Thursday, September 4, 2008

Creating Team Loyalty

Creating Team Loyalty
Lead By Example

Do you suffer from high turnover in the workplace? One issue that is greatly underestimated by most managers is that of employee turnover. It can literally wreck your organization and your continuity.The longer you have a consistent team in place, the more you learn to become an extension of each other. Your productivity and efficiency skyrockets when you have a team that works well together. For this reason, it is incredibly important that you create a working environment that allows your team to flourish, a place where your employees want to be on a long-term basis. Remember, your employees spend more of their waking hours in the workplace than anywhere else. You need to strive to make it an enjoyable environment.Lead by example. Create clarity within the job descriptions you provide. Make sure the organization's vision and Mission Statement is crystal clear and embodied in the actions of each and every member of your team.Create loyalty by tending to special needs. It helps to show your appreciation for your team members and make sure you are building loyalty with them. For example, many employees are working parents. One of the most difficult times of the year for them is during the summer. The children are not in school, and the parent is wishing he or she didn't have to work and wants to be with his or her children. This is a great time to do something special for them.
Pay a housekeeper to handle their housecleaning responsibilities a couple of times a month. This is a way to let that valued employee know that you don't want them to be home on a Saturday morning cleaning the house when they could be out doing something exciting with their children. During the holidays you can offer to have their car washed or their houses cleaned so they can focus on their holiday gift shopping and spend time with their family. These are little things that add up to big results.Get to know your employees' "other half." Remember, your employee's spouse can be your advocate or your enemy. This is the person your employee goes home to every night after a long day of work, and it is quite possible this is the person they will vent their frustrations to. If you have this spouse as your advocate, the spouse will defend you and remind your employee that they have a lot going for them with this job.
If you haven't taken the time to get to know your employees' significant others through occasional group functions, you are putting yourself in a position where this person, who could have been your advocate, is now someone who is suggesting the best solution is to look for another job! Keep in mind that the success of a great team is greatly dependent on your ability to keep key individuals as long as possible.
Bill Vourazeris 443-618-2880

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