BCjobs Blog

Want to keep employees satisfied in their jobs without one foot out the door? Give them a little credit, a new OfficeTeam survey suggests. More than half (54 per cent) of workers interviewed said they would be somewhat or very likely to leave their current position if they didn’t feel appreciated by their manager.

If you’ve ever lost a star employee, you know it can come as a huge blow. You invested time to review resumes, interview candidates, train the new recruit, and now you’re wondering how you’ll manage without them. Hiring and training a new employee is a massive expense, as well as risk—what is the likelihood you’ll find one as good as the one you lost? And why did you lose them in the first place? Some of the most common reasons for a star employee to jump ship include:

Many years ago, I had the good fortune of working for a manager in an organization that took the whole new employee orientation and integration process very seriously. I stayed with the organization for 18 years.
Of course, I didn’t appreciate what kind of an impact this type of employee integration and solid leadership would have on me throughout my working career until I went on to work with others.

Let me explain . . .

Facebook has 500 million, Twitter 190 million, LinkedIn 70 million. It’s undeniable that social media has changed the way the world communicates. The business community has embraced new media, with marketing and sales leveraging a variety of platforms to connect with and engage their customer. In many cases companies have also worked on perfecting their employer brand, attempting to appeal to potential recruits through Facebook and LinkedIn. But what have companies been doing for their current employee base?

Total wellness recognizes that all thoughts, words, and actions affect one’s overall health and well-being. Wellness is an integration of the mind, body, and spirit, permeating all areas of a person’s life—including work. This idea is further supported by Sorrentino’s definition of wellness: the achievement of the best health possible in the physical, emotional, social, intellectual, and spiritual dimensions of one’s life. Many theorists describe wellness as a holistic and comprehensive concept that involves interdependent balance of five dimensions: physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and social health.

Every organization at some point in time will have to announce some type of change in the workplace. It’s right up there with death and taxes – we can count on it!
The changes may be new or updated technology; changes in leadership (a new supervisor hired in a department); or changes in policies for one reason or another.
The way in which changes are communicated will determine how successful the changes are understood and adopted by the employee group. Having been involved in a number of change initiatives in various organizations I can tell you with from experience, communicating effectively is a must!

Ever consider offering flexible working? If you’re like 88% of Canadian companies, you are already. Flexible working, whether telecommuting or allowing employees to work schedules that are personally customized, is part of the evolution that is taking place throughout the modern workforce. The workplace has evolved. As the traditional definitions of ‘work’ have changed, so has the way it gets done.
Mobile workforces, where work is conducted outside of the office environment, is becoming increasingly popular. In 2010, 16% of the global workforce was employed in mobile working situations and it is expected that by 2020, this number will increase to 35%.

If the employees who currently hold key or critical positions within your organization were to leave tomorrow, would there be any qualified and/or experienced employees prepared to assume their role?
As the demographics of the workplace continue to shift with employees of the baby boomer generation quickly heading towards retirement, many organizations are struggling to answer this question. Succession planning is the process of identifying and developing internal employees with the potential to fill key or critical organizational positions.