Keep the Focus to Survive Tough Times

Recently I conducted a Focus Group with 26 employees after their company went through a series of layoffs.  These 26 people were affected by the layoff just as much as those that lost their jobs.  I give the company kudos for taking the time to find out what was on the minds of a random population of their employees.

This Focus Group was not mandatory and the company did provide coffee and pastry for the morning session.  As the employees came in, grabbed their coffee and sat down I could see the uncertain looks on their faces.  What was the real reason for the Focus Group, could they truly speak their minds or if they did would they be the next one getting a pink slip, etc.

However after the introduction and assurance that their answers would remain anonymous they opened up.  It began with everything being negative.  Their jobs were harder, they were working longer hours, they weren’t getting raises, the company didn’t let them know who was laid off which impacted how they did their work, the salary people came and went as they pleased while the hourly were expected to be there to cover….  The wound was certainly fresh and was gaping open as the poison of what the company was doing to them took over their emotions.

For every question asked of them they presented a problem.  And the theme was always the same; management was not listening to them. They felt that management did not understand their pain and what the decision to lay off employees was doing to those remaining.

When I asked them the question “What impact will the layoffs have for the company” their answers were:

1. The quality of the product may suffer
2. The quality of customer service may suffer
3. The production quantity will be down
4. The moral of the remaining staff will be down because of higher stress levels
5. The reputation of the company may suffer.  They didn’t feel they would recruit their company to others as they once did.  The employer of choice title may suffer

As I wrote up my report for senior management it became clear that there were things that they could do to keep the company’s biggest asset working to their full potential and we all know that the biggest asset a company has is its employees.  These employees brought that fact up numerous times when they stated, “Without us there is no company”.

One of the first things the company can do is build a culture of partnership with their employees. It has been proven that when there is a partnership culture employee will consistently outperform which keeps competitors at bay in both good and bad economic times.

Communicate, communicate and then communicate more. Employees are very resourceful and they can come up with ideas that senior management may not have thought about.  After all, they are the ones doing the work.  Should the company be thinking of layoffs, the employees may come up with creative ideas to avoid the layoffs including job share, reduced hours, or other ways to cut spending.

Watch the behavior of management and supervisors. Are they providing recognition to their employees and supporting them in the difficult times?  Are they offering opportunities for development so that when the tough times are over the employees feel they have a stronger foundation to be promoted upon?  And don’t forget to get help for the management and supervisor staff. Chances are they are not emotionally prepared to handle what trying times can mean for themselves or their employees.  Bring in outside coaches to work with them.

Don’t forget to look after your high potential employees. You may be leaning on them more, but are you also making sure they don’t leave?  Are their contributions being recognized? Employees don’t always need monetary rewards, but they certainly do need to hear that they are appreciated and will be taken care of.

Keep providing employee evaluations so that the employees have the opportunity to highlight all that they have been doing.  There may not be money in the budget for increases, but acknowledgment helps to keep perspective as employees are dealing with more stress and larger workloads.  If you don’t know all they are doing how can you help them prevent “burnout” situations that will adversely affect the employee and thus the company?

What Would People Say About You?

I started teaching another Undergrad course in Critical Thinking yesterday.  I am always excited about a new class and meeting all the students.  They are bright eyed as they begin a new course and see their own finish line approaching with each class they finish. 

As a part of my class structure everyone introduces themselves and provides a bio.   In case you didn’t already know, I teach in an online environment so I have students all over the Country and at times the world. The Bios are pretty interesting as student share where they have traveled, their past work experiences,  information about their families and information about why they are continuing their education.

As you may suspect, the majority are in school to finish a degree they may have started years ago.   Some had to leave school to take care of families, others state they weren’t ready to buckle down and do what it takes to make the grades.  Their discipline was lacking at the time.  Now that they are older and see that they can’t advance without a degree, they are back in school.

There is something to be said about being in the “real” world before continuing on with your education after High School.  For one, you are in school because it is your choice, not the choice of your parents.  Your commitment is with yourself.  The other is that you can get a feel for how business works.  Regardless of the business, there are employees, supervisors, managers, and the executive.  The impression that these people have on you is one that provides alerts for how you would like to be or not want to be.

My adult learners have all ready been in situations that provided them with either good examples of management skills or bad.  As an executive I certainly hope that my affects on people have been positive.  Based upon some of the discussions in my class, there are many managers that are giving the title of Management a bad name.  I hope that what ever level you are at in your company, you realize that someone is learning from you.  Now the question is are their learning good things or bad?

A Whole New Vyew (View)!!!

I had a great experience today providing leadership training to a non-profit organization.  Although the distance to get to my client’s office was not unheard of, they agreed to use a Webinar format. (A special thank you to Project Kindle!!!)   So, for the first time I presented a module session on Communication including an Extended DISC assessment for each participant.   The application I used allowed for Webcam, VOIP, whiteboard, chat room, PowerPoint Slide capability, etc.  Really all the features and more than some of the bigger companies out there.  Think WebEx and Go To Meeting.

If you are interested in taking a look at this application, I am supplying you with a link.  There subscription fees are great – Free to start with and no limit on the amount of time you can access this free service.  However, if you would like to upgrade you can do so starting at approximately $10/mo. Not bad.

So, If you are looking for a way to collaborate with clients or staff, look into VYEW.  I think you will be happily surprised.  You may find some kinks, but hang with them.  They get back to you to answer your questions, want your feedback and are always looking for ways to improve their product.

www.vyew.com