Meaningful Employment
PRACTICES
WORK SMARTER
Institute good boundaries - and then keep them
Commit to taking vacations and breaks. Commit to your weekends. Commit to simplifying. Maintaining your own healthy and sanity is the single easiest thing you can do for the health of your workplace. Humans need downtime, so make sure you get yours. There will always be more that needs to be done. The inbox will never be empty. Allow yourself to fully realize that fact, come to terms with it, and get a life.
Focus on the basics
Clear Communication, Clear Goals, Encouraging Teamwork, Effective Delegation.
Develop your communication skills
It is generally accepted that roughly 90% of human communication takes place nonverbally. With numbers like that, it's important to be able to say what you mean and mean what you say. Focus on direct and clear communication with others, remembering that there is a difference between being harsh and being clear. You can learn to identify which is which, if you're not already there, and your employees will find more security in knowing where they stand.
One of the largest stressors in a workplace is misunderstandings between people. Are you aware of underlying stressors in your business that are wearing on those within and around? How can communication be improved? How can you build a stronger team?
***EXAMPLE: Stephen Trinkhaus at Terra Organica paid for a workshop for all his employees to learn about Nonviolent Communication techniques, and encouraged them to invite their partners and spouses as well.
Invest in your own personal development
How can you design your work life so it is an expression of your gifts and makes a contribution to the world? Right livelihood is an incredibly powerful place to operate from, and can make all the difference between whether you love what you do, or would love to leave it all behind. Commit to bringing your business in line with your values, or at least allow yourself to remember previous dreams, dream new dreams, and even maybe pursue them...
You can reach out for some direct assistance. We are fortunate to have a number of excellent trainers, facilitators and personal coaches who are members of Sustainable Connections. We also have incredible personal development courses in our community, through Excellence NW and Leadership Whatcom.
Also remember that everything flows from the mission. If you feel called to reshape the mission statement of your business, consider doing so with the values of Strong Community, Healthy Environment, Meaningful Employment and Buying Local First at the core.
ENGAGE YOUR EMPLOYEES
Involve staff in your sustainability goals
Ask your employees about what they would like to see improved. They are often closer to many aspects of the business than you are and may have many ideas that could strengthen your business or save money, while contributing to a better environment and community. Plus, it will be a lot easier to implement new actions with a staff that is totally onboard with the idea!
***EXAMPLE: Village Books sponsors a Greenways trail near the store and various employees roll up their sleeves from time to time to help maintain the trail.
***EXAMPLE: WECU employees are making a difference in our community with their "Way to Go" alternative communte program. WECU encourages employees to either bike, walk, carpool, or take the bus to work and enters them into a raffle if they leave their car at home for 10 days. Winners of the raffle receive an extra "jeans" day each month at work.
Support your intrapranuers
An Intrapreneur is the person who focuses on innovation and creativity and who transforms a dream or an idea into a profitable venture, by operating within the organizational environment. Thus, intrapreneurs are inside entrepreneurs who follow their founder’s example. Learn to identify, support, engage and excite your intrapreneurs!
Switch to Open-Book Management
Open-Book Management is a technique giving employees all relevant financial information about a company so they can make better decisions as workers. This information includes, but is not limited to, revenue, profit, cost of goods, cash flow and expenses.
The basic rules for Open-Book Management are as follows:
Give employees training to understand the financial information.
Give employees all relevant financial information.
Give employees responsibility for the numbers under their control.
Give employees a financial stake in how the company performs.
In a company fully employing Open-Book Management employees at all levels are very knowledgeable about how their job fits into the financial plan for the company. Check out Inc Magazine's page of Open-Book Management How-To guides, HERE.
Make employee development a priority
Set a policy for annual reviews if you haven't already, and stick to it. Sitting down and talking about what staff like and dislike about their role, where they feel their strengths could be better utilized, what they want for their future, and how you can help them get there, are all important to employees feeling personally invested in their jobs.
***EXAMPLE: Make employee development a priority and build communitarian employees in the process. Leadership Whatcom provides quality leadership development training right here in Whatcom County, and brings to life the issues our communities, businesses, and citizens face. Your employees will build bridges across a broad cross-section of Whatcom County, and deepen their connections to this beautiful, unique place.” http://leadershipwhatcom.org/
LOOK OUT FOR THEIR HEALTH
Provide health coverage
Health care can be a prohibitively costly expenditure, but there are ways to be creative and provide some coverage instead of none at all. If your business just can't afford basic coverage for all regular employees, consider a stipend instead and ask them to spend it on a personal plan. Get proof of their plan and it's a tax write-off for your business.
Check your air quality
According to the EPA, indoor air can be seriously more polluted then outdoor air. Since, on average, we spend about 90% of our time indoors, it is worth our attention to address the air quality of our business spaces:
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Circulate the air by making a practice of opening windows
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Bring in plants
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Eliminate the use of chemical cleaners and air fresheners
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Keep it clean! Bring out the vacuum and dust cloth and get the mold off the windowsills.
Is everyone comfortable?
Learn more about ergonomics, feng shui, or just plain good office organizing. It really can affect your employee's health, but also moral and help reduce office injuries, including those from heavy lifting in awkward spaces, to tendonitis, or stress.
Exercise your possibilities
How about a group rate or discount for an exercise class or gym for yourself and staff? Bring in a massage therapist one day a month? And even better yet, identify bikers and walkers in your business and encourage them to spread the word - starting with yourself.
***EXAMPLE: 3D Computer's Dave Koshinz leads a yoga class after work at least once a week that all employees, their family and friends, are encouraged to attend.
LIVABLE JOBS
Offer a Living Wage
A livable job is about much more than money, but a sufficient wage is the first step to making your employees' quality of life higher. The term 'living wage' refers to the minimum hourly wage necessary for a person to achieve a specific standard of living.
The Livable Jobs Toolkit is an excellent resource for building a multi-layer approach to 'livable jobs' that encompass more than the wage paid - download it from Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility HERE.
However, remember that great working conditions don't preclude offering pay that is not only fair, but attracting and keeping the best and brightest for the position you're offering.
*** EXAMPLE: The City of Bellingham notes that as of July 2007, Bellingham's living wage is $10.92 with benefits, $12.56 without benefits.
Get creative with benefits and flexibility
Engage all your stakeholders in a conversation about what would make their jobs the most 'livable'. Not only are the needs of every workforce different (considering things like age, parental status, and overall lifestyle), but engaging everyone provides for a great sense of ownership and responsibility in making the new system work. If you demonstrate a desire to pay livable wages and ask for help in figuring out how to make it happen, the ingenuity that comes forth may be surprising.
Possible options to consider: Flexible hours/shifts/job sharing; Benefits - what kind? how?; Vacation days; Educational opportunities for professional development and personal interest development
***EXAMPLE: By listening to employees' needs and asking for their ideas, the Building Performance Center has been able to successfully provide a living wage and to strengthen the commitment of their employees to staying long-term. In line with employee preference, the standard work week is four 10 hour days, and savings from the change goes into higher wages.
Teach sound personal finance skills
One relatively simple way to help your employees financially is to teach them about sound financial management. Offer to include them more in budgeting and fiscal decision making on the job, and highlight trainings and resources that they can investigate to learn more. Not only will it show them you're looking out for their interests, but it may help ease their stress and take more responsibility for finances at work.
Let there be light
A healthy work environment can make all the difference in productivity and happiness on the job. Consider lighting and overall aesthetic of the environment you ask your employees to spend time in. Is there anything you can do to make it a healthier and happier place? Include your employees in the inquiry and give them some freedom to 'perk up' the office.
Set a good example: PLAY!
One of the best things you can do for your employees is set a consistent example of good behavior. Let them know when you're cutting out early to head to the park with a frisbee, or build in some games to your next staff retreat. There's nothing like fun to engage people on a deeper level, and showing them that work is not drudgery is paramount to your and their success!
PLAN FOR THE FUTURE
Engage community resources in your business development
Rising above the tumult of the day-in and day-out activities to look ahead at the long term is crucial to the longevity of any business. One approach is to continually develop your business plan with an eye toward your long term personal and community goals. The Small Business Administration has created an excellent guide to walk you through the process, at www.sba.gov/managing/strategicplan/guide.html. Or schedule a counseling appointment with Western Washington University's Small Business Development Center - their schedule fills early, so book ahead.
How can you find out how your business contributes to the health of the community? Check http://www.WhatomCounts.org for impartial information about the broad definition of community health—education, economy, transportation, safety, environment and more. Base your business plan on what research shows about Whatcom County, or design new initiatives to meet real community needs. Then contribute—add your own Promising Practices to the WhatcomCounts.org database to show how businesses contribute to the health of the community.
Develop an emergency plan
We all hope it will never happen, but make it a priority to take a few minutes for emergency planning. Consider earthquake or fire in your business: How will employees exit the building? Where will they gather? How will you know if everyone is there? Is there anything your business offers that the community may need, in case of a large scale disaster? Will you still be able to deliver that service? Have an emergency kit on hand with the basics for you and those working for you at the time - visit http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/assemble_disaster_supplies_kit.shtm for ideas on what to include in it.
Scary to think about, but important to know.
Create an exit strategy or legacy plan
Know what you will do when it's time to move on to something new... or what will happen to your business if something happens to you. Deal with that lingering worry called 'retirement'. It's hard to pull enough together for today without thinking about tomorrow, but tomorrow will come - and it will be a lot less stressful if you know the reality of what you're dealing with versus an indulgently imagined fate. Look into SEP, SIMPLE, and qualified retirement plans at http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pef/p560.pdf
Consider selling to your employees
Employee ownership may be a logical option for transitioning out of your business. Not only do you give an amazing opportunity to those who have helped you be successful, but you can sell small pieces over a long period of time and ease out slowly - ensuring the continued character of the business you worked so hard to build, and that its sale is able to benefit you in the ways you need it to.
