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By John Schaefer, January 31, 2012 6:00 am

Bryan Drey of Arizona Public Service recently wrote about creating a positive culture of safety. The most striking was that a safety culture be positive, not just conscious. A positive culture reflects a commitment by management to create or continue that environment. The other striking point was management’s engagement in the process.

Drey continues: ” There are several key elements to creating a positive safety culture:

• Management, at all levels, must be involved and participate in the safety program to show they genuinely care about the well being and safety of every employee.
• Management and employees must participate together in collaborative problem solving to identify safe and unsafe behavior.
• All employees should receive high quality safety training (consider hiring an expert third party) and follow training with ongoing coaching and on the job training from all levels in the organization.
• Operational processes and policies must be established that ensure that safety is always at the forefront of any action or activity.
• All employees must be empowered to report and when necessary act on unsafe behavior, and identified issues must be quickly addressed by management”

Engagement isn’t only about the workers; it is about management too.

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By John Schaefer, January 25, 2012 6:00 am

Engaging employees can oftentimes be a challenge especially in today’s economy. While many employees may be retained, employers may have a false sense they are also engaged. As many as 30% of American workers are reporting they are not engaged according to recent studies by Gallup and others regularly conducting national and international studies of engagement. Workers are also reporting staying at jobs because there are no jobs in their field or at their level of expertise; they are what we call underemployed.

One of the signs of disengaged employees is lack of adherence to safety regulations. They just don’t care and this can lead to mistakes that cost your business time, money and resources. In this issue we will discuss identifying disengagement and how you can create a Safety Culture.

Learn more about engaging employees when a representative from Schaefer Recognition Group meets with you free of charge. We offer a variety of tools to help your company save money while improving the measurable results of your employee recognition and performance management incentive programs.

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By John Schaefer, January 21, 2012 7:57 am

By John Schaefer – America’s Employee Recognition Expert
Founder and President of Schaefer Recognition Group

Costa Concordia off the Tuscan Coastal Island of Giglio

From the Russian tanker delivering oil to a nearly fuel-less and frozen Nome, Alaska to the ever- changing political scorecards around the world to the capsized Italian cruise ship off the Tuscan coast, the first weeks of 2012 have been nothing short of newsworthy. As rescue work continues aboard the Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia, the mission of the Italian Coast Guard is moving from rescue to recovery. As the world waits for word on the recovery of the dozens of missing passengers, the legal battle has already begun.

The ships’ operator Costa Cruises, owned by the more recognized brand Carnival Cruise Lines, accused Captain Francesco Schettino of causing the wreck. They stated he made an “unapproved, unauthorized maneuver” to divert the vessel from its programmed course.   Some reports indicate Schettino went off course so his head waiter could see his island home of Giglio. Regardless of why, the captain changed course which most certainly brings his judgment into question.

As a safety expert I am wondering why Captain Schettino would take a chance with what is essentially a floating village with its more than 4,000 passengers and 1,000 crew members. The company’s president Pier Luigi Foschi claims the captain’s behavior broke all rules and regulations. The lawyers are fighting to protect the ship’s builder by demonstrating the high level of safety and technology standards. The captain is on house arrest accused of abandoning ship among other charges.

The nagging question is why the ship was brought off course. The answer, while simple, seems to evade many management teams. It comes down to properly designed, implemented and tracked safety training.  We would like to think employees are going to do the right thing when it comes to work safety and decision making. The Costa Concordia illustrates how easily one innocent act can lead to disaster, embarrassment, death and millions of dollars in financial losses for a company.

No matter how the courts rule or who blames who for the disaster or who pays the bills, nothing will bring back the lives lost. The company’s reputation and perhaps the industry’s reputation will be damaged for a long time and will cost millions to repair. Not only repairing the reputations but repairing ships and reviewing regulations.

Ask Safety Director Brian Drey; from Arizona Public Service in Phoenix, Arizona, and he’ll tell you that he’s not surprised.  When safety is not embedded in an organization’s culture, talked about and reinforced every day and made a top priority in every employee’s job description, the possibility of accidents based on one person’s poor judgment are always going to be a concern.

Nobody wants to have an accident, hurt others or damage their company.  Targeted sabotage and retaliation by angry ex-employees is quite rare.  Most accidents occur much like this one, with an innocent act and limited forethought.  My guess is that this captain had done things like this before without incident, so did not consider the potential danger this time.

Proper safety training cuts through the vague judgment calls and produces a simple list of behaviors that become habits, so when the opportunity arises to veer off course (no pun intended), employees stop and make the decision to do the right thing.  It comes down to a safety commitment that puts proper decision making as the first priority and ultimately leads to the avoidance of tragic events like the sinking of the Costa Concordia.

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By John Schaefer, December 28, 2011 6:20 am

4 truths about work

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By John Schaefer, December 26, 2011 2:58 pm

What Great Companies Know About Culture – Deidre H. Campbell – Harvard Business Review.

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By John Schaefer, November 20, 2011 1:38 pm

In today’s no-to-slow growth economy many businesses are making tough decisions. Decisions include reorganizing and eliminating employees, cutting benefits and increasing responsibilities for remaining employees. Expressing gratitude can go a long way to engaging and retaining employees.

Creating a positive work environment is challenging at best so begin by expressing to your team the value of their contributions. Be sincere because they will see right through you. If you’re giving criticism, make it constructive and provide a solution; expect the same of them when they are complaining. Provide opportunities for them to learn and grow. Thank them for their efforts. This creates an environment where everyone can make a meaningful contribution to outcomes.

Other ways to express gratitude include taking time to understand how your employees want to be recognized. Directly asking how they want to be recognized is NOT recommended. We offer resources to help you learn how your employees want to be recognized without directly asking them. Contact us to learn more.

Learn more about recognizing and retaining employees when a representative from Schaefer Recognition Group meets with you free of charge. We offer a variety of tools to help your company save money on your employee recognition and performance incentive programs.

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By John Schaefer, July 26, 2011 8:03 am

I ran across this article by by Larry & Rebecca Lacy in their Pinnacle Management Group newsletter.

‘Good morning.’ It is a simple enough statement. Rather innocuous in fact…or so you think. This one simple little phrase just may be costing your organization a bundle in lost productivity, poor morale, and customer dissatisfaction. Let me give you an example.

I went in to pay our electric/water bill this morning. Just like every month when I go in, I say ‘Good morning’ to the woman at the window. And just like every month, she ignored my greeting. She processed my payment with speed and efficiency, handed my receipt to me with a quick (but not unfriendly), “Thank you”.

When we were getting ready to move to this community, I called to have our utilities turned on. That was my first introduction to this woman. She was so cold and abrupt that I started having second thoughts about our relocation! Well, over the intervening years, I have come to terms with her demeanor and I no longer take it personally. It has even become a bit of a game to me to see if I can get her to smile and say hi. I’m patient…It could happen.

It’s not that she’s unfriendly; she just doesn’t need that personal connection afforded by a warm greeting. She gets her job done in a highly efficient manner, thus in her mind, she is fulfilling her obligations. So, what’s the problem?

The problem is that she is assuming that what is good communication for her is good communication for others. Obviously this isn’t the case. Something as simple as not saying ‘good morning’ can have a huge impact.

You may be thinking that something like this can never ever happen in your organization. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but yes it could. In fact, in almost every organization where we have delivered training, this has been an issue.

Believe it or not, something as simple as someone not returning a ‘good morning’ greeting can result in hours of lost productivity as the person feeling slighted ponders, “I wonder why she is mad at me. What did I do wrong?” Sometimes the thoughts become a bit more hostile as in, “That witch! So, you’re too good to speak to me are you?!? Well, I’ll show you! Just wait until you need something from me and see how fast I respond. HA!” This can cause relationships to disintegrate completely.

Meanwhile, those in the training who are seen as the ‘offenders’ are stunned that they have this kind impact. They don’t mean anything by it. Typically they are very focused on a task or are just lost in thought. They certainly don’t mean to offend, but at the same time, they find it a bit silly that anyone would take it personally.

Parties on both sides of this issue are intelligent people who are just operating in their own communication preferences without understanding how this impacts others. They (wrongly) think that what is good communication for them is good communication for others.

So, what can you do about it? First,download PMGs imPACT Model.  This will give you additional information about the genesis of these simple (but expensive) miscommunications. Second, everyone should have some basic training about personality styles and communication preferences. This is a simple way to help you boost team engagement, customer satisfaction, sales, productivity, and job satisfaction. Additionally, many people have reported that this training has helped improve relationships with family members. If you would like more info about how PMG can assist you with this, simply fill out the form below and we’ll get right back to you.

John Schaefer – America’s Employee Recognition Expert
America’s <a href = Employee”>”http://www.employeerecognitionexpert.com“> Employee Recognition
Expert</a>

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By John Schaefer, July 25, 2011 10:37 am

I went up to Mormon Lake (Norther Arizona) for the Too Broke for Sturgis rally and was too close for comfort to a multiple shooting.  Turned out to be a murder/suicide that killed three, including the shooter, and left his wife in critical condition with 6 bullet wounds.  While it canceled the event and left us all a bit shook up, we did do some great riding on Route 66 and up to the Grand Canyon.

It’s sad that alchohol and fire arms can ruin the good times for everyone. We need to all be safe and smart out there on the road.

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By John Schaefer, July 25, 2011 10:27 am

These are areas that have traditionally been ignored by traditional recognition vendors.  This is due to the fact that most companies already have recognition programs and budgets in place, so recognition sales people tend to take a “bidders” approach to gaining new accounts, rather than a consultant’s role.

As I’ve learned more about the problems this has caused to the recognition industry, I find that as soon as you begin to look at the anticipated results and how they tie into an organization’s mission and values, business intelligence and measurable performances mantrices become the secret to generating comprehensive strategies that engage both managers and employees and lead to significant ROI.

Times are changing, companies don’t have spare money to throw at entitlement programs that don’t prove they have value to the bottom line, and a more strategic approach based on Business Intelligence and Analytics is becoming the key to success.

John Schaefer – America’s Employee Recognition Expert

America’s <a href = Employee”>”http://www.employeerecognitionexpert.com“> Employee Recognition
Expert</a>

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By John Schaefer, June 16, 2011 9:48 am

The obvious problem with carrots and sticks is that younger employees just don’t buy the message – they feel manipulated by it.  On a more subtle level, what it really all comes down to is perception – what your employees think you really mean when you reach out with recognition and incentives.

If done right, each touch will work on it’s own and to support the others.  Here’s how:

1.  Recognition – true recognition, such as honoring Length of Service, is really a moment to tell employees that you love them and appreciate them being valuable members of your team.  True recognition transcends job title, age, income level and location; it’s just about saying thanks and impacts the right side of the brain.

2. Incentives – Once your people believe that your truly care about them as human beings (see #1, above) they will want to participate in improving behaviors that help grow THEIR company.  These left brain, logical, touch points can be created based on any activity or job function that can be measured.  They can involve any level of management or fellow employees, as long as the activity makes sense to the participants and can generate savings or profit for the organization. 

3.  Acknolwledgement – After they know you genuinely care about them as human beings and have given them logical and valuable opportunities to share in improving the company, you can sprinkle effectively sprinkle acknowledgement on them and get results.  This form of symbolic, monetary of simply verbal recognition works because they have a strong level of trust, feel good about working for your company, and respond to being noticed doing so.

Notice that as you work from 1 to 3, each gets more specific and personal in scope.  Recognition applies to everybody equally. Incentives apply so more specific groups, teams and individuals based on identifiable actions. Acknowledgement could be as specific as one employee nominating another for kudos for a very minor, but timely gesture.

The problem is that most companies don’t see or address all three areas as a single corporate strategy tied in to their Mission, Goals and Values.  When that happens (we call it the Umbrella Recognition Solution) clients can minimize costs, get the best possible results and prove it to their management team.  An organized, training-based, high enthusiasm approach saves money and generated significant, ongoing ROI.