Sharlyn J. Lauby's Blog, page 57

How Do You Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile – Ask HR Bartender

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

According to their website, LinkedIn has nearly 800 million members in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. Their focus is to connect business professionals. Regardless if you’re looking for a new opportunity, you should have a profile on LinkedIn. That’s what today’s reader question is about.

I’m currently pursuing positions in the technology industry as well as working on my online teaching business. Both interests are related to instructional technology.

Right now, I primarily use LinkedIn for marketing purposes. I would like to get tips on how to maximize LinkedIn for my business development and job search. I need help with writing an impactful profile. Please let me know if you could assist me with this inquiry.

This is a great question! Not only do we want to keep our LinkedIn profiles current, but we want them to be optimized so people can find us easily. 

The good news is that you can find several videos on how to optimize your LinkedIn profile on LinkedIn Learning. If you’re not familiar with it, LinkedIn Learning is a MOOC (massive open online course). It offers videos in a wide variety of topics. 

In fact, our friend Laurie Ruettimann, author of the book “Betting on You”, has courses on LinkedIn Learning about “Mastering Self-Leadership” and “Proactively Managing Conflict”. The reason that I’m singling out Laurie is because I learned a little secret in her newsletter that’s related to LinkedIn Learning. The secret is that your local library might offer free memberships to LinkedIn Learning. 

Yes, that’s correct. If you have a library card, you might have free access to LinkedIn Learning and all their resources. I did a quick check because I just happen to have a library card and discovered that I have free access to LinkedIn Learning. There are so many benefits to having a library card, and LinkedIn Learning is just one of them. So, if you don’t have a library card – go get one. And if you have a library card, check to see if you have LinkedIn Learning access.

Oh, and P.S. go sign up for Laurie’s newsletter since she’s the reason that you know this little secret. 

Today’s reader note was a reminder about a few things. First, when it comes to our online brand, we need to constantly be optimizing it. Second, we should always be looking for resources that will help us learn and make our work lives better. Finally, check out the resources that are right in front of us – like the library. 

Thanks to this reader for sending a question. Finding good resources is important.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby at the 34th Street Graffiti Wall in Gainesville, FL

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Recommendations for HR and Employee Forms – Ask #HR Bartender

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Today’s reader question is one I see a lot. No one wants to reinvent something if they don’t have to. Our time is too valuable. Finding good and reliable resources can be time consuming.

I’ve been following HR Bartender for a long time. Do you have any resources regarding employee non-disclosure agreements?

Great question! I think the answer has two parts. First, there are several resource providers that specialize in employee forms, templates, sample documents, checklists, etc. Here are a few to check out:

If you’re a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), they have a sample confidentiality policy, confidentiality agreement, and non-disclosure of information and assignments agreement in the HR Forms section of the website. There are other forms available including ones related to COVID-19.

Our friends at JotForm offer employee forms as well. Some of the forms they offer include ones related to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) as well as performance reviews and exit interviews. JotForm also allows you the flexibility to edit their forms to create something that fits with your organization’s needs.

Last but certainly not least, our friends at HRdirect offer employee forms. They have everything from Affordable Care Act (ACA) to Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) to remote hiring forms. HRdirect promotes that all their forms have been reviewed by an attorney for compliance.

And the attorney review piece is the second part of this answer. There are many great resources to gather information. We can use forms and templates as creative inspiration to design something that fits our organization’s needs. But if we change a form, it’s important to get a legal review to make sure we’ve maintained compliance.

Hopefully, these three resources will be helpful to you when you’re looking for a form, template, sample policy, or checklist. Just remember the importance of maintaining compliance with any resource you’re using.

I’m a big fan of using existing resources for creative inspiration and sharing the resources I know work well. If you’re out on Facebook, the Evil HR Lady group is a great community that frequently shares resources. But again, please remember do your diligence so your forms stay current and compliant.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while exploring the streets of San Francisco, CA

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Your Recruiting Strategy Needs to Have Alternatives

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

If you haven’t seen it, the November jobs data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said that voluntary resignations reached a new high (4.5 million people, which equates to 3%). I know recruiting is tough. We’ve all read the turnover tsunami and “Great Resignation” articles. That being said, to achieve recruiting success, organizations are going to have to look for alternatives to their usual processes.    

At last year’s Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Talent Conference, one of the sessions that got me thinking was focused on “Succession Planning for Modern Times”. Now, I can imagine that some people might be saying to themselves, “I would love to spend time on succession planning strategies right now, but I’m so buried in job requisitions…there’s just no time!” 

And you know the comeback. If organizations don’t carve out time for essential activities like succession planning, then employees are going to leave…which only makes recruiting tougher. In addition, organizations that tend to focus on “BUY” strategies, meaning hiring from the outside, versus “BUILD” strategies of developing talent from within, are going to spend more money.

Which brings us back to finding alternatives when recruiting. Organizations might want to consider “BORROW” strategies like bringing in freelancers or contractors in the interim. Maybe it’s time to reach out to a few recent retirees and see if they would like to do some part-time work (or maybe full-time work). This could free up time for employees to receive training and development.

Organizations might want to think about entering a strategic partnership with a recruitment process organization (RPO) to help build their pipeline. Or find a few freelance sourcers to help them out. This could help the organization fill jobs faster so HR can focus on succession planning.

Now could also be the perfect time to test a couple of new recruitment sources so if one source doesn’t deliver, you have another one (or two!) that can help with applicant flow. I’m amazed at the organizations that have their entire recruitment strategy resting on one or two job boards. And I have absolutely nothing against job boards but is now the time to rely on just one or two sources?!

Another thing to consider is having a few retention programs in place for current employees. One thing I’m concerned about is hearing all the things that companies are going to get employees in the door when recruiting – signing bonuses, swag welcome baskets, etc. – and they’re doing nothing for the employees who are right now picking up the slack because the company is understaffed.

This also applies to the company’s management team. How many managers are doing the work of multiple people because the company is understaffed (and the manager doesn’t get paid overtime)? Employees see this. It could be a big reason that a manager leaves, and an employee turns down a future promotional opportunity.

All these dynamics are related. If organizations want to be fully staffed, they have to think about everything when recruiting, not simply the requisition. That was my takeaway from the session on succession planning. We have to view preparing employees for future opportunities from an organizational standpoint and think about it even before the employee gets hired. Because if we don’t, there’s a chance that the employee won’t view promotional opportunities in our organization as being worthwhile. 

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while exploring the streets of Las Vegas, NV

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A Technology Strategy Can Help Organizations Deliver Better Experiences

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Technology is a part of our daily lives. And over the past couple of years, it’s become even more essential. That’s why it’s so important to spend time thinking about your technology strategy. Whether it’s for the organization or as an individual, we need to decide what role we want technology to play, how we will evaluate technology, and how much we’re willing to spend to have the conveniences that technology can provide. 

As organizations are making decisions about their future work environments, it’s a perfect time to think about where technology fits best. The way technology is integrated into the workplace will help to deliver better employee and customer experiences. Here are a few articles that might help your organization create an effective technology strategy.

Technology Is an Organizational Differentiator

Technology is a tool to help us. It’s not a replacement for human interaction. In fact, it’s time for organizations to realize that the real return-on-investment (ROI) technology offers is its ability to be a key differentiator to employees and customers. In this episode of The HR Bartender Show, we talk about the importance of giving employees effective technology.

Employee Productivity Means Having a Healthy Relationship with Technology

Organizations want employees to be productive. That means, we need to help them build a healthy relationship with the technology they use every day. We need to model good technology habits and show our colleagues that it’s okay to step away from devices. And that we can use our tech for fun and for work. That way, employees get all the benefits of technology with a minimal amount of frustration and stress.

Understanding the Best Way to Communicate

As we talk about the pandemic less, we will still be communicating with bosses, colleagues, employees, and vendors. It’s important to choose the right method of communication. While video communication has saved us over the past couple of years, organizations need to figure out where it fits moving forward. That doesn’t mean not using video calls anymore. Instead, organizations need to examine the different ways to communicate and when to use each one.

10 Rules for Video Call Etiquette for Business

The use of video call technology has grown exponentially – to the point where we have video call fatigue. I think one of the reasons we have video call fatigue is because we haven’t developed any universally accepted rules or etiquette. Even when we start traveling and going into the office, video calls are still going to be a regular occurrence. So, it might be helpful to create a list of rules for video calls.

Emojis At Work Are Fine If Used Properly

In this HR Bartender reader poll, we learned that emojis are fine in business communication. But there is a caveat: Emojis are fine if you use them properly. So, take a moment to ask yourself, “Am I sure that the emoji I’m using sends the right message?” And if you’re not using emojis, consider dropping one in occasionally. It might help you grow engagement as you make your point.

Digital Transformation Can Help Manage Any Workforce Approach

Organizations are laser-focused on delivering bottom-line results. That starts at the very beginning of the employee life cycle with onboarding. Productive employees help the company achieve their goals. We’re not only referring to employees who are new to the organization, but employees who have been working remotely for the past year (or longer!) and are thinking about transitioning back into the office or employees who are preparing to make their short-term remote work option a more long-term decision.

Technology has always helped organizations do things faster and more consistently. We want technology to continue to help us. It means putting in place a strategy that will allow users to leverage the benefits of technology.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby after speaking in New Delhi, India

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Organizations: Start Building Trust Through Payroll

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

(Editor’s Note: Today’s article is brought to you by our friends at Paycom , a leading provider of cloud-based human capital management software. . Congrats to them! Enjoy the read)

If you’re not familiar with it, the Edelman Trust Barometer reports on the public perceptions of trust within four institutions – government, business, non-government organizations (NGOs), and the media. The Edelman Trust report has been around for about 20 years and that’s one of the reasons I like it. It’s a long-running piece on a topic that’s incredibly important (trust).

In the 2021 report, only one of the four institutions moved into the “trust” category – business. Granted, business just barely moved into the trust category with an index score of 61. (Side note: trust is defined as an index score over 60.) The report said that businesses are more trusted than the government in 18 of 27 countries and that business is now seen as both competent and ethical. While this is great news for the business sector, it also shows that we still have a lot of work to do when it comes to building trust both inside and outside organizations.

Payroll Mistakes Erode Trust

When it comes to building trust specifically inside the organization, a place to start could be the payroll process. In a Harris Poll survey commissioned by Paycom, 91% of respondents said that when payroll is incorrect, it breaks the trust employees have in their employer. This should not be a surprise. Of course, organizations aren’t intentionally making mistakes with their payroll. In addition, I’d like to believe that when mistakes are made, they are fixed quickly.

But instead of being reactionary when it comes to payroll, why not take a proactive approach? Organizations can create a payroll process that helps prevent mistakes from happening in the first place.

Paycom’s employee-driven payroll experience, BetiTM, is an opportunity to create exactly that – a proactive approach to payroll. We’ve talked about Beti before here on HR Bartender. Just as a reminder, I like to think of Beti as self-service payroll. With Beti, employees can review their preliminary paycheck details and ask any relevant questions before payroll runs.  Employees can’t change any of their payroll data. That still must be done by a payroll administrator or HR. And in addition to payroll, employees can make sure that hours worked, benefit deductions, expense reports, and paid time off (PTO) is reflected as it should be.

What Beti does is proactively keep payroll mistakes from happening by bringing employees into the process, which in turn helps to maintain that trust relationship we’re talking about.

Now, some people might say, “Employees don’t want to do this.” I could see that argument, except for the fact that double checking a preliminary paycheck only takes a few moments. While Beti offers so much more than a paycheck review, the employee’s involvement isn’t lengthy because they know what they’re looking for. For example, when an employee uses self-service functionality to enter their own benefit selections and request PTO, they’re then able to ensure the changes they submitted are appropriately reflected on their paycheck via Beti. If someone said to me, “Hey Sharlyn, could you take a quick look at your preliminary paycheck before it goes out?” Why wouldn’t I want to do that?! I know what my paycheck is supposed to look like, and it would prevent it from being wrong.

Plus, the prompt to review my preliminary paycheck comes via Beti as a notification on my phone. This isn’t an extra step for managers, payroll, or HR. Let’s face it, we get notifications on our phones to review stuff all the time. This is a natural extension of what we do in our personal life. The results from the Harris Poll I mentioned earlier support this type of payroll process. 74% of employees were okay with reviewing their own paycheck.

Build Employee Trust with the Right Payroll Process

Building trust isn’t an easy thing to do. Trying to repair trust when it’s broken is even harder. So why not create a payroll process that builds trust. That trust is an essential part of the employee experience and leads to better engagement and retention.  

If you want to learn more about Beti and how it can help your payroll process, check out this Paycom on-demand webinar “See It in Action: Beti – Now Employees Do Their Own Payroll”.

As the demand for hiring continues, the last thing that organizations want to do is hire new employees and get their payroll incorrect. It’s doesn’t help build a positive working relationship. Set expectations with employees that they will be able to get correct paychecks by becoming a part of the approval process.

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Organizational Flexibility Is the Key to Employee Engagement

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

The December 2021 unemployment rate hit 3.9%. I realize unemployment isn’t a total picture of the labor market, we haven’t seen unemployment that low in a long time. Organizations need to realize that this means 1) recruiting is going to remain a challenge and 2) employee engagement needs to be a focus. Because the last thing that organizations want to do is spend a lot of time and resources hiring someone only to have them leave in a few weeks or months.

But employee engagement is a bit more complicated right now. Candidates and employees want to know that their employer can be flexible as changing situations dictate. Yes, I’m referring to the pandemic. But other things too – like scheduling and time off.

As organizations think about their talent strategies, here are a few articles that might help spark some conversation.

Managers: How to Build Positive Working Relationships with Remote New Hires

New hires deserve our attention. Building a working relationship helps them start their careers on a positive note and moves them towards success. It helps to create employee engagement and retention. But there’s one last thing. The work doesn’t stop after the new hire is settled into their role. Managers need to invest time and energy into managing their onsite/remote teams.

Hybrid Workplaces May Be a Transition Plan We All Need

Organizations are very focused on economic recovery right now and I totally recognize that. The best way to make that happen is by having employees who are ready to deliver high performance. Employees will do that when they feel safe and have the tools to do the job. Think about the best plan for making that happen. The hybrid workplace may just be what we need to transition in a safe way. Even if your organization doesn’t love the hybrid work model as a long-term strategy, that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t make a good transition plan.

Hybrid Workforces Must Be Equitable for Everyone

Creating hybrid workplaces is a big job. Think of it like creating an employee experience strategy. Or changing company culture. But it can be done. And it can be done well. The organizations that make the commitment to creating equitable hybrid workplaces will be the ones that are able to attract, engage, and retain the best talent. Because those organizations will have figured out how to maintain company culture with a hybrid workplace.

6 Employee Strategies for Your Non-Desk Workforce

When the pandemic started, organizations made a lot of decisions with very little information … and that’s okay. It’s what needed to be done. We have more information now. It’s time to use it to create better employee strategies. That means it’s possible organizations will be managing more non-desk work than originally anticipated. So, if we want employees to be engaged and stay with us, we need to have clear guidelines about the work and how it will get done.

Employee Compensation Practices Could Be Impacted by Remote Work

The pandemic has changed the way we work. And the right compensation strategy is just one of the many decisions that organizations will have to make in the months to come. Organizations need to take a hard look at their culture and what they want the employee experience to look like when making these types of decisions.

Education Benefits Must Work for a Hybrid Workforce

As organizations plan for the future, workplace flexibility will be at the center of the employee experience. Hybrid workplaces might not be forever, but my guess is it will be around for a while. And the key to delivering a successful employee experience is going to require benefits, policies, and procedures that work whether you’re in the office or working remotely.

Organizations: Take Action on Employee Engagement for Hybrid and Remote Teams

My thought is that organizations can and should change all the time. They change because business dynamics change. Before organizations decide that their culture can’t survive a hybrid workforce, I think it makes sense to get the workforce involved. Employees maintain the company culture. More accurately, employee engagement maintains company culture.

Candidates and employees want to know that the organization they work for is going to support them regardless of where they’re located. I mentioned in a previous article the Reddit antiwork subgroup and if what I’m reading is true…OMGosh, companies have a long way to go in supporting their workforce.

But let me add, the companies that figure this out…meaning companies that figure out how to treat employees well…they will not be challenged to hire excellent workers. The word will get out where the great employers are, and talented people will apply. We all know this is true.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while exploring the streets of Miami, FL

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Employee Retention: Your Employment Brand Is Key

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

The last thing that companies want is to spend a lot of resources hiring employees only to have them leave in a few weeks or months. I’d like to believe that everyone agrees with me on this. That’s why it’s important not only to have a good recruitment strategy but also a good employee retention strategy.

Personally, I think that one of the big reasons employees leave organizations shortly after being hired is because what they were promised during the interview doesn’t match what they’re experiencing as an employee. There’s a disconnect. If that’s true, the first place to look is the organization’s employment brand.

Companies need to make sure that what they’re selling to candidates is what they’re delivering to employees. If you’re looking to assess your employment brand, here are a few articles that might help.

Your Employment Brand Matters Now More Than Ever

We all want the same things. Everyone wants the pandemic to be behind us. Organizations want to make money. People want to stop wearing masks and travel again. But we need to be smart about the process of re-entry. Coming across as an organization that puts profit over people might not be the best look for your employment brand – especially at a time when you need employees the most.

Employee Wellbeing Should Be Part of Your Organization’s Employment Brand

Many companies are looking for ways to stand out as an employer right now. Showing candidates and employees that the organization values wellbeing is a way to do it. The keyword here is “showing”. It’s time for organizations to let candidates and employees know they have programs in place for wellbeing. Don’t be afraid to make the wellbeing message part of the organization’s recruitment marketing strategy. It could be very helpful in attracting, engaging, and retaining talent.

Employees Today Want Jobs That Offer a Future and Good Pay

Is the key to attracting, engaging, and retaining talent really that simple? It could make some sense for organizations to ask themselves a couple of questions: Do we offer a pay and benefits package that’s internally fair and externally competitive? Does the company make it a priority to provide employees with advancement opportunities? Maybe this is the place to start when it comes to the employee experience. If organizations don’t focus on these two things, then I’m not sure that fancy amenities are going to convince employees to stay.

Employee Benefits Strategy: How Organizations Stay Competitive in Today’s Labor Market

Benefits are an important piece of an employee’s overall compensation. Yes, employees do need a competitive salary. But benefits are an opportunity to set the organization apart. The benefits that a company offers say a lot about how much they value employees and their wellbeing.

5 Ways Managers Can Support Working Parents

Over the past year, we’ve spent a lot of time talking about how the pandemic has changed work. But it’s also changed our personal and family lives. Especially if you’re a parent. About half of employed parents (52%) say it’s been difficult to handle childcare responsibilities during the coronavirus outbreak, according to Pew Research. In addition, we’re hearing that childcare is an obstacle to employees returning to the office.

Employee Retention: Think About Post Pandemic Strategies

Organizations that want to increase employee retention are going to want to communicate regularly, make employees feel safe and welcome, and give managers the tools to handle issues. Countless studies show the way to make employees stay with a company come down to making them feel wanted, giving them the tools to do the work, and thanking them for a job well done. Now is not the time to forget what it takes to keep employees engaged and connected to the company.

Every organization needs an employment brand, but the brand itself should be unique to company culture. Brands also evolve over time. So, if you’re saying to yourself, “We went through this branding exercise 5-6 years ago. We don’t need to do it again.” Well, do a quick check to be sure. Go ask a handful of people in the organization to describe the company’s employment brand. If they all respond exactly the same way, then yeah, maybe you can skip it for now.

But if you don’t get a consistent reply about what the organization’s employment brand stands for, then maybe it’s time to assess and adjust the brand.

Images captured by Sharlyn Lauby while exploring the streets of Fort Lauderdale, FL

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Organizational Success Should Be Focused on Employee Equity and Results

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

Like many people, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to what work will look like in the short- and long-term. While I don’t have a definitive picture of the future, I do believe that work will need to be more centered on results and less on work methods.

The challenge is … this isn’t how a lot of organizations operate. Many focus on the method because if they do, then the results will turn out the way that they want. And this is fine when it’s effective and efficient to do so. The reality is that it’s not always the best way to get results. Especially in remote and hybrid work environments.

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to meet Jody Thompson, founder of CultureRx, a professional services firm specializing in designing and executing change management plans. Thompson is equally well-known as being the co-creator of ROWE, a Results-Only Work Environment. I asked Jody if she would chat with me about ROWE and how organizations can achieve success by focusing on results, not methods. Thankfully, she said yes.

Jody, thanks for being here. In 2005, you introduced the concept of ROWE, a Results-Only Work Environment. For those readers who might need a refresher, can you give us a brief description?

[Thompson] A RESULTS-ONLY WORK ENVIRONMENT (ROWE) is a workplace culture where there is an equal balance between accountability and autonomy for every person. This balance has been proven to be critical to business success and the customer/employee experience.

If the culture is heavy on autonomy and light on accountability, this typically leads to a chaotic landscape where non-performance is tolerated. There is often a realization in cultures like this that goals and measures are not clear, which prohibits accountability to measurable results.If the culture is heavy on accountability and light on autonomy, business operations may be strong but at the expense of the employee experience. The heavy accountability/light autonomy scenario leads to high frustration levels, voluntary turnover, and a lack of engagement in the work.

Traditional flexibility programs – including the hybrid approach – are managed by managers, and work time and location are negotiable and relevant. In a ROWE, accountability to measurable results is the only thing that is relevant and is non-negotiable.

I’m a big fan of giving employees the autonomy to get stuff done. But do you see autonomy the same as working from home (WFH)? Why or why not?

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[Thompson] Nothing has really changed in terms of workplace culturesince the pandemic began. Organizations have simply moved ‘location’ from primarily the office to primarily work from home (WFH) with the expectation that once the pandemic passed or got under control, most people would be expected to go back to the office for a certain amount of days – or all days – each week. There’s still meeting fatigue. There’s still the expectation that everyone is ‘available’ during core hours, and if the employee is not available during core ours, they still must ask permission for ‘time off’ to ‘go to a dentist appointment’. 

What’s the same is that organizations are still focusing on controlling work location and hours worked. When the big migration back to the office starts happening, employees will be caught in the same flexibility trap – that is, having to ask permission to work from a location other than the office. And each manager will have a different mindset about whether they will ‘allow’ employees this ‘perk or privilege’. 

You mentioned returning to the office. A common challenge I hear from business leaders is that “being together is our culture”. How can ROWE allow organizations to maintain their culture and give employees some of the things they’re looking for in terms of where they work?

[Thompson] Let’s start with a prediction: ‘The Great Resignation’ will continue until organizations realize that instead of preserving their existing work culture (which is what leaders say they want), they need to EVOLVE their work culture to keep pace with contemporary society.

When business leaders say ‘being together’ they mean in the same physical location. And that assumes that when we’re communicating in other ways, we’re not ‘together’. That’s outdated thinking. What brings people together is a crystal-clear focus on the measurable results that each person and each team need to achieve and are held accountable for. Start with the work first, and let the people choose the best location to achieve their objectives.

I can see how some organizations might be challenged trying to separate work location and culture. Especially given all the talk about both remote and hybrid work. How can a ROWE help organizations that are trying to figure out their future work plans?

[Thompson] Organizations can benefit by thinking about the realities of work in terms of traditional and contemporary currencies.

Work Reality #1: The traditional currencies are time and location. When work is a place that you go during the hours you owe your employer (1950’s traditional approach), leadership and management use policies and rules to create a standardized, equal, and ‘fair’ employee experience. The belief is that this equality for all environment will lead to motivated, efficient, and effective employees serving a satisfied customer.

An example of this equality for all environment would be the hybrid workplace. In a hybrid workplace, some companies will allow everyone to work 3 days in the office and 2 days at home (or something similar). But does this approach work for every single role in an organization, and for every single week? Are we treating people the same regardless of need (equal), or are we treating people differently depending on need (equality)?

With equality for all environment, managers are still directing when and where people work. And it will never end up truly being fair. Business needs shift and change. People have roles that do not fit nicely into the hybrid box. And what seemed equal is now creating an inherently unequal experience.

Work Reality #2: The contemporary currencies of work are measurable results. When work is something that you do rather than a place you go, leadership and management use clear, objective, measurable results for the customer, and focus on empowering their workforce through an equity for all environment. The belief here is that the company does not own their employees’ time, thus they do not micromanage how that time is used.

An equitable experience – which is critical for today’s workforce – puts everyone on a level playing field of autonomy and accountability. Being held accountable for measurable results for your role is standard. Add to that the autonomy to make the choice to work when and where you work best – every single day. No judgment about who you are or how you choose to live your life. 

The key difference between the work realities is equity versus equality. Although both promote fairness, equality achieves this through treating everyone the same regardless of need, while equity achieves this through treating people differently dependent of need. Building a culture of equity is good for people, business, and community. And that’s built on a platform of autonomy and accountability for each person.

I really like the way you’ve identified today’s contemporary work with equity. We both know that not everyone can choose their work location. How does a ROWE work for location-specific jobs?

[Thompson] If I have a location-specific role, I choose to go to that location to get my results. And I am held accountable to those results. I am not distracted by feeling marginalized by not getting to have 3 days in the office, 2 days at home – the ill-fated attempt to make everything equal. 

Managers play a key role in making sure the work gets done. In a ROWE, I could see managers needing new skills and training. How could organizations prepare managers for this transition?

[Thompson] A manager becomes a ‘results coach’ in a ROWE. They no longer manage people, or how, when, or where work happens. Results coaches manage the work and ensure deadlines are met, budgets are on track, and customers are satisfied. The transition from a manager to results coach requires a shift in mindset along with adopting new skills and knowledge base.

Last question. For those people reading this and saying to themselves, “This sounds great. But all senior leadership cares about is the bottom-line.” How does a ROWE translate into productivity and profits?

[Thompson] ROWE Certified organizations report that ROWE is a differentiated and powerful talent magnet. Voluntary turnover rates plummet, while involuntary turnover rates rise as leaders and managers hold people accountable to clear, measurable results. Other measures include increases in employee engagement, loyalty, trust, and productivity.

Plus, ROWE accelerates performance management including goal setting and role clarity. Other measures include increased collaboration, clarity of communication, openness to change and strategic alignment. It accelerates innovation, experimentation, problem solving, coaching behaviors and the employee experience.

All of this together creates a healthier bottom line, and a clearer pathway for growth. One of our ROWE Certified clients had top-line growth of 100% in less than 5 years following adoption. ROWE Certified organizations realize up to 30 times their return on investment (ROI) working with CultureRx on implementation, adoption, and support.

A huge thanks to Jody for sharing her knowledge with us. If you want to learn more about ROWE, check out the book that introduced the concept “Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It”.

We’ve been talking about the future of work for a long time. Now might be the right moment to talk about creating a win for all. Everyone wants the same thing – results. It does involve a new mindset, but frankly, we’ve demonstrated that we can change our mindset when we want to. The opportunity exists to make employees happy and deliver results.  

The post Organizational Success Should Be Focused on Employee Equity and Results appeared first on hr bartender.

The Employee Experience Should Change With the Business

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

I ran across a recent report from McKinsey talking about “The CEO Moment: Leadership for a new era”. The article talked about how CEOs were planning to lead their organizations in a “new, positive, and impactful way”. Some of the themes in the report included:

Deciding what values are truly important and worth fighting for.Invest in building positive working relationships at every level.Thinking bigger and faster when it comes to goals and performance.Deliberately choosing how to bring their authentic selves to work.

As I was reading the report and these themes, it occurred to be that what CEOs are looking for in their employee experience is very similar to what employees are looking for. Employees want to work for organizations that align with their values. They want to feel included and supported. Employees want work that is meaningful. They want wellbeing.

This is an opportunity for CEOs to align the employee experience with the business. They know it’s the right thing to do or they wouldn’t be talking about it for themselves. The question becomes how to make it happen. That’s easier said than done.

At the last SAP SuccessFactors conference, there was a conversation happening about the evolving employee experience. The discussion explained that the “old school” employee experience is when the organization asks, “How are we doing?” And the modern employee experience is when the organization asks, “How are you doing?” I thought it was a great way to convey how the employee experience needs to change.

Don’t get me wrong. Organizations still need to ask, “How are we doing?” BUT they also need to ask, “How are you doing?” In fact, maybe they should ask “How are you doing?” first. AND they should ask these questions regularly. Formally during engagement surveys and informally during one-on-one meetings. Managers need to ask the question AND truly care about the answer. Employees should respond with valuable feedback that can be acted upon.

Another thing that organizations can do is look at data. Organizations regularly collect, analyze, and respond to data about customers views. Now is the time to start doing the same with employee data. Realistically, it would be great to have some data before asking those questions about “How are you doing?” and “How are we doing?” Not to test employees but to ask better follow-up questions.

For example, if an employee says they’re doing good, but the data is showing a decrease in overall participation at learning events, then maybe the manager wants to ask for some specific feedback about training. The employee might be able to share some details that can help the organization either interpret the data better or modify and improve the learning experience.

We’re all reading the same news headlines. I don’t have to tell anyone that the employee experience is going to be a huge focal point for organizations. As it should be. Every organization needs to have a defined employee experience. In addition, they should have a way to regularly monitor and adjust it to align with the business.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while exploring the streets of London, England

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6 Resources for Creating a Better Employee Experience

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Reddit was founded in 2005 as a social discussion website. It ranks as one of the top 20 most visited sites in the world and the top 10 in the U.S. They have about 430 million users and, from a work perspective, mostly individuals in the early stages of their career.

If you haven’t seen it, there’s a subreddit that’s gaining a lot of attention lately. It’s called “antiwork”. I’ve been paying attention to it for several weeks and I’m not sure that the discussion isn’t really opposed to work as much as it is opposed to working in a terrible organization. When you have a moment, check it out. The stories from employees about the way they are treated … well, check it out for yourself.

Not every organization is treating employees with the complete disrespect mentioned in the antiwork subreddit. But it does prompt the question for businesses: “What is our employee experience like?” and “How would employees describe it?”

The employee experience isn’t a “set it and forget it” strategy. It should be regularly monitored and updated. Now could be a perfect time to audit the company’s employee experience and make some adjustments. Here are a few resources that might help.

How Organizations Can Build an Intentional Culture

We all know that the past couple of years have been tough. Organizations want to shift their focus toward economic recovery. And let’s be clear – economic recovery doesn’t necessarily mean “back to the pre-pandemic days”. During the pandemic, organizations and employees have learned smarter ways to work, and those discoveries need to be incorporated into the business.

The process of redefining organizational values and behaviors then using those to create an intentional culture could be exactly something for organizations to consider right now.

3 Areas to Include in an HR Compliance Self Audit

As we’re starting the New Year, conducting an audit is a helpful way to check the status on your compliance. Because compliance activities like labor law posters don’t follow a set schedule. It’s not like “every January labor law posters change”.

2022 is going to be a busy year. As such, I can see a lot of organizations wanting to start the year focused and ready. This includes the HR department. HR will want to know that compliance matters are in order so they can spend much of their time on recruiting, training, and helping the organization accomplish its business goals.

Human Experience Management #HXM – 4 Essential Culture Components

Now more than ever, employees are looking for a real authentic human work experience. They want to know that the organization views them that way. This isn’t to say that employees aren’t prepared to do hard work – trust me, they are. But they expect to be treated as a human first.

HXM is exactly what it sounds like – it’s about treating individuals as humans versus employees. But what does that mean? What are the key components of having a human experience? HXM isn’t about separate programs. It’s about bringing all the components together into everything the organization does.

How to Build a New Employee Benefits Plan Post Merger

Mergers and acquisitions can be exciting times for businesses. M&As can create opportunities for new products and services. They can unleash innovation and disrupt industries.

But make no mistake M&As are also tough and present many challenges. One of the biggest is merging talent management strategies, such as employee benefits. There are lots of decisions to be made and we often don’t make everyone happy. But, if we make decisions in alignment with company values, and if we’re transparent about how we made those decisions, then I believe employees will respect the process.

The Employee Lifecycle Has Not Changed but the Employee Experience Needs To

The business world is constantly changing and as a result, the employee experience should constantly evolve with it. I’m not talking about the different phases of the employee lifecycle: hiring, onboarding, engagement, development, retention, and separation. Those really don’t change much.

What should be changing is the organization’s approach to these lifecycle phases, which is the essence of the employee experience. Organizations should ask themselves, “What is our candidate experience?”, “How will the organization conduct onboarding?” Those experiences can and should change over time because employee wants and needs change.

Employers and Employees are Responsible for Retention

Organizations should care about employee retention and put strategies in place to retain employees. But this doesn’t mean that employees don’t have any responsibility in retention.

Organizations are unable to put retention strategies in place if they don’t understand what employees want (i.e., what makes them stay with the company). Employees need to provide honest feedback to the organization. Retention occurs when organizations create a strategy to engage and retain employees based on feedback from employees.

Over the past few years, employee expectations have changed about work. If organizations want to retain employees, they need to offer a complete employee experience that aligns with today’s employee expectations. Organizations should solicit feedback from employees and try to align the experience appropriately.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while exploring the streets of Los Angeles, CA

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