Outsourced Exit Interviews, Stay Surveys, Leadership Assessments and so much more.
Most of us are now past the first month of the “Great Pause of 2020.” Employers and employees are starting to ease into their temporary work situations awaiting the next phase of the pandemic. Regardless of whether your business was on the winning or losing end of recent events, the current environment is putting a strain on employees. They are being challenged by a range of obstacles from proper Internet access for working remotely to fear of their safety by going back to the office.
We recently introduced our thoughts regarding the impact on employees by potentially restarting the economy in identifying the Four Phases of Employer Workforce Recovery: Monitor, Prepare, Readiness, Recover. Employers will first want to focus on the Monitor phase.
The conventional thinking around surveys is that they are a one-way feedback model: employee to employer. The reality is that every employee touch is part of their experience with their employer. The Monitor phase of our current work environment is based on the need to stay in touch with employees in their new but potentially temporary work situation.
Newly remote workers may want to continue to work remotely, but employers may not want to promote these work situations long term. Employees who have stayed at work while others worked at home may have concerns about the employer putting them at risk. Some may feel increased commitment based on their employer’s response to the crisis. All of these various reactions will be important inputs as employers plan their workforce strategies going forward. For employees, it will simply be important that their voices are heard.
The best way to explain the Monitor phase is this: In the 1950s there was an employer who was trying to find the paint color that would make workers most productive. Every time they painted the walls, productivity went up. After seeking feedback from employees, they found that employees were motivated because the employer cared enough to continually paint the walls for them. Employees appreciate when employers continually pay attention to them by asking for feedback and input. Right now, this may be the best an employer can do particularly for a furloughed employee that the employer will want back in the future.
To address the needs of employers during the Monitor phase, we have evolved our StayRight tool as a way to capture input from various workgroups at a regular “pulse” cadence. Our specific questions can help amplify current needs and future red flags. These are budget-friendly tools that we can offer as our way of giving back during the crisis. We can help you get up and running right away. Feel free to contact us to discover how we can help.
https://youtu.be/jqQvjCZ_fMg We know it’s not business as unusual, but most companies and their employees are getting back to business albeit in different ways. Many employees are at the point where they desire some normalcy and routine. Some employees are still going to work but with safety modifications or with a lot fewer people in the office. Others are working remotely for the first time. Some employees are being separated but are being told that employers will want and need them back in the future. Uncertainties remain but as time marches on there are some principles to keep in mind:
We are currently seeing more employees working from home than ever before. As companies scramble to put procedures in place that will allow more employees to telecommute, the ability to measure morale and job satisfaction becomes a priority. When you aren’t seeing your team on a daily basis in the office, it’s more difficult to assess the morale of your staff. Because morale is essential for overall employee engagement and ultimately company productivity, it is more important than ever to use timely and psychometrically sound tools to determine both the morale and engagement of your staff. Annual surveys–while important–are evolving into a continuous dialogue with employees. During these uncertain times, these tools are more important than ever because they become a way to capture the employee voice and let employees know management wants to hear them. Specifically, these pulse surveys are key to keeping a handle on the temperament of your workforce.
This post was co-written by Dr. Brad Shuck, Associate Professor Department of Educational Leadership, Evaluation and Organizational Development at the University of Louisville. The latest research is very clear that even before COVID-19 changed the way we work and lead, community, collaboration, and connection were emerging currencies into today’s workforce. While many organizations focused on the tangibles — free coffee in the break room, flexible benefits, recognition strategies — employees who told us they felt connected to the organization emotionally were more likely to stay engaged, outpace their competition, and stay longer. But now, all that has changed. Or, has it. As global circumstances are shaping how we work and uncertainties loom, it seems that messages of connection, community, and collaboration have never been more important. Right now, there is a lot of confusion, uncertainty, and anxiety in the workforce, but it is normal and okay to feel this way. Many companies are offering tips and hacks on how to build a home office or adjust work schedules, but few people are talking about the feelings associated with this change and how to process these feelings. Routines will be critical in the next few weeks – establishing them and maintaining them. For many, we need routines; they provide some comfort in a world that is becoming more uncomfortable. But, as a leader, the best thing you can do for your employees is to remain present, communicate clearly, share support, offer encouragement, and show relentless compassion. It is not business as usual, and you should not lead that way. We can learn a lot about crisis leadership and applying those principles to our place of work – and our businesses. Three areas to focus on in the coming weeks: communication, clarity of vision and values, and maintaining community.
According to Gallup, employee engagement in the U.S. has ticked up a bit and now stands at 34%. The bad news, of course, is that if about one-third of workers are engaged, two-thirds aren’t. What’s worse, a troubling 13% are “actively disengaged.” That phrase, selected by workers themselves, is subject to interpretation—but at the very least, it means that more than 1 of every 10 American employees isn’t happy with his or her job and probably looking for new opportunities. Why is that important? It’s important because employees who leave your business cost you money. According to Forbes, the cost to replace an entry-level employee is 50% of that employee’s annual salary. For mid-level employees, that number jumps to 125%, and for executives, it’s about 200%. Think about that: to replace a manager who makes $50,000 a year, your company will need to spend (on average) $62,500. If you have 100 employees and 10 of them leave, the cost will be a staggering $625,000. There are probably as many reasons employees move on to new positions as there are employees who leave. That said, the top reasons include things like disengagement, ineffective managers, lack of challenge, feeling overworked and the perceived lack of career advancement opportunities. That, of course, begs an important question: what can businesses do to minimize employee attrition by enhancing the experience of their employees?
“Employee journey mapping is a discipline that can help ensure your employees have positive experiences with your organization from their first impression onwards. Much like customer journey mapping, employee journey mapping requires you to visually plot out the end-to-end experience your employees have in the early stages of their tenure with your business, helping to identify areas for improvement, and brings awareness to the good and the bad parts of the experience.”
According to McKinsey, 80% of executives agree that innovation is a top priority for their companies. Another analysis shows that innovative companies grow faster and are more profitable than those who do not have an innovative corporate culture. About 50% of the S&P 500 are forecasted to be replaced in the next ten years. These are staggering statistics, but what do they really mean? Let’s explain by example.
Reacting to clients’ needs for accurate, rapid, cost-effective solutions, HSD Metrics continuously innovates its reporting features and technology.
