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Thursday
June 17, 2010 Tip of the Day - Motivate Your Employees the Smart WayFiled under: Uncategorized
Those numbers don’t surprise Michelle Smith, vice president of business development for O.C. Tanner, an incentive management company. “Many workers are feeling underappreciated with their leadership right now,” Smith says. “As the job market thaws, they’re going to go somewhere they feel more valued.” One of the main source of workers’ discontent these days, Smith contends, is the fact that their companies didn’t spend as much time – or resources – focusing on employee recognition last year. “Unfortunately, too many businesses pulled back on incentivizing employees last year, and now businesses are going to feel the effect of that,” she says. Now, some good news: If you make the effort now to connect with your salespeople and motivate them to succeed, you can gain their loyalty. The key is in retooling your recognition and rewards programs – immediately. You need to give them a reason to feel connected with your company other than a paycheck. That may have worked last year, but not now. And, don’t fall into the trap of continuing to use the same motivation and rewards programs that you’ve always used, Smith warns. “Your business has changed in the last 18 months,” she says. “Make sure you update your recognition plan accordingly.” Engage Employees Sooner Rather Than Later For this reason, Smith says, many of her clients are focusing on on-boarding programs, where new hires are recognized early on for their achievements. Indeed, Margaret Dickinson, founder of a graphic design firm, gives new hires a welcome basket stocked with promo items featuring the company’s logo, including a pen set, a company mug and a notepad. Every month for the new hire’s first year (assuming good performance), she adds additional items to the employee’s desk. “It’s kind of a game to see what I’ll give next,” she says. One recent month, Dickinson rewarded a new hire with a desk clock. The month before, it was a colorful mouse pad. “I also use this gift-giving sessions as a chance to check-in with the person,” she says. “I’ll say, ‘What are you working on?’ and ‘Are you doing the kind of work you expected?’ and ‘How can I help?’ Often, what results is a great conversation, which will help me learn more about what makes this person tick.” Wells Fargo & Company recently completed a merger with Wachovia and is in the midst of developing a new recognition program for the 26,000 members of its technology and operations group. According to Lisa Massiello, group recognition manager, Wells Fargo also makes a point to check in with new hires several times within the first year. After their first year with the company, employees are acknowledged with a Wells Fargo pin or other token of appreciation. Such programs are crucial, Smith says, especially at companies that are planning on ramping up their staffs this year. “It’s critical to make sure that everybody is rowing the boat in the same direction, right from the start,” she says. From Stitches Embroider Business Insights |
First, some bad news. Your top performers may be getting ready to jump ship. At least that’s what the results of a recent survey indicate. Right Management, a career consultancy, asked more than 900 workers in North America if they planned to pursue new job opportunities as the economy improves in 2010. Sixty percent said “yes.” Another 20% indicated they would be updating their resumes and attending networking events “just in case” a better opportunity comes along.