HR Daily Advisor is BLR’s FREE daily source of HR tips, news, and advice. HR Daily Advisor offers free webcasts, articles, and reports on topics important to HR and compensation professionals.
Merited or not, grumbles of a discontented employee are likely to spread to the rest of the team and put a dent in morale.
This article was first published November 24, by HR Daily Advisor, a sibling publication to HealthLeaders.
It seems like every office has at least one employee who’s constantly complaining about one thing or another or just generally has a bad attitude. Sometimes their complaints are legitimate; sometimes they just like to complain. Often coworkers and managers will just roll their eyes and do what they can—or are willing to do—to be receptive of that unhappy coworker’s grumbles.
It Pays to Pay Attention to Complaints
The problem is that these grumbles aren’t vacuum-sealed into that one employee. Merited or not, they’re likely to spread to the rest of the team and put a dent in morale, and that can cause significant and lasting problems for any organization.
“There’s evidence to suggest that certain attitudes and behaviors can spread from one person to a group of people quite easily, especially in work contexts: for example, employees are more likely to engage in immoral acts, like lying or stealing, if they work alongside others who commit such acts,” writes Bryan Lufkin in an article for BBC Worklife. “But subtler forms of workplace negativity—like a colleague who just doesn’t like their job and is vocal about it—can also send ripple effects through teams.”
Bad Apple or Canary in the Coal Mine?
For some readers, this domino effect be a reminder of the old saying: “one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch.” And indeed, many managers and companies take this viewpoint. But that implicitly assumes that the unhappy employee is a “bad apple.” Sometimes the person who seems like the lone unhappy employee is simply the first to start vocalizing a collective undertone of discontent—like the “canary in the coal mine.”
The impetus for managers is two-fold. Firstly, it’s important to not be reflexively dismissive of complaints from “that employee.” Despite their general demeanor, they may have genuine grievances. Secondly, it’s also important to remember that attitude is a legitimate consideration when evaluating overall performance. An employee that is being overly negative and encouraging a toxic sentiment needs to be addressed. Often, that simply means a conversation with the manager to set expectations; but for some it can actually mean the employee doesn’t belong on the team.
Machine learning and AI can help find patterns and make connections that are both complex and time-demanding for humans to overcome.
Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to systems or models that can perform tasks simulating human intellect and improving performance iteratively as they collect information and process it. It is capable of speech interpretation, decision-making, visual perception, etc.
AI is multifaceted and has found its applications in diverse industries. An example is AI-enabled robotic systems that came to replace humans in multiple stages of manufacturing, agriculture, astronautics, health care, military, etc. AI applications do more than just contribute to a more error-free operation. On top of everything, they enable effective people management, thus becoming a valuable asset for companies. Let’s further explore how.
Role of AI in People Management
For many companies, data goes far beyond being a competitive advantage, and it expands to more of a competitive need to be able to survive the changing business environment. To a large part, company decisions involving finances, marketing, customer service, and sales are driven by computer and data-driven (predictive) analysis. However, these days, data analytics may not be put into action when it comes to people management and making judgments about how we can attract, grow, retain, and motivate employees. This is where AI steps in.
Machine learning and AI can help find patterns and make connections that are both complex and time-demanding for humans to overcome. Professionals may become more strategic and proactive if they have access to AI tools. For example, AI can be utilized throughout the hiring process to find matches, benefiting both employees and employers easily.
AI Changing the Future of People Management
The way forward promises further advances. There are several ways AI will affect the future of people management:
24/7 Availability
Chatbots are great examples of how AI fosters effective real-time support and communication with a client. Augmenting your business with this feature can also contribute to a more user-friendly environment, attracting more leads. We live in a time when an immediate response can determine a buyer’s decision, and because of this, AI is irreplaceable.
Automation
HR practitioners can benefit a lot from AI platforms, too, as they automate transitions and repetitive processes, freeing up their time to focus on high-priority tasks. By saving time and replacing the mundane with streamlined solutions, companies can capitalize on other operations, bringing more value to customers.
Personalized Communications
User expectations keep increasing at an alarming rate. Again, referring back to HR, potential job candidates are looking forward to real-time connectivity to resources, up-to-date notifications, and much improved interactions, which may include access and utilization of their personal information to better target applicants based on metrics, such as location, gender, professional experience, and interests.
Real-Time Data
When it comes to the quick discovery of developing trends and challenges, there isn’t much that can be compared with the power of analytics. Using AI, one can quickly determine whether candidates or former employees were asking the same questions throughout onboarding or raising concerns that sounded similar. One can then act promptly to focus on opportunities and address issues before they become prevalent. A particular example is employing natural language processing (NLP) methods to determine employee sentiments on internal discussion boards. This is handled by computer vision, which, in turn, requires vast sets of training data, validation, testing, and then deployment.
New Approaches to Old Challenges
Moving forward, AI can be used to improve recruiting, employer advertising, and branding further. With a better understanding of the target audience, it may be possible to convey company culture and values in more natural and engaging forms, all with the help of AI.
Key Points
Machine learning and AI will not cease impacting the future, helping businesses grow and expand their operations. Even today, AI-based HR apps improve employee efficiency. It can analyze, predict, diagnose, and become a more capable resource while concentrating on the needs and wants, as well as the performance, of employees.
Focusing on people instead of data and paperwork is essential in business because it leads to better cooperation and effective teamwork; motivated individuals can get involved in achieving incredible things when they feel respected and appreciated!
Still, issues like a lack of privacy, a talent gap, maintenance, and integration are ongoing. However, by taking caution while adopting AI services, you can avoid or minimize these issues afterward. An essential part of people management through AI systems is discovering and using reliable learning databases and the proper implementation approaches. Companies and their HR departments are encouraged to customize their strategies to deploy AI in the workplace to match the evolving expectations of their workforce worldwide.
Hiring strategies that may have been adequate or even successful just a few years ago need to be reevaluated and retooled.
The recent challenges faced by many businesses across the country in finding qualified staff, particularly relative to the glut of available labor less than 15 years ago, highlights the dynamic nature of the American labor market and demonstrates the importance for an active and dynamic human resources approach to the hiring process.
“Following the 2008/2009 recession, we saw job openings decline and candidates (especially new college grads) struggle to find employment opportunities in a cutthroat employers’ market,” says Ed Barrientos CEO of Brazen. “Not only was there an influx of candidates and no job openings, but those roles that were open required 3-5 years of experience for entry-level roles, and other unrealistic criteria.”
Retooling Hiring Strategies
Today, of course, the situation is much different. Companies across a variety of sectors are struggling to find enough employees to simply maintain their base operations, let alone undertake new initiatives. In this changing environment, the hiring strategies that may have been adequate or even successful just a few years ago need to be reevaluated and retooled.
“Employers can reevaluate and realign hiring policies by making sure their HR technology is up-to-date and the external messages being communicated to candidates is accurate and reflective of the job market,” says Barrientos. “This includes updating job descriptions and experience requirements, recruiters being accessible and flexible through text-based chat or video interviews, and timely follow ups to candidates. Heading into 2021, employers need to adjust their expectations and hiring criteria to course correct to the modern hiring climate – more job openings than candidates in a steadfast employees’ market.”
Change is Constant
The U.S. labor market is far from monolithic, and even the current struggle to find workers is not unprecedented. The labor market goes through periods of varying supply and demand for labor; sometimes employers have considerable leverage and a wealth of candidates to choose from; other times it’s workers who have a multitude of options. A hiring and recruitment process existing within the context of this shifting and dynamic labor market can’t afford to remain static and rely on old strategies to succeed in new climates.
Diversity at the highest levels of organizations is lacking because there isn’t enough diversity at the lower levels of organizations.
This article was first published November 15, 2021, by HR Daily Advisor, a sibling publication to HealthLeaders.
One of the many obstacles that get in the way of greater diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the corporate world is what is known as the pipeline problem. While there is controversy over whether the problem is a significant impediment to D&I efforts or simply a convenient excuse, the general premise is that diversity at the highest levels of organizations is lacking because there isn’t enough diversity at the lower levels of organizations. The reason there isn’t sufficient diversity in organizations generally is because there isn’t enough diversity in a particular field at the higher education level.
Without weighing in on the debate around the magnitude of the pipeline problem, increased diversity and an increased emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at the university level can help promote those goals in the corporate world, as graduates leave school to start their careers with a greater appreciation for DEI.
Ivanie Bronson: Poised to Make a Difference
Our subject for this installment of our series on chief diversity officers (CDOs) has experience in both the corporate and the higher education settings and has excellent insights to share on the subject, including her own experiences and the steps her organization takes to make a difference in both the education and business contexts.
Ivanie Bronson is Walden University’s Vice President of HR and its CDO. One of the reasons Walden University was created was to address a lack of diversity, access, and opportunity for adult learners in higher education and beyond. “Walden University was founded more than 50 years ago to support working professionals and underserved populations in achieving their academic goals and making a greater impact in their professions and communities,” says Bronson.
“We’ve grown into a university that serves more than 55,000 students and over 158,000 alumni from 165 countries. Our student base is more than 51% minority and 78% women, and our average age of student is 40,” she adds.
Bronson’s DEI Journey: From Education to Corporate and Back
Bronson’s own journey in the DEI field began in higher education. She earned her BS in Psychology and MA in Industrial Organizational Psychology because she wanted to use her skills in a business setting.
“When I was pursuing my master’s, I was able to get an internship with CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield,” Bronson says. “The internship was in the HR department, and my assignment was to create their affirmative action business strategy and implementation plan.” Her internship later transitioned into a full-time role, and she stayed with the company for about 10 years.
In her next role, Bronson served as senior director of HR at Discovery. “It was while I was at Discovery that I led a number of diversity and inclusion initiatives, including development of an extensive employee affinity program,” she notes.
Bronson has leveraged her experience at Discovery in her current role as CDO at Walden University, which she says meshes well with the university’s core goals. “The role is, in many ways, an extension of Walden’s mission of providing diverse talent that not only has skills that answer workforce needs but passion for making positive social change,” Bronson says.
Walden promotes D&I throughout the university through ongoing employee outreach and engagement, as well as to its students and alumni. It has also established various employee affinity groups, including two recent ones geared toward parents and the LGBTQIAP+ community.
Taking a Strategic Approach and Pointing to Real Results
Through HR initiatives, the university has developed a pay equity analysis and strategic plan and is leveraging a comprehensive recruiting outreach strategy targeting key diverse demographics.
“Last but not least, several of our departments came together this year to form the Cultural Moments Committee (CMC), which celebrates diversity, equity and inclusion across the university during Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Military Appreciation Month, Pride Month and more,” says Bronson. “This diverse group creates campaigns and strategies to celebrate cultural and other types of diversity inside and outside of the university, while raising awareness and educating on important topics related to these communities. It’s been an exciting undertaking that has led to some very interesting discussions you can see on Walden’s YouTube page.”
For Women’s History Month, the CMC organized a discussion on the importance of diversifying the C-suite and corporate boards with Walden University’s CEO, Paula Singer; Board Chair Toni Freeman; and Provost and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Sue Subocz. As accomplished women in leadership positions, they talked about their experiences and barriers in climbing the corporate ladder, their efforts toward advancing gender and racial equality, and the importance of diversity for company growth and success.
Walden’s drive for improving DEI and the wider world has seen impressive results, as illustrated by some statistics Bronson shared:
Walden is No. 1 among 380 accredited U.S. institutions for awarding doctorates to African Americans, according to the Survey of Earned Doctorates, National Science Foundation (2019).
Walden is No. 1 in awarding master’s degrees in nursing to Native Americans and No. 2 to Asian Americans (Diverse).
According to Diverse: Issues in Higher Education’s 2020 Top 100 Producers of Minority Graduate Degrees[AF2] , Walden is No. 1 in awarding doctoral (research/scholarship) degrees to African Americans in business administration, management, and operations; health professions and related programs; homeland security and related protective services; mental and social health services and allied professions; psychology; public administration and social service professions; public health; and nursing.
Walden is No. 1 in awarding doctoral (research/scholarship) degrees to Asian Americans in business administration, management, and operations; psychology; public administration and social service professions; and public health (Diverse).
Walden is No. 2 in awarding doctoral (research/scholarship) degrees to Hispanics in psychology, public administration and social service professions, and public health (Diverse).
Walden is No. 2 in awarding doctoral (research/scholarship) degrees to Native Americans in psychology, public administration and social service professions, and nursing (Diverse).
Greater diversity in higher education has long been a goal of advocates of DEI. But diversity alone, whether among students, faculty, or staff, is just part of the picture. Meaningfully pursuing equity and inclusion, along with diversity, is a goal Bronson and the team at Walden University have set for themselves.
The success they can already point to represents numbers to be proud of. Walden is poised to make a difference where it matters: at the top of the pipeline.
To stand apart from the crowd and get the attention of phenomenal potential employees, there isn’t much wiggle room for error.
This article was first published November 12, 2021, by HR Daily Advisor, a sibling publication to HealthLeaders.
Struggling to see the fruits of your recruitment efforts? As we plan out 2022 and turn the corner into the new year, there’s no better time to take stock of where your HR department is at with finding the best and brightest.
In today’s job market, recruiting is different than ever before. It’s more competitive, more intense, and more skewed towards the applicant than ever. We’ve all seen the plethora of Now Hiring signs as we drive through town, and we’ve all had the worried conversations with colleagues in our industry. That means that in order to stand apart from the crowd and get the attention of phenomenal potential employees, there isn’t much wiggle room for error. Your competitors are going after the same people, with similar salary options, and the seemingly-small bumps in the road can make a huge difference when it comes to an applicant’s decision.
Take a look of your recruitment process and do a quick audit to make sure things are running smoothly. The more streamlined you can make your process, the easier you’ll find it is to get new talent in the pipeline and fill any open positions you have available. Need some tips to start with? Here are four mistakes recruiters are still making—and how to finally call them quits.
Sending Broad, Unspecific Recruitment Emails
When you send out recruitment emails, do they sound as if they’re being sent to a real human being you’ve taken the time to research? Or are you just copy/pasting the same template you’ve been using for years? Top talent is getting slammed with recruitment information right now, and you don’t want to fall into the crowd.
It’s pretty easy to hit delete on a generic email that was clearly sent to hundreds of people. Remember that the goal in 2021 is standing out. If there’s an applicant you’re really interested in, you’re going to need to make your outreach specific. Mention why you’re reaching out to them—not just, “we thought you’d be a great fit for this role!” but details of what led you to that conclusion.
Find a connection you can highlight, like a mutual connection or interest. It’s much harder for people to delete emails from people that clearly put time into the note, and it’s going to help your company stand out as one that’s detail oriented. At the end of the day, it’s also a bit of flattery—but it works. If someone thinks you saw something special in them, it’s going to make them think twice about taking you up on your offer to talk.
Does this take more time? Yes. But if you want your recruitment efforts to pay off, you’ll consider it. After all, what will really take time is a wasteful recruitment process that doesn’t end in new hires.
Not Involving Your Entire Hiring Team in the Recruitment Process
Chances are, you aren’t the only person involved in hiring decisions. There are other people that get to interview or test new applicants. It’s essential to involve those people from the get-go. They don’t need to have their hands on every inch of the application, but even something as simple as a conversation about what kind of person they’d like to see in the role will save you time.
Otherwise, you may get in the awkward position of recruiting applicants that continuously get rejected by management. Make sure to ask the other members of the hiring team if they have any red flags, automatic disqualifiers, or star qualities they’re looking for. That will help streamline your process and lead to more effective recruitment overall.
If you want to take things a step further, run your top recruits past management before shooting them an introductory email. At some point, it’s important not to have too many cooks in the kitchen: an overload of opinions gets messy, and not everyone has the same amount of expertise or power. But recruiting doesn’t need to be a solo show.
Failing to Consider In-House Recruitment
Are you automatically turning to recruitment strategies without remembering your own employees? Oftentimes, there may be people slipping under the radar that would be a perfect fit for the position. Even if nobody’s expressed interest, you can still take some time to focus on in-house recruitment. Ask around—managers can often see who’s doing stand-out work better than employees can.
Furthermore, employees may not have a full understanding of what the new position would entail, but may actually have the perfect skillset for it. In particularly tough recruiting markets like we have now, employees who already work for your company may be the most motivated to make a new position work. After all, they already know the company culture, wouldn’t have to relocate, and are familiar with the work you do.
That can make recruitment a much easier sell, and will likely save you time and money in terms of HR onboarding. By skipping right to out-of-house recruitment, you may be overlooking valuable employees and spending resources unnecessarily.
Not Diversifying Your Recruitment Strategy
Lastly, just because you’ve been doing something a certain way for years doesn’t mean that it’s still working. In today’s world, changing technologies and political atmospheres can make the job market rocky and the recruitment efforts difficult. It’s essential to not get stuck in your ways and be open to new ideas.
One of the biggest mistakes a recruiter can make is failing to diversify their recruitment strategy. While you do want to have a system in place, that system shouldn’t rely on only one recruitment method. If all of your eggs are in one basket and that basket suddenly crumbles, you can be in a crisis zone in an instant. If you’ve always reached out to people at in-person networking events?
Try perusing LinkedIn. Rely heavily on Instagram? Implement an employee recruitment bonus. Always posting on job boards? Try picking up the phone and doing some cold calls instead. Keep your recruitment strategy multi-laned and diverse so that you’re not missing out on potential talent.
Fair compensation with a robust benefits package is just the starting point for many of today’s candidates.
This article was first published November 8, 2021, by HR Daily Advisor, a sibling publication to HealthLeaders.
In an era of increasing globalization and surging demand for highly skilled workers, recruiting and retaining talent can pose a formidable challenge for employers. This challenge is only amplified by the fact that the needs and expectations of today’s workforce are rapidly evolving. But what perks should you offer today’s jobseekers to ensure your company is the employer of choice in your domain?
Pay Is Just the Beginning
Today’s jobseekers, in some ways, aren’t that different from prospects of the past. They’re looking for fair compensation and a robust benefits package; ideally, one that includes generous vacation time and a 401k.
But that’s just the starting point for many of today’s candidates. In fact, these more traditional perks of good pay and great benefits may not even be top of mind for some employees. A Fast Company survey found that more than 70% of workers said that they were more likely to choose to work at a company with a strong environmental agenda.
And what that means, above all, is that today’s workers are looking to align themselves with a company that shares their values. Thus, your ideal candidates are likely not just looking to work for pay. They’re also looking to work for a purpose.
Prioritizing Well-Being
Not only do employees want to be able to take pride in the organization to which they choose to devote their time and efforts, they also want to feel that they’re more than just a number on the payroll to their employer. They want to work for a company that truly cares for their physical, emotional, and mental well-being — and is willing to prove it by offering perks that increase their happiness and satisfaction, both in the office and beyond it.
For example, allowing your employees to bring their pets to work can be a great boost to employee morale and productivity. Studies have also found that having pets in the workplace helps to reduce your employees’ stress and promote team cohesion. And this benefit can be a particularly enticing perk to promote in a recruiting ad, allowing you to stand apart from your competitors in attracting top talent!
Offering perks that truly demonstrate that your company cares about its employees’ wellbeing doesn’t end at the office door. It’s also important to offer benefits that help employees practice self-care, particularly as your workers endeavor to cope with the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Your employees may be working remotely at least some of the time, which can mean that they are continuing to experience the mental health challenges that accompany prolonged social isolation.
Offering your employees perks that help them cultivate their physical and mental health can be instrumental not just in attracting talent but in keeping it. And, in the process, you will be building a healthier, happier, and more productive workforce!
So, consider offering benefits that support your employees’ overall wellbeing, such as flex time and remote work opportunities for employees with young children or those who care for elderly parents. Provide fringe benefits such as free gym and spa memberships, access to mental health services, and, for your remote workers especially, opportunities for socializing safely with colleagues outside of business hours.
Investing in Employees
It’s difficult to find talent willing to invest themselves and their careers in your company if your company isn’t also willing to invest in them. This is true for traditional, hybrid, and remote employees alike. Increasingly, employees are looking for the opportunity to grow with their company, to be challenged, and to progress in their career path.
And that means providing your workforce, both co-campus and remote, with ample learning opportunities to enable them to advance their professional skills and move forward, and up, with your organization. There are many ways to do this, such as offering tuition reimbursement for courses completed or degrees earned. You might offer in-house training opportunities, as well. Or, you may provide incentives such as bonuses or promotions for any relevant professional training, certifications, or licensures your employees earn.
The Takeaway
Your employees are the heart and soul of your organization. However, it’s not always easy to attract, let alone retain, the best talent. But understanding the needs and expectations of today’s workforce can facilitate that process. Now, more than ever, employees want to work for a company whose values align with their own, a company that truly cares about its employees’ well-being, and a company that offers employees ample opportunity to grow not only in their career but in their skills and knowledge.
Employers should be open and candid with remote staff, and staff in general, about policies around multiple employers.
This article was first published November 9, 2021, by HR Daily Advisor, a sibling publication to HealthLeaders.
One of the top concerns for managers with respect to widespread remote work was that employee productivity would suffer, in part due to the related concern that the ability of managers to oversee subordinates would be diminished if they weren’t physically in the same location.
By and large, however, companies have found that productivity hasn’t taken the major hit they had feared. However, it’s hard to deny the practical reality that it’s generally more difficult to closely supervise workers remotely than in person.
Double-Dipping Employees
Employers fearing workers aren’t spending their time on the clock appropriately may be alarmed to hear that recent survey data from ResumeBuilder found that roughly seventy percent of remote workers actually have a second job! Thirty-seven percent of those with a second job have a second full-time job. “Additionally, most people with two full-time jobs work fewer hours than the standard for full-time employment,” according to a ResumeBuilder press release.
“Forty-seven percent of respondents from this group say they work 40 hours or less per week at both jobs combined. In contrast, only 23 percent of remote workers, with two full-time jobs, log 80 or more work hours each week.”
At first glance, this might seem like a manager’s worst remote-work nightmare: not only are millions of remote workers relatively unsupervised compared to in-office workers, but most of them are actually working for someone else at the same time!
Establish and Communicate Ground Rules and Expectations
Of course, just because a remote worker has a second job doesn’t mean they’re slacking off at their first job or that an employer is paying them to work for someone else. There is generally nothing wrong with an employee working at more than one job—even multiple full-time jobs—provided certain ground rules are respected.
Employers should be open and candid with remote staff, and staff in general, about policies around multiple employers. It’s perfectly reasonable, for example, for companies to enforce policies against disclosing confidential information outside of their organization.
Furthermore, it’s reasonable to prohibit employees from moonlighting for competitors, moonlighting during certain times essential to their job responsibilities or from using company equipment (i.e., laptops, company-paid internet service, etc.) in support of a second job. At the end of the day, what is most important is that the employee can fulfill their job duties and not violate any fiduciary or confidentiality obligations.
It might seem shocking to some employers to learn that so many remote employees are working at more than one job; however, there’s nothing inherently illegal about moonlighting. The key for employers is to have clear and fair policies in place to put guard rails around the practice to ensure staff are meeting their obligations, regardless of whatever activities they engage in off the clock.
With the widespread shift to remote work triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, some observers are questioning whether office perks may be a thing of the past.
This article was first published November 2, 2021, by HR Daily Advisor, a sibling publication to HealthLeaders.
In the Information Age, companies’ most valuable asset is their human capital. Organizations compete aggressively to hire the best and brightest employees because those employees help their company outperform competitors through their ability to innovate and strategize. Therefore, it’s not surprising that companies try to get as much value as they can from these employees, often expecting staff to put in long hours and work nights and weekends—something that is especially true for salaried workers.
Nonmonetary Incentives to Drive Engagement and Productivity
In line with the mantra “work hard; play hard” and to provide attractive, nonmonetary incentives to recruit and retain top talent, many companies began going all out on office “perks.”
This doesn’t simply mean free coffee and snacks in the breakroom. It can also mean things like company-run fitness centers, childcare facilities, and luxury office lounges. Google is perhaps the poster child for office perks, offering its employees not only free food and coffee but also juice bars, free fitness classes, and nap pods.
The Pandemic Impact on Perks
With the widespread shift to remote work triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, some observers are questioning whether Google-like plush office perks may be a thing of the past. Many workers would prefer working from home over an office with free coffee. As the much-discussed Great Resignation has shown, many adults are eschewing work altogether.
Still, while some see the post-COVID world as one in which office perks simply lack the allure they once held, others still see value in creating an in-person office environment that’s attractive to workers.
“One technique for those companies who want to lure their people back is to promise them a more enticing workplace,” writes Anna Jones in an article for BBC Worklife. She points to Linda Morey-Burrows, principal director of London-based interior design firm Morey-Smith, as a case in point. Morey-Burrows acknowledges that companies can’t “just rely on the sort of in-office attractions they offered before.” In fact, she adds, “People working at home have managed just fine—and remained productive—without free coffee and massages. Many are also less stressed. But the downside of homeworking, for some, has been the isolation, or juggling work around family duties or housemates.”
While the changes ushered in by the pandemic may have altered employees’ and employers’ opinions on office perks, some still believe there’s value in creating a workplace employees enjoying spending time in.
In what’s likely to be a hybrid work model for many organizations moving forward, companies shouldn’t completely disregard the value of office perks just yet.
Though e-mail has been the main method of communication for just a few decades, employees are looking to other forms of communication for collaborating with their colleagues.
Before the mid-1990s, e-mail was a relative novelty in office communication. Today, of course, it’s perhaps the most prevalent medium for colleagues to communicate back and forth. But though it’s been the main method of communication for just a few decades, there are signs employees are increasingly looking to alternative forms of communication for collaborating with their colleagues.
New Communication Channels Challenging E-Mail
New data from Rocket.Chat reveals that most employees are questioning the dominant role of e-mail in office communications, with 65% of survey respondents preferring to message and video chat coworkers through a single, centralized platform rather than toggling between e-mail and another platform.
Furthermore, less formal text-based communication—once almost exclusively used for quick touch points with coworkers inside the same organization—has become increasingly accepted as a medium for external communication, as well. According to the Rocket.Chat data, over 70% of employees now use instant messaging platforms to communicate with others, such as vendors, partners, and suppliers, proving that instant messaging doesn’t just have to be internal.
Benefits and Drawbacks of Instant Messaging
The Rocket.Chat study also finds that respondents prefer instant messaging over e-mail because of these three main benefits:
Quicker response times (70%)
Easier to share/send files (52%)
More intuitive collaboration (43%)
This doesn’t necessarily mean instant messaging is a perfect replacement for traditional e-mail—far from it. There are many limitations and disadvantages of this medium.
For one, it’s likely many companies will consider instant messaging too informal for business-to-business communication. Additionally, instant messaging platforms generally don’t have anywhere near the robust support for sending attachments, such as PDFs, spreadsheets, slide decks, and text files, that traditional e-mail supports. Moreover, established e-mail platforms tend to be better for archiving past conversations for easy retrieval and tracking.
Despite the many advantages of e-mail over instant messaging, it’s clear that the latter is becoming an accepted and valued form of communication for both internal and external discussions.
Have you introduced instant messaging as a communication option in your organization? What benefits could instant messaging offer your company and employees?
It’s tempting to blame all of the job openings on the market right now, but there are things you can do to increase your chances of finding the right people.
This article was first published October 27, 2021, by HR Daily Advisor, a sibling publication to HealthLeaders.
Having a hard time filling your job roles? You’re not alone. If it feels like everywhere is hiring these days, it’s because they are! That means in order to attract the top talent, your job description needs to stand out and your interview experience needs to be top notch. It’s frustrating to pour time, energy, and resources into recruitment, only to feel as if you aren’t securing your openings with the right people—or securing them at all.
If you’re putting forth your A game and still not seeing the results you were hoping for, either in terms of job applications or accepted offers, it may be time to take a look at your process. It’s tempting to blame all of the job openings on the market right now, but there are things you can do to increase your chances of finding the right people.
Try and take a proactive approach to clean up your recruitment process and take some important steps towards filling yoru open roles. Think of your hiring pipeline as a hose: you need to find the kink where it isn’t working. There’s no point in fixing the end—like the salary—if the real problem is in the beginning, such as where you’re posting the job opening.
Walk through your hiring process and see where exactly things are falling flat. It’s the first step to improving your hiring rate and filling those open spots.
Are You Getting Enough Interest?
First things first—take a long, hard look at your job description webpage. How many clicks does it have? The very first problem you may be encountering is a lack of buzz or interest. You need to make sure you’re casting your net wide enough. Check out industry-specific job boards, LinkedIn, your social media pages, or other locations online you could be sharing the news that you’re hiring. Make sure your brand presence is in tip-top shape so that when people check you out online, they’re excited at the possibility of working for you.
Also, look at where your competitors are posting job openings. Simply google your competitors name and “careers”, and you can see the places they’ve gone to attract talent. This can be an incredibly helpful tactic to ensure that your job openings are getting in front of the right eyes.
You also might consider investing in social media ads. Although it may feel like a waste of money to throw cash at finding the right people, a simple ad on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram has the potential to connect you to an entirely new audience. If you really need to fill a position quickly and are having a hard time doing so, targeted social media ads may be something to consider.
Are You Getting Enough Applications?
Another important aspect to consider is the conversion rate of your application webpage. If a lot of people seem to be checking out your job description but not applying, have you tried to identify why that is? You don’t just want people to read your description—that step where they decide to hit “apply” is the most important part of the process.
Start at the beginning. Is there a tech issue, or another problem with your application system? Maybe it’s too complex or frustrating for people to fill out. Perhaps it doesn’t work on mobile, or specific internet browsers. By taking the time to ensure your description and application are technically sound, you’re eliminating a large barrier for potential applicants and making your applicant pool that much wider.
Next, look at the job description. Does it sound enticing enough? Did you make sure to include the most exciting roles and responsibilities the job has? Have you considered including some basic information about benefits and salary, or other perks such as remote work and retirement matches? Small additions like this can completely change a job-seekers mind when it comes to deciding whether or not to apply.
If you feel like the problem may be your job description, talk to some of your current employees and find out what they like about working for your company. Is there a way you could rope their words into the description? Employee testimonials can go a long way when trying to get a person excited about joining your team.
Finally, make your timeline clear. Include a date when you’d like to have the position filled by. This will help you secure applications from people who aren’t necessarily looking for a job change, but are excited about the chance to work for your company. Otherwise, those same people may just think that they’ll apply one day in the “future”, or assume that the process is going to take ages.
By specifying a start date, you’re implementing a sense of urgency that can be useful for getting your application numbers up.
Are You Getting Enough Accepted Offers?
Lastly, when you give job offers, are they being accepted? If you’re receiving plenty of buzz on your application and lots of completed applications coming through, but failing to secure commitment from applicants, there may be something wrong with the offer itself.
The easiest thing to do here is simply ask people why they’re turning your job down. At this point, they likely have nothing to lose and will be transparent and honest. You can then learn if the issue was the benefits package, the salary, the workload, the commute, or another factor.
But if you’re getting a wide variety of answers or mostly hearing personal reasons jobs were turned down, take a look at the details of the job position. Is the salary adequate with the market rate? Are the responsibilities laid out clearly? Are you willing to accept remote or flex work? These are the kinds of things job applicants are really looking for in 2021. It’s an applicant’s job market at the moment, and you’re going to have to make your position competitive in order to secure top talent.