I Love Team Building

Increasing productivity, reducing absenteeism and increasing retention are all things that translate to a stronger bottom line. And there are no doubt many variables that affect these factors. I’ve heard of many, but here is a new one - sustainable offices:

“Employers are increasingly correlating their sustainable offices with increased work productivity, lower absenteeism and higher employee retention — significant advantages for businesses of all shapes and sizes.”

Unfortunately the article I read cites no source for this claim…I’d be interested to hear whether anyone can substantiate it. Here is the article.

Also…what do YOU think?

A presentation about the importance of managing your state of mind and that of your employees. You can also view it at Slideshare

If you lay off 5% of your workforce, you need 5.26% more productivity from your remaining staff.

Morale is low, people are angry, scared, worried.

How are you going to get more productivity from them?

If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got.

Maybe it is time to try something different.

Interesting to see that employee retention remains a key concern.

TORONTO, Jan. 8 /CNW/ - A recent survey suggests today’s employers are
most worried about hanging on to good employees, even in the current economy.
When asked about their greatest staffing concern, 35 per cent of senior
executives interviewed cited employee retention, while 23 per cent said staff
morale. Recruitment was named by 22 per cent of respondents.

The survey was developed by Robert Half International, the world’s first
and largest staffing services firm specializing in accounting and finance. It
was conducted by an independent research firm from Sept. 15 to Oct.15, 2008,
and is based on interviews with 100 senior executives in Canada.

Executives were asked, “What is your greatest staffing concern?” Their
responses:

    <<
              Retention …………………………  35%
              Staff Morale ………………………  23%
              Recruitment ……………………….  22%
              Productivity ………………………  17%
              Other …………………………….   1%
              Don’t know ………………………..   2%
                                                       —-
                                                       100%
  Â
“Many firms are operating with lean teams in which every staff member
plays a key role in the business, making retention a greater concern,” said
Max Messmer, chairman and CEO of Robert Half International and author of Human
Resources Kit For Dummies(R), 2nd Edition (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.).
“Companies that lose top performers may not only experience declines in
productivity but also incur significant costs in replacing these
professionals.”

Mike Gooley, branch manager for the Toronto operations of Robert Half
International added, “Maintaining employee morale will assist with retention
efforts. One of the best ways to accomplish this is through effective
communication, making it is essential for executives to engage in frequent
dialogue with staff members to keep them updated on company news and offer
praise and encouragement.”

Robert Half International has more than 360 staffing locations worldwide
and offers online job search services at www.rhi.com.