Archive for the 'Employee Engagement' Category

No, I mean you’re kind of living In Good Company, the 2004 film where Dennis Quaid’s character finds himself working for a much younger boss, played by Topher Grace.  Oh, and also, you actually are in good company…

According to a new survey by CareerBuilder,  43 percent of workers ages 35 and older said they currently work for someone younger than them. (Sorry…no data on how many of these workers’ daughters were also dating their younger bosses.)

That figure increases to 53 percent when looking at workers age 45 and older, and to 69 percent for workers 55 and up. Perhaps not surprisingly, the survey showed that the younger boss/older worker dynamic can be a source of friction in the workplace, with 41 percent of those who work for someone younger saying they had difficulty taking direction from a younger boss. 

The reasons it’s so hard to work for someone younger? According to survey participants:

• They act like they know more than me when they don’t.
• They act like they’re entitled and didn’t earn their position.
• They  micromanage.
• They play favorites with younger workers.
• They don’t give me enough direction.

(What do you think about these findings? Are you on either side of a younger boss/older worker relationship?  If so, does that dynamic affect your workplace? Tell us in the comments section below, or keep reading for tips on how to better manage these types of relationships.) Continue Reading…

• Posted by: Mary Lorenz on February 17, 2010
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• Categories: Employee Engagement, Generational Hiring, Survey Results

Reality-TV-addicted hearts were breaking all over the country Monday night as Ali Fedotowsky left ABC’s  “The Bachelor” and its newest bachelor, Jake, in order to keep her job. While Ali’s two worlds were separate, however, the lines between work and love are often much blurrier. In fact, 37 percent of workers have dated a co-worker at some point in their careers, according to CareerBuilder’s annual office romance survey of more than 5,200 workers.

Would Aly and Jake’s problems have been solved if they had just been in love while sitting in cubicles next to each other from 9 to 5? It’s possible; 32 percent of workers surveyed said they went on to marry the person they dated at work. On the flip side, though, 5 percent of workers surveyed said they’ve left a job because of an office romance. Continue Reading…

• Posted by: Amy Chulik on February 10, 2010
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• Categories: Employee Engagement, Survey Results

Oh, Patti Stanger, once again, your wisdom has unwittingly transferred over to the world of recruitment and talent management…I’m referring of course to TV’s Millionaire Matchmaker, who I’ve once likened to a talent recruiter in how she is often challenged with finding a happy medium between giving her clients what they want and what they need – even when the two don’t always align.

In Tuesday night’s episode, however, Patti exhibited the qualities of a manager who understands the value in providing opportunities for employees to develop the skills that will not only help them succeed in their endeavors, but ultimately reflect well on her abilities as a leader. 

During the episode, Patti coaxed her client, Michael, to take a class that would help the “painfully shy” bachelor to become more outgoing. While the scene already served as a great example of how managers should actively encourage their employees to improve their skill sets, Patti went one step further. She went the unconventional route by making Michael take an improv comedy class, which she recognized as a way to not only improve his confidence, his ability to engage his date in conversation, and ultimately his chances of closing the deal securing a second date…but also to help him have fun doing it.

What is improv comedy? If you’ve ever seen “Whose Line Is It, Anyway?” (or last night’s episode of Matchmaker) you’re already familiar with improv, or improvisational, comedy – that is, comedy that is made up on the spot by a group of actors, based on a suggestion from the audience. 

How improv works in the business world.  There’s a reason why companies like Pepsi, McDonald’s and United Way have utilized improv theaters like Second City and iO for their corporate training – and why several business schools include improv classes in their curriculum: The very skills that improv comedy teaches performers for use on stage (and, evidently, singles for use in the dating world), also transfer remarkably well to the business world. Among just a few of the business and presentation skills it helps students hone:

• Thinking on the spot
• Listening and communication
• Collaboration
• Innovative thinking
• Taking initiative
• Knowing one’s audience
• Presenting with confidence

Improv is also a great team-building tool – not least of all, because it’s a unique experience employees get to share. But with its “Group Mind” mentality, improv also teaches groups to work together and agree on a uniform idea, while recognizing every person’s individual input. In fact, the first lesson taught in improv is to say “Yes, and…,” an exercise that helps others get along, and learn to accept others’ unique ideas.

For these reasons, improv is also great for developing your own management skills, as the “Yes, and…” aspect forces you to listen and explore the possibilities contained in new ideas, rather than rejecting them off the bat. You’ll gain trust and respect from employees by learning how to listen to others in a way that shows they are being understood, and learning to stay open to new ideas. It also forces you to pick up on nonverbal cues, such as body language and eye contact, helping you better understand what your employees are telling you, even when they don’t say it aloud.

Why now? At a time when employers are struggling to keep workers engaged and retain them, investing in this type of training can not only raise morale, but it also sends a clear message to your employees that you’re committed to providing learning and development opportunities (a lack of which is a major reason employees leave companies) – and that you care about their engagement in the company.  Continue Reading…

• Posted by: Mary Lorenz on February 4, 2010
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• Categories: Employee Engagement, Employee Retention

If you’ve snuck a peek at CareerBuilder’s Big Game ad winners, you’ve probably noticed a recurring theme: workers questioning their current jobs because of workplace behavior. 

Say what you will about the bizarre premises of casual Fridays with everyone in their underwear or, um, flatulent colleagues, but the inspiration behind these ads is sure to resonate with employees across the nation, if CareerBuilder’s latest survey is any indication.

The survey of over 4,900 workers nationwide, released Tuesday, found that 39 percent of workers don’t feel that they fit in with their colleagues.  When asked to name specific behaviors that have made co-workers feel as if they don’t fit in, workers reponded with the following: Continue Reading…

• Posted by: Mary Lorenz on January 29, 2010
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• Categories: Employee Engagement, Survey Results

Is the recent drama with Conan O’Brien over at NBC hitting a little too close to home? Perhaps you’ve seen this sort of thing before? Like, maybe…at your own office?

Today, NPR compared the recent high-profile contract disputes between the network and the soon-to-be-former “The Tonight Show” host to a ”surprisingly familiar workplace mess,” where NBC’s efforts to get around the contract it made with Conan six years ago - and more or less force Conan out – are not unlike what you might see in today’s workforce when poor management mistakes are made.  

 Additionally, where NBC has succeeded in alienated Conan fans (a.k.a. Team Conan) with its behavior, employers too risk alienating the entire staff when they do something that is seen as unfair (even if they insist on attributing it to “cost-cutting” measures).

Of course, NBC being the powerhouse it is, the risk of the company losing overall viewership over Conan backlash is probably slim to none.  Any other employer, however, might not recover so easily – and risk losing the trust of the rest of the staff, consequently doing serious damage to both morale and its employment brand. After all, employees reason, if management is willing to  treat one employee this way, who’s to say it won’t do the same to anyone else? Continue Reading…

• Posted by: Mary Lorenz on January 21, 2010
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• Categories: Employee Engagement

When it comes to finding new ways to recruit – while keeping costs down (bonus!), employers and recruiting firms might want to take a cue from some companies’ advertising departments. Take for instance, Vail Resorts, which was recently featured in this AdAge digital report.  In the video, Vail CEO Rob Katz describes how the ski resort cut its advertising spend by 89 percent to focus almost exclusively on in-house marketing efforts using social media.

Listening to Katz speak, I couldn’t help but draw parallels between how Vail was using social media to draw customers, and how any other company might use the same tactics to recruit and engage employees.

Continue Reading…

• Posted by: Mary Lorenz on December 2, 2009
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• Categories: Employee Attraction, Employee Engagement, Social Media