JUNE 29

Can employees outline your company vision in their sleep?

THE 2 A.M. TEST

How do you think your employees would fare if given the 2 a.m. test? Haven’t heard of it? James Di Loreto at the Catalyst Group describes it this way:

“If you have communicated your mission and values properly, any employee should be able to recite it to you without hesitation, even if awakened at 2 a.m. to do it.” Undoubtedly, employee recognition moments provide a prime opportunity to link company mission and values with behavior. Here’s how you do it:

1. Reward employees for activities and behaviors that support company values; and

2. Vocalize the link between their behaviors and those values while presenting the award. Here’s an example: “Kathy, I want to thank you for finding a way to get that replacement order out by Friday, as promised. It was a great example of ‘providing the highest level of customer service,’ one of our three company values.”

If these steps are second nature, rest assured your employees would pass the 2 a.m. test with flying colors. If not, consider this your wake-up call.