National data recently revealed a significant decline in Canadians changing jobs, marking the lowest rate since 2020. With fewer new job opportunities and increased competition among workers, job hopping is no longer as feasible as it was in 2021.
While employers benefit from employees staying put, employees may miss out on valuable chances to negotiate substantial salary increases that were once attainable through frequent job changes.
Techtalent.ca sat down with Kevin Kliman, CEO and Co-Founder of Humi, Canada’s best-in-one benefits, payroll, and HR platform, to talk about how companies can improve their employee experience so they don’t feel trapped.
Tell us a little more about Humi’s current solutions and offerings. How do they work?
KK: Our mission is simple yet ambitious – to help Canadian companies be great employers, through simplifying payroll, HR, benefits, and anything else employment-related.
Humi provides employers with a seamless overview of every aspect of the employee journey, from recruitment and onboarding to performance management, benefits administration, and payroll. By streamlining these processes, we free up valuable time and resources, allowing employers to focus on tasks that truly drive employee satisfaction, engagement, and overall business growth.
Our commitment to Canadian businesses also goes beyond providing a robust and user-friendly platform. We strive to build meaningful partnerships with our clients, offering ongoing support and guidance in employing Canadians. We understand the unique challenges faced by organizations of all sizes, and we are dedicated to helping them navigate the complex world of HR and payroll with ease.
With the recent significant decline in Canadians changing jobs, how can companies leverage benefits to improve the overall employee experience and ensure that employees don’t feel trapped in their current roles?
KK: As employers, it’s important for us to acknowledge and be sensitive to the fact that just because employees aren’t changing jobs now, it doesn’t mean that they don’t want to. The question is how can we create work environments that make them want to stay and grow with us.
One way is by offering attractive and comprehensive benefit packages. Benefits are as important as paychecks these days and companies can create an environment that fosters loyalty, engagement, and long-term commitment if they offer benefits that align with what their employees need. Some of these benefits include a competitive compensation package, enhanced health and wellness benefits, flexible work arrangements, professional development opportunities, employee assistance programs (EAPs), recognition and reward programs, and more.
Listening to employees is crucial in understanding what matters to them. How can companies effectively listen to their employees’ needs and preferences?
KK: There are so many ways that employers can practice effective listening to create a positive work environment and foster employee engagement. We often talk about maintaining open communication channels between employers and employees, but what I think will really encourage employees to share their honest feedback is understanding during check-ins. Employers should also do all they can to make it easier for employees to do their jobs effectively.
Companies can also implement other effective communication channels like regular team meetings, suggestion boxes, or dedicated platforms like Humi that give HR teams accurate overviews of employee performance. Beyond that, regular check-ins and one-on-one meetings with managers and team leads are essential for employees to discuss their goals, challenges, and overall satisfaction.
Once they have gathered this feedback, how can they work with experts to develop a plan that adds value for employees and encourages them to utilize the provided benefits?
KK: It’s the job of the manager to deliver feedback in a constructive manner. The conversation(s) should be as much a trust-building and career-development exercise, as it is geared toward company goals.
As Canada’s best-in-one benefits, payroll, and HR platform, what are some of the steps that Humi is taking internally to ensure continued employee engagement? Tell us about some of the initiatives or programs that Humi has implemented to create a more engaging and fulfilling work environment.
KK: Our in-house programs were designed to achieve our goals of supporting employees, so we continue to invest in creating an engaging work environment where our teams feel valued, supported, and motivated.
At Humi, we have a professional development budget for any team member who wishes to level up their skill set(s). We also have half-day Fridays to encourage work-life balance and regular feedback/performance sessions to get clear alignment on employee goals so that we can help them grow.
Tell us about the solutions that Humi offers to Canadian businesses that can help them tackle the issue of employees feeling trapped in their current jobs.
KK: One of our top features is our performance management system which tracks employee goals and feedback from both employer and employee. We recognize that every team member in an organization has unique goals and needs. Our performance management system allows employers to customize performance reviews to match different team dynamics, fostering transparency, open communication, efficiency, and productivity no matter the team structure.
This flexibility in performance reviews also allows employers to build a culture of continuous development and improvement, ensuring that employees constantly feel challenged and engaged. By providing employers with the tools to prioritize employee growth, we aim to support Canadian businesses in maintaining a thriving workforce.
In today’s dynamic job market, attracting and retaining top talent is critical. How do you assist companies in creating a culture that supports employee growth and development?
KK: We reduce the time required for administrative tasks so that it can be better used to further engage with and support employees within the business. This gives HR teams and employers more bandwidth to understand employee needs, identify specific areas for development and improvement and ultimately, put together the necessary steps to help each team member achieve their goals.
Employee engagement is vital in preventing feelings of being trapped at work. What strategies/tools do you recommend for companies to measure and improve employee engagement?
KK: Companies should focus on building trust with their employees. Leaders should also work on developing their gut instincts when interacting with teams, and keep an open mind to receive feedback from their employees. For a company with less than a couple hundred employees, no set of data will do what time and attention the people who build the business can give you.