Joyce Weiss

I work with organizations and individuals who want to kick conflict and chaos to the curb - Queen of Conflict Resolution and Communication Coach

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What do You do to Engage Employees?

What do you do to engage employees?
What do you do immediately to engage new employees?  These are two questions that I will be asking participants for my next Team Building Training.  Someone in the audience usually gives a sarcastic answer – keep negative team members away from new hires so they are not influenced by these toxic people.  There’s a lot of truth to this statement!

The ideas below were given to me by a group of HR professionals.  I look forward to hearing what you do to engage employees.

Engage Employees Strategy #1:  Make Them Feel Welcome Immediately engaged employees

  • Organize a staff lunch on the first day to greet new team members
  • Ask the team to describe how departments interact with each other
  • Meet with the new hires to assess their training goals and needs

Engage Employees Strategy #2:  Remove New Job Jitters

  • Provide a mentor for the new hire to job shadow
  • Invite new employees to attend meetings in all departments to make their roles clear
  • New employees will meet with mentors daily for at least a week to answer questions
  • Communicate clear written expectations and consequences to remove confusion

Let’s get Real on How to Engage Employees!team building lessons, engaged employees

I realize that some of you may be thinking that your company doesn’t have the time to do all of the strategies above to engage employees.  All I ask is for you to take a look at your turnover.  If it’s low you are probably using some of these ideas.  If the revolving door syndrome is apparent, it may be time to implement these techniques.  Remember – these are being used in the best and brightest place to work to engage employees.

Find more ideas on how to engage employees in our Team Building Knowledge Base.

I want to hear from you

Add comments to the blog on what is and what is not working when you create initiatives on how to engage employees.  You will receive a response from me because I enjoy connecting with my loyal readers! 🙂  You are always welcome to send me a private email with concerns that you are experiencing at work.

Please share this and any article that speaks to you or your company.  Loyal readers like you help us find more people who could benefit from these posts. Help us help them reduce conflict and improve leadership skills and quality of life.

This is Joyce Weiss
Corporate Communication Strategist and Career Coach

Do you want to discover how Joyce can help you improve your organization’s communication?
Visit our team building services page to remove barriers, reduce stress and engage employees.

Until next time, Remember…”You Get What You Tolerate!”

 

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Team Building Strategies to Improve Morale

Leaders constantly ask me the following question:  What are team building strategies to improve morale?

Have you ever had a great idea for your company and got everyone excited about doing it, but then no one took       action and the great idea died? Such is a common occurrence in organizations across the country. In fact, in most companies generating great ideas isn’t the problem – it’s turning those ideas into action that stalls a company’s growth.

In order to help your team take action on new ideas, use the following team building strategies to get from idea to final delivery.

Team Building Strategies #1:  Generate at least 50 ideas for your current dilemma Team Building Strategies

How do you know if an idea is truly great unless you challenge it with new ideas? That’s why you need to generate a lot of ideas to get the idea process started.

Have people write one idea per “sticky note.” During this phase, temporarily ignore rules and budgets. Anything goes. Don’t self-edit and don’t think anything is “stupid.”

Encourage wild ideas from everyone; be playful. And since this is a group effort, feel free to expand on other people’s ideas. Remember, it’s not a competition.

Team Building Strategies #2:  Move the most exciting ideas forward

Take all your sticky notes and group similar ideas together. Decide on a category heading for each group. Then, rather than decide on a single idea to pursue, begin by deciding on an idea-group what is most attractive given the current situation. Use past experience and the current need to help with the decision process.

Team Building Strategies #3:  Remove hurdles and identify holes Team Building Strategies

Analyze the selected group and come up with reasons why the ideas may not work using the following questions to refine the idea to implementation:

  • What are the consequences if we do these ideas as presented?
  • What could potential challenges arise in the workplace?
  • How will these ideas work within the available resources of time, money, and people?

If you don’t like your answers, refine the ideas – don’t kill them.

Team Building Strategies #4:  Create a specific step-by-step action plan

Create a plan to ensure that the idea can be implemented successfully. Consider such things as:

  • Training and resources: Does the timeline and task schedule require training or resources not currently at hand? If so, how do you get them?
  • Budget: Do you have the financial resources to see the idea through to completion? If not, what creative things can you do to offset costs (trade out products or services, use contract labor, etc.)?
  • Timelines: What is the chronological order for doing each step?
  • Celebration points: At what point will you celebrate milestones, and what celebration activities will be most appropriate?

Let’s Get Real

When people have a thought-out plan for carrying out an idea, they are better equipped and better able to turn that idea into reality. So use these team building strategies for every dilemma, whether large or small. You’ll get the most creative solution for your current challenge, as well as the ability to turn that idea into action. This will reduce conflict in the workplace to move your team to the next level.

I want to hear from you

Send me an email with your most pressing issue that you are experiencing with your team. Please share your team building strategies in the comment section.

Please share this and any article that speaks to you or your company

Loyal readers like you help us find more people who could benefit from these posts. Help us help them reduce

Joyce Weiss
Corporate Communication Strategist and Career Coach

Until next time, Remember…”You Get What You Tolerate!”

PS  Learn how I can leverage my 30+ years of communication and leadership consulting and coaching experience to help your organization address team building strategies here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Collaboration Strategies to Reduce Stress in the Workplace  

Do you want to:

  • Use new collaboration strategies to improve communication?
  • Increase respect in the workplace?
  • Reduce conflict and stress?
  • Re-energize your team?

If you said “yes” to even one question – Please continue reading! All teams need a wake-up call from time to time – an energy boost or an attitude adjustment.

How do you know when it’s time for your team to get re-energized?

  • Look at them. Is there energy in the team?
  • Are they communicating with respect?
  • Do your teams make time for stress relief exercises?
  • Are people excited about work?
  • Are employees talking to each other?
  • Is there laughter and fun in the air?

If you answered “no” to even one of these questions, then it could be time for you to initiate your team for ideas on how to use new collaboration strategies, increase respect, and reduce stress.  It helps if you are open and will use some of their ideas.

For many companies, it’s the “same old” routine day in and day out. People grudgingly go through the motions of work, but they don’t have their heart into it. There’s so much stress or negativity in the air that you can cut it with a knife. The silence is deafening, and when someone does talk, it’s laced with sarcasm and retaliation – there is an overabundance of conflict in the workplace.

But work doesn’t have to be this way. You can help your team learn new facts about stress so everyone is focused and having fun again.

Here’s how:

Collaboration Strategies #1:  Create a stress relief committee Collaboration Strategies

Ask for volunteers to head a stress relief committee. Typically the people who want this role are the overly optimistic people who are full of energy anyway, but that’s okay.

You need someone to take the lead. Empower the committee to determine when the team needs to do various stress relief exercises and allow them to organize a group break so everyone can recharge.

Collaboration Strategies #2:  Ask the group for their input Collaboration Strategies

Ask them the question – What does respect mean?
You can’t mandate what the team “should” do to reduce stress and re-energize. That approach will always backfire because someone (or maybe everyone) will think the activity is “dumb” or a “waste of time.” Therefore, have the stress relief committee find out what each person would like to do to reduce stress and increase respect in the workplace.

It could be anything from:

  • Bringing in a chair masseuse once a month
  • Getting everyone to dance to some upbeat music
  • Having a 15-minute silence break.

There are numerous collaborations strategies and I will include more examples in the next article.  The possibilities are endless so long as you get everyone’s input.

Collaboration Strategies #3:  Address the nay-sayers

Invariably you’ll have at least one person who won’t want to go along with the group’s activity. The key to winning this person over is to find out what he or she needs to do to reduce stress. Whatever you do, don’t let the nay-sayer sit out from the designated activity. That will only cause others to look down on him or her and erode the team’s spirit and increase workplace gossip.

Instead, say to the person, “As the manager, it’s my job to make sure everyone has some stress relief. Tell me what will help you re-energize.” Listen to what the person says and do that activity next (as long as he or she participates in the current activity).

Let’s Get Real

Everyone needs a fun break from time to time – an escape from the stresses of work and life. So give your team the opportunity to discuss how to reduce stress and which collaboration strategies work for them. By doing so, they’ll have the strength and creativity to get more done in less time – and with better results.

Was this helpful?

Send me an email or add your thoughts in the comment section.
Feel free to share these collaboration strategies with your team.

This is Joyce Weiss
Corporate Communication Strategist and Career Coach

Until next time, Remember…”You Get What You Tolerate!”

P.S.  Read more articles and listen to podcasts at our Team Building Strategies Knowledge Base.

 

 

 

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Why Conflict in The Workplace Research Matters: Part One

Do you compare your conflict in the workplace with colleagues or family members?
Would you like to find out what keeps your peers up at night?
Do you want to be a fly on the wall when I interview clients about their stress?

If so, the next few articles are for you.  They contain information I gathered from recent workshops on Resolving Conflict in the Workplace.  Let me know your specific stress so I can write about topics that fit your needs.

Conflict in the Workplace for Individual Employees

I asked the following questions to individual employees:

  • What do you need to improve your quality of life and working conditions?
  • What are frustrations that you experience?
  • How would you rate your level of being heard at meetings?
  • How does the company address conflict in the workplace?

These are some of their answers:

  • Spend more time with my family.
  • We are doing way too much and the quality is suffering.
  • I’m not heard at meetings.
  • I tried to share ideas and was shut down so I just sit there.

Solutions to Reduce Conflict in the Workplace for Individual Employees

1. Spend more time with family.
Give suggestions to management about what other companies are doing to help employees balance work and home.
Discuss the option of working from home 1-2 days a week.
Find on-line stress management programs.
Bring in a local speaker during lunch and learn programs.

2.  We are doing way too much and the quality suffers.
Give management suggestions on better ways to save time.
Check out the MI LEAN Consortium for resources on productivity.

3.  I’m not heard at meetings.
Let’s start with the obvious-make sure and speak loud enough to be heard.
If possible look at the meeting agenda and think about solutions to company challenges.

4.  I tried to share ideas but was shut down so I just sit there.
The following strategy may work if you have a good working relationship with your boss.
“I don’t want to be insubordinate.  I do want to discuss a concern of mine.
I was embarrassed when my ideas were strongly rejected at the meeting because it seems like some management doesn’t want our feedback.”

Let’s Get Real About Conflict in the Workplace

The comments above are typical of many of my clients.

All levels of an organization share their frustration and they want to resolve this conflict in the workplace.  The challenge arises when there is no trust or employees attempt to convey ideas to their leaders and nothing changes.

Stay tuned.  The next few articles will contain information I gathered about managers and senior level executives.  I promise to cover solutions to many of these frustrations.

Watch my video on Working with a Bad Boss

I want to hear from you

Send me an Email with your questions or comments on your frustrations and conflict in the workplace. You will receive a response from me because I enjoy connecting with my loyal readers!  🙂

Please share this and any article that speaks to you or your company.
Loyal readers like you help us find more people who could benefit from these posts.  Help us help them reduce conflict and improve leadership skills and quality of life.

LEARN MORE how Joyce can help your company eliminate destructive conflict in the workplace here.

 

This is Joyce Weiss, Corporate Communication Strategist and Career Coach

Until next time, Remember…”You Get What You Tolerate!”

 

 

 

 

 

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Effective Communication and Leadership Strategies

Effective CommunicationDo you know if you use effective communication strategies?
Do you know how your team honestly thinks how you conduct meetings?
What do you think the #1 reason is why teamwork fails?

I ask my leaders and their direct reports to answer this questions during training and executive coaching sessions. The number one reason is poor communication strategies at work. I’m sure that this is no surprise to you.

The following reasons were also mentioned:

  • Disengaged team members
  • Unclear goals/strategies
  • One-upmanship
  • Lack of trust
  • Everyone likes to talk, but few like to listen
  • Negativity

This article will cover three effective communication strategies to discuss with your team especially if you are a leader who wants to improve your team communication.

Effective Communication Strategy #1: Strong Leadership

Ask your team how they would you rate your own communication skills. I’m sure your team is doing well if you receive honest feedback and the score is high.
I find that leaders who don’t know how to deal with disengaged team members miss a huge opportunity because the engaged members start resenting their leader for NOT taking care of disengagement.

Effective Communication Strategy #2: Leaders Taking Control of Meetings

You read this right. Sometimes we think that our meetings are better than they really are and thanks to the feedback we can find out if this is true! The following are questions to discuss with your team:

  • Do you encourage participation from everyone?
  • Do you control side bars when people discuss their own agendas to the person next to them?
  • Are your goals and expectations clear?
  • Do you follow up to make sure tasks are getting completed?Your meetings are probably not the most productive if your team did not answer yes to these questions. Asking for and accepting constructive feedback from direct reports is the sign of a strong leader.

Effective Communication Strategy #3: Knowing How to Stop Negativity

Ask yourself these important questions:

  • Is morale low because your team talks about the same negative topics and nothing gets resolved?
  • Do you notice new direct reports starting to lose their enthusiasm because of a few team complainers?

Leaders need to take negativity seriously because their team expects them to stop the negative people from draining the oxygen in the room. I’ve written numerous articles on how everyone is responsible for team morale even though it starts with leaders.

Let’s Get Real About Effective Communication

You’re fortunate if your team gives you constructive feedback about your communication and leadership skills. In past articles, I’ve discussed the importance of uncovering blind spots that we all possess. Executive coaching is a perfect venue to delve into these issues. Clients learn about themselves and the results speak for themselves especially when team members start noticing the positive change.

You can hire someone to do a 360 interview about yourself by asking your supervisor, direct reports, colleagues, and clients to anonymously discuss your strengths and areas of improvement. Feel free to send me an email if you want to find out about this important exercise.

Check out my article on Strategic Communication Strategies to Help Employees Grow.

Hopefully, you know when your meetings, morale, or team communication are productive. At times, we are so busy doing our important tasks that we are blind to see what’s really going on with our softer skills. That’s why feedback is a 2-way street and not just for direct reports.

I want to hear from you

Send me your questions or comments on how you and your leaders deal with disengaged team members, negativity or making meetings productive.

This is Joyce Weiss, Leadership Consultant and Executive Coach

Learn how I can leverage my 30+ years of communication and leadership consulting and coaching experience to help your organization address executive coaching strategies here.

Until next time,

Remember…“You Get What You Tolerate!”

Contact Joyce

Email: joyce@joyceweiss.com
Phone: 248-681-5831