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Do your employees feel valued? How do you know? What are you doing to make you think they feel valued? What are they doing to make you believe they feel valued? If you don’t know how to answer these questions you’ll want to read this article. Don’t just assume your employees are happy, help them to be happy and productive. Your bottom-line will appreciate it.

Workforce Sustainability – How to get the most out of the employees you have!

We’ve heard it over and over: A happy employee is a productive employee.

It’s not like I can cut you from the bottom of your left earlobe down to your forth rib pull that out and go: “See there, that’s your work. Or that’s your personal life.” It doesn’t work that way. We are all like a fine tapestry and when one thread is tugged it affects the others.

Whether you work for a large corporation or for a small mom–and–pop shop you spend a considerable amount of time at work.

That’s why it’s so important to consider the whole employee when determining and providing ways of showing appreciation.

When an employee feels valued they will focus more on the positives of the Company / Management / Task rather than the negatives.

With a more positive outlook people have feelings of being honored and appreciated for not only what they do but also for who they are. This helps to develop an environment that gives people freedom to be their best and to do their best.

We talk about the sustainability of our environment. Our employees are part of that environment. It’s very difficult for a person to concentrate on work, deadlines, and going “above and beyond” when they are unhappy, unhealthy, or have feelings of being unappreciated and over worked.

The workforce today has to accomplish more with less. More work with less people and resources. If employees are using precious mental energy on worrying about their work environment, they will have less of that energy to devote to accomplishing the work.

Employees, people are our greatest resource yet we don’t always treat them as valuable.

Tips for creating a valued workforce:

Health and wellness programs

Health and wellness programs help to cut the costs associated with poor employee health, which include absenteeism, loss of productivity, and poor work quality. There has been a 25% jump in corporate interest in providing Employee Health and Wellness programs.

A healthy and happy person will be more productive in the workplace. Employers are discovering that providing programs and resources directed for the benefit of the employee is good for the health and happiness of the company’s bottom line.

Coaching

Coaching is a hot topic among Fortune 500 companies and a recent Fortune magazine article showed executive coaching yields a return on investment of almost six times its cost. According to Fortune, benefits to executives who received coaching included improved working relationships, productivity, quality, organizational strength, customer service, employee retention, cost reduction, bottom-line profitability, and reduced customer complaints.

You don’t have to be among the Fortune 500 or an executive to realize improvements in productivity, organization strength, and customer relations. In fact, you don’t even have to leave the comfort of your own office. Coaching is provided through a telephone, at a fraction of the cost of executive coaching.

In one company that had launched a coaching program they were able to identify specific financial and intangible benefits that came as a result of their coaching.

The two things most significantly impacted by the coaching process were:

• productivity
• employee satisfaction

These two items alone demonstrate just how valuable a good coach can be to your business.

Additional benefits derived from the coaching program were:

• work output
• work quality

Happy employees are not only more productive they are more creative and more willing to go “above and beyond”. They are also more willing to “think outside the box” which is where the most lucrative innovations and creative problem solving originate.

Imagine how even a ten percent increase in work output by you and your employees could impact your bottom line! That alone would more than reimburse you for the costs associated with a quality coach and coaching program.

Training

More companies are starting to realize that it’s smart and profitable to invest in training for their employees. Technical training for specific job requirements has always played a part in the corporate world.

Now, training is being considered for the improvement of the employee for the employee. Employers are  recognizing that this improvement will also benefit the company’s bottom line.

A few training topics that companies are finding particularly beneficial are:

• Stress reduction and management
• Goal setting and achievement
• Communication
• Nutrition
• Fitness

Training can take many forms. Depending on the employee’s learning style, it can be on-line, in a traditional class room setting, one-on-one, on-site or off-site.

According to a Gallup Poll, 80 percent of employees said the availability of company sponsored training programs was a factor in deciding whether to accept a new job or stick with a current one.

Mentoring

Mentoring programs are classic. The focus of a good mentoring program will be on the development of the employee.

Initiatives to recognize and reward staff can improve an employees’ feeling of being valued, but even a simple “thank you” from management can dramatically improve the extent to which staff feel like key contributors to the organizations’ success.

Don’t mortgage the future of your company by ignoring your employees.

TJ Helm, Certified Professional Coach and founder of Galileo Professionals Services, Inc., provides training programs and coaching services to help you achieve the very best you, you can be. Visit http://www.DoLifeBetter.com, email tj@DoLifeBetter.com, or call 503-846-9228.

Just because the holidays are over doesn’t mean peace and good will toward one another have to end as well. You spend too much time at work for it to be unpleasant. You can change your little corner of the world and the people in it by changing what you do and how you do it. Let this article give you some tips to make your little corner of the just that much better.

Boosting Workplace Morale

Whether an employee or an employer, you can be part of the solution for boosting morale in the workplace. Many employees seem to act as though they are in direct competition with one another. If you are vying for a raise or a promotion, then this may actually be the case. However, this does not mean that we cannot treat each other with respect and compassion. These two simple, yet powerful items, go a long way for boosting morale.

Here are some simple steps to making co-workers feel good, and in turn, make you feel good about yourself:

• Say “good morning” or “hello” to colleagues. This shows that you have acknowledged them and may brighten their day. Though not everyone will reply, you can feel good knowing you tried to play a small positive part in someone’s day.
• Compliment a new article of clothing, piece of jewelry, or hairstyle. However, make sure that you are sincere. Do not say it if you do not mean it.
• Commend someone on a job well done. Much good work goes unmentioned. We all want to know that we are doing a good job and feel valued, particularly if a project has taken a long time or a difficult situation has been dealt with diplomatically and successfully.
• Stand up for others if you see they are being bullied or wrongly accused of something they did not do. Be careful how you approach this situation though, especially if it is your boss you wish to approach. Uphold your ethics and maintain diplomacy.
• Give credit where credit is due. If you and a partner worked on a project, but you were the only one to receive any credit, make sure that it is known that the other person contributed as well.
• Be a good listener. If a co-worker is having a personal or job-related problem, lend an ear.  However, do not join in gossip if that is what he or she is looking to do, as gossip is one of the most destructive things that takes place in the workplace.

As an employer, here are some tips to boost morale:

• As mentioned above, commend someone on a job well done. If an employee is feeling a bit down or unsure if he or she is truly appreciated, this simple act can turn his or her outlook right around.
• Celebrate goals achieved and let all employees know that they played a part in the success.
• Bring in the occasional treat. In all honesty, who doesn’t love free food?
• Celebrate births, birthdays, and workplace anniversaries.
• Have an open door policy and encourage employees to approach you regarding any work-related concerns, or non-work-related issues if you so choose.
• Try to accommodate. Employees are human beings too with lives outside of work and special events to attend.
• Plan special days or incorporate Casual Fridays to create a more relaxed, yet work-oriented atmosphere.
• Have a suggestion box and encourage employees to share their methods for improving productivity, efficiency, service, and staff morale.

You can also think up your own creative ways for improving workplace relations and fostering a friendly and supportive environment. Since we spend a good portion of our day at work, why not make it comfortable and enjoyable for everyone?

Candace Davies, Owner of A+ Resumes for Teachers is a Global Career Management Professional dedicated to assisting educators worldwide leverage their strengths, accomplishments, and unique selling points to capture their dream career. Her team has successfully assisted 3500+ education professionals by transforming their talents into concise documents that secure numerous interviews.

Please visit her at http://resumes-for-teachers.com or send an email to candoco@telus.net

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