Excuses Excuses Excuses

Throughout the course of your career as a manager or supervisor, you’ll likely hear a number of excuses for why an employee was not able to complete an assignment, be on time or otherwise do what they were supposed to do.  Below are some of the more common excuses and ways to address them:

·  “It’s not my job.”  This is a common excuse used by employees to get out of doing work.  If the assigned task is related to their essential job functions, it is likely to fall under “other duties as assigned” in their job description.

·   “Everyone else comes in late.”  This excuse falls under the “if everyone jumps off a bridge, does that mean you should too?” explanation.”  The focus at this point should be addressing this particular employee’s attendance while letting the employee know that everyone is subject to the same attendance requirements.

·   “I didn’t know.  I’m new.”  This excuse only lasts so long before the newness of it wears off.  If you explained the process, policy or procedure during orientation or during the employee’s initial training, then being new to the organization is not an excuse.  Additionally, being new should not prevent the employee from asking questions and seeking assistance from others.

·   “I have too much work to do.”  When confronted with this excuse, ask the employee to provide you with a detailed outline of what tasks he/she is working on and the percentage of time he/she is working on each task.  It may be that the employee needs to better manage their time or focus their priorities on value-added tasks.  Also, if the employee is exempt from overtime, take note of when the employee arrives and leaves the office and how long he/she is taking for lunch.  You should make sure the employee is working the required number of hours per day or week and not taking extended lunches or breaks or coming in late or leaving early.

While some of these excuses may be legitimate, it’s important for a manager and supervisor to hold employees accountable when it comes to performing the essential functions of their job at a meets expectation level.

This article should not be construed as legal advice.

Be Social... But Be Cautious

Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ are great ways for employees to socialize and even for employers to promote their business.  While many employers monitor communications and employee behavior on these technologies, policies should be very clear.  More importantly, management should understand how to properly implement these policies.

You should have a policy that is specific and comprehensive is scope.  All policies should be clearly communicated to employees and make sure to train management on the importance of following company policies.  FYI, current privacy laws allow businesses to monitor electronic communication but it is important to stay abreast of changes in such laws and relevant court decisions.

Make sure you are protecting your company's reputation.  Social media can be a great way to promote a business, but don't forget about those negative ninnies out there.  Social media certainly provides  an easy forum for employees or dissatisfied customers to vent their opinions or frustrations.  Still, companies may also impose sanctions on employees for criticizing or disparaging the employer outside of work, including on social media websites. (http://www.infolawgroup.com/2011/01/articles/enforcement/employee-privacy-gains-in-the-united-states/)

There is also the issue of harassment versus free speech.  It is interesting to note that issues of harassment are not protected by free speech.  Harassment is defined as unwelcome verbal or physical conduct based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability (mental or physical), sexual orientation, or retaliation.  Whether harassment occurs in person or via any technology, such behavior is not protected by law.

Make sure you have a clearly defined policy that is understood by all and lead by a well trained management team.  Employees should be made aware of their responsibility to follow this, as well as all workplace policies.  Leaders must manage all policies consistently and fairly throughout their workforce. 

This article should not be construed as legal advice.

How to Lose Great Job Candidates

If you have ever been responsible for filling an open position at your company, you have probably wondered where all the great job candidates are or why someone who looked so promising did not finish the online job application.  Here are a few issues to consider:

1. Where are you publishing your job ads?  Are you using job posting sites or social media networks directed to professionals in a specific field or are you posting your job ad on a generic job board where every individual regardless of skills level or qualifications can apply?

2. How user-friendly is your online submittal process?  The easiest sites are those that allow the applicant to simply email their resume and cover letter.  However, many more employers are using software tools that are designed to make recruiting and selection easier but which may in fact lead to great candidates being lost.  For example, many software tools simply don’t work properly.  They gather information from a resume and input the data in the wrong fields.  The candidate then has to spend time retyping the information.  In other cases, a candidate may be frustrated with having to create and remember so many usernames and passwords each time they apply for a position with a new or same employer.

3. Are you asking questions on the online application form that may frustrate or cause a job candidate some concern?  For example, each application usually has a statement indicating that the candidate acknowledges that by signing the application, he or she states that the information is true and correct and if false information is provided, it may be grounds for termination or rejection of their application.  One of the questions that often appear on an application is whether the candidate has a family member working for the employer or whether the candidate has ever applied for a position with the employer before.  In these situations, the candidate may not be aware of family working for the employer and may not remember previously applying for a position. 

Other online applications ask the candidate to provide their driver’s license, social security number and even sign a release form for background and credit checks.  A candidate may be hesitant to provide so much personal information up front when they haven’t even interviewed for the position. 

Other applications ask the candidate to provide a salary history.  Again, the candidate may not want to disclose this information up front, and may even feel indignant at being asked to provide this information when the employer has not even indicated a salary range for the position.

When filling open positions, it’s important for employers to put themselves in the position of a job candidate and go through the online application process to understand what candidate’s go through when applying for a position. 

This article should not be construed as legal advice.

Interns For Your Business

Offering students an internship to gain hands-on work experience is a beneficial opportunity for everyone, if executed properly.  To ensure a positive outcome for both parties, the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) recommends keeping these six requirements in mind when creating internships if the position is unpaid:

• The training should resemble an educational program where the internship provides students with real life educational experiences that can only be gained outside a classroom.  Students should be able to apply what they have learned in the classroom to their experiences in the workforce.
• The employer should structure the internship toward an educational goal, including ongoing instruction and supervision.
• The training is for the benefit of the trainee and is not intended as a way for businesses to take advantage of free work.  The experience will increase the intern's chances of being hired in the job market and/or allow them to earn academic credit.  A key point, according to  SHRM is, "unpaid interns who fall into the category of 'trainees' rather than 'employees' frequently perform tasks that are useful only for training purposes and that provide little to no benefit to the employer."
• Trainees or students should not displace regular employees nor be entrusted with the same work as a regular employee or a recently departed employee; nor may the employer lay off an employee to be replaced by a student or trainee.
• Employers should have a policy with strict supervision of interns and assign a mentor.  Supervisors should actively participate with interns.
• The employer should derive no immediate advantage from the activities of trainees or students.  SHRM suggests that "a key caution is if the employer is the primary beneficiary of an internship, for example, and the employer reduces costs or accomplishes necessary tasks through the intern, the DOL will consider the intern an employee under the FLSA.  If the intern is the primary beneficiary of the experience, the DOL is much more likely to consider the intern a trainee."

"Please note trainees or students are not entitled to a job at the end if the training.  To ensure that the intern has no expectation of employment, the DOL recommends that an employer draft a written agreement with the intern stating that the intern should have no expectation of employment and should not presume any guarantee of employment after the internship.  Though an employer should make it clear that an intern is not entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship, employers should not be discouraged from offering jobs to interns.  

The employer and trainees/students understand that trainees/students are not entitles to wages for the time spent in training.  before beginning the relationship, employers should draft a written agreement stating that payment for the intern's services is neither intended nor expected during the internship."

This article should not be construed as legal advice.

The Shoe is on the Other Foot

When it comes to filling a vacant position, there’s a lot of planning that goes on, especially when it comes to interviewing the candidate.  But one thing that many employers forget is that the interview process is a two-way street.  Not only is the employer interviewing the candidate to make sure the candidate is the right “fit” for the position and the organization, but the candidate is also interviewing the employer.

The candidate likely wants details about the organization, the job, and “what’s in it for me.”  As such, employers should be prepared to answer a number of questions from the candidate, including but obviously not limited to:

·         Why is the position vacant?

·         If it’s a new position, what brought about the need for the position?

·         If it’s a position that’s been around for a while, has there been any changes to the responsibilities, and if so, why?

·         What is the most challenging aspect of the position?

·         What are the top three priorities of the position?

·         If the job posting does not otherwise specify, what percentage of time is spent in meetings, travelling, writing or presenting reports, etc.?

·         Where does the position fit in the organization in terms of influence and status?

·         What three words would you use to describe the culture of the organization?

·         How is this position perceived by others in the organization?

·         What major initiatives is the organization taking on right now (e.g., growth, new products, increased competition, layoffs, etc.)

·         How does the organization value its employees and include them in decision making?

·         How available are members of the executive team to employees at every level of the organization?

·         What are the compensation and benefits for this position, including medical insurance, hours, training reimbursement, flexible work schedule, etc.?

·         The candidate may also ask questions about the interviewer(s) including:

o   How long have you worked for the company and/or held your current position?

o   What do you like most about the company?

o   What is one area that you think the company should improve upon?

o   What interaction do you have with the position you are looking to fill?

Just as employers want to make sure they hire an individual who has the right knowledge, skills and ability to perform the essential functions of the job, candidates also want to make sure they work for a company where their knowledge, skills and ability will be put to use and where they will be valued and respected.

This article should not be construed as legal advice.

What is Your Client/Customer Approval Rating?

“Wow, I was so impressed by their service!  I absolutely recommend their business…” are the words that every employer dreams of.

Many times, employers only think about surveying their employees for their opinions on organizational culture, benefits, morale, management and other terms and conditions of employment.  But have you ever surveyed your clients or customers?  Do you think that just because your clients and customers are continuing to do business with you that they are truly satisfied with your performance as a manager or the performance of the company as a whole?  You’ll never know until you ask.

When you enter into a relationship with a new client or customer, there should be checkpoints established whereby both parties can assess the status of the project, proactively identify any challenges and agree on solutions, and recognize accomplishments.  Whether these checkpoints are every week, every month or once a year depends on the complexity of the project. 

In many cases, there will be feedback provisions built into the contract.  For example, there may be a provision that states that your company will not be paid unless and until a particular goal or deadline is met.  If you receive payment, it is very likely that the client or customer was satisfied with your work.  But, be careful about making assumptions.

In today’s competitive environment, you should also be inquiring into more specific, day-to-day interactions that can sometimes make or break a professional relationship.  For example, how long does it take for you or your company to respond to a client’s phone call?  Is the client able to reach you directly or do they get caught up in your company’s automated telephone response system or hung up on by the receptionist?   How quickly are problems resolved and are they monitored to prevent further complications?   And, just as important, do you or does anyone from your company offer a sincere apology for any delays, inconveniences, or mistakes or do you just make excuses or simply fix the problem without any follow-up?

In addition to monitoring these issues, you may also want to consider sending your client a request to complete a quick, online survey that incorporates day-to-day interactions and other topics.  Just make certain that the survey goes to individuals who are actively involved in the project and that you follow up with any issues noted in the client’s feedback in a prompt manner.

Checking in with your clients and customers goes a long way to making them feel valued and understood, as well as improves the professional relationship, such that when there is a problem, it is more likely to be resolved in an amicable manner.

This article should not be construed as legal advice.

Handling Terminations Due to Job Elimination

At some point in your career as a manager, you may be required to terminate the employment of staff member for no reason other than budget issues or uncontrollable circumstances.  This is probably one of the more difficult actions you will ever have to implement as a manager.  So, as a manager, what can you do make sure the termination is handled appropriately?

There are a number of actions you can take as a manager to implement the termination that will benefit you and the affected employee, including:

1.     Prepare in advance what you are going to tell the employee being terminated.  You need to stress that the termination is due to budget reasons or outside circumstances and not the result of problems with the employee’s performance.  Explain the basis for the decision and how or why his/her position was chosen to be eliminated.  For example, the job elimination could be the result of lost business in the region or a shift in organizational priorities.

2.     During the termination meeting, be prepared to review with the employee what their last date of employment will be, their benefits, severance package (if applicable), etc.  It is likely the employee may be too shocked to remember everything, so it is also a good idea to provide the employee with this information in writing.  Once the employee is advised of their termination, you may want to consider letting the employee go home for the day (with pay) as they will likely be too upset to continue working.

3.     Talk to the affected employee about how the news of their job elimination will be communicated to other employees, vendors and clients.  Consider sending an email to coworkers announcing the elimination while simultaneously thanking the employee for their contributions.

4.     If the affected employee’s termination date is a few days or weeks away following the giving of notice, take the employee out to lunch with coworkers as a show of appreciation.  Offer to give the employee a strong letter of recommendation or act as a reference.

5.     Speak to the affected employee about the process of transitioning their work to others in the company.  You will want to know what the employee is working on, who their contacts are, where their files are and how they are organized, and so on.

6.     Follow up with the employee until the last date of their employment to let them know that they are still valued.  Too often, once the employee is given notice of their termination, they are isolated from further involvement in organizational decision making, meetings, and other communications. 

Terminating an employee is never easy, but it is even harder when that termination happens to a hard-working, valued employee simply because of outside circumstances.  As a manager, the best approach you can take in addressing these types of terminations is to be honest, respectful, and supportive.

This article should not be construed as legal advice.

Please contact PayCheck Connection with questions or concerns... Or if there are topics you would like to see covered, email Dani Erickson at danielle@paycheckconnection.com

Finding the Right Trainer

Let’s say you have been asked to find a trainer to conduct customer service training or safety training for your company’s employees.  Where do you go to find a trainer?  Do you know what it will cost?  Do you know what questions to ask?  If you don’t know the answers to these questions, you could be throwing away good money on someone that will take your money without providing a valuable service to your organization.

When looking for a trainer, the important thing is to start with knowing what services you need and why.  You need to identify what metrics or other data you have that specifically identifies a need for training.  Do you have customers complaining about poor response time when calling customer service representatives?  This may be the result of inadequate bandwidth or an insufficient number of phone lines that is unrelated to the behavior of customer service representatives.  Or perhaps your representatives need to be better trained in order to perform multiple tasks at a time, thus increasing productivity.

Once you have verified the problem through a needs assessment, the next step is to have an idea of the target audience and format of the training.  For example, will all employees in the organization be trained or only a select few?  This can make a big difference in how the course is designed and the cost of the training.  In other words, you have to have some idea on what you are looking for before you consult with a trainer.

When looking for a trainer, the easiest approach is to conduct an Internet search for a trainer in your area.  However, you will likely have to sort through a number of individuals and companies that don’t train on the subject matter you need.  A professional organization that certifies or provides continuing education to trainers is another approach, as the organization may group trainers by subject matter and/or geography.  Referrals are another great source.

When speaking with a trainer, it is important to get to know their training approach and how many and what types of courses they have designed and facilitated.  The trainer may want some idea of the scope of the project before quoting you a rate, but a reputable trainer will be able to quote a minimum and maximum fee.  Of course, it is also important for you to know what your budget is for the project.

Selecting a trainer is never easy but by asking the right questions and taking your time to carefully design each course, you will reap the benefits of a better educated workforce.

This article should not be construed as legal advice.

Licensing and Continuing Education Compliance

Do you know how many of your employees are required to maintain professional licenses or complete a specific number of continuing education courses in order to renew their licenses? 

When you hire individuals for a specific position because of their advanced skills or knowledge, there is a good chance that they are required to participate in continuing education courses and maintain an active license with a state regulatory or administrative agency.  A few professions that fit in this category include but are not limited to, attorneys, certified public accountants, physicians, nurses, real estate brokers and real estate managing brokers. 

Depending on the profession and the state where the individual is licensed, the licensing law and continuing education requirements may vary.  Some states may have annual renewal periods while other states have two-year renewal periods.  Some states require licensees to pass a test as part of the license renewal process while other states require licensees to complete a specific number of course credit hours or practice in their field for a specific time period.

No matter what the requirements are, employers should monitor employee compliance with licensing and continuing educations requirements on an annual basis.  This could take the form of the employer paying for and enrolling the employee in specific courses or ensuring the employee is practicing in their field for the required time period.  It could also involve the employer requiring the employee to provide documentation proving that they have complied with the applicable license renewal provision (e.g., certificates of completions or copies of renewed licenses).  Finally, it could also involve requiring the employee to sign an acknowledgement that she or he has fully complied with the applicable law or regulation regarding license renewal and/or continuing education. 

While this process may seem administratively burdensome, the alternative is to have individuals working at your company who are not properly licensed and who may be subject to disciplinary action by the applicable state or local administrative agency.  Is this the kind of publicity you want for your company? 

This article should not be construed as legal advice.

Same Sex Marriage in the Workplace

Without addressing the social, moral or religious arguments, the topic of same sex marriage has direct and indirect consequences to employers. 

As more states pass legislation recognizing same sex marriage, it is imperative that employers understand the law, as well as implement its provisions in a timely and accurate manner.  In some cases, the legislation may be as broad as prohibiting discrimination in the terms and conditions of employment when it comes to an employee’s civil union status or sexual preference.  In other cases, it could mean offering the same benefits to same sex partners as are offered to individuals who are legally married.

But there are other areas that employers must address when it comes to same sex marriage.  For example, some individuals in your workplace may not approve of, or support, same sex marriage and may vocalize their opinions openly.  These comments may be offensive to individuals who are involved in a same sex marriage as well as to others who support same sex marriage in general.  As a result, the employer may need to address complaints of hostile work environment, harassment, discrimination and unprofessional conduct or other violations of company policy.  If the comments include threats, company policies prohibiting violence in the workplace may also be implicated.

To minimize these issues, the employer should proactively provide diversity training to all employees and emphasize the need to respect others.  Employers should openly discuss any changes to federal or state law regarding same sex marriage and its impact on the workplace as well as the employer’s and each employee’s obligation to comply with the law.  A discussion on the consequences for violating the law and/or company policy should also be addressed.

Finally, it is important for the employer to review its internal policies and procedures and identify areas that may not provide the same rights or protections to individuals in same sex marriage compared to individuals who are legally married.  Once these areas are identified, the employer should identify if they are legally required to or otherwise want to offer the same rights and protections to both groups.

This article should not be construed as legal advice.

How Does Your Company Look on the Internet?

When you read the title of this article, did your mind first think of your company’s website and all the things in it?  If so, there’s so much more you need to be aware of when it comes to your company’s image and reputation.

The contents and image of your company website is entirely in your control.  You decide what goes in the website and how the site looks.  You have the ability to update the information regularly and determine the tone and message you want to give out.

As a company, you also have control over any tweeting or blogs that come out of your website or social network sites.  After all, the individuals posting these comments are either your employees or independent contractors that you hired to help you in your marketing initiatives.

But what about what others are saying about you on the Internet? 

Go on any search engine and type in your company’s name.  Now go through each search result.  Hopefully, the first result that pops up is your company’s home page.  If not, you’ll need to look into search engine optimization tools to improve the visibility of your site. 

What do the other search results reveal about your company?  Are they links to some of your vendors or clients?  Are they links to customer feedback sites?  If so, what do customers say about your company?  Are the comments positive or negative?  Are the comments specific enough to provide you with information to assess the validity of the comment or take action if improvement is needed?

Is it important to your organization to have a high number of followers on Facebook or to be connected to a certain number of individuals on LinkedIn?  If so, what is your company doing to achieve these goals?

The Internet is a vast universe filled with opportunities and drawbacks.  Once information is posted, the information becomes available to anyone with access so it’s important that your company regularly monitor the Internet and engage in ongoing public relations and marketing activities to improve your image and visibility.

This article should not be construed as legal advice.

Summer Hires... What You Need to Know

Ice cold lemonade.  Tank tops.  Bathing suits.  Melted ice cream.  Are you thinking what I'm thinking??  It's about that time when the sun starts shining brighter and you need to begin thinking about hiring for the summer.  As business picks up for your organization, you may be considering adding a few extra bodies to your payroll.  Hiring teens is a great way to increase your productivity during your busy season, while providing new experiences to a future member of our workforce.

Just make sure you know the rules!  Many states require age verification at a minimum for hiring those under age 18.  Check here for your specific state's requirements: http://www.dol.gov/whd/state/certification.htm.

Here are a few of the basic rules that are pretty consistent across the board:

• Employers may not hire minors younger than 14 years of age.
• Teens age 14 and 15 may legally work between June 1 and Labor Day between the hours of 7 am and 9 pm.
• During the school year, teens age 14 and 15 may only work between the hours of 7 am and 7 pm.... And may work no more than 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week... And no more than 8 hours on a non-school day and 40 hours during non-school weeks

With these tight restrictions, there are both benefits and challenges for you, as an employer, to hire teens during the summer months.  Teenage workers without a work history may require close supervision and more instruction and repetition to learn a task.  But you can help them develop good working habits by encouraging them to ask questions and always request assistance when they need help.  Patience is the key!  And, of course, always stress the importance of safety on the job.  

Good luck with the employee hunt and have a wonderfully warm summer!

Innovative Approaches to Working Together

A tall woman in a soft pink blazer opened the front door to the office and proceeded down the hallway toward her desk.  As she passed by a co-worker’s office space, she asked if the files she had requested were completed and on her desk.  The co-worker rolled his eyes and answered that he was still working on it.  The woman stopped and turned toward the gentleman that gave her such a crass answer.  She replied with an icy tone and continued toward her office…

Do you find that your work group or department is not working together as well as they should be?  Do you see personality differences among your employees that are negatively impacting the work environment?  Is there an inability by your employees to manage conflict effectively?

If you answered “yes” or even “sometimes” to any of these statements, your team may benefit from professional intervention.  There are consultants and organizations that can assist your team in learning to appreciate the differences in each individual and work together to resolve differences.

One such approach is to conduct a 360-degree profile of each person.  This process involves each employee completing a self-questionnaire about their work preferences, beliefs and approaches to working on various work-related issues.  The questionnaire is then completed by the employee’s direct supervisor, and a pre-determined anonymous number of peers and direct reports, thereby giving the employee a 360-degree picture of how they are perceived by others in the organization. 

A second approach involves having everyone in the team answer the same set of questions involving how they approach different work situations.  The results are then summarized on a quadrant and assigned a color.  For example, a person identified as the color “yellow” may exhibit personalities that are passive or easy-going, while a person identified as the color “red” may exhibit personalities that are more dominant or controlling.  By understanding the personalities of a coworker, one can hopefully better understand why individuals act the way they do.

A third approach involves the completion of a questionnaire based on how an individual would react in different situations, such as dealing with an aggressive employee or a difficult employee.  The results then identify if the individual is prone to conflict avoidance, conflict resolution, and so on.  By better understanding how one deals with conflict, an individual can take appropriate action to resolve conflict in a more effective manner.

While each of these approaches involves different questions and results, they are all focused on helping individuals be more productive and effective in the workplace.  However, taking the assessment and understanding the results is but the first step.  For these assessments to be worthwhile, the individual must also take action to build on their strengths and overcome their development areas.

This article should not be construed as legal advice.