Shaping a new path for Tomorrow’s Workplace is essential to sustain and grow your business. With the many changes affecting businesses due to economic, social, globalization, and environmental challenges, plus the impending tight labour market and a diverse labour force, only a new journey forward will lead to continued success. 

The Surrey Board of Trade and SUCCESS have partnered to support small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) in Surrey prepare for the future through the Tomorrow’s Workplace project.  Business, human resources, and diversity specialists are currently leading this initiative by working with selected businesses with a primary purpose to ‘help good businesses be great’ in the midst of the new realities. The vast majority of economic growth in our province is attributed to SMEs and the issues they face, with limited resources, require a clear focus for the future.

SMEs are most often started by one or two individuals with passion, knowledge, and an entrepreneurial spirit. As the business grows, complexities grow as well. Organizations must now take a holistic business perspective and prioritize the areas of knowledge, support, and tools to integrate that will support current and future success. In the Tomorrow’s Workplace project, one core focus is connecting businesses with community and employment resources in Surrey for maximum benefit by both parties. Shaping a workplace culture of resiliency, adaptability and change practices are also essential components to flourish in the future. Yesterday’s workplace, with set ideas, long standing routines and processes is truly a thing of the past.

Tip

Shape your business for continued success. Visit http://www.tomorrowsworkplace.net and benefit from our learnings. We’re producing a video story documentary of our work with businesses and will also be producing a toolkit with tools, resources, and learnings. The Surrey Board of Trade will host a launch event on May 20, 2010. Stay connected and sent us your views, ideas, and questions.

Gayle Hadfield
Tomorrow’s Workplace Project Manager

Being an HR practitioner, I’m attentive to hearing what seems like daily stories of individuals losing their jobs due to this economic phase. Investigating this further, I’m finding that many employers are doing the right thing by keeping employees informed as to the state of their business and reducing operational and other costs to avoid layoffs. This makes sense, as individuals are the valued workers that power business success. However, not all employees are receiving support to help them transition to new employment.

Whether you’re the CEO, an Administrative Coordinator, or the Technology Engineer, in the span of our working lives, jobs provide us with core aspects for our wellbeing–as defined in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, including: self esteem, confidence, the respect of others, community/social belonging, challenge and personal growth, finances to provide for our homes, food and medicine. You get the picture – loss of employment, especially in a down market when other jobs aren’t readily available, can affect personal security, self-esteem, and wellbeing.

Individuals need a supportive transition to bridge new employment. With fewer jobs on the market, there are different techniques to secure a new position. Holding out for a full-time permanent position like they once had may have them unemployed for an extensive period. Small contracts lead to longer contracts; temporary employment can lead to permanent. This is the new reality of the workworld.

If a formal program is too costly, source one-on-one HR career consulting services to help them to: understand the new realities, plan, and implement their job search. For example, they’ll need a talent-based resume to stand out. The old style focusing on previous experiences and past skills don’t matter as much as current talents and fundamental strengths. Workplace routine is also out of style; people need to be change-ready with current talents, innovation, and clear thinking in order to meet business goals.

Because it’s the right thing to do

Be a responsible employer – show that you care about your valued employees, as individuals needing transition support to seek new employment. Remaining staff will see their employer “doing the right thing”, and you’ll benefit. People need to know they’re working for an organization that demonstrates they care when it matters most.

People often tell me “we’re too small to need HR”.  Let’s explore this further, keeping in mind organizations with under 20 employees. Human Resources practices and tools are not reserved for medium-large organizations. Whether HR practices are formal or informal, they’re critical to your business success. As a business owner of a small business, here are HR practices that will help you hire, motivate, and retain staff that are productive and engaged on your business’s success.

• Communicate the values, mission and value proposition of your organization’s service and/or products. People need to feel informed and included before they can commit. As a leader, you set the direction and need everyone on the same ship, staying the course. Hold regular meetings and provide business updates, and welcome employee ideas and input. Be a great person to work for.
• Put job duties in writing, with non-negotiable service and behavioural standards. Then, develop specific objectives so they can focus efforts to achieve and exceed those expectations. You’ve shared your value proposition; these standards and expectations put ideas to action. Only then can you manage their efforts and provide constructive feedback, and praise. 
• Hire the right people with strengths and skills aligned to each specific role. I often see smaller organizations hiring through friends and acquaintances and they forego a critical recruitment process. Employee referrals are great, as they’ve told others your organization is a good place to work. Just do your due diligence in aligning skillsets to your needs.
• Develop employees. They’re in the right role; they understand your business value proposition; they work on a team with shared values. Help them develop skills that will build their confidence, expand their abilities, all aligned to your business needs.  These could be customer service related; furthering technical skills; expanding professional abilities.  People want to grow and succeed.
• Recognize and praise a job well done. Whether an employee is developing your business, maintaining excellent administration support, or working directly with customers, they all have goals, objectives, and strengths. Praise and appreciation is motivating. And, motivation plus a focused effort equals productivity, satisfaction and retention.

Succeed through sound people practices

Human Resources practices are simply put the people practices that will sustain your business. People are the intellectual power that fuels your success. All your product, services, and internal processes only succeed through aligned people power. Show you value the power in your business.

The current issue of MacLeans headlines “the employment storm of 2009 is on its way”. The main losses will be in construction, mining, oil, gas, and auto manufacturing. Projected job losses will impact industries such as retail, marketing, and advertising. For more information read any newspaper.

Economists, if correct, project that the pain will be brief and we’ll return to prosperity later this year or early in 2010. Optimism and hope for a timely recovery will help all of us head to the light at the end of this tunnel. 

For employers, staff shortages may take a reprieve and turnover levels may go down.  Employees are more likely to stay in their current position and ride out the wave. If they are looking around, they know that even the larger organizations are being impacted by the market. The ego-building period of multiple job offers is also on hold as employers take cautious steps. And, individuals nearing retirement are now extending their exit date to continue earning while they wait for their retirement nest egg to return to health. 

Costs of staff replacement go down, and your intellectual capital is retained.  Teams benefit by having the business knowledge, relationships and expertise intact. Use this time as an opportunity to build internal capacity; develop skillsets for succession planning; and recognize achievements. Increase communication with staff to keep them well informed.  Ask what types of support they need to support them personally.

I heard Suze Orman speaking yesterday – she’s the money guru who just launched a new book on basic financial planning for 2009. She has sound ideas on paying off personal debt, saving, and stabilizing for uncertainty.  Employees could start a discussion group based on the book and share ideas.

Review my previous Two-Minute-Tip on “Market Turmoil” for ideas on maintaining and building healthy employee relations, and keeping productivity levels up.

Who knows, when the market turns around, employees who were thinking of leaving may decide they’re right where they want to be.

We’re in the midst of far-reaching economic uncertainty and that brings forth concern and raises fear for many employees. If it’s not the daily discussions are about which jobs are considered “safe” and which jobs and industries will be impacted, your valued employees are looking at their RRSP statement or the TSX numbers, and that’s not comforting.

To be productive and focus on the work at hand, employees need a feeling of stability and direction. Meet regularly and keep employees involved as to your organization’s objectives and where you foresee changes to current objectives. To be impactful, employees must know where to focus their work efforts.  Shifting some duties and tasks may be necessary to ensure close alignment with any changing objectives. Once employees have this core information, they will understand the need for the changes, and they will have ideas that can support the organization; keep them involved and engaged.

To mitigate fear, communicate openly with staff. From an employee perspective “no news is bad news”. Withholding information may also hamper your ability to retain high performers who make their own conclusions and considering moving to an organization that looks more stable.

Should job losses be a consequence of the downturn, provide supportive outplacement services to bridge employees to new employment. This can take the form of individual and/or group sessions to support exiting employees with tools to plan and implement their job search.  It’s a win-win to provide exiting employees with support. Remaining staff will see their employer “doing the right thing”; and, you may look to rehiring exiting employees in the future once we’re through this downturn. 

Try This

Focus energy and efforts on these core elements:

1. Employee Retention: Recognize solid performance; be transparent about your organization’s objectives and concerns; show flexibility in responding to employee requests; continue career development; listen to staff input.
2. Productivity: take stock of employee performance and develop clear timelined goals; manage poor performance – this is not the time for less than ideal performance; tighten up what is not working. Employees, as partners, have a vested interest in maintaining a high level of productivity.
3. Customer Satisfaction: Do all staff understand the heightened need to differentiate your services from your competitors? Revisit customer needs and refresh service delivery processes and competencies.

Growth, restructuring, reengineering all mean that ‘things are going to change around here’. You’ve invested resources, time and money to design the new business strategy.  The next step is developing a change plan for your workforce. Even positive change can leave people a bit shaken, uncertain. This includes your high performers, who will want to know how they fit in the future, what the changes are, and how they can get there. 

Here are some core elements for you to consider as you move forward. They will support maintaining a productive, motivated workforce during times of change and growth:

1. Share the new business plans with employees so they have a clear idea of where you’re going and what you’re hoping to achieve. Break it down to short and longer term objectives. Show alignment to your mission and vision.

2. Cascading from your business growth plan, map out what will look different as you move into the future in areas of people skills and behaviors; the workplace overall, and internal processes, etc. Employees get excited about moving forward when they see how they fit in the future and how they will be supported to get there. Also ensure employees have access to be considered for any newly created opportunities – developing and promoting internal staff reaps rewards.

3. Involve employees at all levels. They can identify opportunities, provide feedback, flag areas of concern, and participate in determining solutions that keep you moving to achieve your future. Being fully engaged in the process helps maintain stability of the workforce and keeps turnover in check. Current employees are also the ones you’ll need to source more staff in future. There is a labour shortage.

4. Maintain open communication; use your intranet site if you have one, plus email/voicemail blasts and face-to-face messaging from managers so all staff are getting regular updated communication from the top. Communicate often. Celebrate mini milestones. Be prepared to recognize staff as they achieve new goals.

5. Change is a departure from the status quo; it is not business as usual. Managers are undergoing their own change, but their primary role is to lead others–they are change agents. Ensure a cohesive, on-board management team that can discuss and work through differences within that team.

Only through an effective people change plan will the journey to really begin.

You’ve probably used the phrase “no news is good news”. Well, that doesn’t apply when it comes to acknowledging employees for a job well done. Most employees report that what keeps them motivated and committed is the opportunity to be challenged, achieve results, and be recognized. Recognition itself is consistently ranked by employees as a primary reason for staying or leaving an organization. Gallup Research reports that an employee needs acknowledgement for contributions at least every seven days.

As the recipient of recognition, employees experience greater satisfaction, higher self esteem and increased personal success. Appreciating and valuing employees for the work they do builds team spirit and a positive working environment, both very impactful for organizational success. This is true for individuals from junior to senior levels.

Praise, as recognition, has no monetary cost. Encourage a culture of spontaneous, sincere and personal appreciation of employee efforts. Use this format: 1) give specific examples of the performance; 2) give examples of the personal qualities that allowed them to achieve it; 3) give specific benefits to you, the team and or organization; and 4) give your appreciation.  

Try this
Delivery is everything.  Use a sincere, genuine compliment or words of acknowledgement for outstanding effort and positive results. Rather than saying “you’re well organized”, say “our team was able to focus on their deliverables and meet our deadline because you were well organized and kept the support work up to date”.  Specific, timely feedback will reinforce and encourage employees to continue the behaviour.

Repeat often.