The Bagg Group Blog

‘Tis the season to shake up the workplace and have some fun.  And according to The Bagg Group’s more than 40 years of meeting with the best talent in GTA, the ROP (return on party) is well worth the effort.

Yet, this year’s survey by the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) reveals nearly 39% of respondents will not be making merry.  At The Bagg Group, we believe that even in tough economies, the need to celebrate a seasonal event doesn’t change—although the way you do so might.

Having successfully placed more than 57,000 candidates in companies across the GTA over our history, we know that employees who play together are more inclined to stay together.

A party doesn’t have to cost much.  In fact, in the US, it has become trendy to have a bash on a shoestring.  According to a recent MNSBC network news report, this year’s fashionable corporate holiday parties are smaller, more casual, and with less alcohol than in the past.

It’s not the lavishness of the party that counts. It’s the thought. Holding a holiday party is a way to show appreciation for employees, and to encourage staff to meet each other as people, not job titles. A mixer between managers and all employees reinforces the fact that everyone at a company is pulling for the same team.  And the best way to get to know team-mates is to take some time-off to chat casually over eggnog about personal and family news, not just work-related tasks.

We practice what we preach. The Bagg Group is famous for its staff celebrations.  And HR professionals nation-wide agree that having fun at company get-togethers is time well spent. 

HR Voice reports that 81% of HR experts, polled by HRPA and the Canadian HR Reporter, believe a holiday celebration is important to the morale of an organization.

According to the MSNBC report, 68% of US companies polled this year say they’re holding a party for good cause. They made it through rough waters and now their focus is to motivate and retain the employees who survived with them.  

A holiday hoe-down, even if inexpensive and informal, is also a show of optimism.

While companies with recent layoffs want to show sensitivity, those which don’t even host frills-free gatherings must be careful that their decision doesn’t leave employees dispirited, and fretting about possibly darker times ahead.

Whether you’re planning a last-minute office party or wondering how to spice up your event when you don’t have a budget, here are three great tips:

If you can’t go company-wide, make it a departmental affair:  You don’t need an outside venue; many companies are now holding the holiday gathering on-site.

Santa is popular for a reason:  A Secret Santa gets people thinking about each other and is an automatic mood-lifter.  Some companies do theme-based Secret Santas, such as a “stress buster” or “home-made.”  It’s a good idea to set a $10 to $20 limit.

Our Team’s Got Talent:  Turn the party into a local talent show for a way for people to get to know and applaud each other. Your X Factor doesn’t have to intimidate, expand the ‘show-off’ categories to everything from singing to magic to baking to funny poems. 

There’s an energy that happens when people get together for no reason other than to have a nice time. That energy lasts even after the party’s over. 

Best wishes from all of us at The Bagg Group for a great celebration this holiday.

In a recent blog, we suggested building a summer enjoyment plan into the workday to keep employees motivated during the dog days of August.

Now, it’s time to plan a way to counter the post-holiday blues, which also can cause a dip in productivity and prompt employees to consider making a change, just for change sake.  

It’s no wonder.  Many of us spend all year looking forward to the warm weather and our vacation. With Labour Day comes the hard, cold awakening that summer is over. The idea of returning to our regular routine can be extremely demotivating.

The back-to-work blues is a universal ailment. 

• A recent study by the University of Manchester in the UK shows 76% of employees report stress levels are back to pre-holiday highs within a week of returning to work.  And the Monday morning after a holiday is a time of “greater depression” for the majority of employees, according to the study’s author Professor Cary Cooper.
• The Beijing Today newspaper reported that 35% of office workers between the ages of 25 and 40 in Beijing suffer post-holiday blues. 
• In Australia, Gordon Black, the executive director of Black Dog Institute, a world-renowned facility for mood disorders, says the back-to-work blues is like “putting a harness back on a horse after it has had a taste of freedom.” 

Fortunately, there’s a way to allow people to continue to experience ‘a taste freedom’, albeit creative freedom, on a regular basis. The staffing solution experts at The Bagg Group suggest offering employees scheduled time to daydream and hatch ideas. Some of the best companies in the GTA, and elsewhere, are doing just that.

Google is famous for freeing its employees for 20% of their time so they can pursue their creative ideas.  This break from regular work has resulted in such innovations as Google News, Google Earth, and new features for Gmail and Search. 

Long before there was Google, 3M was running a  “15% paid time to dream” program to encourage employees to come up with ideas for the company.  The pay-off? In 1974, during his daydreaming time, 3M scientist Art Fry came up with the Post-It Note.

Even if you can’t free employees for long, allowing an hour once a week, or even bi-weekly, to dream big can help people overcome the back-to-work blahs. 

The Globe and Mail reports that Columbia Credit Union, WA, gives employees a weekly “genius hour” to work on ideas or learn new skills.  During this hour, bosses answer their phones.  But another option is to hire temporary staff to take over such tasks. Some of The Bagg Group clients turn to us for that very reason.

Time-to-imagine can go a long way to fueling productivity by reminding employees that work can be a place of possibility and opportunity.  

As well, The Bagg Group recruiters, who have successfully placed more than 57,000 candidates over 40 years, confirm that such a program can help attract the best candidates.

As the saying goes, a change is as good as a holiday. Ensuring the occasional break from routine and change of focus can help charge an employee’s batteries all year round.

Want to increase your chance of getting top candidates interested in your organization? Tell them stories that capture the spirit of your company.

Facts, figures, and perks are important for candidates. But to truly hook people, you need to target their hearts, not just their heads.

And nothing makes a stronger impression on people than a story, as confirmed by Hollywood film-maker and entrepreneur Peter Gruber in his new hot selling book, Tell to Win: Connect, Persuade and Triumph with the Hidden Power of Story.

Gruber argues that a story is the most powerful tool you have to move someone to action. He says he uses story to increase sales, motivate employees, and convince A-level talent to join his company, which recently co-produced the movie Soul Surfer.

 But not all stories are created equal. Gruber says “purposeful” stories, told to illustrate a vision, dream or a cause, are the great influencers.

At The Bagg Group, our staffing solution experts have first-hand proof that story-telling works. 

Having successfully placed more than 57,000 people over 40 years at the best companies in the GTA, we’ve detected many patterns.  We’ve seen that candidates who come out of an interview repeating anecdotes that show why a company is special typically have a high interest in working for it. 

That’s why we tell clients that sharing a story during an interview isn’t a waste of time. To the contrary, it’s a short-cut to making a connection between your organization and a possible employee. 

Whether The Bagg Group refers a top candidate for a full-time position, contract work, or temporary placement, we know that person hopes to feel a bond with the company.  And the bond begins with, “Let me tell you a story.”

Story-telling in this age of tweets and powerpoints isn’t old-fashioned, insists Gruber. Instead, he calls it the ultimate in “state-of-the-heart” technology and says it has the power to join people and organizations together fast and effectively.

The Bagg Group staffing solution experts offer these tips on how to tell your story to candidates:

• Prepare your story in advance.  What are the values, and culture, of your organization that you’d like the candidate to know? Think of an anecdote that shows these values and/or culture in action.
• Share your own peak experience, a favourite moment or story, about your work. Collect some of these stories from colleagues as well.  These moments provide great material that people can relate to.
• As you tell a story, ask questions to engage the candidate, and keep them as an active, rather than passive, listener. For example, ask “Do you remember when …?”  “Have you ever noticed that …?”
• The best stories typically follow a narrative arc of a beginning, a struggle, and a resolution.  When telling a story about your company, include the challenge so the listener will appreciate how your company resolves problems.

Facts can speak to what you are, but it’s your story that can reveal who you are and that’s what truly enthuses the best talent in the GTA.

Staying focused on work in the summer isn’t easy.   Most of us would trade in our office chair for a deck chair in a New York minute.   But the reality is many employees do put in desk time during the dog days of August.  This fact of life doesn’t need to foster grumbles and complaints.  To the contrary, summer is a great time to build spirit. 

At The Bagg Group, we have placed more than 57,200 people over 40 years.  With this breadth of experience, we know the happiest people on the job are those who feel appreciated.  This is true not only in the GTA, but worldwide.   A recent study by an American research firm, Retensa, shows 64% of people in the US who leave their jobs say they do so because they feel unappreciated.

One way to show people you care is to acknowledge that putting on a jacket and commuting to work in August isn’t on anyone’s “great things to do this summer” list.  But you can help make the best of it.  Our clients, the best employers in the GTA, often make a point of implementing summer enjoyment plans to sustain productivity and morale when everyone would rather be canoeing.  

The workplace experts at The Bagg Group share these tips for inspiring and motivating those who spend their August in the office.  You can’t move the office to the lake, but you can bring a little camp spirit into the workplace.

Organize a summer party:  At The Bagg Group, we have a hugely popular tradition of hiring a bus and taking all employees to cottage country on a Friday in August for a summer celebration that’s second to none. The shared experience of beaching, boating and barbequing bring staff closer together and recharge everyone’s batteries.

Encourage postings of summer events:   One New York firm reports employee appreciation of its summer list of updated free outdoor events which it distributes to everyone in the office.  Another company holds a weekly contest for the best suggestion for what to do in the city during the summer.

Take your meeting outside:  Consider holding one-on-one or small group meetings at a coffee patio if you can.  It’s a small gesture that acknowledges everyone’s desire to revel in the summer while we have it. 

Encourage outdoor lunches and ice-cream breaks:  Studies show that workplace productivity increases when people take an “outdoor recess,” even if it’s only 15 minutes.

Hold brainstorming sessions:  Typically, business can slow on Fridays and around long weekends when clients may be focused on speeding out of the office.  This can be a great time to get people together for a stimulating ideas exchange on how to improve services, products, or processes.   Again, doing it outside or with a round of chillers sets a relaxing tone for better blue-sky thinking and makes it an engaging summertime event. 

Finally, it’s useful to help people keep things in perspective.  Working in the summer is one thing, but having a tough summer job like many of us did in our teen years is another.  Even Donald Trump looks back and shudders at his long, hot summers spent collecting soda bottles to return for a deposit.  

Slate.com compiled a list of the most common summer jobs for teens and reports even those usually considered fun aren’t always a picnic.  Take lifeguarding. Writer Avi Zenilman says it involves repeatedly cleaning a pool, and worse,“Sunbun, sunburn, sunburn.”  

Sure enough, this serves as a comforting reminder that in this season of sunburns and mosquitoes, there are worse places to be than in a temperature-controlled workplace.  In fact, stock the kitchen with smores, a traditional summertime marshmallow and chocolate  snack, and August at work can start to feel a whole lot better. ?

Picture this: An IT manager and his boss are interviewing a promising candidate.  As the manager provides some background on the IT department, his boss rolls her eyes and says, “For heaven’s sake, get to the point, nobody has all day to listen to this.”   

And with just that one sentence, a good candidate may be ready to speed out the door.   

Some might grumble that the candidate is too easily scared away.  But not so.  According to studies, research on the effects of rudeness in the workplace shows that it negatively affects those who observe it as much as those who are a target of it.  

Second-hand rudeness is not unlike second-hand smoke, it can harm everyone in the room.  And candidates interviewing for full-time positions, contract work or even temporary placements seek out healthier environments.

A few years ago, management professors at University of Florida carried out an extensive study on rudeness.  They found when employees just observed a boss browbeating a subordinate, their level of performance decreased.  The study concluded: “Simply observing discourteous behavior can erode the ability of fellow employees to think creatively, solve problems and act as team players.” 

At The Bagg Group, we have 40 years of helping clients at the best companies across the GTA interview the top talent that we refer to them.   When our clients set up interview panels, we offer these suggestions. 

Have a game plan:  Before the interview, all those in the room should be clear about who will ask which questions, and who is tasked to give what information.  Everyone should be aware of the length of time allotted for the interview. 

The reality is you may be unable to quell the rudeness of an abrasive boss or colleague.  But with a game plan, they will know what to expect and can decide when to come and go during the interview if they are impatient to be doing other things.  

Give interviewees a heads up:  Candidates want to prepare for interviews.  It is helpful to alert them ahead of time if they’ll be meeting with a number of people, and to give them the names and roles of each person.  Like any business meeting, people want to know who will be at the table before they walk through the door.  

Role model:  At The Bagg Group, we hold a long track record for great placements.  That’s because we never forget that a good fit isn’t just about getting someone with the right skills.   

The person also needs the right disposition for the relationship to be successful.  The way the members of your panel interact gives the candidate a sense of how people work with each other at your organization, and whether your company’s inter-personal dynamics are right for them.

While the Donald Trump blunt style of leadership may result in good ratings for The Apprentice, it wouldn’t do much for attracting and retaining great talent in the GTA.  

Browbeating just doesn’t help with the bottom line.  As management professor Amir Erez who co-authored the study simply says, “ Being nice to people has a lot of advantages.”

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.

Sometimes it’s not what you say, but the words you use to say it that can work for you or against you. 

When working with hiring authorities at companies across the GTA, our staffing solution experts at The Bagg Group often help our clients find the right words for everything from a job performance review to a job description. 

That is because we know from more three decades of interviewing candidates that words have the power to either inspire and motivate, or overwhelm and defeat.  

It’s often surprising to bosses, but not to us, how employees can remember word-for-word line that a boss said to them, even years after it was spoken.  Many top talent have picked up the phone to call The Bagg Group after a manager said something to them that left them feeling dispirited. Sometimes, when our expert recruiters probe further, we find that the manager simply used the wrong words to convey a message.

For example, telling employees they have a problem can trigger defensiveness and concern.  But if you use the word challenge instead, people are likely be intrigued and open to tackling the issue.

In the same vein, if you tell someone that they are working for you on a project, they may feel as if they are meant to just fulfill orders, and their initiative and ideas aren’t necessary.  But when you tell someone that they are working with you, they feel as if they are a contributing team member, whose input is valuable.

Richard Gallagher, author of How to Tell Anyone Anything: Breakthrough Techniques for Handling Difficult Conversations at Work, says the key to good communication in the workplace is to speak to your employees as if they are part of the solution, not the problem.  He mentions, as an example, the internal employee slogan at WestJet, “We succeed because I care.”  In other words, the employees view themselves, and are viewed, as key to the company’s success.

In his book, he cautions managers who want to seek improvement, or need to deliver bad news, from using standard workplace phrases that set a negative tone from the get-go.   Telling people, “I hate to tell you this,” prompts them to put up a mental shield to prepare for bad news.  But if you say, “There’s something you need to know,” the listeners will pay attention to discover the benefit to them in what is to follow. 

Likewise, “I have no idea” suggests the conversation isn’t worth time or effort.  Conversely, “I wish I knew”  makes the listener feel like the speaker would help, if they could.  

The simplest way to choose the best words is to put yourself in the place of the employee who will hear them.  Do the words suggest possibility or make you feel defensive?

Finally, just ask yourself the question that almost always opens the door to improved communication, “Is there a more positive way for me to say this?”  It’s amazing the difference a good word can make.

At The Bagg Group, we know that giving your employees a high-five can make all the difference

It’s been more than a month since the Vancouver Olympics, but the cheering that took place in offices during the Games doesn’t have to stop.

During the Winter Games, our clients across the GTA saw employees interact in new, more positive ways.  Staff from different departments who rarely exchanged two words found common ground.  Cheers rang out office-wide when Canadians won medals.  Team spirit was high, and so was morale. 

In fact, the Winter Games were terrific for team-building in the workplace.  But like all team-building activities, the real challenge is to ensure the bonding continues long after the exercise ends. 

At The Bagg Group, our staffing solution experts talk to candidates every day who say they want to feel connected to their workplace, to be part of a community.  That’s why when there’s not an outside event to bring people together, our recruiters suggest creating one.

Here are two tips that our clients have implemented with great success over the years.

Get a company team together to participate in a fun-run:  Spring heralds the beginning of fundraising marathons, and now is the time to get organized and to get staff in shape and training.  As the Olympics proved, nothing brings people closer together than a physical challenge.  

Launch a Spring into Shape challenge:  Volumes of study prove that physical fitness improves productivity and morale.  Keep Olympic medal fever alive by setting up awards for employees who meet measurable, attainable physical fitness goals — like getting to the gym regularly for one month — and who buddy up to help colleagues meet their goals. 

An article entitled Finding the Right Fit that appears on the Canadian Bar Association’s website examines how some law firms are rewarding employees for getting into shape.  At one firm, staff voluntarily record their runs, yoga classes, power-walks, etc. on a special card, in exchange for points that lead to prizes.  

The most important reward, however, is nothing more complicated than a high-five.  And that’s been confirmed by a recent University of California study that shows the best teams in the National Basketball Association — the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers — recorded the most high-fives and slaps-on-the-back among team-mates. 

The researchers conclude that acceptable physical contact, like a high-five, reduces stress and increases good feelings.   

It’s been great cheering on our country’s best athletes, and now it’s time to cheer on each other for any and every professional and personal accomplishment.

February is the time of year when a lot of people call in sick, and we know, from more than 30 years experience as staffing solution experts, that it’s not just a virus that gets people down. 

About 15% of Canadians suffer the winter blues, according to the Ontario Ministry of Health.  And the desire to pull the blankets over one’s head is aggravated by stress and insecurity at work.  In turn, that prompts headaches for managers and colleagues who are left to pick up the slack. 

A survey of 1,700 employees showed that the three main causes of workplace stress are an uncertain future, an inability to assert control at work, and a lack of organizational support, according to Strategy + Business magazine (September 2009 issue).  The study confirmed that employees who are stressed have trouble concentrating and call in more sick days.  

It’s not news that when work becomes overwhelming, people are quick to take a mental health day.  In October, the Globe and Mail reported that a North American survey of 4,700 employees found that 32% of people call in sick at least once a year when, physically, they feel just fine.

And what do they do on their day off?  Some update their resumes and call staffing agencies.

At The Bagg Group, we work closely with hiring authorities at organizations of all sizes in the GTA.   And we collaborate on solutions to decrease workplace stress year-round for higher employee satisfaction and retention.

 Our clients, top employers in the GTA, know that ensuring employees don’t feel overburdened by their workload is good preventative medicine.

The first step is to support employees by ensuring they are not juggling too many priorities at once.  But if there is a multitude of tasks that must get done, the solution is to spread the work around. In other words, delegate.

With that in mind, our staffing solution experts offer these three tried-and-true tips on how to delegate.  

Trust the one you delegate:  Whether you are hiring a contract worker to take over a project, or an office temp to take over a variety of tasks, you must be assured that they have the appropriate skills, experience, track record, and initiative.  They need to have the right competencies and attitude so you can concentrate on your priorities, worry-free.

Take the time to know the task:  It’s important to break down your project into its smallest components.  For example, write down who needs to be contacted, what research needs to be done, what reports need to be written.  Next to each detail, write your name if you are the only one who can do it, or write a D if it’s something that can be delegated.

Say it, don’t just think it:  No one is a mind-reader.   The more clear and detailed you are about what you want done, and how you want it done, the greater the result.  Go over the breakdown of the task with the person who is taking it over and encourage questions.

Good delegating can’t melt snow, but it can melt away some of the panic and that’s a good boost to the immune system.

With the warm weather comes daydreams of vacations and dips in employee productivity. Recently, a survey of a British staffing agency showed 68% of employees admit to spending a significant part of their workday thinking about their impending holidays and 25% of respondents acknowledged a drop in their productivity.

That’s not unusual. When fine weather finally hits, even the most disciplined of us find it difficult to block thoughts of canoes and cottages. 

At The Bagg Group, we advocate vacations.  They are all the more important in a recession when employees need a break from a heavy workload and office stresses.

Across Canada, most companies offer an average of 17 annual vacation days.  That’s down two days from 2007, but still three more than Americans, according to a  2008 Expedia survey of employed workers in North America and Europe

In Europe, the practice has always been to provide significant time off. In 2008, employees in Great Britain typically got 26 days off,  a two-day increase over 2007, and Germany, Spain and France saw increases of one day, with workers receiving 27 days, 31 days and 37 days respectively.

Recruitment agencies in  the GTA concur that there are three reasons to encourage employees to take their vacations:

Vacation help reduce burnout:  Rest and relaxation is the best way to re-charge the batteries.

Vacations promote creative thinking:  Often, in stepping away from a situation, you can see it more clearly and so come up with better solutions.  

Vacations improve work/life balance:  A holiday is a time for employees to reconnect with families and personal interests and increased quality of life can lead to increased quality of work on the job.

Still, daydreaming and vacationing employees can add up to a seasonal headache for managers and hiring authorities who must ensure smooth operations, regardless of the temperature outside.  As staffing solution experts, here are some tips that we have shared  successfully with top employers in the GTA.

Create work schedules for the summer frame of mind:  Allow flexible work hours that let workers start and finish the day earlier.  In this way, workers complete eight-hour days at the office and still have time to enjoy the sunshine

Post a visual chart showing who is absent when:  This is useful for colleagues, and helps managers ensure key employees are not on holiday at the same time.

Have employees compile a list of clients, suppliers, and anyone else who may need to be contacted in case of an emergency:  This list is useful year-round, and the summer holiday is a great incentive for the employee to put it together.

Cross train employees to take over duties of others:  Have employees prepare a list of their major duties and step-by-step instructions on how to fulfill these. But put on hold those tasks that can wait a week.  It’s not helpful to to overburden  colleagues left behind.

Consider hiring temporary staff or contract workers:  This ensures continued smooth operation, and allows the other employees to focus on their work.  Also, it helps the vacationing employee who can suffer a bad case of post-holiday blues if returning to work that has piled up.

Look for opportunities to celebrate summer:  After our long winter, we do need to make the most of summer.  Consider holding one-on-one meetings at a patio or allowing Bermuda short and sandal days.