If you thought the Great Resignation was a 2021 phenomenon, you’re wrong. Employee retention is still a problem for employers. In a recent article published by the Human Resources Professionals Association, they indicate that Canadian companies are collectively attempting to fill 915,000 job vacancies, 80% more than in 2019 according to Statistics Canada, and well above pre-pandemic levels. 

“What’s unfolding then is not just the Great Resignation (the symptom), but the Great Prioritization (the cause). Simply put, people are putting a greater focus on well-being, health (physical, social and mental), family (childcare and/or aging parents) and other hobbies and interests - and by extension, taking the time to consider who they work for, how they work, and why they work.” 

Recruiting employees in this environment is a challenge, but an equally important discussion is how to keep the great staff that you already have. It’s time to rethink how work gets done in your organization and ho...

Our focus for the month of March is Human Resources. We thought we'd start off with the recent State of the Global Workplace report, an annual report representing the collective voice of the global employee. In this edition, the pandemic and its aftershock continued to disrupt the workplace.  

The pulse of the global workplace is low, but it's still beating, leaving much room for leaders to ask, "How am I creating a thriving workplace for my employees today?"

The report lists six findings, summarized below: 

1. Global engagement and wellbeing remain stable, but not great.
2. Stress among the world's workers reached an all-time high -- again.
3. Wellbeing in Europe and South Asia was hit hard in 2021 by COVID-19 waves.
4. The job market made a recovery in the U.S. and Canada region, but not elsewhere.
5. The best region in the world to be an employee.
6. Employee wellbeing is the new workplace imperative.

To read the full report, click here.

"The most productive business leaders I coach recognize productivity is not about getting more things done; it's about getting the right things done. It's about starting each day with clarity and ending with a sense of satisfaction, accomplishment, and energy to spare. It's about achieving more by doing less, and this book shows you how." (Michael Hyatt, Free to Focus)

This book is a productivity game-changer. Michael Hyatt guides you through the process and provides tools to identify the work that is the most productive and most satisfying. The work that allows you to achieve more by doing less. He says that , "the important question is not, Can I do this job faster, easier, and cheaper? It's, Should I be doing this job at all?"

"If you want to master your schedule, increase your efficiency and output, and create more margin in your life for the things you care about, you've got to learn how to focus. I'm talking about the ability to zero in and do the deep work that creates a signi...

Want to start your season off right? Plan a spring kick-off meeting. A seasonal kick-off meeting is a way to get everyone on the same page, remind them of policies and procedures, review your company values and priorities, celebrate achievements and get excited for the year ahead. It's a great team-building opportunity that will bring everyone together and create a positive company culture. 

Below are some great ideas from an article for Lawn & Landscape by Steve Cesare (original article can be found here).

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A business owner from Massachusetts called me the other day to talk about the annual transition from the snow season to the landscape season, and what he should do to get all the employees on the same page to ensure prompt, aligned and optimal field execution. With 85-90 employees to consider, it is important for the business owner to design a well-crafted, organized “Landscape Kickoff Day” that is informative, fundamental and engaging.

As ...

(Original article by John Janes can be found here.)

“Crucial Conversations draws our attention to those defining moments that literally shape our lives, our relationships, and our world. . . . This book deserves to take its place as one of the key thought leadership contributions of our time.” (From the forward by Steven R. Covey)

Crucial conversations are those we have with important people in our lives, both personal and professional, where the outcome of the conversation will have a significant impact on our lives. This book teaches you how to manage and use these conversations to their full potential in order to build a better life.

No one likes difficult conversations. But they are necessary and they're important for the health of our business, our relationships and our mental wellbeing. Using the tools outlined in the book, you'll be equipped to handle these conversations with confidence, care, and clarity, making it safe to talk about almost anything and be persuasive, not abrasive.

Crucial conversations involve 3 key componen...

Want to eliminate a lot of stress? Invoice and review A/R & A/P reports on a weekly basis with your team. Too often I speak with owners who have completed a lot of work but haven’t invoiced or collected on those projects and find themselves in a cash flow crunch.

If you review the following items weekly you will always have a clear understanding of where you sit financially. Waiting too long to invoice, or to follow-up on outstanding invoices can often result in the final payment never being collected, since many owners feel awkward trying to collect on a job that’s been completed for a long time. 

Weekly Accounts Payable/ Receivable Checklist:

• Create invoices for work completed in the last 7 days
• Create files for work to completed next week 
• Track incoming receipts per job 
• Follow up on outstanding invoices from the last couple of weeks
• Review incoming payables
• What needs to be paid this week
• What gets paid at the end of the month

Do you avoid reviewing AP and AR...

Bookkeeper, Controller, CFO. Are you uncertain about what each role emcompasses? Or when you should outsource the role vs. hiring someone in-house? We hope this will help! 

Should I hire a bookkeeper?

I get this question a lot. The truth is that a business of any size needs a person to handle their books. When first starting out, outsourcing a bookkeeper is the best option as it reduces your costs since you only pay for the time you need. And by having a bookkeeper throughout the year, you will save money on your accountant at the end of the year, since there’s less for them to do.

A big mistake that small business owners make is thinking they can do the books on their own. Once the season gets busy, the last thing owners want to do is the books at the end of the day. The result of leaving the books until the off season is a nightmare that ends up costing you more money and more headaches.

So, what does a bookkeeper do? The bookkeeper will enter all the payables, record payments re...

NOTE: The original article can be found here.

As a small business owner, you need accurate and up-to-date financial information so you can make the best decisions for your business.

As your business grows and you hire employees, or take on more customers, keeping track of your business expenses and ensuring your books are accurate becomes more complex and time-consuming.

It’s a lot to keep track of while also running your business – sales, expenses, salary payments, and any other money that goes in and out of your business.

You know how important it is to keep good records, not only for CRA compliance and protecting yourself in case of an audit, but also if you want to sell your business down the line.

And frankly, you’re sick of staring at spreadsheets or teaching yourself how to use accounting software. You find yourself falling behind and losing track of receipts, and you’re afraid of missing out on important deductions or overdue invoices that cost you money. You know it’s tim...

Are you frustrated by how long it takes crews to get out of the yard in the morning? If yes, you’re not alone.

Every spring I hear owners talk about how long it takes to get everyone out of the yard each day. There is a certain frustration that goes along with getting crews out in the morning that landscape business owner, Tim Groenewold, has worked to remove from his business.

Below are Tim’s 9 tips for getting your crews out quickly. An added bonus to these tips is that they will also be helpful in doing your part with social distancing while maintaining business as usual as much as you can.

1. Give crews their own space - this way they aren’t tripping over each other while they are getting ready to head out in the morning.
2. Give crews their own tools - this stops the “that’s my mower!” type of conversations. 
3. Hire a mechanic - it’s their responsibility to keep the crews running. It saves money, because it’s more expensive to send stuff off-site and wait for repairs or have your s...