The Bagg Group Blog

Change is an inevitable part of life … and the workplace.  And yet, at The Bagg Group, we know from more than three decades of interviewing candidates that the notion of change frequently provokes anxiety among employees.   

In his book, Management Challenges for the 21^st Century, Peter Drucker captures the sense of disquiet that is typically experienced by staff. He writes, “Everybody has accepted by now that change is unavoidable. But that still implies that change is like death and taxes — it should be postponed as long as possible and no change would be vastly preferable. But in a period of upheaval, such as the one we are living in, change is the norm.”

As experts in staffing, we can confirm that employees take change personally.  The question that people ask themselves first when any new initiative is introduced is, “How will it affect me?” 

Our clients, the best employers in the GTA, often address this question directly with their employees.  That’s important for employee morale and retention. 

The Bagg Group staffing solution experts suggest asking the following additional questions to help people manage change, fearlessly.

·         What problem do you think the change is intended to address?

·         What might work better for you as a result of the change?

·         What do you think might affect you negatively?

·         What obstacles do we need to overcome and what support do we need to offer to resolve your concerns?

·         What is in it for you to adopt the change?

These questions are adaptations of standard queries companies usually consider when building a case for organizational change.  

In a recent Financial Post article entitled Change can be managed, Mark Smith of KPMG writes that organizations must tackle such questions as, “How will things be better if we do change? And how will they be worse if we don’t?” to ensure that its new plans are the right ones for moving forward.

By personalizing these questions for the individual, the organization and the employee can recognize change as a way to move forward in synch.  As a result, resistance to change gives way to a willingness to let go of the old and bring on the new.  

And that’s a necessity for all of us in today’s competitive workplace.  As John F. Kennedy so famously said, “Change is the law of life and those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”

At The Bagg Group, we know that giving your employees a high-five can make all the difference

It’s been more than a month since the Vancouver Olympics, but the cheering that took place in offices during the Games doesn’t have to stop.

During the Winter Games, our clients across the GTA saw employees interact in new, more positive ways.  Staff from different departments who rarely exchanged two words found common ground.  Cheers rang out office-wide when Canadians won medals.  Team spirit was high, and so was morale. 

In fact, the Winter Games were terrific for team-building in the workplace.  But like all team-building activities, the real challenge is to ensure the bonding continues long after the exercise ends. 

At The Bagg Group, our staffing solution experts talk to candidates every day who say they want to feel connected to their workplace, to be part of a community.  That’s why when there’s not an outside event to bring people together, our recruiters suggest creating one.

Here are two tips that our clients have implemented with great success over the years.

Get a company team together to participate in a fun-run:  Spring heralds the beginning of fundraising marathons, and now is the time to get organized and to get staff in shape and training.  As the Olympics proved, nothing brings people closer together than a physical challenge.  

Launch a Spring into Shape challenge:  Volumes of study prove that physical fitness improves productivity and morale.  Keep Olympic medal fever alive by setting up awards for employees who meet measurable, attainable physical fitness goals — like getting to the gym regularly for one month — and who buddy up to help colleagues meet their goals. 

An article entitled Finding the Right Fit that appears on the Canadian Bar Association’s website examines how some law firms are rewarding employees for getting into shape.  At one firm, staff voluntarily record their runs, yoga classes, power-walks, etc. on a special card, in exchange for points that lead to prizes.  

The most important reward, however, is nothing more complicated than a high-five.  And that’s been confirmed by a recent University of California study that shows the best teams in the National Basketball Association — the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers — recorded the most high-fives and slaps-on-the-back among team-mates. 

The researchers conclude that acceptable physical contact, like a high-five, reduces stress and increases good feelings.   

It’s been great cheering on our country’s best athletes, and now it’s time to cheer on each other for any and every professional and personal accomplishment.

It’s not just a new year, it’s a new decade.  More than ever, employees’ thoughts are turning to personal and professional resolutions for the future, near and far.  It’s an almost universal ritual, and one that explains the surge in calls to recruitment agencies across the GTA.  

That’s why for more than 30 years, the staffing solution experts at The Bagg Group have been advising clients to collaborate on resolutions in early January with their staff.  It’s an opportunity to strengthen relations and employee retention.

A resolution is a vow to yourself to do something differently that will improve quality of life.  For the past four years, the management consultant company of Franklin Covey has been taking a survey of the new year’s resolutions of its clients across North America.  Not surprisingly, the same resolutions make the top ten list every  year. 

These are, in order:   

1. Get out of debt or save money

2. Lose weight

3. Develop a healthy habit

4. Get organized

5. Increase time with friends and family

6. Develop a new skill

7. Improve work-life balance

8. Other

9. Break an unhealthy habit

10.  Change employment.

Stephen Covey, best-selling author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People  and founder of Franklin Covey Co, suggests that at this time of year, everyone should reflect on the question:  “What are one or two things that I could change that would significantly increase my happiness?”  

At The Bagg Group, we work with top employers in the GTA on adjusting that question for their teams.  “What are one or two things that we could do to improve our team, department, or workplace experience?” is a terrific question for a round-table brainstorming that prompts positive action in the year ahead. 

But beware…studies show that 75% of people abandon resolutions within three months of making them.  Stay tuned to my blog for how to avoid falling into that trap.  

Best wishes for a great kick-off to 2010!

For many of us, September feels like the start of a new year, more so than January.  And at The Bagg Group, it’s a time of year when we receive a lot of calls from restless employees. 

Many who have been feeling frustrated at work put problems on hold until after their vacations.  They return with a hope that things will be better. When they don’t experience change, they decide it’s time to look for new employment.

As President of The Bagg Group, I and our staffing solution experts make a point of alerting hiring authorities that a return to everyday routine, after a summer sojourn, is tough on all employees. 

I recently came across an article about the post-holiday blues in Spain in which psychologists estimated 35% of Spanish workers will have the syndrome this year. I estimate that percentage holds for Toronto as well.  

The experts on the subject noted the symptoms include lack of concentration, irritability, anxiety and sadness.  That adds up to the dreaded ‘couldn’t care less’ attitude which hurts productivity. 

What’s more, as all recruiters at staffing agencies know from speaking with candidates, returning from holidays to hundreds of emails and a mile-long to-do list increases employee stress at a time when they are already feeling despondent.

Fortunately, there are solutions.  Many of our clients, top employers in the GTA, make a point of holding ‘back-to-school’ meetings. 

At these get-togethers, which are either held one-on-one or with the department, emphasis is on upcoming innovations and projects that give employees something stimulating to think about, and to look forward to.

After all, everyone needs something to get excited about, and next year’s two-week stay at the cottage is not good enough-for employees or their managers.

Another effective strategy used by GTA employers is to help employees with workload balance.  Sitting down and reviewing deadlines and priorities is a first step. 

Where there is no relief in sight, many Toronto employers at this time of year hire temporary workers and contract workers to help staff get a handle on their work and feel more in control. 

Finally, schedule some September fun.  Anything from a holiday picture contest, to a eat-like-it’s-summer hot-dog and hamburger lunch reminds employees that while the workplace may not be a day at the beach, it still a place where you can socialize and have rewarding experiences.

– Geoff Bagg

In previous blogs, our staffing solution experts have talked about how management needs to keep lines of communications with employees open in tough times. 

At The Bagg Group, we can’t emphasize enough how important this is. Our recruitment experts hear daily from A-level talent who are frustrated because their employers are not sharing information and keeping them in the loop. 

An interesting study from the US Centre for Work-Life Policy echoes our experiences.  This three-month long research project entitled, “Sustaining High Performance in Difficult Times” quantifies the value of talking.   

The study showed that loyalty to employers among a group of high-potential employees dropped from 95% in 2007 to 53% in 2008. Trust in their company plummeted from 79% in 2007 to 37% 2008.  And engagement, as evidenced by initiative and willingness to go the extra mile, decreased from 91% 2007 to 71% 2008.  The authors of the study have gone on record to say that over the course of 2009, things have only gotten worse.  

More details on the study can be found in the Business Week special report on The Real Effects of Workplace Anxiety. 

The study offers the same easy-to-implement tips The Bagg Group gives its clients. Hiring authorities with top employers in the GTA use these techniques to promote best workplace and staffing practices:

Managers who don’t have information to impart should share that fact with staff and reassure employees that they will pass on news whenever they receive it. Employees appreciate the good intention and the honesty.

It’s especially important for managers to have an open-door policy in uncertain times. And to circulate in the office. The research shows visibility and accessibility make a difference to morale.

At The Bagg Group, we have always believed in giving back to the community. And we know employees feel pride when their companies put important causes front and centre. It’s no surprise that the study found that integrating volunteer projects into office life is a great way to strengthen bonding and perspective.

Finally, managers should work with employees on ensuring they have a balanced workload.  Prioritizing tasks, training employees to take on new challenging responsibilities, hiring temporary workers to relieve staff of time-consuming tasks or employing contract workers to kick-start projects are found to strengthen loyalty and engagement.

A recent survey showed that in these times of economic turmoil, 49% of Canadian chief financial officers have increased the frequency and quality of communications to boost morale in the workplace.  That’s a smart move on their part. 

As staffing solution experts who speak to hundreds of A level talent weekly, we have the inside track on what it takes to retain great employees.  And two-way communications is key.

Nowadays at The Bagg Group, we get calls from people everyday who tell us they are disgruntled because their employers don’t keep them in the loop about what’s going at their company. And many look for other job opportunities because they are frustrated that their employers never solicit their ideas or feedback on how to survive the downturn.

People want to be involved in discussions. To that end, we often consult with top employers in the GTA on how to hold brainstormings that allow people to feel heard and share their expertise. These round-the-table idea sessions go a long way to boosting morale.

Our top clients have all used these following tips with great success:

• Involve employees from all departments in a brainstorming.  This energizes staff, increases cross-department cooperation, and generates surprising creative solutions.
• Allow every idea, no matter how seemingly far-fetched. This sparks the imagination and gets people to break away from routine thinking.
• Never say ‘No’, instead ask ‘How?’   A brainstorming session won’t be effective if people are holding back because they fear their ideas will be judged or brushed off. 

Hiring authorities have reported to The Bagg Group that often people come up with brilliant project ideas to stimulate sales and employees. But they don’t know how  to find the time to carry them out.  That’s when these top employers introduce contract workers to either free up staff time or help get the project underway.

Encourage participants to share problem-solving tactics they have used successfully in situations outside the workplace.  For example, if departments or members of the same tea aren’t seeing eye-to-eye, ask staff who engage in group sports or play in bands how they increase collaboration in the field or on stage. In this way, participants start to discuss solutins from a different perspective.

Let people talk about the bothersome tasks and activities that de-energize them with a view to finding a way to tackle these in a way that works for everyone.  One of our client’s recently reported that a brainstorming session revealed that, post-cutbacks, staff were demoralized by having to do jobs they weren’t hired to do, such as rotate on reception. Together, the team resolved it would be more productive for everyone to engage a temporary worker to work the reception desk.

Not every brainstorming necessarily results in strokes of genius, but the very act of exchanging thoughts in a non-judgmental forum gives everyone a shot of energy. And even small solutions can have big impact.  At one client’s office, the hiring authority reported that everyone willingly agreed to allow people to bring in their dog, on a rotating basis. The dogs proved the perfect ice-breaker to increase collaboration between rival departments.

“My employer just doesn’t get me.” Sounds more like something one says about a mate rather than a company. But hiring authorities may be taken aback to learn that this is a frequent lament that we hear from many of our A-calibre candidates. And it’s a woe that is echoed across Canada and elsewhere, according to studies.

When you consider, as we do, that employees and employers are in a relationship together, it’s not surprising. In every good relationship, people need to talk and to help each other move successfully into the future. When that doesn’t happen, there are inevitably feelings of resentment and in the case of the employee, a desire for divorce from the company.

Too often, employers are missing an opportunity to talk and listen to employee’s long-term aspirations. In a poll of 3,401 employees across Canada, only 6% said their direct boss, or employer, works with them on managing their career path.

Another 12% said they turn to family and friends for guidance. But 82% said they feel as if they’re on own their own when it comes to figuring out their professional advancement, according to a recent report in the Globe and Mail.

In the US, the situation is similar. The Society for Human Resource Management took a poll of 800 HR professionals, managers, and executives and discovered that 35% want to leave their employers because they are dissatisfied by the lack of career planning.

There’s no need for a good relationship to end this way. Here are three tips from the staffing solution experts at The Bagg Group that are used by top employers in the GTA to retain talent:

1. When interviewing candidates, hiring authorities are advised to discuss their company’s approach to career advancement. It’s a good idea to outline typical promotion patterns. People are eager for a sense of what the road ahead may look like for them.

But a word of caution: Don’t over-promise to win over a great candidate. The consensus among recruitment companies is that if you fail to manage expectations, you could be on the divorce track with your employee.

2. Review career plans regularly with your staff. Employees welcome the chance to talk over ways they might strengthen their competencies to prepare for eventual advancement.

3. Think beyond the department. Many core skills are transferable and the challenge of working in a new department and learning a new function can re-energize a valuable employee.

The top employers in the GTA allow and encourage their best talent to move between departments. Interestingly, a recent survey within the British accounting and finance industry showed that 83% of respondents feel that non-finance related experience is key to becoming a senior executive or CEO.

At The Bagg Group, we talk to our clients about their staffing issues today, and tomorrow. And in that conversation, we remind them that at some point, a valued employee, in whom you’ve invested training and knowledge, will look around the office and wonder, “What’s next for me?” That’s a fair question, and it’s one that committed relationships are founded on.