In the current economy morale problems abound. Employees are concerned about the health of their organizations and industries. They worry about mergers, acquisitions, declining sales, and the shift of many job functions to other countries. Employees are frustrated with managers who give limited guidance or, at the other extreme, who micromanage. Every month they find they are working harder than ever before, yet they still worry about job security.
In organizations around the country, good-intentioned programs are put in place to fix poor morale. An overwhelming majority of organizations have recognition programs but most have little effect. Why? Because employees see these programs as superficial fluff intended to distract them from their day to day workplace frustrations. Continue reading » »
Recently, I worked with a manager who wanted to build greater rapport with her team. I gave her an assignment. I asked her to think about what was unique about each team member, how did they contribute to the work the team did, what did she most value about each individual’s role within her organization?
She got back to me with her list. She had put a lot of though into it. One employee was great at relieving group stress by lightening things up. Another had a gift for organizing the work environment. A third was superb with difficult customers.
Her next assignment was to think of a symbol for each trait or behavior. These symbols should be something she could purchase for a few dollars: a puzzle for solving challenges, a silly mask for bringing humor to the workplace, a slinky for flexibility. Continue reading » »
Thank you.
These are two simple words that are becoming rarer every day.
If you don’t believe me try this experiment:
For the next week, every time you make a purchase (in person) pay attention to what the clerk says at the end of the transaction. I have been doing this for a while and have found that there is a very good chance the response will be “have a nice day” or “here you go.”
Warms your heart doesn’t it?
I find myself saying thank you at the end of a transaction far more often than the clerks do.
Yes, I do believe these two words are getting rarer.
We could get into a discussion of why this is happening, but to my point today…
If the thank you is becoming rarer, it is even more important that you remember to thank the people we work with. Expressing appreciation is a critical element of recognition that works. Continue reading » »
Because even the greatest managers can generally benefit from a bit of self assessment, I have decided to share this assessment tool with you.
By the way, the questions are valid for everyone, not just managers and supervisors…
The purpose of this inventory is to help managers and supervisors assess and improve their working relationships. What follows are some of the questions from this inventory along with my commentary.
Do the people you work with value the recognition you are currently giving them?
This question comes first because it is an excellent barometer of the health of your work relationships. If the answer is no, or not as much as you believe they should value it, you will have one or two more areas that could use a bit of tweaking.
Two more questions: Continue reading » »
