GreatWork Blog

Building better workplaces through compliance, culture, connection

Most organizations value training classes but don’t know how to make them successful. They assume that hiring a popular trainer and getting positive reactions to the training is the best measure of success. If you are content with a C level of training, that is okay. But if you want to earn an “A” for excellence in training, sorry, it’s more complicated than that.

We can’t believe it’s already Spring either, but it’s here and so now is the perfect time to go through the Spring Cleaning checklist for your business.

We all have them. Weaknesses, that is. Things we just are not good at. Skillful managers put themselves and their employees in positions that maximize our strength zone so that these weaknesses become irrelevant—they just don’t matter anymore. 

Employee relations has a reputation for being a catch all for anything HR related. I agree there is a lot that is included under the umbrella of employee relations, but I also believe it’s really only about three VERY IMPORTANT things: relationships, meaningful work and strengths.

According to research conducted by the Families and Work Institute (FWI), providing workplace flexibility improves business results.  Workplace flexibility (or workflex as they often call it) matters to all employees to some degree. 

Ethics is rarely discussed unless we are being scolded or threatened by litigation, but ethics has to do with being a great place to work and gaining commitment from employees because they trust managers and other co-workers and they care about doing the right thing. Trust comes from knowing that, while mistakes may be made, decisions and actions are based on values and ethics.

If you’ve been thinking about developing an Employee Supervision Handbook, now is the time and Cascade will help. Our model is designed to make the development and implementation of your own Employee Supervision Handbook quick and painless. 

We are hard wired to focus on threats, things that might put us in danger and things that are wrong.  Unfortunately, that wiring does us a disservice is some situations because it pulls away our focus from what’s right.  

It is natural to experience shock and anger when something terrible happens. Those who are “resilient,” or have a “Survivor Personality,” don’t let bad circumstances define who they are. They assess their choices and make the most wise and positive ones. 

Do you ever wonder why training doesn’t get “off-the-ground” or seems to get stuck? Glen Fahs, expert trainer and coach, and one of Cascade’s Leadership Facilitators, outlines some common struggles with training and the antidotes that can solve them.

What makes employees want to do their best? Right at the top of motivators is positive reinforcement, i.e., people who thoughtfully listen to our ideas, recognize our strengths and reward our efforts with appreciation. There are plenty of managers and executives with weak people skills who think beautiful buildings, snazzy perks and fat paychecks will bring out the best in people. They don’t.

Cascade is delighted to introduce Bill Swift to our Members. A trainer and counselor since 1981, Bill has a passion for promoting life-long workplace learning. He is an expert at facilitating organization development, exemplifying forward-looking leadership by practicing principles of honesty, direct communication, and resilience. 

Engaged employees need to know they belong to something meaningful that is worthy of their commitment. They need the sense “We are all in this together” and that no barrier should stop them from collectively achieving success over time. They need to know the mission.

Have you ever had a valuable suggestion or need to talk and could tell your supervisor or co-worker just wasn’t open or tuned in –and then something bad happened because communication didn’t happen? Most of the people I train on proactive listening skills admit that they don’t listen really well. They are distracted, impatient or too quick to assume they know what is being said.

Are you a leader or a follower? We all need to be both. Sometimes we know what has to be decided or accomplished and we can influence others to get moving. Other times, we accept others’ influence. While authority is sometimes important, sharing good sense is more central to personal, team and organizational success. That’s collaboration.

It’s Spring! That means it’s time for Spring cleaning. Here is a quick checklist of things to get out of the way and get ready for summer.

“Success is the feeling you get when you accomplish your priorities,” according to Keith Gibson, President of IntegrityLogistics. I attended his talk in Portland, where he shared insights about living your values rather than falling into others’ vision of success.

Part 4 of the the Employee Engagement series by Jenna Reed. Asking your employees to tell you what they really think about their job and your workplace can be unnerving.

Before we talk about what employee engagement looks like, there is one thing you need to know. Employee engagement and employee satisfaction are not the same.