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Pooch Profile: Murphy may be little, but he’s a big star at Softchoice!

August 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Name:  Murphy Walker

Nicknames:  Murph, Smurf, Murph-Smurf ….

Age:  8 months

Breed:  Cocker-Spaniel / Poodle, Male

Owner:  Jeremy Walker, PreSales Operations Specialist

Tenure at Softchoice: 4 months

Position and Duties: Jr. Distractions Officer, K9 Sigma Black Belt Certified

Best Friend at Softchoice: Fitz McKarney, Carin Terrier

Why I love Softchoice: So many dog owners, so many treats to earn. I’m a whole pound bigger since I came to Softchoice!

Pet Peeves: I may be small, but I hate being ignored. I like to get the undivided attention I deserve!

Favorite Pastime: When I’m not making sure everyone is really, really distracted upstairs, I head over to the Sales floor. Each and every visit to the Sales floor is another chance to showcase the Murphy Circus. Step right up! There are more than 11 tricks to showcase! Over 15 tickets sold in less than 3 months. Admission is just one piece of dehydrated chicken.

Dreams & Ambitions: Ever since I was just a little pup, I’ve wanted to become a circus performer. I love being in the spotlight. But the circus life doesn’t pay as well as IT, and a young dog’s gotta’ pay for kibble somehow! Maybe one day I’ll be a real show dog … but performing on the side is fun for now.

Filed Under: Fun Tagged With: , , , , ,

Growing Employees from Within: How to win in the war for talent

August 2, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Savvy organizations know that investing in talent management is essential to a company’s future success. In the war for talent, a great amount of research shows that employee development programs are becoming an increasingly vital weapon to improve employee commitment, business performance and retention.

In a recent study conducted by assessment and development consultancy Cubiks, 93 percent of respondents said they would stay longer with an organization that invested in their development and 97 percent of respondents agreed it was important to develop people who could lead the company in the future.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Culture, Growth Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Six reasons to make man’s best friend, man’s best coworker.

June 21, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Every dog has its day, and on June 22, thousands of canine best friends are accompanying their owners to work for the 14th annual Take Your Dog to Work Day. But at many of North America’s Best Workplaces – including Google, Amazon and Build-A-Bear Workshop – have already unleashed their employees and let them bring their canine companions to work every day. Of course, Softchoice employees are also happy as a flea in a dog house (in a sense) to have our four-legged friends in the office!

Think you have a dog’s chance of implementing a dog-friendly workplace at your company, these six benefits – for both dogs and employees – may just help you make the case!  [Read more...]

Filed Under: Culture, Fun, Work/Life Balance Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Why Businesses Should Offer a Green Commute Program

May 31, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Encouraging your employees to leave their cars at home improves more than just air quality

Just some of the Softchoice green crew who bike to work every day.

 

In honor of the Toronto Group Commute’s Bike to Work Day and Bike Month, we wanted to spread the word about green commuting.

But biking isn’t the only way! Softchoice employees take advantage of anything from carpooling to public transit to using their own two feet – all part of our company incentive program that encourages employees to travel green.

Long-time Softchoice employee, Joseph Byer, takes advantage of the Green Commute program almost every day. “I often wish my trip was longer,” he says. “When the weather is nice, I purposefully take the scenic route. I also like taking my bike out over lunch and getting some extra fresh air.”

Softchoice isn’t the only one. Many companies also support ‘greener’ commuting through providing various programs, including: [Read more...]

Filed Under: Culture, Environment, Reducing Carbon, Work/Life Balance Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Pooch Profile: Shorty shares her life as an office dog and napping philosophy

May 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment

You don't look this good without a good 15 hours!

Name: Shorty Eddison

Nicknames: Shortstax, Shortskins, Nizzles …

Age & Breed: Turing 6 on June 15, Husky / German Shepard mix

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Culture, Fun, Work/Life Balance Tagged With: , , , ,

CSR Programs: Why some thrive and others nose-dive.

May 17, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Your sustainability plan isn’t worth a beaver dam if your employees aren’t engaged in the strategy.

Just like the hard-working beaver, employee commitment makes a huge difference in the environment!

This year when Softchoice was named to Canada’s Green 30, I wondered if there was a common thread among the organizations recognized. After reading more about them, I found that their employees’ feedback not only put them on the list, but employee involvement is driving the success of their sustainability programs.

This isn’t surprising. As with many workplaces, engaged employees are the internal change agents, fueling innovation and success of many programs. According to GreenResearch’s 2012 Annual Sustainability Executive Survey, staff engagement is one of the top two sustainability trends for 2012 – simply because “engaged employees make things happen”. They are the “make-it-or-break-it” factor. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Culture, Projects & Partnerships, Recognition, Softchoice Cares Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,