Greetings from Rising Sun Consultants
Welcome to the June issue of Rise & Shine –
Your Leadership Solutions and Resource Newsletter!
Bright Lights(Tips/Solutions):
This month’s Solution will focus on Employee Retention/Supervision.
According to The Gallup Organization, the number one reason behind voluntary employee turnover in an organization is a poor relationship between employees and their supervisors. Think of it this way…how many of us have asked for a transfer, have resigned From a job, or have considered one of those actions because of a supervisor who simply did not have sufficient management and/or people skills? When this happens, organizations end up dealing with the high costs of turnover and employee disengagement
.
The average cost of replacing an employee is estimated to be the same as one year's salary for the position being filled. Imagine an employee resigns due mainly to the poor relationship with his/her supervisor. Say you do not bother to find out the reason why the employee left or, even worse, ignored that fact. Imagine then spending $50,000 (for sake of argument) on recruitment, hiring, training and retaining an employee who is stepping into that very same unhealthy relationship. What's that old saying? "The definition of insanity is when we keep doing the same thing and expect different results?" Case in point! Don't be surprised if that new employee eventually leaves for the very same reason.
It is a fact that supervisors need to have or acquire the knowledge and skills expected of their positions. It is just as important for the productivity of the organization, however, for supervisors to be trained in relationship skills such as building trust, self-awareness, active listening, and focusing on employee strengths rather than on weaknesses. This means that organization leaders need to put serious thought into creating a solid supervisory training program and accountability process that balances both the job-specific knowledge and skills, and the relationship-oriented knowledge and skills.
Shining Stars (Best Practices):
This month’s Organization of Excellence is Ephrata Community Hospital. Working hard in the last four years to create a healthy and positive work environment, this hospital now has the lowest vacancies and the best staffing levels in both Lancaster and Berks counties. State reports reflect that quality of outcomes are equal or above those of other area hospitals with lower than average charges. And on their first try in the Best Places to Work in PA competition, they won a place in 2005. The following are just a few strategies that they have implemented at Ephrata Community Hospital that have helped them achieve these successes:
- They will keep a staff vacancy empty until the right person with the necessary skill set, outlook and attitude can be hired.
- Employees are directly involved in a formal Recruitment, Retention and Recognition program. Ideas as to how to recruit, retain and recognize employees come from their peers.
- The executive team holds yearly meetings with all of their employees (in 40 different meetings with no more than 50 people per meeting to allow for questions and discussion) to share the strategic plan and other important aspects of hospital operations and direction.
- They make the effort to recognize staff in ways that each individual would appreciate. Supervisors are crucial in this process as they are the ones who find out the employees’ preferences.
- They hold several special events each year to promote relationships and camaraderie. Examples include an employee picnic, management serving meals to employees on certain days throughout the year, holiday celebrations, and bus trips.
The culture of this organization has changed dramatically for the good in the last four years. By focusing on treating employees right, the organization sees the benefits in many ways, not the least of which is the increased quality of customer service. We thank John Porter, President of Ephrata Community Hospital, for meeting with us to talk about their organization. More information about Ephrata Community Hospital can be found at their website, www.ephratahospital.org.
World Views (In the News):
Employee Loyalty Changed
A generation ago, individuals entered the workforce expecting to spend the majority of their careers with one or two employers. Any job change represented a bold step in one’s life. The tacit agreement called for employees to be loyal to their employer and, in turn, the employer provided the security of lifetime employment.
The old agreement, however, no longer exists. Today’s workforce has a completely different view of work because many workers have experienced economic downturns. Others view a job as a springboard to a better opportunity in the future.
There is a new unwritten agreement whereby employers could make swift job cuts without warning while employees could bolt for a better offer after just a short working stint. Turnover is now a regular feature of the labor market.
To identify the details of the new landscape, Leadership Unleashed, a San Francisco-based consulting firm, conducted an on-line survey in March seeking to explain why the mutual commitment to a lifetime with one employer has all but disappeared.
The survey revealed that 51 percent of respondents expected to make a job transition in five years or less.
Possibly recognizing that employees do not expect to spend their careers in one place, 91 percent of managers who participated said retaining their skilled, solid-performing employees is equally important or more important than it was five years ago. Of the same figure, 54 percent said it was more important than it was in the past.
Despite the dramatic change in employee expectations, contemporary workers still have high ideals about employers for which they are willing to work. Seventy percent of survey respondents said they wanted to work for an organization they considered ethical and trustworthy.
(Adapted from Michael Laff, Training & Development Magazine - May, 2006)
New Horizons (Meetings/Events):
Summer Workshops:
“Effective Supervision: Guiding Your Employees to the ProductivityZone™”
The purpose of this full-day, hands-on workshop is to provide participants with the applied skills needed to build a strong organizational culture which focuses equally on both people and productivity. As a result, participants will be in a position to engage their employees in new and exciting ways designed to increase their involvement in the organization.
June 21, 2006 – York, PA
July 25, 2006 – Philadelphia, PA
August 23, 2006 – Lancaster, PA
“Creating Your Life’s Dreams”
This full-day, applied workshop is designed to help participants create a personal life dream and an individual action plan to accomplish their dream. As a result, participants will be prepared to take specific, measurable steps toward having a truly fulfilling life.
June 27, 2006 – Hershey, PA
July 20, 2006 – York, PA
“Interactive Decision Making: A Strategy for Employee Engagement”
The purpose of this full-day workshop is to provide participants with a practical approach to decision making. Participants will be have the opportunity to practice decision making in an action learning environment while applying the concepts to current real life situations.
July 12, 2006 – Carlisle, PA
August 17, 2006 – Philadelphia, PA
“Getting on the Same Page: Clarity & Consistency in Communication”
This workshop provides participants with skills to increase individual and team effectiveness in communication, as well as the knowledge to answer the questions of: what, when, how, how much, how often, and with whom to communicate.
August 29, 2006 – Harrisburg, PA
To Register Online, click here
To Register by Phone, contact Lynn Lehman @ 717-512-7531
Rays of Hope (Stories/Parables):
THE GINGHAM DRESS
A lady in a faded gingham dress and her husband, dressed in a homespun
threadbare suit, stepped off the train in Boston, and walked timidly without
an appointment into the Harvard University President's outer office.
The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country hicks had no
business at Harvard & probably didn't even deserve to be in Cambridge.
"We'd like to see the president," the man said softly. "He'll be busy all day," the secretary snapped. "We'll wait," the lady replied.
For hours the secretary ignored them, hoping that the couple would finally
become discouraged and go away. They didn't, and the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to disturb the president, even though it was a chore she always regretted.
"Maybe if you see them for a few minutes, they'll leave," she said to him! He sighed in exasperation and nodded. Someone of his importance obviously didn't have the time to spend with them, and he detested gingham dresses and homespun suits cluttering up his outer office.
The president, stern faced and with dignity, strutted toward the couple. The lady told him, "We had a son who attended Harvard for one year. He loved Harvard. He was happy here. But about a year ago, he was accidentally killed. My husband and I would like to erect a memorial to him, somewhere on campus."
The president wasn't touched. He was shocked. "Madam," he said, gruffly, "we can't put up a statue for every person who attended Harvard and died.. If we did, this place would look like a cemetery."
"Oh, no," the lady explained quickly. "We don't want to erect a statue. We thought we would like to give a building to Harvard." The president rolled his eyes. He glanced at the gingham dress and homespun suit, then exclaimed, "A building! Do you have any earthly idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical buildings here at Harvard."
For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased. Maybe he could get rid of them now. The lady turned to her husband and said quietly, "Is that all it costs to start a university? Why don't we just start our own? " Her husband nodded.
The president's face wilted in confusion and bewilderment.
Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford got up and walked away, traveling to Palo Alto, California where they established the university that bears their name, Stanford University, a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer cared about.
You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who they think can do nothing for them.
A TRUE STORY By Malcolm Forbes |
Thank You:
On behalf of ourselves and our associates, we want to thank you for reviewing the June edition of Rise & Shine Newsletter. We invite you to visit our website (www.risingsunconsultants.com), and to enjoy our latest book review and white paper.
Until next month: Always Keep Your Eyes on the New Horizon! |
