Filed under: Employee Development, Employee Engagement, Employee Recognition, Employee Retention
According to recent research from Gallup, 70% of US workers say that their jobs are ideal. As you might expect, this percentage is higher for those with more education, those making more money, and for professionals (as opposed to service workers). The likelihood of having an ideal job also increases with age.
Gallup does not provide a historical comparison in the article posted on their website. But I have to believe this has increased – if not in the past few years, certainly when taking a longer term perspective. And on the eve of SIOP’s 25th anniversary, I like to believe that the contributions of Industrial and Organizational Psychologists have played a key part in this improvement in person-job fit.
- Accessibility of career decision tools and processes increase the chances that individuals have carefully chosen the their career path based on values, interests and abilities.
- Effective employee selection processes that include job analysis, valid testing and structured interviews increase the likelihood an employee will have the skills needed to be successful. (more…)
Filed under: Employee Development, Employee Engagement, Employee Recognition, Employee Retention, Uncategorized
The Psychologically Healthy Workplace Conference is taking place this weekend in Washington D.C. (if you are interested in attending there is still time to register). The conference will be a great place to network, learn and celebrate healthy, high-performing organizations.
Some of the key note speakers include:
- Nico Pronk, PhD, FACSM – Vice-President and Health Science Officer, JourneyWell, HealthPartners, an expert on worksite health promotion and multi-component interventions
- Benjamin Schneider, PhD – Senior Research Fellow, VALTERA, an expert on employee engagement
- Cali Williams Yost – CEO and Founder of Work+Life Fit, Inc. and author of Work+Life: Finding the Fit That’s Right for You, an expert in work flexibility and work-life issues
- Rich Cober, PhD – Senior Director of Talent Management Analytics & Solutions, Marriott International, an expert on employee assessment and selection, performance management and hiring effectiveness
- Fran Melmed – Owner, context communication consulting llc, an HR communication consultant and blogger at free-range communication and Fistful of Talent.
- Roy Saunderson, MA, CRP – President, Recognition Management Institute, an authority on employee recognition
- Judy Martin – Emmy-award winning broadcast journalist, speaker and founder of WorkLifeNation.com
- Howard Ross – Founder and Chief Learning Officer, Cook Ross, Inc., an internationally recognized speaker on diversity, leadership and organizational change
- Tonya Vyhlidal, M.Ed., CHPD – Director of Wellness, Safety, and Life Enhancement, Lincoln Industries, an experienced health and wellness professional with a track record of success
- David C. Munz, PhD – Professor of Psychology, Saint Louis University, a recognized expert on organizationally-based stress management training
- Michelle James, MBA – Health Communication Manager, Intel Corporation, an experienced communications professional with expertise in wellness program development and health promotion
- Matthew J. Grawitch, PhD – Chair of the Organizational Studies Program in the School for Professional Studies at Saint Louis University, an expert on healthy workplace practices
For more information please visit: http://www.phwa.org/conference
As we look for signs of better things to come, will we see a super hero streaking across the sky? Making a connection between business recovery and a fictional crime fighter might seem improbable, unlikely or even silly.
In fact, we often find ourselves “looking up” for guidance…especially to the most highly respected companies that seem to outperform all others, year-after-year. Yes, we want to know who’s on top but we REALLY want to know why. We want to know what companies that are succeeding in today’s new economy have done in the recent past to maintain their top position. We also want to know what they are planning to do in the near future.
Questar took a look at what their clients did over the last several years. We found that those clients that fit into the category of top companies (market leaders, or runner up position in their industry), had not abandoned their leadership and talent development efforts in favor of short-term pressures. While spending in 2009 was down 20% across the board, at no point did the discussion of organizational development ever fall off the table. What we saw was that top companies remained steadfast in their focus of developing talent, in part to retain them but mostly because it was simply a part of their organizational DNA. (more…)
Filed under: Employee Development
Questar is proud to provide the survey design and analysis to Asia Society as they recognize the “Best in Class” Fortune 500’s excellence in developing and promoting Asian Pacific American corporate leaders within their organizations. The nationwide survey will be launched on March 1, giving voice to the Fortune 500 Asian Pacific American employees who will tell us what companies are the best at developing and promoting APA talent.
In order to participate or learn more visit Asia Society’s 2010 Asian Pacific Americans Corporate Survey | Asia Society
Today Anna Erickson’s article “Be Careful What You Wish For” was featured in the Good Company Blog. If you have a few minutes you should check it out http://www.phwa.org/resources/goodcompany/blog/2010/02/be-careful-what-you-wish-for.php
A good friend of mine is cleaning out her office this week. You guessed it; yet another victim of recession induced cost cutting measures. But no – (thankfully) she hasn’t lost her job. Just her space.
Late last year her employer evaluated every job in the company to identify who truly needed and who did not need a desk in company-owned buildings. By reallocating unnecessary workspace, the company will save millions by leasing out the newly available office space. As a knowledge worker and manager, it was determined that my friend no longer needed a company-supplied office. So although she lives just 2½ miles from the corporate headquarters, she will be working from home on a full-time basis. ..(more)
More than 38 million viewers watched CBS’s Undercover Boss following the Super Bowl last Sunday. It was one big splash first episode. I must admit that I was one of those viewers. And I loved it.
I am a huge believer in helping senior leaders better understand what happens on the front line – especially by getting them out on the front line. We often hear from survey participants that company leadership doesn’t understand what goes on in the field. Expectations are unrealistic, employees don’t have the tools they need to do their jobs, rules are put in place that simply don’t make sense to the people who have to live by them. So I suspect many of the millions of viewers have themselves wished to see their executives try to do their job.
In the first episode, Waste Management’s COO Larry O’Donnell went undercover to ride in a garbage truck, sort recyclables, pick up trash, and empty toilets. He learned first hand how decisions in the C-suite impact employees on the front lines. And he implemented several changes based on what he saw. (more…)
Filed under: Uncategorized
Note: stick with me here in the beginning. I know what you’ll be thinking in a second: quit with the sales pitch. I only do it to provide a context for my experience from the other day. I promise. Well, sort of…
At Questar, we measure the customer experience. We help our clients deliver a consistent, superior experience for their customers, because consistent, superior experiences breed customer loyalty. And loyalty equates to sales growth.
It’s what we do.
In our industry, customers are typically invited to provide feedback through transaction-based invitations, meaning that you purchase a good or service and then the invitation is printed on your receipt or emailed to you as a follow up. When customers participate in the survey they’re asked to rate the recent experience across all critical touch points, such as: greeting at the door, friendliness of cashier, wait time in line, etc.
The two critical bits of information here are: transaction-based and critical touch points.
So…let’s get to my recent experiences. One is an experience I actually had and one is the experience of a good friend—let’s call him Mike. Mike recently purchased a Blu-ray player and some necessary components from a large retailer. And he received a survey invitation on his receipt as part of the transaction. But after he set up the player, he realized that one of components was the wrong part. When he went to exchange the component the retailer would only provide him store credit because the box had been opened, even though they didn’t carry the right component. Even after he got the manager involved. (more…)
Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” issue arrived in my mail box this week. I love Fortune’s lists. The Fortune 500. The World’s Most Admired Companies. Fastest Growing Companies. But the “Best Companies to Work For” is definitely a favorite.
As always, the companies on this list do some really incredible things to demonstrate their commitment to employees. In exchange, these companies hope to gain commitment from their current employees and build better applicant pools from which to select future employees. Top of the list this year is SAS. As a researcher, I/O psychologist, and all American data nerd, this is great news. SAS will always have a special place in my heart.
Reading about the employee programs that these companies have in place can be both inspiring and intimidating. It’s clear that many of the perks offered by the top employers represent a substantial financial investment. Take SAS for example and its 66,000-square-foot fitness center and natatorium, onsite and subsidized child care and health care facilities, beauty salon, massages, dry cleaning, car detailing, UPS depot, tax preparation, and even a cafeteria that offers take out on your way home from work.
Yet you don’t need to spend a fortune to engage your workforce. I have seen many organizations offer outstanding work benefits on a shoestring. Here are a few ideas: (more…)
Filed under: Uncategorized
Today the American Psychological Association’s newsletter Good Company included an article I wrote. Check it out.
The Babies At Work program at Clockwork Active Media Systems is a formal policy allowing parents to keep their babies with them – in their workspace – while they work. Clockwork has implemented the policy with resounding success and if you believe it’s a program just for working moms, think again. Click on the link below to read the full article.
http://www.phwa.org/resources/goodcompany/newsletter/article/150
Anna Erickson Ph. D. | Director, Consulting Services
Fad (fād) n. A temporary fashion, notion, manner of conduct, etc., esp. one followed enthusiastically by a group.
Every year begins with such promise for new ideas and new ideals, a new way of life we fondly refer to as New Year’s Resolutions (So what’s yours this year? Mine: lose ten pounds, what else?) And every year ends with fads…most of them being that year’s resolutions; sorry to burst your bubble so soon. But some fads do go on to become trends. Some of them stand the test of time. Think iPod and YouTube in 2006; Facebook and Poker in 2007; Wii and Obama for President in 2008.
So I thought it fitting, this being my first blog of 2010, that I take a stroll back through the past twelve months—as painful as that might be…and I’m not even talking about the economy. Take a look at these 2009 fads (in no particular order) I collected from various websites: (more…)
