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Why We Have "Slackers"
According to a recent survey only 25% of employees admit that they work as productively as
possible. The survey showed that another 25% felt they could do 50% more while half of the
workers surveyed openly admitted they could increase their productivity by an average of
26%.
The top five reasons given for this lack of maximum productivity were: lack of supervision,
insufficient training, exclusion from the decision-making process, no reward for good
performance, and no opportunity for advancement
Not every company experiences a loss of performance to the same degree. Some organizations
will suffer a greater loss while other organizations will find their employees better connected to
the vision of their organization and their role in fulfilling that vision.
A separate survey revealed that in organizations where management felt their employees were
the most connected and productive were typically the organizations where employees felt the least connected -- therefore having
lower productivity.
By examining the five reasons given by the admittedly unproductive employees, one can quickly derive and implement low- or no-
cost ways to connect employees for an improved bottom line.
Is supervision the problem?
Obviously many will draw the conclusion that to eliminate a lack of supervision, one could hire more supervisors. However the
typical reason employees do not feel they are getting proper supervision is corporate culture. Supervisors must be encouraged to
become more involved in their employees work life. This is not to say that they must look over the shoulder of their employees
as that makes productivity even more. By encouraging supervisors to provide better feedback and proper empowerment
methods, an organization can quickly, easily, and effectively improve an employee's perception that they are getting the proper
amount of supervision without adding one more dollar of payroll.
In a company that feels they are providing adequate training, yet their employees feel the training is insufficient, it is a sign that
training is being offered based on what management feels employees need. The proper method of determining what training
needs to be offered is through analysis that looks at competencies currently being exhibited and areas where employees are
experiencing the greatest struggles. Provided an organization does have some sort of training, it is probable to maintain that same
budget for providing training more aligned with the employee's paradigm.
It does not cost any money to include employees in the decision-making process. Granted, the employees will need to be
involved in additional meetings or surveys; however the net effect is that you regain the time through less employee grousing and
management resolving employee issues.
Rewarding employees for good performance can be done in almost any environment at very low cost. The exception would be a
workplace where an existing union contract specifically states that it is inappropriate to give any credit what so ever to a good
worker. For some great ideas at low-cost employee reward programs, read “The Supervisor's Big Book of List”, by George
Fuller.
A lack of employee advancement is an issue that cannot be addressed through avoidance. In our current challenging, competitive
times many companies have found that attrition must replace hiring at many levels of management. If this is the case in your
organization, it is unrealistic to duck the issue or to assume employees understand the issue. When upward movement becomes
stifled, is extremely important to discuss this issue individually with each employ. Nothing short of these individual conversations
will resolve this issue or reduce its impact on your organization.
MaxImpact offers programs to connect teams to a common vision, contact rick@getmaximpact.com today.
© 2007 Max Impact Corporation, Rochester Hills, Michigan, USA. All rights reserved.
According to a recent survey only 25% of employees admit that they work as productively as
possible. The survey showed that another 25% felt they could do 50% more while half of the
workers surveyed openly admitted they could increase their productivity by an average of
26%.
The top five reasons given for this lack of maximum productivity were: lack of supervision,
insufficient training, exclusion from the decision-making process, no reward for good
performance, and no opportunity for advancement
Not every company experiences a loss of performance to the same degree. Some organizations
will suffer a greater loss while other organizations will find their employees better connected to
the vision of their organization and their role in fulfilling that vision.
A separate survey revealed that in organizations where management felt their employees were
the most connected and productive were typically the organizations where employees felt the least connected -- therefore having
lower productivity.
By examining the five reasons given by the admittedly unproductive employees, one can quickly derive and implement low- or no-
cost ways to connect employees for an improved bottom line.
Is supervision the problem?
Obviously many will draw the conclusion that to eliminate a lack of supervision, one could hire more supervisors. However the
typical reason employees do not feel they are getting proper supervision is corporate culture. Supervisors must be encouraged to
become more involved in their employees work life. This is not to say that they must look over the shoulder of their employees
as that makes productivity even more. By encouraging supervisors to provide better feedback and proper empowerment
methods, an organization can quickly, easily, and effectively improve an employee's perception that they are getting the proper
amount of supervision without adding one more dollar of payroll.
In a company that feels they are providing adequate training, yet their employees feel the training is insufficient, it is a sign that
training is being offered based on what management feels employees need. The proper method of determining what training
needs to be offered is through analysis that looks at competencies currently being exhibited and areas where employees are
experiencing the greatest struggles. Provided an organization does have some sort of training, it is probable to maintain that same
budget for providing training more aligned with the employee's paradigm.
It does not cost any money to include employees in the decision-making process. Granted, the employees will need to be
involved in additional meetings or surveys; however the net effect is that you regain the time through less employee grousing and
management resolving employee issues.
Rewarding employees for good performance can be done in almost any environment at very low cost. The exception would be a
workplace where an existing union contract specifically states that it is inappropriate to give any credit what so ever to a good
worker. For some great ideas at low-cost employee reward programs, read “The Supervisor's Big Book of List”, by George
Fuller.
A lack of employee advancement is an issue that cannot be addressed through avoidance. In our current challenging, competitive
times many companies have found that attrition must replace hiring at many levels of management. If this is the case in your
organization, it is unrealistic to duck the issue or to assume employees understand the issue. When upward movement becomes
stifled, is extremely important to discuss this issue individually with each employ. Nothing short of these individual conversations
will resolve this issue or reduce its impact on your organization.
MaxImpact offers programs to connect teams to a common vision, contact rick@getmaximpact.com today.
© 2007 Max Impact Corporation, Rochester Hills, Michigan, USA. All rights reserved.
Assessments in a Psychiatric Hospital
Case study
Administrators at a mental health facility found they were devoting a great deal of time to a weekly hiring board established to
determine the effectiveness of mental health workers and decide which workers to retain.
During these weekly meetings, the attendees concluded that the facility let a large number of workers go on a consistent basis.
The hospital was facing an overwhelming 68.7 percent turnover rate, and administrators realized they had to take steps to
control this issue. In their first move, hospital executives turned to the Profile XT™ to help identify top performers and decrease
their turnover as well as the time spent in hiring meetings.
Participants
The number one reason for turnover was involuntary terminations -- where the employee was let go as opposed to quitting. The
Profile XT™ assessment was used to evaluate 25 mental health workers over a 10-month period of time and was then
established as a part of each new applicant's review. Throughout this process, turnover rates were calculated.
Job Match Pattern
A Job Match Pattern was created using Profile XT™ results from workers already in place at the hospital. The pattern identified
17 top performers and eight bottom performers. New applicants were matched against this pattern, and the resulting Overall Job
Match Percent to the pattern was used in the employee selection process.
Measuring Turnover After Pattern Update
Administrators selected an Overall Job Match Percent of 75 percent or greater to represent a good match to each position. This
allowed the hospital to hire only those applicants who scored an Overall Job Match Percent of 75 percent or greater and were a
better fit to the job.
Summary
With the addition of Profile XT™ results to the hiring process, turnover dropped to 16 percent, reducing it by more than half
from one fiscal year to the next. Hospital executives also found that they spent a lot less time in hiring meetings.
Contact MaxImpact for more information about our powerful job match products and services.
Case study
Administrators at a mental health facility found they were devoting a great deal of time to a weekly hiring board established to
determine the effectiveness of mental health workers and decide which workers to retain.
During these weekly meetings, the attendees concluded that the facility let a large number of workers go on a consistent basis.
The hospital was facing an overwhelming 68.7 percent turnover rate, and administrators realized they had to take steps to
control this issue. In their first move, hospital executives turned to the Profile XT™ to help identify top performers and decrease
their turnover as well as the time spent in hiring meetings.
Participants
The number one reason for turnover was involuntary terminations -- where the employee was let go as opposed to quitting. The
Profile XT™ assessment was used to evaluate 25 mental health workers over a 10-month period of time and was then
established as a part of each new applicant's review. Throughout this process, turnover rates were calculated.
Job Match Pattern
A Job Match Pattern was created using Profile XT™ results from workers already in place at the hospital. The pattern identified
17 top performers and eight bottom performers. New applicants were matched against this pattern, and the resulting Overall Job
Match Percent to the pattern was used in the employee selection process.
Measuring Turnover After Pattern Update
Administrators selected an Overall Job Match Percent of 75 percent or greater to represent a good match to each position. This
allowed the hospital to hire only those applicants who scored an Overall Job Match Percent of 75 percent or greater and were a
better fit to the job.
Summary
With the addition of Profile XT™ results to the hiring process, turnover dropped to 16 percent, reducing it by more than half
from one fiscal year to the next. Hospital executives also found that they spent a lot less time in hiring meetings.
Contact MaxImpact for more information about our powerful job match products and services.
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| Also in this issue: Case Study: Pyschiatric Hospital (Scroll down the page) |
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| September 17 2007 |