Fluid Consulting eBulletin Issue 10

is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it.

So said Dwight D Eisenhower. And I agree. But it sure is a tricky challenge as we approach the end of 2009 when work is generally not a pleasant place to be.

WHY HAVE YOU JUST DONE THAT?

Motivation is the reason why people engage in particular behaviour and perform tasks.
In the current economic climate the intention of most organisations is to ensure that employee motivation is not only strong, but also consistently applied in the direction of the organisation's goals and values. The aim of most organisations is to raise the level of discretionary effort employees are willing to apply beyond minimum acceptable levels. It is this 'over and above the norm' effort that gives organisations a strong people advantage and ensures strong, sustainable results.

However, most organisations fall short of this 'high jump’ bar and struggle to motivate their employees effectively. In past times of plenty, many employers used a very basic 'carrot and stick' approach, assuming that people need to be encouraged with financial and non-financial rewards to perform better.

The other side of this approach is that poor performers are motivated by negative sanctions. These may be overt sanctions, such as formal warning letters or withholding promotion, or more subtle punishment such as exclusion from important projects/tasks.

PLAY TO YOUR STRENGTHS
In this era of slashed training budgets, we recognise the need to avoid excessive expenditure of overcoming weaknesses through a training programme focused on these specific areas. In these cases, we find that emphasising existing personal strengths can pay dividends by:

Helping employees build awareness of their unique strengths, enabling them to undertake an assessment which can highlight these strengths.
Finding opportunities for employees to apply their strengths at work frequently and productively. If no scope exists within their current role, we can explore 'stretch' opportunities, such as special assignments.
Investing in releasing ‘strength potential’ amongst employees through learning and development focused on individual strengths rather than weaknesses or personality 'gaps' that may change.
Ensuring employees understand the impact of applying their strengths in overdrive. Our experience suggests that it is often the unintended consequences of overplayed strengths rather than weaknesses that result in underperformance and derailed careers.
Creating an enabling environment that encourages employees to be different and play to their strengths and ensure that blockages to strengths are removed or minimised as quickly as possible.
Offering plenty of positive encouragement including praise and recognition for effort as well as results. This will help build the confidence of employees and create a virtuous performance cycle as more positive, energised employees are more productive employees.
Building and developing teams with complementary and relevant strengths for the tasks in hand. Teams that play to members’ strengths not only perform better, but are also more fulfilled, flexible and resilient.

PUT IN PLACE A PROGRAMME
Today, pay rises are rarely possible and bonuses are held in disdain. So an increasing amount of our workload this year has focused on rewarding high performers on a minimal budget. This requires considerable creativity: we analyse case studies and best practice to adapt what has worked elsewhere to suit a particular organisation’s culture and budget. We suggest the following approach:

Set achievable targets: Nothing is likely to switch people off motivation programmes more than seemingly impossible targets. Be realistic and fair, or ask individuals to set their own.
Have lots of winners: Nothing succeeds like success. Being able to recognise and reward all those who have succeeded provides a positive environment.
Make frequent awards with special categories: Nothing de-motivates the poor performer more than seeing others streaking ahead. Include special categories such as 'performance of the month' or 'best performance by new starter' etc.
Present rewards publicly: The efforts and achievements of those who perform well should be recognised at company meetings with personal presentations from a senior manager.

TEMPORARY DOES NOT MEAN SECONDARY
During autumn, many of the largest retailers are embarking on huge recruitment drives to hire Christmas seasonal staff. Often these people can feel like second-class citizens and with busy days and a finite period of employment, their levels of motivation can be low.

It is important to include temporary or contract workers in motivation schemes because for the scheme to be totally effective, it needs to motivate 100% of the participants all of the time. This is why elements like communicating with participants in an appropriate way, memorable messages and the opportunity to earn appealing and aspirational rewards are so important.

Therefore, it follows that if a sizeable proportion of a team are temporary or contract workers, they must be included in rewards programmes alongside permanent staff. Failure to include them will drag down the performance of the entire team as they will not be focused on achieving the same goals.

Some employers see motivating temporary workers or contractors as an unnecessary expenditure as they are only with the company for a short time. However, incentive programmes generally focus on short-term objectives. If temporary or contract workers help the organisation to achieve these goals, then investment in motivation is not wasted.

The logistics of including temporary staff in an existing rewards scheme doesn't need to be a nightmare. The scheme, its objectives and the rewards need to be explained. Awards should be given on a pro-rata basis according to the period of participation. A temporary staff member who leaves before the end of an incentive scheme, in common with all participants, will usually forfeit their right to receive awards. This needs to be built into the scheme rules to avoid disputes in such instances.

The incentive may need to be divided in a way that makes it easier to involve short-term staff with, for example, smaller monthly targets instead of larger quarterly targets.

One of the most common problems with temporary staff is that they can often break their temporary contract to go into permanent employment with another company. An incentive scheme can be an extremely useful tool for a company to create loyalty and reduce staff turnover: it gives them an incentive to stay.

For temporary staff, having instant rewards is even more important. From hitting objectives to receiving awards, the scheme should be quickly administered with no long processes to claim rewards. Vouchers can prove effective as they can be supplied even in small amounts and provide an instant reward that can be instantly used.

Points schemes do not work for temporary staff as the collection period to earn a meaningful reward is probably longer than most temp contracts. Equally, they are unlikely to be able to qualify for incentive travel awards, which are inappropriate for this type of worker.

Temporary staff should be treated fairly alongside permanent staff on a scheme. However, the value of awards that they can earn should be pro-rata in accordance with the time they have participated in the programmed. The same programmed rules must apply to all participants.

WHAT ELSE CAN DE DONE?

My friend’s employer has axed 25% of their workforce over the last 18 months and on each visit, the office appears quieter than the last. Long-standing friendships are no more, whilst there has been a noticeable increase in workloads and responsibilities because there’s more pressure to reach targets and cover areas previously managed by others. Staff morale, not surprisingly, is low.

I would love to help but regrettably I have bills to pay and don’t work for free! However, I suggest they:

Sit down with the ‘survivors’ to instil trust and commitment - earlier in 2009 Fluid was featured in a national newspaper article facilitating this process:
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/hard-times-2009-part-1-the-workplace-1691088.html
Answer the awkward questions - typically these may include:
• What do you want me to do?
• Why do you want me to do it?
• How do I do it? Are there any training needs?
• What is in it for me? (everybody’s favourite radio station - WII FM)
• How am I doing? (Put in place robust performance measurement systems to provide accurate feedback, so people know if they are performing as they should and exceeding expectations.)
Look at incentives - Where possible, treat employees as individuals without assuming that you know best. Working from home, volunteering, sabbaticals and green initiatives may be more appropriate than a pay rise for some staff. Just because someone is young and single does not necessarily mean they would not value a Friday based away from the office.
Find out what people really think - Employee surveys play a part but recognise that other ways of communicating can be equally important. Don’t overlook the benefits of appraisals, exit interviews, group discussions, one-on-one chats, staff suggestion schemes and informal ‘water cooler’ moments. Keep people in the loop on decisions and the overall direction of the organisation. Get them into the decision-making process, whether it’s through formal committees or other regular consultation.
Give good goals - Make sure that employees have understandable and achievable goals – a well structured communications system can make all the difference.
Feedback - Regular, positive feedback can bring measurable returns on performance, although this needs to be balanced with negative feedback, if applicable.
Keep it fresh - Varied and interesting work is probably the biggest variable in the employee equation – and can make the biggest difference. Consider options to add enticements to the mix, such as secondments to other offices or suppliers.
Strike a balance - Respect the fact that employees have lives outside of the workplace. Ensure a proper balance between work and life.
Fair’s fair - Maintain an impartial, open and understanding approach when dealing with any employee issue.

TO CONCLUDE….

As we come out of the recession, motivated staff will make the difference in whether a customer switches supplier or stays put. Put in the work now to reap the rewards during 2010.


	1. Don’t skimp on fully understanding the business case Companies adopt CR strategies for a multitude of reasons ranging from preventing tighter legislation to enhancing their employer brand, improve retention through to cost control and building customer loyalty.


	1. Remember leadership is a relationship between leader and follower. It is therefore defined by the impact the leader has on people and activities around him or her, rather than simply the skills they possess. Leaders need to engage others through active listening and instilling trust - understanding their issues, desires, stories and moans.