I find myself the owner/leader of a 7-employee firm that handles the bookkeeping for small businesses. I stumbled on this business and discovered it was a niche market. Soon I had more work than I could handle and started bringing on employees. Because I never wanted a "real job," I wanted to create a work environment for myself and my bookkeepers that didn't feel like work. I am very aware that without them I am out of business, so I do everything I can to make them feel valued and included as part of a team effort.
What is your interest or involvement in employee engagement?
Denise,
Welcome aboard the network. What are the challenges you find in engaging a group of 7? I imagine closeness can either work for you or against you depending upon the mix. Value and being valued are so important. I look forward to learning from you.
David
HOORAH! (I think) We grew out of my house. I started the business out of my home and 4 years later, there was no other corner I could put a desk/computer, so we moved two weeks ago into a "real" office. So much for not having a "real" job.
This week I am treating "the girls" to a girly celebration lunch at the Mulberry Tea House in Medford. Our office is in the middle of the shopping district in the Village of Medford, so I want our business to begin to be part of the community and to let my girls get familiar with it, also.
Dear Ray,
Your concern is well founded. Employees look forward to surveys like they do a visit to the dentist! The Horsepower Survey, however, is an employee-focused survey to measure how rewarded employees feel about their work. It consists of sev…
Mike,
I will make mention of this new group in the next newsletter. Thank you for starting this and I wish you well and all European members the best with this focus.
David
Jason:
Good points about trust and aligning the strategic engagement with employee engagement. We need results for all.
I am concerned you will lose readers due to lack of formatting on this post. I encourage you to ensure that you format your pos…
Thanks for sharing this information, Roy.
When I was Research Director at The Loyalty Institute, we found that the #1 driver of employee commitment was an organization's efforts to build a sense of spirit and pride. This was true in the US as well…
As a survey consultant I guess that I should like the idea of conducting monthly surveys, but I am concerned that employees may feel that they are being "over surveyed."
There are options, of course. An organization might randomly assign each emplo…
This is a great read, a great story. I smiled the whole time as I read this. If this conversation is possible in your organization, then I'd say your leadership is trusted and transparent. Thanks for this story.
I won't be wishing you "Season's Greetings" or "Happy Holidays" this December. These secular, generic salutations are popular in corporate America because they are not specific to any one religion or belief system. The business world, like America's…
Hello Paul:
"if you want to improve productivity and reduce costs, you need to
tap into human nature’s pleasure-fueled engine."
I could not agree more but if we wait until after we hire someone we have waited too long.
Bob
"If managers cannot commit, then they shouldn’t expect their employees to commit either."
Well said and very true. I much enjoyed your article and share your views.
Bob Carpenter's experiences in turnarounds are the same as mine although I only di…
Comment Wall (2 comments)
You need to be a member of The Employee Engagement Network to add comments!
Join this Ning Network
Welcome aboard the network. What are the challenges you find in engaging a group of 7? I imagine closeness can either work for you or against you depending upon the mix. Value and being valued are so important. I look forward to learning from you.
David
This week I am treating "the girls" to a girly celebration lunch at the Mulberry Tea House in Medford. Our office is in the middle of the shopping district in the Village of Medford, so I want our business to begin to be part of the community and to let my girls get familiar with it, also.