It’s important to make your employees feel valuable. A large part of doing so is giving raises. The trick is knowing when and how much to provide. You need your employees to prove their worth but not feel over expended without proper compensation.

As a Specialty Quality and Regulatory Recruiter, I have seen successful companies follow the properties that I will outline in this article. Employees leave jobs for many reasons. Pay and lack of recognition are big ones.

Acknowledge Value

To award raises, you must understand value within your company. This means, creating key performance indicators (KPI’s) for each employee. That way, your employees will know what they are working toward. Make sure that your goals challenge them but are achievable.

Keep Your Employees Informed

Communication is essential in any relationship – this includes business. Keep your employees informed throughout the year of whether they are meeting their KPI’s. You could do this by quarterly reports. Most people want to do well. Taking the time to review job performance, write a report, and meet is an investment for your company. Growing the skills of your employees is cheaper than hiring.

But, of course, if you need to add to your team or upgrade the team you have, I can help you find the right employee to help you meet company goals.

Don’t Guess! Crunch the Numbers

If your employees reach their goals, it’s essential that you provide them with the correct compensation. This is not only essential for them but the financial stability of your company. Employees receive more salary when they are providing more return to the company. Top performers should get a bigger raise, but be careful.

Giving too much of a raise can cause drama. Employees talk. If a colleague earns less of a raise than another a coworker could get upset. When you give your employee the raise, explain what goals they completed to justify the number.

It’s also important to make sure what you are paying your employees is competitive. There are salary surveys that can help. And for Regulatory and Quality positions in the San Francisco Bay Area I can be a resource to let you know what the market is paying for these positions. Paying a competitive salary will help you keep your employees. If you don’t want to pay the market rate for good talent, your competitors will.

Sleep – we know that we need it but between work and life, getting enough hours can seem impossible. However, it’s essential to make time for seven to eight hours of sleep per night. Sleep deprivation can lead to serious mental and physical health problems that impacts your work performance.

If you are a business leader, you may find that you need to hire another employee to get the sleep that you need (that’s where a specialist like me can help you find someone to help you sleep better and not lose even more sleep).

Not convinced? Learn how sleep deprivation could impact your mental and physical health:

Memory

Without adequate sleep, your body has trouble absorbing information. If you are sleep deprived at work, you could forget to complete daily tasks, phone calls, or even show up to meetings. Forgetting can severely hurt your job performance. In the worse scenarios, forgetfulness leads to losing your job.

According to WebMD, there are three stages of memory:

• Acquisition — learning or experiencing something new
• Consolidation — the memory becomes stable in the brain
• Recall — having the ability to access the memory in the future

Acquisition and recall occur while you are awake. However, consolidation requires sleep. If you do not get the sleep you need, your brain will have a hard time absorbing new information. That means, double the work or training time.

Moodiness

After a sleepless night, you may notice yourself irritable and moody. Not only does this create a bad day but can be annoying for everyone around you.

University of Pennsylvania researchers found that subjects who were limited to only 4.5 hours of sleep a night for one week reported feeling more stressed, angry, sad, and mentally exhausted. When the subjects resumed normal sleep, they reported a dramatic improvement in mood.

High Blood Pressure

Sleeping seven to eight hours a week may treat high blood pressure.

Sound too good to be true?

It’s actually pretty simple.

Sleep helps regulate your stress hormones. Lack of sleep could decrease your body’s ability to regulate stress hormones which leads to high blood pressure.

Make sure you receive adequate sleep if you experience high blood pressure. Missing sleep could make your blood pressure difficult to manage.

Weight Gain

Do you ever notice that you want to snack when you are tired? Your brain is looking for food for energy. Unfortunately, no almonds, chips, or vanilla latte will make up for a bad night’s sleep.

Sleep deprivation can cause increased levels of a hunger hormone called ghrelin and decreased levels of the satiety/fullness hormone called leptin, which could lead to overeating and weight gain.

Poor Balance

Lack of sleep can impact your coordination. This can lead to workplace trips and falls. It’s important to get enough sleep for any office setting.

Taking care of yourself is important to all aspects of your life. Make time for sleep and, at work, make sure you have a team you can rely on to meet your goals to reduce your stress. I can’t do much to help you with your sleep, but I can do a lot to help you build a great team.

Managers have more responsibility than overseeing project scope and client delivery. People Management can be the hardest tasks on a manager’s job description.

Every employee is different. Successful managers recognize employee strengths and different types of communication required. This is not an easy task. You must first understand the different personality types.

According to Gallup’s State of the American Manager: Analytics and Advice for Leaders report, there are 6 types of personalities.

Personality Types

Judging

Judgers want work to be neat, orderly, and established. They want the workplace to be predictable.

Perceiving

Perceivers are more openminded than judgers. They can change to your office’s situation and respond well to unpredictable events.

Extraversion

Extraverts are lively, energetic, and always looking for ways to interact with other coworkers. Extraverts are often involved in brainstorming sessions and work well with others.

Introversion

Introverts are the opposite of extroverts. They would rather perform tasks by themselves. They are independent, reserved, and focused.

Thinking

Thinkers are the analytical employees in the office. They will think of how to improve projects and are detail oriented. Thinkers are often experts in a single field.

Feeling

Feelers are the opposite of Thinkers. A Thinker is compassionate, warm, and supportive. They often go out of their way for other employees. Their motivation is often for people, rather than facts.

How-To Manage Different Personality Types

The first step is to assess, not assume. View every new hire as a blank slate. After you discover their personality type, you will be better able to manage for each employee’s strengths and talents.

Some simple way to gain some insights as to their personality type is to ask them to describe a job or project that they really enjoyed, and ask them what specifically made it such an enjoyable experience. You can also ask the opposite question of a job or project they enjoyed the least and what made it so terrible. Their answer will give you clues as to what is most important to them and how best to manage them.

The Meyer Brigg’s Personality test can provide a more accurate depiction. Speak with Human Resources to discover if testing is available for your employees.

Managers are the backbone of the company. Make it clear that your employees are all working toward a common goal. You may need to reassign your employee’s tasks for their strengths. Doing so, might be timely but will contribute to the success of the project.

By narrowing down your employee’s strengths, they will feel more successful and appreciated. Everyone wants to feel appreciated. Your team could work harder for you which increases productivity. Do not punish your employees in public if they are not achieving their goals.

Learning to manage different personality types can be rewarding and improve employee happiness and the productivity of your company. If you are hiring, know what skills you require. As a recruiter, I can help create appropriate personality questions to find the best employee for the job position.

Delegation can be difficult for many business leaders – even scary! When you delegate, you are handing over responsibilities. Often, these could be tasks that you performed well for years.

Wouldn’t it be better for the company to just continue the tasks yourself?

Rarely.

Delegation can improve the productivity of a company. You can complete work faster and grow branches of the business. It can even help you keep your most valued employees by giving them new challenges. If delegation is a struggle then follow these five steps:

1. Trust Your Employees

The first step to delegation is trusting your employees. If you cannot trust your employees you will never be able to delegate.

Ask your employees if they would like to take on more responsibility. Tell them if this could lead to a raise or promotion. You can even make this part of your employee development plan.

2. Establish Your Priorities

Create a priority system for delegating tasks. You can divide tasks into categories – for example, urgent, important, and low tasks. Delegate the urgent tasks first.

3. Hire If Necessary

No delegation systems work without a strong team. You may determine that you need to hire after you establish priorities and the status of your employee.

As a Specialized Quality and Regulatory Recruiter, I have helped business leaders hire productive employees to handle delegation, and to upgrade the caliber of their team.

4. Include Instructions

It would be great if your employees could read your mind. Unfortunately, most businesses don’t have that technology! Include detailed instructions to get your delegated tasks finished correctly and also set clear expectations. Eventually your employees will not require lengthy instructions which can save you hours, or even days of work.

What to Include in Your Instructions

• Detailed Milestones
• Deadlines
• Small Tasks

Delegating is a major step for any business leader. If you feel you need to add to your team, contact me to discuss your needs and we can create a solution plan for you. Contact me at jking@rfocus.com or (541) 639-3501.

Trust is foundational in every relationship. Business is no exception. Your clients must trust your abilities. Your employees must trust their colleagues. Without trust, your company cannot experience growth.

Trust empowers your employees. This sense of empowerment leads to at least 26% higher employee satisfaction, according to a study by Yona Kifer of Tel Aviv University.

As a Specialty Quality and Regulatory Recruiter, I have seen many types of business relationships. From experience, I know that it is essential to build trust in a company.

Before I start, think about someone in your life that you trust…

Why do you trust them? What qualities make them different?

Many of those qualities are important to a trustworthy business relationship. This article explains how to build trust within a business.

How to Build Trust

Share information

Many managers are reluctant to share information with their employees. They don’t know what’s appropriate to share so they just don’t say anything at all. Unfortunately, your employees keep working without knowing if they are meeting goals or where they can improve. Don’t be afraid to show-off quarterly goals. The more your team knows, the more invested they will feel with the company.

Commit to Your Word

We want to work with people that we can count on. Nothing speaks louder than sticking to your word. If people can’t rely on your word, they won’t trust you. They may extend some grace initially. Eventually, noncommitment leads to doubt and disbelief.

Stay Consistent

No one wants to wonder whether their colleagues can deliver. You have to be trusted to do a great job every time. Doing so, can also motivate your employees to improve their job performance.

Keep your mood consistent as well. Communication is essential within a company and a positive mood can make your employees feel more comfortable confronting you with their problems.

Be a Role Model

Act how you want your employees to behave. As the business leader, you are a role model. Your employees will only work as hard as you.

If you want your employees to meet deadlines then make sure that you meet deadlines, and your work is thorough and complete. Show up on-time. Your behavior will make an impression.

Put Your Trust in Employees

Trust is earned. However, if you want to build trust, you will have to trust your employees.

For example, if you know that an employee wants a promotion then delegate the employee more tasks. Stay open-minded until you have a reason not to.

Taking the time to build trust within your company is an investment for the company’s future. As a recruiter for over 20 years, I have seen many styles of leadership. The teams that work best together have great communication and trust. It also improves employee retention to keep your great team intact. If you would like to discuss other ideas and tactics to improve the performance of your team, contact me at jking@rqfocus.com or (541) 639-3501

In the past two articles we took a look at interview questions that can help go beyond the standard interview questions. This time we take a look at breaking through a candidate’s best behavior during the interview and “honeymoon” period of employment.

From early childhood we are taught to always act on our best behavior when meeting new people. As we get older we are taught to put our best foot forward whenever we are networking or interviewing. How people act in an interview can be very artificial.

The best-case scenario is that the interview is a well- rehearsed production with a candidate who has dressed in their best suit ready to give a prepared “pitch” on their attributes and abilities. This production generally continues through the “honeymoon” period of the first six to twelve months that the candidate is in the position.

The shiny veneer usually fades at the 18 -month mark, just when the candidate is fully trained and integrated into the team. How can this be avoided? Luckily the resume and interview can shed all the insight needed.

A candidate’s true colors can be seen in a candidate ‘s job history. If the candidate who has been in the workforce for 5 years or more has had five different jobs or more, there could be an issue. While this is not a tried and true means of weeding out potential issues in the future, it is definitely a talking point for the interview.

By asking the candidate about the chronic job changes, much more insight can be gained. What attract ed them to the position and/or company? Why did they leave? Do they regret leaving? How did their manager rate their performance? What aspects of the job did they like and dislike?

Digging deep into the candidate’s past will not only take them away from the well­ rehearsed stock interview questions, but will also cause them to hopefully be candid about their job history. It could be revealed that they are a victim of layoffs, hence the frequent job changes. Perhaps they continually apply for and accept jobs that they are overqualified for, but feel that they can make the best of.

The most competent person may not possess good judgment. This is especially important in industries where confidentiality is important. Whether it is client/ patient information, trade secrets, or other sensitive information it is important to know that your staff is abiding by company policy and/ or the law.

Gauging a candidate ‘s values can be achieved through interviewing. Real life scenarios that take place in the specific workplace can expose how that candidate may react when placed in that situation. Do they follow a manager’s instructions about honesty with a customer when it comes to a product delivery date? If a manager leaves sensitive documents accidentally out in plain sight would they read them?

Once the interview process is complete– ideally with the candidate meeting with the hiring manager and another leader in the organization – it is time to check references. Candidates should be asked to provide contact information for direct managers of previous employers. These are the individuals who can shed the most insight on the candidate’s past performance. Speaking to the direct supervisor ‘s direct report can give even greater insight and unbiased information on the
candidate. The BEST question to ask a prior manager is “What is the best way to manage and/ or motivate (name)?” While previous managers may hedge on not recommending they will often answer that question candidly.

Employee attitude, not skill is usually the largest fact or in failure in the first 18 months of a position. Seeing through a candidate’s best behavior during the interview process will help determine the long-term success of your new hire.

If you’re losing exceptional candidates to your competition or finding that your pool of qualified candidates is drying up, then I invite you to a complimentary consultation on how to attract great talent AND keep from losing them during your interview process. Simply reply to this email to schedule a call. I promise that you will leave our call with 2-3 ideas to greatly impact your ability to find, attract, and procure the top 10-15% of the candidate pool on a consistent basis.

Any business owner knows the anxiety when great employees quit their jobs. We invested training, resources, and time. Then your employee puts in their two weeks notice.

Why did this happen?

This article explains some of the top reasons that employees quit their jobs. Hold an exit interview to discover where your employees were dissatisfied.

Low Compensation

Money is one of the most persuading factors for business decisions. This includes wage. Your employees want to be paid what they deserve. If your incentive does not fit the employee’s effort you could experience a high turnover rate. Especially in a tight market for talent where your employees may be getting contacted about opportunities that are offering a better compensation package. Retraining, relocating, and hiring is a hefty cost for the company. In the end, paying your employees less could be costing your company more.

Negative Environment

Bullying, screaming, talking down, mismanagement, hostility, or more subtle forms of poor communication are all forms of a toxic work environment. As a business leader, you should not accept this environment as “what it is.”

What is the root of the problem?

If an employee is spreading gossip then speak with them. If the problem is ongoing, you will probably experience high turnover in your workplace. Another common problem I hear about is lack of recognition or appreciation for the job your employee is doing. Showing appreciation goes a long way to building loyalty with your employees.

No Opportunity for Growth

According to a survey by TinyPulse, Only 26% of employees surveyed felt they had adequate opportunities for career growth. The managers of these same employees were more optimistic: 50% of managers surveyed felt there was adequate opportunity for professional development at their organizations. This is a major disconnect!

The miscommunication can lead to a high turnover rate. Employees want to work for a company where they can advance their career. To avoid conflict, provide job trainings and promote new openings internally.

Poor Management

Poor management impacts the entire organization. Employees become unproductive, unmotivated, and the company is unable to fulfill it’s potential.

The average organization is 50% as productive as it should be, thanks to less-than-optimal leadership practices.

Problems of Poor Management

• Operate Bad Meetings
• Employees Not Recognized
• Employees Afraid of Losing Job
• Stressful, Negative Work Environment
• Hire the Wrong Candidates

Pursue Another Passion

Sometimes, the career just does not fit your employee’s passion. They may decide to move onto another career that is a better fit. Don’t take this rejection personally. Wish them good luck.

It is inevitable that your employees will quit. However, if you are experiencing high turnover it is important to discover why this is occurring. I am a specialty Recruiter for Regulatory and Quality professionals and can help find you the right candidate the first time, and can give you some insights on how to keep the employees you have. Contact me at jking@rqfocus.com or (541) 639-3501.

Asking questions can be the simplest and most effective ways of learning. Innovators, brilliant minds, and curious thinkers ask questions. If you are not asking questions, you could be missing out on opportunities.

As a business leader, information is imperative. You need to understand what your employees and clients need, as well as where your organization can improve.

Not convinced? Learn why asking questions can be imperative in the workplace:

Questions Encourage Creative Thinking

An innovative company is always coming up with new ideas. Brainstorming sessions are a productive method to inspiring new ideas. Questions can create the creative thinking that you need for a great brainstorming session. Open-ended questions are some of the most efficient, such as;

• I wonder if/why…
• What would happen if…
• In what ways can we…

Questions Create Reflection

There are periods where we all just focus on getting the job done. However, if those periods turn into years, we can lose the spark that makes us creative leaders. Constantly ask yourself questions, such as;

• Why are you in business?
• What is your favorite part of your job?
• How did you create change this year?

Questions Start Change

It’s easy to get stuck in a rut. During those periods, we know that we need to make changes but we can’t find where to make it work. Your questions could open a new way of thinking that keeps your company innovative.

Now that you know why to ask questions, it’s important to recognize how to ask. You don’t want your important question to go unnoticed.

• Watch your tone by keeping it casual.
• Use follow-up questions by focusing on listening.
• If you are looking for information, start with the tough questions. If you want to build relationships, start with the easy questions.
• Keep the questions open-ended.

Have you ever jumped on Facebook, only to still be scanning a half hour later? We have all done it. At work, distractions can be a serious problem to our productivity.

A thorough schedule can be a lifesaver when we are struggling with distractions. You are able to break down your tasks into a manageable timeline that helps keep you on track. That’s just one piece of the puzzle. Learn some of the best techniques to managing your schedule to save hours in your work week.

Break It Down

Almost every task can be broken down. Instead of “write a report”, schedule 20 minutes for researching, 20 minutes for an outline, 40 minutes for a rough draft, etc. Breaking up projects makes your day more manageable.

Be Realistic

You can’t do everything in a day. Be realistic with your work week. We may really want to complete a research project but with other deadlines, it’s not always feasible. Instead, create a realistic schedule with push goals if you have extra time.

Prioritize Items

Start your day with your two most important items. For many of us, that could be checking emails and meetings. Finishing your priorities prevents stress for the rest of the day.

Time It

Create a timeline for each day. We often think optimistically that our report summary will only take an hour when in reality, it will take two. Be honest with yourself.

How much time will the project really take?

That way, you can comfortably fit the assignment into your schedule. Any extra time can be used for miscellaneous tasks or a head start on another project.

Schedule Time to Schedule

As your week passes, you might need to reschedule your days. Give yourself a half an hour on Friday to create the schedule for the following week. Schedule at least ten minutes at the end of Monday through Thursday to make changes. As meetings and projects arise you will need to be flexible.

Acknowledge What You Accomplished

Pat yourself on the back! You deserve it. Work can be stressful and managing your work schedule can be complicated. At the end of each day, reflect on what you accomplished. It can help boost morale and keep you motivated.

Quitting a job can be life changing. You probably spent 40 hours a week at the office, had coworkers that became friends, and relied on the job for your cash flow.

As a specialized Quality and Regulatory Recruiter for over 20 years, I see people leave jobs for many reasons. The following situations are most common;

• Higher Pay
• Career Advancement
• Escaping a Negative Work Environment
• More Interesting Work
• Lack of Recognition or Accomplishments
• Better Alignment Between Personal Values and Organizational Priorities

If you are seeking a new job, it is important to follow professional procedures. You will have a better chance of receiving a positive referral.

Provide at Least Two Weeks of Notice

Always provide at least two weeks of notice when quitting your job. Your company needs time to prepare for your departure. They will need to disperse your responsibilities among other coworkers, and start the hiring process or promote an employee into your position.

Make up your mind first

Before you submit your resignation, you must be clearly committed to leaving. Have you already pursued all avenues for advancement within your firm? If so and you didn’t get the response you hoped for, it’s time to leave. Since you may be immediately walked out of the building upon giving notice, make sure you have cleared all personal files from your computer and desk.

Notify Your Boss in Person

Notify your boss first, in-person. I have seen many employees make the mistake of sending a resignation email. An email is unprofessional and you will still have to face your boss at some point before you leave.

First schedule a time to speak with your boss privately. Simply state that “I’ve so enjoyed working with you here, but another opportunity has presented itself and I’ve made a decision to move on.” Your boss might propose a counter offer. Be prepared with whether you would accept the conditions and your bottom line.

Give Your Notice in Writing

In business, it’s important to get everything down in paper, including your resignation. Provide your boss with a resignation letter when you meet. The following is an example of a resignation letter.

Resignation Letter Example

Your Name
Your Address
Your City, State, Zip Code
Your Phone Number
Your Email

Date

Name
Title
Organization
Address
City, State, Zip Code

Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name:
I want to thank you for all you have done for me here at (company). It’s been a pleasure working with you and representing the company as your (job title).

I have accepted an offer with another firm and have decided to tender my resignation as of today, with my last day being (date). This decision has nothing to do with the exceptional opportunity you have provided for me here. You and the company have been more than fair with me, and I genuinely appreciate all of your support.

I wish (company) continued success, and I want to thank you for allowing me to be a part of your team. I hope you will respect my decision. Please feel free to let me know how I can help to make this a smooth transition.”

Sincerely,
Your Signature (hard copy letter)
Your Typed Name

Be Prepared to Explain Why You Are Leaving

Your boss will probably have questions of why you are leaving. Your answers can provide a perspective of where the company needs to improve.

Common Questions During an Exit Interview

• Why are you leaving your current position?
• Do you think you were adequately equipped to do your job well?
• What was the biggest factor that led you to accept this new job?
• What did you like most about your job?
• What did you like least about your job?

Return Company Property

Don’t forget to give back keys, ID badges, computers, documents, and any other company property. Your company does not want to chase you down. Everything should be handed over on your last day of employment.

Quitting your job can be scary but it opens the door to a new opportunity. Email me your resume at jking@rqfocus.com to get started in a new career.