Business Management Skills

Increase Employee Performance by Harnessing the Power of Motivation

Employee motivation and productivity can be enhanced and improved by creating a work environment that maximizes the factors that affect performance. These factors are simple to understand, easy to measure, and can add tremendous value to any organization that is willing to implement them. Use these 10 tips to make sure that your employees are energized and inspired to produce the best results possible.

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Follow this advice, and you will have employees that will adore you!

Loyal and happy employees are eager to please your customers. And happy customers mean more sales!

As an employer, there are some things that you need to make sure to do for your employees so they will be loyal to you.

Show your appreciation. Always be sure to tell your employees “Thank you! You’re doing a great job!” Those few words are like magic.

Those few words tell your employees that they are really appreciated by you, their boss. They look up to you. Remember that.

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Inspiring Greatness!
by Albert Barneto

We’ve all seen the stereotypes in the movies. A clipboard carrying and overzealous boss in a fast food restaurant, with little regard for his employees and their well being. For the most part, the managers of these restaurants are hard working individuals with goals, aspirations, and the desire to achieve them.

Often, the fast food manager will be someone’s first boss. How they take on that role and nurture a future workforce is their responsibility. How many of us can remember our first boss? I assume the majority of you can, it was that powerful of a memory, or unfortunately, that dramatic of an experience.

Distinguishing Between a Leader and a Manager

Leaders and managers, although similar in roles are very different species. Their basic roles are the same, controlling costs, hiring and firing, and maintaining “controlled chaos” in a fast pace and demanding environment.
What differentiates them is how their employees react to their method of leadership/management.

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If “The Apprentice” and other work-based TV reality shows are to be believed, the most aggressive, self-confident workers are the ones most likely to succeed. That attitude accurately reflects the beliefs of many employers. Employees who can survive the “swim or sink” approach to job training are valued over employees who are more cautious.

Unfortunately, the charge-ahead, jump-in-with-both-feet employees are not necessarily the best workers long-term. An employee who needs more extended training and more hand-holding may ultimately prove to have the depth, perseverance, and organized work habits that will let him or her succeed over time, while the aggressive, take charge types may lack the foresight, planning ability, and judgment required to excel in their jobs.

I once worked for an employer who believed firmly in the “swim or sink” concept of on-the-job training, and hired people who could jump in and pick up skills fast. Unfortunately, these same employees often had other, negative work habits, and many ended up producing careless, sloppy work that needed many revisions before going out to the company’s clients. A lot of time was wasted by these supposedly “speedy” employees, and the employer suffered a high turnover rate, which led to a vicious cycle–hiring the much vaunted “swim or sink” employees, seeing the quality of work go down, getting into trouble with the clients, firing these less than competent workers, and then hiring more of the same type of employees, while turning down people who seemed to need more detailed training.

Of course, some “swim or sink” employees turn out to be great workers; but an employer who narrows his or her vision to a small percentage of the potential workforce to avoid the expense of formal training is really risking the company’s reputation. Hiring a range of employees with a variety of approaches to learning and performing the work, and making sure all these employees receive the training they need to succeed, will benefit the company much more over time.
By Aldene Fredenburg

Aldene Fredenburg is a freelance writer living in southwestern New Hampshire. She has written numerous articles for local and regional newspapers and for a number of Internet websites, including Tips and Topics.

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As a small business owner, you may not need to hire employees regularly. In every business, and particularly with small business, it’s important to make new hires feel comfortable and provide them with the resources they need to get the job done. If your company doesn’t regularly hire new employees or has a small, long-term workfoce, you may not have the proper mechanisms in place to help new employees acclimate. While this is understandable, it’s critical that you do all that you can to make new hires feel comfortable and a part of your team.

A few things you can do for new hires:

* Make sure your new hires have what they need to get the job done. This includes simple things like office furniture and stationery supplies, as well as necessary computer software and hardware. If your employees require a specific uniform or computer program, make sure they have what they need before they start the job, if possible. Starting a position without the proper resources makes employees feel undervalued and gives new hires the impression that your company is unorganized and chaotic.

* Have employees fill out employment and financial paperwork before they begin. This helps ensure that new hires will be paid on time and helps ease much of the financial anxiety employees have when starting a new position. To find out what kind of forms you’ll need your new hires to fill out, click here.

* Make sure you give new employees adequate work and responsibility. Though it can take some time for new hires to integrate themselves into your company’s structure, it’s still critical that you let new employees know you value their skills and abilities. Nothing makes new hires feel more insecure than not giving them anything to do; let them know you see them as part of your team by assigning them tasks up front.

The first few days and weeks of your employee/employer relationship set the tone for future interactions and work dynamics. Spending a little time and effort to make your employees feel comfortable will pay big dividends in the long run.

By Julie Gerstein

Julie Gerstein is the editor of 247advisor.com, the homepage for small businesses on the web. For more information, contact Julie at: julie@247advisor.com or go to: www.247advisor.com.

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A major problem for employers today is attracting the best talent, and then retaining key employees. Research shows that the key ingredient for retention lies within the manager’s ability to understand what employees really want.

The survey results below first came out in 1946 in Foreman Fact, from the Labor Relations Institute of NY and was produced again by Lawrence Lindahl in Personnel magazine in 1949. This study has since been replicated with similar results by Ken Kovach (1980); Valerie Wilson, Achievers International (1988); Bob Nelson, Blanchard Training %26 Development (1991); and Sheryl %26 Don Grimme, GHR Training Solutions (1997-2001).

Pay particular interest to the top three things managers thought employees want from their jobs, and then look at what employees said they REALLY want:

WHAT MANAGERS THINK EMPLOYEES WANT, starting with the most important:
1.Good wages
2.Job Security
3.Promotion and growth opportunities
4.Good working conditions
5.Interesting work
6.Personal loyalty to workers
7.Tactful discipline
8.Full appreciation for work done
9.Sympathetic understanding of personal problems
10.Feeling “in” on things

WHAT EMPLOYEES SAY THEY WANT, starting with the most important:
1.Full appreciation for work done
2.Feeling “in” on things
3.Sympathetic understanding of personal problems
4.Job security
5.Good wages
6.Interesting work
7.Promotion and growth opportunities
8.Personal loyalty to workers
9.Good working conditions
10.Tactful discipline

You can see there is quite a discrepancy. This indicates the value of the “intangible rewards” of appreciation, involvement and understanding. An important benefit is that the top 3 things employees want are all influenced by the relationship with their direct manager or supervisor.

Show your employees you truly value them, and never underestimate how important you are in maintaining a strong workforce and retaining your best talent!

By Susan Cullen

Susan Cullen is President of Quantum Learning Solutions, Inc., based in New Jersey. She has over 15 years experience in Organizational Development and is considered an expert in the use of blended learning methodologies for lasting organizational change. For more information go to http://www.quantumlearn.com or you can reach us at (800) 683-0681.

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