One Way to Lose Employees: Train Them

August 8th, 2011 Mary Hladio

A recent paper published in the Journal of Applied Psychology suggests that corporate training programs can be damaging to an organization if employees lack opportunities for advancement.

The American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) estimates that American companies spent $134.1 billion on training and education in 2008.

Opportunities do not always need to consist of promotions or raises. Managers can offer longer-range opportunities for career growth that enable staff to have increased autonomy and greater involvement in decision making, the researchers note. “Career opportunities are perceptual in nature, so raising [perceptions]…may be largely a matter of letting employees know more about the range of possibilities that are already available within the organization,” the researchers write.

The research findings differentiates between formal and informal training, where formal training includes executive management programs, workshops, job rotations, and tuition reimbursement programs that let staff complete their degrees. In contrast, informal training is based on personal relationships like career mentoring and interactions between supervisors and subordinates. Mentoring can include coaching, being exposed to senior colleagues, and recommending a mentee for challenging assignments.

The researchers found that both forms need to be supplemented with a perception that employees have a clear path up the corporate ladder.  When employees believed that attractive career moves were possible, their participation in training programs translated into higher job performance and a greater likelihood they would stay.

Bottom Line:
Given the high costs of staffing and turnover, employee development is necessary, but only if employees perceive that their company offers career opportunities. Otherwise, traditional, off-the-shelf, canned training programs may backfire for the company, giving employees the credentials to be hired somewhere else.

What do you think? When did a corporate training program or development initiative prepare you in your role.  I’d really like to know what you think about development program, please write a comment in the space below.

CEO’s contact Mary Hladio, (513) 984-9333 for a 30-minute complimentary consultation to discuss a better way to increase performance in your organization with the FUEL™ process.

Strategy+Business (07/22/11)

Web: www.embercarriers.com|Twitter: www.twitter.com/embercarriers|LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mhladio

 

Related articles
Read More »

Making mistakes at work – it doesn’t have to be all bad.

July 25th, 2011 Mary Hladio

 

Good or Bad - Mistakes will happen; learn from them don't punish them.

Minor mistakes in the workplace can be something such as overwriting a file that does not affect others but wasted your time rebuilding; major mistakes are those that affect others or the bottom-line, such as overwriting the only copy of a customer database.

You have heard of the saying “Failure is not an option.” Well guess what, no matter how many times you repeat this adage, failure will always remain as an option. Trying to prevent a mistake will only increase your chance of making a mistake.

  • People who work under pressure to be successful and not make a mistake are less effective
  • People will resist reporting mistakes or bad news sooner
  • People will turn a blind eye to signs of trouble, hoping someone else will notice it.

Huge amounts of time and energy can be wasted in organizations on explaining why the mistakes that do happen are not my fault. This is pointless.

The repercussion of the mistake depends primarily on its impact on the bottom-line, the person’s track record of making mistakes, and the standing or designation of the person making the mistake. In many organizations, a mistake, big or small, is the starting point for a witch hunt.

  • Who is responsible?
  • How did they screw up?
  • What would be an appropriate punishment?

Rather than stigmatizing failure, we should acknowledge and even celebrate it.  When we can openly admit to screwing up without fear of reprisals, we’re more likely to fess up and learn from our mistakes.

Making a mistake means someone took a risk and it failed.  To punish this action means you just weaken the creativity and innovation in the company.

Suggestion on handling mistakes in the workplace

  • Acknowledge the mistake. Don’t make excuses and apologize immediately.
  • Own up to your responsibility.  Do blame others and don’t berate yourself.  However, listen and accept any criticism.
  • Use the mistake as a learning experience. You can even create a case study to prevent it from happening again.

Peter Drucker provocatively suggested that businesses should find all the employees who never make mistakes and fire them, because employees who never make mistakes never do anything interesting.

Please write a comment, I’d like to hear your take.

How does your workplace handle mistakes? Is it more like a celebration or a witch hunt? What has been your most spectacular screw-up at work so far? How did you handle it and what did you learn from it?

Web: www.embercarriers.com|Twitter: www.twitter.com/embercarriers|LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mhladio

 


Related articles
Read More »

Really Bad Bosses: Are you one of them?

July 18th, 2011 Mary Hladio

 

Colin Farrell in Horrible Bosses

Still Photo of Colin Farrell in Horrible Bosses by John P. Johnson – © 2011 New Line Productions Inc.

Can’t stand your job because of your boss? Or maybe you’re the bad boss who’s driving everyone nuts.

Well this weekend I saw the Seth Gordon movie, “Horrible Bosses,” in which Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Spacey and an almost unrecognizable Colin Farrell portray some wacky, over the top, bad bosses.   In the movie, three friends, played by Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day, want a more conducive work environment, so they plot the ultimate demise of their awful bosses.

After watching the movie, it got me thinking about the notion of the “bad” boss.  Deep down inside we love a good “bad” boss movie. We have sensationalized bad bosses in movies, TV shows and other media for years.  From the award winning FX original series “Damages” and NBC’s “The Office” to the movies like “The Proposal,” “The Devil Wears Prada,” “Working Girl,” “Nine to Five” and don’t forget my favorite, the pointy haired boss in the “Dilbert” comic strip.

Bad and ineffective bosses exist in every organization.  A study conducted by Delta Road published in Forbes magazine reported that 80% of the employees surveyed identified their boss as a lousy manager.  And almost 70% in that study stated that their immediate superior had “no clue” what to do to become a good manager.

The worst bosses fail to trust employees, don’t respect employees, and intimidate employees.  Author Harvey Hornstein, Ph.D., estimates that 90% of the U.S. work force has been subjected to abusive behavior at some time.  Powerhouse Henry Ford who is admired for being the first company to provide many of the benefits were enjoy today spied on his employees and hired thugs to crush union organizers.

So, what can you do if you are working for a bad boss?

  1. It could be situational. Start by understanding that your boss may not know he or she is bad. The definition of “bad” depends on your needs, the manager’s skills and the circumstances.
  2. Take an honest analysis of your actions and behavior. Some studies suggest that only 30 percent of employees in the workforce are truly effective in their current roles or are truly good at what they do.  How have you been handling yourself in your job? Have you always taken the high road, or have you resorted to occasional backstabbing, gossiping, or underperforming? Find other sources of positive reinforcement for doing your job to the best of your abilities.
  3. Don’t sacrifice your health or self-esteem. If you have experienced a total meltdown with this person; it is time to try a new strategy: forgiveness. Regain your strength and move forward with confidence and professionalism.
  4. What is it that is driving you nuts? Write it down, sit with it for a few days and then review it to rank the list of offenses from the worst to the least.  Pick your top three and work with a coach or mentor to develop coping strategies to deal with the bad behavior.  You are not going to change a bad boss but you can change how it affects you or how you respond.

The worst thing you can do is simply to do nothing, hoping the problems will get resolved. No job, boss, or company is worth losing your sanity.

I would like to hear from you.  Do you have a “bad” boss?  How do you cope with the situation?  Any advice for other who might be working one right now?

Or are you the boss? We know you get a bad rep.  Share with us your frustrations and how employees can ease the pain.

Contact Mary Hladio, (513) 984-9333 for a 30-minute complimentary consultation to discuss a better way to increase leadership effectiveness in your organization with the FUEL™ process.

Web: www.embercarriers.com|Twitter: www.twitter.com/embercarriers|LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mhladio

 

Related articles
Read More »

Importance of Responsive Leadership in Organizational Development

June 20th, 2011 Mary Hladio

Keys to effective stress management

The current economic environment is forcing significant organizational changes in many organizations, including changes among stress management strategies. A paper published in the Organization Development Journal aimed to address the nature of stress, the causes of stress, the importance of effective leadership, and organizational development in stress management.

The key to stress management from leadership is how a leader communicates with employees. The demand for organizations to be able to quickly respond to tumultuous environments, resulting in rapidly change organizations, can pull leaders is numerous directions while trying to achieve operational goals and objectives. Such rapidly changing environments can increase the potential for stress among all organizational stakeholders.

The key to effective stress management and organizational development is the leader’s attitudes and corresponding thoughts and feelings. A leader’s thoughts can provide feeling for the environment. Successful leadership focuses on abilities involved in visioning, interaction, influencing, communicating, and mentoring while maintaining a positive attitude. Dealing with challenges and stress in an organization is crucial to managerial leaders. Adaptive managers are mindful of the importance of stress management and committed to the individual needs of employees and others in the organization.

Contact Mary Hladio, (513) 984-9333 for a 30-minute complimentary consultation to create a positive and more effective workplace in your organization with the FUEL™ process.

Organization Development Journal (Spring 2011) Vol. 29, No. 1, P. 9 Darling, John R.; Heller, Victor L.

Web: www.embercarriers.com|Twitter: www.twitter.com/embercarriers|LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mhladio


 

Related articles
Read More »

The Key to Employee Happiness

June 13th, 2011 Mary Hladio

Are your employees happy?

Organizations need to understand what causes employee dissatisfaction to avoid problems and keep morale and productivity high, but they are generally oblivious to the needs and desires of their staff.

Many of the most successful businesses have employees who have been with them for many years and are fully committed to spending their entire career with them. Keeping these employees happy is very challenging at times.  An organization’s ability to deliver services and retain personnel can be directly affected by how well employees are satisfied with their jobs.  A happy and motivated workforce leads to greater customer satisfaction and higher profits.

The key to long-term success within an organization relies heavily on how it’s employees feel about the work they are doing and how well they think they are being treated.  In order to keep employees happy at work, companies must give them an environment to work in that is inviting, positive and is current with the times. By providing a cool place to work, people are more likely to feel better, act happier and be more productive.

Contact Mary Hladio, (513) 984-9333 for a 30-minute complimentary consultation to discuss how to create a more effective workplace in your organization by using our FUEL™ process.

Web: www.embercarriers.com|Twitter: www.twitter.com/embercarriers|LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mhladio


 

Related articles
Read More »

Talent Is Top Priority for CEOs, Overtaking Managing Risk

June 6th, 2011 Mary Hladio

How talented are your employees?

According to findings from PricewaterhouseCoopers’ (PwC) 14th annual Global CEO survey, managing talent has eclipsed risk as CEOs’ top priority:

  • Approximately 83 percent of the 1,200 CEOs queried from 69 countries intend to change their firm’s talent management strategy over the next year, and for 31 percent, these changes will be drastic.
  • Behind talent management, the priorities are risk management and investment, with 77 percent and 76 percent of CEOs respectively anticipating changes in these areas.

In 2010, risk management was the top priority for 84 percent of CEOs, followed by investment — 81 percent — and talent — 79 percent.

The outlook varies from region to region. In Asia Pacific and the Middle East, 92 percent and 89 percent of CEOs, respectively, intend to make changes to their people strategy, whereas in North America, only 78 percent plan to do so.

“As we move out of the downturn, CEOs are putting the focus firmly on their people,” says Michael Rendell, global human resource services practice leader at PwC. “Competition for talent is intensifying as recruitment activity picks up in some sectors and there are increasing difficulties finding staff with the right skills.” Rendell continues to state that, “survey findings are encouraging, suggesting talent will be reflected more in company strategy. HR professionals need to help CEOs see what can and should be done.”

Contact Mary Hladio, (513) 984-9333 for a 30-minute complimentary consultation to discuss the talent in your organization.

WorldatWork (04/20/11)

Web: www.embercarriers.com|Twitter: www.twitter.com/embercarriers|LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mhladio


Read More »
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »
Twitter Delicious Facebook Digg Stumbleupon Favorites More

  • Featured Video

Check for details