1. WORK-LIFE BALANCE: GET WITH IT CANADA!

Globally speaking, Canada is not reputable for respecting work-life balance. Forty plus hour work-weeks and two-week vacations are an embarrassing standard compared to European countries. It comes as no surprise therefore that among the top concerns for employees, Work-Life balance was the area requiring most improvement. Employers are being asked to recognize and understand the needs of employees. Employees want to be seen in a holistic, well-rounded sense, not merely as human resources.

According to Walk the Talk 2007 participants, there are several ways to help create Work-Life balance in the Ideal Workplace:

Leaders should champion the needs of employees
Engage employees to understand their needs and values
Show a commitment to execute on their needs: Walk the Talk!
Measure results, not face-time during performance reviews
Provide the tools, technology and support to ensure flexible work arrangements
Allow employees to set their own boundaries
Enable employees to manage how they get their work done
Focus on whole person: work, family, health, finances, lifestyle

2. Career Development: Nurture the Talent Within!

Contrary to the notion that employees prefer switching companies to advance in their careers, Canadian employees are asking their Employers to advance them from within. In an age where Employers are armouring up to face the “War for Talent”, it should come as a relief that Canadian employees want stability and long-term career paths within the same organization.

So what can Employers do to ensure they retain and build the talent they already have within?

This is what employees have to say:

Engage and empower employees: Career pathing should be a collaborative effort
Be honest and clear about job overview, expectations, and promotion opportunities
Implement rewards and recognition practices suitable and meaningful to the individual
Use unconventional methods for recruitment (Facebook, SecondLife)
Offer cross training between jobs and departments
Provide on-the-job coaching, mentorship and training
Acknowledge and resolve employee frustrations
Identify and remove actual or perceived employee “roadblocks”
Understand and accommodate the needs of inter-generational employees
Recognize all contributions and successes

3. COMMUNICATION: GIVE THEM A VOICE

The secret ingredient in any successful relationship is open and honest communication. And so it goes with employees and their Employers. How does an Employer resolve an issue it isn’t aware of? How can employees address issues if they feel they will not be heard, acknowledged, or that there will be no follow through? Employees continue to struggle with closed doors and inconsistent or unclear messages.

The old model of top-down communication is becoming obsolete as employees are demanding transparency and new modes of communication.

In the Ideal Workplace, employees are looking for transparency when it comes to communication:

Need for openness and transparency Have one common goal that is communicated openly to all staff consistently Be receptive to new modes of communication Encourage employees to talk to each other Use different methods of communication for different generations (Facebook, blog, textsfor         younger generation, in person for boomers) Knowledgeable and happy employees will be better ambassadors Message must match action: Walk the talk! Eliminate triangulation (“water cooler” talking about others in their absence)

Find out why people are leaving your organization Open door communication Engage employees at all levels and listen to input Follow through with visible action Stimulate inter-generational dialogue