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G. L. Hoffman, author of the
widely-successful blog, What Would Dad Say, and one of
the early executive team members of JobDig, where job
seekers learn to 'dig their job,' recently sent me
several photographs of a typical summer morning at his
company. The photos were of his employees competing in
crazy contests at 9am in the morning. A pregnant woman
rowing a boat across the floor had just won for her
team. It was all part of an Olympic-themed sales contest
he and his two fellow company leaders, Paul Moquist, the
VP of Sales, and Toby Dayton, the President/CEO, created
as a way to have fun and inspire their team to reach
their goals. For many managers, the mere idea of holding
weekly events during prime work hours seems ridiculous.
Not to mention, the fact that they were acting like
kids. So when I asked G.L. why they actually encouraged
this activity when most others would shun it, he simply
said - "I only like to work at places that are fun - and
so do the people we hire." GL, Paul and Toby are
succeeding where many other companies are failing. With
90% of their team under the age of 30, these three
executives have a keen understanding of how important
building a 'corporate culture club' is to talent
development and retention, and they've got the stats to
prove it. Turnover is low, productivity is high, and
JobDig.com is a place where young professionals feel
they can really learn and grow. While further
questioning of G.L. proved the executive team
understands the strengths (tech savvy, multi-taskers)
AND weaknesses (unfamiliar with business protocol and
not trained in the best ways to communicate by corporate
standards) of Gen Y professionals, he gives one simple
answer as to why they, unlike many other frustrated
managers of young talent, are able to get this
generation to take criticism, work hard, be resourceful
and push to exceed expectations: "They trust us."
If you are an HR executive or hiring
manager, then you know all about the challenges of
keeping employees happy these days. You can't escape the
extensive discussions around the impending talent (not
labor) shortage. Meanwhile, employees, especially the
younger ones, are job jumping more than ever. And let's
not forget that things like technology and generational
differences are making employees feel even more
disgruntled.
So, how do you move past this and
get your people to stay? Yes, that's the million dollar
question - literally. With turnover costs skyrocketing,
and disengagement causing additional costs (increased
use of sick/personal time, excessive use of company
materials to deliver products/services, and a decrease
in productivity due to job dissatisfaction to name a
few), finding ways to keep people happy should be every
business leader's obsession. Unfortunately, a
short-sighted approach to increasing the bottom-line for
the last two plus decades has resulted in the
disintegration of the employee-employer relationship.
And now, it's coming back to bite corporate America in
the you-know-what.
Good news, keeping your employees
doesn't require black magic or lots of money. If you
want to retain your talent, then you need to assess your
company's corporate culture on four points, and then,
adjust accordingly. It's not a quick fix. Creating an
effective corporate culture does require some effort,
but a focused shift in approach and some well-planned
initiatives on your end can have some impressive results
in a reasonable period of time. So, if you are ready to
make the effort, then here are the elements you should
address:
1) Goals & Governance.
Forget the mission statement, what is your company
trying to accomplish on a daily basis and what values
and approaches to business do you support to reach those
goals? It's time to articulate how you operate - and
then stick by it! If you pride yourself on quality, then
define the process every employee should consider when
delivering your definition of quality. Share with
employees the thoughts that govern your approach to
business and they'll follow your lead. Better still,
provide concrete examples of how this approach benefits
them personally, and you'll see better results. Award
and recognition programs that support your ideals as
well as company policies and philanthropies speak
volumes. As the saying goes, 'actions speak louder than
words." A great example is Northeast Delta Dental.
President, Tom Raffio, VP of HR, Connie Roy-Czyzowski,
and the rest of the company's executive team have
created a corporate culture outlined on their website
that clearly conveys to visitors what they stand for. To
me, a company that can list awards it's won for being a
good employer and who has a formal policy for evaluating
its executive board member's efforts implies the
management team is making a pretty good effort to
satisfy its employees.
2) Physical Environment. If
you want employees to wake up each morning excited about
going to work for you, then create a space that's worth
going to. Survey your employees and determine what would
make the experience of coming to the office more
enjoyable. The average American spends 1/3 of their day
on-the-job. What can you do to your employees' physical
surroundings to make them feel more inspired and
positive? And, if you can't afford to create a nicer
office, then consider letting your people work someplace
else that inspires them (coffee shop, home office, etc.)
once in a while so they can be re-energized by these
surroundings.
3) Benefits & Perks. You do
not need to offer every benefit under the sun, but you
do need to get more creative when it comes to figuring
out what your employees would benefit from outside of
work in order to make their attitude towards work, that
much better. Look beyond the basics, and ask the
question: How can working at our company support an
employee's personal goals in life? I just read a new
book called, "The Dream Manager" by best-selling author,
Matthew Kelly that tells the fictitious story of a
janitorial supply company with 400% turnover. The
manager tasked with fixing the problem comes up with the
concept of hiring a Dream Manager for its employees. A
fascinating concept, and definitely worth the read. In
the mean time, why not ask your employees directly
what's important to them in their personal lives, and
then find ways to provide benefits that can help them
achieve these aspirations? These days, medical benefits,
401Ks, and vacation time are givens. It's time to
identify several unique, life-changing perks which can
serve as your company's personal loyalty builders. For
example, young professionals are usually unrestrained by
home ownership or budding families. Two characteristics
of the average Gen Y worker are that they are just
starting out financially, and they like to put a premium
on having fun. I know one Gen Y employer that provides a
financial planner on-site one day each month and
encourages its younger employees to make appointments
with the planner to learn how to build a plan to become
financially independent. With the average college grad
amassing more than $17K in debt, and as many as 4 out of
5 grads having to move home because they can't afford to
live on their own, helping these employees get
financially fit is powerful. Another company I know who
employs a large percentage of Gen Y started a monthly
after-work social, where it foots the bill for a single
round of drinks and some appetizers. However, the real
highlight is the raffle which pays the winner's rent for
the month. A check is made out and sent directly to
their landlord to ensure the money is used as intended.
An inventive perk that gets attendance up and gives
management an opportunity to socialize and connect with
staff more personally - something that the Gen Y working
population has said is very important to them in
countless professional surveys.
4) Hiring & Development.
Building a corporate culture club is EVERYONE'S job at
your firm. Ask yourself these questions: Do you have a
hiring process that includes team members from all key
areas of your company? Do the people tapped for
interviewing candidates know how to interview
effectively? Are your managers and employees good at
communicating and coaching each other? Do they know how
to assess and develop the skills of one another? And
most importantly, are you a strong motivator who knows
how to recognize and cultivate staff? Over at
Jellyvision, the interactive media company best known
for the on-line game show "You Don't Know Jack,"
President, Amanda Lannert, takes hiring and development
of staff so seriously, she makes it one of her top
priorities. "Every time we add a person to our staff, we
make sure he or she is a true fit to our corporate
culture. We just can't afford to miss the mark and run
the risk of bringing in someone who won't feel connected
with the rest of the team." An extensive, competitive
hiring process ensures that the right candidate is
selected for Jellyvision and that staff learns how to
identify who would work best in their culture. This is
not just a recruiting function - it's a professional
development opportunity for staff. A company who creates
opportunities to mentor employees and does a good job of
developing staff's professional skill sets is a company
worth staying at. Unfortunately, ask the average manager
today if they have the time and the ability to mentor
their people and you'll get a resounding, "No!" In fact,
a recent survey indicated that 60% of managers said the
hardest part of their job was creating professional
development opportunities for their staff. Lack of time
and knowledge of the best way to do it within their
organization were two of the reasons they said caused
this challenge. The good news is this can actually be
outsourced. Yes, outsourced. Some managers just don't
have it in them to be good mentors, but they are still
good at many other aspects of their jobs. The answer is
to seek out workplace consultants and HR specialists
that can fill the mentoring void.
To sum it up, if you want to see
employees stay, then you need to create a culture that
enriches their lives in ways the current workforce has
not seen thus far. Make the bold move to resurrect the
employee-employer relationship by following the points
above and you'll see some measurable results.
J.T. O'Donnell is a nationally
syndicated advice columnist, author and founder of
CAREEREALISM. Her work has been recognized by leading
sources including, CareerBuilder.com and
BusinessWeek.com for it's timely, cutting-edge job
search and career strategy advice for young
professionals (ages 18-40). For more articles, visit her
at
www.CAREEREALISM.com. |
