Best workplace resolutions for 2012

Vipul Mali — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 06:29:51 +0000

They say resolutions are meant to be broken. In that case, how many workplace resolutions hold good? Do industry professionals see any benefit in them? “Resolutions if implemented on time can erase a lot of issues. Every workplace has its own set of trouble. This year, as a part of my resolution, I tried to inculcate staff retention and employee engagement. Positive motivation has helped me retain people who are the biggest asset of my organisation,” says Deepak Kaistha, Director, Planman Group and Managing Partner, Planman HR.
At the same time, there are a set of people who do not believe in the concept of resolutions. “We do not have any workplace resolutions; it is not a part of our belief system. If people simply adhere to what they promise to themselves, any place will be a better place for resolutions. It’s a philosophical statement and it is up to you if you want it to be successful or otherwise,” says Rajita Singh, Head, Human Resources, Broad ridge Financial Solutions (India) Private Limited.
Do’s and Don’ts of resolutions
The trouble with resolutions is that they are difficult to abide by. Often, the cause for failure is the unrealistically high expectations from oneself, leading to resolutions impossible to achieve.
“Resolutions can be both troublesome and rewarding. Many people make them, but few make a real commitment to them. Before you make a resolution, spend some time pondering exactly what you hope to achieve in the year ahead and how you plan to do it,” says Vidyadhar Prabhudesai, Managing Trustee, LeadCap Trust. For Prabhudesai, the biggest workplace resolution would encourage employees to waste less time in office. He believes that a limited time should be spent on networking sites that balance work and leisure equally.
“Be Realistic and don’t resolve to completely stop using social media. Plan to cut it down. Think incrementally and plan in small steps. Lastly, make resolutions for only those things that are within your control and do not involves the decisions of others,” he says.
Three big resolutions for 2012
What are some of the workplace resolutions that ideally people in all industries will try to keep in 2012? Three of them are summed up below:
1) Encourage Leadership: As the corporate is transitioning from closed to open source leadership formats, the coming 2012 resolution would revolve around the same. ” ‘Don’t micromanage’, ‘Don’t be a bottleneck’, ‘Trust subordinates’, ‘Challenge team to perform better’, ‘Retrain employees to lead’ etc, can be some of them,” says Prabhudesai.
2) Monitor workplace gossip: “Like it or not, every workplace is a political environment and it can get vicious. Office gossip is often used by an individual to place them at a point where they can control the flow of information and therefore gain maximum advantage. The past year has seen major conflicts in many organisations. My approach is to always balance out both the sides,” says Kaistha.
3) Strike a connect: Know the ‘why’ and then focus on their task. As the sense of purpose is biggest, this eventually helps avoid any issues that may arise due to communication, politicking etc. The power of being able to connect is the largest, which ensures the culture of an organisation is intact, nurtured and harmonious.
While these are broad resolutions for the organisation as a whole, are the CEOs planning a personal transformation in 2012 too?
“For me as a CEO, my wish list is long. Starting from employee satisfaction, motivating employees, helping them become better and responsible individuals professionally, to keeping my organisation conflict free, my list would continue. Considering the efforts put in by all my employees, I would want each of them to carve out better opportunities, and to grow within the organisation. My objective is to ensure that the organisation grows and as far as possible, all the above resolutions are implemented for the best,” shares Kaistha.
Article courtesy of Economic Times

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What keeps employees happy at work?

Vipul Mali — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 14:04:13 +0000

With attrition rates soaring high, the million dollar question for HR managers today is… ‘What keeps people happy at the workplace?’ According to a research, the most crucial factor for winning goodwill from employees is good communication and a healthy relationship with colleagues and seniors. This sounds easy, but recent studies have suggested that this is actually the most difficult thing to get right. A research suggested that 73% of British workers believe good relationships with colleagues to be the key reason they enjoyed their jobs, while only 48% cited financial reward.
Research experts say: “Business should not ignore the value of good relationships at work. Simple ways to boost happiness include treating staff fairly, ensuring communication is good, and fostering a positive atmosphere.”
The research highlighted that small businesses have the happiest employees. 86% of employees, who work for organisations with employees between 20 and 100 in number, feel happier as compared to 78% of employees who work in organisations with a workforce more than 1,000.
Research analysts were not surprised at these results. They explained, “In small businesses there is an informal, personal atmosphere that you don’t get in large organisations. Individual problems and office politics tend to get ironed out early, as there’s a lot to be said for face-to-face contact and working things out.”
A recent ‘sickness survey’ of absence due to ill health found that the average number of days small businesses lost due to absence per employee was 1.8 days, as compared to an average of 8.4 days for businesses of all sizes.
Ensuring happiness and contentment of individuals in a workplace may be a tougher task for larger organisations, but most importantly an HR manager can put strategies in place to raise awareness of the importance of employee satisfaction. A good pay package doesn’t necessarily guarantee happy employees. Try these to get closer to satisfying employees:
1. Involvement of the top management more than just the annual or bi-annual meet.
2. Investment in training programmes’ for employees.
3. Empowering staff with authority after they prove themselves, and defining their responsibilities clearly.
4. Having a customer service staff for guiding employees in day to day issues.
If organisations think a little more deeply about what employees really want and what will make them happier, they would reap its rewards sooner than later.

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Best workplace resolutions for 2012

What keeps employees happy at work?