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June 2006 CONTENTS
Revitalizing Safety Standards in the Workplace Learn to Lead: Giving an Effective Performance Review
Express is ISO 9001:2000 Registered
American Staffing Association
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The Online Newsletter for Clients of Express Services, Inc. Managing Work/Life Balance in a Small Business Whether it’s from working on holidays, neglecting to take a vacation during the year or staying at the office well past closing time every day, American workers are becoming notorious not for hard work, but for being overworked. In fact, 33% of workers feel overworked and 54% felt overwhelmed by workload within the last month, according to a recent study by the Family and Work Institute. Further, more people are working on the weekends or holidays to make sure work gets done. According to the Wall Street Journal’s Career Journal, a recent survey reported that 42% of workers planned to work on a holiday, with many working from home checking e-mail or reading about work-related subjects, but 18% said they go in to work on a holiday and 3% be travel for work on a holiday. Additionally, 79% of those surveyed said they would be working of their own initiative and not because their boss required it, but experts say that many are succumbing to the pressures of heavy workloads and the desire to move ahead in their career. This desire is not unknown to entrepreneurs. For most small business owners, starting their own company begins with dreams of a change from corporate life, a more flexible schedule or simply the freedom to manage a company as they see fit. But typically, it isn’t long before the pressures of small business ownership come knocking and owners start working overtime and sacrificing personal time and family life to ensure a more successful company or bigger profit margins. While it’s true that sacrifice is necessary to make a business successful, many small business owners don’t realize that it’s just as important to maintain a balanced life. According to a new study by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics small, business owners are working more and more. In fact, 33% of small business owners reported working more than 50 hours a week and 25% reported working more than 60 hours a week, compared to the national average of 33.8 hours a week. To cope with the impulse to overwork, experts suggest small business owners incorporate several strategies. Experts urge entrepreneurs to focus on the benefits of business ownership by envisioning a specific goal and working toward it. This long-term thinking can benefit small business owners by allowing them to focus on the big picture instead of getting caught up in the details. In order to focus on serving clients and making money, entrepreneurs should delegate less important tasks to other workers. If the workforce is too small to handle the demands of the workload, the next step is to hire new workers. Because of their already busy schedules, it can be difficult for entrepreneurs to find the time to interview and hire workers, but it’s worth the payoff of added time and increased productivity for the staff, experts advise. To make adding new employees a smooth process, many small employers choose to outsource hiring so their business doesn’t suffer from their lost time. Finally, employers should lead by example by making the most of their time so they don’t have to stay late every night. Research shows that about 20% of time at work is spent on tasks that have little benefit to the organization. Prioritizing tasks to focus on those that are closest to the dollar can help business owners accomplish their work in a timely manner and reap the benefits of entrepreneurship. Stay tuned for next week’s article offering tips on how small business owners can take a break by planning ahead for vacations. Revitalizing Safety Standards in the Workplace Emphasizing safety is important year-round, and to help employers and workers recognize the importance of a safe workplace, the National Safety Council has declared June to be National Safety Month. A safe work environment helps ensure that the welfare of workers is preserved. Plus, it’s the law for workplaces with five or more employees to have a safety policy that is reviewed at least once per year, according to the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Safety makes sense in terms of dollars and cents as well, since a safe workplace means less workers’ compensation claims and lowers the risk of injury related lawsuits. Also, the cost of workplace injuries is high. According to the latest data, in 2003, employers spent $50.8 billion on accidents that took place in the workplace. In observing National Safety Month, now is the perfect time for reviewing and revamping safety procedures in the workplace. Employers should make sure policies include:
In addition to constructing and annually updating a policy, employers should also have a plan for enforcing their safety policy. First, employers should make sure that all employees are aware of the organization’s policy and involve as many people as possible in making new updates. Employees should also be aware of their individual role in making the policy successful and be provided with the tools necessary to do so. Once a policy has been established, adjusting standards in accordance with new laws is always important. Employers should focus primarily on training employees with concise and up-to-date information on safety policies and procedures. Allowing employees to take responsibility for certain parts of the policy can also help to establish a safe company culture. Using incentives to reward employees who consistently practice safe working habits as well as those who attend meetings and seminars about safety is a great way to incorporate safety as a workplace priority. Implementing additional activities and programs can help employees to retain information included in the policy. Employers can offer long-time employees safety refresher programs to update them on changes that have been made to the company’s policy. Flyers and posters are also a great idea to keep safety on the minds of employees. Performing regular worksite safety checks by actually walking around the workplace looking for potential hazards is another good way to express the importance of safety. Employers should also record all accidents for future training, approach safety by assuming the responsibility of all employees and follow all safety procedures to the extent employees are expected to do so. Safety awareness is not simply a matter of common sense. To make sure every workplace is a safe place, employees must be trained about proper procedures to produce a safe working environment. Implementing safety training in the workplace can save lives and money. Proper training can prevent injuries which in turn prevents unnecessary expenses. Learn to Lead Giving effective, timely feedback is vital for the proper functioning of any team. The most useful feedback is coupled with an effective annual performance review, which means more than simply following technical procedures and filling out paperwork. In many organizations, performance reviews are merely a matter of process and don’t make any impact on the team. To make matters worse, if employees don’t value the process of review time, then even valid criticism, suggestions or observations from employers will rarely be taken to heart. Part of the problem with annual reviews is that they are rarely taken seriously by the parties involved, largely because many managers have never been trained on how to give a review. In fact, only 13% of employees and managers think their company’s performance reviews are effective, according to People IQ, a company specializing in performance appraisals. Unless the review process is valued from the top down, chances are reviews will continue to be a matter of routine rather than an opportunity to encourage individual and team success. By following some simple tips, managers can give an effective review and start getting the performance they desire. Starting out with a positive mindset is vital to an effective review. Managers should speak and think optimistically about review time and talk about it with employees as an opportunity to grow professionally. If employees are excited about their review rather than anxious or apathetic, employers will gain a lot more ground with their feedback. Managers should set specific objectives for the review and communicate those expectations to employees. It is best to give employees a copy of their job description and their personal and team goals prior to meeting. Before the review, managers should ask employees to prepare by writing out specific questions about goals and performance progress. Also, employers should approach the review equipped with observations, questions and specific examples of employee performance themselves. Similarly, employers should ask some basic questions before the review to find out how workers on their team perceive their performance. Some examples of good questions to ask employees include: What do you like most/least about your job? What is your biggest achievement this year? What are your specific goals for the coming year and how will you achieve them? How do you feel about your relationship with your supervisor? What contributions have you made to your team in the last year? Asking questions like these helps employees feel that their input and perspective is considered in the review process and can help set a more positive tone for the meeting. During the review, managers should go over the job description and goals, and answer the employees’ questions. If the organization has formal forms and paperwork to fill out for reviews, go over these with employees and explain their scores on certain areas. Make sure to give examples from daily observation throughout the past year so employees understand their performance levels. Set specific, measurable goals for the coming year, and make sure they align with departmental and organizational goals. Setting goals will make giving feedback and performance reviews in the future more effective because it is easy to compare results and behavior against mutually agreed upon objectives set for the coming year. Following these simple steps can help make performance review time valuable and meaningful, both for managers and employees. Check out next month’s article on rewarding performance to learn more about how to motivate your team.
United States Non-farm employment rose by 138,000 jobs in April, and the unemployment rate remained at 4.7%. Major Industry Employment for April 2006 • Construction: + 10,000 • Manufacturing: + 19,000 • Professional & Business Services: + 28,000 • Educational & Health Services: + 35,000 • Leisure & Hospitality: + 20,000 • Government: + 7,000
Canada Employment increased by 22,000 jobs in April and the unemployment rate rose slightly to 6.4%.
Major Industry Employment for April 2006 • Agriculture: + 8,000 • Health Care & Social Assistance: + 3,000
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e-Xchange is a publication of Express Services,
Inc., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Copyright 2006.