HR Industry Brief

Your employment manuals could be doing more harm that good. How? Consider the following:

• Writing a policy you will never enforce. This creates liability issues for your company and casts doubt on your intentions and the validity of other policies.
• Writing a policy to cover every contingency. The more complex and detailed a policy is, the less likely it is to be effective.
• Writing policy that no one understands. It’s hard for employees to follow policies that are so detailed and complex that employees don’t know what they mean.
• Trying to be all things to all people. Workers appreciate clear, concise, and pragmatic policies more than open-ending promises of being treated like family.

Successful leaders are highly effective influencers, particularly as we emerge from a greater challenge than most of us have ever faced before.  Consider these ways you can be an inspiring and influential leader:

• Know the people you want to influence. Spend the time to get to know your team.
• Aim to be liked and respected by those you seek to influence. This doesn’t mean being pals with your team. Instead, be someone your workers are connected to and who they feel is on their side.
• Commit to the people you want to influence. Loyalty is a two-way street.
• Engender mutual commitment to help influence thrive.
• Be strong, focused, and a good example for those you want to influence. When you set a good example, others will naturally want to follow.

Employee behavioral and mental health requests have jumped 100% since the onset of the pandemic, and 26% of all adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder. Consider these seven ways to help employees get the most out of your company’s mental and behavioral health benefits:

• Get feedback. Seek input from employees who have used mental and behavioral health benefits. What worked or didn’t work? What benefits/services would they like that they don’t currently have?
• Communicate more. Studies show that employees don’t know what mental health benefits their company offers. Remind employees frequently and via different platforms about benefits and how to access them.
• Enable/encourage access to virtual counseling and similar services. Stress the benefits of these, particularly during the pandemic.
• Make it easier to access. Start with some low-hanging fruit, such as tip sheets, mindfulness programs, exercise plans and classes, and time … [Read more...] about (2/10) 7 Ways to Help Employees Deal with New Health Challenges

More employees are focused on fair pay issues in the wake of the pandemic and the sacrifices they feel they’ve made to deal with it. According to a new study from Indeed:

• One-third of workers (33%) say their earning potential has been severely impacted by the pandemic.
• 77% say they think more about money than they did in 2019.
• 74% say they have conducted research about fair pay with 22% continuing to study it.
• Only 27% of men say they’re likely to continue researching fair pay, compared to 18% of women.
• More than half of workers (66%) say they receive fair pay. However, men were more likely to say this is true than women.
• 18% of Black workers don’t believe they’re paid fairly, compared to 6% of white workers.
• More than half of job hunters/applicants (68%) say they are more likely to apply for a job if the salary range is listed; and 60% are more likely to apply if the employer is transparent about … [Read more...] about (2/9) Coronavirus Pandemic Fuels Fair Pay Concerns, Indeed Finds

Even in times of stress, there is a place for laughter in the workplace. According to a new survey:

• Leaders with any sense of humor are seen as 27% more motivated and admired than those who are viewed as humorless.
• Team members of humorous leaders are 15% more engaged and twice as likely to solve a creative challenge.
• Adding a lighthearted line at the end of a sales pitch can increase customers’ willingness to pay by 18%. Even a bad joke can have a positive impact.

• It accelerates a feeling of closeness and trust.
• These enhanced connections drive employee performance.
• Laughter releases chemicals that boost mood and energy.

Your employees may be putting on brave faces, but new data shows that mental health is declining:

• 86% of employees without mental health concerns and 60% of those with see this issue as having a negative impact on productivity.
• 79% of employees without mental health concerns and 47% of those with see it as negatively affecting workplace engagement.
• Between November and December of last year, there was a 48% increase in the risk of depression in the workplace.
• Challenges with the vaccine rollout, along with holiday stress, suggest that mental health will be a greater concern moving into 2021.

A new report from the Joint Commission addresses ways healthcare organizations can better manage the concerns and needs of workers, who have been pushed to the limit by the COVID-19 pandemic. These include five key efforts to support health care workers:

• Foster open and transparent communication to build trust, reduce fears, build morale, and sustain an effective workforce.
• Remove barriers to health care workers seeking mental health services and develop systems that support institutional, as well as individual resilience.
• Protect workers’ safety using the National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH) Hierarchy of Controls framework.
• Develop a flexible workforce: evaluate the work being performed and determine if it can be performed remotely.
• Provide clinicians and others with opportunities to collaborate, lead, and innovate.

More than ever, your teams value flexibility and expect some agility from management. Why not view this as an opportunity to restore trust, loyalty, and engagement while maximizing productivity? Take a few steps:

• Rethink priorities and adjust performance review criteria accordingly. Are financial targets still the best way to measure employee performance? Are previously established goal for each position still relevant and realistic?
• Rethink meetings. Some people on your team may appreciate – even need – the weekly meetings or daily check-ins; other may dread them or see them as a nuisance. Consider how often you really need group and individual meetings and whether some interactions can be handled via an email or phone call.
• Consider whether and how often workers need to be onsite. Some of your employees may like remote work, especially if they are juggling work, family, caregiver, and other responsibilities. If possible, don’t make unilateral … [Read more...] about (2/3) Is Your Company Offering False or Real Flexibility?

In a new survey, talent acquisition professionals identied trends they see emerging for 2021. These include:

• Virtual hiring is here to stay. If you’re not already experienced in virtual interviewing and hiring techniques, get on board now. Increasingly, a hiring process that combines virtual and in-person processes will be industry standard.
• Companies will emphasize internal hiring. Internal hiring is up 20% in the past year, while spending on recruiting is down. Look within for qualified candidates for job openings. This will result in more cost-effective hires, and it will boost morale and motivation.
• Recruiters will play a bigger role in diversity, equity, inclusion (DE&I). Everyone will be expected to embrace DE&I in 2021, and recruiters increasingly will be expected to focus on identifying and interviewing a diverse slate of candidates.
• Recruiters will expand their skill sets to embrace adaptability and … [Read more...] about (2/2) 2021 Recruiting Trends Shaped by COVID-19

Whether you’re a sports fan or not, Tennessee Volunteers coach Pat Summitt, who passed away recently, had a list of rules for success that can help anyone thrive, especially in challenging times:

• Respect yourself and others. People who don’t demonstrate respect for those around them can have a difficult time engaging others and maintaining morale and motivation.
• Take full responsibility. This means the big things and the small ones, as well as those that are unpopular.
• Develop and demonstrate loyalty. Always remember you have to give this to get it.
• Learn to be a great communicator, and never forget that listening is part of communicating.
• Discipline yourself so no one else has to.
• Make hard work your passion.
• Don’t just work hard, work smart. Know your strengths, weaknesses, and needs.
• Put the team before yourself.
• Make winning an attitude.
• Be a competitor.
… [Read more...] about (2/1) ‘Definite Dozen’ Rules for Success