You just can’t argue the virtues of fitness.

It comes as no surprise that a healthy workforce contributes to a healthy workplace and community. And what better time than now, as we head in to the dog days of summer, to remind ourselves of what we can do, and not what we don’t do, to improve our physical, mental and emotional health.

Everybody knows it’s important to get at least 30 minutes of exercise every day to contribute to a healthy lifestyle. The benefits of getting our heart rates moving include clarity of mind and increased production of endorphins (that stuff in our brains that helps make us happy and has been reported to provide pain relief similar to that of morphine … or chocolate!) Staying active also gives us more energy to do the things we want to do as well as the things we have to do, like going to work every day.

Although many people are inclined to go big or go home when considering a workout regime, that approach often doesn’t end in success. Our natural instinct, as upcoming beach days are looming, is to get off that couch and dive right into the exercise program we used to do when we were a little more used to exercising. And while this approach can be fun for a while, we will often sacrifice our workout time for other priorities just as quickly as we started to get moving.

Vic Keller, a personal trainer and owner of Vic Fitness in Winnipeg, says “long-lasting, total body health is easier to achieve if people have the right information and are committed to a workout that matches both their personal goals and their lifestyles. Consulting a qualified fitness instructor teaches the right heart rate for the individual and, by working together, you can enter into a cardio, strength training and nutrition plan that will improve your chances for success.”

The benefits of a good training program are measured not only in reduced stress and improved productivity in the workplace, it also shows in your overall health. A consistent training program improves fitness levels, increases bone density, reduces body fat and is one of the most powerful antidepressants out there.

“When training properly all organs perform better (don’t forget your brain is an organ) and the brain will eventually increase production of endorphins during the workout and for hours after,” says Keller.

Getting started is a good first step to a healthier lifestyle at home and at work. Be careful out there, but get going and stay going for a healthier you.

You’re worth it and the results will be well worth the work!

Darryl Germain is a tall man with a deep rumbling baritone and a firm handshake.  He’s been keeping the IBEX office sparkling since he took on the position as the Herd caretaker.  IBEX got ‘connected’ with Darryl and Andrea last September, via Connect Employment Services.

Connect is an agency that helps individuals with intellectual disabilities find employment within the community.  “It’s awesome that IBEX approached Connect first.  If only more companies could be like that…” says Andrea, Darryl’s caseworker.

The road to becoming an inclusive workplace wasn’t all smooth. When Darryl’s supervisor changed shortly after Christmas, he was handed a list of additional tasks by someone he was never formally introduced to. Why would a stranger request he change things about his job? If he made the changes, he wouldn’t have enough time to complete his set task list. Confused and concerned, Darryl called Andrea.

A meeting was arranged and introductions were made. Andrea helped IBEX understand how Darryl was feeling and gave insight on how to better communicate with him. First, Darryl felt stressed about receiving instructions from someone he didn’t know. Second, he couldn’t complete his new tasks because he could not understand the written notes he was given. Once this was understood, apologies were issued and a communication plan was put in place.

Darryl & Andrea (Photo by Meite Timshel)

By adapting and keeping an open mind, Darryl and IBEX now work in harmony using verbal communication to set goals and praise a job well done.

When I interviewed Darryl and Andrea last week over coffee, Andrea had this to say about her experience working with us, “IBEX has been amazing…they are very supportive and the morale is fantastic!” Most importantly, Darryl feels great about his working environment. A man of few words, Darryl’s smile speaks volumes. With a grin he responded to my question about how things are with one word, “Good.”

Imagine walking into your office on a Monday morning to find a surprise waiting at your desk.

No, it’s not a big stack of papers that have to be filed or a report to be completed within the next two hours. Instead you find a small centerpiece of vibrant flowers in a hand decorated vase with no note of who it’s from.

What would you think and how would you feel?

When this happened to the ladies of the Herd, our day became super charged with buzz about secret admirers, claims to how special we were and general excitement over this small but significant gesture.

This internal ibexseed was planted by Susan, one of the Grumpy Goats a.k.a. our management team. A member of her crew who wasn’t feeling well had declined an offer to head home early which made Susan wonder what else she could do to cheer up the employee. Flowers were one idea, but a bouquet of tulips would eventually wilt and an empty vase would be left behind. Plastic ones would last longer and be inexpensive enough to make one for everybody. It would surely brighten the day, and the office surroundings overall.

Let’s be honest, from an employee’s point of view promotions, raises and title upgrades are quite nice and are always welcome. But sometimes the most noteworthy and meaningful recognition we get from our coaches are those with a personal touch. It’s not just recognizing your hard work, but also your value and who you are as an individual. A plate of baked goods because they know you love cookies, an out of the blue lunch at 529 because you’ve never been or a simple comment sharing your excitement for a new addition to the family.

These types of acknowledgements may be infrequent but they leave a lasting impression. It’s a reminder that you work for a company that cares with leaders who respect you. It’s motivation to keep up the good work and encouragement to take on the challenges. It’s an affirmation that you are indeed making a difference.

During our last Leadership Certification workshop, all the participants had a chance to find out what their personality type is according to the Myers-Briggs Personality Type indicator.  Everyone had to do a quick survey to answer a few situational questions about themselves, and the answer would show you the four letters that describe your personality type.  Sure enough, my Myers-Briggs personality description is 80 to 90 percent accurate, similar to other personality tests I’ve done.

Then the trainer said something that really caught my attention; you can usually tell if someone is Perception dominant or Judgement dominant by looking at their desk.  Perception dominant folks tend to have things piled up, while Judgement dominant personalities are organized with only the item they are currently working on out of place.  Another example the trainer cited was that those who are Judgement dominant like to have their toilet paper with the loose end coming over the top of the roll (B).  This toilet paper placement might bother them so much that they would change the arrangement at someone’s house!  It was surprising how many people at the workshop could relate to this observation!  Soon enough, participants were talking about their preferred toilet paper position…

Now I’m curious.  How much truth is in this Toilet Paper theory?  Are all Judgement dominant people going around and changing the toilet paper position at their friends’ house?

For me, the point of all this was that people are all very different.  Whether it is dealing with my fellow Herd members, or my friends and family, I need to remember that not everyone is going to see things the way I do – and that is OK.  The more I understand each person`s unique differences, the more effectively we can work together and the better we will get along.

Warm up your mind with these two classic questions:

1. If they quit, would I be upset?
2. If I could start the hiring process again, would I still hire them?

If you have spoken to them about their performance (you should have if you are thinking about firing them):

1. Did they ask questions trying to understand the problem or make excuses about the problem?
2. Did they give reasons outside of their control why they have performance issues, like they don’t make enough money or their job role is unclear?
3. Were they mortified that someone had to speak to them about their performance or did they seem totally unworried or confrontational?

About how they are fitting in:

1. Are they bonding (if applicable) with the people they support?
2. Are they making friends in the organization or do they stand out in an awkward or uncomfortable way?
3. Do other people like to work with them?
4. Will people miss them when they are gone?
5. Would you be okay with them representing the agency at a learning or networking event, or would you be afraid of what they might say?

Of course, young inexperienced people can do poorly on many of these questions, but you should be able to see them “get it” quickly once they get some caring coaching and appropriate attention.  Major organizational changes or a poor manager can dramatically skew the results of these questions in a bad way as well.

Your gut already knows what to do.  For the sake of the good people in your organization, do what needs to be done.  You know you are going to have to do it soon anyway.

I phoned Monica, the controller for one of our customers, today.  I asked her to do me a favour using her connections and begged her to let me take her out to lunch in return.

She did not want to go for lunch.  I thought maybe it was me!

Much to my relief she sent me an email a short while later…

“It’s all good – just pay back for how good Kevin is to us – I really appreciate knowing he’s on the other end of the phone when I need him!”

Kevin is Head of Alpine Crew, IBEX’s amazing payroll support team.

For the past few weeks we have been working very closely with one of our Inclusion customers on a major system change. In the midst of all this we came to realize that our main contact at this organization could really use a bigger monitor. This was a chance for us to plant one of our world famous IBEXseeds.

Yesterday morning Peregrin, our Head of Herd Geeks, dropped off IBEXseed #10. It was an organizer basket with some cheerful flowers, a card, a bottle of “Everest strength” pain relief (Skittles) and a brand new 21″ monitor. The seed was put together by Peregrin and Susan, our Herd Culture Queen.

Thanks for everything Toni!

IBEXseed #10 - Also Included a 21" Monitor

Gallop asked this question to eighty thousand managers: “You have a talented employee who consistently shows up late for work.  What would you say to this employee?”

Common answers were:

• I would lock them out
• I don’t care as long as they stay and get their work done
• I would fire them, we don’t tolerate lateness
• I would give them a verbal, then a written and then fire them.

These are defensible answers, but the statistically great managers answered something along the lines of:

• I would ask them why

Herein lies the secret to dealing with your problem employee.

1. Define the outcome you have agreed on with them (100% on time for the next 60 days).
2. Hold them accountable for their results (you were 10 minutes late Tuesday and 15 minutes late Friday).
3. Ask them why they have fallen short and listen, really listen, to the why.  You may have to ask more questions and keep your tone and posture neutral to get them talking – use every ounce of self control you have not to be judgmental during this time.

To summarize… define the outcome together, constantly hold up a mirror (and make them look at it) and then ask the why.

If you can get to why you can usually figure out how you can help, either help them reach the outcome, agree to change the outcome or help them leave your organization.

This year we took a page from the books of some of our customers and figured out how to have fun on a budget. We rented our local community center, had a vicious gift exchange and played spongee hockey together.

Check out the fun we had!  Inclusion Holiday Party Video

What do you do when an employee does not show up to work at one of the houses in your agency? When life happens and an employee is unable to work their shift, it can be a headache trying to figure out who is next in line to take that open spot.

Inclusion by IBEX handles all the complexity around creating efficient schedules for developmental service agencies.

The problem is what happens when your perfectly planned schedules are disrupted by staff taking holidays, being sick or not showing up for their shift? Imagine a feature that allows you to fill an empty shift based on rules such as seniority, shifts already offered, amount of overtime, and skill set, with just the click of the mouse, and without double booking.

Vacant Shift Assignment Update