Short description
Offers prescriptions for combating alarming trends such as high turnover, low productivity, and lackluster performance. This title include techniques for strengthening the bonds of trust and respect between managers and employees, and customizing working conditions and rewards for individual employees.
Long description
As many as two-thirds of our employees are either actively looking for new jobs or merely going through the motions at their current jobs. Fearful and feeling vulnerable after years of watching friends get laid off, they expect the worst to happen, and they see no reason to give it their all. This phenomenon, identified by renowned author Judith M. Bardwick as 'the psychological recession', can have a devastating effect on a company's financial health. Based on extensive research showing how costly bad management really is, this eye-opening book offers concrete prescriptions for combating alarming trends such as high turnover, low productivity, and lackluster performance, including techniques for: strengthening the bonds of trust and respect between managers and employees; customizing working conditions and rewards for individual employees; and hiring for the 'best fit' between the organization's core culture and the personal qualities and priorities of the individual.Using hard numbers and current studies that prove the direct connection between a company's financial performance and its employees' commitment, this book is a wake-up call to organizations desperately needing to restore the broken spirits at the heart of their companies, and enhance their bottom lines.
Review
If you're an HR strategist, buy One Foot Out the Door right away.... you need to read this book.
-Know HR Blog
Table of contents
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- CONTENTS Acknowledgments xiii CHAPTER 1 TOPSY-TURVY: THE SKY IS FALLING! 1 The World Turned Upside Down 2 The Crazy 1990s 4 Collapse 6 The Special Case of the Best and Brightest 6 Recovery and Productivity 9 CHAPTER 2 THE PSYCHOLOGICAL RECESSION 13 How to Recognize a Psychological Recession 14 A Psychological Recession Is Self-Fulfilling 16 Perception versus Reality 17 Who Is Affected? 19 Why It Matters 21 CHAPTER 3 FEELINGS MATTER- SOFT IS HARD 25 Heart Trumps Head 27 People Are Not Commodities 31 Commitment Is Not Kindness 32 CHAPTER 4 BAD MANAGEMENT IS (REALLY) EXPENSIVE 35 Many Employees Feel Negatively about Work 36 The Number of Unhappy Employees Continues to Increase 37 Many Employees Feel Resentful 37 Low Rates of Employee Commitment and Loyalty Are Very Expensive 37 Downsizing Leads to Resentment, Which Leads to Terrible Customer Service 38 Many Employees Want to Move to a New Job 39 Unhappy Employees Are Unproductive Employees 39 Like Employee Loyalty, Customer Loyalty Cannot Be Takenfor Granted 39 The Gallup Surveys of Engagement 40 Engagement and Productivity: The New Century Example 42 What All These Data Mean 43 CHAPTER 5 GOOD MANAGEMENT (REALLY) MAKES MONEY 45 It's the Interaction Between Employees and Customers 46 Good Management Is Profitable 50 Motivated Employees and Profitablity 50 Costco versus Wal-Mart's Sam's Club 51 SAS Institute 52 Best Companies to Work for 53 Commitment Can Take Many Forms 56 Establish Family-Friendly Policies 56 Invest in Training 58 Communicate Honestly 59 Let Them Own a Piece of the Company 59 Act with Integrity 60 Widening the Road to Success 60 CHAPTER 6 COMMITMENT AND ENGAGEMENT-NOT MORALE OR SATISFACTION 63 Nurturing Commitment and Engagement 66 Ask the Right Questions 66 Hire the Right People 67 Measure the Right Attributes 69 Morale and Satisfaction Don't Count 71 Getting It Wrong 72 Getting It Right 75 CHAPTER 7 CREATE SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN BOSSES AND SUBORDINATES 77 Employee-Boss Relationships 78 The Special Importance of Trust 80 Trust and Communication 81 Relationships at Work 83 Out of Touch with Subordinates 84 Leadership and Average People 87 Leaders for the Twenty-First Century 89 CHAPTER 8 STRENGTHEN THE BOND WITH EMPLOYEES BY CUSTOMIZING 91 Humanize the Workplace 95 Fair-But Not Identical 97 Involving Each Employee Individually 98 Today's Cluster of Priorities 100 Manage to Success: Customize Recognition 101 Suggestions for Customization Menu Items 104 CHAPTER 9 ACHIEVE A BEST FIT 113 Hiring for Best Fit 114 Managing to Success 116 Really Know Expectations and Priorities 117 The Question of Risk 118 Risk and Corporate Culture: Digging Deeper 120 Asking the Right Questions 122 CHAPTER 10 STAYING AHEAD OF THE CURVE 129 CHAPTER 11 HOW ARE WE DOING ECONOMICALLY? 147 Why Many People Feel Defenseless 152 The Perception of Change Is Greater Than the Reality 156 Scared, Passive, and Cynical 160 CHAPTER 12 A TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY SAFETY NET 163 Goals for a Twenty-First Century Safety Net 165 Goals 165 Critical Elements of a Safety Net 166 Education Reform 167 Healthcare Reform 173 Shoring Up the Employer-Based System 175 Less Government and More Free Market Forces 176 New Ideas and Different Views 178 A New Vision for Collaboration 179 More Ideas About a Modern Safety Net 186 CHAPTER 13 PSYCHOLOGY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ECONOMICS 189 America's Strengths 193 The Threat from Other Countries 196 Lose the Fear and Release the Energy! 200 ENDNOTES 203 INDEX 217