Employee Engagement Archives - Page 3 of 75

Employees Value Benefits Differently – Friday Distraction

May 12, 2017 by Sharlyn Lauby Leave a Comment

Organizations work very hard to provide consistency. They want customers to have a consistent experience. And I believe they want employees to have a consistent experience as well. That’s one of the reason companies develop benefit packages. They want to offer employees consistency in their workplace.

There’s one challenge with that though…employees place a different value on things. Today’s Time Well Spent from our friends at Kronos reminds us that employees even value schedules differently.

I realize that organizations can’t give every employee their own unique benefits and perks package. And, I’d suggest that you really don’t want to. Years ago, I worked for an employer and, because the company was small, employees could negotiate their own deals. It was a nightmare for HR. Everyone had something unique about their benefits. It was impossible to remember all the details. So anytime an employee asked a question, it was a major researching exercise, because you had to look up the employee’s special deal.

But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t opportunities for organizations to do a little customization and give employees control over the things they value.

For example, I know lots of companies that give employees the ability to select their own gifts in recognition or wellness programs. It might not sound like a lot but I’ve heard comment from many employees like, “I did INSERT ACTIVITY HERE and earned enough points to buy INSERT ITEM HERE.” Employees conveyed pride in being able to earn and select their own reward.

Other benefits like telework and unlimited vacation give employees flexibility, which allows the individual to make some decisions about value. There are organizations that offer employees time off to volunteer in the community. Again, an opportunity for employees to make decisions about value.

Maybe it’s time for organizations to figure out how to give employees a consistent experience…by giving them choices. The company wins because they can consistently explain the benefit. Employees win because they get to choose the things they value most.

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Recognizing Public Service Employees – #PSRW

May 7, 2017 by Sharlyn Lauby 1 Comment

(Editor’s Note: Today’s post is brought to you by our friends at Kronos, a leading provider of workforce management and human capital management cloud solutions. Kronos recently announced that, for the 17^th consecutive year, they have been awarded the NorthFace ScoreBoard Award for excellence in customer service. Congratulations! Enjoy the post.)

Employee recognition is important. It’s good for employee morale, engagement, and retention. And not just on an individual level. Organizations are recognizing groups of employees during workplace recognition days like Customer Service Week (the first full week of October) and Administrative Professionals Week (typically held in April). As a human resources professional, it’s good to see more organizations recognizing the work of their employees.

I’m also seeing organizations recognize employees who serve their community. Businesses understand that there’s a whole group of people who don’t work for the company but play a role in their success. One such group of individuals that every community relies upon are public servants. If you weren’t aware, this week is Public Service Recognition Week (PSRW). It’s been celebrated since 1985.

Public servants include first responders (i.e. police, fire, and emergency services). They’re all government employees across local, state, and federal governments. In addition, education employees across K-12 and higher education, including student employees at universities. Public service employees play a huge role in our communities.

To celebrate Public Service Recognition Week and the important work being done in our communities, our friends at Kronos created a video – “The Heroes of Public Service”.

Public service employees not only make our communities safer and better, but they touch individual lives. Rock Regan, director of the public-sector practice group at Kronos, shared with me a very personal story about what public service means to him.

“I was eight years old. Several friends of mine and I had decided to go tobogganing. Unfortunately, while we were out having fun, we crashed into a school fence. The good news was it wasn’t with a thud, but the toboggan dug in and slid effortlessly beneath the fence. My legs tucked in and were pinned under the tines of the fence.

Realizing it was serious, my friends knew it was time to go for help. The closest house was just a few hundred yards away and off they went. Moments later, I could hear the siren roar of Engine Six from our neighborhood firehouse and I knew help was on the way.

As I waited to be cut free, I remember thinking, ‘Thank god for the people who run to you in time of need, and give you the coat off their back in the middle of a storm to keep you warm and safe.’

For well over 20 years, I’ve had the privilege to be involved in the public sector. I know first-hand of the heroes that most never think of. The people like custodians who keep our schools maintained and clean, the road crews who fill in the potholes, the folks who run the programs at the parks, the caseworkers who keep children at risk safe, and the database administrators who make sure police officers get the latest information sent to their mobile computers. The list goes on and on. There are so many other public service heroes and we don’t do nearly what we should to show just how much we appreciate them.”

Thanks to all the Heroes of Public Service - #PSRWClick To Tweet

Public service employees are an integral part of the organizations they serve. They contribute to the education, safety, security, and efficiency of our communities. On some level, they’re an extension of our private sector workforce, because we couldn’t achieve our goals without them. They help our communities thrive, which in turn helps our businesses.

So, if you know a public service employee, take a moment to thank them for their hard work. And I hope you’ll share this post to thank the all the other public service employees who work in our communities every day. Thanks!

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5 Deskercises to Keep You Active at Work

May 4, 2017 by Sharlyn Lauby Leave a Comment

One of the things I love about my health insurance company is that they offer webinars and workshops to both members and the community. I’ve been able to get the latest info from a doctor about the Zika virus. They also hold nutrition workshops. Recently, I attended a Deskercise workshop (aka activities we can do at our desk).

Because I work from home, I’m very conscious of the need to get active. We’ve all heard that sitting is bad for us. Physical activity improves our focus, mood, and energy. It can benefit our blood pressure, cholesterol, and stress levels. So, what are a few activities that we can do? Well, here are five that were shared during the workshop.

Wooden Legs – This is an activity you can do while sitting at your desk. Sit upright in your chair and extend one leg out straight in front of you. Hold for two seconds. Then raise it up higher, hold for two more seconds. Repeat each leg 10 times. Great to do during webinars or long conference calls!

Calf Raises – Next time you’re waiting for the printer or copier, push up on your tippy toes, pause at the top, then lower back down. Repeat for 3 sets of 10 reps.

Silent Glute Squeeze – Refrain from snickering on this one. You don’t have to announce to your co-workers when you’re doing it! Try isometric glute squeezes by simply squeezing the buttocks, holding for 5-10 seconds, and releasing. Do this while typing one complete email. Not only will it help you write concise messages but the results will be uplifting!

Shadow Boxing – This could be helpful during a frustrating day. Pretend you’re a boxer. With knees soft and core tight, throw out some punches in rapid succession. Continue for a minute or longer to blow off some steam and tone your arms, shoulders, and core.

Dance Party – When you feel like celebrating, break out your favorite active dance moves. If you don’t want anyone to see you, stay low and chair dance. Otherwise, stand up and let loose! Boogie for 30 seconds, rest, and repeat.

Doing these activities – even in short bursts – can have a benefit. Remember, before starting any type of exercise or activity program – even deskercise, be sure to talk with your physician. And, don’t make the assumption these activities are easy. Take things slowly and stretch before you get active. If you wear heels, consider removing them. And be sure to really focus on what you’re doing because form matters!

Oh, and one more thing. Get your co-workers involved! Maybe you can find a buddy to hold each other accountable.

Adding a few activities to our day takes a little commitment. But it can reap big results.

Oh, and P.S. I just discovered an app called Zova that allows you to do short exercises throughout the day with a prompt from your phone. The app offers video instruction so you can do the activity properly. It also lets you rate the activity so you do more of the things your like (and less of the ones you don’t). The idea being – turn these short bursts of activity into a habit.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby wandering around in South Florida

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The Key to Employee Engagement: Your Net Promoter Score

May 2, 2017 by Sharlyn Lauby 3 Comments

(Editor’s Note: Today’s post is brought to you by Workify, an all-in-one people management software platform. Workify is a technology-enabled service that helps companies measure and trend employee engagement over time through continuous feedback loops. Enjoy the post!)

It’s sad to say but businesses don’t appear to be really moving the needle when it comes to employee engagement. I ran across this article from Gallup that reports managers account for 70 percent variance in employee engagement. I still believe part of the reason companies are struggling with engagement is they are having a hard time defining what engagement looks like and, as such, managers can’t identify or measure it. But what if there was an engagement related metric that organizations easily understood?

Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a common business index that measures the likeliness of customers recommending the company’s products or services. Think of it as “refer-ability”. The reason organizations use NPS as a business metric is because they can see a clear line of sight between it and business success. The more referrals the company receives, the more business they get, and the more profitable they would be.

Employee Net Promoter Score

Now let’s take the NPS concept and apply it to employee engagement. Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) is an index that measures the likelihood that an employee would refer candidates or customers to the company. The logic is similar: the better the organization is as an employer, THEN the more employees are engaged and satisfied with their work, AND the more people they will recommend.

Workify’s research and analysis of best practice methodologies found there were four common themes (aka the 4C’s) driving eNPS:

Commitmentto contribute to the future success of the company
Connectionto the community they work in, whether to its mission, its goals, or its people
Ability to make a contributionby performing great work every day
Readiness to challengethemselves to improve, and challenge the company to go further as well

I recently had the opportunity to talk with Stephen Huerta, CEO of Workify about how they developed their eNPS model and their approach. “We believe that engagement is driven through the individual experience an employee is having. As a result, we start with an employee-centric perspective on engagement and culture. We started by looking at the attributes of highly engaged employees and the key motivating factors that lead people, and teams, to do great work. Our 4C’s (commitment, connection, contribution, and challenge) are the key levers that drive engagement from the individual employee perspective but can be influenced by 8 additional indicators we monitor at the organizational level.” The 8 additional indicators are reflected in Workify’s eNPS model.

I know when it comes to employee satisfaction, many of us feel we’ve seen it all and don’t get excited about the conversation. But I have to say, the eNPS conversation is different and it’s worth paying attention to for three reasons.

It’s a familiar business term. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) competency model includes business acumen as a key skill for human resources professionals. We’ve heard it before – HR pros need to speak the language of business. NPS is the language of business. So, let’s use it to talk about engagement in a business context.

For organizations focused on addressing employee satisfaction, making a connection between NPS and eNPS could help create buy-in and it could bring agreement among the management team about how to address the issue.

It’s measurable. Organizations measure their NPS on a regular basis, like profit and loss statements. The same can be done with eNPS. Today’s technology allows organizations to regularly take a pulse on the workforce, in real time. In addition, organizations can use other metrics – like referrals – as a visible metric that the company’s eNPS is thriving.

Chances are organizations are already tracking some referral metrics, so this becomes a good secondary barometer that the eNPS is accurate. It can also send a flag that the eNPS is in trouble if referral activity declines.

It aligns with the company. I don’t know of a single company that doesn’t want happy employees and referrals. Even if you’re a non-profit entity or public organization – you still want satisfied employees and candidate referrals. Having a healthy referral mechanism benefits the bottom-line. That’s why NPS and eNPS matter.

Many organizations tell employees “everyone is a part of the sales department” or “everyone is a part of the recruiting team”. If that’s true, then NPS and eNPS are key components in organizational culture and strategy. Organizations cannot rely on everyone to get things done and ignore employee satisfaction.

I must admit that I found eNPS a pretty simple model, which is what excites me about Workify’s model. Huerta agrees, but reminds us that employee engagement is complex, which is why it’s so hard for people to define. “For organizations that might be skeptical about eNPS and the connection with the 4C’s, my first response would be that, ‘it’s not that simple’. There are essentially three dimensions of engagement we assess:

Organizational factors that motivate or demotivate employees (i.e., 8 indicators),
Employee drivers of engagement (4C’s), and;
Employee satisfaction (i.e., eNPS).

Looking at any single dimension will give you part of the story but not the full picture. That’s why we built our holistic culture model, which starts with the 4Cs and looks at additional factors as well.”

Measure employee engagement using the eNPS culture modelClick To Tweet

Focusing on Employees Benefits the Bottom-line

More than ever, organizations need to focus on employees and employee satisfaction. Hiring employees is expensive. According to SHRM, average cost per hire is $4,129. Turnover is expensive. Research suggests that replacement costs can be 50 – 60 percent of an employee’s salary with total turnover costs exceeding 100 percent. Creating a workplace where employees are engaged and satisfied with their work is essential, not only to morale and the general working environment, but the bottom-line

But just like the marketing department, HR wants to know that the programs, training, etc. they’re creating are having a positive impact. So, measuring results is important. Why not use a proven metric that the organization understands? It only makes good business sense.

If you would like to learn more about eNPS and how it relates to employee engagement, you can download Workify’s new ebook “Building an Employee Engagement Program for a Modern Workforce: 3 Step Guide for Taking Action on Employee Feedback“. Employee engagement is going to remain a priority for organizations. It’s time to take a different approach.

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Stop Doing These 6 Things that Slow Organizational Momentum

April 30, 2017 by Sharlyn Lauby 1 Comment

Momentum is the strength or force that allows something to continue to grow stronger or faster over time. We tend to think of momentum in the context of objects – such as the rock gained momentum as it rolled downhill. But it occurred to me that momentum applies to activities – support for a project can gain momentum.

If workplace activities can gain momentum, then we need to be focused on how to increase it. Because that could be a good thing. Organizational momentum can be a powerful thing. It can increase morale and engagement, fuel creativity and innovation, and bring support for goals and strategies.

In turn, we should be aware of situations that can zap or decrease momentum. Because it can stall organizational progress. Here are six things that can keep momentum from moving the organization forward:

Operating the organization without goals or a plan. One of the reasons I included the definition of momentum above is because I think that “something” is a goal or plan. Organizations want momentum to accomplish something and, if there’s no goal or plan…well, you know the rest. There doesn’t need to be a lot of goals and plans. Or even big plans and goals. But they do need to exist.

Shortening the new hire “honeymoon”. I understand that organizations want new employees who can start contributing quickly. I’m sure a new hire wants the same thing. However, an employee’s introductory period is valuable. It’s the only time when they will truly have a set of fresh eyes on the organization. And that perspective could spark the organizational momentum the company is looking for. So, let employees have their introductory time.

Overlooking the need for organizational investments. Businesses must make investments in equipment, training, technology, etc. to remain competitive. IMHO, sometimes organizations are quick to invest in equipment and forget investments in people. The better companies are about investing in all areas of the operation, and the better their momentum will be.

Losing focus on products and/or services. At moments in time, we all get distracted by shiny new features or inventions. And that’s okay. It’s when those distractions start to change the way products are produced or customer service is delivered – and not in a good way. Momentum is about making the customer experience better. And when I refer to the customer experience, I’m talking about internal customers too.

Assuming employees know how they are performing (so there’s no need to give feedback). Everyone wants to know how they’re doing. This isn’t a Millennial or Gen Z thing. And it shouldn’t happen just once a year during an annual performance appraisal. Organizational feedback fuels high performance. And high performance creates organizational momentum.

Forgetting the value of employees (even when they are leaving the company). Employees will leave the organization for a variety of reasons, some of which have nothing to do with the company. Former employees can be raving fans of the organization. They can refer customers and candidates. At some point, it’s possible they will want to come back. Treating exiting employees with respect sends a positive message.

Organizations are going to start thinking about momentum as part of their employee engagement and retention strategies. They will want to create this infectious positive work environment. The results will be obvious – increased employee referrals, improved employee engagement, and decreased turnover.

Human resources professionals will want to start thinking about how to create a movement or momentum within the organization. And how organizational momentum becomes a part of the company’s employment brand.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby after speaking at the Flora Icelandic HR Management Conference in Reykjavik, Iceland

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Want to Retain Women Leaders? Look Beyond Maternity Leave

April 18, 2017 by Sharlyn Lauby 3 Comments

(Editor’s Note: Today’s post is sponsored by Bright Horizons Family Solutions, a leading provider of high-quality child care, early education, and work/life solutions for employers. They’ve been consistently included in FORTUNE Magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work for in America. In addition, more than half of the employers on the FORTUNE list, including seven of the top ten, are Bright Horizons clients. Enjoy the post!)

Organizations need to focus their engagement and retention strategies toward women. And I’m not just saying that because I’m a woman. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, women represent 51.5 percent of all professional and managerial jobs. And a large percentage of these women are also working mothers. So, if businesses are saying to themselves, “Where can we have the most impact?”, it only seems logical and good business sense to consider the largest group.

That being said, organizations need to think beyond benefits like maternity leave when it comes to engaging and retaining women leaders. It’s true – announcements of enhancements to maternity leave policies are in the media almost every day. They are important and valuable and more organizations should offer them. But, if organizations want to retain working mothers and preserve their current and future leaders, they need to look beyond the first few weeks or months of a working mother’s life and really pay attention to the messages that are being sent throughout her tenure.

The Bright Horizons 2016 Modern Family Index shared some eye-opening statistics about working mothers and the work environment:

Parenting translates into a career-limiting move. Women have watched as their working parent colleagues are passed over for promotions and career opportunities. More than one-quarter (26 percent) of expectant mothers admit they’ve witnessed working parents at their organization being limited in their careers.

Commitment is high among expectant mothers. Women are committed to their careers and fear that having children will halt their career progression. Ninety-two percent (92%) of expectant mothers plan to be as committed post-baby as they were before, and the majority of them (some 53 percent) expect to work harder in order to earn more for their family.

Family friendly employers attract talent. If parents don’t like what they see in a workplace, they will exit your organization, not the workforce. Forty-nine percent (49%) of parents who’ve had their first child in the past two years indicated they would take a job for less money at a family-friendly employer.

Organizations need to recognize the potential challenges facing women leaders during this time of transition and create strategies that signal a continued investment in employees who are parents.

3 Strategies for Retaining Working Mothers

Women are becoming mothers later in life, often after they are well-established in their careers and in positions of management and leadership. As more companies – especially technology, science, and engineering industries – are struggling to meet diversity and inclusion goals, HR professionals should consider developing programs focused on retaining working mothers. Here are three strategies to consider:

Offer family friendly benefits and supports. In the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) 2016 Strategic Benefits Survey, the company benefit which saw the highest level of increase were family benefits, indicating an increased value for these benefits and supports with employees. Family benefits and supports include sick time flexibility, on-site nursing rooms, child care centers, and back-up care. Not only is offering the benefits important, but making them easy to access is equally imperative.

Develop a supportive company culture. Organizations that build communities of support are good for employee well-being, which in turn positively impacts productivity. Frame return-to-work benefits so employees can remain engaged with the company. Provide flexible work and telecommuting. Allow parents opportunities to network with each other. And let senior management model the behavior.

Promote career progression and opportunities. Organizations with more women leaders often outperform their peers. In an article published by the Peterson Institute for International Economics, fifteen percent (15%) profit growth is associated with a 30 percent increase in women executives. To support your women leaders, make sure they have a defined career path along with access to management coaching, mentoring, and networking. Most importantly, working mothers need supportive managers.

Stop Losing Your Women Leaders

Organizations today need to develop policies and benefits that support working mothers; it’s not enough to simply offer maternity leave. As organizations collaborate with their women leaders to build mutually satisfying career paths, it’s important not to make assumptions about which direction new mothers are “leaning.”

Retain your women leaders - look beyond maternity leave.Click To Tweet

If your organization wants to learn more about what working women want both before and after becoming a parent, download this complimentary e-book on “How to Keep Working Mothers from Walking Out the Door” from the Bright Horizons Solutions at Work website.

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Recruit Better: Employee Discount Programs and Taxes

April 16, 2017 by Sharlyn Lauby Leave a Comment

Here on HR Bartender, we’ve talked about the partnerships HR needs to have in the organization with finance, risk management, and marketing…just to name a few. One very important partnership that we haven’t spent much time covering is the partnership between human resources and payroll. Today’s reader question deals with that:

I am trying to find out if employee discount programs that companies sign up for (to offer their employees discounts) have tax consequences for the employee and/or company when the discounts are redeemed. The many discount companies I speak to say no, but I thought you might have more advice. Thank you.

To help us figure this out, I asked Kellie Jones, senior director of products, pay, and tax at Ultimate Software, if she would share her expertise. Luckily for us, she said yes. Please remember that Kellie’s comments are not a replacement for speaking to an attorney or accountant about tax laws.

Kellie, it might be helpful to start with a few definitions. What are benefits, perks, and discount programs?

[Jones] Employee benefits are typically any additional non-wage compensation provided to the employee beyond their typical salary or hourly wage. Traditional benefits include employer-offered healthcare, a 401(k) program, and vision benefits. Organizations are getting more and more creative with their benefit programs to attract and retain talent.

Perks are extras that go above and beyond traditional benefits. These can range from having a foosball table in the break room to offering employees free tickets to sporting events throughout the year. They are used to help drive employee engagement and loyalty, as well as help reduce turnover.

Employee discount programs are programs that give discounts at local shops, such as 10 percent off for tickets to the local theatre or memberships to the neighborhood gym.

Since this reader note deals specifically with discount programs, what are some common types of employee discount programs? Why would an organization offer employees a discount program?

[Jones] Employers often offer discount programs as another way to show appreciation for employees. These programs can help new employees who have recently relocated to quickly identify possible service providers of interest in the area.

Some common employee discount programs include local restaurants, gyms, dry cleaners, entertainment venues, technologies (e.g., computers, software, phones), and even travel! Some unique discount programs include flowers, boat memberships, car sales, pet daycares, and even hair salons and spas!

From a payroll perspective, are benefits, perks, and employee discount programs taxed differently?

[Jones] Like many things tax related, the answer is “it depends”. In the United States, these types of benefits are classified as fringe benefits, and there are rules about what is taxable versus what is excluded from payroll taxes.

Many perks may be classified as de minimis, which are excluded from payroll taxes. Examples of de minimis perks include occasional tickets to theatres and sporting events, as well as invitations to company-hosted parties and picnics.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has an employer tax guide to fringe benefits available on its website that covers many scenarios, from achievement awards to tuition reduction and everything in between. For those companies with Canadian employees, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and Revenue Quebec have similar guidelines, which dictate some smaller perks excluded from taxes.

If an organization offers employee discount programs, are there some things they should consider (in making the decision)?

[Jones] Here are five things organizations should keep in mind:

Do the perks or programs align with your organizational culture, as well as the makeup of your organization. A millennial, a baby boomer, and a family with smaller children may each value different products and services.

Is there a perk that can be offered that’s unique to your organization? That helps strengthen relationships and increase engagement with employees, and it can serve as a competitive differentiator and recruitment tool.

Does the perk/discount align with the organization’s benefits strategy? For example, offering employees discounts at local gyms and nearby healthy-eating options may supplement an existing employer’s wellness program and encourage employees to make healthier choices in their everyday lives.

How would employees redeem the discounts? Can they access offers from their mobile devices? How easy is it to redeem?

Who is the target audience? From a payroll-tax perspective, consider how you’re offering these discounts and whether they’re targeted to all employees or only to highly compensated employees. Offering to the latter has payroll-tax implications, specifically in the United States.

My thanks to Kellie and our friends at Ultimate Software for sharing their knowledge with us. If you want to learn more about payroll related matters, be sure to check out Ultimate’s resources page – it’s filled with white papers, webcasts, and case studies that can make your life easier.

At a time when recruiting, engaging, and retaining talent is a challenge, every little thing helps. That includes employee discount programs. But organizations need to choose the right ones and administer them properly.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby at the 34th Street Graffiti Wall in Gainesville, FL

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