Have You Fixed the Broken Window?

Left alone it doesn't take long for a building with a single broken window to rapidly become a building with many broken windows. Fixing problems when they are small will prevent them from developing into larger problems.

The same is true when considering the level of employee satisfaction Dissatisfaction spreads like wildfire and in a surprisingly short period of time you've got morale problems of the kind that are notoriously hard to fix.

Ensuring your employees are happy is mostly about being tuned into what their problems are and, importantly, dealing with them early on. Keeping the initiative is really important and the secret is that it is better to give a little and often.

This turns out be a virtuous circle. Fixing the problem when it's small is also when it's easiest and when it's cheapest. And taking the initiative without being prompted puts the manager in a position of strength, which also suits the employees. Staff like strong, confident management and this approach generates respect not least because someone has taken the time to understand some of the employees' issues.

Compare that with managers who are out of touch. They arrive late at a problem so they are on the defensive, and with their credibility eroded they have to concede to demands which in turn leads to further and less reasonable demands. It's not big and it's not clever.

The issue, then, is how to go about monitoring the morale of a company without a big budget and without much spare time?

The first port of call should be an online survey. They're quick, easy to use, and a low cost solution. Surveys can be created in minutes and deployed in seconds, with the results compiled in real time; and by using email and websites they cost nothing to disseminate.

A corporate internet is the ideal delivery mechanism. By linking through to an online survey website such as http://www.surveygalaxy.com a company can regularly conduct surveys so they become part and parcel of the daily operations.

With an online survey's ability to produce results in real-time the mood of the employees can rapidly be gauged and concerns highlighted both on a collective and individual level.

Using the survey results companies can quickly identify problem areas and follow-up surveys can be used to target specific concerns. With good information managers are able to get to the root of specific problems and prepare a considered response.

A major advantage of regular surveys is that it allows a company to address small problems in a timely manner avoiding 'the straw that broke the camels back' syndrome where a relatively insignificant incident unleashes a torrent of pent up concerns.

And don't forget that the majority of employees appreciate being consulted so asking their opinion is not a sign of weakness but an indicator of good decision making.

It's unusual to find, but there it is ? sometimes management problems can be solved with something that is quick, easy and won't break the bank.

Martin Day is a Director of Survey Galaxy Ltd a web site that allows anyone to create, design and publish online surveys. For more information please visit http://www.surveygalaxy.com

---

Google News Updated : Sun, 20 Jul 2008 18:47:06 GMT Harrington wins 2nd straight British Open - The Associated Press Harrington wins 2nd straight British Open The Associated Press - 55 minutes ago SOUTHPORT, England (AP) - Padraig Harrington has won his second straight British Open, overtaking 53-year-old Greg Norman and fending off Ian Poulter. Video: Greg Norman Leads British Open After 3 Rounds AssociatedPress Harrington wins British Open, Norman ties for third MLive.com Bloomberg - The Canadian Press - Contra Costa Times - Sports Network all 3,987 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 20 Jul 2008 17:51:07 GMT NYC chain restaurants posting calories on menus - Reuters Canada.com NYC chain restaurants posting calories on menus Reuters - 12 hours ago By Edith Honan NEW YORK (Reuters) - A new rule requiring New York chain restaurants to post calorie information on their menus took effect on Friday, marking a first for a US city. Video: NYC Restaurant Chains Post Calorie Info AssociatedPress Restaurants That Lack Calorie Counts Now Face Fines New York Times eFluxMedia - The Associated Press - WZZM - RedOrbit all 457 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 20 Jul 2008 06:18:27 GMT Give Hamm a hand, he's going to Beijing - The Associated Press Los Angeles Times Give Hamm a hand, he's going to Beijing The Associated Press - 9 hours ago COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - Give Paul Hamm a hand. And a plane ticket to Beijing. The Olympic champion will get to defend his title in China thanks to a performance Saturday that ended any doubt about whether his broken right hand has healed. Paul Hamm remains part of US men's gymnastics team Los Angeles Times Hand Healed, Gymnast Hamm Headed to China Washington Post New York Times - Denver Post all 500 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 20 Jul 2008 08:50:45 GMT The Search For Elusive Holy Grail Of HIV Vaccine .....Continues - RTT News Ontario Now The Search For Elusive Holy Grail Of HIV Vaccine .....Continues RTT News - 3 hours ago (RTTNews) - The quarter-century-long quest for the Holy Grail of HIV vaccine has suffered yet another major setback. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases or NIAID , a part of the National Institutes of Health or NIH on Thursday ... Plans for Human Trial of HIV Vaccine Canceled New York Times US Scraps Plan to Test AIDS Vaccine Wall Street Journal San Francisco Chronicle - TIME - International Herald Tribune - RedOrbit all 248 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 20 Jul 2008 15:20:03 GMT Salmon and steelhead are threatened by California's water system ... - Los Angeles Times eFluxMedia Salmon and steelhead are threatened by California's water system ... Los Angeles Times - 13 hours ago Check out Times staff writer Eric Bailey's story today on another late-Friday decision by a federal judge. US District Judge Oliver W. Wanger of Fresno said in a 118-page opinion that the "Central Valley's winter- and spring-run salmon, as well as the ... Judge Acknowledges Threat to California's Salmon and Steelhead eFluxMedia Salmon threatened with extinction, judge says San Jose Mercury News United Press International - San Francisco Chronicle - The Associated Press - Belleville News Democrat all 161 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 20 Jul 2008 05:30:35 GMT Batman’s ‘Dark Night’ Sets Weekend Record - New York Times Batman’s ‘Dark Night’ Sets Weekend Record New York Times - 1 hour ago By MICHAEL CIEPLY LOS ANGELES - Fevered fans pushed “The Dark Knight,” the sixth in Warner Brothers’ series of “Batman” movies, to record three-day ticket sales of $155.3 million over the weekend, shoring up what so far had been a wobbly year at the ... Batman beats up Spider-Man at box office Reuters 'Dark Knight' topples Spidey for biggest film opening USA Today The Associated Press - E! Online - BBC News - MarketWatch all 1,072 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 20 Jul 2008 17:27:06 GMT As 'Mamma Mia' movie opens, fans cross age groups - New York Daily News Washington Post As 'Mamma Mia' movie opens, fans cross age groups New York Daily News - 10 hours ago BY GINA SALAMONE 'The only reason I go into the Guy and Gallard right by my office is because they play ABBA all the time,' says Justyna Zajac, 25. 'Mamma Mia!': Gotta Love It, Like It or Not Washington Post 'Mamma Mia' Los Angeles Times CBS News - San Francisco Chronicle - MTV.com - Allentown Morning Call all 579 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 20 Jul 2008 08:13:43 GMT RSS Parser Increase Online Traffic

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

Successful Managing Through Delegation

Managers should avoid the tendency to constantly delegate to the... Read More

My Companys Leadership Sucks!

Maybe it's the season or just a more buoyant job... Read More

How To Get What You Really Want

As a small business owner, entrepreneur or independent professional, it's... Read More

How To Prevent Your New Manager From Becoming A Statistic

According to a study by the Manchester Group, 4 out... Read More

How to Find the Right Virtual Assistant for You

If you search on Google for "virtual assistant", you'll find... Read More

Telephone Techniques: Boost Your Productivity With Effective Phoning

One of the things that most impacts people's productivity is... Read More

Innovation Management ? Diversity Can Make All The Difference

Companies are welcoming a diverse range of employees (The Sunday... Read More

Six Sigma Training 101 ? Better Management Basics

What is Six Sigma?Six Sigma is a quality management program... Read More

Pitching to Employees

The senior flight attendant on the WestJet flight was starting... Read More

Understand What Flows Through Your Business to Find Improvement

I remember once seeing a cartoon which showed two people... Read More

How to Help Your Company Become a World Class Company

Most people think real change in an organization occurs as... Read More

Why Training Fails

Sometimes when I conduct my workshop on Effective Meetings, one... Read More

The Gift of Gratitude

Gratitude might seem like a soft or even an obvious... Read More

Building Shareholder Value Through Your People

Increasing shareholder value is the most important driver for organisations... Read More

Project Managment: Land the Plane Stop Doing and Start Succeeding

We all spend time on planning vacations. If it's not... Read More

Whatever it Takes!

I have a sign on my office door. It pretty... Read More

Paretos Law- Your Formula For Success

A 'dirt-world' retail business I used to manage had a... Read More

Balance Your Managerial Life

We have only one life, but we live in three... Read More

The Inferno of the Finance Director

Sometimes, I harbour a suspicion that Dante was a Financial... Read More

Twitch Speed: Reaching Younger Workers Who Think Differently

Every parent, educator, and manager knows that "Nintendo children"--those born... Read More

Effective Meetings: Why Most Meetings are a Waste of Time

Whether your company holds one meeting a week or dozens... Read More

Accountability Equals Meeting Success

Leslie was the new manager of the group. She was... Read More

One Crazy Cookie

In order to survive, you have to be happier than... Read More

What Makes a Good Appraisal Interview?

WHAT MAKES A GOOD APPRAISAL INTERVIEW?Here is a tip for... Read More

Action Learning: Its More Than OJT

For centuries companies have used on-the-job training (OJT). OJT works... Read More