May 4, 2017 | Posted in: Leading Hartfully, Living Hartfully

Time to take a hard look at the hard questions and maybe experience some of the hard facts that workers are not all that happy. Better to know now and do something about it than to wait until they jump ship to find out in their exit interview how you screwed up. You are doing exit interviews, aren’t you?

Answer these questions provided by the Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement to see how your organization measures up.

  1. Are employees empowered to service customers at the highest possible level?
  2. Does the company recognize the role of employees in retaining customers?
  3. Is the performance of employees regularly measured?
  4. Are internal communications truly aligned with external marketing initiatives?
  5. Does the company’s overall corporate objective include human resource and motivation issues?
  6. Is the company committed to employee development and training?
  7. Are employees encouraged to provide feedback and given the tools to do so?
  8. Is employee feedback incorporated into planning and operations?
  9. Can the company demonstrate a link between people performance management and sales and profit?

In an annual survey conducted by the Society of Human Resource Management, here are the results concerning work-life programs in corporate America today:

  • 57% of companies now offer flextime to their employees
  • 56% have wellness programs
  • 36% allow telecommuting
  • 20% have on-site fitness centers
  • 19% offer stress-reduction tips to workers
  • 13% offer massage therapy

When employees feel included when they feel a sense of belonging to an organization, when their personal values and goals are in alignment with the organizational values. In order to gain a maximum sense of involvement and engagement in an organization, here are some elements that need to be present to foster dedication, retention, and productivity:

  • Intrinsic personal interest and worthwhile work
  • Challenge and stimulation
  • Significance
  • Influence
  • Creativity
  • Independence
  • Control
  • Income
  • Security
  • Personal involvement
  • Recognition
  • Positive environment

24% of 1000 workers surveyed said they were chronically angry at work.  The most common reason cited was a sense that their employers “violated basic promises” and didn’t fulfill “the expected psychological contract with their workers”. The anger problem remains mostly underground and workers simply lose interest in work and become lethargic and uncooperative. What is going on in your office to undermine expectations?

Ask burned-out employees (or less than enthusiastic family members) “What do you really want from your job/school/your life/this family?”. Write down 25 quick answers to help jostle them into thinking about their interests and desires so they can look for a way to pursue them through work/school/family life.

So how does your organization measure up? Are you incorporating these types of things into your environment? If you have other ideas that are working for you, let me know at Gaia@GaiaHart.com.

As the CEO (Chief Energizing Officer) at Hartful Living including GaiaHart.com and BizBuilderCards.com; I’m a Messenger and Mentor for women entrepreneurs, connecting them to their capacity to energize their work and their lives in the art of living Hartfully. At BizBuilderCards.com, you can make a living through giving with greeting cards and gifts to build your network net worth as an additive to your current business or an easy way to send gratitude and kindness to the world.