Career & Workplace Directions

Roadmaps for Workplace Success

Home | Engaging

Engaging

Help New Hires “Hit the Ground Running”

By Leslie Rothman

We want our new employees to be successful contributors. We also want people who can “hit the ground running” and sometimes don’t recognize what managers can do to help make this happen. There is a need to form a new employee/manager relationship. The better the relationship is, the better the chance of retaining a productive employee.

Gaining An Employee

Think of developing a new employee/manager relationship as you would getting comfortable with a new dance or a tennis partner. One approach is to just “wing” it and get out there, with the inevitable result of stepping on each others’ toes or bumping into each other because you’re both going after the same shot. Or you can plan up front how you’ll work together to maximize your talents and efforts.

Simple Steps

There are two areas to discuss that can result in significantly improved acclimation to, and productivity in the job;

  • WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE: defining key tasks and desired outcomes
  • HOW YOU’LL WORK TOGETHER: discussing styles and how to work together
What Needs To Be Done
  1. Define tasks and desired outcomes
  2. Define how you’ll measure success
  3. Identify challenges or opportunities

Frequently managers share a job description with an employee, which typically details the tasks to be done in the job. At best, these are up to date and it’s a prioritized list. At worst they’re outdated or don’t give a clear sense of the job’s focus.

A lack of focus impacts any employee’s ability to do the job well. Additionally, research shows that as the Millennial generation’s (30 and younger) representation continues to grow in the workplace, there will be an increased desire for clear goals and direction.

1. Define Tasks and Outcomes

Make sure the tasks outlined reflect the key work to be done and prioritize the responsibilities. Next, take it one step further. For each key task, identify the outcome – the desired results that doing the task should achieve. Similar tasks may have very different desired outcomes.

Task: Respond to customer calls

Possible Outcomes:

  • The customer feels taken care of
  • Calls are handled quickly
  • Calls are moved to the next step in a process
  • Problems are resolved and don’t escalate

Understanding the outcome increases clarity about how you want someone to handle the task.

2. Define Success Measurement

It is helpful for people to understand up front how their work will be measured:

  • Are calls monitored?
  • Are internal or external customers asked for feedback?
  • Is volume of work tracked?

Measurement definition will further help focus efforts on the things that are most important, and defining them upfront eliminates surprises.

3. Identify Specific Challenges/Opportunities

If you know that certain tasks or outcomes are challenging, or present an opportunity to do something different, discuss it with your employee. Describe why the challenge/opportunity exits and give the employee valuable context and history to understand the situation they are dealing with. Ask them for ideas on how they can approach it. Share your own ideas. This will demonstrate your understanding of their job, and your support of their success.

How You’ll Work Together
  • Describe your style and what you want from your new employee
  • Have your new employee describe his/her style and wants from you

How to best work together is typically not discussed until a problem develops in the relationship. A proactive approach can make a huge difference in both setting an initial positive, open tone, as well as getting better results through increased alignment. To help with this conversation, you can make use of several types of standardized work style assessments or personality tools, or use a few straightforward questions to begin a dialogue together.

1. Describe Your Style and What You Want from Your New Employee

Consider and jot down thoughts on your management style, responding to the questions below;

  • Think about your most successful direct reporting relationship. What did this person do and not do that worked really well with your management style?
  • What is the most important success characteristic for an employee to demonstrate in this role?
  • What’s the best way to give you (as the manager) feedback on how things are going?

2. Employee Describes His/Her Style and Wants from You

Ask your employee to consider and jot down thoughts on the questions below;

  • Think about your most successful manager/employee relationship. What did this manager do and not do that worked really well for you?
  • What helps you to do your best work?
  • What tasks do you most enjoy?
  • What is the best way to give you feedback on how you’re doing/how things are going?

Spend an hour sharing your thoughts and ask questions to clarify comments. This isn’t about defending an approach or style, it’s about getting to know each other. Write down each others’ key points and review approaches you’ll each take and agreements you’ll make.

Conclusion

You’ve begun to take the guess work out of the dance. You’ve also given each other “permission” to give feedback, which will help keep the dance flowing smoothly.

This is one of the classic times when the old adage, “a stitch in time saves nine” is quite true. Spending the time upfront to acclimate your new employee will pay off in his/her ability to more expediently and successfully perform in the job, and will set your new partnership off on the right foot. And isn’t that what we want? An employee that can smoothly and gracefully hit the floor with out missing a beat.

Starting the Relationship Out Right is reprinted with permission from H.R. Times and is a copyright publication of Career & Workplace Directions, LLC and cannot be copied or printed without express written permission of Career & Workplace Directions, LLC.

HR and your Company Brand

by Leslie Rothman

With a focus on viewing all candidates and new hires like valued potential customers, HR can dramatically improve their talent acquisition process and positively affect their company’s brand.

Company Brand – Do your HR practices enhance or detract?

As HR professionals we know that a company’s brand impacts an organization’s ability to attract sought after job candidates. The flip side of that is also true, an organization’s recruitment process and track record with candidates impacts the company’s brand as well.

A 2014 survey conducted by Nielsen for Ceridian’s annual The Pulse of Talent revealed;

  • 44% of surveyed applicants indicate a negative recruiting experience made them less inclined to buy the company’s products and services 

  • 68% of respondents said that poor applicant communication has a negative impact on their overall impression of the company 


Job Candidates publicize their Experiences!

In the same way that consumers are quick to publicize their views about a company’s products and services, social networking sites like Facebook and Glassdoor provide a very public voice to candidates and employees who share recruiting and employment experiences, which can positively or negatively impact an organization’s brand.

What can HR DO?

So what can HR do to ensure they bring in desired candidates and positively contribute to their company’s brand?

Differentiate!

Differentiate your organization’s recruitment process by attending to critical candidate touch points. Take a hard look at how your organization handles the details of recruiting and on-boarding communication as it relates to;

  • job announcements / postings
  • candidate application / interview processes 

  • supervisor / new hire alignment 


With additional insights and techniques, you will be able to critique and approach your talent acquisition and on-boarding processes in new ways, and boost your ability to attract and retain the talented people you are seeking to make your workforce exceptional. And while you’re doing it, you’ll be making a positive contribution to your organization’s brand.

 

“HR and Your Company Brand, do your Practices Enhance or Detract?” is a copyrighted publication of Career & Workplace Directions, LLC and cannot be copied or printed without express permission of Career & Workplace Directions, LLC.

An Ending Era: Workforce Demographics

By Leslie Rothman

The era of the disposable employee is coming to a close. The mindset that has surrounded the workplace since baby boomers aplenty entered it in the 60’s and beyond has been “we can find ready, willing, and capable employees if the ones we have don’t work out.” This attitude mirrors our broader societal context of a world at our disposal, with vast resources available for our use. In Human Resources we’ve worked hard to influence this mindset – represented by our changing terminology from Personnel to Human Resources. By referencing employees as “valuable assets,” “associates,” and now “talent” we have championed the innate value of employees with varying degrees of success.

Changing Demographics

We now have both the opportunity and the necessity to lead a shift in thinking which is as far reaching and fundamental as moving the workplace from the industrial era to the information age. What’s driving this need to shift our thinking? The answer is demographics, in two distinct ways. The number of people departing and entering the workplace as well as the changing mix of generations in the workplace as this ebb and flow occurs.

The number of people departing and entering the workplace

This is a simple result of our changing demographics. It significantly alters the supply and demand curves for employees. “The U.S. birthrate continues to decline. By 2025, 1 in 5 workers will be over age 55. The slowing of the workforce translates to an estimated shortfall of 20 million workers over the next 20 years.”

  • “With retiring baby boomers and a 5.7% decrease in 25-39 year olds by 2010, there will be a shortfall of 7.4 million bachelor degree holders in the workforce by 2012″¹
  • The current recession will slow the exodus of retirement eligible baby boomers.²

However, as employees, this group will seek different organizational roles, many looking for an opportunity to “downshift” their careers, schedules, and work commitments; and eventually they will depart the workforce.

The changing mix of generations in the workplace

The baby boom generation currently makes up the largest percentage of U.S. political, cultural, industrial, and academic leadership. As the reigning leadership group, it will be critical for baby boomers to really understand and accept the very different values and needs of the generations behind them that are becoming a more critical part of the workforce.

Generational Values and Norms

Compare these generational values and norms regarding the workplace:

TRADITIONALS (Born prior to 1946)

Respect for time in a position
Adhere to rules and are loyal to organizations
Value education and sacrifice
Conform to, and respect authority

BABY BOOMERS (1946 -1964)

Focus on values – optimistic about contributions they can make
Team-oriented and expect to have a voice at the table
Value loyalty and “paid their dues”
“Give 110%” -self sacrificing and driven

GEN X ERS (1965 -1980)

Present fresh perspectives, are individualistic
Not intimidated by status, power, authority
Value a fun and stimulating work environment
Focus on family first -between work and home

GEN Y’S (1981-1999)

Value diversity and no gender role bias
Seek out social aspects of the workplace
Present confidence and optimism
Desire clear goals and on-going feedback

When these differing values and motivators mix and mingle in the workplace, there is plenty of opportunity for misunderstandings and un-met needs.

A clear difference with the earlier generations of Traditionals and Baby Boomers and the Gen Xers and Ys is that these newcomers to the workforce are less likely to stick around if work doesn’t provide plenty of ongoing stimulation, fun and learning, and reward them for what they bring to the workplace. They will demand ongoing opportunities for growth, building competence, and continual challenge. Motivating, rewarding, and coaching employees will take prominence in retaining them.

Paradigm Shift

What does this Paradigm Shift mean for us? The “easy come and easy go” mindset must change, or organizations will not be successful. Both the ability to hire and retain will be impacted if an organization can’t make this shift.

An organization’s growth will be limited as well its productivity. You may think, “I’ve heard this already. We have some new programs in place.” However to really change this mindset requires a paradigm shift. The context surrounding how we operate as organizations and leaders must be altered. Good employees will become increasingly harder to find and much quicker to leave. We must treat them with respect and care.

This shift parallels the way we have started to view our larger world and the planet’s resources.The increasingly familiar slogan of reuse, recycle, renew can be applied to our workforce. How about?:

Refresh, Retrain, Renew

If we refresh, retrain, and renew organizations remain strong, vibrant and sustainable.

How can we accomplish this?

This shift in mindset impacts all aspects of HR work. We will need to:

  • Develop policies that match the mantra, like flexible benefits and work schedules, time off, and career and family sabbaticals.
  • Fund solid financial investment that supports career stewardship, personal and professional development.

  • Most importantly, develop tangible incentives for the behaviors and attitudes we want to promote.

Leadership: Critical Area of Focus

Retraining leadership at all levels so they recognize and acknowledge this necessary shift and then adapt new behaviors is the most critical area of focus.

The role of the manager will now require the ability to teach, stimulate, communicate in new ways, and actively promote the growth and support the flexibility of each individual. The long held attitude of “we had to pay our dues, work our way up, put in long hours, sacrifice and stay loyal so they should too” goes the way of the dinosaurs.

Not unlike global warming, the first challenge is to get widespread acknowledgement of the impending landscape. The next step is to create a new vision for our workplaces, then develop policies and programs, shape and model new practices and behaviors, and provide explicit individual and organizational rewards to change the behaviors of past decades.

It takes time, and we have some.

Let’s use it wisely.

 

An Ending Era was reprinted with permission from the Spring H.R. Convention, 2009 and is a copyright publication of Career & Workplace Directions, LLC and cannot be copied without the express written permission of Career & Workplace Directions, LLC. Copyright © 2009 by Leslie Rothman, Career & Workplace Directions.

¹K. Tyler (2002). Neckties to noserings: Earning the trust of a multigenerational workforce. From: www.businessleader.com/bl/aug02/necktiestonoserings.html

²Data from the report, “The Convergence of the Aging Workforce and Accessible Technology: The implications for commerce, business, and policy.” 2007 and the Employment Policy Foundation

Differentiate your organization and acquire top talent!

by Leslie Rothman

HR and Company Brand

HR has a tremendous opportunity to contribute to their company’s success, both in finding top talent to support organizational growth, and maintaining a strong positive company brand. More challenging than ever, it all starts with the process of recruiting talented people.

The Landscape

At the January 2015 Mainebiz forum, Five on the Future, the predominant theme mentioned across industries statewide – there are more jobs than people to fill them. We heard loud and clear that attracting talent is the #1 concern of Maine employers. Talent shortages exist for many skilled positions.

Talent Shortage #1 Concern

Driving this talent shortage in Maine is demographics. We see an increasing number of people departing the workplace and smaller numbers entering it with a well acknowledged aging population, as many young people move out of state during their prime work years. These factors all combine to make finding top talent increasingly difficult.

Who Is Out There?

Examining the talent pool can help HR hone its recruiting approaches. The mix of generations in the workplace is changing. A clear difference with the earlier generations of Traditionals and Baby Boomers and the and Gen Xers and Ys is that these newcomers to the workforce are interested in different workplace environments and benefits and will be less interested in seeking employment in organizations that don’t match their needs.

As Maine’s supply of skilled talent decreases, employers are looking out of state. Attracting people to Maine is tricky, as Maine salaries have typically lagged behind other New England states. There are fewer employers to support potential applicants’ sense of security in making a move to Maine.

An often sought after group in the workforce is the “passive job seeker”, an individual defined as “gainfully employed but open to new opportunities” who typically isn’t conducting an aggressive job search. Individuals in this group may toss their hat in the ring if an enticing job opportunity presents itself.

This workforce landscape poses many unique challenges. Drawing in applicants from any of these groups calls for paying attention to the critical candidate and new hire touch points at every stage of the acquisition process.

Social Media and Recruitment

As HR professionals we know that a company’s brand impacts the organization’s ability to attract sought after job candidates. The flip side of that is also true, an organization’s recruitment process and track record with candidates also impacts the company’s brand.

In a 2014 survey conducted by Nielsen for Ceridian’s annual The Pulse of Talent, their findings revealed;

  • Recruitment policies and processes are critical to building and maintaining a strong company brand
  • 44% of surveyed applicants indicate a negative recruiting experience made them less inclined to buy the company’s products and services
  • 68% of respondents said that poor applicant communication has a negative impact on their overall impression of the company 
In many organizations HR is utilizing social media and networks as a vehicle to publicize, identify and solicit talent to their organization.

Social networking sites like Facebook and Glassdoor also wield tremendous power, giving current and potential employees a public voice to share recruiting and employment experiences that can immediately positively or negatively impact an organization’s brand.

So what can HR do to ensure they bring in desired candidates and positively contribute to their company’s brand? 


HR Opportunity to Differentiate



With a focus on viewing all candidates and new hires like valued potential customers, HR can dramatically improve their talent acquisition process and positively affect the company’s brand. 
There is also a significant unrealized opportunity to clearly differentiate an organization’s recruitment process and garner top talent by attending to candidate touch points, the details of recruiting and on-boarding communication in these 3 areas – job announcements/postings, candidate application/interview processes, and supervisor/new hire alignment. 


Postings that Pop


If you want strong, qualified applicants to respond to the positions you spend time and money to publicize, you need to catch their attention and reel them in. You won’t do that by simply lifting your company’s dry and often lengthy job description to create a posting. This is especially true if you are trying to entice people who are satisfied with their current employment situation and are passively interested in other opportunities.


“Customer-like” Communication


By better understanding job candidates critical touch points, and what makes positive and negative impressions you will be able to ensure that the potentially public nature of a candidate’s experience with your organization furthers your brand in positive way – and keeps 

talented applicants interested. Put yourself in the position of an applicant, and go through your own entire process. Solicit input from new hires anonymously to gain their recent applicant perspective.

Conduct your own “Focus Group” and randomly sample candidates who weren’t selected and listen to their feedback.

On-Boarding Alignment

A process to align new hires with their supervisors so they can “hit the ground” running with positive and focused energy will go a long way toward optimizing your recruiting investment and retaining your new hire.

Support your managers in developing a new employee and manager relationship as they would getting comfortable with a new dance or tennis partner. One approach is to just “wing” it and get out there, with the inevitable result of stepping on each other’s toes or bumping into each other because they’re both going after the same shot. Or you can support them in articulating up front how they’ll work together to maximize the talents and efforts of a new hire.

An initial conversation that starts the work relationship out on the right foot is frequently missed. There are two areas that once discussed, can result in significantly improved acclimation to the job and the manager, resulting in getting the new hire productive and up to speed faster.

  • WHAT needs to be done
  • HOW you’ll work together 


With additional insights and techniques, you will be able to critique and approach your talent acquisition and on-boarding processes in new ways, and boost your ability to attract and retain the talented people you are seeking to make your workforce exceptional.

 

“Differentiate Your Organization and Acquire Top Talent” is a copyrighted publication of Career & Workplace Directions, LLC and cannot be copied or printed without express permission of Career & Workplace Directions, LLC.