Over the last four articles, we’ve been talking about how we, as business owners can get healthy and stay healthy. We’ve talked about physical, mental and emotional health, as well as decision fatigue. For this article, we’re turning the attention to our staff and how we can promote a healthy work environment for them. Perhaps we can use some of the information we’ve gained over the last few articles to create a work environment and mentality that promotes the well-being of our greatest asset…our staff.

We are heading into darker and colder months, months that are generally harder for people. It is my desire, as I’m sure it’s yours, to provide an environment that acknowledges and actively seeks to provide for the needs of staff in order for them to be healthy and effective, as well as ensure they’re with us for the long haul.

A safe workplace

In my experience, the best thing we can do for our staff is to make sure they know it’s...

The original article by Kate Heinz can be found here. 

Engaging employees is a highly effective business strategy, but it’s easier said than done. Your first inclination might be to build out a new benefits package or offer office perks like cold brew on tap or a wellness room. While your team will likely appreciate the new stuff, these changes do more to increase job satisfaction than boost employee engagement — two related but different concepts. 

Employee Engagement Strategies:

• Take employee surveys.
• Uphold your company’s core values.
• Carve out career paths and provide opportunities for growth.
• Promote employees from within.
• Recognize top performers.
• Promote transparency.
• Allow for honest feedback.
• Hold employees accountable.
• Hold leadership accountable. 

What Is Employee Engagement?

Employee engagement is defined as the degree to which an employee is motivated and passionate about their work. While it’s often confused...

The original article by Alan Kohll can be found HERE.

Company culture is an integral part of business. It affects nearly every aspect of a company. From recruiting top talent to improving employee satisfaction, it’s the backbone of a happy workforce. Without a positive corporate culture, many employees will struggle to find the real value in their work, and this leads to a variety of negative consequences for your bottom line.

According to research by Deloitte, 94% of executives and 88% of employees believe a distinct corporate culture is important to a business’ success. Deloitte’s survey also found that there is a strong correlation between employees who claim to feel happy and valued at work and those who say their company has a strong culture.

There’s a reason why companies who are named as a Best Place to Work see so much success. These organizations tend to have strong, positive corporate cultures that help employees feel and perform...

“Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” George Santayana 

“Do you have a minute to talk?”. Over the years I’ve been asked this question by employees. It’s a question that immediately knots my stomach, as my experience tell me that the employee is about to resign. 

When an employee resigns, my mind very quickly begins making a checklist. What are the steps we need to take to fill the role being vacated? Do we need to adjust the job description? Do we fill the job internally or post it externally? By immediately jumping to replacement, I’ve missed an important and valuable step - the exit interview. 

An exit interview is an interview held with an employee about to leave an organization, typically in order to discuss the employee's reasons for leaving and their experience of working for the organization. The exit interview can take various forms; it can be a written survey, can be completed verbally with a...

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...

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.

A lot has changed in a few years. But one thing that’s remained the same is the struggle with hiring. It doesn't matter who you talk to in the landscape world, everyone says the same thing: "there are not enough people". In this market, it can be tempting to hire anyone and everyone and not fire those who need to be fired. I want to caution you about this, as it is more costly than you may think.

An increasingly important part of hiring is staff onboarding and training. Long, long ago on my very first day in landscaping, I showed up and was put on a crew without any training. You simply cannot do that anymore - properly onboarding new staff has become crucial. New staff needs to be aware of how things are done at your company. Having all your staff trained for their position ensures that everyone knows what is expected of them, and their supervisors know what they’re required to teach. It streamlines the process, allowing new staff to feel prepared and supervisors to...

Let Nextra Consulting get you prepared and expedite the process of hiring foreign workers. 

We understand that Canadian employers need a reliable and stable workforce to maintain sustainable growth. Good access to skilled staff can make the difference between your company and your competitors. 

Nextra Consulting’s LMIA Process Services provide support and recruitment services to help employers address labour shortages with qualified foreign workers. Nextra has been working tirelessly, seeking guidance and direction, and building partnerships in order to provide these services. We offer hassle-free, fair-priced services and accompany our clients throughout the whole LMIA application process. We enable our clients to focus more on their business rather than their staffing problems or LMIA process. 

 Here is how we do it:

SERVICES 

• Complete assistance: Our team guides your company and staff throughout the entire recruitment and application process. This...

A-Players. Every employer is asking for them, but what are you doing to attract them? 

There are certain things that A-players are looking for from prospective employers.

8 Things A-Players Want:

1. To work with other A-Players. Are you willing to make a position available if an A-Player applies for a job at your company?
2. Accountability. Does your company have accountability and measurement tools to make the company better? 
3. To know what the long term goals are for the company. Are you sure of your long term goals? Have you shared that with your staff?
4. To not be part of a stagnant company. Are you evolving and changing? 
5. The opportunity to grow within the company. What are you doing with your current staff to nurture them in their personal and professional lives?
6. To not hear phrases like "that's the way we have always done it."
7. Financial transparency. Business is a game, what are you doing to keep score with your team? 
8. Owners who are developing themselves. As a...

Although mental health is not a new issue, the impact and responsibility we have as business owners is relatively new and how we approach it is not always clear cut. More information and  training is becoming available to us, but a lot of it is from larger companies with greater resources, which can be tough if you’re a small business. With that being said, I understand that one of your biggest challenges is the unknown and we wanted to share 6 simple suggestions:

• Check in often with your staff and actively listen to them.
• Ensure your staff know that their job is not at risk because they share their mental health concerns.
• Talk about mental health with your staff regularly
• Talk about the importance of enough sleep consistently
• Create a work/life balance - don’t contact staff after hours whenever possible
• Consider switching to 4 day work weeks.

I believe open dialogue around mental health and a willingness to understand where your staff are at will make a world of...