A. Hopkins Insurance & Financial Services

Tag: HR

  • Three Ways You Can Boost Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace

    Three Ways You Can Boost Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace

    Right now, people everywhere are taking a close look at how unconscious bias, privilege, and structural racism continue to manifest in the so-called woke world. This includes the workplace, and these conversations underscore the importance of regularly reevaluating and re-energizing equality, diversity and inclusion (ED&I) initiatives to ensure real change is still happening.

    Adding the following three criteria to your ED&I strategy will go a long way to disrupting the organizational structures that continue to stand in the way of meaningful change in the workplace.

    Empower leaders responsible for ED&I so they can enact systemic change

    Most ED&I tool kits include some form of unconscious bias training where individuals reflect on their own intrinsic biases and learn how to adjust behaviours to mitigate the ways these preconceptions play out in the workplace. What these activities don’t specifically address, however, are the systemic issues inherent in most organizational cultures at a structural level that allow bias to continue to operate in the workplace.

    And while it is still important for each of us to be aware of personal bias and to learn how this impacts our behaviour, ED&I initiatives also need to evaluate systemic issues that are deeply ingrained in organizational structure, and interrupt those systems to create a more genuinely inclusive work environment. Change of this magnitude needs to be initiated, implemented, and evaluated by someone in the organization with authority and autonomy to overhaul current systems.

    James D. White, former CEO of Jamba Juice, discusses in a digital article for HBR how important it is to empower those responsible for ED&I so that sweeping change is actually possible. “[T]he standard DE&I playbook has been to hire a chief diversity officer (CDO) with a budget for consultants and enrichment programs. But you can’t build capacity if the problem is not with the diverse talent but with the culture that determines their future… doing anything once cannot change a corporate culture that reinforces itself day after day.” As CEO, White was able to implement broad change at a high level, including championing a more diverse Board of Directors — something a consultant or CDO likely could not have done.

    Change how high-profile projects are assigned

    Despite the time and resources invested in ED&I over the years, data shows that we still have a long way to go when it comes to diversity, particularly in leadership. Up to 70% of senior leadership roles (VP, Senior VP, and C-Suite) positions are held by white men, and over the past 12 years, the percentage of white male CEOs has only fallen 4% from 93.4% in 2005 to 89.4% in 2017.

    White and his co-author, Joan C. Williams, suggest that changing how “glamour work” is distributed can help boost diversity in all levels of management.

    According to White and Williams, “glamour work” refers to the high-profile assignments and projects that get people noticed and ultimately position them for promotions. By purposely choosing employees who were previously overlooked for glamour work, White appointed Action Learning Teams (ALTs) who had on-the-ground expertise and skills that made them ideally suited for solving relevant issues related to key business goals.

    Selecting individuals based on frontline experience and grouping them in teams to leverage the right mix of talent and skills to solve the issue at hand “meant that the teams were far more diverse than the company’s workforce as a whole.” It’s also important to set teams up for success by giving them release time from their regular jobs so that they can work on these projects and execute them well.

    Interrupt structural racism at every level including HR and middle management

    As White and Williams point out, “effective policies enable inclusion, but middle-level managers [and HR] hold the key to delivering it.” It is crucial that every level of your organization is highly attuned to issues of bias and, more importantly, is empowered and encouraged to enact concrete changes to interrupt them.

    At Jamba Juice, White implemented a new incentive system that assessed store manager compensation based on a variety of criteria including engagement, climate, and organizational health scores. In terms of debiasing HR, White and Williams suggest creating an action learning team that includes the CEO or equivalent, and setting a mandate and timeline to restructure the hiring process by developing objective hiring criteria to promote diversity and inclusion.

    Having an ED&I statement on your website or an annual bias awareness workshop simply isn’t enough. To see real change in the next 10 years will require a complete overhaul of all organizational systems — from hiring to promotion and everything in between — with a focus on eliminating privilege and inequity in the workplace.

    https://hbr.org/2020/07/update-your-dei-playbook

    https://www.forbes.com/sites/janicegassam/2020/12/29/your-unconscious-bias-trainings-keep-failing-because-youre-not-addressing-systemic-bias/#6d0b24c11e9d

    Author: ChamberPlan.ca

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  • Insights on marketing during and after a pandemic

    Insights on marketing during and after a pandemic

    In a post-pandemic world, will our customers continue to be brand discerning, or will they turn a blind eye?

    We’re hardly there, yet—a post-pandemic world; however, the economy is slowly coming back as cities re-open businesses and people emerge bleary-eyed from three-or-so months of isolation.

    Isolation forced us all into somewhat of a consumerism lapse—No one was leaving shopping malls with a spree of purchases, splurging on travel or indulging in personal upkeep, browsing store fronts, or even grocery aisles, for that matter. It was more of a get-in-and-get-out kind of scenario—get the necessities and sprint for home. Heck, few of us were even gassing up.

    And business had to adopt a new kind of etiquette—few were doing anything more than engaging with customers, or selling products at a discount—upselling was in bad taste (and might still be).

    With this “blip” in consumerism, Jeff Beer of Newscred Insights questions, will COVID-19 will make us brand blind? “The longer it goes on, the more people’s minds are going to be wiped of brand preference in many instances. That specific brand of toothpaste is going to matter to me less than just toothpaste.”

    Though the usual marketing pulse has weakened, what happens when it comes back? When advertising is up and running again?

    What will smart businesses be doing differently?

    Find new ways to engage

    Some of businesses got lucky and flourished (bike stores), and have been lucky to have a high close rate based on supply and demand (bike stores). But, has some time away from the world of consumerism, given us pause? Does the future of consumerism look different?

    Steve Stoute, founder and CEO of Translation has done branding work for major sports leagues and believes, “No matter what the Knicks’ record was before the pandemic, or how you felt about the team before the pandemic, you’re going to be as excited as ever when they hit that court again. The momentum and engagement of that excitement is an opportunity for marketers like myself.”

    Whether Stoute helps the franchise find new ways to engage with customers, or increases the merchandise available to Knicks’ lovers, he is likely right—there will be a surge when everyone can get back to watching their favourite sports, live, again.

    Consider new ways of executing on “face-to-face”

    It’s also believed that travel for work will look a lot different—brands that sent their people for a face-to-face meeting, or traveled to location to market their products or services—some of that will go away, for the sake of profit, and because it just makes sense. Margaret Johnson, partner and Chief Creative Officer for Goodby Silverstein and represents big brands, such as Doritos, Pepsi and BMW, says of producing advertisements, “I can’t even imagine a situation now where you’d spend the money it takes to send eight people to shoot out of the country. You can just as easily see takes online. I think it’s going to have a big effect not just on production, on business in general, to be honest.”

    Observe New Consumer Behaviours

    Early in 2019, before our world was turned upside down by a worldwide pandemic, Forbes contributor, Michael Stone, said “Retail is actually expanding, consumers are shopping and sales are up. Where, when and how consumers buy goods is shifting …”

    Stone was perhaps ahead of his time in predicting where brands will have to go—both outside and inside the retail industry. The “experience” they deliver, that is how a consumer is to discover a brand and how that brand catches on—might look different.

    Stone states, “Brands will continue to look for ways to ‘pull’ consumers into brand rather than ‘pushing’ the brand at them.” The rise of Augmented Reality is also to be expected, making it easier for consumers to engage with a product and decide whether or not to buy. Stone gives examples like IKEA and Wayfair, two companies with apps “that allow consumers to see actual furniture to scale in their own homes.”

    There is also market share to consider. The pandemic has been devastating for some businesses, so much that they have had to close their doors. Digital brands dipping into the market share will rise. Stone gives examples like Caspar taking a dip into Tempurpedic and Serta Simmons market share; Harry’s Shave Club taking a bite out of Gillette and Schick’s.

    It could be argued that any online brand has a chance to reinvent itself and gain market share—consumers are spending more time at home, and more time than ever on their screens.

    Collect the Data

    For those businesses that are essential services and have remained open through the pandemic, how are consumer behaviours changed? How do those same consumers engage your business, now? R.J. Taylor, founder of Pattern89, an artificial intelligence-based software company, says “No matter where your business falls in this new age, data can help you understand your audience’s changing habits . Take this time to slow down…and really dig into what your customers are doing.”

    For grocers, they certainly could look at their data and see that consumer buying habits changed during the pandemic. What of these habits might continue when all goes back to normal? What have customers discovered about the way they have bought their groceries over the past three months that they might adopt on an ongoing basis—for example, mass buying certain items, or planning their meals better so that they are minimizing trips to the grocery store.

    Is there a change in the average number on your work orders and invoices? Why is that? What has driven your customer base to make different decisions? When you are in touch with your own data, “you don’t need to guess what your audience is being attracted to—you can know with certainty,” says Taylor.

    And perhaps that is what brands will be expected to do down the line—work hard to create a sense of certainty when it feels like there is very little.

    Author: ChamberPlan.ca

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  • What the Canada-US-Mexico Free Trade Agreement means to you & your business

    What the Canada-US-Mexico Free Trade Agreement means to you & your business

    Nearly three years in the making, the revamped NAFTA agreement came into effect on Canada Day, July 1, 2020.

    Our federal government calls it the Canada-United States-Mexico Free Trade Agreement (CUSMA), while U.S. president Donald Trump refers to it as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The lack of agreement on the name of the agreement nicely sums up the bumpy road that got us here.

    Getting the U.S. out of the North American Free Trade Agreement was a Trump campaign promise, but the agreement itself was an idea Ronald Regan came up with in 1980. It was negotiated by U.S. president George Bush, Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney and Mexican president Carlos Salinas de Gortari in 1992, and became law in 1994. It’s a monumental document; free trade between the three NAFTA members was valued at nearly $1.5 trillion in 2018.

    With a new deal that took almost the entirety of Trump’s first term to reach, what do the latest changes mean for Canadian businesses?

    Cheaper online shopping. Canadians no longer pay duties to have online purchases worth less than $150 shipped across the border.  Good news for shoppers but not so good for Canadian retailers, who argue that the change encourages Canadians to shop online in the U.S. or Mexico instead of buying Canadian at bricks and mortar stores. (It’s worth noting that the COVID-19 pandemic changed shopping habits and more consumers are now shopping online.)

    Protections for copyright and digital content. The revised agreement will extend copyright protection from Canada’s current 50 years to 70 years past an author’s death, aligning with laws in the U.S. As well, internet platforms are now protected from liability related to third-party information they publish, and consumers will no longer be charged customs and other charges on digital products like music, games, videos and e-books.

    More opportunities for auto parts manufacturers. All vehicles must now include 70 per cent North American steel and aluminum, and 40 per cent of passenger vehicles must be made of materials, parts and labour produced or carried out by workers in a plant where the average wage is at least US$16. The downside for consumers is that vehicles may cost more to purchase as the cost to produce them go up.

    Even with the new agreement finally in place, it’s still not entirely smooth sailing for Canada-U.S. trade relations. Just as CUSMA eases what has been a couple of years of volatility (in response to U.S. imposed tariffs on steel about a year ago, Canada put tariffs on a variety of U.S. products, including quiche, mayonnaise and toilet paper) the U.S. is once again talking about increasing tariffs on Canada’s aluminum.

    It’s a threat that puzzles the Canadian government. According to Prime Minister Trudeau, the U.S. does “not produce enough, nowhere near enough” aluminum to fill domestic manufacturing needs, and especially now, with the requirement for a higher ration of North American aluminum to be used in auto productions. Increasing tariffs on Canadian aluminum, which the U.S. has to buy anyways, will increase costs for U.S. consumers. The decision on tariffs could be made within weeks.

    How long will we agree?

    After nearly three years of discussions, do we finally have a trilateral agreement all three countries can live with? CUSMA is good for 16 years, but mandates a joint review be conducted within the first six years to determine if all three countries want to extend the agreement for another 16 years. It also includes the option for a country to opt out of the deal with six months’ notice. This option was part of the previous NAFTA and was taken up by the U.S. when Trump tore up the agreement after taking office.

    So…in a world where anything can happen, anything could happen.

    Author: ChamberPlan.ca

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  • Fostering Resilience in the Workplace

    Fostering Resilience in the Workplace

    True resilience is more than simply bouncing back from a setback or challenge. We’re not spring-loaded, impenetrable orbs after all. Some of the most transformative self-awareness and personal growth comes from processing challenges or failure. Resilience is what prepares us so we can withstand adversity and come out of it stronger and better.

    Building resilience is like winter-proofing your garden. Making an effort to systematically nurture, insulate, and protect yourself is the best way to weather even the bitterest winter season.

    Like most skills, developing resilience is not something that happens overnight. It takes time and dedicated practice to develop and continuously improve our ability to respond with resilience. By adopting a few simple techniques, we can build up our personal winter-proofing so we can activate resilience when we need it the most.

    What does resilience look like?

    From years of studying workplace and organizational behaviour, researchers have found several common factors that contribute to resilience in the workplace.

    • Optimism – Never underestimate the power of positivity. Everything is easier with a can-do attitude. While some people seem like ‘born optimists,’ if we acknowledge responsibility for the tone and message of our thoughts and actions, we can start to frame everything from a much more optimistic perspective.
    • Ability to manage emotional balance – Managing balance in our emotions helps us resist the urge to catastrophize. By getting in front of your thoughts, emotions, and reactions, you’re in a better position to sidestep an emotional response and focus on purposeful action.
    • A sense of safety – Facing change or responding to a setback is difficult because it disrupts the routines and systems that we’ve found comfort in and success with in the past. Encouraging resilience starts with facilitating a strong support system where teams can share their feelings and fears, with access to the resources they need to navigate the challenge ahead.

    Tips to strengthen resilience

    Take time to reset throughout the workday

    The better we are at managing regular stress and avoiding burnout, the better prepared we will be to manage bigger challenges and setbacks.

    In his digital article for HBR , Rich Fernandez suggests “detachment breaks” to help promote greater energy, mental clarity, creativity, and focus. Basically all of the building blocks of resilience. Based on the idea that our ultradian (hourly) as opposed to circadian (daily) rhythms demarcate the “peaks and valleys of energy and productivity that we all experience,” regular breaks throughout the day help reset focus and improve our capacity for resilience in the long-term. High-focus, high-clarity cycles typically last 90-120 minutes, so schedule regular breaks, even if only a few minutes at a time, to reset yourself.

    Train for mental toughness and flexibility

    This is how resilient people build the emotional balance they need to be responsive rather than reactive. According to Fernandez, developing mental agility “hinges on the ability to mentally ‘decenter’ stressors in order to effectively manage them. ‘Decentering’ stress is not denying or suppressing the fact that we feel stressed — rather, it is the process of being able to pause, to observe the experience from a neutral standpoint, and then to try to solve the problem.”

    Instead of being overcome by ‘stinking thinking,’ step back from the immediacy of the moment and work through what you’re thinking and how you’re feeling. Recognize the thoughts and emotions that will not serve you and look for opportunities where you do have some control or influence in the situation. “We often tell our children who are upset to ‘use your words,’ for example, and it turns out that stopping and labeling emotions has the effect of activating the thinking center of our brains, rather than the emotional center — a valuable skill in demanding, high-performance workplaces everywhere,” Fernandez explains.

    Practice regular self-care

    Lawyer and positive psychologist Paula Davis-Laack knows firsthand the importance of managing stress and avoiding burnout. “A critical part of resilience is self-care and recovery, and resilient employees know how they spend their energy each day and they take time to re-fill their tank,” she explains.

    Detachment breaks are important for mini-resets, but longer breaks provide an opportunity for truly restorative recovery. Start by designating ‘off hours’ when you stop answering calls or emails and take vacation time regularly. Even if you don’t go anywhere, it’s incredibly beneficial to invest in the time you need to fully recharge. Opportunities for self-care include exercise, meditation, reading, or socializing.

    Grow your grit

    According to Davis-Laack, another element that resilient employees share is grit — “the passion and perseverance to pursue your long-term goals.” Grit and resilience go hand-in-hand. And you can’t have grit without having goals.

    On the road to reaching those goals, you’ll encounter success and setbacks along the way. “Working on truly challenging goals means you’re going to experience obstacles, and you won’t be able to bounce back from them or get grittier without resilience,” Davis-Laack explains.

    Cultivate value and meaning beyond the paycheck

    Stress and burnout are common threats to our resilience, but some of the greatest challenges are variables beyond our control. Economic volatility, natural disasters, and market changes are forces that the average business-owner has no control over. If you get caught up in the grind and churn of it all, staying motivated will be next to impossible.

    Finding meaning in your work beyond surviving the grind and earning a wage builds engagement and, ultimately, resilience. “The most successful and resilient people I have worked with are there for more than a paycheck because they see how their work has value and impact,” says Davis-Laack. Seeing how your role contributes to something that is fundamentally important to you will motivate and inspire you to persevere.

    More than ever, workplace resilience is an important measure of organizational effectiveness and success. When the toughest winters test our mettle to the extreme, resilience is what helps us emerge better and stronger when spring finally arrives.

    Author: ChamberPlan.ca

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