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Tag: employee experience

  • Don’t Let Culture Fall to the Wayside in Tough Times. Here’s Why. | Entrepreneur

    Don’t Let Culture Fall to the Wayside in Tough Times. Here’s Why. | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Five months into the year, 2023 has proven to be just as tumultuous as years past. An uncertain economy has rocked businesses while employees have faced widespread layoffs.

    In such times, some workers may feel as if they are waiting with bated breath for their job to be cut next. And while one may assume they are safe at a large, well-established company, layoffs at organizations like Meta have shown that might not be true. One survey of 1,000 business leaders found that 74% of leaders of companies with over 500 companies said they would have to do layoffs this year (as compared to only 51% of leaders of companies with fewer than 500 employees).

    Larger companies often allow culture to fall to the wayside, creating a large, disconnected group of interchangeable employees. In these times of uncertainty, ensuring our companies are close-knit and ready to get through the storm is more important than ever.

    What does a “close-knit” company mean?

    When I talk about a “close-knit” company, I don’t mean all employees are best friends (although friendships at work certainly don’t hurt). A close-knit company means there is a foundation of trust and respect between employers and employees.

    Close-knit is not analogous to small — there are plenty of highly dysfunctional companies with 30 employees who hate each other. And while it is easier to get to know your employees when there are only 30 of them, it is not impossible for companies of 100 or more to do so.

    At large companies, leadership should focus on cultivating close-knit groups throughout the organization. As the CEO of a company that employs nearly 100 people, I do my best to connect with all our employees through retreats, social events and everyday interactions, but I still don’t have the time to get to know everyone. Instead, I aim to model the closeness I hope to see throughout the company by creating close relationships with my direct reports and our company leaders and fostering peer relationships via mentorship programs.

    As leaders, we must care enough to know our employees and recognize their unique contributions. If we view them as interchangeable pawns on a chess board, they will view our company in the same light — interchangeable with the next offer that comes their way.

    Related: The How-To: Choosing Between A Job At A Startup Or A Corporate

    Focus on quality over quantity

    Companies can (and should) grow, but leaders often view the number of employees they have as analogous to their success. However, this often leads to over-hiring that managers cannot keep up with; productivity and profits fall, employees feel disengaged and layoffs loom.

    A lean, close-knit team is much more powerful than a large, disconnected one. Investing in the employees you have before hiring new ones allows you to ensure you are not overhiring, only to have to minimize positions if the company encounters financial hurdles.

    Before hiring new employees, focus on retaining and supporting the employees you have. Do you need a new employee, or do you need to set up new structures so that your team can be more productive and engaged?

    Focusing on creating close-knit teams and productive employees is a win-win for all involved. Employees become more valuable with each year they stay and are rewarded with professional development opportunities, performance bonuses and other incentives. With greater productivity, businesses can see improved results and higher profits, and with greater retention rates, employers can build a stable workforce with years of expertise under their belts. Boasting a 500-person workforce may feel nice on Linkedin, but the close-knit company focusing on quality over quantity will be better equipped to weather economic uncertainty.

    Related: Tim Cook: Mass Layoffs Are a ‘Last Resort’ for Apple

    Layoffs still happen

    While a close-knit company may have a better chance of avoiding layoffs, they are sometimes unavoidable. During these times, we must rely on the trust, respect and camaraderie established to build a bridge to repair.

    Seven years ago, due to an unexpected change with a major partner, I had to lead my company through layoffs. I was forced to let go of many excellent employees and friends I deeply respected. As I considered how to go about the process, I imagined how I would feel if I was the one being laid off. So we helped find new jobs by bringing in experts to assist with resumes and Linkedin profiles and gave as long a severance as we could afford to help soften the blow.

    Furthermore, we were transparent with our remaining employees about what was happening and why. Secrecy degrades morale, and leaders must communicate openly and honestly, no matter how scary the truth may be. I communicated with every employee about our situation’s reality and the plan to rebuild. Because of this, my employees had faith that we would get through this period as a team, and as we recovered in the following months, we only lost one employee who left for a new opportunity.

    Layoffs will never be easy, but doing them with compassion and transparency shows employees that we will always treat them fairly and helps us move forward together to build a better business.

    Related: Promoting a Close-Knit Company Culture Can Lead to Profitability

    Gather the troops

    The trust one builds at a close-knit company is the foundation we have to fall back on when times get tough, and if I’ve learned anything throughout my career, it’s that times will get tough. The economy will tank, a major partner will pull out or we’ll face a global pandemic that shuts the world down. When a crisis strikes, if we do not have a united front, our employees will scatter in opposite directions at the first sign of smoke.

    When the bottom falls out, all we have is our people. Do not be the leader who cowers behind a screen, afraid to share the truth. Gather the troops, outline the battle you face ahead and lay out your plan to overcome it. With your team behind you, you can get through the woods, no matter how covered in mud you may be when you finally get out.

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    Daniel Todd

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  • Employee Expenses Need to Be Reimbursed Quickly. Here’s Why. | Entrepreneur

    Employee Expenses Need to Be Reimbursed Quickly. Here’s Why. | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    You may have heard this story (or one like it) before: Imagine this: A top sales executive, Lee, undertakes a sales trip to woo a potential client. The trip successfully bumps your expected revenues for the coming year and beyond quite nicely. Naturally, Lee incurred numerous expenses during the trip — airfare, hotels, rental car, meals and other incidentals. Lee paid these with the understanding the company would reimburse them.

    But the expenses aren’t reimbursed quickly, and Lee’s personal savings and credit cards reflect that. As days turn to weeks and months, interest mounts and late fees are incurred, affecting Lee’s personal financial history. Lee becomes disenchanted and frustrated, which is followed by job dissatisfaction and diminished performance. Quiet quitting becomes real resignation, with your Lee’s valuable skills and connections now working for a competitor that reimburses their employees on time. That lucrative business deal is likely to go with Lee.

    Related: 5 Simple Steps to Prevent Expense Fraud

    What you can do — and what you should do

    A wide range of business expenses allowed by the IRS often need to be paid by employees. Those that cannot be covered in advance can include unplanned flights, cab or rideshare trips, meals or hotel stays. Other times, employees may be traveling on business with their own vehicle, in which case you should, of course, reimburse them for their mileage and vehicular wear and tear. Other common categories of reimbursable expenses may include training, professional dues, supplies, tools and parts and entertainment (note, while you may elect to reimburse employees for expenses such as taking a customer to a sporting event, those costs are not deductible for you and haven’t been since the 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act).

    The importance of being timely and accurate

    Accuracy in tracking your business expenses is important because most, if not all, purchases made by an employee on behalf of your company are for items and services that can be deducted against your taxes.

    Some businesses often re-bill expenses to a customer. Examples might be a plumbing or electrical contractor whose employee may need to pick up a plumbing or electrical fixture at a hardware or building supply store.

    Employees who lay out their own funds on behalf of your business deserve to be repaid straightaway for myriad reasons. First, the business — and the risks and expenses — is yours and not theirs. You may pay them a salary, but it’s not up to them to carry cash or expenses to earn you a profit or secure future business. Don’t leave them on the hook for doing you a favor any longer than necessary. Prompt payment also underscores your commitment to them as valued employees.

    Related: Don’t Throw Money Away By Not Monitoring Expense Reports

    Rules are needed

    It also helps when employees understand what they’re expected to do on your behalf. Give guidelines to employees asked to spend their money on your behalf. That would start with your budget for certain expenses. Establish this in advance. And while the annual list of crazy expense report submissions is amusing to read — from helicopter rides to work to hang gliders “to avoid a divorce” — you don’t want your business to show up on that list. Often a budget solves this problem, with the added benefit that you don’t have to approve every two-dollar purchase.

    As reimbursable expenses are realized, they should be recorded promptly using your preferred system. This may be a spreadsheet, but many small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) use contract bookkeepers or bookkeeping platforms. More often, they rely on document management systems with expense-tracking features that use optical character reading (OCR) to input data such as receipts and invoices. These documents can be captured in multiple ways, including photographing them, emailing them directly to a cloud server, importing them directly from a computer or scanning them.

    Once converted by OCR technology, the data can be manipulated in pretty much any method that makes sense. For instance, you may track them for each salesperson you have, you may track them by which department puts in the request or you can track them by client or project. Your employee can do the entry, too.

    Using a cloud-based system that will let you capture receipts in this way means you can avoid the complexity — and errors — of re-keying information and managing spreadsheets. You can sort the data by category, by vendor or by date. Compare that with spreadsheets, where remembering which tab your expense belongs on and ensuring each cell has the proper equations make it that much harder to reimburse your employees promptly. Paper files have similar flaws. Plus, paper can be lost, misfiled or damaged in tragic coffee-spill accidents.

    These platforms are also more efficient, which goes hand-in-hand with saving time and money. They make review and control simple, too. Pay your employees back quickly, while gaining insight into what’s being spent and for what purpose. You can then make any spending adjustments needed and please your employees.

    Related: This One Thing Can Make Managing Your Company’s Expenses Super Easy

    What’s in it for you?

    Doing your reimbursements quickly avoids both errors and fraud. It’s a risk that’s twice as high in SMBs and more damaging to them.

    But paying back your employees without delay provides key benefits to you. It improves employee morale and job satisfaction, which makes them better employees. Being anxious when your expenses damage their own finances can also hurt their on-the-job performance and spark resentment. And suppose your reimbursement practices become a problem for employees. In that case, it can also make it difficult to recruit new, high-performing employees.

    But when you give employees their money back promptly, everyone will be happy, resulting in time and resources spent on growing the business.

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    Jim Conroy

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  • Your Company’s Biggest Threat Is Already Infiltrating Your Team | Entrepreneur

    Your Company’s Biggest Threat Is Already Infiltrating Your Team | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Most leaders spend their time focused on the external challenges their companies face. And, from rapid advances in technology to financial uncertainty, geopolitical instability and competition, there are plenty. But what if the greatest threat to the future of your company is already inside the building?

    Companies need an engaged workforce to stay competitive in a complex and continually changing environment. But the countless hours I’ve spent coaching and consulting with executives, and my own experience as founder and chief executive of a fast-growing company, has made it clear that companies across industries are dealing with low morale and, consequently, low employee engagement.

    The latest polling shows that just over 30% of employees are engaged. That low engagement is contributing to high turnover. Last year, the voluntary quit rate was 25% higher than it had been before the pandemic, and 40% of workers are considering leaving their job this year. And turnover is contagious — one study showed 92% said they’d be less likely to stay in their job after a close colleague quits. That kind of cascade can hollow out your company quickly.

    How can you, as a leader, improve morale, inspire your workforce and increase engagement at your organization? Here are four tips.

    Related: 6 Entrepreneurs Share Secrets for Boosting Office Morale

    1. Measure twice

    First, you can’t fix something you don’t know is broken. The way we work now has made it harder than ever to sense when something is. It was easier to perceive when engagement and morale were low when we were all in the office. It hung over the office like a fog. But when you only see your peers and employees on a computer screen, it can be hard to tell when something is wrong. That’s why every company should be measuring morale and engagement at regular intervals.

    At my company, we combine a regular rapid survey with a more robust measure that we deploy less frequently. Sending these surveys and synthesizing the data they return requires an investment of time and effort, two resources that are always in short supply. But the investment returns huge value by enabling us to understand the overall health of the organization, to see what we are doing well and figure out what we can do better.

    2. Co-create your values

    Amid stress and uncertainty, employees benefit from a clear understanding of the vision and values of the organization. They also benefit from a vision and values that align with their own — studies show employees whose personal values align with the values of their organization are more likely to be engaged and less likely to quit — which is why there is a tremendous benefit to creating vision and values collaboratively.

    Imagine starting with a blank canvas, then be thoughtful and purposeful about the future you want to create. By listening to the needs of your people and paying close attention to context, you can identify a set of values that energize your team. You may try things that fail, but the messiness of intentional experimentation is mitigated by clear and open dialogue, your willingness to learn and your ability to adapt.

    Related: Leading With Transparency in Times of Uncertainty

    3. Connect with people

    As leaders, we ask our employees to spend the majority of their waking hours at work. In return, we have to make sure we show them that their time at work matters. A Gartner study showed that 82% of employees say it’s important for their organization to see them as a person, not just an employee. However, just 45% of employees believe their organization actually sees them this way. That’s probably because just 27% of organizations “guide supervisors to have conversations with their teams about why their work matters.”

    Combatting this disconnect starts with you and your executive team. There is something powerful about a leader checking in with their team. The most successful leaders I have coached set aside time to check in with each of their teams on a human level, offer gratitude for their work, ask them about the challenges they’re experiencing at work and at home and ask them how they can help.

    4. Double down on community

    Loneliness has long been a problem in the workplace. But, since the beginning of the pandemic, the problem has become even more pronounced. And that’s a big problem. Loneliness reduces our ability to perform tasks, limits creativity and reduces reasoning and decision-making. Socially isolated team members are less likely to collaborate with others, and research shows that their colleagues are likely to perceive them as unapproachable and uncommitted to the organization.

    It’s hard for your team to feel like they’re in this together when most of them have never been in the same room. More than 30% of the U.S. workforce has changed jobs since the pandemic necessitated a mass movement to remote and hybrid work. At some of our enterprise clients, there are entire teams of individuals who have never met one another in person.

    While I recognize the expense of bringing people together, the value of in-person interaction is impossible to overstate. Studies show that in-person interactions trigger the release of oxytocin and build trust and psychological safety between individuals. Google’s two-year study of its teams showed that psychological safety was the single most important factor impacting performance. Individuals on teams with higher psychological safety were more engaged and less likely to leave the company.

    Related: Why Everything You Know About Employee Engagement Is Wrong

    More than a feeling

    Improving engagement at your company won’t be easy — 36% is the highest portion of the U.S. workforce that has been engaged at work in the past 20 years. However, your effort will be rewarded. Engaged employees are not only less likely to turnover, but they also deliver higher sales, more satisfied customers, greater productivity and higher profits than their less engaged colleagues.

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    Jonathan Kirschner

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  • Why Employers and Employees Aren’t Agreeing on Expectations | Entrepreneur

    Why Employers and Employees Aren’t Agreeing on Expectations | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    In just seven years, we will face a global worker shortage of 85 million people, according to the 2023 Workforce Trends ManPower Group report. That means there will be major shifts in the power balance between employees and employers. Traditional employers with a command and control leadership style will have less power as power shifts more to employees.

    With increased power over employees, expectations are shifting. Consider these statistics:

    • 31% of current workers would take another role in the next month if it offered a better blend of work and lifestyle.
    • 68% of Gen Z workers are not satisfied with their organization’s progress in creating a diverse and inclusive work environment and 56% would not accept a role without diverse leadership.
    • More workers think that the ability to collaborate (83%), solve problems (82%) and be trustworthy (82%) are more important to do their job well than simply being a high producer (76%).
    • 57% of employees are already pursuing training outside of work, because company training programs don’t teach them relevant skills.
    • 75% of investors say companies should address ESG (environmental, social and governance) issues, even if doing so reduces short-term profitability (diversity, equity and inclusion fit in the “S”).

    To address these growing macro trends, organizations need to:

    • Model and reinforce workplace flexibility — especially senior leadership).
    • Objectively measure employee performance (a.k.a. behaviors + results).
    • Proactively address ESG social issues before it is mandated.

    Related: How to Balance Employee Happiness and Business Expectations

    1. Model and reinforce workplace flexibility — especially senior leadership

    Considering nearly one-third of workers would leave their roles immediately for better work-life integration, this signals a growing expectation for authentic flexibility. No longer a nice to have, it is a must-have for workers. More traditional cultures have been slow to change, expecting employees to return post-pandemic to the status quo. Rather than retreat to past notions of workplace expectations, this is an opportunity to shift to meet shifting employee expectations. People are looking to leaders to not just say flexibility is important but to model it through their own actions. As leaders work remotely and take time off, employees feel safer doing so as well.

    Here are some unconventional ways leadership can promote flexibility (Note: For front-line workers, virtual work may not be a possibility and flexibility can be more constrained):

    • Host a workplace offsite at a remote location where employees can bring their families, mixing work and life in a relaxed environment.
    • Set expectations for in-person days in the office environment. Consider maybe one or two designated days per week that your employees are expected to be physically present, and working from home the remainder of the days.
    • Be clear about holiday observances cross-culturally. Be cognizant of holiday celebrations and out-of-office obligations.
    • Talk to team members about their travel interests or family visits, encouraging them to work from other locations if they can and want to during less busy times.

    2. Objectively measure employee performance (behaviors + results)

    Subjective criteria invite bias into the performance management process. More often, inclusive behavior is just as important as the ability to get results. If your employees are getting results with exclusionary behavior, they need to be held accountable for these behaviors as well — trust, collaboration and problem-solving skills. Increasingly, toxic workplace behavior is a key reason for employees self-selecting out organizations. If you tolerate toxic behavior because the person is getting results, it’s the same as saying toxic workplace behavior is acceptable.

    Consider adding competencies to the performance management process to ensure people are not only getting the results but they’re being held accountable for their behavior. Competencies like communication, leadership, empathy and vulnerability are highly correlated with healthy workplace cultures. What gets measured and gets done. When people are held accountable for their behavior, the culture shifts.

    Related: Employees Only Meet Expectations When They Know What’s Expected

    3. Proactively address ESG social issues — before it’s mandated

    Europe’s expected mandate of ESG reporting will affect any organization that does business in Europe. Rather than having to react once enacted, it’s important to proactively prepare. Because diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are a part of the social component of ESG, organizations will be expected to report on DEI activities and representation numbers. Investors, customers and employees alike are asking how organizations are contributing to positive social change. As the power continues to shift to employees, expect this question to be asked more often, realizing future consumers and employees are voting with their dollars and employment decisions. People want to work with organizations that are creating social good.

    Case study

    A Fortune 25 client of ours in the financial services industry realized this shift in employee power. Instead of maintaining the status quo, they decided to develop a program that responded to changing employee needs. They built a nine-month Men as Allies program with a curriculum to support learning on flexibility, inclusive leadership skills and how to effectively mentor and sponsor people different from themselves. The result was a boost in year-over-year membership growth of 30% for women and 40% for men as allies. Promotion rates and retention for women in the program increased as well.

    With a growing disconnect in workplace expectations, it’s important that organizations realize that the workplace needs to change, not the employees. By modeling flexibility, measuring employee performance and anticipating ESG expectations, we can meet employees where they are and create more inclusive workplaces where all people feel seen, heard and feel like they belong.

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    Julie Kratz

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  • The Best Way to Retain Employees Is to Use These 6 Strategies | Entrepreneur

    The Best Way to Retain Employees Is to Use These 6 Strategies | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    The year started off with HR continuing to make headlines, as news of massive layoffs within tech and other industries have dominated headlines and discussions about the incredible capabilities of predictive AI — like those displayed by ChatGPT — have complicated the hiring process. It might seem that, after years of record-low unemployment and rapid hiring pushes, 2023 will usher in a new era for managers and employees alike; one that may again favor employers’ interests, juxtaposed by a strong desire for employees to feel a sense of purpose and belonging at work.

    While candidates will likely have less leverage going into negotiations than they did at the height of the Great Resignation, the power balance in the workforce may not shift as significantly as one might think. Unemployment is still incredibly low and there are still roles sitting unfilled at businesses around the country. News of layoffs elsewhere may even send employees who feel undervalued or at risk in their current roles to seek new opportunities to get ahead of an unforeseen loss of income.

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    Alison Stevens

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  • Why Acknowledging Your Team Members Is Critical to Your Success | Entrepreneur

    Why Acknowledging Your Team Members Is Critical to Your Success | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Great leaders of high-producing teams recognize a crucial component of team building: the acknowledgment of others. Giving people the acknowledgment they deserve will not only lift up the culture of a team, but it will increase the team’s production and performance. It’s as simple as it sounds, but it’s not always easy to incorporate this practice into your everyday habits and actions as you work with your team.

    You’ve probably experienced this in your own career — people are quick to notice when you’re not meeting expectations but fail to recognize all the times you are performing well and dedicating effort and time to your duties. It feels discouraging and it also decreases your own motivation to work harder and prove yourself. If you can master verbally uplifting your team, it will level up your business.

    Related: 5 Fantastic Ways to Show Your Team Members You Are Grateful for Them

    How to make acknowledgment part of your daily routine

    Sometimes it’s hard to focus on uplifting others when we are such individually-driven beings. We want to get the credit we deserve, and sometimes we put that above giving credit to others.

    Masterful leaders have learned to set aside their undying thirst for credit and recognition because they’re in it for the long game. They see the big picture, and that big-picture success depends on other team players who are motivated, dedicated and invested in the team as much as you are. But how do we get into this mindset of constantly uplifting others if we’re not already there?

    • Be an active listener. Focus on your conversations and the conversations that others are having. What are they proud of? What are their concerns? What issues did they spend the afternoon figuring out how to solve? What tough clients or projects are they working on? By being an active listener, you will have countless opportunities throughout the day to listen to the successes of your team members throughout the day and to shine the spotlight on their wins, no matter how big or small.
    • Be specific with your words. While we all like to hear “good job,” the compliment can feel meaningless and generic. If someone caught an error on a client project or put together a thorough presentation for your team, be specific in your praise to them. Not only does this take honesty in being genuine with your words, but it takes practice. Identify particular tactics or creative thoughts they had throughout their process and highlight the clearly defined reasons that contributed to their performance. They will feel seen and know that your words are authentic.
    • Focus on what they’re good at before focusing on what they lack. If someone is underperforming on your team, it’s easy to turn your attention to the tasks they’re failing to accomplish. Before criticizing them or giving immediate feedback on how they can improve, first focus on what they’re accomplishing or performing well at, even if the tasks are small or part of their expected duties. Build up their self-esteem with what they’re doing well, and that increase in self-confidence can spill over into the areas where they’re underperforming. When people feel like their strengths are highlighted before their weaknesses, they will feel greater reassurance when moving on to more challenging tasks.

    Related: 9 Simple Techniques Any Leader Can Use to Show Employees Appreciation

    How acknowledgment helps you and your team

    We’ve been told to uplift others our whole lives, from classrooms as children or even on sports teams and other activities growing up, but it might be hard to recognize quantifiable ways that words of recognition help the productivity and the bottom line of your business. Spreading acknowledgment could help you and your team in various ways:

    • It increases employee retention. All other factors aside, if someone has the choice between staying in a workplace where they’re constantly encouraged and acknowledged versus staying where their successes are rarely acknowledged, they will stay at the workplace of acknowledgment every single time. Employees want to stay on a team where they feel supported, heard and seen. Calling team members out on their wins could also give them the courage to speak up if they need extra help or even own up to a mistake and take corrective measures to fix it, avoiding more significant issues or financial losses in the future.
    • It enhances your teamwork and collaboration. Establishing a business culture of uplifting each other and highlighting each other’s strengths, will increase the interpersonal relationships on a team. Each team member feels like they are being supported by the other, which increases the teamwork and collaboration between everyone. Employees are more engaged and willing to go above and beyond if they feel the organization recognizes their value and celebrates their growth.
    • By acknowledging others, they acknowledge you. Fill up others’ cups, and they will fill up yours. Acknowledgment isn’t an exception to the law of reciprocity — when you acknowledge when others are doing well, they’ll do the same for you. Odds are, they’ll probably start doing it to others on the team as well. Uplifting words are easier to give when you receive them regularly, but sometimes you have to be the one to start that cycle. When others lift you and call out your wins, they can testify to your capabilities later down the road, whether you’re locking down a new client or moving into a higher-paying role.

    Related: Where’s the Love? Why You Should Work to Ingrain Gratitude Into Your Company Culture

    All great things are built with cohesive teams; nothing tears down a team faster than those who want the credit for everything. Lift people up for what they are doing instead of being quick to point out what they aren’t doing, and they’ll do the same for you. You have to do it first and do it consistently to create a winning environment for your business. If you become a highlighter of the capabilities of others, you’ll start an acknowledgment culture in that everyone will participate, leading to greater productivity and success.

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    Kale Goodman

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  • 5 Best Practices to Prevent Digital Fatigue from Derailing Training

    5 Best Practices to Prevent Digital Fatigue from Derailing Training

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Today’s employees spend a lot of time in front of screens, which is undoubtedly necessary but can also lead to digital fatigue. This mental exhaustion can affect not only performance, but also the capacity to absorb and apply new knowledge, which can lead to training failure.

    To drive productivity, results and morale, it’s up to companies and learning and development teams to design training programs that reduce digital fatigue.

    Related: How to Help Your Employees Avoid Digital Burnout

    How does digital fatigue affect training?

    Digital fatigue can affect any professional sphere, including training. There are several telltale signs of digital fatigue, so you can take action to mitigate and even prevent it from spoiling training outcomes. For example, when employees frequently put off training or have higher-than-usual rates of poor training results, those can be indicators of digital fatigue.

    According to a study by Deloitte, about a third of Americans say that since the Covid-19 pandemic began, they’ve felt overwhelmed by the number of devices and subscriptions they need to handle. The pandemic may be waning, but digital fatigue is here to stay and take its toll. Research shows that 22% of remote workers want to leave their jobs because they’re inundated with email; in fact, half would rather scrub their bathrooms than clear an overflowing inbox!

    What can learning specialists do to prevent digital fatigue from derailing training in particular? Here are five best practices.

    1. Offer more communication opportunities online and offline

    While on-demand digital training is highly convenient, a constant lack of face-to-face communication can sometimes make employees feel disconnected and tired in front of their screens.

    But with the right tools, training designers can prevent this and encourage learners to connect and communicate. Social learning — where employees connect, often informally, and learn collaboratively and through real-life scenarios — remains a priority, even if training is more digitized than ever. In 2021, 28% of organizations relied on social learning, compared to 19% the year before.

    Some e-learning features that streamline communication are:

    • Chats that allow employees to quickly get instructions, feedback and support;
    • Forums that enable group communication on specific training topics;
    • Groups that keep everyone in the loop and allow users to easily share learning resources.

    Communication and collaboration tools are vital to making online training more engaging. However, employees also need some time away from screens to mitigate the effects of digital fatigue. Occasionally organizing in-person training sessions for people working in the same office, area or country can counteract digital fatigue. This provides employees the chance to connect, learn together and test their knowledge in a more traditional learning environment — adding some variety into the predominantly digital routine.

    Related: This Silent Productivity Killer is Draining 4 Hours From Your Week. Here’s How To Fix It

    2. Tap into learners’ competitive spirit

    Training shouldn’t be perceived as boring or useless — but when employees feel like that, engagement suffers. For example, a recent survey about cybersecurity awareness training found that boring training caused employees to disengage — and, as a result, persist in risky behaviors.

    At the same time, when 70% of employees say they lack the skills needed to do their jobs, training is, of course, crucial. How can L&D specialists motivate people to learn? One answer lies in gamification.

    Learners are often eager to know there’s something waiting for them at the end of their training (and along the way), aside from meeting their company’s requirements. Challenges and incentives, such as certificates, badges, leaderboards and group games (where two or more teams compete for points), can provide motivation. The prizes’ utility goes beyond their symbolic value. Knowing they’ve done well in an online course stimulates employees to keep up the good work.

    Related: 3 Ways to Make Corporate Training Fun

    3. Make training more “snackable”

    Microlearning — or short learning activities with single objectives — doesn’t only help employees acquire and retain knowledge more easily, but it also feels less overwhelming.

    By providing short courses and multimedia content to help employees with their tasks at hand, instructors can easily squeeze learning into employees’ schedules. L&D professionals need flexible technologies that support different training formats (like videos) and can streamline assessments, i.e. through automated quizzes.

    4. Tailor training to employees’ skills and preferences

    It’s the instructors’ responsibility to design training programs that address necessary skills and goals for their workforce, but these should also focus on employees’ specific needs and preferences.

    Technology makes it possible to personalize training at scale by creating individualized learning paths. Some learning systems choose the steps in learners’ journeys based on learners’ skills, aptitudes, goals, roles, competencies demonstrated, interests and more — automatically recommending, for example, whether someone needs a refresher in a certain area or can move on to the next learning activity. They might suggest course modules, videos, Q&A forums, articles or more for individualized skills development.

    Related: Workplace Learning Is Broken. These 5 Steps Tell You How to Fix It.

    5. Use different training models

    A combination of live and on-demand learning also optimizes training and makes it more engaging. Although live training (whether in-person or online) is often harder to organize, especially for large teams working across time zones, it offers undeniable benefits — especially when interactive components (e.g., role plays, Q&As, brainstorming) are involved. Live training sessions allow employees to engage with others, get feedback in real time and put names to faces. Social interaction can motivate learners to engage in training they perceive as more meaningful.

    On-demand training provides many benefits too, including the ability for learners to consume (and review, as necessary) materials when it fits into their schedules. And when training isn’t highly interactive, on-demand e-learning is both convenient and cost-effective.

    Taking a blended approach benefits learners and companies. Instructors can kick off a training program with a live call to explain its scope and goals, and take questions. Afterward, trainees can learn at their own pace, when time allows — consuming articles, course modules and videos, posting questions in forums, etc. Periodic group calls and a closing live session, where trainees put their skills in action, can wrap up the initiative.

    Related: How to Evaluate if Your Corporate Training is Working

    Avoiding digital fatigue

    Nowadays, employees are increasingly prone to suffering from digital fatigue. Uncontrolled, it can lead to burnout. Instructors need to catch the early signs of digital fatigue and design training programs that are engaging, rewarding, concise and flexible so that employees find the motivation to spend more quality time in the digital workplace learning environment.

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    Graham Glass

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  • How to Improve Mental Wellness in the Workplace

    How to Improve Mental Wellness in the Workplace

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    It’s widely recognized that having a healthy mind and body is necessary to have a healthy, productive work life. But as life continues to move at an increasingly fast pace, this is much easier said than done.

    As a business owner, it’s important to stay aware of your mind and body’s needs so you can remain productive and creative. But it can be easy to let these things slip by the wayside during busy seasons — and honestly, what seasons aren’t busy as an entrepreneur? Many of us are familiar with late nights at work, forgetting to eat meals or exercise and unfortunately dealing with great deals of stress, exhaustion and burnout. Although it’s important to pay attention to the needs of your body and mind, it’s also important to remember your employees have the same needs.

    Life and work are intertwined in a way that cannot be separated. It might seem simple to put aside whatever you’re dealing with at home to focus on work for the day, but it’s not realistic. Similarly, problems at work come home with you. Both our personal lives and our work lives affect our moods, energy levels and ability to focus. If your child is sick or you’re having a tense argument with your spouse, of course you aren’t going to be able to fully engage in your job — what’s going on at home is more important to you. And problems in the workplace, such as stress, burnout or a negative work environment will affect your mood and energy level when you go home. You might make your argument with your spouse worse because you’re tense and stressed out, or you might be unable to sleep because you dread returning to your toxic work environment the next day, further exacerbating the problem.

    Related: How I Failed Miserably As a Leader and Ultimately Improved My Company

    By promoting the mental and physical health of your employees, you can create a better working environment and encourage employees to succeed, creating a more sustainable workplace in the long run. Happy, healthy team members will be more productive and create better results for your company. But promoting your team’s health isn’t as simple as putting some exercise equipment in your office, especially when you factor in mental health, which is complex and can majorly affect the way a person thinks, feels and performs their job. Strong mental health is reliant on several factors, but here are a few necessary things, which you can apply in various ways for you and your team:

    1. Fuel your mind with good food and hydration

    Staying hydrated and eating well is necessary to keep your body and mind running. And brain functions like energy, focus and creativity are some of the first to suffer when you don’t get these things. If you forget to drink enough water, it might be beneficial to use a large water bottle with measurements on it to keep track of exactly how much you’re drinking. This is an easy tool you can provide for your team as well. It’s a good idea to keep healthy snacks around the office, both for yourself and your employees. Some foods will give you a burst of energy, while others, especially fat- and carb-heavy foods, will slow you down or make you sleepy. Having healthy options easily available will help you make good choices. Another way to promote healthy eating for your team is to allow them to work from home, where they can cook healthy meals for themselves. When employees are in a rush to reach the office in the morning, where they might order takeout or pack things that are quick and easy rather than nutritious for lunch.

    Related: 6 Healthy Habits to Maximize Your Mental Health and Get You Through Your Worst Days

    2. Prioritize sleep

    Sleep is possibly even more important than food and exercise, but unfortunately, it’s overlooked by many people. A phenomenon in many offices is a sort of competition to see who slept the least. If you notice this kind of attitude toward sleep, it may be worth addressing. Often lack of sleep is due to bad habits, but it can also be a result of busy schedules that don’t allow enough time to sleep. To ensure you and your employees have enough time to sleep, consider offering flexible working hours, which will allow them to adjust their schedules if needed.

    Related: How Serving in The Army Taught This Leader The Importance of Employee Wellbeing

    3. Exercise stimulates the mind

    Did you know that sitting is literally killing you? Excessive sitting lowers your life expectancy, and it can lead to injuries from repetitive motions and weakened muscles. And as we all know, exercise is excellent for both the body and the brain. Have you ever noticed that some of your best ideas form when you’re exercising? Or have you ever taken an exercise break and come back to your work feeling energized and highly productive? Take regular breaks to go for walks, and encourage your team to do the same. Even if those breaks take 10-15 minutes out of the workday, they will increase your team’s overall productivity. You can also provide exercise equipment and standing desks in your office, or provide wellness benefits such as gym memberships to encourage your team to exercise outside working hours as well. Sharing links or apps for breathing exercises or mindfulness practices can help employees to better manage their stress levels.

    Related: 5 Steps to Creating a Workplace Focused on Mental Wellness

    4. Keep mental health in mind

    One of the words that’s most commonly used when someone is struggling with their mental health is “stress.” Mental health is innately tied to physical health, and just like treating your body right can help your brain, negative emotions can seriously affect your body. Reducing stress, burnout, depression and other mental health challenges is complex, but there are a few things you can do.

    First, ensure you’re getting enough sunlight. Not only does vitamin D improve your mood, but the light itself plays a major role. Working in an office without much sunlight can be draining, but if you can’t manage to arrange your office so everyone has access to sunlight, consider allowing at least part-time remote work.

    Related: The Truth About Loneliness During the Holidays and 5 Tips For Coping

    Burnout is another factor that affects many people’s mental health, and there has been an epidemic of it lately. Watch carefully for burnout in yourself and your employees, and when you identify it, take steps to improve the situation that’s causing it. Have managers include this discussion during their regular one-on-one meetings. Create a culture of support around burnout and other challenges people might be facing, such as family matters and health challenges, which can contribute to burnout significantly. There are many resources to help address burnout, as it’s a complex issue. Remember to prioritize your employees as people rather than workers. If you’ve hired well, your team wants to do a good job. If they’re struggling, there’s likely a reason for it. Ask for and listen to feedback, even if it’s not what you want to hear. Work and work-related activities take up a majority of a person’s waking hours, so the environment you provide plays a major role in an employee’s quality of life.

    I highly recommend offering some kind of mental health benefits, even telehealth options. This might look like paying for counseling for those who need it. Or try allowing mental health days. We’ve changed our sick leave policy to include a mental health day, not just a physical sickness day. Just knowing they have the option to take a day off if needed is likely to be enough for most employees, and you likely won’t experience a significant cost as a result.

    To keep a happy, healthy and productive workforce, the most important thing you can do is to create a positive workplace culture. A negative or toxic culture can easily wear on anyone, causing problems both at work and at home. With these steps, you’ll be on your way to improving the health of your entire team and creating a stronger and more sustainable work culture.

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    Jason Hennessey

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  • Attracting and Retaining Customers and Employees Comes Down to These Two Skills

    Attracting and Retaining Customers and Employees Comes Down to These Two Skills

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Ever heard a business owner say they’re in “the people business?” I hear it all the time. I make a living giving presentations to franchise systems, associations and corporations. I like to ask audience members to share with me what business they believe they’re in. Most people describe the thing they sell: “We’re in the automotive repair business” or “we provide software solutions.” Eventually, someone in the audience anticipates the answer they believe I’m looking for: “We’re in the people business.” Many will nod their head in agreement.

    It’s a better answer, but still not good enough. Because what does that even mean?

    Unlike computer networks that are driven by data, markets are driven by feelings. These feelings influence everything we do. How we spend money, where we spend money, how we work, how well we perform — all human behavior is informed by emotion. We still need stuff. We still need information. But it’s our feelings that most influence our choices. Behavioral economics is a whole field of study devoted to understanding this.

    Related: Every Business is a People’s Business Including a Venture Fund

    A typical business trades its offerings for money and considers the transaction complete. A “people business” works to make the transaction extra satisfying. That additional value breeds loyalty and retention. We like to be in business with others who make us feel good. Two types of skills are necessary to do this well:

    Hard skills

    These are the “how-to’s” of the business. We need tactics and tools. We need to continuously improve our products, processes and profitability. We need to increase our knowledge and ability to perform all the functions of the business. These are essential to operate and remain competitive.

    What I’ve learned from my clients is that hard skills alone aren’t enough. In every system I work with, I meet some operators who are thriving and others barely surviving — all running the same or similar business. Many mistakenly chalk up the difference to location. But invariably the struggling locations give up and sell to higher performers who quickly turn the struggling locations around. Others think higher performers have better sales tactics or are doing more marketing. These hard-skills strategies make a difference, but they’re not the true difference-maker.

    Soft skills

    What does distinguish the higher performers is their soft skills? They manage themselves as well as they manage the business. They control their thoughts. They check their emotions. They communicate well. They understand that they’re in a people business, and they’re one of the people. I wrote a whole book about the differences between typical franchisees and whom I call “wealthy franchisees.” The best franchisees work hard and have decent locations, but it’s their mastery of soft skills infused into their daily operations that gives them their edge. I’ve observed this same dynamic among association members and even personnel within the same companies. Those with stronger soft skills combined with good hard skills will always outperform those with hard skills alone.

    Among the many important soft skills needed for business excellence is resilience. This is one’s ability to continue marching forward when it feels like the universe is pushing back. Business is tough. Business owners need to be tougher. Resilience will also make it easier to discover new opportunities buried beneath the unpleasantness. It took a global pandemic to get some restaurants to pivot more toward delivery and digital ordering. For many, these new offerings have yielded recording-breaking revenue. Resilience reveals both solutions and opportunities. (See my recent TEDx talk about the connection between adversity and opportunity.)

    With a stronger set of soft skills, you’ll be able to understand how your customers and employees — who are also part of “the people business” — need help at two similar levels.

    Hard needs

    These are the needs people have on the surface. They’re the things people consciously pursue. For consumers, it’s the products or services they seek, such as an oil change or a new point-of-sale system. It’s the food they order from a restaurant. It’s the adjustment they get from a chiropractor. Hard needs are tangible items exchanged in a marketplace. It’s what people consume.

    For employees, hard needs are their compensation. That includes a salary, benefits, discounts and other perks. In times like these when most employers are desperate for more help, most are attempting to lure and keep employees by offering more hard-needs compensation, such as increased wages and signing bonuses.

    But just as hard skills aren’t enough to drive high performance, fulfilling hard needs alone isn’t enough to satisfy customers and retain employees. They need something more.

    Soft needs

    These are the emotions we humans want to feel as we satisfy our hard needs. A true people business never forgets the human aspect of the operation. An exchange of goods is a transaction. When people are involved, there’s an interaction. That human encounter is where feelings are most impacted, one way or another.

    Customers don’t usually request help with their soft needs. But deep down there’s always a subconscious desire, something they want to feel when they patronize a business. A group of teens going out for pizza probably wants to have fun. A couple celebrating an anniversary at a fancy restaurant probably wants to feel pampered. Consider what you want to feel when you go to a mechanic (trust), a hair salon (confidence), or a rock concert (excitement/community). Often, it’s a very small, subtle thing. But every business can find nuanced ways to make customers feel just a little better. People businesses pay attention to what matters to their customers emotionally and find ways to satisfy those emotions. Because customers remember less what they get (hard needs) and more about how they feel (soft needs).

    Related: How to Develop the Soft Skills of the Successful Entrepreneur

    This is also true for your team members. The biggest current pain point for my clients is staffing. And not just finding workers but understanding them. Every generation is different, but today’s young workforce is like no other that has come before. Their values, their expectations, and their behavior have got employers scratching their heads. I’m constantly hearing about ghosting, entitlement, and a lack of loyalty.

    No one is certain about what the solution is to the current labor shortage. But I’m certain it’s going to take more than a hard needs approach. For better or worse, employers are going to have to understand and accommodate the workforce’s soft needs. Because they don’t just want more money. They also want to feel appreciated. They want to feel connected to co-workers. They want life balance and flexibility. They’ve wanted these things for a while. And not just today’s young workers.

    Organizations such as Gallup have been reporting slumps in employee engagement long before the pandemic. According to their most recent survey, “fewer than one in four of U.S. employees felt strongly that their organization cares about their wellbeing. This is the lowest percentage reported in nearly a decade.” As hard needs compensation has increased in the workplace, there’s been a decrease in the fulfillment of soft needs.

    Some of my audience members roll their eyes when I discuss the soft needs of today’s employees. They literally say, “They seem so soft!” I can understand their observation and frustration. And I don’t necessarily disagree. But at some point, to have a constructive conversation about being in the people business in today’s climate, we need to temper that frustration (which requires soft skills) and replace it with open-mindedness and a willingness to adapt. For better or worse, the workplace of the future must be less judgmental and more accommodating. Employers will have to meet the soft needs of the people they intend to employ. If not, they won’t be able to employ anyone.

    Perhaps this will be good. I’m a parent of two teenagers who’ll be in the workforce before too long. It encourages me to think that maybe work won’t have to be something they endure. I want them to feel excited by what they do, to feel safe in the workplace, to respect and be respected. I want them to like working. And if they, as a generation, through their own soft ways, force employers to create better, safer, more pleasant work environments, then good on them for making that happen. I don’t want to have to loan my kids money, but I also want them to be happy. I hope they work (or start) true people businesses that meet both their hard and soft needs.

    Related: In The Era Of “The Great Resignation,” Entrepreneurs And Business Leaders Need To Add Soft Skills To Their Arsenal

    I’m also trying to help them understand that employers also have soft needs. They want to feel stable and secure. They want teams they can rely on. They need dependability and follow-through. Everyone deserves to have their soft needs met. To advance in their careers, workers will have to understand this. They, too, will have to work to elevate the emotions of those who rely upon them. I hope my kids play their part. They better — because while I’ll always be there to help with their soft needs when it comes to hard needs (i.e., money), I’ve already done my part. They better bring value to the workplace or they’ve got rough times ahead. Soft needs are important, but so are paying rent and eating.

    Being in the “people business” means you’re in the feelings business. Everything you do must elevate the emotions of everyone your business touches, including yourself. It’s difficult when you’re busy. But investing a little more energy in the emotional payoff of your business might be the best way to achieve a financial one.

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    Scott Greenberg

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  • How to Create a Work Culture That Will Survive Anything

    How to Create a Work Culture That Will Survive Anything

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    In the age of the Great Resignation, executives are in a near-constant battle to attract and retain talent. Paramount to this issue is the importance of company culture. In fact, studies have found that a toxic corporate environment is over 10 times more impactful than compensation when it comes to an employee leaving their job.

    Forward-thinking companies must put the focus back on building and maintaining an engaging, rewarding company culture, to which employees feel empowered to contribute, strengthen, and support for the long haul — especially in times of challenge or change. Such is the definition of “regenerative” — to renew, restore and continuously come back stronger.

    But achieving this means maintaining a people-first mindset and nurturing your employees to be your number one advocates for each other and the company. Here are four fundamentals for building a regenerative workplace culture.

    Related: Your Employees Want Purpose — Not Ping Pong Tables. Here’s How to Thrive Through the Great Resignation.

    Align your employees with company values

    Successful organizations energize employees around core values, referring back to them in times of uncertainty and modeling them for clients, consumers, and the greater good. Establish your values early and explicitly, such that employees can understand them, act on them and identify them in others.

    A consistent and shared appreciation of company values allows your employees to engage with the organization on a deeper level, fostering a professional and personal investment that promotes greater ownership, agency and motivation toward company goals.

    One way to align your team around company values is to acknowledge and uplift them at every opportunity. It’s important to both recognize staff who exemplify company values and create incentives for those who uphold them. Another way is to ensure your company policies both reflect and reinforce your beliefs, thereby giving back to employees and demonstrating your sincerity.

    At NINE dot ARTS, we host regular arts-oriented social activities to lean into our “authentic” and “creative” values, as well as offer ongoing DEIB training and professional development opportunities so employees can embrace our “ethical” and “educational” values.

    When your company’s core tenets help to ground your team in the face of obstacles, guide shared decision-making and galvanize collective action, you will experience the kind of continued growth and affirmation necessary for a regenerative culture.

    Related: 5 Lessons for Early-Stage Entrepreneurs I Wish I Knew

    Focus on human connection

    Values alignment is critical for organizations because it also helps promote employee connection. Thus, it’s essential to create opportunities for your staff to recognize, celebrate and support one another around core beliefs and business goals. And given that approximately 50% of leaders are asking employees to return to an in-office environment, such connections may be easier than you think.

    In fact, despite the rise of office perks like ping pong tables or deluxe coffee drinks, new research by Enboarder found that 60% of respondents feel the most valuable element of working in an office is the opportunity for spontaneous interactions with coworkers. Other top activities from which employees derived the strongest feelings of connection were team meetings, one-on-ones and skill sharing with peers.

    Such findings mean good news for employers because these activities aren’t anything new. There’s no need for special events or unique “connection-building” programs. Instead, incentivizing staff to collaborate in person through simple meetings, coffee dates and even serendipitous interactions may be just the key to strengthening overall connections.

    And when the connection is strong, the research found, employee productivity, satisfaction and retention are strong , too — all contributing to a regenerative culture.

    Related: Here’s the Secret to Improving Employee Engagement That Every Company Can Afford

    Promote employee agency

    As a longtime entrepreneur and business leader, I truly believe that diverse, hard-working individuals who unite around shared values can produce new innovations and outstanding results.

    This begins in the hiring process. One of the greatest lessons learned in my career is to hire for your deficits. After all, even the best leaders have blind spots. Bringing together fresh perspectives, diverse life experiences and a range of expertise can make your organization stronger as a whole, helping to prevent siloed thinking, promote ingenuity and hold everyone accountable. And when diverse specialists share common values and feel connected to one another and your mission, the potential is endless.

    Further, knowing you have committed, specialized team members who balance each other out can allow you to delegate with trust and confidence, giving employees the agency they (and you) need to improve your organization.

    For instance, our employees create topical task forces around our core principles, presenting recommendations to leadership about policy changes in these areas — from sustainability measures to artist advocacy efforts. Meanwhile, with the support of leadership, employees are emboldened to take initiative on operational innovations, creating efficiencies and improvements that benefit our business success.

    Such employee agency is critical for seeing the kind of sustained problem-solving and improvements necessary for regenerative workplace culture.

    Related: Investing in Your Employees Is the Smartest Business Decision You Can Make

    Emphasize education

    Lastly, don’t forget to further your employees’ aspirations — both personal and professional. Oftentimes, employees who seek to enhance a certain skill set, passion or area of expertise will contribute their newfound strengths to your organization in meaningful ways.

    Start by including education in your staff training. For example, at NINE dot ARTS, all new team members complete three Courageous Allyship trainings and each year we have a company-wide session for all employees. This workshop gives our team a shared understanding and language around diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging — a core component of our ethos across every department.

    Additionally, provide continuing education stipends to fund workshops, lectures, conferences or other educational endeavors. And let your employees present their learnings from such opportunities to the company as a whole. Promoting your staff’s continuous advancement inspires each individual to have a growth-oriented mindset for themselves and the organization.

    Related: Is Your Employee Engagement Program Up to Snuff?

    Move beyond material perks

    In today’s hiring and retention landscape, we can’t underestimate the impact of workplace culture. Gone are the days when a mini fridge, coffee machine, branded merch or gym membership could entice talent to your organization. Instead, leaders need to focus on the foundational aspects of culture, like values alignment and human connection. Once these are solidified, empower employees to feel ownership, agency and a sense of purpose around their work — and provide educational opportunities to further that purpose. These are the building blocks of a regenerative culture — one that is adaptive, resilient and always improving on what’s been done before.

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    Martha Weidmann

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  • How the Potential Rail Strike Points to an Era of Employee Power

    How the Potential Rail Strike Points to an Era of Employee Power

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Economically catastrophic railroad shutdowns that we narrowly avoided last September have returned with a vengeance. Unions and freight rail companies are once again at odds over poor working conditions. One of the workers’ key points is simply wanting to attend pre-scheduled medical appointments without incurring penalties for missing work.

    In a different industry, Apple employees are petitioning the company to rethink its return-to-office policies. The petition argues that requiring in-office attendance ignores Apple’s stated diversity goals and doesn’t take the circumstances of each individual into consideration. In other words, Apple employees believe the policies suit the needs of the company more than they do the needs of the workers.

    These important labor developments — together with the Gen Z phenomena of “quiet quitting” — make it clear we are in an era where employees now have extraordinary leverage when it comes to how businesses are run.

    In this environment, it is very difficult to run a successful business of any kind without prioritizing the employee experience (EX). This new paradigm is a significant shift from the business management of the recent past, which stressed that the customer experience (CX) was king.

    As companies look to the future, navigating the employee experience era may mean overhauling everything from basic benefits to the board of directors. But the businesses that thrive will honor the leverage employees have and focus first on their needs.

    Here’s how business leaders need to address these challenges.

    Related: What the Great Reimagination Means for the Future of Work

    Consider how your company is structured

    Every company should have someone with decision-making authority managing human resources and empowering EX as a priority. In an increasing number of organizations, this might even be someone on the board of directors.

    The number of new board members with HR backgrounds has risen from 6% to 11% over the past three years, according to the National Association of Corporate Directors. At the same time, a significant number of HR leaders (61%) now report directly to the CEO or president, with 23% reporting to the CFO or COO.

    These numbers point to the growing importance of securing HR expertise at a high level, a trend that should continue to explode in the coming years as we settle deeper into the EX era. Forward-looking companies must have experienced leaders to help build programs and address needs.

    The financial impact of these developments can hardly be overstated. A 2020 report from PwC pointed to talent as the largest investment for major companies, estimating that as much as 85% of expenses are dedicated to the company’s own people.

    The influence of employees on virtually every aspect of a company and its decision-making is growing. Raising the level of importance leaders grant HR and empowering them to implement EX programs will help companies sustain growth and remain competitive.

    Related: Unionizing Isn’t the Only Way to Restore Workers’ Bargaining Power

    Build the necessary feedback channels to understand and respond to what your employees need

    The examples of railroad workers and Apple employees pushing back against company policies are noteworthy, in part, because solving each problem is an EX need, but requires a vastly different approach. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for either challenge.

    It’s not a surprise that workers react when they feel like they are not being listened to, not paid enough or are harmed by bad policies. For years, people have left jobs, gone on strike or slacked off at work in response. The difference now is the power of their voices — amplified by social media, in many cases.

    As is the case with the railroad workers, it’s clear that benefits must evolve and change. Freight rail companies are operating with decades-old policies in many cases. Taking the time to gather employee feedback and addressing those needs almost certainly would have helped avoid the potential for shutdown altogether.

    Acting on employee feedback is best approached with a sense of humanity on both sides. All employees — whether white or blue-collar workers — need to be cared for, enabled and supported.

    Related: The Great Resignation is Not Over. Employers Should Make Employee Experience a Top Priority Right Now, And Here Are 5 Ways To Do It.

    Continue to lead with a vision

    At the same time, creating a company culture dedicated to EX does not mean simply bending over backward to give employees everything they want. Although some leaders may worry about rank-and-file workers seizing power within their companies, EX is not simply giving in to every whim.

    The relationship between leaders and employees works best as a two-way street, especially as employee voices are being amplified in the EX era. Employers certainly need to listen to employees, but employees also must understand and be driven by the company’s mission.

    Customers and CX — which drove the previous era of business operations — are still critically important. Fortunately, the evidence for synergy between these programs is clear: When companies listen to their employees and create best-for-all programs based on feedback, those employees take care of customers. EX and CX measurements both rise.

    Ultimately, the EX era comes down to empowering people. Part of our corporate mission is to set people free to do great work. By listening to our employees, trusting them and providing a good experience, people are motivated by our mission.

    Creating good company cultures is no longer about ping-pong tables and nap pods. People want real improvements to their quality of life and to feel like their work matters to the company’s success.

    These desires mean there are no shortcuts to success when building good employee experiences. Leaders have to enshrine the importance of HR and EX within the top levels of the organization, they have to listen carefully to employee needs, build programs and share a vision that inspires the best work.

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    Brad Rencher

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  • BeeHive Homes Elevates Employee Engagement Through Partnership With BookJane

    BeeHive Homes Elevates Employee Engagement Through Partnership With BookJane

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    BeeHive Franchisee of 34 Communities across Texas and New Mexico Demonstrates Their Attention toward Staff Retention, Wellness, and Flexibility in the Workplace through Technology

    Press Release
    –

    Aug 18, 2022


    TORONTO, August 18, 2022 (Newswire.com)
    –
    As operators struggle to retain and recruit staff in wake of the national staffing shortage, BeeHive Homes New Mexico is partnering with BookJane, an all-in-one shift fulfillment platform, to enhance their employee experience and stand out in the job market. 

    According to the U.S. Bureau of labor, the nursing home industry lost roughly 224,000 front-line workers since 2020. Placing heightened stress on team members and compounding the impact of subsequent turnover and labor costs.  

    Nathan Manning, Owner and COO, knew that to remain competitive, BeeHive New Mexico needed to rethink their approach to solving the labor crisis, particularly focusing on the employee experience and providing innovative tools to their staff.

    Starting on their first day, all new BeeHive employees are encouraged to spend time directly with their residents to build personal relationships; a successful tip he shares to create an impactful onboarding experience.

    “It’s important to our team that new staff feel like they’re a part of the community and that we build a culture that they want to continue to come back to work to,” says Nathan.

    Manning also added that when staff doesn’t show up to work, it puts a heavy burden on administrators trying to fill last-minute shifts. Causing stress and a high turnover due to burnout.

    “We want our employees to focus on work that is both meaningful and enjoyable. When they have to fill unexpected vacancies, they are spending up to five hours calling potential replacements instead,” says Nathan. “We’ve recently introduced BookJane, an innovative shift call-out platform, to solve this issue. Schedulers can now easily notify staff of available shifts and empower them to accept shifts directly on their phone. We’re filling more shifts, faster while eliminating the root cause of a lot of employee dissatisfaction.”

    BookJane also provides BeeHive New Mexico the ability to offer their staff greater control over their schedules with flexible shift opportunities. Staff can browse and accept shifts from their primary community or from nearby BeeHive locations and build a schedule that fits their lifestyle. BeeHive can additionally attract students and recently retired frontline staff to their workforce to work flex shifts and bolster shift fulfillment.

    “One of the cool things that we also really liked about BookJane was the ability to communicate with all of our staff from any level. We send out a daily text centering around motivation, wellness, and/or self-improvement. The app will help us make a greater impact by reaching as many people as possible,” says Nathan Manning. “Our staff are very enthusiastic about the transition and are looking forward to our partnership with BookJane!”

    BeeHive is currently working with BookJane’s dedicated customer success team to implement automated call-out, scheduling, and team communications across their 34 locations and set up their employees with quick and easy training and onboarding.

    “We are proud to be partnering with BeeHive Homes,” says Curtis Khan, CEO, and Founder of BookJane. “As the staffing crisis unfolds across North America, we’re motivated to work with forward-thinking employers that are dedicated to prioritizing their employee’s well-being. We’re thrilled to be a central part of BeeHive Home’s employee strategy and look forward to working together.”

    About BeeHive Homes

    With almost 33 years of experience and over 200 locations, BeeHive Homes is a leader in New Mexico’s assisted living and memory care services. Uniquely designed, our senior living services offer residents more access to personal care. By keeping our homes smaller with professional, skilled caregivers, our residents can have their needs addressed personally. We truly believe that in order to provide the very best care for our residents, we must get to know them well and discover what their individual needs are – and that’s exactly what we do! For more information, visit: https://beehivehomes.com

    About BookJane

    BookJane is an award-winning staff management tool, built for the senior living industry. Their all-in-one platform streamlines complex scheduling and team communication, and automates shift call-out, empowering staff to self-schedule with on-the-go access to flexible shift opportunities through the J360 Mobile App. With BookJane, operators can effortlessly engage staff, manage open shifts, and fulfill shift vacancies, so they can focus on what matters most: caring for residents. For more information, visit: https://www.bookjane.com/

    Media Contact

    Mallory Tretter
    mallory.tretter@bookjane.com 
    Senior Marketing Manager
    416-859-2229

    Source: BookJane

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