- July 22, 2014
- Posted by: HPI Admin
- Category: Power Ideas
If you live or work in Arizona, and especially in the Valley of the Sun, you undoubtedly know the name Ginny McMinn. Ginny is the Founder and President of McMinn HR and is considered one of the foremost HR experts (and our Alliance Partner!) in the region. She has learned a great deal over the years in our industry and I know you will find value in the attached article!
Recently, I have been in many workplaces where the number of employees has been reduced and workloads have been spread among remaining employees. True, times are tough for some businesses. Let’s not forget that times are tough for employees, too!
Many of the remaining employees are handling “their own work” (as they describe it), as well as the work of employees who have been laid off. These employees often feel overwhelmed and overworked. They may also be nervous about being the next to be let go, or feel sorry that friends and co-workers are no longer around. Or, they may have family members who are out of work, with the associated financial pressures and problems.
It is important to address the issues of tight times and the remaining workload. Employees may not currently have many options to employment with your organization. However, counting on this instead of treating employees as they should be treated can destroy motivation, reduce teamwork, increase stress and make it more likely employees will leave when an opportunity is available elsewhere.
What is the solution? Communication, leadership, recognition.
Communicate with employees about the business, its challenges and your near-term goals. Encourage employees to become involved in solutions and savings. Engage employees in discussions of ways to help the business during these tough times.
It is also important to provide leadership. You may be concerned about sales, opportunities for growth, receivables and collections. Yet your employees also look to you for leadership. Spend time with your employees. Take a look at workloads and priorities; then get realistic about what must be done and what can be put off. Overworked and overwhelmed are not conducive to productivity, effective customer service or employee retention.
Remember that recognition is key to employee motivation and retention — in good times and in bad. Employees surveyed about what keeps them motivated have only one #1 answer: Recognition for a job well done. Recognition doesn’t have to be expensive; but it does require a systematic method for making sure it happens.
We invite all of you to contact us at info@houstonpartnersinternational.com. We are excited to talk more with you about how to institute a strong recognition program in your organization. Thanks Ginny, for your valuable insight.
To Your Success!
Jerry