Trap – Are you also offering the Cheese :)

Do you consider their performance only when they hand over their final paper?
Unlike trapping a mouse, retaining an employee at the last minute with a lump of cheese is not a bright idea..

"Your contribution has been valuable and has determined our success" 
"We believe you have the potential to take this organisation to the next level and spearhead our international assignments." 
Such statements are only uttered by a desperate boss who is trying to retain a deserving employee.

Sad reality, such level of recognition and acknowledgement is provided only when the person gets an offer from another company. But then again, if timely rewards & recognition were in place, the person wouldn't have chosen to leave, to begin with. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world and doing the right thing at the right time doesn't seem so obvious to most people! So, let’s try to understand this phenomenon a little better and build an opinion on the same.

Cheese'em up - ;)
Being offered a better profile than your current job at the point of exiting the firm just doesn’t seem right. You come to believe that if you really did deserve it then why did your employer only realize your potential after another company recognized it and offered you something worth your salt? This is because most companies today believe in being reactive rather than pro-active. How can we correct this?

Balancing out -

The knee-jerk approach to retaining people is a reality today, and it is a challenge for every HR manager to minimize this. To begin with, one need to understand what it is that triggers attrition in an organisation. A fair salary can be managed by equitable distribution of compensation and the engagement level can be tackled by clearly defining the deliverable: what is required to be done and what is expected from the person.

Stay Interviews-
Another key driver is whether the organisation is bent towards carving out the employee’s career growth path and offers learning. The challenge for us is to therefore be in pre-emptive and not reactive mode in catering to these needs. To foresee issues and nip them in the bud is great but "why is the reactive mode so unsuccessful?" 
Trying to retain an employee after he/she has accepted another job offer is a tough task in itself. The chances of retaining him/her are pretty low because an employee who has initiated a job search has mentally ‘checked out’. The trick is to try and get to them before they begin the search.

Communication A must-
Every manager must ensure that the lines of communication between him and his direct reports are always kept open. Each manager must be held accountable for retaining his people.

Most organisations care less about digging into what their people really want, until they are disgruntled and are about to leave. The idea of last minute machinations to retain an employee who has expressed his desire to quit is flawed at the very conceptual level. The best time for re-engaging and refreshing the commitment of your employees is not when the employee resigns, but long before that.

Nurture 'em -
A good company is one that takes care of its employees right from the day they are inducted. You need to know as to what extent are your employees engaged and committed. Employees should be asked as to what they expect from the company they work for – the idea is to know their needs and to meet them, if they are feasible enough. Only then a sense of belonging will be created. Last minute retention strategies should chiefly be used to understand and subsequently better anticipate and address reasons for employee discontent rather than as tools to retain employees.

Last minute Chaos -
Another demerit of extending last minute hikes would be that it triggers a strong message for others in the organisation that this is the only way of getting a hike which could spell disaster. Any last minute pay hikes and promotions will always be viewed with suspicion. Also, this would set a very wrong example. It will not only give the impression that the employee needs to take drastic steps in order to get noticed but may also creates a precedent encouraging other employees to use resignations as bullying tactics to getting better remuneration.

Having debated on the futility of last minute retention strategies, we still know that it is a bitter reality and there are organisations which opt for it. So, what is their agenda in doing so? Let’s find out.

One of the reasons could be that they want to ramp up fast, and many of them are start-ups who are growing very fast. So, they are looking for a short-term solution. They will get the person with a high price but plateau hikes in the future.

While companies continue to hold on tight to their high fliers by filling their pockets and massaging their egos, as and when they get offers from competition, it is a shame that they are yet to realise the brutal mistake they are making in the process. The mistake of making others in the organisation realise that this is a great tool to make a fast buck. It is not rocket science, its common sense! Reward your people timely and make sure people get what they deserve and you won’t have to beg them to stay with you!

more at http://www.citeman.com/12863-the-trap-%e2%80%93-don%e2%80%99t-offer-the-cheese.html#ixzz2kpOENLQX

Cultural Misfit – Are You the One?

You may be able to do the job well. But if you are perceived to be a person who can’t get along with others at work, you just might be dismissed on account of being a cultural misfit.

Who is a misfit?

Whatever the interpretation may be, it is one of the crucial reasons why out of two similarly qualified or talented people, one might be selected and the other rejected at an interview.

Many Organisations are realising that merely hiring a person who can do the task may not be a bright idea because of a variety of reasons. One of the obvious reasons is when a person is joining an organisation, he/she is also joining its employees to further the cause of achieving the organisation’s goals, and it is hence imperative that the person is able to blend in with his/her peers and their way of functioning, to ensure smoother operations.

There is a conscious evaluation whether a candidate can fit into the organisation or not, especially in an environment such and where the structure is very flat and there is efficient internal as well as external communication, which is very important.

So to agree that the wavelength must be in sync. Also, a good cultural fit with a company can bring better opportunities for promotion, increased responsibility, and more income. Not fitting into a corporate culture can stall or derail a promising career. And a cultural misfit hurts the organisation as it shows up in employee performance and retention issues that affect productivity. ‘Hire attitude; teach skills’ is the simple rule company’s have started to follow. Skills can be taught, but an attitude (the kind we seek) is something that is inherent. That is why focusing only on whether a person can do a job well is not quite enough.

MUST BE MADE TO FIT

Culture attributes vary and are usually described with adjectives such as: tough, aggressive, lean, competitive, bureaucratic, rule bound, fun, playful, demanding, egalitarian, laidback, introverted, quixotic, unfocused, impulsive or risk-averse. Like people, corporate cultures are not the same, which enables all of us to find the best personal and organisational fit by ensuring that people are in tune with the organisation’s culture. Additionally, when a person is gelled with the overall organisational culture, he is very unlikely to quit; hence this could serve as a brilliant retention tool. When we keep hiring 'Right' cultural fits, we build an organisation where all the people are aligned with goals, mission, vision and values. It is the kind of organisation where coming to work every morning is a pleasure, something the employees look forward to, and hence stay for longer.

CULTURE DEFINES IT ALL

How do things get done? What is the decision making style? How do they act on decisions? These answers can show cultural variations across different companies. The culture that is followed by an organisation directs the overall functioning of the firm, which is why companies in the same type of industry have similar cultures due to the product/service, market and regulatory demands. Managers look for people who can be a part of it, without attempting to alter it or feeling lost. A fairly easy, open, hierarchy free organisation where how well you do your job is respected more than what your level is. That kind of culture demands people who are a lot more secure about themselves.

Does the company accord preferential treatment to those at higher levels? Does it recognise and reward people? Is everyone included or do some groups and levels absorb a greater share of attention? These are important indicators of cultural progress (or stagnation) in an organisation.

MORAL OF THE STORY

The culture that is observed in any organisation is the basic fabric of that organisation and hiring an employee means weaving him/her into its way of life/work. A sheer mismatch of a candidate’s personality with that of the organisations’ could not only result in rejection but also make the hired feel lost and isolated, further pushing the importance for hiring cultural fits.

Every organisation has a set of unsaid rules. For example, the employment guide of a prominent Fortune 500 high-tech company touts flexible work hours and telecommuting as benefits to employees. What is not stated is that this is a driven culture with 12+ hour days and no time for vacations.

A CULTURAL FIT IS REFLECTED FROM THE FOLLOWING:

Your mode of dressing

Your way of speaking

Your attitude and behaviour

Your ability to work within the structure and get along with others

Your involvement in your organisation’s activities

Your willingness to go the extra mile..

And you do it all and still don't fit...Ha ha! Change the job... its sheer bad luck Darling.

more at http://www.citeman.com/12501-cultural-misfit-%e2%80%93-are-you-the-one.html#ixzz2kpSTdIwr

CALLING ALL STRESS-BUSTERS…Take it Light

“I felt like ripping my hair off by the end of the day!” 

 “I just wanted to quit my job and make a run for it.” 

“I used to just dread mornings, all I wanted to do was call in sick… everyday!” 

These may sound like convincing excuses by an employee who’s trying to procrastinate but they are, in fact, true confessions of a victim: a victim of stress. And I assume we all have used these or some other excuses/lies at some point in time at our workplace.

With the globalization/going "Glocal" as I would call it , one of the fall outs has been that employees have been bombarded with excess workload to meet the water-tight deadlines. The outcome-"Stress" which takes a direct toll on productivity as people tend to slack when burdened with huge portions of work. Fortunately, organisations are waking up to this reality and are manifesting their concern for their employees’ health by carving out several initiatives to build a stress-free environment for them.

A Weighty Issue

It is a well-known fact that most people tend to ignore their health when under tremendous stress. While some overeat, others just ignore proper meals. To battle this growing trend, many organisations are trying to encourage healthy living at the work place. Many employees stretch their work timings to meet deadlines. In the process of doing so, they ignore their health, have poor concentration and bad eating habits. There is a latent need to have something that will help these employees in addressing their concerns over stress and health related issues.

# An aware step would be in introducing a "health byte" initiative for all the employees to educate them about various health risks relating to stress. The basic objective is to encourage employees who wanted to participate and make a concerted effort at reaching the optimum desired weight.

# Another initiative is to make working-out more exciting, start competitions for all the employees for a quarter with the basic objective to help the employees to reach their desired weight in a matter of three months and encourage healthy living. During the competition, regular tips are required to be shared to help participants in their endeavour and also award cash prizes, when they meet their goal.

# Many organisations create self-awareness by joining hands with gyms and healthcare institutes in an attempt to nurture the health and wellness of their employees. One of the initiatives we started in our organization was having a fully equipped gym at our workplace. We also had a fitness consultant to advise employees on heath, exercise, diet etc.

It’s all in your mind

Apart from tie-ups with gyms, many organisations are also helping their employees beat stress by conducting yoga and meditation classes at the work place. Meditation and yoga classes in office are a way of relaxing the employees. Apart from that many companies have started yoga and spirituality camp for all their employees across the country.

Want to indulge?

Ask any woman, what is the best way to beat stress and she will tell you: ‘Shop till you drop’. Taking cue from the above, Unisource Group has come up with an innovative solution to delight their employees. They have started an employee-centric privilege programme called ‘Indulge’, which aims to make available special privileges and offers to the employees of the company.

They started Indulge in early 2005 and built strategic alliances with providers of various brands, F&B outlets, lifestyle products, electronics and cellular services and resorts, whereby employees can avail of discounts from 5-30 per cent. ‘Indulge’ is renewed every six months with new and attractive additions, and is re-launched with an event called ‘Indulge Week’ where employees were given access to the new and existing affiliates. Affiliates offer discount coupons, giveaways and host competitions at the company premises which also provide phenomenal visibility for them.

Indulge Week giveaways and activities in the past have included pizza eating competitions, ‘panja’ competitions, free holiday giveaways, free gym memberships, donut days, free checkups and health talks with regard to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and diet.

Stress-free work zone

Combating stress at the workplace cannot merely be done by addressing the stress points. Some times stress could be rooted to unfair practices and inadequate compensation which could also take a toll on productivity. The key factor to creating a stress-free environment for employees is:

1. setting clear expectations, 

2. having a regular and consistent reward and recognition program,

3. emphasizing on training and employee development, 
4. creating a transparent and open work culture with clear channels of communication – all this surely adds up in creating a work environment that is secure and minimizes stress for all employees.

Reflecting on the benefits of having stress busting initiatives at the workplace to have a fresh approach to work and this could do wonders. Organisations who have realised this mantra are increasingly bending over backwards to ensure that their people are fit and ready for the battle.

more at http://www.citeman.com/12866-calling-all-stress-busters%e2%80%a6take-it-light.html#ixzz2kpMjmoQn