Fired-Up for Your Employees
Jan M. Smith
The familiar sound on my computer signals another email delivered to my inbox. I open, and view results of another survey. This one though peaks my interest. It imparts information about the current Fired-Up status of employees in the workplace.
Results are in:
· 41% very fired-up
· 45% of employees only marginally fired-up
· 14% are not fired-up at all
It’s no surprise the current work environment, with its lean and mean atmosphere is causing everyone to be a little on edge. Those employed are not immune to the concerns of job security, stress, increased workloads, and irritable co-workers and managers.
With less than half of the American worker today feeling fired-up or satisfied at work, companies might take a look at how to help ease this statistic in the workplace. There’s a reason business owners or managers may want to take notice because Job dissatisfaction can lead to multiple organizational problems, and has been associated with decreased levels of customer service.
Here’s a perfect example: I recently visited a local ice cream outlet and observed a supervisor harshly discipline an employee directly in front of customers. When I got to the front of the line, I asked the employee a question. I was met with a snarl and a coldness that matched the ice cream I was about to consume! It’s no wonder, the employee had been treated so badly minutes before by the supervisor, and the employee was redirecting the same behavior towards me, the customer.
When front line workers become dissatisfied with their positions, the end result is that their interactions with the customer become disconnected and unauthentic. This discontent with the job is very transparent to the customer, as in the example above.
Some managers have the outlook: “If they don’t like it here they can take a hike…” It’s a pervasive idea many business owners and managers share, considering there is a surplus of job seekers; if someone is unhappy at the workplace, “no big deal, we’ll just replace them with someone else.”
The trouble with this way of thinking is 1) it causes mistrust in the workplace, 2) there is a value in the employee who you have already invested in, and 3) the employee has a strong knowledge base of your organization’s product, processes and customer.
Sure, you replace the body, but it will take time and money to replace the knowledge.
If you can accept that your attitude towards your employees is a reflection of what your employees are going to be, it might help you to see how critical your behavior is on the outcome of your employee’s attitude towards the customer.
Everyone is walking the tightrope… owners are trying to keep their companies afloat, and employees are trying to keep their jobs. Working together during this time of business uncertainty is critical for everyone’s success.
October Service Tips:
· Look at the relationship between your supervisory staff and your employees. If it’s not
Jan M. Smith
The familiar sound on my computer signals another email delivered to my inbox. I open, and view results of another survey. This one though peaks my interest. It imparts information about the current Fired-Up status of employees in the workplace.
Results are in:
· 41% very fired-up
· 45% of employees only marginally fired-up
· 14% are not fired-up at all
It’s no surprise the current work environment, with its lean and mean atmosphere is causing everyone to be a little on edge. Those employed are not immune to the concerns of job security, stress, increased workloads, and irritable co-workers and managers.
With less than half of the American worker today feeling fired-up or satisfied at work, companies might take a look at how to help ease this statistic in the workplace. There’s a reason business owners or managers may want to take notice because Job dissatisfaction can lead to multiple organizational problems, and has been associated with decreased levels of customer service.
Here’s a perfect example: I recently visited a local ice cream outlet and observed a supervisor harshly discipline an employee directly in front of customers. When I got to the front of the line, I asked the employee a question. I was met with a snarl and a coldness that matched the ice cream I was about to consume! It’s no wonder, the employee had been treated so badly minutes before by the supervisor, and the employee was redirecting the same behavior towards me, the customer.
When front line workers become dissatisfied with their positions, the end result is that their interactions with the customer become disconnected and unauthentic. This discontent with the job is very transparent to the customer, as in the example above.
Some managers have the outlook: “If they don’t like it here they can take a hike…” It’s a pervasive idea many business owners and managers share, considering there is a surplus of job seekers; if someone is unhappy at the workplace, “no big deal, we’ll just replace them with someone else.”
The trouble with this way of thinking is 1) it causes mistrust in the workplace, 2) there is a value in the employee who you have already invested in, and 3) the employee has a strong knowledge base of your organization’s product, processes and customer.
Sure, you replace the body, but it will take time and money to replace the knowledge.
If you can accept that your attitude towards your employees is a reflection of what your employees are going to be, it might help you to see how critical your behavior is on the outcome of your employee’s attitude towards the customer.
Everyone is walking the tightrope… owners are trying to keep their companies afloat, and employees are trying to keep their jobs. Working together during this time of business uncertainty is critical for everyone’s success.
October Service Tips:
· Look at the relationship between your supervisory staff and your employees. If it’s not
solid, the deficiency in the relationship can often become a catalyst to employee
dissatisfaction and ultimately, customer service issues.
· Listen to employee’s concerns.
· Understand you must give respect to get respect… it doesn’t come with a job title, it must
· Listen to employee’s concerns.
· Understand you must give respect to get respect… it doesn’t come with a job title, it must
be earned.
· “Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly, and they will show
· “Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly, and they will show
themselves great." -Ralph Waldo Emerson
· Listen to those who work for you, you might learn from them.
· Pay fairly, treat fairly, recognize fairly. All three hold critical status to employee morale.
· Listen to those who work for you, you might learn from them.
· Pay fairly, treat fairly, recognize fairly. All three hold critical status to employee morale.
Employees who are dissatisfied with their positions are a tremendous obstacle to developing customer loyalty and customer service. Get fired-up for your employees, and they’ll get fired-up for your organization!
Jan M. Smith is the Founder and Principal of Inland Management Group, a Human Resource Consultancy located in Temecula, specializing in the Hospitality and Entertainment industry. You can contact Jan at (951) 302-6483, www.inlandmgtgroup.com, or email at jsmith@inlandmgtgroup.com.
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