Should you help your employees manage their money?

Instead of beating around the bush, let’s tackle the most obvious item first. Yes, employees care about money. Of course they do. They have lives to live and families to feed. But most company leaders don’t have the luxury of being able to endow everyone with astronomical salaries.

In a recent blog article, future-of-work expert Anita Lettink offers an interesting new perspective: How about offering employees help to manage their money??

It can be a great way to support employees’ (financial) well-being and benefit the company:

• Financial literacy for more focus: Employees gain financial skills, allowing for more clearheadedness and focus on the work at hand. This increases overall productivity and quality.
• Well-being for more consistency: Less (financial) stress means better employee health. That translates into fewer absences and more consistent in performance.
• Long term two-way engagement: Feeling supported, makes a person feel valued. An employer who shows real engagement in the employee’s long-term financial well-being will get the same engagement in return. Great for team morale and work culture.?

? Pointerpro tip: To determine whether your employees need or want your involvement - and showcase the type of support and advice you could deliver -? why not start out with an assessment and auto-generate a short feedback report?

As Anita points out in the article as well, if you consider taking on this type of commitment to your employees, it’s crucial to be genuine. The goal is not to trade in salary for financial advice. It’s to offer a valuable service to your most important stakeholders.?

Last but not least, the importance of transparency cannot be overstated. Privacy and liability can be tricky issues. Some thought-provoking seeds for contemplation, nonetheless.??

The crucial importance of communication in the workplace

Whatever forward-thinking workplace initiative you may undertake next, communication will be vital for its success.

Wait… Was that the sound of an open door being kicked down? Yes, I heard it too.

But in a recent Workology podcast episode, HR consultant Leanne Lagasse and host Jessica Miller-Merrel echo some important reasons why communication is so essential and how to get things right.?

Some of the points raised in their discussion are more than worthy of emphasis:?

• Employees consume information in diverse ways, especially in remote or hybrid settings. To get a message across to everyone, you need multiple channels, Be mindful of using the right ones. “The medium is the message,” at least in part, remember?????
• It’s a common pitfall to over-tailor the tone or details of a message to the receiver. Ultimately people become misaligned that way. Deliver your message uniformly across all organizational levels. Consistency leads to clarity and trust.
• In communication, receiving a message well is just as important as delivering it. Promote active listening as a core element of your company culture. That way everyone’s voice is heard, including people who aren’t verbal virtuosos. If you ask me, surveys are great for leveling the playing field in this respect. This is one of many reasons I believe thoughtful surveys will never go out of fashion.?

The conversation also points out the importance of communication as a skill - for everyone, not just for leaders. It’s the best and most direct way to promote clearer and healthier workplace interactions. Check it out on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

ESG reporting done right (and efficiently)

Besides their own financial well-being and clear communication, employees also value a company’s environmental and social engagement. And of course, they want their employer to lead the company ethically and responsibly.

In fact, that’s what all company stakeholders want: employees, customers, investors, partners, and regulators alike.

And that’s why regular ESG reporting has become so important. But it’s not an easy trick to assemble an ESG report.?

Or is it? In the latest Pointerpro blog article, we discuss what makes ESG reporting so challenging, but also how you can make the process more accurate, consistent, and transparent.?

Would it surprise you if I said automated, questionnaire-based reports are part of the trick?

As the image above suggests, it all starts with breaking down the ESG criteria, or “categories,” into smaller dimensions and questions. Enjoy the read!

Recent and upcoming Pointerpro Academy webinars:

• “How to build your unique assessment with ChatGPT” by Jeroen De Rore (Join the webinar)
• "CSS for non-developers" by Bruno Pauwels (Watch recording)?
• “5 ways you’re not using assessments yet (and why you should)” by me (Watch recording)
• “Dashboard Builder: Create visual dashboards for any stakeholder” by Nataliia Deineha ???? (Watch recording)

On point will bring you more insights and tips in two weeks.

Meanwhile, I'd love to know whether you find these newsletters useful. So feel free to DM me.

Stefan

* Disclaimer: All images and articles are property of their respective owners and are used for educational and informational purposes only.