Tag: Company Culture

06 Sep 2018

Why should my company create an employee handbook?

An employee handbook is a great manual to give to new and current employees so that they understand the company’s mission, values, and norms. It will outline for the employees the company expectations in every aspect from the dress code to employee benefits to conduct policy. Creating a company employee handbook will have many benefits for your organization.

Here are five reasons your organization should have an employee handbook:

  1. Introduces your Employees to your culture, and values

The employee handbook will serve to introduce these employees to your company culture and will help them to determine where they fit in. This will aid in creating a sense of pride and belonging, which allows employees to become more productive in a shorter period of time. For the employee, this aspect of the handbook will answer questions such as

“How did the company get here?”

“How do we set ourselves apart from others?”

“What are the company interests?”

“How can the new hire become integrated into the company culture?”

 

  1. Informs employees of the company expectations

The handbook will provide a clear outline to the employees of their responsibilities. In addition, the handbook will also guide the employee as it relates to the companies policies and procedures. These include (but not limited to):

  • The procedures for requesting time off or a holiday.
  • Procedures for unscheduled absence (sickness), whom they should contact, and what the timing should be.
  • The key people in the company to turn to if they have any questions or concerns.
  • Expectations regarding employee behaviour
  • Employee dress code (e.g. uniform or casual Fridays)
  1. Ensures key company policies are clearly and consistently communicated

The handbook should accurately inform your employees about your company’s policies regarding employment, conduct and behavior, compensation and other policies and procedures that they should follow. It will serve as a referenceable resource for managers when answering questions or making decisions by ensuring that they remain consistent with existing policies and procedures.

  1. Informs employees about their benefits

Does your company offer paid lunch breaks, health insurance, paid maternal leave or any other benefits to employees?  The employee handbook will ensure that employees are aware of the benefits that are available and eligibility.

  1. Provides a defense against employee claims

For many employers, the challenge of a lawsuit from current or former employers is a real possibility. Once this challenge occurs, however, one of the most important documents that the employer can present to their attorney is a copy of the handbook. A well-written handbook will demonstrate that the company would have exercised “reasonable care” towards its handbook. The employee’s signed acknowledgement page of the handbook will show that the employee had an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the organization’s policies, a chance to ask related questions, knew whom they could turn to for help within the organization, and agreed to follow the terms and conditions of employment set forth by the organization.

 

Do you have a company handbook? Have you reviewed it recently to ensure your policies are updated? Do you need help creating an employee handbook?

Caribbean HR Solutions is Caribbean’s premier HR Outsourcing company providing your HR needs. Email or Call us today for assistance with updating or creating your employee handbook or any other HR related service. Contact us at 1-876-971-7632 or sales@caribbeanhrsolutions.com.

 

26 Jul 2018

Why Company Morale is Important

Company morale is how an employee feels about their workplace. This relates to their feelings about their managers, their long-term role in the organization, their benefits package, and the company culture. Many employers might argue that company morale is not important as long as the work is accomplished. However, before we shut it down so easily it is essential to see how company morale actually relates to company productivity and as a result company profits.

Is Company Morale Important.

The Gallup Organization in their analysis of over 10,000 business units and more than 30 industries found that individuals working at companies that receive regular recognition and praise showed an:

  • increase their individual productivity
  • increase engagement among their colleagues
  • are more likely to stay with their organization
  • receive higher loyalty and satisfaction scores from customers
  • have better safety records and fewer accidents on the job.

In addition, it found that for employees that are “actively disengaged” work cost the U.S. economy between $250 and $300 billion every year in lost productivity alone. When you add workplace injury, illness, turnover, absences, and fraud, the cost could surpass $1 trillion per year. Low company morale is therefore very expensive

So How do I increase company morale

In general, different individuals are motivated by different things, and it will be difficult to try to motivate each individual based on their distinct motivating factor. However, Culture IQ has identified some of the recognized techniques that motivate nearly every employee:

  • Celebrate employee accomplishments—When you appreciate someone’s efforts—whether it’s a successful project launch or working through the weekend—they tend to better appreciate the work back. Making someone feel good about their contribution is one of the most effective ways to motivate an employee.
  • Encourage team bonding—Successful companies offer fun perks that let employees form personal bonds while letting them take a break from the day-to-day. If you have a small team, you could buy pizza for everyone on Fridays and take a long lunch together. Some companies throw lavish quarterly parties, while others host team events like scavenger hunts or game days. It doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. Even a simple happy hour gives your team a chance to bond and unwind.
  • Give autonomy—Empower employees to think and take action by themselves. When team members are encouraged to steer the direction of their work, they tend to feel more invested in the end result. Most employees feel like their manager has to give permission for every single decision. Not only does that lead to low motivation, but needlessly slow progress. So let your employees set their own goals, accomplish their own projects and—ultimately—feel pride for their own wins.
  • Reward employees when the company performs well—The most successful compensation programs give all employees a reward when the company sees financial success. This could be in the form of a bonus or equity package, as long as the employee sees that their work directly has an impact.
  • Promote healthy work-life balance—As much as possible, organizations should be flexible around commitments like family emergencies, doctor’s appointments and weekend plans. These small gestures make a big difference in how employees feel about the workplace. It also results in team members coming in on a Monday refreshed and focused.
  • Listen—Your team is a wealth of information. Listen to their ideas, their problems, and their frustrations. Some CEOs meet with every employee each year, while other companies send regular pulse surveys so they’re always in the loop.

Low morale leads to poor cooperation, low productivity and increased turnover. It’s an undisputed fact: If your employees aren’t motivated or happy, your business will suffer and fail to reach its long-term goals.

On the flip side, strong company morale has the opposite effect. A happy office environment is one that attracts the most talented workers, and when those works are motivated, they’re productive and rarely quit. Simply put, When You Care About Your Employees, They Will Care About Your Business.

Read more

Read the Gallup study here

15 Mar 2018

How to have a workplace like Google.

Every workplace has a culture. The workplace culture of a company is important as it can help to either boost or erode your company and its objectives. Workplace culture appeals to the human capital of your organization and it links with aspects such as employee engagement, happiness, productivity, attrition rate and positive recruitment efforts.

The workplace culture is the identity of the company from the employee’s perspective. Different aspects influence the culture of the organization such as how the company looks, dress code and employee engagement.

Culture plays into employee retention. Every company wants to be able to maintain their best employees, however studies show that employees are more likely to leave a company if the culture is toxic.

 

A strong culture fosters company loyalty and thus reduces the likelihood of turn-overs. As seen in the graph above if the work place culture is “toxic” 90% of employees are likely to leave and go elsewhere for a 20% pay raise compared to only 34% of employees if there is a very strong/positive workplace culture. Employee performance significantly improves with a positive and encouraging company culture. A high-stress environment can literally be unhealthy for employees, resulting in lower engagement and a reduction in employee loyalty in the long-term.

Creating a positive workplace culture:

Here are three steps that companies can create a positive workplace culture:

  1. Create Bonds of Trust with Employees
    People perform better and report a better work experience when they feel confident their employer supports and believes in them. It’s key to create trust that goes both ways. Employers desire employees who are working hard and producing positive results, and employees desire employers who are committed to their development and success. Employers who treat employees with respect—by listening when they bring up issues and attempting to resolve intracompany problems—create an environment of trust. A commitment by employers to create this type of bond gives employees the confidence that they matter and their opinion is welcome.
  2. Develop a Sense of Purpose with Company Goals
    Every employee wants to feel like they are a contributor to their company’s success. Employers, want to hire and retain employees who are taking an active role in the success of the organization. A Mission Statement can be created to communicate why the company exists and what demonstrates success.  This can provide a metric by which to judge performance.
  3. Self-Assessment Keeps Office Culture Running
    Once you’ve built a positive culture, you need to maintain it—just as you would maintain your office building to ensure its structural integrity. Regular meetings with employees, anonymous feedback forms, engagement surveys, and other methods of communication delivered on a systematic basis can ensure intracompany issues are resolved quickly, and that employee actions are consistent with the company’s desired goals. They can also help to identify problem areas or parts of the company culture that employees are dissatisfied with or that are causing undue stress.

 

 

Taken from
http://www.snacknation.com/blog/workplace-culture/

Top 3 Things for Cultivating A Positive Company Culture