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Top 10 Things Every Business Should Provide for Every Worker - Including the Boss!
Doing business and meeting the needs of workers is increasingly complex. Employees and managers often prefer a cafeteria-list of fringe benefits (a "flexible spending account") so they can choose increased health care, child care or more time off as their individual preferences dictate. But underneath these specifics, there are central needs that most of us want from our work. Money can not buy happiness, and by itself it will rarely purchase a loyal, highly motivated staff (even in a one-person professional office or small family business). 1. Creativity. Every human being has a need to decorate their own office, find their own way to do their assigned task, and have their creativity be recognized. In the sense that all of us are somewhat lazy, often allowing and encouraging "creative laziness" can lead to not only happier employees, but a healthier bottom line. 2. Contribution. Managers have always known that every worker must contribute to the bottom line, but increasingly staff at every level want to know that their suggestions, their efforts, energy and loyalty contribute to the company in many other ways. From the old suggestion box, to recent Quality Circles, every member needs to know that they contribute and that their contributions are valued. 3. Community. The workplace is increasingly a one-stop source of friendships, exercise clubs, day care, health care and anxiety. If you and your staff aren't able to foster a sense of community and teamwork in the midst of a highly mobile, competitive and insecure world, performance will immediately suffer. 4. Personal Development. As out-sourcing and mobility increase, the best and the brightest are increasingly clear that the work they do must strengthen, enrich, and enhance their lives far beyond a simple paycheck. From team building and communication skills, to new technical skills, every member of your business must know that they are growing, becoming stronger and healthier, or they will quickly grow restless. 5. Professional Development. This actually comes after Personal Development. In the past, industrial bosses needed welders or drivers or clerks, and employees were expected to come to the job with these skills. Today, business requires skills that didn't exist even 3 years ago! Asking the boss to manage with last year's reporting system, or your sales force to use last year's website, or expecting the accounting department to cope with an old spreadsheet is asking for bad information, bad decisions, frustration, low morale and high turnover. 6. Challenge. For work to be alive and vibrant, it has to challenge us. From winning a sales contest, to solving international marketing and financial problems, we all love a challenge! Make sure you and your staff understand the "next big thing" and understand that you have confidence in them and will give them the support they need to meet and conquer the challenges ahead. 7. Personal Recognition. While most projects involve teamwork and cooperation across networks, in the end, each individual needs to know that their contribution is recognized, appreciated and rewarded. Often sole-proprietors and professionals in independent practice are the worst offenders! Stop and recognize your own achievements, pat yourself on the back?and share that recognition with others whenever and wherever it is appropriate! 8. Financial Rewards. This is the old (misused and misunderstood) standby. Business has always used incentives, bonuses, competitions and rewards to motivate productive behavior. Unfortunately, in many cases it backfires! The old rule was: pay as little as possible for labor. The new rule: pay as much as you possibly can to hire, train, and retain the very best! Reward yourself and your staff generously and often. It doesn't cost, it pays! 9. Clear vision. From the CEO to the newest trainee, we are all bombarded with so much information, so many messages and so many demands that keeping a clear vision, staying "on message" is increasingly difficult. What, precisely, is each staff member's number one priority? Do you know? Do THEY know? What is the company's primary mission? Confusion about expectations is the number one killer of productivity. Have a target, and make sure everyone knows their responsibility to hit it?.every time! 10. Civility and Mutual Respect. I recently saw a news show about an office where "practical jokes", bias, discrimination and "hazing" were rampant. Of course they are being sued! It's increasingly clear that few businesses can fully meet all of the various rules, regulations and court decisions about employment. It's also clear that most employees don't want to sue or even complain. People want to do a good job in a safe, clean and supportive environment, and they want to know that they and their work are respected. The "bottom line" is common decency and doing the right thing. © Copyright 2003 by Philip E. Humbert. All Rights Reserved. This article may be copied and used in your own newsletter or on your website as long as you include the following information: "Written by Dr. Philip E. Humbert, writer, speaker and success coach. Dr. Humbert has over 300 free articles, tools and resources for your success, including a great newsletter! It's all on his website at: http://www.philiphumbert.com
Latest News:Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for news UAL shares walloped by new posting of old news (Reuters via Yahoo! News) A nearly 6-year-old news story on the 2002 bankruptcy filing of UAL Corp resurfaced on the Internet on Monday, clobbering the airline's shares as some traders mistook the report as current and plausible news. ABC News hammering out Palin interview plans (Reuters via Yahoo! News) ABC News is spending more time trying to assemble the logistics of its exclusive interview with Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin than it did negotiating with the McCain campaign itself. ABC News campaigning in all 50 states (Reuters via Yahoo! News) ABC News will be hitting the road -- and the rails -- for a whirlwind tour of all 50 states before the November election. Game news: 'GTA IV' hits 10 million, EA meets ESPN (AP via Yahoo! News) Real news from the virtual world: Google News snafu leads to airline stock plunge (CNET) After an investor news wire service mistakenly highlights a 6-year-old news story (allegedly sans time stamp) about United Airlines filing for bankruptcy, shares of the carrier tank. Tacoma's News Tribune offers buyouts to 189 staff (AP via Yahoo! Finance) The News Tribune on Monday offered voluntary buyout deals to 189 of its 350 full-time staffers although the publisher said the newspaper doesn't intend to accept anywhere near that number as it works to bring its expenses in line with reduced advertising income. 2002's News, Yesterday's Sell-Off (Washington Post) A six-year-old article mistakenly seen by Bloomberg financial news users yesterday reported the bankruptcy of United Airlines and triggered a massive sell-off that nearly obliterated the company's stock in a matter of minutes. Kenyans React to American Political News (NPR) The United States and much of the world have been transfixed by the current presidential race. Farai Chideya crosses to Barack Obama's father's homeland, Kenya, to get insight into how political news is being received. She's joined by radio reporter Michael Kaloki. United Airlines shares nosedive on old news (BBC News) United Airlines shares nosedive after an old news story about its 2002 bankruptcy battle resurfaces. Column: 'Daily Show' Is One Of Few Fair And Balanced TV News Shows (CBS News) I have this silly little habit of watching the Fox News Channel when I'm bored or in some weird self-loathing state of mind. So for the Republican National Convention, I thought it appropriate to bathe in their conservative credibility instead of the CNN/Barack Obama PDA I witnessed the week before. Site: news - Google News Palm's new smart phone steals the show - MarketWatch
MORE RESOURCES: Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for management Unisys Wins Email-Management Deal From UK Police Force (Computer Business Online via Yahoo! UK & Ireland News) Unisys' UK subsidiary has been awarded a three-year outsourcing contract from North Wales Police to provide email management services. CA Offers Compliance-Management for Utilities Sector (Computer Business Online via Yahoo! UK & Ireland News) CA has launched a risk and compliance management offering for power and utility providers. Vodafone Restructures and Shuffles Management (Computer Business Online via Yahoo! UK & Ireland News) UK mobile network operator Vodafone has announced a series of changes to its management and organization including the split of its emerging markets business into two divisions. Enterprise Asset Management Market to Grow 6.5% Over Next 5 Years (Industry Week) Sept. 12, 2008 -- The worldwide market for Enterprise Asset Management (EAM/CMMS) is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.5% over the next five years, according to a new ARC Advisory Group study. Selfridges rolls out complaint management software (Computing.co.uk) Angelica Mari, Computing , Thursday 11 September 2008 at 16:11:00 Feedback system aims to help maintain service levels Retail chain Selfridges is using feedback management software to build customer loyalty and maintain service standards. The company hopes that the new system will help it identify the root cause... Industry releases content-management interop spec (ZDNet Asia) Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, SAP, EMC, Alfresco and OpenText have released the first draft of their Content Management Interoperability Services specification. Compare your salary Use the IT salary benchmark wizard and know the average salary differences between different job functions. Join activeTechPros. http://www.activetechpros.com Compli And Environmental And Occupational Risk Management (EORM) Announce Partnership To Provide EH&S Compliance ... (SafetyOnline) As part of Compli's continuing effort to provide compliance protection to auto dealerships, Compli and EORM (Environmental and Occupational Risk Management) of San Jose, California, have formed an alliance to provide top-tier Environmental, Health and Safety (EH&S) information and content to dealers through Compli's Dealership Compliance Management System (DCMS) POWER: Lighting management IC drives up to eight LEDs in series (Embedded Systems Programming Magazine) Phoenix, Ariz. ? ON Semiconductor has introduced the NCP5890, a lighting management device that integrates LCD backlighting, fun light controls and ambient light sensing in a 3 x 3 x 0.55-mm uQFN-16 package. The NCP5890 targets compact smart phone and portable media player applications. Union Bank - Edelweiss JV for wealth management service (Business Standard India) Union Bank of India (UBI) in tie up with Edelweiss Securities has launched wealth management services ti tits high networth clients in Mumbai. RedPrairie Enhances Internationalized Shipment Capabilities In Transportation Management System (TMS) (Logistics) RedPrairie Corporation, a world leading consumer driven optimization company, announced today a host of new features in its updated transportation management (TMS) release - built especially for international users. Site: management - Google News MedaSorb Technologies Corporation Announces Management Changes - CNNMoney.com
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