Tribe, Inc.

Employees want to know the truth, but you don’t want the truth to send them into a panic.  If your company is facing a possible merger that would create some duplicate positions, or moving towards downsizing due to economic realities, the “Yes, but” method can be helpful.

Here’s how the “Yes, but” method works: Be honest about the realities of layoffs, but pair it with some sort of silver lining.

So what do you say when employees ask if people will lose their jobs? Using the “Yes, but” method, the company response might be, “Yes, some employees will lose their jobs, but only a small percentage.” Or “but first we’ll offer volunteer retirement packages and that should substantially reduce the number of layoffs.” Or “but not for at least a year when the merger is expected to be finalized.”

The trick is to find some good news to pair with the bad. When employees hear that the company is taking steps to lessen the impact on individuals, whether it’s by offering an outplacement program or generous severance payments or even just by doing anything possible to reduce the number of lost jobs, it helps keep trust in management alive.

The irony of delivering bad news is that sometimes it can increase employee trust. Employees appreciate the company’s truthfulness, and in many cases they also will trust that if something even worse were to happen, they’d be informed of that too.

Knowledge is power. By letting employees know the bad news, the company gives them a chance to make good decisions in their own lives. An employee might decide not to buy that new house right now, or to encourage their high school senior to look at less expensive colleges.

Reference your values. Are you meeting resistance from the higher ups who are uncertain they want to share this bad news? Then you might point out that respect or integrity or honesty is one of your company values, and that this is an excellent opportunity to live that value in a way that’s highly visible to employees.

Who says employee engagement has to be a catered lunch of cold pizza and cookie cake in the break room? Employee engagement comes in many forms and it doesn’t always have to be about feeding your employees to make them satisfied within the workplace and committed to their job.

Tired of Reinventing the Wheel? – It’s hard to come up with new and inventive ways to reach your employees while still communicating the company’s mission or values. Instead of falling back on an old crutch, take a play out of another company’s playbook to see if any of their methods will work similarly for your company and culture. There is loads of information and examples available on the intranet to spark ideas or you can check out Tribe’s case studies on employee engagement http://www.tribeinc.com/case-studies.html. They do say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Movement Attracts Attention – One of the most interesting methods we have seen for reaching employees is to throw a parade – literally. Right through your office. Zappos uses this method quite often and it proves to be effective for them. Employees create signs and posters to hold up while marching through the office yelling and screaming, complete with music, to communicate one thing or another. It gets the point across, their employees are involved and it is a funny distraction for employees during the day. Most recently, Zappos ran a parade through their office to raise money for the Embrace Change project. They asked employees to contribute donations while playing the “Money, Money, Money” song by the O’Jays.

As an Employee, You Get a Vote Too – If you are tasked with strengthening employee engagement at the company, remember that you are an employee of the company too. What would you like to see happen? How do you think employees, such as yourself, would like to celebrate a company anniversary or hear about a new change within the business? Don’t discredit your own wishes as an employee of the company.

Sometimes 10 heads are better than one. Contact Tribe for help with other employee engagement ideas for your company.

Hit what you aim for. That’s the title of a new blog post by Matthew Beaudin of the Best Made Company. He’s talking about using an axe, but it also can be applied to our work and our lives.

The first step is to clarify your aim. Do you want a promotion at work? Do you want to build your savings? Do you want a simpler life?

Actually hitting the target is where we get sidetracked. It’s easy to set that goal for a promotion, but then spend your workdays caught up in a flurry of activity that doesn’t move you any closer to your objective. If geting a promotion depends, for instance, on demonstrating your ability to think strategically, you’ve got to build in time for that around the inevitable meetings, emails and deadlines.

But there’s also power in momentum. Partly because things like promotions and nest eggs don’t usually happen by exerting one powerful blow. They happen because of our consistent efforts day after day, week after week, month after month.

 As Beaudin describes it, ”When you hit what you aim for, and the tool vanishes into its target, there is a moment of nothing. The force exerted continues blasting through the object, in this case wood, and the weight of your axe continues to fall but you, your muscles, are hollow. This is classical physics, matter altered by force, distilled through an axe.”

Once you swing the axe, the force exerted continues blasting through the object. Applied to life, that might be taken as a description of how much less effort it takes once you get going. Start doing the things it will take to get that promotion. Set up a plan that moves money into your savings every month. Let go of one commitment that doesn’t serve you, and it becomes easier to say no to the next one.

If you need a metaphoric symbol to remind you to hit what you aim for, get yourself a Best Made axe. Prop it in the corner and it will make you feel powerful every time you see it.

The other day I shared with some of my coworkers at Tribe that during my sophomore year of high school (my first one) my family didn’t have a phone. It was a bit of a turbulent time in the ol’ Dixon household and we were in a bit of a “tight” as my dad used to say. Our phone was disconnected after one of my dad’s deadbeat friends (friends?) lived with us for a while and ran up a long distance bill that we couldn’t pay. It was before the time of cell phones so it left us free of the “burden” of having to communicate with the outside world. Take THAT telemarketers!

Later I thought about my year free of the convenience of being able to order a pizza and called my brother to reminisce. It was a weird experience. My brother had to walk up to the local “Mister Bee’s” convenience store and stand outside at a pay phone in the middle of January to call his girlfriend. If friends wanted to hang out, they would just show up. I, on the other hand, found it to be quite beneficial.

I remember one instance in particular when I was busted for choosing to ignore one of the many rules at my local high school. The administrator felt the need to tell me that they had no choice but to call my parents. I, of course, agreed with them and wished them luck in their endeavors.

It would usually take about an hour before I was called back into the office. They would ask why when they called the phone number on my file that the people who answered had no idea who I was. I would then drop the “my family doesn’t have a telephone” bomb on them. This would always give them a reason to pause. Was this kid just being a smartass? Or do we have a situation that needs to be looked into?

The conversation would generally end unresolved and I guess my malfeasance would just get lost in the paper work and no one would ever say anything else about it. They may have tried to send a letter to the house, but we moved around a good amount so the address they had was probably outdated. Eventually the phone bill did get paid and the phone was restored. And the world was once more a place of peace and prosperity.

It was an experience at a time in my life when having a phone was a non-issue compared to doing other things I was interested in. But when I look back on it now, I find it beneficial to have gone through some less than good times. It gives you a solid base to build on and inspires you to work hard to remain in an “At least I can still afford a phone” sort of mentality. Which I guess is really just another way of realizing you’ve got nowhere else to go but up.

At Tribe, we talk a lot about how to use social media internally, but in this blog we’re focusing on a benefit of using it once it’s up and running. For those of you who don’t know, digital body language is reading a person’s intent through how they behave and interact online. It can give you great insights into how engaged your employees are. Here are a few tips to get you started.

1. If a tree falls in the woods… A problem some companies run into once they’ve set up their internal social media systems is interaction. The last thing you want to be doing is talking to a vacuum. It kind of defeats the social aspect of social media. With the right activation plan your employees will interact and engage. If they don’t, they’re either not interested in the content or they could be just flat out ignoring it. Look carefully at what they’re posting and when and how they’re interacting – if at all. By reading the body language of what they are doing you can craft a message that speaks to them.

2. It’s not what you say; it’s how you say it. Sometimes tone can be a tricky thing to figure out online. By reading between the lines you can figure out the true intent of an employee. Are they actually happy and engaged or just saying what they know management wants to hear?

3. Timing is everything. Reaction time can help you find out how important an issue is to employees. If they’re quick to judge something it’s probably a hot button issue and could be a good thing to address on a larger platform.

I could have thought of that. These might be things you thought about before, but make sure you’re looking at them holistically. If you don’t look at the big picture you could get caught up on one unhappy employee’s side comment. You want to take a birds eye view and craft your message in order to engage in ways that are the most cost effective and efficient for your company.

Going back to work after a long time off is never easy. You’ve been trying to not think about work during your vacation but now have to quickly switch your mind back and get in a normal routine once again. Now that we’re all back in the office, the below advice can help you avoid this holiday hangover and get the year started off on the right foot.

Prioritize your projects. In a perfect world we would be able to finish up all projects prior to taking time off and start fresh when we return. Obviously, this is not usually the case. Create a detailed to-do list to ensure each previous assignment is accounted for and place an increased emphasis on the projects that will need immediate attention. If there is a project that has been lingering for an extended period, think of the new year as an opportunity to inject new life into it and reach a conclusion. While it’s important to wrap up existing projects, remember that this is also the best time of the year to introduce new ideas. Many clients view January as the time to set the tone for the rest of the year. With that in mind, identify opportunities that will have a residual effect in the ensuing months and excite employees from the get-go.

Communicate as much as possible. This can also be thought of as the don’t let them forget about you tip. In all likelihood, it’s been a while since you last interacted with clients and other business contacts. Reacquaint yourself with them as soon as you can. Even if you simply check-in to see how their holidays went, it’s always a good thing to be top of mind to your clients as they are trying to get back in the swing of things as well. Just like you, they will be looking to get the year started off right and could likely use some help. By reaching out to them early, you can not only provide an instantaneous reminder of your reliability and commitment but also use it as an opportunity to seek out ways to become more involved.

Be positive. Think of the new year as your fresh start. Look to build off the success of the previous year while forgetting the negatives. By illustrating a positive attitude, you’ll show to your co-workers and (more importantly) your boss that you’re committed to taking the next step towards helping the company grow. This positive outlook can immediately generate momentum that can be sustained throughout the year.

By following these strategies you can not only get back into the swing of things, but also get ahead. How you handle your first month back can have a snowball effect on the rest of the year; get started off right and see the positive results after!

The celebration of the new year on January 1st is a relatively new phenomenon. The earliest recording of a new year celebration is believed to have been in Mesopotamia, c. 2000 B.C. and was celebrated around the time of the vernal equinox, in mid-March. A variety of other dates tied to the seasons were also used by various ancient cultures. The Egyptians, Phoenicians, and Persians began their new year with the fall equinox, and the Greeks celebrated it on the winter solstice.

By: Borgna Brunner

Read more: A History of the New Year — Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/spot/newyearhistory.html#ixzz1iP8WS3Kk

“To change one’s life: Start immediately. Do it flamboyantly.” That quote is attributed to William James, an American philosopher and psychologist working at the end of the 19th century.

What’s flamboyant to you may be barely noteworthy to someone else. When I started my first ad agency, the quote above helped give me the guts to quit my job and jump off that cliff into startup land. To me, it was the most exciting, audacious and bold adventure ever. To those around me, it probably just looked like a lot of work with no guarantee of a paycheck.

Do you want to change your life in 2012? It’s easy to procrastinate on a major life change, but there’s power in making that first move. If there’s a major decision you’ve been weighing or a flamboyant transformation you’ve considered, January 1 can be a useful catalyst.

Life is short. You’ve noticed how these new years come around quicker and quicker? If you want to change your life, get going.

Winter was coming, and the birds had flown far to the south, where the air was warm and they could find berries to eat. One little bird had broken its wing and could not fly with the others. It was alone in the cold world of frost and snow. The forest looked warm, and it made its way to the trees as well as it could, to ask for help.

First it came to a birch tree. “Beautiful birch tree,” it said, “my wing is broken, and my friends have flown away. May I live among your branches till they come back to me?”

“No, indeed,” answered the birch tree, drawing her fair green leaves away. “We of the great forest have our own birds to help. I can do nothing for you.”

“The birch is not very strong,” said the little bird to itself, “and it might be that she could not hold me easily. I will ask the oak.” So the bird said: “Great oak tree, you are so strong, will you not let me live on your boughs till my friends come back in the springtime?”

“In the springtime!” cried the oak. “That is a long way off. How do I know what you might do in all that time? Birds are always looking for something to eat, and you might even eat up some of my acorns.”

“It may be that the willow will be kind to me,” thought the bird, and it said: “Gentle willow, my wing is broken, and I could not fly to the south with the other birds. May I live on your branches till the springtime?”

The willow did not look gentle then, for she drew herself up proudly and said: “Indeed, I do not know you, and we willows never talk to people whom we do not know. Very likely there are trees somewhere that will take in strange birds. Leave me at once.”

The poor little bird did not know what to do. Its wing was not yet strong, but it began to fly away as well as it could. Before it had gone far a voice was heard. “Little bird,” it said, “where are you going?”

“Indeed, I do not know,” answered the bird sadly. “I am very cold.”

“Come right here, then,” said the friendly spruce tree, for it was her voice that had called.

“You shall live on my warmest branch all winter if you choose.”

“Will you really let me?” asked the little bird eagerly.

“Indeed, I will,” answered the kind-hearted spruce tree. “If your friends have flown away, it is time for the trees to help you. Here is the branch where my leaves are thickest and softest.”

“My branches are not very thick,” said the friendly pine tree, “but I am big and strong, and I can keep the North Wind from you and the spruce.”

“I can help, too,” said a little juniper tree. “I can give you berries all winter long, and every bird knows that juniper berries are good.”

So the spruce gave the lonely little bird a home; the pine kept the cold North Wind away from it; and the juniper gave it berries to eat. The other trees looked on and talked together wisely.

“I would not have strange birds on my boughs,” said the birch.

“I shall not give my acorns away for any one,” said the oak.

“I never have anything to do with strangers,” said the willow, and the three trees drew their leaves closely about them.

In the morning all those shining, green leaves lay on the ground, for a cold North Wind had come in the night, and every leaf that it touched fell from the tree.

“May I touch every leaf in the forest?” asked the wind in its frolic.

“No,” said the Frost King. “The trees that have been kind to the little bird with the broken wing may keep their leaves.”

This is why the leaves of the spruce, the pine, and the juniper are always green.

Sung at the Roosevelt Hotel on Janurary 1, 1929, Canadian band leader Guy Lombardo started the famous New Year’s Eve tradition of Auld Lang Syne. Guy Lombardo’s orchestra played the song every New Years Eve, in live broadcast from New York, until 1976.  Ever since then, their recording has been played each year as part of the Times Square “ball drop”.

Lyrics:

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne?

Chorus:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

And surely ye’ll be your pint-stowp!
And surely I’ll be mine!
And we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

We twa hae run about the braes
And pou’d the gowans fine.
We’ve wandered mony a weary foot,
Sin’ auld lang syne.

We twa hae sported i’ the burn,
From morning sun till dine,
But seas between us braid hae roared
Sin’ auld lang syne.

And ther’s a hand, my trusty friend,
And gie’s a hand o’ thine;
We’ll tak’ a right good willie-waught,,
For auld lang syne.

-Robert Burns