Easy Ways to Make Your Employees Happier

Are your employees happy? Better yet, are your employees fulfilled in their work?

Harvard fellow Anthony (Tony) Tjan, suggests it can be done in four simple steps. While I agree that his four steps are significant, I would like to expand on them.

Tony's four steps are:

1. Help the employee create a meaningful role
2. Provide feedback
3. Provide professional development
4. Acknowledge contribution
   

Mr. Tjan's steps are designed to maximize the interior motivation of the employee, in other words, as he puts it, the love side of the love or money relationship.

While many people have jobs whose compensation is minimal compared with their skills, those people place a significant value on their work. Examples could be military personnel, police officers, clergy, teachers, etc. The work is important to society at large and personally rewarding, though it offers less than exceptional financial compensation.

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Helping employees find what is most important to them in the company fulfills the need to provide a meaningful service. Additionally, an emotionally attached employee will likely stay with the company longer, or until their goals have been accomplished.

Feedback, which I have written about on this blog, provides the employee the critical information they need to stay on the right track, and to fulfill their job expectations. Good feedback can also introduce new opportunities in the business that fit the needs of the employee, as well as providing a clear road map for success.

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Feedback also highlights the need for professional development. Suggesting and providing the resources to achieve the next level of success encourages the employee not only to achieve more, but also to remain with the company. Professional development also creates reciprocity. Many companies offer tuition reimbursement, though they require a one year commitment. However, the retention requirement should be seen as a positive investment in the employee and their career trajectory.

Finally, the three steps above require the fourth step to be successful. The employee be recognized for their achievements and contributions. Recognition, whether in the form of money or a simple certificate, rewards and reinforces the actions of the employee and encourages them to remain and continue to succeed.

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Providing personally rewarding work, directing it, expanding it, and reinforcing its' value is a formula for a long-term, high-performing employee. Psychic benefits are, or in some cases, more important than material benefits. However, the proper balance and fulfillment of the two will make employees happy.

How to Manage Conflict in the Office

The office climate of 2009 is very stressful, as unemployment hovers below 10% and the next layoff seems just around the corner. This high-tension environment exacerbates underlying conflicts, and may bring many to the fore. Below you will find practical steps for dealing with conflicts between employees.

The first step is to identify why the conflict exists. Is there an old argument that has been simmering? Perhaps there is a structural, corporate issue that brings out the aggravation. Without a clear understanding of why the conflict exists, it can not be dealt with appropriately. Try RingCentral Fax FREE for 30 days

The next step is to stay focused on the present. If the conflict precedes your leadership, you can only hope to acknowledge the emotions, but can't be responsible for that done by others. If the conflict is fresh and the responsible party can be identified, have the party accept responsibility and make amends.



A third step is to refocus the conflicted parties on the shared vision of the company and business unit. While the disagreement is obvious, the points of agreement have drifted into the background. Remind each side that as employees of the company, their first priority is the customer and the success of the company. Also remind them that any actions detracting from serving customers and promoting the business will not be tolerated. Executives & Professionals: Changing Jobs?

Finally, once the argument has diminished, insure the two parties are indeed fulfilling their obligations to customers and the company. If they can't find a way to work together, it may be necessary to move them into different business units or areas where they won't be in conflict. If that is not possible, reminding them of the possibility of termination may be a very quick remedy to the conflict.

Stressful economic times often bring long-forgotten hurts to forefront, and generally put people on edge. Confrontation and conflict are more likely, but manageable. By keeping employees focused on the customer and the mission, vision and values of the company can help mitigate the conflict or at least make it easier to resolve.

The primary source for this post is "How to Defuse Discord on Your Team," by John Baldoni of Harvard Business Publishing.

The Great Distraction

Huh? What did you say? Are you distracted at work? You may think you are not, but your employees seem to be.

Is it any wonder? Difficult economic conditions, combined with a 24-hour news cycle, make it easy for employees to become distracted. Combine that with fears of layoffs, cutbacks, and other unknowns, and you have the makings of a very inefficient workplace.

Managers can combat the big distraction in many different ways. Some of which are direct, and others down right funny. Executives & Professionals: Changing Jobs?

With U.S. unemployment in 1Q2009 near 10%, most people know of someone who has been laid off. That is a terrifying feeling on any day of the week. However, as the value of most peoples' homes has fallen, as well as retirement savings, this fear takes on a new dynamic. As a manager, if layoffs are planned, be honest and provide as much lead time as possible. Don't be coy. Folks need as much time as possible. There is a risk that some employees will leave at the rumor of a layoff, but focus your attention on the core of employees. Organic Flowers & Gourmet Gifts

If you have finished reducing staff, you need to motivate your remaining staff. Organize a contest to promote teamwork and achievement. Set motivational goals and reward them with a sign of recognition. The purpose is to demonstrate confidence in the future. Focusing on delivering high customer service and quality is critical in a down economic environment. Find a way to incentivize the behavior and acknowledge it very publicly. The rewards don't have to be expensive, just meaningful.

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Finally, acknowledge the stress and distractions. Be willing to talk about employee's concerns. For folks really stressed out, consider offering a day off. Make sure to remind people of the Employee Assistance Plan (EAP), if your company has one. The goal is help people express their concerns, be relieved of them, and get back to work at hand.

Fear, uncertainty, and doubt create distractions. While you may not be able resolve macro distractions, such as a recession or unemployment, you can certainly create a positive atmosphere and provide a listening ear. Don't forget about yourself either!

Respecting Religous Diversity

Managers regularly hear the words "respect" and "diversity," and generally do a good job of exercising those behaviors. However, one area that requires significant work and a little common sense is how to respect religious diversity.

As more companies expand their global presence, their employees begin to represent that growth. While the presence of Indian and Chinese workers are nothing new in technology companies, other companies are beginning to see increases in employees who practice Islam.

In the U.S., religious freedom is enshrined in law, yet experience with employees of faiths other than Christianity is not common outside of major cities. In other countries, this may be more so, particularly in countries that are beginning to see an influx of foreign workers. Now hiring elite grads. Join Doostang Today! www.Doostang.com

As managers, we have to find a way to balance an employees religious expression with the needs of the business and the requirements of the law and policy. This balancing act need not be onerous. Rather, an increase in cultural literacy will improve employee relations and encourage open communication.

Some practical examples of this cultural literacy are really quite simple. Suppose there is an employee from India that celebrate Diwali. A manager can ask if the employee celebrates Diwali, and then give them best wishes. The same is true for Muslim employees for the holiday of Eid ul Fitr.

The general understanding of the religious holidays and practices allows management to connect in a very intimate way with employees. Understanding that Ramadan and Lent are periods of fasting help the manager to plan work schedules. Also, improved cultural literacy around employees' religions helps prevent embarrassing gaffes, like serving beef and pork barbecue at a company picnic where most employees are Hindu and Muslim. Executives & Professionals: Changing Jobs?

Religion is a very personal and significant element of many peoples' identity. Managers need to learn the general sensitivities and personal religious sensitivities of their employees. Further, while wishing someone "Happy Easter!" is a nice sentiment, employees may not care to have a manager too deeply involved in their religious practices, nor do they want to be proselytized at work. Protect your Medical Identity with TrustedID. $1,000,000 Warranty & Great Customer Service

Respect is a very easy concept to understand, but can take work to exercise it
effectively. As a general rule, managers should have some knowledge of the key aspects of their employees identities. This knowledge and understanding allows a manager to be sensitive to the individual needs of their employees. While religion is a very challenging topic in the workplace, it can be dealt with respectfully and the recognizes the uniqueness of each employee.

The Brand is Your Responsibility

We all know what a brand is. Whether its beer, a car, or a maker of industrial chemicals, each company's brand helps define the company in the market place.

As managers and employees, we are called to protect our brand vigorously, and insure that our work matches what our brand represents. However, many people don't understand how their actions impact their brand. Save $50 on Trademark text and logo search

Most brands aim to communicate quality, price, customer service, or some other differentiating characteristic. Below are some examples of how to protect and promote your company's brand.

1. If the company's brand emphasizes quality, managers in every department, from Finance to IT can remind their employees that their work should be of the highest quality. This commitment to quality mirrors what the company communicates not only to its customers, but also to its suppliers, partners and competitors.

2. If the company's brand emphasizes price, managers can encourage employees to find the highest value at the lowest cost where possible. Buyers should work with suppliers to insure value. The IT department can be encouraged to find the best freeware tools. However, don't focus solely on price, but on acquiring and using those things that make your business run most efficiently.

3. If the company's brand emphasizes customer service, managers can set up role playing sessions where employees act as customers, seeking service from the company. As employees experience what a customer experiences, they should be encouraged to make things better. Try RingCentral Fax FREE for 30 days

In each of the examples above, the simple focus of the brand can and should be demonstrated by all employees of the company. Focusing on and exercising the brand value creates market differentiation and thus competitive advantage in the market place. However, when employees lose brand focus, the market quickly recognizes it and customers begin looking at the alternatives. Brand protection and promotion is every one's responsibility.

Use that Vacation!!

Ah, vacation. We love to talk about it, and go on them. When was the last time you went, or for that matter, your star employee? Become a Decision Maker. Search Director, VP, & Manager level Jobs.

Vacation or Paid Time Off (PTO), is a significant portion of any compensation package. It is significant not just in monetary terms, but also in productivity terms.

As a manager, you should enable your employees to exhaust as much of their PTO as possible. Why? Aren't employees adults and know how to manage their own lives?

Most Americans don't consume their entire PTO each year, with a significant amount taking little or no time off at all. Employees who don't take time off are at risk for burn-out and reduced performance. Save up to 70% on Business Class Deals to Europe with Air France!

A vacation should be a time to rest and recreate. A vacation also allows employees to rest their minds from work, which in turn, leads them to be more creative when they come back. Additionally, time away from work allows for minor dust ups to pass over, increasing the harmony in the workplace.

As we get close to the end of the year and the weeks of Christmas and Thanksgiving, make sure your folks are taking time off. Don't forget you too! Managers need time off just as much as line employees.

Are You a Micromanager?

In businesses large and small, there is always the temptation to micromanage. In some cases it is an overwhelming sense of responsibility, in others, it is a general distrust of employees.

Regardless, micromanaging is detrimental to employees, companies, and the shareholders.

If you find that employees no longer offer suggestions or tell you outright that you micromanage, then you probably do. Now that you know you micromanage, stop it! Need an easy online web conferencing solution without an installation? Try Dimdim, it's easy, open and affordable. Sign up Now!

Diane Foster of Diane Foster & Associates states in an article found in the Wall Street Journal (11/03/2008, "Micromanagers Miss Bull's Eye"), "The best managers help employees learn to work independently by giving them meaningful responsibilities."

While that seems like a simple and reasonable statement, many managers have a hard time relinquishing control. One way for the manager to relinquish the control is to remember that a manager's function is to lead, plan, and measure. One can't successfully do things while trying to do the jobs of their subordinates. Find $100K+ Jobs

The article also provides this list, from Debra Nunes of Hay Group and Diane Foster to help break the micromanaging habit:

1. Clearly articulate expectations
2. Focus on hiring and placement of subordinates
3. Give employees decision-making power
4. Encourage questions and suggestions
5. Offer constructive feedback
6. Don't grab the reins at the first sign of trouble

In each of the points above, managers need to understand their own role, before they can successfully manage and measure the roles of their subordinates. Building the right team with the proper expectations is the beginning of smoothly running organization.

Emotions and Purpose

In my previous post, "Its Employee Review Time," I wrote about the need to honest and thorough feedback to employees, helping them to further their success.

Like many other occasions in business, employee review time can be very emotional. What is my manager going to say? What am I going to say in response? Am I going to get a raise? Questions such as these shouldn't be asked, IF the manager has been providing feedback throughout the year.

In the July 28 issue of Business Week, Jack and Suzy Welch address how to handle emotions in the workplace. They mention that getting a handle on negative emotions and dysfunctional behavior is critical.

From the article, "All it takes is an active commitment to remove uncertainty from your company and to instill a purpose-oriented approach to inspiration."

Most managers would agree that removing all uncertainty is impossible. Rather, managers can remove certain elements of uncertainty. For example, regular feedback removes the uncertainty of where an employee stands in their managers' mind. Additionally, statements about the business, like Jack Stack's Open-Book Management, give employees all of the relevant facts about the business. In good times, but especially bad, their is relief in knowing.

Managers should also provide purpose. When employees have a clear purpose, whether via a mission or vision statement, they are able create their schedules and fix their minds on a defined goal. The goal helps to reduce uncertainty and provides a rally point.

Does this sound an awful lot like common sense? You bet. Dealing with emotions and uncertainty are things managers do everyday, most of the time using common sense. Open and honest communication is the key to good management, an empowered workforce, and a successful company.

Its Employee Review Time!

Yes, its mid-year again and time to do semi-annual performance reviews. While this can be one of the most important exercises done between employees and managers, it is also a time a great stress and dread.

Nobody likes to be told they aren't doing a good job, and nobody likes to be the bearer of bad news. To help make the review process worthwhile, there shouldn't be any surprises. Regular feedback between employees and their management allow for corrections as well as congratulations. Regular feedback also reduces the impending doom many employees feel.

The mid-year performance review should be a time to review the overall goals, as well as the objectives that were to be completed by mid-year. This is also a time for employees and managers to make adjustments to rest of the year goals. Additionally, this is a good time for employees to begin planting the seeds for next years goals.

Finally, this is a great time for managers to highlight and encourage employee development. Managers should look for measurable, achievable goals, and find ways to improve employee skills. Employees should also drive development goals and express interest in new skills or opportunities.

Do you have your facts together? Have you written down your successes and misses? Are their any changes you want to make. These are the questions managers and employees should ask before their reviews. Reviews are a great time to learn about yourself and chart the path to a successful rest of the year!

Manager 2.0, Part V

The post has finally arrived, the last in the series of five on management, Web 2.0 style. Through the previous four posts, we have discussed several topics, from Open-Book Management, compensation, and even Total Quality Management. In this post, we shall discuss items relating to deadlines and opportunities.

Item 13 states: "Deadlines agreed on and set by those doing the work." One could suggest that this isn't realistic, as it ignores both the internal and external customer needs. Consider home renovation. Does the customer allow the contractor to dictate how long the job will take, or is the schedule negotiated? Also, what if those doing the work are inefficient and their scheduling of the work promotes inefficiency? While a negotiated work schedule is best, no one side should have the scheduling power.

Item 14 states: "Employees create opportunities to learn and to be challenged." This is an excellent statement. Employees should be doing this any way! Suppose an employee has access to the company's online training resources. Shouldn't that employee take the opportunity to learn about new things in the business, or just improve other skills? It is always better to be proactive. Study the business, ask questions about the direction of the business, and be prepared to change.

As the Bible states, "There is nothing new under the sun." In each of the 14 topics, we have seen how the cultural phenomenon of Web 2.0 is causing managers to rethink how they operate their business and how they relate to their employees. Web 2.0 has brought acceptance of self-service, as well as acceptance of rapid change. While these elements have been demonstrated as positive for business, they have always required strong leadership. Let's hope that these Web 2.0 lessons will make for a more efficient, and stronger Manager 2.0

Manager 2.0, Part II

In this second article in a series of five about managing in a Web 2.o framework, I will discuss points 4-6 of the figure found here.

Item four states: "Employees and teams challenge themselves. If one person or team succeeds, everyone wins." Employees should be give great latitude and more importantly, time, in their development. Management needs to insure however, that the development money spent rewards not just the employee, but also the shareholder. A good example would be an employee taking a basket weaving class. That class might really benefit an employee of Martha Stewart, but not necessarily ExxonMobil. Regarding rewarding "everyone" for an effort, hopefully, the work of the team or the individual is geared to the success of the company. In other words, a team win should, by definition, be a corporate win.

Item five states: "Informal job role created by employee, tailored to their strengths and interests, and changes all the time." Outside of the need of formal titles for compensation studies, this makes a lot of sense. As employees mature and become experts in their work, they should be able to move on to new positions, building on those strengths, and learning more about the business. Regular job rotation is widely regarded as a good thing and can be very manageable.

Items six states: "Emphasis on community." A company is a community of sorts, with different teams supporting the company as a whole. Good management practices are about aligning teams to create a well-organized and functioning business. While this corporate/community function is very important, arguably, customers should have the emphasis.

This discussion has left me with an interesting perspective. Web 2.0 concepts are generally positive, though strongly individualistic. While there is emphasis on team and community, much of these items focus on the individual and create tension with the natural and necessary authority in companies. Taking care of employees in general, and individuals in specific, is good for business. However, without a strong focus on customers and strong leadership, the Web 2.0 principles can lead to a lot of good work serving no purpose.

What Makes a Good Manager also Makes a Good Employee!

I have been asked what makes a good manager. What I think is a good answer is that the traits that make a good manager make a good employee also.

I was reading an article on AllBusiness.com about what makes a good manager. This is what they wrote in part, as key traits:

• Action-oriented;
• Approachable;
• Able to deal with ambiguity;
• A sense of humor.

Why does it seem like this is so much common sense? Because it is! We often get wrapped up in our own expectations and office politics that we create a "work" persona, instead of just being true to ourselves.

Management is all about personal relationships and trying to bring people to unified action. By using common sense, honesty and building personal relationships, one can be not just a good employee, but also a good manager.