The Astron Road Show
On Friday, May 16th, we see National Director Michael Maciekowich speaking at the VHHRA meeting tentatively scheduled at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, Vermont. For more details on this meeting, please visit the VHHRA website and check under the Current Meeting Schedule tab. Then on May 21st, we see Director, Client Services, Paul Hart Miller exhibiting at the Tompkins County SHRM conference held at Ithaca College in upstate New York. Be sure to stop by and say hello to the Astron team!
Astronology Mini-Interview
1) What is
your position in Astron Solutions, and how long have
you had this position?
National Director. Since the company was formed on January 22, 1999.
2) What convinced you to do HR
consulting?
In 1983 I was working for the American Hospital Association as their Manger of Compensation. While attending that year's WorldatWork Conference in New Orleans I noticed a job posting for a compensation consultant for a consulting firm that was located in Chicago, IL where I lived at the time. I expressed interest and one thing led to another, and I was hired. My initial interest was the thought of working with many different types of organizations with different issues that needed to be resolved. Over time I came to realize that we in HR consulting have tremendous responsibility in that we are impacting employee lives with our recommendations.
3) What do you do when you are not
consulting?
Home is split between helping raise a 15 year old step daughter, including chauffeur duties, and my hobby of collecting and working on model railroading. I have been working on a garden railroad project in my back yard. I have an LGB set, large scale railroad, from Germany. I am creating a German countryside for the train to travel through.
4) Where is
your favorite place to travel to and why?
To be honest I am still a kid at heart so every flight I take to our 33 client states is an adventure. My favorite thing to do is to get off the interstate, travel the secondary roads, and search for "historical markers."
5) Where do you see Astron Solutions
this day next year?
I see Astron continuing to provide low cost/high quality traditional HR consulting. But I think we will see an explosion of our Talent Management on-line services, which will become a major focus of our business.
How to
Strengthen Your Organizational Communication Practices
 Effective communication is key to motivating employees. Organizations which concentrate on better communications up and down the line will thrive. When companies can communicate effectively, employees feel secure about their jobs, feel part of a team, and feel accepted which helps them move on to really focus on their jobs. When communication is lacking and employees are unmotivated, it will stifle the flow of insights, new ideas, and new views on the change. Employers should recognize the six motivating factors below and keep in mind that employee motivation is an ongoing strategy not just a one step process.
1. Have A Mission Many companies create a “mission statement” which inevitably fails to make an impact. These mission statements fail because companies do not communicate them enough to the employees. Address 1) why your organization exists, 2) what it wants to achieve, 3) what it expects of employees, and 4) what you will offer to customers. People (and your employees) will respond better to a clear, compelling mission. Furthermore, a clear focus will align employees and create a corresponding organizational culture.
2. Know your people
Many people assume if they know what motivates them as an employee, then they know what motivates their subordinates. That is a total misconception. Everyone is motivated by different factors. That is why it is really important to observe your employees and make employee motivation an ongoing strategy. If you are still not sure what motivates your employees, just ask!
3. Get Real
The most successful human resource departments have genuine concern for their employees. This means that human resource programs should be developed with the employee in mind, not just the organizational strategies. Developing human resource programs which motivate employees should not seem too over the top or manipulative in the sense of getting something out of employees. If a program seems to only be in place to get something from employees, they won’t buy it for a second. While these motivational approaches work temporarily, companies should stick to using the basic organizational principles. These include listening to employees, satisfying their needs, fair treatment, compensation based on performance, and positive reinforcement to motivate them. Listening encourages employee acceptance and backing. Studies also suggest that a powerful motivator for employees is recognition. Any type of personalized recognition from managers will positively reinforce employees. Basically, managers can create a positive atmosphere for their department but how they treat their employees is what truly matters.
4. Expect the Best
People tend to live up to expectations. Always expect the best from your employees and try to challenge them once in a while! Employees that know they are accountable for their assignments will work harder. Give them instructions of how you see their work and do not beat around the bush. If you say you want the best, they will do whatever they can in reasonable limits to provide it. Managers whose expectations are lower will receive the bare minimum.
5. Cut Out Fear
The most successful companies allow for upward feedback. Many employees have a fear of opposing managers and of giving (and receiving) constructive criticism. American culture today predicates employees need to be liked which in turn makes communication less direct than what it should be in fear of giving their honest options. Employees also need to feel free to express any concerns or conflicts they are having without turning it into an even greater issue. Another thing to consider is more informal communications; formal roundtables can sometimes create resistant and scrutiny within an organization if the culture does not fully align with direct feedback communications. When you can provide managers with useful observations about what their employees have said they can get a picture of what needs to improve and where they shine. Because managers are so busy in the completion of work tasks, they can sometimes overlook how they are being perceived by their employees and how their communication style is. When you can give a manager honest feedback about how they are being perceived and what their role expectations should be, you will eventually be seen as a trusted advisor and welcome managers to actively seek feedback. Make sure your work environment encourages direct, open, and honest feedback, up and down the organizational structure without having consequences. And know how to channel and address information once you receive it! This will keep things on track.
6. Provide Development
Once you have provided your managers and employees with feedback about what needs to be improved, you must provide the resources for them to learn. Companies should provide opportunities for coaching and educational learning for employees at all levels such as seminars, conferences, and communication exercises. Make some of these opportunities mandatory, your employees will thank you later when they are able to help themselves instead of asking others. Ultimately, employee motivation is about being able to build relationships and know how to maintain them. Once companies are able to satisfy employees basic needs they can begin to really focus on helping an employee self-actualize to their fullest potential. That being said, give employees a flexible work atmosphere where they can find out what they are truly good at and what they enjoy. No one said that work had to be a chore, having at environment in which motivation flourishes will give employees a common passion about their work.
Influencing Up
Communication at work - getting behind the poker face
Lasting Motivation: Avoid the Formulas ... Embrace the Principles! -- Motivation means creating an environment in which the motivation already resident in each person can flourish.
Influencing Up
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Coming next time in Astronology
Our next issue will be monumental!
 The Astron Road Show
Doin’ Good in the Neighborhood
Want to Keep Up? Step Up Your Diversity Efforts
Have a Question?
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Looking for a top-notch presenter for your human resource organization's meeting? Both Jennifer Loftus and Michael Maciekowich present highly-rated sessions on a variety of compensation and employee retention issues. For more information, send an e-mail to info@astronsolutions.com.
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