We have all heard the stories similar to the superstar
salesperson who gets promoted to the VP of Sales position
only to be fired a year later for incompetence.

The fact is that it was not the incompetence of the former
salesperson but rather the incompetence of those who
selected the person for the executive role.

Let’s face it, having the technical competency to do one’s
job is not something to be rewarded with a promotion – it
is simply expected.

When it comes to promotions to managerial jobs, hard
skills should represent nothing more than the “ante to get
in the game.”

The big problem is that hard skills are easy to measure
and companies like things that are easy and predictable.

HR POINTER: When promoting an employee, we need to take
into consideration the sum total of the person’s hard
skills and soft skills.

The fact is that intelligence and great technical skills
don’t automatically make a person collaborative, receptive
to input, empathetic, communicative, consultative, and
other characteristics that we seek in management
leadership roles.

For management positions, it is not what a person knows so
much as how he/she is able to use that knowledge to
inspire and create brilliance in others.

If one combines this AMA information with the fact that
statistics show that 71% of employees are “not engaged” or
“not actively engaged,” it is easy to see how companies
will not only have a problem competing within the U.S. but
will most likely be excluded from the global economy.

The fact is that there is a raging war for talent out
there with a limited number of superstars. As a result,
talent constraints are seriously damaging American
companies.

A 2012 PricewaterhouseCoopers survey found that having (or
not having) the right talent in place can impact
innovation, market opportunities, the ability to deliver
on strategic initiatives, growth, and quality of output.

HR POINTER: With only so much talent available for hire,
companies need to maximize the talent they already have
in-house.

However, companies cannot maximize available talent if
that workforce is not engaged. A disengaged workforce
will not excel at the AMA’s “four Cs” of communication,
creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking.

The mistake leaders make in this situation is assuming
that the solution is to fix the visible top line numbers
such as “sell more,” “create faster,” etc. Unfortunately,
issues with the top line numbers are just symptoms.

The problems are generally structural issues within an
organization’s culture and approach to managing employees,
which puts people into that emotional state that is often
referred to as the Critter State.

The Critter State is that “fight, flight, or freeze” state
that fixates employees on their own survival, rather than
freely expressing the “four Cs” and thinking of ways to
move the company forward.

The solution is to create a managerial coaching process
and organizational culture that allows employees to feel
“safe.”

This safety concept may sound miles away from guru advice
like “tough-minded management” and other macho titles.

But the fact remains that when employees feel safe, rather
than threatened, they sell more, produce faster, and
dramatically impact a company’s bottom line.

Remember: Fear may push people to action, but fear is not
a sustainable strategy for competing.

If yes, what does “do better” mean?

The lack of clarity in communicating performance goals and
expectations borders on “cruel and unusual punishment” in
some organizations.

Below is a great quote from the book, “Motivating and
Rewarding Employees,” by Alexander Hiam:

“‘Do better’ is not a performance goal. Nor is ‘Do much
better.’ Nor is ‘Be the best.’ Yet managers often state
so-called goals like this. The reason these aren’t goals
is that they are not specific enough to be clearly
relevant to performance. They set the employee up for a
fall because they are low in task clarity. What does a
manager expect when he or she says to do a good job?
What’s the manager’s definition of good? What does he or
she care about?”

HR POINTER: Setting performance expectations and
performance goals is tough work.

In our engagements with managers, we often find that it is
easier to have a manager state the negative or what the
manager would be disappointed with, than it is to
articulate the expected goal. We then use the negatives
to work backwards to express the performance in a positive
fashion.

Hiam notes that the vast majority of people don’t go to
work to do a bad job. They want to perform well at work.
However, when managers use vague and cryptic words like
“do better” or “I’ll know good work when I see it,”
employees do not feel empowered, but rather feel
controlled.

Whenever we make an employee’s performance dependent on
our subjective judgment, we suck the commitment and
engagement from the person’s work.

As managers, we need to keep in mind that the single most
important reason for setting expectations and goals is to
create opportunities for positive reinforcement that
advance the goals of the organization.

As managers, we need to “do better.”

The report examined over 100 companies and surveyed 4,300
managers who were asked to rate their company on 22 HR
practices. BCG then conducted an independent review of
the companies’ financial performance.

As part of that review, BCG reviewed Fortune’s list of the
“100 Best Companies to Work For.” Those that consistently
landed on the list outperformed the S&P 500 eight out of
ten years.

The study found that revenue growth was 3.5 times higher
and profit margins were 2.1 times higher for companies
with better people management programs than for those with
poor people management skills.

HR POINTER: Numbers drive the business, but people drive
the numbers.

An emphasis on leadership development, talent management,
recruiting, onboarding, retention, employment branding,
rewards, and performance management were particularly
important people management programs.

As noted by Roselinde Torres, a managing director at BCG,
“What we’re seeing in companies that are higher performers
is that they take their people investment much more
seriously. Companies that are more complacent are going
to find themselves without the best top-tier talent.
They’ll be good, but they won’t be great.”

It’s interesting how the trickster wins every time,
primarily because the pea isn’t under any of the shells.

This “shell game” is similar to what often happens to
companies that purchase Human Resource (HR) services as a
bundled package with payroll and other seemingly related
services.

We recently “rescued” a client from this game. The client
had less than 20 employees and purchased HR services and
payroll services from a large payroll company.

When the client asked the payroll company to break-out the
two services using our template, the client discovered
that it was paying $300 per week ($15,600 per year) for HR
services alone. The client was paying an additional
amount for the payroll service.

Essentially, the client was paying over $15,000/year for
on-call HR services and the payroll company was getting a
great “annuity.” The client ended that relationship for
HR only and is now using our à la carte HR program and
saving thousands of dollars annually!

HR POINTER: There are times when bundled services can
provide a savings. However, it seldom works with services
that are their own specialty such as employee benefits,
payroll, Human Resources, etc.

If you know of any firm that is paying for a package of
services that are bundled together under the concepts of
economy of scale or one-stop shopping, we would be happy
to share with them our template for isolating the HR
component of that bundled package.

If you would like to receive our template, contact the
Member-Partner in your area or our corporate office and
help an unsuspecting company avoid being victimized by the
“bundled service shell game.”

One of the best ways to minimize the likelihood of
workplace violence is to put in place systems to coach the
people who aren’t doing well.

But we all know that everyone can’t be saved. There are
just some employees who need to move on.

When managers find themselves in a situation where they
are forced to terminate an employee, the typical advice
has been to get to the point quickly, say as little as
possible, and get the employee out the door.

This is good advice from a legal perspective, but it often
leaves the terminated employee feeling angry and feeling
like he/she is a misfit.

There are different ways to handle these situations
and still remain “legal.” This is where the Human
Resource (HR) role can provide assistance.

In a recent article on Workforce Management, Kris Dunn
offered one alternative approach. Instead of rushing to
push the terminated employee out the door, try to focus on
helping the person using the following steps:

1. Communicate the termination decision.

2. Handle the Transactional details.

3. Transition to what’s next for the individual.

4. Be open enough to say that while it didn’t work out
here, there is a place out there that is a fit.

5. Give the person some resources for finding his/her next
job.

6. Follow up in a week, 3 weeks, and then monthly until
the former employee lands a new role.

HR POINTER: Dunn’s advice is certainly one way to put the
“Human” back into Human Resources. This approach would be
very difficult to execute for the manager who terminated
the employee. However, this is an ideal role for a 3rd
party, such as HR.

Whether you call this approach outplacement or transition
advice, an HR professional can handle the difficult and
awkward discussions with a former employee about getting
over the pain of the termination and getting on with the
next phase of life.

Discussions about writing a resume, strengths, weaknesses,
interviewing strategies, doubts of inadequacy, personal
finances, etc. are all part of this more “Human” approach
to HR.

The objective of this and other similar approaches is to
genuinely help former employees move on, rather than brood
about the past or how others have “wronged” them.

Our firm provides this type of service informally when
requested and formally via our Outplacement Program. For
more information on Outplacement, click on the link below:

http://www.yourparttimehrmanager.com/outplacement-solutions/

1. Fall Protection: Frequently violated requirements
included failure to protect open sides and edges, to
prevent falls from roofs, and to cover holes.

2. Hazard Communication: Commonly violated requirements
included failure to have a written program, inadequate
employee education and training, improper or no labels on
containers, and no material safety data sheets (MSDS) or
lack of access to MSDS sheets.

3. Scaffolding: Violations included problems with scaffold
construction, improper access to scaffolding surfaces, and
lack of guardrails.

4. Respiratory Protection: Frequent violations included no
written respiratory protection program, poor fit-test
procedures, unsuitable respirator selection process, and
lack of procedures for voluntary use of respirators.

5. Ladders: Violations included damaged side rails, use of
the top ladder step, inappropriate ladder for the job, and
excessive loads on ladders.

6. Machine Guarding: Violations included point-of-
operation exposures, inadequate or no anchoring of fixed
machinery, and exposure to blades.

7. Powered Industrial Trucks: Common violations were
inadequate operator training and refresher training, and
poor conditions of trucks when returned to service after
repair.

8. Electrical – Wiring: Violations included problems with
flexible cords and cables, boxes, and temporary wiring;
poor use of extension cords, and using temporary wiring as
permanent wiring.

9. Lockout/Tagout: Frequent violations were poor or no
energy control procedures, inadequate worker training, and
inspections not completed.

10. Electrical – General: Common violations were related
to electric shock and electrocution exposures.

HR POINTER: The items on the list of the Top 10 safety
violations unfortunately still occur much more frequently
than anyone would like to see.

The list is a good reminder of the types of issues that
companies should take care to guard against.

Number 2 on the list (Hazard Communications) is critical
to preventing the other safety violations. Management
should take time on an annual basis to review the
company’s policies and communications to determine if they
are up to date and meet all OSHA guidelines.

For those of you who remember the summer of 2008 when
unemployment averaged 5.8% and before the seriousness of
the financial crisis hit, trying to recruit good
candidates was almost impossible. It seemed like either
the seriously unemployable or those looking to sell
themselves to the highest bidder were the only ones
applying for open positions.

Well it’s not quite the summer of 2008 again, but
employers are beginning to open up job opportunities and
organizations that may have relied on a tough economy to
retain good people may find that it will take longer to
fill open positions with a few more down tics of the
Unemployment Rate.

HR POINTER: Now is the time to start thinking about
tweaking compensation and recognition programs and the
reasons are:

#1 The employees who have worked consistently during the
Great Recession are the ones who are the most sought after
by aggressive employers and headhunters.

#2 Among the A-players in companies throughout the U.S., a
survey by the Corporate Executive Board (CEB) notes that
1 in 4 of these people is looking for a new position.
Among the B-players, the survey shows that only 1 in 10
people would consider leaving.

#3 The CEB survey also shows that 3 out of 4 people who
exit a company tell others via social media websites and
other sources that they would not recommend the company
they just left. As such from an employment branding
perspective, the image of a company as a good place to
work can be seriously damaged by exiting employees.

The Unemployment Rate is dropping and the Stock Market is
rising. Now is the time to be proactive with your
workforce and build an employment infrastructure that will
retain the workforce that got you through the Great
Recession.

For some ideas on recognizing and retaining great
employees, click on the link below:
http://www.yourparttimehrmanager.com/recognition-program/

#1 Companies aggressively soliciting employees of other firms.

#2 Significant increases in compensation.

#3 Firms taking a proactive stance by training people for specific jobs.

#4 A greater use of temps.

It’s no surprise that as the economy improves and unemployment drops, companies will look to hire people who have been fully employed through the Great Depression.  In fact, the survey showed that among non-sales employees 20% were approached during 2012 by another company to “jump ship.”  The number was 33% among salespeople.

The survey also showed that 47% of companies were going to offer higher starting salaries while 72% plan to increase compensation for existing employees.  These stats are consistent with the above trend of attracting the best employees from other companies and an attempt to keep the best workers from being “stolen.”

Firms taking an active role in training their own workforce is simply an indication that businesses have unique needs for specific skills that may not exist among the current labor force.  As such, hiring teachable employees and then training them to a company’s required skill sets will take on more importance.

The most surprising finding of the survey is the greater use of temps.  Temps certainly have a place in business.  However, it is very difficult to build a sustainable organizational culture or compete within an industry with employees who don’t feel any commitment or loyalty to a company.

Millennials are the generation that:
*Got trophies just for showing up.
*Played T-ball where everybody got to bat, nobody kept score, and there were no losers – everyone was a winner.
*Bowled with bumpers in the gutter, which guaranteed no gutter-balls and ensured that the pins got hit every time.
*Worked in small groups in school and always collaborated.

Now, millennials are joining the workforce and culture shock!
*Not everyone gets a trophy.
*There are winners and losers.
*Managers correct them when they make mistakes.
*Collaboration has its place but for the most part, they need to produce results alone.

The Center for Professional Excellence at York College of Pennsylvania completed its 2013 annual survey on the state of professionalism among entry-level employees.  The survey indicated a decline in professionalism that is driven by:
*A too casual attitude toward work (86.6%).
*Not being self-driven (71.5%).
*A lack of ownership of one’s work (69.3%).

The desired qualities that respondents to the survey felt reflected professionalism were:
#1 Working until a task is completed competently.
#2 Interpersonal skills including civility.
#3 Punctuality and regular attendance.
#4 Being focused and attentive.
#5 Appropriate appearance.
#6 Communication skills.
#7 Honesty.

Who is to blame for this lack of professionalism? Is it parents?  Is it the educational system?  Is it society?

HR POINTER: Regardless of who is to blame, it’s up to all of us to fix it.  In particular, managers in companies need to clearly set expectations and hold the workers, young and older, accountable for results.

Instead of griping about the lack of professionalism, we need to introduce workers to the performance and behavioral expectations of our businesses and then hold them accountable.

Yes, it sounds a lot like we are taking over the responsibility of parents and educators.  But we may have no alternative other than to teach workers about the work ethic that our organizations value and reward.

One of the ways we work with clients to manage the work ethic and professionalism within companies is through our Behavior Assessment.  To view the benefits of our Behavior Assessment, click on the link below:
http://www.yourparttimehrmanager.com/behavior-assessment/