Frontline workers represent the majority of our workforce but are often the most overlooked and underappreciated.

Culture can make or break an employee's experience with your organization. For that reason, it's crucial that managers bring their company's culture to life. When they connect day to day performance back to the mission, vision, and values, they're able to effectively reinforce the "why," celebrate individual impact, and show employees that they are part of a team that values them. A positive and supportive culture can actively increase engagement and retention, so for the month of May, Truvelop's content was all about equipping managers with the tools to effectively drive their organization's culture.

Building a culture of trust and empowerment is important not only to employee retention but also to improving mental health in the workplace.

According to the US Surgeon General, 76% of US workers reported at least one symptom of a mental health condition. Additionally, 84% stated that their workplace contributed to at least one mental health challenge.

At Truvelop, we know that change isn't just manager-driven. Employees have the ability to drive their own experience and create an environment that inspires growth and engagement. That's why Truvelop sends out monthly Truvelop Tips directly to the employees of each of our clients. Here's an excerpt from May's Truvelop Tip: Live the Culture. 

Using data to inform decisions help managers to be confident that they are taking the right steps to help their team succeed, however, a 2022 survey revealed that 42% of companies are not using predictive analytics, and only 20% of organizations are using analytics extensively, according to an article from SHRM.

According to the CDC, “nearly 1 in 5 US adults aged 18 or older (18.3% or 44.7 million people) reported any mental illness…Many people with mental health disorders also need care for other physical health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, respiratory illness, and disorders that affect muscles, bones, and joints.”

April was all about investing time and energy into your people and their development.  Our world is evolving, and with that, there's been a shift in what skills organizations are looking for.  Developing the necessary concrete skills for a specific role will always be a priority, but more and more organizations are seeing the need to develop soft skills like complex problem solving, emotional intelligence, and social influence.  When organizations and managers invest in professional growth for their employees, they see an increase in engagement, motivation, retention, and productivity. When organizations prioritize their team members' development, everyone benefits. 

A study from Gallup Workplace that evaluated why performance management isn’t working, found that just 2 in 10 employees say their performance is managed in a way that motivates them to do outstanding work.

Gone are the days of the annual review that gets filed away with no value other than a perfunctory task managers are required to complete. Today, reviews should be done frequently throughout the year and be used to inform goal development based on the employee’s performance.

Employees are human capital that require ongoing support that meets their unique needs, experiences and skillsets. No two employees can be managed exactly the same, so managers who are adaptive are more successful at engaging and motivating their employees which leads to increased retention.

By viewing employees as capital that is required to sustain and grow a business, rather than expendable human resources, companies will develop a culture that values employees and thus drives retention.

Last week was a busy time for the Truvelop team! We had team members in Las Vegas attending the Transform 2023 conference and then followed up with the Cleaning and Cocktails event hosted by Rozalado Services back in Washington D.C.  Throughout all of our conversations, there was one theme that became abundantly clear: Truvelop is the ONLY HR tech solution focused on front-line and hourly worker retention.

Employees and the digital transformation occurring across all industries are increasing the demand for technology tools. The field of HR is not excluded. Employees want more streamlined tools that simplify their daily tasks and improve engagement with their managers. For frontline employees, this is even more important to ensure they remain connected and receive the support they demand from managers.

Coaching is a great way for managers to upskill their team while building trust, motivation, and engagement with each of their direct reports.  Whether you have one direct report or 20, it’s important to define their role and how they are making an impact and how they can best grow and develop with their organizations.  McKinseyrecently found that 70 percent of employees said their sense of purpose is defined by their work. So, as a coach and leader, you play an important part in helping your employees find their purpose and live it. 

As workers leave industries entirely versus simply taking a job at a competing company, manufacturing and hospitality businesses, in particular, are struggling more than others to find and retain talent.

Experts at McKinsey say that turnover decreases when employees have an opportunity for internal mobility. Their research shows that “a primary driver of quitting is that employees do not have opportunities to learn new things or find their work interesting or challenging.”

The key to winning the war on talent is fostering a culture that values internal growth. Opportunities for advancement and professional development rank high in surveys – not only will this type of investment help engage the employee, it will drive production for the employer.

As we wrap up trainings, we'd like to officially welcome Atlas Restaurant Group to our growing customer base.  Atlas is our largest customer to date, and like Truvelop, has their roots right here in Baltimore.  

Frontline, hourly workers represent 60% of the workforce, but with increasing vacancies due to an aging workforce and a competitive workforce, companies need to focus on engaging and developing employees to drive retention.

What do employees want? This is a question employers have been asking regularly and more intentionally in the last decade-plus. Of course, the answer has changed quite a bit especially since the pandemic, but it is still very valid as companies continue to explore ways to retain employees.

Recruiting starts internally. That may sound counterintuitive, but for many organizations, recruitment can be a never-ending challenge – as soon as one position is filled another is vacated.

According to SHRM, “research indicates that both HR professionals and executives view leadership development as a major human capital challenge now and in the foreseeable future.”

According to Gallup, organizations that have made a strategic investment in employee development report 11% greater profitability and are twice as likely to retain their employees.

Did you know that January is National Mentorship month? In 2023, there is going to be increased pressure to retain talent while organizations combat the recession with hiring freezes. For managers, this means creatively engaging their teams so that they are inspired to stay longer and perform at their best.  One way that managers can achieve that is by adopting a mentoring relationship with their direct reports. 

As reported by the BBC, upskilling is one of the most urgent challenges the workforce faces.

Last week, our Customer Success team led January's Lunch and Learn, Manager as Mentor.  As we head into 2023, there is going to be a renewed focus on retention as organizations balance a hiring freeze and limited workforce in a recession.  For managers, this means that it's time to get creative around how they best engage with their teams. 

As reported by HRDive, 81% of employees said they experienced more energy, happiness and productivity when they felt trusted at work, and 47% would take a pay cut up to 20% if it meant being trusted more.

As shared in an article published by LinkedIn, surveys have found that only 16% of employees identify “cool workspace, free food, and game rooms” as important to their work experience, while 58% define the employee experience as being empowered and trusted by their management.

We are excited to welcome DEL Electric to our growing customer base! DEL Electric is leveraging our mobile solution to standardize the performance review process and increase real-time feedback. Justin Townsley, Director of Human Resources, speaks to their excitement of implementing Truvelop as an important part of their employee development strategy: 

Every new generation presents new challenges for employers to overcome. One thing managers can’t do – assume to know what employees want!

Are you still conducting annual performance reviews? If so, make it your new year’s resolution to implement more frequent evaluations for your team throughout the year.

We are excited to welcome The Professional Group to our growing customer base! The Professional Group is the direct result of our partnership with BSCAI – Building Service Contractors Association International. 

It can be fairly easy to evaluate the reasons why employees leave with exit interviews and surveys, but what managers should seek to understand is why an employee stays. It is this insight that can help develop strategies to retain employees.

Welcome Ventech Solutions, the newest customer to join Truvelop's growing client base.  For more than 20 years, Ventech Solutions has been a trusted partner to the public sector leading critical technology transformations that have empowered government agencies to meet their mission. 

The end of the year can offer much-needed rest and time with loved ones, but the weeks leading up to it can be some of the most stressful of the entire year. Managers need to take extra care to ensure employees go into the new year feeling motivated, valued and refreshed.

The end of the year is near and it’s time for New Year’s resolutions! If you are a manager seeking to increase productivity and engagement with your employees, you may want to consider the frequency and format of meetings in 2023.

As employers continue to struggle in 2023 with recruiting, they should look inwardly and focus on developing their existing workforce, creating customized plans for training and certifications to reskill or upskill high-performing internal candidates to increase employee retention.

This fall, the Truvelop team had the pleasure of working with Andressa Carvalho Viscone. She interned with us to fulfill her Senior Project Internship with the University of Baltimore's I/O Psychology program.

Due to an aging workforce and a growing industry, it is estimated that manufacturers will have to fill 4.6 million jobs by 2028 according to Deloitte.

We are excited to welcome ZIPS Cleaners to our growing customer base! ZIPS corporate offices and stores are leveraging our mobile solution to standardize the performance review process and increase real-time feedback. Kathleen Razmus, Director of Operations, explains why Truvelop is such an important part of their employee development strategy:

As we move our way through the fourth quarter of 2022, many companies are gearing up for year-end reviews which can inform bonuses, pay raises, and promotions. These annual performance reviews can cause a lot of angst for not only the employee and manager, but also HR teams and organizational leaders. Too often, employees walk away feeling confused and frustrated, taking their concerns to HR, because they don’t agree with the review.

Employee engagement. Retention. Our secret? It isn’t always about the employee. Often, the best way a company can solve for retention is by training managers as coaches.

Are your expectations too high? Are you overburdening your employees with meetings and demands? Do you forget to praise them or recognize their hard work and agility?

We are excited to welcome SiteForce to our growing customer base! SiteForce is the direct result of our partnership with BSCAI – Building Service Contractors Association International.

Is your team surviving or thriving? Are they doing just enough or striving to improve?

Are you listening – truly listening – to your employees? If not, you may be overlooking an easy way to engage and increase employee retention.

We are excited to welcome T.E.M.Group to our growing customer base! Adding to our group of clients in construction and electrical contracting, T.E.M. is leveraging our mobile solution to increase communication and real-time feedback. 

With so much focus on retention and combatting high turnover, it may seem strange to even consider letting go of employees. However, employees who don’t carry their weight, complain a lot, or are unwilling to work cooperatively with others on the team, can cause solid employees to leave for a less toxic environment.

Approximately 70% of the current US workforce is concentrated in frontline jobs with Hispanics representing 14% of those workers.

It’s no secret that some workers – especially frontline workers – are feeling disconnected at work.

This summer, the Truvelop team had the pleasure of working with Ky’onna Alston. She interned with us through Baltimore Tracks.

Quiet quitting is a new term for an issue employers have faced for decades. When managers aren’t coached on best engagement and employee development practices, the result is employees feeling overwhelmed and undervalued.

As we wrap up August, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the content that we covered this past month.  With the Summer Slump affecting engagement and performance, coupled with the continued focus on retention, we thought it was relevant to focus our content on the best ways to boost feelings of competence.  How organizations communicate around growth and development can play a big role in employees feeling like they have learning opportunities, they're valued, and they have the support needed to be successful. 

Managers are expected to shoulder a lot of responsibility and are held to a standard many can’t meet because they aren’t trained properly. Too often managers bear the brunt of negative outcomes, some of which could legally impact the company and, while it isn’t fair, it is a reality managers face. If leaders want to develop competent managers, they need to provide them with the training and tools they need to succeed.

Like the annual performance evaluation, employers are beginning to abandon the annual employee survey. Quite simply, the world in which we live and work is changing rapidly and so, too, does the needs and feelings of employees.

One of the many benefits of Truvelop is the messaging our Customer Success team sends to leaders and managers on the 1^st and 15^th of every month. Through Truvelop Tips, we share best practices, proactive recommendations, and quicks tips with end users on various topics. Here is an excerpt from the most recent Truvelop Tip: Tap into Your Team's Potential:

Frontline workers are often the unsung heroes of a company, yet they are also the most likely to feel overlooked and not valued. For businesses experiencing high levels of turnover, it is mostly due to burnout and managers who treat their employees as interchangeable and lucky to have a job.

In early 2021, Calvary Church was looking to implement a performance management and development tool. During Onboarding, Ron Cooney, Lead Pastor of Ministries, shared his need for a tool that would track job performance, provide a platform for healthy feedback, and most importantly, assurance for our team members who wanted to know if they were doing a good job. Ron shared that this stemmed from a personal motivation – in all the years he worked at Calvary Church, he had never received a formal performance review to know if his contributions to the team were valued or even helpful, and he wanted better for his leadership and team members.

Engagement. Flexibility. Well-being. Professional Development. Managers are increasingly pressured to find ways to retain talent, but too often are left to make assumptions, try a few approaches and see what works. There is one easy step that employers overlook – ask the employees.

Frontline, hourly workers represent 60% of the workforce, but due to the distributed nature of their work, they often feel overlooked and stuck in their positions.

As employers tried to combat the Great Resignation and compete in the ongoing war for talent over the past two years, increases in salaries, additional benefits and flexibility served as attractive incentives for some. However, for others, despite their best efforts they continued to experience high turnover. Why?

In addition to our Manager-facing messaging that goes out each month, our Customer Success Team shares best practices for Team Members as well.  These messages highlight how they can leverage Truvelop to further their own growth and development, while also strengthening their relationships and boosting their engagement. Here's an excerpt from June's Team Member Truvelop Tip: Control the Controllables.

According to a U.S. Chamber of Commerce report in February, industries like leisure, hospitality, retail, and healthcare have seen higher percentages of frontline employees leaving their jobs, with durable goods/manufacturing and leisure/hospitality facing the biggest shortages.

One of the many benefits of Truvelop is the messaging our Customer Success team sends to leaders and managers on the 1^st and 15^th of every month. Through Truvelop Tips, we share best practices, proactive recommendations, and quicks tips with end users on various topics. Here is an excerpt from the most recent Truvelop Tip: Empower Your Team.

Recently Microsoft announced a new benchmark for measuring employee performance and well-being, and it isn’t engagement – it’s thriving.

According to Gallup’s 2022 State of the Global Workplace Report, just 33% of North American employees feel engaged at work. Reasons cited for disengagement included unfair treatment, unmanageable workload, unclear communication from managers, lack of manager support, and unreasonable time pressures.

Last week, our Customer Success Team led another Lunch and Learn for the managers in our user community.  In Considering the Employee Experience, our audience explored what all encompasses the employee experience and how they, as managers, can impact their team's journey.  We heard a lot of amazing best practices and insights from our audience about how they've been able to leverage Truvelop to connect with their team, strengthen their relationships at the front-line, and have productive, data-driven development conversations on a regular basis.  Here's a quick summary about some of the topics we covered during one of our best Lunch and Learn's yet:

U.S. businesses spend $170 billion – BILLION – on leadership development programs. Leadership matters. However, leadership doesn’t magically happen because of a role or title. Businesses fail when they assume managers are leaders.

Hourly workers make up 60% of the workforce, yet there are few technology solutions to help managers foster engagement and manage the performance of this critical employee base.

We are so excited to welcome Burdette, Koehler, Murphy, and Associates to the Truvelop family! BKM is an engineering firm out of Baltimore that came to us after a referral from our friends over at Design Collective.  

Bernard Banks, a clinical professor of management and associate dean for leadership development at the Kellogg School who spent 25 years in the U.S. Army before retiring in 2016 as a Brigadier General, shared back in 2017, “All effective leaders are effective leader developers. The challenge becomes, are companies growing the leaders they need for today or the leaders they need for tomorrow?”

Last week, Customer Success Team Member Juliana Withers hosted May's Truvelop User Community Lunch and Learn about Leveraging Different Leadership Styles to Connect with Your Team.  Greg Moran, Co-Founder of Evergreen Mountain Equity Group and founder and former CEO of Harver (Outmatch), was our guest speaker and shed incredible insight on how important leadership is for successfully trailblazing a direction forward, especially for young organizations or organizations in transition.  In all of our group discussions, we heard a lot of amazing ideas and perspectives from our user community, making this Lunch and Learn one of our best ones yet.   

More than 47 million American workers quit their jobs in 2021, half of which claim to have left due to mental health issues, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Back in September 2020, CST Group was looking to solve for their performance management strategy, a process that was quickly becoming a problem. Like many organizations that decide to partner with Truvelop, CST Group tried to manage performance and development through an in-office system using Excel spreadsheets. This performance review process was too time consuming, managers didn’t know how to assess team members, and most importantly – it was clunky, inefficient and added little to no value for the team member.

Companies of all sizes and across all industries are laser-focused on combatting employee turnover and improving retention. In a confusing environment full of the unknown as the world figures out how to address a virus that keeps evolving, businesses are struggling to maintain their culture and foster engagement.

In addition to our Manager-facing messaging that goes out twice a month, our Customer Success Team shares best practices for Team Members as well.  These messages highlight how they can leverage Truvelop to further their own growth and development, while also strengthening their relationships and boosting their engagement. Here's an excerpt from May's Team Member Truvelop Tip:

We have frequently advised businesses battling the Great Resignation to look within when identifying candidates for new roles as an alternative to pushing the boulder up the recruitment hill.

The Truvelop app is a comprehensive tool but like many tools, the information put into it determines how well it performs.

Managers are the first line of defense against low engagement and turnover.  They interact with their teams every day and have the ability to influence an employee's development journey and overall experience.  In fact, Managers account for nearly 70% of variance in employee engagement (Gallup).  That's why April's content focused in on what it means to be a good Manager, and more importantly what steps can a Manager take to become an effective and inspiring leader.  

As we have frequently shared, the key to winning the war on talent is fostering a culture that values internal growth. Opportunities for advancement and professional development rank high in surveys – not only will this type of investment help engage the employee, but it will also drive production for the employer.

Leadership growth requires skills development and experience, but it can at times be impacted by barriers – real or imagined. Overcoming these barriers is important to ensure that a leader can truly grow and develop.

Turnover is hard – and expensive. Even though we’re in the midst of a revolving door of exiting employees, it’s hard to consider intentionally letting someone go. However, an employee who isn’t carrying their weight and leaving colleagues to pick up the slack could cause the loss of good employees. It can be challenging to terminate an employee, but sometimes there simply is no room for improvement because performance or behavior is poor, therefore replacing an employee is the optimal way to mitigate risk.

Thank you to everyone who attended our Product Summit yesterday!

Yesterday, we held our first in-person Lunch and Learn, hosted by our friends at Harkins Builders in Columbia, Maryland. Special thank you to everyone who was able to make it! We had so much fun seeing our users in person and exploring the topic of Am I a Good Manager?  

Building a pipeline of leaders internally is smart succession planning and a great way to retain employees. As many employers struggle to find a magic potion for reducing impact amidst the Great Resignation, a simple solution could be creating a culture that values and recognizes employee contributions. When companies invest in their employees, they can build a legacy of leaders who are passionate, loyal and committed to serving the organization for the long run.

Performance management has changed drastically over the past two years. Regardless if employees were already part of a distributed workforce or learning how to work remotely for the first time, expectations and performance demands have shifted, adding a new layer of challenges for managers.

The terms manager and leader are often used interchangeably, however, they are two very different roles. Unfortunately, many businesses fail to prepare employees for a leadership track, instead, throwing them into management roles and wondering why they aren’t serving as better leaders.

Professional development is important for organizations to maintain engagement with employees, boost morale, and improve productivity.

The first quarter of 2022 has come to a close and recruitment remains one of the top challenges for HR leaders. Despite increases in pay, flexibility and perks, hiring new candidates is still a tough nut to crack. With so many businesses competing for talent, pay and perks are not enough.

We are living in world of constant change – social, cultural, technological. Managers are often left to figure out how to support their team members on their own with little training or resources. With a performance coaching platform like Truvelop, managers can learn how to adapt and proactively support employees to improve engagement and reduce turnover.

One of the greatest traits a Team Member can have these days is resiliency. With an ever-changing workplace landscape, being able to roll with the punches is extremely valuable.  That's why March's content focus was on building a growth mindset.  With a growth mindset, Team Members can become comfortable with the uncomfortable, view challenges as learning opportunities, and are able to bounce back from setbacks with greater ease.  When your team has a strong growth mindset, they're more resilient, have higher engagement, stronger interpersonal relationships, and are overall more likely to be retained.  

Following two years that have thrown employees into a masterclass for change management and adaptation, companies are exploring how to be more empathetic when engaging with team members.

While there are many reasons why employees leave an organization, one of the common reasons is lack of motivation. Following two years of change and anxiety fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic, an increasing workload, and evolving expectations, many employees are feeling deflated.

Why does Truvelop prioritize a customer-centric product design?

It should be no surprise to managers that employees are struggling to manage schedules and increased workloads in an ever-changing work environment. This could be resulting in decreased productivity as team members are challenged to prioritize and juggle competing demands.

When Team Members have a strong growth mindset, they are less likely to become discouraged or demotivated when presented with a challenge or a setback. Instead, they embrace the opportunity for growth. With so many organizations focusing on retention, having individual contributors that are resilient and engaged is a top priority.

In March's Lunch and Learn, Facilitating a Growth Mindset, our users took a deep dive into how they can foster resilience and employee retention by shifting the perspective of their teams.  In an ever-evolving work world, having Team Members who can face challenges with confidence is a trait that helps everyone thrives.  Having even just one Team Member who is stuck in a fixed mindset can slow progress.  In this month's Lunch and Learn, our users exchanged ideas and best practices for how they can facilitate a growth mindset in their check-in discussions, developing long-term resilience amongst their team.  

There are a lot of trends developing around corporate culture as companies explore ways to engage employees in what is becoming a permanently remote workforce, and attract new talent.

One of the many benefits of Truvelop is the messaging our Customer Success team sends to leaders and managers on the 1^st and 15^th of every month. Through Truvelop Tips, we share best practices, proactive recommendations, and quicks tips with end users on various topics. Here is an excerpt from the most recent Truvelop Tip: Facilitate a Growth Mindset.

For HR leaders struggling to reduce the seemingly never-ending tasks, and optimize time to dedicate to more collaborative strategy, investing in new HR technology is a priority in 2022. Especially for companies already struggling with talent retention, HR teams need support to reduce burn-out.

With retention continuing to be a major focus for many organizations, we wanted to get creative with how we can engage, motivate, and inspire employees.  When Managers are caught up in the day-to-day, it can be easy to forget about all that an employee has achieved.  However, when we take a moment to pause and reflect, we can highlight the unique attributes that the employee brings to the team and organization's overall success.  Everyone plays a crucial role, so let's remind our employees that their contribution matters.  

Among all the discussions related to the Great Recession, there is little reference to the impact on HR leaders. The combined challenges of finding new ways to recruit and retain talent along with addressing the concerns of employees is taking a toll.

Independence Housing Authority, based out of Independence, Missouri, is dedicated to the creation and maintenance of quality affordable housing, fostering a community founded on respect and decency.  That same foundation of respect and decency is afforded to their staff as well, as they leverage Truvelop to increase transparent communication focused on growth and support.   

The old performance management playbook has been thrown out the window. Neither managers nor employees see any value in an annual, one-sided review, and are discovering the benefits of collaboration in developing work plans and goals that help employees remain focused and motivated, and help managers increase retention.

As the latest wave of COVID cases subsides, companies are again revisiting a return to the office. What once was a common, familiar space, following two years of predominantly remote work, the office is an unknown environment leaving many employees anxious.

We are excited to welcome MahlerClean to our growing customer base! MahlerClean is the direct result of our partnership with BSCAI – Building Service Contractors Association International.

Employee appreciation and recognition for a job well done – contributions big and small – can be instrumental in boosting engagement and employee retention.

Motivation. It’s what drives behavior. Motivation is an important factor in performance and satisfaction.

One of the many benefits of Truvelop is the messaging our Customer Success team sends to leaders and managers on the 1^st and 15^th of every month. Through Truvelop Tips, Meryl Goeke & Juliana Withers share best practices, proactive recommendations, and quicks tips with end users on various topics. This month, we are focusing on celebrating our individual contributors. Here is an excerpt from the most recent Truvelop Tip: Show Team Members Their Contribution Matters.

Organizational culture is defining the way we work today. It drives talent recruitment and engagement, and impacts productivity.

As companies navigate a third year of shifts and adaptive work environments, leaders continue to struggle to figure out the best ways to foster communication and collaboration among team members.

For 2022, we're rethinking the way we approach retention.  With many organizations still facing the aftermath of the Great Resignation, we wanted to deliver best practices and resources to our community as they rebuild.  Each month we will be covering a different topic, all of which can contribute to stronger engagement, motivation, trust, and most importantly, retention.  For January, we placed the focus on Setting the Tone.  From goal-setting to onboarding, we want to make sure our employees feel invested in their futures with our organization.  

It is no surprise that organizations across all industries are recommitting or increasing their commitment to DEI. According to an article in Venture Beat, 79% of companies are planning to allocate more budget and resources to DEI in 2022.

More companies are adopting ongoing, real-time evaluations versus annual reviews, which aligns with employee requests for more frequent evaluations that help them grow and develop, and respond to challenges more immediately.

As part of our ongoing customer success strategy, our team sends out Truvelop Tips twice a month to all of the Managers from our client base.  These messages highlight different management and development best practices and how Managers can be optimizing their Truvelop experience.  These have been a great way to engage our Managers and keep bringing them back to the app.  

The last two years have required companies and HR teams to rethink how we work. But the adaptation and evolving expectations of employees can’t be restricted to the impact of the pandemic. If companies are going to compete in the raging war on talent, HR strategies have to continually focus on the future of work.

It’s a new year and an opportunity for a fresh start with your team! Whether you’ve been using the Truvelop app for the past year or just a few weeks, take the time to put together a plan that will help you maximize the use of the tool to improve engagement with your team.

We are excited to welcome TEI Electrical Solutions to our growing customer base! Adding to our group of clients in construction and electrical contracting, TEI is leveraging our mobile solution to increase communication and real-time feedback. TEI is the direct result of a customer referral from our friends at Harkins Builders.

Today we hosted our monthly Truvelop User Community Lunch and Learn and focused on the topic of onboarding.  With so many organizations recovering from the Great Resignation and rebuilding their numbers, onboarding has been a top priority to start 2022.  For that reason, we wanted to explore different Onboarding Best Practices and highlight the tools and resources available within Truvelop to help.  Whether it's sending an Onboarding Spark or using one of our Individual Development Planning, we're here to help our users onboard their new hires with ease.  

The holidays have come and gone. Excitement for the new year is fading. The dark, cold days of winter are upon us. For many, this time of year can have a negative effect mentally and emotionally, but with seemingly no end in sight to the pandemic and the subsequent restrictions and chaos of daily life can make this a particularly challenging time for your employees.

Truvelop is a performance management app to help managers engage and retain employees, however, it is designed to foster two-way communication so that employees can be actively involved in their professional development.

Welcome Design Collective!  Last month, we began the onboarding process of our newest customer, Design Collective, an architecture firm with offices out of Baltimore and Chicago. Daphne Sarra, HR Manager, and Linda Fidazzo, Director of HR and Office Management, shared:

The labor market isn’t getting any better. This is what many business and HR experts are calling an unprecedented environment as an aging workforce retires, a younger workforce demands higher pay and flexibility, and mid-career professionals are increasingly entering the gig economy.

Cultivating a diverse team is a great goal, but cultivating collaboration among a diverse team with different experiences, backgrounds and perspectives can be challenging for a manager, experienced or not. Gone are the days when employees come to work, put their heads down, complete their tasks and go home. Employees today want to be part of the conversation, have their ideas heard, and feel valued.

In December, we saw a theme of Meaningful Reflection to Renew Commitment.  At the end of every year, people tend to reflect on all that occurred these past twelve months.  From major milestones and achievements, to obstacles and rough patches, there is a lot to sift through.  However, if we approach reflection with the intention of identifying takeaways to shape a better year ahead, then it can become a meaningful exercise that helps grow.  

As we kick off the year 2022, it can be difficult to avoid feeling a little stuck in Groundhog’s Day as we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. Are we back to the office or back at home? Do we require vaccines? Boosters? Masks? How do we manage travel and meeting policies? What’s the best way to engage employees to boost talent retention?

The holidays are upon us and as teams complete last-minute tasks and wind down planning for the new year, motivation can be low. However, a return from break in the new year typically results in a burst of excitement and new energy, and managers should direct that motivation in an impactful way.

Welcome Gladstein, Neandross, and Associates!  Last month, we had the opportunity to onboard one of our latest customers, GNA, a leading clean transportation and energy consulting firm based out of Santa Monica, California.  As we finished up our trainings, Director of Personnel and Culture, Michael Trust, shared,  

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of new HR technologies, driving innovation and more efficient ways of engaging and managing employees.

As the year winds down to a close and managers reflect on the accomplishments and challenges of the year, understanding the talent landscape is critical to effective planning for the new year.

One of the many ways that Truvelop supports our customers is by offering monthly user community Lunch and Learns.  Each month has it's own theme that looks at current performance trends, how it may be affecting a Manager's experience, and what Managers can be doing to grow and develop as leaders for their teams.  In December's User Community Lunch and Learn, Truvelop Managers came together to learn about the importance of reflection and the different types of reflection they can be using. They also reviewed the various tools in Truvelop that can help make the reflection process as easy as possible, such as our Generate Report tool, Meaningful Touchpoints Guides, and Individual Development Plans. Lastly, Managers explored how they can connect their 2021 reflection process to their 2022 commitments by identifying any gaps and obstacles, and how they can overcome those barriers to success.  

As employers look at how to fill positions as the Great Recession rages on, a simple solution could be to look internally and develop strategies for hiring within. However, it can be a struggle to find an existing team member with the right skill set for the vacant role, so employers need to double down on training and upskilling opportunities.

Evaluations of the past are no longer relevant. The days of evaluating every employee by the same metrics are gone.

As one of our original customers, we started our journey with Harkins Builders out of Columbia, Maryland back in September 2019.  When Harkins decided to partner with Truvelop, they were looking to: 

For many managers, maintaining employee engagement and morale can be a difficult challenge. Especially when a manager has a high-producing team and one that is seemingly satisfied in their jobs.

As we near the end of 2021, many companies are preparing for year-end reviews. However, if you have been using the Truvelop app, you have been conducting reviews all year long and now you can use that data to help your team prepare for the new year.

In November, we saw a theme of Giving Thanks to Give It Your All.  With the holidays and the new year coming up, it is time to take stock of what we appreciate most in our day-to-day.  Reflecting on the positives can help to bring a lighter perspective on our experiences and boost morale, motivation, and engagement.  Practicing gratitude can even improve our relationships! When we take a moment to reflect on what we are thankful for, we are able to return to our work, refreshed and refocused, with a clear sense of our purpose.  As we enter the final push of the year, that sense of purpose can carry us through successfully.  

The holidays can be a joyful time filled with celebration and time to unwind at year’s end. But with all the preparation for the holidays can come added stress in the workplace as employees frantically wrap up projects and plan for the new year before taking a much-needed holiday break.

As employers source new talent to combat the Great Resignation, they are overlooking the growing burden and stress on current employees left to pick up the extra work. As these employees burn out, the turnover grows, increasing the talent recruitment challenges for employers.

Recently, we shared the importance of delivering ongoing feedback to keep employees motivated and engaged. Feedback helps foster two-way communication to maintain employee engagement and drive productivity.

Here at Truvelop, we’re incredibly thankful to all of our dedicated users. Our fundamental purpose is to create the best possible experience for our Truvelop community. Creating meaningful relationships and encouraging positive development opportunities is what inspires us, and hearing what our customers have to say is what motivates us to strive to be the best. This has been an amazing journey and we couldn't have done it without our Truvelop community!

Employees crave feedback. According to OfficeVibe, 96% of employees say they want to hear feedback regularly.

According to studies, 57% of employees report not being given clear directions and 69% of managers are not comfortable communicating with employees in general. Add in a remote or hybrid work environment with schedules that make it difficult for face time or even knowing which colleagues are in-person or virtual, and fostering ongoing communication can be a real challenge.

Earlier today, Customer Success Team Member Juliana Withers hosted November's Truvelop User Community Lunch and Learn.  This month's topic was all about Giving Thanks to Give It Your All. With the holidays quickly approaching, our team wanted to take a moment to reflect and give thanks. Practicing regular gratitude has been shown to improve physical and mental health, strengthen relationships, and decrease stress. With so many positives associated with expressing gratitude, we decided to highlight some examples of how Managers can express gratitude to their team, to their organization, and to themselves.  Juliana finished the Lunch and Learn with a guided gratitude meditation, leaving everyone feeling a bit more centered and refocused for their afternoons. 

Studies have found that one of the top reasons employees cite for leaving a job is management.

Evaluations are great ways to document performance and productivity, but they don’t always tell the whole story. Context matters and ongoing communication with employees is important to understanding why a team member may be behaving a certain way or not performing to standards.

In October, we saw a theme of putting the focus on retention.  The Great Resignation has been on everyone's minds as we all felt its effects.  To slow the turnover, it was time to refocus on the employee experience and get creative with how we engaged our teams.  

Quantum Workplace’s annual Employee Engagement Trends Report was recently released. The report surveyed 32,000 individuals on their workplace experiences and while employers had reported strong year-over-year growth in employee engagement in 2020, engagement has declined in 2021.

Frequent, ongoing performance evaluations are extremely helpful for managers in tracking productivity, keeping employees motivated, and planning for the future.

We are thrilled to announce our latest new customer, A Caring Alternative.  Adding to our growing group of clients in healthcare, ACA is leveraging our proven solution to foster consistent and productive development conversations, even in a high-stress and fast-paced environment.  Stephen Schaefer, Director of Human Resources, shares:

Research has shown that nearly half of employees believe that evaluations are a waste of time. And for many managers, there either is no set standard for evaluation or it is irrelevant to their team with no metrics or context to fairly and accurately measure performance.

Earlier today, Customer Success Team Member Juliana Withers hosted October’s Truvelop User Community Lunch and Learn about Putting the Focus on Retention.  With Truvelop CEO and Co-Founder, Lisa First-Willis, the women were able to explore the root of why people resign, and shared evidence-based best practices to combatting disengagement and discontentment in the workplace.   

Fall is here and with questions surrounding a potential surge in COVID cases with colder weather, more people forced indoors, kids returning to school and eased mask mandates, companies are revaluating (again) their timeline and policies regarding a return to the office, travel, meetings and more. As we enter the 4th quarter and plan for 2022, many leaders are struggling to determine the best next steps for their teams.

Management is a learned skill that often requires self-education – most companies don’t train managers to manage. So, when it comes to figuring out how to evaluate employees then nurture and coach them to drive performance or develop a path for advancement, managers can struggle to determine the right approach.

At Truvelop, we’re here to help companies improve Manager and Team Member relationships by increasing meaningful touch points, promoting real-time feedback, and focusing on development and upskilling opportunities. 

Talent retention. One of the greatest challenges companies have been facing the past decade as a new generation of workers seek employers that offer the best opportunity, flexibility, culture and perks. Businesses have tried renovating office spaces to offer more open, collaborative spaces. They’ve tried special incentives and perks like Fridays off in the summer, unlimited vacation time, and social activities to increase bonding. Post-pandemic, companies are navigating the increased demand for more permanent remote work options.

Back in December 2020, CleanOffice decided to adopt a continuous performance management and development strategy. At the time, CleanOffice was looking for a solution to address the problems outlined below:

In September, we saw a theme of sharing holistic support to our Team Members.  With retention being a major focus for many organizations, we knew that we needed to think outside of the box, or outside of the normal definition of employee.  We wanted to bring a human element back into performance management and development and create the best possible employee experience.  

Onboarding new employees can be difficult, especially for teams distributed among multiple locations and those working remotely. It is more important now than ever before to have a strong onboarding plan to ensure new employees are trained and prepared for their new role, and to build and maintain a strong workplace culture.

According to Gallup, 87% of millennials had expressed that professional growth and development opportunities were among their top priorities. If employers want to reduce turnover and improve talent retention, Managers need to invest the time to help Team Members develop a path for growth.