Category: Rewards

Beginning A Different Kind of New Year

New years roll around at an alarming pace.

The year only just seems to start and then before you know it, you are singing Auld Lang Syne, raising a glass, reviewing the year that has been and preparing your business for another trip around the sun.  

But this new year feels unlike the others we have experienced before. 

2021 was meant to be our fresh start after a rather trying 2020. Then, it pulled a total fast one on us and turned out to be worse!  

So, as we cautiously begin 2022, we have none of the lofty ambitions of last year. This will not be our year to return to life as it was before COVID. 

This will be a different kind of new year. But, we are no less optimistic about it! 

Let’s explore how you can make the most of another uncertain new year and prepare your team for the next 12 months. 

 

Beginning A Different Kind Of New Year 

Acknowledge The Year That Was 

It is pretty tempting to sweep the events of 2021 under the rug and pretend that they didn’t happen. Not only were we dealing with potential threats to our health, but we all had an additional layer of stress created by working from home. Juggling home schooling, the endless quest for uninterrupted work time, worries about job security and toilet paper shortages were no joke! 

So, now is the time to congratulate your whole team for making it out the other side. 

Look back on the year and celebrate the things that went well. Thank your team for their dedication in tough times and congratulate yourselves for making it work. While the year was hard, it taught many businesses that work conditions could be flexible. Now, we can continue that flexibility and use it to our advantage. Allowing your team to continue embracing flexible hours and working locations where practical, will be a great morale booster. 

 

Maintaining Mindset 

All the stresses of the last two years might have had a negative impact on your staff morale. And when morale is low, so too is productivity and output.  

Helping your team maintain a positive mindset despite everything that has happened is an essential new year task. The right mindset will boost productivity, increase employee engagement, and help to retain valuable team members. 

With a new protection framework now in place, we should hopefully see fewer disruptions to life and business operations. So, capitalise on that positivity by allowing your team to work when they are most productive.  

Physical safety has been a huge focus in the last two years and we have the masks and hand sanitiser to prove it. But, mental wellbeing and safety are just as important. Help your team manage their schedules to prevent burnout, connect with each individual to check how they are coping, and encourage the whole team to take their breaks and holidays. 

 

Keep The Comms Flowing 

Your team have dealt with a lot of uncertainty lately and we are not out of the woods yet. It would appear COVID is here to stay, so make sure you are communicating well and often with your team. 

Give them as much information as you possibly can as this will reduce some stress and build an important level of trust. While targets might move, dates might change and the goalposts might shift, your team will appreciate the transparency of regular updates and receiving up to date information. 

By establishing open lines of communication from your side, your team will also feel as though they can share concerns or suggestions they might have. This allows them to feel as if they have some control over an uncertain situation. Of course, that will only mean good things for their overall morale! 

 

Unifying Under A Collective Vision 

No one can possibly predict what will happen this year, the last two years have certainly proven that! Yet, you can establish a vision for how you want your business to operate, the characteristics you value and the impact you want to make. 

By creating this vision, you are providing your whole team with a roadmap for the year. While there might be some unexpected potholes to navigate or bridges to build, the end destination remains the same. 

By unifying your team under a collective vision they will feel valued, important and part of something bigger than just themselves. It will help you all to move forward and stay optimistic, regardless of what the year might bring. 

 

Make Time for Fun 

In the midst of a global pandemic, it is easy for work and home life to feel very serious. With restrictions to adhere to, daily news reports to read, mandates to follow and ever-increasing stress levels, things can get negative quickly. 

But, they really don’t have to. Just because there is some serious stuff going on in the outside world, it doesn’t mean your team can’t make time for fun.  

Connecting with each other in a social way can lighten the mood and build a great team culture. Whether you choose to have a monthly quiz night over Zoom or Microsoft Teams, a picnic in the park with the cricket bat and beverages, or a family friendly game of Never Have I Ever, your team will be able to blow off steam and connect. 

Laughter is the best medicine, so keep things fun and lighthearted where appropriate. 

 

Looking Ahead 

Rather than looking back on everything you have been through, look forward towards the amazing things you could achieve this year. That will keep your whole team focused on the future and optimistic about what the year will bring. 

While things might remain uncertain, you can keep your team moving forward and unified under a clear vision and collective goals. This will ensure they maintain a positive mindset and together you can overcome any future challenges. 

Want some more practical ways to maintain great staff morale during a very different kind of new year? Then we can help you do it. Full of Spice and practical, actionable strategies, our team will help your team remain strong in the year ahead. Contact us today.  

The Importance Of End Of Year Workplace Celebrations (Even This Year!)

Release the virtual balloons, pop the champagne (or cider), and get the chips and dip ready to roll. The year is rapidly coming to an end, and believe it or not, there are many reasons to celebrate!

Workplace celebrations are important at any time, but after surviving another year of uncertainty and stress, it’s even more important to recognise the wins for your business – big and small.

We know you probably just want to get this year over with and move on to brighter times, but before you write 2021 off completely, take a moment to recognise your fantastic team.

Let’s chat about why workplace celebrations are so valuable to you and your team at the end of the year.

The Importance Of End Of Year Workplace Celebrations (Even This Year!)

The Value Of Workplace Celebrations

Teams that celebrate together thrive together – truly! While it’s important to celebrate success throughout the year, the end of the year is the perfect time to bring everyone together and look at what you and your team have achieved over the last 12 months.

Here’s how workplace celebrations benefit your business:

  • They motivate – recognition is an organic motivator that inspires people to continue being successful.
  • They unify and reinforce company culture and values – celebrations have a way of bringing people together, particularly if they follow times of challenge.
  • They build momentum – recognising the small goals provides momentum to carry on and achieve the bigger goals.
  • They boost positivity – it’s easy to get caught up in everything that’s going wrong and forget about what’s going right. Workplace celebrations shift the focus back onto the good things.
  • They reward – recognition and reward are essential to keep your team engaged and motivated. The end of year celebrations are a lovely reward for hard work after a year of trials and tribulations.
  • They encourage team bonding – it’s been a year of distancing, which can be hard when working in a team. Coming back together (even virtually) helps rebuild those bonds.
  • They provide a timeout – after a tough year, your team need space to breathe and step back from work mode so they can start the new year fresh. A workplace celebration is a great way to farewell the old and welcome the new.

What Should You Celebrate?

Feel like this year didn’t bring much worth celebrating? Think again! Even if your business has faced challenges in the last 12 months and couldn’t thrive as well as you’d like, there are plenty of things to celebrate.

Success doesn’t always have to be about reaching a goal. It can be about the process, too.

Love the way your team supported one another during turbulent times? Celebrate that!

Proud of how people pivoted to different work conditions? Celebrate their adaptability!

Did someone come up with a great way to bring in revenue even during lockdown or connect with customers even when your doors were closed? Celebrate, celebrate, celebrate!

 

Safely Celebrating With Your Team

Just like many things this year, Christmas workplace celebrations may look a little different for your team. But that doesn’t mean they can’t still be happen!

Even as we enter the Traffic Light system, it’s crucial to plan your holiday festivities to be safe, and have a backup plan in place just in case things escalate before your team party rolls around!

Depending on where you are, you may be able to meet outdoors for a meal, or you might have to take the happy hour drinks online.

Whatever you do, make sure your entire team are considered, and make it casual and simple, because we’ve all had enough stress this year to last the next decade!

Think virtual happy hour, a socially distanced scavenger hunt, a game night, or virtual escape rooms. Most importantly, allow people time to connect, laugh, and reflect on the year’s successes because that’s what it’s all about.

 

Spare A Thought For The Coming Months

Nobody likes a Debbie downer, but as much as we need to let loose and celebrate, it’s also important to look ahead to what’s coming next.

As we prepare to wind down for the holidays, we also enter the next COVID framework Traffic Light phase , so it’s vital to be prepared to hit the ground running in January 2022.

The government recently announced new support for businesses transitioning into the new framework. This includes some fantastic packages around business advice and mental health support.

For many businesses, this is the light at the end of a very long tunnel. We now have a pathway out of lockdown; things are looking up, and that’s definitely worth celebrating.

Of course, new pathways bring changes. If you need help exploring what those changes look like for your people, then get in touch with us here at Spice HR. People are our speciality and we would love to help your business make easy transitions that don’t interrupt your team culture.

Keeping Up With Minimum Wage Rates And Employment Benefits

Keeping Up With Minimum Wage Rates And Employment Benefits

At present, the beginning of April will see New Zealand’s minimum wage for adults rise by more than $1 per hour. Starting out and training wages will also be increased.

While this is great news for employees, there are sure to be some businesses that struggle to accommodate the wage increases. Especially with the ever-growing threat of COVID-19 looming over the labour market.

When the idea of the incremental wage increase was put forward by the government, they couldn’t have imagined that the proposed increase would hit businesses at such a difficult time financially.

With the economy teetering and 1st April fast approaching, you could be forgiven for really feeling the pressure, so we wanted to have a timely chat about the tangible benefits of keeping up to date with market rates and benefits and why regular remuneration reviews remain vital to a successful business.

Keeping Up With Minimum Wage Rates And Employment Benefits

New Zealand’s Minimum Wage Increase

The upcoming wage increase is due to take effect on April 1st, 2020. Several economists are already being vocal about the pressures this increase will bring to businesses when the global economy is being heavily impacted by COVID-19.

The proposed increase is a considerable jump of $1.20, bringing adult minimum wages up to $18.90 an hour from $17.70. It is estimated there are nearly a quarter of a million workers currently on the minimum wage.

The training wage will also increase to $15.12 per hour.

Similar increases are proposed for sometime in the next year as part of the government’s commitment to reach a $20 minimum wage by April 2021.

Late last year, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Iain Lees-Galloway said in a press release, “With our economy doing well, we want to make sure that our lowest-paid workers also benefit. The rise in minimum wage is estimated to boost wages by $306 million a year across the economy. That’s a good investment in local economies where workers spend their wages.”

Unfortunately, the current economy is not looking as healthy due to the downturn in global trade. So the question is being raised of whether the increase should proceed. It is not only the minimum wages workers that need to be considered. As minimum wages increase, it’s likely that all wages across the business will have to be improved to close the margin between more experienced employees and the newcomers.

Let’s dive into the concept of wages as a whole to understand this a little further.

Keeping Up With Market Rates And Benefits

From a legal standpoint, it is essential to meet minimum wage requirements across the board. But, it’s also vital that businesses ensure they are meeting – or exceeding – market rates for their industry. As wages are often the largest cost for any business, this needs careful consideration from a legal and financial standpoint.

There are a number of positive impacts when ensuring your staff receive competitive remuneration. The first is quite simple: happy staff work harder! They are also more loyal and likely to stay with the business long term when they feel they’re being paid fairly. And don’t forget that long-serving staff can save tremendous costs on recruitment.

For example, Forbes reported that a bank in the UK voluntarily decided to pay the living wage to their cleaning and catering teams. Following this, staff turnover reduced, with impressive retention rates of 77 per cent and 92 per cent. Compared to the industry averages of 54 per cent and 32 per cent, those numbers say it all!

When you offer higher salaries, you are also more likely to attract (and retain) higher-quality candidates.

Employee well-being and satisfaction play an immense role in the success of your business. And while there’s more to happiness than just money, take home pay certainly has a role to play.

The Importance Of Regular Remuneration Reviews

NZ’s upcoming minimum wage increases are still compulsory at this stage, so it’s an ideal time to review how your business approaches remuneration reviews, benefits, and rewards.

Most organisations commit to yearly review processes. You may decide to calculate the cost of living increases across the board, offer rewards based on how the company is doing, or differentiate increases from employee to employee based on performance.

Paying people fairly for a job well done is a no-brainer. The recognition alone is enough to boost productivity and efficiency. Plus, your employees will feel valued and more likely to stick around, staying invested in the business.

Sit down and compare the wages and salaries of your team, comparing them with market trends throughout the industry to make sure they are competitive. But don’t forget that as well as the dollars on the table, company culture and the benefits provided play a huge role in creating a fulfilling work environment.

Lastly, you need to ensure that your business can sustain the wage rates in an ever-changing economy.

Is your business ready for the 1st April minimum wage increase? If you are a bit worried about how you will handle the logistics, give the Spice Gals a call and we can help you make sure your HR boxes are ticked. Get in touch with us today.