I don’t know about everyone else, but I can’t wait to jump into summer. Although summer officially arrived last week, with all the rain we’ve been having in Boston (as well as other parts of the country), it doesn’t feel like it’s quite here yet.

Now is a great time to bring a more casual, fun atmosphere into the workplace and let our hair down a bit, without relaxing our commitment to business goals and client service excellence.

I’ve been working with my team to come up with creative ways for all of us to come together and build on our sense of camraderie. Here are some of the ideas we came up with – please let us know some of yours:

• Host a barbeque: Bring in a grill, throw on some patties, open a bag of chips and you’re good to go.
• Game day: Schedule a lunch hour, late afternoon or early evening when employees can come together over Pictionary, Family Feud, Trivial Pursuit or other games. A fun twist on this is to compile a trivia quiz about your employees and see how much you know about each other.
• Talent show: Uncover the hidden talent on your team by hosting a talent event or have employees work together to create funny skits about life at work.
• Hawaii 5-0: Turn your office into a Hawaiian paradise, at least for an afternoon. Greet everyone with leis, pipe in ukelele music, and encourage employees to dress in costume.
• Run an afternoon matinee: Bring in a DVD, some popcorn and get the team together to enjoy a movie classic.
• Have an ice cream social: Ice cream with all the toppings will be a hit on a hot summer day.

These are just a few of our ideas—I’m sure your team can come up with many more. In addition to these fun activities, there are other ways that you can recognize team members for all their hard work in this very tough year. You might publicize an employee’s achievements in their hometown paper or write a personal note to the families of team members, acknowledging employees’ hard work and contributions during the year.

So kick up your heels, enjoy spending time together and let the summer fun begin! And please share some of your ideas and summer successes in the comments section of this blog.

Read more about what Nancy and her team are doing to develop Exceptional Workplaces at http://www.insightperformance.com/blog/ or on their Facebook Page.

We’re about halfway through 2009 – one of the worst recessions in most of our memories – and everyone’s taking stock, from White House to Wall Street. The economy has hit the big guys hard, from the financial powerhouses to the Big Three automakers. So how are we, the small business owners, doing?

The good news is that many of us are still in business and we found a resiliance we didn’t know we had. Hopefully many of us used this time to improve our processes, strengthen our businesses, and equally as important, create the type of workplace that will attract the best and the brightest.

In the not-too-distant future, we hopefully will be back to business as usual and even focusing on growth. The organizations that have done a good job of supporting and developing their employees will likely have a loyal, dedicated group of workers to help move them into this next phase. Those that have not, may find themselves replacing key people at the same time they are trying to move their business forward.

So, what does it take to be a “Workplace of Choice?” How can you create a culture that attracts and retains the best and brightest? Here are a few strategies that we have successfully applied to our business and with our clients:

• Be committed for the long term. A corporate culture isn’t something you can turn on and off, based on economic or business climates.
• Take an interest in your employees. Get to know them, and focus on the whole person – his or her interests outside of work as well as professional goals. Make sure you keep employees interested and engaged with work challenges, and present opportunities for growth and training.
• Communicate, communicate, communicate. Make sure employees know and understand your company mission and the state of your business – in good times and bad. Communication is a two-way street. Ask questions and listen. Give every employee a chance to contribute ideas, suggestions, etc.
• Create a team spirit. Create informal get-togethers and celebrations where everyone can get to know each other. Reward the team for group work, and foster an atmosphere of mutual respect and cooperation. Model this approach in your interactions with all employees.
• Create a livable work environment that balances work and life. As appropriate, offer the flexibility of flex-time, telecommuting, and other options. Make sure you aren’t overloading employees with work, and look for creative ways to reduce workplace stress.

By creating a “Workplace of Choice,” you’ll not only retain employees, but you’ll also have a better chance of attracting the best and the brightest. I believe, “If you build it, they will come.”

The mindset that “The customer is always right” underscores the value we place on our customers, regardless of our industry. Especially in today’s economic climate, most companies recognize that their existence largely depends on how well they can engage and service customers and offer them the products or services that they need.

Yet there’s another customer that often doesn’t get as much attention: the internal customer. Better known as “employees” or “staff,” these internal customers are often viewed by what they can deliver to you or your organization. The unfortunate result of this perception: Internal customers lack the care and feeding that is given to external customers.

At Insight, we view our internal team members as being just as valuable to our success as our external customers. We realize that they are the ambassadors of our company, and that happy, motivated team members in turn create happy external customers. So what can organizations do to engage, motivate and inspire internal team members?

A successful internal customer environment depends on the mutual respect and consideration of all team members towards each other. Effective companies realize this should be part of the corporate culture, right alongside dedication to external customers. By supporting and valuing internal customers, we create a happier and more productive workplace that, in turn, promotes positive interactions with customers.

We are all in unchartered waters right now--grappling with economic issues in ways that we have never had to before. This economy is testing the mettle of business leaders--from the largest enterprises to the mom and pop shop--and the exceptional ones will rise to the occasion and successfully pull their companies through. What do all of these leaders have in common? Among other factors, they recognize that in good times as well as bad they need to stay focused. They also understand how important it is to have everyone rowing in the same direction and make sure that the ship is balanced so it won’t tip over.

One of the best ways I’ve found to make sure that my company stays on course is to use a Balanced Scorecard measurement tool. Many companies are understandably preoccupied now with their financial performance, but the Balanced Scorecard --originally designed by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton (The Balanced Scorecard: Translating Strategy into Action)--helps ensure that companies don’t lose sight of other important metrics. The scorecard is focused on key measures, both internal and external, which are all aligned around a common strategy.

We have adapted the tool at Insight Performance to keep balance of key areas that are of critical importance in our business.

Next, there are 4 key metrics positioned above, below, to the right and to left of the vision statement.

With all the anxiety in the marketplace, it’s only natural that employees may feel concerned about issues on the home front as well as job security at the office. Yet, with many managers focused on making numbers and closing sales, it’s often too easy to overlook their number one asset--the internal team.

While unfortunately we can’t alleviate employee anxiety by controlling what Wall Street is doing, we can create a positive work environment that minimizes stress and promotes business success. In all the work that Insight has done to help organizations develop outstanding workplaces, there are several qualities that these companies all share: they are focused on mutual respect, teamwork, and other key core values, and they motivate employees to do their best for themselves, each other, and their clients.

So while now may not be the time you can give pay increases and big bonuses, there are ways you can create outstanding workplaces--ways to recognize your employees and show them that they are truly valued. Here are some of the programs that we implemented for ourselves and our clients over the years that have been very effective:

Creating a Special Recognition Award Establish an award or find another way to reward your office superstars. We ring a bell every time a new client comes on board and recognize work successes company wide. In addition to recognizing the achievements of top performers, consider giving them a token benefit that shows your appreciation, such as a dinner for two on the town.

Rewarding the Team If your team is like mine, everyone’s giving 110%, and would enjoy an opportunity to spend time with their colleagues and let their hair down. One fun approach could be a games afternoon, where you bring out board games such as Pictionary, and let the fun begin.

Setting Aside Regular Times to Connect It may be Monday afternoon brown bag lunches when you supply dessert, Wednesday morning donuts, or Friday afternoon get togethers and weekly wrap-ups, but find a time you can all connect casually on a regular basis. Also, remember to celebrate birthdays, work anniversaries, and other milestones.

Establishing a Mental Health Day Give employees one day off per month during the next few months to rejuvenate themselves and take care of personal business.

Incorporating Flexibility in the Workplace As long as it doesn’t interfere with your business, consider implementing flexible, family-friendly policies. Telecommuting, for example, not only helps reduce stress and establish a more balanced work/life environment, but it can also promote productivity. Having a child home sick from school or a major snowstorm typically won’t disrupt getting work done.

Hosting a Health Program Consider hosting a fun afternoon to promote healthy practices and reduce stress. Invite local vendors to provide free massages, exercise classes, stress reduction workshops, and other activities. Bring in healthy refreshments.

Now more than ever, it’s important to bring your team together, inject some fun and find ways to let off steam.

Have you created an innovative, cost-effective way to boost morale and bring your team together? I’d love to hear about them. Please send in your comments and share your ideas.

Nancy R. Mobley, is president and CEO of Insight Performance, Inc.

We all know a great team when we see one, and the sustainable, competitive advantage that great teams provide. Being from Boston, two immediate examples come to mind: The Red Sox, who won two World Series Championships in three years after an 86-year drought, and the New England Patriots, who have won three Super Bowls in four years. These teams are committed to the philosophy, “ What gets measured, gets done,” and they pursue it with a passion. Both organizations emphasize hiring players who score high on their ability to work as part of a team, openness to learning, adaptability, and leadership.

The importance of creating a great team is becoming even more of a business necessity in this economy. Successful businesses realize--and studies have confirmed--that the number one asset of a company is its employees. Your employees are ambassadors to your customers, and will be largely responsible for implementing your vision and helping you achieve your objectives. So how can you evaluate how you are doing when it comes to human capital? Typically, it has been measured intuitively by assessing if “it feels right.” But just as intuition shouldn’t be the basis for your financial future, it should not guide the direction of your HR practices.

So where should we start? What are the “right” Human Capital metrics for a given organization? Some companies are beginning by measuring revenue and profitability per full-time employee as well as for the organization as a whole. Looking at your business strategically, it’s important to make sure that you are measuring the key attributes that are critical for achieving your organization’s goals. What do you want to accomplish and what do you need to do to motivate your employees and customers to achieve your goals? How can you measure or create metrics around these behaviors? Once you determine the appropriate measures for your business you can begin to put a process in place that measures where you are and identifies the key behaviors needed to get you where you want to go. Then based on this knowledge you can implement best practices to improve your operations.

You will be surprised how powerful metrics can be. Even the collection and analysis of easily obtained employee demographic metrics can make a big difference. One of our clients conducted demographic analysis of their employees based on years of service; generational groupings e.g., Boomers, Gen Xers, Gen Yers; and breakdown by type of employee, e.g., full-timer, part-timer, salaried, hourly, exempt, non-exempt, etc. While company managers knew they had done a lot of hiring in the past few years and that many of the new hires were younger, they were startled to learn that nearly 30 percent of their workforce had worked for the company three years or less, and about 7 percent of their employees had 10 or fewer years of service.

Then the company applied a generational overlay to this information. The conclusion: many employees had relatively short-term ties to the organization and were from GenX and GenY. Industry trends show that the frequency with which Gen Xers and Gen Yers tend to move from employer to employer put this company at risk of losing younger employees at a fast pace. To address this situation and promote a longer tenure, the company implemented a rewards/recognition strategy that acknowledged employee achievement much sooner and more frequently than traditional programs in the marketplace.

Your organization can aspire to the use of Human Capital Analytics that the Patriots and the Red Sox--or substitute the name of your favorite team --have achieved. You can de-mystify the “soft skills” or intangibles of human resources by turning them into discrete, measurable attributes. By doing so, you can work to ensure a sound, solid team that you can count on for your business in all types of economic climates.

This time of year I find myself writing many lists -- holiday gifts to purchase, greetings cards to send, and New Year’s resolutions to strive for. In the same way that we all use lists in our personal lives to maintain relationships, reflect on the past year, and set our course for the upcoming year, we need to do the same thing when it comes to business.

In the current recession, it’s more important than ever to take stock of your business. As the year comes to an end, determine how the business is going, what you are doing that’s working and what you need to change. Employees are the number one asset of an organization and are critical for business success, particularly in tough times. In a recent survey we conducted of small and mid-sized New England firms, we found that 56 percent of these businesses believe the greatest impact of the economic downturn is its effect on employee morale -- even outweighing their concerns about decreased revenue and sales.

How is the morale of your employees? Conduct an employee satisfaction survey and solicit their feedback. Look back and consider your relationships with employees. How have you fared? What is your retention rate and what other measures of satisfaction are you using? How often do you tell employees that they are valued and how do you truly demonstrate that? Do you offer them opportunities for training and development that will challenge them to acquire new skills? How about giving employees flexibility to address personal needs and have a work/life balance? Determine merit, promotional, and adjustment budgets for next year’s salary increases. Review job descriptions with managers and make any necessary salary adjustments, and update incentive plans for employee bonus programs.

There are other strategic and tactical issues to consider as well. Are your benefits in order? Are you offering benefits that are not only in compliance with regulations, but will also attract top talent? Have you handled the appropriate housekeeping tasks to key up your benefits for the coming year, including submitting medical, dental, and FSA enrollment forms to your insurance company, and notifying employees of changes to 401(k) contributions, Social Security Wage base, or to any other benefits? It’s also time to reevaluate operations to insure you are in compliance with local and federal regulations.

Next, assess your relationships with customers. Keeping your customers happy is probably one of your top priorities right now. Assess your client retention rate -- has it been improving or sliding? Are there any issues you should address or opportunities for adding value? Consider asking clients to fill out a formal report card once a quarter requesting their feedback in several areas: account service, skills, results, etc. That way you can keep your fingers on the pulse of your clients, act before a small issue becomes a larger problem, and avoid unpleasant surprises.

The end of one year and the beginning of the next is a good time to reflect. What went well? What can be improved? Where are you taking your company and how can you invest in your employees to help get you there? Your relationships with employees and customers are invaluable -- especially in today’s business climate, and it will lay the groundwork for growing your business as future opportunities open up.

It’s challenging to keep up morale and motivate staff when the marketplace is filled with uncertainty. Having survived several economic cycles, I’ve seen the benefits of investing in staff even during the lean times. During those times, I’ve been able to count on employees to keep my business engine going and as the market opens up, they've been there to help the company take advantage of new opportunities.

Even when budgets are tight, there are ways to reward and recognize employees without spending a lot of money. One obvious but often overlooked approach is to make it a regular practice to thank employees and acknowledge their contributions. I’m always amazed at how far a simple “great job” goes in generating goodwill.

Some other ways to let employees know that they are appreciated, include:

• Establishing a special award, such as a “Star for the Day,” to recognize outstanding performers. You might give them a gift certificate to a mall, or token gift to show your appreciation.

• Planning get-togethers to bring employees together. Create opportunities for employees to socialize, such as Friday afternoon get-togethers, impromptu pizza parties and celebrations for birthdays, team accomplishments, and other occasions.

• Establishing holiday traditions, such as annual volunteer day or company outings.

• Pulling together a cross-functional team to serve on the fun committee and build up company spirit.

• Using e-mail, a company newsletter, or bulletin board to praise individual and team accomplishments and recognize birthdays and other occasions.

It’s always important to keep the lines of communication open, offer a flexible and family/friendly environment, and make sure that everyone feels respected. By rewarding your employees, you’ll reap the benefits of a strong and dedicated team. It’s a terrific competitive advantage.