The following article by HR pros was published in MINGLE magazine.

Building Employee Performance

Marketing and sales go hand-in-hand but even the most creative marketing campaign won’t achieve its goals if employees are unsupported.

It’s a week after the launch of your new marketing campaign, and you are pleased to notice that your store has been busier than usual. Traffic has increased and you congratulate yourself for investing in the campaign. You start to think about the next one… but there’s a problem. This increase in activity hasn’t translated into an increase in sales. Why?

Let’s take a look at some of the things that may be impacting your results:

Understaffing, employee morale and your bottom line
Do you have sufficient staff to handle your increased level of activity? If you don’t, customers may become impatient and leave. While it’s easy to notice the absence of sales staff on the floor, understaffing can create problems across the board. Overworked employees have a higher level of absenteeism – further compounding the problem. Your employees may be stressed from this new, higher level of activity; they may tire more quickly, slow down, take more breaks, or be less courteous. If this is the case, your employee morale will drop resulting in poor job performance, more errors, more accidents, and poor customer service. Your bottom line will suffer.

Motivation
Performance in sales, like any other job, is a function of the employee having the ability to do the job and the motivation to perform the work. Ability is acquired through training and experience. Motivation is a more complex issue because the source of motivation is often different for each employee. One might be motivated by respect, another by money, another by recognition, while another by the job itself.

Motivation strategies
Given this complexity, how can you improve motivation? An examination of your compensation practices may reveal some areas for immediate consideration. Are your employees fairly compensated? And what about increases? Do all employees have an opportunity for wage increases, or are increases perceived as subjectively awarded? A compensation review is an exercise that healthy organizations, recognizing its value, will make the effort to undertake from time-to-time.

Super Supervisors
Supervisors affect employee motivation. It is often said that employees don’t quit their employers, they quit their supervisors. Are your supervisors trained in supervisory practices? One error many organizations make is to promote a good producer into a supervisory role, but a good producer does not necessarily make a good supervisor. This is especially true if no investment is made in the development of that supervisor. Supervisors walk a tightrope between the company’s needs and those of the employees. Are your supervisors able to balance the enforcement of rules with empathy to the human condition, when necessary?

Who Knows the Rules?
Speaking of rules, do your employees know the rules? My experience is that 90% of employees come to work each day and want to do a good job. Most employees really do see their performance as a reflection of themselves. Doing a good job, however, means knowing the rules of engagement – if you don’t know the rules you’re bound to make mistakes. Review your personnel policies from time-to-time. Make sure they are up to date, fair and that your employees are aware of the policies and how they are applied. Policies are not about restricting the employment relationship, they are about sharing expectations.

Company Culture
Many employees are motivated by “stuff”.  I live by the “high impact, low cost” approach. For a number of years I worked at an inside sales facility. Employees were attached to their phone at all times and jobs were rigidly defined. There was no opportunity to impact the job but there was opportunity to impact the culture, and for very little money. Each month we had nacho day, ice cream day and pizza day. Once a month we gathered to recognize our most helpful employees with balloons, cake and certificates of appreciation. Twice a year we celebrated the diversity of our employees.  We had “Diversity Day Potlucks” when employees were invited to bring ethnic foods, which everyone sampled and then voted on their favourites. The winners were recognized with gift certificates and acknowledged in the monthly newsletter.

There is no magic formula to increasing employee motivation. Rather than muddle your way through this complex issue, engage your employees. Ask them what motivates them and if possible, incorporate a few different approaches.And before investing in your next marketing campaign, consider investing in your human resources management practices. The results may surprise you.

The March/April 2010 edition of MINGLE magazine can be read on line here.

This position is no longer available.

Article de HR pros publié à la page 19 de l’édition Hiver 2009-2010 de la revue Progrès.

Progrès Hiver 2009-2010 (format pdf)

PARS GLASS is currently recruiting a Sales & Marketing Advisor for the Atlantic Region.  This is a self directed role.  There is a competitive base salary, solid commission opportunity and generous car allowance.  See the details in the Job Opportunities page.

In 2008, 29 Nova Scotia workers died on the job.  The incidence of death in 2009 has not improved.  Accordingly, on September 20, 2009 the Nova Scotia Government took decisive action and passed new regulations intended to deter ongoing and unnecessary injuries, deaths and unsafe work practices in the workplace. 

The Safety Administrative Penalties Regulations come into effect January 15, 2010.  There is no grace period or phase-in to the legislation.  As of January 15, whenever an Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Officer issues an Order for non-compliance an Administrator at the OHS Division may issue an accompanying monetary penalty (fine). 

Penalties may be levied against employees and supervisors as well as employers.  Penalties are within a range.  Employees may receive a penalty of no less than $100 and up-to $1000.  Supervisors may receive a penalty of no less than $250 and up-to $2000.  Employers may receive a penalty of no less than $500 and up-to $4000. 

There are approximately 4,000 Orders issued each year by OHS Officers.  Orders are a result of any number non-compliance issues.  Examples of non-compliance issues include, but is certainly not limited to:  failure to post orders or minutes in the workplace; failure to provide respiratory equipment; failure to train staff on safety procedures; failure to properly guard or lock-out equipment; failure to prevent workplace violence; failure to have an established Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee or a designated Safety Representative; etc, etc.

Safety programming and compliance is a complex environment.  If in doubt as to whether you are in compliance contact a safety professional.  HR pros would be pleased to be of assistance to you and your organization. 

Do you believe these new Regulations will deter unsafe work practices or do you feel this is an attempt by the NS government to self-fund the OHS Division?  Give us your opinion by leaving a comment.

Long, long ago, in a fiscally confident time, employers would share the company good fortune and offer their employees Holiday Bonuses.  But, considering the impact of the economy, what will employers do this year?  Can they afford to give Holiday Bonuses?  Is it even a good idea?  Why exactly do companies continue to give, or even contemplate giving, these year-end Bonuses?

It is probably a fair assumption that employees know only too well not to count on getting a Holiday Bonus this year.  Times are tough and keeping their jobs is really their priority.  But what are employers thinking?   And, what should employers be thinking?

The fact is that Holiday Bonuses are not always the most motivating.  If you give a bonus out of obligation, employees will know it. I once worked at a place that gave turkeys each year for no other reason than that was what had been done for the last 50 years.  Each employee had to pick up their turkey from the main office on the day of delivery, from the back of the delivery truck, whether they were scheduled to work that day or not.  Employees could not stop talking about how insulting the whole process was, kind of like a food bank feeling for many of them.  Given how the bonus turkeys were received by the employees, the company would have been better off giving nothing.

Giving Holiday Bonuses doesn’t sound like it should be a difficult process, but a lot of companies get it wrong.  In reality the Holiday Bonus is one perk that should be handled very carefully and with some extra thought.  If you’re going to give a bonus, think through the whole process.  Which isn’t to say you have to give what you don’t have!

Industry at large is strapped for cash.  Bonuses that are small can be appreciated, or at least, understood for what they are.  Employees can feel grateful for even the most modest of bonuses.  Having said this, if you’re going to give your employees an inexpensive bonus, there’s a good argument for being clever and thoughtful about it.

By putting some thought into a Holiday Bonus, you can avoid a lot of problems. Don’t give anything too personal, anything that contradicts the receiver’s value system (such as giving alcohol to a non-drinker), or anything that could be misinterpreted (for instance, giving female employees beauty kits and male employees jumper cables, thereby reinforcing stereotypes).  Most importantly, should your company provide a year-end bonus, be fair about it. You may like one employee better than another, but don’t give $10 to one and $200 to another if they’re both performing the same basic functions.

But do employers even have to give a bonus?  And, what about non-monetary bonuses? 

The fact is that many companies stopped their Holiday Bonus programs in the early 2000s.  Besides the obvious economic rationale for discontinuing year-end bonus programs, other reasons employers ended bonus programs include switching to performance-related compensation plans, rising corporate sensitivity to workplace diversity, and serious issues of entitlement that arise when providing an obligatory bonus.

Still some employers see the Holiday Bonus as a company’s chance to say thanks and to offer their employees something extra along with their December paycheque. Their experience is that Holiday Bonuses do positively impact morale and company loyalty. 

One of the biggest fallacies of the year-end bonus is the method by which the bonus is determined.  The senior management teams sits, sequestered, in a boardroom.  They look at how much money they have at their disposal and try to match the bonus to the fiscal reality.  What is missing in this approach?  The employees’ voice and preference!

The need to be transparent about the standing of the company is a whole other article.  Having said this, sharing the fiscal realities and how these relate to the year-end bonus is imperative.  Building an employee team to help match the fiscal reality to the Bonus is just good common sense.  Having that team conduct and interpret a quick survey of employees’ and their preferences is just plain and simply a best practice!

Whether the bonus will be more of a symbolic gesture this year or something significant, employees know best what will create that elusive motivation and loyalty-  they might surprise you!  More often than not, it is not the financials of the bonus but rather the impact.  Employees might well prefer a day off with pay than a $50 gift certificate to the local grocery store.  They might prefer a personalized and framed letter from the company CEO, acknowledging their contributions, over a pen and pencil set.  They might prefer a well thought-out, no-cost-to-the-employer Employee Discount Program over a basket of fruit.  Or, employees might prefer a holiday party, with good food and time away from the office with friends and new friends rather than the obligatory turkey. 

To bonus or not to bonus is the question.  Well thought-out bonuses might very well increase employee motivation and loyalty.  There are creative ways to give your employees bonuses that don’t necessarily need to break the bank.  Involving existing employees, educating them about the financial realities and tasking them with advising what the best Holiday Bonus is might well be the best practice of the year.

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Article about HR pros on the Nova Scotia Comes to Life website and in the new magazine Mingle.

Remembrance Day is a solemn occasion to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifices so that we might enjoy our freedom.  In Nova Scotia, Remembrance Day is legislated by the Remembrance Day Act. 

The Remembrance Day Act requires all companies to suspend operations, for three full minutes, starting at one minute before eleven o’clock in the forenoon on Remembrance Day.

Remembrance Day is not a Holiday in Nova Scotia but commercial activities are curtailed.  Having said this, there are a number of industries where it is not possible to cease operations, for example health care, police services, transport, service stations.  Section 4 of the Act provides the list of exemptions.

It is worth noting that employees who do not work on Remembrance Day do not get paid unless the employer gratuitously offered to add Remembrance Day as a benefit.  For employees required to work on Remembrance Day, the employer will grant a holiday with pay with their annual vacation or at another time mutually agreed between the employee and the employer.

For more information visit the Nova Scotia Government webpage: http://www.gov.ns.ca/lwd/legislation/

Visit the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.

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minimum key requirements:
4 -5 years of software development experience
Extensive knowledge of C++, C# and .NET programming
Knowledge of Agile methodologies
Must be professional, dedicated to task and have a strong eye for detail.  Strong communication and interpersonal skills are a must.

Send resume to info@hr-pros.ca

Diversity and inclusion are principles which enrich our lives.  But, as I recently told a colleague, diversity is much more than a mere concept or set of obligations. 

Most workplaces today include diverse social, economic, ethnic, religious and other cultural backgrounds.  An employee’s diverse background largely frames that employee’s perspective on authority, communication and decision making styles, gender roles, responsibility, assertiveness and other traits that deeply affect and determine the success of an organisation. 

Business analysts and leaders agree that, when harnessed and managed properly, diversity and inclusion in the workplace contributes to creativity, productivity and, ultimately, the prosperity of an organisation.  As I recently told that business colleague, diversity and inclusion programs are competitive business strategies. 

Consider three teams of 10 people tasked with problem solving and idea generating:

Team 1:  Everyone has a similar social, educational and ethnic background.

Team 2:  All ten members are socially, educationally and ethnically diverse.

Team 3:  All ten members are socially, educationally and ethnically diverse and have been trained on how these differences affect decision making and communication styles.

In the beginning Team 1 will out perform Teams 2 and 3.  Team 2 will be chaotic.  And, Team 3 will generate few ideas or solve few problems in the short term.

Over a relatively short time, however, Team 1 will be stagnant.  While it is comfortable to work with like people homogenous teams become stagnant fast.  Team 2 will continue to be chaotic.  The real winner will be Team 3.  Team 3 members have been educated on their differences and will capitalize upon these differences.  They will learn what they each have to offer, what others on their team have to offer and how to blend their different approaches to fill any performance gaps. 

The facts are that, over time, Team 3 will out perform Team 1 by more than 50%.  That, my friends, is a competitive advantage. 

To learn more about building strategic teams, capitalizing upon differences and positively impacting organisational prosperity consider attending “Building a Business Case for Diversity and Inclusion”, October 21 at the Halifax Club.  We guarantee it will be time and money well spent and you will walk away with real tools and strategy, not mere concepts.

HR pros is a full-service Human Resources Management company.  For more information on how HR pros can help you grow your business, comply with legislation and develop an HR framework to meet your business’ mandate call today!