Employers had the advantage during the recession. Yet, gone are the days of hiring overqualified candidates at discounted salaries.  Job opportunities are on the rise.  The best workers have choices and we are currently seeing candidates receive multiple offers at competitive salaries.  According to CareerBuilder’s 2012 US Job Forecast, here are the top 4 functional areas that will see the largest pay increases in 2012.

• Sales
• Information Technology
• Engineering
• Business Development

 The greatest salary increase for 2012 is tied to revenue generation.  Nearly one-in-four human resource managers said sales positions would see the biggest jump in pay.  One-in-five indicated that IT roles would also rise.

Employee coaching is on the rise, according to a recent study by Bersin & Associates.  Business results (defined as a combination of market share, costs and financial performance) were 21 percent higher for companies whose executive leadership embraced coaching and actively coached others.  When businesses reported “excellent cultural support for coaching”, employee results (a combination of employee productivity, engagement and customer satisfaction) were 39 percent stronger. 

The report indicates most organizations do not understand that coaching “is the number 1 performance-management challenge” and refrain from using it because they aren’t sure how to change people’s behaviors.  To begin forming a culture of coaching, four things need to happen:

1. Top management has to embrace coaching and make sure it encompasses accountability measures.
2. Advocates need to “evangelize” coaching by beginning performance-based programs.
3. Managers must understand the impact of coaching and learn critical coaching skills.
4. Human resources should create a supportive environment that measures and teaches coaching.

The power of coaching is that it “gets people to look forward”, versus exclusively looking backward at past behaviors.  Employees become engaged in their potential for success, and thus become more productive.

Coaching is fundamental to sports.  Why not, business?

• Why should employees have to go it alone?
• How do employees learn teamwork?
• Why should we expect employees to “know” how to overcome every obstacle?
• How do employees learn to set goals and stay disciplined to an action plan?
• Who is their champion in face of all adversity?

I wish I had a nickel for every time I heard a client say to me, “I want a candidate who can hit the road running as I don’t have time to train.”  Those are not words from a true “coach.”  Professional athletes never show up on the football field without their coach preparing them for the big game.  Why does this happen in business all the time?

A recent study by Bersin & Associates reveals that coaching significantly improves company results and employee performance. If company performance is not up to your expectations, maybe, just maybe, the reason is not the individuals on our team.  Maybe the coach is not doing his/her job?       

In honor of my hometown Indianapolis hosting the 2012 Super Bowl, my recommendation to all business owners is to run your business like a sports team.  Embrace coaching.  Get involved with day-to-day mentoring.  Teach, encourage, and support your employees.  Coach your team to victory! 

Written by: Ann Clifford

As difficult as it is, turnover is not always bad.  It can be an opportunity to revise an outdated position or to hire someone new with fresh ideas.  To decrease the panic and pain associated with the resignation of a key employee, follow these advance planning tips.

• Transfer the knowledge.
• Cross-train employees.
• Document important procedures.
• Hire a support person to learn key aspects of the role.

Turnover happens.  The key is to be prepared for it, so that you can turn the experience into a positive situation; not an OMG experience.

In recent months, I had several speaking engagements on the subject of turnover with hundreds of business owners in attendance.   I am not a professional speaker, so I was somewhat surprised when I discovered these business owners were totally engrossed in my talk.  Since I know it was not my speaking talents that had them engaged (although I heard I did a pretty good job), it became crystal clear that the subject of turnover had captured their attention. 

Turnover is a big concern about business owners.  They realize that the recession has taken its toll on their employees.  Why wouldn’t it?  It certainly has taken its toll on business owners.  If business owners are feeling stress, isn’t it fair to assume their employees are feeling it too.

The question is what do you do about it?  How do you “undo” the damage the recession has caused?  Yes, you can bring pay back to normal and award raises to your key employees.  Yet, will that be enough?   Are your people still working 50+ hour work weeks feeling worn out and stressed.  Pay doesn’t make the stess go away.  So, how do you reduce the stress? 

Here are a few ideas:

1) Find low cost ways to provide support to your key employees.  Hire a support person to assume the load of adminstrative tasks.

2) Shift responsibilities to other support team members, especially to those you want to groom for advancement.  This cross-training exercise will make your company less vunerable to losing key knowledge.

3) Reinforce the company strategy and be sure to tell you key employees how they strategically fit into the puzzle of successs.  They need to know you value their contributions and that there is light at the end of the tunnel. 

4) Ask your key employees what you can do specifically to help them.  You might be surprised that it could be as simple as a new keyboard to replace the one with a sticky key.  It’s sometimes the little things that can turn a stressful day into one that is manageable.

You may not be able to eliminate all the recessionary damage, but you can certainly move in the right direction.  Awareness is the first step.  Make sure you know which key employees are feeling the most stress and do whatever you can to ease the pain.

Written by:  Ann Clifford

“If you’re not concerned that the toughest employees to replace are the most likely to bail on you; you should be.”  ~ quote from Rieva Lesonsky, CEO of GrowBizMedia

Nearly one in three workers (32%) are seriously considering leaving his or her organization, according to Mercer’s “What’s Working” survey.  Another 21% are not looking, but have “checked out” meaning they don’t care any more.

We have coined the term “retirement on your dime” to reflect this overwhelming lack of employee engagement.  Employers didn’t cause the recession, yet employers are the “scapegoat” for all the things that have gone bad.  And now, many employees need a change to distance themselves from bad memories and to refresh their energy.

As an employer, the questions you should ask yourself are:

• Which key employees can I not afford to lose?
• What can I do to keep them?

The game of “musical chairs” has begun as employees begin to jump ship for better employment opportunities.  The aftermath of a recession is employee disengagement.  Unfortunately, your key players won’t tell you they are dissatisfied until they are walking out the door.  As well-performing companies start to cherry pick top talent, it begins a chain of employee turnover events that will affect many companies.

72% of employers restructured or laid off employees since the recession began in 2008.  The effect has been a significant drop in employee commitment and loyalty.  Engagement has dropped 23% among top performers. 

And, in a recent Spherion Staffing Services survey, 45% of US workers indicated their relationship with their boss has been affected by the recession, of which 75% adversely.  

With these staggering statistics, it would be reasonable to assume that someone in your troops may be looking for greener pastures, and it might be long-term key employees. 

Perhaps there is no better time than now to start a proactive sourcing strategy so you are not caught unprepared when a key staff member jumps ship.

When shifting a sales professional to a Sales Manager role, consider it a “job change” more than a “promotion.” The skill set and responsibilities are uniquely different.  And, it is common that new Sales Managers exchange commission upside for a higher base salary, often resulting in less total compensation.

 Here are 4 tips for a successfully transition:

• Use a sales management assessment to evaluate the new manager’s behavior strengths and weaknesses.
• Counsel the new manager on shifting their relationships with former peers and provide steadfast support.
• Provide sales management training and ongoing mentoring through a credible trainer or organization.

Set specific goals and objectives, and establish clear expectations.

In today’s economy, we all have to do more with less. Pressure to perform is intense, which occasionally heightens emotions and stress, especially among managers. There are five distinct signs managers are at risk of failing:

1. Poor interpersonal and communication skills
2. Insufficient leadership skills
3. Resistance to change
4. Inability to deliver expected results or hit deadlines
5. Failure to see outside their functional responsibilities or departments

The good news is that most of these issues are coachable. It is critical to intervene quickly . . . before a manager begins to negativity impact the people they manage.