Atlanta Business Chronicle - by Leslie Williams Johnson Contributing Writer

About 15 years ago, when Ana McGary was director of human resources at  First Data Corp., an observation from an assistant turned out to be an "a-ha" moment. Foltz Martin LLC, which recently held a roundtable discussion called "Managing Your Human Capital."

"You never say ‘good morning’ to me," the assistant remarked during a one-on-one discussion that McGary held about every quarter.

McGary wasn’t expecting the comment; her oversight wasn’t intentional.

"It wasn’t because I didn’t like her," said McGary, now president and CEO of People First Enterprises Inc., a human resources business consulting company.

Coming in at 5 a.m. to get work accomplished, McGary was simply focused on the tasks before her.

But from then on, "I always said ‘good morning,’ " she said. "At first it was funny; we laughed. After that, it was something that whenever I walked in every department, I’d say ‘good morning.’ "

In workplaces busting with daily deadlines, budget concerns and staffing issues, a cordial greeting from a company executive may not seem as if it would solve any problems.

Human resource experts say, however, that it’s the act of communicating regularly with employees — from a simple hello, to a word of praise, to sharing truthful updates about the company’s financial health — that helps workers feel recognized, engaged and valuable to the organization.

Most importantly, as the economy bounces back, employees will remember how they were treated during the tough times. If they were overlooked, uninformed or unchallenged, they may jump at another opportunity, some say.

"Turnover is going to pick up dramatically as the economy recovers," said Kurt Ronn, president and founder of recruitment firm HRworks. " It’s important that employers have been fair and honest and communicate issues about where the company’s really at."

No matter how drained a company may be from making budget and staff cuts to survive, those knowledgeable about employee issues say employers need to keep people moving forward.

"At the end of the day, the owners have to remain positive themselves. They have to provide information to the employees. The unknown is the greatest fear," said Jeff Cunningham, partner with

McGary, Cunningham and Ronn agree that negativity in the workplace, even among people who are grateful to have a job in the current recession, can single-handedly put up thick walls between company leaders and employees and affect productivity.

"When you come into a place that feels like the executioner just left, the team is not going to be motivated," Ronn said. "People desire and really want certainty. Recognizing where you’re at now is critical to the ability to look forward."

A negative atmosphere can also lead to grumbling through social networking and blogging, for example, so Ronn suggests that companies review their corporate communication policies to address what’s acceptable to blog about, and be able to know "what do we do when an employee blogs that they hate their job."

It’s up to employers to give everyone a chance to become engaged, but if someone chooses not to, and work suffers or the attitude is infectious, they don’t need to be part of the team, he said.

But first, "You have to ask yourself as a leader, ‘Did I give them an opportunity to have a voice?’ " Ronn said. " ‘Am I listening to what they’re saying?’ "

"If you go to engage and they won’t engage, you’ve done your job," Ronn said.

The next step: Get people in place who will be motivated, involved members of the team.

Company leaders also have to recognize the difference between an employee who has a poor work ethic, and a potentially excellent worker who needs to be more engaged.

One way: ask employees what interests them, Ronn said.

For example, instead of participating in the same charitable event year after year as the company always has, leaders "can say to the population, ‘It’s a whole new world: What do you think we should do?’ " he said.

Another approach is to match the employee with the type of work that suits him, and giving him the opportunity to shine.

"If I have a person who is an introverted computers-and-numbers person, putting him on the front lines dealing with people day in and day out is not a good fit for that person’s personality," Cunningham. "It does not showcase that person’s strengths."

A crucial step for company leadership is to look into the proverbial mirror to see what it can do to help gel the team, make each employee feel valued and keep top talent.

"If they don’t step back, they’re going to lose their people, and lose them soon," Ronn said. "Soon may be 18 to 24 months or it could be next week."

So, while the recession may have changed the monetary incentives a company can offer, overtures that cost nothing — praise, communication and work challenges — aren’t tied to the economy, and should be offered regularly, human resource professionals say.

That way, people don’t feel thankful for just a job, but thankful for the kind of company they’re working for.

"You can’t offer what you were doing two years ago, but the market doesn’t necessarily expect that either," Ronn said. "Candidates want opportunity and some certainty. They want the opportunity to work at a great company and have a future."

Experts say there are low-cost ways to keep employees happy and productive even

as companies continue to tighten belts.

Some tips include the following:

From Jeff Cunningham, partner, Foltz Martin LLC:

"People will work harder for a job that satisfies more of their monetary and non-monetary needs and less hard for a job that leaves more of their monetary and non-monetary needs unsatisfied."

From Ana McGary, president and CEO, People First Enterprises Inc.:

Get employees in other areas or with less experience to volunteer to take on uncompleted projects and feel comfortable that they won’t get fired or become outcasts if they fail.

"Ultimately, people want to work for an organization they can be proud of and respect, but they also want an organization that is proud of them and respects them."