It's not about dating and breaking up, but it's sure about love-or at least caring-when it comes to employee morale and productivity, according to one expert.
Dr. Karen Ostrov offered attendees at CUNA's Future Forum here a checklist for why employees disengage: they're apathetic and feel unappreciated; they're bored and blame the boredom on a lousy boss; they're confused and there's no communication; they're discouraged because there's no clear development path.
In order to get them into that can-do, CU spirit, Ostrov said to appreciate them, highlight their accomplishments, tell them the purpose of projects and ask for ideas to help to get them involved in the bigger picture.
Starting with the human resources side, make sure that employee benefit plans are as good as can be and make them flexible, she said. Install a means for employee feedback and pay attention to it. Just asking does no good unless you act, she said.
She further advised being able to make adjustments, as workers can be stressed by family concerns, meaning policies should deal with lifecycle problems. Offer employee assistance for substance abuse and mental health concerns, too.
