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When it comes to retaining employees, organisations need to focus on benchmarked industrial practices to keep their best talent and control attrition rates. That being said, attrition need not always have a negative connotation - it’s an indicator that your organisation is changing. Often, attrition can help you bring in better talent and build a diverse workforce. But throughout this process, your focus needs to be on attracting and building the right base for your company, while also putting in the effort to retain the workforce that makes your company what it is. So, why is retention so important? Let’s take a look at how constant churn and loss of talent can be a dampener to employee and organisational growth. Collaboration can witness a dip A team that has worked together for a long time is likely to function like a well-oiled machine, having built a degree of understanding and synergy. They are likely to collaborate better and possess stronger team dynamics, with each person being aware of the strengths and weaknesses of others, and making adequate adjustments to complete projects more efficiently. While fresh perspectives and talent are always welcome, losing an essential cog can disturb healthy team dynamics and result in reduced productivity as the team transitions to cover the gap left by the employee who quits. Onboarding time and costs Employees who have been with the company for a long time have a better understanding of how the organisation functions, as well as the talent and skills required to navigate their job role. It’s no secret that the cost of onboarding new employees both in terms of resources and time can take a major chunk out of profitability. Whether it is the cost of job ads and job portals, time lost in the screening & interview processes, or the transition period of onboarding and the resources spent on upskilling and training new entrants - The cost of a high turnover rate can impact the bottom line. This makes it significantly more viable for organisations to invest in retaining the current workforce and building a happy work environment that bolsters individual and team productivity. Negative impact on employees Adjusting to constant churn can take a toll even on the most resilient of employees. Feelings of dissatisfaction and disengagement can spread within an organisation, and teams often see the organisation as responsible for the loss of good talent. Especially if people are leaving due to reasons like a toxic work environment, authoritarian leadership, a lack of transparency and below average pay, it’s only a matter of time before more and more of your best people find brighter opportunities. This in turn can be demoralising and demotivating to others, even prompt your more “stable employees” to seek other avenues. So, clearly, attrition is an important factor when it comes to team performance. Here’s how you can reduce attrition rates in your organisation: Engagement exercises: By helping your employees get to know each other better, encouraging health and wellness, and focusing on collaboration in addition to L&D programs for skill-building, you can create an engaging work culture & a positive work environment that quite simply makes people want to stay. Effective listening exercises: Conducting pulse surveys to grasp employee sentiments and experiences, and paying close attention to expectations & feedback from employees during interviews, exit polls and periodic surveys can help you understand what you’re doing right and what you’re not. Step 2 is to assess feasibility and ensure implementation. Often, asking for feedback and failing to follow through is worse than not asking for feedback at all. Upskilling and career mapping: Providing learning and development opportunities for your employees will keep them engaged, productive and continuously learning. With more focus being placed on growing professionally, it will also help to chart out their journey with your organisation through career mapping/planning efforts. This not only ensures progress in the technical sense, it also adds a sense of purpose to the employee experience - a factor that is a major driving force for commitment and ownership at work. Building benefits and policies: Putting in place an appropriate Rewards & Recognition program, promoting wellness, work-life balance, and encouraging stronger teams are all important factors in reducing attrition rates within your organization. Robust policies and processes, as well as thoughtful perks and benefits complete this picture. All of this together builds a culture that helps your employee-base grow not only as professionals but also as people. This isn't a process that can be completed in a day. It involves assembling strong, well-informed and competent teams across HR, Talent Development, L&D and D&I, amongst others to come together and lay the foundation for an organisation where people thrive. Impediments to work-life balance & synthesis, negative mentoring styles, and a toxic work culture can cost your organisation your most talented employees. Keeping a check on the pulse of your company and taking steps to building an engaging and holistic workplace will, in the long-term, help you keep your employees happy, your attrition rates low, and your employer brand aspirational. High levels of retention also serve to grow your company from within. Whether it is to identify your next top leaders, or to plan new business endeavours, the people who stay with you the longest can often lay the base for exciting new expansion plans and ambitious organisational growth initiatives.

“When employees recognise and appreciate each other, their connection transcends the immediate culture to create a shared bond. The power of this bond is stronger than you might think; indeed, it’s the power that holds together great organizational cultures.” – Erik Mosley and Derek Irvine, co-authors of The Power of Thanks: How Social Recognition Empowers Employees and Creates a Best Place to Work It is said that no man is an island. If we were to apply the same logic to a workplace ecosystem, we could say – no employee can ever work in a silo. This statement holds because just like we yearn for companionship as humans; we also yearn for a happy workplace as professionals. Among the cornerstones of such a workplace are recognition and appreciation. According to Gallup, employees feel about 82% more motivated to work when recognised for their contribution. Many misconstrue the concept of ‘appreciation’ to be something loud and public alone. Contradictorily, it is a departure from being ‘functional robots’, whose ultimate focus is to mechanically go through daily motions of the day. Appreciating your employees, peers and colleagues is imperative if you wish to foster deep-rooted bonds that add to workplace productivity. Here are 5, subtle, yet impactful ways of showcasing appreciation. Fill up the jar of appreciation This is inspired by the theory of bucket fillers and bucket dippers, as explained by Don Clifton and Tom Rath in their book – How full is your bucket? Here they speak about two types of employees. One, who fill up the bucket/jar of appreciation by doing small acts of kindness, showcasing empathy, listening actively, expressing gratitude and so on. The second ones are bucket dippers or jar breakers, who prefer being negative, are prone to ignoring their peers, being passively disrespectful, etc. The next time you choose to interact with your colleagues, remember to be an appreciation jar-filler rather than a breaker. Be an extrovert when communicating gratitude Often, when it comes to appreciating colleagues, many feel like they are standing against a brick wall of discomfort. This hesitancy can become a major hindrance when it comes to acknowledging your peer’s efforts, which may lead to discontent on their part. Feelings of appreciation, when shared have been recorded to have a positive impact on the overall wellbeing of employees. You can begin as small as acknowledging emails with a simple ‘thank you’. You’d be amazed how far along it might take you. Start ‘appreciation circles’ Many workplaces have already established gratitude huddles, wherein every week team-members meet and appreciate each other for work, well-done. Why not implement that exact strategy daily? When you begin your day by gathering your peers together and highlight one positive work quality of each one of them, your day is bound to start on a positive note. This practice does not necessarily have to be company-wide; it can be limited to a small team too as long as it is inclusive. Participate in nomination drives Peer-to-peer appreciation is one of the most potent ways to ensure that all employees feel respected and valued. Conduct small, informal nomination drives with a range of categories such as – ‘Upholder of workplace values’, ‘True Rockstar’, ‘Most Valued Team Player’, ‘Treasure chest of insights’, ‘Mountain of Help’, ‘Perfectly Punctual’, etc. Such nomination drives allow for more participation and ultimately lead to more appreciation. Sometimes, the vote could be unanimous, while other times there could be multiple winners in categories. It is a healthy practice and can be implemented during team outings to add to the merriment. Gift a meal A gift as small as a fountain pen would be appreciated by a colleague who was a contributor to a project’s success. Another appreciative step is gifting a meal. Food has always been an excellent way to nurture strong bonds, and sharing that experience with a colleague is rewarding. When you gift a meal, it is equally important to detail out the reasons for the same. It makes the gift more personalised and encourages the colleague to continue to outperform in the future. If you are a manager, then team lunches are a great idea to showcase your gratitude towards your team. Practising the above five small, yet powerful ways will work towards strengthening your professional relationships and creating a happy workplace.

Naomi was sitting at her work desk at home, with her cup of coffee, going over the presentation that she would be taking the client through in the next 30 minutes. Two teammates and her manager had joined her over a video call, to make sure everything was on track. Suddenly, she heard a loud thud downstairs and almost immediately, heard her brother call out loudly. “Give me 2 minutes, guys,” Naomi said. “Sure,” said her manager, having faintly heard Naomi’s brother. Naomi turned off the video and rushed downstairs only to find her mother lying on the floor, unable to move, bleeding from her forehead. Her brother was trying to help her but she was writhing in pain. She rushed back up, turned on the video and said, “Guys, I have to rush to the hospital. There’s an emergency!” “Absolutely, Naomi. Please go ahead,” her manager said. “Thank you so much!” Naomi said. “Don’t worry, Naomi. We’ll handle the presentation. Don’t forget your masks,” her manager said. That was it. No questions asked. No justifications required. Later that evening Naomi informed her manager that her mother was better but would have to stay in the hospital for a couple of days for a complete check-up. “It’s a relief that she’s better now. Please take a few days off and don’t worry about work,” her manager said. “How was the presentation?” Naomi asked. “The client loved your presentation. You did well, Naomi. No more work talk. You rest now,” her manager said. Employees will always remember kindness, empathy, compassion and respect. Yes, you might be offering perks, plush cafeterias, TT and foosball tables, quirky and decorated office spaces, but what one actually remembers is how you treated them. Were you there for your employees when they needed your support? Did you trust them? Did you respect them for their contribution? When you put your people first, they automatically take care of the customers and in turn, the company. Rather than working just for the paycheque at the end of the month, they actually work for the overall growth and development of the organisation. What then is the most important step towards building a people first workplace? It’s setting the company culture right. Do you think Naomi was able to take care of the crisis at home because her team was feeling particularly kind that day? No. It was the result of a well-rounded company culture that put its people first. When you support your employees and promote an egalitarian culture, you allow people equal opportunities to learn, grow and perform to the best of their abilities. And when your employees do well, the organisation does well too. What can you do to make sure that employee well-being remains in focus? Let’s see. Onboarding Process Start from the start. Establishing and introducing your employees to a people first culture should begin from day 1. New employees will form an understanding about the organisation and its culture from the way in which they are inducted into the company and welcomed into their teams. Their first impressions will form their opinions and set their expectations. So, ensure that your team members have a good first day and put them at ease. See what they need, help them out, and make them feel welcome and comfortable. A Free-Flowing Process of Communication In today’s purpose-driven workplace, employees are motivated by their passion and that makes work satisfaction critical. Get to know your employees – both professionally and personally. Try to understand what motivates them and what they expect from their team, manager and organisation. Once you have the understanding, you will be able to use the insights and tie it back to company culture. As an organisation, you must understand that the key to collaboration and a transparent work environment is open communication. Therefore, you must facilitate sessions, reviews and discussions, wherein teams can share their views, opinions, challenges and feedback clearly. Give your people a voice, consider their opinions and suggestions, and act upon them to put their overall well-being first. Motivate Employees In times such as now, when a pandemic is wreaking havoc, employees are worried about the health and safety of their family members and themselves, financial liabilities should any contingency arise, and job security as well. Organisations need people managers and a people first work culture now more than ever before. Recognise the troubles your employees might be going through on a daily basis, support them, help them find solutions and most importantly, stay connected. You can organise virtual team building activities, celebrate employee birthdays or just dedicate one hour every week when you all discuss everything apart from work. As managers, be compassionate and empathetic, and help your people out. Put Employee Well-Being First Do your employees feel anxious or overwhelmed? Are they stressed out? Is work pressure weighing them down? You can never overcommunicate when it comes to staying aware about the overall well-being of your employees. Relook at employee wellness and rewards and recognition policies at regular intervals. Provide your people with all the resources they need — ways in which they can get rid of stress, advice about meditation sessions, providing assistance programs, and helping them reach out to professional counsellors. Putting people first is an integral part of company culture and has to be built in, over time. While existing employees need to be reminded of company culture, values and policies from time to time, new employees must be inducted into it from the day they join the organisation. We all want our managers to be like that of Naomi. Only when Naomi feels like a part of the organisation will she be able to pass on the same, when she becomes a manager. It is a continuous process – one that requires trust, empathy, kindness, consideration and patience.

Hiring employees who exhibit the drive, understanding and skill required to grow your business is key. It determines the direction your business takes and the quality of the product that comes out of it.  The role of hiring such talent falls with Human Resources. Your HR manager must have a keen understanding of your business and the kind of employees it needs, apart from understanding the technicalities as well. These are requisite to ensuring that you're hiring employees who would be a valuable addition to your team.  However, to achieve this, business owners must identify the right candidate to fill a Human Resources position, which in turn, raises an interesting question: While the HR does the hiring, how do you hire for HR? What checklist should you follow when hiring an HR professional . And more importantly, when is the right time to do so?  When Should You Hire an HR Professional?  A lot of organizations tend to delay onboarding a professional to look after their HR policies and procedures. Startups, in particular, primarily focus on achieving their business and sales objectives while putting off hiring someone to manage their employees.  Such a trend, however, can prove to be severely counterproductive, especially when organizations are constantly hiring new talent. With an increasing number of employees, the need to manage cultural and legal issues also rises.  The odds are that newer organizations might not have the resources to hire a full-time HR professional, and that is understandable. This situation calls for an HR consultant who can come in when needed but bring with them valuable insights and techniques to hire the right talent.  How Do You Hire the Ideal Human Resources Professional ? Outline a Specific Job Description While it's essential that you screen candidates to hire the right one, it's equally important that you attract the right kind in the first place. The best way to do this is to specifically outline the job description of the position you're looking to fill.  List every single role they will be required to take up, while also telling them about the workplace culture. Briefing candidates on the kind of work environment they'd have to manage will ensure that they know what they're signing up for.  Prepare Specific Questions for the Interview An interview is the best way to gauge whether or not a particular individual is the right fit. As such, your questions must be tailored to see how an interviewee would respond to a given situation, more so, with respect to your organization.  Ask questions that bring out their responses to situations like terminating an existing employee, or responding to an escalation, or handling a delicate or sensitive encounter at work. This will help you pick the ideal candidate for managing Human Resources at your organization.  Ensure That There's No Room for Bias Where there are people, turns out there is bound to be a degree of bias. The Open University found that at least 30% of senior managers hire people that are just like them.  Although this is often the result of inherent or even unconscious bias, you need to spot these tendencies during the interview. Any issues surrounding discrimination in the future can be deeply damaging to the company's image. Being Tech-Savvy Matters Lastly, ask your candidates what tools they would use for hiring employees for your organization. The ideal candidate should be able to adequately justify the use of one system over another. And needless to say, they must know their way around the relevant technological tools.  With a carefully crafted hiring process and HR training, you can ensure that your organization's affairs will be well taken care of.

You already know that employees are at the heart of your company. The ability to meet goals and overcome challenges largely depends on their efforts. That's why their feedback needs to be implemented for better engagement. Sadly, a recent study published on HRD Asia indicated that the average employee engagement score in Singapore is 47%, well below the global average of 53%. What's more, almost two-thirds of workers in Singapore believed that it was very important for employers to listen to their feedback. Businesses with a program for getting feedback from employees had an engagement score of 55%. For those who did not, the figure was just 33%. A feedback mechanism in the workplace is a necessary first step. However, this has to be followed by implementation. That's when the loop is closed! Employees feel valued and appreciated, and the work culture thrives. Surely a target worth aiming for. Methods of Receiving Feedback There was a time when face-to-face interaction was the main way of getting feedback from employees. You had to schedule a meeting, sit back, and listen to everyone's issues. (And heave a sigh of relief when it was over.) That is still important for a healthy feedback culture in companies. However, with the rise of technology, there are many more handy and helpful techniques. These are helpful when there is remote working, working from home, and multi-location teams. We're sure that sounds familiar in today's times. Fortunately, laptops, tablets, and mobile devices can combine with artificial intelligence and machine learning for feedback. Chatbots, for example, can engage across multiple platforms to get feedback from employees. This could be a website, a messaging app, or another business communication tool. More traditional methods of employee feedback include dedicated feedback portals, feedback boxes, and scheduled personal sessions. The ideal situation is to create a secure and safe culture of employee feedback for the company, with multiple channels of communication. But how do you effectively implement this employee feedback? How to Successfully Implement Feedback According to some surveys, there are 14.9% lower turnover rates in companies that are regular in implementing employee feedback. And 69% of employees say that they would work harder if their efforts were better recognised.  Here are four steps that reflect best practices for responding to employee engagement survey results. 1. Collect and Analyse Once there is feedback from various sources, it's best to classify this under actionable heads. For example, there could be suggestions to do with overall goals, or remuneration, or office facilities. This employee feedback survey will let you know at a glance what can and cannot be done, and whether there are broader trends. 2. Share Results It's also important to schedule meetings with employees to share the collated feedback. This will assure them that their voices have been heard and are being acted upon. Remember to smile. 3. Assess Importance and Urgency Not all staff feedback can be implemented, of course. Sometimes, the larger interests and needs of the overall organisation have to be prioritized. However, there could be times when specific feedback is valuable in terms of improving company culture. Or there could be small steps, such as getting a better brand of tea to wake everyone up. It's up to you to identify high-yield opportunities and act upon them. 4. Celebrate Change Once an action has been taken, it will pay dividends to announce this and to celebrate it. If employees feel that it is because of them that positive changes have occurred, it will go a long way in increasing satisfaction and engagement. Besides, office parties are always a good idea. The Final Take In this way, step by step, you will be able to create a culture in which your employees feel valued. By implementing employee feedback for the company, you recognize their efforts and create a healthy and goal-directed work environment.

Employee feedback is crucial to any company. One of the key roles of a leader is to deliver effective feedback. But just a pat on the back or a few good words doesn’t work. There is a proper way of providing feedback consistently that will improve employee performance. The leader must not only know when to be direct, but also know when to be positive, and when to challenge them for best results. If delivered poorly, it can cause problems that can harm employee engagement and productivity Here are a few ways that one can offer employee feedback – it’s quick, and will help the organisation get the outcome they foresee: Pay attention to frequency and tone Employee feedback should be regular, task-focused, crystal clear, and to the point. By giving regular feedback, employees feel supported, reassured and guided. Giving general comments confuses them as to what aspect of their work is being questioned and if they need to improve something about the way they perform. So, be to-the-point. Regularity helps team members accept feedback and view it in a positive light. Over time, feedback becomes part of the normal workflow as it is given when people succeed and even when they fail. Make it one-on-one Giving constructive criticism should never be done publicly – ever. Managers need to learn the importance of the setting in which they give employee feedback. By speaking privately, they allow the employee to express their concerns more freely, focus on the issue they need to work on, and not worry about what their co-workers think about them. Praising employees, sometimes, also need to be delivered in a private meeting as some don’t want to be the center of attention. Although, exceptions can be made, like showing appreciation in front of the entire office to a new employee showing tremendous growth within a few months of joining. Don’t wait for a quarterly review Quarterly reviews are usually about managers giving overall feedback on an employee’s performance. In this scenario, day-to-day issues get neglected, and keep on piling up. And if left unsaid, the problems will only recur and may multiply by a domino effect. So, by the time the quarterly performance review comes around, the HR rep will be faced with having to address a host of issues that could have been avoided if mentioned earlier. Another flaw in the quarterly process is that many a time, problems tend to be forgotten by the time the review comes around. By holding daily or weekly reviews, managers can keep a track and analyse the employee’s work easily, and this way, the feedback will be up to date. Describe behavior rather than evaluate it Giving feedback as a manager/leader is an art. If done wrongly or poorly, it can lead to the employee getting defensive, which will, in turn, make them less open to feedback in the future. Instead of evaluating, describing the work in a fact-based way should be prioritised. For example, rather than saying, “Your strategy doesn’t seem well thought out,” the manager should say, “As I read your strategy, I noticed it didn’t contain certain elements.” Focus on behavior rather than the person One of the most difficult task as a manager is to deliver effective feedback and making the employee realize that there is a scope of improvement. Simply put, change is hard; creating such a dialogue that it leaves the employee feeling like they can actually apply the advice to get a better result. By focusing on their behavior rather than who they are as a person, the manager has to clearly design the feedback in such a way that it simply conveys one thing - they don’t have to change their personalities to be more effective. Create aha! moments The role of a manager is often like that of a coach - trying to help improve the performance of employees and climb the ladder of success. As a coach, one must challenge themselves to create at least one aha! moment every time a feedback is shared. In simple terms, the goal of the manager is to ensure that the employee always leaves a feedback conversation having learned some valuable lesson they didn’t have when the discussion began. Whether it is about themselves or their work, the employee should have a new idea or strategy in the end. This way, HR can get to know whether the efforts have paid off or do they need to up their game with the next person. By following these steps, one can understand the art of giving effective employee feedback. With an honest, positive, specific, customized approach to feedback, managers can have a motivated and focused workforce.

Conflict is a part of the everyday work environment. Having a varied group of people, who have different personalities, all working in the same organisation, possibly under stress, can cause a certain amount of disruption for a leader, a team or the entire organisation. A conflict can arise within an organisation due to many reasons including : Poor communication Incomplete, incorrect or ambiguous data Numerous levels of reporting that end up distorting information and delaying processes Weak or autocratic management style Cultural, social or personal differences Inappropriate use of authority Unfair perceptions, in terms of recognition and reward Managing conflict is tricky. It’s about seeing opportunities that others don’t see. Until recently, workplace conflict was considered undesirable at many organisations. Now, conflict is viewed as both functional and dysfunctional. If the conflict resolution is seen as an opportunity, it can be not just a healthy enabler of growth for the organisation, but also a professional growth for all of the people involved. To help sustain workplace momentum and create employee engagement, here are seven ways to manage conflict resolution at work Embrace conflict Being an HR manager, there are several ways you might respond to conflict in the workplace. When conflict arises, you could avoid it, and let the participants figure it out among themselves. This is not always the worst approach as the employees should eventually learn how to collaborate and resolve the conflict. However, if the reason for avoiding conflict is personal, like feeling uncomfortable or not wanting to reprimand someone, you need to, as HR, find ways to deal with uncomfortable situations as soon as possible. Not doing so could result in unhealthy confrontation that will have an even worse impact on employee morale and on work itself. Establish guidelines Before conducting a formal meeting between the concerned employees, get both parties to agree to a few guidelines. You can do so by firstly, asking them to express themselves calmly and as unemotionally as possible. Secondly, have them agree to attempt to understand each other’s perspective. And lastly, inform them that if they violate the set guidelines, the meeting will be abruptly stopped. Hear both sides Give both parties a chance to share their side of the story in detail. Sometimes, getting everything on the table can reveal an easy solution that wasn't obvious earlier. As an HR professional or as their manager, you should consider giving them adequate space to voice their issues. Often, employees feel better just knowing they are being heard. Choose a neutral location One of the first steps to diffuse any conflict is to change the environment. An office is intrinsically a place of power, and can be considered least conducive to the conflict-management process. Suggest the meeting take place in a coffee house, or anywhere outside the office. Meeting in an open, impartial space will ensure that the concerned employees feel a sense of comfort, privacy, and freedom. Respect and appreciate their differences Once both participants have got things off their chest, try to look at the situation objectively and analyze how different opinions, approaches complement one another. Rather than imposing your influence, hierarchy or rank, respect the unique differences in people. By learning to see things from differing points of view, it will be easier to understand how to avoid conflict in the future. If conflict between employees and departments is something that occurs frequently, then consider implementing a diversity program to help mitigate future conflicts. You can also bring in a consultant to help you create a program that will work best for your company. Get both parties to buy into the solution Find a solution that keeps the goals of your organisation in mind while satisfying both parties in conflict. When the employees are given an opportunity to participate in the problem-solving process, it gives them a sense of ownership in the solution. And, this drastically increases your chances of long-lasting success. Think opportunistically, not punitively While some conflicts are going to require consequences, most are just sparked by passionate people coming at a situation from different vantage points. The truth is that when conflicts arise, so does the opportunity to teach or learn. Being a manager, view these conflicts as a means to address the previously hidden problems within the team dynamics. Conflict resolution isn't easy. Not all disagreements can be resolved. The winning tactic is to approach each situation in the right way. That can be done by giving both sides a chance to speak without fear of ridicule, by finding common ground and by including both employees in the process of developing a solution. With these strong and effective conflict management tactics, you'll have a much higher success rate in not just resolving, but also dissolving conflicts.

There is a talk in the boardroom. One that is often argued and championed by many people. One that we’ve heard and even tried to answer a number of times. What comes first? Is it business goals or people? Is it customer first or compliance? Should people initiatives run at a time when business is slow? What should the overall approach to talent initiatives be? While every company has to fend for itself when it comes to these questions, there is no right or wrong. There is but an approach.  It’s one we like to call the People [First] to Deliver Customer [First] ideology. While talent consulting experts will fight for people first and business leads might champion customer first, it’s not that simple. In fact, it’s more of a catch 22 situation. Should you invest in a slow performer or should you simply ask them to leave? Should you only reward people at the top while the average ones, the ones that really push the company forward remain anonymous? Research proves that happy and engaged employees are productive, stay on longer and also, move on to become brand advocates. By imbibing the people first culture, the work culture changes to become more interactive. Employee engagement increases, and the company culture goes on to become employer branding . After all, you take care of people and they will take care of work! Or so you would want to believe! The fact is that not everyone is driven by the same sense of purpose. Also, often what management wants to percolate is not how others see it simply because they are unclear about what their role is in the bigger picture. So when it comes to adopting an approach to employee engagement or taking important decisions, we believe in People First to Deliver Customer First . If you don’t take care of your people, they won’t take care of business. If there is no business, you won’t need or have a workforce. The way we see it: when you launch an initiative, remember that programs that follow the logic of keeping the employee at the heart of the desired customer impact are bound to work better in the marketplace. That way, you’ll be better prepared. Talent consulting experts point out that the people first policy boosts the overall productivity of employees and make them feel valued. Let your people take care of your customers while you take care of what matters to them. But not at the cost of Business. Not at the cost of your People.

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear ‘workplace diversity’? Surely, an image of an office with employees from different ethnicity or genders working together comes to the mind. But today, diversity at the workplace encompasses different political, social, religious beliefs, socioeconomic backgrounds, disabilities and even sexual orientation. Companies all over the world are moving towards a more diverse and inclusive workforce, having realized that taking care of their people is more important than chasing numbers but Singapore is yet to catch up. According to a poll conducted by Kantar, Singapore is the second-worst performing nation on workplace diversity and inclusion practices out of the 14 developed countries included in the poll! A multinational company that is a purveyor of D&I practices is Accenture, which topped the Refinitiv Global Diversity & Inclusion Index. When a Fortune 500 company positions itself as the leader in the best employee practices, it sets a great example for other organizations to follow and inadvertently becomes even more attractive to the shareholders as well as the current and the future employees. Singapore’s population is a mix of Chinese, Malays, Indians and others. People speak varied languages and practice different religions, making Singapore a multicultural and multi-ethnic city-state in its truest sense. This is precisely the reason companies have a lot of scope of attracting and retaining the diverse working population residing here. And they can do so by having inclusive work policies to provide a better work environment to their most precious resource that is the employees. But, more often than not, in a bid to improve their bottom line, companies underrate the importance of workplace diversity and inclusion and are completely ignorant of the intangible advantages that it brings. So, how exactly does being diverse and inclusive benefit everyone? Growth for all Along with unique perspectives, employees bring with them their life experiences as well as different skills and talent. A heterogeneous workforce builds a conducive environment for employees to learn from and with each other too. The coming together of vastly different thinking styles and viewpoints helps solve problems faster. Naturally, this phenomenon drives creativity and innovation at work. Dynamic markets define this fast-paced business world, and without adaptability and flexibility, companies are bound to crash. A varied workforce brings with itself, diverse perspectives that help you make effective decisions and most importantly helps you be on your toes. Imagine, being able to choose from a spectrum of solutions for a business or an organizational problem! Can we expect people from the same background or culture to think vastly different from each other? Having a homogeneous workforce may have its benefits, but in the long run, it will turn on its head and the stagnancy that can grow from such a close-knit culture is detrimental for the growth of any organization. Risk-taking and innovation are the key drivers of business expansion and development and having a diverse workforce opens up a world of new ideas, which when channeled correctly can take your company to newer heights. More engagement, More retention Employees work best when they are at ease and in their element and having an inclusive environment lets people be themselves, leading to better performance at the workplace. The pantry may be is stocked and comes with an unlimited supply of coffee. But, all such external efforts will fall short if intrinsically, people are uncomfortable in their work environment. That’s why, Just hiring diversely isn’t enough, think of what happens when those hires begin working at your company. If they feel alienated, motivations will go out the window, performances will drop and it may even lead them to quit. The recruitment process right from hiring to on-boarding, takes up resources and high employee turnover is something companies cannot afford, which is why companies need to keep their employees engaged. It’s ingrained in us to want to be valued and when employees feel heard and understood, they are more likely to feel respected and valued. Inculcating an inclusive work culture can make them feel belonged, which will positively impact their quality of life at work. They then will also be more likely to be motivated and engaged leading them to be more productive and less likely to jump ships. Although global companies in Singapore have woken up to to the advantages of D&I practices, local organizations need to follow suit. As an HR manager, it is in your best interest to provide a work environment where an employee actually wants to come to work every day to give in their best and measures like workplace policies that have been formed to accommodate a diverse workplace can be the first step to achieve it.

Disengagement at work can get to the best of us. The reasons for the dissatisfaction and boredom among your workforce may be myriad and the manifestation may be varied, but one thing remains – they are not healthy for your organization. It may surprise you to know that the cost of a disengaged workforce is up to 550 Billion$, according to a 2017 study by Forbes. Certainly, an amount for CEO's to sit up and take notice. A survey has revealed that the average employee engagement score across Singapore is just 47%, below the global average of 53%. While employee engagement is hard to quantify, disengagement is somewhat simpler to pinpoint. It’s always better to anticipate and be equipped to deal with early symptoms of disengagement than after, when you have lost your chances of retaining a great employee. And only when you are able to detect signs early on can you take necessary actions in time. This brings us to the next question – What are the earliest signs that show up? Declining performance Clear-cut signals of a drop in the quality of work include missing deadlines with shoddy output. It could mean inefficient time management, maybe due to an increased workload but if it occurs time and again it can indicate disinterest. Especially, when an employee had been consistently good at their job and there has been no change in what their job entails, then take note. You’ll notice that errors keep cropping up in their work. Clearly, their mind is somewhere else and their heart is not in their work anymore. Erratic schedule What happens when there’s a loss of excitement at work and you no longer look forward to the day ahead? A demotivated employee will show a lack of care, whether it’s towards their work or towards their organization. The disinterest will be in the form of them coming late to the office often. There’ll be an increase in the times when they can’t wait to rush out of the office at the stroke of the clock. Then there will be those who are just getting by, doing the bare minimum so that they no longer have to spend unnecessary time at work. Therefore, they walk in late and leave early. Absenteeism in the form of sudden leaves or recurrent leaves is yet another tell-tale sign that shows that an employee is dissatisfied at work. Shirking work leading to decreased productivity Are they never in their seat when you need them? Have their coffee and lunch breaks become unusually long or they are hanging around the copier, more often than not? If you answered yes to more than one, then you have a disengaged employee at hand. Basically, they’ll do anything to spend their time procrastinating and not working. It can range from running errands, encouraging unnecessary discussions to whiling the time away on the internet to taking long breaks and over-socializing at work. Lack of excitement Engaged employees thrive in a challenging environment and they are constantly on the lookout for opportunities where they can grow. They are also more likely to take ownership of their work and are active when it comes to contributing to the organization. When you spot recurring instances of employees not participating in office activities like workshops, seminars etc. they no longer are keen to invest in the growth, either of the company or themselves while at work. Even when achievements and appreciation no longer push them progress, that’s when you know it’s a problem you need to address. It’s only after careful observation of the actions, over a period of time can you be sure if you are reading them correctly. Once you are certain, communicate. But before going ahead, make an assessment if you as an organization have been able to provide the necessary environment for employees to thrive. Then talk to the employees to get to the root of the problem and to know where the dissatisfaction is stemming from, so that you can take necessary steps to overcome it. And, most importantly, come from a place of non-judgement and understanding. Only when you are genuinely concerned with their struggles, what is affecting and acting as roadblocks to their happiness can you truly begin to help them.