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Employee Morale Tips - February 9, 2010 - Vol. 10 - Issue 6

Written by Harriet Meyerson and published every Tuesday compliments of www.ConfidenceCenter.com

Word and Quote of the Week

*** Conduct ***

*** "As I grow older, I pay less attention to what people say. I just watch what they do." 

- Andrew Carnegie

Trivia Question of the Week

Q. What country has the most coastline?

(Answer at the end of this newsletter.)

Employee Morale

How to Have -Happiness Heroes- in the Workplace

Happy employees create positive energy in the workplace. However, with all the problems in our country and around the world, not to mention everyone's personal problems, makes bringing happiness into the workplace a challenge.

That's why you need to have -Happiness Heroes- in your workplace.

Print coupons that say,
You are a Happiness Hero because...(and then fill in the reason)

Give the coupons to anyone you see being happy or spreading cheer during the day. Then have prizes that employees can get by turning in their coupons.       
    
You can also leave blank coupons in the break-room for other employees to fill in regarding their co-workers.

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Here's another way to let someone know they are appreciated for all they do..a personal letter of appreciation from his or her supervisor.

Some people find writing a daunting task, so we have made it easy for you to be a -champion of
cheer- by writing the letters for you. 

No more racking your brains for just the right words. Over 30 sample thank you letters, that are both heartfelt and professional, are in our eBook, -Supervisor's Appreciation Stationery-.

This ebook is part of the Employee Morale Secrets - Power Pack of employee morale books.

Learn what the other books are and see all the details at:
http://www.confidencecenter.com/prod23.htm

Answer to This Week's Trivia Question

Q. What country has the most coastline?

A. Canada

Joke of the Week

An old man was wondering if his wife had a hearing problem. So one night, he stood behind her while she was sitting in her chair. He spoke softly to her, "Honey, can you hear me?" There was no response.

He moved a little closer and said again, "Honey, can you hear me?" Still, there was no response. Finally, he moved right behind her and said, "Honey, can you hear me?"

She replied, "For the third time, yes!"


Twitter to your friends about our Employee Morale Boosters

Simply tweet this message:

I boost morale at my workplace with creative ideas from -Employee Morale Tips Newsletter-. Get yours free at: http://www.ConfidenceCenter.com


Forward this newsletter to a friend or associate...

Subscriptions are complimentary at
http://www.ConfidenceCenter.com


(c) Copyright 2010 Harriet Meyerson. All rights reserved.

At the Workplace: Employing People-to-People Energy - Quick Tip - 02/03/10

It could be due to not enough sunlight, the natural let down after the holidays, or you hate being cold all the time, but whatever the reason, during the winter months, it's easy to get the "blahs". And when you have the "blahs", you have no energy and probably want to just stay in bed, pull up the covers, and hibernate.

Easy if you have nothing to do, most of us have obligations though, so it's off to work we go. Once you get there, then what? You still don't have any energy.

Employee Morale Tips Newsletter - February 2, 2010

Written by Harriet Meyerson and published every Tuesday compliments of www.ConfidenceCenter.com

Word and Quote of the Week

*** Drive ***

*** You don't have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things— to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated to reach challenging goals.  - Sir Edmund Hillary

Trivia Question of the Week

Q. What Spanish and English writers died on the same day - April 23, 1616?

(Answer at the end of this newsletter.)

Employee Morale 

Ice Breaker

Submitted by a loyal subscriber.

One of my favorite openings for a seminar of 20 to 60 people is to arrange the room so that participants can form 2 concentric circles, with the inside circle facing the outside circle.  This creates a situation in which two people can partner for a brief conversation. Then I direct one circle to take a step or two to their left or right creating new partners. 

Then using a whistle to stop and start the 45-second conversations, I throw out a sentence stem related to the topic we'll be exploring and let them go. 

For example, on a workshop about spirituality/meaning of work, they might start with: "A job I had that included some fun and play was..." 

Later, the conversation might be "Looking back, I realize that attitudes about work that stuck with me were modeled by my... (Mother, Father, big brother, Grandpa)." 

I try to make the first 2 or 3 conversations non-threatening or humorous, then encourage a little more sharing after they have the hang of it. This activity always gets participants awake and ready to go.

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Employees who are allowed to have fun at work are more productive. That's because they feel valued by their employer.

Finding ways to encourage your employees to share is an excellent way to show your employees that you appreciate them. It's a simple and no-cost idea and yet it does so much. 

You will find many such ideas that will increase your employees "psychological paycheck" in

- Fire Up Your Staff on a Shoestring Budget - 

It is packed full of unique low-cost ideas and activities, as well as certificates, coupons, and forms that work to raise employee morale FAST without spending a lot of money.

This ebook is part of the Employee Morale Secrets - Power Pack of employee morale books. Learn what the other books are and see all the details at:

http://www.confidencecenter.com/prod23.htm

Answer to This Weeks Trivia Question

Q. What Spanish and English writers died on the same day - April 23, 1616?

A. Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare

Joke of the Week

More Tater People

Some people are very bossy and like to tell others what to do, but don't want to soil their own hands. They are call "Dic Taters".

Some people are always looking to cause problems by asking others to agree with them. It is too hot or too cold, too sour or too sweet. That are called "Agie Taters".

Twitter to your friends about our Employee Morale Boosters

Simply tweet this message:

I boost morale at my workplace with creative ideas from -Employee Morale Tips Newsletter- Get yours free at: http://www.ConfidenceCenter.com

 

Forward this newsletter to a friend or associate...

-----------------------------------------------------------

Subscriptions are complimentary at 

http://www.ConfidenceCenter.com

(c) Copyright 2010 Harriet Meyerson. All rights reserved.

Employee Training: How to Determine the Effectiveness of your Training - Quick Tip - 1/27/10

Did you know that there are simple employee training design strategies that will keep your employees energized, focused, and performing at their very best?

You see, employees need much more than fringe benefits and monetary incentives. If you really want employees to give you their very best, then you need to give them effective training and development that helps them succeed in their jobs.

Employees become loyal and enthusiastic when:

(1) They are given meaningful work in which they can excel.

(2) Their self-esteem is enhanced through making a worthwhile contribution.

(3) They are provided with opportunities to learn and become more valuable to their company.

For these reasons - among others - implementing an effective employee training program in your place of business is critical to the success of your company.

Training Tip

You can't determine the success of your training without evaluation and measurement. To see what results you are getting from your training, you can use the model developed by Donald Kirkpatrick. There are four levels of evaluation, and each level is important.

* Level 1: Did participants react favorably to the learning event? A simple survey after the training can accomplish this.

* Level 2: Did participants acquire the intended knowledge, skills, and attitudes based on their     participation in the learning event? This can be accomplished through pre and post testing and observation.

* Level 3: Did participants apply what they learned during the training when they are back on the job? This can be accomplished through observation and interviews.

* Level 4: Did your targeted outcomes occur as a result of the learning event and subsequent reinforcement? This can be accomplished through assessing if there is increased quality ratings, productivity, sales, improved attitudes, etc. 
 
Because learning how to do these evaluations is so important, Evaluation and Measurement of Training is Lesson 3 in the - Designing Training for Fun and Results Self-Study Course -.

See what the other lessons are at:
http://bit.ly/DesignEmployeeTraining

Are you...

  * Frustrated with employee training that doesn't produce results?

  * Overwhelmed with the responsibility to create an employee training program?

  * Unsure of where to begin – let alone how to make employee training effective and long lasting?

In the -Designing Training for Fun and Results Self-Study Course- you will learn the steps and strategies necessary to design highly effective employee training... And what's even better... you can learn them at your own pace in the comfort of your home or office.

See what the eight lessons are at:
http://bit.ly/DesignEmployeeTraining

If you want employees who will...
  * Look forward to coming to your training sessions
  * Have a positive attitude throughout your session
  * Stay focused on what you are teaching
  * Enthusiastically apply what they have learned

Then... don't waste your time and effort doing another training before you learn these strategies. Find out what they are at:
http://bit.ly/DesignEmployeeTraining

Employee Morale Tips Newsletter - January 26, 2010

Written by Harriet Meyerson and published every Tuesday compliments of www.ConfidenceCenter.com

Hockey superstar Wayne Gretzky is quoted as saying,

 "I miss every shot I don't take."

How many shots have you missed by not taking action?

Watch the video and jump start your New Year's Resolutions.
Go to: http://bit.ly/StartFast

Word and Quote of the Week

*** Persist ***

*** Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.  - Vincent Van Gogh

Trivia Question of the Week

Q. Who was the first U.S. president born in a hospital?

(Answer at the end of this newsletter.)

Employee Morale
At Work Bingo

Contributed by Cathy McCoil

I created a bingo game at my work. Instead of using numbers 1 - 75, I made my list of 75 words related to our business. On the day we play, I cut out the words from the list, drop them in an
envelope, and draw them at random.

So that I don't have to actually send an email every half hour, I set up emails with 5 words each
to automatically go out.
 
We have offices in Florida, California and North Carolina and all employees are invited to
participate. There is no charge to play and the first one to contact me with a black out bingo
wins. The winner receives a stuffed "On the Spot" dog and a certificate.
 
I have gotten a lot of positive feedback from all our offices. The first time we played, I was in
the hall and the half hour rolled around. Two employees saw what time it was and rushed back to
their desks to get the next set of words.

I suggest that if someone doesn’t want to play, to let the sender know so they are not constantly
receiving unwanted emails. Also, to avoid "clogging" up the email server, I ask everyone
to delete the email from their inbox and trash folders after they check their card.

---------------- 
The above idea is a great way to reinforce new concepts, or enhance employee training. If you
want to start your own at work bingo game, you can create your own bingo cards free at:
http://print-bingo.com

In today's economy, it is more important than ever to find ways to keep your quality employees
and save money at the same time.

Most supervisors or HR Managers are constantly looking for new and creative ways to boost
morale. If you are like them your biggest challenge is lack of a budget for Employee Morale.

The book, - 101 Low Cost Morale Boosters that Energize Employees - is unique because it contains low-cost morale boosting activities which were contributed by supervisors and managers.

This ebook is part of the Employee Morale Secrets - Power Pack of employee morale books.

Learn what the other books are and see all the details at:
http://www.confidencecenter.com/prod23.htm

Answer to This Week's Trivia Question

Q. Who was the first U.S. president born in a hospital?

A. Jimmy Carter

Joke of the Week
 
A police recruit was asked during the exam, "What would you do if you had to arrest your own mother?"

He answered, "Call for backup."


(c) Copyright 2010 Harriet Meyerson. All rights reserved.

Stop Procrastinating: A Surprising Solution - Quick Tip - 1/21/10

There's a very challenging new project on the horizon and your boss is asking for volunteers to head it. Here's a great opportunity for you to impress your superiors. You volunteer.

The following week, another project - with even more prestige - comes along, and even though the first one isn't complete, you volunteer for this one, too.

You may be thinking that by taking on multiple projects, your employer will notice you quicker. 

Unfortunately, what they are likely to notice is you getting stressed out and missing your deadlines because you are overwhelmed.

You will receive much more recognition from a project successfully completed because you devoted your entire attention to it, than for working on too many tasks and not giving 100% attention to them.

Being overwhelmed is one of the reasons many people procrastinate. Procrastination is a serious drain on productivity and it is such an important issue that "Stop Procrastination, Now!" is one of the first 13 essential tools in the Employee Success Toolkit.

The Employee Success Toolkit is a professional development course for employees in 13
easy-to-follow lessons. It is a system guaranteed to improve attitude, skills, and productivity.

See all the details and learn what the other 12 lessons are at:
http://www.confidencecenter.com/url/toolkit.htm

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The ultimate goal of any supervisor is to turn ordinary workers into extraordinary employees.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you want...

- Happy, positive employees who work as a team, deal with problems and get along with each other instead of constantly complaining.

- Shared excitement and enthusiasm for  work even though it's very difficult at times.

- Better flow of communication between management and staff

You can do it -and much more- with the Employee Success Toolkit.

See all the details and learn what the other 12 lessons are at:
http://www.confidencecenter.com/url/toolkit.htm

--

This Quick tip is compliments of Harriet Meyerson, the Confidence Center http://www.ConfidenceCenter.com and
http://www.BecomeABetterLeader.com

Employee Training: Motivation - Quick Tip - 1/20/10

Hi %firstname% -

Many companies today are working with fewer employees who are "busting their butts" trying to do the same amount of work... or, in many cases, even more work, than before.

Productivity is crucial and the only way to get more productivity from your employees is by training them to work more effectively and efficiently, which:

* Creates positive attitudes.

* Increases energy.

* Amplifies enthusiasm.

Employee Training Tip: Motivation

Unfortunately, the last thing your overworked employees want to do is sit through yet another training. And, even with compulsory training, nothing hinders learning like low motivation.

So, how do you get your employees fired up to come to training with a positive attitude?

We are all internally motivated. In other words, we only do things for our own reasons and that usually involves asking ourselves - "What's in it for me?"

Help your employees answer that question by learning what makes them tick. What are their needs and desires?

If you can think about what needs to be done from their perspective, then you’re on your way to figuring out how best to motivate them.

Motivation is so important that Motivation and Pre-Training is Lesson 2 in the -Designing Training for Fun and Results Self-Study Course-. Find out what the other lessons teach at:
http://bit.ly/DesignEmployeeTraining

Are you...

  * Frustrated with employee training that doesn't produce results?

  * Overwhelmed with the responsibility to create an employee training program?

  * Unsure of where to begin – let alone how to make employee training effective and long lasting?
 
  * Using off-the-shelf employee training courses that don't give you the results you want?

Here's the solution that has taken us months to develop, and it's finally ready.

(Drum roll please...)

Introducing the... 

-Designing Training for Fun and Results Self-Study Course-

In it you will learn a multitude of simple employee training design strategies that will keep your employees energized, focused, and performing at their very best.

And what's even better... you can learn them at your own pace in the comfort of your home or office.

The eight lessons in this self-study course teach you the steps and strategies necessary to design highly effective employee training. And that's not all.

You will learn how to give your employees a fun experience that will not only help them to learn, but also to retain and apply the material.

See what the eight lessons are at:
http://bit.ly/DesignEmployeeTraining

If you want employees who will...

  * Look forward to coming to your training sessions

  * Have a positive attitude throughout your session

  * Stay focused on what you are teaching

  * Enthusiastically apply what they have learned

Then...don't waste your time and effort doing another training before you learn these strategies. Find out what these strategies are and get an introductory discount at:
http://bit.ly/DesignEmployeeTraining

Employee Morale Tips - January 19, 2010 - Vol. 10 - Issue 3

Written by Harriet Meyerson and published every Tuesday compliments of www.ConfidenceCenter.com

Our New Years Gift for you...

The New Year is in full swing, and there is no better time than right now to plan your morale boosting strategies.

Our new 2010 Employee Morale Calendar Planners makes planning a piece of cake. What's even better...It's our New Years Gift to you for being a loyal subscriber.

Download them today at:

http://www.confidencecenter.com/calendars/calendars-signup.htm

Word and Quote of the Week

*** Industrious ***

*** Hoping and dreaming of a better world are not enough if we are unwilling to work; but when we work towards our dreams, wonderful things can happen. - Lloyd Newell

Trivia Question of the Week

Q. What three South American countries does the equator cross?

(Answer at the end of this newsletter.)

Employee Morale
-Do You Know?- 

Contributed by Diane Owens.

I am the monthly employee newsletter editor for a large agency with about 1,000 employees.

I take articles and items of interest to our employees, and upcoming events, and compile them into four pages. Each week, we put these pages in acrylic stands we purchased at the dollar-store, and place them, as signs, on the tabletops in the cafe.

Employee Training: Start with a Grab - Quick Tip - 1/13/10

According to the American Society for Training and Development, U.S. organizations spend billions on employee learning and development.

With that much at stake, you want to be certain that your training budget gets the most bang for its buck.

If you have any part in either creating or presenting employee training, this quick tip is for you.

Employee Training Tip: Start with a Grab

It's important that at the very start of your class, you "grab" your participants' attention. Try to avoid the usual introductions and welcome…at least until later.

A few startling statistics can have a huge impact, and get participants wanting to know more. Other grabs you can use to capture your participants' attention are a compelling quote, a story or anecdote, or a question.

Are you...

  * Frustrated with employee training that doesn't produce results?

  * Overwhelmed with the responsibility to create an employee training program?

  * Unsure of where to begin – let alone how to make employee training effective and long lasting?
 
  * Using off-the-shelf employee training courses that don't give you the results you want?

Here's the solution that has taken us months to develop, and it's finally ready.

(Drum roll please...)

Introducing the... 

-Designing Training for Fun and Results Self-Study Course-

In it you will learn a multitude of simple employee training design strategies that will keep your employees energized, focused, and performing at their very best.

And what's even better... you can learn them at your own pace in the comfort of your home or office.

The eight lessons in this self-study course teach you the steps and strategies necessary to design highly effective employee training. And that's not all.

You will learn how to give your employees a fun experience that will not only help them to learn, but also to retain and apply the material.

See what the eight lessons are at:
http://bit.ly/DesignEmployeeTraining

If you want employees who will...

  * Look forward to coming to your training sessions

  * Have a positive attitude throughout your session

  * Stay focused on what you are teaching

  * Enthusiastically apply what they have learned

Then...don't waste your time and effort doing another training before you learn these strategies. Find out what these strategies are at:
http://bit.ly/DesignEmployeeTraining

Employee Morale Tips Newsletter - January 12, 2010

Written by Harriet Meyerson and published every Tuesday compliments of www.ConfidenceCenter.com

Do you do training at your workplace?
Watch for special Quick Tip emails about creating training programs that produce results.

Word and Quote of the Week

*** Conviction ***

*** Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside them was superior to circumstances. - Bruce Barton

Trivia Question of the Week

Q. What was the Oscar winning theme song of Breakfast at Tiffany's?

(Answer at the end of this newsletter.)

Employee Morale
Create a Gallery of Heroes in your Workplace

A hero doesn't have to wear a cape and be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Nor does he or she have to be somebody who rushes into a burning house to save somebody.