Move Boldly Ahead: Mastering the needs of the modern workforce

Jeffrey Smith [00:00:22] Hello, everyone, and welcome to the webinar moving boldly ahead beating current HR challenges in 2023, brought to you by ADP, Canada. Please note that we will be holding a live q&a session at the end of the presentation. So you could submit your questions by clicking on the q&a button at the bottom of the zoom window at any time during the presentation. If you have any technical issues or inquiries, please use the chat button at the bottom of the zoom window as well. And our support team will should be able to help you. Now I'm Jeffrey Smith, of Canadian HR Reporter, your host for this webinar. We are here today because the world of work is forever changed and HR, payroll and leadership teams all must adapt to these new circumstances. And to really succeed, they need to not just adapt but strategize their approach to inspiring and motivating their employees so that organizations can move boldly forward. And now I'm pleased to introduce the speakers for today's presentation, Lisa Medeiros and Linda Halfyard. Lisa is the Senior Principal CS Relationship Manager with ADP Canada. She has 25 years of experience in the industry with knowledge and expertise in payroll as a certified payroll manager, project management as a project management professional and human resources as a certified human resources professional. Lisa's experience includes areas such as employee relations, training, development and legislation policies and procedures. Now Linda is a senior executive relationship manager with over 25 years of experience leading large complex HR and Payroll teams in various industries such as hospitality, construction, manufacturing, and transportation. She has extensive knowledge and qualifications in both payroll and human resources coupled with a degree in adult education. Linda is also certified in change management. Now I'll turn things over to Lisa and Linda to get things started. 

Lisa Medeiros [00:02:11] Good afternoon, everyone. Before taking any action on any of the information that is contained in today's presentation, we are asking that you review this material with internal and or external counsel. So before we get started, just wanted to review the agenda for today's presentation. Three very hot topics, starting with economic competence, and helping employees face economic uncertainty, inspiring your talent by balancing employees needs with the organization's objectives, and advancing well being while equipping employees with wellness change and assurance. So let's get started. 

Linda Halfyard [00:02:56] All right. So amid rising inflation and volatility in the market 

Jeffrey Smith [00:03:01] Looks like Linda may have been frozen and well please be patient everyone. Thank you. I'm sure Linda will just restore her connection in a moment. Oh, there she is. 

Lisa Medeiros [00:03:25] Oh, there we go.  

Linda Halfyard [00:03:28] 

I'm sorry. Can you hear me?  

Lisa Medeiros [00:03:29] Yes.  

Linda Halfyard [00:03:31] Okay. 

Lisa Medeiros [00:03:32] Start again. 

Linda Halfyard [00:03:33] Okay, sorry about that, folks. So, amid rising inflation and volatility in the market, employees are looking for stability. While employers can't control what's happening in the world, they can control the message their employees are hearing. responding with care and emphasizing frequent and transparent communication is going to be key. Employees have an increased focus on their financial lives, and they're asking for help. Many are taking action, with 68% increasing their retirement contributions, and 63% are cutting their expenses. So despite this focus on financial and funding, finances and financial literacy, we're in crisis here with only 13% of the workforce demonstrating basic financial literacy. So employers, they're in a great place right now in being able to help because much of an employee's financial life is really tied to the place of work. 

Lisa Medeiros [00:04:44] The bright plan wellness barometer survey shows that 72% of an employee of employees are stressed about their finances, and 79% of employees major concerns are related to the historic rise in inflation, followed by 59% that are concerned about their retirement planning and 56% are concerned about market volatility. This is followed by employees that are concerned with their level of emergency savings, and really if they have enough paying off their debt, and lastly, the high and rising mortgage rates that we're all facing 88% of your employees are reassessing their financial situation as we speak. And incidentally, these concerns do vary by generation with 58% of Gen Zs worried about paying off their debt, and 56% of Gen X is worried about their retirement plans. This financial stress is having an impact on other areas of wellbeing, including mental and physical health. Of the 72% of employees that are stressed about their finances. 77% are saying that it's impacting their it's impacting their health, and it's their mental health, as well as 72% 77%, saying that it's impact impacting their mental health, and over half are saying that it's impacting their physical health. There's clearly a tight connection between financial stress and someone's holistic well being, Linda with record levels of inflation, what are some of the asks from employees to their employers during this time? 

Linda Halfyard [00:06:34]  

Right. So we have been seeing organizations approach this in various ways. Some are aligning salary increases to meet or at least get closer to the inflation rate. We are seeing some clients undertaking a total compensation review. So they stay competitive within the market. Others are reviewing more on their benefits side, such as pension, health benefits, etc. And one of the more interesting things that I've seen is the pooling of practitioner maximums. So the pooling of practitioner maximums means paramedical offerings that have their own separate maximums can be pooled. And this allows for the employees to use those focused offerings that apply to their needs. So example, you know, Vision versus chiropractor. So that's what we've been seeing tonight, 

Lisa Medeiros [00:07:33] Yeah, you know, those are great. I especially like the pooling of those practitioner maximums, because I know that I have areas that I wish had higher maximums, versus ones that I don't even use for myself or even my family at all. So that is a really great strategy. 

Linda Halfyard [00:07:48] Absolutely. So this image, and what it means might shock a lot of you. However, workers that reported worsening financial health have said that it is affecting their engagement and productivity. So on average, employees with financial stress, lose over 11 hours of productivity per week. At the end of 2022, the National payroll Institute's annual salary of working Canadians uncovered a steep decline in the financial wellness of workers across Canada. The financial strain amongst employees is really bleeding into the workplace 72% of working Canadians spend some of their workday actively dealing with or thinking about their personal financial matters. And one in five working Canadians are aware that this has impacted their workplace performance. So it is really easy to frame employee financial health as an individual problem. But the reality is that it's having big implications on businesses. So Lisa, amongst the clients that you're working with, and talking with, are you seeing these challenges? And if so, what are they doing to support their employees? 

Lisa Medeiros [00:09:15] 

Yeah, absolutely. Linda, I'm working with a number of clients actually, that certainly are dealing with this challenge within their workforce and with the rise in interest rates and the cost of living. Financial stress is a huge distraction for many employees. In fact, this is known as distraction subtraction, a term that I just recently learned myself. And as you mentioned, employees really are spending some of their workday on personal finances. You know, it could be a bill collectors phone call, online banking, securing finance for a mortgage or even a loan. These are all distractions that are taking their focus away, resulting in some declined productivity and the more an employee's financially stressed, the more time they spend thinking about their finances on the job. And this distraction is taking away from that employee's focus and productivity, and ultimately their engagement. Some of the clients that I've been working with, they're focusing on financial education for their employees. They're bringing in advisors, accountants, retirement planners, all to speak to their employees, they're setting up lunch and learns, setting up days where employees can block time with these experts to discuss budgeting, financing, debt consolidation, retirement planning, this has all been extremely helpful. One major shift that a lot of clients have been looking at as well, is changing their pay frequencies, especially clients that have been customarily paying their employees semi monthly, they've been changing their pay frequencies to biweekly so that employees are getting paid a lot more frequent, so that they've got paychecks coming in a lot a lot sooner, so that they can deal with those, those bills a lot sooner, and not waiting for their pays, with more time in between. So the this is helping their employees feel more hopeful. And they're getting those tools and the knowledge to help them with savings and budgeting. And they're dealing with their finances a little bit easier. 

Linda Halfyard [00:11:31] Yeah, absolutely. Lisa, I agree with you. I know that myself, I had to work on getting some old RSP accounts, moved over to some managed RSP accounts by a financial advisor. And you know, it took time out of my day to get that done. Because it doesn't happen at nighttime. It happens during the day. Now I consider myself lucky compared to a lot of folks. So I can only imagine the impact that this has on many folks out there who may not be as financially stable or have some some challenges around it. So definitely, I think they're great points. 

Lisa Medeiros [00:12:13] Yeah, I think it's important to note that, you know, some may only have one or two hours of interruption in their week. But 11 hours is certainly the worst case scenario for some. 

Linda Halfyard [00:12:25] Yep, absolutely. Okay, so once an employee gets hired, not only do they need to perform well, but the organization has to provide them with what they need to succeed. This process goes both ways, the successful integration progression and the retention of strong employees relying huge part on how well a company meets employee expectations. Strong management of employee expectations will reduce turnover, it'll improve retention. In fact, a study from Thrive map found that 48% of employees left a job because it didn't align with their expectations. So with increased transparency, about the nature of the job, the demands, the pressures and the opportunities for progression, it is the likelihood of dissatisfaction and why it decreases, but we need to be really clear about that. So notably, higher rates of employee satisfaction are directly linked to higher company performance and profit. So according to an analysis by percent higher productivity levels, part and increasing employee engagement. The answer lies in managing employee expectations and doing it well. 

Lisa Medeiros [00:14:16] According to a study from live career, generational differences significantly impacts employee expectations in the workplace. With boomers, many employees of this generation worked in one job for life. And this job stability led to high levels of home ownership, as work resulted strongly in an improved quality of life and work was largely stable. Employees felt a high level of loyalty to their employers. Many people of this generation readily worked longer hours and they were motivated by position perks and prestige for both millennials and Gen Z's ownership in many countries is no longer as achievable. The inability to see their work reflected in material stability in their own lives, results in these employees having much less loyalty to their employers. millennials believe that workplace flexibility should be defined by the freedom of deciding where, when, and how they can perform their tasks. As you can see coming in at 74% here, flexible working conditions is high for them. And at the same time, they want productivity to be measured by how successfully they've performed their tasks, not by how many hours they've spent in the office, Gen Z's coming in at 69% truly want to keep it flexible. They prefer to create a custom career path that fits their goals and has the milestones that they choose. And they want to use the skills and experience that they already have on this path. Now Gen X is at 64%. They want that work life balance. So while they still work hard and take pride in their work, they prefer a clear separation between their workplace and their life at home. Boomers coming in at 52%, they may not want to put their feet up and enjoy retirement, some still want to work, but they want to cut back on those responsibilities and have less regimented schedules. So what does all this mean for aligning employees needs with organizations expectations? Well, the National Post states that every employee should understand what is expected of them in their role, and what the top priorities are, they need to know how it contributes to the organization's goals and the business's success. This is especially important for maintaining morale in some of those more junior roles. A first step to using a governance system that allows employees to solve problems that they directly touch. So when people are able to participate in making decisions that directly impact their work, their sense of ownership, and their engagement will increase. And while the work may be challenging, if it's communicated to employees how valuable this work is to the wider organization, employees will have realistic expectations about how the job and it is impactful to the organization. So designing career paths is important. And this process can do a great deal to help employees set those expectations. Employers can outline excuse me, employers can outline opportunities to advance within roles, link to their current role and move into different positions. And you might also want to consider offering opportunities to move sideways with strong performers. And this could end up having employees stay for many, many years. So Linda with generational differences. How are you seeing organizations work with each of these in terms of aligning them with their organization's goals? 

Linda Halfyard [00:18:09] Yeah, I think what I've been seeing with the different generations. They do, like you said have different career goals. But a tight and consistent guided goal process remains relevant across the board. We have seen Gen Z employees, they have more of a gig mentality, right? They're looking for, you know, not this lifetime career ladder, we are seeing that they like interesting work with a low barrier to change so they can get up and running quickly. And then they experienced those quick wins. Millennials, I think, from many of my conversations with clients they tend to be more interested in developing their career pathways. And we often see good program participation. So the other thing we're seeing is that with boomers, they're moving more into part time roles and reduce leadership responsibilities. That's overall what I'm seeing right now, with the generational differences. 

Lisa Medeiros [00:19:18] Yeah, it's very interesting to see that and how it's impacting a number of areas in the organization, and how you mentioned the boomers moving into more of that mentorship role. Yeah, it's really, really great. Thanks for sharing that Linda. 

Linda Halfyard [00:19:38] So, the generational differences conversation leads into the slide of having the ability to exchange important information at work. Of course, this is essential in any role or any generation any position. These communications can include things like face to face conversations, emails, chat messaging, videoconferencing, that's just to name a few. But everyone has a different preference with regards to communication. And the generations are certainly an additional factor to this. Effective communication ensures that you are reaching the needs of each audience as well. It increases the retention of that information. So enter here, you can see seven by seven framework, seven ways of communicating seven different times. So not only does this allow for everyone's communication needs to be met, but it increases the retention of the message and the information in that message with the repetition sorry of these messages, so repeated exposure to the same messaging is one of the most effective ways to commit information to your brain. So seven ways, seven times doesn't need to be long messaging, keep it simple, and to the point, but every time we were had it repetitively access something we already know, we increase the memory stored value on that topic. So any one of these methods of communication will also spark the employees through their preferred method and take notice when other comms come through. So I know for me, I do prefer hearing several messages several times. And that might be because of my age, I'm one of the boomers. So it does help when there are different ways of communicating and multiple times. So I know it might not be you, you might not be able to hit all seven each and every time. However, if you can just keep this in mind when you have important messages that need to be shared to your employees. That way, it's going to ensure the greatest success and the least frustrations coming from employees around those important communications that need to be shared. So Lisa, we've seen some clients. We've seen, you know, clients work with external and internal experts. What have you been seeing from the organization's? 

Lisa Medeiros [00:22:29] Yeah, absolutely. I've seen them working with their communications that are inclusive of the different generations and ensuring that they're designing them through the lens of diversity, inclusion, belonging, and equity. And other organizations are aligning their communications with the company, regardless of general generation differences. And these organizations are ensuring that their values are instilled within the communications. Other organizations are also regularly using surveys to assess how employees are feeling about things, and how they respond to communication and other changes within their organizations. And these surveys are extremely valuable Linda in developing tactics and key messages to the workforce. But it's really important for employees to see results from these surveys, which means tangible action from leadership, or else it's not meaningful at all. 

Linda Halfyard [00:23:32] 

Absolutely. And again, you know, we're well aware that some organizations may not necessarily hit all seven points. But if you can continue to work at, you know, even differentiating their communication tactics. So if you have folks that are in an office, it may be better to use email, that sort of thing. But if you have some of your population that are at site, you may need to use a little bit of a different tactic and to get a greater impact from the communication that needs to be more tailored to those folks. 

Lisa Medeiros [00:24:14] 

Absolutely. Oops. So this is just a tips for managing and aligning those needs and objectives, the needs of the employee to the objectives. And as you can see here, the common theme, to today's presentation all the way through is good communication. And as mentioned before, the importance of aligning employee needs to the organization's objectives, really does start right at the beginning of the relationship with that candidate, and continues all the way through the course of their employment and their development and advancement within your organization. So starting with recruitment, and continuing throughout their onboarding, making sure that To through the the employees role, understanding the role and their impact to the business. ensuring transparency with higher levels of trust and resilience will exist across the workplace, ensuring that they're involved in the design of their career path and executing and maintaining that employee development and the consistent communication that is key continuous communication throughout your organization, with your culture, your values and that adaptation. 

Linda Halfyard [00:25:39] 

Absolutely. So, you know, something happened. While we were locked down during the pandemic, it was proven that organizations could work remotely and still be productive and profitable. And it gave employees time to think about what kind of work they wanted to be doing, and about what they what truly motivates them. So now, the notion of employee preference is really playing itself out in the workforce today. So while organizations are planning and enforcing new rules around returning to the office, employees feel that they have already earned the right to work remotely. And that's putting both sides at an impasse. We just spoke about aligning employee needs with organizational expectations, and that's the first step. The next step is about supporting your employees through the transition of a reimagined workplace as we work toward more flexible workplaces, and the impact of this change. 

Lisa Medeiros [00:26:47] 

In a study conducted by clear review, at the end of 2022 89% of employees experienced burnout during this past year 60% of leaders feel used up and 53% of employees feel burned out on a daily or weekly basis. Women are burned out more than men 50 to 42% versus 35%. Reportedly, employees are working more hours and they're spending more time in front of a screen. Their work life boundaries are diminishing, and employees are reporting that they feel pressure from leaders and managers to work more hours to compensate for the shortage in talent. I'm so tired. When is this going to end? I can't believe we're still doing this. How am I supposed to get this done with everything else I have to do? Odds are high that you've heard one or more of these phrases being said, and odds are even higher that you've said them yourself. According to a new study, one in four employees admits to being burned out and feeling tired, pessimistic and disengaged from their work. When asked what concerns contributed most to their mood, energy and or engagement at work. Respondents rated the following at the top volume of work. Not enough support of or well being at 62% by work demands at 57% layoffs at 31% pace of change at 30% concerns about the future at 25%. Creating a safe culture where open communication is encouraged and heard is vital to the health of an organization. People aren't burned out because of the type of work they have. They're worn down because they can't have constructive dialogue with their teammates, or even their leaders to get the support that they need. There's a clear correlation between speaking up and feeling less burned out. Ultimately speaking up can be a powerful antidote to burnout. And it's the first step to actually resolving lingering concerns. Employee assurance also known as recognition is important in business and can ultimately improve the environment of workplace, the individual and your team's performance. Employees who know that you value their input their feedback and ideas often have trust in their leadership and confidence in their company. When employees know that you appreciate and value their work, they get invested in the company's accomplishments. In connection to our earlier discussions of balancing employees needs and the organization's objectives, assurance and recognition are among the top strategies for higher job satisfaction and reducing turnover. Review your compensation packages. Are they speaking to how you value your employees? Are they fair market comp packages? Or are they competitive and reflective of the actual value and recognition that you truly believe in your workforce. This isn't just your base salary. This includes vacation policies, bonuses, health and wellness benefits, flexible schedules and retirement contributions. Prioritize a work life balance to reduce stress and prevent burnout while creating impactful results. A positive company culture focuses on leadership behavior, where empathy, resilience and compassion are all key. But they have to be genuine to be effective. Communicating regularly and involving employees in broader discussions prove your recognition of their value and that you are invested in the future with them in it. So Linda, as an HR leader, how are you seeing leaders deal with wellness and namely burnout within their organizations? 

Linda Halfyard [00:30:54] Right. So I think it's really important to de-stigmatize mental health through consistent education leader led buy-in and an effective leave of absence, process and program. So leaders can share success stories to help normalize taking time off for recovery, being able to return to the same role with success. Some organizations are monitoring a few lagging indicators that can be used to see where burnout or workload issues are developing. For example, tracking over time, in departments that might be prone to volume of work, high work demands and use. Use these tools to initiate conversations with managers. 

Lisa Medeiros [00:31:46] Oh, that's a good call out, it's really important to prioritize the training of your managers to be able to identify and address and prevent those triggers. So by providing them with those tools and skills to help their teams, especially during these times of change. 

Linda Halfyard [00:32:05] Absolutely. Okay, just bear with me for just a moment, folks. My. Okay, so whether you're implementing, or, you know, a new technology, you're updating existing business practices, you're going through changes in leadership. Change communication is essential for helping people move from where they are today, to the future, desired state. The pandemic is continuously reminding us about the importance of employee communication in shaping a positive employee experience in the workplace. So as you saw on the previous screen, pace of change is a burnout factor for 30% of the workforce. So whether changing too slow, too fast, or too many things at the same time, they can all have an impact on the employees. So constant change, policy updates and the flip flop of remote work and return to Office plans. They're requiring employers to give special attention to their internal communication efforts. The success of any organizational change lies in the relationships you build with your people. So communicating change its goals, benefits and the roles employees play in that change is really critical. According to a survey from Statista, only 38% of employees who experienced workplace transformation say that their employer communicated effectively about the change. 36% of employees say their employee employers were honest about the change and the challenges that they would face. So this is why the quality of the change communication strategy is key to success in times of change. Without the right internal communication plans, creative ideas and authentic messages, employees become uncertain, and they remain resistant to change. So on our slide, we can see just a high overview here of some of this, the the ways in which we want to go through this and building it. And the first one is awareness. So building internal awareness through clear, timely, personalized change communication, it eliminates and mitigates employees fear and the resistance to the change And then we have understanding. So communicating the What the Why how, when all of those things, the biggest one of all of that is what we call WIIFM, what's in it for me.This is important to help employees understand the benefits of the change and see it in a positive sight. So what's in it for me, then we go to the acceptance. And in this stage employees accept the change and act in accordance with their employers instructions, okay? We keep the employees updated, encourage them to share their voice. And, you know, they'll start to feel more involved. The last piece is commitment. So once employees have accepted to change, change, communication really isn't done. So we have to keep that in mind. It is important at this stage that we continue to change to to communicate, this is where most change initiatives fail here. So keep the information flowing in employees need to be able to collaborate, and employers need to spot and reward the change ambassadors. 

 

Lisa Medeiros [00:36:17] That's a great call out Linda acknowledging that resistance is part of working through change. And getting to that, why and understanding that, that with them, and communicating consistently and proactively, like I said, communication, is that common thread throughout today's entire webinar? 

Linda Halfyard [00:36:39] 

Yes, and I think the the most important aspect of this as well, is to acknowledge that resistance is part of working through change. And it's the key to establishing that with them. Right. So once we understand the resistance that's happening and understand what pain point we have, you can solve it, it's a much smoother way to understanding and then to the acceptance at stage. Yeah, absolutely. 

Lisa Medeiros [00:37:11] So employers can do all sorts of wonderful things. And even with all of the stars being aligned, and communication and employee education is still the most important pieces of any successful offering, or program. And if employees don't know what is available to them, or even understand the benefits that are in place, then the employee isn't going to value what their employee has or their employer has to offer. Creating impactful employee value propositions directly translates into better quality employee experiences. Build the organization you want to be today and into the future. Lean on your expert partners with financial education, benefits and wellness providers and ensure that you're looking at your data holistically within your organization. Although you may at times be feeling helpless to assist your employees during this economic time, we've presented you and covered some really great strategies that although it's not a one size fits all, you can certainly tailor these to your teams and your organization. Make sure that you are communicating with transparency, and tell your employees what is going on within your organization. But please don't forget about the most important and largest asset within your organization. And that's the human factor. And it is your people. Thank you so much for your time. And we do have some time for questions. 

Jeffrey Smith [00:38:51] That's great, well, thank you, Lisa, and and Linda for that informative presentation and sharing your knowledge and experience with our audience today. Now, as she mentioned, we are going to open things up to those of you listening in for a live q&a. So if you have a question, you haven't submitted it yet in the q&a with the q&a button, please do so. We'll answer any questions as much as we can in the time we have left. So first of all, what other types of indicators can be used to flag the impact of employee mental health in the workplace? 

Linda Halfyard [00:39:27] Okay, um, so I'll take that one, Lisa. I think that some of the indicators you could look at would be miss deadlines. If some of your employees managers perhaps aren't able to make those deadlines and they have been in the past. That's something that you could look at more sick days. I think that's a pretty common indicator that a lot of HR folks use to start to notice if something is going on. As the drop in quality of work, I think, also is an indicator, if you've got a superstar, and all of a sudden things are dropping, that can certainly be a real indicator of what's going on. And again, something I think that most HR folks leaders are aware of, is look at your turnover, understand what's happening, whether it's department, whether it's holistically throughout your, your company, but it does usually open up the opportunity for communion, but for some conversation around what's going on here, so the exit interviews, you know, at that point, it's a little bit too late, but they can at least help with putting some practices in place to support those who may still be left behind that you really want to support from a mental mental health standpoint. 

Jeffrey Smith [00:41:05] Okay, and now we have someone asking that if if we don't have retirement savings programs or benefit offerings, how can we provide support to our workforce? What are some other options? 

Lisa Medeiros [00:41:17] Well, I'll take that one. That's a that's a really good call out, especially for smaller organizations that don't have these programs, I would recommend tapping into your professional network. Are there experts out there that would be willing to offer their time to come into your organization to maybe have these lunch and learns, and perhaps even the one on ones that I mentioned as well? Do you have financial advisors or banking specialists that you could connect with? Can you also reach out to wellness champions within your community that would offer their time in that same manner? Maybe even connect with your chamber of commerce, and see if they can give you a list of members in the community that specialize in these areas as well. 

Jeffrey Smith [00:42:02] Right. Okay, and what about a sorry? Did you anyone or Linda you have something to add? Sorry? 

Linda Halfyard [00:42:08] No, no, I think she covered quite a few. Yes. 

Jeffrey Smith [00:42:12] Right. Okay. So what about boomers? If you have boomers wanting to take a step back? How do you get them to really engage with the other generations that are in the workforce, while they may be focused on reducing their responsibilities? 

Linda Halfyard [00:42:28] Sure, I can start with that, Lisa. So I think if boomers want to step back, you know that that's great. There are different things that you can do. And one of them is, you know, really to put them into a mentorship role. Allow your more junior leaders or employees to be mentored by them. The other thing that I've seen happen is where you have your boomers involved in process flowcharts, making sure that what they're what they have up here in this, you know, brain and all this tribal knowledge gets put into these into paper so that you have something to support what's going on. And I think the other thing is, to really create a culture of openness of people being able to speak about retirement so that you're not getting surprises, you do have time to allow these Boomers to, you know, take a step back, reduce the responsibility, let them know that yes, they're looking to leave, but then keep them engaged with the, with some of the other folks so that they're able to really share that knowledge. If they're afraid of telling you they're going to retire, then you're not even able to sort of get that practice in place. So the culture is really an important aspect as well. 

Lisa Medeiros [00:44:04] If I can add to that, as well, I think it's also an opportunity to get that generation connected with other generations and getting that cross training as additional opportunities for emerging leaders, where it's really going to result in lower turnover and higher retention rates. And as Linda said, sharing that tribal knowledge before those retirees are exiting your organization, and again, that cross training and that connection with other generations I think is extremely important as well. 

Jeffrey Smith [00:44:42] Okay, thank you. Now, obviously, there may be some employees who may be a little resistant to change. So how do you handle employees who are ignoring all communication methods when when a company is communicating change? 

Linda Halfyard [00:45:00] 

Yikes. So I think that really, if you start looking at the different methods of communication, you may have to have, you know, those one on one communications. But I think the biggest thing we talked about on in this was what's in it for me, you really need to be able to drill down to helping the employee understand, you know, what is the benefit to them? And sometimes that takes a little bit more digging and, you know, thought process of, of how do we sell this to the employees, but I think that's a really important aspect is really ensuring you aren't, you know, be, I think, be fair, be open to understanding that there, there is going to be resistance, but as well, ensuring that we are really telling them why why it's important, why it's important to the business, why it's important to their job to them personally. That's how I would suggest. And I don't know, Lisa, if you have some other suggestions? 

Lisa Medeiros [00:46:08] Yeah, I think also, maybe sitting down with that particular individual, and understanding their fear, perhaps there is a particular fear, perhaps it is a fear of, it's a new, it's a new technology, it's part of a new task. And it's going to involve training, and understanding what that fear is, and helping them to quash that fear with yet we're going to provide you with the tools and resources and the training, to make them feel more comfortable. And get them connected with somebody that is a change champion, to align them with that change and hold their hand along the way. So that they are feeling comfortable with what's coming. will certainly help them with that buy-in a little easier as well. 

Linda Halfyard [00:47:10] Yeah, great point. 

Jeffrey Smith [00:47:13] And I guess this could be a little bit along the same lines, but how does a company communicate bad news, particularly during challenging times that that may result in temporary layoff? 

Lisa Medeiros [00:47:24] Right? Well, honesty? 

Linda Halfyard [00:47:27] Right? I was gonna say the same thing. Yeah. Be authentic. Be honest, and be compassionate. 

Lisa Medeiros [00:47:36] Yeah, you're, you're all going through it. At the same time, transparency and honesty is is key. And, again, it's that genuity from the from the leadership coming from the top down. And, and doing it together. Don't make one guy the bad guy. And, and doing it as a leadership team is extremely effective, as well. 

Jeffrey Smith [00:48:07] And what might be the main issue that can break communication between a boomers and kind of that lowered generations that the younger generation in the workplace? 

Lisa Medeiros [00:48:20] I'm sorry, I missed the one word he kind of 

Jeffrey Smith [00:48:24] What is the main issue that breaks communication between boomers and generation Zed in the workplace? 

Linda Halfyard [00:48:31] That breaks it? 

Lisa Medeiros [00:48:33] I'll start  

Jeffrey Smith [00:48:33] Maybe just a break down probably what they mean?  

Lisa Medeiros [00:48:35] Yeah, it's technology. I will say it's technology. And it's, it's the mode of technology in which the different generations want to receive their communications. And if you remember, on that one slide, where Linda was presenting the seven by seven, she talked about the different modes of technology in which the generations want to receive their communications. And you know, you've got your younger generations that want maybe perhaps those text messages, or the social media type messages, and how they want to receive that information, versus the older generations that might want a memo or might want an email. And remembering that if you're going to send an email to a younger generation, that email subject line, better say it for the younger generation to want to open it. So understanding that the mode of technology is really that what's going to capture it. That seven by seven model is really something that is going to be helpful to understand how to capture your different generations effectively. So if a boomer is going to want to capture the attention of Gen Z, they're going to have to understand that perhaps a text message really is how they're going to capture the attention of a Gen Z, and if a Gen Z really does want to capture the attention of a boomer, it might have to be an email or a memo. 

Linda Halfyard [00:50:08] Or, I would say, you know, for everybody on this call, I think most of us that are older and have kids, we know that they want to text us. Nobody wants to pick up a phone. So I would say, Lisa, hit this right, the nail on the head here is that for me to support, and Lisa and I often do support our new relationship managers coming in are younger. You know, I prefer to have phone calls, or I prefer to have WebEx that I can talk for me writing out long emails or text, it doesn't work for me. So I think it's really important to, to understand that and to do some educational sessions with your folks to help them gain more insight as to the generational differences and why you need to maybe flex your style a little bit in order to, to again, show them what's in it for them right to be able to get all that tribal knowledge from a Boomer and that sort of thing. So I think that's really important as well. 

Jeffrey Smith [00:51:16] All right, and we have a question from Jamie. Thank you for your question. Jamie. Do you have suggestions for convincing an employee who's reluctant to accept change and commit to it? We celebrate change ambassadors and have tried a bonus program. But employees who are new technology averse are often that that late Boomer generation. 

Linda Halfyard [00:51:42] Yeah, I mean, what would I do? Geez, I don't know. Lisa, I'm kind of going blank here right now, do you have any ideas? 

Lisa Medeiros [00:51:49] Well, you know what it's, it's, it's not as easy as saying they're going to be left behind. But you can say that they're going to be left behind. Really what it comes down to, again, is mentoring them in the opposite direction. And where we say, you're going to mentor a younger generation with a boomer to share that tribal knowledge, you have to go in the reverse direction. And you need to mentor that, that, that Boomer with a younger generation that can sit comfortably with them and show them the technology with the patients that the individual may have to go through what that technology is actually going to benefit them and give them that with them. So it's just going to go in the opposite direction from a mentorship perspective. 

Jeffrey Smith [00:52:40] I guess there's always those challenges. Always gonna be somebody that seems that may be a little reluctant. 

Lisa Medeiros [00:52:49] Hey, how many times have we reached out to our children with our phones to say, can you show me how to do this? I saw it on a video but I don't know how to do it. I've done it myself. Right. 

Jeffrey Smith [00:53:03] Oh, great. And now turning a bit away from from convincing people to change. We have someone asking what might be some low cost mental health tools and resources that maybe small op companies like really small, like just a handful of employees. They're specifically saying 10 are under can access to share with their employees? 

Lisa Medeiros [00:53:28] Yeah, absolutely. Low cost right off the top of my head. Is things like telehealth, that's free to everybody, right telehealth. There's also the the mental health, the free mental health lines that they can call into, that can certainly be available to them. If you are an organization that doesn't have an EAP program, or benefits within their doctors, or even the the local clinics or hospitals do have free programs that they will offer that they can definitely call into, that will provide these free services for your employees to be able to access. 

Jeffrey Smith [00:54:26] Alright, so the employer can really serve as a guide to directing the employees if they needed the services. 

Lisa Medeiros [00:54:32] Yeah, absolutely. 

Jeffrey Smith [00:54:35] Okay. I think actually, that might be all that might be a last question. I think we've got all of come in and so on. We are getting close to the end of our hour today. So it works out pretty well. So yeah, thank you for everyone who submitted your questions, and I hope you found that the answer useful and interesting. So I appreciate it. And, again, thank you very much to Lisa Medeiros and Linda Halfyard of ADP Canada for sharing your time and knowledge for this presentation. And once again, thank you to everyone else who out there who who signed in and listened to us listened to this presentation and joined us for this discussion. So, to wrap things up, thank you very much everyone and have a great rest of the day.  

Linda Halfyard [00:55:15] Thank you 

Lisa Medeiros [00:55:16] Thank you