Employee Engagement and Retention

Employee Engagement and Retention, Leadership and Management

Integrity Means Everything

Integrity: the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. Dishonesty in the workplace comes in many forms from employee theft, disrespectful social media sharing, submitting incorrect time sheets, abusive behavior, unethical conduct such as harassment, and lying to co-workers and managers. Within the United States, around 120 million people go to work each day. A recent study conducted by the Washington, D.C. – based Ethics Resource Center (ERC), revealed that almost half of t
Brenda Maday
Brenda Maday
2 min read
Employee Engagement and Retention, Leadership and Management

How Companies Treat Exiting Employees Reflects Culture

What was your most memorable on-boarding experience? Maybe you received a personal welcome note from your new manager? Did you receive a package full of company swag in the mail? Was there an immediate in-depth training program? Were you welcomed with encouragement from all levels of the organization? Maybe you received all the tools/software to do your job successfully? Or maybe you were assigned a mentor? You were probably convinced that you made the right decision and you were on the way to
Brenda Maday
Brenda Maday
2 min read
Employee Engagement and Retention, Leadership and Management, Employee Relations

Why Do Some Employees Seem Untouchable?

Most of us have worked with team members who are abrasive, bullies, and condescending. Their mere presence instills fear, and everyone walks on eggshells wondering if they are going to be the next target. So, why do they still have jobs? As an HR Manager, I can tell you most of the time the reason is that they get results. Since their results improve the bottom line, their behaviors get overlooked. But, the problem with that is they single-handedly destroy the morale of everyone around them.
Brenda Maday
Brenda Maday
2 min read
Employee Engagement and Retention, Training and Development

Why Effective Onboarding is So Important

Onboarding helps new employees adjust to the social and performance parts of their jobs so they can quickly become productive members of the company. Effective onboarding is critical, yet so many organizations get it wrong. The first few days or weeks will leave a lasting impression on new hires and if done inadequately, you risk losing them. These tips will help ensure successful onboarding: 1. Start the onboarding process before the employee even starts. Send all required paperwork to them
Brenda Maday
Brenda Maday
1 min read
Employee Engagement and Retention

Open Vs. Private Work Spaces

Open workspaces are becoming more popular, especially in high technology industries. Robert Half published an article, “Open Debate: Many Companies Move Toward Open Vs. Private Workspaces” that summarizes the pros and cons of each set up. The majority (56 percent) of human resources managers whose companies have changed their workspaces in recent years said their companies moved to an open floor plan to enhance collaboration. But, does the open plan really enhance collaboration? It does not ba
Brenda Maday
Brenda Maday
2 min read
Employee Relations, Employee Engagement and Retention, Leadership and Management

Are Employee Surveys Effective?

At some point in your career, you’ve more than likely been asked to participate in an employee survey. Organizations conduct these surveys for different reasons: • To ask for feedback and get a “pulse” on employee satisfaction and engagement • To instill an open-door policy where feedback and transparency is welcomed • To make improvements within the company I’ve worked at companies that conducted surveys annually, quarterly, or not at all. The ones that did not conduct surveys chose this
Brenda Maday
Brenda Maday
2 min read
Employee Engagement and Retention, Leadership and Management

Why Constant Reorganizations Kill Morale

If your goal is to lower morale in a matter of seconds and you are in a leadership position, all you have to do is announce reorganizations on a regular basis. Now, I understand reorgs are necessary in ever-changing and growing organizations. I’m talking about reorgs that seem to be just for the sake of change and that are not understood by the employee population. If the leaders of your organization are conducting major reorgs every three to six months, employee satisfaction and engagement wi
Brenda Maday
Brenda Maday
2 min read
Employee Engagement and Retention

Employee of the Month Recognition Programs: We Can Do Better

As I was waiting for my meal at a local PNW burger restaurant, I glanced to my right and noticed a “Wall of Fame” displaying various employees of the month. There was a picture of each employee with their name underneath. There was no description of why they were nominated for the award, what they did to go above and beyond, etc. I thought to myself, “Do companies still use this outdated program and think it is effective?” One of two results happen with this type of program: 1.) The same employe
Brenda Maday
Brenda Maday
2 min read
Recruiting, Employee Engagement and Retention

Why Was I Hired?

Your application has been submitted. Interviews are finished. Now you wait. If you are lucky, you will receive a job offer. But, after receiving and accepting that offer from your soon-to-be new employer, have you ever asked the question: “Why was I hired?” In my almost 20 years of working in HR, I don’t recall ever being asked that question. Think about what a smart question that is, though. Now that you have been hired, you should feel comfortable asking HR, your manager and even the inter
Brenda Maday
Brenda Maday
1 min read
Employee Engagement and Retention, Employee Relations

Stop Annoying Your Co-Workers

We all spend a lot of hours at work. Just like your real family, your work family may start to get on your last nerve. Here are some examples of annoying habits or actions that I frequently get complaints about: 1. Being loud and disruptive in a cubicle environment - tapping, loud gum chewing, whistling, singing. You get the point. Be quiet and courteous of your office mates. 2. Cooking smelly food - Burned popcorn, fish, etc. Be aware that some people are very sensitive to smells and th
Brenda Maday
Brenda Maday
2 min read
Employee Engagement and Retention, Leadership and Management

How to Be the Worst Manager Ever

I’ve worked with both excellent and horrible managers throughout my career. Being the site HR Representative for many years has given me the advantage of understanding what employees are looking for in a manager, and it really isn’t that difficult to be a well-respected, desired manager. Here are the top things to do to be considered the worst manager ever with incredibly high turnover in your department: 1. Do not make time for your employees. Do not schedule one on one or team meetings. Emp
Brenda Maday
Brenda Maday
2 min read
Training and Development, Employee Engagement and Retention

When It’s Time to Move on from a Job

Years ago, people would accept a job and stay there throughout their whole careers…20, 30, even 40 years. Those days are long gone. I personally think it’s a win if a company can keep an employee for two years or so. People leave jobs for all kinds of reasons: dislike their boss, commute time, more money/better benefits, lack of growth opportunities, toxic company culture, long hours, and the list goes on. I am one who tends to take charge of my own career and change when I am no longer enjoyi
Brenda Maday
Brenda Maday
2 min read