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As a small business leader, you are focused on productivity, employee retention, and business growth. Leading with gratitude will help you achieve those results—and sustainable, long-term success.

When you think of the actions required for business success, you might first think about satisfying your client’s expectations, lowering your costs while increasing your profit margin, and being agile to changes in the marketplace. As the HR consultancy for small businesses, we want you to add another tool to your toolbox for business success: gratitude.

GRATITUDE MOTIVATES EMPLOYEES TO DO THEIR BEST

The American Psychological Association conducted a study that found that 93% of employees “who reported feeling valued said that they are motivated to do their best at work, and 88 percent reported feeling engaged.”

In this time of the Great Resignation and Quiet Quitting, don’t you want the majority of your workforce to feel motivated to do their best and be engaged in your company? 

Showing gratitude to your employees works on an individual level: employees feel more appreciated for their contributions and, as a result, are often more motivated to bring their best to work. Gratitude also can create what scientists describe as the “spillover effect”: individuals become more trusting with each other, and are more likely to help each other out.

IN A CHALLENGING BUSINESS MARKETPLACE, DON’T YOU WANT EMPLOYEES WHO RISE TO THE OCCASION AND WORK BETTER TOGETHER TO SOLVE PROBLEMS? 

6 Simple Practices to Show Gratitude in the Workplace

John Templeton Foundation surveyed 2000 Americans. They found that saying “thank you” to colleagues “makes me feel happier and more fulfilled”—yet only 10 percent acted on that impulse on any given day.

We want you to be among the 10 percent who demonstrate gratitude consistently: so you feel better and your employees feel more appreciated, engaged, and committed to doing their best work.

Following are 5 simple ways to demonstrate gratitude at work: for better results and personal well-being.

1. Say Thank You 

Employees feel happier and more fulfilled when they are thanked. Make a point to acknowledge and thank your employees for their daily contributions.

2. Show Appreciation Publicly and Privately 

Acknowledge your employees in private settings, such as in one-to-one check-ins, and in more public settings, such as team meetings.

3. Write a Thank You Note

Take a few minutes to write a Thank You note to an employee. You’ll be surprised at how many people keep these notes at their desks or workspace as a reminder of your appreciation for their work and hard effort.

4. Be Intentional

Make sharing appreciation a part of your daily habits routine. Look for opportunities each day to demonstrate gratitude. As Melissa Hughes writes, “Decide that you will look for a reason to express gratitude every day.”

5. Create a Peer-Rewards Program

Many companies like Zappos have instituted peer-rewards programs, where employees can reward each other for a job well done.

6. Begin Gratitude at Home

Before your work day begins or as you close out your work day, take a moment to reflect on who and what you are grateful for. The practice of cultivating gratitude can have an immense impact on how you feel about your work, your employees, and your overall satisfaction and fulfillment in your job and career.

As we have written before, cultivating gratitude is good for business. Psychologist Robert Emmons says that making gratitude a policy and a practice “builds up a sort of psychological immune system that can cushion us when we fall. There is scientific evidence that grateful people are more resilient to stress, whether minor everyday hassles or major personal upheavals.”

Showing gratitude in the workplace does not need to be difficult or time-consuming. But it does require that you look for opportunities to demonstrate your appreciation. Try our suggestions and see how much better you feel—along with the positive ripple effects among your employees and colleagues.

Interested in other current employment trends? Click the link to view the recent blog: December Legal Updates or check back for more on human resources, payroll, insurance, and benefits.

Today’s business best practices focus on leaders helping employees find better work/life balance and setting healthier boundaries. We believe it’s time for small business leaders to check in with themselves and redefine and redraw their boundaries to be effective, productive, and thrive in their work.

Visit any business news and advice website these days, and you’ll see stories and columns about why leaders need to lean in and help employees with their work/life balance and set better boundaries. It would seem that as a manager, your sole job is the well-being of your employees! As an HR consultancy for small businesses, we advocate for our clients to engage their team members and help support their needs.

But devoting your focus on your employees at the expense of your own needs is not sustainable! That’s why it’s essential that you, the leader, maintain your optimum level of work/life balance. Our recommended solution is? Redraw your boundaries. 

IS WORK/LIFE BALANCE OUTDATED?

In business, we’ve talked for years about work/life balance. It’s a noble aspiration: finding that “sweet spot” when you’re giving your time and energy to advance your business goals while reserving the necessary time to enjoy your life outside of work.

I don’t know many people who feel they have got “work/life balance” figured out. Unfortunately, all it takes is a new business opportunity or a business setback to throw your balance off!

Work/Life balance is undoubtedly worthy of aspiring to achieve. But we believe a more practical way of thinking about your role as a leader in driving your business forward is to focus on improving your work/life boundaries.

What do I mean by this?

Do you find yourself:

• Overcommitting to projects?
• Being available 24/7?
• Thinking about work while you’re with family and friends?
• Working while on vacation?
• Shouldering more and more of your employees’ burdens and needs?

If you answered Yes to any of these, you might want to redraw your boundaries: what you are committed to saying yes and no to. After all, if you are feeling the signs of burnout or compassion fatigue, you are not serving your company—or yourself—as well as you could if you were more rested and relaxed.

Just consider these scenarios:

• A top employee begins missing deadlines and making mistakes
• A vital client announces she’s taking her business elsewhere
• Your business revenue goals are in jeopardy of not being achieved

Now, imagine that you’ve been running ragged, working late in the evening and on weekends. You’ve been feeling like you’re not taking the time to think and plan because there are too many fires.

Are you in the best position to address those three scenarios I described above? Or, are you more likely to “underthink” how to solve those challenges?

I know what my answer would be!

Now, imagine that you have been setting better boundaries for yourself:

• Employees know your availability window and honor it
• Your schedule is structured so that you create time for long-term projects AND putting out fires
• You go on vacation with your family and return to work refreshed and restored

How might you be even more capable and on point to address those common work challenge scenarios I described above?

That’s what I mean about redrawing your boundaries: when we are clear on what we need to be our best and maintain those boundaries, we show up better to our colleagues, clients, employees, and family.

SETTING BETTER WORK/LIFE BOUNDARIES

What boundaries have you let slip?

Here are typical examples we see:

• Being available 24/7 to employees and clients
• Putting off planning and reflection
• Blurring the lines between work and home life
• Taking on more and more without delegating or saying no to other projects and needs
• Not addressing the warning signs of burnout and fatigue
• Letting self-care practices go by the wayside

What boundaries have you let slip? What boundaries do you need to redraw?

You might be thinking, “But Mindy, you should see my schedule. I can’t stop everything to redraw my boundaries! I’ll let important opportunities slip through the cracks or let others down!”

I get it. I run a growing HR consultancy for small business owners and leaders. I speak from the experience of working with clients with multiple balls in the air, and I am juggling a lot myself! But it’s vital we set better boundaries. Or else, we’re likely to make mistakes, lose patience, snap at a team member (or client!), or not have the energy to do our best work.

Next, let’s explore practical ways to begin redrawing your boundaries.

REDRAWING YOUR BOUNDARIES

First, decide your most significant area of need for redrawing your boundaries. Following are several prompters. We’ll start by exploring what you want more of and what you want less. From there, we’ll begin redrawing better boundaries for your life.

MORE OF

• Do you want more time being OFF the work clock?
• Do you want to think less about work when you’re away from work?
• Do you want more time to devote to more significant projects (and spend less time putting out fires)?

LESS OF

• Do you want fewer disruptions in your work?
• Do you want fewer “3 AM Thoughts” about work that keeps you up at night or in a state of stress?
• Do you want to feel less fatigue and burnout?

REDRAWING THE BOUNDARY LINES

Now, let’s begin redrawing boundaries. But first, I want to caution you not to overcorrect! For example: announcing tomorrow morning to your team your “New Rules” of engagement, which are so radically different than the day before that you give everyone whiplash!

In other words, make gradual and incremental changes. You didn’t allow your boundaries to get trampled overnight. It was likely a gradual process. Apply that same incremental approach to redrawing your boundaries. It will not only help avoid giving your team whiplash, but you will probably find better success at improving and maintaining your healthier boundaries.

Ask yourself:

• What is one thing I can do beginning tomorrow to help bring me more time, energy, or focus in my work?
• What is one thing I’ve put off doing that will ultimately help me feel more balanced, grounded, and focused in my work?
• What is one thing that, if I do it consistently, will help me feel more productive in my work?
• What is one thing I can coach, teach or tell my employees that will help them perform better and lighten the stress I’ve been carrying?
• What is one boundary that I will declare is non-negotiable—and will defend no matter what?

If you’re reading this, you’re most likely a high-performer driven to succeed. So my last suggestion is probably the most crucial suggestion I can offer you!

WRITING YOURSELF PERMISSION SLIPS

It might not feel comfortable for you to say no or “not yet” to employees, clients, and other people who count on you. If you’re working from home or in a hybrid environment, you might recognize how hard it can be to maintain boundaries: after all, you work where you live. There’s no office commute to create separation between your home and work lives.

That’s why I suggest writing yourself permission slips:

• To close your work day at the same time each day so you can focus on family and personal activities
• To go on vacation and set clear boundaries when you are and are not available
• To spend the weekend enjoying your life and not sitting at the computer sending “one last email.”

So write yourself permission slips: literally, writing “I give myself permission to …” can interrupt your old patterns of blurring your boundary lines.

This suggestion is far from a “nice to have.” On the contrary, you need to enjoy the quality of your work and life and remain energized, creative and inspired.

LEADING BY EXAMPLE

As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, the popular business articles and thought leadership of the day revolves around what to do for your employees to retain them and help them through their challenging moments. We advocate and help support our clients in creating and maintaining thriving, engaged work cultures. But we also know that one of the best ways to train and support employees is to lead by example.

When you demonstrate healthy boundaries, your employees model your behavior.

When you stay committed to your self-care practices, your employees model your behavior.

When you are honest about your limitations and needs and share proactively and respectfully, your employees model your behavior.

So lead by example. As Gandhi said, “Be the change you wish to see.”

Start by redrawing your boundaries. Then help your team to do the same.

Interested in other current employment trends? Click the link to view the recent blog: Hardwiring a Winning Small Business Culture or check back for more on human resources, payroll, insurance, and benefits.

This article does not constitute legal advice, and there are subtle variations in employment law as it pertains to this topic, depending on where your business operates. It is strongly suggested that you seek consultation or legal counsel before making policy decisions.

Remote and hybrid employees enjoy the perks of working from home. But working remotely can have a physical and emotional toll—especially during the holidays. Learn strategies to engage employees during the holiday season for better performance and connection.

Since the pandemic, the holiday season has been difficult for most people, including your employees. Many could not be with loved ones, and spending time with others meant concerns about COVID-19. As we head into the 2022 holiday season, your employees’ list of concerns continues to mount, including grief, inflation, financial stress, social unrest, and the continuation of remote and hybrid workplaces.

Many businesses have switched to long-term remote work or hybrid environments, which many employees have embraced and celebrated. However, working remotely can leave employees feeling more isolated from coworkers and family at a time of year that celebrates coming together and human connection.

As a leader, it’s important that you be aware of the mental and emotional dynamics impacting your employees. In addition to the emotional struggles during the holidays, an added challenge for your remote employees is often the reduction in physical activity.

According to a recent article from Forbes: 

“The ramifications of the extreme lifestyle shift in 2020 through early 2021 resulting from the pandemic are far-reaching, likely to have ripple effects for many years to come. 49 percent report having less energy for nonwork activities.”

Among other statistics, participating survey respondents reported to Forbes that:

• 60% of employees admit cutting their mobility by over 50% since working remotely.
• The average remote worker commutes just 16 steps from their bed to their workstation.
• On a typical remote workday, one in three workers sit in their work chairs the entire day, and 63% walk only to the bathroom or kitchen. Meanwhile, 24% of remote workers never leave their homes.
• Nearly half of all remote workers estimate they take fewer than 1,000 steps during work hours, despite the 8,000 steps per day recommended by health experts.

These struggles are likely to be exacerbated over the holiday season. But there are steps that companies can take to support staff through the holiday season.

STRATEGIES TO SUPPORT REMOTE EMPLOYEES DURING THE HOLIDAYS

One-to-One Meetings  

Proactively check in with your employees by setting up frequent one-to-one meetings and asking questions about how they are doing. Allow employees to provide feedback on where they stand on work-related matters and how they are coping with the holiday season on a personal level. Every employee will embrace the holidays differently. Listen and validate feelings while tackling year-end business demands. Treat information shared in these meetings as confidential and provide additional support when necessary.

Reward Physical Exercise via Work Schedule Flexibility  

The time crunch for the holidays can be challenging. Allowing employees flexible work schedules, 4-day work weeks, and PTO or other leave time could benefit productivity in the long run but also affords employees a chance for self-care and physical activity. Encourage employees who have not taken much leave this year to take some time off, if possible. If your business offers discounts on gym memberships or access to apps that focus on activity, be sure to remind employees through general communication campaigns so that individuals don’t feel targeted.

Actively Promote Self-Care

Long-term stress, or the “fight or flight” response, can lead to prolonged periods of elevated cortisol in the body, which can contribute to the development or worsening of conditions such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and weight gain. Managers should role model and encourage employees to set boundaries with work commitments, maintain a well-balanced diet, get daily exercise, plenty rest and hydration. Self-care also includes financial stability. If your business has access to financial coaching or resources for employees, be sure they know them as part of their holistic wellness routines.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Poor mental health and stress can affect an employee’s job performance, productivity, communication with coworkers and daily functioning.” Which makes the importance of addressing work-life balance and self-care routines to combat increased stress a critical investment in the health of your organization.

Schedule Holiday Virtual and In-Person Work Events during Regular Office Hours  

By doing so, this allows employees to use their valuable free time to take care of personal holiday responsibilities and activities. Workplace holiday events that occur during “after hours” can add stress to already busy schedules.

Acknowledge Those Who Are Dealing with Loss

Sadness during the holidays is common for those who have experienced the death of a loved one or a pet, a failed significant personal relationship or other loss. Employees could be facing recent loss and may not be spending as much time with family and friends who can support them. Being supportive and checking in on them is an important leadership practice.

Remind Employees about Outside Assistance Programs  

It is a good time to remind employees about the help that is available through employee assistance programs (EAP) if your company utilizes these services. Many EAPs have 24-hour phone crisis support and allow for confidential short-term counseling. Additional help an EAP can provide includes referrals for programs that offer specialized care, services that help manage stress, and programs for substance abuse. Regional and national teen and adult Suicide Prevention Hotlines are also available 24 hours a day at 800-273-8255 (national).

Reprioritize Year-End Goals and Deadlines

Company leaders should empower their managers to dedicate more time to employee engagement activities during this holiday season. Reprioritize year-end goals and deadlines, moving less critical ones to first quarter 2022 to help alleviate added pressure and stress on valued managers and employees.

Acknowledge Your Employees in New Ways Instead of Throwing Parties

If you have an all-remote or hybrid workforce, hosting an in-person party may not be feasible. In addition, you may have employees who cannot travel or would prefer not to travel. Instead, send gifts to employees at their homes, and write genuine notes of recognition, praise, and encouragement through internal organizational channels.

Interested in other current employment trends? Click the link to view the recent blog: Top HR Small Business Needs Checklist or check back for more on human resources, payroll, insurance, and benefits.

This article does not constitute legal advice, and there are subtle variations in employment law as it pertains to this topic, depending on where your business operates. It is strongly suggested that you seek consultation or legal counsel before making policy decisions.

Learn new strategies to hire and retain top talent for your small business—without breaking the bank or adding complexity to compensation packages.

The speed of change in the business landscape is still in overdrive. As of July 2022, the rate of inflation is outpacing wages. As a result, small business leaders are struggling with understaffed departments and face record numbers of employees reporting burnout.

Our partners at Inspiring HR recently hosted a webinar for clients to address hiring and retention best practices for the post-pandemic workforce. During the webinar, Inspiring HR consultants shared ways to address employee burnout, get creative with compensation, and offer flexibility in work schedules to create a win-win for your company’s bottom line and your employees.

THERE ARE FOUR STRATEGIES FOR HIRING AND RETAINING TOP TALENT IN THE POST-PANDEMIC WORKFORCE:

1. Learn to spot and mitigate employee burnout
2. Get creative with employee compensation
3. Rethinking job design and workloads
4. Provide flexible work scheduling options

Let’s explore each and share ideas and solutions to help you hire and retain top talent.

Employee Burnout

As a manager or leader, you want to spot burnout early so you can address your employees proactively. So, how do you know when a star employee is approaching burnout?

Burnout Warning Signs:

• A star employee exhibits more negative, cynical, or emotionally volatile behavior
• A star employee begins showing up to work late or missing deadlines

The simple (and sad fact) is that most of us are experiencing some level of burnout.

The chances that your best employees are on the burnout spectrum are high. The pandemic and other changes in our work and home lives over the past 2+ years have taken their toll. Assume that your employees are experiencing burnout, even if their outward behaviors don’t show it yet.

How to Support Your Burned-Out Employees:

• Remember we’re all human. What happens to an employee outside of work will impact their lives and performance at work.
• Utilize empathy. Ask, “How are you doing?” Begin a conversation. Do this before you schedule a performance review to address problem behaviors. Start by acknowledging the person before addressing job performance.
• Verify that your company culture encourages open and supportive conversations. Ask yourself: is my company rewarding employees for “compartmentalizing” their lives and leaving their feelings on the shelf? While it is important to have boundaries in the workplace, your workplace culture should invite employees to be open with their feelings so managers and leaders can address them thoughtfully and effectively.
• Use this ice-breaker to begin a conversation: “I recognize that recent news events and life today may be hard for you. What can I do to support you?” This acknowledgment can be a gateway to inviting your employees to do their best work by showing up their best.
• Ask the employee to weigh in on how to perform the job duties while attending to their personal needs. You might say: “We are a business, but we also want you to take care of your personal needs. What can we do to find a win-win?” One of our clients asked an employee exhibiting burnout what the company could do to help the individual. The employee asked to arrive at work 30 minutes later to attend to personal needs in the morning. That slight shift from the employee’s start to the workday allowed the employee to show up well to work, get the job done, and thrive.
• What if you think you are being taken advantage of by poor-performing employees? You might say, “I think we’ve hit a point where we need to discuss the essential duties of your job.” Then begin that performance improvement conversation. But first, check in with yourself to ensure you are in the right headspace and leading with empathy. (Remember: you might be experiencing burnout, too!)
• Watch for red flags when employees note illnesses, disabilities, etc. Contact your HR consultant to avoid unnecessary risk before discussing performance improvement plans.

Approaches to Creative Compensation 

If you’ve been to a grocery store or gas station recently, you know that wages are not pacing with the steep rise in inflation. Everyone is feeling crunched right now. Unfortunately, there is not a perfect “rule book” on how to address compensation, given the hyperdrive changes in the economy. This is both a positive and a potential negative. The good news is that this is an invitation to think holistically and creatively about compensation. On the other hand, it’s a challenge because we don’t know whether our solutions will work out. With that said, we’ll share now what is working with our other small business clients.

How to Think Creatively About Compensation:

• Reward top employees with low-cost compensation solutions like $50 gas cards to help relieve some of the pain from going to the gas pump.
• Leverage one-time-only compensation strategies, such as spot, referral, and retention bonuses. These compensation strategies can be paid out without increasing your company’s operating budget long-term.
• Incentivize employees with profit-sharing when specific company goals are met. This strategy “lifts all boats.”

Reimagining Job Design and Workload

There has been a seismic shift in how people work since the pandemic, and that pace of rapid change continues. As a result, you’ve likely re-evaluated your employees’ jobs and workloads at different points during the pandemic. We recommend maintaining a consistent evaluation to ensure the job design matches the company’s needs and your best employees are set up for ongoing success.

How to Reimagine Job Design and Overall Workload

• Ask these questions:
  • What has changed in the job?
  • What is required to be successful in the job?
  • What new skills are needed to ensure the job is done at optimum levels?
• Involve the employee responsible for the job in the decision-making process. This will help with engagement and overall buy-in and gain key insights.
• Involve the manager and leader in the job design process. Have each person (including the employee) write down what they believe the current job design should be, along with what’s working and not working.
• Together, document the updated job description.

Best Practices for Writing Job Descriptions

At INFINITI HR, we consult with clients on best practices in writing job descriptions. A well-written job description helps to support hiring, overall performance, compliance, and delivering feedback to the employee. The following are essential best practices in writing or updating your company’s job descriptions:

• List no more than 15 essential duties only.
• If the job description is for a manager or leader, the first essential duties are what the employee is expected to do to serve as a manager or leader.
• Write the job description to clearly designate if the position is exempt or non-exempt status.
• If you’re still operating on the belief that 40 hours is considered “full-time status,” think again. Work-life integration is essential to avoid employee burnout, and studies suggest that a 40-hour work week is arbitrary, and does not correlate to higher productivity or overall “value” to the company.

Flexible Work Schedule Options 

Work flexibility was a hot topic during the early days of the pandemic and continues to be an essential conversation in the post-pandemic workforce. Giving employees more freedom when and where they want to work is an excellent strategy for small businesses to recruit and retain top talent.

Following are ideas to provide more flexible work schedule options:

• Offer more part-time roles in your company as many employees are opting for less pay in return for more time off.
• Offer a compressed work week: for example, offering employees the opportunity to work 4, 10-hour shifts in return for a shorter work week.
• Offer flex time so employees can come and go from the workplace more freely, provided expectations are made clear for attending meetings and events.
• Offer floating holidays: discretionary holidays that employees can use and paid time off.

Flexible work schedule options give you more tools to recruit and retain top talent. But there are a few cons to consider before adjusting your company policies:

• It can be a challenge to execute flex work policies
• It’s vital to set clear expectations for employees
• Not every industry can support flexible work schedules, such as customer service, medical, and manufacturing.

So, where do you start? 

• Conduct an employee survey: find out what they want? Find out what added flexibility means to them as a way to generate ideas.
• Be transparent with employees: let them know you are testing new ways to provide a better work experience and reserve the right to change your policies.

Interested in other current employment trends? Click the link to view the recent blog: Small Business Leaders: It’s Harvest Time or check back for more on human resources, payroll, insurance, and benefits.

This article does not constitute legal advice, and there are subtle variations in employment law as it pertains to this topic, depending on where your business operates. It is strongly suggested that you seek consultation or legal counsel before making policy decisions.