Employees are the core of organizations. They handle everyday tasks, schedule meetings, get work done, drive sales, fulfill orders, and keep the organization running. 

For the most part, in traditional companies, the majority have no say on decisions made by executives, yet employees are the lifeline of the business.

There are a lot of instances however, in the corporate world, where employees have had enough clout to bring about phenomenal changes at the top. These employees have brought about structural changes to the way things were being done.

With gradual and consistent efforts, employees have brought about massive changes in their work lives and to the overall ways in which an organization impacts the world.

If you are an organization that wants to give its employees the freedom to make things more effective overall, there are some fundamental changes you can make. Just like with any other major change, it should be proactive, gradual, and consistent with being successful.

Companies often talk about putting the customer first and in charge of the direction of the business, however this isn’t possible without putting employees first. 

“For a company to truly evolve as client centric, it must first become employee centric — people centric.”

Strategies for Empowering Change with Employees

Do Not Treat Employees Like Children

Employees are grown people who have work experience of their own and ideas of their own. Hence, it is unfair for you, as an organization, to dismiss their ideas as naïve, or irrelevant because they originated elsewhere, without thinking about their validity first.

Creating a work environment where your employees feel that they have a say in their work-life is essential to bringing about change at the top.

It is the employees who are the change-makers. Most companies however treat employees like they are the change-takers.

“A few at the top decide what’s best for the majority and expect compliance. No wonder most employees are not engaged and are resigning in droves nowadays.”

It is only fair for employees to make changes to the structure of the organization with time to suit their needs and achieve the goals of the organization. To do so, you must actively involve employees to contribute to ideas behind change.

Employees Must Be Involved

There are many ways in which organizations will benefit if employees are made part of the change process. This is only fair in most environments because, generally, employees are the biggest stakeholders in any change that takes place. Here are some practical steps you can implement:

1. Create a plan to make the discussion for change inclusive for all employees.
2. Involve all stakeholders of the company and the potential staff (process owners, employees) who think that they might have ideas that might make the change more tolerable for everybody.
3. Make it a point to listen and ponder over all ideas before dismissing them, this so you can foster a spirit of inclusiveness in meetings.
4. Keep an open mind towards new perspectives and unconventional ways of doing things to bring about change that no one thought of before.
5. Don’t leave anyone behind because if you do, you are missing out on new ideas, fresh perspectives, and a potentially successful plan that could come out of their experience or past knowledge.
6. Never ever dismiss an employee’s experience as irrelevant or worthless, just because it wasn’t inside the walls of the current company. That’s a sure way to lose experienced and valuable employees, possibly to your competition who may value how they think more than you do.

Be More Inclusive

After giving your employees enough time to go through with the changes in the organization, you need to figure out the negative consequences that these might have on the life of employees.

Eventually, you will have to deal with the negativity that comes with change. 

Dealing with naysayers in your organization is an important part of change management because if left untreated, they can sabotage the organization’s time, efforts, and focus, eventually costing the company a great deal of loss.

During the change management process, you must be proactive about this step because lots of organizations aren’t. They end up regretting the fact that they weren’t mindful enough to deal with problems as they arose.

By getting more people involved early and often, you gain a greater sense of consensus that can be used to minimize, if not neutralize negative impact on people.

“Don’t look to employees who might be challenged with change as a threat or something to neutralize, instead seek to understand them and become more inclusive of their ideas.”

Being more inclusive enables employees capable enough to bring about structural changes to your organization. This eventually helps you increase revenue and productivity.

Affecting changes is most difficult due to the inertia that comes with working in a certain way for a long time. However, the sooner the organization realizes how important it is to be more inclusive with who participates in the change process, the more successful they will be.

Employees with unlimited paid time off (PTO) are not given a specific number of paid days off at the start of the year. Rather, they can take leaves when they need them as long as it does not disrupt the company’s operations. This gives the employee a lot of flexibility and compensates them for making good use of their time.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of unlimited PTO?

What is Unlimited PTO

Employees with unlimited PTO can take as much vacation time as they desire; however, it should not interrupt their ability to accomplish their work.

An employee is free to take leave as long as their job meets their employer’s requirements and they have planned their absence with others to ensure that their work is not disrupted. 

Most organizations still have limits for obtaining PTO, so having unlimited PTO does not mean a person may show up for work whenever they want. The policy essentially avoids imposing a clear limit on how much time an employee can work each year.

How to Use PTOs

If you’re not used to taking more than a handful of weeks off per year, you might be unclear how to tackle unlimited PTO. If you work for a company that offers unlimited PTO or are considering an offer from one, here’s what you should do when you need time off for non-emergency reasons.

Understand Company Policy

Every company has its own set of guidelines for implementing unlimited PTO. Hence, it becomes essential to understand rules and regulations that apply to your time off. To remain in good standing, you must understand the specific process for requesting leave. As you go through the rest of the processes, make sure you’re following your company’s unlimited PTO policy.

Plan in Advance

Even if you can take as much time off as you like, it’s still important to use that time wisely. It is vital to plan if you’re going on an extended leave for several days or weeks. Therefore, it is advised to start planning as soon as you decide to take time off. This way you will have more time, and you and other people associated with you will be better prepared.

Speak with Co-workers and Management

Your company’s policy is likely to include guidelines about giving advance notice before taking PTO, but even if it isn’t required, it is an excellent policy to plan and give people heads up. It is an excellent choice to have a conversation with any co-workers with whom you have regular encounters in addition to your manager. This guarantees that if they require anything from you during your absence, they will be informed in advance and will be able to arrange accordingly.

Advantages of Unlimited PTO

Efficient Time Management

It can be simpler to stay focused and manage your day when you have unlimited PTO since you know that if you finish your work faster, you can take more time off.

Increased Productivity

Unlimited PTO not only encourages you to make the most of your time at work but also makes it easier to do so. When you have the flexibility to take off on the days of your choice, it enables you to relax and relieve stress in a much better way. It also enhances your efficiency when you return to work at the end of your vacation. This makes it easier to keep ahead of your competition.

No Urgency in December

If your business offers annual PTO but no rollover, you may find yourself rushing to use leaves before the end of the year. Not only is this an inefficient approach for the business because many employees leave at the same time, but the end of the year may not be the best time for you to take vacation days. This can result in you either wasting days by not taking them or putting pressure on yourself in the days leading up to or following your time off.

Disadvantages of Unlimited PTO

Potential for Abuse

Although you are responsible for your use of unlimited PTO, employees can misuse the system. If one or more of your co-workers takes an excessive amount of time off, you may find yourself with an increased workload because of having to cover work while they are away.

Absent Employees

Though flexibility in taking time off when your work schedule permits is beneficial to you, having others take time off might make your day more difficult. With limitless paid holidays, employees will spend more time away from the company, increasing the likelihood that a co-worker you require will be unavailable.

Making Unlimited PTO Work

Unlimited PTO does not mean that employees are allowed to go on vacation without any accountability to their jobs. In an environment where people are treated like adults and are expected to act as adults, the level of personal accountability to each other and the company increases exponentially.

In this kind of trust based self-managed environment you’ll have a hard time finding any individuals abusing unlimited PTOs. On the contrary they become a tool for people to work hard and smart by getting enough rest to recharge properly.

“Productivity increases significantly when people are not stressed.”

Unlimited PTO works well in freedom-based organizations, where people treat each other like responsible adults. To learn more about these kinds of organizations check out RadicalPurpose.org.

It’s back to school and back to the office for many people. Parents are worried about child care. Employers often compete to attract great talent with benefits, and perks.

Employers should not overlook huge transformations in their employees’ lives, such as the birth of a child or caring for a sick child, as work and personal time become more intertwined. How can businesses support working parents to recruit and retain the best talent?

It’s a great beginning to provide family-friendly perks and policies, but it’s not enough. An on-site child care benefits program can have the most favorable impact.

Working parents today have a difficult time finding dependable and convenient child care. Offering daycare at work is an often-overlooked option.

It is a Win-Win for Everyone

The advantages of on-site daycare are massive for both the employee and the company. When an employer provides child care, it shows that they value their employees and deserve the convenience of having a daycare center on-site.

This provides a platform for high staff motivation, which benefits the company’s growth as well.

Better Engagement and Productivity

According to a poll conducted by Bright Horizons, an on-site child care provider, 90 percent of parents who use a full-service on-site daycare center claim increased concentration and productivity at work.

An employee’s focus is on the task at hand and not on anything else. Employees who have access to on-site daycare can meet their requirements, keep an eye on their children throughout the day, and work with less psychological distress.

Flexibility

The three most essential factors that influence workplace engagement are trust and kindness, followed by autonomy. These three traits are instilled in employees by providing on-site child care.

Furthermore, it provides your staff with a level of convenience and flexibility that would not otherwise be feasible.

Millennials Seek Jobs with On-Site Child Care

Millennials are said to be excellent planners, even though many do not yet have children. Child care is an essential requirement in their employment search. As a result, providing child care now could help you attract exceptional talent in the future.

Post Maternity Needs

Working parents can attend an early morning meeting or remain late for a late-evening meeting knowing that their child is safe and secure.

Around 90% of new parents claim that jobs with child care make it easier for them to return to work without any hassles.

Thanks to family planning alternatives and modern healthcare, mothers are now waiting longer to have their first child. This indicates that they are approaching motherhood while still serving in senior positions.

As a result, child care will appeal to employers seeking to keep a valuable portion of their labor force that they cannot afford to lose.

Working Mothers

To working moms, children, as well as their occupations, are critically important. Most of today’s homes have mothers who are the primary breadwinners. That’s a sizable chunk of the workforce you can’t afford to overlook.

Dads Making Parenthood a Priority

We must not overlook working fathers. They, too, place a high emphasis on family and taking care of it. Child care considers the reality of today’s modern dads, who are just as committed to making parenthood a priority as women. They’re just as interested in employment that provides on-site daycare.

Emotional Security

Employees’ personal life has an impact on the workplace because of the emotional baggage they bring. Failure to acknowledge this link harms the workplace, which is where in-house daycare can help.

It can also aid in the reduction of tardiness and stress related to separation anxiety. Furthermore, children in the workplace can contribute vitality and cheer while also providing employees with a reassuring environment.

Loyalty

From the standpoint of employee satisfaction, having an on-site child care center is a tremendous bonus. Even those who do not use it profit since their co-workers are happier and more reliable due to the presence of a center in the workplace.

It will drive the company forward in the right direction if everyone works in perfect coordination and with greater loyalty.

While affordable on-site child care is a strong perk, especially in a job seeker’s market, some businesses find it difficult to provide on-site child care benefits. To begin with, the expense and infrastructure of a daycare facility are enormous. Another concern is the liability that comes with supervising little children who aren’t exposed to many risks.

Companies can, however, partner with a variety of daycare providers. They can provide an in-house center as well as a location close to the office. You could also consider providing subsidies or alternate child care options.

Daycares come at a cost, but the benefits appear to outweigh the expenditures, with higher returns on investment. Furthermore, the decision to give child care facility jobs should be carefully considered to guarantee that everyone’s requirements are addressed.

Even in the best of circumstances, child care may be costly and difficult for working parents. Companies that are smart and empathetic know this and help their employees navigate this minefield. They recognize the importance of on-site child care benefits in retaining employees. 

Helping employees with child care isn’t simply the right thing to do; it’s the wise thing to do.

The activity of rotating employees’ jobs in an organization is known as job rotation. These rotations are mostly lateral, which means they occur between jobs on the same level and are not considered promotions. 

They are also frequently temporary, with employees returning to their previous jobs after a set period.

Starting a new job is exciting and can be demanding. A new job reduces monotony and promotes motivation. It is an opportunity to gain new knowledge and skills as well.

Job rotation is a well-known strategy of organizational growth, but it’s not deployed often enough in smaller organizations… this is a mistake.

Advantages of Job Rotation

Learning

Job rotation is an approach for organizations to transfer specific skills, knowledge, and competencies among people, leading to an increase in human capital value. 

I am not a fan of using words like resources, human capital, human assets, to describe people. So, let’s instead say that job rotation helps increase the value that people can add to an organization.

An employee, for example, may learn the entire production process of a business because they have worked in several roles that have given them a holistic perspective. Managers, too, may need to work in various divisions before they are ready for a senior leadership position.

Flexibility

Employee rotation allows people to do a variety of duties, resulting in a more flexible workforce. The overall workforce will be more flexible, and capable of filling any of the available roles that come up over time.

Employee Replacement

When a significant person leaves unexpectedly, their position is best filled by someone from within the company. Job rotation can help in this situation. The important job can be taken up by (temporarily) deploying a peer who is a little bit familiar with the role while having the advantage of being from within the organization.

Orientation and Placement

Internships are one area where rotation is frequently used. A graduate typically works four different roles during a two-year internship. It allows the graduate to discover latent abilities and discover roles that they enjoy and excel in.

Simultaneously, it enables the company to determine where the newcomer can bring the greatest value, a process known as job-employee matching. It is a fantastic technique to ensure that new talent is used to its full potential. 

Similarly, if someone wants to try a new role, they can be rotated within the organization to do so. This also prevents employees from leaving the organization. 

When it comes to interns, just remember to pay them for their time. Please don’t exploit interns.

Satisfaction

When someone has been in the same job for two or more years, they are at significant risk of quitting. Job rotation provides a change of scenery and challenges employees, resulting in higher satisfaction and decreased employee loss.

Disadvantages of Job Rotation

Inefficiencies

While starting a new job, employees must learn the basics before they can perform at their best. The rotation might result in frequent work interruptions and inefficiencies.

Misunderstandings

Another disadvantage is that someone who rotates out of a post may retain better (tacit) knowledge and relationships. This could lead to this person remaining (partially) involved in the role, causing role ambiguity. Having a peer mentoring program in place is one method to address this issue.

Unsatisfied Employees

Employees’ motivation may be harmed by rotating them out of a job they enjoy. Employees that are dissatisfied with their new jobs lack motivation and may even consider quitting the company.

Lack of Opportunity

Job rotation is frequently horizontal, which means that workers will not receive a promotion but will instead be assigned to a different function on the same level. This may appear to be a detour rather than a next step, causing people to stray from their intended career path.

Do It Right

A smart approach is to assess employee level of desire for job rotation, and frame the rotation as an opportunity to gain more diversified skills that will help them later in their career.

It is highly possible to ‘rotate the incorrect way,’ as you have already discovered. Let us go through a few best practices for making a positive influence while minimizing negative consequences.

Means to an End

Job Rotation can be used for a variety of reasons. What is important to remember is that the purpose of work rotation should be clear from the start. 

Inefficiencies, position ambiguity, and work disruptions result from haphazardly rotating employees into different jobs. Only when there is a well-defined aim or advantage to this practice of job rotation can these inadequacies be justified.

Training

Make sure the employees are trained before being rotated into a new role. Entering a job without the necessary knowledge and abilities to function well, will lower motivation and lengthen the time it takes to reach peak performance. As previously said, both peer coaching and peer mentoring can be extremely beneficial in this situation.

Monitoring and Feedback

Once someone has rotated into a role, make sure you keep an eye on them and give them plenty of feedback. Employees will become increasingly self-reliant as time passes by, requiring less oversight. 

Additionally, establish and convey explicit work success criteria. It makes it clear to the employee what is expected of them.

Although implementing a job rotation program is challenging, such programs offer great long-term benefits for employees and organizations. 

As always, any program can be successful with proper planning, and support by mentors and coaches who have paved the way in the past you can learn from.

Rotating people into various roles helps them grow, and helps the organization build a more knowledgeable workforce, and this improves retention and employee engagement.

Are you a perfectionist? Or do you strive for excellence?

I’m afraid you’re mistaken if you assume these are the same thing. Although they are connected, they are the opposites of the same coin. They are so opposed to one another that the only way to accomplish excellence is to not want perfection. So, let’s look at the major distinctions between the two.

Perfectionism is concerned with “doing the thing right,” with how things APPEAR and with whether others think it was done correctly.

It’s all about “doing the right thing” when it comes to excellence. It focuses on the REASON for a task as well as the RESULTS required for it to be successful.

Excellence is about self-accountability. Doing your very best to be the best, because you know that is the only way to become fulfilled in life. Whereas perfectionism is tied to how you look to others, it’s also seeking to be the best, but for not for the sake of personal fulfillment, rather for the sake of having the ego stroked by others.

Perfectionism is a thief of time, sucking the life out of you like a vampire draining blood. It bullies and criticizes you, demanding impossible results because nothing you do is good enough. It forces you to try to live up to a fantasy that isn’t real. Perfection will never be attained.

“Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing.” ~ Harriet Braiker

The pursuit of excellence keeps you focused on the important things, gives you energy, and can even act as a cheerleader. There is no harm to one’s self-esteem, as there is with perfectionism.

Perfectionism reduces your productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness, and, more importantly, it disrupts your mental and emotional well-being. Productivity, on the other hand, is ingrained into the search for excellence.

“Striving for excellence is a growth mindset that serves your desire to become the best version of yourself, without judgements.”

Know The Difference

We have high expectations when we strive for excellence. There is nothing wrong with having high standards in general. It may be beneficial. High standards can motivate us to improve, solve issues, and achieve larger output.

Perfectionism, on the other hand, is an impossible ideal to meet, with no room for mistakes and no tolerance for failures.

“Perfectionists have unrealistically high standards, that are by nature self-defeating.”

High standards may be difficult to attain, but they are realistic. They are things that, with effort, practice, and perseverance, we can fairly achieve. Pursuing perfection, on the other hand, is pointless. It is impossible to attain. It’s a form of ego attachment that does not serve the greater good of anyone at all.

Despite this, perfectionists strive for unrealistically high standards, even if it harms their health, relationships, and self-worth.

Having impossible-to-meet expectations brings stress to your life. It’s discouraging since you’ll never be able to live up to your impossible ideals. As a result, no matter how much you do, you will always feel like a failure when seeking perfection.

Setting impossibly high standards for others, such as your family and co-workers, leads to nagging, irritation, and disputes, all of which erodes your relationships and demoralizes everyone around you.

Mistakes are Not Failures

People who strive for excellence acknowledge that mistakes are unavoidable and appreciate the lessons they can take from them. They have a different mindset about life. They realize that life is a journey and taking risks is about growing. As a result, those striving for excellence are likely to take more calculated risk and achieve higher levels of growth and performance than those seeking to be perfect.

“Those striving for excellence, don’t allow their failures to define who they are, they only see lessons helping them grow and become better.”

Perfectionists, on the other hand, see mistakes as indications of their, and your incompetence or inferiority. They expect to know everything, to outperform everyone, to always know the right thing to do or say, to be flawless, and to never disappoint anyone. This is not only unachievable, but it is also a huge burden to live with.

Value The Process

When we strive for excellence or high standards, we appreciate the process as well as the final product. We appreciate that the experience, learning, enjoyment, relationships, and memories we create along the way are usually just as essential as the result.

We are better able to withstand life’s ups and downs when we appreciate the process because we understand that the outcome isn’t always a reflection of our work, abilities, or intelligence.

Failure to meet a goal, whether it’s winning a 10% increase, or arranging a picture-perfect birthday party for your child, is especially frustrating for perfectionists because they are results-driven rather than process-driven. They are more likely to focus on what they did incorrectly and see no value in executing anything imperfectly.

“In most cases perfectionist don’t take the same risks as those pursuing excellence and end up stunting their personal development.”

Perfectionist thinking can also be used to explain a win-at-all-costs mentality. In the name of winning or succeeding, many perfectionists probably end up jeopardizing their health and relationships. We can’t appreciate the learning that comes from mistakes, and we can’t enjoy the process of learning, growing, and healthy living when we have a perfectionist mindset.

Encourage Excellence

When we strive for excellence, we are satisfied with a job well done. We learn from our mistakes rather than allowing them to define us. We appreciate the process as well as the ultimate result of our efforts.

Striving for excellence helps us be adaptable, with the ability to change our standards and goals as needed. We don’t fall into the trap of all-or-nothing thinking or self-criticism. 

Excellence is about the process and it’s living life through the lens of integrity. It’s about doing things with consideration and higher purpose, and this paves the way for others to emulate striving to be their own best out of encouragement of what is possible.