Last month, we talked about some of the scariest things hiding in your workforce: ghost employees, zombie processes, culture masks, burnout vampires, flight risks and leadership bottlenecks.
This month, one of the best holidays of the year suddenly upon us and no one can tell me that it’s about anything except for the obvious: FOOD. Turkey. Ham. Mashed potatoes. Stuffing. Rolls. The Works.
But November also has a way of making us slow down for a minute and think about what we’re thankful for. And if you own or lead a business, I think there’s another list worth making:
What are you thankful for in your workforce?
Because when you’re busy running a business, it’s easy to focus on what isn’t working. There is always a feeling of an imaginary never-ending list of things that need to be fixed. But sometimes, we need to stop and look at what IS working.
Because your workforce isn’t just a list of problems to solve. It’s also one of the biggest assets your company has. So, as promised in last month’s blog, I’m bringing you Part 2 of our workforce conversation.
First, we’re going to revisit those scary little problems with a quick self-check. Grab your coffee. Maybe grab a leftover piece of Halloween candy while we’re at it. And be honest. How many of these statements sound familiar?
☐ We have positions that have been open far too long, and we’re not sure whether the problem is the candidates, the position or our hiring process.
☐ We have processes that employees continue to follow simply because “that’s how we’ve always done it.”
☐ Our highest performers carry a disproportionate amount of workload.
☐ Employees may not feel completely comfortable telling leadership what’s really happening inside the organization.
☐ Too many decisions still require approval from one or two people.
☐ We have employees whose responsibilities have changed significantly, but their job descriptions, compensation or structure haven’t kept up.
☐ We’ve lost good people and aren’t entirely sure why they left.
If you checked more than a few of the above, it’s time for us to have a little chat. And don’t panic. The goal isn’t to discover that your company has problems because every company does. The goal is to identify them before they become bigger problems.
Now that we’ve finished diagnosing all the scary stuff, it’s easy to keep staring at the problems. Don’t. Your workforce isn’t only made up of things that need fixing, but I’m certain that there are probably some pretty great things happening inside your organization, too.
Here are a few that I think are worth being thankful for.
The Employees Who Always Show Up
You know who they are. They’re dependable and do what they say they’re doing to do. They don’t need someone standing over them every five minutes. They might not be the loudest person in the room, and they may not be the employee who is constantly asking for recognition.
Those employees are easy to take for granted because reliable people make reliability look easy. Don’t. Tell them you appreciate them. And more importantly, make sure your company is giving them a reason to stay.
Because “we’re thankful for you” is nice. “Here’s how we’re going to continue investing in you” is better.
The Employee Who Has Grown With You
Maybe they started five years ago in an entry-level position or perhaps they came in with very little experience. And now they’re one of the people you rely on most. That’s something worth celebrating.
But here’s the catch: If someone has grown significantly while working for your company, has their role grown with them? Does their title still make sense? Does their compensation reflect their responsibilities?
Because sometimes the employee who looks like your biggest success story is also the employee quietly wondering: “What’s next for me?” Don’t wait until their LinkedIn profile changes to have that conversation.
The People Who Tell You The Truth
This one might be my favorite. Every leader needs people around them who are willing to say: “That’s probably not going to work.” Or “We’re losing good employees because of this.”
We know that not everyone likes hearing those things. But good leaders don’t surround themselves with people who agree with everything they say. They surround themselves with people who will tell them the truth before the truth becomes expensive. If you have someone like that on your team, appreciate them because silence can be a very expensive form of agreement.
The Employee Who isn’t a Perfect Fit…Yet
Not every employee walks through your door fully polished. Sometimes people need training, coaching, the right manager. But before deciding someone is truly “not a fit”, ask yourself: Have we actually given them what they need to succeed? Did we give them a chance to improve?
Hiring isn’t just about finding perfect people. It’s about finding the right people and creating an environment where they can actually perform.
The Workforce You Haven’t Met Yet
This one is especially important as we head toward a new year. There are people out there who could become your next great employee. You just haven’t met them yet. Your future workforce isn’t always sitting in your applicant pool. Sometimes you must go find them (or ask our team at TTG to help you find them!)
And that’s where having a strong recruiting strategy, talent network and external recruiting partner can make a difference. Because when you wait until you desperately need someone to start looking, you’re already behind.
Here’s your challenge for November.
Take 30 minutes, step back and ask yourself: “Who are the people I absolutely don’t want to lose? Who has stepped up this year? Which managers are making a real difference? Where have we seen employees grow? What processes are working well?
And then ask one more question:
What can we do now to make sure these things are still true next year?
Because gratitude in the workplace shouldn’t just happen once a year over turkey and pumpkin pie. It should show up in how we lead, communicate, compensate and build teams.
The good news is: You don’t have to wait for a workforce problem to become a crisis. TTG offers a complimentary one-hour HR Audit to help you take a closer look at your organization’s people, processes and potential gaps. We’ll help you identify where things may be working well, where risks may exist and where there may be opportunities to improve.
And if the answer is that you need to hire, restructure, improve a process or strengthen your HR function, we’ll help you determine what comes next.
Because sometimes the biggest workforce problem isn’t the one you know about. It’s the one you haven’t looked for yet. And sometimes, the biggest opportunity is sitting right in front of you.
Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at TTG. And yes, I fully support the belief that Thanksgiving calories don’t count. I have absolutely no data to support this, but I’m certainly here for it.
Visit us at www.ttgway.com to learn more about how we can support your business.
If you’re ready to take the next step, email us at sales@ttgway.com to discuss how we can tailor our solutions to your organization’s needs.