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Navigations for Leadership, LTD
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Article Date: August 1, 2008

Roberta Jackson, SPHR, GPHR
Brooklyn's Progress,
August/September 2008 • Vol 90, Issue 4

The Real Benefit Package:
HR Approach is Vital to Growth for You and Your Employees

As business leaders, some with degrees and certifications, we attend meetings, focus groups, workshops, panels, conventions, and classes, view web casts, read books, surveys and articles. We do all this, and more, so that we can build success for ourselves, our businesses and for our employees. Nearly all of this is helpful in our growth as professionals and help us reach milestones. However, none of it is as revealing as observing and working with employees directly.

What do our employees tell us? Employees, including the younger members of our workforce, tell us they want to recognized, involved and to help make the organization grow. They want to be important in our businesses and need us to help them reach their goals. What we need to do is align the energy of those employees with the goals of our organizations. In doing this, employees grow both personally and professionally along with the organization.

After meeting the basic requirements as an employer with compensation, benefits and opportunity for time off from work, we need to offer substance including two key items:  Recognition and Opportunity.

Recognition – this is the easy part and does not always need to be expensive. You already know the basics: a good word; encouraging comments; spot recognition for a good job with a gift certificate; employee of the month status with a parking spot. A summer picnic, holiday party, newsletter with announcements of achievements and photographs. When an employee gives a great new idea that is implemented why not name the process after the employee? “The Smith Closeout” with the new checklist sporting that name. Employees create a better part for machinery? Name the part after that employee. Additional recognition can include an extra vacation day, tickets to the theatre, lunch with the CEO, a membership to the gym; a special afternoon activity with other recognized employees or with the companions of his or her choice. You know the list and probably have added successful items to that list yourself. While one employee gains the feeling of recognition, respect and pride other employees are inspired to reach that plateau as well.

Opportunity, not as simple to administer as rewards, benefits both employees and the organization in a more complex approach. Organizational Development opportunities are numerous. Every organization can develop a plan to continue the growth of their employees along with their business. What can be planned? Institute programs for Leadership Development, Team Building, Communication Strategies, Career Development and Change Management. These are all areas most companies can design programs in to further the development of employees and the company’s growth.

There are many methods utilized for building such programs. There are agendas that can be managed inside the organization while others can be better facilitated with contracted practitioners. Organizational Development can be useful to help a team get over hurtles and a vital step in succession planning. With major changes in an organization comes hesitation and anxiety in your workforce: “How will this change my job? How will I manage with the new boss? Will I even keep my job?” These are just some of the questions employees will start to ponder. When employees question their place in the organization morale is effected as is the bottom line.

That is the right time to help your employees learn how to cope with change so that it is a positive transformation in your workplace. An agenda that includes tools for change management and team building skills can be introduced. Conflict Management programs have been useful in helping employees understand more about themselves and about those they work with in building stronger and more productive relationships.

You can make these days another form of reward and recognition if you make the programs fun while educational. There are a myriad of events to build into the agenda: rope courses, relay racing, boating teams, scavenger hunts, build a better widget – the list is nearly endless especially in New York City!

During these times of economic hardship companies often put Organizational Development on the bottom of the catalog of projects, or off of the list completely. In fact, these are the most important times to continue and even enhance the Organizational Development endeavors at your company. During those difficult business times cultivate a program in Change Management. Your employees will appreciate that you did. To offset the expense of a program look to team with another company that can share the experience and the cost.

Encouraging and enhancing growth should never stop. Without exception, recognition and opportunity develop motivated and productive employees. Motivated employees are engaged partners and help to create a culture of innovation and fun. Employees should enjoy coming to work and it is up to us to make our companies a place where individuals can contribute, grow and be recognized.

While enjoying the summer let’s think of ways to make the “back to school” season one when our employees learn and develop while they become more engaged and therefore committed to the goals of our organizations.

Roberta Jackson, SPHR, GPHR
President
Navigations for Leadership, LTD
www.navnyc.com