How to Win Great Employees

Did your company make it into Glassdoor’s Employees’ Choice Awards? No? Well don’t worry, the New Year is here and what most people do every year is make resolutions.  If you recognize your company needs change this year, make your resolution to achieve a culture that your employees can thrive in.  If you are wondering what kind of culture employees thrive in, the kind that wins awards and has employees singing your company’s praises, then check out some of the perks from the top five companies on the list:

Google was listed as number one according to the Glassdoor’s Employees’ Choice Awards.  As reported by employees, some of the perks of working for an internet giant include:  Retiree Health and Medical, On Site Health Care, Flexible Hours, Work from Home, Free Lunch or Snacks, Paid Holidays, Gym Membership, Pet Friendly Workplace, Childcare, Dependent Care, Company Social Events, Professional Development and Training.  These are in addition to the basic medical insurance and 401K or other retirement plan.

Nestle Purina Pet Care Company and Boston Consulting Group employees reported Sabbaticals as one of their many perks.  F5 Networks, developers of network management platforms, offers employees 3 weeks of paid vacation in the first year of employment and “Beer Fridays”.  Most of the top five offer Free healthcare, free snacks and a work from home option.

What is the one thing they all have in common? They all have the desire to invest in their employees in ways that benefit the employee professionally.  Tuition Assistance and Apprenticeships were highly prized benefits.  Professional Development and Training programs are used to provide opportunities for employees to enhance or learn new skills.  F5 company employees believe the company’s training program is a valuable asset. 

While you may not be able to bring pets into work or offer completely free medical to your employees, you can give them something that employees themselves say is more valuable than free snacks: an education.  Helping your employees with professional development is an achievable goal for the New Year.

Knowledgecity.com offers corporate training for Business, Computer Software and Safety Compliance.  With convenient online training courses that can be taken anytime and anywhere, set your resolution in motion and offer KnowledgeCity training to your employees.  We are adding new courses all the time.  Visit our website for a FREE TRIAL.

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When it’s Time for a Change

With 2015 fast approaching most individuals naturally begin to reflect on what has come to pass and start thinking about changes they want to implement in their lives for the coming year.  Change is inevitable whether we want it or not.  The same is true in business.  Technology changes so quickly it is obsolete before it hits the store shelves.  Customers wants and needs change at the drop of a hat.  The economy booms and busts with fluctuating fanfare.

To challenge the status quo businesses need to know when it is time for a change and embrace it.  Why? To stay competitive, explore new opportunities for growth and to meet the needs of their customers and teams.  Whether you resist change or roll with it will determine how many bumps and bruises your company will endure.

According to an article in the Houston Chronicle, “Why is Change Important in an Organization?” organizations who ask “Why?” often discover the answer in new ideas and innovations that can in the long run impact the productivity of employees and the company’s bottom line.

So how do you know when it’s time for a change?

1. Your business has hit a plateau. Your team has given all they can and used every facet of their skillset.  Much like the New Year’s diet and exercise resolution, it hits us hard.  We are struggling against a current and find the shore no closer.  It’s time for a change.  Maybe you need to add to your team—some new blood to invigorate—or perhaps you need to develop the team you have with training.
2. Your competitors have shaken things up. Competition is never a bad thing, but it may be time for a change.  When the going gets tough the tough focus on what they do best and evaluate the situation.  What are your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats?  The SWOT analysis can lead to important changes that can keep you competitive.
3. Your financial projections are amiss. When your financial picture looks askew, it’s time for a change.  Ask yourself these questions: Are your original projections accurate? What forces, both external and internal, are affecting these projections? When you have the answers to these questions you can work to fix what is possible to fix and make plans to work around the unfixable.
4. Employee morale has plummeted.  It’s time for a change.  Have you ever conducted an exit interview?  Have you ever polled your staff for feedback?  These are good ways to test the waters and see where the spoke in the wheel has become unhitched.  Sometimes employees leave and never tell you the real reason why.  Don’t wait until the wheel is broken and the support is gone.
5. Loyal customers have jumped ship.  Now, consumers can be fickle and it may not be a thing but when your biggest fans walk away—it’s time for a change.  Number one, ask your customer for feedback.  Research reviews on your business.  Ask your sales team for their insights.  Re-examine your product(s).  We can’t all be WD-40, some of us will need to change.

The best way to embrace change is to educate—yourself and your team.  Knowledge is power.  Knowledgecity.com has some courses for you to consider in the New Year: Managing Change, Building a Successful Team, Marketing Principles, Strategic Brand Management, Managing Assets, Managerial Budgeting, HR Management, Consumer Behavior, and Operating a Business are just a few of the courses that can help your business manage change with ease.

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Leadership is A Skill You Can Learn

What is a leader?  A leader is a multifaceted style that encompasses more than managing people.  According to Kevin Kruse in an article for Forbes, “Leadership doesn’t automatically happen when you reach a certain pay grade.” (What is Leadership?)  It is a learning experience all its own.

"Leadership scholars define a leader as a person who sets attractive goals and has the ability to attract followers, or constituents, who share those goals. Above all, a leader must be trusted and respected. Trust between a leader and constituent’s opens up two-way communication, making it possible for them to realize their common goals." (Marvin Bower, The Will to Lead)

One of the most important aspects of leadership is good communication skills.  Whether it is coaching or delivering performance evaluations, leaders need to have the ability to communicate effectively.  Leadership and communication skills can be taught.  The ability to communicate and build teams is important for emerging leaders to be able motivate groups of people toward a common goal—the goal of the business. 

In an article, Businesses Don’t Fail – Leaders Do, Mike Myatt writes: ”Why do businesses fail? If you’re willing to strip away all the excuses, explanations, rationalizations, and justifications for business failures, and be really honest in your analysis, you’ll find only one plausible reason—poor leadership.”

In our new course series, Management to Leadership, instructor Dena Loverde explores the differences between managing people and leading them.  Not everyone is a leader, but with the skills learned in this course anyone can learn to be one.

Take a sneak peek at the lesson: Leader as Goal Setter, from the course Defining Leadership which will be posted live on our website: www.knowledgecity.com in the coming weeks.

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