Report: Workers' Needs Vary By Age - small business - productivity - employee engagement

Study suggests that keeping wary workers engaged may be as simple as granting flextime or approving a title change.

Keeping employees engaged in the midst of layoffs, pay cuts and a skittish economy can be difficult. A new study suggests that organizations should adopt policies that address different generations of workers' needs, rather than attempting one-size-fits-all fixes.

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Report: Workers' Needs Vary By Age - small business - productivity - employee engagement

Employee engagement in tough times

One of the things that continues to surprise me is that when times are bad, organizations still spend money on employee engagement surveys. What are they expecting these surveys to tell them? You only need to walk around the office or factory and listen into some tea room discussions to find out that employees are not engaged because they are worried about their jobs.

This leads us to two major issues to consider during tough times. The first is how we inspire confidence and innovation in an organization that appears to be in freeze mode. The second is what you should measure as an indicator of employee engagement.

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Employee engagement in tough times

CEOs misunderstand employee engagement

The vast majority of senior executives admit that employee disengagement is one of the biggest threats facing their business. But despite this, issues round morale and motivation are rarely discussed at board level and most companies simply choose to ignore the problems caused by disengaged staff.

According to a new report from the Economist Intelligence Unit, more than eight out of 10 top executives in companies across Europe and the Middle East view disengagement as one of the three biggest threats to their business.

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CEOs misunderstand employee engagement

5 Ways to Achieve Follow Through

Use sticky notes to become a better boss in 2011

It's the time of year when business leaders start taking stock of their achievements and making sweeping plans for the months to come -- but most people won't follow through on their good intentions, writes Marla Tabaka. To keep your goals in mind in the New Year, try plastering your office walls with sticky notes of various sizes and colors.

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www.inc.com

How Salesforce.com puts managers at the center of internal communications | SmartBlog on Workforce

Improving internal communications at Salesforce.com required providing more support to managers, says Jeremy Henderson, director of internal communications. Adopting an internal social-media network just for managers has been particularly productive, he said. "Using internal social media breaks down silos, encourages collaboration and connects people in a meaningful way," Henderson said.

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How Salesforce.com puts managers at the center of internal communications | SmartBlog on Workforce

Taming a temperamental superstar employee - The Globe and Mail

 
Talented but arrogant workers may think they're worth their weight in gold, but they're not always worth the headaches, experts say. Lew Bayer, president and CEO of Civility Experts Worldwide, recommends gauging the true cost of obnoxious employees by keeping track of their time drain -- whether it's management hand-holding or sick days racked up by co-workers trying to avoid uncomfortable situations.

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The Globe and Mail

Understand the true cost of leaving people out | SmartBlog on Workforce

Hell hath no fury like a sidelined employee

Managers who deliberately leave certain workers out of the loop, whether for strategic, political or pragmatic reasons, could be causing themselves major headaches down the line, writes Heidi Grant Halvorson, a motivational psychologist. Sidelined employees don't just get annoyed, they start questioning the foundations of their workplace relationships, Halvorson writes. "The short-term gains could be far outweighed by the significant losses of trust, cooperation, loyalty and motivation you create," she warns.

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Understand the true cost of leaving people out | SmartBlog on Workforce

10 Ways to Manage Employees that Are Older Than You : Managing :: American Express OPEN Forum

There are always awkward moments when a company's new hire is younger than the team he or she is managing.

Older employees who thought they were in the running for the same position may feel slighted, others may assume youth amounts to inexperience, or they may not be bothered. Often though, the experience tends to be just as uncomfortable for the new boss who is aware of joining a closely knit team, not only as an outsider but a young one at that.

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10 Ways to Manage Employees that Are Older Than You : Managing :: American Express OPEN Forum

John Fund: Government By Executive Order - WSJ.com

Opinion: Labor Department plan will bring new pressure on employers

The "operating plan" for the Labor Department's Office of the Solicitor could result in enforcement officers from multiple agencies showing up at business sites, in greater use of the courts to enforce rules and a policy of "shaming" businesses into compliance, writes John Fund. The Labor Department plan comes as liberal groups are urging the Obama administration to use executive orders and rule-making authority in the face of a Republican-led Congress.

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John Fund: Government By Executive Order - WSJ.com

Make your workplace one of the “Best” | SmartBlog on Workforce

How does a company get on the list of the top 25 best small-business workplaces? Jill J. Morin, CEO of serial award winner Kahler Slater, has a few suggestions: Build trusting relations, encourage respectful collaboration and have regular "creativity fire drills."

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Make your workplace one of the “Best” | SmartBlog on Workforce

Make your workplace one of the “Best” | SmartBlog on Workforce

How does one get on the list of the top 25 best small-business workplaces? Jill J. Morin, CEO of serial award winner Kahler Slater, has a few suggestions: Build trusting relations, encourage respectful collaboration and have regular "creativity fire drills."

For the complete article, go to:

Make your workplace one of the “Best” | SmartBlog on Workforce

14 Management Dos And Don'ts To Motivate Employees#

Is your team fully engaged to give their best, day in and day out? In a recent study by TowersWatson, an international HR consulting firm, fewer than 21% of employees surveyed described themselves as “highly engaged,” down from 31% in 2009. 8% admitted to being fully disengaged.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/14-management-dos-and-donts-to-motivate-employees-2010-11##ixzz16stcL8V1
14 Management Dos And Don'ts To Motivate Employees#