Use the Buddy System. It's the nice thing to do. And it produces results.
Assigning a buddy to a new hire is an easy, and relatively inexpensive, way of helping someone integrate into your organization. Choose someone who's friendly, has good communication skills and is familiar with your policies to introduce new employees to management and co-workers, go over company information and give a tour of your office.
Encourage that employee to support new hires for the first few days, answering questions anywhere from where the photocopy paper supply is to going over the corporate flow chart to when and where Happy Hour is this week. But be careful when deciding the buddy; you don't want the office gossip to fill your valuable new team member's head with negative perceptions of people and policies.
Creating an atmosphere where people want to come to work when they wake up in the morning improves morale, increases productivity, reduces stress and decreases the number of sick days employees take. It also serves as a recruitment tool and even does some of the recruiting for you: if your staff is happy to be at work, they're telling their friends and that's just good business.
Read on to find out how a dynamic corporate culture drives success at IBEX:
It’s Herddle Time
You don’t have to dig too deep to discover the motivating factor for a positive work environment at IBEX Payroll and Employee Management Winnipeg.
“I wanted to be able to enjoy my work,” Darryl Stewart, Head of the Herd and owner of IBEX says of why he created the company’s corporate culture. “I wanted to create an environment where people would want to come to work every day and achieve their potential.
The philosophy at IBEX is simple: Make it the greatest place to work and the team will deliver.
“That’s how we get the job done,” says Stewart.
The culture being fostered at Ibex is the result of more than just great ideas. It’s about turning ideas into action. From the daily Herddle at 10:12 every morning to the Climbing Higher meetings held every Monday and the Grumpy Goat meetings on Fridays, every member of the Herd has the opportunity to contribute to the direction of the company.
The Herddle (an ibex is a type of mountain goat that travels in herds, hence the variety of Herd reference) is a quick, five-minute assembly to share news items, state daily goals and ends with a “Go IBEX” cheer. The purpose of Climbing Higher is to track performance against written goals and is an opportunity for everyone to get involved in the bigger picture. Because profit sharing is another important element of the culture, staff can help identify cost savings and submit ideas on how to increase efficiencies in the workplace.
Department managers gather every Friday at the Grumpy Old Goats meeting to discuss “the kids” - as in baby goats. The theory is that, by identifying the individual gifts of the kids and what they bring to their jobs, they’ll apply those gifts to their jobs and work hard to accomplish their goals.
Stewart says the initiatives at IBEX have had marked results in increased morale and productivity, contributing to the growth of the company.
“We want to make sure each employee is being challenged as much as possible,” says Stewart. “For the company to succeed we need to be challenged, we need to be comfortable in our roles.”
Watch the Movie.
Take two minutes to watch the IBEX video and find out first-hand what a big difference little changes have made at the Herd. Or visit our website to see what we've been up to lately. |
