Posts Tagged ‘employee moral’
Getting employee feedback
Friday, July 9th, 2010
I was very excited when the opportunity came along to spearhead an employee feedback campaign. While some may view this additional responsibility as an unneeded burden, I view it as a true value-add. Too often, I see companies moving forward with little insight into their employee’s thoughts on the state of the company. To have a chance to gain meaningful feedback from our employees is a true gift.
There are several things I want to make sure we gain from this feedback. First, I really want to make sure that the questions we ask of employees are focused enough to target specific areas of improvement. However, I also want to make sure that our employees have the freedom to report what they truly feel needs to be changed or adjusted within the company. These may seem like opposing guidelines, but I think asking direct, yet open-ended questions will get us there.
Beyond that, I also feel there needs to be some sort of measuring process to the survey. It is important that once we know how our company should improve, we have a process to understand whether initiatives are improving or not. Although this may also contradict the direct questioning, I think we can combine a rating system with those questions to get a broad understanding and the direct reasoning behind that response.
With both directives, I feel it will also be absolutely imperative that employees feel that they can openly share information and communicate. To do this, I want the survey to be anonymous, however, this presents a problem. The easiest way for us to communicate with all employees is through email and it would be difficult to have employees email back an anonymous response. A physical survey or one online would be the next best option but there is no way to track whether all employees provided their feedback. There doesn’t seem to be a perfect solution, but I’ll find a way to navigate the best one available.
The final step in my plan is really the most important. Once I have the information, what will I do with it? How will I ensure that the responses lead to actual change? This requires buy-in from senior leadership, but it also requires that there be criteria for what will be worked on and what won’t be. Once we identify what needs to be worked on, we will have to set-up timelines and start moving forward with what the employees want to see happen at the company.
I truly believe that by opening up this sort of communication we will become a much stronger company. Has your company used this sort of feedback system? What has worked best for you on the giving or receiving end? What has worked best to implement actual change within the company? I would love to get your feedback and as always, please feel free to send me a private response at: cihde@ewaldauto.com
Tags: automotive, Automotive Advantage, car dealership, employee moral, employee retention, employees, Ewald, Human Resources, managers, Milwaukee, Oconomowoc
Posted in For Employers | No Comments »
The hurdles of being a manager
Wednesday, April 14th, 2010
Sometimes I’m just too nice. I mean, normally being nice is a great quality to have, I have found it to help me out in business tremendously. However, when it comes time to manage employees, being too nice can be detrimental.
Now, as a manager, I have it pretty easy, I have little to complain about. I have been lucky enough to manage a great group of people. The main issue I run into is getting people to find stuff to do with their time. It is great when I give a task to an employee and they complete it just as I asked. However, if this leaves them extra time in their day and they decide to text or play on Facebook instead of working, this does not help me out. I want to be able to motivate my employees to find the next thing that needs to be accomplished and to start working on it.
Of course, this is a pretty good problem to have. In the past I have had employees that didn’t even get their assigned tasks completed. When an employee fails to follow simple instructions, I am left with little choice but to micro-manage and I HATE to micro-manage. I guess I do not understand what is so difficult about listening and completing the assignment as instructed.
However, these days are hopefully behind me now. What I really want to figure out is how to get employees to reach their potential. As I said before, it is great that you do your tasks just as you’re supposed to, but I am often left knowing that the employee can do so much more. The real trick I want to find though is how to get them to that next level themselves, instead of pushing them to go there.
So, my fellow managers, what has worked best for you? If there is possible training for my employees, or myself I would be open to that. Even if you can recommend a good book, that would be great. Or, if you have faced a similar issue with your employees, how did you handle it? I would love to learn from those that have faced this issue!
As always, feel free to respond privately: cihde@ewaldauto.com
Tags: automotive, Automotive Advantage, employee moral, employees, employer, Ewald, Human Resources, management, managers
Posted in For Employers | No Comments »
What is your policy on perks and discounts?
Monday, March 8th, 2010
Having had the opportunity to talk with a lot of companies, I have seen just about every perks and discount program around. I have seen everything from companies bending over backwards to get their employees the best possible perks and benefits and constantly reminding them of what is available to all-out refusal to offer any perks or discounts no matter how much they can benefit their associates. Having seen this array of offerings, I always wonder how a company decides what to offer their employees.
I have heard from companies that offer just about everything that it is important for them to make their employees feel like the company is going to bat for them. They want to find the best possible programs for their employees to show their appreciation for all the hard work. I have also heard from companies that offer nothing that if they offered one sort of program they would have to offer them all and that they do not want to make it look like they are endorsing one company over another. I guess there is a fear that if an employee has a bad experience it is because the company sent them there.
What does your company offer its employees? Is it on one side of the spectrum or somewhere in between? Also, for your human resource individuals and executives, how did you arrive at that decision? Was there an issue that needed to be changed or was it a strategic move? I am especially interested to learn how companies arrived at their decision!
Finally, for the employees out there, what perks and discounts would you like to see your company offer? Does your company ever ask you that question?
I look forward to everyone’s responses! Please feel free to respond privately at: cihde@ewaldauto.com
Thanks!
Tags: Automotive Advantage, benefits, Employee benefits, employee moral, employees, employer, Human Resources, perks
Posted in For Employers | No Comments »
There’s no such thing as a free lunch
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009
My father used to tell me there was no such thing as a free lunch. It was his way of imparting on me the importance of earning customers and ensuring the customer finds value in the time I spend with them. Growing up in a family imbedded in the auto industry teaches you to be doubtful of anything that is labeled as free.
I’m sure many in the business world are equally as cynical about anything labeled free. Really, it makes sense to be skeptical of anything labeled free. By definition, free means there is a lack of value. So, to give something away of value, without asking for something of value in return, simply doesn’t make sense.
Perhaps though we need to redefine what value is. Typically, in the business world, value is one of two things: time or money. If I give you my time, I want your money. If I give you my money, I want your time or something of equal value to the money I gave you. However, value comes in many forms but some forms are very difficult to measure and quantify. That is not to say that these forms of value are not important, simply difficult to grasp on a spreadsheet.
Think about trust. What is trust worth to your company? Undoubtedly, many people will quickly point out that it is invaluable to their success. If this is true, than how much would you pay for it? What would you give away to gain trust from others? Obviously there is nothing you could pay or give away to earn trust but we start to see how the immeasurable items are often the most important in business.
And so, on a daily basis I go into businesses and offer them something of value. I offer them an employee benefit program that will support their employee retention and recruitment and boost their employee moral. I give them this value and I tell them I want nothing in return: it is free. As soon as that word is used though, the guard goes up. There is no such thing as a free lunch.
Maybe nothing is free; maybe we are all looking for something in return. But what I want in return is not to hound your employees or force them into using our services. All I want is a chance to earn your employees as customers: only a chance.
I call myself a customer enthusiast, but to me it is so much more than a title. To me it means that I want your employees to enjoy buying a vehicle. It means that your employees should receive the very best pricing for any automotive needs they have. It means that I am not satisfied until your employees walk away happy.
And it is because of this definition, this personal goal, that I can say my program is free. I have provided something of value to you simply for the opportunity to provide value to your employees. I guess lunch is free today.
Tags: automotive, employee moral, employee recruitment, employee retention
Posted in For Employers | No Comments »