The Bagg Group Blog

We’ve all heard the saying, “It’s the little things that count.”  And in the workplace that applies as much as anywhere else. 

The proof?  A full 61% of Canadians said that a handwritten personal note of praise has more value than any other form of communication, according to a recent study by Bic Inc.

The study found a handwritten note “produces an immediate and positive reaction among employees,” says Bic handwriting expert Elaine Charal.   

In an age where most of us type faster than we can write, a handwritten note is undeniable evidence that someone made significant time and effort to acknowledge you. 

It’s an act that stands out in a world where we are used to quickly, and without much real thought, clicking on “like” to indicate our thumbs up.   

Having interviewed thousands of people over more than 40 years of successfully placing candidates in full-time positions, contract work and temporary placements in the GTA, recruiters at The Bagg Group know how much recognition matters.  It tops the list for employee satisfaction.

Strangely enough, no matter how talented, sophisticated, and senior we are, there’s still the kid in all of us that thrills to a handwritten “fantastic” like it was a gold star on our homework. 

It’s truly one of those old-time small gestures that can still pack a punch and fuel the drive and commitment of employees in the 21^st century. 

Douglas R. Conant, the recently retired president and CEO of the Campbell Soup company, wrote about this in his latest book, Touchpoints:  Creating Powerful Leadership Connections in the Smallest of Moments.

In the book, Conant and co-author Mette Norgaard insist a leader’s impact and legacy are built through hundreds, even thousands, of interactive moments in time.

In a blog for the Harvard Business Review, Conant sums up that experience taught him the three key rules for building relationships –all deceptively simple but extraordinarily valuable.

1.  Make a personal connection early on.  Conant found that a two-way conversation about personal philosophy, background, values, even favourite quotes, goes a long way to relationship-building—and employee retention.

2. Look for opportunities to celebrate:  Conant and his executive assistants spent 30 to 60 minutes a day scanning his mail and internal website for news of employees worthy of a pat on a back. 

At The Bagg Group, we can’t emphasize enough to our clients across the GTA how championing team and individual achievements helps lift workplace spirit in a way that money just can’t buy.

3.Get out your pen.   Conant says he sent roughly 30,000 handwritten notes over a decade to employees, from maintenance staff to senior executives.   He writes:  “It’s the least you can do for people who do things to help your company and industry.  On the face of it, writing handwritten notes may seem like a waste of time. But in my experience, they build goodwill and lead to higher productivity.”

As we all work on a quest to achieve a paperless office, it may be worthwhile to keep some paper for the personal note.   Sometimes the little things can be just the things employees want to stick around for.

When I was interviewed by Pat Bolland on Sun TV recently, I was asked two key questions:  How do people get a job and how do employers retain the best talent?

In answer to the first question, I talked about the importance of mindset. In response to the second question, I talked on the one thing that The Bagg Group knows employees care about – a workplace that respects their potential and allows open communication between management and staff.

Steve Jobs drove the point home. Yet interestingly, with his untimely passing, there has been a great deal of talk in the media worldwide about what a “difficult” boss he was.  The New York Times described his style as “cantankerous”.

The British Daily Mail reported that it was a mistake to think “working for Steve Jobs was a walk in the park.  The Apple founder managed at once to create an atmosphere of teamwork and togetherness, while also demanding nothing but the best.”

However, according to research by Wired magazine online, the large majority of Apple employees approved of Jobs.  Job satisfaction ratings, and retention, at Apple have been among the highest in the industry for years.

The reason is simple:  Steve Jobs clearly respected people’s potential to be creative visionaries, just as he was one.  No doubt he was difficult.  No doubt his department managers had to work hard to smooth ruffled feathers after Jobs came down hard at meetings when his standards weren’t met.  But his belief in limitless possibilities inspired people to believe in their own abilities to excel.

James Allworth, who studied Apple at Harvard Business School, is quoted in the Huffington Post as saying, “The way he (Jobs) thinks about problems, the perfectionism, the attention to detail – that trickles down.”

Steve Jobs walked the talk and made it obvious that he knew his employees could do the same. As a result, thousands of Apple staff devoted their talents to help change the world.

Speaking with CNN before he became ill, Jobs said, “My job is not to be easy on people.  My job is … to take these great people we have and push them and make them even better, coming up with more aggressive visions on how it could be.”

And as for open communications:  The Bagg Group, having successfully placed 57,000 people in full-time positions, contract work and part-time placements over four decades is not surprised that Apple employees were loyal.

After all, Jobs was an advocate of company-wide communications.  He told CNN:  “I want them  (employees) making as good or better decisions than I would.  So the way to do that is to have them know everything, not just in the part of the business, but in every part of the business.”

Every Monday, staff was privy to a whole business review– what was working and what were proving to be trouble areas.

Ultimately, Steve Jobs bottled what truly drives employees when he said,  “We don’t get a chance to do that many things, and every one of them should be really excellent.  Because this is our life.”

From experience talking with thousands of highly talented candidates in the GTA, at The Bagg Group we know that any employer who lives Steve Jobs words will motivate their employees to live them as well.   And that’s a gift of a legacy we would all be proud of.

Geoff Bagg,
CEO and President.

To see Geoff’s interview on Roundtable, click here.

This year, The Bagg Group celebrates its 40^th anniversary.   In four decades, there have been many lessons learned, as well as a lot of growth and innovation. 

But the best thing that we achieved over 40 years?   The great matches between more than 57,263 people and employers in the GTA.  That’s a lot of happy people placed.

To look forward, sometimes you have to look back.  Rewind to 1971.

Magic was in the air. The Habs made a stunning upset to win the Stanley Cup, Three Dog Night’s Joy to the World topped the charts, Walt Disney World opened in Orlando. 

And a man named Keith Bagg got the idea that anything is possible.  He set up Keith Bagg Personnel and with Mary Bagg as his partner, they decided to do things differently in the staffing industry -they would lead from the heart.

Today, this approach remains the DNA of our company. It guides our work with our own employees, our clients and our candidates.

What does leading by the heart look like? To qualify it, we could list our numerous awards that include: 

• Employer of Choice 
• Best Staffing Agency, as rated by candidates. 
• Best Staffing Agency for customer satisfaction, as rated by clients. 
• Community Service Awards

There’s no award for Best Staff Appreciation Days, but ours are worthy of mention.  We work hard, but we play hard because we know that having fun as a team makes the heart of a company beat stronger.

But in business, everything, at some point, must come down to the math.

And we’ve done the math.  Because we put our heart into our work and accept nothing less than a happy fit for both the candidate and the employer, we sustain our reputation for delivering the most engaged full-time candidates, temporary employees and contractors.

And this is where the math kicks in.  As our clients know from working with us, a happy, engaged employee is not an island of one.

Instead, when the right person is in the job, their positive impact is multiplied by 10 at least.  They inspire colleagues, family members, and people in their community.   We calculate that the work of The Bagg Group over the past 40 years has made a positive impact on hundreds of thousands of lives.

That is something to celebrate.  We look forward to placing many more happy people in organizations across the GTA, and to continuing the ripple effect that boosts business and spirits.

Next time you walk into a Starbucks, take a good look at the barista pouring your coffee. He or she is one of the reasons why Starbucks is once again in growth mode, after experiencing a crisis in the recession. 

In his newly released New York Times best-seller, Onward:  How Starbucks Fought for Its Life Without Losing Its Soul, Starbucks founder Howard Shultz details what it took to get his company back on track.  Largely, it required empowering employees in three areas: responsibility, autonomy, purpose.  At The Bagg Group we know those are the essentials for attracting, engaging and retaining top talent — whether the talent’s skill is pulling a perfect espresso or improving a supply chain or IT operation. 

Some may consider focusing on employees to be a less than surefire strategy for significant growth.  But those people don’t know what we do. After decades of speaking with clients across the GTA, as well as candidates looking for full-time positions, contract work and temporary placements, we know this to be a fact:  People’s efforts, talents, dedication and creativity are a company’s competitive advantage.   With facts and figures, Onward makes it clear just how much.

On Tuesday, February 28, 2008, Schultz writes that he went further than most to re-invigorate his frontline employees.  At the price of about $6 million in lost sales and labour costs, Schultz closed all 7,100 Starbucks in the US for three hours.  During that time, training took place to remind 135,000 baristas that with the perfect cup of coffee, they can make a difference in a person’s life.   

“If the barista only goes through the motions, if he or she does not care and produces an inferior espresso that is too weak or too bitter, then Starbucks has lost the essence of what we set out to do 40 years ago: inspire the human spirit,” Shultz explains.

The founder of the world’s largest coffeehouse chain writes that he recognized “….even more than perfecting our coffee, we had to restore the passion and the commitment that everyone at Starbucks needed to have for our customers.”

For Shultz, that meant giving employees the autonomy to take responsibility and make decisions to do right by the customer.  Since the training, every employee is empowered to throw out an espresso that they don’t believe is good enough, and start again.

Writes Shultz:  “Speaking to our people via the video, I had no script, just a heartfelt plea. ‘It is not about the company or about the brand,’ I said. ‘It is not about anyone but you. You decide whether or not it is good enough, and you have my complete support and, most importantly, my faith and belief in you. Let’s measure our actions by that perfect shot of espresso.”

The Bagg Group recruiting experts know that it’s that level of recognition and trust, combined with a company-wide pride in product, that candidates seek.

In its time of hypergrowth, the CEO of Starbucks said the company made the mistake of not focusing enough on its people.

All of us at The Bagg Group are delighted that Onward is making the case today that a company that pays attention to its employees is the one that people want to work for — and with.

One-third of the workforce has been hit hard by spring fever this year. 

At the end of March, the insurance provider MetLife released its ninth annual Employee Benefits Trends Study.  While the survey polled US organizations, the findings highlight trends that are sweeping across all of North America. Restlessness is happening in Ontario as much as elsewhere. 

In the MetLife poll, no less than one in three employees reported that they want to work for another employer in the next 12 months.

Loyalty to employers has been ebbing over the last several years.  The survey showed that three years ago 59% of full-time employees said they felt attached to their employer. But in the last quarter of 2010, only 47% reported the same devotion.  

In reviewing the study, Anthony J. Nugent, executive VP at MetLife, attributed the loss of loyalty to the legacy of “do more with less” demands placed on downsized workforces of the past years.

 At The Bagg Group, we get many calls from employees seeking new opportunities because they are worn thin by having to shoulder the workloads of those who were let go as part of a restructuring. 

Interestingly, it’s the highest performers who are more likely to shop for new opportunities in the GTA.  The MetLife survey noted the same phenomenon in the US.

After speaking with hundreds of A-level talent, The Bagg Group recruiters confirm that it’s never hard work that defeats the best employees. Instead, top talent look elsewhere when they are forced to devote too much time and energy to tasks that don’t require their skill or expertise.  As a result, they’re frustrated because they’re unable to focus on work at which they can make the most difference, and which offers learning and growth potential.  

Yet many employers appear unaware of the downward trend in loyalty.  About half (51%) reported that their employees feel the same strong loyalty toward them today as they did several years ago.

The reality is nobody can afford to take anybody for granted nowadays.  Loyalty isn’t a given, it needs to be fostered.  And with four decades of experience in best workplace practices, we know that the way to nurture loyalty is to open the line of communications between employees and their direct reports. 

The most effective solution to workplace frustrations always start to take shape during candid conversations between employees and their employers.

In the case of work overload, there is always an answer. The Bagg Group staffing solution experts work with organizations of all sizes, across the GTA, to create and fill new positions, hire experts on contract to take over projects, or bring in temporary placements to handle tasks.  The result is higher employee retention and greater productivity.

But we can’t emphasize enough that an employee-employer relationship is just that – a relationship.  And we all know that when two people in any relationship don’t communicate honestly and openly, at least one will dream about leaving.  So in these times when high-performing employees say they are dreaming about jumping ship, start talking about how to make the relationship work.

In workplaces across the GTA, January kicks off with teams making New Year’s resolutions.  However, studies show only 12% of us keep our resolutions, according to Gene Hayden, author of The Follow-Through Factor: Getting from Doubt to Done. 

Ms. Hayden says 88% of us abandon our aspirations in the face of any of 15 obstacles that typically get in our way.  Regardless of how much we wish to accomplish a project, many of us put it on the backburner because we can’t find the time, the budget, the staff, the energy, or the confidence to move forward. 

“The bad news is anytime you have a goal, you have to run something of an obstacle course to make it happen,” says Ms. Hayden. “The good news is we can problem-solve our way around just about anything.”

Letting goals slide is not only bad for business, it’s equally bad for employee retention. At The Bagg Group, our four decades of interviewing top talent confirm that employee commitment is affected when organizations don’t work to help teams and individuals turn resolutions into reality.

Gene Hayden - who helps managers and teams in companies across the GTA follow-through on their aspirations – says a proven strategy for reaching a goal is to literally map out the journey from here to there.  A critical factor is to account for all possible roadblocks and detours along the way.

“Many managers talk with their team about what they want to accomplish,” says Ms. Hayden.  “They detail what the end result looks like, but it’s more useful, and engaging, to brainstorm together on how you’re going to get there, step-by-step.” 

To illustrate the point, it’s the difference between stating that you want to run the Toronto marathon, and brainstorming with a team of supporters about how to get in shape to reach the finish line.

The staffing solution experts at The Bagg Group know that the key to turning resolutions into results is the question, “What steps do you need to take to make your goal happen?”   

When we put that question to our clients, we commonly hear that their first step is to help their valued employees find time. We are told of talented, skilled people who are frustrated because they can’t fit new, promising projects into their already overloaded workday.  In these cases, our solution may be to find the right full-time candidate, or an excellent contract worker or temporary staff, to allow top producers to focus on what they do best.

In its forecasts for 2011, Business Week predicts that companies will resolve to accelerate growth through product development and market expansion. Successful teams everywhere are now making maps to get from Aspiration to Achievement.  And every journey starts with the same question, “What steps do we need to take to get there?”

The Bagg Group wishes you great success with your resolutions for 2011.

Planning on taking a pass on marking the holidays with your team this year?  Thinking of just sending out emails and stopping there? Think again.  The staffing experts at The Bagg Group know that a celebration isn’t an indulgence, it’s an important employee retention strategy.

All work and no play doesn’t do much to lift employee morale or cement company loyalty. It may sound corny, but the team that has fun together, stays together. And t’s the season for a little levity.

It doesn’t have to cost a fortune.  In fact, in a recovering economy, laying on the champagne and caviar can irk those who suffered the impact of budget cuts throughout the year.

Only 6% of companies in the US who are holding celebrations say they will spend more than last year on the festivities, according to a survey by the consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. But more companies are getting into the spirit, with 68% of businesses planning on holding some sort of party, up from 62% in 2009.  Still, John Challenger, CEO of the consulting firm, estimates it will be a year or more before there’s a widespread return to the types of blow-outs held prior to the recession. 

The survey also found that 53% of respondents are holding their holiday party at the office, and 54% are keeping the guest list to employees only, no significant others allowed.  That’s a shame because an office party is a terrific occasion to welcome the families of employees and thank them for their support.

At The Bagg Group, we do something different. We go shopping.  The company closes for half-a-day so all of us can hit the Eaton Centre and play Santa.  With money raised by staff and matched by the company, we load up on gifts for the Adopt-A-Family program organized by the Toronto-based Scott Mission.

This is not only a tremendous opportunity to help families in need, it also doubles as a true gift for all of us at The Bagg Group.  Working together to help our adopted families have a wonderful Christmas is a team-building experience that lets us do what we love to do best – help make a difference.

 After 40 years of successfully placing candidates in full-time positions, temporary work, and contract work, The Bagg Group knows that the best companies make a point to leave Scrooge at the door in December.  From holding a pot-luck to a fund-raiser, there are an infinite number of affordable ways to mark the occasion, the only thing that matters is to bring the spirit of the occasion into the workplace.

New Ipsos Reid data that shows 27% of working Canadians plan to job-hunt mirrors The Bagg Group findings

A new study by Ipsos Reid confirms what we have long known at The Bagg Group—that employees who feel they are being stretched too thin on the job are eager to jump ship.

Ipsos Reid’s Build A Better Workplace poll, conducted last month, revealed the following:

More than a quarter of employees (27%) said they are likely to seek a new position in the next six months. Among employees who work for organizations where there has been a wage freeze, this figure jumped to 34%.

• At 31%, managers were even more likely than rank-and-file employees to indicate they plan to look elsewhere.
• Sales people and IT professionals also registered levels of discontent higher than the average.

An astounding 31% of managers reported their number one reason for wanting to leave their company was life/work balance. Among other respondents, 26% cited work /life balance as their leading cause of dissatisfaction, and 29% cited compensation.

Greg Leach, senior VP at Ipsos Reid and author of the study, echoes The Bagg Group’s observations that the economic crisis took its toll, not only on those who lost their jobs, but also on those who stayed.  In reviewing the data, Mr. Leach notes, “Amid cutbacks, layoffs and the search for greater efficiencies, employees are feeling that they are being asked to work far too hard for the compensation they are getting.”

Compensation isn’t only measured in dollars.  The poll also showed that 22 % of employees, or just over one in five, stated they are feeling less optimistic about their own future within their organization.  Only 7% stated their optimism is increasing.

From The Bagg Group’s hundreds of interviews over the years with managers and employees, we know there is a direct correlation between the way a company supports its employees, and employee commitment and productivity.

It’s not news that losing good talent costs a company in numerous ways.  It’s also documented that companies increase employee retention when they help people prioritize and make it possible for them to delegate projects and tasks.  That’s why the most competitive organizations in the GTA hire contract workers and temporary placements to lessen the load on those who have too much on their plate. 

These organizations know that overloading top performers with additional tasks that compromise their focus and don’t require their skill level is counter-productive.  It’s far more economical to hire additional support than it is to lose the people who are good for your business.

David Priemer, Rypple Inc., recently presented at a Bagg Group function on how continuous feedback is a critical success driver:

Sometimes the best thing you can do to boost daily productivity and morale is take a short break from work.  But new research shows that the very best breaks are not those spent watching funny videos on Youtube, or chatting around the water cooler.  Instead, the most effective way to recharge is to do what you did in kindergarten –  enjoy a 20-minute outdoor recess.

However, you don’t have to climb monkey bars or jog, according to a recently released study reported in the British newspaper The Telegraph.  The research by psychology professor Richard Ryan at the University of Rochester concludes that all you need to do is just be outdoors to get a jolt of energy that is equivalent to a strong cup of coffee.

Working with 537 volunteers, Professor Ryan found those who spent just 20 minutes in the open air experienced a significant increase in vitality that had a positive effect on their work day. 

Even desk-bound volunteers who were encouraged to imagine being outside and were shown pictures of  the outsides recorded better mood and energy levels throughout the day than those who didn’t let their minds stray out of doors.

Professor Ryan says his study shows that “people feel more alive” when they can feel the sun and the breeze.  It’s logical, he adds, given the natural bond between humans and nature.

At The Bagg Group, we know from decades of interviewing candidates that employees truly value organizations which recognize life-work balance.  Now, science has come onside to confirm that staying glued to the desk from nine to five is counter-productive.

A 20- minute recess is good for the spirit and for decreasing absenteeism. Going outside increases wellbeing.  “People with a greater sense of vitality don’t just have more energy for things they want to do, they are also more resilient to physical illnesses,” said Professor Ryan.

This summer, spread the word to colleagues that they’ll be doing themselves and the organization a favour by not lunching at the desks, but picnicking instead.