Dear Going:
Talk to your boss. It never hurts to have a private conversation with the one directly responsible for your development within the company. Ask her for an evaluation, and discuss with her what you can do to make yourself a more attractive candidate for promotion. Additionally, politely ask her if you may seek training in other areas of the organization so you can diversify your skills. The more you learn, the more you can potentially earn. Keep an eye out for other job opportunities within the company, and be assertive in declaring your interest in such positions. If you truly feel that you are working at a dead-end job, then it may be in your best interests to seek employment elsewhere. Don’t turn your feeling of hopelessness into a self-fulfilling prophecy. Go out and get what you want!
—Dr. Mimi

         • Someone is new to their position.
         • Someone is doing something new or different.
         • Their probationary period is over.
         • They haven’t had a review in at least a year. (Although we typically suggest every          six months.)
         • Someone asks how they are doing.
         • Someone has done a really great job.
         • Unresolved issues persist.
         • Mistakes happen again and again.
         • An employee’s performance doesn’t meet expectations.
         • They have work habits that disturb you.
Feedback can include:

         • A simple thank you.
         • Encouragment and support.
         • Recognition and possibly, though not necessarily, a reward.
         • Ways to improve.
         • Another perspective.
         • Following up on coaching discussions.
         • Providing specific performance tips.
         • Ongoing performance discussions.
         • Letting someone know the consequences of their behavior. (Both positive and          negative)

Dear Traditional:
Some employees mistakenly believe that they have a legal right to show tattoos and body piercings in the workplace. While tattoos and piercings may be examples of employee self-expression, they generally are not recognized as indications of religious or racial expression and, therefore, are not protected under federal discrimination laws. Accordingly, as with most personal appearance and grooming standards, employers have wide latitude to set policy regarding tattoos and body piercings. Some employers have policies limiting restrictions to employees who have contact with the public and only require that the tattoos and piercings not be visible. This policy is the most practical to implement since it does not restrict employees’ personal choices to get tattoos or piercings, but simply limits when they can show them at work. If you have a stated policy regarding visible tattoos and piercings, then you should enforce the policy, just as you enforce other employee behavior policies. As a first step, provide a warning that the employee has violated the policy and that further violations will result in additional discipline. If you do not have a policy in place, you may want to consider one.
—Dr. Mimi

An Easy Way for Leaders to Motivate People- Yes, money is good. So are celebratory dinners. But one surprisingly underused weapon in most leaders’ motivational arsenal?…Read More

Doing the Right Thing … 5 Ways to Encourage Ethics!-Avoid overemphasizing “the bottom-line.” Production earns money, but telling employees to “just get their work done and be profitable” sends a message devoid of ethical considerations. Remember “how” they get work done is as important as “how much” work they
Promote and reward ethical behavior…Read More

Dear Dr. Mimi: When does something on Facebook or Twitter become detrimental to me or my organization? Specifically, vacation photos that I posted on my Facebook page show me in a bikini and drinking a cocktail. I have also learned that coworkers were concerned…Read More

10 Ways to Keep Remote Employees Engaged- With off-site workers now representing a greater percent of the U.S. workforce, there are greater challenges of building relationships between the organization and virtual workers who may feel disenfranchised due to geography or cultural barriers. Engaging remote employees…Read More

Spring Clean Your Workplace-
Spring is in the air and here are 10 tips to help spring clean your workplace:
1. Make a To-Do List—List all the areas that need attention. Start with your desk, the drawers, file cabinets or a particular corner….Read More

A simple note.

It doesn’t have to be long, maybe three sentences at most. But a short note that compliments someone on what a good job she did — as long as it is genuine — can have someone walking on clouds.

So why don’t we send more of them?

I think there are three reasons. For starters, it takes time. Second, we tend to be verbal in our praise — telling someone, “good job,” for instance — and we think that suffices. Also, some of us perversely note that when you praise a person effusively, that person often doesn’t repeat the performance the next time around.

But here’s the problem with these excuses. First, it takes no more time to write a three-sentence note praising someone’s work than it does to write an email scheduling a meeting for Tuesday. Second, you can’t save a conversation — there’s no returning to a conversation quite so clearly when you’re feeling down about things. A written note has staying power. Even if it comes via email.

And finally, much of what we do repeatedly involves skill and luck. Since luck is variable, these actions suffer from a regression toward the mean. And we only give praise for doing a great job, which, being a combination of skill and luck, will only continue as long as Lady Luck lingers. And she is random.

In other words, even if a note of praise is followed by a let-down in performance, that doesn’t mean it didn’t work. It probably motivates the person to keep trying, which will produce more good work in the long run.

I think this is a great resolution: Try to write at least one email per week that someone will want to print up and save. Who could you write a note to today?

Promote and reward ethical behavior. We have found that simply mentioning the importance of ethical behavior is not enough. Follow up by rewarding those who exemplify ethical behavior. For example, let people know that while a particular transaction may not have earned you as much money now, doing the right thing earned you a loyal customer.

Recruit and hire smart! Do thorough research to be sure potential employees have of both wisdom AND integrity. We encourage our clients to ask interview questions like “tell me about a time when you demonstrated your trustworthiness and integrity either in school or at work.”

Create a culture where managers and direct reports can communicate comfortably. We find that unethical behavior often goes unreported because people don’t know what to do and/or feel uncomfortable sharing the issue with their boss. Having a policy and a procedure as well as maintaining flexible lines of communication reduces the risk of unethical conduct.

Train, train, train! We are constantly amazed that many people don’t understand what unethical behavior is, and how costly it can be to both themselves and the organization. Ethics training is a key that will both improve your workforce as well as your bottom line. Call us for more information!