The economy (and time) changes everything

Much has been written and discussed about Gen Y in the workplace, including in our own webinar with Lisa Orrell. As this article in the Wall Street Journal shows, Millennials are becoming “good workplace citizens.”

Question – Subjectivity in Employee Recognition

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A reader asks:

We are in the process of re-vamping our recognition program.  We have a nomination process for work that is above and beyond the employee’s normal job duties.  There are five different levels of awards brochures presented to the employee by the nominator – different levels given at the discretion of the nominator and the manager of the employee being nominated. 

We have surveyed a random sampling of employees and have found that employees feel there is too much subjectivity in the levels and who receives the recognition award. 

We have now decided to move in a different direction with our program.  We  want to still use a nomination process, but want to move to verbal recognition from a higher level in the organization, eliminating the award brochures. 

How do we go about moving from a program where we gave out “awards” to now going to a verbal recognition?  How do we come up with specific guidelines for what qualifies as above and beyond performance? Continue reading » »

Employee Satisfaction Surveys

Cindy Ventrice

 

Since so many organizations use employee surveys, it seems important to talk a bit about analyzing the results of those surveys

Employee surveys can be very helpful. 

  • When you know what is working, you can build upon your successes.
  • When you discover where problems exist, you will be able to take corrective action.
  • Keep in mind that, often, instead of providing answers, surveys just create more questions. Ask yourself what the results mean. For instance, if only 25 percent of employees believe they get appropriate recognition, why is that true? Did respondents understand the statement as it was intended? Can they tell you what would make recognition more appropriate? To find the answers, follow up with one-on-one interviews.

    Case Study
    Consider one consulting firm’s satisfaction survey that included these three statements related to recognition.  

    (1) Teams are recognized for their contributions to improving how we work. Eighty-two percent responded favorably to this state ment, a good response.

    (2) Individuals are recognized for their contributions to improving how we work. Seventy-six percent responded favorably, still a pretty good rating.

    (3) How satisfied are you with the recognition you get?  Only 56 percent responded favorably to this state ment. This low response rate should have been a red flag for the firm.

    The burning question should have been why are only 56 percent of respondents satisfied with the recognition they get? Continue reading » »