Linda Blackman, a speaker friend of mine, shared with me a favorite expression of her husband, Laurie’s, whenever he is doing something important like giving a presentation: “I’m ready for bear!” Whenever Linda is on the road or giving a presentation herself, Laurie always sends her a little stuffed bear in honor of his support and encouragement, tying back to this favorite expression.

On Valentine’s Day Linda was at their home in Naples, Florida, while Laurie was going to be giving a very important presentation in New Orleans. That morning Linda called the gift shop at the hotel and asked the young man working there, whose name was James, if they had any kind of stuffed bear they could send to her husband’s room.

James said he was sorry but they only carried sundries. Linda went on to explain why she wanted the bear and how important it was to get it to her husband before his presentation that evening and asked James if he might be able to go somewhere close and pick one up and she would send him a check.

His response was, “Ma’am, do you realize that is is MARDI GRAS, and this whole city is wall to wall people” Linda said she had forgotten that, and very disappointedly, ended the conversation.

Sometime later she received a surprise call from James telling her that he had thought about how important getting the bear would be to her husband, so he had asked the manager if he could stop at the drugstore and pick one up for her. He had just returned from that trip, and he had a BEAR!

Of course, Linda was thrilled and asked him how much she owed him and where to send the money. He replied, “Please. You do not need to send a check. This was such fun to do for you.” He then attached a note reading “You’re ready for bear! Happy Valentine’s Day. Love, Linda” and hand delivered it to Laurie’s room, just in time to reach him before his presentation.

What a wonderful sense of humor and good heart this young man had to go out of his way for a perfect stranger –  and then not even charge her what it cost him! We need more people like this in the world.

For more wonderful customer service stories, check out some of Barbara’s books at www.barbaraglanz.com/products/books.php3

Weekly Question and Answer

What do employees really want in today’s workplace?

Click on the link to watch Barbara answer this question.

For more ways to find out about improving morale, retention, productivity, and team spirit among your employees, read CARE Packages for the Workplace-Dozens of Little Things You Can Do to Regenerate Spirit at Work, available at www.barbaraglanz.com/products/books.php3.

Rebuilding Trust in Turbulent Times by Barbara A. Glanz

Nearly every week I read something in a business publication about low employee morale, fear in the workplace, the toll change is taking on organizations, lack of management communication, the stress of having to do more with less, and other issues of general dispiritedness in the workplace. More and more, we are seeing that the cutbacks and reorganizations of the last few years have slowly eroded any level of trust employees may have had in their management team, their own sense of value and job security, and even society in general. What are some ways we can rebuild that trust in our organizations?

First, stop reading this article and write down two basic beliefs you have about people and human nature:

1.

2.

We will come back to these beliefs later in the article.

“Trust” as a verb is defined in Webster’s New World Dictionary as “1 a) to believe in the honesty, integrity, justice, etc., of; have confidence in b) to rely or depend on (trust him to be on time) 2. to commit; entrust (to a person) 3. to put something confidently in the charge of (to trust a lawyer with one’s case) 4. to allow to do something without fear of the outcome 5. to believe or suppose 6. to expect confidently; hope.” Not all of these definitions of trust are applicable in today’s workplace; however, we need to examine what aspects of trust we CAN rebuild within the new business fabric which is emerging.

Trust is built on relationships, and these relationships are based on emotions or feelings: confidence, honesty, integrity, justice, beliefs, hope. In all my books and speeches, I use an interaction model to illustrate the choices we have in every interaction and to illuminate what is happening in organizations today.

Read More…

ENCOURAGE FLEXIBLE HOURS

This idea is excerpted from Barbara’s book Handle with CARE: Motivating and Retaining Employees (McGraw-Hill 2002).

According to an article in “Success in Recruiting & Retaining” newsletter in July 2000, Randstad consultants found in a study of more than 6000 North American employees that 51% of employees would stay in their current jobs rather than switch if their employer offered flexible working hours. 62% prefer a boss who understands when they need to leave work for personal reasons over one who could help them grow professionally. Most surprisingly, 51% of employees surveyed prefer a job that offers flexible hours to one that offers an opportunity for advancement. The bottom line: “Employers can gain a critical advantage in recruiting and retaining employees by examining ways to integrate flexibility into all corners of the organization. Two of the simplest:

Allow for a portable office with Internet and wireless technology.

Offer nontraditional schedules beyond the 9 to 5 workday.”

THE IDEA IN ACTION

At Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, decided to try a new way to retain nurses and recruit new ones: Give them the same schedule as their school-age children. They now have the option of working for either 12 months a year or just nine. They keep their benefits but do not earn pay during the summer.

At Columbia Bank in Columbia, Maryland, bank tellers can now choose to take off the summer while keeping their jobs, vacation time, and benefits. Such leaves are approved as long as a replacement teller is available. Employees report higher job satisfaction and the bank boasts high retention rates as a result.

Ernst & Young is so zealous about keeping employees that it has created an
Office for Retention. A poll of all employees on flexible schedules found that 65% would have left the firm without them.

BI Performance Services in Minneapolis, Minnesota, gives associates the opportunity to work summer hours. In Minnesota, the winter is long and cold. Summer hours allows the associate to work one hour longer Monday through Thursday and then have Friday afternoon off to enjoy!

A fun, flexible workforce with lots of lifestyle perks is a strong pull, especially for many young recruits. Northrup Grumman Corporations’s generous vacation package, flexible work schedule, and company sports leagues have enticed many college students who sacrifice big money in favor of lifestyle perks. One college graduate who went to work for Northrup Grumman says that another employer could double his salary, but he’d probably decline if it meant giving up the perks!

To order this book, visit http://www.barbaraglanz.com/products/books.php3.