Showcasing Your Employer Brand Online in 2024

Jun 5, 2024

By Tierra Madani, Associate HR Consultant, Chemistry Consulting Group

How can employers create a positive online brand by calling upon ambassadors within the organization for content?   

Take a moment to think about what your Employer Brand is online today. How would you describe it? How do you measure it? How is it currently viewed by the general public or within the community? Is there any value given to it during strategic planning?

As with any strategy in your organization, it is always best practice to start with a vision. When it comes to employer branding, the ultimate goal and result is to have a positive reputation and one that is true to the employee experience.

But why is this important? Everyone is watching and they care to know how you treat people.

It is commonplace now (more than ever) that people are choosing more carefully which brands they want to associate with, whether they are your potential customers, partner organizations, or your current clientele. Our marketing teams are already onto this big shift and many organizations have already capitalized on the joint HR/Marketing strategy specifically focused on employee branding.

Not only do consumers have more choices, but job seekers also currently have the upper hand when it comes to seeking employment. Your employer brand attracts potential applicants in a unique and important way. It is beneficial to stay in the know on how your organization is being portrayed and to continuously improve upon your “go-to-market” strategy to ensure it is authentic and speaks to your actual culture and values.

4 Tips to Achieve a Positive Online Employer Brand

  1. Align your employer brand with your team’s core values.

The guiding light within your organization is your shared core values. These are collectively the glue that binds your team together and strengthens its culture. Let your values drive your decision on what stories to share with the outside world.

For example, if your team values community, then create a social media campaign to highlight your community partnerships. This perpetuates the awareness of those organizations as well, which further promotes their cause and need for support. Was there a recent event that can be shared on social media? Is there an opportunity to highlight hardworking team members who went above and beyond to support the event? Think of creative ways to share this type of content on your social media networks or even during the event itself.

  1. Team up with Marketing.

Are there ways that the employer brand, or visa versa can support the overall brand name? How should HR and Marketing collaborate on which social media channels to use and how can each measure success? Marketing teams hold the key to data-driven work and can provide support on how best to measure success when it comes to audience engagement and brand awareness.  Set a recurring meeting for these two departments to collaborate, brainstorm and touch base.

  1. Leverage your employer brand to support functions within your organization.

Investing in your employer brand further supports several strategies and departments including HR, Marketing and Sales. Functions such as recruiting top talent, engaging with your community and/or your customers, and establishing new partnerships and collaborations. Include your employer branding strategy in your overall strategic plan and collaborate with other departments to achieve multiple objectives simultaneously. 

  1. Invite your culture ambassadors to join in the conversation, authentically. Who best to speak to your culture and what it’s like to work for your organization than your own employees. Are there stories untold that should be brought to light? An employee or team that could be recognized for being a shining ambassador? A new partnership that creates a positive impact in the community?

This is an important step in validating your organization’s reputation as an employer. An employer brand must be true to who you actually are as a team and an organization, and this then invites your employees to shout out their company pride to others. Consider adding a section to your employee handbook that outlines what is encouraged through social media, for example. This is a direct invitation to engage with your organization’s social channels and further promote the stories waiting to be told that highlight your employer brand positively.

Revisit the things you are already doing to promote your employer brand and take it to the next level to ensure you’re sharing effectively and authentically!

Chemistry Consulting Group offers HR consulting services to clients across Canada and the in USA.  We have consultants based in Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo, Toronto and Montreal with virtual services offered in all other cities. We offer a range of solutions tailored to meet the diverse needs of businesses in these regions. 

With a team of certified CPHR strategists, we are experienced in taking on major human resources development projects such as organizational reviews and design, people and culture audits, 360 evaluations, employee engagement surveys, performance management tools, employee handbook/policy and procedure development, employee orientation program development, onboarding programs, total compensation reviews and comparative market research, job descriptions, equity diversity inclusion and belonging (EDIB) strategies with team-building and training workshops. We offer a convenient HR on-call service to support you as issues arise in your workplace, and HR on-site services as required.

Wellness at Work: Nurturing Mental Wellbeing in the Modern Workplace

Mar 20, 2024

By Damien Lacey, Marketing Specialist, Montridge Advisory Group Ltd.

In today’s fast-paced and demanding work environments, prioritizing employee wellness, particularly mental health, has become more critical than ever. As our understanding of mental wellbeing evolves, organizations are increasingly recognizing the importance of creating a supportive and nurturing workplace culture. This shift is not only beneficial for employees’ health and happiness but also for the overall productivity and success of the organization. In this blog post, we’ll explore the concept of wellness at work and discuss strategies that organizations can implement to better ensure the mental wellbeing of their workforce.

The Importance of Wellness at Work

Work-related stress and mental health issues have become a growing concern in many industries. According to the World Health Organization, stress-related illnesses cost businesses roughly 33 billions of dollars each year in lost productivity and healthcare expenses. Additionally, employees who experience high levels of stress are more likely to suffer from burnout, absenteeism, and reduced job satisfaction.

Creating a workplace that prioritizes wellness can help mitigate these issues. When employees feel supported and valued, they are more likely to be engaged, motivated, and productive. Moreover, promoting mental wellbeing can enhance employee retention rates, as employees are more likely to stay with organizations that prioritize their health and happiness.

Strategies for Promoting Mental Wellbeing

Create a Supportive Work Environment:  Cultivating a workplace culture where mental health is valued and openly discussed is crucial. Encourage managers to engage in regular check-ins with team members, not just about work progress but also about their overall wellbeing. These conversations can help destigmatize mental health issues and create a supportive atmosphere where employees feel comfortable seeking help if needed.

Provide Mental Health Resources:  Consider leveraging the resources available through the company’s extended health plan to enhance mental health support, providing access to additional services such as counseling and therapy sessions. Offering these resources alongside support groups and educational materials can help employees navigate mental health challenges more effectively and maintain their mental wellbeing. Consider partnering with mental health professionals to provide onsite support and workshops to educate employees about mental health issues and coping mechanisms.

Promote Work-Life Balance: Encouraging work-life balance is key to supporting employees’ mental health. Providing flexible work arrangements, such as remote work options or flexible hours, can help employees manage their work and personal responsibilities more effectively. Encouraging employees to take regular breaks and vacations can also help prevent burnout and improve overall wellbeing.

Financial Wellness: Financial wellness is a crucial component of mental wellbeing, encompassing a sense of security and control over an employee’s financial situation. Employers can promote financial wellness among their employees by offering educational resources, such as workshops on budgeting and saving, and by providing access to financial planning tools and services. By supporting financial wellness, employers not only enhance employee satisfaction and productivity but also contribute to a more positive and resilient workforce.

Encourage Physical Activity: Physical activity is known to have numerous benefits for mental health, including reducing stress and anxiety. Encourage employees to incorporate physical activity into their daily routine by offering onsite fitness classes, gym memberships, or incentives for participating in physical activities. Also, consider walking meetings, providing standing desks, supply yoga mats for stretch breaks or just emphasizing the need to stand and move for a few minutes regularly throughout the day can also help promote physical activity in the workplace.

Provide Health & Wellness Days: Offering paid health and wellness days can give employees the opportunity to prioritize their mental wellbeing when they need it most. These days off, which would be in addition to vacation days or sick days, can help reduce stress, prevent burnout, and allow employees to recharge and refocus. By supporting employees’ health in this way, organizations can improve overall productivity and employee satisfaction.

Offer Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs): Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) provide employees with confidential access to counseling and support services for a wide range of personal and work-related issues. Offering an EAP can help employees manage stress, anxiety, and other mental health issues, and can be a valuable resource for those in need of support.

Promote Mindfulness and Stress Management: Mindfulness and stress management techniques can be powerful tools for improving mental wellbeing. Offer workshops or training programs to help employees develop these skills, providing them with practical tools to manage stress and improve their overall mental health. Encouraging practices such as meditation, yoga, or deep breathing exercises can also help employees incorporate mindfulness into their daily lives.

Lead by Example: Leadership plays a critical role in shaping organizational culture. Senior leaders should prioritize their own mental wellbeing and openly discuss the importance of mental health with their teams. By leading by example, leaders can help create a culture where mental health is valued and supported, and where employees feel comfortable seeking help when needed.

Conclusion

Wellness at work is not just a buzzword; it is a critical component of a healthy and productive workplace. By prioritizing mental wellbeing and implementing strategies to support employee health, organizations can create a positive work environment where employees can thrive. Investing in wellness not only benefits employees but also contributes to the overall success and sustainability of the organization.

Employee Experience, Why We Should Care

Feb 6, 2024

By Arlene Keis, Associate HR Consultant, Chemistry Consulting Group

Most companies know that no matter how much effort and investment they put into developing, delivering and marketing their product or service to their customers, it’s the customer’s perception of the experience that ultimately has the most lasting impact on the success of the business. Often called a customer journey, the experience that a customer has at each specific interaction with your company over time  makes a significant impact on whether or not the customer will come back or be an advocate for your product or service.

Until more recently, many employers did not consider how this same concept could also apply to the experience of their current and future employees, and how it can affect the bottom line.  Much research in Canada and internationally has shown a strong link between positive employee experience, excellent customer service and increased business results.

So, what is “the employee experience?”  The Conference Board defines it as “how the employee thinks and feels about the journey they take with your organization, from beginning as a prospect to becoming a candidate to being hired; through onboarding, internal movement or promotion; and then finally, at retirement or exit, including all interactions along the way.”  A  positive employee experience leads to engaged, motivated and loyal employees, and a negative experience leads to disengaged employees, productivity loss and higher turnover.

Many think that the employee experience starts on their first day of work. However, there are a number of critical macro touchpoints in the journey, which start at the attraction and recruitment stage and extend right through until they exit your company.   Each of these macro touchpoints include a wide range of micro touchpoints which will vary from organization to organization but looking at the big picture is a good place to start.

The employee experience starts when they first spot your advertisement, visit your website career page, or meet you at a job fair.  What attracts them to your company to motivate them to apply? Put yourself in the shoes of potential employees and consider how your company comes across at each stage of recruitment from your initial job posting, the application process, interview, and job offer. Some questions to consider in designing your recruitment and selection process is as follows:

  • Is there consistency across each stage of the process? For example, isthe warm and inviting tone used in your job advertisement reflected during the interviewing process?
  • Do you communicate with the candidate regularly throughout the process at key touch-points, or do you leave them hanging for weeks on end?

Their experience during the recruitment phase has a strong influence on whether or not the candidate chooses to continue or abandon the process with you.

The next macro touchpoint is the onboarding stage. How would you feel if you booked a vacation at a well-reviewed hotel and arrived to find that your room wasn’t ready and when you arrived, the room was too cold, the TV didn’t work and there was no wi-fi as advertised?  Now think about the employee arriving excitedly on their first day at your company to find their workstation and digital tools weren’t set up, their supervisor or any other manager isn’t available to greet them, or they were sent to a meeting room for a few hours to read the company policy book and other documents. While the details associated with an employee’s first few days and week may seem minuscule in comparison to the years of service you hope they will have with your organization, these initial first impressions can dramatically alter the tone of the employee’s onboarding process.

After onboarding and orientation, the next touchpoint is ongoing growth and learning – which both have a strong influence on retention. A positive employee experience encourages ongoing personal and professional development. An employee’s access to, or lack of the following experiences are some of the micro touchpoints that make strong impressions on the employee’s journey with your organization:  regular performance reviews, mentoring and coaching, recognition and reward, asking for and listening to feedback, benefits, health and safety, diversity and inclusion, work-life balance, social events, and opportunities for new projects, challenges or advancement. Paying attention to the experiences your employees are looking for and making effort to provide this to them can greatly make or break their experience.

Employees will leave your organization for a number of reasons – by their own choice or by yours.  Regardless of the reason, the final macro touchpoint of the employee experience is how they are treated during the exit phase. Treating employees well in the bad times as well as the good times will leave them feeling positive about their experience working for your company. Ensuring a professional and appropriate off-boarding experience will go a long way in the word-of-mouth comments about your company made by former employees. Further, through conducting exit interviews, you can obtain valuable data about how the employee’s experience was within the organization from start to finish.

The points made in this article are just some examples of points in the employee journey but can be a guide to help you get started in designing your own employee experience journey map. Chemistry Consulting Group has expert HR professionals who can help you find opportunities to enhance the experience employees have with your company, which can make a significant difference to recruiting and retaining good employees during a tight labour market.

Chemistry Consulting Group offers HR consulting services to clients across Canada.  We have consultants based in Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo, Toronto and Montreal with virtual services offered in all other cities. We offer a range of solutions tailored to meet the diverse needs of businesses in these regions.

The Chemistry Consulting Group team of certified CPHR strategists deliver comprehensive HR solutions, including organizational design, culture audits, 360 evaluations, engagement surveys, performance tools, policy development, onboarding, compensation reviews, job descriptions, and EDIB strategies with training. We also offer flexible HR support through on-call and on-site services.

Contact us today!

What Lost Productivity Looks Like on Ineffective Teams

Dec 12, 2023

By Vivo Team

When looking for ways to manage costs, managers and executives are often trained to ignore money already spent, instead focusing on future spending. When it comes to tracking the cost and value of meetings, for example, managers commonly dismiss the cost of people’s time as a “sunk cost” because they’ve already committed to paying salaries.

Companies spend an enormous amount of money paying people to sit in meetings, but they fail to consider how efficient or effective those meetings really are. Furthermore, most people are not trained to participate in, or run, effective meetings.

Also frequently overlooked, the cost of lost productivity is a key culprit of financial drain for leaders, managers, and their company. Leaders now, more than ever, need to be equipped with data and insights about their people to succeed in this climate of uncertainty. Being aware of strengths, weaknesses, gaps, and leader/team effectiveness allows you to focus on areas for improvement.

For example, imagine an employee who loses 5 hours of productivity a day. If that employee is paid $50,000 a year, their lost productivity would cost the company approximately $32,370 annually.

Does 5 hours sound high? Lost productivity time can add up quickly:

Confusion/lost time due to poor communication (1-2 hrs/day)

Attending meetings you don’t need to be a part of (1-2 hrs/day)

Inefficiencies from a lack of structure or processes (1-2 hrs/day)

If proper structures and communication norms were improved on this employee’s team, the cost of lost productivity will be reduced. If reduced by 50%, that’s $16,185 in savings.

Now imagine that team has five other members who are also more efficient and productive as a result of training in structures and communication (5 x $16,185).

You just saved $80,925 in lost productivity costs.

Your company’s cost of lost productivity, as it relates to training and development, is a simple yet effective way to increase productivity and efficiency—ultimately leading to a positive impact on your bottom line.

Key indicators that lead to high-performing leaders and teams:

Communication – Clear and open communication reduces misunderstanding and costly errors, minimizes work delays, and enhances overall productivity.

Structures – Unifying and streamlining work processes and related behavioral norms builds the foundation for efficient and successful teams.

Interactive Feedback – A feedback culture provides essential information for decision making and performance improvement by reflecting on the past and anticipating future results.

Emotional Intelligence – Awareness and management of one’s emotions while navigating the emotions of others reduces assumptions and increases psychological safety and connection.

Accountability – Holding one another accountable drives innovation, trust, and productivity.

Cohesion – Team cohesion positively impacts project outcomes, client satisfaction, team engagement, and collaboration resulting in increased success and productivity.

By using behavioral analytics to evaluate your team’s effectiveness in these areas, leaders can uncover insights into where improvements need to be made to recoup losses. Team effectiveness and lost productivity costs are interdependent. Thus, by increasing your team’s effectiveness you will decrease your company’s lost productivity costs.

About Vivo Team

Vivo Team is a tech-driven learning and development company providing leaders and teams with the skills, analytics, and insights they need to succeed. This results in increased engagement and productivity—and the data to prove it!

Seven Strategies to Mitigate Labour Shortages in Your Organization

Oct 4, 2023

By Arlene Keis, Associate HR Consultant, Chemistry Consulting Group

It seems as if every day there are headlines regarding staff shortages in virtually every sector of the economy and in every province and territory.  While the reasons for such shortages are many and complicated, they do not appear to be going away anytime soon.  The issue has become a business imperative in boardrooms across the country as organizations large and small grapple with the economic fall out of this gap in labour supply.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to address labour shortages, but there are many things that an individual business or organization can do to minimize the impact.  Many are finding that a multi-faceted approach gives the greatest odds of weathering the perfect storm that has produced the labour challenges. Consider applying the below strategies to your business strategy in the long and short term.

1. Become an Employer of Choice

In any competitive environment, people choose to go where they see the best value proposition.  This applies to their choice of employers, and the perceived value goes beyond just the salary.   The best employers recognize that creating an environment that shows their current and prospective employees they care for them gives them an edge in the war for talent. Becoming an employer of choice involves not only providing competitive compensation and benefits, but prioritizing  topics such as: recognition and appreciation, flexible and hybrid work schedules, open two-way communication, work-life balance, fair and respectful workplaces, mental and physical well-being, strong leadership and mentoring, opportunities for advancement and growth, diversity and inclusion, innovation, corporate culture, efficient and well-maintained tools and equipment, community involvement and last but not least, FUN!

2. Focus on Retention

Just as it is with customers, keeping employees you already have is easier and less costly than finding new ones. When employees leave, it is important to conduct exit interviews to gain insight about the reasons for their departure; better still, canvass your current employees to find out why they stay and how you can keep them engaged. There are dozens of tactics, strategies, and many books and articles on how to improve retention, but one of the best ways to find what works best in your organization is to ask your employees. This can be done through employee engagement surveys or focus groups, and fostering a culture of open communication and an authentic, listening management team from the top down.  Employees have choices and most prefer to work for a great company with a positive and healthy culture so there is great value in focusing on becoming an Employer of Choice.

3. Raise Awareness About Your Brand

Whether they know it or not, most companies have an external employer brand that can help or hinder their recruitment efforts.  The brand may be positive or negative, well known or obscure.  Clever employers are using the same marketing and brand awareness tactics for recruiting that they use for attracting customers.  If you have a great brand and are a good place to work but nobody knows about you, then focus on getting your brand out there.  Visit local job fairs, sponsor school or community activities or sports events, create a careers page on your website and get active in social and other media, engage your current employees & families in recruitment efforts by offering referral bonuses. Above all, if you find that your employer brand is not very appealing, or is getting bad reviews, fix it.  Reflect on what may be tainting your brand, and take focused and determined steps to improve how your organization is perceived.

4. Fish in a Different Pond

With the strong competition for workers, you are not able to rely on the old tactics of just putting an ad out, sitting back and waiting for the resumes to come pouring in.  Go fish where the fish are – which means looking for under-utilized labour pools, such as hiring across generations. For example, many baby boomers have retired from their professional careers and therefore may not be considered as available labour, however many still want to stay involved in the workplace.  Such individuals have skills to offer, have a home and vehicle, don’t require high salaries and don’t want to climb the ladder and take over the manager’s job.  Other untapped labour pools are Indigenous youth, people with disabilities, new immigrants and individuals re-entering the workforce after lengthy absence. Each labour pool provides a number of strengths and advantages, and this may require you to get out into the community to tap into these circles.

5. Recruit Nationally and Internationally

Community or provincial labour pools may not be big enough so efforts to find someone locally may not be successful, especially if you are located in a rural or remote area.  Casting a wider net and recruiting across the country and internationally may achieve better results, but not without a cost. Relocation, housing and immigration issues need to be factored in so the recruitment budget should be adjusted to provide assistance as needed.  International students are also another valuable resource as they can work while going to school and could be eligible to sponsor for permanent employment and immigration through various provincial nominee programs such as in BC.

6. Invest in Training and Development

It is important that your staff have the skills to do their jobs today but training them for potential jobs or promotions in the future can help you avoid having to go to market and compete for new workers.  “Grow your own” by training and developing individuals also provides a wide range of benefits to your business from improving customer service, motivating your staff and supporting succession planning.  You could also provide training opportunities to those who are still in school and could become part of your future workforce.  This could include hiring a co-op student, summer student, work experience or sponsoring an apprentice (which may be eligible for tax credits or government subsidies in some jurisdictions).  Many of these students or learners could evolve into wonderful and loyal employees.

7. Increase Productivity

“Doing more with less” can cultivate innovation and creativity in improving both worker and workplace productivity.  Productivity gains could be found in areas such as organizational improvements, busyness vs. work that adds value, inefficient meetings, emails, time management, putting off technology improvements, staying with manual processes etc.

In summary, while we are in this extraordinary labour market of competing for employees, an organization’s HR practices are now under the spotlight.  Those companies that pivot quickly and embrace new ways of thinking about the employee experience may find they have an edge in the war for talent.

Chemistry Consulting Group offers HR consulting services to clients across Canada and the in USA.  We have consultants based in Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo, Toronto and Montreal with virtual services offered in all other cities. We offer a range of solutions tailored to meet the diverse needs of businesses in these regions.

At Chemistry Consulting Group we have a team of certified CPHR strategists and we are experienced in taking on major human resources development projects such as organizational reviews and design, people and culture audits, 360 evaluations, employee engagement surveys, performance management tools, employee handbook/policy and procedure development, employee orientation program development, onboarding programs, total compensation reviews and comparative market research, job descriptions, equity diversity inclusion and belonging (EDIB) strategies with team-building and training workshops. We offer a convenient HR on-call service to support you as issues arise in your workplace, and HR on-site services as required.

Contact us today!

What BC Employers Need to Know: Pay Transparency Act

Sep 21, 2023

By Wendy Ferguson, Chemistry Consulting Group

The Pay Transparency Act is now law in BC and employers should prepare and take necessary steps to comply with the new legislative requirements. All BC employers must comply with the new requirements, unless they are federally regulated (whereby they would need to comply with the federal Employment Equity Act).

Disclosure of Salary/Wage Information on Job Postings

As of November 1, 2023, employers will be required to specify the expected salary or wage, or salary/wage range, on all publicly advertised job opportunities.  This will include job boards, company website career sections, professional association site postings and recruitment agency postings, etc.

Prohibited Conduct

Employers will no longer be able to seek pay history information about a job applicant unless the information is publicly accessible. Employers may not ask applicants directly about this information, or seek the information via a third party.

The Act prohibits employers from retaliating against employees who:

  • make inquiries about their pay;
  • disclose information about their pay to a fellow employee or job applicant;
  • make inquiries about a pay transparency report;
  • ask the employer to comply with the employer’s obligations under the Act; or
  • make a report to the director in relation to the employer’s compliance with the employer’s obligations under the Act.

Retaliation includes: suspension, demotion, discipline, harassment, termination, or disadvantaging an employee or threatening to do so.

Reporting Requirements

Reporting requirements will be introduced in a staged manner, starting with large employers. For 2023, employers required to report include: the Government of BC, ICBC, BC Hydro, WorkSafeBC, BC Housing, BC Lottery Corporation and BC Transit.

Unless exempted by future regulations, the reporting requirements will apply to employers with the following number of employees on January 1 of the specified year:

  • 2024: 1,000+ employees;
  • 2025: 300+ employees;
  • 2026: 50+ employees; and
  • after 2026: less than 49 employees.

Reporting employers will be mandated to prepare an Annual Pay Transparency Report by November 1 of each year. The report will need to be distributed to all employees and published on a publicly accessible website.

The government has stated that details about what will have to be included in the report are still being developed.  An online reporting tool will be developed and available to assist employers with their reporting requirements.

The Act also requires that reporting employers make reasonable efforts to collect the gender information from employees, according to the new Gender and Sex Data Standard. Employers will need to inform the employee that their disclosure of this personal information for the purpose of the pay transparency report is voluntary.

The pay transparency report will include information about the employer, its workforce, the differences in pay in relation to employees’ self-identified gender, etc.  Employers will be required to report pay gaps (the difference between wages, overtime and bonuses received by men, women and non-binary people).

Starting in June 2024, the provincial government will publish an annual report including information about pay differences, trends, and reports of non-compliance.

Human Rights

While the Act does not provide employees’ any new rights or recourse if they feel that they are not being paid fairly, BC employees already have the ability to file a complaint with the BC Human Rights Tribunal if they feel that they have been discriminated against on the basis of their sex and gender identity.

Use of Personal Information

Employers should be cautioned about using personal information collected from their employees for other purposes. Applicable privacy legislation and requirements depend on whether the employer is a public sector or private sector employer.

Summary

According to the BC provincial government, the new legislation is intended to help close the gender pay gap by addressing systemic discrimination in the workplace.

While most BC employers will not have to comply with the new reporting requirements this year, most of the Act is now in force. BC Employers should become familiar with the proposed reporting requirements and consider how they will approach the collection and reporting of this information when the time comes.

Recruitment and hiring practices will need to be updated prior to November 1, 2023, in order to ensure compliance with new job posting requirements and restrictions on what information may be requested in the recruitment process.

For further information please visit: www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/gender-equity/pay-transparency-laws-in-bc

Chemistry Consulting will continue to monitor any further legislative changes.  Should you require support with updating your recruiting programs, policies or employment contracts, or creating a communication plan for your workforce, please contact us today.

Chemistry Consulting Group offers HR consulting services to clients across Canada.  We have consultants based in Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo, Toronto and Montreal with virtual services offered in all other cities.

Chemistry Consulting Group provides Professional Recruitment services that offer a range of solutions to help businesses find and hire the best candidates. These services utilize the skills of our certified recruitment specialists who identify and attract top talent.  Chemistry Consulting Group also offers value-added services such as background checks, skills assessments, employment agreement development, salary negotiations, and onboarding support to ensure a smooth transition for new hires. By leveraging our extensive networks and industry expertise, our professional recruitment services can significantly streamline the hiring process and improve the quality of hires.

Contact us today!

The Art of Retention: Strategies for Keeping Key Personnel in Your Organization

Aug 14, 2023

By Judith Mewhort, Managing Partner, Montridge Advisory Group Ltd.

The challenges that employers have faced over the last three years have been extraordinary.  Having survived the Covid-19 pandemic,  business owners and human resource directors now must adapt to a partially or fully remote workforce, quiet quitting, a rise in mental health concerns, a desire for greater flexibility, and so much more.  The shift in the concerns of workers worldwide has made it increasingly difficult to retain staff and none more so than your key people.

So what is an organization to do? The answer may surprise you. In a survey from Employ, 1200 HR decision makers and recruiters stated the number one reason people left their organization was for more money (37.1%). However, a recent article in Leaders Magazine, citing several surveys, concluded that while employees state that better pay is important, it ranks tenth, not first! Resolving the disconnect between what organizations feel is the key to retention versus what employees express is important to them could be a significant factor in your company’s future success.

So what are the areas that are important to workers and even more so to your senior people:

  • Purpose and mission
  • Alignment between their personal values and the company’s culture
  • Opportunities for advancement
  • Flexibility regarding hours of work as well as taking leave
  • Growth and development opportunities
  • Impact and influence over critical changes

So what are the things your organization can do to improve retention?

Be Clear About Your Firm’s Reason For Being 

This is more than a slogan. This is the embodiment of your values and how you demonstrate those values over time. To get it truly right, strategies, goals, tasks, and the work environment must reflect those values in large and small ways. For example, at Montridge, our Mission is “To support our clients in caring for the physical, emotional, and financial well-being of their employees”. Therefore, our work culture must reflect that mission not only for our clients but for our own employees. To help the well-being of our employees, we have implemented flexible work hours, a generous vacation allowance, a hybrid working model, and financial support. Our mission shows up in a variety of ways including an adaptable leave policy and adjustable working hours that enable people to pick up children from school or to take elderly parents to medical appointments.

When you look at your organization’s mission, is it supported at all levels of your firm in both small and large ways?  If not, you likely have some work to do.

Nurture and Promote From Within

Promoting from within often garners increased loyalty which is one of the keys to retaining staff.  It is important that employees understand the steps necessary to move forward in their career path, such as goals to be met, courses to be taken, and skills to be demonstrated. Leadership needs to provide regular, meaningful feedback and ensure that skill and technical development is part of the nurturing and training of the next generation of management and leaders.

In addition to providing a clear road map to career advancement, it is vital that unconscious bias or discrimination doesn’t get in the way of promoting people. Your organization will lose excellent people who become frustrated and discouraged if they are overlooked due to our human tendency to want to be around others that look like or think like us.

If your organization is smaller with a relatively flat hierarchy promoting from within is still possible. It’s more about providing interesting work and offering new challenges for those that want them more than a new title.  However, be prepared to offer additional compensation or other perks when increasing job duties or responsibilities. Piling on more work without recognition and reward is a surefire way to a rapid exit.

In addition, there is often a longer timeline to leadership roles within a smaller organization due to fewer positions but the ability to have a greater impact on a firm’s trajectory will be rewarding in and of itself for the right candidate provided that there is a forward movement for their career path and the company.

Offer Professional Development Opportunities

Fresh ideas and the ability to share challenges, problems, and successes with colleagues in the same industry or profession can bring a fresh perspective and new energy to your management team. Industry conferences, working groups, courses, and working toward designations or degrees can be incredibly powerful. Developing new skills improves technical abilities but also provides employees with a confidence boost and can enhance problem-solving abilities.

When markets change or growth slows, professional development or travel is often an area in which firms cut back. While this can be a sensible approach in market downturns, it can come at the cost of slower long-term growth. Employee turnover is expensive.  Losing key people even more so. Be careful not to reduce expenditures that are central to retention, training, and promotion in the long term as a way to bump the bottom line in the short term.

Ensure Transparent Communication Both Up and Down the Reporting Hierarchy

The importance of clear, bi-directional communication cannot be overstated. When plans and strategies only travel in a downward direction with little or no meaningful input from those on the front line or nearest to the problem, the result is frustration, feeling undervalued, and being overlooked.

Not being heard or having one’s ideas co-opted by another may be the fastest way to having your best, most engaged people leave your business.

In larger organizations, a structured hierarchy can have many benefits but cross-pollination of ideas is not one of them. Ensure that there are both formal and informal ways to have information and ideas transmitted. Make sure that there are regular check-ins for key people with both their reports and those that supervise their growth and development.   When adopting new ideas, new technology, or new divisions, make sure that all the stakeholders are present and providing input, and the feedback of those on the frontlines be incorporated into the planning.

Offer Benefits Tailored to the Needs of Your People

Benefits and compensation are the go-to when employers are looking at recruitment and retention strategies. It makes sense, as 80% of potential hires consider compensation and the quality of benefits when weighing job opportunities. But the key to retention for senior people lies with aligning your benefits to support your mission and values as well as ensuring that the benefits on offer resonate and provide a degree of customization and individualization.

There is a tendency within organizations to want to treat everyone the same. Unfortunately, a plan that treats everyone the same is not equitable as the needs of individuals at various points in their careers differ. One of the best ways to find out what appeals to your key people is to ask them. Survey your key people to find out what their priorities are and be prepared to adjust benefits and compensation to suit their needs. Flexibility can be built into an existing framework through a variety of methods without creating a discriminatory situation. Allowing you people to tailor their total compensation to suit their individual needs whether it is enhanced leave, greater retirement contributions, more support for family, or support for charitable causes will go a long way to improving their perception of your organization as one that cares about them as an individual and values their role in your company thus increasing loyalty and productivity.

One additional word of caution is to ensure that compensation to your current key staff is equal to or better than anything you would offer to attract a new hire for the same position.  With compensation transparency legislation in force or planned for many jurisdictions, existing staff can easily determine if your organization is more interested in attracting new talent than retaining those already contributing to the success of your firm.

Manage Change Well

As companies grow, change is necessary for survival. The next generation of leaders needs to be involved in creating and leading that change and not simply left to implement policy after the fact.

When managing change, it is very important that people at all levels of the organization understand the reasons change is necessary, what the nature of the change will be, the plan to implement and follow through on the proposed change, how the process will be communicated, and how roadblocks will be dealt with as they arise. It is especially important that key people are armed with the necessary communication tools to convey their ideas, concerns, and frustrations but also those of their direct reports and frontline workers.

Companies need to be open to, and have a process for encouraging key people to propose and champion new ideas and processes. Ambitious, curious, and driven key people will leave an environment that is stagnating. Conversely, many companies are guilty of chasing the next shiny new thing without working through the recommended steps in the change management process or abandoning the change part way through the process. Stagnation or change for the sake of change are both surefire ways to lose your best and brightest.

Conclusion

As with many things in life, complex problems have simple, easy-to-understand wrong answers. When considering retention strategies for your key personnel, it is not enough to simply consider enhancements to compensation and benefits. While those are both important for your senior people – or those who wish to be – it is all the other more complex and harder to define elements that are key to retention.

Employer Branding Starts Here

Jun 6, 2023

By Vivo Team

The best  brand ambassadors for your company are already sitting at the table! Your employees shape your culture, demonstrate your values, and live your vision and mission everyday.

“What’s important for me, as leader of the company, is I want to make sure that everybody can embrace our core values. That I too want to be a creator. I want to be a leader. And I want to be a champion. If we can all align with that, then we’ve got something to build on.”

– Renée Safrata, Founder and CEO, Vivo Team

Here are some ways to facilitate ongoing alignment to your employer value proposition.

Accountability to the Vision, Mission, and Values

With good leaders and managers that are tightly connected around their accountabilities, you will have an equation for success. Be accountable to your values, your vision, and your mission. Accountability isn’t a one-and-done. It’s all about ongoing alignment.

Here, Renée expressed: “I want my employees to be able to achieve our vision, mission, and values in their day-to-day and in their career achievement with us.”

Behaviors demonstrate accountability, so it’s important to behave in a way that supports and reinforces your vision, your dreams, and your aspirations.

One way we do this at Vivo Team is on a weekly basis, we provide feedback to one another in response to the question: “What are the behaviors that I, or others, demonstrated that align with our values?” It keeps our coast-to-coast hybrid team aligned and accountable!

Whether you do this in a regular meeting, during Friday afternoon “happy hour” or have a dedicated slack channel, regular interactive feedback should be a systematic practice within organizations.

Norms and Transparency

Just because it’s obvious to you doesn’t mean it is to everyone! By agreeing to a set of behavioral norms, teams increase productivity and engagement significantly.

Clearly outline the types of behaviors that are expected of existing and new employees. Do you have email norms? Meeting norms? A particular way files are stored and shared? Make sure these things are clearly laid out and that everyone understands and is aligned.

Increasing digital visibility among your team boosts productivity and reduces stress. At Vivo Team, we have access to everyone’s calendars, and everyone does a daily check-in on our internal communication platform (we use Slack). This makes planning meeting times a breeze because you know who’s available when. Also, by checking in each day, you won’t have to spend time and energy wondering where people are or what they’re working on.

Create Connection

Being in the same building doesn’t ensure employee connection; the key is really about developing a thriving company culture.

During onboarding, we ensure that every member of the team books our new team member for a casual get-to-know-you chat. They also get invited to participate in internal weekly training sessions on our core teachings to build their knowledge and connections.

We have tools and techniques embedded at the start (check-ins) and end (appreciation, difficulty, final statement) of every meeting to help build connection and increase interactive feedback.

Here are other workplace activity ideas that promote connection:

  • Share and celebrate wins, often—even the small stuff!
  • Plan weekly development meetups to stir the creativity and collaboration juices, where smaller groups work on learning something new together.
  • Assign a mentor to new employees for 30-minute chats once every week or two.

Walk the Walk

The words used to describe your company to current and potential future employees are certainly important, but behaviors speak volumes. Focus on the behaviors you, your leaders, and your teams demonstrate on a regular basis and prioritize them, ensuring that they align with your core values.

Since your employees are your unofficial recruiters and marketers, set them up for success to be able to communicate your company’s employer value proposition by incorporating into the day-to-day culture of the organization.

Refreshing Benefit Offerings to Attract and Retain the Modern Worker

Apr 12, 2023

By Damien Lacey, Marketing Coordinator, Montridge Advisory Group Ltd.

With the world of work continuing to evolve, business owners need to adapt their benefit offerings to attract and retain modern workers. Demographics are changing, workplaces are becoming more diverse, and the impact of technology is greater than ever before. Employees are looking for benefits that keep up with and match their needs and personal preferences. In this article we look at the importance of refreshing benefit offerings with the goal of attracting and retaining the modern worker.

The Landscape of the Modern Workforce & Remaining Competitive

The modern landscape of the working world has undergone a significant transformation over the past decade, and as a result of the pandemic, the traditional office-based work culture has undergone even further changes. Workers are no longer limited to working from the office or their homes, as technology has enabled them to work from anywhere. This has given rise to new challenges for organizations looking to attract and retain top talent. Companies that fail to adapt to these changes and refresh their benefit offerings risk losing their competitive edge in the market.

Simply put, refreshing benefit offerings is a key component to your overall strategy. With all these changing components in the modern workforce meeting workers needs and preferences must be done. If you are not first, then you are last. What does that mean? You don’t attract talent and time after time you lose employees to organizations with better benefits on offer.

With employees working from home or across different time zones, flexibility has become a critical factor in their decision-making process. Benefits such as flexible schedules, telecommuting options, and access to wellness programs can help organizations attract and retain top talent. In addition, employers must also ensure that their benefits align with the needs of their diverse workforce, including women, minorities, and LGBTQ+ individuals.

As the workforce becomes more geographically dispersed, companies must consider how their benefit offerings can be delivered to workers regardless of their location. For example, virtual wellness programs, digital mental health support, and telemedicine services can provide workers with access to vital services irrespective of their location. It is also important to consider the legislative and regulatory challenges when workers relocate to another province or another country either temporarily or permanently. Special consideration should be given to relocated workers to ensure their coverage remains in place. This may mean simply updating the insurer, but it may also mean the need for different types of coverage for those working abroad.

Why Refreshing Benefit Offerings Is Important

One of the primary reasons for refreshing benefit offerings is to keep up with changing demographics. As the workforce continues to become more diverse, employers need to offer benefits that cater to the unique needs and preferences of different groups. For instance, younger workers may value benefits such as flexible work arrangements and professional development opportunities, while older workers may prioritize health and retirement benefits. With five generations in the workforce, this balancing act can be tricky.

In today’s world, workers are accustomed to fast, individualised service. There is an expectation among workers that benefits should be customized for their own situation and delivered in the same efficient manner as an Amazon package. This means that benefit plans need to be flexible, offer a variety of ways to access information, submit claims, and utilize services. For example, some people may wish to access counselling services in person. Others are fine with a digital or telephonic appointment. While certain people prefer text messaging. While it may be impossible to know which of your people prefer which method, being able to offer multiple modalities for the same service is key. The other key is to ensure that your people truly understand what is available and how to access it.

Another reason for refreshing benefit offerings is to stay competitive in the job market. Today’s employees have more choices than ever before when it comes to job opportunities. Offering a comprehensive benefits package can help an organization stand out in a crowded job market and attract top talent. Additionally, offering unique and innovative benefits can differentiate an organization from its competitors and give it a competitive edge.

Examples of Refreshing Benefit Offerings

There are many ways that organizations can refresh their benefit offerings to meet the needs of the modern workforce. Some examples include:

  1. Flexible Work Arrangements: Offering flexible work arrangements, such as remote work, unlimited paid time off, or flexible schedules can be a significant benefit for employees who value work-life balance and autonomy.
  2. Professional Development Opportunities: Providing professional development opportunities, such as training programs or tuition reimbursement, can be a significant benefit for employees who value career growth and development.
  3. Health and Wellness Benefits: Offering health and wellness benefits, such as gym memberships, mental health support, or healthy food options, can be a significant benefit for employees who prioritize their health and well-being.

Conclusion

Work is no longer what we initially imagined it to be. Workers are coming into the office, working from home, or even a bit of both. Teams no longer feature individuals in the local area but can branch across the country and even internationally. With a drive to attract and retain top talent, organizations should be considering how they can refresh their benefit offerings to meet the needs of their workers today.