A diverse workplace makes for good business. It  promotes an environment where colleagues, clients and customers are better understood and it’s ultimately more interesting for employees.

A topic that is a constant buzz in the industry is workplace diversity. Many studies have been completed on diversity over the past few years. In addition to workplace studies and reports, we can view online postings about this topic on a daily basis. The reason it remains top of mind is because diversity has become one of the keys to business success.

It may seem like the catchphrase of the moment, but promoting inclusiveness and diversity is one of the best ways to create an accepting and well rounded corporate culture. A diverse workplace makes for good business. It  promotes an environment where colleagues, clients and customers are better understood and it’s ultimately more interesting for employees.

First of all, before actively pursuing and cultivating a diverse employee spectrum, as a people manager you need to understand that workplace diversity can take many forms. It includes culture, gender, nationality, race, sexuality, educational backgrounds and so much more. Knowing what diversity is and implementing it are two different tasks. So the first step is to educate yourself and then move on to creating a diverse workplace.

Four Strategies You Can Implement Today

1. Develop a hiring strategy to make your workforce resemble the community you operate in.

Workplace diversity can take many forms. Do not underestimate the value you as a people manager can add to the work environment. Regardless of your background, we all offer a unique perspective. Your culture and experiences can enrich the professional experience of those around you. Set an example  by positively contributing to your company culture. 

Workplace Diversity Matters

Creating a workplace where different perspectives are valued and embraced can go a long way to foster productive business relationships. As a manager or director, actively seeking advice, ideas, and expertise from your colleagues will foster a more inclusive company culture. This inclusive culture will, in turn, help your company to retain diverse talent and make your workplace an attractive option for a variety of job seekers.

The Canadian workforce has changed tremendously over the past 50 years. The economy shifted and grew, technology took over and the average worker is no longer average. These changes have allowed for the rise of the non-traditional worker, and the emergence of the “gig economy”.  The gig economy is “a labour market characterized by the prevalence of short-term contracts or freelance work as opposed to permanent jobs.”

Is it just a trend?

What began as a trend, has now become the norm, and people managers from across the organization have to learn to adapt. A recent study by a Canadian HR firm revealed that non-traditional workers, which include independent contractors, on-demand workers, remote workers as well as other arrangements, already make up between 20 and 30 per cent of the workplace.  According to Intuit by 2020, 40 percent of American workers would be independent contractors. This sort of increase is very likely to happen in Canada as well, as the gig economy becomes a more accepted employment model across the country.

Overall, there are many reasons for the rise of short-term and freelance roles. The most common reason is the rise of technology and the digitization of roles that were previously done by employees.  Other influences include financial pressures on businesses leading to further staff reductions and the entrance of the millennials into the workforce. In many ways it can be a win/win for the employer and the employee. In a gig economy, the organization can save resources in terms of benefits, office space and training. They also have the ability to contract with experts for specific projects who might be too high-priced to maintain on staff. From the perspective of the freelancer, a gig economy can improve  work/life balance. For workers, it also lets them to choose jobs they are interested in.

4 tips for managing gig workers

1. Treat the gigs the same as your payroll staff. Temporary workers are often treated like second-class citizens. At many organizations they are not included in planning sessions or even social events. These actions make it seem like they are simply hired hands. This attitude does not allow you to tap into their broader knowledge and experience, nor does it entice top talent to stay.
2. Always provide coaching, recognition and feedback to your temporary and freelance workers. The need for recognition and feedback is not limited to full-time salaried staff. It is a human need. Providing positive reinforcement motivates and engages while ensuring that the positive behavior is repeated and shared.
3. Train your managers on the similarities and differences between workers. They need to understand the importance of coaching and feedback. They also need to become skilled at assessing talent and performance. Top talent needs to be retained, moved to more challenging assignments, not let go at the end of the gig. The longer you can retain top talent, the more return you will get out of the recruitment and assimilation work.

A mature worker is not always a first choice when hiring new staff. Some people managers admit that they will think twice before hiring someone who is considered a mature worker. Some studies show that employers assume older applicants are less creative, less productive, slower mentally and more expensive to employ. Companies assume they won’t last long because their retirement years are looming or because they don’t have up to date skills to perform the job well. However, although older workers may not have the same tech –savvy skills as some of their younger colleagues, they do have years of experience that can be a huge benefit to the organization. Today we will outline why you should be considering older workers when hiring.

A Mature Worker has Years of Experience

Most mature workers come with a wealth of experience and knowledge. They had long, successful careers while also acquiring a diverse and unique skill set. A mature worker will require less training which saves time and potential billable hours. Travel and frequent absences also lessens as their families have grown up and require less attention. 

The Hiring Risk is Lower

When on-boarding new talent, most companies will have spent countless hours and resources screening, interviewing and training a new employee. No company wants to spend all this time and effort on a hire that may leave in six months or a year. A mature worker will usually choose to stay on the  job longer. This will save time and money finding, hiring and training new staff. The likelihood of a mature employee leaving for a new job with better perks or pay is substantially less.  At this point in their career they are often more focused on stability rather than career growth. These are qualities worth considering when you look for workers.

Strong Leadership Skills

The majority of mature workers are also good leaders. They usually have strong communication skills and recall when communication was not dominated by email and instant messaging. They have great people skills especially when it comes to face-to-face communication. This is an essential skill in the business world and a skill that junior staff sometimes struggles with. They also serve as great mentors to younger staff moving their way up in the organization.

Service with Experience

Another great quality that most mature workers have is excellent customer-service skills. They have years of experience dealing with people and tend to be great problem solvers. They  use the knowledge they have acquired over the years to create positive solutions.  Their experience can also help them identify and rectify inefficiencies within your business, making them a valuable asset.

A Mature Worker knows what they want

Mature workers know what they want and will not beat around the bush. Considering a mature worker has worked a majority of their lives, they are not searching for the next opportunity like junior staff.  An older worker is more interested in stability, whereas a recent college graduate is more concerned about moving up the corporate ladder as quickly as possible.

The New Normal – Why Employers Should Expect and Plan for Employee Turnover?

Among other things, millennials have been labelled as “job hoppers”, but even before this group entered the work force patterns of employment were changing. For the baby boomer generation, people expected to maintain a career at one company for 25 plus years. Today this employment model is outdated. The three generations of workers since the boomers have been paving their own path in the working world. “Job hopping” has shed its’ negative stigma. The new normal is an environment where loyalty to oneself comes before loyalty to the employer.

Although this change has slowly evolved over the years, employers and people managers are having a hard time adjusting to this new normal. The expectation that employees will stay on for 10+ years still exists. People managers need to change their talent management strategy, hiring methods and mindset. Managers should embrace and cultivate this new group of workers who truly want a career that allows them to grow and succeed.

Top Five Reasons Why Employees Look to Move On

After researching leading magazines and online resources like Fast Company and Forbes, here are the top five reasons why employees look to move on:

• Their current employer has a lack of vision
• Lack of opportunities for professional development
• Poor work environment – lack of friendliness, trust, and mutual respect
• Lack of good communication within organizational units
• Lack of information about business performance

Without a doubt, the most common reason for employee job hopping is lack of vision and opportunity. Employees want a clear vision of the company’s future and how they fit into it. They need to  know where the organization is going, it’s goals and to believe there is opportunity for professional development. An employer with a concise strategy for the future is a place people want to work. 

Not so obvious is the need for consistent and relevant communication about the status of the organization. People spend more than half of their day in the workplace. It is natural to expect the working environment to be governed by relations of trust, mutual respect and understanding. This expectation is delivered simply by having good communication. Equally important is timely information about events and business performance. When employees are well-informed about the business, there tends to be a reduction in employee dissatisfaction behavior such as gossip and misinformation.

Embrace New Talent 

Managers need to build systems and programs that address the main reasons why employees leave. Talent Management programs should be designed to ensure promising employees are not exiting prematurely. At the same time, programs should factor in the reality that employees will move on to new roles every 2 to 3 years. 

Embracing new talent with renewed vision regularly is a benefit to the organization. Employers should always be looking to replace employees who have run their course. New employees offer a wealth of experience across different avenues, new ideas and perspectives. At the end of the day it is the “job hoppers” who are known to be adaptable, creative thinkers, higher performers, and even to be more dedicated to achievement.

To learn more about how to plan for employee turnover and manage job hopping, take a look through our library of resources and at past articles that dive right into the topic!

• Secrets Behind Employee Retention and
• Succession Planning – You Need a Talent Management Strategy

An important part of being a people manager is knowing how to manage office gossip and limit negative rumors in the workplace.

Too much gossip will eventually hurt productivity and lead to low morale and employee engagement. Another negative side effect is the impact on employee turnover, with high-performing employees becoming frustrated and ultimately leaving. On the extreme end, malicious and hurtful gossip could potentially result in legal action being taken against the company. These are just a few of the negative impacts of office gossip, but there are ways to overcome the gossip.

Here are a four essential tips to overcome office gossip and protect your company’s productivity and values.

Tip #1 – Address the employees who gossip.

The first step is to stop the gossip directly by addressing the key people face to face. Always meet in a private location where your conversation cannot be overheard. The purpose of this step is to to help the person understand the ramifications of their actions and what could happen if it continues. This could include a written warning, demotion or even loss of employment. Make it very clear that gossip will not be tolerated and explain the consequences if it continues.

Tip #2 – Meet with all your employees.

The next step to manage office gossip should involve addressing your entire team. Add gossip as an agenda item at the next staff meeting. Use humor to introduce this topic and get people talking. Make sure to include some examples from the news to highlight the potential damage of gossip and rumors. Make sure your team understands the difference between negative and positive gossip and the ramifications of each. Over time, develop a strategy that helps your team change the corporate culture to one that encourages positive gossip.

Tip #3 – Don’t Ignore It.

While gossip is often hurtful and not productive at all, there are sometimes ways to make it useful. Gossip might point to issues that are brewing among staff and alert you to take action. Not everything that is said around the water cooler is worth your attention. Look for patterns in mood and behavior. Identify better methods than the rumor mill to flag problems. Keep communication open and search for ways to improve the work environment.

Tip #4 – Report It.

Above all, gossip can be a huge distraction in the workplace and can easily cross over into harassment and bullying. As a manager, don’t hesitate to bring any incidences to HR if there is a problem you cannot solve on your own. If the gossip does not stop after taking action, talking to HR should be your next logical step.

In a day and age where it is becoming more common place for people to speak their minds, we see more and more incivility at work. It almost seems like people feel they have permission to say and do things that they would not have said or done 1 year ago. It’s a people managers job to ensure that negative behavior does not impede the progress, productivity or goals of the organization. Follow these tips to manage office gossip, help mitigate the negative impacts of gossip and build a positive work environment.