Do Your Employees Trust You?

5 Steps to Earn Your Employees Trust and Respect

Most managers would say their employees trust and respect them, but the question becomes is that reality? Managers are at a disadvantage when trying to answer this question. Only they know the intentions behind various actions. Meanwhile, their employees must judge a manager by how they perceive the managers behavior and style.

So how can a manager show employees their good intentions to earn their trust? There are five things even good manager must do:

1) Managers Must Have Consistent Follow Through. Employees want to know what to expect from their boss in different situations. When a manager is inconsistent in reactions, employees feel the need to be constantly protecting themselves in playing defense. This may sound like an easy concept, but can take an enormous amount of discipline for some managers.

2) Communicate Through Clear and Open Lines. Employees do not like when they feel a boss is keeping important information from them. In fact, this can demoralize some employees and leads them into a state of permanent second guessing. Your employees do not want to feel like you are spinning a message in order to make yourself and/or the company look better.

3) Even Managers Need Work. Never think that there is nothing you need to learn and/or improve because there is. Employees who see their managers trying to improve their skills will be more likely to improve theirs.

4) Your Values Should Not Be Shaded In Gray. Managers must make their values and priorities as clear as possible so employees have a guideline. Also, you need to consistently state your values.

5) Support Your Team When Necessary. Employees do not trust managers who routinely ‘throw them under the bus’ when it becomes inconvenient for them. Stand up for your staff in defense whenever possible. Few things will garner the amount of trust and respect of a manager as when they support their staff through the difficult times.

Being a trustworthy manager is one of the first steps in creating an engaged and productive workforce for your company. It all starts with your leadership!

Lowden & Associates, Inc. Certified as a Woman Business Enterprise

Lowden & Associates, Inc. has been certified as a business owned and controlled by a woman by the National Woman Business Owners Corporation (NWBOC), the first national certifier of Woman Business Enterprises. Over 700 public and private sector individuals participated in establishing the Standards and Procedures of this rigid certification review. The goal of the certification program is to streamline the certification process and increase the ability of women business owners to compete for contracts at a national level.

“Certification provides a marketing opportunity for women business enterprises to participate in outreach programs,” says Sheila Lowden Dramis, Owner and CEO of Lowden & Associates, Inc. “In addition, this program will enable us to develop relationships with larger companies and create opportunities for future partnerships with them and public and private companies.”

“NWBOC seeks to increase the ability of women business owners to compete for corporate and government contracts,” says Janet Harris-Lange, President of NWBOC. “At the same time, NWBOC also hopes to decrease the number of front operations participating in corporate and government outreach programs.”

NWBOC, a national 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation, was created in response to needs identified by the Procurement Special Interest Group of the National Association of Women Business Owners. The study revealed that the public and private sector had not received nor recognized the benefits of contracting with women suppliers. This has prevented purchasers from obtaining the best value in their procurement and it has limited women business owners from penetrating these markets, which has stymied their growth. NWBOC seeks to provide more corporations with the opportunity to better their procurement practices and to women suppliers the opportunity to compete.

Lowden & Associates, Inc. (LAI) is a full service human resource outsourcing and consulting firm that helps companies reclaim time, save money and stay compliant with government regulations. LAI is headquartered in Norcross, Georgia, established in 1998. It has a strong commitment to personalized customer service and a portfolio of services that cover the four major areas of employee management: compliance, benefits, worker’s compensation and payroll. The website is www.laihr.com and phone number is 770-248-0401.

Compliance Changes and Effectiveness

Employers are faced with many "to-do" list items each and every day making it almost impossible without support to know all the laws needed to be accomplished. Something usually gets pushed to the back burner in the process. Don't let the compliance side of your business slip through the cracks because it can cost you dearly in the long run.

Below is a list of upcoming effective dates on new laws, posters, regulations, etc.

Effective Date....New Regulation/Poster/etc (Category)
4/3/2012..........GINA Record Keeping Rule (Employee Relations)
4/3/2012..........Union Election Rule (Labor Relations)
4/30/2012.........Employee Rights Poster (Employee Relations)
7/1 & 8/30/2012...Fee Disclosure Final Rule/Deadlines (Benefits)
9/23/2012.........Summary of Benefits/Coverage Final Rule (Benefits)

For more information on any of the aforementioned, contact Todd Weyandt at todd@laihr.com or 770.248.0401.

FREE Webinar on Managing Risks

The risk level that is being piled on small business is constantly increasing with each passing year! With more and more federal and state regulations being passed down all the time, how is your company dealing with the ever looming threats of penalties, fines and lawsuits?

Join Lowden & Associates, Inc. for a FREE webinar on how to manage the risks small businesses are being forced to take.

Featured Highlights:
- Compliance Overview with Damages and Penalties
- The Do’s and Don’ts of Policies and Procedures
- Quality Interview and Selection Process
- How to Handle Employee Problems, Harassment, Discipline and Terminations
- Importance of Training and Education
- Advantages of an Outsourced Solution

Tuesday, March 27, 2012
11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

OR
Thursday, March 29, 2012
1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

RESERVE YOUR FREE SPACE TODAY!
Contact Todd Weyandt
todd@laihr.com
770.248.0401 ext. 20

Georgia Garnishment Rule Changed Again

Last year we released a legislative update in October saying the Georgia Supreme Court had ruled only lawyers could sign garnishment pleadings that were filed in the state court.

Due to an overwhelming backlash in the business community, the Georgia Legislature has overturned this rule. Governor Nathan Deal signed the legislation this month to allow an “authorized officer or employee” of an entity to sign and file a garnishment answer.

If you have any questions, please contact Todd Weyandt at todd@laihr.com or 770.248.0401 ext. 20.

Five Steps to Becoming a Better Manager

Being a better manager does not require a complex system. It just requires being willing to put in some extra effort to have more loyal and productive employees. There are five quick and easy steps you can take to start on the road to becoming a better manager today…

1) Know Your Employees. Managers need to take some time to get to know their employees including who they are as people. Knowing basic information about an employee such as their spouse’s name, children’s names, outside interests, etc. make an employee feel more valued as a person instead of merely just a worker. Also, make sure to keep an open door policy so employees can feel free to address any issue they might have with you.

2) Always Treat Your Employees with Respect. The ‘golden rule’ is not just something to teach kids. It is an important piece of a cohesive workplace. Nobody wants to be embarrassed, bullied, demeaned, etc. by their boss and very few employees respond well to this type of style. It is also important to say thank you and recognize an employee for a job well done.

3) Ask for Help and Admit Mistakes. All too often managers are afraid to admit they do not know something or did not handle a situation the best they could have. Why? It is impossible for anybody to know everything. So, people will make a mistake from time to time. Managers who know their limitations and admit mistakes are often times more respected by their employees than those that do not.

4) Follow and Enforce the Rules. Managers need to set expectations up front and be consistent and fair to all employees no matter their rank, this includes you too.

5) Think Twice About Emails and Text Messages. There are some things that are more effective when said in person and not through the written word. Many things can be misinterpreted and taken out of context reading an email or text message, so be careful.

Step on the road to becoming a better manager by putting these five simple steps into practice and watch as your employees become more productive, engaged and loyal.

The Value of Strategic Thinking

5 Steps to Help Your Company Start Thinking More Strategically to Be Ready for Challenges and Opportunities

The value of strategic thinking in today’s corporate environment is of critical importance. In order to stay in the game, companies and employees must constantly be thinking ahead by identifying trends and questioning assumptions of the status quo. Yet, too many managers and employees viewstrategic thinking as more of a foreign concept.

In fact, without a corporate culture that highly encourages thinking about the “what” of a situation before the “how”, companies will be constantly fighting an uphill battle. Instead, companies must shift to a strategic thinking model allowing them to be ready for the unexpected and adapt more easily when difficult circumstances arise. When it comes to strategic thinking, you either use it or you lose it!

There are 5 ways to help you start thinking more strategically today…
1) Before you start trying to figure out how to accomplish your goal, decide what first needs to be done to meet your objective. When people try to think of the “how” first, often times they get pulled into a discussion of the past or current and future obstacles.

2) Always keep track of the overall picture. This will enable strategic thinking to become more automatic.

3) Stay up-to-date on current trends in your industry. Knowing what best practices are outside of your company will help you better handle internal issues.

4) Maintain a focus on the future. Think about future challenges and opportunities so you are well prepared.

5) When in a group environment, ask leading questions that will help to test conventional thinking. This will help enhance your decision making quality.

The more people are around strategic thinking the more natural the skill will become. Once strategic thinking takes root in your corporate culture, your company will be better able and more prepared to successfully handle challenges and opportunities. For more information, contact Todd Weyandt at todd@laihr.com or 770.248.0401 ext. 20.