Creating Great Places to Work

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Creating Great Places to Work

• Presented by
• Allison M. Vaillancourt, Ph.D., SPHR
• Associate Vice President, Human Resources
• The University of Arizona

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Building a Kick-Ass Organization
Purge poor performers Engage excellent employees
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Id Pay to Work There
Think about a terrific employment experience
What made it so great? Consider People Enviro
nment Pay Possibilities Work
Supervision
4
Take This Job and
Think about a terrible employment experience
What made it so bad? Consider People Environm
ent Pay Possibilities Work
Supervision
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Why Do People Quit?

• ___ of managers who believe employees leave for
  more money
• ___ of employees who report leaving for more
  money

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Why Do People Quit?

• 89 of managers who believe employees leave for
  more money
• 12 of employees who report leaving for more
  money

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If Its Not Money, What Is It?

• The job or workplace was not as expected.
• 2. Mismatch between job and person
• 3. Too little coaching and feedback
• 4. Too few growth and advancement opportunities
• 5. Feeling devalued and unrecognized
• 6. Stress from overwork and work-life imbalance
• 7. Loss of trust and confidence in senior leaders

Source The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave.
Leigh Branham with cooperation of Saratoga
Institute New York AMACOM 2005
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Meet The Guilt Tripper
Your best research scientist is in your office
and hes not happy. My salary has remained the
same for two years now, Carlos complains. I
know the University is in trouble financially,
but how long can I afford to work at these wages?
I have a new baby on the way and my wife wants me
to go on the market.
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What Do People Want?
MEN Benefits Compensation/Pay Job Security
Work/Life Balance Feeling Safe
WOMEN Benefits Compensation/Pay Job Security
Work/Life Balance Feeling Safe
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What Do People Want?
MEN Benefits Compensation/Pay Job Security
Work/Life Balance Feeling Safe
WOMEN Feeling Safe Benefits Compensation/Pay Job
Security Work/Life Balance
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Employee Value Proposition
Affiliation
Organizational mission Organizational identity
Explicit organizational values A compelling
vision Titles

Salaries Pay process Salary incentives
Financial

• Work Content

Work with purpose Interesting work The ability to
get things done Supportive leadership Collaborati
ve colleagues Feedback Autonomy Challenge
Employee Value Proposition
Benefits
Flexible schedules Dual career assistance Eldercar
e resources Sick child program Health insurance
Retirement programs Recognition programs
Career
Mentoring programs Professional development
Research support Career ladders Collaboration
opportunities Employment security
Design Source Rewards of Work How They Drive
Performance, Retention and Satisfaction. P.
Mulvey, G. Ledford, and P. LeBlanc. WorldatWork
Journal, Vol 9, No.3, 2000.
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(No Transcript)
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Its 200 a.m. What are you doing?
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This is you.
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Its 200 a.m. What are your poor performers
doing?
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They are sleeping. Soundly.
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They look so peaceful
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Performance Levels
Can do. Will do. Can do. Doesnt do. Cant
do. Will do. Can do. Wont do. Cant do.
Wont do.

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Performance Levels
Recognize Encourage Train Purge
eventually Purge immediately
Can do. Will do. Can do. Doesnt do. Cant do.
Will do. Can do. Wont do. Cant do. Wont do.
Value to your organization
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Meet The Jargon King
Dear Friends Never has Cyto-Technologies been
able to leverage such synergistic relationships.
Being solution-oriented, we recently convened a
brain trust to propose win-win strategies that
will seamlessly integrate our product paradigm
via turnkey strategies. This will enable our
us to streamline efficiencies and collaborate to
focus on mission-critical programs and services.
Our future looks bright! Ever truly
yours, Marcus
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Meet The Backstabber
Three of your trusted research technicians have
reported that Tess is, well, trashing you. Shes
apparently using phrases like, Hes comfortable
using 1970s approaches He seems to lack
energy and Things will be better when he
retires. You are all of 47 and have no
intention of retiring. What, if anything, should
you say to Tess?
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What Scares Us About Straight Talk?

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What Scares Us About Straight Talk?

• Fear of anger, harm or sabotage
• Fear of damaging a relationship
• Fear of rejection
• Fear of sounding stupid
• Fear of saying the wrong thing
• Fear of failing
• Fear of demands for evidence
• Fear of our own emotions
• Fear of getting what we want

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MeetThe Religious Zealot
His email signature is In Christs
name, James Monroe
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Meet The Entitlement Queen
You have before you Andreas latest missive and
surprise, surprise, she wants a raise. If she
were a star performer, you might be less annoyed,
but Andrea makes it a point to do as little work
as possible. In her latest plea, she points out
that she is making the same salary as her
co-worker, Edward. She claims this is illegal
because she has been employed for seven years and
Edward came on board six months ago.
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Meet The Option Master
Athena is smart. Really smart. But you swear she
is trying to destroy you with data. Every time a
decision needs to be made, you can count on her
to present an artful matrix that outlines every
possible option. When you ask her what SHE
thinks your organization should do, she responds,
Youre the boss Ill do whatever you think is
best.
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Meet Mr. MIA
Anytime you need your systems analyst, hes
missing in action. His online calendar is filled
with meetings with others in the company, but
more than once, one of those very people has
called you during an alleged meeting. The last
time this happened, you asked Eric to explain it.
I sense you dont trust me, he responded. Do
you have any idea how that feels? Part of you
wonders if you are imagining things, but projects
are not being completed and that, in itself, is
cause for concern.
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Curious vs. Furious
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Words that Work

• It appears to me
• I want to support your success, so
• I feel
• Because I know you want to advance here
• From my perspective
• It has been reported to me
• Im worried about
• Im hoping you can help me understand
• Could you explain..

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Straight talk is for everyone. For a while
MVPs
Hotdogs
Ability
Second Stringers
Attitude
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Cutting Your Losses
MVPs
Hotdogs
Ability
Second Stringers
Cut from the Team
Attitude
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Meet Mixed Metaphor Michael
Michael is desperate to move from a clerical to a
lab coordinator role. And you wish you could
offer that because he is clever and enthusiastic.
Hed be perfect if he could only use the English
language properly. Just yesterday you received a
memo from him stating that a certain department
member cant pass the mustard and advising you
that budget projections should be taken with a
grain assault and we should cross that bridge
when it collapses. Michael thinks hes being
denied a promotion because he doesnt have a
college degree. Should you give him a clue? How?
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Strategies for Dealing with Conflict
Honor the other person
Problem solve with the other person
Compromise Bully
the other person Be passive-aggressive Avoid
it

Sophistication of strategy
Likelihood of getting what you want
Adapted from Ursiny,T. The Cowards Guide to
Conflict. Naperville SourceBooks, Inc., .2003.
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The Goal Actionable Feedback

• Behaviorally anchored the situation/action, not
  the person
• Specificity on point
• Illustrative examples, observations
• Defined range of application almost all the
  time in all situations or only under certain
  conditions
• Clear impact and implications for action what
  is happening and why it is important and what
  should be done to fix it

Adapted from Cannon, M. Witherspoon, R. 2005.
Actionable Feedback Unlocking the Power of
Learning and Performance Improvement. The
Academy of Management Executive, Volume 19
123-124.
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When Its Time for Straight Talk

• Dont over share. No one but the intended
  receiver needs to know that a tough conversation
  is planned.
• Consider neutral ground.
• State the purpose of the meeting.
• Explain your concerns and aspirations.
• Gather data from the other person.
• Give them space to share their thoughts, feelings
  and perspective.
• Be open to the possibility that YOU have
  contributed to the situation.
• Invite them to problem solve.
• Adapted from Perlow, L. When You Say Yes But
  Mean No. New York, Crown Business, 2003.

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Meet Eeyore
Photo not available
That wont work. We tried that once. We
cant risk that. On and on and on and on. You
are exasperated. Every time you propose a new
initiative with dollars attached, this guy
behaves as those you are trying to raid his
personal bank account.
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Start Early Act Quickly
Role models High expectations Comfort with
conflict
A culture of openness and accountability

• Clear expectations
• Small conversations

Better work Evidence for later
More digestible Less resistance from
employee Gives employee more options Less anxiety
for you
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What Makes Them Crazy?
Sometimes we just dont click with the people
to whom we report. On occasion we may observe
our supervisors getting frustrated with someone
else. What seems to get on your bosss nerves?
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Whats Important to Your Boss?

• People/Feelings
• Bottom Line
• Ideas/Innovation
• Rules/Order/Precedence

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Analyzing Your Boss

• Makes decisions
• After lots of analysis Quickly
• After consulting with many
  Alone
• Hoping they will be popular Without regard to
  others
• In terms of information, wants
• Lots of details Summary of facts
• Wants to read it Wants to hear it
• Likes to write it Likes to say it

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What Makes Them Connect?
Sometimes we observe others who are very
effective in getting what they want from the
people to whom we report. How would you describe
these people? What makes them so successful?
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Help Others Hear You

• Is the message designed with your bosss needs in
  mind?
• What is your boss supposed to do?
• Will she/he understand what you want done?
• What are the pros and cons of the choice as your
  boss sees it?
• What are the obstacles to communicating the
  message?

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You cannot shake hands with a clenched
fist. Indira Gandhi
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Core Concerns
Appreciation Make others feel understood Affiliat
ion Establish connections Autonomy Provide
options Status Acknowledge their
expertise Role Acknowledge their contributions
From Beyond Reason, Roger Fisher and Daniel
Shapiro, 1995.
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How Do You Increase Credibility?

• Quit asking.
• Get to the point.
• Lead with a solution.
• Less is more.

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Meet The Problem Relationship Guy
He showed up to work with cigarette burns on his
neck and hands.
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Meet James the Jinxed
James is a nice guy and is usually productive,
but his life is exhausting. His wife of 20 years
is battling colon cancer. His father, who lives
with them, is showing early signs of dementia.
His teenage son recently announced that his
girlfriend is pregnant. which so upset his
daughter that her psychiatrist recommended she be
sent to a long-term residential treatment center.
James is in your office almost daily with another
tale of woe. Yesterday he reported that hes
having serious headaches and that his neurologist
said his left eye looks cloudy. An MRI is
scheduled for next week. James has managed to
meet most of his deadlines, but who knows how
long he can keep this up? And how much longer can
you tolerate these depressing stories?
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Meet The Salary.com Viewer
But the technicians at Ventana and in Phoenix
make 12,000 more a year.
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MeetThe Benefits Parity Problem
She says shes going to Johns Hopkins if we
dont pay for her partners health insurance.
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MeetThe Strategic Investor
Theyre telling me I cant pay my research
scientist 17,000. Shes from Russia for gods
sake shell take anything!
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MeetThe Totally Committed Staffer
Donna is a non-exempt technician who never goes
home. Her home life is distressing and she finds
peace at work. Youve told her several times
that she needs to clock out at 500, but she
regularly works until 900. Concerned about
overtime exposure, you order her to leave after
eight hours of work. Her response? Dont think
you need to pay me more. I cant go home and
doing work here keeps my mind off my troubles.

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Meet The Super Star
Lizette is smart and funny and energetic and
politically savvy andwell, you could go on an
on. Thats the good news. The bad news is that
all of your colleagues agree with your assessment
and are constantly trying to woo her away. You
know she wants to stay close to her extended
family, but you have no promotional opportunities
to offer to keep her in town. Must you accept
that she will eventually leave you?
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Employee Value Proposition
Affiliation
Organizational mission Organizational identity
Explicit organizational values A compelling
vision Titles

Salaries Pay process Salary incentives
Financial

• Work Content

Work with purpose Interesting work The ability to
get things done Supportive leadership Collaborati
ve colleagues Feedback Autonomy Challenge
Employee Value Proposition
Benefits
Flexible schedules Dual career assistance Eldercar
e resources Sick child program Health insurance
Retirement programs Recognition programs
Career
Mentoring programs Professional development
Research support Career ladders Collaboration
opportunities Employment security
Design Source Rewards of Work How They Drive
Performance, Retention and Satisfaction. P.
Mulvey, G. Ledford, and P. LeBlanc. WorldatWork
Journal, Vol 9, No.3, 2000.
54
Lessons from the Gallup Organization

• Do I know what is expected of me at work?
• Do I have the materials and equipment I need to
  do my work right?
• At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I
  do best every day?
• In the last seven days, have I received
  recognition or praise for doing good work?

First Break All the Rules. M. Buckingham and C.
Coffman, New York Simon and Schuster, 1999.
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Lessons Continued

• 5. Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem
  to care about me as a person?
• 6. Is there someone at work who encourages my
  development?
• 7. At work, do my opinions seems to count?
• 8. Does the mission/purpose of my company make me
  feel my job is important?

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Lessons Continued

• 9. Are my co-workers committed to doing quality
  work?
• 10. Do I have a best friend at work?
• 11. In the last six months, has someone at work
  talked to me about my progress?
• 12.This last year, have I had opportunities to
  learn and grow?