We do a better job when we don’t know what the reward will be
(Illustration by Kagan McLeod) We’re more motivated to complete a task when we don’t know exactly what the reward will be, according to a joint study from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the...
View ArticleHow to make employee profit-sharing work for your company
(David Oliver/Getty) Profit-sharing can pay off big, but it’s not for every company (or every employee). We asked business owners how they made it work for them: Be transparent “We used to take a...
View ArticleHow to get your team to bond? Lock them in a room together
From left, Eric Arnold, Matt Leedham and Cassie Young attempt to gather clues and solve the puzzles at Escape Room Live in Washington, D.C. (Katherine Frey/Washington Post/Getty) The room is dark, and...
View ArticleMillennials are forcing Canadian firms to up their mobile game
(Hero images/Getty) Canadian companies need to accelerate their adoption of mobile technology, and not only for the productivity gains it can drive. A robust mobile strategy is increasingly necessary...
View ArticleKeep your star employees by doing regular “stay interviews”
By the time she’s thinking about it, it might be too late. (Blend Images/Getty) Beverly Kaye, Co-author of Hello Stay Interviews, Goodbye Talent Loss, says you should schedule regular “stay interviews”...
View ArticleThe dangers of hiring for “culture fit”
(Skopein/Getty) You might not know it from its excess of hair-braiding tutorials, but Pinterest has a dude problem. The San Francisco–based social network is staffed mostly by men, especially in...
View ArticleWhy you should compliment your team members more often
(Dana Neely/Jetta/Getty) “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!” That was the daily affirmation of Stuart Smalley, Al Franken’s defining character (you know, before he...
View ArticlePeter Aceto on why CEOs need to pull shifts in the call centre
Tangerine Bank CEO Peter Aceto. (Portrait by KC Armstrong) Trained as a lawyer, Peter Aceto began working at Tangerine—known then as ING Direct—in 1996, as the company’s general counsel. But he soon...
View ArticleHow “people analytics” is transforming human resources
A smart badge made by Humanyze can detect how much an employee talks—and how much they listen. (Humanyze) Last fall, consulting firm Deloitte redesigned its office in St. John’s, Nfld., to boost...
View ArticleBest Employers 2016: The top companies people love working for
This year’s ranking marks the second time Canadian Business has partnered with Aon Best Employers in Canada, using its rigorous methodology (see below) to identify highly engaged workforces....
View ArticleBest Employers 2016: How they hang on to their best employees
High-potential employees at Chubb Insurance are paired with senior mentors to develop their careers. (Darren Calabrese) Retaining your top talent is a bit like baking a cake—there are a lot of...
View ArticleBest Employers 2016: How small companies provide big perks
(Hero Images/Getty) Gibraltar Solutions has only about 50 employees, yet it recognizes its workers’ contributions with a generosity that would shame multinational corporations with exponentially...
View ArticleBest Employers 2016: How they get every employee to innovate
(Darren Calabrese) Last year, EllisDon president and CEO Geoff Smith went on a listening tour, visiting each of the construction company’s 11 offices to meet with every employee in small groups. The...
View ArticleBest Employers 2016: How they thrive in the face of crisis
The Co-operators found it had to pare down its priorities to get employee buy-in. (George Qua-Enoo) When Lorne Rubis walked into ATB Financial in April 2012, it wasn’t a happy place. “The organization...
View ArticleThe right way for managers to give praise
(Illustration by Kagan McLeod) There are all types of managers. At one end of the spectrum, we have those that can’t even utter a ‘hi’ to their employees in the hallway, let alone praise them for a job...
View ArticleWhen giving up is the best option
(Illustration by Kagan McLeod) Perseverance has always been revered as a trait that leads to success in life and business. Research has shown that people with “grit”—the trait of bearing down even in...
View ArticleWhy you should praise employees even when they’re doing badly
(Illustration by Peter Arkle) When he was running General Electric, Jack Welch famously fired the bottom 10% of company performers and boasted about squeezing as much juice as possible out of the...
View ArticleWhy millennials shun sales careers, and what to do about it
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View ArticleThe slow, awkward death of the company Christmas party
Consumers are driving the early-Christmas craze, not stores In this edition of the CB Elevator Pitch, editor James Cowan talks about the slow but steady decline in the company Christmas party. Once an...
View ArticleThe subtle ways taking maternity leave still hurts women’s careers
(Tara Moore/Getty) Grace was five years into a thriving career at a national law firm when she found out she was pregnant with her first child. When she told her boss, a senior partner, the news, she...
View ArticleThe perks and benefits that employees want more than a raise
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View ArticleThe case for letting teams elect their own managers
(Illustration by Peter Arkle) Conventional wisdom says that employees don’t leave companies—they ditch managers. A bad boss or team leader can turn a great job into the ninth circle of workplace hell....
View ArticleBusiness New Year’s Resolutions: Make the most of your millennial workers
(Illustration by Katie Carey) This article is part of our series on New Year’s Resolutions for Small Business. Read them all here. Millennials get a bad rap in the workforce. These 20-somethings are...
View ArticleHow SoapBox CEO Brennan McEachran helps companies dig up better ideas
Soapbox Innovations CEO and co-founder Brennan McEachran. (Portrait by Roberto Caruso) Brennan McEachran co-founded SoapBox Innovations in 2010. The platform for gathering employee ideas counts...
View ArticleHow playing with Lego can help your team communicate better
Got a shortage of talented hires? Build your own pipeline How cool would it be to solve every organizational problem by playing with Lego blocks? Jason Little is one of 70 Lego Serious Play...
View ArticleWhy developing friendships at work is so important
(Morsa Images/Getty) Anyone familiar with office life knows that it’s not exactly a non-stop thrill ride: the ceaseless emails, the unnecessarily confusing business jargon, the knock-down, drag-out...
View ArticleWhy you should help your employees pay off their student debt
(Illustration by Peter Arkle) It was an otherwise unremarkable day in mid-February when nascent computer scientist Evan Maynard received some tremendous news. In a meeting with his boss, Maynard, who...
View ArticleConsistently mean bosses are better than inconsistently nice ones
(Illustration by Kagan McLeod) A moody boss is even worse than a nasty one, according to new research from Michigan State University. “Our findings essentially show that employees are better off if...
View ArticleMen are less likely to seek help for depression in the workplace
(DreamPictures/Getty) When it comes to taking a sick day, a bad case of the flu isn’t the only thing keeping Canadians from coming in to work. According to Statistics Canada, over 500,000 Canadians...
View ArticleWhy you should stop sugar-coating all your feedback
(Illustration by Peter Arkle) At the Barrie, Ont., radio station where he works, Kirk Pearson is semi-affectionately known as “Captain.” The 34-year-old ad sales manager leads a team of 13, and among...
View ArticleWhy you might want to pay a professional to draw your next meeting
(Illustration by Kagan McLeod) Doodling during work might seen counterproductive, but it can actually be more helpful than you think. Or at least, that’s what Liisa Sorsa believes. Sorsa works for...
View ArticleHow to retain great employees? Make sure they know their purpose
(Illustration by Laura Weiszer) The decor at the Real Food for Real Kids building in downtown Toronto is a vibrant medley of bright hues. Step into the cooking facility and you’ll see epoxy flooring in...
View ArticleHow much should your company spend on employee benefits?
Employers competing for talent often want to offer vision care, but it can be too expensive for many small businesses. (Thomas Northcut/Getty) “How much you spend depends on the demographics of your...
View ArticleSeven telltale signs your employee is looking for a new job elsewhere
“I am so outta here.” (Thomas Barwick/Getty) Noticed any of the following behaviour in your workplace? Your people might be antsy and looking to leave: 1. Dressing for the job they want (somewhere...
View ArticleHow Canada’s Best Employers help people advance their careers
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View ArticleMoonlighting at other jobs makes your employees more creative and productive
(Illustration by Peter Arkle) It’s hack day at Shopify. A couple of times per quarter, the Ottawa-based software company lets its more than 1,500 employees goof off—kind of. “People get that time to...
View ArticleWorld’s best boss: the perfect holiday gifts to give your team this year
1 of 11 Previous Next Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Email The Niiiice List It’s that time of year again: time to lavish your staff with gifts that say thanks for all their great work. If you’re buying for...
View Article10 burning questions about millennials in the workplace, answered
With millennial employees now ascendant in workplaces across the land, managers are grappling with how to hire, retain and engage them. Canadian Business Senior Millennial Correspondent Anna...
View ArticleLiz Wiseman on why people love working for demanding bosses
“Multipliers” author Liz Wiseman. “We love the people who bring out our best.” The president of The Wiseman Group and author of Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter spoke with editor...
View ArticleCanadian employees feel less loyal to their companies than most
(Blend Images/Getty) Only 57% of Canadian employees feel loyal to their employer, a new ADP survey finds, substantially below the 70% global average, and Canadians are generally less optimistic about...
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