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: 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…)
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
We have all experienced some form of incivility at work one time or another. Someone completely ignored your email. You overheard someone taking credit for your work. You went to get a cup of coffee only to find an empty pot. A coworker criticized you personally in front of the whole group.
As innocuous as they may seem, research has shown us that these toxic behaviors can leave employees hurting mentally – and even physically – and can leave organizations hurting in their pocket books. They have been linked to depression, anxiety, and medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease. They have also been linked to absenteeism, higher turnover, decreased job satisfaction, and lower productivity. Questar’s own research has shown that employees who don’t feel respected by their managers are 5 times less likely to be satisfied with their jobs!
In the interest of creating healthier workplaces, Massachusetts is introducing a law that would allow targets to take legal action against bullies. Sounds like a great idea, right? I am a huge proponent of healthy workplaces and completely buy into the importance of stopping workplace incivility and bullying. But I am skeptical that such a bill could work. (more…)
Filed under: Uncategorized
Today is a very exciting day for Questar as we launch not only our new website but also our new blog. It is our hope that this blog will be a casual setting to discuss the newest findings in customer experience management, employee engagement, leadership and many other topics that can help make your business more profitable and successful. We would like this blog to be an interactive experience for our readers. Our experts will be responding to your questions and comments, taking your suggestions for future blog topics and posting surveys.
As you can see, below we have entries from our previous blog that was solely about customer experience management. There are a lot of great topics, so if you have time check it out.
http://www.alertpedia.com/recalls.php
Recently the FDA warned consumers not to eat Nestle Toll House pre-packaged, refrigerated cookie dough and this got me wondering what responsibility retailers have for product safety.
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm167908.htm
As a concerned parent I did not check if my batch of Nestle Toll House dough was affected, I just tossed it all.
The typical consumer reacts to a product recall with concern and worry but no action. A recent Rutgers’ Food Policy Institute (FPI) study showed that many Americans fail to check their homes for recalled food products. Only about 60 percent of the studied sample reported ever having looked for recalled food in their homes, and only 10 percent said they had ever found a recalled food product. www.foodpolicy.rutgers.edu
So what should retailers do? Most retail organizations already have the most important tool at their disposal for protecting consumers: data. Imagine if the loyalty card most grocers have is promoted and used not as a marketing tool but as a product safety service. If I received a phone call or email message from a retailer telling me the specific product I purchased has been subject to a recall and that I should discard it or bring it in for a replacement, I would be a very loyal customer. I would certainly favor the retailer who promoted this service over those that did not. In addition, it would motivate me to sign up for and use their loyalty card. Currently, I see no benefit in using these loyalty programs and avoid them out of fear that I will receive unwanted marketing.
If, on the other hand, participating in a loyalty program resulted in receiving information critical to me and my family, this is a clear win/win for me and the retailers. The retailer gets more customer loyalty and more customers participating in the loyalty card programs; consumers can be confident that they are being looked out for and their safety is being protected.
Would you sign up for a loyalty card if it was marketed as a product safety service? I would.
-Tom McGoldrick
This is a true story. My friend Jane runs a small business and recently experienced the following:
Jane’s phone rings. 
Jane: Hi, this is Jane with company xyz.
Sales guy: Can I speak to your manager?
Jane: Who is calling?
Sales guy: I just need to speak to your manager.
Jane: Who are you and what is this in reference to?
Sales guy: This is Mike. I have an important call for your manager.
Jane: What is it regarding?
Sales guy: None of your business. Now just connect me to your manager.
Jane: I don’t think so.
Sale guy: Tell your manager I called and want to talk to him about his office supplies.
Jane: Good-bye
Remember, Jane runs this business and the business managers report to her. In addition, she is the person responsible for buying office supplies and has never heard of this sales person or his company. In the course of one five-minute phone call, this sales person blew his and his company’s chance of doing business with Jane’s company.
This sales person’s mistakes are too obvious to bother talking about. However, there is a larger question at stake: Does the company he represents know how he is treating their prospects? Do you know how your front-line employees treat your prospects and customers?
I would be curious to hear your stories about bad experiences you have encountered with sales people attempting to get your business.
-Tom McGoldrick
Filed under: Uncategorized
My dad is a huge fan of internet radio but got tired of listening to it on his PC. After visiting his daughter’s home and experiencing the quality of internet radio when played through a stereo system, he decided that it was a toy he had to have. Taking the lead from my sister, he bought an Apple Airport from a local big box retailer. The product was very easy to install and worked as advertised for about 4 months, and then stopped working.
This is where the story gets interesting. He took the Airport back to the big box retailer. They told him that they would have to ship it back to Apple where they would test it and may or may not send him a new Airport. Not liking this answer he took the Airport to our local Apple store. He showed the product to the staff at the Apple store, explained that he did not buy it there, and asked if they could help. The store was very busy, as it always is, however a staff member walked right up to him, promised to help and basically scoffed at the reaction from Mr. Big Box. He asked my dad to wait for one of their technical wizards to be available to help. After spending ten interesting minutes walking around the store, the same staff member asked him if he had been seen yet. When he learned that my dad was still waiting, he apologized and decided to just exchange his Airport for a new one.
My dad who has been teetering towards the Apple camp due to their design and ease of use is now an Apple convert and will probably buy his next computer from them.
Because of the staff reaction over the return of a $100 device, Mr. Big Box and Microsoft have lost a customer and Apple has gained one.
Now more than ever, no one can afford to lose a customer. What are you doing to ensure that your customers are happy and loyal?
-Tom McGoldrick
Photo credit: Christopher Chan (Flickr)