Apr 13, 2021
| LeadershipThe Collective CEO - What, How and Why I Joined
The more we experiment with the notion of shared leadership the more benefits we see. So much so that we are considering applying a shared leadership approach across other roles at Joyous in time.
Apr 08, 2021
| TransformationEmbracing change dissent
In times of change, people look to strong leaders to provide guidance and assurance. Sending out your message of hope and confidence in the change provides a narrative that others can help to continue.
Apr 07, 2021
| TransformationCommunication is critical in change management
Whatever you do, ensure you have some way of encouraging staff to speak up, rather than speaking in the shadows. Change dissent is an opportunity to turn doubters into supporters: if everyone embraces it.
Apr 04, 2021
| TransformationWhy do people resist change?
For most people, uncertainty elicits an emotional response - and times of organizational change, similar to changing your employer, can be some of the most uncertain experiences in our working careers.
Mar 31, 2021
| FeedbackThe importance of owned feedback
People don’t necessarily get tired of giving feedback. They do get tired of their feedback being sucked into a vacuum, never to be seen again. When people own their feedback and are active in its resolution, they have proof of its value and are more likely to speak up in the future.
Mar 23, 2021
| LeadershipAn introduction to conversations about change
Organizations that use the ADKAR conversation set as a base for conversations about change believe that involving everyone - even from an early stage - will help people to feel more comfortable. It also allows the organization to tap into *everyone's* knowledge and ideas, which helps ensure change success.
Mar 23, 2021
| LeadershipHow to respond to conversations about change
Change is inevitable in organizations. To make sure transformation projects succeed, give your people the tools and guidance to have positive, productive conversations about change.
Mar 02, 2021
| JoyousThe parental journey challenge - Mike's story
Only one in four people working in tech in NZ are women. I keep seeing technology businesses struggling to fix their gender diversity, but fighting over a limited pool of female tech folk to correct optics is achieving little. We need to dig deeper.
Feb 12, 2021
| Employee ExperienceThe parental journey challenge - Ruby's story
I set out on a mission to create an exceptional benefit for parents. I declared my intention to our leadership team. Not just an exceptional benefit for our parents. One that we could open source and encourage others to adopt for their future parents too. So we put our heads together and this is what we came up with.
Dec 18, 2020
| AgileCrowdsourcing your agile transformation strategy
Moving to agile in a large organisation can be a difficult shift. However, there are a few things you can do to make the process smoother.
Dec 17, 2020
| AgileTurbo boost your agile adoption with Joyous
Joyous is a feedback tool designed for regular, attributed conversations. Using Joyous in an agile context underpins the basic principles of collaboration and timely feedback, and helps to reinforce the trust equation.
Dec 01, 2020
| AgileHow (fr)agile is your organisation really?
The journey to Agile can be so fragile that you run the risk of actually seeing a decrease in productivity, and therefore even less value delivered to your customers than before.
Nov 17, 2020
| FeedbackConversations, Not Comparisons
When our customers first start using Joyous, they are curious about how they compare to other organisations on response rates, average scores, and Joyous adoption. However, we believe there’s only one organisation that our customers should be comparing themselves to, and that’s their own.
Nov 03, 2020
| EngagementThe Joyous Approach to Improving Participation
When organisations first start using Joyous, they are often also transitioning away from infrequent anonymous surveys. For whatever reason, participation seems to be one of two KPIs that are a major focus when using such anonymous tools.
Oct 22, 2020
| FeedbackLet’s talk about team performance
You need to talk to your team about more than just their progress towards objectives. Talk about their learning and development. Talk about their wellbeing, the things that excite them about their work, and the things that get in the way.
Oct 20, 2020
| FeedbackRemoving the stress from feedback
When talking about work is something that happens all the time, between all kinds of people and for all kinds of reasons, then it becomes normalised. It’s just another thing we do at work, not something unexpected to be feared.
Oct 18, 2020
| Employee ExperienceCan I use my CX system to measure EX?
The majority of CX providers who are now stretching into EX are just looking for market expansion based on parallel tech. If you can deploy a survey for customers it's not hard to deploy a survey for employees, right? If you're a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
Sep 24, 2020
| Employee ExperienceA COVID Lesson in Change Management
Jacinda's story starts, like many others, in 2020 with COVID-19 and its impacts on the business she works in: a large print company. Faced with a rapid decrease in demand, the company was forced to make some tough, fast decisions. Many of which turned out to be costly mistakes.
Sep 15, 2020
| Health & SafetyThe role of psychological safety in workplace Health & Safety
If you want your team to feel like they can speak up when things aren’t going well, you should build a culture that supports and encourages openness and honesty.
Sep 08, 2020
| FeedbackAdopting open employee feedback - a conversation with Firstgas Group
Firstgas Group has a serious focus on making the organisation the best place to work by building on their supportive and collaborative culture. All of which makes Joyous the perfect fit for employee feedback!
Sep 01, 2020
| LeadershipEncouraging feedback from introverts
Just because people are loud doesn’t mean they’re right, or that their opinions are shared by everyone. How do you manage feedback when half your team prefers to go slow and keep quiet and the others are moving - and talking - at warp speed?
Aug 11, 2020
| JoyousCulture by design - redefining the Joyous values
At the start of this year we decided it was time to take another look at our values. Do they still represent Joyous? Are they still how we want to act and who we want to be? And if not, what should we change to set us up for success beyond 2020?
Aug 05, 2020
| JoyousWhy leader responsiveness is critical to Joyous success
Ensuring that leader feedback remains consistent, genuine, and thoughtful over time is your best chance to keep working people immersed in those conversations long term.
Jul 31, 2020
| LeadershipManaging feedback for more effective conversations
If you’re in any way worried about dealing with feedback in your teams - or you want to help other people in your organisation deal with their feedback - then this is the toolkit for you.
Jul 27, 2020
| Employee ExperienceDouglas Pharmaceuticals: Making feedback a regular habit, not an annual event
Douglas's People team wasn't just looking for another engagement survey. They wanted insights into the company culture, as they were also working on building Douglas's Culture of Success program.
Jul 21, 2020
| EngagementSo, you think your organisation isn’t ready for open feedback?
If you think your organisation isn’t ready for open feedback yet, here’s five reasons why you’re wrong.
Jun 22, 2020
| LeadershipPracticing active listening in online conversations
Leaders who value efficiency over empathy tend to sacrifice investing time in relationships with their team members. The result? Ironically, team efficiency is negatively impacted.
Jun 09, 2020
| Health & SafetyBuilding resilience in the workplace
Resilience is the ability to adapt and recover – to bounce back – following a challenge or problem. Resilient people respond well to a changing environment, deal with obstacles and move on quickly.
Apr 21, 2020
| EngagementCelebrating culture together, alone
You don’t have to over-think it or make a massive song and dance. Even the little things matter when you’re building and celebrating culture remotely.
Apr 16, 2020
| Health & SafetyLaunching in lockdown: Genesis
This week Genesis launched Joyous, and took the opportunity to send Covid-19 check-in questions to the entire team while they're in lockdown.
Mar 30, 2020
| Employee ExperienceFive questions to ask your employees right now
The COVID-19 pandemic is creating challenges for every working person in the world. Leaders need to check in with their people regularly during this time, so what questions should they be asking?
Mar 03, 2020
| Employee ExperienceThe case for happiness
It is very human to want the people around us to be happy - and wanting people to be happy comes much more naturally than wanting people to be engaged. Happiness is powerful.
Feb 23, 2020
| LeadershipA simple approach to difficult conversations
About two years into my career as an engineering team leader I had to have a difficult conversation. Here's how I used the SCORE framework to make it simple and painless for everyone involved.
Feb 10, 2020
| LeadershipThe end of heroes
The most important problems cannot be solved alone, but by collaborating - and that collaboration should be free to stretch outside the limited walls of the corporation.
Sep 01, 2019
| Employee ExperienceHi Kelly. We need to talk about your anonymous feedback.
If you can figure out whose feedback you’re reading from what it says, how it’s said, or by applying basic data filters, then guess what? Your feedback isn’t anonymous.
Aug 08, 2019
| Employee ExperienceA hard truth about employee engagement
There was a point in my career, probably 18 or 20 years or so ago, that I would have argued vehemently that creating a workplace culture that engages employees was vital to sustaining a profitable business.
Jul 10, 2019
| Fairness & InclusionWant more engaging comms? Go mobile.
Most adults own a cell phone, so it follows that most workers will have a mobile device of some kind. And we always have them close at hand.
Jul 02, 2019
| Fairness & InclusionCQ: finding culturally intelligent leaders
Given the growing multi-cultural nature of today’s global business world, it is crucial to develop culturally intelligent leaders.
Jul 01, 2019
| Employee ExperienceLGBTQ+ D&I? Thanks for the rainbow logo! but let's do better.
I’ve spent the last decade of my leadership career and my entire professional career being an out lesbian, and along the way, I’ve experienced a range of responses to who I identified as as a person.
Jun 18, 2019
| Health & SafetyA Very Short History of Workplace Safety
If your notion of safety is an absence of incidents then it follows that you will focus on hazards, near-misses, and accidents.
May 27, 2019
| Employee ExperienceEmployee Engagement: it’s time to demand better answers
One of the things that makes me crazy about the work of employee engagement is the sloppiness we allow around how we define and approach it.
May 21, 2019
| Employee ExperienceEmployee experience feedback: a quick guide to getting started
Employee experience is everything people perceive, think, feel, do or encounter at work. If this experience is negative it can lead to poor performance, low engagement and unfavourable business results.
Apr 10, 2019
| EngagementEngaging invisible employees
We’re all striving for an inclusive organisational culture. We want work to be a place where everyone feels heard, and valued, and everyone has the chance to contribute.
Mar 18, 2019
| Employee Experience#EX18 Initiative of the Year: Lightspeed Graphics
“It tells us that some of the things we are doing are on the right track. It’s great for our employees to be a part of that and for us it’s a great story that we can share moving forwards,”
Mar 12, 2019
| Employee ExperienceWhy video is the killer app for creating compelling employee experiences
Video is eating the world. It’s as true for companies as it is for consumers – and yes, this includes yours.
Feb 27, 2019
| EngagementUsing Voice of the Employee to improve customer experience
Most companies understand the value of Voice of the Customer. Voice of the Employee follows a similar philosophy. You ask employees how they feel and what you can improve.
Jan 29, 2019
| Employee ExperienceEmployee experience isn't just another New Year’s resolution
We see it every year. Swarms of people create their New Year's resolutions with the intention of changing their lives for good. These efforts start out with high hopes and strong intentions
Jan 16, 2019
| Employee ExperienceThe Employee Experience Genome Project
In December 2018 we launched a little something that's really going to help companies measure and manage employee experience and engagement.
Dec 11, 2018
| EngagementUsing eNPS as an indicator of engagement
Employee NPS (eNPS) is commonly used as a quick indicator of employee engagement because engaged (and loyal) employees are more likely to recommend their workplace.
Nov 28, 2018
| Fairness & InclusionConfessions of a flex worker: leading the way to culture change
It’s 6:30 on a Sunday morning and I’ve just tiptoed downstairs, made a coffee and sat down to write. I am Donna Jones and I flex all of the time.
Nov 13, 2018
| Engagement[Infographic] 6 effective leadership styles
Leadership style can make or break the success of an organisation, team, or project. While different leadership styles suit different situations, effective styles share one common trait – emotional intelligence
Nov 06, 2018
| Fairness & InclusionLeading diverse teams: the importance of cultural intelligence
So you’ve probably heard about emotional intelligence (EQ), a key tool in a leader’s toolkit. But what have you heard of cultural intelligence (CQ)?
Oct 22, 2018
| Employee ExperienceThe importance of a comprehensive approach to EX
Many leaders are doing their best to take advantage of the employee experience movement early on by attempting to prioritise and improve EX within their organisations.
Oct 10, 2018
| Employee ExperienceHow effective leaders get results
Leaders need to get results: whether revenue growth, return on sales, efficiency, profitability, employee satisfaction, or employee engagement. Quite the task! So how on earth do leaders do it?
Oct 02, 2018
| Employee ExperienceIt's called work, not awesome
In my inbox last week. “I always read your HR posts with interest. They are sometimes very entertaining. I do however struggle to relate them to my job....
Sep 26, 2018
| Fairness & InclusionThe plight of the alpha female: why women say they prefer working for men
Recently a colleague was relaying a conversation she’d had with another woman regarding how they both prefer working for male CEOs.
Sep 19, 2018
| Health & SafetyThe business case for measuring and managing employee mental wellbeing
Mental wellbeing is a continuum. At the positive end you have flourishers. At the negative end you have languishers.
Sep 17, 2018
| Employee ExperienceThe truth about millennials: global connectivity creates EX equality
Remember when there was no easy way to access the internet and we couldn’t do our job effectively from anywhere other than our place of work? Me neither!
Sep 11, 2018
| Employee ExperienceIs your employee experience Theory X or Theory Y?
Sixty years ago Douglas McGregor from the MIT Sloan School of Management presented two theories of workforce motivation he named “Theory X” and “Theory Y.
Sep 07, 2018
| Employee ExperienceThe business case for employee mental wellbeing: encouraging employees to flourish
People tend to associate the term _mental wellbeing_ with illnesses such as depression, schizophrenia, and bi-polar disorder. As a result, organisations tend to think it’s not relevant to everyone and shy away from addressing employee mental wellbeing.
Sep 05, 2018
| EngagementWe need to have a conversation about engagement
Anyone can take an employee survey and make something of it: response rate is obvious, unhappy and engaged answers easily coded. We can chart results and turn them into reports and pretty infographics with a bare minimum of effort.
Aug 28, 2018
| Employee ExperienceSuperior Employee Experiences: why reinvent the wheel?
Judging by the literature being published on the information-super-highway, the new titles being bandied about on LinkedIn and the real competition for talent, it seems that Employee Experience is a "thing". Maybe even ‘the thing’ if you’re of an HR bent.
Aug 23, 2018
| EngagementIs employee experience really all about your manager?
"Employees don't leave companies. Employees leave managers." How often have you heard this over the past decade? A hundred times? A thousand times?
Aug 21, 2018
| EngagementFairness - what is it, and how should it be measured?
Fairness is widely studied within academic literature, where it is known as Organisational Justice. However, it is not commonly measured within organisations themselves.
Aug 14, 2018
| Fairness & InclusionDiversity is completely wrong
He was literally leaping up the stage stairs. “C’mon everyone, let’s get those energy levels back up!” Far too Tony Robins for this small event. “Everyone, stand up!”
Aug 08, 2018
| Employee ExperienceThe ROI of employee experience
All too often we hear business and public-sector leaders talk about how important their people are to their respective organisations. In fact, I suspect most who read this article would have heard phrases like “our greatest asset is our people”.
Aug 07, 2018
| Employee ExperienceGetting started with employee experience design
The reason I’m so bullish about the concept of employee experience design is that EX is proactively actionable, whereas traditional employee engagement practices are largely reactive.
Aug 01, 2018
| Fairness & InclusionYour 12 step program for organizational culture change
I was curious when approached to contribute to EX Journal as usually I am banging on about diversity and inclusion. Yes, remember that?
Jul 31, 2018
| Employee ExperienceThe truth about employer branding
Branding is often the sparkly part of HR. There are keynote speakers talking about it, talent acquisition experts in charge of Employer Branding departments, and loyal devotees acting like evangelical preachers while rolling out EB initiatives in company after company.
Jul 18, 2018
| Fairness & InclusionNo-one comes to work to do a bad job
I'm not sure if I buy into the whole concept of EX. Now, I'm an idiot. But if we keep asking employers to solve problems, we perpetuate a system that always lets employees down.
Jul 16, 2018
| EngagementThe meaning of meaningful work
There is this widely held belief by a great number of HR pros that to have true employee engagement, your employees must feel like they have meaningful work. I don’t necessarily disagree with that thought process.
Jul 02, 2018
| Employee ExperienceThe truth about millennials: shared values
Company values are often confused with company culture, but the idea that they’re the same thing is a common misconception. While a company's culture is fluid and shifts over time, its values do not. Company values are often renamed and tweaked over the years but they tend to define the principles and beliefs outlined by the founders and early crew.
Jun 26, 2018
| Employee ExperienceThe Humankind Employee Experience Model
Over the last five years Humankind has worked with over 400 businesses and learnt a lot about what it takes to grow. We know the ability to attract and retain the best talent underpins success.
Jun 19, 2018
| EngagementDesigning engaging employee experiences
Over the past year or so, the phrase “employee experience” has barged its way into conversations about human resources and employee engagement.
Jun 19, 2018
| Employee ExperienceBetter never means better for everyone
Employee experience is by definition experiential: it doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Without someone to process it, it’s not a thing. If a tree falls in a forest, etc etc. More than that, we don’t all experience the same thing the same way.
Jun 05, 2018
| EngagementThe truth about millennials: it’s not all bean bags and free lunches
Welcome to the first article on millennial employee experience from finder.com.au Head of Talent Jamie Finnegan: part two coming soon!
May 16, 2018
| EngagementWhy response rate matters more than score
Pop quiz! What’s going to be more useful to you in the long run: a high engagement survey score with a low response rate, or a low engagement score with a high response rate?
May 07, 2018
| Employee ExperienceEX18: NZ’s First EVER Employee Experience Award
Do your people love what they do and do what they love? Are you keen to showcase and celebrate what an awesome workplace you are? If so, read on!
May 01, 2018
| Employee ExperienceEmployee Experience 101
Employee experience is kind of a big deal, and we all know it. It might not be the future of HR (though it probably is), but it's something everyone needs to pay attention to. And while it might sound like the sort of thing that involves catered breakfasts and foosball tables, it’s significantly more complex.
Apr 19, 2018
| EngagementThe observer effect: the surprising role of structured questions
How do we measure things like engagement and experience? We ask questions. But what if asking the question changes the very thing we are trying to measure? Here’s a newsflash: That’s exactly what happens.
Apr 19, 2018
| Employee ExperienceFairness is an employee experience thing
Fairness is a thing. More of a thing than it used to be. A thing with the ability to upset elections and change voting patterns. Democracy has delivered a few well-deserved reminders of late that people really do care about fairness.
Apr 10, 2018
| Employee ExperienceOpen source employee engagement
Employee engagement has become an industry centered around surveys. Companies compete on who has the best, the biggest, the most comprehensive solution – despite the fact there’s not much difference between any of them.
Apr 02, 2018
| Employee ExperienceThe Anonymity Paradox
Communication is a spectrum. On the left is face to face. On the right is a YouTube comment section. In the middle are all manner of different ways of connecting. Bluetooth phone calls while driving.