Managing Employees and HR

Get Out of the Office

SBOCTeam — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 16:06:00 GMT

Providing your employees with a reliable social support system is a key way to ensuring they stay happy and productive

By Max Berry

The link between work stress and serious depression should be a concern for every small business owner, but the way to keep your employees happy and productive may be simpler than you think. A 2007 study conducted by researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center-and subsequently published in the American Journal of Public Health-found that, while five percent of those surveyed had struggled with serious depression, employees who felt socially supported at work were far less likely to be afflicted. Scheduling some social time for you and your coworkers away from the office is an excellent way to keep your own support system strong.

No Job is ‘Just a Job'
"Our work defines who we are. It defines you in a way you don't realize," says Dr. Emma Robertson-Blackmore, an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester and one of the leaders of the medical center's study. With so much of a person's life spent at work, the dangers of feeling isolated or unsupported at the office are very real. Employees who are unhappy in their lives are going to be unhappy in their work. That equates to unproductive time at the office and an increased number of sick days, both of which spell bad news for office morale and a company's bottom line.

Employers are often leery of encouraging office fraternization, fearing it could become a distraction. However, an office friendship is far less treacherous a distraction than isolation or unhappiness. As Robertson-Blackmore puts it, "Having someone to blow off steam with is an instant pick-me-up."

And, while the office may not be the ideal place for blowing off steam, Robertson-Blackmore contends that, wherever the steam is released, being able to release it with coworkers is important. "If you tell a spouse or family member about something you're going through at work, obviously they'll listen to you," she says. "But they're not in your work environment. [Your coworkers] get where you're coming from."

Oh, The Places You Could Go
To both encourage personal bonds between coworkers and perhaps pave the way for more socializing outside the office, consider taking your team on regular field trips. Where you go will depend on who's going with you, but here are a few ideas.

The company picnic is a tradition for a reason. A picnic is informal and may make for a good first outing, since no one will be intimidated or inhibited by the surroundings. This goes doubly for employees' family members who, presumably, will be meeting for the first time. Picnics can also be potluck, which makes for an inexpensive day.

A formal sit-down dinner at a nice restaurant may be appropriate once coworkers have already had a chance to bond and are comfortable enough with one another to enjoy the more upscale environs. A nice dinner is also a good way to celebrate an achievement at work. Plus, employees with families may appreciate the chance to have a kid-free night out.

If you are looking to include the kids, an amusement park is a viable option. Many offer discount packages for large groups or corporate events. Note, however, that roller coasters and water rides aren't everybody's speed. Gauge your staff's enthusiasm before booking the group package.

A ball game is the perfect idea for the sports fans on your staff, and even the non-sports fans will likely be interested in taking in the atmosphere. Many companies also take part in office sports leagues. This can be excellent team-building for the right group, but a word of caution: Many of your employees aren't athletic, and many others may possess a heartier competitive streak than their coworkers. Both scenarios can lead to more division than unity amongst your staff. Tread carefully.

If you're looking to bring some culture into the equation, consider a concert or a play. Many people don't make time for cultural events on their own, and would appreciate the thought. This is another good option for a first foray into extra-office socializing since it eliminates the need for small talk at the start of the evening and gives coworkers an instant conversation starter once the show is over.

A Supportive Home
Still, for any of these activities to be successful, social support must begin inside the office. Robertson-Blackmore advocates open channels of communication between coworkers and, perhaps even more importantly, employees and managers. "It comes back to a supervisor, someone invested in what you do," she says. "Being aware of an employee's needs can make such a difference."

The workplace need not turn into an arena for venting personal problems, but the knowledge that a certain degree of moral support exists is important, as is making the conscious effort to foster that support. "The facts of a workplace play a role in the health and wellbeing of employees," says Robertson-Blackmore. "A supervisor or manager has to make the [work] environment as supportive as possible so that their staff will be as productive as possible."

Campus Candidates

SBOCTeam — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:43:00 GMT

Hiring recent college grads makes great business sense. Plus, given the chance, they could even teach you a thing or two

By Max Berry

Despite what some recent figures from America's job market would have you believe, companies of all sizes are hiring new college graduates at a higher rate than in years past. A recent survey conducted by CollegeGrad.com found that 60% of American companies surveyed plan to recruit more grads in 2008 than they did last year. The reasons for the upswing are many, as are the potential benefits of hiring some new grads of your own.

Graduate Perks
"Small companies drive the engines of job creation," says David Bedard, author of Graduate and Grow Rich. "Up and coming companies need young grads." In sluggish economic times, this may be truer than ever. Recruiting and training a new graduate at an entry-level salary is much more effective for a small business owner on a tight budget than seeking out a more experienced prospect who is already used to higher pay. Factor in the number of baby boomers reaching retirement age-not to mention the salary space they leave behind-and hiring an energetic young grad begins to look like the smartest move of all.

"More than anything, grads are looking for a break and a mentor," says Bedard. And a mentorship should not be taken lightly, especially when a young employee, just beginning their career and eager to make an impression, is so amenable to the ideas and strategies of a mentor.

There are logistical benefits to hiring new graduates as well: They're more tech savvy than generations past; they haven't had time to put down roots and are more willing to relocate than someone with a family; many of them are in debt, and will be extra motivated to get themselves back in the black. Plus, after 18 years of the classroom, new graduates are anxious to apply all that hypothetical knowledge to a real-world job-and they have the energy to do it.

The New American ‘Intrepreneur'
For all that new grads have to offer, an employer needs to offer just as much in return. "There is no such thing as a cradle-to-grave job anymore," says Bedard. "If [new grads] have any entrepreneurial spirit at all, they're going to want to test the waters."

This entrepreneurial desire to "test the waters" may have helped propagate the myth that Generation Y is a flighty bunch; pampered, demanding, ready to give their two weeks at the faintest whiff of a better offer. While Bedard concedes that the reputation may be earned in isolated cases, more than anything these children of the entrepreneurial age are, as Bedard puts it, "looking for the fit," the job that will satisfy their independent, hands-on ambitions.

When it comes to courting America's brightest graduates, the ability to offer them that may be the key advantage an independent entrepreneur has on a major corporation. A national or multi-national corporatioin is regimented in a way that may not appeal to this generation, one that subscribes to what Bedard has dubbed the "make-a-job instead of take-a-job mentality."

A small company can't offer a new graduate the signing bonus or inflated salary that a large company can. What it offers instead for a young person, hungry to find their fit and test their skills, is a stake in the future of a company, be it through stocks, profit sharing, or simply a more tactile handle on day-to-day operations. According to Bedard, a small company offers a twenty-something the chance to "be an entrepreneur within a job, to feed their desire to make decisions on the front line." Employees who look for the chance to do just that are what Bedard likes to call "intrepreneurs."

Small companies are also more likely to offer their employees flexible hours, providing for a better work-life balance, which, according to a recent CollegeGrad.com survey, now surpasses financial considerations for employees aged 21 to 30.

A Turning Tide
"More graduates are going for newer and younger companies rather than blue chips," says Bedard. He's right. Another CollegeGrad.com poll, conducted in February 2006, found that 70% of recent graduates surveyed would prefer to work for a small or mid-sized company than a large one. This may be due to growing suspicions-after years of corporate reorganization, downsizing, and, in the worst cases, outright scandal-about the scruples of many large corporations. "I see more emphasis in college and business school on ethics," says Bedard. "Ethics is a buzz word on campus and that's a good thing."

But as America's graduates begin to think outside the box as to where, and with whom, their first jobs can be found, America's entrepreneurs should keep their minds just as open. Don't rule anybody out too soon. Bedard recommends looking to smaller schools-those prowled less frequently by major corporations looking to make hires-and community colleges. "Community colleges are way ahead of four year schools when it comes to teaching entrepreneurship," he says. "They make it a part of their culture."

The benefits of making Generation Y a part of yours could be substantial.

Engaging From Afar

SBOCTeam — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:49:00 GMT

Keeping remote employees engaged can be a difficult task for a small business owner. But when managed well, your off-site employees can be just as productive as the ones you see every day.

by Max Berry

Sometime during the 20th century, the water cooler assumed a crucial position in the American office-it became a trading post not only for gossip and recaps of last night's television shows, but also for ideas and advice. With a growing number of 21st-century employees working remotely, the water cooler is a quieter place, its role more often filled by e-mail and instant messaging, videoconferences and webinars. Trading ideas used to be simpler, but that doesn't mean your small business has to endure a communication breakdown. Here are a few ways to keep your remote employees engaged and the conversation flowing.

Remote Connection
"It's all about staying connected," says management consultant Carol Hacker of managing remote employees. Regular contact via phone, e-mail, VoIP- or instant message is of course necessary for monitoring work flow and hashing out ideas, but members of a team who aren't working side by side need an established forum, one that can be accessed around the clock, on which to collaborate and check in with their colleagues.

Remote access services like those provided by Citrix (citrix.com) allow for remote workers to securely access and update centrally maintained information from their computers as easily as if they were working in the home office. Microsoft® Office Groove® offers a similar service, along with the capability to share files and create a workspace accessible to every member of your team.

With remote access to company information comes an increased security risk. However a manager chooses to keep his or her employees connected, an annual consultation with an IT specialist will help to ensure that remote connections to sensitive company and client data remain secure.

Being Clear: The Golden Rule
Once a reliable system is in place for remote employees to connect to the central office, a manager needs to set specific protocol for relations between the two entities. Since a manager can't be on-site to monitor remote employees directly, Hacker recommends creating a reference manual for remote workers. The manual should provide detailed summaries of company policy regarding data security and backup, project deadlines, appropriate use of company-issued equipment (especially notebook computers and other portable devices), the frequency with which a remote employee is expected to check in with the manager, and appropriate response times to requests and inquiries from the central office.

As Hacker puts it, "The most critical thing a manager can do is manage expectations." This means delineating, on a project-by-project basis, the objectives, deadlines, and anticipated challenges of every task a remote employee takes on.

Of course, the value of a remote employee's work can't be judged by hours logged in the office. Since they are not able to observe the way a remote employee goes about his or her task, managers must set clear guidelines pointing their employees to the desired end result. Assessing a remote worker's job performance requires a manager to trust the employee to meet company standards using his or her own strategy and technique. "Managers need to measure success by results," says Hacker, "not activity."

Keeping The ‘I' Team
A major component in job satisfaction is working with others toward a common goal. Feeling isolated from the rest of the team can diminish a remote employee's morale and hurt job performance. It is up to the manager to keep a sense of camaraderie and singular purpose among employees, remote and otherwise.

The first thing to remember is that some employees simply aren't cut out for remote work. Either they need supervision to be productive or they simply get listless if they aren't around a surplus of people. Managers looking to hire remotely should address these issues during the interview phase to make sure a new employee can handle the remote environment.

Regularly scheduled face-to-face meetings and social events can stave off the disconnected feeling in remote workers, as can the occasional "just because" call. "Don't always call [remote employees] when there's big news," advises Hacker. "Call to check in." Informal gestures like this quash the potential for a Charlie's Angels dynamic, in which a recognizably named-but eternally unseen-leader provides instructions only when necessary, and only by telephone.

But the opposite tack can be problematic as well. Hacker warns of becoming a "helicopter manager," an employer who compensates for a lack of face time by checking in too often, hovering from afar. This can be just as damaging as infrequent or impersonal contact. "It speaks to a manager not trusting his or her employees," says Hacker. "If you do that, you're going to alienate your best people."

Of course, employing remote workers also offers myriad benefits to employees, managers, and clients. A satellite office in a different time zone means staggered hours to help meet customer needs. A prospective employee who would have faced a long commute to a company's central office may be closer to a satellite office or, if both manager and worker are okay with the idea, may even be willing to telecommute. Remote offices with small staffs appeal to workers who prefer quiet and detest interruptions. And this is to say nothing of what working remotely can do for an employee's confidence. "Remote employees have the ability to approach their work according to their own strength and preferences," says Hacker. "They're almost entrepreneurs."

Fire Yourself

SBOCTeam — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 12:19:00 GMT

How delegating can free up your time and improve your business

By Max Berry

No small business owner can do it all. The idea of absolute control may be appealing, but a little delegation is necessary if you don't want to spread yourself too thin. While training an employee to perform a task you already know how to do may feel like a waste of time, the short term investment you put into teaching someone else will pay dividends.

"Many business owners are micro-managers," says Greg Smith, President and CEO of Georgia based corporate training firm Chart Your Course International. "We figure that we built it, so we're the genesis of everything a company does." While it is natural for an ambitious entrepreneur to feel that way, a successful entrepreneur simply doesn't have the time to do everything at once. So take some pressure off yourself by delegating the tasks that aren't cost effective for you to carry out, as well as those that simply aren't in your wheelhouse. This will spare you the stress of working on something that isn't suited to your skill set and free up the time to focus on tasks that are. You can still edit and fine tune your employees' work, ensuring it is of the standard you require, without giving short shrift to more managerial duties.

Banish Boredom
Some smart delegation will also save you from the perils of under utilizing your staff. Any employee, no matter how talented, will perform beneath their potential if he or she is bored. To prevent this, Smith recommends creating a personal delegation plan for each member of your staff. "Delegate to someone who has the capability, interest, and potential [to complete a particular task]," he advises. Pay close attention to the individual talents of your staff and assign jobs accordingly. Ask every employee you hire what their ambitions are and what kind of work they'd be most excited about doing. If you know this before you start delegating, you can ensure that each employee takes on a task they'll be excited about making their own. But be careful not to pigeonhole anybody. "You want to know what someone's capabilities are," says Smith, "but you also want to broaden horizons. Challenge your employees somewhat. Let them grow."

To this end, you should explain a task's objective and outline the desired results, but don't micro-manage. If an employee doesn't feel like their work is their own, he or she won't be inclined to take pride in doing it well. On the other hand, if you aren't specific enough about the way something should be done, the work you get back may be incompatible with company standards; be very specific about what an employee should achieve with a given task, but trust them enough to let them achieve it their way.

Delegation = Professional Development
Ask as much as you tell. Once you've given instructions, make sure you give your employees the chance to tell you if they need any additional resources or information to get started. Also be sure to hand over responsibility for an entire task, not just a portion of it. It is much easier to involve someone with a complete job than with one piece of a greater whole. This kind of absolute responsibility will give your employees the opportunity to grow professionally, which Greg Smith identifies as a chief benefit to delegation. "Delegation should be seen as professional development," he says, "not just the opportunity to take something off your own plate. Delegating gives people a sense of purpose. It makes them feel like they're not just working a job, but building a career. And it gives them more interest in staying." This last point demonstrates how delegation can work as a kind of insurance policy for the future of a business. "Often times a crisis occurs," says Smith. "Someone dies or retires, and people in the company aren't ready to step up." Using delegation as a means to train your employees, to build their knowledge little by little, means there will always be someone ready to step up.

Reward Good Work
Once you've delegated a task, ask for regular progress reports to monitor how the work is coming along. You should also develop a plan in advance to thank and reward your employees once a task is completed. Rewarding good work, as well as conducting a thorough analysis of how the job was carried out, will make your employees feel more like they had a tangible effect on the course of the company.

Letting your employees have that kind of effect may be the best training of all. "We get locked into the idea that education makes someone capable," says Smith. "That is not always the case." While it is true that there is no education like real life education, there are still some jobs you simply can't delegate. Specific tasks can be assigned to your employees but the major practices affecting how a business functions-setting office policies and standards, conducting performance reviews, hiring and firing need to be handled by the leader. Likewise for the final approval of any product or practice that bears your company's name. As Smith says, "When delegating, you are giving your employees responsibility, but not all the authority

Max Berry is an associate writer/editor for Priority magazine, whose work has also been featured in Business Minds and Favors magazine.