Loyalty, Motivation And Work-Life Balance

Managers who aren't loyal to their people can't expect loyalty in return. Companies that complain about employee loyalty have usually done nothing to earn loyalty, often routinely lying to employees, demanding sacrifices that are never rewarded, shunting them aside and casting them off in the name of good business.

I know of one organization that routinely takes top performing managers and sticks them in problem markets. Fair enough. What isn't fair is that these managers are paid on an inflexible bonus and override system. Which means that their reward for doing a superior job and for helping the company out is a massive cut in pay. And frequently a poor evaluation if they fail to turn the market around quickly enough.

And upper management can not understand the lack of loyalty throughout the company. Or why they have the highest turnover rate of in their industry.

Teams and Teamwork

During the Civil War, a reporter asked General Grant how long it would take him to reach Richmond. "I will agree to be there in about four days," Grant answered. "That is, if General Lee becomes a party to the agreement. But if he objects, the trip will undoubtedly be prolonged."

When supposed teammates aren't really teammates, the journey toward the goal will undoubtedly be prolonged.

Sidney Harman was chairman of Harman International, maker of high-end sound systems like JBL and Infinity. "We attract people who over time become persuaded that this company is their company and they are going to give it their all," he said. "When people determine to give it their all, the levels of productivity you see will blow your mind."

To motivate employees to see the company as their company, Harman International does everything possible to avoid layoffs. When demand is down, the company keeps production workers busy in security or maintenance or landscaping rather than downsizing them. They're paid their normal wages. Employees benefit and Harman International retains its highly trained, loyal, motivated workforce.

To keep the channels of communication open between management and labor, every single executive spends time every month on the production line. Top management also discourages the use of temps. And there's no such thing as a permanent temp. If they stay past a certain point, they become regular workers with full benefits.

Nowadays this may seem like radical, outside the box thinking. Or maybe it's inside a box so out of fashion that few other companies ever both to look inside. Either way it's turned Harman International into an industry leader, a company with $1.4 billion in annual sales. Ed Boyd, Senior VP of Manufacturing, says, "I've worked for four corporations on three continents and this is by far the most motivated group of individuals I've ever been associated with."

That's a team.

Speaking of Motivation: Work-Life Balance

One recent study found that "management recognition of the importance of personal and family life" was the most important factor in creating employee loyalty. It also found that employees who were allowed to spend a moderate amount of time on personal matters during work time-even if it was merely making a few personal phone calls-were more committed to their employers than those who weren't.

Yet in a recent survey of CEOs by the Conference Board, only one percent cited "helping employees achieve work-life balance" as their top concern. Well, it might not be number one, but it better be up there. In still another study-this one done by the Families and Work Institute and funded by corporations like AT&T, Xerox, Allstate, American Express and IBM-thirty-eight percent of workers said employees who put personal or family needs ahead of their jobs were not looked upon favorably by their employer.

Tip: Any manager who expects his people to put the company's needs ahead of their own needs and the needs of their loved ones is not bright enough to be a manager. How many managers put company needs ahead of their own?

Tip: Too many.

According to the Associated Press, the Families and Work Institute study "paints a portrait of a hard worker who feels burned out from balancing work and family life yet cares intensely about performing well on the job."

In the words of AT&T spokesman, Burke Stinson, "the study validates what we'd believed for a long while." When employees get more freedom to take care of their family priorities, productivity does not suffer, just the opposite. "Employees who feel as if they're being treated fairly will treat their employers at least as fairly in return."

And factors like employment security, flexible scheduling and supportive work relationships reduce burnout, increase loyalty and generate greater effort.

Of course whenever studies like these are done, the question some always ask is, Why do employers have to fund studies to discover what their employers are thinking?

Barry Maher speaks, writes and consults on management, motivation, communication and sales. Contact him and/or sign up for his free email newsletter at http://www.barrymaher.com. Check out his highly-acclaimed books, including Filling the Glass, "[One of] The Seven Essential Popular Businss Books" according to Today's Librarian magazine at http://www.barrymaher.com/books.htm.

---

What Personal Assistants Really Want

What would happen if the personal assistants in your organisation... Read More

Why Employee Satisfaction Surveys And Employee Exit Surveys Make Good Sense

In a competitive world with the need for businesses to... Read More

Managing Creativity - An Oxymoron! Not

Interrogated on a beach in Barbados by friends insistent that... Read More

Forget The Sandwich Technique

Do you remember being told to use the "sandwich" technique... Read More

The Golden Key to Meeting Success

We all attend many meetings. I'm sure you have been... Read More

Travel the World - for Free!

I have been very fortunate to travel to several countries... Read More

Change Behaviors, Change Performance

Every organization is looking for the holy grail of performance... Read More

How Your Business Can Pick A Software Developer

Eventually, your business is going to need to have some... Read More

Rapid Culture Change is Possible

Purpose: Show how immersion leadership training makes strategic initiative success... Read More

Eliminate Performance Anxiety Forever

You've had many years of training in your craft as... Read More

The Compliance Officers Killer Application

It used to be that only the largest multi-nationals needed... Read More

Online Business Peace of Mind

Is your online business disaster-proof? Online businesses face a unique... Read More

Communicating with Case Studies

A few weeks ago, a couple of colleagues and I... Read More

Never Punish Yourself or Others for Failures

If you want to find success in various ramifications, be... Read More

Turnaround or Terminate? How to Deal with Problem Employees

Do you struggle with a "problem" employee? If so, join... Read More

Performance Management Made Easy

Performance Management is a process that both employer and employee... Read More

Top Ten Things About Creating a Business Vision

To visualise where you are going, is deeper and more... Read More

Succession Planning for Your Business - 7 Key Benefits

A core activity in many successful businesses, Succession Planning is... Read More

Innovation Management ? idea selection, development and commercialisation, what are the differences?

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Knowledge Management - Leadership Behaviours Which Encourage Knowledge-Sharing

The concept of knowledge management or knowledge sharing makes intellectual... Read More

Building Trust in Your Business Relationships - 10 Steps

There are some simple things you can do with your... Read More

Plan for Business Success - 6 Reasons to Succession Plan

Succession Planning provides many valuable assets to your business. Yet... Read More

ISO 9001 Registration ? 8 Steps for Success

You've made the plans, built the quality system and conducted... Read More

Entitlement Programs Kill Productivity

In articles I've written over the years, I have used... Read More

The Punitive Approach to Marginal Performers

MANAGING A MARGINAL PERFORMER: Often a marginal performer, even after... Read More

Leadership Styles - the Ten Top Qualities the Best Leaders Show

Top leaders...Are Visionary Top leaders have a very clear understanding... Read More

Think Before You Talk

What you say to other people can make or break... Read More

Performance Appraisal Checklist: Raise Not Just Appraise Performance

It's that time again! Perhaps the most dreaded management practice... Read More

Delegation Obstructions

OBSTRUCTIONS: 1. Staff deficiencies. Lack of confidence in employees quite... Read More

Why You Should Hold One More Meeting

If you are completely happy with where you and your... Read More

In Leadership, The Critical Convergence Drives Great Results

The Leader's Fallacy lives! We subscribe to the Fallacy when... Read More

How You Can Learn to be a Better Manager

When you first take over a department, expectations are usually... Read More

Using an Appraisal to Benefit Your Organization

PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS BENEFIT THE ORGANIZATION:Appraisals help spot employees with potential... Read More