Workplace Organization

With more employees working both in-office and remotely, it's clear that the future of work is hybrid. In a recent study conducted by Benefits Canada, more than half (54%) of Canadian employers reported that they have begun using a hybrid work model. While this setup has many natural advantages for employees, it also presents a unique opportunity for companies to upgrade their employee benefits, both to attract and retain top talent.

This is important to consider since many traditional employee benefits are not hybrid-friendly, and cannot be fully utilized by employees. By upgrading these benefits, companies can create a win-win situation where employees are happier and more productive, while the employer benefits from increased loyalty and retention. Below are some ideas on hybrid-friendly benefits that your employees are sure to appreciate.

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Desk equipment

Whether companies provide a budget for equipment or provide the actual equipment themselves, allocating resources for employees to be able to build better desk set-ups at home is crucial. Studies have shown that ergonomic desk equipment can improve employee health by reducing strain on their bodies, making them less likely to experience back pain, neck pain, and other posture-related issues. Feeling comfortable in workstations can also reduce fatigue, discomfort, and stress, leading to fewer breaks and higher productivity levels. In addition, better desk equipment like updated laptops or computer models, high-quality microphones, and noise-cancelling headphones can improve communication among both employees and employers.

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Vision insurance

With continuous screen time brought about by the hybrid work setup, employees need to take care of their eyes more than ever. Eye strain and other vision problems can negatively affect productivity and even cause increased absenteeism. This is why vision insurance is a crucial aspect of hybrid work benefits, and why it is in the employer’s best interest to not only offer but also teach their employees how to use vision insurance. Employees can easily cash in these insurance packages for comprehensive eye exams, prescription lenses, and other vision-related expenses, or they can claim back the costs through direct or manual billings. This is easily accessible as some of these insurance processes can be done online through eyewear websites.

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Wellness budgets

While specific wellness programs on their own can be a good employee benefit, these programs assume a one-size-fits-all approach. A company-chosen program may or may not be a good fit for an employee in a hybrid setup, which is why it would be good to amend this type of benefit by converting it into a wellness budget. This allows for flexibility and customization in wellness offerings. Like many other benefits, this can be done through reimbursement for eligible services such as gyms, spas, and various other wellness offerings. This approach can greatly reduce costs associated with traditional in-person wellness programs, and can even accommodate virtual wellness programs for employees who wish to avail of the benefits from the comfort of their own homes.

Flexible schedules

By allowing employees to set their own schedules, especially during remote working days, companies can help reduce their stress and promote work-life balance. Working during hours that suit personal needs and preferences can greatly increase productivity as employees are able to work during the time of the day when they are most awake and alert. Flexible schedules will also enable employees to accommodate other commitments, from prioritizing their mental health to spending time with their families, and many other personal endeavours. All things considered, flexible schedules are a low-cost benefit that can bring about high employee satisfaction. In addition, this benefit will help employers attract and retain top talent, especially those with caregiving responsibilities.


These are only a few benefit ideas that can help your employees and strengthen your company’s relationship with them. For more ideas and other related information on employee engagement and company culture, make sure to check our website!

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Inclusive communication is a language style that actively acknowledges individuals for who they are and demonstrates respect for people from various backgrounds. It ensures everyone's perspectives are respected and that each employee has access to equal opportunities.

Inclusive communication employs neutral, non-discriminatory, and unbiased language and communication techniques to develop a friendly, polite, and egalitarian environment where people feel appreciated and heard, regardless of their differences.

What is Inclusive Communication in the Workplace

Inclusive communication creates a work environment that feels supportive and genuine. This type of communication helps employees feel at home at their place of work. Companies that prioritize a culture of inclusive communication have a greater chance of success, often surpassing their competition in crucial areas like hiring, employee engagement, employee satisfaction, and business growth. 

Communicating inclusively goes hand in hand with diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. The more leadership commits to DEI initiatives, the stronger the culture of inclusive communication will become. 

At the root, inclusive communication is about promoting an atmosphere of respect at work and fostering open communication where employee differences are honored and respected. Workshops on topics like unconscious bias and the harmful impact of prejudice and stereotyping can cut off hurtful communication habits at the source.

Other components that create an intentional culture of inclusion include routinely evaluating and eliminating barriers to inclusivity and actively working to promote a more diverse and inclusive workplace. Businesses prioritizing inclusivity position themselves for long-term success and have happier, more engaged employees.

A variety of inclusive communication modes exist in the workplace, including:

• Non-verbal: Body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice all significantly impact fostering an inclusive work environment.

• Verbal: Potentially the most prevalent method of communication at work.

• Written: All written communication, including emails, memos, and company reports.

The 4 “Isms” that harm inclusive communication

Communication cannot be inclusive if the work culture allows prejudiced language or hate speech. Here are four common “isms” that actively prevent inclusivity:

• Sexism: Sexist language that degrades or stereotypes an employee based on their gender.

• Ageism: Terminology that singles someone out due to their age.

• Racism: Racially charged language that is insulting or stereotyping.

• Ableism: Stereotypes or insults someone due to their differing abilities.

Why is Inclusive Communication Important

Organizations can build an inclusive, respectful, and equitable workplace culture for all employees by promoting inclusive communication awareness and education. 

Creating a culture of inclusive communication shows the company’s effort to utilize language that contributes to a more equitable world while condemning the misrepresentation and institutional discrimination that plague our workplaces to this day.

Inclusive communication breeds a culture of acceptance and opportunity for all. This triggers a domino effect that can improve productivity, employee engagement, and even customer satisfaction.

Multiple factors make inclusive communication in the workplace necessary:

• Respect: All people should be treated with respect, regardless of gender, color, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or ability, as demonstrated by inclusive communication. It produces a friendly and encouraging work environment.

• Diversity: Inclusive language shows a company values diversity within the workforce.

• Legal obligation: Companies are required to provide a work environment free from harassment and discrimination. Inclusive communication is a crucial part of cultivating an equitable company culture. 

• Communication: Everyone can better comprehend one another and collaborate more successfully when speech is free from bias.

• Reputation: Businesses that prioritize inclusive language are more reputable in the eyes of potential employees, investors, and customers.

• Employee engagement: When employees feel valued, metrics like engagement, morale, and productivity improve. 

How to communicate with inclusivity in 2024

Here are some actionable ways to make workplace communication more inclusive this year:

Replace stereotypical and culturally insensitive language with inclusive alternatives

Many expressions commonly used in the workplace are exclusive in nature. Encourage employees to consider what language they use that, while not overtly offensive, does not reflect everyone in the office. People often use slurs without even realizing it. 

Even the most seemingly innocuous words can be rooted in discriminatory language. For example, the word “dumb” is commonly used to reflect someone who isn’t intelligent but is actually defined as someone who cannot communicate verbally. And while commonly used to say someone behaves erratically, the term “spastic” actually references the muscle tightness and contractions resulting from cerebral palsy and/or multiple sclerosis.

Commonly used idioms like “blind leading the blind” and “falling on deaf ears” are also exclusive in nature. 

Understand employee identities

People's identities are primarily shaped by their race and ethnicity, meaning misidentification can be damaging and invalidating. 

Make an effort to understand and learn whatever race, ethnicity, or national origin employees identify to avoid making assumptions and lumping everyone into one racial group, such as Asian or African. Encourage employees to communicate openly about the language they do not perceive as inclusive.

Communicate openly about language preferences

Ableist language can indirectly define a person by their disability status and propagate harmful stereotypes.

This is incredibly dangerous, considering the discrepancy between employment rates for people with and without disabilities. In 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 21.3% of people with a disability were employed. That is less than a third of the employment percentage for those without a disability (65.4%). 

Companies can actively combat ableist language by communicating openly about what language employees with disabilities prefer. Some people prefer person-first language like “person with a disability”, while others prefer identify-first language like “disabled person”. Genuine inclusivity means recognizing that not every person perceives language the same way and prioritizes respecting each and every employee’s definition of what is and isn’t inclusive of their identities. 

How to Drive Inclusive Communication Rewards & Recognition Software

Building a culture of inclusivity in the workplace is no small feat, but injecting inclusive language into rewards and recognition programs is a good place to start. You can make your organization a hub for inclusive collaboration by standardizing the process of rewarding and recognizing employees. 

Qarrot empowers employees to nominate each other, all while providing managers with advanced insights that weed out any potential biases. Interested in learning more?  Book a demo to see Qarrot in action!

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For a time, empathy and caring were considered the opposite of effective corporate culture. Maybe even today, leaders believe they must choose between caring for their people and driving results. 

After all, balancing these priorities is one of the biggest struggles of being a boss.

But do leaders need to choose between these two ends of the spectrum? Is it possible to have both? Jamil Zaki, a psychologist and foremost researcher on the study of empathy, believes so.

‍In a recent Fast Company article, he asserts that companies often find themselves caught between these two competing priorities—empathy VS efficiency, but he claims it's a false duality. In other words, he argues companies don't have to choose between the two.

In fact, a growing body of evidence suggests that empathy could lead to greater organizational performance. Ultimately, empathy is not the antithesis of productivity but rather one of the key factors in maximizing efficiency at work.

‍A case for empathy in the workplace

According to Psychology Today, empathy is the ability to recognize, understand, and share another person's feelings. In other words, an empathic person understands the needs of others and is sensitive to their emotions. Empathy is crucial to establishing strong relationships and enhancing group dynamics at work.

Given the increasing demands and stresses of modern life and the surge of worker burnout, promoting empathy in the workplace is becoming even more critical to fostering healthy, happy, and productive workplace cultures.

A few studies and research reveal the impact of empathy at work:

• Employees who feel their companies lack empathy are more likely to burn out and call in sick with stress-related illnesses. (Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes)
• 76% of people with highly empathic senior leaders report often or always being engaged, compared to only 32% of people with less empathic senior leaders. (Catalyst)
• The majority (86%) of employees believe empathetic leadership boosts morale while 87% of employees say empathy is essential to fostering an inclusive environment. (EY Consulting)

The research is undisputed: showing empathy at work contributes to greater employee well-being and happiness. In turn, this leads to greater engagement, efficiency, and productivity in the workplace. 

But when it comes to a soft skill like empathy, it isn’t always clear how to practice it. This is not something that can be boiled down to an exact formula. 

Nevertheless, you don’t need to be a mental health expert to practice empathy. There are actionable steps leaders can take to build greater empathy in their team. Next, we’ll dive into a few examples of empathy at work so you can take steps toward creating a more empathetic work environment.

6 Ways to Increase Empathy In The Workplace

1. Practice active listening

When an employee comes to you with an issue, your first instinct might be to jump straight into fix-it mode.

You might do this by:

• Offering advice ("Have you tried this?),
• Trying to change their perspective ("Others have it worse.")
• Offering unhealthy positivity ("Try to stay positive.")

Of course, sometimes people want practical advice or need to hear a voice of logic. But oftentimes, when we go into fix-it mode, we unwittingly fail to understand the other person effectively. 

The antidote is active listening. In leadership, active listening means paying attention, understanding, and remembering what others say. It's not just about hearing words; it's about making an effort to make people feel heard. 

According to Very Well Mind, a few techniques are involved in practicing active listening. For example, being fully present, making eye contact, and asking open-ended questions.

In other words, before rushing to offer practical advice or fixes, you should ask questions and validate their feelings. These small gestures in conversation will go a long way to making people feel you genuinely care about them. 

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2. Ask for people’s opinions

Empathy requires understanding the needs of others. But you can’t read people’s minds; you have to take the time to ask them about their wants, needs, and opinions. Taking action in this area goes a long way to demonstrating that you care and creating a compassionate work environment. 

In other words, as a leader, acting with empathy means involving your team in big decisions. Interestingly, a Salesforce report showed that employees who feel their voice is heard are 4.6X more likely to feel empowered to perform their best work. Employees are more productive when they feel they are being heard.

Of course, that’s not to say every single decision requires your entire team's final approval. Nevertheless, gathering feedback and input from your team is a great way to show that you value their opinions and perspectives. 

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3. Be proactive and offer assistance

Being responsive and available to your team is the cornerstone of empathetic leadership. But it's not enough to express to your employees that you are available and then proceed to disappear into your own world. 

If you don't show employees you care, it may be difficult for them to trust and come to you. A core component of building trust is showing you care about your employees through your actions. Not just your words. 

In other words, instead of simply stating you're available to them, why not show them? For example, an empathetic leader is sensitive to the climate of a team and can feel when their team is stressed or if there is tension. In this case, they will take the time to ask questions, listen, and find out how they can help. Empathetic leaders are proactive. They won't sit back and wait until a fire is burning to take action; they will try and catch the ember before it turns into a fiery blaze. 

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4. Show interest in employees' goals and development

As a leader, you know that employees are much more than what they produce for your team. They have their own dreams, goals, and aspirations. They have their own passions and interests. Leading with empathy means getting to know your employees on a deeper level and supporting their career development.

That said, "employee career development" can feel like a vague, ambiguous goal. But it all starts with a conversation. It involves getting to know your employees, what skills they want to grow, what they are passionate about, and what long-term goals they want to achieve. 

You have to set aside time for these conversations, which can be hard to do when a million other tasks are competing for your time. Yet, it makes your effort even more meaningful. When employees see how busy you are but still make the time to discuss their development, that will go a long way to making them feel valued. 

5. Be flexible and understanding

By its very nature, work entails structure and process. A team can't achieve results, and a large-scale organization can't function without guardrails. 

But, like all things, structure exists on a continuum. A need for structure can veer into inflexibility and rigidity if taken too far. Cultures like this undermine caring, empathy, and understanding.

For example, if employees come to you with a problem or concern, and you respond to them with, "That's just the way things work" or "That's the policy," without offering them any solutions or thinking deeper about the root problem at play. Such extreme inflexibility will undoubtedly make them feel ignored.

Being flexible and understanding means trying to devise a solution that benefits everyone. Even if an issue is out of your control, it also means validating your employees' issues and concerns. In other words, being flexible shows you care about your employees not just as workers but as individual people. 

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6. Share your appreciation

Recognizing and appreciating employees' efforts is one of the best ways to show them you care. On the flip side, one of the quickest ways to have an employee feel ignored is to minimize their efforts and take their contribution for granted. 

It's not enough to just praise the end result, like saying, "Good job on X." Vague and superficial praise can feel just as empty as not giving praise at all! Employees want to be appreciated for more than just ticking something off their to-do list. They want to feel special for their unique skills and contributions.

There were a lot of smaller steps and efforts that led up to that final achievement. People want the behind-the-scenes efforts to be appreciated. In short, employee recognition is not just about the end result. Taking the time to offer employees detailed and impactful recognition is the essence of empathetic leadership.

The Dangers of Too Much Empathy

When you think about a toxic work culture, niceness and empathy might not be the first things that come to mind. Typically, you might conjure up an image of nasty coworkers spreading negative gossip and arrogant managers lashing out at employees. 

Yet, the reality is that unhealthy work cultures can manifest in various ways. The stereotypical competition-driven environment is just one example. Cultural problems can often hide behind a cheerful exterior. Where even empathy—when excessive, can prove harmful.

Can empathy go too far?

Renowned leadership expert and best-selling author Kim Scott contends that empathy, if taken to extremes, can become unhelpful.

In her book Radical Candor, she coined the term "Ruinous Empathy" to describe the tendency of bosses to be overly nice but not genuinely kind. This occurs when leaders have a desire to care personally but a low willingness to challenge employees directly.

According to Scott, challenging employees is the key. It can be difficult in the short term and might feel cruel, but it's actually the kindest thing you can do.

Challenging people shows that you care enough to point out when things aren't going well. Most employees are hungry to grow, evolve, and be challenged. So, if you fail to challenge them, you will not only deprive them of the opportunity to grow but potentially create an environment of toxic positivity in your company—this can be just as damaging as an overly cutthroat environment. 

Organizational psychologist Adam Grant discusses a similar view in his model, The 4 Deadly Sins of Work Culture. He calls these types of overly nice work culture "cultures of mediocrity." In these cultures, "people are so worried about getting along that they end up forfeiting good work."

In the end, empathy is critical. It's a great thing for leaders to make sure everyone feels happy and gets along. But in any business, tough feedback or difficult decisions must be made. And if leaders forgo good work out of fear of creating disharmony or conflict, that's when this tendency to be nice is taken too far.

‍Final Thoughts‍

Leaders have long struggled with the conflict between empathy and efficiency. But as you can see, either end of the spectrum can lead to problems.

On one hand, being overly concerned with efficiency can lead to a cold, detached climate. Employees may feel like mere production units when their feelings and individual needs are not met with flexibility and understanding. Pursuing results without recognizing the human element can lead to burnout, decreased morale, and turnover. In the long run, this can be detrimental to success.

But the other extreme has problems of its own. For example, a desire to be too considerate prevents leaders from giving constructive criticism and needed challenges. As a result, "Ruinous Empathy" can emerge. Taken to an extreme, the fear of creating conflict can lead to a culture of mediocrity, where people are afraid to voice opinions or push boundaries. This climate can also stifle performance, growth and innovation.

Ultimately, leaders must strive to balance empathy and efficiency. It's not one or the other. When organizations learn to balance these two competing priorities, a thriving and productive organization is most likely to emerge. 

As offices everywhere ease their way into the post-pandemic world, many have found that the hybrid work setup, in which employees work at the office on some days of the week and at home on others, is the best one to adopt. In fact, 63% of high-growth companies are currently using hybrid models.

However, if your business is looking into shifting to a hybrid setup or is currently in the process of doing so, your employees may have some concerns going into it. How will this fit into their current home routine? What are the chances of accidental COVID transmission?

Though any major operational change is difficult, it's far from impossible. Employee wellness is something that can be maintained and even fostered under a hybrid setup. These tips can help you get started.

Bring the team closer together

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Combat feelings of isolation and detachment between members of your team by encouraging online communication during the workday. With online platforms like Slack, employees working remotely won't feel left behind as compared to those who worked at the office.

This is especially important if your hybrid work model is similar to that followed by customer relationship management service Salesforce. Its business analysts, functional consultants, and other employees are spread between remote and office work, without any kind of rotation.

At the same time, by providing open, honest, and stress-free lines of communication, you encourage your employees to bring up any concerns they have with the hybrid setup.

Prioritize mental health

One thing that drives employees to perform better is a good mindset. Inevitably, many people bring the stress of their home life to work, and this can impact the quality of their output. And with a hybrid setup, it's difficult to assess whether an employee is going through something.

That's why it's up to management to take the initiative and check in on employees regularly. You can also recommend resources like mental health apps or even issue "mental health days" on which employees can take a break. This is especially important for more stressful occupations, such as those in customer service and event planning.

Ward off burnout

One vital part of ensuring employee mental health is preventing burnout, so much so that it's a point all on its own. With a hybrid setup, it's important to communicate boundaries and expectations, so employees avoid overworking. You can also introduce productivity software to the fold. This can come in handy for employees who have a lot on their plate.

For example, a social media manager's job is to know the latest on a brand's online presence across a variety of platforms. This can be exhausting, especially now that online activity is surging. Fortunately, they can use a social media content creation platform to help them publish posts and optimize their exposure to target demographics. This streamlines the creation process, making their tasks easier to accomplish.

It's also important to know the signs of burnout, so you can catch it and alleviate it in time. Such signs include an increased number of mistakes and decreased productivity or motivation to work. Once you spot this in an employee, consider easing their workload or allowing them more flexible scheduling options so they can work on improving their work-life balance.
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Lead by example

By also taking time off for yourself, you can encourage your employees to do the same. For example, if you're in a slump, take the initiative by going on a break so you can come back to work in full fighting force. By modeling healthy behavior, you'll be inspiring your employees to bring the best of themselves to the office every day.

Celebrate the small wins

Keep employee morale high by recognizing milestones and achievements, however small. Celebrate the most sales made in a month or even the anniversary on which they joined your team. These can be done in department-wide meetings, through private emails, or tools like Qarrot that enable peer-to-peer recognition. Either way, a confidence boost may be just the thing to help employees feel satisfied about the work they do — and your business will be better off for it.

Many employees are fed up with the one size fits all workplace model. In fact, 73 percent of your workforce prefer to work in an organization that offers more remote work options. Why? Remote work has spurred a work-life balance since many remote workers now find more time to spend with family and friends.  

But another 67 percent of the workforce want to be in work arrangements that allow face-to-face or in-person collaboration with their team members because it encourages learning and provides opportunities for career advancement.

By and large, creating a flexible work environment might be the new pillar initiative for rewarding wellness at work, especially following the increasing number of employees that report burnout cases. So yes, the future of work is hybrid, merely because your employee expectations are changing. But with these changes come new opportunities for your business as well.

For instance, a hybrid work model is very cost-effective for businesses since it encourages workspace utilization and it removes the need for maintaining unnecessary facilities in the office. But what exactly is a hybrid work model?

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Understanding The Hybrid Work Model

The core of the hybrid office model is to provide employees with the flexibility to work between the office and their remote physical space. And while hybrid work arrangements can come in many forms, in essence, a hybrid environment supports every employee’s work-style and preference.

It achieves this by allowing them to have a seamless ebb of flow between working in the office and working from home. But it requires a robust system of communication and implementation. Currently, many corporations like Amazon and Google are adopting a hybrid workforce into their business culture.

So, why is this becoming the new workplace norm? Let's find out.

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Why Hybrid Workplace Is The Future

• Your Employees Demand It

Yes, 77 percent of your workers are looking forward to engaging in hybrid setups in their organization. And with good reason. A hybrid workplace means that the employee's work style is fully supported.

They can work in the office when they want to or when it's necessary and work from any other remote location just as well. It also means that employees get to save on commute time and costs, which leaves them with a better work-life balance.

This then allows employees to operate more authentically, which helps foster a happier and more productive workforce. And since a hybrid setup empowers the worker by giving them autonomy, it motivates them to adapt better work practices and habits.

One other great advantage of adopting a hybrid work model is that it enhances employee wellbeing. More so, many workers have reported increased cases of fatigue during and after the pandemic. Therefore, a hybrid environment is an excellent way to address pandemic fatigue in the workplace. Why?

Its flexibility can allow each worker to set aside a few minutes every day to relax and unwind, making a significant difference in combating burnout. Besides, 2.9 million Canadians are still remote employees, and they would prefer to keep this autonomy well and alive long into the future.

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• Technology Enables It

Technology is making it possible to have remote jobs, so who is to say that this transformative force will not greatly support remote companies entirely in the years to come? If anything, a growing number of video, team messaging, work management, and collaboration applications are already in widespread use. Moreover, major advancements with artificial intelligence and the internet of things (IoT) will help employers and employee stay better-informed and safe.

For instance, many workers now need the assurance that their in-person workspaces are safe following the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. That said, organizations can incorporate IoT sensors to determine the number of workers in the building to limit occupancy.

Additionally, artificial intelligence (AI) can help identify spaces that offer social distancing and safety measures. What's more, if a company is to create a hybrid work model, it requires transparency that supports a distributed workforce.

This is where technology comes in: many options enhance collaboration and productivity within remote work settings. Enterprise apps are especially convenient and excellent at providing better collaboration between staff members.

You do not want your company to face the cost of poor employee engagement after all. In addition, AI can automate workspace schedules for employees who wish to have occasional time in-office.

• Your Company Needs It

Think about it, once you get a significant portion of your employees to work from home, you deem part if not most of your office space unnecessary. With AI in place, you can identify these spaces quickly and either release them or find better utilization for them. This means fewer maintenance costs.

Also, if you have fewer people at the office, you need less operational costs. Aside from reducing costs, a hybrid workplace is excellent for making gains and productivity, translating to increased sales and company revenue. Here's how:

Your employees are your company's foundation. So the key to your business success significantly lies in the state of your employees. And when you have a hybrid company work model, you give your workers autonomy, which offers them fewer disruptions, and increases productivity.

In essence, hybrid workplaces make the employees feel trusted and supported. In turn, they become motivated to give the organization the best results. Indeed, happier workplaces are more productive workplaces.

Chiefly, one significant reason your company needs a hybrid workplace is that it reshapes your business goals and objectives into a more employee-centric one. As such, it can steer your company miles ahead of your competitors since you're investing in the right technological tools and employee engagement activities.

Conclusion

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Expect a hybrid workplace to be part of your company's long-term strategy, even though adopting the model is not yet fully figured out. Everything considered, the pandemic did fast forward the inception of the hybrid model in workplaces.

But one thing is sure, the change in employee needs, company needs, and technology advancements have made the business model necessary. So embrace the hybrid concept or face the possibility of watching your business perish in the future.

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Discover how to Qarrot can help your organization transition to a hybrid model by keeping employees connected - book a demo with Qarrot today!

Enlisting brand ambassadors to promote one's products and services is an effective marketing method across industries. Its effectiveness has led more and more businesses to adopt it as a central tactic in their digital marketing strategy. Often, marketing teams turn to social media influencers to forward their brand. Statistics from SocialPubli show that 89% of marketers believe influencer marketing is effective, with many choosing to partner with nano- and micro-influencers. However, companies also have another option when it comes to brand ambassadorship — their own employees.

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What's an Employee Brand Ambassador?

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An employee brand ambassador is simply a person who currently works in your company and also promotes it across their network. An employee brand ambassador should know your company vision, the details of your products and services, and, of course, your brand image. To test the feasibility of an employee ambassadorship program, consult with your digital marketing team. As one of the most prominent careers in business data analytics, digital marketers analyze patterns in web traffic, determine the best posting strategies, and monitor search trends. They'll be the first to tell you that it's worth investing in employee brand ambassadors, especially since renowned companies like Adobe have been doing it for years. In short, having employee ambassadors is a good idea, and here's why:

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Benefits of Having Employee Brand Ambassadors

Consumers perceive employees as more trustworthy than curated marketing tactics

A survey by Olapic showed that 76% of respondents trusted content from "ordinary" people more than content distributed by big brands. Influencers have developed a reputation for having generic and inauthentic content, which might be counterproductive to the goal of your brand ambassadorship.

Additionally, customers tend to perceive staff as more trustworthy than corporate marketing, given that it's easier to relate with them on a personal level. In fact, Edelman's Trust Barometer 2019 states that people view regular employees as more credible than the company’s CEO. So having them spread good things about your company can make your marketing campaign more genuine and effective. It's also worth noting that employees who do not trust the company they work for can negatively impact consumer trust. So, even if your employee isn't officially a brand ambassador, it's worth keeping them engaged and satisfied with the company for the sake of its reputation and business.
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Your employees' social networks have a high potential for engagement

Your employees have their own networks, often outside of your company's normal target market. Surveys show that around 50% of employees already post content about their companies on their social media pages, with 33% unprompted by employers. Furthermore, 39% have shared positive attributes in the past. So, it's well worth having them raise brand awareness among their own circles. This is especially the case since your employees' social media connections are more likely to interact with their posts about your company, meaning there's more potential for engagement.

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Curating an employee ambassador program can lead to reduced costs and increased ROI

Since your employees are already part of the company workforce, you won't need to use more resources to partner with third-party brand ambassadors. This significantly reduces the costs of your marketing campaigns. And since employees are poised to spread brand awareness and increase your company's reach, they're likely to increase your ROI.

These reasons are why it's worth investing in employee brand ambassadors, and why you should incentivize practices that help them raise brand awareness. Your employees can do much more than execute and expedite internal processes. They're also an excellent option for your brand ambassadorship campaign.

To further entice them to enlist as employee brand ambassadors, make sure to implement incentives that spur them to achieve company goals and forward your company's marketing campaign. Note that monetary incentives are no longer as effective as they used to be, so be creative in how you craft your reward program. One option is to gamify the campaign goals, to make for a more enjoyable experience. This not only improves business performance, but employee engagement as well.

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If you're looking to create fun and engaging incentive campaigns for your employee brand ambassadors, try out Qarrot. Book a demo now to see your options!

We’re all familiar with the idea that it only takes a few rotten eggs to spoil the bunch. While some of this saying rings true, it doesn’t paint a complete picture. Shouldn’t a company have safeguards in place to identify and address these “bad eggs”? Why are their behaviours tolerated? Who is responsible for stopping undesirable attitudes in their tracks? 

It can be easy to blame poor company culture on a few individuals who don’t really care about being part of a team. In reality, however, it’s the responsibility of organizational leaders’ to keep those rotten eggs at bay. If left unaddressed, harmful workplace habits and attitudes can wreak havoc on your organizations’ culture. 

The importance of workplace culture 

Culture plays a crucial role in the overall success of a company. From retaining top talent to keeping employees engaged and motivated, fostering a favourable ecosystem where team members can thrive is pivotal. Some might argue that your workplace culture is something that grows organically and cannot be forced - but it’s that same laissez-faire attitude that allows toxic culture to brew. Don’t be fooled - the best cultures that appear organic have a considerable amount of thought and strategy supporting them. 

What are the risks associated with toxic work culture? 

• Low employee morale, trust, and poor relationships 
• Dismal employee experience translating into a sad customer experience  
• High turnover rate, signalling issues to external audiences and shareholders 
• Additional costs associated with unmotivated employees (time, money, and resources)

Related Article: How to keep your startup culture thriving 

Sources of toxic workplace culture 

Poor internal communications 

One of the most important factors when creating an optimal workplace culture is prioritizing internal communications. If you want to create an environment where team members feel empowered and supported, communication is vital. Trust and transparency are paramount in healthy workplace culture. If not, employees won’t feel comfortable discussing potential concerns or issues with leaders - leaving the perfect window of opportunity for toxicity to run wild. If you find contact with your team members stressful, forced, or just unpleasant, take a step back and evaluate your current strategy. 

Nonexistent employee engagement 

How can you expect employees to be interested in a company if that interest isn’t reciprocated? If employees don’t feel valued for their work, it won’t be long before they start looking for an employer who does. The small rumblings of low engagement can start with absenteeism, lack of morale, or poor performance. None of this translates to a great environment, and things will only escalate from there. However, engaging with employees is a great way to keep people interested in doing well while simultaneously nurturing a healthy work culture. Not sure how to create an engagement strategy? Employee rewards and recognition programs are a great place to start. When team members feel appreciated, that positivity will resonate culturally. 

Related Article: Strengthening core values through company culture 

Questionable management and leadership 

Whether or not you like being the center of attention, if you’re a leader, you have to set the standard for employee expectations. Just because you’re the ‘big cheese’ doesn’t make you an exemption. It’s a slippery slope - if employees see you slacking off or getting away with the bare minimum, they will follow suit. Management must embody the behaviours and attitudes they want from employees. Micromanagement is also a classic toxic culture trait. There is nothing worse than feeling scrutinized continuously, almost like being under a microscope. To get the most out of your employees, foster a culture that encourages a collective experience and expectations while building team members’ confidence in their respective roles.  

Foggy mission, vision, and values 

You wouldn’t go on a road trip without a roadmap, right? The same rule applies to any business activity without considering your mission, vision, and values.  Workplace culture is no exception, as these lay the foundation for setting your team and organization up for success. When these three considerations are unclear or not appropriately communicated, work culture is often a casualty. If employees don’t know where they fit into the mission, vision, and values, how can you expect them to be motivated? Rather than feeling like cogs in a machine, employees want to feel like an integral part of your team and the organization’s success. When everyone knows where they fit within an organization’s trajectory, workplace culture becomes cohesive and inclusive. 

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Another great way to create an empowering and supportive culture for employees is through positive reinforcement. Discover how fostering a recognition-rich environment can take your culture to new heights - request a demo with Qarrot!  

Just like a house needs a solid foundation to build upon, core values lay the supporting groundwork for an organization’s success. Core values not only define what is important to your company, but also orient employees in their work . While core values are often associated with the “About Us” section on a company's website, they should play a far more important role. 

Core values impact decision-making and behaviour at all organizational levels and how an organization is perceived externally. Choosing your core values should be a rigorous and involved exercise, but it’s often putting them into practice that is the hardest part. How do you translate values into daily behaviours and actions amongst managers and employees? The answer can be found in your company's culture. 

Company culture is a combination of behaviours and attitudes found in an organization. Whether crafted intentionally or left alone to develop organically, every workplace has a culture of its own. You may not necessarily see it, but it is there. By anchoring your company culture around core values, your team will more strongly identify with the beliefs and attitudes that will help them be successful within your organization. So how can you create a culture that promotes your core values?

Related Article: How to keep a startup culture thriving 

First things first - clearly identify and establish your core values. Core values shape, influence, and ultimately guide your company identity. They should be used as a guide when it comes to directing business decisions and activities. In terms of choosing core values, consider what is important to you, your team, and your company as a whole. It could be anything from diversity and inclusion to transparency and sustainability. They should be specific and short enough that they can be understood easily, but consider both internal and external audiences. 

Now that you have core values established, put them into action. As the saying goes, “If you’re going to talk the talk you need to walk the walk”. Modelling core values is not limited to just managers or supervisors. Each member of your team has the ability to exhibit core values every day, but it’s particularly crucial that leaders set the example. Start prioritizing core values during onboarding - hiring those who genuinely believe in and respect those values. This not only sets the tone of importance placed on core values, but it also communicates your determination for the company, including its employees, to achieve success according to the standards expressed by those values. What about the roles within your organization - how do they align with those values? Being a core values champion means discussing how your company expresses those values and making choices that reflect them. If not, you run the risk of creating a rift between those values and the culture you are trying to create. 
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Related Article: Create engaging incentive campaigns with Qarrot

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Celebrate and recognize team members who exhibit core values. As previously explored in our blog post on positive reinforcement, praising employees clearly defines and communicates desired behaviours. When an employee is recognized and rewarded for a job well done - or for demonstrating one or more core values - they are more likely to repeat those behaviours. Leaders have the power to use employee recognition and rewards to build a culture that is steadfast in core values. Recognition also means optimized feedback, communication, and transparency. This leaves the doors open for ongoing discussions about opportunities for further alignment and possibly evolving core values. 

As the guiding principles for your company, core values cannot be underrated. Rather than leaving them to collect dust and only seeing the light of day when it comes to PR interests, turn the conversation inward. Empowering your employees to embody core values through leadership and recognition will foster a culture that will truly nourish success. Interested in discovering how you can use recognition to foster a culture that promotes core values? 

Unlock the power of peer-to-peer recognition - book a demo with Qarrot today!

In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, you will be hard pressed to find a company that has not somewhat, if not completely, transitioned to a virtual workplace. With so many of us opting to work from home following public health advisories, video chatting and instant messaging have never been so popular. Although learning to work remotely can come with a bit of a learning curve, it doesn’t mean you have to feel disconnected from the rest of your colleagues! 

1. Encourage visibility amongst your team

Every workplace has its own morning coffee or lunch break ritual, and just because we’re in the middle of a pandemic doesn’t mean you have to go without it. It’s a good idea to mirror those same office interactions while your team is working remotely. This is also a great opportunity to opt for video chatting - just because we’re working remotely doesn’t necessarily mean we have to lose face to face interaction. Designating specific times to catch up with your colleagues, whether they be work-related or just casual chit chat, is important to maintain a human element while communicating virtually.

Related Article: Remote Workforces: The New Employee Engagement Challenges 

2. Celebrate wins and recognize successes 

Social distancing doesn’t have to get in the way of celebrating your team's accomplishments and hard work! There are other ways you can acknowledge your colleagues while working from the comfort and safety of home -  like hosting a virtual happy hour or delivering a surprise care package. This would also be a great opportunity to introduce an employee rewards and recognition program, enabling you to strengthen workplace culture even while operating remotely. Encouraging positive interactions between colleagues will improve employee performance while reinforcing company values. 

Related Article: 5 Reasons You Can’t Afford to Not to Have a Recognition Program 

3. Get collaborative 

An estimated 75% of employers consider teamwork and collaboration very important in the workplace. Even though your team may be spread out over miles, rather than just offices, there are lots of tools that your team can use to collaborate effectively while working remotely. Here are a few of our favourite tools when it comes to organizing, managing, and tracking collaborative projects :

• Trello Board
• Google Docs 
• Slack
• Asana 
• Quip
  

4. Share with your colleagues

While some members of your team may be seasoned professionals at working remotely, this is a new normal for most of us. Sharing pictures or videos of life while working from home is a great way to keep your virtual team feeling connected. From sharing home office decor ideas or a recipe that everyone can try for a team lunch. Why not include your pet on the next video call? Even though everyone is working in their own space, it’s still important that team members feel connected and have a sense of belonging.

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5. Don’t forget about yourself‍

At the end of the day, working remotely and solely relying on technology to communicate with your colleagues can get the best of anyone. While it may be easy to lose track of time and dive into tasks, set boundaries between work and the rest of your day. Establish set times in which you will be available for your colleagues and when you will be logged off. Ensuring you make time to focus on your interests and hobbies outside of work is important. Allowing yourself to unplug and recharge means that you can bring your best to the team every day. 

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Interested in virtually recognizing and rewarding your team?  Schedule a Demo with Qarrot!

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