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Volume IX-I
Rising
Stress Levels
A survey of 1,848 adults shows that nearly 5
in 10 Americans (48 percent) say their stress level has risen over the
last five years. Nearly one in five (17 percent) surveyed say they reach
their highest stress level 15 or more days a month.
Q: What does your firm do to
contribute to that stress that you can reduce? What can you do to offer
employees stress relief.
Does the Presence of the Boss Affect
Productivity?
When the boss is away, do the people play?
When 1,210 workers were surveyed by ComPsych, 75 percent said they were
equally as productive when the boss is away. Another 23 percent say they
actually work harder when the boss is out.
Q: What do you do to ensure
productivity stays at high levels?
Personal Relationships at Work
Heard on a Today show segment:
- 59% surveyed said they have had a
relationship with a coworker
- 23% of those relationships ended in
marriage
Q: What is your firm's policy on
personal relationships at work? Do all employees know it? Adhere to it?
When you hear of such a relationship, do you investigate to ensure there
is no harassment? To protect the company, do you have the individuals
sign a "Consensual Relationship Agreement"?
Volume VIII-II
A
Hard to Believe Gender Difference
Here's some research that makes you
wonder...
The propensity of women office workers, over
their male counterparts, to disclose their computer passwords to
strangers masquerading as market researchers with the lure of a
chocolate bar as an incentive: 45%of women vs. 10% of men. ~ Infosecurity Europe
Q: What does it mean? We don't know,
but we sure think it's an entertaining statistic!
Dressing for Success May be Back in Vogue
Does dressing for success matter again? A
recent survey found that 93 percent of executives believe a worker's
style of dress influences his or her chances of getting a promotion.
Conversely, only 4 percent of Gen Y workers
want to wear business attire at work, preferring business casual or
jeans and tennis shoes.
~ Survey by Robert Half International's
Office Team
Q: Do you require employees dress for
the board directors, the executives, their peers...or the customers?
Does the type of attire matter to your customers? Do you judge
employees' performance on results or attire?
Corporate Cliches
BBC News released its list of the top 50
office-speak phrases. Here are a few...how many of these do you use?
Population Projections
- The oldest baby boomers will turn 65 in
2011.
- The senior population is expected to grow
from 35 million to 72 million between 2010 and 2030.
- One in five Americans will be 65 or older
in 2030.
- Those 85 or older are projected to grow
from 4.2 million in 2000 to almost 10 million by 2030 and 21 million by
2050.
~ U.S. Census Bureau
Q: Who is your current customer base?
Employee base? How will those change as the population ages? How will
this affect your products and services?
Volume VIII-I
Celebrity Smiles = Higher Pay
In simulated job interviews of 80
individuals, 58% were more likely to be hired and 53% percent received
higher salary offers after their teeth had been whitened. ~ Source:
Kelton Research
Q: What prejudices (yes, prejudices!)
influence you when you are interviewing job candidates that prevent you
from looking at competence?
Stress and Tears
In a survey of 506 adult employees, 22
percent report they have been driven to tears as a result of workplace
stress. ~ Source: RJC Associates
Q: What do you do to monitor
employees' stress levels and help them cope?
Friends Make the Workplace
A survey by Accountemps reports that 57
percent of 150 senior U.S. Executives say office productivity improves
when coworkers are friends outside the office.
Q: Do you encourage or discourage
friendships at work? Do you provide social settings for coworkers to
become friends?
Why Fire New Hires?
The top six reasons for firing a new hire,
according to a Collegiate Employment Research Institute survey of 750
employers proves of interest.
- 28% Unethical behavior
- 18% Lack of motivation/work ethic
- 14% Inappropriate use of technology
- 9% Failure to follow
instructions
- 7% Missing assignment
deadlines
Q: How do these reasons compare to
your firm? How do the compare to reasons for terminating the employment
of employees who have been with you for a while? And the big question,
what can you do to ensure a better hire?
Volume VII - IV
Perception is in the Eye of Employees
A total of 1,854 U.S. workers were surveyed
in 2006 by Hudson, a New York firm. A total of 92 percent of managers
consider themselves excellent or good bosses, yet only 67 percent of
employees rated their bosses highly. In fact, 10 percent of workers say
their bosses do a good job. In addition, the survey indicated:
- Managers are less critical of their bosses
performance than non-managers. With 73 percent of managers saying their
bosses do an excellent or good job versus 63 percent of non-managers
rating their bosses the same.
- Only 26 percent of employees are asked to
formally review their manager's performance.
Q: How does your self-perception
differ from others? And...how do you know that is true?
Dealing with Poor Performers
Of 34,330 employees, 33 percent of managers
and 43 percent of non-management employees said they think their
companies are not doing enough to deal with poor performers. The 2006
survey was conducted by Sirota Survey Intelligence in New York.
Q: If you're not dealing with poor
performers, what type of message is that conveying to other workers?
Staff Conflicts
A survey of 150 senior executives by
Accountemps in California found that managers spend 18 percent of their
time resolving staff personality conflicts.
Q: Of what staff conflicts are you
aware? Are they hurting staff effectiveness and productivity? What have
you done to resolve them? Perhaps more importantly, have you gone back
to confirm the conflict is truly resolved?
Volume VII-III
People Cause Stress
According to
ComPsych, a Chicago-based employee assistance program, people problems
are the top cause for workplace stress. Their StressPulse™ survey for
the second half of 2006 shows 36% of those surveyed citing "people
issues" as the cause of stress, replacing workload problems for the
first time.
Q: What are you doing to help your
employees have positive associations with people with whom they work?
I'll Get to It...Tomorrow
Procrastination, we all do it. Recent
studies confirm some of the reasons we wait:
- You're likely to put off projects you find
boring, dislike, or fear you're not good at doing.
- You want the immediate gratification of
doing something else instead of the benefit of getting the project done.
That is, being low in conscientiousness and high on impulsiveness.
- Waiting until you think you can do it
"perfectly"
- Allowing distractions to get in the way
(does e-mail come to mind?)
Q: On what projects do you
procrastinate? See any common patterns? What can you do to stop
procrastinating? And no, don't tell yourself you'll get to it tomorrow!
Volume VIII - II
The Costs of Poor Hiring Decisions
Hiring and promoting the wrong people is
thought of as detrimental to a business...but in what ways? A recent
survey by Right Management Consultants of 444 organizations found that
there are many ways a company suffers. Responses to the survey:
68% Lower morale
66% Decreased productivity
54% Lost customers/market share
51% Higher training costs
44% Higher recruitment costs
Q: What are you doing to retain good
workers to keep the need for hiring new workers at a minimum? How do you
ensure you are making the best decision on hiring?
For a free
copy of "51 Revealing Interview Questions," click here.
Paying for Poor Performance
A survey conducted by Hudson asked 10,000
U.S. workers if employees in their firms who do a better job receive
more money and benefits than those who do a poor job.
52% No, better performers do not receive
more
35% Yes, better performers receive more
13% Not Sure
That translates to the fact that 52% believe
better performers are paid the same (or less??) than poor performers.
That is no way to motivate people to perform well!
Q: Do you pay poor performers the
same as high-performers? If so, what message does that send? Do you want
the "Why bother improving my performance if I'm paid the same no matter
how good a job I do" belief to circulate in your organization? And...if
you do pay high-performers more, should that be known by the poor
performers?
Feeling Valued
According to Randstad U.S.A., 90% of 1,444
U.S. adults said people over 50 are "with the times," yet 70% said they
think their organization does not value older workers.
Q: What are you doing to help all
your employees feel valued? Are you personalizing the recognition you
give to employees?
Volume VIII - I
What Good is a Performance Review?
More than 2,000 workers were surveyed and 49
percent thought their managers did not take reviews seriously. Yet, 44
percent think they receive constructive feedback from their reviews.
Q: Do you provide feedback your
employees can really use when you conduct a performance review? What
type of conversation do you have? Do you give specific examples of what
work was done well...and how the employee can improve performance?
You Look Marvelous!
You may remember when Casual Fridays first
started, but since that stretched to the entire workweek, seeing people
in business attire is the rarity, not the norm these days. A recent
article in the Los Angeles Times newspaper reported a new trend:
Business Tuesdays. It’s the day when people wear business attire to work
rather than casual. Seems many people are realizing there is a place for
suits, and yes, even ties for men. The question is: Which is better for
your business? Do you dress for the customers, coworkers, or for
personal comfort?
A professional manager should look just
that…professional. While that look will vary by industry, here are some
guidelines to help you look professional and yet modern.
Current hairstyle: Styles change in hair. Is
yours the same as it was ten years ago? If so, perhaps it’s time for
something more in line with today’s style.
Clothes: Mirror the people with whom you
want to work—are they tailored, trendy, corporate, etc? Do your clothes
reflect quality? Are they clean and pressed? Is the fit right?
Accessories: From your jewelry to your shoes
and from your briefcase to the pen you use, what you carry speaks about
you. All should be in good condition, polished, and convey the image you
want to project.
Q:
While the results of your work are the foundation of success, if your
image doesn’t reflect your work, you may not be given a chance to do
that work. What does your image convey? Reassess your look a few times
each year to ensure people perceive you as you wish.
Volume VII - II
Use Your Existing
Staff to Fill Valuable Positions
Where
are the new workers coming from? All the press tells of a an impending
shortage of skilled workers. A study released earlier this year by
International Association for Human Resource Information Management
(IHRIM) reports that 77% of their HR respondents cite talent management
initiatives as a top priority for the next three years. A lot of focus
is on training current staff for new roles, rather than hiring for new
skills.
Q:
Which of your existing employees have high potential for growth? What
are you doing to help lead them into new positions?
Sources of Stress
The top three sources of stress at work,
according to a survey of 185 senior executives and managers, conducted
by NFI Research, were:
52% Deadlines
42% Interruptions
37% Conflicting
responsibilities
Q:
People are more efficient and productive when they are not struggling
with stress. As a manager, what are you doing to help your employees
reduce stress at work? What do you do as a manager to mitigate the
stress of the top three sources reported from the research?
Volume VII-I
Where Leaders Can
Improve
Identifying one’s weaknesses is a strength itself. In what areas do
leaders think they need to improve? The Ken Blanchard Companies surveyed
1,400 management executives and here’s what they said. (released May
2006)
- 43% identified
communications skills as the most critical skill set to possess
- 41% said that
inappropriate use of communication or listening is the number one
mistake leaders make.
- 27% cited under- or over-supervising, giving directions or delegating
as a problem when working with others.
- 15% said that empathy
and emotional intelligence are critical to leadership success
What five things do
leaders think they most often fail to do when working with others?
- 82% cited failing to
provide appropriate feedback, praise or redirection as a personal
shortcoming
- 81% weren’t satisfied
with their ability to listen or involve others
- 76% said they fail to
use a leadership style that is appropriate to the person, task and
situation, which then leads to over- or under-supervision
- 76% cited failure to
set clear goals and objectives as a problem
- 59% said people in
their position too often fail to train and develop their people
Q:
Have you assessed your weaknesses? In what areas can you improve? What
actions can you take to ensure improvements happen?
Volume VI-V
And You Think It's Difficult to Find
People Now!
Editors' Note: What goes around comes
around. With the economic slide of the end of 2008 and 2009, employers
find themselves with the upper hand. When will the cycle change again?
It can't be told, but it will again. Change: The one thing you can
rely on!
It's either an employee or employer
market... sometimes there are more people than jobs and vice versa. The
future, however, promises more jobs than people, says Ernst & Young in
its The Aging of the U.S. Workforce: Employee Challenges and
Responses report (2006). How bad will it be? In ten years, the study
projects there will be 6.7 million more available jobs than workers.
Q: The number of people available to
hire is continually decreasing. Where do you find your new hires? Have
you considered how you can appeal to older people who don't want to
retire, but also don't want to work full time? Have you flexibility in
hours?
Communication
Consulting firm Right Management reports
that about one-third of employees are fully engaged in their jobs,
according to their recent survey of almost 350 businesses. That leaves
the majority of your employees being ineffective and unproductive.
The respondents blame management, with 28%
of the disengaged saying they believe their boss only communicates with
leadership teams, and 15% believe their boss does not know how to
effectively communicate at all.
Q: How does your staff perceive your
communication with them? It is not how you think you communicate that
counts. Ask your staff!
Volume VI-IV
Customer Service and Authority to "Fix"
At
a fine restaurant the other night, my friends and I were disappointed
when the waiter told us that four items listed on the menu were not
available. As luck would have it, two of us wanted two of the
unavailable entrees.
When the dessert menu was given to us, we were told they were out of
crème brulee. Now, they had hit a nerve! As it is considered a specialty
of theirs (one of the best I've ever had), we were all gravely
disappointed now. My regret in having recommended the restaurant
increased with this news. The waiter was apologetic about the unavailable
food items, but that did not compensate for our displeasure. So, I asked
myself what would have “made it all better?"
I
had noticed the manager throughout the night either "loitering" near the
maitre’ de’s desk or chatting with the bartender. Not once did I see him
interact with a customer. If he had stopped at our table to see how the
meal was, perhaps we would have at least felt someone with authority
cared.
Then again, why didn't the waiter's apologies make us feel important? If
the waiter had offered something as small as complementary coffee for
our table, our disappointment (and my regret) would have been mitigated.
And the tone used when making the apology…well, it just didn’t seem
genuine.
Why
is it that those many who serve the customer don't use empathy in such
cases and take tiny steps to provide satisfaction? Did the waiter have
the authority to offer something like free coffee as a goodwill gesture?
If not, why not? Did he know to convey our dissatisfaction to the
manager so the manager could authorize a goodwill gesture? If not, why
not?
Look at your business and ask what "disappointments" might arise while
serving your customers. Most importantly, ask what you will do when
those situations occur. Then, empower your employees to take action.
After all, to some, crème brulee is crucial!
Volume VI-III
How Valued is that "Employee of the Month"
Award?
The traditional "reward" programs may not be that rewarding after all. A
recent Gallup poll of 4 million workers reports that probably 90 percent
of companies have recognition programs, yet 65 percent of their workers
say they don't feel recognized.
In another survey of 1,002 employees conducted by Maritz Inc., 64
percent said they think their companies need to offer a greater choice
of rewards as part of their employee-recognition efforts.
Solution: Employers need to find more personal, unique, and
meaningful ways to recognize and reward employees. Recognition should
come from 360 degrees: managers, coworkers, employees, and customers.
Get to know your employees and discover their interests and goals...only
then can you create a personalized reward that will make them feel
appreciated.
Q: How do you personalize your rewards? How do you know the
recognition and rewards you offer are what each employee truly wants?
Volume VI-II
Multitasking? This will Make Your Head Spin
Researchers are trying to learn whether multi-tasking techniques are
making us more productive or making us scatterbrained. Scientists from
King's College at the University of London recently determined that
people trying to juggle phone calls, e-mail, and other routine office
distractions suffered greater loss of IQ than someone smoking marijuana.
It is believed, however, that people in their 20s today, intimate with
short-attention-span activities may be better able to handle all those
interruptions as they age. And you thought video games had no benefits!
Q: Do you help your employees maintain focus?
"Wait a minute...I'm in the middle of
something."
One estimate is that the typical office worker is interrupted every
three minutes. Yes, you read that right, every three minutes! (Think of
all the ways in which your work can be interrupted, and you just may
find it to be true.)
Q: As a manager, are you an interruption to your employees?
Money Matters
Remember all those surveys that indicated employees ranked "feeling
appreciated" as their number one motivator? Do you believe it?
A
November 2005 survey from Spherion Corp. shows the number one reason
employees said they would stay with their employer is not an intangible.
While employers thought people stayed because of the "management
climate," employees felt otherwise, ranking "financial compensation" as
number one in importance for their decision to stay with an
organization.
In addition, employee's second most desired feature was "benefits."
Third place: Growth and earning potential. (There's that almighty dollar
again.) Fourth place: Time and flexibility. Finally, the employer's
rankings came to light, with "management climate" ranking fifth in
importance.
Q: Money may not be the strongest motivator, but lack of money
certainly is a strong de-motivator! Do you pay at-market or higher?
Volume VI - I
Finally, we know what Men and Women Want!
In a study of more than 900 senior-level women and men from Fortune 1000
companies, Catalyst finds that women and men have equal desires to have
the CEO job.
Q: What are you doing to address the
advancement goals of your employees?
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Future Workers
Some surveys suggest that the baby boomers
will work longer than previous generations and perhaps in completely
different professions. Hiring and retaining a person who is shifting
careers midlife requires a focus on their skills, not their previous job
title.
Q: Are you taking advantage of this
knowledgeable and skilled labor force? Are you equipped to do so when
they represent the largest talent pool?
Unhappiness at Work
The Gallup Organization reports there are an
estimated 22 million unhappy workers in the U.S., costing companies up
to $300 billion a year in lost productivity.
Q: How does this unhappiness affect
morale? Are you listening to your people and addressing their concerns?
What steps are you and your organization taking to retain your human
capital?
Volume IX-IIII
Stuck?
Not Accomplishing What you Want?
Perhaps
it's Executive Dysfunction
Neuropsychologist Russell Barkley describes
it as the inability to change present behavior in deference to future
demands e.g. checking email when you should make calls. You can't
initiate projects, are easily distracted, can't pace yourself or
efficiently prioritize tasks. In short, you just can't be productive and
efficient. Part of not being productive is being motivated.
Neuropsychologist Elkhonon Goldberg points out in his book The
Executive Brain, "Drive has a biological basis. The frontal lobes
are central to the maintenance of drive."
The cure?
Goldberg suggests that outside forces may be
required to initiate action in cases of executive dysfunction and may be
needed to help guide or terminate unhelpful behaviors. What outside
support can you use?
Create a good environment for work without
stress and interruption. Set up a schedule for accomplishments and build
in rewards...and penalties. Learn how to help achieve your goals with
our
Goal Setting and Action Steps pamphlet. It's free - just click on
the link to order!
Volume IX-III
Happy Employees have FlexTime
What is the single most important
program/benefit your employer could offer that would keep you working
productively and happily as you get older?
LifeCare, in Connecticut asked 271 workers
and the top three responses are:
49% Flexible work schedule
15% Health and wellness programs
13% New training/learning opportunities
Q: If you surveyed your employees,
what would they say? Why not ask them?!
Company Reputation as an Employer
Check to see if your organization is
reported at http://www.jobvent.com,
where people rate and comment about employers. Sometimes, those who are
disgruntled are more likely to report than those who are pleased.
However, reality is in the eye of the perceiver and those who complain
make themselves heard.
Q: How is your firm perceived? If
it's reported negatively, what truths are in the complaints?
Check other firms: What are the complaints
of those not happy with their employers and what lessons can you learn
from them?
Research what people think of companies that
rate highly. How do you differ? What should you do to improve how
employees think of your firm?
Job Discrimination
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission reported in March 2009 that it received more than 95,000
discrimination claims during the 2008 fiscal year, a 15% increase over
2007.
The largest increase in claims was in age
discrimination, a 28.7% increase. Allegations on race, sex, and
retaliation also surged to record highs. Race discrimination remained
the most frequently filed complaint, accounting for 35.6% of all 2008
filings, an 11% jump from 2007. Retaliation was the second most
frequent, up 22.6%. Sex discrimination complaints rose by 14%.
Q: Are there any practices at your
firm that could be considered discriminatory? What preventive measures
do you have in place? What checks and balances do you have in place to
discover rogue employees or practices? Do people know that
discrimination will not be tolerated?
Volume IX-V
Wasting Time?
According to a survey from
salary.com, it's estimated employees waste two hours per day at work.
Where do they spend their time?
1. Web surfing
2. Water-cooler chitchat
3. Personal business
4. Phoning friends
5. Extended breaks/lunches
Is Pay Equal for Men and
Women?
Current stats indicate
inequalities in pay are still in place.
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For every dollar a man
makes, a woman makes 78 cents. That number has climbed 1 cent since
2006.
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Male IT workers make
11.9 percent more than female
-
Straight out of college,
women make $15,498 less per year than men; over a 35-year career,
they'll make $210,000 less
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Female CEOs make
$303,000 less than their male counterparts
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According to the
American Association of University Women, following the current
rate, women and men will reach pay equity in 2040.
Meeting Rooms Around the
World
Ever find yourself in a city
needing a high-quality boardroom or meeting room? Look no further
than the Internet. At www.regus.com,
you'll find rooms for 8 - 100 people by the hour through full-day in
high-end buildings around the world that are very affordable.
Some packages include use of an office.
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Management-Mentor™