In addition to exhibiting our products, Questar also engaged SIOP attendees in a promotion that gave them a chance to win either an iPad 2 or Nook.  Those interested in playing the game were given a button containing a street name in San Diego.  If participants found another attendee with a matching button, they would both win a prize!  In order make it easier for participants to find a matching button, we hosted a networking social event at Buster’s Beach Bar in Seaport Village.  The event was hugely successful and our team enjoyed the chance to network with current and aspiring industrial/organizational psychologists.  In addition, one of the most exciting aspects of this event was that two conference attendees with matching buttons located each other and made an appearance at our social event to claim their iPads!  Congratulations to Victoria Smoak and Hanna Pillion , who discovered that “Harbor Drive” was a lucky button via Twitter (participants could Tweet their street name with the tag #QuestarSIOP to see if a match was out there).

We also held a drawing for a pair of Nooks—congratulations to Simon Golden and Aimee King!

Some of the key discussions we attended include:

• “IGNITE: Imparting Survey Wisdom, Five Minutes at a Time”
• “Employee Engagement: Defining New Frontiers”
• “Contemporary Topics in Positive Organizational Climate and Culture Research”
• “360 Degree Feedback: An Essential Commodity for Leadership Development”
• “Comments on Comments: Best Practices for Open-Ended Survey Questions”
• “Post-survey Actions: New Directions for Implementing Change Efforts”
• “Staying Ahead of the Curve: Ingredients for Successful Survey Redesign”

The sessions provided great opportunities to stay abreast of best practices, learn from colleagues, and stimulate ideas for SIOP 2013 proposals. SIOP is also always a perfect opportunity to network, meet new friends, see old classmates, coworkers, and friends. We cannot wait for SIOP 2013 in Houston, Texas!

Amanda Harms | Associate Consultant

What does it all mean? Normative comparisons are available (typically for a fee) from a consulting firm. Is it just a batch of witches’ brew sold by consulting firms to increase the profit margin? Or is it an important piece in understanding how to provide meaningful insights into the results of a survey?

Norms are indeed helpful. They can certainly provide perspective and help recipients of survey results to put those results in context. Instead of a “keeping up with the Joneses approach”, norms can be used to help in interpretation and to help understand data – for example if employee engagement is lower than expected, or to assist in understanding which dimension scores are high in relation to expectations.

At Questar, we have found that many of our clients like the addition of norms to their survey, which we provide as an optional add-on service. However like many tools, it is possible to over-rely and over-interpret based on normative data. We advocate a 3 pronged approach to interpreting survey results:

• Personal standard along with knowledge of business
• Numeric guidelines to help interpret survey results
• Relative comparisons to history and normative data
• Internal comparisons such as within company trends over time
• External comparisons such as looking at norms

Let’s look at each of those in slightly more detail.

1. Your own results come first – always analyze survey results in context. Although a survey expert can help to provide guidelines and assistance in interpreting data, ultimately the key stakeholders are those who can best determine why a score may be lower or higher in a defined business unit or department. For example, perhaps an opportunity is identified around a lack of training. Those in that unit may know that budgets were frozen, or that no one requested training last year, or that training was arranged and then fell through. Those outside the company are unlikely to know these explanations without very detailed briefing. The owners of the survey may also be in the best position to put the survey results in alignment with business objectives and outcomes. Finally, a leader may decide that they want to raise the bar, change cut scores or level the playing field based on in-depth knowledge of their company culture and performance.

2. When interpreting survey results we encourage people to look for meaningful differences (i.e., more than 5 percentage points) as this can help keep people focused on practical differences. There are many different ways to tabulate and present survey results. Some may look at averages/means, medians, simple frequencies, Top 2 Box (i.e., combining Agree with Strongly Agree), sophisticated modeling (to include regression and Structural Equation Modeling), and combinations of all of the above. The Top 2 Box approach can also be displayed as the “favorable” responses. For example, if 45% select “Agree” to an item, and another 22% indicate “Strongly Agree” to an item, the score would be “67% Favorable.”

We will use this to illustrate the “5 percentage points” numeric guideline. For example, if the company’s score for overall engagement is 70%, and one division has a score of 67%, this is not necessarily cause for alarm. Questar also provides numeric guidelines based on best practices and each client’s dataset to help gauge what is a relative strength and what is a relative opportunity.  For example, the items may be considered strengths at 70% favorable, and opportunities may be those items scoring under 50% favorable.

3. We typically recommend that people who receive survey results look at history first (the scores available from previous survey administrations), before comparing themselves to norms. If several years of data are available this allows an even better insight into trends.  Another form of relative comparison is to compare a division/department to the overall company.

And finally we have norms, which allow you to compare your results to a vendor’s book of business or an estimate of the population. There are several ways in which norm data can be collected, but at Questar we provide norms from a random sample of employed adults in similar industries. These allow for a current snapshot of the state of engagement in the country based on predetermined parameters such as specific industry(s). Stay tuned for a more detailed breakdown of norms in “Part II: Norms, huh… What are they good for? Absolutely something.” Here we will provide insight into the different types of norms, providing information on the various pros and cons to the different collection methods.

Paul Thoresen  |  Account Management & Consulting Services

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

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. 

Finding people both willing and excited about doing work involving “flipping burgers” can be difficult.  If you currently have such employees, consider yourself lucky: do what you can to keep these individuals. For other individuals in dirty work, it is likely that wages are the best driver in determining their willingness to stay. Unfortunately for employees, many dirty occupations do not pay well. National pay data shows that the average wage for a fast food worker is between $7.12 and $8.93 per hour.

Therefore, while some may not be able to obtain higher paying jobs and will stay for the sheer need to make a living, it might make sense to practice a few exercises that researchers say help these employees feel better about what they do.  Some of these strategies may even instill pride, making employees not just okay with doing the work, but excited:

Reframe:  If a job is seen as dirty, it can be reframed by simply remembering the purpose for which it exists.  A fast food employee is working to provide quick, low-cost food to the consumer.  Not everyone can afford the time to go shopping or sit in a more upscale restaurant.  Some might even argue that some value menu items are cheaper than buying groceries- which means fast food can help feed the poor.  Reminding employees of the organization’s mission can help the employee feel better about their work—and it is important that this idea trickles down through the organization’s culture.

Recalibrate: Similar to reframing, this technique focuses on placing more value on the aspects of the job that are in fact good for society.   A typical day might involve taking orders, refilling the ice cream machine, changing the grease traps, or scooping fries.  These tasks seem to be fairly menial, but thinking about the purpose for why they exist, and placing value on the ones that are most noble can help the employee feel better about the work.  For example, while taking orders, an employee might be able to recommend a product that will be a greater value to the customer. If a customer orders a cheeseburger, small fries, and a strawberry shake, the employee may be able to suggest a value meal that will save the customer some money.  The employee can then think about their job in terms of saving people money.

Refocus:  This technique is similar to recalibration, but involves actually overlooking the stigmatized aspects of the job.  Sometimes fast food is stigmatized as unhealthy.  A way to refocus this aspect of the work would be to focus on the fact that the food is affordable, and that there are healthy options on the menu.  In fact, a tasty treat like a hamburger is not of harm to people once and a while, so the fast food worker is not promoting anything unhealthy.

While I am not promising that any of these techniques are going to significantly reduce turnover rates in the fast food industry, I would say that they can be nothing but helpful to the worker.  It doesn’t cost a dime to use a little positive reinforcement on the meaning of one’s work, but if it does work, that’s a lot of time and money saved for very little effort!

Amanda Harms, M.A. | Associate Consultant

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.

Anyone who has used a tablet will tell you the experience is completely different then using a computer. It is much more interactive and immersive. Because of this, many retailers are finding out that just a web presence is no longer enough. Tablet users expect so much more than a hum drum website with a list of products, pictures and prices. They expect to interact with your online “store” in much the same way they would interact with your actual store. Forty two percent of the millions of tablet users are using their tablets to shop online. And they are expecting a seamless transition between the engaging and immersive apps of Apple, Microsoft and Android to your mobile website or app.

Think that tablets are just a passing fad? Many of the smartest tech gurus would disagree, in fact many think that the iPad (and tablets in general) will replace computers, much the same way that the iPod replaced cds.  Even Steve Jobs, who has made billions (and still making billions) selling computers, has said we have entered the “post-PC world.” And that “We’re in the position now where the majority of our revenue comes from post-PC products.”

Are you investing in mobile marketing program that includes smart phone and tablets? You should be.

Beth Holine| Marketing Coordinator

Last week we presented a summary of Questar’s research on talent retention at the Linkage Best of OD Summit in Chicago.  Our research explores the real reasons why employees leave – from multiple data sources.  Here are the slides from that presentation:  Overdrawn at the Talent Bank

We’d love to hear from you about your experiences and/or research around employee retention.

Enjoy!

Anna Erickson, Ph.D. | Director Consulting Services

It turns out the online promotion was not being honored at the kiosks.  Before I could even finish the sentence, “No problem, I’ll just…” the likely “on-commission” salesperson told me he could pull some strings and get me the same deal there.  I took it home, plugged it in, and it worked great.  I was a happy customer.  That is until the bill came.  I noticed I was being charged to lease my free device and that there was no credit for my free month of service.  What happened next was what got me thinking about growing pains companies – and their customers – experience when they aren’t prepared for rapid expansion.  I called customer service.

The support specialist was nice enough, but after explaining the situation several times she could find only one solution.  I needed to take the device back to the kiosk, return it, and cancel my contract.  I would then need to go online, sign up for the deal and wait for exactly the same device to be mailed to me.  No way.  What a colossal waste of time and money for everyone involved.

I wanted to figure out how things were set up on the other end of the line, so I asked.  She expressed frustration with the sales guy – I pried and it turns out he was not the first to try to go around the system.  She was frustrated with the software she had – it physically wouldn’t let her apply the promotion to my account.  She was frustrated that she had never heard of the online deal offered in my area.  I sympathized with her and explained how I see, in the work that I do, how poor planning and communication, and not having the tools and autonomy needed can be stressful.

There are a few things I see here that are symptomatic of a company that has a widening gap between infrastructure and growth:

»     Poor communication.  When companies grow quickly they undergo many changes in a short period of time.  Information becomes siloed and lines of communication between groups break down.

»     Poor planning.  Strategic planning is a must in any change initiative and especially when dealing with plans for expansion.  It’s important to take a systematic approach and consider all of the aspect of the change (including customer experience) not just technical and financial considerations.

»     Lack of clear job roles.  As roles expand or are created, the situation turns to one in which people do what they want to do and say that the remaining tasks are “not my job.”  This was very evident in my encounter.  The support person said a number of times that “this is a sales person issue” or “I can’t help with online problems.”  To me, the customer, the company has one face.  Internally that didn’t appear to be the case.

»     Lack of resources.  Employees need to have the tools that will be required to support growth.  In this case the support person felt her “hands were tied.”

I wonder if senior leadership of this company are aware of the issues their employees and customers are facing.  In a press release, they describe their growth last year as “phenomenal,” reporting subscriptions doubled in Q3.  They anticipated by the end of 2010 they would see double what they expected in terms of a customer base.  Surely, they have a lot on their plates.  How much better would the situation be if they were armed with feedback from their employees?

If I had to make one recommendation to this company, it would be to pay attention to what is happening on the front lines.  It’s so important to give employees a voice and support them in supporting your customers.  Employees have an understanding what is and is not working in day-to-day activities.  They want to know their opinions count and can shed light on things leaders can’t see.  In order to truly leverage employees’ experiences, leaders must listen, let employees know what they are hearing, and show employees how their feedback has created real and meaningful change.

Oh, and in case you are wondering, I did get the support person to find a work-around to remove the lease fee and she simply reversed the charges for the month instead of billing me for a promotional rate.

Michael Durando | Associate Consultant

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 things employees would like to see changed.

Once again, we sifted through thousands of comments across companies and industries. This time to identify what employees are most likely to say when asked “What one thing, if changed, would make your company a better place to work?” Here are the themes we saw most often:

• Show me the money. Yes, compensation is often at the top of the list, with up to a quarter of employees mentioning pay and/or benefits as being the one thing they’d like to see changed. Many employees feel that their pay does not measure up to their contributions or workload, making them feel less than valued by their employers. Over the past couple of years employees in many organizations have seen pay freezes yet continue to see their expenses rising. And when times are good, employees often complain that they do not see their share of the company’s profits.

• Help me grow. Many a great thinker has written about the basic human need for growth. Guess what: Employees write about it too. Most employees are eager to learn – wanting additional training, support from supervisors, coaching and mentoring within the company. They also want to know how to find out about additional opportunities and/or career paths within their company. More guidance from supervisors regarding development opportunities, career paths, and advancement opportunities are a common request from employees.

• Understand I have a life outside of work. Employees report that their workloads are just too high. There’s a continual emphasis on doing more with less and additional priorities are set without scaling others back. This high workload impacts stress levels at work as well as outside of work. Employees crave additional flexibility and better control over their schedules to better balance their lives. Many also contend that working from home more frequently would increase their productivity as well as improve their work life balance.

• Show me a little respect. Employees often complain about favoritism and issues around fairness. Whether it’s a supervisor with different standards for different employees or specific groups getting better treatment than others, perceptions of unfair treatment can be a huge demotivator. Employees are most engaged to perform when they feel they have been treated fairly and their individual strengths have been recognized.

• Just Listen to Me. Employees often report that management doesn’t listen to them. Their opinions and ideas are not taken seriously and/or they are not involved in decisions that impact them. This is especially true when implementing change initiatives. When ideas are solicited, any action taken as a result may not be apparent to employees. Employees want a greater opportunity to have an impact and to be recognized for their contributions.

Do you know what your employees want most? Now would be a great time to ask. And once you’ve asked, don’t forget the follow up: Thank employees for their input, let them know what you heard, and identify concrete steps you’ll be taking to follow up on their feedback.

Anna Erickson, Ph.D. | Director Consulting Services

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 best about their job.

Most employees mention the intangibles.  Coworkers.  Company culture/products/image.  The job itself and/or the

contributions made.   Here are the top things employees mention with  a few sample employee comments.

Coworkers. Across companies and industries, employees love their coworkers.  In fact, for many people coworkers are what motivates them to come to work each day.  Coworkers are often described as friendly, supportive – like a second family.  Coworkers are also a source of pride and respect, being described as professional, cutting edge, hardworking, and talented.  Employee comments include:

• I’m proud to work with such a talented group of hard-working people. I am challenged day in and day out.
• This place is like a home away from home. I actually miss work when I am not here. I love the department, people and the opportunities that this company presents to me.
• I am especially proud of the professionalism exhibited by many of my colleagues.  It has been a pleasure and delight working with such a remarkable pool of talented individuals and it shows in our work.
• The people I work with are by far the best part of working for this company. The group of people I work with are motivated, smart, open-minded, and just great to work with every day.
• I love the people I work with, and the collaborative way we approach our work.
• I especially enjoy working with top notch colleagues who are without exception committed to high standards of  performance.
• My co-workers make it all worthwhile at the end of the day.  I love the teamwork we share and the results we achieve.

Company Culture. Employees often mention company culture or work environment as what they like best about work.  The attributes they list, of course, differ from company to company, but often include information about pace of the work, standards for quality, and company values.  Employers may be described as fun, relaxed, supportive and friendly.  Others are described as respectful, ethical, and valuing equality.  Fast paced, challenging, and energizing are also favorite adjectives.

• You never know what each day will bring in terms of our work. So the variety of circumstances under which we have to perform our jobs changes. It makes the job very interesting, keeps it fresh.
• I enjoy this company’s positive work environment with friendly people and a professional atmosphere.
• I like the casualness of the organization and how everyone is open yet professional.
• I enjoy working for a company that is focused on team member value and culture.
• This company has an amazing culture that values different people and encourages fun. Even with a demanding workload, the culture of the company and the environment that creates makes the difficulties easier to bear
• I like working for a company that values diversity and is strong ethically.  This company is well balanced and does all it can to help in areas that need corporate help in our country.

Company Image. Employees love to be proud of their company.  And the image of the company is very important for many employees.  People often mention their company’s reputation as one of the things they like best about their job.

• I feel fortunate to work for a company that is so successful yet also so civic minded.  I am proud of this company and of my part in it. I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else.
• There’s a sense of pride being associated with this company and knowing that my contribution is going towards maintaining and building a sterling reputation nearly a century old.
• I am extremely proud to tell people I meet that I work for this company.
• It is wonderful working for a company that takes its brand so seriously.  I have a sense of pride associated with my employment here.
• I am so proud to work for a company that is widely known to be one of the best companies to work for!  I feel nothing but pride when I let my family/friends know who I work for.

The Job Itself. Employees thrive when they are using their skills and contributing to the company.  Employees often talk about the specific qualities of the job itself when asked what they like best.  Variety, challenge, freedom to make decisions, alignment with the organization’s strategy and contribution to something bigger are often mentioned as reasons for loving their job.  Employees frequently describe the work itself as challenging, dynamic, and fun.

• What I like best is the ability to use my talents and skills to get the job done without being second guessed.
• Everyday is different so everyday brings new challenges. Love my team and my Manager.
• I like the fact that I feel like I contribute to the importance of the business.
• My work is challenging, and I take pride in the fact that I’m making a difference in how people see the world.
• I like the constant challenge and changes to my role, it keeps it interesting and mentally stimulating for me.

Perks. Yup.  It turns out those little extras actually are appreciated by employees – especially if they’re something that their friends and relatives aren’t receiving.  Workplace flexibility is often mentioned.  But benefits including tuition reimbursement, PTO days, chances to volunteer, and even their 401k match.

• This company offers such a great benefits package, flexible hours and working with educated professionals.
• I like that our company offers great perks and most importantly our volunteer days. I love volunteering every year and am proud that we’re making a difference in the community.
• I appreciate the support I receive from my boss and the company.  Working from home once a week has made a big difference in my fuel bill and my sanity.

Anna Erickson | Director, Consulting Services

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 synonymous?

My first reaction was something we’ve all probably been hearing a lot recently, “don’t we need to unplug?”  Does work life balance really mean printing documents from the beach?  Yes, and not necessarily.  There were two interesting articles in this month’s issue of the Journal of Applied Psychology addressing “psychological detachment from work” or the ability to “switch off” when not on the job.  In these articles, detachment was linked with increased life satisfaction, lower emotional exhaustion, and increased work engagement (when job demand is high).  What’s interesting is that while detachment is good for employee well-being, job performance is optimal when employees engage in mid-level detachment.  When you think about it, this makes perfect sense.  Those who are able to establish barriers yet reflect on work related issues outside of work can apply life lessons learned to solve problems on the job without burning out.

My second reaction was, “who is this ad targeting?”  Is it the employee or the organization?  Clearly it is the organization.  In fact it was sent from a business-related website to which I subscribe to “news updates.”  In a sense, vendors are showing companies how to market productivity-increasing technology as a means of gaining work life balance.  Its funny how the concept has evolved from calls for more balance with things like flexible schedules to promises of constant connectedness.

So, whose responsibility is it to maintain a balance between segmenting two important parts of our lives and integrating them?  Employees or employers?  I tend to think there is a lot individuals can do personally to walk that line, but businesses certainly have a vested interest.  High performers who are not able to unwind after hours could see a negative impact in their  job performance and, particularly when job demands are high, could become less engaged.  I’m not suggesting that companies limit or restrict access to this kind of technology.  In fact Questar’s (and others’) research shows that employees who feel they have access to the resources they need to be successful are more likely to be engaged.  But there needs to be a balance and employees need to know that it is alright to set boundaries – and probably need to in order to reach their full potential.

One thing is certain.  With advances in technology, the issue is not going to go away anytime soon.  So, what do you think?   How do you detach from work?  Is it becoming increasingly difficult?  How is your employer impacting your ability to “switch off?”

Michael Durando | Associate Consultant