Have You Fixed the Broken Window?

Left alone it doesn't take long for a building with a single broken window to rapidly become a building with many broken windows. Fixing problems when they are small will prevent them from developing into larger problems.

The same is true when considering the level of employee satisfaction Dissatisfaction spreads like wildfire and in a surprisingly short period of time you've got morale problems of the kind that are notoriously hard to fix.

Ensuring your employees are happy is mostly about being tuned into what their problems are and, importantly, dealing with them early on. Keeping the initiative is really important and the secret is that it is better to give a little and often.

This turns out be a virtuous circle. Fixing the problem when it's small is also when it's easiest and when it's cheapest. And taking the initiative without being prompted puts the manager in a position of strength, which also suits the employees. Staff like strong, confident management and this approach generates respect not least because someone has taken the time to understand some of the employees' issues.

Compare that with managers who are out of touch. They arrive late at a problem so they are on the defensive, and with their credibility eroded they have to concede to demands which in turn leads to further and less reasonable demands. It's not big and it's not clever.

The issue, then, is how to go about monitoring the morale of a company without a big budget and without much spare time?

The first port of call should be an online survey. They're quick, easy to use, and a low cost solution. Surveys can be created in minutes and deployed in seconds, with the results compiled in real time; and by using email and websites they cost nothing to disseminate.

A corporate internet is the ideal delivery mechanism. By linking through to an online survey website such as http://www.surveygalaxy.com a company can regularly conduct surveys so they become part and parcel of the daily operations.

With an online survey's ability to produce results in real-time the mood of the employees can rapidly be gauged and concerns highlighted both on a collective and individual level.

Using the survey results companies can quickly identify problem areas and follow-up surveys can be used to target specific concerns. With good information managers are able to get to the root of specific problems and prepare a considered response.

A major advantage of regular surveys is that it allows a company to address small problems in a timely manner avoiding 'the straw that broke the camels back' syndrome where a relatively insignificant incident unleashes a torrent of pent up concerns.

And don't forget that the majority of employees appreciate being consulted so asking their opinion is not a sign of weakness but an indicator of good decision making.

It's unusual to find, but there it is - sometimes management problems can be solved with something that is quick, easy and won't break the bank.

Martin Day is a Director of Survey Galaxy Ltd a web site that allows anyone to create, design and publish online surveys. For more information please visit http://www.surveygalaxy.com

Telegraph.co.uk

News Corp. Says It Provided Info for Sun Corruption Arrests Reuters By Lucas Shaw at TheWrap News Corp. said Saturday that it provided the information to the police that resulted in the arrest of five of its journalists earlier in the day. In a statement the company said: "The Management and Standards Committee (MSC) ... UK police arrest five journalists in newspaper bribery probeFox News Staff at The Sun tabloid arrested in bribe inquiryUSA TODAY Sun Journalists Arrested as Bribe Probe WidensWall Street Journal all 1,496 news articles »

MiamiHerald.com

Oracle to Pay $1.9B for Taleo, Extends SAP Rivalry ABC News Oracle Corp. is escalating its rivalry with German business-software maker SAP AG with a $1.9 billion purchase of Taleo Corp., a company that helps businesses hire and manage their employees. The proposed purchase announced Thursday extends Oracle's ... Oracle Buys Taleo for $1.9 Billion, Adds Human-Resource ToolSan Francisco Chronicle Oracle to pay $1.9b for TaleoNEWS.com.au Oracle to buy Taleo for $1.9 bln; cloud war brewsReuters GMA News all 482 news articles »

TEXT-S&P revises Apollo Investment Corp outlook to stable Reuters (The following statement was released by the rating agency) -- Apollo Investment Corp. (AIC) has announced changes in management, a reduction in its dividend, and adjustments to its investment strategy. -- In our view, changes to the firm's investment ... Company News for February 9, 2012Zacks.com Apollo Investment's CEO Discusses Q3 2012 Results - Earnings Call TranscriptSeeking Alpha Apollo Investments Considers Capital Raise; Unveils Management ShiftsWall Street Journal Economic Times -Tech24 all 30 news articles »

New York Times

Oracle to pay $1.9B for Taleo, extends SAP rivalry Seattle Post Intelligencer Oracle is paying $1.9 billion for Taleo Corp., a company that helps businesses manage their employees. Photo: Mark Lennihan / AP NEW YORK (AP) ? Oracle Corp. is escalating its rivalry with German business-software maker SAP AG with a $1.9 billion ... Oracle Signs Acquisition Deal With Taleo for Cloud ComputingIndustry Leaders Magazine Oracle's $1.9bn Deal to Buy TaleoZacks.com all 117 news articles »

Wall Street Journal

AMR bankruptcy: Retirees group files for involvement in case Tulsa World The organization, AMR Retirees Pension Protection Corp., is based in Owasso and includes former members of American Airlines upper management at the Maintenance & Engineering Center in Tulsa and the carrier's maintenance base in Fort Worth. Exclusive: American Airlines creditors want to talk mergerReuters Transport workers union says it will have counterproposal next week for AmericanFort Worth Star Telegram all 26 news articles »

PetroFrontier announces change in management Sacramento Bee 10, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ - (TSX-V: PFC) - PetroFrontier Corp.("PetroFrontier") announced today that Peter Philipchuk, Vice President, Exploration, has resigned from PetroFrontier. PetroFrontier thanks Mr. Philipchuk for his service and wishes him well ... and more »

Integrated Asset Management Corp. Announces Results for the First Quarter of ... MarketWatch (press release) TORONTO, ONTARIO, Feb 09, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Integrated Asset Management Corp. ("IAM") /quotes/zigman/18979 CA:IAM -10.00% today announced unaudited financial results for the quarter ended December 31, 2011. Review of the 3-Month Period ... and more »

Edgewood Management Holdings in 4th Quarter: 13F Alert Bloomberg Top Positions by Market Value Company Name Ticker Market Value Current Change (USD $) Position In Position Celgene Corp CELG US 424280043 6276332 -33371 QUALCOMM Inc QCOM US 397587935 7268518 -21149 Visa Inc-Class A Shares V US 389712244 3838395 ... and more »

msnbc.com

Alcatel-Lucent Shares Soar on Profit Jump Wall Street Journal An ongoing price war, combined with the pressure of lowering costs while maintaining research and development spend means that Alcatel-Lucent's management will have to speed the pace of restructuring. "In the market there was a relief that they made ... Recent IPOs Review: RPX's Licensing Syndicate with Alcatel-Lucent, Apollo ...Wall St. Cheat Sheet all 201 news articles »

Eaton Vance Closed-end Diversified Equity Income Funds Declare Quarterly ... Sacramento Bee The Funds are managed by Eaton Vance Management, a subsidiary of Eaton Vance Corp. (NYSE: EV), based in Boston, one of the oldest investment management firms in the United States, with a history dating back to 1924. Eaton Vance and its affiliates ... and more »