We've Moved!!

It's true...we've moved to a new URL location. You can now visit us at: http://rideau.com/blogs/roy-saunderson

We hope to be able to provide you with even more access to resources and tools to help you get recognition right.

Look forward to seeing you visit us at our new home.

Regards,

Roy

Wasted Time on the Job

My friend Michael Ballard sent me an interesting set of statistics compiled by On-Line Schools, about wasting time on the job. It is a great graphical layout of the stats so I highly recommend you click on and visit the link.

It seems the average American worker wastes 1.7 hours per work day. Please note that is not per week but per day!

What do these employees spend their time doing? The answers may or may not surprise you.

44.7% Distracted by the Internet
23.4% Socialized
6.8% Handled personal business
3.9% Spaced out (and they actually admitted this!!)
1.3% Applying for other jobs
19.9% Other

Employers in the U.S. end up paying out $759 Billion dollars per year for work that isn’t actually performed.

Remember there are only seven reasons why people don’t do what you want them to:

1. No Expectations
2. No Feedback
3. No Training
4. No Resources
5. Reward Wrong
6. Punish Right
7. Ignore Either

No Expectations: If you don’t spell out what you want people to do and why they lose focus and of course get distracted. Tell them what’s expected of them and then get out of their way.

No Feedback: OK. So you told them what you expected of them. Now, how are they doing? People want to know how their performance stacks up against others. If they are on track tell them. If they need a simple course correction, coach them along.

No Training: How can we expect people to know all the skills, competencies and abilities to do the job perfectly? We may need to provide education and training, job shadowing and mentoring. Show them what to do.

No Resources: Nothing is worse than being told to do a job and you’re not given the proper tools or equipment to do it right. Make sure you provide people with the software, the hardware and the knowhow to do what you need them to.

Reward Wrong: Looks like many companies are rewarding employees with the opportunity to waste almost 2 hours a day at company expense. The leadership, management and systems in place are allowing this negative behavior to be rewarded – and in cash too!

Punish Right: Someone might try to speak up against wasting time and be shot down by peers with lines like, “well everybody does it!”, “Trying to be a goody-goody?” We need to create an environment where employees can bring up concerns and issues without retribution.

Ignore Either: Occasionally negative behaviors are totally ignored. They are neither directly rewarded nor purposely punished. Managers simply ignore what’s going on and when the cat’s away the mice do play.

Let’s be careful with allowing wasted time to eat away at productivity. We must ensure employees have a clear purpose in their work and that it’s meaningful for them. We must ensure their actions and results are valued and they can see how they are making a contribution.

Now stop reading this blog entry and quickly get back to work!!

Don't Forget Volunteer Appreciation

Just got back from vacation where my wife and I volunteered for 11 days at one of our church’s historical sites. We fast learned the value of seeing volunteer appreciation and recognition in action both from our volunteer coordinators as well as with our fellow volunteer couples.

Here are some things we saw and learned:

* Provide both a general and a specific orientation session to review duties and responsibilities. This gets you at ease with all you will be doing and irons out the unasked questions or chance to ask those not addressed.

* Provide an orientation booklet with a list of all contact information of coordinators, volunteer schedule, and their assigned responsibilities. Sometimes you forget things so having this resource to refer to is so helpful.

* Hold a pre-shift meeting each day and each time thank volunteers for what they have done previously and what they will be doing that day. The faces may change but what a great way to connect each day you’re on shift.

* Assign volunteers to participate in pre-shift meeting in some way if only to give an inspirational or motivational thought for the day. For newly assigned volunteers to be involved in some way when everyone is together is just a nice way to feel important.

* Give any kind of report to show progress whether number of visitors or individuals assisted based on the services provided. Knowing how volunteers are making a difference by whatever metric available is important.

* Have some snacks and drinks available in the volunteer break room and invite volunteers to add goodies as they can. We noted the gamut from healthy fruit to sweet tooth homemade and bought candies and cookies.

* Take photographs of individuals during service and where possible arrange to take some group shots as a keepsake. Life can get busy as volunteers so stopping to capture these photos is a great memory maker.

* Go the extra mile and get a photo album and not only include the individual and group photos but take some of the site locations so they won’t forget their experience. These days we tend to send things electronically to one another so the tangible album with compiled photos was a great WOW ! moment.

* Include a photo guide to show the names of each individual. Some people’s names are easier to remember than others so having a coordinator make time to create a legend was a wonderful gesture.

* With permission include the contact information of all volunteers so people can stay in touch with one another. Friendships are made very quickly with other volunteers so having each other’s contact information is lovely to stay connected.

* Provide a small gift to thank volunteers that will be a memorable reminder of their experience together. When you volunteer it is choice, so receiving a thank you gift for service given is far from expected but graciously appreciated.

* Have a small celebration with all volunteers at the conclusion of the term of volunteering. One never knows when one will be back together with the same people you served with so take some time out to say farewell and give hugs and handshakes together.

Integrating Recognition

Recognition is too often viewed as an isolated act by way of practice – or a point of transaction through an administered program.

In reality, recognition needs to be integrated into everything we do on a daily basis for it to be perceived as being REAL and part of an organization’s culture.

Take time to look at your day and how you can integrate recognition giving into everything you do on a moment-to-moment basis.

Imagine:

* Holding the door open for someone
* Smiling at people as they pass by
* Greeting people and saying their name when known
* Starting off meetings with acknowledging achievements
* Wording your emails so there is gratitude expressed
* Providing either instant or soon-thereafter feedback for work well done
* Thanking people by looking them in the eye when routine tasks are done for you
* Even as a senior leader sitting down to lunch with any group of employees in the cafeteria
* Taking time to be specific with the wording for emailed or written notes or appreciation
* Ensuring awards are presented as a celebration experience and not just a presentation
* Spontaneous stop bys on people just to find out how they are doing
* Make letters communicating a promotion are a chance to acknowledge a person’s contributions
* Taking time out as a small group to celebrate a project completion or new client acquisition
* Praising people either privately or publicly according to a person’s preference
* Sending a note perhaps with a gift or flowers to a spouse to thank them for supporting an employee
* Meeting with an employee before sending them to training to indicate they are going because of their exemplary performance
* Taking time to highlight the behind the scenes work of those often missed through high performance programs
* Leaving a simple note with a favourite treat at the end of the day for a challenged employee
* Leaving a voice mail message after an employee has left to commend them for what they did that day

Meaningful Recognition

When was the last time you received “meaningful” recognition?

Meaningfulness occurs when people experience an activity that resonates with their chosen values, or when it connects them with people they like, raises their sense of competence, or gives them an ah-ha moment of insight.

I think meaningful recognition occurs when an individual’s contributions are properly acknowledged and appreciated in such a way that the person feels honored, valued and respected.

This is why I state that “Real Recognition” happens when the giver and the recipient BOTH feel recognized. Meaningful recognition is a two way street between the recognizer and recognizee.

Share your meaningful recognition experiences with us, explain what made it meaningful and we’ll publish the results.

Nick's Pizza & Pub: It's NOT About the Pizza

Max Brown and I conducted a great radio show interview today with the founder of Nick's Pizza and Pub, Nick Sarillo, and one of his many great employees, Joe De Luca.

Nick is quoted as saying "It's not about the pizza". When we asked Nick about that he came right back at us with the company's purpose statement. Read this carefully, because it says a lot about this wonderful pizza restaurant.

Our Purpose: “The Nick’s Experience” Our dedicated family provides this community an unforgettable place, to connect with your family and friends, to have fun and to feel at home!

Joe, who is a GEN Y Millennial said that when he comes to work he is simply going to hang out with friends, work hard, and have fun because "we're family".

Nick said probably 40% of their workforce is Millennials. He admires the great work ethic of this generation because they want to understand "why" they have to do certain tasks and work. At Nick's Pizza & Pub they have a purpose statement and values that are constantly reinforced right from hiring to two days of orientation JUST on the purpose, values and communications before anyone even touches any pizza ingredients. With this great purpose these young employees are making a great experience for Nick's customers.

Is this focus on culture and purpose making a difference?

Nick Sarillo reports less that 30 percent turnover in an industry typically averaging 150 percent turnover level. He is outperforming the industry earning averages and even sustained performance and sales during the down economy.

Nick has learned how to create and keep corporate culture one slice at a time.

Nick's Pizza & Pub