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Benefits of Using Employee Engagement Surveys

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Question:

What is an employee engagement survey and why would our company need one?

Answer:

Employee engagement surveys are a great tool to have to help businesses get their employees involved and actively engaged in operations. Basically, it’s a survey that gives employees the opportunity to share their opinions on the business-related issues of their company to help improve business functionality. Surveys are often administered anonymously and cover topics such as operations, benefits, culture and satisfaction to name a few of the more common ones.

  1. The first step in conducting an employee survey is be sure the company is committed to taking action based on the input of the employees and to define what that action will be. Action may include telling employees their recommendations cannot be implemented because of certain factors (i.e. cost, time, resources). Responses will need to be sincere and honest and might include ways for employees to overcome any obstacles presented.
  2. The next step is to plan and construct the survey. There are many online tools and resources to help you create and administer an employee survey. Decide if you will want to have recipients answer questions anonymously. You’ll likely get a larger number of responses and higher quality input by allowing respondents to provide anonymous responses. Using a third party administrator or a highly trusted staff member can be critical to “selling” the anonymity of the survey. If promising secrecy, but sure the survey is conducted with the utmost of confidentiality and explain that in detail to participants.
  3. Finally determine a plan of action for your line of questioning. What are some trouble-spots in your company that you would like to explore and learn more about? Are you having high turnover? An increase in safety problems? Is productivity down or customer complaints up? Or are you trying to get a read on the pulse of your company and it’s culture? Pick the areas you can tackle and target questions that will help you get the information you need to move forward. Don’t tackle too much in one survey or you will lose employee interest and patience. Your questions can be canned or customized to your situation, long or short, choice-based or open-ended. If this is your first survey, we find even the basic questions can be helpful
    • What do you like most about our organization?
    • Why do you come to work every day here rather than for another company?
    • What would you like to see improved at our organization?
    • Would you recommend our organization to a friend as a good place to work? Why or why not?

Once the survey document is complete it’s time to administer the questionnaire. Some great online solutions include SurveyMethods and SurveyMonkey. Both offer various service levels of membership from free to paid access depending on the features you need for your survey. Both allow you to trial these tools to determine what level you need and to see the reporting features provided.

The survey results should help you make improvements and focus on strengths in your organization. You’ll find the feedback from employees will help with developing communications, recruiting techniques, benefits, and more. Employees who operate in the day-to-day of the business tend to have practical suggestions that may not be “huge” or “costly” to implement but can make a big impact. Overall outcomes can include increased safety, productivity, quality, profitability, lower turnover, and higher levels of customer satisfaction. Not to mention that by simply asking employees for their opinions it can heighten their engagement and give them a sense of satisfaction and worth. You’ll see even more value as you repeat the employee survey year after year to assess the improvements.

 

Has your organization become stagnant? Are you experiencing unusual turnover or employee discontent? Often the simple answer is to simply ASK your employees “what’s going on?” Strategic HR has worked with many organizations, of all sizes and in various industries, to help diagnosis engagement problems and determine the appropriate course of action. Whether it’s an employee survey, focus group, or face-to-face interviews, Strategic HR is your neutral third party solution for finding answers to your questions. Contact us today to find out how we can help you with your particular situation.

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English-Only Policies in the Workplace

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Question:

My manager is upset because his employees are speaking another language in front of him and he is unable to understand what they are saying.  He wants me to write a English-only policy for the department and I am not comfortable with that.  Is there a legal basis to help back me up to not write this policy?

Answer:

Yes there is!  There are a few instances in which an employer can require employees to only speak English in the workplace, but justification cannot be because the manager feels “left out of the conversation”.  It is possible IF the manager needs to be able to communicate and exchange conversation for completing work, but one must do that with caution.  

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission webpage Immigrants’ Employment Rights Under Federal Anti-Discrimination Laws deals with this topic directly.  In short, according to the EEOC, English-only workplace rules can only be upheld if the company can show business necessity.  For example, if for safety reasons it is imperative that everyone speak the same language – this could be justified.  Other examples when it may be justified to create an English-only rule would be when the individual needs to communicate with others (customers, coworkers, and supervisors) who only speak English and/or for cooperative work assignments when one common language is essential to complete the work effectively and efficiently.

We recommend before jumping into something like this, look at the entire situation.  What is the cause of the issues and can it be solved in another way?  If an English-only policy appears to be required in your workplace, do keep in mind that the EEOC states that a rule requiring employees to speak only English in the workplace at all times, even during lunches and breaks, would rarely be justified.

 

We’ve never heard employees complain that their employer communicates “too much”. Communication is the backbone of a satisfied and productive workforce. However, providing adequate communication to a diverse group of employees who may require differing forms of communication isn’t always easy. Strategic HR has years of experience creating written communication for employees – including employee newsletters. Visit our Communications page to learn how we can assist you with various communication-based projects.

Rating Employees On Safety

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Question:

How do we rate employees on safety?

Answer:

Rating employees on safety starts by having an organization whose norms, beliefs, attitudes,and practices are concerned with minimizing exposure of employees to workplace hazards.Having an effective Safety Incentive Programs can definitely help and, although all are not alike,it is important to consider some of these basic elements:

  • Identify the objective – Determine why you want to establish the program. It could be to decrease workers’ compensation premiums by reducing the number of worker injuries, or your goal may simply be to reinforce general safety principles.
  • Select participants – Decide which employees need to participate in the program to achieve the long-term goal.
  • Establish a theme – Having a focus reminds participants of the goal you want your employees to achieve.
  • Select appropriate prizes with increasing value – Prizes don’t have to be expensive, but they should have meaning. Prizes that reinforce the contest theme can be very effective; for example, safety glasses, work shoes, hard hats, etc. Give prizes based upon the company’s safety record (i.e., 1,000 accident free days, 50,000 hours worked without lost-time accident, etc.).
  • Determine the program’s length – It should be intermittent and last for a specified period of time. If carrying out a program idea will require a prolonged period, you might consider having several short contests. This will maintain employee interest and allow managers to stress various safety issues.
  • Communicate the goal – It is important that the program is fun and relevant to the work experience of all participating employees. Also, make recognition for working safely more significant than the value of the prize.

Have you had a safety audit recently? Do you know which OSHA forms you are required to complete? A safe environment plays a key role in keeping a company Healthy, Safe and Secure. Strategic HR has the expertise you need to ensure your policies and practices are keeping your workers, and customers, safe. Visit our Health, Safety and Security Page to learn more about how we can assist you.

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Turning Conflict into Collaboration

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by Linda Gravett, PhD, SPHR

Did you wake up this morning thinking, “Gee, I hope I get into an argument today” or “I hope somebody seeks me out for a confrontation”?  Probably not.  We typically do everything we can to avoid conflict, perhaps because past experiences have been unpleasant or we don’t know how to respond to confrontations.  In this article I’d like to address turning poorly handled confrontations into collaboration.

Webster defines conflict as “disagreement between opposing principles”.  Managed effectively, conflict can result in creative solutions to a problem and a variety of perspectives on improving a given situation.  Or, as Martha Stewart would say, “It’s a good thing.”

Over the years, I’ve observed two types of conflict in organizations:  destructive and constructive.  Destructive conflict is manifested by behaviors such as yelling at coworkers or customers, withdrawal from others, or even destruction of property.  Anger, fear, or frustration might motivate this type of behavior.  The results from destructive conflict usually are far reaching – more people than the two or three involved are directly or indirectly affected.  Typical results from destructive conflict are coworkers avoiding one another, people taking sides and subtly or overtly harassing “the bad guy”, and lower productivity.

On the other hand, constructive conflict can result in increased communication across the organization, enhanced productivity, and less absenteeism and turnover.

As managers and leaders within our organizations, our focus clearly must revolve around modeling and coaching for constructive conflict.  To effectively coach our team through disagreement, we need to be aware of four typical responses to conflict that we might encounter.  These responses are avoidance; rationalization; “yes means no”; and refusal.

When faced with a disagreeable situation or encounter, one response is to simply “lay low” and hope the problem, or difficult situation, will fade away.  My research shows that, instead of fading away, difficult situations tend to only get worse if they’re not addressed, and addressed effectively.  I’d prefer to hear from a vendor sooner than later, for example, if a product or service I’ve been promised can’t be delivered on time.  I may be unhappy; however, I’ll definitely be far more unhappy if I don’t discover this information until too late to meet my commitments.

Another response to conflict is rationalization.  “I won’t confront my coworker about her constant interruptions during meetings because it’ll get better.”  “Someone else will tell Bob he’s doing the monthly reports wrong.”  Without constructive criticism, coworkers or direct reports may not even be aware of their offending behaviors or work deficiencies….and there’s little chance of improvement if that’s the case.

Yet another approach to potential conflict is for someone to say “yes” to a request or statement when they really mean “no”.  I’ve encountered this when, as a customer, I’ve requested a solution or fix to a situation or unsatisfactory purchase.  The sales rep may tell me (in person) whatever I want to hear to get me out the door, only to leave a voicemail later with a different story.  This certainly doesn’t build a level of trust or open communication!

The final response I’ve observed is outright refusal to engage in dialogue.  When this occurs, a person may simply walk away from a discussion that begins to get uncomfortable.  When one or more parties decide to disengage, there’s no chance of collaboration and the situation will eventually spiral downward.

In 1999, I surveyed 500 people in organizations throughout the country to determine the primary causes of workplace conflict between supervisors and their direct reports.  Across this sample, five major sources of conflict emerged:

  • Goal Conflict
  • Perception that Input Isn’t Accepted
  • Unclear Assignments
  • Perception that Evaluations Were Unfair
  • Unrealistic Workload

If you’re in a management role, ask yourself if the way you articulate the company’s mission, vision, and key objectives to your staff is clear.  Do your direct reports understand how their day-to-day activities support the company’s objectives?  Do they have an opportunity to make suggestions to improve systems and processes or eliminate barriers to their success? Opening these communication channels will positively affect the quality and quantity of work.

One of the chief complaints I heard from direct reports is the hurtful way that their supervisor gives them feedback.  When providing constructive criticism, I recommend that you:

  • Focus on the issue (one at a time, not a barrage of complaints from years past)
  • Avoid “hot button” language (such as “you’re just lazy” or “you’re dumb”)
  • Emphasize key points
  • Be specific about what you want (not “your work isn’t up to par” or other vague statements)
  • Acknowledge the other person’s point of view

We’re accustomed to win-lose confrontations in our society; however, I believe we shouldn’t accept a “one winner, one loser” outcome.  Instead, I promote what authors Fisher and Ury describe as “win-win”.

Characteristics of win-win confrontations are:  common goals are sought; compromises occur; and everyone wins.  To pursue common goals, both parties involved in a disagreement must be willing to divulge what they really want, as opposed to simply staking out a position.

When my husband and I were first married, we had a serious disagreement about where to take our first summer vacation.  My position was that Gatlinburg was the definitive vacation spot.  His position was that Myrtle Beach was the place to go.  We saw that being intractable wasn’t going to get us anywhere, so we began talking about what we wanted out of a vacation.  I wanted sunshine, a golf course, and some shopping.  So did he!  We began exploring, together, different places that would fill these requirements.  We went to Hilton Head and had a wonderful time!

The key to success is that both sides find shared concerns and then move together towards addressing those concerns.  You may not always get what you want, but I’ll bet that you get what you need.

Dr. Linda Gravett, PhD, SPHR is with Gravett & Associates (www.Gravett.com). If you have any questions or wish to share your comments, you can contact Linda at Linda@Gravett.com.

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Improve Employee Communication

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Question:

It seems like employees don’t listen to us when we communicate. What can we do to improve our communications to employees?

Answer:

Back in the late 70’s, my first boss at an ad agency used to refer to the “95% Factor,” meaning that 95% of the time when you are communicating with people, they are only thinking of how the information will impact them. Today, folks refer to it as WIIFM or “what’s in it for me.”

Makes sense. You’re probably thinking that same question right now.

So here’s my HR communication tip for the week: use the 95% Factor to get results by doing the following:

  • Use the second person, not third. Don’t speak from the company’s perspective; take the employee’s point of view. Talk about how “you” can access and use your benefits or how “your” performance impacts your pay.
  • Be specific. Focus your communications more on the “what” and “how” and not so much on the “why.” The more specific you are about the actions you want employees to take, the better results you’ll get. It also helps if you can target your communications to specific audiences so folks only get the messages that apply to them. (The last thing you want to do is make people work to figure it out.) Plus, if you can be specific about the personal impact to employees, they will pay closer attention. For example, instead of saying “you can save thousands by switching to this plan,” create versions based on current plan enrollment to say “what would you do with an extra $2,050?”. Believe me, the second version will get more attention.
  • Keep it simple. Not only should you write from the employee’s point of view, you should speak their language. Avoid acronyms and other benefits “geek speak.” Try to write on about a 5th to 7th grade level by keeping sentences short and avoiding words with multiple syllables. Not because your audience isn’t smart enough to understand higher reading levels, but because they only have seconds to scan for the 95% Factor information.
  • Make it relatable. People make decisions based on emotions, then justify with facts. To make an emotional connection, your communications need to be relatable. Use photos or images of folks like your employees. If they are blue collar, don’t use the infamous conference room shot of a bunch of models in slick suits. Show folks who get their hands dirty. When you are trying to explain a complex issue, use examples or stories to illustrate your point. People relate much better to stories of “people like me” than they do to charts.

When creating your HR communications, keep this in mind: whenever employees see or hear any message, all they want to know is three things:

  1. What’s this about?
  2. How’s it impact me?
  3. What do I have to do?

Answer those questions, and you’ll have met the 95% Factor 100% of the time.

Note to AP Stylebook geeks: I realize percent is supposed to be spelled out. I used the symbol on purpose.

A special thanks to Elizabeth Borton, President of Write on Target, for sharing her expertise with us.  Sign-up on her website at to receive future communication blogs at www.writetarget.com.  Or, you can contact her with questions at EBorton@WriteTarget.com or  937.436.4565, ext 28.

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7 Tips On How To Deal With Difficult People At Work

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Employee Newsletter – Planning

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Question:

My CEO wants HR to start producing an employee newsletter. How do I start?

Answer:

This is a huge undertaking – but one that is surmountable with the proper planning. To get started you need to outline your plan by determining the following:

Objective: Why are you doing this? What is the newsletter’s objective – internal communication, entertainment or to promote the culture, inspire others and impact morale? Don’t try to mix business communications, such as sharing changes to policies and procedures, with other types of communications – it’s best to keep them separate.

Audience: Who is your target reader? Is this for internal employees only or will you share with clients, customers or vendors? Is it only for corporate employees, a specific department or the entire company. Know who will see the publication and create content accordingly.

Frequency: How often will you publish? Can you sustain a monthly newsletter? Would it be better to attempt a quarterly option? Be realistic on how much effort you can put into a regular publication or find others that can help provide content.

Format: What medium will be used? Will this be in print, sent via email, published online or readable via the company intranet? This will impact cost and resources needed.

Name: What will it be called? Does your publication have a name, dictated by others? If not, how will this be determined? Does it need to be branded to match other company brands? Is it supporting a new employment brand?

Design: What will your newsletter look like? The format may dictate this as may your organization’s branding requirements.

These are some things to think about before you begin writing your very first word. But you will find if you have a goal and a purpose for your newsletter it will be much easier down the road to decide what to write about and include in your publication.

We’ve never heard employees complain that their employer communicates “too much”. Communication is the backbone of a satisfied and productive workforce. However, providing adequate communication to a diverse group of employees who may require differing forms of communication isn’t always easy. Strategic HR has years of experience creating written communication for employees – including employee newsletters. Visit our Communications page to learn how we can assist you with various communication-based projects.

 

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Requiring Employee Contact Information

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Question:

Can my company require our employees to provide their personal cell phone number and home email address?

Answer:

A  follow up question to you might be, why do you need them? If it is for emergency notifications, that is one thing, however if it is for working purposes, you would be better off providing them with a work email or cell phone. With email, it is best to make sure that any work related communications are managed in the secure environment of your company server. Also keep in mind that email or phone calls made outside of work hours to non-exempt employees count as “time worked”. Make sure you are tracking that time and paying overtime accordingly.

Today’s employees are on a constant search for work/life balance; it is a key factor in choosing an employer and, sometimes, the decision to leave. As a job requirement you could most likely require them to provide you with two ways to reach them and then suggest they provide a cell phone number and home email address; but requiring it might be a stretch. As long as they give you a way to reach them during off hours that should suffice.

Recordkeeping is one of the more mundane tasks associated with Human Resources, but is extremely important. Keeping documentation of corrective actions, counseling sessions and performance appraisals are vital to making sure you are being consistent with your disciplinary and performance policies. Strategic HR has a great online tool that’s affordable, easily downloaded and ready for immediate use. Our Coaching and Counseling toolkit has sample policies and forms to help you with your Counseling needs. Visit our Communications page to learn more.

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Creating a Communication Plan

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HR Question:

We are getting ready to roll out a new employee handbook, and I’ve been asked to create a Communication Plan. I’m not a marketer, what does such a plan entail?

HR Answer:

A Communication Plan is simply a roadmap for what and how you will communicate to those that need to know about your new employee handbook. There are some very simple elements you will need to include in your plan.

  1. Start by identifying your goal(s). What is your communication goal and how will you know you are successful?
  2. Determine the objectives; what message are you trying to convey (is there more than one), what are the results you want to achieve, and how can those results be best accomplished.
  3. Identify your audience. Who are you trying to influence, educate or communicate with? What type of communication do they prefer?
  4. Evaluate your current communication vehicles (i.e. newsletters, monthly meetings, email, bulletin boards) and how they are utilized. What tools will you use to communicate your message to your audience – you may need to add new methods of communication to adequately communicate your message. Make a list of the vehicles, their deadlines and the owner (i.e. the deadline for submitting an article to your company newsletter and the name of the editor).
  5. Create a list of tactics and timeframes needed for this plan and identify who is responsible for each step. Remember to use the correct communication vehicle to get the message across to your particular audience (this may require multiple types of communication if your audience is multi-generational). Setting these up in a calendar format makes it easy to stay on top of deadlines and see who is responsible for each item.
  6. Then determine how you will measure if the plan adequately accomplished the goals and objectives stated and provide for a “plan B” should you decide more communication is necessary.

This is a working document and may require revisions or updates as the plan progresses.

Communication often seems like a “no-brainer”. You have something to communicate and you just “do it”. But factor in multiple shifts or locations, off-site employees and a multigenerational workforce and you quickly learn that providing adequate communication to everyone you employ isn’t so easy. Strategic HR has years of experience writing for a diverse workforce; we even have a marketing/communications specialist on staff. Visit our Communications page to learn how we can assist you with various communication-based projects.