Discover insights on employee recognition and engagement, workplace culture, performance management, people analytics, and more.
Culture
5 min
A culture of recognition helps employees know their company values them and their contributions to the success of their organization.
In a rapidly evolving business world, there’s no exact recipe for what makes a workplace great. Amidst a global pandemic, the Great Resignation, a looming recession and continuously evolving technology – building a robust workplace culture is more important now than ever.
When people are asked, “what makes your workplace great”, the typical responses you’ll get are: high pay, good health benefits, vacation time, and other office perks like gym access, ping pong tables, and free snacks.
Today's employees expect most of those items as the bare minimum in terms of workplace perks and benefits. Offering free snacks and staff parties is no longer a competitive driver to making your organization a great workplace. Companies that are ahead of the culture curve know to look for deeper answers to this question, like: “feeling valued,” “a sense of community,” “employee wellbeing," and “opportunities to grow”.
We know recognition is a leading driver in retention, productivity and innovation, but understanding the impact of recognition culture on the overall employee experience is the shift organizations need to make to gain a competitive advantage in recruiting and retaining top talent.
In a culture of recognition, employees know their company values them and their contributions to the success of their organization. A culture of recognition builds trust and security, and employees are more motivated to continue doing great work. Recognition consistently emerges in studies on improving workplace culture and has proven to be a primary driver in engaging and motivating employees to do their best.
Employee recognition also reminds employees they are integral to building and living the company’s core values. With effective recognition, employees understand their accomplishments within the context of something greater. So, even when the company is going through changes, employees feel secure and content with the value they bring.
Employee recognition can look different across industries, but knowing how to use it strategically can have a huge impact on your business. Learn more in The Impact of Recognition Across Industries culture guide.
“Globally, employee engagement and wellbeing remain very low, and it’s holding back enormous growth potential” (Gallup Report, 2022).
Employers need to move away from the traditional thinking that engagement happens at work and wellbeing happens at home. Engaged employees are highly involved and are moving the organization forward because their needs are being met, they have a sense of belonging, and they know their wellbeing matters. Disengaged employees are psychologically unattached to their work, or worse, are resentful and reactive because their needs are not being met.
Gallup’s 2022 State of the Global Workplace Report asks: Are your employees thriving, struggling or suffering? Companies with engaged workers (thriving) have 23% higher profit compared to companies with unhappy workers (struggling or suffering). When employees are engaged and thriving, they experience significantly lower stress, and this plays a massive role in their responsibilities at work and outside of work.
There is a significant correlation between employee recognition and employee engagement – recognition boosts employee engagement and contributes to mental wellbeing. In fact, the absence of recognition can lead to the deterioration of an employee’s psychological health and, ultimately, their performance. Employee wellbeing is not just health benefits and time off; it’s providing a promise and a commitment to your employees that you take their wellbeing seriously.
Let’s go back to the question: “what makes a great workplace?”. Implementing an employee recognition platform isn’t the whole solution – making recognition an extension of your core values, your talent strategy, and a regular habit within your organization is the key. So, how do you build a culture of recognition?
You can learn more on how to build a culture of recognition and drive your organization's performance in our Recognition Done Right Culture Guide.
Your employees are your greatest asset – you need to foster an environment where they can thrive versus just seeing them as "workers." Employees want to be part of a workplace that unlocks their full potential by being invested in them as a whole person, recognizing them for their achievements, and valuing them as part of a positive workplace culture. When you make meaningful recognition part of your company’s culture, you are unlocking an advantage and leading the way for what can truly make a workplace great.
Originally published August 2022. Last updated July 2023.
Culture
5 min
The script has flipped from “what can people do for the organization” to “what can the organization do for its people.” To know what makes people want to stay with a company, it’s helpful to know first what makes them leave.
For much of the world, the pandemic is far from over. Navigating this ever-changing landscape can feel disorienting, to say the least. Yet, many organizational leaders have utilized this time to learn from their past misdirection, and thrive on unfamiliar, new, and exciting ideas.
Retaining valuable talent is essential not only to keep your organization on track, but also to explore untravelled avenues.
“Nearly one in four workers (23%) say they are actively trying to change their job and/or move into another industry that they believe is more future-proof.” – ADP Research Institute, People at Work 2022
The script has flipped from “what can people do for the organization” to “what can the organization do for its people.” Companies that follow this new script are attracting more talent and holding onto them for longer.
To know what makes people want to stay with a company, it’s helpful to know first what makes them leave.
People need to feel fundamentally supported; this starts with comprehensive diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. Many people leave jobs because their employer isn’t meeting this bare minimum, let alone building inclusive culture strategies or sharing educational resources throughout the company.
ADP recently published an outline of current sentiments echoed by workers around the world, People at Work 2022: A Global Workforce View.
The report shows that 76% of the global workforce, “would consider looking for a new job if they discovered their company had an unfair gender pay gap or no diversity and inclusion policy.” – ADP Research Institute, People at Work 2022
More notable findings:
“Employers’ strategies could also benefit from encompassing how to support and champion neurodiversity, such as dyslexia or autism, among the workforce.” – ADP Research Institute, People at Work 2022
The impulse to change jobs for a more future-proof career path is growing. Employees have higher expectations because they want to feel secure in rapidly changing, uncertain times.
Just like your company, employees want to be at the leading edge of their fields — push the envelope, think outside of the box, and create something they’re proud of. Yet, they don’t want to sign themselves up for burnout and impossible performance standards.
“For the one in 10 who are not satisfied with their current employment, almost half (49%) say it is due to being given increased responsibility for no extra pay.” – ADP Research Institute, People at Work 2022
More notable findings:
The JD-R Model, created by researchers Arnold Bakker and Evangelia Demerouti in 2006, is a different way to represent, measure, and ultimately improve employee well-being. It splits working conditions into two categories: job demands and job resources.
Job demands are the physical and emotional stressors of someone’s role. Job resources are the physical, social, and organizational resources that reduce the stress of someone’s role.
“The JD-R Model states that when job demands are high and job positives are low, stress and burnout are common. Conversely, good job positives can offset the effects of extreme job demands, and encourage motivation and engagement.” – Mind Tools Content Team, The JD-R Model Analyzing and Improving Well-Being
Promisingly, the JDR model can give leaders clarity on turnover risk before it’s too late. Oftentimes, leaders only gain this clarity after a valuable employee leaves.
With the JDR model, if someone’s job demands far outweigh the resources available to them, employers have measurable information they can act on.
At the end of the day, people work to feed families, pay bills, and improve their quality of life. Competitive salaries can give someone more freedom to do so, but maybe they’re looking for a more sincere incentive. People want to be part of a community where their creativity isn’t limited, and they can bring their authentic selves to work.
Daily recognition is a powerful engagement incentive, whether your company has the capacity to offer competitive salaries or not. In several cases, smaller companies set themselves apart from competitors by building a transparent, collaborative, and supportive culture.
“More than half (53%) would accept a pay cut if it meant improving their work-life balance, and a similar proportion (50%) would take a pay cut to guarantee flexibility in how they structure their hours – even if it meant the total hours worked did not change.” – ADP Research Institute, People at Work 2022
At Kudos, we value happiness. Of course, we don’t expect our employees to be happy 100% of the time, but we support them in their pursuit of happiness. And we are dedicated to eliminating any obstacles in their way.
Valuing your employee’s psychological well-being is integral to improving their sense of belonging. Especially considering the large portion of the workforce struggling with their mental health:
Effective remote leaders seem to have a better handle on the “people-first” approach. In virtual environments, leaders need to be intentional and creative about connecting with their teams. In-office leaders don’t have the same physical and technological barriers to overcome, so they are often less proactive about connecting with their employees.
"Only one in 11 remote workers (9%) say their employer is not doing anything proactively to promote positive mental health at work, as opposed to around one in three (34%) of those in the workplace.” – ADP Research Institute, People at Work 2022
That said, feeling truly connected in any environment takes dedication, thoughtfulness, and compassion.
For many, working at home can contribute to their stress. Maybe they’re juggling parenthood, a tense roommate dynamic, or any number of distractions in their home life. But, when employers extend their support to remote workers the “out-of-office” benefits shine through.
Alternative working models support the future-proof trajectory people want to be on. Workplaces that offer remote or flexible opportunities are more likely to keep their valued members on board:
To keep people around, invest in a working style that complements their lifestyle. Otherwise, they will leave to find a better match.
The truth is, that talented people leave great jobs for nuanced reasons. Thoughtful employee recognition strategies can address these nuances, remind people of their unique worth, and support their individuality. Peer-to-peer recognition makes people feel appreciated, valued, and irreplaceable.
Change is inevitable, but companies that intentionally build positive relationships with their employees also build a positive legacy. And should anyone have to leave your company, they will take that legacy with them.
So, be a company that’s great to work for, and to be from.
Culture
5 min
In times when people basically can choose to work at any company, anywhere in the world, your organization’s employer brand is what will ultimately attract top talent.
In today’s ever-changing job market, a strong employer brand will set your organization apart. It will help you compete with companies that are offering the same roles, same benefits and even the same compensation as you. In times when people basically can choose to work at any company, anywhere in the world, your organization’s employer brand is what will ultimately attract top talent.
What’s important to understand is that employer branding shouldn’t just fall on the Human Resources department’s shoulders. Branding is a marketing concept and as such, the marketing department must actively collaborate with the HR team for the strategy to work.
Simply put, employer branding is the way your organization manages how current employees and potential candidates perceive you as an employer.
However, employer branding also influences how your clients see your brand. When a brand has a reputation of not treating its employees well, clients or consumers won’t want to do business with it. There are plenty benefits an organization will start to see with the development of a great employer brand. Let’s dive into it!
Now that we know the benefits of a great employer brand, it’s time to figure out who should oversee employer branding at your organization, HR or Marketing?
As the war for talent continues, employer branding has created the need for the two departments to collaborate more than ever before. In fact, a LinkedIn survey says HR professionals acknowledge that recruitment is becoming more like marketing.
The answer is that it should be a team effort. Employer branding is about creating a culture of happy employees and eager prospects who dream of working for you. It’s about listening to, and measuring employee referrals, both formal, and informal. When someone is so happy to work at your organization, they will tell all their family and friends about your brand.
Employer branding needs a strong culture where employees are in the spotlight; their stories, their achievements, and their wellbeing. Adding a people-point-of-view to your employer branding will generate better candidates, contributing to better culture. Employer branding and culture go hand in hand.
But how can you take your employer brand from good to great?
Building an employer brand is a long-term culture strategy that will pay big dividends. While the task may seem daunting, remember that you already have an employer brand – the key is to make sure people are experiencing your workplace the way you want them to, and the way that will drive business results in the future.
Culture
5 min
People should feel valued, recognized, and motivated to take initiative in what they do best. Many organizations are realizing that today’s job searchers are no longer settling for anything less. Companies need dedicated, creative, and people-focused solutions to keep up with a transforming workforce.
Why People-First HR Strategies are the Future
The Great Resignation is still hanging over our heads, and many economists predict a recession.
More than 24 million Americans left their jobs between April and September 2021. Even before this period, people leaving toxic work environments cost U.S. employers $50 billion per year.
Toxic corporate culture is 10 times more important in predicting employee turnover than compensation, yet many organizations don’t have strategies to purposefully improve culture. Even worse, the topic of culture is often ignored or considered “out of management’s hands.”
While some employers wait for culture to form organically, their employees are left to fulfill unclear expectations without feedback or support.
People should never feel stuck in an exhaustive cycle with no affirmation that they are headed in the right direction. They should feel valued, recognized, and motivated to take initiative in what they do best. Many organizations are realizing that today’s job searchers are no longer settling for anything less.
Companies need dedicated, creative, and people-focused solutions to keep up with a transforming workforce.
Positive intentions produce positive results
Your company’s culture is shaped by shared experiences and expectations. It influences the way people think, feel, and behave in the workplace. If created with the right intentions, culture can provide a sense of identity, and increase employee commitment to your organization’s values.
A culture built by design, not by default, is critical. And while everyone shares the responsibility of keeping it healthy, more and more companies are leaning on HR professionals.
Focused People and Culture strategies are becoming more popular, because they authentically strengthen the relationship between organizations and the people who work tirelessly to keep them running.
“We’re really focused on treating our own employees as if they are customers of the People and Culture team. We want them to have a good experience with our company.” – Carter Bergen, People Advisor at Kudos.
Why HR strategies need to transform
MIT Sloan Management Review identifies five attributes of a toxic company culture: disrespectful, noninclusive, unethical, cutthroat, and abusive.
Disrespectful
Being consistently disrespected at work is soul-crushing.
When someone’s self-worth is repeatedly attacked, they lose confidence in their skills. They feel increasingly out of place and decide they don’t belong – before their employer decides for them.
According to the research highlight, a lack of respect in the workplace was “the single strongest predictor of how employees as a whole rated the corporate culture.”
Noninclusive
Too often, employee voice is discussed in universal terms. Lumping everyone together denies important diversities, and further silences marginalized voices.
Organizations that fail to address the specific barriers their employees face based on race, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or age create a toxic climate of silence.
“Climates of silence exist when powerful systemic forces create organizational silence — widely shared perceptions that speaking up is not worth the effort or is downright dangerous.” – Voice, silence, and diversity in 21century organizations
Unethical
A company that sweeps dishonesty under the rug encourages the same behaviour from their employees. On the other hand, a company with clear moral and ethical standards encourages a culture of accountability and trust.
Cutthroat
In a cutthroat environment, recognition is achieved by sabotaging others – not uplifting them. Unhealthy amounts of competition create unstable corporate cultures and diminish everyone’s sense of belonging.
Abusive
An organization’s culture is led by example. If leadership is hostile, demeaning, and abusive to their staff – they can’t expect company culture to be any better.
“The most frequently mentioned hostile behaviors in our sample are bullying, yelling, or shouting at employees, belittling or demeaning subordinates, verbally abusing people, and condescending or talking down to employees.” - MIT Sloan Management Review, Why Every Leader Needs to Worry About Toxic Culture
Generally, toxic cultures prioritize corporate-performance results at the expense of people. Traditional policy-focused HR strategies support these priorities.
People focused strategies achieve the same performance results as traditional HR strategies, if not better, by prioritizing well-being.
“Traditionally, HR is there to protect the company. Although that’s still true for a People and Culture team, I think our focus is more on enabling the organization to be the best they can be – through the power of people.” – Carter Bergen, People Advisor at Kudos
The Power of People: Why dedicated culture strategies are on the rise
Obviously, people-focused strategies are still strategies by nature. It’s how you communicate the strategy that makes a positive difference in culture.
People and Culture teams value happiness and transparency. Simply, treating people like people promotes open lines of communication; this is how you reach the heart of the problems people struggle with in the office: stress, burnout, excessive performance standards, work-life imbalance, and so on.
“Transparency helps people feel genuinely connected to the company. I think it also encourages people to feel like they have a stake — they can leave their DNA and their fingerprints by making suggestions.” – Carter Bergen, People Advisor at Kudos
People want to feel fulfilled by their work; like they have a purpose. They don’t want to show up purely out of obligation.
A People and Culture team that truly cares for their employees, values transparent communication, and supports their employees instead of testing them will do wonders for retention and engagement. While this is true, everyone in the company needs to understand and align with the People and Culture teams’ mission — or else there will be friction.
Specifically, leadership needs to be on board with building more sustainable working environments. People-focused strategies encourage more earnest, intentional, and positive company-wide relationships. Strong foundational relationships like these are extremely valuable to your organization in the long term. A company’s culture can only take shape from there.
Creating a healthy culture is “a heavy lift. It’s not easy, but it’s definitely worth it. And you’ll see that in the results.” – Carter Bergen, People Advisor with Kudos, recently recognized as a Best Place to Work by HRD Canada.
HR teams are evolving even beyond title changes, and so are the tools and technologies that support their growth. Recognition platforms like Kudos support the future of HR by empowering everyone within the organization through peer-to-peer recognition.
Simple and sincere recognition plays a pivotal role in your plan to create a healthier culture. Change is hard, but change is good – especially when it comes to your most valuable asset.
Culture
5 min
Servant leadership is gaining popularity in all types of organizations. Here’s a mini guide to the concept to help demystify this trend.
Let’s face it, your leadership style can be hard to define, yet it’s a question you’ve probably been asked in a job interview. That’s because leadership style is one of the best ways to determine whether someone will be a good cultural fit (or cultural add).
Servant leadership is one approach that’s gaining popularity in all types of organizations. Here’s a mini guide to the concept to help demystify this trend.
Servant leaders have a serve-first mindset. They ask how they can serve their employees, instead of micromanaging or imposing on them. They unlock the employee’s potential and creativity and let them run with projects because they trust them. That is key – to become a servant leader, you must trust your employees.
The history of servant leadership
Before we explore the many benefits servant leadership can bring to your organization, it’s important to acknowledge that this isn’t a new concept. In fact, it's been around for centuries as a philosophy.
The term servant leadership came from Robert K. Greenleaf’s 1970 essay ‘The Servant as a Leader’. In this essay, Greenleaf introduces several ideals, philosophies and values that revisit the main role of a leader in a modern organization.
However, while Greenleaf revitalized the concept of servant leadership, he didn’t create it. The philosophy itself is considered ancient history. Historical figures such as Jesus of Nazareth, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. are examples of servant leadership in practice. But in fact, servant leadership could be brought back even further. Let’s journey back to 600 B.C to ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu when he said: “A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.”
Now that we know that servant leadership is a concept that has existed for a while, let’s get into its key differentiators from the traditional approach.
What’s a traditional approach?
“Traditional leadership is more about what the employee can do for the organization,” says Michelle Thomas, Director, Development & Architecture at Kudos. “You are a cog in the machine to earn the money, and they want to know what you’re doing to help earn those dollars. Traditional leaders will consider if you are worth keeping or if you’re actually an expense for the organization.”
“Servant leadership is the complete opposite,” she continues. “It’s what can we do for you to make you happy, so you are a happy, productive member of this organization because the most productive teams are the happiest teams. The teams I’ve led that were collaborative, and happy - the teams that would have a good time together - those were the best teams and the highest performing,” says Thomas.
Servant leaders know that a motivated employee will bring better results to the organization. They use their skills and position to help individuals complete their tasks with ease. They provide the tools to employees to stay motivated and engaged, while also going above and beyond to better the person rather than the “employee.” This includes their mental health, physical health, and career development. For example, chances are that your employees already know how things work in your organization. So, why not take that into consideration and instead of telling them what to do or how to do it, you ask them “How can I help you make your job less stressful?” Once you switch it up and listen to them, you’ll be left with a better boss-employee relationship.
Now that we know what key differences exist between traditional and servant leadership, let’s focus on benefits any organization will see by having and supporting servant leaders, especially organizations doing it on a larger scale.
Now that we’ve explored the many benefits, let’s dive into successful organizations that are currently using this fascinating leadership method.
What do Marriott International, Starbucks, Google and Whole Foods have in common? They are all applying a servant leadership approach in their day-to-day operations. Whether it’s to offer you the best possible stay away from home or to help you decide on how to season your thanksgiving turkey, organizations across the globe have started to realize that in order to keep talent, they need to empower and recognize employees for what they do.
Google, for instance, knows that when employees feel appreciated, the clients will benefit. Google understands that perks and recognition are no longer a ‘nice to have’ but a must. The technological giant’s CEO makes sure to set up calls with all teams, creating a better relationship between employees and leadership.
Starbucks has been working on culture for decades. The largest coffee chain in the world has made sure to treat customers like celebrities, and it’s not a coincidence that every employee working there treats you that way.
Howard Schultz, former president of Starbucks, worked hard on employee engagement. Schultz created forums where employees had the opportunity to speak up. He had realized early on that the way leaders treat employees will directly impact on how employees treat the customers.
Marriott International walks the talk; besides being a world leader in the hotel industry, Marriott is a place where employees can enjoy free education, mentorship and the opportunity to move up within the organization. In fact, many general managers at Marriott started as hourly workers. Marriott embraces key Servant Leadership values; the business isn’t just about the guests – they make it mainly about the employees.
Whole Foods and John Mackey’s leadership: according to the cofounder and CEO of this $17 billion corporation, leaders are made, not born. They are made by practicing, says Mackey, who understands that if a leader wants to see results, they need to put the people first.
By using Servant Leadership conviction, Mackey has proved that a leader can be strong and caring at the same time.
Let’s look at key attributes you will need to develop:
Servant Leadership goes beyond a style of leadership, it is a mindset. Building a relationship with your team that goes beyond the “what are you working on?” will help you cultivate the culture you want at your organization.
“Make sure that your team is happy, that they have what they need to be fulfilled at work. It’s not just a job to them. They want to know that they’re contributing, making a difference, and to me, that’s what servant leadership is all about,” Michelle Thomas, Director, Development & Architecture at Kudos.
Culture
5 min
Returning to the office will cause a massive shift in your operations and your employees’ lives and workflows. They will need some time to adjust to the new normal, and your culture and morale might suffer.
After over two years of remote work, 70% of businesses plan to reopen their offices to their employees this year. The majority will implement a hybrid approach of in-person and remote work. This shift presents an important opportunity for you to boost employee morale among those returning to the office.
Returning to the office will cause a massive shift in your operations and your employees’ lives and workflows. They will need some time to adjust to the new normal, and your culture and morale might suffer.
There’s no denying that the pandemic was, and still is, a stressful time for most. Anxieties concerning health, work, and the economy are ever-present. Working from home brings in new distractions for most remote employees. That is especially true for those juggling childcare and work responsibilities at the same time.
While remote work has many morale perks, it also has disadvantages. Some of the top causes of low morale are:
Ignoring these issues can worsen your employee morale and lead to a disengaged and unproductive workforce.
The world is entering the new normal. More companies are preparing to bring their employees back to the office, while others are choosing a hybrid model.
Every organization will have to determine the best approach for their people, but returning to the office is the best choice for many employers, their employees, and organizational and customer needs. For many, returning to the office means more spontaneity, socialization, and collaboration; a refreshing change of pace from the isolation of remote work.
Employees returning to the office may feel anxious and resentful of colleagues or friends who are still working from home. As an employer, you must do your part to ease those feelings and support a smooth transition. Here are some tips on how you can manage employee morale in returning to the office:
Many businesses changed their policies and rules to accommodate their shift to remote work. Reopening the office for your employees requires you to re-evaluate your current policies. You must make sure your policies adapt to the new normal; this means including policies on health and safety inside the office. You can also create a clear return-to-office checklist to help the project go smoothly.
Most importantly, you must clearly communicate, socialize, and enforce these policies to build trust with employees. Make sure your employees can access these new policies anytime by sharing and posting them on multiple channels. Go above and beyond by hosting town hall meetings avenue for employees to ask questions, and make sure managers are all on the same page.
Employee morale goes hand-in-hand with job satisfaction. When employees feel satisfied with their company, they are more motivated to do great work.
You must consider their wants and needs when planning their return to the office. Send surveys or forms to collect feedback on the subject.
A recent survey by Owl Lab shows that 57% of employees prefer working from home. If that’s the case, it is better to slowly ease your employees into the transition. Instead of forcing everyone to go back to the office, you can offer hybrid alternatives.
You can also ask those employees who prefer working remotely for their suggestions or concerns surrounding a return to the office. This way, you can adjust your strategy and make the transition more appealing.
Going back to the office will introduce changes to your employees’ workflow. After years of working from home, they’ll need some time to adjust. It is tempting to makeup for the lost time by scheduling meetings and social gatherings, but these can actually hinder employee morale.
Instead of overwhelming your employees so soon, ease them into the rhythm of in-person work. This gives them time to adjust to being surrounded by many people again. Organize small and simple activities instead of full-blown, company-wide social activities right away. Why not keep it digital to include all in-person and remote employees?
Employee recognition is a great way to boost engagement, productivity, and morale for all employees regardless of location.
One step at a time doesn’t mean avoiding social gatherings altogether. After all, some might be looking forward to seeing their colleagues again after being cooped up inside their homes. Create opportunities for socialization without completely overwhelming your employees.
You can start by conducting face-to-face meetings per team. This way, they can start with smaller groups of people before moving on to a broader circle. Conduct activities that will require simple interactions among employees, like icebreaker games. And, of course, team lunches are always a good place for casual socialization.
Group projects also give your employees opportunities to socialize with their colleagues. And by investing in the best collaboration software, you can make teamwork more effective and efficient.
The rising awareness of burnout and stress requires businesses to be more attentive to their employees’ needs. Ensure your employees’ happiness to boost their morale at work.
You can do this by proactively providing support for your employees. Implement an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) where you can offer resources to address personal issues concerning health, emotional well-being, and work performance. This can come in the form of short-term counselling, assessments, referrals, or support groups.
Most importantly, make sure that your employees are aware of the resources available within the organization.
It is undeniably important to consider that your employees returning to the office will need some time to adjust to their new working environment. Use these tips to keep employee morale high during the transition. With the right strategy and tools, this is an opportunity to motivate your employees to feel their best and contribute great work.
Culture
5 min
Many organizations are continuing to adapt to the impacts of the pandemic. Employees now look for permanent remote arrangements, work-life balance and improved health benefits. Here are the trends HR leaders should focus on in 2022.
After a disruptive couple of years, many organizations introduced adjustments in order to keep their talent. More organizations are now expected to offer remote arrangements, work-life balance and improved health benefits. These adjustments have significantly changed how we see the future of work; however, employee expectations are constantly evolving. Here are the trends HR leaders should focus on in 2022.
According to a Gartner survey, 59% of HR leaders consider building critical skills within the organization a top priority. However, many HR leaders are struggling to predict the skills their employees will need for their organization to succeed in the future. HR leaders are also struggling with rising turnover rates due to increased competition for talent. Although remote work has widened the talent pool, it also means it’s easy for employees to find work elsewhere if their needs are not being fulfilled at their current place of work. In addition to actively disengaged employees having an easier time finding new work, the competition and constant recruitment efforts from global businesses mean that even moderately disengaged employees pose a much higher risk of leaving than they did before. Gartner suggests organizations should build a more adaptable workforce by structuring talent management around skills instead of just roles.
There’s no denying there has been a lot of change in the workplace over the last two years, and leaders need to recognize when their employees could be feeling burnt out. Today’s average employee can absorb only half as much change before feeling fatigued as they could in 2019 (Gartner). There are many ways HR leaders can foster a positive change experience:
Many factors go into creating a healthy workplace, all of which should be considered a priority. Workplace health is not just work-life balance; healthy employees will form healthy relationships with their coworkers. Here are some factors to consider when trying to build a healthy work environment:
A healthy work environment means offering your employees the support they need. 62% of employees identified well-being benefits (including financial, mental health and physical well-being) as a key factor when applying for a job. In addition to that, 80% of employees want support and guidance from their employers on personal finances. HR leaders should move away from universal benefit packages and lean more towards a personalized approach, with the goal of being a workplace culture of care that meets the needs of everyone. There are also EAPs (Employee Assistance Programs) available for organizations to utilize that provide counselling for employees both personal and work-related.
The global pandemic has shifted how we work in so many ways, with work-from-home or hybrid work arrangements being one of the most significant. Some of your employees may thrive in a work-from-home environment, while others may prefer a hybrid situation where they can still go into an office if needed. However, flexibility is not just about where employees work; it also means allowing employees the ability to adjust their work schedule to accommodate their lifestyle. Many of us have other priorities outside of work and a non-flexible work schedule can be a massive deterrent for employees.
Focus on results and deadlines instead of the number of hours employees are working. Not everyone is productive during the same time periods, and part of adopting a more inclusive mindset is allowing your employees the freedom to design their work schedule. Utilize technology and move towards a productivity-anywhere approach and make your work systems easily accessible for all employees.
Your future employees aren’t interested in working for an organization that is behind on updating its company values. Forbes research has found that more than 50% of employees will leave their jobs if the company values are no longer aligned with their own. It is vital that HR leaders ensure they are closing their employee expectations gap by engaging with their employees and are committed to incorporating what their employees value into the organization.
A major component of this is representation and diversity. Gartner research revealed there were only 29% of women and 17% racial minorities in c-suite positions. Low diversity in leadership positions is a result of a lacking DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging) strategy. HR leaders need to incorporate consequential accountability instead of collective accountability in their DEIB strategies and hold the leaders within their organization accountable for DEIB outcomes.
Regular, meaningful recognition will be critical in 2022. Robert Half found that 66% of employees would quit if they didn’t feel recognized – for Millennials, that number jumps to 76%. Similarly, a study by SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) found that 79% of Millennial and Gen-Z survey respondents said an increase in recognition and rewards would make them more loyal to their employer.
By 2025 Millennials will make up three-quarters of the workforce; the need for robust employee engagement strategies and management is urgent to fight this unprecedented wave of resignations. Modern recognition platforms like Kudos® make it easy for managers and peers to recognize employees regularly, regardless of their location.
Hybrid work arrangements are the new normal, skill-based hiring is shifting HR practices, and employee well-being is becoming a pivotal concern everywhere. This new world of work is encouraging leaders to ask important questions about their organization’s current challenges and how they are going to invest in the right solutions. The HR landscape in 2022 is not just about the best business practices but rather shaping the future of work.
Culture
5 min
With the reality of permanent remote work settling in for many, the distinction between work and personal life is blurred, making happiness in our work more imperative than ever to avoid burnout.
Every year on March 20, the world celebrates the United Nation’s International Day of Happiness. Action for Happiness, a not-for-profit dedicated to "building a happier and more caring society," spearheads the celebration with events, resources, and ideas on how to act.
With the reality of permanent remote work settling in for many, the distinction between work and personal life is blurred, making happiness in our work more imperative than ever to avoid burnout.
Additionally, we're finding more evidence indicating that organizations perform better when employees are happy. In fact, organizations with happy employees report increases in productivity (17%), sales (20%), and profitability (21%).
Now that I have your attention, I'll ask again, are your employees happy?
Studies show that managers account for at least 70% of the variance in employee engagement scores. So before you investigate, consider employees as individuals or small teams, rather than one large group. Everyone's experience is different.
According to Entrepreneur magazine, some signs of employee unhappiness include:
So, what can you do to improve employee happiness?
There are many ways to address and create happiness. The United Arab Emirates, for example, has a dedicated Minister of State for Happiness overseeing a "National Programme for Happiness and Positivity." Now, you may not be able to create a position solely dedicated to managing employee happiness, but you can do something equally as powerful at little to no cost.
To be clear, happiness as an organizational value does not mean employees "must be happy." It means that happiness is valued, whether it's an employee, manager, or customer. What's more, if you consider some of the more common organizational values, happiness would not be out of place. For example, "respect," "trust," "passion," and"caring" are all in the top 20 corporate values in the United States.
Values give every member of your organization a sense of direction and a definition of success in every interaction and task. But don't take my word for it. Take the lead from some fantastic companies who have happiness-inducing organizational values guiding their teams.
For example:
Identifying happiness as a value is the first step towards enjoying all the benefits a happy workforce can produce. According to Annie Mckee, author of "How to Be Happy at Work," there are three things that employees need to be happy and engaged:
Identifying happiness as a core organizational value will encourage managers to prioritize the three points above, as well as their employees’ well-being in general. At the end of the day, organizational values shape culture, and in the words of Zappos.com CEO Tony Hsiesh, “If you get the culture right, most of the other stuff will just take care of itself.”
One thing everyone can do to feel happier is to show more gratitude for the people around them. Recognizing others and showing appreciation does more for the ones giving the recognition than those receiving it. Amongst many other benefits, Dr. Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D., a leading gratitude researcher, proves that gratitude can increase happiness and reduce depression.
Companies can use tools like Kudos as a hub to show gratitude, and prioritize employee happiness. As Shawn Anchor, author of “The Happiness Advantage”, shares in his famous TED talk, creating happiness and fostering positivity in our day-to-day life helps our brains work harder, faster, and more intelligently.
Here are a few more TED Talks to inspire you and make you smile today – share with your network and make someone’s day:
Culture
5 min
Clear values give every member of your organization a sense of direction and a definition of success in every interaction and task.
This article is part 3 of our 5-part Employee Engagement and Culture Checklist Series:
In the last few years, our resilience has been tested beyond imagination.
We adapted to remote work, virtual meetings, and distributed workforces. However, the loss of camaraderie, connection, and collaboration in communal spaces is still deeply felt. Now, as the dust settles, we must reclaim what we lost and forge ahead.
The key lies in refocusing on our mission, vision, and values. This article explores how organizational values can drive belonging, well-being, employee engagement, and reduced turnover, ultimately leading to a resilient workforce and a thriving culture.
Clear values give every member of your organization a sense of direction. They outline the definition of success in every task and interaction. The right core values can drive belonging and wellbeing, improved employee engagement, and reduced turnover. But most importantly, tying performance measurement and recognition to those fundamental values enables you to build a resilient workforce with a robust culture, laser-focused on what matters most to your organization. It doesn't hurt business performance either.
According to Gallup, the problem is only 23% of employees strongly agree that they can apply their organization's values to their everyday work.
Does this problem sound all too familiar? These six tips should help you bridge that gap. Here’s how to do it:
Sometimes values seem too aspirational; or worse, just corporate jargon.
Identify specific behaviors and tie them to each core value to make them more clear. In doing so, you give your team guidance. Your values become their North Star, directing their day-to-day decisions to best reflect your company. This method can be especially helpful in organizations of remote workers, who have less supervision or guidance readily available.
Let's break down some behaviors that could be tied to particular values, including Integrity – the most popular value in US companies, according to a recent MIT Study.
These behaviors should also extend to how your employees treat clients.
Action Step: Take time during your next management meeting to define critical behaviors for each core value. If you struggle to do so, it may be time to revisit and refine your values.
To ensure your values drive the desired culture and performance, your employees need to know them. Organizational values are often buried in employee manuals or deep in the corporate intranet. It’s likely that many of your employees don’t even know your values.
Avoid burying your organizational values in employee manuals or deep within the corporate intranet. Instead, give them a prominent presence and make them easily accessible. Get creative in spreading the word. Incorporate values into office décor, display them in email signatures, or customize Zoom backgrounds and company intranet homepage for remote teams.
Action Step: Develop a clever acronym to make your values easier to remember, but ensure it aligns with your values and is not the sole determinant.
Here's Kudos' acronym:
Transparency
Happiness
Accountable
Nnovation
Kollaboration
Once you've identified key behaviors tied to your values, start looking for candidates who exhibit those behaviors during the hiring process. Openly share your values and communicate to candidates the importance of value-alignment. Craft behavioral questions that uncover if candidates align with your core values, and be open and honest in interviews about the values you hold dear.
A great example of a company being open about values in recruitment is the meal-kit company, HelloFresh. Another example is popular online shoe and clothing retailer, Zappos. They have a recruitment video that displays their culture in a radical way, with the purpose of attracting people who align with their values and repelling those who don’t.
Action Step: Work with your HR team to create behavioral interview questions that assess candidates' alignment with your core values. Here are some practical behavioral-style interview questions to get you started.
Leaders and executives are closely observed by the entire organization. Employees look to management for cues on how to act and react, especially in challenging situations. Leaders must embody the core values they want their employees to live by. For example, if transparency is a core value, leaders should openly communicate about challenges the company is facing. If collaboration is valued, involve representatives from all company levels and functions in special projects or working groups.
A great example of this is how Microsoft handled the onset of the global pandemic in 2020. Microsoft's corporate values are respect, integrity, and accountability. When COVID-19 first hit in March, Microsoft announced they would continue to pay all hourly service providers their regular pay during the period of reduced service needs. They embodied their core values at a time when all employees were watching.
Action Step: During difficult situations, ensure your reactions align with your core values and make any necessary adjustments. Remember that your employees will follow your lead.
Consistency is crucial when emphasizing the importance of your values to your team. If one of your core values is health and wellness, make sure your actions align with it. For example, celebrating wins with cake and alcohol may contradict the value. To truly live your values, ensure they are integrated into all aspects of your organization.
Here’s a great example: one of Airbnb’s core values is “Be the Host.” Fittingly, during a recent annual meeting, they encouraged local employees to host their visiting colleagues for dinner at their home or at a local restaurant. This isa perfect example of truly living your values.
Action Step: Challenge your social committee to align staff events and celebrations with your corporate values. If something doesn't align, make changes to demonstrate your commitment to living the values.
One of the most effective ways to reinforce values in your corporate culture is by recognizing and rewarding behaviors that align with those values. This can be done formally through performance reviews and informally through regular recognition. Informal recognition keeps values top of mind and contributes to building the desired organizational culture.
Action Step: Consider implementing an employee recognition and engagement platform, like Kudos®, to facilitate daily peer-to-peer recognition that reinforces specific value-aligned behaviors.
Organizational values are a powerful tool that should not be overlooked. When values are translated into specific behaviors, they guide employees in their work, fostering a meaningful and valuable contribution to the organization. By incorporating values into daily life and genuinely living by them, organizations can connect their workforce and drive everyone toward a shared goal, resulting in improved performance and resilience.
Culture
5 min
This article is part 2 of our 5-part Employee Engagement and Culture Checklist Series:
How would you describe your organizational culture these days?
An Institute for Corporate Productivity survey reported that over 50% of respondents anticipate “major change” to their culture due to the pandemic. With entire families working from one kitchen table, devastating illness preventing many people from working altogether, and a general sense of uncertainty surrounding the future of many businesses and industries, the change in organizational culture was a top concern for many business leaders. Leaders are left wondering how they can be more intentional about their culture to prevent environmental forces, like mandatory remote work, from controlling their employee experience moving forward.
Ignoring significant shifts in organizational culture can be costly. The right culture can help employees fulfill their need for meaning and purpose at work, leading to more impactful discretionary effort and higher performance levels. Building on that, culture is a known powerful driver of employee engagement and better financial performance for organizations.
Let's dig a bit deeper into the idea of culture. The most common definition speaks to a particular groups’ shared values, goals, attitudes, and practices. As HR professionals and business leaders, it’s important to remember that those values, goals, attitudes, and practices must be intentionally defined, shared, lived by leadership, and recognized widely and often to build the right culture.
In 2021, successful organizations are reassessing, refocusing, and reinforcing their culture. In considering the steps below, you’ll be well on your way to seeing a more engaged and higher-performing workforce this year.
Do you suspect there’s an issue with the culture in your organization? Do you have a good pulse of your employee experience over the last year?
Today many workplaces have a hybrid workforce, combining in-office and remote workers. So, what does that mean for culture? Simply speaking, if you thought your office environment with a ping pong table and popcorn machine was the backbone of your culture, you were wrong. One thing that we’ve learned in the last year is that organizational culture is about relationships, not things, and it now needs to evolve based on what employees are experiencing day-to-day. For that to happen, leaders need to take the time to assess what’s working and what needs a bit more attention.
Forbes offers a simple 8 question model to assess culture, with questions like “What was the biggest adjustment for you when you started working here?” and “How are meetings typically run here?”. In a modern workplace, it’s also important to ask questions about what has changed in the last year and what challenges employees are experiencing. That is important to understand because, according to Gallup, managers account for 70% of the variance in employee engagement and directly affect how employees experience workplace culture.
Nowadays, it's essential to consider your findings based on the employees' individual workplace (in-office, remote, and hybrid.) Ideally, your organization should have one overarching vision for its culture independent of each employee’s work environment. Armed with knowledge on how culture is perceived and experienced, you're now ready to make the necessary changes to make your culture strive.
Key Takeaway: Workplaces have changed forever - it’s time to reassess your current culture and uncover issues that need work. [Click to Tweet!]
After assessing where your current culture stands, you can determine if there are any components that don't align with -or are actively impeding- your organizational goals in our new normal. Take the time to rethink your employee experience and make sure it’s conducive to what you’re trying to achieve. Ultimately, culture guides employee behaviour, so it’s essential to formulate a solid plan.
But it’s about more than just your business’ cultural vision.
A big part of organizational culture comes from employee attitude. The right tools make your employees feel more engaged, supported, and connected to their organization. In a 2021 survey by Deloitte, the three top factors identified as most important to making remote/virtual work sustainable were:
First on the list - collaboration platforms - can be an excellent space for employees at all levels and work locations to come together to work and live out the culture. Business collaboration and communication platforms like Zoom, Teams, and Slack are great for work but also consider a separate and dedicated space to connect, communicate, appreciate and celebrate to focus on employee engagement, like Kudos.
The next three factors from the list above are great examples of specific practices that can be encouraged or even mandated to build a consistent employee experience, and thus a strong culture that aligns with your goals and realigning work-life balance. Canadian company Loblaw Digital provides a great example of putting this into practice. Loblaw recently shared their new meeting guidelines on LinkedIn, which include rules about meeting times and lengths and no meetings at all on Fridays (imagine!)
Once you've settled on a vision for your culture and determined some cultural norms that make sense for your organizational goals and your employees, set up a timeline and benchmarks to track your success. Using an employee engagement system like Kudos can help with built-in analytics that tracks which aspects of organizational culture are most prominent in day-to-day work.
Key Takeaway: Create a culture that aligns with your organizational goals and your employees' needs. Using the right tools (systems) for work and culture building is critical for success. [Click to Tweet!]
What can leadership do to reinforce and reinvigorate culture? The most important thing is to share the vision through a clear culture statement that employees can revisit often.
Another critical component to maintaining culture is how you hire. Gone are the days of hiring for culture fit. Instead, managers should be focusing on hiring for culture add. As Management scholar Adam Grant shares in this video, hiring for culture fit, where candidates are hired based on shared values, isn’t as effective as was once thought. He shares the importance of culture add and culture contribution. For example, if you feel your culture is stagnant and lacking new ideas? Hire someone with an entrepreneurial background.
But most importantly, what can you do on an ongoing basis? Reinforce your culture daily by living your organization’s values, making sure they’re understood and top of mind, and being true to the priorities you’ve laid out. Simply put, if your executives and managers are walking the talk, you’ll get better buy-in organization-wide.
Key Takeaways: Live your culture every day and hire for culture-add, not culture-fit. Leadership needs to be mindful of the “Say Do” trap – lead by example, not edict.
Organizational culture is a complex notion that can significantly impact the bottom line. A common misconception is that culture happens organically; culture should be deliberate and strategic. Take the time to reassess and refocus your culture for today’s workplace and your organizational goals. Then, start reinforcing culture daily and encourage all organization levels to do the same. A fantastic culture is within your reach!
Culture
5 min
Building employee engagement and culture is a complex project to tackle. Why not start by jotting down some ideas into a simple checklist?
This article is the first piece in our 5-part Employee Engagement and Culture Checklist Series:
2020 was a year full of unexpected changes and challenges. Many HR professionals were at the center of the storm, some even transitioned to remote work in a matter of days.
If your role shifted to a daily scramble of managing the needs of remote workers, administering unfortunate layoffs, and sending frequent mass communications to employees eager for direction and guidance — you’re not alone.
As the dust has started to settle on a new normal, it's time to dig into how your employees are doing.
Building employee engagement and culture is a complex project to tackle. Why not start by jotting down some ideas into a simple checklist?
Here are four must-haves to get you started:
Do you know your organizational values? Are they well-known organization-wide?
Values are important, but often dismissed as corporate mumbo-jumbo without any real purpose. According to Gallup, only 23% of employees strongly agree that they can apply their organization's values to their work every day. Just 27% of employees believe in their company's values. How do we fix this?
Reinforce your corporate values by communicating them daily — they are the foundation of your ideal workplace culture.
Anytime your organization experience massive change, it is vital to revisit your organizational values. Strong values help guide your employees through their work. For example, if customer experience is a core value in your company, employees will prioritize customer needs even if they’re juggling multiple tasks.
Alternatively, promoting teamwork reminds your employees to collaborate across all departments.
To start, take stock of your current values. Do you they still resonate?
Use your values as benchmarks for employee performance, and frequently recognize those who incorporate them into their daily work.
Effective communication is critical; especially in remote workforces.
According to Forbes, the average attention span of a millennial is 12 seconds, for Gen Z workers, eight seconds; that 6-paragraph email isn't likely to get your message across effectively for those groups. Discovering the right channel to reach your departments or teams is the first step.
Managers should consistently communicate to employees how and why their work affects organizational success. Gallup reports that many remote workers are likely to feel lost or forgotten in their new work environment.
Voicing what an employee's contribution means to others can make them feel empowered, connected, and more engaged [Click to Tweet!].
Explore how personal milestones and life events can be celebrated remotely. Consider sharing employee birthdays, work-anniversaries, years of service milestones, and exciting life events, so everyone feels included.
Better yet, consider a system that does it automatically, like Kudos to avoid leaving anyone out.
Where to start? Talk to your managers and team leads about their communication preferences.
Advanced action: Implement focused tools that facilitate communication at the department and organization-wide level to create visibility, consistency, and reach.
What's the expression? Culture eats strategy for breakfast?
Studies show that employees with a strong connection to their organization's culture exhibit higher levels of engagement. Unlike values, vision, or strategy, culture doesn't only come from the top-down. Employees and middle managers significantly impact corporate culture.
Consider whether or not you turn your camera on in virtual meetings. Is it only on with certain people or groups? Your answer indicates the health of your culture.
Small choices that managers make, like saying good morning every day, or allowing a flexible work schedule, set the tone for culture.
According to Gallup, managers account for 70% of the variance in employee engagement experience and directly affect workplace culture. Your managers need to know your cultural expectations if you want your employees to have the right experience.
Showing regular appreciation for small and major accomplishments to positive behaviours is a great way for managers to engage their team [Click to Tweet!].
Culture can be a tough egg to crack, but being aware of the good, the bad, and the ugly of your organization's existing culture gives you the knowledge you need to move forward.
Where to start? Uncover your current organizational culture by interviewing employees at all levels. Start planning what you want it to look like.
Advanced action: Take your culture beyond the employee handbook by incorporating it into policies and practices. Recognize employees who live your organization’s values.
Recognition is vital to fostering employee engagement. Today's employees need to hear they're doing a great job.
A strong recognition culture can also improve individual and overall business performance. A recent survey found that companies with the highest engagement levels use employee recognition to stretch employees to new levels of success.
Harvard Business Review has reported that 40% of employed Americans say they'd put more energy into their work if they received recognition more often.
Be careful not to confuse rewards with recognition. When employees say they want more recognition for their hard work, they don’t mean rewards.
A reward would be a cash bonus or other gift with a monetary value. Recognition is the act of appreciating and acknowledging your employees' great work and effort. It doesn’t have to be complicated, 85% of employees simply want to hear 'thank you' in their work interactions.
Where to start? Take stock of your current recognition strategy. Are you relying too heavily on rewards? Assess the impact your approach has on employee engagement, culture, and business performance.
Advanced action: Implement a modern platform that simplifies recognition and helps you track who is being recognized, or recognizing most often.
With those four important to-dos' officially on your Employee Engagement and Culture Checklist, you're ready to get to work.
Your employees have been through a lot in recent years; let's make sure they feel engaged, connected, and recognized at work.
Culture
5 min
There's been a lot of talk about company culture and employee satisfaction in recent years - with good reason! The more enjoyable your organization is to work for, the more effective your staff will be at their jobs and the longer they'll stick around.
There's been a lot of talk about company culture and employee satisfaction in recent years — with good reason! The more enjoyable your organization is to work for, the more effective your staff will be at their jobs and the longer they'll stick around.
But here's the thing: you can't achieve peak employee satisfaction without true workplace transparency. The two fit together like a hand in a glove.
Keep reading to learn exactly what workplace transparency is, why it's so important, and how to achieve it at your place of business.
According to Glassdoor, workplace transparency means "operating in a way that creates openness between managers and employees.”
In other words, it's an honest, two-way conversation between a company and the people who work for it, which leads to greater levels of trust, better communication, and increased engagement amongst staff members.
So why is workplace transparency so crucial to business success? Are there any benefits to fostering openness and clear communication at your place of work? In a word, yes! Take a look at these surprising statistics regarding workplace transparency:
These three stats show us that the modern worker both craves workplace transparency and is more effective in their duties when they receive it.
Now that we’ve covered the what and why of workplace transparency, let's get to how to create and foster it in your workplace.
The first step towards enhancing workplace transparency is to simply commit to it.
Fortunately, this doesn't need to be difficult. By telling your team what the direction of the company is, why their actions matter, even the financial standing of your organization, you'll be able to win the trust of your employees and improve internal communication.
So, commit to transparency, openly talk about the state of your company and/or department, and share organizational goals with each member of your team. This can be done in company meetings, one-on-one performance evaluations, team-wide emails, etc.
This is the first step towards true workplace transparency.
Don't just encourage your team to communicate more often. Empower them to take initiative and make their own decisions. This will show them that you truly trust and respect their unique skill sets and decision-making abilities. It will also hold them more accountable for their actions.
For example, rather than having to approve every single business-related purchase, you could give your team leaders an annual budget and trust them to spend organizational funds wisely. This is a surefire way to boost workplace transparency.
A side benefit of employee empowerment is the boost in productivity that your team will undoubtedly experience. When your staff can make their own decisions without running them by you every time, things will get done quicker — guaranteed!
Modern technology makes it easy to improve workplace transparency. Communication apps like Slack and Yammer and project management software such as Trello and Asana make communicating with employees a breeze.
One often overlooked tool that can also help with workplace transparency is an employee experience software like Kudos. It allows companies to foster company culture and boost employee engagement via recognition tools and analytical insights.
Want to know what your team thinks of a new organizational initiative? Send out a quick survey and then share the results with your staff. Ready to boost employee engagement and retention? Publicly reward exceptional performance by recognizing them in a team email, at your next team meeting – or with an online tool like Kudos.
When your team feels like their hard work matters, their voices are heard, and that management is comfortable sharing company details with them, workplace transparency will flourish.
Finally, it's always important to seek new ways to improve communication. What can you do better? How can you increase organizational openness and transparency?
Perhaps it's as simple as investing in new software as we mentioned above. Maybe you just need to encourage openness at your place of business during team meetings and in personal evaluation sessions. It could be something more drastic like hiring new employees who are more naturally inclined to transparency.
Whatever your situation — even if you already feel like your organization is fairly transparent — be on the lookout for new ways to boost workplace transparency.
Workplace transparency is important for modern companies to embrace and demonstrate. Doing so will increase employee satisfaction, reduce staff turnover, and boost team productivity. Fortunately, you now know exactly how to achieve true transparency at your place of work!
Originally published January 2020. Last updated November 2023.
Culture
5 min
Shaped by the digital age, these socially progressive dreamers are Generation Z.
Generation Z, also known as Gen Z, are expected to surpass millennials as the most populous generation on earth. In addition, their workplace wants and needs are very different from their millennial counterparts.
Here's what you need to know about these talents born between 1996 and 2010.
In contrast to the millennial generation, Gen Z workers value authenticity over aesthetics. They respect companies that steer clear of gimmicks. Instead, they appreciate those that provide unpretentious and thoughtfully designed physical spaces.
It’s important to understand that Gen Z genuinely care about making a difference in the world. These no-nonsense tech natives want to move and shake industries for the better, and they want to avoid anything that might get in their way.
As mentioned above, Gen Zers are the first generation that doesn’t know life without the internet. Born into a world filled with emerging technologies, almost anything tech-related is second nature to them. A survey conducted by InFocus found that 97% of Gen Z workers value technological literacy in the workforce. They like organizations that are on the cutting edge. Moreover, they desire a workplace that can ride the digital waves of AI, IoT, blockchain, and Industry 4.0 just as well, if not better. No matter the industry, expect them to understand the impact of disruptive technologies you face.
Download our free Recognizing Generational Diversity Culture Guide to learn more about the meaningful differences between generations, and what they each need to help you build a more vibrant company culture.
Just like any generation, Gen Z seek stability when it comes to their finances. CNBC reports that the top priority of Gen Zers is to make money and have a successful career. What makes them stand out from other age groups is how their high regard for individualism makes them determined to be self-reliant.
Salary will be important in attracting Gen Z. But to really catch their eye, spotlight the bigger picture of their compensation by highlighting your company's workplace culture, as well as, the various benefits and perks they'll receive like employee recognition and rewards.
As a generation that grew up with abundant digital resources, Gen Z thrives in environments that encourage versatility and flexibility. To get them on board, try to limit rigid rules and procedures. Avoid boxing them in and you’ll set their creativity free - and that can lead to big rewards.
By offering flexibility, Gen Zers will be able to grow in a rapidly changing digital age. They can help companies get a headstart on shaping tomorrow's leaders. Options like remote work, extended vacation leaves and flexible work hours maximize opportunities for Gen Z. Give them choices and they will reward you with higher productivity and deeper loyalty.
A Kronos report reveals Gen Z values trust above everything else in a manager. This is a generation that values their independence and self-sufficiency. They do not want to be babied or managed too closely. While their next most valued management trait is caring and support, there is a fairly fine line between giving Gen Z independence while being there for them.
So, consider practicing supportive leadership instead of micromanaging. Help Gen Zers feel trusted and respected as employees. You can do this by having one-on-one feedback sessions, fostering a physical workspace that gives them privacy, and caring about their life outside work while still respecting their boundaries.
While nobody likes being lumped in with millions of people based mainly on the year they were born, it's important for organizations to take the time to understand newer and younger generations, especially ones that bring a forward-thinking mentality. Gen Zers are know for bringing fresh ideas and a strong work ethic, they care about diversity, our planet and ultimately making a positive impact in the world. Taking the time to know them better will only increase your readiness for an already technological era and set you apart from the rest.
Originally published January 2020. Last updated August 2023.
Culture
5 min
The emphasis on people in the workplace has become more prevalent in recent years as more organizations focus on the relationships teams have with one another.
The emphasis on people in the workplace has become more prevalent in recent years as more organizations focus on the relationships teams have with one another.
Ask virtually any Human Resources expert, and they’ll likely tell you that people are a company’s greatest asset and that a positive employee relationship is a key pillar of organizational success.
But no team, regardless of the relationships they have, can thrive in a toxic work environment. That’s where many HR professionals and workplace experts begin to examine psychological safety.
It may not seem like the most crucial element of one’s organizational culture, and yet, with burnout, high turnover and disengagement such common issues for companies today, psychological safety is more important than ever for the health and success of your organization.
The notion of ‘psychological safety’ was first introduced in the late 1990s by Harvard researcher, Amy Edmondson. The crux of this concept pertains to employees feeling safe in their work environments when it comes to interpersonal risk
A workplace or team is psychologically safe when they are able to speak candidly, productively disagree with one another, and freely exchange ideas without the fear or threat of being humiliated or ostracized by their team members.
In psychologically safe work environments, you can voice your opinions, share your perspectives, and even fail without the worry of being judged or punished for doing so.
Surprisingly, psychological safety isn’t about being nice. Nor is it about constantly agreeing with one another for the sake of avoiding hurt feelings.
Instead, what this type of safety accomplishes is a state of trust and confidence where people on different sides of a conflict can be transparent with one another and arrive at a productive solution.
Think about your last unproductive team meeting: a team member has an idea that the majority of the team may disagree with, but everyone nods politely and agrees to go along with the idea simply to avoid hurting a colleague’s feelings. After, the other team members talk amongst themselves about their grievances, but nothing gets resolved because of the lack of transparency.
While it may be uncomfortable to voice your opinion or ask a question to clarify your concerns, psychologically safe workplaces can actually foster more productivity because of that discomfort. It allows for growth by sharing different perspectives and shows other team members that it’s okay to speak up.
More than just a trend, many of the world’s top companies have for some time been assessing the psychological safety of their organizations to determine how it impacts their teams’ work and output.
Google is a classic example; with Project Aristotle, the company’s attempt to unearth what, exactly, makes their teams most productive, they found that psychological safety was at the top of the list.
Like Google initially did, it’s easy to assume that the most productive teams are built on hard-working individuals who all share common traits and hard skills. But the opposite can be true, as Google’s experiment found.
The power of psychological safety lies in the ability to openly admit when we’re making mistakes and how we can improve, essentially viewing ‘failure’ as the opportunity to learn, grow and evolve within a company.
No two workplaces are the same, but you can tell a psychologically safe team from one that is psychologically unsafe by a few key characteristics.
For example, psychologically safe teams feel free to be themselves, where individuals feel safe taking risks and speaking their minds in a way that drives conversations forward in a productive and respectful way.
If employees feel safe being themselves and asking questions, chances are they’ll feel confident enough to take direction over their tasks and contribute ideas to projects that benefit the entire team. Imagine the productivity that could ensue if your teams spent less time worrying about their psychological safety and more time working cohesively to achieve goals!
When considering the psychological safety of your teams, there are a few key questions you can ask yourself to ‘audit’ the existing state of your teams. For example, you may wonder…
Alternatively, you may also consider the following questions when it comes to your teams’ relationship with leadership…
While simple questions like those above are a solid starting point, each team is unique, so it’s important that you actually ask your teams how they feel about their working environment!
By discussing the topic of psychological safety with your team, you have a better chance of discovering what they need from you as a leader, and what they need from one another, in order to nurture a psychologically safe team.
The goal of talking with your teams is to gather feedback about whether they feel safe being themselves at work. Do they trust you? Do they feel at ease speaking their mind or sharing their perspectives? Do they trust their teammates?
As a leader, there are a few key things you can do to foster a psychologically safe work environment!
But don’t just take our word for it. If you’d like to nurture truly productive teams of people who feel safe bringing their whole selves to work and contributing their talents to their team, try a few of our top tips.
The only way to truly evolve is to try new things and take creative risks that drive innovation. At the same time, it shouldn’t just be leaders or those in positions of authority that have the room to take risks but, rather, all team members should have the opportunity to try and fail. I call this ‘freedom to fail,’ which means giving teams the confidence and freedom they need to experiment and explore new ideas without fear of ‘what ifs’ or ‘buts.’
Each team within an organization typically has its own goals or targets for what it would like to accomplish, but reinforcing goals without reiterating values can cause team members to feel like cogs in a wheel as opposed to valued contributors.
You can easily reinforce team values by creating a team-specific statement unique to your team or outline the characteristics and mission of what your team sets out to do. By focusing on the values instead of just goals, targets, or KPIs, teams can feel like part of something bigger and may interact more openly, honestly and consistently with one another.
No leader is perfect, but when you fail to admit your own mistakes or appear untouchable, it makes it more difficult and sometimes even scary for team members to admit their mistakes. By admitting your mistakes, you’re signalling to your teams that it’s okay to fail, and that you probably make mistakes that you hope they’ll call you out on.
This approach is less top-down and more vertical, meaning you’re showing that you’re part of the team rather than the ‘boss.’ Even if you are the boss, knowing they can admit to mistakes because you do, helps make your teams feel psychologically safer at work!
Not every idea will be a winning one; sometimes, initiatives will fail and projects may not result in the outcomes you were hoping for. However, failing to take a breath to learn from what went wrong, rather than rushing onto the next task and sweeping the failures under the rug, doesn’t actually help your teams grow and evolve. It certainly won’t help them adapt to change!
It’s important to give your teams the time and space to pause and analyze what went wrong. Was it in the conception phase? Maybe something went awry during the development or execution of an initiative? It could be that the follow-through was poor. Whatever the case may be, your teams likely have a ‘gut feeling’ as to what went wrong, and how it can be fixed.
By allowing room for assessment and reflection, you’re inevitably making room for growth, and that’s crucial!
Sometimes, being comfortable with your team means embracing discomfort. It may sound odd, but when you address discomforts and encourage team members to be open with one another about them, there’s a lot of growth and inspiration that can come from it.
For example, you may be uncomfortable with letting go of control and giving your team the ‘reins’ to try something new, but without embracing that discomfort, you’ll never know whether a crazy idea could just work out beautifully.
Similarly, some conversations are going to be uncomfortable, but acknowledging the discomfort and giving your team the confidence to tackle it head-on will only result is growth, both personally and professionally!
Curiosity is a key element of a productive and psychologically safe team. In environments of curiosity, teams feel more free and comfortable proposing ideas, pursuing and exploring new objectives, and (most importantly) asking questions!
Given asking questions is part of being curious, it makes sense to create, then nurture, this kind of environment for your teams. For example, consider how you word your own questions as a leader or a team member to others on your team.
Good: “What’s hindering us from completing this project, and how can we work together to remove the roadblocks?”
Bad: “We need to prioritize our time better. When can we have this done by?”
Good: “Your social media management strategy looks great. I’m curious about the times you chose for posting content; do you have data to back this up, and can you share it with us?”
Bad: “Is this a waste of time, or are you going to do more research? I’m not sure there’s value in the posting strategy you have.”
The key takeaway here is ensuring people feel safe both asking and answering questions. When team members feel that asking a question would put them in an uncomfortable position, or feel uncomfortable providing an answer or solution, it hinders productivity. Instead, carefully consider how you word your own questions before asking them! In doing so, you can show others how they can create an open dialogue and give one another a voice in the workplace.
Culture
5 min
Organizations are turning to their millennial workforce for insights. Understanding they need to nurture and encourage diversity across their company is a must.
‘Diversity’ is undoubtedly one of the most significant organizational buzzwords of the last decade.
When it comes to tackling the challenge of diversity in the workplace, many organizations are turning to their millennial workforce for the insights and understanding they need to nurture and encourage diversity across their companies.
While it’s not just millennials who support the argument for more diverse workplaces, they are the most prevalent generation of workers set to dominate the global workforce by almost 75% by 2025. Not so surprisingly - and as we’re about to discover - this generation of employees not only wants more diversity in the workplace but expects it.
But diversity can encompass more than just one ‘type,’ and most organizations are challenged by a range of diversity issues.
Let’s take a closer look at the key types of diversity that can present challenges for organizations and why millennials demand more diverse professional environments.
When it comes to choosing a place to work, 67% of people consider diversity a significant factor.
Diversity as a term has a simple enough definition: the condition of being comprised of different elements. But as an organizational challenge, diversity isn’t so simple.
Take, for example, cultural and generational diversity.
Whereas cultural diversity embraces a range of elements, such as religion, ethnicity, race, language, and more, generational diversity typically refers to a wide representation of different age groups.
Today, most organizations are at least generationally diverse, where, for the first time, there are 4-5 generations existing in the workforce at once. This doesn’t mean, however, that all are culturally diverse or otherwise.
Both of these ‘types’ of diversity bring unique perspectives to the workplace, but it's the responsibility of organizations to consider the needs of their diverse workgroups and how they can nurture harmony between culturally and generationally diverse teams.
When we think of diversity, we’re likely to think of differences among people, such as age, race, gender, language, and more. As it turns out, however, diversity can also comprise how you think.
Thought diversity is almost as new of a concept as workplace diversity itself, but is something millennials consider more than previous generations, which could explain why differences in logic, rationale and thought have only been considered a type of ‘diversity’ in recent years.
Simply put, thought diversity refers to the experiences and ways of thinking that people from different backgrounds - whether culturally, generationally, experientially or otherwise - bring to a group. Future generations are likely to view diversity through the lens of experiences and opinions, rather than the traditional definitions or ideas of diversity.
According to Gallup, millennials view diversity as including everything from cultural, gender and sexual differences, to thoughts and perspectives. In the workplace specifically, millennials want to hear more voices and ideas from different people to help foster transparency and inclusivity.
Similarly, studies by companies like Deloitte have found that millennials view traditional diversity (like age, gender, race, etc) as a given, and now consider cognitive diversity (thoughts, values, philosophies, approaches, etc) as an equally important organizational component.
Some research posits that there are two types of diversity: inherent and acquired.
Inherent refers to traits you are born with, such as your gender, race or ethnicity, while acquired involves traits you develop from experience (like working in another country, or selling products or services to a specific demographic).
Both may sound similar to cultural and generational diversity, and to some extent, that’s true. However, organizations need to recognize how each diversity type presents its own unique challenges when it comes to establishing diverse workplaces where people feel confident sharing their experiences and ideas; ones which are born of many factors, including age, gender, race, thought, and more.
Compared to previous generations, millennials are the most diverse when it comes to the workforce, with 44.2% of millennial workers categorized as belonging to a minority.
Though diverse workplaces may seem more common nowadays compared to previous decades, the first look into diversity in organizations only occurred in the early 2000s. This means millennials have grown up with the idea of diversity as both a critical factor to organizational success as well as an ethical and professional imperative.
Diversity, as it applies to race and gender, is more prevalent among generations like Gen Y (millennials) and Gen Z, which tend to think of diversity as encompassing different identities, including LGBTQ, women, and first-generation immigrants.
Recent studies have found that a majority of millennial workers are dedicated to supporting fellow employees in their workplace who are different or diverse from themselves.
And that’s not all.
When it comes to the millennial workforce, young people are reportedly more tolerant of races and groups than older generations (47% vs. 19%), with 45% agreeing to preferential treatment to improve the position of minorities.
Diverse workplaces have a significant impact on how millennials feel about their organizations and their work. For example, 69% of millennials whose leaders or senior management teams are diverse feel their workplaces are both more stimulating and motivating.
Not only that, but those same millennials believe diversity in the workplace can lead to fostering better ethics, developing talent, and promoting creativity.
Diversity can also foster collaboration, a key factor of organizational culture that millennials often look for when considering potential employers.
While fostering diversity in the workplace can attract millennials and deliver on many aspects of the employee experience they want, there is yet another important factor that can contribute to a great workplace culture for millennials.
According to Gallup, diversity represents “the full spectrum of human demographic differences and inclusion,” but there are inclusion and belonging, as well. Whereas inclusion is “the invitation to join a conversation,” belonging refers to the “experience of being appreciated as a full unique person - when you're comfortable speaking up and exercising your capabilities.”
If the latter sounds akin to psychological safety, that’s because belonging and acceptance are important to millennials, and psychological safety can encompass that.
In other words, where there is diversity in the workplace, there is an opportunity to better one’s organizational culture.
47% of millennials prioritize diversity when considering organizations as a future employer. And, if that weren’t surprising enough, roughly half of millennial workers report diversity as tantamount to creating the ideal workplace.
That means a significant proportion of millennial job seekers are closely examining companies and looking for signs of diversity and inclusion.
That could also explain why more organizations are taking action to create strategies that not only attract but retain diverse teams.
SHRM found, for example, that 64% of C-suite execs have a diversity and inclusion strategy, while the number of C-suite executives who cite diversity and inclusion as a top priority rose 32% between 2014-2017, according to Deloitte.
Studies have found that leadership, such as the C-suite, has to be involved in all aspects of diversity and inclusion in their organization, reflecting the values of their diversity and inclusion initiatives! When 57% of employees feel their organizations could be doing more to increase diversity in their workplaces, having leadership buy-in is a must.
Employee engagement is a key concern of many organizations, where disengagement and poor productivity costs companies upwards of $600 billion each year.
However, when diversity is prioritized and promoted across organizations, millennials experience improved workflow and engagement. For instance, studies show that millennial employees are more productive in diverse workplaces, as they are able to learn more about and support one another.
Further, teams that are more diverse also solve problems and develop solutions more quickly than employees who are cognitively similar, which speaks to the necessity of nurturing thought diversity among your teams.
While previous generations were 31% more likely to focus on things like equity, millennials are 71% more likely to focus on teamwork and 28% more likely to place emphasis on a person’s business impact.
And let’s not forget about customer satisfaction. The Journal of Organizational Culture, Communications and Conflict found that diversity in the workplace also benefits customers, where employees develop more skills to better serve the unique needs of diverse customer bases.
That’s important, given predictions that, by 2020, customer experience will become a top priority for companies, overtaking both product and price in importance.
You’ve likely heard that improved employee engagement, recognition, and experience all benefit a company’s bottom line, but what about diversity? What are the benefits for businesses when it comes to fostering more diverse organizational cultures?
When your workforce is homogenous, it ultimately suffers from a lack of distinct and varied skill sets, thought diversity, and collaboration. It may also impact how your teams solve problems and approach organizational objectives. Forbes’ Global Diversity and Inclusion study found that 85% of enterprise companies believe diversity drives innovation and organizational success.
Diversity can also place your company in a better position for attracting top talent, given millennials consider diversity and inclusion as key components of a successful organization. As 50% of workers want their companies to increase diversity, offering a diverse culture could just give your company a one-up on the competition.
Diversity benefits organizations through both employee experience and business results, but the perceived positive impact on one’s bottom line shouldn’t be the main motivator in nurturing a diverse workplace.
Taking into consideration how your employees and potential hires actually feel about, and perceive, your company is equally important.
In a survey conducted by PwC, for example, 71% of female employees feel that, while their organization talks about or tries to foster diversity, opportunities aren’t equal for all. Similarly, many millennials feel that diversity can quickly lose its meaning when organizations hire for diversity without any intention of following through on inclusion.
Diversity and inclusion training helps both employees and senior executives understand how cultural, generational, and thought diversity can impact the way in which people interact and perform their tasks while at work. It can also provide actionable solutions for improving communication among your teams so everyone across your organization can feel equipped to work together (even when there are diverse differences).
When people work with the same team members on a daily basis, they can become almost too comfortable with the work dynamic, and may not know how to navigate working with other teams or employees when they need to. By bringing together a diverse cross-section of talent across your teams, you can encourage employees to collaborate with one another while learning from each other.
This not only benefits productivity and output but employee relationships and experiences, as well. You’ll prevent homogeneous work teams that ultimately don’t help drive your business or employee experience forward.
Diversity reaches beyond cultural and generational differences to include things like thought diversity. But in environments where people don’t feel psychologically safe, they are unlikely to share their perspectives, provide constructive feedback, or have open and transparent discussions about their work.
Creating a workplace wherein people feel safe being their authentic selves with the ability to share their perspectives without fear of rejection or retaliation, especially from diverse thought processes, is key to ensuring diversity thrives in your organization!
Today, it’s common that many workplaces will have employees who speak different languages and bring different cultural experiences to the table. This is something you should embrace rather than be fearful of.
When team members find new ways of communicating with one another and learn from the different barriers that multilingual workplaces can present, there’s actually a unique opportunity to develop better interpersonal skills and an appreciation for other cultures. This positively impacts everyone, both from a work culture perspective and professionally, right down to your customer experience!
The traditional top-down model for recognition in the workplace is no longer enough to keep employees engaged and ensure they are acknowledged for their contributions!
By making recognition visible and accessible to everyone across your organization, you can begin to develop a more inclusive workplace where all employees feel empowered to recognize one another and communicate appreciation of each other’s work, skills, and contributions!
When hiring new talent, many companies can forget to make applicants aware of the fact that they have diversity and inclusion policies. Given that millennial workers consider diversity as a key organizational factor when looking for new roles, a D&I statement is key. For example, when posting a new role to a platform like LinkedIn or advertising a new position externally, don’t forget to include a statement about accepting applications from those with diverse backgrounds.
Here’s a sample of a D&I statement you can use in your next job posting:
“At (Company), we not only accept diversity, but celebrate, support, and thrive on it. We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer and are committed to nurturing an inclusive environment. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply and thank you in advance for your interest.”
Culture
5 min
For many organizations, the holidays are one of the most stressful and busy times of the year. Your leadership team wants all outstanding business operations and objectives in place before the new year, while employees are gearing up for days off and vacation time.
For many organizations, the holidays are one of the most stressful and busy times of the year. Your leadership team wants all outstanding business operations and objectives in place before the new year, while employees are gearing up for days off and vacation time.
While everyone struggles to complete their tasks and last-minute changes, recognition, engagement, and appreciation can quickly fall to the wayside. And yet, this time of the year presents a unique opportunity to nurture your employee relationships and focus on morale, so that all team members feel excited to come back to work in January.
If you’d like to keep your teams engaged during the holidays but are tired of traditional office parties or Secret Santa games, try a few of our following tips to mix things up:
The holiday office party is typically held indoors towards the end of a workday, and most employees feel obligated to stay for the party or engage because they “have to.” For some companies, the traditional office party is held at a restaurant or local venue to get employees out of the office, but why not take the party outdoors?
Consider taking a trip to the mountains with your team to ski, hike, and enjoy hot chocolate and marshmallows by the campfire.
Depending on the weather, you could also host a barbecue at a nearby park. Everyone could bring a dish, and you could treat them to a local brewery tour.
Tip: If you’re not sure what everyone in your company would like to do, survey your teams to ask them where they’d like to have the holiday party take place.
Instead of the traditional Secret Santa games, give your teams a break from their desks and let them explore the city by hosting a city-wide scavenger hunt.
Divide your employees up into teams and provide them with a list of clues or riddles they must solve that will lead them to different corners of your city to find secret prizes.
Encourage your teams to carpool or use public transit, and give everyone the day to complete the scavenger hunt. This type of activity is a great team-building exercise, especially if you create teams of employees from different departments.
Tip: Make the prizes company-focused, such as team lunches, a beer or coffee with the boss, office dog days, extra days off, a new piece of work technology, and soon.
If you’d like to give your teams a good laugh and get everyone on board with a quirky activity, consider a secret holiday food taste testing.
Have a few employees volunteer to be taste testers, where they’ll try dishes other employees have made that reflect traditional holiday foods from around the world. But, switch it up by blindfolding the taste testers.
When the taste testers guess a dish or flavour correctly, they collect points that can be ‘redeemed’ for an office-wide prize of their choice. For example, you could give the winning taste tester the option of letting everyone leave a few hours early on a Friday of their choosing, or hire a barista to come to the office for a day.
Tip: Ensure you’re aware of any allergies in your office before having employees participate in any food-related holiday activity.
Whether your workplace is business casual or startup chic, most employees would welcome the opportunity to dress down for a day at the office.
A great way to help people unwind and relax during a typically busy and stressful time of year is with a movie day at the office. Take a poll among your teams and ask them which three movies they’d love to watch, then let them wear their sweatpants or pyjamas to the office.
You can supply snacks or lunch (like popcorn or pizza) and set up an area of your office where employees can grab a pillow or comfortable chair and catch a flick or two. This is a simple, yet fun way to get everyone together and take a breather from work!
Tip: Make the movie options related to your business. For example, if most of your teams are in Sales, consider giving movie options like Office Space and Jerry Maguire.
What if your employees got home after a long, busy day at the office and received an email from their boss that they had the next day off to do whatever they wanted?
It sounds like a small gesture, but most people are swamped with personal tasks and errands during the holiday season that they must spend hours doing afterwork and into the weekend. If they had one extra day to accomplish all those chores, it could just make them more productive for the rest of the workweek.
Tip: Set up a quick meeting with your team managers and ask them when the best day for a spontaneous day off would be. This way, you’re not forcing employees to push back important tasks or crucial deadlines — they may end up having to work from home on that day off, which defeats the purpose.
Have you overheard your employees talking about a local activity or festival they want to go to over the holidays? Maybe there’s an event happening just outside your city that would be perfect for a day trip?
Once you decide on a day trip or activity that all employees can participate in, send out an office-wide email a few days in advance notifying teams of how to dress or what to bring.
For instance, you could book a trip to a local maple syrup farm where your employees can bottle syrup or tap trees. Or, there may be a spa nearby that has group rates for massages or outdoor hot springs where everyone can go for the day to relax.
Tip: Plan this surprise trip or activity enough in advance that you can take advantage of group rates or discounts.
Even when employees love their bosses and appreciate their leaders, sometimes playing a fun practical joke on them can be a way for teams to loosen up and let out some steam.
Without going overboard, organizing a prank for your boss can be a simple way to get into the holiday spirit while having some good-natured fun.
Wrap your boss’s desk in wrapping paper, for example, or put their most-used office accessory in jello (like a stapler) to evoke a few good laughs without harming anyone.
Tip: Get a few employees together to work on the ‘prank’ and keep it a secret from the rest of your team; this way, fewer people can spoil the surprise.
The holidays are always filled with delicious treats that employees will bring into the office to share with their team members. Why not make things fun with a cookie contest?
This is one of the more simple, cost-effective, and fun ideas to implement, but it brings everyone together for a laugh.
With your cookie contest, instruct everyone to bake their most inventive holiday cookie — this could be anything from a uniquely flavoured shortbread to a funky twist on chocolate chip cookies. Have every employee taste one another’s cookies and score each one based on taste and creativity.
The most inventive holiday cookie can win a prize of the employee’s choice.
Tip: Don’t forget to let your teams know that the prize, while the winner’s choice, must be inclusive of all team members. In other words, whatever prize they choose should involve all colleagues.
It’s easy to get wrapped up in the holiday spirit and forget those in your community in need of help.
Your teams can give back to your immediate community with a simple gift. But, in addition to something like a monetary donation or a day of volunteering, switch things up by creating an ‘essentials box.’
It works like this: ask each employee in your company to contribute one item they use every day, like deodorant, socks, reusable water bottles, and so on. Add all of the items into a box, and deliver the essentials box to a local homeless shelter or charity. Not only does this provide people with items they need, but it can bring your own teams together to do something good for someone outside your organization.
Tip: Consider keeping the donation confidential. It’s the thought and act that counts, not the glory.
Most of us are used to traditional holiday parties that revolve around Christmas, and yet not everyone celebrates Christmas. It may be fun to get everyone together for food, drinks, and some fun, but you don’t have to celebrate Christmas specifically. In fact, you can celebrate a different culture by hosting a party that celebrates a unique holiday.
For example, you could celebrate Hanukkah or Diwali, and ask employees to participate in a potluck where everyone makes a dish traditional to that holiday. This both supports the diverse range of cultures in your organization and allows other employees to get to know other cultures better.
Tip: Whatever celebration you hold for a holiday should be considerate of the culture which celebrates that holiday. So, if you’re going to host a celebration for Hanukkah, for instance, ask employees in your workplace who do celebrate this holiday for advice on how to honour it ethically and appropriately.
Culture
5 min
Most of us work a typical 8-hour workday and 40-hour work week; anything from shift work to office-bound roles and more. If we’re lucky, we may only spend one-third of our lives working. Hopefully, we pursue roles and careers we’re genuinely passionate about.
How difficult is it for you to wind down after work? Or worse, how hard is it for you to stop thinking about work after you leave it?
Most of us work a typical 8-hour workday and 40-hour work week; anything from shift work to office-bound roles and more. If we’re lucky, we may only spend one-third of our lives working. Hopefully, we pursue roles and careers we’re genuinely passionate about.
Between overtime, work events, and checking in after the usual 'work hours,’ that one-third increases. Meaning, we may spend a significant portion of our lives working .
All of this can quickly result in burnout, a now common syndrome stemming from chronic work-related stress and anxiety. Burnout is growing increasingly more prevalent among larger workforces like millenials, where 7 in 10 millennial employees report experiencing some level of burnout at work.
If burnout is so prevalent, how can we mitigate the risks and avoid taking those symptoms home with us at the end of each workday?
On average, workplace stress costs companies between $125-$190 million annually.
Further, 95% of HR leaders report burnout as a key roadblock for workforce retention; this results in a storm of chronic burnout issues. Organizations have to calm this storm to retain their top talent, all while prioritizing employee wellness.
Part of the problem with work-related burnout is the constant connection employees have with work-related tech. Not to mention the tools they use for personal reasons, such as social media.
For example, many organizations supply employees with work phones, laptops, tablets, and other tech devices, and some expect teams to take these devices home with them. It may not be a ‘spoken rule’ to check these devices after hours, but many employees may feel pressured to do so. Eventually, work seeps into their personal and family life.
Surveys show that 80% of millennials take their phones and other devices to bed with them; checking both work and social-related platforms for an average of 75 minutes before sleeping. How can organizations ensure employees have a healthy relationship with their work tech?
According to studies conducted by Gallup, just 19% of employees and managers agree that there’s a need to discuss new technologies and tools for workplace productivity. With all the innovative tech solutions and devices available to us, it can be challenging to choose just one or a few to use.
But do we really need more tech?
For the most part, introducing new tech into the workplace fails to improve or increase productivity because tech is often poorly integrated into established work patterns. With all the existing tech that employees have to work with, it is unlikely teams will adapt to new tech, thus making their use less agile.
That may be why less than 28% of employees discuss the innovation and use of new tech among their teams.
If you’re considering introducing new technology or tools into your workplace, first ask yourself a few key questions, such as:
By assessing the pros and cons of new tech, you can better determine whether the use and cost will lend to the overall productivity and goals of your organization.
The effects of burnout are not always apparent; to leaders or the teams who experience this syndrome.
Gallup found that 23% of employees report frequently feeling burnout at work, while employees who experience burnout in the workplace are 63% more likely to take regular sick days and 2.6 times as likely to search for a more balanced job.
Shutting off or disconnecting after work is not only crucial for the overall health of your organization, but the individual well-being of its employees. If we’re constantly connected to work, we run the risk of growing more disengaged and less passionate about our contributions.
So, how can we disconnect from work at the end of the workday?
Many of us add our professional email accounts and work tools to our personal devices so that we can stay up to date outside of work. While this may be easier for some than others, keeping your work and personal tech separate ensures you can ‘shut off’ from work.
Push notifications and nudges are great, but when unwinding after work, receiving consistent work-related notifications can feel overwhelming or produce a sense of ‘guilt’ for not working around the clock. Consider putting your phone on ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode or disabling notifications after certain times.
How often have you left work for the day and promptly checked your phone or email at home for any work-related updates?
When we’re always connected to our tech, it can be challenging to unwind and ‘shut down’ for the night. A ‘transition’ ritual can help you disconnect and get the rest you need to be your most productive self, tomorrow.
That’s crucial, given that the average adult needs between 7-9 hours of sleep to function. Transition rituals are any small tasks or habits you can do before resting or relaxing that remove you from those things that cause stress or anxiety. For example, washing a few dishes or going for a walk can help your brain disconnect from stress-related thoughts.
We’ve all heard the adage that laughter is the best medicine. While laughter can help to relieve stress, most studies and science point specifically to the positive results and benefits of laughter in and outside of the workplace. If you enjoy watching television or checking social media before bed, consider watching something lighthearted and funny. Inducing laughter can help us unwind, relax, and destress.
Saying ‘no’ to burnout sounds ‘easier said than done.’
Most of us have probably said ‘yes’ to work-related commitments or tasks when all we’ve wanted to say is ‘no.’
Though, saying ‘no,’ can actually be more beneficial than saying yes. When it comes to goal-directed behavior, expecting a ‘yes’ can discourage teams from being proactive about their work.
The same can be said for disconnecting from work. There must be a balance between productivity and burnout, which is why the language we use to turn down commitments or tasks is so important. For example, saying ‘no’ to checking emails after working hours, taking work tech home with us, or spending down-time on work-related projects.
According to the New York Times, using words or terms such as ‘I can’t’ sound excusable, whereas phrases like ‘I don’t’ or ‘I won’t’ indicates certain limitations or boundaries you’ve set. This small yet significant change in how we say ‘no’ can be more effective than saying ‘yes,” even when we know we shouldn’t.
For leaders, this also means creating workplace environments where their people feel comfortable saying ‘no’ to those things that contribute to their burnout and stress.
Ensure your teams know that they do not need to take their work home with them and that work-related tech is just that: work-related. Given that 1 in 5 engaged employees is at risk of burnout in the workplace, with burnout being a significant driver of employee turnover, leadership should proactively encourage their teams to disconnect from work at the end of each workday.
Culture
5 min
There’s a spectrum of psychological, emotional and social needs employees have to meet in order to perform well, connect with their organization, and find purpose in their work. More leaders are paying close attention to this spectrum. And for good reason, too.
There’s a spectrum of psychological, emotional and social needs employees have to meet in order to perform well, connect with their organization, and find purpose in their work.
More leaders are paying close attention to this spectrum. And for good reason, too.
Employees that are truly engaged are more productive, make customers happier, and are less likely to leave their organizations. Companies with engaged teams have 12% higher profitability, but engagement doesn’t always come naturally to organizations.
69% of professionals agree that engagement is a significant issue in their organization, and 96% feel strongly that the issue needs to be addressed. Here in Canada, where Kudos is based, 34% of Canadian companies aren’t doing anything to foster or implement recognition in their organizations while only 27% of Canadian organizations are succeeding at employee recognition and engagement.
What can organizations do to foster more engagement?
Check out our top tips and try implementing one, two, or more as part of an engagement strategy today.
By focusing on performance management as a key driver of employee engagement, leaders can help their teams set clear, achievable goals that allow them to truly contribute to the organization.
Micromanagement is a serious issue many employees experience during their tenure with a company. Leaders who don’t allow their teams to own their tasks and achieve results end up stifling top talent. So, give employees the room they need to grow and take on new challenges.
Forget annual performance reviews or monthly team meetings. In today’s modern workplace, employees want frequent communication, support, and mentoring from their leaders. Meet with teams or fellow employees in your department daily or have regular ‘recons’. A simple and short meeting can ensure everyone is aware of concerns and supported where they need to be.
A study by Gallup revealed that, while money matters to some extent, it isn’t the top form of recognition that employees appreciate. Employees want frequent, meaningful recognition from their leaders, which is why many organizations use Kudos. We make it simple and fun to give recognition wherever and whenever it’s due.
Many employees crave the opportunity to learn, grow, and take on new challenges in their career, which is why more leaders should provide their employees with chances to spread their wings and grow both professionally and personally.
Beyond rewards, recognition, and development opportunities, employees want to know their leaders care about them. Leaders can show they care simply by listening to their employees, supporting them to the best of their ability, and nurturing their talents, skills, and goals.
As a leader, you need to be willing to ‘walk the walk,’ not just ‘talk the talk.’ That means practicing what you preach; whether your company uses Kudos and you also participate as a leader, or you encourage engagement initiatives that other team members are nurturing. Your teams need to see that everyone values the same things and is committed to the organizational culture.
Here are a few other ‘quick tips’ you can try:
You should never hesitate to send recognition, but when your message is meaningful, it has the most impact.
Get Your Guide