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Archive for Employee Engagement – Page 2

A Strong Culture is a Recipe for Success: Johnson & Johnson

A clearly defined, communicated and continually reinforced company culture improves productivity, promotes ethical behavior, and contributes to business success. Employees are more likely to be engaged and loyal when they work in an environment of strong ethics, mutual respect, and trust.

I experienced this firsthand at Johnson & Johnson, with the Johnson & Johnson Credo. The Credo is a set of guiding principles that provides a framework for employee behavior. When employees understand the corporate values and expected behaviors, they are empowered to do the right thing. If someone deviates from expected behaviors, the Credo can be used as a coaching tool to help that individual learn what is expected and why.

The Credo states Johnson & Johnson’s responsibility to their customers, their employees, their communities and their stockholders. It was crafted by a member of the founding family nearly 75 years ago, which was, as stated on their website, “long before anyone ever heard the term ‘corporate social responsibility.’ Our Credo is more than just a moral compass. We believe it’s a recipe for business success. The fact that Johnson & Johnson is one of only a handful of companies that have flourished through more than a century of change is proof of that.”

The Johnson & Johnson Credo is infused in every aspect of J&J life. Every new hire is given the history of the Credo and its importance to the company. It’s in the company’s reward systems. When the company I was working for was bought by J&J, we went through a 2-day mandatory Johnson & Johnson training to understand the values. When tough decisions were made, the VP of HR would take out a copy of the Credo to serve as a compass to make the right decision for all the parties involved.

The Johnson & Johnson example shows that it’s not enough just to establish “a great culture.” You have to ensure that the culture becomes a part of the hearts and minds of all employees – from executives to new hires.

If you need help establishing, communicating or reinforcing your company culture, please contact me.

Creating a Culture That Promotes Good Behavior

In my past couple of blogs I’ve discussed harassment and bullying, how to recognize and prevent those behaviors, and the negative effects they can have on your business. But bullying and harassment are just two of many bad behaviors that can impact your business. Others include: unethical behavior, disrespect to customers or other employees, poor quality work, chronic lateness or absenteeism, and so on.

Establishing and communicating clear guidelines as to what is, and what is not, acceptable behavior is essential. It’s about creating a culture that promotes ethics, respect and integrity. Although we often think of company culture in terms of branding and perks, a strong company culture includes much more.

According to Harvard Business School Professor James L. Heskett, “effective culture can account for a 20-30% of the differential in corporate performance when compared with ‘culturally unremarkable’ competitors.”

So how do you create a great culture that promotes good behavior? Start with clearly defined vision and mission statements, and a set of core values. Ensure that each and every employee understands and can articulate the vision, mission and values. Be clear and consistent about expected behaviors. Integrate the vision, mission, values and expectations into your new hire orientation, employee handbook, and leadership training. Be sure that leaders at every level are aligned with the culture and are modeling expected behaviors. Recognize employees who consistently demonstrate the values in their interactions with customers, vendors, team members and other employees.

Employees who know what the standards and expectations are feel more empowered and have an easier time making decisions. This is especially important in small companies where everyone knows one another and employees feel more like family. If the standards aren’t clear and consistent and periodically reinforced, the lines can get blurred.

Communicate, and most importantly, demonstrate to employees that your focus is on doing the right thing, and not just on increasing profits. When companies lead with ethical behavior, respect and integrity, employees are more likely to follow.

If you would like more tips on creating a positive culture, please contact me.

5 Tips for Managing Transitions Effectively

One of the skills that often comes up in discussions of leadership capabilities is “managing change.” As I noted in my most recent article, though, the role of the leader is more about managing the transition required by employees as they adjust to the change. In his book, Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change, William Bridges described that transition as a 3-phase process:

Ending – letting go of old ways and the old identity.

The Neutral Zone – that period where the old is gone but the new isn’t fully operational.

New Beginnings – employees adapt to the new ways/identity and find the sense of purpose that makes the change work.

Here are some tips for guiding employees through this process effectively.

Determine how behaviors and attitudes need to change to make teams work effectively as a result of the change. Who stands to lose something under the new system, and how will you handle that?
“Sell” the reason for the change. What is the problem that the new process/organization will solve? Help employees see the problem from the customer or business perspective. People will be more adaptable if they understand the “why” versus having to accept change “because I said so.”
Get to the root of resistance to the change. Talk to individuals to understand their concerns. Explain to employees the phases of transition, and that it’s a natural process. Hold skip level meetings. Listen.
Hold employee meetings / forums to discuss how you will move forward together in the new organization / process. Include and empower employees to help with the transition.
Celebrate the new beginning. If it’s the formation of a new team, for example, create a new team logo. If it’s a new process that solves a customer issue, share positive customer feedback. Have a “We Did It!” event. Acknowledge employees for successfully completing the transition.

To ensure that your transition goes as smoothly as possible, here are some things you should avoid.

DO NOT turn everything over to individuals as a group and ask them to come up with a plan.
DO NOT break the change into smaller, sequential changes. This would require employees to go through the transition phases multiple times. Introduce the change all at once with a well-thought-out plan.
DO NOT pull key employees together as a model to show others how to do it.
DO NOT keep changing plans if one doesn’t work.
DO NOT threaten disciplinary action if employees won’t quickly adjust to the change.

If you would like some help developing a transition plan, please contact me.

Managing Transitions in an Ever-Changing Environment

“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” – George Bernard Shaw

It sounds simple enough, but if you are a leader attempting to guide your employees through a major change – an acquisition, a reduction-in-force, or new leadership, for example – you know that overcoming resistance to change can be the biggest hurdle to progress.

In his book, Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change, William Bridges clarified that a leader’s role is not really about managing change, but rather about leading employees through the transition process as a result of change:

“Change and transition are not the same. Change is the external event or situation that takes place. Transition is the inner psychological process that people go through to adapt to a change. Empathetic leaders recognize that change puts people in crisis.”

Bridges describes transitions as a 3-phase process:

Phase One is an Ending. “Letting go of the old ways and the old identity people had.” Maybe they’re losing a beloved leader, or moving to a different team as the result of a reorganization, or having to adapt to a totally new way of doing their job. In any case, there’s a certain amount of grieving or sense of loss for what they’re leaving behind.

Phase Two is the Neutral Zone. This is an in-between stage when “the old is gone but the new isn’t fully operational.” Here is where the critical “psychological realignments and repatternings” take place. People begin to let go of the past. Although they may still be unsure of what’s ahead, they are beginning to accept the inevitability of the change.

Phase Three is New Beginnings. In this phase people adapt to their new identity, experience renewed energy, and find the sense of purpose that will help make the change work.

As a leader, understanding and accepting that your employees need to go through this process will increase the likelihood that the change will be successful.

Next time we’ll talk about some specific strategies for helping your employees through the process.

Remember to Thank Your Employees

The last month of the year can often get so busy with wrapping things up for one year and preparing for the next that we forget a very important activity – saying “Thank You” to employees.

Before you take off for the holidays, be sure you show your appreciation for the work that your employees have done in 2016. Recap the successes, share lessons learned, and tell them your hopes and plans for the New Year. Let them know how important they were in the organization’s accomplishments this year, and how you are relying on them for continued success next year.

Many companies have gone through changes this year – big and small, planned or unexpected. As you thank employees – both in group settings and individually – keep your message positive. Here are some ideas for showing your appreciation.

Say “thank you” in person. Encourage managers to make the time to walk around and thank each person on their team for contributing to the success of the organization. A personal thank you is much more meaningful than an email or a thank you during an “all hands” meeting.

Give a gift or cash award. Include a gift, cash or gift card with the personal thank you. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but it should be meaningful.

Take your team to lunch. Have each manager take their team out to lunch to celebrate the holidays and say “thank you.”

And now I would like to thank you for following my blog, and for providing your comments and feedback!

My best wishes for very Happy Holidays and a Successful 2017!

Supporting Our Communities

As you gather with friends, family and colleagues this holiday season, please remember those in your community who are less fortunate. This can be an especially difficult time of year for them.

Giving back is not only a socially responsible thing to do, it also has many intrinsic benefits for you, your company and your employees.

You feel better about yourself!
Your company will benefit by demonstrating that it cares about the community, which helps attract customers and employees. And,
Your employees will have the opportunity to bond (and feel better about themselves) when you encourage them to volunteer their time or their money to a team selected cause.

There are many local charitable organizations that rely on donations and the help of volunteers to continue to serve their respective constituents. Here are a few:

Second Harvest Food Bank needs help packing and sorting the food it collects and provides to people in need in the community. This makes a great team event. Your employees may also want to help with food distribution.

The Family Giving Tree offers several opportunities for group volunteering: Off-season product sorting; wish card sorting/collateral prep; and volunteering in the warehouse.

Cityteam needs frozen turkeys and canned nonperishable food items to help to make a difference in the lives of men, women, and children struggling with homelessness, hunger, and poverty. Donations can be dropped off 9am-4pm Tuesdays-Saturdays at Cityteam’s Community Services Program, 1297 North 13th St., San Jose.

You can find more opportunities for giving in this San Jose Mercury News article.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, November 29 is Giving Tuesday. Please consider giving to your favorite charity.

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill

5 Ways to Attract and Retain Millennials

Millennials (those people born between 1980 and 2000) are now the nation’s largest living generation, surpassing Baby Boomers, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In fact, it’s projected that by 2025, Millennials will make up 75% of the workforce. This means that finding ways to effectively attract and retain them will become essential in keeping the wheels of your business churning!

Here are some tips for recruiting and keeping employees from this now-dominant generation.

Use social media. To attract Millennials, you need to go where they are. And that’s on social media. A recent article in Inc. Magazine said 66.7% of first time job seekers use social media to look for work. Make sure your recruiting messages present your brand well, and are mobile friendly. Anyone with a family member in this age group knows that their smartphone is a key source of information and communication. Use the latest tools available, such as LinkedIn’s recruiting tools and video interviewing.

Give them insight. Millennials want to work somewhere that provides stability and financial security. A collaborative environment is also important to them. They care about company culture. Be sure your website and your social media presence convey a sense of what it’s like to work at your company. Think about the images and content on those sites – do they accurately tell the story of who you are?

Show you care. According to a Deloitte survey, 60% of Millennials say they chose to join their current employer in part because of the organization’s sense of purpose. Do you give back to your local community? Include that on your website and in your recruiting materials and messages. Also, consider giving employees time off to volunteer or matching their monetary donations.

Develop and grow them. Millennials are motivated by a competitive compensation package, professional development, and opportunities for advancement. Give them a clear vision of their career path and how they can advance. Provide training and mentoring opportunities. They also prefer leaders who empower their employees, and who give them frequent, constructive feedback.

Provide flexibility. Millenials favor work/life balance. They want to work hard and get ahead, but they also want to have enough time to pursue their personal interests. Consider offering flexible work schedules.

Matching your recruitment efforts to the needs of Millennials will help ensure that you keep your candidate pipeline active!

Please contact me if you need more ideas or help in implementing any of these.

Employee Surveys: Don’t Just Ask…Act!

For the first 6 months of this year, only 32.9% of employees were engaged at work, according to Gallup, who regularly measures employee engagement. This means that nearly 70% of employees were not engaged. Lack of employee engagement translates into less productivity and lower morale, and may ultimately impact business results.

There are multiple factors that contribute to employees being engaged and motivated – a sense of purpose, opportunities for growth, a positive culture, learning and development, and effective leadership, to name a few. Often companies, especially small ones with limited resources and time, are hard pressed to know where to focus to move the engagement meter in the right direction. A good way to determine how to improve your employees’ satisfaction, engagement and motivation is to ask them.

Conduct an employee survey.

Perhaps you’ve done one before. But there are surveys and there are surveys. And…it’s not just about asking a bunch of questions. It’s about asking a few good questions that encourage an honest response, and then actually acting on the information you receive. Too often employees are asked to spend 20 minutes or so providing input to a survey and then they never hear anymore about it. This is most likely not the intent when the survey is sent out, but sometimes there are so many ideas and suggestions for improvement that leadership can’t get their arms around them, or they compete with other priorities. Good intentions get lost in the shuffle.

There is a better way.

Start by creating a list of questions that will help you identify some areas that employees want to see improved. Common ones are training and growth opportunities, communication, and understanding how their role fits into the big picture. Pare the list down to 3 or 4 effective questions. Communicate to employees the purpose of the survey and that you will be selecting one or two areas to work on based on the results. An alternate way to gather responses to the questions is through employee focus groups. Once you’ve gathered and analyzed the data, communicate results to employees and involve them in prioritizing the areas to work on. Select one or two areas to focus on in the short term. Be open and honest about what’s achievable. Consider setting up employee work groups to create solutions for the improvement areas selected. Make progress updates a regular part of your employee communication. The important part is to ask and to ACT. When employees see that you are true to your word, they will be more willing to provide you with feedback and ideas and to be part of the solution.

“Research indicates that workers have three prime needs: Interesting work, recognition for doing a good job, and being let in on things that are going on in the company.” –Zig Ziglar