Summer Workers

CareerBuilder's annual Summer Job Forecast shows that the summer's hiring expectations reflect a continued improvement over the years immediately following the recession.  Nearly three in 10 employers report plans to hire seasonal workers.  That's an increase from an average of 21% (2008 - 2011) to 29%.

Most likely to hire seasonal workers:

• 47% leisure and hospitality
• 34% manufacturing
• 34% IT
• 33% retail

Employee Absenteeism

When I mention measuring employee absenteeism the first thing that comes to your mind is firing employees because they missed too many days at work.  Right?  Well, maybe it shouldn't.  You can measure absenteeism for many purposes including workforce planning, lost wages and reduced productivity.  But can you also use it to measure employee morale?

Employee absenteeism is a major concern for employers.  Yes, there is oftentimes a sense of entitlement in the workplace that it's okay to be absent.   And where there is an excessive pattern, or a trend in the days the employee is absent, then it is time to take action. But, we also need to acknowledge that people get sick.  In those situations where you perceive a pattern of excessive absenteeism is developing, I highly recommend a discussion with the employee in order to determine if there is a potential FMLA, ADA issue to be addressed.

Absenteeism can be due to a variety of reasons.  If an employee is stressed about their workload, this may manifest itself through absenteeism.  Stress with the job routine and/or job satisfaction, the environment (cold, hot, noise) even with management (style, personality traits).  If stress is a factor, you need to discuss strategies to resolve the stressor.  If one employee is experiencing stress, perhaps others are as well.  We all have more to do and less time to do it in today's business environment.

In those instances where there appears to be an unacceptable level of absenteeism:

1. Meet with the employee.
2. Express your concern.
3. Provide the employee with an opportunity to explain themselves.

Some random statistics for you:

According to a 2012 global workforce survey, "highly engaged employees have lower 'presenteeism' (lost productivity at work) and less absenteeism than disengaged employees. The former lose an average of 7.6 days per year to presenteeism, compared with an average 14.1 days for the disengaged employees....

According to a 2010 Metlife report, "employees with eldercare responsibilities were more likely to report missed days of work. This was driven by the much higher absenteeism among younger caregiving employees, ages 18 to 39. Overall, 9% of non-caregivers missed at least one day of work over the past...

According to a 2009 survey by the National Alliance for Caregiving, "over seven in ten caregivers were employed at some time when they were caregiving (73%). Among them, two-thirds (66%) have gone in late, left early, or taken time off during the day to deal with caregiving issues (66%). One in five...

Territorial Behavior in Employees

When we were children we were taught to share our toys.  Through sharing we learned patience (waiting our turn), problem solving (who gets to play with what) and social skills (discussing and reaching solutions). 

Now, let's fast-forward a few years into the work environment where one of the most important assets any organization has is the combined knowledge and expertise of its employees.  "Combined knowledge" would infer that information is shared in the workplace.  Where information is not shared, information silos develop having a profound effect on your ability to develop a cooperative work environment.

So, why do some employees guard information so carefully?    On a very basic level, its job security.    If knowledge is power, sharing knowledge is a loss of power.  Company information is seen as intellectual property for the individual. Territorial employees control the flow of information in an effort to make themselves irreplaceable.    If the employee feels threatened, he/she may become territorial and retain information or information is meted out in meager portions.  Be observant.  Territorial behavior isn't restricted to only employees.  It can be observed between managers and even departments. 

End your turf wars.   Work with your employees to foster an environment of sharing. 

Safeguard the Front Door

Great title, right?  In response to my recent blog on Candidate References, an associate forwarded an article to me for my reading pleasure.  While I can't identify who wrote it or when, I felt I needed to share a portion of it.  He/she did a fabulous job in writing this.  So, here goes .. .

"Rule one in minimizing risky behavior is to prevent questionable job candidates from ever becoming employees.  It isn't enough to study resumes closely; studies have shown that over 50% of them contain inaccuracies.  Basic controls include employment and background checks.  As a recent example, a simple background check would have saved the Yahoo board the trouble of ousting Scott Thompson, the company's fourth CEO in five years, because he falsely claimed a computer science degree.  A growing number of companies conduct behavioral and honesty testing to screen employees."

Paperwork people.  It's all about paperwork. 

Managing with Questions

How do you show your employees that their opinions matter?  Ask questions.  It's as simple as that.  Questions such as:

• What made you mad today?
• What took too long?
• What caused complaints today?
• What was misunderstood today?
• What cost too much?
• What was wasted?
  What was too complicated?
• What was just plain silly?
• What job involved too many people?
• What job involved too many actions?

Communicating with your employees will improve organization communication.  I know that you're tired of me saying that any organizations greatest resource is its people.  But there, I said it again!  Remember, employees feel appreciated and valued when they are listened to!

Candidate References

Checking references is critical in the decision making process and oftentimes will assist the employer in cutting down on selection errors.  While applicants may distort their employment history and accomplishments, reference checking will allow you to assess the accuracy of their claims.   Most importantly, it will allow you to assess if the candidate can do what s/he claims to be able to do.  Be clear with candidates from the beginning that you will be checking references. (Bear in mind that some employers have internal policies restricting the amount of information provided, oftentimes limiting the information to dates of employment and role within the organization.) 

Create a standardized process for checking references.  Ask questions pertaining to the candidates previous position.  What responsibilities did s/he have?  Discuss the responsibilities of the new position and if the reference feels the candidate could effectively fill the role.  Were there attendance issues?  Is the candidate a team player?   Would the reference rehire the candidate?   In what capacity was the reference associated with the candidate?  Most importantly, should you hire the candidate?  Avoid any inappropriate questions relating to health problems, disabilities, children, child care arrangements, etc.  (For the professional level employee, refine your reference process to encompass topics such as leadership, employee relations, oral and written communication, managerial skills and decision making, just to name a few.)

 

Remember, a candidate's past performance can be used as a predictor of future performance.   Increase your success rate in the employment selection process by conducting thorough reference checks. 

 

To avoid any questions regarding your hiring methods, ensure you maintain detailed records of your reference checking activities.  These may be helpful should you run into a negligent hiring claim later.

New Employment Eligibilty Verification Form I-9

On March 8, 2013 the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a revised Form I-9.  Employers are encouraged to begin using the revised form immediately.  However, since some employers may need to update internal processes, USCIS is allowing 60 days from March 8, 2013, during which time employers can continue to use prior versions.  Beginning May 7, 2013 only the new Form I-9, with the revision date of March 8, 2013, may be used.

The new Form I-9 can be found on the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov under the Forms tab.