Clarifying Expectations:
Discovering the Secret to Greater
Employee Trust and Engagement
Presented By
George Hendley
Director of Organizational Development
Welcome & Introduction
The Law of Expectations- a subset
of the Law of Belief
Whatever you expect with confidence
(or fear) will have a tendency to
materialize in your life.
“Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he
shall never be disappointed.” Jonathan Swift
How have your expectations brought or directed you to
this conference?
How have your expectations brought or directed you to
this session? RSG Health Services-Clarifying Expectations
Welcome & Introduction
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All of your Expectations are either
– Spoken or Unspoken
– Met or Unmet
RSG Health Services-Clarifying Expectations
Getting Started Together
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What are your expectations for this
session? Realistic? Achievable?
Have you spoken them to anyone?
Are they met or unmet? (so far…)
Can you adjust your expectations?
I want to make this session a ‘Good Trade’
for you.
RSG Health Services-Clarifying Expectations
Meeting Your New Friends
In Pairs or Three’s discuss the following questions
What were your expectations?
– When you were entering a new job (or taking a new role)
– When you were getting a new manager
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Did you tell anyone? Did anyone ask you?
Was your expectation met or unmet?
How did you feel when the expectation was not met?
Did your trust decline in any way when your
expectation(s) was not met?
RSG Health Services-Clarifying Expectations
Learning Objectives-
(My Expectations for our Session)
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You’ll discover
– Why clarifying and communicating work
expectations is imperative to maintaining trust
and engagement
– The high cost of disengagement or a lost
employee
– The valuable link between work expectations
and high productivity*
– A retention process that supports your business
strategy
*The story of Jaime Escalante at Garfield High School, East Los Angeles
RSG Health Services-Clarifying Expectations
A New ‘Engaged’ Model
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“The companies that are
most likely to succeed are
the ones that spend the
most energy on attracting,
developing, and retaining
talent.” —Charles Fishman
(Fast Company)
Work expectations set
the stage for a
connection to success!
RSG Health Services-Clarifying Expectations
Defining a New
‘Engaged’ Model
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Work expectations are those things
you consider likely to happen in your job
situation, now or in the future.
Whether spoken or unspoken, your
expectations are the KEY drivers of
your attitudes, impacting your thoughts,
feelings and behaviors. Your TRUST!
RSG Health Services-Clarifying Expectations
A New ‘Engaged’ Model
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Your attitudes, in turn,
influence your
performance,
engagement and job
satisfaction.
Work Expectations are
strongly linked to
employee engagement.
RSG Health Services-Clarifying Expectations
A New ‘Engaged’ Model
Research shows that people who
have clearly defined, wellcommunicated expectations
find more satisfaction and
success (i.e. engagement) in
their work than those whose
expectations remain unspoken
or unrealized.
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But here’s our problem today…
RSG Health Services-Clarifying Expectations
Disengagement
Increasing
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Research published in
2009 shows
– The number of
employees showing high
levels of discretionary
effort has dropped by
half and disengaged
employees are 24% less
likely to quit than they
were in 2006. (you’re
stuck with them!  )
What causes you to
disengage or become
disenchanted with
your work? RSG Health Services-Clarifying Expectations
Disengagement
Increasing
Recent study reports that
only 1 in 5 (20%) employees
are giving full effort on the
job and nearly 40% are
disenchanted or
disengaged.
The underlying factor for disengagement is the deep
and growing distrust that American workers have
toward their leadership and the company they work for.
RSG Health Services-Clarifying Expectations
Disengagement and Distrust
“Mistrust doubles the cost of doing business.”
John Whitney
“Our distrust is very expensive.”
Waldo Emerson
“You can’t have success without trust.”
Jim Burke
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Only 36% of employees believe their
leaders act with honesty and integrity
Only 51% of employees have trust and
confidence in senior management
RSG Health Services-Clarifying Expectations
Ralph
If you don’t have trust
will you truly engage
with your leadership or
your company’s
strategy?
RSG Health Services-Clarifying Expectations
The Ultimate Disengagement
At France Telecom
Since the beginning of 2008, 24 employees
have committed suicide and an additional 13
have attempted it.
Many of these victims left suicide notes
implying the company’s working environment
was a key factor in their decisions- one even
explicitly cited ‘overwork, stress, absence of
training…
RSG Health Services-Clarifying Expectations
Counting the Cost$
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The average costs for replacing an
employee is between 29-46 % of their
yearly salary
Turnover costs the average organization
many millions of $$ each year.
Almost half of American companies have no
formal strategy for addressing retention and
even less for improving engagement
What is that costing them every year?
RSG Health Services-Clarifying Expectations
Why Employees Leave
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Top 5 Factors affecting their decision
1. Quality of relationship with supervisor or
manager (tied to communication and trust)
2. Ability to balance work and home life
3. Amount of meaningful work
4. Level of cooperation with coworkers
5. Level of TRUST in the workplace
RSG Health Services-Clarifying Expectations
But there is hope…
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Studies also indicate that
– The kind of work culture and reputation a
company creates play a significant role in
shaping employees’ level of engagement and
behavior. Think Southwest Airlines and the
culture they have developed. The $$ impact?
– Also, employees report that they want to give
more but also want to see a clear and
measurable return for their effort.
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The question: Is there a proven model
and where do you start?
RSG Health Services-Clarifying Expectations
A New ‘Engaged’ Model
10 Vital Expectations tied to Workplace Engagement
Structure
Diversity
Recognition
Autonomy
Environment
Expression
Teamwork
Stability
Balance
Career Growth
THE QUESTION: How do you measure the
importance of each one and whether or not it is
being met?
The Answer is...
RSG Health Services-Clarifying Expectations
Drum roll please…
The Answer…
Work Expectations
Profile
Explore 10 work
expectations that impact
today’s employment
relationships and
employee engagement
Together let’s explore
this tool and see what it
does .
RSG Health Services-Clarifying Expectations
Workspace (Environment)
Expectations
Spoken
Unspoken
How does it Work?
Met
First we measure
how important an
expectation is.
High, medium or
low.
Unmet
Then we discover
whether it is met
or unmet and if it
has been spoken
or unspoken.
RSG Health Services-Clarifying Expectations
The Needs Met…are many
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Improves Engagement and Trust by:
Opening communication lines
Reduces conflict and misunderstanding
Brings unspoken needs/expectations into
the open for awareness and discussion
Develops Self Awareness (EI trait)
Develops Others Awareness (EI trait)
And more…
RSG Health Services-Clarifying Expectations
Work Expectations Preview
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An opportunity to look at 3 of the 10
areas of Work Expectations focus
Select the number from 1 to 5 that
indicates how important or
unimportant each statement is in
relation to your work situation
Total the numbers in each column and
circle the corresponding range of
numbers in the box at the bottom
RSG Health Services-Clarifying Expectations
What Does It Mean?
 Balance: A focus on both personal and
professional goals and a desire for
coworkers and supervisors to understand
the importance of all of ones commitments.
 Expression: A desire for a work
environment that allows people to be
themselves.
 Recognition: A desire for a work
environment where work is acknowledged
and rewarded.
RSG Health Services-Clarifying Expectations
Taking Action to Meet
Expectations
1.
2.
3.
Focus – What do you expect?
Reflect – How well are your
expectations on each factor being met?
Act – Where do you want to go?
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Communicate your expectations
Initiate by taking steps to get your
expectations met
Adjust – Can you live with the situation as
it is?
RSG Health Services-Clarifying Expectations
Applying Your Knowledge:
Four Case Studies
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Is the expectation spoken or unspoken?
Is it met or unmet?
How might the situation be affecting the
employees attitude?
How might this situation be affecting the
organization?
What might the employee do to improve
the situation?
RSG Health Services-Clarifying Expectations
Your Applications for
Work Expectations are Many
Engagement and Retention
 Coaching & Counseling
 Manager & Employee Relations
 Conflict Resolution
 New Supervisor Training
 Diversity Issues
 AND More!
RSG Health Services-Clarifying Expectations
The Trust Reality
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“…trust has a bottom
line impact on results
and when trust goes up,
speed goes up while
costs come down. This
principle applies…with
customers, partners and
team members…” Kevin
Rollins
RSG Health Services-Clarifying Expectations
The Old and New Reality
Old Reality
“What you see is what you get.” Flip Wilson
New Reality
“What you expect and clarify IS what you get.”
GMH
RSG Health Services-Clarifying Expectations
Summary
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You now have a new development
and retention solution with a
simple process and a proven tool=
Work Expectations Profile
You have recognized how this new tool
and process is connected to trust and
expectations
“The world is composed of what we think it is; what
we expect tends to happen.”
John Updike
RSG Health Services-Clarifying Expectations
Where to Get More
Information
George Hendley
RSG Health Services
800.804.2345
GHendley@Radsciences.com
www.MyMedPort.com
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Attend one of our upcoming FREE Webinars;
See our newsletter for dates of future Webinars;
Subscribe via email or phone or just give me a
business card
RSG Health Services-Clarifying Expectations
Thank You!
We look forward to connecting with you and
learning about your needs and expectations.
How can we serve you better so you in turn can
serve the needs of others?
Has this been a ‘good trade’ for you?
RSG Health Services-Clarifying Expectations