We have all heard about, if not experienced, the age-old “Trust Fall” activity. One partner stands facing away from the other, and then the first partner falls back, trusting (hoping) that the second partner will catch them.

Personal view – I am not sure of the effectiveness of high-adrenaline team exercises. Absolutely trust plays a role in this team-building activity, but it takes a back seat to testing your courage. As a leader, I would be more focused on someone getting hurt rather than the effectiveness of the team building activity!

Whatever your thoughts are on the Trust Fall, the one thing experts agree on is that trust in a team is crucial to its success and effectiveness.

“On a team, trust is all about vulnerability, which is difficult for most people.” Patrick Lencioni

The very foundation of an impactful team has to be built upon trust.  Lack of trust in a team creates fear of conflict, whereas trust creates a sense of safety.  When a collective team trusts each other and can lean into the discomfort of vulnerability, they create an opening for healthy conflict.  The results of healthy conflict and open and honest discussion allows everyone to be heard, producing better decision-making and commitment of the entire team.

Many teams flounder once they have put in the hard work getting to a place of trust amongst each other. The team is committed to moving forward; everyone feels good about their decisions – but nothing happens.  Why? Because the team walked away without making anyone accountable to move the decision forward.  Minimal results are created when no one is held accountable – no one is driving the decision or task.

A leader who puts in the work and builds a healthy team based in trust, vulnerability, commitment, and accountability creates one composed of empowered individuals.  The results produced from this team of individually aligned contributors will be staggering.  I know this for a fact, as I was once a part of a team like this, and we accomplished what others thought impossible.

How healthy is your team?  Let me help you find out.

Tamara Knapp Advisory LLC
Based in Novi, Michigan
Serving both startups and established clients.

Office:  (248) 301-9699
Email:  letsgo@tamaraknappadvisory.com

Last week, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced in its Job Openings And Labor Turnover August report that while the number of separations were little changed at 6 million (4.1%), within that number, there was a 2.9% increase (4.3million) in Americans quitting their jobs. It was a record-breaking month following previous record months. The quits rate “can serve as a measure of worker’s willingness or ability to leave jobs.”

These are disturbing statics for employers given the difficult time they have had in finding bodies to fill vacant positions, let alone talented ones. Many organizations anxiously awaited the cut of enhanced unemployment benefits, only to be disappointed by not receiving an influx of candidates after the cuts were put in place. 

According to a WSJ article, experts are not in agreement on whether the benefit cut boosted employment numbers. ““If the question is, ‘Is UI the key thing that’s holding back the labor market recovery?’ The answer is no, definitely not, based on the available data,” said Peter Ganong, a University of Chicago economist, referring to unemployment insurance.” Yet “Economists caution against concluding from these results that expiring benefits had no effect on employment.”

Let’s face it, there are many factors outside of unemployment benefits that effect one’s decision to go back to work; childcare, low-wage jobs, school closures, a push to return to the office, flexible hours, and the mental state caused by the pandemic.  Not to mention, the labor unrest of those that are working.  Case in point, the 10,000 plus John Deere workers that went on strike for the first time in 35 years. 

The pandemic has forever changed not only the way we live, but the way we work.  Employees have had enough and are pushing back. Why can’t we have our cake and eat it too? They want to be valued, paid fairly, have decent benefits, good leadership, and the flexibility to take care of their family.

Oli Povey said it best, “While many are dubbing this phenomenon the ‘great resignation’, perhaps the ‘great reassessment… of worker priorites’ is more apt, though more cumbersome and not quite as catchy.”

Tamara Knapp Advisory LLC
Based in Novi, Michigan
Serving both startups and established clients.

Office:  (248) 301-9699
Email:  letsgo@tamaraknappadvisory.com

The COVID-19 pandemic forced employers to haphazardly improvise their onboarding processes to hire remote workers.  And, while we are all still trying to find our new norm, many organizations have found that remote workers, whether for all or part of their work force, has many advantages (but that’s a separate conversation folks and if you are reading this – you have already recognized those advantages!).

With the remote worker trend skyrocketing, employers need to rethink their remote onboarding process to ensure the experience helps new employees emotionally and professionally integrate into the organization and culture. It is not a one-day process.  Onboarding should happen over at least several days and include interactive videos, phone calls, meet and greets from different areas of the company, and a social component.

Having the right technology in place, both for the employee and the employer, and the tools readily available and easy to find is essential in a successful virtual onboarding plan.

As a remote worker, finding information quickly and seamlessly can be frustrating.  How do you think your new employee would feel if their policy manual looked like this….

A one-stop shop for anything from core values, benefit plan information, who’s who, PTO, time tracking, labor law posters and code of conduct – all in one place in a custom, fun, easily searchable online format.

Let me help you put together a dynamic onboarding experience and your custom online hub of information!

Tamara Knapp Advisory LLC
Based in Novi, Michigan
Serving both startups and established clients.

Office:  (248) 301-9699
Email:  letsgo@tamaraknappadvisory.com

What creative strategies are you using to roll out one of the highest employment cost – benefits?

With 2022 open enrollment around the corner, companies have spent a significant amount of time researching and determining benefit offerings on their quest to be an employer of choice.

Equally as important as the benefits themselves, is the strategy on how communication will be rolled out ensuring team members understand what they are being offered and the value of the benefits as part of their overall compensation and rewards package.

Develop a creative strategy.

What venues will you use to deploy information?

• Virtual
• Video
• Print media
• E-mail
• Text
• Communication platforms like Slack
• Intranet

Simplicity is genius.

• Use visuals
• Streamline benefit plan summaries
• Use basic terms
• Create a video creating a 2-minute video from a 10 page benefit guide

Communication

• How will team members ask questions and provide feedback
• Empower your leaders with knowledge to answer questions
• Make sure you are communicating effectively and thoughtfully throughout all levels of the organization
• How can team members share with other members of their family in helping them with enrollment decisions

According to The Hartford’s 2021 Future of Benefits Study, “84% of employees value the insurance benefits their company offers” and “58% of surveyed workers would like a personalized recommendation on what they should select.”

Don’t be scared to introduce plan changes, be transparent and focus on the positive.  The stronger your communication is the stronger your employee engagement will be.

Tamara Knapp Advisory LLC
Based in Novi, Michigan
Serving both startups and established clients.

Office:  (248) 301-9699
Email:  letsgo@tamaraknappadvisory.com

Imagine learning this on your first day on the job, along with the other 50 processes your new co-worker (whatever their name is) is showing you.

Or if you were not one of the lucky ones that were shown how to change an address AND you are handed multiple changes that needed to be made ASAP so packages
could be sent out AND the one person that knows how do it is on maternity leave.

According to Asana’s report, The Anatomy of Work Index, employees “spend just 27% of their time on skills-based tasks – the specialized craft they were trained and hired to do” and 60% “is spent on work about work”.

Like a map or navigation system, your processes and procedures are a roadmap for your everyday operations, and they do not have to be complicated.

Asking the right questions up front and rolling them out correctly is as important as the process itself.

Understand “why” and “how/who.”

• • Have the right people in the room when discussing and documenting the process.
    Provide clear understanding of the impact the process will have on a bigger picture. This will not only form buy-in but help in developing the documentation.

What does it look like? How will it be rolled out?

• • Do the hard work upfront. If the team leader sits with their team and walks through the new procedure, the team can ask questions and gain a better understanding, which will create buy-in and comfort in the process, thereby actually using it.

It is hard to undo bad habits.

• • Regular enforcement and reiteration are a must. So is consistently holding all team members accountable. If not followed by all, none will eventually follow.

Too many voices telling different versions.

• • One person is ultimately responsible. Whomever writes the process is the process owner and the content expert. If they review with the respective team leader prior to the roll out – there is less chance for inconsistency when rolled out to the team.

Don’t leave your team members hanging. Let me help you get started with creating a roadmap for every day operations. Learn more about my Organizational 360 services or simply message me!

Tamara Knapp Advisory LLC
Based in Novi, Michigan
Serving both startups and established clients.

Office:  (248) 301-9699
Email:  letsgo@tamaraknappadvisory.com