The Globe and Mail: What is ‘quiet hiring’ and how can it benefit your organization?

This article was originally published in The Globe and Mail.

Spring Financial’s social-media manager was previously one of its customer-service representatives. One of its technology project managers used to work in sales. Its content writer was originally hired as a call quality auditor.

The Vancouver-based online loan provider has grown and evolved significantly since the pandemic. Not only has its head count increased from about 250 to 350, but its talent needs have also evolved along with its products, requiring a much broader range of skills.

Rather than letting go of old staff and hiring new ones, the company first seeks to utilize its existing talent.

“The labour market is quite tight, and it’s not always easy to find the exact skill that you’re looking for,” said Tyler Thielmann, president of Spring Financial. “Our preference is to find somebody inside instead of finding somebody from outside.”

Mr. Thielmann says that when skills gaps arise, he typically works with managers to identify internal candidates or puts out an open invitation to staff outlining needs and requesting volunteers.

After a three-month trial Mr. Thielmann says he conducts an evaluation, at which point the employee can either request to return to their previous position, or make the transition permanent, and receive compensation that matches the new responsibilities.

Not only does this strategy allow his organization to fulfill their talent needs at a relatively quick pace during a time of talent shortages, but Mr. Thielmann says it also increases employee retention, engagement, and internal communication.

“When you find that person who is able to make that lateral move it’s incredible, because they bring so much context to that team, and such a unique perspective, and it’s just super helpful,” he said.

Staff members who are moved around, meanwhile, get to explore new career paths and opportunities with minimal risk while upgrading their skills, and even potentially increasing their compensation. “A lot of people don’t know exactly where their career is going, and it’s not always easy to bounce around from job to job to find the right fit,” Mr. Thielmann said.

In a constantly evolving talent marketplace, more organizations are looking internally to fill their talent needs. This trend, dubbed “quiet hiring,” is both a response to uncertain economic conditions that have created budgetary constraints and a tight labour market that makes it challenging for employers to fill critical positions in a timely manner.

Canada’s unemployment rate reached 5.4 per cent in June, while job vacancies hit 4.4 per cent in the first quarter of the year, representing a gradual improvement from records set during the pandemic but a more challenging hiring environment compared with prepandemic norms.

“If ‘quiet quitting’ was a way that organizations were essentially losing skills and capabilities without losing head count, ‘quiet hiring’ is about adding skills and capabilities without adding head count,” explains Emily Rose McRae, a senior director analyst in the Gartner HR practice. “For a lot of organizations, it’s a much faster option and a more realistic option than hiring right now.”

The term ‘quiet hiring’ has been used previously to describe strategic talent redeployment – most notably by Google – but the trend really picked up steam in December after a report produced by Ms. McRae and her team, which named it one of the “9 Future of Work Trends for 2023.”

“We were talking about the one-two punch of talent shortage plus economic anxiety, which means a lot of organizations are feeling pressure to cut costs, or at least not raise them, at the same time that the talent market has gotten significantly more competitive,” she said. “It was a prediction in December, but almost immediately we started hearing from clients who were doing it – or wanted to be.”

The trend’s rise in popularity has not been without criticism, especially among social-media users, many of whom interpret the trend as a way for employers to save on hiring costs by overworking existing staff.

“When I hear things like that I’m always like ‘oh no, you got halfway there, and took the wrong lesson,’” Ms. McRae said. “If it is done badly – if it’s really just asking employees to take on more work without compensating them accordingly – then it’s not going to be successful, and will just lead to higher attrition, which will only make the situation worse.”

To engage in the right kind of quiet hiring Ms. McRae advises organizations to start by mapping out their strategic priorities, and identifying the additional skills or roles that will be required to reach those goals.

“Then you need to figure out who within the organization might be able to do the work, either with a little bit of upskilling, or right out of the box,” she said. “Sometimes that’s easier said than done, because one of the bigger challenges organizations have with work-force planning is knowing what skills they even have in their work force.”

Ms. McRae advises working with managers and department heads to identify potential candidates, asking employees to volunteer directly and even checking employee LinkedIn profiles for relevant work experience and skills. Ms. McRae also emphasizes the importance of keeping pay equity and DEI efforts top of mind, as moving talent around could create diversity-pipeline issues later.

“The next thing you need to be successful at this is to do some role design thought work,” Ms. McRae said. “What do you want people in this role to do? What are the tasks? What are the responsibilities?”

After identifying a potential candidate and defining the role or tasks, the next step is to engage the staff member in a constructive dialogue to determine their level of interest, what they need to be successful, and what they want in return for their efforts.

“The right way is to be open and transparent with the employee, to let them know what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and how it will benefit them,” said Janet Candido, principal of Candido Consulting Group, a Toronto-based human-resource consultancy. “The wrong way to do it, which is not uncommon, is just to pile on the extra work.”

Ms. Candido explains that employers typically engage in quiet hiring to overcome major staffing and budgetary challenges, and it’s not uncommon for leaders to instinctively hide such challenges from their staff.

Doing so, she warns, only leaves employees guessing, and their assumptions are often worse than reality. Instead, she recommends transparency, especially when it comes to commitments and timelines.

“If you’re going to ask one person to do more it spreads their work to everyone else too, so think about the impact on the person, but also the department they’re coming from, and the one they’re going to,” she said.

Ms. Candido adds that if employers can’t afford to increase salaries, they should work with affected staff members to identify other perks, such as more vacation time, remote work, or other forms of non-monetary compensation.

“Workers, especially younger ones, are very focused on work-life balance, so if you’re asking them to increase their work, you can do something to help on the life side,” she said.

While the trend may be somewhat new in Canada, Ms. Candido says that, given the current economic landscape and employment market trends, it’s one that’s likely to last.

“It’s just starting to happen,” she said. “I do think it will become more prevalent in Canada.”

CTV News Interview: What does the term 'quiet hiring' mean? These Toronto experts explain

This article was originally published in CTV News Toronto – written by Katherine DeClerq.

Months after the phrase ‘quiet quitting’ began to circulate social media, kick-starting a frenzied discussion about workplace boundaries and expectations, other similar buzzwords have started popping up.

First came quiet firing, in which an employer makes a work environment unsustainable so that a worker quits instead of the company fulfilling its termination process.

Now, the concept of “quiet hiring” is starting to become more pervasive. But what does it mean?

Similarly to the first two buzzwords, quiet hiring is not new, according to Toronto experts.

“It really only means that the organization is looking internally to find people it wants to promote,” Janet Candido, founder of Toronto-based HR firm Candido Consulting Group, said in an interview. “They're assessing their workforce and what they're looking for are employees who seem to be working not just working harder, but they're taking on job responsibilities that are beyond the scope of their own job.”

“So effectively, they've started already working on the job they want to be promoted to before the promotion.”

In these cases, employers are not promoting new positions and therefore reduce the chances of other workers feeling disgruntled when they don’t get the job, Candido added.

“They're recognizing that the person is already doing more than they were simply hired for.”

‘OTHER DUTIES AS NEEDED’

Nita Chhinzer, associate professor in the department of management at the University of Guelph, says the nature of the modern workforce is constantly changing. There is an expectation that a worker will take on tasks that may not specifically be outlined within a job description. Most businesses no longer include a specific list of tasks within job descriptions as a result. Lines such as “other duties as needed” can also be used to indicate the employee may be asked to perform roles outside of their expected scope.

However, Chhinzer adds that quiet hiring comes with its own risks. For example, there may be informal expectations that are never set by an employer, leading an employee to take on more responsibilities without the rewards.

“All employees are hoping for some form of incentive or reward, and the incentive or reward is often a pay bump or a raise, but it should happen simultaneously,” she told CTV News Toronto.

“Technically, if we're going to modify someone's job a lot, we should actually give them a new employment contract. But the truth is, in practice, jobs are fluid.”

Both Chhinzer and Candido said that a labour shortage provides employees with more leverage when it comes to having those discussions with their managers. It also could encourage companies to promote from within in order to retain the talent they have.

Employers are getting “a little bit more spooked,” Candido said.

“They might be losing employees without really realizing it. So they want to make sure they're paying attention and taking care of the people who are demonstrating more of a willingness to stay with the company and really work hard.”

The key to making quiet hiring work is communication. If a company is not transparent with their intentions, Candido says an employee may feel like they are being taken advantage of.

In these instances, it may be up to the employee to reach out and ask to be recognized for their efforts.

Chhinzer adds that employees should evaluate their capacity to add new responsibilities to their portfolio and not be afraid to ask that other tasks be removed.

“It's a desirable thing to have our jobs evolve. I think the challenge comes when new things are added without old things being taken off.”

Benefits Canada Interview: Younger workers experiencing difficulties cultivating soft skills amid rise in remote working

This article was originally published in Benefits Canada – written by Lauren Bailey.

Although there are many benefits to remote working arrangements, such as a reduced commute and improved work-life balance, younger employees who work remotely aren’t practising their soft skills and a lack of social interaction may negatively impact their professional lives in the long run, says Janet Candido, founder and principal of human resources consultancy Candido Consulting Group.

Many young employees haven’t experienced a real office environment, where spontaneous discussions often come up without scheduled virtual meetings, she says, adding if these workers don’t have the ability to cultivate their soft skills, they won’t be as effective in their roles or move forward in their careers. She cautions that this disconnection from work or lack of a pathway to leadership roles could lead to ‘quiet quitting.’

“To advance within a company, employees need face time with the people who make those decisions. If [they] can’t get that face time, it can trigger some people to just leave their companies.”

Some employers are solving this issue by moving to a hybrid working arrangement, providing employees with opportunities to learn and practice their social skills in the workplace, says Candido. However, because white-collar employees have been so isolated as a result of the coronavirus pandemic’s shift to remote working, social interactions may not happen organically in the workplace, so employers may have to be intentional about bringing people together, informally and formally through coaching.

This training can be hosted virtually as well, she says, noting as long as employees are tasked with team-building exercises and receive coaching on using their soft skills, they’ll gradually start to demonstrate those skills when they’re in group settings.

Candido believes employers are doing themselves a disservice when discussions about the return to the workplace are centred around concerns that employees aren’t as productive working from home. “They’re better off talking about the culture and career growth [opportunities] employees have when they’re part of a [team environment] and how it prepares them for the rest of their career.”

CBC News Interview: What is 'time theft' and why are some employers so worked up about it?

This article was originally published in CBC News.

It's a tense issue as companies monitor what remote employees are doing

It may be a new year, but many employers are still relying on an old tool for evaluating productivity.

That would be the clock — against which so much of work is measured, despite ongoing changes in how, where and when work gets done.

Employers and employees can sometimes butt heads over what happens on company time, but in severe cases, an employee could be accused of time theft. And this issue is growing more contentious as employers monitor what remote workers are doing outside of the confines of traditional offices. 

"Time theft is arguably an even bigger issue for employers at this time than it has been before," said Nadia Zaman, an employment lawyer with Rudner Law in Markham, Ont.

Not what you're paid to be doing

Time theft encompasses a broad range of behaviours — anything from taking longer-than-scheduled breaks or logging off early, to using work hours to do household tasks — all of which an employer would view as being contrary to what one should be doing while getting paid to work.

"Time theft is really when the person actually should be working and they're not," said Janet Candido, a Toronto-based HR consultant. "They're actively doing something else."

Zaman, looking through an employment-law lens, said it's essentially "when an employee is paid for work that they have not performed," or for time in which they were not actually working.

Many people might find themselves occasionally guilty, especially with the distractions of remote work. But the problem — and when it really becomes time theft — is when it becomes habitual.

Nita Chhinzer, an associate professor in the University of Guelph's department of management, said organizations go through a series of steps when cases of alleged time theft are identified. Once it's documented, that usually leads to progressive discipline, she said.

"It leads to a verbal warning, followed by a written warning, followed by dismissal in some cases," she said.

But Chhinzer said there are organizations that take a harder line that "theft is theft," and act decisively.

A headline-making case in Hamilton a decade ago, for instance, saw the southwestern Ontario city investigate and then take disciplinary action against dozens of municipal road workers it suspected of infractions that included time theft.

There were reports of road workers spending as little as two hours a day on the job. Some staff were fired, but most got their jobs back after arbitration.

An ongoing tension

Working life changed for millions of Canadians in 2020, when the pandemic forced organizations to send people home in a hurry. That left workers and employers having to adjust to the new circumstances.

"It's more of a problem with people working remotely, certainly," said Candido.

Zaman said there's not a lot of case law involving time theft disputes and remote work to point to yet. But the issue of time theft goes back further than that. The Canadian Legal Information Institute website (a database of legal documents) has well over 300 entries dating back to 1996 that mention the term.

"It's actually been around for a while," said Candido, who recalls advising clients, prior to the pandemic, on addressing the issue of people watching videos on cellphones during their workday.

News stories in recent years have revealed allegations of time theft being raised by a variety of employers — including an accounting firm, restaurants and municipal planning departments, and involving allegations ranging from employees billing for time they had not worked to people using their work time to conduct personal errands. 

Zaman said time theft is a broad issue that may be raised in a variety of contexts and jobs.

"Typically we see it more in the context of hourly employees because of the nature of the work. But it doesn't mean that it can't happen for salaried employees," she said.

Why the clock keeps ticking

For many employers, the clock has long been a mainstay of how they keep tabs on what's getting done.

"Most employers don't know how to measure productivity in any other way," said Candido, the HR expert, noting that stance has spurred more of them to employ software to monitor the activity of employees who are working at home.

Organizations are using such tools to determine if the person who has logged onto their computer is actually doing work, she said. Just last week, The Canadian Press reported that a tribunal ordered a British Columbia accountant to pay her former employer more than $2,600 after a tracking software showed she engaged in time theft while working from home.

The University of Guelph's Chhinzer said this approach is rooted in "legacy thinking" about jobs being built around a strict schedule and a defined exchange of a certain amount of money for a certain amount of time worked.

"That's how we have thought about jobs for so long," said Chhinzer, who recently wrote in The Conversation Canada about the flaws of such clock-focused thinking.

It's also not the way that a lot of knowledge workers go about their work, she said.

"If we can find ways to be more productive, then we should still be compensated and rewarded to the same level for completing the work, without being penalized for our productivity," she said.

Eroded trust

Paul Hutton, who works out of the Greater Toronto area, is a director in a private-sector company — a job that involves managing dozens of employees.

With a background in sales, he says he's long been used to working in an environment where people were successfully working outside an office.

While he says he gets that some companies may have previously had concerns about having people working from home, it's clear to him that it can work.

"You can achieve results ... you can do this remotely," he said, noting it involves putting trust in employees.

"Trust and honesty are critical," said Zaman, the employment lawyer, noting they may be even more so in situations where someone works outside of an office.

From Candido's perspective, the working world is seeing a broader erosion of the relationship between employers and their employees "starting with the pandemic and it's just getting worse and worse."

Benefits Canada Interview: Employers can use ‘Blue Monday’ to reset workplace mental-health strategies

This article was originally published in Benefits Canada.

The third Monday in January, also known as ‘Blue Monday,’ is considered to be the saddest day of the year, as people contend with frigid weather and higher-than-normal credit cards bills from the holiday season.

Employers can use this occasion to check in with employees and plan their mental-health strategies for the year, says Janet Candido, principal and founder of Candido Consulting Group Inc., adding it’s a great time to remind staff of the well-being support tools available to them, such as employee assistance programs.

Employers can also host lunch-and-learn sessions on stress management and coping with anxiety or financial pressures, she says. And for employers with retirement savings or pension plans, their providers will often send a financial expert, at no additional cost, to speak to employees.

The Alberta School Employee Benefit Plan is one employer taking this opportunity to remind employees about its EAP and the resources available through the platform. Blue Monday is also a good time to remind employees that their benefits maximums reset in January, says Anna MacDonald, human resources director at the ASEBP.

The organization constantly aims to normalize taking mental-health days and ingraining the practice within the company’s culture. The process requires leadership training, she says, noting it’s imperative that leaders are able to have those conversations with their team members, especially as employees contend with rising inflation and other financial stressors.

The ASEPB is also focusing on providing its management team with training in diversity, equity and inclusion. “We know that inclusive workplaces create wellness for employees,” says MacDonald. “It goes back to that concept of creating a safe space for people to be open with their leaders.”

Indeed, the organization is hosting its holiday party in February to appeal to all employees, in recognition that not everyone celebrates Christmas. It also introduced a floating holiday that employees can use to observe days of personal significance or religious holidays, plus another day to volunteer at an organization of their choosing. “There are . . . little things you can do to feed into wellness for employees,” says MacDonald, noting these small steps meant a lot to employees.

When employers focus on mental health and well-being in the workplace, it tells staff their company is a safe place where they can talk openly about their issues and get the supports they need, says Candido, noting employees are less likely to leave their employer when they feel supported and respected.

Although Blue Monday is a great starting point for employers to assess the well-being of their workers, it isn’t an overnight process, she cautions. “This is the beginning of an intervention that normalizes mental health in the workplace and employers will start to see the impact of their steps moving forward.”

Similarly, MacDonald says employers have a year-round responsibility to support employee mental health. “I think that really starts with creating a culture [around a] psychologically healthy workplace, . . . especially around leadership.”

CBC News Interview: Companies embraced technology to work remotely during the pandemic — now they're using it for layoffs

This article was originally published in CBC News.

Using email or video calls to deliver bad news fails to factor in the people on the receiving end, workers say

It was stressful enough for Fionn Kellas to suddenly lose their retail job. But getting the news via WhatsApp message rather than in-person made it worse.

"It was an absolute shock to me," said Kellas, recalling the hurt of being dismissed in a way that felt so abrupt and cold.

Months later, the memory of being laid off from a Toronto-area candy store is still painful for Kellas.

"I was crying."

Using technology to deliver this kind of bad news — whether via email, video call or similar tools — is an approach some organizations embraced during the pandemic, but employees and experts say it fails to factor in the people on the receiving end of job losses. 

"I think it's another example of us really not getting our heads wrapped around the best use of technology," said Paula Allen, a senior vice-president of research and total well-being at human resources firm LifeWorks.

Logging on for layoffs 

Thousands of employees at tech companies Meta and Twitter recently learned of confirmation of their layoffs in emails.

This was months after hundreds of U.K. ferry workers were fired via Zoom call. Workers at online car retailer Carvana learned of large job cuts in a similar manner in the spring.

While such mass terminations at large firms have made headlines, it's not just big business using these tools to part ways with staff.

For Kellas, the jarring WhatsApp-delivered news of employment loss came from the small store's manager.

"I've moved on from it, but it still is kind of a 'What the F?' kind of situation," said Kellas, who noted the manager could have made the moment a little less harsh by calling instead. 

But a phone call may not be that welcome in all cases either.

Kelsee Douglas learned she was losing her job at a Saskatchewan hearing clinic halfway through her workday last winter. 

First came an electronic message notifying her of a surprise meeting. Then came the phone meeting, during which she was told her employment was coming to an end — immediately.

"I was really, really shocked," said Douglas, who had been in the job for two and a half years. 

Allen, the HR firm leader, said it's key that organizations provide employees with support — such as counselling and career coaching — as they adjust to their new reality.

She cautioned that employers may not know the full set of personal circumstances people are facing at the time of a layoff or termination notice — nor do they know how hard employees will take the news.

"A lot of people are dealing with many issues and coming into the office every single day and this is the one straw that makes it very difficult for them to see their next step."

A pandemic uptick

Sixteen years ago, consumer electronics retailer RadioShack notified 400 employees they were losing their jobs via email. 

Back then, prominent labour leader Bruce Raynor called it an "outrageous way to treat human beings."

But it's seemingly become more common, especially during the pandemic. 

Cannabis company Canopy Growth used a Zoom announcement to lay off 200 employees back in 2020. 

Just last year, 900 people at Better.com learned they were being let go during a much-criticized Zoom call.

And 700 people at Swedish payment company Klarna were told about cuts in a recorded message in May, after which employees reportedly had to wait for an email to find out if they were affected.

Janet Candido, a Toronto-based HR consultant, said she hopes the remote termination approach "doesn't become commonplace."

She said the use of these methods seems to have expanded during the pandemic. As a greater number of people began to use these tools to work remotely, that same technology was being used to let some of them go. 

Camilla Boyer, a U.K.-based executive communications consultant, believes globalization has also contributed. 

"Companies with employees spread out across the world don't have the option to gather everyone in one room or meet with them face-to-face in an office the way it may previously have been done," said Boyer, who has helped advise firms on layoffs in the past.

"That has given rise to the increased use of technology in carrying out reductions in force," she said in an email. 

Room for improvement

"I think the practice has good and bad sides," Martha Maznevski, a professor of organizational behaviour at Western University in London, Ont., told CBC News via email.

Maznevski said the process is "completely dispassionate and cold" and leaves little goodwill among departing employees. But it may also be an efficient way to share key information, particularly in organizations that are spread out geographically.

Nadia Zaman, an employment lawyer with Rudner Law in Markham, Ont., said "employers should be cautious in carrying out dismissals via video or other similar methods."

Aspects of these tools, she noted, may allow an employer to have discussions in a private and confidential manner.

In the long-term, Allen doesn't expect these practices to go away — people will continue to be hired remotely and let go in the same way in some cases. 

No matter what the circumstances, she said consideration of the person should be at the centre of the process.

"I think it's the how it's done that needs a little bit more care." 

The Toronto Star Interview - ‘Tensions are definitely increasing:’ How forcing teams back to the office could backfire

This article was originally published for The Toronto Star.

Employers need to remain flexible with their back-to-the-office demands or they risk losing employees, HR experts say

Amanda felt she had no choice but to quit her job last spring when she was diagnosed with a chronic illness at the same she was asked to return to the office when COVID-19 cases were spiking.

The Winnipeg-based non-profit where she worked for seven years had lifted its mandatory mask requirements and Amanda, not her real name, had been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome. She feared being left bed ridden for weeks or even months if she caught COVID-19.

Nonetheless, when her workplace asked employees to come in at least twice a week, she tried it for brief period of time.

“It was extremely stressful and I was constantly worrying about my health,” she said. “I was really disappointed. I know there were other people who also felt unsafe going maskless.”

Despite repeatedly raising her concerns to her supervisor, nothing changed. So she found another job that allowed her to work remotely full-time.

As the government eases pandemic restrictions, employers are expecting workers to return to the office. But human resource experts are warning companies to remain flexible with their back-to-the-office demands or they risk losing employees.

Employers “need to recognize people are concerned about coming back. They may be immunocompromised, or they may have immunocompromised people at home. They have very real reasons for not wanting to come back to work, so they need to respect those concerns,” said Janet Candido, a human resources specialist and owner of Candido Consulting Group, which provides HR services to 125 organizations.

“Tensions are definitely increasing between employees and employers,” Candido said.

But she urges employers to be more flexible. Unemployment is low and recruiting new talent could be difficult.

“Both sides are become very entrenched in their positions and raising tension. Employers are finding it very hard to hire at all levels,” Candido said.

To ease any brewing conflict, Candido advises employers to be compassionate and understanding of their employees concerns. She suggests setting up mental health supports and making masks mandatory in the office at the very least.

The number of job vacancies in Canada has reached a record high of nearly one million, while the unemployment rate remains low, Statistics Canada reported.

The combination could make employees less hesitant to leave companies that implement strict back-to-work policies or that fail to address health concerns.

As companies come under pressure to offer higher compensation to staff and to recruit skilled workers, the national average base salary increase for 2023 is projected at 4.2 per cent, according to a recent survey from consulting firm Eckler Ltd.

A recent survey by productivity software company OSlash about the “great disconnect” between bosses and workers found that 60 per cent of employers said they would offer employees a hybrid work schedule if they declined to return to the office.

Only 20 per cent would let employees go back to full time remote working.

Of the 800 work-from-home employees and 200 business leaders surveyed, nearly 80 per cent of remote workers believe their employers would fire them if they said “no” to a return-to-office mandate.

Meanwhile, 78 per cent of employees surveyed said they would be willing to take a pay cut to continue working from home, with Gen Z respondents being the most willing to do so.

“There’s a massive competition for talent for Canadian employers,” said Melissa Nightingale, co-founder of management training firm Raw Signal Group.

Nightingale cautioned that forcing resistant employees to go back to their pre-pandemic lives may drive away talent at a time when companies might be short staffed and when employees have “other opportunities that are often with direct competitors.”

The global shock of the pandemic has made people much more aware that anything can change at any given time, said Shimi Kang, a clinical associate professor at the University of British Columbia’s psychiatry department.

“People are rethinking their priorities including how they spend their time and their days. We’re seeing this play out in the ‘Great Resignation’ which has people choosing a better work-life balance,” Kang said.

Mental health concerns are another factor, said Kang.

“There’s increased anxiety, many people are burnt out and need a break and there are these big existential questions. People lost loved ones during the pandemic or fear losing loved ones,” she said.

“All of this makes people rethink how they spend their time. If the workplace isn’t a place of joy and connection and performance, then there definitely would be less interest in staying there.”

The Globe and Mail Interview: Employers increasing salaries as talent shortage and inflation persist

Read the full interview in The Globe and Mail.

Employers across the country are increasing wages and projecting future salary bumps into their budgets amid inflationary pressure and a continuing talent shortage that shows little sign of easing in the near future.

Janet Candido, a long-time human resources professional who runs a consulting business in Toronto that advises employers on HR issues, told The Globe and Mail she is increasingly encountering employees who are demanding wage increases that match inflation. “I had to deal with an employee, who works in financial services, who wants an 8-per-cent salary increase, after getting a 5-per-cent salary increase last year. The employer told her, ‘Look, we can’t do that, but we can give you more time off.’ But I am fully expecting the employee to start looking for other jobs,” Ms. Candido said.

One way employers are navigating the demand for higher salaries is to offer better benefits and higher bonuses, Ms. Candido said. “I’m seeing HR professionals getting more creative with compensation packages. They are expanding health spending accounts, or improving mental-health benefits.”

'I'm not coming back!' How to recall reluctant employees – Interview in HRD

This article was originally published by HRD Canada.

In the Great Resignation, should leaders take risks with harsh return policies?

Thinking of recalling your employees to the office? Be warned – there’s no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach here. That’s according to leading HR consultant Janet Candido. Speaking to HRD, she revealed that HR leaders really need to tread carefully when looking at their remits.

“Everyone’s circumstances are different, and we can’t put them all in the same box,” she explained. “Some have children who may need to stay home from school if they exhibit symptoms; some are around elderly or immunocompromised family members at home.

“Employers, ask yourself – do you really need everyone to work out of the office? If the answer is ‘yes’, do you need them to be in every day? Think about the specific times you need people to be in the office – for instance, for project meetings, staff meetings or brainstorming sessions. Once you determine that, if feasible, perhaps say you need employees to be in the office at these times but are willing to remain flexible the rest of the time when a project meeting, for example, isn’t happening.”

This tug of war between employers insistent on an in-office return and their people who swear they can work just as well (or better) at home has been raging since lockdowns lifted. And HR is stuck firmly, and awkwardly, in the middle. For some, the middle ground of hybrid work has brought some relief – but it’s still not smooth sailing.

“I recommend that employers think beyond what is strictly legal and consider the emotional impact the past two years have had on employees,” added Candido. “While some are eager to return to the office full time, there are others who want a hybrid model or some don’t even want to come in at all. And they all have different reasons – comfort, fear, exhaustion. That’s why it’s a good idea to consider a period of transition that allows employees to ease into working in the office and make it a defined period of time.”

For example, employers may claim they’re are working towards having everyone back in the office as of January 1st. With that in mind, implement a flexible schedule – start with two days, then gradually move to three days, then to four.

There’s also the legalities of office recalls that HR needs to consider with care. Setting aside whether or not it’s a good idea to ‘alienate’ your people by stipulating in-office models, are you actually allowed to demand a full return to work?

“The employer has the right to determine where work will be performed,” stated Stuart Rudner, founder of Rudner Law, told HRD. "The only way that will change is if there's something in the contract (written, verbal or based on past practice) that says, for example, that the employee has the right to work from home - or has the right to choose where they work. Otherwise, even if they’ve worked from home temporarily due to the pandemic, it's still at the employer’s discretion to require a return to the workplace."

But even in the best of circumstances, you’re bound to encounter a couple of employees that are adamant in their fears of the office recall. And when these refusals centre around health concerns, HR needs to sit up and listen. 

“Ask the employee what will make them more comfortable – can you work with that?” explained Candido. “Resist the temptation to become entrenched in your position. When that happens, you are less likely to come to a mutual understanding and may breed resentment. It’s also important to continue the dialogue so employees feel like their concerns are being heard. Lastly, provide access to mental health resources that will help employees overcome their concerns.”

‘It’s not a support function any more, it’s a leadership function’: How the pandemic changed the role of HR – The Globe and Mail

Read the full interview in The Globe and Mail.

Until recently, human resources was largely dedicated to administrative tasks. Today, however, the department is core to business operations, as teams add new positions, adopt new skills and use new technologies to meet the needs of a rapidly changing work force.

Janet Candido explains that during the initial pandemic-caused transition to remote work, there was a general sense that such changes would be temporary. As restrictions eased and resignation rates skyrocketed, employee management, flexible work policies and recruiting became a top priority for organizations in Canada and around the world, she says.

“We have a labour shortage. Right now employees want what they want, and if you’re not prepared to give it to them they will go somewhere that will.”

Employees, who have spent much of the past two years under lockdown restrictions, are looking for more freedom, flexibility and greater mental health support. They also expect their employers to address pressing social issues head on.

The transition to hybrid work, a widespread mental health crisis, a reckoning on racial injustice, and the “Great Resignation” each brought significant challenges to HR practitioners, as well as opportunities. Meeting these moments, however, would have been nearly impossible with the resources, processes and tools that had historically been allocated to the department, according to Ms. Candido. Now, business leaders are making changes on several fronts for practitioners within HR. Many relate to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG).

Visit the link to read the full article.

Does Ontario's paid sick leave go far enough? – Interview in HRD Canada

This article was originally published by HRD Canada.

The plan may be great for overall wellbeing, but what about employees who fall through the cracks?

Late last month, the Government of Ontario announced an extension to their paid sick leave program – applicable to March 2023. And while it’s good news for employees worried about picking between their income and their wellbeing, does the proposed scheme really go far enough?

“The government will reimburse the employer for three days but the mandatory isolation period is five days – furthermore, it’s possible for an individual to catch COVID more than once,” explained Janet Candido, founder of Candido Consulting Group. “Under these scenarios, employers may have an individual coming to work while still sick because they can’t afford to lose the wages.

“A bigger issue with the program is that employees (or their families) get other illnesses that they should stay home for, however the government won’t reimburse the employer for an employee staying home with a cold, for example. This means that the employee will go into work and spread that virus around to their colleagues. The pandemic really made the public conscientious of spreading viruses and illnesses to others, so it’s important to continue with this mentality and provide alternative solutions for sick employees so they don’t have to choose between not getting paid or going into the office sick and getting others ill.”

And COVID isn’t employers’ only concern right now. The recent rise of hybrid colds are having a knock-on effect on employees and their work attendance. With Ontario gearing up for the winter months, and with them the inevitable peak in illnesses, employers really need to start considering upping their game when it comes to wellbeing leave.

“Many employees don’t have the luxury of paid sick days from their employer, so if they don’t work, they don’t get paid,” added Candido. “The lack of a paid sick day program disproportionately affects low-income workers. As many of these employees can’t afford to lose one or more days of pay, this will result in them going to work, risking the spread of the virus to their colleagues.

“When looking back to pre-pandemic days, there was one year throughout the winter where a cold virus made its rounds in my office. Most of us caught it two or three times that year. A reason being that many people didn't have enough sick days and couldn’t afford to have unpaid days while they were sick.”

As the past two years brought us the harsh reality of the global impact of a virus, it’s crucial to have a permanent sick day program to avoid spreading these viruses further and risk severe viral outbreaks such as COVID, where it brings on additional challenges such as business closures and travel disruptions.

Return to work policies

For HR leaders, the issue is less about ‘policy’ and more about overall wellbeing. If the pandemic taught us anything it’s that, in order to retain top talent, organizations need to be sincere in their health offerings. One-size-fits-all approaches aren’t enough for tired employees – and they certainly won’t help employers win candidates in the Great Reengagement. Flexibility is key here – as Candido suggests asking yourself these very important questions before blanket recalling staff;

• Do employees really need to be in the office?

• Do they need to be in the office full time? If not, can a hybrid approach work? 

• How can we successfully implement a hybrid approach? I.e., assign in-office days, in-office by team or let employees choose.

• What can you do to support employees returning to work?

“Employers need to remember that this has been a long period of disruption,” she explained. “Mentalities have changed so it’s a good idea to consider a staged return to the office to allow employees to build confidence and get them comfortable. Also, ask employees what it will take to make them comfortable coming back to the office and be flexible and prepared to make accommodations throughout.”

Making accommodations

If an employee is genuinely uncomfortable about return to the office, HR leaders should look at making some sort of accommodation. Look at rolling out flexible working schedules, take note of commuting fears, allow for more remote models – and most of all ensure that your workplace is up to health and safety codes.

“HR and employers can implement a transition period that allows employees to ease back to the office,” Candido told HRD. “It’s also important to be completely open and transparent so employees trust you have their health and safety in mind. This means, continue to be diligent in enforcing the COVID protocols in place – be visible with the extra cleaning and masking requirements – and track the cases of employees who have tested positive and advise anyone who was in the office at the same time to self-monitor or test.”

640 Toronto Interview with The Kelly Cutrara Radio Program: Is it time Canadian companies finally embraced the 4-day work week?

With Ontario lifting mask mandates on TTC and in healthcare settings (doctor’s offices and hospitals), along with the rise of monkeypox, employers are once again facing the reality that some employees are still not comfortable with returning to the workplace.

Host Kelly Cutrara speaks with Janet Candido, HR expert and founder & principal of Candido Consulting Group, about how HR and employers can support/accommodate employees who aren’t comfortable with the office return due to health concerns, the benefits of enforcing a four-day workweek, salary increases due to inflation and employee retention, and more. Listen to the full interview below:

Employers should walk, not run back to onsite working: experts - Janet Candido Interviewed in Benefits Canada

Read the full interview in Benefits Canada.

More than two years after the coronavirus pandemic shifted many white-collar employees to remote working, some employers are planning their return to the office — even if it means bringing staff back kicking and screaming.

“Employers need to understand their employees more than they have in the past when they just offered a salary and a standard benefits program,” says Janet Candido, founder and principal of Candido Consulting Group.

During the last two years, employees have only interacted with colleagues through virtual calls, so a transitional, hybrid period will give them time to adjust to in-person interactions again, she points out. And there are positive aspects of telecommuting that have made the working environment more pleasant for some staff, including fewer microaggressions and unconscious bias for minorities, more accessibility for employees with disabilities and more work-life balance for caregivers. A hybrid working arrangement would also help reduce employees’ stress about the impending return, she adds.

Candido cautions that reverting back to old processes and policies after a disruption such as the current public health crisis isn’t always wise. She believes it’s an opportunity to evaluate whether past decisions and practices still make sense, noting employers can leverage data and performance metrics to build new policies.

In addition, it’s important for employers to consider whether remote working has impacted their businesses negatively, says Candido, referring to considerations like revenue streams, employee productivity, quality of work and employee engagement.

As monkeypox spreads, should employers be concerned? - Janet Candido interviewed by OHS Canada

Read the the full article in OHS Canada.

Monkeypox is now active and spreading in Canada, with 26 confirmed cases according to the most recent data from the Public Health Agency of Canada. With more than 250 reported cases in 23 countries – and on-going studies and discoveries about the disease – it may leave employers wondering about risks to their business, particularly as we’re just returning to normal following two plus years of COVID protocols.

More sick time likely

According to Janet Candido, founder and principal of Candido Consulting Group, the impact to business will circle back to the likelihood that more sick time will be taken – whether paid or unpaid – and that the anxiety about a new virus lurking can develop disruptive behavior in employees, in turn “impacting everybody’s ability to get the work done.”

The workplace landscape shows that employers and employees have gradually adjusted to the new ways business is done – hybrid work, and mask requirements included. However, Candido noted there are still “a significant number of employees who are less enthusiastic about returning to work.”

“There are a few reasons to that, and the main factors remain as the fear of getting sick and the unwillingness to adjust what has been comfortable for them in the past two years. It’s both specific to fear and comfort level,” said Candido.

With the spread of the monkeypox virus, Candido said it is vital for employers to keep communication to keeping safety procedures in place and recognize that not everybody in their workforce is ready to come back to work “like it was 2019 again.”

The future of work: The workplace trends that are here to stay

This article was originally written for and published in CEOWorld Magazine.

As we’re approaching better times ahead, employers are planning for the future of work. There are a lot of questions and conversations surrounding workplace trends and how organizations plan to move forward.

Prior to the pandemic, there may have been employers who were reluctant to initiate a work-from-home culture/policy for several reasons. One of them being that it was difficult to fully trust that employees were capable of being productive with all the distractions at home – i.e. kids, pets, electronics, etc. At the office, managers are able to physically see their staff in the office, at their desks, doing their job, reassuring them that they were getting the job done. There was also the notion that in-person meetings and collaboration were invaluable and could not be done remotely.

However, once the initial stay-at-home order hit back in March 2020, employers were forced to quickly adapt to a whole new way of working while equipping their teams with a home office setup. The result – employees continued to be just as, if not more, productive from the comfort of their own home. The pandemic completely changed the notion of the office and changed the mindsets of both employers and employees.

Workplace trends:

Work-life balance

The pandemic has created a shift where a flexible work-life balance has now become the norm, making it imperative for a company to prioritize and integrate it into the company’s culture as we transition through the return-to-workplace period.

During the pandemic, employees started to observe the things they value most, in not just a workplace, but also in the quality of life that was available to them at their current company. Over the past two years, we’ve seen a mass number of employees switching careers/jobs and this is a big indicator of this. With more employees re-evaluating their current job and looking for alternative opportunities that suit their work-life balance needs, HR professionals are finding it a particularly difficult time recruiting and retaining top quality talent.

Now more than ever, employees are more focused on working for an organization that matches their values so employers will have to work harder to engage their employees and attract new talent. With this in mind, one of the workplace trends we can expect to see is companies being more creative in their offerings to employees, such as the opportunity to work somewhere abroad for a period of time where the employer could potentially subsidize the cost. In addition, 4-day workweeks look to be another offering that may become available to employees in the future. Companies like Bolt, Buffer and G2i are trialing or already started offering a four-day workweek to their employees, which has shown positive results in employee productivity and retention, as finding work-life balance becomes increasingly important over time.

Workplace flexibility 

In order to retain employees during a return-to-workplace transition, employers will need to create a plan that takes into account both the needs of the business and those of the employees, allowing for accommodation – within reason. A 2021 report from Accenture revealed that 61 per cent of Canadians prefer a hybrid or remote work model, so if the business is able to work within these structures, this would be a reasonable accommodation to ensure talent retention.

For the future of work, one of the trends that employers should take note of is “flexibility”, in all its forms. For instance, the one-size-fits-all approach will no longer work as employees have proven their capabilities without being at the office from 9 to 5 and under constant surveillance. However, while there are a number of employees who prefer working from home, there are also those who look forward to returning to the office where they can have a separate space from their personal life. That’s why, as organizations begin to navigate the office return, employers should remain flexible in various approaches to ensure their employees are satisfied with the decision and company policy. Employers should have the ability to offer employees a choice of onsite, hybrid or fully remote while maintaining the work of the business. If employees choose a hybrid work style, employers will need to determine how to schedule the hybrid option and if they need to reconfigure the office layout. Providing these options to employees will allow them to choose a work style that will allow them to do their job to the best of their ability and keep them engaged.

Personalized benefits/perks

Fairness and flexibility in the workplace will create a positive corporate culture, while also preventing employee burnout – just another reason why many Canadians are uprooting their careers in favor of jobs where these “perks” are present. As a result, another key workplace trend will include an increase of personalized benefits/perks – meaning not simply the flex plans of the past 20 years, but more likely something that will allow employees to design their own plan. During the stay-at-home orders, mental health conversations have grown and become more normalized. Now, mental health has become top of mind after employees, managers, CEOs, etc. experienced a traumatic, isolated and unpredictable event together. According to combined data from Statistics Canada’s labor force survey and Canadian income survey, for the Canadians who were employed during the first four months of 2021, more than one in five (21.5 per cent) had a physical, mental health, cognitive or other disability – when compared to 2019, there was an increase of 2.7 percentage points (18.8 per cent), continuing a long-term upward trend associated with population aging and other factors. Creating awareness surrounding wellness and mental health will be a significant workplace trend that we’ll see more of across various organizations.

Individualized leadership models 

The pandemic took a toll on people’s mental health, causing increased stress and anxiety. As a result of the past two years, employees are looking for a different style of leader than prior to the pandemic. For instance, the World Economic Forum states that employees want to be seen as a whole individual, acknowledging their lives outside of work. This means having a leader who is more compassionate, empathetic and authentic, and willing to listen, learn and adapt. During the countless Zoom and Team calls, we’ve seen into people’s homes more intimately than ever before – we’ve seen their in-home office setup, children trying to learn remotely, pets in the background, etc. – and have seen the everyday stresses both employees and employers endured because of this traumatic event. Going forward, a trend we can expect to see evolving in the workplace is having leaders navigate through a newer leadership technique where they’ll be more mindful and understanding of the impact on their employees. This means providing a more individualized model of leadership, adapting to offer employees what they need.

Planning for disruption: How to manage employees through the back-to-school transition during COVID-19

This article was originally published in HR.com

With many children returning to school for the first time since the pandemic, many employers are exploring how to best accommodate working parents as they navigate through so many unknowns.

Already a stressful situation for families under normal circumstances, this year, the return to school is fraught with additional hurdles and anxiety. For some, it may signal a return to business as usual. But factors including inconsistent government guidelines, limited childcare options and obligations to keep kids at home at any sign of sickness means that employers looking to retain their workforce should be proactive in planning for disruption.

Accommodating working parents
But how far should employers or managers go to accommodate employees with children? The answer is as far as is reasonably possible; there is nothing to be gained by being inflexible or worse, threatening. Working parents are already experiencing heightened anxiety, fear of making a wrong decision, and dealing with kids who may also be anxious and restless given the pandemic’s restrictions.

It’s not that these employees are unwilling to work or are less productive, they are just simply unable to keep the same schedule/hours as before. In most cases, they are still able to maintain their performance and meet deadlines when working remotely or outside of the traditional 9-5 workday.  Numerous studies have shown that flexible hours promote a greater work-life balance, resulting in employees who are not only more productive, but also happier. In the case of shift workers, this may mean adjusting schedules or rotating employees, when possible. Keep in mind that what works for some will not work for others.  And what works today may not work next week. 

An employer who is flexible and supportive will make it easier for employees to be successful in their role, and they will also gain greater loyalty from them.

What employers can reasonably expect
Of course, this isn’t just a one-way street. Employers have a business to run that pays for employees’ salaries and depends on their productivity and mutual good faith. Naturally, employers can expect their employees to make every effort to do the job for which they are being paid. Employees must also be realistic in their expectations of their employer, be equally flexible and work together to find a solution or make concessions where possible.

Employers can also expect employees to be honest about their situation, whether related to meeting responsibilities or – especially at this time – any potential exposure to, or positive test results for, COVID-19. Children’s return to school can present new opportunities for exposure and employees are responsible for following their employer’s directions regarding reporting to work and workplace health procedures.

Certainly, there are times when making accommodations for employees may not make sense or just cannot be done. This includes situations where the work is time-based or process-driven, when a specific accommodation may endanger someone else or is cost-prohibitive, or when an employee is unwilling to adapt as necessary.

Strategies to maintain productivity
Good management practices are more important than ever to help maintain productivity and engagement. Parents in particular are juggling many responsibilities and competing priorities. With many people working from home, managers will need to be extra aware of factors that can impact motivation, starting with environment. Employees should have an appropriate, private workspace at home. If they need specific or proprietary software, provide a computer for business use with the necessary features to facilitate their role.  Other important strategies include:

• Introduce flexible hours.  This is applicable whether an employee is at their home or in the office. Working parents may have to work in the evening or are only able to handle part time hours, so flexibility around school/day care schedules can help with productivity. 

• Maintain a connection. Beyond regular contact to discuss performance and other work-related issues, it’s important to stay in touch with the team for informal conversation. Make regular calls just to ask how they are doing, how are they finding this time, and how are they managing with the challenges of the pandemic.

• Pay attention to wellbeing.  Now more than ever, it’s critical for managers and employers to recognize symptoms of stress such as irritability, sadness or low mood leading to decreased productivity. Provide stress relieving tips and remind employees of their group benefits, access to employee assistance programs (EAP) or other counselling services and communicate the resources available through associations such as the Canadian Mental Health Association.

• Get social - virtually. With many people living and working at home alone, social activities and team building exercises – even if only online – can help maintain motivation and provide a sense of community. Plan for social activities, encourage employees to share their hobbies, for example, post their artwork, photography, or volunteer activities, or even trivia games via video-conferencing calls can add some fun to their work. 

It bears repeating that this is an unprecedented and challenging time. By working together to find mutually acceptable solutions while being sensitive to individual circumstances, employers and managers can proactively plan for disruption to continue to get the best out of their employees – and their business.

Should you care if your employees are happy?

There is such a thing as the Global Happiness Report, and it was released at the World Government Summit earlier this year. Among other things, it notes that in the workplace, employee happiness has a marked impact on productivity, and companies with higher levels of employee well-being tend to do better in terms of stock market performance and growth. It makes a compelling business case for promoting worker wellbeing and employers should pay attention.  

While it’s not news that higher levels of wellbeing – in terms of job satisfaction – is associated with higher morale and thus productivity, what is new is the recognition that an employee’s emotional state at work can drive performance. This concept is based on the Emotion theory that suggests higher levels of positive emotions will lead to better performance when it comes to creativity, interpersonal tasks and decision making.  

So, what does this mean, practically speaking, and should happiness be a responsibility of employers?

Are your employees happy?

While they certainly don’t bear 100% of the responsibility, employers do play a role in supporting an employee’s happiness. To a certain extent, the business’ success depends on it, given that employee wellbeing ultimately has an impact on your bottom line. A look at the business indicators will often reveal whether something is amiss – or whether improvements can be made. If your company is not meeting its key performance goals or achieving your strategy, if turnover is high, recruitment efforts are difficult or customer loyalty is low, then there’s likely a problem you need to address.

Employees need to connect with their co-workers and this requires time for social interaction. They need adequate vacation time, a supportive environment, resources to effectively do their job and, ideally, autonomy over their schedule. All of this is determined by the culture that an employer dictates, which always comes from the top.

For example, if a leader is miserable and doesn’t communicate or engage with anyone beyond the executive team, doesn’t care about his/her employees or tolerates toxic behaviour, this will permeate across the organization. Furthermore, people pay attention to what you do, not what you say, and will spot a discrepancy between the two. A CEO or manager who espouses work-life balance yet sends emails after working hours is signalling to employees that they are expected to respond right away. If you never take time off or work through lunches, if you don’t champion wellbeing or provide a supportive environment, employees will notice and believe that is what is expected of them.

 People who aren’t happy at work are only doing the bare minimum or enough to get by. By contrast, the report shows that a “meaningful increase in well-being yields, on average, an increase in productivity of about 10%.” What’s more, positive emotions lead to higher levels of creativity and cognitive flexibility – meaning happy employees have a greater number of diverse thoughts and ideas that contribute more value to the business.

What you can do

Having the right culture in place is a good starting point, but happiness isn’t just defined by table tennis in the lunch room. A benchmarking survey can establish a baseline of happiness and tease out areas for improvement. These can be repeated at intervals to measure the impact of any new strategies that have been implemented. Use questions that point to factors of wellbeing, such as: “what opportunities exist to connect with your co-workers?”, “do you feel you are appropriately recognized for your contribution to your department?”, and “do you feel you have an adequate work/life balance?”

Employers can look to the top small and medium employers (SMEs) in Canada who are leading the way when it comes to HR innovation and alternative work options. This includes a holistic approach to employee wellbeing, everything from financial counselling, career development and flexible health plans to maternity and parental leave top-up payments. Additional initiatives to consider include:

·       Wellness programs - These can be very effective, and many don’t have a large price tag attached. It can be as simple as lunch and learns on health topics, yoga classes, or even access to online tools that address a wide range of mental and physical issues that can negatively impact performance.  These programs indicate an interest in your employees’ wellbeing.  It is important that the executive(s) participate in the wellness activities to tangibly demonstrate their commitment, otherwise it’s an empty gesture. 

·       Policies for work-life balance - It’s critical to implement – and champion – wellbeing. Jobs are designed to be done during a regular 8-hour workday, without requiring consistent overtime. Make sure that employees use their vacation time. Assuming someone is already well or fairly compensated, increasing their salary is not the only lever for adjusting happiness and works only in the short term. Respecting the need for employees to have adequate downtime does more to impact employee well being in the long term.

·       Employee recognition - Good communication and involving employees as much as possible are best practices that contribute to their sense of purpose in the organization. Ensure a good match between their skills and the work they do, and how it aligns to the overall company purpose. Implement robust, authentic recognition programs that show you value their contribution.  Such practices must be authentic otherwise employees will perceive them to be manipulative.

I have seen the impact of employee happiness on company performance in practice. One client I worked with had an ineffective management team that did not display good work behaviours, which created an unpleasant work environment that resulted in poor financial performance. When that team was removed, those who stepped up into the roles had better attitudes, better work ethic and better relationships with staff. It quickly became obvious that employees were more relaxed, happier and had more clarity around their roles. Firm profitability and employee productivity went way up very quickly with virtually no turnover. In another organization, we adopted a focus on results which included a flexible work schedule, telecommuting and an unlimited vacation policy.  Far from being taken advantage of, our biggest problem that has resulted is that we have to chase people to use the time off. 

Ensuring employee happiness doesn’t mean giving them everything they want. It means providing the tools, resources and environment in which they can do the best job they can, recognizing their contributions and having adequate supports in place to enhance their wellbeing. The ROI is the happy result on your bottom line.  

Globe and Mail: Why and how to overhaul the annual performance review

This article was originally published in the Globe and Mail

It’s no secret that the annual review stirs anxiety among employees as well as their managers, who usually dread its tediousness and potential for confrontation. Yet despite being widely documented as ineffective and demotivating, the annual review remains a continued practice with changes over the years made only to the format and tone.

What it really needs is an actual overhaul.

Today’s reality is that, for the first time in history, any given company may have multiple generations working alongside each other, with millennials influencing as much change on policy and procedures as their boomer predecessors did.

These differences bring their own challenges, especially when older workers may find themselves reporting to someone younger. In addition, the increased pace of modern business has led to new and rapidly changing roles, making the traditional annual review an antiquated exercise, at best.

While a formal, on-the-record summary of performance is still necessary, the annual review should be just a step in a continual process of performance management throughout the year. Employers must shift their mindset as to the performance review’s function and value for the employee, while balancing the individual needs of each generation in the workplace when it comes to the following three points:

CADENCE OF CHECK-INS

Thanks to the digital age we have all come to expect instant responses. And having grown up in an era of “instant gratification” from social media, instant messaging and text, millennials and their younger counterparts are especially more likely than older workers to require constant feedback and more frequent check-ins.

This is actually a good thing.

While managers have long been encouraged to provide regular feedback and periodic check-ins, what actually makes feedback meaningful is when it’s given in a timely manner. Employees benefit more from in-the-moment praise for a successful achievement, while immediate coaching for a “teachable moment” provides a stronger learning opportunity, regardless of age.

A more formal structure may include a weekly or monthly meeting with each employee to discuss their progress, performance and their developmental needs. Other programs may be less formal but, in all cases, they should keep to the spirit of frequent and regular “coaching” rather than evaluating, with the focus being on the employee and what they need to succeed.

HOW YOU COMMUNICATE

While all generations value communication, each has a different opinion on what is the best way to communicate. For example, older employees tend to prefer face-to-face interaction while young people tend to favour digital communication.

Generally speaking, preferences should be taken into consideration, but when it comes to performance-related communication, this is still best done face-to-face (or video conference calls for remote workers).

Most employees appreciate a tangible expression of their worth to the company, demonstrated by your time and full attention. This also helps provide more certainty that feedback was clearly received through body language and other visual cues that could provide useful positive – or even negative – insight.

That said, feedback should never flow in one direction only. Managers need to build trust with two-way dialogue that encourages the exchange of candid feedback, so employees feel comfortable sharing ideas. Save the digital communication for sending out timely meeting summaries and confirmation of next steps.

CATERING THE CONTENT

Just because something was always done a certain way doesn’t mean that’s how it has to be done now. There’s a new kid on the block, literally. Compared with older generations, who were more concerned with tenure and loyalty, millennials are more likely to change employers often and therefore will want specific feedback that relates to their career progression.

So, while “how you can help the company” may resonate with older workers, it means little to the younger ones. In this case, think about how you can shift the conversation to opportunities for growth and development and demonstrate how they can achieve their career objectives. Be clear on the competencies required for success and be prepared to discuss how you can help them further develop them.

Working together to set goals that actually have meaning to the employee, as well as the business, will help with motivation, engagement and retention, while encouraging ownership of their own development. Hence, some companies are shifting to a more supportive system of frequent coaching that focuses on the future, rather than dwelling on the past.

While a mechanism for providing feedback and supporting the merits of a raise, promotion or even termination are still necessary, to think that the annual review and one style of process works across the board just doesn’t make sense. Instead, design for a more flexible performance system that can be tweaked, and that provides frequent and better opportunities to engage and grow employees in an efficient and meaningful way.

Globe and Mail: The benefits of an office holiday party shouldn’t be discounted

This article originally appeared in the Globe and Mail

With the holiday season just around the corner, the planning of office festivities is already well under way for many companies. But with everything from the #MeToo movement to legal cannabis to budget cuts, some business owners may be considering eliminating the holiday office party all together. Despite the potential pitfalls, there are good reasons why it’s important to keep to tradition and celebrate the season with employees.

Why it’s important

The most important reason to throw a holiday party is that it’s a tangible expression of appreciation for your employees. Everyone likes to feel that their efforts throughout the year are noticed and rewarded. Even if your employees are well compensated, it’s still a nice gesture to acknowledge their contributions to your success. A well-planned party can go a long way toward building loyalty and retaining top performers.

If done right, a holiday party goes beyond team building to one of culture building. It’s hard to care about the work we do every day if we don’t care about the team that surrounds us. The holiday party can be a good reminder of this and add social glue that helps keep teams motivated. Keep in mind that the party is an expression of your culture; as Richard Branson said, “The way you treat your employees is the way your employees will treat your customers.”

It’s also a good idea to occasionally just let people do something fun, despite the potential for social faux-pas or legal cautions. Employee engagement includes opportunities to relax, have fun and connect with each other in social settings. This is the one time of year when everyone expects to have a party – whether they celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, or another holiday. Of course, that doesn’t mean employees (or executives) should treat it as a frat house crawl. Include a friendly (not policy-driven) message in the invitation about responsible use of alcohol or cannabis to establish your concern for safety of all employees and follow best practices such as providing taxi chits to and from the event. Be the first to abide by this message; executives should, under no circumstances, get drunk or otherwise partake in bad behaviour if they still want to be respected the next day.

Party planning: How to do it right

Don’t scrimp. The holiday party is a “thank you” for employees so – within your means – don’t be cheap. One of my larger clients plays to host to an extravagant four-course dinner at prime locations each year, where everyone is dressed in their finest. Another client – a small business – plays to host to a lovely late afternoon cocktail party in the office. In each case, the employees equally appreciate and look forward to the event because the gesture is authentic and generous, commensurate with the company’s size and financial performance for the year. Also, allow people to bring a spouse. If budget doesn’t allow it, do something at the office during working hours instead.

Gauge the situation. If you haven’t had a good year or had to lay people off, a glitzy party will be poorly received as employees will question money spent on a party rather than saving their co-workers’ jobs. In this case, a low-key lunch at the office is probably more appropriate. Use the opportunity to speak to the challenges the company has had but let employees know how much you appreciate their efforts and be positive about the year ahead.

Get feedback. Again, this event is about your employees, not you. Sometimes it can feel as if decisions are made in a vacuum by the higher-ups, and the holiday party feels more like a perk designed for executives. Create an employee social committee, preferably with a representative from each department, to get input on the location, decor, entertainment, food and drink. Give the committee parameters and a budget and have them come to you with ideas on what to do. You won’t make everyone happy, but you’ll increase the chances that it’s well received.

Be inclusive. One of the reasons my aforementioned client’s party is so successful is that the executives are not sequestered away, talking among themselves. Instead, they seat one executive at each table and then, between each course, mingle with everyone in the room.

Express genuine appreciation. Employees can see through a false thank you. And don’t grand-stand or make lengthy speeches; thank everyone for their hard work, encourage them to enjoy themselves and wish them a happy holiday. Then get out of the way and let people have a good time.

Globe and Mail: Why every company needs a whistle-blower policy

Originally published in the Globe and Mail

If you’re a Canadian business owner or leader, the implications of the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data scandal revealed by whistle-blower Christopher Wylie go beyond technology and data breaches to promoting and ensuring ethical conduct.

Have you given much thought to what role whistle-blowers can play in any organization? Every company – regardless of industry and size – should include a whistle-blower policy in its company documents.

WHAT IS A WHISTLE-BLOWER POLICY?

A whistle-blower policy should guarantee the protection of an individual (employee, volunteer) who reports on an employer’s activities that are deemed to be illegal, unethical or dishonest. Its intent is to:

• Prevent retaliation – any adverse employment action such as termination of employment, poor work assignments, shunning by co-workers and/or threats of physical harm.

• Provide confidentiality – where possible. The identity of the whistle-blower is protected, but if the individual is required to testify or otherwise provide information in an investigation, their identity may be revealed.

These policies generally cover corruption and illegal, fraudulent or harmful activity that affects the public, or at least the company at large. But they don’t include personal situations between an individual and the organization such as workplace bullying or harassment, and individual disputes around compensation or mismanagement. These cases fall under provincial laws such as the Employment Standards Act (ESA), the Occupational Health and Safety Act or, in cases of environmental issues, the Environmental Protection Act. However, the ESA has very few teeth and prosecution is challenging. It can take years for cases to be heard and there’s very little enforcement of whether complainants actually get the awards.

WHY COMPANIES SHOULD CARE

In addition to protecting employees, internal whistle-blower policies are also necessary to protect the employer through early detection of wrongdoing. The statement “our employees are our most valuable asset” is often seen as meaningless, designed as a public-relations gesture more than a true statement of worth. For those organizations that are serious about their values and have taken the time to create their culture and business ethics, it’s the logical next step. It shows that you’re so serious about ensuring that everyone is behaving in accordance with those values that you are providing a mechanism for employees to report something that contravenes them.

When employees believe they will be supported, they are more likely to report their concerns internally. When employees fear losing their job or feel that nothing will be done anyway if they speak to their employer, they might be more likely to go to social media instead.

Implementing a whistle-blower policy is also just good business. A values match is a key factor in whether organizations can attract and retain employees. Younger people, especially, have different priorities than previous generations and it has been widely reported that millennials are more concerned about corporate social responsibility and ethical business standards. Who they work for and what that company stands for is important, and they are quick to leave an employer whose values do not match their own. A whistle-blower policy serves to engender trust not only among potential applicants, but a business’s consumers and clients as well.

PUTTING POLICY IN ACTION

It’s important to remember that the work environment is not what the leadership says it is, it is what leadership does and how it behaves. It can be hard for a company to demonstrate a commitment to its policy unless something happens, but it can be reinforced by following some best practices.

• Create a procedure: Don’t just write a bare minimum policy that says you support whistle-blowers. Define an actual procedure, set out clear steps and update the policy regularly.

• Identify a point person: Provide employees with the name/position of the individual to whom they can report their concern. If the complaint is about the executive/leader, offer an alternative contact (usually the head of human resources or the chair of the board’s human-resources/compensation committee).

• Communicate it: Talk about your policy and reinforce the company’s values in communications to employees, encouraging them to bring their concerns forward.

What’s required is a culture change, something that’s now seemingly being led by Mr. Wylie’s millennial generation, to mobilize both companies and government to meet international standards and truly protect their most valuable asset.