Human Experience Excellence - February 2023

Top Picks

19 Tools HR Leaders Use For Effective Performance Management

Boost productivity, engagement and performance long-term

- Brett Farmiloe, Founder and CEO, Terkel.io

The Importance Of A People-First Workplace Culture

Here are the building blocks

- Dana Morgan, Head, People and Culture, Pivot Onsite Innovations

People Management Trends In 2023

The best people operations teams run like product management functions

- Finn Bartram, Editor-in-chief, People Managing People

A Musical Response To The Great Resignation

Love the one(s) you’re with

- Julie Winkle Giulioni, Principal and Instructional Designer, DesignArounds

Human Experience Excellence - Monthly Interactive Learning Journal

The future is all about going beyond the employee experience to focus on human experience. This monthly interactive learning experience showcases strategies and programs to improve employee performance and strengthen your team.

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Performance Management, People-First Culture, and Much More!

Thepast three years witnessed many organizations adjusting to remote work and optimizing productivity in a hybrid environment. The ever-changing economic conditions and employee demands have also changed the approach toward performance management. What are the best employee performance management tools every HR pro should know?

Among Americans, 35% who resigned in 2021 said that feeling disrespected at work was a major reason they left. In a Pew Research Center survey, 33% said that lack of opportunities for advancement was a major factor. So why wouldn’t a company want to invest in its people?

As HR teams continue prioritizing and adapting to challenges while keeping organizations functioning at their best, many knock-on effects on people management will continue into 2023. What will be the major trends impacting people management in the months ahead?

The February edition of Human Experience Excellence has answers to all of these questions and more.

Have you heard of performance punishment? From giving additional work to high-performers to a lack of opportunity, it can take many forms. CoachHubGroup’s Laurel McKenzie in her article, The Perils Of Performance Punishment, shares strategies to keep performance punishment at bay.

In his article, 19 Tools HR Leaders Use For Effective Performance Management, Terkel.io’s Brett Framiloe shares the most helpful tools organizational leaders recommend for effective performance management.

Building a company culture that puts employees first is not only about salaries and pay. It’s about how a company treats its people. Check out the building blocks to establish a culture that puts employees first in Dana Morgan's (Head of People and Culture, Pivot Onsite Innovations) article, The Importance Of A People-First Workplace Culture.

With a workforce potentially spread out across the globe, it’s nearly impossible to distribute rewards in-person to everyone. Businesses looking to engage a global, virtual workforce in meaningful ways must offer impactful, tech-forward reward and recognition programs that resonate, according to Jignesh Shah (Head of Global Integrated Incentives, Blackhawk Network) in his article, How To Engage Remote And Hybrid Employees In A Global Workforce.

As Finn Bartram (Editor-in-Chief, People Managing People) rightly puts it, “In a technology-first world, organizations that understand and look after their workforces on a human level will have a competitive advantage over those who don’t.”

Smart, well-executed programs will reach employees right where they are while acknowledging and showing appreciation for their accomplishments—helping drive long-term engagement, productivity and loyalty.

We hope you gain insights and new ideas from reading all the articles in this edition and get back to us with your valuable feedback and suggestions.

Happy Reading!

In a world of unparalleled challenges (global pandemic, racial injustice, political rivalry, digital 4.0, emotional malaise), uncertainty reigns. Finding opportunity in this context requires harnessing uncertainty and harnessing starts with reliable, valid, timely, and useful information. The Excellence publications are a superb source of such information. The authors provide insights with impact that will guide thought and action.

Excellence publications are my ‘go-to’ resource for contemporary and actionable information to improve leadership, engagement, results, and retention. Each edition offers rich and diverse perspectives for improving the employee experience and the workplace in general.

I regularly read and contribute to Leadership Excellence and Talent Management Excellence. I use many of the articles I read to augment my own presentations and I often share the articles with my clients. They are always quick, right on target for the latest issues in my field, and appreciated by my clients. If you want to stay up to date on the latest HR trends, choose a few of the different issues from the Excellence series of publications.

We’re eager to hear your feedback on our magazines. Let us know your thoughts at ePubEditors@hr.com

Dave Ulrich

Rensis Likert Professor, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan Partner, The RBL Group

Julie Winkle Giulioni Author, Virtual /Live Keynote Presenter, Inc.’s Top 100 Leadership Speakers

Dr. Beverly Kaye CEO, BevKaye&Co.

The Perils Of Performance Punishment

How to prevent it

By Laurel McKenzie, CoachHubGroup

Itstarts innocently enough: you accomplish an objective at work ahead of schedule, so your supervisor gives you another task. You stay a little late at the office to check a few things off your to-do list, and another extra responsibility materializes… and then another, and another. Soon you’re feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and a bit resentful — both of the boss giving you the extra work and of your team members with seemingly less to do.

This phenomenon of “rewarding” high-performers with additional work is just one example of performance punishment, and it is a tricky game to play with top talent. While giving more duties to someone who is exceeding expectations may seem logical, it can lead to unexpected negative consequences for high-performing employees and the organization as a whole if not handled appropriately. To protect top talent, organizations should watch for the signs of performance punishment and take the initiative to actively prevent it.

Straining Superstar Employees

Performance punishment can take many forms in addition to giving additional work. It can also look like a lack of opportunity. Because an employee has proven themselves valuable in their role, the organization may prevent them from moving out of that position. This stagnation can lead to disgruntled employees who leave the organization to pursue opportunities to advance elsewhere.

Giving an excelling employee an ever-increasing amount of work, combined with ever-increasing expectations, can also be to their detriment if they are not offered the appropriate resources to succeed. Oftentimes, these additional responsibilities come with new skill requirements including people skill development and new time management abilities. If they are not given the resources to learn how to manage their new responsibilities, they are at a greater risk of underperforming in those new tasks. Performance punishment can lead to burnout, decreased productivity, job dissatisfaction, and, eventually, turnover. Standout employees who feel undersupported and overworked will go elsewhere, leaving organizations with performance gaps that these high-performers were filling.

Preventing Performance Punishment

Keeping performance punishment at bay starts with workplace culture. If an organization promotes a culture that values work-life balance, boundaries, and learning and development opportunities, employees are more likely to feel supported. Organizations benefit by creating a healthy workplace culture that develops the talents of all employees so that duties can be distributed across teams and all individuals are challenged and elevated. Digital coaching can be a part of that solution. Coaches can work with leaders and employees to help develop a coaching culture in which everyone grows and develops alongside each other, thereby increasing the health of the organization.

But what if an employee is already experiencing performance punishment? A coach can also help employees with their self-advocacy skills so they feel confident in speaking up to leaders and better communicating their concerns about performance punishment. Outlining the issue to leaders is the first step to recalibrating the amount of work an employee receives and asking for the resources necessary to balance any additional work required.

Coaching can also address some of the skills that may be required for high-performers to succeed when they are given additional responsibilities. Coaches can help their coachees with skills such as time management, goal setting, delegation, and conflict management. It is inevitable that as employees succeed they will take on new tasks, but do they have the necessary skills to have success with the increased workload? Coaching can help develop strategies to enable that success.

Once work is allocated appropriately, the next best thing leaders can do is recognize their employees’ hard work. Leaders should recognize those who go above and beyond because employees who feel appreciated are happier, more productive and more loyal to the organization. In fact, lack of recognition is one of the top reasons people leave their jobs. To

retain your employees who are performing well, give them the credit they deserve without overburdening them with work.

Performance punishment has far-reaching negative consequences but is preventable. A work culture that encourages a healthy work-life balance will thwart performance punishment before it becomes an issue. Working with a coach will help to create that healthy culture as well as help employees manage performance punishment and how to navigate those new responsibilities. Staving off performance punishment will keep star employees’ performances and morale high.

Laurel McKenzie is Behavioral Scientist at CoachHub. She has 7+ years of specialized experience in cognitive performance, coaching, and applications of psychological principles that enhance employee performance and leadership development.

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19 Tools HR Leaders Use For Effective Performance Management

Boost productivity, engagement and per formance long-term

Compiled By Brett Farmiloe, Terkel.io

FromGoco to BambooHR, here are 19 answers to the questions, “What are the most helpful tools you

recommend for effective performance management and why?”

Goco

Goco is the best for all things automation. It is a cloud-based platform that helps streamline the performance management process, from setting goals to evaluating and developing employee skills.

Michael Fischer, Founder, Elite HRT

Goco is fast, reliable, and easy to use. The platform offers personalized dashboards for each employee, so they can check their progress at any time. It also provides timely coaching reminders to help managers stay on track. I highly recommend Goco for any HR leader’s performance management toolkit.

Max Wesman, Chief Operating Officer, GoodHire

Slack

When it comes to HR tools, you should be looking for something simple yet efficient in boosting collaboration and productivity. There are thousands of performance management tools to use today, but Slack has significantly helped the leadership team to oversee how everyone performs and manage any obstacles in the workplace, including providing feedback and doing huddles. Moreover, it’s a tool that’s not overwhelming to use, which is an excellent feature because not everyone in our company is tech-savvy.

Asker Ahmed, Director & Founder, iProcess

ClearCompany

ClearCompany, a performance management tool, is one of the most successful tools I have used and recommend for effective performance management. Not only does it provide easy-to-use templates and customizable forms to track employee performance throughout the year, but ClearCompany also ensures that everyone in an organization has access to any related information as needed.

This includes managers having visibility into team performance and performance review trends so they can easily measure success, as well as employees having access to the feedback they need in order to make meaningful improvements. All of these features combined make it a great tool to ensure effective performance management.

Personal Development Plans (PDP)

Use personal development plans in your performance management processes. A personal development plan is powerful for engaging employees. It motivates them to be loyal and stay longer in your company because they can see a clear career advancement path and feel they matter.

Provide templates and coaching for employees to create their PDPs, which should have professional and personal goals. Have them bring their PDP to your performance check-ins to assess how far along they are in achieving their goals. During these sessions, work with your employees in evaluating and adjusting their plans and goals accordingly. Doing this makes your team members feel heard and valued.

Cornerstone

I recommend using a performance management system such as Cornerstone or a similar platform to help track performance metrics, employee engagement, and feedback.

This tool allows HR to access and analyze performance metrics and data to identify trends and areas for improvement, as well as provide a platform for managers and employees to communicate and provide feedback. This helps create a more consistent performance management process, helping to improve overall employee performance and satisfaction.

Kevin Huang, Founder & CEO, Ambient Home US

Christa Reed, Head of Job Market Research, JobSearcher

Ruth Novales, Marketing Director, Fortis Medical Billing Professionals

Well-Being Program

An often-overlooked aspect of performance management is seeing to the well-being of employees. Employees are hard-pressed to perform at their optimal level and reach goals if their health and well-being suffer.

Regardless of what brings about employees’ low wellness levels, it is essential to have a well-being program to support employees’ performance and goals. There are eight dimensions of well-being (emotional, physical, occupational, social, spiritual, intellectual, environmental, and financial), so your program should ideally support each.

Denise Hemke, Chief Product Officer, Checkr

SMART Objectives

Setting 3-5 SMART objectives on a quarterly basis is the simplest way to manage and effectively monitor performance. Before a performance review, both employees should come up with SMART goals and discuss together the best way to help the employee attain and achieve those goals and set the necessary objectives across the time frame to make sure the goals are met.

These KPIs should be aligned and monitored on the same system, guaranteeing full documentation of achievements to be able to assess the progress and ensure effective performance.

Bob

Bob HRIS helps us manage everything from employee performance and scheduling to administrative tasks and recognition programs. We can easily communicate with employees and request documentation on the platform or create posts to give kudos for a job well done. Having so many HR tasks housed under one umbrella has helped us improve our performance management of the entire company while seriously improving efficiency in our HR department.

Rene Delgado, Founder & CEO, Shop Indoor Golf

Trello

Trello is a project management tool that allows you to organize tasks and collaborate with team members in a visual and flexible way. With Trello, you can create boards for different projects, add lists and cards for tasks, and then assign those tasks to team members.

You can also add comments, attachments, and checklists to the cards, and set due dates and labels to help you prioritize and keep track of progress. Trello also offers a calendar view and a power-up feature that allows you to integrate other tools like Google Drive, Slack, and Jira.

I recommend Trello because it’s user-friendly, customizable, and helps to keep teams organized and on track with their tasks and projects. It’s also beneficial for remote teams as well.

Maximilian Wühr, CGO & Co-Founder, FINN

HRIS

Asana

Asana is a web-based project management and team collaboration tool that allows you to organize, track, and manage tasks and projects. Asana allows you to create tasks, set due dates, assign them to team members, and add notes and attachments.

Additionally, it also allows you to create custom project templates, set up automated workflows, and establish clear communication channels with your team. With Asana, you can also get a real-time overview of the progress of your projects and tasks, and track the time spent on them.

I recommend Asana because it’s intuitive, easy to use, and provides a clear overview of all the tasks, projects, and progress in one place, making it easier for teams to stay on track and aligned with their goals and objectives.

Alex Armstrong-Paling, Managing Director, ToolFit

Kyle Clements, CEO, Quipli

Eden

Engagedly

Apps like Engagedly are great for managing your employee performance and feedback. Platforms like these make it easy to track progress, give feedback, have reviews, and much more.

You can even sometimes run your employee learning programs through these apps, which is nice since it keeps everything in one place. There are so many platforms that run effective performance management, but Engagedly is the first one I think of that’s reliable and easy to use.

Eden is an awesome tool for managing the performance of employees, especially for hybrid workers. It provides a holistic, people-centered performance review. My favorite feature is the customizable review cycles, which can be tailored to every team, so you won’t have problems with restrictive performance review items. Creating a workflow to automate the review process is also very easy, making this a very good tool for effective performance review and management.

Jeff Moore, CEO, Everyday Power

Logan Nguyen, Co-Founder, MIDSS

ClickUp

As an organization that handles many freelance workers daily, we have always had a lot of success using the Objectives and Key Results (OKR) strategy to get the best out of the entire team. The strategy has enhanced productivity and improved the quality of deliverables from our growing team of freelance talent.

While we have tried several OKR tools over the years, ClickUp is by far our favorite. The software is highly customizable to our needs, and it features built-in team collaboration and communication tools as well. We also noticed that most of our freelancers are familiar with the software.

This means that we don’t have to spend so much valuable time guiding each talent on how to use the software. Ever since we started using ClickUp, the team’s overall productivity has increased by as much as 25%.

360-Degree Feedback Method

I am a big fan of in-depth statistical analysis in baseball, especially when evaluating a team’s prospects. As popular as the 360-degree feedback method has become, you might get a lot of input on different, trendy methods or systems that could take its place. Not so for myself and my management team.

The 360-degree method is still king! It just is such a helpful system to be able to evaluate reviews from all of the relational contact points a person has in a company. From their managers to their peers, to cross-team collaboration participants, you really get a good picture of not only what skills a person needs reinforcing, but also what types of communication they excel at.

I also love the component of a self-review, because it shows how coachable and self-aware someone is. If someone needs to work on something at several different levels, it feels less like a nit-picky manager during their review, than a system for growth. By far, the most helpful tool for performance management.

Brian Clark, CEO & Marketing Director, United Medical Education

Ryan Delk, CEO, Primer

Monday.com

Monday.com is an all-in-one platform that allows for tracking progress, assigning tasks, setting goals and deadlines, and evaluating team performance.

In addition, it provides clear visibility into individual roles in a project and allows you to easily track how everyone is performing. This makes it easy to identify any areas that need improvement and take swift action. It’s also very user-friendly, which makes it easy for everyone on the team to quickly get familiarized with the tool.

Overall, I find Monday.com to be an invaluable asset for performance management and have seen tremendous results when using it.

Employees need regular recognition to stay motivated and engaged. While employee recognition is a time-consuming process that requires daily efforts, we’ve used Kazoo to take a major load off our team and automate where possible.

We use Kazoo to aid all types of recognition, including peer-to-peer and top-down, offering meaningful and more flexible rewards than we could manage if we were doing it all ourselves. In addition, we use the dashboard to analyze our success and ensure maximum recognition for our team while still monitoring and maintaining our budget.

Tory Gray, CEO & Founder, The Gray Dot Company

Employee Self-Reviews

We have all used self-reviews, which are powerful tools for self-reflection and for leadership to understand mindset before writing and delivering a review to an employee (if someone rates themselves as exceptional and you believe they are a mid-level performer, this may be a tough conversation).

Stacie Baird, Chief People Officer, Community Medical Services

Another tool to allow employees to feel prepared for their review is to prompt thoughtfulness and provide time for employees to ask their own questions during their review. For example: How can I take steps this year to grow into a leadership role? How can I show up for our team in a way that would be more valuable and collaborative?

Kazoo

Pulse Surveys

Pulse Surveys are a quick, effective, and adaptable way to gather employee input and gauge morale. They illustrate issues pertaining to job functions, communication, interpersonal connections among employees, the working environment and culture, etc. The outcome can assist you in better understanding your workforce, which will enable your company to develop strategies for greater employee engagement.

A clear objective and clearly stated goals are the foundation of effective engagement surveys. The term “pulse” refers to the ongoing nature of these employee insight surveys. This performance management tool’s perception of anonymity fosters a more trustworthy and sincere culture. A secure channel of communication for employee input is created using pulse surveys. Employee engagement is increased and robust findings are obtained when short, simple surveys are created as a performance management tool.

Himanshu Sharma, CEO & Founder, Tattvam Media

Darren Shafae, Founder, ResumeBlaze

BambooHR

One of the most popular and effective tools is performance review software, BambooHR. This type of software allows HR leaders to create, track, and store all employee performance review data in one place, making it easier for managers to track progress over time and stay on top of their team’s performance goals.

Performance review software also includes features like automated reminders, customizable templates, and workflow approval systems that help streamline the process while ensuring quality control and consistency in reviews. Additionally, employees can complete forms online and managers have access to real-time reports so they can compare ratings and feedback across their team.

By using one tool like BambooHR to manage the performance review process, HR leaders can save time, ensure accuracy in reporting, gain insight into team dynamics and potential areas of the improvement more quickly, and ultimately improve overall workplace performance.

Brett Farmiloe is the Founder and CEO –and currently CHRO - of Terkel.io

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How To Engage Remote And Hybrid Employees In A Global Workforce

Offer impactful, tech-forward reward and recognition programs that resonate

By Jignesh Shah, Blackhawk Network

Remote and hybrid work has become increasingly commonplace in the last couple of years.

According to McKinsey & Company research,1  58% of respondents have the opportunity to work remotely at least one day a week—and of that percentage, 87% enthusiastically accept. This new labor model has been a game changer; it provides employees with more flexibility and autonomy and helps employers offer a competitive benefit to attract and retain top talent from across the globe. Hybrid and remote work has thrust businesses into a new future of work—but unfortunately, many businesses may not know how to navigate the transition.

Some employers are still operating as if a “return to normal” is on the horizon. That mindset needs to immediately change if they want to future-proof their businesses. Whether a company is in an experimental phase of remote and/or hybrid implementation or has already created a policy, its leaders should keep in mind that past ways of building company culture, facilitating collaboration and retaining employees are outdated.

Strategic, tech-forward reward and recognition programs are now part of a holistic strategy businesses must have, if they employ a remote and/or

hybrid workforce. Here’s how organizations can reach and engage employees no matter where they are:

Offer rewards and recognition programs. Ensuring a company’s workforce feels appreciated and celebrated is table stakes for retention and engagement—particularly in a competitive labor market. Employees want to be rewarded and recognized. Research from Blackhawk Network 2 found that 89% of respondents feel it’s important that their employers recognize them, but one quarter reported that their employer doesn’t even offer a recognition or rewards program.

Employers who ignore these findings face severe consequences; 42% of respondents said they would seek out new employment with an employer that does a better job of rewarding, incentivizing, and recognizing them. But companies don’t need to panic if they don’t already have a program in place: that same study found that about two-thirds of respondents would stay at their current job in some capacity if they received a reward or incentive even after resigning or giving notice that they are leaving. Employees want rewards and recognition, but businesses also benefit. More than 80% of respondents to a Blackhawk Network study2 said they would be more productive and loyal to their company if their employers provided meaningful rewards and recognition.

Recognize and reward employees where they already are—and let them recognize each other. Programs of the past were mostly managed in-office with conference room celebrations and company lunches. But with the rise of hybrid and remote work, it’s unlikely companies’ employees are all in the same place and able to take part in these types of ceremonious in-person events. Although workforces may not be together geographically, they likely are working together digitally. Hybrid and remote workers rely on technology platforms frequently throughout the workday, whether for team collaboration and file sharing, video calls and meetings or even interfacing with clients.

Businesses may not realize that the technology already exists to help them reach employees right where they are—even during live video meetings. For example, using its unique software capabilities, Blackhawk Network helped Microsoft custom-build and integrate groundbreaking, innovative features within the Teams ecosystem, including via Live

Meetings, Teams Channels or 1-1 Chat, so employers can engage and reward their employees digitally from anywhere. This unique feature enables managers to distribute digital prepaid and gift cards during live meetings directly in Microsoft platforms within seconds to a single individual or even a large group of employees. By leveraging cutting-edge technology to engage entire workforces—no matter where they are— businesses can create culture-building experiences that also show employees they are valued.

Use digital rewards for near-instantaneous distribution. With a workforce potentially spread out across the globe, it’s nearly impossible to distribute rewards in-person to everyone. But with the rise of digital payments and a more prevalent mobile-first mindset, leaning on technology to deliver digitalfriendly rewards is a no-brainer. Digital-friendly rewards like prepaid and gift cards are perfect go-to options. Blackhawk Network research 2 found that gift and prepaid cards are the most preferred employee reward—and conveniently, both can be delivered digitally almost anywhere in mere minutes.

Time it right. Approximately three-quarters of respondents to a Blackhawk Network study2 reported that they prefer to receive recognition from their employer on a quarterly basis at minimum. Those same respondents also shared that they want to receive recognition and be rewarded for certain occasions and milestones. More than half prefer to be celebrated during work anniversaries, upon completion of a project, at the end of the year, after achieving a key project goal, and at the end of a period or quarter. With just a little planning and some attention to detail, businesses can organize a reward and recognition program that regularly engages employees and acknowledges their contributions to the company.

Explore and nurture diverse backgrounds, workstyles and preferences. The pandemic opened up new doors for employers and employees alike. For instance, as remote and hybrid work became more common, people who may not have been able to participate in the workforce became empowered to do so. The ability to create a work/life balance or live and work closer to the family is incredibly meaningful to employees. Plus, employers now have access to a broader talent pool when hiring since location-based constraints are less of an issue.

Employees are not all the same, and as businesses create and manage reward and recognition programs, they should build flexibility that allows them to

tailor the rewards and types of recognition offered to different tastes and preferences. This is simple to do via flexible rewards like prepaid or gift cards that provide recipients with the flexibility to choose what they buy, by distributing rewards for a variety of different achievements throughout the year and in different situations like one-on-one reviews and virtual team celebrations.

The now-widespread remote/hybrid workforce model is here to stay. From now on, businesses looking to engage a global, virtual workforce in meaningful ways must offer impactful, tech-forward reward and recognition programs that resonate. Smart, well-executed programs will reach employees right where they are while acknowledging and showing appreciation for their accomplishments—helping drive long-term engagement, productivity and loyalty.

Notes

1 “The American Opportunity Survey” is an online study commissioned by McKinsey & Company in the spring of 2022. The sample size included 25,000 American adults ages 18+.

2 “Workplace Arrangements, Rewards, and Engagement Survey” is an internet-based survey conducted by Survey Monkey on behalf of Blackhawk Network between February 25, 2022 and March 1, 2022. The sample size included 3,278 U.S. respondents ages 18+

Jignesh Shah is the Head of Global Integrated Incentives at Blackhawk Network.

The Importance Of A People-First Workplace Culture

Here are the building blocks

By Dana Morgan, Pivot Onsite Innovations

It’sno secret that the Covid-19 pandemic led millions of Americans to voluntarily quit their jobs in what’s being called the “Great Resignation.” In 2021 alone, 47.4 million people quit, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. While salary was certainly a key driver for these resignations, workplace culture has emerged as a leading factor for many employees who left their jobs during the pandemic.

Among Americans, 35% who resigned in 2021 said that feeling disrespected at work was a major reason they left. In a Pew Research Center survey, 33% said no opportunities for advancement was a major factor. The findings underscore the importance of ensuring employees feel supported in their jobs. Employers who aren’t dedicating resources to employee development and satisfaction are missing an opportunity to build resilient and committed workforces.

Working for an organization focused on ensuring workplaces are full of safe and satisfied individuals like Pivot Onsite Innovations, we know what it takes to create a culture that prioritizes employee wellness. When employees feel cared for by their employers, it leads to greater productivity, less time away from work, and increased job satisfaction. Investing in employees is a key driver of success for businesses across industries and shouldn’t be ignored. Without

a satisfied workforce, a business cannot reach its potential. Leaders play a crucial role in fostering a culture that is supportive, respectful, and puts people first.

Building a People-First Culture

A people-first culture is one that puts the needs of the employee first. While some leaders may balk at that notion, the truth is employees are the lifeblood of any business. Their success is what drives the success of an organization and, in turn, its clients or customers.

So why wouldn’t a company want to invest in its people?

Building a company culture that puts employees first is not about salaries and pay. It’s about how a company treats its people. Leaders have an opportunity to introduce programs and initiatives to foster a collaborative and supportive environment that recognizes employees and addresses their needs.

Here are the building blocks to establish a culture that puts employees first:

1. Support from the Top Down

In a people-first culture, leadership is hands-on, acting as a valuable resource to help employees deliver their best work. It’s a culture of collaboration and support rather than one of competition. In fact, competition can be detrimental to employee satisfaction. Toxic workplace culture – including disrespectful and cutthroat environments – is the biggest factor pushing employees out the door during the Great Resignation, according to an MIT Sloan study.

By fostering collaboration and creating a supportive environment, companies empower their employees to be innovative and strategic – all things that will help grow the bottom line. Employees should be encouraged to partner with colleagues within and outside of their working teams to share ideas and processes. When employees are equipped with the tools they need to perform their jobs at the highest level, they’re able to understand how they impact the organization, look beyond the task at hand, and start anticipating new challenges before they arise.

2. Opportunities for Growth and Development

Development shouldn’t just be a buzzword in recruitment materials. Employees want to work for companies that are willing to invest in their growth and learning – 94% said they would stay at a company longer if it did so. Leaders have an opportunity to introduce development and learning programs for employees of all levels including leadership.

Programs should offer a mix of leadership, industryspecific, and soft-skill development, allowing for

personal and professional growth. While training new staff is especially important, leaders should remember that employees at every tenure level benefit from development. Programs for leadership development can help align leaders across the organization on the same principles and skills. It’s also important to offer development and training programs for leaders to ensure they’re equipped to foster a positive culture and work environment for their teams.

3. Employee Wellness as a Priority

With the pandemic and the growing number of new generations in the workforce, wellness is no longer something that companies can ignore – and they shouldn’t want to. 61% of American employees cite greater work-life balance and increased personal well-being as very important when deciding whether or not to switch jobs. Today, it is a business imperative for companies to invest in and care about their employees’ health and well-being.

When employees are healthy – both physically and mentally – they are more productive and motivated in their work. Wellness initiatives can include virtual webinars on health topics, healthy cooking demonstrations and other interactive events, and access to behavioral health coaching and counseling services. Leaders should be attuned to how employees are feeling. If there’s a concern regarding burnout or stress, it might be beneficial to introduce programs around combatting fatigue and building resilience. These initiatives show employees that their company cares and puts them first. To learn what is important to employees, survey your population before mapping out your investments in well-being.

4. Recognition and Personal Connection

Another important piece of a people-first culture is employee recognition and relationships. It’s never a bad idea to celebrate the wins of your employees or to show appreciation for their hard work. Showing employees that they’re valued through praise and gratitude is crucial for boosting morale and reducing stress. In fact, 74% of employees who said their team receives praise also strongly agreed that they feel like their work is valuable.

Employees also want their employers to recognize their lives outside of work. Companies that have a pulse on what’s going on in employees’ lives are able to build a family-like environment in which employees feel supported and seen. Even at large corporations, this mindset can be instilled down to the manager level so that employees on every team feel seen by their colleagues and leaders.

Supporting Employees and Business

Now more than ever, putting employees first is business critical and the key to retaining a driven and motivated workforce. Leaders are in a position to drive a people-first culture that addresses employees’ development and wellness needs and improves satisfaction. The pandemic led many employees to

reassess what matters most to them when it comes to their job and their company. Employers must adjust to ensure that they are providing the support and care that their employees want. On top of retention, a people-first culture drives business growth and outcomes. Because when employees feel valued, they’re more productive and motivated to take their work to the next level.

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Dana Morgan is the Head of People and Culture at Pivot Onsite Innovations

How Do You Manage A Workplace Romance?

Key tips to follow

By Kiljon Shukullari, Peninsula Canada

WithFebruary being the month of love, what better time to talk about managing workplace relationships than now?

Office relationships can result in positive outcomes, such as enhanced morale. However, it’s important to note that relationships do break down which could have negative effects. So, what should employers do if the situation turns sour? Check out key tips on how to best manage a workplace romance.

Are Romantic Relationships in the Workplace Illegal?

Although there are no established rules or laws against romantic relationships in Canada, businesses should prohibit any relationship for the three following reasons. If it may or will cause a real or perceived conflict of interest, if it negatively impacts the company’s business interests, or if it’s in breach of an employer’s policy.

Include the Policy in Handbook

Educate employees on the company’s expectations of conduct and professionalism, by including the workplace interpersonal relationship policy in the employee handbook.

Workplace Interpersonal Relationship Policy

It’s useful to have a workplace relationship policy in place that sets out clear, comprehensive guidelines on the company’s stance. This policy can include guidelines such as prohibiting senior and delegate relationships, requiring disclosure of relationships, or for seniors to move positions when such relationships develop. By having employees sign and date this policy serves as evidence that they understand and acknowledge these guidelines, should any of these situations arise within the office.

Have a Policy on Workplace Harassment

Educating employees on the contents of your Workplace Violence and Harassment Policy (which includes sexual harassment) and its correlation with workplace interpersonal relationships can reduce liability for companies should romance relationships turn sour. A clear policy will help your employees avoid or cope with any unwanted sexual advances.

Kiljon Shukullari is HR Advisory Manager at Peninsula Canada

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People Management Trends In 2023

The best people operations teams run like product management functions

By Finn Bartram, People Managing People

New Working Norms

During the pandemic, entire industries shifted to remote work without a measurable loss in productivity – with many claiming the era of ‘office work’ was forever over.

This is highlighted following a recent report showing almost 9 in 10 people would work flexibly if they were presented with an opportunity to.

But since companies called their workers back into the office in 2022, many did so with allowances.

Thepast couple of years have tested HR leaders following the aftereffects of Covid-19. With an abrupt shift to remote work, mass resignations, and economic volatility, they were challenged across the board.

As HR teams continue prioritizing and adapting to challenges while keeping organizations functioning at their best, many of the knock-on effects on people management will continue into 2023.

So, what will be the major trends impacting people management in the months ahead as businesses settle into new ways of working, face fresh challenges, and zone in on new focuses?

Companies started to realize that employees want greater flexibility by working from home, so have switched to a hybrid model. Balancing the benefits of in-person and remote ways of working, others have decided to go fully remote or issued staff with strict return-to-office orders.

In addition to where we work, there has also been a quieter revolution unfolding when it comes to how much time we spend working. Numerous 4-day working week trials have been taking place around the world, promising no loss of pay. And the results are positive.

The International study, where most participants were in the U.S. and Ireland, included 33 companies with 1,000 workers agreeing to a six-month trial of a 4-day working week. The companies stated revenue rose over the course of the trial, sick days and absenteeism were down and resignations fell slightly.

Stress, burnout, fatigue and work-family conflict all declined, while physical and mental health, and work-life balance increased.

As we continue in 2032, business leaders and HR teams will have to work hard to evolve their working practices to determine which is best for them in the long term.

Getting feedback from employees will be integral to its success, as well as having the data to defend why.

Financial Coping Strategies

As recession winds continue to swirl amid layoffs and hiring freezes, both employees and employers are bracing for an uncertain future.

Organizations are grappling with understanding the new normal. As with any downturn, department leads will be asked to move their focus away from growth and instead toward profitability and cash flow.

Business resilience really has never been more critical and companies will look towards HR professionals to play a leading role in supporting the workforce through this challenging period.

Employees are a company’s biggest asset and therefore highest cost. Looking at internal data, key performing indicators (KPIs), or productivity stats will be beneficial to make the business case for roles or individuals under review.

But keeping top talent will pay dividends as they could be the pillars needed to successfully ride out the economic storm.

However, workers are dealing with the rising costs of living, soaring energy bills, and high inflation. This worry translates into pressure on salary increases by employees seeking to offset the increasing cost of living.

But faced with pay freezes, redundancies, and budget cuts, companies will be fearful valued employees might be at risk of leaving due to salary requests being denied.

If a salary increase isn’t on the cards, organizations can look at alternative incentives such as a four-day work week, training courses, or qualifications if there’s pressure on fixed costs.

There will also be an emphasis on including a financial well-being policy that feeds into an organization’s wider well-being strategy. Companies can look to see if action should be taken at a group or individual level, showing their commitment to supporting employees with their finances and reaffirming the benefits on offer that can assist.

“Back to Human”

Covid-19 accelerated employee demands on HR to meet physical and mental health needs. This urgency unveiled to the majority of businesses that some core human element has been lost in all these technological advancements.

For years, HR leaders have found themselves on a cost-efficiency treadmill that applies analytics and big data to existing HR operating models. Even in areas of HR like recruitment and learning and development, the emphasis has been on productivity and how to measure it.

However, businesses are remembering they’re dealing with real people, not machines. So, the ‘human’ element in HR has a renewed focus that will continue in 2023.

In a technology-first world, organizations that understand and look after their workforces on a human level will have a competitive advantage over those who don’t.

Drivers of positive behavior such as gratitude, trust, empathy and listening will continue to be prioritized, to ensure individuals stay and succeed. A sharp focus on employee health and well-being will also prevail, with preventative care and personalized programs coming to the fore.

Companies will rethink the employee experience in ways that respect individual differences. They will look to implement more flexible, responsive policies: engaging more directly and deeply with employees, letting them bring their whole person to work.

A human-centric approach to people management will underpin the progression of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) strategies.

Breaking DEI into smaller chunks of learning, communication and experiences threaded over time creates a more lasting impact. But to move the needle on DEI within an organization, DEI must receive the same level of investment as other critical strategies.

This includes a dedicated budget, a team, committee, or collaborators, leadership buy-in, and access to tools and data, such as applicant tracking software (ATS).

POPS

A new interpretation of people ops is emerging, one that treats the employee experience as a “product” and something that’s integral to the business achieving its core mission or objective.

It’s a people-centric approach that focuses on what people experience as employees within the company to improve their productivity, growth, and satisfaction.

It includes all aspects of an employee’s life cycle, from recruitment and selection, performance management and professional development, and succession planning to resignation.

And managing this effectively comes down to a business approach to people ops.

The best people operations teams in the world run like product management functions. In this way, they can help organizations identify and attract the best talent, develop and retain their employees and create a positive work environment.

This concept may not be new, with Google being among one of the first to rebrand its HR department as ‘people operations’ back in 2006, but we can expect to see more organizations adopt this model to unlock greater productivity and solve people-orientated challenges faster in 2023.

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Finn Bartram is editor-in-chief at People Managing People.

It’s Time To Go Beyond The Employee Experience

Employees want to be seen and heard

By Lisa Milani, Beamery

Most companies have a long history of focusing on employee satisfaction as much as they have focused on customer satisfaction. Seemingly, this has not been enough.  In recent years, the focus has shifted to looking at the employee experience Companies have been looking into options on how to improve an employee’s quality of life at work. By giving people a sense of belonging, trust, and relationship, it is possible to make those people’s work more meaningful by offering perks, spiffs, rewards, and recognitions.

In today’s world, we are looking for even more.  We are looking to be seen and heard at work.  We have the need to be acknowledged and appreciated more than ever.  We want to believe that our voice matters.

It is commonly known that the manager-employee relationship can be the most important relationship at each stage of the employee journey. Work-life can be very difficult when a person does not get along or agree with his or her manager. Managers are in a unique position to help shape the employee’s own view on how they see their current value and future in the organization. This is possible when a manager listens to their direct reports.  An efficient manager will maintain a safe channel of communication with their team.  This builds trust which results in trust in the company overall. Managers always want to support their employees’ development

and advancement within the organization. Smart managers will also create an environment for peer-to-peer support.  These approaches will help reinforce a desired employee experience across those moments that matter.

There is an explicit difference between the employee experience and the human experience. A “Human Experience” embodies the entire experience a person has with a brand or service both digitally and physically. Humans are social animals and therefore, constantly feel the need to interact, feel accepted, and engage with others.  Human experiences are for a lifetime in the memories that we have. In this example, a human experience represents the aggregate experiences that a person feels across the entire organization.

An average person spends about one-third of their time at work, so it becomes very critical that we spend our time working in the environment mindfully. A human experience goes far beyond just an employee experience. Are the employees passionate and motivated to show up at work? Are they proud of their roles within the company? Do they see opportunities for promotion or advancement within the organization?  Do they trust that their manager and peers are working towards the same common company mission?

I recently had a major health scare. The company I worked for at the time had an employee experience platform for managers to track performance, goals and recognize the “moments that matter”.  Unfortunately, I found that this meant very little in my circumstances.  I did not trust that I would not be put on a performance plan due to having to take time off work for medical appointments. I did not trust that my

manager had any empathy for my medical situation. I felt that the actual company culture did not match up to the promises of the employee experience platform.  The focus on employee experience appeared more as a box to check than truly being ingrained into the company’s DNA.  As a result, I made the decision to leave the company in search of a better culture. At the end of the day, I do not regret it one bit.

Lisa Milani is Global VP, Strategic Programs & Ecosystems at Beamery

A Musical Response To The Great Resignation

Love the one(s) you’re with

By Julie Winkle Giulioni, DesignArounds

My daughter recently reminded me of that old song, Love the One You’re With. If you’re not familiar, it’s got a great beat and a timely message to today’s leaders – one that should immediately be incorporated into their playlists – and playbooks. Organizations, leaders, managers, and the media have (understandably) been obsessed with the loss of talent associated with the ‘great resignation’; but now, in light of layoffs in many sectors, there’s even greater risk in not being equally obsessed with attending to the talent that remains

Decades ago, psychologists and human resources professionals recognized the emotional and physical toll on employees following rounds of layoffs. The fear, guilt and depression expressed by those who remained was termed ‘survivor syndrome’ and efforts were made to address the issue. It’s time we invest similar effort in today’s ‘survivors’ – those who have not joined the great migration, or been laid off, and instead show up (virtually or in person) day-in and day-out to take care of business. Because let’s face it…

Too many employees today feel overlooked,  overworked, overwhelmed, and completely over it!

Months of continued uncertainty, supply chain issues, escalating customer expectations, and picking up the slack in an under-resourced workplace have left many of those who remain weary, fragile, and a flight risk. All of which means that the time is right to heed Stephen

Still’s profound advice and ‘love the one(s) you’re with’. Here are three ways to show your love to those who are loyally laboring during these challenging times.

Train Those Who Remain

One of the most tangible ways you can show your ‘love’ is to offer employees the learning and development they crave. A recent Gallup poll finds that 87% of millennials believe that professional growth and career development are very important.  And millennials are not alone.

Training is one of today’s most highly desirable employment benefits. It’s also an expectation of workers who understand that automation, machine learning, AI and other advancements are quickly changing the way work gets done. Their ongoing relevance and survival (as well as the organization’s) depend upon skilling up. And businesses that show the love in this way may also be rewarded with the retention they need. According to the LinkedIn Learning Report, 94% of employees report they would stay at a company longer if it invested in their learning and development.

Remove the Strain for Those Who Remain

Current conditions have stretched people to (and beyond) their limits. The tolerance that employees have had in the past for internal hurdles and obstacles is growing increasingly thin. As a result, right now it’s critical to make it easy to do the work that’s necessary. That means:

● Addressing cumbersome or outdated procedures and systems

● Cutting the red tape and streamline processes

● Facilitating the greatest reasonable level of flexibility related to where, when and how people work

● Discovering the daily annoyances that distract employees and taking immediate action to eliminate them

Your efforts to make it easier for employees to succeed send a clear signal of value and respect that resonates deeply with others, delivering both human and business outcomes.

Sustain (and Be Humane to) Those Who Remain

Finally, leaders can show their ‘love’ by investing in a relationship with each remaining employee and staying abreast of their ever-changing needs and priorities. Understanding someone’s broader life, what’s most important to them, and the pressures they face outside of the workplace all provide a context for offering the support required to help others sustain their engagement, satisfaction, and energy for their work.

So, carve out time for conversation. Learn about their priorities and goals. Explore what they need more or less of at work – and take steps to make it

happen if you can. Recognize their talents, efforts, and accomplishments. Offer whatever grace is possible. Create the kinder, gentler, more humane workplace experience that so many employees want – and need – right where they are… so there’s no need to look elsewhere.

Leaders who respond to the current labor and workplace conditions with even greater attention to the needs of those who remain won’t just ‘love the one(s) they’re with’; they’ll also love the relationships, retention, and results that follow.

Julie Winkle Giulioni is a champion for workplace growth and development and works with leaders to optimize the potential within their organizations. Named one of Inc. Magazine’s top 100 leadership speakers, she’s the co-author of the international bestseller, Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go: Career Conversations Organizations Need and Employees Want, and the author of Promotions Are So Yesterday.

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Can You Trust Remote Employees?

Remember, no one size fits all!

By Yoram Solomon, Innovation Culture Institute™ LLC

Wedidn’t ask for the Covid-19 pandemic. We didn’t ask to work from home. But, in March 2020, it was forced upon us. At the time, it didn’t look like there was going to be an end, and this was going to be “the new normal.” Today, many companies have returned to work at the office, but we also learned the benefits of working from home for the company and its employees. Should we go back to the office full-time? Should we work remotely full-time? Should we deploy a hybrid mode? And, in the context of this article, should you trust employees who work from home? Or, even better, what can you do so you can trust them?

What Does the Data Say?

A spring 2022 survey of 25,000 American employees showed that 58% of them were offered by their employers the option of working from home full-time (35%) or part-time (23%) and that 87% of those offered such option accepted it. This varies, obviously, by industry, where the computer industry was the highest (89%) and the production and food preparation industries the lowest (29%). No doubt, remote work is highly contextual.

Other statistics show that the number of Americans working from home was 6% in pre-pandemic 2019, went up to 41.7% in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, and is now down to 26%, but expected to increase (intentionally). By 2025, more than 36m American employees are expected to be working remotely.

Some surveys showed that working from home increases productivity, while others show a decrease in productivity. Again, the impact on productivity would be highly contextual. Many employees believe that working from home increases their work-life balance (75%), reduces absenteeism (56%), improves morale (54%), and increases their engagement (62%).

Is Remote Working Right for Everyone?

There is no point in making a general determination of whether companies should continue (or move toward) working remotely, in a hybrid way, or from the office, as the answer is highly circumstantial and depends on specific employees and specific tasks. When making that determination, we should consider the following:

● Remote work is not appropriate for any job. It’s not suitable for production and food preparation employees, pilots, drivers, soldiers, police officers, etc.

● Not every person can work from home. The distractions are often more than the employee can handle, resulting in reduced productivity and possibly even reduced job satisfaction. Some people (for example, extroverts) need in-person human interaction to be productive, while others (introverts, for instance) might appreciate and thrive working alone remotely.

● There have to be the proper environmental conditions for working from home that should equal those in the office, including the workspace, ergonomics, lighting, noise level, etc.

● Some jobs require constant teamwork, while others may not require collaboration at all. A book editor, for example, doesn’t work within a team. If teamwork is needed, it could be adversely affected when team members work separately from their respective homes. There will be no constructive conflict which is so vital for productivity and creativity, and the reduced amount of interaction time, as well as the intimacy of such interactions (email vs. face-to-face), would be reduced, negatively impacting trust within the team.

We Are Strengthening Individualism

A comment worth making is that we increase individualism when we allow or support working individually from home. The ongoing individualistic trend will only accelerate. One study showed that individualism in values and practices have increased in English-speaking countries by 60-69% over a 51-year period. Since empathy (the opposite of individualism) is a key component of trust, increasing individualism would reduce trust and drive employees to feel that the world revolves around them. The transition to working from home makes employees more concerned about their own welfare, working conditions, and work-life balance, sometimes at the expense of what they contribute to the company. That further increases individualism.

Tracking and Monitoring Remote Employees

In a LinkedIn poll I conducted, I asked the question, “Can employees be trusted to work remotely?” Out of 62 responses, 63% replied that employees can be trusted without limitations, and 24% said that employees can be trusted to work remotely only if monitored

Technology evolution accelerated during the pandemic, like during any crisis or war. But not only tools that enhance productivity were developed. Tools allowing managers to monitor and track employees working remotely were also created. Those include tools that track email communications, keyboard, and mouse activity, and even use embedded cameras and microphones (which brings the privacy issue). More and more companies started offering such products because more companies have demanded and deployed them.

The problem with those monitoring and tracking tools lies in the 6th law of trust: trust is reciprocal. When you trust someone and you show them that you trust them, they will behave in a responsible way. In fact, if they believe you trust them more than they deserve, they have two options: either discourage you from trusting them as much (which they will rarely do), or work hard to live up to the level of trust you demonstrate you have in them. At times, you may have more trust in them than they have in themselves. Either way, when you trust them and show them that you trust them, you will increase their trustworthiness.

But the opposite is true, too. When you distrust them and show them that you distrust them, or don’t show them that you trust them, they will behave in an untrustworthy way. I’ve seen YouTube videos where employees demonstrate hacks to get around such monitoring software installed on their computers.

The bottom line is: if you can’t trust your employees, and it’s not because they are untrustworthy, then you cause them to be untrustworthy. And if you don’t trust them because they are untrustworthy, you hired the wrong employees. Your problem is not whether you can trust them remotely. It’s whether you can trust them at all.

How Can You Trust Remote Employees?

This article should not discourage you from considering remote work as a company or an employee. It should encourage you to consider the following and take these steps to make it work well:

● Remember that no one size fits all. Remote work is not appropriate for all jobs, at all times, and for the entire company as a whole.

● Remote work is not appropriate for all employees (regardless of their jobs). Make sure you assess the employee’s ability to work remotely and that it will not reduce their productivity or job satisfaction. Consider training employees on how to effectively work remotely and provide them with the tools and work environment required for that purpose. Consider a trial period not only for the company, but also for the employee to find whether remote work is, well, working for them.

● Compensate for the reduction in time and intimacy of interactions between employees. Schedule enough time for interaction regularly and in a predictable (rather than ad-hoc) manner—drive interactions to take place in person (maybe on a particular day of the week) or at least over a video call. The ability to read body language and observe the consistency between body language and content increases trust. Email and written messages force the recipient to read between the lines and make

assumptions, which reduces trust. Even when the job can be done remotely with minimal team interaction, consider (1) a weekly team meeting or video call, (2) a weekly supervisoremployee one-on-one call, (3) a short daily brief call in the morning, and (4) a short daily debrief call in the afternoon. Don’t allow too much time to pass between interactions. Trust declines between them.

● Change the communications strategy. Consider information as static, and communication as moving information from one person to another. Make information available and accessible to team members, but communicate only what’s necessary for the other person to know now. Don’t push what they don’t need to know, or they will spend all day reading your messages. It’s enough that all the information they need is available to them when they want it.

● Use empathy. Managers must consider what things feel like from the employee’s perspective, and employees must consider what things feel like from their manager’s perspective. When you don’t consider what things look or feel like from the other side, you are not empathetic to them, and their trust in you will decline.

● Don’t monitor employees. If you don’t trust them because they are not trustworthy, then you have the wrong employees. But if you monitor them, showing them that you don’t trust them, they will justify that distrust.

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Yoram Solomon, Ph.D., MBA, LLB, is the author of The Book of Trust®, host of The Trust Show podcast, founder of the Innovation Culture Institute™ LLC, and facilitator of the Trust Habits™ workshop. He is a regular speaker at SHRM events.

Protection For A Distributed Workforce: Businesses And Their Employees

Great companies create a great culture

By Tom Mays, Cover Genius

The recent shift toward hybrid and fully-remote work has impacted companies and the needs of their employees in a number of new and challenging ways. One tool employers and business owners can lean on to help them adapt is protection, both for their employees and for their own businesses. Protection can be both an incentive for employees and a safeguard for companies when they might have less visibility into their daily operations. For navigating this new working environment, employee and company protection moves from being a “nice to have” to a necessity.

A Better Benefits Package

Employees today have more freedom than ever to choose the job that fits their lifestyle. They can be more discerning about where they want to work — in terms of location, environment, and company. In a world where a short or (even nonexistent) commute becomes more of the norm instead of a perk, employers need to consider other ways to attract and retain talent. Especially for smaller businesses, where raising base salaries might be cost-prohibitive, it’s important to find more holistic ways to keep their workforce happy and healthy.

One way these companies can set themselves apart is by offering a comprehensive benefits package. In addition to standard health insurance plans, this could include pet insurance, renter’s insurance, and additional benefits that other companies might not even think to offer their employees — such as travel or event insurance. Companies can also tailor their benefits to their workforce, deepening the relationship with their employees and demonstrating attentiveness to their well-being.

For example, if a company has a large number of employees that are new graduates, they might consider offering a student loan repayment benefit, or income protection program. If they have an older workforce, they could offer Identity Theft protection, or property and homeowner protection. This could also be an effective recruiting tool depending on the company’s goals for growth and expansion. Because every business is different, as are their employees, they should work with a benefits partner that can provide personalized programs that are suited to their needs, and the needs of the people who work there.

Protection for Businesses with a Distributed Company Culture

In addition to protection for their employees, companies with a distributed workforce should look at the protections they themselves need. Without daily in-person interactions with employees, keeping a pulse on employee culture and any potential issues brewing is harder. It’s the responsibility of a well-run business to ensure their employees are protected, whether they’re in the office or working from home. That’s why it’s become more and more paramount for companies to seek the right liability insurance that fits the needs of their business.

This is especially true for small businesses, 40% of which are uninsured. Many small businesses choose to forgo insurance to avoid adding recurring expenses. But when you’re a small business, the tens of thousands of dollars you will potentially pay out when an incident occurs could have lasting damage to your bottom line and your future operations.

Two of the most common types of protection designed for businesses are general liability insurance and workers’ compensation. The former covers claims that might be made against your business for incidents like customer injury or property damage. If a remote employee inadvertently causes a costly technical issue, for instance, it wouldn’t be the employee’s homeowners insurance that would cover the incident, it would be their company’s general liability insurance.

Workers’ compensation, on the other hand, is mandatory in 49 out of 50 states and covers injuries and illnesses sustained by employees while working. In addition to outlining clear procedures for telecommuting and home office setups, businesses should confirm that their workers’ compensation covers remote employees (most do).

A combination of general liability and workers’ compensation insurance, along with other policies that make sense for the business — such as professional liability insurance and cyber insurance — can ensure comprehensive protection across their operations.

Great companies create a great culture. A big part of that culture is making employees feel valued, and creating a stable, protected operation that can weather adversity. Choosing the right protection for their employees and themselves is integral to the success of a company with a distributed workforce. It can help reduce turnover and increase retention in today’s very competitive labor market, and mitigate business risks in an increasingly decentralized environment, supporting the growth of the company for years to come!

Tom Mays is the Vice President, Strategic Partnerships - Business Services, Americas at Cover Genius, the insurtech for embedded protection. In his role, Tom leads the development and execution of the company’s Business Services partnership and distribution strategy across North America. Prior to Cover Genius, Tom spent nearly two decades serving in various management roles in consumer banking, SMB banking, payments and sales at companies such as Bank of America, AdelFi, TriNet and Doma.

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