Author: Asam

Wherever there are people at work, there is an opportunity for workforce management. 

 
Companies of all sizes often call upon professionals to assist them with their workforcement management — or to outsource it entirely. 

For some companies, special projects call for the recruiting, hiring, training, and management of large numbers of staff, something that is often outside of their wheelhouse. For others, their needs are ongoing and require a more permanent workforce solution. 

To ensure that an organization’s project needs are met, professional workforce management solution providers are leveraged to help them plan, support, and execute against their project needs. 

Industries that require workforce management solutions include:

• Events
• Restaurants & Hospitality
• Commercial cleaning or sanitization services 
• Healthcare
• Hotel & condominium 
• Construction 
• Municipalities

…and more 

At The West Egg Group, we understand the complexities of people management and the integral role they play in an organization’s success. As experts in workforce management solutions, we can develop a human resources plan that supports prescribed business objectives. If human resource management is something you think that your organization could benefit from, contact us.

Building a company culture that promotes transparency empowers employees and people leaders to work better together.

It begins with trust
Trust creates a foundation for a more positive working relationship — one that can help employees and their leaders weather difficult times or overcome obstacles. 

It’s reinforced by repetition 

Built over time and with consistent action and support, trust — and the more positive working relationship that it produces — creates an environment where employees feel supported, engagened, and empowered. Subsequently, managers feel more aligned with their teams and better able to communicate and manage change, or navigate challenges.

It starts at the top

Behaviours and attitudes that are seen, are repeated. It’s upper management that sets the tone for the company culture and establishes the attributes that the organization values. This mindset trickles down to other people leaders within the organization, and eventually, reach frontline staff — influencing their attitudes toward work as well as their behaviour. 

More than ever before, work is different. Since the onset of the pandemic, each of us has experienced some degree of change to the way we work, and for many of us, where we work is also drastically different. 

Despite the fact that most of us are no longer working in cubicles or open-concept office spaces, we can still be productive — something that many organizations would have debated pre-pandemic. But that isn’t the only surprise that the past 12 months have brought us. Here are 3 unique opportunities that this adversity has afforded us:

1. Remote work is here to stay (in some capacity)
   It will take some time for the vaccine to be widely available and to become effective in stopping the spread of COVID-19. In the meantime, employers will continue to accommodate remote workforces and adjust to the evolving needs of their employees.
   
   Beyond the pandemic, employees are expected to continue to opt for either remote or hybrid work. Employers can leverage this opportunity to save on office space, overhead expenses, transportation allowances, and more.
   
   
2. Continues investment in employee’s well-being
   
   The stress of the past year prompted many employers to adopt or expand mental health resources for their employees.
   
   Investing in employee well-being helps them to be more productive and engaged while at work, but most importantly, it helps them to be happier in both their personal and professional lives.
   
   
3. A greater focus on DE&I
   
   In 2020, diversity, equality, and inclusion become important topics and discussions between employers and their people. Many organizations have used this conversation as an opportunity to make a commitment to creating barrier-free workplaces — ones that welcome, celebrate, and strive for better quality within their workforce, including at a senior level.

Most organizations have had to adapt to a partial or complete remote workforce in response to the pandemic. For many, this was the first time that employees were managed remotely, posing a new set of challenges of maintaining connection and engagement.

To get the best out of your remote workforce, consider these quick tips:

Set expectations
Most of us thrive on guidelines. It helps us understand what is expected and ensures that we remain on track. For remote employees, discuss what the business, and their team, requires of them and be sure to keep the conversation going. With all of the ebbs and flows the past 12 months have thrown at us, it’s important to check-in with employees to ensure that expectations remain reasonable.

Be flexible

We all have a lot more on our plate now than perhaps ever before. Employees working from home are juggling a lot. Be empathetic and listen to their unique needs. Some employees may need to work flex hours to accommodate for at-home learning for their kids, caregiving for a loved one, or a variety of other challenges. Whenever possible, offer employees the flexibility to get their work done at times that work best for them. 

Rethink meetings
What worked in-office may be work as well at home. It is often difficult for employees to lengthy virtual meetings and often they are less productive. Instead, consider having shorter huddle-style regroup sessions that get to the point so they can get back to work.

Don’t lose the water cooler talk

We’re all feeling more disconnected these days. Remember to take time to ask your teams how they’re doing and what’s going on in their world. It’s important to keep humanity in the digital workplace. 

For more insights on how to effectively manage a remote workforce, contact The West Egg Group, leaders in workforce management solutions.

Having a great corporate culture generally means that your employees will have a better employee experience, be more content in their jobs, and more productive. 

Ensure that you’re maintaining a positive corporate culture but watching out for these warning signs of a corporate culture crisis.

#1 – You’re not investing in your people
An investment in your employees is an investment in the health of your company culture and has a direct impact on business results. Ensure that employees see and understand how and where you are investing in them in order to keep them engaged at work.

#2 – There’s a lack of accountability
As a company, ensure that you are holding people accountable for their behaviour. If there appear to be no consequences for poor behaviour, or they are unfairly enforced, employees will become disengaged and culture will suffer.

#3 – No evidence of diversity or inclusion
Employees are in-tune with diversity and inclusion issues such as racial and gender based discrimination. Ensure that your company is offering equal opportunities to all employees by forming a D&I committee who seeks to further the organization’s efforts within this realm. It behooves all organizations to acknowledge and correct any unhealthy norms that exist within their company culture.

Leading a team is a big responsibility — one that requires workforce management skills that inspire and engage. 

Here are 5 of the top leadership qualities that motivate employees to do their best work:

#1 – Acting with vision and purpose
People leaders who embody an inspired vision for the team, organization, and its customers are more likely to also inspire their team members and motivate them to align with their vision. 

#2 – Outlining clear goals
In order to do their best work, employees need to understand what they are working towards and why it matters. Great leaders effectively communicate the objectives of each work activity and marry them to the greater goals of the organization. And, they tie it back to why it matters to employees (i.e. bonuses, salary increases, more time off, celebratory events, etc.).