It is officially summertime, so HR get ready for the time off requests and PTO! For the next 3 months, we will be talking about all things time off. 

Starting right at the foundation of fostering a vacation-friendly company culture. Employees may feel guilty about taking vacation because they worry about burdening their colleagues with additional work or causing delays in project timelines. They may feel responsible for maintaining productivity and worry that their absence will negatively impact the team’s performance. Or if management does not actively promote or support work-life balance, employees may feel uncomfortable taking time off. They may perceive a stigma or judgment surrounding vacations and feel that they should prioritize work over personal well-being. 

To address these feelings of guilt, it is crucial for organizations to foster a supportive company culture that values work-life balance and encourages employees to take time off. HR can play a vital role in promoting policies, communication, and initiatives that alleviate guilt and create a vacation-friendly culture. 

Here are some steps HR can take to create a vacation-friendly company culture: 

1. Develop Clear Vacation Policies: Create clear and transparent vacation policies that outline the process for requesting time off, how vacation days are accrued, any blackout periods, and any restrictions or guidelines. Communicate these policies clearly to all employees.
2. Encourage and Normalize Taking Vacations: Promote the importance of taking vacations for employee well-being, work-life balance, and productivity. Encourage employees to plan and utilize their vacation days. 
3. Lead by Example: HR leaders and managers should lead by example by taking regular vacations themselves (if possible). This demonstrates that taking time off is not only acceptable, but also encouraged within the company.
4. Teamwork/Collaboration: Encourage employees to collaborate and provide coverage for each other’s roles when one person is on vacation. Promote a culture of teamwork and mutual support, where employees feel comfortable assisting each other during absences.
5. Recognize and Celebrate Vacations: Acknowledge and celebrate employees’ vacations when they return. Show appreciation for their time off and encourage them to share their experiences. This can create a positive atmosphere around vacations and further encourage others to take time off.

Creating a vacation-friendly company culture involves fostering an environment that values and supports employees’ time off, while ensuring smooth operation in their absence. Incorporating these tips can create a culture where employees won’t feel guilty for taking time for themselves, and where mental & physical rest is encouraged.  

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Companies need to take some advice from Kool & The Gang and “celebrate good times, come on!”. In all seriousness, offering flexibility with Holy Days is essential in today’s workplace. Employees may have different religious or cultural beliefs, and as such, may celebrate different holidays. Offering flexibility allows employees to take time to observe their holidays without using their vacation or unpaid time off. 

 By being a responsible employer, your company can excel in these 4 areas: 

Diversity and Inclusion

By respecting Holy Days, companies show that they value and respect the diverse beliefs and cultures of their employees. This helps to foster a more inclusive and welcoming workplace where employees feel their authentic selves. Companies that offer flexibility with holidays demonstrate that they value diversity and inclusivity, which can enhance their reputation as a socially responsible employer. 

Employee Morale

Recognizing and respecting Holy Days demonstrates that a company cares about the well-being of its employees, which can boost employee morale and increase job satisfaction. Fostering this type of welcoming work environment also encourages insightful interactions and deeper connections between colleagues.  

Employee Retention

When employees feel that their religious beliefs and traditions are respected, they are more likely to remain with the company for a longer period of time. When employees have the flexibility to take time off to celebrate their holidays, they are less likely to miss work or leave the company due to a lack of support for their beliefs.  

Avoiding Legal Issues

Many countries have laws that protect employees’ religious rights and prohibit discrimination based on religion. Failure to respect Holy Days can lead to legal issues and negative publicity, which can damage a company’s reputation and lead to financial losses. 

Flexible holiday policies can take many forms, such as offering a bank of floating holidays that employees can use at their discretion, allowing employees to swap holidays with colleagues, or providing the option to work on holidays and take time off at a later date. 

The bottom line is that you are showing your employees that you care about them, as human beings. You are encouraging and allowing them to practice what they believe without having to compromise their work for their faith. This is a sign of good corporate citizenship and can help companies build stronger relationships with their employees, customers, and communities.  

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Distractions, emergencies, deadlines, these uncontrollable and unavoidable factors we all face daily. These can all get in the way of our long-term goals and our day-to-day tasks. It makes it much more difficult to focus on priorities. For our HR leaders especially, with the past couple of years we’ve had, HR has had to adapt to unpredictable conditions.  

The role of an HR leader is investing in people, cultivating a positive culture and employee experience, and transforming HR to be more automated and digital — all while new employee expectations are impacting retention and attraction.  

Here are some priorities that they are also trying to juggle: 

1. Leader and manager effectiveness:  “24% say their leadership development approach does not prepare leaders for the future of work.” 

As a company grows, so do the expectations and responsibilities of HR leaders. In today’s work environment, HR leaders have a lot more on their plate. They’ve had to adapt and develop skills to be more authentic and empathetic, “human” leaders.  

2. Organizational design and change management: “45% say their employees are fatigued from all the change.” 

Economic uncertainty and hybrid work environments have led to major changes to HR processes. Employees are also growing more resistant to change — in 2016, the Gartner Workforce Change Survey showed 74% of employees were willing to change work behaviors to support organizational changes, but that number dropped to 38% in 2022. 

3. Recruiting: “36% say their sourcing strategies are insufficient for finding the skills they need.” 

Leaders must navigate recruitment by reprioritizing the current business needs and future goals to prepare for the ever-shifting market.  

How to Help 

Maintaining and working towards these priorities is what can be increasingly challenging. With people technology in place, you can reduce operational workload by automating repetitive tasks so that you can focus on your organization’s top priorities.  

With an HRIS like HRWize, we provide you with the tools and support from our certified HR consultants. They facilitate merging your HR needs and strategies with our HRIS’s capabilities so that you get the most out of them. You get to benefit from this support through implementation and beyond.  

We too are HR practitioners. You are not alone, whatever priorities you want to focus on in 2023, our team will assist you in staying on course. Check out our features to learn more about what your HR processes are missing.  

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It’s Pride month – what are you doing as an organization?

June is Pride month in Canada, and an excellent opportunity to learn about the history of Pride, to celebrate the LGBT2Q+ community and look forward to how we can better support our employees.  Pride may have its own month, but it is our responsibility as HR leaders, managers, and coworkers to keep that learning, celebration, and support throughout the year.

Queer history

Did you know that in Canada, homosexuality was only decriminalized in 1969? It was only removed from the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistics Manual of Mental Disorders) as a “disorder” in 1973. It took until 1995 for sexual orientation to be included in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Same-sex couples did not have the right to marry until 2003! We’ve only had 4 members of Parliament identify as LGBT2Q+, two of whom didn’t come out until after they were elected.

Understanding the historical context of the LGBT2Q+ community, and their struggles and triumphs allow for perspective. In a perfect world, we hope that our differences can be embraced without consequence. We aren’t there yet, and we certainly haven’t been there historically. Acknowledging the work that the LGBT2Q+ communities have put in to bring us to where we are now, which is at least in part more accepting, is an important part of supporting these communities now. 

An Inclusive culture

A study that came out of UCLA reported that 50% of LGBT employees are not out to their current supervisors. Despite the fact that research consistently proves that being out reduces anxiety and depression and people report higher self-esteem. The same mental health benefit is unfortunately not true when someone comes out in a judgemental environment with no support.

This is an excellent argument for why representation matters. A study by McKinsey reported that stress increases when a person experiences being the only person on their team with their sexual orientation.

Representation is a win-win-win. Supporting your LGBT2Q+ employees allow them to be their true selves at work, makes them happier, and sets the stage to encourage other employees who may be closeted to feel more comfortable and happier too.

We like employee happiness for multiple reasons:

1. Who doesn’t like seeing people happy!?

2. Happy employees increase retention

3. It’s healthy! It allows for healthy employees and a healthy organizational culture.

How can we celebrate year-long?

In order to show that as an organization you do celebrate the LGBT2Q+ community, it’s important to incorporate their contributions into your culture and keep the conversation that may start during Pride month strong all months of the year.

Stats Canada reported that in Canada, 44% of LGBT2Q+ employees had experienced inappropriate behaviours at work- twice as likely as their straight colleagues.

We need to ensure that we are breeding a judgement-free and supportive environment to eliminate these experiences for all our colleagues, and especially those who are LGBTQ2+.

Diversity and inclusivity training is an excellent start, but we need to go further. Consider a more continuous learning strategy to allow employees to stay aware and knowledgeable about the changing (and progressing) society we live in. Incorporate queer authors in your learning material, LGBTQ2+ public and motivational speakers in the inspirational quotes you share internally. Encourage your employees to share with you what they would appreciate in terms of support. Listen, and be willing to learn, adapt and grow.

This Pride month let’s make the commitment to keep the LGBTQ2+ community in the conversation, to go beyond 30 days of celebration and foster a culture of learning and growth. Remember that employee happiness benefits us all. Let’s do what we can to identify where we can set the stage to allow for that happiness.

Learn more about Queer History in Canada. LGBTQ2+ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Two-Spirits. The inclusion of the + sign is there to represent all other identities not listed (Non-binary, pansexual, asexual, intersex).

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The Human Workplace movement is a subject we’ve covered before, and one that’s picking up more of a mainstream following. Even more telling is the recognition now given to the role of technology in the human workplace and within the future of work.

The internet is full of articles about advances in Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) and what they can do. However, there’s a real lack of hands-on information on how they fit into this idea of the future of work.

Information is King

The more information an organization has on what the Human Workplace movement is and how practices in the modern workplace are changing, the better. Still, what is an organization supposed to do with that information? What steps can they take to adapt to the demand for a more human workplace?

In order to fill the information gap, we are tackling the idea of how technology can be used to create a people-friendly and progressive organizational culture. To do this, we need to focus on the steps to achieve that type of culture:

• Empathize
  • Connect with employees’ and look after their emotional and physical wellbeing
• Engage
  • Give more frequent and meaningful feedback and interaction
• Elevate
  • Provide opportunities for employees to learn and grow

In order to create something that was useful to our readers, we did some research into where Human Resource Departments spent their time. If the future of work is a place of continuous change:

• Resilience and adaptability are needed by both organizations and employees
• A human centric organizational culture supports those needs
• Human Resource departments and leadership should be focusing on both of these elements to achieve sustainability and growth

We surveyed both organizations that use an HRIS and ones that don’t. Human Resource departments with no HRIS are more likely to spend to their time on daily administrative tasks rather than strategic initiatives, such as workplace culture, compared to those that do have an HRIS.

• 92% of respondents who had no HRIS said that their HR teams spends less than 20% of their time on strategic initiatives.
• 65% of respondents with an HRIS said their HR teams spend at least 20% of their time on strategic initiatives.

Additionally, we found that companies with no HRIS were seeking cultural improvement and employee engagement in the same 3 areas where companies with an HRIS most improved their culture and engagement:

• Employee Self-Service
• Recruitment and Onboarding
• Performance Management

The difference in time available to focus on a human workplace in an organization with an HRIS vs. without one was immediately obvious from our survey results. There are a number of ways you can adapt your culture to become more human-focused and we cover all these strategies in our upcoming e-book. Stay tuned for us to shed some light on how technology can help you achieve your Human Workplace goals.

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We’ve previously mentioned the major shift happening in the workplace,  referred to as The Human Workplace movement, and why it’s occurring. We will now address modern performance management and how best to address it within the human workplace.

Employees are seeking more empathy, engagement, and opportunities for learning and growth in their office environments. Remote work opportunities, flexible schedules, and the desire for mentorship, are all factors having a massive impact on performance management.

Performance Reviews

Under the umbrella of performance management falls the formerly dreaded performance review. What was once a stuffy and formal annual or bi-annual necessity is being remolded to meet modern workplace demands. Companies such as Adobe and GE are replacing them entirely with more frequent check-ins, in order to supply the meaningful feedback and interaction today’s employees are requesting.

Updating your own organization’s performance reviews is a great first step in moving towards a more modern and people-centric workplace.

1. Increase the Frequency

Annual and bi-annual meetings are not on par with modern workplace standards. Formal is not the way to progress. Think shorter, more frequent check-ins. Use technology to your advantage to track performance along the way so that gaps can be identified and work can be adjusted immediately.

Keep the process light and easy. The better your connection with employees the more insight you will have when it comes to assigning work, being agile, maximizing employee potential, and looking after your employees’ well-being. It’s mutually beneficial and vital for developing a Human Workplace.

• Frequent reviews can help bridge the gap formed by working remotely
• Gather feedback from peers and internal clients using 360 degree feedback features
• Regular check-ins with thoughtful guidelines and discussion set the tone for change

2. Focus on Your Employees

The focus of performance reviews has to be less “here is your score out of 10,” and more “where are you struggling and how can I help you?” There needs to be a recognition of the person behind the work, how it impacts them and the impact that person has. What are their thoughts, feelings, and emotions? How is that informing their decisions?

This may seem a bit over-the-top for people with a traditional workplace mindset. However, these are things that have always had an effect on peoples’ work, but in the past were not addressed. Shutting them out does nothing to aid with workplace performance. Think of it as a better way to achieve employee development.

For example, ask:

• How has your week been? How are you feeling about your team?
• What have you achieved this week? What did you learn recently?
• Looking back at this project, what would you do differently if you had to do it all over again?
• How do you feel about the results, or how did it feel to accomplish that?

3. Achieving Goals

Modern performance reviews don’t negate the need for tracking performance and keeping records. As we discussed in the first section, this needs to be more ongoing, as do employee goals and targets.

The main thing to keep in mind here is having a common understanding of goals, with clear and transparent communication and documentation. Employees need to be invested in their achievements, so input on their part is vital in both setting targets and how they intend to achieve them.

• Learning opportunities and career development can achieve employee, performance, and organizational growth
• Performance criteria needs to be easy to understand, frequently reviewed, and aligned with organizational culture and practices
• Revisit goals frequently, and don’t forget to focus on the person behind them

If this topic has peaked your interest, check out our blog series on the Human Workplace for more insight into how to adapt your culture to be more human-focused.

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There’s been a big push for and a lot of attention given to the Human Workplace in the past few years. It’s a topic that deserves that attention. A perfect storm of factors, such as our ability to stay connected, the capabilities of modern technology, and the wants and needs of those making up the majority of the workforce have changed.

It’s also a topic that we won’t be able to completely cover in one blog. Although this article will cover the basics of what the Human Workplace movement is and what its effects have been; we’ll be following it up with some insight on conscious leadership, an in-depth eBook on the Human Workplace, and practical tips on preparing your organization.

That being said, what exactly is the Human Workplace?

The Human Workplace

When we talk about the Human Workplace, or a human centric work environment, what do we mean? Namely, a positive workplace with the goal of achieving organizational growth through employee development and support. This is done in several key ways:

• Empathy: Connecting with employees’ and looking after their emotional and physical wellbeing.
• Engagement: Giving more frequent and meaningful feedback and interaction.
• Elevation: Providing opportunities for employees to learn and grow.

Think about your work or volunteer history. Have you ever had a job or volunteer opportunity you really enjoyed? Where you cared about the organization and the people involved?

Think about what constitutes a good day at the office. What influences that? What would enable you to have more of those days?

When you think again about these questions, were those 3 Human Workplace factors involved? Employee and organizational wellbeing are completely interwoven. The idea behind a human focused workplace is that by encouraging employee success you are enabling the success of your organization or business.

Breaking with Tradition

Some people may bristle at the notion of a more people friendly work environment, but if you ignore your gut reaction to the buzzwords, the entire movement is based on practicalities. Employers often bemoan employees who come in, ‘do their time’ and then go home. The big news is, employees hate that too. No one wants to be miserable at their job, hence the Human Workplace movement.

As we discussed at the beginning of this blog, there are a lot of factors responsible for this shift. Including, that the population making up the largest part of the workforce is starting to take the work life balance idea and run with it. However, regardless of its millennial influence, it’s a movement that’s providing cross-generational benefits.

How is the Human Workplace changing organizational culture?

• A resurgence in demand for mentorship
• More flexibility in working hours and working remotely
• Leaders who are more self-aware
• Organizational growth through personal growth opportunities
• Tech savvy employees with a need for more advanced technical solutions in the workplace
• Organizations that are more connected and transparent
  • Are corporately conscious (think environmentally aware, give back to their community, etc.)
  • Know, respect, and encourage their employees
  • Are more open with information
• A focus on inclusivity and awareness

The above list only touches on the changes that the Human Workplace is producing. One way to better understand the movement is perhaps by thinking of it as an alternate way to deal with the increase in pressure and less desirable aspects of today’s work environment.

If the traditional 9 to 5 job is asking more of individuals and offering a less certain future, how can an organization thrive? How can they keep employees invested and attract new talent? The answer is meeting employees on a personal level with the Human Workplace.

Does this topic pique your interest? Join us at Tomorrow’s Workplace, Today to dive deeper into the Human Workplace movement and help build a world where standard practice is ethical, diverse and sustainable workplaces.

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