Acknowledge employees by holding “fake” retirement parties
In 2018, I did an entire series of video blogs (33 in fact!) that focused on specific ideas to motivate employees. But the fortunate reality is that the possibilities are endless. Which is why I was so excited to learn about yet another tip just last week. I was working with a group of leaders in a client organization, and one of them told me about this absolutely fantastic idea to acknowledge employees: “Hold “fake” retirement parties,” he said. I was so intrigued, I had to ask him to explain further.
Hold “fake” retirement parties
Once a month or so, perhaps at your regular department meeting, set aside 15 or more minutes for a “fake” retirement party. To understand what a fake retirement party is, you have to first ask yourself what usually happens at a retirement party. Well, there are speeches about the departing person honouring and highlighting his or her strengths, accomplishments, and legacy to the organization. Well, the fake retirement party is exactly the same thing, but it’s “fake” because the person isn’t actually leaving. Instead, it’s an opportunity to acknowledge employees – their worth, their value, and their lasting legacy to your department or your company. Continue reading
Blocking internal transfers and promotions is a bad idea!
Sometimes, managers deliberately and consciously take actions that while logical, create situations that are non-productive and hugely demotivating. Unfortunately, this is more usual than not. In fact, this was the very topic of a one of my regular The Globe & Mail columns back in November 2014 titled Why do smart managers do stupid things?
I continue to see examples of this dysfunctional behaviour repeatedly in my leadership development practice. Last week I had a very positive conversation with a group of leaders in one of my client organizations, but it reminded me of this very negative situation that I came across (and blogged about) back in 2016. In fact, it stirred up such dialogue in this group that I felt it was worth bringing up in the blog again.
I got a call from an employee at a large client company, very upset because his manager had blocked his internal transfer. This organization has an online internal job bulletin board that permits employees to apply for internal jobs within the company. This particular employee had, with his manager’s knowledge, applied for a job in another department. Since he has been in his current role for over three years, he was seeking different challenges and new learning opportunities. The interview process went well and he was optimistic about getting this new assignment. Imagine his surprise to learn that he did not get the job because his manager had blocked the transfer. Turns out that there had been some other recent unexpected personnel changes in the department, and his manager felt that his move would be too much change, too fast. Continue reading
Build employee commitment by celebrating – our last tip in our 2018 series on motivating employees
All year, I’ve been giving you video tips on explicit actions leaders can take to motivate their people and build employee commitment for the long haul. Last week, I went back to basics with “Provide a workplace that is free from bullying and harassment”. Today, #33, happens to be our final strategy in this continuing series, so it seems only appropriate that it should be about a celebration. Specifically, today’s motivating tip is to plan periodic office parties. Let me explain further.
Plan periodic office parties
Your goal should be to maximize attendance for motivation value, so consider holding your office party during office hours, ideally over the lunch hour. Plan to have them once a quarter, or even monthly. Encourage employees to get involved in the planning; in fact, go as far as appointing each of your employees to one of the quarterly or monthly “planning committees” so that over the year each of your people are involved in one event. Continue reading
Absolutely fundamental to gaining employee commitment: a workplace that is free of bullying and harassment
So far, in our ongoing series on specific actions leaders can take to gain employee commitment, I’ve shared a variety of ideas that range from basic to the unexpected. Today’s strategy however falls under “absolutely fundamental”. It is to provide a workplace that is free from bullying and harassment. Not fancy or exotic, but unequivocally essential. And when you do it right, the result is solid employee commitment!
Provide a workplace that is free from bullying and harassment
All employees have the right to be in a safe workplace that is free from violence, harassment and bullying. Not only is it the right thing to do from an ethical perspective, but it is also required by law. And it’s your job as a leader to make it so. Continue reading
Secure employee commitment by letting them annually attend a training event of their choice
In our last video episode in our ongoing series focusing on specific motivating actions leaders can take to secure employee commitment, I suggested that you let your employees telecommute, even occasionally. Today’s idea: offer each of your employees the opportunity to annually attend at least one training program or learning conference of their choice.
Let your people attend at least one training event (of their choice) annually
When you invest financial resources into your employees, what you’re really telling them is that you value them and want to set them up for success. No wonder then that this seemingly simple action invariably results in increased employee commitment. And when you let your employees choose which training or conference to attend, the motivating value goes up significantly.
Concerned about abuse? It can be managed
Now I’ve heard the objections to this … what if the employee selects training that is not ideal for their job? Or what if the employee chooses a conference that is at some exotic location that costs an arm and a leg in travel expenses? Continue reading
When you let them telecommute, you create engaged employees
All year, I’ve been offering ideas in our ongoing series on specific things leaders can do to create highly motivated and engaged employees. Earlier this month, I talked about giving your employees positive opportunities to interact with your senior management. Today’s tip (which also happens to be #30 in this series): let your employees telecommute.
Let your employees telecommute
Let them work from home; not necessarily every day, but how about a few days a week, or even once a week? Heck, even once a month is hugely motivating. Even occasional telecommuting leads to highly engaged employees … because they view it as freedom – the independence to be productive, stay motivated and save time. Now I am well aware that there are certain jobs that don’t lend themselves to telecommuting – I mean can you imagine being a retail store clerk or a grocery store cashier from afar? But … the vast majority of jobs have at least some responsibilities that can be done from a distance. And in some cases, these tasks can be completed much more efficiently if they’re away from the daily distractions of the workplace.
With today’s technology, working from home is no longer as impossible as it might have once been. Continue reading
Want engaged employees? Let them interact meaningfully with senior management
Today’s post on the blog continues with another specific idea on how to build a team of highly-motivated and engaged employees. Last week’s tip was to organize a team-building and learning day. And today’s strategy is to find opportunities to give your strong employees exposure to your senior management by assigning them to appropriate task forces and committees.
Give your people opportunities to show their strengths to senior management
Many of your employees aspire to bigger and better opportunities, so when you put them in situations where they can demonstrate their skills and talents to others who can also help them achieve their career goals, the result is highly engaged employees. This scenario is a win in many aspects. It’s a win because your employees’ professional networks are broadened, allowing them to “show their stuff” to other key influencers. It is a win for you because Continue reading
Want engaged employees? Learn together as a team
Last week, in our series on practical low- or zero-cost ways to create high-performing engaged employees, I suggested that you boost employee morale by letting them represent your organization at external events. Today’s tip: organize a team-building and learning day.
Organize a team-building and learning day
Teamwork and engaged employees go hand in hand. If your employees are engaged, they work together towards common team goals. And if employees feel like they’re part of a cohesive, strong and highly-productive team, then they are highly-engaged. Which makes any emphasis you place on learning and team-building a very powerful motivator. So organize a team-building and learning day.
Make sure to set it up so that there is both a learning component and a fun component. Ideally, Continue reading
Boost employee morale by letting them represent your organization at external events
All year, I’ve been video-blogging about specific actions leaders can take to build employee morale in their departments and their organizations. My last tip was to say thank you in writing. Today’s strategy goes in a different direction. It is to give your employees the opportunity to represent your organization at an industry event.
Let your employees represent your organization at an external event
This may not seem like a big deal, but this is one of those actions that has a surprisingly great return on investment. The reality is that in most organizations, the folks involved in direct revenue-producing activities are the ones who often are the outward face of an organization, and for that reason, are the ones most likely to attend industry association conferences, community fundraisers, networking events, and the like. Continue reading
Writing a thank you note is a great way to boost employee morale
Today’s blog post continues with our video series on specific and practical actions you can take as a leader to boost employee morale. Today’s strategy is not new. It’s to say thank you, which is something that I addressed way back in strategy #9. However, the difference in today’s tip is how – it is to say thank you in writing.
Say thank you in writing
Don’t just walk over and thank your employee for going above and beyond, and don’t just leave them a voice mail. Take the time to put it in writing. When you put it in writing, it has more permanence so it is perceived differently than if you just say thank you verbally, and it is a powerful way to build employee morale.