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Contented Cows
Contented Cows vs. Mad Cows: Raising a Happy Herd
By Gail Hahn, CEO (Chief Energizing Officer) ™ of Fun*cilitators ™
Copyright 2000
Contented cows give more milk and so it holds true that contented workers produce more. Statistics show companies that manage and recognize their people outperform companies that don't by 30-40 percent. The Gallup Organization surveyed two million workers from 700 organizations and found that “the length of an employee's stay in an organization is largely determined by his relationship with his immediate supervisor.” Basically people tend to join organizations and teams, but they quit bosses, and 46% of employees leaving a company do so because they feel unappreciated. So a supervisor has a choice of creating a healthy herd of contented cows or an angry stable of mad cows by the way they choose to treat their teammates.
Supervisors play a huge role in the recruitment, retention, and satisfaction factor of their team, yet 61% of the employees surveyed said their bosses don't place much importance on them as people, and 88% stated they do not receive acknowledgement for the work they do. In fact, it is critical to realize that employees tend to remain loyal to an organization because their supervisors create a place that enhances motivation, morale, and meaning at work through fun and effective practices. In their annual United States @ Work ™ Study 2000, Aon consulting found that, “Management's ability to create a `sense of pride and spirit' in an organization is the most effective way to recruit, retain, and motivate a high-performance workforce.”.
Creating a corporate culture by design and not default starts at the grass roots level of the team members and engaging their input on what it would take to improve their team spirit and quality of life at work. Although there are loads of studies about what motivates workers, it comes down to asking them individually what it would take to build a spirited team. By simply asking each person what motivates them and their preference for recognition, it gives a supervisor an insider's glance into how their team would like to be treated and what it would take to make them content.
Retaining Top Talent
People like doing business with people who like doing business. Management expert Tom Peters, author of the books In Pursuit of Wow and In Search of Excellence states, “If you are not working for a company that is creative, curious, clever, and just plain fun . . . you are in trouble, serious trouble.” When workers feel valued and treated fairly; they are more likely to treat customers and colleagues similarly, and are more likely to stick around. If they work for an organization that is not congruent with their work ethics and values and not treated with respect; then they are more likely to treat internal and external customers with disregard. They are also more likely to seek other employment, costing the company significant expense and effort to recruit, retrain, and retain their successor.
Creating a workplace that is a liberation of talent rather than a restraint by rule, takes support from all levels, and backing by management. Managers must understand that their job is to break down the barriers to excellent performance and take care of their front line so they can, in turn, take care of the bottom line. Communication, recognition, and reward are critical to creating an energizing, enthusiastic, and enjoyable workplace. Using timely, small rewards goes a long way in creating goodwill for the team.
As the CEO (Chief Energizing Officer) ™ of Fun*cilitators, I often work with corporations, public agencies, and private organizations to energize, recognize, and revitalize their workforce. In my years of research and teambuilding facilitation, I have found some similar needs and wants of teams that cross over industries and organizational levels.
1. People need to feel they make a difference, what they do matters, and that somebody is noticing. They also want interesting work that challenges them in a friendly and hospitable environment.
2. Workers want to feel they are more in control of their destiny and that they have choices in their work and policies that affect them. They want an opportunity to express their opinion on policies and take ownership of the outcomes.
3. They want flexibility in their work so they can better balance their personal and professional lives.
4. They want more recognition and praise in all forms. Generation X and Y have grown up with computer games that give them feedback every 60 seconds. An annual performance appraisal isn't going to cut it with this new generation of workers. They need constant feedback and acknowledgement from supervisors and co-workers.
5. Employees want to tell their story, have more face time with their boss, and know that they are being heard.
6. They just wanna have fun, make a difference, and be engaged in the workplace - particularly the new breed of workers entering the workforce.
Getting Engaged
One of the Gallup studies found that only 25% of the workforce is actively engaged in their work, while 55% of them are disengaged, and 20% of the team members are actively disengaged. The engaged workers are those with the team spirit and who are there for the good of the company and the good of their teammates. The disengaged workers are those who may be burned out, rusted out, or just checked out, but are still punching the time clock. These disengaged workers are those who only do what they are told and not any more effort is wasted on the project. The actively disengaged workers are those who sabotage the morale or mission of the organization.
Enter the “Spirit Team”, the “Joy Gang”, the “Morale Committee”, or the “Employee Activity Corps”. These blah-busting teams are the eyes, ears, and hands of the supervisors who cannot get to the entire organization. They are usually made up of a cross section of departments and levels of workers and their job is to energize the enterprise and influence fun, creativity, and recognition in the workplace. They are charged with getting the workforce engaged by soliciting ideas of what it takes to build morale and create a better workplace. Fun has hit the headlines as a key ingredient to better training, better business, and a better quality of life at work, thanks to the efforts of forward thinking managers and their Spirit Teams.
Playful Professionalism = Peak Performance
A staff that plays together stays together and performs together. Incentive Magazine's April 99 cover story extolled the virtues of what I have found in over 20 years promoting the benefits of fun at work and peak performance through playful professionalism. The research is overwhelmingly positive about the benefits of humor in the workplace and embracing the concept of combining fun and effectiveness to improve business and morale. The stuffy corporate types are even acknowledging that good times lead to good business, and work made fun gets done.
* Blending fun into our workday helps integrate the left and right brain hemispheres and helps balance our energy and focus. Taking short joy breaks throughout the day to move your body helps your mind stay refreshed and assists in joining your analytical side with your creative side for improved problem solving capabilities.
* The learning process should be playful to entice a relaxed state of mind, aid in retention, and hold the interest of the learner. If the job training or new employee orientation is interactive; retention and understanding are increased through the inclusion of more senses and integration of the body, intellect, and emotions.
* Forget the Euro, time is the new currency of the millennium and we never seem
to have enough. We spend it all day on other people, responsibilities, our
kids, our homes, or our work, and at the end of the day our till is tapped-out
to give any more to ourselves. Employees always appreciate the gift of time off. Create a reward card giving them an extra hour for lunch or inviting them to come to work an hour late.
* Start each staff meeting with good news or appreciations and have stress toys available in the room during meetings
* Be sincere and consistent in all your initiatives so workers don't mistake it for “flavor of the month” - full support of a playful corporate culture is key to creating a successful implementation of spirited teamwork.
* Celebrate birthdays or hold a monthly birthday party complete with cake and ice cream for the staff - have a “big spin” wheel with a variety of prizes for the birthday honorees. People love to graze and break bread with each other to build bonds - remember the adage of contented cows?
* Try these helpful resources for your library: 301 Ways to Have Fun at Work, 301 More Ways to Have Fun at Work, 1001 Ways to Energize Employees, 1001 Ways to Reward Employees, Managing to Have Fun, Fun Works: Creating Places Where People Love to Work, Handle with Care.
* Start a Laughter Club in your organization. Weekly laughter sessions at work can help improve camaraderie, reduce stress and tension, help improve health, and create an enjoyable way to start the day for workers. Laugh Leaders facilitate 20-30 minute sessions to get the group going strong and your group will be a part of the over 450 Laughter Clubs in America - a part of the World Laughter Tour - www.worldlaughtertour.com.
Practicing Safe Stress: Laugh Long and Prosper
We also know that attitude flows down the chain of command from the highest supervisor down to the front-line and out to the customers. If the higher management is stressed out and not treating the workers according to the basic rules of ethical behavior, then the workforce also becomes stressed out and tends to take it out on colleagues, clients, and customers.
People with a sense of humor have three times the energy than those who don't. CEO's often choose people with a good sense of humor over those with similar qualifications who don't seem to be light-hearted. Laughing and smiling help the immune system fight disease and decrease stress and absenteeism. Seek out these kinds of people for the Spirit Team, their enthusiasm will be contagious.
Studies have shown that a sense of humor is a critical element in selecting new hires and that humor in the workplace and mixing fun with effectiveness on the job decreases absenteeism, turnover, stress, and sickness as it increases productivity, morale, teamwork, creativity, and longevity. With one in four American workers contracting some type of anxiety/stress-related disease and a workforce that swallows 15 tons of aspirin per day; there are ways to combat this disabling affliction in organizations.
Mentor vs. Tormentor - How to Treat Your Team Without Breaking the Bank
Mentors affect teams and tormentors infect teams. To be considered a mentor, try implementing some of these ideas. To be considered a tormentor, stop reading right now and ignore everything you've read so far.
Verbal and Written Praise
* Be specific and address the individual with what they did and how it was effective so they know what you noticed and will continue to succeed in that area.
* Be genuine and sincere - the effect of verbal praise is watered down when given to a large group as a general statement. "You all did a great job on the project", holds no value to individuals and raises the point that the manager never really knew who did what. The same goes for certificates or bonuses just dropped into "in" boxes and not delivered with pomp and circumstance.
* What gets rewarded gets repeated, and what gets noticed, gets donw. It is much more effective to change inappropriate behavior through positive reinforcement than through discipline. Find something they're doing well and praise it. Ask people if they prefer public or private praise.
* Say what they're doing well and say it often and in person. Email, notes, and memos through supervisors are great as long as they are balanced with a personal touch and said at least four times more often than the disciplinary stuff.
Incentives and Rewards
* Making a big deal out of the little things makes the little things a big deal. Catch people doing things right and show them it makes a difference. Hand-written note cards, or pre-printed rewards cards show gratitude in a casual way and may offer a small token of appreciation such as "a free car wash by the boss" or "a lunch served at your desk" or "take off work an hour early today". Another interesting resource are Zip Kits, Fun Aid Kits for Stress Rescue and Recognition. These kits for managers and Spirit Teams can be found on the ParaFUNalia page at www.funatwork.net .
* Sending digital praises from www.epraise.com. Forget the form-letter birthday memo, go out on a limb and send a hand-written card or bring them a balloon. When appreciation comes from the heart and continues year 'round, it can be much more of an incentive and can create an energizing environment for everybody.
* Customize for colleagues - ask them what they would prefer as a reward or an incentive. We cannot motivate others - it comes from the word motive and we all have out own motives. We don't know unless we ask. Give out a menu of wish-lists (see sidebar) which colleagues can fill-in or circle the suggestions listed. Have a brainstorming session to come up with some off-the-wall incentives. Productivity and enthusiasm soar when people have ownership in the outcomes.
* Go surfing for solutions on the Internet. There are new websites weekly that offer timely rewards as instant gratification. Timeliness is a key factor in the effectiveness of a reward. Studies show that cold cash loses its incentive punch faster than something else the worker values. Some websites have access to hundreds of venues on which the worker can use their gift certificate such as www.800giftcertificate.com or a site such as www.recognition.org has free articles and tips on recognition as well as a slew of resources.
* Share ideas with other professionals involved in raising morale by joining the National Association for Employee Recognition, a group for those involved in employee morale committees and human resources. By implementing some of the ideas suggested in this book or by other professionals in the field, you will find your team putting more energy into their efforts and bringing more of who they are to what they do to improve their team and their organization.
Turning Passions into Profits
Communication, recognition, and reward are critical to creating an energizing, enthusiastic, and enjoyable workplace. Using timely, sincere, individualized rewards and acknowledgement goes a long way in creating goodwill amongst your team, your customers, and your community inside and outside your organization. By taking care of your team's needs, removing their barriers to getting their work done, and by celebrating them for who they are and what they do, you will begin to see an improvement in the motivation, morale, and meaning at work. By taking care of the human side of the front line by engaging their heads, hands, and hearts, you will also be taking care of the bottom line.
Gail Hahn, MA, CSP, CLL is the CEO (Chief Energizing Officer) ™ of Fun*cilitators ™, the Author of Hit Any Key to Energize Your Life, and Contributing Author to 17 other books. As an Energy Expert, she is the only person in the world earning all three certifications of Speaking Professional, Relationship Awareness ® Facilitator, and Laughter Leader. Gail facilitates fun and effectiveness around the globe to energize individuals and revitalize organizations through keynotes, teambuilding, writing, and consulting. Contact her at 866.Fun.at.Work (386.2896) or www.Funcilitators.com to energize your enterprise, practice safe stress, and enhance motivation, morale, and meaning at work.
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Gail Hahn * MA * CSP * CLL
CEO (Chief Energizing Officer) Fun*cilitators
Author of Hit Any Key to Energize Your Life &
Contributing Author to 17 other books
FREE Live Wire Ezine at http://www.Funcilitators.com
for tips to enhance motivation, morale, & meaning at work
New women's programs at http://www.GutsGraceandGusto.com
Simplifying the Steps for Women in the Fancy Footwork of Life
New card deck available - 52 Ways to Have Fun at Work to help employees create a happy herd at work. http://www.funcilitators.com/parafunalia.htm
480.802.0103 * 866.Fun.at.Work * fax: 530.326.2979
9026 East Minnesota Ave. * Sun Lakes, AZ 85248
Energizing Individuals & Organizations
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Distribute this wish list to workers to get their feedback on what they really want as rewards and incentives. Skew your monetary categories according to your budget.
Wish List for a Job Well Done
We know every individual has different desires and dreams and we wouldn't hazard a guess to what you would like to receive as you reach your goals. In order to customize your incentives and rewards to make it more meaningful and personal to you, we want to know your top preferences in each of the categories below:
Under $50 - dinner coupons, grocery coupons, phone cards, gasoline cards, other
$51-$100 -theme park passes, theater/arts tickets, massages, gourmet dinners, other
$101-200 - house cleaning, day spa visit, magazine subscriptions, fresh flowers weekly for a month,
$201-400 - catered party, champagne balloon ride, retail gift certificates
$401-700 - association membership, ski weekend, 1 year tennis club membership
$701-1000 - weekend in the islands, Caribbean cruse, limb/dinner/symphony/boxing/ball game evening
$1001 - 2000- box seats at the ball park, golf club membership, health club membership for the year
Above and beyond - walks on water wishes: lease a Porsche 911 for the year, beach house lease for the summer, adventure vacation in Europe, Africa, or Asia, trip to a spa retreat, other ideas…