Take The Break You Deserve
Posted: December 18, 2018 Filed under: advice, business, business owner, employees, strategy, success | Tags: Advice, Business, business advice, business owner, email, Holiday, Small Business, Work Leave a comment
Most of us look forward to the holiday season as the perfect time to take some time off with family, but if you’re a typical business owner, you might be looking at this holiday break as a great time to get some extra work done. The freedom to work without being interrupted is a pretty exciting prospect for many of the business owners I work with. I advise that if we don’t take the time to relax and disconnect, we may end up piling more stress on top of an additional workload.
Aside from leaving your work back in the office, spending time with your loved ones during the holiday season is important. Even when you’re doing a thousand things per day, try to reset and think about who and what you’re working for. If you’re finding it hard to take your well-deserved time off, here are some practical tips to help you unplug during the holiday season:
Cover all of your bases before the holidays
Before that last work day of 2018, you might like to have your workload in a place that feels comfortable enough to leave for a couple of weeks, and manageable enough to pick up again in January. This includes responding to emails, setting up appointments and completing any urgent tasks. Many people find that they can’t relax if they have a mountain of work waiting for them when it’s time to come back to the office. See what you can do to take as much as you can off of your plate before loading it up again.
A concrete strategy for completion can be helpful in the weeks preceding the holiday break (e.g. having a set goal for completed tasks each day). Take a deep breath: no matter how organized you are, you may not complete everything on your list, and that’s okay. Try to prioritize, and leave the remaining tasks for a new, fresh year.
Leave work mobile devices alone
It’s going to be really tempting to check your work phone during the course of the holidays (trust me, you’re not alone), but doing so can make you spiral back into work mode. In order to turn off your work brain, try to shut down anything and everything that inspires you to start working again, especially work related devices.
To make it easier to step away, have someone close to you help you with accountability. Allow them to help you set some boundaries and have them recommend a safe place where you can keep your work phone during the holidays. Don’t worry – it will still be there for you, right where you left it, once January 1st rolls around.
If you must check your work emails, only do so once per day
If you’re the type of business owner who still likes to stay connected to your business, even when you’re on vacation, see if you can limit checking your email. Setting aside one time per day (e.g. in the morning) to check in can be a very helpful way to see it, deal with it, then leave it. Limiting the amount of time you remain plugged in can be a valuable step towards finding a sense of peace and relaxation outside of the office.
Have an automated email response that provides an emergency contact
In the event of a work emergency during the holidays, it can be helpful to have an emergency contact available via an automated email response. If someone absolutely has to get in touch with you during the holidays, an automated email response can be set up to provide them with your emergency contact. However, try not to give this contact out to anyone under other circumstances. Remember- you’re trying to relax!
Kicking back for the holidays can feel virtually impossible, and even when you’ve done everything you can to leave your work at the office, you may still find yourself reaching for your work phone during the holidays. It’s natural. As a business owner who is passionate about what you do, you’re always thinking about what more you can be doing, and how you can make it better.
Some experts suggest that taking some time off can actually help to increase your productivity. Mental stress doesn’t just create physiological issues; it can actually prevent you from giving your full attention to your work. Consider your holiday break as an opportunity to get fully charged for a new year. That way, you’ll end up feeling better and more productive.
However, taking a break is not only important for your own mental health, it’s important for the people you care about. We all deserve time to breathe! Work on releasing the urgency of getting work done in favour of enjoying every moment of joy the holidays have to offer. Who knows? You may even find yourself enjoying the time away.
Personal Vision VS Business Vision: What Do They Mean For You?
Posted: December 4, 2018 Filed under: advice, business, business owner, Business Plan, Business Vision, growth, opportunities, Selling Your Business, Starting a Business, strategy, success | Tags: Business, business owner, business plan, Business Vision, company vision, personal vision, Small Business Leave a comment
A business is so much more than a “job”. It’s a lifestyle, a world-view, a reflection of the type of person you want to be. It’s how you want to contribute to the community, where you see yourself in your future, and in some cases, it’s what you want to leave behind.
So many business owners tell me that they want to take their business to the next level, but they never define why. Everyone has goals, but they rarely take the time to write everything down and decide the “how’s” and “why’s” of what they want their business to be. In my experience, it’s not only helpful to carefully consider and record your vision – it’s essential.
These personal goals and business goals can be defined and followed by crafting a personal vision and a business vision. Here is a brief outline of both and not just how they are different, but also how they can work together.
Personal Vision
Create your personal vision first. As the owner of the business, your vision is key to where you want to take the business.
Do you dream about being able to take your family on vacation to an exotic location once a year? How about a four-day workweek, or buying your dream home? These things could be part of your personal vision.
When crafting a personal vision statement, you’ll need to write down where you want to be in a year from now or 2 years from now. This could include considering your desired material lifestyle, your passion giving back, your ideal workweek, time with your family, and time enjoying the things you love (not your business). If you want to make sure that you are making enough money so that your children can have their college tuition paid for, this should be recorded in your personal vision statement too.
In addition to this, it’s important to include an exit strategy in your personal vision. This will detail how you would like your business to proceed when you retire, including whether or not you intend on naming a successor (e.g. a spouse or child), or if you would prefer to sell the business. Be mindful that your exit strategy is carefully considered, and entails what you plan to do in place of work. Some business owners find it hard to leave their business behind, and it can never hurt to plan ahead for how you will fill your free time in the future.
Company Vision
Once you’ve completed your personal vision, it’s time to concentrate on your company vision. The two go hand in hand. If for example, you want to spend only 6 months of the year working at your business, then part of your business plan needs to include finding a current or future employee who can take on some of your current roles and responsibilities. If your plan is financial freedom, then your company vision will be to increase your sales and marketing efforts, etc.
As the business owner, it’s up to you to set the company vision; it is not a team approach. Although you need to share it with your staff, the company vision statement needs to be synergetic with your personal vision so that the two can work together to create a business that benefits both you and your employees.
The company vision will also help you create a big picture idea of what your company will look like as a whole, for both you and your employees. This is why creating a company vision can enhance your existing leadership skills, which in turn helps your employees attain their own career visions.
Writing out a personal vision and business vision and following them is crucial, and often, overlooked in creating the kind of business you’ll be proud of. Writing out what you really want out of your business in a personal vision and then writing out how it can be achieved through your company vision can be both humbling and gratifying.
To get a better understanding of how to help your business grow, contact me today to find out more about joining The Alternative Board.
The Pros and Cons of Letting Employees Work From Home
Posted: November 20, 2018 Filed under: business, business owner, employee retention, employees, relationships | Tags: boss, business advice, business owner, Employees, Employer, Small Business, wfh, Work, work from home Leave a comment
It’s not out of the ordinary for employees today to ask to work from home. Many business owners tell me that their employees feel like they are more productive overall when working remotely.
What can you do to accommodate them, especially if they feel like the arrangement will make them a better asset to your company?
Many employers are making it a priority to keep an open door policy with every one of their employees so that they can be aware of anything that may prevent them from coming into the office. Let’s take a more in-depth look at some of the possible pros and cons of allowing your employees to work from home:
The Advantages
There’s no better way of ensuring employee retention than meeting them halfway. In my experience, a happy employee is a loyal employee. The satisfaction that an employee experiences from being able to work from home can be a great way of motivating them into being more productive. This can also serve to create a strong sense of employee/employer trust. If an employee feels like their employer trusts them to get the job done, they will feel valued. When you empower your employees, the possibilities for growth are truly endless.
The Disadvantages
If having all hands on deck is essential to your company, letting an employee work from home may not be an option. It can also be an issue in terms of monitoring your employee’s progress. You will have no way of controlling your employee’s production, which can be difficult if you like having the ability to check in with your staff throughout the day. Although Skype and FaceTime can help maintain a connection, it’s not a replacement for face-to-face mentoring. Additionally, personal life distractions, especially technological ones, can be unavoidable for most employees working from home.
As a business owner, you are keenly aware that your employees are the most valuable part of your business. Be sure to maintain an open dialogue with each employee and come up with a working solution that fits both of your needs.
If you’re wondering what more you can do to assist employees who want to work from home, contact me today to join a TAB peer advisory board.
You Don’t Have to Know Everything
Posted: November 6, 2018 Filed under: advice, business, business owner, Business Vision, employees, Partnership, relationships, Team-building | Tags: #self-aware, Business, business advice, business owner, Employees, feedback, relationship, Small Business, Survey Leave a comment
As a business owner myself and through interacting with business owners nearly every day, I understand that it can be difficult to let go of certain aspects of your business. However, you can’t be everywhere doing every job all the time, especially as your business grows. I’ve seen many TAB members stretch themselves thin this way, which can lead to important matters slipping through the cracks.
In a perfect world, no one would wear more than one hat at a time. If you’re wearing so many hats that you’re feeling weighed down, find out if any of them will fit your existing employees. If no one is a match, or if your current employees are also overwhelmed, it may be time to recruit.
Needing to delegate is not a weakness. In fact, acknowledging that you need to practice delegation can reveal the following positive qualities of a leader:
Forward-Thinking
You have big dreams for your business, but you may be hesitant to take the necessary steps to reach your end goals if you have enough on your plate as it is. By delegating you are preparing your business for future growth. By freeing yourself of tasks that can be trusted to your employees, you will have the time to look for new growth opportunities. It’s hard to see the horizon when your many hats obstruct your view.
Self-Aware
When you show your staff that you understand your own strengths and weaknesses and know they can take the lead in areas that aren’t your strong points, you build a trusting work relationship. By respecting the skills of your employees, their performance and the overall work environment can drastically improve.
One of the best ways to show self-awareness is to listen to your employees. How would they suggest the business processes could be improved? What are their opinions on employee morale? They may even have constructive observations on how you can improve as a leader. I encourage business owners to welcome feedback from their employees.
Approachable
Inviting your employees to provide feedback opens the doors to communication. No matter how approachable you may be, it can be difficult for some employees to feel comfortable around an authority figure. Communicating both your strengths and shortcomings to your staff humanizes you to an approachable level. If they seem resistant in the beginning, I would suggest sending an internal survey that staff can submit anonymously. Once they see that their anonymous proposals are being taken seriously, they may be more willing to come forward for future communication.
To discuss how you can find out how other business owners take initiative with delegation, contact me today to join a TAB peer advisory board!
The Use of Job Descriptions Beyond Recruiting
Posted: October 23, 2018 Filed under: Business Plan, employee retention, employees, Leadership | Tags: business owner, employee retention, employee turnover, Employees, Job Description, Small Business Leave a comment
Do your employees know the extent of their responsibilities? This may seem like an odd question because it can be difficult to imagine they’d be able to do their jobs if they don’t know their responsibilities. The truth is they may have enough of an idea to fly under your radar, but a detailed job description with clearly outlined responsibilities could provide them with enough guidance to truly excel. Through TAB meeting discussions, I’ve noticed that many business owners who don’t provide defined roles or job descriptions are frustrated with their turnover rate.
Some indicators that your employees could benefit from updated or detailed job descriptions are that they don’t improve from one evaluation to the next or they show a lack of enthusiasm or initiative. Additionally, unclear roles and responsibilities can lead to confusion among your team, and some members may even feel like they are picking up the slack of others, which can lead to low employee morale. Here are just a couple benefits I’ve seen businesses experience when they document job descriptions:
Employee Autonomy
How much freedom do you want your employees to have in regard to how they complete their required tasks? If you trust that your employees are qualified and don’t need micromanaging, they may in fact do a better job if they’re given as much independence as you can offer. You can describe each of their tasks as much as you’d like: use more details for tasks that require them to follow stricter processes and less details for tasks that allow for more autonomy.
Lower Turnover
When employees have a clearly communicated idea of what tasks they are supposed to complete and who they report to, they are likely to spend less time worrying about whether or not they are adequately meeting your expectations. Because one in four Canadians leave their place of employment because of work-related stress, the boost in confidence that comes with knowing what’s expected of them can help decrease your turnover.
If you agree that providing your employees with detailed job descriptions might be in their and your business’s best interest, here are some sections you may want to include:
- Job Title
- Job Description – List all duties and tasks that the employee is responsible for in order of importance or anticipated time it would take to complete the activities.
- Reporting Structure – Do your employees know who they’re responsible for and who they’re meant to report to for each specific task? Having it all down on paper leaves little room for error.
- Experience and Skills – If your employees have already been in their position for a while, they likely have most of the experience and skills they need. However, reading this job description may remind them of a task they weren’t aware of or remind them of some skills or programs they may want to brush up on.
Another plus of providing all of your existing employees with detailed job descriptions is that you have them on hand in case you need to hire replacements. When interviewing job applicants, you can ask questions tailored to the job description to ensure you hire the most qualified candidate.
If you’re curious to know how other businesses format and communicate job descriptions, contact me today to join a TAB peer advisory board.
Should Recruitment Be Ongoing?
Posted: October 10, 2018 Filed under: business advisor, business coaching, business owner, employees, Hiring, interviews | Tags: Employees, Hiring, recruitment 1 Comment
If you’re anything like many other business owners, the thought of going through your recruitment process leaves you feeling drained. Needing to hire a new employee is like being stuck between a rock and a hard place: you need the position filled to keep your business running smoothly, but the time it takes to fill the position with a qualified candidate keeps you away from ensuring your business runs smoothly.
What makes matters worse is that even after you’ve hired a suitable candidate, as much as 25 per cent of new hires leave within 45 days of their start date. When businesses express their frustrations of how much time they spend recruiting whenever there’s turnover, I always suggest practicing continuous recruitment.
Continuous recruitment is simply being open to recognizing talent when you see it, even if you’re not currently hiring. This often takes the form of welcoming resumes and regularly reviewing them in order to stockpile potential candidates as “back-ups.”
Here are just a few reasons why I suggest you consider ongoing recruitment for your business:
Shorter Position Vacancies
Acquiring job applications from candidates with the right qualifications can take weeks – weeks you save by keeping your application channels open at all times. You can save even more time by using an Applicant Tracking System to help you filter out unfit candidates.
Finding Unexpected Talent
Even if you don’t currently have a vacancy, what if a resume comes across your desk that defies all reasonable expectations? Do you risk missing out on possibly one of the best candidates you’ve ever had or see if there’s some way to work with this person? Consider keeping around such exceptional talent as a freelancer until you can find a permanent place for them on your team.
Network-Building
When it’s time for you to hire a new employee, there is no harm in contacting an applicant that applied weeks or even months ago. If they are no longer looking for employment, perhaps they might know someone equally or even better fit for the position. Was it their education or involvement with an association that appealed to you? Consider connecting with the school or association to look for other candidates.
Although there are steps you can take to prevent turnover or ensure you hire the right candidate the first time, it is best to always be prepared for turnover. Practicing continuous recruitment can be as simple as having a message on your website’s “Careers” page that states something like this:
“Please note that we are not hiring at the moment. However, we are always looking to recruit top talent. For general consideration, please send your resume to careers@yourcompany.com and we may reach out to you should a relevant position become available.”
To find out how other businesses carry out their continuous recruitment efforts, contact me today to discuss joining a TAB advisory board!
Business Reorganization After Growth
Posted: September 25, 2018 Filed under: advice, business, business coaching, Business Plan, Business Vision, employees, growth, Leadership, strategy | Tags: Business, business advice, Business Growth, business tips, Training 1 Comment
As your business becomes increasingly successful, certain aspects of your business will need to change and/or grow to keep up with your demand. Through TAB meeting discussions, I’ve seen this growth take the form of increasing your inventory to meet local demand, expanding to another location to meet national demand, providing more offerings to meet client interests, or outsourcing or hiring more staff to meet all of the above. If you keep hiring more employees, there will come a time when you need to reorganize your reporting structure or even your departments.
In anticipation for future growth, I encourage all business owners to create an organizational restructuring process to ensure your business expansion goes as smoothly as possible. Here are just a few topics you may want this process to cover:
Promoting vs. Hiring
When your business requires a new department, you will need to decide if it’s best to promote an existing employee or hire someone new to manage it. It may sound ideal to promote someone who already knows your business, but it could be best to hire someone from outside your business with a more precise set of skills. For example, your highly skilled and dedicated salesperson may not have the right qualifications to lead a new marketing department.
Training
If you do hope to promote from within, how will you prepare your employee for the tasks and responsibilities that come with a higher-level position? If you anticipate expansion in the coming months, I have seen many business owners see success with managers mentoring talented employees to prepare them to take on the same or similar position. An outside hire can learn the ins and outs of your business this same way.
Communication
To ensure everyone in your business is on the same page at every step of growth, you may also want to detail how to communicate to staff that the growth may affect their roles within the company. If big changes are coming and your employees aren’t aware of what they are, they may jump to the conclusion that their jobs or the business may be in trouble when in fact the opposite is true. Your success is their success, and clear communication of any changes in roles or responsibilities can greatly help the progress continue.
Once your organizational restructuring process has been developed and implemented, I encourage you to regularly monitor and reassess its effectiveness. Perhaps there’s an area that can be improved or wasn’t ideal for the type of growth your business experienced. Did you actually need to hire more in-house staff, or should you consider hiring contract workers in the future? It’s important to be flexible and allow your processes to grow and improve with your business.
If you would like to discover how other business owners have restructured as a result of growth, contact me today to discuss becoming a member of a TAB peer advisory board!
Creating and Tracking Business Processes
Posted: September 11, 2018 Filed under: business, business owner, Business Plan, growth | Tags: Business, Business Growth, business owner, Planning, Processes, Succession Plan 6 Comments
You may have a firm grasp on how to run your business, but if you left the company today, would someone else know exactly how to fill your shoes? I have seen many business owners make the mistake of storing an abundance of knowledge in their head and overlook documenting company processes and procedures for others to reference in their absence.
As a business owner, it is understandable that the needs of your business can consume a substantial amount of your time, which sometimes means documenting your processes takes a backseat on your priority list. If you would like to improve your business’s organization but are unsure where to start, here are a few procedures to consider documenting first:
- Recruitment
- Onboarding
- Customer relations
- Product development
- Organizational restructuring
Once presented with a list, I’ve noticed that many TAB members don’t seem to have problems identifying which processes they use, but they do often question exactly which details they should write down. Again, this may differ from business to business, but I encourage every business owner to describe as much about their processes as they can.
Once you have prioritized your business’s processes and decided which to detail first, here are the next steps you can take:
- Choose a name. What will you and your employees call this process so that it can be easily referenced? Consider a name that is clear and concise yet informative enough so as not to accidently be confused with other processes.
- List the steps. What event triggers the start of this process, and what has to happen to reach the desired end result? For example, the need for a new employee would trigger your recruitment process, and writing a detailed job description would be one of many steps that must be taken to reach the end result of a qualified hire.
- List the roles. Who is in charge of which step? Continuing with the recruitment example, your HR manager may pass along the job applications to the applicable department head, who then conducts the interviews and hiring negotiations.
- Organize the document. How will you and your employees ensure the process is being followed? You can create a summarized version of the process in the form of a checklist or flowchart that can easily track completion of steps.
This may seem like a daunting undertaking, especially if you have a lot of processes that need documenting. However, you may find some employees are equipped to document the processes of certain tasks that only require your final approval.
If you would like to discuss how to organize your business processes, contact me today to join a TAB peer advisory board.
How Do You Provide Employee Feedback?
Posted: August 21, 2018 Filed under: advice, advisor, employee retention, employees, Leadership, Uncategorized | Tags: Employee, evaluation, Morale, performance review Leave a comment
It’s a standard business practice among large corporations, and even smaller businesses: annual performance evaluations. Many businesses hold on to the tradition of conducting annual performance evaluations to review employee progress and goals. However, 30% of performance reviews decrease employee morale rather than improve it.
To ensure your employees receive constructive feedback in a receptive manner, here are a few other options for providing feedback you can consider:
Be Timely
I encourage business owners to provide constructive criticism as soon as their employees experience difficulties within their role. This way, they can take appropriate steps right away to improve their actions rather than continue down a slippery slope of poor performance, which can in turn negatively impact your business. For example, if one of your employees seems slightly too blunt with a client, consider speaking with them immediately after the meeting to discuss how to better communicate with clients.
This suggestion of providing timely feedback applies to providing praise as well. Although it may be appreciated at any time, your employees will have a precise image of how to continue their good work if they can clearly remember the work you’re commending.
Clearly Define Expectations
Before we hire employees, we have an idea of the tasks they’ll perform and the role they’ll serve in the business. Sometimes, especially in smaller businesses, the roles and responsibilities of an employee can shift quite quickly based on the needs of the business. If there’s been any change in the roles or responsibilities of an employee, it’s important that you communicate any changes in expectations that arise as a result of a shift in responsibilities.
You can improve your employees’ performance even further by discussing with them how to meet the expectations of their role rather than to simply assign the expectations. Much of business success is rooted in two-way communication.
Ask for Their Feedback
Although intimidation isn’t your intention, some employees believe receiving feedback to be a daunting ordeal. To help them be more receptive to feedback, try asking them to comment on themselves first. If they are already mindful of their workplace struggles, this allows them the opportunity to inform you of the steps they are already taking to improve. You can then offer further guidance, as needed. The goal of this method is for your employee to have a conversation with you rather than feel they’re being criticized.
To find out how you can better provide employee feedback or learn how other businesses approach it, contact me today to discuss joining a TAB advisory board!
Respecting Professional Boundaries
Posted: August 7, 2018 Filed under: advice, employees, Uncategorized, workplace harassment | Tags: Advice, health and safety act, policy, Work, workplace harassment Leave a comment
Have you ever patted an employee on the back to praise them? Or, have you ever asked them a deeply personal question simply because you care about their well- being? While your intentions may be good, your staff may perceive these gestures in a completely different way than you would like them to. Sometimes we work so closely with our staff that the boundary between employee and friend can become blurred. Despite having the best intentions, as a person of authority, you should be cognizant about how you interact with your employees.
In order to protect yourself and your brand’s reputation from unsavoury allegations, I encourage all businesses, no matter their size, to implement a workplace harassment policy. In fact, all employers are required to have a workplace harassment policy under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
The purpose of a workplace harassment policy is to ensure there are procedures in place to prevent and handle employee harassment complaints. If there aren’t documented procedures that you and your employees can easily reference as needed, you potentially open yourself up to legal repercussions. To avoid any grey area, there are template policies you can use to create your own.
Your workplace harassment policy can cover as little or as much as you deem necessary for your business, but here are a few subjects to take into consideration:
Verbal Phrasing
I strongly suggest mulling over every comment in your head before sharing them with employees, because carefree comments from a superior can easily be misunderstood as inappropriate or intimidating. Some employees may give you the benefit of the doubt over simple mistakes, but there may be others who take offense. The same goes for jokes; a joke that went over well at a friend or family gathering may not be appropriate for the workplace.
Physical Actions
You may have the most innocent of intentions when you pat an employee on the back or place a hand on their shoulder, but not everyone will realize this. If you have a habit of casually touching people when you speak to them, I would suggest trying to break it. If you’re unaware of any such habits, I would recommend taking a day or week to be particularly conscious of your actions around employees; you might have a habit you didn’t know about.
Visuals
Décor such as calendars, posters, paintings, statues, and any other form of decoration brought into the workplace should be chosen with a purely professional mindset. Where possible, I suggest choosing pieces that won’t cause debate over the definition of “tasteful.” And similarly to being cautious of jokes you share with employees, satirical images may not be as well received among employees as they can be among friends.
For specifics on what topics should be avoided in the workplace and to ensure discriminatory or offensive remarks/actions don’t take place, consider reviewing the Ontario Human Rights Code.
If you need help manoeuvring around this delicate subject and want to discuss how to implement an effective workplace harassment policy, contact me today to join a TAB peer advisory board.
Philip Spensieri 