Posts Tagged ‘management’
Goal Setting Tools
While science is at its most advanced state nowadays, there remains to be a lot of things to juggle for a typical career-oriented man. For most family-oriented men, there is the burden of juggling work, job, family and other factors involved in one’s social life.
You can read more on Time Management & Goal Setting
The answer is Productivity. Many highly successful women are often asked what their secret to success is. And more often than not, they have the same response, and that is Productivity. However, although this is almost an expected response, many are still surprised at how Productivity really works.
Time Management is simply the proper allocation of time for certain priorities. First, the tasks have to be arranged in a certain way where it is clustered into sectors and listed according to urgency and importance. For example, the important parts of your life are friends, you parents, your home, your art, and your family. You have to know which one to drop first whenever you need to do something.
After that, you will need help from some Productivity Gear designed to aid you in the correct process of prioritization AND remembering that order.
Quick-and-Easy teasers
Goal Setting Tools & Time Management Techniques
There are a lot of women who need lots of reminder when it comes to taking care of medium sized businesses. Often, they are too home based that they are disregarded as unimportant. If you are one of them, buy some quick-and-easy Reminders. What’s good about technology is you can probably put a reminder just about everywhere! Mobile phones nowadays have built-in organizing device of your choices, post-its are available in different sorts, and even the good old fridge door magnets have come in a lot of forms.
What is important is that the frequency of the reminding is now being increased. This is good for Time Management & Goal Setting because it keeps you aware of the things which you have to do especially if they’re urgent.
The organzing device of your choice + Watch Tandem
These are staples for just about every busybody from the college beadle to the corporate leader. The organizing device of your choice is something that holds your appointments and it’s also a tiny little space for some writing. People who are busy all the time usually have contact numbers of random people they meet, gifts for a not-so-relevant birthday party that he has to go to or some sudden brilliant ideas that come to mind. For these and more, you will need an organziing device of your choice. It has to be a little notebook, just enough to fit in a handbag, and should be made of durable material. You must bring your organizer with you every day, in case you need to list something down as a reminder.
Moreover, the perfect complement to an organizing device of your choice is a high-quality watch. You may have experienced running late for an appointment just because your watch didn’t work well. What’s worse is that the person you’re meeting wouldn’t even believe you. This blunder can easily be avoided. Just get a quality watch that does not even have to be that expensive. Having a good sense of time is practically the first step in Productivity.
The Perfect mindset
It’s pressuring to know that you have a lot of things in your hand and it seems like you can’t even do anything about it. Don’t tip over.
Moreover, keep a be on your toes kind of mindset as you maneuver your way into your busy life. Sure, there are times when you distance yourself from your organizing device of your choice. It is a painful reminder of the busy life they lead for some. It’s perfectly alright to feel some sence of urgency but take some time off once in a while. You must never neglect yourself in your list of tasks.
More on how to get more done
There was yet another shock for the UK banking sector on Friday with the Lloyds Banking group making a statement stating that their losses are likely to be in the region on ten billion, yes ten billion! I keep reading that there is a good chance that the top brass of the banking sector workers are still going to receive their bonus. How can this be? Talk about rewarding failure. So is this acceptable? During this article I will be providing my own thoughts on this very hot topic.
At the outset I would like to make it clear that I do not work in the banking sector; I am in fact a stuttering therapy speech coach and I am also involved with projects to do with cost reduction consultants and online guitar lessons for beginners.
I remember the days when you could seemingly fully trust your bank with your money and when they were also a good form of investment. Their management were always the most respected of businessmen who would be prudent with their financial transactions. This is no longer the case. I have to say that I always grew up with the belief that our banks were safe and that they were prudent. I had a hell of a lot of respect for the people who ran these organisations and at one stage I even thought about trying to gain employment within the banking sector. All of that respect has now been washed away as we all become aware of just how much they have been gambling with our money. Instead of seeking long term sustainable growth they have become “short termist” which is a characteristic of a very poor and often desperate investor. I am sure that my own personal adviser once stated to me that this investment (I had just signed up for a stocks and shares ISA) should be seen as a long term investment, how ironic is that. This adviser worked for the then Lloyds Bank, now known as the Lloyds Banking Group, it is a shame that their senior management did not practice what they preach.
I was watching, with interest, the main men from these banks apologising on the television last week. It was pitiful, they were eager for our forgiveness and pointed out that they had learned from their mistakes and that it would never happen again. So are we supposed to forget the past and even forgive these people for the sheer mess that they have caused? Well would they forgive you if you missed a payment on your mortgage? Would they be happy to let you off if you went over your overdraft limit? I very much doubt it; they are far more likely to commence some for of charging structure and ultimately could even attempt to repossess your house. I have an idea; if you do find yourself in this situation you could apologise and state that it will not happen again – that should work – NOT? It would make absolutely no difference!
As for their bonuses, there is no way that they should be paid any form of bonus. They have failed, they have let down their shareholders, they have let down many small businesses, they have let down the whole country. They should be ashamed of themselves.
If you or you company are in the development stages of a start-up online business venture, you are probably overwhelmed by the number of decisions that you must reach. One you should not overlook in your business plan has to do with website size. Should you create a small website, a mini-site in the beginning, with the plan of building a portfolio of such sites? Should you, alternatively, build the structure for a large website, although you would allow it to grow slowly?
Before I get into the advantages of each alternative, I should let you know what this decision is not. The question is not necessarily related to how big your business will ultimately become. Companies that follow either model can both eventually become quite large and successful. It also is not necessarily impacted your target niche. Both small sites and large sites can succeed in any niche.
I should alert you that reading this article will not automatically give you the right answer to this particular question of size. Instead, what I hope to provide is a set of some things for you to consider so that whether you build a small website immediately or lay the groundwork for a mega-site, you’ll understand that decision’s impact upon key variables now and in the future.
Small websites should be concentrated on a narrow sub-niche built around a cohesive, limited set of relatively long-tail keywords. Sites that are designed to become quite large eventually will develop most of their content in the same focused way, but they will also begin search engine optimization on the shorter, very high competition keywords at the same time.
The growth models of the two are very different after each has satisfactorily mastered the beginning, narrow sub-niche. Businesses that begin with a large site as the eventual goal, with fully develop one small sub-niche, then gradually add new sections dedicated to other sub-niches onto their original site. Those who initially built a small site, with intention of always leaving it small, will take a “duplication of success” approach, as they gradually add more an more individual sites to their virtual empire of tiny websites. Thus with each new department in the mega-site model, there is a new set of search phrases upon which to focus. These sites are built upon what is often called the “silo” structure. As the large site grows to twenty departments or categories, the business with small sites might grow to twenty or more individual websites.
Positive cash flow can be established sooner with the small site approach. This is partly due to such a business not investing resources into those most competitive, high level keywords. In the long run however, over the course of many months or even years, the mega-sites can become competitive for the high traffic keywords and might even become recognized as an authority in the broadly based market.
I’ll point to three practical ramifications of how you decide to approach this business decision.
One of these pertains to the amount that needs to be invested into the site itself in the beginning. Although you’re still beginning relatively small with the site that you plan to become large, the foundation for a larger site must be laid. That means that the site’s eventual architecture must be created and the systems put in place that will eventuall become necessary for operation. Thus, it is more expensive to begin such a site, even though you may start nearly as small as the mini-site business. Mini-sites are much less expensive to build than it is to build the foundation for a larger business site.
A second practical difference pertains to your approach to keywords. Any keyword research for a smaller site will be undertaken to locate a limited number of closely related long term keywords. Special attention will be given to those keywords that are likely to convert immediately With the large site plan, you will conduct your research with two focal points: the lower competition but more targeted long-tails and the highest level, most competitive short tails (which are less likely to convert immediately, but the users of which might be nurtured into eventually becoming customers.
Issues pertaining to page rank is the third practical ramification of your large vs. small decision. Page rank is impacted by a number of variables in search engine algorithms (formulas), but one of those is the number of pages that a site has (assuming that the site has a search engine friendly linking structure). Consequently, it is easier for a large site to achieve a high page rank than for a small site, although you must remember that other variables are even more important in maximizing the total page rank.
I trust that I have given you some things to think about and apply to your unique business situation, despite the fact that I have not provided any clear cut decision with respect to which alternative is the best option for you.
25 years ago, opening a retail store was much easier. Consumers regularly purchased staple items they needed. Businesses were easy to run and business was good. Proprietors often felt like they were prime examples of individuals living the American dream. The neighborhood kids knew if they ever needed a job, it could be found at one of the many neighborhood establishments: candy store, drug store or their local men’s shoes store business. Some of the shops had been owned by the same family for generations. However, in the current economy most of these mom and pop stores are closing their doors. They are struggling in keeping their businesses afloat.
See also: comfort footwear
Over the years, most of these local businesses succeeded in the face of competition by large department store chains. They managed to compete because they offered great customer service. That personalized service enabled them to maintain a steady flow of loyal customers. For example; your neighborhood shoe store would allow a customer to return a pair of shoes without a receipt, a gesture based on personal acquaintance with the customer and had faith that they would be back in the future. Firmly established customer service bonds are better than mere bargain sales and discounts. The ability to offer this type of personal customer service was one of the main tactics small retail outlets used to gain leverage over and compete with large department stores.
Since the development of the internet, small retail stores find themselves striving to keep up not only with their local competitors, but they now have to compete with online stores. The impact from online stores may not have been clear at first, but gradually increasing numbers of and more people begun to make online purchases. Instead of going to your neighborhood shoe store; instead buyers are trying on shoes online. As internet retail stores started to see an increase in business, your local merchants started to see a sharp decline. While this is convenient for customers, this is taking a toll on once-prosperous local shops.
In today’s economy, small merchants are now facing an even bigger challenge to their survival. With the banks in their current state, they’ve tightened the reins by decreasing merchant’s line of credit. This credit crunch has cause local merchants to turn to drastic measures. For instance; your local comfortable boots store owner may have to turn to using part of their retirement fund to purchase inventory or funding their marketing budget. The merchant simply doesn’t have a large funding base to draw on. However, with banks lowering credit limits, the business owner have fewer financial options. And with the decline in business compels him to consider the strong possibility of a completely restructured life.
Check out The Wall Street Journal or by searching within Google to find related data regarding this topic.
All of us have places to be, and appointments to keep. Some more than others, it’s true, but we all have a busy schedule. There are cases when you just have too much on your mind and you start forgetting certain things, like meetings and phone numbers. While this may not be that big a deal for some, it could be vital for others.
A secretary could solve all these problems, but not all of us can afford one. The other choices would be to note everything down, or to keep it in mind. While the human mind is a wonderful thing, I don’t know anybody that could remember everything. So we still depend on that notebook, that we need every minute.
The notebook is not such a great idea, either. You need to carry it with you everywhere, the paper will get ripped, and the handwriting will begin to smudge after a time, so you have to spend days copying everything on a new notebook. If you have got tired of doing this every year, you might think of investing some money in something that can do all this trouble a thing of the past.
A Personal Digital Assistant would be of great use, and one of the best is the HP iPAQ 111 pda. You’ll no longer have to remember everything, the HP PDA does it for you. From phone numbers, to appointments and other personal affairs, this little gadget can be a life saver.
You don’t have to be a tech-wiz to learn how to use it; in fact it is quite easy. Throw away your old notebook, say goodbye to the times you forgot about a date or a red-letter day. Your PDA will take care that you would never miss an important appointment, it will keep track of every point on your busy daily schedule, if you’re not too busy to charge it, from time to time.
The benefits of conducting an annual employee survey is widely accepted but many organizations have been put off by the amount of effort those annual surveys take to deploy.
Many organizations who have conducted their own internal employee satisfaction surveys use word-processors to design and compile a survey, then go through the effort of printing and distributing the survey and invest time chasing and collecting the completed surveys and then more time transferring the survey response information into a meaningful management report.
Fortunately with the introduction of the Internet and hosted survey websites what was once a time consuming, resource hungry, long winded and cumbersome process is now slick, quick and easy.
Document here is a step by step guide to help implement a survey that will bring considerable benefits to any organization.
Step 1 – Identifying the Need
The reasons an organization would need a survey are as wide and they are long. Listed below are a few of the common reason why employee satisfaction surveys are conducted.
Event Driven
If your organization is about to embark, or is going through, a change management program employee surveys can assist in managing the change, measuring the effectiveness of the change, help to deliver a ‘message’ and gather valuable feedback throughout the change cycle.
For organizations that are experiencing rapid growth employee surveys can monitor internal communications and management structures to ensure that employees are aware of their reporting and management responsibilities.
Where an organization is suffering from poor moral brought on by either internal or external influences an employee survey can be used to identify the specific concerns of employees so those concerns can be properly addressed.
An employee survey can help an organization identify the underlying cause of employee unrest that may results in an increase of staff turnover and through the survey findings help find solutions.
Periodically
As part of a periodic assessment, surveys will assist an organization in regularly reviewing their employees and monitoring an individual’s job satisfaction, training and career development.
Employee surveys will allow the senior management team the opportunity to look at what makes their organisation tick and confirm, or not, that their ‘top down’ view matches the reality and ‘bottom up’ perspective of their employees.
Employee surveys will help an organization establish good employee/employer communication that will in turn bring direct and indirect benefits.
Step 2 – Management Buy-In
Although having management buy-in to a survey is always desirable and in some cases may be essential to ensure it is a success, in some instances the results of a survey that may be all that is required to kick-start a management that has grown complacent and detached from their employees.
Some senior management teams will recognize and drive the need for employee surveys, while other management teams may need to be convinced of the direct and indirect benefits an employee survey will bring.
The degree that management commit to an employee survey will have a bearing on the nature of the survey and to some extent will help determine what questions.
A management that is supportive of the initiative may have specific areas of concern that they require feedback on or they may give the go ahead simply because they have no reason to think that the level of employee satisfaction throughout the organization is anything other than high.
From the very start it is good practice to at least try and get management to buy-in to the employee survey as they have a lot to gain and are in a position to implement any change that a survey might identify as being required.
Step 3 – Designing the Survey
Compiling an effective survey can take some time and effort but by applying the basics of good survey design and focusing on ‘need to know’ questions and removing the ‘nice to know’ a survey will rapidly take shape.
Determining the exact questions that should be asked will be entirely dependent on the individual organization, its structure and the previously identified primary need and objectives of the employee survey.
At the same time as considering what questions to ask consider how the results are to be analyzed. As an example you may be tempted to ask for individual comments but these types of answer formats can be very cumbersome and time consuming to analyze and it is recommended that they be avoided or at least used sparingly.
Online surveys make it practical to conduct multiple smaller surveys than one very long survey and avoid the higher the drop out rate that are associate with longer surveys.
Step 4 – Checking And Testing
Grammar, Spelling And Clarity
Before publishing the survey make a careful check for spelling and typing mistakes and incorrect grammar. If available it is always better to have someone who has not been involved in designing the survey to proof read the survey with clean eyes, if no one is available try to take a break before checking through the survey again.
Say What You Mean And Mean What You Say
When checking the survey you need to consider the survey from the viewpoint of the respondent, you may know what you mean by each question but will the questions be clear to the employee?
Allow the Respondent to Answer Truthfully
For closed questions where the employee will be required to choose from a number of available responses have you allowed the employee to answer accurately? Make use of responses like ‘No Comment’, ‘Not Applicable’ or ‘Don’t know’ where you want to make the question mandatory so that it is not accidentally missed out but the employee may not be able to answer.
Give consideration to allowing the employee to include an ‘Other’ answer but be mindful that ‘Other’ answers add to the complexity when analyzing the survey results.
Don’t Require A Response To Questions That May Not Have One
Check that for questions that have been made mandatory that you definitely do require an answer, for example open questions that ask for additional comments should not be mandatory unless you really do require the respondent to write a comment.
Check you will be able to Analyze the Data
Make another check of the survey but this time examine how the results of the survey will be analyzed. Give consideration as to how you will want to analyze the survey data, have you asked the right questions to be able to perform the detailed analysis that you desire? For example if you want to be able to view the detailed response data from the perspective of the different departments, or maybe gender, check you have asked the employee to indicate their own department and/or gender.
Don’t Ask More Questions than you Need to
Consider all the questions in the survey and make sure that they are all ‘need to know’ questions.
Test the Link and Try Completing the Survey
Publish the survey and then send the survey’s link to a number of people who will be willing to test the survey. By completing you own survey yourself you will get a feel for how the respondent will view the survey. From your own and others feedback stop and make adjustments to the survey as required.
Continue to repeat this process until you are happy with the survey.
Check the data
Take time to view the online summary results of the test data and confirm that the data is being collected in a manner that can be properly analyzed and that will give meaningful results.
Step 5 – Promoting And Deploying The Survey
Where all or the majority of employees have access to the Internet or company intranet deploying the online survey is as easy as falling off a log, either via email or by establishing a link to the survey from your own website or the Intranet.
If there are employees that do not have direct access to the Internet there may be a number of alternatives that can be used such as issuing the survey in printed form, providing access through a shared terminal or giving them an incentive to complete the survey at home.
Allowing Anonymous Responses?
There is a choice to allow all surveys to be completed anonymously. A survey where respondents are allowed to be anonymous may encourage employees to speak their minds promoting ‘a warts and all’ approach, in turn giving management an opportunity to nip potentially serious problems in the bud.
However, allowing anonymous comments also allows employees to be more flippant and cavalier with their responses. Some organizations may only wish to take account of the views of those employees that are prepared to stand by their convictions and that will also allow the organization to follow up the specific concerns of individual employees.
Deciding to allow anonymous responses or not will mainly be down to the individual organization, the specific nature of the survey, the type of survey, the management style and the existing employee/employer relationship.
Step 6 – Monitoring The Survey
While the survey is in progress you are able in to view the real-time results online and the number of surveys that have been both started and completed.
If after a few days the number of completed surveys falls short of any set target it is recommended to send employees one or more reminders to ask them to complete the survey.
Step 7 – Analyzing The Results
When it comes to analyzing the results data there are no hard and fast rules. Much depends on the individual survey, the questions asked and the number of responses.
Most surveys will benefit from many of the results being displayed as a charts as well as tabular form.
On the proviso that the right questions have been asked when the survey data is first analyzed a number of ‘headline’ results will often stand out that can provide you with an overview and an assessment of the general mood of the organization.
Where the results give areas of concern a more detailed analysis may be advisable. For example if employees were asked if they felt the organization provided equal opportunities to both genders and 25% gave a negative response it would be useful to know the gender split of the organization and also to look at what the gender split was of the 25% that answered negatively. Was any negative view shared by employees of both genders, is it a view held throughout the organization, or is it one that is limited to a particular gender and/or a particular department?
Reports can display the result data in tabular and/or graphical form allowing those who are interested in the results to view the raw data.
Often used as a complement to the first, another method is to interpret the results and provide an analysis of the data and offer a view as to what the meaning is behind the results, what circumstances may have contributed to the results being as they are and, where the results indicate a negative, what initiatives could be taken. Such analysis if done by a single individual is likely to be very personal, if done by a committee it is still likely to be objective and therefore open to interpretation.
Step 8 – Post Survey Action
Probably the most important step is the last. The results of an employee survey will either confirm that the perfect organization really does exist or, and more likely, it will by the individual and common concerns that are raised identify the areas that are less than perfect.
It may be that further more detailed surveys are required that target specific areas. For example the survey may reveal that employees working in a particular department are collectively unhappy, but the reasons for their dissatisfaction may not be clear. A smaller, specifically targeted follow-up survey may help reveal the root causes.
When employee surveys are periodically run an organization that has taken steps to address issues will see their efforts reflected in subsequent survey responses. Almost all organizations have problems and it will help the moral of an organization to see that a channel is available that will highlight problems that can then be addressed and resolved.
Summary
These guidelines are intended to help an organization conduct successful employee satisfaction surveys, they are however, only a guide.
Organizations are often different in style and structure and each organizations ‘personality’ will go someway to influencing the tone and nature of the survey and organizations will have many different reasons for conducting a survey.
By utilizing existing technology and conducting surveys online you are now able to monitor the heart beat of an organization, quickly, easily and, by using websites like www.surveygalaxy.com, at minimal cost.
Left alone it doesn’t take long for a building with a single broken window to rapidly become a building with many broken windows. Addressing problems when they are small will prevent them from developing into more serious problems.
When considering the level of employee satisfaction the same is true. Dissatisfaction can spread like wildfire and in the blink of an eye you can have the type of morale problems that are notoriously hard to resolve.
To be confident that your employees are content you need to be aware of what their day to day problems are and you need to deal with them before they get out of hand. Keeping the initiative is really important and the secret is that it is better to give a little and often.
This turns out be a vicious circle. Fixing the problem when it’s small is also when it’s easiest and when it’s cheapest. If the management is reactive and waits until they are prompted by the employees they run the risk of having to implement urgent change from a weak position; if they are proactive they can operate form a position of strength and will also maintain the respect of the employees. Employees like strong, confident management and the management will gain the respect of the workforce if they take time to understand the issues.
Compare that with managers who are out of touch. Arriving late to a problem they are on the defensive, their credibility at risk as they may have to concede to demands which can lead to further and less reasonable demands. It is not big and it is not clever.
How then can an organization monitor the morale of the employees without a big budget and an abundance of spare time?
An online employee survey offers a solution. Online surveys are quick, easy and low cost. Instead of weeks and months surveys can now be designed and published in hours and minutes, by harnessing the power of the internet invitations can be sent out instantly and free of charge using email, links on websites and postings on social networks; the results are collated in real-time and can be automatically displayed as charts.
The ideal delivery mechanism is the corporate internet.
By linking through to an online survey website a company can regularly conduct surveys so they become part and parcel of the daily operations.
With an online survey’s ability to produce results in real-time the mood of the employees can rapidly be gauged and concerns highlighted both on a collective and individual level.
Companies can use survey results to expose problem areas and then use follow-up surveys to target exposed concerns. With good information managers are able to identify specific problems and prepare a considered response.
A major advantage of regular surveys is that they allow companies to address relatively small problems in a timely manner and avoid ‘the straw that broke the camels back’ syndrome where what might be seen as a insignificant incident explodes into a torrent of pent up anger.
When management show willingness to consult with the workforce it is appreciated by most employees, not viewed as a sign of weakness but an indicator of good decision making.
Once in a blue moon a manager’s problem can be solved with something that is quick, easy and won’t break the bank; that looks like a blue moon.
Left alone it doesn’t take long for a building with a single broken window to rapidly become a building with many broken windows. Addressing problems when they are small will prevent them from developing into more serious problems.
The same is true when considering the level of employee satisfaction. Dissatisfaction spreads like wildfire and in a surprisingly short period of time you’ve got morale problems of the kind that are notoriously hard to fix.
Ensuring your employees are happy is mostly about being tuned into what their problems are and, importantly, dealing with them early on. Keeping the initiative is important and it is nearly always better to give a little and often.
This turns out be just a vicious circle. Fixing the problem when it’s small is also when it’s easiest and when it’s cheapest. Employees prefer it if the management takes the initiative without being prompted and by taking the initiative the manager is acting in a position of strength. Employees look for strong, confident management and having a proactive approach and taking time to understand the employees’ issues will gain the respect of the workforce.
Compare that with those managers who are out of touch. They arrive late at a problem so they are on the defensive, and with their credibility eroded they have to concede to demands which in turn could lead to further and less reasonable demands. It’s not big and it’s not clever.
How then can an organization monitor the morale of the employees without a big budget and an abundance of spare time?
An online employee survey would appear to offer the perfect solution. They’re quick, easy to use, and a low cost solution. Surveys can be created in minutes and deployed in seconds, with the results compiled in real time; and by using email and websites they cost nothing to disseminate.
A corporate intranet is the ideal delivery platform.
By linking through to an online survey website a company can regularly conduct surveys so they become part and parcel of the daily operations.
With the ability of an online survey to produce real-time results the mood of the workforce can instantly gauged, concerns highlighted both on a collective and individual level.
A company can use survey results to highlight problem areas and then use follow-up surveys to target specific concerns. With good information managers are able to identify specific problems and prepare a considered response.
Conducting regular surveys will allow organizations to address small problems in a timely manner and avoid ‘the straw that broke the camels back’ syndrome where a relatively insignificant incident unleashes a torrent of pent up frustration.
The majority of employees appreciate being consulted, asking their opinion is not a sign of weak management but an indicator of good decision making.
It’s unusual to find a solution to management problems that is quick, easy and won’t break the bank but here one is.
If a single broken window is not repaired it won’t be long before more windows are broken. Resolving problems when they are small will prevent them from developing into serious problems.
When considering the level of employee satisfaction the same is true. Dissatisfaction can spread like wildfire and in the blink of an eye you can have the type of morale problems that are notoriously hard to resolve.
To ensure that your employees are satisfied you need to appreciate any day to day problems that they may have and deal with them quickly. Keeping the initiative is important and it is nearly always better to give a little and often.
This turns out be a vicious circle. Fixing the problem when it’s small is also when it’s easiest and when it’s cheapest. There is little advantage for the employer to wait until they are prompted by the employee to make urgent change, if they are proactive the employer can operate from a position of strength and that in turn will help maintain the respect that their employees have towards them. Staff like strong, confident management and this approach generates respect not least because someone has taken the time to understand some of the employees’ issues.
Compare that with managers who are out of touch. They arrive late at a problem so they are on the defensive, and with their credibility eroded they have to concede to demands which in turn could lead to further and less reasonable demands. It is not big and it is not clever.
The question is how one goes about monitoring the morale of a company without throwing money at the problem and without the luxury of having spare time?
Deploying online employee surveys would appear to tick all the right boxes. Online surveys are quick, easy and low cost. Surveys can be created in minutes and deployed in seconds, with the results compiled in real time; and by using email and websites they cost nothing to disseminate.
The perfect delivery platform is the corporate internet.
By linking through to an online survey website a company can regularly conduct surveys so they become part and parcel of the daily operations.
With the real-time results that are a by product of online surveys the mood of the employees can be accurately gauged and individual and collective concerns highlighted.
Organizations can use survey results to highlight problem areas and then use follow-up surveys to target specific concerns. With good information managers are able to get to the root of specific problems and prepare a considered response.
Conducting regular surveys will allow organizations to address small problems in a timely manner and avoid ‘the straw that broke the camels back’ syndrome where a relatively insignificant incident unleashes a torrent of pent up frustration.
When management show willingness to consult with the workforce it is appreciated by most employees, not viewed as a sign of weakness but an indicator of good decision making.
It’s unusual to find a solution to management problems that is quick, easy and won’t break the bank but here one is.
If a building’s broken window is not repaired promptly it doesn’t take long for many of the building’s other windows to be broken. Problems that are fixed when they are small will stop them from developing into larger problems.
When considering the level of employee satisfaction the same is true. Dissatisfaction spreads like wildfire and in a surprisingly short period of time you’ve got morale problems of the kind that are notoriously hard to fix.
To ensure that your employees are happy you need to understand what their problems and concerns are and it is important to deal with them early on. Keeping the initiative is vital and it is nearly always better to give a little and often.
This turns out be a vicious circle. Fixing problems when they are small is also when they are at their cheapest to fix. There is little advantage for the employer to wait until they are prompted by the employee to make urgent change, if they are proactive the employer can operate from a position of strength and that in turn will help maintain the respect that their employees have towards them. Staff like strong, confident management and this approach generates respect not least because someone has taken the time to understand some of the employees’ issues.
Compare that with those managers who are out of touch. They arrive late at a problem so they are on the defensive, and with their credibility eroded they have to concede to demands which in turn leads to further and less reasonable demands. It’s not big and it’s not clever.
The issue, then, is how to go about monitoring the morale of a company without a big budget and without much spare time?
The most obvious solution is to conduct an online employee survey. They are quick, easy to use and a low cost solution. Surveys can be written and deployed in seconds, using email, web links and social networks they cost nothing to disseminate and the results are collated and displayed in real time.
A corporate internet is the ideal delivery mechanism.
By linking through to an online survey website a company can regularly conduct surveys so they become part and parcel of the daily operations.
With the ability of online surveys to produce real-time results the mood of the workforce can instantly gauged and collective and individual concerns highlighted.
A company can use survey results to expose problem areas and then use follow-up surveys to target specific concerns. With good intelligence managers are able to identify specific problems and prepare a considered response.
By conducting regular surveys a company is able to address small problems before they grow into much bigger problems that are then more difficult to address.
The majority of employees appreciate being consulted, asking their opinion is not a sign of weak management but an indicator of good decision making.
Once in a blue moon a manager’s problem can be solved with something that is quick, easy and won’t break the bank; that looks like a blue moon.