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  • Creating a positive company culture is critical for every business. It drives recruitment and retention, increases morale, productivity, and more. Building and maintaining a positive work culture goes beyond management (though they play a significant role

    One way to help foster a positive work culture is by providing opportunities for your team to connect and show appreciation for one another. In the hustle and bustle of daily tasks, and particularly during moments of high stress, irritation can often be a guiding force in interactions. Over time, this can take a toll on professional relationships affecting organizational culture. Integrating peer-to-peer recognition programs is a proactive way to mitigate irritation and build a stronger workforce. These programs encourage staff to interact more thoughtfully, even in stressful circumstances and are crucial in cultivating a more cohesive and engaged team.

    Peer-To-Peer-Recognition Programs

    Peer-to-peer recognition programs allow your team to intentionally acknowledge another employee’s work or talent. They can take on various forms, some public and others more private. Peer recognition programs include:

    • Communication platforms: A designated Slack or Microsoft Teams channel is a great way to help employees share recognition, especially for remote or hybrid workforces. This can be department or company-wide and is a non-verbal way to celebrate peers.
    • LinkedIn endorsements: Remind your team to vouch for a peer’s skills and professional strengths on LinkedIn.
    • Team meeting shoutouts: Leave time during all team or department meetings for peers to offer verbal praise. Alternatively, read out messages from your communication shoutout channels.
    • Award certificates: Provide a small gift certificate, such as a $10-15 coffee voucher, that team members can award their colleagues.
    • Social media shoutout: Allow team members to nominate their peers for a special award – share it on company social media pages, newsletters, and company meetings.
    • Gift package: Similar to a gift certificate, team members can nominate peers for a small gift package. Customize the package to meet the recognized individual’s interests.

    Why Does Peer Recognition Matter?

    Considering how closely teams work together, peer-to-peer recognition matters. They share day-to-day challenges and see the effort that went into a project. Though managerial acknowledgment still carries value, peers have sat together in the trenches, and this deeper understanding of the completed work can equal more meaningful recognition.

    Moreover, these programs can boost employee morale. In times of high stress, maintaining positive team dynamics can be challenging. Peer recognition allows colleagues to regularly provide encouragement and words of support, reinforcing that the team values their contributions.

    In addition, these programs can:

    Reduce employee turnover

    Employees who feel valued and appreciated tend to have greater loyalty to their employer. Peer-to-peer recognition programs foster a feeling of belonging, enhancing job satisfaction and reducing turnover rates.
    Improves team rapport

    Camaraderie and team spirit can’t be manufactured externally; however, these programs offer a platform to nurture them. By acknowledging and celebrating each other’s achievements, such initiatives promote stronger, more positive relationships, thereby enhancing collaboration and communication within the team.

    Improves employee well-being

    74% of employees suffering from poor physical and mental health feel they’ve received poor recognition for their efforts. Giving and receiving recognition has been found to increase happiness and well-being. As business owners juggling many responsibilities, it isn’t always easy to offer meaningful recognition on a regular basis. Peer-to-peer programs add to managerial recognition, which can help employees feel more valued and, in turn, help boost their overall health.

    How To Create A Peer Recognition Program

    First, it’s crucial to communicate the program’s purpose to your staff. Next, gather a team to spearhead this initiative. Include members at various levels within your organization to ensure diverse ideas are included. Determine what activities to implement, their frequency, and any parameters needed. In other words, if you create a peer recognition award, decide how often the award will be given (monthly, quarterly, yearly) and what happens if multiple people are nominated.

    Actively involve your employees in the planning process. Even those not directly part of the implementation team should be able to provide feedback and contribute ideas. By including your staff in the planning process and clearly defining its purpose, you can generate more buy-in and excitement from the team.

    Pitfalls To Avoid

    Even the most well-intentioned initiatives can bring on some unintended negative consequences. This is particularly true for recognition programs, where feelings can quickly become negative if not managed carefully. It’s crucial to stay engaged and closely monitor these programs.

    Common issues include biases and favoritism, which can become more apparent. Without safeguards, certain team members might consistently receive acknowledgments and win awards. To prevent this, implement rules such as limiting individuals to winning specific awards only once per quarter or annually. If an individual receives frequent recognition or awards, find alternative ways to appreciate their contributions to give other team members opportunities for peer recognition.

    In addition, it’s essential your team fully understands the parameters of the program. Providing clear examples of meaningful recognition can help guide them in this process. It’s also beneficial to set a clear cadence of recognition through reminders. Encourage your team with weekly or monthly reminders and allocate specific time for staff to write a note of appreciation or nominate a colleague. This structured approach ensures recognition becomes an integrated and routine part of your team’s culture.

    Another common misstep is using peer recognition as a replacement for managerial and leadership recognition. These programs are best when they work in combination with other initiatives driven by leadership. Employees should feel valued and recognized by their managers in addition to the support they receive from their peers. This combined approach ensures that your team receives support from all sides.

    To summarize:

    • Avoid bias and favoritism – create opportunities for everyone to be recognized
    • Provide guidelines and examples of appropriate recognition
    • Send reminders regularly to integrate these programs into your workflow
    • Use these programs in tandem with leadership initiatives

    Employee Training And Recruiting Services With GMS

    Recruiting, hiring, and training staff is time-consuming and costly, especially for small and mid-sized businesses. Between ongoing training and employee recruitment services, finding, hiring, and developing the right people for your organization takes a significant amount of time and effort. Professional employer organizations (PEOs) like GMS give you access to the tools and resources necessary to take on these responsibilities while improving your overall recruiting, hiring, and training efforts.

    Employee training is an effective way to teach new employees and develop existing workers. Even the best employees won’t succeed without the proper training. GMS offers online employee training programs for small and mid-sized businesses targeting your employees’ specific job functions.

    Our online employee training software allows businesses to streamline job training, improve employee performance, and reduce learning costs for learning platforms and in-person training. Our user-friendly online learning management system (LMS) allows workers to access training courses to gain the skills necessary to support your business.

    If you’re looking to implement a new initiative, such as peer recognition, and are looking for ways to educate your team, our LMS could be the tool you’ve been looking for. Contact us today and let us help you build and maintain an engaged workforce.

  • People are a fundamental aspect of any organization. They give life to the culture and make the organization what it is, which is why inclusivity matters. An inclusive culture makes people feel appreciated and as if they are working towards creating a common good for everyone. It inspires people to be more productive and to achieve levels they never thought were possible before working with an inclusive company. This kind of culture is attractive to the workforce and makes their employees more satisfied with their job, which ultimately improves the overall productivity of these businesses.

    But what does creating an inclusive culture look like, and how do you get started? First, let’s cover why inclusivity matters and some of its benefits.

    Why Inclusivity Matters

    When you think about company culture, words that pop into your head may include engagement, productivity, and innovation. But what about inclusivity? An inclusive culture is part of a healthy organizational environment that respects the value of everyone. It’s also a buzzword for many companies that want to attract diverse talent. But it’s not just about diversity. It’s about achieving an inclusive environment where all employees feel included regardless of gender, race, religion, and age.

    There’s a big difference between actively fighting for diversity and inclusivity and pretending they don’t require attention. It’s time we stop thinking of these issues as topics that exist in an imaginary, faraway land. That’s because 78% of job seekers say they want to work for diverse companies. Diversity, equality, and inclusion are business initiatives that connect with employees on a fundamental level — which is why we can’t afford to ignore them. Perks of creating an inclusive workforce include:

    • Higher job satisfaction 
    • 5.4 time higher employee retention
    • Higher employee morale
    • Increased ability to recruit a diverse talent pool
    • Higher revenue growth

    It’s no secret that employees want to feel included and valued in their workplace, however the hard truth is that many companies lack diversity despite saying they value certain qualities. The good news is many businesses are trying to achieve more inclusive workforces, but not all are doing so effectively. Whether you’re a manager or team member, it’s essential to understand the elements that contribute to hiring and retaining diverse employees and what barriers might prevent your company from creating a more inclusive environment.

    How To Build An Inclusive Culture

    Building an inclusive culture within your organization doesn’t happen by accident, it’s the result of going through specific steps and challenges. Below, we’ll look at ways you can help create a climate for everyone in your organization to be heard and accepted.

    Make inclusion a core value

    An inclusive culture isn’t just talk; it’s a core value. This means inclusion is ingrained in every part of your organization, from your employee handbook to management to everyday work life. That’s why it’s crucial to get everyone on board with what inclusive values imply and what it looks like when you have an inclusive culture.

    Hire inclusively

    It’s crucial to talk the talk and walk the walk. One of the most important things you can do is to create an inclusive hiring culture. According to a Deloitte survey, 80% of people say inclusion efforts are an important factor when choosing a company. Hiring inclusively not only shows you advocate for inclusion, but it also gives you access to a larger talent pool. Ultimately, it proves that you value and care about diversity versus only saying you do.

    Practice active listening

    Active listening plays a crucial part in communicating effectively. Listening may seem obvious, but active listening can easily take a back seat if we’re not mindful when communicating. It takes practice and discipline, especially in a work setting where everyone has big ideas and wants a voice. Ways to practice active listening are to:

    • Pay attention: Give the speaker your undivided attention and acknowledge what they’re saying. Make sure you are providing eye contact, not looking at your devices, and not getting distracted by incoming notifications or emails.
    • Show that you are listening: Mention specific parts of the conversation, ask questions, and repeat what they’re saying for clarity. This shows you heard what they said and are willing to learn more. Small verbal comments such as “yes” and gestures such as nodding can convey that you are actively listening.
    • Provide feedback: Feedback shows that you care about someone’s success and that you heard what was said. One tool to use is paraphrasing, such as “what I’m hearing is” or “it sounds like you’re saying,” to reflect on the speaker’s words.
    • Defer judgment: Making assumptions and interrupting only wastes time, plus it’s frustrating to the speaker. Allowing the speaker to finish their words saves them from feeling unheard and disappointed. This may make them feel undermined and not like they can speak up in the future.
    • Respond appropriately: Being candid, open, and honest, but also respectful, is vital when responding to the speaker. It’s best to treat individuals how you want to be treated.

    Celebrate differences

    Differences don’t have to be a barrier; they can be a learning opportunity and allow us to celebrate others. This often looks like giving your employees a platform and championing their cultures. Instead of ignoring differences, we can uplift them in the workplace and provide solutions. Ways to do this are by doing the following:

    • Encouraging educational opportunities 
    • Learning at lunch talks
    • Hosting diversity days
    • Developing a multicultural calendar
    • Paying attention to cultural nuances 
    • Addressing communication barriers
    • Supporting employee advancement

    Proactively address harassment and bullying

    Facilitating an inclusive culture means there is zero room for harassment and bullying. Being proactive in your approach to addressing these matters is vital. This means creating a system for these situations and a plan for handling them while informing your employees of the severity of these issues, so they know they’re not taken lightly. Having a means for harassed employees to express what they have experienced is also essential. For some organizations, that may be a formal email, for others, that may be a one on one with a manager to inform them of mistreatment. Regardless of how you decide to formalize your process, be sure to be considerate of your employees and be human. Hear out their concerns and provide sympathy, support, and understanding.

    Share inclusion metrics with employees

    When creating a plan that applies to your overall culture, it’s only natural to keep your employees in the loop. Be prepared to receive employee feedback and be open to growing in areas needing work. Don’t be afraid to share inclusion metrics and how you’ve developed your organization to be more diverse and focused on inclusion.

    Regularly educate your employees about diversity and inclusion

    Creating a culture that celebrates diversity is no easy feat. Some ways to continually educate your staff about diversity are to bring in experts, regularly conduct training, and provide resources for learning more. Diversity training can help prevent workplace bullying, discrimination, and harassment by promoting respect for all employees regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, age, and religion. When employees are motivated and feel their efforts are respected, they are happier with their job and more productive.

    Revisit the conversation regularly and track your progress

    Create tangible goals and stick to them. Finding opportunities for growth within your organization regarding inclusion is the key to success and adaptation. Empower your employees to speak on these topics and regularly conduct conversations where they can voice their concerns. One way you could do so is through anonymous polls and surveys.

    It will never be enough to say that your company has an inclusive culture. You must work at it over the course of time to get there. It takes effort, but it’s ultimately worth it for everyone involved. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, you will fail if you don’t get buy-in from everyone: every department, every employee, and every stakeholder.

    The key to building an inclusive culture is to focus on making people feel welcome and comfortable. It’s easy for companies to overlook this because they think of diversity mainly as an HR issue. But it’s more than that. Diversity has a lot to do with empathy, starting with you, the manager. Are you making it clear that your team is open to different points of view?

    GMS Is Here To Help 

    There are many things to consider when hiring and building an inclusive work environment. It’s easy to gloss over the minor details, but those little things ultimately add up to make a good workplace culture—inspiring employees to feel comfortable in their jobs, be productive, and stay for the long haul. These aspects of culture, both big and small, make our workplaces feel accommodating. At GMS, we can help you create a plan for bettering your culture and hiring diversely. Let’s talk!

  • Company culture, a once cliché term, is now at the forefront of every leader’s brain. Pair the up-and-coming millennial generation that continues to shift the nation’s workforce with the hundreds of thousands of employees who have become accustomed to working at home over the last year and a half, and there you have it… The Great Resignation.

    According to the U.S. Department of Labor, during the months of April, May, and June 2021, a total of 11.5 million workers quit their jobs. This voluntary workforce mass exodus has left businesses of all sizes and industries wondering how, if at all, they could combat such an occurrence.

    As a business owner, you’re likely already aware that a solid culture could be your best defense in the fight. But what you may not have realized is that culture isn’t the casual dress code Fridays and suction-cup basketball hoops on the wall that once deemed an organization as a good place to work. Now, culture is developed on the premise of a much different set of values, including work-life balance, inspiring leadership, and professional development – just to name a few. Millennials and Gen Z workers are looking for a workplace that truly values them, and workplace culture is a huge piece of that puzzle.

    Every company will develop a certain type of culture over time, but it’s your job as the business owner to control the values, beliefs, and attitudes you create. Keeping an eye on this can help boost productivity and decrease turnover and negative behaviors. According to Balance Careers, your employees are more likely to enjoy their work and be more productive if you focus efforts on culture and making sure that your employees are happy while getting the job done. It’s not just about your current employees, though. If you’re looking to grow your business, consider how your culture may appear to candidates. 56% of workers ranked a strong workplace culture as being more important than salary, with more than three-in-four workers saying they’d consider a company’s culture before applying for a job there.

    Why Younger Generations Are Seeking New Jobs

    Some may call it “job-hopping,” but for these generations, they’re simply looking for a good fit. No one wants to feel like they’re stuck in a dead-end job. Millennials and Gen Z are generations who have seen unhealthy trends in the workplace with their parents and they’re not having it. Here are a few reasons why these generations are seeking new opportunities:

    • Money: We’re all feeling the effects of inflation in 2022, but this generation is the most familiar with pay inequality. Even before prices skyrocketed, students were racking up thousands in student debt just to have a solid career. These jobs often have not changed their pay structure, leaving people out of college struggling to pay their loans and make ends meet. The math is simple: once prices go up, you won’t be able to afford as much. But the issue here is that pay often stays the same. This is typically the reason why these generations job-hop. It’s proven that they’ll receive at least an 8-10% pay increase by doing so, even in the same industry. The best way to retain workers is by paying them fairly and being willing to increase wages to match inflation and work performance.
    • Lack of opportunities: The pay may be great, but if a Millennial feels stuck in a job with zero opportunities for advancement, they’re going to look elsewhere. These younger generations are striving to make an impact and they’re looking to do the same with their work. Giving your employees room to grow, resources, and career-building opportunities plays a significant role in retaining them long-term.
    • Relocation: Millennials and Gen Z are no longer children. These generations are currently in or graduated from college, getting married, and starting families of their own. The oldest millennials are actually in their late 30s. Relocation is often a factor in these big life changes. In a Cornerstone study, 77% of respondents revealed that they’d considered relocation to another town, state, or overseas as an exciting, positive career move.
    • Company culture: The big piece in all of this is company culture. A great career with good pay is worth nothing to a Millennial if it risks their mental health and well-being. Work-life balance is a priority more than ever for these younger generations. They value time with their loved ones, having an exciting personal life, and maintaining a solid career. It’s ok to want both! If your company culture is negative or doesn’t support employees the way they need it, you risk losing them.

    Five Aspects That Millennials Care About Most

    There are five aspects that can impact your company culture: opportunity, success, appreciation, well-being, and purpose. All five aspects are arguably subjective, but equally important.

    • Opportunity: Opportunity can look different for every role and every employee. Is it the opportunity to learn a new skill or the opportunity to one day have a higher title? If opportunity breeds success, why limit what opportunities are available to your employees?
    • Success: Both personal success and the company’s success should be key drivers for your culture, but at what cost? What does success look like to your leadership team and how will you communicate it along the way? How will you celebrate successes, and, on the contrary, how will you develop and coach employees when they fall short of it?
    • Appreciation: Heavily important to millennials, your employees seek recognition. The age-old saying, “A person who feels appreciated will always do more than expected,” still holds true. Is your management team expressing appreciation and recognizing achievements? Taking it one step further, are you recognizing your employee in a way that resonates with that particular person? Finally, recognize that communication is crucial in expressing your appreciation, don’t assume your employees know that you appreciate them.
    • Well-being: One of the most talked about topics as the country begins to put an emphasis on mental health, what does your culture offer for employees’ well-being? Sure, not every organization can offer mental health days or an office puppy to boost morale. But are your leaders trained to recognize burnout? Do your managers have a zero-tolerance policy for gossip? Are you working to create healthy relationships, or are you giving never-ending to-do lists and nonstop deadlines?
    • Purpose: The infamous “why.” What’s your company’s why? What is your employee’s why? Does your job candidate have a why? (Spoiler alert: if they don’t, they likely will lose motivation) Do those align? Are the values made clear?

    Tips On Retaining Millennial Employees

    Now that you have an idea of what these younger generations are looking for, here are some ideas to implement that will promote a healthy work culture and retain Millennials and Gen Z employees:

    Lose the stigma

    There is a common misconception that younger generations are lazy and unmotivated. This cannot be further from the truth. In fact, these generations want to make a change in processes and systems that no longer work. Seeing this side of them and championing their innovative ideas will not only break this negative stigma with their generation, but it will allow them to feel seen and heard.

    Root for teamwork

    Feeling a part of a team is a must, especially for Gen Z. Even in this ever-growing remote work culture, there are tools and resources that can help improve teamwork. Encourage your employees to jump on brainstorming Zoom calls with their peers or invest in processes that make communication easier.

    Make efforts toward diversity

    These younger generations understand the importance of diversity and are diverse themselves. No one should have to feel the effects of being denied opportunities because of what they look like. It’s one thing to say you are inclusive but making efforts to be inclusive is a completely different ballgame.

    Be flexible

    A key part in a healthy work-life balance is a schedule that works for an employee, not against them. More and more organizations are jumping on board with a flexible work culture. This can often look like half-day Fridays, an employee-made schedule, or working what used to be unconventional hours. Life happens, and employees want to be able to know their workplace understands and promotes flexibility when needed.

    Retain Younger Generations With Ease

    Taking the necessary footsteps above to define your culture could save you from losing your top talent. Still, it can be overwhelming to even get started. From improving skills to making employees feel valued, GMS can help you retain employees – and limit turnover costs. Contact us today to discuss your options.

  • Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, employers have started implementing workplace safety protocols to ensure the safety and health of their employees. While that will always be an essential aspect of one’s business, there are additional ways to promote health at work. Health promotion within the workplace ultimately creates conditions that support and teach the best possible health for your employees. This gives employees a sense of ownership, and they learn to work together to form a coordinated action plan to improve their well-being.

    As 2023 approaches, what better way to kickstart the new year than by promoting a culture of health within your organization? Continue reading to understand the importance of health in the workplace and how you can begin implementing it.

    Building A Culture Of Health 

    Healthy employees make for a more productive workplace and a happier workforce. These results in fewer sick days, quicker recovery, and your employees are at less risk for long-term illnesses. In addition, did you know that healthy employees incur 41% fewer costs? Knowing that, businesses have begun prioritizing encouraging and supporting their employees in adopting healthy behaviors. Business owners are providing their employees with the following:

    • Preventive support
    • Convenient treatment options
    • Tools and resources employees need in all areas of their health

    To establish the right foundation for what’s suitable for your business and employees, you must have the right programs in place and ensure your health strategy fits into your workplace culture. A great way to begin this process is by partnering with an expert in this area. A professional employer organization (PEO) like GMS can apply the following experience to your blueprint:

    • Incentive strategies
    • Benefits design
    • Communication strategies

    From there, create a culture of health by following these steps:

    • Dedicate senior leadership and manager support
    • Identify a worksite health and wellness coordinator (if applicable)
    • Create a wellness plan
    • Dedicate resources

    Why Is This Important?

    While business owners care about their employees and want them to be healthy, a culture of health ultimately provides significant financial benefits to your business. Employees who aren’t healthy cost employers $530 billion in productivity annually. Employee well-being provides your business with the following outcomes:

    • Employee engagement
    • Customer engagement
    • Turnover
    • Workplace safety

    Health promotion in the workplace shows employees that the organization recognizes that both the employer and the employee share some extent for the employee’s health. The company’s bottom line remains intact when your employees are taken care of.

    Creating A Healthy Culture With GMS

    We understand this might be an information overload for you. However, GMS experts are here to help you wherever you need them. Our benefits experts work with you to implement a wellness program within your workplace. If that seems too much to jump into, we can also assist you with creating a benefits package with basic wellness benefits for your employees to get the resources they need. Allow GMS to help you create a healthy workforce to kickstart 2023. Contact us today. 

  • An ever-changing workplace environment, coupled with the effects of COVID-19, leaves companies with positions to fill and a shortage of qualified candidates. In 2021, more than 47 million Americans had quit their jobs, which was a record for the most resignations in history. The majority of workers who quit a job in 2021 stated that low pay (63%), no opportunities for advancement within their company (63%), and feeling disrespected at work (57%) were the main reasons they quit their jobs.

    The pandemic quickly changed how Americans view the workplace and their expectations of it. As COVID-19 rates are on the decline, offices are starting to enforce employees returning to work in the office as opposed to working remotely. So, how can you make your workplace somewhere employees actually want to come to? Continue reading to see how you can enhance your company culture.

    Evaluate Your Current Company Culture

    The most important step to enhancing your company culture is to evaluate the current state of it. Consider how your employees are working together, the employee engagement, arrival, and departure of your employees, etc. Interview employees or conduct surveys to gather additional information. Once you take all those factors and review them, you need to determine what’s missing in your culture. The most crucial step in this process is actually taking action to improve on the areas needed. This is a long process, but ultimately worthwhile. 

    Core Values

    Core values shape your company culture and impact your overall business strategy. They provide your organization with a shared sense of purpose for achieving common goals. Your core values define how your team operates, behaves, and interacts during day-to-day activities. Once you’ve defined your values, ingraining them into the workplace is the challenging part. You must implement accountability mechanisms so your values can be easily united into a performance management system. Taking the time to recognize employees who have positively demonstrated your company values is a simple way to ensure your employees feel engaged and rewarded. 

    Conduct Performance Reviews

    Providing constructive feedback is vital to your employees’ ongoing development. The feedback you offer them clarifies expectations, helps people learn from their mistakes, and builds confidence. When things are going well, it can be easy to provide feedback. However, providing negative feedback isn’t as simple. The problem compounds if it isn’t addressed right away, meaning you’ll find yourself dealing with a much bigger issue later. If employees choose to leave your company, be sure to take advantage of an exit interview. This allows for your team to receive constructive criticism from former employees as to why they’re leaving and what improvements they may have for your company.   

    Encourage Growth

    It’s important now more than ever to retain your employees. If you’re looking for a new position to fill, consider promoting current employees before looking externally. Making sure your current employees are given opportunities for growth is one of the best ways to keep them. Consider offering personal development programs, attending conferences with your employees, conducting skills assessments, and creating formal opportunities to try out new responsibilities.

    In today’s job market, you must ensure that you’re investing in your employees. By providing detailed career paths, you will do just that and attract talented employees. Candidates will be more interested and engaged from the very beginning of their career if they see a detailed path laid out in front of them showing the options for movement and growth within your company. According to SHRM, only 29% of employees were satisfied with the career advancement opportunities offered to them. These career paths ultimately help your employees envision a long-term career within your business.

    Employee Engagement

    Enhancing employee engagement is the simplest way to decrease employee turnover, boost productivity, increase safety, and improve the employer brand. Organizations rely on the energy, commitment, and engagement within their workforce to succeed. You must involve engagement from the entire leadership team and a lot of planning in this step. Consider volunteering as a team and have other team outings. Participating in team-building activities builds a stronger relationship within your organization while potentially helping your community. Participating in activities with team members provides your employees an environment where relationship building is encouraged. Use your company values to aid in the decision of what activities your organization participates in. 

    Transparency

    Transparency is the practice of being open and honest with your employees. Being transparent within the workplace has many benefits. Implementing an open workplace encourages clear communication, collaboration, and an understanding of others without being afraid to speak up. Your employees want to feel supported and valued. Add transparency to your company policy to ensure all employees follow and respect the order to practice honesty. Ensure you are leading by example when encouraging transparency with your team. You need to be the first to set the standard. In order to enforce transparency effectively, be sure to start in the hiring process. This allows for your employees to know from the very beginning about your culture and policies that must be followed in the workplace.  

    Incentives

    It is a common practice for business owners and managers to find effective ways to help keep their employees motivated and engaged. Offering incentives to your employees motivates them and drives behaviors that ultimately result in improved business outcomes. Incentives also create a culture of high performance and retain top performers. Common incentives can include schedule flexibility, home-office days, stock options, team retreats, and tuition reimbursement. Implementing employee incentives comes with many advantages which include improved sales, boosting the morale of your team, and reducing employee turnover. 

    Recognize Employees

    Recognizing your employees for a job well done helps employees see that their company values them and their contributions to the success of their team and the company overall. When recognizing employees, be sure you’re tying it to a specific accomplishment or business objective which encourages continued strong performance. However, a simple “great work” goes a long way for some employees to keep motivated. You don’t know how your employees like to be rewarded, so make sure you ask.  

    Embrace Technology 

    Technology has become an essential part of our day-to-day lives in the workplace. Implementing technology allows your company to be more competitive, enhances communication and collaboration, increases security, and improves productivity and efficiency. Employees must be able to understand that the workforce constantly changes, and they must be willing to adapt as well. Most organizations that are constantly changing technology platforms realize that employees quickly learn how efficient their job can become with new technology. At GMS, we provide top-notch technology to your business to help with your HR functions.

    How A PEO Can Help Enhance Company Culture 

    As an ever-tightening labor market is still relevant, recruiting employees, retention, and enhancing company culture has never been more challenging for businesses. However, GMS can offer your small to mid-sized company guidance on hiring and training, as well as assist in managing the administrative burdens associated with every aspect of the employee life cycle. Our team of experts works diligently with you to provide benefits to attract top-tier employees. We assist in recruiting top talent and providing access to cutting-edge technology including GMS Connect, Time Clock, expense reporting, and our learning management system. Having been named a Top Workplace for over six years, we understand how important creating a strong company culture is. Contact us today to learn how we can assist your business.