Human resources is experiencing a massive shift. For years, organizations have relied on a single annual engagement survey to collect feedback from employees. These surveys have become a ritual for many companies, and a lucrative industry has sprung up around…
Retention & Engagement
Engagement Surveys: It’s What You Do About the Results That Counts
Does each of your employees know how their job contributes to the big picture? Are you truly interested in their input? The answers too often are no to both of these questions, which is bad for employers. An employer with…
6 Steps to Make Telecommuting Work For You
Does your company offer employees the option to work from a home office? There are a lot of reasons why this could be good for your business, even if it’s something you only occasionally make available to your employees. In…
Use This Checklist to Onboard Your Remote Workers
It can be easy to think of telework as a silver bullet for engagement – what’s more appealing to an employee than rolling out of bed and walking across the hall to work in their pajamas? However, telework is just…
All Work and No Play? Not At This Accounting Firm
Every year, when you grapple with your income taxes, know that any stress you’re feeling is nothing compared to the crunch that the accountants at BDO are under. Tax season is the busiest time of year, when 50-, 60-, even 70-hour workweeks…
Happy Labor Day
Happy Labor Day to our U.S. and Canadian readers who celebrate the holiday on the first Monday in September. (In much of the rest of the world, Labor Day or Labour Day is celebrated on May 1 and is recognized…
21 Of the Worst Ways to Give ‘Constructive’ Feedback
If you’re like most managers — and most people in general — giving feedback is one of your least enjoyable experiences. It is also one of the weakest links between managers getting the output and outcomes they want and what…
Rewards Can Help Close the Strategy-to-Performance Gap
I like to argue that we should be holding our compensation programs – and the money they represent – to a higher standard. Research examining how well company strategy delivers on its potential – and where and why it fails…
Dr. Seuss, Retention and the Mission
Short takes on onboarding, retention and mission statements from the Humetrics blog: The 6 question retention survey Here are six questions you can ask your best people to help keep them engaged and on board: Where do you want to be in your…
4 Ways to Shape Your Culture So It Matters
Can we blame people for judging companies on their culture? We all spend such a high proportion of our lives at the office nowadays, that it’s unsurprising that we care about our working environment. Most conversations on culture inevitably end…
3 Ways to Make Your Recruiting Efforts Stand Out
The US labor market is tightening. Job openings are at a record high, and there is uncertainty over whether there will be enough skilled workers to fill them all. We keep hearing about how the very nature of work is changing,…
How to Deal with Negative People in a Positive Way
I remember Mike like it was yesterday, even though I met him over a decade ago. He was the guy sitting in the back of the room with the dark cloud over his head in a supervisor training I was…
Recognition Can Help You Win (and Keep Winning) the Talent War
The battle for talent is as fierce as it has been in nearly a decade, prompting business leaders to reexamine people strategies and practices in order to be competitive. It’s also underscoring the importance of employee recognition – and for…
The Value of Having Fun at Work
Do your employees come to work just to collect paychecks? Want them to become brand evangelists? Then, place “fun” on the top of your HR strategy. Seriously. The competitive marketplace for top talent is ruthless. Being a bland, vanilla, or,…
Why Do Your Employees Work For You?
Just as the customer has expectations around a firm’s brand, so does an employee. While the Customer Value Proposition defines the value of a firm’s products or services to the consumer, the Employee Value Proposition (EVP) is the value —…
What the Chicago Cubs’ Clubhouse Teaches Us About Building Trust and Chemistry
On their way last year to winning their first World Series in more than a century, the Chicago Cubs did something unusual: They changed the shape of their clubhouse. Instead of stretching across a long rectangular hall, the new Cubs…
Are You Ready For Whatever Happens August 21?
You look around the office in two weeks, and suddenly, without warning, everyone is gone. Or perhaps you’re hearing from managers that an unusual number of employees have just asked for the same time off. What’s so special about August…
The “EX” Data You Don’t Have Is More Important Than the “O” Data You Do Have
Over the past few years, successful companies have begun to place a great deal of attention on developing “experiences” for customers because they realize human beings are more likely to buy from a company that provides them with a great…
Good Leaders Inspire a Culture of Meaning
Leading isn’t just a matter of knowing what to do – it’s a matter of knowing and communicating why it’s important to do it. Authority alone will no longer motivate employees. People are motivated by a leader’s passion, by their…
When She Took Calls From Her Hospital Bed She Knew Work Was ‘Out of Control’
Ten years ago, Renae Smith founded her own public relations company, The Atticism, in Sydney, Australia. For years she worked long hours, building her business from the ground up, chasing clients, and answering emails at all times of the day and night….