Picture this – your sitting around with a group of friends discussing where to go for dinner & drinks on the weekend – everyone is throwing out names of places to go – what is the first thing you do?  Pick up your phone or tablet and start the “google” search.  

Whether you are making dinner plans, looking for a new dentist or booking a vacation rental – your first step is research.  The internet provides us with a plethora of valuable information – why wouldn’t we use it to make informed decisions.  Whether you do a google search, check out social media or online reviews – the fact is you research first before making a decision.

Looking for a job is no different!  Job seekers are becoming increasingly savvy in their research of potential employers.  Candidates will check in with friends/family & professional connections, search through social media & online job boards to gather information, they will check out your website and look for online reviews from your past and current employees.  With our job market being tight ensuring that you have a strong Employer Brand definitely elevates the quality and quantity of candidates for open positions in your organization.

What is an Employer Brand? I’m not a marketing expert & I’m not going to try to be – but I can show you what’s important in an Employer Brand from an HR perspective.  Your Employer Brand is basically your reputation as an employer.  

It includes:

• • What your current employees think about you
  • Why is your company a good place to work – what is your EVP
  • Do current employees recommend you to their friends
  • What story does the career section of your website tell 
  • How does your social media content portray you as an employer
  • How do you treat candidates in your Hiring Process
  • What makes you special as an employer

Gone are the days where posting a job is enough to attract candidates & you have likely seen evidence of that if you have posted positions in the last 6 months.  Job vacancies are taking longer to fill and that takes a toll on your current employees and on your business.  Strive to make your company an amazing place to work for your current employees & you will immediately elevate your Employer Brand.  

You have an Employer Brand whether you’ve put effort into it or not — so put some effort into it and ensure it’s a brand you can be proud of!

Your Employer Brand is becoming increasingly more important for attracting & retaining talent.  An HR Consultant can help you identify what’s working for you and what could use some “stepping up”.  If you’re looking to “step up” your Employer Brand from an HR perspective – give us a call at 204-451-0111 – we would be happy to help you. 

Give your employees the right to disconnect!

We currently live in a world where all the lines are blurred – school/work/child care/elder care are all under the same roof.  Defined work spaces & defined work times don’t seem to exist anymore.  For some of us the dining room table, in addition to being a place to eat, is also our home office and our children’s classroom.  We have gone from families who used to be very independent and running in separate directions to work/school, sports, extra curricular activities and social activities – to spending 24/7 in the same house, sharing the same space.  

Almost everyone owns some type of smartphone and we have become very attached to them.  Every time it dings or vibrates – we HAVE TO look at it – we are Pavlov’s dog to technology!  It is also common to have work email, instant messenger etc loaded on personal phones.  Employees feel obliged to respond to emails or messages from their bosses at all hours.  Gone are the days of leaving the office at 5pm – the office now follows you on your smartphone or laptop!

The Pandemic has opened our eyes and made us all more aware and more sensitive to the importance of our Mental Health.  Millennials have entered our workplaces and shown us how strongly they prioritize work-life balance and that they are sometimes willing to leave an employer that doesn’t respect their right to that balance.  Work-life balance is increasingly taking precedence over wages when employees are considering changing employers.

The right to “disconnect” refers to employees’ ability to fully break from work and not engage in work-related communications outside of work hours.  Europe has led the way in instituting the employees’ right to disconnect.  France’s right to disconnect came into force on January 2017, setting out requirements for regulating a company’s use of digital tools during employees’ rest periods & leaves of absence, including personal and family leaves.

Although not a legal requirement in Canada, employers can proactively take steps to create a workplace culture that acknowledges and respects work-life boundaries.  By creating policies and guidelines to address the right to disconnect you will be showing your employees that you respect them as individuals and not just employees, value their loyalty and contribution to your workplace and are respectful to their mental and physical health.  Many employers already support their employees with substantial Wellness Plans – why not include a Right to Disconnect Policy in that Wellness Plan.  This type of policy may also become a valuable tool in attracting and retaining talent.  

Communicating and engaging the different generations in the workplace is more important than ever, but also more challenging.  We are working in a time where employees are working past the traditional retirement date and there could be 4 generations of employees represented in a workplace.  Each generation has been raised differently and experienced life differently which has shaped them into who they are today.  The life experiences of people impacts their behaviour, communication preferences and the way they interact with others in the workplace.

This diversity can certainly provide benefits in terms of the unique backgrounds and perspectives that each generation brings. It can also lead to misunderstandings and conflict. Recognizing this potential and taking steps to proactively minimize it can help ensure a positive environment for everyone — one in which multiple perspectives and generations can thrive.

While it’s important to treat everyone as an individual and not stereotype them based on their generation, it helps to be mindful of the different experiences. 

For instance:

Baby Boomers – ages 55-73 are embracing digital technology – using smartphones and social media, however, they still place a high importance on face-to-face communication.  This generation also values personal growth & team involvement. They are highly-educated, ambitious, and tend to be multi-taskers – sometimes referred to as the “workaholic” generation.

Gen Xers – ages 39-54 are extremely comfortable using technology and are generally quite tech-savvy.  They want technology that supports their professional development. Generation X grew up taking care of themselves at home while their parents worked.  This generation is quite independent and self-sufficient. They value diversity, work/life balance, technology, and informality. They tend to view all work as just a job – sometimes referred to as the “work/life balance” generation.

Millennials – ages 23-38 want to work for a company that embraces technology.  They want mobile technology that facilitates collaboration and teamwork.  They grew up in a supportive environment where protective parents and other adults attended to their needs,  and all kids receive rewards regardless of individual effort. Millennials typically don’t just work for a pay check – they want a purpose.  This group values having a “coach” over having a “boss”.  Millennials are very “work/life balance”  but also crave flexibility in the workplace such as work from home and the ability to work flexible hours.

Generation Z – ages 22-younger this generation has never known a world without technology and expects the tech they use in the workplace to be just as great as the tech they use at home.  This generation actually prefers to bring their own device to work.  Money and job security appear to be top motivators, and more than any other generation they value honesty and transparency. (the age groups quoted above are approximate – my research showed a 3-5 year difference in the groupings depending on who published the information)

By being mindful of the experiences that each individual brings to their position, fostering a culture that celebrates collaboration, keeping the lines of communication open, and tailoring your approach to each individual, you can get ahead of any potential conflicts before they arise and reap all of the benefits of a multigenerational workforce.

We all have something that we can learn from each other – the challenge is keeping everyone aware of that fact!

We have all encountered toxic people in our life – we may even live with one.  Toxic people are everywhere – at work, at the grocery store, driving the car in the next lane, at a restaurant.  

When we encounter these individuals out in public – we have the option to walk away and leave.  However, when that toxic person works in the next cube or desk or is a member of a project team you collaborate with – the story changes.  As an owner of a business or a manager/leader of employees it is your obligation to rid the work environment of toxicity.  Easier said than done.  The most important thing that you can do is acknowledge the behaviour and act.  Toxic behaviour will breed and grow very quickly.  

Firstly lets examine what constitutes toxic behaviour.  Please note that conflict is not necessarily toxic – conflict in work groups if handled correctly can actually inspire great ideas.  The most productive and idea driven teams have conflict – it’s how they deal with the conflict that counts.

Here are some behaviours that Toxic people exhibit –

* Negative or Bad attitude

* Drama and Gossip initiator 

* Bullying or harassing behaviours towards co-workers

*Unprofessional/Inappropriate comments that make others uncomfortable

*Blame others when things go wrong – never accept any responsibility

If you have an employee who displays some or all of the above behaviours and other employees don’t want to work with them – you have a problem.  Ignoring these behaviours will generate a toxic environment over time and you will end up losing good employees and possibly clients to your business.  

Remember that there is a difference between a “difficult” employee and a “toxic” employee.  Toxic employees tend to spread the behaviour to others – this is what makes them extra dangerous to your workplace and culture – they can suck the energy and enthusiasm out of an entire team.  If left uncontrolled you could find the behaviour of others in the group mimicking the undesirable traits, people who were once polite and engaging will soon become negative and possibly toxic towards others.  This is one behaviour in the workplace that you don’t want to ignore.

How can you deal with this behaviour?  It starts with “due diligence” in the hiring process – try and identify if this behaviour exists at the interview stage.  No matter how much experience someone has – if you identify behaviours during a job interview that don’t fit with your team and your company culture – DON’T HIRE THEM!  It can be extremely difficult, time consuming and expensive (both $ cost and cost to the engagement of your team) to get rid of them later.   By bringing on someone who is toxic and is not a good fit for your team – you risk losing some of your very valuable employees who will leave this type of work environment.

Once you become aware of the behaviour, as a leader, it is your responsibility to manage it.  Identify the behaviour and look deeper – is there a reason for this person to be acting in this manner?  Without asking personal questions – can you ascertain if there is a situation in their personal life?  Divorce?  Sick family member?  Once you have had a conversation with them and nothing medical or family wise has been identified – it is time to start managing this situation.  You will need to provide them “direct feedback”.  Identify the behaviours that you are witnessing and how it is affecting the team.  Very often these individuals are oblivious to their behaviour and how it affects others.  Make them understand that you are concerned and are giving them an opportunity to change.  Give them very specific goals that you expect them to meet and the consequences of not meeting the goals/timelines.  This now becomes a Progressive Discipline situation and you need to ensure that you are documenting everything.  If the situation doesn’t improve, you will be moving to termination and the documentation will be critical to that step.

If you have a toxic employee in your team and you need some assistance in dealing with the situation, please give us a call at 204-451-0111.  We can provide you with the guidance that you require to deal with the individual.

I hope everyone reading this has checked out my previous Blog – Time Management – Log it and Analyze it.  You truly cannot implement any real change without knowing and acknowledging the behaviours that require some change.  Remember Time Management isn’t about trying to squeeze as many tasks as you can into a day – it’s about being thoughtful and organized and simplifying the way you work.

Who here is a multi-tasker and believes that they accomplish more in a day because of it?  Although multi-tasking was a trend for a few years it is now believed to not be an efficient use of time.  Psychology Today states:  “Much recent neuroscience research tells us that the brain doesn’t really do tasks simultaneously, as we thought (hoped) it might. In fact, we just switch tasks quickly. Each time we move from hearing music to writing a text or talking to someone, there is a stop/start process that goes on in the brain.

That start/stop/start process is rough on us: rather than saving time, it costs time (even very small micro seconds), it’s less efficient, we make more mistakes, and over time it can be energy sapping.”  If you don’t believe it there is a little experiment that you should try on  https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/creativity-without-borders/201405/the-myth-multitasking. 

For all the multi-taskers out there – try doing one task at a time.  Give yourself a time limit and focus on only one task.  If you generally tackle your emails while you are talking on the phone – stop doing it for a week.  Carve out a piece of time – let your calls go to voice mail, shut your office door (if you work in an office) and just concentrate on emails.  You will be amazed at how much you will accomplish in 10-15 minutes (with less errors).   Since we are talking about emails –  how have you organized your email?  Do you fully utilize all of the features/tools?  Consider setting up your email so that you have a few folders set up to transfer your emails into.  Try not to touch an email more than once if you don’t have to – that rule goes for any correspondence.  If you look at it and it can be completed in 3 or 4 minutes – do it.  How many of you are guilty of reading emails as they come in and then leaving them in your inbox because you will deal with them later.  All of a sudden you have 400 emails in your inbox all of which you have taken the time to read before – but now you have to read them again to act on them.  Read an email – act.  If what is being asked will require more time than you have set aside – file it in a follow up folder and add it on your to-do list.  Get it out of your inbox.  Your inbox should only contain emails that you have not yet read.  Consider setting up your computer so that you don’t receive notifications of emails coming in.  It is distracting and human nature makes us curious and we will be drawn to reading the emails as they come in – this is a time suck and removes your concentration from the task that you were working on.   Set up certain times during the day that you read and respond to your emails – say first thing in the morning, before/or after your lunch, and the last hour before you leave for the day.

Let’s not complicate this; the idea here is easy:  Organize/Simplify/Focus!

Organize your day with a “To Do” list, an app for tracking tasks or whatever works for you personally.  How do you currently manage your days?  Do you utilize any task apps or are you an old-fashion pen to paper “To Do” list type of person?  There are “non-negotiable meetings that must be attended and there is work travel which eats up a lot of your time – but is there a way that you can manage those as well?  If you company uses calendars to set up meetings and send out invites – ensure that your calendar is set up for your success.  Block time in your calendar to complete admin/email/project tasks that are required – blocking these time slots avoids others booking meetings in your calendar. 

Simplify – schedule “like” tasks together.  If you are working on admin type stuff – schedule all your admin stuff together.  If you have a group of meetings with your clients/staff/potential clients – block off time in your calendar and schedule within that time block.  Doing “like” tasks together keeps your mind focused and you are able to accomplish more.  If  you go from meeting to updating an excel spreadsheet to looking at the new product launch – your mind takes time to refocus and you will actually have more down time from switching tasks.

Focus – no multitasking.  Focus on one item at a time and complete it.  Set a timer if that helps you remain focused.  Schedule your most important or “brain draining” tasks for first thing in the morning.  That works well for 2 reasons; #1 generally we have more energy and operate at our peak first thing in the morning and #2 you will get the task completed and you will feel successful for having it done and that “good feeling” will create a positive vibe for the rest of the day.

Don’t forget before you go home at the end of the day – set up tomorrow’s list so you walk into work feeling organized and ready to conquer the day.  Remember “google” can be your friend!  If you don’t think you are utilizing the tools of your email program efficiently – google it and learn some tricks to help you with that.  There is lots of information on the internet – use it.  Watch a quick utube video on email efficiencies – you may learn a lot.

Don’t forget to take breaks!!!!!  If you have just worked on a project for 2 hours and now are moving on to emails – get up and go for a quick walk, grab a coffee, shut your eyes and meditate for a few minutes, grab a healthy snack and then move on to your next task.  Your mind and body need that break.

The key to Time Management is figuring out what works for you!  Learn some tips and tricks from friends, coworkers or ask your friend “Siri” to help you out.  You will be amazed what a difference incorporating a couple of Time Management tricks into your day can make.