Читать книгу Making Perfect - Teri Ann Lindeberg - Страница 6

I thought this was a great first question, as it is open-ended and, thus, felt it was more likely to solicit responses that gave a better, overall picture of what the team thought about the company. I also appreciated the term “feel” within the question itself, as I believed that it would trigger more genuine responses – from the heart and soul; more so than terms like “analyze” or “assess”, which are likely to produce colder answers.

OWNERSHIP

“Like my child, built the department from zero”… “I feel a real part of Staffwell, coming in everyday is more than just work to me”… “Very important to me in my life”… “Love the company, been here a long time and enjoy our business – just great!”

Several of our managers and staff felt sincere ownership of the company. They had put time and effort into it, helped build it, loved what was created, what it is today and where we were headed. It felt fantastic as an owner to hear this: that some of our team had such strong admiration and love for the company they worked for and helped build.

Employees want:

• To have built or contributed to building a part of the company;

• To feel they are a genuine part of the company;

• To feel that coming in every day is more than just work to them;

• To feel that the company is a very important part of their lives;

• To enjoy the business the company is engaged in; and

• To love the company they work for.

POSITIVE CHANGE

“Before tough and selfish; now team spirit; share info and help each other; Directors closer to one another.”

For some at Staffwell, elements of positive change came from certain management and staff turnover and the shifting economy. Prior to the global economic crisis that fell upon the majority of Russian industry in late 2008, Staffwell had emerged as a top 3 player on the market in placing mid– to top-level management professionals.

We were growing, busy and successful. When your company expands and moves at a fast pace it can be difficult to please everyone. You hire people fast, at times manage hard and erratically and, on occasion, relax the guidelines for some people and not others. This can result, for some team members with conflicting dispositions, in a more intense and tense atmosphere and, often, a seemingly unfair work environment.

It can be difficult to notice this when you are in midst of it and busy. However, it becomes crystal clear when disruptive members depart, allowing you to step back and notice the differences in people and their character. The departure of some of our management and staff, aided by a slower economy and a shift in work environment, enabled us to evaluate the past and improve the direction for our future.

Employees want:

• To see a change from tough and selfish – to strong and team spirit-oriented;

• To see a change from closed and uncooperative – to sharing information and helping each other for the greater cause; and

• To see a change from stressful, unfriendly internal competition – to healthy, friendly internal competition.

UNDERSTOOD AND ACCEPTED COMPANY DECISIONS

“We were stressed about redundancies but looking back now it is understood why we needed them – now everyone is ready to work and are in a good mood –the team feels good”… “Happy we reacted first – feel we are very strong as a company and very smart”… “Feel positive we will overcome all difficulties – in this company I learned one very important thing – there are no problems we cannot overcome.”

This is the second crisis I had worked through in Russia. The first was the financial crisis of 1998. Recruitment is an industry that gets hit hard in such times and it is typical for revenues to drop by as much as 80%. It is not an easy process to go through and the only way for a company to survive is to cut expenses, of which the biggest is payroll (that is, in effect, people).

For many of the 20– and 30-year olds on our team, this was the first serious economic downturn they had encountered and their initial experience with its related down-sizing. As the owner and CEO of the company, I did my best to communicate to all members of the team what was happening and why, and what our future plans were.

I did this in both verbal and written email form in order to keep everyone in the know as often as possible. I acted fast and kept the best and longest-standing employees with the company, retaining more than 60% of our team – all the while knowing our revenues were due to drop by around 80%.

Employees want:

• To understand why redundancies happen in their company during an economic crisis, or at any time;

• To overcome the stress of redundancies in the company and push forward to new, happy, successful times;

• Fast, strong and smart reactions to external problems; and

• To know and feel that their company is capable of surviving external challenges and has the ability to thrive thereafter.

A GREAT TEAM OF GREAT PEOPLE

“I joined due to the people I interviewed with who were very positive and driving – I love to learn from positive people”… “Highly professional people make Staffwell a highly professional company”… “Friendly people, I missed the people when I left and it is why I came back”… “Highly professional”… “Great Directors”… “Love the people and how they get along and that you can really learn from them”… “The sales team helps me a lot to understand things”… “Very friendly”…” Great communications”… “High talented individuals with great English”

Having great people is the single largest key to the success of any company, especially ours. I was very happy to hear that our employees felt we had a great team. On occasion, we lose an individual here or there but it is always, at any given time, our core team and our combined core strength that keep us moving forward as a top-rate, developing company.

We do look to hire certain types of people, and every year we tend to put more and more emphasis on this. Some of the traits we look for are: significant business experience, sales and customer service-oriented mindset, highly professional, ability to multi-task, hard working, strong communication skills, sharp professional image, and a friendly, positive outlook. We train on the rest.

What makes us different from our competitors? Our team!

Employees want:

• To interview with positive and driven people;

• To work with and learn from positive people;

• To work for a highly professional company, staffed with highly professional people;

• To work with friendly people;

• To have great business development people working for the company;

• To love their team members and have a close, team-spirit environment;

• To be able to learn from their team members;

• To have helpful team members;

• To have team members who are good at communicating with them;

• To work with talented people; and

• To work in a multi-lingual environment with native and proficient English speakers.

TO LIKE THEIR JOB, ROLE AND INDUSTRY

“I love the industry sector I recruit for”… “Flexible, individual work procedures are given”… “I love the recruitment industry the most”… I love that we work for many industry sectors as it gives a lot of well rounded experience”… “It is the first time I am my own boss and can be creative”… “Recruitment is always new and busy”.

It is hard to be successful when you don’t enjoy what you do. I was really happy to discover that most of our team really enjoyed our industry, company and the roles they had.

There is a lot of satisfaction from being in recruitment. It is a “feel good” industry where you feel you are truly needed: the client needs you to find, for them, exactly the type of person they seek, and candidates need assistance in being placed into a new career. When great matches are made, there is nothing like the appreciation received by both the client and candidate for the services you have provided them.

In addition, I feel recruitment is a wonderful industry to work in as projects are inherently dynamic due the fact that clients, client contacts, vacancies and candidates are always changing. It is never dull and there is a lot of independence given in managing one’s time, projects and workload.

Employees want:

• To like the business sector they work in ;

• To like the industry sectors in which the clients work;

• To have flexible, individual work procedures;

• To have variety in their work;

• To be responsible for their own success or failure;

• The opportunity to be creative in their work;

• To have new projects; and

• To be busy.

TO EARN A GOOD LIVING

“It was the first time I had the opportunity to make more than just a base salary –and the bonuses here can be great”… “Very clear plan and compensation plan”… “A team that wants to earn well but also loves their work”… “I am earning money!”

Having a very clear and well-defined compensation plan is important. Employees appreciate knowing exactly what they are going to be earning in base salary and having a well-formulated bonus or commission plan. This allows them to precisely gauge what they need to do in order to achieve their compensation goals. Having a clear plan for employees also promotes fairness within the team and in the company, and makes it easy to calculate due earnings and construct budgets.

Often, when new team members join us, I am surprised to learn that the companies in which they previously worked, within our industry or others, did not provide lucid compensation plans. Their commissions and bonuses were subjective, and more dependent on their relationship with their boss, rather than on their actual performance. Such an approach is extremely dated and only fosters unfairness, negativity and resentment within the workforce.

Employees want:

• The opportunity to make more than a base salary;

• Very clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and targets;

• A very transparent compensation plan;

• To work in a team that wants to earn a great deal, while also enjoying their work; and

• The opportunity to earn a decent living.

GOOD MANAGEMENT

“We have great management who care about the company”…”We give opportunities to the team to realize potential and ideas; independence given”…”Thankful for believing in her”… “Teri and Adam brought great people here – great attributes”… “Diana loves the company and wants us to be the best and the sector team is great”…”Management stick to their word”.

Hiring and retaining great executives and management in your company is extremely important. I have always believed in a strong top-down management structure. If management is good, their leadership will be a big key in the success of the company.

Good executives and management adhere to the corporate vision and directives that are laid out for them. It takes responsible ownership to create these elements, roll them out, and then constantly hold company executives and management to task. When everyone is consistently in synch, from owner to executive, from management to staff, it is much easier to succeed and have a happy, well-coordinated, high producing team.

Employees want:

• Management that care about the company;

• Management that delegate and give opportunities to the team that enables them to grow;

• To be given some independence;

• Management that believe in them;

• Executives that hire great people for the company;

• Management that love the company;

• Management that want the team to work to their highest potential; and

• Management that stick to their words and promises.

ATMOSPHERE

“Friendly, hard working and very democratic compared to others”… “The team has fun at work and desires to work hard and create new services”…” Very structured and great people, great internal relations, and ability”… “Professional, stable, feels taken care of and watched over, not tense, very family–like, very open and honest –all questions are always answered”… “Worked for a huge company before and loves the smaller feel of Staffwell – in huge companies I got lost and my efforts didn’t matter much – I like being able to see and feel my results at Staffwell”… “Very dramatic, polite and friendly”… “Still love having my initial feelings of being inspired and challenged and love that we are a Western company;, love the process of work”… “Flexible, client oriented, we don’t give up in a crisis, positive attitude, survivors, try to keep our team, always creating new services”… “Always developing and moving forward”… “Enjoyable (people, relations, written procedures, and pay as promised: we keep our promises!), not stressful, soft welcome”… “Feel I get along with everyone, not just a few people”… “Do not fear to be a winner as I know everyone will appreciate it and not be threatened or angered by it; I feel free to speak and give ideas and contribute; our hard working team stimulates me to also work hard”.

Having a great atmosphere takes time, work and good people. From the top down, I have consistently let everyone know that they can always come to me with any issue or problem they may have and any exciting news that they wish to share. At times, this also has helped keep management in check and has continually supported the practice of fair play, respect and innovation in the company.

As the owner and CEO of Staffwell, I have always wanted the atmosphere in the company to include many elements: success, fairness, fun, happiness, talent, professionalism, customer service orientation, profit-driven, open-door, hard-working, helpful, respectful, ethical, growth-oriented and continual improvement. What I did not want were aspects such as: selfishness, theft, grumpiness, nay-sayers, procrastination, gossip, hierarchy, favoritism, depression, attitude and aggression. When people join our company I believe that they immediately notice the difference.

Atmosphere really does come down to the people you have in the company and their willingness to carry out and maintain the desired atmosphere. If they also buy into your vision and desire, then you have a high probability of successfully creating that environment for everyone. Having and hiring people that crave the same office atmosphere as you do is the best way to ensure it will be achieved.

Employees want:

• A fun, friendly, hard-working, structured and an equitable work environment;

• To work with great people, with great internal relations and ability;

• A professional, stable, respectful, open-door and honest atmosphere;

• To be known and be noticed (personally and on results);

• The occasional minor drama in the office, as well as entertainment;

• To be inspired and challenged;

• To work in a positive, fair, Western-style environment;

• To like the work processes and procedures in the company;

• To work for client/customer-focused companies;

• To work for companies that don’t give up, that work hard and blossom in the face of any challenges;

• To work for companies that continually work to improve all aspects of their business;

• To be paid as agreed, and for agreements and promises to be kept;

• A welcoming, non-stressful induction when they join the company;

• To work for a company in which everyone gets along well and works well together – not just a few people or divisions here and there;

• To embrace being successful for the Company, not fear it due to others being threatened or angered by it;

• To feel free to speak, expound ideas and contribute; and

• To be stimulated to work hard by working within a diligent team.

REPUTATION

“Good market reputation, good company name, best in management selection: I know a lot of people at other agencies and their rules, procedures and people, and their management do not compare to ours”… “Our team, people and business make me proud –it’s all about our team”… “We were the best and we are now – we have clients who value us a lot, who call when they need us and call only us”…”We differ a lot from other competitors and it is thanks to our management, our trainings, our value of team work which makes us know exactly what our clients and candidates want”… “Great brand”…”Everyone knows Staffwell and Teri, great clients and searches”…”I feel our leadership in the market and that we will be very strong after the crisis as I hear this from lots of candidates and clients”…”Happy to be with a strong brand”… “Proud to work for Staffwell and that all systems are built here”… “All procedures are very professional”…”Great image of this company –gives pride to all”....Proud to work here, proud we are at the top.”

I believe that reputation really is everything to a company. We have always tried to do everything better. I think this commitment to relentless improvement is one of the key reasons we have earned a good reputation within the company and in the market.

Furthermore, we always put the customer first – a directive that comes directly down from me, as this is how I have groomed myself professionally over the years. We do not take a position that is defensive nor ignorant; two elements that are too widespread in the average workplace at times. Instead, we admit our mistakes when we make them, with honesty, and work quickly to rectify and learn from them. I think this has been appreciated and welcomed from our clients and candidates, and by our own employees.

Employees want:

• To work for a company with a good name and a good market reputation;

• To be the best in their industry or be capable of becoming the best;

• To work for companies with superior rules, procedures, people and management, compared to their competitors;

• To be proud of their company, people and teamwork;

• To work for companies where their clients value them, and stay with them, due to the high levels of service and the results they receive;

• To work for a company that has a great brand, has market name recognition and has well-known leadership;

• To work for a company that has great clients with quality assignments, and a positive market outlook;

• To work for innovative companies that employ innovative people;

• Tight professional internal procedures; and

• To feel proud working for their company.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

“I am becoming more professional and learning more about the company and enjoy working in different sectors”… “A great school to learn how to deal with clients and candidates”…“We give a lot of professional development; time management, negotiations, communications.”

The magic ends when you stop learning and developing. We provide a lot of training and on-the-job experience to our employees, and many in our team also self-educate themselves on their own time outside the office. A smarter team is always more likely to bring more depth to their roles and the company and, therefore, be able to bring better results.

I truly believe that the recruitment industry itself is very interesting and multi-faceted. It deals comprehensively with people and “people issues”. Your clients are people, your candidates are people, your employees are people; and as no two people are the same, no two search assignments are the same. Everything is always changing and is always new, challenging, and exciting.

Employees want:

• To reach higher levels of professionalism;

• To learn more about the company they work for;

• To acquire and experience different roles and responsibilities in the company; and

• To improve their skills and abilities in customer service, communications, presentations, negotiations, time management and all other client/customer-related areas.

OFFICE LOCATION AND OFFICE

“I am thankful we are a legal company”… “Great location”… “Democratic, very easy to give ideas, very fast procedures, nothing held up, a very productive company”.

The Company and its office do matter. While there are always ways to cut corners, there are also risks associated with such, and if a company really wants to find a solution, then it will find one. At Staffwell, we do things on the up-and-up; for example, we pay full legal salaries and keep promises according to our compensation plan. This is appreciated by our staff and sets us apart from other competitors and companies.

We are housed in an old office in a historical building that I think is in a great location. Our team members, many of whom are nostalgic, love the office as much as I do. Of course, no office is ever completely perfect, but this one has worked for us as it is within our budget, is centrally located, carries good leasing terms and has an agreeable layout for us. We have tried our best to make it the best it can be.

Employees want:

• To work for a company that fully adheres to the law, especially with regard to their employee contracts and salaries;

• To work in a great location;

• To work in a non-regimented, easy-going office environment, where there are stream-lined procedures, little bureaucracy and it is easy and rewarding for them to express their ideas; and

• To work for a productive company.

NO DISCRIMINATION

“I was formerly a PA [personal assistant] but wanted to be more, but nobody gave me a chance until we met her. Age discrimination is huge in Russia but Staffwell still allowed her through”…”It is the first time she is her own boss and can be creative”.

The recruitment industry in Russia has matured over the years, as have hiring companies and their Human Resource (HR) executives. It is no longer acceptable in the market to be interviewed, or be pitched business-to-business services, by a 20-year old.

Companies and job seekers with prior work experience want to know that the people to whom they are speaking have sufficient business and life experience themselves, so as to understand them and their needs on a more equal level.

At Staffwell, we do not look at age or other discriminatory factors when hiring. We look for work experience, communication skills, language skills, professionalism, good manners, positive attitude, ability, and desire to join us and succeed. Everything else, and in-between, we train and develop on. This has worked for us and is another thing that, I feel, sets us apart from our competitors.

Employees want:

• To be given a chance, on occasion, to succeed by trying a new role or responsibility;

• To not be discriminated against due to age; and

• To be treated fairly.