Managing a Multi-Generational Workforce | OPTIMIZING YOUR ORGANIZATION

Optimizing Your Organization with Jason Buchanan

One of the most perplexing situations facing managers today lies in leading a multi-generational work force. For the first time in history, America has four generations working together. How then, do managers and leaders communicate between the Silent Generation (those over 75), the Baby Boomers (45-67), Generation X (31-44), and the Millennial Generation (under 30)?

Successfully understanding the differences in communication, as well as personal and professional experience, goes a long way to building a cohesive team of workers. On the other hand, unsuccessfully communicating between generations sets a company up for failure. It’s akin to speaking English, French, and Spanish – at the same time!

Many leaders become more entwined in the differences; after all, it's the differences that create the friction. But while energy is expended, it becomes useless energy when trying to model their communication and leadership styles to fit each generation. The problem is in adopting different styles for different generations, they are losing their own identity and authenticity.

Companies are trying to do the right thing. They're hiring talent and working hard to get the best from it. But in the end, how does one get “team work” from a generation steeped in a hierarchical structure and a generation reared in a flat organizational structure? In a word: mentor! OK, so maybe my grandfather can’t text or IM people in the office, but he can show me what transpired 40 years ago to bring some of these rules that I have to abide by now.

Everyone, irregardless of generation, wants to feel like they are a part of something. That empowerment creates a buy-in that addresses the “what’s in it for me” mentality so many of us have. I promise I am not on a mission to use the maximum number of buzzwords in a single paragraph, but the point is irrefutable: people work harder for what they believe in! Creating a mentor ship atmosphere fosters learning both forward and backward. Younger workers learn the rules while older workers learn what work smarter not harder is all about!

Give it a try, and I promise you – you’ll be amazed at what can transpire. I know I was!

For more information, please visit Jason's TNNWC Bio.

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Managing a Multi-Generational Workforce | OPTIMIZING YOUR ORGANIZATION

Training the Trainer | OPTIMIZING YOUR ORGANIZATION

Optimizing Your Organization with Jason Buchanan

Previous discussions concerning leadership and organizational effectiveness have centered around a recurring theme: How does a company value their employees? Leadership is not done in a vacuum. Good leaders are mentors, coaches, psychologists, and counselors usually all in the same day! But why is that, and moreover, is it really necessary?

Unfortunately, in some of the companies I have consulted with over the past few years, employee retention has degenerated into the land of “be happy you have a job!” Now I will give the devil his due, that is a true statement in some cases, but what will happen to those employees (and specifically their companies) when “just having a job” is no longer the standard? Statistics from the Bureau of Labor tell us that a college graduate will have 7 jobs in their first 15 years out of college. Gone are the days of 40 years with the same company and the gold watch upon retirement. That level of commitment has vanished from the perspectives of both the company and the employee.

In this day of “what’s in it for me,” organizations are focusing on attracting the best and brightest in the industry. Good leadership will keep them there! What better retention tool to have than a positive, empowering leader, grooming their employees to someday take over their jobs? Besides, having a motivated employee that already knows what I need to make my job easier also makes my life easier! It’s a win-win scenario! Unfortunately, a majority of leaders and managers do not feel this way and “fief-doms” are created where knowledge is power and the more my employee knows, the greater a threat they are to me. Nothing good comes of this silo-leadership model! Productivity decreases, morale decreases, profit decreases, and employee turnover increases. We have now created the perfect storm of the downward spiral.

Alright already…let’s end this article on a happy note: how do we avoid this? In a word: training! A magical little word that fixes SO many problems! After all, poor leaders are typically not poor leaders by choice; they are poor leaders due to ignorance. And ignorance is curable! How might you ask…? By training! Teaching managers to know their people, be empathetic, and not to overlook the obvious but how to train their own people. Some leaders are poor trainers because they just do not know how to train. Many organizations have found it cost-effective to outsource training and development to firms specializing in such matters. This saves time for the organizations, and brings a wealth of expertise to the table for a comparatively low price – all things considered. Take a look at your training programs for mid-level managers. Does it convey what your company values in their employees? Does it align with the mission, vision, and core competencies of the organization?

Do a little “self-audit” and see what you find!!

For more information, please visit Jason's TNNWC Bio.

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Powered By TNNWC Group™

For complete tactical and strategic business planning, marketing, media, lead-generation, technological and capital resources, scalable solutions and tools to support every entrepreneurial start-up, young enterprise, small- to medium-sized business and emerging high-growth company, talk to The National Networker Companies™/ TNNWC Group, LLC.

We are a collaborative entrepreneurial, creative organization offering you hands-on, personalized assistance in every aspect of achieving your monetization, profitability and financial sustainability objectives, domestically and globally.

We don’t just coach you or offer you pre-packaged, push-button solutions – we listen to you, analyze your exact needs, and work within your budget to: 1) create your tool kit and 2) work as your partner to implement your plan by supporting you in the most efficient and productive use of every tool.

Visit our website, which is located at http://www.TNNWC.com .

To receive our newsletters, publications, information bulletins and alerts, simply join us as a Member. Membership is free and the benefits are unequalled anywhere.

Just go to our home page, and click on the “JOIN US” button.

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The National Networker Publications™ produced by TNNWC Group, LLC

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Training the Trainer | OPTIMIZING YOUR ORGANIZATION

Alternative Methods of Compensation - Part 3 | OPTIMIZING YOUR ORGANIZATION

Optimizing Your Organization with Jason Buchanan

Welcome to part 3 of our discussion on alternative methods of compensation! We’re rounding third now and heading for home. When we last parted, I left you with this thought: you can have the greatest product at the best price, but if a customer has to endure an employee who is unhappy, what kind of ambassador are they for your organization?

In this age of technology, business happens on a 24 hour a day, seven day a week, 365 day a year schedule. Why then, do companies have a blanket work schedule of eight hours a day, five days a week? In a recent Nelson Motivator survey [July 2010] of 15,000 employees in the United States, flexible work hours were cited as the second most important point considered when choosing a new job. Yes…sadly wages were numero uno!

As we discussed in the first installment of this topic; let your compensation package express how you value your employees. Here are some alternative methods of compensation suggestions to add to your tool box of benefits that may just gain that coveted employee, or better yet, keep the ones you currently have.

Flex Time – Example, a company is open from 8:00 – 5:00. Core hours are 10:00 – 2:00; staffing from 8:00 – 10:00 (before core hours) and 2:00 – 5:00 (after core hours) are flexible time. This allows parents to get kids off to school, make doctor appointments, maybe even coach their sons football team and their daughters softball team (hey- it worked for me!) This schedule also allows everyone to be at meetings, presentations, or whatever else is time-sensitive from the organizations standpoint during the core business hours.

Compressed work schedules allow employees to work more than eight hours per day in order to complete the basic work requirements in fewer than a five or ten day work week. Compressed work schedules have predetermined work hours and days off. The two most popular models of compressed work schedules are:

• 4/10 model: A schedule in which employees work four, ten hours days to meet the 40 hour work week. This is the most popular form of compressed work schedule in that almost every work week has a guaranteed three day weekend. Another variation of this is to have some employees work Monday – Thursday and others work Tuesday – Friday. This still provides coverage for all 5 days of the week!


• 5/4/-9 model: This schedule is a variant of the 4/10 model, but instead of working an extra two hours per day, employees only work one extra hour. In a bi-weekly pay period, employees work five days during the first week and four days the last week for a total of 80 hours. This schedule also provides for a three day weekend every other week.
  

Job Sharing: 2 part time employees sharing a job. An experienced employee looking to reduce hours and eventually retire in a few years and mom with school aged kids. Neither have the ability from a time standpoint nor desire to work full time, but both want to and are able to contribute greatly in a job-sharing capacity. As a bonus, from a tax and benefit position, it can be advantageous to a company to have 2 part-time employees.

Time after time, the main argument I hear from supervisors can be classified as “if I can’t see them; they must not be working.” To this I respond; if you have to see them to know they are working you have either a) hired the wrong people or b) failed to adequately train them! But I am jumping the gun…we’ll talk about those issues next month!

For more information, please visit Jason's TNNWC Bio.

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For complete tactical and strategic business planning, marketing, media, lead-generation, technological and capital resources, scalable solutions and tools to support every entrepreneurial start-up, young enterprise, small- to medium-sized business and emerging high-growth company, talk to The National Networker Companies™/ TNNWC Group, LLC.

We are a collaborative entrepreneurial, creative organization offering you hands-on, personalized assistance in every aspect of achieving your monetization, profitability and financial sustainability objectives, domestically and globally.

We don’t just coach you or offer you pre-packaged, push-button solutions – we listen to you, analyze your exact needs, and work within your budget to: 1) create your tool kit and 2) work as your partner to implement your plan by supporting you in the most efficient and productive use of every tool.

Visit our website, which is located at http://www.TNNWC.com .

To receive our newsletters, publications, information bulletins and alerts, simply join us as a Member. Membership is free and the benefits are unequalled anywhere.

Just go to our home page, and click on the “JOIN US” button.

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Alternative Methods of Compensation - Part 3 | OPTIMIZING YOUR ORGANIZATION

Alternative Methods of Compensation - Part 2 | OPTIMIZING YOUR ORGANIZATION

Optimizing Your Organization with Jason Buchanan

Welcome back to our ongoing discussion of alternative methods of compensating employees! Last month, I left you with a little “food for thought”…your compensation program should indicate to both current and perspective employees how they are valued, not how they are paid. Essentially there are two types of compensation: direct and indirect. Direct methods of compensation include the typical programs we all know and love:

• Basic Pay: Cash wage paid to the employee. Paying a wage, either hourly or salary, is a standard practice, therefore, your only real competitive advantage can only come by paying a higher amount.


• Incentive Pay: A bonus paid when specified performance objectives are met. Has the ability to inspire employees to set and achieve a higher performance level and is an excellent motivator to accomplish goals.


• Stock Options: A right to buy a piece of the business which may be given to an employee to reward excellent service. When an employee owns a share of the business, they are much more likely to go the extra mile for the operation.


• Bonuses: A gift given occasionally to reward exceptional performance or for special occasions. Bonuses can show an employer appreciates his/her employees and ensures that good performance or special events are rewarded.

Because laws vary from state-to-state, I purposefully do not address things such as insurance, health saving accounts, medical/dental, etc. Some compensation elements are required by law: social security, unemployment and disability payments. Other elements are up to the employer and can offer excellent ways to provide benefits to the employees and the employer as well.

In a tight labor market, indirect compensation becomes increasingly important. Businesses that cannot compete with high cash wages can offer very individualized alternatives that meet the needs of the people you want to employ. Such creative compensation alternatives are the small business's competitive advantage.

Indirect Compensation Alternatives

• insurance (health, dental, eye)


• paid leave (sick/holiday/personal days)


• tickets to events (ball games, concerts)


• magazine subscriptions


• boots and clothing


• laundry service


• company parties


• use of company vehicle


• cellular phones/pagers

Next month, we will finish our journey through the world of compensating your employees. Specifically, I want to highlight some programs that have worked in all sectors of business from manufacturing and production, to IT services, and even social service agencies. As we part this month let me leave you with this thought; you can have the greatest product at the best price, but if a customer has to endure an employee who is unhappy, what kind of ambassador are they for your organization?

For more information, please visit Jason's TNNWC Bio.

---

Powered By TNNWC Group™

For complete tactical and strategic business planning, marketing, media, lead-generation, technological and capital resources, scalable solutions and tools to support every entrepreneurial start-up, young enterprise, small- to medium-sized business and emerging high-growth company, talk to The National Networker Companies™/ TNNWC Group, LLC.

We are a collaborative entrepreneurial, creative organization offering you hands-on, personalized assistance in every aspect of achieving your monetization, profitability and financial sustainability objectives, domestically and globally.

We don’t just coach you or offer you pre-packaged, push-button solutions – we listen to you, analyze your exact needs, and work within your budget to: 1) create your tool kit and 2) work as your partner to implement your plan by supporting you in the most efficient and productive use of every tool.

Visit our website, which is located at http://www.TNNWC.com .

To receive our newsletters, publications, information bulletins and alerts, simply join us as a Member. Membership is free and the benefits are unequalled anywhere.

Just go to our home page, and click on the “JOIN US” button.

---

Capital, Traffic Building, International Customers and unique SERVICES.
The National Networker Publications™ produced by TNNWC Group, LLC

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Alternative Methods of Compensation - Part 2 | OPTIMIZING YOUR ORGANIZATION