We all know that high turnover is costly to an organization’s productivity, morale, and bottom line.

In fact, I could easily fill an entire book with stats about the average cost of replacing an employee! but as retention costs vary significantly from industry to industry and business to business averages will be of very little use to you!

To give you an idea of what replacing an employee will cost you, here’s a basic formula from Karlyn Borysenko:

• Entry-level employee – Between 30% and 50% of their annual salary to replace.
• Mid-level employees – Upwards of 150% of their annual salary to replace.
• High-level or highly specialized employees – Approximately 400% of their annual salary to replace!

If you want to do an even more detailed analysis, Greg Willard published a formula specifically designed to calculate the cost of employee turnover on ERE.

No matter how your specific numbers pan out, I think they will still show that retention is a good investment!

The typical response, upon examining the high cost of turnover, is to try and discover what makes employees stay. This is a logical step, but it is still highly flawed.

For example, CareerBuilder’s survey of 3,991 workers attempts to provide employers with an answer to their retention woes by exposing what motivates employees to stay with a company.

When CareerBuilder asked candidates what would motivate them to stay, here are the answers that they gave (they were allowed to provide multiple answers):

• Increase salaries – 70 percent
• Give better benefits – 58 percent
• Provide flexible schedules – 51 percent
• Increase employee recognition (awards, cash prizes, company trips) – 50 percent
• Ask employees what they want and put feedback into action – 48 percent
• Increase training and learning opportunities – 35 percent
• Hire additional workers to ease workloads – 22 percent
• Provide academic reimbursement – 22 percent
• Carve out specific career paths and promote more – 21 percent
• Institute a more casual dress code – 14 percent

CareerBuilder used the results of this study to advise that companies invest in better benefits and culture related fixes, such as flexible working hours. This advice is generally well received as it means that improving retention does not have to involve salary increases. CareerBuilder survey doesn’t differentiate between workers based on performance level. (https://igppc.com/)

But the advice given is flawed.

CareerBuilder’s survey doesn’t differentiate high performing employees from average and low performing employees. If it did, it’s unlikely that they would be able to downplay the importance of increased salary.

Here’s why:

A high performer delivers 400% more productivity than the average performer.

So, if your retention strategy only helps you keep average and low performers, and fails to retain top performers, then it is not a very effective strategy.

Excluding qualifiers such as performance level is often justified with the excuse that top performers are more engaged and are, therefore, more satisfied with their job and less likely to abandon ship. Recent findings by SAP show otherwise:

Like CareerBuilder, SAP also found that base pay and bonus pay was the top influencer on an employee’s decision to stay at their job.

Unlike CareerBuilder, SAP differentiated between employees based on their performance level.

Their research shows that top performers value base pay and bonus pay significantly more than both average and low performers. Thus calling into question the idea that you shouldn’t focus on monetary increases as the key to retention.

Karie Willyerd, one of the SAP study’s authors suggests that a workable take away from their findings is to provide “differentiation in annual increases with significantly more variation in bonus pay for the top five percent of performers.”

In other words, find a way to pay top performers more that won’t create jealousy and unrest amongst the team.

Another huge contributor to top performing candidate’s job satisfaction was regular feedback.

Most of the employees surveyed expressed that they expected (and desired) monthly sit-downs with managers/superiors to assess performance. Only half of these employees reported actually receiving the monthly feedback that they expected.

The implications of this are pretty clear. To retain top performers, give them the feedback that they so desire!

All things considered, even if it means increasing salaries and bonus pay, it still costs significantly less to retain than to replace.

Canadian employers, faced with an increasingly competitive hiring market, and a rise in the popularity of aggressive hire to hurt strategies, need to make retention a top priority.

To keep your best employees from becoming your competitor’s top performers, an effective retention strategy with a focus on hearty bonuses and consistent feedback is you best weapon.

The post The True Cost of Employee Turnover Depends on Who You Lose appeared first on BC Jobs Blog.

Engagement has often been misinterpreted as Employee Happiness, and although Engagement and Happiness are not the same, the two are intricately connected.

In Employee Engagement 2.0 Kevin Kruse has said that “one needs to be fully engaged in order to achieve inner happiness,” and that for employees to be happy at work, they need to be fully committed to their jobs.

Kruse doesn’t mean to say that quite simply work will lead to happiness. What he means is that when employees find purpose, productivity and efficiency at work, they will become happier people.

The Henry Miller Group recently published “The 10 best practices for enhanced employee engagement” in which they describe highly engaged employees as being “committed to their organization and invested in its success. They are proactive in sharing their ideas, in promoting their company and organization inside and out, and they exert discretionary effort – above and beyond what is required just to earn their salary and stay employed.” In other words, the engaged employee shares a sense of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

But how do employees become so engaged?

Here are some tips on how to stimulate employee engagement from board to floor level based on recent publications by Catherine Truss and The Henry Miller Group:

Make CSR a strategic choice

Organizational development is key. Develop long-term strategies that explicitly include Employee Engagement as a priority on all management levels. Make sure the entire organization is aware of its importance, potential and benefits by communicating it top to bottom. Include accountability at managerial level to stimulate a whole team’s performance. Monitor retention rates, improved ratings, productivity and anything else that shows a correlation between Engagement and organization functioning.

Stimulate shared visions, goals and views

Clear visions, goals and views can unify a workforce. Senior leadership should lead by example and demonstrate the company’s principles. Having shared values also means making sure company objectives are aligned with the employee’s goals. Stimulate an early synergy by bringing these values into the hiring process.

Differentiate employee roles

Offer opportunities that meet the needs of the individual. Cultivate and harvest the skills of a unique employee. Allow them to excel at what they do best. Their productivity is your and their happiness and promotes engagement. Also, career progress is essential in retaining your employees.

Allow feedback

Stimulate open and honest communication from top to bottom and bottom to top. Be clear about what you want from your employees and get feedback on what they think works in engagement. Find out which rewards and benefits have the most impact on employee engagement. Stimulate both senior and junior staff to share experiences and anecdotes via social media. Encourage a transparent work environment.

Individual employee development and empowerment

Workplace learning and career development allows an employee to grow, but combined with tangible, clear-cut measurable goals it can enable and empower an employee. Make it easy to see the impact of an individual’s performance. And remember that Employee Engagement is a two-way street: coaching and mentoring can help employees better reach their goals.

Say ‘thank you’ for performance

Carina Wytiaz has suggested a simple and effective resolution for all employers to take on to stimulate Employee Engagement, Retention and to improve recruiting in 2014: to say ‘thank you’ for efforts. Wytiaz points out that employers should restore a sense of humanness to the work relationship, as personal recognition is essential to Engagement.

In his 2004 Ted Talk, American psychologist Martin Seligman said that a happy and meaningful life “consists of knowing what your highest strengths are, and using them to belong to and in the service of something larger than you are.”

Making employees feel they belong to a work community they can contribute to and in which they are appreciated will boost employee engagement faster than the Burger Baron can flip his patties.

Recognize the talent in your business! Nurture, harvest and appreciate it. – Click to Tweet

The post Employee Engagement, Happiness and Tips to Improve Both appeared first on BC Jobs Blog.

This article was inspired by Tim Sackett’s awesome blog post: How to Keep That New Job Smell. In it, Tim talks about how excited we are when we begin a new job, how we start out with passion, drive, and inspiration! Basically most of us start out as highly engaged employees, then become more and more disengaged as time goes on, and tasks become rote.

In his post Tim shared some ways that we can maintain that kind of excitement towards our jobs for ourselves; this article will share some ways that you can help keep things exciting and fresh for your employees.

Because what more can we all ask for than to be happy at the prospect of starting our work day? A positive feeling towards our career and the company we work for leads to things like increased referrals, going above and beyond the scope of the job, and envisioning a long bright future with said company. 

Here are a few things you can do to keep work fresh, and exciting for your team: 

Handle the Basics 

Before you can begin to implement any new employee morale related policies, it is necessary to ensure that the basics of employee engagement are being met.

• Do your employees know exactly what is expected of them? Is your message to your team clear, unified, and purposeful? (luljettas.com)
• Do your employees have what they need to accomplish their tasks successfully?
• Do your employees feel supported by management and HR?

If the answer to any of those questions is no, then that’s where you need to invest your time and focus, because research has shown that if you can make it so that the answer to all of these questions is yes, then your employees “will commit to almost anything the company is trying to accomplish.”

If you are unsure about whether or not you have these basics covered, or wish to learn more about how to ensure that your company is meeting engagement requirements, then give this article a read. 

Diversify Tasks

Doing nothing but data entry, all day, every day is soul sucking. Minds start to wander, bathroom breaks increase, and brains begin to shut down. Henry Ford may have disagreed, but for the sake of team morale, diversifying tasks can be a very smart move.

Interestingly enough, this goes both ways.

Not only should you throw in the occasional challenging, or complex assignment for those employees stuck doing monotonous work, but you should also throw in some mindless jobs for those employees who must perform a great deal of highly creative, and/or mentally challenging tasks.

Giving those employees a chance to step away from the more demanding aspects of their work will actually increase their creativity, and promote problem solving according to Scientific American.  

Shift Your Focus 

Changing the way your staff view their jobs, daily assignments, and the challenges they face at work, can be a powerful tool for keeping them excited, engaged, and productive.

For example: Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you had way too much work to get done, and not enough time or resources to handle it all? This can make you feel as though you are drowning in a sea of tasks, with no escape in site.

Times like this are often unavoidable, but with a simple shift in focus you can transform these situations from morale destroying obstacles into team building challenges!

Instead of focusing on how much work needs to be done, or how behind you’re getting, focus on the work that has been completed, and how far you’ve come.

For a wonderful case study of perception shift put into action as a means of improving engagement and productivity, check out this article by Chief of Happiness, Alexander Kjerulf.

Next week’s article will share three more tips for keeping things fresh for your employees’.

Happy hiring!

The post How to Keep Work Fresh For You and Your Employees appeared first on BC Jobs Blog.

An employer’s work is never done!

Once you’ve found, recruited, and hired top talent, you must then retain them.

Retention is tough, we all know the reputation millennials have for job hopping, and this generation is making up an ever increasing portion of the labor force. As if that wasn’t enough, according to Forbes 46% of all new hires fail within the first 18 months on the job!

Sure, some of this is due to the allure of a better paycheck, or bad fit on the part of the candidate, but we simply cannot ignore the importance of developing employee loyalty through effective management and good leadership, when it comes to retention.

Here are 5 simple ways to build employee loyalty

Coach, Don’t Lecture

Being lectured is not very motivating. It makes us feel shamed and disrespected. Learning, on the other hand, is fun! Most people enjoy learning new things; it motivates them, keeps them from getting bored, and gives them a sense of accomplishment.

If you notice an area where an employee is weak, or lacking, take the time to coach them. Show them a few tricks you use yourself, find them some great resources to learn from, and try to point out how you think their personal skills and talents can be applied to this specific aspect of the job.

Listen, Really Listen

People want to be more than just heard, they want to be listened to. Leaders who really listen to their staff create relationships of trust, which breeds loyalty. Loyal employees stick around!

The best way to improve your listening is by approaching every single conversation with an open mind, and trying your very best to treat every question as though it is the first time you have ever heard it!

If you approach an employee’s question as though it has never been asked before, this will prevent you from making assumptions about what they are asking based on past experiences.

Three more things to focus on to improve your listening:

• Remain focused on what your employee is actually saying
• Stay in the moment throughout the conversation
• Listen with compassionate and without prejudice

Learn How to Say: I Don’t Know

This is one I personally struggle with! It can be very, very hard to get over ourselves and admit when we simply do not have all the answers, especially when we are in a position of leadership.

But, nothing is more relatable, or authentic, than responding to a question by saying: I don’t know. Of course, once you make such an admission to an employee, you should always follow up by saying: But I can find out, and finding an answer to their query in a timely fashion. This demonstrates that you have a genuine interest in their needs.

Trust Your Team

Micromanaging is the worst. There is no faster way to show an employee that you do not trust in their ability, skills, and judgment.

And, if you want your employees to trust you, you’re going to need to trust in them.

Put some faith in their talent, let them make mistakes to learn from, and give them a project that challenges them.

Bonus, less micromanaging means more time to focus on your own to do list!

Give Credit and Recognition

One of the most significant ways you can positively impact an employee’s day is by publicly, and earnestly, giving them credit where it is due.

When an employee does a fantastic job, has a bright idea, or puts in that extra bit of effort. Show them that you recognize their contribution, that they are elevating the entire team with their actions, and that their hard work is very much appreciated.

When polled, millennial employees stated that what they want most out of their work is to feel like they are making an impact.

Giving credit is free, it requires no effort, and it feels great for everyone involved!

Build a loyal team through these actions and you’ll see returns in not just improved retention rates, but productivity, positive energy, and overall team moral.

Happy hiring (and retaining)!

The post Don’t Let Top Talent Fly Away appeared first on BC Jobs Blog.

Bringing in a partner to your established business can be the answer for an entrepreneur looking for the following:

• Additional cash to pursue new growth opportunities;
• Additional talent in an area that is foreign to the original owner or cannot be pursued due to managerial constraint;

If a business is struggling with cash flow it will certainly help to attract an outside investor, BUT what else can they bring to your table?

If you are to expand your business you must identify your own weaknesses beforehand.  More valuable than money is to bring in a partner who has the expertise you don’t; for instance, marketing, social media, internet, accounting etc.  By complimenting each other’s skill set you double or triple your success factor.  It’s better to share with someone you trust and can work with than to suffer failure because you thought you could do it all yourself. (https://flooringoutletandmore.com/)

Here are the Top Benefits of attracting a partner:

• Brings new talent and offers growth opportunity into areas not previously identified;
• Splits the reins of accountability and allows more social freedom for family, friends and for personal or trade skills development;

What should you consider when seeking a partner?

1. Attract someone who knows what you do not.  Someone who respects you and there is the ability to establish mutual trust;
2. Attract someone who can add value to your vision and share equity risk;
3. Seek legal advice when preparing a partnership or shareholder’s agreement.
4. DO NOT treat your new partner or shareholder as an employee with cash but as a contributor to success.

Hiring an HR Consulting firm will help to improve the quality of your search and selection.

The post Considerations When Bringing on a New Business Partner appeared first on BC Jobs Blog.

What excited me about the article was in part that it spoke to Canadian statistics; but mostly that it confirmed a belief that I have held thorough most of my working life with respect to the importance of employee engagement. I’ve been in positions from front line, to middle management as well as in human resources and training and development and I have often talked about my belief that to obtain better productivity, employees need to be ‘present’ at work (also known as engaged). They need to feel that the work they do really matters and they need to feel acknowledged and appreciated. Yes, I know – touchy feely words – but true!

I know there have been those who have accused of being too much of an ‘employee advocate’ at times when I listened to concerns employees brought me about their supervisors or management or perhaps struggled with changes they didn’t understand. I truly believed that listening and giving employees an opportunity to speak and to feel as though they were contributing in some way to the organization was good for business – I felt it was incumbent upon employers to help employees understand changes they didn’t understand – and to listen to concerns as well as potential barriers to change. Often, just giving them a voice helped them in understanding and supporting change, which definitely benefitted the company. In some cases, it even helped to consider another course of direction when changes were being considered for implementation.

The article I have referenced above provides some statistics from a Towers Perrin survey that I think organizations would be wise to pay attention to. (The survey was global in nature but below is just the Canadian statistics). In Canada:

• 17% of employees were highly engaged
• 66% were moderately engaged
• 17% were actively disengaged

In terms of global stats, Mexico and Brazil have the highest percentages of engaged employees, while Japan and Italy have the largest percentages of disengaged employees. What this demonstrated to those who collected the date, is that employee engagement has relatively little to do with macro-economic conditions but rather relates to the unique elements of the work experience that are most likely to effect engagement.

The work experience is the key – and this study validates what I have believed for years.

So, why should organizations pay attention to employee engagement?

New Century Financial Corporation, (a U.S. specialty mortgage banking company) found:

• 28% less revenue was produced by account executives that were ‘actively disengaged’
• 23% less revenue was generated from moderately disengaged account executives

Engaged employees also outperformed the not engaged and actively disengaged employees in other divisions.

What this further demonstrates is that employee engagement not only correlates with bottom line results – it drives results.

Employee engagement can not only make a real difference, it can set the great organizations apart from the merely good ones.

If you really want to have a better grasp of how to achieve employee engagement, I strongly encourage you to take a look at the article.

The authors also provide what they refer to as the 10 C’s of engagement.

In my mind, this article makes an exceptionally strong business case for the value of employee engagement.

I truly do believe that it is the people in an organization that make things work, the right people in the right jobs for your company. Good employees really are a company’s best assets – and yet it seems there isn’t a lot of effort put toward helping our ‘assets’ deliver their peak performance through engagement.

“Leaders should actively try to identify the level of engagement in their organization, find the reasons behind the lack of full engagement, strive to eliminate those reasons, and implement behavioral strategies that will facilitate full engagement.” Ivey Business Journal March/April 2006

The post A Good Business Case for Employee Engagement appeared first on BC Jobs Blog.

Want to keep employees satisfied in their jobs without one foot out the door? Give them a little credit, a new OfficeTeam survey suggests. More than half (54 per cent) of workers interviewed said they would be somewhat or very likely to leave their current position if they didn’t feel appreciated by their manager.

When asked what type of recognition they value most, 30 per cent favour opportunities to learn and grow. Twenty-eight per cent would rather receive verbal or written praise, while 24 per cent said they prefer tangible rewards such as financial compensation or gift cards. Interestingly, one in ten (10 per cent) workers claim they don’t need acknowledgment for doing a good job.

The survey was developed by OfficeTeam, a leading staffing service specializing in the placement of highly skilled administrative professionals. It was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on interviews with 229 Canadian workers 18 years of age or older and employed in an office environment.

Workers were asked, “How likely is it that you would leave your current position if you did not feel appreciated by your manager?” Their responses:

    Very likely..............................................   17%

    Somewhat likely..........................................   37%

    Not very likely..........................................   26%

    Not at all likely........................................   16%

    Don't know...............................................    4%

                                                               -----

                                                               100%

Workers also were asked, “What type of recognition do you value the most at work?” Their responses:

    Growth opportunities ("I'm up for a challenge!").........   30%

    Praise, please! ("I like being told my work

     is excellent!").........................................   28%

    Rewards ("Show me the money!")...........................   24%

    No need for recognition ("I know I'm doing

     a good job!")...........................................   10%

    Other....................................................    9%

                                                               --------

                                                                101%*

                                                               --------

     *Responses do not total 100 per cent due to rounding.

When it comes to the amount of recognition employees receive, workers gave their employers mixed reviews: More than four in 10 (42 per cent) believe they’re acknowledged a decent amount, and 12 per cent feel they get plenty of kudos. However, 47 per cent found recognition lacking.

The survey also revealed differences by age: Workers between the ages of 18 and 34 are more likely than any other age group to leave their current position if they feel underappreciated (63 per cent).

“Professionals want to know their contributions make a difference and will be rewarded, especially Gen Y workers,” said Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam. “Because individuals like to be acknowledged in different ways, managers should find out what their workers value most and customize recognition accordingly.”

Although people enjoy different types of appreciation, some tokens of gratitude universally miss the mark. Following are five of the most common recognition mistakes:

    1. Not getting facts straight. Nothing's more embarrassing than

        incorrectly acknowledging a person's name or individual

        accomplishment.

    2. Offering token gestures. The form of recognition should fit the

        degree of achievement. Giving someone a stapler for his or her

        five-year anniversary, for example, sends the message the milestone

        is insignificant.

    3. Being vague. Telling employees they did a "good job" is a generic

        form of kudos. Tie acknowledgement back to specific actions so people

        know exactly what they did right.

    4. Going overboard. Recognition doesn't need to be extravagant to be

        effective. Small everyday things, such as saying "thank you" or

        giving credit for good ideas can be powerful.

    5. Overlooking contributors. Although some workers naturally gravitate

        toward the limelight, don't forget to also celebrate unsung heroes

        who help behind the scenes.

OfficeTeam recently launched “Recognition Gone Wrong” video bloopers to highlight funny examples of what not to do when acknowledging colleagues. The videos, along with advice on honouring coworkers the right way, can be found at www.officeteam.com/recognition.

For additional ways to acknowledge employees, download 30 Creative Ideas for Boosting Morale and Retention in a Recovering Economy, a complimentary tip sheet available at www.officeteam.com/RecognitionIdeas.

OfficeTeam is a leading staffing service specializing in the temporary placement of highly skilled office and administrative support professionals. The company has 315 locations worldwide and offers online job search services at www.officeteam.com.

The post Importance of Employee Recognition appeared first on BC Jobs Blog.

Salary and benefits
An obvious cause for an employee to jump ship is the offer of a higher salary, better benefits or both. However, a happy star employee probably isn’t actively searching for greener pastures, so if the only reason for leaving that they cite is better pay, it’s time to take stock of what else you can do to retain talent.

Support
Are employees getting the structure, supervision and support they need to do their jobs effectively? And do employees have all the physical tools to do their jobs? Often companies going through a major shakeup, growth or transitional period experience some degree of turnover. Employees may feel that they don’t have access to managers that can prioritize projects, make decisions that affect the rest of the company, or provide conflict management or resolutions. Whether your business is small or large, employees working for you need to feel comfortable and need to understand what they are accountable for–and have resources when they are pushed beyond capacity.

Workload
Be honest–do you know what your employees are individually accountable for? If you don’t think being able to list their responsibilities accurately is important, how will you know if they’re succeeding or failing? How will you manage growth or the expectations of your clients or partners? You won’t. It’s easy for small businesses, especially those with low profit margins to cut corners and have everyone “wear many hats”, but there are only so many hours in a work week. If the workload is always over and above what your staff can manage, you can always sack them all and start anew, at great personal and professional expense. Or you can consider the possibility that you need to take a hard look at what needs to be accomplished and decide what’s worth paying someone to do and what is not.

Workplace Culture
The term “workplace culture” can mean a lot of different things. Some are quiet and professional and everyone has their own private office. Others are casual, loud and open concept. Different environments have different concerns but the bottom line is, do the staff respect one another? Do they feel secure in their positions and are their values in line with the company’s values? Are policies and expectations being fairly enforced? Is the workplace accessible to everyone who uses it? Do employees feel that their input and concerns are valued and you’ve left the lines of communication open to them?

Opportunities
Can employees grow with your company? Many employees feel that if they can’t see a future with your company that challenges or inspires them, they just won’t stay. Star employees in particular are talented, dedicated and value continuous learning–do you provide that? Do you promote from within the organization? Do you have policies in place to review your employees’ performance and provide feedback? Here’s the hard truth: talented people didn’t get that way by settling for less than they think they deserve. Start thinking now about how you can demonstrate their value to you in real terms, like opportunities for advancement. That could mean the difference between hiring a new employee of average talent to replace your star, or elevating your star help you develop your business for years to come.
Related to Retain Star Employees:

• Employee benefit plans that small firms can afford
• The Importance of Corporate Culture and Fit to Employee Success
• The Four Ps of Hiring: HR Takes a Lesson from Marketing

The post Retain Star Employees Rather than Find New Ones appeared first on BC Jobs Blog.

Of course, I didn’t appreciate what kind of an impact this type of employee integration and solid leadership would have on me throughout my working career until I went on to work with others.

Let me explain . . .

This was my experience of coming into this organization as a new employee.  I went to the reception desk and I stated that I was here to see Tony (I have been asked to use his first name only). I stated my name and the receptionist called Tony to advise him I was in the lobby. While I was waiting for his arrival, she introduced herself and said, “Wow! You’re first day – how exciting. I hope you really enjoy working here, and if you need anything at all, just ask.  My name is Audrey.”

Now realize, I hadn’t told her that it was my first day of work – I only gave her my name. So, I felt recognized and welcomed immediately! It was obvious she knew I was coming.

Tony then came into the lobby (possibly 2 – 3 minutes later) and shook my hand, had a big smile on his face; turned toward Audrey and said, “This is the young lady I was telling you about, Kellie, meet Audrey.” We both let him know we’d introduced one another and engaged in a bit more small talk and then he said, “Well, let’s go on a bit of a tour and meet a few of the others.”

He told me that I would be assigned to a trainer and that part of my training would involve spending a bit of time in each department so I could get an understanding of how my job related to others in the company.  He also explained the organizational structure in terms of who reports to whom; and while he acknowledged that there would be some paperwork for us to complete, he thought it was more important that I see the building and meet a few people first.

For the first 3 months that I worked with the organization, I was frequently visited by Tony. He struck me as truly being interested not only in me but in all of the employees that worked for him.  I did some job shadowing just as he said I would; I had small quizzes and tests and the ability to demonstrate how much I had learned against very clear job specifications, and I always – always felt that I knew how to get help whenever I needed it.

I was able to contribute to the team fairly quickly and I had a pretty good handle on what was expected of me. Tony made sure to let me know that he was pleased with my progress – and more importantly – I was content in knowing the reason my job existed and what that meant to the organizational flow of things. I was able to integrate very quickly and because of working in the various departments, I knew who had whatever information I needed in order to do my job effectively and I knew within the organization the folks to connect with in the various departments.

Something I also want to make note of at this point in time, is that there were other new hires that did not meet the required standards and unfortunately, they were not kept on with the company. But, because of the way the orientation and on-boarding process was handled, I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that they were givenevery opportunity to succeed – I saw first-hand what attention was given to new ‘recruits’ as we were called at that time.

So, what happened after I’d left that organization?

Well, let’s fast forward to the last 10 or so years of my work experience history.

I had the opportunity to work for a number of different organizations and have to tell you, that most of them were exceptionally good; excellent pay and benefits, nice offices to work in, nice people for the most part – however – I was never ever, in my entire work life since given a repeat of being orientated to the workplace the way I had been by Tony – and truthfully – it was only quite recently that I put a lot of thought into this fact.

I knew that something was missing in all of these organizations – I just couldn’t quite articulate what that was – until I really looked at my entry into these various places.

My big ‘aha’ moment came when I reviewed the new employee orientation and onboarding process that I encountered at an organization I could hardly wait to begin working for.  There was a huge, gigantic missing piece and it was very clear to me what was missing!

Compare this to the experience I mentioned above and you’ll see what I mean . . .

On my first day, I introduced myself at reception.  The front desk person called to my new department head but no one was there. He called a couple of other people from the department but only got answering machines with everyone he called. He left a message on a couple of the phones and just asked me to take a seat, which of course; I did.

Almost 2 hours later, there was still no one there to collect me.

During that period of time, the receptionist had tried on a couple of occasions to track someone down to no avail.  Finally, the recruiter (the person that actually hired and interviewed me) came to the door. The manager of the department still wasn’t available but I was told she would be soon.  I was brought up to the general office area in human resources, which was the department I was going to be working in.  They weren’t entirely sure of where I was going to sit for the day; but the recruiter that came and collected me, introduced me briefly to a few of the girls and went to find the manager. I knew one of the ladies from the department, so she and I talked a bit about things in general to pass the time.

Finally, my manager came and apologized profusely for having left me waiting but explained that an emergency meeting had come up. She sat me down at a computer terminal and explained that this would not be where I would be working as they hadn’t yet found a place for me; but I could at least stay here for the balance of the week and go through the things I needed to know about my job and the company.

She logged me into a computer using her password as they had not yet added me to the system, and directed me to go through the Intranet site that housed the policies and procedures as well as the internal employee communications network.  She introduced me again to the girls in the open office and told me that she had to run off again but that if I had any questions, I could ask ‘Suzy-Q” in the corner and she’d be happy to help me.  “Suzy-Q” had her back to me (not her fault…just the positioning of the desks) and had headphones on, she was tapping her foot and nodding her head, obviously in tune with the music she was listening to, and seemed totally engrossed in whatever it was she was doing.  My boss tapped her on the shoulder and made sure she was at least aware of the fact that I was there. To my recollection, she didn’t even smile; just nodded at me, turned back around and went back to her foot-tapping. (https://yukonhunting.ca/)

For the entire week, I was left on my own.  I can honestly tell you I’ve never had such a L O N G drawn out week ever before or since that time.  I didn’t really understand why I was even there, to tell the truth.  I wanted to leave within a few days of being there; and needless to say, I did leave shortly thereafter.

So, as a result of these experiences (both good and bad) I decided that I would make it my mission to help organizations see the value in providing the best orientation and on-boarding for their employees that they can.

First impressions are quite lasting and can make all the difference between really ‘wanting to stay’ with an organization and ‘having to stay’.

What’s the point of this story?  When you say “Welcome, we hope you stay a while” – be sure you mean it!
Related to Welcome – We Hope You’ll Stay A While:

• 5 Tips to make your Orientations Successful!
• A Successful On Boarding Program to Prevent New Hires from Jumping Ship
• New hire training: paving the way for new staff

The post Welcome, We Hope You’ll Stay A While appeared first on BC Jobs Blog.

If social media has become part of daily life, should employers not also leverage for their employee communications? What if companies were to combine recognition programs with new media?

This idea was the topic of a recent webinar I attended entitled Recognition 3.0. It examined traditional programs, from the top down where companies have provided recognition for years of service or similar milestones. An increase of Gen Y in the workplace coupled with near-blanket adoption of social media has provided the backdrop for changes to existing practices.

With Gen X and Gen Y comprising more than 50% of the workforce, preferences have changed since the days of getting a gold watch or a plaque to hang on the wall. With more mobile workforces, there may not be any walls to hang awards. Companies offering flexible or telecommuting work options may have a large portion of their headcount working from home or even from Starbucks.

Recognition programs need to be timely, specific and meaningful, so why wait for that years of service anniversary to come around. If most employees are using social media, why not use this platform to recognize employees, showcasing them to their peers, friends and family?

The webinar featured a company that provided a social media recognition program, allowing employees to be publicly acknowledged by peers, superiors and subordinates through an intranet/social media site, but also connect with external sites to share posts and ‘like’ content with their personal networks. Employees feel motivated by the public recognition and companies concurrently receive the added exposure strengthening their employer brand. If employees are increasingly looking for the non-monetary benefits of a company, including the ability to further their career and gain recognition for their contributions, this new technology seems to be a great tool to help companies in their overall recruitment and retention efforts.

With the onslaught of mobile communications, the above recognition programs can be adopted for both iPhone and Smartphone applications, providing employers the opportunity for feedback and recognition, anytime, anywhere.

I think leveraging social media, with its popularity and permeation into every day life is an excellent decision for employers. If they can motivate their teams and improve their employer brand, while also communicating with their employees, even better. What’s your thoughts? Please share any best practices or ideas on our Facebook or Twitter pages.
Related to Employee Engagement:

• Attracting and Recruiting Gen Y
• Ideas for offering flexible work options
• Fundamental Human Requirement – Recognition

The post Employee Engagement: How Social Media is Changing Reward and Recognition Programs appeared first on BC Jobs Blog.