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When it comes time to fill an open job position, proactive companies don’t just wait for qualified applicants to come to them. They may already have a list of people they’d be interested in hiring. But how do you start a conversation with someone who’s already employed? Couldn’t that be seen as the dreaded “poaching”?
Poaching gets a bad rap, likely because the name is a reference to illegal hunting practices. But poaching talent isn’t illegal. In fact, in some industries, it’s remarkably common. If you’re seeking an employee with a very specific, technical skill set, it makes sense to look at whom a competitor has working for it. But poaching still has a negative connotation within most industries, and it makes HR departments particularly wary. Companies are afraid of both their employees being poached and being seen within their industry as “poachers.”
But making sure your business has the best-possible talent working for it isn’t something to be ashamed of. Here’s how to walk the line between being an unethical “poacher” and being a perfectly-within-your-rights “recruiter.”
Why Are People So Afraid of Poaching?
Poaching is an emotionally charged term that refers to the business practice of intentionally going to someone who’s already employed and convincing him or her to jump ship for your company. Understandably, companies are afraid of their employees leaving for greener pastures. No matter how well your employees prepare you for their exit, work will probably be ceased, or at least a bit bumpy, while you search for their replacement. It’s also frustrating when the employees weren’t looking for a new job due to unhappiness or changing circumstances but instead just had more money or benefits dangled in front of them like a carrot. It may make you feel angry at the other company or even at the employees.
But recruiting is an age-old hiring practice that really isn’t anything new and doesn’t need to be emotional. Companies want the best of the best working for them, but the best of the best probably aren’t sitting around unemployed. They’re making major things happen for other businesses. So looking at other companies isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it’s probably smart! If you’re attending industry conferences and putting time into networking, you know that you’re in competition with other businesses for the best talent. Directly inviting people to learn more about your company isn’t something to be afraid of.
What Makes Poaching Seem Shady?
Poaching may be annoying for businesses, but it usually doesn’t cross an ethical boundary—unless, of course, you’re doing things illegally. When recruiting employees, you need to be aware of any nondisclosure agreements or private things they’ll be leaving with their previous company. For instance, if your hope is that by hiring new salespeople, they’ll bring along a long list of their previous clients, you may want to reconsider. There are likely strict rules in place preventing this. This is also true for companies that are designing new products or services. Furthermore, businesses may have a rule in place that prevents employees from working at a similar company within a few years of their current employment in order to prevent trade secrets from being revealed.
But a business shouldn’t recruit someone just because it’s hoping for client connections or secret information. Recruits should be people you truly think would be a great fit for your company due to their skills and personality. If that’s how you’re going about the process, you’re not “poaching”—you’re just recruiting.
Furthermore, pay attention to where you’re recruiting from. If all of your employees used to work at the same company, that begins to look a bit unethical, or as if you’re trying to take the other business down. Don’t just go after employees from one business if you’re a headhunter. Instead, focus on specific skill sets or industries. That way, you can assemble great talent without a competitor getting angry with you for specifically “stealing” its people.
How Can You Limit Poaching from Your Business?
Are people swayed by money? Of course. So if a company comes in and offers your employee a higher salary, the easiest course would be to simply offer to match it. But even if you can’t do so, there are other practices you can implement to improve your employee satisfaction and make people love working for you. If employees think they have a terrific job, they’re unlikely to fall victim to recruiters. Yes, this may have to do with money—you want your employees to be fairly compensated and to give benefits that help families. But you can also think about your company culture. How do you make sure employees feel celebrated and welcomed? Flexibility is a key concern, too; in fact, many employees may prioritize flexibility over a larger paycheck. Do you allow employees to work remotely if need be? Can they adjust their hours in order to pick kids up from school? If you’re able to implement some of these best practices, you may be able to cut down on poaching. This is where employee feedback comes in. If you aren’t regularly asking your employees how satisfied they are, you’re missing an important opportunity to improve your compensation or culture, and you may find yourself losing out to recruiters.
How Should You Handle an Employee Being Recruited from You?
At the end of the day, your employees have every right to decide where to work and to make the best decisions for themselves and their families. It may be frustrating, but if no rules are being broken, there’s no reason to get emotional or to refer to it as “poaching.” Job turnover is simply part of keeping a company running. Wish them well, have a solid exit interview to find out how you could have potentially kept them around, and get to work finding their replacement. Now may be your turn to recruit a star employee you’ve had your eye on.
Traditional learning has always been more limited, but these days, games and other forms of practical experience can be very beneficial in learning business skills.
The development of educational gaming technologies has given a powerful impetus to the professional training of adults. Simulation forms of employee training are becoming more and more popular in corporate training.
eLearning Benefits
In our understanding, play is a unique phenomenon. Play is a vast field of human creativity. All these pictures, three-dimensional images, live sounds, and an exciting plot are immersed in an imaginary world. Reality ceases to exist for a while. Competing with someone or something or identifying with one or another role, students learn new behavior patterns, test their strength, and strive for higher achievements. Their potential gets the opportunity to be involved in the game, often in a more intense and pure form than in everyday life. Traditional learning has always been more limited, but nowadays, games and other forms of practical experience can be very beneficial in learning business skills. No doubt, some might question whether a business degree is worth it because business skills require more pragmatic engagement.
How Can eLearning Be Used to Improve the Effectiveness of Employee Training?
Although the initial investment in eLearning is not small, it provides the best return on investment in employee training, as it can offer:
Flexibility (you can take it with you)
Scalability
Individual lessons for different levels and positions
Destinations that meet the needs and expectations of modern employees of different generations
Here are a variety of eLearning strategies you can apply and use to ensure the continued growth of your business:
Microlearning and Video-Based Training
Short, small sessions can be used on the go and help students achieve small goals each time. You can use this approach for formal learning in several combined modules or as tutorials. Microlearning can also be used to facilitate self-directed learning, as well as to support instructor-led virtual learning.
Video is highly effective and can add value to your instructional strategy on many levels, as you can use it for both formal training and performance support. Interactive video allows you to interact with students and conduct tests and is excellent for training on leadership development and sales growth. Also, use mobile apps for eLearning, especially for initiatives that are constantly being updated.
Gamification and Personalization
You can increase student engagement by using gamification techniques. It can be applied to most of your corporate training needs, as well as for onboarding, professional and soft skills development, sales training, and more. Gamification is also increasingly being used for compliance education.
The combination of eLearning and microlearning granularity allows for the creation of personalized learning plans. These customized curricula can be tailored based on job title, geography, current knowledge level, or employee interests. This approach creates much higher learning outcomes, as the employee sees highly relevant and specific content.
Scripted and Story-Driven Learning
Story-driven learning is a powerful training approach you can use in corporate compliance training, soft skills, and even application modeling. You can also use scripts to shape correct behavior. Similar to scripted learning, stories are a great way to create engaging learning experiences. This approach is universal and can be used for most corporate training. It is also an excellent tool for managing change or raising awareness.
Forking/Integrated Decision Modeling
This is essentially an extension of script-based learning. You can create complex decision scripts to help employees develop relevant skills. Scenario travel helps employees understand the impact/consequences of their decisions, and you may have branched scenarios based on the choices students make at specific decision points. This approach helps drive sales and teach leadership development.
Curated and User-Generated Content and Virtual Reality in Education
These methods provide employees with access to knowledge bases that contain relevant content and are curated by experts on specific topics and subjects. They can also be personalized and go a long way toward fostering a culture of lifelong learning. You can further enhance student participation by allowing them to contribute to the knowledge base.
Virtual reality offers a very immersive learning experience, though it is expensive to implement and has longer development cycles. However, you can use it as a small part of the overall learning process, which will lower the implementation budget and increase employee engagement.
While many companies predominantly use in-person training for each employee, a significant percentage of organizations actively use eLearning for their personnel. Over the past 5 years, there have been significant changes in how eLearning strategies transform learning and impact employee productivity.
You may have an untapped powerhouse of hiring talent within your organization: your CEO. The pandemic upended how businesses recruit, attract, and retain talent. During a time where millions are unemployed, yet jobs remain unfilled, businesses must consider revamping strategies to grow the workforce. Although hiring is on the rise, the opening of a position does not guarantee candidates will apply for or land one, let alone remain in that role if hired.
Whether a company operates as a hybrid or fully remote work environment in the post-pandemic world, talent acquisition will continue to face ongoing hiring challenges. Across industries, hiring is a cumbersome process for both the candidate and employer. Hours of prospects’ days are devoted to updating résumés, drafting cover letters and extensively researching companies to nail each interview. Tech positions alone take an average of 45 days to recruit talent, which leaves candidates anxiously waiting for an offer letter while companies scramble to conduct several rounds of interviews before making a final decision. Despite all the dedicated time and hard work on both sides, potential applicants still drop out due to the frustrating process.
People Operations leaders are left wondering, “How can we improve the hiring process to boost talent?” The answer could lie in their own C-suite.
Why Every CEO Should Stay Close to the Hiring Process
While networking on LinkedIn and perfecting the Zoom interview experience is critical to establishing a seamless, effective hiring process, HR leaders must look outside the box to engage prospects. Looking at the C-suite, CEOs pull a lot of weight at a company, serving as a role model for many to follow in their footsteps and reflect their behavior. If this shadow mentality starts at the very moment a candidate walks through the door (or logs onto Zoom, for that matter), it’s likely to carry through their time at the company.
CEOs hold a critical position, where they know the ins and outs of the company culture, initiatives, teamwork, and, most importantly, overall vision and mission. When top executives are immersed in every level of hiring, it reveals to candidates a transparent, hands-on culture with leadership involvement in all aspects of the business, thus enticing prospects to remain engaged and attracted throughout the hiring process.
Weaving CEO involvement into various points of the talent acquisition process not only motivates the candidate, but also reveals to current employees that their leaders are present. It’s important for current staff members to feel confident that the leadership team has the company’s and employees’ best interest when expanding talent, which encourages hard work. When CEOs have a hand in the recruitment process, it benefits not only potential future employees, but company culture as a whole.
Exhibit the Company’s Vision and Mission
Having leaders who not only believe in but also actively practice the company's vision and mission will help a prospect obtain a clear understanding of overall business goals, motivating and energizing them to get involved during the hiring process.
However, CEO involvement is much more than popping into the interview to say “hi” and check the box marked “show face.” Successful executive leadership reveals true passion and unique strategies that help determine whether prospects are fully on board with the company’s mission. By blending into the talent acquisition process, a CEO can gauge if the candidate is committed to helping the company reach its goals, ensuring that the company will get the best ROI for the business’s long-term success.
To continue exhibiting the company’s vision and mission after a candidate is hired, it’s important to prioritize a proper, personalized, immersive onboarding experience where the CEO plays a role in training and development. Onboarding programs are essential to setting the tone for new-hire success and weaving them into the larger picture (team structure, collaboration, learning, and development). When CEOs remain present in post-hire initiatives, it reinforces the engagement and support they shared during the hiring process. Consistently exposing new hires to commitment to the company’s vision and mission is key for establishing the company culture. CEO involvement in onboarding not only positively impacts the candidate, but the entire workforce and company bottom line.
Create Long-term Benefits for Entire Company
After a new hire has had time to adjust, the CEO should check in to get a sense for progress, commitment, and behavior that exhibits the employee’s dedication to the company’s vision, mission, values, culture, and goals. A review within the first 90 days, either individually or in small, organized groups, will reveal where the new hire is on their onboarding journey, as well as provide an opportunity for candid feedback on the hiring process. It’s important for the CEO to be up-front about welcoming positive, constructive feedback on the overall onboarding process, and to invite suggestions to improve the employee experience.
When new hires have a personable experience with the CEO throughout the hiring and onboarding process, it establishes that the CEO is present and accessible not just for the new employee but for the entire company, and reinforces for current employees that their leader considers involvement in talent acquisition a worthy endeavor.
Even well beyond onboarding, it’s critical for leaders and CEOs to persistently provide the kind of encouragement that gets employees excited and makes work a rewarding experience. Many businesses benefit from utilizing external resources to support this process, such as integrating objective and key results (OKRs), to encourage transparency and show employees how their individual work contributes to the larger company vision and mission. Seeing the “supply chain” of how their day-to-day work reaches business goals provides validation and creates enthusiasm.
In the post-pandemic world, revamping hiring strategies and enhancing talent acquisition are easier said than done. Transparency and involvement at the CEO level is key to a successful workplace and a strong workforce. From accommodating new preferences and addressing new challenges in the early stages of hiring to the exciting moment of sharing (or receiving) an offer letter, the CEO plays a bigger role than one may think. But the benefits reach far beyond just hiring. CEO involvement helps companies choose the perfect candidate by planting the company’s overall goals in the new hire’s mind from the start, ensuring long-term benefits for the business and workforce.
Whether at a family holiday or social function, people are sometimes asked: “So, how much do you make?” It’s an awkward question because Americans are private and sensitive about discussing money. The natural instinct for many when faced with such a question is to simply say, “That’s none of your business.”
But when it comes to similarly situated workers, that awkward question has more validity. Whether a job applicant reaches out to a current employee to get a sense of how the compensation structure works or two current employees at the same seniority level quiz each other to see if they’re being fairly compensated, there is a real utility in having information on another’s pay.
Salary Discussions Still Sensitive
Still, as Kate Morgan writes in an article for BBC Worklife, one’s salary is still very much a sensitive subject, despite legal prohibitions against punishing employees for sharing. She writes, “In many sectors in the US, a combination of longstanding taboos and company policies keep people from discussing how much money they make—a phenomenon known as 'pay secrecy.' Despite legislation that prohibits companies from punishing workers who disclose their pay, many people still work in environments where they don’t or can’t talk about money—something that has profound knock-on effects on wage equality.”
Opening the Door to Compensation Conversations
So why would companies be so keen on maintaining the secrecy of employee compensation? Well, remember the old adage “knowledge is power.” Employees who have a clearer picture of what their services are worth are more likely to ask for more money.
“Companies are motivated to promote pay secrecy, either covertly or overtly, because it often saves them money,” says Morgan. “It can mean that new hires don’t know what kind of a salary is reasonable for their role—and some may end up receiving lower pay as a result. It can also affect workers already on the career ladder; if people aren’t aware they’re underpaid in comparison to their colleagues, they’re less likely to ask for—or have the leverage to secure—large pay rises.”
Companies need to be careful with policies around sharing salary information. Not only may they be violating laws against punishing employees for sharing that information, but they also may be damaging employee morale and trust.
Many people are fully aware of how their body language can communicate their feelings and emotions to the outside world, whether intentionally or not. For instance, crossed arms might signal defensiveness or hostility, consistent eye contact can relay a sense of confidence, leaning forward can suggest engagement and interest.
But with the widespread shift to remote work in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of Americans have shifted to remote work, and for many that remote work is likely to remain a feature of employment for the foreseeable future, even as the pandemic subsides. This means, among other things, that common visual cues around body language are more difficult to pick up in the new remote world. Sure, there is widespread use of video conferencing tools, but these don’t fully mimic the nuances of in-person body language.
Understanding Digital Body Language
“So, what exactly IS digital body language? Is it how you hold yourself on video calls? The emojis you use in group chats? How do you announce yourself on conference calls?” asks Shama Hyder in an article for Inc. Hyder suggests that a number of relevant cues can be picked up through various aspects of digital communications in a manner similar to how body language is read.
“These components, along with all the other numerous little details of how we communicate--whether on the phone, via a messaging app like Slack, on video chat, or through email--are what create our digital body language,” he says. The ability to read that language is critical, he says, for creating a positive work environment in remote and hybrid settings.
Something as simple as including a smiling emoji on an email or text can help set a friendly, disarming tone with colleagues and subordinates and change an email requesting a status update of a project from something that could be taken as demanding and impatient to a casual, friendly check-in.
Honing Your Digital Language Interpretation
The fact that millions of Americans have shifted to a remote work setting means that it’s more important than ever to be conscious of how communication is received. While working in-person in an office allowed coworkers to rely on body language to communicate more effectively, that becomes more challenging in a remote setting.
Nevertheless, digital body language can help bridge the gap as long as employees understand how to leverage it. It’s another form of communication that companies should be alert to as they help train their employees for success in the new world of work.
As we transition out of the last turbulent 18 months, businesses, employers, and the HR industry must turn their attentions to a diverse, inclusive, and unbiased approach.
Inequality is a word that is often thrown around when it comes to workplace culture. And whilst we live in a world that continues to fight against it, we still find ourselves on a mission to close a whole host of gaps; age, gender, and ethnicity, to name but a few. But, as we transition out of the turbulence of the last 18 months, it is important for businesses, employers, and the HR industry to turn their attentions to a diverse, inclusive, and unbiased approach.
As of 2020, just 5% of the FTSE 100 have a female chief executive officer, and with a pay gap of up to 33% between men and women in certain sectors, it is something that must continue to be addressed.
And to help aid the continuous battle for diversity and inclusivity within the workplace, David Bernard, CEO of innovative AI (Artificial Intelligence) recruitment platform AssessFirst, explains how data will help employers and recruiters to close the gaps and prevent bias.
On the surface, everything seems relatively fair, but when you start digging a little deeper, it doesn’t take long to realize that things are often unbalanced.
The reasons for pre-existing inequality in the workplace can in some circumstances be complex, however what’s important is how we come together as an industry to ensure that diversity and inclusion within the workplace is a priority for all.
Removing the Bias From Recruitment
As hard as we may try, conventional methods of hiring and recruitment, such as using the CV to be the main filter of talent, are often the cause of bias decision making, even if it’s at a deeply subconscious level.
It is no longer acceptable that people are hired based on their upbringing, education, or appearance, and using CVs as a marker, and face-to-face interviews as a clarifier, does just that.
As humans, we are programmed to find differences in our perceptions distasteful, we are averse to change, and even feedback is naturally offensive. So, with that in mind, how can we be sure that we are making the correct decisions if we only make choices based upon our own beliefs?
It’s clear that we don’t always make the right decisions, no matter how measured we think they may be. But now, thanks to innovative AI technology, we can build a better, non-biased future for recruitment.
Overcoming Inconsistencies and the Collection of Data
Recruiters should be doing everything possible to mitigate inconsistency. The aim of a data driven approach is to remove doubt or bias and provide opportunities for individuals regardless of age, gender, religion, social status and education, disability, or skin color.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, enforcement of gender pay gap reporting has been postponed until 5 October 2021. And whilst some workplaces have still not made the necessary adjustments to allow women to pick up their careers effectively following maternity leave, or to bring up children with flexible working hours, it is now that companies should address the situation and consider this type of circumstantial data to ensure equality: removing workplace inconsistencies.
90% of all data has been created in the last two years, which demonstrates its ongoing impact, growth, and the global scramble to collect, protect and use data wisely. Companies can utilize data to better understand a person’s personality, and what their core values are as they relate to their career.
By utilizing data, businesses can improve consistency and retention within the workplace, creating a more efficient and stable environment for its people. This gives HR departments and companies seeking to hire, the ability to predict performance levels based on science rather than instinct.
Even today, many other algorithmic assessment tools on the market look only at experience, age, and location. But we must align candidates with the right team, management, and environment in order to see potential success, moving past traditional CV-based hiring, and working towards a future of recruitment that specializes in the prediction of human behavior via data, analytics, and artificial intelligence.
Creating a Diverse and Inclusive Workplace
According to reports, 83% of millennials want companies to align with their values. So, if businesses are looking to secure new talent, they must focus on their culture first and foremost.
In this digital first era, implementing a technology-led recruitment process, means businesses and candidates can ensure that everyone feels valued; that they were hired due to their ability, skillset, and personality – nothing more, nothing less.
Artificial intelligence is perhaps the biggest thing to have happened to the recruitment and HR industry, and yet it still requires a human element. In fact, AI technology in this context only enhances the decisions of humans, aiding their roles as opposed to taking them away.
The AI capability of the AssessFirst assessments allows us to effectively learn about a candidate, populating questions for the recruiter to better understand elements of a candidate during interview, allowing them to make the best possible hiring decision.
The technology is designed to be harmonious for all. People remain at the head of the process, knowing that bias is removed from the earliest stages of recruitment, providing the company with a candidate who shares the company values and is perfectly suited to their role.
An algorithmic and predictive psychometric platform allows candidates to feel content in the knowledge that they are a part of a diverse and inclusive workforce whilst assuring businesses that they have made an informed and non-biased decision.
Touches on the shoulder, staring, offensive remarks, and overly personal questions in the break room. Yes, those in-person situations are not with us when we work remotely, but watch out. An evolving workplace environment presents a heightened set of issues. And every company needs to be prepared.
A New Workplace Dynamic
As post-pandemic work shifts to hybrid or fully remote, companies are seeing the upside of having remote employees, such as an expanded talent pool from which to choose and increased retention of satisfied employees who appreciate the flexibility of working from home. There are other pluses as well. An Owl Labs State of Remote Work survey found that remote employees have 79% increased productivity and better focus. And according to CoSo research, 52% are less likely to take time off.
But remote work is not just for the present; it’s central to our future. As reported by CNBC, research by freelance platform Upwork indicates that “by 2025, 36.2 million Americans will be working remotely, an 87% increase from pre-pandemic levels,” and that “as businesses adapt and learn from this remote work experiment, many are altering their long-term plans to accommodate this way of working.”
But as remote work becomes a staple, we are opening our lives to our colleagues as never before. In some ways, it’s refreshingly real and casual. There may be barking dogs, crying babies, interruptions from spouses, and the like. It’s an intimate glimpse into our personal lives—and it sets the stage for interactions to take on a new light. Even something that might start innocently, like a casual comment about clothing, can become a lewd joke about what someone is wearing (or not wearing) on the lower half of their body, out of the camera’s view. Or perhaps offensive or suggestive comments—or emojis, GIFs, and images—come through an online chat, where a perceived anonymity breaks a barrier of a different kind.
Suddenly the boundaries in this remote work environment don’t exist in the same way, but the damage caused by sexual harassment is still just as real.
Emerging Research and Legal Decisions
To help navigate this tricky new environment, let’s look at emerging research and legal decisions related to remote sexual harassment. A 2021 Pew report on The State of Online Harassment showed that roughly four in 10 Americans have experienced online harassment, including sexual harassment or stalking. A recent study from Rights of Women, a UK-based charity, found that sexual harassment of women worsened during the pandemic, with nearly half of it occurring remotely. And in the U.S., legal scholars and court decisions are weighing in, confirming the need to address remote sexual harassment and serving as a marker for the challenges ahead.
Who Is Being Harassed?
On the question of who is being harassed, both in person and remotely, data in the report Sexual Harassment: A Severe and Pervasive Problem, by the research think tank New America, shows that across all sectors, women of lower status are the most common targets of harassment by perpetrators, who are typically men of higher status. But men, particularly those who don’t conform to traditional masculine norms, such as LGBTQ and gender-nonconforming people, can be targets as well. Women can be harassers. People of color, especially women, are more likely to be the subject of harassment than their white counterparts. The report Sexual Harassment in the Workplace, by Rose L. Siuta and Mindy E. Bergman of Texas A&M University, offers similar data.
Remote Harassment and Reporting
In an article in Raconteur, HR consultant Karen Beardsell emphasizes that the isolated nature of working from home can make reporting complex. “Most people who experience harassment might sense-check with a colleague or speak to a member of the HR team before raising an issue more formally,” she says. “These informal chance conversations are not available anymore.” It’s also harder to witness harassment. While it’s easier to spot someone lingering at another person’s desk, making them obviously uncomfortable, remote harassment is more likely to go unseen. And unfortunately, non-reporting can embolden harassers, which may worsen an existing problem.
What You Can Do
There are concrete steps companies can take to tackle sexual harassment in hybrid and fully remote settings. If you’ve not yet addressed the issues of remote sexual harassment at your company, a canvas of views from the experts offers a few basic steps that can get you started.
Remind employees about sexual harassment laws and company policies. Because the law does not make exceptions for remote versus in-person sexual harassment, the same rules apply. A reminder to leaders, managers, and employees can deter inappropriate behavior, as can updates to the policy, if needed.
Track and address remote sexual harassment. Your ability to monitor and address remote situations is just as important as it was in a typical in-person setting, requiring the same sensitivity and prompt action.
Let your brand values and culture be the guide. If your company brand values are well articulated and address appropriate tone and approach for personal interactions, this can be one of your most valuable tools—provided they are shared and explained to all.
Launch or relaunch your sexual harassment training program. As the work environment changes, so do your employees’ training needs. A comprehensive training program delivered virtually that features both remote and hybrid scenarios will be your best defense.
If there’s one thing we can count on, it’s that the workplace will continue to evolve as we move forward with the pandemic in our rear view. With these steps, you’ll be embarking on the initial work you’ll need to protect your organization and your employees in this changing world.
Few companies are able to maintain a steady pace of work at all times and often experience various ebbs and flows of demand. Meeting that demand, without overtaking employees or paying too many people to work with too little demand for their time, can be challenging. But companies have found a variety of ways to smooth out their “lumpy” workloads.
At Futurety, a data analytics firm, about 30% of its work is project-based, says Bill Balderaz, the company’s president. The firm works with niche industries like health care, government, and higher education that, he says, tend to have strict budgeting cycles. Consequently, he adds, “We often have a flurry of data projects that chose and are due shortly before the end of quarters and fiscal years. In the past, during these times our consultants may have 50 or 60 hours of work scheduled. Other months tending to be slow, with our consultants billing 30 hours a week.”
To address these peaks and valleys, Balderaz says, his firm has instituted a couple of strategies. “First, we have shortened weeks during slow periods. We close up early on Fridays during off months so the team can start their weekends early. Secondly, for our retainer clients, we schedule the bulk of their tasks during the times when few projects are due. We also keep the team busy making content and working on internal projects during our slower times. Finally, we work with our clients to offer discounts or other incentives to schedule projects with us during historically slower times.”
Balderaz notes these steps have allowed the company “to significantly level out the lumps and keep the team on a more consistent work schedule.”
Anticipating and Planning for Variable Demand
Certain industries also have natural peaks and valleys in demand. Real estate is one example.
Tyler Forte, founder and CEO of Felix Homes, says that his company is constantly striving to crate the most “financially responsible way to buy or sell a home.” Before starting the firm, he says, “I was a venture capital investor in New York where I was tasked with sourcing early-stage technology companies.”
The real estate industry, Forte adds, “has its peak seasons, generally between the spring and summer months.” Knowing this, “we’re sure to plan our calendars to stock up on extra signs, business cards, sales materials and, of course, additional realty agents.” By planning for peak demand, Forte says, agents are aware of and can prepare to handle a heavier workload. “Assessing our market and our customer patterns more accurately enables us to balance seasonal customer demands with the right number of employees,” he says.
Plan for It!
During their strategic planning cycles, organizations should be looking forward to and anticipating demand for their products and services, as well as cycles of demand.
Daivat Dholakia, director of operations for Force by Mojio, an HGPS fleet tracking resource for small businesses, says, “Senior leaders should consider employee workload when setting company goals.” For example, he notes that “if your business relies on seasonal sales to power through the rest of the year, allocate ‘down time’ to tasks like managing inventory, marketing, and smoothing out issues with customer service.” Less busy times can be “great opportunities to hire, onboard, and train employees or temporary staff to have on hand during the busy season.” He says that he has found “surge staffing to be a great resource when preparing for hugely increased workloads.” Even one or two extra people “can help reduce stress for your long-term employees.”
Dholakia adds that managers have an important role to play in ensuring employees have plenty to do during slow seasons and support during busy ones. Checking in regularly with employees, he says, “is critical to making sure they are staying motivated and productivity.”
Built to Scale
Devon Fata, CEO and founder of Pixoul, a “human-centric web design firm,” says that his company uses two key strategies to manage irregular workloads: “We develop strong procedures and routines, and we scale our workforce.” In many ways, he says, “the core job of our permanent staff is to manage these two things so that when a major project comes our way, we are ready.”
Fata adds that developing strong procedures and routines is “all about making major projects as simple and manageable as possible.” At Pixoul, he says, “we look for anything that can be done the same way form project to project.” Then, the company develops templates to help guide interactions with clients, design decisions, and backend work.
Scaling his workforce has been “something we’ve gotten extremely good at, especially since the pandemic.” Even with excellent routines, Fata acknowledges that “we would be caught between high overhead during downtime and high overtime pay during busy times without using freelancers to round out our workforce.” Over the years, he says, Pixoul has established relationships with several skilled coders, UX designers, writers, and graphic designers the company can call on when new projects come up.
“When we have a project coming up, we know we can bring in people we trust, pay them reasonably for their work, and let them round out their schedules with work for other companies during downtime,” Fata says.
Follow These Tips for Managing Flow
Ben Lamarche, general manager at Lock Search Group, a recruiting and talent management firm, says in his line of work, demand “comes in waves.” To address those waves, he has instituted important practices that he suggests for others:
Divvy up the work equally. This might sound simple enough, Lamarche says, but it’s far too easy to “push a huge chunk of the workload to one or two ‘star performers.’” There is “only so much that one or two people can do.” Managers are “responsible for ensuring that work is divided up equally so that each team member is chipping in as much as the next person is.”
Assign tasks based on each person’s capabilities. While striving for equality when distributing the workload, it helps to also prioritize the work and consider team members’ strengths, adds Lamarche. “For example, some of our team members are best placed to work on assignments with tight deadlines while others deliver better results when working on less time-sensitive tasks. This way, team members complement each other, and the project gets completed.”
Anticipate work waves, and plan accordingly. Over time, Lamarche notes, companies are able to anticipate workflows and make strategic decisions to bring in temporary staff, outsource, or reprioritize. “In our situation, with peak season comes a lot of administrative work so a few weeks as we head into the busy season, we lay out a plan for outsourcing some of this work to free team members to do high-priority work,” Lamarche says.
Finally, enlist employees in identifying demand trends and taking steps to establish policies and procedures to address the peaks and valleys. Working together, it’s possible to find the best solutions to both meet organizational needs and address employees’ needs for a healthy work/life balance.
When you’re interviewing a potential employee, the stakes are high. You want to bring the right person onto the right team in the right role, and which questions you ask can have a huge impact on the process. You’ve probably spent time tailoring your list to include thoughtful questions that will really help you identify whether or not the candidate is a good fit for this particular position.
It’s also important to consider building a rapport with the candidate before jumping into questions, to help him or her feel more relaxed and confident. While it may be tempting to see how a job applicant performs under pressure, diving right into the tough questions may knock them off their A game, and it’s also unfair to someone who’s likely spent many hours preparing for this very important conversation.
It’s often easy to start with some of the more standard questions. You may have even done a Google search of “common job interview questions to ask.” Some of those are perfectly acceptable, such as:
Why did you leave your previous job?
Why are you interested in this position?
What would you be most excited about if you were to be hired by our company?
Which skills do you think you’ll be able to bring to this role? and
Do you have any questions for me about what the role entails?
However, there are some standard interview questions that are better left in the past. They may be outdated, unhelpful, or just obnoxious. Don’t take up valuable interview time by asking questions that aren’t going to achieve your goal of finding the perfect candidate. Here are three interview questions you should make sure to avoid at all costs.
What’s Your Greatest Weakness?
You may be surprised to see this one on the list—after all, it’s extremely common! The intentions behind this question are good. People who are interviewing a potential employee want to make sure they have a full picture of the applicant, and that includes what a person is weakest at. After all, we all have places we can improve, but that isn’t exactly a deal-breaker. And it’s important to make sure the person you’re hiring is humble; otherwise, they could prove to be difficult to work with down the line.
But the problem is, this question is going to lead you to unauthentic answers. Be prepared to hear a lot of “I just work too hard and get too focused” or “I give my all to my work, which lets my personal life slip.” People aren’t really going to be up-front about their real weaknesses—they’re trying to impress you! And canned answers tell you nothing about an applicant’s real weaknesses or personality. Furthermore, our weaknesses are often our blind spots. If you know you’re weak in an area, you’re going to be working to improve in that area, so a person’s “greatest weakness” is likely something they’re unaware of or haven’t been told about.
Instead, try to ask questions about the specific strengths needed for the role you’re looking to fill. That way, you can hear concrete examples of a person’s skill set, as well as ensure they have the strengths needed to complete the job well. If someone is terrible with technology, but they’re interviewing for a sales job where they’ll be spending 90 percent of their day talking to customers face-to-face, who cares? What someone struggles with may come out in the interview in a more authentic, natural way.
Any Question Involving Race, Gender, Family Structure, or Religion
Inquiring about a person’s personal life to this extent is actually illegal in most cases. Unless you work for a religious organization and are asking questions about a person’s faith background, it’s not a good idea to ask personal demographic questions, at the risk of getting in trouble with the law. Furthermore, these types of questions won’t reflect whether or not a person will be good at the job, so why bother? You’re looking for the most qualified person for the job, and nothing about a person’s race or gender will help indicate that. It makes applicants feel uncomfortable as well, adding an awkward tension to an already high-stakes situation.
Also, never ask someone if they’ll have to pick kids up from school. It’s fine to inquire about children in a purely social sense, but if you ask what their specific parental responsibilities are, it’s going to come across as if you’re actively looking for someone who will give 110 percent to their job over their family. Not only are there discrimination laws against such questions in certain states, it’s a bad standard for society in general—of course we all want hardworking employees, but not at the risk of broken families and absent parents.
What Kind of X Would You Be and Why?
Another common tactic in interviews is to ask odd, out-of-the-box questions just to see how a candidate responds. Again, the intentions here are good—the interviewer is often trying to understand a job applicant’s creativity. It’s also a great way to see how they think about problems and approach complex issues. But this type of question can be so out there that it throws the candidate off, leaving them unable to express themselves well and provide a reasonable answer.
Instead, focus on the specificity of the role at hand and try to come up with a creative question that shows off problem-solving skills without leaving someone wondering what kind of tree they are. For instance, if you’re trying to hire a software developer, asking them to guess how many windows there are in all of Chicago can help you see how they approach problems. Where do they start? Do they begin by breaking down a large problem into easy chunks, tackle it from the ground up, or focus on concrete analytics?
There’s definitely room to gauge creativity in the job interview process without resorting to asking people what kind of animal, flower, or household object they are.
As employees begin to make the trek back into their physical workplaces, some are excited and anxious to reconnect with colleagues, while others are feeling a sense of trepidation and loss. In this environment, employers need to think about how they can engage all employees, regardless of how much they are looking forward to, or dreading, a return to the workplace.
Regardless of which camp they’re in, though, one thing employees have come to value even more during the pandemic than they did previously is the opportunity to have more control over, and flexibility with, work/life balance.
Recent studies suggest that this flexibility increased in importance for employees during the pandemic. Writing for Psychology Today, Gieb Tsipursky, PhD, recently provided a meta-analysis of a variety of studies that lends some insights into how organizations can best meet employees’ needs for a healthy work/life balance.
What the Research Says
Based on his analysis, Tsipursky notes:
More than two-thirds of employees “want and expect to work from home half the time or more permanently, while over a fifth want to work remotely full-time.”
More than two-fifths of employees indicate they would leave their current job if they didn’t have the opportunity for remote work.
More than a quarter of employees already have plans to leave their job when the virus subsides. This is especially true for those who rate their company’s culture at a “C” level or lower.
Younger employees, particularly, have some concerns over career progress if working from home.
Employees are willing to sacrifice pay in exchange for more work/life flexibility.
More than half of employees are feeling a sense of burnout, with three-quarters indicating they’re suffering from “Zoom fatigue” and would like to have fewer meetings.
More than three-fifths of employees point to poor virtual communication and collaboration as impediments to their success and ability to get their work done.
While this meta-analysis reveals some important trends in how employees are viewing the workplace and what they’re hoping for post-pandemic, importantly, Tsipursky says, “Don’t assume that you know what your employees want when they return to the office.” Ask them! Needs and preferences are likely to vary, but the more you know, the further you can go toward providing the right balance for your employees.