A Year’s Worth of Resolutions for Employees

A few weeks ago I listed 12 resolutions for business owners, managers, & supervisors to adopt in 2010. Sure it was audacious, but aren’t all such lists at this time of the year? Not to be left out, employees now have a list for themselves. As with the other one, the hope is that working these concepts and activities into your worklife will result in a happier and more productive you.

So here goes:

1. Discover your strengths: remember the book: “Do What You Love and the Money Will Follow”? Same concept. There is something magical about it.

2. Leave your personal life at the door: think of it as a respite, an oasis if you must, but personal problems only muck up the workplace.

3. List what you can do to add (more) value to the organization: the boss may not realize all you can offer. Once you know what you can add, go tell the boss.

4. What can you take off your supervisor’s plate? Another boss-pleaser.

5. Find a “junior” employee to mentor: even if you are not a Baby Boomer who plans to retire soon, mentoring someone places you in a position of leadership, ready to be promoted.

6. Realize that you’re in charge of your own morale: are you waiting for management to “do something” about morale around here? Wrong.

7. Determine the temperament of your supervisor: figure out how he or she thinks; what kinds of projects they prefer? This knowledge will help you know how to communicate with them better.

8. Think about what you can do to ensure a respectful work environment: are tasteless jokes and emails running through the office? Knock it off. Be professional: you can still be friendly.

9. Take a class or training that will help you do your job better: stretch your knowledge and abilities. Now you are more valuable to the company.

10. Teach your new skills/knowledge to your coworkers. This ensures you have mastered the info and places you in a leadership position even if you don’t have the title.

11. Make sure your heart is in your work: Are you bringing yourself fully and gratefully into everything you do? What would it take for that to happen? Is this an alien concept for you to consider? Older generations stayed for decades in jobs they hated, these days employees jump around at the drop of a hat. Bring your heart to your work.

12. Talk with your supervisor about the big picture: one of the biggest differences between your job and your boss’ is that their view of the company is holistic. It is referred to as the view from 30,000 feet, where they can see the flow, what’s coming and going, what’s on the “horizon”. You, however, are in the “trenches”, as the metaphor marches on. What’s it like from their perspective?

There you have it. It can be a great 2010: a year of growth for you and better awareness of your value for your boss. Enjoy!

Employer Resolutions for the New Year

Forgive me: I cannot resist the urge to jump on the New Year’s LIST bandwagon. At this time of year we see countless TOP 100 Lists: books, movies, U-tube videos, excuses for missing school or work, and on and on. That’s not the bandwagon of which I speak, although it might be fun to see what list I could come up with: The Top 100 HR Conundrums. Now, that’d be interesting reading.

Nope, I am all over lists of New Year’s Resolutions. For the employer and the employee. In this column we’ll list 12 things an employer/supervisor can do to improve the workplace and their experience in it. Next column will contain a similar list for employees. I made the list include 12 things, but not so you rush through them like the 12 Days of Christmas. (OH! That’s another great idea: “The 12 Days of HR”. “Five golden parachutes!”) Anyway, I picked 12 things because you may want to take a month for each one to be accomplished or developed into a habit.

In no particular order, here are things an employer and/or supervisor can resolve to do during 2010:

1. Determine the temperaments of your employees: once you know how they process information you can more effectively match their work assignments.

2. Discover the strengths of your employees: build on these strengths and find ways to work around their weaknesses. This will result in better results for all.

3. Greet them every day: not as obvious as you might think. It matters.

4. Ask them what will keep them working for you: discover what turns them on about working for you.

5. Ask them what would prompt them to leave: don’t wait for the exit interview to find out what you could have done to retain good employees.

6. Read The Radical Leap, by Steve Farber: it defines leadership as cultivating love in order to generate boundless energy and inspire courageous audacity.

7. Learn how to delegate: no, it is not dumping, and you do have to follow up. It is great for both parties and the business.

8. Re-read the One Minute Manager: the simplest management book and still one of the best.

9. Determine your temperament: oh yeah, you should know how you process information and communicate, too.

10. Evaluate the makeup of your workforce for diversity: the most successful companies draw on the talents of a diverse workforce.

11. Review your Employee Handbook: does it reflect the company’s personality? Toss out anything that doesn’t sound like you (except the legal stuff). Do you really need that long list of ways to get fired?

12. Have every employee write their job description: does it match what you think they are doing? What they should be doing?

OK, that’s it. Let me know what you think. What I think is that in 12 months you will have a happier and more productive workforce made up of employees who love what they do. Happy New Year!

The Memo Condundrum

Remember my short and abrupt memo from a few weeks ago? It is still on my mind. No personal use of company email. Period. I sound like a Nazi English teacher.

I wanted to leave no room for misunderstanding, but in doing so I took the humanity out of it. It is not just about clarity and well-defined rules: it sounds terrible. It reads like a rule for a 3 year old. End of discussion.

I guess what it comes down to is whether I trust the staff to use their own good judgment about what is appropriate use of company email. Some personal use is to be expected, I guess, but I still don’t think it belongs in the company server. And the memo was in response to a department head who said her staff needed to be reminded about personal use and language. Maybe I should have sent the memo just to her staff. And I could have addressed the specifics that prompted her to call me. Oh, sure, now I think of it!

But back to the black & white rule vs. the “use your good judgment” rule. Employers have learned that for most employees, treating them with some leeway for decision making and creativity results in more engaged, productive, and happy employees. All good. It takes hiring the right ones in the first place, but we’ve discussed all that. Setting hard & fast rules squelches creativity and imitative: so if you need neither, I guess it is OK. But don’t your employees feel like they’re being treated like children? “Don’t cross the street” is a no room for argument rule designed to keep your child safe. Other than safety regs, is there really a business equivalent?

Ignoring the grey areas ignores the humanity involved. Latitude is often a good thing when dealing with employees. Except when it is favoritism or discrimination and you get sued. You see the problem?

Welcome to the wonderful world of human resources.

So here goes:
MEMO REGARDING USE OF COMPANY EMAIL
As you all know, the email system is company property and, as such, must be used for company business and in line with the company’s values, especially “Respect for all.”

Some recent emails have contained unprofessional and disrespectful language, and that is absolutely not OK. If you have a problem with a coworker please bring it to my attention so that it can be addressed responsibly.

Other recent emails have been jokes that are not appropriate for the workplace, and those have to stop, too. No one will think you are a social outcast if you delete a joke email. In fact, if you receive something of that nature from a friend, get them to change your email address on their list to your home address.

Final point: email contents are discoverable for lawsuits and therefore the company needs to have access to them at all times. You should have no expectation of privacy when using the company email system.
Any questions? See me.

Yeah, that’s better.

TO MEMO OR NOT TO MEMO

I wrote a memo to our staff last week, and I am wondering if it was too abrupt. It concerned emails. One of the department managers contacted me that her staff needed reminding about appropriate use of company email, and I knew of another inappropriate email that had come through from another employee, so I jumped right on it.

I usually write a short memo, and this was no exception. I did, however, add another section of explanation for those who like their memos longer and more detailed. But I thought the message was clear cut, and sometimes when you try to explain something simple you just end up making it more complicated.

Here it is: Do not use company email for anything that is not the business of the company. Period. And word every email with respect. No name-calling. Ever. Or company secrets.

What do you think? Too black & white? That’s what I am afraid of. I send emails all day long that only tangentially concern United Staffing: to the Chamber, to HRACC or Rotary members. Turning in my Tolosa columns. So did I just write myself a memo telling me I can’t do that anymore?

Why did I go so inflexible when I know better? I know that employee handbook policies should be written as guidelines to follow, but never so detailed as to leave no room for on-the-spot management decision making. Even a “zero tolerance” policy against harassment shouldn’t mean that every offense will be met with immediate termination. Only that every offense will be met with appropriate discipline that may include termination. The point in zero tolerance is that nobody gets a mulligan when it comes to harassment. HR has never been a rigid arena, so what was I thinking?

By the way, I have had no second thoughts about the second part of my memo: that dealt with respectful language. Email is forever and can come back to punish you for thoughtless (or worse) language. I have been told by more than one attorney that the delete button is a ruse, designed to provide a false sense of security in the user. Besides, if you are enforcing respectful language and treatment in the workplace, it should include emails, too.

Our company policies are clear on the subject of emails and doing personal business while at work, so my memo was meant as a reminder, and I attached a copy of both policies (again, for those who like to see the source and read the fine print.) Is it a zero tolerance policy about personal use of email, though? Or is a “reasonable” amount OK? Courts, you know, have the reasonable person criteria for evaluating an issue: what would a reasonable person feel about it? Know any who sit on juries? But I digress.

In my attempt to be clear I feel I have been unreasonable. Certainly unrealistic. And an unrealistic policy is usually not enforceable. Great: I have accomplished the exact opposite of my intention and have to write another memo explaining what I meant in the first place. But maybe I’ll have someone else draft it.

Bereavement Leave is a Benefit

The question of bereavement leave has come up lately as I have lost both my parents in the last 3 months: both after several days in the hospital. So many people know what that experience is like: watching your loved one become less of who you know them to be. And as you sit there and try to balance your grief with your celebration of who they have been in your life, as you second guess the doctors and the decisions you’ve made, as your relationship with your remaining family members becomes more precious, even as you get annoyed with each other, the last thing you want to be worried about is your job.

Bereavement leave is an optional benefit employers can offer their employees. It can range in number of days and who the employee is grieving. The leave may be paid time off or unpaid time when the grieving employee is relieved of the guilt and possible discipline of being away from work. Some employers allow their grieving employees to take vacation or sick time, as well.

The things I like about bereavement leave include the warm & fuzzy effect on employees seeing this clear statement of support in the Employee Handbook amongst the rules about absences, unacceptable conduct, disciplinary procedures and the like. The psychological impact of such an assurance can be huge.

Things to consider before you add this benefit to your menu of employee support: how many days can you afford to be without the employee? 3 days is common, yet I know now what I had guessed before August: 3 days is not nearly enough to handle the myriad decisions demanded of you. Much less the emotions. What I have done in the past is word the policy in such a way as to acknowledge that the 3 days will not meet all their needs, but we want to relieve them of the stress of work concerns [during that critical first 3 days]. And the granting of more time can be considered.
With the growing number of blended families that has resulted in more parents and siblings, and the inclusion of same-sex couples in the definition of the word “spouse” in California, the number of possible family members included in “immediate” has expanded. Whose death triggers an authorized use of bereavement leave should be clearly delineated in the policy, and some flexibility should be reserved for management to decide on the spot to expand the list. If any of my nieces or nephews were to pass I would have to take time off – period. Paid, unpaid, bereavement leave, vacation, whatever. Job be damned? Probably – but what a horrible decision to have to make. My best friend? My partner’s children? Yikes.

One thing made clear to me in these sad months is that there are many, many people who have already had this devastating experience. Some of their employers have been more understanding than others and I can’t help but wonder how that impacted their healing.

Dylan Redux

A client called the other day to remark that she continues to be surprised at how applicants for jobs dress for their interview. A candidate for retail store manager showed up in an un-ironed shirt that was not tucked in. Quick: can you guess the approximate age of the owner and candidate? Yep, the owner is a Boomer (45 – 63) and the job applicant was a Gen Y guy. (27 or less).

That episode reminded me to ask our recruiters if they counsel applicants on how to dress for a job interview. Yes, they assured me, “but some people just don’t get it”. Another example of differing points of reference: maybe the guy felt he was dressed professionally because he wasn’t wearing jeans.

So my suggestion to business owners who are or will be hiring soon: when you respond to an applicant’s resume and would like to interview them, send them a copy of your dress code. Eliminate this issue before it becomes a barrier to your perception and judgment during the interview. And, Boomers, I know you think any candidate worth their salt will know – or research on the internet – about your company’s style, and come dressed appropriately. But, as a Boomer icon sang to our parents decades ago: the times they are a’changing.

Who Would You Lunch With?

While Human Resources Manager at a Home Depot store in Thousand Oaks in the decade of the 90’s I would conduct mass orientations: we would hire people by the bushel-full and they would spend their first day filling out forms and learning the values and policies of the rapidly growing organization. There was also the opportunity to bond with your other newbies, and I always enjoyed this more creative part of the day.

My favorite question for new employees is one that was asked of President Obama last month – much to my surprise. I knew I hadn’t been the first or only person to think of the question as an effective way to get insight about a person, but I was still surprised to hear it, these 15 years later. I once asked it of renaissance man Steve Allen while interviewing him on my radio show, thinking he would probably pull the most amazing answer from his incredibly fertile mind. Nope, he replied: “I hate questions like that”. I think I had to go to commercial to recover from the embarrassment.

“If you could have lunch with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?” And I usually added: “and what would you talk about?” I added this last part after an employee years before had answered: “Adolf Hitler”. Stunned – and re-thinking my hiring criteria – I stuttered “why?” Calmly she replied, ”So I could ask him ‘What the #!^@ were you thinking?’”

Anyway, it is a great question for getting to know people. And over the years as I asked it of 100’s of new employees, I came up with many different people myself. Mary Martin (the original Maria von Trapp in Sound of Music and Nellie Forbush in South Pacific, and Peter Pan), because I had wanted to grow up to be her. Vincent Van Gogh, because his letters to his brother Theo were as colorful as his paintings and I wanted to hear him talk. John F. Kennedy, a childhood icon struck down when I was in 8th grade science class. (One new employee answered Lee Harvey Oswald to this question and I thought that was brilliant: “Did you act alone?”). Hands down, the best answer I ever heard came from my brother, Phil, who immediately responded “Pete and Kobe Bryant”. Tears rolled as I imagined my developmentally delayed nephew -- who dresses in a Lakers uniform before watching every game on TV -- and his basketball hero happily chatting away.

I was pleased to hear that the President chose to lunch with Mahatma Gandhi. Not pleased that he made the same lame joke I did about his lunch date not eating much, but pleased with the choice. I would ask Gandhi things like “how do you keep from getting discouraged?” and I wondered if the President would ask him that, too.
What has this all got to do with employment? Well, I was just thinking about the importance of having a connection with your employees and co-workers that goes beyond the daily grind. And then I remembered my favorite question. Today, I think I’ll lunch with my grandmother. That has always been the #1 answer.

Sexual Harssment and more

While we still harass each other sexually at work, it seems we are perfecting other ways to discriminate, as well. Racial and disability discrimination are up in the last 12 months. And claims of ageism were up during all the layoffs.

The law mandates that employers keep their workplaces safe (all those OSHA regs) and free from discrimination (sexual harassment is a form of discrimination -- based on sex), but aren't these common-sense issues? Of course you want your emplyees to be safe. But the devil is in the details, and we seem to need to have someone to sue (blame) if something goes wrong. The same thing goes with sexual harassment: we all know it is on our best interest to demand respect in the workplace, but we don't all define harassment the same way.

I say keep it simple: rather than bother trying to define illegal harassment, just enforce the respect rule. This would mean that anything that falls short of respectful behavior is not OK; will be addressed,and must be corrected. Set the bar low enough that behavior is not likely to get as high as the legal definitions. That would take care of all the kinds of discrimination. And save a lot of pages in the Employee Handbook. And change the world.

Twittering Policy May Be A Good Idea

As long ago as early 2009, SHRM (Society for HR Managers) was recomending that businesses consider adding a Twitter policy to their Employee Handbooks. Apparently, it isn't about the hours of lost productivity (its isn't??), but about the content of the tweets. We went through the same problem when blogs became popular.Here are some examaples:

The NBA slapped Mavericks owner Mark Cuban with a $25,000 fine for publicly criticizing the officials after Denver's 103-101 win over Dallas.

A building materials company and its owner have appealed a $12.6 million verdict against them, alleging that a juror posted messages on Twitter.com during the trial that show he's biased against them.

Suggestions for policy include reminding employees to tweet on their own time, to make it clear they are not speaking an behalf of the company, and don't disclose any confidential company information.

This strategy won't keep employees from tweeting, but it will give a company some leverage if they are caught hurting the company as a result.

And we'd all better get a handle on technology in the workplace soon -- the young employees coming into the workplace are used to jumping from one thing to another -- are we gojng to be able to supervise that?

Paid to Do Nothing

An alarming new study has indicated that employers are virtually paying people to do nothing! Sorry to say, but this ain’t exactly news.

There are many reasons given but I have not yet heard a valid justification for not basing an employee’s pay on performance. Productivity. Deliverables. Pay based on longevity is a thing of the past. Except in government work – and we all know what they say about government workers.

If your employee isn't delivering how can you afford to keep him or her on the payroll? Or aren't you paying attention?