(Time to read this Blog is about 3.5 minutes)

Before we get to the main topic, here are a few things to get you thinking or smiling:

1. My Biz Quote of the week:
   “Problems on the front line are always a symptom of problems and ineffectiveness at the top.  But it’s easier to point ‘down’ than to look in the mirror.”
   …Donald Cooper.
     
2. Quick Biz Tip:
   What are you doing to improve operational efficiency in every part of your business?

   US chicken restaurant chain, Pollo Campero, mapped how Team members were moving around their stores and then redesigned the layout to reduce footsteps per shift from 3.4 miles per day to 1.7 . A 50% improvement.   This improved efficiency reduced labour costs and improved both customer service and the employee experience…and reduced employee turnover.
    
   What will you do to improve operational efficiency in every part of your business…who will drive this initiative and when will they start?
    

3. Stopping hackers. The financial and reputational cost of being hacked can be huge! Here’s a brilliant Chart (click to enlarge)  showing how effective various types of passwords will likely be in defeating hackers.  A properly constructed password can change ‘time to hack’ from 3 seconds to thousands of years.
    
   Here is another link to a brilliant random password generator (Click Here)  that you can use to better protect your online assets. 
    
4. Consumer interest in Electric Vehicles is plummeting. Our Federal and Ontario Provincial  Governments are pouring billions of dollars in subsidies into battery and electric vehicle manufacturing facilities.
    
   In the meantime, AutoTrader’s annual EV Report found that 46% of Canadians are currently interested in buying an EV, down from 68% in 2022…mainly due to cost and performance concerns with current models.

   Ford Motor Company has announced a 2-year delay in producing electric vehicles in it’s Oakville, Ontario plant because of low demand.
    

5. Not Fun fact. We hear lots about the flood of illegal immigrants at America’s southern border, but we also have an increasingly porous northern border.  According to one US official, there is an 800% increase in illegal crossings from Ontario and Quebec into the bordering US States of New York, Vermont and New Hampshire.
    
   Illegal immigrants using our southern border to cross into the USA are from about 40 different countries with the largest representation coming from India, Bangladesh and Mexico.
    
6. A Client quote:

Donald, ‘thank you’ for the tremendous boost you’ve provided to our Management Team. We’re unanimous that this was the most insightful business Session we’ve ever attended.  You have changed our culture from fuzzy ‘goals and objectives’ to clear and specific ‘commitments’…and we already see the difference!

Now, to this week’s important topic:

Alarming new Report on employee dissatisfaction:

An alarming new Report from employee recruitment firm, Hays Canada, states that  71% of Canadian workers want to leave their jobs this year and look for better opportunities.  And, the Report warns, even more employees say they’ll start looking for a better job when the economy and unemployment rate improve.

Hays says that more than half of Canadian employees feel more stressed this year than last year, and nearly half are unmotivated at work. There is growing discontent among workers who are demoralized and disengaged over wages that lag behind inflation, job roles and benefits. 

According to the Report, workers need more than a raise to stay engaged.  They also want other benefits and incentives such as more vacation days, professional development and promotions. 

This is the most distressing employee Survey I’ve seen in a long time.  “Yes” this a Canadian Survey, but for our thousands of Blog readers in the USA and around the world, your numbers may not be that different.

But I’m here to help, no charge!  I’ve just updated and improved my insightful Biz Tool #B-18,      ’17 Keys to Creating a Winning Culture’  and it’s available here.   Just  Click Here  to download it as a PDF.   This 7-minute Biz Tool will help you evaluate your current business culture and fix the ‘Culture Gaps’ in your business.  It’s intuitive and self-guiding.

When you and your Team complete it, I’ll be happy to review your results and chat about ‘possibilities’.

That’s it for this week…

Stay safe…live brilliantly!       

Donald Cooper 

Donald Cooper speaks and coaches internationally on management, marketing, and profitability.  He can be reached by email at donald@donaldcooper.com in Toronto, Canada.