10. Group RRSP/TFSA: If you don’t yet offer (in Canada), a Group RRSP, and/or TFSA, consider putting one in place. As an employer, you do not have to contribute anything to the plans, and the plan provider (e.g. banks/insurers) will, if you ask them, pick up the administrative costs, and waive fees, for handling these. Your employees will view these as a positive, since you’re providing them with the means to automatically contribute via payroll deduction, to savings and retirement plans, and in the case of the Group RRSP, to have the resulting tax savings throughout the year vs. only when they file their tax returns.
9. Volunteer Days: Think about providing your employees with 1-4 days off each year with pay, to volunteer for causes that are acceptable to you as an employer. These may include causes that help the community; are not political or religious in nature; and that do not discriminate in terms of those who are eligible to benefit from the volunteer aid provided. While one might argue that giving up these days will lessen productivity and thus increase costs, the counter-arguments are two-fold and very strong: i) Employees tend to manage their work such that whether they’re off because of vacations, illness, or (now) volunteering, the work still gets done. It especially now gets done, given that most employees have cellphones and remote access via computers, to the office, and work while not in the office ii) Employees WANT to give back to the community and have a high commitment to volunteering. Many of them do so anyway, in their free time. By acknowledging and making this possible, during the work day, you will build tremendous good will, and be viewed as a progressive partner and employer by all of your stakeholders (e.g. clients; suppliers).
8. Positive Feedback: This costs nothing, and is so often overlooked. Find a way, each day for your leaders to find and comment on a positive that your employees are contributing. Face to face, via email, via phone, or via a card, positive feedback with respect to a specific action taken by an employee is always welcomed and appreciated. Sadly, too many leaders pass up the opportunity to do so.
7. Flex-time: Allow employees more freedom to schedule their work week. We are all individuals. Some are more productive in the mornings; some are more productive in the afternoon; some more productive in the evening or on weekends. By allowing more freedom in what constitutes the work week, employers allow employees to handle other items in their lives such as scheduling appointments for themselves or family; taking care of car or home related matters, or simply taking in a show with a loved one. Employees are adults, and can handle this enhanced freedom. If unsure though, this can always be offered on a trial basis, and only for individuals with a certain amount of service with the employer, under their belt.
6. Tele-commuting: Similar to Flex-time, tele-commuting allows employees to work from home on occasion…perhaps on Fridays, to buy groceries and clean the house; perhaps on Mondays; so as to stay at the cottage and avoid the congestion of driving home on Sunday evening. With wireless phone and computer access, it’s increasingly possible to work from just about anywhere.
5. Shortened Hours: In the summer or on long-weekends, why not let employees leave early? Again, employees know enough to manage their workloads around this shortened work week, and are perhaps less productive in any event on a warm, sunny, summer friday afternoon. By letting employees leave early, you allow them to get a head start on their weekend, and perhaps a trip out of town to visit family or friends, and will be seen to be a very progressive employer. Productivity will not suffer, and may even improve. Again, if worried about a dangerous precedent, it’s possible to start with one holiday or one summer to try this out.
4. Committe Work: Often times, most decisions impacting employees, are taken behind closed doors, and by leaders who aren’t close enough to the issues and employees’ perspective. An example is when Companies decide to unilaterally restrict and/or monitor employee internet usage. There are better solutions available and by engaging employees on committees to solve these kinds of problems, employees will feel empowered and respected, and rewarded.
3. Unlimited Internet Access: Believe it or not, employees who have unlimited internet access, are no less productive, than those who do not. Those without internet access simply find other ways to kill time, if they’re not in a productive mood. The reality is that all employees need a break from time to time, and the internet , or doodling, or chatting with friends, helps to provide this. By taking a pro-active approach to the internet, while setting out guidelines for appropriate internet behaviour (e.g. not looking at certain sites), this will be viewed as a positive by your employees, (and you’re already paying for internet access, regardless).
2. Sabbaticals: Consider introducing time off, for certain uses, and for meeting certain pre-conditions. eg. 3 weeks off every six years, to study or work on a longer term volunteer commitment, or take on an approved project, with or without pay. You can set eligibility requirements, and will find (as has been my experience), that productivity does not decline, since employees work harder (including evenings and weekends) to free up their calendars for the time they’ll be away, and work harder upon their return (including evenings and weekends) to catch up on any work that did get behind during their absence.
1. Wellness: Consider shifting funds you spend on “healthcare” to “wellness”. This is a larger undertaking, however there are huge benefits to be derived by having a healthier workforce, that is engaged, energetic, and productive, than one that is absent and drawing on medical and healthcare benefits to boot. Not only can money currently being spent on drugs and hospital be partially put to better use in paying for fitness subsidies and healthy snacks; additionally, most fitness organizations will offer group discounts and other perqs (such as on-site yoga and fitness work-outs where feasible), to make the benefit even more advantageous for employees.
These 10 barely scratch the surface in terms of what is available to employers in the form of free benefits that will have your employees being even more committed and productive. Hopefully though, these will either help, or spark further creative thought in terms of what will work for your organization during this economic slowdown.