atkinson advisor

Blogs are the most prevalent part of social media. Technorati, the top blog search engine, counts more than 130 million of them.

For years, companies have had policies governing the proper use of e-mail and the Internet. It’s time to seriously consider adding a corporate blogging/commenting policy.

In short, the policy should require all employees to disclose their company affiliation any time they blog or comment on a blog about issues of interest to the company. For example, an employee at an architecture firm building a new convention center would have to disclose his employer when commenting on a blog about the project’s viability.

The disclosure is important for two reasons. The first is liability. Cisco was recently sued for comments one of its researchers posted on a blog about patents. The company modified its policy in response to the suit.

The second is transparency. Many important debates are taking place in the blogosphere. Companies have every right to participate in those discussions as long as employees disclose their interest. If people discover a lack of transparency, they will be quick to condemn the company in a very public and permanent way.

http://www.acrobat.com

Adobe has been an Internet pioneer for years with its Flash and Acrobat technology. The company is now offering everyone free web conferencing through its ConnectNow application. ConnectNow allows you to share your desktop online with anyone. The invitation can be either an email or URL. The website does require free registration.

The Ritz-Carlton hotel chain is known worldwide for the skills its employees have to anticipate guests’ needs and create memorable experiences. Two simple formulas – one to avoid and one to embrace – can help managers drive and encourage employee innovation.

RAIN = R + A + IN

Resist the idea
Assume why the idea is flawed
Insist the idea won’t work – repeatedly

SUN = S + U + N

Suspend judgment on why the idea might not work
Understand more about the idea (“Tell me more.” or “Why are you so excited?”)
Nurture a thoughtful response and decision

Most great organizations have a set of core values. These are often simple, pithy statements drawn from company tradition.

Nike is no exception to this rule. The following are the company’s 11 maxims.

1. It is our nature to innovate.
2. Nike is a company.
3. Nike is a brand.
4. Simplify and go.
5. The consumer decides.
6. Be a sponge.
7. Evolve immediately.
8. Do the right thing.
9. Master the fundamentals.
10. We are on the offense. Always.
11. Remember the man.

Nike integrates the maxims throughout its internal communications. All new employees receive a book about the maxims during orientation. Its weekly employee email is called The Sponge after Maxim #6. Leaders frequently cite the maxims when discussing company strategy.

Read more about Nike’s 11 Maxims.

Randstad’s 2005 Employee Review found that employee morale has dropped to an all-time low. This is also the first time morale has dropped since the company started tracking job satisfaction in 1999.

Only 55 percent of employers perceived employee morale as “good” to “excellent,” compared to 70 percent in 2004.

Randstad attributed the drop to a combination of factors:

• The survey indicates that while employees value customer service over cost, the opposite can be said for the employers themselves. Also, with the companies pushing to reduce costs, employees often receive low or no raises. This, coupled with longer hours and greater responsibilities from the push for increased efficiency, has resulted in a restless workforce.
• Job security is also stirring up negativity in the workplace. A decade or so of mass layoffs has made employees feel that they will not remain with the same company for the duration of their careers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, among jobs started by workers when they were 33 to 38 years old, 39 percent ended in less than a year, and 70 percent ended in less than five years.
• Loyalty is a compounding factor. North Carolina State University researchers have demonstrated an exceptionally high positive correlation between employee loyalty and the quality of employee performance. Randstad’s survey showed a significant gap between 50 percent of employees who say that they are loyal to their company to only 26 percent who agree that their company is loyal to them.

These challenges speak directly to the relationships between supervisors and the employees they supervise. Employees look to their direct supervisors for leadership, guidance, advice, and information more than any other executive in the company. Companies can make significant improvements in employee morale if they emphasize internal communications that is:

• Candid — honest and timely communication from supervisors
• Constant — an ongoing part of the business dialogue rather than one-time “buttons, balloons, and banners” events
• Consequential — a vital part of every supervisor’s job and performance review

Making changes in leadership? Laying off employees? Closing one of your locations? Increasing the portion your employees pay for health care benefits? Impacting some “sacred cows” with cost cutting?

Tough decisions are an important part of being a CEO. So is communicating those decisions well. Try these six steps to make your communication more effective:

1. Show empathy. Genuine caring and concern will go a long way toward helping people understand your position — and it will help you develop your messages before you begin to communicate. 
2. Above all, be personal, especially with those who are directly impacted by a tough decision. Employees want to get company news from their direct supervisors or managers. That’s more important than ever when communicating negative news. And those who are directly affected should always hear the news before anyone else.
3. Be open, honest, and direct. Sugar coating or “spinning” doesn’t change bad news; it just gives the audience less reason to respect the person delivering it.
4. Provide enough information to help others understand the reason for the decision within legal and privacy constraints. While this won’t change the decision, it can affect the way people react to it.
5. Consider the timing. Timing is everything. Get it all out fast if you have a lot of bad news. Dragging the news out over several communiqués only serves to make people wonder what’s coming next, and next, and next, etc.
6. Be realistic in your expectations. Don’t think that just because you know it’s the right decision everyone else is going to agree. Some people will likely understand the decision and reason for it; some people will never be persuaded. And, remember that some people will need more time than others to digest tough news.