Good news: job creation in Canada is increasing. Bad news: employees who were holding on during the recession might now start looking for better offers.
So how do you keep employees engaged, motivated and productive?
It's important to take a comprehensive, integrated approach to people management. You must work to understand what truly motivates your workforce -- using numerous surveys and studies will allow you to develop the best practices approach from leaders around the globe. This approach will garner you outstanding employee engagement.
To grow and maintain a clear record of excellence in people management, follow what we call the 5 Cs of HR: compensation, camaraderie, career, culture and competence.
Compensation
Employees must feel their compensation will protect their quality of living, and help them meet their long-term financial interests. We recommend designing the compensation structure to ensure the basic salary meets the employee's quality of living, and incorporating a bonus or stock option plan that is performance-based that will meet long-term financial interests.
Camaraderie
Everyone needs a circle of friends, and when employees feel they have compatible peers at the
workplace, the office is a more comfortable, pleasant, peaceful place to be. It's important to have many structured employee engagement programs developed internally to create a positive workplace environment. You should always strive to preserve and maintain "positive psychological capital." This includes working to reduce meetings and meaningless paperwork, and creating peer groups for employees to interact, learn and socialize. The aim should always be to create a high happiness index and add meaning to employees' lives.
Career
Every employee wonders: How will I grow in my career? As a company, help each employee address that important question and concern: Make sure there are well-defined career and competency programs, as well as a personalized development program. Career planning management systems should help employees chalk out their career paths for the next five to 10 years within the company.
Each employee needs to have a clear roadmap of how he will grow in the organization, and what competencies he will have to acquire to move forward on his preferred path.
Culture
Business culture must inspire and encourage positive interactions and growth. Employees should have the freedom to propose unconventional ideas, to be entrepreneurial and flexible. Treat people as assets, and work hard to build trust, creating a work environment that is beneficial for employees' growth.
Strive to create a more constructive work culture based on a scientific study of tasks rather than rule-of-thumb work methods. It's also important to have mutually beneficial relationships with your employees. That's why we invest in people and work hard to keep turnover low and retention high.
Competence
Opportunities to learn are crucial for the employee as well as for the company. For example,
develop a competency framework where employees are examined on the parameters of a number of competencies every six months. Then provide training to fill the skills gaps. This should encompass technical training and growth efforts such as leadership development, communication skills and emotional intelligence. Touch the many needs and desires of employees to create a high level of satisfaction, engagement and involvement.
By focusing on these five areas, organizations can create a more positive corporate environment where each employee feels valued, engaged and involved with the organization.