NOVEMBER 2023HR TECH OUTLOOK EUROPE 19Do you have a plan to support a gender-transitioning employee? Organizations should have a clear policy in place with steps on how they would ensure the safety, comfort and productivity of a transitioning employee. Situations must be handled delicately, respectfully and compassionately ­ and while every situation is unique, it's best to have a general framework prepared in advance. Are the general holidays you recognize relevant to your employees? Many of our traditional public holidays are rooted in Christian customs and/or colonial history. If your jurisdiction permits, consider allowing for holiday substitution, or add additional fixed or floating general holidays to meet the needs of your employees.Is your dress code inclusive of all genders and cultures? Hopefully your policy does not still reference suggested attire for women and men. Also, remove requirements around hairstyles or facial hair that are not bona fide occupational requirements, and may exclude employees of some races and cultures. Have you clearly defined your expectations around employees' ability to disconnect? One of the positive outcomes of the pandemic has been the re-evaluation of the traditional ways of working. But the proliferation of technology that enables flexible working arrangements has also blurred the dividing line between work and personal time. Many jurisdictions now require organizations to have a clearly-worded "Right to Disconnect" policy. Even if your province is not one of them, consider providing clear guidelines on when your employees are on and off the clock. Are you meeting employees' expectations regarding work-life balance? Around the globe, the four-day work week experiment is gaining traction. If your organization has already made the switch, congratulations on being an early adopter. If you haven't, or have no intention of doing so ­ know that many of your competitors (including those outside your industry but with whom you will compete for talent) have. Aside from a shortened work week, how else can your policies support work-life balance? Is your vacation policy flexible? Do you offer paid personal days, or family leave days? Are you completely flexible with starting and quitting times and remote work options? Employees are increasingly favouring flexibility in all its forms over other workplace benefits and compensation. If your organization has not adapted, your recruitment and retention efforts may be vulnerable. Do your policies empower your leaders to look after their teams? Nothing causes employees to disengage faster than a rigidly-applied rule that could easily be flexed. Smart team leaders recognize this, and want to say "yes" to their employees as often as possible. Policies should include language to allow your leaders the discretion to deal with shades of grey and approve reasonable employee requests ­ even when they may be slightly offside with a policy. Remember: even skyscrapers are designed with enough give to gently sway in the wind ­ organizational policies should have a similar amount of flexibility built in.When developing employee engagement and retention strategies, leaders have a tendency to gravitate towards the quick wins: bowling, pizza lunches, escape rooms, and the like. Cheeky internet memes aside, these types of activities are not without merit. But one-off activities will not deliver meaningful change in the employee workplace experience, or their perceptions of their company, workplace, or leader. A fulsome review of your policy language ­ and careful monitoring to ensure team leader behaviours are aligned with those policies ­ is a much more sustainable way to boost employee engagement, retain your best employees, and win the war for talent. Employees are constantly reassessing their `fit' with their employer, not just in terms of salary and benefits, but also from an organization culture standpoint
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