Tag Archive for ‘Productivity’ at DrivenLeaders.com

Tag Archive for 'Productivity'

How Much Recognition Do Employees Need?

Published

on March 25, 2009

. 0 Comments

employee recognition How Much Recognition Do Employees Need?

If you’ve asked yourself this one, you’re certainly not alone. When it comes to praise and recognition, managers and employees often have two very different opinions on the subject. Managers feel that they provide ample recognition while employees generally feel that praise is glaringly absent in the workplace. Because of this disconnect, it’s not uncommon for managers to unknowingly run the risk of demotivating employees, simply on the fact that they don’t provide enough praise. So the question still begs, “How much recognition is appropriate?”

According to Gallup data, the key to effective recognition is that it be honest and based on outcomes that are measurable. They suggest that the correct answer to our question is once every seven days.

“Once every seven days, all employees should be individually recognized or at least told that they have done a good job or that they have set a record. And you can never give too much recognition if it is honest and deserved.” - Rodd Wagner and James K. Harter, 12: The Elements of Great Managing

Think of the last time you were praised for providing your best efforts or the time you put into a particular project. How did you feel? Recognition doesn’t always have to be a grandiose event. Even simple recognition of routine efforts can be the difference between an employee increasing productivity and silently looking for other jobs over their lunch hour.

In the research for their book, 12: Elements for Great Managing, Rodd Wagner and James K. Harter found that less than 1 in 3 employees can give a strong positive answer to the statement, “In the last seven days, I have received recognition for doing good work.”

How does that compare to your situation? If providing praise at least once every seven days sounds like a lot, it may be time for a gut check. There should always be something that you can find positive about someones efforts within that time span. Without a doubt there is a direct correlation between recognition and level of employee engagement.

Rodd Wagner and James Harter may have said it best, “With its power, ridiculously low cost and rarity, (praise) is one of the greatest lost opportunities in the business world today.” Perhaps we should rethink our question, asking ourselves instead -“When was the last time I praised someone for good work?”

Related articles

Boosting Employee Engagement and Productivity (drivenleaders.com)
Tough economic times lead to decline in employee engagement (newswire.ca)
Employee Engagement For Free! (Not) (incentive-intelligence.typepad.com)

Boosting Employee Engagement and Productivity

Published

Anthony

on November 30, 2008

in Employee Engagement and Managing

. 3 Comments

employeeengagement1 Boosting Employee Engagement and Productivity Recently I was asked to participate in an employee engagement initiative, a topic I personally believe is vital to fueling business growth in today’s environment. Employee engagement has been a hot topic in recent years, sparking interest from HR managers all the way to the executive suite.

By definition employee engagement can be described as, “a heightened emotional connection that an employee feels for his or her organization, that influences him or her to exert greater discretionary effort to his or her work”. In otherwords, the more an employee is engaged, the more productive they will be.

“According to a recent Gallup study on employee engagement, about 54 percent of employees in the United States are not engaged and 17 percent are disengaged. Leaving only 29 percent of employees engaged at work.”

Assuming that study is accurate, this is clearly and area in need of attention. Though commonly monitored from the HR department, employee engagement is often most affected by an employee’s direct manager. The Conference Board, a non-profit research organization, has identified 8 key drivers that influence employee engagement:

Trust and integrity – how well managers communicate and ‘walk the talk’.
Nature of the job –Is it mentally stimulating day-to-day?
Line of sight between employee performance and company performance – Does the employee understand how their work contributes to the company’s performance?
Career Growth opportunities –Are there future opportunities for growth?
Pride about the company – How much self-esteem does the employee feel by being associated with their company?
Coworkers/team members – significantly influence one’s level of engagement.
Employee development – Is the company making an effort to develop the employee’s skills?
Relationship with one’s manager – Does the employee value his or her relationship with his or her manager?

engaged 300x198 Boosting Employee Engagement and Productivity

Though there are many strategies to increase employee engagement, the AMA is sponsoring a complimentary webcast on December 10th, focusing on one strategy entitled the “The Levity Effect: Boosting Employee Engagement and Productivity”. I’d encourage leaders at any level to take advantage of this opportunity, as this will continue to be a hot topic and one that will impact the success of your organization. Details for the free webcast direct from the AMA website are below.

The Levity Effect: Boosting Employee Engagement and Productivity
December 10, 2008 • 12:00–1:00 p.m. Eastern

Unleashing the Power of Humor and Fun in Business
We all know the cardinal rule of public speaking is to start off with a joke. After all, when your audience is laughing, they’re listening. But the truth is that lightening up in the workplace can drive real business results. This is especially true in a bad economy. The benefits from what is termed the “Levity Effect” are not based on speculation, but are built on extensive research and case studies from organizations such as Boeing, Nike, KPMG, Yamaha, Enterprise, Zappos and dozens of others. In this program we’ll explore the remarkable power of humor and fun in business and demonstrate how an active sense of humor is not just a good personal trait but helpful for success at work.

While attending the Webcast is FREE, reservations are required. Register now or call 1-877-566-9441. Meeting Number: 17247 - 00001

Time Management 101: Add an Extra Hour to Your Day

Published

Anthony

on September 10, 2008

in Classroom 101 and Personal Development

. 4 Comments

clock21 Time Management 101: Add an Extra Hour to Your Day Think of some of the most successful people you know. Have you ever wondered – “How do they do it all?” I’m not going to lie, I certainly have. The balance of work and personal life is not an easy one, especially when you are trying to do both at an extremely high level. But as I’ve found over the past few months, it is possible to increase your productivity on multiple fronts by making a few minor adjustments to your normal routine. Below are 8 sure-fire tips to boost your productivity and save time in the process.

Get organized. Highly effective people are organized people – period. Organization is the backbone of productivity and the first step to adding hours to your day. This may seem to be “easier said than done,” but you really can do it, if you commit to it. Personally, I have always been a fan of keeping things simple. A former manager once told me that there were four ways to approach a new item or task: 1) Handle it, 2) File it , 3) Delegate it, or 4) Get rid of it. Though this may be over simplified, but limiting your options does force you to take the action and get things off your plate.
Schedule everything. (…and yes, this includes fantasy football) Salary.com conducted a survey revealing that the average employee wastes 1.7 hours of a typical 8.5 hour work day. Sounds crazy, yet we all do it! Wasting valuable time limits your production and costs both you and your employer money in the process. Keep one detailed calendar and refer to it the day before to get prepared.
Streamline your processes. Figuring out a better way to do something you do daily will make life a lot easier. Often technology can make a job easier if you are willing to look for (or pay for) a particular program or application. If it will help your cause, it’s worth it the cost. For starters, try Google or webware.com to get a listing of the most popular applications. (Webware lists the Top 100 applications as chosen by 1.9 million people) Bottom line, streamline your processes and you will finish faster.
Establish routines and stick to them. Your daily tasks will be easier once you figure out smarter ways to do them, and know when to do them. Once you get these new habits into your routine, you’re well on your way becoming more productive!
Multi-task only when it makes sense. Most people think: “If I can do more at once, I will get done faster.” Not always the case. If you’re doing something that doesn’t require much thought, it’s okay to multi-task. On the flipside, when you’re work requires you to truly concentrate, multi-tasking will promote errors and most likely additional headaches in fixing them.
Plan ahead. Now that you’ve established order in your life, you can think clearer, and won’t continue to get blindsided if things get thrown at you on short notice. The moral of the story - Plan ahead, save time.
Learn how to say no. (Really it’s OK!) One of the hardest lessons for me to learn, was knowing when to say no. Being determined, motivated, and career driven has many advantages, but it often leads you to being over extended. Making a good impression doesn’t have to mean accept every project that comes across your desk. Be selective and put forth your best effort on a few projects, rather than a mediocre effort on multiple projects.
And finally, don’t quit. No one ever said that adding an hour to your day was going to be easy. It will be challenging. There will be bad days, but you’ve put together a great plan now challenge yourself and stay committed! By executing the above, I have been able to add what feels like at least an extra hour to each day and you can too! Think about it - What would you do with an extra hour each day? Pretty soon, you’ll be the one everyone wonders about…

Have something to add to the list? Let me know your thoughts, I’m always looking to improve in this area.

Employee Motivation

Published

Anthony

on August 24, 2008

in Leadership, Managing and Motivation

. 1 Comment

motivation Employee Motivation No matter the size of your organization, having a team of motivated, hard-working employees is crucial to your business success. When people lose their motivation they become less focused, less productive, and less creative, all having a negative impact on the bottom line. The challenge today is that motivation is changing. A previous post entitled “The New World of Work” examined the dynamic changes that are upon us in the workplace and with regard to motivation, managers and leaders need to adapt as well.

Finding out everyone’s individual motivators and catering to them can be a constructive approach in the short term. Yet on the flipside, creating and fostering an environment that is conducive to people motivating themselves, may yield much larger returns in the long run.

Examining this issue further, the Harvard Business Review published an article this month, discussing a new motivational model targeting every person’s innate emotional drives. These four drives underlie the every action that we take.

The drive to acquire (obtain scarce goods, including intangibles: social status, etc.)
The drive to bond (form connections with individuals and groups)
The drive to comprehend (satisfy our curiosity and master the world around us)
The drive to defend (protect against external threats and promote justice)

The theory (backed by evidence) is that since these drives are ingrained into our minds, the degree to which they are satisfied conversely affects our emotions and behavior. The authors suggest that as a managers and leaders, we need to attend to all four of the drives to truly impact employee motivation.

How do we do that you ask? The article suggests that for each drive there is a primary lever that we need to use in order to maximize fulfillment. The following table matches each drive with its corresponding lever, and suggestions of actions to be considered.

When each lever is properly executed, the model motivates because the actions taken on all fronts reinforce one another - a holistic approach, setting the stage for intrinsic motivation.

Instead of asking yourself: How can I motivate my employees? Ask: How can I create an environment that is conducive to my employees motivating themselves? Chances are if you address all four drives above, you are off to a good start…