HR Insights

Employee Appreciation Day comes once a year, but that doesn’t mean that employee appreciation should only happen once a year. It should be a regular part of all the other months and weeks throughout the year. This creates a company culture of appreciation, and when this type of culture is in place the benefits last all year long. Let’s dive into the top 5 reasons employee appreciation matters all year long.

Employee Appreciation Day is on March 2^nd this year. Missed it? No worries. Don’t let a calendar limit you from creating a day to celebrate your employees.

It’s hard to believe that 2017 is already coming to a close and what a year it’s been! On the blog, we’ve discussed a wide variety of the most important trending topics in HR. From organizational culture, to self-funded insurance options, employee engagement, and recruitment strategies there has been a lot of information covered. So, this week, I thought I would synthesize this information into some of the big ideas you should remember and bring with you into the new year:

It’s no surprise that employees rank employee development as one of their top priorities, but do employers do the same? The research suggests not. Randstad, a global staffing firm, conducted a study that revealed 73 percent of employers said fostering employee development is important, but only 49 percent of employees said leadership is adhering to this practice. In a similar fashion, Deloitte conducted a survey in 2012 with some strong results. When employees were asked to indicate the top factors that would cause them to look for new employment over the next 12 months, lack of career progress topped the list, whereas lack of challenge in the job came in at No. 5. These results showcase the importance of having clear career plans for your employees. How does your company rank with this? Inevitably, there may be some gaps to fill in your employee career development process, so read on.

Do you want your company culture to transition from one of competition to one of collaboration? You can accomplish this when you create a culture of continuous learning at your company. While employee growth and learning opportunities may seem like an extracurricular offering, in this day and age, they are essential for your company. Developing a learning culture is no longer just another fanciful idea. It is becoming more imperative for companies to cultivate learning if they wish to stay in business. A learning culture keeps your organization competitive. But how do you create this culture of continuous learning at your company? I’ve created a basic framework of key elements you need to have in place in order to have a culture of learning at your company.

 The rise of technology and the digitization of many aspects of business have led to some dramatic changes in the workplace as we know it. As technology continues to progress, the workplace is an ever-changing environment. The future of the workplace is about the future of people. As we change – as we become increasingly dependent on mobile devices and as we work faster and become less tolerant of inefficient processes and technologies – we expect changes in the workplace. Start now to build the workplace of the future—one that is efficient, offers a flexible schedule, and is employee-centric.

 Having a strategic plan for your organization is a crucial element, but these long-term plans do not create themselves. They require a lot of hard work and time to be developed and implemented—a task that largely falls to the HR department. Without a roadmap, strategic planning could be a waste of time, or even worse, lead to poor results. Developing a strategic plan is a good way to show other organizational departments the importance and unique contributions of the HR department. It allows you to shape the expectations that your organization holds for what you will contribute and when.

 As an HR professional, you know that the facets within this field are extensive. There are so many components that make up the HR world, so when it comes to professional development opportunities, you want to make sure you carefully select the best option for you. It’s hard to believe it, but we are nearing the end of 2017, which means it’s time to start gearing up for 2018. What better way to plan for your new year at work than by registering for a professional development conference? There are a lot of conferences to choose from, so I’ve selected some of the crucial conferences you need to attend in the upcoming year.

When things get busy (and when aren’t things busy?!), it’s far too easy for employees and managers alike to coast through their work weeks and maintain the status quo. But perhaps this maintenance of the status quo is an indicator of a deeper issue – a lack of employee engagement. Statistics have shown that most people are unhappy at work. In 2013, even in a climate of business uncertainty and an unemployment rate of 7.8 percent, more than 2 million Americans were voluntarily leaving their jobs every month. So, how can you get employees to stay? And how likely are your employees to leave? As a manager, you need to be aware of some shocking research.

Most companies have an annual enrollment period. This is an important window of time during which employees can make adjustments to their benefits package for the upcoming year. Important as this period is, and valuable as it can be, many times employees have trouble staying engaged in the annual benefits presentations. This is useful information that you don’t want them to miss. How can you make these presentations more engaging and fun for your employees?