Motivating Today's Employees

When you are watching the bottom line, it is easy to forget how your employees are feeling about their jobs. But unproductive staff can be one of the biggest threats to that bottom line, as many business owners have discovered. A favourable working environment combined with good worker benefits has eclipsed salaries as the prime concern of the work force. Here is a book that tackles the job-satisfaction issue head-on. It offers creative options that will help companies increase worker effectiveness. The book answers the following questions: How do I identify effective motivators? Why should my company establish job standards? Is it important to involve employees in goal-setting and decision making? How do I know whether I am hearing what my employees are really saying? --And more!
INTRODUCTION: Motivating Today’s Employees xi PART I: THE BASICS OF MOTIVATION 1 1 MOTIVATIONAL THEORY 5 What Is Motivation? 6 What the Theorists Tell Us about Motivation 7 Frederick Herzberg 7 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs 9 Theories X and Y 10 Theory Z 11 Applying the Theories 12 2 FACTS AND FALLACIES ABOUT MOTIVATION 13 Fallacy #1: Motivation Is the Goal 15 Fallacy #2: Money Motivates 15 Fallacy #3: The Golden Rule Applies 17 Fallacy #4: Motivators Are Universal 18 v CONTENTS Fallacy #5: The Burning Platform Can Be a Strong Motivator 19 Fallacy #6: Motivation Doesn’t Matter As Long As the Job Gets Done 19 Fallacy #7: In a Poor Economy, Motivation Doesn’t Matter 20 Fallacy #8: Nobody’s Irreplaceable 20 Fallacy #9: I Can Motivate My Employees 21 Fallacy #10: Once a Motivated Employee, Always a Motivated Employee 22 3 WHAT MOTIVATES EMPLOYEES? 23 Motivators for the 21st Century 24 What Employees Want 26 Employee Commitment 26 Employee Retention 28 Finding Out What Your Employees Want 29 Putting It All Together 31 PART II: THE FIRST LINE OF INFLUENCE 35 4 FINDING THE RIGHT FIT 41 Hire Right 43 Start Employees off on the Right Foot 48 Welcome 49 Organization Chart 49 Company and Department Objectives 50 Working Conditions 50 Job Responsibilities and Job Standards 51 Company Standards 51 Introductions 51 Problems to Avoid during Orientation 52 Goals, Roles, and Reporting Lines 53 Goals 54 Roles 55 Reporting Lines 56 vi Motivating today’s employees Maintaining Ongoing Contact 56 5 COACHING AND COUNSELING 59 “What Do You Expect from Me?” 60 Establishing Job Standards 60 Establishing Clear Goals 63 Additional Considerations 65 Evaluating Performance: “How Am I Doing?” 66 Providing Constructive Feedback 68 Giving Credit and Praise for Accomplishments 72 The Importance of Constructive Feedback 73 Handling Problem Employees 76 Exercising Positive Discipline 78 Exit Interviews 81 Exit Interviews Should Be a Standard Operating Practice 81 Use an Objective Third Party to Conduct the Interview 82 Conduct an In-Person Interview 82 Look for Trends, Not Incidents 82 6 COMMUNICATION 85 Communication: An Organizational Priority 86 It Starts at the Top 86 Preparing Employees to Hear the Messages 87 Manager As Role Model 88 Communicating in an Environment of Change 89 Creating an Environment for Change 91 What You Should Tell Employees 93 Common Communication Problems 95 Hearing Only What You Expect to hear 95 Letting biases interfere 96 Semantics 97 Noise 97 Emotions 97 Contents vii Non-verbal Communication 98 Organizational Barriers to Effective Communication 99 A Three-Step Approach to Avoiding Miscommunication 100 Step 1: Verification 100 Step 2: Clarification 101 Step 3: Follow-up 101 Encouraging Two-Way Communication 102 Removing the Risk 103 Responding to Constructive Feedback 104 Communication Vehicles 107 Rap Sessions 107 Regular Meetings 107 Grievance or Suggestion System 108 Intranet Forums 108 Open-Door Policies 109 Opinion Surveys 110 Social Gatherings 110 Creative Communication: Lessons from the Front Lines 111 PART III: PROGRAMS, POLICIES, AND PRACTICES 115 7 BENEFITS 121 Meeting the Needs of a Diverse Workforce through Flexible Benefits 123 Addressing Employee Work/Life Needs 125 Family First: A No-Cost/Low-Cost Benefit 127 Time Off When They Want It — PTO Programs 128 Meeting the Needs of Working Parents 130 The 3:00 Syndrome and What You Can (and Should) Do about It 131 The Child-Care Dilemma 132 Workers without Children 133 Telecommuting 134 viii Motivating today’s employees Little Things Mean a Lot 137 A Variety of Benefits to Meet Employee and Organizational Needs 139 Communicating the Value of Employee Benefits 142 8 RECOGNITION AND REWARD 143 The Simple Things 146 Problems with Awards 148 Rewarding Employee Longevity 150 Additional Resources 152 9 INVOLVEMENT AND ADVANCEMENT 153 Decision Making: More Than a Managerial Prerogative 156 Encouraging Employee Involvement 158 “What Do You Think?” 159 Encouraging Employee Suggestions 160 Job Growth and Opportunity 162 What Makes a Job a Good Job? 162 Providing Job Growth 163 Job Redesign 164 Job Enlargement 164 Job Restructuring 165 Job Enrichment 165 Cross-training 168 Teambuilding 168 Succession Planning: Identifying Future Leaders 169 Identify What Skills and Competencies Are Needed 170 Make Sure the Direction Comes from the Top 170 Develop an Acceleration Pool 171 Additional Resources 172 10 EDUCATION AND TRAINING 173 Training Topics 176 Customer Service 176 Technology 176 Contents ix Interpersonal Skills 176 Quality Improvement 176 Technical Skills 177 The Benefits of Employee Education 177 Types of Training 178 In-House Training 178 Choosing Outside Training 179 Computer-Based Training 181 Getting a Degree Online 184 Other Training Opportunities 185 Brown Bag Lunches 185 Reading Groups 185 Discussion Groups 185 Special Assignments 185 Mentoring 185 Community Events 186 Training Pays 186 11 HEALTH AND WELLNESS PROGRAMS 189 Job Pressures Impact Health and Wellness 190 How Jobs Contribute to Stress 192 Creating a Low-Stress Environment 193 The Benefits of Health and Wellness Programs 194 Steps to an Effective Program 197 Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) 199 Managers and EAPs 200 CONCLUSION 207 SAMPLES 1 What Do Employees Really Want? 30 2 Retention Risk Assessment 33 x Motivating today’s employees