Harassment investigation, employee surveys and...
sarahdahl@columinate.coop
608-575-2199
Natural foods purveyors often have an ethos to maintain as fair a workplace as possible--but it's important to make a distinction between what's fair and what's equitable. Look at any report on what kills employee motivation and engagement, and you are sure to see something about managers treating employees unfairly. Natural foods purveyors often have an ethos to maintain as fair a workplace as [...]
Look anywhere on the internet and you’ll find all kinds statistics on the high cost of turnover. However, not all turnover is unwanted. Despite your best efforts, sometimes bad hires are made, or performance drops off. But what about those staff you don’t want to see leave for greener pastures? While there is lots of general advice around for how to keep employees happy, [...]
We’ve been in the “new normal” long enough to not call it “new” anymore. Despite pressure from competition and rising minimum and livable wages, co-ops continue to work to be the employer of choice in their communities and to offer great compensation packages. We all know efficiencies are the main way we can afford to stay competitive, but other than just asking staff to do more faster, or increasing accountability, what else can co-ops do?
Early in the movie Argo, Ben Affleck’s character Tony Mendez describes the dangers of rescuing the American hostages. He tells the assembled government decision-makers: You don’t want to be in a position of needing to sneak people out of a hostile country, but if you are, you use a professional.
According to Gallup News State of the Workforce report in 2017, overall only 30% of employees feel engaged at their jobs. This dismal statistic is a strong invitation for employers in all business sectors to consider the type of work culture that might contribute to a sense of disaffection and actively work to change it. Employees who do feel a sense of connection are [...]
Workplace employee engagement is a hot topic. Open any human resources publication and you’ll find countless articles on making work fun, motivational and results-oriented. No matter what the individual strategies are to achieve that, the connection people feel to the business values and whether they feel aligned with them is a big part of fostering engagement in the workplace. While some workplaces may struggle [...]
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GM Retirement Planning Best Practices, or How to Retire Gracefully When a general manager (GM) is planning to retire, (as opposed to leaving the co-op for another job), the specific date of departure is flexible and known well in advance. The outgoing GM's legacy will be affected by how s/he handles the transition. Timing Once you decide to take the leap, let your management [...]
We all spend a lot of time in meetings, but not all meetings are an effective use of our time. Here are nine simple steps to make your meetings more effective and worth the time. Meeting Purpose. Why is this a group meeting? If it’s a standing group meeting, such as a bi-weekly management team meeting, articulate the group’s purpose clearly to [...]
