From salary.com:

82% of managers believe they provide clear goals to their employees prior to their formal performance review, but only 46% of employees say the same.

Nearly half of the employees surveyed said their performance has at some time been reviewed against goals that were not previously communicated.

A bit of an indictment of manager’s communication skills. Of course, employees have been known to hear only what they want to hear also.

Whatever the reason, may I suggest assessing your existing team to ensure you are communicating with them in the most effective manner? Part of our business is solving these problems for companies by identifying the ideal communication pattern for both the manager and the employee.

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If you think your job is tough, check out this article from CareerJournal.com – Santa-Shift Workers Wrestle Perfectionists. The article provides a glimpse into the Vermonters (is that correct?) who come down to New York City every Christmas season to sell their Christmas trees.

A day in the life:

But unlike full-time jobs, the Santa shift poses a unique challenge: working for a perfectionist — the customer — each with an exacting calculus on what amounts to a perfect Christmas purchase. Nothing seems to conjure a desire for perfection more than a Christmas tree. It has to be tall enough, small enough, full enough, sparse enough for ornaments, and shaped but natural.

To be successful, these salespeople had best be solid qualifiers. More from their sales world:

Complicating matters for the workers are the 15-hour days (they don’t stay open all night anymore). They typically sleep on the floor at St. Ann’s whose yard they rent. They often don’t have access to a shower to wash the pitch blackening their hands. They come to New York City more than three weeks before Christmas and don’t return until Christmas Eve, working seven days a week.The Vermonters, to whom complaining isn’t the art form it is to New Yorkers, work cheerfully despite the fact that when they disrobe, they’ll find pine needles in places God didn’t intend.

Great line at the end. I always enjoy these types of stories – it gives me a real appreciation for just how easy my sales world really is.

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Apparently yes. From a recent poll conducted by Career Journal of nearly 500 employees:

• 41% of respondents admitted they are actively searching for a new job
• 35% considered themselves passive jobseekers
• 21% indicated they were not looking for a job at all

So the obvious question is what are you doing to change those numbers within your organization? With 3 out of 4 of your employees potentially leaving, are you properly rewarding and motivating them on an individual basis? No two employees are the same so understanding their rewards and motivations will help ensure that your team is happy and content.

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