CareerCurve™

I listed a few reasons in my previous post that help explain why Gen Y has the work ethic and value system that they have.  Using this knowledge can help you get a better understanding of the things they are looking for when choosing an employer. This, in turn, will ultimately help your organization determine what you need to provide to attract the key talent from this generation and then retain it.

If this generation is focused on minimizing some of the “stuff” their parents worked so hard to get, is more money going to be a huge incentive? If they expect to be praised and appreciated can you manage them effectively with the mindset that “they have to put in their time”?  If you have a generation of employees who believe they can and should have it all, does it make sense to ignore career development in your organization?  If you understand their need for work/life balance based on the fact that they’ve witnessed that life can be very, very short, could your company choose its battles when it comes to things like sabbaticals and volunteer opportunities?  Knowing that this generation is extremely adept and comfortable with technology, will it create the right culture to monitor them like crazy rather than encourage them to spread their knowledge?

In the next five years, we will experience the largest turnover in human capital history. Generation Y has a confidence in their talents and their own self-worth that is unusual in previous generations.  To some companies, it feels like they are being held hostage by these young employees.  In reality, it is just a different approach to work.  Is it impossible to embrace this approach while keeping your mature workforce satisfied?  I don’t know the answer to that but it seems to me that if everyone gets the same choices, why not?  New choices should help everyone.  Here are some examples:

Flexible work schedules.  Gen Y prefers to be measured on the quality of work they do, not the hours they spend doing it.  Other generations may appreciate this new way of working, particularly if they are caring for young children or elderly parents.

Volunteer programs with time off to participate.  Gen Y wants to feel appreciated and that what they do is meaningful.  While they work their way up from entry level work, this could fulfill that need.  Other generations may appreciate the time to give back too, as they juggle their families and responsibilities. 

Focus on Career Development.  Gen Y wants to learn and grow.  If you want to keep them, you may have to provide work and training that will help them move on.  Ironically enough, this will help them stay.  Older generations should respond well, too.  This is one of the perks that engages most employees anyway.

Provide team spaces versus traditional conference rooms.  Gen Y is all about collaboration and mobility.  They don’t want to be stuck behind a desk.  The rest of your workforce might appreciate a more social atmosphere as well.

Develop a mentoring program for technology.  Gen Y doesn’t even think when it comes to using technology – it is the way they’ve always done things.  Enlist their help in updating your company’s technological goals.  They want to feel they are doing something meaningful and implementing programs like this will provide that for them.  Plus you get to tap into their knowledge to educate and inspire your mature workforce so your organization can be on the cutting edge.

Like it or not, the power in the workforce is shifting from the executives to the younger professionals.  This change doesn’t have to be bad.  With some understanding and a little creativity, these changes could end up positively impacting your entire corporate culture.

Many companies are facing the challenge of attracting and retaining top talent.  Many of these employees are part of the Millenial Generation, or Gen Y – those between the ages of 15 and 30.  Gen Y is often viewed as spoiled, demanding, entitled, and unable to accept criticism of any kind.  Maybe if we take a look at WHY Gen Y developed the mindset they have, we can get a better understanding of how to manage them and why it may make sense to accommodate some of their desires.  In a future post, I will discuss things that could help bridge the gap but first there is a need to understand.  To fix a problem, you have to be able to identify it. 

Here are some of the things that have shaped this generation:

Financial security.  Most of this generation grew up watching their parents work long and hard hours to gain money and status.  They have not experienced their parents struggling with mass unemployment and financial difficulties.  To them, work was something that got you more, not enough.  Because of this they believe they can have it all, particularly if you are satisfied with less materialistically.

A child-centralized upbringing.  Gen Y had more of their parents’ time than previous generations.  As a result they tend to believe they should be praised for everything they do and they also expect their work to be meaningful and appreciated, even at the entry level.  They don’t have the mindset that they need to “pay their dues”.  They want what they want and are not embarrassed to ask for it because they feel they deserve it.

Working mothers.  This generation didn’t have to adjust to mom working outside the home, like generations before.  For many of them, this is the way it always was.  They are used to women in leadership roles and know that if they choose, women can work full time and raise a family.  This supports the belief that they can and should have it all.

Terrorism, disasters, and tragedies.  Think about 9/11, Columbine and the rash of nationwide school shootings that followed.  Consider the natural disasters that have occurred like Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.  The lesson learned here is that there is more to life than work.  Everything can be over in a moment so why work back-breaking hours for material things?  Relationships are more important and life must be enjoyed.  Gen Y is all about the search for work-life balance.

Technology.  Gen Y is the first generation to have used technology ALWAYS.  The internet was always on, people always texted, social media is a way to have relationships.  Perhaps because of this, a lot of their interaction revolves around groups.  Communication is predominantly faceless, and privacy and solitude are things they’ve rarely seen.  Due to this, many don’t see a need for face time and one-on-one interaction.  To other generations, this may seem cold and insensitive but to them it is normal.  Meetings may seem like a waste of time when you could just discuss the issue over instant message. 

Dealing with generational differences in the workplace can be challenging.  Starting by gaining a little understanding of why these employees are who they are can help remove some of the negativity around the way they are viewed.

We are all familiar with the ongoing debate about whether Human Resources is strategic, whether it should be, and what role HR plays in the business goals of an organization.  I was trolling Amazon and ended up reading one of their “Look Inside” sections of Stephen Covey’s The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness.  Suddenly, the importance of Human Resources jumped off the page and I can’t even see how it’s really debatable.  Now I know this is a book from the middle of the last decade with research from that time, but I don’t think the relevance has changed.

Human Resources has been defined as “the name of the function within an organization charged with the overall responsibility for implementing strategies and policies relating to the management of individuals.”   So, in the broadest terms, if your role is to manage your workforce, take a look at the following for examples of how pivotal HR is to an organization.

Covey, citing data from a Harris Questionnaire of 23,000 U.S. residents employed full time in key industries and in key functional areas, summarizes the research that explains what employees are thinking.  As you read these, think engagement, talent optimization, retention, culture, relaying strategic business goals, and all the other HR buzzwords and functions that make up the things you need to worry about as an HR professional.

• Only 37 percent said they have a clear understanding of what their organization is trying to achieve and why.
• Only 1 in 5 was enthusiastic about their team’s and organization’s goals.
• Only 1 in 5 workers said they have a clear “line of sight” between their tasks and their team’s and organization’s goals.
• Only half were satisfied with the work they have accomplished at the end of the week.
• Only 15 percent felt that they organization fully enables them to execute key goals.
• Only 15 percent felt they worked in a high-trust environment.
• Only 17 percent felt their organization fosters open communication that is respectful of differing opinions and that results in new and better ideas.
• Only 10 percent felt that their organization holds people accountable for results.
• Only 20 percent fully trusted the organization they worked for.
• Only 13 percent have high-trust, highly cooperative working relationships with other groups or departments.

I think anyone would agree that these are problems.  When it comes to fixing them, how could anyone BUT Human Resources be effective?   Managing the above IS managing individuals.    

And if skeptics don’t see the importance of addressing these misperceptions (remember, perception matters more than what is real here), give them Covey’s example:

“If, say, a soccer team had these same scores, only four of the eleven players on the field would know which goal is theirs. Only two of the eleven would care. Only two of the eleven would know what position they play and know exactly what they are supposed to do. And all but two players would, in some way, be competing against their own team members rather than the opponent.”

Do you think this team’s going to win many games?  Do any of the other issues that plague an organization matter as much if this is the mindset of its employees?  By managing the individuals, HR is laying the groundwork for the company’s success.

I’ve mentioned in the past how business is no longer a top down hierarchy or a command and control environment.  These days it’s all about connecting and collaborating.  With this in mind, I’ve seen lists and watched videos about the benefit of using Wiki tools internally with your teams.   New ways of doing business require upgrading the tools you use to achieve your business goals.  Is your company still using old tools?

Here is an example of one new tool that many feel can change the productivity of meetings, along with the way your employees view them.   Right now, many employees have negative feelings toward meetings.  They are not productive, too much time is wasted, and too much irrelevant conversation takes place without anything getting accomplished.  Traction Team professes to make meetings shorter and far more productive and I can see how this would be true. 

 The idea is to start by posting an agenda for a meeting on the page in advance.  Participants could then contribute and edit the agenda.  Although this sounds like a bit of a nightmare - multiple people editing an agenda –  think about it from the collaboration perspective. 

This tool provides the ability to have threaded conversation regarding the document and that could mean that some of the agenda line items get resolved before the meeting even takes place.  Employees could volunteer within this team page to handle certain tasks, thereby removing them from the agenda.  A priority list could also emerge, making the meeting far more productive when it actually takes place.  This is also a place where knowledge and information are shared and documented and can be accessed in the future.  Rather than emails going back and forth or a summary document each employee receives after the meeting, there is now a place the entire community can access and use as a reference to refresh their memory of what took place or see who was assigned which task.   This could also be helpful to the team when they begin a new initiative because it will show a roadmap of past decisions and help them see what was effective and what was not.

There are literally hundreds of these tools available that can be embedded into the workflow to encourage collaboration, productivity, and communication.  One of your roles in HR is to communicate with your employees.  Have you recommended any upgrades?  Does your organization use tools like this?  Have they improved communication with your employees?  What experiences have you had?  Please share examples in the comments.

Many times HR is placed in a position to deliver a message, sometimes to a particular employee, sometimes to the masses. Obviously I’m a big proponent of telling the truth even though it can be difficult – I’ve written about the importance of being truthful in creating and maintaining a transparent culture, how being truthful leads to trust and why trust is so important, and how telling the truth engages, motivates, and inspires your workforce.

Idealistically, making the commitment to be truthful to your employees results in many positive outcomes. Realistically however, there are hidden challenges in the way your employees think that could impact how accurately your message is perceived.  In many cases, there isn’t much you can do about it either – they are simply thought processes that exist within the employee receiving your message. But knowledge is power and knowing these challenges are out there can be helpful in how you move forward.

• Everyone has a comfort zone and it can be difficult to get your employees to consider ideas or make decisions outside of it. If the truth you try to deliver doesn’t fall within a place of security for them, you may be challenged by their desire to distort what they’ve heard.

• Selective hearing is another challenge. Employees subconsciously hear what they want to hear, and tend to support the things that match or support their own beliefs while discounting those that don’t. This can make it difficult to know the information was relayed  accurately, particularly since you may not be intimately familiar with their value and belief systems.

• The way your employees view you, the company and themselves also comes into play. If your employees don’t like you or the company or agree with how either operate, they are not likely to believe you or give credence to the message you are trying to deliver. Likewise, they will tend to view themselves as having better judgment and higher morals than you. All of this means that your message will be disregarded more easily. If they like you and the organization, odds are they will be more accepting of what you are trying to say, regardless of what it is.

• Employees often believe that their successes are based on talent and ability, while yours are most likely luck. Their personal failures are attributed to external factors and bad luck, but yours are due to your own mistakes. This presents a challenge for you in terms of credibility. And if your employees think you are less credible than they are, doesn’t this impact the way they hear your message?

• Employees often conform to their group’s mindset. This could mean their team or department and the level of unconscious conformity may depend on how tightly knit their group is. And they are probably unaware that this desire to conform exists. For you, this means that their response to a message may not be their own and they may not even know that.

All of these examples are difficult to recognize – they are, after all,  subconscious thought processes. Knowing that the possibility exists that one (or more) of them are affecting what is heard can help you craft and deliver a more effective message.

Many years ago, job hopping was viewed as the first red flag on a resume.  Those resumes that showed multiple jobs over the previous 5-10 years were instantly moved to the “not interested right now” pile.  If no solid candidates were in the rest of the pile the resume might get a second look, but for the most part that resume was considered out of the running. 

But with the current economy, has this changed?  It seems as though it should.   There is even information out there that suggests that hiring a job hopper could be good for the employer .

There are many reasons why job hopping does not necessarily mean the candidate is a risk.  Here are a few to consider:

• Many companies are moving to more contract and temporary employees in order to save money, particularly on benefits.  Contracts may not have been renewed or the employee was brought in on a short term basis for project work from the start.

• Many candidates were laid off in the last couple years but unlike years past, this does not necessarily mean it was due to poor performance.  When corporations are laying off hundreds, it is not realistic to believe that all those affected were poor performers.

• With the economy shifting so dramatically in the past few years many companies restructured significantly.  Candidates may have been affected by these changes in strategy a everyone tried to tighten up.

• With all the other changes in organization and acquisitions, a lot of bosses were afraid of losing their jobs.  They may have sold a complete turnaround to their bosses as an attempt to retain their own employment.  The result could be that the job itself changed considerably and the employee was no longer a fit for the organization.

• Candidates affected by organizational changes may have taken other jobs just to pay their bills.  The news about unemployment was not good and the mindset for a few years seemed to be that you better take any job just to have one, since there were so few out there.  The luxury of looking for the perfect fit was pushed aside for quite a while and candidates have been in survival mode. 

If the job hopping was due to some of the reasons above and was essentially out of the employee’s control,  isn’t it possible a job hopper would make the perfect employee?  Doesn’t it stand to reason that some of these candidates are seeking loyalty, security, and stability?

I’ve been reading an interesting conversation on LinkedIn regarding the differences between talent and competency.  What are the differences and what is more important when building a team? 

In my opinion, talent is something innate – a particular strength or instinct that can’t be learned, at least not easily.  It is almost a certain mindset or way of looking at things.  A competency is more task-related – an ability one possesses that has been learned, studied, or practiced, and ultimately mastered.  How easily this was accomplished probably has a lot to do with the level of talent.  Do you agree? 

When searching for great employees, which matters more?  Does it depend on the type of job?  When interviewing, what tools do you use to evaluate the difference?  Does is matter whether or not there is potential growth opportunity, and if so, do you seek candidates with competencies if there is not much growth potential and those with talent if you’re hoping to expand their role?  Would you hire someone who can get the job done but may not have other talents your company could use to grow?  Or do you specifically seek employees who can not only get the job done, but bring more to the table?

In my mind, a competency can be taught (and learned) but a talent is a little something extra that should be encouraged and cultivated.  I would think this is where you get your “star” employees.  Is it a coincidence too, that people tend to be good at the things they love?  Is talent then related to passion and how does this fit in with recruiting great employees?  If an employee has a passion and talent for something, wouldn’t you imagine that they would be more motivated, engaged and generally happier doing their job?  And doesn’t this minimize some of the concerns HR has to address with the employees thereby making your job easier?  Couldn’t you also assume competency?

What do you think?  Please share your thoughts in the comments.

I keep seeing discussions surrounding the medicinal use of marijuana.  This got me thinking that this would have a profound effect on Human Resource departments.  According to this site (which, by the way, is interesting – it lists the pros and cons of various issues) there are currently 15 states that have enacted legislation making it legal to use medical marijuana and 6 more with legislation pending.  If passed, that means that close to half the country will have made medical marijuana usage legal.  What will that do to your company’s current policies and practices?  At the very least HR will need to be educated thoroughly on the differences between state and federal laws and how be compliant with all, even though many of these laws are still in direct conflict with one another.

Assuming the employees who require medical marijuana are following the letter of the law, there are still some the questions that arise for you:

What do you do about employees who are on call if they use it outside of the workplace?  Can they still perform that function?

How long will the effects last if an employee uses it in the evening or off work hours? How could you know when they used it last and what risks might be associated with that?

Will you be required to allow ingestion during work hours if this is deemed necessary for the employee to function?  What about the ADA?  If the employee is considered disabled there are many things your company must do in order to ensure no discrimination.  Does a disability treated this way qualify here?

As a result of the above, are you more likely to suffer legal consequences or a rise in discrimination suits?

Is the employee required to tell you or can he/she choose not to mention it?  What if they test positive and then offer the explanation?

Speaking of drug tests, what does this do to your drug testing programs?  Or your safety programs?  Or your employee performance programs, for that matter?

How much responsibility will fall on you for the employee who uses medical marijuana as well as the rest of your workforce who works alongside him/her?  There are laws in place that require you to impose a safe and healthy work environment.  How does this tie in with that?

One thing is certain, this subject creates a whole lot of controversy and for you, it means another subject with a lot of gray area that will necessitate research on your part.  How to find and use loopholes, how to remain compliant, how to protect your organization as well as the people who work there, are all issues that will have to be addressed if you live in a state that allows the use of medical marijuana.

In my last post, I suggested taking a step back and evaluating your employees’ duties before you worry about showing them they are valued to keep them engaged and motivated.  Many of my posts allude to a mentality that goes back to the basics, or simplifies what you are trying to accomplish.  I kept thinking about a post written by fellow blogger Cathy Miller who has an entire blog designed around the idea of keeping things simple.  In particular, my mind goes back to this segment of Cathy’s post and how you can implement this internally to make better communication with your workforce a business goal:

Orchestrating Communication

Developing a business communication strategy lays the groundwork for evaluation.

If you did not have one for this year, create a strategy for next year.

Here is a 10-step outline for creating your communication strategy.

1. Create your vision statement - where do you want to end up with your business?
2. Identify your customer – who will be the target for your communication?
3. Define your objectives – do you want to create leads? educate? announce a new product or service?
4. Establish your budget – this step is one many small businesses skip – it is essential for the next step.
5. Select your communication vehicles - what combination is the most effective for objectives and budget? e.g., social media, white papers, case studies, industry articles
6. Assign roles and responsibilities – who does the writing? who manages the process?
7. Develop your message strategy – what problem are you trying to solve for customers? how are you different? what is your call to action?
8. Develop a timeline – what is the frequency for communication? any new product/service rollout?
9. Establish benchmarks – what are the specific measurements for success? e.g., Leads, visibility/awareness of your business, sales, customer satisfaction
10. Create a contingency process - what happens if a communication strategy is not working? How do you troubleshoot?

Imagine you are using these steps to enhance communication with your workforce, your internal customers.    If you take these concepts and alter the ultimate goal slightly, this strategy could have a big impact on your role and organization.

Everyone knows the economic woes of the last couple years have had a huge impact on organizations, individuals, and sometimes entire industries. Over and over in this blog you’ve seen recommendations, discussions, and articles about one the biggest HR challenges of our time – keeping employees engaged, motivated and interested in staying with your company. There is much debate about how much time, money and effort should be extended to employees to accomplish these goals.

Recently, I was re-reading one of my favorite books of all time called The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People by PH.D David Niven. I came across the chapter called “If you can’t reach your goals, your goals will hurt you.” This made me think of how helpful this basic idea could be if used by HR to evaluate your workforce.

Considering the recent down-sizings and re-organizations that have taken place, how many of your employees have been asked to take on extra functions at work? There are many articles written on this topic, most of them focusing on ways to let your employees know that you value their contributions. But what about backing it up a bit and evaluating whether or not what you’ve asked them to accomplish is attainable and matches the skill set they possess?

There is a study by Pavot, Fujita, and Deiner from way back in 1997 that I think still holds true today. It is entitled, “The Relation Between Self-Aspect Congruence, Personality and Subjective Well-Being.” One of the findings concludes that if a person’s goals are in-congruent with their abilities, the likelihood of dissatisfaction quadruples. That’s right – quadruples!  The goals themselves ultimately contribute to disappointment and disagreeableness.

Maybe before tons of effort is expended on thanking your employees, a good first step would be to evaluate whether the business goals are congruent with the individual. Do the new demands match the employees’ abilities? Now that the employee has been doing his/her best to manage the new responsibilities for a while, can you see where he/she struggles or excels? Could you shuffle some of the new functions between employees who have different strengths?

Any goal in life both, personally or professionally, should be assessed and updated periodically to ensure it is realistic. A new year is on its way and with it may come a good time to take a hard look at the specific duties you’ve asked your employees to take on. If you can make sure that what your company needs matches what your individual employees are capable of as closely as possible, you are one step closer to a satisfied and engaged workforce. THEN you can figure out how to show they are valued.