Canadian HR Reporter

April 2020 CAN

Canadian HR Reporter is the national journal of human resource management. It features the latest workplace news, HR best practices, employment law commentary and tools and tips for employers to get the most out of their workforce.

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www.hrreporter.com 23 Employers that don't seek VoE could miss out on true engagement and be unaware of larger, systemic workplace problems such as cultural misalignment. and 44 per cent say their employer is just "OK" at acting on feedback, according to a 2020 survey by Achievers. Inaction directly impacts employee retention, as 44 per cent of employees who say their employer is horrible plan to look for a new job. At a time when employees already see themselves as somewhat or even completely disengaged, employers failing to take action on feedback can be detrimental to overall employee disengagement and retention. Nearly half of the respondents (45 per cent) say leadership is "minimally" or "not at all" committed to improving culture, so this inaction plays into employee perceptions of leaders falling flat on culture. Absent leaders or nonexistent action are huge business threats — the culture and values of an organization and the quality of senior leadership are the top two factors of employee satisfaction, according to Glassdoor Economic Research. Committing to seeking the VoE is one way leaders can put their actions behind their promises to build and improve workplace culture. The power of recognition To activate company culture that drives employee performance and engagement, employers need to look at the power of recognition in the workplace. A lack of recognition can be detrimental to overall engagement — it's the third most important reason employees cited for staying at or leaving a particular company, according to the Achievers survey. Positive recognition for behaviour and achievements can motivate employees to work hard, which builds strong company culture. Celebrating milestones and publicly acknowledging good work makes employees feel valued, but it also leads to repeated actions. The same report also found that 92 per cent of employees agree that, when they're recognized for a specific action, they're more likely to repeat the action. Rewarding behaviour aligned to a company's values creates a ripple effect that moves across the organization. With employee activism trending and the workforce showing a strong desire for their opinions to be heard, employers need to step up. Beyond simply setting up channels to actively listen to employee feedback, they must also be prepared to act on the feedback — and technology can help. Showing a willingness to listen, investing in the right technology solutions and acknowledging feedback can go a long way with employees to improve their workplace experience — but the key to improving employee engagement is acting in the moment. Employers that do this can succeed in improving company culture and navigating tricky cultural shakeups, ultimately creating a better place for employees to work. CHRR Vanessa Brangwyn is the chief customer officer at Achievers in Toronto. For more information, visit www.achievers.com. HR_AD_REVISED_JAN8_2020.indd 1 2020-01-08 10:31 AM

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