Posts Tagged ‘recognition’

4 Ways to Improve Your Workplace and Increase Business Productivity

Tuesday, February 5th, 2013

workplace resultsEvery employer wants its organization to run efficiently and produce great results. A likely way to achieve this goal is to ensure that your team members are engaged and content with their roles within your workplace. There are a number of strategies you can implement that will create an environment that encourages your employees to work harder.

Try the four strategies below to improve employee engagement and drive the business results you want:

Be Transparent

Transparency is an essential element for a business that wants to be successful. There are several ways you can promote transparency at your organization. Instruct your managers to communicate frequently with their direct reports about their progress and opportunities for growth. Make sure everyone is receiving positive and constructive feedback. Don’t shy away from answering questions about company finances, improving benefits or other topics that are top of mind to your employees.

Allow Flexibility

Incorporating flexibility into your workplace will be beneficial to your business. More access to technology has made working from home or remotely an option for some employees. Allow them to work from home if their child is sick or leave early on Fridays if they put in extra hours at the beginning of the week. If possible, be flexible with your employees’ start and end times. Finding ways to make sure business gets done while your employees are content is now easier than ever before. 

Recognize and Reward

Having a successful business is dependent on many factors, including how satisfied the employees who work for you are. An easy way to turn unhappy workers into more content ones is to recognize the contributions they’ve made that have positively impacted your organization. Rewarding great work can come in several forms: free lunch, an office, a promotion, a bonus, a salary increase, extra time off, etc.

Offer Opportunities

Employees work harder when they have an attainable goal to work towards. Chances for a promotion, raise or special project are likely to keep your staff members engaged. Inform them of the different opportunities available to them, and help them create a path to secure the results they want.

For more strategies that will accelerate business results at your workplace, join us for CAI’s 2013 HR Management Conference on March 6 and 7 at the McKimmon Center in Raleigh. Keynote speakers include business experts and best selling authors, Daniel Pink and Jon Gordon. Attracting high-performing talent, aligning HR with business strategy and managing remote workers are some of the additional topics speakers will cover at the conference. To see a full conference agenda and register for the event, please visit www.capital.org/hrconf. 

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Have You Evaluated Your Workplace Attitude?

Tuesday, November 20th, 2012

How you come across at work has a pretty powerful influence on your organization whether or not you realize it. They people you interact with, especially staff members you work with regularly, are affected by the way you treat them, including your responses to their questions, the feedback you give them and empathy you show towards them.

Being callous, miserable or self-centered won’t help your popularity around the office and will likely damage your professional reputation. No one wants to work with the office grump, whiner, gossiper, complainer—the list goes on. Don’t let a negative trait you might have completely define your office persona.

Try to incorporate these four tips into your workday to have a more positive influence on your organization:

Be Polite

Choosing to use words like “please” and “thank you” will improve your workplace reputation. Giving your coworkers respect, whether it’s with their time, ideas or feelings, will help you win the same treatment from them. Be nice when you can and try to always help an employee who is truly in need.

Think on it

People have a tendency to talk before they think. With today’s technological advances, talking before you think turns into emailing, tweeting, calling or blogging.  If an employee has made you upset or folks didn’t want to use your idea for a project, don’t retaliate by immediately firing off a response to their actions. Because of your emotions, you might not realize the tone you’re conveying. Think your thoughts through and how your words will affect the receiver and your place at the company.

Ask for Help

Asking for assistance from colleagues is a simple and expected workplace occurrence. Unfortunately, some employees would rather miss their deadlines, give poor excuses or blame others before admitting that they can’t do everything by themselves. Complete your work, and if you need extra assistance for a project, swallow your pride and ask. If employees are constantly seeking assistance, they should talk to their managers about adjusting their workload.

Recognize Effort

Improve your workplace relationships by recognizing the contributions each one of your team members makes to the organization. Appreciate the effort and time your employees spend delivering results for your company. By acknowledging their hard work, you will likely gain their trust and commitment to keep up their great job performance.

For more tips to improve your workday and on-the-job performance, please contact a member of CAI’s Advice and Counsel Team at 919-878-9222 or 336-668-7746.

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Don’t Let Your Top Employees Leave: 4 Tips to Encourage Employee Loyalty

Thursday, August 2nd, 2012

Do you know what it would take for your employees to leave your organization? If you ask them, the responses you receive might surprise you. The responses will also provide you with valuable information. Knowing the circumstances that could cause your employees to leave will help you find areas in which your company can improve. Instead of finding the answers when your employees leave your company, find time now to ask your top talent what factors would drive them to move to another organization.

Before you ask your staff members what would make them leave, review some of the reasons below why employees stay at their organizations. Are you providing your employees with these opportunities?

4 Reasons Why Employees Stay Loyal

Company Culture

The environment your company creates is a major factor that determines whether an employee will stay. Not every employee will appreciate or desire the same workplace aspects so it’s important to make sure you’re hiring employees that are interested in your company culture. For the most part, employees want to work for companies that respect their work/life balance and take a genuine interest in them and their career.

Challenging Work and Career Growth

Employees who are growing in their positions and like what they do find it hard to leave their employers. Make sure your staff members don’t leave because of workplace boredom, meaning their assignments aren’t challenging them. Meet with your employees on a weekly or monthly basis to gauge their thoughts on their job assignments and related performance. Help your team members grow by offering them opportunities to strengthen their skills, learn more information, and work on larger or more important projects.

Sound Leadership

Leadership is a top reason why employees decide to hold a long tenure with an organization. Many employee opinion surveys reveal that employees leave or are likely to leave because of the actions of their managers, supervisors or senior leaders. No one likes a micromanager or a leader who never checks in. Treat your employees with respect, be considerate of their time, communicate openly with them, and in return they will more likely stick with your organization.

Feedback and Recognition

Receiving positive and constructive feedback consistently is critical for the success of your employees. When employees don’t receive feedback, several consequences can result—employees feel frustrated, bad manager-direct report relationships develop, or employees search for new jobs that fulfill their needs. In addition to constant feedback, workers want to know that they are valued for the work they put into the company. Regularly demonstrate that you appreciate your workforce’s efforts. Whether you send them an email congratulating them on a sales win or take them out to eat on Friday, make it clear that they’re valuable team members.

For additional guidance for retaining your key employees, please call a member of CAI’s Advice and Counsel Team at 919-878-9222 or 336-668-7746.

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4 Ways to Increase the Effectiveness of Your Management Staff

Thursday, June 28th, 2012

Your managers are one of your company’s strongest assets. They help your company run efficiently by supervising others and delegating duties, relaying information from senior leadership and making sure projects get completed. Increasing the effectiveness of your management team will benefit your organization’s productivity, revenue and morale. Giving extra attention to the growth of your managers isn’t time consuming or expensive. Try using the methods below to maximize the potential of your team leaders:

 Sharpen Their Skills

Whether you let them expense industry related literature, such as magazines and journals, to the company, or pay their way to attend a conference related to their position, helping your leaders attain new skills and knowledge will improve their job satisfaction and productivity. You’ll also see an improvement in their team’s performance.

Increase Their EI

Recent research indicates that employees with strong Emotional Intelligence (a person’s capacity for controlling his or her own emotions and recognizing and reacting to the emotions of others) can carry on and be successful through hard economic times and tough business predicaments. Not every employee comes equipped with a high EI, but taking steps to improve their EI is something all employees can do.

Strengthen Their Time Management

Managers juggle several tasks at once. They assign projects to their direct reports, implement strategies from senior management and work to complete their own projects. Learning to effectively manage time is an essential skill that managers should try to achieve. When leaders practice good time management, fewer errors occur, deadlines and results are met and last minute panicking is avoided.

Provide Feedback and Rewards

Make sure you consistently provide your managers with positive and constructive feedback on their performance. Help them succeed by encouraging them to give their best and attain their goals. Personally and publically acknowledge their accomplishments, and show your appreciation for their contributions whenever you can.

For more strategies to maximize the performance of your managers, supervisors and other company leaders, join us at CAI’s Training Showcase on July 19 in Greensboro and July 20 in Raleigh. Both programs are free and will run from 8:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. At each location you’ll experience abbreviated training sessions and participate in learning exercises to help you make the right development decisions for your staff. Come for a few hours or stay for the whole event to review CAI’s training options. Find more information and full agendas here: www.capital.org/showcase.

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17 Ways to Show Your Employees Appreciation

Thursday, March 15th, 2012

Your employees want to be recognized for the contributions they make to your organization. Taking time to recognize your workforce’s efforts will increase employee morale and job satisfaction at your company. With engagement levels up, your organization will also see an improvement in productivity and retention.

Not only does showing your employees that you value their work benefit different business areas, the process doesn’t have to be costly or time consuming. There are simple actions you can take to make the gratitude you have for your staff known.  Use the 17 ideas below to show your team that they are instrumental members of your organization:

  1. Be respectful by saying “please” and “thank you” often.
  2. Help them save money by ordering pizza or taking them out for lunch.
  3. Keep an ample supply of free snacks and drinks in your break room or kitchen.
  4. For jobs done well, buy employees gift certificates to their favorite restaurant or store.
  5. Job permitting, allow your employees to have flexible schedules.
  6. Purchase subscriptions to some of your team’s favorite magazines, and leave them in the break room to share.
  7. Celebrate employment anniversaries with office parties.
  8. Help simplify their lives by partnering with a dry cleaning company to provide delivery and pick up at the office.
  9. Reward stellar workplace performance with a paid vacation day.
  10. Pay for memberships to professional groups that interest your employees.
  11. Give them notes of appreciation that you hand write.
  12. Purchase a cake and a card for staff to sign to celebrate employee birthdays.
  13. Create awards, like Team Player of the Year or Goes the Extra Mile, and have employees vote for the most deserving team member.
  14. Ask staff members what their career goals are, and help them reach success.
  15. Have an office potluck lunch, and encourage employees to bring their signature dishes.
  16. Greet your employees with a smile and friendly salutation when they arrive at the office.
  17. Decorate their office or cubicle with streamers and balloons when they accomplish a personal goal, like running a marathon or planning a charity event.

For additional tips and information to help show employees your appreciation, please call a member of CAI’s Advice and Counsel Team at 919-878-9222 or 336-668-7746.

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March Madness and the Workplace: Comparing Your Employees with the Big Dance’s 68 Teams

Tuesday, March 13th, 2012

 

Talking about teamwork in the workplace is fitting now that March Madness officially starts this evening. Whether the team you cheer for made it to this year’s Big Dance, the dynamics of the 3-week NCAA tournament offer you good tips to execute when engaging different players within your workforce team. Knowing how to use your people’s strongest assets will help you improve employee satisfaction and business productivity at your organization.

The college basketball event has its own terminology, and the nicknames they assign to teams can also apply to employees in your organization.  Read the following March Madness tags and their definitions to see how staffers with similar characteristics can be coached to create a championship team.

March Madness in the Workplace:

On the Bubble: Teams on the fringe of making it to the college basketball national tournament. They earn one final chance to show that they deserve to be in the competition.

Workplace Counterpart: Employees who are on the bubble at your organization have talent and know-how to be extraordinary teammates, but their overall records indicate that they aren’t strong competitors. Work with them to identify their strengths and weaknesses to ensure that they are the right fit for your company. If they are, offer these employees positive and constructive feedback frequently. Help them use their strengths to accomplish their career goals.

 

Cinderella: A team that no one expects to play big at the dance but advances in the tournament anyway.

Workplace Counterpart: Don’t underestimate your office Cinderellas. They are dedicated to doing their jobs well and aren’t afraid to work through any obstacles that they may face. Give them assignments that match their talents, and you won’t be disappointed with the results they bring you. Recognize their contributions by praising them, and you’ll see that they’ll become more confident and productive in their decision making.

 

The Elite Eight: These are the tournament’s final eight teams. They’ve shown their expertise and finesse for the game to remain in the competition.

Workplace Counterpart: Your elite employees are engaged and make great contributions to your organization each work day. You can count on them to encourage other team members to perform well and give their all when completing projects. Because they always bring their A-game to assignments, some managers might take their excellent work ethic for granted. Continually give them feedback and ask them what they hope to accomplish to make sure they remain satisfied in their positions.

 

The Final Four: These teams have fought hard to prove that they have the talent to be national champions. They are the best of the best of the 68 teams invited to the Big Dance. Their workload increases as they play for the last two spots and eventually the national championship title.

Workplace Counterpart: Your employees who are similar to college basketball’s final four are determined to make a difference at your organization. They are your company’s top performers who steadily produce high-quality work. These employees aren’t afraid to challenge traditions or explore new options for getting things done efficiently. Keep these staff members engaged by assigning them a variety of projects that showcase their expertise and passion for achieving big results. Treat these employees well by offering them promotions or raises that indicate you acknowledge their efforts. They will remain loyal and help get your company through tough business situations.

For additional ideas on engaging the different staff members that make up your workforce team, please call a member of CAI’s Advice and Counsel Team at 919-878-9222 or 336-668-7746.

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4 Leadership Concepts to Bring Your Company Success

Thursday, February 23rd, 2012

Bruce Clarke, CAI’s CEO, writes a bimonthly newsletter that features advice for a variety of topics affecting high-level executives in the workplace.  In his latest Executive Scan, Bruce discusses leadership styles. He doesn’t believe there is one leadership style that all executives should assume because workplace conditions change and leadership styles should be adapted to an organization’s current needs.

Most business leaders can’t envision, develop and achieve a successful business initiative without help from their team. Because of this reason, Bruce asks employers to not view leadership as their personal style, but as the ability to get the most out of themselves and their workforce. Below are four leadership qualities that will guide you to success:

Big Picture

Strong leaders do not act in their own self interest. They understand that an organization is comprised of many individuals who also want to see their organization succeed. Effective leaders base major decisions on what’s best for the entire company, not what’s best for themselves and their reputation.

Clarity

Great leaders are excellent communicators. The first time they assign a project, they communicate their expectations clearly so all team members are satisfied with the end result. Additionally, strong leaders value transparency and keep their staff updated on important company news and decisions regularly.

Debate

Successful business leaders are not afraid to be challenged. When employees feel that a company process is ineffective or that they can provide a better solution to a problem, effective leaders want them to speak up.  These leaders understand that disagreement can sometimes spark innovation.

Recognition

One of the best qualities of good leaders is their desire to give credit when it’s due.  Praising employees for the hard work they contribute is an action that strong leaders execute frequently. They also know each of their staff members’ names and learn the characteristics that make each employee unique.

Employees who have effective leadership feel valued at their organization, which keeps their levels of engagement and productivity up. Include the concepts above into in your approach to leadership to create a more productive and enjoyable workplace.

For more information and practical strategies on leadership, please call a CAI Account Manager at 919-878-9222 or 336-668-7746, and ask about CAI’s multi-series leadership training program, The Management Advantage.

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