Opinion: Praise reduces staff turnover

Dear A.M.: I am going to guess your employee mix is made up of teenagers and/or college students. Based on that premise, there are three actions I recommend.

No. 1, be liberal with your praise and recognition. An April 20 Wall Street Journal article, “The Most Praised Generation Goes to Work,” points out that teenage employees strongly desire acknowledgement of their efforts. Do not wait until they have the work down perfectly before you notice it; thank them for their efforts along the way and watch their motivation soar. When they foul up, spend less time focused on the mistake and remark on the good things they did, too. My teenage son stayed for less than three months at a good job because his boss harped on the negatives and said nothing of his correct work.

No. 2, train your employees better and faster. Many companies underinvest in training, and it leads to employee feelings of frustration and incompetence. No one, regardless of age, likes to feel embarrassed that they do not know what they are doing in front of others. Training fulfills a powerful intrinsic motivator called competence. When it is lacking, turnover skyrockets.

No. 3, reinforce role importance. In an Ernst & Young study, 59 percent of employees said that one of the best ways to motivate them was for managers to reinforce the importance of their individual roles in the organization.

Dear Mark: Do you have any suggestions on how to do an employee job satisfaction survey? –J.E.

Dear J.E.: Employee job satisfaction surveys can help improve retention and improve productivity – if they are done correctly.

First, plan to do your survey at least once annually. You will want to establish a benchmark on your first survey, and then create action plans for improvement. Plan to do your second survey six months later so that you can gauge the effectiveness of your efforts.

Second, utilize a credible survey instrument that will give you a true picture of your organization’s strengths and its weaknesses. Send an e-mail to mark@thepeoplekeeper.com, and I will send you a free survey to use.

Third, absolutely make your survey anonymous and confidential or you will not get valid results.

Finally, report the survey results to employees. This helps build trust, creates more openness and sends a powerful message that you highly value employee feedback.

Dear Mark: How can a positive person handle very negative or underperforming co-workers or associates, without being dragged in themselves? –G.M.

Dear G.M.: Negativity is all around us, at work, in society and, yes, in our homes. Unfortunately, negativity is toxic, and it often spreads to others, especially if they are constantly exposed. A positive person who wants to keep their spirits high should take four actions.

No. 1, don’t be a receptive listener. You’re not obligated to listen to a co-worker’s misery-musings or incessant complaints, so turn your attention elsewhere.

No. 2, refuse to stoop to their level. Weak people moan and complain a lot but rarely do they bring any solutions. You don’t want to be viewed that way, so live on a level above it.

No. 3, take regular inventory of the positive things and people in your life. Be aware that people with bad attitudes feel miserable about themselves or their lives. They want to make everyone else miserable because it helps justify their despair. Stay above despair by reflecting upon the positives.

No. 4, regularly and consistently point out the positives to negative people. This principle works like displacement theory; it slowly moves out the dominant negatives to be replaced with positives. This doesn’t happen overnight, so give it enough time to work before you give up on this person.

Workplace Solutions

Do you have a workplace question you’d like answered? Ask business consultant Mark Holmes via e-mail at sbj@sbj.net, and he may answer it in an upcoming Leadership First column.

Join in on workplace conversations with Holmes during Leadership First Friday, a monthly lunch discussion covering workplace topics and business books. The next Leadership First Friday – 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. Jan. 4 at Great Southern Bank’s Operations Center, 218 S. Glenstone Ave. – covers Jennifer J. Deal’s “Retiring the Generation Gap.” Purchase tickets here or call (417) 831-3238.

Mark Holmes, owner of Springfield-based Consultant Board Inc., consults and speaks nationally on increasing sales, service and employee performance. He can be reached at info@thepeoplekeeper.com.