TAKING YOUR BUSINESS AND NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION TO A NEW LEVEL: EMPLOYEE ENHANCEMENT STRATEGIES

Article by Herb Rubenstein
CEO, Herb Rubenstein Consulting

Introduction

Returning to Washington, D.C. from Sydney, Australia a month before the start of the Olympic Games, I realized how much other countries envy the efficiency and effectiveness of the U.S. economic engine. Over the past three years as CEO of Growth Strategies, I have seen first hand and have helped develop successful approaches to increase revenues, improve customer satisfaction and create better frameworks for making business and organizational decisions.

Listen To Your Employees

The first employee enhancement strategy is to consult with your employees about their current views of what is right and wrong with your business or nonprofit organization and commit to addressing these concerns quickly and generously. This process can energize employees to demand a workplace that has: high morale and, where employees' opinions about work conditions and life balance issues are regularly collected, analyzed and acted upon. Use every communication device available, the internet, face to face meetings, pamphlets and the media to start this process.

Learning Environment

The second approach is to provide continuous education, training and personal development
opportunities to all employees and management of your organization. The national average spent on these programs in the US is one percent (1%) of an employee's salary. Organizations should spend at least $1,500 per employee per year in outside training and educational opportunities.

Measure What Matters

The third approach is to have regular employee evaluations where every supervisor not only evaluates their reports, but their direct reports evaluate them. This is called 360° feedback.

Eliminate Fear

The fourth approach is for the organization to eliminate fear of telling the truth, the fear of reprisals, fear of demotion, fear of being fired, and the fear of having your reputation tarnished through retaliation for calling it the way you see it. All of these actions must be banished from the work environment in your organization. Everyone in your organization must be empowered to tell the truth as he or she sees it and empowered to go after finding out the truth.

Set Employee Satisfaction Targets

The fifth approach to improving the employee's experience is to recognize that satisfied employees lead to satisfied customers and lead to an organization being able to hire and retain good employees. Good employees are a start; good employees doing great things are a critical goal of 21st Century businesses.

Conclusion

These five approaches take for granted that the wages and benefits in your organization are reasonable, sexual harassment is not only not tolerated, but is also severely punished, discrimination based on race, sex, religion, national origin or sexual orientation is not tolerated and that personal and professional excellence is expected from your employees. Today, with low unemployment, employees have the opportunity of a lifetime to demand that work be a source of personal growth, fulfillment and result in a work environment that promotes their well being rather than steals the vitality and energy from their life.

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