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March 9, 2023

Get a Head Start on Spring

Spring is nearly here. A time of renewal and growth, a time of new life. Why not get a jump on Spring this year and breathe new life into your organization. One way to do this is to take the time to find that tiny area of your organization that is showing much promise and help to nurture and take it to the next level.

Here are just a few ideas to get you started:

Engage

Be sure that you are engaging employees regularly. For those departments that are performing above others, it is even more important to find out what you are doing right. Perhaps this department has better profitability or productivity, maybe less absenteeism, outstanding customer loyalty/feedback, a greater retention rate. Whatever it is that makes them stand out, you want to get to the core of why this area performs above others and carry that knowledge across the organization

Performance can tie strongly to employees’ psychological needs being met. The Gallup’s Q12 Employee Engagement Survey measures the following 12 core employee needs. Consider taking your own survey of both performing and non-performing areas to find out where there may be gaps.

  1. I know what is expected of me at work.
  2. I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right.
  3. At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day.
  4. In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work.
  5. My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person.
  6. There is someone at work who encourages my development.
  7. At work, my opinions seem to count.
  8. The mission or purpose of my company makes me feel my job is important.
  9. My associates or fellow employees are committed to doing quality work.
  10. I have a best friend at work.
  11. In the last six months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress.
  12. This last year, I have had opportunities at work to learn and grow.

Recognize

Be sure to recognize your employees for a job well done. Call out those top performers and top performing groups. It is important for them to know that you recognize their hard work and effort. It doesn’t hurt to reward them in some way as well. Realizing more $$$$ isn’t always an option, even small rewards like company swag, lunch, or extra time off can go a long way. And who knows, this may spark something within other groups, making them want to perform better.

Investigate

Dig deep, it’s time for some investigative work. What makes this department different from the rest? Perhaps it is the leadership, or better training, or something else entirely. Take the time to host a town hall, roundtable or other forum to get constructive feedback. What works? What doesn’t? What would make their life easier short term? What are they looking for long term?

Be sure to set expectations ahead of time that you are engaging them BECAUSE of their performance, and that you welcome their ideas and feedback. You want to ensure the staff feel comfortable sharing. When you have employees that are already engaged and performing, sometimes the smallest changes or improvements can create an even bigger boost.

Empower

Empower your employees to drive change. Solicit feedback, both positive and negative from all of your staff AND be sure to follow up on each. Consider forming a steering committee made up of the top performers who meet regularly to discuss important issues and topics to the organization. While management is officially in charge of steering the organization, your line-level employees have a great perspective from doing the work on a daily basis. Some of the best ideas and solutions may be buried withing the ranks of operations, but aren’t brought up unless you ask. Be sure to tap all of your resources to find that hidden gem.

Ongoing

Communication should not end after one touchbase. Be sure to communicate consistently and frequently. It is important to keep your staff up to date on changes within the organization, both big and small. You may think that only the impacted department “cares”, but sharing important news about things like technology changes (include the why), major staffing changes, upcoming events and more with ALL of your employees can help to give them a greater sense of ownership and pride in their organization. Whatever methods you take, it is important to nurture you top performers so they continue to excel and succeed.

And remember, JDR can help by providing a mini, focused business process review with recommendations on what is working and what could be done to improve the operation. Contact us to learn more.