horrible PR for the business, the woman's manager and the woman's coworkers. Instead of chuckling, HR managers and corporate leaders should be looking at this incident as a wake-up call.

What type of manager is so disconnected with his or her staff that an employee could pass away undetected? Even mediocre managers touch base with their employees daily, if just to say "Hi" or "Have a great weekend" on a Friday afternoon. And happy coworkers - team players - would certainly notice a neighbor in distress.

Focus is a great thing in the workplace, but not to the point of being clueless. We don't have to be best friends with everyone we share office space with, but social niceties go a long way. Take enough interest in the people around you that you'd recognize if they were in trouble ... certainly if they were unconscious! There is an opportunity for every HR professional in America to use this unfortunate event as a point of discussion regarding the level of interaction between managers and employees.

It's too easy to make light of this story, but the reality is this: Someone died while on the job and it took nearly 24 hours for anyone to notice. Could this ever happen in your workplace?

Office feeling a little ho-hum? Wrap up the gift of employee morale

Between planning a cross-country vacation to visit Aunt Judy or navigating the nearest mega-mall for last-minute gifts, many employees find their focus dropping faster than the needles on a Fraser fir during the holiday season.

The floundering economy has many a staff crying, “Bah! Humbug!”, as well. Whether it’s due to weak, year-end sales or the company being forced to cancel the annual holiday extravaganza, employee morale may be in a slump. From G.Neil’s HR Library of interesting, insightful HR articles, I bring you some tips to boost employee morale during the holidays and keep energy levels high well into the new year:

Food. Food has a magical way of bringing employees together and putting everyone in a good mood. Throughout the year and especially during the holiday season, get employees together by holding bake sales for charity, organizing potluck luncheons or simply bringing in a bag of bagels.

Holiday cards. Business holiday cards are a simple and easy way for companies to show their appreciation for the hard work employees have put in all year long. Remember to go one step further and write a personal, hand-written message on the inside of the card for a special touch.

Compliments. Like a sweet treat, compliments have a way of immediately lifting our spirits and bringing a smile to our face. Encourage supervisors to compliment their employees regularly. It’s a free and easy way to improve employee morale not only during the holidays, but year-round.

Fun. Look for simple ways to lighten the mood at work. Hold whimsical contests, bring in pizza for lunch or make up playful celebrations, like “Favorite Team Jersey Day.” If the weather permits, buy some frisbees or footballs and take the action outside of the office. Keep your ideas simple, get everyone involved and have a good time.

Humor. Bring some laughter back into the office with a fun activity. For example, organize an office-wide event where employees hand out funny awards to coworkers and supervisors. Keep costs low by using common office supplies to create the awards. See how creative employees can get by using what they find in the supply cabinet.

The holidays offer a great opportunity to improve employee morale around the office. All it takes is a little ingenuity and some simple ideas. Don’t wait until January 2nd to get started - get going today!

When the bride-to-be is busy planning her wedding on work time

I ran across an article on msnbc.msn.com that I found particularly interesting. First, because summer is a busy season for weddings and second, because I’ve known a few women who became a tad obsessed planning their walk down the aisle.

According to a survey of 1,000 women by TheKnot.com, WeddingChannel.com and ForbesWoman.com, brides-to-be spend about 10 hours a week planning their wedding – and nearly 30 percent of it is done at work.

But apparently it’s all in the name of multi-tasking. While nine out of 10 women who participated in the survey admitted to making wedding plans on company time, only a third felt their work was negatively affected.

Carley Roney, editor-in-chief of TheKnot.com, says that lunch time and Mondays are particularly busy times on her wedding planning website.

Cause for concern … or let it go?

OK, so what’s an employer or manager to do when Megan is more concerned about the bridesmaids’ dresses, guest list and floral arrangements than the latest workplace project or report?

If you feel the same way as Carley Roney, the answer may be to “not sweat it” because the productivity will come back that much stronger after the nuptials.

"Post wedding, people become much more serious and focused. They are saving for
homes, so they're not in the mind of changing jobs as much because they're very
focused on what their goals are ahead," says Roney.

So what do you think? Have you ever had to intervene because an employee was more concerned about her wedding than her work? Are weddings an inevitable productivity drainer – or can the bride-to-be strike a healthy balance and stay on task?

Take your vacation days - you need 'em!

I love my time off. Whether it’s a ½ day to linger over a caramel latte and crossword puzzle, a day or two tacked onto a weekend for a
much-needed getaway or a full-out, 10-day vacation to explore someplace new, I savor my days away from the office. They’re a gift - a wonderful break in the routine and a perfect way to relax and regroup from the daily grind of working full-time.

But apparently quite a few employees are denying themselves that gift.

According to an online poll of nearly 700 people by Right Management, the human resources consulting division of the staffing firm Manpower, 66% of employees didn’t use all their vacation days last year.

And the main reason why? Cost. Many people don’t feel like they have the extra cash during these recessionary, belt-tightening times to take a vacation – so they just stay at work.

While I understand that few people can afford a luxury vacation to Europe right now (much less a road trip to Wally World), I still think it’s important to tap those vacation days. Even if they don’t act as true “vacation” days, they can be “take care of yourself, take a break from it all” days.

Experts on the subject back me up on this. “The research is clear that failing to take a vacation creates higher levels of stress and greater levels of disengagement at work,” says Douglas Matthews, Right Management's president and chief operating officer.

And for those who think it’s a risky move to step away from work when so many people are unemployed or getting laid off, that’s a type of martyrdom that simply isn’t necessary.

"It's silly to think that giving up vacation is going to make your colleagues think how important you are," says Connie Thanasoulis, a career services expert at the job search website Vault.com. "Take your vacation and let them miss you."

Yes, the show will go on, even if you aren’t there. And the payoff for taking those paid days off are great, including stress relief, rest and recuperation, and the satisfaction of feeling you’re in control of your own time.

How to deliver an Olympic-worthy performance in the workplace

As I sit glued to my TV screen each night watching the highlights from the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, I can’t help but draw some parallels between the performances on the ice and snow by the world’s top athletes - to those by everyday working folk in businesses large and small. Granted, the working professionals of the world aren’t competing for Olympic gold, but the challenges they face each day – and the tools they need to keep their head in the game – share some interesting similarities.

=> Let’s start with the obvious: training. Every Olympic athlete logs countless hours in local practice rinks, tracks and gyms honing their skills before they ever set foot on the world stage. Without this discipline and dedication, we’d never know the likes of Lindsey Vonn, Apolo Ohno, Shani Davis, Evan Lysacek and Shaun White.

And without regular, focused training to keep their individual technical skills sharp, and their contributions in line with the company's goals, most employees will remain merely average. Employee training and development is the biggest opportunity you have for increasing productivity, improving morale and boosting employee commitment. Neglect this and some of your best employees (or, potentially, your best employees) may forever remain in the shadows and on the sidelines.

=> Right on the heels of training comes tools. What are the resources you’re providing employees to get the job done? An Olympic figure skater wouldn’t arrive at the rink with broken skates, or an alpine skier to the slopes with a cracked ski. Neither should your employees expect to do their best with outdated equipment and tired processes. You know the saying, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”? Athletes are constantly tweaking their training routines and trying out the latest sporting equipment in the hopes of performing faster, stronger, higher, longer. Perhaps it’s time to explore some new, affordable HR resources to give your employees a competitive edge and keep your business running more smoothly.

=> With nearly every sport, the coach plays a huge part in an athlete’s development and ultimate victory. In the interviews following a winning performance, an Olympic athlete almost always gives credit (often with a lot of tears and fist-pumping) to the coach. Are your managers acting like coaches – supporting and inspiring their direct reports on a daily basis, but also playing tough, when necessary, and pushing them to perform better? It’s a delicate balance that sets the great managers apart from the good managers. Again, with the right tools and training, your finest managers can achieve that balance and become something even more valuable to your organization – leaders.

=> Feedback is another important part of the athlete-coach relationship. In fact, it’s the essence of effective coaching. Athletes don’t practice in a vacuum, expecting their coaches to remain silent as they struggle with a certain move – or on the flip side, failing to cheer them on when they nail a difficult maneuver. Your employees need constant dialogue from their managers and supervisors, too. They should have the advantage of working side by side with someone that understands their challenges, praising them when they do well and providing thoughtful intervention and support when they fail. Performance management isn’t a once-a-year occurrence at review time but rather, a day-to-day dynamic that keeps the lines of communication open between an employee and a manager.

=> Finally, there’s the main event. After years of training and selfless dedication, the Olympic athlete gives the performance of a lifetime, beating all odds and leaving the rest of us speechless. Later, we swell with pride as these awe-inspiring athletes step up to the podium and graciously receive their gold, silver or bronze medals. And while the achievements in the workplace may never compare to the latest, gravity-defying trick on the half pipe or the fastest time on the Super G, they’re just as crucial to the advancement and success of your business. Don’t assume your best-performing employees know their worth and that’s enough. Reward them with the thanks and recognition they deserve – either through inexpensive perks now (such as a desktop award, title change or nicer office) or monetary benefits later (such as a raise or extra paid days off) when the economy picks up again.

So what about you? When the 2010 games officially close on February 28, and the Olympic torch is extinguished, will you remember the many lessons our top athletes have taught us? Let’s honor their accomplishments and keep a little of that Olympic spirit alive right here in our workplaces!

Morale, Schmorale -- Why treating employees badly now will hurt your business later

We all know the job market is a mess.

People with Masters degrees and years of experience are competing for entry level contract temp positions that used to go to college students looking to pick up some resume lines between their junior and senior year. Staffing levels at most companies are at all-time lows. And sales? Oh, let's not even go there.

By all accounts, this looks like a buyer's market when it comes to hiring and retaining talented employees. After all, where are they going to go if they express their discontent and write out that two week notice?

The answer may be "No where." And you may have them by the ... well, you know. But that's only for now. But like the proverbial elephant who never forgets, the mistreated, misused or abused employee will keep those memories for a long time. And when the economy recovers, you can bet your best and brightest will be out the door first, looking for greener pastures and better opportunities.

No matter how easy it may seem to keep people with no raises, lousy hours and triple assignments now, the best companies and the best managers know this kind of strategy will only doom their business in the long run. Sure, even the most forward-looking companies may be slashing their payrolls in order to ride out the storm, but they are treating their survivors well. They are paying attention to employee engagement.

And that means they are building a solid core of loyal, capable, well-trained and committed employees for the future.

When new hires come on board in the future, they'll need to learn the ropes and get some experience under their belts. And that core of solid, well-treated employees who lasted through the dark days and the down sales and saw their company's commitment to them will be the first to draw new staff members into the fold and make sure they understand just what a great company it is.

So what do you do when the budgets just won't bear a regular or standard pay raise? How do you say thank you to employees in a way that matters?

First, give 'em what you can. Even if it's a 1% raise or a one-time bonus, let the hard-working double-duty working employees you still have know you are stretching the limits to give them SOMETHING. Remember, a flat wage means your employees are actually losing money year after year. (A caveat -- make sure your pay increases for senior management are just as flat as those in the rank-and-file. They will find out, no matter how closely you try to guard that secret!)
Second, reward them with cost-free pats on the back. Let them take some time (during work hours, and of course, paid) to learn a new software, take a personal interest class at a local college or community center or volunteer for a favorite charity. Make school assemblies, little kid concerts and end-of-the-year school award ceremonies something they can attend without using their leave time. Boost their paid vacation time by one day, or declare their birthdays (or the next working day after it) a paid holiday for each employee. (I once worked for a company that did this, and it did make every employee feel special!)
Work on what they're called. Give them a title that honors all that they do, even if the pay isn't there just yet. Of course you have to make sure the titles don't get your business into trouble with FLSA rules, but even within those guidelines, there is plenty of room for more impressive (and morale boosting) job labeling.

Posted via email from G-Neil's Posterous

How engaged are your employees?

The better question might be, "Do you know how to measure employee engagement?" Too many business owners and managers try to gauge employee engagement by walking the halls and making judgments about what they see. But monitoring water cooler activity or the number of cars in the parking lot after 5 p.m. or how long employees are taking for lunch doesn’t always cut it.

I think the answer is part psychology, part productivity. First, you must understand what makes your employees tick and the type of work environment that keeps their head in the game.

What does “everyone humming along, feeling like their work matters” employee engagement look like? The Gallup Organization’s Q12, a 12-question survey that identifies strong feelings of employee engagement, can help you peel back the layers.

Consider how your direct reports, your team, your department might answer these questions:

• Do you know what is expected of you at work?
• Do you have the materials and equipment you need to do your work right?
• At work, do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?
• In the last seven days, have you received recognition or praise for doing good work?
• Does your supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about you as a person?
• Is there someone at work who encourages your development?
• At work, do your opinions seem to count?
• Does the mission/purpose of your company make you feel your job is important?
• Are your associates (fellow employees) committed to doing quality work?
• Do you have a best friend at work?
• In the last six months, has someone at work talked to you about your progress?
• In the last year, have you had opportunities at work to learn and grow?

A negative response to any of these questions could reveal gaps – and of course, opportunities for improvement - in the areas of training and development, performance management and motivation and recognition. What deserves more attention from your managers and leaders to turn these negatives into positives?

After psychology, there’s the matter of productivity. Assuming employee engagement means more is getting done, you need a way to measure that output. Businesses small and large are well-served by systems that allow them to evaluate real-time productivity and key business performance analytics. This type of information can provide a much clearer snapshot of employee engagement and performance than laps through the building to see who has his nose to the grindstone and who is lingering too long at the coffee machine.

Again, having the ability to review division, department and employee performance data helps HR managers and company leaders identify areas of strength and weakness. Top performers are easier to identify (and ideally, be recognized and rewarded) and weaker employees can be given a chance to improve.

OUCH! Survey reveals that nearly one out of every two employees is unhappy at work

Do you enjoy your job? If you answered “yes,” consider yourself lucky – and in a very narrow majority. According to a survey of 5,000 households by the Conference Board research group, only 45% of Americans are satisfied with their work – the lowest number ever recorded by the organization in its 22 years of studying the issue.

“It says something troubling about work in America. It is not about the business cycle or one grumpy generation,” says Linda Barrington, managing director of human capital at the Conference Board. USA Today

What is it about, then? What’s causing such discontent for so many Americans? While some of the malaise can be blamed on the worst recession since the 1930s (and the difficulty in finding rewarding and suitable jobs), there’s something more at play here. Worker dissatisfaction has been increasing for more than two decades for additional, non-recession reasons, the biggest being:

=> Fewer workers consider their jobs to be interesting
(Only 51% of workers currently find their jobs satisfying, compared to nearly 70% in 1987)
=> Incomes have not kept up with inflation
(Average household incomes, adjusted for inflation, have been dropping since 2000)
=> The soaring cost of health insurance has cut into worker’s
take-home pay
(The average employee contribution for single-coverage medical care benefits rose from $48 a month to $76 a month between 1999 and 2006)

Continuing the nearly 50/50 split of satisfied/dissatisfied workers, here are some of the other key findings of the survey:

=> 43% of workers feel secure in their jobs
=> 56% of workers like their coworkers
=> 56% of workers are satisfied with their commute to work
=> 51% of workers are satisfied with their boss

Add it all up and you have a trend that is not only troubling for employers, but also for the nation. Economists worry that long-term job dissatisfaction could squash innovation and damage America’s competitiveness and productivity.

When dissatisfaction hits home (or work)

Which brings us to another point: How concerned should you be about employee satisfaction in your organization – and what can you do to help reverse these numbers within your own four walls?

Obviously, this is no easy task, and a bit of a moving target. While you can’t control the recession or rising health care costs – or please all of the people all of the time, for that matter – you can take positive steps to ensure your employees are engaged and motivated. It’s a brand-new year, the perfect time to take a good, hard look at what’s working (and not) with your most valuable resource – your employees.

In a previous post on this very subject, we talked about how employee engagement is a key factor in determining the long-term success of a business, with studies indicating that engaged employees perform at much higher levels than disengaged employees. At the same time, we're assuming that engaged, high-performing employees are happier, more satisfied employees.

Great, but how do you know if your employees are committed to their work? Ask them!

This earlier post suggests you start a conversation with employees to find out how they are handling the recession and their jobs, even going so far as to conduct an informal employee survey. Not to state the obvious, but this won’t work if managers and supervisors only inquire about their employees’ well-being at review time. They have to sit down with their employees on a regular basis and give them the attention they deserve.

If you go the route of a written survey, here are some of the statements you can ask employees to rate, which will provide a clear snapshot of where you stand in building satisfied employees:

1. Management is providing good leadership and guidance during difficult economic conditions.
2. My job is mentally stimulating
3. I understand how my work contributes to the company’s performance.
4. There are future opportunities for growth at my company.
5. My company affords me the opportunity to develop my skills.
6. I receive recognition and reward for my contributions.
7. There is open and honest communication between employees and managers.
8. I see professional growth and career development opportunities for myself in this organization.
9. I know how I fit into the organization’s future plans.
10. Considering the value I bring to the organization, I feel I am paid fairly.

Once you’ve asked the tough questions, you’ll want to spend time with upper management and other decision-makers to review the results and figure out ways to fill in the gaps. From training and mentoring employees - to recognizing and rewarding your workforce for their contributions – make 2010 a year for turning those frowns upside down! Your employees will be happier, and your business will be more successful as a result.

Happy Boss's Day! - 7 attributes management and employees love about leaders

Long gone are the days when dictatorial management delivers top-notch results. Sure, CEOs want leaders who boost the bottom line, but they also want mentors who develop the next generation of leaders by showing employees how it's done. Employees, on the other hand, want a player's coach, someone who understands them as a person and creates an environment in which to thrive. Is a combo of the two possible? You betcha!

According to Jim Collins in his best-selling book, Good to Great, the most effective bosses fall into the category of "Level Five Leaders". These managers recognize their personal strengths and weaknesses, hire/place employees in roles where they shine, and set really high (and achievable) long-term goals that employees believe in. The key to success for these leaders? They inspire employees to willingly and passionately do more with less, which makes CFOs downright giddy. Here are seven characteristics that make bosses great to both management and employees:

1. Great bosses understand corporate goals and skillfully explain them to their teams – “this is why we're here, this is what we need to do and this is how we're going to do it.” Setting a clear vision and informing employees that they will be held accountable for the task at hand sets expectations everyone can rally around. It also helps employees keep each other accountable.

2. Great bosses listen more than they talk. Leaders who employ Stephen Covey's mantra "seek first to understand before being understood," will always serve their employer and employees better than know-it-alls. The best ideas to improve efficiency or enhance products often come from line employees. Bosses who listen, listen, listen are the ones who can move great ideas through the pipeline quickly.

3. Great bosses take an interest in each employee as an individual. They get to know the person and his or her personal life. They spend time understanding employee career goals and guide them on a path to get there. They remember birthdays and anniversaries and they ask, "How'd your son do in his Little League game last night?"

4. Great bosses hold employees accountable. When goals aren't met or deadlines are missed, the issues are addressed immediately to find out the whys. Inspired bosses always look for ways to improve and move forward, rather than punishing in the moment. They also move quickly to dismiss under-performing employees, which always makes management happy. Staff members are thrilled, too, with quick assessment and action, because they usually recognize poor performance before managers do.

5. Great bosses don't seek personal accolades. They never take credit for the work of the team and are always looking for ways to recognize and reward their staffs. They write hand-written thank you notes and recognize superior efforts with tickets to the ball game or an afternoon off.

6. Great bosses manage individuals based on strengths rather than weaknesses. Collins calls this "putting the right people in the right seats on the bus." Having people do what they do best always enhances productivity and efficiency. Too many managers spend months trying to shoehorn people into roles they're not prepared for or skilled in, rather than finding someone with the right skill set for the task. Managing to strength is a win-win for the company, the boss and the employee.

7. Great bosses hire people who are better than them in the areas where they don't perform well. Bosses who are good with strategy and not execution are always better served in surrounding themselves with doers, and vice versa. They also go out of their way to acknowledge their deficiencies rather than cover them up: "I wouldn't be successful without your contributions."

If you have leaders in your company who exhibit these traits, consider yourself extremely lucky! And go out of your way today, National Boss’s Day, to let them know how much you appreciate them.

The Carnival of HR is in town! Welcome!

Step right up! We have an amazing carnival for you today! Experience the thrills of new opportunities, the heartbreak of termination. See the magic shows, costumed clowns and daring feats on the high wire. Welcome to the Carnival of HR!

Staging the show

A great carnival depends upon everyone doing their part to make the show great. And not everyone can be the stage manager. Learning how to be an excellent cast member is the subject of Dan McCarthy’s post on 10 Ways to be a Great Follower

Clowns get to hide behind make-up and costumes, but in our online world, should bloggers get to do the same? Trisha McFarlane explores the concept of anonymous bloggers in her post.

Then blogger Lance Haun deals with other side of the issue in his post on the Workplace Implications of Facebook Friending/Defriending, where he suggests that a little bit of costuming might be preferable to the complete transparency of a Facebook connection with coworkers.

That theme is echoed in Jessica Miller-Merrell post about maintaining a Social Media Mullet (business in the front, party in the back) whenever we connect with colleagues online. And Melissa Prusher serves up advice on using Twitter as a part of that online conversation with clients and colleagues. (No sign of the popcorn and cotton candy, yet, Melissa. Sorry!)

What's your show about?

Every carnival needs a description of the shows, performers and events. And the same applies to the workplace. Creating clear and accurate job descriptions is critical to the success of the show as well as the performers, according to blogger Becky Regan in her post The Single Most Important Tool You Need to Practice Sounds HR Management.

One of the keys to a successful carnival is keeping it fresh. Problems need to be addressed as they arise, shows need to be reviewed and plans need to be made. That on-going process of adjustment works for your employees, too, according to Louise Barnfield in her post on transforming the dreaded annual review into a constantly updated tool for growth.

The cast and crew

Before you accept your role in the carnival as a given, Steve Boese’s HR Technology blog offers advice on getting a better deal at work. We may not be famous athletes or even the star of the show, but his post “Help You, Help You” offers suggestions about applying the techniques professional agents use to negotiate the big bucks.

Everyone wants to be a star, right? Wrong! Some people are choosing to pass up a chance at that management position, especially when they see current managers struggling with insufficient resources, lack of training and minimal support from higher-ups. That's the subject of HR Bartender Sharlyn Lauby post. (Oh and thanks for the mention in your post! Like all performers, we like seeing our name out there on the marquee...or at least in a post or two.)

We all know there's no show without the performers, right? No matter what their position, making sure your people are committed, content and creative is the message behind Melanie Quinn's post on Keeping Your Employees.

When the show goes wrong

Even in the best of carnivals, shows will flop, rides will break and even the clowns will cry. PunkHR blogger Laurie Ruettimann offers advice on seeing these as chances to grow and develop character in her post Coulda Been a Contender.

And when that crash takes the form of a termination, Gautam Ghosh offers some advice on exit interviews, and why they can't tell as much as we think.

Feeling like your safety net is full of holes? Grab on to your trapeze and fly over those job gaps, lay-offs and career changes with grace, thanks to the advice being offered up in Amit Bhagria’s post on managing resume dilemmas.

Stage directions and union rules

Even in the world of carnivals, there are rules and procedures that keep the rides going and the games stocked with unidentifiable stuffed animals (is it a bear, a dog or a…duck?) The same is true in our HR world (minus the ducks), as we try to stay on track with ever-shifting federal and state rules and regulations.

Blogger Giressh Sharma offers some advice on determining FMLA eligibility amid a fun-house of regulatory changes and employee recordkeeping.

PseudoHR's April Dowling brings us an example of a rule gone mad, in her story of exempt employees required to punch a time clock. Risks of legal repercussions aside, she explains why sometimes what looks like a little rule can do big damage to morale.

Tricks of the trade

Everyone knows that side shows rely on smoke and mirrors to perform their magic. Blogger Wally Brock thinks the current hype around the concept of employee engagement would fit right in with those ever-popular acts.

Jon Ingham offers a different view, with the mirrors stripped away, and a clear spotlight on the value of employees in his post on The People Factor.

Kelly Dingee's post on finding time for sourcing even when there is no time available goes beyond advoce to recruiters, and offers something we all need to do if we want to succeed -- Find the time to do what needs to be done to take our careers, companies and clients to the next level.

When the lights go down

After the crowds leave, it's time to count the money. Cathy Missildine-Martin thinks that even after the economic recovery, CEOs will be expecting a lot more counting and numbers from HR, as the focus on metrics continues.

_________________________

We're stepping out of the ring for now. Enjoy the show, visit all of the talented performers who contributed posts, and let us know what you think.

Thank you all for coming to our carnival. We appreciate the participants, and you the readers. Y'all come back now, you hear?

Mastering the tools of engagement

Your employees show up to work every day, and most of them are doing a great job. But as five o’clock inches closer, you notice that they’re counting down until the workday ends. If more employees were excited to be at work, rather than thinking about quitting time, the company could do a lot better. Raising salaries isn’t an option right now and you feel stuck. What can you do?

Budgets have shrunk and our belts are so tight it’s hard to breathe; traditional motivators like performance bonuses are out of the question. So, what can managers do to improve employee commitment when dollars are in short supply?

The good news – managers can use many tools to improve morale, boost employee motivation and raise the level of engagement, even when there seems to be no room in the budget.

These tools fall into one of four basic categories:

What is said?
What is permitted?
What is encouraged?
What is offered?

Find out how to leverage the tools of engagement in G.Neil’s free white paper, The Tools of Engagement: Boosting Employee Commitment When Money is Tight (.pdf).

In it you’ll find suggestions on improving employee engagement on a budget and examples to help you identify what’s missing in your workplace. No registration required, read the white paper (.pdf) today.

What does happiness in work look like?

Is there a formula for finding happiness in our work?

Many have tried to explain it, but few have been able to create a clear picture of the road to happiness.

Among those creative few stands Bud Caddell, author of the blog What Consumes Me. Earlier this month, he put his idea of what happiness in business looks like in a Venn diagram:

As someone who has been working at start-ups and small businesses since he was 14 years old, Caddell was able to put what he learned over the years into a beautifully crafted diagram.

Caddell’s idea of happiness in work is based on three overlapping factors: what we do well, what we want to do and what we can be paid to do.

Find all three and ‘Hooray!’ you’ve got happiness.

Or is it that simple?

Take a look at Caddell’s full blog post and read his tips for finding your way to the ‘Hooray!’ point. Then come back and let us know what you think of Caddell’s happiness formula.

How do you find happiness in work?

Chatty employees more productive than quiet coworkers

Though email and other communication technologies have made office communication more convenient, they may be doing little to improve workers’ productivity. A new study suggests that giving employees more time to chat around the water cooler could actually help them get more done back at their desks.

People who interact with each other in person are more productive than people who rely on electronic forms of communication, according to a recent report by researchers at MIT and New York University.

By outfitting workers in a Rhode Island call center with wearable sensor packs, or “sociometers,” researchers recorded details of individuals’ social interactions throughout the day. What they found was that employees who had more in-person conversations with coworkers tended to be more productive than those who did not.

The same team of researchers conducted a similar study last December that backs these recent findings. The December study examined a tight-knit team at an IT company, finding that face-to-face communication improved worker productivity by about 30 percent.

"The big idea is that what you do on your coffee break and over lunch really matters for productivity," says Sandy Pentland, a professor at MIT's Media Lab, who led the study. "Face-to-face networks matter, and the implications are huge."

Researchers cite two main reasons for the connection between in-person communication and productivity:

Face-to-face conversations help employees maintain strong relationships with coworkers, those relationships help workers solve complex problems and complete calls more efficiently.
Support networks among coworkers increases overall morale and job satisfaction - two major factors of productivity.

Researchers suggest that giving employees time to interact with each other will “likely bolster information transfer across individuals and departments,” a vital ingredient in organizational success.

"The underlying theme here is that humans are social beings," says Pentland. "Technology pushes us toward the abstract, and away from richer face-to-face communication."

The moral of the story: Encourage employees to interact and work with each other in-person. Improved face-to-face communication could be the key to your business’ success.

Not the coffee!

On the drive into work this morning, I was listening to the DJs on my favorite station ranting about coming into work and finding that coffee cups were no longer being supplied. Nor were napkins, plastic utensils and paper plates. Apparently even toilet paper is in short supply!

They talked about putting in more and more hours to cover for employees who are no longer there. About increased pressure to perform. And the reward for all that hard work? The DJ had to empty the mug he used as a pencil cup and wash it in the men's room sink while people were using the restroom.

They opened up the phone lines and the calls came pouring in. Lots of people had experienced the loss of coffee cups. Another caller talked about their company taking away the spring water machine (the cost to the company had been $20 a month.) No more tea bags. No paper towels in lunch rooms. Missing toilet paper or sanitary products. No more plants in the office. The outrage was evident in most callers' voices. They were willing to work hard. But this was a last straw. You could hear the motivation to go the extra mile evaporating.

There's a lot of talk in the HR world about low cost motivators and inexpensive employee retention tools. Companies need their remaining staff to perform exceptionally well, but raises are out of the question. So the scramble is on for cheap ways to keep people happy at work.

And yet, companies are economizing by taking away low cost perks that keep people happy. That very act does several things:

1) Conveys a message to employees that they are not important and that the $20 savings is worth more than their happiness at work

2) The message they hear is "Today the sugar and creamer, tomorrow your job." That scares employees and increases stress levels, which in turn reduces productivity. Stressed people make more mistakes, take longer to complete tasks and are at greater risk of accidents.

3) Tells your star employees that your company is a sinking ship, and encourages them to look elsewhere.

Before you cut back on low cost perks like paper plates, or allow restrooms to run low on toilet paper, think about the message you're sending. Are the savings you'll realize worth the cost you'll incur in the long run?

Top employee retention tips and advice

With the economy the way it is right now, many businesses are worried about losing top talent only to be short staffed when the market turns around. Today it’s all about employee retention strategies that will keep employees happy and motivated in their current positions.

You could be like Google and use a mathematical formula to calculate when a staff member is most likely to leave the company, but most would probably reach for a more conventional method. Luckily, there’s a world of valuable resources out there to help you discover the best option for your team.

Here are some of the top blog posts and articles on employee retention from across the Web:

Along with being “desperately” short staffed in skilled jobs, many leaders are also facing an increase in the number of toxic employees and their impact on the organization. Read how leading with gratitude can make your workplace better from Globoforce.

Though budget cuts and layoffs may be a necessary evil during a recession, organizations can boost morale by giving employees challenging assignments that promote growth. Read more on how to incorporate “stretch goals” in this recent BusinessWeek article.

Times are tough everywhere, but it’s still no excuse for bad management behavior. Read what Jessica Lee from Fistful of Talent would tell a badly behaving manager who’s worried about employees leaving.

The revolutionaries at Renegade HR take a slightly different approach and suggest that you shouldn’t focus on employee retention at all. Instead, “recruit great people and inspire them to do amazing things.”

And for a little laugh, check out the top three retention strategies that didn’t quite make the cut from Upstart HR. One tip: Don’t use a hitman.

Test employee engagement with a new sensitivity survey

Employee engagement is a main factor in determining the long-term success of a business. Studies show that engaged employees perform as much as 20 to 28 percentage points higher than disengaged employees, making them one of your business’ best assets during tough times.

"When employees witness corporate downsizing and start to fear for their own jobs they often lose their motivation, which in turn affects their job performance, thereby causing them to become less productive and less of an asset to the company," said Greg Harris, president of Quantum Workplace, a market research company that surveys employee engagement, loyalty and retention.

So, what's the easiest way to find out if employees in your organization are engaged in their work? Ask them.

Start a conversation with employees to find out how they are handling the recession and how it may be affecting their work. To get a better sense of how engaged employees are across the entire company, you can take it one step further and ask them to complete a survey.

We recently came across a great format to follow when testing employee engagement levels in the 10-question Economic Sensitivity Survey developed by Quantum Workplace, a market research company that surveys employee engagement, loyalty and retention.

The survey measures employee engagement by an employee's "ability and willingness of individuals to exert effort for the benefit of the company, their tendency to speak highly of the organization and their intent to stay."

Quantum suggests you can determine how engaged your employees are by asking them to rate these 10 statements:

Management is providing good leadership and guidance during difficult economic conditions.
My job is mentally stimulating.
I understand how my work contributes to the company's performance.
There are future opportunities for growth at my company.
My company affords me the opportunity to develop my skills.
I receive recognition and reward for my contributions.
There is open and honest communication between employees and managers.
I see professional growth and career development opportunities for myself in this organization.
I know how I fit into the organization's future plans.
Considering the value I bring to the organization, I feel I am paid fairly.

Employee engagement should be at the top of your list of key business objectives, especially if your organization has experienced layoffs since the economic downturn began. An engaged workforce is a productive workforce, something every business needs during tough times.

"Now, more than ever, employers should be helping employees know how they're part of the future of the company. You need to quell any negative or fatalistic attitudes that might be present and educate the staff that this isn't something that's going to last forever, and that we need to be prepared for better times once the economy turns around," emphasizes Harris.

If you're looking for ways to let your staff know you appreciate their hard work, you can find a variety of new employee recognition ideas from G.Neil. Even playful gifts like a silly-looking stress ball can show an employee that you notice and are grateful for the extra effort they've been putting in recently.

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