5 Ways to Get the Worst Out of Your Workers

Workers aren’t taking their jobs for granted, but that doesn’t mean employers can take their staff for granted.

The recession has caused many companies to slash salaries, drop bonuses and demand longer hours and more productivity. Those actions combine with poor leadership practices to create a company culture of mediocrity instead of excellence.

"Now more than ever, business owners need to pay attention to their employees because those employees may be coming to work, but they may be mentally checking out. Even though they’re coming to work, they’re looking for other jobs. Sooner or later, they’re history," says Libby Anderson, president of Human Resources Now, a Naples-based human resources consulting and customized training and development firm.

The mentality that exists is, "If you don’t like this job or you don’t like this company there are another 500 applicants waiting in line behind you, so don’t let the door hit you," says Karen Anderson, president of the Human Resources Management Association of Southwest Florida and director of human resources at Shell Point Retirement Community. "I just cringe when I hear that," she says.

Some workers are no longer accepting poor treatment. The number of employees voluntarily quitting (1.87 million) surpassed the number being fired or discharged (1.72 million) in March, for the first time since October 2008, according to figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Philadelphia-based Right Management, the talent and career management arm of employment-services firm Manpower, found that 60 percent of workers polled at the end of 2009 said they plan to leave their jobs as the economy improved this year.

Changing the way you handle your business’ most important asset—your talent—will help you retain and motivate them, local experts say.

"Just because the employee is lucky to have a job doesn’t mean they’re going to make much of an effort," Libby Anderson says. "If you want them to really work hard, you’ve got to treat them well."

Here are five ways managers and owners can make their employees tune out and feel undervalued.

Organizations have to be honest, sometimes brutally honest, and let their employees know the financial picture, Karen Anderson says. "The transparency of an organization has a huge impact on whether or not people are going to stay, particularly in tough times," she says. Companies need to share where their revenue comes from and how the economy impacts the business. The discussions may coincide with delivering bad news about no pay increases, but it gives executives and managers the opportunity to explain and it prevents gossip. Sharing this in a productive way, instead of adding to doom and gloom, can give workers a sense of ownership in helping improve the financial picture, Libby Anderson says.

Tracking what they’re doing every minute of the day is a short-sighted way to try to control productivity. "A certain amount of autonomy is really, really essential," Libby Anderson says. "If they’ve been properly trained, leave them alone and let them make some decisions on their own. Monitor them, of course, but quit breathing down their necks, because what it does is it makes them work less hard, not harder." That anxious atmosphere creates a mentality among employees that they can’t do things right and they can’t please their bosses. Karen Anderson recognizes that organizations struggle with where to draw the line in a wired workforce. "If they’re getting the job done the way they’re supposed to, within the time frame and with the quality, do you trust them to answer a personal phone call on work time?" she says.

Empowering your people to be creative and make decisions on their own, from calling meetings to suggesting ways to improve your business, can pay off. "Giving people the freedom to say, ‘Hey I have a good idea, why don’t we do it this way instead of the way we’ve been doing it for the last 10 years?’ is tremendously freeing for people," Karen Anderson says. Employees on the "front line" often use shortcuts that managers don’t know about; creating an atmosphere encouraging discussion about them can increase productivity and be a source of motivation, she says.

Telling employees they need to get your approval to organize meetings or brainstorm, and even monitoring friendships among co-workers, is counterintuitive, especially with the younger generation, Libby Anderson says. Instead, loosen up those controls. Your staff may seize the opportunity to find solutions. At the same time, let workers know exactly what you expect. Don’t just say they need to provide great customer service. "They feel like no matter what they do, it’s not going to be right or good enough," Libby Anderson says. "They don’t know what they’re supposed to be doing." Instead, give them an idea of what great customer service means to you in terms of how quickly the phone needs to be answered, etc. That way, employees, like your kids, won’t feel as though they need to read your mind.

Having a genuine attitude of appreciation can go a long way. "It doesn’t have to be something big," Libby Anderson says. "Write them a thank you note. It’s free." Telling employees when they shine is important, says Karen Anderson, especially as folks face stress at home from a spouse who may have lost a job or the threat of losing their home. "A lot of times employees just want somebody to say, ‘Thanks for coming in today.’" Libby Anderson adds that praising employees for something specific creates repetitive good behavior. "If you’re not nurturing those relationships with your employees, you’re really missing an opportunity, and the employees just won’t make the effort," she says.