Tag Archives: Employee Expectations

Employee Resistance to Change

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The process of change – how the world of business works is aptly described in Spencer Johnson’s 1998 book Who Moved My Cheese?*

I recently needed an illustration of the maladaptive ways in which employees respond to change, while teaching Psychology in the Workplace.  Students didn’t have the time to read an addition text so I created the following outline based upon Johnson’s book.  I showed my students the book, recommended it and presented the class material.

In this work, I explain the irrational dynamics of people hanging on to old ways even when evidence of change is obvious and failure to change may result in business failure (or starvation for the little mice!). I offer it here for my followers:

  1. People pay more attention to the things-they-need when things are new
  2. People exert effort toward having the things-they-need
  3. People realize that having the things-they-need makes them happy – nice!
  4. As time goes on, things-they-need and already have, are less on their minds
  5. People put less effort into doing what they have to do to keep getting the things-they-need
  6. People assume that the things-they-need will always be there
  7. People stop paying attention to what is going on around the things-they-need
  8. Some smart people (thinkers and planners) understand the dynamics of change and that things-they-need might be difficult to get in the future
  9. Some smart people talk about planning and building contingencies but others don’t listen
  10. Things begin to shift gradually–there are signs of impending change but most people don’t notice
  11. Some smart people notice the subtle shifts, they talk but most people don’t listen
  12. People work harder in the old way to get the things-they-need but it doesn’t work
  13. The world changes in a clear way — the things-they-need may be available, but now they:
    1. Are located in a different place
    2. Require extra work to get them
    3. Are no longer available in the old form
  14. People go into denial — pretending things haven’t changed
  15. People work harder to hold fast to the old ways of the world
  16. Business starts to decline
  17. It becomes clear that the things-they-need are no longer available
  18. People have to notice —  now they begin to react:
    1. People become anxious and over-wrought
    2. People talk about how it isn’t fair
    3. People blame others who should have warned them
  19. People begin blame others for the change
  20. People verbally attack and make complaints about those they see as responsible
  21. People get stuck in the I-want-things-to-go-back-to-the-way-they-were camp
  22. Some smart people have been thinking and planning, they see themselves as responsible for solving the problem
  23. These smart people talk about what needs to be done and try to convince people to change and move
  24. People react to these “change agents” and they begin to resist by:
    1. Overt sabotage of people and processes
    2. Worker’s compensation claims
    3. Staying at work and complaining
    4. Quitting (good turnover — Bye bye!)
  25. Some smart people get discouraged and leave (bad turnover — Oh no!)
  26. Some smart people begin to find new ways and locations to get the things-they-need
  27. Eventually, the people come over to the new way of getting things-they-needbut at a variable pace:
    1. Early adopters
    2. Near-time adopters
    3. Late adopters
    4. Refusers – those who never adopt (performance counselings?)
  28. Finally all the people agree to the new way
  29. People get used to the new way and the process starts over again
  30. Some smart people know things will change and continue to pay attention to clues

* An original deconstruction work based upon:  Spencer Johnson, MD (1998) Who Moved My Cheese? New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons

(c) BCSPublishing 2012 all rights reserved

Employee Life Cycle: opportunities to transmit culture

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Pre-service (attachment)

 

  • Vacancy: New job is added; employee resigns or employee is dismissed
  • Job Analysis: job design/review, establishing qualifications, selecting source
  • Recruitment: Sourcing and advertising
  • Selection: Application, screening, interview, offer, acceptance
  • On-boarding: Policies, HR paperwork, receive corporate culture materials
  • Employee orientation: culture orientation, job shadowing, practice

Early service (engagement)

 

  • Benefits: Employee signs up for benefits and begins receiving EBT, perquisites
  • Contribution: Employee begins contributing in the real job
  • Coworker relations: Ongoing interactions with co-workers at all levels
  • Employee guidance: supervision, evaluation, engagement,

2-year mark is the greatest threat of turnover (retention)

Medium service (seasoning)

  • Experience building: training and development, re-licensing, credentialing, re-qualifying
  • Giving back: helping to train less seasoned coworkers

Long service (adaptation and flexibility)

  • Employee re-contributing: retraining, lateral transfers, promotions
  • Cutting back and giving back: part time and flexible assignments as employees “semi” retire but continue contributing and mentoring less seasoned coworkers

(c) Copyright BCSPublishing 2012

Ten Things Employees Want from Work

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What do employees want most?

Employee satisfaction is something most companies say they want.  Few actually set a specific goal to measure or increase satisfaction.  The ironic thing is that the more satisfied your employee group is the better they will perform.  Good performance means goals are met, productivity is higher and employees are happier. All good things.

If you want your workplace to appeal to quality employees and perhaps be less hospitable to those with destructive tendencies, pay attention to this list. Studies over time have identified some variation of the following 10 employee satisfaction themes which appeal most to good performers.

1.  Interesting work content

This means interesting to employees, not what you think is interesting.  Companies must pay attention to job design and assemble jobs in a meaningful way. It’s obvious that  repetitive, boring tasks are less interesting though they might lead technically, to high productivity. Modern job design principles can strike a balance between employee needs and productivity. Finally, negotiating interesting projects and goals each year adds variety to the normal job duties. Recruitment plays an important role in job interest. Not everyone loves what they do. It’s certainly lucky when you fit the perfect candidate to every job. A good fit is when the skills and approach of the candidate matches the skills and approach required by the position.  The better the fit, the more likely the employee will find value and interest in the assignment.

2.  Advancement opportunities

This is pretty straightforward. Promotions needn’t be a huge leap to the next level of management.  It can be advancing to the position of trainer –  perhaps someone who orients new department staff. There are many ways to carve out additional or more complicated duties for those who show capacity. But when opportunity presents itself, those with the qualifications should be considered for supervisory posts or movement to the next management level. The better you can outline what employees have to do to advance, the happier they will be.

3.  Fair compensation

Compensation fairness in the eyes of employees is primarily external competitiveness – what employees think or know other companies are paying. During tough economic times, however, a living wage at the lower levels is also needed for employees to feel their wages are fair. Appropriate salary levels are driven by balancing four factors: the market, what the company can afford to pay, job duties and internal equity.  Finally, reasonable employees want to see that the best performers get opportunities for additional pay and that folks doing the same work get relatively similar pay.  Just fair, not perfect.

4.  Opportunities for enriched assignments

Enriched assignments involve a seat on a company-wide committee, planning a company outing or working on a project that exposes employees to people and processes in other departments. Good performers enjoy making a broader contribution and being a part of a new venture or project.  They also enjoy meeting new people and learning about things outside their own department. While employees enjoy this, it also develops them and makes them more valuable employees.

5.  Strong leadership

This is where owners and senior leadership staff often fail.  Employees appreciate when management decisions are clear, decisive and based upon a set of principles like:company goals, ethics, fairness and respect. When one employee intimidates management into giving them something they don’t deserve, coworkers will take notice. I’ve listened to employees explain that even though something didn’t go their way they can respect a decision based upon a worthy goal of program sustainability or long-term company survival. In addition, they trust that management won’t get drawn into unfair decisions that serve the unreasonable requests of one particular employee.  They see that management has courage and clear thinking that will sustain the organization over time. When leaders adhere to principles and apply them consistently the best employees will be satisfied. Selfish or egocentric employees will fail attempts to skew decisions toward their personal needs.

6.  To be heard by management

High performers want to feel that their ideas and concerns are taken seriously. They have good ideas and observations.  They’ve performed well for the company so the company should take a minute to hear them out.  It’s okay if you can’t resolve a problem for business reasons.  They’ll understand that.  Employees want to know that you understand and value what they’ve said. This includes less stellar performers as well. No matter how annoying a particular employee may be, it really pays to listen respectfully to their concerns, investigate issues and change things when warranted. Every employee, including poor performers have thoughts and perspectives that can be valuable and deserve to feel heard. Human respect has no exceptions.

When you treat someone disrespectfully, even someone other employees find annoying, employees will notice. You are running the business and they expect you to have more patience.Two common mistakes vex both managers and employees. One is that management listens, makes a decision and then the complaining employee refuses to move on.  They then bug the heck out of everyone by staying stuck on the issue. One good hearing is enough and then they should be told respectfully and firmly that the matter is closed. Management needs to prevent these folks from harassing coworkers about their ongoing issue.  The other mistake is from the opposite angle – writing difficult employees off and failing to listen to anything they have to say.  They can go on and on about irrelevant information and then, there it is, a disclosure of significant wrong-doing or a brilliant idea for saving money.  As a consultant brought in to deal with difficult employees I am often amazed at how an employee has been completely marginalized within a company.   You’d be surprised how often these employees are treated disrespectfully but yet they are still at work.  It is more cruel to leave these employees on the job while all around them see them has having no credibility, than it is to respectfully help them find another assignment.

7.  High, consistent work standards

Studies have shown that quality employees prefer to work in an organization that lays out performance and conduct standards and consistently reinforces them – through performance evaluations, coaching, supervision and structure. Employees think it’s fair when those whose work approach is successful and helpful to others get promoted and those who repeatedly demonstrate poor work approach are encouraged to move on.  Leaders afraid to apply discipline end up creating significant damage to an otherwise productive workplace – as one employee’s approach disrupts others without consequence.  Some owners have no idea how destructive this is and how much respect for them is lost when they apply performance consequences equitably.

8.  An employer with integrity/character

Studies have repeatedly shown that employees working for companies with a code of integrity and a sense of social responsibility to the community, employees and vulnerable populations are more satisfied and higher performing. Emphasizing lawfulness, ethics and fairness is very appealing to the most talented employees.  When a company puts secular/profit goals ahead of ethics you’ll fill jobs but these candidates will be individuals comfortable with that sort of atmosphere. Think: News of the World.  The most capable and high character employees will move on.

10.  Freedom to make decisions that will help reach company goals

This is a very successful and important strategy.  When done well, employees become more satisfied overnight. Decision-making begins at the top (owner) and trickles down.  Every position, including clerical staff have a body of problems and issues they can decide when and how to resolve. Organizations with a decentralized decision-making style promote more meaningful decisions at lower levels. Companies with centralized control have a more difficult time defining meaningful decisions for those at the lower levels.  In any event, it pays to clarify and point out what decisions each position can make and which ones you wish for them to analyze and recommend to the next level up. Employees care more about knowing what issues you want them to exercise discretion over as much or more than they want to make big decisions.  Uncertainty is one of the greatest sources of employee stress.

No one company or organization does all ten things perfectly.  Pick out which of these areas you can easily fix and prioritize the others for improvement over time.

(c) 2012 BCSPublishing all rights reserved

Surviving a Toxic Workplace Without Losing Your Mind

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Today’s workplace culture

Modern American employees are under extreme stress today due to a combination of several related factors:

  • Cost cutting measures;
  • Operating for months or years with over-lean staff;
  • Lack of supervisory training/poor quality supervision
  • Overall pressure to maintain production and quality with fewer and sometimes less-qualified staff

These factors combine to increase pressure and stress in the workplace.  Owners and partners are under their own stress trying to secure financing and to retain profit margins despite increases in the cost of materials and operating expenses. These accumulated pressures will eventually affect relationships among employees and between employees and management.

The workplace includes toxic employees and bullies

One of the most successful articles I’ve written discussed toxic employees and the complicated issues associated with terminating them and shifting workplace dynamics. This online article was viewed roughly 3 times more often than any other article I’ve posted.  Articles on toxic employees, toxic bosses and workplace bullies are increasingly popular today as business owners understand the connection between positive work culture and company success.  Toxic employees control others through bullying.  In a 2010 Strategic, Toxic Employees and Negative Social Dynamics I listed tactics used by toxic employees and how companies need a planned approach to neutralize this behavior. I got to thinking about the employee victims of this kind of manipulation and abuse. I have also been approached by colleagues about how to keep their job when the atmosphere is quite negative.  Today I am writing to these employees who, because of health insurance, financial commitments and job market challenges, cannot easily leave such a workplace.

A 1999 study on workplace stress, Stress at Work reported that 40% of workers surveyed felt their job was “very or extremely stressful” (DHHS, 1999). Though I could not find a more recent survey of employee reports it’s likely that things have become even more stressful for today’s employee.   With high stress and a poor job market more employees must learn to work around these challenges and maintain acceptable job performance.   Avoiding the social and informal power minefields is a skill you can learn.  Those who have the strength and natural instinct for it can be successful without support.  But even with skills if the workplace bully makes you the target, you can find yourself overwhelmed and powerless.

Just use the grievance policy to register your complaint?

Many workplaces are decent and healthy; and some have grievance policies or other dispute resolution strategies that can get workplace disagreements back on track. When this is possible, use these processes. The following material addresses the less healthy and often abusive workplace.  Formal grievance procedures may or may not work.  It might not be safe to speak up in some workplaces due to potential retaliation by a toxic employee or manager. When coaching clients in this situations I urge caution because of the potential backlash.  Please consider any such action very carefully and seek advice from experts before taking steps that might draw negative attention at your office. HR staff can often be trusted to provide support. Trust your instincts as you are the best judge of what course will get the best result. Finally, you are free to consult a legal representative in confidence, when needed.

Abuse is sometimes in the eye of the beholder

A final word of caution on your interpretation of this material.  I’ve worked with employees who felt these behaviors were happening to them when in fact they were treated professionally. Some employees have a keen sensitivity to issues that don’t go their way. Sometimes, employee mental illness can interfere with the ability to interpret reality around them.

Employer responsibilities

A company owner’s first priority is to make the business successful.  From this evolves the need for additional staff—which benefits employees, economic stimulation—which benefits the community and personal success—which benefits the owner’s family/dependents.  Some drastic differences between companies derive from how the owners define “success.” If you define success in only monetary terms, one kind of workplace atmosphere results.  If you define success as a balance of monetary measures, client satisfaction and an employee-friendly, professional work environment, a different kind of workplace atmosphere is created.

Regardless of the owner’s philosophical viewpoint, as long as he/she does not break the law, they are within their rights to run the business as they see fit.  Employees are sometimes of the mind that employers have to be nice, have to take care of them, have to give them time off, etc.  But owners can place as much focus on the bottom line as they wish. That is our free-market economic system.  If this means they are difficult and unfriendly and experience employee turnover as a result, that’s the consequence. Sometimes the nature of the workplace is a result of active philosophical choices and sometimes owners are ignorant of the connection between the way they treat employees and level of turnover or social suffering that results. The amount of discord and employee bickering an employer tolerates through ignorance or neglect is related employee turnover. Those employees complain to everyone about what takes place at work. These matters are somewhat different in union environments.  The article applies primarily to the non-union workplace but the dynamics described here affect union employees and their supervisors.  I know because I have presented to both union employees and their supervisors.

Too bad to stay—Too hard to leave

All of the above combines to set the stage for workplace atmospheres which fall within wide extremes on a continuum. I imagine folks generally know when they are in a very bad or very good job.  The problem is more difficult when the negative parts come on gradually, over time.  These things are hard to see coming and most people wake up at some point to realize that things are not as they wish them to be.  It can also be difficult when you know you have to leave and are looking but the job search is going poorly.  Finally when some things are positive and some are not, what is the right decision?

  • You like the boss but the co-workers are gossipy
  • You like the co-workers but the boss is abusive
  • The money is great but the atmosphere is troubling
  • You like the workers but clients are abusive

Individuals have to decide what will work for them.  Much will depend upon the nature of the employee’s temperament, the specific negative aspects, external employment environment and the marketability of the employee’s skill.

Skills and perspectives needed to navigate today’s workplace

When faced with a negative workplace we have to ask: Do you want to be true to yourself, tell the truth and damn the consequences? Or, do you want to preserve your sanity, fly beneath the radar and leave with some degree of professionalism?  Some employees do fight back; some sue successfully for various negative affects of abuse in the workplace.  The vast majority, however, lose their job and the possibility of any reference for future job seeking.  What’s worse is that some may develop a reputation in the community as a trouble maker.  This doesn’t make him or her a trouble maker but the perceptions are powerful particularly in a small community.

I generally advise two potential courses

You’ll need to figure out how to navigate the least stressful for you while still allowing yourself some performance success, or, find a position elsewhere.  Not on my menu is: stay and complain.  The complaining strategy rarely works out for you, your co-workers or your boss. The way to remain sane in a crazy or chaotic atmosphere is to maintain a clear perspective; remain observant; and use skilled boundary setting to prevent being drawn into battles that you cannot win or situations that will make you a social target.  “flying beneath the radar” is a good way to picture it.

If you can, focus on this approach

In my coaching practice, the following strategies are possible when working with a private, competent support person who can reinforce this kind of detachment:

  • Set realistic expectations of others – supervisors and coworkers
  • Accurately read the landscape
  • Focus on what you can control (what you do and think and say)
  • Perform your job duties to the best of your ability within what you can control
  • Do the best you can within the parameters you are given
  • Avoid whining, complaining or gossip
  • Don’t tell others what they should do (supervisory responsibilities not-withstanding)
  • Mind disclosures to employees who are not trustworthy
  • Get objective, confidential emotional support outside the organization

When should you look for another position?

Workplace dynamics can run from mildly unhealthy to intolerable.  Every individual has his/her personal tolerance level.  Sensitive employees often see the issues coming early and may need to exit sooner than others who are more oblivious to the negative dynamics around them.  In addition, employees who are targeted by negative employees specifically, may have to exit earlier. It is really an individual decision. I find that when I’m having stress symptoms (tight chest or stomach aches) and have tried to resolve issues without success I generally begin searching for another assignment.

Given the above, there are a few things that no employee should have to endure:

  1. When your supervisor or coworker yells, throw things and verbally abuses staff;
  2. When your supervisor gets visibly angry if you talk about things that need to improve;
  3. If a supervisor uses confidential information against you or discloses this information to others who do not have a need-to-know;
  4. If supervisors or coworkers gossip and criticize staff in any public manner or to clients;
  5. Companies in which laws are being broken;
  6. When employees are singled out and punished after privately or professionally disclosing the behaviors described in 1-5.

Looking for another position

Finding a job while working full-time is a considerable challenge.  Employees are cautioned not to do this on company time nor with company computers, email or Internet connections.  Working on resumes, checking advertisements and other job pursuit activities should be done on home computers.  Begin contacting trusted friends in the community and network in a low-key manner.

Giving notice

I’ve heard from many victimized employees who are dying to give the employer a piece of their mind.  Perhaps the company has an exit interview process for terminating employees. Most of the time, exit interviews are conducted in a professional and good-faith manner.  However, in companies compromised by fear and intimidation this may not be an effective strategy.  I can feel my HR colleague’s irritation when I say because terminating employees are a potential source of valuable candid information.  You are not obligated to provide your observations. It’s your choice.  In addition, burning any bridge can come back on you at employment reference time.. If you feel you must give some feedback, do it in a non-personal and professional way.

Exaggerated feedback examples to make the point

  1. Personal: “My supervisor is a jerk.  I have never seen a more abusive, horrible person!”
  2. Non-personal: “I am surprised at the manner in which my supervisor conveys his dissatisfaction with our performance.  I don’t think yelling and intimidation are effective tactics and I should think this method won’t help the company meet its operational goals in the long run.”

Good luck.  Email me with your own survival stories- sbenoit at benoitconsulting dot com

_________________________

Sources

1. Benoit, Suzanne V. (2010) Toxic Employees: great companies resolve this problem; you can too! to see an excerpt or to purchase go to: purchase book

2. DHHS and NIOSH Publication 99-101 (1999) Stress at Work, accessed March 2011 at: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/99-101/

Living Right and Doing Well at Work

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There is an expression, “right living” that means roughly being ethical in your behavior and truthful with yourself. Being happier at work is within your control and can result from “living right” at work. As an employee for over twenty years I have made all the mistakes noted in this material. Some, more than once. These mistakes combined with my human resource training, clinical background and an Al-anon program of recovery have led me to some suggestions that might help you.

It is assumed you generally perform well enough and pick the right jobs over time. This post won’t apply to someone in an abusive workplace or who are working for an abusive boss. It’s meant to help the majority of folks who work for someone else and perform reasonably well. It is certainly easier to try these principles if the workplace is healthy but ironically, they are actually more useful to reduce stress in a less-than-ideal work situation. It is in those times that one needs to monitor his/her own behavior at work. These strategies will work. You will be happier and will feel less stressed in the place where you spend the majority of your waking hours – at work.

Ten Principles to Living Right and Doing Well at Work

1. Turn in your best performance
2. Put out the energy that you want back
3. Accept what you can and can’t control
4. Take responsibility for what you do and think and say
5. Compliment others when they do well
6. Don’t take responsibility for what others do wrong
7. Accept that the owner runs the business
8. Read the political landscape – eyes wide open
9. Make suggestions to improve workplace effectiveness
10. Stay long enough to make a contribution

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

1. Turn in your best performance

Your paycheck is compensation/exchange for helping the company. It’s an implied agreement. Working within your framework come to work everyday doing your best to understand your job, know what you are accountable for and work toward the company’s goals. Stay knowledgeable about your industry. Read the news, research techniques and ask questions. Learn about what your coworkers are responsible for so you can see how your work fits into the bigger picture. This may also include helping others do well at their jobs too, when you can.

2. Put out the energy you want back

The golden rule is cheesy but it does apply. Put out the positive perspective you would want if you owned the company. When everything around you is going to hell in a hand basket, focus on the little things that went well for you. Don’t get involved in gossip. Don’t talk negatively about co-workers or the boss. You don’t have to avoid co-workers who do gossip and you don’t have to get them to stop (I know it’s tempting). Try acknowledging the struggles they talk about, be sympathetic but stop short of agreeing, and say you have things to get back to. I have experienced toxic coworkers who read my silence as agreement so I simply indicate that my experience has been different but I understand they are struggling. “Great boots (scarf, suit, hat, sweater, etc.), gotta go” and move on, smiling.

3. Accept what you can and can’t control

You can control literally: what you do and think and say, period. People burn out when they try to control the uncontrollable. If you are working harder to get someone to change their behavior than they are working themselves, that’s the signal. Wait, “Am I in charge of what this person says, does, or thinks?” The answer is no, no, no. You are not the boss of the world. Your judgments about what others should do (unless you get paid to do this-coaches, etc.) are YOUR vision, YOUR ideas, YOUR life plan, not theirs. Leave others to the natural consequences of their choices. When they ask or if the opportunity presents itself provide observations, suggest available choices and give them encouragement to find their own way. This does not apply to supervisors who must judge and evaluate the performance of others. That’s a whole different article.

4. Take responsibility for what you do and think and say

When you do or say things that hurt others or that put up barriers to achieving business goals (i.e., offending a customer), admit it, apologize if necessary and move on. You can choose to acknowledge the event, learn from it and improve or you can choose a less effective course, say: A., Pretend it didn’t happen, B., Blame others, or C., Go on and on about your shame, humiliation and worthlessness. Your co-workers will quickly see which style represents your ongoing approach. If taking a reasonable perspective on your own mistakes is difficult for you (it is for many) you might need either an AA or Al-anon meeting. Those who are familiar with these models will understand my point.

5. Compliment others when they do well

People naturally gravitate to those who support them to feel good about themselves. In addition, when a person (meaning you) feel good about yourself, it’s not threatening to give credit to others when it is deserved. This is both fair and right. Never take credit for what others do right. If you are living right and doing well, others will notice and even if they don’t, you’ll be a better, happier person.

6. Don’t take responsibility for what others do wrong

While you don’t have to shame others you can allow others to sit with or in situations they create for themselves. This is how we learn to change. If you touch the hot stove and get burned, you learn. If someone puts their hand between yours and the burner, they get burned and you get off scot-free. If you rescue others too often, they will not learn and you will quickly fatigue. We all know people who blame themselves for everything that goes wrong. It’s tedious and it’s not helpful to a well-run workplace. What I do when a co-worker is feeling badly about a mistake is acknowledge they made a mistake and tell share when I’ve made mistakes too. Help them focus on the future and encourage them to move on.

7. Accept that the owner runs the business

Everyone thinks they know better than the real boss. The owner is the owner, not you. An employer has a right to run his/her business as they please. It may not be “fair,” or “right,” but it’s life. I’m not saying you should work for a jerk but over time, owners who respect employees and run a healthy workplace will do better. This is the natural consequence. Conversely, those who are abusive to employees or allow employees to intimidate one another will suffer unproductive turnover. It is not your responsibility to speed things up or to change the outcome. Your job is to decide if you want to work there. You might be able to achieve small improvements by giving professional feedback but be realistic. If things are very negative look for work elsewhere and let the owner suffer his/her own natural consequences.

8. Read the political landscape – eyes wide open

If there is one mean person in the office that no one seems to “take on,” watch and listen to see why that is. Maybe this employee is someone’s romantic partner. Maybe this person is a toxic ringleader with mad retaliation skills. Don’t get hung up on how this is so wrong or unfair. Yes, it’s unfair but this is the reality. Work within your frame-work to turn in your best performance. If this dynamic prevents you from do well in this job, start looking for work elsewhere. You can certainly confront these individuals and it is possible that something might change for the better but it is more likely that you will make yourself a target. AND you are not responsible for rescuing coworkers from this behavior or saving the business from it’s own poor lack of attention to negative employee behavior. That is a lot of heavy lifting. Chances are many other people have tried and failed. Identify the informal power leaders.

9. Make suggestions to improve workplace effectiveness.

If the business does better, everyone benefits. Providing feedback at work is a part of every person’s job. The trick is to know when to speak up, with the right motives. If you constantly complain about the things you can’t control or the things that make it hard for you, people will stop listening. If you provide professional, well-timed (and not too often) suggestions that will improve things for everyone or a whole department, people start viewing you as a valuable asset with good ideas.

10. Stay long enough to make a contribution

Human resource professionals do not like job hoppers. Yes, you can explain that you had a personality conflict with your boss if this happens at one out of five of your last jobs. If there is a personality conflict with every boss in the last three jobs perhaps you are in the wrong field OR you need to do some personal improvement work.

Universal HR Program Design Principles or Guidelines

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One way to control HR costs and manage employee expectations

Employees don’t always understand how and why their company’s Human Resource programs are designed. As the top HR person in a given company you learn that compensation, benefits, and other programs cannot satisfy every employee.  Most programs are developed for the majority needs and sometimes, offer choices to employees with different needs. 

What strategic principles should guide sound HR program development?  Over time I developed this list.  I use it in HR Strategic Planning but find it also helps to quell employee critique focused on dissatisfaction with one narrow program aspect like: “my salary is not high enough.” or, “If salaries were higher, we could fill our openings faster.”

Five basic HR design principles

To ensure company success; sustainability; and quality service to clients/customers, sound HR policies and programs balance ALL of the following five competing goals:

  1. What the company needs to ensure the achievement of business goals;
  2. What employee groups desire from their workplace;
  3. What company competitors offer to employees;
  4. What is mandated by law;
  5. What the company can afford to provide.

The best programs achieve the optimum balance of these goals.  For lower cost programs employee preferences might have a greater influence.  For programs with a high price tag the company may have to set a budget and work within that number.  Something many companies fail to do is communicate the actual cost of the HR programs offered. Communicating the overall cost of HR programs along with the four principles mentioned above usually moves employee understanding forward in a helpful way.  

As profit margins and cash flow are squeezed in today’s environment many companies must dial back employee compensation and benefits to previous levels. With the right communication program, however, employees can understand and accept these changes especially when they can keep their jobs.

Top Ten Things Employees Want from a Job

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A few years ago I researched what employees really want.  It was preparation for a workplace branding article.  If you don’t have the time or resources to survey your own employees you can use general list to guide company employee relations activities.  If  you are considering a culture improvement project you will want to survey employees for their specific values and thoughts. 

Top Ten Things Employees Want

While not every employee working today wants the following things, the list describes what fairly engaged employees are looking for at work.  What poor-performing employees want would be a different list.  Owners should pay attention to what top performers want as this is the group for which you want your workplace to be the most hospitable.

Employees are looking for the following, general characteristics in a workplace:

1. Interesting work content

Employees should know their own job responsibilities but you can also add annual goals that will change a bit each year.  Consider adding an “annual goals” accountability to all job descriptions.

2. Advancement opportunities

Advancement doesn’t have to be jumping up to the next level of management.  It can be a “lead” position responsible for helping to orient new staff or might have one or two new trainees reporting to them.  It could also mean learning a new area through cross-training. Finally, It’s important to pay attention to guiding current employees who have the skills and capacity for the next level of management so that they are ready when opportunities arise. 

3. Fair compensation

This means fair, not lavish and not a pittance. Employees in large companies are likely to understand how the company sets their employee compensation standard (market average, above average, etc.).  But for small and medium-size companies employees just want to know that they are paid a fair wage.  If employees are working without a salary increase for two years but senior management gets raises or are wasting company money, employees will quickly take notice.

4. Opportunities for enriched assignments

This can seem difficult in lean staffing times but cross-training and company-wide improvement projects can offer employees opportunities to learn new things, meet new co-workers and overall feel like they are growing.  Good employees want the company to succeed and will pitch in when needed.  Just make sure you are watching the duration of additional assignments and that individual workloads don’t stay too high for too long.

5. Strong leadership

If you are a leader who worries whether unpopular decisions make the company less appealing to strong performing employees, the answer is no.  Employees understand that if you try to please individual employees the quality of poor decisions is limited only by the stupid things their co-workers ask for.  Smart employees understand that their wants and wishes must be limited in favor of long-term company survival. Employees actually like it better when your articulate a set of quality and decision-making principles and then stick to them.  The best thing to counter an unpopular decision is to explain the process and factors that went into the decision and how it supports sustained company success.

6. Opportunities to be heard by management

Employees want occasional access to upper management and attention to their concerns.  This doesn’t mean the owner has to go to lunch with employees every day.  It means that when an employee offers a great suggestion the owner should stop by, make eye contact and say how much their contribution was both important and appreciated. There are 1000 different ideas of how to do this.  If you want ideas - Google “employee recognition and reward.”

7. High, consistent work standards

The better the employee (attitude and performance) the more they appreciate high performance standards.  Every employee should have a copy of his/her current job description that lists the jobs accountability and end results expected for that position. In addition, supervisors should discuss progress throughout the year not just at annual performance reviews.

8. An employer with integrity/character

When a negative story is made public or if a company’s practices are generally thought of poorly in the community, employees take notice.  In general, employees want to work for an employer who places emphasis on honesty and integrity.  But it’s not enough to have written values or standards, the company has to use these values in all activities; encouraging employees who personify the values and counseling those who do not.

9. An employer known for quality service/products

Here we are talking about quality again.  This time, the issue is product and service quality and customer/client satisfaction. Good employees take great pride in working for a company that pays attention to the quality of what they offer or produce. Engaged customers fit nicely with engaged employees. Have front-line employees participate in setting quality standards and make sure they understand exactly how quality is defined. Quality doesn’t have to be perfect but you should be measuring it and working to get the trend going in the right direction — up!

10. Freedom to make decisions affecting their work unit

Employees like to have a small piece of the company’s activities as their own, where they can make decisions and affect positive results.  This doesn’t mean you have to push company decision-making to the lowest point possible but it does mean to be mindful of this in job design.  If you articulate company goals and provide information about how company values should guide decision-making then let employees make decisions and take sensible risks.  When they foul up, don’t shame and blame but explain where their process went wrong and send them out to try again, encouraged by your great supervisory intervention!

Toxic Employees: Resistance to Positive Organizational Change

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Context
This article covers the situation of a typical, well-meaning company owner whose organization is harmed by the presence of one or more negatively motivated toxic employees.  The arguments offered here do not respond to the situation in which the owner is the bully. 

Terminology
Here are some helpful terms to break toxic dynamics into their component parts.

Change-agents—usually consultants, supervisors or company executives formally identified and brought in to make changes or fellow employees who have openly challenged toxic employee ringleaders.

Ringleaders—toxic employees who typically have long service and who initiate strategies to acquire and use informal power for negative goals. Typical techniques include intimidation, manipulation and neutralization of others for self-centered goals

Informal power—this type of power is different from the power relationships articulated by the organization chart.  On the chart, the supervisor has some oversight and evaluation responsibilities over those who report to them.  Informal power interrupts or neutralizes this power when toxic employees control co-workers and even their supervisors through the treat of isolation, silent treatment and other forms of retaliation. 

Informal workplace dynamics
Today’s workplace dynamic consists of unwritten “agreements.” Status quo power structures and informal processes develop over time and become well-entrenched unless directly challenged. In a healthy workplace, informal power structure mirrors the formal structure. When the workplace involves toxic employees, the informal structure can be very different from that of the organization chart. In this situation orderly work flow and respectful relations between co-workers suffers. Toxic employees collect informal power over time using rumors, intimidation and retaliation against those they perceive as threats.These tactics can even intimidate supervisors who actually have the authority to change procedures. Those with informal power steer their co-worker “friends” away from employees who they see as challenging their power.  Employees who fail to heed subtle and not-so-subtle directives by those with informal power are often punished with silent treatment, isolation and rumors. Eventually, coworkers “get the message” and learn to go along with Toxic employee desires.

Positive change initiatives
During a human resource program change or major employee relations initiative, toxic employee resistance increases and negative dynamics temporarily worsen before they begin to shift. Toxic employees want and need for the patterns to stay as they are.  This preserves their power and keeps them in control of office activities. When the pattern is challenged, those who stand to lose power try tactics that worked before. When those tactics don’t achieve the desired result, negative behaviors worsen.

Those initiating the change (change agents) often become the specific target of toxic employee activities.  The more determined and strategic the toxic employee, the more challenging and sometimes personal this negative campaign will get. Change agents with thick skin and the ability to see these as social dynamics rather than personal attacks, will have an easier time maintaining the will to follow through with desired changes and improvements. 

Planning
Human resource professionals and company owners who know and understand these dynamics develop a comprehensive and well-thought-out plan that anticipates resistance.  Knowing what to expect is essential to maintain forward momentum.  When negative tactics escalate, you know you are on the right track.  This is a key decision point where the faint of heart may abandon the change initiative. With courage and good planning, you can re-enforce the desired change, hold saboteurs accountable and demonstrate that you have the will to overcome informal power structures.  The chances of successful change implementation are greatly enhanced when owners have the overall intention to create a positive work culture built around business goals, respectful employee conduct and accountability for those who 1.work against company goals, and 2.abuse and intimidate co-workers.