subject: How to Keep Your Employees: Part Two [print this page] How to Keep Your Employees: Part Two How to Keep Your Employees: Part Two
Motivate Your Employees
In the first article we recognized the huge costs of unhappy employees leading to turnover, retraining, and lost productivity. To keep those employees you must know how to motivate them. We talked about the difference between management and workers. Managers, for the most part, are motivated by money and business recognition while a variety of things motivate your workers. The first article set out a program to get to know and understand your employees.
Now that you have implemented a "Get to Know Your Folks" program, how do you use that knowledge to bind your workers to your company so that you can cut your replacement costs and build productivity?
Recognition
Put yourself in your employee's shoes. The number one gripe I hear from all workers is:
"I work hard and do extra stuff all the time, and I never hear one word of appreciation. But let me do the tiniest thing wrong, and I'll get yelled at."
So, make yourself an assignment. Go around your area and find the things that your workers are doing well. Then tell them that they are doing a good job. And don't couch it that they are doing so much better than that other slob on the swing shift. Just a simple, "Good job" will go further than you could imagine. People crave recognition.
Most managers are leery of giving compliments because they think the worker will then demand a raise. That will almost never happen. In today's world they realize that a raise isn't likely to be in the works. A kind word will do wonders. Besides, it will surprise them.
When a worker does something especially well, give them an award. It doesn't have to be Employee of the Month.' Make something up.
Let me give you an example. On May 22, 1997, I worked hard and stayed late to finish a project. The client was grateful, and commented on my work to my boss. So my boss wrote me a letter. Across the top, it said: "Letter of Commendation." The letter went on to talk about my work and dedication and how it pleased the client. At the bottom it was signed by my supervisor and countersigned by the president of the company. A gold foil sticker adorned the lower right hand corner and was embossed with the corporate seal.
That letter is still precious to me. And I have the date burned in my memory. Every couple of years I pull it out to re-read it. Now, how much did that letter cost the company? A few minutes of the supervisor's time and a few seconds for the CEO to sign it. Fourteen years later I still cherish it.
Can you do something like that for a worker?
In another company, they designed a patch for a group of pilots who flew and lived in horrible conditions to deliver food to Sudan and Ethiopia. It said, "Only the Tough Survive" along with the name of the company and the logo. These patches didn't cost more than $100 dollars total, yet engendered a fierce loyalty to the company. And the pilots still wear those patches years later.
One supervisor bought a giant aspirin tablet at a gag store, and he moves it from cubicle to cubicle. He tells the workers that whoever does the best job of relieving his headaches that week gets to keep the aspirin in their cubicle. The office workers love it. And you had better believe that there is a fierce, but friendly, competition for the aspirin.
Use your imagination to design tee shirts, patches, or even a sign above someone's workspace that recognizes work quality that goes above the norm. And never underestimate the power of a thank you note.
Rewards
Not only do employees crave recognition, they need rewards. Not all rewards have to be monetary, although those are nice. Remember, managers are motivated by large bonuses and stock options. Employees are motivated by time off, trips, and presents.
Time off comes in two types: paid and unpaid. In my company I usually awarded unpaid time off to good employees when they requested it. But when I gave out time off for a reward, say after the completion of a big project, it was always with pay. While paid time off is good, it is better when the employee has time to plan for it. Then they can put together a family outing or a fishing trip.
Paid time off is so cheap compared to management bonuses. Cost is $500 or less, while a management bonus almost always runs ten times that or more.
The most powerful paid time off is mixed with some knowledge of your worker. Say you find out that your best forklift driver plans to attend the National Rifle Association Convention. He is planning to leave Friday after work and driving all night so that he can attend on Saturday, the last day of the meeting.
So you go to him and tell him that he has been doing a good job for the last several months, and the company would like to show their appreciation. "Why don't you take Friday off with pay so that you don't have to drive all night to get to the NRA Convention." Now that is a powerful reward because you have showed him that he deserves a reward, and that you know enough about him to link the reward to his passion.
Another huge reward is a free trip. A three day weekend in Cancun or Las Vegas on company time is unimaginable to an employee. Yet, if the company uses hotel points and airline miles, the trip can be almost free. Sometimes suppliers offer these types of free trips for purchasing a certain level of product. Two hundred dollars for meals and $500 dollars for a Friday off with pay would be the only expenses to hit the bottom line. However, think of the impact on employee morale!
A timely and/or unexpected present has a benefit far above its cost. Once again, the cost to the company could be zero. A salesman regularly offers tickets to a hockey game. Give the tickets to a good technician instead of a vice president. I remember every present given to me by the company whether it was a cheap watch, a jacket, or a frozen turkey breast.
Start today to recognize and reward your employees. Keep records and see if your productivity doesn't zoom up. When your workers see that they are valued and rewarded, they will work that much harder.
Rewards and recognition can be almost without cost. By using some imagination and thoughtfulness you can build happiness and contentment among your workers. When you recognize and reward good work, you will get more good work. This is the best kind of leverage. You will look better to your supervisor, make more money, create a better place to work for yourself and your subordinates, and improve the lives of the people, the individuals who work with you.
