1.
PROFICIENCY
IN THE
WORKPLACE
Business landscapes are changing. It is vital for organizations to
learn how to identify gaps and evolve with trends.
ZeroCater Presents

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PROFICIENCY IN THE WORKPLACE1
IT IS NO SECRET that companies like Google and Apple have mastered the
method of attracting and retaining some of the world’s top talent. Not only do
they know how to make employees happy, but they also understand how to
keep them operating at the highest level of proficiency in the workplace. Most
CEOs strive to model their companies after successful organizations, but it’s
not as easy as it seems. In this paper you will learn the following:
• What is workplace proficiency?
• What are some workplace trends?
• How to identify gaps in workplace productivity
• Five techniques to increase proficiency and productivity in
your office.
WHAT IS PROFICIENCY IN THE WORKPLACE?
Proficiency is progress. To become proficient in anything requires an open
mind and dedication to mastering the skill you seek to learn. Companies that
choose not to dynamically advance will surely fall behind. Some areas that can
directly impact an organization’s bottom line are: failing to attract top talent,
gaining market share, and innovating at a rapid pace. Baby Boomers vs.
“Proficiency is progress.
To become proficient in anything
requires an open mind and dedication
to mastering the skill you seek to learn.”

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Millennials, male vs. female, suits vs. jeans, etc, only scratch the surface of
progressive workplace topics. Continual investment in employees separates
top companies from the rest.
Companies that do not invest in their employees will ultimately pay the price
for it. Allen Schweyer, the author of The Economics of Engagement, noted
that “disengaged employees are estimated to cost the U.S. economy as much
as $350 billion per year in lost productivity, accidents, theft, and turnover” (1).
Employees work harder for companies that give them the resources to master
their skills. Your employees are the best or worst advocates in the world for your
business, thus making it necessary to equip them with the tools to promote
your organization in a positive light.
Once you invest in the people running your organization, you can then begin
to measure the efficiency of your workplace. With all the trends and perks
being offered, how do you know which ones are right for your business? What
perks will increase employee retention and reduce downtime?
TRENDS IN THE WORKPLACE
Wellness programs, office layouts, unlimited vacation, and other developing
trends are shaping the way employees look at their work landscape. Moving
from a traditional, often slow or stagnate work environment, to a progressive
one is steady overhaul that necessitates employee buy-in. Organizations need
to focus on a top down communication strategy to
employees in order to adopt new workplace norms.
WELLNESS PROGRAMS
One of the most popular trends in the workplace is an employee wellness
program. Companies that adopt the principle that happy employees make for
more productive workers have implemented wellness programs and have found
that these initiatives directly impact the bottom line.

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The latest survey on wellness programs from Fidelity Investments and the
National Business Group on Health (NBGH) reveals that “employers will spend
an average of $693 per employee on wellness-based incentives in 2015, up
from $594 in 2014 and $430 five years ago” (2). As the spend cap climbs for
wellness programs, it’s clear this is a trend that won’t be fading anytime soon.
Companies of all industries and sizes are looking into ways to keep their
employees happy and healthy, while increasing workweek productivity.
When evaluating whether or not a wellness program assists an organization in
creating a progressive workplace, we examined the ROI of these types of
programs. Implementing a wellness program is not an easy task, and must be
done correctly to reap maximum benefits. According to a Harvard Business
Review study, “a study by Towers Watson and the National Business Group on
Health shows that organizations with highly effective wellness programs report
significantly lower voluntary attrition than do those whose programs have low
effectiveness (9% vs. 15%)” (3). Defining the mission of your wellness program,
and clearly communicating it to your employees, will dictate its effectiveness.
Harvard Business Review studied a large financial services company, Nelnet,
and discovered that the original rollout of its wellness program missed the
mark with employees. It was not clearly communicated to the staff, causing
confusion, which reduced adoption rates. Once the team at Nelnet realized
the program was not presented clearly, they pivoted their strategy and the
company “now emphasizes early communication and clear explanations to give
employees time to ask questions and prepare for change. Today employees
embrace Nelnet’s wellness culture: 90% participate in health risk assessments
(HRAs); about three quarters of those engage in wellness activities” (3).
The success of wellness programs around the country proves that healthy and
happy employees are worth the investment. Of course, if a wellness program
cannot be supported within your organization, or is not an extension of the

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PROFICIENCY IN THE WORKPLACE4
company values, there are a number of ways to implement progress in the
workplace. Another trend we explored is the physical layout of the workspace
and how it impacts workplace proficiency.
PROGRESSIVE WORKSPACES
The dreaded cubicle has been replaced by standing desks, wide open spaces,
and treadmills. In an attempt to move toward an aesthetically appealing
workplace, but also one that facilitates the best work from employees, the
physical environment of an office must align with the company culture and
values while providing the ideal space for laborate and innovate. Shive-Hattery,
an architecture and engineering consulting firm, broke down the differentiat-
ing factors between the traditional and progressive corporate workspaces:
It’s important to identify what type of workspace fits your company. Not all
companies need to make a jump from a completely traditional workspace to
progressive, but choosing a few functions to tweak can make a dramatic
http://www.shive-hattery.com/publications/ideas/workplace/files/assets/common/downloads/publication.pdf

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PROFICIENCY IN THE WORKPLACE5
impact. Many companies are moving from internalized spaces like cubicles
and private offices to open floor plans. Shive-Hattery worked with Stryker, one
of the largest medical device manufacturers, to transform their workspace,
“[they] wanted to design a workplace that promoted collaboration, and broke
down traditional hierarchies while providing great flexibility for continuous
change” (4). Breaking down traditional hierarchies can be as simple as moving
desks while maintaining a clear line of command. Open public spaces can
instill a sense of team and collaboration in the office. Some of the best ideas
are generated in open floor plan office layouts.
Not every workplace layout is for every type of organization. Harvard Business
Review explored workplace performance data by “deploying thousands of
badges in workplaces ranging from pharmaceuticals, finance, and software
companies to hospitals, [they began] to unlock the secrets of good office
design in terms of density, proximity of people, and social nature” (5). One of
the findings from the study clearly illustrated that “managers might be
tempted to simply build big social spaces and expect great results, but it’s not
that simple. Companies must have an understanding of what they’re trying to
achieve (higher productivity? more creativity?) before changing a space” (5).
QUESTIONS TO ASK
ABOUT YOUR ORGANIZATION
How might our organization function
more effectively?
How do our employees want to work?
How much time do employees spend
working outside of the office?
Do we need to address issues
regarding available office real estate?
Are we willing to make corporate
shifts and changes?
What organizational value(s) could
be translated into the space?
Is organization leadership willing to
lead change?
What roles does technology play in
your work processes?
How is your business changing and
how can the workplace support this
change?
http://www.shive-hattery.com/publications/ideas/workplace/files/assets/common/downloads/publication.pdf

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PROFICIENCY IN THE WORKPLACE6
Developing the right workspace drives performance in the office. Keeping up
with trends will help you retain and attract top talent, while encouraging your
employees to get the most out of daily work interactions. Wellness programs
and office design impact health, happiness, and performance of employees.
The final trend that has recently surfaced is the oft-desired unlimited vacation
policy.
OPEN VACATION POLICIES
Unlimited vacation policies are used to incentivize employees. Although,
currently, the data to support its effectiveness is slow to surface. Many
management teams are conducting conversations the pros and cons of
such a perk. This type of perk comes down to one thing: the trust between
employees and management.
Jim Belosic, CEO of ShortStack, likens his reasoning for offering an unlimited
vacation policy to companies such as Virgin Airlines, Netflix, Groupon, and
Evernote. Belosic has “learned that when you treat employees like grown-ups,
they act like grown-ups. When employees know they are trusted to take
vacation when they need or want one, they’re more willing and excited to
produce good work when they’re in the office” (6).
Internationally, Americans are known for pushing the threshold of the typical
workweek. It’s no secret that we do not capitalize on our vacation days unlike
other parts of the world. In 2014, Glassdoor and Harris Interactive reported
that, “one in four (25 percent) [employees] report taking 100 percent of their
eligible time off. Two in five (40 percent) employees report taking 25 percent
or less of their eligible time off” (7). When employees are not encouraged to
take paid time off, it leads to poor morale, overworked, and burnt out workers.
Encouraging staff to take the time they need to recharge empowers them to
come back to the office and produce at maximum capacity.

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Of course, there are pros and cons to implementing an unlimited vacation
policy. Based on our research, this is a scarcely offered program. These are the
top three pros and cons:
Workplace perks inspire happy and healthy employees—regardless of trend,
your people are the ones who keep the company’s engine running.
HOW TO MIND THE GAP IN THE WORKPLACE
Implementing change in the workplace starts with identifying the gaps.
Depending on the organization, there are several ways to understand if your
employees are engaged, if they are happy, and how they are performing.
Best Practices to Mind The Gaps:
1. Ask
Understanding where the issues lie does not have to be complex or
convoluted. Employees are typically eager to share insight as to where
things could be improved.
Employee surveys, suggestion boxes, one-on-one discussions, company
Q&A, and other methods are effective tools to gather feedback. These
methods often intimidate those whom do not commonly voice their
opinions, so it is also beneficial to utilize an anonymous option to
collect employee opinions.
Getting employees to voice their thoughts is not an easy task. B2B
International lists a few ways to get employees to participate:
PROS
Happier people work harder
Trust becomes a part of company culture
Recruiting sell
CONS
Policy abuse
Employees take less vacation
Ill-equipped workplace infastructure

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PROFICIENCY IN THE WORKPLACE8
• CEO involvement and support, for example a personalized invitation
to participate from the CEO
• A publicity campaign prior to the survey
• "Heads up" e-mail alerts and team briefings beforehand
• Strong and present management support for the survey
• Survey weeks–including support and open access areas for completion
(if also used for staff who do not have dedicated computer access)
• Strong internal distribution strategy
• Incentives at the personal level like prizes,= etc.
• Promise to share headline results shortly after the survey closes
(bulleted points emerging from survey on topical issues)
https://www.b2binternational.com/publications/employee-satisfaction/
2. Observe
If your company has identified issues in the workplace, but has not yet
evaluated them, then observation might be a better avenue.
Washington State Human Resources outlines how to build an
observational analysis in the workplace:
For observation to be effective:
Know what to look and listen for; identify the questions you
need answered; note the phrases, behaviors, visuals that will
help answer those questions.
Talk with employees before the observation to communicate
why you are observing, and how you will use the information
to problem-solve.
Collect quantitative and qualitative (or hard and soft) data, and
note any standards or expectations you find in the workplace.
http://www.hr.wa.gov/WorkforceDataAndPlanning/WorkforceDataTrends/StateEmployeeSurvey/Pages/Observe.aspx
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It’s easy to forget what it feels like to sit in that cubicle, eat at your desk,
or work so many hours you lose sight of your personal life at the top of the
company totem pole. Through observation, employees will appreciate the
effort from upper management to spend time learning what’s happening in
the organization.
3. Experiment
Experiment as follows:
As you experiment with filling the gaps in the workplace, it’s important to test
and quickly pivot to optimize from these learnings. Understanding the problem
is the most important component to testing. Once you understand the issue
and choose the initial experiment, you will need to identify how you will
measure its success.
5 WAYS TO INCREASE PROFICIENCY IN THE WORKPLACE
Prior to the 2008 recession, resolving workplace issues was a top priority for
companies. Today, personnel issues and technological advancements top the list.
There are five ways in which you can turn your organization into a highly
proficient workplace:
PURPOSE: PRIMARY QUESTION: KEY POINTS:
To test a solution and
learn so that you can
adjust your approach
or apply the solution
more broadly.
What will we try to
counteract or solve the
problem?
Identify how you will
know if the solution
is working.

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PROFICIENCY IN THE WORKPLACE10
1. Be Transparent
Being transparent with employees about company goals and
encouraging a team mindset is vital to building a proficient work
place. Transparency relates to trust as an employee’s ability to trust
the company and the people they work for directly impacts their
happiness and loyalty.
Forbes released an article highlighting five ways to be more transparent
in the workplace:
Transparency starts from the top, but it should be encouraged across
the board. New generations seek communication and data sharing,
and the bar continues to rise as the world evolves. In order to be
proficient, you must be willing to put effort toward communicating with
your employees.

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2. Invest in your employees
Your people are your company. If you want to drive a Ferrari, you need
to be willing to invest in the maintenance it requires. Understanding
what your employees want and need should be at the top of your
priority list. Many companies try to fix issues that arise with training,
and don’t realize that there are plenty of other options to show your
staff that the organization is invested in them without spending
excessive training dollars and resources.
Earlier, we discussed trends that reward employees and fosters a happy
and healthy workplace. Investing in your employees is not always about
fixing a problem or teaching a skill, but rather respecting that your
employees are humans not robots. Sage, an HRMS company, published
a piece on the Return on Investment of Employee Investment stating
“each company has to find its own balance of mandatory and voluntary
benefits. It’s safe to say that the best employees will not stay long in a
job that is either significantly undercompensated or lacking in benefits”(10).
3. Encourage collaboration
Collaboration is independent of company size, industry, and location. It
is one of the easiest ways to build a proficient workforce and accelerate
your organization’s success.
Jacob Morgan, the author of The Collaborative Organization: A Strategic
Guide to Solving Your Internal Business Challenges Using Social and
Collaborative Tools, provides twelve core principles to create a
collaborative environment:

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Listening to your employees is imperative in developing a proficient
workplace. Any new idea needs staff to buy in. By obtaining feedback
from employees, you can create an environment that is not only quickly
adopted, but widely adopted as well.
Leading by example is an age-old principle that is often forgotten in
business. If upper management finds a way to collaborate and set the
trend, it will be more comfortable for employees to follow suit. Take it
upon yourself as a manager to lead by example.
Morgan says, “collaboration should never be seen as an additional task
or requirement for employees. Instead collaboration should fit naturally
into their flow of work” (11).
Some of the best ideas come from collaborating with others as opposed
to working independently. By encouraging this, your employees will have
the opportunity to advance their own skills by learning from one another.

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4. Steps toward progressive over traditional
As new generations join the workforce, there are different expectations
of how the office should feel and operate. Companies are not sacrificing
the importance of training or taking the job seriously, but they are
looking to what makes the new generation of workers excited.
Moving away from the traditional workplace is an effective way to make
an impact at your organization. Take Stryker, for example: they wanted
to create an environment in which their employees would naturally
interact and feel the energy of one another’s innovation. It was
important for them to create a space that their employees wanted to
show up to every day.
There is no one solution that will move you into a more progressive
workplace, but instead, there are a few ways in which you can design
your workspace to show flexibility, appreciation, and relevancy.
5. Challenge your employees
Job security used to be the number one concern for employees.
In today’s landscape, job-hopping is one of the biggest issues seen in
our workforce generation gaps.
Studies are showing that times are, in fact, changing and so are the
workforce’s priorities. The Society for Human Resource Management
released a report in 2012 that stated, “opportunities to use skills and
abilities’ now holds the top spot on the list of job satisfaction drivers
(63 percent), placing job security (61 percent) in second place for the
first time since 2007, when compensation/pay topped the list” (12).
Employees want to be valued, engaged, and challenged. The Harvard
Business Review released a piece on how to make your employees
happier and listed ways you can tell your employees need to be
challenged:

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Everything they manage has run smoothly for a significant
period of time.
When faced with problems, they jump quickly to solutions.
They spend time trying to fix other peoples’ and other
deparments’ problems.
They’ve become increasingly but inexplicably negative.
https://hbr.org/2014/11/an-easy-way-to-make-your-employees-happier
Management should be proactive with their teams to identify when these
trends are sneaking into the picture. Challenging your employees will lead to
workplace happiness and, ultimately more company-wide production.
ZEROCATER
As a concierge catering service, ZeroCater is in the business of accelerating
the transition into the new age of business.
Building a proficient workplace is not easy, and when employee buy-in is a
necessitation, it’s even more difficult. Food has become an easy way to
reward, incentivize, and evolve the workplace.
Employees spend an average of sixty minutes a day on lunch. By providing
catered lunch, you save your entire team time. This reinforces that employee
investment ultimately reduces costs in the long run.
SUMMARY
Now that you know today’s workplace trends, and how to identify gaps and
inefficiencies in your organization you can continue to evolve—all while
staying true to the company’s value proposition. Not every technique or
program will help your company achieve a proficient workplace, but if you
can effectively identify the gaps in your workplace, and build programs
around what your workforce wants and needs, you will be successful in
moving toward a more progressive workplace.
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WORKS CITED
1) Allan Schweyer, “The Economics of Engagement,” Human Capital Institute and Enterprise
Engagement Alliance, June 2009, p.1. http://na.sage.com/~/media/site/Sage%20HRMS/pdf/
white_papers/SageHRMS_ROEI.pdf
2) Online survey fielded from December 2014 through January 2015 among clients of National
Business Group on Health and Fidelity Investments.
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150326005585/en/Companies-Spending-
Corporate-Wellness-Programs-Employees-Leaving#.VR7i9TvF_3p4)
3) LEONARD L. BERRY, ANN M. MIRABITO, AND WILLIAM B. BAUM, “WHAT’S THE HARD
RETURN ON EMPLOYEE WELLNESS PROGRAMS”, HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW, DECEM-
BER 1, 2010 https://hbr.org/2010/12/whats-the-hard-return-on-employee-wellness-programs
4) http://www.shive-hattery.com/publications/ideas/workplace/-
files/assets/common/downloads/publication.pdf
5) https://hbr.org/2014/10/workspaces-that-move-people
6) http://www.forbes.com/sites/dailymuse/2014/10/29/could-unlim-
ited-vacation-time-work-for-your-company/
7) http://www.glassdoor.com/press/glassdoor-survey-reveals-aver-
age-american-employee-takes-earned-vacationpaid-time-61-report-working-vacation
8) https://www.b2binternational.com/publications/employee-satisfaction/
9)http://www.hr.wa.gov/WorkforceDataAndPlanning/WorkforceDa-
taTrends/StateEmployeeSurvey/Pages/Observe.aspx
10)http://na.sage.com/~/media/site/Sage%20HRMS/pdf/white_papers/SageHRMS_ROEI.pdf
11) http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobmorgan/2013/07/30/the-12-hab-
its-of-highly-collaborative-organizations/2/]
12) http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/employeerelations/articles/-
pages/shrm-job-security-is-no-longer-top-driver-of-satisfaction.aspx