By Michael W. Hill, Mobius Vendor Partners Executive Consultant,

Author of Measuring to Manage

It may seem that every day your company is hit with a new Challenge. Yes, some companies are, but some of these Challenges are shared by a number of companies and some might be unique to yours.

In this month’s article I’ll address 3 common Challenges and some recommended solutions. Next month I’ll address another 3. These are not in any particular order. Just be open-minded about what might be affecting your business.

These Challenges are not unique to just full-time office employees or the remote workers. These are problems that your company needs to address to be successful.

Challenge #1 Lack of motivation

Remember when you hired that “A” candidate. They started their day a little early, seemed to be enjoying the work and got things done, and often worked on projects a little longer than others. Then 6 months into the job – they slowdown. This can be a real problem across your entire workforce because when other employees see anyone slowing down, they tend to do the same. 

So, what to do? First, recognize that all employees are not motivated in the same way or with the same incentives. And please don’t just start a cash incentive program to motivate your people. The research shows cash is a poor motivator. It may work in the short term, but it is not a long-term solution. A great way to start is to ask your employees – what are the factors they find most motivating?  Some possibilities could be time off, helping them with their personal goals (career advancement etc.) giving them more feedback (the research shows most companies do a poor job of giving employees feedback), and finally maybe some type of reward.

Challenge #2 Insufficient Training

In my work consulting work, I’m continually surprised the number of times I hear from an employee “the company is expecting me to do… and they should know I don’t have the skills to accomplish what they want me to do”.

Lack of training will always lead to problems in the workplace. What I find is that most employees want to do what is asked of them, but management must first check to find out if the employee has the skills to do the work. You then have the choice: find an employee that does have the skills you’re looking for or train the ones you have.

One manager said to another: what if I train these employees and then they leave to go to the competition? The other manager replied: what if you don’t train them and they stay?

Training is an investment. You invest in new equipment to stay competitive, maybe even new software programs. Your employees are your most important asset – invest in them!

Make sure you involve your employees in the process: ask them what new skills they think they need, and what current skills need to be addressed.

Challenge #3 Old Technology or Lack of Technology

It’s hard for most companies to stay up to date with the latest technology. It can be very frustrating for employees and management when the company doesn’t have the right tools for everyone to get their work done.

Back in the days of the first CRM packages I worked with a company in which the sales department was drowning. The president was switching to a new CRM packages every 9 months. The salespeople where frustrated because as soon as they learned a system a new one was brought in, the president was frustrated because he wasn’t getting the information from the salespeople that he thought he needed. A lose to lose for both sides.

You want technology that allows the employees to be productive and not spending their time learning new systems. Many times, your employees know what is needed, ask them. Many have friends that will brag about what is being used at their company and they’re happy to share this information.

You probably noticed that I point out with each Challenge that you need to ask your employees for their input. Some of what you “need” to know can only be answered by the employees themselves. Maybe a survey would help? You might be making some assumptions that are just not correct! Get your employees involved! Some of these Challenges may be affecting your employees more than you think and  they may currently be looking for employment elsewhere because they don’t feel that the Challenges are being addressed. 

You may want our help.

At Mobius’ Employee Experience – EX Consulting Employee Experience – Mobius Vendor Partners (mobiusvp.com) – we have the software to survey your employees so you can make the best decisions for your company and respond to your employees’ needs. Contact us to get started.

Mike’s book: Measuring to Manage is available on Amazon.