Infopeople Webcast: Retaining & Motivating Excellent Library Employees

1. Infopeople Webcast:Retaining & Motivating Excellent Library Employees March 6, 2006 Noon – 1:00 pm Presenter: Paula M. Singer PhD Pmsinger@singergrp.com

2. Housekeeping Don’t wait for Q&A to submit questions • Today’s webcast: • presentation: 50 minutes • Q&A: final 10 minutes • Submit your questions via ‘Chat’ during webcast so presenter gets them in time • Fill out evaluation during Q&A Webcast Archives: http://infopeople.org/training/webcasts/archived.html

3. When to Use Chat • Get help with technical difficulties • send message to “HorizonHelp” • Ask presenter questions • send message to “ALL” • Chat with other participants • “select name from dropdown list” Chat Area There List of Participants There

4. Agenda • Why retention matters • Why employees stay • Orientation • Retention • Recognition

5. Why Retention Matters • Costs: 1½ - 2 times salary & benefits • Staffing costs – costs to hire • Vacancy costs – lost productivity • Training costs – to prepare new employee • “Acting” pay • Loss of knowledge • Work not done, priorities not met • Impact on colleagues

6. Obstacles to Retention • Competition for the tech savvy, interpersonally skilled • Declining supply of library & information science professionals • More choices for both degreed and non-degreed personnel • Low compensation • Retirements • Freezes

7. Population Decline

8. Talent Pool 35- to 44-year-olds in the U.S. Index1970 = 100 Today 15% drop

9. The Changed Employer-Employee Relationship • The “contract” is broken • Life Long Employment vs. Mutuality of Purpose • Free agents • Flexibility to meet diverse needs • Work/life considerations

10. Think about yourself and your staff…. What keeps you at your library? Why do you stay?

11. Why Employees Stay • A feeling of connection • Feeling valued • Personal and professional growth • Continuous learning • Making a difference • Good management • Can’t afford to leave • Fair pay and benefits

12. Compensation is More than a Salary • Salary • Benefits - the “other paycheck” • Work environment A three legged stool! ALA toolkit for salaries http://www.ala-apa.org/salaries/toolkit.pdf

13. Retention Begins with Orientation

14. Orientation • Relationship begins before the hire • Employees value a personal connection • Accommodate different learning styles • Make it interactive and fun • Complete paperwork and procedural “stuff” in advance

15. Orientation Beyond the Workplace • Offer dual career assistance • Include family in the equation, invite to orientation • Match new employees with friends and services, new neighbors, teenage babysitters, etc. • Help with relocation

16. Assimilation • Provide a buddy/ mentoring • Create & reward best practices • Develop expectations for management

17. Welcome! • Desk, computer, workspace ready on day one • Welcome card • Balloons, food • New employee party at work site • Formal follow-up at 30, 60, 90, 120 days

18. Keys to RetainingTop Talent

19. Job Satisfaction & Retention

20. 1. Increase Opportunity • Challenge • Interesting projects • Responsibility • Team leadership • Special assignments • Promotion

21. Opportunities for Employee Development • Internal recruitment • Support for education • Job rotation/cross training • Task forces, project assignments • Academies of learning • Career ladders • Mobility among libraries

22. Cultivating Excellence • Individual development plans • Coaching/mentoring • Performance management with real feedback and coaching • 360 feedback • Accelerated advancement/steps • Co-manager opportunities • Shared staff opportunities

23. 2. Decrease Stress • Identify stressors • Distribute work evenly • Eliminate red tape • Manage interruptions • Promote and model stress-reducing activities

24. Work/Life Balance • Define work in terms of what is to be accomplished • Provide flexible work schedules • Evaluate alternative work places and telecommuting • Appreciate dilemma of child care, elder care, multiple individual roles • “Allow” voluntary demotions • Appreciate diversity of personal values and priorities

25. 3. Provide Leadership • Build trust • Commit to helping others succeed • Offer motivation • Seek excellence • Take action

26. 4. Emphasize Work Standards • Focus on taking pride • Link performance to customer satisfaction • Develop customer service and quality measures collaboratively • Be very clear on expectations • Celebrate achievements

27. 5. Provide Fair Rewards • Employees want fair rewards for the work they do, based on: • Skill • Responsibilities • Effort • Working conditions • Communicate • Reward for top performance

28. New & Emerging Benefits • Extra insurance(s) at group rate • Auto, legal, & pet insurance • 529 savings plans • Counteroffers • Eldercare – 411 • Lactation Rooms • Research leave/sabbaticals • “Stop the clock” tenure

29. Convenience/Concierge Services • Dry cleaner pick-up • Supermarket / Carry-out delivery • Financial planning • Passes, discounts – zoo, museum • Classes on-site – educational, fitness • Discount coupons – cleaning services, manicures, lawn care • Wellness, health screening

30. 6. Allow Adequate Authority • Empower employees to act • Encourage employee input to decisions, goals, and direction setting

31. Retaining Talented Workers as They Near Retirement • Phased retirement • Re-hiring as part-timers or consultants • Temp work • Training/mentoring assignment • Sabbatical

32. Recognizing Employees “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.” Anonymous

33. Recognition • Enhances performance • Helps motivate • Provides practical feedback • Makes it easier to get the work done • Improves productivity

34. “Old School” Recognition Programs • Formal • 1 size fits all • Centrally (HR) managed • Infrequent • Culture of entitlement • Selectively used for top performers only

35. Recognition Updated • Includes informal elements • Multiple programs & activities • Leader-oriented • Frequent & flexible • Culture of performance • Used for everyone

36. Carroll County Public LibraryEveryone Counts! Mission:Created to celebrate the contributions of CCPL staff members, and to foster an atmosphere of appreciation, respect and motivation • Coworker • Supervisor to Staff • Formal

37. Dedication Achievement Character Service “Can do”attitude Respect Cooperation Helpfulness Flexibility Coworkers Recognize Colleagues

38. Supervisors Recognize Staff • Handling an emergency or difficult situation • Filling in on another job • Completing a special task • Consistently presenting a positive attitude that inspires • Giving time & assistance to an area or staff person outside dept. or responsibility

39. More Formal Rewards • Customer Service Award • Spirit Award • Service Awards • Retirements Muffies@ccpl.org

40. “Spirit of CCPL” Recognition • Providing consistently outstanding service to internal and/or external customers • Bringing innovative idea(s) to the system • Enhancing operations • Accomplishing a specific project • Contributing to the missionand/or goals of CCPL • Providing exceptional service in spite of extraordinary circumstances • Presenting an idea or recommendation that resultedin a cost savings to CCPL

41. Tulsa City County Library • Rave Review • Team Award • Standing Ovation • Applause smcconn@tulsalibrary.org

42. Low Cost - High Impact Recognition • BRAVO award coupons • Special recognition for pages and hourly employees • Xerox hand • Bragging sessions • Start each staff meeting with good news & praise for employees who deserve it • Read thank you letters from customers • Self-recognition days

43. More Ideas • Anniversary letter • Thanks button on website • Lifesaver award” • Employee nominated EZTDBW award • “Eagle award” • Employees write about others

44. Developing a Recognition Program • Focus on the areas that have the most impact • Involve employees • Announce the program with fanfare • Publicly track progress Have lots of winners • Allow flexibility of rewards • Renew the program as needed • Link informal and formal rewards

45. Getting Started • Start in your own sphere • Do just one thing differently • Focus on what you CAN do • Don’t expect perfection

46. Building Commitment • Focus - employees know what they need to do and what is expected of them • Involvement - people support most what they help to create • Development – encourage opportunities for learning and growth • Gratitude - recognize good performance (formal or informal) • Accountability - employees are responsible for their performance and lack thereof

47. Fine-Tuning Retention Strategies • Analyze turnover - address any problems • Do exit interviews and USE the data • Survey incumbents • Paper/pencil, online • Town hall meetings • Meetings with senior management • Not one size fits all! Target to individual needs

49. Resources • ALA. “Advocating for Better Salaries and Pay Equity Toolkit.” www.ala-apa.org/toolkit.pdf. • Bob Nelson & Dean Spitzer, The 1001 Rewards & Recognition Fieldbook, Workman Publishing, NY 2003. • Public Libraries, Recruitment and Retention Issue, Vol. 45, No.1, Jan/Febr 2006. • Paula M. Singer & Jeanne Goodrich, Retaining and Motivating High-performing Employees, Public Libraries Recruitment and Retention Issue, pp 58-63. • Paula M. Singer, Designing a Compensation Program for Your Library. ALA, 2002.

50. THANK YOU! Paula M. Singer, Ph.D. The Singer Group, Inc. 12915 Dover Road Reisterstown, MD 21136 410-561-7561 Pmsinger@singergrp.com www.singergrp.com