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Summary: 10 Ways to Energize Employees
Review: 1) Simplify policies. Mars, Inc., replaced its inch-thick set of policies with a new five-page version causing employee grievances to plunge.
2) One MCI supervisor converted the worst-performing telemarketing group into the best by calling the employees' mothers to brag about them.
3) Ban upper management perks such as executive dining rooms and reserved parking spots.
4) Allow workers to give unused sick days to others.
5) Let employees bid on jobs that they would normally contract to outside firms.
6) Make sure that there is plenty of fresh popcorn around for employees to snack on.
7) Open the books to employees so that they understand how the company makes-and loses-money.
8) Establish an 800-number voice-mail box so that employees can call with suggestions, problems, praise and more. Have top management listen to calls.
9) Welcome all new employees by giving them a set of personalized business cards and desk supplies.
10) Allow employees to share in savings made as a result of team cost-cutting suggestions. At Boston-based Beth-Israel Hospital, employees split $1 million in the first year of the program-half of the $2 million that was saved as a result of their suggestions.
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Summary: You can create a more motivating work environment!
Review: 1001 Ways to Energize Employees is a follow up book to my best-selling 1001 Ways to Reward Employees (over one million copies sold). Of all the ways to reward and recognize performance presented in 1001 Rewards (2300+ ideas, 27 categories), by far the most powerful are no-cost forms of recognition and thanks. 1001 Energize builds on this category, focusing primarily on low- and no-cost things you can do within the context of any job or work environment to increase employee motivation. The main themes of the book include what I call the Power of I's:o Interesting and important work o Information, communication and feedback on performance o Involvement in decision making o Independence, autonomy and flexibility o Increased visibility, learning opportunities and responsibility The book is organized in three parts: energizing individuals (one-on-one ideas), energizing teams (project teams, task forces or departments), and energizing organizations (including eliminating obstacles that may be demotivating your employees). I find that although the ideas presented in this book can apply in any work environment, they tend to be most applicable to professional jobs, high-tech employees and managerial positions. Good luck in taking the brakes off your organization!
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Summary: Listen to your staff....
Review: 1001 ways to Energize Employees is an excellent follow-up and companion to Bob Nelson's first book, 1001 Ways To Reward Employees. The current book is focused more on morale building, and gives 1001 fresh, new ideas for building morale in individuals, teams, and organizations. Bob Nelson knows that the best way to build morale is to reward and recognize performance. These books contain 2002 excellent "tools" which can inspire every manager with creative ideas. A must-read.
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Summary: Excellent "toolbox" filled with creative ideas.
Review: 1001 ways to Energize Employees is an excellent follow-up and companion to Bob Nelson's first book, 1001 Ways To Reward Employees. The current book is focused more on morale building, and gives 1001 fresh, new ideas for building morale in individuals, teams, and organizations. Bob Nelson knows that the best way to build morale is to reward and recognize performance. These books contain 2002 excellent "tools" which can inspire every manager with creative ideas. A must-read.
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Summary: Excellent
Review: As the CEO of a large vending machine distribution company I can honestly say that the company is now unrecognisable after I applied the principles in Nelson and Blanchard's superb guide to energizing the workforce. Their Gay-For-A-Day initiative for equalities awareness was an eye-opener for sure, and has certainly changed the office dynamics. Tremendous.
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Summary: There's a sucker born every minute
Review: Companies are spending so much money trying to inspire employees that they have spawned an industry: the motivation industry. Bob Nelson is cashing in on it for sure. What executive wouldn't buy in to the notion of some pundit who champions "no cost" motivation? I wonder what they pay to hear him say it on his motivational tours?? What inspires people remains vague and elusive. For every reader who is moved by his book, there are likely ten who see it as childish drivel. Nelson is just repackaging old anecdotes and fictional stories, then reselling them. There is not one shred of proof that any of his methods have any lasting value. Don't waste your time or money on this garbage.
Rating:
Summary: There's a sucker born every minute
Review: Companies are spending so much money trying to inspire employees that they have spawned an industry: the motivation industry. Bob Nelson is cashing in on it for sure. What executive wouldn't buy in to the notion of some pundit who champions "no cost" motivation? I wonder what they pay to hear him say it on his motivational tours?? What inspires people remains vague and elusive. For every reader who is moved by his book, there are likely ten who see it as childish drivel. Nelson is just repackaging old anecdotes and fictional stories, then reselling them. There is not one shred of proof that any of his methods have any lasting value. Don't waste your time or money on this garbage.
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Summary: Needed now more than ever!
Review: Creative yet practical ways to motivate and retain staff are needed now more than ever before. Between the sour economy that makes raises and bonuses tougher, the specter of layoffs that's making everyone nervous, the ability of top staff to bail on you at a moment's notice, and the trend toward making managers accountable for employee retention, managers can never let down their guard in this area. Many of the ideas here are common sense, but can never be restated enough. Others are low-cost and can be implemented with the leanest of budgets. My one quibble with the book: the suggestion to have executives spend a day with the staff is, IMHO, insulting to the rank and file and may even be counterproductive, as it comes off as more of a feel-good stunt benefitting the executives than a real motivator.
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Summary: Needed now more than ever!
Review: Creative yet practical ways to motivate and retain staff are needed now more than ever before. Between the sour economy that makes raises and bonuses tougher, the specter of layoffs that's making everyone nervous, the ability of top staff to bail on you at a moment's notice, and the trend toward making managers accountable for employee retention, managers can never let down their guard in this area. Many of the ideas here are common sense, but can never be restated enough. Others are low-cost and can be implemented with the leanest of budgets. My one quibble with the book: the suggestion to have executives spend a day with the staff is, IMHO, insulting to the rank and file and may even be counterproductive, as it comes off as more of a feel-good stunt benefitting the executives than a real motivator.
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Summary: A few useful tidbits
Review: I like this little book for highlighting out-of-the-box ideas for improving the enthusiasm, and therefore the productivity of employees. Each energizing idea is described succinctly in a short paragraph. The ideas consist of short stories of some strategy or new approach a particular company implemented, and what the rewards and benefits were. About three of these vignettes fit on a page; about 212 pages minus the index, table of contents, and some other overhead, makes for quite a few suggestions. 1001 of them I guess. Some of the ideas are pretty original, such as having the boss call everybody's mother when a tough project is completed on time. Some suggestions are old news, like having a team-building event in which participants must depend upon each other in order to achieve some goal, like scaling a wall. I say "yawn" to that idea, but I liked the one about the mothers. I bet my mom would fall over if my boss ever called her. The book is sprinkled with quotes, bullet lists, principles and ideas that you are welcome to take or leave. I must say, I have heard a lot of this before, but there are one or two useful tidbits. I recommend this book for people who want invigorate their organization. Throw away the clichés and you will find some good solid original ideas in "1001 Ways to energize Employees." Even if you only find one useful idea amongst the 1001, and it helps your company or your employees, "1001 Ways to energize Employees" will be worth your investment. Anyway, it's cheap.
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