Grow Your Business Exhibition

How to motivate your workforce effectively: presentation here

Employers who genuinely value their employees have fewer client complaints, higher productivity, lower absenteeism and lower staff turnover.  So just how do you keep people motivated, especially when you may be finding it difficult to keep yourself motivated, let alone everyone else?  Caroline will be dispelling myths and sharing tips to help retain or regain motivation with your team.  During this seminar you'll discover:

•    The myths and truths around motivation
•    How to discover what motivates your team
•    The 3 keys to a motivated team
•    How to sustain motivation even in times of change and uncertainty

Caroline Cooper gave a great seminar on how to motivate your workforce effectively. 

Caroline says:

You can download my seminar slides here.

http://www.zealcoaching.com/download-signup/

This link takes you to a sign up page, which then allows you privileged access to my downloads page, where you can download a number of other resources that you might find useful. 

In case you missed the chance to sign up for the 5 Lessons in Leadership you'll find these here too

I hope you find it informative and useful."

Caroline Cooper

www.zealcoaching.com/blog

And you can contact Caroline via her website http://www.zealcoaching.com/

Don’t leave them guessing ~ How and why to give effective feedback

People won't get great at what they do unless you are prepared to give them regular feedback.  Good feedback is highly motivational, developmental and most of all beneficial to the bottom-line. 

Not only is it important for people in your team, it is key for anyone who supports your business - be they suppliers, consultants, professional bodies, temporary staff, remote workers.  We either take for granted valuable contributions, or we put up with poor performance or service in the misguided belief that it will right itself.

However, feedback can be badly received when it's: too generalised, too personal, based on something which is not within their power to do anything about, over critical, focused exclusively on the distant past, based on hearsay and gossip, an excuse to seek blame.

But what if the feedback you give is so accurate that it can't be challenged?

One way to do avoid these pitfalls is to use a very simple model: AID

Action  What is the action they performed?  Emphasis is on their actions, not on your interpretation of it.  So you are feeding back what you observed or heard, not on their intentions, their personality or their character.  Limit the number of actions you comment on to a level they can handle - far better to give feedback on one key action that they can digest and build on to make a difference, than ten things which leaves the message diluted (and invariably leaves them demotivated).  Because this is based on fact it is less likely to be challenged.  (This does not mean you won't get excuses!)

Impact  What impact did their actions have on the result?  This can include positive or negative impact on the end result, or on the process itself e.g. the amount of effort needed on their part to achieve the result, or the impact on others, etc.  Note here that we could also be feeding back on things that went well.  It is so easy to say to someone 'that was really good, well done' without saying why it was good or what made the difference this time compared to previous occasions.

Development  How can they build on this for the future?  Remember, the purpose of feedback is to enhance performance and motivate.  So this last stage is important to determine what happens next e.g. develop to make it even better next time around, to correct a mistake or to perfect a process.  Build on strengths or positives to maintain enthusiasm. Using open questions, ask the individual how they think things can be developed or built upon.  This will help to gain buy in and you may be surprised by the options they suggest. 

This model works equally well for situations when someone's performance has been good as well as when you would want or expect something better. 

‘If they can argue with it – it’s poor feedback’

Given in a constructive way feedback can not only improve performance but can raise morale, build rapport and promote initiative. 

Caroline runs Zeal Coaching and she will be speaking on Motivating your team at the Grow Your Business event on 13^th May.  To subscribe to her newsletter visit www.zealcoaching.com

 

 

What to do with your staff in a down turn

Ruth Sangale of the HR Dept shares her advice on how to manage your staff in a downturn.

Look at your business plan again and amend it in line with what is happening.  Consider how your staff fit into achieving this business plan.  Communicate this plan to all your staff, the clearer your communication, the more likely your staff will stay focused and motivated. 

Tackle people issues that cost you money  Now is the time to really tackle issues such as poor performance and absenteeism as your business cannot afford to continue paying the cost for these issues.  Speak to the HR Dept if you want help with managing any of these issues.  This is also a time to review your policies on flexible working.  Perhaps if there are staff who were interested in part time working but you were unable to accommodate this in the past, you can now review the situation.  When you are considering recruiting new staff, consider flexible options such as contractors or job shares.  

Ensure you keep your top people  You cannot afford to loose your talented staff who may be wondering what their long term prospects are when they see a cut in budgets or redundancies.  Communication is key.  Keep staff regularly informed of what is happening and the plans for the future. Continue to invest in appraisals and personal development planning to show staff you are still committed to them. One client of mine has recently introduced a peer review system, individual personal development plans and rewards of shares in the business to increase motivation.  

Keep recruiting if you need to  Some companies' immediate reaction is to freeze all recruitment and investment in learning and development.  You should be ready to capitalise on talent when you need it otherwise you end up recruiting at the last minute and taking what you can get.  Also cutting investments on learning sends the wrong message to your staff who you want to keep motivated and feeling secure. 

Get your house in order  Do you have access to HR expertise to manage the demands of the downturn? The HR Dept can help you make sure you have the right people in place and if you do need to make redundancies can assist you to ensure this is done correctly.  

Conclusion  This situation is not going to go on forever.  The companies that will come out strongest at the end of this period are those that continue to invest in their people.  Those who don't will struggle as they will not be prepared for when things get better.     

Ruth Sangale runs the HR Dept which helps businesses benefit from expert HR advice on a consultancy basis..

Adding Polish Adds to PROFITS! Business attire in the summer

Your outfit speaks loudly about your professionalism, casual dress - casual attitude. Think business first and casual second, as inappropriate dress is distracting and takes the attention away from the business at hand; therefore good boundaries need to be established in a business environment. People become more casual in the hot weather as they wear more relaxed clothes but that doesn't mean their grooming should and this is what can let people look sloppy and untidy.

Five Grooming reminders:
Your outfit needs to always be well pressed and wrinkle free to look professional.
"No ironing" is not appropriate and indicates you may well be a person who lacks attention to detail!
Items should be in good repair.
Hair should be neat and tidy all day not just when you arrive at the office. Check it out when you visit the cloakroom/toilet.
Manicure and pedicure regularly.

Angela Marshall runs Appearance Management. You can find out more about her business image service by visiting her website.

Thinking of using a recruitment agency? Here's how to get the best out of them

Select's Christine Driscoll shares her top tips for getting the most out of a recruitment agency.

A company’s most important asset is its people...
Having the right people with the right skills in the right positions can make the difference between business success and failure. However, how do you get these right people into your organisation in the first place? Do you take on the additional responsibility internally or is it better to hire the expertise of an external recruitment agency to help you find the best person for the job?

Why are you recruiting?
Start by thinking about why you are recruiting - is it to meet special business demands or busy
periods of trade? This will enable you to assess whether you need someone on a permanent or temporary
basis.
Once you have established the business needs, think about the type of person you are looking for in terms of skills, experience and attitude. This will allow you to draft an accurate person specification allowing you to identify and attract the right candidates for your needs.

Should I use an agency?
By using a recruitment agency you are effectively outsourcing a large part of the process and this will certainly save you time. A recent survey by the CIPD* found that speed and ability to recruit scarce skills were the most popular reasons for using an agency and even the most experienced HR professionals can benefit from an agency’s local and specialist knowledge.
There are many benefits to using an agency:
It will free up time allowing you to concentrate on daily management and focus on revenue-generating duties
If you are a smaller company, you may not have the personnel to handle your own recruitment
The agency will be able to use their skill and expertise to pre-screen and shortlist applicants
You can ‘try out’ temporary workers before employing them permanently
Agencies will pay temporary workers directly and take care of all their tax and holiday pay issues
However, make sure you select the right agency. A less reputable agency may not take the time to find out about your organisation and if they are slow or unsuccessful in providing the right candidates, you will find yourself losing valuable time and not filling the position quickly. This can prove to be disruptive to both staff and customers.

The hidden costs of recruitment
It is thought by some people that recruitment agencies are used as a last resort when the
pressure is on to find candidates quickly and that all agencies are the same. However, the true cost of recruitment may be far greater than you realise – so what is the real cost of recruitment? A recent report produced by the CIPD showed that on average it takes 8.13 weeks to fill a vacancy at a cost in excess of £4,000. If you then include administrative time and lost productivity involved with the recruitment process, the cost is even higher. Whichever way you choose to do it, recruiting staff will always require some
form of investment. It is how you make this investment that can make it even more valuable.

Take advice A good recruitment consultant will have a thorough understanding of their local market place and the current job market. Use this advice to get the best possible outcome for your needs.
Let the agency do the hard work. Your consultant is then able to review each candidate and choose only the best suited to present to you. You can then choose who you would like to see from this shortlist and Select will arrange all of the interviews for you, saving you considerable time, effort and worry.
Understand the costs When using an agency it is imperative that you understand the costs involved, when and how you will be charged. Many reputable agencies offer transparent costing enabling you to fully understand what you will be charged and when.
Build a good relationship You are far more likely to get the right results if you build
a relationship with the agency’s consultants. Allowing the consultant to visit your premises,
which will give your consultant a greater understanding not only of the job requirements, but also your company culture and environment. This will enable them to find only the most suitable candidates for you.

Select will be at the Grow Your Business event on 30th April. You can find out more about their business by visiting their website.