Easy Perks That Work

Monday, August 15th, 2011

We love Conference 2011 keynote speaker John DeHart’s ideas about benefits that smaller companies can offer! Have a look and let us know if you have any other great ideas to share!

We enter into a few Best Employer/Best Culture awards every year. One of the advantages of doing this is that we get feedback on what our employees love about working at Nurse Next Door, and what areas could be improved about working at Nurse Next Door.

Like so many growing companies, one big area of opportunity for us, is the area of benefits. Truthfully, we have a pretty weak benefits offering to our incredible employees. So, as part of our 180 day plan to move our culture forward (we work in 180 day increments to achieve this), we are working on a new benefits package.

Part of this plan includes looking at creative perks that work vs expensive perks (like dental coverage). When it comes to perks and benefits (which can become fairly cost prohibitive pretty quickly) I take a similar view as I do when I look at marketing – I know that I cant outspend the big companies, so I better use my creativity to out think the big companies.

So I have started to compile a list of easy perks that work that I like. Here are some of those so far:

Work from home days. While it may not work in every setting, what a great way for your employees to skip the daily commute, spend some time around their families and get some work done, or just work in peace from their own home while sitting in their pajamas.

Reward those who make life easier for employees. Once a year, give your employees the opportunity to say, ‘Can you send a recognition award to my mother-in-law, who takes care of my kids after school?’ “Along with the recognition, send a gift card from a business of the employee’s choosing.

Surf’s up. My favorite perk, although not really applicable to most of us, is Patagonia’s surfs up perk. Daily surf reports are posted at the reception desk , and when the waves are good, employees can tackle a surf break.

Family days.With educational budget cuts, it is incredible how many days off my kids get from school now. Wouldn’t it be great if we could allow employees to take a “family day off” without having to use up a vacation day?

Yoga classes. Yoga is the big thing in Vancouver these days, and companies are starting to bring in a yoga instructor to run an afternoon class on a weekly basis.

Beryl Cares. The Beryl Group of Companies has a program called Beryl Cares. This program is dedicated to providing emergency financial help, including purchasing school clothes for coworkers’ children, helping with unexpected bills and providing emotional support to colleagues who are going through a rough period in life.

Volunteer days. At Nurse Next Door, we used to give our employees a few paid days each year to take part in community or charitable activities that they’re passionate about but otherwise don’t have time for. Perhaps it is time to bring this perk back? (It sure would align with our core value of “Passionate About Making a Difference”). “1% community time” would amount to 2.5 days per year.

Patio pass 1/2 day Friday’s. My friend Razor at I Love Rewards has a perk where they let employees take a Friday afternoon off on any day of the summer that they choose.

Extra vacation days for being a star. Voted by their peers monthly or quarterly, a star employee (at Nurse Next Door it would be the employee who lives our core values to the highest degree) is rewarded with extra vacation days.

“I don’t want to get out of bed” days. Sometimes you just don’t want to go to work. So give your employees a free pass to stay in bed for the day.

Cruise Control. Who needs a company car when Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman offers free memberships with Zipcar. The firm covers the application and annual membership fee and encourages employees to use the cars for business and personal errands.

Employee spouse bonus. Send an employee’s spouse a $100 “bonus” with a note saying how much you appreciate their support for their spouse. Why? Because they have tons of influence over your employee’s motivation. And if they love the company that their spouse works at? That is good for the company!

Does anyone have any cool perks that I should consider? And to my team at Nurse Next Door, which ones should we have?

It Takes a While to Get to Utopia (A Policy “Less” Company)

Monday, July 11th, 2011

Conference 2011 keynote speaker and co-founder of Nurse Next Door Home Healthcare Services, John DeHart, sees utopia as being a company devoid of policies. But without policies, can a company operate well or at all? Read the post below from his blog and see what you think.

My utopia is a company without policies.

If you saw my post “Do You Have A Policy About Working Naked?” you will know my stance on polices. I don’t like them. Policies are created for the few that break the rules, so why should we penalize the many who do not?

As entrepreneurs, we sometimes tend to paint a picture of our vision, and expect it to happen now. We forget to reverse engineer the end and figure out the most logical way to get there. Our vision may be to some day a have a policy “less” company, but unfortunately we are going to have to put some policies in place to help us get there.

So our company, Nurse Next Door, is growing. And as we grow, the need for some policies becomes evident. So how do we balance building a fast growth, policy “less” company with actually having some policies?

Currently, we have an outside group performing an “HR audit.” I know that they are going to come back with a book chock full of policy recommendations (because we don’t have any.)

Some missing ones are obvious. OK, I get it that we need some vacation policies (so many people have over lapping vacations that it isn’t quite working anymore.) And I know we need some “boundaries” around working from home (when people start telling you that they are working from home again because the kids are off for a day…are they really working? I know I don’t when my kids are at home!)

But here is one policy that I don’t want for the company. I don’t want a policy that restricts them from taking a 1/2 day or day off of work for something important happening in their life, like a child’s play.

I want our people to be able do that. I don’t want “work” being an excuse, or” I don’t have anymore holiday time” so I can’t go. But how do I make sure that this stays intact as we grow?

Perhaps we need a policy after all. Perhaps the policy should be a “we will do whatever it takes to make it happen” policy. That seems simple.

Ramping Up and Reflecting: Conferences 1997-2011

Thursday, April 28th, 2011

In 1997 we started the Health Work & Wellness™ Conference because we knew there was a better, healthier way to do business. Over 500 leaders from organizations across Canada thought so too, joining us that year in Vancouver. This was, and still is, our purpose.

As organizations move out of the recession and into growth opportunities, healthy business practices are more important than ever, hence this year’s conference theme – a call to action to senior management to make healthy workplaces A Business Imperative.

Our opening keynote for Conference 2011, Roy Spence, will convince you that the key ingredient to a healthy workplace is a core purpose that defines the difference you are trying to make in the world. Purpose drives decision-making and cultivates visionary ideas.

In addition to Spence’s thought-provoking opening, this year’s program will blow your mind. Really! Closing keynote John DeHart will share how Nurse Next Door created an award-winning workplace culture built on purpose and values. In between, you will learn how to create healthy change, build an effective workplace strategy, inspire emotional intelligence in your workplace and think strategically!

For 15 years, we have been bringing together Canadians interested in workplace health with guests from around the world, and have seen a like-minded organizational health community grow as a result. This conference attracts extraordinary people from extraordinary companies and is simply the best forum in Canada to learn from the leading thinkers in this field.

Please join us in Toronto this October for three action-packed days of inspiring discussion on the latest ideas about workplace health. Your organization will thank you for it!

Deborah Connors
President
Health Work & Wellness™ Conference 2011

Finding Your Way

Thursday, November 25th, 2010

On a recent business trip to Vancouver, Canada, I was introduced to the Inuksuk, an ancient Inuit symbol used as a navigational aid and to mark food caches. I was struck by the thought “Wouldn’t it be great if in our businesses we had these huge stone markers to show us exactly where to go and where the treasure is hidden?”

As I spend time traveling for pleasure around this magnificent part of the globe, I saw signs everywhere telling me where to go, what to avoid, where to sit, what to do. Imagine if we had clear signs like this on our journey to achieve our business goals:

Signs to help you avoid the obvious challenges and risk factors.

Signs to tell you when to push on and when to let go.

Signs to tell you when you can’t see clearly.

Signs that tell you what to expect
(wouldn’t this be great to know before you buy a training program?)

Signs to tell you when you have no chance of succeeding with this particular strategy.

(This is one of my favorites…I ran across it on a hike up a mountain on Salt Spring Island. We were on an overgrown logging trail, miles from any road)

Of course, life is organic and non-linear. We don’t always have the information we need to know exactly what steps to take next. While we were taking that hike up the mountain, for example, we came to a crossroads that didn’t appear on our admittedly sketchy map. We had to make a choice. We had to use our judgment and intuition.

I learned many lessons from this adventure.

First, although it would be nice if there were clearly marked signs telling me exctly what to do when in my business, it isn’t nearly that simple, or that boring!

There are times when we get lost or confused, and we just have to use the best information we have and take the next step.

Being emotionally prepared for the experience of being lost or of taking the wrong turn is a valuable asset, one that can be learned and cultivated.

All of that said, having well-thought-out maps, strategies, sign posts and landmarks can certainly make the journey easier, allowing you to spend more time enjoying the view and less time tracking back and forth over the same ground.

Thriving in Tough Times

Monday, September 13th, 2010

In this interview with Conference 2010 keynote speakers, Lynda Curtin and Stan Slap, we asked for their views on some of the toughest issues facing organizations today. Lynda, a Canadian living in California, is an expert de Bono Thinking Systems practitioner. Stan is president of a consulting company called “slap”, and is credited with revolutionizing performance for some of the world’s biggest, smartest and fastest companies.

1. What’s the biggest challenge facing organizations today and what can they do about it?

STAN: The biggest challenge is that organizations have never seen “today” before. It’s easy to become paralyzed and feel that the organization is powerless to affect current conditions. That’s all this is – a feeling. In fact, what seems most out of control is most firmly in control, you just have to know what do to. The economy? Good management will defeat a bad economy ask those continuing to prosper during tough times. The competition? Competitors will never deliver the debilitating blows that most companies deliver to themselves on a regular basis. Customers aren’t loyal? Customers don’t raise expectations; companies lower fulfillment. Have to do more with less people? Employees work because they’re inspired to or don’t because they’re not.

LYNDA: One of the big challenges facing many organizations today is cultivating a healthy culture that honors creative and innovative thinking, responsible risk taking, and long term planning. When business is tough, as it has been, the tendency is to manage for the short term, cut costs and to pull back on investment that fuels future growth. When the economy strengthens they’ll be caught flat footed–unprepared to leverage new opportunities that surface. Opportunity development requires a completely different focus and skill set. What can leaders do about this–buck the trend? Take HP. Everyone acknowledges Mark Hurd, former CEO of HP is a great cost cutter and not much of an innovator. It seems there is a point of view emerging which is a plus point for HP. With Mark Hurd leaving, the board can now search for a CEO skilled at growing the company through innovation. Not every company is so lucky to be in this situation. Leaders need to be smart. They need to know how to balance cost cutting on the one hand with investment in innovation for long term sustainability on the other hand.

2. What should managers do in times of global economic uncertainty to ensure that their organizations succeed and that their employees don’t become demoralized by factors that they believe are out of their control?

LYNDA: It would be very helpful for managers to start talking about and exploring with employees what is going extremely well: in their business, the community, the country, with customers, the competition, and with vendors. And then ask, how can we use this information to strengthen our business? Managers also need to be able to talk about business difficulties without making employees feel they are being criticized. They need to be able to lead proactive “thinking together” discussions that lead to robust new solutions.

STAN: The job of management is to bring good answers to bad circumstances. Who cares whether things suck? What’s important is what you do about it. Start by prohibiting equations of denial allowing external circumstances to rationalize internal performance. The only equation for success is the equation of accountability: This is what we did or didn’t do equals this is what happened.

The best organizations hold themselves as accountable for their problems as they do for their successes. Their victories are built upon learning from both and growing ever stronger even during tough times. Especially during tough times. A bias for solutions must be reinforced through every layer of the enterprise. Once people are allowed to blame external conditions for internal performance, all hope of aggressive and creative responses departs and helplessness and cynicism take their place. The first step to solving any problem is to accept one’s own accountability for creating it. Causing a culture of accountability means influencing people to take their sense of self from how they fearlessly confront problems and embrace new solutions. An employee culture will watch to see what their manager emphasizes, what they reward, what they give priority attention to and what they ignore. It will use all of these impressions to form beliefs about how to behave. The culture will protect a prized sense Tough times? Tougher team no matter what it takes.

3. Which companies would you say are adapting most successfully to doing business in the current uncertain economic climate and what have they done to help themselves adapt?

STAN: The traditional intent of business has always been to create value to bring a compelling value proposition to its market. In this era of multiple buying choices and greatly enhanced customer intelligence, relying on value alone risks commoditizing your product and forcing margin-shredding competitive battles. The companies that are surviving current conditions have gone beyond value to also make their case on relevance. These companies have proven themselves more relevant to customers than ever by thinking seriously and with purity on their behalf delivering urgent business improvement support that sometimes even reduces the short-term incentive to buy. This isn’t as reckless as it sounds: It’s what will cause your customers to make sure you stay around long enough for them to repay the favor.

LYNDA: Apple continues to do well. The focus on innovation is a big driver. Steve Jobs dreams big and thinks big–two important success factors. Costco delights customers. They do a great job developing their house brand Kirkland products. Costco offers real value partnered with great quality that customers recognize and appreciate. PC Magazine’s 2009 product of the year, magicJack, invented by Dan Borislow, is an excellent example of a breakthrough phone technology that is going to be a game changer in the telecommunications industry. Simple to use, easy to install, low price and strong product features work together to cause customers to abandon expensive land lines.

4. What’s the most difficult aspect of successful organizational change and why?

LYNDA: Gaining employee support is a difficult aspect of organizational change because the benefits are often not obvious, they’re not clearly articulated, or they’re not built into the implementation plan.

STAN: For employees: Why does an employee culture resist change? Now that you know what a culture is you can finally answer this question. What is an employee culture concerned about? Protecting the known rules of survival and emotional prosperity. What does any strategic or organizational change do? Messes with the known rules of survival and emotional prosperity. The culture doesn’t hate change. It hates the loss which change represents: the loss of the known. And it understands the strategy just fine; it just may not understand why it should get up for making the strategy happen.

For managers: Managers will only reliably embrace organizational change if they are emotionally committed to their company. Any manager can appear fully productive and enthusiastic simply because they’re financially, intellectually and physically committed but if you’ve ever witnessed a human being emotionally committed to a cause working like they’re being paid a million and they’re not being paid a dime you know there’s a difference and you know it’s big.