Between layoffs, hiring freezes, profit losses and budget cuts, human resource professionals have seen many unhappy employees in the recent recession.
So now that we’re in a post-recession economy, is everybody happy?
Hardly! As the saying goes, “If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy,” and there are a lot of unhappy mamas, and papas, in today’s work force.
According to the Job Seeker Nation 2010 Jobvite Survey released last November, roughly two-thirds, or about 77.5 million, of American workers are either actively seeking a new job or open to a new opportunity. Companies anticipate a mass exodus of talent when the economy gains steam.
When leadership and talent development consultant Nancy Lewis tells clients that they need to invest in training their people, she often hears, “What if we train them and they leave?” Her reply, “What if you don’t train them and they stay?”
“According to a 2010 Society for Human Resource Management article, disengaged employees cost American companies $350 billion annually,” said Lewis, president/owner of Atlanta-based Progressive Techniques Inc. “That’s a huge problem for companies and human resource professionals who are struggling to recruit and retain the best talent.”
It’s not enough to find them and hire them, she said, if the corporate culture can’t keep them. “The challenge is to create an environment where people are engaged and developing their talents. You need to invest in your people, and you need to start now,” she said.
That can be a hard sell in companies where HR doesn’t have a seat at the leadership table and is brought in on the backside to deal with the fallout from hard decisions.
“Human resource managers have very important and constantly changing jobs,” said Jean Houston Shore, managing member of Atlanta-based WorkStrong Consulting, LLC and author of “Working Together Better.” “It’s crucial for them to understand their industry and to be able to show how what they do affects their company’s bottom line.”
She likens the job to “adjusting a giant ergonomically correct chair that must support the competitive strategies of a company. There has to be a constant adjusting of the levers to enable the company to succeed.”
One of those levers is to coach managers in how to improve the engagement of their people. In the current economy, workers have become disengaged for many reasons. Many are overwhelmed by the change of new responsibilities, new leadership or added workloads and have lost the ability to cope, Houston Shore said.
HR can provide surveys, focus groups and meetings, or refer people to employee assistance providers who can give them time and space to work through their feelings.
Other workers have lost interest because the job no longer offers the intrinsic or extrinsic rewards they want.
“Either the salaries, benefits and bonuses [extrinsic benefits] are no longer satisfying, or the intrinsic rewards of an energetic and productive atmosphere, positive relationships with co-workers or personal recognition may no longer be there,” she said.
“Many workers no longer feel valued or connected to the big-picture goals of their companies,” Lewis said. “They find themselves not having the resources or skills to do the job. They see their hours extended and their pay or benefits cut, and they feel shafted.”
Lewis tells managers that to re-engage their workers, they must first see them as whole people, and to have the “courageous conversations” that will build trust and allow leaders to see what is really going on.
“It’s time for managers to learn and use soft skills like communication, recognition, mentoring and caring because soft skills can have a hard impact,” she said.
“Whatever happened to thank you for a job well done? Today’s workers certainly aren’t overloaded by praise,” Lewis said.
While HR may be locked into salary caps or higher benefit costs, they could grant low-cost but desired benefits like flexible work schedules, personal days, gym discounts or stress-relief classes — ways to help them balance their lives and do their jobs better.
“Companies need mentoring and training programs that encourage people to develop their skills and to ensure that knowledge is being transferred. Smart companies create a pipeline of future leaders,” she said.
Atlanta Technical College has a training program that prepares middle managers to become supervisors, directors or deans.
“We believe in growing our own. We develop our staff to become leaders, find that the idea of upward mobility is contagious and good for morale,” said Marilyn Smith-Robinson, director of human resources at Atlanta Technical College.
With more than 30 years of experience, Smith-Robinson admits that this is an exceptionally challenging time for human resource professionals. The college is hiring, but finding the right talent to meet the job requirements isn’t easy.
“People today tend to apply to everything. They may have the ability, but not the right degree,” she said. Competing with the higher salaries of clinical and business settings is also difficult for an educational institution.
“Of course, we always tell candidates that they’ll have an opportunity to influence the next generation in their field,” Smith-Robinson said. “That passion has to be there, but we also believe that we’ve created a pretty good work environment.”
In 2007, the college developed its own customer service training program, “Extreme Hospitality,” for its roughly 1,050 faculty and staff members. “We trained select staff, and they trained everyone else. Our goal was to knock the socks off of people with our service,” Smith-Robinson said.
“We got really positive feedback from our students and business partners,” said Terreta Rodgers, director of communication and marketing at Atlanta Technical College. “But it also raised awareness with our staff about how important good customer service is to our goal of providing a quality education.”
Customers can fill out a “You Make Me Smile” card when they receive exceptional service, and employees are proud to post those in their workplace.
The college also takes employee satisfaction surveys, hosts focus groups and conducts town hall meetings where faculty and staff can raise concerns directly with the college president and HR director. “Cookies and conversation” functions give newcomers a chance to meet with college leaders in an informal social setting.
“When everyone feels connected to the vision and knows that they are a part of our success, there is very little employee attrition,” Rodgers said.
An employee recognition program honors outstanding contributions and years of service with plaques and perks.
“We also conduct a performance review of all employees twice a year, which allows them to gauge how well they are doing and us to address concerns,” Smith-Robinson said. “The many channels of communication keep employees engaged. We want to be an employer of choice. That’s how you attract people who will contribute to your organization.”
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