A client told me this story last week. I had to pass it along. He was trying to buy his first house in the 1980, when interest rates were still high, and banks were still skeptical. The bank told him he just didn’t have enough credit history. As an automotive technician who watched his pennies, he hadn’t had a credit …
Employee turnover is about to increase
The latest Morning Shift video from Automotive News (an excellent 5-minute review of headlines, even if you’re not in the industry) shares a warning from dealership recruiter Hireology. Its CEO’s prediction on automotive hiring: You’re going to see the turnover rate go back up. Because if all we’re offering is a lot of money, when that goes away and the …
The concern about what you’ll miss if you labor remotely
Labor Day for some reason became a line in the sand. Now that we are past it, many employers are facing a decision on remote work. I know all the arguments, and you do too. If we allow remote work, it will be the end of productivity. And possibly the end of what The New York Times recently called “squishy …
The Labor Day motto of Clan Ramsay
ORA ET LABORA. “Pray and work.” This ancient phrase of Benedictine monks became the motto of Clan Ramsay. I’ve always liked it. It reminds me that work itself can have a higher purpose. In fact, we were working in the Garden of Eden. We had three jobs–all part of the plan. Work is something worth doing. This article quotes Teddy Roosevelt: Far and away …
If you keep quiet, they’ll quit quietly
Increased tardiness and sick days. Inability to collaborate or embrace a change. Doing the bare minimum or saying, “That’s not my job.” Meetings that constantly become complaint sessions. Increased turnover and decreased productivity. Surveys continue to show that only a small percentage of the workforce is actually engaged in their work. There is a simple-to-explain, hard-to-master skill that addresses the …
Coaching employees: Is telling off the table?
It’s a question we are often asked: “I’m trying to coach my employees, but sometimes I need to tell instead of coach. When is that OK?” There is a simple answer, and it involves this chart we have made available for download. It also involves Charles Bronson and Jason Statham, for some reason. … Questions? Comments? Ideas for future episodes? …
Should your employees have cell phones at work?
Yesterday I was paying for items at a grocery store. The cashier was not rude, but she was not friendly. Everything she said was brief and without much feeling. As I picked up my bag, I noticed why: She was in the middle of a video call on her smart phone. I, the customer, was an interruption. Cell phones, and …
Is it Judgment Day for employee engagement, too?
Last week I talked about the Customer Experience Judgment Day upon us. Maybe it’s Judgment Day for Employee Engagement, too. Today I received two emails from the same client. The first one linked to this article about how middle managers are the workers closest to burnout, because (among other things) they are translating between frontline workers and executives, two groups …
Should leaders apologize?
Perhaps you think this is a rhetorical question. Ask yourself: When was the last time I apologized to a direct report? I heard from an eyewitness of an event where a car dealer summoned every employee to the service lane. He then closed the doors and preceded to bless them out with, shall we say, harsh words. “Any questions?” he …
The two questions
In the last post, we tackled the fact that many modern employees are “depraved on account they’re deprived.” They don’t know how to do some things you thought they would as an adult: have difficult conversations, make small talk, dress professionally, etc. This is the hand a manager is often dealt. A lack of socializing and civilizing on the part …