Today at the Optus Business Technology Seminar however, I learned more about Google’s commitment to workplaces – work can and does happen everywhere and anywhere. Google itself does not have enough desks for the number of people who are employed by it. There is a fundamental shift on what work looks like and where it takes place.

A few facts: Google is the 4^th largest server manufacturer in the world (and they have never sold one) – also they are the 3^rd largest IP network in the world…

Interesting to listen to Stuart McLean Head of Enterprise in Australia and NZ as he shared how Google’s purpose to ‘Organize and manage the worlds information’ drives its innovation and product development. Included in that is the Google Enterprise, established to support businesses organize and manage the businesses information – As Stuart pointed out much of the planets information is still housed on people’s hard drives… (Google can’t help manage or organize it if it stays on those hard drives.)

Google has come up with the notion of ‘100% web’ – which means that information is stored remotely on massive servers, but can be accessed from any device anywhere – if the device gets destroyed – it does not matter because the real value is in the data – which is remote so not destroyed. A PC, smartphone, tablet all they are is an access mechanism to the data.  This by definition is what cloud computing is all about.

“Work is not a place it’s a thing you do – and you can do it anywhere.” Apparently 85% of new jobs created between 1998-2006 are involved in knowledge work of some sort – like problem solving or connecting people.

The workspace – is transformed to a place where people come together to connect ‘the tribe’s place’. “Telecommuting can reduce a businesses real estate costs by 20% and payroll by 10%” he quoted.

As the notion of how work takes place evolves – then I believe that the investment made in ensuring people are connected, aligned and have a shared sense of purpose is critical to peoples well being. The challenge for organizations is how to celebrate peoples contribution, recognize them and also to recognize teams – when they may be dispersed across the globe.

As the world becomes smaller “in the future each and every job will be completed by people from around the world” [The world is flat] – as we can see with the massive growth in businesses like freelancer.com

Stuart summarized:

• Innovation is not installed
• Attachments are so last century
• Think mobile first
• Team effort and collaboration is the future
• Manage the information coming at you – cleverly
• Relationships not contacts

One thing I do know is that the work places my children enter will be vastly different than the places I started my career – ‘so last century’

So the question I have been putting to business owners and leaders is ‘how are you making your people feel loved this festive season? What are you doing to breath positivity into the new year? How are you saying thank you?’

Straight after Christmas comes new year… And many people will make a new years resolution to find an new job. We’ve seen research that says upward of 30% of people were waiting for the upturn before making a career change. The media is reporting signs of recovering and optimism is beginning to emerge. This is the time that some employees have been waiting for – the grass is beginning to look greener.

Resignations traditionally spike at the Christmas break anyway. This year is likely to be worse. It may well be too late. If people have already ‘mentally checked out’ it will be difficult to bring them back to the fold. So now is the time to get people thinking positively about the new year, to let them know that they will be appreciated. To really get to work on aligning people to the purpose of the business. This investment may take a while but it will repay itself well and truly in time for Christmas 2010.

So be proactive about the Christmas ‘disconnect’. Here’s a few things you could do:

1. Managers need to be with their people, (leading from the trenches) understand the world of the people they manage and authentically thank them for the specific contribution they made. Understand the employee experience – what is it really like to work there.
2. Have fabulous things for people to look forward too. And I don’t mean increasing their targets or asking more from them. Let them know how you plan to celebrate and have some fun with achieving even small wins – make sure that they are achievable.
3. Establish ways to listen to your team (and not just at the Christmas party when a few too many beverages have been consumed)

And remember one last little piece of wisdom. SMILE, and have a laugh. It is okay to have fun in business, to be yourself, and people want to hang around a place where people are having fun (and achieving results)

As the leadership team goes so goes the rest of the organization.

So you have the power to put the ‘Merry’ back in Christmas, and then they will show up again for another year.

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It might be worth downloading the full report

Below are some of the key findings… But the biggest outcome I got from reading the results – is we are not finished yet. There is so much work to be done. Engagement is a journey that many organizations are just starting – and have a long and rocky road ahead of them. We need to support managers with tools, training and strategic imperative.. to make recognition as important as commercial rigor – they are of course one in the same thing. 

Key Findings:
	Praise is not frequent enough – One in five employees does not receive any praise at all or at best, it only happens once per year. And 62% of managers are rated as "Poor" or just "Satisfactory" at delivering specific and timely praise.
	Managers are driving employees away – 52% of employees say not receiving recognition would contribute to them leaving a company.
	Managers don’t know their people – two thirds of employees are convinced their managers don’t know what motivates them to be more productive.
	Recognition means the most from the manager – Close to half of employees surveyed want to be recognised directly by their manager on a one-on-one basis.
	Only one in three companies were rated as being "Excellent" or "Good" at rewarding and recognising their employees.
	Employees want to receive rewards that involve spending time doing activities and sharing experiences with friends or family (55%).

A few weeks ago we received the survey results back. More than 3000 people gave us feedback on the current state of Reward and Recognition in businesses in Australia and New Zealand.

The basic premise – ‘Managers are driving employees away’. 70% of an employees engagement is determined by their immediate supervisor according to Hay Group. The RedBalloon research wanted to establish why this is the case.

It appears managers have missed the point when it comes to acknowledging and appreciating their employees for their hard work and contribution and this will cause employees to jump ship. Managers are in the spotlight after 62 percent of employees have rated them as ‘not good’ at delivering specific and timely praise.

52% of the respondents said that, not receiving any recognition would be a contributing factor in their decision to leave their organizations, and 28 percent would leave if they were not receiving any recognition at all.

There is a fundamental requirement for people to feel that they belong and that the organization notices what they contribute. People have a choice – and they would rather work with a direct manager who appreciates them. Otherwise they will go elsewhere and find a manager who will.

The study found that managers do not know their people. Two thirds across all generations are convinced their managers don’t know what motivates them.

Without a formal recognition program in place, recognition is left up to the direct manager, – and respondents tell us that that means that recognition doesn’t happen. Recognition has become subjective, only if the manager remembers. This is not good enough.

Recognition is a powerful driver.

As leaders we need to support managers, with resources, training, information on WHY recognition is such a critical part of commercial results – but also give them the tools on HOW to make people feel great.

Managers need to be empowered to say thanks, and given the tools to do it. It has to be part of ‘how we do things around here.’

For a copy of the full survey results