Training Trends: Keep your team on their toes

Team coaching and employee recognition are two hot issues, especially in a down economy. It’s important that your team stays on their toes and feels appreciated for doing so. Check out our suggestions for designing training programs that will keep your employees going strong.

And then, check out FEMA’s tips and our supplementary training ideas to set up your fire safety plan. Keep your employees up-to-date with tools and information that can save lives and even your entire business.

Here’s a glimpse at the September issue of Training Trends:

Ready, set, hike… uh, I mean work!

Success in the world of professional football is measured in yards, touchdowns and winning games. In the world of business, however, the road to success is not always well paved.

No, there aren’t any play calls to memorize or grueling physical workouts, but the players on your team are still in need of a coach – someone to motivate and encourage them to do their best.

You want your team to grow, to be productive and win that big game (e.g. sales numbers, peak productivity), and coaching can help you get there.

Here’s the game plan: ... (more)


Putting the Arrrrrrrr in Recognition
Ways to recognize and motivate employees in a down economy

Ahoy, matey! It’s Talk Like a Pirate Day on September 19th and the perfect time to get out yer gold coins and stuffed parrot to honor the shipmates who so diligently scrubbed the ship deck and managed to avoid walking the plank.

All pirate-speak aside, employee recognition is an essential part of sparking motivation and creating company loyalty on the inside. Building employees’ self-worth and appreciating them for all they’ve accomplished will keep them going strong, especially in a down economy.

Here are a few tips that will make your employees feel recognized: ... (more)


Are you up to FEMA’s standards?
Fire safety training to prevent a disaster

September is National Preparedness Month and a necessary time to make sure your employees are trained and ready in case of a fire. Fire causes thousands of deaths and injuries and billions of dollars in damage each year, making it the most common disaster amongst businesses. Here are some ways the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recommends you stay prepared:

• Have your office, plant or facility inspected for fire safety; ensure compliance with fire codes and regulations.
• Install smoke detectors and fire extinguishers in appropriate locations.
• Consider an automatic sprinkler system, fire hoses and fire-resistant doors and walls ... (more)

Each month, the experts at TrainingTime.com share all of the latest and greatest tips, trends and buzz from across the training industry in our Training Trends newsletter. If you’re not on our mailing list, please take a few seconds and sign up.

If you’re a training expert or HR professional and are interested in writing content for Training Trends or TrainingTime.com’s learning library, visit our “Write for Us” page for instructions on how to contribute.

The simplest way to improve morale

Say thank you.

Sounds simple enough, right?

In most businesses across the country, numbers are down and stress levels are skyrocketing. It’s an unfortunate combination that doesn’t do much for employee morale.

Right now, you may not have the money to take your team out for lunch or the company can’t contribute to a recognition program. It’s times like these when you’ll find that sometimes it’s the simplest signs of appreciation that can do an even better job than the fancy stuff.

Showing honest appreciation for the people on your team can do wonders for morale. Whether you stop by their desk to say thanks for their help on that last project or leave a funny greeting card on their desk expressing how much you appreciate all the hard work they put in, simple recognition can go a long way.

I recently came across a great post at Pamela Slim’s Escape From Cubicle Nation where Slim shared a personal story about a day that began with a not-so-pleasant experience at the airport.

She was dropped off almost two hours before her 6:30 a.m. flight, well before Starbucks opened their doors, and had to navigate through a blockade of airport construction. The caffeine-less Slim decided to sit down and write a blog post, but the only topics that came to mind included why mean people suck and sleep deprivation.

Then, almost magically, she received a tweet from a fan of her book: “@pamslim Pam, your book really is an achievement. It’s the best book I have read on the topic and the one I will be recommending widely.”

The message changed her mood right there on the spot. So much of a change that she started thinking of ways to show the same kindness as her tweeting fan.

Now I will look for opportunities throughout my trip to show the same kindness as Daniel, by doing things like:

• Saying thank you often and sincerely
• Complimenting someone on a job well done
• Encouraging to my clients and students
  

Kindness is not a little thing. It is not fluffy, unicorn and rainbow coachy stuff.

Kindness heals.

I highly recommend it.

The next time someone on your team looks like they’re having a difficult day, use it as an opportunity to share some words of encouragement and appreciation. In the same way it turned Slim’s day around, your words have the power to change their day for the better.

Is Oprah the world’s greatest boss?

She’s No. 2 on Forbes’ Celebrity 100 list, made an estimated $275 in 2008 and this year Oprah may have earned herself the title of world’s greatest boss.

At least that’s the title they give you these days when you take your entire staff and their families on a Mediterranean cruise.

From The Oprah blog at the Chicago Sun-Times:

For the second time in recent years, she's making a strong case for that title by taking her entire staff and their families on vacation. This time they're going on a lavish Mediterranean cruise.

Winfrey and her staff will leave Chicago on Saturday. The cruise ship will stop in Spain, Italy, Turkey, Greece and Malta. She is covering transportation, food, drinks and activities at port stops.

In 2005, Winfrey celebrated the end of her "Wildest Dreams" season by surprising her staff with an all-expenses-paid trip to Hawaii.

According to Chicago-based Best Travel, a cruise like the one Winfrey is taking her staff on costs about $5,400 a person.

So, most bosses don’t have the same kind of resources that Oprah does, but there are a ton of bosses out there that know how to recognize employees even on the most limited budget.

Have you ever had a boss do something so great that you wanted to nominate them for a world’s greatest boss award?

We’d love to hear the story. Tell us all about it in a comment below.

Have you Wowed your employees lately?

I came across an interesting post earlier this week at Jay Sheperd’s Gruntled Employees blog with a great message on recognition. In the post he explains how awarding workplace “Wows” could one day replace traditional annual performance reviews.

Here’s a piece of the story:

My daughters go to elementary school in Newton, Massachusetts. The principal — who is, sad to say, retiring this year — is a brilliant, caring, dynamic educator named Christine Moynihan. One of our favorite things about her — and there are many — is that from time to time, she makes schoolwide announcements over the loudspeakers in which she awards chidren “Wows.”

What is a "Wow"?

A “Wow” is a short description (maybe three or four sentences) of something a pupil did to earn the Wow (yes, it's self-referential; get over it). Examples include working extra hard on a particular project, helping a classmate during a difficult situation, or showing unusual courtesy or friendliness or determination. Dr. Moynihan says the Wow winner’s name and describes what he or she did to earn the Wow. That's it. It’s short, it’s public, it’s concrete, it’s earned — and it makes the kids feel great.

The only thing closest to a “Wow” in the workplace is the annual performance review, says Jay, something that as an employee and employer he hates. Jay is not alone on this one. Remember the Wall Street Journal article from last year suggesting that we should get rid of the employee performance review all together?

Instead of waiting an entire year to discuss performance, Jay thinks there’s a better way:

I propose that we replace formal annual performance evaluations with a workplace equivalent of the Wow.

Jay’s “Wow” delivery system would use the power of Twitter to force managers to deliver focused and public employee performance recognition (read his guidelines for a “twevaluation”).

Whether you choose to use Twitter, the company newsletter or the company’s PA system, anyone can mold Jay’s “twevaluation” idea into something that works for your company.

Employee recognition should be heartfelt and should happen often, no matter how you decide to deliver it. Say it in a tweet, write it in a card or simply stop by an employee’s desk to tell them how much you appreciate the work they do. You’ll be surprised at how simple and easy employee recognition can be.

How do you “wow” your employees? Please leave a comment and let us know what works for you.

No money? No problem. Motivate without it.

Times are tough out there, you don’t need to tell us twice. Our budgets are strapped, employees are stressed, and layoffs are looming (if they haven’t happened already).

Instead of just worrying about your lack of money and employees’ low morale, why not look for a cashless way to get employees motivated?

Some think it can’t be done, but motivating employees without spending money is possible and a recent BusinessWeek article explores how many businesses managed to do it.

Here it is in four manageable steps:

Step 1: Managers must be self-motivated. How do you get employees to rally around you if you’re in a bad mood and locked up in your office all day? It’s easy for managers to hide behind email, what’s tough is connecting on a personal level. Even the busiest manager can find time to connect with and recognize employees every day.

Step 2: Get creative. Companies with the resources, like Google and Starbucks, offer employees option-exchange programs where workers can trade “out-of-the-money stock options” for new ones. For companies without that luxury, consider moving annual programs up a few months, like how software developer Intuit was able to do earlier this year.

Step 3: Make it personal. Since stock options and bonuses aren’t an option for many of us, you’ll have to find a way to recognize employees without money. Find out what each employee values and give it to them. We’re not talking about a new car or plane tickets to Europe, but something as small as a gift certificate to a fancy new restaurant for a food aficionado in marketing can make a big impact.

Step 4: Focus on intrinsic rewards. While extrinsic rewards can give employee morale a quick boost, internal motivators will have the longest-lasting effects. Show employees how their work has had a direct impact on customers and the success of the business. Whether it’s through peer recognition or sharing positive customer reviews, recognize their hard work regularly.


Keeping employees engaged is essential during an economic downturn. Not every idea will work for every business or employee. Put in the effort to find what works and run with it, your business depends on it.

The Carrot Principle: Motivating without money

What we need now, more than ever, is day-to-day employee recognition, according to motivational expert Chester Elton who shared his thoughts in a recent interview with BusinessWeek's Management Editor Patricia O'Connell.


The co-author of The Carrot Principle who’s been called the “apostle of appreciation,” suggests that small gestures, such as handwritten notes or funny voice mails, can go a long way in increasing employee engagement and retention.

In her first question for the author, O'Connell asks how he expects businesses to continue delivering quality recognition, even though there's not as much money going around as there used to be.

Elton says that what we need now is low-cost, high return recognition. It’s about doing simple things that engage employees and really make them feel valued. He also explains how even the busiest manager can find the time to deliver employee recognition on a daily basis.

It's only five minutes long, but full of useful ideas and advice. Take a look:

The ugly side of safety incentives

Safety incentive programs are generally developed to encourage employees to practice safe working habits on the job. Unfortunately, how some organizations design and execute their programs can be dangerously flawed, putting more employees at risk for injury.

In a series of articles dealing with Workers’ Compensation issues, entitled “A World of Hurt,” one of the most recent articles examines how safety incentive programs may be causing more harm than good. Employees at one New York DuPont plant, are being peer pressured into not reporting workplace injuries in order for everyone to receive safety rewards.

From the New York Times article:

TONAWANDA, N.Y. — The sprawling DuPont plant along the Niagara River here can be a grim place, but less so on the days when the company hands out coupons to reward workers for a few weeks without injury.

Called “safety bucks,” the coupons look like real money and can be redeemed at Red Lobster, Home Depot and several other businesses in the area.

For some workers who risk their fingers and bones to make Corian, the stonelike countertop material that is the plant’s major product, the coupons have become a modest blessing and benefit. But other workers regard them as a curse, as a way to mobilize peer pressure against workers who might consider reporting an injury.

“You know that if you report an injury, everybody says, ‘You son of a bitch,’ ” said Dan Austin, who worked at the plant for 30 years. “I’ve heard people say, ‘So-and-so reported an injury and it’s going to cost us our safety bucks this month.’ ”

Companies across the state have recently introduced reward programs to curtail injuries, in part to keep their workers safe, in part to cut down on workers’ compensation claims, which managers cite as a huge factor in the high cost of doing business in New York.

The article goes on to explain how New York’s workers’ compensation system is “plagued” by an ongoing list of failures, including a war between employers and employees over workplace injuries.

When it comes to safety incentives, a program will never be successful if employees are cursing each other for reporting injuries. Some in the safety industry suggest that instead of rewarding a lack of accidents, rewarding safe behavior will improve the effectiveness of your program.

Robert Breslin at SafetyXChange says that the problem with most safety incentive programs is that managers aren’t rewarding safe behavior, just the “absence of unsafe behavior.” That major flaw is actually providing employees with an incentive to fail to report or under-report workplace injuries.

Breslin suggests that companies “stop rewarding the lack of unsafe behavior and start rewarding safe behavior,” giving this example of what an effective incentive program would look like:

Instead of awarding each employee on a quarterly basis $50 in cash, equivalent non-cash prizes or chances to win prizes, take that $50 and buy 10 $5 gift certificates to a local store, movie theater, restaurant, car wash, etc. Then, pass out those gift certificates when you see someone doing something right. And do it with fanfare. “Hey Jim, glad to see you finally remembered your safety glasses! Here’s a gift certificate.” Before you return to your office, everyone in the facility will know what you just did.

What you’ve just done is reward safe behavior. And in encouraging safe behavior, you’re cultivating safe attitudes, as well. As a side benefit, you’re improving your relationships with workers and getting them to actually look forward to your visits. Last but not least, you’re accomplishing all of these things cost-effectively and saving your company money.

Every organization can learn a lesson from the flawed safety incentive program at the New York DuPont plant, but you still shouldn’t forgo the idea of implementing a program of your own. But remember to use safety incentives to reinforce positive behavior, not the absence of poor behavior, and you’ll be on course for success.

Does your organization use employee incentives to encourage on-the-job safety? What worked or didn’t work at your organization that you think others could learn from? Leave a comment and let us know.

How a yellow sticky note can boost morale

Over at the Proper Pants blog, I came across a great idea for employee recognition that requires a familiar item in most office environments – the Post-it Note.

The process is very simple. Grab a pen, pull off a sticky note for each employee and stick them to your desk. Start every note with the words: “I appreciate you because ...” Follow that opening line with something you genuinely appreciate about each employee.

After you’re done writing, stick the Post-it Notes on each employee’s desk and watch what happens.

“I thought this was a fun thing to do at the office and I hoped it would make them smile for a while. This evening I was walking around at the office and noticed that several notes where hanging at their partition wall. And I started to realize that this really meant a lot for some of them,” said Frode Heimen, author of Proper Pants, after he tried the recognition idea in his office.

In return for his kind display of employee recognition, Frode received a Post-it Note signed by an entire shift of employees saying that he was a great boss, a couple of thank-you emails, improved morale and an overall smiling department.

Employee recognition doesn’t have to be expensive or loud. Sometimes it’s the simplest gesture, like a heartfelt message on a sticky note, that can have the biggest impact on employees.

Have you ever tried anything like the Post-it Note recognition idea in your office? Do you know of any other simple and effective recognition ideas that our readers could try out?

10 low-cost employee incentive ideas

These days, employees are taking on more responsibility and working harder than ever. You want to recognize your staff for all of their efforts, but your budget doesn’t seem to have any room for new ideas.

The good news? Most workers don’t need a high-priced award to feel appreciated. A January 2007 survey by Accountemps found that “frequent recognition of accomplishments” is the most effective form of non-monetary compensation named by full- and part-time office workers.

Even if you don’t have a lot of money to go around right now, there are still ways to treat your employees right and show them that you appreciate the extra effort they’ve been putting in recently.

Use a few ideas from this list of 10 low-cost employee incentives to show employees you care without breaking the bank:

1. Hold an event for no reason. Come up with a themed event each month, even if there isn’t a holiday to celebrate. Some examples: Crazy Hat Day, Favorite Sports Team T-Shirt Day. Have employees bring in some snacks from home and treat them to a few pizzas on the company’s tab.


2. Allow employees to take family days. For those days when kids may be off school, but parents may not be off of work, allow employees to work from home. Whether it’s a school half day or snow day, let employees skip the commute and spend more time with their kids, while getting work done.


3. Create a contest. Hold a contest that everyone can get involved in - post a trivia question on the company intranet or fill a jar full of thumbtacks and place it on the receptionist’s desk. Let employees guess the answer and give a small prize to the person who guessed the closest.


4. Celebrate small achievements. Reward employee achievements with small tokens of appreciation. Give a set of movie tickets to someone who went over their sales goals this month or present a small gift card for coffee to an employee who went above and beyond to help out a colleague.


5. Give a discount on what you do. Give employees a small discount on the products or services you sell. Encourage employees to pass the offer along to friends and family. It’s a partnership that benefits everyone involved.


6. Free food. Hold a pizza party on a Friday afternoon or bring in a few dozen bagels one morning. It’s a small gesture that everyone will enjoy and a simple, low-cost way to show your appreciation.


7. Have employees recognize each other. Ask coworkers to write something they admire about an employee on a small piece of paper. Frame their message along with a photo of the employee and hang them along the hallways.


8. Create a VIP parking spot. Reserve one of the best spots in the parking lot for employees who have done something outstanding. Give a new employee VIP parking privileges each month.


9. Turn the break room into a game room. Stock the break room with some classic board games - Chutes and Ladders, Sorry!, Operation, even checkers. The games don’t cost very much and provide some entertainment for employees when they take their break.


10. Say “thank you.” Leave a handwritten note at an employee’s desk telling them ‘thank you’ for a job well done. They’re two small words that can deliver the highest ROI when it comes to employee incentives.

Improve the productivity of your staff by showing them some well-deserved appreciation from time to time. Even the most simple employee incentive ideas can be just as effective as other high-priced options when you want to show how much you care.

Check out these related posts for more ideas:

5 tips to build employee morale in a down economy

Employee incentive ideas on a budget

Looking for new employee incentive ideas? Listen to Aretha Franklin

Incentives and rewards: Now is the time to act

Incentive programs: Where’s your follow-through?

Training Trends: Employees need love, too

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, the February issue of Training Trends is full of valuable training news and tips on how to show your employees how much you appreciate them for all their hard work.

This month’s issue hitting inboxes today, covers topics including tips for employee recognition and advice on how to handle romantic relationships among coworkers and more.

Each month, the experts at TrainingTime.com share all of the latest and greatest tips, trends and buzz from across the training industry. If you’re not on our mailing list, please take a few seconds and sign up for Training Trends.

Here’s a quick look at the February issue:

Your Cubicle or Mine?

Relationships that got their start in the break room, board room or business trip are happening more often and having successful outcomes. Unlike the 10% success rate found with online dating, workplace relationships result in a long-term commitment or marriage 50% of the time. But when the relationship is unsuccessful, it can cause serious problems for employers ... (full article)


5 No-Cost and High-ROI Strategies to Recognize Your Employees

Your employees are your greatest asset. Heighten their sense of worth and make them feel that they are an important part of your organization with frequent and meaningful recognition. It doesn’t have to be expensive or lavish. The following actions can go a long way in recognizing employees and provide a positive ROI ... (full article)


Why Nothing That Matters is Getting Done

Do you go through the day feeling like what you planned to do never got done? The answer to getting more done isn’t adding another planner or system of checkmarks, it’s because you’re doing and planning to do the wrong stuff. Use these tips to make sure that what you’re doing is in line with what you value and where you want your life to go ... (full article)

Take a minute to sign up for Training Trends and you’ll be all set to receive the best training information each month. If you’re a training expert or HR professional and are interested in writing content for Training Trends or TrainingTime.com’s learning library, visit our “Write for Us” page for instructions on how to contribute.

Employee feedback: 5 cent experiment

How much should you spend delivering quality feedback to your team each week?

According to the Slacker Manager, “5 cents can be the best investment you’ll ever make in your team.”

Last week, he outlined a great experiment in employee feedback that every manager should try. Anyone with pockets and some loose change can participate.

Instructions:

Every day this week, put 5 cents in one pocket, in the form of 5 pennies. Each time you give someone specific positive feedback, move a penny to the other pocket. Each time you use all 5 of your pennies, start over and move them to the other pocket.

Try to give at least 5 cents worth of specific positive feedback to your team each day.

Repeat this exercise for the next 30 days. If you like to keep score, add up how many cents you’ve shared with your team, and donate the change you’ve made to a worthy cause, or to an office fund that your employees can benefit from.

Not only is it an awesome idea, but it’s a great way to recognize employees on the cheap and takes just a few minutes out of your day. Invest 5 cents in your team this week and let us know how it goes.

Employee recognition ideas on the cheap, it’s easier than you think

Actually, the best employee recognition ideas don’t have to cost anything at all. Forget about big bonuses and expensive gifts, all you have to do is say “thank you” ... and say it often.

According to Bob Nelson, the “guru of thank you” and author of the bestselling 1001 Ways to Reward Employees, organizations must do more to thank employees and show their appreciation often.

“The number one reason people leave their jobs today is that they don’t feel recognized for the job they’re doing,” Bob said in an interview about a year ago with The Power of Goodwill.

Bob, who has worked with such companies as FedEx, Time Warner and IBM, believes that paychecks alone don’t make people happy.

“Peter Drucker, who’s the father of modern management, once said that money is always used initially to reward performance, but in no time at all it becomes an expectation and eventually it becomes an entitlement. People expect to get a raise just for sticking around another year. And in the typical organization, only three per cent of the base pay separates average from outstanding performers; there’s no alignment of compensation around performance. But not everyone gets recognition, and that’s partly why it means so much.”

“You get what you reward,” says Janet Smith from The Power of Goodwill. She expands on the basic management principal, explaining that if you want more outstanding work from an employee “say thank you the very next time that employee performs an iota of outstanding work.”

Do whatever feels right the next time you want to recognize employees and demonstrate appreciation, Janet said. It can be as simple as writing the employee a note, taking them to lunch or acknowledging their work in a staff meeting.

Even when times are tough, employee recognition does not have to suffer along with your budget. According to Bob, it’s usually the times when we need to recognize employees the most is when we tend to do it the least.

With a few modifications, employees will still appreciate signs of recognition, no matter how small the package. There are special considerations to delivering recognition when budgets are strapped and economic situations are tough, Bob said in an article from Harvard Management Update. He offered this example:

“Say you give a team award that used to come with $250 but because you can't afford the $250, you stop giving the team award anymore. I say still give the team award. Say something like, "We've had to drop the financial aspect to hunker down, but it doesn't diminish the value of the job that this team did, especially at this time." When we are up against it, just a word of support, a team lunch, a "hang in there," can go a very long way.”

There are countless ways to show employees you appreciate and value their work. If you need more ideas take a look at an older post on the topic, or check out Bob’s 1001 Ways to Reward Employees.

However you choose to do it, remember to thank your employees and thank them often.