Yes, a Wednesday edition of “Rambling Wednesdays”, better known to my anagram loving friends as “A Bad Mingled Wryness”…

Sometimes What They Don’t Say Speaks Volumes

A recent search on-line turned up a reminder letter for an employee survey that was being conducted in September at a large college:

As of Monday afternoon about 1,000 of the roughly 3,700 employees who were sent surveys have responded, said XXX, manager of business and finance and executive director of human resources. “We really would like all employees to respond,” XXX said, noting that the survey should take just a few minutes to complete.

When just 25% of employees participate in their “annual satisfaction survey”, something is wrong with the process or the people.  For this college’s sake, and the sake of their students, I hope it is a process problem.  But based on my experience, I doubt it.

Turning the Tables on The Interviewer

A recent article in 4Hoteliers encouraged applicants to ask four important questions to the company they are considering leasing thier talents to:

1. How does this organization reward talent?
2. How does your employee performance evaluation process work?
3. How does this organization listen to employee feedback?
4. Can employees be themselves at this organization?

In an era when there are still more jobs than there are people to fill them, employees hold the “gold” in the relationship with their employer, or in this case, their potential employer.

Is your organization prepared to answer those questions?

What’s It’s Like “Down Under”?!

A new study revealed over half of Australian work leaders are responsible for poor employee performance according to a national research firm..

The managing director of the research firm says most of the problems relate to control. “These bosses want people to check in, rather than delegate and make a decision. Just some really basic motivational principles are not being followed. They’re saying ‘don’t rock the boat, conform, avoid making decisions, make sure you don’t make any mistakes, make sure you compete with the other departments’. Just all the messages that don’t build employee satisfaction.”

“What they can do is firstly identify those behaviours they need to stop, and then learn to replace them with things like coaching people, setting goals so they can inspire through vision and enthusiasm.  All around Australia we have managers tripping over themselves to try and find good staff, then once they get them in, they have trouble keeping them because their bosses are encouraging such bad workplace practices.Sounds like they could use a good book, perhaps Employee Engagement Fundamentals, a Guide for Managers and Supervisors… written by your’s truly!

Wow, that was smug.