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Loading ...When you asked them, what did they say?
In meeting with some business owners lately, I started noticing a pattern that could very well be the root of many HR problems…
"I want to increase our benefits offering to our employees…" OR "We need better dental insurance" are phrases we (in the HR industry) have heard many times. Often, these are presented as "THE SOLUTION" - So what is the ACTUAL problem? Turnover, Morale, Productivity, Recruiting, etc.?
So when sitting with these business owners, I find myself asking the same question time and time again:
"So when you [business owner] asked your employees what is the top 5 reasons you (hate, love, would leave, would stay) working here, what did your employees say?
MOST COMMON ANSWER - "Well… I didn't ask"
No matter what the problem - DON'T COME UP WITH THE SOLUTION IN A VACCUMM!!! You might just spend a LOT of money trying to fix a problem on the wrong end…
Just food for thought -
Harry Glazer
Posted January 30th, 2008 by Harry Glazer - Posted in Benefits, Health, Human Resources, Productivity, Recruiting | | 0 Comments
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Why Can’t I Check MySpace?
I'm sure you've heard it around the office. MySpace, Facebook, and all the other social networking sites out there are being blocked at the office, and for good reason. Many employees don't understand that there is more to risk than just a lack of employee production.
This news story goes on to say, "Their chief concern is the potential damage from viruses or spyware, according to Barracuda. They cited the potential drain on employee productivity as a close second. What's more, employers will tell you that bandwidth issues and potential liability exposure are also convincing reasons to restrict certain Internet access by employees."
From an employers view, there are too many potential money eaters in the equation to allow employees to waste away on the internet. If you want to be social at work, get to know a fellow employee while working on a project.
Posted January 25th, 2008 by admin - Posted in Human Resources, Productivity | | 3 Comments
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Watercooler Ethics
There are a few issues that shouldn’t be brought up at work.
When we all gather around the water cooler in the afternoon or the coffee pot in the morning, there are a few topics that should always remain off limits. The more controversial the topic, the stronger the reasoning is to not bring it up. More specific topics that you might want to leave out, such as…
- Should abortion continue to be legal?
- Should same-sex marriage be legalized?
- How relevant to holding public office is a person's religion?
- How much should the wealthy be taxed?
- To what extent should the federal government be involved in social programs?
Keeping the workplace free from controversy will help keep the employees productivity levels up. Maybe this is something to look into for your company.
Posted January 18th, 2008 by admin - Posted in Human Resources, Other, Productivity | | 0 Comments
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Got the Office Blues?
There's nothing that brings a team closer together than putting in some time for a good cause. A little community service goes a long way not just for the organization you are helping out, but for employee moral and team building. Its a positive experience all the way around. Getting beyond those doors and windows, even just for an hour, brightens the spirits and mends the office blues.
Here are a few activities for building up your employees:
· Painting & Clay Sculpture
· Community Service
· Group Luncheon
· Creative Thinking / Brainstorming
· Salsa Dancing, Belly Dancing, Jazz Performers, and DJ's
· Storytelling
· Team Building & Theatre Sports– (Team Games)
Posted January 11th, 2008 by admin - Posted in Health, Human Resources, Productivity | | 0 Comments
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Wasting time at work – think you are not “one of those employees†– well think again!
I will start by saying that I AM GUILTY and am trying to break some bad habits. Now that I got that out of the way, here is an exercise that could prove helpful when dealing with this problem.
Now be careful!!! If your corporate culture is not "right" this might backfire on you - so be careful of those unintended consequences. Have your company, department, etc. do this exercise for one day: (by the way, do it yourself before you have others do it to see what you come up with)…and if you are brave, share your results with the team prior to them doing it – might bring down some defenses-
It is simple… For one day - Document and hourly log of what you actually did that day. Print out an hourly log sheet (like a daily calendar) and have it on your desk. Here is the key - Fill it out every hour on the hour. This way we can prevent our imaginations from making us more productive than we really are….
Also - Be BRUTALLY honest. If from 8-9 all you got accomplished was making coffee, saying hi to Susie, and using the restroom - then put that down on paper. If you stay honest and true to the system, I think you will find out how much time we spend doing "stuff" that doesn't make any money!
Now if you are as lucky as I am to work for a great employer and be managed by a great boss – share it with your boss and have him/her help you (not judge you) on how to make your time more productive.
Here is an interesting study that applies. I found it on http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2005/07/11/wastingtime.TMP
Top Time-Wasting Activities (%)
1 Surfing Internet (personal use) 44.7%
2 Socializing with co-workers 23.4%
3 Conducting personal business 6.8%
4 Spacing out 3.9%
5 Running errands off-premises 3.1%
6 Making personal phone calls 2.3%
7 Applying for other jobs 1.3%
8 Planning personal events 1.0%
9 Arriving late / Leaving early 1.0%
10 Other 12.5%
Maybe this year instead of just making a resolution you will forget about in one week, developing awareness to a bad habit might be a good way for you to take yourself to the next level.
You can also download CBR’s special FREE Report: Why Employees Waste Time (and How to Resolve it) for additional tips!
Harry
Posted January 11th, 2008 by Harry Glazer - Posted in Human Resources, Productivity | | 0 Comments
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...A Puff A Day Keeps The Boss Angry
Is there an answer to the question of if an employee that smokes is less productive than a non-smoking employee?
With the amount of smoking breaks taken throughout a day, it’s hard to think otherwise. I’ve also heard the other side of the story where the smoker says the non-smokers spend just as much time complaining about the smoker being on break, so they must be even.
Take a look at this graph, you can decide for yourself.
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Posted January 4th, 2008 by admin - Posted in Health, Human Resources, Productivity, Workers' Comp | | 1 Comments
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...How to Cook Up a Successful Team
There are certain guidelines to follow when forming a successful team in business. Two of the hardest parts are finding the right people to interview, and hiring the right people.
In order to attain a winning team, there has to be a balance of characters, attitudes, and personalities. There are four main types of employees, as described in this article from BusinessWeek, magicians, warriors, sovereigns, and lovers.
Does your company have the right mix to be winners?
The Four Types of Employees
• Magicians. They are the rational yet imaginative souls in your organization. They think a new idea or insight is the only thing that can move the world. In truth, they're obsessed by ideas. Their answer to feeding the troops is to pull a rabbit out of a hat. These types of people think a mere argument over an idea equals action.
• Lovers. For them, everything comes down to human relations. They're pragmatic but emotional. They focus on building the winning coalition. They are obsessed not by ideas but by feelings. They consider agreement an action.
• Sovereigns. They are the emotional and imaginative types. They focus on the big picture and judge everything on whether it leads to where they want to go. They redefine what people consider is possible. They are obsessed by beliefs. And they consider direction a form of action.
• Warriors. They are rational and pragmatic. They're focused on the next battle and can only see clearly what's directly in front of them. They hold people accountable to systems and the fairness of those systems. They're obsessed by facts. For them, action is finding the critical factor to get something immediately accomplished.
Posted December 20th, 2007 by admin - Posted in Human Resources, Productivity, Recruiting | | 0 Comments
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Monkey See…Monkey Do
“If your people aren't performing up to their best potential, maybe it's time for you to take a look in the mirror,” is the quote to lead off an article I found at Business Week.
Most of the time all you hear about it is hiring the right employees, retaining superstar workers, or maintaining a good working environment. Maybe there is something more to finding productivity with in your workplace. Maybe its you!
Take a long look in the mirror and make sure what your employees are seeing is what you want them to be doing. Without the executives at the top setting the example, it won’t matter how great you think your employees are. What they see is what they will do.
Posted November 20th, 2007 by admin - Posted in Human Resources, Productivity | | 0 Comments
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