Avoid losing your "A" players to the competition - get to know your best employees again.

In visiting with clients, one subject continues to come up in conversation - as the economy starts to recover - how will we retain our best talent?

Staring Down Defection
Forty percent of professionals say the ebbing of the recession has made them more inclined to look for a new job—and the younger the worker, the greater the chances they’ll be on the move, according to a new survey.
The survey could alert companies that they need to make efforts to retain their best employees. Although jobs remain scarce, those in high-level positions are the best employees at each business and could find work at other companies with little trouble, said Katie Essman, branch manager of Robert Half International’s Denver Tech Center office.
The staffing company, which is based in Menlo Park, California, had an independent research firm survey more than 1,400 North American professionals.
“It’s a scary number, for sure,” Essman said. “As an employer, you hate to think you could lose 40 percent of your workforce. You never ever want to lose your ‘A’ players to the competition.”
According to the survey, 45 percent of Generation Y professionals—ages 21 to 31—said the recession has influenced them to look for other jobs. The number drops to 40 percent for Gen Xers (32 to 45) and 35 percent for baby boomers (45 to 64).
One big reason so many people seek to move on is that they feel they sacrificed wages and 401(k) contributions to help companies during the leanest of times in 2008 and 2009, and neither category has been restored, Essman said. And while baby boomers view corporate advancement as climbing the ladder at one company, Gen Y workers see it as moving from company to company for higher pay and bigger positions, she said.
Members of all three age groups said working for a stable company and having job security are two of the most important things they seek in a work environment. Those scored much higher than having a short commute or working for a socially responsible company; the latter was a bigger concern when jobs were flush, but it sinks on priority lists during tougher times, Essman said.
Gen Xers are more likely than the other two groups to enhance their skill sets and build tenure with their companies in the aftermath of the recession, according to the survey results. And a greater percentage of baby boomers—54 percent—said they plan to work past the traditional retirement age than the other age groups, the results showed.
Essman advised that with more job opportunities opening up, employers should sit down with their top workers and essentially re-recruit them. Even if pay raises aren’t yet feasible, they should offer them rewards such as praise, opportunities for career development, or schedule flexibility to allow them a greater balance between work and personal lives, she said.
“Get to know your best employees again,” Essman said. “I think we as managers spend most of our time with underperforming employees rather than our top employees.”
However, the baby boomers’ likelihood of staying for more years could limit the number of jobs for which younger employees might compete, whether at their present companies or at others, Essman said.
“Many employees, particularly Gen Y professionals, are biding their time in their current employment situations and plan to make a move when they feel the economy is on firmer footing,” Brett Good, a California-based district president for Robert Half, said in a news release. “Now is the time for employers to take action and outline career paths within their company for strong performers.”
by Ed Sealover Jul 26 2010 Portfolio.com

"I don't have the time!"

What did your mother always tell you? You make time to do the things you want to do. If it is important, you will find the time to do it. If you want to inspire someone and show real appreciation, you will find the time. (And, when you think about it, how much time do you need to write a thank-you note or say “thanks!” Not much!)

Give Meaning. Reap Results

New research from U-Penn’s Wharton School finds that employees who know their work has a meaningful, positive impact on others are not just happier, but vastly more productive, too.

According to the study, whether it’s face-to-face contact with customers, or connecting with colleagues from other departments, when individuals understand the difference their job makes to clients or to their organization it increases employee effort 20% and in some instances 100%.

Taking time to publicly share appreciation and relating an employee’s actions to the mission of the company can have the same effect. Take a moment this month to share the impact each of your valuable employees has on your organization.

Call your Baltimore Team for ideas for your recognition solutions: 410-661-5668 or email Baltimore@octanner.com.

Appreciation and Your Bottom Line

Appreciation changes everything.
Engagement. Performance. Turnover. The Bottom Line.
And we can help you measure it.

Join us for a free and informative webinar on measurement. This session will help you learn who uses recognition in your organization, how employees feel, and the business success it generates.

Recognition Impact: Ways to Measure the Value of Your Recognition Solutions
Gary Beckstrand – O.C. Tanner Vice President, Research and Assessment Services

Thursday, June 10 2010
10:00 am EDT

Register here.

For more information about this event, or for assistance with all your recognition needs please contact your Baltimore Appreciateologists at 410-661-5668 or email Baltimore@octanner.com.

Raising Engagement - Cut through the hot air about engagement to find factors that motivate your employees

By Adrienne Fox - HR Magazine

A vast majority of employees say they are disengaged or not engaged, creating an unproductive—or, worse, toxic—work environment.

The August 2009 Gallup Employee Engagement Index reported that only 33 percent of workers are engaged in their jobs, 49 percent are not engaged, and 18 percent are actively disengaged. The Gallup Organization defines the categories as follows:

Engaged employees work with passion and feel a profound connection to their company. They drive innovation and move the organization forward.

Non-engaged employees have essentially “checked out.” They sleepwalk through workdays. They put in time but don’t approach their work with energy or passion.

Actively disengaged employees aren’t just unhappy at work; they’re busy acting out their unhappiness. Every day, these workers undermine what engaged co-workers accomplish.

Gallup researchers, who base the Employee Engagement Index on a survey of nearly 42,000 randomly selected adults, estimate that disengaged workers cost U.S. businesses as much as $350 billion a year.

While troubling, these figures could also be viewed as an opportunity to re-engage a large percentage of disengaged workers—and reap financial benefits. Other research shows that companies with highly engaged employees perform better: Gallup’s 2009 analysis of 199 surveys found that business units scoring in the top half on employee engagement double their odds of delivering high performance compared to those in the bottom half. Those at the 99th percentile are nearly five times more likely to deliver high performance than those at the 1st percentile.

In a subsequent study in January of this year, Gallup researchers found that companies in the top 10 percent on employee engagement bested their competition by 72 percent in earnings per share during 2007-08. For companies that scored beneath the top quartile, earnings fell 9.4 percent below their competition.

And in a September 2009 study of 50 multinational companies, the London office of Towers Perrin, now Towers Watson, documented the impact of engagement on financial performance. The report found that during a span of 12 months, companies with high levels of engagement outperformed those with less-engaged employees in operating income, net income growth rate and earnings per share growth rate.

“Our research shows that the connection between employee engagement and business performance is [a stronger] indicator than any other measure of employee attitude and business performance,” explains Julie Gebauer, managing director at Towers Watson in New York. It “makes a difference in terms of dollars and cents.”

Reports such as these have piqued the interest of executives seeking to move the needle of engagement in their favor. HR professionals are now bombarded with a multitude of sales pitches for survey tools, models, books and technology—all promising to deliver improved employee engagement.

What is your company doing to improve employee engagement? Are your executives on board? Contact your Baltimore Team for asisstance with all your appreciation needs.
410-661-5668 or email Baltimore@octanner.com.

The Carrot Principle Training Seminar - 6/3/2010

Corporate America’s most valuable training program is now offering open enrollment with limited seating!

The Carrot Principle Training Seminar teaches Managers how to engage employees and accelerate performance through purposed recognition.

Greater Washington DC Metro Area

Date: Thursday, June 3rd
Time: 9 am - noon
Location: Capital One Headquarters, 1680 Capital One Drive, McLean, VA 22102

PARTICIPANTS WILL LEARN

• The science behind recognition's impact in an organization (based on the New York Times bestselling book The Carrot Principle and it's 10-year, 200,000 person study)
• Why aligning recognition with your organization's core values, goals or strategies can immediately engage employees - initiating immediate results.
• How recognition done right can accelerate performance, increase productivity and impact you bottom-line in a down economy.
• How and when to most effectively recognize employees, along with countless low- and no-cost ideas to help you personalize recognition efforts to your team or organization.
• How to form an action plan and implement a recognition strategy today.

All registered participants receive the A Carrot a Day Recognition toolkit, a copy of the New York Times bestselling book The Carrot Principle, educational videos, stationary, and more!
All this for only $199!

* plus taxes and shipping

REGISTER NOW! Call our office at 410-661-5668 or email Ellen.Sparks@octanner.com

"The use of this seal is not an endorsement by the HR Certification Institute of the quality of the program. It means that this program has met the HR Certification Institute’s criteria to be pre-approved for recertification credit."

Save the date - June 3, 2010: Carrots are coming!

By Natalie Limneos
O.C. Tanner - Baltimore Office

I just got back from a week at our Home Office in Salt Lake City. Not only was I wowed by the picturesque scenery and fresh mountain air, I was overwhelmed by the whole O.C. Tanner experience. I consider myself well and truly a Carrot Convert.

I've only been with the company since July 2009 so this was my first trip out to our home office and my first experience with Carrot Training.

Now I know my testimonial may come across as biased to some, after all I am an employee, but make no mistake, I suddenly experienced an 'AHA Moment' as I witnessed a glimpse of The Carrot Principle Training Seminar hosted by the wonderful Andrea Gappmayer.

The training resonated deeply with me which is why I felt compelled to write something on a personal level. I feel that so many employers don't actually realize how important appreciation is.

Before joining O.C. Tanner I was with my last employer for 7 years. Leaving was possibly one of the hardest things for me to do, but I honestly felt that I had no choice, as I felt so unappreciated.

In this economical climate it is exactly the same for employees everywhere!
There have been cutbacks, and people are working harder without the incentive of that once annual bonus or pay rise. Employees are shouldering extra responsibilities, many of which are not what they signed up for and are anything less than pleasant. This is where, just like in my case, morale hits rock bottom and good people end up moving on.

This is exactly why recognition is so vital for all companies, regardless of their size. The Carrot Principle Training Seminar teaches employers just that. It demonstrates the effectiveness of employee recognition and how appreciation has such a positive effect on company growth and productivity.

I highly recommend this seminar to any employer, no matter the size of the company. This training just puts companies back on the right track. It teaches employers the value of their people, how to keep them engaged, and ultimately how to grow, especially in these troubled times.

We are very excited to announce that The Carrot Principle Training Seminar is coming to the DC area. Don't miss this opportunity to participate ‘in America’s most valuable training program’.

The Carrot Principle Training Seminar
Date: Thursday, 3rd June 2010
Address: Capital One, 1680 Capital One Drive, McLean, VA 22102-3407

More details will be posted soon, but please feel free to call our office for more information - 410-661-5668. We look forward to seeing you there!

Don't forget to appreciate!