Employee Engagement

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Do you remember your first day at a new job?  It’s often filled with excitement and new opportunities on helping the company you just joined succeed in its mission.  However, have you also felt this excitement wear off after a while?  Did you feel yourself get more disconnected?

This dissatisfaction with some or maybe all aspects of your job is also something you have seen among other employees.  Keeping engaged and excited employees is a difficult process for any company, and especially for ones with fast growth and lots of employees.  Recent research has found that when we can make a connection of one’s work to the beneficiary of that work, like our customer, employees get more job satisfaction.  For instance, Adam Grant of the Wharton School found that fundraisers who were attempting to secure scholarship donations felt more motivated when they had contact with the scholarship recipients.

Giving feedback to employees on how their work is impacting the company’s customers is a strong motivation tool that lifts productivity.  Its making these types of connections for all employees in all areas of the company can give them a picture of how they contribute to customer satisfaction.  What opportunities do you have in your organization to provide these types of connections?

Make the connections to level up your employee engagement!

Mike

What does your second half look like?

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I read a book a while back titled Halftime by Bob Buford. It spoke to me because at the time I was turning 50, and the book outlined the difference between the first half of our life versus the second half.

Now that I am further along in my second half, I find myself reading articles about how to stay vibrant physically and mentally. It’s been said that “health equals wealth” and my intention is to be on the journey with continued health as a focus.

Below are six habits that resonated with me from a recent article on this topic:

  1. Mindset of Abundance
    Worrying about money at any age is not fun. I sure don’t want to worry about it in my older years. The abundant mindset was a game changer for me, and it not only included financial, but also spiritual, work, and relationships. The way I practice this comes with making sure any business opportunity is sourced with the right resource. If a referral comes to me, but it’s not quite the right fit or maybe my bandwidth is such that I couldn’t meet the client needs properly, then I actively help them find a better resource. Even if that means referring them to a competitor. It’s the “Pay it forward” mentality and the idea that there is an abundance of work out there for everyone, and what comes around goes around.
  2. Take Care of Your Spirit
    Do you ever feel not present, or your mind is racing all over the place? Or someone asks you a question, but you really didn’t hear it, and you must ask them to repeat it again? I have been working on a practice where I focus on my “active listening” skills and intentional mindfulness exercises to be present. It is not easy, but in today’s fast paced world, it is necessary. As I age, I am realizing that spiritual fitness is just as important as physical fitness.
  3. Goals
    I have generally had goals most of my life. Not always written down, but goals that helped me go to where I wanted to take my career. Eventually as I got older, I began to write down my goals and reviewing intermittently during the year. I have kept copies for the past 15 years and it’s amazing what I accomplished towards the life that I wanted to lead. The goals kept me focused, engaged, and motivated. Where I needed to pivot, I did. Some goals changed or were dropped, but I had a goal because I wanted to be “intentional” with my life and business.
  4. Take Care Physically
    When I was young, I took a lot for granted and didn’t feel that I would ever wear out. I pushed myself physically as an athlete. Well, I did better than some…my weight is still good, nutrition is on solid ground (except for the chocolate that I enjoy), and my strength is rebounding. Get a good night sleep. It is the most underrated aspect of recovery that is necessary for us to continue running the marathon of life.
  5. Do Work You Enjoy
    Enjoying what you do as a profession nourishes the body and your spirit. Long-term health and happiness are a function of a healthy and satisfied mind, and work that fulfills these attributes will give you inner satisfaction.
  6. Choose Your Relationships Wisely
    The emotions of others are contagious. Be mindful of who you hang out with because as Jim Rohn once said, “You are the five people you hang around the most with.” If you are not hanging around with people who you want to emulate, then time for a reset.

Cheers to your 2nd half!

The Positive Power of a Flexible Workplace

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Employers, employees and studies say remote working in many instances can result in more productivity. The past two years guarantee that an increase in remote working will be a permanent result of COVID-19.

When people work from home, they have more control over their time and working environment. Employees work when they are most productive, which is not always regular business hours. People who work from home tend to dress comfortably and can fit more exercise and sleep into their schedules.

Traditionally, extra sleep and comfy attire for staff are not high on the list of employer goals. In fact, it may seem like these factors are counterproductive. But many employers say remote work has had a direct and positive result on business. Employees are happier, healthier (more sleep and exercise), take fewer sick days and accomplish more than those who spend the entirety of their work hours in an office.  Communication by text, email, Zoom and phone is proving to be more efficient as people focus more intently on their time management with these channels.

Call center employees, for example, take more calls when they work remotely, in part due to less noise and generally fewer distractions at home (apart from slightly distracting unsupervised toddlers), as opposed to a busy office.

Job satisfaction tends to increase without a daily commute. There is the appeal of a commute-free lifestyle. Statistics show that traditional commuters suffer from high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high cholesterol, more often than those who commute from the kitchen to the office down the hall. Increased anxiety is also associated with a commuter lifestyle.

People value a remote workplace option and may opt to take a pay cut for a job that offers it.  Having the flexibility to work even with a hybrid model of home office and work office environments can add a dimension to a job that makes it attractive.  The greater acceptance of a work-from-home option has opened the opportunity to reduce geographic limitations when recruiting.  Hiring employees is not cheap and a high rate of employee retention helps both overall morale and the bottom line.

Pandemic-life has proven that working remotely, at least part of the time, is feasible and profitable. Businesses can use remote working to their advantage to pivot their company and meet the demands of a new reality.

The Art of Attracting Outstanding Employees

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We’ve all had those absolutely outstanding employees:  well-qualified, quick to learn company operations and culture, exhibit great attitudes. They do what they say they will do, on time and with high quality.

Sometimes it can feel like we just fall into this type of employee. But there are ways to make the “fall” more likely. And since a company is only as good as its employees, attracting outstanding prospective employees is worth the effort.

There are many ways to attract and find great employees. The following are some I have found effective.  Try them out to create an ideal applicant pool.

  1. Go where the best go. Use events – even online – to observe and identify qualified people. Join relevant associations, talk with your customers, look on LinkedIn or other social media sites. Approach potential candidates with appreciation and ideas.
  2. Align your hiring process with your company’s culture and vision. This may seem obvious, however, the saying goes “hire for attitude, train for skills” is important. If the person does not have the traits that align with your culture and the norms you expect of all employees, then no amount of skill can make up the difference.
  3. Hire a good recruiter or staffing agency. Recruiters often follow people through their careers and will know when people are thinking about changing companies – giving you early access to the best candidates.
  4. Participate in the community. Sponsor a nonprofit or charity event. Offer scholarships or internships to local students.
  5. Write a realistic and detailed job description. Include job title, salary range based on seniority, and responsibilities. Try to tell a story about the company so people will get an idea of the work environment and company goals.
  6. Establish relationships with trade schools, colleges, and universities. It’s a win/win for companies who want access to the best candidates entering the workforce and schools who want outstanding career services programs.
  7. Foster a positive, modern, environmentally-responsible, and attractive workspace – wherever it might be. During these days when many desk employees are working from home, that might mean investing in fresh collaboration software, encouraging a daily stretch break, or offering perks like a small home office stipend or shipping an oxygen-releasing houseplant to each employee. For employees going into the office, give some thought to amenities like access to healthy, free snacks and coffee, relaxation areas, and ergonomically correct furniture.
  8. Offer the best benefits you can afford. Many companies use their benefit offering to attract and retain their employees. This could include paid vacation and sick time, mental health days, flexible work times, job-sharing, work-from-home, 401k, profit sharing, casual days, health, life, disability, dental and vision insurance, and tax-free health spending accounts to name a few. Paid gym memberships, parental leave, and student loan and tuition assistance are also gaining popularity.
  9. Ask your highest-performing employees for referrals – because like attracts like. They have first-hand knowledge of your business, plus networks of similarly-talented friends and business contacts. Hiring employee referrals can help build morale and be an opportunity to offer a referral bonus.

This list may seem overwhelming, but there’s no need to tackle them all at once. Test one or two at a time to see which resonate with your business, industry, and the roles you hire. I expect you’ll discover happier, more effective employees – and outstanding candidates.

Updating Your Organization’s Employee Experience

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The nature of work has evolved dramatically over the years, from what we deliver to how we create it. It wasn’t long ago when scores of people sat in rows of desks performing the same repetitive activity. Today, we don’t even need to be in an office, and can still accomplish so much more.

Each generation has fresh expectations for how their work environment operates and feels – and for most companies, the COVID-19 pandemic monkey wrench forced abrupt new changes. While our work environments, wherever they are, may not be “Dunder Mifflin” fun, it’s important to continue evolving your work environment.

Here are 6 recommendations for encouraging your workforce:

  1. Create opportunities for employees to grow their relationships. It’s difficult to make a positive connection with someone you know only by name and title. Consider planning a casual activity at lunchtime, creating interest-based groups, or finding opportunities for people to work outside of their normal teams.
  2. Provide ongoing feedback.  The years of annual reviews have passed. Much of today’s workforce prefer frequent feedback. Discuss goals and expectations more frequently to allow employees to attack incremental goals and have a say in creating expectations that seem fair and challenging.
  3. Offer flexible work locations. No more cubicles, but also no more wide-open workspaces. Promote creativity and collaboration with quiet rooms and lounges filled with comfy seating. Consider flexible furniture, like desks that enable a person to work while sitting or standing. We all know it’s unhealthy for people to sit in a chair like a slug all day. And don’t forget small and large enclosed places for phone calls and meetings.  Even after the pandemic passes, options like remote working, working irregular hours, and job-sharing will be huge bonuses to employees trying to balance their work and personal lives.
  4. Offer benefit packages that include mental health coverage and financial and mental wellness checkups. Some employers encourage taking “mental health” days to recharge. Some are insisting that employees working from home take time for a walk or non-screen-time during their workday. At the office, some employers are even providing meditation rooms.  How can you support your employees’ mental health?
  5. Focus on purpose. Identifying one’s purpose is important to today’s work force.  Help employees understand how their work contributes to the success of the company as a whole. Inquire as to how and why they do their work, what they feel their strengths are, what energizes them and what impact they feel they are making.  This may encourage some employees to create their own purpose statement.
  6. Finally, ask for feedback. A suggestion box is still a good way to do this. Make it easy for employees to give praise and criticism. Ask for ideas. Some of the most positively impactful changes come from employees on the front line.

If You’re Happy and You Know It. . . You Likely Have Good Friends

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The key to happiness (along with the location of the Fountain of Youth) has eluded humans since the beginning of time.

Some keys to happiness have now been uncovered as a result of one of the world’s largest longitudinal studies of people’s health and happiness. Launched by Harvard University in 1938, the study followed then-college sophomores into old age. With fewer than 20 of the original subjects still alive, the results were released in 2015.

The study subjects were in several groups. The first consisted of sophomore students at Harvard, who graduated during WWII. The second group consisted of boys from some of the poorest neighborhoods in Boston. Additional groups were added over the years, including some of the men’s spouses and children.

The study had three primary takeaways about the keys to happiness, as outlined below:

  1. The most consistent factor in the lives of happy and healthy people is forming and maintaining close relationships with others. People who have meaningful connections to family, friends and their community tend to be healthier, so they are likely to live longer than those who do not.
  2. The quality of relationships is much more important than the quantity. Having a few good, supportive, close friends is much better than having a plethora of acquaintances or shallow relationships. And relationships that are full of conflict are not healthy. Robert Waldinger, a psychiatrist and professor at Harvard Medical School told The Harvard Gazette, “Good, warm and close relationships…have the ability to buffer us from some of the slings and arrows of getting old.”
  3. Good relationships are good for your brain. In addition to being good for physical and emotional health, the study also shows that people with meaningful relationships tend to have sharper and longer memories.

To have positive and close relationships, the article suggests trading some screen time for “people time,” and working on existing relationships by trying a new activity. Something as simple as taking walks together can revitalize a relationship. Another suggestion is to contact a friend or a relative with whom you have lost touch: reconnecting with people from the past is often very emotionally rewarding.

Virginia Tech gerontologist Dr. Rosemary Blieszner provides advice about making new friends: “Be sure to take the time to get to know one other. Share some personal information gradually, as you get to know each other. Find activities you both enjoy, and be sure to let the other person know you’re interested in getting together again.”

Advancements in medicine and science are enabling people to live longer and longer. The key to making the most of our longer lives is learning how to be as emotionally, mentally, and physically healthy as possible during these bonus years.

What’s Your Plan for Avoiding Burnout?

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by Michael Iverson

Working closely with entrepreneurs, I think I can say that most enjoy their work to a high degree.  As a group, they are upbeat and passionate about business.  Most control their workplace environments, their hours of operation, and the people who work with them.  All of those things make coming to work a lot more pleasant.

At the same time, many entrepreneurs have the capacity to be obsessive.  The very trait that drives so many of them to succeed can also lead them to work extremely long hours and experience bouts of anxiety.  The combination of long hours and anxiety is a recipe for burnout.

Caution: Burnout Ahead

Several years ago, I came across an Inc. magazine article entitled Ten Signs You’re Headed for Burnout.  Here are a few of the warning signs that are most common among business owners.

  • Unhealthy lifestyle choices – You can’t seem to find the time and energy to take care of yourself. You may eat too much or too little, choose unhealthy foods, stop exercising, or rely on alcohol to relieve stress.
  • Inability to stop thinking about work – Thinking about work during your free time is normal, unless your thoughts about work are accompanied by a feeling of dread.
  • Perpetual exhaustion – A feeling that you just can’t get enough sleep. In fact, you wake up feeling exhausted.  The exhaustion can be both physical and emotional.
  • Loss of enjoyment in daily activities – You once enjoyed going to work, but now you are apathetic or fearful of it.

Anyone experiencing one or more of these signs is either already suffering from burnout, or it’s just around the corner.

Strategies to Beat Burnout

To beat burnout, you need to eliminate the factors that contribute to it. Sounds simple enough, right?  But, it’s not.  The tendencies that brought you to the brink of burnout must be confronted, and that may cause you some discomfort in the near term.

Relinquish Some Measure of Control – This is a tough one for most business owners.  The need to be on top of all aspects of the business is part of your DNA.  Are you able to give up a little control for the sake of your well-being?

Short-term:  Make an honest assessment (perhaps with the help of an objective outsider) of how you can offload one significant responsibility to a member of your team.  As an example, one self-contained project that makes sense for some owners to offload is implementing a new technology to improve the business.  If you understand the benefits to be gained, is it necessary to be involved in the nuts and bolts of implementation?  Why not assign that responsibility to a capable staff member or business partner?

Long-term:  On the TV show Star Trek, the captain’s most reliable surrogate was referred to as Number Two. Owners who develop a reliable Number Two at work are able to achieve a better sense of work/life blend.

Make Your Health a Top Priority – If it’s not already a priority, commit to this important lifestyle change.  Daily exercise is the best way to relieve stress.  Ask your doctor about the right exercise for you and work it into your daily routine.  Meet with a dietician to address easy ways to avoid bad eating habits.  Eliminate electronic devices from your bedtime routine as a way to improve your sleep.

Take Time Away – It is absolutely essential to get away from work to sharpen your most important tools – your mind and body.  Steven Covey author of the book “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” refers to it as sharpening the saw.  Refresh both by giving yourself some well-deserved rest.  Experience something new and out-of-the-ordinary as a way to renew your spirit of adventure.  Take vacation if that’s all you can manage at the moment.  If you are in position to take more time, consider a short leave of absence.

The Business Owner’s Pursuit of Happiness

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One of the pleasures of my work is being around business owners who are generally happy with their lives. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration when I say that, as a group, they are among the happiest people I know.  I often marvel at how this could be the case given the many challenges and responsibilities they face.

Owning a business has the potential for personal satisfaction on several levels. First, most entrepreneurs take satisfaction in setting their own work schedules and prioritizing what needs to be accomplished.  Another form of satisfaction comes from accepting the risks involved in running a business and using one’s own energy and effort to make the business successful. It’s gratifying to experience the fruits of your labor.

One of those fruits, of course, is financial. When a business is successful, the owner often enjoys financial rewards that exceed what he or she would likely achieve as someone else’s employee. That’s an important motivator for starting a business and making sure it continues to be successful.

It would be simplistic, however, to conclude that satisfaction and achievement add up to what is generally referred to as happiness.

What Is Happiness?

The idea of happiness is difficult to express in terms that are agreeable to everyone. Much has been written about the pursuit of happiness, yet its meaning is open to interpretation. For many people, eat, play and sleep would pretty well cover it. For others, the real pursuit is for wealth, pleasure and a good reputation.

The great philosophers put a good deal of thought into the notion of happiness and concluded there was more to it. Socrates believed that the key to happiness was to turn one’s focus away from the body and towards the soul. He also considered happiness to be the by-product of a moral life.

Aristotle personalized the concept. “Happiness depends on ourselves,” he wrote.  In Aristotle’s mind, true happiness required attainment of both physical and mental well-being within an environment that cultivated virtue.

How do the ideas of Socrates and Aristotle match up with your pursuit of happiness, especially as it pertains to your business?  My experience with entrepreneurs tells me that most yearn for more than eat, play and sleep – not only for themselves, but for their employees.

It usually starts with the business owner developing the work environment that allows him or her to do his/her best work.  The business owner pursues happiness by establishing an environment that supports personal business success, professional growth, personal freedom, friendship, family time, and spirituality.

A business owner who creates such an environment – where a person can thrive, both personally and professionally – would likely hire those who share his/her values. Once they are hired, the leader can show each of them how to make the most of the opportunity presented to them.

There exist people whose pursuit of happiness includes the pursuit of the happiness of others. I have seen this dynamic at work with a number of entrepreneurs. They know how this approach can build a successful company.  The lives of their employees are enriched in unique and profound ways. And, a successful company contributes to a vibrant local community.

That’s a wonderful legacy for any entrepreneur.

How Well Do You Know Your Strengths?

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Would it surprise you to learn that most people have only imperfect knowledge of their own strengths? Most of us have a rough idea about what we do well, because our obvious strengths are often the basis for earning our living.  However, that knowledge is limited.

As a group, entrepreneurs may have a better handle on their strengths than most people. Knowing that many of my readers are business owners, my educated guess is that you recognize some of the following entrepreneurial traits in yourself:

  • Self-confidence
  • Ability to learn from others
  • Self-motivation
  • Determination
  • Decisiveness
  • Willingness to take risks

Many business owners would say they possess all of the above characteristics. That’s good because they may be the most important strengths for an entrepreneur to possess. Of course, the list above is far from complete. Most entrepreneurs are keenly aware of some of their strengths – those that help them succeed day to day.

Here’s another list of skills that would come in handy for any business owner:

  • Being innovative/inventive
  • Analytical skills – capable of researching and analyzing various aspects of business like product development, production, marketing and sales
  • Focus on financial results, i.e., the bottom line
  • Ability to delegate authority effectively
  • Organizational skills – capable of identifying what needs to be accomplished in each aspect of business and matching employees’ skills to the tasks at hand

Is it as easy to recognize from this list the skills that you possess?  Typically, this list poses more uncertainty for people. For example, some people have the capacity to be analytical, but they would rather not have to use those skills at work if someone else can provide them. Others see themselves as innovative. However, in reality they may not rank high when tested for those skills.

Assessing Strengths

There are tools available to help determine your strengths. The Clifton StrengthsFinder® is a popular online assessment that draws on more than 50 years of Dr. Donald O. Clifton’s lifelong work. Clifton was recognized with an American Psychological Association Presidential Commendation as the father of strengths-based psychology. The assessment is designed to help individuals identify, understand, and maximize their strengths. As a manager, it can be used to help you understand the strengths of your employees.

The importance of knowing your strengths, or those of your employees, is to help people focus on the things they do best every workday. This notion directly contradicts what most of us are taught from childhood – that we should focus on minimizing our weaknesses. Research by Clifton, and others, suggests we accomplish far more by maximizing our strengths and developing them to their fullest.

StrengthsFinder provides numerous strategies for making the most a person’s unique strengths. Its in-depth approach to strength analysis explores the nuances of what makes a person unique. The program uses more than 5,000 personalized strengths insights.  Two people with similar strengths get very different plans to improve themselves. The program will likely change the way you look at yourself, or your employees.

If you find that financial analysis is not one of your strengths, let us help!  Contact Trillium Financial today for a CFO-level roadmap for your business.