Company Culture Archives

Making Your Workplace A Community That Values Mental Health And Wellbeing

In the wake of last month’s Mental Health Awareness Week, it’s timely to turn your attention to the thing at the core of good mental health… wellbeing and wellness.

Are they a priority at your workplace?

If not, now is the time to change that!

Creating an environment that promotes good mental health and wellbeing not only benefits your individual team members but can also enhance the overall performance of your business.

So, let’s explore how you can create that environment now.

What Is Wellbeing?

According to the Mental Health Foundation website, ‘Wellbeing means we have the tools, support and environments we need to be who we are and to build and sustain lives worth living.’ And we couldn’t agree more!

Good wellbeing is all about creating an Aotearoa where we feel good and do well most of the time. It’s not about eliminating tough times, mental illness or distress – these will inevitably still occur. But it is about ensuring we are equipped with the tools, support and environment we need to work through any difficulties we encounter.

While a lot of that is down to the individual involved, a person’s workplace also has a huge role to play in achieving excellent wellbeing. So, let’s explore what that means in greater detail.

Supporting Good Mental Health

Before you can even begin to support mental health in your business, the people in key influencing roles need to understand what mental health actually is. There can be a perception that when we talk about mental health, we are actually talking about mental illness.

That is not what the focus should be at all.

Just like physical health, mental health is something we all have and need to look after. After all, there is no health without mental health! When our mental health is good, it translates to better physical health, greater resilience and the ability to feel happy, confident and secure.

Everyone can enjoy good mental health and wellbeing, regardless of what they have going on in their life. A big contributor to that will be a supportive and positive working environment.

Your Workplace Is A Community

A workplace is more than just a space where employees go to carry out their duties and meet deadlines. While work obviously goes on in a workplace (duh!), it should also be a space that ensures individuals feel supported, valued and connected.

It should be a community.

Communities are all about connection. That strong feeling of belonging, support and a shared purpose creates a sense of togetherness. When your team feel like they are part of a community, they experience all the elements that encourage good wellbeing. They are also more likely to experience job satisfaction and loyalty, along with greater productivity.

Building a workplace community is not just about good remuneration or creating a great office vibe. It’s also about creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels respected and heard, meaning that they are always able to contribute their best.

So, how can you build this community of wellbeing?

Build A Community Of Care

Community focused workplaces don’t happen by accident. Everyone from leadership to the most junior employee should consistently foster an environment where wellbeing is prioritised and mental health holds the same importance as physical health.

These are just some of the ways you can build a community at your workplace:

People At The Heart: When you are focused on your people, they know they are a valued asset to the business. Create regular opportunities for team interaction and connection so you are constantly building the bonds between your employees. While some scheduled team building events are helpful, you can also foster this connection through informal team catch-ups and morning teas, a walking lunch or a shared project. These moments are continual opportunities to feel connected and appreciated.
Wellbeing Initiatives: Initiatives that support wellness can be a big hit with employees and do double time on the wellbeing front by encouraging good mental health. These could be anything from wellness challenges to healthy office snacking or even mindfulness sessions and wellbeing benefits. The simple act of integrating wellbeing into a daily workplace routine reinforces the message that good health matters to your business.
Empathy and Leadership: One size certainly does not fit all when it comes to mental health. Your managers and leaders should lead with empathy, recognising that each team member will experience unique challenges. By offering support, showing understanding and maintaining regular communication, you can build trust, psychological safety and a positive work culture amongst your team.
Check Ins: You won’t know unless you ask! So, maintain regular check ins for your team, both at an individual level and as a collective. That way, you can always have a gauge of how your employees are feeling. Depending on the employee and their specific situation, check-ins can be formal one-on-one meetings or a casual chat – the objective is simply to identify any issues early and maintain a strong connection.

Valuing Wellbeing and Mental Health

A big part of building your community of care will be valuing wellbeing and mental health. Not only does it mean fostering the positive space we just discussed, but it also involves recognising everything can’t be sunshine and rainbows all the time!

Stress and anxiety are ever-present threats to your team’s mental health. That’s why it is more important than ever to take proactive steps to prioritise wellbeing.

Here are some ways you can do that:

Open Communication: When mental health is openly discussed in the workplace it helps to remove any associated stigma. Your team should feel comfortable speaking about wellbeing without fear of judgment. Management should take the lead in creating safe spaces for open conversations and getting some of your team trained in mental health first aid will also really help.
Provide External Support: Support within the workplace is essential, but sometimes people will feel more comfortable speaking with an experienced professional. Offering an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) or mental health workshops will give your employees access to strong support and demonstrate that their wellbeing is a priority. Here at Spice HR we are loving a new NZ start up’s approach to holistic wellbeing support for employees. Reach out if you’d like to find out more!
Encourage Work/Life Balance: A healthy work/life balance is essential for maintaining good mental health. So, encourage your team to create a balance that works for them. It could be flexible work hours or conditions, taking designated mental health days, or fully disconnecting outside of work hours.
True Inclusivity: Inclusivity is not just a buzzword, it is vital for wellbeing. A truly inclusive workplace will embrace diversity and ensure everyone feels valued regardless of their background, culture or personal circumstances. When people feel included, they are less likely to experience feelings of stress and isolation, preserving their wellbeing.

Prevention Is The Key

Is your workplace more than just a place of employment? Are your people active members in a community that helps them to thrive?

If not, now is the time to do something about it! When it comes to mental health concerns, you don’t want to be the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff! While mental health support is important, prevention of stress and burnout is the better avenue.

So, if you can work to build a great community, you’ll be taking proactive steps towards prevention and creating a great space for your team to work within.

If you are feeling stuck on how to ensure wellbeing is a big focus for your business, there are some great tools that can help make it happen. Firstly, it can be super beneficial to speak to an HR wellbeing expert. And you’re in luck, we Spice Gals are the experts you are looking for!

Backed with plenty of experience in this field, we can craft wellness solutions that make wellbeing a true priority. We can even help you implement a fantastic wellness platform that empowers your team to look after themselves in the ways that suit them best.

What are you waiting for? Make wellness a priority and contact the Spice gals now!

Introducing Safety Spice – The Ultimate Health And Safety Resource

Let’s talk Health and Safety.

Wait, stop! You don’t have to hide under the desk, we see you and it is ‘safe’ to come out!

Health and Safety doesn’t have to be a drag or an onerous task that you hide from.

You know it’s a vital component of your business and Safety Spice is here to make it easy for you!

So, let’s get started.

Health and Safety Legalities

All New Zealand businesses should have a Health and Safety system in place. And that system can be as straightforward as it sounds – it’s literally a plan that details how you intend to keep your team, your premises and any visitors safe at all times of the day and night.

While that all sounds straightforward, if you’ve been involved in Health and Safety in any respect, making sure you have the right things covered off and implemented can feel somewhat more complicated! Especially as the need to prove you have a comprehensive Health and Safety system in place is becoming more and more prevalent.

So, what can you do to make this process easier?

Enter our newest addition … Safety Spice! Specialising in all things Health and Safety, this Spice Gal is ready to help you protect your people and your business.

Your Health and Safety Plan

If you don’t have a H&S plan in place for your business, now is the time to remedy that. Many businesses put this task off as they don’t necessarily understand what should be included and how they should go about putting it together. That’s why it can be really helpful to work with a H&S expert (like Safety Spice) as they can guide you through the process.

When it comes to Health and Safety, there are 3 key areas to consider:

1: Hazards

Every workplace will have some form of hazards present, even if you just have a simple desk and chair home office setup. So, the first part of any H&S work is identifying what these potential hazards could be, investigating how you can raise awareness of what they are and what you can do to minimise the risk to your people.

Once you have established what those hazards are, you can then move onto documenting them and putting controls in place to manage the risk elements. This information then needs to be shared with your team so that they can be aware of potential dangers and the practices they need to follow to carry out their role safely in the workplace.

But you still aren’t done yet! Identifying, documenting and sharing the hazards is only the initial phase. From there, you will need to regularly review your hazards and note any changes. You’ll also need to assess if your controls are correctly minimising risk and if there is anything further you can be doing to create an even safer space.

2: Incidents

From time to time, you will experience incidents in the workplace. It is important to document them all so that you have a record to refer back to. It is hard to remember each little thing when only using the power of your memory, so documenting is vital.

Documentation also allows you to see if there are repeated incidents in the same space, role or task and what the severity is. This can help you to identify trends, particular hazards or declining safety measures.

Be thorough when documenting each incident. Indicate what happened, who was involved and where it took place. Consider the severity of the incident and note whether it was a near miss, First Aid incident (FAI), Missed Time Incident (MTI), Lost Time Incident (LTI) or Serious Harm incident (which you need to report to WorkSafe).

Use the documented incidents to conduct reviews of your safety protocols and assess whether modifications or additional measures need to be introduced. And don’t forget to communicate this information to the relevant team members for awareness and to enact change where necessary.

3: Staff Involvement

Health and Safety is incredibly valuable for your business, but only if you have good staff involvement. After all, what is the point of having documented safety measures if no one knows what they are and how to follow them? Staff involvement is key!

The very first step comes during the onboarding phase and it involves inducting new team members into your H&S system. But it isn’t just new team members who need this knowledge. Everyone on the team needs to be aware of the wider safety protocols in place and which areas impact their role specifically. They need to understand their obligations and what (if any) documentation they are required to keep.

Regular training and refreshers are essential to ensure everyone remains up to date. It can be helpful to hold a monthly meeting to raise concerns, note incidents and provide a forum for idea sharing and solutions. And it’s important to remember that the feedback you get from those ‘at the coalface’ can give invaluable insight into what’s really happening.

K.I.S.S

Keep It Simple Spiceys!

While vitally important, Health and Safety does not have to be overly complex. If you focus on the three key areas we just listed, you will build yourself a great foundation for a safe workplace.

Keep your team involved in the process with clear communication and be open to the ideas they present. Ensure that you have everything documented in a central place so that everyone knows where to access the relevant information when they need it.

Make sure your management team leads from the front by adopting good safety practices themselves as this will help it to flow down to all levels of the business. Normalise safety so that it just becomes part of what everyone does each day – it shouldn’t be a box to tick or some chore to perform.

The “What If” Test

So, how safety conscious is your workplace currently? One of the best Health & Safety indicators is to perform the “What If” test. It’s super simple to do, you simply ask yourself – what if the worst happens?

What if we had an incident, an accident, or we weren’t properly prepared – where would it leave me, my business, my workers, or my customers?

What if we have a framework already, but aren’t using it effectively, and have no records and documentation to back it up – where would it leave me, my business, my workers, or my customers if a WorkSafe audit or a serious harm incident were to happen?

If the answers to these questions start to scare you, then it’s time to chat to Safety Spice!

Health and Safety doesn’t have to be difficult when you have the right support and guidance. And that is exactly what Safety Spice (and the rest of the Spice Gals) will provide for you.

We understand how important it is to protect the safety and wellbeing of your team so we will help you meet not only your legal obligations, but also to fulfill the genuine care you have for your people. Get in touch with us today and take your first step towards sorting that Health and Safety!

Aligning Generations At Work: Fostering A Multigenerational Workplace

Every generation comes with a reputation for how they supposedly behave in the workplace. Fair to say that some of the traits are unfairly assigned!

But these stereotypes exist due to an evolution of attitudes and behaviours over the decades.

For example, if you compare the mindset of a Baby Boomer and a Gen Zer, you’ll incur vastly different opinions.

These different attitudes can sometimes cause conflict in the workplace.

So, it’s vital that your leaders and team understand each of the generations within your workforce and how you can foster multigenerational harmony.

Let’s explore the concept of a multigenerational workplace in greater detail so that you can avoid unnecessary conflict and maximise the varying skills you have within your team.

What Is A Multigenerational Workplace?

A multigenerational workplace is one where your team is made up of people from different generations, meaning varying age groups. As many people are choosing to work into their later years, it is becoming more and more common to have a wide range of generations throughout your workforce.

The 4 main generations in the workforce at present are:

Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964): Known for a strong work ethic and their loyalty, often prioritising job stability over career progression.
Generation X (born 1965-1980): With a strong element of self-reliance and resourcefulness, they prefer autonomy and a good work-life balance.
Millennials (1981-1996): Having grown up with technology they are very comfortable with digital tools, often drive technological innovation, and prefer collaborations.
Gen Z (born 1997-2012): Highly proficient in technology and social platforms they value diversity and inclusion and like to seek opportunities for innovation.

Some workplaces may even have a further diverse split and include the octogenarians of the Silent Generation and the younger teens of Generation Alpha. While there are many benefits to having all of these different skills and viewpoints in your business, it is important for everyone to remember that they will have different perspectives and communication styles. These differences can create waves if you are not careful.

A Multigenerational Workplace Looks Like…

There are a few common characteristics of a multigenerational workplace:

Diverse age groups: You could potentially have a large age range within your workforce. There may be those who are just starting out their careers and those with decades of experience. As we just mentioned, this diversity generally spans four generations, but could be up to six!

Varying Work Styles: The different generations often have varying approaches to how they work. These can range anywhere from the more traditional hierarchical manager and employee relationship to a flatter structure with a much more flexible and collaborative approach – and everything in between! These all need to be handled and managed in different ways.

Communication Preferences: The technological evolution has played a major part with how the different generations tend to communicate. Older generations may prefer face-to-face, telephone or email communication, while younger employees could prefer digital methods like instant messaging or video calls.

Diverse Expectations: Each generation will have expectations about how a workplace should operate, the balance they create between work and personal life, the amount of career progression they will strive for, and the values and culture of the organisation they choose to work for.

Navigating The Divide

In today’s diverse workplace, fostering collaboration among different generations can be challenging. That’s where a tool like Extended DISC can provide your team with valuable insights that can help bridge multi-generational gaps by enhancing teamwork and understanding. Here’s a taster…

Tailored Communication: Identifying individual communication styles allows team members to adapt their approach to suit colleagues from various age groups.

Identify Pressure Points: Extended DISC uncovers each person’s motivators and stressors, promoting understanding and a more empathetic and supportive work environment.

Healthy Debate: By revealing underlying behavioral patterns, Extended DISC aids in conflict resolution, making it easier for your team to address and resolve disagreements constructively and positively.

Leadership Style: The tool enhances leadership effectiveness, enabling leaders to understand their default style and to tailor their approach to meet the needs of a diverse team.

Build Community: Extended DISC fosters mutual respect and appreciation, as team members learn to value the unique strengths and perspectives each generation brings to the table.

By leveraging these insights and many more, organisations can create a more cohesive, productive, and harmonious multi-generational workforce.

The Benefits For Your Business

While there may be some bumps along the road to navigate when the culture collision of the varying generations occurs, there are a lot of advantages that a multigenerational workforce can bring.

Some of the most valuable benefits are:

Innovation: Different generational perspectives can lead to more innovation in your business and spawn creative solutions to problems that might arise. A diverse team will create a fascinating brainstorm and may even devise some out-of-the-box solutions. By combining traditional methods with newer ideas, you may create a new and efficient way of doing things.

Wider Skill Sets: Every generation will have skills that the others do not. So, when you combine all those strengths together, you create a more versatile and skilled team overall. Often, the older team members will bring experience and a depth of knowledge, while younger employees can bring a fresh perspective and digital flair.

More Opportunities To Learn: Professional development should always be a priority, but formal courses and workshops are not the only places to learn. Team mentorship can create just as many learning opportunities. And it doesn’t only have to be the more senior team members mentoring the youngsters. Think reverse mentoring everyone has something valuable to teach, so maximise the potential!

Better Decisions: Diverse teams make better decisions as they can consider a wider range of perspectives and experiences. This can lead to more effective and well-rounded strategies for your organisation.

Stronger Workplace Culture: By valuing the contributions of all generations, your team will feel respected and engaged in their work. This can lead to a positive workplace culture with higher job satisfaction and employee engagement – which means better talent retention and lower employee turnover.

Encouraging Intergenerational Harmony

While there may be certain instances where opinions may differ, there is no reason why there can’t be strong intergenerational teamwork within your business. Here’s how you can enhance collaboration:

Ditch the Stereotypes

People may come into the business with preconceived notions about how certain individuals may behave because of their age. It is important to squash those stereotypes by fostering inclusivity. Once people interact and get to know each other, they will realise that age is no barrier to connection.

It’s all about communication and encouraging discussions that reverse the misconceptions individuals might have about the people around them. Identify any assumptions and open the conversation surrounding them to remove barriers and create a positive and psychologically safe environment.

Shared Purpose

Uniting your team under one set of values and goals will show them that they aren’t all that different. When they are all working towards a common goal aligned under one vision, you will find there is a sense of unity that breaks down any generational divides.

Highlight the Benefits

As a leader you know the benefits that can come from a multigenerational team. But the team themselves may not realise the treasure trove of experience, innovation and ideas they collectively possess. So that they learn this valuable lesson, create opportunities for colleagues to work together and learn from each other. This could be in a mentorship arrangement or simply a collaboration of minds with complementary skills.

Build Community

Chats around the figurative water cooler are a good starting point. But you can take the social connections even further to build a strong community within your team. Informal team gatherings, communal work and community spaces or virtual meet ups will all encourage your team to connect casually and form friendly bonds.

Smooth The Way

Subtly navigating the challenge of connecting a multigenerational workforce can sometimes feel like you are walking on eggshells. But, as this is a challenge that almost every business will face, it is important to handle it well.

That’s where Extended DISC and the Spice Gals come in!

With Extended DISC we’ve helped numerous businesses navigate the unique challenges of creating a community and common understanding within a multigenerational workplace. And we’d love to do the same at yours.

Reach out to our team today to see how we can help you.

An Army Of Leadership: Aligning For Workplace Culture

Workplace culture is the not-so-secret ingredient for the success of any organisation.

When a business has a positive workplace culture, then everything just works better.

But creating this positive environment can be challenging.

Especially if you don’t quite have the right recipe for success – too much spice and there will be conflict, not enough and everything becomes bland and unengaged.

It’s about achieving the right balance of ingredients.

The Acentia framework can help you achieve that balance. It offers a new and integrated approach to culture development and provides a practical strategy for fostering continuous culture growth.

Sounds pretty good, right?

Let’s discover more about how you can create a strong workplace culture using all the tools at your disposal.

Why Workplace Culture Is A Priority

In today’s business landscape, positive workplace culture is more than just a nice thing to have! It’s actually a critical component of an organisation’s success and a drawcard for attracting and retaining talented employees. A company’s culture is a vital aspect of its brand identity. A positive culture can translate into being viewed more favourably by your team members, customers and community as a whole.

There are positives within the business too. When you have a good workplace culture, you generally have higher levels of team engagement. Your employees are more likely to feel valued and respected, making them want to stay and grow with the company. You’ll also open the door for creative thinking, innovation and a natural increase in productivity levels.

It’s not just about benefits for the organisation either. When your team feels supported by the workplace culture, their mental and physical health can improve. You’ll also find that job satisfaction significantly increases, especially if your team is able to formulate a strong work-life balance.

Creating The Positive Culture

So, how can you work to create this positive culture? Well, the road to a better culture starts with your leaders. “Culture cannot be developed, grown or improved by leaders that are not ready for it or properly aligned.” These wise words were spoken by the team at Acentia, specialists in developing a healthy workplace.

The Acentia framework is all about equipping leaders with the knowledge and skills to foster the right kind of workplace culture within their organisations. This is particularly important in today’s turbulent world. In 2024, the workplace landscape has evolved beyond the 5 days a week, 9 to 5 in the office structure. Now, leaders must build a cohesive culture while navigating economic uncertainty, fear of the unknown and a team that could be working flexible hours or remotely.

Safe to say, that can be a challenge!

That’s why The Spice Gals are excited to announce that the Acentia framework is now part of our extensive toolbelt of resources, enabling us to bring highly valuable leadership and culture workshops to your business!

Perfect for businesses of all sizes and stages, this unique leadership training helps to simplify the way your business can achieve continuous cultural growth.

The Importance Of Leadership In Workplace Culture

You will have heard the saying that change has to come from the top. That’s because it does! Your leaders are in a position to guide everyone towards a culture of excellence and deal with any behaviours that go against the success of that initiative.

Leadership is the foundation on which a positive workplace culture is built. When your leaders are not prepared or well equipped, then it is unlikely you will be able to maintain any positive change on the workplace culture front.

However, if they are empowered with the skills and confidence to lead the charge from the start, they will be far more likely to stay the course to nurture and preserve an amazing workplace culture. Without this leadership, your organisation will likely struggle to make positive, long-lasting change.

How Can You Prepare Your Leaders

There are three key steps to follow when preparing your leaders for cultural change. They are:

1: Create an Army of Leaders

When you have aligned leadership goals across your entire organisation, you create an army of leaders! Including ALL levels of leaders will create a shared responsibility for cultural change. Many businesses make the mistake of only focusing on the generals, but it is the sergeants that are on the ground working directly with the people of your organisation. That means they have the most direct influence for creating change.

Fill your army of leaders with all the people that lead teams, but also consider including suitable individuals like senior team members who may not formally lead people, but still have the respect of their peers and strong influence over them.

2: Get the Army into Formation

The right foundation of leadership is achieved when your army is aligned in formation. While the individual development of each leader is still important work, that’s not what we are looking to achieve in this instance.

This battle plan is all about getting everyone into formation with a shared goal and leadership approach. Each leader should know how important their contribution is to this mission and the critical role they play in creating the appropriate culture within your organisation.

3: Consider the Hierarchy

While you will need every leader on board to make the mission a success, the work always needs to start from the top. Getting the buy-in of your CEO and upper management team is essential. Often, this team will do extensive pre-work before rolling the blueprint down to the lower levels of leadership to ensure everything is planned well.

But, by doing this work and having your top team own and lead the development, you’ll have the ultimate role models for everyone else to follow. They can also support their direct reports in maximising the opportunities to lead as the mission rolls out to all levels of your team.

Time To Take Action?

If you are ready to align your leadership team to build a healthier culture within your business, then now is the time to do it.

With the modern workplace looking very different than it did even three years ago, workplace culture is suffering. Getting your leaders onto this important work will benefit your business immensely.

But it can be hard to do without support.

Luckily, the Spice Gals are here to help. Armed with the powerful Acentia framework, we can help transform the culture at your workplace so that you can reap the benefits long term.

Reach out to us today to find out more about the revolutionary programme.

How Inclusion Is Playing A Leading Role In A Great Work Environment

Inclusivity is a buzzword in the HR field.

Of course, you want to create a space that is warm and welcoming for all team members regardless of age, gender, culture or background.

But inclusivity can be so much more than that.

Embracing the full potential of your team members and creating a positive working environment is incredibly valuable on a personal and professional level.

That’s why inclusion is playing a leading role in retention, innovation, and so many other key areas of business. Let’s investigate this further to see how you can create an inclusive environment at your workplace.

What Is An Inclusive Workplace?

Creating an inclusive workplace is not about investing thousands of dollars or overhauling the way you do things. It is simply about creating an environment where everyone feels valued, respected, heard and supported regardless of their background, identity, or differences.

Leading from the top, focusing on inclusivity is creating a place where diversity is not only acknowledged but celebrated. All individuals should have equal opportunities to contribute, grow, and succeed.

Everyone should feel a sense of belonging, no matter who they are. Age, gender, race, culture, religion, sexual orientation, disabilities, or economic background should not be factors – in fact, you should actively work against discrimination or unconscious bias in these areas.

Inclusion is the way, as it fosters a place where people want to be every day and encourages the desire to work towards the common goals of the business.

The Value Of Inclusion

Inclusion is a valuable thing to foster in any environment, but especially in the workplace. Here’s why:

Self Confidence

Knowing you belong and matter helps you to have greater self confidence. New Zealand is becoming an increasingly diverse place. So, it makes sense that our workplaces are becoming equally diverse. Sometimes, majority groups can make others feel excluded simply because they have a habit of emphasising what they have in common.

This isn’t always done intentionally, but it has the negative impact of making those in the minority feel like an outsider. This can negatively impact their self confidence and make them less likely to engage with their role, the business, and the rest of the team.

If everyone can be consciously aware of their behaviour and foster inclusivity, every team member can feel confident, happy and engaged in their work.

Innovation

Businesses that innovate can stay relevant and reach their full potential. That’s because they can adapt to the constantly changing environment that surrounds them and come up with creative solutions to challenges.

When inclusivity is a focus, all your team will feel empowered to speak up and offer their ideas. This is when the best solutions come to light as you can gain perspective from all areas of the business to create practical innovation that works.

Retention

When your team feel the sense of belonging, support and fulfilment that inclusivity brings, you can significantly increase your staff retention rate. If they feel valued and included within your company, then they are more likely to develop a strong sense of loyalty.

Creating a space full of equal access development opportunities, flexible work arrangements for all, fair and inclusive policies, along with a diverse leadership representation shows your team that anyone can succeed and advance within the business. This obviously sets the stage for good talent acquisition and retention.

Why Inclusion Is Playing A Leading Role

Because the world is such a diverse place, inclusivity is a big focus, and it should be. More and more people want to work in an inclusive workplace. They seek out businesses that offer this environment for two reasons. The first one is obvious, they want to feel like they fit in. The second reason is that they don’t want to be part of a company where their colleagues might feel excluded.

That’s why inclusion is taking a leading role in creating engaged and productive workspaces. When inclusion is a core business value you can get the best from your people as they all feel respected, heard and valued. Most importantly, your people will feel safe.

Creating An Inclusive Workspace

Core Values

Simply creating a diversity policy is not enough. Inclusivity needs to be embraced by everyone in the company, not simply seen as a policy to follow. When everyone embraces the concept of inclusivity, then they will all have an opportunity to thrive in an empowering environment.

This vibe should start from the top down with management leading the way. When your managers and leaders show sincerity and genuine interest in inclusivity it helps to intertwine these concepts into the daily behaviours of the business.

Seek Feedback

It can be difficult to know what your team want from a workspace unless you ask them! Collecting feedback is a powerful way to discover what your employees value. The way to produce the most fruitful results is to have them complete an anonymous employee survey so each team member can express their views without fear or judgment.

Collecting the feedback is only part of the process though. Once you have the results, it is important to make company wide changes in line with the needs of your team.

Review

Another important task is to review what is taking place in your business currently. What are some quick fixes you can enact to support a model of inclusivity? Getting some quick wins on the board will show your team you are committed to progress.

Then, it’s time to examine the more time-consuming aspects like policies, recruitment and remuneration. Employee policies should not have any barriers to inclusion. Review what policies you have in place and make changes accordingly. Clearly communicate to all your team what discrimination and harassment look like and the resulting consequences of this negative behaviour.

Your recruitment process should ensure any vacant role is equally accessible to all applicants and that no particular groups will be negatively impacted in the recruitment process.

Remuneration should be transparent and carefully structured. That way you can give guidance on starting salaries and any bonuses while ensuring pay equity is in place for all segments of the workforce.

Include Inclusion

Inclusion should be part of everything that you do. It should become part of your onboarding process so that new team members instantly feel welcome and connected to your business. It should also be part of the daily practices within your office, with meetings, activities and conversations that promote inclusion and understanding.

Don’t forget virtual inclusion either! Remote work is great for flexibility, but it can be isolating. Maintain human connection with those working remotely and ensure mental health resources are available for all.

Making Your Workspace Inclusive

No one wants people to feel excluded, but sometimes it can feel overwhelming to tackle inclusion in the workplace. Gaining the calm and practical advice of an expert HR team can take the stress out of the process and ensure nothing is missed.

The Spice Gals are the team to help you!

With extensive HR experience and a true focus on the human side of Human Resources, this is an area we are passionate about. We’d love to help ensure your workplace is a space where everyone feels relaxed, accepted and valued. Chat with our team today to see how we can help!

Social Responsibility: Are You Adapting For And Attracting Gen Z?

Generally speaking, every new generation is passionate about something in the workplace.

The Boomers wanted career progression, Gen X wanted independence, Millennials wanted flexibility, and now as Gen Z start to enter the workforce in their droves, they are passionate about social responsibility.

So, is your workplace adapting to embrace this new focus?

In order to set your business up to attract and retain this new generation of workers you’ll need to show accountability in the areas that really matter to them.

Let’s look into this in a little more detail.

Gen Z And Social Responsibility

Gen Z workers are often more socially and environmentally conscious than those from previous generations. They tend to prioritise working for companies that share their values and contribute positively to society.

Because they are passionate about social responsibilities, they will often change their personal behaviours to minimise their own impact on the environment. They want their employers to do the same. So, if your company can show accountability on the environmental front and prove you are serious about your social responsibilities then you will not only attract a new generation of workers, but you will retain employees who share your company’s values and interests.

Globally, companies are starting to invest in climate adaptation. That means, instead of trying to prevent climate change, they are adjusting to the reality that it is going to happen and what we need to do in response.

Gen Z expect your business to be resilient and prepared for environmental change. So, there are some things you will need to consider in this space to ensure you are up to the challenge.

What Is Workplace Social Responsibility?

Workplace social responsibility refers to the ethical obligation your business has to act in a way that benefits society at large. It involves considering the impact of your actions and decisions on employees, customers, communities, and the environment.

Emphasising your social responsibility can be a powerful way to attract Gen Z workers to your business. They are really interested in:

Purpose-driven work

Gen Z workers are drawn to companies that have a clear sense of purpose beyond purely making a profit. By prioritising social responsibility, you can demonstrate that you are committed to making a positive impact on society. This can be highly appealing to Gen Z workers as they are often seeking what they see as meaningful employment.

Employee engagement

As an employer, you know how important it is to have an engaged workforce. Not only do you get more out of your team, but it creates a positive working environment along with personal and professional success for everyone. In today’s climate, workers are more likely to feel engaged and motivated when they believe in their company’s values and social mission.

By giving your team socially responsible values to connect with, you can create a more inclusive and fulfilling work environment with excellent employee retention rates.

Brand reputation

Prioritising social responsibility is not just talking about your environmental values, it is about your actions too. If you can positively contribute on both these fronts, it will create a strong reputation for your brand and company.

Gen Z workers value transparency and authenticity in the companies they choose to support and work for. Building a positive brand reputation as an ethical and socially conscious organisation can help you attract top talent as well as gain the trust of your customers.

Positive community impact

What does your company do to ensure you are positively impacting your local community and the environment? Because Gen Z workers are passionate about social and environmental issues, they want to work for companies that share their commitment to sustainability and social justice.

By prioritising social responsibility, you can make a meaningful difference in your community and reduce your environmental footprint. Plus, you can resonate with Gen Z workers who are looking to make a positive impact through their work.

The Big Issue: Climate Change

The Government recently passed legislation making climate-related disclosures mandatory for some companies. The requirement applies to large publicly listed companies, insurers, banks, non-bank deposit takers and investment managers.

The legislation came about because the majority of large NZ companies provide very little information about what climate change might mean for them. By having these big businesses make mandatory climate-related disclosures it ensures the effects of climate change are routinely considered, that responsibility is demonstrated in the consideration of climate issues, and it creates a more efficient allocation of funds to build a more sustainable, low emission economy.

The purpose is to ensure NZ stays on track to achieve its target of net zero carbon by 2050. While these mandatory reporting stipulations only apply to around 200 big NZ businesses currently, it is worth considering your own business’s impact, especially as this is a key issue for Gen Zers.

So, what is your business doing to be socially responsible on the climate change front? Are you adapting your business practices to invest in the future of our country and our planet? These are big considerations for Gen Z and as such they should be considerations for your business too.

Adapting And Attracting

Social responsibility is a huge topic right now. Not just because it is vitally important to Gen Z, but because we all need to adapt our attitudes and actions to protect our futures.

How socially responsible is your business right now?

If you aren’t sure of the answer to that question, now is the time to remedy that. And our team of HR experts can help you do it. We can help you develop social responsibility policies and procedures that will not only position your business as a thought leader in this area, but also attract amazing talent from all generations.

Chat with us today.

Is Your Business Equipped With Change Readiness?

Change.

In the current business climate, it seems to be the only constant for organisations.

So, when you don’t know what to expect in an ever-changing world, how can you manage your people and your business successfully?

The secret is not to manage the change.

Rather, your organisation should focus on increasing its change readiness to better navigate uncertain circumstances.

We’ve assembled our best tips for how you can do that. So, let’s explore the concept of change readiness in greater detail now.

What Is Change Readiness?

Change can be a nerve-wracking thing. Whether it is planned or forced upon you, it has the capacity to unsettle even the most stoic team members. That’s why change readiness is a powerful tool. It refers to your organisation’s ability to effectively anticipate, plan for and respond to change.

Change can encompass many areas. It can be as large as global or nationwide change, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, or smaller scale change within your business, like operations, strategies, technologies or structures.

Common areas of change that can trigger the need for change readiness include leadership capabilities, team culture, staff rotation, and external forces like market trends, regulation changes or technology advancements.

Being ready to navigate change is a skill that every organisation needs to develop as change is the only constant in business!

What Does Being Change Ready Mean?

Is your business change ready? Do you possess the necessary capabilities to adapt to both internal and external change? Being change ready entails several key elements and they are:

Understanding Change

Humans can be creatures of habit which means that any kind of change can be hard. As a business, it is vital that you understand this and how any change might impact your team culture, morale, productivity and behaviour. Having this knowledge can help you to make appropriate decisions that empower leadership and team members to embrace and navigate change effectively.

Leadership

Like everything, the ability to react to change needs to come from the top. Your leadership team should demonstrate a clear vision for handling specific changes, provide effective communication to the entire business, and be committed to guiding the organisation through change. They also help to drive a culture that fosters resilience, innovation, and continuous learning.

Agility

Change can sometimes be fast paced, so it is important that your business and team can be agile in your approach. Yes, that means being adaptive, but it creates a real forum for innovation too. When you empower your team members to contribute ideas and adapt to evolving circumstances, you encourage readiness and evolution – two key components in handling change.

Flexibility

Successful change and flexibility go hand in hand. If your business is stuck in its ways, you can’t possibly react to change in a positive manner. If you can design your structures, systems and processes to be somewhat flexible, then it will be easier to be responsive to change. Key areas for flexibility include team and project management, decision-making processes, and organisational structures.

Engagement

When your team members are actively engaged with your business, values, and the results you are trying to generate then they will feel empowered to contribute positively. They will also feel more comfortable with change, knowing that they will have the support, training and resources to navigate whatever is thrown at them. Change may even become a good thing if they have the opportunity to develop new skills and competencies.

Resilience

Resilience is all about having the ability to absorb stress and thrive in unexpected situations. Preparing you for absolutely anything, resilience can help your business to anticipate, identify and mitigate possible challenges while also positioning you to capitalise on opportunities as they arise. Instead of seeing challenges when change occurs, resilience helps you to see the potential for learning and growth.

Awareness

It can be easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day aspects of business. This can be dangerous as it doesn’t prepare you for the potential of change. Having an element of awareness allows you to look beyond those daily tasks and see the bigger picture. This can help you to see potential change before it becomes an issue. It can also help you identify opportunities for growth or collaboration.

How To Create Change Readiness

Ready to be ready for change? If so, the following steps will help:

1: Assess Where You Are At

Knowing what your organisation needs and how you can navigate specific changes will depend on the current state of your business. So, the first step is understanding where your business is right now. That way you can have clarity about what you really need. Examine your culture, processes, structures, capabilities and readiness for change. This will give you a clear starting point.

2: Know Your Mission

When you are clear on your mission and company values, you can make sure you are acting in line with them when change does occur. Aligning with your mission will allow you to develop a clear vision for change and be able to communicate it effectively to your team.

3: Develop Your Leadership

As we just mentioned, your leadership teams should be leading from the front and understanding the impact change can have on the business and the individuals within it. Invest in programmes to develop your leaders so that they are equipped with the skills, knowledge and behaviours they need to positively drive any change that might arise.

4: Cement Your Team Culture

Having a great culture and team morale will help your team feel supported while they navigate change. This can be fostered through developing a culture that encourages collaboration, innovation and open communication. Create opportunities for your team to share ideas and learn from each other’s perspectives so these concepts are not foreign when change arises.

5: Promote Flexibility

Foster a mindset of flexibility and adaptability among your team by encouraging them to embrace change as an opportunity for growth and learning. Create a supportive environment where employees feel empowered to innovate and learn from any mistakes. In return, let your team know where they can access support and resources to allow them to continue succeeding in their role throughout periods of change.

6: Consult The Experts

Sometimes it can be hard to know what areas you need to focus on when developing change readiness procedures. For times like these, you can call the Spice Gals! As professional HR experts, we understand the impact change can have on a business and the individuals within it. That’s why we want to help you develop effective change readiness. Get in touch with us now to discuss how we can help you prepare for inevitable change.

How To Finish The Year On A High And Relax!

You know it’s coming.

You can literally feel the change of season in the air.

Yet somehow, the end of the year always has a habit of sneaking up on us.

We get so caught up in doing all the things throughout the year, that suddenly it comes as a surprise that we are going to stop for a bit.

The good news is that it is almost time to relax and celebrate the end of another year.

Keep reading to see how you can do that in a positive way and appreciate your team for all the hard work they have put in.

Let’s get into it.

How To Finish The Year On A High

Show Appreciation

Every day your team members ideally show up and work their hardest. The end of the year is the perfect time to show your appreciation for their dedication. The great thing is, there are plenty of ways that you can express your gratitude.

Here are a few ideas:

Gifts: Probably the most traditional form of showing gratitude is giving a gift. Choose something thoughtful that is both practical and appropriate. Gift cards, personalised choices, or something that aligns with their hobbies will show that you appreciate and respect what they do.
Personalised Notes: You don’t have to spend up large to show your appreciation. A handwritten, personalised note can be a lovely way to highlight the individual achievements or qualities you respect about each of your team members.
Gratitude Day: You could offer each of your team members a bonus day of paid leave as a special gesture of appreciation for all of their hard work throughout the year.
Appreciation Meal: Hosting a special meal simply to show thanks will give you a special space to highlight and acknowledge the individual contributions your team has made.
Gratitude Wall: Share the love around your workplace by setting up a physical Gratitude Wall where your team members can leave messages of appreciation for each other. Not only does this show your thanks, but it also helps to promote a positive team culture.
Awards Ceremony: Host a fun Awards evening or afternoon where everyone gets to dress up and receive their very own certificates for performance, innovation, teamwork, or being the one in the office who empties the kitchen bin the most!

Celebrate Successes

Celebrating the achievements that your team have made during the year is an awesome way to maintain a positive work culture. While you will (hopefully) have acknowledged the successes at the time they occurred, it can be fun and rewarding for the team to recap the greatest hits of the year.

You can do this in any way you feel is appropriate. It can be done at an end of year celebration, during a team meeting, or individual personalised messages to each team member.

You should also encourage everyone to share their own success stories, and give recognition to their peers and colleagues where appropriate. Using a holistic approach where everyone shares will really make it a meaningful experience for all.

End Of Year Celebration

The term “Office Christmas Party” can be a loaded one! So, let’s scrap the traditional terminology and bring everyone together for an end of year celebration instead. That way, you don’t have to worry about the cheesy connotations or potential bad behaviour!

Instead, you can focus on the main purpose of the event – to celebrate a job well done together.

This is particularly important in the post-Covid work environment where people might not all be in the workplace together at one time. Remote working, flexible hours, and multi-location working are all wonderful additions for your team, but it might mean that they don’t get to spend the same amount of time in each other’s company that they did previously.

An end of year celebration can be the perfect time to reconnect, interact, and generally enjoy a fun experience together.

Planning Your Celebration

While in the workplace, your team will be very conscious of displaying their professional persona. But, the great thing about an end of year celebration is that they get to relax and be themselves. Your team might even get to learn a bit more about themselves and see some personalities shine through.

In order for that to happen, you need to build a fun and interactive environment. Holding your celebration away from the workspace is a great way to encourage this as you can literally leave the work behind!

Choose something that all of your team can participate in and enjoy. You can choose anything! Here are some fun ideas:

Beach BBQ
Family Day Out
Spa Day
Canvas Painting Session
Cocktail Mixing
Cooking Classes
Go Karting
Bowling
Mini Golf
Escape Room
Arcade Afternoon
Ropes Course
Rock Climbing
Comedy Club, Show or Concert
Team Lunch or Dinner

The whole idea is to create a positive vibe that they can carry into their holidays and the new year.

Creating A Holiday Vibe

While it is exciting to close off for the end of the year, there is still the last of your year’s tasks to finish before that can happen. December can be an exceptionally stressful time as there are plenty of deadlines to meet, lots of jobs to tidy up before the holiday break not to mention the end of year family commitments to fit in!

Here are some ways you can keep the stress levels down and the productivity flowing:

Prioritise: help your team manage their workload by prioritising their tasks, setting realistic goals about what can be achieved and ditching the things that can wait for the new year.
Communication: open and clear communication about expectations, deadlines and priorities is essential in the busy season. Quickly advise of any changes in schedules or tasks too.
Flexibility: if possible, offer flexible working times and locations so that your team can balance their work and personal commitments.
Support Wellbeing: the end of the year is the prime time for burnout, so encourage self-care practices amongst your team. Help them with stress management, mindfulness and maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
Encourage Collaboration: emphasise the power of teamwork, collaboration and sharing responsibilities to get things done. Have your team support each other so that no one has to feel stressed and isolated.
Embrace Holiday Spirit: create a festive atmosphere and get people in the mood for the holidays by decorating for Christmas, playing holiday themed music, and organising a Secret Santa. These fun things can keep morale high and build a positive vibe.

Call For Help

If there is anything your team cannot manage, then make sure you call in the experts to help. Here at Spice HR, we want you to roll into the end of the year feeling accomplished, relaxed and productive. So, we are on hand to help with any of your HR related inquiries both now and into the new year.

Get in touch with the Spice Gals now if we can help with anything related to your people-focused solutions.

Extended DISC®: The Secret To A Better Workplace Environment

Wouldn’t it be great if you could have insight into who your team members really are?

To understand their behaviours and how you can make them gel as a harmonious team.

Well good news, Extended DISC® can provide you with this information and more.

A form of psychometric testing carried out through a simple self-survey process, you can learn everything you need to create a fantastic working environment as well as establish how new candidates might fit into that dynamic.

Nope, it’s not witchcraft. Such a tool does exist!

Read on to find out more about it.

Extended DISC®: The Secret To A Better Workplace Environment

What Is Extended DISC®?

Extended DISC® personality assessments can help you maximise the performance of your business by giving you a greater understanding of the personalities within your team and how they might work together. Sounds pretty fancy, right?

As Extended DISC® practitioners, we can help you delve into who your people are and how they approach their work. Using a short self-assessment tool, current or potential employees answer a number of questions. The answers to those questions will reveal helpful insight into their unconscious behaviours and the adjusted conscious traits they have in the workplace.

Knowing more about your team’s personalities can help you manage them better and maximise the key skills they possess. DISC profiling can also be helpful as a recruitment tool to give an indication of how someone might fit into your existing team dynamic.

What Does DISC Mean?

DISC is an acronym created by the four primary personality types that the psychometric testing reveals. It stands for:

D – Dominance

When individuals present with the Dominance characteristic, it means that they show assertiveness, competitiveness, and are direct in their communication and decision making. Many D type personalities are results oriented and like to be the ones in charge.

I – Influence

If Influence is the main characteristic of someone’s personality, then they are people oriented, sociable, enthusiastic and persuasive. They love to make social connections in the workplace and often relish collaborative opportunities where they can work with others.

S – Steadiness

Having Steadiness produces individuals who are patient and dependable, preferring stability in their working lives. They tend to be very loyal and trustworthy team players who can listen well and work autonomously. They have a good balance between being task oriented and people oriented.

C – Compliance

If Compliance is the main trait, then people tend to be analytical, logical, and conscientious. That means they like structure and rules! But they are also excellent problem solvers, able to think deeply about challenges and issues that arise.

While most people will have a dominant trait, they will also have signs of the other traits in their working behaviour too. That’s why DISC reports can be so insightful.

Where Can Extended DISC® help?

The Extended DISC® process is really helpful in two main areas of your business:

Recruitment

One of the biggest challenges of recruitment is establishing whether a candidate is going to be a good fit for your existing team. They might have the right skills and experience on paper, but paper doesn’t tell you about their personality. Well, unless that piece of paper is a printout of a DISC report!

By understanding the behaviours of candidates or internal applicants, you can ensure they are placed in the right roles within your company. Set them up to succeed in the role and you will enjoy greater staff retention and better productivity from your whole team.

Ongoing Business

When you understand your team better, you can achieve more. Communication, conflict resolution, development, and workplace culture can all be improved with greater insight into your team’s behaviours. You can even enhance sales and customer service strategies by adapting them to appropriately fit the behaviours of your sales and service teams.

The Benefits Of Using DISC

Better Recruitment

Truly establish who is the best fit for the role by having the Spice Gals link your Job Description to an Extended DISC® Recruitment Report. This can help you to shortlist the right candidates by measuring the values and competencies that are non-negotiable for your business during the recruitment phase.

Couple that with other assessments like skill and cognitive ability testing, along with matching their job-relevant competencies based on their personality traits, and you will position yourself to find the ideal candidate every time.

Better Team Culture

When everyone understands each other better, it helps to create a positive team culture. People feel more valued, so become more invested in their roles and in creating good outcomes for the business. This positivity reduces conflict and creates a better working environment. And when people are happy in their work, they are more productive and give a consistently better performance.

All of this adds up to increased staff retention, better engagement from individuals, and an overall positive team culture.

Better Development

Ongoing development is essential for good business performance. DISC can help you identify the areas of development that are going to be most beneficial for your individual team members.

Not only can you help your team develop better communication and increase their skill and knowledge base with ongoing learning, coaching and leadership development, but you can also boost team dynamics.

Finally, you can be consciously aware of the common stress triggers for each of your team, allowing better leadership development and people management.

Time To Be Better?

Extended DISC® can help your business be better in so many ways. And if you’d like access to this amazing tool, we can bring it to you.

As Extended DISC® Accredited Practitioners, we can use the Extended DISC® system to help with recruitment, personal growth, team building and leadership at your workplace.

We have a number of different DISC reports that can give you the insight we’ve just discussed. So, we’d love to get to know you and your business better so that we can recommend the best option for your organisation.

Chat with the Spice Gals today.

Ideas to Help You Create an Employee Value Proposition (EVP)

Being an employer of choice can help you attract the best kind of candidates and turn them into loyal team members, and in the current market that’s got to be a business goal!

But, it isn’t something that happens by accident and there is one key strategy that will help you drive your approach – a rock solid, values focused Employee Value Proposition (EVP).

So, firstly what is an employer of choice, why is it important to be one and how can a well-crafted and thought through EVP help you achieve it? That’s what we are going to discuss right now.

What Is An Employer Of Choice?

When it comes to employment, there are many choices that a candidate can make. The most important choice is probably which company they will work for. Lots of things can drive that decision, but one thing will put your organisation at the front of the list before any others.

That is, being recognised as an Employer of Choice via your EVP.

An employer of choice is a business that has a reputation for being a preferred place to work. Basically, it means people want to work for your organisation as they perceive it to be a highly desirable employment opportunity.

A business can earn this title for many reasons, but the main ones that stand out in an EVP are having a positive workplace culture, offering attractive compensation and benefits, providing opportunities for career development, and displaying values of diversity, inclusion and a focus on employee wellbeing.

Why Is It Important?

Why is it important to be an employer of choice and have an enticing EVP? Well, put quite simply, it will make it easier for you to attract and retain top talent, helping your business thrive in any market.

Because your employees are fully focused on your business and not looking for other opportunities, they will be motivated and productive in their work. They will have your business’s best interests at heart, and because they also usually share your company values, they will work in alignment with your company mission.

Being an employer of choice does not only serve you on an employment front. A positive employer reputation will set you apart from your competitors. It can also be a key differentiator when potential clients, partners or investors are considering working with you.

Key Strategies To Creating a Rockstar EVP to Become An Employer Of Choice

Becoming an employer of choice should be your ultimate goal but the roadmap to get you there will be defined by your EVP. Here are some key strategies you can use in your EVP to position yourself in this space:

Work/Life Balance

This is the elusive balance that every worker is looking for! Achieving it is not simply about correctly splitting your time between home and the office. True balance is about far more than that.

Flexibility is a really important aspect of your EVP. Allowing your team to work from home is definitely part of it, but you’ll also want to consider flexibility in working hours and working location. Then, there could be the option for job sharing and flexitime.

Basically, it is about allowing your employees to have job control. That is, providing the autonomy to recognise an agreed output and empowering your people to focus on that, rather than clock watching the specific hours worked in a set location. And because you have this fantastic reputation as an employer of choice, your employees are not likely to abuse this privilege.

Defined Business Values

Values can help to shape your organisational culture and are an important inclusion in your EVP. When your employees understand, embrace and most importantly share your set of values, it fosters a sense of belonging and unity. A strong, shared culture can improve teamwork, morale, and overall job satisfaction.

Those values also serve as a compass for decision making, helping leaders and team members to make choices that align with the company’s core principles. A consistency in decision making can lead to better business practices – another reason that people will consider you to be an employer of choice. And you’ll attract customers who share the same values.

Valuable Employee Benefits

It makes sense that you need to offer competitive remuneration to be considered an employer of choice. But you don’t want to stop there when it comes to your EVP. Attractive employee benefits can help to support your company values and enhance your overall workplace culture and EVP.

Yes, you can offer traditional benefits like insurance, enhanced KiwiSaver contributions and performance bonuses, however, to really enhance your EVP it doesn’t need to cost the earth. Why not embrace and take advantage of new and relatively inexpensive trends like:

Digital recognition platforms where your team can interact with each other, you can celebrate key milestones and identify top performers.
Gamification which allows fun activities or training modules where employees can score points, participate in competitions and top leader boards.
Peer-to-peer recognition where colleagues and teammates can recognise each other, rather than managers simply handing out rewards.

Defined Career Pathways

Part of being happy in your work is knowing that there is a chance for progression or new challenges. Seeing potential for growth within a business from the outset via an EVP could also be extremely important to a potential team member when they’re making their employer decision . Clearly defining the career pathways within your organisation helps people recognise where they could move to next.

Offering internal advancement opportunities can only help the reputation of your business. It demonstrates that you value your existing team members because you are willing to promote from within.

As part of the pathway definition, you should also include the training and development opportunities for your employees to obtain the necessary skills or knowledge to progress along the pathway.

Support The Important Things

Your people are the lifeblood of your business and clearly showing this within your EVP will pay dividends in attracting high calibre team members. You can demonstrate that you acknowledge and understand their value by supporting the things that are important to them:

Wellbeing programmes show that you value good mental health and help your team members maintain a positive mindset.
Advocating for diversity and inclusive workplace practices demonstrates that every team member is valued equally.
Your local community will support your business, so show your social responsibility by supporting your community through involvement, participation and support.
We only have one planet, so adopting sustainable business practices where possible will help to show you care.

Become An Employer Of Choice

Is it time to give your business brand a boost and really become an employer of choice? Then, you’ll want to make sure you are backed by a skilled and knowledgeable HR team.

That means you need the Spice Gals on your side. If you wannabe an employer of choice with a strong and attractive EVP, then we can definitely help you make that happen. Chat with us to find out how we can help you create a team culture that attracts and retains THE best talent around.