Taking training and rewards out of the black box -Part 1

In my previous post, I talked about making training into a reward. One of the biggest obstacles to doing that is getting the word out about:

1) Training needed/wanted
2) Training available

Without opening up these two things, your training program -- along with all the good it could do your company -- will remain in a black box. And we all know that the only time someone actually looks into the black box is after a disaster.

Here are some tips to open that box, and get training out where it belongs:

1) Find out what kind of training your employees want.

Oh, this sounds sooooo simple. Starting with the employees. Asking questions. But in reality, it is almost never done!

Training is fed to people, top down. With a "We who sit off in our offices and never do the daily work..." directive behind the training choices, is it any wonder that most training has little or no impact on learning, and is in fact dreaded by employees? Where did we forget that employees are grown-ups, and are perfectly capable of knowing what interests them, what would make their jobs easier and what questions they need answered!

2) When in doubt, ask why.

OK, let's say you asked what kind of training people want and you got the following list:

• Chinese language (from a salesperson)
• How to be a good manager (from a machine operator on the factory floor)
• Microsoft Office skills (from the Art Director)

Wondering why a machine operator wants a management class? Or the Art Director wants training in office? And the Chinese language training? You have no idea!

Traditional black box thinking would be to say no to all of them.

But if you ask, you may discover that the machine operator is taking night classes, and hopes to become a manager or supervisor some day, the Art Director needs help setting up spreadsheets to track projects, and that salesperson just noticed a growing demand for products like yours from Chinese buyers, and wants to be able to open that market.

3) Take away the stigma of asking for training

In tooooo many companies, asking for training in anything directly related to your job is seen as an admission of incompetence. So even employees who really need the information, and who would benefit from the training are afraid to ask for it.

Letting employees know it's a strength to ASK for training in your field will open the door to a better trained, better performing, and (incidentally), more committed workforce. And what employer wouldn't want that!

Tomorrow, I'll talk about getting the word out about training.

Friday office humor: Worst employees of the year

The candidates were chosen, the votes were tallied and we finally have the results of the Top 10 Worst Employees of 2008. Was there another election more important this year?

If you thought that your manager was the meanest or no one could possibly have more annoying coworkers, Career Builder’s list of this year’s worst employees may prove you wrong.

Take worst employee No. 1, Marie Cooley, for example. Her story:

After seeing an ad in the paper for job that sounded like hers, Cooley thought her company was planning to fire her. For revenge, she attempted to sabotage the business by destroying $2.5 million worth of computer files. Cooley told investigators she went into work over the weekend, got angry, disconnected internal power cables and deleted files from the server. She was arrested and charged with damaging computer equipment.

Or worst employee No. 4, Judge Robert Restaino:

Restaino was hearing domestic violence cases when a cell phone rang in court. After no one owned up to the phone, Restaino "snapped" and jailed all 46 people who were in the courtroom. New York's top court removed him as a city court judge, saying punishing innocent people is "inexcusable."

Or even worst employee No. 7, Robert Irvine:

Irvine embellished and fabricated the more impressive parts of his résumé, including claiming to have cooked for the British royal family; catering to four U.S. presidents; and helping to make Prince Charles and Princess Diana's wedding cake. His contract with the Food Network was terminated.

See? Your coworkers aren’t as bad as you thought. Enjoy your Friday!

Employee engagement drives loyalty, retention

Employers that focus on employee engagement and encourage creativity will attract high-performing job candidates and retain loyal employees, giving their company the competitive advantage, according to a new survey by IMR Research Group.

“Business leaders are now recognizing the role employee engagement and loyalty plays in the financial health of a company,” Stacey Randall, IMR’s workplace futurist, said in an IMR story.

“Employee engagement directly impacts profitability and you are wasting resources – human and financial – unless you are focusing on the policies and practices that are going to give you the most bang for your buck.”

Survey results revealed that the workplace attributes with the greatest impact on employee loyalty and retention are:

• Trust between managers and employees
• Influence on goals and strategy as they relate to the job
• Opportunities for professional development
• Employee empowerment for decisions
• Encouragement of creativity
• Passionate and motivated employees
  

Keeping employees engaged and management focused on the key factors affecting loyalty, will increase job satisfaction and decrease the number of employees searching for opportunities elsewhere.

“The future of the American company rests on our ability to innovate, and workers understand how brainstorming and other creative thinking sessions can contribute to the company’s bottom line as well as make employees feel their input is valued,” Randall said.

“This study indicates that these attributes are not standouts in employees’ minds, but efforts to improve in these areas can lead to great results.”

How key motivators differ across generations

From established Silent Generation employees to the Generation Y newcomers, workplace values and communication methods can vary greatly. Understanding the key differences among generations and what keeps them motivated at work can help you keep employees engaged and job satisfaction high.

The following are some findings from Engaging a Changing Workforce: A Study of Four Generations, by The Learning Café.

The study focused on four main groups: Millennials or Generation Y (born between 1977 and 1998), Generation X (born between 1965 and 1976), Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964), and the Silent Generation (born between 1933 and 1945).


Everyone looks for a challenge

Across all generations, the top motivator was the same - “challenging, stimulating, varied work,” but different generations define the statement differently.

Millennials want to work on a variety of substantial, important projects that allow them to learn and use new skills. Baby Boomer and Silent Generation want their work to make a meaningful impact on the success of the organization.


Motivational differences across generations

Millennials and Gen Xers want career growth, learning and development. Gen Xers identify with older employees in the importance of their work making a difference.

Millennials list pay as their second most important motivator.

Gen Xers were the only group to include “healthy work/life balance/flexibility” high on their list of workplace motivators.

Baby Boomers value appreciation and recognition for the extra hours and hard work they put in.

The Silent Generation wants autonomy and the ability to innovate.


Demotivators by age group

All generations, place “boredom, no challenge” as a top four demotivator. Three out of four of the generations find frustration when unabe to learn, grow and develop.

Gen X noted “no work/life balance” and lack of development as top demotivators. Learning and development are the key factors to retaining Gen X employees, being that 77% would leave a job for more intellectual stimulation.

The top demotivator for Baby Boomers is a lack of appreciation, respect or recognition. The Silent Generation is similar to the Boomers, citing “feeling undervalued” as their top demotivator.


Bad bosses disliked across all generations

All generations placed having a “bad boss” as one of their top four demotivators, but each generation uses different qualities to define a “bad boss.”

Gen Xers don’t like to be micro-managed or have a boss who is insensitive to their need for work flexibility and family values.

Millennials want a boss who is like a coach or mentor and dislike bosses who play a more formal or hierarchical role.


Generational workplace conflict

Boomers who wear the number of hours worked each week as a badge of honor may look at Gen Xers as slackers because of their need for work/life balance.

Boomers and Millennials may bump heads in their different views of workplace interaction. Hard-working Baby Boomers dislike fun-loving Millennials who like to socialize in the office instead of being isolated in a cubicle.


Because of their different views regarding the workplace, generational conflict may be inevitable. However, understanding the differences across generations in the workplace can help you build teamwork, motivate and train employees despite their conflicting views.

Bad office behavior: Desk rage

Road rage can take a back seat, there's a new monster in town – desk rage.

Anger in the workplace, from grumpy employees to short-tempered bosses, is a common occurrence in the United States. As Americans deal with rising gas prices, increased costs of living, job uncertainty and personal debt, the problem of desk rage may only continue to grow.

Of the workers who responded to research surveys:

• 2% to 3% admitted to pushing, slapping or hitting someone at work – amounting to as many as 3 million people.
• Almost 50% reported yelling and verbal abuse at work.
• One in four admitted to being driven to tears by abusive behavior at work.
• One in six reported anger-induced property damage at work.
• One in ten reported physical violence and fear their workplace might not be safe.
  

If you need some help with desk rage, or know someone who may need an intervention, take a look at these tips for combating desk rage from CNN.com.

Skip the desk rage this Friday, sit back, and laugh at this compilation of some really bad days at the office:

Six reasons why employees hate their first day and how you can make it better

First day at the new job - You show up, wait in the lobby until someone recognizes you’re the “newbie,” human resources walks you through a presentation on the company, helps you fill out the necessary forms, gives you a tour of the building, and drops you off at your desk just in time for lunch, which will most likely be alone. The first task on your to-do list is finding the bathroom that was somehow left out of that extensive company tour.

It’s no wonder why many new hires hate their first day on the job. After such an awkward and stressful day, it may take all they have not to run for the door to never be seen or heard from again.

Remember that first impressions go both ways and your company should be making the same effort to welcome a new hire, as they try to show you that hiring them was a good decision.

Here are the top reasons why people usually hate their first day on the job and some ways you can make it a better experience.

1. The company tour skipped a room or two. It may seem like a small thing for someone who has been working in the same building for five years, but the bathroom may be a tough find for a newbie. Don’t forget to show new employees where little, but important things are such as the supply closet, break rooms and bathrooms.

2. Their manager was missing in action all day. Busy days and deadlines are inevitable. As a manager, do your best to block out time to spend with the new hire. If that can’t happen, pair the new employee up with someone who can. It can help ease any first day anxiety and possibly kick start a new office friendship.

3. They were overloaded with lists of rules. Signing the employee handbook is an important step during any onboarding process, but telling someone all the reasons they could be fired may not be the best introduction to the company. Give an employee some time to get a feel for the office culture before throwing the rulebook in front of them.

4. They’re confused as to what their job is and how they’ll be doing it. Sometimes a first day is so full of paperwork and legalities that no one seems to mention why the employee was hired. Talk about the new employee’s responsibilities, show them a little of what they’ll be working on and the tools they’ll be using to get their job done.

5. They were starving all day. Even when it’s not your first day, eating lunch alone is sad. Look at an employee’s first day as an excuse for everyone to go out to lunch. It will help the new employee get a feel for the company culture and turn strangers in the hall into friendly faces.

6. They had a serious case of information overload by the end of the day. The first day at a new job can be a nerve-wracking experience for anyone. Don’t overwhelm a new person with too much information, or too many people to remember. Try to spread out the information and introductions over the first few weeks.

The best way to know how to handle onboarding new employees is to look back at your personal experiences. Try to remember all of the things you didn’t like about your first day and make an effort to change that for the new employee.

If you’re one of the extremely lucky ones and can’t remember any bad moments, do a quick survey of your coworkers to find out what they hated about their first day and what could have been done to fix it.

Employees want to know they made the right decision by taking the new job. Don’t let a bad first day have the new hire rethinking their decision. Do your best to make them feel like a part of the team as soon as possible.

Burned out at work or bad day? Know the difference and how to beat it

For many, the dread and excitement that go along with the beginning and end of the workweek are fleeting. For some, just getting through the day is a challenge.

So, how do you know if you’re having a bad day, or are in the midst of a complete burnout? Experts interviewed by those at CareerBuilder.com explain how to identify job burnout and the best ways to attack it.

A few signs of burnout:

Your professional relationships are unimportant. Break room conversations have no part in your day, you eat lunch alone and headphones are glued to your ears.

Your work quality has gone down the tubes along with self-motivation. Getting the job done and doing it well are two separate things.

Your goals have vanished. When your career goals are mainly to get through the day instead of getting through to a new position, you may be looking at some serious burnout.


Here’s what the experts suggest on how to beat work burnout:

Mix it up. Ask for a new responsibility that you’re willing to take on. “New variety and stimulation is vital to overcome burnout.”

Reevaluate goals. “Goals work. Be specific and set deadlines.” Also, make the goals a little challenging and share them with others to increase the motivation to stick with them.

Come up with a plan. Think a new career is the solution? Don’t jump the gun, take the time to plan out your steps. You may discover that a new career is under the same roof you’re working at now.

Rising gas prices lower employee productivity

High gas prices are not only draining pockets, but also employee productivity, according to Florida State University researchers.

The more employees must pay out at the gas pump, the more stressed they are at work, says Wayne Horchwarter, the Jim Moran Professor of Management at Florida State University’s College of Business in the release.

With more attention spent on issues like figuring out how they’re going to afford to get to work, employees have less attention to dedicate to their jobs and may be less motivated to make the drive to the office. The FSU research showed that employees were unable to drop the emotional baggage attached to financial issues at the office door. One-third of those surveyed said they would quit their current job for a similar position closer to home.

Research was compiled by interviewing more than 800 full-time employees in a range of occupations around the southeastern United States. All drove personal transportation to work with an average commute of 15 miles each way.

“I spend more time at work trying to figure out what I need to give up to keep gas in my tank than thinking about how to do my job," wrote a factory worker included in the research.

The most outstanding findings:

• 52% have reconsidered taking vacations
• 45% have had to cut back on debt-reduction payments, such as credit cards
• 45% say gas prices have “caused them to fall behind financially”
• 39% agreed with the statement “Gas prices have decreased my standard of living”
• 33% say they would quit their job for a comparable one closer to home

Hochwarter’s research will be published in late summer 2008, but was first shared in an FSU press release.

Beat the Baby Boomer retirement 'brain drain'

As Baby Boomers move into their retirement years, they may be taking more than just their 401(k)s with them. Insider information and all the ‘tricks of the trade’ will retire with the Boomers, if companies don’t focus on transferring information to younger generations now.

The Baby Boomers are some of our country’s (and your company’s) longest running and most loyal employees. That time and loyalty has added up in the form of valuable corporate knowledge.

It’s estimated that by 2010, more than half of the U.S. workforce will be over 40 years old. In order to give them a little more leeway and delay the knowledge gap, many companies are doing anything they can to hang onto their older employees. More than 60 percent of U.S. companies are bringing back retirees as contractors or consultants, according to a recent AARP study.

A recent SHRM article examines how other companies are babying their Boomers to keep them working a little bit longer with health care benefits, flexible hours and guaranteed salary.

If keeping retirees on the job isn’t an option for your company, do your best to transfer the knowledge now. “How to Beat the Baby Boomer Retirement Blues” from CIO.com examines how some big name companies like Rolls-Royce dealt with the brain drain. Using both a knowledge management system and an employee tracking map, companies can manage the knowledge transfer effectively.

First, develop a knowledge management system. You must be able to tackle two types of knowledge: explicit and tacit. Explicit knowledge can be stored in databases or manuals. Tacit knowledge includes ‘tricks of the trade,’ personal experience, stories and creative business solutions.

Work on documenting explicit knowledge. Do your best to have the retiring employee document all the information someone in their position would need to know. Establish “Standard Operating Procedures” in the form of manuals, stored on your network. These even come in handy when an employee goes on extended leave.

Tacit knowledge can be transferred by experience. Have the employee who will be taking over the retiring employee’s job to shadow that person for a time. More than learning the facts, the younger employee will learn the method.

Going forward, track employees and soon-to-be retirees. Keep a database of all of your employees. Document how long they have been with the company, in what positions or departments, and if known, when they plan to leave or retire. A map like this could help you plan ahead when hit with multiple retirements or if an employee plans to go on extended leave.

Don’t be afraid to pair younger and older generations together, Harvard found that there's a "love fest" going on between the two. Gen Y and Baby Boomers generally like each other and enjoy learning from each other. Many times it is your Boomers who are the most energetic and engaged at work. Get some of that energy and excitement to rub off by pairing Generation Y workers with older coworkers.

Companies should encourage Boomer/Gen Y work relationships, in order to be more proactive than reactive when the retirement rush comes around. Do your best to hang onto the valuable corporate knowledge that has built up over the years in your Boomer employees and don't let it slip down the drain when the go.

What’s my job anyhow?

Ever been in one of these situations?

• You need help in the office, so you post a vague job description to test the waters and see if anyone bites. A very smart, highly-qualified applicant does bite at your job posting and wins an unfitting position at your company, because they’re just so wonderful you couldn’t let them go.
  
  
  
• Your company goes through a reorganization, managers slack on planning for the change and the ever-willing college grad gets stuck in a “we’ll figure it out as time goes on” position.
  
  
  
• Management changes, and although it's clear the new manager has different ideas in mind, the employee is never told exactly what those are.
  

After a few weeks on the job, the employee in any one of these situations may be asking themselves - What’s my job anyhow?

Neither your company or the employee will benefit from the directionless position they’re in. When an employee doesn’t understand their role at work or are unclear about their job description, you will be left with a very stressed and anxious employee on your hands.

The main reason why employees leave a job is because they don’t see opportunities for advancement. If an employee is confused with the role they play at work, you may be giving them a good reason to jump ship.

A well written, clear job description will help you attract the right employee for the position and keep current employees on track.

Employers should ensure that job descriptions are always accurate and up-to-date. A good job description should include:

• Main purpose of the job. Try to describe this in one sentence.
• Main tasks of the job. Use active verbs, like “writing,” “repairing,” “calculating,” instead of vaguer terms like “dealing with,” “in charge of”
• Scope of the job. Expand on the main tasks and importance of the job. Note how many people will be under their supervision and what major skills are important to the job.

Employees can often feel that what they do is pointless if they can’t see how it fits into the big picture. Keep a direct line of communication between managers and employees to make sure everyone stays on track with company and personal goals.

Managers should give employees constant feedback, complete with expected job performance and monitor employees' progress. When employees know what is expected of them, with goals to achieve, they're more likely to stay on track with a clear picture of how they contribute to the bottom line.

Employee retention: Why employees leave

Employee retention is at the top of most business executives’ priorities this year. More than 80 percent of business executives consider employee retention a top priority in 2008, according to the annual Employee Turnover Trends survey by TalentKeepers.

Before you ask about the best way to retain employees, first discover why they are leaving.

The main reason why employees consider leaving jobs is because they don’t see opportunities for advancement at their current employer, according to a recent SHRM survey of North American workers.

One third of those surveyed cited lack of career development as the most important factor when considering moving on to a new employer.

Other top factors for leaving, according to the survey:

• Desire for change
• Unsatisfying work or work that doesn’t make the most of their talents
• Desire to earn more money
• Job conditions (commute, lack of flexible schedule)
• Dislike of manager
• Dislike of colleagues

Factors that influence an employee to stay:

• Enjoyable work
• Significant development or advancement opportunities available
• Good job conditions (good commute, flexible schedule)
• Belief in organization’s mission
• No desire for change
• Expect desirable salary, bonus or stock option in the coming year
• Commitment to manager
• Economy, no opportunities elsewhere