Gratitude starts at the top.

If you're the owner, manager, or supervisor, it's important to let your employees know when they've excelled at their job. A culture of 'thank you' will take a company much farther than one where employees harbor quiet resentment and distrust. If you're looking for genuine ways to thank your employees, consider these suggestions: 1. Give Them Something They Really Want Gifts don't have to be just for the holidays, and sometimes a thoughtful item can be more effective from a management standpoint than even a small bonus on a paycheck. Do you have a salesperson who is always excited about the office March Madness basketball pool? The next time he closes a deal, get him a pair of tickets to his team's next home game. Is everyone always raving about one employee's homemade lunches in the break room? Surprise your foodie employee with a gift card to that buzzed-about new restaurant. Gifts can be more than just a generic, obligatory thank you. Personalize your gratitude. Which brings us to tip two: 2. Get to Know Your Employees Years ago, on my second or third day of a new job, the company owner appeared at my desk and handed me two tickets to a new night club's grand opening. He said he'd be there and hoped I could come. Of course I made the effort, enjoying an open bar and free dinner, not to mention getting to know my new boss in a comfortable atmosphere. In the three years that I worked there, we also went fishing together and played golf. When the company took a downturn and a large chunk of the staff, including myself, had to be laid off, I knew it was an agonizing decision for him. Although we weren't 'friends' like I am with my college buddies, we understood each other and I knew he cared about helping me find a new job. It's important to know the people you work with. If you don't even know an employee's name, how can they believe it when you say 'thank you?' Learn the basics. Ask about their family and their hobbies. When a person knows you care about them, they'll work harder because they know you appreciate it. 3. Have Contests, but Don't Discriminate An employee of the month program can be a great motivator, but chances are, one or two 'teacher's pets' will end up always being the stand-outs. Have a 'once a year' policy for the winners if you go this route. For sales teams, goals and rewards are a great way to motivate. If your entire staff has a motivator beyond their usual commission to sell the most product in a period of time, you'll undoubtedly see higher sales figures than you would without the additional incentive. 4. Take Them Out On the Town

Food is a universal currency. It's amazing how a treat in the break room can change your employees' day. Donuts and muffins are the easy go-to items in the morning, but consider being a little more thoughtful. Did a new BBQ restaurant just open down the street? Surprise everyone on Friday with a catered lunch. Did you have a particularly strong quarter? After-work happy hour (with the boss picking up the tab) is a huge morale booster, and it brings your staff closer together. 5. Set the Mood We can't get every employee a corner office with wall-to-wall windows, but a few small items can improve the aura of any workplace. First on the priority list? Plants. The simple presence of our living green counterparts seems to sooth the soul, especially in otherwise sterile, fluorescent-lit environments. If space allows, create a break room with comfortable seating and space to congregate. Finally, consider letting employees be casual in their dress. If clients don't come by the office, letting them know it's okay to take their shoes off at their desk can add to comfort levels. Casual Friday is always a plus. Taking any sort of initiative to increase worker comfort shows that you're thinking about their best interest and grateful for their hard work. Everyone wants to feel appreciated, and a good business leader will recognize the value of happy employees. Let your staff know you're thankful for all they do, and the rewards will come back tenfold. Related: To see these tips and others in use at an Ohio-based communications firm, click here.
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BNET Column: Employee Engagement Vital to Retention, Recovery-Spurred Recruiting

Friday, October 28, 2011 by Mark Harbeke

Did you catch this rare bit of good news about the economy this week? Reuters reportedthat based on increased consumer spending, U.S. gross domestic product grew at a 2.5% annual rate in the third quarter, up from a 1.3% in the second quarter. If a strong or even stronger fourth quarter follows, will companies dip into their historic profits to hire in a manner that will be meaningful in terms of making a dent in the high unemployment rate in early 2012? That's anyone's guess at this point, but what is known is that eventually -- as the recovery comes or continues to happen, depending on your perspective -- recruiting efforts will need to pick back up.

And, as leadership educator, executive coach, and speaker John Baldoni argues in hisnew column on BNET this week, companies need to cope presently with a workforce that, in large part, is and has been doing more with less. He cites a new People Metrics report in making the case that employee engagement best practices matter because they enable workers to feel positive about their organization (the fact that their firm is still in business being a contributing factor in their engagement level). What's more, as hiring picks up in tandem with an improving economy, it may make an even bigger impact on your current workforce. Baldoni notes that in this scenario, employees know that their options have expanded, so the extent to which their employer's people practices make them feel integral to the team and chart a tangible path for their growth and development within the organization become "a critical factor in whether an employee stays or leaves." As Winning Workplaces advised in an editorial on our website in July 2009 -ironically at the same time that manyeconomists later said we were out of the "Great Recession" -- businesses would do well for their long-term prospects if they purposefully shared the rewards of recovery with their workers as both an acknowledgement of their taking the hard journey with leadership, and as a means of encouraging continued commitment and camaraderie to maintain a productive workplace culture. Next Step: Whether you are in a hiring mode now or waiting to do so based on how your sales forecast plays out and how the economy as a whole continues to perform, this guest post on our blog provides great tips to motivate your workers, including many that are cost effective.
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Better PR for Math and Science to Help Companies Fill Skills Gap - And Our Economy
Wednesday, October 26, 2011 by Mark Harbeke

Much of the high-level discussion about education in the U.S. lately has centered on whether or not the government (and ultimately taxpayers) should invest inhiring construction workers to fix our crumbling schools in many states. This discussion has merit, of course, but maybe it is a big opportunity talk about not just what schools will look like after this kind of action, but how they will better

serve students. Specifically, I'm thinking of how educators as well as parents, companies, and the media can all make it more hip for kids to learn and use math and science. The problem is that, as a major study of an increasing number of industrialized countries shows every three years, U.S. students rank poorly in math and science as well as reading. But the opportunity is great: this new Seven Days article, titled "Seeking Geeks," provides a Vermont-focused peek at an increasing nationwide need for companies: qualified technical workers. To the extent that companies can hire these workers among a pool of increasingly educated Americans, everyone benefits. Companies may be more confident overall to hire, and more Americans working means both more disposable income to spend in our economy and a reduced drain on federal and state unemployment benefit funds. Looking at the specific company need of technical workers, I did a quick review of the small firms we have profiled that are in the high tech/software/systems sector (organizations which, since 2003, have won our award focused on the payoff of employee engagement and workplace team building). Of the 19 firms in this sector for which we've shared their successful people practices, 14 are still operating independently, four have been acquired, and one went out of business. Of the 14 independent operators, 12 are currently hiring -- many for at least one technical role. This, of course, doesn't even take into account the large number of our small workplace award winners in othersectors that are currently hiring for tech and other roles, several of which I tweeted about this week. The government and the media periodically remind us of the importance of encouraging kids to learn their ABCs and 123s ("The More You Know," anyone?). Because it is to their benefit as well as society's, I think more non-media companies should get in the game of making these reminders front and center. After all, while there is talk that globalization and other factors have perhaps led some jobs away from the U.S. for good, the jobs I mentioned above are here -and need filling -- now. Image credit: Learning Technologies
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A Winning Workplace-Reinforcing Social Media Policy Framework

Friday, October 21, 2011 by Mark Harbeke

Some of our past posts have stressed that it's a good idea for you to improve employee engagement and

other people practices in your organization by adding a formal social media policy. Reasons for taking this step include enhancing your ability to engage both existing and potential customers as well as promoting better cross-generational communication among your workforce and avoiding employee litigation. But what does a comprehensive and effective social media policy look like? Dr. Sarah Elaine Eaton of Eaton International Consulting shed a lot of light on this last week in a post for Social Media Today. Based on her review of over 150 such policies for a wide range of firms, including both for- and not-for-profits, she shared 16 dimensions in a "lessons learned" context. What I find especially noteworthy about a number of Eaton's policy considerations is how they align with thebuilding blocks of a Winning Workplace. For instance: "Encourage honesty and transparency" and "Respect others" promote Trust, Respect and Fairness "Encourage a conversational tone" and "Seek permission and ask for help" promote Open Communications and Learning and Development "Discourage disputes" promotes Teamwork and Involvement "Time allocation" promotes Work/Life Balance As our research and that of others who study highly productive workplace cultures show, to the extent that companies can reinforce great-workplace characteristics in their policies and procedures, they tend to enjoy better business results as they inform, enrich, and empower their people. Eaton's social media policy framework is one example of this phenomenon in action. Related: We recently shared this video by social media marketing expert Laura Roeder on our Facebook page, in which she argues that you will best engage existing and potential customers (and convert that engagement to sales) by turning to current employees. This approach, of course, hinges on having in place a useful social media policy.
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Three Steps to Building a Healthy Work Culture in Construction

Thursday, October 20, 2011 by Mark Harbeke

The following is a guest post by Drake MacDonald. Drake's brief experience in construction introduced him to the field's many shortcomings. As an online writer and editor, he works to promote construction management education in the hopes of improving industry standards of communication and organization.

In the construction business, it is crucial for supervisors and employees to have a symbiotic relationship in order to build a healthy work culture. However, in order to create such an environment, each construction management company must consider what can be done to develop a supportive workplace, how to inspire trust and leadership within the team, and how barriers that may inhibit productive transactions can be removed. While this process sounds complicated, in actuality it is fairly easy to implement. Simply utilizing the following ideas will allow you to establish a work environment that is not only healthy, but efficient and productive at every level. The first step in creating a healthy work culture is for both employees and supervisors to be open to hearing and utilizing the ideas of any member of the construction team. To ensure that all ideas are being heard, construction owners can encourage workers and supervisors to submit their ideas formally to the construction office. Company owners should also encourage employees to share their ideas with their supervisors and other team members. Secondly, although purpose is important to construction, it is also important that supervisors and employees utilize a process approach to managing each construction site. When construction management is focused on process, team members are much more likely to meet the expected standards and complete each stage of construction with success. Furthermore, the process approach allows construction work to be completed with greater efficiency and quality. Thirdly, it is important that team members on the construction site have peer support and trust during the building process. This can be facilitated by following through with all work orders and process standards. Likewise, all members of the construction team should learn to cooperate and collaborate with each other on a day-to-day basis. This means that each team member needs to be accountable for their work and must treat other members of the team with respect. However, even with the most agreeable team, its inevitable that issues will arise that interfere with the construction process. When such an instance occurs, it is crucial that the issue is addressed promptly with the entire team. Ultimately if you incorporate collaborative behaviors, open communication, and a process approach into your construction company, you can easily build a healthy and profitable workplace culture. Remember that construction teams can also focus on creating healthy work environments by utilizing economically green tools and materials that benefit the industry, workers, and clients. With such a culture, construction safety is inevitable. Furthermore, when you utilize these techniques, you can be confident that your team is giving their best. Related: For even more employee engagement and team building strategies aimed at increasing job satisfaction and overall performance within the construction sector, click here.
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Report Reaffirms Link Between Healthy Workplaces and Competitive Advantage

Friday, October 14, 2011 by Mark Harbeke

Talk about fulfilling a need! Check out this from Newswise yesterday: In Kentucky -- which ranks 49th among all states in Gallup's national index of well-being, has the 2nd highest prevalence of heart attacks in the country and the 5th highest prevalence of diabetes -innovative solutions have become a business imperative. A new research report, "Creating Healthy Organizations: Promising Practices in Kentucky," released today by the University of Kentucky's Institute for Workplace Innovation (iwin), hopes to provide organizations in Kentucky and beyond with new ways to improve employee health and well-being while also improving the bottom line. While the report focuses on health and wellness related people practices in midsize and larger companies -- and not the smaller firms that Winning Workplaces hones in on -- its conclusion is the same as what we and others in the employee engagement research space have been saying: organizations provide a win for their bottom line by implementing these practices and achieving greater productivity while typically reducing their long-term health care costs, as well as a win for their workers because they become better physically able to tackle all their commitments outside of work. This report, with its publisher and subject matter both based in Kentucky, immediately made me think of our 2008 Top Small Workplace award winner The Paducah Bank & Trust Company, based in the Kentucky city of the same name. When the bank won our award, many of its competitors had lost 20-40% of their stock value due to the mortgage bubble beginning to burst. Yet, Paducah Bank's stock value increased by 8.2% in 2007, and in 2008 earnings were up 24%. The bank achieved this competitive advantage in part through benefits such as its employee wellness/fitness program, which includes the following components: Reduction in health club fees Financial incentive for visiting the gym Smoking cessation kits Flu shots On-site health screenings Although Kentucky and other states are facing moderate to severe health care crises among their populations, I love that these types of intra-company, employee

centered initiatives have the power to turn those trends around whilemaking American companies more competitive in the long run. Related Articles:

On this blog: Nine Organizational Activities for Wellness Coordinators and Their ROI On our website: Wellness Initiatives Are a Hip Way to Engage Employees, Save in Long-term Health Care Costs

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New Employee Turnover Cost Calculator for Your Business

Thursday, October 13, 2011 by Mark Harbeke

A new employee turnover cost calculator provided by the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) and the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) currently has 28 "likes" on Facebook. I'm writing this to spread the word about it so it gets a lot more, as it looks to provide high value to many businesses, especially small ones. The calculator looks like a tax return, and it's pretty slick in terms of walking you through variables to plug in based on whether you want to determine turnover cost for salaried or hourly workers. The form tells you both the cost per employee, and the total cost. The introductory verbiage at the top of the form sets the stage for why you should take time out of your busy day to use this calculator to determine your costs (or to get a second opinion if you already track this internally): investing in your workplace in things like paid sick days (as CEPR mentions) among other benefits, as well as in employee leadership development initiatives pays for your business because often the cost of turnover is more than the cost of retention brought about by these and other people practices. I'd love to read your thoughts about the CLASP-CEPR turnover calculator in the comments. Do the totals come close to what you've seen in practice? Related:

Nick Churchill covered CLASP in an article on our website on the push for paid sick leave, and I mentioned CEPR in this post on California's paid family leave program.

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Promoting Good Communication in the Workplace

Friday, September 30, 2011 by Mark Harbeke

In the following guest post, Elaine Hirsch shares effective communications team building strategies and why they're both good for workers and help create a more productive workplace. Enjoy! Managers spend 75 to 80 percent of their jobs engaged in some form of written or oral communication. Two thirds of all salaried employees have some type of writing responsibilities, and nearly 80 percent of companies assess writing skills prior to hiring an employee. However, many managers and CEOs don't utilize this tool effectively. Perhaps it's because they lacked something in their education, such as going toschool online and not talking aloud, but judging by the focus on communication, the success of a company may depend upon employees' ability to communicate productively. Here are some helpful tips to improve communication in your company. Why is Good Communication Important? Idea Generation, Product Development, and Sales. Studies have shown collaborative environments with open communication are more successful than organizations where ideas aren't valued or communicated. These companies' products and services are profitable and make a difference in the lives of their customers. Articulation is instrumental in conveying complex ideas and producing innovative products. Motivational communication is also critical in convincing coworkers and upper management to embrace an idea. Before a product may be sold to the public, it must first meet the needs of people within the organization. If coworkers aren't convinced the product will be successful, then the product will probably not sell to the general public. Motivate Employees. Good managers can motivate employees to improve and perform well even during difficult times. When the company is going through management changes, reorganization, or bankruptcy, managers can motivate employees by keeping them in the loop. This encourages employees to feel a sense of ownership of the company and give extra effort if they are motivated through effective communication and incentives. Conflict Resolution. When conflict arises between coworkers, active listening and communication become invaluable. Communication in situations of conflict requires tact, patience, and the ability to negotiate possible solutions. When the environment is tension-filled and people are afraid to communicate with upper management and

other employees, the company becomes ineffective. Good ideas that could potentially be lucrative are lost because of the lack of communication. Misunderstandings. Simple misunderstandings may erupt into full-blown arguments if communication isn't encouraged. Many people allow issues to fester rather than tactfully addressing them with the other person. Polite directness will diffuse the misunderstanding and help both parties work towards a solution. Which Communication Modality is Most Effective? Both written and oral communication skills are essential in any workplace for different circumstances. Employees must be prepared to communicate effectively regardless of the modality. In some situations, face-to-face communication is necessary. An employee may have an idea and only a few minutes to pitch it to a senior manager in the elevator. The company may also hold a conference to communicate ideas in person rather than through written correspondence. Written communication may be required when documentation is needed of the conversation. If there's any concern the recipient may misplace or forget what you need to convey, written communication is best. Printed materials may be preferable when visuals are needed to convey your point. Tips for Effective Communication Use Audio-Visual Aids. As the old adage goes: "A picture is worth a thousand words." A chart, pie graph, or other visual representation can greatly augment the effectiveness of a presentation or explanation. The less an audience has to puzzle over your ideas, the more readily they can understand their value. Ask Rather than Blame. If you suspect coworkers of unpleasant behavior, bring it up with them and ask about the situation. Present the evidence that led you to believe they may be involved in the behavior and listen to their response. Actively Listen Before a Response. After a confrontation, listen to the other point of view. Make note of key points without interrupting the response. Incorporate those points in your reply to show that you acknowledge the other point of view. Focus on the Positive Rather than the Negative. Always try to note a positive before addressing the negative. This will show others you value some aspects of their behavior in cases of criticism. Keep the Conversation Brief. Set a time limit on each response or rebuttal to give each side the opportunity to respond and make a point. Communication is essential to any environment. Employees who follow these tips will promote effective communication in their workplaces, much to their own benefit as well as that of their coworkers. Related: For more people practices and insights, check out the latest survey write-

up and archived summaries in theOpen Communications area of the Research Studies section of our website.
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10 Nontraditional Practices in Celebration of National Work and Family Month

Monday, September 26, 2011 by Mark Harbeke

Did you know that National Work and Family Month, as designated by Congress, is fast approaching? October has been that month since 2003 more information on it and what it's about is available here. As part of a blog fest around this month-long event, Winning Workplaces was pleased to be asked to contribute an article on staff engagement activities that businesses can use to help their people strike a better balance between work and home life to The Huffington Post. Here's what I shared: Since 2003, the nonprofit I work for, Winning Workplaces, has sponsored an award honoring small businesses whose innovative employee practices drive business growth. (It used to be called Best Bosses, and now it's known as Top Small Company Workplaces.) Every year that we have run this competition, we have seen a link between using practices designed to help employees balance their work and personal lives, and better bottom-line results. For example, our latest award cycle earlier this year -which generated close to 350 applications from across North America -- revealed that companies that use one or more flexible work arrangements had 25% lower average turnover in 2010 compared to those that don't use any, and their average employee tenure is 43% greater. Many of the practices these progressive small firms employ have gotten more media attention in recent years -- things like flexible shift start and end times, getting time off for community service, job sharing, summer hours and, as WFC Resources' Susan Seitel recently addressed as part of National Work and Family Month, telework. Just as noteworthy, perhaps, is the following list of less traditional flex work practices our award-based research uncovered this year. Small business leaders, especially, can use this as a springboard to better balance keeping their workers happy, energized and most productive with managing costs. 1. Employees, at all levels, manage their own schedules and work hours to be most conducive to their personal lives, as long as these altered schedules do not impact their ability to deliver to clients or to support their coworkers.

2. With advance notice, all holidays are "floating," meaning that employees can shift or consolidate "traditional" days off such as Memorial Day or Labor Day. Read the rest of our article here. Related: Dig even deeper into the possibilities for your people practices and the payoff of employee engagement by reading these additional articles on The Huffington Post that also help elevate and celebrate National Work and Family Month: 12 Tips for Making Your Telework Arrangement Succeed Confessions of an Undercover Working Mom The ABCs of Workplace Flexibility If you're on Twitter, you can also follow all the insights and related events in October by searching the hash tag#NWFM.
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Separating Employee from Marketplace Innovation in Slate Article

Thursday, September 22, 2011 by Mark Harbeke

Slate has a new article on its website this week by Annie Lowrey entitled "Why Small Busiensses Aren't Innovative." In it, based on new research by the University of Chicago, she argues, The bulk of small businesses being created, in short, are not particularly innovative ones. Few spend any money on research or development, getting a patent, or otherwise trademarking a new idea. Most simply help provide already-crowded markets with familiar goods such as legal work or gas or nearby groceries. Nor are they growing businesses either. My reaction to Lowrey's article is that I think it's important to separate internal innovation involving team building and other people practices from the kinds of external, marketplace-driven innovation she addresses. As we know from our latest employee engagement research the nearly 350 applications received during our 2011 Top Small Company Workplaces competition the diverse cross section of small firms we surveyed are most definitely innovative when it comes to how they engage their people for best financial results. As I've shared in past posts on this survey sample: They do a wide array of things ranging from leadership and supervision, to performance management and employee development, to compensation and benefits to maximize staff retention.

To both retain as well as attract top quality talent, they also embrace flexible work arrangements andrecognition programs in a big way. Notably, they rank ahead of 14% of the world's richest countries in paid annual leave (with the big benefits to companies being workers who are far less likely to be burned out, and thus are more productive and less prone to leaving). I used the word "diverse" above when describing this sample of small businesses purposely. Here are some statistics on them, which suggest the vast majority of them are those Lowrey points to in her article and in her quote I pulled out above: From 42 U.S. states and territories. Represent more than 27 industries. Range in age from 3 to 99 years old 50% are 10 years old or younger. Have 4 to 443 employees 73% have 100 or fewer employees. They're also small when it comes to annual revenue: in 2010 they ranged from $200,000 to $404 million though 96% of them had revenue under $100 million. This point I think is especially important when considering Lowrey's claim that the bulk of small businesses aren't growing: our 2011 award applicants increased headcounts 22% from 2009 to 2010, going from 74 to 90 employees on average. I'd like to close by saying that it's not that I don't like Lowrey's article she's mostly just extrapolating on U of C's research. I just think that some in small business circles, including HR professionals, OD consultants, and even CEOs, think of innovation not strictly in terms of what customers, vendors, VCs, the media, and other stakeholders see day to day. In other words, what's going on "under the hood" also drives an enterprise's ability to be a game changer. Your thoughts?
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Payoff of Employee Engagement More Visible Thanks to The Colbert Report

Monday, September 19, 2011 by Mark Harbeke

How did I miss this? Last week the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School blog linked to an interview of Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh that aired on The Colbert Report at the start of August. I'm embedding the interview below, as it's short and worth a view:

(Click here if you can't see the video in your RSS feed) As I'm sure many of our readers are aware, promoting the payoff of employee engagement, including progressive strategies designed to build a more productive

workplace to drive better bottom line results, can be an uphill battle. For all the emerging research which points to better engaged and satisfied employees as a means for long-term competitive advantage, there is a prevailing view, including what is still taught in many MBA programs, of "profits before people." What I like most about this video is how Hsieh, in characteristic fashion, pivots from Stephen Colbert's questions about how the company "delivers Wow" and profits on the customer side, to what the company does as part of its internal people practices to make "Wow" possible. This includes core values such as empowering employees at all levels to make key decisions, and even leveraging their expertise when it comes to whom to hire for best cultural fit. The Colbert Report and its primetime lead-in, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, nightly draw an average of between 600,000 and 1 million viewers. And the video has been viewed more than 20,000 times on The Colbert Report's website. So even though Hsieh got a big opportunity to talk to a lot of existing and potential customers, I think the big winner in this is staff engagement activities as a revenue generator. Related Posts: An Innovative, Cost-Effective Advertising Strategy (Bonus: It Builds Goodwill) There's Strength in (Offbeat) Numbers
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Incubation is a Progressive Small Business Focus

Tuesday, September 13, 2011 by Mark Harbeke

Incubation the practice of companies, academic institutions, and other groups working to spawn viable new enterprises is highly important in the current economic climate, in which many organizations are waiting for more stability in their markets before they invest in new product development or expansion. Or, in hiring. Highlighting the importance of business incubators is this contrast: while theSBA reports that over half of small businesses fail in the first 5 years, the business incubators trade association, NBIA, says that close to 90% of its graduates are still in business 3 years after completing their program. So the extent to which small businesses can be involved in the incubation process is a net gain for the economy, helping to increase innovation and expand job opportunities. This week, a new article on Inc.com (Inc. Magazine is our media partner for our Top Small Company Workplaces award) tells the story about how our 2010 award-winning firm, Tasty Catering, has become an incubator in its home

state of Illinois on several fronts. This made me curious about how companies who applied for our most recent Top Small Company Workplaces award, earlier this year, have made incubation a focus and particularly how workplace team building and employee engagement drive it. Here are two more examples: 1. One of our 50 winners, TRX (health industry, based in California, 132 employees), shared with us in their award application that, to use people practices to improve organizational performance, they sent their Director of Education to several, week-long athletic training mentorships to learn best practices in running athletic education courses. At these workshops she gained a better understanding of running an incubated business, management and team development, and industry standard benchmarks. As a result of this investment TRX's Education business has thrived, especially internationally. 2. I also found a noteworthy account from one of our applicants, Starmount Life Insurance Company(insurance industry, based in Louisiana, 176 employees), that they submitted in answer to our question on employee leadership development training for new and existing managers and supervisors. Starmount says a key priority is at their Team Leader level, the first level supervisory role in their organization. Not only are they typically new to a leadership role, but they may encounter challenges shifting from a peer to supervisory relationship. Team Leaders participate in a "Management Incubator" program which utilizes competency-based leadership assessments, experiential learning, leadership coaching, and development planning. This program appears to have had a big impact on Starmount's success post Katrina and Rita: their relocation-related initial turnover quickly stabilized, in 2009 they broke ground on a new headquarters in Baton Rouge, and in 2010 they launched two new major product lines. Related: Like Tasty Catering, another of our 2010 award-winning small workplaces that encourages employees to spur viable new businesses is Pennsylvania-based MAYA Design. Learn more about them here.
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Further Evidence That Hiring for Cultural Fit is Good Business

Friday, September 9, 2011 by Mark Harbeke

Last October I cited employee engagement research by Randstad which found that a majority of working adults believe that when companies hire for attitude and fit, it's better for business because the workplace culture is more productive. Last week, WorldatWork shared new research which finds an outcome of companies

not taking this approach: HireRight's 2011 Employment Screening Benchmarking Report finds that second only to cost cutting, businesses' biggest challenge is finding and retaining quality talent. Forty-nine percent of the nearly 1,800 HR, talent management, and other professionals from companies with up to 25,000 employees in 20 industries surveyed cited this and in fact other common challenges like emerging competitors and access to credit ranked far lower, at 16% and 8%, respectively. This tells me that despite a historically large population that is either unemployed or underemployed right now many of whom would be qualified to come on board and fill these critical roles this major organizational concern has not been alleviated. Here's a very different picture to share with you: As we outlined in this article on our website based on an annual economic survey we do of our award-winning small businesses, as of Q4 2010 the top action they reported taking out of a list of 10 common options we presented was "Invest in training and staff development to ensure we're ready for growth." They are doing this, and are in a position to do so, because they made the commitment and investment on the front end to hire not only for skills, but for attitude and fit so that their overall workforce effectiveness and camaraderie could be improved. This is borne out by the fact that among the applicants for Winning Workplaces' 2010 Top Small Company Workplace award, 7 out of every 28 average job openings per company (25%) were filled from within. (We did not ask this question in our most recent/2011 award application.) Could they have done this and in the process tackled in part the number-one business challenge cited in the new HireRight survey, cost cutting if they didn't have this intense a focus on employee leadership development for the long term? My ultimate takeaway is that small firms that have done this work are now benefitting in myriad ways in a poor economy, from retaining their knowledge base, to keeping client relations and customer service strong, to investing money elsewhere that their competitors are now spending, or poised to spend soon, on new hiring and training. What do you think?
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Winning Workplaces Provide Assistance After Hurricane Irene

Thursday, September 1, 2011 by Mark Harbeke

A key building block of a Winning Workplace is people practices supporting a focus on Teamwork & Involvement (more about the other 5 building blocks we believe in, and have seen in practice among the great small firms we've studied and recognized, here). This involves team building strategies, of course, but it also relates to the extent that an organization acts as a means to empower its employees to improve the communities in which they live, and supports them during crises. Our recentSuccess Story on Van Meter Industrial, a 2010 winner of our Top Small Company Workplace award, addressed this in detail related to the historic flood that hit its headquarters city Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 2008. We've just weathered an even larger-scale natural disaster Hurricane Irene, which devastated many East Coast states this past weekend. True to form, many of the small businesses we've honored with both of our awards are offering assistance to individuals and businesses that were affected by it. Here's a snapshot of what they're doing: 1-800-GOT-JUNK? (2005 Best Boss - Brian Scudamore) As their business is based on junk removal, they're doing what they do best and clearing out flooded basements and storm debris. Their call center and website have been slammed, and their northeastern U.S. franchise partners tell them that their schedules are packed. Luckily, they work directly with insurance companies, so it takes some stress out of the process of mopping up after such a destructive storm. Bersin & Associates (2011 Top Small Company Workplace) Since many of their employees work remotely from the East Coast they're based in California they've helped them out in several ways: 1. Paying for one employee's monthly rent increase while they move into a new neighborhood 2. IT staff is helping people get their computers back up and running 3. Offered to help each employee financially with power outage issues. Dealer.com (2010 Top Small Company Workplace) This Burlington, Vermont-based firm shared on their Facebook page (which as over 2,200 fans) that much of Southern and Central Vermont has been hit hard and is in desperate need of help. They also shared a link to a blog that's been set up to help Vermonters assist their fellow citizens. Dyn Inc. (2011 Top Small Company Workplace) Tom Daly, President and CTO of this Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) company, provided a checklist on their blog to help ensure that company data centers are prepared for major weather events. They then shared this on their Facebook page, which has over 4,700 fans. Firespring (2011 Top Small Company Workplace) Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Firespring, a comprehensive marketing solutions provider, instituted a policy allowing any client to essentially "freeze" their account and suspend payments until they were able to get back to business as usual. Yet, by their own admission, they failed to recognize that many clients were

utilizing their online file transfer and job submission utilities that automatically purged old data. Since many of their clients went without power for several months, they lost valuable data when Firespring's system did its job. When Hurricane Irene hit last week, it affected hundreds of their clients. For the past several days, they have been closely analyzing data to ensure that all of them are still able to access their files and are actively engaged using their other web tools. They were prepared this time. Their support staff is also reaching out to clients to see if there is anything else they can do to help them. Northeast Delta Dental (2005 Best Boss - Tom Raffio) This dental insurance provider has invited employees and their families without electricity to use their facilities, and they are prepared to initiate fundraisers through their Helping Hands program as they learn about employees whose homes were damaged. They have also activated their ListServ capabilities for their board members, resulting in an exchange of offers to help one another within the tri-states, which has proven immeasurable for their colleagues in Vermont who experienced extremely high flood waters and washed out roadways eliminating access to even basic services. One Call Now (2011 Top Small Company Workplace) This Ohio-based enterprise, which delivers automated phone messages to improve communication between and among organizations, has emailed their customers in the states affected by the hurricane. They offered them free upgrades to their existing service, ranging from free texting for 30 days free weather alerts until November 1, when hurricane season is over. In addition, organizations who coordinate relief for the affected areas can get free call credits added to their accounts to help with their work. Seventh Generation (2006 Best Boss - Jeffrey Hollender) The marketer of environmentally responsible household products is donating some of them to make 1200 green cleaning kits for hurricane victims. They've partnered with the Vermont Foodbank to build and deliver the kits to communities most in need. And they shared news of this on their Facebook page, which has over 260,000 fans. Next Step: Review the above examples is there anything you can do or adapt from them to provide better value to your employees, customers, or local communities/states? (Or get set to do for a future disaster affecting your area?) And how can employee engagement be a catalyst, or improved, through these efforts?
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Videos - Contrasts Between a Bad and a Great Workplace in the Carwash Industry
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 by Mark Harbeke

The two videos below provide about as stark a contrast as you could imagine between what constitutes a poor workplace culture in the carwash industry, and one that relies on the Winning Workplaces-approved notions of strong team building and investing in your workplace to boost customers and their satisfaction for a healthier bottom line. First, here's the "bad" example. I found this in a Huffington Post article published this week highlighting extreme practices in play in a number of car washes in the Los Angeles area. Warning: at times the video is graphic in its depictions of how workers are treated. Substandard even inexcusable people practices mentioned include: Beatings Sexual harassment Manager threats Pay at half the minimum wage, or less Now here's what a workplace looks like in the same industry with the polar opposite approach to employee engagement. This is our interview with Jerry Dahm, Executive VP of Mike's Carwash. Based in Indianapolis, Mike's is a 2009 winner of our Top Small Workplace award. Here's what Jerry mentions as features of how they treat their workforce, which includes over 200 full-time employees at more than 30 locations: When new hires emerge from their rigorous hiring process, their on-boarding includes 40 hours of job training Grooming leaders from within; while they invest $3,500 per person, per year, on tuition reimbursement, they see a great ROI since about 50% of job openings are filled from within Open book management with financial literacy training to help workers see how their efforts influence the bottom line and improve their pay, since they also have profit sharing Also, while Jerry doesn't mention this in the interview, I think it's noteworthy to point out the further contrast involving wages. When Mike's Carwash filled out their application for our award in 2008, only 8% of employees were earning $20,000 per year or less, and none of them were (or are today) getting below the minimum wage. Thinking about the "bad" example above, I find it not only sad that some carwash owners and leaders are fostering such poor workplaces, but counterproductive to their financial best interests! The Huffington Postarticle notes that the car washing services industry today is a $23 billion enterprise, and new research released this month shows it's a rare one that, over the next 5 years, is actually set to experience healthy growth of about 19%. So doesn't it make sense that those who run these operations would want to adequately pay and fairly treat their workers to in turn deliver the best service, to earn the biggest piece of that pie? Related: Read our Success Story on Mike's Carwash to learn even more about how the company creates a competitive culture of ownership which translates to better business results.