How managers create disengaged “paycheck employees”
One of the biggest mistakes new managers and supervisors make who have not had formal leadership training is treating people the way they want to be treated, mistakenly managing people the way they want to be managed. But isn’t that the golden rule? Yes, but many managers and supervisors misapply the golden rule in two core areas of leadership- communication and motivation of staff. The golden rule is about treating people fair, with respect and dignity, and most people prefer that. The mistake I often see in government agencies, school districts, and private companies is that managers and supervisors communicate and motivate staff based on their personal preferences. For example, some managers prefer people to be blunt and just tell them the hard truth, and when they communicate with their staff, guess what, they are blunt and abrasive! They don’t realize that not everyone is receptive to this style of communication, and so some employees quit and leave, others quit and stay, (they are only there for the paycheck now) which is worse? Another is example is motivating staff. I’ll never forget when I was coaching a manager in Houston, Texas. He was about to start his team meeting and wanted to praise and recognize one of his staff members. So he politely asked her to stand up and for the team to give her a round of applause for going the extra mile and closing out a major project. I closely watched her body language as she manufactured an anxious smile in front of 60 people. After the meeting, I asked the manager what was your reason for praising and recognize her that way, he simply stated “who wouldn’t want to be recognized in front of their peers and my boss who attends as well.” I had a chance to talk with the woman later that week and congratulated her on the accomplishment as well, and I mentioned that she seemed uncomfortable. She responded quietly, “I hate when he does that, I know he means well, but I just don’t like being in the spotlight in front of all my colleagues that way.” I responded back to her, “how would you prefer to be recognized?” “I’m fine with a just one-on-one, thank you and great job,” she replied. Some managers and supervisors have note been trained to recognize their leadership blind spots, which are actions/behaviors they are unaware of that negatively impact their staff. Train your managers and supervisors now to avoid making your team disengage? Call now toll free: 888.369.1339 or email us your...
Read MoreReducing Staff Turnover Case Study: Casino Company
The Organization A tribal casino and resort organization with over 300 employees specializes in providing remarkable casino gaming and entertainment experiences for players and resort guests. The income generated from the casino and resort activities is used to fund a wide variety of social services for members of the tribe. The Challenge • The casino was extremely effective in attracting resort guests and gaming players, but struggled in their ability to retain them. • With a turnover rate of roughly 40%, it was becoming increasingly costly to not address this issue, due to the real costs of recruiting, interviewing, and onboarding new employees, all of which were direct impacts on employee productivity, customer service, and profitability. (See our free turnover calculator) The Solution We immediately focused on diagnosing the reason why significant amounts of staff members were voluntarily leaving within a twelve month period. Using a combination of exit interviews and our signature anonymous employee engagement survey, we quickly discovered that ineffective mid-level managers were creating undesirable work environments and driving the turnover rate. Over 95% of the casino managers had at least five years of management experience, but had never received any formal leadership training. They were deficient in knowing how to motivate employees without money, instead they used their authority, threats and intimidation. When giving employees feedback they communicated using condescending tones of voice and body language, making the staff feel undervalued and underappreciated. We strongly discouraged the senior-level leaders to not invest in a company wide customer service training (their initial plan) until their mid-level managers were trained and equipped to be effective leaders. Our rationale was that once employees felt good about coming to work, valued, appreciated, and motivated to perform, only then would they act, behave, and communicate in ways that would positively impact guests and players. Until then, they would continue to have “paycheck mentalities,” and would voluntarily quit once they found more favorable employment. The casino decided to implement training for not only mid-level managers but also senior-level leaders as well, to send a message of the importance of the training. After six months, an engagement survey showed a 50% improvement in employee attitudes toward managers. However, many employees were still skeptical and were not sure if the behavior of managers would be sustainable. After only twelve months, turnover was reduced to 32% which resulted in more than $250,000 in savings related to costs of turnover, and more than maximizing the return on their training and consulting investment. We informed the casino’s senior-level leaders that employee engagement and effective leadership was not a single event, but a process which must be cultivated and maintained over time. Learn how we can help your organization reduce turnover and retain top talent. Click here to request article reprint...
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