Credit: volurol/Adpbe Stock
Most people are happy with their jobs. According to PEW Research, 51% are highly satisfied with their jobs overall. If people feel a sense of purpose and responsibility in their work, they generally try to get in and get their job done. How can the company support them? How can the firm show appreciation to its employees when the winter weather is brutal?
- Get the parking lot plowed early. This is likely already arranged with a commercial contractor. If your employees have struggled getting out of their driveway (residential plowing often takes a back seat to commercial contracts) and driven to work, those final few feet should be as pleasant as possibly, under the circumstances. The message should be: "You made the effort to get here. We made the effort too."
- Offer hot chocolate. Your firm likely has a cafeteria or coffee machines in break rooms. It is obviously winter outside and the temperature can be brutal. It can be windy too. Hot chocolate is a seasonal beverage. It can seem like a reward when you come in from the cold and preparation when you are venturing back out again.
- Close early on stormy days. Storms sometimes happen midday, continuing through the night. Your employees have been able to get in, yet are anxious about getting home. If weather conditions are forecast to deteriorate, send everyone home early. It's unlikely trucks will be making deliveries. Try to get by with a skeleton staff.
- Some people cannot get home. The office might need to stay open for lots of reasons. Someone needs to be on-site to answer phones, make decisions or provide security. If they cannot leave before the storm, put them up at a nearby hotel for the night.
- Bring your child to work. Sometimes schools have delayed openings or close entirely. This presents a problem for parents. How can they provide childcare and leave the house to go to work. Be flexible, allowing employees to bring their children with them.
- Be prepared for car problems. It is great if employee parking is provided inside a structure. Other firms have large parking lots. You can plow the aisles, but cars might be covered in snow. Many drivers prepare for this eventuality, but it is a good idea to have a supply of shovels, brushes, grit for traction, battery cables and jump starters. You want the firm to be part of the solution.
- Bring in lunch and healthy snacks. People will not want to go out in bad weather. Your building might have a cafeteria. If not, some people might decide to skip lunch and stay at their desks. This is not healthy. Plan ahead. Make arrangements for a hot lunch. Have healthy snacks in the break rooms.
- Be agreeable to working from home. Many firms have transitioned back to working behind a desk in the central office. Now the weather makes it difficult if not impossible. Unless the employee's role is customer-facing, in person, how about letting people work from home on stormy days? Work still gets done and people stay safe.
- Arrive late or leave early? No problem. If your employees are willing to brave the elements to get into work, make it as easy as possible for them. There are plenty of reasons their commute isn't working today. Be appreciative they made the effort to get in, not critical because of lost time.
- Serve breakfast at work. Some employees might need to leave home extra early to get their children to school. Others need to allow extra time for their morning commute. Breakfast at home might be a casualty. Provide hot food like oatmeal and other breakfast foods at work on stormy days.
- Are your missing employees okay? Not everyone is showing up for work. People are missing. You do not want to appear to be checking on them, but develop a system to call around and confirm they are okay. They might not have been able to get out of their house. They might be involved in an accident. Properly done, this shows you care about people as individuals.
- Hot meals to take home. If the weather is bad, people might not be able to stop off on the way home for groceries. They might be single people who rely on takeout food. Stores might be closed. Consider having hot "to go" meals for people who will need them.
Related: Focused on flexibility: What benefits really deliver for younger employees?
Hopefully you do not have many major winter storms. Work is a team effort. If your employees are making the effort to get in, you can make an extra effort to support them.
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Bryce Sanders
Bryce Sanders, president of Perceptive Business Solutions Inc., has provided training for the financial services industry on high-net-worth client acquisition since 2001. He trains financial professionals on how to identify prospects within the wealthiest 2%-5% of their market, where to meet and socialize with them, how to talk with wealthy people and develop personal relationships, and how to transform wealthy friends into clients. Bryce spent 14 years with a major financial services firm as a successful financial advisor, two years as a district sales manager and four years as a home office manager. He developed personal relationships within the HNW community through his past involvement as a Trustee of the James A. Michener Art Museum, Board of Associates for the Bucks County Chapter of the Fox Chase Cancer Center, Board of Trustees for Stevens Institute of Technology and as a church lector. Bryce has been published in American City Business Journals, Barrons, InsuranceNewsNet, BenefitsPro, The Register, MDRT Round the Table, MDRT Blog, accountingweb.com, Advisorpedia and Horsesmouth.com. In Canada, his articles have appeared in Wealth Professional. He is the author of the book “Captivating the Wealthy Investor.”
