Improve Employee Performance

Loosing Employees before you get them

2011-01-25T12:23:00.000-08:00

Once we had an employee that made it through our lengthy and though screening process only to never show up for work. Read the rest of the story here...http://mikestrawbridge.com/blog/2011/01/do-i-need-a-job-before-applying-for-a-loan/

Dealing with Closed Minded employees

2006-11-30T09:06:00.000-08:00

Sometimes getting your point across to your employees is tough. You may feel like the are resisting you and your ideas. But you must remember that you cannot control how your employees think. You can however control how you think and how you speak to them.

Steve Pavalina offers an excellent method of dealing with people who disagree with you taken from the example of Ben Franklin.

Read the article here:

http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2006/11/dealing-with-close-mindedness/

How to create a safe and productive workplace

2006-11-29T09:11:00.000-08:00

Many times it seems that the only way to create a safe workplace is to send every one home and close the doors. Potential hazards abound in all places where goods are produced and services are rendered.

Here are five simple steps for creating a safer and more productive work environment.
http://mikestrawbridge.com/safe-workplace-create.shtml

Try EFT for employee performance problems

2006-11-16T11:27:00.000-08:00

One thing I have learned about EFT is to try it on everything.

If you don't know what EFT is then click here to go tot the main site and download the free EFT primer.

Basically EFT is tapping on certain acupressure points to relieve emotional pressure. Now you probably can't go tapping on your employees to get more performance. Taping employees is considered hostile in own modern world.

However the great secret in EFT lies in the fact that our outer world is a reflection of our inner world. If you wan tot improve the performance of your employees, then changing your own attitude will give them a real boost.

I know this is hard for some people to believe but my suggestion is to give it a try. I does not take long and it is totally free.

To learn how to apply EFT to areas of you life like making more money and improving relationships, see Carrol Tuttle's site. She has lots of interesting articles and Cd's that give a wide range of uses.

Last night I used something similar o her money clearing exercise and I got a spike in sales on one of my web sites today. I'd say it worked.

Teamwork

2006-11-14T14:21:00.000-08:00

Getting employees to work together

This weekend I got a great lesson in how to work together to achieve a goal. For the complete story see: http://mikestrawbridge.com/jeep-offroad-harlan-ky.shtml

The lessons learned was that even a group of virtual strangers can pull together and achieve a goal if everyone knows what needs to be accomplished.

By focusing entirely on the goal of getting that last truck safely up the hill and then the group safely back to camp, this small band of adventurers was able to form a team that was able to accomplish the task at hand.

So in the working world, you can apply these lessons by making sure your employees know exactly what the task is. If they know exactly what needs to be accomplished they can pool their resources to accomplish what needs to be done by working together.

Safety Training, Workplace Safety

2006-08-31T10:26:00.000-07:00

One of the best things you can do to improve the performance of your employees is to provide them with a safe working environment.

No employee can perform to his full potential if he fells unsafe. If he is constantly worried about getting hurt, sick or fired, he will not be completely focused on his job performance.

I have added a new section to my web site covering Workplace safety and Safety Training. I will be adding more references and resources so check back often

Also, if you need some custom designed safety procedures or just some ideas on how to keep your employees safe contact me to arrange a consulting agreement.

Your expectations of employee performance

2006-08-23T10:46:00.000-07:00

Your employees will always respond to what you expect from them. Especially your negative thoughts.

If you are trying to improve your employee performance you must first work on your expectation of your employees.

If you expect your employees to steal from you, then you will find that you have an employee theft problem. If you expect them to be lazy, you will find some who are.

If you expect them to be late for work, just install a time clock and collect your evidence.

As a good manager, you should always consider potential problems and develop solutions to the problems before they develop. Don't waste your time worrying about what might happen because that is the surest way to create that problem.

Sometimes I wish it was not so easy to turn my thoughts into reality. Read more here...

Policies and Procedures

2006-08-09T07:44:00.000-07:00

The importance of written procedures.

Establishing and maintaining clear written policies and procedures is one of the key factor is having a successful business. Even if you have just one employee, you need written procedures to prevent mistakes.

Most people it seems would rather eat dirt than sit down and write a policy and procedure manual, but when you understand the benefits of having one, you will realize it is worth the effort. Also, eating dirt may be good for you according to the sea salt advocates.

Some of the Benefits of written procedures:

having written procedures prevent mistakes
Having written procedures frees your creativity
Having written procedures saves time
Having written procedures ensures consistency and improves quality
Having written procedures will free you from worry about your employee's decisions

The more detailed the procedure the better. Instead of telling employees things not to do and inspiring a negative emotional environment, tell them exactly what you expect them to do and when. If they know exactly what to do and how to do it then the other stuff will often take care of itself.

Let's that a dress code for example. Instead of making a long list of things people can't wear, make a policy that describes acceptable dress. Be as detailed as possible about the kind of image you want your employee to portray and why it is important that they portray that image. Allow some freedom of expression and you employees with be happy to comply.

Having clear written procedure will also help you in the case there is ever any disagreement. You simple point to the written procedure and make sure that it is consistently applied. If you allow exceptions to the policies write them down as well.

But generally having clear, detailed written procedure and policies will avoid many workplace communication problems before they begin.

Employee training workshops

2006-08-07T12:23:00.000-07:00

Planning an employee training workshop?

Before you plan an employee training workshop you need to consider what you goals are.

Are you simply trying to fulfill a training hours requirement of some government or industry regulation? If so, let the employees know and make it a fun time together. Play some games and provide some snacks. Don't try to fool the employees into thinking the event is more important that you think it is. They will see right through you.

But if you really wan them to learn something, make sure you have a carefully thought out plan.

Make sure you first explain why it is important to the employee to learn the material. Not just why you want them to learn it. They really don't care about that, they just want to know how learning the material will help them do their jobs.

Also, assume that your employees want to do a good job. The ones who don't care will not listen anyway so don't bother gearing a class toward them. Focus on those who want to learn and consider replacing the others with motivate employees. See some of my previous posts for how to get those.

The importance of importance

2006-07-12T09:53:00.000-07:00

Every Employee wants to feel that their job is important. They want to know that what they do makes a difference in the world or at least at their job.

When working with employees, make sure you help them understand why their particular job function is important. If filling out boring forms is part of the job, explain the importance of communicating the data.

What ever process you are trying to improve, take time to explain the importance of each step or job task. You will often find that the process seems to improve itself once the employees involved understand the importance of their job functions.

The importance of clear instructions

2006-07-07T06:51:00.000-07:00

This July 4th I ran a road rally in Bell Buckle, Tn. It was lots of fun and it got me thinking about what makes a fun rally. One factor that came to mind is having clear instructions.

One of the best ways I have found for improving employee performance is by giving them clear concise work instructions.

Too many times I have seen work instructions be a list of things not to do. The "Thou Shalt Not" list as I call it. Often these are important safety suggestions like "Thou shalt not place thy hand between the rollers for it shall be severed from thy arm."

But what gets lost here is what are you supposed to do to get the job done correctly.

When we did the process safety management procedure for our distillation process at Westvaco, I made sure that we included what needed to be done to make a quality product come out of the column along with the warnings on what not to do. Actually the warnings were also phrased in a positive way - "Set the temperature controller between X and Y" rather than "do not exceed Y temperature." The do not exceed limits always seemed like challenges to me anyway.

By including the actual best work practices in the safety instructions, people actually read the safety instructions rather than just having them collect dust between audits.

So to improve your process and employee performance make sure you tell them what you expect instead of what not to do. Otherwise they may find the only way to comply with all your rules is to sit in the break room on their hands.

Employee motivation program continued

2006-06-26T18:55:00.000-07:00

Spiritual employee motivation program

Often employees need more motivation than just a paycheck. In fact the paycheck is often the least motivation they see on a daily basis. This may be especially true for employees who are paid monthly.

An employee motivation program needs to be based on what makes employees feel good about what they do on a daily basis. They need to feel like they make a difference. They need to feel appreciated.

Wallace Waddles who wrote the Science of Getting Rich also wrote:
"The only service that we can render to god is to give expression to what he is trying to give the world through you."

By addressing the employees spiritual needs as well as financial you can develop an employee motivation program that enhances their lives as well as your business. Now that's a win win solution.

Employee management performance

2006-06-20T07:25:00.000-07:00

The performance and effectiveness of employees is directly related to the performance of their management.

There are many examples in sports of great coaches taking the same players that had once been a loosing team to a championship. Great leadership makes for a great team.

I saw this first had in a one factory I worked. The factory was already very successful and no one thought it could improve much. However a new manager stepped in and treated the employees with great respect and gained their loyalty and trust. That plant saw a 20% increase in production using the same people and equipment with a few minor procedure changes that gave the employees a greater ownership of the process.

Later I will post some tips for improving your employee management performance.

Employee loyalty program

2006-06-13T10:12:00.000-07:00

Building Employee Loyalty

Every manager wants his employees to be loyal. But not every manager expects his employees to be loyal.

Loyalty is built on mutual trust. If you don't trust your employees and don't treat them with respect, you can't expect them to be loyal.

Any employee loyalty program must first be founded in the fact that you trust your employees and you want them to feel that you trust them. Trust and loyalty are important feelings to a prosperous and productive work force.

Also, before starting an employee loyalty program, you must make sure you and your employees understand what you mean by being a good loyal employee. Is it staying in the job? Not stealing ie: preventing employee theft? Presenting you company in the best possible light? Or is it doing as good a job as possible?

Employees must feel that managers are loyal to them before they will feel a reason to act loyally. In this case, you must give to get.

For a customed designed employee loyalty program contact sales at mikestrawbridge.com

Employee empowerment process

2006-06-10T12:05:00.000-07:00

Empowering Employees

Making employees feel like they have the power to make decisions is important to employee moral. Giving them good tools to work with to make those decisions will save you phone calls in the middle of the night.

Every good employee wants to feel like he is responsible enough to make the right decisions to benefit the company. However, as a manager you must maintain focus on the primary goals of the company.

Good clear work instructions, practices and procedures go a long way toward giving employees the guide lines they need to feel empowered in the workplace.

Developing these policies and procedures is an integral part of any employee empowerment process. It is also very important as a manger that you maintain your authority while empowering your employees. Because, your empowerment efforts will be wasted if you loose your personal authority and the respect of your employees.

One of the best references on the psychology behind generating personal authority while empowering others comes from what may seem strange source - John Alanis' course on attracting women. However, the psychology behind attracting good loyal employees is exactly the same. If you can handle a charge on your credit card for a book on attracting women, then get this valuable guide now. click this link. Actually it gets billed for Art of Steel so it is discrete.

Or contact me and I will help you design a custom employee empowerment process for your situation.

Employee Evaluation

2006-06-06T06:41:00.000-07:00

Employee Evaluation forms?

While most companies have some sort of formal employee evaluation program that requires a form to be filled out, the most important evaluation that an employee receives is how he is addressed on a regular basis.

How you interact with your employees on a daily basis is much more important to your employee's motivation than what you write on your employee evaluation form. As a manager, you may know that it is not how you get treated but what gets written on the evaluation form that gets you the raise, but employees don't generally think like that. If they did, they would be managers.

Employees are more interested in feeling good about their selves and their work on a daily basis. They need to feel like what they do matters to someone. Despite what they may say, most employees want to feel like they are doing a good service for their employer. They want to feel proud of their work.

So as you observe your employees doing their work, take a moment to recognize them for good performance in what ever area you can find good work. If they are making a mistake, by all means correct it, but make sure you also recognize their good behavior as well.

Words of affirmation is a term often used in marriage relationships, but the concept works well in an employee - employer relationship as well. As much as possible, give genuine credit where credit is due for good work.

Don't be insincere however. Employees know instantly when they are being smoozed. Just give them praise for a job well done and you will see more jobs being well done.

Employee motivation program

2006-05-24T10:27:00.000-07:00

Employee motivation

No matter what your business, your most valuable asset is your employees. They will either make your business grow or break it down by their actions.

In my experience, one of the biggest barriers to employee motivation programs is that managers don't understand how employees think. Most managers think that employees are motivated by the same things that they are. They try to apply the golden rule: Do unto others as you would have done unto to you. Then they wonder why they are not getting the results they want and the employees are still not motivated.

If your employees thought like managers or owners, they would be managers or owners not employees.

Well when you bait a hook to catch fish, do you use cake or do you use something that fish like? If you want to be successful, you use smelly disgusting fish bait.

Well, if you want to have a successful employee motivation program, you have to understand how employees think. Keep reading this blog for more information.

Or contact Mike at Straw Solutions to have an employee motivation program custom designed to your situation.