Wellness has become a business imperative. Premiums for employer-based private health insurance plans have climbed 120 percent over the past decade and averaged $12,700 in 2008 for a family of four. — Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. And, according to the USDA, healthier diets could prevent at least $71 billion per year in medical costs, lost productivity, and lost lives. Obesity alone is estimated to cost $117 billion. — Center for Science in the Public Interest

Implementing sporadic wellness events, classes or ‘get heathy’ campaigns can be helpful,  but do they miss the mark? Without individual ownership and responsibility, wellness initiatives don’t have the kind of impact they should. If I am not willing to take 100% responsibility for my health and wellbeing then no class, poster, activity or other wellness offering would be meaningful. Oh, it might be entertaining and interesting – I might even learn something new. Knowledge is the booby prize — companies need their employees to change their perceptions about health and wellbeing, establish new beliefs that create compelling desire  take sustained action to increase energy and effectiveness, every day.

What are you doing to establish ownership and accountability for health and wellbeing in your company?

Taking care of employees goes beyond paying for sickness. Look where it got us. Forward-thinking companies want to pay for wellness because we know no company is going to be successful going forward in this competitive world without healthy and productive people.

Traditionally workplace wellness has focused on controlling cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes and minimizing cardiovascular risk. Weight watcher groups, walking challenges and flu shots are all smart ideas. But, wellness has evolved beyond that – it’s vitality and energy. Wellness has changed from a freedom-from-risk factor to energy.

The most effective way to drive energy, health and productivity is to instill the expectation  into the business plan and integrate it into the culture. Imagine if, every day, in every way, you expected and promoted energy?

We all know that when people are healthy and feel good about themselves they are naturally more engaged and more productive. In  The Wellness Imperative: Creating More Effective Organizations, a survey conducted by Right Management, it was found that, when employers actively promote health and well being, employees are 8 times more likely to be engaged in their work.

Are your employees expected to be vital and energetic every day?

It’s true that the fear of losing a job and a paycheck creates momentum for a while, but today’s savvy employees are less inclined to respond to top-down, autocratic, “do as I say or else you’re out of here” management.

Perhaps the best leverage we have with employees, is their “why.” Their “why” is the reason they chose to work for you, chose this job, and choose to get out of bed everyday and give their all. It’s their purpose, their cause, the reason they  want to contribute, go the extra mile and do what’s needed to meet their goals.

It’s the “why” that connects people to the vision of your organization and gives them energy to keep on keeping on. When you reconnect people to their “why”, you realign them with their passion and create new possibilities for them, removing roadblocks, resignation and even cynicism.

I confess, that after 20 years of leadership development, I have arrived (finally) at a profound respect and appreciation for the complexity of leadership. Inspiring and engaging people to be their best calls for a level of mastery and artistry – an ability and willingness to support people in achieving THEIR dreams and goals (not yours) and the generosity and compassion to keep recalibrating them with their “why.”

What’s your “why”? Do you know the “why” that fuels and drives your employees?

If you grew up in the 60′s and 70′s like me, you might remember the kid’s game “Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?” It was a favorite.  As we sat in a circle clapping in unison, each one of us would insist we didn’t steal the cookie, pointing at our neighbor as the ‘culprit.’ Eventually someone would hesitate, giggle or look suspicious and he or she would be ‘found out’ much to the delight of us all.

Looking back, the game was symbolic of a culture  in which it was expected that whomever did something wrong would hide until found out, all the while looking for someone else to take the blame. Sound familiar? In today’s workplace we often see similar behaviors. Not because people are bad or stupid – because the environment doesn’t always support truth-telling and risk-taking.

Think about it. The last time someone in your company blew the whistle, or raised their hand in acknowledgement of a mistake they made, how was he or she treated? Many times, not very well. When we see someone being slapped on the hand for stepping up and telling the truth, it naturally causes a fear and uncertainty, reinforcing why it might be safer and wiser to not admit we ‘stole the cookie.’

The question then is, how do we create a trust and openness so that when people make a mistake or notice something is wrong, they speak up, rather than ‘sweep it under the carpet’ and hope someone else will do something about it?

At Cobham Sensor Systems, one of my favorite clients, there is a drive toward transparency. In fact, one of the key focus areas for 2010 is ‘full disclosure’. A bold move in a workplace, not unlike most others, where ‘sounding the alarm’ has not always been a career advancing move. In the past few years Cobham’s leadership has implemented several initiatives to drive transparency, including posting each departments key performance indicators on TV screens throughout the facility so that at a glance every one can see if that department has met it’s monthly, weekly and daily goals. There’s no hiding.

I remember Eli, a senior leader at a major company, once telling me that accountability was never an issue in his team. He just forced them to be accountable and if they weren’t, he hunted down the ‘thief,’ admonished, humiliated and made him or her look very stupid. This is certainly one approach – obviously not a method that inspires trust and loyalty.

How do you create an environment of accountability in your organization?

Grab their attention in the first 30 seconds, or you risk losing them. If a candidate has to search for your career link and then is greeted with the typical bla, bla, bla you find on most sites, you can pretty much count on losing them right out the gate.

Consider your career webpage to be your company’s calling card. It’s the first impression prospective candidates have your company, and the basis on which they make an initial decision whether your company is a good choice.

Today’s savvy workers are your new consumers and they expect to be sold. They want to know why your company is a good choice for them and what they will gain from working for you. Rather than focus on the functional benefits of the job like medical insurance, 401k and other standard offerings, you have to appeal to candidates on an emotional level.

Stories are sticky. Information about job responsibilities, salaries and benefits aren’t. Best way to appeal to candidates? Share real stories from real employees about why they love working for your company. Do you have an ongoing need for engineers? Feature some of your most successful engineers sharing their personal success stories. Better yet, use well produced video. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then video of your superstar employees sharing their heartfelt stories will be your most powerful recruitment tool.

Video combined with a crisp employment branding platform helped Veridiam increase career webpage hits by 28%, decrease fill time by 24% and attract highly specialized engineering and technical talent. Watch the short demo about how they did it.

Lastly, if your career webpages features stock images of nice looking people smiling and waving? Do us all a favor – nix them right away! Replace them with photos of real employees or select a strong image that captures the essence of your company’s corporate brand that prospective candidates can relate to.

If you are one of those companies that are concerned about attracting and retaining top talent, it’s time to look for ways to communicate a compelling story about why your company is a desirable place to work so that when job seekers are looking, they think of you. Stand out from the crowd!

In the ‘thick of things’ employees have a tendency to settle into the day-to-day routine – ‘banging around’ trying to get their tasks completed. Sometimes you might even notice a light glaze of cynicism and resignation settle over the eyes. You know that look – the look of “I am here” but I am not fully present or devoted. Do you recognize that look?

Funny, in the workplace, it’s not ‘politically correct’ to call people out on the ‘glaze.’ It’s a rare leader who has the courage to have the tough conversation with an employee about their ‘state.’ And yet, if we were authentic and willing to ask, “Why are you feeling resigned and cynical?”  we would create something very powerful – the opportunity to re-engage people in bringing out their best.

One of my favorite quotes from Benjamin Zander, author of “The Art of Possibility,” is as follows: “As leaders we are the relentless architects of the possibility that people can be.”  To call people forward and inspire them to bring out the very best in themselves every day, we have to “hold their gold.”

We all have the experience at times of becoming ‘unconscious’ at work – we check out, coast or even disengage for one reason or another. In this ‘unconscious’ state we forget what we are capable of, we give up on our dreams, and our passion dissipates – even disappears. In a competitive marketplace, it’s this very passion and commitment to realizing more of our potential and tapping into more of our skills, talents and creativity, that makes companies successful.

As managers and leaders, when we ‘hold people’s gold’ we relate to them from the point of view of their unseen potential. We are relentless in our expectation and request that they bring more of themselves to work everyday. We are unwilling to tolerate ‘status quo’ and have ‘fierce’ yet kind conversations with anyone who is ‘coasting’ or ‘checking out.’ We do this because we are devoted to their success, and know that the greatest fulfillment and satisfaction comes from fully expressing ourselves and contributing at the highest level.

What if every managers and leaders’ goal was that his or her employees went to sleep every night feeling proud of themselves and inspired by themselves because they had ‘stepped up’ and added value in ways they had not dreamt possible?

What would it take to bring out more of the best in your employees?

Whereas employee satisfaction has always been a valuable measure, employee engagement is the new paradigm. Consider that a ‘satisfied’ employee is not necessarily an ‘engaged’ employee, nor a highly productive employee. In today’s highly competitive workplace, it might be that the employee satisfaction model is ‘bankrupt.’ (ouch!)

Because employee engagement is so dynamic and fluctuates frequently it must be carefully, and frequently monitored. We all know that engagement is one or lost on day one and every day thereafter. The good news is that disengagement can be intercepted, and salvaged if it’s identified and addressed quickly.

In order to manage engagement, you have to ask the question, “how engaged are you?” And, you have to ask it often. Then, you have to take visible action to address engagement ‘busters’ quickly.

In a nationwide employee engagement challenge, where companies monitored engagement every month for six months using the Engagement Index, some very interesting trends emerged. First, we noticed engagement is volatile, and second, that when employees are asked to rate their level of engagement regularly, it generates a rich and important dialogue about what engagement is, why it’s important and what can be done about it.

Scott Mesh, PhD and CEO of Los Ninos, a New York based social service organization and Best Place to Work award winner, speaks candidly of the benefits of ‘keeping his finger on the pulse’ of employee engagement. He openly admits he was fascinated by the monthly shifts in engagement amongst his employees, and, in some cases, surprised and even shocked at the reasons they offered about what was affecting their level of energy at work.

When you ask employees, “how engaged are you?’ better be prepared for the truth, and better be prepared to do something about it. At Los Ninos, over the course of the six month Engagement Challenge, many valuable issues emerged. Some of them were long-term organizational issues, others just old ‘stuff’, and some were just simple requests to improve the work environment, like: “Change the @*!$% light bulbs.”

Changing the light bulbs would seem inconsequential in terms of it’s ability to improve employee engagement, wouldn’t it?  Scott shared later that the few dollars he spent on new light bulbs was likely the best few dollars he had spent in a long time. Funny, how responding to the small (seemingly inconsequential) things, often most demonstrate  that you care.

Engagement isn’t  scientific, neither is it linear. Naturally, when examining employee engagement, there is a tendency for companies to get caught up in complex, long-term issues that require lots of resources and can take months or even years to resolve. Consider that the ‘low hanging fruit’ have the greatest value.

Where are there ‘low hanging fruit’ in your company that, if addressed, would communicate you heard employees and value them?

P.S. How’s the lighting?

As the economy recovers, turnover – especially of top performers – will likely skyrocket. Most managers don’t have the tools to address the pent-up demand and stop the ‘churn’ that many organizations will experience.

Data suggests that the economic recession, combined with the mortgage crisis and general ‘psychological recession’ has resulted in many disengaged and disgruntled employees staying put. As the job market opens up again, and they have choices, it is likely talented workers will seek ‘greener pastures’, especially if they feel they haven’t been treated well.

HR guru, Dr. John Sullivan, suggests companies can expect 50% turnover, and 20%-30% of top performers to leave when the economy begins to rebound. Whichever way you look at it, turnover is expensive, but turnover of your top performers is doubly so.

Which brings us back to the question: “Do your managers have the skills and tools necessary to prevent turnover?” In most organizations,  managers are responsible  for retention. As a result, retention efforts are often ad hoc and tend to be inconsistent. The best retention strategy includes ownership by managers combined with improved treatment for all employees, and customized strategies for high priority individuals.

Although you may not be able to accurately predict the economic rebound or the full recovery of your business, developing a robust retention strategy is the best way to ensure you don’t get caught with your ‘pants down.’

Here are some fundamental skills and tools your managers need in order to effectively drive retention:
1. How to conduct a talent inventory – i.e. determine which employees are top, solid and low performers.
2. How to conduct  ”stay interviews” –  one-on-one meetings in which managers discuss the employees’ goals, future with companies and assess the risk of the employee leaving.
3. How to accurately assess the risk of turnover and identify high-risk individuals whose resignation will have significant impact on the business.
4. How to monitor and manage employee engagement.
5. How to develop a strong relationship with employees based on trust and loyalty.

Lastly, an important component of any retention strategy is a catalogue of  reasons employees are likely to leave and how to counteract each of these in the most effective manner.

What are you doing to ensure you retain your top performers?

My response:  ”Go back to the well – again and again.” Don’t ever stop going back to the well!

At the end of the day when the people who work  for us put their heads on their pillows and go to sleep, the greatest gift we can give them, is the gift of pride and accomplishment. We experience  pride and accomplishment when we are called forward, and are the fullest expression of ourselves. When we asked for more, we go deeper into the well to extract more of our talent, skill and creativity. We offer more discretionary effort. When there is no call for us to expand and contribute at higher levels, we have the tendency to settle into status quo. In status-quo there is no pride or accomplishment. There is no joy.

Many years ago the Department of Labor conducted a study to determine how much effort the average US worker has to put forth to get his or her job done. The results were fascinating. It was determined that, on average, it requires about 60% of available effort to perform basic job expectations. This data may not be accurate and might not even be a good reflection of what it takes for your team to get their job done. But, it does raise an interesting question – what about the other 40%? In today’s competitive workplace, I believe all managers ought to be asking themselves: “How do I extract the discretionary effort from my employees?”

If you are a coffee drinker, think of discretionary effort like the cream on the top of your cappuccino – the extra creamy foam – the best part. If you were able to get more ‘cream’ from your employees, what would be possible?

What would it take to tap into more of the skill, more of the talent, more of the creativity in  your employees? And if you did, what would be the payoff for you and for them?

A cross-generational employee panel at a recent event was asked, “what is the most meaningful way to recognize you with little or no budget?”  Most panelists had a similar response –  make it personal. No matter the generation, job level or salary, it seemed the personal thank you note was still king!

The best response, however, was from a very passionate Gen X employee who was insistent that the good coffee be brought back. The company apparently had replaced the good coffee with a cheaper version to save money. Sounds reasonable. But, the impact of this decision was surprising. The coffee discussion got very hot! All the panelists agreed that taking away the good coffee was an insult and made them unhappy.  Who would have thought that the quality of coffee beans could elicit such passion and concern?

I am told by a senior leader in this company, the good coffee was brought back shortly and all is well again. The moral of the story – ask before you cut!

Engagement is a funny thing. One would think employee engagement is affected by major decisions or changes. Sometimes, it’s the little things that trigger the journey down the path of disengagement. Once an employee takes the first step, there are inevitably more opportunities to reinforce his/her decision to disconnect and deepen his/her lack of energy and commitment.

The trick is to intercept disengagement as quickly as possible before it escalates. Disengagement left unchecked, clearly affects performance and often leads to turnover, or worse yet, “warm chair attrition.”  The employee comes to work and keeps his or her chair warm, but isn’t ‘present’ and fully productive.

What events or decisions have triggered disengagement in your organization?