Archive for the Employee Retention Category
How do I make my people happy?
So you want an atmosphere that encourages great work? Don’t we all. Most bosses and managers talk a good game, but they don’t create a plan to make it happen.
Almost every CEO I worked for always talked about the importance of their people, but their actions did not coincide with their words. They were always more worried about the bottom line.
I know how important it is to make money, but if the employees are happy then believe me, the money will come. That is if you have a good product/service.
It’s why Southwest airlines is the only consistent money generator in the USA airline industry. They believe in creating a culture that encourages happiness.
As a leader of people you need to encourage happiness in every facet of your business. I’ve created 10 techniques that will help your company be happy and successful.
- Be happy yourself.
- Know your people.
- Make time for your people.
- Show people the autonomy that they already have.
- Help them find meaning in their work.
- Listen and respond to their emotions, not their problems.
- Stop letting assholes dictate the company culture.
- Encourage friendships.
- Recognize hard work.
- Find out why people leave.
These are concepts that are easy to understand, but may be hard to apply to your company’s culture. I’ll break them down so you can use them in your company.
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Work Happiness Expert – Tony Hsieh of Zappos
Tony Hsieh of Zappos is everywhere. He was on the cover of Inc. Magazine. He speaks at large conferences and spreads the Zappos culture message. I felt lucky to hear him speak at SxSW conference this past year.
I’ve touted Tony’s leadership on Work Happy Now. I’ve also been spurred to write a few articles because of his blog. But now I landed an interview with him. Tony’s employee called him a genius. You know when an employee calls his boss a genius, this person must be something special. After all, your employees are the ones who see you for 40 to 50 hours a week and begin to see the cracks.
Tony has made me view work happiness from new angles. I’m glad he is out there in the business world. He helped create Zappos, a company that emphasizes the importance of enjoying work. His concepts are leading the employee revolution, encouraging change in the business world.
Karl: How important is work happiness to you?
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Make Every Employee Feel Cool
I have a co-worker who just finished a big project. She was bouncing off the walls with giddiness. She took the project to her boss and it was confirmed. She did a fantastic job. She came back to her cubicle with a huge smile on her face.
“I feel like my stress just floated away,” Alice said.
“Cool, so she liked it,” I said.
“Liked it? She loved it!”
She was on cloud nine for the rest of the afternoon. She poked fun at me, herself, and anyone talking to her. Just her playful style. Her energy couldn’t be suppressed.
The Perfect Drug to Revive a Work Day
Sick and tired of taking those man-made drugs that drag you down? Then try my magic drug that’s all natural.
Shhhh, don’t tell anyone.
Hey, if you would like to:
- Reduce your stress
- Improve your Short-term memory
- Increase your patience and motivation
- Process information more efficiently
Then you will love “the nap.”
Cut!
Ok, the infomercial is now over. Just having a little fun.
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Google Will Lose Talent and So Will Your Company
Google will lose awesome talent because not everyone will want to stay and work with a large company. The bigger they get the harder it will be for them to stay agile. A lot of employees don’t mind working in that type of environment, but many of them dislike it and they will end up leaving.
Wayne Rosing, an early vice president for engineering, has left to pursue his love of astronomy. Paul Buchheit, the celebrated engineer who dreamed up Gmail, “retired” recently. (He’s 30.) Evan Williams, the highly regarded founder of Blogger, a Google acquisition, has left to launch another startup.
- Great Place to Work
No company can retain every employee. People’s desires change. What made them happy three years ago is different than today. Google understands this and does their best to retain as many employees as possible. They retain about 95% of their employees and that’s way above the standard for a technology company.
Take Away Any Obstacles
Google understands that an employee who can focus on their work will do a better job.
“The goal is to strip away everything that gets in our employees way. We provide a standard package of fringe benefits, but on top of that are first-class dining facilities, gyms, laundry rooms, massage rooms, haircuts, carwashes, dry cleaning, commuting buses – just about anything a hardworking employee engineer might want. Let’s face it: programmers want to program, they don’t want to do their laundry. So we make it easy for them to do both.”
- Eric Schmidt, CEO Google
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Open Communication is a Must, Especially in Tough Times
Employees are scared right now, because many are not sure if they will have a job next month. This fear keeps them from leading their company to prosperity. They are too worried about what might happen instead of being focused on the wonderful possibilities that lay before them.
My friend Sarah’s company made sweeping changes without letting the employees know why they were made. One day they stopped stocking paper cups. She went to the kitchen to grab a cup and it was empty. She doesn’t drink coffee that often, so she was unaware that the cup supply had been dwindling. She searched every drawer, hole and corner for something to hold the caffeinated energy boost – nothing.
Now we have an upset employee who was already in a grumpy mood, so now she’s wondering why she works for a company that can’t stock cups for their employees.
This can lead to complaining and a decline in morale.
A Pimped Out Cubicle
I’m a huge believer in making your space so freaking awesome that it makes you look forward to going to work. I’ve been scouring Flickr for a picture for the past couple of weeks, trying to find a seriously cool looking cubicle. I finally found it.
You should click on the image so you can see its larger version in all its awesomeness.
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Create A Members Only Club The Google Way
Google has a name for all their employees – Googlers. When I first heard this I thought it was cheesy, but the more I thought about it the more it made sense. They are a club of elite people who are trying to change the world. That’s the message that people want to send when they create a club. They feel special to be at a place where others want to be. They are proud to call themselves Googlers.
Google will never be the perfect work environment for every type of person. A lot of people don’t like the competition and the stress, but others do and it works for them. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. No place is perfect, but Google does a great job of creating an atmosphere that feels special.
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Why Fish Philosophy Works
Pikes Place, a fish market in Seattle, is known for its fun style of business. They toss fish around as if they were footballs.
They have a sign that says, “Caution: Low Flying Fish.” Any business that has a sign about low flying product must be having fun. The employees love working there because they are engaged and willing to “ham” it up. The allow people to have fun and hire people according to their superpowers. They make sure that their employees are excited about creating a great experience.
People from all over visit this historic place to buy fish and watch the show. So it also attracts customers who are looking to buy quality fish and have a fun experience.
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