It is important for you as an employer to understand what motivates or is valued by your employees.  It’s not always about the money.  Some of your people may value a flexible work schedule, e.g. the single parent who juggles after school activities for his or her children might appreciate being able to be at home when the children return from school.

Remote working really wasn’t an option for most employees in the past.  Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, many employers have allowed and enabled employees to work from home at least some of the time.  Many of us were forced into it initially and were not sure how productivity would be affected but my personal experience shows that it can and does work for some people.

The opportunity to grow within an organization is important to many employees.  If the opportunity is not there, then you may waste a lot of money in training an employee who ends up leaving anyway.  Know what makes your employees tick so you don’t get hit by a resignation when you could have avoided it.  Know who is inspired by growth opportunities.

The opportunity to further one’s education or hone one’s skills is important to some employees. This education or skill enhancement can be related to their jobs and/or their personal lives.  My office recently offered a Toastmasters class over a period of six weeks to employees who wanted to try it out. The results were excellent; we helped our employees overcome the fear of speaking in public by participating in a weekly session with their peers. This provided them personal growth as well as increasing our team’s attributes. It was rewarding as an employer to see the enthusiasm and appreciation for providing this opportunity.

Every workplace has to have fun too; it’s an important investment in your culture and environment. We do a lot of fun things in our office including monthly potlucks that are organized by a volunteer social committee. Our big event each year is a scavenger hunt with teams dressed in different themes. It is always an incredible event with lots of fun and full blown competitions and team building.

I have said it before but I’ll say it again: your team is everything.  The respect and appreciation you show as an employer yields great long term results for your business and creates tremendous pride and glue for your organization.

I’d love to hear what you do for your team!  Take care, and please join me for the next edition of Intentional Success.

 

Clifford A. Wiegers, CFP, TEP, Ch.F.C., CLU, B.Comm.

Insurance Representative, Wiegers Financial and Insurance Planning Services Ltd.

Financial Planner, Manulife Securities Investment Services Inc.

 

The opinions expressed are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those of Manulife Securities Investment Services Inc.  Mutual funds are offered through Manulife Securities Investment Services Inc. Insurance products and services are offered through Wiegers Financial & Insurance Planning Services Ltd. Banking products and services are offered by referral arrangements through our related company Manulife Bank of Canada.