Work-Life Balance: Remember, it’s Saturday!

It was a glorious Saturday afternoon in early summer and I was hunched over a picnic table garnishing a hamburger when my cell phone rang. I had been in the middle of a good laugh after someone had told a delightful little anecdote but noticed it was one of my employees and, since they were calling me on the weekend, thought it must be something important.

I politely excused myself and gave my employee my undivided attention. I had handed him a rather large project from an important client and several weeks earlier had asked him how long it would take to complete the project. They were apologetic that this was the day that they had said they would be able to finish it, were almost at the finish line, but that friends had come in from out of town.

Before he could even finish his story I asked why he was working on the project when it was so beautiful outside. I told him quite succinctly to stop his work and go out and enjoy the rest of the day and not bother me until Monday.

When I returned to finish garnishing my burger, the group of acquaintances I was sharing this beautiful barbecue with looked at me with their mouths agape saying, “I wish you were my boss”.

“Telling an employee to enjoy life is a boss’ job,” I replied. And I truly mean that, for the following reasons:

1) I handpicked my employees and I trust each and every one of them. I also know that none of them slack off when it’s not time. I let him set the parameters of when the job would be completed, I understand the nature of his job and what it would take to actually complete the project, and I knew full well that his finishing it in a couple of days meant I wouldn’t have to break any promises to our client. So we’d stay in good standing regardless. My experience has shown that giving my employees a great deal of freedom has yielded better results.

2) There is no evidence that working longer hours makes a person more productive. In fact, there have been several studies that outline the benefit to a company’s bottom line by giving employees greater flexibility in their working hours and that overworking employees can have very negative effects. Some studies even go so far as to suggest that overworking an employee can lead to them suffering from a variety of health issues leading to them having to miss work. If that weren’t enough, at least one study, Impacts of Late Working Hours on Employee’s Performance: A Case Study on Engineers in Telecom Company of Pakistan, by Quereshi et al., even suggests that overworking an employee could lead to unethical behavior including, “sexual harassment and breaching the code of conduct of the organization”.

3) I know that if I behave erratically, or make irrational demands from my employees, that it makes them question if we are a good fit. Pushed too far and I could be down one employee and that can be worse than the work not being done on time. Although telling him, “Sorry bud, the work has got to get done” might not have been an irrational demand on my part in this particular instance, I’m still stating quite clearly to him that work is more important than his relationship with his friends.

What is more important?

So this does raise the question: what actually is more important, work or friends? Many people spend more of their time, in a given week, at work than anywhere else, so we are forced to make several considerations based on this fact. The first is that, if they are going to be asked to spend so much time there, is it too small a thing to ask that they enjoy themselves? Second, should work and life really be kept so separate and need to be kept in balance, or is work very much a part of life that should fit harmoniously with all the other aspects of existence that we engage in? And finally, in business, it’s important to remember that relationships are everything, and that the social capital you build in fostering them, whether with clients or with staff, will last with you for the rest of your life.

Etiquette in the Virtual Office Environment

The office is a constantly evolving environment. In fact, the tech boom has given rise to a brand new work environment unlike the world has ever seen. Globalization and the internet have transformed the way we do business, altering the landscape and changing the way workers, united under the banner of a common vocational purpose, interact and see a project to completion.

Online office environments, like oDesk and Elance, have become an increasingly common way to infuse expertise into small businesses by outsourcing skills and aspects of a project that may not fall within the core competencies of its key constituents. In fact, it is now possible to see a project from acorn to oak by building a workforce of contractors from around the world operating in a virtual office environment which tracks their time and progress.

Operating through the soft barrier and anonymity that is the internet, it’s easier than ever to be detached from some of the more mundane aspects of the job. In their infancy, virtual office environments were a breeding ground for employers looking to get something for nothing by offering the promise of work to desperate contractors. Thankfully, the market has found a way to regulate itself and, though the problem does still persist, it is no longer the norm. Employers will be keen to protect themselves from contractors looking to make a quick buck and leaving them in the lurch with poorly executed, or incomplete, work. On the other hand, most contractors will be inclined to protect themselves, and usually only want to be compensated fairly for their time and their expertise. It’s important to remember that there is an element of give and take that is essential to making the relationship function optimally.  

As tempting as it might be for an employer to contract the data entry services of someone working for $1 per hour in a distant country, there’s no guarantee that what is needed will be communicated effectively or that the work will be done correctly. One might even be persuaded to convince several prospective contractors to complete samples in order to prove that they are capable of completing the work and then running off with the aggregate without compensating a single contractor for their work.

When dealing with any contractor in an online environment the key is to first give them the benefit of the doubt. Knowing that they are capable of what they say they are is important and most will be able to provide a track record of successfully completed work. Inherent in the system of most E-offices is a feedback system and, although abuses are not unheard of, there is also some legitimacy to them and should be another factor to consider before making a hire. Lastly, reach out – a virtual office relationship is still a relationship and a quick Skype call can go a long way to establishing trust between contractor and employer. Employers demonstrate that they are the real deal, with honest money to pay for an honest service, and this informal interview process is usually enough to unveil the wizard behind the curtain.

No matter who you hire for what service, keeping the lines of communication open is essential and a “set it and forget it” mentality is never a recommended approach. As your business grows, so will your relationships and it’s important to nurture them and keep in mind that sacrificing some early returns can, with the right amount of patience, generate greater stability over the long haul. 

Great interview questions to ask when hiring your first employees

 

Starting your own business is exciting and also challenging… but you’re finally making your dreams come true of becoming your own boss.

You’ve worked out and tested your business plan. You have investors lined up and you’re ready to go. All you need now is the right staff.

There is always going to be a huge learning curve associated with any type of startup. Ideally, you shouldn’t weather that storm all alone. You should find capable workers who can support your plan. Part of the hiring process will involve interviewing your prospective employees. The following questions could become a good guide for the interview.

How are you with customer service?

The correct answer should be, “Awesome!” But don’t take their word for it. Run a few scenarios by them to see how they would handle a particular situation related to your business. Role playing is an effective way of seeing how this employee might handle a spontaneous situation especially one involving an irate customer.

Describe what it means to be adaptable. 

There’s no escaping that with a startup you’re going to have some days of genuine chaos. How will your new hire handle the pressure? Can they think on their feet? Will they need constant supervision? Ask them to discuss a previous work experience when the unexpected happened and how they adapted to that situation.

What was the last project you worked through successfully?

Hopefully, the candidate you’re interviewing will have had some experience relating to your business. They should be able to talk about a previous work project they either initiated or were put in charge of. What did they learn from that experience? What mistakes did they make?

How would you rate your drive to succeed?

It’s easy to find workers who punch in, do their tasks and punch out. They get the job done but don’t go that extra mile. If you’re excited about starting your business then you want someone who is going to share your enthusiasm.

How do you resolve employee conflicts?

Hiring a staff means you’re hiring multiple personalities. In the best case scenario everyone will work in harmony but we all know that is a lofty goal to achieve. Even if the person you’re interviewing is just for a staff position you still want to get a sense of how they’ll get along with the rest of your team. Communicate your goals and then see if they “get it.”

One of the best indicators of a good employee is through their references. Ask the references similar questions about the candidate. Look for consistencies in the responses. If there is any inconsistency, find out why.

Can You Hire Unpaid Interns to Help Your Startup?

It certainly takes a lot of staff to get a business up and running. Along with the full salaried employees, many business owners have turned towards the idea of bringing on unpaid interns as a way of supplementing the staff needs. The Ministry of Labour has very specific guidelines when it comes to bringing these types of workers into your business. The first thing you have to determine is if your intern fits the official definition of an intern.

As classified by the ESA (Employment Standards Act) an intern is “an individual who performs work under a program approved by a college of applied arts and technology or a university.”

A person who falls under that classification is excluded from being designated as an employee and therefore doesn’t have to conform to the ESA requirements for that type of worker. However, there are some possible complications. The ESA defines an employee as one or more of the following:

a)      a person…who performs work for an employer for wages,

b)      a person who supplies services to an employer for wages,

c)      a person who receives training from a person who is an employer, as set out in subsection (2) For the purposes of clause (c) of the definition of “employee” in subsection (1), an individual receiving training from a person who is an employer is an employee of that person if the skill in which the individual is being trained is a skill used by the person’s employees, unless all of the following conditions are met:

a.       The training is similar to that which is given in a vocational school.

b.      The training is for the benefit of the individual.

c.       The person providing the training derives little, if any, benefit from the activity of the individual while he or she is being trained.

d.      The individual does not displace employees of the person providing the training.

e.       The individual is not accorded a right to become an employee of the person providing the training.

f.       The individual is advised that he or she will receive no remuneration for the time that he or she spends in training.”

Obviously, that is a lot to sort through. The best course of action is to contact the Ministry of Labour before hiring an intern to make sure you’ll be in compliance. You might also look into programs where the government will provide funds to your business if you hire a post-secondary student for a 12 week internship.

Strictly speaking, you’ll need to pay for 25% of this person’s salary but the government will step in and fund the rest. This applies only to companies with fewer than 500 employees who have been in business for a year or longer and it is only for improving a company’s e-commerce website.

It could be the perfect way to get a fresh approach for your business!