Build Employee Engagement with Employee-Centric Policies

Matt Becker, Senior Director, Human Resources at Red River Co-op

Matt Becker, Senior Director, Human Resources at Red River Co-op

Matt Becker is the Senior Director, Human Resources at Red River Co-op, a retailer of food and fuel in Winnipeg, MB. Red River Co-op has been recognized as one of Manitoba’s Top Employers since 2021, based on the strength of their employee-centric policies.

In my experience, one of the most fulfilling aspects of human resources is creating and revising organizational policies. I love seeing an idea come to fruition, from an initial thought, to a written document, to the positive impact on employees, the organization, or (ideally) both. Strong policies can engage employees, and take an organization from good to great. As HR professionals, it’s critical to ensure our organizations are great: with historically low unemployment rates, and an unprecedented re-evaluation of one’s priorities brought on by the pandemic, the war for talent is becoming fiercer. Job candidates have become savvier and more cognizant of their negotiating power. Employees are constantly reassessing their ‘fit’ with their employer, not just in terms of salary and benefits, but also from an organization culture standpoint. Externally, consumers have become more critical of – and more vocal about – companies that are perceived as offside with the evolving social justice movement. From all angles, our organizations are under increased scrutiny. In other words, it has never been more important to ensure your policies are up to date.

If it’s been a while since you’ve reviewed your policies, now is the perfect time to revisit. Here are some potential areas of focus:

1. Are your policies inclusive of an increasingly diverse workforce? Employee demographics have shifted significantly in recent years. Are your policies keeping pace? Some considerations include:

● Does your bereavement time policy accommodate non-traditional definitions of “immediate family” as well as non-western cultural practices around death? If not, consider expanding your definition of family, or incorporating flexible language to look at employee circumstances on a case-by-case basis.

● Does your leave of absence policy allow for banking of vacation time, or extended unpaid time off for the purpose of travel? With much of the workforce consisting of new Canadians, permitting an employee to periodically visit their home country is important.

● Are your policies written using gender-neutral language? Not that long ago, making policies gender-neutral meant changing all the references from ‘him’ to ‘him or her.’ The term gender-neutral now encompasses inclusion of all genders. All policies should be reviewed to ensure not only the use of gender-neutral pronouns, but also inclusive language for definitions of a spouse, circumstances of parental leave, references to ‘opposite sex’ in harassment policy, etc.

● Do you have a plan to support a gender-transitioning employee? Organizations should have a clear policy in place with steps on how they would ensure the safety, comfort and productivity of a transitioning employee. Situations must be handled delicately, respectfully and compassionately – and while every situation is unique, it’s best to have a general framework prepared in advance.

“ Organizations should have a clear policy in place with steps on how they would ensure the safety, comfort and productivity of a transitioning employee ”

● Are the general holidays you recognize relevant to your employees? Many of our traditional public holidays are rooted in Christian customs and/or colonial history. If your jurisdiction permits, consider allowing for holiday substitution, or add additional fixed or floating general holidays to meet the needs of your employees.

● Is your dress code inclusive of all genders and cultures? Hopefully your policy does not still reference suggested attire for women and men. Also, remove requirements around hairstyles or facial hair that are not bona fide occupational requirements, and may exclude employees of some races and cultures.

2. Have you clearly defined your expectations around employees’ ability to disconnect? One of the positive outcomes of the pandemic has been the re-evaluation of the traditional ways of working. But the proliferation of technology that enables flexible working arrangements has also blurred the dividing line between work and personal time. Many jurisdictions now require organizations to have a clearly-worded ‘Right to Disconnect’ policy. Even if your province is not one of them, consider providing clear guidelines on when your employees are on and off the clock.

3. Are you meeting employees’ expectations regarding work-life balance? Around the globe, the four-day work week experiment is gaining traction. If your organization has already made the switch, congratulations on being an early adopter. If you haven’t, or have no intention of doing so – know that many of your competitors (including those outside your industry but with whom you will compete for talent) have. Aside from a shortened work week, how else can your policies support work-life balance? Is your vacation policy flexible? Do you offer paid personal days, or family leave days? Are you completely flexible with starting and quitting times and remote work options? Employees are increasingly favoring flexibility in all its forms over other workplace benefits and compensation. If your organization has not adapted, your recruitment and retention efforts may be vulnerable.

4. Do your policies empower your leaders to look after their teams? Nothing causes employees to disengage faster than a rigidly-applied rule that could easily be flexed. Smart team leaders recognize this, and want to say ‘yes’ to their employees as often as possible. Policies should include language to allow your leaders the discretion to deal with shades of grey and approve reasonable employee requests – even when they may be slightly offside with a policy. Remember: even skyscrapers are designed with enough give to gently sway in the wind – organizational policies should have a similar amount of flexibility built in.

When developing employee engagement and retention strategies, leaders have a tendency to gravitate towards the quick wins: bowling, pizza lunches, escape rooms, and the like. Cheeky internet memes aside, these types of activities are not without merit. But one-off activities will not deliver meaningful change in the employee workplace experience, or their perceptions of their company, workplace, or leader. A wholesome review of your policy language – and careful monitoring to ensure team leader behaviors are aligned with those policies – is a much more sustainable way to boost employee engagement, retain your best employees, and win the war for talent.