Dont trust employers

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Trust an Employer or It’s Bosses I've found that with so much economic uncertainty and companies being unsure about so many issues relative to financial issues, we're seeing companies who are worried about making promises to employees. So we have Joe Employee who asks his manager about a salary increase or a bonus and the manager goes up the ranks for answers. Since everyone is worried about protecting themselves by not making any commitments, there are no straight answers provided. Joe Employee is left thinking...'why am I; working all of these hours without any reward and if I do; what will that reward be?'

While I don't believe that all managers in organizations intend to be secretive, it's all about perception. So when someone is not able to give an employee a straight answer and waffles, the perception is that there are secrets w/in the organization and that results in a lack of trust. I'm not an advocate of total transparency but I do believe that all employees have a right to know what is required of them to earn rewards.

In addition, there are companies who are downsizing and asking people to work more hours with fewer resources. Unfortunately, while that's pretty much been the standard, this morning I learned of a large company who is doing sporadic layoffs and the packages are half of what they used to be.

People all talk and compare this stuff. The average employee at this company is working 12 16 hour days at a minimum! That's unacceptable and unfair, in my opinion. But nothing is fair in Corporate Retail.

Working for a public company is even worse. The 'bottom line' speech can get old. We all know what we're here for but, as I always say, 'you cannot have a business without people.'

A lot of employers will probably say they listen to and care about their employees, but without actively providing their employees with tools to communicate ideas with their colleagues and management; it appears to employees that they're doing nothing.

This then has a knock-on effect contributing to the first statistic, as employees who are actually working on the front line feel management are out of touch with employee and customer feedback, and therefore unlikely to be able to make fully informed decisions.

Think about how many time’s you've had an executive (the employer) give some rah - rah speech to employees about how they should and need to work for the 'good of the company...blah - blah - blah...and how the company's success is their own...blah - blah blah...etc.'? Well, I've heard it plenty. The problem with speeches like these is that employers expect employees to work 'for the good of the company' and often compensate them like that. All the while, they themselves are working for the 'good of the company', which just so happens to be also for their own good - because either they own the company, have significant equity, or are compensated for that. dodie ste®eo p®odu©tion ™

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Trust an Employer or It’s Bosses I just think it's difficult for employees to be sold some moral argument about how they should dedicate their lives to the company, for the good of the company, when the person giving the argument doesn't have to do the same.

The idea that the good of the company is the good of the employee often falls very short.

Lastly, I think that employees on the ground level, engaging customers often have to face the fact that the company places them in compromising and uncomfortable positions with customers, which feels like a slight betrayal of their own belief system or feelings about what is right. They have to support 'company policies' that they see are obviously not friendly or helpful to the customer, but have no power to affect it. It's like being made to do the company's dirty work.

Some employees don't trust some employers because ACTIONS (OR INACTION) SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS. When you freeze decision styles that challenge the times, good or bad, and layoff 10% + of the workforce, and freeze hiring--and the workload continues to grow even loyal employees lose trust. It's like dropping an anchor on a fast moving ship that suddenly stops all movement forward so that you're dead-in-the-water. When that happens employees are at a decision point. Some will suffer silently, or produce an anonymous letter and some will jump ship, first chance, onto other ships that are still moving forward. You can trust those result as predictable outcomes when employees see the writing on the wall or feel their sweat equity is doing little to stoke a stalled ship.

Short answer, because we haven't earned it.

We talk about employment at will, but we resent the fact it has be clearly explained and reciprocal to be enforced.

Today we still refer to employees as 'human capital' and human assets' rather than people. We call the skills of setting appropriate expectations, giving feedback; coaching, selecting and hiring the right people 'soft' skills and build monuments to technology. We don't teach leadership very effectively.

When faced with financial pressure the first step taken by most organizations is to reduce employment through 'right sizing', off shoring, etc.

C level compensation the last two years increased 20% per annum while the average worker saw a 2% increase.

In most organizations change is something we try to do 'to' people rather than with people.

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Trust an Employer or It’s Bosses We also don't practice what we preach - executive incompetency is 'punished' by multi million dollar parachutes while employees get pushed out with minimal severance packages.

I also agree that most managers aren't intentionally secretive at least at the middle levelswe don't share the information with them either and we don't give them the tools to manage people.

Somebody once said ‘trust’ and 'loyalty' are reciprocal relationships. You got to give it to receive it...

Back in the 1980’s many companies had a simple form of incentives for store managers initially. The bonuses that managers received were to be 20% of the store profit. This is easily track-able and there were many managers that made more in bonus than salary; apparently too much. Then companies decided that they would create budgets to be accountable to, so rather than giving employees a raw bonus based on performance, they would set difficult budgets based on what they thought you should make based on their own 'expertise'.

When this precedent was set, numbers became subjective and a layer of trust was removed from the employee/employer relationship. When manager bonuses dropped significantly, mistrust ensued. It had been the 'American Dream' in the sense that any person that worked hard and was good at managing staff and running a good operation was rewarded with a significant stake in their own operation. It became something where people were hired constantly as 'manager trainees' (basically an assistant manager but making barely over minimum wage with no benefits) with the simple incentive of a 6-12 month plan to become a store manager. This allowed many companies to have a constant stream of getting people in and out of store management. In subsequent years, I have seen similar incentive programs altered to be in the best interest of the company. The bottom line is, when an employer takes away incentives, the results will always be that another layer of trust is removed. Those that either manage or sell for a living can relate to this. The issue that I have seen in recent years is that similar incentives are eroded, but since the economy and job market are so bleak, people are merely holding on to their positions. My guess is that when the economy does turn around, many companies will wonder what happened to their best people, because they will have left, and started work at move reliable and trustworthy companies.

Trust is a two way street.

So why should most workers trust the companies they work for when the companies they work for don't trust them. Trust like respect, and communications is a two way street.

History has provided us with the Jekyll and Hyde of Leadership. dodie ste®eo p®odu©tion ™

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Trust an Employer or It’s Bosses There are those who motives authenticate their true concern for the good of the people while there are others who have chosen such responsibility for selfish reasons.

But is this enough to judge every new opportunity based on wrongly attempts of others in the past? The truths is we as human no matter the category, either professionally or personally are generally insecure due to either our own past choices, mistakes and experiences. And we often adapt to such culture and mentality, finding it hard to embrace change even when we have been provided a fresh and better opportunity.

It’s really fairly simple. At the basis is the fundamental tension between employers and employees. Wages are recognized as a major cost of doing business, and a cost that can be more easily addressed than materials, utilities, and other factors that are in others' control.

This of course is detrimental to a major driver of employees - compensation. Public corporations simply do not have the same obligation to their employees as to their shareholders, and to say anything to the contrary is at best naive and at worst a lie. You'll hear talk from corporate leadership about how the greatest capital in their organization is human capital but I'm afraid that's simply posturing, aside from the very few creators in the organization who may merit such praise. By and large employees are a commodity of greater and lesser unit value, and there's a regional and global market in this commodity just like there is for oranges or metals. Put things in that perspective and the tension make sense.

Platinum doesn't care what is value per ounce is, but a human does.

The legal and cultural environment also has created an ambience in which employees can hold employers more accountable, or at least expose employer activities that may be viewed to be less than compassionate, charitable, etc., so employers take great pains through HR policies, internal and external propaganda engines and other practices to mask their true motivations and activities. This in turn creates an environment in which trust is all but nonexistent and in general an adversarial relationship prevails, which is not at all surprising.

I think that the question here is: Do employees trust the company's leadership? These are uncertain times and workers who don't trust the way the organization is run will simply leave their jobs. Simple! The company's leadership must reflect transparency when changes happen, the ability to communicate these changes, listening to feedback, conducting business with honesty and integrity, treating employees with respect, giving moral support, good ethics and openness to diversity or change.

In short, lack in one or more of these will result to mistrust.

Trust usually has to be earned over time by keeping one's word, by acting with their best interest in mind and heart, by being consistent and respectful. (Do corporations have hearts? I was told they are people).

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Trust an Employer or It’s Bosses Once earned, never take someone's trust for granted.

The challenge is engaging leadership to evoke this spirit. Not only throughout their workforce. But with their customers, suppliers, and the community!

In order to gain employees’ trust, employers need to address their wide-ranging needs as human beings, including their overall health and well-being.

By improving employee health, employers can increase productivity, boost morale, and garner mutual trust.

Why do bosses treat their employees like (for the want of a better word)

‘shit’ ?!?

I don’t have the answer to that question. If you do have the answer to that question, feel free to drop me the answer. This is just a story of what’s happening in the world we live in. I need to make it clear that what I mean here is not how corporate treat their employees, but how a boss as a person is treating their employees.

This thought came to me when I first moved back to England which was 7 years ago after living in East Africa for around 30 years. I was “fortunate” enough to see that there are a lot of people treat their employees in a really bad way. What I mean by bad way is that they really get treated like ‘shit’.

In East Africa, most middle up class family has domestic helpers or house employees (In the Empire days these were called servants). Some of them get treated well (one of my domestic helpers has worked for me for over 20 years, so I guess I treat her right), but some has to coped with verbal abuse (yes, swear words) and physical abuse every day.

Everyone has a limit. Once the employee can’t take it anymore, he or she will quit.

Guess what happens next? I hear the same people who abuse their servants, complain how life is difficult without having servants. Naturally they look for a replacement.

This is the part that I don’t get. Are you ready for this? Here we go, once they find a replacement, they start the old habit again, they abuse their new servant. They go back to square one. Why the f##k people do this? Are they f##king stupid? No, they’re not, because a lot of them are rich and running successful business (among other things that prove that they’re not an idiot). This is why I wonder why some bosses treat their employees like ‘shit’.

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Trust an Employer or It’s Bosses Naturally the same thing happens all over again, and again and again. I really hope these people learn from their mistakes, not only for the sake of their live, but also for the sake of their future employees.

The same thing applies to the big boys (corporate) out there. We have to understand that we need our employees regardless of their job title. They can be a CEO, manager, salesperson, servant or a driver, we need these people. Think about it for a while, what if your main salesperson leaves your company, sales will drop; company’s income will go down.

I don’t think any of us want this to happen.

There is no different between a servant and a sales champion. We need these people!

We probably don’t think about servant as much as our sales champion, because a servant doesn’t really affect your company financially. However he/she does affect your personal live.

Saying all that, we need to keep the balance between treating our employee right and taking a tough decision from time to time. I’m not telling you to treat your worst sales people or your servants who you caught stealing right. Obviously we can’t keep them as employees.

What’s fair is fair.

This is just a thought by the way. In no mean I want to teach anyone how to run their business or life. You may agree or disagree with me (feel free to drop an opinion).

Do I treat my employee right? Yes I do (I asked all my employees in the past). However, I ask you “Do you”?

Then “Why do bosses treat their employees like ‘shit’?!?” I didn’t have the answer to why a lot of bosses treat their employees like shit. I would also like to share what could be the answer to that question.

Again you may agree or disagree, but feel free to share your thought.

To answer the question, let me tell you why I think Sir Richard Branson’s should get a first post as a good employer. A few years back when I used to Roadie during holidays, I had a chance to have a chat with one of Virgin Music’s staff about his big boss (at that time, Richard Branson still owned Virgin Music).

Long before I met that guy, I heard stories about Richard Branson. One of the stories is about his principle in treating his employees. He believes that in order a company can be successful; a company needs to make sure that their employees are happy working for their bosses. His logic is very simple, if the staffs are happy, they will work to their maximum capacity for the company they work for, therefore the result will be a good one. Really and simple; It isn’t rocket science! He also knows that the only way to make sure that happens is by treating his employees’ right. In fact if I’m not mistaken, he will put his staffs before his customers. dodie ste®eo p®odu©tion ™

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Trust an Employer or It’s Bosses With this knowledge, I made an assumption of why some bosses don’t do the same like Sir Richard Branson even after a few bad experiences with their staff leaving. I think the answer is simple, they simply don’t understand why it is very important to keep their staff happy (or they never thought about it that way).

The second question is why they don’t learn from past mistakes? I can see it as a mistake, but they’ve never seen it as a mistake (simply because they don’t realize that what they’re doing is wrong). They simply put the wrong in their staff (because most people like to blame others than themselves, this is the Blame Culture that now exists in the U.K.). So I guess it’s all about perception how we see things.

If you or the people you know keep losing good employees, let see it from a different angle.

Let ask ourselves a question, “what could I have done better?”

Everyone knows that healthier employees are happier and more productive. Here are a few suggestions you can do to improve the health of your employees.

Help them de-stress.

Encourage physical activity.

You might not be able to move deadlines or change the workload (given that we’re all trying to do more with less), but you can help your team learn stressmanagement techniques. These include meditation, mindfulness and deep breathing exercises, all of which they can do in the workplace.

Consider offering a brown-bag lunchtime workshop on stress management; referrals to local stress management classes, and newsletters with stress management tips.

The benefits of physical activity on health are indisputable; but it can also energize employees and help them manage workplace stress. Although not every company can provide an in-house gym, most can offer discounts for local gyms. Other options include creating a walking “trail” throughout the office (don’t forget the stairs); encouraging employees to get up and walk over to co-workers for conversations rather than emailing; giving out pedometers and holding contests to see who can rack up the most steps in a week; and providing 15 - minute breaks twice a day for some kind of physical activity.

Provide positive feedback.

When is the last time you complimented an employee, either verbally or with a brief note or email? Too often, the only time we provide feedback is when something is wrong, or more work is required. Yet positive feedback motivates employees, improving productivity and increasing job satisfaction. In addition to the verbal and written approaches, don’t forget public recognition through award ceremonies or even just a mention in the employee dodie ste®eo p®odu©tion ™

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Trust an Employer or It’s Bosses newsletter. Of course, financial rewards are always appreciated, too. But studies find that non-financial positive feedback can be even more empowering than money.

Create a comfortable work environment.

Most of us spend more time at work than in any other environment. Given that our surroundings have a major effect on our mood, which means it’s important that you create an upbeat, comfortable office, shop floor or break areas for your employees. Use energizing colours, like yellow rather than stark white. Pay attention to temperature - not too hot, not too cold - and lighting. Studies find that natural daylight is far more energizing than fluorescents. Put some thought into designing ergonomically correct work spaces; the savings on the medical end when your employees avoid back, wrist, shoulder, and arm pain will be worth it.

Encourage self care.

This is particularly important with female employees. Research shows that women tend to put their own health on the back burner, particularly women who are juggling jobs and family obligations. For instance, one study found that women with numerous obligations who find a breast lump wait an average of three months before having it checked. To encourage women to put their own health first, make it easier for them to access healthcare through in - office clinics and screenings, flexible work hours for doctor appointments, and off - hours medical support.

“Sorry boss, I’M LEAVING...I just don’t trust you anymore” Will your office have that empty feeling come the New Year? If so, it’s could be because most of your colleagues don’t trust the boss and want to move on.

A new survey says social media-based recruitment specialist, finds that over 87 per cent of people will be looking for a new job in 2014 - and in what will come as unwelcome news to bosses and HR teams around the land, more than half of them find their current boss untrustworthy.

The figures come as a stark warning for bosses as we enter what is traditionally one of the busiest times for employees changing jobs. Bosses should to do their homework on employees and get to them know them better - or else risk losing them to a rival.

National statistic claim a massive 87.2 per cent of employees’ said they wanted to leave their current role. Asked why, a staggering 52.6 per cent of respondents said it was because they didn’t trust their boss or how the company was managed.

These statistics, if correct should act as a wake-up call to employers out there who might come back after Christmas to find a lot of empty desks.

Bosses - “They should ask themselves – do they really know their staff? Do they really know, dodie ste®eo p®odu©tion ™

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Trust an Employer or It’s Bosses 87 per cent of employees’ will look online for a new job? Perhaps they don’t know their employees well enough, because most of them want to move on.

“What these surveys show us is that there is a breakdown between employee and employer many of the respondents to the survey said they simply don’t trust their boss to do the right thing by them and their career. Others felt they weren’t valued at all.”

“With the rise of social media and video CVs, it’s really very easy to get a handle on what makes a prospective employee tick. Paper CVs are dead – more and more employers are now searching for candidates using social media, as it gives them a much better overview of what that candidate is about before they actually meet them.

“HR departments need to switch themselves onto the fact that young people are now willing to engage with potential employees in a completely different way. The problem of trust won’t solve itself – it’s up to employers to get to know their workforce as well as they can – before they lose them altogether.”

This goes some way to explaining why the number of job applications via websites has doubled over the last six months.

When employees don’t trust leadership, organizations pay the price in low engagement, high turnover, and lost creativity and innovation.

Still, according to a recent survey slightly more than half (52 percent) of employees say that they trust their company’s top leaders.

After studying issues of trust in the workplace for some 20 years, most leaders think a breach of trust must be severe or even scandalous - consider Rupert Murdoch and News Corp. (NWS) - to take a costly toll on the business. To those leaders I say: “Think again.”

Why So Many Companies Get Branding Wrong

According to various researches, little breaches of trust over time are a big deal. Ultimately, employees pull back, withholding their full energy and talent.

Leadership, too often oblivious, wonders why. For both individuals and organizations, it’s like death by a thousand paper cuts.

So what are the not-so-little reasons your people might not trust you?

Here are some common ones - and how to steer clear of committing these everyday sins.

You withhold trust in others.

Trust is a two-way street. If you want people to trust you, you need to trust them. For starters, avoid micromanaging. Instead, give employees the latitude to put their full talents dodie ste®eo p®odu©tion ™

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Trust an Employer or It’s Bosses to work. When you let go and trust in people’s competence, they feel confident and committed. They want to give their best. Conversely, when you hold the reins too tight, they recoil, feeling devalued and distrusted. Just as trust begets trust, distrust begets distrust.

1. Three Million People Lost Unemployment Benefits. It Could Get Ugly 2. You ask much, yet fail to acknowledge effort.

Odds are that you’re asking workers to do more with less these days. You also need them to take the initiative and tackle “big, hairy, audacious goals.” Yet when employees step up and deliver, how do you respond? Do you take a moment to personally acknowledge effort and reiterate why their work really matters to the business? Or do you just say “Thanks” in a perfunctory e-mail and move on to the next request? For people to trust you, they need to know that you care about them. A little acknowledgment can go a long way.

3. You behave badly.

At a client site recently, we witnessed a tirade from a global marketing executive—a leader notorious for his nasty temper. Later, his team members confided that they had come to expect such fist-pounding and profanity. No one felt safe from being singled out and screamed at in front of everyone. “We’ve all been humiliated by him,” said one vicepresident. If you want your own team to trust and respect you, be aware of your behaviour.

Instead of berating people for missing a target, for instance, bring calm, clarity, and concern to the real issues by asking how and why things got off track. Understand what the group needs from you in the future.

4. You don’t admit your mistakes.

To err is human. When you mess up, what do you do? Do you check your ego at the door and acknowledge your mistake? Do you say to your team: “I made a bad call on that one” or “in reflecting on it, my assessment wasn’t fair and I apologize?”

In a New York Times interview, Siemens(SI) Chief Executive Officer Peter Löscher said: “I’m always telling people, ‘Look, I make a mistake every day, but hopefully I’m not making the same mistake twice.”

By admitting your own mistakes, you not only acknowledge your humanity but allow others to acknowledge theirs. As a result, communication opens up, mutual trust is built, and employees feel free to take creative risks that can move the business ahead.

Don't Wait Until Next Year: Trash Your New Year's Resolution Now 5. You spin the truth.

Do people know that they count on you to tell the truth or do they just assume you’ll tweak it? Whether the issue is acknowledging financial troubles or announcing the latest restructuring, you must resist sheltering employees or serving your own agenda. Tell it like it dodie ste®eo p®odu©tion ™

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Trust an Employer or It’s Bosses is. Spin never passes the sniff test anyway; people see it for what it is and sooner or later, lose trust.

6. You duck people and performance issues.

Leadership requires letting people know where they stand. How often do you consciously or unconsciously choose to sweep people’s performance issues under the rug? In turning a blind eye to a weak link and thinking that your stronger performers will pick up the slack, you set yourself up for trouble. Resentment sets in across the team, and employees’ trust in you goes out the window. Eventually, you risk not fully engaging your stars or worse, losing them altogether.

7. You don’t walk your talk.

Sure, you say that you value trust. Do your words and actions do more to break trust than build it? For instance, if you proclaim that people come first but you don’t invest in employees’ growth and development or give workers a voice in the business, what does that say? To employees, it speaks volumes - and shatters trust.

The Accounting Wizardry Behind Banks’ Strong Earnings Finally, a common mistake leaders make is to assume that their position alone makes them worthy of others’ trust. Nothing could be further from the truth. It’s only through behaviour that leaders can build trust.

“Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno” or "One for all, all for one" in English.

The quote can also be inverted to “All for one and one for all” and thus each individual should act for the benefit of the group, and the group should act for the benefit of each individual. To complete the quote one could add “united we stand divided we fall.” This however is no longer the case in the 21st Century United Kingdom.

The quote takes on a new (worthless) meaning! By this I mean that it should be refined from "One for all, all for one" or “All for one, and one for all” or “united we stand divided we fall.” to “So long as I have the upper hand, get my bonuses and things are hunky dory for me”!!!!! ……..

I bet after reading through the article, you will most likely agree and sympathize with my thoughts and even think ‘It should be like that’, BUT immediately you will return to your ‘Corporation Way Of Thinking’, what about my mortgage, my debts, the flashy car on credit and my exorbitant life style, that luxury holiday in summer and then my pension?????

So again I will promise my employees what they want to hear but treat them like ‘shit’!!!!!!!

Life sucks but it goes on… Live with it!!!!!! dodie ste®eo p®odu©tion ™

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