Articles
Four in ten employers have no engagement strategy
Michelle Stevens - People Management |
21 Feb 2012 |
But engaging staff critical to any business, says Sky's people director. Two-fifths of employers have not devised a formal strategy to engage and motivate their staff, new research has revealed. A quarter of employees (26 per cent) also rated the majority of their peers as 'not engaged', according to a study by recruiter Adecco, which was unveiled at the Unlocking Britain's Potential conference this morning.
Managed to distraction
Tommy Weir - The National |
19 Feb 2012 |
The idea of being micromanaged by a superior might send shivers up the spines of employees. This is definitely an emotive topic but one that can have a positive impact on an organisation or can cripple employee engagement.
Leadership, morale and employee turnover
Duane Dike - Management Issues |
17 Feb 2012 |
Nearly half of newly-hired workers in entry-level unskilled jobs in the U.S., like those in the fast-food industry, quit in less than one year. In fact, annual turnover in these jobs is between 65 and 85 percent. That means that in a fast-food restaurant with 20 employees, 10 will quit each year while of their 10 replacements, half will also leave before the same year is up.
A New Take on Employee Engagement
Richard Hadden - Contented Cow Partners |
17 Feb 2012 |
This weekend, in the afterglow of Valentine's Day, at least 24 couples will walk down the aisle, tie the knot, and be married, at the same time and place, in the Mexican city of Tijuana. What makes these weddings remarkable is that they'll not be taking place in a church, a judge's chambers, or on a nearby Pacific beach, but instead at the Plantronics headset factory where at least one member of each couple works. Mass weddings in a headset factory? There's got to be more to that story. And there is.
Building emotional skills for the future world of work
Andrew Humphries - HR Magazine |
16 Feb 2012 |
It's clear that the application of emotional intelligence (EI) can provide significant benefit to industry. By measuring and developing EI in the workplace, we can see improvements in areas such as employee selection, predictive indicators of ability, management capability, staff morale and turnover, communications and performance...the list of benefits goes on.
Employee engagement at Tesco: optimising two-way communication
Judith Nelson, International HR Director, Tesco (Personnel Today) |
15 Feb 2012 |
Employee engagement is a key tool for employers that want to attract and retain staff, but does a large number of employees make it more difficult to engage successfully with all of them? Judith Nelson, Tesco's international HR director, reveals the steps the company has taken to boost its employee engagement.
The four biggest issues for HR to tackle this year
Charlotte Sweeney - People Management |
14 Feb 2012 |
2012 is already shaping up as a big year for HR, with reward, engagement, flexible working and resourcing being some of the key issues faced by organisations. So how should HR be positioning themselves in these debates, and what does the rest of the year have in store for our profession?
'Counter-offers' for resigning staff on the rise
People Management |
14 Feb 2012 |
As employers worry about losing key talent, one in four (23 per cent) senior HR professionals say their organisation is now more likely to make a counter-offer than previously, found a survey by recruitment firm Robert Half. London employers and large private sector firms are those most likely to use this tactic. The trend comes as three in four (72 per cent) of respondents said that losing top performers was a growing concern for them this year.
Cass Business School and Cranfield Management School identify four types of employee engagement
David Woods - HR Magazine |
13 Feb 2012 |
A new international study of employee engagement in multinational enterprises (MNE's) has identified four different domains of engagement and the factors which drive them.
Falling short: a third of us give the boss a big thumbs down
Brian Amble - Management Issues |
13 Feb 2012 |
If you're one of those who feels that their boss is remote, ineffective and even incompetent, you're not alone. In fact according to a new report, a third of employees worldwide think their manager is ineffective and four out of 10 have left a job primarily because of poor leadership.
Monitoring Job Satisfaction
Human REsources Management Guide |
10 Feb 2012 |
Employee satisfaction is a key indicator for defining staff rewards and benefits and over 70% of businesses have taken steps to monitor it. The study was commissioned by healthcare specialists PMI Health Group, who described the findings as 'very encouraging' but still believe that more can be done.
Focus HR on Process Improvement
Brad Power - HBR Blog Network |
08 Feb 2012 |
To deliver more value, the human resources function needs to spend more time accelerating operational improvement and less time on its traditional administrative and compliance activities. As Randy MacDonald, senior vice president of HR at IBM, told me, "It's important for HR to decide what is core and non-core. Administrative responsibilities such as getting paychecks out on time are not core. In HR, we need to focus on what is important."
8 Things Your Employees Need Most
Jeff Haden - Inc. |
02 Feb 2012 |
Pay is important. But pay only goes so far. Getting a raise is like buying a bigger house; soon, more becomes the new normal. Higher wages won't cause employees to automatically perform at a higher level. Commitment, work ethic, and motivation are not based on pay. To truly care about your business, your employees need these eight things-and they need them from you.
Career Development - The Benefits of Getting it Right
Human Capital Magazine |
31 Jan 2012 |
For organisations to succeed in the current economic climate HR must be able to realise the full potential of employees, keep them productive and engaged. It sounds easy enough, however, formal career discussions between employees and their immediate managers remain a rarity for many organisations, limiting the ability to help employees steer their career in a direction that will add value to the organisation and allow it to thrive.
Pull up a chair, make yourself at home: the line manager and recruitment
Anton Franckiess - HR Magazine |
30 Jan 2012 |
In most organisations, defining the culture and generating a sense of employee inclusion are seen as responsibilities that rest firmly in the HR ambit: HR is where the initiatives to bolster these activities and embed a sense of belonging spring from. But while the presentation of the employer brand through the recruitment process is something that HR will usually 'own', it helps to pay attention to what happens once the lucky candidate actually joins the company.
Leadership & emotional intelligence: A decade of discovery and key questions for HR directors
Martyn Newman - HR Magazine |
27 Jan 2012 |
When Paul Ekman, a prominent emotions researcher, first travelled to the highlands of Papua New Guinea a few decades ago to study emotions in tribes people he could not have imaged the revolution in psychology - and the impact on the workplace - that this would spark.
Economic climate creates a 'new breed' of influential HR director, according to Penna research
David Woods - HR Magazine |
26 Jan 2012 |
HR directors have seen their influence increase over the past 12 months, suggesting that the economic climate has provided fertile ground for a new breed of HRD.
How can we tackle a long-hours culture?
Greg Lunn - HR Magazine |
25 Jan 2012 |
Most of us were probably told as children that 'Hard work never killed anyone'. Despite the saying, though, it is widely agreed - by academics, trade unions, EU legislators, health and safety experts and others - that it is desirable to limit the number of hours a week that people work. Japanese even has a word for 'death from overwork': karoshi.
UK employees among most stressed in the world, global survey of 60,000 reveals
David Woods - HR Magazine |
24 Jan 2012 |
Workplace stress is at a four-year high, according to a Kenexa report which revealing 35% of UK employees are now experiencing an unreasonable level of stress at work. A four-year study of 60,000 workers in six countries by the Kenexa High Performance Institute shows the UK's stress level has risen by 10 percentage points since 2008, making it the highest out of the countries surveyed: the UK, the United States, Germany, China, Brazil and India.
CEO buy-in crucial to boosting engagement levels
Michelle Stevens - People Management |
24 Jan 2012 |
Behavioural changes 'have to come from the top', hears CIPD conference. The spearheading of change programmes by senior leaders can make the difference to improving engagement levels, the CIPD Employee Engagement conference heard today.
Culture Eats Strategy For Lunch
Shawn ParrTue - Fast Company |
24 Jan 2012 |
Get on a Southwest flight to anywhere, buy shoes from Zappos.com, pants from Nordstrom, groceries from Whole Foods, anything from Costco, a Starbucks espresso, or a Double-Double from In N' Out, and you'll get a taste of these brands' vibrant cultures.
Transform HR Into a Revenue-Impact Function to Increase Your Strategic Impact
Dr. John Sullivan - Ere.net |
23 Jan 2012 |
HR and talent management leaders are constantly striving to become more strategic. But more often than not it seems that when they are presented with a strategic alternative that really breaks new ground, they retreat and stick with the status quo. However, if you are serious about making a strategic impact and you take a minute to reflect, it's hard to think of many things that could have more of a strategic impact than increasing corporate revenues.
Why Appreciation Matters So Much
Tony Schwartz - HBR Blog Network |
23 Jan 2012 |
Whatever else each of us derives from our work, there may be nothing more precious than the feeling that we truly matter - that we contribute unique value to the whole, and that we're recognized for it. The single highest driver of engagement, according to a worldwide study conducted by Towers Watson, is whether or not workers feel their managers are genuinely interested in their wellbeing. Less than 40 percent of workers felt so engaged.
Master These 5 Remarkable Strategies of Motivation and Go Straight to the Top
Mark Fidelman - Business Insider |
23 Jan 2012 |
According to a recent Gallup Poll, about a third of all U.S. workers are dissatisfied with either the recognition they receive, their chances for promotion, or the amount of money they earn. Worse, seventy-one percent of American workers are "not engaged" or "actively disengaged" in their work. Since most of us cannot change the economy, I'd like to focus on what we can do at work instead.
Work is an emotional business
David Finney - HR Magazine |
18 Jan 2012 |
Some CIPD professionals pursue a career in HR for the learning and development (L&D) dream, only to find themselves swamped in redundancy consultation and conflict resolution. It seems the remit of an HR professional has evolved to suit the times.
The Top 10 Trends in CSR for 2012
Tim Mohin - Forbes.com |
18 Jan 2012 |
Here are the biggest developments to watch for this year in the ever growing and changing world of corporate social responsibility.
Employers look to enhance flexible benefits provision in difficult times, finds CIPP
David Woods - HR Magazine |
17 Jan 2012 |
Flexible benefit schemes are growing in popularity, as employers explore ways to keep staff engagement levels up in 'difficult times', according to a report by the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals (CIPP). The CIPP found a third of employees (32%) believe flexible benefits being offered by an employer on top of their basic salary is increasing.
Is there a link between staff resilience and engagement levels?
Will Mitchell - HR Zone |
17 Jan 2012 |
Resilience has been a hot topic for me lately and that trend isn't slowing. One of my colleagues recently attended the Division of Occupational Psychology's Annual Conference where he presented a paper: Is an employee's level of resilience related to their work engagement? In this, Ali Shalfrooshan studied the relationship between individual resilience and work engagement with interesting results. Significant connections were found between the two aspects.
Career management a win-win for the organisation and the employee
Michael Moran - HR Magazine |
16 Jan 2012 |
There can be little disagreement with the statement we are living in difficult times. Employees are being squeezed as the cost of living increases and a climate of uncertainty pervades. Not surprisingly organisations are seeking to increase productivity whereas employees' morale is falling.
Tighten the team
Simon Hayward - People Management |
16 Jan 2012 |
2011 was a tumultuous time for most leaders. With another year of uncertainty ahead, what are the areas we need to focus on to meet our biggest challenges? We need to encourage more dialogue across our organisations. It builds closer relationships in the workplace, improves team working, and sparks new ideas. The conversations you have with others can be a more powerful catalyst for change than any new systems and processes you introduce this year.
The employee age
Dennis Walsh - Sustainable Industries |
16 Jan 2012 |
Enlightened employers know that, if they want great people to perform at the top of their game, they must engage and care for their employees' well-being beyond a paycheck. The Gallup organization dubbed employee engagement, "a leading indicator of financial performance" and backed it up with research showing that "engaged organizations have 3.9 times the earnings per share (EPS) growth rate compared to organizations with lower engagement in the same industry."
Directors out of touch with middle managers, research shows
Michelle Stevens - People Management |
16 Jan 2012 |
Company bosses have 'distorted' view of own abilities and are unduly positive. Company directors have a "distorted" view of their success and reputation compared to less senior managers in their organisation, according to new research from Roffey Park. Board members are also "out of touch" with lower ranks in their perception of how effectively change is managed, found the leadership institute's latest Management Agenda report.
Workplace 2011: Overworked and under-engaged
ByJohn Baldoni - CBS News Moneywatch |
12 Jan 2012 |
Think you may be working longer and harder? Recent surveys show that you are not imagining things. A recent survey of 4,400 employees for CareerBuilder.com reported that one half of employees are taking on more work and 37% are doing the work of two people.
Prevent employee resignations this New Year
HC Online |
12 Jan 2012 |
The beginning of the New Year often spells resolutions, and for employees who felt unappreciated and disengaged in 2012, top of their list may be "new year, new career". However employers will be considering a different resolution - retaining the top performers. According to Paula Maidens from Recruitment Coach, employers must give careful consideration to retention strategies right from the outset of 2012 or risk losing key employees.
All cream and no bottle: the talent management challenge
Matt Evans - HR Magazine |
10 Jan 2012 |
Talent development and talent management are not entirely synonyms: the former is an intervention applied to some or all of the people in an organisation, while the latter is a matter of strategy that should ideally be seen as 'husbandry' activity - maximising the human resources of the organisation by the judicious and informed application of its non-human resources. (Or 'time, money and energy', in plainer speech.)
Positive Intelligence
Shawn Achor - HBR Magazine |
10 Jan 2012 |
In July 2010 Burt's Bees, a personal-care products company, was undergoing enormous change as it began a global expansion into 19 new countries. In this kind of high-pressure situation, many leaders pester their deputies with frequent meetings or flood their in-boxes with urgent demands. In doing so, managers jack up everyone's anxiety level, which activates the portion of the brain that processes threats-the amygdala-and steals resources from the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for effective problem solving.
IBM Focuses HR on Change
Brad Power - HBR Blog Network |
10 Jan 2012 |
It's rare to find a corporate human resources function that accelerates change by actively finding ways to help drive new strategies. Most HR groups sit back and wait for requests from the business for administrative people transactions. In their role of stewards of policy compliance, they can tend to be a brake on change.
Workplace Bullying Is Bad For Business
David Yamada - Worcester Business Journal |
09 Jan 2012 |
Workplace bullying is the deliberate, health-endangering mistreatment of an employee by a supervisor or co-workers. It may come in the form of the yelling and screaming boss who regularly inflicts high-decibel tirades upon a subordinate. It may come in the form of workers who deliberately sabotage the reputation of a co-worker by spreading lies and rumors about his or her performance and character.
Strategies to Revive Work Ethic in Your Business and Soar Profits in 2012
Eric Chester - 4hoteliers.com |
09 Jan 2012 |
You want more business and higher profits in 2012, your mind is racing with clever promotional schemes and innovative marketing ideas to attract new customers in the coming year. Stop. Reboot your thinking. That's right. Hit your mental "Control - Alt - Delete" keys. The surest way to grow your business in 2012 is to get your employees to work as hard as you do.
Britons Are The World's Most Bullied Workers, Study Reveals
Kyrsty Hazell - The Huffington Post UK |
09 Jan 2012 |
Britons are among the world's most bullied workers, with seven in 10 admitting to being bullied by bosses or colleagues. A survey by recruitment company Monster, questioning 16,517 workers in 53 countries, discovered a quarter of Brits find the bullying and cruel jibes so upsetting it dramatically affects their performance at work. Some 10% admitted they had even been physically attacked in the workplace.
Why CSR's Future Matters to Your Company
Susan McPherson - HBR Blog Network |
06 Jan 2012 |
More and more, companies are building long-term commitments to corporate social responsibility. In 2012 the rise in consumer activism and mobility, the Occupy movement, 24-hour accountability (thanks to social media), and global resource depletion will force every enterprise, large and small, to make CSR a focal point. Four particular areas stand out among many.
Four Critical Conversations that Maximize Employee Engagement & Performance
Christine McLeod - Impact People Practices |
05 Jan 2012 |
The role of managers and supervisors in the employee engagement process is vital. This is something we all know. Recently, a client asked me to outline some of the key conversations that need to occur between managers and supervisors and their teams. The initial list was huge but I was able to combine some ideas and eliminate others to come up with the four critical conversations I believe need to take place.
Employers 'fail to explain reward decisions' - Lack of communication may hit engagement, warns CIPD
PM Management |
04 Jan 2012 |
Too many employers are failing to communicate the rationale behind their decisions on pay, risking employee disengagement, according to CIPD research. Only two in five give a full explanation for decisions on raising, cutting or freezing pay, and of those who do communicate, less than one in five relate the decision to the individual's performance, found the institute's annual survey of Employee Attitudes to Pay.
5 Companies, 5 Different Takes on Employee Engagement
Claudia Girrbach - Greenbiz.com |
03 Jan 2012 |
These companies realize that despite good intentions, many employees are too busy to implement even simple changes. These leaders are finding creative ways to provide that extra nudge. While researching this topic, five approaches emerged.
Leadership Caffeine: For Better Results, Quit Telling and Start Letting Go
Art Petty - Management Excellence |
03 Jan 2012 |
Starting this year, shift the focus to you and your role and your daily habits, and for everyone's sake, quit telling people how to do their jobs. No one loves a micro-manager, and trust me, this includes those being micro-managed and those above you looking for talented leaders to promote into positions of increasing responsibility.
Workplace Bullying, It's Also Called Harassment
Steve M. Cohen, Ed.D. - Psychology Today |
03 Jan 2012 |
How do you prevent bullying in your workplace? Bullying has received enormous attention in the media during the last 12 months. States have enacted anti-bullying rules in the schools, and the Department of Labor and the state Human Rights Commissions have long been interested in eliminating bullying from the workplace. In the business setting, bullying directed at employees by employers has been a staple at the table for years. Bullying directed at employees by other employees, often ignored as office drama by employers, also exists in abundance.
Incorporating happiness into the workplace
Rex W. Huppke - Chicago Tribune |
01 Jan 2012 |
Rarely do we associate the words "happiness" and "work." They're an unlikely pairing, like "squirrel" and "yummy" or "Kardashian" and "admirable." But because it's the new year and I'm feeling peppy and optimistic, let's connect those two nouns with a preposition and consider the possibility of "happiness at work."
Should HR focus on recruiting or employee engagement?
Matt Rivera - Yoh |
29 Dec 2011 |
I recently wrote about the reported increase in training at many companies and cited employee engagement as another important ingredient for employee retention. While writing it, an interesting thought occurred to me. If you had to choose, which should you focus your internal HR resources on: recruiting or employee engagement? Like many things in life, the answer is probably, "it depends." But I think it's an important question to ask because as I've written in previous posts, employee engagement is part of recruiting.
Your Best ROI Measure? Employee Loyalty
Paul Spiegelman - INC.com |
28 Dec 2011 |
Decrease the likelihood your employees will leave, save money onboarding, and increase profitability-and receive notes like the one I got from Brian Johnson. I've been thinking a lot about the numbers behind our business. Like I recently read a statistic that said most people will work for something like nine different employers over their career. And according to the Corporate Leadership Council 2004 Employee Engagement Survey, every 10 percent improvement in commitment can decrease an employee's probability of departure by 9 percent.
Campbell's CEO hits right note
Bruce Clarke - newsobserver.com |
19 Dec 2011 |
I just read "TouchPoints" by the CEO of Campbell Soup Company, Doug Conant. Whether you like soup or not, you have to like his message: regular, individual, supportive and genuine communication between two humans is a powerful motivator and problem solver. Conant is famous within Campbell's for writing personal notes to employees. Thousands of notes. Some notes are funny, while others share a few sincere words. Some follow a personal tragedy or loss. Some are detailed with real appreciation for a serious accomplishment or a successful career. Whatever the topic, each one says that the CEO of a Fortune 500 company shoved a pressing problem aside to recognize an individuals needs.
5/3 gets engaged
Josh Pichler - Cincinnati.com |
18 Dec 2011 |
What does emotional intelligence have to do with good business? Everything, says one CEO. In less than two days, a corporate employee-engagement program changed Robert Shaffer's life. And if the top executive of Fifth Third Bancorp is right, Shaffer's story - and thousands like it - will be a key reason the 22,000-employee bank grows and thrives in still-uncertain economic and regulatory times.
It's Time To Un-Learn Management 101 And Take Management To A New Level
Mary McCoy - Forbes |
15 Dec 2011 |
Over the decades, Management 101 has served us well: Define your work flow, assess your personnel needs, run an ad, hire the 'right person' and then hold them accountable to their job description. It's a straight-forward process with no surprises as everyone knows the rules. Many fortunes have been made though this approach but indications are now pointing to the fact there may be a more direct way to get to where we're all trying to go. Perhaps it's time to look at how work works from a fresh vantage point.
What Employees Want More Than A Raise in 2012
Meghan Casserly - Forbes |
15 Dec 2011 |
What Employees Want This Holiday Season. Well shock me, shock me, shock me. New numbers from the Corporate Executive Board's quarterly study of 20,000 employees over the second half of 2011 took a look at the biggest driver of employee retention-that is, the reasons people choose to stay loyal to their company-and found that it's not about the Benjamins in the post-recession workforce.
Employee wellbeing at the Olympic Park is the strategy behind its impressive health and safety
Daniel Lucy - HR Magazine |
14 Dec 2011 |
Research by CIPD and others has demonstrated the importance of employee engagement for business performance. But it is still the case that too many employers make too little effort to ensure that their workforce feels valued and involved, both key drivers of engagement. Perhaps for some engagement seems too complex, or creating the conditions for engagement too difficult.
Improving A Leading Indicator of Financial Performance: Employee Engagement
Ty Kiisel - Forbes |
14 Dec 2011 |
I don't think there's any question that engaged employees are more productive. Research by the Gallup organization shows that they are also "... more profitable, more customer-focused, safer, and more likely to withstand temptations to leave. The best-performing companies know that employee engagement improvement strategy linked to achievement of corporate goals will help them win in the marketplace."
Employees 'have best ideas in the pub'
Talent Management |
12 Dec 2011 |
Interaction away from the office crucial, survey suggests. Getting employees together outside of the workplace may be the best way to foster creativity and ideas, a survey has suggested.
Employee Engagement: Why Do It If You Can't Do it Right?
Dr. Kathy Miller - Environmental Leader |
12 Dec 2011 |
All of us who own, manage or lead companies long for employees who are productive and engaged with their work. In fact an increasing number of business leaders have come to believe that employee engagement is a key to business success. Evidence supports this belief. In a recent Environmental Leader article, I cited several studies that show a strong relationship between engagement levels and favorable company outcomes.
Greening the workplace 2011: Engaging Employees to Benefit the Planet and the Bottom Line
Brighter Planet |
09 Dec 2011 |
Do employees support and engage with corporate sustainability strategies? According to a new report, it depends. Brighter Planet, an organization which uses "hard numbers and raw data" to explore opportunities and trends in sustainability, has released the results of its second biennial survey on employee engagement with sustainability, and discovered several important trends.
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Weave Change into Your HR Processes
Brad Power - HR Blog Network |
09 Dec 2011 |
Profound changes in an organization must be led from the top, but human resource professionals can play a big part in making them happen. Consider HR's role in accelerating Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates' operational improvement initiative. This 4,500-employee Massachusetts healthcare group embarked on "Care Improvement" three years ago. Chief Human Resources Officer Dan Michaud told me how HR has helped weave the initiative into all the firm's processes for managing people.
How to Empower Your Employees
Anthony J. Bradley Mark P. McDonald - Harvard Business Review |
06 Dec 2011 |
People can't serve as your company's greatest assets unless you motivate them, say Anthony J. Bradley and Mark P. McDonald. Many of us in business have heard the popular aphorism, "People are your greatest asset." Some of us may even believe it. But is this sentiment reflected in our corporate cultures and the way our leaders lead? For the most part, no-and there's a reason for that.
10 Predictions for 2012: The Top Trends in Talent Management and Recruiting
Dr. John Sullivan - ERE.net |
05 Dec 2011 |
By definition, being strategic requires that you look forward - identifying trends, opportunities, and threats. With the December lull looming, now is a great time to plan for the future. I've listed the "top 10 talent management trends" I foresee that require your attention.
Employee engagement: whose responsibility is it anyway?
Jessica Colling - HR Magazine |
02 Dec 2011 |
It's 8.30am on launch day. The banners are up, the stand looks fantastic and the champions are in place brandishing flyers. As employees arrive we go to work promoting the new health & well-being service that's being launched. All is going well except that the executive HR sponsor is nowhere to be seen. By lunchtime there's still no exec sponsor or even anyone from the executive team. The day passes and while staff are interested and engaged in what they see that one key ingredient critical for project longevity is still missing: visible senior management buy-in.
Happy employees are key to profitability
Carrie Pinsky - North Colorado Business Report |
02 Dec 2011 |
Research by Time magazine within the past year indicated that less than half of American workers are satisfied with their jobs. According to a 2011 Citrix survey, 72 percent of American workers are not engaged in their work. The poll described disengaged workers as literally "sleepwalking through the day."
Britain's bosses are realising successful businesses focus on generating results, not monitoring what employees do at their desks
HR Editorial - HR Magazine |
30 Nov 2011 |
Managers are becoming more favourable to flexible working arrangements and allow staff to carry out personal tasks at work, but expect staff to work outside of office hours in return, a study of 1,000 bosses has revealed. Seven out of 10 UK managers think the old idea of 'nine to five' working is dying out in favour of more flexible working arrangements, according to a new survey commissioned by Vodafone.
Recognition, retention and performance
Manisha Kadagathur - Deccan Herald |
30 Nov 2011 |
Different tools can be applied to bestow laurels on an employee. Highly effective managers recognise the value of using employee recognition as part of their day-to-day management style. These managers intuitively recognise what behavioural researchers have expostulated for years. Employees who are valued and engaged are more likely to actively contribute to the success of the organisation.
Employment versus employability: is there a trade off?
Angela Baron - HR Magazine |
30 Nov 2011 |
With almost three million people out of work it could be forgiven for thinking that career management is a luxury in these uncertain economic times, when too many people are concerned about hanging onto their current job, rather than looking for the next.
Empower Your Employees ... Your Business Depends on It
By Jeff Wuorio - Business on Main |
29 Nov 2011 |
Employee empowerment isn't just a buzzword - a lack of it can stunt a small business's growth. Learn how to empower your staff in simple, unexpected ways. GovernmentAuctions.org doesn't believe in easing new employees into work routines. Newcomers to the company - which tracks government auctions - are tossed headfirst into major responsibilities, such as handling social media, marketing, press and affiliate management. Some newbies cope with the pressure; others burn out.
Under-24s won't work for firms where social media is banned
James Brockett - People Management |
28 Nov 2011 |
Employers out of touch with 'Generation Facebook' finds research. Almost half of under-24s say they would not work for a company where social media was banned, a survey has claimed. The research by recruitment provider Hyphen, which surveyed 1,000 people, found that 48 per cent of people aged 16-24 reject the idea of a workplace where social networking tools were prohibited. Six out of ten (59 per cent) of the same group believe that using social media increases their effectiveness as an employee.
The Cinderella Candidate
People Geeks |
28 Nov 2011 |
Are you wondering why that candidate you fell in love with a few short weeks or months ago doesn't look so great now? You had such high hopes for them. They were going to be your next star employee. They were such a great fit for the role. Obviously they misrepresented themselves by fooling you into believing they were something they are not.
The Idealistic Realistic: What Really Helped Elevate Campbell Soup Company
Douglas R. Conant - HBR Blog Network |
28 Nov 2011 |
Perhaps you've heard the story. When I stepped in to run the Campbell Soup Company in 2001, the environment at Campbell was hugely challenging. We'd lost half of our market value in just one year. We were at a strategic crossroads for our shareholders. Employee engagement had plummeted to an all-time low and some our best people were hanging on by a thread. Making matters worse, Camden, New Jersey, home to our World Headquarters, was firmly established as one of the poorest and most dangerous cities in the United States. Safety concerns for our employees abounded. Campbell was failing on virtually all fronts.
Communicating with staff: are you talking the same language or is there a complete mismatch?
Stephen Yates - HR Magazine |
25 Nov 2011 |
Communication - that glaring word which is often highlighted as an 'area for improvement' in the annual employee survey, the thing that requires time and effort and, in a period where unemployment is at an all time high and the job market has apparently collapsed, is the number one complaint from those who are employed in the retail, service and hospitality sectors.
Cuddly management? Being an employer is about managing, not mothering
Dean Hunter - HR Magazine |
25 Nov 2011 |
When it comes to staff behaviour and performance, what kind of management do you have? Some employers apply strict policies to keep employees on a tight rein. Others take a more laid back approach, letting conduct slide and demonstrating reluctance to confront disciplinary issues. It is this 'soft' attitude, which I advise against. Having the appropriate management style is key to good business. Many employers are too easy-going on staff and let tough decisions be made with their hearts instead of their heads.
Empower people for better time management
Pat Brans - CFO World UK |
23 Nov 2011 |
Richard Guest has held senior finance positions in several different companies including Diageo and Burger King, where he was vice president of finance. He recently served as interim group chief financial officer of Travelex and finds time management more critical in such a role. "It's good experience, because you get exposed to different models and cultures," he says. Regardless of the culture or the industry in which you are responsible for finance to get things done you need a world class team. You need to set clear direction and empower people to do the job. "If you don't have a team that can identify the issues and solve the problems for themselves, you'll spend all your time fighting fires," he adds.
Three Types of People to Fire Immediately
G. Michael Maddock and Raphael Louis Vitòn - Bloomberg Businessweek |
23 Nov 2011 |
I wanted a happy culture. So I fired all the unhappy people." -A very successful CEO (who asked not to be named) We (your authors) teach our children to work hard and never, ever give up. We teach them to be grateful, to be full of wonder, to expect good things to happen. But some day we'll also teach them to fire people. Why? After working with the most inventive people in the world for two decades, we've discovered the value of a certain item in the leadership toolbox: the pink slip.
6 ways to improve your benefits communication
Benefits Canada |
23 Nov 2011 |
Communicating your benefits plan to employees in a way they understand and will act upon can be challenging. And if employees feel their employers don't understand or appreciate their needs, that disengagement can be costly-according to a Gallup survey, the cost of disengaged workers is estimated to be more than $300 billion annually in lost productivity for U.S. businesses, reports Buck Consultants. The good news: improving communication can increase employee engagement and an organization's bottom line.
Managing 5 Kinds of Hiring Managers
Cassandra Denny - ERE.net |
22 Nov 2011 |
No matter who you're meeting with, make a good impression. But hiring managers even more so. You will potentially be partnering with these individuals during your entire stay at the company you are with, and potentially beyond.
Britain needs better leadership training
Petra Wilton - The Guardian |
21 Nov 2011 |
The theme at this year's Chartered Management Institute's (CMI) recent conference was how to rectify the UK's chronic shortage of qualified managers and enable the country, in both the private and public sectors, to become "fit for growth". Rectifying the problem through management and leadership development is essential to getting Britain back on its feet but at present, just one in five managers holds a management qualification. This is every bit as much of an issue for the public sector, with all the changes and pressures it is experiencing, as it is for private sector businesses.
What makes a good CEO?
Fiona Rotherham - Unlimited |
18 Nov 2011 |
A good chief executive can make or break a business - so what does one look like? If you were tasked with headhunting a new CEO, what would you look for? Your search will depend on the type of business the CEO is running - the boss of a startup will need different skills to one running a large, listed corporate or a not-for-profit. That aside, if you had a recipe for a good CEO what would the ingredients be?
Innovation Jump Start! A 5-Step Process for Seeding an Innovation Culture
Mike Brown - Brainzooming |
18 Nov 2011 |
Too often organizations think innovation is simply about generating a lot of creative or "out-of-the-box" ideas. But in organizations where innovation has truly become central to their culture, ideation is simply one step - and not necessarily the first - in an innovation process. Don't confuse innovation with ideation. Ideation is a tool, but innovation is a process. Don't let the word "process" intimidate you. Instead, focus on these five guidelines to jump start your innovation process.
Give Thanks: It Can Boost Engagement
Deanna Hartley - Talent Management |
18 Nov 2011 |
Even though gratitude is top of mind for executives around Thanksgiving, showing year-round recognition and appreciation can yield positive business results. Every Thanksgiving Day, Don MacPherson has a routine that doesn't involve basting turkey or baking pumpkin pie. Instead, he gets to his office by 8 a.m. and calls each of his 23 employees to thank them for choosing to work at his company.
Engage or be out of business
Anu Sharma - InformationWeek |
16 Nov 2011 |
Many researches reveal that best employers excel at employee engagement. So how can you drive employee engagement in your team? Does employee engagement seem like another buzzword to you? The concept of employee engagement was developed in response to responding to employee needs. There was also a rising interest in employee engagement due to the dotcom bubble burst in 2000, which caused the economy to dip and created unemployment. Then came the Millennials, a new generation of workers who demanded more from their employer than just pay. As the economy changes and employee needs evolve, employee engagement becomes more and more essential in increasing productivity while satisfying employee needs.
Why Doesn't HR Lead Change?
Brad Power - HBR Blog Network |
16 Nov 2011 |
It's hard to find leaders of the human resources (HR) function who are active in helping their organization improve the way it works. I asked dozens of people who are in HR or in process improvement to share examples of HR change leaders, and I only found a few.
What Your Boss Needs to Know About Engagement
Teresa Amabile and Steve Kramer - HBR Blog Network |
16 Nov 2011 |
Gallup estimated that worker disengagement accounts for more than $300 billion annually in lost productivity in the U.S. alone. In fact, according to Gallup, only one-third of workers are enthusiastic about the work they do and feel they are contributing to their organizations in positive way. Even worse, middle-aged and highly educated workers are least likely to be engaged. These are precisely the people who should be operating at peak creativity and productivity. So, what is going on? A survey by the American Psychological Association (APA) provides some insights.
How improving employee engagement can impact your talent strategy
Matt Rivera |
16 Nov 2011 |
A recent article on CFO.com got me thinking about how important employee engagement is to your talent strategy. The article quoted the results of a survey that revealed the #1 reason employees might want to leave: stress. While the results might not surprise you, at the very least, they should make you stop and think about why employees might be stressed at your company. Do you really know how your employees are doing right now?
The hunt for model employees
Doug & Polly White - Sydney Morning Herald |
16 Nov 2011 |
Doug and Polly White have seen small businesses use all kinds of questionable hiring practices. There was the entrepreneur who hired anyone looking for work. Then there was the woman who hired and fired her sister twice. The list goes on. In their book, Let go to GROW: why some businesses thrive and others fail to reach their potential, the Whites found from their business consulting that entrepreneurs often don't know how to hire employees.
5 Ways to Keep Employees Engaged During the Holidays
Business News Daily Staff |
15 Nov 2011 |
Keeping your employees engaged in their work can be a challenge during the holiday season. Considering that the holiday season lasts roughly from the week of Thanksgiving until after New Year's, managers who don't find ways to keep their team motivated risk losing a lot of money during the fall and winter months. Factor in that many employees will be doing much of their holiday shopping at work (and on work computers), and you've got an even bigger problem on your hands.
CIPD 2011: Unipart fuses engagement with 'lean' to boost output
Claire Warren - People Management |
14 Nov 2011 |
Workers morale increased despite impact of recession, says HR director. A blended approach fusing both lean working and employee engagement techniques can lead to improved productivity and efficiency, according to the group HR director at Unipart Group. HR doesn't have to choose between business tactics, John Greatrex told delegates at the CIPD annual conference. "I don't believe that HR maintains humanity or we all become machines. I really believe there is a way you can blend them both," he said.
Employee Engagement - As Simple As ABC
Ken Milloy |
14 Nov 2011 |
Building an engaged workforce is perhaps the biggest challenge facing today's employer. The benefits are well documented - increased customer loyalty, reductions in lost time and higher performance levels - yet cultivating an engaged workforce can be tough. Here is an A to Z list about engagement from the eyes and hearts of employees to help you think about what needs to happen and where you need to focus your attention. Armed with these insights, you will be well on your way to building the engaged workforce you want and need.
Survey: 1 In 6 Adults Suffer Some Form Of Workplace Bullying
Kristine Johnson - CBS New York |
14 Nov 2011 |
Statistics Clearly Show This Is Not A Problem Reserved For Just Schools. Bullying isn't limited to colleges or even classroom. It happens everywhere. In fact, more adults are reporting being bullied at work. Now, New York State is taking steps to help employees fight back, reports CBS. Bullied worker Lee Love has a message for all employers. "Bosses beware. People will take action," Love said. She's not upset about her workload - or even her salary. Love is fed up with bullying in the workplace. Experts say an adult bully could be a boss, a manager and even a colleague, but their behavior isn't much different from a bully in the school yard.
10 Top Tips for Increasing Staff Engagement and Results with Wellness Initiatives
Jeff Archer - Employee Wellness Magazine |
11 Nov 2011 |
The buzzwords for this year's World Health Day are 'no action today, no cure for tomorrow'. These words couldn't be more relevant when it comes to the health and wellness of every single individual, within every single organisation around the world. Successful wellness is all about instant action so here are, firstly, the top 5 ways in which any organisation can instantly improve staff engagement with wellness programmes, followed by the top 5 most effective behaviour changes adopted by staff participating in wellness initiatives.
CIPD 2011: How HR can foster engagement through line managers
Jill Evans - People Management |
11 Nov 2011 |
HR must recognise that "tea and sympathy" is a priority for boosting engagement but it is a job for line managers, not them, delegates heard. Lisa Sibley, employee engagement manager at Essex County Council, said "I believe if you engage your employees you can deliver significant change. Transformation is not an excuse for disengagement. And the line manager's role is key. The best thing we can do as line managers is to create the time and space to listen to our people. The role of HR is to support and enable line managers to be great, engaging managers."
Is It Better to Be Liked or Feared?
Lynn Taylor - Bloomberg Businessweek |
11 Nov 2011 |
Instead of vacillating between being power players and pushovers, leaders should try to earn respect. You've seen images of professional sports coaches screaming at slumped-over teams in locker rooms. Cut to the corporate boardroom, where you see a "terrible two" tantrum thrust upon employees. Maybe you've experienced a mild case of power-mongering yourself, briefly believing that fear-based motivation would get things done. Then, feeling a bit remorseful, you did a 180 to overcompensate by offering an elaborate employee-appreciation breakfast, complete with chocolate croissants. A week later, you feel you've been taken advantage of, work is too relaxed, and you're losing support. Now you're questioning those French pastries. This yo-yoing between being a power player and a pushover-pleaser makes your perplexed staff wonder if you've fallen victim to pathological mood swings.
CIPD 2011: M&S shares its predictors of employee engagement
Rob MacLachlan - People Management |
10 Nov 2011 |
If the 25 per cent of Marks & Spencer stores with the lowest engagement scores in staff surveys performed as well in sales terms as the top 25 per cent, HR director Tanith Dodge told delegates, M&S would increase its sales by £104m a year. That's a useful metric to have, she added "next time I'm stuck in the lift with a manager who doubts the value of employee engagement." Dodge, who is a member of the government taskforce on employee engagement led by David MacLeod, told the CIPD conference that every organisation needs to identify for itself "what are the defining moments for your people - what really excites them at work."
De-stressing Stress - A Leader's Guide
Simon Hayward, Cirrus - IEDP |
09 Nov 2011 |
Following the recent news that a high-profile CEO in the banking sector has stepped back from his job due to stress - until now a taboo word in the macho world of big business - Simon Hayward, Managing Director at Cirrus, provides some advice for leaders .
CIPD 2011: John Lewis maintains trust with redeployment
Michelle Stevens - People Management |
09 Nov 2011 |
High levels of trust within an organisation can drive employee engagement even through times of turbulent economic and organisational change, the CIPD's annual conference heard today. Jane Beine, head of partner development at John Lewis, told delegates that a three-year restructuring programme at the retailer had seen 3,300 posts made redundant as it removed "out-dated" roles. Despite that during this period employee survey scores around leadership and trust actually increased, as employees felt well informed about the changes and transitions. "It indicated to us that our leaders were being true to the values of the organisation," she added. "Strong leadership is an essential part of doing business."
Goodbye to Office Politics: When Workers Lead the Culture, Collaboration Follows
Darryl Ohrt - Ad Age Agency News |
09 Nov 2011 |
An engaging culture is part of Carrot Creative. Creative Director Darryl Ohrt talks bout the return on investment in nuturing that culture - new clients.
Younger employees most satisfied with work, but also most likely to leave, says Mercer survey
Dan Woods - HR Magazine |
08 Nov 2011 |
Young workers worldwide present an unusual paradox for employers: they are more likely than the overall workforce to be satisfied with the organisations for which they work, yet also more likely to be considering leaving them, according to a global survey from Mercer.
Employee Engagement: 33 Keys for Engaged Wellbeing
David Zinger |
08 Nov 2011 |
A Heretic's Manifesto of Engaged Wellbeing: Let's think (and act) differently just for the health of it. A new view of wellbeing. David Zinger believe's we have too much fluff and far too many mistaken notions about wellbeing and wellness at work.
Employee Engagement Levels at a Low
Joanne Sammer - Business Finance Magazine |
08 Nov 2011 |
Companies are facing an epidemic of employee disengagement. If not addressed, productivity is bound to suffer if it hasn't already. Perhaps the most disturbing part of this poll is the fact that workers who should be at their peak working years are the most likely to be disengaged. Despite this companies still have plenty of opportunity to turn things around and engage employees anew in the business and their role in the company's success.
CIPD Conference: "HR must become business leaders and strategists"
Cath Everette - HR Zone |
08 Nov 2011 |
If HR professionals are to take up their rightful mantle as agents of change, they must become "first and foremost business leaders and strategists driving performance and change through people". Gill Rider, president of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, warned in her keynote speech to open the organisation's annual conference in Manchester today that a difficult economic climate, changing demographics and a crisis of trust in leadership had only increased the need for HR professionals to develop and cement their business skills.
The Radically Engaged Business: Creating a Culture Energized Through Purpose and Citizenship
Carol Cone - Huff Post |
04 Nov 2011 |
For over 30 years, executive VP Carol Cone, has witnessed the power of purpose and citizenship to galvanize and ignite employees' commitment to their companies. When employees discover the connection between what they do and what a company stands for they become more thoroughly engaged, motivated, productive, innovative, loyal and committed. And the payoffs aren't just soft. According to Gallup, engaged organizations have a 3.9x higher earnings per share growth than organizations with lower engagement scores in the same industry. Employees are powerful engines of organizational success; engaging with them is absolutely critical in our hyper competitive, 24/7, globalized economy. The most committed employees share a destiny with their employers, and the most successful organizations today execute against a higher "Purpose" than just making money.
Sequel: How Engaged Employees Create Engaged Clients
Sonia Di Maulo - Leaders Change Group |
03 Nov 2011 |
A simple, yet compelling, example of the benefits engaged employees. In the words of Maya Angelou, people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
Mercer report says 40% of employees are looking elsewhere, but SMEs well-placed to boost productivity
Madeleine Heffernan - Smart Company |
02 Nov 2011 |
Making employees engaged with an organisation rather than just satisfied might be as simple as ensuring an employee can see their future within the organisation, Mercer says, adding that SMEs are well-placed to reap the productivity benefits of an engaged workforce. Satisfaction is an output of an engagement level. The big-ticket items that drive engagement are being respected, quality leadership and communication, feeling a part of the business, making a contribution, and agreeing with the value-set the organisation is pursuing.
Staff continue to feel taken for granted as working hours increase and engagement levels plummet
David Woods - HR Magazine |
02 Nov 2011 |
According to a recent poll, nearly three quarters (70%) of more than 1,000 employees polled feel their employer either takes their efforts for granted or expects them to feel grateful for having a job. Despite economic uncertainty a significant number of employers are still looking to hire. Employers need to focus on employee engagement to ensure they keep their best people or those staff who feel undervalued will consider moving job.
Valuing our employees more does not mean that we value our customers or the bottom line any less
Sarah Morris - CIPD |
02 Nov 2011 |
The role of ego-less leadership in empowering workforces. There is a general consensus, from the boardroom down, that employee engagement is a good thing. We know engaged employees are informed, empowered and more committed to the values and success of the organisation for which they work, and significant thought, time and effort is put into discussing and developing employee engagement strategies.
Is a move from HR director to chief executive a bridge too far?
Dan Woods - HR Magazine |
01 Nov 2011 |
Can you imagine what it would be like if your HR director ran your business? Would it be a strategic, forward-thinking utopia - or a backwater that focused on tissues, teabags and time and attendance? An undignified way of describing anybody's job, you may say, but if the latter is the view taken by any CEO, it doesn't bode well for an HR director hoping to take the top spot in a business. And the number of CEOs in the FTSE 100 with a career history in HR comes in at a dismal zero...
Employee Engagement and Corporate Social Responsibility for Generation Twitter
Kate Stahnke - Forbes |
01 Nov 2011 |
At a time when attention spans are shrinking against the exponential growth of new technology applications and digital tools, maintaining user engagement is a hard-won commodity, and the notion of uniting employees for a collective activity or cause can seem daunting. With so much information available at any given moment, reaching employees might be easier but engaging them has become a bigger challenge - yet to do so is more important than ever in today's culture.
Boost Employee Engagement on a Shoestring
K. MacDonald - Vital Benefits |
31 Oct 2011 |
The work environment plays a critical role in employee happiness and engagement. Simply put, organizations who offer caring and fun work environments have happier employees who are less likely to jump ship for a few extra bucks. Here are 10 low or no cost ideas that might provide a slice of sunshine to your employees.
Are you a dreadful leader?
James Kerr - Management Issues |
28 Oct 2011 |
Unless you are truly blessed, the chances are you have witnessed the damage a dreadful leader can wreak on an unsuspecting organization. While bad leaders can take many forms and share many overlapping characteristics, there are five primary types from which all are derived. Review the following and see if you can spot a dreadful leader in your midst.
HR Undertaking More Strategic Role
Nick Martindale - Personnel Today |
27 Oct 2011 |
HR is increasingly finding a role at executive level as employee issues have come to the fore during the economic downturn, a study by Lancaster University Management School suggests. But the study also suggested that HR still has work to do to broaden its own understanding of the company's wider activities, with 50% of those surveyed admitting they did not know how their role affected those working in other functions or the impact they had on other company executive.Tough cuts are being made and HR directors now have to prove they deserve their seats on the boards and start talking a language their CEO and financial director understands, which more often than not amounts to one thing: the bottom line.
Employers face 'crisis of trust' in management
Claire Churchard - People Management |
26 Oct 2011 |
Only a third of staff trust company bosses. According to CIPD's quarterly Employee Outlook survey, employers risk losing their most valuable staff if they fail to address a growing "crisis of trust" in senior leaders.The institute's research showed that staff who reported low trust in their managers were much more likely to be looking for a new job. The finding will come as bad news for employers who may have put workforce cultural issues on the back burner as they struggle to survive in the tough economic climate. CIPD, warned: "Some employers may feel that they don't have to work as hard to keep their people because there are fewer opportunities in the labour market that will allow employees to jump ship. However, vacancies always exist for motivated and skilled staff and employers risk losing their most valued employees - those most able to compete in a tough labour market."
The Mistrust Crisis
Brian Amble - Management Issues |
25 Oct 2011 |
According to a recent study of 10,000 people, almost 3 out of 10 employees actively distrust the senior leaders in their organisation. Using odds-ratio calculations, we can predict that employees who distrust their leaders are 9 times more likely to seriously consider leaving their organisation. They're also 15 times more likely to report unreasonable work stress and 7 times more likely to feel mentally and physically unwell. Where a high level of distrust exists, HR practitioners should intervene to avoid a damaging impact on retention, well being and organisational performance.
HR Directors Make it to Board Level, but Remain Unsure of Their Contribution to Business
Dan Woods - HR Magazine |
25 Oct 2011 |
New research looking at the relationship of the HR Director to the CEO and financial director across businesses has found that 40% of HRDs now have a place at the boardroom table with 87% being part of their company's executive management committee. But despite the integration, 50% of HR Directors and above admit to not knowing the contribution their role makes to other functions and executives across the business.
How can organisations improve employee engagement, customer satisfaction and business performance?
Jack Wiley - HR Magazine |
21 Oct 2011 |
For over 30 years, Kenexa been putting this question to workers around the world, in an attempt to better understand the factors that contribute to the engagement, commitment, retention and overall satisfaction of employees. In 90% of cases, the answer is one of seven things. In other words, there are seven elements that employees really want from their managers and their organisations. To borrow from the 'queen of soul' Aretha Franklin, these seven elements can be summed up using the acronym R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
Leaders succeed by having strategic vision, and lose by failing to build team culture, Right Management report shows
Dan Woods - HR Magazine |
21 Oct 2011 |
Insights into the traits that global leaders need to be successful as well as the factors that most likely lead to their derailment according to a survey 1,400 CEOs and HR professionals by global talent and career management consultancy Right Management and the Chally Group. Respondents cited creating a strategic vision (92%), inspiring others and maintaining leadership responsibility (62%), developing an accurate and comprehensive overview of the business (57%) and wise decision-making (55%) as the four competencies most critical for C-suite positions.
Treat Your Employees like Neighbors
Art Markman - HBR Blog Network |
21 Oct 2011 |
Neighborhoods tend to strive for equality. If you have a flat tire, your neighbor might lend a hand. It would be strange to pay him, but you might lend him something as a way to say thanks. In hierarchies, those high up the ladder get more privileges and more rewards. Those lower down have to do what they are told. The hierarchy can be hard on those people who are consistently at the bottom and don't have the ability to move up. Successful companies often have elements of both hierarchies and neighborhoods. That is, most companies establish levels of management with the expectation that higher levels take on more responsibility for guiding the company - in exchange for higher pay and benefits. But what's less expected is that a successful company also has to have elements of a good neighborhood. A company cannot succeed unless employees start to think of themselves as part of something bigger than themselves. People are likely to put in consistent extra effort when they are truly part of the neighborhood and feel like everyone is pitching in. Ultimately, the loyalty of a neighborhood helps a company to avoid the ills of the market economy.
Three Leadership Skills That Count
Morten T. Hansen - HBR Blog Network |
20 Oct 2011 |
How do you lead successfully in an uncertain, disruptive, even chaotic world? Authors Morten T. Hansen and Jim Collins studied leaders of companies that grew to become great in uncertain industries.CEOs that faced massive financial, political & technical disruptions, but still they led their companies to great long-term financial performance. Their experience can guide leaders who now must lead in today's disruptive world. What then were the leadership characteristics that separated the winning leaders from their industry peers?
Ten Rules for Emotionally Connecting with F&B Guests
Doug Fiedler - Hospitality Net |
17 Oct 2011 |
Any good food and beverage operation has a focus on three key things - financial performance, guest satisfaction and employee engagement. Employees that are engaged with your food and beverage brand will help you build emotional connections with your guests. When your guests are emotionally connected to your brand, they are much more likely to return the next time they need a meal!
To Create Long-term Shareholder Value, Start with Employees
Kenneth W. Freeman - HBR Blog Network |
12 Oct 2011 |
People work not just for money but also for meaning in their lives. And, as many would argue, one of the chief means of fixing the system lies in focusing on the creation of long-term value. There is a simple but significant way to help achieve that goal: Evaluate and compensate CEOs, at least partly, on their ability to create a culture of aligned, engaged employees.
Why You Should Question Your Culture
Ron Ashkenas - HBR Blog Network |
11 Oct 2011 |
Organizational culture powerfully influences a company's performance but the truth is that most leaders don't know how to develop a useful picture of their organization's culture. However any management team can assess its culture by asking the right kind of simple questions across a range of organizational behaviors. Asking the right questions can smoke out the differences in expectations that people have about the organization and a structured way to discuss those differences can increase alignment and the ability to take collective action. In practical terms, culture is not an intangible cloud that hangs over a company, but an outcome of the way people behave on multiple dimensions. Better understanding of these behavioral patterns - and how each person experiences them - makes it possible to decide whether to continue them or not.
Engage Employees Using Customer Service Tactics
Rob Markey - HBR Blog Network |
10 Oct 2011 |
Most companies claim they want enthusiastic, engaged employees - and with good reason. Employee engagement and financial performance are connected. A recent study by Aon Hewitt, for example, found that companies with high levels of engagement outperformed the stock market in 2010. And yet Gallup research indicates that more than 70% of employees in the typical company are ""not engaged"" or ""actively disengaged."" What's the reason for this failure? In the author's view, it boils down to a startling disconnect between how companies try to promote engagement and what truly inspires and motivates employees.
Employee engagement in UK businesses lags behind the global trend, according to ORC International
HR Magazine Editorial |
10 Oct 2011 |
A recent employee survey found the UK fell four places in the global engagement rankings to 17th. The UK job market has suffered extensively as a result of the financial crisis. Among other influences, the £95 billion government spending cuts have resulted in job losses, mass change and a continued outlook of uncertainly for the UK workforce. This turbulence has certainly carried over into this year's engagement scores. ORC International's statistical analysis identified the three questions that have had the greatest impact on engagement scores. Two of these specifically relate to senior management.
A Complacent employee in an organisation never helps
The Economic Times |
09 Oct 2011 |
In the workplace, complacency can be defined as a sense of comfort coupled with a lack of interest in addressing key organisational issues. Most employees who get disengaged fall in the mid-level management. Companies are realising the importance of keeping the employees engaged. Studies have shown that lack of required abilities and skills cause disengagement. Many organisations have idle workforce, which they don't optimise and utilise properly. Invariably, some become complacent. The tricky bit: employees don't even recognise when they get infected. Complacency stops you from putting in your best and the quality of work inevitably suffers.
Think Tank: put your employees first and your customers second
Octavius Black - The Telegraph |
08 Oct 2011 |
The evidence points in one direction: the surest way to steer your business through the current economic environment is to focus on employees. The good news is that it won't cost you as much as IT or marketing. The challenge is less about finding the cash and more in changing the attitudes of senior leaders and front-line managers. Once the ethos of investing in people has been established, the dividends will flow. So, instead of allowing leadership team meetings to be dominated by the financial figures, we make the big conversations about people - whose performance to celebrate, where the next generation of talent is coming from, which people are underperforming and what we should do about it.
How Sustainability is Driving Employee Engagement and the Bottom Line
Tim Mohin - GreenBiz |
29 Sep 2011 |
Gallup dubbed employee engagement ""a leading indicator of financial performance"" and backed it up with research showing that ""engaged organizations have 3.9 times the earnings per share (EPS) growth rate compared to organizations with lower engagement in the same industry."" According to other studies, there is a strong correlation between engagement and socially and environmentally responsible organizations. So, if employee engagement is a top business priority and sustainability programs are a way to drive better engagement, there is a clear imperative to make sustainability a part of the work experience. The question is: How?
Randstad: staff lose patience with employers at the start of a fourth year of economic uncertainty
David Woods - HR Magazine |
27 Sep 2011 |
Randstad's annual World of Work research identified the top three reasons for people wanting to leave their employer: 1) lack of career opportunities, 2) personal/lifestyle choices, and, 3) uncompetitive remuneration. However, research shows that doing 'meaningful work' under clear leadership is a key motivator which doesn't require significant financial investment. Tapping into this will help organisations to retain and attract the talent they need. Ensuring that line management understands and is prepared to perform their pivotal role in driving engagement is a vital component of this.
Rescuing morale from a round of redundancies
Malcolm Scovil - HR Magazine |
23 Sep 2011 |
According to IES, disengaged workers cost the UK £44bn a year in lost productivity. Working in this tough environment has a knock-on impact on everyone - not least HR directors who face the challenge of making sure the workforce is productive. So how can HR directors rescue morale when it is at an all-time low? Malcolm Scovil believes the best approach is by integrating all HR processes into an overall engagement strategy and gives some considerations when doing just that.
How to appeal to the Millennial workforce
Pam King - Business Report |
23 Sep 2011 |
What does it take to keep your young workforce happy? A steady paycheck? Benefits? Turns out that what lured baby boomers is not always on top of the list for the younger generations. According to the latest Deloitte Volunteer IMPACT study, to them being happy on the job means working for a company that champions volunteerism, employee engagement and a positive organizational culture. So how can you make your company more attractive to this young workforce? Start your assessment by looking at your company culture. Studies show that company culture not only draws talented employees, but consumers as well.
Before You Link Pay to Customer Feedback: Five Essentials
Rob Markey - HBR Blog Network |
22 Sep 2011 |
More and more companies are tying incentive pay to customer metrics. Some using customer loyalty score improvement in senior executive compensation. others a big increase in the weight of Net Promoter scores in its frontline pay plan and even some linking customer feedback scores to promotions. The payoff from linking incentives to customer feedback can be significant. But before you make such a move, read the authors suggestions to avoid the pitfalls and risks by meeting five preconditions.
Why Sustainable Companies Have More Engaged Employees
Kathy Miller |
22 Sep 2011 |
In addition to a paycheck, do we have anything to show for our time? Many of us would like to think that our customers are better off and our companies are more successful as a result of our efforts. Dr. Kathy Miller delves deeper into what matters to employees by answering the following questions: What is the value of engagement in work? How can we create the conditions in our own companies for worker engagement to flourish? And What is the impact of our commitment to the creation of sustainable companies?
Build employee engagement through a culture of innovation
Cris Beswick - HR Magazine |
21 Sep 2011 |
Building a culture of innovation is the hot topic at the moment. No longer can organisations rely on the traditional forms of competitive advantage, as there is no exclusivity of access to materials, technology, manufacturing etc. However, the last sacred asset any organisation has is its culture. Your culture cannot be copied. It is unique! The next generation competitive advantage is now being driven not by 'what' an organisation does but by 'HOW' it does it. That means becoming absolutely exceptional at things like strategy, innovation, engagement and leadership regardless of what you sell or do so here's a few thoughts on how to mix things up a little!
Get your employees engaged and start reaping the rewards
NZ Herald |
21 Sep 2011 |
Employee engagement is a hot topic at the moment. Engaged employees genuinely feel part of their organisation, and so willingly put heart and soul into their work. Global research shows that organisations in the top quartile on the employee engagement measure have nearly twice the annual net income of those in the bottom quartile. It is estimated that for every 10-point increase in employee engagement, an organisation of 500 staff could prevent 12 employees voluntarily leaving a year. So, show your board the money: measure employee engagement and tie it back to your business' performance. Let the numbers do the talking.
Six rules for keeping employees engaged
Harvey Schachter - Globe and Mail |
19 Sep 2011 |
In the more than 30 years as Charalambos Viachoutsicos worked for and managed his family business he saw managers struggling to create employment engagement. Now an adjunct professor in the MBA program at Athens University of Economics and Business, he says the key is to ensure every interaction with a subordinate fosters a sense of mutual dependence, or what he calls "mutuality." Here he sets out six rules to follow for mutuality - and engagement.
The Twelve Attributes of a Truly Great Place to Work
Tony Schwartz |
19 Sep 2011 |
More than 100 studies have found the more engaged employees are the more they drive higher customer satisfaction and outperform those who are less engaged. But only 20 % of employees report that they're fully engaged at work. So what's the solution? The answer is that great employers must shift the focus from trying to get more out of people, to investing more in them by addressing their four core needs - physical, emotional, mental and spiritual - so they're freed, fuelled and inspired to bring the best of themselves to work every day. Read of the 12 attributes of a truly engaging place to work.
Your employee engagement strategy - think big
Malcolm Scovil - HR Review |
31 Aug 2011 |
Disengaged workers cost the UK £44bn a year (IES) and the US between $270bn and $343bn (Gallup) in lost productivity. The fact is that each of our companies makes up some slice of that wasted money. Hence, why employee engagement is such a hot area in the HR community. Malcolm Scovil gives some tips on structuring an employee engagement strategy that will delvier for HR professionals and for the business.
Diagnose and Eliminate Workplace Bullying
Baron Christopher Hanson - Harvard Business Review |
13 Jul 2011 |
U.S. consultant Baron Christopher Hanson breaks the stereotype that workplace bullying means conflict. Whether it's an entrenched dinosaur or extreme ladder-climber, anyone who manipulates selfish outcomes or seeks unfair advantage must be confronted expediently. Bullies, he correctly states, are tremendously expensive for corporations in terms of productivity and human resource talents lost. When C-suites overlook blatant bullying, work is sabotaged, progress is blocked, and company value may be lost or stolen.
For business success, dump hierarchy and promote democracy
Trevor Ward - HR Magazine |
15 Jun 2011 |
Money doesn't always buy happiness. With many workers facing a pay freeze this year, employers are looking at alternative ways to motivate their employees. Removal of hierarches in once such way. Traditionally hierarchies create a lack of communication between levels which leave employees feeling unacknowledged and unengaged. By removing hierarchies and working towards common goals, individuals are better positioned to assess priorities, setting and adjusting their own deadlines according to business goals. Individuals who can share in the greater vision of what they're doing and understand how their efforts contribute to the success of the organization tend to be engaged and motivated.
Engagement is more than communication; it's about devolving decision-making
John Smythe - HR Magazine |
08 Jun 2011 |
Most approaches to employee engagement today are about increasing communication. However that communication takes place after decisions have been made. If businesses want to truly engage with their employees then they need to include them in some of the decision making processes. 'Power-sharing' is the basis of the 'mutual' business model used by firms such as John Lewis, that create a culture of co-ownership. Studies have shown a clear link between this collaborative approach and engagement levels. Power-sharing is not merely a concept but a real business benefit.
Employee Engagement? Maybe the Holy Grail is Really Employer Engagement.
Steve Laird - TLNT |
18 May 2011 |
Are you an engaged employer? This article turns the tables on employers and asks that critical question.Giving your employees a reason to be engaged in pursing the goals of the business starts at the top. Employee engagement will never improve, no matter how many surveys you take, without a committed employer. Have you got the traits to reach the Holy Grail of engagement?
Servant Leadership, Trust, And Team Performance
Bret L. Simmons |
28 Mar 2011 |
A study reported in the Journal of Applied Psychology demonstrated the effect on team performance of two types of leadership: transformational and servant leadership. (Wikipedia references for both please). Servant leaders create psychological safety in their teams that causes people to become more engaged with their work. People feel that servant leaders genuinely care about there welfare which provides a level of trust in the team. Without trust, teams cannot deliver the high performance required of them.
Dear Manager: A Heartfelt Letter from your Employees
The Engagement Factor |
15 Mar 2011 |
This article provides some great advice on how to manage for managers in general and micro-managers in particular. It takes the form of a letter from a frustrated employee with some heartfelt pleas for respect and freedom if not actual love.
Employee engagement - align organisational aims with employee desires
Edge Equilibrium on HRZone |
03 Mar 2011 |
Recent corporate scandals suggest that aligning people with corporate goals can lead to dysfunctional behaviour. But engaged employees are crucial to improved business performance. So, what's the alternative for the enlightened organisation looking to sustainably engage its workforce? The answer may be to support employees in finding their own purpose and exploring how this relates to the organisation's purpose. This approach avoids the risk of creating an army of corporate clones when we should be fostering a greater sense of responsibility in our organisations.
Control, Opportunity and Leadership: A study of engagement in the Canadian workplace
Psychometrics Canada Ltd |
02 Mar 2011 |
This research conducted with nearly 400 Canadian HR Professionals in late 2010 seeks to answer questions about levels of engagement in Canadian organisations. They conclude that respondents believe that engagement is important for the benefits an engaged workforce can bring but that more than two thirds report problems with engagement in their companies. The research ends with some suggestions for improving engagement which in our view are not specific to Canadian organisations.
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All Together Now!
UpstartHR |
01 Mar 2011 |
This is a great compendium of stories and advice about employee engagement. Although the examples are all from the US there is a level of excitement and enthusiasm here which should spark some ideas for your own engagement initiatives.
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Does Human Capital Matter?
Bret Simmons; Leader Lab |
01 Mar 2011 |
A brief review of a study recently published in the Journal of Applied Psychology which suggests that human capital (the knowledge, skills, and abilities of employees) drives company performance through its effect on operational excellence (e.g. customer satisfaction, team performance, retention, and innovation) especially in companies with low staff turnover.
Management Competencies for Enhancing Employee Engagement
CIPD |
01 Mar 2011 |
The actions of managers have long been considered important to the engagement of employees. This research paper from the CIPD seeks to identify the management competencies that will encourage engagement in the workplace. The authors derived three key themes and eleven competencies from contextual analysis of 1:1 interviews. The competencies are further broken down into positive and negative behavioural indicators. The challenge remains how to ensure that managers receive the development that emphasises these behaviours and helps them develop their skills.
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Question for your HR chief: Are we using our 'people data' to create value?
McKinsey Quarterly |
01 Mar 2011 |
A combination of the demands of CEOs to find value in every department and the increasing sophistication of HR information systems means that HR departments are in the right place to demonstrate real value to business. This McKinsey articles outlines four steps that most businesses go through to identify the links between (different) people at performance. We may even see an answer to the old chestnut - half our people are successful but we don't know which half.
10 Mistakes in Employee Engagement
The Engagement Factor |
22 Feb 2011 |
This is a succinct summary of the ten most common mistakes companies make when embarking on an engagement programme. Digital Opinion agrees heartily with No 10 Failure to train managers. When companies do not provide the skills and tools for managers to do things differently then the programme will fail.
You Don't Know Me, But...
JB Associates |
10 Feb 2011 |
According to research by consulting company Booz Allen, the next ten years will be the decade of the Working Nomads - flexible working times, teleworking, and flexible working relationships. Couple that with ubiquitous and seamless connectivity and the challenge for managers becomes how to most effectively manage virtual teams. It is tempting to concentrate on technology issues but this research suggests that you start with the outcomes for the team and the people before deciding on the technology to use.
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Employee engagement matters more than you think
Rudy Karsan Kenexa |
04 Feb 2011 |
This summary in HR Magazine of Rudy Karsan's new book suggests that fully engaged employees do not just mean benefits for business. There is negative spillover to family and home life and ultimately to health and society when employees are disengaged or unhappy at work. By contrast when workers are fully engaged the effects show in interactions with family, health and community as well as work. This article emphasises the responsibility that both employers and employees have in sustaining a good work/life blend.
Employee Engagement Surveys: The Secret Sauce of Successful Businesses
Bob Kelleher |
01 Feb 2011 |
In this short article, Bob Kelleher shares seven tips for successful employee engagement. They include partnering with a professional, acting locally and focus more on post survey activity. The "secret sauce" is perhaps not so secret: At Digital Opinion we regularly makes these recommendations to our clients.
Employee Satisfaction Will Trash Your Business
William Powell |
25 Jan 2011 |
This succinct article makes it very clear that engagement is not about happy, satisfied employees. Rather it encourages companies to provide for employees' well-being, value and appreciate them, empower them, and help them see how what they do matters. The last point is particularly important for a successful business.
Engagement - what's Sir Isaac Newton got to do with it?
Russell Connor |
18 Jan 2011 |
Mechanistic, 'Newtonian' thinking is an outmoded way to engage employees states this article on HRZone. The author suggests that connection or engagement comes about through authentic interpersonal interaction. In summary, treat people as people rather than create systems and programmes to engage individuals.
The Challenge of Proving ROI in HR
Jason Lauritsen |
10 Jan 2011 |
Anyone in the HR community knows how hard it is to provide ROI on people initiatives to gain senior management support. The secret is to focus on the business outcomes which matter to your senior team and focus on delivering some measurable results.
Five Questions to Test Understanding of Strategy and the Big Picture
Dan McCarthy |
09 Jan 2011 |
This blog kicks off with two important questions: Whose fault is it when the company strategy is not clearly understood? And what can be done about it? The answer to the first is simple - the senior leader. The answer to the second is equally simple - ensure that people can answer five key questions about strategy as described in "The Executive Guide to High-Impact Talent Management".
Employee Engagement - Maximising Business Performance
Right Managment |
30 Oct 2009 |
This research paper by Right Management uses real data to confirm that engagement has a positive impact on business performance and speculates why companies and CEOs neglect this aspect of business improvement. Right Management suggest some key steps to create and sustain engagement including defining the drivers and linking to business outcomes, finally concluding that measurement without action can do more harm than good. Right Management's recommendations match Digital Opnion's own process to create and maintain engagement in the UK.
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