Rest and Rejuvenation

There is a commercial playing now that shows kids playing and chatting to each other. One says, “Can you believe that American workers don’t use their paid vacation days—did you hear me, I said PAID vacation days!”

I think the ad is for Mastercard and they’d like us to use their card on vacation but whatever the motivation for the commercial, I am pleased they are pointing out such a huge issue in the US and it really makes me wonder why people don’t take time off.

I’ve heard people say they don’t use their paid time off because they worry the job won’t be there when they get back or that while they are away, their boss will notice mistakes they’ve made that might have gone unnoticed if they’d been on the job.  How sad is that?

As I write this, I am sitting the in the Tulleries Gardens outside the Louvre in Paris. It is a spectacular Monday with bright blue skies and all around me are flowers in bloom.  Children are playing while parents and nannies chat nearby.  I am sitting in a café sipping a coffee.  My mind is clear because I am totally relaxed and I am not focused on the usual “to do” lists that drive my workday at home.  Today I have no deliverables, phone calls to make or book chapters to write—I am free to think and to create.

We all have experiences that feed our souls and open our hearts.  What does it for me is being in a place with beautiful artworks or listening to music.  In Paris, that means spending time on the 5^th floor of the Musee d’Orsay with the Impressionists or attending a concert in the stunningly beautiful Sainte Chapell surrounded by the most incredible stained glass windows listening to Vivaldi.  My spirits sore, my mind is free and I am renewed.

I am not suggesting that everyone needs to take a long vacation or go to Paris —I am suggesting that we all need to step out of our routine and get some rest.  I find I am most creative when I am not tired and not focused on the daily routine.  A weekend away is enough most of the year but from time to time, it is worth it to take a week or two to really unwind.

Rest and rejuvenation go hand in hand for me.  What do you do to unwind?  Are you taking time off to allow your body to rest and your spirit to rejuvenate? Take those vacation days and see what it does for you and your career!

Carrots Dressed as Sticks

A few years back The Economist published an interesting article entitled:  “Carrots Dressed as Sticks.”  This article still provides an important lesson for today’s workplace.

Tanjim Hossain of the University of Toronto and John List of the University of Chicago conducted a study that focused on the hypothesis that the value people attach to objects is affected by what they already have; people seem to hate losing something already in their possession more than gaining something equivalent that is not currently theirs.

The study was conducted in a Chinese electronics factory.  The managers in this factory were interested in exploring ways to make their bonus plans more effective.  Instead of focusing on the amounts of the bonuses, Hossain and List instead decided to concentrate on the wording of the letter informing workers of the details of the bonus plan.

One group of workers was told at the beginning of the week that they would receive a bonus of 80 yuan ($12) at the end of the week if they met a certain production target.  A second group was told they had “provisionally” been awarded the same bonus, but they would “lose” it if they did not reach their target.

The different ways of describing the bonus actually amount to the same thing.  However, the hypothesis of the study was that the second way of describing the bonus would work better.  The workers would think of the provisional bonus as “already theirs,” and work harder to prevent it from being taken away.  This is exactly what Hossain and List found.  The fear of loss was a better motivator than the prospect of gain.

Would we find the same results everywhere?  Possibly, but probably not.  What motivates employees is often surprising and unpredictable.  There is no one answer.  Every organization is different, every work situation is different, and every individual is different.

Employers would do well to remember this.  It is easy to mistakenly assume that we know what the key motivators are for our staff.  The best organizations don’t assume—they listen.  They take the time to understand their workforce.  By doing this, they are in a better position to understand what their employees truly value—and what makes them want to stay.

What motivates the people that work in your organization?  There won’t be one answer.  That’s the challenge—and the beauty—of human motivation.

Thanks to John White for this week’s post.   John is the principal of JD White & Associates an HR consulting firm that focuses on Compensation and Benefits, HR Effectiveness and Compliance, Professional Development and Communication.

Fifty Shades of Office Romance

I shuddered as the phone rang once again. Busy days are the norm in Human Resources, but this one was turning out to be impossible. As soon as I put down the phone, it rang again.

"Maryanne, this is Pete from the Detroit office. I've got Mark, our division president, here with me. We've got a sticky situation we want to talk to you about before we take any action. It seems that two of our senior leaders were spotted Saturday night having what appeared to be a romantic dinner together. An employee from another department spotted them across the restaurant, though they didn't appear to see her. She observed them holding hands during dinner and they kissed at the door."

As we continued to talk and they answered my questions, I found out that:

·       She reports to him.

·       Both are married, although she is in the process of a divorce, and he may be separated from his wife, but that is not clear.

·       They are both valued contributors.

·       He heads up a significant line of business, and she's responsible for a key project within that business line.

During the discussion, Mark asked if they could be disciplined for violating company policy and I responded, “What company policy are they violating?  We don’t prohibit dating – we only address family members in reporting relationships.”  We’d given this a great deal of thought when creating out policies.  We didn’t have the time or the desire to monitor personal relationships, and we trusted that our employees were adults and would act accordingly.

Pete exclaimed, “But what about our ethics policy?  They’re both married!”

 “Pete, we’re not in the business of regulating personal morality.  Let’s look at the issues here.  We’ve had one observation outside the workplace, and up until that time there was no indication that they were in a relationship.  In fact, you were both surprised about it.  There’s been nothing about the relationship that’s been an issue at work until now.  What’s changed is that there is now a perception of a problem – that she may be receiving preferential treatment from him because of their reporting relationship and their personal friendship.”

“Have you considered making them part of the solution?” I asked.  “Surely they’ve given this some thought and are aware that their personal relationship will have an impact at work on some level.”

“That’s good thinking, Maryanne,” said Mark.  “I was blindsided by the news and may have jumped to conclusions.   Now that I think about it, we may be able to move her project to another line of business.”  Pete liked that solution and pointed out that if she were moved into a lesser role it could look like a disciplinary action and be perceived as discriminatory on our part – her job’s impacted, his isn’t – showing preferential treatment to him. 

We agreed that Mark and Pete would meet with the couple together and let them know they'd been seen out together. They'd talk about the perception this creates and the problems that result from the perception, while reinforcing that they were both valued members of the leadership team. They'd ask the couple for their thoughts and brainstorm potential solutions. We agreed that no immediate action had to or would be taken until all of the options were thoroughly explored, and that they would follow up with me once the discussion had taken place.

As I took off my headset and took a deep breath to clear my head, I thought, "It's never black and white when you're dealing with people. There are always at least fifty shades of grey!"

Maryanne Robertson, SPHR

Chief HR Officer

P.S. Who is Maryanne Robertson, and why is she writing this blog? Stay tuned in the coming months to learn more!

Teaching, Not Telling

The cashier at the grocery store had a name badge on and it indicated she was a trainee.  She didn't know the code for one of our produce items and she had to call the manager over.  Waiting for the manager, she was apologizing profusely.  "No worries," I told her. "Everyone has been new on the job at some time."

The manager came over, gave her the code, but continued to stand there, looking over her shoulder and critiquing her every move. "When you scan the items, do it this way. Put the bags on the rack like this, it's easier to pack them that way, and it's faster."  It went on and on and poor trainee was just getting more nervous and flustered.   Talk about a helicopter manager!  "She's doing fine," I told Manager.  “We're in no hurry."  The store wasn't that busy. 

Manager finally backed off and left trainee to do her job.  Trainee continued to apologize – profusely.  I flashed her a warm smile and reminded her that it was a good time to practice and learn while things were slow.  I also assured her that she'd find her stride and her own routine for scanning and packing.  Accuracy first, speed will come.  This was a teachable moment, but her teacher (Manager) was telling, not teaching.

A good coach is like a good teacher – someone who explains and engages in a way that is nonthreatening and helpful.  A good teacher allows the student to find his or her own way, so the student (or Trainee in this case) feels good about herself. 

Every manager and leader needs to understand that coaching is a process that enables learning and development allowing staff to improve performance or meet goals.  What struck me in this situation was that the new trainee wasn’t struggling with her performance, she just didn’t have all the codes committed to memory yet.  This wasn’t an unusual situation.  Good coaching skills giving feedback in an effective manner.  This includes working on one thing at a time.  If you try to address too many things all at once, the employee can become overwhelmed.  This is exactly what happened to the trainee.

A good coach lets the person being coached find his or her own way.  Clearly, this is not what Manager was doing.  She was telling – pointing out actions that she perceived to be mistakes (or not the best way of doing things) rather than pointing out successes.   I couldn’t help but wonder if my accolades about Trainee’s performance fell on deaf ears!

Manager’s often must (and should) give feedback to staff members.  Feedback should acknowledge positive performance as well as areas for improvement.  If improvement is required, make a request for change – “If you’re having difficulty with price checks and scanning while bagging the articles, please ask for help and we’ll send someone over to bag the items.” Manager in this case, was directing Trainee to “Do it my way!”

Good coaching skills will make you a good teacher.  When you teach, you:

·       Build confidence and trust

·       Increase employee engagement and retention

·       Develop people, letting them know they matter

·       Let people know you value their contributions and skills

Aren’t these outcomes we all want for our organizations?

Enhancing Team Dynamics

Building effective teams is the responsibility of all the members involved – that includes whomever is leading the team (e.g. manager or team lead) and everyone who has a role on the team.  Individual team members need to be aware of the following actions and take responsibility for them:

–      Maintaining behaviors that contribute to a workplace culture of respect

–      Recognizing your style and that of others, and honoring the impact that these styles have on the team’s work.

–      Honoring the diversity variables that impact teamwork

–      Removing barriers to communications

–      Establishing and adhering to team norms

Collectively the team needs to establish norms or ground rules under which it will operate.  For example:

–      How to handle interruptions and distractions such as members called out of meetings, answering calls, e-mails, messages, etc.

–      How to handle assignments that can’t be completed – who needs to be notified and when, what to do when changes occur that impact the team’s project(s) or goals

–      Decisions, more specifically, how will the team come to consensus and what are the fallback positions if consensus can’t be reached

–      Maintaining confidentiality and how to handle breaches to confidentiality

–      Establishing penalties when norms or ground rules are broken.

In establishing norms, consider the following.  Our team will expect:

–      Active participation by all team members

–      Respect for all viewpoints and not discounting others’ views

–      Willingness to cultivate a variety of options

–      Commitment to deadlines

As a group, the team also needs to identify behaviors for high team performance.  In doing so, be sure that the team is inclusive – valuing the contributions of all.  Consider the following:

–      In a team, what are some of the qualities, characteristics and actions that show that people count?

–      What are some of the opportunities for growth and improvement in reaching your optimistic vision described above?

To avoid problems, managers or team leaders can look for the following and be prepared to take action to address any of these signs.  Look for them often and address them early.

–             Confusions about roles and responsibilities

–    Weak commitment to the team’s goals

–    Lack of clarity about team goals, objectives, and tasks

–    Little attention paid to how we are working as a group

–    Talking about problems away from, rather than at, team meetings

–    Unresolved conflict between/among team members

–    People working in isolation, having little contact with other team members

–    Unequal participation in team problem-solving and decision-making sessions

–    Lack of interaction and camaraderie among staff

–    Lack of support for one another

–    Intolerance of the views of other team members

–    Gossiping and backbiting

–    Jokes, remarks, and ridicule at other’s expense

–    Frequent “us versus them” comments

–    Lack of effective ways to deal with team obstacles and conflicts

To enhance performance, managers should

–      Acknowledge small steps – it motivates people

–      Set milestones along the way to achieving long-term goals

–      Celebrate progress collectively – it recognizes everyone’s contributions

–      Celebrate and offer acknowledgment in a timely manner

–      Use symbols to celebrate success – something simple, yet visible – a card, a small memento, even candy or sweet treats

–      Encourage team members to cheer each other on – it’s a sign that they recognize each other’s success

Timeless Leadership: A Conversation with David McCullough

Over the summer I read this Harvard Business Review interview with historian David McCullough.  I found it a refreshing and thought-provoking view on leadership shaped from great leaders in American history.

I’ve looked at many business books based on historical leaders and quite frankly find most of them somewhat superficial.  They read to me more like the author started with a model of leadership then fit the action of a particular historical figure to illustrate the model.  McCullough is first and foremost a historian:  he extracts leadership qualities by a careful study of a leader’s action and outcomes.  Thus he has presented to us in this interview not so much a model of leadership but a synthesized list of leadership attributes and behaviors that he calls “timeless leadership.”  Here is a brief summary of the qualities McCullough has seen in the leaders that he has studied:

• ·       Leadership is partly due to luck, chance, or the hand of God.  He cites numerous instances that disaster was turned into victory not by careful plans and strategies but by the hand of fate.
• ·       Great leaders spot talent and strategically utilize it to achieve success.  Good leaders judge people as much as how they handle failure as how they handle success.
• ·       Great leaders look after their men; they take care of them, take a genuine interest in them, are empathic and treat them well.

McCullough’s passionate about the need for us to study history, to learn about people’s actions and the cause and effect of those actions.  He states:  “History teaches us how to behave, what to do and what not to do in a variety of situations.  History is the human story.”  Business leaders today, many of them focused on metrics and measures, would do well to include the human side of the equation, the results of human endeavor, in their view of accomplishments.

McCullough closes the interview by reflecting on his optimism for our country long-term.  He returns to those American qualities of hard work and strong ethics as the foundation for our success.  I recommend that you read this article as an anecdote to the doom and gloom of the nightly news and bring his sense of optimism with you as we approach the fall of the year.

An interview with Bronwyn Fryer, Harvard Business Review senior editor (Reprint R0803B) http://hbr.org/2008/03/timeless-leadership/ar/1

Alice K. Waagen, PhD

Pre-Cations

I was talking to a client last summer. He had just returned from an African safari. In talking about the trip, he mentioned that he'd been gone for two weeks and his staff told him he could never go away for that period of time again! Yes, we Americans think it's unusual to take a two-week vacation anymore, and that used to be the norm. During his trip, my client met Europeans who were taking month(s)-long holidays.

Richard Branson made news in September 2014 when he introduced the non-vacation policy at Virgin Group offices in the US and UK. His rationale for this non-policy is that employees will only take time off from their jobs when they feel comfortable that their being away will not hurt the business, the team, or their careers. He's hoping for an upward spike in morale, creativity, and productivity.

Motley Fool, which we wrote about last year, does not track time off, but allows their "fools" to take whatever time they need and trusts they will not abuse such a wonderfully foolish benefit. While Branson was inspired by Netflix, their policy is not unlimited vacation. Rather, like Motley Fool, Netflix doesn't monitor their employees' hours off, either at work or away from the office. For these companies, allegedly only results count.

HR Professional and blogger Tim Sackett (The Tim Sackett Project -- timsackett.com) has some interesting insights about Branson's decision. He notes with skepticism that no one is checking how much time is being used. He raises the valid point "What if you have some employees who are not using any vacation at all? Isn't that a problem? Shouldn't someone be checking on this?" Excellent point.

Two-week vacation policies, like so many time-off policies, had their roots in the industrial era. The factories shut down for two weeks to allow time for maintenance. All workers took their vacations at the same time. That practice seems almost absurd in today's information era. We have blurred the lines between work and home -- causing us to work more, not less. This results in requests for more flexibility. Whether or not you agree with Branson, Netflix, Motley Fool, and others with similar practices, one of the positive outcomes is that companies are exploring alternatives and innovating.

42Floors, a San Francisco-based commercial real estate search engine, implemented a "pre-cation" -- paid time off before starting work at the company. This began when a potential new employee was so haggard from his prior job that 42Floors wanted him to be refreshed and energized when he joined them. Another firm, Atlassian, does not track vacation days, per se, for its US-based employees, but was concerned when it was not seeing a significant uptick in the total amount of time workers were taking off. They too decided to offer a pre-cation giving new hires a travel voucher and encouraging them to take time off before they start working. After five years of service, Atlassian employees are asked to take another break and are given a $3,000 voucher toward the vacation of their dreams. Combined with other memorable perks and livable workspace, Atlassian enjoys attrition rates in the single digits.

When asked the cost of the pre-cation program for 42Floors, Jason Freedman, its CEO, says it is zero. He explains that the typical way to calculate it would be the total dollars spent on paid time off. However, he looks at the overall amount of vacation time in the company and wishes it were higher. His point: if you want the most from your associates, you have to show them that you care about their well-being. If you do, they'll reward you with passion and energy.

Will everyone agree with these provocative approaches and ways of measuring results? I can think of many CFOs who would cringe at Freedman's perspective. Will alternative policies guarantee you'll be able to attract the best and brightest talent? That depends on the type of talent and individuals you need for your successful organization. Will the above alternatives work in all organizations and industries? Of course not. One size does not fit all, so don't make the mistake of trying to force-fit something into your organization that won't work in your unique culture.