Today’s post comes to us from The Workforce Institute advisory board member Sharlyn Lauby, also known as the HR Bartender. This article is the first in a two-part series about the increased value in organizations “showing the work,” one of The Workforce Institute’s Workplace Predictions for 2023.

I love math. One of the things that’s interesting about math is both the answer and the process are important. For example, when I was in school, not only did I have to provide the correct answer to a math problem, but I had to show how I got the answer.

We can apply this same logic in the business world. When we’re making decisions, we want to make the right one and we need to use a good process to get there. If we don’t pay attention to both processes and outcomes, we run the risk of having less than desirable results.

I always like to keep in mind that good processes lead to good results. The way we can do that is by “showing our work,” like we do with math problems.

Why Managers Should Show Their Work

Let’s start with managers. They have a tough job. The common functions of management include: 

Managers might feel that they don’t have time to “show their work” or that by “showing their work,” they are making themselves dispensable. Both of those reasons shouldn’t be true. Part of a manager’s role is developing employees and showing the work allows them to do just that.

Example: A manager is responsible for making the team’s schedule. They decide to show the most senior employee the process they use for making the schedule. They explain the software and how it works. They also explain the rationale for approving shift swaps and time off. The following month, the manager is asked to participate in a super-secret meeting with the CEO about a new company initiative. The manager knows it would be great for their career to be there. They also know it will cut into their time working on the schedule. They can ask that employee who has seen how the schedule is made to assist.

A benefit of showing employees the work isn’t just having them pick up the slack when a manager is invited to an unexpected meeting. Showing the work can help to fill in the gaps when it comes to communications.

Example: An organization has noticed a recent trend in declining sales. They believe the situation is temporary, so managers don’t show anyone the profit and loss (P&L) statement. One manager decided to share the P&L with their team. The employees started brainstorming ideas that would generate revenue and/or reduce expenses. The manager shared those ideas with senior leadership and the company was able to reverse their declining sales trend.

Managers who regularly show their work can improve their careers, develop employees for future opportunities, and contribute to the organization’s bottom line. While we’ve discussed a couple of examples, let’s consider activities that can help managers show their work.

Five Ways for Managers to Show Their Work

In the book “Show Your Work: The Payoffs and How-To’s of Working Out Loud,” author Jane Bozarth offers suggestions and examples of how organizations can show their work on a regular basis. Here are five to consider: 

  1. Look at existing processes. Showing your work doesn’t have to be difficult. See if there are existing processes that can be used to facilitate showing the work. No reason to create something new if you don’t have to. 
  1. Identify ambassadors. Think of ambassadors as people who are very good at sharing how they do things. Every organization has them. The company’s subject matter experts (SMEs) might be a great place to start.  
  1. Ask questions. Being a manager isn’t about knowing everything. Put ego aside and don’t be afraid to ask, “How did you do that?” The answer could provide a proven strategy that will be helpful in the future.  
  1. Learn how to curate well. Curation is the ability to organize, share, and find current, relevant information. Showing the work isn’t about bombarding people with emails, links, and attachments. It’s about sharing good content. There’s a difference.  
  1. Support sharing and making things public. Managers should turn “showing the work” into part of who they are and the company culture. Let employees know that the company wants to show the work and be transparent.  

Make Showing Your Work a Regular Habit

Managers who show their work will find their job gets easier. Employees know they’re getting good information to do their jobs. The team will excel, which lifts the entire organization.

The key to showing your work well is almost to move it from “that thing you do” to something you just do all the time. Like a regular habit. Maybe it starts with asking the question, “When did I show my work today?” Then it won’t be too long before managers are showing their work all the time.

Next month at The Workforce Institute, Sharlyn explores how employees can “show their work” and how doing so can benefit their careers, and the overall organization.

Today’s post comes to us from The Workforce Institute advisory board member Sharlyn Lauby, also known as the HR Bartender. This article is the second in a two-part series about 1:1 meetings, and the value they bring to working relationships and performance. Today’s post focuses on the employee’s role. Before proceeding below, read the first article in the series, on the manager’s role in 1:1 meetings.

One-on-one meetings are only as good as the conversation. Meetings where managers just tell employees what to do doesn’t bring the same level of value.

That’s why two-way communication is essential. Employees need to come to the conversation prepared to talk about their performance. In last month’s article about 1:1 meetings, I talked about the manager’s role in preparation and participation. Today, I’ll focus on the employee’s role during 1:1 meetings.

A big reason that employees should want to be an active part of a 1:1 meeting is because they want regular performance feedback — both positive and not-so-positive. This is not a generational thing. Everyone wants to know how they’re doing. Performance plays a huge role in career goals and compensation. Regardless of how often the organization does performance reviews, no one wants their performance review to be a surprise. So, a regular 1:1 meeting brings value.

Employees not only share responsibility for participating in the conversation, but they should share the responsibility for making sure the meetings happen. When it comes to scheduling, employees are sometimes at a disadvantage because typically a manager will initiate scheduling the meeting. But there are a couple of things that employees can do to make sure the meeting remains a priority:

Employees don’t have to wait for a meeting to show up on their calendars to start getting prepared. Here are five things an employee can do in the meantime.

1) Spend some time thinking about performance. First ask: what have you done well? Don’t undervalue your performance. There are plenty of things you’ve done well, and they should be noted. Then ask: what could you have done differently? Please note: I didn’t say wrong. Ask yourself, “Are there things that could have been completed a better way?” Be prepared to have specific responses to both questions. It demonstrates that you’ve spent time thinking about it.

2) Provide an update on goals. Be prepared to discuss which goals are on track and which might need revising. The goal in this conversation isn’t to assign blame. It’s to discuss what actions need to take place to get a goal back on track. Keep in mind, it’s possible that goals could need to be reprioritized and some might need to be canceled. If by chance your recommendation is to eliminate a goal, come to the meeting prepared to present another goal. It’s possible you won’t need it, but come prepared anyway.

3) Give the manager feedback too. This is so important. Tell your manager what support you need from them. Honestly, they might not know and that’s not a reflection on their abilities. You’re in the trenches and the manager might not be. They rely on you to share that perspective. In addition to sharing what you need in terms of support, also consider telling the manager what they do really well. We’re not suggesting false flattery. I’m sure you can think of something that helps the manager understand their strengths.

4) Ask questions during the meeting. This is the time to follow up on any questions that have not yet been answered. Maybe it’s personal, such as a time-off request or authorization to attend a conference. It could also be a good time to ask about company projects or policies. If the manager doesn’t bring it up, ask “Are there any new projects I should know about?” Again, this isn’t necessarily a reflection that the manager is trying to keep information a secret. Sometimes, we simply forget.

5) Recap what you plan to do. Before concluding the meeting, quickly review your to-do list and deadlines. If you need to ask some clarifying question, do it. Also, ask about a follow-up meeting and agenda items that will be brought up. It’s possible that a goal set during the meeting will need to be completed by the next meeting. Discuss transferring any meeting notes in a technology solution so they can be tracked over time.

Employees need to know that they are half of the 1:1 meeting and take responsibility for their portion of the conversation. Managers and HR should discuss the importance of 1:1 meetings during orientation and onboarding. Give employees the tools to be a good meeting participant.

Organizations could consider using these two articles to develop a manager and employee meeting checklist. The checklist can reside online or in hard copy. The important part is that people use it to make their 1:1 meetings valuable.

Today’s post comes to us from The Workforce Institute advisory board member Sharlyn Lauby, also known as the HR Bartender. This article is the first in a two-part series about 1:1 meetings, and the value they bring to working relationships and performance. The first part focuses on the manager’s role.

Regular communication between managers and employees is essential for building trust and good working relationships. One of the activities that facilitates regular discussion is called the 1:1 meeting. Basically, it’s a meeting for managers and employees to talk about what’s happened, and what’s coming up.

The 1:1 meeting isn’t a performance review, but it does discuss performance. The meeting can provide employees with specific, timely feedback that reinforces positive performance behaviors and works toward correcting not-so-positive ones.

A great thing about a 1:1 meeting is that it can be casual and reduce the nervousness sometimes associated with the formal performance review process. One-on-one meetings can provide consistent feedback to employees about their performance, so the formal performance review isn’t a surprise. But make no mistake, casual conversation doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be taken seriously.

For 1:1 meetings to achieve their goal, managers need to work on getting good at them. One way to do that is by having an agenda for the meeting. So, let’s outline five topics that should be covered during a 1:1 meeting.

1) Briefly review items since last meeting. Think of this as a debrief and ask the employee to come prepared to provide an update since the last conversation. They can share the things that have gone well. If necessary, talk about things that could have been done differently. It can be very helpful to have the employee share this information vs. having the manager tell the employee what they’ve done and haven’t done.

2) Discuss new items. Let the employee know the projects that the organization is working on and how a project might impact the employee. As a continuation of topic #1 (above), review outstanding goals and discuss whether they need to be modified or outright cancelled. If a goal is cancelled, talk about whether a new goal should be set in its place. Also use this time to ask the employee if they have anything going on that the manager needs to know. This could be personal (in terms of scheduling, etc.) or professional (a workshop, training, etc.).

3) Ask one stay interview question. Regardless of what’s happening with turnover in the organization, it’s always good to find out what employees like about working for the company. Managers can ask, “Is the job turning out to be what you expected?” or “What’s one thing your last organization did that you liked but we don’t do?”. This information gained from the stay interview can be passed along to HR and possibly used in recruitment marketing.

4) Find out how you (as the manager) can support the employee. So far, we’ve been talking about employee performance. This is your manager mini evaluation. You want your employees to be successful, so ask them for feedback about how you can help them achieve their goals. And don’t put the employee on the spot. Let them know in advance that this will be a regular part of the conversation.

5) Establish items for the next meeting. Before wrapping up the 1:1 meeting, do a quick recap and set some expectations for the next conversation. It would also be helpful to find a way to document this — preferably online. This is a great use of technology. The manager and employee have something they can refer to in between meetings to stay focused. Finally, thank the employee for their work and support.

One-on-one meetings are effective when they combine casual and conversational with consistency. Because that consistency holds both the manager and the employee accountable.

Speaking of employee accountability, the manager isn’t the only one who needs to work on coming to the 1:1 meeting prepared. In part two of this series on 1:1 meetings, we’ll discuss the employee’s guide to being prepared for the 1:1 conversation. Check back here next month at The Workforce Institute for part two!

Today’s post comes to us from Workforce Institute board member and HR Bartender, Sharlyn Lauby.

Sometimes when an employee gives us their resignation, we might be saying to ourselves, “Gah! How am I going to run the department!” or “Jeez, this couldn’t come at a worse time!” As a result, we focus on getting the work done and not on the relationship with the exiting employee.

Just because an employee has announced they’re leaving doesn’t mean they want to close a door with the company. For example, in the latest UKG report — “Resign, Resigned, or Re-Sign?” — 43% of survey respondents who left jobs during the pandemic for new ones said that they were better off at their old jobs. Organizations have an opportunity to keep the door open with employees. Here are a few steps to consider.

Wish an exiting employee well.
 First and foremost, when an employee leaves the organization — regardless of the reason — wish them well. Treating an exiting employee with respect says a lot about the organization. Former employees can refer candidates and customers. Even if the employee never comes back, you want them to always speak well of the company.

Have a well-defined offboarding process.
 Both the organization and the exiting employee will have needs. The company needs a status on projects and work. It also needs items like keys, badges, and equipment. The employee will have questions about final paychecks, benefits, etc. HR departments should have a detailed process, so everyone gets the information and items they need.

Ask the right questions during exit interviews
. Speaking of offboarding, one essential step in the offboarding process is the exit interview. There are many ways to conduct exit interviews and companies will need to decide what works best for them in terms of who conducts them and when. But one thing that the exit interview should ask is, “What caused you to start looking for a new opportunity?” This could be different from “Why are you leaving?” Organizations will want to address the reason that employees start looking in the first place.

Consider flexible work arrangements with former employees.
 There may be many reasons outside of the company’s control that don’t allow an employee to return full time. For example, the employee might be relocating or becoming a full-time caregiver. This doesn’t mean that the employee couldn’t work in a part-time capacity or as a freelancer. Keeping the door open might allow the employee to work on projects.

When employees announce they’re leaving, organizations can use the offboarding and exit interview process to keep the door open for future opportunities. Yes, we must focus on getting the work done too. But focusing our efforts on treating the employee with respect and wishing them well will not only help with the transition, but it might also help bring them back.

This month, The Workforce Institute Weigh-In addresses the critical topic of pay equity and, more specifically, working to “close the gap.”

The Workforce Institute Weigh-In for March 2022: “What do organizations need to prepare for as they actively move to tackle the pay-equity challenge?”

“Well-run organizations need to be prepared for the fact that there is probably not gender pay gaps. Organizations with effective compensation teams have spent decades addressing unfairness in gender pay. Hopefully, by now, they will have fixed those problems. This creates its own challenge because the PR message you want to give is, ‘We found an inequity and fixed it,’ and not, ‘We have managed comp in a professional way so that there were no inequities.’” — David Creelman, chief executive officer, Creelman Research

“The principles of compensation and total rewards can be tricky, so organizations need to partner with experts in this field. It’s easy to ‘fix’ one aspect of total rewards and unknowingly create another problem at the same time. If your organization doesn’t have a compensation expert on staff (and many don’t), reach out to your local SHRM or WorldAtWork chapters to find one.” — Sharlyn Lauby, author, HR Bartender blog

“Tackling pay equity is actually a great opportunity to partner human and machine talent in a technology-driven, ‘human in the loop’ process. It’s well-known that AI (artificial intelligence) algorithms can assist in setting pay in a way that eliminates subjectivity and removes bias. However, given how closely managerial input on performance reviews (for instance) is tied to pay, we cannot remove people from the equation and are more likely to achieve greater pay equity if we leverage both resources.” — Alexandra Levit, author, Humanity Works

“Tackling this challenge requires a multistep strategy. In addition to addressing systemic cultural issues, here is what one might need in order to prepare for this journey: 1) Ensure a genuine buy-in from the C-suite to address this challenge. 2) Obtain the organizational data that identifies and validates specific positions and people where the gap exists. 3) Create a financial model for the best-case scenario, where addressing 100% of the gaps is the stated goal. 4) Develop a priority listing and timeline to apply the fixes. This timeline might span more than one budget cycle, depending on the funds needed to apply the fixes and available resources. 5) Examine and revise structural components of pay policies to mitigate creating future gaps, and include budgetary components. Finally, check your work, and validate that the fixes you applied and that the modified structural components actually addressed the current pay-equity issues and will help avoid future issues.” — Dennis Miller, assistant vice president of HR and benefits administration, The Claremont Colleges

“Organizations must be prepared to spend a considerable amount of money initially and every 3-5 years to address issues of pay equity. The initial review of pay for equity will reveal inequities to correct, and the natural course of hiring, terminations, and other employment changes will create gaps every few years that will have to be addressed. Correcting pay equity costs money. There’s no other way out.” — Sarah Morgan, chief excellence officer, BuzzARooney, LLC

“Organizations will be faced with the critical challenge of right-sizing pay, not only within their organization but against competition. With more and more states pushing for pay transparency, employees will not simply ask, ‘What does my coworker make?’ They’ll be asking, ‘Why don’t we pay as well as [insert competitor]?’ Be ready to tackle pay equity with agility, candor, and an honest look at your organization and where it falls in the greater competitive landscape.” — Joey V. Price, co-host, While We Were Working podcast

“You can’t tackle the pay-equity challenge unless you are willing to do both a data and a behavioral audit to understand behaviors, policies, and practices that define your organization up to this point. The data audit is the easy part. The easy part is to look at the numbers and see where gaps occur. The harder challenge is to look backward, understand how you got there, and create a plan of action moving forward to prevent and address future inequities in your company.” — Laurie Ruettimann, host, Punk Rock HR podcast

“When working to correct the salary gap, be sure to watch out for pitfalls, especially from an HR or legal perspective. It is important to calculate the gap first, and then figure out how to fix it without ballooning your wage bill, while maintaining the incentive structure and avoiding the creation of new legal liabilities.” — Ivonne Vargas, author, ¡Contrátame! (Hire Me!)

Today’s post comes to us from the Executive Director of The Workforce Institute, Chris Mullen, Ph.D., SHRM-SCP, SPHR.It’s been an exciting month for The Workforce Institute! On the heels of releasing our annual workplace predictions, this month, we debuted a new feature on the blog: The Workforce Institute Weigh-In. Here’s a recap of everything we covered in February at the institute.




The People Purpose Podcast: 2022 Workforce Institute Predictions

In episode 15 of the People Purpose Podcast, Chas and Julie take a deeper dive into this year’s workplace predictions. It’s been an exhausting and trying two years for all of us, both at work and in our personal lives. Learn how to navigate what’s ahead in the new year and ultimately make 2022 a success for your people and your business.




The Three Biggest Trends Impacting the Labor Shortage

The eighth episode from the “Leadership in the Labor Shortage” series — also known as “No Suits, No Slides” — is all about the empowered workforce, as in the leverage workers have gained in the Great Resignation era. What are the three biggest trends impacting the labor shortage, what do they mean for people looking for new jobs, and what can employers do to ensure they retain their best performers all while continuing to recruit top candidates? This is another can’t-miss episode from this timely series.




HR Experts Laurie Ruettimann, Joey V. Price Join The Workforce Institute Advisory Board

This month, we welcomed two amazing people to our advisory board: Laurie Ruettimann and Joey V. Price. Both are award-winning experts in HR and are sure to bring some great perspectives to our conversations this year. Laurie is an HR leader turned writer, speaker, and entrepreneur known for her common-sense style and straightforward approach to workforce issues, as well as her podcast Punk Rock HR. Joey is the founder and CEO of Jumpstart:HR, which offers HR outsourcing and consulting for startups and small businesses. He also co-hosts “While We Were Working,” a weekly podcast for workplace leaders who wish to be better at handling people issues. Looking forward to their contributions!




What to Make of the Monthly Jobs ReportThe January 2022 jobs report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics caught many by surprise, showing 467,000 jobs created across the country last month, according to the report. It’s not the first time that forecasts have varied from the reports’ actual numbers. Still, millions of people depend on the monthly jobs report and base critical economic decisions on the data. This episode of “No Suits, No Slides” explores whether we should be relying so much on the monthly jobs report. Are there better options out there for staying informed?




The People Purpose Podcast: Hindsight is 2020 — LiterallyFrom holding virtual lunches to asking a “question of the day,” which of Julie’s early pandemic projections about improving company culture ended up being true during the pandemic? In this episode of the People Purpose Podcast, Chas and Julie discuss what they thought a shift to remote work would look like back in March 2020 — compared with what it actually looks like today, nearly two years later.




Introducing: The Workforce Institute Weigh-In

The Workforce Institute Weigh-In is a new monthly feature on our blog. Each month, we’ll pose a top-of-mind question from the world of HR and include several perspectives from our advisory board. These are meant to be succinct actionable insights you can start implementing at your organization today. In some cases, you’ll see full articles from board members discussing the topic in proceeding weeks. The first Weigh-In asks, “What are two ways companies can create a culture where employees feel safe speaking up, asking questions, and/or providing feedback?”




How to Be a Better Empathetic ListenerThis post comes to us from Workforce Institute board member and HR Bartender, Sharlyn Lauby. It is a direct response to The Workforce Institute Weigh-In question for February on how to create a culture where employees feel comfortable providing feedback. We all know that listening is important. When it comes to work, listening allows us to gain understanding — which is why we need to get listening right. Learn how to become a better empathetic listener, and how doing so can improve life for you and your employees.


Today’s post comes to us from Workforce Institute board member and HR Bartender, Sharlyn Lauby. It is a direct response to The Workforce Institute Weigh-In question for February on how to create a culture where employees feel comfortable providing feedback.

We all know that listening is important. When it comes to work, listening allows us to gain understanding. And better understanding results in more positive work relationships and improved results. Which is why we need to get listening right.

However, as important as listening is, it can be equally difficult to do. Listening takes work and effort. One of the ways we can become better listeners is by understanding the different types of listening, so we can catch ourselves if we’re not listening the way we should.

The reason I wanted to mention these forms of listening is because there’s another form of listening that we really need to spend time working on. Empathetic listening is about connecting understanding with empathy. Think of it as one step up from active listening. Not only do we want to understand what someone is saying, but we want to empathize with their reason for saying it.

When employees feel that they will not only be heard but that it’s safe to be themselves, it builds psychological safety within the organization. And it is psychological safety that helps the organization become more inclusive. The first step is empathetic listening to feedback.

So, how do we become better empathetic listeners?

Get rid of distractions. This isn’t about technology being evil. It’s not. Even technology companies understand the need for pushing your device to the side for a few moments to listen to someone. Don’t let distractions derail the conversation. If you feel that it would be hard to stay focused, ask if you can schedule the conversation for another time.

Check your biases. If we want to be empathetic, we need to recognize any possible biases that could influence the conversation. We might have history with an individual that could influence the conversation — either positive or not-so positive.

Stay in the moment. Depending on the conversation, it might be a challenge to stay focused. Ask if you can take notes so you don’t need to interrupt. It could be tempting to start formulating a response. Stay focused on the other person and their feedback. Learn to be comfortable with silence if the other person needs time to compose their words.

Ask good questions. If we need additional information, questions are a great way to follow up. Closed-ended questions allow us to obtain clarity. Open-ended questions provide additional insights. Knowing the right questions to ask can send the message that we’re trying to learn and connect with the other person and their reason for the conversation.

Confirm understanding and empathy. There are two things we want the other person to know. First, that we understand what they said. And second, that we’re able to connect with them (empathize) about it. This means that we need to be willing to empathize in terms of acknowledging our own feelings.

The real key to empathetic listening, of course, is the empathy part. Empathy is one of those concepts that’s very easy to describe and very difficult to do. Empathy is when we’re emotionally able to put ourselves in another person’s position. It’s where the “connection” with another person happens.

Sometimes when we think about empathy, we only think about bad or sad situations. Empathy is tricky, especially when we’re talking about mixed emotions. Here’s an example: Let’s say an employee comes into your office and says, “My partner just got a new job in another city.” You don’t know if the employee is excited because it’s a great opportunity for their partner OR if they’re mad because now they have to move to another city OR they’re nervous because they want to ask you about remote work. Or maybe a little bit of all three.

This is why we need to listen to the employee. We can’t insert our biases into the conversation. Find out how they’re feeling and be supportive. It creates the connections that we need for positive working relationships. And it’s those relationships that will help the organization become more inclusive.

Introducing a new recurring feature on our blog: The Workforce Institute Weigh-In. Each month, we’ll pose a top-of-mind question from the world of HR and include several perspectives from our advisory board. These are meant to be succinct actionable insights you can start implementing at your organization today. In some cases, you’ll see full articles from board members discussing the topic in proceeding weeks.

The Workforce Institute Weigh-In for February 2022: “What are two ways companies can create a culture where employees feel safe speaking up, asking questions, and/or providing feedback?”

“Rather than focus on aggregate corporate culture, ask where in the organization this is a problem that is impacting business results, then look deeply at the individual cases to determine the root cause. Be careful about assuming speaking up and asking questions is the natural and correct way of being. There are many ‘good’ reasons why managers may not want employees to speak up, and we need to be open to understanding — not merely dismissing — those reasons.” — David Creelman, chief executive officer, Creelman Research

“First, start early by conducting candidate experience surveys. Not only does the organization make sure its strategy is on target but, when done right, it sends the message that the organization values employee feedback. Then, practice empathetic listening. This will help to reduce misunderstandings and create better connections.” — Sharlyn Lauby, author, HR Bartender blog

“Leaders should look at their new hybrid cultures as an opportunity to boost employees’ sense of belonging and take diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) efforts to the next level. Consult your employees — especially those in marginalized groups — before establishing new rituals to ensure they are as fair and inclusive as possible. Additionally, hybrid-workplace communication must be more frequent and purposeful, with employee-listening mechanisms built into the daily experience, so people can provide opinions and feedback on their needs and wishes. Scheduled digital messages and verbal check-ins are standard protocol top to bottom, but what about side to side (peer) and cross-functionally?” — Alexandra Levit, author, Humanity Works

“First, start with trusting your employees and train managers to trust their employees. Consider this sentiment from Aron Ain, the CEO of a well-respected worldwide company: ‘employees have to un-earn my trust.’ State clearly to employees that you trust them and also state the kinds of actions or events that will likely result in losing your trust. Second, develop managers in such a way that they communicate with their employees whenever they are on the pathway that will result in a loss of trust, unless the respective employee changes their path. Clearly state (to an employee) how to change the path in such a manner that will avoid the loss of trust. It is only from a position of mutual trust that we can expect employees to be open in their communications to management and each other, such as asking questions, making suggestions, or providing feedback.” — Dennis Miller, assistant vice president of HR and benefits administration, The Claremont Colleges

“Employers create a culture where employees feel safe giving feedback by 1) asking for it and 2) responding positively and transparently to it. Asking for feedback should begin from their first interview encounter with the company. Ask candidates about their experience: what went well, what could have been improved, whether or not the experience makes them more/less excited to work with the company. Within their first 30 days of work, ask about their onboarding and orientation experiences, as well as how the job is measuring up compared with what was shared during the interview process. Ask about their benefits, their compensation, the systems being used, the processes being followed, their managers, the coworkers — everything you can think of! Solicit their feedback as early and often as possible. Once you receive their feedback, respond to it. If you send out a survey, publish the results. If you ask an employee for their feedback, thank them. If your employees make suggestions, acknowledge them, especially when you use those suggestions as a factor in business decisions. If you cannot use their suggestions or take action on something they’ve requested, explain why the petition isn’t possible at the time (or ever). When we treat our employees like capable adults who contribute value to our organizations, they will feel the safety and support they need to behave as such.” — Sarah Morgan, chief excellence officer, BuzzARooney, LLC

“Vulnerability goes a long way in creating a culture where employees feel safe speaking up or asking awkward questions. For example, leaders shouldn’t be afraid to anticipate what’s on the mind of employees, go first, and ask and answer the tough questions that people are thinking. Technology can also aid in the creation of a culture where employees feel secure providing feedback. Using surveys and communicating the anonymity behind the questionnaire can be one way to ensure workers that employees’ psychological safety is a priority.” — Laurie Ruettimann, host, Punk Rock HR podcast

Today's post comes to us from the executive director of The Workforce Institute, Dr. Chris Mullen, Ph.D., SHRM-SCP, SPHR.

I recently had the pleasure of joining longtime Workforce Institute board member and the HR Bartender, Sharlyn Lauby, on her brand new podcast, The HR Bartender Show, to talk about importance of providing employees with effective technology.

Sharlyn is easy to talk to, incredibly thoughtful, and always thinking about how to make working life better for employees, managers and employers. In short: she's the perfect HR podcast host.

We covered a lot of ground in our conversation: from how the COVID-19 pandemic exposed shortcomings in technology strategies for many organizations, to how and when organizations may (or may not) bring those employees back to in-person working environments and how technology can help enable this. We talk about scheduling, attendance, hiring, onboarding, “grey-collar” employees, and trust in the modern workplace. It was a lot of fun.

If you have a half hour to listen, please tune in HERE (you can take us on a walk or in your car) or if reading is more your style, you can read the transcript HERE.

Thanks again to Sharlyn for having me on - I look forward to many more conversations in the future and don't forget to subscribe to The HR Bartender Show wherever you get your podcasts!

mobile phone userWorkforce Institute board members Sharlyn Lauby and John Hollon joined me for a discussion of how quickly mobile technology is transforming HR.  John is Vice President for Editorial at ERE Media, the go-to source for information and conferences in the human resources and recruiting industries; and Sharlyn is the HR Bartender and President of ITM Group Inc., a training company focused on developing programs to retain and engage talent in the workplace.

Increasingly, HR leaders are grappling with the proliferation of mobile devices and the need for mobile applications for their employees.  And as John notes in our conversation, Gartner has recently predicted that more than 50% of organizations will require their employees to bring their own devices to work by 2017.

According to Gartner, "BYOD drives innovation for CIOs and the business by increasing the number of mobile application users in the workforce. Rolling out applications throughout the workforce presents myriad new opportunities beyond traditional mobile email and communications. Applications such as time sheets, punch lists, site check-in/check-out, and employee self-service HR applications are just a few examples."  

Is your organization moving in this direction?  How prepared are you for the practical (device support, security) and policy (overtime, privacy) implications of more mobile devices in your environment?  If you'd like to hear our discussion of the questions below, you can listen in on our discussion here:

 

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scientific_method_wordleToday's guest post is by Sharlyn Lauby, the HR Bartender and a member of the Workforce Institute board of advisors.  Sharlyn writes about how the scientific method of investigation can be applied to solving problems in a business environment.  This topic is near and dear to my heart as I was a scientist and science teacher early in my career.  Sharlyn is right on in her analysis about how this method can help non-scientists to find the right solutions.

Companies face challenges on a regular basis. As such, employees need to know how to problem solve. A tried and true problem-solving process is the scientific method. I know many of us haven't thought about the scientific method since our school days but it does provide a logical way of tackling business problems. As a reminder, here are the steps to the method:

1.  Identify the problem. The first step in the scientific method is to identify and analyze a problem. Data regarding the problem can be collected using a variety of methods. One way we're all accustomed to is the classic: who, what, where, when, how, and to what extent? The scientific method works best when you have a problem that can be measured or quantified in some way.

2. Form a hypothesis. A hypothesis is a statement that provides an educated prediction or proposed solution. A good format for a hypothesis would be, “If we do XX, then YY will happen.” Remember, the hypothesis should be measurable so it can help you solve the business problem identified in step one.

3. Test the hypothesis by conducting an experiment. This is when an activity is created to confirm (or not confirm) the hypothesis. There have been entire books written about conducting experiments. We won't be going into that kind of depth today but it's important to keep in mind a few things when conducting your experiment:

4. Analyze the data. Once the experiment is complete, the results can be analyzed. The results should either confirm the hypothesis as true or false. If by chance, the results aren't confirmed, this doesn't mean the experiment was a failure. In fact, it might give you additional insight to form a new hypothesis. It reminds me of the famous Thomas Edison quote, “I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”

5. Communicate the results. Whatever the result, the outcomes from the experiment should be communicated to the organization. This will help stakeholders understand which challenges have been resolved and which need further investigation. It will create buy-in for future experiments. Stakeholders might also be in a position to help develop a more focused hypothesis.

Now let's use the scientific method in a business example:

Step 1 (identification): Human resources has noticed an increase in resignations over the past six months. Operational managers have said that the company isn't paying employees enough. The company needs to figure out why employees are resigning?

Step 2 (hypothesis): If we increase employee pay, then fewer resignations will occur.

Step 3 (test): For the next three months, HR will have a third-party conduct exit interviews to determine the reason employees are resigning.

Step 4 (analysis): The third-party report shows that the primary reason employees are leaving is because health care premiums have increased and coverage has decreased. Employees have found new jobs with better benefits.

Step 5 (communication): After communicating the results, the company is examining their budget to determine if they should:

  1. Increase employee pay to cover the health insurance premium expense or
  2. Re-evaluate their health care benefits package.

I've found using the scientific method to be very helpful in situations like the example where a person or small group have a theory about how to solve a problem. But that theory hasn't completely been bought into by everyone. Offering the option to test the proposed solution, without a full commitment, tells the group that their suggestion is being heard and that the numbers will ultimately provide insight - after the full scientific method has been followed.

Have you ever used the scientific method to solve a business problem? Share your experience in the comments.

 

acaToday's guest post is courtesy of Sharlyn Lauby, better known as the HR Bartender.  You can learn more about how the ACA and how Kronos can help you comply with its employer provisions at Kronos.com

One of the hot topics at this year's KronosWorks 2013 was the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Even with the delay in the company mandate, employers are taking this time to do extra research, specifically where it applies to implementation best practices.

The sessions I attended regarding the ACA were a reminder that, while strategy is important, execution is critical. Organizations are taking the implementation of ACA very seriously. The conversation was a thoughtful and lively exchange about how to implement this very complex law while maintaining the business operation and keeping employees satisfied with their jobs. Some of the key takeaways I learned during the ACA sessions include:

The Affordable Care Act requires a culture change. The ACA isn't considered an HR issue. It's a law. And organizations have to develop and implement a strategy that will be used on a daily basis. Organizations are viewing the decisions they make regarding the ACA as culture decisions (versus benefits decisions).

Every department needs to be involved in the strategy and implementation of ACA. This directly reflects the first point. Business professionals agree - you cannot manage the ACA after the fact. The professionals I spoke with talked about the many departments being touched by the ACA:

Senior leadership to set the strategy.

Human resources to ensure compliance and craft the policy.

Finance to manage resources and finances associated with the Act.

Operational managers to monitor schedules and manage daily activity.

Many organizations are having to revisit their staffing models. As a result, some employees will become full-time. Instead of trying to figure out ways to keep employees part-time, many organizations acknowledge that the ACA is making them ask the question “Should this be a full-time position?” In some cases the answer is yes.

Speaking of staffing models, another topic brought up was the notion of giving hours to the best workers. We all know how this works. There's a last minute project to be completed. Often because both skill and speed are required, we ask the fastest, most qualified employee. But what if we can't now because the extra hours will reclassify their status? Organizations are trying to figure out how this potentially impacts the talent they currently have and skills they might need if they have to develop a contingent workforce.

Employers are concerned about losing employees who don't want to be full-time. We often make the assumption that everyone wants to be full-time and it's simply not the case. Employers who have created part-time positions to accommodate employees are concerned that employees will leave because the positions aren't as flexible as they used to be.

Full-time employees who currently have benefits are impacted as well. In the past, full-time employees who wanted to cut back a few hours were fine - it didn't jeopardize their status and another part-time employee could pick up the hours without overtime. Now, full-time workers will need to maintain their full-time schedule because those hours being passed along to a part-time employee have greater implications than just payroll.

Everyone agreed the key to managing the ACA successfully will be effective management of workforce data, reports and analytics. Debbie Baum, HRIS director at the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas shared their plan. “We're not changing our full-time/part-time mix of employees because of the Affordable Care Act.  We're not going to cut hours to avoid paying healthcare.  We are going to manage the scheduled hours staff were hired to work.” Unlike the YMCA, this level of data collection and review could be new and different for some organizations. It might take some getting used to.

The Affordable Care Act's complexity mandates that organizations dedicate time getting their strategy right on the front end. Smart organizations are using this additional time wisely, to identify their focus as a result of the ACA. Troy Jackson, employment and performance manager at Firekeepers Casino Hotel in Battle Creek, Michigan said it best - “We want to be an employer of choice. Employees who work full-time hours will get full-time benefits. It's the right thing to do.”

The Affordable Care Act is more than a new law about health care benefits. It's a definition of corporate culture.

Related Posts:

Talking About The Affordable Care Act With Dr. Tim Porter-O'Grady

Engaging Health Reform

Part Time Workers Confused by the Affordable Care Act

Results of the Workforce Institute Affordable Care Act Worker Survey

 

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