4Cs Blog: Happy Employees = Happy Customers

When work becomes toxic it is natural to feel powerless to do anything about it.

You may think because you are not the boss you are stuck but this could not be further from the truth.
You do not need a title to be a leader. In fact every one of us is a leader by virtue of the influence we have over the people we come into contact with. For example you influence your friends, your partner, your neighbors, your children and even your co-workers. As leaders with influence in our own circles, we have more power to influence people than we realize. In the case of a toxic work environment you can use your energy to shift toxic energy into a more positive direction simply by exerting your influence.

Harvard Business Review estimates that nearly 80 percent of employee turnover is directly related to poor hiring decisions. And the price to replace said poor hire, a whopping two-and-a-half times that person’s salary.

 While many pieces go in to the recruiting puzzle — including sourcing, attracting, interviewing, selection, negotiation and hiring — a crucial piece lies in your company’s job page. If you’re not sure if your company’s career page packs a punch, read on to learn how to help your job page stand out to potential candidates.

Ths post marks the end our 10-part series on engaging employees with a focus on the 10th most important driver, and one of the key secrets, to achieving higher levels of employee engagement and improving retention.

Robert Gray, President of Insightlink Communications says that, according to Insightlink’s Survey of the American Workplace, many employees agree their organizations could do a much better job fulfilling their mission, vision and/or values. According to research only 6 out of 10 employees agree that they are fulfilling their mission, vision and/or values suggesting this is an area of reall opportunity.

Mission and vision statements provide purpose, promote shared values, establish behavioral standards and maintain employee focus on organizational strategy and direction. (Mission and vision often used interchangeably.)

 As our 10-part series on engaging employees continues Insightlink's employee research found that by activating just 5 of 10 key engagement indicators,organizations can achieve higher levels of employee engagement and improve retention.

Robert Gray, President of Insightlink Communications says that, according to Insightlink’s Survey of the American Workplace, believing that the job you are doing makes good use of your abilities and skills is among the top 10 drivers of employee engagement. 

The good news here is that this is one area U.S. organizations do well since seven-in-ten employees agree that they are doing the job they are trained to do.

Gallup found that only 25 to 31 percent of employees are engaged when working with a male manager. Meanwhile, research shows that employees who work for women managers are more engaged than those working for men. Meanwhile, 35 percent of those who work with a female manager are engaged. The research shows female managers are more likely than male managers to encourage their employee's career development and are more likely to check in on their development.

Autonomy Wins!!

As our 10-part series on engaging employees continues, we discovered that organizations can achieve higher employee engagement simply by activating at least 5 of 10 key engagement indicators.

Robert Gray, President of Insightlink Communications says that, according to Insightlink’s Survey of the American Workplace, we have learned that job dissatisfaction is not an innate characteristic, like height or hair color. In fact, data suggest that work environment has a much stronger influence over job engagement than personality. In the old nature vs. nurture debate, nurture–or work environment–wins.

One key aspect of work environment is the degree to which employees feel they have autonomy over their work which is the 8th key driver for achieving employee engagement.

As our 10-part series on engaging employees continues, Robert Gray, President of Insightlink Communications identifies two key drivers of employee engagement according to Survey of the American Workforce, a recently completed national survey conducted annually by Insightlink.

Enjoying what you do was found to be the number one driver and the single most important motivator of job satisfaction in the US today. The 6th and 7th most important drivers were found to be Advancement and Learning.

As our 10-part series continues, Robert Gray, President of Insightlink Communications identifies the 5th top driver of employee engagement according to Survey of the American Workforce, a recently completed national survey conducted annually by Insightlink.

Enjoying what you do was found to be the number one driver and the single most important motivator of job satisfaction in the US today. The 5th most important driver is Reward and Recognition and this it turns out, is the one nearly every employer blows. Fewer than four-in-ten employees give employers high marks for reward and recognition.

Still, a number of employers understand the importance of awards and incentives that highlight, validate and value outstanding work. Such programs keep employees motivated and are effective methods of reinforcing corporate expectations and objectives. To this end, research suggests that formally recognizing between 5 percent and 8 percent of a workforce every week is the tipping point between a forgettable recognition program and one that becomes strategic to the organization.

There are clues even before an employee resigns that something is not right. You may notice some detachment as the person subconsciously begins to separate themselves from their work and the people they work with. If their work has always been outstanding you may begin to see slight changes in quality. If they are typically involved with other team members they may begin to distance themselves and turn down invitations when they would have never missed out in the past. Perhaps they seem more secretive, they share less about themselves or are away from their desks more often, (which could signal they are making personal calls from another location and need privacy). Other signs include coming in later, increased dental and medical appointments to make use of company benefits, you might even notice they are dressing better and more professionally than usual.

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