By Kiljon Shukullari, HR Advice Manager at Peninsula Canada

As we all try to enjoy the last few weeks of summer, many employers face the challenge of declining productivity in the workplace. With employees returning from vacations and adjusting to the changing routines, companies will notice a dip in engagement.

It’s no secret that productivity can decrease during the summer months. However, employers should have policies and strategies in place to maintain the same level of focus and efficiency as in other months, while still promoting a healthy work-life balance.

In one study, 41 percent of employees said they are less productive during the summer months. This could lead to delays in projects, missed deadlines, and overall lower employee morale. As the end of summer approaches, it’s crucial for employers to address this slump head-on to ensure a smooth transition into the fall and the final few months of the year.

Luckily, there are strategies employers can put into place to ensure the business continues to run smoothly.

If you don’t already, consider offering flexible work schedules. This can help your team maintain a work-life balance, which in turn can lead to increased productivity and job satisfaction.

Many go on vacation during the summer months. This is a great time to re-engage your team with collaborative activities. Team-building exercises, workshops, or even a company-wide end-of-summer celebration can help boost morale and strengthen team bonds.

Another key factor to focus on is wellbeing. Ensure your employees are taking care of their physical and mental health. Encourage breaks, provide wellness resources, and promote a culture that values well-being. A healthy workforce is a productive one.

As the summer season winds down, we urge employers to proactively address the productivity slump. By implementing these strategies, companies can ensure that their teams are energized, focused, and ready to tackle the challenges of the upcoming months.

A global leader in HR and health & safety consulting, Peninsula has been supporting small and medium businesses for 40 years. We are trusted by over 140,000 SMBs globally. In Canada, we helped over 6,500 SMBs with tailored HR documentation, 24/7 employer advice, and provide employment management software. We pride ourselves on delivering a service that mitigates risk, adds value, and allows businesses to focus their time on what matters most.

Read more articles of our back issues of HR Advisor here…

Donald Cooper is a Toronto-based management speaker and business coach. Using his vast experience as a manufacturer (Cooper Canada sports equipment) and an award-winning retailer, Cooper has helped thousands of companies in over 40 industries around the world to create compelling customer value, clarity of purpose, and long-term profitability.

Failure to get things done and failure to deal with non-performance are two of the biggest challenges in many businesses today. Effective management starts with clarity. In fact, as business owners, leaders, and managers, our first job is clarity about the compelling value we commit to deliver, the bottom line we commit to generate, what we commit to become in three to five years, how we’re going to get there, and how we commit to behave along the way.

Many great ideas can come from the bottom up in an organization, but clarity can only come from the top down. From clarity comes a culture of commitment, urgency, accountability, and profitability.

Stop talking about “goals, targets, aims, and objectives” in your business and your life. These are weak and wishy-washy words that leave way too much wiggle room to not perform. Nobody cares what we aim to do. They want to know what we commit to do.

Quick tip that changes everything. Every time you give someone a task or project, ask them the simple 10-word question that changes everything: “By when can we agree that this will be completed?” Negotiate a reasonable commitment, document it, and follow up. The world is run by those who follow up!

Reward success and deal quickly but fairly with non-performance. The problem is that non-performers often fly under the radar because there are no clear standards of performance, appearance, and behaviour—or performance is not being measured. Then, many businesses fail to deal with non-performance because managers don’t like having difficult conversations, or they choose to tolerate non-performers rather than do the work to find a replacement. They adopt the “better the devil we know” position.

Neither of these options will end well!

Walmart Canada is the latest company to adjust its stores’ environments to suit individuals who suffer from hypersensitivity to sights, sounds, or smells.

Now, all 403 Walmart stores in Canada have joined their U.S. counterparts to offer sensory-friendly hours. Those times start from when the stores open until 10 a.m. every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

Shoppers will experience a calmer environment with minimal sensory stimuli. Among other things, the stores will turn down their lighting, avoid playing background music, and limit announcements over their PA systems to emergencies.

In a release, the company said that about one-third of the population experiences sensory sensitivity or overload. More than 25 diagnoses or differences can contribute to it, according to Sensory Friendly Solutions. Noises, especially random sounds, can be loud and overbearing. Lights can often be too bright, and even displays with scents can be upsetting. The purpose with the new program is to “create a more inclusive shopping experience for all.”

The retailer follows the lead of its U.S. parent company. There, Walmart instituted sensory caring hours in November 2023.

Retail staff face a rise in violent attacks, especially in shops with high-value products that are easy to resell. Hardware stores and building centres, with their pricey power tools and specialty products, make them targets of shoplifters—including teams of thieves that are part of the rise in organized retail crime.

In the UK, workers in food shops are taking extra measures. Pret a Manger (store pictured), a chain of coffee and bakery shops, has given body cameras to their retail teams in six stores in an effort to combat violent behaviour from customers and keep their staff safe.

According to a company spokesperson, “We started trialling body-worn cameras in a small number of our shops as a new safety measure. These are only being worn by team leaders or managers, and are only turned on in specific circumstances.”

The cameras will not be on continuously; the individual managers would turn them on at their discretion. The retailer also put up signage in the stores to inform customers of the presence of the new technology. Access to any footage recorded will be viewed by Pret a Manger’s security team only.

This trend is not restricted to British retailers. Many large U.S. retailers are doing the same. TJX, which operates TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and HomeGoods stores, is equipping security staff in some of its stores with body cameras.

According to a survey of major chains last year by the (U.S.) National Retail Federation, 35 percent of U.S. retailers reported that they were researching providing body cameras for their workers.

By Michelle Ann Zoleta, Health & Safety Advice Manager,

HR and health & safety consultancy Peninsula Canada

Provinces across the country have been experiencing above-average temperatures, resulting in heat warnings. Ontario has had its fair share of extreme heat warnings, and now British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan are experiencing record-breaking heat waves of their own.

So far, there have been over 100 heat warnings and with tens of thousands of staff working outdoors in this industry, it’s crucial for employers to do everything they can do to keep staff safe. In fact, it is their legal responsibility to do so.

To address these challenges, employers can implement comprehensive measures to ensure the safety and well-being of staff.

Providing adequate hydration. Ensure that all staff have access to plenty of cool drinking water and encourage regular water breaks to prevent dehydration.

Schedule work strategically. Schedule staff to work during cooler parts of the day, such as early morning or late afternoon. This will help to avoid peak hours under the sun.

Offering protective clothing. Encourage staff to wear lightweight, breathable, and light-coloured clothing, as well as wide-brimmed hats and sunglasses. Provide sunscreen to protect from harmful UV rays.

Implement a heat stress prevention program. It’s important to implement a comprehensive heat stress prevention program tailored to the specific needs of the worksite and tasks.

Have an emergency plan. All workers must be informed of the location of first-aid stations and be aware of emergency procedures. First-aid supplies should be stocked, and emergency contacts must be readily available.

A global leader in HR and health & safety consulting, Peninsula has been supporting small and medium businesses for 40 years. We are trusted by over 140,000 SMBs globally. In Canada, we helped over 6,500 SMBs with tailored HR documentation, 24/7 employer advice, and provide employment management software. We pride ourselves on delivering a service that mitigates risk, adds value, and allows businesses to focus their time on what matters most.

Portrait of Deborah Craven President of Longos for the Cover of Canadian Grocer magazine

Last month, we summarized a presentation by Deb Craven, president of Longo’s grocery chain in southern Ontario. Craven was giving a talk on how she increased employee engagement at Longo’s when she was appointed president last summer—and how she plans to keep it increasing in the years ahead. Here, we present some more of her ideas, this time on effective listening.

Craven started by looking at the employee engagement numbers, which Longo’s had collected, by department, for a number of years. Employee engagement can be defined as the level of enthusiasm and dedication a worker has toward their job. Obviously, in retail, a low level of employee engagement will kill traffic, sales, and ultimately the company.

Longo’s was (and is) a highly successful regional chain of grocery stores, but it was the stalled employee engagement levels that bothered Craven the most. She reported to a Retail Council of Canada HR seminar that the number of Longo’s employees that said they were engaged was 67 percent in 2023 and 2022, down from 69 percent in 2021.

Craven knew that Generation Z are entering the workforce en masse. This generation, born between 1997 and 2012, is motivated by being heard. If they have good ideas and insights, they will shut down and find another job when they feel they can’t express those ideas. Craven decided to listen to her workforce first, before prescribing any changes.

Here are some tips for being a better retail leader by really working on your listening skills. Craven tried to practise all of them. Something must have worked because Longo’s is heading in the right direction again on employee engagement.

Maintain eye contact. Giving an employee focused attention by looking right at them while they are speaking is highly important. Head nodding and a relaxed posture present a non-verbal way to say that you are paying attention. Glancing at your phone while an employee is making a point is almost a guarantee that you will have non-engaged employees.

When listening, do not focus on what you are going to say next. One management expert called this the difference between being “interested” and being “interesting.” It’s not about you. It’s about the employee.

Check your understanding. Summarizing what you think you’ve just heard is the most important part of replying, when the employee has finished. (Craven advises using pregnant pauses, leaving silences, when an employee has stopped talking—to encourage the real nugget of their communication to emerge.) The employee will feel heard, and they will correct any misunderstandings you have had about their points.

The summer of 2024 has already proven to be a scorcher. Environment and Climate Change Canada is forecasting continued heat through the remainder of the summer, leaving many retailers with the challenge of keeping their teams cool and comfortable during prolonged heat waves.

Lumberyards in particular face unique challenges due to the outdoor and physical nature of the job. Many companies are taking steps to keep their teams safe and educated.

Michael Allen, co-owner of three-store B.H. Allen Building Centres in B.C. (North Vancouver, Powell River, and Salmon Arm) said he has seen the effect of extreme heat on his employees the past two years.

A study by Loughborough University in the U.K. entitled “Workers’ Health and Productivity Under Occupational Heat Strain” found that 30 percent of workers reported productivity declines due to heat stress, with an average 2.6 percent drop for every degree increase above 24° Celsius.

Allen said his company has taken steps to make working in the lumberyards safer. Provision for adequate shelter and hydration was immediately improved.

“We have covered drive-through yards in two of our locations, so that helps to get [workers] out of the heat,” he said, adding that the company has also taken steps to enhance his team’s comfort during excessive summer heat, as well as throughout the year.

“We have store-supplied water 365 days a year, and in some cases, we have installed air conditioning in our outdoor kiosks,” he said. The company also takes measures to make beating the heat fun. “On really hot days, we will offer an ice-cold popsicle or two for all the employees.”

Allen noted the company takes protecting its staff seriously and advises wearing proper sun protection all summer long. That includes using sunscreen regularly and remaining hydrated.

(See also Peninsula HR’s hot weather worker tips at the bottom of this newsletter.)

The Covid pandemic threw the entire retail sector for a loop, but it was particularly challenging for big box stores, who had to deal with staff shortages and restrictions on the categories of merchandise that could be sold.

At Lowe’s Whitby, which has since become RONA+ Whitby, store manager Paul Santos had the job of ensuring that his team had the support they needed to provide customers with the care they required. That included recognizing their talents and offering opportunities for advancement where appropriate.

As consumer anxiety and frustration mounted during the pandemic, staff needed more than solid product knowledge, and the team at Whitby rose to the occasion. They were able to provide an extraordinary level of service under the circumstances, which contributed to RONA+ Whitby receiving the Outstanding Retailer Award last year in the Large-Surface Retailer category.

At this store, the holistic approach to training goes beyond learning in-store. A student incentive program rewards returning summer students with up to $500 per year. They can also benefit from a tuition reimbursement of up to $1,500 dollars annually.

Meanwhile, the store’s sales doubled over the past decade—even logging gains in 2022, when much of the industry was starting to soften. With a staff of more than 150 people working in a store that’s 150,000 square feet in size, Santos recognizes the value of developing his people.

He’s proud to note that over the course of his career at Lowe’s and then RONA+, he has seen three assistant store managers(ASM) promoted to store managers and five associates promoted to ASM. Ten of his associates have been made department managers and two ASMs have gone on to roles at the district level.

“A very important part of my job is to identify talent within the store and ensure associates have the opportunity for advancement, reaching their career and financial goals,” said Santos, “and bettering their lives as well as the lives of their families.”

By HR and health & safety consultancy Peninsula Canada

June is Pride Month. It’s all about recognizing and celebrating the diversity that strengthens organizations and the vibrant LGBTQ2+ community. It’s also a great opportunity for businesses to come together and set high standards of their commitment to inclusivity and diversity within the workplace.

By setting a high standard, organizations aim to inspire others to follow in their footsteps in creating an inclusive workplace. How to create an LGBTQ2+ inclusive workplace?

One of the most important steps employers can take to support the LGBTQ2+ community is to create a culture that is welcoming, accepting, and supportive of diversity. This can involve several different strategies, including:

• Developing an anti-discrimination policy that explicitly includes sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression as protected grounds.
• Providing regular training to all employees on issues related to diversity and inclusion, including LGBTQ2+ issues.
• Ensuring that all employees are aware of the company’s commitment to creating a safe and inclusive workplace culture and encouraging them to report any instances of discrimination or harassment.
• Celebrating diversity and promoting inclusion through company-wide events, such as LGBTQ2+ Pride Month celebrations or other cultural events that are important to members of the LGBTQ2+ community.
• Providing resources and support for employees who may be struggling with issues related to their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression, such as counselling services or access to support groups.

Inclusivity enhances business success by improving employee engagement, expanding market reach, and building a positive brand reputation. It leads to better decision-making and drives financial performance by leveraging diverse perspectives and creating a welcoming work environment that attracts top talent and loyal customers.

A global leader in HR and health & safety consulting, Peninsula has been supporting small and medium businesses for 40 years. We are trusted by over 140,000 SMBs globally. In Canada, we helped over 6,500 SMBs with tailored HR documentation, 24/7 employer advice, and provide employment management software. We pride ourselves on delivering a service that mitigates risk, adds value, and allows businesses to focus their time on what matters most.

Portrait of Deborah Craven President of Longos for the Cover of Canadian Grocer magazine

Deb Craven is the first non-family member to be president of Ontario grocery chain Longo’s. She came to Longo’s five years ago—where she is now president since June 2023—after a stint in Calgary as senior vice-president of finance for two of Canadian Tire Corp.’s biggest brands: Sport Chek and Mark’s. She recently gave a presentation on how Longo’s management lifted employee engagement.

“Listening is a core competency. People don’t do it very well.”

Those blunt words were at the core of Deb Craven’s recent presentation on Longo’s “listening” project, in which the 39-store southern Ontario grocery chain conducted meetings with its various departments to find out what employees really felt about their jobs—and what could be improved.

Craven made the remarks at the Retail Council of Canada’s HR conference, held in April.

When Craven, a grocery industry outsider, arrived at Longo’s, one of her first challenges was changing the employee engagement numbers. They had stalled.

For years, Longo’s had made it a habit of measuring employee engagement through a survey sent out to all 6,000 of the company’s employees. The percentage of Longo’s employees that were engaged—a measure of employee morale and job satisfaction—had been 68 percent in 2020, 69 percent in 2021, and then 67 percent in 2022 and 2023. “We were stuck,” Craven said.

Liz Volk, the grocery chain’s chief human resources officer, pointed out to Craven that those were just numbers—without much context. There was a need to dig deeper into the stalled numbers and find out what was holding employees back. Volk proposed “listening sessions” with the staff and Craven agreed.

To get useful information, it was decided to focus on specific departments of the firm for each session. The distribution centre staff, which had “been through the ringer,” Craven says, after a recent massive expansion, were chosen for an early listening session. The engagement numbers had actually gone down in the warehouse.

Craven and Volk agreed to “engage with them and listen to them. Let’s not assume we know what the problem is.”

The virtual platform Microsoft Teams was chosen for the first session, Craven said. This was a mistake. “It was a long hour. A lot of crickets. The lesson was: don’t start a new initiative where you hope to get feedback on Teams!”

Subsequently, live sessions were tried. “Holding the sessions in person is well worth the investment.” Employees were arranged at tables of four, with a leader from each table reporting to the larger group. That arrangement provided anonymity, Craven said.

Listening sessions have been extended to most departments at Longo’s, including marketing, merchandising, HR, supply chain, and others. “We’ve seen significant improvement in the engagement survey we just completed with our DC team.”

Craven, as a new president in an unfamiliar industry, said that the sessions gave her confidence.

The upper management, of course, had presuppositions about what was holding the employees back from full engagement. “We thought it was salary/compensation,” Craven said. “But it wasn’t.”

For any retailers thinking of trying their own listening sessions to see what can be improved, Craven had some tips for senior leaders. “Leave pauses [when people are speaking]. Don’t fill in those pauses with your interpretation of what you’ve heard. Have a good poker face. Prepare for a lot of emotions. Have someone as a scribe so you can focus on the conversations.”