HR Industry Brief

Disengaged employees are more motivated than you think, according to a new survey:

• 26% of employees are motivated but unhappy. These people dislike the company but are still motivated to give 100% effort at work.
• Engaged employees feel that “actually practicing this organization’s values is critical to my success here.” Motivated but unhappy people don’t see the same connection between practicing the organization’s values and achieving success there.
• Highly motivated employees, even if they’re unhappy, are more likely to have high expectations both for themselves and for everyone else in the organization.
• If someone is motivated to give 100% at work, it’s likely that they want see errors fixed – even when they don’t like the company or their job.

If you’re having trouble getting employees to come back to the workplace or are unable to attract new talent, consider benefits that appeal to working parents. Why? According to one survey conducted between March 8 and April 20:

• 69% of working women said they planned to remain home as a full-time caregivers for the time being.
• Only 31% said they planned to go back to work within the next year.
• 30% said they lost their job due to the pandemic.
• 70% said they stopped working to accommodate their children.

According to new research, your employees may not be here to stay. Since the pandemic began:

• 20% of workers have changed jobs.
• 32% plan to look for a new job, mostly to get a salary boost or advancement opportunities.
• 26% have moved from a permanent position to full-time contracting, and 39% want to pursue contracting as a career.

  In late April of this year, there were over 9 million open jobs in the U.S. Yet recent reports show that employers are struggling to attract workers to fill open positions. Consider these elements in your recruiting strategy:

• Make it easier for employees who commute. Think about providing ride services, allowances for gas or public transportation, and relocation incentives.
• Break with marketing norms. Think outside the box and come up with hiring practices and incentives that are specific to your organization and the people you are trying to attract. Would they like free meals? Child and/or pet care assistance? Tuition assistance?
• Invest in COVID safety. Workers still have some fears and concerns, and they want to know they’ll be protected on the job now and in the event of a future outbreak of COVID or other infection.

According to a new national survey, employees still have mental health issues and concerns as business return to ‘normal’ post-pandemic:

• While 53% of workers say they don’t feel the need for mental health support, 35% have taken steps to improve their emotional and mental wellbeing.
• 12% say they haven’t taken any steps but would like to. About a quarter of these (28%) say the cost of care is the greatest barrier to them doing anything to improve their mental health. Another quarter (27%) say they don’t have time to seek care, 21% say they have no energy, and 21% are unsure about the specific care they need.

A new study confirms what we already knew: nursing homes suffered more than any other healthcare sector during the pandemic:

• Nursing home residents and staff account for 34% of all COVID-19 deaths, even though they make up less than 1% of the population.
• Partially because of the pandemic, the number of older adults living in nursing homes has dropped by more than 10%.
• Overall, the total number of staff working in nursing homes fell. However, staffing level increased in some regions of the country hardest hit by COVID-19.
• Staff workloads increased during the pandemic, and an hour of work before the pandemic didn’t go as far as an hour during the pandemic.
• Staff stress increased, driven in part by PPE shortages, fears of infection, and concerns about spreading the infection to other residents or to their own families.

In this competitive job market, you need to be able to recruit and keep the best of Gen Z employees, those individuals who are young, passionate, and tech-savvy. Know these tips for recruiting and retaining these workers:

• A cookie cutter approach won’t sell with these individuals. Instead, authenticity and person-centered recruitment is more likely to attract Gen Z talent.
• Young workers expect the recruiting process to be conducted predominantly online. Make sure your practices are cutting edge and efficient.
• Speak the language of Gen Z. Follow and engage with them on social media, obtain as much data about their likes and dislikes from their online presence, and craft a recruiting pitch around information you gain from their online personality.
• Be prepared to demonstrate how your organization’s value align with theirs. Provide peer coaching programs to ease these workers into your company’s culture.

According to one survey, most workers say they take their initial complaints about a concern or problem to their manager. Unfortunately, about a third of managers say they’re not prepared to handle these encounters. You can help by giving them some tools and skills:

• Train them on what situations they can handle on their own (such as tardiness, inappropriate clothing, or minor policy infractions) and those they need to refer to HR such as harassment, bullying, or violence.
• Encourage them to address this issue quickly. They may not be able to solve the problem, but managers can be expected to lead, provide support, and help determine next steps.
• Teach them to listen, learn, and counsel. Help them realize they’ll get a better understanding of issues by asking the right questions and listing carefully to responses.
• Ensure they know what to document and how. This includes communicating next steps and what issues were referred to HR or other … [Read more...] about (6/9) Empowering Managers to Handle Employee Relations

A new survey suggests that people don’t feel like corporate leaders are listening to their concerns about discrimination:

• Only a third of employees say that management always listens to their concerns about discrimination (race, sex/gender, age, etc.) without blame or defensiveness.
• Just 23% of women say that if they reported concerns about discrimination in the workplace, leadership would always take meaningful corrective action.
• Only 11% of Black employees feel that management always listens to concerns about discrimination in the workplace without getting defensive.
• Only 23-31% of frontline employees feel that they can report concerns about discrimination in the workplace without causing problems for themselves.

Employers can mandate that workers receive the COVID-19 vaccination, although there are some pros and cons. Late last month, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) offered some guidelines for employers. Briefly, the EEOC says:

• While employers can mandate vaccinations, they must still comply with reasonable accommodation provisions of the American with Disabilities Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
• Reasonable accommodations include asking workers to wear a face mask, work/function at a social distance from others, work a modified shift, undergo periodic COVID tests, and/or be able to work remotely.
• Employers can’t apply a vaccination requirement in a way that treats employees differently based on disabilities, race, religion, or other factors.
• Employers aren’t prevented or limited from offering incentives to employees to voluntarily provide documentation/confirmation of vaccinations from third parties (such as … [Read more...] about (6/7) EEOC Issues COVID-19 Vaccination Guidance for Employers