Workshop Employee Relations and Loyalty

8/8/2019 Workshop Employee Relations and Loyalty

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A Special Presentation for FMIs 2008

Productivity Plus Conference

EmployeeRelations

and Loyalty

Dale Deitchler

Noah Lipschultz


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Definitions of Loyalty

Being motivated to do good

work (39%).

Going above and beyond

job requirements (34%).

Plan to stay at company for

2+ years (19%).

Would recommendcompany to job seekers

(7%).

New York Times Job Market


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Loyalty Risk Categories

Truly Loyal: employees who plan to stay

with you and want to stay with you.

High Risk: employees neither committed

nor planning to stay.

Trapped: plan to stay in same line of

business, but not necessarily with you.Walker Information Loyalty Report (9/07)


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genda Promoting

Employee Loyalty

Loyalty and Ethics

What to Do When

Loyalties Fail

Managing for

When Employees

Leave


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Promoting Employee Loyalty


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Managing Employee Loyalty

Goal: Keep Trusted Employees,

motivate/move out High Riskand

Trapped Employees

Strategy: Identify employees in each

category and seek to reward/motivate

them differently, but do so with an eyetowards issues of discrimination and

disparate treatment


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Managing Employee Loyalty

High Riskemployees are not

necessarily those in protected categories

Trappedemployees are not single

mothers

Truly Loyalemployees are not all

white, male, under 40, etc.


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You must manage all categories

of employees: Truly Loyal, High

Risk, and Trapped. You cannot

manage for only one category.Each presents its own issues.

There are issues, however, thatpervade allcategories.


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$HOW ME THE MONEY$$!!!

Recognize Limited Shelf-

Life


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Promoting Employee Loya lty

Information Sharing -- Keep Employees

Informed:

- Expansion (or Contraction)

- New management, new supervisors

- New Methods, New Equipment

- Wage scales and how wages are determine

- Company benefits and what they mean


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EMPLOYEE INPUT: Employees Feel They

Don't Have a Say on Things Affecting TheirJob

Their ideas are not given consideration

Changes made suddenly and without notice

Changes made after employees are consultedbut their suggestions ignored

No planned communications from employees


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Fair workplace policies Avoid Poor or Non-

Existent Personnel Policies

Nothing is in writing

Nothing is communicated

What there is, is poorly done and not understood

The policies, if written, do not meet the needs of

management or employees

Infrequently or never reviewed or updated

No Internal Complaint Procedure

Progressive Discipline


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Consistent and Fair Policy

Administration.

No Favoritism

Keep Promises


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Advancement

Periodic appraisal of performance by supervisors

Promotions from within

Employees know how to work for promotion

Employees know why they are not promoted

Employees are informed of promotions made

from within


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Eliminate Poor Working Conditions

Lack of proper/adequate tools, materials and

equipment to do the job

Poor lighting, unclean work area and safetyhazards

Poor rest areas and/or lunch areas

Poor, dangerous or inadequate parking

Unclean rest rooms


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First-line Supervision

Not concerned about employees, their concerns,

their roles, their advancement. Abusive

management is tolerated.

Do not appear often enough in working area.

Supervisors too busy to listen to, investigate andget answers to employee problems


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Fac tors Driving Loyalty

Care/Concern & Addressing Personal

Needs

May be necessary to make exceptions

but dont discriminate!

Personal acts of kindness and concern


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Workplac e Ethics


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Companys failure to establish standards /

culture

Greed

Desire to advance career

Pressure to meet unrealistic performance /

financial goals and deadlines

Poor training/communication

Low morale

Why Employees Behave Unethically

mutually assured destruc tion


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Challenges to Ethic s

Businesses are more likely to make ethical

compromises during economic downturns

48% agree or agree strongly.

The Power of Ethics: Watson Wyattsworkplace survey shows that companies

with high employee trust levels significantly

outperform low-trust companies.


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Drafting a Code of Ethic s

Do We Need One?

What factors gointo deciding

whether to issue

a code of ethics?

Are there types of

companies which

should not have a

code?


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What Kind of Code Is Best?

Which is preferable a short

statement of core principles ora more detailed list of rules?

What are the key types ofmisconduct the company

should look to prevent and

how does that affect the lengthand detail of the code?

What specific sections should

a code include?


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Onc e Its Written, Then What?

How do you assure that employees and

management take the code seriously?

Is a special ethics officer needed or

recommended?

What types of reporting and enforcement

measures are advisable and who shouldhave that responsibility Legal? Human

Resources? Corporate compliance?


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What To Do WhenLoyalties Fail


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Failed loyalties are notviewed from just the

employers perspective.

Employers need to plan for when employees

believe that the employer has failed in itsloyalties. One employees failures can impact

the group as a whole.

Failing to consider employee complaints,

disappointment or disenchantment can lead to

disaster.

Failed Loyalties


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Failed Loyalty Consequences

Employees more apt to seek outside

help or punish employee if they lack a

sense of trust and loyalty.

They look for someone to protect them:

EEOC

NLRB

Plaintiffs lawyer?


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Failed Loyalties

Failed Employee Loyalties:

Theft

Breaching duty of loyalty

Harassment

Violence

Unfair competition

Poor work performance


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Failed Loyalties

Failed Employer Loyalties:

Perceived disparities in employee classes

Perceived benefit losses

Harassment/discrimination

Lack of communication


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Correc ting Failed Employee Loyalties

1. Use Proactive management

2. Identify person(s)/team responsible

for various issues

3. Plan for worst-case situations and

develop possible options beforehand

4. Communicate, communicate,

communicate!


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Correc ting Failed Employee Loyalties

5. Have a plan but be flexible in its

application

6. Consider the employee category

potentially at issue but be preparedfor revelations

7.Document problems

8. Failed employeeloyalties can lead to a

perception of failed employerloyalties


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Correc ting Failed Employer Loyalties

Communicate effectively in the first

instance

Enforce policies quickly and fairly

Take action immediately if possible

Correct mistakes quickly


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Correc ting Failed Employer Loyalties

Use an appropriate spokesperson

Communicate further

Document to the extent necessaryand advisable


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Managing forWhen Employees Leave


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Managing Employee Losses

Why employees leave:

1. Competition

2. Disenchantment

with current position

3. More room for

advancement

4. Personal financial

issues


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Manage losses begins

beforeemployees are

hired by considering:

1. Hiring process

2. Protection of

confidential information


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Hiring process:

Use the hiring process to weed out potential

High Riskor Trappedemployees to minimize

losses

Consider the employees work history

Background checks

Drug Tests


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Hiring process:

Ask probing questions about employees

interest in position

Ask why employee is leaving current

position

Ask employee if he/she would considerother opportunities


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Protecting confidential

information:

Identify information that

needs protection

Non-lawyers are key to

defining information to

be protected


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Protecting confidential

information:

Consider different levels

of confidentiality /protection

Have a clear confidentialitypolicy and explain why

it is needed


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Protecting confidential information:

Have a clear policy of what is company

property and not employees personal

property

Use confidentiality agreements that

properly identify what is protected

Label as confidential and restrict

access


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Make consistent backups of

computer files

Consider using pdf files to transferelectronic information

Adopt an electronic use policy

Monitor employee email use

Use passwords/encryption


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Collect information, keys and passcards

from departing employees immediately

Departing employees should confirm

return of all information, including anyused on home computers

Ask questions in exit interview regarding

computer use and document downloading

Confirm employees continuing

obligations in follow-up letter

Information Generally


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Unique DistributionProcesses

Experimental prototypesInformation

Current cost/pricing data

Sales/marketinginformation and forecasts

Budgets & forecasts

P & L statements

Strategic business plans

Proprietary softwareapplications & programs

Compilations

Information Generally

Entitled to Protec tion

Issue: Communications


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Issue: Communications

With New Employer

Possible issues:

defamation and

intentional

interference


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Questions?


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A Special Presentation for the Productivity Plus Conference

ThankYou

Dale Deitchler

Noah Lipschultz

Workshop Employee Relations and Loyalty

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Transcript of Workshop Employee Relations and Loyalty