by Sheila Margolis on February 16, 2011
The fall of Mubarak in Egypt was a result of the unrelenting protests by masses of citizens in their efforts to seek liberty and the ability to live their lives to the fullest. This autocratic government characterized by corruption and lack of transparency, denied its citizenry the ability to individually prosper. Using social networking and other technologies, citizens amassed in Tahrir Square to voice their grievances and achieve revolutionary change.
Well, do you sometimes worry if your employees are congregating in the break room or conversing on Twitter and Facebook about similar concerns in your company? You may not be a 30-year ruler, but have you stopped to consider whether your workplace culture nurtures your employees or stifles them?
If your workplace lacks the universal Priorities that promote the well-being of your workers, then you may have a revolt of your own or even worse, employees may continue going through the motions while feeling totally disengaged.
So what are these universal Priorities that build a culture of highly engaged and motivated employees? Focus on these six values to avoid building unrest in your company:
- Fit: Are you hiring employees who are a fit with the culture of the organization—its purpose and principles? Are employees in jobs that are a fit? Do they feel their work is significant, challenging and the best use of their abilities? Do tasks build on the employee’s strengths?
- Trust: Do employees consider the workplace to be a trusting workplace where they feel leaders have integrity–they’re honest, respected, and fair?
- Caring: Is the workplace a caring workplace? Does it feel like family? Do managers care about workers? Do they encourage collaboration and teamwork? Do employees have friends at work?
- Openness: Is there ongoing, open, two-way communication where leaders and managers listen? Is information freely shared?
- Development: Does the company support individual development? Do employees get meaningful and positive feedback? Are employees growing in ways that nurture achievement and mastery?
- Ownership: Do employees feel like owners? Do they have autonomy where they participate in decision-making, are responsible, and have flexibility in how they achieve their goals?
Work is more than an economic transaction; addressing the social and human side of the worker is key to achieving optimal performance. These universal Priorities are not unique values, but when everyone in your organization lives by these values, it produces an enriching and high-performing workplace that stimulates exceptional efforts and heightened loyalty. Organizations that practice these universal Priorities create workplaces of excellence.
Now is the time to build a workplace that energizes the human spirit while enhancing productivity and business success. Incorporate each of the universal Priorities in your workplace and prevent a revolution or a growing apathy that kills a company through a slow but steady decline. When employees’ human needs are met, they are more engaged.
Related Posts:
by Sheila Margolis on May 26, 2010
Is your performance management system damaging employee performance? Do some managers put off their annual appraisal meetings because they dread the process as much as the employee? If that’s the case, let’s review a few of the basics of performance management to guide you in the process.
- Employees must participate in the creation of their performance expectations. If employees do not help create the standards by which they are judged, they will not feel ownership of those standards. And ownership produces the commitment and drive you need for organizational success. These performance expectations become the “how” and the “what” to guide the employee.
- Performance expectations should include desired behaviors linked to the culture of the organization. These behaviors are the actions the individual must do that align with the culture of the organization. Each employee must live the core culture principles each day in a variety of ways. These standards are not limited to a particular job; instead, they are across-the-board standards that everyone must adhere to and thus ensure that the culture is expressed continuously. For example, if your organization is all about “attention to detail,” then each employee is guided by that standard.
- Performance expectations should include desired behaviors linked to the job. With each job, there may be unique behaviors that are required. These behaviors must be incorporated in the standards for the employee.
- Performance expectations should include expected outcomes. Employees must have defined outcomes to achieve that link to the organization’s goals. These individual goals give the employee a big picture view of the organization’s strategy. By understanding the individual outcomes that will contribute to the organization’s goals, each employee can be a key player in moving the organization toward success.
- Ongoing feedback is the key to improved performance. Highly engaged employees get daily, weekly, or monthly feedback–not just an annual performance review. But there’s one problem with feedback: it’s not so easy to do it right. That’s why so many managers avoid it. Feedback must be timely–provided as close as possible to the occurrence of the behavior. That’s a feature that annual reviews can’t offer. Feedback must also be specific–it must describe the behavior in exact terms. Feedback must be genuine–using personal pronouns such as “I.” And feedback must be given in a supportive and positive environment. Feedback can be an informal, ongoing exchange.
- The performance review session offers an opportunity to plan for the employee’s development. An employee’s performance–in relation to the behavioral standards and expected outcomes–offers a good opportunity to discuss development needs. Use the performance review as a time to identify areas for development and a plan for obtaining that development.
- Does the employee get a score? This is a key question to answer because “the score” is what contributes to the threatening nature of the process. The score is what can make employees get defensive. The score is what causes discussion to be distracted from the real intent of the process–to improve performance. If your purpose is to have a rating to guide pay, rewards, and reduction in force, then you will need a number. But be clear: the process then becomes less of a development tool. Some organizations have pay and promotion discussions as a separate activity. That allows the review to be solely a development tool and more open discussion usually occurs when there is less concern that pay will be impacted.
- Managers must be trained in the performance management process. Giving feedback and consistently using the scales for measuring one’s performance are essential skills. Don’t assume all managers have a consistent understanding of the standards and the scales used or the necessary skills for giving effective feedback. Discussion and training are often required for the process to be effective and to do what it’s designed to do–improve performance.
Related Posts:
