01 May, 2017
Public Service Recognition Week (May 7-13) leads off the month; Memorial Day (May 29) caps it off; and a tribute to our teachers (May 9) and mothers is in between (May 14). What a great month to reflect on how we recognize the contributions of the people who work with and for us!
The benefits seem obvious and the effort seems like it would be easy. Research shows that employee recognition programs reduce turnover, improve the workforce culture and performance and recognition reinforces why we do what we do — to make a difference for our clients and our employers.
In this time of spare budgets and unparalleled pressures on our military, public servants and employees in many sectors, here are a few tips to upping your commitment to employee recognition.
1. Empower employees and managers to design a multi-part program – some offered spontaneously, based on specific achievement, and some to recognize a sustained contribution, such as quarterly performance measures.
2. Make the criteria clear and eligibility available to all.
3. Make the recognition public. Whatever the actual award might be (and it doesn’t have to be large), acknowledge the achievement in public – preferably in person at an event such as at an all-hands meeting.
4. Make the recognition as close to the achievement as possible.
5. With or without a specific recognition program, always remember to say “thank you.” When someone has done something well, been especially helpful, and/or made a conscious effort to contribute, a sincere “thank you” goes a long way.
25 April, 2017
What image comes to mind when you hear the word “resilience”? Perhaps you think of a plant growing from a crack in the sidewalk or a bouncing ball or a tree bending in the wind. These are common images associated with resilience and they focus on its often undervalued gifts – the ability to effectively handle demands, overcome adversity, rebound, recover, adapt…
The image that comes to my mind when I think of resilience might seem a bit odd in comparison – I picture a glass vase that has accumulated thousands of microfractures. Perhaps this is my image because I’ve spent some time on the wrong end of the stress curve struggling with burnout. Much like with a stress fracture to a bone, the microfractures are not a result of one big traumatic blow but rather a gradual stacking of responses to less traumatic demands that are not given the time and opportunity to repair. The vase spidered with cracks is my reminder to repair the cracks along the way.
No matter whether your demands are big or small, short-term or long, personal or professional, finding space to repair is vital to sustaining resilience – this can be especially hard in the modern world where we constantly push ourselves to do more and always be available. You needn’t carve out a week for a meditation and yoga retreat though if that’s not your thing. Just as stressors can be small and cumulative so too can acts of resilience. Take a moment to consider how you might incorporate more acts of resilience into your life using the three Rs.
• Relieve – If your stress levels are too high, devote some time and energy to relieving that stress. Think about what works for you – maybe it’s spending time alone in nature or playing your favorite sport or socializing with friends or meditating. Taking a moment to breathe deeply, stretch, laugh or connect with a friend/co-worker are also great ways to incorporate acts of resilience into your day.
• Reduce – If your stresses are too many, devote some time and energy to reducing them and practice setting boundaries. Take an inventory and then ask yourself for each one – Is it important? – What would happen if I eliminated or delegated it? – Does it further my goals? Saying “No” can be challenging for some but effective boundaries can keep you from taking on too much. Identify the boundary you want to set, communicate it clearly, be consistent in using the boundary and be prepared with how you will respond when others attempt to cross the boundary. Remember too that stress reduction doesn’t have to be planned – choose in the moment to simplify, take a shortcut, or accept someone’s offer of help.
• Reframe – Often you don’t get to choose which stressors you get or when they happen or for how long. You can choose though how you think about and respond to the demand. Determine its value, give it meaning and consider alternative ways to interpret the demand that serve you better.
Shayne Julius
Director of Operations
06 April, 2017
So often in the discussion of resilience the focus is on the individual – how can they relieve, manage and reduce stressors and learn to become more resilient – and resilient people who are engaged, empowered and supported are indeed a core component of a resilient workplace culture. A resilient organization though is more than an assembly of resilient individuals – it is also comprised of: leadership that is decisive, authentic and effective in communicating; goals and objectives that are transparent, well-defined and attainable; and systems that support continual learning, collaboration, accountability and recognition, and health and wellness.
27 March, 2017
Phrases like “Women in the Workplace” and “Glass Ceiling” have been around for so long that they’ve almost become cliché, as if they should have been retired years ago. Well – yes – they should have, especially with what we now know about the positive “bottom-line” contributions women have been shown to make in the work place.
Women in leadership can push male colleagues to test assumptions and open themselves to new thinking, which, in turn, can improve profits yet the proportion of women serving as CEOs of S&P 500 companies moved less than 3% in the most recent decade. http://on.wsj.com/2loBnzu
Among some of our clients, we observe that taking the first steps to commit to diversifying the leadership ranks with more women and minorities is hard, but taking that step often results in greater confidence which, in turn, leads to more productive organizations.
As Women’s History Month moves to a close, it’s a good time to reflect on where your organization stands. Consider these action steps to promote the role of women in your organization (adapted from the International County Managers Association).
1. Mentor women as consistently as men. More than 80 percent of women in a recent survey stated that a mentor was helpful in overcoming obstacles to top jobs.
2. Examine personal reactions – If a man said or did the same thing, would you have the same reaction? Women often comment that their ideas or suggestions are not heard until a man makes a similar point.
3. Practice inclusion in formal AND informal professional gatherings. In planning professional events, ensure women are approached to participate as panelists, speakers, and moderators.
4. Continue the conversation. By any standard, the low percentage of women in top jobs is unquestionably depriving our organizations of talented leaders.
“Women bring the skills, different perspectives and structural and cultural difference to drive effective solutions. In short, female leaders change the way global solutions are forged. That’s why it is important to keep pushing forward. Fairness and equality are admirable goals in themselves. And women have consistently proven that they are able to benefit policy in important ways.” – Gwen K. Young, Why We Need More Women Leaders
Dianne Lipsey
President
13 March, 2017
Collaboration can address key business challenges, including communication breakdowns and leveraging resources to produce more and better solutions, but collaboration needs to be managed to reap its benefits. Unstructured collaboration can lead to conflict, loss in productivity, and employee disengagement. There are a number of ways that organizations can improve their collaborative efforts through assessment, skill-building, coaching and use of collaborative processes. Collaborative solutions in the workplace are our specialty.
23 February, 2017
As an attorney, I have attended many discussions and panels on civility in the courtroom and how our profession benefits from encouraging and modeling civility and respectful communications in and out of the courtroom. So, the concept of civility is not foreign to attorneys; it’s something we hear throughout our careers frequently in response to an often-undeserved reputation that we are not as civil as we could be with one another. Well, it turns out that all those CLEs and panels were supported by extensive research that shows increased civility in the workplace helps teams perform better, and environments that create mechanisms to hold people accountable for displaying rudeness are happier and “psychologically safer” workplaces.
As my career has evolved and afforded me the opportunity to lead others, I have aspired to model civility, inclusion and respect for diversity, while simultaneously promoting a safe space for people to express divergent opinions and ideas. I have personally seen how environments that are rife with discontent and not practicing civility are destructive to teams and trust building. Over the last decade, I have worked with leaders, organizations and individuals to promote respect, trust, and inclusion – in turn trying to create better places to work. So, when I read the most recent article How Rudeness Stops People from Working Together, by the Harvard Business Review and SHRM, I had a moment of self-reflection on how civility helped me as a young attorney and now as a practitioner working with others to do the same.
https://www.shrm.org/ResourcesAndTools/hr-topics/employee-relations/Pages/How-Rudeness-Stops-People-from-Working-Together.aspx
Marcia K. Thompson, ESQ.
Vice President
20 January, 2017
Every four years the political landscape in the US undergoes a dramatic change. Even when the President or the party stays the same, many of the people change. New priorities and points of view shape the future. As we approach such a shift, it’s timely to think about how change affects us and how we can affect it for ourselves and others.
As a coach, I know that change can be unsettling and even frightening and at best uncertain. But there’s energy in that uncertainty, which, when we can keep our bearings and harness and direct that energy, can lead to greater opportunities than we would have otherwise known.
So, what do we need to keep our bearings and channel our energy
First — Confidence to believe, however difficult it may be, that we have the power to create the change we need;
Second — Competence to apply ourselves, maybe learn new skills or shift our mindsets but always knowing that we are capable of it;
Finally — Persistence to work at it, taking it one step at a time, until we succeed.
“We don’t ask you to believe in our ability to bring change, rather, we ask you to believe in yours.” ― Barack Obama
Dianne Lipsey
President
01 February, 2016
The EEOC requires federal agencies to assign EEO Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) services to an external contractor for cases where there is an apparent or perceived internal conflict of interest, in the assignment of neutrals and, in some cases the program administration. ADR Vantage is well-equipped to address these changes with our history of managing and providing both EEO and non-EEO workplace ADR processes through facilitation, mediation, and settlement conference services.
Read the full text of the revised MD-110 here http://www.eeoc.gov/federal/directives/md-110_chapter_1.cfm
For more information about how ADR Vantage can help your agency comply with this new mandate, please contact our Director of Programs, Rick Buccheri at rbuccheri@adrvantage.com
