It’s the first week of March, which means it’s time to honor those who work hard every day. Employee Appreciation Day is March 3. Dr. Bob Nelson, a founding member of Recognition Professionals International, introduced the holiday in 1995, and it has been recognized yearly.
Perhaps you serve on your company’s fun committee and are looking for creative ways to recognize employees. Here are some ideas to recognize your team: (more…)
Recently, companies have experienced a paradigm shift in the relationship they have with their employees and expectations concerning loyalty and retention. This new employment phenomenon, known as “quiet quitting,” has left employers with lower productivity rates, unknown realized turnover issues, and a step behind in the battle for talent during the Great Resignation.
To combat this trend, it’s important to understand what is causing employees to “quietly quit,” how to read the telltale signs, and what to do to ensure star employees don’t secretly head for the door. (more…)
Most companies dedicate substantial time and energy to researching, planning, and implementing communication strategies that build stronger relationships with their customers, but the most successful also dedicate an equally significant amount of energy to communicating with their employees.
Legendary former General Electric CEO Jack Welch once said, “There are only three measurements that tell you nearly everything you need to know about your organization’s overall performance: employee engagement, customer satisfaction, and cash flow. It goes without saying that no company, small or large, can win over the long run without energized employees who believe in the mission and understand how to achieve it.”
Why Employee Communication Matters
Employee communication is vitally important to building a successful company. In addition to building an informed workforce that clearly understands the why and how of the work they do each day, effective and genuine communication between a company’s senior leadership and its frontline workers can make or break employee engagement. For instance, if your CEO sees you in the hall every day and never remembers your name, you’re probably not going to feel valued as an employee. But if he or she both knows your name and asks for your opinion on big company changes? You’ll know you’re valued, and have a tangible company goal to work toward.
According to a Gallup study, only 22% of employees “strongly agree that their company’s leaders have a clear direction for their organization. And only 13% strongly agree that their organization’s leadership communicates effectively.” Similarly, a study by IBM and Globoforce found that “44% of employees do not feel their senior leaders provide clear direction about where the organization is headed.”
In many cases, a company’s senior leadership may very well have a detailed plan for the organization’s future, however, if it’s not being effectively communicated down the line to workers like you, it’s more difficult for employees to rally around a common goal. Opening the lines of communication with frontline workers makes it easier for everyone to work together toward a common goal.
Where Companies Fall Short in Their Communication Strategies
A poll from the Harvard Business Review highlighted some of the top communication issues that prevent effective leadership, including “not recognizing employee achievements” (63%), “not giving clear directions” (57%), “not having time to meet with employees” (52%), “not knowing employees’ names” (36%), and “not asking about employees’ lives outside of work” (23%).
The Solution
Whether it’s implementing a formal internal communication tool or organizing a weekly “coffee with the CEO” roundtable in the breakroom, it’s in a company’s best interest to make a deliberate and genuine effort to bridge the gap between the “C-suite” and frontline workers.
In fact, according to a study from Towers Watson on how businesses capitalize on effective communication, “Companies that are highly effective communicators had 47% higher total returns to shareholders over the last five years compared with firms that are the least effective communicators.”
Bottom line, employees care more when leadership takes the time to get to know them. They want to know where the company is headed. The less mystery, the better.
Does your CEO care about frontline workers? Let us know in the comments below!
Job hopping and job shopping – there is a debate on what these two things mean and if one is more significant than the other.
As the economy continues to show improvement, many people are either looking for first-time employment, wanting to get back into the job market, or looking to change careers. There’s no denying that the job market has changed over the years, and it’s definitely not the same one where loyalty reigned supreme or many employees spent their entire career at one company. Today it has become more acceptable to switch jobs – even several times – during one’s career.
With more employers now looking to hire top candidates, it’s a great time to know the difference between a job hopper and a job shopper, and the impressions that could be associated with each.
A Job Hopper.
A job hopper is usually someone who doesn’t stay at job for a long time before they are on to something new and exciting. This individual has had many different jobs that aren’t necessarily related to the same field. Once considered to be something that only younger generations would do, job hopping has become a more widespread practice among all workers. After experiencing a recession where jobs were lost or where employees saw friends get let go, many have changed their mind on loyalty to an employer.
From an employee’s perspective, job hopping can have its benefits. It can allow you to gain new skills and invaluable experience in a variety of areas. It can also allow you to identify what jobs you do and do not like to do, helping you find your true career calling.
From a potential employer’s perspective, they might wonder why you’ve job hopped so much. If you’ve had several jobs in a short amount of time, an employer might be concerned about your commitment level. Also, they will probably want an explanation for all of your hopping.
So, before your next leap, take time to think about whether or not you can make your current job more challenging. And if it does turn out that you need something new, what might be a better option than a job hopper?
A Job Shopper.
According to an article on Yahoo! Finance, job shopping differs from job hopping because it is more structured and planned. Whereas a job hopper might just blindly jump into a new career without doing any research, a job shopper does the necessary homework before making a decision.
In addition, a job shopper has a direct goal in mind for what they want in a career and only transitions to new jobs that will help them achieve that goal. If you are planning to change careers, think about how a change can add to your skill set and improve the work-history story, better known as your résumé. And remember, it’s important to do your homework on your personal time rather than on your employer’s time.
When it comes to your job search, you want to make sure that you stand out from other applicants for all the right reasons. Take time to think through what you want to do for a job and a career, and what it’s going to require to get there. Be strategic with your search. The sky’s the limit in what you can achieve.
