Musings in the workplace: 15 ways to make 2015 count

Finally, the much anticipated year 2015 is here. Everyone is getting back to work with renewed gusto and great plans to tackle challenges, achieve goals, overcome habits, attain milestones and achievements.

As the year starts, it’s the perfect time to introspect with these 15 questions:

1. What worked and what didn’t work last year?

2. Do you have the persistence to stick to what you’ve set out to achieve this year?

3. Is employee engagement worth exploring within your team even if top leaders aren’t championing this cause?

4. Are your line leaders held accountable for retention?

5. Will you challenge the status quo when it’s contrary to the opinion of your boss?

6. Am I exuding an entrepreneurial mindset? Owning my work and responsibilities?                        

7. Does productivity mean anything to me or it’s just about “face-time”?

8. As a business leader do I hold myself accountable?

9. Is the concept of tracking hours put into consideration to ensure each day is maximised?

10. How can I channel my passion to my profession?

11. Has senior management identified employee engagement as a priority? Employee engagement is not a goal in itself – it’s the means to fulfilling corporate vision and achieving business success.

12. How can we channel the generational differences to the organisations benefit?

13. How can we get employees to break away from mediocre thinking?

14. What do we need to do to get social media supporting our employee engagement efforts?

15. How can we influence our company reputation positively like we focus on revenues and profits?

As the New Year progresses, you can either improve or totally change the approach of your unit or department views team members’ engagement & retention levels.

Have you ever conducted a Stay interview? Have you ever asked a member of your team what you (not the organisation) can do to make their work environment more suitable and conducive?

If for any reason, you have observed an employee engagement or retention strategy is no longer working, be prepared to stop the clock, call a “time out” and re-examine the process with new eyes. If it’s working, do more of it. Be willing to put aside your past experiences and assumptions of top management’s shortcomings.

The difference between business success and failure largely depends on your ability to look at your organisation, department or unit objectively and make sure that everything that you are doing is contributing to the achievement of your most important business goals in line with releasing people potential.

Get up and make 2015 count – Carpe Diem!

NGOZI ADENIYI