HOW TO DECREASE EMPLOYEE RETENTION & PRODUCTIVITY PROBLEMS

The next time you hear managers complain they can’t recruit or retain good workers, tell them to hire people with disabilities. When supervisors moan about employee absenteeism, low productivity, or lack of creativity, ask them, “Do you hire people with disabilities?”

From entry level to professional positions, workers with disabilities have fewer job changes and absences than their peers without disabilities.

Employee retention is more important than ever. Labor shortages of up to 10 million workers have been forecast.

Are you concerned about safety, liability, or performance of a worker with a disability? You can breathe a sigh of relief. Safety records of workers with disabilities equal or surpass the records of non-disabled workers.

BOTTOM-LINE REASONS TO BE SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE

Improve customer loyalty

Companies who hire people with disabilities gain customer loyalty. Local communities support visible efforts to support citizens with disabilities. Maybe you’ll reach the end of your life without having difficulty seeing, hearing, or remembering, but most of us won’t.

When you hire people with disabilities, local support for your business grows rapidly. Many of your customers have invisible disabilities — arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart trouble, back injuries, etc.

Boost innovation and creativity

Your organization also gains a significant new source of creativity that affects your profit margin. People with disabilities have become master innovators and problem solvers during their interactions with a world that isn’t always user-friendly. People with disabilities will subtly open your eyes to more effective ways to serve all of your customers. Your product line may become more creative.

ARE ACCOMMODATIONS EXPENSIVE?

Are you worried you can’t afford expensive accommodations needed for people with disabilities? Most modifications cost under $500. The majority carry no price tag. It costs nothing to modify a schedule so your new employee can use public transportation. Most business owners can offer flex time at no additional cost.

If sophisticated accommodations are required, financial resources are often available through your state office of vocational rehabilitation.

SUPPORT IS AVAILABLE TO YOU

How to find qualified people

Now that you’re enthusiastic about the benefits you’ll gain and less concerned about potential problems, how can you find qualified people who have disabilities?

If you don’t know where to find local resources, contact the National Business and Disability Council (NBDC) at (516) 465-1519. They have many information services, including the NBDC Yellow Pages. NBDC also provides a National Resume Database so you can identify job applicants with disabilities who have at least two years of college or more or equivalent technical training, verified by an independent source.

Staff training and supervision

NBDC services don’t end with applicant referral. They can help you create a win-win work environment in which all of your staff — including you — feel comfortable and supported. They have the experience you cialis online cyalis need to ensure adequate staff training and accountability.

DO IT FOR YOU

Hire people with disabilities . . . but don’t do it for “them.” Do it because you want to learn more about life from people who have used their challenges to develop their character in ways most of us haven’t yet imagined.

I once directed the American Council on Rural Special Education and co-founded the National Rural Independent Living Network. Because I conducted national research, I was frequently asked to testify to the U.S. Congress. Each time, I struggled to adequately represent a constituency that awed me with their capabilities, no matter what disability label they’d been branded with.

People with disabilities inspire us to achieve our true potential. Christopher Reeve inspired us with his optimism and his determination to make a positive difference in the lives of others. Hire people with disabilities and enjoy more smiles from your employees and customers.

This strategy for joy on the job was identified as part of the “Happiness at Work Factor Studies” that led to the publication of “Joy on the Job.”

Go to http://MoreJoyOnTheJob.com to download free articles so you can boost employee retention and motivation and enjoy more happiness at work. Download free chapters from Dr. Helge’s books and hear “Joy on the Job” podcasts at http://www.JoyOnTheJob.info

Doris Helge, Ph.D. is an executive coach, award-winning speaker, and corporate trainer. She is author of “Joy on the Job,” “Transforming Pain Into Power,” and other books published in many foreign languages.

You may reprint the above article as long as it remains intact and proper attribution is given to Doris Helge, Ph.D. (c) 2008.

Guest Heather Renhard, massage therapist, describes an easy, enjoyable way companies can boost employee morale and loyalty while reducing injuries, disabilities, and worker’s comp costs. Employees and managers enjoy more happiness at work.

Interviewer: Doris Helge, Ph.D., Joy on the Job Radio Show host, http://www.MoreJoyOnTheJob.com

Managers, employees, and team leaders should all take steps to ensure employee well-being during winter months. Curing seasonal affective syndrome (S.A.D.) or other depression and lethargy tied to a lack of natural light and winter cialis generic overnight conditions has many benefits. Studies show that employee motivation and productivity escalate and healthcare costs decrease. Employee retention also increases.

This is clearly a very win-win approach. Organizations and employees benefit.

Employees, if you are in a position at work where you have to solve SAD without support or awareness of management, you have at least four options. One alternative is home treatment. This means using a light box that delivers 10,000 lux at eye level (with your eyes open and unshielded but not directly staring at the light) for 30-60 minutes. An alternative is to purchase a device like Sphere One Daylight 10,000 to take to work. Light visors are also available for employees who cannot sit for 30 minutes straight and still do their jobs. People who use a Dawn Simulator and program the device to come on before they arise in the morning enjoy a gentle awakening somewhat like sleeping outside and viewing a sunrise.

If you have a stationary work area, you can get permission to have full-spectrum bulbs placed above your space. A third option is to plug in a lamp with a full-spectrum bulb. Full-spectrum bulbs are easy to find on the Internet. (I purchased my own lighting the first time I worked in an inadequately-lit work place and noticed negative effects on my productivity and mood.) I was a little uneasy at first, but soon other employees did the same thing and management realized the benefits were worth the minimal expense.

This brings up option four. Arm yourself with data about the productivity and profit advantages of directly addressing SAD. Present facts to management or the occupational health department where you work because you deserve to be happy at work. The references at the bottom of this article will help you prepare your proposal.

Studies show you can also blast winter blahs by using essential oils.

Quality essential oils can produce profound positive effects. Researchers at Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling, West Virginia discovered that specific fragrances can ward off fatigue and reduce anxiety while increasing alertness. Some Japanese companies routinely waft certain scents, such as lemon, through air vents to increase motivation and productivity.

Peppermint and cinnamon enhance mental ability and performance. Peppermint can even mend a bad mood, especially if the emotional state is related to fatigue. Bergamot and rose also lift gloomy spirits.

Cautions:
• Nurturing fragrances are no substitute for deep sleep.
• The results you gain from using essential oils will be related to the quality of the product you use.

Take charge of your own well-being. The side benefits of happiness at work are enormous. Studies show that your productivity, income, and health will be improved. Reports also show that your relationships, both on the joy and at home, will also improve.

In addition to this article, the following will help you get started.

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonal_affective_disorder
* Rosenthal, Norman (1993). Winter Blues, New York: Guilford Press.
* Rosenthal, N. & Blehar, Mary (1989). Seasonal Affective Disorders and Phototherapy. New York: Guilford Press.
* “Seasonal affective disorder,” National Alliance on Mental Illness, reviewed by Michael Terman, Ph.D., Director, Winter Depression Program, New York State Psychiatric Institute at Columbia University Medical Center, New York City, February, 2004.
* Arnot, Robert, M.D., (2000). The Biology of Success. New York: Little, Brown & Co., pp 134-135.
* Barker S. & Raudenbush B., et al., “Improved performance on clerical tasks associated with administration of peppermint odor,” Perceptual Motor Skills, (2003) Dec; 97(3 Pt 1):1007-10.
* Helge, Doris, (2007). Joy on the Job. Bellingham: Shimoda Publishing.

© 2008

Doris Helge, Ph.D. is an executive coach, award-winning speaker, and corporate trainer. She is author of “Joy on the Job,” “Transforming Pain Into Power,” and other books published in many foreign languages. Go to www.MoreJoyOnTheJob.com to download free articles so you boost employee retention and motivation. Download sample chapters from Dr. Helge’s books and hear “Joy on the Job” podcasts that will help you elevate your happiness at work at www.JoyOnTheJob.info

You can reprint the above article as long as it remains intact and proper attribution is given to Doris Helge, Ph.D. (c) 2008.