Workplace Tribes

How to Prevent the Seven Year Job Itch

Paul Baribeau — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:51:00 GMT

In academia, teachers and researchers are encouraged to take a sabbatical once every 7 years. It gives professors the chance to do something different, forge new relationships, and recharge their batteries and creative juices. This system works well for them.

There's no such thing as a sabbatical though, in most jobs, and after 7 long years in the same job (and often even before then), employees commonly begin to lose interest and start looking elsewhere. This "7 year job itch" can affect people in any profession, in any economic climate, anywhere in the world. When it's time for a change, it's time for a change.

These strategies are like Anti Monkey Butt Powder with Calamine Lotion, but for employee retention. Stop the itch.
Flickr/djeo

Unhappy faces, reduced social interaction, and frequent tardiness are telltale signs of burnt out, 7-year itch employees. The discontent associated with the mundane can build into frustration that ends in resignation. Keen managers and HR pros will make sure that this never happens.

Surely you already know the advantages of retaining staff, there are many: Less time spent recruiting and onboarding, faster task completion, great relationships, stored organizational knowledge, etc.

When measuring employee morale or tracking projects, pay special attention to medium term employees, as they are most at risk of the seven year itch. If you can identify what bothers them earlier rather than later, you can take steps to improve the situation. These approaches might help:

1. Offer a Role Change

Monotony is everone's biggest enemy. When employees learn to perform all of their job tasks with enough efficiency, it can quickly become very boring. An ideal job should be appropriately intellectually stimulating. If it isn't, after some time, productivity can decline quickly.

Talk to employees about their career development, and how they can align their current roles with their aspirations. Maybe they can mentor the next generation of team members? Maybe there's a similar job in the organization where their knowledge and experience would be very valuable?

If you can frame lateral moves as promotions (either of salary, of responsibility, or both), they're more likely to be accepted. This can boost your employee's sense of achievement and self-confidence. A clear development course helps to make employees' objectives clearer, and gets them more focused.

2. Offer a Break

Sometimes deadline after deadline after deadline burns your employees out. Tremendous work pressure can crack the most dedicated and strong-willed person. You should always encourage your team to cash in the paid time-off that they accumulate. If they don't have enough, consider offering unpaid time off, a cash incentive to take a vacation, or a company trip.

Employees will return from their break feeling refreshed and eager to work. Vacations are calamine lotion for your 7-year itch.

3. Release them to a different project or team

Sometimes the goals of employees are not aligned with those of their project group. Assigning them to another project or team within the organization can help move employees closer to their goals. Even if one project loses vital resources, another will gain them. In the end, if the employee comes out ahead, the organization does too.

4. Let them go

In the worst case scenario, employees feel trapped in the wrong job and at the wrong company. It's best that you separate on good terms. Help your employee find a new job. For example, a software programmer may want to become a professional photographer, or an unhappy accountant may want to run her own restaurant.

Be civil and help them pursue their dreams. If it doesn't work out, they'll be more likely to come back to your organization, or to refer a friend or colleague who would be successful in their old job.

Track employee projects to make sure that they're working on things they enjoy. Get started on TribeHR today with a free 60-day trial.

Lean Recruiting [Expert Insights]

TribeHR Staff — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:45:00 GMT

Many have embraced the ease and efficiency of recruiting through social media. Ramy Nassar is no exception! He is an advocate of efficient social recruiting and yet is able to create and maintain those personal connections that are integral to an effective hiring process.

Ramy Nassar, Myplanet Digital

Nassar currently functions as business development for Myplanet, a tech startup based out of Markham. At Myplanet he started out by developing recruitment programs. Formerly he worked in business development at RIM and also has experience in software engineering.

When asked for Myplanet’s lean recruitment take on hiring, he explains, “I think we just do things a little bit differently in a way, but the reason we do it in that process and that order is sort of to get out of the box a little bit.” Being active in the community through social events and networking with like-minded individuals is a great place to start. Nassar recalls, “We would just do things like have them come hang out in our office for a day and see what the environment was like.”

Nassar notes that perhaps the most crucial component of lean recruiting methodology in a startup is flexibility; “I think the most important part is that we are always trying to evolve our process, seeing what will work best.” A recent innovation in Nassar’s recruiting techniques has been the recognition that while having a hiring process is important, relentlessly following it may not always be the most efficient approach. Allowing yourself to get caught up in various steps throughout that process gives candidates more time to seek out other options. Here, flexibility could have saved that migration. “It may at times mean we’ve done an interview we wouldn’t have done otherwise, but at the same time it also prevents us from losing out on someone who may have gone somewhere else,” he says, on the advantages of being flexible.

In addition, Nassar says, “I think the biggest thing that we’re doing is trying to do things a little bit more backlog style.” Coordinating several times a week on sprint planning and meetings moves Myplanet toward the goal of “more agile processes in general” – that same agility mirrored within their recruiting approach.

Recognizing your limitations as a smaller company is also important. For example, Nassar quickly found that trying to recruit through campus visits was an ineffective method, because students were less engaged when they weren’t familiar with the company. In his experience, “You don’t necessarily have the pull that you think you do,” which further emphasizes the imperativeness of becoming a visible brand in your community.

Conversely, small businesses benefit from the advantage of recognizing inefficiencies and making changes without being bogged down by masses of corporate red tape. “The quicker we can find out what doesn’t work and the quicker we can cut that out, I think that’s one of the biggest advantages we have [as a smaller organization],” Nassar believes. “That’s a big part of being lean and being agile as well, sort of knowing when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em.”

Lindsay Purchase interviewed Ramy Nassar on behalf of Workplace Tribes in May 2012.

Not finding the top talent and cultural counterparts you’re looking for? Get creative. Get adaptable. Get outside the box. Start with a 60-day free trial.

How to prolong the newlywed stage of the employee lifecycle

Paul Baribeau — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:29:00 GMT

Newlyweds are surrounded by a bubble of happiness, contentment, and a sense of overall well-being. Nothing can go wrong, and everything seems possible.

The same holds true for new employees, and fortunately for you, there are ways to prolong this stage.

Provide genuine positive feedback

Employees, like anyone else, like to feel that their work is appreciated and contributing to the betterment of the company. You can provide this feedback in a variety of ways.

Compliment your employees for a job well done. Friendly acknowledgment can include a face-to-face conversation, a quick pat on the shoulder, a sincere "thank you for doing such a great job on that project," or a quick online message. Sincerity goes a long way towards promoting loyalty and ensuring your employee has a long and productive tenure with the firm.

Promotions will do the job

Married to the job? Doesn't mean you can't drag out the honeymoon. Flickr/Jeff Weston

When an employee is doing a great job in their current position, and shows potential for advancement, don't hold them back. Promotions tell your employee that you value their competence, insight, work habits, and loyalty. If your competitors identify and support your superstars before you do, you'll lose the battle for talent.

Schedule some fun times

A well-oiled work environment which keeps employees operating at the newlywed stage has fun as a focal point. Socializing builds camaraderie and takes the ho-hum out of the workday.

Consider informal outings, like a family picnic, or take some time out during the day for unique team building workshops.

Publicly acknowledge accomplishments

Who doesn't like being recognized for doing a great job or doing something out of the ordinary? When this happens, let as many people as possible know about it. After sharing great accomplishments widely internally, consider issuing a press release, or inviting some media attention, which can boost your employee's personal profile, your company's public relationship, and your HR brand.

If you use social networks within or outside of the company, use them to spread the word. You may be surprised how fast the news travels in the viral world. Appreciated employees love the companies they work for.

Use HR software

HR software can enable manager and co-workers to give kudos to their deserving colleagues. This can boost motivation and prolong the newlywed stage. Paying attention to the little things is what makes a person's overall work experience a great one.

Use your HR software to keep track of anniversaries, birthdays, promotions, and other personal occasions. Plan parties and celebrations to not only foster a team environment, but to promote individual achievements too. Just try not to play favourites.

Feed your workforce

Keep your employees in the newlywed stage by feeding them like a wedding reception. Food and beverages are a great low-cost investment that foster productivity, loyalty, and motivation. Keeping your lunchroom supplied with food, fresh coffee, bottled water, and/or hot chocolate will not only satisfy employee palates, but keep them happy and satisfied with the workplace environment.

Put more simply, the newlywed stage of the employee lifecycle can be extended by treating your employees like you would expect to be treated. Respect, friendliness, dignity, consideration, and a little bit of innovation always pay off in the long run.

Discover the correlation between employee tenure, projects, and engagement, with powerful HR software from TribeHR. Follow TribeHR on Facebook to receive all of our news, and maybe even a wedding invitation.

Short and Frequent Performance Reviews Have Better Results

Paul Baribeau — Fri, 11 May 2012 13:21:00 GMT

In business, time spent equals money spent. This simple fact means that for the sake of accountability, it's a good idea to hold regular performance reviews. Assessing your team's performance at different points during the year keeps the lines of communication open between you and your employees, and it makes meeting goals a lot easier.

When your company's performance reviews are shorter and more frequent, you come away reassured that your employees know what you're looking for. Here are some of the other advantages:

You can point out strengths you've seen in your employees. No matter the job, people like recognition for the work they do. When an employer can see talent and coach those who need it, employees are more loyal and enthusiastic about their work.

Feedback in short, specific bursts is often more effective than all at once. Flickr/Sylvia Currie

High job satisfaction is key to retention. When you meet with your employees briefly, but on a consistent basis, you have the opportunity to develop a strong relationship, understand their day-to-day work, and clarify expectations, resulting in increased job satisfaction.

Whether someone is doing fantastic, is having issues, or has just been distracted, regular performance reviews can make sure they're on the right path. Most companies start the quarter with goals in mind, but if these are met quickly, employees can be left sitting around.

Regular performance reviews allow you to track and grow employee outputs, without the stress of infrequent and uncomfortable annual appraisals. This is a great opportunity to set short-term goals that will keep people focused.

The most common reason for a performance review is to let employees know where they need to improve. For new and entry-level workers, especially in Generation Y, frequent feedback is vital to providing mentoring and constructive criticism. Quick conversations and short messages help your employees develop without the fear of defeat or termination.

The opportunity to talk about where employees want to be in the future does not often arise naturally in the workplace. Shorter and more frequent performance reviews are a great chance to bring this up. How do you feel about your job? What would you rather be doing? How can we help you get there? These one-on-one communications can help fix minor issues before they become big problems.

Opponents of frequent reviews believe that the process is too time-consuming, which can detract from other important tasks. That's why it's vital that your feedback mechanisms are natural for your team, and compliment your other core managerial functions.

Employees appreciate when constructive criticism feels like great advice, instead of behavioral correction. Many managers prefer providing feedback over the course of the day, instead of on a schedule, when it can feel like a chore.

Reviewing your employees' performance often will let them know what they're doing well, and where they need to make improvements. For a thriving business, open and honest communication is an absolute necessity.

Track the time your team spends on specific projects, offer feedback, manage relationships, and engage employees, with powerful social HR software from TribeHR. Pricing starts at just $2/month per employee.

Create a Sense of Personal Progress to Engage Employees

Paul Baribeau — Thu, 10 May 2012 14:03:00 GMT

Why do seemingly ‘good’ and well-performing employees leave the companies they’re working for? To the casual observer, money may look like the biggest factor as far as resignations are concerned, followed closely by neglect from management. While both are indeed key factors behind employee-management problems, things aren’t as black and white as they seem. There are far more factors to consider if you want to keep a low turnover rate.

For starters, do you consider employee engagement as high up on your list of HR and management priorities? There are many ways to engage employees and keep them motivated, but few are as important as creating a sense of personal progress in individuals working within the organization. Employees don’t just value organizational stability and an income that pays the bills. They also need direction and a firm grasp on whether or not they actually fit in the organization and are doing a good job.

The differences between engaged and disengaged employees are immense. Engaged employees take pleasure in the work they do and feel zero to little stress, even when in the middle of challenging work. They completely immerse themselves in their tasks and lose sense of time, often remarking how workdays pass by so quickly.

In contrast, disengaged employees lack zeal and a desire to come to work. They often dread reporting for duty, and question what they’re doing in a company. Tasks are done because that’s “what the boss says” and not because they find a quiet contentment in the work they do. So as you can see, it’s not really surprising why this eventually leads to resignation.

With managers and HR personnel racing to streamline their companies in today’s tough economic times, it can be very easy to forget about the goals, aspirations and needs of the individual employee in the organization. Here are some innovative ways you can create a sense of progress in your employees and keep them happy over the long run.

Acknowledge and place value in individual contributions

Leaders must make it a point to illustrate to employees how their efforts as individuals play a big role in the overall direction and business strategy of an organization. People naturally want to be part of a team that’s winning, so talk and interact with employees and make them feel proud of the work they do. They need to feel that your company’s success is thanks to their efforts. Always remember: an employee who feels that he, or she, belongs is a happy employee. And a happy employee, is, more often than not, a productive employee.

Don’t neglect training

Investing a substantial amount of resources in training is a way for you to hit two birds with one stone. First, training teaches employees new skill sets and helps increase their productivity. From a business standpoint, training is good because it allows you to retain workers who can handle large responsibilities, instead of hiring new people, which can be expensive.

For employees, knowing that employees care enough to invest in their training is motivating, and the very concept of undergoing continuous learning is a major morale booster. It means the management actually wants to keep them by investing in their training.

Provide mentoring support

Mentoring can provide employees with a sense of how well they are doing within an organization. More importantly, mentoring allows them to sound off on issues revolving around work, allowing them to resolve their problems efficiently. Note than mentoring can be facilitated internally or outside the organization— choose whichever works best for employees.

At the end of the day, employees want to feel that they are doing a good job within an organization. That said, management must make an effort to demonstrate this to employees to keep them motivated.

Should my Team Know Everything about the Business?

Paul Baribeau — Wed, 09 May 2012 13:21:00 GMT

Why sharing knowledge is almost always good

A big question that business owners and human resource officers often ask is how much information about the business they should share with their employees. Do employees really need to know everything about the business? Is there some information that must be kept confidential?

Transparency can be a powerful way to engage employees. When staff members know what's going on, businesses are able to run more smoothly. Consider these reasons:

It Prevents Confusion

People working within an organization want to know what’s going on, whether it's changes to the business, or just overall progress. By informing employees of these changes, they'll be able to adapt to them more easily, and predict the next steps too.

Don't hog the ice cream sandwich of knowledge! Flickr/Cayusa

If your staff are puzzled or surprised about day-to-day activities, their productivity will suffer. You owe it to your team to give them a heads up on important changes, as these will affect how they do their jobs and live their lives.

It Prevents Conflict

When everything about your business is out in the open, your team feels more empowered to talk to you about both successes and problems. Suppose that an inevitable layoff situation arises: Your team might be nervous about losing their jobs.

But if they're already aware that you're in a bit of a precarious situation, they'll be more comfortable talking about the options and difficult decisions that need to be made, without taking things personally.

It Builds Trust

Trust is the foundation of every relationship. When businesses are honest and open with their employees, they can expect their employees to be so too. People often say that they're trusting, but then fail to live up to their own words. Sharing everything about the business with your employees shows that you trust them.

Especially when it comes to employee relations, it's vital that you and your team are on the same page. As much as possible, anything about the business that might affect the employees, whether good or bad, should be shared with them.

Although every business has (of course) some things that should be kept private, it's best to keep these to a minimum. The more you share, the more you prevent confusion, prevent conflict, and build trust.

Share your plans, track projects, and engage your team. Get powerful HR software from TribeHR.

How to Leverage Personal Goals to Meet a Team Objective

Paul Baribeau — Mon, 07 May 2012 13:25:00 GMT

We all have our own goals and priorities. As a business manager, your goal is to make your business thrive and ensure that your team stays happy and productive. For employees, goals often center around individual careers and needs.

Personal goals affect how an employee performs. While they can serve as motivation to be more productive and more successful, they can also cause conflicts between staff or between work and home.

When the individual drives of smaller players align to pursue a common goal, amazing things can happen. Pictured: The microscopic cellular structure of a human colon. Flickr/Ed Euthman

Businesses are most successful when employees' personal goals are aligned with corporate goals. This can be difficult to do at times, but it is possible. Some companies, like Valve Software, make this happen by allowing any employee to make any business decision. If you're not ready to do that, read on.

The Team Goal Must be Understood

Before personal goals can leveraged in the pursuit of team objectives, employees first need to clearly understand what the team goals are. A clear understanding of your organizational values and goals will prevent any potential conflict and confusion.

Once employees understand team goals, they're better able to—and more likely to—integrate them into their personal goals. Team leaders, HR, managers, and senior executives can help to smooth this process by offering feedback and having one-on-one consultation sessions.

Find the Middle Ground

Most of the time, personal goals should still be work-related, such as achieving a sales volume, working a number of hours, organizing a specific project, or improving a specific skills. Finding common ground between these personal goals and your organizational priorities can be hugely productive.

The easiest way to do this is to simply ask employees what they think the team can do to help them reach their personal goals. Make sure you follow up by clarifying how their own goals are contributing to the overall team objective.

When team members help each other to grow personally, they also help the team grow as a whole.

Value Personal Goals

Managers and team leaders should value the personal goals of their team members. It’s wise to let employees grow both within and outside of the business. Don’t suffocate your team by focusing only on corporate objectives. Of course, don't neglect the business by focusing only on personal ambitions, either.

Prioritizing and finding the balance between personal goals and team objectives shouldn't be a battle. Both are important. Synchronize them, and watch your business soar.

Track projects, engage employees, and tie goals and progress to organizational values, by using HR software from TribeHR. Packages start from as little as $2/user/month. Start with a free 60-day trial.

Top 10 HR Lessons from Star Wars

Emily Barnes — Fri, 04 May 2012 21:58:00 GMT

10. Nepotism doesn’t work

Vader isn't a very good recruiter. @egerlach

9. If your culture sucks, referrals don’t work

"We also give recruitment referral bonuses... That General Solo guy would make a great member of our team, too."

8. Don’t ask your employees to kill their offspring (or anything else that extreme/illegal/dramatic/etc)

Your employees might resent it... or throw you into the reactor shaft of the Death Star.

7. Motivating with fear leads to poor performance

How many Admirals did Darth Vader force choke in his career? Did the next ones perform any better? Maybe they were so afraid of meeting the same fate they could never focus on their jobs.

6. Give your employees freedom to learn what they need to

It wasn’t until Luke left the Rebel fleet to learn with Yoda that he became a true Jedi.

5. Money isn’t the only motivator

Han Solo got his payment for delivering Luke & Leia to the rebellion successfully. And off he went. But it was his dedication to his colleagues and the cause that brought him back in the nick of time to save Luke from Darth Vader in his Tie Fighter.

4. Invest in technology - it helps with employee performance

How could Luke have survived Jabba’s Palace and his encounter with Sarlak if R2-D2 and C-3PO hadn’t been there to help? Not to mention the lightsaber that R2-D2 returned to him. Those were vital pieces of technology in Han Solo’s rescue.

3. People can screw up under pressure, but that's no reason to give up on them

Lando Calrissian caved to Darth Vader and had his friend trapped in carbonite, but he still was essential to the successful attack on the second death star.

2. Trust your employees - they’ll often find new solutions to problems

"Luke, you've turned off your targeting computer" "Use the force, Luke". The targeting computers had already failed the Y-Wings. Plus, would Luke have developed into a Jedi if some General had shouted him down the first time he tried to use the Force?

1. Hiring the right team and getting the right culture is vital to success.

The Rebels had the right people in place, and were working in a culture of optimism and hope, the right one for their mission. The Imperials hired a bunch of faceless drones and were working in fear. Guess who won when they clashed?

May the 4th be with you.

A Goal of Frequent Reviews: Heading off Trouble

Paul Baribeau — Fri, 04 May 2012 13:20:00 GMT

When it comes to employee reviews, less is not always more. An overwhelming number of companies provide annual performance appraisals. But is there a better way? Certainly, some changes can provide a breath of fresh air to managers and employees. Why not start with more frequent reviews?

Project-Based Reviews

If an employee's job can be easily divided into projects, then try evaluating job performance after each one. This make it easier for reviewers to pintpoint specific instances of strong action, or areas that need more work. For example, try offering feedback to credit analysts after each credit analysis, or to bookkeepers after each monthly set of books.

Kids do peer review in school for a reason: Because it works. Flickr/MsH_ISB

Project-based reviews can be overwhelming if projects are of a shorter nature, but that's an easy problem to overcome. If it's more feasible, try having reviews after every project of a certain size, or after every five, ten, or even twenty projects.

Project-based reviews make it easy for employees to see where they've gone wrong before they repeat the same problems on multiple projects, which helps them be confident that their hard work will be valuable and appreciated.

Monthly or Quarterly Reviews

Simply shortening the time between performance reviews can make all the difference. Set up a schedule of monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, or even bi-annual reviews. Quarterly evaluations can work wonders for newer employees, or even for older employees in new positions.

Frequent reviews help employees gain and understand feedback, implement suggestions immediately, and capitalize on strengths that have been newly developed.

Peer Reviews

If management and HR simply can't make the time for more frequent reviews, you can utilize peer reviews instead. Peer reviews are often best if they're anonymous, so that any criticisms don't affect morale or employee relationships. Anonymity promotes honesty, too.

People who work closely with each other can be assigned a new co-worker each month for whom they should complete a simple peer review survey. Even the assigning process can be automated. Before employees receive copies of their reviews, a manager of HR officer can review them to clarify any issues and offer solutions to any problems.

Feedback is a poweful motivator. Of course, it's important to have a healthy mix of positive feedback and productive criticisms. Waiting a whole year for them, though, will only hurt job performance. People thrive when they know they're doing a good job; Those who need guidance can't improve until they know what to change.

Waiting for reviews wastes time and effort. Frequent reviews head off future problems.

Track projects, review performance, get feedback, and build a culture of success. Use HR software from TribeHR: Learn more.

How to Help Your Employees Manage Their Career

Paul Baribeau — Thu, 03 May 2012 18:03:00 GMT

Resources That Help Employees Transition

Every employee is going through a different phase in their career. Some are just entering the work field and need help to transition. Other employees are taking on more responsibilities at work. The transition process affects the comfort level that workers experience. Employers can help employees on every level through Human Resources. This applies to excelling on-the-job and in other areas of life.

The transition process sometimes includes learning more information about your company and its goals. Having resources available that give this information allows employees a chance to build a firm foundation. Those starting a new position will have a some valid concerns as they transition. Through intuitive resources employers can smooth this process. Being a supportive employer clearly defines the company's expectations for each employee.

Transition is about more than simply reading information. It is also about experiencing the friendly and social environment that your job offers. Next generation tools allow workers to track their own progress. Depending on the phase that a worker is going through, their needs will vary. Transition isn't simply a negative experience, but it is a time to build a firm foundation during this new phase.

Offer a Positive Environment

Working in a positive environment makes it easy to do goals. Having a positive environment doesn't mean that the work is easy. It simply means that workers are able to recognize the benefits that their company offers. Each phase of transition should include the knowledge that your work is important and valuable. This knowledge encourages many workers to become even more productive.

Be a Transparent Employer

Transparency is necessary whether you are a long-time employee or a new hire. Workers are more comfortable working for employers that they understand. It doesn't matter, what challenge a job may hold. If a worker feels confident, he or she will stay loyal to the company. Well defined rules and expectations play a role in delivering this transparency. Employees that know what's expected of them tend to deliver through their tasks and accomplishments.

Encourage Each Employee

Each employee will be able to do their work goals. It's a breath of fresh air to find a company that cares about your transition. This means not dropping you into some alien world. Employers that encourage employees find that these workers achieve more. Encouragement offered through the tools and resources that make success possible. Workers that receive encouragement have a better attitude about the future and what they can do for the company.

Workers benefit from having employers that care about their transition. This is true no matter, what phase they are going through. The emotional side of this process is just as important as the actual work that it leads to. A well-rounded employee is a positive and productive employee. These are people that provide company's with long-term security as it relates to qualified workers. The transition process for each stage of a career impacts the next stage of that career.

How to keep the best employees in a competitive environment

Paul Baribeau — Wed, 02 May 2012 12:24:00 GMT

The best employees are leagues beyond people who just show up for work every day. They're the people who make sure that your firm meets its mission, goals, and objectives. They're the air that keeps you breathing. And they're also in high demand.

Fortunately for you, there are low-cost ways to manage your team, which will help to make sure that your best employees stick around for years to come.

Offer More Than a Paycheck

Great employees want much more than a paycheck. They want to be engaged, to grow, to share, and to be responsible. They want to be proud of their employer, and know how they contribute to the overall success. They don't only want to make money for themselves—they want to make money for you, too.

These "profitable" employees love strong communication between customers, suppliers, partners, management, and the community. Organizations that value great talent will do as much as possible to promote all forms of communication in the work environment.

Keep Your Employees Engaged

Engaged employees are eager to work hard, meet objectives, and realize goals. If your firm is able to translate its values into concrete action, throughout the organization, then you're well on your way to having an engaged workforce.

Engagement also demands a safe working environment. This means having zero tolerance for bullying, ensuring that stress-reduction measures are in place, and catering to all of your team's needs. As a bonus, safer employees have lower healthcare costs, which saves everyone money in the long run.

Encourage Growth

The best employees need to be continually challenged to reach their potential. They know that they can be even more profitable if they're given more influence and freedom to make decisions. While other employees may be happy with the status quo, the best employees actively seek out new challenges.

Innovation and Automation

The best employees seek out the best employers. This means that at an organizational level, you need to be flexible, storng, and creative. Automations which enable your team to focus on where they're most interested and most productive will help keep them around for a long time to come.

At a human resources level, low-cost software can be immensely valuable in this respect. It can analyze productivity, provide recognition, and give guidance. For hourly employees, it can clarify where time is being spent, who is most productive, and how you can elevate the whole team.

Strong Corporate Ethics

Make sure your business promotes and maintains strong ethical principles. When staff feel like they're doing good work—or at least not causing any harm—they're easier to retain.

Strong ethics permeate throughout your corporate environment. They play a key role in developing a positive reputation in your industry. When outside parties trust your firm, they'll give your team the benefit of the doubt, which can reduce friction and frustration in sales, support, and overall customer care.

The best employees have what it takes to take your business to the next level. Manage them properly to keep retention high and reap the benefits of their hard work.

TribeHR makes it easy to manage salaried and hourly-wage employees. Build a culture of success: Learn more.

PRESTO! Decreasing employee turnover doesn’t take magic

TribeHR Staff — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:46:00 GMT

Employee turnover is inevitable for every business, no matter how much you may dislike it. Fortunately, you can reduce the threat by using only a few simple strategies.

Start by promoting company loyalty. Do this by making your employees feel like they're an important part of your firm. For example, get their advice about how to complete a project, and incorporate their suggestions into the ultimate solution.

Save the magic for birthday parties. You have more reliable strategies. Flickr/Taylor Library

When this type of success is achieved, don't keep it a secret! Share with the rest of the team. Recognition is an easy way to boosy engagement, increase productivity, and increase loyalty.

Who said rewards don't work at all? It doesn't take magic to figure out that incentives are a simple way to show that you care. Consider increasing stock options, offering additional vacation time, or covering more of your employees' health insurance premiums.

In addition to having annual year-end bonuses, consider offering them as a surprise throughout the year. Going the extra mile to make your employees smile, no matter what your strategy, is sure to keep turnover low. Employees who are happy and feel appreciated will naturally want to stick around.

Another easy way to decrease employee turnover is by making your work environment a fun place. Have contests to bring your team together, to support and encourage each other, and to achieve company goals. Enrolling your organization in a team building workshop can promote mutual understanding and cut down on frustrations and conflict in times of stress.

Project tracking and productivity tools can help you highlight which employees are your highest producers. Nuture and support these people. Consider organizing an appreciation party, or arranging for other forms of public recognition. Take pictures or write summaries to make sure that your support leaves a lasting impression.

Promoting employee engagement is another sure-fire way to decrease turnover. To encourage engagement, make sure that employee skills match their job descriptions and expectations for job tasks. As skills and interests evolve, change job requirements so that they remain relevant.

For optimal results, commit yourself and your management team to focusing on the needs of each and every employee in your firm. High job satisfaction is vital for reducing employee turnover. Recognize your employees' efforts, and meet their needs, to keep them around for as long as possible.

It doesn't take magic to decrease employee turnover. It takes loyalty, innovation, engagement, and the development of easy solutions that benefit everyone.

Track projects to identify your highest producers, and retain them with great HR software from TribeHR. Packages start at just $2/user/month. Learn more.

Keep valuable employees without tying them to their desks

TribeHR Staff — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:41:00 GMT

The economy is still struggling. Many organizations are trying to decide if they need to cut the number of employees on the payroll, or if they should wait the situation out.

Yet even in times of uncertainty, valuable, productive employees may be thinking about changing employers. Businesses that want to keep top talent must constantly work to retain their top talent. Forward-thinking employers keep their staff engaged, so that they can meet current and future needs, stay competitive, and respond quickly to changing market demands.

Organizations that invest in their employees are able to maintain higher levels of employee engagement, which is crucial to employee retention. Here are 7 tips for retaining top talent:

1. Keep Lines of Communication Open

Handcuffs can only take you so far. Flickr/TamaraWeikel

Honesty is always the best policy. Let employees know the "real deal," and keep them updated regularly. Speculation and rumor are deadly to morale. Openness is essential to maintaining trust, and employees who feel that they can trust management stay with companies longer.

2. Demonstrate Loyalty to Current Employees

Times can be tough, but losing staff during an economic downturn can have expensive long-term repercussions. Hiring and training new staff always costs more than keeping existing employees. Let your team know that the company is committed to keeping everyone on board. If necessary, redeploy staff to other departments, or ask if they'd be willing to work less hours. If star employees see that the company wants to keep them, they're less likely to look elsewhere for work.

3. Make Wise Choices When Hiring Managers

Hiring the wrong manager can cause considerable problems. Retaining key staff under a leader who doesn't fit into the company culture can be difficult. Choose managers wisely, or a poor choice might mean that key staff jump ship.

4. Be an Ethical Employer

Florida State University published a study in the Fall of 2007. It listed some of the major flaws that employees disliked in employers. The study notes that:

39% of employees noted that supervisors repeatedly failed to keep promises.
37% stated that managers failed to give credit due to staff.
31% stated that supervisors often gave them the "silent treatment."
24% were angry over bosses invading their privacy.
23% cited instances in which they were blamed to cover up the personal mistakes of a supervisor.

Star employees are leaving bad companies in droves. They're fleeing from bad bosses.

5. Offer Encouragement to Employees

Inspire your employees. Motivate them to perform. Listen to their ideas. Provide encouragement and discover how quickly they begin to champion the company. Happy employees are amazing corporate evangelists.

6. Create a Culture of Respect

Competent employees are a company's best asset. Show them respect, and expect it back. Nurture talented employees, and make sure they realize how valuable they are to you. Cultures of respect are especially important to top talent.

7. Offer Flexible Hours

Most employees want to have a good work-life balance. In some cases, great employees leave jobs they love simply because work was getting in the way of their family life. Provide alternate work schedules whenever possible, and allow employees to exercise a greater degree of control over their personal lives.

Companies that can minimize turnover during tough times—without chaining employees to their desks—consistently perform better than those who've had massive defections. Managers who want to see their company succeed should ensure that team satisfaction and engagement are always top of mind.

Could one project or task be chasing your star employees away? TribeHR lets managers track project commitments and levels of engagement, and look for relationships between the two. Learn more.

Why annual reviews don’t work: "Has it been a year already?"

Paul Baribeau — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:24:00 GMT

When we were children, most of us probably thought that after we finished high school, those awkward parent-teacher conferences would be a thing of the past. Little did we know that they'd only take a different name: the annual employee review. (Thankfully, parents aren't usually invited!)

The annual performance review is a common practice that's supposed to offer company leaders an opportunity to examine an employee's contributions, and develop strategies for improving the quality of their work. The idea is collaboration for mutual benefit: But in reality, reviews often feel uncomfortably similar to report cards. Not fun.

Even worse, research shows that the traditional employee review isn't even effective for modern workers and their employers.

Although many companies still rely heavily on performance reviews, they've been growing increasingly unpopular for almost as long as they've been around. In 1959, an article in the Harvard Business Review lambasted reviews for damaging employees' senses of self worth, and infecting the workplace with anxiety, dread and resentment.

After all, companies that use traditional performance reviews often rely on them to award promotions, raises, and bonuses. It's serious stuff. But as employees grow increasingly apprehensive about their impending reviews, fear can damage productivity and actually reduce the quality of their work.

What's intended to motivate workers—the knowledge that their work is being analyzed by their superiors and that they will have to defend it—actually introduces hesitation and decreases the quantity and quality of their output. It's a classic observer effect: measuring performance affects it.

The solution, of course, is not to simply eliminate employee evaluations. However, making some changes to the evaluation process can uplift workers and motivate them to work both harder and smarter.

Here are some ideas to start:

Ditch the huge annual review in favor of smaller, more informal quarterly meetings. This means that nothing will fester for a year and come out in an explosive performance review.
All employees need to know what the company goals are, and how their work fits in that big picture. Everyone likes to feel that they're making a positive difference in the workplace, and they can't do that effectively if they don't know what they're working toward.

Publicizing these goals (and updating them when they evolve) helps everyone contribute positively to further them, instead of working in fear of unexpected criticisms.
Motivate with praise, not fear. Managers need to seek out excellent work and be ready to praise and reward it. Employees whose hard work is recognized are motivated to excel; it also motivates their colleagues. In the right environment, employee progress can even be tracked visually, in public displays that encourage friendly competition, which is a terrific motivator.
Welcome employee feedback, and pay attention to it. When employees are fully aware of their departmental and organizational goals, they may gain insights that their managers miss; they should feel welcome to submit this feedback without fear of retribution.

Annual performance reviews really aren't all they're cracked up to be. It's time to bring everyone in on the action by revealing organizational goals, having a two-way conversation, and encouraging participation at all levels.

Share goals, easily create frequent reviews, and pursue your organization's values, with affordable HR software from TribeHR. Like our Facebook page for great updates.

An employer’s guide to keeping great workers: Taco Tuesday?

Paul Baribeau — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:13:00 GMT

There are plenty of things that influence corporate culture, but none is more important than keeping your employees. Culture lives in your team: if your team is constantly changing, your culture will too.

Too busy or too cheap to go out for lunch? Pull together some
ingredients and have a taco buffet in the office!

Many businesses would like to work on their employee relations, but often management and HR feel like they're so busy that there simply isn't time. But building good employer-employee relationships doesn't have to be difficult or time consuming. By making a few simple changes, you can build a great relationship with your workers.

Keep Employees Happy

Happy employees, who feel like valued members of the company, will strive to do their best. They'll feel fulfilled, and they won't quit at the first available opportunity.

Unhappy employees, by comparison, are often unproductive employees. If an employee feels like just another number, or that their employer doesn't know who they are, then why would they feel the need to work hard for that employer? This is destructive for your culture.

Socialize

With the stress of the job, employees often do not get the chance to socialize with each other. This can lead to employees becoming distant, not working well together, and even arguing. A great way to decrease any office tension is to take your employees outside of the office, and put them in a fun, social environment. Taking your employees out somewhere, such as to a restaurant, is a great way to get everyone to socialize.

Taking your team into a new environment can strengthen not only your relationship with your employees, but the relationships between the employees themselves.

Be Supportive

If an employee is having a hard time, but doesn't feel like they can talk to their employer, then they won't. Unfortunately, unexpressed frustrations can have a negative effect on their performance.

Always make sure that your employees know that you're there for them, and that you'll always be fair. If they have concerns, they need to know that you'll listen without judgement, and handle the situation in a professional and fair manner.

Learn to Listen

A problem with many businesses is that management simply doesn't listen to the team. Often employees have great ideas and solutions, but don't feel empowered to share. People who feel like their ideas are respected and taken into consideration are more likely to be satisfied with their employment.

Always take the time to really listen to what an employee has to say, no matter how trivial. Sometimes the best ideas spring from the strangest conversations.

Give Recognition

It's vital that your team receives credit for their successes, both in groups and individually. Employees who don't feel valued don't stick around. Take the time to give praise where it's due.

What does you team spend its time working on? Track projects, improve commitment, and build a culture of success with TribeHR. Learn more.

Frequent Small Reviews Can Eliminate Large Problems

Paul Baribeau — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:15:00 GMT

In his Metaphysics, Aristotle coined the phrase “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” How apt for most businesses and nonprofit organizations.

When a relatively simple structure or shape is replicated many times over, it can take a very elaborate form with interesting outcomes. We see this every day, in the pattern of a snowflake, the creation of a termite hill, and even the way most skyscrapers are built.

Aristotle is dead. Condolences to his family. But that doesn't mean you can't apply his wisdom to your organization. Flickr/Nick Thompson

This form of creation can be disassembled. You can break something down into its pieces. Each piece is small enough to manage and deal with independently. Project Managers often break challenges into smaller chunks of time and activities. Dealing with each chunk is easier than looking at the bigger challenge.

How does this apply to people management? The point is that big issues are made up of lots of little elements. Its easier to deal with these small pieces that the massive system. Put another way, it’s simpler to look at each of the little bits, rather than get overwhelmed by a large task.

An obvious area of HR to apply this to is performance reviews. Consider when someone is underperforming. You don’t want to just see them failing. You want to know what they're struggling with, and where. You examine the small bits of activity that make up their overall contribution to the business.

Finding the individual elements that are lacking gives managers opportunities for development and coaching.

All HR practitioners and people managers know that prevention is better repair, especially when it comes to performance. How can you do this? Simply by looking at the small stuff! If you assess small performance objectives, you'll find weaknesses. By helping employees to convert these into achievements, you can improve the entire performance.

What if it’s too late to turn around the performance on one objective? Don't let it come to that!

If the last review was a full year or more ago, then 12 months of deterioration have been established, and the poor performance has too much momentum to turn around. By shortening the period between reviews, checking performance more often, and spotting problems right away, you can prevent these problems from ever setting in.

Of course, it would be silly to have full-scale sit down reviews every day of the week. There's a healthy balance that needs to be achieved. But most managers don't review performance or offer feedback and recognition as often as they could or should.

Consider Jane. She has 12 tasks in her job description. Each one has a performance objective, which she needs to achieve each day. Some are tim- based, some are quality-based and some are volume measures. A simple number can be provided at the end of each day, week, or month, which says what Jane has acheived. A good manager will track Jane's output, and react if she starts to get too far off target.

It's the same for employees with job tasks that are more difficult to quantify. Setting goals, checking in, offering feedback, and clarifying expectations are vital to keeping the team on track.

Jane and most other workers want to give their best in their jobs. Simple, quick, regular reviews helps them, which helps you. Early interventions, development programs, and coaching can and will improve performance. They also stop you from having to ever deal with major failures.

Frequent small reviews can eliminate large problems.

Give better feedback with less effort, and keep track of what projects your employees spend their time own, using affordable HR software from TribeHR. Find out more.

How to Reward: Top Performers or Team Achievement?

Paul Baribeau — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:18:00 GMT

Rightly or wrongly, reward systems are embedded into most organizations' employee motivation schemes. For employees, working in a company that rewards both effort and results can offer an incentive put in that extra effort.

But for employers, one dilemma can make it challenging to come up with the right reward and incentive system. Do you reward the individual, or the team?

Combined, individuals form a team.
But the team is still composed of individuals.
Flickr/Jeff Wilson

Individuals have a lot to do with the success of every project. If you work in an architectural firm, for example, you'll know that a big part of a project's success lies with the lead architect. Or if you're a salesperson, your success lies in your own individual effort.

When it comes to team environments, however, the reward question becomes rather murky, because it's tough to identify or quantify who exactly deserves the credit for which success. To help you out, here are 2 ways to create a reward system that rewards both individual top performers, and team achievements:

Every team is made up of individuals. Treat them that way.

One easy mistake is to lump together teams into one homogenous entity. This causes management to view all successes and failures as the victories or burdens of the collective, which is not always the best way to go.

In order to get the best out of teams and the individuals within them, team performance should be broken down into the individual level. In this way, regardless of overall success, there can still be rewards or recognition for top performers.

It's a good idea to create a peer-to-peer reward system within the team, where each individual can identify colleagues for their successes, and reward them in a unique way. When the team leads the reward process, it can help to prevent any feelings of jealousy or resentment which might arise.

Team-led individual rewards leave room for HR or for supervisors to implement team-level recognition, which ensures that the entire group is acknolwedged for their success, too.

Forget the carrot and stick: break out the champagne instead.

Rewards are sometimes viewed as monetary incentives for good performance. This can be effective for individual employees, provided that the reward arrives quickly and with an explanation for its cause. On the other hand, it can cause problem for teams, as the manner of distribution becomes harder to determine.

For example, if everyone gets a set amount of money (say $500), the reward is more meaningful for people with lower incomes, who may have contributed less to the project. But if the reward is a percentage (say 1% of salary), then supervisors—who may have done very little of the actual project work—might receive an unreasonably large bonus. A percentage-based system is particularly problematic for hourly workers.

The best way to handle this is to create different types of rewards and recognition. Instead of offering cash, consider temporarily boosting expense accounts, or offering to make workplace improvements of the employees' choosing.

For example, the team might decide to use its $1000 reward to throw a party or to buy a pinball machine; individuals might decide to stock up on high-quality office supplies, business swag, or other invaluable tools and weapons.

Given the choice, team members will often opt to celebrate victories rather than create complex reward systems. This is proof that recognition often trumps rewards, and that celebrations and teambuilding can help to replicate successes in the future.

The best approach to rewards is a hybrid approach, which simultaneously strengthens teams and recognizes individual efforts.

Improve your recognition and track your rewards, with public kudos, anonymous feedback, and secure employee profiles from TribeHR.

Recruiting Internally: The Pros and Cons

Paul Baribeau — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 12:11:00 GMT

The internal recruitment maze can be a strange beast in any organization. Sometimes it’s simply a half-page on a bulletin board, or a piece in the company newsletter that says “Current Vacancies.”

More technologically competent businesses have online recruitment pages, and may even supplement them with development opportunities and promotional materials.

There’s a balance to be made between searching outside for the best talent, and using the in-house pool of skills. When you have a job that needs to be filled, a decision needs to be made on which way to go.

Internal recruitment is cheaper. You don’t need to pay for print or online recruiting ads. With less applications, less time needs to be committed to sift and sort through applications, so less manpower is needed. These costs can be a significant factor when you decide whether or not recruiting internally is right for your organization.

Internal hiring sometimes isn't very sophisticated. Seriously. Flickr/cwgcph

The internal recruitment process is usually far simpler and easier to manage. The individuals interested in applying for a position will be known to the company. They don't need to provide a detailed resume for review—the last annual review and some manager comments or recommendations are probably sufficient.

There will normally be fewer applicants internally, and the selection process is easier to manager. Again this is less resource-intensive, so it's cheaper.

A big advantage for internal recruitment is the speed at which you can get someone placed. With this slicker process, candidates don't have to choose between multiple employment offers, and long notice periods are easily avoided. External recruiting can take 3 months or more from start to finish; internally, the process can be much shorter.

Internal recruits already know the business. They don’t need onboarding, and they don’t need the company culture to be explained to them. They've already lived it. They should be able to slot right into place without needing much of a settling period. The internal hire usually won't need as much training or company information as an external recruit.

The down side to this is that it's usually only beneficial for promotion opportunities. Internal applicants don’t often want to move sideways in the organization. Thus you may be increasing pay and perks for the person, as well as creating another vacancy behind them.

The disadvantages of internal recruiting need to be given fair consideration too. With the vacancy domino effect, one recruitment exercise can turn into one for each level, and still result in an external recruitment for the lowest level vacancy.

This links to the salary challenge of internal applicants. They will likely know the salary of the previous jobholder or similar role. Their request will be in the same price point. This means no opportunity for market-led salary reductions from an external resource pool.

You can also consider the overall cost of the position, given length-of-service benefits and expectations that will be carried over. It’s unlikely an internal recruit will be willing to surrender service benefits.

When you recruit externally, you can bring in “new blood” with fresh thoughts and ideas. Repeated internal recruitment inhibits this opportunity for innovation and renewal in the business.

Most organizations need a healthy balance of fresh and existing talent. Internal and external recruitment both have a role to play. Using both wisely allows you to develop the best workforce for your company.

Improve your internal communications and hiring process with HR software and an applicant tracking system from TribeHR. Click here to learn more.

How to Measure Employee Morale

TribeHR Staff — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:53:00 GMT

What's morale? That's a tough question. It's an emotional reaction, and not a visible thing. It's intangible. This can make morale very difficult to measure. How do you measure something that you can't see?

Morale in-and-of-itself is hard to describe; fortunately, it's a bit easier to track positive and negative morale.

People know when they’re feeling positive. Positive morale is a fuzzy energy that makes you feel capable of doing more. By contrast, when morale is low, there’s a sense of apathy; a sense of withdrawal.

You know yourself can probably tell whether your morale is up or down. It may even shift from day to day. But how can you find out about other people?

The simple way to find out is to ask the question! A direct “how’s your morale today?” might not work, but more indirect questions can be helpful. Think first about the ways that positive and negative morale are expressed, and ask questions about that.

Frequent health and safety issues: generally bad for morale. Flickr/Makuahine Pa'i Ki'i

Are you happy working here?
Do you feel valued by the company?

These are your typical questions that form part of the assessment of morale levels in an organization.

When we talk about positive and negative morale, we pick up on these types of senitments. But to get a true measure, you need to conduct a comprehensive employee survey. There’s more to employee surveys than just morale assessments, and there's more to morale than employee surveys, but the two do go well together.

In 2009, organizational psychologists David Bowles and Cary Cooper published a book called Employee Morale: Driving Performance in Challenging Times. It mainly focuses on the benefits of improving morale, but has some great definition pieces on how to recognize morale, and how to change it. If you’re thinking about the types of questions you need to ask employees, this is a great resource.

The key areas you'll want to consider when it comes to morale are job satisfaction, engagement, appreciation, and consideration from management.

This piece started by discussing morale in definite opposites—a dichotomy. Is it positive or negative? In reality, like most measurements, morale has a variety of levels. This is helpful. If morale is already good, you can measure whether it's getting better or worse, before things are catastrophic. Simple yes and no answers aren't useful if you can't foster changes or improvments in your employees and work environment.

The simplest measures use numerical scales. Don’t ask “are you happy in your job?” but rather, “how happy are you in your job?.” Provide a scale of 1–10 or 1%-100%, and ask the employee for the value and a short explanation.

Alternatively, have them answer with by how much they agree with a statement. For example:

Please respond "strongly disagree," "disagree," "neither disagree nor agree," "agree," or "strongly agree," to the following statement: "I am happy in my current job."

With a series of related questions on engagement, values, involvement, and other related concepts, you can get a simple set of measures for morale. Repeat the same survey with different departments, or at different points in time, to track changes and determine variables.

This type of survey need not be restricted to morale. They can work great for leadership qualities, organizational communications, or just about any other intangible area that's vital to the HR portfolio.

Get unlimited, specific, actionable feedback from your employees in an easy-to-use software suite. Get TribeHR today.

10 Things to Avoid When Giving Feedback

Paul Baribeau — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:05:00 GMT

Some people take a lot of time to contemplate before they give feedback, while others just blurt it out. The best style, like in most things, falls somewhere in the middle.

Good quality feedback is more than just a good style, of course. Making sure you say and do the right things, while avoiding all the wrong things, can be a huge challenge. Here are ten things to avoid when giving feedback:

Don’t be dramatic.
There's nothing worse than witnessing a full-blown acting school audition. Good feedback is simple, meaningful, and authentic. Be appreciative, but leave the performing arts where they belong: "That was a really great job!" works, but "Wow! You really knocked that out of the park. A totally freaking amazing job!" usually doesn’t.
Don’t hide.
When you give feedback, you should always be available to discuss your reasoning. If you hide, people won't understand what the feedback means. Never send negative feedback just before you leave the office—and especially if you're taking off for a 2 week vacation. Communication should never be one-way; make sure your team has the opportunity to comment.
Don’t make it up.
Feedback should always be based on fact, from evidence, and presently as objectively as possible. Don't get caught up in gossip, rumors, or any other unfounded viewpoints. Feedback should reflect your interactions, and be truthful.
Don’t deny it.
When you provide feedback to a employee, colleague, or anyone else, stand by it. You'll lose respect and reliability if you change your mind later. Though if you did make a mistake, you should of course retract your comments and apologize.
Don’t be destructive.
Feedback should help the person to improve their performance, by either reinforcing strengths, or explaining where improvements could be made. Constructive criticism is key—avoid identifying problems without solutions.
Don’t compare.
There's nothing worse than to be told you're good, “but not as good as Jim.” When someone is doing well, just tell them that. Referencing other members of the team can reduce the impact of your feedback, or even cause jealousy and interpersonal conflict. If Jim is doing such a great job, you should just tell him directly.
Don’t patronize.
No matter what you're going to say, never talk down to your employee. Belittling is the worst form of this. In the grand scheme, condescending tones bring about infinitely more problems than solutions.
Don’t be humorous.
When you're talking about other peoples' performances, don't try to be funny. Comments should be delivered professionally. The last thing you want to do is hurt someone's self-esteem. There are times and places for humor, but this is not one of them.
Don’t react.
This may be a no-brainer, but it's always tempting. You’ve just seen someone do or say something wrong, and you want to shout over some comment about their error. Stop. Don't do that. Collect your thoughts before you blurt out something ridiculous. Even positive feedback appears more genuine after a delay.
Don’t forget.
Never let opportunities for feedback pass by. It's easy to remember a failure, but can be tough to recall a success. That’s human nature. Record instances of both, and share your feedback at the first good opportunity.

If you're ever in doubt about your feedback, pause and place yourself in the position of the recipient. How would you feel, react, and respond to the comments or situation? If your response doesn't seem reasonable, then the feedback needs to be refined.

Give kudos, share with your team, solicit feedback, and refer to all this when it's time for a performance review. It's time for TribeHR. Learn more.

3 Easy ways to Promote Organizational Loyalty

Paul Baribeau — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 12:59:00 GMT

It's a fact that job tenures have grown shorter over the past few decades. There's a perception that employees today are only "loyal" to the idea of furthering their own careers. But many business leaders still firmly believe in the notion of organizational loyalty. The challenge is to actually keep good employees working for you.

Workers don’t expect to stay in one company for years on end. In fact, they prefer not to. For companies, constantly replacing the workforce can prove costly. Yet even for employees, shifting between jobs can be dangerous—when the recession struck, many people who took time off between jobs were left with nothing for extended periods.

Surprise, we really appreciate your hard work! Have some money! Flickr/John Lambert Pearson

The good thing is that human resource officers, managers, and organizational leaders can employ simple ways to promote company loyalty. By making employees feel that they belong, and keeping a healthy work environment, employees are more likely to stick around for the long haul.

1. Build a team

Studies have shown that employees who feel that they're a part of the organization tend to stay there longer. This is why some employees would feel de-motivated if their manager or close workmate resigns.

An easy way to promote loyalty is to start with the smallest group. Loyalty can then be expanded and grown by building relationships into and across this group.

Many HR departments organize team building activities to foster camaraderie and loyalty. Working with their team gives employees a sense of pride and belonging, especially if they successfully reached a goal. After establishing a positive relation within teams, it’s much easier to stress the importance of teamwork across the organization as a whole.

2. Increase benefits and offer bonuses

Many employees would agree that if they’re given the best benefits and bonuses, they’d end up staying longer with a company. While this can be a superficial form of loyalty, it can also be effective. There are a number of ways to provide employee benefits, from health insurance, to stock options, to transportation or gas allowances.

Bonuses are most often awarded at year end or on special anniversaries, and should be something that employees can look forward to. But they can also be more effective when they come as a complete surprise. Instead of only giving Christmas bonuses like a broken record, award them when employees least expect it:

"Hey Jim, I know you're having a tough time with this project, but I just want you to know that we really appreciate your hard work. Expect your paycheck this week to have a little extra money on it."

Going the extra mile helps to keep employees happy, and happy employees are most likely to be productive and loyal to the organization.

3. Value tenured employees

Appreciating employees who have been working for the company for a few years will make them feel valuable and important. This will not only make them happier with their work, it will also make them think twice about leaving the company for another one. They can also be set as an example to other employees and make them look forward to staying.

Creating loyal employees is a business investment with rewards that go beyond what management can foresee. At the end of the day, loyal employees are happy employees, and happy employees are those who are most productive.

Improve your team relationships, manage salary information, and show your employees that they're a priority, by investing in engaging HR software from TribeHR. Learn more.

Task Ownership Boosts Employee Engagement

Paul Baribeau — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:07:00 GMT

Employee engagement is an area in which many managers fail to deliver. “I'm too busy to deal with my staff,” and “they're all grown-ups, I don’t need to babysit them” are the common excuses we hear from such managers.

But engaging employees is one of the most basic functions every manager should perform. After all, employees overall do far more work than managers do.

Engagement isn't all about big bucks. Money will only get you so far, while effective and sustained employee engagement efforts have more lasting and significant results. It’s more about relationships, communications and emotions. But the key to employee engagement is task ownership.

Owning a task means that employees are responsible and accountable for their work. Engaged employees are partners in the growth and success of the organization. But how specifically does this relationship play out? Here are some of the merits of promoting task ownership among your employees:

1. Employees work harder

If their name is on the line, people will be more diligent in completing work on time, within budget, and with excellent results. Knowing that there will be a reward for a job well done is also a strong motivating factor for hard work. If the employee owns a task, they might even feel compelled to work extra hours just to complete it to your—but more important, to their own—expectations.

2. Employees become more productive

Engaged employees not only work harder; they also work smarter. Since they understand that they're directly responsible for completing the task, they'll find ways to do it more efficiently, but without sacrificing quality. Thus, they're usually able to finish the job ahead of schedule, then move on to another task. As a result, what others might finish in five days, they'll do in half that time.

3. Employees feel proud, valued, and trusted

Having been assigned a specific task, employees feel they're part of the “elite circle.” They take pride in the fact that they were chosen among a pool of equally talented individuals to work on a critical project. Their confidence also gets a boost, as they feel valued and trusted by their superiors. This is a strong driver for both professional and personal growth and development.

4. Employees develop their capabilities

In their efforts to prove they're worthy of the trust they've been awarded, employees find innovative solutions, think of creative ways of doing things, and develop unique strategies. They'll also want to make their mark in the company, and be known not as a regular manager, but one who has well-rounded skills and good planning strategies. Task ownership develops the skills and capabilities employees need to progress within a company.

5. Employees become more loyal to the company

As more tasks are assigned to them, employees develop a stronger emotional attachment to the company, helping it develop into “our company.” Engaged employees feel that they owe it to their company to stay and continue delivering the results. They also develop a stronger sense of partnership with organizations that have shown them confidence and trust. In the end, engaged employees who own their tasks are more likely to stay with a company, even despite other opportunities that are available outside.

Manage goals, measure engagement, and tie them both to organizational values, with HR software from TribeHR. Get started today with a free trial.

Defining Job Roles to Build Employee Engagement

Paul Baribeau — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 12:32:00 GMT

It's good to be clear about your R-O-L-E. Flickr/Al_HikesAZ

Employee engagement can be a horribly overused phrase in the HR space. Too many suggestions, improvements, and changes are “to increase employee engagement,” when sometimes they do exactly the opposite.

Getting employees engaged and enthusiastic about what they do—and where they do it—involves more than just saying it. To boost engagement, you need to commit to focusing on the employee. If you meet their needs, they’ll meet yours.

Last year SHRM published research findings on factors for employee engagement. Eighteen factors were considered, and the most significant was “the work itself,” closely followed by “opportunities to use skills and abilities,” “contribution of work to organization’s business goals,” and “meaningfulness of job.”

In fact, those four criteria were found to ultimately be responsible for 70% or more of engagement levels in employees.

This research confirms that employee engagement levels aren’t just about the individual—they’re strongly correlated with the job. Properly defining high-quality and desirable jobs, which employees want and will enjoy doing, is a clear way to promote employee engagement.

In every organization there are vital jobs that people don’t want to do. They may be something above or below a person’s skill-set, or even just plain boring. It can be challenge to make sure that this type of work gets done, without reducing employee engagement.

There’s no quick fix, but you should consider two options. First, look for anyone with an interest in doing these jobs—a good employee survey can quickly find this sort of information (ie. “Would anyone enjoy task X? Reply with your name.”).

Next, try to spread the burden. Don’t make one job take on all of the frustrations, but instead divide them across many roles in the organization. It’s far easier for an employee to enjoy a job with only 2 or 3 hours each week of activity they dislike, than if it has 20 or 30 hours!

It’s crucial that challenges and frustrations are spread evenly across the workforce, with a healthy mix of tasks that people enjoy. Jobs and their expectations need to be clearly defined in order for this to work.

If you can sugarcoat a bitter pill, the pill will be swallowed. And if you can wrap a challenging job with an enjoyable job, it will be more readily accepted.

To support this acceptance, you need to be transparent when detailing your jobs. Clearly define the requirements, outcomes, and expectations. Do this across the board.

You should ensure that everyone on your team has the opportunity to stretch themselves. By this I mean the tasks that push the capability of the individual to further their knowledge and/or experience. These may be tasks that are a little bit challenging. The opportunity to develop is a key engagement factor, and having it as part of the job role is a great way to make it happen.

By building a clear yet comprehensive set of job roles, you’re fulfilling the needs of the employee. They need to know not just what is expected of them, but how their role fits into the organization as a whole, and its business purpose.

Whenc combined, you should have job roles that not only help the business understand what it will achieve, but what each employee will achieve too. Employees who see and accept this will be enthusiastic and engaged.

Meeting employee needs for their jobs, meets your need for improved employee engagement.

Define, store, manage, and fill your engaging job roles with HR software from TribeHR. Follow us on Twitter for more.

What's Wrong with a Simple HR Database?

TribeHR Staff — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:50:00 GMT

Back in the early 90’s, a colleague was highlighting the need to maintain computer records of people in our company. At the time, we had just moved to a stable computer system, and were learning about spreadsheets and other new technologies.

We ultimately assembled a spreadsheet with all of our employee information. Simple headings listed the employee ID number, date they started, department they worked in, and a few other useful pieces of information. Terrified that “the system” would one day crash and lose everything, every month we would print it out and back it up to a floppy disk (yes a floppy disk!).

Today there are countless software companies promoting their HR information and management systems. They can do wonders with data. Every time I see an ad, it reminds me of that simple old spreadsheet. It wouldn’t work in today’s business. It just couldn’t do what we need to get done.

Consider the changing roles of HR professionals over the past 20 years. You don’t just record absences—you have to study trends and analyse data. You need to allocate resources, measure and monitor compensation, track benefits, and much more.

Seriously? Seriously?!?! Flickr/Jon Newman

When a VP or Director asks for staff turnover rates in sales for the last 3 years, you need to be able to respond quickly and confidently. The old spreadsheet would’ve helped, but with countless rows and columns, it wouldn’t be fast.

As technology has evolved, so has our ability to manage and manipulate data. In HR, the ability to gather and sort employees for data analysis is crucial. Who's a good fit for a specific corporate initiative? Whose skills are needed in another department? Who contributes above and beyond their job role?

Before you can figure these things out, you need to actually have the data. Is recruiting data being connected to management data? Is it even available, or did your vital information disappear with that co-op student two years ago?

Companies can now not only track exact working hours and daily attendance, but connect that information to productivity levels, and predict future patterns. Candidates for internal promotions can be monitored and prioritized based on their past skills, teamwork initiatives, goal accomplishments, or internal experience.

Without this data, companies would be looking at long, drawn-out recruitment exercises, with much greater resource demands. Modern HR systems store and manage your information database for you.

You can never track too much data, but having to collect and navigate through mountains of data can certainly slow you down. Information needs to strike a balance. The HR database needs to hold the information you need, but hide it until it’s useful for you.

The March 2012 SHRM HR Magazine had a technology article called “Managing and paying off technical debt can keep sludge out of your data tanks and keep your HR systems running smoothly.” It’s time for a database detox.

Cluttered old spreadsheets are outdated. It’s time for an HR system that lets your whole team be more productive, without the sludge. It’s time for TribeHR. Learn more.

Move Beyond Bonuses: Create Incentives That Deliver

TribeHR Staff — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:46:00 GMT

Debates for and against bonuses are rife in HR circles, with proponents and opponents giving a raft of issues for and against. But for modern HR practitioners, the debate needs to evolve beyond simply a question of how bonuses should be served, to a greater ideal of what a bonus really is and should be.

Smaller companies may not have the luxury of offering cash-rich bonuses, but they do have a range of perks and other effective ways to give "bonuses" and compete for talent.

Here are three ways you can incentivize your employees without having to throw bags of cash at them:

1. Give autonomy

This will only get you so far. Flickr/coda

Motivating employees is a hard nut to crack. Many small businesses feel they've done it all, yet employees still leave. For next-generation HR practitioners, employee autonomy is the highest echelon of employee motivation.

Everyone wants to know what they're doing and feel like they're capable of doing it well. Employers need to create the type of environment that gives employees the freedom to do their work quickly and in their own way.

To cut micromanagement and unnecessary supervision, create recognition programs that enshrine the individual responsibilities of each employee. When the program succeeds, make sure you help it percolate to every department and managerial accountability.

2. Help your employees master their profession

Boost your team's skill sets, value, and self image by offering training programs that allow them to refine and gain mastery of their work. Effort can only boost productivity when it is supported by skills.

Training workshops, task rotation, and self-improvement subsidies will help to boost knowledge transfer in your company, in a way that your team finds enriching and engaging. Motivated employees should feel that their employment is constantly improving their skills, general knowledge, and life experience.

What's more, introducing non-linear training classes for things like cooking and origami helps add value to your employee's lives, increases motivation, and boosts loyalty towards the company.

3. Provide a reason to be there

Motivation is often mistakenly restricted to monetary rewards. This is perhaps the biggest misconception that many small companies have bought into, which prevents them from going out and winning top talent.

Performance incentives are more complex than a biweekly or monthly cash exchange. Employees are looking for a higher purpose and vision. It's management's job to ensure that corporate values and vision are well understood and supported by employees.

Think about the human or social reasons you're in business: Is it to make people's lives easier? Is it to solve a social problem? Is it to create an enjoyable experience? Employees who feel that a company's only motivation is to boost the bottom line are more difficult to retain.

People will invariably tie their life purpose to their work experience. Good managers will ensure that these are complementary, not antithetical.

These three simple methods have been tried and tested by countless businesses who win top talent without having the budget to offer kingly bonuses. Implement them effectively, and you'll hear bonus clamoring drop, and productivity soar.

Unleash your workforce with engaging software that promotes autonomy and purpose. See what TribeHR can do for you.