Author: Gus Anderson

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What is skills management? Maximizing productivity and engagement

Summary:

  • Skills management is the administrative practice of assessing and recording employee competency in skills associated with their job roles.

  • Actively assessing, recording, and tracking skills competency not only assists HR functions like hiring and succession planning, but it also helps operations teams boost productivity and engagement. 

  • Use skills management software to easily assess and record employee skill levels across your workforce.

Are you making the most of the skillsets present in your workforce?

While you may be tempted to say yes, most would actually answer no. In fact, research shows that only 14% of business executives strongly believe that their organization is using their workforce’s skills and capabilities to their fullest potential.

Proper skills management is an underutilized strategy these days, especially within hourly businesses. But figuring it out could lead to higher productivity and better employee engagement in the long run.

 

What is skills management?

Skills management is the process of assessing employee job competencies and mapping them to your organization’s labor needs. Think of it like taking inventory of your resources; only this time, you’re dealing with talents, certifications, and skill levels.

Cataloging employee skills helps you identify skill gaps present in your organization. More importantly, it gives you the data you need to bridge these gaps, be it through upskilling, reskilling, or hiring new talent.

Webinar: How to Track Skills Development

 

 

Why should you adopt skills management?

Spoiler alert: it’s not a matter of whether you should or not. Successful organizations know that they actually need skills management. Here’s why:

Improve employee productivity

Skills management has long-term benefits, but it’s also a quick and relatively easy way to make an immediate impact on productivity. A good skills management strategy will give you insight into how to utilize employee skills on the front line better. This could take the form of scheduling staff with better customer service skills during busier shifts or pairing more qualified staff with new hires for difficult projects.

Keep up with emerging technologies and trends

Skills management allows you to project the trajectory of certain job roles. What will they look like down the line? Will they evolve and require new skills? Will they become obsolete?

Research shows that 59% of hiring managers expect that AI and other forms of workplace automation will cause a significant shift in the kinds of skills employees need to have. Actively tracking essential skills helps your decision-making regarding future talent needs.

Impactful succession planning

If a core team member becomes unavailable due to resignation or an extended leave of absence, can someone fill the gap?

Skills management provides insights for succession planning and ensures that your team and operations aren’t crippled when a good manager or senior staff member suddenly leaves or becomes unavailable.

Succession planning is the strategic transfer of knowledge to future-proof your workforce. Skills management gives you the data you need to execute this strategy. For example, you might use skill competency scores to determine whether any of your staff are suited for a management position. If so, great. If not, you can come up with a professional development plan to flesh out important skills needed for the role, or you can simply hire outside talent.

Make better hiring decisions

Skills management also provides direction for your talent acquisition. Roles evolve, technologies emerge, and workflows change. Skills management data can help HR navigate these shifts and equip them with the data they need to address talent gaps properly.

For instance, some organizations focus more on identifying skills needed for vacant positions rather than looking for candidates with matching job titles. This is called the skill-based approach and can be done either externally or internally.

Looking at your catalog of employee skills can inform these hiring decisions, whether internal or external, and put your organization in a better position to hire with confidence.

Improve employee retention

Along with burnout, wage issues, and a poor physical work environment, limited opportunities for career advancement also lead to high levels of employee churn.

74% of employees say that training and development are important to an organization’s strategy, but only 34% are happy with the organization’s investment in their skills and performance.

Webinar: How to Stop Employee Turnover

Employees find value in skills and development training, and even more so with opportunities that allow them to grow. You may have some training programs, but if they don’t meet staff aspirations, they won’t help retention. When you prioritize skills management, you’ll identify training opportunities that your workforce will find beneficial and worthwhile. It will allow you to curate learning and development opportunities that actually resonate with employees.

 

How to build a skills matrix

A skills matrix is the backbone of a skills management strategy. It is a tool to record, identify, and analyze the skills across an organization. Think of it as a grading system that allows you to see the skills present in your workforce, how they are being utilized, and if additional training or people are needed.

Here are the steps on how you can build an effective skills matrix:

Define the skills important to your workforce

This may seem straightforward, but it can be easily overlooked. These can be hard skills like coding language proficiency, or they can be soft skills like problem-solving, teamwork, and effective communication.

Break down these skills by team/job role

Doing this helps you make sense of what you should evaluate each of your employees on. For instance, keeping a record of a chef’s cash register competency probably does not make sense. Pick and choose what skills you will be evaluating employees on based on what skills are relevant to their role.

Evaluate each employee according to skill

Create a ranking system for each skill and grade your employees according to it. Self-evaluation, peer feedback, and performance reviews are useful ways to inform how you grade these competencies.

  • Employee self-evaluation – Ask employees to rate themselves according to their skills and competencies. While this may not paint the whole picture, this can give you a gauge of how employees perceive their capabilities.
  • Peer feedback – Feedback from co-workers is also a valuable indicator to gauge the skills of your workforce. This is first-hand information from people they work with and may provide you with more information on how they fare on a granular level.
  • Regular performance reviews – This insight comes from your managers based on their observations from daily operations and coaching sessions. This offers another perspective that can help validate what you have gotten from employees and their workmates.

Map out skill competencies to identify gaps

Once you have all the necessary information on staff skills, you can start mapping them out. You can do it manually on a spreadsheet or use a skills management system.

This skills matrix will give you a clear visualization of where your employees meet skill requirements and where they fall short.

While doing this manually is fairly straightforward for smaller businesses, large organizations may want to look for skills management software to streamline this process. This kind of software can also link directly with your scheduling system, meaning you can easily fill shifts according to skill and qualification requirements.

 

Best practices for skills management

Skills management can be daunting, especially with so many factors influencing your business goals and customer demands. To make the most of your workforce’s skill set, here are some best practices:

Make skills management an ongoing process

Skills management should be a continuous process, building upon previous iterations over and over until staff fulfill their potential.

If you have a skills management platform, it’s easy to check your team’s competencies anytime. Doing this allows you to address skill gaps and performance issues quickly. You can optimize schedules, revise training plans, assess the impact of emerging tech on certain roles, and set more timely check-ins with your employees.

Skills management should be closely tied to training and development

Skills management points your training and development efforts in the right direction. With a wealth of recorded skill competencies and needs at your disposal, you can easily devise training programs that have higher chances of producing results. Whether it’s upskilling, learning a new technology, or reskilling, you’d know the best type of training for your team at a particular time.

Use a skills management platform

It just makes things easier. Tracking and mapping skills to improve productivity is challenging, especially for bigger organizations. Having software do it for you eliminates the complexity of tracking your employees’ skill levels, increasing productivity, identifying gaps, and analyzing staff development. In addition, it interconnects your skills management with other important HR and ops functions, like performance, scheduling, attendance, and more.

Account for hard and soft skills

Technical skills are vital, but conceptual skills are equally important in a team. As you map your workforce’s skills, it’s best to consider both.

Hard skills refer to the technical competencies an individual needs to have to do job-specific tasks. Again, these skills can be learned with training and work experience.

On the other hand, soft skills are not job-specific competencies that typically include personal traits or characteristics. Communication skills, people or relational capabilities, and leadership traits all fall under soft skills. They are more challenging to measure than technical skills, but they indicate whether an employee can work with a team or thrive in an organization.

Take a look at the nature of a role to understand what soft skills are needed for it. For instance, client-facing functions should be for people with strong communication and people skills. Meanwhile, a head chef should have strong leadership capabilities to ensure that all kitchen stations are running smoothly.

Utilize a skills management platform

Developing both hard and soft skills is vital in today’s workforce. But, more than getting the job done, doing so helps with engagement and sets the tone for how well your team can work together.

Managing skills is one of the many moving parts of successful workforce management. To tie everything together, you need a system like Workforce.com.

Workforce.com’s skills management feature records, identifies, and analyzes skills across your organization. You can then optimize your schedules based on skills matrix data to ensure that best-fit staff are scheduled for the right shifts.

Book a call today to learn more about Workforce.com’s skills management platform and how it integrates with other WFM areas, such as employee scheduling, labor forecasting, and time and attendance.

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What is a performance management system? A detailed guide

Summary

  • A performance management system (PMS) is a combination of tools and processes that companies use to measure and monitor each employee’s performance. 

  • A PMS lets you schedule reviews, set expectations and goals with employees, monitor their performance in a collaborative way, and recognize good performance. 

  • A PMS is beneficial to your company and your employees because it centralizes the performance review process, helps you address training needs, and promotes self-motivation.

A performance management system (PMS) is a combination of tools and processes that companies use to measure and monitor how each employee contributes to the success of the company. 

A strong PMS enables you to easily work together with managers and employees to achieve goals and recognize good performance. Implementing a PMS helps guarantee that everyone across the organization is aligned on and contributing to overall business objectives.

Benefits of a performance management system

A PMS is beneficial to your company and employees because it centralizes performance management, helps you address training needs better, and promotes self-motivation.

Centralizes performance reviews

The PMS acts as the single source of truth for measuring and reviewing staff performance. Everyone from HR directors down to frontline workers can use the same system to submit feedback, schedule reviews, and set development goals. 

With a centralized performance management system, there’s full transparency. It creates an environment where everyone knows what’s expected of them and what they need to improve upon. Without one, it is easy for an organization to lose sight of how individual performances impact one another across teams and departments. It also limits the degree to which management can audit the history and development of an employee’s performance. 

Allows you to better address training needs

A PMS also gives you more accurate insight into the training needs of your employees, so you know what areas they can be upskilled in, what new abilities they need to develop, and how they can otherwise boost their performance. 

Information like skill reviews, feedback, and performance metrics gets logged into the PMS. HR and managers can then use the PMS to identify gaps in knowledge and skills for each employee and recommend certain training or courses to individual workers rather than a blanket suggestion for everyone.  

Helps promote a culture of self-sufficient employees 

With the help of a PMS, HR can work with managers to set expectations for their employees and delegate important tasks based on skill sets. This way, employees understand what is expected from them and work self-sufficiently. 

With a PMS, all employee skill sets, goals, and objectives are in a central spot — either in a tool, database, or spreadsheet. With this information, managers can empower employees by delegating important tasks they know they can handle, recognizing positive behaviors that they want to reinforce, and building a culture of transparency and trust. 

A culture of self-motivated employees can also mitigate the need for tattleware so that HR and managers don’t have to micromanage their employees. 

What to look for in a performance management system

A performance management system lets you work with managers to schedule reviews, set expectations and goals with employees, monitor their performance in a collaborative way, and recognize good performance. 

Performance review features

Perhaps the most critical function of a performance management system is its ability to schedule performance reviews. These reviews may occur as often or as little as you like. Some organizations may only conduct formal reviews on an annual basis, while others may schedule routine, informal reviews every week. Some may even schedule impromptu reviews as needed, based on attendance, scheduling, or teamwork issues. 

No matter the method, the physical process of scheduling reviews is the foundation upon which a performance management system is built. A solid performance management platform should feature a calender, notifications, and a streamlined process to set up reviews. 

Goal-setting or planning features

Goals are essential to help employees understand what is expected of them and how they can perform to meet company objectives. A performance management system should help you facilitate goal setting and planning so there is a clear roadmap to meeting goals that you, managers, and other employees can use and reference. 

HR and managers should have the ability to input OKRs, KPIs, action steps, and more into the PMS system. These are the foundational components of each employee’s goals and the benchmark for measuring their performance.  

The process of goal setting and planning should also be collaborative. Involve employees in their own goal-setting and planning so that they are more likely to buy into their goals and achieve them. 

Monitoring features

Use your PMS to monitor performance so you can help managers remove roadblocks for employees and motivate them. A PMS should let you see what all employees’ strengths and weaknesses are. Based on this information, you can work with managers to help employees improve on certain aspects of the job, like attendance — or skills, like customer service or communication. 

Look for the capability to input important talent metrics into your PMS so you and the managers can monitor them, compare them to previous performance inputs, and help employees understand what they can improve upon. Track talent metrics like attendance, retention, engagement, and quota attainment. 

Recognition features

Prioritizing recognition can go a long way toward increasing engagement. In fact, employees who receive adequate recognition are four times more likely to be engaged than employees who don’t. 

And remember: engaged employees are more productive and profitable to your company as a whole.

Your PMS should help you identify top performers and people who have picked up extra work and properly recognize them. Look for employees who have the fewest absences, complete all their tasks regularly, and have good customer feedback. All of this information should be in your PMS so you and your managers can easily recognize high-performing staff members. 

3 best practices for a performance management system

With a PMS in place, you want to encourage managers to act on the insights they receive, use it to provide ongoing feedback, and leverage it for succession planning. 

1. Encourage managers to act on the insights from your performance management system

Insights mean nothing if managers don’t use them to communicate regularly with employees about how to improve their performance. In fact, 55% of workers said that standard annual reviews do nothing to improve their performance. Instead, they need more specific insight into their performance on an ongoing basis. 

Set up regular recurring meetings between employees and their direct manager to discuss their performance, career plans, and growth based on data from the PMS. A good cadence for performance reviews is bi-weekly or once per month so that employees are always in the know about what they should improve on and what they are doing well. 

2. Use your performance management system to provide ongoing 360-degree feedback 

Feedback helps employees understand what they’re doing well and what they could improve on. Not only that, but employees whose managers offer them daily feedback are three times more likely to be engaged with the company they work for than those who receive feedback only once per year or less. 

To incite ongoing feedback, employees should be able to get feedback from managers, peers, and customers so they know how they’re performing. Collect feedback from comment cards, peer reviews, and manager one-on-ones. Then log all feedback for each employee into the PMS so everything lives in one place. 

Managers can look at the PMS to identify patterns in feedback — either to recognize the employee or to make a plan for improvement. 

3. Use your performance management system for succession planning

Succession planning can help you avoid any gaps in positions when an employee leaves or retires. This can make it less stressful or urgent when someone leaves because you already know which employee will fill the position from within and have a plan in place. 

Use an organizational chart to document promotions, positions that employees have an interest in, employee skill sets, and more. Identify current employees who would be good candidates for positions that are opening up in the future. Keep track of positions that are likely to open up for which you don’t have an employee to fill the role. 

By inputting all your succession information into a PMS, you have a better idea of when you need to start hiring externally. You’ll also be able to see which of your current employees need to be trained on certain skills in order to prepare them for their career growth.

Implement the right performance management system

Decide how you want to set up your PMS based on what works for your budget, the data you need to collect, and what tools or processes you’re already using. 

The right performance management system should make life easier, not harder. It should be unintrusive, fitting seamlessly into employee workflows, and it should add value to your organization in the long run. 

Oftentimes, you’ll find performance management platforms falling short in one, or even both, of these requirements. This is a pitfall that major white-collar agencies can tolerate, but for the majority of businesses out there with hardworking, hourly staff, choosing the wrong kind of performance management can be costly. 

Find out how to properly navigate employee performance by checking out our platform – we promise it’s worth your time. 

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U.S. Inflation Outlook 2023

Summary 

  • As of February 2023, the inflation rate is at 6%, which is a significant improvement from the previous two years following the pandemic.

  • Understanding how the Consumer Price Index (CPI) reflects the state of the economy can help you decide how to respond and support your employees. — More

  • Keeping an eye on interest rate hikes will aid you in forecasting inflation and, as a result, the effect on the job market. — More

  • Job growth has remained strong recently, yet there are still many unfilled jobs and a volatile work environment marked by layoffs and high turnover rates. — More

  • Wages and salaries are not keeping up with inflation, further contributing to the volatile job market. — More

  • The possibility of a recession remains uncertain as experts weigh in with opposing predictions.  — More

Inflation, recession, interest rate hikes, GDP growth, stock market crashes… It seems no matter where you look these days, the media raises concerns surrounding these economic indicators. Considering the toll that the pandemic has had on the economy, it is no surprise that people want to know what we can expect from the economic landscape of 2023.

In general, the Federal Reserve aims for an annual inflation rate of around 2%. This is a slow, steady, and predictable level of inflation, which is a sign of a growing and healthy economy. But when the measure of inflation increases too far above that ideal number, as it has recently, we begin to see a ripple of negative effects. 

Inflation can negatively impact the cost of living and the labor market and increase the likelihood of a recession. Staying informed on inflation statistics can help you prepare for the worst while looking out for the best interests of your employees and your business. 

Current Consumer Price Index

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a methodology used by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to calculate the average change in prices over time. This change in the US economy is represented as a percent change, which is reported monthly. Keeping tabs on the changing CPI can give you insight into economic changes that may be impacting you and your employees. 

As of February 2023, the inflation rate is at 6%. Though it is lower than the rates last year (a sign of improvement), it is still a high rate, which most people in the US and around the world have certainly felt the impact of. 

Graph of monthly US inflation rate from Feb 2020 to Feb 2023
From “Monthly inflation rate U.S. 2023,” Bureau of Labor Statistics. Copyright Statista 2023.

If you take a look at the details of the current CPI data, you’ll see the weighted averages spent by all urban consumers for a market basket of goods and services.

The rising cost of living can affect how much your employees spend on healthcare, housing, food, and other essentials. For example, egg prices have risen 8.5%, which is 70.1% higher than a year ago. However, thankfully, inflation does not necessarily affect all avenues equally. Medical care services, airline fares, and used vehicle prices have gone down in recent months.  

A CPI inflation calculator helps you evaluate price changes between months or year over year. This can help you make informed decisions about how to keep business costs low and operate as efficiently as possible.  

To support your workers during these tough financial times, consider providing additional benefits to reduce cost burdens. These could include offering: 

  • Additional health benefits such as fertility treatment
  • Payments toward student loan balances 
  • Daycare subsidies or daycare services at work 
  • Educational growth opportunities and certifications  
  • Weekly meal stipends or team lunches 

Interest rate hikes and inflation forecasting 

Paying attention to interest rate hikes and inflation forecasting is another way to prepare your business and workforce for what may unfold. Last year, price inflation rose to the highest level it had been in 41 years. Since March 2022, the central bank has increased its benchmark interest rate eight times. As a result, the inflation rate is poised to be trending down over the next year. 

However, raising interest rates too high or too quickly can slow down the economy and impact the labor market. For example, raising interest rates can increase unemployment as higher interest rates may discourage business expansion and, thus, hiring.

Recently, higher interest rates have also made it costlier for consumers to take out loans for homes, cars, or other large retail sales. As a result, demand drops, and jobs become at risk of being cut while the fear (and unfortunate reality) of layoffs increases. This causes yet another cascade of consequences that further impact economic growth. For example, as consumers become more conservative in spending, sales and the amount of work to be done go down. As a result, turnover increases as workers fear layoffs and leave for more secure roles.

To avoid layoffs, it’s best to be conservative about hiring and slow down recruiting efforts during these precarious times. It is also important to stay organized and maintain transparency throughout your company. This might mean hosting more routine financial meetings or check-ins to keep everyone on the same page and allow leadership to make informed monetary decisions. 

Job growth 

According to a poll from Monster, 96% of workers reported the intention to look for a new job as of January 2023. In fact, one survey reports that 85% of those in the gig economy have increased or plan to increase their workload to combat inflation. 

Luckily, as of February 2023, job growth has been strong. The unemployment rate is at 3.6%, which is relatively low. The labor force participation rate is at 62.5%, which is close to the number we had pre-pandemic. However, although more people have returned to the workforce, there are some companies, particularly in the services and healthcare sectors, that still struggle with a labor shortage.  

Currently, there are nearly 11 million unfilled jobs across the nation. This may have two negative effects on your business. First, if you are one of those businesses with unfilled jobs, then those who currently work for you may be burnt out by the amount of extra work on their plates. Second, the fact that there are so many jobs available may cause your employees to leave if they are too stressed, overworked, or dissatisfied in their current roles.

It’s important to monitor your workforce and make sure everyone has a realistic workload. You should also create an action plan in the event that you do see an increase in employee turnover. For example, both in the face of inflation and based on your financial needs, is it best to replace, repurpose, or outsource the work done by those staff members?

Lastly, it’s vital to pay attention to how turnover affects employee morale, as it has a contagious effect. If you can take precautions to prevent turnover, or at least take care of and reward those who are still with you, you might be able to avoid a hiring crisis at work. 

Wages & salaries 

When prices rose due to inflation, average hourly earnings fell 1.3% from the previous year. In a report by Remote.co, 80% of respondents said that their salary was not keeping up with inflation. When everything is more expensive, and salaries either stay the same or decrease, the real-life consequences are brutal. Essentially, employees are doing the same work but can afford less. Unfortunately, on a global scale, lower-income earners have been the most impacted by these changes.

In some places around the world, monetary policies, such as minimum wage standards, have been used to combat this discrepancy. For example, in California, the minimum wage rate was increased to $15.50 per hour as of January 1, 2023. By working against the deterioration of real wages, states can help maintain economic growth and higher employment levels. 

From an HR and leadership perspective, there are measures that you can implement to protect your staff’s wages and supplement their income. These include: 

  • Providing grocery vouchers or gift cards, especially to low-income households 
  • Offering bonuses and salary increases to keep your best talent and keep up with inflation
  • Adjusting performance expectations and goals to reduce workload and reflect adequate work for fair pay 
  • Offering health and well-being benefits such as access to gym memberships, flexible work options, extra time off for vacation, and wellness programs 

The possibility of recession

There are various theories for what exactly causes a recession. In some cases, it is caused by high inflation with too-high interest rates, while in others, it’s due to high inflation with too-low interest rates. The one thing we do know is that if we go into a recession, the labor market will likely suffer. 

Depending on who you ask or where you are in the world, some economists will say the data points to a thriving economy in which we avoid a recession. Other economists point to slow growth as a signal of a high likelihood of a global recession.

David Mericle, Chief US Economist at Goldman Sachs, believes that we can avoid a recession. He states that “a continued period of below-potential growth can gradually rebalance supply and demand in the labor market and dampen wage and price pressures with a much more limited increase in the unemployment rate than historical relationships would suggest.”

Mericle also believes that we will continue to see a drop in the job-workers gap, which has fallen from 5.9 million to 4 million. However, Mericle and his team estimate that the gap needs to shrink to 2 million in order to be more sustainable with wage growth. 

Another reason Mericle states that we may be able to avoid a recession is because of the overall decline in core inflation. He notes that although the supply chain recovery took a while, there seems to be a pattern of deflation in core goods.   

Nobody can predict the future for certain. However, you can take steps to help protect the mental health and financial security of your workforce. For example, are your employees financially literate? Do they understand how to prepare for a potential recession? 

Here are a few ideas to support your staff: 

  • Invest in leadership training, especially around mental health and supporting workers that are stressed about a potential recession or other financial issues. 
  • Offer educational courses or share resources on how to plan and manage their financial futures.   
  • Offer a flexible work-life balance, such as remote work, hybrid work, or four-day workweeks, to cut down on commute time/stress and expenses. 

What the experts predicted

Late last year, Curtis Dubay, Chief Economist for the U.S Chamber of Commerce, provided some insight on the trajectory of the economy heading into 2023. According to Dubay, inflation expectations for 2023 “remained anchored” at the time due to pressure from higher interest rates. From what we have seen so far through March, these expectations have clearly been realized. 

To hear more from Dubay’s talk, check out the free webinar below:

Webinar: 2023 Economic Outlook

The right tools to protect your workforce  

While things are undoubtedly improving, businesses still need to remain hyper-focused on their labor costs. With inflation still relatively high, it’s important for operations managers to optimize where, when, and how labor is distributed. 

For example, with Workforce.com’s scheduling and forecasting solutions, you can adjust your staffing levels based on predicted demand. If demand is low, you can easily scale back your scheduled labor, preventing costly, overstaffed scenarios. This is especially crucial during unpredictable financial times when saving money and increasing efficiency is a top priority. 

To find out more, get in touch with our team today.

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What is an attendance point system? [Examples + Template]

Astronaut Husky staring up at numbers in the sky

Summary

  • Attendance point systems give employees points for being absent – too many points can result in being fired.

  • Benefits of an attendance point system include reduced absenteeism, increased employee engagement, and enhanced managerial objectivity

  • Point systems can be automated with the right attendance software.

Everybody loves points. Points are positive.  Points earn rewards. Points equal winning. This obviously holds true when it comes to workplace attendance, right?

Wrong. Turns out, attendance policies are like golf. You never want points. The more points you accumulate, the closer you come to getting life’s double bogey – unemployment. 

Many large and well-established companies in the US currently utilize attendance points in this way to discourage absenteeism and simplify disciplinary procedures.

Known as points-based attendance, it’s a method gaining popularity across hourly workforces today. 

In this article we’ll explore:

What is an attendance point system?

An attendance point system is an absence policy that penalizes employees with points every time they are late or absent for a shift. Accruing a certain number of these points results in disciplinary action, and with enough points, termination. 

 

Webinar: Points-Based Attendance Overview

 

Attendance point system examples

Amazon is perhaps the most well-known, albeit somewhat notorious, company with an attendance point system. 

Here is a breakdown of Amazon’s point system: 

  • 1 point = employee misses part of a shift
  • 2 points = employee misses a full shift without calling out at least 16 hours beforehand
  • 2 points with an “absence submission infraction” = employee misses an entire shift without calling out at least 2 hours beforehand

Points expire two months after the date they are assigned. If an employee receives three absence infractions and eight points within a two-month period, Amazon will consider firing them.

Walmart is another major company known for its points-based attendance policy which it adopted back in 2019. 

Here are the basics of Walmart’s attendance point system:

  • ½ point = employee arrives between 15 minutes to 2 hours late for a shift or leaves a shift between 15 minutes to 2 hours early. 
  • 1 point = employee calls out of work
  • 1 point = employee is late for over half their shift
  • 2 points = employee is a no-call/no-show

Walmart employees can receive up to 5 points before they are considered for termination. Points are reset to zero after six months. 

Attendance point system template

While both Amazon and Walmart’s attendance policies enforce strict adherence to schedules and effectively limit absenteeism, they often receive backlash for being unfair. 

If you are considering a points-based attendance policy for your business, it may be best to avoid copying Amazon and Walmart’s policies. Instead, adopt a basic point system and refine it over time. 

Here is a basic attendance point system template to get you started: 

 

Example Attendance Point System

disciplinary action for point accumulation

The timeline for removing points varies, but generally speaking, management should be lenient in this area. Points should typically be reset after roughly two months of perfect attendance. 

Special considerations should be made in the case of no call/no shows. On top of the points given, management should consider the following actions:

  • First no-call/no-show: verbal warning
  • Second no-call/no-show: written warning
  • Third no-call/no-show: termination

Legal considerations for an attendance point system

Are all absences created equal? 

Well, in theory, no. But in practice…sometimes. 

While attendance point policies are legal, they do have to comply with various laws protecting employees from discrimination. Unfortunately, some companies overlook these laws. 

Many “no-fault” or point-based attendance policies have no explicit provisions protecting special case absences from penalization. In essence, these policies unfairly treat all absences the same, no matter the situation. 

According to the EEOC, this is illegal. For an attendance point policy to be legal, it must excuse absences for legally protected reasons such as medical, disability, and sick leave. 

Here are the kinds of absences excused from disciplinary action: 

Family and Medical Leave Act

  • Military caregiver leave
  • Military qualifying exigency
  • Birth of a baby
  • Placement of a child for adoption or foster care
  • Care for a sick immediate family member
  • Serious health conditions

California Family Rights Act 

  • Pregnancy
  • Childbirth
  • Bonding with a new child

Americans with Disabilities Act

  • Substantially limited in one or more major life activities due to a physical or mental impairment

Non-compliance with any of these acts can result in some serious consequences. Back in 2011, the EEOC reached a $20 million settlement against Verizon for denying reasonable accommodations to hundreds of employees. 

At the time, Verizon had a “no-fault” attendance policy that made no exceptions for FMLA-protected absences. As such, employees found themselves repeatedly disciplined for taking medically-related absences.

Unfortunately, illegal attendance policies like this are quite prevalent in the workforce. 

In 2020, a study conducted by A Better Balance involving 18 major US employers showed that “over 80% of the attendance policies failed to make clear that employees will not receive points for qualifying disability-related absences.” Moreover, only 12% of the policies actually acknowledged that emergencies might prevent a worker from complying with company call-out procedures. 

It’s clear that not all employers utilize attendance point systems legally. If your aim is to deploy one in your organization, make sure to do it compliantly and fairly. 

Benefits of an attendance point system

If you choose to use an attendance point system, doing so could come with many benefits. Here are just a few you could experience: 

Reduced absenteeism

This is perhaps the most obvious benefit. Points give employees a clear and concise visualization of their attendance history, promoting punctuality. And with disciplinary actions clearly associated with certain point levels, employees will be extra careful to avoid point accumulation. 

Increased employee engagement

A point system helps employees feel more engaged in their work. Without clear tardiness and absenteeism policies, it is easy for employees to become lackadaisical in their attendance. With a point system, they are more likely to be invested in their attendance records and more likely to communicate with management when they might be running late. 

Whitepaper: Boost your employee engagement strategy

Enhanced managerial objectivity and transparency

A points-based attendance system holds management accountable too, not just hourly employees. With absenteeism points, subjectivity and managerial favoritism are eliminated, giving all employees an even playing field when it comes to disciplinary action.

Automate your point system with Workforce.com

Staff Point History Profile on Workforce.com

Assigning and keeping track of points can get pretty overwhelming when done by hand, especially if you are operating a company with over 20 employees. Luckily, there is a way around all this manual work.

With Workforce.com’s attendance point software, you can easily create a points policy that works for both managers and employees alike. The system is completely automated, assigning points based on deviations from scheduled time clock punches. You can even generate attendance reports, view employee point history, and set up alerts to notify managers whenever employees surpass a certain point threshold.

Cool stuff, right? Check out our feature walkthrough below to find out more, or contact us today to discuss how a point system could work for your business. We’d love to talk you through it.

Webinar: Points-Based Attendance Overview

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A complete guide to employee engagement for shift-based work

Summary 

  • Employee engagement reflects how connected each employee is to your business and their work.

  • When employees feel connected to their company, they perform better and stay with the organization longer.

  • The three most common ways to improve employee engagement are onboarding, communications, and flexibility.  

Employee engagement refers to how connected each employee is to your business and their work. In many cases, engagement can have a significant impact on a company’s bottom line. A disengaged workforce can lead to reduced productivity and high turnover, resulting in increased hiring costs for the employer as well as lost opportunities and poor customer satisfaction.

On the other hand, engaged employees are generally more optimistic and dedicated to their work. They contribute to higher profitability, retention, and better customer service. 

High employee engagement won’t come naturally to every company, though. It takes commitment and work from leaders to show employees you care about their well-being and that they have a place in your company.

When employees feel connected to their company, they’re more likely to perform well and stay with the organization for longer periods of time.

Who is responsible for employee engagement?

Direct managers are usually responsible for monitoring and increasing employee engagement. They’re tasked with creating an environment that fosters engaged employees. Managers conduct regular meetings (both team-wide and with individual employees) and help establish a culture where employees can thrive. 

Employees tend to be more engaged when they: 

  • Feel valued and supported
  • Believe in and share the same values and goals as the company
  • Have an involved manager
  • Participate in ongoing conversations about their career trajectory and development
  • Are given recognition and feedback
  • Receive consistent communication

Human resource teams are involved in employee engagement initiatives, too. Often, human resources and leaders of the company will work together to evaluate where employee engagement is currently and what needs to be done to improve it. 

Three benefits of employee engagement

As your employee engagement increases, you’ll also see higher retention, improved profits, and better customer service.

1. Higher employee retention

Engaged employees who feel like they have a purpose in your company are less likely to look elsewhere for a new job, resulting in less turnover. According to a study by Gallup, a workforce that’s more engaged sees between an 18% and 43% decrease in employee turnover. 

Engaged workforces also tend to see an 81% decrease in absenteeism. The more engaged an employee is, the more excited they are about working for your company and doing their work. 

Engaged employees are also often leaders and role models within the organization. They can help get other employees engaged and excited about your company. For example, a highly engaged senior employee will often mentor junior employees and recommend their coworkers for promotions. This kind of development can contribute to higher employee satisfaction and retention because employees form connections with other engaged employees. 

2. Better customer service

An engaged employee is more optimistic about the future of the business, and they often believe in your product and its value to customers.

Being committed to your company makes employees a better fit for serving your customers. For example, a customer who talks to a pessimistic employee who doesn’t care about your product is going to have a much different experience than a customer who talks to an optimistic employee who believes in your brand.

3. Improved profitability

Engaged employees can also help you increase your profitability by improving productivity. Highly engaged teams have 23% higher profits than teams with disengaged workers, while lower engagement levels cost the global economy an astounding $7.8 trillion.

When employees are engaged, they tend to have less stress, anger, and health-related issues than employees who are disengaged. Disengaged employees also tend to put off important tasks and may engage in quiet quitting. 

How to measure employee engagement

The best way to measure employee engagement is to ask employees directly. A simple check-in will give you more accurate insights than assuming what your team thinks or feels. It also gives everyone a chance to be heard. 

Start your feedback collection with employee engagement surveys, pulse surveys, and shift feedback. With surveys, the goal is to gather as much information as you can about various components of engagement. Ask their opinion on employee satisfaction and overall happiness, career development, recognition, handling of personnel issues, and preparedness for their job. Give employees the option of anonymity, so they feel comfortable being honest and you get accurate feedback.

With shift feedback, employees can give and receive feedback about each shift they worked. A form or questionnaire can be served to them electronically (either via email or an employee app) when they clock out. If your company uses the latter, you can send automatic notifications to employees after they’ve completed their shift. 

Shift feedback allows employees and managers to evaluate how each shift went. Ask employees questions like:

  • Were you able to take your designated breaks?
  • Did you understand what was expected of you for this shift?
  • Did you have the right tools and resources you needed for this shift?
  • Were there any challenges or issues during this shift?

By asking these questions you can gauge each employee’s general satisfaction and well-being after each shift and immediately bring up any issues. 

You can also get employee feedback from one-on-one manager meetings. One-on-one meetings serve as check-ins to make sure employees who feel stressed or overwhelmed or have issues with coworkers get a chance to be heard — and maybe find solutions to their concerns. 

Three ways to improve employee engagement 

The three most common ways to get employees engaged with your company are onboarding, communication, and flexibility.

1. Effective employee onboarding 

An effective onboarding program can engage employees right away and in the long term. Use onboarding to help your employees get integrated, connected, and committed to your company right off the bat.

During onboarding, new hires want clear guidelines about expectations and responsibilities, so they can feel confident moving forward in their roles. 

Here are a few things that can engage employees during their onboarding period (and keep them engaged):

  • Keep paperwork simple and spread it out throughout their first week. No one wants to spend their entire first day filling out forms. 
  • Get them excited about the work they’ll be doing. Give them small tasks or have them shadow another team member. 
  • Introduce them to the company culture by talking about common values and policies, like an open-door policy.

Giving employees guidance and mentoring them during the onboarding process can help them feel more connected to their coworkers and your company. 

2. Centralized communication

New employees want to know where to find information and how to reach out to someone if they have questions. In the shift trade, employees don’t always have ample opportunities to talk to managers or other employees about issues like scheduling, maintaining a work-life balance, or personnel issues. Centralized employee communication can keep them engaged in a fast-changing environment. 

Use one main form of communication, like an employee app or a company wiki site. These kinds of platforms keep communication accessible to all employees and create a place where they can share knowledge with each other. Employees should be able to access the app or wiki to submit PTO requests, ask questions, find policies or other information, switch shifts, and more.

Encourage all employees to use the designated communication channels right away. During onboarding, help them sign into their account and become familiar with the platform, so they feel comfortable using it regularly.

3. Flexible scheduling

Flexible scheduling can reduce overtime and burnout for your employees and increase job satisfaction. It shows your employees that you’re taking their needs and preferences into consideration. Many shift workers are constantly on call and have little control over their schedules, which can lead to stress and anxiety about work. But with flexible scheduling, they feel more in control of their shifts. 

Most companies don’t have the resources or technology to offer shift-based employees the schedules they need to stay engaged. Shift scheduling software can help with that. 

These scheduling tools send you notifications when someone is approaching overtime, give you visibility into each team member’s availability, and show recommended shift plans and schedules. 

Scheduling software helps companies with time management, too. You can use it to avoid the overallocation of meetings, responsibilities, or tasks, which can also cause employee burnout. 

4. Consistently acting on feedback

We mentioned the importance of using surveys and shift feedback to measure employee engagement. Now you have to use that data to act on the feedback, which will in turn improve engagement. 

Based on the feedback you receive from employees, work with management to look for quick wins or changes that you can implement immediately. For example, dress code changes to make employees feel more comfortable at work or adding an additional break for employees who work a certain number of hours. 

Bigger changes take time to implement. For example, if you need to update a policy or workflow process, that could take weeks or months. In this case, let employees know that you’ve addressed their feedback and changes are in progress. 

Set regular meetings where you all go over new or recurring feedback and discuss whether you’re going to implement it and how. For example, if you notice a lot of employees concerned with short staffing during evening shifts, take steps to immediately remedy this scheduling issue as it directly impacts employee productivity and customer satisfaction.  

These are just three of the most common ways to improve employee engagement. To learn more, read our guide “7 employee engagement ideas that create engaged teams.”

Focus on engagement to attract and retain high-quality candidates 

Engaged employees contribute to a positive, thriving work environment — one that others will want to be a part of. Start by focusing on one thing you can revamp that will improve the work environment for current and potential employees. For example, you could implement flexible schedules or a better communication and scheduling system. 

Ultimately, the right employee engagement strategy is unique to each business, but by working to address employees’ concerns and prioritizing their well-being, you’ll be on the right track.

For more on employee engagement, check out our free webinar below featuring Laur Timbrook, an NBC-HWC certified workforce wellness coach:

Webinar: How to Drive Engagement

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11 HR policies every company should have

Summary

  • HR policies can cover a range of topics, from recruitment and conditions of employment to disciplinary action.

  • Any HR policy should explain its overall purpose, how it ties in with the company’s values, instructions on how to follow it, and procedures for reviewing it. 

  • There are 11 important HR policies you should consider for your company. 

Imagine you run a human resources department at a tiny startup. The company doesn’t have any human resources policies because leadership can handle every employee matter on a case-by-case basis. 

But as the business grows, this approach becomes untenable. Teams are using different processes and job boards for hiring, and employees have quit because they don’t know how to resolve conflicts with colleagues. 

Don’t let your work environment get to this point. Set up HR policies that help keep your organization running smoothly. 

There are workplace policies for just about every HR matter — like hiring new employees, complying with local and federal laws, and addressing employee conduct issues. In this post, we’ll guide you through 11 essential HR policies that every workplace should have and what the policies should include. 

Key elements of any HR policy

Some of the key elements to include in your HR policies are:

  • The overall purpose of introducing the policy
  • How the policy ties in with the company’s values and mission
  • Instructions on how to follow the policy and who is responsible for doing so
  • Procedures for regularly reviewing the policy 

All HR policies are part of your company-wide human resource strategy and should be readily available to all employees through a handbook or document library. 

And now, let’s get into the top HR policies you should consider implementing for the good of your organization:

1. Recruitment policy

A recruitment policy outlines the procedures for attracting, screening, and selecting job applicants. It ensures that the hiring process is fair, consistent, and based on merit and without discriminating based on race, gender, age, religion, or other protected characteristics. 

Your recruitment policy should also contain new hire documentation, such as new position requisition forms and information on the onboarding process. 

A well-crafted recruitment policy streamlines and standardizes the hiring and onboarding processes, so they’re fair and manageable.  

2. At-will employment policy

An at-will employment policy allows employers to terminate an employee’s contract at any time for any reason except for reasons prohibited by law. This type of employment is common in the United States. 

  • An explanation of the nature of at-will employment 
  • The job duties and responsibilities
  • Compensation, benefits, and working conditions information
  • An acknowledgment that the employee has read and understands the policy

At-will employment policies must be clearly stated in the employee handbook and understood by all employees to avoid any misunderstandings or legal disputes.

3. Employment classification policy

There are various forms of employment classification — from full-time and part-time to exempt and non-exempt workers. An employment classification policy helps employers determine which category their workforce falls under. It is also known as the FLSA policy since it follows the Fair Labor Standards Act guidelines.

In your employment classification policy, indicate the different types of employees your company has and define the criteria for each type. Most policies will explain the difference between full-time, part-time, and temporary statuses, as well as exempt versus non-exempt employment.

This policy is critical for avoiding worker misclassification — hiring individuals as contractors when they’re doing the work of full-time employees — and costly legal disputes. It also helps protect employees by clarifying their wage statuses and if they should work overtime.

4. Compensation policy

A compensation policy outlines all employee benefits and payroll procedures, including: 

  • Payment frequency
  • Payment method (e.g., direct deposit or bank transfer)
  • Eligibility criteria for benefits, reimbursements, and overtime pay 
  • Guidelines on how employees can earn bonuses, promotions, and other incentives to promote career growth 

With a transparent compensation policy, organizations can build a culture of trust. 

5. Time and attendance policy

Employee absenteeism and tardiness can impact performance and productivity, so companies need to have measures in place to tackle them. An attendance policy can help by clarifying:

  • How many hours employees must work on a daily basis
  • How employees should handle scheduled and unscheduled absences and tardiness
  • If employees need to record working hours (and if so, instructions on how to do so) 

This policy is especially important when attendance write-ups lead to termination. You need to have clear rules about attendance expectations and consequences. More importantly, you should regularly schedule and document all performance reviews so to justify any dismissals. 

READ – The Practical Guide to Time and Attendance Management

6. Time-off request policy

Your time-off request policy (or leave policy) outlines the procedures for managing leave requests. It simplifies the process for your HR team and also takes your team’s personal needs into account. 

Your time-off request policy should include: 

  • How much time off employees receive and the different types of leave available (e.g., sick leave, family leave, and paid time off)
  • How an employee can request a leave of absence
  • How far in advance requests need to be made
  • How often employees can request time off and if there are any time-off blackout periods (e.g., over certain holidays)

Your policy should also take employment laws and acts, such as the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), into account. The FMLA states that some employees can be eligible to take unpaid and job-protected leave for “specified family and medical reasons.” They can do this “with continuation of group health insurance coverage under the same terms and conditions as if the employee had not taken leave.” 

7. Break policy

Your company’s break policy should communicate how many breaks employees can take in a day — including lunch breaks and short rests — and the length of the breaks. This policy helps to promote employee wellbeing while also reducing time theft. 

While federal law does not require employers to offer breaks, the U.S. Department of Labor states that companies that do offer short breaks of 5 to 20 minutes must pay workers for this time. States can also create their own lunch and rest break laws or default to the federal policy. 

For example, according to New York State law, the amount of time employees get for a break depends on how long their shifts are. Employees who work six-plus hours, for example, get 30 minutes. If a shift starts between 1 pm and 6 am, the break is 45 minutes. 

8. Remote work policy

Develop specific policies that cover your company’s procedures surrounding hybrid and remote work arrangements. Your policy should include:

  • Eligibility criteria: Who is eligible for remote work
  • Work hours and schedule: Work hours and expectations for work schedules
  • Communication: Guidelines for communication tools, availability, and response times for remote workers
  • Cybersecurity: Guidelines for accessing secure networks, using company devices, and protecting data
  • Performance evaluation: Processes for evaluating remote worker performance
  • Expenses and reimbursement: Guidelines about which expenses related to remote work are reimbursed by the company, such as internet and equipment costs
  • Termination of remote work: Circumstances under which remote work may be terminated

With a flexible remote work policy, HR leaders today can promote employee engagement and retention. 

9. Anti-harassment and non-discrimination policy

Provide a safe and non-stressful working environment for your employees by creating an anti-harassment and non-discrimination policy. It shows employees that your company values diversity and is committed to preventing discrimination or harassment. 

There are a number of employment laws and acts that protect employees against harassment and discrimination. Laws like these need to be integrated into your company’s policies along with your own stances and procedures:

By setting clear expectations for behavior and the consequences for violating the policy, companies can foster a respectful workplace culture and reduce the risk of legal issues. 

10. Health and safety policy

A health and safety policy outlines your organization’s commitment to protecting the health and safety of its employees, customers, and visitors, and it should include:

  • The roles and responsibilities of employees, supervisors, and management in maintaining a safe work environment
  • Procedures for identifying and controlling workplace hazards
  • Protocols for reporting accidents, injuries, and near misses
  • Procedures for investigating and resolving health and safety issues
  • The organization’s plan for complying with applicable health and safety laws and regulations, such as the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, which lead to the formation of the  Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

Check to see which health and safety laws are applicable to your industry. 

11. Disciplinary action policy

A disciplinary action policy outlines the consequences of employee misconduct or rule violations. The specific course of action taken may depend on the severity and nature of the infraction. It will include:

  • The different forms of discipline and the steps in which they will be taken. For example, they could start with a verbal warning and end with termination. 
  • The infractions that might not follow the same order mentioned above. If your company has a zero-tolerance policy on sexual harassment or workplace violence, you must state that this will lead to immediate termination.
  • Outline how an employee can appeal a decision. 
  • Legal protection for your company. You need to include the conditions that show when you have a right to terminate employees at will.  

Your disciplinary action policy is crucial for maintaining a productive and respectful work environment.

Create and enforce HR policies with Workforce.com

Workforce.com is an all-in-one solution for HR policy creation and compliance. It allows you to schedule shifts according to employee certifications, file incident reports, build attendance rules, and stay compliant with wage and hour laws. 

Learn more about how Workforce.com can help increase employee engagement, reduce turnover, and prevent absenteeism in your hourly workforce by contacting us today. 

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Termination Letter to Employee [Template + Example]

Summary

  • An employee termination letter is an official document given to employees to notify them that they are being let go. It should include the reason for termination, effective date, and next steps.

  • Employee termination letters should include the reason for termination, effective date, and next steps. They should be concise, factual, and carefully written.

  • While a termination letter is vital to the offboarding process, sometimes it is simply not enough. Most times it is essential to sit down with an employee face-to-face. 

An employee termination letter is vital to letting people go regardless of the reason. It is a written form of documentation that officially declares the termination of employment.

To check out some examples and templates, click here.

While termination letters may sound straightforward, there’s actually a lot that goes into them – and for good reason. Getting them wrong can lead to all kinds of issues for your organization down the road. So, let’s take a look at some ways to get termination letters right. 

Why are termination letters important?

Short answer: to avoid legal trouble.  

A termination letter should stand in court if ever the need arises. It’s crucial to make it airtight and leave no room for doubt and misinterpretation. If an employee feels they have been unfairly terminated, the letter may be used to point out discrepancies or unfair employment practices. 

Aside from legal issues, termination letters also play a role in ending things amicably with your employees. While it should sound direct and objective, a properly curated termination letter should provide every vital detail relating to the termination, such as the reason for termination, when it takes effect, and final compensation.

What an employee termination letter should include

While terminating an employee is never a pleasant experience, you can soften the blow by doing it properly – writing a sound termination letter is a critical part of this. Here are some things that every termination letter should include:

Basic details

First, a letter should include the who, what, and when. It must clearly state that it’s for ending employment, who it is for, and when it will take effect. It also should include contact information in case the employee needs more information or has questions. 

Reason for termination

The reason for termination is at the heart of this document, and the letter should be able to clearly state why an employee is being let go. Typically, termination is warranted due to the following reasons:

  • Downsizing or laying off – One of the top reasons for letting employees go is downsizing. If you’re writing a termination letter for this reason, you must explain the need to downsize and why their position is affected. 
  • For cause – In some cases, employees are let go due to cause, such as violating company policies, unsatisfactory performance, misconduct, stealing or damaging company property, chronic tardiness, absenteeism, and falsifying company records. Letting go of staff for cause tends to be more complicated because, without documented proof and HR references, an employer’s cause can be called into question. It helps to consult with your legal team to ensure that you’re adhering to all relevant company policies and labor laws.
  • Termination of contract – This reason is typical for freelance workers and happens when a project ends or if there’s no need for the services anymore.

Best practices for writing a termination letter 

While undoubtedly difficult for both the employee and employer, following proper termination protocol can really minimize the burden and stress felt by both parties. Here are some tips for doing just that:

Include all the necessary information

As mentioned, a termination letter is formal documentation that, if need be, should stand in court. It has to be direct and very specific. A suitable termination letter answers the following questions:

  1. When will the employment officially end?
  2. Why is the employee being let go? 
  3. When can they expect their final paycheck, and how much will it be?
  4. What will happen to their employee benefits?
  5. On their end, what are the next steps they need to take (e.g., returning company property)
  6. Who can they contact should they have follow-up questions?

While a termination letter should be concise, don’t hesitate to include as much relevant information as possible. This is especially important if an employee is being terminated for cause. Include information such as policies violated, a timeline of events, performance reviews, and investigation results.

For instance, if an employee is being let go for time and attendance issues, provide a record of their absenteeism or tardiness using data from a workforce management and/or HR system. 

Webinar: How to Reduce Absenteeism

Use the right tone

A termination letter is a formal document, so it needs to sound professional and direct. While the goal is to end the employment amicably, the termination letter is not the place to be sarcastic, candid, or drop jokes. Instead, state the necessary information and make sure that everything is clear.

Consult your legal team

Consulting with your legal department helps termination letters be more airtight and solid. While termination letters are all routine, there’s always that risk of overlooking minute but vital details. So get legal advice and take time and go over your company’s termination policy, making sure the letter aligns with it. 

In some cases, legal advice can also help you determine if termination is really the right thing to do. For instance, you’re terminating an employee for absenteeism. Is termination the right step at this time? Did the employee receive warnings before termination? Again, your legal team can help spot these potential issues before you even send that letter and risk legal repercussions later.   

Pair it with a meeting

Before you serve the termination notice, it’s best to speak with your employees. While termination always comes with a shock, having a face-to-face meeting about it helps soften the blow. 

A conversation adds face-to-face honesty and human respect to the termination process – elements not found in a black-and-white letter. No one wants to open their email and see that they’ve been let go and their employee access revoked. It’s an unfortunate situation, but having some warning can help employees manage better.

Termination letter due to cause – Template

Download template here

(Date)

Subject line: Notice of termination

Dear (employee name), 

This letter is to inform you that your employment as (name of position) at (company name) is officially terminated effective (date of termination). 

You have been terminated due to the following reasons:

(A detailed list or explanation of why you are terminating the employee. Include timelines, incident reports, investigation details, a list of policies violated, and other relevant information.)

Please surrender the following by (date):

(a list of company property endorsed to the employee)

Access to (platforms and tools) will also be revoked by (date and time). 

Please expect to receive your last pay by (date). Your final paycheck will include (salary, leave encashment, or other benefits). A detailed computation breakdown will also be provided.

In addition, keep in mind that you have signed (agreements or policies such as confidentiality agreements, NDAs, and non-compete documents). Attached are copies of said documents for your reference. 

If you have any questions, you may contact (name of company representative) at (contact details). 

Regards, 

(Name), (Position)

(Company name)

Termination letter due to cause – Example

Download template here

Date: February 27, 2023

Subject line: Notice of termination

Dear Michael Smith, 

This letter is to inform you that your employment as Sales Associate at Retail Company will be officially terminated effective February 28, 2023. 

You have been terminated due to excessive tardiness. According to company policy, an employee should not exceed 7 days of coming late to work in a month. Employees are considered late when they arrive 16 minutes past their scheduled start time. The first offense will result in a verbal warning. The second offense will result in a written warning. The third offense will result in a 14-day suspension without pay. The fourth and final offense will result in termination. 

Based on your recent timesheet records, you have been late for 11 days in February. 

Prior to this incident, the following sanctions were also administered due to your tardiness:

    • December 29, 2022 – You were given a verbal warning for your excessive tardiness and for being late for 8 days in December. We scheduled a check-in after two weeks to see if your attendance improved.
    • January 12, 2023 – You were given a written warning and were asked to explain why you’re always coming in late, and you attributed it to heavy morning traffic. To help with your predicament, your supervisor scheduled you for afternoon shifts for the next two weeks. 
    • January 26, 2023 – Because your attendance didn’t improve and you were late for 10 days in January, you were served a suspension period of 14 days without pay. This also served as your last warning. 
    • February 24, 2023 – Upon checking your timesheet records, you have been late for 11 days in February. 

After deliberating with the management team, we deem that termination is the best course of action. Evidently, the lates were excessive and had been going on for consecutive months, despite scheduling adjustments. 

Please surrender your company ID, store key, and company-issued uniform by February 28, 2023. Also, your access to the company time and attendance platform will be revoked on the same date. 

In addition, please keep in mind that you have signed a confidentiality agreement with us. Please see attached document for your reference. 

If you have any questions, you may contact Shelly Harper at shellyharper@retailcompany.com. 

Regards, 

Jack Foster

Head of Human Resources, Retail Company

Termination letter due to layoffs – Template

Download template here

(Date)

Subject line: Company layoff

Dear (employee name),

We regret to inform you that (name of company) needs to let some of its employees go due to (reason for laying off). Unfortunately, your role is affected, and we would need to end your employment effective on (date). 

We understand this will cause challenges for you, and we intend to make the offboarding process smooth for everyone. 

The breakdown and computation of your final pay will be sent to you by (date), and you shall receive your last paycheck by (date). 

We also request you return the following company-issued items on or before (date):

(list of company property endorsed to the employee)

Please be informed that your access to (company tools and platforms) will be revoked by (date). 

We appreciate the time you have worked with us and wish you all the best in the future. 

For any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact (name of company representative) at (contact details). 

Sincerely,

(Name)

(Position), (Company name)

Termination letter due to layoffs – Example

Download template here

March 16, 2023

Subject line: Company layoff

Dear Stephen Simmons,

We regret to inform you that IT Company needs to let some of its employees go due to financial difficulties. Unfortunately, your role as IT Specialist is affected, and we would need to end your employment effective on March 24, 2023. 

We understand this will cause challenges for you, and we intend to make the offboarding process smooth for everyone. 

The breakdown and computation of your final pay will be sent to you by March 22, 2023, and you shall receive your last paycheck by March 24, 2023. 

We also request you return your work laptop and company ID on or before March 24, 2023. In addition, access to your company email, IT database and tools, and workforce management system will also be revoked by March 24, 2023. 

Your medical and other benefits will remain effective until March 31, 2023. 

We thank you for the time you have worked with us, and we wish you all the best in the future. 

For any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Heather Watson at heather@ITcompany.com. 

Sincerely,

Chris Mitchell

Head of Human Resources, IT Company

Termination letter ending contract – Template

(Date)

Subject line: End of contract

Dear (name), 

Please be informed that we no longer require your services by (date). 

We thank you for providing us with excellent (type of service), but due to (reasons), we had to end our contract. 

Please submit all pending deliverables by (date). We will settle all outstanding bills by (date), so please send all invoices by (date). 

In addition, please be advised that you will lose access to (company-owned platforms and tools) by (date).

Once again, we thank you for your time working with us. We wish you all the best in your future projects. 

Please feel free to reach out to (name) at (contact information) if you have any questions. 

Sincerely, 

(Name)

(Position), (Company Name) 

Termination letter ending contract – Example

March 16, 2023

Subject line: End of contract

Dear Judith McCain, 

Please be informed that Advertising Company no longer requires your services by March 24, 2023. 

We thank you for providing us with excellent copywriting and content services. Unfortunately, however, the project has ended, and we also need to end your contract. 

Please submit all pending deliverables by March 21, 2023. On our end, we will settle all outstanding bills by the same date. Therefore, please send all invoices by March 22, 2023, so we can pay you promptly. 

In addition, please be advised that you will lose access to our content management system, project board, and internal messaging tool by March 24, 2023.

Once again, we thank you for your time working with us. We wish you all the best in your future projects. 

Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions. 

Sincerely, 

Faye Smith

Creative Director, Advertising Company

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7 employee engagement ideas for a more productive workplace

Summary

  • Only 21% of the global workforce is engaged at work, costing the global economy $7.8 trillion.

  • Engaged workers are motivated and productive, have better mental health, and are more aligned with their organization’s core values. 

  • There are a number of actionable employee engagement activities that HR professionals can do to help improve engagement within their organization. 

Arguably, one of the most challenging endeavors of any human resources professional is improving employee engagement. Engaged employees are those who are enthusiastic and dedicated to their job and the organization they work for. 

An engaged employee is motivated, productive, and aligned with the company’s values, mission, and goals. They work well with their fellow team members and mentors, have high levels of job satisfaction, and are less likely to leave the company in search of a new job. 

In 2009, only 12% of employees surveyed were considered to be engaged at work, according to research by Gallup. Over the next decade, that percentage grew to 22%, dipped slightly during the height of the pandemic, and is now at 21%

The high level of disengaged employees is even more worrying, considering that disengagement at work also costs the global economy $7.8 trillion, accounting for 11% of the GDP. 

If you’re looking for ways to boost your employee engagement strategy and obtain a more engaged workforce, here are seven practical ideas that you should definitely consider. 

1. Design a stickier onboarding process

Set the tone of the employee experience from day one. The first touchpoints and experiences new employees have at your company and how you operate will influence how engaged they’ll be going forward. 

A good onboarding process will:

  • Make new recruits feel welcome.
  • Obtain information and grant access to resources in the most straightforward way possible.
  • Communicate the organization’s vision, mission, and values clearly and explain how the new employee fits into them. 
  • Outlines expectations and company rules. 
  • Introduces new hires to their team members and kickstarts team building. 

With hybrid and remote work becoming increasingly popular, employee onboarding has also had to adapt. Onboarding activities for remote employees have to take place over platforms like Slack. 

Workforce management tools offer paperless employee onboarding solutions that simplify and optimize the process for both employer and employee.   

2. Conduct frequent employee surveys

Surveys are a great way to collect employee feedback and insights from your employees in an empirical manner. They give you firsthand information on how your workforce is experiencing their work environment, from the tasks they do to the overall company culture.    

You can utilize these insights to improve engagement, employee retention, and productivity and to reduce burnout. There are three main types of surveys that are commonly used by HR professionals:

  • Employee engagement surveys. These gather metrics on an employee’s commitment, motivation, and passion for their work and the company they work for. Such metrics include Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) and retention rate. 
  • Employee opinion and satisfaction surveys. These gather information on your team’s attitudes and perceptions of the organization. They could be done using both quantitative and qualitative methods. 
  • Employee culture survey. These give you insights into an employee’s point of view and how that compares to the day-to-day realities of your organization. 

There are many types of questions you can ask and metrics you can gather, so it is important to first decide what information matters the most to you. If you’re looking to understand employee engagement, focus on asking questions that will gather information on things like team dynamics, your company culture, and professional development.

3. Gather shift feedback

A lot can happen in one shift. Making a habit of gathering information after each workday is a great way to quickly identify and fix issues and reinforce things that worked. 

Shift feedback is a two-way process where managers give feedback on employee performance, and employees give feedback on management and on their experience with that particular shift.

Shift feedback tools that are embedded in your company’s tech stack facilitate the feedback process, particularly for remote workers. They allow for a standardized and efficient way to provide and receive feedback at all levels. 

This two-way feedback process is important for employee engagement as it shows employees that their feedback and their experience matter. Receiving feedback on a shift-by-shift basis will also help employees learn more about how they can perform better. It is also a great opportunity to show employee recognition in cases of a job well done. 

4. Use a performance-values matrix

The performance-values matrix is a great way to evaluate employee performance and how their behavior aligns with the overall company values. 

The matrix x-axis shows the company values, while the y-axis represents employee performance.

A Quadrant Graphic Showing the Performance-Values MatrixPerformance is measured as the work an employee carries out for the company. Values are then measured as an aggregate of how well employee is aligned with organizational standards. 

To measure individual value alignment, most companies use a matrix specifically designed just for value assessment. A system like this allows you to score employees in things like honesty and accountability so you can identify where people meet company standards and where they fall short. 

You can then apply these ratings to the performance-values matrix.

Each employee is placed along the matrix, helping you understand which ones are producing good work and which are contributing to company culture. Employees who exemplify both are found in the top right-hand quadrant – this is ideally where you want all your employees to fit. 

Employees in the lower-left quadrant are low performers and have low-scoring behavioral attributes. These employees are probably not a great fit for your company. 

The other two quadrants consist of employees who are high performers but have low values match (top, left) and those who have great behavior but aren’t performing very well (bottom, right). These are the employees who you might want to invest some time in to help them move into that high-performance, high-values match position. 

5. Offer more flexibility with shifts

More workers are seeking greater flexibility at work. Research shows that flexible work arrangements lead to higher productivity and more connectedness to workplace culture and reduce employee absenteeism. It helps workers balance their work responsibilities with their personal lives. 

For frontline and shift-based employees, flexibility can be achieved through shift bids or shift swap systems. In shift bid situations, managers publish available shifts, allowing employees to bid for the ones they want. Shift swapping is when employees can request to exchange shifts with their co-workers, subject to managerial approval. 

Employee scheduling software streamlines shift flexibility in what would otherwise be a chaotic undertaking for HR professionals and managers.  

6. Maximize employee self-service

Giving employees the autonomy to carry out HR-related tasks without needing intervention from HR cuts out admin time and improves efficiency at all levels. Mobile tools for employees do things like request time off, swap shifts, clock in, review timesheets, and update their personal information all in one place.

Using employee self-service tools also takes significant pressure off of your HR team, allowing them to focus more on developing strategies to reduce turnover and increase engagement rather than having to fix errors and update information constantly. 

7. Prioritize and facilitate employee professional development

Employees who feel stagnant in their career paths are more likely to feel disengaged at work. Having milestones to reach and goals to attain, on the other hand, gives employees a sense of purpose and accomplishment, leading to higher engagement. 

There are a number of employee engagement activities related to professional development that an employer can consider. At a basic level, management should work with employees to develop career goals and milestones to be included in their regular performance evaluations. 

There are also a number of initiatives and perks that employers can offer their employees:

  • Training and development activities
  • Mentorship programs
  • Attendance to conferences
  • Paid course tuition

If your organization is a place where your employees feel they can grow, they are more likely to be engaged at work and stick around longer.

Check out our webinar on How to Drive Engagement for Hourly Employees

If you’d like to find out more about how to increase engagement among your workforce, check out our webinar below:

Webinar: How to Drive Engagement

Laura Timbrook, NBC-HWC, CHC, AADP certified coach and podcaster, takes us through some quick, actionable solutions to combat issues surrounding high absenteeism and high turnover rates.

Interested in more than a webinar? I wouldn’t blame you. Hop on a call with us today to find out what tools you should be using to boost your employee engagement.

Posted on

5 benefits of job rotation + tips to do it right

Summary

  • Job rotation can be a vital part of training and development programs and can help companies upskill employees without incurring high costs. 

  • While job rotation is beneficial for employee engagement and reducing turnover, it can disrupt operations if not implemented correctly. 

  • WFM technology can help managers stay on top of job rotations and ensure employees get the most out of the program.

Job rotation is a business practice that allows employees to temporarily move between job roles. It’s a strategy that, at its core, seeks to develop employee skills and interests in new areas of the organization. 

It is a practice that is vital to many different aspects of workforce management — from employee engagement to succession planning. Here are five key benefits of job rotation and why you should consider implementing a system for it. 

Key advantages of job rotation

1. Boosting employee engagement

Communicating a person’s value to the team is at the core of employee engagement. While the proverbial pat on the back and consistent encouragement are useful, exposing employees to other job roles is a much more concrete way of communicating to an employee the value they bring to the entire organization.

Webinar: How to Drive Engagement

2. Promoting lateral movements and internal promotions

Job rotation can pave the way for employees to upskill. Through this experience, employees can gain the knowledge and technical skills needed for a higher position or role. In addition, hiring or promoting from within the organization can boost employee retention and keep recruitment and training costs low.

3. Training and skills development

Job rotation can be vital to an organization’s training and development program. While employee courses and company-sponsored seminars are great opportunities, job rotation enables employees to learn from first-hand experience. It promotes learning by doing and allows employees to try their hand at all kinds of new skills they otherwise would never have a chance to practice. While job rotation may introduce new technical skills to an employee’s repertoire, it can also hone soft skills they might already possess like teamwork, communication, self-direction. 

4. Succession planning and workforce flexibility

When you conduct job rotation, you get to assess your talent base. You can determine which employees have the potential for specific roles or discover certain gaps needing to be filled. With this insight, you can make your succession planning more effective, especially when a core team member in the organization leaves. 

Furthermore, job rotation equips your staff to be more flexible. In unexpected changes or shifts in the organization, your employees can rise up to the occasion and be more comfortable dealing with these changes — all thanks to the exposure and crosstraining they gained during job rotation periods.

5. Increased collaboration

Job rotation helps break silos between departments by allowing employees to work outside of their traditional teams. This promotes better communication and rapport and helps employees ease into the idea of working on cross-departmental projects or tasks. In addition, it fosters better relationships and a stronger sense of belonging across the organization.

Industry-specific benefits of job rotation

Job rotation generally benefits all kinds of organizations, but it has critical benefits specific to business size or industry. 

Small businesses

Due to their limited talent pool, small businesses must ensure that staff are flexible and multi-faceted, ready to adapt to any situation where they are needed to fill in. Doing this saves on wage costs in the long run, as investing in recruitment and training is not a luxury small businesses typically have. 

Enterprises

Job rotations in large organizations primarily helps professional development and succession planning. Rotating employees allows staff to enrich their network within the company, equipping them with more knowledge and capacity to participate in cross-functional projects or even qualify for lateral movement. 

Service-oriented organizations

Hospitality businesses, retail stores, and restaurants can use job rotation to equip their employees with the skills necessary for better customer service. Aside from that, allowing them to rotate to different roles in the company can improve their agility when facing shorthanded situations. 

Manufacturing and industrial businesses

Job rotation provides employees with a deeper understanding of what happens at every step of the production line. This can broaden their skills, equip them to be more flexible, and provide opportunities for them to suggest how to make things more efficient. 

Best practices for conducting job rotations

While job rotation has advantages, it can also be detrimental if not done right. It can disrupt operations, reduce productivity, and increase training costs. There are also cases when employees tend to resist going on job rotations. So these are factors you must consider as you devise a plan for your organization. 

To make job rotation effective for you, here are some best practices to keep in mind. 

Set specific goals and timelines

Employees perform best when there is clarity. Rotating them in between different roles is no exception. Clearly state why they will be temporarily assigned to a different position and what’s expected of them after training. 

For instance, if you want to move an employee from marketing to support, set a clear goal and objective after job rotation. Is it how quickly and accurately they respond to product-related queries? Or is it the number of content types and topics the marketing team could do based on actual customer questions? 

It’s also essential to set a specific timeframe. For example, job rotation can last a few weeks to even a few years. Regardless of the duration that makes the most sense for your organization, it’s best to determine and specify this right off the bat to manage expectations.

Devise a preparation plan for employees who will go on job rotation

Transferring to another team and doing a new set of tasks can be daunting to employees. That’s why you must allow them to prepare before they go on job rotation. While the goal is to equip them by experiencing the job first-hand, that doesn’t mean that you just allow them to go in blind. It would be beneficial to schedule orientation sessions with the supervisor they will work with. Providing learning materials to help them have a basic knowledge of the job will also help. 

Time job rotations accordingly

Identify if there are periods within a year where there’s not much activity, and consider scheduling job rotations during this period. Then, because it’s not too busy, you have more room for adjustments and coaching. For instance, if you’re in hospitality, you can schedule job rotations during off-peak seasons. 

Gather feedback 

Remember to gather feedback after each job rotation finishes. Doing so will give you insight into your job rotation program’s effectiveness. Make sure to act on employee feedback and improve whenever necessary. 

Develop job rotation policies according to career path

Identify what career paths employees want to take. Some employees are more interested in technical advancement, which means it’s more focused on a particular function or being an individual contributor. Meanwhile, some workers are more inclined to go on a managerial track, where they would be more involved in leadership and managing teams. 

Whatever it is, make sure that you curate a job rotation program according to employees’ preferred track. Employees are more likely to be receptive to the program when it’s aligned with their career goals. 

Managing job rotations with technology

Using the right technology helps you implement and stay on top of job rotations. Workforce.com has the tools for ensuring that staff is scheduled correctly, job rotations are timed at the most appropriate time, and that communication is seamless during this period. 

Scheduling for job rotations

Creating shifts for employees on job rotations is as simple as creating regular schedules. Select the location and department they’re assigned to work in and add necessary notes or reminders before you send out the schedule. 

Workforce.com also gives you an oversight on potential gaps and areas you need to fill once job rotation starts. This enables you to quickly find another team member who’s qualified to work any vacant shift. 

Identifying the right time to implement job rotations

We talked about how crucial it is to time job rotations during slow work periods. Workforce.com’s reporting and analytics give you an insight into these things by looking at your historical data to identify less busy seasons. 

Communication and gathering feedback

Get immediate and regular feedback from your employee during job rotation. Within the Workforce.com app, staff are prompted to rate their shift and can easily share feedback on how it went while on the program. With this, you can address concerns promptly and ensure that employees on job rotation are achieving their goals and objectives. 

 

Workforce.com is a robust workforce management platform designed to streamline performance, skills management, scheduling, and employee engagement for mid-market businesses to enterprises. It’s built with tools to ensure you’re never over or understaffed, regardless of the season.

If you plan to implement job rotation schedules within your organization, Workforce.com can help ensure that your operations are running smoothly, even with staff temporarily assigned to other roles. 

To know more, book a call with us today.

Posted on

7 ways to improve employee relations management (2023)

Summary

  • Effective employee relations management leads to a happier and more productive workforce.

  • Communication, conflict management, regular feedback, familiarity with company values, career development, flexibility, and work-life balance are all ways to improve relations management.

  • Fostering a better work-life balance among your staff is important for maintaining their physical and psychological well-being.

Employee relations management refers to the work done by employers and HR professionals to maintain a positive and fruitful relationship with their team members. The goal is to maintain a positive and productive work environment in which everyone contributes toward achieving organizational goals while growing personally and professionally. 

Effectively managing employee relations has become even more important over the past few years as recent events have put a lot of strain on employer-employee relations in both large and small businesses. 

  • The COVID-19 pandemic created a sudden shift toward hybrid and remote work that has forced many human resources teams to figure out new ways to stay connected with their workforce without geographic proximity. 
  • The Great Resignation saw employees leaving their jobs in search of better quality of life and more rewarding work experiences. 
  • There have been mass layoffs as companies struggle to adapt to a changing economy as a result of inflation, war, and an impending recession. 

Having an effective employee relations strategy brings about a number of benefits: 

  • Employee buy-in of company goals: Employees feel a stronger connection to the company culture and take ownership of the organization’s shared goals and objectives. 
  • Employee engagement: A positive relationship between the HR department and staff increases employee engagement, which, in turn, leads to better motivation, initiative, and employee performance.  
  • Employee retention: Positive employee relations improve job satisfaction, making it more likely that your employees will want to stick around. 

1. Prioritize effective communication

Honest and open communication is the foundation of any healthy relationship, and the same goes for building good employee relations. Effective communication creates connections between employees and management, creating an environment where everyone’s needs are taken into consideration. 

Don’t simply opt for a wishy-washy “open door policy” (every employee’s nightmare). Make a point of scheduling check-ins with employees and even entire teams. This reduces the chances of negative situations in the workplace spiraling out of control.

Effective communication is vital in developing an internal workflow that brings out the best in all parties, making it easier for everyone to produce good work. There should be empathy and understanding of everyone’s experiences and needs across the board, from company ownership and HR managers to the rest of the team. 

2. Familiarize everyone with the organization’s mission and vision

Your mission and vision shouldn’t just be something new employees read on a slide during their onboarding and then forget about. It is important that they are ingrained in the everyday activities of your company and explained in your employee handbook. 

Share and discuss your company values on a regular basis to ensure that everyone is on the same page. Your team needs to understand how their work is directly linked to the implementation and achievement of the company’s goals and strategic vision. 

Any changes in the organization’s vision, mission, or broader policies should be communicated clearly and in a timely manner. This fosters a culture of transparency and continues to reinforce open communication across the team. 

3. Give and encourage regular feedback

Giving and receiving constructive feedback is a crucial part of developing effective employee relations. Employees must be encouraged to give feedback about their work environment. They must also regularly receive feedback and appreciation for the work they’re doing.

Your employees are 2.7 times more likely to be engaged if they believe that they will be recognized for their work. In an SHRM survey, HR professionals agreed that implementing recognition activities increases employee retention and helps to attract new hires. 

Ask your employees for regular feedback on how they feel about work and the direction the company is moving in and if they have any suggestions for improvements. This could be done in a number of ways, such as in focus groups, anonymous surveys, or even entry and exit surveys. 

You can also collect and provide feedback after every workday using Workforce.com’s shift feedback tool. 

When an employee has done a good job, it is important to show recognition and appreciation. The type of appreciation you give an employee depends on your company’s situation as well as that specific employee’s preference. Your show of appreciation could be public through employee recognition software, a weekly newsletter, or even a LinkedIn recommendation. You can also award a job well done with incentives such as bonuses or extra time off, with team building activities, or by offering stipends for health and well-being initiatives. 

4. Train leaders in conflict management

Conflict in the workplace is inevitable from time to time. That is why it’s important for HR teams and leaders to know how to effectively resolve disputes and issues between team members when they arise. 

  • Keep an eye out for early signs of a conflict that will help you attend to it before it escalates. Such signs include a drop in work quality, employees taking an unusually high number of sick days, or requests to change teams. 
  • Communicate with each party and take the time to understand what happened but also why it happened. 
  • Be careful about the way you frame your questions. Avoid framing questions in a way that places the blame on one party or the other. So instead of saying, “Why did you shout at X during service yesterday?” you can ask, “Can you tell me more about what happened between you and X yesterday?”
  • Make final decisions based on company values and procedures. This is important in situations where you can’t find a solution that will make all parties happy. It is also important to document the case and the resolution, along with an explanation of why you made the decision you did. It is also important to communicate the reasons behind this decision to all parties and to be open to hearing concerns.

Conflict resolution is an important and tricky part of employee management, but if done objectively and systematically, it will lead to more effective results. 

5. Take an active role in your employees’ career development

Taking an active interest and role in your team’s career development is a sure way to improve employee satisfaction and strengthen employee relations. Expanding your workforce’s professional horizons also means that they will be better trained and better equipped to deal with difficult situations, such as unplanned, understaffed shifts. 

There are a number of ways you can do this. You can offer mentoring programs, provide on-the-job opportunities to work shifts they don’t normally work, reimburse tuition fees for courses, or send them to conferences. 

One of the most practical ways to develop employees is to assess, track, and manage their skills. Explicitly outlining and tracking the skills employees need to improve helps them level up their productivity, and in the long run, their careers. 

6. Offer more flexibility 

Flexibility at work is becoming increasingly important for employees today. Studies show that workplace flexibility leads to higher productivity and more connectivity to the workplace culture. It is also a great way to reduce employee absenteeism. In shift-based work, flexibility is best achieved through collaborative scheduling. 

Collaborative scheduling comes in two forms – shift bids and shift swaps. Shift bids are when managers publish a number of shifts that need to be filled, and employees can bid for the ones they want. Shift swaps allow employees to request replacements on an ad hoc basis, subject to a manager’s sign-off.

Offering flexibility among shift workers can get complicated and messy if you’re still using spreadsheets and decentralized communication. Luckily, cloud-based employee scheduling software exists to streamline the whole process.

7. Actively promote employee work-life balance

Employees who enjoy a good work-life balance are satisfied and fulfilled both in the office and in their personal lives. They are more engaged at work while maintaining enough time and energy to dedicate to their personal and family lives. 

The World Health Organization argues that the experience of work on an individual can be either beneficial or disruptive to their mental health. A workplace that values employee needs inside and outside of work leads to happier, healthier, and more productive workers. 

Employers must regularly communicate with their employees to detect and overcome any cases of burnout that could be physically and psychologically detrimental. 

Webinar: Supporting Employee Mental Health

There are a number of different things managers and HR professionals can do to enable their employees to achieve a better work-life balance, such as helping them have enough time and energy outside of work. There are also a number of ways companies can invest in employee wellness.

While at work, it is important to put systems in place that reduce workplace stress and improve happiness and productivity. Human resource management software like Workforce.com can help managers create more effective, less stressful work environments through things like better scheduling and staff communication.

Streamline employee relations management with Workforce.com

Employee relations is a very human endeavor. That said, technology can facilitate many of the processes needed to effectively manage employee relations. Workforce.com offers solutions like flexible scheduling backed by AI, labor forecasting to reduce under or over-staffing, and enhanced employee communications solutions.

To find out more, get in touch with us today.