Employee Recognition – Key to Improving Performance and Morale

Strategy Plan One

August 14, 2012

Employee Recognition and Feedback

Gathering feedback from staff and customers is essential to moving forward with your continuous improvement processes.  It is always best to seek internal and external objective input into your business operations.  However, in certain business environments, management and employees may not necessarily be connected, leading to a lack of feedback and recognition.

Here, in this infographic from Rypple, statistics and impacts of management-employee communications highlight:

• 65% feel they don’t receive enough feedback in the workplace 
• 34% of managers want to engage staff and provide more feedback
• The larger the company and the higher the status of the executive, the feedback gap widens
•  Veteran managers want to provide more input to staff

Key messages on feedback and recognition:

• Feedback and recognition improves morale, less costly mechanisms to achieve performance improvements
• Employees are more engaged in operations, the business and objectives when recognized by management for their efforts

Source: Rypple

It is clear that there is a correlation between constructive management feedback and employee job satisfaction, performance and morale.  It’s in your best interest to ensure you implement strong feedback mechanisms and employee-management performance appraisals to help build capacities in your organization.

More on Management, Employees, and HR:

• Government Employees – Valuable, Skilled, Educated Workforce
• Business Tips – Maximize Performance and Business Development Results
• Hiring – Strategies and Tips for Strong Staffing Processes
• High Performance – Star Qualities to Get You Noticed
• Productivity – 6 Small Steps For a More Productive Day
• Employee Morale Improvements – Small Things You Can Do as a Leader

More business blogs of interest:

• Social Media – Getting Organized With a Task List
• Social Media Impacts on Small Business [infographic]
• Marketing Tips for Better Customer Engagement and Results [infographic]
• Digital Marketing – Conversion Opportunities for Business
• Business Plan – The Next Steps
• Business Intelligence – Keeping you Wired In

• Business Issues Faced in the Summer Months

Strategy Plan One

http://strategyplanone.com

Business information, resources and tips for the entrepreneur

© 2012 Strategy Plan One

Positive Work-Life Balance in Your Business Organization

Strategy Plan One

April 4, 2012 

Work-Life Balance

Work-life balance is the process of establishing an equilibrium between work and every other aspect of life.

 

In a satisfying environment, one strives to seek that balance between the activities that are classified as doing work and those activities we deem essential to running the family and household, those recreational and down-time activities we need to recharge and enjoy life.

A great work-life balance must start with you first, if you want to be a successful balanced entrepreneur.  You will also need to ensure your staff are happy and healthy in a productive environment by way of a strong, implemented work-life balance in your organization.

Work-Life Balance – In your Business

To maximize your business’ performance, you and your team need to stay healthy and happy.  Work-life balance is one of those key things an employer can do outside of compensation, to provide more benefits to staff.  Without work-life balance features, employees will need to take off significant amounts of time for family responsibilities and other.  You as a business owner know that in some cases, staff may call in sick when family duties are calling them.  This has a significant impact on operations and performance of the organization. Business finances take a hit if leaves are compensated for, or if you have to insert replacement staff.

Work-Life Balance – Flexible Scheduling

If your business environment is one of flexibility to allow for flexible scheduling, encourage and promote flexible work arrangements.  This works well in industries where core functions are not considered essential services.

Industries such as medical care or education, flexible arrangement may be difficult but not impossible.  Having flexible scheduling allows staff members to take care of family responsibilities without impacting the business or the career path.

Work-life Balance features you could offer to employees:

• Combining or revising classifications of leave (i.e.: vacation leave or medical leave)
• Paid leave for educational or capacity building activities
• Work at home arrangements
• Work on the road schedules
• Daycare programs at work
• Concentrated scheduling
• Allow for health, wellness and fitness programs and time for it at work
• Bring kids to work environment if you have teams of working parents in your business
• In stressful and pressured work environments ensure you build in corporate activities to give everyone that stress break, such as non-work activities

Work-Life Balance Statistics

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) completed a study (Sept 2010) of the work-life balance dynamic in US businesses.  Here are some of the statistics:

• 89% of respondents stated work-life balance was an issue; 54% stated it was serious
• 57% of those surveyed claimed that employers are not effectively addressing work-life balance and not doing enough
• 38% said work-life balance has worsened in these tough economic times

 

However, with businesses that incorporate great work-life balance features, employees cite they are more happy and productive and the performance of those organizations show marked improvements.

Some of the Many Work-Life Balance Benefits for Employers and Employees:

1. Physically and mentally healthier and happier employees
2. Less absenteeism
3. Job satisfaction level for employees increases
4. Sick leave and medical claims decrease
5. Improved corporate culture
6. Improved performance of staff and units
7. Talent management improvements in employee retention
8. Can be included in the promotion of “best places to work”
9. Improved enjoyment of life
10. Improved and stronger family and business relationships 

Encourage leaders within your organization to come forward and develop teams and meetings to address work-life balance issues at your business.  As an effective leader and entrepreneur, encourage team members to provide feedback on how to make the work environment better.  Listen and learn when employees speak on employee satisfaction in the workplace.  Survey employees frequently and engage in conversation with them about work-life balance.

Work-life balance at work is a very effective way to improve your organization across individuals and business units.  Allow your professional teams to help others be successful with results-based, work-life best practices.

Strategy Plan One

http://strategyplanone.com

Business information, resources and tips for the entrepreneur

© 2012 Strategy Plan One

Lessons Learned … From Your Own Employees

Strategy Plan One

March 26, 2012 

 

Employees Have the Ground, Intelligence Wise

Your business has been successful and booming for a long period of time, and you as the leader / entrepreneur, have been busy in your management duties.

You may be far removed from the ground level operations, not having to grind it out on the floor or crank out code, or deal directly with customers.  However, you are not that removed from your employees who have the greatest wealth of knowledge of the operational level.

Much can be learned from employees who know what is and isn’t working at the operational level, who know what the customer’s actions, thoughts and feedback are, and what other employees are saying behind the management lines.

Engaging and Interacting Frequently with Employees

As a manager, leader, and entrepreneur, engage and interact well and frequently with your employees.  Make it well known that you are openly interested daily about what is taking place on the floor.  It should be a part of your daily routine, either through inspecting your place of retail or office space.  The employees will feel more at ease when the management team is readily and physically available for open discussions.

Grab Intelligence from Employees

Setting the stage with frequent engagement and interactions will assist in your employees openly providing you with a wealth of information to improve operations and/or improve client and customer relationships.  These professionals in your organization may provide valuable recommendations and will look to you as the leader to implement some solutions from issues they encounter.

Make employees feel valued that they can share information and that you, as a tuned-in entrepreneur, are listening and willing to embrace recommendations for approval.

Encourage Continuous Improvements From Employees

To stay on the cutting edge and at the top of your industry, you will need your employees to think and act innovatively.  The best practices and solutions do originate from team actions, and so would innovative practices.

Empower your employees to develop ground-breaking practices that would set the units, team, and business far ahead of the competitors.  Create an environment that is rewarding and promotes recognition for achievements.  Depending on your budgets, you can develop incentive programs for high achievers and for employees that bring innovative solutions to the table.  You may be surprised at the untapped intelligence from all of your professional staff.

Strategy Plan One

http://strategyplanone.com

Business information, resources and tips for the entrepreneur

Strategic Tips to Improve Employee Performance

 

Strategy Plan One

January 27, 2012 

 

1.             Frequent and consistent recognition

Employees always want to know that they are appreciated for their efforts.  Recognition is one of those things a leader can do that can have a major impact on employees, and it doesn’t cost a dime.  For some low performing employees, this exercise may be difficult, but tactful handling will provide results.  By noticing and informing an employee of positive small steps, that employee may turn into a star performer.  Communicate with employees frequently and create a positive environment by recognizing all efforts.

 

2.             Empower employees to take the lead on projects

As an employer, you have already taken adequate steps to identify and hire the right people.  As a leader, you will need to let go of some of the hands-on operational projects.  Empower and encourage your employees and subject matter experts to take the lead.  Those employees will feel valued and will take ownership of a project.  Employees will be motivated to meet a company objective along with a personal goal in leading a project from initiation to successful completion.

 

3.            Involve staff in the decision making process

Make employees feel valued by asking them to become involved in the decisions of the company.  Once employees know that their efforts have been recognized and considered in the decision making process, employee behaviour will switch to becoming more involved and participation will increase.

 

4.             Provide constructive, positive tone feedback to employees

It is sometimes difficult to approach an employee about low performance.  Instead of an initial attack or criticism of the performance, a better approach would be to provide constructive feedback.  An example:

 

Bob’s track record on assembly line A was lower than the other employees.  Management approached Bob, recognizing the small efforts first, mentioning performance issues, ending with compliments to him as a valued employee.  Management stated they valued his opinion and asked for his feedback for improvements.  Bob reacted positively and performance increased.

 

5.             Conduct regular employee performance appraisal and development sessions

As part of your regular human resources core functions, structure employee performance appraisals and personal development procedures into your human resources plan.  On a quarterly or semi-annual basis, schedule employee performance appraisals.  Structure those sessions to include mutual feedback between the manager and the employee.  Go over the things that are working well and the elements that need improvement.  In areas that need improvement, a leader must encourage employee development and the manager must dedicate the resources to improve the deficiencies.  The appraisal process should also be an opportunity for the employee to provide feedback on the organization and management.  The manager should embrace an open environment where all constructive feedback is encouraged.  Employees will buy-in to an open appraisal method and performance will improve as the employee develops.

 

Strategy Plan One

© Strategy Plan One 2012

Business information, resources and tips for the entrepreneur