griebcw1, Author at Building Careers

What Is Employee Advocacy?

Leave a Comment / Blog, Employers, Set Yourself Up For Success

Employee advocacy is one of the most effective ways to boost your public image and employee engagement.

Why? Because your employees are already posting about you. Half of all employees share content from or about their employer on social media, and 33% of all employees do so without any prompting.

Sounds great. But without a content strategy to guide them, you have no idea what they’re posting or the ROI of those efforts. With a formal employee advocacy program, you can expand your organic reach by 200% and increase profitability by 23%, among many other benefits.

Keep reading to learn how to build an employee advocacy program that your team will love, and that will contribute to your business results.

Define Employee Advocacy

Employee advocacy is the promotion of an organization by its workforce. Employee advocacy can take many forms, both online and off. But the most common and effective channel is social media advocacy.

Social media advocacy comes down to employees sharing your company’s content on their personal social media accounts. Everything from job postings (and other resources for job seekers), blog articles, and industry resources, to new product launches.

However, employee advocacy can also be original content that offers a glimpse into your company culture. Maybe it’s an Instagram post showing the free lunch spread you brought in last Friday, a special event, or a moment from an average workday.

All these activities can help boost your brand reputation with both customers and potential new recruits.

The Importance Of Employee Advocacy

A recent study found that employee advocacy benefits companies in three key ways:

It positively impacts sales due to increased brand awareness and favorable perceptions (“brand sentiment”).
It improves staff recruitment, retention, and engagement.
It aids in PR crises and issues management.

What Is Employee Advocacy? Read More »

Is Commercial Real Estate Cooling?

Leave a Comment / Blog, Industry Insights

With Fed rate hikes continuing indefinitely, many are asking what the future holds for CRE. Are we finally at the end of the bull market? While it seems a recession is more and more likely, just how will this impact CRE?

Perhaps the biggest question in the minds of professionals is whether or not commercial real estate is cooling down. Has a slowdown already begun? Just how will capital markets affect real estate? Let’s wade into these waters to get a better handle on what the rest of this year and 2023 will look like.

Interest Rates

It’s no secret that commercial real estate is a highly leveraged industry. Interest rate hikes are not our friend. And it would seem that recent rate hikes will continue for a while. Because the cost of capital is rising, investors are more hesitant. Higher interest rates mean smaller margins and greater risk. It’s quite likely that over the next year or more, success in CRE will require more capital and more effort than the previous few years.

However, there is currently somewhat of a disparity between capital markets and property markets. While rising interest rates are making it more difficult to fund new projects, we still see strong fundamentals. Most commercial properties are still outperforming expectations. Commercial real estate may be cooling, but it seems quite gradual.

Other factors are holding up. For example, job growth is still strong. CRE compensation is still rising, as demand remains strong. And liquidity is still profound at this juncture, leading some to theorize that an inevitable downturn will not be nearly as severe as the 2008 recession. Not all recessions are the same, and if we are entering one, it might be a mixed bag.

Market Sectors

2022 has not been a bad year for CRE. Though it all depends on which asset class you are looking at, commercial real estate in general looks rather strong considering the headwinds it is facing. Indeed, the remainder of 2022 looks promising, in spite of some commercial real estate cooling in the forecast.

Retail Properties

In densely populated areas, retail spaces like strip malls are performing well. Class B and C malls are struggling, but that’s nothing new. These buildings may present an opportunity for adaptive reuse as fulfillment centers or industrial space.

Multifamily Properties

Current vacancy rates are lower than they were in 2019 for multifamily, with rents at near-record highs. Nationally, the US is facing a housing shortage estimated to be between 2 million and 5 million units. Add to this the advent of Gen Z renters entering the market, and there is a strong argument to be made for modernizing and updating apartment space even during these uncertain times. Even Baby Boomers are selling their homes and renting in apartment spaces at increasing levels.

Office Properties

Offices are evolving, and companies may need to rethink how much office space they need. In an age of hybrid work and work from home, it is likely that demand for office space will decrease and change. How companies use their spaces will likely change, too.

Industrial Properties

Industrial space is still experiencing a boom, thanks to growth in ecommerce. Warehouses and fulfillment centers continue to be in high demand. Even though most commercial properties will likely see some level of slowing during a recession, if consumers continue to purchase online, odds are industrial space will remain in demand.

What’s Next?

There’s no denying that CRE deals are slowing down. Commercial real estate is cooling down like everything as interest rates climb. But as the balance shifts from a sellers’ market to a buyers’ market, there is immense opportunity to capitalize on new deals. The strength of multifamily and industrial are very promising.

Cheap debt is a thing of the past for the foreseeable future. As such, more-speculative deals aren’t as attractive. But with the shift, sellers are more likely to make favorable concessions to retain potential buyers. Bargains will once again enter the marketplace.

Office space will need some time to adjust to new formats and uses. Commercial real estate cooling will likely continue for a time as the overall economy reacts to rising inflation and rate hikes. But analysts are optimistic about new opportunities and long-term viability.

Is Commercial Real Estate Cooling? Read More »

6 Employee Appreciation Gifts And Ideas

Employee Appreciation Gifts and Ideas

1. Give everyone on your team a small allowance for a few desk or work-from-home upgrades. Items like standing desks, desk organizers, or even a new coffee mug can provide a welcome change of pace.

2. Show your appreciation by prioritizing the health of your employees. Try having juices and wellness shots from a local company delivered to your team to promote workplace wellness.

3. Treat everyone to a fun company activity. If your team feels comfortable, try out things like bowling and laser tag. For those who’d prefer social distancing activities, try enjoying virtual karaoke or bingo for virtual team bonding via Zoom.

4. Survey employees to learn their favorite self-care products or services. You can use that to provide your team with a curated self-care package to use at their leisure.

5. Plan a virtual happy hour or dinner for your team, and arrange for the food and beverages to be delivered directly to your employees. As an employer, it’s always nice to foot all or part of the bill if you’re able.

6. Surprise your team with a picnic-style lunch. Cater the food from one of the team’s favorite local restaurants if you’re in the office, or have your remote employees order their favorite take-out meal. In-person, remote, and hybrid teams can all enjoy lunch outside together (weather permitting) thanks to Zoom and other video conferencing platforms.

6 Employee Appreciation Gifts And Ideas Read More »

3 Methods Leaders Can Use Set Employees Up For Success

Leave a Comment / Blog, Employers, Set Yourself Up For Success

As leaders, we sometimes lose touch of the importance of our employees. This is not to say that we forget them, it just means that we sometimes forget how important they are to our bottom line. After all, without our employees, we would not be able to perform the functions of our organization.

The reality is that if we do not give our employees the tools they need to succeed, they will either quit or “simply collect a paycheck” (i.e. perform their job to minimal expectations). Either scenario is detrimental to your business.

So what does it mean to “set our employees up for success”? It means we invest in them, giving them the tools needed to succeed, both personally and professionally. This concept can easily be dismissed by larger companies having hundreds and thousands of employees, with a pipeline of individuals ready to take on any job. However, the basic needs of an individual to feel successful, needed, respected, and appreciated do not change, whether in a small company or large. It does not take a Harvard graduate to predict the productivity and longevity of an employee that is set up for success versus one that is not.

So how do we as leaders set employees up to succeed and avoid leadership mistakes? Keep reading!

1. Be Mindful

As Brad Federman once said “Paychecks can’t buy passion”. The first step for a leader is to become aware that a paycheck alone is not going to create the motivation for employees to succeed. Or bring fulfillment for them at work. You will not retain the employees you would want to keep without giving them the opportunity to innovate and excel. As such, you must create opportunities for them to grow, for them to champion a process or skill set, for them to learn new things, for them to innovate and learn how to pick themselves up from a setback. These are not only skill sets that can help them professionally, but personally as well.

2. Create Programs

This is where we need to invest some time and money. Task your managers with identifying training programs that can ensure their employees are given the training needed to perform their job functions.

I would recommend digital training programs that can be accessed 24/7, ensuring consistent application from one employee to another of what is being taught and giving the employee opportunity to take the course at their own speed and as many times as needed. These three vital elements of learning (among others) do not always happen in a classroom environment, nor in subsequent training sessions. Creating digital training programs take time and money, but once the initial investment has been made, each employee will be given the same exact opportunity to learn how to succeed in their job.

3. Motivate Your Employees

Take success stories and share them with the other managers. Utilize the experiences of each manager to further tweak the programs and make them more effective and more successful. Build benchmarks that show progress and success and then rally around those numbers.

Use your marketing team to use these stories on social media or in the trade press. Get the word out that your company has a culture of success and you will recruit better employees and retain existing ones. Create these programs to give your employees the opportunity to better themselves and increase their skills. You will then begin to see an increase in productivity, innovation, initiative, and retention.

Let’s not forget about what it does for the personal life of your employee. If they feel successful, respected, and needed at work, think of the positive influence they will have at home and with others.

3 Methods Leaders Can Use Set Employees Up For Success Read More »

Workplace Conflict: How To Deal With It

Leave a Comment / Ask An Expert, Blog, Employers, Interview Tips

A recent study of remote workers found that 80% of respondents experienced conflict in a remote environment. If you broaden the focus to all types of workplaces, another study found that 85% of employees at all levels have experienced workplace conflict to some degree.

That means that most of us have dealt with our fair share of workplace drama.

Conflict at work is inevitable, but even though we can’t entirely avoid it, we can become better at resolving our disputes. How well you and your team handle conflict can make a world of difference to your organization, even when there are intimidating situations to address.

Have no fear because we’re diving into workplace conflicts — including what they are, how to spot them, and how to help resolve them.

What Is Workplace Conflict?

Workplace conflict occurs when there’s a disagreement amongst employees due to opposing interests, personalities, beliefs, or ideas. Conflict in the workplace is natural and bound to occur when you have people of different backgrounds and perspectives working side-by-side.

Conflict can be expressed in various ways, including lack of cooperation, verbal insults, bullying, anger, poor quality or delayed work, project failure, and more.

You don’t have to fear workplace conflict in your organization. It’s natural and can even be healthy when dealt with appropriately. Let’s explore the types of conflict in the workplace, signs of conflict, and tips for conflict resolution to help you tackle disputes in your organization.

Types Of Conflict In The Workplace?

Yes, not all conflicts are the same — there are different types of conflict in the workplace. Let’s take a look at some of the most common types to watch out for:

1. Personality Conflicts

Clashes due to different personality types are some of the most common types of workplace conflicts. These conflicts are impossible to avoid because we all have our own personalities and won’t get along with every person we meet. Personality-based conflicts can be challenging and frustrating, but it’s beneficial to learn how to work with individuals whose approaches and perspectives are different from your own.

2. Interdependent Task-Based Conflicts

Think about the processes that help your organization stay afloat. Often, there are a lot of cross-functional processes that take place within interdependent workstreams. For example, your IT department may be responsible for setting up accounts and technology for new hires once HR informs them of the new hire’s start date. But what if HR forgets to tell IT about a new hire and the new employee arrives on their first day and isn’t set up and ready to work? These types of interdependencies can be frustrating and cause conflict, particularly amongst departments.

Workplace Conflict: How To Deal With It Read More »

3 Crucial Tips for Improving Work Performance

1. Become Accustomed to Your Organization’s Culture

Culture is the backbone of success for many organizations. A Harvard Business Review Study highlights that business leaders of fortune 500 companies discussed the term culture 27 times in a meeting of 90 minutes.

That’s not to say that you need to be personally invested in every aspect of the organization—a healthy work-life balance is essential, after all.

That said, there is little doubt that without a clear alignment between your interests and your company’s culture you will struggle with developing relationships and you may have to overcome resistance that would not otherwise be present.

As an individual employee you may not be able to dictate the workplace culture as a whole, however the way that you present yourself at work and the skills you contribute will influence it.

2. Find A Link Between Personal And Professional Goals

While a strong work ethic will help you through a task in the short term, to stay motivated in the long term you need to find fulfillment in your professional life. A link between your personal and professional objectives will improve job performance, ensure you lose focus less often, and make professional development far more fulfilling.

As an employee you may have personal benchmarks related to developing a skill set that makes you a viable candidate for professional projects that warrant a greater salary, more responsibilities, and a unique task pool.

With that link between personal and professional goals in mind, it will help with improving work performance and you will be more motivated to stay focused on achievable goals that will take you a step further towards achieving them.

3. Work Smarter, Not Harder

Time is a non-renewable resource, making it one of the most valuable assets you have when you approach a task. Without a clear structure, you may inadvertently waste time on one task while you lose track of more urgent tasks.

Poor prioritization is the bane of optimal productivity. Not having a clear priority status makes it difficult to delegate tasks effectively, structure a viable to do list, and hinders improving work performance.

It’s essential that you understand how to use the valuable time you have during work hours effectively. Being able to avoid idle chat, develop strong time management skills, and optimize your work process will ensure that you are focused on tasks that matter.

3 Crucial Tips for Improving Work Performance Read More »

Fun Activities With Coworkers To-Do Outside Of Work

Leave a Comment / Blog, Set Yourself Up For Success

Surrounding yourself with the same people in the workplace every day can get repetitive and boring. Although it may seem unnecessary, simple team-building activities let employees form personal bonds that contribute to the success of any business in the long run. If everyone feels comfortable around one another, decisions become easier, more voices are heard, and the smiles exchanged are genuine.

Here’s a list of fun activities with coworkers to attend outside of work:

1. Change Up Dinner Plans

Think typical work dinner, but with a twist. Many restaurants today offer more than good food. They offer experiences. For example, Korean barbeque restaurants often have a grill at each table and the customers, rather than the chefs in the back, are responsible for cooking their food. An eating experience like this can spark more interaction among individuals because making the food requires teamwork.

2. Create Tournaments

Ping-Pong, kickball, basketball, you name it, your company can benefit from it. Every company has a range of personality types that are always represented in the office. There’s the detailed-oriented individual, the workplace jokester, and the ultra-competitive personality. Imagine dividing all of these people into groups for a tournament! Pick a sport where athleticism does not matter. A tournament structure acts as a fun office activity to boost morale and a way to build workplace relationships. A top team will likely emerge so workers will have the chance to form bonds with their own team members as well as cheer for or against the top performers.

3. Enjoy Go-Kart Racing

Everyone secretly wishes to return to their childhood days when everything was simple and carefree. So why not escape the workplace environment for a while and do that? Fun work outings don’t need to be something that only adults see as fun. They can be something kids like too. Go-kart racing allows employees to compete with one another for the winning title and maybe even a trophy. Sometimes all it takes to connect with coworkers is a simple hour in a different mindset. Employees can always look back at photos or videos from go-karting and remember the fun experience. Competition like this can cause some friendly workplace tension. Employees will want to participate in more outside-of-work activities in the future either for redemption or to keep their title.

4. Karaoke Night

Let your inner talent shine! Everyone has a song they know all the lyrics to. Partner with a few coworkers to sing karaoke after work. Even if you are not a performer, attending an event like this and watching everyone cut loose and share a laugh can promote coworker bonding. What may seem like an unusual team-building activity could be the moment where a colleague becomes your new best friend.

Fun Activities With Coworkers To-Do Outside Of Work Read More »

10 Creative Interview Questions You’re Probably Not Using

Leave a Comment / Blog, Employers, Interview Tips, Set Yourself Up For Success

When it comes to hiring within the commercial real estate industry, there’s a lot at stake. How do you know that good first impression is really a rock star hire and not a poser? The cost of a bad hire can be startling, so knowing creative interview questions can be a valuable skill. The goal is to have a genuine conversation that fosters a better understanding of that person.

So, to find out what you need to know, what sort of interview questions will get a candidate to open up about their experience and skills? How can you find out if they’re really right for your unique needs? It helps to get creative.

Canned Conversations

Part of the problem with interview questions, is there are only a handful of them commonly asked in job interviews. So, prospective candidates can easily look them up and craft a scripted response for each of them.

The result?

A lot of canned talking points and speaking past one another. It’s entirely unhelpful! To really make it in CRE, you need better than that. You need creativity to flip the script and open a helpful dialogue. You need interview questions that really work.

So, without further ado, here are ten of the most creative interview questions that most hiring managers in commercial real estate never think to ask.

Productive and Creative Interview Questions

1. What are some of the qualities you like most in yourself?

The qualities someone prides themselves in are most likely the qualities they will work to excel in. Even if they’re not as strong in those qualities as they think, their confidence will become a self-fulfilling prophecy over time. And they just might give an example or two of these qualities in action at their last job.

2. What adjectives would your co-workers use to describe you?

Similarly, the way a candidate believes they are perceived is important in how they view themselves. And they just might be a bit more accurate when discussing the perspective of others.

3. If magic exists, how would you define it?

The great thing about this creative interview question is how it touches on their passions and gives the interviewer an opportunity to gage the way the candidate responds (behavioral interview questions can predict the future). Are they literal or figurative? Do they pause to think or shoot from the hip? Are they imaginative or a clock puncher?

4. If you had $10,000 to help the needy, what would you do?

Questions that aren’t about work are great for bypassing scripted responses and touching on the true soul of a candidate. This one helps you understand what motivates them and what kind of person they are.

5. What led you to choose this line of work?

Uncovering what fulfills someone in this particular area of CRE is helpful in understanding their cultural fit as well as their long-term potential.

6. If you couldn’t live in the US, what other country would you live in, and why?

Before asking this question, determine just what you are looking for and what you hope to learn. There is no correct answer to this question, but the way it’s handled will tell volumes about how a prospect will behave on the fly and in creative situations.

7. What’s your favorite movie, and why?

Again, this quirky question doesn’t have a right answer. But it will help you better understand the heart of your prospective employee and what drives them.

8. Let’s pretend you are interviewing me; what questions would you ask?

This one literally flips the script by reversing roles for a moment. With the candidate completely off guard, pay special attention to the focus of their questions as well as their demeanor in a managerial role.

9. If you were one of our properties, which type would you be?

This one only works if you deal in multiple property types, of course. But the responses will lend keen insights into how well they know your business, your properties, and what they value most in your company.

10. What is something you recently learned?

This creative interview question should include a time limit during which you will observe the way the candidate organizes their response, checks in for feedback along the way, and expresses emotion. Much can be gleaned from listening to your candidate relate a short lecture or moral story.

10 Creative Interview Questions You’re Probably Not Using Read More »

3 Ways To Improve Your Work-Life Balance

Leave a Comment / Set Yourself Up For Success

Often, work takes precedence over everything else in our lives. Our desire to succeed professionally can push us to set aside our own well-being. Creating a harmonious work-life balance or work-life integration is critical, though, to improve not only our physical, emotional, and mental well-being, but it’s also important to improve your work-life balance for your career.

Defining A Work-Life Balance And Why It Is Important

In short, work-life balance is the state of equilibrium where a person equally prioritizes the demands of one’s career and the demands of one’s personal life. Some of the common reasons that lead to a poor work-life balance include:

Increased responsibilities at work
Working longer hours
Increased responsibilities at home
Having children

Employers that offer options as telecommuting or flexible work schedules can help employees have a better work-life balance.

When creating a schedule that works for you, think about the best way to achieve balance at work and in your personal life. Work-life balance is less about dividing the hours in your day evenly between work and personal life and, instead, is more about having the flexibility to get things done in your professional life while still having time and energy to enjoy your personal life. There may be some days where you work longer hours so you have time later in the week to enjoy other activities.

Improve Your Work-Life Balance

Here are three ways to improve your work-life balance, as well as how to be a supportive manager

1. The Perfect Work-Life Balance Doesn’t Exist

When you hear “work-life balance,” you probably imagine having an extremely productive day at work, and leaving early to spend the other half of the day with friends and family. While this may seem ideal, it is not always possible. A work-life balance is more of an ebb and flow.

To improve your work-life balance, don’t strive for the perfect schedule; strive for a realistic one. Some days, you might focus more on work, while other days you might have more time and energy to pursue your hobbies or spend time with your loved ones. Balance is achieved over time, not each day.

2. Search For A Job You’ll Love

Although work is an expected societal norm, your career shouldn’t be restraining. If you hate what you do, you aren’t going to be happy, plain and simple. You don’t need to love every aspect of your job, but it needs to be exciting enough that you don’t dread getting out of bed every morning. Some recommend finding a job that you are so passionate about you would do it for free.

Also, before you hand in your resignation letter, take a moment to realize that quitting isn’t your only option. It’s not possible to always love your job, but you can love the idea of working at it and love different aspects of it. Learn to love your job again!

3. Make Your Health A Priority

Your overall physical, emotional and mental health should be your main concern. If you struggle with anxiety or depression and think therapy would benefit you, fit those sessions into your schedule, even if you have to leave work early or ditch your evening spin class. If you are battling a chronic illness, don’t be afraid to call in sick on rough days. Overworking yourself prevents you from getting better, possibly causing you to take more days off in the future.

Prioritizing your health doesn’t have to consist of radical or extreme activities. It can be as simple as daily meditation or exercise.

3 Ways To Improve Your Work-Life Balance Read More »

Learn To Love Your Job Again

Leave a Comment / Ask An Expert, Blog, Job Search, Set Yourself Up For Success

We fall in – and out – of love with our jobs all the time. Though we rarely think of it that way.

Remember the butterflies of excitement you had on your first day? You loved those weekly staff meetings, adored your training, and couldn’t wait to chat with new co-workers on coffee breaks.

It was when the honeymoon period ended that things changed. You started thinking “Really, this all over again?” when you woke up. Small irritations turned into large ones, and you started getting coffee at a different time to avoid Dave in Accounting.

Before you hand in your resignation letter, take a moment to realize that quitting isn’t your only option. It’s not possible to always love your job, but you can love the idea of working at it, and you can love different aspects of it.

How To Love Your Job Again

1. Is It Your Job Or Your Boss?

You might not want to leave your job, you may just want to leave your boss. One study found that 50 percent of employees left their job “to get away from their manager to improve their overall life at some point in their career.”

If you find yourself in this situation, but still really enjoy the company you work for, you may want to entertain the option of switching departments. Give yourself opportunities to work with other teams and see if it’s your manager or it’s the job you don’t like before you hand in your resignation. Small changes can make a significant impact in helping you love your job again.

2. Learn Something Different

If you have been doing the same tasks for the past 5 years, it is very possible you are simply bored and uninspired. Challenge yourself by learning something new and exciting.

Offer to help out a different department. Volunteer to take on new responsibilities. Take a course to advance your skills. Attend professional development seminars. Whatever you do, make sure it is interesting to you. It will help you look at your role in a new light. Boredom will never help you love your job, but being excited about something new will.

3. Ask For What You Want

Instead of waiting for your exit interview to mention all the things you wish you had been offered – ask for them! Your manager is probably not a mind reader, and they cannot provide you with what they didn’t know you were interested in.

Speak out about your goals and make your case for change so you can love your job again. Ask to be put in charge of a project. Talk about your dream role. If you are looking for a flexible schedule or salary increase, ask for that too. Have these conversations first instead of assuming your only option is to quit.

Learn To Love Your Job Again Read More »