51. Treating Employees with Respect Keeps Unions at Bay [Financial Post] Monday 03/15/04 10:28 PM
Most companies think that employees unionize because of economic reasons but employers who treat employees with respect are generally immune from unionization.
The formula for remaining union free is carried out in the following areas:
RECRUITMENT - Don't hire employees with a history of troublesome behavior or incompetent performance. These are the types of employees that like to hide behind unions. Because it is difficult to weed out problem employees from an interview, it's important to have a rigourously enforced probation period and to conduct detailed reference checks.
When conducting reference checks, ask specific questions that relate to the necessary work and behavior traits of the position. Ask questions such as:
- Was the candidate ever reprimanded for something?
- Did the candidate ever have a conflict with anyone?
- Was she ever late for work?
If you get "yes" answers, probe for further details.
GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES - Initiate a formal procedure by which employees can bring problems to your attention. Be sure to follow up on all grievances even if you are not able to solve their concern. The communication is better than not answering at all.
REGULARLY REVIEW EMPLOYEE MORALE - Use group meetings between management and staff and exit interviews to keep on top of indicators that might point to problems with employee morale. Keep track of turnover, absenteeism, refusal to participate and increased complaints.
CEO MEETINGS - The CEO sould meet with each employee on an annual basis to review their career goals and air any concerns.
SUPERVISION - Terminate poor managers who are not able to improve their supervisory skills. Look for problems in not listening to staff, acting abusively, playing favorites and not acknowledging contributions. Make sure that supervisors receive appropriate and ongoing management training.
TERMINATE POOR PERFORMERS - Poor performers drag everyone down.
WAGES & BENEFITS - Make sure your compensation plan is fair and competitive. Check to be sure that you are not paying two employees different compensation for the same job without a strong reason to do so.
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52. How to Improve Exit Interview Participation Rates [Nobscot Corporation] Friday 03/12/04 3:13 AM
The more employees that complete your exit interviews, the more data you have to help identify areas causing employee turnover.
Average participation rate for paper and pencil exit interviews is 35%. You can increase that to 65% or more by following the steps outlined in this article.
Start by measuring your current participation rates. Divide the number of completed exits by the number of employees that you have requested to complete the exit interview. This will yield a number that you will need to track frequently.
Next you should examine both your exit survey as well as the process. Some of the things to look for include:
Is the exit interview too long?
Are the exit interview questions confusing or personally invasive?
Do the employees believe that the exit interviews will be read or make a difference?
Are the employees afraid of repercussions?
Are the employees angry at the company?
Is the process difficult or uncomfortable?
You also need to look at the logistics of the process that take place from the time the employee gives their notice until the exit interview is completed. Audit your process to see where any breakdowns in communication are happening. The article outlines a number of audit questions you can use for this process.
Use the information that you have gathered to improve on your process. Then re-measure your response rates at quarterly intervals. You should expect to see a dramatic improvement by the 12 month mark.
By reviewing and improving both the content and structure of the exit interview along with your own internal processes, you can deliver a substantial increase in your participation rates.
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53. Motivate Employees with Effective Recognition Programs [HeraldNet] Friday 03/05/04 1:00 AM
Motivate Employees with Effective Recognition Programs
Creative recognition programs reinforce the behaviors that help companies reach their corporate strategic goals. An effective program usually includes:
- day to day employee recognition by peers
- informal recognition driven by managers
- formal companywide recognition events
Recognition by peers includes such programs as those that encourage employees to catch other employees doing things right.
Managers can informally recognize employees' success and contributions with celebrations, end-of-project events and team accomplishment parties.
Formal companywide programs usually indclude things such as annual rewards and recognition events.
The most simple and least expensive motivator is a respected manager telling an employee "job well done".
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54. Job Embeddedness as a Predictor of Employee Turnover [California State University] Wednesday 03/03/04 7:27 PM
According to professor Chris Sablynski, the reason people choose to stay with a company is because of "job embeddedness."
Job embeddedness breaks down into 3 categories:
Fit - How well the person fits with their work, workplace and community
Links - The richness of personal relationships with co-workers, friendships and the degree by which others depend on them
Sacrifice - The things that an employee would need to give up if they left the company. Things such as a good benefits plan and respect of management require sacrifice on the part of an employee considering leaving
Sablynski's research suggests tht Job Embeddedness is a stronger predictor of employee turnover, absenteeism and job performance than traditional concepts.
Job Embeddedness can be fostered in a variety of ways including hiring employees that fit well into both the company and the community. Links can be established through programs such as corporate mentoring, teams and committees. Outside of the company, community links can be encouraged through company sponsored sports teams and community events. A feeling of sacrifice is created by offering attractive perks such as on-site daycare and flex time.
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55. Performance Management Misconceptions [DM Review] Friday 02/27/04 2:53 PM
1) Performance Management isn't new. It may be going by new buzz names, but its goal of aligning employees with company goals and objectives is not new.
2) You don't need new technology. You already have the information you need for performance management. Use that information to connect employees to goals.
3) Balance Scorecard is not the answer. It's hard for many companies to fit all of their key objectives into the 4 main pillars of Balance Scorecard.
4) Most teams are not clear on Key Performance Indicators (KPI). Key performance indicators need to be looked at in context not just as a set of data. For example don't just look at the number of new customers, look at the number of new customers versus plan. KPIs require context to determine how they fare relative to corporate goals.
5) A new Planning System won't solve your problems. You need to also have good processes, methodologies and a way to link high level objectives with strategic goals and metrics.
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56. The "Stay Interview" versus the "Exit Interview" [Kansas City Nursing News] Tuesday 02/24/04 1:41 PM
St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City attributes their low employee turnover in part to "stay interviews" that their Human Resource department conducts with long term employees.
Unlike exit interviews, stay interviews are conducted with a random selection of employees who have been with the hospital for at least 5 years. The selected employees respond to questions about the job, their supervisor, employee benefits, working conditions and communications. They are also asked why they stay with the hospital and what suggestions they have to improve the work environment.
Saint Luke's is often recognized for their excellence in Human Resources including being named one of the Best Places to Work by CIO Magazine.
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57. Take Care When Promoting Employees From Within [Globe and Mail] Saturday 02/21/04 6:15 PM
The traits that make an employee successful on their job are often the same traits that make them unsuccessful as a manager. Management is often more complex than it looks to a star employee.
There are both pros and cons to promoting employees from within.
Some of the pros include:
- Demonstrates to employees that they will be rewarded for top performance
- Is an effective employee retention tool
- Current employees have greater knowledge of the products/services and internal processes
- Reduced learning curve and training time
Some of the cons are:
- A new manager will rarely admit that they are not qualified for the supervisory position
- If the culture is already toxic, it will likely continue even when an employee is promoted
- Does not allow for bringing in new ideas and vitality from outside the organization
How to best handle promoting from within?
Ask yourself a number of questions to determine if the employee is ready, willing and able to take on the new position.
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1. Can the candidate demonstrate the required management skills?
2. Does the candidate have the necessary interpersonal skills? Superior technical/sales skills are less important for a management role.
3. Does the candidate want the job (as opposed to the promotion)?
4. Has the candidate shown his/her ambition and comfort with risk-taking?
5. Can the candidate let go of his/her current/former position?
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Additionally, have a clear understanding of the skills necessary to be an effective manager in your organization.
Provide clear communication regarding the announcement of promotions to limit jealousy and rivalry.
Formally train the new manager with supervisory role playing, continuing education and mentoring.
Recognize that not everyone is capable of being a good manager. Because management skills are so crucial to employee productivity and employee retention, it's important to deal with problem supervisors quickly.
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58. How Retailers Can Reduce Employee Turnover [Grocery Headquarters] Friday 02/20/04 2:11 AM
High Turnover in supermarkets and retail stores can create for a negative experience for customers.
The cost of employee turnover for the typical supermarket is $189,977 annually.
Even though part time retail positions are often filled with students and seniors, analysts insist that retailers should not use this as an excuse for high levels of employee turnover.
One of the best ways to control turnover is to identify how employees perceive the work environment. Some areas to look at include managerial support, reward practices and training programs. Exit interviews and employee surveys can be used to gauge employee satisfaction levels.
To improve employee retention, supermarkets should make sure that employees understand that there is an opportunity for career advancement in the grocery industry. Targeting high potential employees and encouraging them to enter the food service industry can pay off with long term employees and future managers.
For those employees who are not interested in career advancement, training programs can keep the job interesting and rewarding. A pleasant work environment and friendships on the job can also be key in retaining employees long term.
To support a pleasant work environment, the number one thing retailers can do is improve the supervisory skills of managers. Many employees in retail are promoted into supervisory positions without being given adequate management training. Effective management skills can create an environment that fosters employee retention while poor management often drives employees away.
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59. Beefed Up Retirement Benefits Aid Banks in Quest for Improved Employee Retention [Yahoo Finance] Wednesday 02/18/04 11:50 PM
Data shows that retention focused banks cut attrition in half and create millions of dollars in HR savings.
One old fashioned retention tool seeing new attention is employee benefits programs - specifically the company retirement program.
Financial service firms that made it to Money Magazine's "Best Benefits" list provide employee 401(k)s with 100% matches on up to 6% of salary.
Health benefits, work life balance and paid time off were also mentioned as important parts of an effective employee benefits program.
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60. Strategic Charitable Giving Boosts Employee Retention [USA Today] Wednesday 01/07/04 11:39 PM
Charitable giving can benefit both the charities that receive and the companies that give. Giving has often been thought of only as a community service program. Today, companies are leveraging their giving as an aid to recruiting and retention.
Companies can create a charitable giving program that improves employee retention by implementing the following steps:
- Create a "Social Responsibilty Statement" that outlines the kinds of programs that the company would like to support.
- Create a budget.
- Set up a committee of volunteer employees who will select charities to support based on the Social Responsibility Statement.
- Allow the employees on the committee to determine budget allocations of selected charitable organizations.
- Provide employees with both financial resources and company time to participate in chosen charitable programs.
Such a program increases employee engagement and encourages employees to speak highly of the company. The outcome of involving employees in your charitable giving program includes improved employee morale, increased employee retention and the opportuntity to note skills in employees previously overlooked.
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