What is Employee Engagement anyway?

Today in North America job satisfaction is at an all time low with fewer than 1 in 3 people being engaged at work. In the past 25 years a marked loss of "job satisfaction" has put less then 35% of people happy or proud of their work, the environment they work in or their current position within a corporation.

Disengaged employees cost the North American economy up to $350 billion per year in lost productivity.

What can be done?

GREAT leaders need to focus on engaging employees with :

GROWTH

• Meet one-on-one to assess the career goals of your employees
• Acknowledge what skills, experience and knowledge they need in order to identify those goals
• HELP them to identify ways to close the gaps between their goals and the where they are now in their career
• Offer mentorships, job rotations, meetings and job training

RECOGNITION

• Show appreciation readily, but make sure it is deserved
• Don't just say it or use email. Written notes are highly valued
• Offer recognition in public or with their peers or a boss present
• Ask people their opinion; get them involved

TRUST

• Your words and deeds must match
• Be transparent; share the bad news along with the good news
• When you make a mistake; acknowledge it
• Never say anything about a person that your wouldn't say to their face
• Constantly remind everyone of the Big Goal and the Plan that will get them there

Way to GO!

Recognition goes far beyond a paycheck. Great recognition can spark a revolution that motivates your team to go above and beyond, from required to remarkable. Employee motivation can be as individual as the people who work for you.

Unfortunately, motivating people is far from an exact science. There's no secret formula, no set calculation, no work sheet to fill out. In fact, motivation can be as individual as the employees who work for you. One employee may be motivated only by money. Another may appreciate personal recognition for a job well done. Still another may work harder if she has equity in the business.
But you can boil down employee motivation to one basic ideal: finding out what your employees want and finding a way to give it to them or to enable them to earn it.

Employers often fail to realize that some of the most effective things they can do to develop and sustain motivated, committed employees cost very little or nothing at all.

• Interesting work. No one wants to do the same boring job over and over, day after day. And while any job will always require some boring, repetitive tasks, everyone should have at least a part of their job be of high interest to them.
• Information. Information is power, and employees want to be empowered with the information they need to know to do their jobs better and more effectively. And, more than ever, employees want to know how they are doing in their jobs and how the company is doing in its business.
• Independence. Few employees want their every action to be closely monitored. Most employees appreciate having the flexibility to do their jobs as they see fit.
• Increased visibility. Everyone appreciates getting credit when it is due. Occasions to share the successes of employees with others are almost limitless.

Say THANK YOU to your employees today.

New Year, New Goals, New Rewards

Happy New Year!

Have you thought of the goals and plans for your business in 2013?

Making a plan for how you want your year and business to grow is an important step in the right direction. But while making plans for you business don't forget to recognize and reward your employees for their hard work and dedication.

Changing the way you manage your employees is a great first goal for 2013. Prioritize employee recognition and you can ensure a positive, productive, innovative organizational climate. Provide employee recognition to say thank you and to encourage more of the actions and thinking that you believe will make your organization successful.

Create goals and action plans for employee recognition. You want to recognize the actions, behaviors, approaches, and accomplishments that you want to foster and reinforce in your organization. Establish employee recognition opportunities that emphasize and reinforce these sought-after qualities and behaviors.

Motivating Employees: 3 Unusual Things GREAT Bosses Do

Where employees are concerned, great leaders don't take. Great leaders give--especially these three things:

They give unexpected attention.
Everyone loves attention. Unfortunately you don't have unlimited time to devote to each employee.
So make the most of the time you do have. Don't just comment on the big stuff, the stuff you're supposed to focus on.
Notice a small detail. Praise a particular phrase she used to smooth the transition from customer conflict to problem resolution. Praise how he swung by another employee's desk to grab paperwork he could deliver on his way to another office. Pick something small, something positive, something helpful--something unexpected--to show you really pay attention.
Pick out details and employees know you're watching--in a good way--and not only will they work harder, more importantly they will feel better about themselves.
They give employees a break.
He messed up. Badly. Not only are you a little pissed, this is a teachable moment. You feel compelled to talk about it, possibly at length.
Don't. For a good employee, the lesson is already learned. Catch his eye, nod, let it go, and help him fix the problem.
Once in a while employees can all use a break. When they get one they never forget it. And they try really hard to show they deserved that break--and to make sure they never need another one.

They give an undeserved compliment.
Compliments don't always have to be earned. Sometimes a compliment can be like a self-fulfilling prophecy
.
When you see something in employees that they don't see--at least not yet--they often try hard to fulfill the belief you have in them.
That happened to me. I went out for debating in ninth grade and was nervous, scared, intimidated--pick any fearful adjective. It fit. A week or so into practices I heard the teacher talking to one of the seniors. "That kid there," he said, referring to me, "will be a champion by the time she's a senior."
He was wrong. It turned out I wasn't. But I immediately felt more confident, more self-assured, and incredibly motivated. Those feelings lasted for a long time.
He believed in me.
And I started to believe in myself.

Working at Happiness

A happy employee is a more productive employee.  But how to make them happy is the challenge. Many take the goal too personally and try to build staff contentment through personal relationships.

Professional growth People want to stretch, to develop their natural talents, feel their life has a narrative and is going somewhere. When they feel that they are growing, they may be exhausted but they're also inspired, energetic, and willing to take on a great deal. Anyone who reports to you (and anyone who reports to them) should have a professional development plan. That will keep everybody engaged, busy, and--eventually--happy.

Strong community Everybody wants to be proud of where they work, to feel that they are investing the most precious thing they have--time--in something that matters.Superficial social-responsibility projects won't fill this gap for you. You need to create direct links between the success of the business and the community you serve. These need to involve the entire work force and should be active, public, visible, and long lasting. Many companies get their staff to choose the causes or charities they support. The more they're engaged in these commitments, the more meaningful they will be to them--and your company community.

Fair treatment "Everybody here is somebody." The owner or manager knows everyone's name--even the names of everyone's kids and pets. This kind of fair--and kind--treatment also means startlingly low turnover rates, which also saves money. But it's not really about the money.

The very best companies honor these principles and enact them lavishly. They don't pay lip service, and they don't do the bare minimum; they go overboard. They do so because they know the secret of leadership: Look after the people, and the people look after the business.

Check out Aranawards.com for more great rewards for you & your team.

The Gold Star

Sometimes people are screaming for recognition without anyone noticing. You’d be surprised what kind of difference recognition will make, if only you could recognize the signs that people crave it.
There is always room for employee reward and recognition activities that generally build positive morale in the work environment. The Pall Corporation, in Ann Arbor, MI, has had a "smile team" that meets to schedule random, fun employee recognition events. They have decorated shop windows, with a prize to the best, for a holiday.

They sponsor ice cream socials, picnics, the "boss" cooks day, and so on, to create a rewarding environment at work. Another company holds an annual costume wearing and judging along with a lunch potluck every Halloween.
Special occasions, National Holidays and birthdays aren’t the only times people deserve a pick-me-up. Anniversaries are a great time to give someone the recognition they’ve always deserved. Try to remember to give employees the recognition they deserve every time the anniversary of their start with the company rolls around.

If you attach recognition to "real" accomplishments and goal achievement as negotiated in a performance development planning meeting, you need to make sure the recognition meets the above stated requirements. Supervisors must also apply the criteria consistently, so some organizational oversight may be necessary.
The challenge of individually negotiated goals is to make certain their accomplishment is viewed as similarly difficult by the organization for the process to be a success.

It’s usually not hard to tell when someone is having a rough week. I call it the slump because usually said individual slumps down into their chair and wears the same stone cold, glossed over look on their face. If you ever spot the slump, it’s time give that person some positive energy!
People also like recognition that is random and that provides an element of surprise. Monday is always a hard day. No one likes coming down from the dream land that is the weekend. It’s the perfect day to praise someone and give them that extra pep in their Monday step.

Find out more tips, rewards and awards at aranawards.com & on our facebook page.

Olympic Fever

The 2012 summer Olympics begin in less than 1 day. The race for the gold, silver and bronze began months and even years ago for many of these athletes. Olympians throughout the years have inspired patriotism and achievement in more than just sports. Whether they compete in Judo, swimming or gymnastics, these top performers from around the world deserve to be rewarded. The olive wreath was the prize for the winner at the Ancient Olympic Games. It was an olive branch, of the wild-olive tree that grew at Olympia, intertwined to form a circle or a horse-shoe. From 241 participants representing 14 nations in 1896, the Games have grown to about 10,500 competitors from 204 countries at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

How can you translate these inspirational achievements into a reward system for your business?

Games and Rewards are an amazing way to creatively team build and network for both adults and children.

Indoor Games:

• Paper plane folding and throwing
• Hoopla
• Obstacle course
• Discus (using paper plates)
• Beanbag Toss
• Hallway Dash

Of course no Olympic Games can be complete without awarding medals and a closing ceremony. If possible, find some boxes so that medal winners can stand high to get their applause! Plan to give everyone a medal for something.

Why Reward or Recognize?

”We will receive not what we idly wish for but what we justly earn. Our rewards will always be in exact proportion to our service.” --Earl Nightingale

 Recognition is not just a nice thing to do for people. Recognition is a communication tool that reinforces and rewards the most important outcomes people create for your business, whether you are a sports team, club or corporation. When you recognize people effectively, you reinforce, with your chosen means of recognition, the actions and behaviors you most want to see people repeat.

Managers ask, “Why should I recognize or thank him? He’s just doing his job.”  Times have changed dramatically. Employees and valuable team members can no longer be treated like machines. They come at a high price and can cost as much to replace. Workers expect to be valued as human beings. Today, the rewarding of employees is done as a partnership between the business and its employees

There are as many different rewards as there are people. These are a few examples of special ways to express thank you:

• Performance Awards - great for teams, sports, or corporations on completion of a task or work project - a small plaque or simple desk award with your business name as well as the employee's name to reinforce their contribution and their value to you
• Special Act or Service Award - an outstanding volunteer position, someone or group that went over and above with customer service, special attention or community service on behalf of your business - something as simple as a water bottle with your business name on it or a custom engraved crystal paperweight
• Length of Service Recognition - an employee, volunteer or member of your team that has been with your business an exception amount of time - the perfect gift for this would be a custom engraved clock

Not every goal or performance  requires an award - but every person effectively working towards that goal and their performance requires recognition.
Here are some low cost suggestions:

1. Take time to personally thank employees for doing a good job. Do it regularly, specifically and sincerely.
2. Vary your approach when thanking employees. Some efforts merit formal letters of recognition with a copy to the employee’s file. For others, a timely and specific e-mail message can be effective. A few sincere words of thanks delivered in person is almost always appreciated.
3. Low-key recognition activities can be very effective. Take a few minutes during a staff meeting to recognize a successful project and present the participants with an appropriate token such as a certificate, a "congratulations" cake, or their favorite candy bar.
4. When someone has been successful, offer them a chance to teach others what they did. This will allow the unit to learn from the successful experience, and will acknowledge the person’s unique contribution to the work.
5. Create a traveling trophy to be passed among team members whenever someone successfully completes a difficult task.

Remember to check out all the great ideas for rewarding your employees, volunteers, team members and teammates at aranawards.com