Human Resources (2)
Human Resources
Managing Remote Employees 101
A new report by Insightful, a workforce analytics and productivity vendor, shares insights into the status of remote work, and how employers are dealing with managing their new crop of remote employees. Most companies are not dealing well with this new way of working. The Ongoing Challenges of Remote Employees The data also revealed an increased acceptance and adoption of remote work. But, it also found that many leaders still don’t feel fully equipped to operate optimally in this new environment. Just look at these eye-opening numbers; 63.91% of company leaders believe they don’t have the right tools to manage remote employee productivity. 71.45% of company leaders will allow remote work at least some of the time. 64.68% of company leaders will allow their employees to permanently work remotely or hybrid. 21.38% of company leaders reported that collaboration and communication are the biggest challenge when working remotely. 38.06% of company leaders believe that employees are less productive in a remote or hybrid environment. A 383% increase in the adoption of remote and hybrid work was seen among enterprise companies. Among a wide-ranging series of findings, almost two-thirds of respondents stated they don’t have the tools they need to effectively manage their team’s productivity when working remotely. In a further indication that monitoring remote employees’ workloads continues to present challenges, 38.06% of company leaders said that they believe employees are less productive when working remotely. And 21.38% of respondents cited communication and collaboration as the biggest challenges in a distributed work environment. Remote Work is Here to Stay Despite the challenges expressed, the report revealed that a resounding 71.45% of company leaders said they will offer remote work to employees in future at least some of the time. Further reinforcing that workplaces of the future will be distributed, the report also found that 64.68% of company leaders stated that remote and hybrid work will become a permanent fixture in their organization. They will learn to do it better over time. Insightful CEO Ivan Petrovic said: “This research strongly suggests that remote and hybrid work are here to stay, and that they will become the prevailing work models of the future.” “As remote work is still at a nascent stage, we anticipate that over time the challenges expressed by company leaders today will ease through the continued evolution of remote infrastructure and operating mindsets. That said, the research also shows there are ongoing challenges for company leaders when managing remotely.” Download the report here.
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Human Resources
Soft Skills for Human Resources
Well-developed skillsets, and the ability to communicate them clearly to employers and hiring managers, place candidates apart in the interview process and throughout a career trajectory. Navigating what skills to focus on in a particular position can be difficult. Discovering hard skills and developing technological abilities is a matter of research and practice. In contrast, soft skills do not always come naturally to every human resource professional. In today’s human resources world, soft skills are becoming increasingly desired to become a successful HR professional. Soft skills focus on social reliability and emotional intelligence. They can be the key differentiator between a qualified employee and an employee that grows themselves towards management. Superior HR professionals will have both hard and soft skills. Most of the time spent in human resources is in dealing with human interaction. Hiring, firing, managing, developing, and leading people are all essential to the job. This is the area where soft skills are going to enhance the ability to thrive. So, what are the essential soft skills? Below are eight soft skills every human resource professional could gain from growing. EMPATHY It is no mistake that empathy falls at the top of the list. The ability to feel and understand what employees are experiencing in any day-to-day situation both in and outside of work is essential. As a renowned author, speaker, and social work researcher, Dr. Brené Brown suggests: Empathy fuels connection Empathy is fuel to the humanness of human resources. It is the skill that draws HR into the progressive era by pressuring companies to see employees as more than a number. RELATIONSHIP BUILDING Commonly referred to as employee relations, the soft skill of relationship-building can be helpful not only in creating a culture of trust with employees but also in transforming HR into a strategic business partner in the eyes of c-suite executives. Authentic relationships create a culture of community within an organization—a culture of community leads to higher retention, lower turnover, cost savings, better performance, and ultimately increased revenue. COMMUNICATION Several of the top reasons employees leave an organization can be linked back to poor communication. Whether it’s the inability to be tactful in a difficult conversation, not providing clarity, or writing emails that need to be in-person discussions, well-rounded communication skills are crucial to the HR professional. ORGANIZATION Every day in HR is different. Moment to moment can often hold a variety of tasks. The ability to multi-task and stay organized while doing so is vital. When managing highly sensitive and confidential information whether on physical paper or electronically, organizational skills are required. Making a mistake due to disorganization could cause a major blunder or even break the law due to incompliance. CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION Human resources is a constantly changing field. Maintaining a spirit of creativity and strategy of innovation can keep an organization at the peak of its industry. Right now, human resources departments countrywide are facing an extremely tight job market, getting creative has been the only way to continue hiring amidst the great resignation. Innovation with ever-evolving policies, tech, and employee priorities keeps human resource professionals relevant. CRITICAL THINKING HR Daily Advisor describes critical thinking as an essential component of effective decision-making. It’s valuable at all organizational levels. In human resources, well-informed and data-driven decision making is key to becoming a valued member of organizational leadership. Those with developed business acumen know and understand the importance of providing advice that is not only backed by proof but also advances the goals of the company. Every decision is an opportunity to use critical thinking to become more effective and increase productivity. ADAPTABILITY and COMPOSURE If the last two years have shown the necessity of any skills, its adaptability. Human resource professionals often face unprecedented situations. To remain adaptable and maintain composure amidst high-stress conditions is essential for leaders in an organization. This unflappable representation has a downward effect of keeping the masses calm and open to change. LEADERSHIP Employees of the human resources department, even non-managerial, are likely perceived as leaders in the company. Leading by example is the most effective way to get employees on board with policies, culture shifts, and productivity. Leadership done well can be the accelerant for success in an organization. Healthy leaders who know both how to take charge with humility and serve employees with a gracious heart will be the catalyst for health in any company. Stephanie Mauney is freelance writer and content curator specializing in Human Resources.
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Human Resources
Hybrid Work Environment Equals Happy Employees
Hybrid work is set to become the norm in corporate America. A recent survey by employee listening company Perceptyx shows that a hybrid workplace is superior to remote work on a host of well-being measures. Hybrid employees, defined as those who work at both in-person and remote workplaces – report greater improvements in work-life balance and mental health, more time for exercising, and a greater intention to stay at their current company because of this kind of work flexibility. Hybrid Employees Are More Efficient There is a disconnect happening however. While many managers believe having workers at the same physical location strengthens their relationships, hybrid employees are reporting the opposite in this survey of 1,400 working Americans. Only 1/3 of fully remote workers and fully in-person workers say they have stronger relationships in the office compared to last year. More than half of hybrid workers (53%, compared to remote workers’ 34%) report the same thing, indicating that it’s not how much time they are spending with in-person coworkers, but how purposeful those in-office interactions are. Measures of burnout – closely linked to churn rates – are also much better for hybrid employees. These workers are 50% more likely to look forward to starting their workdays and feeling like they make a meaningful contribution to their workplace. They are nearly twice as likely to feel energized by their work than either their fully remote or fully in-person counterparts. “The key to making hybrid work successful is autonomy. Dictating certain days on-site is just as ineffective as requiring 100 percent in-person. When employees get that autonomy, they thrive,” said Emily Killham, Director of Research and Insights at Perceptyx. “Organizations who want to compete for talent will have to find creative ways to offer that autonomy, even for on-site jobs. Flexibility in work scheduling gives employees the room they need to manage their lives and be more engaged during the work day.” Hybrid Work Does Have Gaps Perceptyx also found that the gap between how managers and employees view productivity and their physical location has only grown wider. 45% of leaders think their team members’ relationships will grow stronger when the whole team is at the same location, while only 17% of employees think the same. I can see why, being in person helps to build trust which is harder when fully remote. As they found out last year in this study on officism, managers and leaders show a bias toward believing those in the physical workplace are more productive. Compared to individual contributors, managers are three times as likely, and leaders are five times as likely, to say that remote workers are less productive than in-office employees. This contradicts what the employees themselves are reporting – hybrid workers were the most likely of all employees to say their own productivity is up, while in-person workers were most likely to say their productivity is lower than the year before. Faced with evidence that in-office workers are not necessarily their happiest employees, many companies are reconsidering their return-to-office plans. Some Human Resources departments are no longer asking when or how the return-to-office plans will work, but whether they should be implemented at all. Just ask Apple employees. They are threatening to quit over a new hybrid schedule the computer giant wants to implement. “These findings don’t mean that every employee must have a remote option, but it does point the way on how to keep employees engaged,” said Killham. “Officism clearly still exists, especially among managers and leaders. So organizations must start tracking development opportunities, performance ratings, and promotions based on the physical location of their employees. That way they can be prepared to correct any bias that the data shows and strive toward an equitable workplace.”
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EAP
Employee Assistance Programs for Holistic HR
Historically, employee assistance programs (EAP) address the needs of employees involving their ability to perform their job. They are often voluntary and offer some level of counseling aid, whether directly or through referrals. If the employer offers decent benefits, then the EAP could extend to every member of the employee’s family. An EAP’s intent is that a happy and healthy employee makes a productive and engaged one. However, EAPs often fall short. They either do not address the holistic needs of an employee altogether or the assistance provided isn’t sufficient. There’s also the possibility that employees aren’t even aware of the program and what assistance is provided; therefore, the program goes overlooked and underutilized. I think it’s time to revamp the employee assistance program and bring it into the year 2022. Here’s why. Employees are living with unaddressed trauma that is usurped by more trauma daily. Social media has given us the ability to view news and trending topics at our fingertips, so when one part of the world experiences something we all collectively experience it. And while a secondary experience isn’t the same as directly experiencing an event, that doesn’t mean that we all don’t collectively walk around with the heaviness of the world on our shoulders. While at work we’re expected to compartmentalize that heaviness away, but at what expense? What do employees want in an employee assistance program? A great EAP addresses all the needs of the employee. A quick way to assess whether your program is up to par is to evaluate whether your EAP provides relief from what’s happening globally. Does your program address the grief that employees are facing from loved ones passing from COVID? What programs address the weight gain some employees have put on since the pandemic started? What about the PTSD employees may be facing from the war in Ukraine? How are you alleviating the financial stress employees are facing with rising inflation? Are you requiring employees to return to the office but not providing childcare assistance? Most EAPs will refer an employee to an outside source. The downside to this is that the employee still must do their due diligence to choose the source that best fits their needs and there’s typically a cost associated with the service. If the service is associated with insurance, there may be a limit on how often the employee can use that service. Is there a better way to meet the needs of employees? I think there is. I think there’s a better way to address the needs of employees while eliminating employee costs for additional services. The solution is to bring as many services as possible in-house. What does that mean? That means that instead of offering counseling referrals, hire a therapist to work onsite or virtually. That therapist, or more depending on your headcount, will provide free confidential sessions to your employees. If you’re requiring your employees to work onsite, then provide an onsite daycare. Do you have employees that want to be healthier? Add a nutritionist and personal trainer to your roster. Do you have employees who want to process their trauma, in addition to therapy? Offer trauma-informed yoga. Do you offer professional development coaching to your executives? Extend that to all employees. Maybe an employee doesn’t want a coach but wants to grow professionally. Offer them free Udemy courses. What if they want other resources to learn? Then offer them free Kindle books. Is your employee feeling the added financial stress from rising prices? What if your employee is now a part of the sandwich generation and they’re caring for children and parents at the same time? Offer them a financial coach to review their budget to help them make better financial decisions. Work tends to address the social aspect of holistic health, but rarely provides avenues for the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects. When we start addressing employees’ full needs, we give space for employees to truly be engaged and productive at work. A wonderful place to start when revamping your EAP is to survey employees to gauge their main stressors and then build programs to address them. You’ve revamped your employee assistance program, now what? One of the biggest reasons EAPs aren’t successful is that most employees aren’t sure what services are offered. This means you’ll have to consistently market your EAP to your employees. It is also helpful when leaders advocate for programs by sharing how they’ve found success with using EAP. This could help employees who may be hesitant to try a program for one reason or another. Lastly, with the new and improved EAP, ensure your employee can take full advantage of the programs by allowing them time throughout the workday to use the programs they need. With the addition of meeting them where they need it most, you also offer them the ability to truly break away from work, which should increase their productivity when they return to work. A successful EAP has the potential to address company-wide issues from employee burnout to decreased engagement and more. Providing holistic assistance not only helps the individual employee but will increase the bottom line for the entire company. In short, revamping your EAP provides a win/win for everyone. Timara Nichols has 15+ years of experience, specializing in human resources, operations, and customer success. She holds the following certifications – aPHR, Certified ScrumMaster, and Meta Certified Community Manager.
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Human Resources
Onboarding Employees on the First Day
Change is hard. Changing jobs, changing cities, changing homes, changing colleagues, changing bosses- all of these can be overwhelming aspects of starting a new job. Human Resources professionals and managers should strive to make an employee’s first day a positive and impactful experience. The person coming onboard has made a choice to bring their skillset to a new company. Their first day experience could be the starting point for a tenured, mutually beneficial relationship, or it could be the day they head right back to the job market. Making a good first day impression with a new employee is vital to retention. According to the Society of Human Resources Management: Up to 20 percent of turnover takes place in the first 45 days Make sure your organization is planning in advance for new hires. Implement a structured schedule and at least one wow factor to guarantee new members of your team walk away from day one excited to return. Before Day One Keep communication channels open prior to an employee’s first day. Touch base before day one to prepare them for what their schedule will look like. Where should they park? Who should they ask for? What do they need to bring? For virtual environments, ensure the employee knows what to expect for day one interaction. Ask them if there is anything you can do to help them prepare or answer any questions they have. Day One Goodies Provide a small gift to help ease the day one jitters. Maybe a gift bag, some company swag, or a coffee. This is an easy and inexpensive way to show employee appreciation right from the start. For remote employees, think about a simple gift shipped straight to the employee. Perhaps a morning treat delivered to their door? Physical Tour Pretty basic concept, but preparation for this can make all the difference to giving an employee a feeling of comfort on their first day. Provide a tour, whether physical or virtual, that gives the employee the knowledge to start gaining confidence in the new role. Tech Prep Be sure to have all technology pre-set up for the employee’s first day. The last obstacle you want a new hire to be facing is tech issues. Have logins, software, and supplies ready to go for use and training. Schedule Plan out what Onboarding look like over the next 30, 60, and 90 days. Prepare your new hires for what’s to come. What does week one look like? Provide a plan of action for how they will be integrated into the work, and when independent work will begin. Office Announcement Ask your new hire to share a photo and a small bio about themselves. Share with the office or team they will be working with. Creating a sense of community for a new hire is crucial. This gives a chance for them to become part of the group early on and may inspire connection with their peers. Lunch on You Day one nerves can get the best of almost everyone. Make plans to take your new staff member out to lunch, or have a virtual lunch meeting, to take a mental break and focus on building rapport. Mentorship Partner all new hires with a tenured employee. This person can serve a check-in for the new staff. Providing a mentor gives employees someone to look up to and have open conversation with. It can go a long way in encouraging them and answering questions. Checklist Create a formalized workflow for the human resources team handling day one onboarding. A checklist is a great tool to have as a check and balance. It ensures no steps are left undone. A note on what not to do for day one Onboarding Be sure to never ask new employees to ‘hit the ground running.’ This is a huge red flag. Expecting employee to begin autonomous work without proper onboarding could quickly lead to losing them. Additionally, be careful about information overload. It’s best to allow the employee time to soak everything in. This will set them up for the to succeed with you. Ultimately, taking the time to properly onboard new hires is to the benefit of every organization. Recruiting, hiring, and training can be costly. Taking the time to create a positive and effective first day experience will lead to increased retention, more efficient operations, and money saved. Stephanie Mauney is freelance writer and content curator specializing in Human Resources.
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Human Resources
How To Layoff An Employee
One of the less liked aspects of working in HR is terminating or laying off employees. While terminations don’t happen often and, in some cases, can be avoidable, layoffs tend to be driven by the needs of the business. Since globalization and social media have given us all the ability to harness unlimited information in the palm of our hands via cell phones, employers cannot afford to get layoffs wrong. Especially bad are those layoffs via text stories. What happens when employers screw up a layoff? The world hears about it. The quickest way to increase your reputational risk is to have your layoff trend on social networks. If your layoff was driven by the market or financial restraints, you risk losing more customers and future candidates. If you fumble the layoff in some way, you also run the risk of seeing current employees start looking for new employers and the laid-off employees completely writing your company off for good. If this isn’t your first layoff nor is it the first time your layoff trended, it highlights a potentially toxic environment. It also shows an inability to improve processes. To be careless with your laid-off employees also highlights the employer may be careless with the employees that are still with them and have not accounted for survival guilt, burnout from an additional workload, and more. Is there a perfect way to lay off employees? No! Layoffs affect one’s livelihood. Employees are facing increasing anxiety from living in a never-ending pandemic, a war that has global impacts, rising inflation in just about every market, and more. While a layoff may help the business’ bottom line in the short term, it is one more thing already anxious employees must manage. If there is no perfect way, how can an employer improve their layoff process? Audit your current process. If you don’t have a process, then today is a great day to create one. Even if you don’t foresee your employer laying off employees anytime soon, it’s still a great time to build a contingency plan for the day you must. If you have a process and you’ve laid off employees before, it’s a great time to review how effective that process is. What did you learn from your previous layoff? What trends did you see from current/past employees or potential customers discussing your layoff on social media channels? If you could redo the layoff, what would you do differently? Get buy-in from the right players. The quickest way to kill a project before it starts is to not include all key players in the process. Layoffs are sometimes like that. While you don’t necessarily have to share a list of at-risk employees, you should connect with stakeholders in the process. Some of those stakeholders could be your recruiting team. One thing I find odd is to see a company hiring while also laying off employees. Is there a possibility to transition employees into new roles to avoid laying them off? Other stakeholders are the key players who discuss talent planning and succession. Could there be a possibility to shorten succession times by moving at-risk employees into roles, especially if the layoff has the potential to increase a knowledge gap in a role or department? Provide the right “layoff” benefits. What severance package do you offer employees? It’s typical for severance packages to offer X number of weeks in pay for X years of service, but additional benefits are needed. COBRA insurance is expensive; could you extend health insurance for your laid-off employees? Do you offer EAP or mental health services that you can extend for these laid-off employees? What transitional services could you provide to help them find their next job? Transitional services should include resume reviews and career coaching. Create a marketing plan. Most employers would rather not have to mention layoffs. They’d rather let the people know who were impacted and go about their day. However, social media makes that unavoidable. It’s becoming more common to see articles and trending topics even before the layoffs happen. Therefore, not only do you need talking points, but you should have a marketing plan to proactively address the backlash. No longer can you sweep this under the rug because your reputation is at stake. Follow the law and keep your word. This should go without saying but needs to be said. Please have your legal and HR teams verify laws to ensure you’re not breaking any. And when extending benefits or services, have integrity and honor your commitments. At the end of the day, laying off an employee is not transactional and shouldn’t be treated as such. Every step of the process must have a human-first approach. It’s not OK to hold a zoom meeting to announce a massive layoff. It’s not OK to direct deposit severance checks in an employee’s account before even telling them they’ve been laid off. When you approach it with the same care and concern you give your customers, you will be able to alleviate some of the pain points that come with laying off employees. Timara Nichols has 15+ years of experience, specializing in human resources, operations, and customer success. She holds the following certifications – aPHR, Certified ScrumMaster, and Meta Certified Community Manager.
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Human Resources
HRIS Software Migration Tips
Due to workforce growth and changing business objectives many companies find themselves transitioning to a new Human Resources Information System. The transition process from start to finish can include sourcing new software, navigating the sales process, mapping the implementation plan, data transfer or data conversion, and employee training. It can be overwhelming if you haven’t been through the process before. Ensuring you choose the right software to fit department needs and deciding what data to pull through is complicated, especially considering compliance and regulatory requirements. Here are 7 tips for your next HRIS software migration. Needs Analysis First, your team needs to identify the reason for the migration. Are you looking to move to a better user interface? Do you need more efficient reporting tools? Do you want employees to have higher engagement? Start by creating a list of your top ten requirements. Get the whole team involved to allow for as much clarity and input as possible. A new software may provide an opportunity to contemplate a more progressive use of data. Think about the ways your HR team can use an HRIS to influence the business goals. Are you hoping to track diversity? Do you need to easily pull data analytic visuals to show the value of your strategic plans? Do you need an applicant tracking system to help you fill roles quickly? Most HRIS companies offer a multitude of products which can increase the cost quickly. You will want to ensure that you have your biggest needs at the forefront. Identify a Budget Meet with executives to determine cost limitations. You will want to go into the sales process with a good idea about your spending limit. This a significant investment for your company; you will want to guarantee the executive team is fully supporting the transition and investment expense. Sales Team Antics The sales managers at these companies are good at what they do. They are going to show you a demo that will leave you pulling out the checkbook ready to sign on the dotted line. When that happens, take a step back. Treat this like buying a car. You need to test it out and seek plenty of outside input. Ask them to reveal a couple companies using their software in similar industries. Reach out to those companies directly for honest feedback about the interface, implementation process, and customer service level. Read online reviews. Take your time. Resist the pressure to follow a strict sales deadline. Do your due diligence to make sure they are capable of what they are selling you on. Data Transfer Prior to making any moves take the time to clean up your existing data. Next, decide what data fields must be moved over to the new system as well as how many years of history your team regularly needs access to. You’ll want to make sure historical data comes with you. For information not being migrated, determine a storage location in the chance that you would need to reference it later. Tackling Implementation Taking on an HRIS implementation requires a team effort. Divide and conquer by assigning duties to subject matter experts in your department. Work with the HRIS software employees to create a reasonable timeline with clear expectations about what will be completed and when it will be completed by. Identify test users who will look through every tool of your new software and become well acquainted with the user capabilities. Employee Roll Out Some industries have more technologically literate employees than others. Determine where your employees’ abilities stand and plan strategically about how to communicate the change to them. If needed, hold training sessions to demo how employees can best utilize the new HRIS. Change is hard for most people, so be patient. Monitor Progress Once you are live with the new HRIS, track employee usage, check to make sure all the tools you agreed upon are all working properly, and pull data sets to audit for accuracy. I recommend, if you are able, to create a small window of overlap where you maintain access to the prior system for a few months. This can be extremely useful in the instance you need to reference back. Do not hesitate to get the implementation team back in if something isn’t going the way you expected. Stephanie Mauney is freelance writer and content curator specializing in Human Resources.
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Human Resources
How to Onboard a New Employee
You’ve made the offer and they’ve accepted. Great! You consider this a job well done. But wait? The job isn’t done. How do you plan to onboard them? Successfully onboarding your new employee ensures they’re able to quickly imbed themselves into the culture of the company while productively fulfilling the duties of their role. Whether you have a stellar onboarding process or you’re still wondering what onboarding is, there’s always room for improvement. I’d like to separate onboarding into two halves – before the employee starts and after their first day. HR should be equally involved in both halves, although you will become less involved after the new employee starts. How do you know when you’ve onboarded a new employee successfully? Successful onboarding doesn’t just mean there weren’t any glitches in the process. Successful onboarding ensures a new employee feels confident in their new role and company. It also shows that the team was able to see a lift from the new employee taking on the work slated for them. What should happen before the new employee’s first day? All necessary paperwork should be completed or, at least, sent to the employee to complete on day one. This includes paperwork for payroll, background checks, I-9, and anything else you consider necessary for the new employee to start working at your company. The new employee’s equipment should all arrive before they’re slated to start as well. Since the world is facing production and shipping delays, it may be best to have equipment on standby. And, if you can, swag is a wonderful way to show appreciation for your new employee. However, if that isn’t in the budget, making sure the team enthusiastically welcomes the new hire will suffice. This can be done via internal communications, announcements in team meetings, or letting the team know so they can reach out on the first day to greet the new employee. If you already do this, then I suggest looking at each process to see where you can simplify or streamline it. Does your paperwork have to be printed out for the new hire to complete it? How can you get rid of that and make the entire process electronic? Do you only offer limited choices in equipment? How can you expand that to better accommodate the needs of all hires? Is benefit or 401K enrollment manual? How can you integrate that into the HRIS to automatically generate the necessary forms needed to enroll the employee? Also, how do you assign system access? HRIS will do this for you. Have you turned on all your integrations to make this happen? What happens on day one and going forward? So, the employee has started. Now what? Connect with the employee on the first day to set expectations for the first 30, 60, and 90 days of their employment. Whenever possible, supply documentation to support the onboarding plan. Make sure to provide time to address any concerns you or your new employee will have. The onboarding plan should also have checkpoints and meetings that coincide with each checkpoint to ensure the new employee is meeting expectations and/or can receive added support to perform their job duties. In addition to a concrete onboarding plan, the new hire needs two support partners. One support partner will be a peer and someone on the new employee’s team. The second support partner should be someone on a different team, a team that normally doesn’t interact with the employee’s team. This support partner should not be anyone in HR. The peer support partner is to provide the new employee a coaching buddy, someone who knows the responsibilities of the role and what success looks like in that role. This will be someone the new employee can lean on daily to aid with any setbacks they face in learning the hard and soft skills of their new role. The second partner will be someone who can help mentor them by explaining the culture of the organization and addressing any unfamiliar nuances the hire may face. This person acts as an impartial representative of the company. While HR isn’t as involved in onboarding once the hire starts, HR should make it a point to connect with all new employees during the process. These could be check-ins to give clarity and support on anything the other partners have missed. New employees should also be surveyed by HR to measure the new employee’s experience to glean insight into improving the onboarding process for future hires. When onboarding is done successfully it sets the right expectation for the entire employee’s experience with the company. It also enhances the culture and strengthens the entire workforce. This guest blog contribution is from Timara Nichols
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Human Resources
4 Day Work Week Gaining Steam
The 4 day work has long been a dream of many workers. It provides more rest and more attention to the personal lives of employees, so they’re more invigorated to be more successful and driven to make the company succeed. Some studies even say that it’s been proven to be effective in not only maintaining productivity, but improving it. According to new research from Qualtrics, nearly all U.S. employees (92%) say they want a four-day work week, citing improved mental health and increased productivity as the perceived benefits. 74% of workers said they would be able to complete the same amount of work in four days, but work longer hours on those days. See the full study results here. The idea is even seeping into the restaurant industry. NYC restaurant company DIG has introduced it to its workforce. According this story on fast Company: “In an industry where it’s common to work unpredictable shifts—and where workers also often have to take a second job to make enough money to survive—Dig was already unusual in that it offered 40-hour weeks. To keep the same number of hours, workers who chose to switch to the four-day week had to change to 10-hour days. Unlike a fast-food restaurant, Dig’s food requires a lot of prep work, so long shifts make sense.” 4 Day Work Week is About Flexibility In today’s competitive labor market, flexibility over when they work is among workers’ most common requests. Ultimately, increased flexibility beats out a set four-day work week for more employees. When asked to choose between the two, 47% say they’d prefer a four-day work week, compared to 50% who would rather have increased flexibility to work when they want. Here’s what else it brings to the table; 79% of U.S. employees say a four-day work week would improve their mental health; 82% say it would make them more productive Only 38% say a four-day work week would encourage employees to slack off, compared to 60% who say it wouldn’t. Despite the popularity of the idea, many employees fear a shorter work week could have a negative impact on the company’s bottom line and relationships with customers. Forty-six percent believe a four-day work week would have a negative effect on sales and revenue, and 55% say a shorter work week would frustrate customers. “What employees really want and expect is the flexibility to adjust their work schedules to fit the demands of their lives. In today’s new world of work, successful companies will set aside antiquated assumptions about what productivity looks like and listen to employees, so they can offer the flexibility that meets their individual needs,” said Benjamin Granger, Ph.D., head of employee experience advisory services at Qualtrics. “While there is increasing momentum around the idea of working four days a week, employees are willing to acknowledge the associated tradeoffs — like working longer hours or potentially frustrating customers.” Recruiting with a 4 Day Work Week When it comes to recruiting and retaining talent, however, employees are confident that a four-day work week would be beneficial. Employees say a four-day work week is the number one thing that would influence them to stay at a company longer — even more than unlimited vacation or paid mental health days. Eighty-one percent say a four-day work week would make them feel more loyal to their employer, and 82% say it would help their company with recruitment. More than a third (37%) would even be willing to take a 5% pay cut or more in exchange for recurring three-day weekends. As a former corporate recruiter I can easily say this would be a huge carrot to dangle in front of candidates. Don’t be surprised to hear about more 4 day works weeks in the news over the next few years.
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