Voice of the Employee 2013 - Connect, Care, Challenge, Celebrate Mark Simes October 1, 2013

Voice of the Employee 2013
  Connect, Care, Challenge, Celebrate

             Mark Simes
           October 1, 2013

Summary of Results
• Generally horizontal trends year‐to‐year.
• #15 “I am proud to work for AHG” is
   – 83% 4’s and 5’s out of 5.
   – Generally steady year‐to‐year.
• #16 “My personal values align with the values of AHG” climbed to an
  all‐time high in 2013, which is impressive in light of the great test
  AHG’s employees endured regarding the BSA MOMS.
   – 97% 4’s and 5’s out of 5, up from 72% year ago.
• #1 “AHG supports new and better ways of doing things” was
  generally flat, while we think we made progress here. Perhaps
  employees have raised their expectations and scrutiny here due to
  the Management Team’s raising expectations for employees to do
  things in new ways. Perhaps the Management Team can do a better
  job of allowing employees to truly own the ministry and innovate.

Action Steps
• Management Team, COO, and ED had Voice of the
  Employee working session on 11/8/13 facilitated by
  Diane Adamec.
• Implemented Monday morning 9:30 a.m. “Prayers
  and Plans for Week” meeting to increase unity and
  communication amongst Management Team, COO,
  and ED
• Tawny Slaughter and ED volunteered to seek new
  opportunities for Management Team to make
  outside of work relational growth and connection.
• Membership and Support Departments began cross
  training to grow skills and improve work processes.

1. AHG supports new and better ways
                of doing things.
90%      2011
80%
         2012
70%
         2013
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
 0%
        1       2       3       4       5

1. AHG supports new and better ways
of doing things. (Selected verbatims)

• “AHG has a hard time with new ideas but they
  eventually come around.”

• “We are in the same pattern of doing things
  like we have done in the past. We say we
  have a vision, but it doesn’t show in the daily
  work here in the office.”

1. AHG supports new and better ways
          of doing things.
• “AHG supports new ways of doing things, but
  change is slow and complicated.”

• “Changes that cut across departments are
  difficult to enact. Easier if change is within a
  department.”

• “We can do so much better at empowering
  individuals to take ownership and find better
  ways of doing things.”

15. I am proud to work for AHG.
90%        2011
80%
           2012
70%
60%        2013
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
 0%

       1          2   3      4      5

16. My personal values align with
             the values of AHG.
        2011
90%
80%     2012
70%     2013
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
 0%
       1        2       3       4         5

18. AHG accepts my mistakes in my
      attempting new ways of doing things.
90%

80%   2011
70%
      2012
60%
      2013
50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

      1        2        3       4        5

18. AHG accepts my mistakes in my
  attempting new ways of doing things.

• “Allow a person to finish a project, even with
  mistakes, before coming in and fixing it.”

• “I feel that some employees are afraid to
  think outside the box because of what might
  be said to them.”

19. When I do an excellent job, my
         accomplishments are recognized.
90%

80%
      2011
      2012
70%

      2013
60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

       1        2        3        4          5

19. When I do an excellent job, my
   accomplishments are recognized.
• “I think it is hard for my manager to know
  when I have done a good job.”

• “I think we could do better with this. We
  seem to be so busy that we don’t take time
  to recognize personal achievements and
  department achievements.”

29. List three things that could improve
  AHG’s work culture and AHG overall.
Clearer communication
 • “I hate making them.”
Flexible schedules, maybe some of the office can work 7 to 3:30, 7:30 to 4, 8 to
4:30 and 8:30 to 5 (staggered time)
Spending some time in each other’s department or joint department meetings
occasionally ( not a big fan of too many meetings, though)
Increased communication and understanding of departmental roles/POWs, etc.
Communication among the staff starting from the top down
Better Communication
Include all departments in everyday activities (it only takes a few seconds to call
over the phone system and announce that something important is going on)
Cross training of jobs
Better Communications
new database

29. List three things that could improve
 AHG’s work culture and AHG overall.
 request for more confidentiality regarding volunteer issues, phone conversation,
 emails &/or background check troubles. The entire office should not weigh in or be
 knowledgeable about any issue that does not pertain to their specific work load.
 Be completely open to suggestions and implement at least 30% of a suggestion that
 has been made for a process
 provide the right number of people to get the jobs accomplished
 Healthy communication
 Clearly delineate areas of responsibility.
 Build into individuals more - improve personally & professionally - through a mentor
 and through leadership development classes and opportunities
 More attention given to the charters and the startup process.
 Not always looking at the staff as the reason for an issue.
 Cross Training - brief 4 hour day hands on exposure to other departments to see how
 our departments intersect and improve the process.
 Communicate the goals

29. List three things that could improve
 AHG’s work culture and AHG overall.
  Candid performance feedback provided on a daily or weekly basis.

  add more personnel - as agency continues to expand

  nametags w name and department

  Unity
  A flexible work schedule in the summer for all employees.

  Having departments meet at least quarterly together to understand
  each other’s processes and to connect on a more personal level
  We should strive for greater efficiency.
  Executive management have a day in the life of each department.

  flexibility
  Cross training between departments

29. List three things that could improve
   AHG’s work culture and AHG overall.
Tap into employee skills and gifts and allow there to be some fluidity
in job description and/or assignments allowed.
more thorough training
Listen to your employees
Clearer chain of command when it comes to communicating to a
department changes in one department that may affect another.
Eyes on the entire organization and seeing how a change one place
could have effects elsewhere
Equal celebration of each member here and their accomplishments
Equal treatment
Flexible work schedules
Better Technology
More interdepartmental meetings and/or purposeful
interaction/activity to build unity.
Do more retreats