Strategically Evolving Your Employee Benefits Plan
| Have you ever walked into an office and felt a positive energy that was almost tangible? From the genuine smile on the face of the person who greeted you, to the easy laughter and visible camaraderie taking place around you – some offices seem to succeed effortlessly. And although it may appear effortless, it’s more likely done by design, under the guidance of strong intuitive leaders. Investopedia describes Corporate Culture as “The beliefs and behaviours that determine how a company’s employees and management interact and handle outside business transactions. A healthy culture empowers employees to see themselves as part of a team and their work is integral to that team’s success. In an unhealthy culture, employees will feel like individuals who are treated unfairly. Signs of a bad culture can include high turnover, tardiness, indifference, and unmotivated employees.” What is the value of a positive culture? In recent years, studies have been done – University of Oxford, University of Warwick – that indicate happiness makes people more productive at work. It’s a true win-win. This is not news to companies across North America, according to an article from LinkedIn that ranks the Top 25 Fastest Growing Jobs. Five of those jobs are directly involved in building culture, and three of them are in the top five positions. 2: Human Resources Analytics Manager 3: Diversity and Inclusion Manager 5: Employee Experience Manager 15: Chief People Officer (our personal favourite) 21: Head of Rewards We listened to what the experts had to say – we also wanted to reach out to the people who were living it. We always get some good insights from our followers on Twitter and Instagram, and on this topic, YEG came through again. Here are some of the comments we received, with feedback from the President of Optimax Benefits, Earl Shindruk. @Steve-Curtis10 said, “A place where everyone has a voice and leaders treat leadership as part of their role in the organization, not a destination they have arrived to.” Earl: The key in this tweet is: leadership is not a destination. Leaders who continue to visibly lead everyday will earn more respect than someone who thinks they deserve respect simply because of the position they hold.   @Wendy shared some insight, “My digital office culture – clear and regular communication and a lot of trust from management in our team to get our work done without the need for micro-managing, but great support when we have the need!” Earl: Obviously, employees need to be held accountable but that means setting clear and reasonable expectations and timeframes, not micro-managing along the way. @JeffTetz said, “A place where employees are safe to show up as their real selves and valued for their unique contributions. Where mistakes are looked at as learning opportunities and chances to grow.” Earl: Jeff is right – mistakes happen. If employees feel they will be severely reprimanded and criticized, it breeds a culture of fear. If the focus is, “How can we correct this now and ensure it doesn’t happen again?” employees feel they are working together towards a solution. @sassimommi felt positive culture grew from, “Fun and effort to make fun. Transparency. True understanding of work/life balance. True understanding of the importance of mental health. A team environment, as our company says: We over Me. Authentic appreciation. Food.” Earl: A lot of good points here; I’ll just add that the importance of mental health cannot be overstated if an organization wants to maintain or create a welcoming culture. We’ll address this further in future newsletters. @chriscurtola endorsed a “High trust environment created by leadership from the top down. And some great social fun as well.” Earl: Trust and fun go together. People can be themselves and enjoy a light moment in the day when they know their manager understands they are focused on their tasks. As a teacher, when @ginny_jenny talks about pep rallies, it’s not a metaphor. “I have a totally different work culture and the thing that has sparked positive change this year has been pep rallies. Oddly enough, it’s the K and 12 homeroom teachers who are leading the show.” Earl: The important thing in Jenny’s tweet is kindergarten teachers and grade 12 teachers working together on projects. A positive sign of growth is the opportunity for different departments to work together and find commonalities and mutual satisfaction from group achievements. @Writer_Sarah pulled no punches when talking about activities that contribute to a toxic culture. “Where do I start? No tolerance for bitching about co-workers behind closed doors is high on my list.” Earl: Holding employees accountable is a difficult task. It’s not easy to monitor but it’s necessary for managers to encourage a positive and supportive environment and weed out those who are working to undermine that. If an employee has a legitimate complaint about another employee, they should be able to express that concern through proper channels, not poison other employee’s opinions with gossip. And of course, no Twitter compilation would be complete without feedback from @MJForbes, “Bring donuts. No need to credit me.” Earl: Marty (MJForbes) is having some fun with us, but food does pop up in discussion about culture a lot. A chance to break bread, or donuts in this case, is a social activity that encourages people to gather and get to know each other. Anything that leads to conversation, leads to growth, familiarity, and friendship. @peter_on_a_bike suggests, “Leaders should take the time to talk with staff informally, watch for the opportunity to engage in watercooler-style chats. It means a lot to employees when their supervisors follow up on past conversations and remember personal details, like hobbies or their kids’ names and activities. Being heard is being valued.” Peter also added, “As a manager, I try to keep my emotions on an even keel, but if I’m stressed, the staff can sense it. Later, when I’m calmer, I follow up with them and explain what caused the stress, and I do this for a number of reasons. First, they understand it wasn’t anything they did. Two, sharing the big picture makes them feel included. Three, they see that I’m accepting the brunt of the stress, which is fine – that’s my job. It also helps them understand why I put strategic pressure on certain areas of their work. They know where they fit in the collective team and it clarifies our focus.” Earl: Peter’s communication and clarity here really demonstrates respect. Mutual respect is a wonderful foundation for building positive culture. @tinabourne25 from Instagram feels, “A culture in which people are empowered to bring their authentic selves to work, where voices are heard, thoughts and opinions are considered, regardless of role or title and even if they are not aligned with the status quo or are unpopular, where taking a risk is not only acceptable but encouraged as the resultant learning opportunities are valued and therefore celebrated even if the expected or intended outcome is not achieved.” Earl: I love Tina’s comment about taking a risk and I suspect she currently works in a strong positive culture. Risk taking should be encouraged in a culture that values growth. She makes a great point that the intended outcome may not be achieved, but it’s still valuable if something is learned. The insights from our friends on social media, ran parallel to those from an article on culture published last year on Forbes.com. In the article, they discussed the critical factors contributing to workplace culture: belonging, contribution, flexibility, equity and growth mindset. Belonging – a 2019 study indicated that a strong sense of belonging was linked to an increase in job performance, a drop in turnover risk and a major reduction in sick days. Contribution – Contribution provides a sense of purpose. People feel more connected and engaged when they contribute. Flexibility – Workplace flexibility is not just where and when the work gets done; it’s also the how. Focus on the end goal and allow the individual to have input on the how. Equitable – It’s a great first step for companies to be diverse and inclusive but they must also be equitable. That means treating everyone fairly and equally. This requires ongoing training and education, as well as measuring and reporting employees feelings about the workplace. Growth Mindset – a growth mindset focuses on collaborative exchange. Employees at every level of the organization and every career stage are encouraged to continually grow and develop. Ultimately, culture impacts every action and interaction within your building and within your circle of customers and stakeholders. It’s not something that can be changed in a day, it’s something that needs consideration and attention everyday. Don’t take our word for it, just ask your new Chief People Officer. Oh… you don’t have one? Well, that might just be a great place to start. Top picture courtesy of fauxels on Pexels Centre picture courtesy of Gary Barnes on Pexels |
