5 Simple Ways to Boost Employee Morale

Posted on

January 8th, 2018

shutterstock_174875483 If you think there isn’t a direct correlation between employee morale and absenteeism, think again. Employees with low morale are also likely to lack motivation, have low job satisfaction, and call out more often. While managers and employers should search for the root cause of the morale issues, there are several easy ways improve the office mood.

Make birthdays a holiday. Most workplaces offer paid leave on government holidays. However, there are certain days no individual wants to work—his or her birthday being a common one. By letting staff take their birthday off (or the Friday before if it falls on a weekend), it signals to employees that their company cares about them. It also serves as a nice gift!
Offer flexible start times. Not everybody’s personal life is well suited to a specific start time. Employees with children may prefer a later start to allow them time to drop kids off at daycare or school. Staff attending college in the evening may prefer to start work earlier to allow more time to relax after work before heading off to class. By offering flexible start times, employees can achieve a better work-life balance.
Allow staff to listen to their own music. While managers may not relish the idea of employees wearing headphones at the office, it has proven benefits. Employees who listen to their own music while working are often happier and more productive. It can foster creativity as well.
Ease up on the dress code. Wearing a suit and tie does not make staff better able to perform their job. In fact, casual clothing tends to make employees feel more comfortable and relaxed. So long as employees are not meeting with clients, allowing them to dress down on Fridays is a simple way to boost their morale. It also can help prevent staff from mentally checking out in preparation for the weekend.
Call it quits early on Fridays. Even if staff members are in street clothes, they may be longing for the workday to end and the weekend to begin. If there are no pressing deadlines and employees are up to date on their work, consider closing the office an hour early on Fridays. If employees know they are getting out of work early, they will have more motivation to focus on the remainder of their day. It is also an easy way to make the entire office happy.

If your staff is struggling with low morale, you may start to notice attendance issues. Employees may start to call out more often, arrive to work late, or leave early. Once absenteeism creeps into the workplace, it can be hard to resolve. Actec can help your business track absences and implement measures to improve attendance. To learn more, contact us today.

Improving Employee Attendance and Engagement

Posted on

December 11th, 2017

Andrew

shutterstock_174875483 A business cannot operate without its employees. When employees call out often or exhibit other attendance issues (i.e. arrive late, leave early, etc.), there is a problem within the company. Left unchecked, staff morale will start to decline and turnover rates will start to increase. There are plenty of businesses waiting to reel in skilled but dissatisfied workers from competing companies, so it behooves employers to ensure their workforce stays motivated.

Professional Development

No employee wants to remain stagnant in his or her position. Professional development opportunities not only expands employees’ skill sets, it also helps them improve their job performance and productivity. Consider cross-training employees in different departments or have them attend seminars.

Incentives

Some workweeks are hectic and every company experiences busy seasons. However, failing to recognize when employees go above and beyond will tank morale. Given enough time and neglect, employees will start to look for other job opportunities. One method to combat this is to provide small bonuses such as free movie tickets for every month of perfect attendance. Rewarding and incentivizing desired behaviors has two benefits. First, the employee experiences a boost in job satisfaction. Second, other employees will take notice and emulate the behaviors to achieve acknowledgment as well.

Flexibility

Millennials value flexibility in the workplace. As the percentage of millennials in the workforce is ever increasing, it behooves business owners to address their needs. Employers can incorporate flexibility in a number of ways:

Offer a once a week telecommute option where applicable
Allow employees to work from home when needed (i.e. when staying home with a sick child or if weather prevents them from reaching the office safely)
Allow flexible start and end times to help employees achieve a better work-life balance

Communicating with employees can provide invaluable insights as well. Employers may think they have a good read on their employees, but, without asking them, it is all speculation. Employers should also discuss attendance expectations with their staff to prevent any confusion.
Managing employee attendance is an important job and one employers should take seriously. Failing to monitor employee attendance can affect productivity and hurt a company’s bottom line. To learn more about absence management, contact the experts at Actec.

The Truth About Employee Wellness Programs and Why They Fail

Posted on

November 28th, 2017

Andrew

fitness imag Employee wellness programs have taken the workplace by storm. Seventy-nine percent of large businesses and 44 percent of mid-sized businesses offer wellness programs. However, no employer can label his or her wellness program a success without measuring its value. While it is great to implement wellness programs, employers need to ensure they are effective to reap any benefits. However, over 60 percent of those that offer such programs fail to track the return on investment (ROI).
While few large-scale studies on the value of employee wellness program exist, some small ones do. A study by the Harvard Business Review found businesses with wellness programs saw a one to two percent increase in healthcare costs compared to the national average of seven percent. Ensuring the success of employee wellness programs is possible if businesses take the following approach.

Viable Wellness Programs Are Top Down

A wellness program will fail to thrive if management at the executive level does not engage. If CEOs host and participate in quarterly health screenings, it will show their employees that they are committed to improving the health of the organization as a whole. Other examples of nurturing long-term health are offering healthy meals at meetings and stocking the vending machines with nutritious snacks. If employers want to improve their employees’ health, it must be a long-term commitment. Holding one health fair per year while continuing to stock the break room with donuts sends a mixed message and will yield poor results.

Simplify Participation

If it is hard to engage or easy to miss the notice, employees will overlook wellness programs. An employer cannot send one reminder email or post one announcement and expect employees to take notice. Employees receive dozens of emails daily and are busier than ever. Employers can utilize several methods of communication (emails, text messages, etc.), but an online portal is the most likely method to succeed. Providing a single location for updates and screening results makes engagement easy for employees.

Seek Professional Support

Wellness Programs often fall under the purview of HR departments, but most HR employees are not equipped to manage the programs. Wellness programs can be complicated and time-consuming so it is best to invest in providers and vendors who are familiar with health screenings, health coaching, and so on. Wellness experts can schedule events, help employees with enrollment, manage communication efforts, and more.
Wellness programs are growing in popularity for obvious reasons: they increase employee engagement, improve morale, address budding employee health issues before they become a significant problem, and reduce absenteeism. Improving employee health has a direct correlation to improving their attendance. This in turn improves a company’s productivity and bottom line. To learn more about how employee wellness programs affect absence management, contact the experts at Actec.

Is Your Attendance Policy Discriminatory?

Posted on

November 9th, 2017

Andrew

shutterstock_252811903 - Copy Employers should be aware that federal law protects certain absences such as those covered by the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). When designing an attendance policy, employers have to take pains to ensure they do not accidentally penalize employers for these kinds of absences. A common reason individuals take leave under FMLA is after the birth of a child. However, even if an attendance policy accounts for this situation, it is not always free of discrimination.

Estée Lauder in Hot Water Over Discriminatory Attendance Policy

Maternity leave is not a new concept, and the related absences fall squarely under FMLA. FMLA requires businesses to allow employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave after the birth of a child. Some companies take this a step further and offer paid leave. Estée Lauder is one such company, but their attendance policy has landed them in court.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is suing the cosmetics giant for offering men less paid parental leave than they do for women. The crux of the suit centers on sex discrimination. Estée Lauder offers women six weeks of paid leave to bond with their new baby while only offering men two. In addition, Estée Lauder offers new mothers flexible return-to-work options after the six-week period ends but does not provide such benefit to new fathers. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 prohibits discrimination in pay or benefits based on sex. If the company offers women paid leave, they must offer men the same amount of paid leave as well. Unfortunately, Estée Lauder’s parental leave program does not comply with the law.

Review Attendance Policies Often

Estée Lauder’s lawsuit should serve as a cautionary tale for other businesses. Companies should review their attendance policies periodically to ensure they are not discriminatory. Actec can help businesses review their absence management policies and implement absence reporting programs free from discrimination. To learn more about the fine points of absence management, contact us.

9 Employee Wellness Ideas To Revitalize Your Organization

Posted on

October 24th, 2017

Andrew

fitness imag Employee wellness programs have taken the professional world by storm, and it is easy to see why. Wellness programs can attract talented job candidates, retain existing talent, and reduce absenteeism rates. Employees who have access to a wellness program also tend to be more loyal and committed to their work. This is because they feel like their employer cares about their health and well being and thus engage more in their tasks.
However, employee wellness programs take work to be successful. Employers need to promote programs that boost wellbeing without being boring. Employees have to want to engage with the program in order to reap any benefits. Keeping wellness program initiatives light and fun can help businesses determine which programs their staff appreciates the most.
Below are several suggestions for wellness programs that are easy to implement.

Health-Based Programs

Supply healthy snacks for the office to enjoy. Nutritious snacks can help boost employees’ moods, energy level, and even help them balance their weight.
Stop offering unhealthy snacks. This may seem the same as the above, but there is a key difference. If an office supplies both healthy and unhealthy snack and meal options, the temptation is there to indulge. By removing the majority of unhealthy foods, employees can nosh on nutritious options instead.
Invest in standing desks. Desks that can adjust to allow employees to stand rather than sit all day can improve posture, reduce back pain, boost mood, and more.

Fitness Activities

Opt for walking meetings. Employees spend a good part of their day sitting. Opting to hold meetings while walking gets their blood circulating, offers a change of environment, and can even boost creativity.
Sign up for a 5K. Employers can select 5Ks that support causes near and dear to their employees. They can also offer to pay the entry charge for any employee who participates.
Hang signs near elevators reminding employees to take the stairs.

Fitness Challenges

Employers can hold daily fitness challenges to increase office morale and inspire friendly competition. An example is a squat challenge. Employees can perform a set number of squats at the start of the challenge and increase that number by five each day. Whoever can continue beyond the set amount the longest wins that day’s challenge. Employers can offer simple prizes such as free movie tickets, free lunch, and so on.
Employers can challenge their employees to drink eight glasses of water per day. Employers can keep track of employee’s progress for a month. At the end of the month, the winner gets a prize similar to the above challenge.
Employers can hold a healthy cooking contest. Employees can bring in their favorite healthy recipes and vote on their favorites.

Whether your business is small or large, your employees can benefit from wellness programs. Healthy and happy employees are much less likely to become ill or experience attendance issues. To learn more about how wellness programs can assist your absence management efforts, contact the experts at Actec.

Finding Fault with No-Fault Attendance Policies

Posted on

October 11th, 2017

Andrew

shutterstock_227384539 - Copy No-fault attendance policies are a popular method of absence management. Employers assign points to various attendance infractions: half a point for tardiness, half a point for leaving work early, and a whole point for absences. Once an employee reaches a certain number of points, the employer can discipline or fire the employee without investigating the reasons behind the attendance infringements. However, such uncompromising policies can backfire and create headaches for employers.

Discrimination Issues Regarding No-Fault Policies

The biggest issue facing no-fault policies is point implementation. The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protect absences related to serious health conditions. If a manager is unfamiliar with these acts, he or she may assign points to an employee by mistake. If a company then terminates that employee, the company is open to a discrimination lawsuit.
This exact scenario ended poorly for Verizon. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) launched a national class action lawsuit against Verizon for violating the ADA. Verizon failed to provide reasonable accommodations as laid out by the ADA and terminated a disabled employee based on their no-fault policy. Verizon settled for $20 million.

Avoiding No-Fault Pitfalls

The best way to avoid discrimination lawsuits related to no-fault policies is to shift point assessment from supervisors to Human Resources (HR). HR employees receive training regarding FMLA and ADA so they know which absences cannot receive points. Employers should also include a caveat in their handbook detailing that employees will not receive points for FMLA or ADA-protected absences.
Actec understands the intricacies of managing employee attendance. That is why we strive to help employers simplify absence reporting and management. To learn more about tracking and reducing employee absences, contact us today.

How to Improve Productivity in the Workplace

Posted on

August 18th, 2017

Andrew

shutterstock_252811903 - Copy Absence management encompasses all facets of attendance, including tardiness, frequent or lengthy breaks, and more. These all affect workplace productivity, which has a direct effect on a business’ bottom line. By resolving productivity issues, employers can reduce the related attendance concerns.

Recruit the Right Candidates

If an employer notices continual attendance issues and high turnover rates, the problem may be with whom they are recruiting. Hiring a driven and productive individual from the outset will yield greater results than trying to mold an apathetic individual into a model employee. One way to achieve this is to broaden expectations of what the ideal candidate looks like. For example, older workers or individuals returning to the workplace after a lapse in employment may fit the bill better than traditional entry-level applicants.

Take a Hard Look at Management

If a business has motivated employees, but still experiences problems with productivity, it may be time to examine the management team and their employee relationships. Promoting from within can reinforce a culture of investment in the workplace and a feeling of mutual success. But if a company promotes an individual above their skill level, they may not possess the qualities needed to manage their staff effectively. This often happens when a business promotes talented individuals to a management role because they were good at their previous job. Excelling in a role does not equate to excelling at managing that role. New managers need help navigating their new position. Businesses can avoid this pitfall by investing in developing their management team through both internal and external resources, and by placing a higher-than-usual value on interpersonal skills.

Use Honest Job Descriptions

Employees who abuse their sick leave, take excessive breaks, or arrive late on a regular basis are likely unhappy with their job. Employees who dislike their position will start to look for new employment opportunities. High turnover rates are disruptive, kill productivity, and can impede customer satisfaction. To help reduce new employee turnover rates, companies should be honest in their job descriptions and their representation of the workplace. Recruiting individuals who are unaware of the downsides of their position will feel disappointed when they begin their job. While no company wants to highlight a position’s shortcomings, they can counterbalance the problems by highlighting the benefits.
If your organization has positions or a workplace that don’t have much going for them, it’s time to consider investments in infrastructure, reorganizing employee roles, and creative adjustments to total compensation to make employee recruitment, onboarding, and retention significantly more effective. Addressing employee morale and attendance issues can improve workplace productivity and lead to greater profitability. Actec understands managing attendance can be a daunting task. To learn more about implementing an absence reporting program to improve employee attendance, contact us today.

Top 5 Job Related Conditions Affecting Employee Attendance, Engagement, and Retention

Posted on

August 2nd, 2017

Andrew

main_top_bg While come causes for absences are legitimate and unavoidable, many others have nothing to do with sickness, injury, or loss. These are job related conditions, and if they aren’t analyzed and controlled they can significantly undermine your bottom line and your company’s reputation.
Job Related Conditions for Frequent Absences
Job-related conditions include more than just an accident at work or George coming in with a head cold and spreading it through the sales department. The work environment and level of employee engagement can also determine how often your employees call in sick. These conditions include:

Stress and burnout
Bullying/harassment
Low Morale
Poorly Defined Leave Policies
Lack of communication, vision, and direction for individual employees and the organization as a whole

These conditions are preventable and if they go unchecked your company can gain the reputation of being a bad place to work.
A Bad Place to Work
Workplace toxicity and malaise impact both turnover and recruitment efforts, in addition to employee attendance and performance. These factors all affect product quality and perpetuate a downward spiral of disintegrating workplace morale. From adaptability and ingenuity to market capitalization and corporate reputation, failing to target these issues is a mistake no company can afford.
Employee Engagement
Increasing employee engagement, encouraging workers to use their vacation time to prevent burnout and instituting a zero tolerance for harassment will improve company morale and attendance rate. Earning a reputation for being a company that cares will also help your organization recruit the top candidates in your industry and improve company efficiency.
Absence Reporting & Analytics
Tracking employee absences is crucial to understanding and repairing absence trends and challenges in your organization. Contact the experts at Actec to learn more about improve absence reporting and analytics through customized offsite solutions.

Top Five Tips for Managing Summertime Absenteeism

Posted on

July 26th, 2017

Andrew

shutterstock_174875483 Absenteeism is an issue that employers must deal with all year round. However, absenteeism tends to increase during certain times of the year such as holidays and during the summer. The reasons for attendance issues during the summer are numerous.
Employees struggling with asthma may experience greater respiratory distress during the summer months and have to take time off from work as a result. Employees with children may have to take time off if their childcare plans fall through. The warm weather and sunny days also act as a lure. The sunshine may tempt some employees to take a long weekend or call in sick even if they are in perfect health.
If employers notice an increase in summer absences, they may be at a loss for how to handle the issue. Below are several suggestions to help combat summertime absenteeism.
1. Employees who are uncomfortable in the office will lack motivation to come to work. Employers should make sure that working conditions are excellent by checking the air conditioning, lighting, and so on. Keeping employees comfortable in the workplace goes a long way toward improving attendance.
2. Employees take summer vacations—this is nothing new. In fact, management should encourage employees to take vacations to help avoid burnout. However, employers should also keep the remaining staff in mind when approving leave. Other employees have to take on their absent coworker’s workload. Employers should encourage staff members to prioritize their work. The less important tasks can wait until their coworker returns.
3. Turn absence management over to managers and supervisors. Because these individuals work closely with their teams, they will notice attendance problems sooner than an employer will. This allows employers to address absenteeism when it first begins rather than letting it get out of hand.
4. Consider flexible work options. Allowing employees to adjust their work hours or to work from home a certain number of days per week can help them maintain their work-life balance during the summer months. For example, allowing an employee to start and end their workday an hour earlier may give them the time they need to pick their child up from their care provider.
5. Implement a rewards program. Negative consequences and disciplinary actions can only go so far toward improving attendance. Positive reinforcement provides a much greater incentive. For example, employees with perfect attendance for the month can enter their name into a prize drawing. Some prize examples include a gift card for dinner for two at a local restaurant, a day at the spa, or movie tickets.
Actec understands employers need effective solutions for absenteeism. To discuss implementing absence management solutions that work, contact us today.

How to Manage Social Media in the Workplace

Posted on

July 12th, 2017

Andrew

shutterstock_252811903 - Copy Most employees have easy access to social media while in the workplace. Whether their job requires them to use a computer or they have a smartphone, social media is within their reach during the workday. While social media has made it easier for people to stay connected, it has also caused problems for employers.
Angry employees can damage a company’s reputation by broadcasting their frustrations to a large internet audience. Workplace productivity can also suffer due to distracted employees checking for updates and posting to their social accounts. Social media can begin to take its toll on employee attendance as well due to extended or frequent breaks to check for updates.
Many employers are struggling with how to handle social media in the workplace. Smart employers can harness the power of social media to boost exposure and sales. However, before using social media to their benefit, employers need to address social media use by their staff. Below are several tips for managing social media in the office.

Monitor Employee Productivity

Not all social media sites are public, so employers cannot always see if employees are using them during the workday. However, a sudden dip in productivity may be due to excessive time on social media. If an employer establishes performance expectations and a review process, employees will focus more on meeting goals and deadlines than checking social media to ensure a positive review.

Be Aware of Unhappy Employees

Most unhappy employees are the product of a difficult work atmosphere. Employers can train managers to recognize signs of dissatisfaction and to monitor employees for potential rifts. Employers can prevent a social media incident by identifying potential conflicts and addressing workplace disputes before they get out of control.

Put a Policy in Place

Putting a social media clause within the company handbook can help provide guidelines for social media use both in and out of the office. The policy can discuss confidentiality to protect sensitive company information. Employers should also communicate their expectations of how employees can or cannot use social media during the workday. If an employer does not want employees updating their social sites while at work, they need to make this clear. Be sure the policy is enforceable; otherwise, it carries no weight.
Social media can affect a company’s reputation, employee productivity, and employee attendance. By taking the proper steps, employers can mitigate these difficulties. To learn more about how social media affects absence management, contact Actec.