Does Your Credit Union Have Contented Cows?

The best gift I ever received from my husband is a letter he wrote me after we got engaged. It didn't cost a penny and it didn't take much effort, but it was meaningful and had a lasting impact. It's an item I treasure and will keep forever.

All successful relationships, including our relationships with our employees, need to be nurtured and cultivated. Especially during challenging economic times, your employees need to know they are appreciated and valued by their manager as well as the organization as a whole. Sadly, many organizations spend more time on policies and tactics than they do creating an organizational culture that engages and inspires their employees.

Did you know that dairy farmers will tell you that for as long as cows have been milked, methods of care have been employed to produce healthier, more contented, and higher-yielding cows? In the book Contented Cows Give Better Milk, authors Bill Catlette and Richard Hadden apply this concept to business by providing proof that organizations with employee engagement as a core strategy are more profitable. Notably, over a 10-year period "contented" companies out earned the "common" companies by nearly $40 billion and $384,000 per employee, and generated a net difference of better than 80,000 jobs.

Engagement needs to be a strategic initiative, not just a human resources initiative. It should be scrutinized and focused on just as much as the financial health of the credit union. Small tactics and recognition are not enough; organizations need to take a holistic approach to engagement by building it into their job descriptions, performance evaluations, and balanced scorecards so it reinforces to managers the importance and expectation of engagement.

Executives and managers can immediately increase engagement by implementing some simple methods that show genuine appreciation for employees.

Here are 10 ideas I've collected from exceptional organizations:

Write a handwritten note of thanks. Make sure it's genuine and specific.

Small gifts like a CD, book or magazine subscription. The key is to know your employees' interests so it's personal to them.

On-site massage therapy. It can be employer or employee paid (employees loved this at one of my former organizations and they paid for it themselves).

CEO voice message. When an employee receives a member compliment or exceeds sales goals, have the CEO leave a thank-you voicemail expressing appreciation.

Hold an "international day" where employees bring artifacts and food from their native culture to share.

Time off. Give the gift of time. It can be a full day, half day, or leaving an hour early.

Motivational moments. At the beginning of each day, do a brief activity with your staff that promotes fun and teamwork.

Gift cards (restaurants, gas, car wash, etc.). Pick something that will be meaningful to that specific employee.

Snack cart. Have senior management deliver snacks to employees and engage with them.

One-on-one meetings. Meet with each of your employees to find out how they like to be recognized. Ask them questions like, "What will keep you here?" and "If you could wave a realistic magic wand, what would you change about your job?"

The key is to get to know your employees on a personal level. Mediocre companies only focus on pay and benefits. Exceptional organizations cultivate a culture of appreciation for their employees every day. It's the small things that make the difference.

I'd love to hear what you do to recognize employees in your credit union. In the comments below, share one thing you do to recognize employees that has been successful.

Laurie J. Maddalena, MBA, CPCC, PHR, is a certified executive coach, consultant and founder of Envision Excellence, LLC, Rockville, Md. She was also an HR executive at a $450 million credit union. Contact her at 240.605.7940 or lmaddalena@envisionexcellence.net.

Photo credit: Dollarphotoclub.com/Željko Radojko