The Paradox of Turnover and the Ship of Theseus
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about companies that have huge turnover issues — companies that have over 100% turnover in their hourly ranks. And that made me think about The Ship of Theseus, or Theseus’s Paradox:
When every component of the ship has been replaced at least once, is it still the same ship?
I wonder about how companies can preserve culture, let alone institutional knowledge, when the “ship” is completely remade once or twice a year.
Best Buy’s Results-Only Work Environment
Here’s a crazy idea: Best Buy implemented a Results Only Work Environment (ROWE).
At most companies, going AWOL during daylight hours would be grounds for a pink slip. Not at Best Buy. The nation’s leading electronics retailer has embarked on a radical ‚ if risky ‚ experiment to transform a culture once known for killer hours and herd-riding bosses. The endeavor, called ROWE, for “results-only work environment,” seeks to demolish decades-old business dogma that equates physical presence with productivity. The goal at Best Buy is to judge performance on output instead of hours.
Results: Productivity up 35%. Summary: Face time is overrated.
Technorati Tags: BestBuy, ROWE, results, planning, HR
Vox Populi
An article in the New York Times called The Silent May Have Something to Say (reg. req’d) brings up several interesting points about what companies risk when they shut out employees and don’t solicit their input:
Companies lose more than creative ideas when employees feel muzzled. People who feel they cannot or should not speak their mind at work often become less engaged in their work. That in turn means they are less inclined to give their all to their jobs, and increases the odds that they will leave if another opportunity comes along.
Turnover is no joke: about 18 percent of all employees change jobs every year, according to a 2005 study by the Society for Human Resource Management, and companies spend about 1.5 times an employee’s salary to replace them, according to Spherion, a recruiting and staffing company based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
The old adage “Silence is golden” never was all that good. It was just said to make children be quiet. Maybe the modern thought for HR could be, “Low turnover is golden.”
50 Ways to Leave Your Shover
This list of 50+ Ways a Manager Can Get Employees to Quit is powerful. There are so many ways a manager can shove an employee away. Here a few of my favorites from the list:
- When talking to an employee on the phone, type away at your email. That’s a great time to catch-up!
- Always take sides in disputes instead of moderating.
- Constantly underestimate the time it takes to get things done and then penalize employees’ bonuses because they didn’t hit the goal.
The list on Dumb Little Man is well worth reading. As the saying goes, “People don’t quit their companies, they quit their managers.” Here’s a list from the frontlines that shows how true that is.
Power Naps Are Good for Your Employees
Being a big fan of the afternoon power nap, I’m always on the lookout for data to substantiate my position that napping is good. I’ve used the “Einstein, Churchill and Edison always took afternoon naps” rationale, but in our modern age those references are getting a bit dated (plus I get reminded that I’m no Einstein, and that’s a bummer). So, when I saw a recent article in USA Today about the sleep deprived at work, it awakened me from my slumber.
Companies Try To Help Workers Sleep More cites a study by the National Sleep Foundation that says, “[M]any workers are groggy at their desks or on the factory floor. Research shows that drowsy workers are more likely to have accidents, that many suffer from sleep-related health problems, and that lack of sleep means they can feel unfulfilled on the job.” That has some big effects on HR. Being drowsy at work is the equivalent of being drunk.
“People who nap — be it for a few minutes or a few hours — can improve their mood and productivity,” says sleep researcher Bill Anthony of Boston University in Profiting from Nonproductiveness. The Wired article showcases MetroNaps, the brainchild of Arshad Chowdhury, “who, when he was working as a banker in New York City…noticed people around him falling asleep in meetings, and even sneaking off to bathrooms just to catch a midday snooze.” Enter the MetroNaps Pod (pictured above):
MetroNaps provides America with mid-day rest facilities: a clean, comfortable place to take a nap. MetroNaps was born from the realization that many employees spend significant amounts of their day dozing at their desk or catching powernaps in odd places. We seek to be the premier provider of professional nap centers in the United States.
Founded in 2003 and researched and tested at Carnegie Mellon University, MetroNaps has developed a process and facilities to help maximize the rejuvenating effects of a brief rest. Combined, the MetroNaps Method and the MetroNaps Pod provide our customers with the quick recharge needed so they can do more with their day, both professionally and personally.
NapPasses can be purchased for $14 each, and MetroNaps Pods can be installed at work, too.
For those of you out there who would like to nap, but feel like if you “nap” it’ll be for the rest of the day, the Caffeine Nap is for you. Here’s how it works: Gulp down a cup of coffee and then immediately take a 15-minute nap. It works. Set an alarm, wake up, and you’ll be some kind of refreshed. Okay, I feel better about my afternoon nap already.
Would napping help your employees? What if the next Einstein is working at your shop right now? Do you have a napping policy in place? Comments are open below. We’d love to hear what you have to say. Unless it’s when I’m taking my nap.
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