Filed under: Uncategorized
Questar attended the Nottingham Trent University Placement Fair this past week. I represented our company along with current placement students Sophie Spalding and Adam Billingham. It was a great first time experience and we had the chance to meet many first and second year students that are already trying to secure a placement for their gap year in 2012.
Nottingham Trent University believes strongly in students undertaking a work placement during their time of study and I understand and support their way of thinking. Entering the workforce with a year of practical experience is invaluable. While working, students can apply the theories they are learning in the classroom and then take back what they learned to make their final year at the university their best year yet. As a company supporting this program there are also some great benefits to us. We have the chance to assess individuals that could potentially help us in the future. It allows a lot of flexibility in our staffing. The students are extremely motivated and committed to learning while on the job. There are also public relations benefits and opportunities as well.
In addition to meeting students looking for placements I also met students that had completed their placements and were now in the final year at NTU. Many of these students were stewards at the Fair helping out the attending companies and placement seekers. Comparing the personalities and confidence levels of pre-placement students to post-placement students was fascinating. The students coming up to the booth were mostly shy, unsure, and seemed a bit intimidated. The student stewards were confident and composed.
I also enjoyed watching how Sophie and Adam grew a bit as the day went on. Early on I did a lot of the talking, but later they really stepped up and started to take the lead with many of the conversations. They did a great job explaining their role with Questar and promoting the company. It was nice to hear them talk positively about their placement with us. They seemed really proud to tell other students that they had “real jobs” and were working with one of the largest Questar clients.
Overall Questar’s appearance at Nottingham Trent University’s Placement Fair was a great success. I look forward to furthering my contact with some of the students we felt best matched the needs of our company. In addition, look for Questar to be back on the NTU campus again next year!
Steven Mars | Vice President
Filed under: Customer Experience, Employee Engagement, Employee Retention, Uncategorized
The fast food industry has one of the highest employee turnover rates compared to any other industry. When I worked in a fast food restaurant back in high school, I saw new faces at least once a week, but only to see some of them quit after a mere week. To be fair, I only put in five months myself. New employees equal a lot of time spent training and patience for mistakes. Because fast food is meant to be “fast,” it’s hard to be satisfied dealing with employee turnover situations that only slow business down.
Perhaps we should turn to the research for a little guidance?
Employees in the fast food business work in a broader industry called “dirty work.” The concept of “dirty work” was first introduced by a social psychologist in the late 1950’s, referring to work that is either disapproved or stigmatized by members of society who do not work in such jobs. I’m not saying that people disapprove of fast food. However, few people aspire to become a worker at such restaurants. According to the research, we tend to wonder how they can do it. (more…)
Filed under: Uncategorized
As Apple is holding its annual Worldwide Developers Conference this week, it seemed fitting to post a blog on how tablets are changing the way we shop- a revolution that Apple helped to start.
A few months back I wrote a blog about how smart phones are changing the way we shop. With the tablet market (iPad, iPad 2, Motorola Xoom, H.P. Slate etc.) exploding, it is poised to do much the same. Many of today’s largest retailers are now making–or have already made–web sites/apps specifically for tablet users. (more…)
Filed under: Employee Engagement, Employee Retention, Executive Leadership, Uncategorized
As the “great recession” begins to ease, many employees are poised to leave – up to 84% according to some research. And as their employees become restless, leaders in many organizations begin to shift their focus once again from cost containment to talent retention. Yet despite reemerging enthusiasm for talent retention, many organizations are basing their retention efforts on faulty assumptions. (more…)
Filed under: Customer Experience, Employee Development, Employee Engagement, Uncategorized
I had been thinking about switching internet providers for a few months. A few weeks ago, I saw a promising ad for a free modem and a free month of service followed by a low monthly fee. Sounded pretty good to me, but I wanted to see it in person. I went to one of the company’s kiosks at a local mall, tested the connection on one of the laptops, looked at the coverage maps, and asked a few questions. Next came the sales pitch. (more…)
Filed under: Employee Communication, Employee Development, Employee Engagement, Uncategorized, Work Life Balance
Will you be buying your employees a gift this holiday season? Do you wonder what they really want?
A couple of weeks ago I blogged about a few of the things that employees are most thankful for. But not all is rosy in the world of employee opinions. While employees are thankful for many aspects of their work, there are some (more…)
Filed under: Employee Engagement, Employee Retention, Research, Uncategorized
As Thanksgiving approaches, Americans pause this week to reflect on their blessings. So what are you thankful for? For most people, the intangibles probably come to mind first – the many things that money can’t buy like family, friends, and experiences. Basic needs that are met may also make the list – shelter, clothing, food. And in an economy where more than 9% are unemployed, this Thanksgiving holiday many are thankful that they have a job.
If you ask people why they work, they will probably mention money as the primary reason. But if you ask people what they like best about their jobs, money usually doesn’t top the list. Work brings so much more to people’s lives. Over the past 25 years, Questar has asked millions of employees what they like (more…)
Filed under: Employee Engagement, Employee Retention, Uncategorized, Work Life Balance
Imagine for a minute the following advertisement I saw in my inbox yesterday. There is a man floating down the Colorado River sporting a t-shirt, plaid shorts, and a fisherman’s hat. The water is calm and he looks to be getting ready to snap a shot of the Grand Canyon from a turn in the river. And what does the caption say? “Freedom is life outside the cubicle.” Ok, it’s piqued my interest and I decide to scan the text. “Get work/life balance… Life is freer outside the office …remote access to your computer…” Got it – it’s a remote access software program. But just as I’m hovering over the delete button another line catches my eye and I read on: “Update a file while you’re enjoying a long lunch… be in two places at once… Print a file on your work computer to a local printer – say, at the beach resort you’re enjoying for the week.”
Printing a file from a beach resort would be the last thing on my mind. Don’t get me wrong – I’m all for technology that helps me be more productive. I may not be addicted, but I regularly use my company’s VPN and check email from my smart phone. The duality of the messaging got me thinking. Are freedom and connectedness (more…)
A colleague forwarded an interesting post to me yesterday titled “The Trojan Horse of Employee Engagement.” The title instantly piqued my interest – maybe it was the image of 30 I/O Psychologists stashed away in a giant wooden horse. The author, David S. Cohen, Ed.D., raised some very interesting questions throughout the article and laid out 7 specific ones.
This “geek” is glad you asked. These types of questions come up all the time – and they are good ones. At Questar, we are always up for a game of devil’s advocate, so here is my reaction to your 7 questions. First a bit about engagement. Sure, productivity is becoming increasingly important. But it’s not just about getting employees to work harder. It’s about retaining the best talent, aligning behind values, and helping employees grow with changing needs of the company. All things I/O Psychologists strive to help organizations do better. It’s about the antecedents, the experience, and the outcomes. I think that is why it has had such great success in practice. People get it – even if it’s not a neat and tidy construct.
1. If you are not engaged, i.e. not excited about the work you do, can engagement training get you more involved? Conversely, if you are excited about your work, is engagement training a waste of time? (more…)
Filed under: Uncategorized
Yesterday Questar announced the capability for our current and future clients to seamlessly integrate sentiment and text analytics into their customer experience measurement programs. And we couldn’t be more thrilled, to tell the truth, because this is no small announcement. Why, you ask?
Well, let me tell you a little more about Questar’s new friend, Clarabridge.
Where to start…how about here: Clarabridge is the leading provider of text analytics solutions to track and improve the customer experience. Period. They provide Global 1000 companies with the ability to automatically collect, classify and apply sentiment analysis on text-based verbatims found in voice of the customer feedback channels. (more…)
