Connect four

Mandatory retirement legislation in Canada has been gone for a while now.  And that’s a good thing.  Older workers have much to offer in terms of the knowledge they have acquired over their careers, and are a valuable talent pool for Christian charities to draw from.  And while there are many reasons why older Canadians choose to continue working, their delayed retirement has resulted in organizations having up to four generations in the workplace.  These generations and their approximate years of birth are: Silent Generation (early 1920’s to early 1940’s), Baby Boomers (1946-1964), Generation X (early 1960’s to early 1980’s) and the Millennials (early 1980’s to early 2000’s). This multi generational workforce represents a tremendous opportunity for charities, but is not without its challenges.

Millennials

The newest and perhaps most disruptive generation in terms of challenging long held workplace norms are known as Millennials, or Generation Y. Millennials already occupy senior leadership positions in some organizations (think Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook) and exert considerable influence on Canadian society as a whole.  The outcome of our country’s most recent federal election was most certainly influenced by Millennials who turned out in record numbers to vote.  Millennials have influenced the types of worship songs we sing in our Churches, and are also making their presence felt in Christian workplaces with their preference for things like flexible work arrangements and continuous feedback.

According to Statistics Canada, Millennials are now the largest demographic in Canada’s workforce.  This demographic is often portrayed by various thought leaders and business gurus as having unrealistic expectations that can drive their older colleagues…well…nuts!  For example, Millennials often have very different expectations when it comes to things like career progression, as well as when and where work gets done.  Entitlement is a word that seems to have become synonymous with Millennials.

Before we go any further it must be said that these are simply generalizations, and it is human nature to try to categorize things to make sense of our world.  Not all Millennials want to work from home or be promoted to senior leadership positions in their first year of employment.  I personally think too much emphasis has been placed on how different each generation is from the other, and that we are still more alike than we realize.  Our Christian faith is a bond that we share and transcends generational differences in that we are all seeking to do our work as unto the Lord.

While we all need to be intentional about fostering positive working relationships, I am going to suggest that there are three highly impactful things that Boomer and Gen X leaders can do to lead the way and work in harmony with their Millennial colleagues.  It could be that you are doing some of these already!

1.  Manage career progression expectations

Christian charities tend to be fairly flat in terms of hierarchy, which means that professional development will look like more of a latticework than climbing the career ladder of years gone by. Combined with the fact that many ministry workers have chosen to delay their retirement, fewer career progression opportunities are currently available to Millennials.  Having said that, there is still much that Baby Boomer and Gen X leaders can do to positively manage Millennial expectations around career progression.

Being fairly close in age to the Millennial cohort myself, I can say that it is a powerful thing when a leader invests their time to understand where their team members want to develop and grow and to help them discern their ministry calling. Learning new skills, challenging/interesting assignments and getting to work with others who excel at what they do can all be powerful motivators for Millennials to stay with a charity.  And while that next promotion might not yet be available, leaders may want to consider the following as opportunities to engage and retain their Millennial colleagues:

• Development plans – together with the employee, create a development plan that identifies their short/medium/longer term ministry goals, and what supports might be needed to help get them there. Development planning lets the employee know that they have a path forward with your ministry, and that the charity is committed to their continued learning and growth.
• Stretch assignments – this could include having a staff member make a presentation to the Board, or having them backfill for a more senior employee who is on vacation, sabbatical or some other kind of leave.
• Job rotation – more senior roles require a broader perspective of how the charity’s various functional areas (e.g. operations, finance, marketing etc.) work together.  Providing an employee with exposure to these areas is an invaluable professional development experience.

2.  Commit to making regular one to one conversations a priority

Thanks to the internet, Millennials have grown up in a time of unprecedented connectivity to the world around them. Smart phones, social media, online gaming and crowdsourcing all make it possible to receive real time feedback on ideas and decision making.  Understanding the Millennial context can certainly go a long way in helping leaders support these employees with their need for ongoing feedback.

For Millennials, this desire to receive continuous feedback carries over into the workplace, and because performance review discussions typically only occur at fixed intervals throughout the year, they need to be supplemented with ongoing one to one conversations.  For further details on conducting effective one to ones, please see my previous blog post called Are one-to-one’s part of your leadership tool kit?

One to one conversations are an excellent vehicle to discuss what is going well and not so well and helping leaders to understand if additional resources are needed or if the employee is at an impasse. Leaders can provide coaching and feedback in the moment which allows the employee to correct course if things are off track.  This kind of real time feedback is much more valuable than trying to reflect back months later during performance review time.

Staff member recognition is an important kind of feedback and one to one conversations can be used to reinforce what the employee is doing particularly well.  Many of the suggestions in my blog post called 7 tips for effective staff member recognition will enable leaders to recognize their Millennial staff members in ways that are particularly meaningful to them.

 3.  Tackle the question of where and when work gets done

With the always on, always connected nature of today’s technology, it is little wonder that the lines between work and personal life get blurred.  More than ever before, technology is allowing us to work from anywhere, any time and Millennials in particular tend to place a high value on flexible work arrangements.

I would encourage charities to create guidelines around how these kinds of requests will be evaluated, and communicate these guidelines to staff to ensure clarity and understanding.  Here are some filters you may want to consider when evaluating requests for flexible work arrangements:

• What role or function does the employee perform within the organization?
• How would this impact the charity’s ability to maintain service standards?
• Has the employee successfully completed their probationary period?
• Is the employee’s performance meeting expectations?

In general, requests to work remotely should be considered on a case by case basis, as some roles may be more conducive to working remotely than others.  For example being flexible and responsive are key qualities that enable pastors to meet the needs of their congregants and broader community in a caring and timely way.  Visiting someone in hospital or providing counselling often don’t fall neatly into regular business hours, making flexible work arrangements a necessity.  In other roles, creating a consistent donor or client experience may impact whether or not an employee can effectively conduct their work remotely.

Whether flexible work arrangements are a good idea or a bad idea really depends on the context that your charity operates in.  Regardless of which approach your charity takes, being transparent and consistent in how your policy is applied will go a long ways to reducing friction with Millennial staff members on this issue.

Looking ahead

Millennials are continuing to grow as a workplace demographic, and bring with them a desire to make a difference in their world.  This is good news for Christian charities.  Like each generation before, Millennials have grown up within a context that has shaped how they think about work and caused them to form ideas and opinions that may be quite different than those of Gen X and Baby Boomers.  Older generations can learn much from this demographic, like asking a Millennial to mentor them in how to better leverage technology like social media. Generational differences in the workplace are nothing new, but seeing these differences as a strength and being open to new ways of doing things represents a tremendous opportunity for charities.

The post Talkin’ ‘Bout My Generation appeared first on CCCC Blogs.

Cartoon audience, clapping.

 Employee recognition in the Christian charity context

In the New Testament, Paul encouraged the Colossians by writing, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters“.  Because ministry staff personnel are focused on the eternal and know that their labours will be rewarded in heaven, Christian charities may think of staff member recognition as being more of a corporate initiative or tend to equate it with recognizing retirements and milestone anniversaries.  But employee recognition, when done well, can be so much more than this, and can be a real blessing to others in the workplace.

Employee recognition has the potential to positively influence workplace culture by calling attention to behaviours and outcomes that are aligned with the charity’s mission and values. In their book Mission Drift, authors Peter Greer and Chris Horst talk about the importance of a mission true culture, which includes what they call the celebrating of exemplars.  “When staff members exhibit organizational values, be sure to call it out.  The surest way to have others embrace your full mission is through positive reinforcement.  At each of our staff meetings, staff members nominate their colleagues when they see them living out organizational culture.” (Greer and Horst, in Mission Drift.)

Closely linked to its impact on workplace culture and engagement is how employee recognition can help staff members to feel valued and appreciated in their work.  And while we can often derive a certain intrinsic satisfaction from knowing that a job has been well done, positive feedback and recognition has long been recognized as an important component in helping to build strong teams.  In First Thessalonians believers are told to encourage one another and build one another up, and in the workplace this helps to strengthen team bonds and reinforce the desired workplace culture.

Tip #1 how we recognize others is important

Of course individuals can vary greatly in how they like to receive feedback and we should all be intentional about recognizing others in a way that is meaningful and honouring to them. How we recognize others is equally as important as what is being recognized.  Asking how others prefer to receive feedback can be a great question for leaders to build into one to one conversations with their staff members, and while this would ideally take place when new employees are being oriented to the charity, it’s never too late to ask longer serving team members as well.

For some employees, being recognized in front of a larger group setting may be a real thrill whereas others may prefer a smaller group setting or even receiving this kind of feedback and acknowledgement on more of a one to one basis.  Some of the most memorable feedback that I have received was simply a handwritten card from my manager.  I have even had some colleagues tell me they like to refer back to those cards and notes when they are feeling discouraged or having a particularly challenging day.

Tip #2 effective recognition is specific

I have always been fascinated by my Grandparent’s stories of what life was like when they were young, and a few years ago I decided to begin working on my family tree.  Like most families it turns out there are more than a few nuts in ours!

After having worked on this project for a couple of years I finally felt ready to share it with my parents and siblings.  They told me I had done a great job. Really great, in fact. I couldn’t believe it! I wanted to know if there were specific stories they felt drawn to, or if they had questions or even disagreed with some of my findings.  Lucky for them I am already working on a second version complete with discussion questions!

In order to make meaningful connections between the behaviour that is being recognized and the values of the charity, feedback needs to be specific.  Being intentional about providing specific feedback doesn’t need to be difficult, and can quickly become second nature.  It carries with it a level of authenticity that praising someone in more general terms is not able to convey.  An example of this could be sharing with a colleague that their approach to a delicate donor relations matter was appreciated, and that they really exemplified the charity’s values of ‘desire to serve’ and ‘respect’ in that particular interaction.

Tip #3 effective recognition is timely

For recognition to really be effective it needs to be provided soon after the staff member demonstrated the behaviour that is being recognized.  This is actually true no matter what kind of feedback is being given.  I can remember working at a call centre to make extra money during college. The supervisors would play back calls that were up to three months old and use them as learning opportunities.  Needless to say this was not an effective means of coaching given the high volume of calls that customer service associates answered each day.  The ideal time to provide positive feedback and recognition is in that moment or soon after the event.

Tip #4 leading the way

Charity leaders have the opportunity to really role model and set the tone for the desired culture in their workplaces.  This includes how individuals and teams are recognized and rewarded for their work.  Leaders will ultimately decide how formal or informal of an approach the charity will take to staff member recognition and what works best in the context of their workplace. They are also in a position to help their team members understand the broader implications of their efforts.  For example, a staff member whose role is primarily internally facing may find it very meaningful to hear a personal story of how their work has positively impacted the life of someone who makes use of the charity’s products or services.

Invariably the topic of employee recognition always leads to interesting discussion around leadership tables. Some leaders take the position that they are hard markers, or that folks shouldn’t be recognized for simply performing the role that they were hired to do.  And while I’m not advocating for recognizing the trivial, leaders that don’t include employee recognition in their management tool-kits may be missing out on a great opportunity to build the kind of team that everyone wants to be a part of.

Tip #5 peer to peer recognition can be highly impactful

When managers and supervisors are seen providing authentic positive feedback in a way that is specific and timely, it makes it easier for others in the organization to follow suit.  Some of the most effective forms of staff member recognition are grass roots initiatives where colleagues provide their peers with informal, positive feedback.  This has the potential to be particularly impactful as colleagues are often the closest to the work that is being done and tend to have greater visibility into what made that assignment or project so challenging in the first place.  Charities wishing to encourage this type of peer to peer recognition could provide their employees with note cards for that express purpose, however post it notes can work equally as well.

Tip #6 low cost high impact employee recognition suggestions

Here are some of my suggestions for low cost, high impact employee recognition.  There is lots of room for creativity here, so this list is by no means meant to be exhaustive:

• Personal hand written card or thank you note from manager or colleague
• Special shout outs at staff meetings or team huddles
• Assigning the employee a project they will find particularly interesting or challenging
• Having the employee lead a lunch and learn on a topic they are knowledgeable about
• Coffee or lunch with a member of the leadership team of the staff member’s choosing
• Backfilling for another team member who is on vacation or sabbatical
• Allow the employee to take a day with pay to do work for a charity of their choice
• Have employee take the lead on implementing an idea or suggestion they have come up with

Tip #7 don’t forget about taxable benefit implications

Unfortunately the good intent of staff member recognition can be quickly undone if consideration is not given to the implications of taxable benefits.  No one likes being surprised at tax time by suddenly realizing the gift they received from their employer was actually a taxable benefit.  The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) does make allowances for employers to give a non-cash gift(s) with a total fair market value of up to $500 per year.  If the total amount exceeds $500, the excess amount would be taxable.  For full details, CCCC members are encouraged to reference CCCC’s article called Gifts of Appreciation to Charity Employees & Volunteers: What’s Taxable and What Isn’t?

Closing thoughts

Whatever approach your charity takes to staff member recognition, it’s important to ensure that the recognition is tailored to that individual, and that it is specific, timely and authentic.  While there is a dizzying array of software programs and apps available on the market, the best kind of recognition program for your charity is one that will actually get used, and the best time to get started is today.

The post 7 tips for effective staff member recognition appeared first on CCCC Blogs.

People talking over coffee

Are one-to-one conversations part of your leadership tool kit?

Great leaders understand the value of having regular one-to-one conversations with their direct reports. Making time for these discussions sends a powerful message that leaders care about their people and are committed to enabling each team member to perform at their best.  There really is no substitute for the kind of rich conversation that can result if one-to-one’s are done well, and there is much leaders can do to create an environment where this happens.  Before we discuss what leaders can do to set the stage for meaningful one-to-one conversations, lets take a look at some of the benefits that come out of having these regular touch points with staff.

Three benefits of conducting one-to-one’s with your staff

1. Opportunity to reflect on recent happenings –  Leaders might frame this in the question of: ‘what is going well, and what isn’t going so well?’.  This kind of open ended question can lead to many possibilities including coachable moments where leaders can help employees to stretch and develop their problem solving skills.  These conversations are also a natural conduit for leaders to encourage others in their professional and spiritual development. An added benefit is that leaders will get a sense of whether or not staff are aligned with the broader goals and objectives of the charity.
2. Strengthens working relationships and rapport –  Active listening skills can help leaders to build credibility with their staff in that they truly ‘get it’ when it comes to the challenges and opportunities they encounter in their lives and day to day work.  For example, leaders may be able to connect employees struggling with mental health issues with resources (e.g. Employee Assistance Programs) sooner, potentially reducing the amount of lost time from work.  As Christians, leaders have the opportunity and privilege to also use this time to pray with staff members over specific needs and concerns they may be struggling with.
3. Detect and action employee disengagement sooner – A Gallup poll in 2014 found that just over 31% of workers in the United States were engaged in their jobs.  That means that almost 70% of those employees were either not engaged or actively disengaged in their work!  Having regular one-to-one conversations gives leaders an opportunity to pick up on lack of employee engagement sooner and the chance to do something about it.  For millennial employees it could be as simple as giving them the opportunity to work on something they find interesting and challenging.

Setting the stage for meaningful one-to-one conversations

Openness and transparency

One-to-ones provide a means for leaders and employees to pro-actively understand how each prefers to give and receive feedback, equipping both parties with tools for navigating conflict and relational challenges when they arise.  Leaders that are open and transparent about how they prefer to give and receive feedback, and take the time to learn about the work styles of their employees, will spend less time navigating relational challenges and more time advancing the charitable purposes of their organization.

Make the time

It can be all too easy to allow the urgency of the day to keep one-to-one conversations from happening, and while this is sometimes unavoidable, leaders who schedule the time are much more likely to follow through and make these touch points a priority. If a meeting needs to be cancelled, immediately re-scheduling signals to staff that their leaders continue to see this time together as important.  Choosing a meeting location where you won’t experience any interruptions and resisting the urge to check your smartphone allows leaders to really be present in the moment.

Introducing one-to-ones to your charity

The best time for leaders to introduce one-to-ones is when a new employee joins the organization. While there is no one standard when it comes to length and frequency, consider the length of time between conversations if a meeting gets missed, and plan accordingly.  Most of the leaders I have worked with tend to favour shorter more frequent meetings over longer meetings that are spaced further apart.

If one-to-ones are new to your organization, employees may need some help to get a feel for what these meetings are all about.  From this perspective, leaders will often have several open ended questions they can ask to help get the conversation going.  Here are a few that may help to get you started:

• What gets you out of bed in the morning?  Is there something you are working on that you feel particularly passionate about?
• What is it that keeps you excited and engaged in your work at our charity as opposed to deciding to work somewhere else?
• Where would you like to grow and develop professionally and spiritually over the next year?
• Are you encountering any roadblocks in your work that you need my help with?

Closing thoughts

Leaders that don’t conduct regular one-to-ones with their staff may be unintentionally operating with a blind spot and will not be as effective in their roles as those who make this practice a priority. These conversations allow leaders to understand and tap into what truly inspires and motivates their team members.  While there may be times when there is nothing new to discuss, this is usually the exception to the rule, as most employees (especially those working remotely) truly value having this time with their leaders.  One of the greatest legacies a leader can leave behind is that of enabling and developing others, so why not schedule some time with your staff members today?

The post Are one-to-one’s part of your leadership tool kit? appeared first on CCCC Blogs.

Freeimages.com, Carol Garbiano

A surprise visit

This summer, CCCC received a visit from a Ministry of Labour occupational health and safety inspector.  Of course this wasn’t a scheduled visit.  That’s the whole point.  They want to see what things are really like when you haven’t had a chance to prepare for an inspection.

I had only been in the office for about ten minutes when I was told that someone from the Ministry of Labour was seated in the waiting area and had asked to meet with me.  Although I have been in the HR field for a number of years, this was the first time I had ever personally experienced a workplace inspection.  I couldn’t believe it.  CCCC has less than 20 employees. What are the chances that the Ministry of Labour would want to conduct a visit of our workplace? And yet here they were. Surprise!

For the majority of Canadian employers, health and safety legislation is a provincial jurisdiction, and the provinces have given occupational health and safety inspectors some pretty broad sweeping powers. In Ontario, inspectors can issue on-the-spot tickets of $200 or $300 for a wide range of less serious violations under the Occupational Health & Safety Act (OHSA) and Regulations.  According to a recent Carswell publication, there were 780 convictions and fines of more than $9 million under the OHSA in 2013-2014.

Document, document, document!

After introducing myself and inviting the inspector to my office, I quickly realized I wouldn’t be leading this meeting.  A check list was produced, and I was asked a number of questions including:

• Has CCCC hired any workers 25 years and under in the last six months?
• What is CCCC’s health and safety policy?
• What is CCCC’s workplace violence and harassment policy?
• Where is CCCC’s health and safety awareness poster?
• Has CCCC conducted health and safety training for its staff members, and what training records have been kept?

Being relatively new to CCCC, I decided to ask our health and safety worker representative to join the meeting.  Between the two of us we were able to produce the required documentation and answer the inspector’s questions. The tone of the meeting became a bit more relaxed once it became evident that CCCC had met its obligations with regards to having the proper policies in place and ensuring that staff received the proper training.

Workplace inspection

As we began our tour of the building, nothing escaped the notice of the inspector.  A water stained ceiling tile from a leak that had long since been fixed was pointed out, and tags on our fire extinguishers were all checked.  Our building was thoroughly inspected from end to end.

Churches are workplaces too

It was during this time that the inspector told us about a church custodian who had fallen from a ladder while working alone in a gymnasium.  The custodian had broken a leg during the fall, which is considered a critical injury in Ontario, and has specific reporting requirements.

After a period of time had passed, a couple of ladies that had come into the church to use the kitchen found the man, and were thankfully able to obtain help.  When asked what is one thing from a Health and Safety perspective that CCCC should share with its members, the inspector answered, churches are workplaces too.

Written report

The inspector provided us with a written report, which was to be posted somewhere visible in the workplace where staff members would be sure to see it.  We were quite pleased that not only were no orders to be issued, but that the inspector commended CCCC for its commitment to Health and Safety, and asked us to share this with our staff members as well.

The takeaway for charities

If you aren’t familiar with the health and safety legislation in your province, a good starting point would be visiting the following webpage: Canadian Government Departments Responsible for Occupational Health and Safety.

Ideally, health and safety should be a part of every charity’s workplace culture, with senior leaders and charity directors modelling a commitment to safety in the workplace.  Although no one goes to work expecting to get injured, The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety reported 902 work related deaths in 2013, which is an average of 2.47 work related deaths per day.

Health and safety in the workplace is a journey of continuous improvement, and one that carries with it specific obligations for employers, managers and workers.  In Ontario, individuals convicted of an OHSA contravention, or failure to comply with an order, can be fined up to $25,000, and/or be imprisoned for up to 12 months.  Corporations convicted of an offence can be fined up to $500,000.

I would encourage you to take the time to review your charity’s health and safety policies and practices to ensure that you and your staff are working safely.  Not only will you help your charity to avoid costly fines, you may just prevent an accident from occurring in your workplace.

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