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Vaccination and Employment Law

Faced with the absence of clear and precise regulations and legislation, most employers are having to deal with a delicate problem: can we ask for proof of vaccination in the workplace or when hiring new staff? By the same token, can we require that employees be vaccinated?

While some employers may ask for it in a roundabout way (employees who have to travel or who have to meet customers in restaurants or other places requiring the vaccination passport), others hesitate to make it mandatory, for lack of case law in the matter.

This hot topic attracted a good number of participants at our Live Discussion which took place on November 26th, with the kind participation of Me Claude Gravel, a specialist in labour law.

A matter of rights

The issue of vaccine proof and the requirement for vaccination is complex and has yet to be decided by the courts. Indeed, even if the Federal Court rejected an injunction against compulsory vaccination for federal employees and the Superior Court of Quebec rejected the request for health workers, no law has been adopted in this area until now. Human rights and freedoms and the right to privacy are often mentioned, on the one hand, while the importance of collective well-being is emphasized, on the other hand.

The impact of an arbitration ruling

However, a new ruling could bring some changes. A few days ago, an arbitral award was made. It stipulates that the request for proof of vaccination is justified in view of the general well-being of Quebec citizens.

While this decision may influence several employers to adopt this type of measure, the consequences of refusing to disclose vaccination status or refusing vaccination are not specified.

In fact, the decision issued by the arbitrator, Me Nadeau, in no way discusses unpaid leave or dismissal in the event of non-compliance with an employer’s vaccination policy. This type of decision is more a matter for the courts.

However, the arbitrator emphasizes that while there is a breach of privacy, it is considered “inconsequential in comparison to the inconveniences—that are both major and recognized by current scientific findings—arising from the presence of an unvaccinated person in the workplace.”

It is also recommended that information related to immunization status not be processed by managers, but rather that this information be reported to a person in charge of the human resources department.

The example of the federal public service

When we see what’s going on in the federal public service, it begs the question of whether this will have an effect on businesses across the country. Indeed, after the announcement that unvaccinated employees or any employee refusing to reveal their vaccination status would be put on unpaid leave, and that they would not be able to benefit from employment insurance during this time, a vaccination rate of 98% was recorded.

According to Gilles Levasseur, professor of management and law at the University of Ottawa, it seems that some may have lied regarding their status, but there would not be many of them. When it comes to these cases, the government messaging is clear: a dismissal is more than likely.

Also, it is estimated that approximately 3,150 civil servants out of 268,000 have requested accommodations for vaccination either for medical or religious reasons. The application of these exceptional measures will not be easy to manage and could open the door to more debate, but for now, these exceptions remain rather rare.

How does this translate, concretely?

First and foremost, it’s important to understand that the vaccination requirement falls under the umbrella of employee work conditions. Thus, those already working for a company would not be legally obliged to submit to the requirement, except in certain specific cases, because it was not part of their employment contract when they were hired. However, when put into practice, the decision not to be vaccinated could have consequences for those who don’t want to comply.

When it comes to the hiring of new employees, the situation is different. Employers can require that recruits be vaccinated and include it in the terms and in a clause of the employment contract.

In the end, the employer can ask employees to provide their proof of vaccination since they have a duty to ensure the health and safety of all employees. This is where scientific findings and collective law come into play, as set out in Me Nadeau’s arbitral award.

Thus, the decision whether or not to require proof of vaccination and compulsory vaccination is closely linked to the employer’s risk management and can be summed up as follows: do you prefer knowing that you did everything in your power to ensure the health and safety of your employees or are you comfortable taking some level of risk?

Activities to keep your employees motivated

November is often a difficult month to stay motivated. The days are grey, dreary, and much shorter. So, it’s important to seek the pleasures of life, especially with the last few months of the pandemic not helping morale. Knowing these factors can affect the general mood, what activities can you offer your employees to keep them motivated?

Why offer activities outside of the work context?

Obviously, motivation is at the heart of this issue, but are there other benefits to offering extracurricular activities? In our previous articles, we’ve often discussed the challenges of attracting and retaining employees. Non-professional activities can be an interesting platform for the transmission of your corporate culture, which in turn can help in your attraction and retention endeavours.

There are many types of activities that can increase a sense of belonging and commitment while strengthening team spirit among colleagues.

Types of Activities

Spontaneous activities can be organized, but to increase the attraction and retention of your employees, these activities could be part of your human resources strategy. To be effective, it’s important to identify the reason for offering an activity and keep tabs on whether it appeals to the people it is intended for. The most important factor here is fun.

The activities offered can take several forms, and we’ve drawn up a list of some of them below.

Social activities

Whether it’s a happy hour, an office party, the celebration of a team member’s success, or a meal provided by a catering service, social activities should be welcoming and encourage exchanges, especially between colleagues from different departments. The goal is essentially for people to mingle and form bonds.

Sports Activities

Whether it’s offering lunchtime yoga classes, setting up a gym, forming baseball teams, or inviting your staff to participate in friendly competitions, sports and physical activity have incredible physical and psychological benefits. Some companies even set up competitions between employees and their managers in order to create stronger ties between them. The important thing is to make sure that activities are set up in the form of friendly competition.

Another interesting initiative is the walking challenge. Using smartphone apps or a pedometer that keeps track of their steps, people are encouraged to move throughout the day. Some businesses even invite employees to call each other during their walks to socialize from a distance while promoting physical activity.

Team-Building Activities

One form of activity that is quite popular is team building, now adopted by a large number of companies. Before selecting your activity, however, make sure that it meets your teams’ goals and that it will appeal to them. The purpose and meaning of the activity must be clearly stated to maximize positive impacts.

Fun Activities

Board games or online games, escape rooms, bowling, talent contests, book clubs, virtual treasure hunts… these are just some of the ideas you can pick from to build a more friendly atmosphere between employees. Learn about the interests of your staff and suggest that they come together to share their hobbies, even if it’s from a distance. The relationships they form by enjoying fun activities together will certainly increase their sense of belonging.

Volunteering

Getting your teams to support a cause through volunteering at different activities is another way to motivate the troops. You can give them time in their working hours to make it easier. In addition, by contributing to a good cause, you’ll improve your employer brand image, your corporate social responsibility and environmental responsibility.

Training

To motivate your employees, offer them training activities that meet their professional and even personal expectations. For work-related training, be sure to set and share clear, quantifiable goals to make the training more meaningful. You can also offer peer mentoring. Either way, encourage your employees to put their new knowledge into practice promptly so that they can integrate it well. You can also plan informal learning lunches, where you pay for the meal while providing some form of training, thus combining business with pleasure.

In addition to work-related activities, you can also organize cooking or mixology classes, sketchnotes lessons and more, as long as your employees are interested in these activities.

Other Activities

The list of possibilities is endless: meditation, stress management workshops, collective gardening, etc. Some companies organize get-togethers at restaurants for colleagues from different departments or from the same team to forge relationships.

How to organize activities remotely?

If your staff isn’t all back at the office, you can still organize activities remotely. The pandemic has taught us that there are still ways to connect, even when working from home. And while remote meetups may not have the same impact, it would be a shame to forego activities altogether.

Several ideas were shared with us during our Live Discussions. To see our upcoming discussion topics, take a look at the Events section of our website. Whether the topic of the day is serious or not, these meetings are always fun, and we hope they’ll help keep you motivated!

Can pay equity be maintained despite the labour shortage?

These days, candidates are scarce. To attract talent, you decide to increase entry salaries and offer a hiring bonus. But what’s the impact of these practices on your current employees? If, in absolute terms, these measures seem effective in the short run, what are the consequences for your company’s payroll and for equity between your employees?

Could you end up causing more harm than good?

Maybe you feel like you can’t get away from it. Talent is in high demand everywhere and you hope to stand out in order to attract candidates to your company. However, offering higher wages to new employees and signing bonuses can create an imbalance within your company.

You could then be faced with employees who have more experience or more training who find it unfair. If you’re not able to offer the same to your already existing employees, then you may experience high turnover and end up back at square one.

In addition, organizations are subject to equity legislation, which brings its share of questions. Raising wages in this context then becomes complicated, even risky.

What can you do to limit damage?

When you consider that over 80% of organizations are worried about employee loyalty, it’s no surprise that 67% of them plan to implement specific measures to make sure they keep their employees.

One of the solutions often mentioned by experts is to foster upskilling. This is a measure planned by 62% of employers. By training your current employees, coaching them and then offering them promotions, you kill two birds with one stone. The feeling of injustice within your company will decrease, limiting retention challenges. What’s more, you’ll fill positions that are sometimes difficult to fill.

Also, by knowing the market, you’ll be able to position yourself against the competition. However, a bidding war is not the solution, as your financial resources might be limited. So how do you win over your talents? By developing a completely different strategy.

Can you rethink your strategy?

One of the first things to do when dealing with a labour shortage is to strive for balance in your compensation strategy. In the delicate dance of attraction and retention, maintaining a certain level of pay equity is more than necessary, but it’s not the only aspect to consider.

This is where global compensation comes into play. According to a survey, 55% of human resources professionals surveyed point out that their company does not have a global compensation policy.

Beyond salary, global compensation includes bonuses, pension plans, group insurance, vacations, work schedules, workload, work-life balance, training opportunities, programs recognition, employee assistance programs and more.

This is part of the measures adopted by employers that I mentioned above. Here’s a look at some of the approaches that some organizations have taken to reduce retention challenges:

A good global compensation strategy is first and foremost focused on people’s needs. If you don’t have such a policy, you should consider developing one with the input of employees.

As you can see, global compensation doesn’t just focus on financial benefits. And as I mentioned in a previous article, salary alone is not enough to attract and retain talent. In this regard, corporate culture and the employer brand occupy a prominent place, and global compensation is another important piece of the puzzle. The real competition for talent acquisition is no longer just a money game; it’s also about standing out in terms of what you can offer on a human level.

Given the great success of the October 29 meeting, we will probably organize a second Live Discussion on the subject at the beginning of 2022 with Jérôme Côté from Normandin-Beaudry.

What to do when a candidate receives counteroffers?

After investing a lot of time, money, and effort into recruiting talent, you think you’ve finally found the gem you’ve been looking for. After receiving your offer, the candidate gets back to you, stating that their current employer has made them a more interesting counteroffer, thus declining the invitation to join your team.

Does this scenario sound familiar? Several participants in our Live Discussions have shared their experiences on this subject. So, do you know how to react when a candidate receives a counteroffer? Are you well prepared for it?

Why worry about counteroffers?

This phrase has been on everyone’s lips lately: the labour shortage. That’s already one good argument for worrying about the counteroffer phenomenon, which is likely to become more and more frequent in the context of a candidate-focused job market. Indeed, while 44.8% of hiring managers believe this is not a long-term solution, this outbidding tendency is on the rise.

To illustrate the situation, here’s some recent data. It’s estimated that these days, around 54% of employees are offered a new job when they aren’t even looking for one. A quarter of these employees then look to receive a counteroffer from their current employer. Furthermore, it’s estimated that 55% of counteroffers are accepted.

How can you make sure to put all the chances on your side?

If you don’t want to go through a bidding war, you obviously need to adopt a strategy to limit the damage. While every situation is different, the following few tips can be applied to most of them.

Don’t underestimate the importance of the interview. During the interview, it’s important to question and listen to the candidate in order to understand the reasons that led them to coming to you and to considering changing jobs. Here’s an example of questions that could guide the interview:

  • What are the elements that could be improved in their current job?
  • What are their career goals?
  • What are the working conditions they’re looking for?
  • What are their passions?
  • What are the aspects that attract them most to a business, to a job?
  • How will their current manager receive their resignation?

In short, take an interest in them. Take notes and see if you can use this information to present them with a personalized offer centered on their expectations. You can even ask them directly if they would accept a counteroffer from their current employer.

Present your best offer from the outset

To avoid aimless negotiations, present your best offer from the get-go ,and do so in a transparent manner. The offer should be clear and concise, and it should highlight the benefits the candidate would enjoy if they accepted it.

Take advantage of this moment to:

  • Showcase your strengths;
  • Highlight your corporate culture;
  • Mention the flexibility offered by the company, and anything else that could make you stand out;
  • Emphasize the importance of the position;
  • Emphasize the new role and the new team if the candidate is looking for new challenges;
  • Remind the candidate of their initial reasons for meeting you.

Indeed, the issues of interest often go beyond the salary. The candidate will be more inclined to accept your offer if the job in question promises to give them purpose, motivation and recognition.

Follow up with the candidate

Regular follow-up makes the candidate feel valued. However, it should be noted here that the talent acquisition process should be quick and straightforward for an optimal candidate experience.

Before their start date:

  • Offer them a meeting with their colleagues and an office visit;
  • Invite them to a less formal activity so that they can interact with future members of their team in a friendly context;
  • Offer your support for the job transition period.

In short, show your enthusiasm for the candidate joining your team.

What to do if you’re losing candidates to counteroffers?

If, despite all your efforts, candidates still seem to be getting away due to counteroffers, it may be time to question your employer brand.

As mentioned in that piece, you can also look to your current employees to act as ambassadors. Indeed, it has been shown that employees have three times more impact than managers when it comes to talking about the working conditions of a company.

If recruitment still represents a challenge for you after trying all these strategies, it may be worth it for you to turn to experienced talent hunters. Indeed, the latter are generally skilled at building relationships with candidates and at carrying out regular follow-up. They also ensure the commitment of the desired employee to the process and the compatibility between the candidate and your organization.

Maintaining a corporate culture in a hybrid context?

What happens to the culture of an organization when the hybrid work model is implemented? How do you maintain or build a culture when you’re only in the office part-time?

One of the aspects that comes up regularly during our Live Discussions and D-RH Live HR-D is the fragility of corporate culture with employees working remotely. Is it possible to rebuild in a hybrid context?

Recognizing That Expectations Have Changed

Nowadays, people want a job that is more than just a job. It must be aligned with their values and life goals, and it must offer more flexibility.

In this perspective, a company’s organizational culture needs to give meaning to what employees accomplish. In addition, employees want to be more involved in decision-making. This will in turn make them more motivated, more engaged, and more productive.

Establishing and disseminating your organizational culture is a must that allows you to promote your employer brand, as we pointed out in a recent article. Indeed, in a candidate-driven market, neglecting your organizational culture would be a serious mistake.

Meeting the Challenge

It must be said that building an organizational culture and communicating it effectively are not always easy, even in a more traditional context. So, when meeting rituals are scarce, and communication is less fluid due to distance, relationships can break down and corporate culture can take a hit.

However, it’s not an insurmountable task. It’s important to understand that this is a challenge that can be overcome if you put in the effort. Speaking of effort, the participants in our discussions were clear: you have to experiment, and that takes energy and creativity. But in the end, it’s worth it.

I would go further. For some companies, the introduction of the hybrid work model represents an opportunity to re-establish a strong culture that will promote talent retention. It’s even a necessity in these times of labour shortage.

As such, it’s crucial to get managers engaged in this process, to define simple, clear and precise missions, and to communicate them effectively. It’s also important to identify the needs of employees, whether through surveys or discussions.

Here are some elements that can promote the development of a corporate culture in a hybrid work environment:

  • Involve people.
  • Focus on simple values. Don’t make the list too long,
  • Make objectives more tangible and take the time to communicate them well.
  • Offer personalized coaching, remotely or in person.
  • Encourage managers to be more accessible and show more empathy.
  • Organize shorter, but more frequent, remote meetings.
  • Hold informal in-person and remote meetings to bring people together.
  • Provide mental health support.
  • Provide training to managers so that they can better detect signs of distress or disengagement among their employees.
  • Promote the employee assistance program.
  • Set up a mutual aid service between colleagues.
  • Reduce micromanagement.
  • Trust employees more.
  • Allow flexible working hours based on specific parameters or not.
  • Be transparent.
  • Keep the conversation going and adapt to the needs of each team.

Creating Relationships and Redefining the Workplace

While some surveys show that 72% of managers would like to implement a hybrid work model, most are seeking to establish stronger links with their colleagues and employees above all.

The idea is to leverage moments when meetings are possible, or even better, plan them regularly in order to increase team spirit. It may be appropriate to explain the benefits of meeting in person to employees, to illustrate what they can get out of it. It’s also important to encourage managers to develop their leadership as they convey a clear vision of  their organization’s culture.

Reflecting on What the Hybrid Work Model Involves

Some of the approaches mentioned above can be implemented now to promote corporate culture development in a hybrid work environment. It goes without saying that some of the approaches don’t apply to all types of jobs or to all businesses, but they will certainly help in your reflections.

Finally, before being adopted, the hybrid work model must be examined on two levels: time and space. By taking these aspects into account, you can establish the different scenarios that may be suitable for both employees and managers. But first, it’s important to understand how the work is to be carried out (workflow) and to respect the values and mission of the company in order to determine which strategies to adopt.

The Pros and Cons of Hot Desking and Office Hoteling

With the promise of a return to normal (or something resembling normal), many companies are rethinking their organization of work. Several businesses are considering adopting a hybrid work model, also raising questions about space management. Hot desking and office hoteling are options that date further back than COVID-19, but they now seem to be winning over more and more managers. What are the advantages and disadvantages of these two approaches? What are the pro and cons of hot desking and office hoteling?

What’s the difference between hot desking and office hoteling?

Hot desking is a format where employees who come to the office don’t have pre-assigned places. When they get to the office, they set up at any available work area.

Office hoteling is similar to hot desking in that there is no assigned place for each employee. However, a system is set up to reserve workspaces for fixed periods of time.

The Pros of Hot Desking

In many ways, hot desking has an interesting practical side. Maximizing space means reduced costs for businesses, but managers also point to advantages beyond that. Hot desking undoubtedly offers great flexibility for people working under the hybrid model, or consultants, interns and representatives. Different types of workspaces, such as “living rooms,” cafes or meeting rooms may also attract some employees who like to vary their work environment depending on the tasks they have to perform.

Some argue that the interdisciplinarity which inevitably stems from hot desking promotes the social part of work. By decompartmentalizing departments or specialties, there could be an improvement in communication, collaboration and creativity.

The Cons of Hot Desking

However, hot desking can be less appreciated by employees. Many consider that they waste time looking for a desk, getting set up, adjusting a chair and other work tools. Some employees also complain about not having personal space, which can be a demotivating factor. In addition, a few pointed out the difficulties in locating colleagues when needed, finding help and holding impromptu meetings. At the same time, they underline that the training of new employees becomes more difficult. This is all the more true in the case of medium and large companies.

What’s more, some feel they don’t matter enough in the eyes of the company to be given a permanent desk or workspace. Others see hot desking as hypocrisy on the part of employers who are opposed to remote working.

The Pros of Office Hoteling

Office hoteling has the same advantages as hot desking. However, reserving a workspace does take some of the stress out of repeatedly searching for a place to set up. It can also be easier for people to organize surrounding themselves with colleagues and members of their team.

The Cons of Office Hoteling

The disadvantages of office hoteling are similar to most of the disadvantages of hot desking, but with even more complicated logistics.

Other Formats

While popular, hot desking and office hoteling are not the only options. Some prefer to encourage office sharing between colleagues in given time slots. For example, on Monday and Wednesday, one employee uses the space and on Tuesday and Thursday, another employee does. Also, during the Live Discussions that I host, one of the participants explained that his company had instead opted for the opposite approach, by offering larger offices to employees. The aim was to attract people by giving them space where it is pleasant to work and where the social aspect of work is encouraged among colleagues. The idea is some people may be more inclined to abandon remote working in order to enjoy a pleasant work environment and the various resources available for carrying out their tasks.

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all format for every business. Rather, the purpose of this article is to give you food for thought. If you want to share your experiences or learn more from your peers, please join us in the Live Discussions hosted by Josée Parent.

How to Develop Your Employer Brand

Is the employer brand a fad or is it here to stay? What’s its use and how should it be developed?

Why should you be interested in the employer brand?

When we consider that 86% of HR professionals believe that recruiting is increasingly akin to marketing and that 84% of job seekers say that an employer’s reputation is important, there’s good reason to be interested in this topic.

It’s important to note first that the employer brand doesn’t serve the same purpose as the corporate brand. While both seek to promote the company through a good reputation, the employer brand is developed with the aims of attraction, engagement and retention of the workforce. It is estimated that a company with a weak employer brand pays about 10% more in terms of wages to employees. Additionally, 50% of employees say they wouldn’t want to work for a company with a bad reputation, even if it offered a pay raise.

It’s not enough for the employer to offer a big salary. Rather, it needs to stand out from the competition in a market where people have the freedom to choose their jobs. By presenting a strong employer brand, you can not only expect to attract quality talent, but also reduce recruitment time. This could result in a cost reduction of approximately 50% per hired employee.

A promise to employees

Before even considering the development of your employer brand, it may be wise to review the company’s mission and identify its values, especially if this hasn’t been done in a long time. Indeed, the employer brand needs to be consistent with the company’s identity, as well as realistic and applicable. In short, it shouldn’t be taken lightly. So, it becomes a question of determining what, within the company’s DNA, can give meaning to the work of employees.

The employer brand is a promise made to candidates and current employees. It must answer the question: why would I go and work for this company and why should I stay there? It’s a promise that must be made before any talent acquisition process; it must be kept throughout employee onboarding; and it must extend beyond it.

A few strategies

When presenting an employer brand, the corporate culture must highlight, both on social media and in traditional media. It may be appropriate at this time to relate the history of the company. If well done, storytelling is an approach that can render excellent results and truly allow your brand to shine. It’s also important to note that 79% of applicants use social media when looking for a job.

Some companies turn to students to validate their employer brand. They can then verify if their value proposition is in line with the expectations of the next generation.

This approach can be paired with the strategy of giving candidates a positive experience from the start of the talent acquisition process. A few well-known companies, including Nestlé and Shell, have even turned to gamification to make the hiring process more enjoyable. To this end, a survey reveals that 78% of candidates say that gamification increases their desire to work for a company.

Of course, offering desirable working conditions (for example, work-life balance) is a proven way to enhance your employer brand. It should be noted that nowadays, employees are looking for meaning in their work and want to be part of a collaborative community. By promoting corporate social responsibility (CSR), the employer brand has a good chance of standing out.

To properly target winning working conditions, using internal and external surveys is an effective means to gain insight. However, one undeniably coveted aspect is the company’s investment in the professional development of its employees.

Still, nothing will equal the importance of building strong relationships with employees. Indeed, when they develop authentic relationships with their employer, people are more likely to represent the brand favourably to those around them and, who knows, to become its most convincing ambassadors. This is particularly important because the opinion of employees has three times more impact than that of a manager when it comes time to talk about the working conditions of a company.

Finally, the development of an employer brand is not a luxury, but an essential need. What’s more, it is not enough to create it. It needs to be managed on an ongoing basis and adapted to the target audience, while ensuring consistency with the company’s real culture.

If you would like to discuss the employer brand or any other HR topic, please register to our Live Discussions. It’s always a pleasure to chat with you.

 

Strategies to Counter the Labour Shortage

Our previous article on disengagement revealed how disengagement is a severe . When you consider the labour shortage that is getting worse over time. After a lot of research and thanks to our Live Discussions, we have identify some strategies that can be implemented to address the talent shortage.

An Issue That We Can’t Ignore

Without a doubt, the labour shortage is an impediment to business growth. In 2018, the BDC predicted that this problem would last another decade.

With retirements on the rise and the decline in immigration—accentuated by the COVID-19 pandemic—there is a historic imbalance in employment. In fact, only in Quebec, the job vacancy rate was 4.2% while the unemployment rate was 7.2% during the first quarter of 2021.

Statistics Canada estimates that approximately 400,000 employees will retire in 2026. Thus, the labour shortage situation is not a temporary affair, and companies should consider adopting new measures to attract and retain talent.

So, what is the key to attracting talent?

To attract candidates, a company must offer conditions that will also appeal to existing employees. However, some strategies can be put in place when it comes to hiring new staff.

Before Embarking on the Hiring Process

One of the first things to consider before starting the talent acquisition process is developing your employer brand. This topic will be covered in a future Live Discussion and in a subsequent article that will appear shortly.

Through a compelling value proposition, companies present their vision and corporate culture that can attract candidates. It then becomes a question of communicating them effectively, whether through a website, videos, or a presence on social media. As we now operate in an employee market, it’s important to position yourself well as an employer and “sell” yourself to the talent you’re looking for.

In addition, before posting a position, it’s essential to target the skills required along with the manager. The manager must therefore fully understand the issues related to the labour shortage. By reducing the number of criteria and focusing on the attitude and soft skills of applicants, you have better chances of attracting talent that might not otherwise have applied.

For example, a study by Hewlett Packard found that many women won’t apply for a job if they don’t have all the skills mentioned in a job offer, unlike men who are more likely to apply if they meet 60% of the prerequisites. It would be a shame to overlook such a large section of the labour pool.

Job posting may not be necessary if the employer calls on internal resources and a network of contacts. Some companies even give a bonus to employees who refer candidates to them.

During the Recruitment Process

You can use different strategies during the recruitment period, including the following:

  • Simplify and speed up the hiring process;
  • Indicate salary up front;
  • Implement training and development programs as well as support for career development, and make sure to promote these perks;
  • Emphasize working conditions (flexible hours, possible remote work, reduced weeks, pension plan, work-life balance, prospect of part-time or shared time, etc.);
  • Guarantee a number of hours and bonuses after holding a job for a certain period;
  • Offer the possibility of holding the interview remotely;
  • Recognize previous jobs in terms of seniority and, in this way, offer more vacation time and an adjusted salary.

How to retain talent?

Another way to counter the labour shortage is to foster employee retention rates. Setting up an onboarding program is an effective way to achieve this. I invite you to read this article for more information on the topic.

Investing in relationships and recognizing the work of employees is essential. To ensure people’s engagement, it could also be relevant to conduct ad hoc satisfaction surveys or interviews in order to identify issues and find solutions. Most Live Discussion participants report having had “exit interviews” with their employees to facilitate identification of issues.

For talent that is moving towards retirement, certain incentives can be considered. Here are a few examples:

  • Recognize seniority;
  • Reduce contributions;
  • Add vacation periods;
  • Offer part-time work;
  • Set up a mentoring system where the more experienced employee is the mentor.

Other Strategies

As you can see, there are many strategies to overcome the labour shortage. And though there may not be a catch-all solution, these approaches can still be useful in limiting its consequences. Finally, here are a few more ideas I have found in my research:

  • Invest in technologies, such as robotics, automation and digitization;
  • Directly recruit labour from remote areas or outside the country;
  • Collaborate with other employers, especially for seasonal jobs;
  • Use consultants or freelancers;
  • Provide permanence, upon hiring;
  • Organize open houses, interview days and other events and draft contracts in advance for successful candidates;
  • Offer a shuttle system;
  • Encourage employees to join the team by paying them from day one.

So, what are the strategies that you have in place? Feel free to share your experience and drop comment.

How to convince managers of the real impact of disengagement?

Many managers underestimate the real impact of employee engagement in their organization. How do you persuade them that disengagement has serious consequences and that it must be dealt with?

In the Live Discussions that I have had the pleasure of moderating, I have heard several participants stress how exhausted their teams are these days. Considering the last few months of the pandemic, which were stressful in many ways, this is not surprising.

In addition to the direct health consequences, burnout can also lead to employee disengagement. So, what conclusions can we draw in these times? Many are considering that they need to review their company culture. Perhaps this is a perfect opportunity to reflect about disengagement.

Who is affected by disengagement?

Disengagement is a well-known concept in human resources. This undeniable problem is all the more remarkable with COVID-19, as stress and isolation have left their mark on the work world. It can affect both blue- and white-collar workers and has negative repercussions for everyone.

Often, disengagement is blamed solely on employees. However, managers play a central role in this dynamic. This shouldn’t be denied if they want to promote retention, and increase performance, productivity and company profits.

Are employees that disengaged?

A Gallup poll  conducted in June 2020 found that 64% of employees were not engaged in their work and 15% were actively disengaged, leading them to work against the company’s mission. This means 79% of employees did not feel engaged in their company.

Fortunately, with the hope of a return to normal, employee engagement rates seem to be picking up and it will be interesting to observe how that reflects over the next few months.

How to detect a disengaged employee

There are several signs for employee disengagement.

Here are the main ones:

  • Withdrawal during activities and professional events
  • Decreased productivity
  • Absenteeism or arriving late
  • Decrease in work quality
  • Deadlines not respected
  • Cynicism, indifference, passivity, lack of initiative
  • Exhaustion

What are the causes of disengagement?

Disengagement is too often blamed on laziness or lack of employee motivation. But some are affected by it because their work burned them out. So, being aware of its causes can be helpful.

Here are the main causes of disengagement:

  • Lack of recognition
  • Micromanagement and lack of confidence from superiors
  • Burnout
  • Communication shortcomings, especially regarding the vision and objectives of the company
  • Lack of flexibility
  • Little professional development and opportunity for advancement
  • Inadequate or obsolete technology
  • Poor quality of working environment

Can the cost of disengagement be calculated?

As estimated above, only a fifth of employees are truly engaged in their work. But what are the financial impacts of disengagement?

It is estimated that the absenteeism rate of a disengaged employee is 37% higher than that of an engaged employee. A disengaged employee’s productivity tends to drop by 18%, while their risk of accidents rises by about 49%, and their work contains 60% more errors.

Experts have calculated the cost that this represents: roughly 34% of the employee’s salary. By doing the math, it’s easy to come up with the numbers… and the amounts are daunting.

If a company has 300 employees, 237 of them are not fully engaged in their work. And if the average salary is $45,000, multiply that by the number of disengaged employees ($ 45,000 X 237 = $10,665,000) and calculate 34% of the salary (10,665,000 $ X 34%); the total amount is $3,626,100 per year. This is alarming for any manager.

How can a company keep employees engaged?

With the cost of disengagement being so high coupled with the labour shortage context, it becomes more than necessary to recognize the importance of employees in the success of a business.

Many companies are now forced to adapt their corporate culture to keep their employees engaged in their work. By establishing a clear mission and regularly communicating company goals, it is possible to give meaning to the work of employees.

In addition, there are potential solutions that managers need to consider. Gallup found in a recent study that great management is more about coaching than administration and employee management.

Other factors that help eliminate dissatisfaction are recognizing a job well done, supporting professional development, building relationships, offering a flexible work policy, adjusting the work environment and providing the appropriate technological tools. By empowering employees and making them feel like part of the team, they have a better chance of feeling engaged, and this will be beneficial for everyone.

How to Make Onboarding a Success After COVID?

For over a year now, we have the pleasure of chatting with a large number of participants in the Live Discussions hosted by Josée Parent. From these encounters, we’ve learned that these uncertain times have given rise to many questions about the future.  One of these questions concerns employee onboarding.

With the health restrictions in place, this important issue has had a rough time. The imminent return to the workplace suggests that new challenges will emerge. Will your onboarding strategy pass the test?

A Quarter of Workers Are Considering a Job Change in the Next Year

According to a study by the IBM Institute for Business, a quarter of employees are considering changing jobs in 2021. How will you limit the exodus of your staff?

Without a doubt, one of the most efficient strategies for employee retention is a solid onboarding approach. However, it’s estimated that before COVID, only 37% of companies implemented an onboarding process over a period of one month and that 15% had one only for one day. These numbers are even more surprising when we know that an excellent onboarding plan can generate a retention rate of almost 69% over a period of three years and a 60% increase in the productivity of new employees.

These rates have certainly changed drastically during the pandemic. And still today, with full remote work or a hybrid model, how can onboarding be promoted?

Do you really have money to waste?

Recruitment is a complex task. Knowing that the turnover rate is around 20% in the first 45 days of a new employee, there is good reason to scrutinize the practices put in place to try to retain them. Especially since there is a significant cost associated with this turnover rate.

Indeed, it’s estimated that it can cost between 100% and 300% of this employee’s salary to replace them. This statistic is all the more sobering when you consider that it takes around 8 months for an employee to be fully productive.

Are you fast enough?

Nowadays, being quick is an essential part of recruiting. Several participants in the Live Discussions I host confirmed that they’ve already lost a candidate due to hiring process delays being too long. This is why more and more companies are starting to implement onboarding procedures even before hiring or as soon as the job offer is presented.

The arrival of a new employee involves the sharing of many documents. Why not provide these in advance? By receiving them before their first day, the newcomer will feel more comfortable in their first official days. However, the aim should still be to simplify things and not to create an information overload.

In this regard, more and more businesses are turning to automation and to digital versions of forms. The sending of important documents is thus managed by these systems, and everything is programmed to be available at the right time.

In addition, in order to avoid setbacks, it’s essential for the workstation to be fully ready to welcome a new employee, no matter where they’re located. Their phone, computer, software, passwords, etc. have to be functional and good to go. When employees are working remotely, this presents an additional challenge. As such, you need to ensure that they have a good Internet connection, the necessary software, the required passwords, access to the VPN and other essential work tools. All this even before day one.

Be Creative

In short, an onboarding strategy must be clearly defined and applied systematically. Here are some examples of actions that can be part of an onboarding process. Can you identify which ones can still be applied? How could you adapt others in a remote work context?

  • Provide frequent feedback.
  • Implement a “buddy system” for the new employee.
  • Share a photo of the newcomer with interesting information about them (with their agreement).
  • Hand out a welcome note along with photos of colleagues and interesting information about them.
  • Organize games promoting interaction between colleagues.
  • Provide a guided tour.
  • Conduct a survey to identify expectations.
  • Distribute a schedule of training sessions or other events.
  • Prepare a personalized welcome video.
  • Plan a welcome lunch or coffee break.
  • Present a glossary of company acronyms.
  • Provide various details about the work environment: where to go on the first day, who to contact, what to wear …

Of course, you’re going to have to be creative. Did you used to offer a guided tour of the company’s offices? Why not opt for a live video or virtual tour? And, instead of organizing an in-person welcome lunch, why not bring everyone together by videoconference, send them a fun questionnaire that everyone has to answer in real time and have a meal delivered to them at home?

A successful onboarding process will ensure that the new employee feels right at home in the company and wants to be a part of it for a long time to come. By thinking outside the box, you can achieve this, whatever the context.

Going back to the office: there is no one-size-fits-all

As returning to the workplace becomes more and more imminent, companies must prepare to welcome employees back within their walls. And while everyone is relieved at the idea of deconfining, resuming activities that use to be natural, comes with its share of questions and challenges. Can we really go back to the way things were? And what if returning to the office actually awakens new opportunities?

How to choose a workplace re-entry policy?

Teleworking is at the heart of all concerns. For those who worked remotely during the pandemic, will this formula be sustainable?

Many scenarios are being considered, depending on the type of business, the type of management, and the nature of the work to be performed. Faced with a full-time return, a hybrid formula, or sustained long term telework, one thing is certain: no one is indifferent to what we’re facing: a potentially official start to forever changed labor conditions.

Some employees are impatient to find their bearings, and the social aspect of the office plays a defining role here.  In addition, certain technical and personal nuisances can motivate workers to want to return to their on-site office.

Meanwhile, others dread returning to their usual place of business. Seduced by increased autonomy and the ability to work more flexible hours, some are considering changing jobs, if they’re no longer allowed to work from remote locations. Among the arguments, better work-life balance is often put at the top of the list.

A hybrid model combining telework and an in-office work presence seems to attract a good number of employees. If for many this option appears interesting, it is still necessary to foresee the rules and regulations framing this model.

Data and strategic thinking

Before establishing a work organization policy, the company should take the opportunity to reflect on lessons learned during the pandemic. By evaluating productivity over the past few months, managers can draw certain conclusions that support decision-making and guide the choice of strategies deployed to organize the work.

Data from various studies can also be thought-provoking. Here are a few:

  • According to a survey conducted by Deloitte Switzerland, 41% of workers say they are more productive when working from home.
  • A two-year study, conducted by Stanford University before the pandemic, showed that, when they had the conditions to do so (dedicated workplace, access to adapted technologies), people working from home were 13% more productive and had 50% less risk of quitting. Nevertheless, the context of the health crisis revealed that some face-to-face meetings were essential.
  • The Bureau of Economic Research observed a 10% increase in working hours during confinement.

Communication is crucial

Managers should ask their employees exactly what they expect. Beyond surveys, that do not necessarily reflect their reality, it is essential to initiate honest conversation where the needs of the company, and those of the employees, will be expressed and addressed.

Whatever formula is chosen, the company should provide all employees with clear, detailed instructions to avoid any misinterpretation of the established policy.

Time is required to adapt

It is important to keep in mind that any transition, desired or not, comes with its fair share of stress. Resuming face-to-face activities is no exception. To this end, several companies are also evaluating the possibility of a gradual return to the workplace.

Reducing trauma trough transition

During the confinement in March 2020, no adaptation period could be granted and consequently, for some, serious stress and anxiety became overwhelming.

While returning to the workplace does not represent the same issues, acting hastily may aggravate various negative or anxiety-provoking reactions.

By clearly articulating the steps you plan for reintegrating the company space, you will ensure a smoother transition. However, keep in mind that flexibility will remain essential.

Prioritize health and a sense of security

Employers should ensure that health recommendations are followed and that employees feel safe in their work environment. Although the risks associated with the coronavirus have decreased, the fact remains that the virus will still circulate, which may worry a large number of employees.

Managers will be called upon to transmit all the necessary information, to foster compliance with health and safety regulations, while also providing the assurance of a safe environment.

An opportunity to be seized

Returning to the workplace is something to celebrate. Despite the challenges, it will be interesting to see the opportunities that arise for companies and employees.

Redefining your business

Deconfining can be an opportunity to have thought-provoking conversations on how work is organized, while providing the chance to review company culture.

It would be relevant to revise how your business encourages employee engagement, while also evaluating the means you have to increase productivity. For example, performance indicators might be adjusted to support a more goal-oriented approach. Then, another beneficial point might be to rethink work-life balance policies, examining the possibility of adding some flexibility to work schedules.

Recruiting farther and wider

With effective teleworking, companies could bypass a labor shortage by opening up to a larger pool of candidates. Remote work could then be a solution to overcoming the challenges of finding the right people.

Further, overhauling recruitment policies could mean instilling a more ethical and inclusive approach.

Remote work: the new norm or a privilege?

The pandemic has forced us to make many changes in our daily lives. Among other things, social distancing measures have required us to transform our homes into workspaces. While for some, this forced transition has been complicated, others see it as an opportunity that can be leveraged. Recent developments suggest that a full return to the office will soon be possible, but what will employers do? Let’s deep dive into the remote work experience.

Remote Work: From Obligation to Adoption

Remote work was introduced as an essential and mandatory measure to fight the pandemic and limit its economic impacts. Faced with this new regulation, conscientious employers worked to ensure the physical health of their team and to facilitate this transition.

Here are some noteworthy and inspiring decisions that were implemented during these times:

  • Sending a work-from-home kit, including a guide on the best practices to adopt for effective remote working, as well as various corporate gifts.
  • Calling upon occupational therapists to visit employees’ homes to ensure a safe work environment. These specialists also make recommendations for workstation furniture and tools that the company is committed to providing to employees.
  • Allocation of an amount ranging from $500 to $3000 given to each person working from home so that they can create and optimize their workspace.
  • Subscription to the Dialogue telemedicine service, which allows employees to consult a doctor online.

Remote Work: Necessity or Privilege

Now that a return to the office is possible in some cases, employers are seeking the best way to get employees back to their normal place of work. Some plan to continue letting employees work several days a week remotely, even after the pandemic is over. This would allow employees, among other things, to reduce the surface area of ​​their offices and thus save significant amounts on the rental of corporate space. Part of these savings could then be reinvested in equipment or programs to ensure the well-being of employees at home.

From a financial perspective, this type of program would greatly benefit both employers and employees. In fact, an employer saves an average of $11,000/year for each person working remotely just half the time. On average, employees save between $2,500/year and $4,000/year when this type of measure is adopted.

For other employers, remote working is a privilege to be granted with caution, and only when necessary.

No matter what the situation, it is clear that companies will need to implement a remote work policy that specifies the behaviour expected from employees and regulates work from home.

Remote Work: Attracting and Retaining Talent

The implementation of remote working, however, has allowed employees to explore a new approach to work that better suits their lifestyle and pace. 81% of them are happy with the current situation and 29% of them even say they would quit their current job if their employers forced them to come back full time to the office.

62% of workers looking for a new job say they will choose an employer that offers work from home over an employer that does not offer this option.

In a context of labour shortage, employers reluctant to integrate teleworking into their policy will have to do so at their own risk.

Remote Work: A Change of Mentality

The main reason employers are reluctant to switch to teleworking is because they fear that employees may not do enough work, which will lead the company to a general decline in productivity.

However, several studies show that office distractions cost US businesses more than $600 billion per year, and that employees working remotely are between 35% and 40% more productive than those working in an office.

It is therefore possible that the reluctance to adopt remote work stems mostly from a certain conception of the employer-employee relationship. The pandemic has forced executives and managers to trust their team more and has incited employees to honour their commitment to their employers. A shift in mindset will therefore be crucial for a smooth transition into this reinvented work environment.

What do you think about remote work? Would you like to see this practice be democratized in a post-pandemic world or are you looking forward to getting back to “normal”?

Share your thoughts in the comments!

Conquering the Employer Brand: The Case of Bath Fitter

In the battle for attracting new talent, being able to interest and retain skilled labour while maintaining high commitment to work is a major issue when it comes to being competitive. To ensure the prosperity and sustainability of their business, many companies, from SMEs to the biggest multinationals, make the choice to invest in building and developing their employer brand.

Research done by LinkedIn shows that over 75% of job seekers research companies online before applying and almost 70% of them would not work for a company with a negative employer brand.

Why develop your employer brand?

Offering a good salary is no longer enough to convince a workforce that is often spoiled for choice. Indeed, a survey conducted by Allegis shows than 84% of job seekers would leave their current company for a company offering better pay, even if their salary increased by only 10%.

Millennials, meaning people born between 1982 and 2004, constitute nearly 75% of the workforce in North America. This age group is much more concerned with growth potential, work-life balance, and the alignment of their values with those of the company rather than material benefits.

A First-class Example of Employer Branding: The Case of Bath Fitter

Who are Bath Fitter?

Bath Fitter is a company offering a range of bathroom solutions across Canada and the United States. Beyond its products, Bath Fitter sets itself apart through its corporate culture and its excellent employer brand, which has earned it numerous titles.

Among other things, the company has earned the following mentions: Best Workplaces in Canada (2019), Canada’s Most Admired Culture (2018), and Best Workplaces in Canada for Women (2019).

In addition to these titles and certifications, the company also has a rating of 4.3/5 on Glassdoor, making it one of the most appreciated companies. And the many comments left by former and current employees—313 to be exact—praise the working environment at Bath Fitter.

In fact, an employee survey revealed a confidence rating of 97%.

These many recognitions, in addition to demonstrating that Bath Fitter is a great place to work, make the company an employer of choice that is particularly sought after by an experienced workforce as well as by new talents.

Along with high job satisfaction that goes hand in hand with a much higher retention rate than the rest of the industry, the company seems to navigate the challenges of a workforce shortage with ease.

The results obtained today by Bath Fitter are in no way due to chance. They’re the result of an elaborate strategy, constant and continuous effort and a sincere desire to make the experience of Bath Fitter employees exceptional.

Sophia Nardelli, Vice-President of Human Resources, is the real driving force behind all the initiatives that have allowed Bath Fitter to become one of the best workplaces in Canada. We caught up with her to learn more about the plan behind Bath Fitter’s success.

The Strategy Behind Bath Fitter’s Success

Human Resources: “From cost centre to the business’s driving force.”

Bath Fitter has not always had the excellent reputation that it has today. Just a few years ago, the company didn’t have an employer brand, and developing one wasn’t on the agenda. The success story began with a simple question, at least on the surface: “What is the role of Human Resources within a company?” If you’re an HR professional, you probably have an elaborate answer to this question. For Sophia Nardelli, the purpose of Human Resources is threefold:

  1. Making sure that employees are happy: so that they don’t dread work in the morning nor see the end of the day as a huge relief.
  2. Removing current or possible obstacles to work running smoothly.
  3. Enhancing performance.

Yet all too often caught up in everyday tasks and emergencies, HR managers don’t have the chance to turn their vision for their department into concrete actions. At Bath Fitter, Ms. Nardelli has worked to transform her vision into a clear and defined strategy and to implement a concrete and achievable action plan. To do this, the first step was to define the employee life cycle, which Ms. Nardelli divided into six phases:

Attract employees    |    Get them started   |     Develop them   |      Coach them on their performance    |    Engage them    |    Motivate them    |     Bid them farewell

After mapping this process, she began to reflect on the different ways that would improve the employee experience at each stage. The goal being to support, assist and develop employees at every stage of their life cycle, from recruitment to departure.

These considerations gave birth to the 8 Pillars of the Employee Engagement Strategy, the true foundation of Bath Fitter’s success.

The 8 Pillars of the Employee Engagement Strategy

In addition to being the employer brand’s foundation of excellence, the 8 Pillars guide actions in order to fulfill HR’s vision for Bath Fitter and guide decision-making on a daily basis.

CULTURE AND OBJECTIVES

 It’s a matter of defining the mission, vision and the set of values that determine and guide all actions. If the mission of Bath Fitter is to “Make people smile every time they see their bath,” the company also strives to “make its employees smile” by offering them exceptional work conditions and structures.

COMMUNICATION

The goal is to create communication channels and offer employees opportunities to express themselves and share the right information at the right time. Sophia Nardelli insists on the importance of transparent communication, with a structure that reflects the values of company.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

The Health & Wellness pillar focuses on employee health. Bath Fitter goes above and beyond basic considerations and training on work and safety standards. Many initiatives have been put in place to ensure the physical and mental health of employees. What’s more, healthy meals are available for $ 3.25, while healthy snacks are delivered monthly.

Soon, employees will be able to leave with fresh, local and responsible products. A doctor and occupational therapist are available on site. And, when an employee experiences back pain, the problem is quickly resolved thanks to the development of a new workstation. All of these programs show Bath Fitter’s determination in making employees feel good.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Clearly defining the roles of each party ensures that everyone accomplishes the tasks assigned to them and contributes to performance. Indeed, it’s difficult to perform without knowing what you’ll be evaluated on. Furthermore, clearly established roles do away with uncertainty and considerably reduces workplace anxiety. Whether it’s through a newsletter, the website or the company’s intranet, all communications should be aligned with the company culture. After all,  as Ms. Nardelli says, the goal is “To avoid any uncertainty on the part of employees.”

WORK RELATIONSHIPS

The next pillar is Work Relationships. The goal here is to create a work environment that promotes authentic collaboration and builds a climate of trust. To achieve the desired results, Sophia Nardelli has put in place concrete initiatives allowing everyone to 1) get to know each other 2) get to know others 3) adapt to the preferences of team members. Among other things, the company uses the “communication cubes” created by Insights. These cubes, placed on each employee’s desk, indicate their communication preferences. On the one hand, it allows them to be aware of their own preference. On the other hand, it allows them to quickly know the preferences of colleagues and adapt accordingly. Communication is thus facilitated and misunderstandings are avoided.

RECOGNITION

The Recognition pillar aims to highlight the successes in the lives of employees and give them the opportunity to continue to stand out. Among the notable initiatives is the “High 5” program, which encourages colleagues to give each other “High 5s” in the form of notes, where they write why they admire and are grateful for each other’s work. Another major program is the promotion of three standout women per month, awarding them with flowers and a card, given directly by their supervisor. All of these measures create moments of sharing within the company and generate momentum for future initiatives.

INSPIRATIONAL LEADER & GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

The last two pillars are the Inspirational Leader and the Growth & Development pillars, which allow employees, whatever their place in the organization chart, to reach their full potential. In addition to adding to the toolbox of leaders and all staff, customized training is provided. Once again, in order to meet everyone’s expectations and provide an exceptional experience, employee needs are evaluated and obstacles are removed. For example, for managers worried about not having the time to follow a continuous and long training course, the program is adapted into several short modules. Likewise, worry-inducing and frustrating performance reviews have simply been removed.

Ms. Nardelli points out that the key is to “constantly question approaches and thinking patterns, asking employees directly what they want. The goal here being to create a program and action plan that really works, together.”

Placing People at the Heart of Concerns

Bath Fitter didn’t fall into the trap of embarking on a relentless quest for more certifications, new titles or a better place among the ranks of Canada’s best companies. To set such goals and be distracted by grandiose objectives still drives far too many businesses to failure. The pursuit of outside recognition pushes some companies to establish goals that are excessive, and not adapted to the reality and the culture of the company. And while such goals may look good on paper, many have only a limited impact on daily life.

The employer brand can’t be a decoration obtained by deploying superficial programs. It is a series of initiatives demonstrating a deep understanding of the needs at the heart of the company; the needs of its employees, who are the ones who allow the company to shine.

The employer brand is the result of efforts aimed at the soul of the company, its people, and not the result of a search for external approval.

Bath Fitter has understood this by placing people at the heart of its concerns. To achieve organizational excellence, processes must be excellent. As such, people must be given the tools and the framework that allows them to excel.

As Sophia Nardelli says, “No matter what product or service you sell, you are still in the business of people.”

The Key to Success: Human Relationships

The example of Bath Fitter is inspiring and it’s tempting to want to literally reproduce the programs put in place by this company. However, the Vice-President says that the “plug and play approach simply doesn’t work.

It’s absolutely essential to implement programs that correspond to the reality of your business, your budget and above all, that will really help the people you work with. To get started, Ms. Nardelli advises building relationships with the people around you. Before you can influence people, you have to know them first. And, to put in place programs that meet their needs, you have to understand them. Everything therefore depends on the creation and maintenance of authentic human relationships. Employee engagement is performed “every day, one employee and one discussion at a time.”

When she developed her initiatives, Ms. Nardelli sought the support of her superiors. To do this, instead of presenting her vision to them, she began by asking them for theirs. Daniel Giguère, the President of Bath Fitter wanted an HR department that he could be proud of.

And so, step by step, meeting after meeting, Ms. Nardelli was able to achieve this goal. Instead of implementing large and expensive programs, she put in place a series of concrete actions that, beyond helping employees, would also solve the problems of managers. Each victory creates momentum that fuels the next, ultimately leading to exceptional success, like at Bath Fitter.

While there is no magic recipe for developing a quality employer brand, the irrefutable ingredients for success are certainly those expressed by Ms. Nardelli: “Good Intentions, Good Heart, Good Relationships.”21

Diversity and inclusion

While they’ve certainly been discussed profusely in recent years, diversity and inclusion are much more than just a hot topic: they are integral responsibilities of employers. In this article, we offer ways to better understand, approach and manage these elements in the work environment.

Diversity and inclusion:  a definition

Diversity refers to all the attributes of individuals that set them apart from others, for example age, sex, origin or belonging to a certain social class or religion. Within organizations, diversity therefore refers to the heterogeneity of these particular characteristics. As for inclusion, it describes a desire to welcome these differences. It evokes the ways in which people with different characteristics are integrated into the organization and are empowered to build harmonious relationships with their peers. In other words, diversity is inviting different types of people to the party. Inclusion is making sure that everyone is having fun.

The importance of diversity and inclusion

As the social landscape diversifies and the call for foreign talent becomes common practice, companies need to adapt to such changes by raising awareness about diversity and inclusion. While recognizing and promoting diversity and inclusion is a new challenge, it’s absolutely necessary to do so for many reasons. Among other things, these elements:

  • Promote well-being at work: Every employee feels respected, less stressed and has a stronger sense of belonging to the company.
  • Facilitate problem solving and boost creativity: The diversity of profiles contributes to finding and building innovative solutions.
  • Increase overall business performance: For example, companies with more diverse management teams see 19% higher revenues.

How to facilitate diversity and inclusion within organizations?

BUILD AWARENESS WITHIN SENIOR MANAGEMENT

Diversity and inclusion is everyone’s business and should be promoted at all levels of the company. However, it’s absolutely critical for leaders and managers to set an example in order to encourage positive behaviour within the company, but also to structure processes in alignment with these aspects.

UNDERSTAND NEEDS

One way to raise awareness with managers and employees about diversity and inclusion issues is to do so through training, whether occasional or continuous. Seek information about consultants, organizations as well as universities offering such services. It’s also important not to underestimate the efforts that will be needed to implement measures that will have a real impact. Also, the measures implemented must meet real needs. It’s therefore essential to step back and take stock of the current situation and ask ourselves about what people belonging to a minority really need, beyond our personal beliefs. Anonymous surveys can help highlight areas where improvements are most needed.

To better understand your organization’s needs, you first must deepen your knowledge of the various challenges faced by people belonging to a minority group. Don’t hesitate to reach out to various community organizations that are familiar with the reality of these individuals.

Rethinking Approaches

To ensure diversity and inclusion, the first step is to have the courage to recognize your own biases and the limitations of your processes currently in place. Without realizing it, your business may be using processes that discourage diversity and inclusion. Here are three areas you can focus on now:

RECRUITMENT

Seeking new talent abroad is not the only way to ensure diversity. To make sure your recruiting is unbiased, consider asking yourself questions about your recruiting processes. Do you use inclusive vocabulary in your job postings? Are you, as a recruiter, aware of your biases and the stereotypes present in your environment?

INTEGRATION

Once you’ve hired a person belonging to a minority group, it is important to ensure their integration into the company. Have you provided diversity training to the people welcoming this new addition to your team? Is this new person familiar with the unwritten rules in your business? Do you have communication channels in place to ensure harmonious relationships? Do you have a mentoring program in place to facilitate the seamless integration of new hires into your business?

PROMOTION

Once new hires have been integrated into your business, it’s important to give everyone the same opportunity for success. Do your performance measurement criteria favour certain groups? Do you take differences in approaches and behaviours into account in your evaluations? Do all members of your organization have access to the same information about the opportunities for promotion? Following these few tips will help you make diversity and inclusion a reality in your company. However, it’s important to keep in mind that beyond the strategy and the processes put in place, it is the daily actions that create companies where everyone, whatever their difference, can thrive and make full use of their talents and skills.

Organizing a holiday party in a pandemic

End of year festivities are fast approaching. These are a great opportunity to celebrate with your team and to recognize their efforts in a very special year. But given the current pandemic context, their organization can become a real headache. Although large gatherings in the office or restaurant are not allowed, there are still ways to mark the occasion through a unique experience for your colleagues. Here are some tips and recommendations to make your holiday party memorable despite the pandemic.

Get real animators to host your video conference calls

For many companies, video calls have replaced Happy Hour and other team meetings. It goes without saying that this option is also the most popular for celebrating the holiday party with colleagues. To mark the occasion, why not call on professional animators to entertain your employees? Get in touch with comedians or inspirational speakers to bring life to your online calls. Virtual DJs are also a fun option to consider. For the little ones, you can even bring in a virtual Santa Claus (maybe a member of your team will volunteer) and then mail the gifts to add some magic to your celebrations.

You could go one step further and organize a game night or a virtual scavenger hunt that will leave your mark on your team. If you’re in the province of Quebec, we recommend contacting Randolph, L-A Twist, or TBMOQ (Team Building Montreal, Ottawa & Quebec), who can manage the whole ordeal for you.

Organize at-home gourmet meals

Getting together at a restaurant just doesn’t seem like a possibility this year. However, with a little inspiration, you can create a dining experience that your employees can share together, regardless. You could have meal boxes or mixology boxes delivered right to your employees’ homes. You could then have an online dinner to enjoy the meal together, and even reward the person who prepared the recipe the best. Here are some great businesses that offer this kind of service:

Have gifts deliverered to your employees

Your reservations for rooms, restaurants or catering services have certainly been cancelled. Why not use that budget towards gift baskets for your employees? Choose local products that will please your colleagues while supporting small local businesses in these tough times. Here are some ideas for your shopping:

Go behond material rewards

The budget allocated to holiday celebrations is often substantial. This amount can be used to offer particularly attractive benefits to your employees. If your situation allows it, you could give additional days off during the holiday season. If you buy gift cards for more than $5,000, Germain hotels will give you 20% more. Why not offer a getaway to each of your employees? After this hectic year, they will certainly be thankful for it.

Survey your employees

Ultimately, the ones who are in the best position to tell you how they would like to celebrate the holiday season are your employees! Ask them for their opinion and you might discover some innovative ideas that will truly make them happy.

Five HR Trends to Look Out For in 2020

As 2019 draws to a close, we’ve decided to compile a list of trends that we believe will shape the future of Human Resources. Learn more about these HR transformations that will affect all companies in 2020, and start the year on the right foot!

HR trends #1: Diversity takes centre stage

In recent years, the majority of companies have implemented measures to bring diversity to their workforce. But the disparities that exist in terms of gender, culture and ethnicity are still very real. While on the one hand, many studies like the one conducted by McKinsey show that diversity comes hand in hand with profitability, it is above all the pressure of public opinion that will force corporations to take more significant steps in 2020. Sixty-seven percent of potential talent see diversity as an important factor in their decision to work for a company or not. This is a cause that millennials are sensitive to, and they will represent the most important part of the workforce in the coming years.

From attracting talent to the inclusion and development agenda, companies will need to consider incorporating the diversity dimension into their workforce management initiatives.

HR trends #2: In the war for talent, the employer brand is gaining momentum

While the expression “employer brand” was first coined and defined in the 1960s, the concept only began to gain the attention of HR professionals much more recently. The reason for this new popularity is that the current job market is making it increasingly difficult to attract and retain talent. Employers have indeed understood that managing their reputation in order to gain influence over candidate perception of their company allows them to overcome this recruitment problem.

In 2020, companies will invest even more in initiatives that create value for their current employees so that they can present themselves as a first-rate employer to talented candidates. Marketing and human resources will work together to promote the image of the company both online and throughout their professional networks.

HR trends #3: Remote work is becoming common practice, forcing managers to review their approaches

Flexibility is one of the criteria that is most appreciated by employees. In the current work climate, the number of companies offering the possibility of working remotely has grown steadily in recent years. In 2019, 66% of companies offered this possibility to their employees. For 16% of companies, all work was done remotely. Research shows that people working from home are just as productive and engaged as office employees. Ninety percent of them feel they are more productive when working from home and 60% say they would like their job less if they had to go to the office every day.

With that said, while remote work offers many benefits, managers will need to review the way they motivate, coach and lead their teams.

HR trends #4: Artificial intelligence and automation technologies are taking hold in the HR world

In 2019, artificial intelligence, automation and data analytics began to enter the world of HR. These technologies will most likely take on an even bigger role in HR departments in 2020. Artificial intelligence promises to make the job of recruiters easier by identifying the most interesting profiles for a specific position. Once hired, the data collected on employees will be used to measure their engagement at work and their productivity, and even assess their satisfaction. HR professionals will therefore be better equipped to manage their staff.

Some of their tasks can also be automated, in particular those related to making schedules and managing salaries. They will then have more time to devote to actions that generate more value for employees and the company as a whole.

HR trends #5: Jobs are changing; continued training will become crucial

Technologies will not only affect the work of HR professionals; they will also change the tasks of employees. Companies have to start thinking about optimal ways to prepare employees to face these changes. One-off training will no longer be enough to meet the new needs that digital transformations are creating. Employee skills will need to evolve continuously, so managers will have to ensure that they develop a culture that promotes learning, self-development and independence. “Adaptation” and “reputation” will be the two keywords for 2020. Companies will have to reinvent themselves; to identify and promote their new identity. The pace of change is accelerating. HR managers will be tasked with anticipating changes in order to best prepare their colleagues while offering them working conditions which, in addition to increasing their engagement, will allow them to attract the talent of tomorrow.
Sources:

https://hrexecutive.com/steve-boese-what-trends-will-dominate-hr-tech-in-2020/

https://blog.atrivity.com/human-resource-trends-2020

https://www.talentlms.com/blog/remote-work-statistics-survey/

https://blog.smarp.com/diversity-and-inclusion-best-practices-focus-on-in-2020

5 Steps to Manage Difficult Conversations at Work

A colleague makes an inappropriate comment. An employee confesses a serious mistake or you notice them making one. The performance one of your team members is declining. These are all situations where you have no choice but to address the problem. Engaging in difficult conversations at work that can lead to conflict is far from easy. That said, showing leadership and building a relationship of trust around negative behaviour is possible!

The following steps will help you turn these difficult situations into a learning opportunity.

1. Prepare

The first thing you absolutely shouldn’t do is start such a conversation when you’re feeling emotional. Your first instinct might be to respond quickly, but in these cases, taking a step back from the situation can prevent communication mishaps and will allow you to remain in control of the situation once your discussion begins.

Start by preparing an opening sentence in which you clearly and concisely explain what the problem is. Use concrete examples and, if possible, numerical data that illustrates the problem you want to solve or the behaviour you want to change.

While being factual is important, don’t completely disregard the emotional side of the exchange. Explain how the situation affects you or your colleagues. Are you worried? Is your team less motivated and more anxious? Are your customers feeling nervous? Sometimes people behave in a certain way simply because they don’t see how their behaviour affects those around them. An outside perspective on their behaviour can become an additional source of motivation for change.

Finally, plan your meeting. No one likes to be confronted by surprise. By choosing a specific date and time, you reduce the uncertainty surrounding an already delicate situation and reduce the chances that the person feels defensive.

When you invite this person to meet with you, stress that you want to have a constructive dialogue and are not looking for punishment or to lecture them. Before they even sit down with you, your colleague should feel that they will be listened to and that they will have a chance to be heard.

2. Listen

Once you’ve presented the situation and expressed your point of view, give the person you meet the opportunity to speak freely. Some will find it easy to express their point of view quickly. Others may take refuge in silence. In either case, ask open-ended questions and pay attention to the answers.

Don’t listen just to respond. Listen to gain understanding.

Be curious and keep an open mind. Your goal is to encourage discussion. Even if you don’t agree with what’s being said, don’t react negatively. Let the other person speak to avoid them harbouring feelings of frustration that will hinder the productivity of your discussions.

3. Recognize

The third step is the ideal opportunity for all managers to practice their empathy. Recognize and validate the views and feelings expressed by the other person. This doesn’t mean that their behaviour is excused or that you condone the way they act and think.

To validate what another person is saying, rephrase what they’ve said and make sure you’re interpreting their words correctly. Your goal is to understand how the situation was perceived differently and what their motives are for specific behaviours. This step will allow you to both decrease possible hostility from the person you meet while gaining an idea of how you might resolve the problem.

4. Express yourself

You’ve introduced the situation. In turn, your colleague has had the chance to express their point of view, which you’ve recognized. Now is your turn to speak. Your main objective is to clarify the situation. Be confident and present the nature of the problem with sensitivity and precision.

Remember that inappropriate remarks or comments or counterproductive behaviour hurt the whole team. As a manager, it’s your duty to protect your colleagues. So don’t minimize the consequences of problematic behaviours.

Now that you have the perspective of the other person, you can incorporate it into your description of the situation. This will allow you to draw a more accurate and concrete portrait of the problem while proving that you’ve listened to the arguments presented.

5. Resolve

Every difficult conversation must end with a solution. Together, build a long-term action plan that will ensure that the problem doesn’t happen again. Deciding together on the concrete actions to be taken will increase the chances that your colleague will implement them quickly and effectively.

If the issue was performance-related, choose a date when you can assess how the situation is evolving.

Finally, thank the person for their time and openness and invite them to contact you if they’re having difficulty resolving the situation as agreed. Your goal is to show that you’re not there to punish them, but rather to help them improve.

Once your conversation is over you can also congratulate yourself. Difficult discussions are far from pleasant. On the other hand, they’re a golden opportunity to practice the key skills necessary to being a good manager: planning, active listening, empathy and problem solving. Each complex conversation, as unpleasant as it is, allows you to improve and approach the next one with more composure and ease.

Sources:

https://www.officevibe.com/blog/difficult-conversations-at-work

https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashiraprossack1/2018/10/28/how-to-have-difficult-conversations-at-work/#277e2b5110b7

 

3 Tips to Accelerate Your Professional Progress

The year is coming to an end. At this time of the year, many people take stock of their personal and professional life. What were your most successful moves and what mistakes can you learn from? In addition to looking back on the most important moments of your year, take this time to reflect on your goals for the one ahead. Planning your career is the first step in reaching your goals. The following three strategies will help you reflect about your professional progress and accelerate your professional porgress.

Map your goals and be strategic

Setting goals and writing them down will allow you to clarify the steps you need to take to reach them. You can start by thinking about the company you’d like to work for and the position you see yourself in in 3, 6, or 12 months. Next, determine the smaller objectives you need to reach in relation to each ambition. For example, if you want to become the manager of your department before the end of the year, you’ll certainly need to strengthen your interpersonal skills and improve your relationship with your superiors.

Remember to set clear deadlines for each task so that you don’t neglect any of them. Another good trick is to prioritize your goals. You will have moments that are busier than others. In these times, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the weight of your responsibilities. If this happens, just focusing on actions related to your # 1 priority will help you avoid burnout while actively working on building your career.

Be proactive

One third of employees consider that their supervisor doesn’t provide them with any career development support. In this type of situation, it’s up to you to take the reins of your own career. The first thing to do is to check if your company offers development programs or if it offers paid training hours. This type of benefit is often offered by companies, but employees don’t use them because they aren’t even aware of them. Don’t hesitate to ask your colleagues and supervisors about the measures they use to advance their careers. In addition to receiving expert advice, you’ll show them that you’re motivated and interested in taking it to the next level.

Another tip is finding a mentor who can support you in your professional development. According to a study conducted by the Association for Talent Development (ATD), the three main benefits of a mentoring relationship are faster professional advancement, a better understanding of organizational culture, and discovery of new professional perspectives. If you’d like to learn more about mentoring and the best way to find a mentor, you can read our article on this topic.

Develop your brand

You can have the best product out there, but if no one knows what you’re selling, your chances of being successful in business are limited. The same goes for your career. You may have the skills and abilities that make you the perfect fit for a job or promotion, but if no one knows about them, your chances at making progress are slim. To make sure you reach the success you deserve, manage your professional life like you would manage a brand. Define what sets you apart from your competitors, determine the needs of the job market and highlight the qualities you have that match the position you’re aiming for.

Boost your digital identity by taking the time to complete your LinkedIn profile, making sure it’s attractive and comprehensive. Think back to all the victories you’ve had in your professional life and present them in a way that shows how your skills and abilities have allowed you to achieve excellent results. That way, you’ll have concrete data to refer to when you ask for a raise, a promotion, or show up for an interview.

In the same way, think about past mistakes or shortcomings. Find the reason why you couldn’t perform as expected in some situations and think about the lessons you learned. If you’re asked questions about this, you’ll be prepared to answer them clearly and honestly.

Gone are the days of employees spending their entire lives with the same company and seeing their loyalty rewarded with a promotion. Today, companies value ambitious professionals who invest in their potential and change careers or companies in order to find new growth opportunities. You’re the master of your career. Have the courage to pursue your ambitions, develop your skills strategically, and assert your interests.

 

Sources:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonwingard/2019/01/09/self-career-development-three-strategies-to-accelerate-your-career/#33d853f93de1

https://www.randstadusa.com/workforce360/employer-branding/what-drives-employee-engagement/276/

https://www.careercontessa.com/advice/career-development/

https://www.atlassian.com/blog/teamwork/career-development-planning-for-the-intellectually-curious

3 Pieces of Advice for Boosting Your Career Through Mentorship

Mentoring is a great way to boost your career and ensure you continue to grow. A good mentor will help your progress, provide you with relevant information while also giving you the motivation and inspiration you need to excel on a daily basis. It is time to boost your career through mentorship!

An Asset for Your Professional Progress

A mentor can help you accelerate your professional development. First of all, they can help you choose the direction you want your career to take. Through their unique experience in your field of activity, they can give you sound advice on the professional paths to consider. Defining the next steps in your career is the first step to success.

If you already know where you’re heading professionally, your mentor can tell you the concrete actions you should take to achieve your ambitions. Whether it’s key skills to develop, networking events or training to attend, your mentor will be there to help you put your plan into action.

Finally, a good mentor should often initiate conversations that make you question yourself or shed new light on some of your beliefs. By revisiting your perceptions of your company, your industry and yourself in this way, you will avoid stagnating in a position or in a company for too long. You’ll be more attentive to trends in your market and will have more chances to optimize your performance and maximize your career advancement.

An Invaluable Source of Information and Knowledge

Your mentor has a career that looks like the one you want to have. For this reason, this person is in the best position to tell you what skills you will need to demonstrate as well as the technical skills you’ll need to acquire. But your mentor’s influence does not end there.

As you’re certainly aware, jobs posted internally or on company websites represent only a small fraction of the positions currently available in the world of work. Positions are often filled through word of mouth and referrals. Not only will your mentor be able to provide you with information about this implicit job market, but in some cases, they can also speak positively on your behalf to recruiters.

Besides giving you information about your industry, your mentor can also give you information about yourself. Indeed, one of the biggest blind spots for professionals is their own skills, qualities and flaws. As your relationship develops, your mentor will have a clear idea of ​​how you’re likely to be viewed in your business and can provide you with areas for improvement.

A Dose of Motivation and Inspiration

A career path is rarely linear and obstacle-free. If you regularly set goals for yourself and are passionate about your personal development, it’s normal to be frequently faced with new challenges and obstacles. Facing adversity is the only way to make progress. However, this can be overwhelming in the long run. When you feel like giving up or you’re questioning your potential, a discussion with your mentor is a good way to regain the motivation and inspiration you need. Be inspired by their personal experiences and don’t hesitate to ask for help when you need it.

Find the Right Mentor

If after discovering the many benefits of having a mentor, you’d like to find someone who can guide you in your professional life, here are some tips for finding the right fit:

  • Start by defining the expertise you want to develop or fine-tune as well as the type of positions you’d like to hold in the future. This will help you determine the areas where you should seek your mentor. Consider the position they currently hold or have held in the past. Make sure their experience is aligned with your ambitions.
  • A good mentor is a mentor who both has the desire and the time to invest in such a relationship. You may meet many people who want to help you. Take the time to ensure that beyond their good intentions, they also have the necessary availability to support you in your professional development.
  • If you’re looking for a mentor, it certainly means that you have a deep desire to improve. Look for a mentor who shares this quality with you. The best teachers are those who are eager to learn and know how to stay curious.

Once you’ve established the main aspects of your perfect mentor, it’s time to get started. Use your network, browse your LinkedIn and tell people around you that you’re looking for a mentor. Your colleagues or superiors might put you in touch with someone who can help or who might even volunteer. Knock on as many doors—both online and in real life—as you can. You’d be surprised at how many professionals are ready to help you.

Manage the Mentor Relationship

Once you’ve found your mentor, it’s important to define your relationship together. In this way, you’ll make sure that both parties feel respected and have their expectations met. The first thing to do is to structure your communications: Who will contact whom? What is the acceptable response time? Do you prefer emails, texts or calls?

Also plan your next in-person meeting and set how often your meetings will be held.

Finally, define your goals: What do you hope to gain from this relationship? How do you want your mentor to support you? Do you need practical advice or motivation and inspiration?

Mentoring is an incredible opportunity to advance your career through you mentor’s sound advice. Most importantly, mentoring is a chance to build an authentic and warm relationship with an inspiring person. Sharing your ideas and getting support when you need it most are invaluable and go beyond mere professional gain.

 

Sources:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinessdevelopmentcouncil/2018/01/09/three-reasons-you-need-a-mentor/#2cf8daa31eeb

https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryabbajay/2019/01/20/mentoring-matters-three-essential-element-of-success/#4cc02a2145a9

Two Pillars of Employee Retention

In a context where talent shortage is hitting companies hard, keeping your top performing employees is a real necessity. These valuable assets, in addition to mastering the best practices of your industry, are also familiar with the culture and implicit practices of your company. As such, it’s definitely in your best interest to make sure that they’re satisfied on a daily basis. If they were to leave, you would have to spend time and energy to replace them and would also see your competition gain strength with the addition of this new talent. To retain talent within your organization and ensure that performance is sustained over time, make sure to invest in the main pillars of employee retention.

Employee Retention: Development and Continuous Learning Program

If your employees are reaching new heights of productivity, it’s certainly no accident. The most successful workers are often people with a strong desire for constant improvement. For this reason, it’s important to offer them the opportunity to develop within your company, or else they’ll seek this opportunity elsewhere. Indeed, according to a study conducted by LinkedIn, 94% of employees would stay longer in their company if the organization invested in their training and career development.

The creation of a development program is therefore of the essence if you want to retain—but also attract—the best talent. If you don’t know where to start or if you’re looking to revisit your current program, here are some essential steps:

1. Choose training that addresses organizational needs and personal aspirations

The training you provide access to should lead to the development of skills and abilities necessary for the success of your company. It’s also important that they be aligned with the preferences and motivations of your employees. Before building a development program, take the time to ask your employees what they hope to gain from their training and what knowledge and skills they would like to focus on.

2. Opt for microlearning

One of the reasons employees don’t take or complete training courses is that they’re often too busy. To overcome this difficulty, choose “bite-sized” learning, or microlearning. This new approach to learning allows employees to make progress by completing a module of around 15 minutes each day instead of having to devote several hours to their program over a short period.

Also, make sure you take into account that they’re taking training courses when you divide tasks and before assigning them new responsibilities. The development program should fit into their schedule, not be an extra workload that forces them to work overtime.

3. Aim for long-term commitment

Create a culture where learning and personal development are built over the long term. Go beyond occasional training workshops; it’s essential that you show your employees that their professional success is important to you. To do this, ask them often about the skills they’d like to develop, the new techniques they would like to learn, and their ideas for aspects that could improve their performance. An employee requesting to undergo training is a committed and motivated asset who will certainly appreciate the effort you’ve invested in their training. In addition, promoting a culture of personal achievement will help your company stand out and attract even more of the best talent.

Employee Retention: Encouraging Internal Mobility

The most successful employees are often people looking for new challenges and wanting to regularly meet or even exceed their goals. Often, staying in the same position for years without growth opportunities or change can become a real source of frustration for them. A Bersin report from Deloitte indeed shows that there is a strong link between internal mobility and the retention of top talent. According to the same study, allowing employees to explore various possible paths within your company could lead to an increase in employee engagement of up to 30%.

While encouraging internal mobility achieves excellent retention results, setting up programs supporting this initiative is not that easy. Only 6% of employees rate the opportunities for internal advancement as excellent.  Implementing the following initiatives will allow you to retain top talent within your company:

1.Highlight the accomplishments of role models

There’s nothing better than concrete examples to inspire the most motivated workers. Underline and showcase employees who started in junior positions and advanced in the company to higher positions. In this way, you’ll show all concerned parties that efforts are rewarded in your company.

2. Be transparent about upcoming opportunities and promotion conditions

To motivate your employees to perform, clearly define the targets to be achieved. In addition to informing them of positions that are currently or will soon be available, let them know what skills and qualities you’re looking for. This will allow them to know what strengths they’ll need to develop and put forward while giving them something to work towards and push themselves for.

3. Organize regular meetings and provide coaching

To show employees that you’re an ally in their success, schedule regular meetings. This will give you the opportunity to learn more about their ambition and expectations. In return, you could offer them your support and advice while also establishing a career advancement plan. Always be transparent about the possibilities available to your employees. This will earn their respect and loyalty.

One of the biggest challenges in today’s job market is undoubtedly attracting and retaining valuable talent. If you have promising employees in your company, make sure you give them a reason to stay and the tools to keep growing. Your efforts for employee retention will be rewarded with lower turnover, higher engagement and increased productivity.

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