Archive for 2010

The article How Engagement Can Screw Up Your Culture provided a great perspective on assessing employee engagement, and how if done incorrectly, can truly backfire.

The article reinforced the coaching and guidance CRS gives our clients when we embark on creating a customized employee engagement survey and the advice we share:

1.)  Tailor it to your team – talk to the team in their language, and ask them only about things which you are willing to adapt or adopt.

2.)  React to the results without overreacting – you need to implement change based on what the data indicates.  Don’t overreact by changing everything at once.

3.)  Be cautious about who sees the entire data set – The appropriate level is different for each survey, so make sure to think about the potential repercussions.

And as the article suggests, provide training for those who will be sharing and receiving the results.

Enjoy!

We’ve just returned from attending a preview lunch at Seasons 52 in King of Prussia, PA, officially opening its doors on 3/29.  Although we oohed over the beautiful decor and aahed over the taste of every item(especially since each plate was 475 calories or less), the real highlights were the service and the presentation.  Our hostess exchanged each of our white napkins with black to accommodate the dark-colored clothes each of us were wearing.  Nice touch!  Our server Jaclyn was attentive without being intrusive, and definitely rolled with the punches doled out by our group.  She asked if we had any time constraints and allowed us to set the pace for our meal.  The presentation of each item was exquisite, including the selected service piece, the color, and the attention to details.   After a meal of silent service (no fewer than 6 servers brought food or cleared plates, all without disrupting our heated conversation), the final highlight was when Jaclyn pulled out a flashlight and spotlighted (literally!) each of the mini dessert choices.

It’s clear these thoughtful touches are what make the difference and set not only concepts, but servers, apart.  Here’s wishing a very successful opening to Seasons 52.  They’re off to a great start!

Work-life balance is a topic that comes up in almost every exit interview and survey we complete here at CRS.  In How to Make Shift Work Family Friendly Jennifer Ludden talks about a study conducted by NIH (National Institutes of Health) found that employees with the most accommodating managers “had better physical health reports, better sleep quality, higher job satisfaction, and less stress over work-life conflicts.”  She also says it’s not that hard to be accommodating, perhaps through posting schedules farther in advance, making it easier for workers to trade shifts or cross-training more people for the same job – or simply easing rules on cell-phone use.  Read the whole article for more details on the study and the benefits to everyone when managers are more accommodating, and consider what small changes your operators could make that might make a very big difference!

The New Year is well underway and the team at CRS wants to help you “march” toward the end of the first quarter with a great read.

Our goal with The Real Scoop blog is to provide you with inspiring posts, relevant content, and at times something just for the fun of it!

Check out this article we found on Entrepreneur.com  Waiter, Bring Me a Fresh Idea.  All the tips are relevant and impactful, and we really thought #10 was a hit!

Let us know your thoughts!

Deanna Sharp