How Can we Keep Our Skills Up to Date?

Today more than ever it is important for the HR professional to keep their skills current and their knowledge of changes in the workforce up to date.  Five ways that you can keep yourself on the cutting edge are outlined below:

Offer your Services to a Professional Association

One of the best ways you can keep your skills up to date is to offer your services or expertise as a volunteer to your professional association.  Offering your services will allow you to meet other HR professionals, expand your skill base as well as provide you with the opportunity to gain experience and improve your presentation skills.  Volunteering is a wonderful way to expand your resume and highlight your commitment to the profession.

Complete a Stretch Objective

Another option that allows workers to brush up skills and demonstrate proficiency to their employer is to establish a stretch objective which will expand your skill level but also take you out of your comfort zone.  Examples of a stretch objective could be working with your city or our municipality to be appointed to a board or commission.  Not only can a stretch objective provide you with a unique experience but you will be using new skill sets which can potentially be added to a work portfolio.

Enroll in Continuing Education and Become Certified

While informal training can be useful, there does come a time to enroll in that formal education or certification program.   It is very important to evaluate all continuing education programs in advance to ensure that the classes are appropriate; credits are transferable so that the courses will be recognized.

Tap into Online Resources

One of the best ways to expand and develop your skills is to subscribe to industry blogs for the latest trends, news magazines, webinars and periodicals that highlight new and emerging trends in your profession.

Develop Your Technology Alternatives

Advances in technology are changing and the way we conduct business is moving at such a fast pace that keeping up to speed with the changes and ways to become more productive is becoming more important than ever.  Over the past several years HR Departments have moved to employee self-service, webinars are replacing conferences and the internet is the resource that people turn to.  Using technology will help you remain ahead of the curve.

 

Five Ideas to Help Your Business Improve Employee Engagement

Mastering how to manage employees in a business successfully includes understanding what strategies work best to boost employee satisfaction. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to building morale and improving engagement.  What works for a professional organization might work at a manufacturing facility. But as an HR professional you can make a great deal of headway, quickly, by showing your team your appreciation, respecting their needs, understanding their limits, and offering them engaging and meaningful work.  Here are five ideas to help you offer your employees unique work experience that provides job enrichment and will hopefully reduce turnover.

Offer Flexible Work Schedules

Consider offering a hybrid or complete remote work option. Improved engagement and higher productivity are just a few of the benefits. Flexible work schedules can also help you attract and retain top-quality talent, in addition to providing a way to boost employee morale.

If you have resisted allowing employees to work from home at least part of the time, now might be time to reconsider. Give some thought to how you can create and manage a remote team, as well as the communication tools and training that employees would need to succeed.

If your business model cannot support a hybrid schedule consider other arrangements such as flex time, which allows workers to determine the start and finish times of their shifts. Even a small adjustment in hours can make a commute smoother and employees more satisfied.

Recognize your Employees

Rewards help distinguish you from your competitors in the minds of your employees and show appreciation for their hard work. You do not have to create programs that will be expensive but rather modest investments.  Recognition can go a long way to support employee engagement and improve morale.

An employee recognition program is another way to help instill pride. Take time to spotlight staff for specific achievements. Whether it singles out the accomplishments of one worker or an entire team, public recognition for a job very well done should be a part of any workplace culture.

Encourage and Support Learning Opportunities

If training has taken a backseat in the past, your employees may feel that their career has plateaued because they are not growing and learning new skills. That lack of advancement can drive workers to look for opportunities outside of the organization. To retain valued workers, it is imperative to speak with your employees to discuss their career goals and plans for the future.

Sometimes, the best resource is within your company. Ask your most seasoned employees to share their knowledge with colleagues, through a formal mentoring program. Programs such as this are a win-win for both the seasoned and the new employee.

Cross training is often a welcomed alternative to an expensive out-sourced training program.  Cross-training is a smart business practice as this allows employees to gain new skills and experience in areas where they typically are not currently functioning. They can also get an inside look at roles they might be eyeing but are uncertain whether they want to pursue.

For the truly ambitious employee, tuition reimbursement for college or professional certification fees is a wonderful opportunity for both the employee and employer.  Tuition reimbursement builds loyalty  and increases the skills of those high-performing employees.

Create a Culture of Engagement

Many successful businesses support a culture that keeps employees connected and engaged. You can foster a welcoming and collaborative work environment that recognizes everyone’s unique point of view to keep employees energized and engaged.

Today, workplace culture is supported by the values of the organization. Company policies and your manager’s personal behavior can influence and help shape the company’s culture and how employees build on it.  Key to building a culture of engagement is to  demonstrate support, inclusivity and empathy through your own actions and give your employees a sense of empowerment. When workers can make decisions on their own or with minimal direction, they will feel more invested in their roles and responsibilities.

Benchmark your Pay and Rewards Programs

Competitive pay is critical to employee engagement, reducing turnover and retaining a loyal workforce. Do your research to find out what your competition offers, and make sure you are paying the market rate or higher. Most likely, your employees have already done their homework.

Regularly benchmarking your salaries and adjusting the pay ranges can help employees feel they are being fairly compensated.  An at-market compensation and rewards program will support the team, improve productivity and reduce turnover.

 

What are the Lessons Learned from an Employee Survey Expert?

Many companies are lacking the expertise to deal with multiple evolving business issues such as competition, technology concerns, workforce development and talent management.  These demands can contribute to a very complex work environment.  To meet this challenge organizations will often determine that the best way to plan for the future is to determine how their employees are responding to change today.  One of the best ways to evaluate employee satisfaction and engagement is to conduct an employee survey.  Outlined below are several lessons learned about the employee survey process so that the HR professional can make the survey process more effective.

Survey Initiative Discussion about the Types of Survey

Participating organizations are using a wide range of employee surveys to gather information and insight to make informed decisions. Each survey collects various types of data and during the discussions with the leadership team it is important to determine what type of survey is to be conducted, the frequency and overall goals of the initiative.  Employee engagement surveys focus on culture and vision, pulse surveys identify targeted areas of improvement, and on-boarding and off-boarding surveys complete the life cycle of an employee.  Management will need to identify the goal of each survey to ensure that the survey will meet the needs of the organization.

Vendor Selection Process

Organizations that primarily use external survey vendors are significantly more satisfied with their survey process than organizations using self-service online survey services. The reasons survey companies are providing greater satisfaction and value include the expertise and experience provided, timely reporting and analysis,  objective analysis of survey results, more focus on implementing changes, and greater support and involvement from management.   

Survey Design and Development

The key reasons for conducting employee surveys include identifying performance improvement opportunities, assessing engagement and satisfaction levels and trends, ongoing measurement and identifying causes of employee turnover.  Make sure to focus your organization’s surveys on gathering actionable information that will positively impact employees, customers, the environment and your bottom line.  Keep your survey short, provide an opportunity for employees to provide written comments and utilize the demographic survey feature to drill down to provide meaningful data to leaders, managers and supervisors.

Survey Launch

The most common frequency for conducting surveys is annually and organizations strive to achieve a high survey response rate with a 3-week survey response period being the most popular.  Organizations that conduct a 3-week survey will typically have a survey response rate of 60% or greater.

Post Survey Analysis

It is imperative that the survey results be effectively communicated to all staff.  This can be accomplished through a communication strategy in which the executive team shares the results, engages the staff to better understand the underlying issues, and then identifies the most appropriate initiatives to resolve the issues and enhance the organization.  Where appropriate, it is important to involve the employees in the problem solving and implementation process to create ownership and shared accountability. The power of a survey like this is to give the employees a voice and then to let them know that they have been heard and that their feedback is being taken seriously. As meaningful action steps are taken to address their concerns, they will be more likely to participate in these types of surveys moving forward.

Action Plans and Accountability

The leadership team needs to periodically follow up to address and share the organization’s progress with respect to achieving the agreed upon goals.  When reviewing the results of this or any survey, it is important to remember that the data and feedback received reflects the perceptions of the respondents. These perceptions present a substantially accurate view of how the organization is understood culturally and systemically by the survey participants and are a valuable tool as the organization undertakes any improvement process. What a survey cannot provide is “scientific truth” about the organization. Disparities between perceptions held about the organization and the realities of the organization sometimes do exist, often due to a lack of communication or lack of clarity about the organization’s mission, values, or strategic goals. Given this understanding of the difference between “perception” and “reality,” those who initiate follow-up action after the survey results can then assess how accurately these perceptions reflect actual conditions within the organization.

Will there be HR Generalists in the Future?

Recently there has been some discussion in social media as to the future of the HR Generalist role and is this type of position needed today?

Organizations are constantly reviewing whether to centralize their HR professionals or decentralize the Human Resources function.  There are typically three approaches regarding the structure of HR.

Decentralized:  If you have talented individuals that are resourceful, knowledgeable and are skilled in the process of explaining the HR programs and policies then the closer they are to support the business the better it is for the company.  Decentralization is the optimum approach with respect to building a partnership between HR and the business.  It is also the costliest from a budget perspective.

Blended:  If the HR staff lack the depth of experience then the goal is to train these individuals and hire “specialists” that can share their knowledge with the newer employees.  While these employees remain close to the business their lack of skill can often be an impediment to their success.  This structure also takes time to build and commitment from the leadership team is critical to maintaining this type of organizational platform

Centralized:  A centralized structure is a skilled and talented staff that are pro-active, reach out to the business units and provide sound advice from a call-center or centralized corporate office.  This approach is being used by an increasing number of companies that have 500 employees or more.  With employees becoming familiar with the self-service approach to obtain information about pay, benefits, promotions and career paths the need to have an intermediary is becoming less necessary

Today, organizations are looking for cost effective talent to support and partner with the business.  With budgets being scrutinized and HR metrics becoming an even more important part of the performance process the future of the HR Generalist, particularly in larger organizations, is very uncertain.

The future of the HR Generalist in larger companies (employers with 500 employees or more) will ultimately go away and be replaced with experts in a call center or corporate office.  The business units will only have an HR Generalist if they are willing to pay for this personalized support.  In our opinion, the business leader will determine that the HR Generalist is redundant and unnecessary.  Furthermore, the laws are changing rapidly at the state and federal level and with many companies having a global reach the need for “specialists” is even more important in today’s work environment.  The HR Generalist role is often one of sharing information that is provided by the corporate HR function anyway.  The timely sharing of information is critical to meeting the needs of the business and any follow-up action is often delayed as the skills of the HR Generalist are at times not as strong as the specialist.  This requires that the HR Generalist reach out repeatedly to the skilled expert in the corporate office to obtain clarification.  This takes time and costs the organization additional expense.

The future of the HR Generalist in smaller companies (employers with 499 employees or less) is a very different story.  These skilled professionals will continue to be relied upon, typically report to the CEO or COO and have significant influence on the organization.  They will also have between 3 and 5 subordinates who provide specialized services to the company.  Further career opportunities in this area will continue to grow and expand.

To learn more about what is best for your company Human Resource departments are often conducting employee surveys to evaluate department performance, establish year-over-year metrics, review the success or failure of the established programs and policies and finally how to best meet the needs of the organization and staff.  Consider conducting an employee survey to discover what your employees are thinking.

What will HR Professionals Experience in the Future?

HR professionals will face significant changes in their role at over the next several years.  Four changes are in the immediate future for HR leaders. Let us take a look at those areas that will impact Human Resource leaders:

1.  The use of digital data collection will result in the HR department migrating from a labor-intensive area to a specialized function where employee self-service will be the result.   Fewer managerial positions along with support staff will be the end result.  HR leaders will need to do more with less staff; however, the approval to automate and outsource as many functional areas will be encouraged and is an anticipated trend.

2.  HR will play a broader role in supporting the vision of the Board and leaders of the company.  Metrics to evaluate performance, talent management, retention and employee satisfaction and engagement will become a focus of company leaders as they look to leverage their successes and minimize their business challenges.  HR leaders will need to find new ways to evaluate company and talent performance that is numbers driven with less subjectivity.  Increased respect for the profession has resulted in higher expectations for the future.

3.  The use of outsourcing to meet the gaps in staffing will be employed and expanded in roles where on-staff employment was typical.  Addressing the issue of turnover, employee satisfaction, pay-practices and overall employee engagement will play an important role to meet the on-going labor demands of organizations.

4.  HR accountability will result in Human Resources demonstrating through their actions, that employees will be treated fairly and honestly.  Consistent application of the prevailing policies will require that HR conduct a periodic review of the compensation practices to determine that those employees that are exhibiting excellence receive the larger merit increase, auditing the promotional opportunities to ensure that only those employees that are excelling in their jobs are receiving new job opportunities.  Finally, HR will need to confirm that the learning programs offered to the staff are made available to all employees and not only those that are performing at a peak level.

In conclusion, HR professionals today face extraordinary challenges with respect to managing the business and at the same time meeting the needs of their employees.  Human Resources leaders need to take the long-term perspective and adapt to the changes anticipated in the future.

What are some Hints from a Survey Expert?

Over the past two years business in the United States has changed dramatically.  We have gone from exceptionally low levels of unemployment to a work environment where 40+ million Americans filed for unemployment insurance only to see a turnaround occur with once again low unemployment and a job market that is exceptionally tight.  Business failures and constant chaos were the rule; however, some semblance of what the new normal is starting to come into focus.

 During this time HR has played a unique role in developing polices to meet this challenge and as a profession we will need to adapt in order to continue to play a strategic role.  One area that will remain a challenge is with so many employees working remotely communication is a concern.  Improving communication and providing feedback through a targeted survey to employees can be and excellent way to guarantee that your work forces remain connected, engaged and productive.  Outlined below are several ideas for you to consider whether a survey is right for you.

Is a Survey Right for Your Organization?

Before you consider conducting a survey verify that your leadership team supports this type of initiative and is open to change.  If you believe you are ready, several ways to market the survey to the executive team to gain their support are as follows:

n  Your organization encourages accountability.

n  Your company is experiencing high turnover.

n  Your company recently completed a merger, acquisition, or divestiture.

n  You want to evaluate the climate of the organization.

n  You are looking to modify or enhance your policies and want to obtain feedback.

n  You believe in pro-active management.

What are Some of the Challenges when Conducting an Employee Survey? 

n  A survey takes time and effort on your part.

n  The company must be willing to act upon the results.

n  Your company culture must be open to change.

n  A survey is an on-going process 

What do You Hope to Gain By Conducting an Employee Survey?

Employee communication, while always a challenge, will need to be further enhanced to make sure that managers are successfully supervising their staff.  A survey will help you:

n  Identify company-wide issues.

n  Create a process that drives change.

n  Be a role model for others to follow.

n  Champion programs and policies that are important to the employees.

n  Encourage a work environment that is supportive and professional.

n  Support engagement based upon the core values of the company.

 How Can HR Implement a Successful Survey?

While the current business challenges are many, human ingenuity and the resourcefulness of the Human Resources professional has not changed.  A successful survey process involves meeting regularly with employees to communicate the company’s policies, procedures, strategy and vision for the future.  At the same time a survey gives the employee's an opportunity to provide anonymous feedback.  You will also be able re-measure your HR programs to ensure employee satisfaction and engagement are being met.  Creating action plans as a framework when changes in strategy are necessary will also hold management accountable.  Taking swift action to implement best practices will also demonstrate HR’s commitment to the long-term success of your organization.

Why is Employee Engagement so Critical to an Employer’s Success?

With the improvement in HR metrics comes increased competition, additional data and more information available to employees.  The engagement of employees and the reduction of turnover is very important for companies today and in the future.  An engaged workforce will assist companies in remaining competitive and productive.  Key elements of employee engagement are found in three main drivers of success.  These include:

Strong Employee/Management Relations:  An important driver of employee engagement is the individual employee’s relationship to their manger.  Is their manager supportive, an effective coach, honest and represents the high ethical values of the organization?   A manager that embodies these key elements will be a partner with the employee and secure their engagement.

Effective Communication:  Understanding how the company operates and the strategy for the future will allow the employee to become more engaged in the success of the organization by understanding where the company wants to be in the future.  Effective communication includes sharing the business plan and strategy, new products, financial performance and the vision for the future.

Job Satisfaction:  When employees at different levels in the organization enjoy the job and view their role at the company as challenging and contributing to the success of the company engaged employees are more included to give 110%, look for new ideas and be more creative.

Clearly, employee engagement is an important tool for the leaders of companies today to embrace and support.

Why is Conducting an On-boarding Survey So Important?

Research over the past 30 years has found that employee dissatisfaction is related to important organizational challenges, which can lead to absenteeism, turnover and work-related injuries.  Many current studies have identified that there is a direct correlation between an engaged employee and a satisfied customer and the end result is improved organizational implementation, employee satisfaction, enhanced customer service and financial performance

On-boarding surveys, originally introduced into organizations in the late 1990’s, were developed to measure employee job satisfaction.  Employers wanted to know how satisfied their new employees were because satisfied workers are more productive workers.  According to the Society of Human Resource Management 81% of all employers surveyed conduct some form of on-boarding survey.  Managers have realized that today they can ask employees about a broad range of important issues such as leadership, benefits, job satisfaction and compensation to name a few.  With this information, organizations can fine-tune their new hire communication strategies, work to increase employee buy-in and even decide to modify corporate policies.  There is a body of research which suggest that organizations that are in tune with their new employees can motivate them to do a better job and enhance the work environment for all.  An effective on-boarding process provides the means for linking employee behavior with company success.

Employee onboarding survey questions are crucial for improving your company’s onboarding process and it is recommended that progressive organizations implement onboarding surveys at the end of the first and sixth month of the new employee’s time at your company.  This type of employee survey can assist organizations understand where the challenges exist and take corrective action to improve the new hire experience.

How Can HR Metrics Help Me as We Come Out from the Pandemic Bunker?

We all know that the past year and one-half has been very challenging.  All of have experienced various levels of stress in response to our company’s decisions as a result of COVID.  Some of us experienced working remotely, reductions in staff resulting in colleagues losing their jobs, budget cuts, a stronger focus on expense control, health issues and loss.  The reevaluation of organizational objectives has led to greater stress on the job along with the need to make very difficult Human Resource decisions.  As a profession, we are also learning that understanding our business, partnering with the leaders within our industry and changing our tactics is critical to our remaining relevant.

Once again we need to re-adjust our approach as the paradigm has shifted from retrenchment to expansion.  Preserving our company’s competitive edge by retaining our high performers along with the use of HR metrics will allow us to be better positioned as the recovery continues.  As HR professionals one of our goals for the remainder of 2021 and beyond will be to attract and retain talent by looking for alternative ways to respond to the current business climate, offer our employees value, a healthy work environment and provide management with the support to make quality business decisions.

The Human Resource profession has become very sophisticated by utilizing metrics to examine employee trends in order to better anticipate future challenges and opportunities.  When we use HR metrics and evaluate historical patterns, we are better able to respond to the challenges we face on the job today.  A key challenge for the future will be determining if, as the work environment changes, as a result of the pandemic, will our businesses continue to evolve or return to the way it was in pre-pandemic times.  Metrics are a common measurement across all professions and are used as a way to quantify data.  The analysis and subsequent data following an employee survey is a key tool in determining employee satisfaction, engagement and management effectiveness.  As companies start the process of bringing employees back to office data metrics will become even more important.  Understanding and responding to these employees’ concerns and questions are important components in ensuring success.

Today, employees are generally satisfied with their jobs.  Employees appreciate that management is operating the business efficiently, often under conditions of uncertainty and with limited resources.  Employees also believe that opportunities for advancement will occur as long as performance is maintained.  Key challenges for the future in a post-pandemic world include:

n  Expanding communication initiatives to ensure that the employees are informed of changes at work. 

n  Maintaining effective employee management relations through accountability measures.

n  Ensuring that a team environment is supported and encouraged.

n  Maintaining a progressive compensation program.

n  Supporting a leadership team that is decisive.

n  Opportunities for career advancement in an ever-tightening job market.

n  Benefit programs that offer security and protection for the employee and eligible dependents.

Human Resources for the remainder of 2021 and beyond will need to be flexible, source and retain talent by looking for alternative ways to respond to the current business climate.  Management will support this goal through the use of HR metrics.

What are the Top Five HR Challenges that Leaders are Managing Due to COVID?

As a result of the on-going pandemic leaders of many organizations are struggling to ensure the safety, health and wellbeing of their employees. Based upon survey data, outlined below are five challenges that managers are facing today along with recommendations to address these demands.

Managing Remote Work

Managers in pre-COVID times were able to walk down the hall to meet with their staff, support their efforts and provide their subordinates with task direction.  With the need to offer employees a safe work environment many employers determined that employees needed to work from home.  Working from home created an environment where structure was often lacking, IT support limited, and business practices were imperfect.  Managers and leaders of organizations over the past 14 months have learned that responding to the needs of the employees swiftly along with providing support to make this transition as easy as possible needed to occur.  What this means is that when employees reach out for assistance, managers need to respond with an action-oriented plan.  Whether it is dealing with a systems issue, customer support or logistics challenges managers need to respond and rectify any issues.

Ensuring Effective Employee Communication

Communication during the best of times has always been a significant handicap for many employers.  With many employees working remotely communication is not as effective nor as complete as it needs to be.  Communication with employees working from home is often one-way, not consultive or as collaborative as is necessary.  While efficiency and the use of technology (Teams, WebEx and Zoom) are valuable tools they do not replace one-on-one conversations with the staff.  Often times these tools are used to communicate tasks and strategy but not individual work challenges.  Managers need to ensure that their subordinates have quality one-on-one time to address specifical work issues and impediments to success.  The ability to walk down the hall and obtain direction will at some point return; however, in the interim managers need to carve out time for direct communication with their staff.

Job Uncertainty:

One of the consequences of the pandemic has been the loss of job stability and security.  Initially, millions of employees lost their job, the social and financial safety net was lacking, and government programs were stretched to the maximum.  Over the past 14 months many employees have returned to their old jobs; however, many remain unemployed, and their job has been eliminated or their employer has ceased to exist.  A manager’s role during this uncertain time is to reassure their staff, be transparent in financial health of the organization and explain to the employees what their role currently is and how their job might change in the future.  Honesty and sincerity are critical to alleviating an employee’s fear of job insecurity.

Workforce Wellbeing

The sudden shift in work culture over the past year has taken a tremendous toll on the employee’s overall health and wellbeing.  The social aspect of work, ability to share business and personal challenges with colleagues has been replaced by on-line meetings that lack an exchange of support and empathy.  Employees feel less inclined to share their successes and challenges when the format is not conducive to maintaining privacy.  Managers need to check in with their staff to find out what is happening not only on the work front but also on the personal side.  Find out how the employees is handling their isolation from their co-workers, have they experienced any issues around “loss” or illness.  Managers need to be prepared to provide resources to their staff to address any health or wellbeing issues. 

Employee Engagement:

Engaged employees are committed to their organization’s goals and values, they are motivated to contribute to organizational success, and are able at the same time to further enhance their own sense of purpose.  With employees working remotely, insufficient communication tools, job insecurity, workforce wellbeing issues; and employee engagement has suffered.  While some industries have flourished and grown over the past 14 months, many employees have experienced a significant disconnect between their support for the company and their colleagues.  Managers need to make a concerted effort to work with staff to listen, address and resolve their challenges.  Mangers will also need to address the topic of when “normalcy” returns what do employees envision as their work environment of the future.  Engage employees to determine how they want to work in the future.  Do they want to return to the office permanently, partially or intermittently?  Listening to the staff and incorporating their ideas as part of an overall policy will improve employee engagement and general support for organizational success.

How Business can Thrive During A Global Pandemic?

Your business is based upon relationships with your customers, vendors and employees.  Keeping in touch with these three stakeholders is particularly important to ensure your business survives the current economic downturn as a result of the global pandemic.  By creating a plan to ensure that you maintain communication with these three constituents, your business may succeed and even thrive during the global pandemic.  Whether as the leader of your organization or a manager of your business unit evaluating how you approach your three contributors to your success will help you and your business survive.

Customers

Keeping your current business and winning new business does not just mean winning customers.  It is much easier to secure existing business than it is to acquire new clients. Your current clients already know you, like you, and trust you. Right now, businesses need to prioritize reaching out to current clients before new clients.  A personal check-in goes a long way. All businesses are a relationship business. Now, more than ever, it is important for you to remember this.  Check on how your customers are doing before you check-up on how their business is doing. A heartfelt email or phone call to show customers you are thinking of them is always appreciated.  If you get the sense that they are willing to talk about business, ask them about their current priorities.  What are they struggling with during the pandemic? What new objectives are they trying to achieve?  Can your expertise solve one of those problems? Can you help them achieve their new goals and objectives?  If you can add value, support your customers and see where your assistance can help them out.

Vendors

Your budget is tightening, and your service providers might be willing to examine their current pricing structure. That does not mean you need to eliminate their services; however, getting creative with their pricing and examining ways you can create more value for less expense may be an option. If your vendors do not have the ability to reduce their fees request something that still creates the outcome that you desire, but maybe involves less of your involvement or a longer arrangement at the current pricing level. These smaller offers also pave the way for a longer relationship when the pandemic is no longer an issue and the vaccine has created herd immunity.

Employees

The Human Resource profession over the past ten months has changed dramatically.  With many employees working remotely HR professionals will continue to face significant changes in the near-term.  The need for timely information to support the immediate needs of the staff will only get greater.  HR metrics to evaluate performance, gauge communication challenges, support effective talent management practices, retain employees, along with the evaluation of employee satisfaction and engagement will become a key focus for the future.  HR leaders will need to find new ways to reach out to employees to evaluate that their needs are being met.  A plan to contact the staff to ensure that communication remains uninterrupted and that questions are getting answered will need to be implemented. 

Action Step: Choose & Implement Your Strategy

To be successful, select one of the targeted audiences above and act on it.  Reach out to a customer, vendor or employee and ask how they are managing the changes as a result of the pandemic. Listen to their concerns and if you can help solve one of those problems, put together a plan and strategy to help them.

Why is the Performance Review So Important Today?

With all of the changes over the past several years and the shift of the Human Resource profession from a tactical to a strategic focus, one of the questions we hear from many of our client’s is the performance review relevant in today’s business environment?  Businesses today are driven by metrics and the HR programs that have been in place for many years need to be evaluated to determine if they are effective.

Given the current work environment where more employees are working remotely,  our survey data indicates that the performance review remains a valuable tool to motivate and ensure high levels of performance.  To support this position, we examined our survey data in order to determine what our clients and respondents are saying about this key management responsibility.

What is a Performance Review and How Do We Define this Process?

The performance review is a mechanism to document an employee’s skill level based upon a clear understanding of the duties and responsibilities of the job and the results expected.  Performance reviews have been viewed as an effective tool for management to help motivate and maximize performance and productivity.  It is also a way to outline career goals and identify expectations for the future.  The performance review if consistently applied across the organization can facilitate a ranking mechanism for management which helps identify high-potential employees as well as provide succession planning services for key positions in the company.

Do Employees find Value in the Process?

Based upon our employee survey data areas of employee satisfaction with management are varied; however, employees find the management responsibility of conducting the performance review especially important for ensuring high levels of performance along with the maintenance of superior employee-management relations.  Holding all employees accountable creates a team environment where honest and constructive feedback is valued.  Employees; however, do not view the performance review as an isolated event but rather a continuous process.  The formal performance review, while typically conducted annually, should be communicated and offered as a tool for on-going employee development.

Do Managers find Value in the Process?

Our survey data suggests that the need for managers to motivate employees through a progressive performance review process facilitates a stronger organization which allows the employee to grow professionally.  The opportunity to present a strategy for continuous improvement and tie pay to performance along with recognizing excellence on the job creates an environment that is more innovative and creative.  If done properly, managers believe that the annual performance review can retain high performers and lower turnover.  Furthermore, if performance, pay and incentive plans are linked the performance review process will have more significance and importance.

What is the Problem with the Annual Performance Review?

With managers and employees finding value in the process why are there so many issues with this key Human Resources program?  Managers will often wait to deliver bad news to the employee during the annual performance review rather than addressing any challenges immediately.  This approach creates the environment where the employee cannot alter their behavior or make changes until it brought to their attention and by then it is too late.  Employees will often not want to appear lacking in their performance and when challenges surface they are reluctant to bring any impediments to their success out of fear on not being viewed as knowledgeable.  Both parties want a successful process only the communication process is lacking and not cascading through the organization.

What is the Role of HR to make this Process Work?

HR’s role is to create an environment where all employees are treated fairly, and their manager is viewed as a strong coach and mentor.   Human Resources is also a facilitator for change and thorough a performance management training program this particularly important management task can remain relevant and a key metric for managing and retaining talent.  HR professionals will need to devote more time and attention in the future to providing leaders of the organization with the training on how to deliver an honest assessment of their direct report’s performance in a timely manner.

Given the current work environment where many employees are working remotely the performance review has taken on additional importance as it provides feedback to the employee, keeps them engaged in the success of the company and provides a formal link to the organization.

 

What is Employee Engagement and How to Make the Survey Process Successful During a Pandemic?

Potential clients will often approach our firm and indicate that they want to conduct an employee survey to find out what the employees are thinking.  The motives of the Human Resource leaders in making this inquiry is based upon a need to discover what is happening in their organization.  Given the pandemic it is important to find out how the company is responding to employees who are working remotely.  Acting and responding to the employees will break down the communication barriers that could develop given that so many team members are working from their home/office.  In order to have a successful outcome we recommend that our clients follow a three-step process to determine if an employee survey is the most appropriate means of evaluating satisfaction and engagement given these uncertain times.  Here are the recommended steps to ensure a successful survey:

1.  Define engagement and inform the employees what this means and how engagement supports the business.  Our definition of engagement is as follows:  “Employee engagement is the relationship between an organization and its employees.  An engaged employee is one who subscribes to the values and goals of the organization and works to ensure success.” Engagement varies by industry and employer and much like a mission statement, engagement should have the support of the organization by being published and marketed through-out the company.  Employees could be experiencing a lack of engagement given that they are currently working remotely.  A survey will send them two messages – we want to hear from you, and we want to ensure you remain connected to the business. 

2.    An engagement survey is not an isolated event but rather a process to improve employee satisfaction and make your company an employer of choice.  While measurement is key to the program’s success the action planning process will make or break the initiative.  If managers do not assume responsibility are not held accountable for improvement the survey process will not be successful.  HR needs to transition from administering the survey to supporting the needs of the business by working with key leaders to develop action plans and accountability measures based upon the data collected during the survey process.

3.     Ensure that a process for following-up on the agreed upon action plans is adhered to and becomes part of the culture.  If a consistent process is not established the survey process will be lost by newer initiatives, a business crisis or change in personnel.  Our experience has shown that during the current health crisis an immediate response from management will ensure that employees are connected to the business.  Ensuring accountability to the survey process and addressing issues are much more important when employees do not have a day-to-day connection to their manager and/or HR.  In addition, follow-up pulse surveys to evaluate trends and long-term employee satisfaction and engagement will support progressive business practices.

An increase in employee engagement will boost profits and productivity.  Creating a high-performance culture of obtaining feedback will identify the strengths and weaknesses of the individual and the organization.  Businesses today want to understand how they can secure more creativity and support from their employees.  In conclusion, employers today face extraordinary challenges with respect to managing the business and at the same time meeting the needs of their employees.  Human Resources leaders need to take the long-term perspective with respect to engagement and the survey process.

 

What is HR’s Role in the Development of Work Metrics?

The Human Resource profession is now driven by metrics.  Using metrics provides the professional with an excellent barometer of how satisfied and engaged employees are in the success of the business.   When metrics are utilized, and historical HR patterns are revealed executive management can better respond to the challenges that front-line managers are experiencing on the job.  Executive management can then focus on creating an environment where managers develop into leaders and act as change agents for our organizations.

A key goal for Human Resources is to ensure that managers are meeting the needs of their subordinates and leading their departments.  Managers need to be coaches, conduct quality performance reviews that challenge their staff and ensure that a creative and innovative work environment is fostered and maintained. Communicating the goals of the organization by sharing the strategy for the future are just a few of the duties and responsibilities of a high-performing manager.

So, how do we measure their successes and challenges?  One of the tools used to evaluate manager performance and effectiveness on the job is the employee survey.  Based upon our survey data areas of employee satisfaction with management are varied; however, several common positive themes surfaced when analyzing the respondents data.  In general, employees are satisfied with their jobs.  They understand and appreciate that management is operating the business efficiently, the respondents are treated with respect and their manager is generally a good coach.  The respondents also believe that the work environment is safe.  With respect to the statements focusing on employee management relations, the respondents gave this area a satisfaction rating of 3.90 (out of a 5 point scale) and this indicates moderate levels of satisfaction.  The great majority of employees believe that their manager will listen to their point of view and assist them in growing professionally.   In addition, the survey results indicate that management treats all individuals with respect. The statement, "My manager treats people the same regardless of race, gender, age, ethnicity or other differences" was given a question satisfaction rating of 4.18 or high levels of satisfaction.  The data indicates that diversity is encouraged and has become a part of the corporate culture.  Areas of improvement include eliminating favoritism, increasing communication and sharing more information about the challenges and successes of the organization.  The respondents would also like to learn more about the business strategy and how management plans to expand the business.

One of our goals since we started our firm in 1999 has been to share information to assist HR professionals in making quality business decisions by providing current information on what is happening in the work environment.  Sharing how progressive companies deal with their challenges will hopefully offer you solutions for the future.

To learn more about our survey tool, reporting and analysis please go to our website at:  http://www.innovative-hrsolutions.com