Do you work for a grateful employer?

After seeing so many posts recently on Facebook and Linked In articles, I have decided to succumb to the pressure and have a blog topic that relates to the theme of the season.  I am looking for help from all of you to make it really powerful.  Last week I spoke about how to give respect to gain respect, and this week I want to look at it from the employer's perspective.

Let me start with an example that occurred recently with one of my clients.  A personal situation required that my candidate postpone a start date.  There were many reasons why my client could have easily said no.  Instead they chose to be flexible and clearly communicated a message of support to this candidate.  I can guarantee you that this individual will have a better sense of belonging on the first day of employment.  It all started with a sense of gratitude as my client was thankful for the open communication instead of assumptions and posturing by the candidate.  Sense the continued theme here - give respect, gain respect.

I can also proudly tell you that I work for a very grateful employer.  The principals of our company know we work hard and give maximum effort throughout the year to make all of us successful.  So they have rewarded us with a long weekend of shutting down the office early on Wednesday and having the Friday after the holiday off as well.  I am sure we will all come into the office next Monday refreshed from the time away.

So what other examples are out there?  How are your employers grateful to you as an employee?  If you are an employer, I would also like to hear from your perspective.  I look forward to hearing any and all stories to catalog in this season of being thankful.

How to gain respect at the office

Have you ever heard the phrase "Respect is earned, not given"?  I want to go against that conventional wisdom and explore the idea of giving respect on a daily basis.  Think of another popular phrase this time of year - it is better to give than to receive.  What is it about giving respect that will gain respect?

First, let's explore this idea from a company's perspective.  You have just hired a new employee and most new employees have some sort of 90-day probationary period where they are watched carefully for progress and how well they integrate.  I believe companies have an equally important obligation to prove to new employees why they made a good choice to join the organization.  Give your new employees words of encouragement, bigger responsibilities, invite them to team and client meetings, and basically show them all kinds of respect.  This will endear you to them and probably motivate them to work at a higher level of efficiency and productivity.

Now think of in from the employee's perspective.  Why would it be important to give all kinds of respect to your hiring manager and/or boss?  This is not just your run-of-the-mill butt kissing that I am suggesting, but rather giving genuine respect for the position that is held by this individual.  Try to find out what has made your boss successful in the organization and try to emulate that yourself.  If it worked for them, chances are it could work for you as well.

Lastly, this can apply to co-workers.  And it applies to both sides of the equation that I outlined above.  Companies should encourage their employees to welcome new employees with open arms and show them all kinds of reasons why the company is great to work for.  Be intentional about it.  New employees in turn should go out of their way to get to know other employees, both those that they directly work with and those they indirectly interact with.  The more you give, the more I can guarantee you will get back.

One quick personal example from long ago in my career.  When I started with Principal Financial Group I worked in a very large office building that had a lot of security.  You had to flash your employee badge every time you entered the building.  And if you forgot your badge, you had to stop at the reception desk, provide another form of identification, and receive a temporary badge.  I made it a point to get to know the security guards on a first-name basis.  One of them pulled me aside after about six weeks and told me I was the only person that had bothered to ask her name in her time as a security guard.  She in turn knew my first name and each morning she was making eye contact with me and telling me to have a good day.  Everyone else she was only focused on their badge as I had received her respect by giving a little on my end.

Can you tell me about a time where giving respect gained respect from a colleague or boss?

How to deal with the fourth quarter "pause" button

Quite often in life I wish there was a "pause" button to slow things down.  As I get older, it seems more and more appealing to be able to do that.  With one exception - job searches and interviews hitting a brick wall in the fourth quarter.  Budget crunches, busy schedules, holidays, quarter end, renewals, and much more tend to slow down interviews that may have started with a lot of steam.  So what is the best way to deal with the one time we wish we didn't have the pause button?

1)  Communication - this may seem obvious, and it is exactly why I start with this simple concept.  Whether it be the actual interview, an offer, a start date, or even review of a resume, there is no reason to not communicate effectively in the midst of that.  I had a candidate accept an offer last week with the idea of a start date after the first of the year.  On its face it is terrifying as that provides a minimum of a two-month gap between acceptance and the employee actually commencing employment.  What brings me comfort in this particular situation is the fact that I know my client is going to have all kinds of communication with the candidate.  In the past in this sort of predicament I even had a client invite the candidate to the company Christmas party BEFORE they started.  It all begins with effective communication.

2)  Patience - I know I have preached this before, but both clients and candidates alike can practice this strategy with fabulous results.  Throw the idea that this is the fourth quarter out the window and simply look at things from an objective perspective.  If you do that, it will become clear that next steps in an interview process will happen naturally when they are supposed to.  The biggest key to any interview working out is timing.  It has to be right for all parties to have a successful partnership.  In the fourth quarter that timing simply tends to fluctuate a little more.  If you can go with the flow, you will have fewer sleepless nights wondering what the other party is thinking.

3)  Creativity - if you are not having a lot of formal interview activity, why not find another reason to be in touch?  If you are the candidate looking to stay on an employer's radar screen, find a way to celebrate something with the employer.  Oftentimes they are having a Halloween party or posting something on their company Facebook page about healthy eating habits during the holidays.  Compliment them on those efforts and send a quick note.  If you are an employer looking to remain engaged with a candidate, why not check in and see what fall activities are happening in the lives of your prospective candidates?  Although this is a slippery slope if taken too far, it is a fabulous way to enhance the relationship between the company and the candidate, especially if employment is pending after hitting "play" again from the temporary pause in the conversation or interview process.

The bottom line is that the "pause" button while inconvenient at the time can sometimes be completely necessary.  I like to live my life in fast forward sometimes, so I suppose hitting "pause" occasionally isn't all bad.

Would you agree?