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WHY EMPLOYEE
SATISFACTION MATTERS
“Satisfaction and wellness are closely
linked, so investments in morale, such as
special events at work, contests or team
outings, can reduce stress and help peo-ple
feel connected to their colleagues,”
said Sooky Lee, general manager, Human
Resources Business Process Outsourcing
at ADP Canada. “The good news is that
organizations don’t need to reinvent the
wheel to improve employee satisfaction.
The first step is setting up a framework
that will be flexible so you can adapt it as
the company grows.”
MORALE-BOOSTING IDEAS
FOR EMPLOYERS
1. Have fun: Have a themed day, such
as wearing pajamas to work or having
a silly hat contest. A little friendly
competition can bring out creative
ideas and build teams.
2. Get outside: Even a few minutes of
fresh air has been shown to reduce
stress and lower blood pressure.
3. Bring some wellness inside: Hire
a yoga instructor to lead a gentle
rejuvenating class, or bring in some
massage therapists to help your
employees relax.
4. Get everyone involved: Whether
you have a formal social committee or
not, it’s important to let everyone have
some input into how your organization
boosts morale.
5. Get formal: You can also look to more
formal methods, such as employee
discount programs, paid time to
volunteer or community giving activities.
SOME WORK STRESS IS BEST
Work stress is par for the course for cre-ative
leaders, according to new research
from staffing firm The Creative Group.
Seventy per cent of advertising and mar-keting
executives interviewed said their
job is somewhat or very stressful. But
there’s an upside: Nearly one-third of re-spondents
claimed the more stress they
experience, the better their performance;
another 60 per cent reported they thrive
under some pressure.
“Although feeling challenged at work
can inspire action and propel decision-making
among professionals, employees at
every level – and employers – need to be
wary of relying on pressure as a primary
motivator,” said Deborah Bottineau, senior
regional manager of The Creative Group.
“Taking the time to recharge allows teams
the opportunity to refocus their priorities
without unnecessary stress, and strategize
new ideas to further business growth.
“Executives with years of experience
handling stress shouldn’t take their own
abilities to manage for granted. They must
remain mindful of recognizing and sup-porting
employees who may be struggling
to handle work pressures. Checking in
regularly to offer extra resources and guid-ance
helps ensure that employees remain
productive, committed and refreshed.”
The Creative Group offers three tips to
foster a healthy level of work stress among
employees:
■■ Ask staff for input. Touch base
regularly with team members to ensure
their to-do lists are reasonable. Help
workers with time management and
prioritization, and solicit feedback on
how to operate more efficiently and
effectively.
■■ Encourage teamwork. When it comes
to solving business challenges, two (or
more) heads are often better than one.
Foster collaboration in the workplace by
providing plenty of opportunities for staff
to partner with each other on initiatives.
■■ Offer relief. Overburdened employees
can quickly slip into autopilot, which
can stall innovation. Provide project
WHETHER YOU HAVE A FORMAL
SOCIAL COMMITTEE OR NOT, IT’S
IMPORTANT TO LET EVERYONE
HAVE SOME INPUT INTO HOW YOUR
ORGANIZATION BOOSTS MORALE.
professionals or consultants who can assist
core staff during peak activity periods.
2016 HRPA AWARDS OF
EXCELLENCE WINNERS
HRPA awarded its inaugural Awards of
Excellence at the Great Place to Work
Awards gala on April 21 in Toronto.
The awards, which recognize designat-ed
human resources professionals who
architect people-driven strategies that add
business value to their organizations, went
to designated members in three categories:
CHRP, CHRL and CHRE.
MEET THE WINNERS
CHRP AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
Jessica Poling, CHRP
Employee Services Manager, Seasons
Retirement Communities
Jessica demonstrated HR excellence by
working to improve management’s re-lationship
with bargaining units and
local union representatives, resulting in
a substantial reduction in the number of
grievances (41 per cent). She also created
an HR metrics system to track and ana-lyze
quality indicators to determine the
value and effectiveness of HR initiatives
from year to year.
CHRL AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
Lisa Gravelle, CHRL
Human Resource Manager, Fairhaven LTC
Lisa was named the winner in the CHRL
category for several successful HR ini-tiatives,
including adopting a centralized
talent prospecting program to consistent-ly
generate a pool of right fit candidates,
followed up by a detailed onboarding pro-gram
to ensure new hires are properly
aligned to Fairhaven’s cultural values.
CHRE AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
Anne Marie Malleau, CHRE
Human Resources Director, Great Wolf Lodge
Anne Marie was awarded the inaugural
CHRE Award of Excellence on the strength
of her HR leadership and contributions to
Great Wolf Lodge’s strategic objectives. She
cut turnover by almost 13 per cent and in-creased
repeat guest visits by increasing
employee engagement and implementing a
reward and recognition program. ■
12 ❚ JULY/AUGUST 2016 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL