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Praise and Productivity

Attracting and keeping the talented, creative people needed to staff and run a business is the primary concern of all companies large and small. It's an ongoing challenge that never goes away, because there are never enough superior people available to hire for any jobs you may have available. Sometimes you can hire that special person you need by luring him or her away from a competitor, paying more and giving lots of perks. But (and it is a big but) you won't be able to keep employees of that caliber very long unless they feel like “part of the family”—which means comfortable, happy, and intellectually challenged in the work environment that you have created. Finding and keeping superior employees is definitely a buyer's market. In this case, you are “selling” your company and asking the prospective employee to “buy” into your promises of a better work life.

The fine line between spoiling them with too much and not giving them enough to keep them with you is difficult to determine, and differs for each individual. It is your job as the boss, whether you are hiring a front desk receptionist or a chief engineer, to find the motivational “mix” of best work environment, pay scale, benefits, perks, opportunity, challenge, and personal treatment that will keep your employees working with you when the competition comes calling to steal them away. If your employees are any good, you can expect that to happen on a regular and continuing basis.

Remember, if you have a successful studio operation, no matter what the size, you will attract potential workers—as well as competitors—who want to find out how and why you do what you do so well. Money talks. But, believe it or not, as long as you are paying competitive rates for services in your market, money becomes secondary to the way you treat your people. They will value the opportunities you provide for them and enjoy the knowledge that you really care enough about their future to let them grow. The fact that you take the trouble to ask how you can help them do their job better, and grant their work-related requests, when feasible, is very important to them. It's called morale building, and it works.

For example, a little praise in front of their peers for a job well done goes a very long way toward making them feel needed, wanted, and successful. The old adage of “praise in public and criticize in private” is absolutely true. Don't ever embarrass a fellow worker in front of others. Take him or her aside and privately criticize the unacceptable performance. Then give the employee a chance to respond, without interruption, and to give an explanation of the situation.

When there is a genuine occasion for praise, make your statement at a time when as many of the employee's peers as possible are present to hear it. That will make your compliment a great reward that others will work harder and smarter to receive from you.

One of the morale-building social functions that we used to have at Record Plant was TGIF parties each Friday evening. A keg of beer was supplied, with some snacks or “pot luck” food contributions from the employees; we brought everyone (who was not in a session) together once a week in a social environment. It was a great opportunity for praising people who deserved it. In addition, I was always amazed at how much I learned about what was potentially wrong with the way we were doing things. The entire staff felt more comfortable talking about work problems and finding better solutions in that informal environment where everyone was equal.

Another good morale builder: personal days instead of sick days, and flexible holidays and vacations. If you give your employees the same number of “sick” days per year as you give them now, but call them “personal” days, they won't have to lie. Personal days are intended to take care of personal and family needs, as well as to use when employees are truly sick—and they don't have to tell you that they are “sick” to get them. This is a simple example of how you can give the staff control of a current company benefit in a way that costs you nothing and increases employee morale.

Flexible holidays combined with vacation days means that the employees can work on holidays such as Presidents’ Day if they want to, and in its place, take off for a religious holiday that is not a national holiday. It is their choice if they want to work several holidays (you always need people to work) and then be able to take a longer vacation to some exotic location, if they wish. Again, this is personal control of their perks, at no cost to the employer. All of these suggestions are intended to help you find out what is important to employees and what they need to do their job better.

I recently did consulting for a recording studio that has nine employees. The boss could not understand why they were unhappy and nonproductive, and why he had an expensively high turnover of personnel. I suggested that he allow me to interview each of his employees personally, but only after he had stated in a staff meeting with all of them present that he had not only authorized this, but that all conversations with me would remain confidential. He also agreed that he would try to implement their reasonable requests.

After interviewing each employee in private, a pattern became immediately apparent. The employees looked upon the boss as a tyrant who did not care about them and didn't listen. After implementing their recommendations, as he promised, productivity increased, people stopped leaving, and the company became a “cool place to work.” The point is, he—like many of us—was driven to thoughtlessness and did not understand the absolute necessity of setting aside some time each day to care about his people. It was not a matter of money. Instead of waiting for a crisis to happen, he started taking the time to leave his office and visit his employees in their environment to discuss personally with each of them their problems and concerns. The result was gratifying to both the boss and the employees.

Many times your people may have something that is bothering them, or perhaps they are afraid to ask for something that they feel is important to increase their productivity. Take the time to ask them “How's it going?” or “How can we help you do your job better—what do you need?” This simple act will open the door and help you learn what their problems really are. The effectiveness of workforce productivity is based on the quality of leadership management. That's you. Get it together.