As we all struggle with the recent downturn in our economy and upturn in the price of fuel (and cost of living overall), many employers are faced with an unfortunate residual effect. Because of the tremendous increase in the cost of driving back and forth to work, many good employees who otherwise are quite satisfied with their jobs are now considering the possibility of finding work closer to their homes.
So what's an employer to do? Giving everyone a raise is not feasible. However, there are some other things that may help to keep your employees in the mindset that your company is a great place to work, even if it is a little far from the home.
When I ask people to tell me what makes their company a great place to work, they typically speak in terms of the overall package, not just the pay and benefits. They usually talk about things like the atmosphere, how they enjoy being with their co-workers, the relationship they have with the manager or supervisor, how the company makes them feel more like family than an employee, how the company has stepped in to assist them or one of their co-workers in a time of great personal need, etc.
Now would be a good time to re-evaluate the benefit of things like an annual family day event, a flexible work schedule, a time-bank program (where employees earn personal time off with pay for perfect attendance), a company sponsored shuttle van service from the outskirts of the city to the office, the promotion of a car pool group, etc. Some of these things cost more than others, but most should be fairly insignificant in comparison to the cost of replacing good employees.
It's times like these, when the potential of losing good employees due to purely economic circumstances exists, that provide the greatest opportunity for employers to beef up their employee relations efforts and solidify that desired perception of being a great place to work, regardless of the distance.
Mike Purcell - Speaker, Trainer, Author
President, Compass Performance Group, LLC
http://www.high-impacttraining.com/
http://www.getsaddlesense.com/
Monday, July 21, 2008
Monday, July 7, 2008
A Balancing Act
I have recently been working with a client who wants to create a new incentive program for a group of his employees. Simultaneously, he also wants to create a progressive discipline policy for violations of the company's safety policies. In considering the development of these two items simultaneously, I have also been reflecting on the delicate balance between incentives and discipline-based policies.
Creating an environment that fosters the greatest productivity at the same time as fostering a disciplined environment where employees understand and respect the policies that keep everyone safe and provide fairness and consistency in employee matters is quite a balancing act. I have seen organizations swing too far to both sides of the fence. Those who concentrate too heavily on incentives run the risk of creating an expectation that employees will be paid above and beyond their base wages for any extra effort they may put forth. While incentives are certainly a good idea and can often promote exceptional productivity among work teams, they can also be over-used and create complacency about performance incentives.
On the other hand, too much focus on discipline-based policies can create an atmosphere of oppression and mistrust. When the employees only hear about what they must not and cannot do (lest they violate the policy), the message often creates an undesirable "us versus them" mentality. Companies with union workforces often fall into this unfortunate pattern due to the policy-heavy nature of collective bargaining agreements.
Those companies who strike a wholesome balance between providing incentives for exceptional performance and reasonable, fair, and consistent policies to maintain discipline and order in the workplace usually have the greatest productivity, team orientation, and highest morale among their workforce. Just as the greatest level of personal health is achieved by balancing proper diet and exercise, a proper and reasonable balance between incentives and discipline-based policies is the key to a healthy and productive team.
Mike Purcell - Speaker, Trainer, Author
President, Compass Performance Group, LLC
http://www.high-impacttraining.com/
http://www.getsaddlesense.com/
Creating an environment that fosters the greatest productivity at the same time as fostering a disciplined environment where employees understand and respect the policies that keep everyone safe and provide fairness and consistency in employee matters is quite a balancing act. I have seen organizations swing too far to both sides of the fence. Those who concentrate too heavily on incentives run the risk of creating an expectation that employees will be paid above and beyond their base wages for any extra effort they may put forth. While incentives are certainly a good idea and can often promote exceptional productivity among work teams, they can also be over-used and create complacency about performance incentives.
On the other hand, too much focus on discipline-based policies can create an atmosphere of oppression and mistrust. When the employees only hear about what they must not and cannot do (lest they violate the policy), the message often creates an undesirable "us versus them" mentality. Companies with union workforces often fall into this unfortunate pattern due to the policy-heavy nature of collective bargaining agreements.
Those companies who strike a wholesome balance between providing incentives for exceptional performance and reasonable, fair, and consistent policies to maintain discipline and order in the workplace usually have the greatest productivity, team orientation, and highest morale among their workforce. Just as the greatest level of personal health is achieved by balancing proper diet and exercise, a proper and reasonable balance between incentives and discipline-based policies is the key to a healthy and productive team.
Mike Purcell - Speaker, Trainer, Author
President, Compass Performance Group, LLC
http://www.high-impacttraining.com/
http://www.getsaddlesense.com/
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