E. A. Dion Blog

Get the Info! Our Favorite Employee Engagement Infographics

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 19:00:41 GMT

As we close out our February blog theme of employee engagement, we wanted to share some of the great infographics we uncovered during our research of this topic. Infographics are a great way to easily digest new information and if posted up are visible reminders to keep us on track. These are some of our favorites that we think you should keep close at hand.

Emotional Drivers of Employee Engagement - This first infographic is from Dale Carnegie Training. This is a great chart to post up in the offices of all managers and senior leadership. Not only does it highlight why companies and management should care about improving employee engagement, but it lists actionable items to foster greater engagement.

10 Employee Engagement Questions – This second infographic comes from Seeds Training Group and lists 10 questions to ask employees in order to gauge their level of engagement and their feelings about how their company supports them. Answers to these questions will really give management a feel for how engaged employees are and what areas of company support may be lacking. A great way to measure where to start with your employee engagement initiatives.

10 Pillars of Employee Engagement – Finally, this third infographic from Zest Team Management looks at 10 aspects of employee engagement and the statistics on where companies and employees rank today on these items. A very eye opening look at how far employers need to go to improve engagement.

Sources:

10 Employee Engagement Questions by Seed Training Group

10 Pillars of Employee Engagement by Zest

Emotional Drivers of Employee Engagement by Dale Carnegie Training

What Do Engaged Employees Do That Disengaged Ones Don’t?

Fri, 19 Feb 2021 18:33:56 GMT

Last week we talked about management strategies for engaging your employees - but what do the results look like? What do engaged employees do differently? By recognizing what an engaged employee looks like, you can better appreciate the benefits and encourage this behavior among your workforce.

Engaged Employees Are Special

In the US, only about 35% of the workforce can be described as “engaged” according to a 2019 Gallup poll. So set your expectations accordingly - while it would be nice, not everyone who works at your company is going to be heavily invested in your company’s success. That doesn’t mean that disengaged employees are “bad,” however. Many are there to do their job, earn their paycheck, and leave. What’s detrimental is letting more and more employees slide further into disengagement. Not only is it a sign of larger problems, but disengagement costs the US economy hundreds of billions of dollars each year. So identifying engaged employee behavior is critical.

Problem Solvers

Engaged employees have empowering relationships with their managers. They feel encouraged and able to overcome obstacles. The employee feels trusted to handle the situation and knows they will be recognized for fixing the problem. Disengaged employees, however, will often give up when they reach a roadblock. They will either ignore the problem or run to management every time. This usually stems from the “traditional boss” who, according to Gallup, “is transactional -- ‘You give me this, I behave like that’ -- which can create learned helplessness, discouraging the discretional effort that engaged employees exhibit, and ultimately disengaged employees who don't own their own engagement.”

Extra Milers

A telltale sign of an engaged employee is their willingness to take initiative and their mindfulness to perform tasks without being asked. For example, if an employee has clocked out and is heading for the door, but sees some garbage on the floor, will they take a couple minutes to pick it up? They’re not getting paid for this, and eventually someone would take care of it, but they feel compelled to do this task. Engaged employees take pride in their company and identify with it’s goals. They want to make the lives of their coworkers easier and think nothing of lending a hand when needed. This translates into better customer experiences because these employees genuinely care about providing great service.

Focussed and Positive

When we’re comfortable and motivated, it’s much easier to concentrate on a task. However, if work is chronically overwhelming or demoralizing, your mind is bound to wander. Disengaged employees have trouble focusing on their tasks and often find themselves staring at the clock, checking social media, or making their 5th cup of tea. This is a sign that their daily tasks have become negative experiences that they’re trying to avoid. You may also hear complaining from disengaged employees who feel like they can’t come to management with their suggestions. On the flip side, engaged employees are great at focussing and know that if they have a complaint it will be heard. They’re sources of positivity in the workspace.

Engaged employees provide many benefits to the companies they work for, so keep an eye out for them. Observe the systems and relationships around them to see why they work so well. Talk to them and glean some insight on what motivates and drives them. Then take what you've learned and create the conditions that produce engagement.

By Aubrey Dion

Aubrey Dion is proud to be back working for the family business she grew up in. Over the years, she has performed a wide variety of jobs in both the office and factory, becoming a true "jack of all trades." Aubrey credits her quick learning ability to her strong theatre background, where memorization and attention to detail are vital. Working in the marketing department allows her to stay creative and work on exciting new projects for the company.

Sources

Gallup - What Engaged Employees Do Differently

Officevibe - 9 Signs of Engaged vs. Disengaged Employees

Improving Employee Engagement - From Executive Level to Line Management

Fri, 12 Feb 2021 14:22:20 GMT

In last week’s blog post, Aubrey explained what Employee Engagement was (and what it was not) and why it is important for companies to improve employee engagement.

What is a bit disheartening is that, according to Gallup’s State of the American Workplace report, only 33% of employees are engaged in their jobs. Add to that the fact that employee disengagement costs the US upwards of $550 billion a year in lost productivity! As striking as these statistics are, it is a great opportunity for companies that can improve employee engagement levels to significantly increase their productivity and profitability. So how can companies do that?

Executive Management’s Role

Strong Vision and Mission - Company leaders need to first define and communicate a strong vision and mission for their company. Then they need to hire and develop managers that are fully invested in that mission and help them build strong teams with similar engagement. Leadership training and development coupled with a focused and empowering executive team is a powerful foundation for developing engaged employees at all levels of the organization.

Leadership Coaching - Another great Gallup statistic is that employees who are supervised by highly engaged managers are 59% more likely to be engaged than those supervised by actively disengaged managers. So prioritize leadership coaching and keep managers accountable. Equip managers with the right training to engage their teams effectively.

Make The Most of Onboarding - Start right away with your onboarding program. This is an employee’s first immersion into the culture of the organization. Pair new employees with a mentor who can guide them, help them build relationships within the company and reinforce the company’s vision and mission. Make sure senior management is involved in the process so employees know that they are valued and heard by even the highest levels of management. Finally, make sure that training continues even after the initial onboarding – so that employees are always learning and expanding their skill sets.

Be Transparent – Companies that regularly communicate with their employees and create a transparent work environment foster employee trust. This trust bonds employees with their company. What may seem like over-communication to some, actually builds better overall relationships.

Line Management’s Role

Hire the Right People - At the very start, manager’s need to hire the right people and put them in the right jobs to succeed. As part of the hiring process, manager’s need to prioritize engagement, then train and reinforce working toward the company’s vision and mission.

Communication and Feedback - Manager’s also need to keep communication and feedback lines constantly open. You can’t expect an annual review to be enough communication to effectively keep an employee engaged and improving in their role. Employees need much more frequent feedback on how they are doing; and need to feel management is hearing their needs and concerns. If you want employees to fully engage with their work and the company, you have to make them feel heard and give them the training and resources to be successful.

Recognition - Closely related to feedback and communication is employee recognition. According to the Bonusly’s 2020 Engagement and Modern Workplace Report, the most powerful factor that predicts employee engagement levels is recognition. Highly engaged organizations are far more likely to recognize employees for a job well done than their peers. We all have a need to feel appreciated and want to be recognized when we go above and beyond. If we are giving our all to our companies and that effort goes unrecognized, how long do you think we will keep it up? On the other hand, if our efforts are seen and regularly praised, we will want to keep doing actions that make us feel appreciated. Companies that recognize this regular recognition give and take will see employees continually reaching to attain the next achievement goal.

Creating an organization with happy engaged employees is not quick and easy, but it is worth the time and effort. Developing an engaged workforce is not just HR mumbo jumbo. It is a true strategic advantage that will pay your company dividends for years to come. So get working on engaging your employees now.

By Ann Condon, Marketing Manager

Ann Condon has been with Dion for 16 years, working in Dion’s Marketing and Business Development Department. Although this was her first position with a jewelry manufacturer, she has learned a lot over the years. Ann enjoys getting involved in “All Things Dion” from volunteering at the Dion Golf Tournament to being a part of the Dion Diamonds Relay for Life Team. She has quite a number of Dion event t-shirts to show for it!

Sources:

10 Data-Driven Ways to Improve Employee Engagement
From Chapter 3 of The Essential Employee Engagement Guide

State of the American Workplace
By Gallup Inc.

5 Powerful Steps To Improve Employee Engagement
By Brent Gleeson

Definitions of Success - What is Employee Engagement?

Fri, 05 Feb 2021 18:22:22 GMT

Groundhog Day has come and gone, and we have quite a bit of winter still to weather. During these cold and dreary months, it’s natural for our morale to dip. That’s why this month we’re focussing on employee engagement.

Just Another Buzzword?

Oftentimes vague corporate buzzwords can be thrown around, making conversations seem important, but seldom insightful. So let’s nail down the definition of “employee engagement.”

What it’s not:

Employee Happiness: An employee might be happy at their job. There may be many enjoyable perks, wonderful coworkers, and fun events - and that’s great! However, a happy employee isn’t necessarily the most productive or going above and beyond for their company.
Employee Satisfaction: Many business leaders try to survey and measure employee satisfaction, but the conditions for “satisfaction” are the bare minimum. An employee who doesn’t have much to complain about might not have much to rave about either. An employee who is only satisfied with their job is more likely to leave your company for a modest increase in pay somewhere else.

Employee engagement is the employee’s emotional investment and dedication to the company’s goals and values. An engaged employee has a sense of duty to perform their job and go the extra mile.

Why Is It Important?

From a business perspective, the math is quite simple: employees committed to the company’s success will perform better and create superior customer experiences than those who are not. Engaged employees also mean longer retention, a more positive company reputation, and more stability in operations. As Kevin Kruse, author of Employee Engagement 2.0, puts it:

“Engaged Employees lead to…

higher service, quality, and productivity, which leads to…

higher customer satisfaction, which leads to…

increased sales (repeat business and referrals), which leads to…

higher levels of profit, which leads to…

higher shareholder returns (i.e., stock price)”

A Two-Way Street

Engagement is based on a mutual respect and trust between the employer and employee. This isn’t “just a job” for them. It is more meaningful and requires healthy communication. Engaged employees feel comfortable speaking up because they know their voice has value. They know that they’re recognized and appreciated for what they do, and that the recognition is personal and meaningful. Their vision and goals match that of the company’s, and they feel supported in their day-to-day activities.

What we’re saying is, if you truly listen to and invest in your employees, you’ll see some powerful results. Stay tuned this month for more on employee engagement!

By Aubrey Dion

Sources

Forbes - What is Employee Enagagement?

Engage For Success - What is Employee Engagement?

SHRM - Developing and Sustaint Employee Engagement

Get Ready, Get Set…….Go!!!!

Thu, 28 Jan 2021 21:38:42 GMT

To finalize this month’s blog theme on Starting 2021 Off Right, let’s dig a little deeper into goal setting. We’ve discussed time management, de-cluttering your workspace and getting in the right mindset for 2021. These are all great ways to get you ready to take on new challenges. So let’s get started on those New Year’s Resolutions!

Set Your Goals

It is first necessary to take a step back and determine what is important to you. If you cannot articulate why a goal is important, then you are much less likely to actually achieve that goal. In order to stay committed to your goals, it is important to know what you want and why it is important. The point of connecting your goal with an underlying motivation is that it will sustain you when the temptation comes to just quit.

Some aspects to consider while making your goals:

Values – What matters most to you and what do you want to prioritize in 2021?
Passions – What do you really love doing? What excites and engages you?
Strengths – What are the strengths that empower you to achieve your goals, advance in your career, or help you build relationships?

Make Your Goal Actionable

Make both long and short term goals reasonable, measurable and time specific. Write down both the goals and interim steps to getting there in a visible planner or calendar so you can track your progress.

Make your goals S.M.A.R.T. – You may already be familiar with this acronym, but if not S.M.A.R.T stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely. By making sure that your goals have all five of these important elements in them, you are giving yourself the best chance at success. Instead of just vague dreams, SMART goals are suddenly achievable.

Finally make the first steps towards your goal small enough that you are sure to get there. Getting yourself to first base can really build your confidence, and ultimately help you meet the more daunting goals later on.

Stay Focused

Review your goals and progress regularly (say at the end of each work week). During these reviews, evaluate your success and make any revisions necessary to move forward.

Share your goals with a family member or friend and ask them to help you meet them. By telling someone else your goals, you hold yourself accountable to them. It is harder to quit on a goal that you have publically announced, than one that is a secret.

With a strategy behind your New Year’s Resolutions you are setting yourself up to finally reach those goals you have set for yourself. Here’s to an amazing 2021!

SOURCES:

5 Things You Can Do Right Now to Start 2021 Off Right
Day Designer Blog Post

How To Start Out The New Year Right
By Paul McCoy

Seven steps for making your New Year’s resolutions stick
Harvard Health Publishing

Start 2021 on the Right Foot and put your Goals into Action
By Sandra Mohr

By Ann Condon, Marketing Manager

Ann Condon has been with Dion for 16 years, working in Dion’s Marketing and Business Development Department. Although this was her first position with a jewelry manufacturer, she has learned a lot over the years. Ann enjoys getting involved in “All Things Dion” from volunteering at the Dion Golf Tournament to being a part of the Dion Diamonds Relay for Life Team. She has quite a number of Dion event t-shirts to show for it!

Clutter-Be-Gone! Ways To Organize Your Desk and Keep It Clean

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 18:45:40 GMT

Does your desk make you anxious just looking at it? Does it always take some digging to find what you need? Have you looked at your desk and decided enough is enough? Then you’ve come to the right blog! Even if your job doesn’t include a desk, you can apply these tips to any workspace. By keeping your work area neat and organized, you’re setting yourself up for better productivity, less mistakes, and less frustration.

Make The Time

Cleaning and reorganizing your desk is going to take some time, so make sure you dedicate part of your schedule to it. If you have other areas besides your desk, like a bookshelf or cabinets, it may be best to reorganize them another time and focus on your desk. This isn’t something you’ll want to quit halfway through. With projects like these, it always gets messier before it gets cleaner.

Purge Everything

Start by taking absolutely everything off your desk. This will give you a clean slate to work from. You may want to take this opportunity to clean off any dust bunnies hiding in the corners. From here you can start placing your essentials back. Keep their placement purposeful, though. Do you use your stapler a lot? Then keep it handy. If you don’t, maybe place it further out of the way or even in a drawer. Here at Dion, many of our employees have labeled places where their bench tools go. By making sure everything has a “home,” it’s easy to keep organized, even when someone else borrows a tool. The labels make it clear where the tool goes once they are done with it. And just as important as your essential items is your actual workspace, so make sure there’s always plenty of clear area.

Yes, No, Maybe

We’re all familiar with the concept of “yes, no, and maybe” piles. Go through your clutter and decide what you need to keep, throw away, and what you’re not sure of. Organize everything in your “keep” pile on your desk in a way that makes sense for you. Again, everything should have a dedicated place that supports your daily function. Obviously toss what you have put in the “throw away” pile. For me, magazines tend to pile up until I finally throw a stack in the recycling. For the items you’re not sure if you still need, here’s a handy test: put the items aside for a week and if you haven’t used them, toss them. Simple as that. We often hold onto things “just in case,” but more often than not, these things just become annoying clutter.

It’s In The Bag

If you travel at all for your work, or even have a hybrid office-home schedule like I do, you probably have “the work bag.” Just like your desk, take some time to clean it out. After months of running around with it on my shoulder, my work bag became a travelling garbage bin. Reclaim the usefulness of your bag by giving it a good sorting. Who knows, you might find some long lost items this way!

Your Digital Workspace

Once you have your physical items sorted (and please test your pens to make sure they all work), it’s time to clear up your digital workspace. Do you have a bunch of files saved to your desktop, creating a cluttered screen? Time to organize those into folders. Make sure you label and save these files in a way you’ll remember later, not just hastily flicking them off your desktop. Next is your email. Can you unsubscribe from any emails that are always cluttering your inbox? Maybe it suits you best to make categories for your different email subjects. Poke around in your email settings and discover ways to make the constant stream of emails more digestible. Personally, I forward certain emails to designated folders and color-code other emails by department. This makes it much easier to find what I’m looking for.

Keep It Up!

Like all virtues, tidiness needs to be maintained. Try to make it a habit during the last five minutes of each day to clear any junk from your desk and straighten up. If you notice papers piling up again, it’s always best to tackle them sooner rather than later. A clean desk or workspace is your friend - so try to keep them around!

sources

Inc - Tired of a Messy Desk? Try These 7 Tips to Declutter

Workzone - How To Organize Your Desk Right Now: 18 tactics to Declutter and Stay Organized

Center For Productivity - A Clutter Free Desk: 5 Steps to Getting Your Paper Organized

By Aubrey Dion

Before Everything Else, First Reflect and Reset

Sun, 17 Jan 2021 22:24:16 GMT

As we look at ways to make 2021 successful, don’t just consider the tactical planning necessary to get more done, make sure that your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual self are also in the right place. Otherwise, all that planning may just be for nothing. Before we can fully commit to those New Year’s resolutions, we need to be in the right mindset. So what can we do to get there?

The Best New Year's Resolution: Time Management

Fri, 08 Jan 2021 19:53:40 GMT

It’s a new year - and that means it’s time to make our new year’s resolutions. It’s time to self examine and decide what change, big or small, we want to make to start the year off right. If you don’t have a resolution yet (or you want to add to your goals), improving your time management is definitely the way to go. By making small changes to your space, routine, and mindset, you can become more productive, more satisfied with how you spent your time, and less stressed because of it. And who doesn’t want to be less stressed?

Time Management

So what exactly does “time management” mean? The term is a bit of a misnomer, because you can’t change the amount of time you have, but you can manage what you do with it. When things seem to pile up and you find yourself procrastinating or getting distracted by less important tasks, time management can really help. As Beverly Flaxington from Psychology Today puts it, “Time management is not about having all of those things done; it’s about having enough time for what matters most to you.”

Check In With Yourself

The first place to start is with yourself. What are your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to productivity? What are your “time wasters?” By identifying what distracts you the most, you can become more aware of your pitfalls and are better suited to avoid them. For instance, if you’re distracted by your phone, try to place it out of reach, or commit to only answering work-related messages. Outside of work, do you always stay up late watching tv and regret it in the morning? It might be time to get your sleep schedule back on track and resist the “one more episode” mindset. You know yourself best. The more in-tune you are with your patterns of behavior, the better you can master them.

Your To-Do List: Upgraded

To-do lists are popular tools for productivity, but can easily make the day seem overwhelming and unfocused. Try identifying which tasks matter to you the most, and put them at the top. Then focus on your top 3 throughout the day. If you have big tasks, break them down into individual steps with due dates for each. This helps map out the more daunting to-do’s and makes them more manageable. Also, while looking at your to-do list, do you need to be handling all these tasks? Is it possible to delegate some of the workload to your team? You don’t have to be a one-man-band. Trust your team to handle the tasks that are crowding your plate.

Make Your Space Work For You

This may be an obvious one, but a neatly organized workspace will do wonders for your ability to focus. It’s hard to keep stress levels down when you’re sifting through a cluttered desk for that one thing you need. This goes for your digital workspace too. If your computer desktop is cluttered with shortcuts, take some time to go through and delete what you don’t need. Does it always take you ages to find the file you were looking for? Take a moment to reorganize and relabel your documents so they’re right where you need them. Lastly, make sure your space feels personal. By decorating your workspace, you’re creating a “home away from home” environment that your brain recognizes and becomes more at ease in. Much like how sports teams tend to do better when playing at home, if you take the time to own your workspace, you’ll be scoring goals too!

Whether you’re working from home, on site, or on the road, time management has benefits for everyone. As with any new discipline, it can be difficult at first, but with practice it can become part of your regular routine. When you master your time, there’s no telling what you can accomplish in 2021 - Happy New Year!

Sources

Psychology Today - Developing Time Management Skills

The Balance Small Business - 11 Time Management Tips That Work

Time Management Success - Time Management in the Workplace: How to Run Your Day

By Aubrey Dion

No Pain, No Gain? Overcoming the Pain of 2020 to Make 2021 Better

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 19:42:38 GMT

To say that 2020 was painful is grossly understating things. However, we can use the pain of 2020 to help our companies, our employees and ourselves to grow, change and be more successful in the future. What do I mean by this, and how can you make this happen?

In 2020 some painful changes happened in a few common areas, such as:

Technology Became Essential

Whether it was outfitting a remote workforce, creating a touchless experience for customers or moving from a strictly brick & mortar store to an online presence, 2020 forced all organizations to focus on their technology. However, these improvements will provide benefits for years to come (by introducing us to new online sales channels, allowing employees more flexibility in their work-home lives, and creating new ways to service our clients). We may not have wanted to update our businesses technologically, but because we were forced to do so, we will all be better for it.

Communication & Flexibility Were Key

As mentioned in last week’s blog, companies were also forced to focus on how they communicate – with staff, with vendors and with customers. As communication became more difficult, new procedures were put in place to make sure everyone stayed in touch. I know here at Dion, we created a number of daily communications meetings that previously only happened weekly or bi-weekly – to make sure we were all on the same page and able to handle any COVID related changes quickly. Flexibility to communicate with remote staff and to handle employee issues (like employees needing to be home for children, making the workplace COVID safe, etc.) has made us more responsive and caring employers. These changes are sure to stick around and allow us to be more responsive to issues going forward.

Went From “Just in Time” to “Just in Case”

Prior to the pandemic, any redundancies were considered wasteful. “Just in time” thinking worked well … until it didn’t. What COVID unveiled is that “just in time” made us vulnerable to supply shortages and personnel shortages. All of the sudden we had to cover for personnel out due to COVID or caring for a sick family member or child that is home remote learning; and supplies that we took for granted would arrive in a day, were backlogged indefinitely.

However staffing and supply ordering for “just in case” will give us future benefits even after the pandemic is behind us. Not only will it allow for coverage for employees to take much needed vacation time to recharge and spend with loved ones, it will also allow for the capacity to better train workers on-the-job and coverage for when staff need time for classes/certifications/etc. Having a back-up of essential supplies will give us more wiggle room if shipments run late or supplies are backlogged in the future.

Creativity Was Unleashed

What all of these changes required in 2020 was a dose of creativity. We had to look at our organizations in new and different ways. We had to consider new sales channels, new suppliers, new policies and procedures in the workplace. These changes may have been uncomfortable, but we adapted and learned that we could survive – and even thrive. As markets open up, we should continue to use creative thinking to expand our customer base, better respond to employee needs and create manufacturing efficiencies throughout our businesses.

As painful as it was to make our way through 2020, we learned an awful lot about our businesses, our staff and ourselves. Use this knowledge to make 2021 and beyond more caring, more flexible, more creative and more successful! Here’s to a very Happy New Year!

Sources

To Make Real Change Happen, Embrace The Joy Of Pain
By Michael Canic September 1, 2020

Short-Term Pain, Long-Term Gain: Turning 2020 Lessons Learned into a Competitive Advantage for 2021
No Author Info
https://www.clearwaveinc.com/blog/short-term-pain-long-term-gain-turning-2020-lessons-learned-into-a-competitive-advantage-for-2021/

The Year in Review - What Has 2020 Taught Us?

Mon, 14 Dec 2020 16:04:32 GMT

With just 11 days left in 2020, it’s a great time to take a step back and reflect on some business lessons we have learned. This year has brought crisis, rapid and frequent change, and boatloads of stress. Terms like “burnout, “new normal,” and “socially distant” are now part of our everyday speech. This year was truly unlike any other, and it’s worth taking stock of what we’ve learned to be better prepared for 2021.

Communication Got a Kickstart

With all the changes this year has brought, businesses have had to navigate them all as a collective. This means that more communication was seen between management and employees. The result? Higher employee engagement! Anne Maltese from Quantum Workplace explains, “the pandemic forced leaders to communicate more frequently, authentically, and transparently to inform, support, and inspire their people during a period of evolving uncertainty.” This new level of communication is a wonderful opportunity for employers to connect with their workforce and offer meaningful gratitude for their accomplishments. Keep up the communication, and your business is sure to benefit.

Remote Working Sky-Rocketed

While remote working had already been on the rise, 2020 kicked it into high gear. Now it looks as if remote working is here to stay, with in-person office visits reserved for group collaboration. Communicating with a newly remote workforce came with its challenges, but many businesses rose to the occasion by keeping communication lines open and providing their staff with the proper technology and training. The HR Director offers these great tips if your business is still struggling to communicate virtually:

Implement a range of appropriate platforms, from project management to document sharing to communications. Ensure everyone has access to training if needed
As a manager, set expectations but be ready to adjust them as everyone settles into remote working. Reduce ‘virtual distance’ by aligning individual and team objectives. List actions and track project progress transparently so everyone is accountable for team success
Remember the telephone! Sometimes digital communications can be mis-read, unclear or more time-consuming than an actual conversation
Host regular (perhaps daily) team ‘check-ins’ online to discuss tasks and encourage everyone to participate
Use cloud-based software to ensure version control and transparency
Make time for emotional connectivity via informal/fun activities, celebrating events or social chat channels
Limit meeting invites so decisions can be made more efficiently
Continue 1-2-1s and reward employees who meet KPIs
Ensure employees can indicate when they are not working (e.g. via status settings) so their personal life isn’t impacted by working from home
Where possible and safe, bring colleagues together in person periodically to facilitate more connectivity and bonding
Be mindful that working from home can impact people’s mental health and well-being in different ways.

HR is The Star

HR departments have been crucial focal points throughout this year. They have worked in tandem with other departments to provide safe working conditions, roll out new policies, make sure employees have the proper home office equipment, and in many cases, work with brand new digital platforms. In addition, HR data tracking has become more important than ever. These metrics include which employees are working remotely, how much paid sick leave everyone has, who’s certified to handle critical responsibilities, and employees’ basic health information. HR departments have had to stay abreast of the latest government guidelines and legislation as the pandemic evolves. Even though a vaccine is on the way, the pandemic is far from over. Our advice is to continue to support, listen to, and thank your HR department in 2021.

We Evaluated Our Mental Health

2020 has been a year fraught with uncertainty. Between shutdowns, remote working, and a socially distanced landscape, many found time to pause and reflect on their mental health. A survey conducted by the CDC in June revealed that 41% of respondents were struggling with mental health issues stemming from the pandemic. The term “burnout” became part of our vocabulary as people became overwhelmed and overworked. Going into 2021, any mental health support you can provide to your employees would go a long way. Silently suffering through depression and anxiety only makes things worse and should not be the norm.

Flexibility is Essential

Would you say your business “rolled with the punches” this year? The ability to swifty adapt and keep your company moving forward is now an essential skill. Across the globe businesses have come up with innovative solutions to safely operate, often tweaking them as necessary. The masterminds behind these solutions have become valuable assets to their companies. As we leave 2020 behind, keep your eyes and ears open for the problem-solvers. These are the folks that want to do the best job they can, and don’t mind changing “the way it’s always been done.” Make sure there’s a system for all staff to make suggestions and feel heard. By tapping into a range of different perspectives, your company can benefit from those out-of-the-box ideas.

Sources

Ascentis - What Have Business Leaders Learned From Our Pandemic Year?

TLNT - Why Has Employee Engagement Improved During the Pandemic?

The HR Director - Optimizing Collaboration in the post pandemic Workplace

CNN Health - CDC Study Sheds New Light On Mental Health Crisis Linked to Coronavirus Pandemic

By Aubrey Dion

Work-at-Home Hacks for 2021

Mon, 07 Dec 2020 23:15:22 GMT

While we expect 2021 to offer a lot of relief compared to 2020, we also expect that working from home will remain a norm – not just through the end of the pandemic, but going forward. Corporate executives have done the math, and have determined that keeping a certain percentage of the office workforce working from home makes financial sense. Most forecasters predict that working in the office will be reserved for group work, and that plugging away at a laptop will be done from home. That will help companies continue social distancing, minimize traffic jams at elevator banks, and even reduce the share of corporate budgets dedicated to business real estate.

This isn’t bad news for employees, either. Working from home – when done right – can improve quality of life by removing the time dedicated to commuting, make it easier to juggle family responsibilities, and eliminate the timewasters that happen when trying to balance the need to be social with co-workers with the need to work efficiently.

By now you’ve read a few dozen articles that remind you of the importance of setting a schedule, setting aside a dedicated workspace, setting up your calendar and schedule for ultimate productivity, and how to get the most out of your team communication tools. Here are a few more ideas with a different slant, intended to help you settle into your work-from-home life in 2021 with greater satisfaction and productivity.

1. Get a Good Chair (and a spare)

Get a good chair. Better yet, get a chair and a spare. Working in an office gets you up and walking around more than working from home. The difference is more time spent in a chair. We recommend having a good chair and a spare. The good chair should be an ergonomic office chair, not that old relic that you’ve had since your university apartment. It should have adjustable height, adjustable backrest and lumbar support, and sufficient seat depth and width for your size. Ergonomic experts recommend that you have between 2-4 inches between the back of your knees and the seat of the chair. You should also be able to tilt the chair forward and backward.

Leather isn’t everything! Sure, the gold standard in an executive chair has always been a leather high-back, but breathable materials and sufficient padding will do more for your comfort than cowhide.

Now, for the spare. Sometimes, what your body needs is a break. In addition to moving every hour (more on that in a minute), there’s a lot of benefit in switching up your chair once or twice each day. A great way to do this is with a balance ball chair. That’s right – you can buy a little platform on wheels in which you can set a giant yoga ball. Sitting on the balance ball contributes to core strength and posture and promotes constant stimulation of your body through micro-movements. Even if you have very little extra room, the balance ball can serve double duty for your workout of for watching TV, and the little rolling platform can tuck right under your desk when you’re not using it.

2. Get Up and Dance!

Set the alarm on your mobile device to go of once each hour (or use the setting on your fitness band or smart watch). When the alarm sounds, get up and dance! Three minutes of dancing will clear your mind, get your blood flowing, and make you feel all happy inside. Your spouse and kids (and probably your dog) will enjoy it too! You’d be amazed at how much better you’ll feel when you add four or five 3-minute dance parties to your day.

3. Focus – But Not on Work

Once per day, set aside time to focus intently on one thing: a song or a sound, a sensory feeling, a visual, or a spiritual practice. Even a video game will do! Give that thing all your attention for five minutes.

Why is this helpful? Because when you’re handling an onslaught of tasks in a concentrated way, your mental cache gets full. When the mental cache is overwhelmed, you slow down. You need to clear your head. Unfortunately, clearing your head for five minutes is easier said than done. Just thinking “I need to stop thinking about work” is enough to ensure that you will continue thinking about work. Going for a run or a swim might help, but what if your cache needs clearing hours before that’s possible? This is where mindfulness comes in.

Instead of trying to empty your mind (which is the problem most people have with meditation), fill it – with something specific, something that you can devote all your attention to. In the background, your mind will clear its cache and make itself ready to return to the work.

4. Eat Someplace Else!

Eating at your desk is always a joy-killer, and that’s extra-true now that we’re all working from home. One of the best things you can do for yourself is make a rule that you will never eat a meal at your desk. Make mealtime a real break. Even if all you’re doing is heating up a frozen burrito, set a place at the table (placemats and cloth napkins are a thing), break out the hot sauce (we recommend Mike’s Hot Honey Sauce ourselves), pour a glass of sparkling water, and treat yourself to a few minutes of actually tasting your food. You’ll find yourself looking forward to this little ritual, and when you will return to your desk energized and with greater clarity.

5. Get Some Green Into Your Workspace

Put a plant on your desk. Brown thumb? Keep putting a new plant on your desk until you figure out how to keep it alive. Or buy flowers once a week and put them in a vase on or near your desk (we recommend alstroemeria – those delicate blooms can last more than a week). Having plants in the office has been shown to reduce stress, increase productivity, boost creativity, and even reduce sickness!

Working from home, all or part of the time, can be isolating, but it can also be liberating. These ideas will help you add more quality – and even creativity – to your work-from-home life.

When Should You Take A Break? Here's A Handy Guide

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 19:00:03 GMT

As we explore this month’s theme on stress and self-care, it’s worth discussing not just how we take breaks, but when. At times we may find ourselves in a flurry of work and not realize that our brains are begging for a small reprieve.

Stop, Then Go

Similar to a racecar making a pit stop, or a runner grabbing some water, we need refreshing breaks. While it may take some time out of the “race,” we just wouldn’t go as far without them. So while it may seem counterintuitive to pull yourself away from work, you’ll actually get more done over the course of a day. Dr. Larissa Barber and Amanda Conlin from Psychology Today explain: “Breaks can replenish the psychological costs associated with working hard, improve work performance, and boost energy. … For example, researchers have shown that watching a funny eight-minute video (Cheng & Wang, 2015) or spending less than one minute looking at nature (Lee et al., 2015) improves employee performance after they return to the work task.”

The Golden Ratio

While more research needs to be done on the topic, productivity experts have concluded that breaks should be taken every 50 to 90 minutes. Desktime, a productivity app by the Draugiem Group, analyzed the work patterns of the top 10% of it’s most productive users. What they found was on average, these people worked for 52 minutes, then took a 17 minute break. They also didn’t work longer hours than anyone else. This case study contrasts slightly with studies done about our natural rest-activity cycle, or ultradian rhythm. Our ultradian activity cycle lasts for 90 minutes before we dip into inactivity, so Tony Shwartz, President of The Energy Project, concludes that you should take a 15-20 minute break every 90 minutes. This seems to have worked for him; after carving his work day into 90 minute chunks, he was able to write a book in just six months!

Signs You Need a Break

When we don’t take regular breaks, we begin to feel it. Here are some tell-tale signs that you need a break, afternoon off, or even a vacation:
• You keep hitting a wall. Everyone does some manner of problem-solving at work, and if you’re finding that you just can’t work around an obstacle, it may be time for a break. If you keep trying to force a solution, you’re likely to get stuck and further frustrated.
• You're resilience is low. When we become stressed, tired, and burned out, even the smallest of setbacks can seem like tragedy. If you find that you’re responding more dramatically to negative news at work, it may be time for a break. Give yourself some time to recharge so you can tackle negative news with grace.
• You’re doing small unimportant tasks instead of any of your actual to-do’s. If you find yourself browsing the news, cleaning out old folders, or organizing your desk for the fifth time, it may be time for a break. Give yourself time to reset, identify what your important tasks are, and refocus.

Give Me A Break!

We all need a breaks, so don’t feel bad about using vacation days or going for a short stroll - you’ll be a more productive person for it! When taking your break, make sure you fully remove yourself from what you were doing. Get up, stretch, walk around, and try not to look at a screen. This will maximize the effect and allow your brain to recharge. So take a break - you’ve earned it!

Sources

Inc - When, How, and How Often to Take a Break

Fast Company - 3 Signs You Need to take a Break from Work

Fast Company - The Exact Amount of Time You Should Work Every Day

Psychology Today - Why and How You Should Take Breaks at Work

By Aubrey Dion

How Employers Can Support Self-Care

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 14:07:42 GMT

As this crazy year comes to an end, stress unfortunately does not seem to be going anywhere. COVID cases are again surging, and on top of that are the usual holiday planning stresses, shorter days accentuating seasonal depression, and the cold weather keeping us inside even more.
What can you do as a company/employer/manager to support your team members to stay healthy and positive during these trying times? Here are some tips.

Set Boundaries

You can’t expect (and should discourage) employees from being constantly “on call.” Your workers need to have a work-life balance. With cell phones and remote work technology, it is easy for employees to think that they must always respond to emails and calls, even at night or on the weekends; or work overtime to finish up that project today because they can access their company’s network in their living room. However, this will ultimately lead to increased stress, physical illness, reduced productivity and burnout. Managers and owners need to model healthy boundaries and encourage employees to separate work-time from home-time (even if that can’t always be the case).

Encourage Employees to Take Vacations

It may seem counterintuitive to encourage employees to take time off when many companies have had to decrease their workforce, and work often ramps up as the year comes to an end. However, employees need some sustained time away from work to de-stress and sustain mental and physical health. By actively encouraging employees to take their allotted time off, you will end up with happier, more productive workers in the long run (and you won’t be scrambling to cover for them last minute when they call in sick!).

Ergonomics

Whether your workers are in the office, the factory, on-the-road, or working at home, comfort is key. They need good lighting, furniture that supports good posture and a quiet and safe environment to concentrate. Especially as workers are shifted to remote work, be supportive of their home offices. They should have proper chairs and desks to work on (not bar stools at the kitchen table for 8 hours), reliable equipment and access to the same files/networks that they have when in the office.
Offer Employees Stress and Time Management Courses

There are many great classes on and off-line promoting better time management and ways to reduce stress. Consider hosting a monthly “lunch and learn” (either in-person or virtually) with a different topic each month. In addition to providing a great learning opportunity, it will help with co-worker bonding and morale.

Recognize Employees

Employee recognition is a proven way to increase engagement and productivity. Unfortunately it is also one of the areas most lacking in companies today. Don’t let the day-to-day projects, meetings and other activities get in the way of formally recognizing your employees on a regular basis. We all crave recognition and those formal “pats on the back” will ultimately result in a host of benefits to company.
These are just some of the many ways companies can help their employees to be happier, healthier and more productive employees. By helping your employees, your company will be the one to ultimately reap the benefits.

SOURCES

Community Health Network, Anxiety and Self-Care During COVID-19
Lauby, Sharlyn, Employee Self-Care: 10 Ways Organizations Can Be Supportive
Scalco, Dan, 5 Employee Self-Care Practices You Should Support

by Ann Condon, Marketing Manager
Ann Condon has been with Dion for 16 years, working in Dion’s Marketing and Business Development Department. Although this was her first position with a jewelry manufacturer, she has learned a lot over the years. Ann enjoys getting involved in “All Things Dion” from volunteering at the Dion Golf Tournament to being a part of the Dion Diamonds Relay for Life Team. She has quite a number of Dion event t-shirts to show for it!

De-Stressing At Work: Your Mood Booster Toolbox

Tue, 10 Nov 2020 21:40:10 GMT

As temperatures drop and days get shorter, moods are sure to get crankier. This month our blogs will focus on self care and everyday positivity. Sometimes we need to reach for something quickly to realign and get us into a better mindset - and that is what this “mood booster toolbox” is for

Super Snacks

As the old saying goes, you are what you eat. The snacks you have on your desk or in your vehicle can have a significant impact on your mood. Try having foods such as nuts, popcorn, berries, and dark chocolate on hand. Bananas and oranges are also great and portable fruits to have around. All of these foods help keep your serotonin levels up, helping you manage through a stressful day. Swapping coffee with tea will also keep your caffeine levels a little lower, preventing the dreaded afternoon crash.

Leave and Come Back

If you’re feeling caught up in a project and the answers aren’t coming to you, it might be a sign that you need a break. When faced with these mental blocks, take a detour. Get up, stretch, and walk around. If you can go outside, do so! By getting your body moving, your brain will produce endorphins, which relieve anxiety and stress. A fifteen minute walk will help take your mind off of what you were doing and allow you to come back with a refreshed perspective.

Talk it out

Wherever your stress is coming from, a great way to work it out is to talk to a friend about it. Maybe while you’re on your walk, you can stop by a coworker’s desk for a chat. Call a friend or close relative; they know you best and can give you advice, or simply cheer you up. Social interaction is a sure-fire mood booster, made all the more precious during the pandemic.

Do Something You Like

Break away from your stressors by taking a moment to do something you enjoy. This could be anything: listening to music, decorating your workstation, or drawing the birds outside the window to name a few. If you’re working from home, play with a pet! If you’re on the road, crank up the tunes and jam out to your favorite song. Whatever makes you happy, take a break and go do it. If you keep trying to hold your nose to the grindstone, not only will you be less happy, you’ll be less productive.

Your Mental Health Is Important

When coping with stress, there are countless methods and strategies. You may find that different methods work at different times. That is why I’m calling this “the toolbox.” You don’t always need every single tool, but they are there for you to select from. They’re meant to help you de-stress in a healthy way. Make sure you listen to yourself and do what you need to stay mentally healthy. If nothing is working, and you feel constant feelings of anxiety or depression, it may be wise to seek the advice of a professional. Your mental health is important, especially during a challenging year like this.

Sources

Inc. - How to De-Stress at Work Instantly: 15 Ways to Calm Your Mind

Eat This, Not That! - 13 Mood-Boosting Snacks to Make Your Day Better

Healthline - 15 Ways to Calm Yourself Down

By Aubrey Dion

The Quality-Culture Connection: Embrace Errors to Achieve Great Results

Sun, 01 Nov 2020 23:05:05 GMT

It’s hard to admit when we’ve made a mistake. We’re not happy with ourselves when we make then, and we tend to be concerned that others won’t be happy with us either. We’re also reluctant to call others out when they mess up. After all, anyone can make a mistake, right? It just seems rude to point it out.

But this reluctance to admit mistakes can wreak havoc on a quality program. In fact, this is one of the biggest barriers to successful quality program implementation.

It doesn’t matter which quality program you use – Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, ISO, or one of the many industry-specific quality standards – the greatest challenge to successful quality system implementation is to get the organization to not only admit mistakes, but to notice mistakes, volunteer information about mistakes, and even celebrate mistakes.

Creating a quality result means creating a quality-focused culture. But before you can get to quality, you usually need to break a few bad cultural habits.

The Fear Factor

The main reason people don’t identify and volunteer information about mistakes is fear. Fear of looking bad and fear of consequences. The only way to battle this fear is with culture. Businesses that create a culture of acceptance of mistakes, and that are not perceived to be punitive when it comes to making mistakes, ultimately make a lot less mistakes.

This requires training and a lot of communication. Inside every working adult is every layer of every age and role they have ever been. So a manager who was parented by highly critical parents, who competed with a sibling for favor, who can’t forgive herself for failing a class in college, or who was fired by a volatile manager, may be highly intolerant of mistakes made by her employees. If a manager is intolerant of mistakes, then the Emperor Has No Clothes Effect occurs – people only tell the manager what she wants to hear.

Of course, what the manager should want to hear is about the problems that are occurring. She can only fix the problems if she is aware of them.

So managers require training – and a certain amount of self-awareness – to learn how their reactions to problems determine whether or not their employees and peers will trust them enough to bring problems to their attention. Managers must learn how to embrace mistakes as opportunities, and teach their teams how to use each mistake to improve processes, increase team knowledge, and deliver genuine customer care.

Shoot the Messenger

In some environments, the person who brings up problems is treated like a trouble-maker, or deemed to be negative. Of course, there’s nothing negative about reporting a problem, but because problems make people feel uncomfortable, they feel negative, so we tend to react in a negative way when we hear about them.

If a business has a culture of shooting the messenger, guess what? That’s right – nobody brings up problems.

To solve this, a business must cultivate a culture that rewards people for bringing problems to light, and acknowledges the value of knowing about problems.

Abandoning the Perfectionist Mindset

At the heart of most problem-averse environments is a misconception that perfection is a possibility. Yes, we can aspire to 99.999% quality – and achieve it – but there will always be something to improve upon, and errors will continue happen from time to time.

If the only thing worth celebrating is perfection, then a company will fail to recognize the exciting potential to be found in errors and opportunities for improvement.

Quality-oriented business cultures promote enthusiasm about change. They recognize how much we must change just to keep up with changing customer demands, evolving technologies, and expanding industry knowledge, and embrace the advances that come with constantly searching for those opportunities.

Embracing Continuous Improvement

Once you accept that change drives performance improvement, the culture is ready to embrace continuous improvement as one of the most important drivers of success. Every single error provides opportunity for evaluation and study. Evaluation leads to insight – even aha! moments – that can help an organization leap ahead of its competition. When a business creates a culture committed to this cycle of error, evaluation, insight, and improvement, it becomes very difficult to compete with.

It’s not enough to tell people they must report errors. Managers must model error reporting behavior, including acknowledging when the mistakes are their own. They must demonstrate tolerance for errors, as long as people are trying their best and learning from mistakes. They must welcome the reporting of mistakes and acknowledge that each reported mistake could be the one that catapults the company to the front of their competition. With practice, error-reporting becomes embedded in the culture, and the company’s quality initiatives can achieve their full potential.

5 Different Types of Corporate Culture - Which One Are You?

Mon, 26 Oct 2020 13:56:10 GMT

Last week we discussed how to discover your own corporate culture - so what did you find? While no two company cultures are exactly alike, their characteristics will probably fall into one of these categories. Each comes with its own pros and cons, and degree of suitability for your company.

Starting From Scratch - No Articulated Culture

In newer companies, it’s possible that a formal culture hasn’t been established yet. This can also be true if the company head has great technical skill, but limited leadership skills. If your company is just starting out and everyone is already working closely together, you may not need to state your culture explicitly. However, if your business grows large enough that employees are being located away from headquarters, having a company culture will help keep cohesion between sites. Either way, company culture is never a bad thing to have - just pick the one that suits your business the best.

The Traditionalist

Conventional corporate culture, or hierarchy culture, has established roles and procedures. By following the “tried and true” ways, companies with this culture cut down on risk and cost. Leaders in these companies monitor and enforce these processes. This works well for businesses that are heavily concerned with safety, like trucking fleets or hospitals. This culture won’t work well if you want your employees to experiment and innovate. Other pitfalls may arise if employees don’t see the company’s larger goal, feel micromanaged, or otherwise not trusted to perform their job correctly. So if this sounds like your company, watch out for these snags or risk breeding resentment and lack of passion.

Horizontal Culture

Most commonly found in newer companies, horizontal cultures have little need for titles. There is a strong collaborative element as the company adapts to customer reactions and market changes. This all-for-one mentality creates a true sense of teamwork and a common goal. Employees at these companies do “a little bit of everything” and the focus is often on giving the customer the best possible product or service. The possible weakness of horizontal cultures is a lack of focus and accountability, so it’s important to communicate clear goals and individual responsibilities.

Employee Focused Culture

Similar to horizontal culture, employee focused culture has a strong team mentality, but puts a heavy focus on employee engagement. These companies host frequent outings, value employee feedback, and have the flexibility to accommodate their personal lives. Oftentimes, candidates are hired based on their potential and encouraged to develop their skills within the company. Employees in these companies are given the autonomy to decide what is best for them. This model is more difficult to maintain in larger companies and runs the risk of investing in employees only to have them leave the company.

Performance-Driven Culture

Also known as elite culture, companies with this mindset are constantly pushing the envelope. They hire employees who are the best at what they do - not necessarily because they’re a good personality fit. According to the Enplug Blog, these companies are “out to change the world by untested means” and “need employees to not merely keep up, but lead the way.” This heavy emphasis on performance and innovation creates an atmosphere of talented people working hard and constantly improving processes. The pitfalls of this culture lie in its intensity; employees may get overly competitive with each other and feel like any small failure is unacceptable. It’s important in these situations to help employees feel healthy, recognized for their achievements, and part of a team.

No matter which culture (or combination of cultures) your business has, it always helps to recognize your company’s tendencies and possible pitfalls. Arguments can be made about which culture is the best, but each serves a purpose and suits a certain business model. As stated in previous blogs, your company culture is important, and deserves the right fit.

SOURCES

Enplug Blog - "5 Types of Corporate Culture: Which One Is Your Company?"

HR Daily Advisor - "4 Distinct Types of Corporate Culture - Which Is Yours?"

Inc - "4 Types of Company Culture, Ranked From Best To Worst"

By Aubrey Dion

What is Our Corporate Culture and What If I Need to Change It?

Fri, 16 Oct 2020 12:53:10 GMT

We continue this month's theme this week around company culture. How can a company determine what their culture is; and if that culture does not align with a company’s goals and values, how can they change it?

Formalizing Your Corporate Culture

Not every company has spelled out their mission & values, and hired, trained & promoted based on that vision. In fact, most company cultures develop on their own, usually mimicking the founders’ beliefs, but not always.

So if you have not yet flushed out what your goals and values are, you really should - especially if you are growing and hiring new employees. Next, take a step back to see if the culture that has already developed is in step with these goals and values.

How can you tell what your corporate culture is, and if it is a positive one? It is actually fairly simply. Just take a look around. How do your employees act when they’re on the job? Are there common behaviors – either good or bad? What does having this job mean to your employees, and would they go elsewhere if they had the chance? Culture is about how people interact with each other and function in a company when no one is watching them.

Whether your culture is collaborative, competitive, traditionally hierarchical or a horizontal structure, there are certain factors that need to be present for any type of corporate culture to remain positive and help your company grow. These factors are the ones you want to look at and improve first. So what are they?

Prerequisites to a Positive Corporate Culture

Clarity of Purpose

Outlining your company’s purpose is not enough. Your employees have to also believe in it and feel that their work matters and impacts the success of the company. Just writing a few sentences about vision, mission and values is only the start. You need to reinforce those values every day, hire new recruits based on those values, and show everyone how following these values will help the company succeed.

Employee Engagement

Certainly if employees feel their work matters, it will help to engage them. However, they also need to feel empowered to make decisions regarding their role that allows them to do their work in the best way possible. Even in traditionally hierarchical companies, employees need to have some level of autonomy regarding how they do their work and how they interact with customers – whether they are internal or external customers.

An Environment of Trust

Trust is absolutely critical in the workplace. As the business owner, you must demand trust from all employees and make it a company value. Employees shouldn’t worry about whether co-workers will have their backs on a project, or if management is really telling it like it is. This basic tenant is the foundation of a safe and worry-free work environment.

Continued Learning

Continuous learning and improvement go hand in hand with purpose and engagement. If you want your employees to truly engage in their work and contribute as much as they can to the company, they need the tools to do so. Learning new skills will not only make each employee more valuable to you, but will give employees challenges to overcome that will keep them interested and enthusiastic about their job.

Corporate culture is not just a trendy buzzword that will go away when the next human resources movement comes around. You already have a corporate culture whether you like it or not. Make sure that it will move your company forward, not hold it down.

By Ann Condon, Marketing Manager

Ann Condon has been with Dion for 16 years, working in Dion’s Marketing and Business Development Department. Although this was her first position with a jewelry manufacturer, she has learned a lot over the years. Ann enjoys getting involved in “All Things Dion” from volunteering at the Dion Golf Tournament to being a part of the Dion Diamonds Relay for Life Team. She has quite a number of Dion event t-shirts to show for it!

Sources:

What Is Company Culture, and How Do You Change It?
By William Craig

The Leader’s Guide to Corporate Culture
By Boris Groysberg, Jeremiah Lee, Jesse Price, amd J. Yo-Jud Cheng
https://www.spencerstuart.com/-/media/2020/may/hbr_leaders_guide_corporate_culture_updated.pdf

Changing Company Culture Requires a Movement, Not a Mandate
By Bryan Walker and Sarah A. Soule

United Yet Apart: Maintaining Company Culture Remotely

Fri, 09 Oct 2020 19:17:37 GMT

As discussed in last week’s blog, developing your corporate culture is an extremely important way to define your business. While another company may copy your product, they can’t duplicate the values, habits, and characteristics that make yours unique. However, as more businesses transition to remote working, maintaining that vibrant culture often gets lost in the shuffle.

Staying Strong

While working from home comes with noted benefits (i.e. no commute, more time with family, wearing sweatpants to meetings), the drawbacks are largely associated with mental health. Employees can begin to feel isolated, disengaged, and unmotivated. All the human interactions, big or small, that came from working onsite have mostly vanished, leaving an emotional gap between the employee and company team. This is where company culture can come in. To put it in perspective, a Glassdoor survey conducted last June revealed that 56% of employees find a good workplace culture to be more important than salary. By reaching out to remote workers, you are strengthening your team, your brand, and your company as a whole.

Let it Grow

A thriving company culture can’t be forced, and it’s going to differ greatly from one business to another. However, all culture comes from connection. Think of some connections people make when they’re onsite. Did you have a morning check-in? Did the team go out for a drink on Fridays? Did someone always decorate coworkers’ desks on their birthdays? By providing an environment where connections can be made, company culture will grow organically. Tailor your connection opportunities to your corporate values and your culture will begin to flourish.

Make the Connection

Just because your team is spread out, doesn’t mean these previously onsite connections can’t happen. By keeping strong lines of communication open and encouraging your employees to share their thoughts, ideas, and stories, the company culture can live on. For instance:

Schedule regular group calls as well as one-on-ones. Stay caught-up on how everyone is doing and encourage employees to share their experiences. Group calls are a great way to share positive customer reactions, peer to peer recognition, and other encouraging news.
Provide the right technology. Many remote workers have had to rapidly convert part of their living space into their new office. Make sure they have all the tools they need by providing company devices, software, or apps to keep communication flowing.
Talk about non-work things. Change your video-chat backgrounds and vote on who has the best one, share pet photos, talk about how to catch the next meteor shower, etc. Life extends beyond work, and all the little conversations people would have had onsite are still valuable. Again, think of your company’s values and apply them here.
Host after-hours events. Break up the week with fun activities employees can tune into and blow off steam in. Try trivia, a virtual happy hour, paint night, yoga session, cooking class, or whatever suits your company best. Just make sure it has a solid end time so it doesn’t run too long!
Send out a survey. Get honest (and anonymous) feedback on how employees feel. There are always questions people are afraid to ask in a group setting, so give your team a judgment-free way to express concern or ask a question.

Your company has undoubtedly made many changes this year, but your culture should stand like a pillar through it all. It’s the human element that is reflected in your brand, and with due attention, it can reach all employees no matter where they are.

sources

LucidChart - How HR Can Help Maintain Company Culture With Remote Workers

Forbes - Three Tips For Maintaining Company Culture In A Remote Work Environment

The Next Web - Positive Company Culture Drives Success - Here's How To Create One While WFH

The HR Director - Building Culture And Talent In A Remote Environment

By Aubrey Dion

Corporate Culture During the Time of Covid

Fri, 02 Oct 2020 22:09:10 GMT

This month we’ll focus on how to maintain a strong corporate culture during this time of pandemic, distancing, and learning new ways to work. To kick off this thought process, let’s focus on how important corporate culture is to the strength of a company’s brand.

When most people think about brand, they think about logos, colors, taglines, and messaging. Brand is also entwined with product and service offerings. For example, Coca Cola represents soft drinks, but it also represents good times, lifestyle, and fun. Disney represents movies and entertainment, but it also stands for family, rich experiences, and adventure.

What does it take to maintain a brand

It takes incredible discipline, commitment, and clarity. And the only way to deliver those characteristics — to create a strong, enduring brand — are to embody those characteristics in the people that make up the company. To ensure brand discipline, you must embed the brand in the culture and the culture in the brand.

To understand the relationship between culture and brand, it’s helpful to reflect on the definition of culture, or organizational culture to be more specific. Organizational Culture is the sum of the values and behaviors that create the social and psychological environment of a business. When organizational culture is intentional, it aligns employees with the strategy, the values of the organization, and with one another. And that kind of alignment leads to many powerful outcomes, including strategic success, revenue and profitability growth, employee satisfaction, employee retention . . . and brand value.

An organization’s culture is more than just a concept

Culture should be documented, describing which behaviors and activities are in alignment with company values, and how those behaviors and activities are evidenced in the every-day life of individual employees, teams, departments, and disciplines. If a company’s business proposition and brand are concerned with customer-centricity, then the core values will likely be related to collaboration, service, and an ability to understand and relate to the goals and struggles of their customers. If a company’s business proposition and brand are concerned with cutting edge product development, then the core values may be more aligned with competitiveness, innovation, curiosity, and experimentation.

When a company goes beyond merely expressing its culture as a mission or values statement, and instead creates scenarios that explore how those values play out in every-day worklife, every member of the company is more likely to not only understand what the words mean, but also demonstrate the behaviors that align with those words.

So imagine how powerful it is when the people of a company are living breathing examples of its culture, and the culture is a core element of its brand. The employees become living, breathing examples of the brand. And that’s powerful brand discipline.

For a few good reads on this topic, consider these:

Harvard Business Review: Why Your Company Culture Should Match Your Brand

Forbes: How Blending Brand and Culture Can Impact the Customer Experience

These Small Changes Can Help Save You From Burnout

Fri, 25 Sep 2020 17:51:35 GMT

No matter how many life changes you’ve had to adapt to this year, one thing remains the same: work needs to get done. So how do you get your job done while also dealing with everything 2020 has brought?

What is Burnout?

According to Psychology Today, “Burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and often physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress.” There’s no doubt this has been a stressful year full of uncomfortable adjustments and plenty of uncertainty. Other signs of burnout include feelings of irritability, apathy, emptiness, and lethargy. When stress feels never-ending, our brains tend to have a circuit-breaker response and shut down. It can then become incredibly frustrating to complete expected tasks while unfocussed, tired, and angry.

Take A Break

Oftentimes the workday can seem like one continuous state, but it’s important to take proper breaks. If you’re not in a workplace that has clear breaktimes, it’s a great idea to make them for yourself. To avoid decision fatigue, make a schedule and stick to it, instead of changing it up every day. That way, you can establish a pattern of behavior that gets easier to follow every day. Make sure you take a real break too! Remove yourself from your workstation if possible and do something you enjoy, such as making tea, doing a crossword, or jamming to your work-from-home playlist.

The Old, But Good Advice

It can be hard, especially when stressed and tired, but getting regular exercise, eating a balanced diet, and getting enough sleep are proven to mitigate stress. It can be as simple as a walk after work, or some relaxing yoga in a designated spot in your home. Try to aim for something short and simple that will fit into your daily routine. When eating, try to pick foods that are high in omega-3 fatty acids. Foods such as flaxseed oil, walnuts, and fish act as natural antidepressants.

Talk About It

During times of great stress, it’s important to reach out to those you trust. Your friends and family can validate your feelings and provide much-needed support when things are tough. Having regular “check ins” with loved ones is a great way to keep communication open and help one another. Seeing a therapist is also a great option to speak freely about what is causing your stress and get expert advice. Lastly, let coworkers know that your plate is full right now and it may take some time before you can accept a new project or help someone with theirs. Chances are they feel the same way!

SOURCES

Healthline – “A Guide To Burnout”

Fast Company – “Why You’re Feeling Work-From-Home Burnout – And What Can Be Done”

Psychology Today – “Burnout”

Forbes – “New Study Shows Short Relaxation Techniques Reduce Mental and Physical Stress”

By Aubrey Dion