:The Flash Advancer

In a competitive world with the need for businesses to be more streamlined and productive a company can often find itself with a workforce working under pressure resulting in low moral and high staff turnover. The benefits of a company having a highly motivated workforce can be considerable and the two goals of having a workforce that is both motivated and productive should not be regarded as being mutually exclusive to one another.

Left unattended employers run the risk of alienating their employees, events can cause employee frustrations to boil over resulting in employers finding themselves on the back foot, faced with a problem that cannot be ignored.

Ideally employers would take time to understand the needs of their employees and learn from their experiences of working on the front line, but employers are often themselves tied up day to day fighting their own fires.

By automating much of the intelligence gathering process and providing the findings in a format that can be readily analysed online surveys provide employers with an efficient, effective and low cost method to help achieve a pleasant working environment, where staff satisfaction and productivity is high.

Dissatisfied & Unproductive

The are many reasons why employees may be dissatisfied with their job and more often than not staff frustration is channelled into a demand for higher salaries and less hours. Employers who tackle these issues head on, making it all about salary and hours, will often find themselves dealing with the symptoms and not the root cause.

It’s not about Money

The following are common barriers to achieving productivity, none of which are likely to be resolved by increasing salaries or reducing hours:-

• Inadequate training
• Out of touch management
• Out of date working methods
• Lack of proper tools and equipment

Many studies have shown that salaries are rarely the number one priority of employees and providing an employer is paying market rate they would be fundamentally wrong to think that paying higher salaries is the answer to all employee problems.

Take the case of a single mother who is juggling a full time job with the need to look after two children. Out of frustration she may demand more money so that she feels that she is able to cope where a better solution, for both her and the company, may be more flexible working hours.

It is About Communication

It is important for any company to encourage communication. Company’s that make communication between personnel and management difficult, or take the view that if personnel have a problem they will say something, can often delude themselves into thinking their workforce is content when it is not. It only takes one small problem and one disgruntled employee to feel aggrieved for an entire workforce to develop a destructive ‘them and us’ attitude.

Improving Communication

One to one meetings between employer and employee would be ideal but in practice only practical for very small businesses.

Regular meetings between management and worker representatives are good in theory but they often become talking shops and can begin to loose their edge as the participants become familiar with one another and the forum runs the risk of being hijacked by the more extrovert personalities.

Suggestion boxes are useful but can be viewed as token efforts by management as they wait for personnel to highlight a problem.

Newsletters can be a positive step, but their purpose is generally to inform and not discuss issues.

Keeping the Initiative

An employee satisfaction survey run on a regular basis is able to ask each employee specific questions and represents a pro-active management initiative where the whole workforce can be consulted on various issues. Surveys are able to provide a level playing field between the quieter and more vocal employees.

Consultation should not be seen as a sign of weakness, a confident manager will take counsel from all quarters before making a decision. By issuing a survey and keeping the initiative the employer is able to tackle problems from a position of strength as opposed to waiting for problems to fester and then develop out of proportion.

Small problems left unresolved can lead to a situation where a minor problem might break the camels back and the workforce mood change from positive to negative over night.

It’s Quick and Easy

For the majority of companies online surveys represent a proactive and low cost solution. They are quick to design and for many companies, where the majority of personnel have desktop computers, they are quick to deploy direct to the individual.

In situations where individuals do not have personal access to a computer there are still many options available to implement the online survey solution such as giving access to a shared computer, operator input or, as a last resort, a hardcopy survey.

Job Satisfaction

There are many elements that go towards providing an employee with job satisfaction, from the working environment, working methodology, working ethos, company ethics to having good and effective management. Job satisfaction brings benefits through improved motivation and productivity from a workforce that feels that they are treated as individuals and not a commodity item.

Inform and Educate

An online survey can also be used to educate and pass on to the workforce important information, the ‘message’ is consistently delivered and does not suffer from the Chinese whisper phenomenon where a message can be distorted as it is handed down.

An online survey can explain a difficult situation and get valuable feedback from the employees as to the best solution. It is rare in this situation that the workforce would appear negative and more likely that they will feel informed and empowered that might in itself turn a potentially negative problem into a positive challenge that unites the workforce.

Exit Surveys

Exit surveys are an excellent way of ensuring that when personnel leave an organisation they are leaving for the right reasons and not due to reasons that if appreciated earlier could have been addressed and resolved by management. Although identifying a problem may not prevent a person leaving it could solve an unappreciated issue that may, if left unchecked, result in other key personnel also leaving.

Analysing the Results

Having consulted the workforce with an online survey the results are available for instant analysis. Common and specific problems can be easily identified and brought to the attention of senior management who will then have the opportunity to address the issues that have been raised.

Summary

Used regularly online surveys represent a simple and productive method of taking the pulse of an organisation and an easy way to establish a two way communication channel between employer and employee with the results providing management with vital, accurate and significant information.

For a Sample Employee Satisfaction Survey
http://www.surveygalaxy.com/surPublishes.asp?survey_id=1163

For a sample Employee Exit survey
http://www.surveygalaxy.com/surPublishes.asp?survey_id=1165

Martin Day is a Director of Survey Galaxy Ltd for more informartin please visit http://www.SurveyGalaxy.com

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Hiring reliable, motivated staff to add to your success is becoming harder for employers. Employment Legislation, Data Protection Laws and EU Directives have all created a web in which the average small business owner can easily feel trapped and ensnared. I have trained hundreds of managers to find their way through, and these are some of the ideas I can offer to help you.

IT’S NOT ALL DOOM AND GLOOM. In this article I will show you how you can shift the odds in your favour without spending a fortune on recruitment advertising. This is part one of a series, so look out for updates or contact me for more details.

1 - Designing and advertising the job
Most managers and business owners have been stuck at some point in our careers with the employee from hell, a difficult person who brings havoc to work with them. They take up time, they can sabotage work (and cost you money), and they can affect team morale, dragging their performance down and causing good staff to get fed up and leave.

Some bosses have classified their problem people and among the worst are:
Moaners - if you want to give great customer service how will this person help?
Liars - can you trust them with your property?
Bullies - they don’t just scare the staff: customers will run a mile from them. Sometimes the boss is even scared
Addicts - drink, drugs, gambling - take your pick. Whatever their weakness, they are Trouble with a capital T
Lovers - they use the workplace as a free dating agency. It can be fine while romance is blossoming but when the honeymoon’s over the fallout will spill over at work, sometimes with violent results
Hypochondriacs - never there when you need them
Gossips - can cause backbiting in the most harmonious team. Good people will get tired of them and leave.

Do these ring any bells? Are you worried about employing the next member of staff? Well read on and you will find out what you can do……

There are lots of things you can do to improve the odds of getting an effective person to fill your next vacancy. A sound job specification is particularly important, and that’s not just HR-speak. It will help avoid complaints of discrimination and helps you select suitable people who can develop into valuable assets for the organisation rather than difficult employees. Write a short job specification - this describes the skills and experience needed to do the job well. Write this up for the job and you will have a set of requirements against which you can filter the applications and decide who to interview. You can include anything that relates to the job - for example Experience, Training, Special Knowledge, Adaptability, Disposition.

For example: you need someone to produce client contracts using Word and Excel. Sounds simple? Fine: let’s ask candidates to do that in a short test, using a simple draft as a starting point. Now we start to find out who can walk their talk. And on the subject of walking, if that’s part of the job, put it in the specification, then they can’t say they didn’t expect to be on their feet all day!

You can recruit without spending a fortune. Before you run into the arms of a recruitment agency, try and compare notes with another local employer. Has anyone found a really good, loyal agency? If so, grab them! Lots of companies use employment agencies to do the work for them, with varying results. They can charge a month’s salary for finding the employee, and once they place them with you they can be ready to tempt them away with the next vacancy - and there’s often nothing you can do about this!

So how do you find the right person? Just be practical - put a small ad in the right advertising medium: often one of the local papers. But also offer it to the local Jobcentre, and tell all your staff that the job is open. There’s no reason not to interview a friend or relative of an existing member of staff, if they meet the basic job requirements. Are there any other free outlets to advertise the job? Set a closing date and interview date(s) when you advertise. This lets the applicant know when they might be asked to an interview, and can save a lot of time in dealing with enquiries.

So you’ve designed a clear, simple job spec, you’ve told everyone that you’re looking for someone good, and now just wait for that flood of applicants to beat a path to your door.

Part Two coming soon, but if you can’t wait that long you can contact me - see my details below.

Adrienne Davis is an experienced consultant, specialising in recruitment, employment law and industrial relations. For help with your management problems, you can contact her at adrienneadrienne@btinternet.com, or go to the website. www.homebusinessadvisers.com, where you can also sign up for a free Entrepreneurs’ newsletter.

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One of my earliest childhood memories is watching Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) win his third Most Outstanding Player award while leading UCLA to its third straight NCAA title in 1969. Of course, March Madness is now ingrained in our sports psyche. From the unveiling of the brackets in mid-March, to the playing of “One Shining Moment” celebrating a new national champion, the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship captures our nation’s attention.

Each year, the Men’s Basketball Committee ranks the tournament teams on an S-Curve. The top #1 seed sits at the upper right on the “S” and the 65th rests at the bottom left, with the remaining 63 teams listed in order between them. In your industry, it might be possible to rank businesses in a similar way, and, much like players shooting free throws in the NCAA tournament, everyone on the S-Curve would have the opportunity to achieve better results by focusing on the keys to their success.

Success Handler Action: Spend a few moments thinking about your small business. In your industry, where do you rank on the S-Curve? Are you near the upper right with top performers, somewhere in the middle, or falling toward the bottom left? Now, think about the reasons you placed yourself in that position. Here are some questions to consider:

~ Do you have the personnel to make you a “top seed”?

~ Do you have the equipment to be among the best at what you do?

~ Are you coaching employees to ensure you get the most out of their talent?

~ How do your customers view your small business? Are you ranked among the elite?

~ What will it take for you to move higher up on the S-Curve?

One of the small business leaders we coach has an outstanding team, a strong product in a growth industry and a solid marketing approach. Yet, like many business owners, he is not achieving the results he expects. Put in sports terms, they have a good game plan, but their execution is coming up short.

We are currently helping them implement a strategy to reach outside their comfort level - to think beyond what worked before and to more closely focus on what is needed today. We are also working to focus their efforts beyond the walls of their location - to get out and spend more time with their customers and prospects.

Success Handler Action: What is it that’s keeping you from reaching your goals? Is it fear of change? Lack of resources? Fatigue? Here are six steps to give your team the mindset of a winner:

1. Call some business acquaintances and ask how they motivate their employees

2. Read (or re-read) Stephen Covey’s “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”

3. Get your business plan out of the drawer and update it (think
like a coach: X’s and O’s)

4. Candidly discuss your situation with your financial advisor

5. Take your employees out for a celebration; the best teams bond together off the field

6. Get to work one hour earlier the next two weeks and work on your business, not in it

All teams begin their seasons with the same record and same goal. The one that cuts down the net at the end worked together better than everyone else. While big state schools tend to win the most championships, smaller ones celebrate success every year in the NCAA tournament. Whether you’re the biggest in your industry or the smallest, the oldest or the newest, there is opportunity to renew focus on your business and shoot your way up the S-Curve. Begin thinking and preparing like a champion, and you will achieve surprising results, much like those Cinderella Stories.

Copyright © 2004 by Success Handler, LLC. All rights reserved.

The Coach, David Handler, is the founder of Success Handler, (http://www.successhandler.com), and specializes in helping small business leaders find clarity and take action. He understands the challenges of running a business, because he’s been there - as a small business owner, franchisee, franchisor, corporate leader and trainer. Much like sports coaches, his coaching will show you how to compete on a level playing field in your industry.

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As a psychologist and life coach, I often find myself discussing the importance of saying “no” with busy, stressed out professionals. Everyone likes the idea of saying “no” more often, at least in theory. But, when it comes to actually doing it, I hear a lot of “yes, buts.” In other words, “yes, I could say no to that, but then who would do it?” or “yes, I could say no to that, but then my boss would be upset with me and I might not get a promotion.” Why is it so hard to say “no” to others?

Most of us experiencing success in our careers have learned one lesson really well: if you want to advance, you have to be willing to do the work. Translation, say “yes” to opportunities that come your way because you never know where it will lead. Well, look where that has led you. . . right to reading this article, looking for a solution to managing your busy life!

The truth is, we are much better at saying “yes” than we are at saying “no.” Saying “yes” is easy, even if it means more stress and frustration down the road. When you say “yes,” the other person smiles, thanks you, and you are left feeling as though you have pleased someone. There’s a lot of emotional payoff in that. Saying “no” is not immediately gratifying to us. Although rationally we know that saying “no” will mean we will feel less stressed in the future, when we say “no,” we may feel guilty about disappointing the person who has made a request of us. Or, we may fear the consequences of saying “no.” What’s so good about that? Not much. That’s why simply telling yourself to say “no” more often is not a very effective means of managing your busy life and career.

So, what’s the alternative? Contemplate saying “yes” with awareness of what the “no” is in every “yes.” For every task or project we agree to do, we are saying “no” to something else. If I agree to take emergency on-call tonight at work, I am saying “yes” to being a team player and helping out in a pinch. But, chances are I will get called to handle an emergency and I am saying “no” to going to the gym after work, time with my husband, an uninterrupted dinner, and a good night’s sleep. I also am saying “no” to being alert and productive tomorrow at work. I will make it through the next day, but I won’t be as
effective as I could be with my clients. And, I won’t have
much energy for my friends or family the next evening after
work. Having awareness of what is really at stake when I say “yes” makes it much easier to make selective, thoughtful decisions to say “no.”

By the way, saying “no” selectively does not make you a poor team player. There’s more than one way to be a good team player! In the example I shared, if I say “no” to on-call that night, the next day I am more present and effective with my clients and colleagues. This also is a quality of a good team player. There will be other times when I say “yes” to taking on-call in a pinch, but the circumstances in my life may be different. Perhaps at that time, I am well-rested, have been to the gym the day before, and had some quality time with my husband recently. So saying “yes” to this additional responsibility does not mean I will lose out in other important areas of my life.

Try this over the coming week: Each time you are presented with a new opportunity, project, or task, ask yourself, “what am I saying ‘no’ to by saying ‘yes’ in this situation?” Write this question on a sticky note and put it where you will see it often. You will be surprised at how much more time you have for what is important to you!

Being fully aware of our choices allows us to make choices congruent with our goals, values, and life purpose. This
brings us closer to a sense of balance.

Want more time for what’s important to you?
Visit http://www.tapthepotential.com to learn more about coaching services offered by Dr. Schleicher. A complimentary coaching session is available for new clients.

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