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Individuals with strong potential need appropriate nurturing for it to fully develop.
This article was first published June 22, 2022, by HR Daily Advisor, a sibling publication to HealthLeaders.
Movies and TV shows are full of the cliché of the young hotshot [fill in the blank] who comes into the workplace with all the best education and training but little or no real-world experience. In the world of fiction, the plot typically involves the young hotshot driving everyone nuts with their arrogance and know-it-all attitude before finding some humility and learning to bond with and learn from their more experienced colleagues.
Employees With Potential
In the real world, companies treat employees with a lot of potential and little to no track record in a variety of ways. These employees are often considered to have a lot of “potential,” meaning they could turn out to be a rockstar, but they aren’t there yet. And maybe they never will be.
But organizations and managers often put a great deal of weight on an employee’s potential when making hiring and promotion decisions. Call it being great at picking winners, a good feeling or simply a hunch, organizations regularly make judgment calls about an individual’s likelihood to perform at a higher level than they are currently, through more responsibility, experience, and training.
The Role of 'Potential' and the Importance of Nurturing It
It’s perfectly logical to make such decisions based on potential, particularly in a tight labor market where those who have proven abilities are hot commodities and hard (and expensive) to hire and retain. Individuals with potential, however, may be a diamond in the rough, a way to land a stellar team member with relative ease and frugality.
Unfortunately, individuals with strong potential don’t always turn out as well as hoped. This isn’t necessarily the employee’s fault. Potential must often be nurtured for it to fully develop, and managers who hire or promote someone with strong potential and then neglect them are wasting an opportunity to groom a star performer.
Organizations often identify employees with apparent potential and flag them for recruitment or advancement. But potential without demonstrated results can end up in disappointment, particularly when those with the potential aren’t given the development opportunities and support they need to truly excel.
Potential distractions, productivity, and logistics are among reasons why most companies hesitate to offer a 'work-from-anywhere' option.
The terms “work from home” and “remote work” are often used interchangeably, but there is a subtle but important distinction. If one considers the literal meaning of both terms, the former is more restrictive than the latter.
“Work from home” means employees have the ability and the prerogative to work from their homes. They can keep an eye on pets, avoid long commutes to and from the office, and work in their pajamas if they want—not a bad situation.
Remote Work vs. Work from Home
Remote work theoretically takes things a step further and suggests employees could work from anywhere they have a desk and an Internet connection, and the desk might not even be a firm prerequisite. This might mean a cabin in the woods or a sunny beach in the South Pacific.
For many workers, home is realistically the only remote location they have any desire to work from, but others may relish the opportunity to travel and have a good job without being tied to a particular geographic location. While most companies are hesitant to embrace a true “work from anywhere” policy, there are some notable exceptions.
Perhaps considering its industry, vacation rental giant Airbnb is one such exceptional case.
Offering Maximum Flexibility Despite Challenges
“When COVID-19 hit, Airbnb’s business plunged 80% in two months,” writes Michael Lev-Ram in an article for Fortune. “Today, the rise of remote work and a resurgent travel market have pushed bookings and revenue above pre-pandemic levels. Through it all, [CEO Brian] Chesky has leaned into big moves, including the recent announcement of one of the industry’s most liberal ‘work from anywhere’ policies.”
But working from anywhere poses several important challenges. One such challenge is the potential for distraction and concerns over reduced productivity. This is an extension of the concerns that accompanied work-from-home policies, but professional, responsible employees should be able to manage the situation just fine. More challenging, perhaps, are logistical issues such as diverse time zones and the potential difficulty getting to the office on short notice if the need arises.
There may be regulatory challenges, as well, depending on the industry. A lawyer representing clients in the United States may not be able to work full time from Brazil, for example. Similarly, employees who handle sensitive data like health or financial records may be prohibited from taking that data out of the country.
While remote work and work-from-home are seemingly similar policies, the added flexibility of true work-from-anywhere policies means that few companies have truly embraced this model. But companies that are considering that option as a way to attract and retain talent in a tight labor market should be aware of the potential pitfalls.
What employees look for in a job is slightly different these days, but that doesn’t mean recruiters can’t stay flexible, adapt, and find the right mployees for their company.
This article was first published May 27, 2022, by HR Daily Advisor, a sibling publication to HealthLeaders.
Anyone in HR knows this is a difficult time to be a recruiter. Whether you blame it on the downward-trending economy, the Great Resignation, or the number of companies desperate for labor, the fact is, the power balance right now rests in the hands of talent. Finding the right employees for open positions at your company isn’t just stressful; it can also feel borderline impossible.
But here’s some good news: It’s not.
Things still cost money, so people still need jobs. And if your organization is a great place to work, there are people who will want to work for you!
In fact, many of the challenges recruitment faces right now are challenges that have been around for ages. They may feel larger now, but the root causes and root solutions remain the same. Technology has shaken things up, and the business climate has shifted forever from the coronavirus pandemic. What employees are looking for in a job is slightly different than it used to be in the past. But that doesn’t mean recruiters can’t stay flexible, adapt, and find the right employees for their company.
Here are four recruitment challenges and how to overcome them.
Your Candidate Pool Feels Too Small, and You Can’t Find Applicants with the Proper Qualifications
First things first: If you can’t find enough qualified applicants, you can take two approaches.
The first is to look at the job description itself. Are the qualifications you’re asking for really necessary, or do you just feel like a master’s degree seems like a good idea? In these trying employment times, you may need to lower the theoretical bar a bit—it’s a good time to reconsider industry standards that don’t make a ton of sense anymore. If someone has equivalent experience, could that be just as valuable? Once you have all of the qualifications ironed out, does your job description list them clearly, or are some important things easy to miss? Job applicants are likely reading hundreds of descriptions a day, and more likely than not, they’re skimming. Anything important needs to stand out.
The second is to brainstorm how you can widen your talent pool. Consider social media ads: Where do your current employees hang out online? Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn ads may bring in more people. You could also consider attending more networking events, reaching out to others in your industry, or even consulting your e-mail list if you feel like you need to cast a wider net.
Every Time You Find a Great Candidate, They’re Wooed Away by a Competitor
It’s the worst part of every recruiter’s job: the moment you find the perfect candidate, send a top-notch offer, and get turned down. It’s incredibly frustrating and can leave you feeling disheartened.
If you’re having a hard time sealing the deal, consider asking employees who have turned you down why they did so. It may feel awkward or vulnerable, but the information they provide can also be incredibly valuable. Maybe you’ll find that what you thought made your job offer rock solid isn’t actually what employees are seeking anymore. Perhaps you’ll find out that a flexible work schedule matters more to them than compensation or that they’re looking for better parental health insurance instead of more paid time off. Who knows? The point is that until you ask, you won’t!
The other problem you may be encountering is simple to fix: a lack of clarity. Maybe you were going to include these things in your job offer, but you didn’t make it clear soon enough. Consider giving vital information, like payment and vacation days, upfront. That way, potential employees can know what they’re in for and make a fairer decision.
The Process Takes Too Long, Leaving Open Positions Open for Ages
Speed is an eternal issue in the recruitment process. The longer it takes you to fill vital roles, the longer your company suffers, and other employees picking up the extra slack may consider heading for the hills, too. If finding new employees starts to feel like pulling teeth, there are a few steps you can take to make the process more efficient.
Check out your technology. If you haven’t yet started utilizing a recruitment customer relationship management (CRM) program, now’s the time to start. CRM’s allow you to store application data in the cloud, reach out to your talent pool more quickly, and track everything with ease. They will also eliminate a ton of time spent organizing your process and ironing out details. Doing everything manually in an Excel® sheet is going to add quite a bit of time to the process.
Look over your process, and see where you can eliminate bumps in the road. Are you including higher-ups in the process early on? Have you thought about limiting your interviews to those you already feel fairly confident about? By condensing your hiring timeline, you’ll be able to fill open roles more quickly and avoid the recruitment speed trap.
Employee Churn is a Consistent Issue and You Can’t Find Your Way off the Recruitment Treadmill
Recruiters don’t often realize how big a piece of the puzzle employee churn really is. If you’re unable to keep your current employees happy and engaged, you’ll find yourself constantly in active recruitment mode. If you’re constantly in active recruitment mode, you won’t have time to set up systems, establish your talent pool, and find your footing. Instead, you’ll always feel rushed, chaotic, and like you’re one step behind.
The solution is simple: Keep your employees happy! Small things like anonymous employee surveys can actually help immensely with this. Are employees feeling satisfied with their compensation? Do they feel content with their current roles and responsibilities? Once an employee decides to leave, make sure you do an exit survey to get the person’s thoughts on what the role was like for him or her and why he or she is choosing to leave. By getting ahead of the game, you’ll be able to lower employee churn and spend less time in the hectic pipeline of recruitment.
It's just one of the many ways companies are trying to be creative in attracting top talent without a salary bidding war.
This article was first published May 27, 2022, by HR Daily Advisor, a sibling publication to HealthLeaders.
For millions of Americans, the last couple of years have represented an opportunity to live out a long-held dream: remote work. The COVID-19 pandemic forced skeptical businesses to shift to widespread work-from-home arrangements in a push to stem the spread of the disease among coworkers clustered together for 8 or more hours per day.
While some companies are anxious to bring staff back to the office, others have announced permanent or at least indefinite remote, hybrid, and flexible working arrangements.
Remote work is a great option for some, but not necessarily all, employees or organizations. There are still plenty of workers who prefer going into the office, and full-time employees still have to work 5 days per week, even if it is from the comfort of their home office, couch, or even bed.
Movement Toward a 4-Day Workweek?
But work life has the potential to get even more idyllic for employees in America’s largest state economy. As Katherine Bindley writes for The Wall Street Journal, California is considering shortening the length of the workweek for large employers. “A proposal in the California State Legislature would define the workweek in the state as 32 hours, not 40, for larger companies,” she writes. According to JD Supra, the applicable legislation, Assembly Bill 2932, has stalled in the California State Legislature, apparently due to lawmakers’ desire to spend more time studying the impacts of the proposal, which could affect over 2,000 businesses.
The mere fact that California is seriously considering such a significant piece of legislation has surely caught the attention of business leaders and observers. We reached out to industry experts to gauge their opinions on the potential impact of a 4-day workweek on employees, employers, and the broader economy.
Well-Rested Staff
One of the key arguments in favor of a 4-day workweek is that such a shift will lead to more relaxed, happy, and well-rested employees. Well-rested employees are happy employees, the argument goes. And happy employees work harder, show more initiative, and are less likely to leave than unhappy employees.
“Happy employees will work harder, but not in the way that means physically demanding,” says Andrei Vasilescu, cofounder and CEO at DontPayFull. “They will more likely be more creative and resourceful because they go to work happy. Unhappy employees work hard to stay under the radar. They work as little as possible, but just enough to meet their expectations. This is not the team an employer wants to have in their business. An extra day off will lead to more rested, recharged, and happy staff.”
Greater Efficiency?
The first thing many employers think when they hear proposals for a 4-day workweek is likely an expectation that productivity will drop by 20%. After all, employees working 32 hours per week instead of 40 hours per week are working 20% less.
Is the boost in morale and initiative Vasilescu predicts likely to materialize, and, if so, will it translate to a productivity boost that can make up for the drop in hours worked?
It’s really impossible to give a definitive answer to that question that will hold true for all companies. Some organizations may find that the productivity increase of employees thrilled with the shorter workweek more than makes up for the drop in hours worked, some may find productivity has stayed essentially the same and fewer hours means less work, and others may even find that their workers slack off more in a shorter week and are actually less productive on an hourly basis than when they were working more hours.
“As no two companies are alike, there is no one right answer for determining if a four-day workweek is a right choice for your company,” says AJ Silberman Moffitt, senior editor for Tandem Buzz. “Think about your employees, your customers, and your product or service. Do you need to have people available five days a week? Do you have enough staff to ensure that there is always at least one person in the office during the workweek? Do your teams need to work together on the same days, or can they work independently of each other, where it wouldn’t matter if one person was in the office and another was out? You need to think of all the scenarios and situations to determine if this type of work schedule could work for your company.”
Each business will need to determine for itself how feasible such an arrangement is for its own business. The uncertainty around these impacts is a major reason California’s legislative proposal has stalled so far.
Restructuring Schedules
Aside from concerns over total productivity, perhaps the biggest drawback of moving to a 4-day workweek is logistical. “One con of a four-day workweek is that it could take a lot of operational restructuring to ensure that all weekly projects and tasks are completed in four days rather than five,” says Ray Blakney, CEO and cofounder of Live Lingua. “Another con is that one of your clients may need help with something on a day your enterprise is no longer open for business, which can cause them frustration.”
Companies have internally developed complex schedules based on a 5-day workweek. Some teams have meetings every Monday, while others may have cross-functional meetings every other Wednesday. Companies may have recurring meetings with external stakeholders, as well, such as partners, vendors, and customers. Even agreeing on which 32 hours or which 4 days staff work can be tricky if there’s a need for them to be present at the same time but they have different preferences for when that is.
Despite the existence of this potential logistical challenge, it’s unlikely to be an insurmountable roadblock. Companies update schedules all the time in response to scheduling conflicts for key staff, employee vacations, and company holidays. To the extent logistics would be an issue at all in a 4-day workweek, they would likely be temporary as organizations adjust to the new reality.
All About the Labor Market
Less than 15 years ago, it would have been laughable to suggest a mandatory 4-day workweek. Back then, in the midst of the Great Recession, employers had their pick of plenty of desperate jobseekers. But, the tables have turned completely within the last year, and now employees have the leverage.
Whether or not California or any other state, local, or federal government mandates a shorter workweek, many companies are experimenting with 4-day workweeks already. It’s just one of the many ways companies are trying to be creative in attracting top talent without a salary bidding war.
Even in the cutting-edge labor law state of California, skepticism and hesitation remain over the impact of shifting to a 4-day workweek. It seems unlikely other states will take the plunge before the Golden State. However, the current bargaining power of employees relative to employers could force the hands of some companies with or without government mandates.
Parents balancing a career in the work-from-home era need specific support to thrive in their workplace.
Balancing parenting and a career is almost magical. So many parents balancing a career would say, “I don’t know how I do it, but I do.”
Add working from home to the mix, and working parents really have a challenge on their hands. Some of your employees may be thriving in this new norm, while others could use some extra support from HR and company leaders.
Don’t let the stress of working from home and tending to family be why your employees leave. Better yet, don’t let your lack of support and understanding of working parents be why they’re not as productive and motivated as they can be.
Parents balancing a career in the work-from-home era need specific support to thrive in their workplace. Here’s how to provide it.
Find the Real Pain Points
Most companies want to support their employees. They just have no idea how to do it. It’s interesting that these companies also fail to tap the one resource that could tell them exactly how to provide adequate support: their employees.
You’ll never know what your employees genuinely need if you don’t ask them. Finding the real pain points they’re experiencing and providing direct support for them are key.
Getting meaningful insights from employees starts with building personal relationships. Establish rapport with them from the first interaction, and continue communicating openly. Also, take an interest in their lives and how they think.
Additionally, be sure you’re working with employees with varying family structures. You should be talking to parents of all genders and ages with different numbers of children in households of varying ages. And don’t forget about adoptive parents, three-generation households, and LGBTQ+ couples.
The reality is that each employee who is balancing parenting and a career while working from home has a different family structure. Therefore, it’s best to get to know them all so everyone feels honored and supported.
Flexibility Must Be the Norm, Not the Exception
To truly address all of the unique pain points your employees are experiencing while working from home and parenting, flexibility has to be first. Everyone’s needs are going to be different, so don’t try to fit your employees around a standard.
Instead, take what you’ve learned about them and what they’re going through, and use it to create the schedule, role, responsibilities, and resources they need to thrive.
For example, offer a choice of fully remote, in-office, or hybrid schedules that can be adjusted when needed. Give them a choice of their days off, as well as roles and responsibilities that boost their confidence and self-esteem, and don’t penalize them for calling out or needing to leave early. Make it so they don’t have to choose between family and work.
Despite what some company leaders may say, you aren’t “spoiling” your employees by giving them what they need. Instead, you’re showing them you care about them as people and that you care about their being happy at and with your company long term.
Keep Your Employees Paid and Armed with Benefits
Flexibility is great, but it’s even better coupled with good pay and a solid benefits package. Adequately compensating and arming your employees with individual and family benefits is critical if the goal is to create a solid support structure.
Offer your employees on all levels the best medical, dental, and vision benefits you can provide. They should have no problem putting their entire family on their plans.
Also, make these benefits available, or encourage employees to take advantage of them if they already are:
Your employees shouldn’t have to fight for fair pay either, so go above and beyond their compensation expectations. It’s tough enough managing a family and working from home. Reward their willingness to navigate working from home and parenting with financial security.
Furthermore, think outside the box to provide working parents with additional resources tailored to family support. For example, send out family bonding ideas in your company newsletter each month. Attach action plans at the end or family-friendly discount codes, coupons, and event invites they can use to try the activities you’re suggesting.
As much as your work-from-home employees will appreciate solid pay, adding benefits and creative family resources to the package shows them even more how supportive you are of them and their families.
Build a Workplace Culture Rooted in Acceptance and Support
The above tips won’t stick without the right workplace culture.
For example, let’s say your company leaders encourage working parents to take time off when they need it, but they’re promoting and giving more support to the people who never take a day off.
In this case, your work-from-home employees with families will take notice. As a result, they’ll start feeling like they can’t miss a minute of work if they want to get the support and recognition they deserve. They’ll work like crazy and end up burning out, and their families will suffer, too.
Instead, build a company culture rooted in acceptance, and normalize being a parent, working from home, and navigating family life in your company. Connect working parents across the organization, leaders included, so everyone can lean on one another for support.
The Bottom Line
Genuine support for your employees balancing parenting and a career in the work-from-home era means more to them than you’ll probably ever know. But true support means finding out their real pain points and requires flexibility.
It also means paying employees handsomely and arming them with comprehensive benefits. But, most importantly, true support for working parents starts with a solid company culture rooted in acceptance.
Bitly's VP of diversity, equity, and inclusion entered the DEI field not at work, but as part of her role as a mother.
This article was first published April 19, 2022, by HR Daily Advisor, a sibling publication to HealthLeaders.
Jackie Cureton got her feet wet in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts not at work but as part of her role as a mother. Today, however, she is actively and diligently pursuing DEI in her professional life, as well, as VP of DEI at Bitly.
A Powerful Personal Motivation to Enter DEI
Cureton says her first experience with DEI efforts began in relation to her daughter’s education. “My career in diversity started on a personal level—at my daughter’s school,” she says. “She attended a private school and I recognized that she wasn’t showing up authentically at school. I partnered with another parent and the school’s diversity director to build out a more robust program focused on getting to the core and including the entire school family—administration, staff, faculty and students, as well as the parents.”
Taking her experience from working with her daughter’s school, Cureton next considered how DEI efforts might be leveraged within her employer’s organization in her professional capacity. “I then pivoted this focus to where I work and brought together leaders and formed a committee,” Cureton says. “This initial focus in the workplace was grassroots and we figured it out as we went. That was the start of my involvement with DEI in the workplace.”
Gaining Experience, Making a Difference
Cureton then moved into a role in HR reporting to the chief people officer at a major global organization, where diversity became part of her core mandate and where she was able to push forward major diversity initiatives in collaboration with others. More recently, Cureton worked for one of the world’s top consulting firms, where she co-led its financial services industries DEI enablement team.
Before joining the Bitly team, Cureton led diversity initiatives on varying levels for over 15 years, from co-chairing a global Black Employee Network to working on initiatives that touch the organization holistically—workforce, marketplace, and society. “I like to say we need to ‘go beyond events’ a mantra my Business Resource Group (BRG) co-chair and I adopted as a majority of the work tends to be surface level,” Cureton says. “And so, my one non-negotiable doing this work has been that I will only do this if I can do it right.”
Key DEI Initiatives at Bitly
Cureton is the first person at Bitly to hold her position. However, she notes that the company had some formal and informal initiatives in progress at the time she joined, giving her the opportunity to build off of previous efforts after stepping into her role. Cureton says that some of Bitly’s DEI efforts are still in their early stages, but she highlights a couple of key initiatives.
“We have a DEI Council that helps us establish and focus on our DEI initiatives,” she says. “We’ve established a committee focused on racism and discrimination (BARD: Bitizens against Racism and Discrimination),” which is an employee-driven committee. Externally, she says, “We recently launched Spotlight on Inclusion, a program that provides Bitly’s platform free of charge to non-profit organizations working toward equity and inclusion.”
Cureton says Bitly is also looking to launch more employee resource groups (ERGs) to help cultivate a workplace and culture where employees feel seen, heard, and respected. “We are also keen to look at this from a systems and programming standpoint,” she says.
Cureton describes Bitly’s overall DEI strategy as broad-based. “We’ve taken a holistic approach to this,” she says. “As we build out our internal infrastructure, we are ensuring that DEI is represented in all key conversations, from product development to workforce transformation efforts.” She adds that Bitly knows building a successful DEI-focused organization is a marathon, not a sprint.
“We are focused on building a sustainable infrastructure and embedding this into the DNA of all that we do at Bitly,” she says. “A lot of work to be done and a lot more to come on this.”
A Dynamic, Ongoing Effort
One of the benefits of starting relatively fresh with DEI initiatives is the ability to be agile and avoid getting bogged down by monolithic policies and procedures inherited from previous programs. Agility is extremely important in DEI efforts because the focus and the rules change so rapidly. Keeping one’s finger on the pulse of one’s workforce is essential to staying ahead of the curve and meeting workers where they are.
“We are constantly analyzing and exploring ways we can support diverse workers better,” says Cureton. “We conduct surveys to get a pulse and understanding of what we are doing well and where there is an opportunity to improve. With my recent appointment, this is a key area of focus and priority of mine and of Bitly leadership.”
Cureton’s own path to Bitly is a great example of how DEI policies can positively impact recruitment, something particularly critical for employers in today’s tight job market. “My journey to Bitly was a traditional one,” explains Cureton. “I was recruited. However, my decision to take on this role was influenced by some key factors. The commitment and passion from leadership and all across the organization in this area as well as our CEO’s commitment to make sure inclusion is a cornerstone of what we were building was important to me.”
Other Recruitment Tools
Bitly doesn’t simply count on its DEI efforts to passively attract candidates who somehow learn about them. Enhancing the recruitment process is still a key priority for Cureton and her team.
“This is an evolving space,” she says. “We are continuously looking to expand how and where we source, and to provide training for our hiring managers as well as the Talent Acquisition team.” In addition, Bitly conducts panel interviews and has deep discussions around each candidate to ensure it has multiple perspectives to draw from, minimizing the potential for bias in the hiring process.
At Bitly, Cureton and others recognize that DEI matters. They’re taking steps to ensure an inclusive and supportive environment for all and continue to explore new ways of doing so.
While many introverts have relished the reduction in human interaction, extroverts and socialites miss regular, in-person human contact.
This article was first published April 19, 2022, by HR Daily Advisor, a sibling publication to HealthLeaders.
For millions of office workers across the United States and beyond, a major silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the widespread shift to remote work. The convenience, comfort, flexibility, and ability to spend more time with pets and family have meant that working from home—or even from a tropical beach or an exotic locale—has long been an unrealistic dream of many workers.
But for a significant proportion of Americans, remote work isn’t necessarily all it’s cracked up to be. Many workers are feeling isolated and disconnected after 2 years away from the office. According to a recent survey from video animation software company Vyond, “1 in 3 employees (36%) said a top frustration of remote work was feeling disconnected from colleagues. Boomers feel the most disconnected (51%, a 4-point increase from last year), which is more than double the 23% of Gen Z that reported feeling the same way.”
And while many introverts have relished the reduction in human interaction, extroverts and socialites of any age group have felt the absence of that regular, in-person human contact they used to find in the office.
Promote Telecommunications
It’s impossible with current technology to completely replace genuine, in-person human contact remotely. However, telecommunications technology has come a long way in the last couple of decades, and there are many ways to stay connected during remote work. It takes seconds to connect “face-to-face” with a colleague over one of multiple videoconferencing options. Instant messaging tools facilitate low-level, continuous channels of communication that, to some extent, mimic the concept of poking one’s head around the corner to ask a neighbor a question.
Again, there’s no argument that these technologies can replace genuine human interaction, but they offer greater connectedness than is available without them, and companies should encourage their use to help mitigate the sense of isolation remote work can create.
Consider a Return to the Office
Still, technology will be a more effective replacement for true human contact for some groups than for others. “Millennials say they feel connected at work when instant messaging throughout the day (38%) and receiving virtual kudos from colleagues in a public forum or chat (24%),” the Vyond study found. “On the other hand, Gen Z employees feel connected by getting to know their coworkers on a personal level (43%) and having team lunches (39%), whereas older generations feel most connected at work through participating in staff meetings (40% of Gen X and 45% of Boomers).”
For some employees, the most effective way to cure the sense of isolation and disconnectedness that can come with prolonged remote work is to get back into the office, at least occasionally. Many companies are turning to hybrid work arrangements, whereby they spend part of their time working remotely and part of their time working from the office.
While remote work has been a long-sought-after perk for millions of Americans, it’s not the ideal situation for millions of others who feel isolated and disconnected. Employers should be conscious of the mental and emotional downsides of remote work for some workers.
Diversity efforts usually are focused on race, ethnicity, and gender, but a special-needs advocate wants to put neurodiversity on more organizations' radar.
This article was first published March 28, 2022, by HR Daily Advisor, a sibling publication to HealthLeaders.
The business case for bringing diversity to an organization has been made. Certainly, having people from varied backgrounds with different ideas and perspectives can give a business an edge over competitors. Plus, morale flourishes when people feel included and appreciated.
Often, though, diversity efforts are focused on race, ethnicity, and gender, but Abigail Erickson-Torres, CEO of Bryan’s House in Dallas, Texas, wants to put neurodiversity on more organizations’ radar.
For more than 30 years, Bryan’s House has served children with medical or developmental needs. It’s a nonprofit serving children and their families by offering case management, crisis intervention, mental health services, and other necessities. But Erickson-Torres is looking beyond those here-and-now basics to the children’s future.
“If the children are aging out at the age of 21, what are they going to do?” Erickson-Torres asks. “Are they employable? How can we put them on this pathway to inclusion?” She knows that getting the young people of Bryan’s House ready for employment is only half the battle.
The other part of the effort is getting employers to understand that an organization’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts need to take neurodiversity into account, not because it’s nice to give someone a job but because businesses benefit from the contributions neurodiverse people make.
“And so, I guess I’ve been speaking a bit here and there about inclusion, what that looks like for employers, and also how people can make space in their companies for people with disabilities because, actually, the whole community benefits if they do that,” Erickson-Torres says.
Capitalizing on Joy
Plus, joy is a key part of the picture. “It’s just thinking a little bit outside the box, and you find it’s actually quite fun,” Erickson-Torres notes.
The term neurodiversity often refers to people on the autism spectrum but also includes other neurological conditions such as attention deficit disorder and more. Sometimes, workplace accommodations are needed for neurodiverse employees, but those employees often bring strengths neurotypical employees lack.
When employers don’t let neurological differences get in the way, they see that their neurodiverse employees “bring so much more to the company because they’re so joyful in their work,” Erickson-Torres adds.
Examining, Recruiting, and Hiring
Many big companies are making an effort to overcome barriers neurodiverse people face in the job market, Erickson-Torres says, and other employers can benefit from the lessons those companies have learned. She cites Microsoft and consulting firm EY as employers focused on how to benefit from the perspectives of their neurodiverse employees.
Those and other companies have reimagined their recruitment and hiring policies with neurodiversity in mind, and they can be inspiring examples to other employers, Erickson-Torres adds.
She urges other employers to look at their own hiring practices to make sure they aren’t missing opportunities. Often, employers learn that someone with a neuro difference may have a needed skill set but for some reason can’t get a foot in the door. For example, some people with neuro differences have challenges getting to the interview, or they may be uncomfortable being in a public place.
“So, looking at those hiring best practices to see if there’s a way to streamline that through an application process or anything like that, that’s always a good start,” Erickson-Torres says. Also, technology can break down barriers. For example, text-to-speech software, as well as closed captioning and other forms of technology, can be helpful, and sometimes remote work can be the answer.
It’s also important for employers to have talent acquisition professionals who are emotionally intelligent and understand what it is to hire neurodiverse individuals, Erickson-Torres says. An Internet search can turn up best practices and other helpful information about recruiting and hiring neurodiverse employees.
Overcoming Impediments
Both employers and neurodiverse jobseekers face obstacles, but “it’s really up to the company to be open, to consider an individual based on their skill set and, obviously, their whole history of being employed,” Erickson-Torres says.
The growing popularity of remote work helps. Being able to work at home eliminates any transportation issues and the challenges some people have with being in crowds.
Diversity training programs also can play a role in overcoming impediments. “I would say that the most effective employer training programs should really be customized to the company because everyone’s different and everybody has different needs,” Erickson-Torres suggests.
It’s especially important to create the right culture, she adds. “I think right now the greatest impediment is that people are not talking more about this and that there’s not enough best practices out there for people to lean into.”
Ensuring Success
In addition to recruiting and training with inclusion in mind, Erickson-Torres says careful listening is vital to ensuring success in the workplace for neurodiverse individuals.
“I think listening is really important because some conversations for folks that are neurodiverse are really difficult,” she notes. Also, having conversations and being authentic with a person who is neurodiverse are important. She urges employers to talk about their neurodiverse employees’ strengths and weaknesses and to play to their strengths.
“Make sure that you are able to get the work done, but also provide those moments of opportunity where you make accommodations,” she says. “I think that is the most important thing.”
And the payoff will be worth it.
“My message is how can you not bring people that are neurodiverse into your employment?” Erickson-Torres says, adding that hiring for neurodiversity brings in so much talent, even if an individual may not be able to engage socially as much as other employees.
“Try it,” Erickson-Torres urges. “Get some good information behind you and then just open the gates and you’ll be so happy.”
As the Great Resignation pushes forward, it's going to be much harder for an employee to quit if they feel like they're part of a team.
This article was first published March 16, 2022, by HR Daily Advisor, a sibling publication to HealthLeaders.
The COVID pandemic changed the world forever. Understatement of the decade? Maybe. But one of the major shifts the pandemic ushered in was how many employees transitioned from in our offices to working from home. It’s the rare industry that doesn’t have at least part of its workforce working from a home office.
Gone are the days when a work-from-home policy was an option, or flexible work location was seen as a special bonus. In 2022, remote work options aren’t just a bonus, they’re an expectation. But employers are still having valid worries about the amount of work employees are able to accomplish at home. When you don’t have a visual on your workers, when they aren’t able to collaborate in person, and when they’re much more susceptible to tech issues, productivity plummeting can become a real fear.
There’s also the fear of turnover—as the Great Resignation pushes forward, more and more businesses are struggling to hold onto employees. It’s going to be much harder for an employee to quit if they feel like they’re part of a team. You don’t just want to keep remote employees engaged because it supports your business; you want to keep them engaged so that they feel connected to their work. Someone who feels underutilized isn’t going to be an employee who sticks around very long.
But there are ways to make sure remote workers are kept engaged. Just because some of your workforce is remote doesn’t mean you’re forced into a future of people pretending to be working when they’re really scrolling their Twitter feeds. Here are five practices to consider implementing in your business.
Create Social Experiences
If employees aren’t gathering at the literal water cooler, can they gather around the metaphorical one? Providing something like a non-work-related Slack channel where employees can chat about the latest Mandalorian episode can go a long way when it comes to helping remote employees feel included. Although there’s certainly some virtual happy hour fatigue, these types of events can still help people put names to faces and engage with each other in a more relaxed setting. Social experiences may need to be more formal, manufactured, and planned than in the past, but that doesn’t mean they can’t take place.
If your remote employees are local, even better—make sure your company is having things like actual happy hours, holiday celebrations, or other social events in order to encourage mingling among employees in the office or employees who work remote. Things like company-wide retreats may seem old fashioned, but they’re popular for a reason. The power of in-person connection can’t be understated, and now that the pandemic has settled down, these experiences are safe to have again for the vast majority of people.
Provide Tech Services
When someone’s in the office and their computer suddenly stops working, you probably have someone on staff who’s in charge of fixing it. What about your remote employees? If someone’s laptop goes down, their microphone fizzles, or their internet drops, does your company provide any resources to help them get back on track? A traveling IT person for local issues or a deal with a local IT store for employees on the other side of the country can make sure your remote employees aren’t consistently waylaid by tech problems. Even something as simple as offering an IT Help Desk that employees can call into could make a big difference. If your IT person can fix the problem in five minutes, but it would have taken an employee two hours, that’s a lot of work you’re saving.
Set Clear Expectations
If you’re still expecting remote employees to be online and available between 9-5, there’s nothing wrong with that. But it needs to be laid out at the beginning of their employment with you. Ditto things like working from a quiet environment in case they need to be on the phone with a customer, having their camera on during any meetings, and an availability to come into the office as needed. All of these are reasonable expectations, but if you’re going to have them, it’s imperative that you lay things out for remote employees ahead of time. Otherwise, you may run into some awkward bumps in the road later on.
Furthermore, you’re used to annual reviews, consider upgrading them to monthly, or even biweekly. Remote employees are going to need more frequent touchpoints. The remote-work relationship is one that needs a bit more evaluation than one where an employee is in the office. If you’re noticing a lack of productivity or any other issues, you can work together to try and solve them earlier rather than later.
Gamify Teamwork
Human beings are competitive by nature. If you can find a way to “gamify” an employee’s performance, you may see a major uptick in productivity. There are plenty of apps available for tracking things like customer calls made, projects submitted, or hours clocked. A great prize can help encourage employees to participate and give it their all.
The gamification doesn’t have to be work-related to create a bonding experience. Things like step competitions, workout calculators, or good habit trackers can help employees feel bonded.
Ask for Feedback
Believe it or not, most employees want to be productive, contributing members to your team. If you think someone’s inherently lazy, you probably wouldn’t hire them. That means your team members are people who truly want to make a difference with your products and services. They don’t want to be stuck behind a laptop, fiddling their thumbs with nothing to do.
One of the easiest ways to encourage remote workers to stay engaged is simply to ask them how it’s going. Do they feel like they have enough on their plate, or too much? Do they feel a part of the team even if they aren’t there in person? Do they feel good about their contributions? By regularly surveying employees, you’ll be able to gather their feedback and make decisions that will encourage remote employees to stay positive and productive.
Being conscious of body language can help ensure you send the right message of engagement and participation to team members.
This article was first published February 28, 2022, by HR Daily Advisor, a sibling publication to HealthLeaders.
Body language can have a powerful impact, whether conscious or unconscious, when communicating with others. This idea often comes up in the context of job interviews; for example, interviewees are coached to lean in toward interviewers, make eye contact, and avoid fidgeting or looking at their watch.
Understandably, interviewees tend to heed this message because they want to get the job. They feel they need to put their best foot forward and communicate effectively, even with nonverbal cues, because of the power dynamic: The interviewee is asking for a job, and the interviewer has the power to hire or not hire or at least influence the hiring decision.
But body language is extremely important for managers, as well.
Managers’ Body Language Can Convey a Lot
A manager’s body language can convey a lot to team members and even influence their behavior and performance. A manager’s interactions with subordinates has a very different power dynamic compared with an interviewee’s interactions with an interviewer, which is why body language is so important.
For example, managers who check their watch or look around the room while a subordinate is speaking send the message that they are bored and not engaged with what their worker is saying, which is likely to not only shorten the person’s contribution but also discourage further participation from other team members.
By contrast, a manager who leans toward the speaker, nods along, and makes eye contact will elicit more participation and engagement from his or her subordinates.
Message to Managers: Pay Attention!
Given their widespread responsibilities and busy schedules, managers don’t often pay attention to their body language, but simply being conscious of it can help ensure you send the right message, one that encourages engagement and participation, as well as creates a sense of confidence and the willingness to assist team members.