“The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between political parties either – but right through every human heart. ~Alexander Solzhenitsyn

I heard this story over 30 years ago and never forgot it.

A banquet is being held in the neighborhood of heaven, while a similar banquet is being held in the vicinity of hell. Each long table is covered in white damask table clothes. There is an abundance of roasts, casseroles, soups, spreads, a variety of fish, crustaceans, delectable grilled, sautéed, and dressed vegetables with scrumptious international foods and pastries to put a French patisserie to shame.

In each banquet hall, there are 24 seats at the table, 12 on each side so that guests are facing each other. All the guests, both in heaven and in hell, unfortunately have their arms in casts (from their shoulders to their wrists), and positioned in such a way as to have their arms extended out in front of them.

The guests in hell are really miserable. They can reach for the food, but they cannot bend their arms to reach their mouths. They couldn’t be more wretched. They just sit there looking at all the delectable food and starve.

The guests in heaven also have casts on their arms, but they figured out that while they can’t feed themselves, they can feed someone else and that someone else can feed them. They all have a good old time feeding each other enjoying the great abundance of food.

So, the question is, in which one of the above zip codes are you living? Are you a Bedford Falls resident or do you live in Pottersville?

You can find out more about Flo Mauri by visiting her website or blog below:

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If you’re challenged by employee motivation, engagement, or retention problems, this article is a must-read. Traditional employee motivation and recognition programs fail because companies and managers don’t understand Motivation 101.

Humans crave genuine appreciation and recognition. Since we’re all connected to each other, we immediately sense insincerity.

Token gestures backfire with the kick of a clogged exhaust pipe. I was once hired to extinguish a nasty internal combustion caused when managers gave out free Happy Meal Coupons designed for kids to exhausted, angry adult workers who longed for time off with their families.

KEYS TO CRITICAL CONNECTIONS

Prevention

It’s always the best cure. Heartfelt appreciation for good work — especially when a “Thank you” is spontaneous — is extraordinarily effective. Gratitude carries a price tag of zero. Studies show that people who give a sincere compliment also boost their own self-esteem.

Constructive coaching

Many clients say one of their biggest challenges is to minimize employee feelings of rejection during performance reviews. This sad fact prompted us to add a special field test during the National Happiness at Work Studies. After completing the interviews with over 650 employees and managers in 21 diverse organizations, we returned to field test what worked. It’s a relief to share a few of the proven strategies with you right now.

Build a positive feedback loop

This is a key component of every professional development program we implement. We begin with core groups of employees. Humor is an essential tool, whether we use “laughter yoga” or a technique like the one described below.

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As employees of Division 11 entered the training room, they randomly drew an item from a large bucket. Whether the object was a hat, costume, or a work tool, it was labeled with the name of the job it represented.

Employees took turns—often interrupted by chuckles and howls—explaining what they thought they would find most enjoyable and most annoying about someone else’s job.

A survey the next week determined that the exercise had created three important changes. A new understanding had made employees more compassionate regarding individuals they had previously disliked. They were also more aware of other workers’ strengths and challenges. Employees who had previously felt misunderstood and isolated reported they felt more connected to other workers.

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This was only a small piece of a dynamic, systematic training program we designed to enhance employee motivation and decrease employee retention problems. The employee motivation surveys we conducted proved that dramatic progress happened when we designed and asked “Empowering Questions” that made the process fun as well as meaningful.

ALIENATION AND ANGER AT WORK

What’s bad for the bee is bad for the hive. The current epidemic of workplace negativity is evidence that too many workers feel de-valued or alienated.

Anger and anxiety are symptoms of unmet needs, including a hunger for authentic relationships. Let’s face it. We all want to feel that we’re an essential member of a reference group. Centuries ago, as the human brain evolved, its chemical structure guaranteed survival of the species by programming us to crave meaningful connections with other people. We’re also hardwired to feel anxious when we’re rejected or isolated.

In spite of the innate human desire to bond with others, it’s difficult for many individuals to maintain a secure place within a familiar social group in today’s hurried, transient world. The attention of friends and loved ones is constantly drained by competing pressures such as mandatory overtime, shift work, and geographic mobility.

CONNECTIONS CURE

In the National Happiness at Work Studies, employees who felt valued by other people made comments like:

“Work is a safe place. There’s a purpose for the work I do, so my life has more meaning. I don’t have to prod myself to go to work. How do I motivate myself? When an assignment spotlights my talents, there’s no ‘have-to’.”

Human relationships rule just about every facet of our lives. That’s way my team constantly demonstrates real-life examples of how other companies and employees across the world have gained great benefits from healthy connections.

WHAT WORKS

Below are some of our guidelines when we work with clients.

• Structure constructive coaching and positive feedback programs that create intrinsic employee motivation.

• Establish internal job exchange programs that feed job satisfaction.

• Initiate formal company programs in which CEOs and employees give back to the community. (According to research, this increases employee productivity and loyalty.)

• Use play and humor as connectors.

• Initiate peer mentoring programs.

• Ensure confidential, timely behavioral health services.

• Value the truth and seek open communication, even when the content will provoke anxiety. Ensure that employees can speak their minds without fear of negative consequences.

• Use humor and the sharing of positive feelings to facilitate employee bonding.

• Train with the brain in mind. Design professional development programs that compensate for the brain’s natural tendency to allow emotions to trample logic.

Visit http://www.FreeJoyOnTheJobEbooks.com and GET YOUR FREE EBOOKS: “Secrets of Happiness at Work,” “Employee Engagement Made Easy,” and “Get the Respect & Appreciation You Deserve Now.” Doris Helge, Ph.D., is an executive coach & a corporate trainer for companies as large as Microsoft.

© 2008. This article was excerpted with permission from “Joy on the Job” by Doris Helge, Ph.D. Permission to reprint this article is granted if the article is in tact, with proper credit given. All reprints must state, “Reprinted with permission by Doris Helge, Ph.D. Originally published in “Joy on the Job,” see http://www.MoreJoyOnTheJob.com © 2008.

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When the fish in a stream are dying, biologists don’t attempt to solve the problem by yanking the fish out of the stream, throwing them into a clean fish tank for an hour a day, and then pitching them back into their original ecosystem for the rest of the day.

Instead, they search to discover the cause of the problem and identify real solutions. This includes cleaning up pollution, educating people who use the stream, and securing resources to respond to the challenge. True problem solvers use both common sense and good science.

Because they recognize that the well-being of each fish relates to the health of the total community, they do whatever is necessary to restore the condition of the creek so the fish can thrive.

Regarding workplace negativity, a “no sense, no science” approach is often used. It’s similar to a captain swerving a massive ship just a wee bit after he sights the tip of a giant iceberg straight ahead. A humorous speaker is hired to “lighten up” or motivate jaded and anxious employees. Workers who are openly hostile or disruptive are disciplined or referred to anger management and conflict resolution programs.

Today’s epidemic of negativity at work proves that workplace anger and anxiety are often justifiable responses to unjust workplace conditions. Negativity soars when the surface symptoms of a toxic work environment are attacked but the underlying causes of employee dissatisfaction (e.g., unfair policies and procedures, pay inequities, overwork, and inadequate staffing) continue to fester.

Successful managers are aware that the health, happiness, and prosperity of the entire company is inextricably linked to the well-being of each employee. Because they recognize that success is more likely to result when managers demonstrate high concern for employees as well as productivity, they treat every person with dignity and respect while challenging them to reach their full potential.

The following examples portray the effects of two dramatically different approaches.

AN EXAMPLE THAT MADE EMPLOYEES VOTE “NO” WITH THEIR FEET

Ronald Allen, CEO of Delta Airlines, reacted to financial disaster with a brutal downsizing campaign that chopped about one-third of the airline’s workforce. The deep cuts resulted in a startling decline in customer service ratings that had once been the envy of the industry. Allen was also known for humiliating employees, and a survey revealed that his workers were skeptical, frightened, and hostile. Even though Allen’s actions placed the airline in the black again, a massive exodus of talent occurred as employees resigned, and the board chose not to renew Allen’s contract.

WHAT YOU WANT TO DO NOW

On the other hand, when Gerald Grinstein took the helm of an ailing company (Western Airlines), he spent hundreds of hours in cockpits, behind check-in counters, and in the baggage-handling pits. He got to know his employees and genuinely listened to their concerns. His impressive ability to establish rapport became invaluable. He convinced employees to agree to concessions on work rules and to take pay cuts with the promise that they would eventually have a larger stake in a healthy company. His actions catapulted the airlines into a solvent position after only two years. In fact, Grinstein sold Western Airlines to Delta for $860 million.

Grinstein’s successes were repeated when he became CEO of another ailing transportation company. Burlington Northern was saddled with $3 billion of debt. To gain employee approval of cost-cutting plans, Grinstein flew a selected group of maintenance workers, administrative professionals, and train crews from all over the country to dine with him at the company’s headquarters. He also rode the railroad’s routes, working and talking with crews. Because he asked for and genuinely listened to the advice of employees, they felt respected and empowered, and both the company and individuals reached peak performance.

PREVENTION IS THE BEST CURE

Most of the causes and costs of workplace frustration, anger, and anxiety can be prevented. In an ideal workplace, employees are internally motivated and self-regulating because they are hired with care, placed in jobs that serve them as well as the company, and supported with the resources required to accomplish their jobs.

When companies treat employees with dignity and make efforts to empower them, employee self-confidence and performance grow.

The best employee motivation strategy is to correct dysfunctional aspects of corporate culture while simultaneously working with individual employees who are angry or anxious.

Successful companies understand Employee Motivation 101. They nurture their workers while achieving their missions.

Below are the key components of a training plan I use when I work with managers and organizations.

KEY FACTORS FOR OVERCOMING WORKPLACE NEGATIVITY

__ Understand that negativity is a symptom of the unmet needs of employees.
__ Identify the root causes of problems.
__ Create a respectful environment in which each individual is valued.
__ Recognize employee accomplishments and facilitate healthy social interactions.
__ Encourage the constructive expression of negative emotions.
__ Provide a safe work environment.
__ Shed one-size-fits-all routines and work hours.
__ Empower employees with change and stress reduction skills.
__ Create a workplace filled with humor, joy, and fun.

Visit http://www.FreeJoyOnTheJobEbooks.com and GET YOUR FREE EBOOKS: “Secrets of Happiness at Work,” “Employee Engagement Made Easy,” and “Get the Respect & Appreciation You Deserve Now.” Doris Helge, Ph.D., is an executive coach & a corporate trainer for companies as large as Microsoft.

© 2008 This article was excerpted with permission from “Joy on the Job” by Doris Helge, Ph.D. Permission to reprint this article is granted if the article is in tact, with proper credit given. All reprints must state, “Reprinted with permission by Doris Helge, Ph.D. Originally published in “Joy on the Job,” http://www.MoreJoyOnTheJob.com .

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