Tip # 1

In larger companies, the orientation program is typically owned by the Human Resources department…and this can often miss the point.  There is a role for introducing the human resources information such as benefit packages; employee handbooks and policies; and income tax paper work, etc. But the new employee orientation really should focus on the following information:

• What is this organization really about?
• What is it like to work here?
• How are things organized?
•  Where do I find what I need to do my job?
• And…where does my job fit in?

Tip #2

Another mistake that is often made with the orientation is in feeding the new employee so much information; you put him or her to sleep…literally!  Yes, they need a lot of information but there has got to be a better way.  Here’s a suggestion to fix that dilemma:

• Move away from the lecture and test mode and move toward a friendlier format
• Publish the information in a reference format – notebook, web page, etc. – so new hires can use it as needed back on the job.
• Use interactive exercises that reinforce how to access the data
• Illustrate how the information is organized and how and why different departments use it
• Allow the employee to ask as many questions as necessary so you are comfortable (as is he or she) that the information is indeed accessible

Tip #3
Your company slogan is, “We are a team” but in fact, your orientation makes the new employee feel very alone because he or she doesn’t know who the various others are and what they may mean to him and his role. How can this be fixed?

• Include social networking activities – help them build their social network
• Provide a “getting to know the organization” module early on in the orientation that explains what the areas do and who their key players are
• Follow up with an exercise in which the new hires make contact with those players who are most directly connected to his or her job
• Add additional social networking activities throughout the orientation period to help the new hire understand who his own ‘go to’ people might be
•  Add in some interactive opportunities to build an organizational chart based on his own connections within the company

Tip# 4
Often, companies believe orientation to be a onetime event. You think that you have brought the employee up to speed within a very short time frame and can’t understand why he isn’t absorbing what he needs – as mentioned above – too much information can be loaded on the employee and this mind-set (onetime event) doesn’t illustrate your desire to keep your employees with you and give them the tools to do the job effectively.  To ensure that you don’t fall into this trap, try the following:

• Think of orientation as a process – not an event
• Realize that every new employee will have his or her own questions and they may be very different from the questions you had. Orientations are for the new employee – not the existing ones
• Try to get answers for the employee as soon as you can so he knows you value his willingness to learn what he needs to learn
• Be willing to change your delivery to ensure the employee is engaged in the process
• Mix up online media (your intranet), classroom time, and small group projects to give the new employee the real flavour of the organization
• Do occasional check in’s to make sure that the employee is comfortable finding what he needs

Tip #5
Many businesses don’t really provide an orientation program and this is probably the biggest mistake they can make. Even if you don’t have an ‘official’ program – you do indeed have an orientation.  Consider the following:

The employee forms his or her own opinion of the company based on those he meets upon arrival.

If the reception is less than welcoming; that’s the message he receives, he’s not really welcome. As an example, he walks in and the receptionist ignores him for the first 5 minutes he’s there while she talks on the phone and files her nails. Then he meets the bookkeeper, Sandra. She scowls at him and goes on and on about how overworked she is and she doesn’t have time to go over the income tax forms with him. He’s finally brought over to his desk and he sits there for the first half hour going through all kinds of documents that he needs to fill out and he doesn’t know where to begin. He goes in search of the boss and no one in the hallway even acknowledges his presence, they all walk by…faces in their paperwork…not so much as a good morning. Everyone looks so unhappy!

After the first few days, the new employee is making a lot of mistakes but he doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do…his co-worker rolls his eyes when he’s made the same mistake for the third time in a row.  He asks a co-worker a question about what he should do with some paperwork he has and the co-worker asks him why he doesn’t know this by now…

• The best way to ensure this is not your orientation, is to construct one; good orientation programs are good business
• Think of your orientation as a window into your company’s culture. If you truly want your employees to stay with the company and be productive, give them the best opportunity to do just that
• Be sure you communicate how important this person is to your organization and how pleased you are that he or she has joined you

Never under-estimate the power of first impressions! Give your employees your best and they will certainly give you theirs! (Diazepam)

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The post 5 Tips to Make Your Orientations Successful! appeared first on BC Jobs Blog.

What excited me about the article was in part that it spoke to Canadian statistics; but mostly that it confirmed a belief that I have held thorough most of my working life with respect to the importance of employee engagement. I’ve been in positions from front line, to middle management as well as in human resources and training and development and I have often talked about my belief that to obtain better productivity, employees need to be ‘present’ at work (also known as engaged). They need to feel that the work they do really matters and they need to feel acknowledged and appreciated. Yes, I know – touchy feely words – but true!

I know there have been those who have accused of being too much of an ‘employee advocate’ at times when I listened to concerns employees brought me about their supervisors or management or perhaps struggled with changes they didn’t understand. I truly believed that listening and giving employees an opportunity to speak and to feel as though they were contributing in some way to the organization was good for business – I felt it was incumbent upon employers to help employees understand changes they didn’t understand – and to listen to concerns as well as potential barriers to change. Often, just giving them a voice helped them in understanding and supporting change, which definitely benefitted the company. In some cases, it even helped to consider another course of direction when changes were being considered for implementation.

The article I have referenced above provides some statistics from a Towers Perrin survey that I think organizations would be wise to pay attention to. (The survey was global in nature but below is just the Canadian statistics). In Canada:

• 17% of employees were highly engaged
• 66% were moderately engaged
• 17% were actively disengaged

In terms of global stats, Mexico and Brazil have the highest percentages of engaged employees, while Japan and Italy have the largest percentages of disengaged employees. What this demonstrated to those who collected the date, is that employee engagement has relatively little to do with macro-economic conditions but rather relates to the unique elements of the work experience that are most likely to effect engagement.

The work experience is the key – and this study validates what I have believed for years.

So, why should organizations pay attention to employee engagement?

New Century Financial Corporation, (a U.S. specialty mortgage banking company) found:

• 28% less revenue was produced by account executives that were ‘actively disengaged’
• 23% less revenue was generated from moderately disengaged account executives

Engaged employees also outperformed the not engaged and actively disengaged employees in other divisions.

What this further demonstrates is that employee engagement not only correlates with bottom line results – it drives results.

Employee engagement can not only make a real difference, it can set the great organizations apart from the merely good ones.

If you really want to have a better grasp of how to achieve employee engagement, I strongly encourage you to take a look at the article.

The authors also provide what they refer to as the 10 C’s of engagement.

In my mind, this article makes an exceptionally strong business case for the value of employee engagement.

I truly do believe that it is the people in an organization that make things work, the right people in the right jobs for your company. Good employees really are a company’s best assets – and yet it seems there isn’t a lot of effort put toward helping our ‘assets’ deliver their peak performance through engagement.

“Leaders should actively try to identify the level of engagement in their organization, find the reasons behind the lack of full engagement, strive to eliminate those reasons, and implement behavioral strategies that will facilitate full engagement.” Ivey Business Journal March/April 2006

The post A Good Business Case for Employee Engagement appeared first on BC Jobs Blog.

We are joining the ranks of Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan for example, that already have language about bullying in their legislation.

What does this legislation mean for employers? Well, it means that they must create policies that speak to what bullying and harassment are and they must also educate all employees at all levels of their organization, on how to deal with bullying in the workplace.

Supervisors and managers will need to know how to recognize if bullying is happening in the workplace and employees will need to know what avenues are open to them in terms of making a complaint and what the process will be once a complaint has been made.

As an employer, you will want to be sure that

• Complaints are taken seriously and appropriate investigations are done when needed.
• You will want to ensure that those responsible for handling the complaints are trained on how to deal with an investigation.
• You may also want to consider utilizing the services of an external investigator – and in the case of a serious complaint, or one in which there is more than one complainant – it is recommended that you consider an external source.
• You will want to be sure that documentation is in order to support whatever decisions are made as a result of your complaints or investigations.
• You will want to ensure that you communicate what the outcomes are to both the complainant and the accused party.

Within your policies, you will want to be clear about the definition of bullying and as a general guideline, what I recommend is that you look at how harassment is defined in your human rights code.

In Canada, of those provinces that previously passed legislation, bullying has been described as:

the act of intentionally causing harm to others, through verbal harassment, physical assault or other more subtle methods of coercion such as manipulation, including ignoring and isolating the person.

Sometimes bullying is referred to as “psychological harassment” or “personal harassment.”

Do you think that bullying is really a problem in the workplace, or are people just whining about nothing and should they go along to get along?

To respond to this question, we look a look at the Province of Quebec since they were one of the first to pass this legislation. It was learned that one year following the coming into force of the new law, the Labour Standards Commission reported that it had received 2,500 complaints of psychological harassment, and that less than 1 per cent of these complaints were considered frivolous.

Bullying is, according to this information, alive and well in the workplace and there is a definite need for the new legislation here in B.C. We are now the fourth province to make an attempt at addressing this problem.

You may want to learn more about how to address bullying in your workplace as well. Be proactive if you are not yet in a position where legislation is passed. Create healthy work environments and reap the benefits of doing so. No, bullying is not new to the work place; it’s very much alive and well.

Hopefully, this legislation will bring us one step closer to realizing that successful businesses are those who work hard to eliminate bullying and harassment and have the policies and practices in place to do so as well as taking the actions necessary to provide safe work places.

The post Bill 14 is Here appeared first on BC Jobs Blog.

Even with the best of intentions, we can make errors in workplace investigations that are very costly not only in directly visible ways, but also through indirect costs such as organizational reputation, employee morale and of course, turnover.

When a complaint of wrong doing comes into an employer; let’s use harassment or workplace theft as an example, the complaint deserves an investigation. To what extent that investigation goes is very dependent upon the type of complaint. Consider the severity and impropriety of the act, the circumstances of each situation and whether the behaviour is prohibited under Canadian Human Rights or Provincial Human Rights as may be the case.

Fail to take any and all complaints seriously at your own peril. The importance of taking the time to investigate complaints cannot be overstated. And the time you take to start and complete them must be factored in as well.

Of course, the nature of the complaint will very much dictate the depth of the investigation. The investigation could be something as simple as checking time cards or door swipes to confirm an employee reported for duty on time. Follow up with the department manager and validate what information you’ve found. If indeed the complaint has been validated through your cursory check, we move further if necessary.

Talk with the ‘tardy’ employee and let him know about the situation and how it might be improved upon for if there is something like an accommodation going on.

Remember your co-workers, subordinates and other managers will be watching how you respond because who knows – it could be them that have questions in the future – you will be viewed as someone who is serious about creating healthy workplace because you really are about your process – Employees should feel safe in coming to you and they will if they believe you when you talk with them and know that you will protect the complaint as much as possible.

It sounds all formal and disconcerting when we mention workplace investigations, but if you have a healthy work place they should be few and far between. If people fear coming to you or feel there is no use because nothing will be done anyway – well then I dare say it’s not where you want to be. Healthy relationships require trust.

People see what’s going on at work – they see how the employer supports others – whether that support is on side with manager or with the employee. And there will be time when the employee has to admit that things could have been different and may have to change something as a result of an investigation; however we are all human and it proven time and time again, that do make poor judgement can be forgiven – it’s the lies and attitudes that cannot.

An investigation managed effectively can restore a relationship and boundaries can be established that everyone is good with. This might be a chance to restore a relationship if both parties are in sincere in doing so. So many times, conflicts come about and we discover at the root of the conflict that may well as the cause of investigations are easily resolved and it’s having the faith to do that that truly illustrates a good, healthy environment.

To be honest, not all things end well.

In serious allegations that are borne out, there may be dismissals (or more than one), there may be discipline on files, there may be people that quit the organization and move on – valuable people. These are part of life but you cannot fear them because it may impact your investigations.

Every organization, large or small, should have policies in place that speak to how employee complaints are addressed. Within those policies should be a statement relating to an investigation procedure.

There are processes that investigations must follow and someone taking on the responsibility of managing an investigation without adequate training can very quickly turn a simple issue into a major – and costly – concern. I recently took part in an investigations workshop and the information provided confirmed this fact.

An Investigation Gone Wrong

An employee receives his performance review and he is not happy with it. It’s more than that, he says he is being harassed and that some of the content in the review was not ever spoken in person.

He takes the complaint to human resources, who then proceeds to follow the steps in the procedures manual, goes immediately to the supervisor.

Well, what do you think happened then?

The supervisor hit the roof and told the human resources department that of course, it was completely unfounded.

Now our complainant is furious – he feels he came to the human resources department to complaint ‘about the supervisor being the harasser’ and she goes directly to him.

O.K., so what’s the next step in the procedures? (https://shlohmo.com/)  Try ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution). How do you think that went?

Needless to say, the complaint that should have been a fairly easy one to manage, became long and complex and went on for a couple of years and more people got involved as the emotions ran high and some of the anger and feelings of betrayal stayed between the two parties.

This complaint that could have conceivably been handled through one or two conversations, if handled appropriately, went on for over 3 years. 3 years of supervisory time, employee time, production time (several more people ended up involved as it dragged along), human resource personnel time, etc.etc.

So, while there are procedures in place; we must also understand how to manage the complaint. Going directly to the supervisor in this case, ended up being the last place the investigation should have started.

If you have a fairly complex investigation, one that has serious allegations, you may wish to look at an external investigator. Will it cost you money? Absolutely! But if you don’t manage it effectively, it was cost you far more – and that’s a guarantee.

Reputations are damaged (for individuals and businesses)

If not handled expediently and with the time and energy it deserves; potential law suits could loom overhead.

Employee trust is weakened (which results in less productivity and attitudinal concerns).

And so it goes.

By all means, most of your complaints can and should be managed internally. This is because the majority of them should not be extremely serious in nature.

However; if you have an investigation that requires some added time that you cannot give it; or if it is serious enough that there could conceivably be ‘external charges’ brought against the company – leave it to someone that investigates for a living – take it outside.

Don’t just take my word for it – check out any number of employment law sites and have a peek.

As a final note, if your organization insists on doing your own investigations, then get the required training to make sure you do them well. What appears to be a large cost is very little when compared to an investigation gone wrong.

The post Handle Workplace Investigations with Care appeared first on BC Jobs Blog.

Of course, I didn’t appreciate what kind of an impact this type of employee integration and solid leadership would have on me throughout my working career until I went on to work with others.

Let me explain . . .

This was my experience of coming into this organization as a new employee.  I went to the reception desk and I stated that I was here to see Tony (I have been asked to use his first name only). I stated my name and the receptionist called Tony to advise him I was in the lobby. While I was waiting for his arrival, she introduced herself and said, “Wow! You’re first day – how exciting. I hope you really enjoy working here, and if you need anything at all, just ask.  My name is Audrey.”

Now realize, I hadn’t told her that it was my first day of work – I only gave her my name. So, I felt recognized and welcomed immediately! It was obvious she knew I was coming.

Tony then came into the lobby (possibly 2 – 3 minutes later) and shook my hand, had a big smile on his face; turned toward Audrey and said, “This is the young lady I was telling you about, Kellie, meet Audrey.” We both let him know we’d introduced one another and engaged in a bit more small talk and then he said, “Well, let’s go on a bit of a tour and meet a few of the others.”

He told me that I would be assigned to a trainer and that part of my training would involve spending a bit of time in each department so I could get an understanding of how my job related to others in the company.  He also explained the organizational structure in terms of who reports to whom; and while he acknowledged that there would be some paperwork for us to complete, he thought it was more important that I see the building and meet a few people first.

For the first 3 months that I worked with the organization, I was frequently visited by Tony. He struck me as truly being interested not only in me but in all of the employees that worked for him.  I did some job shadowing just as he said I would; I had small quizzes and tests and the ability to demonstrate how much I had learned against very clear job specifications, and I always – always felt that I knew how to get help whenever I needed it.

I was able to contribute to the team fairly quickly and I had a pretty good handle on what was expected of me. Tony made sure to let me know that he was pleased with my progress – and more importantly – I was content in knowing the reason my job existed and what that meant to the organizational flow of things. I was able to integrate very quickly and because of working in the various departments, I knew who had whatever information I needed in order to do my job effectively and I knew within the organization the folks to connect with in the various departments.

Something I also want to make note of at this point in time, is that there were other new hires that did not meet the required standards and unfortunately, they were not kept on with the company. But, because of the way the orientation and on-boarding process was handled, I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that they were givenevery opportunity to succeed – I saw first-hand what attention was given to new ‘recruits’ as we were called at that time.

So, what happened after I’d left that organization?

Well, let’s fast forward to the last 10 or so years of my work experience history.

I had the opportunity to work for a number of different organizations and have to tell you, that most of them were exceptionally good; excellent pay and benefits, nice offices to work in, nice people for the most part – however – I was never ever, in my entire work life since given a repeat of being orientated to the workplace the way I had been by Tony – and truthfully – it was only quite recently that I put a lot of thought into this fact.

I knew that something was missing in all of these organizations – I just couldn’t quite articulate what that was – until I really looked at my entry into these various places.

My big ‘aha’ moment came when I reviewed the new employee orientation and onboarding process that I encountered at an organization I could hardly wait to begin working for.  There was a huge, gigantic missing piece and it was very clear to me what was missing!

Compare this to the experience I mentioned above and you’ll see what I mean . . .

On my first day, I introduced myself at reception.  The front desk person called to my new department head but no one was there. He called a couple of other people from the department but only got answering machines with everyone he called. He left a message on a couple of the phones and just asked me to take a seat, which of course; I did.

Almost 2 hours later, there was still no one there to collect me.

During that period of time, the receptionist had tried on a couple of occasions to track someone down to no avail.  Finally, the recruiter (the person that actually hired and interviewed me) came to the door. The manager of the department still wasn’t available but I was told she would be soon.  I was brought up to the general office area in human resources, which was the department I was going to be working in.  They weren’t entirely sure of where I was going to sit for the day; but the recruiter that came and collected me, introduced me briefly to a few of the girls and went to find the manager. I knew one of the ladies from the department, so she and I talked a bit about things in general to pass the time.

Finally, my manager came and apologized profusely for having left me waiting but explained that an emergency meeting had come up. She sat me down at a computer terminal and explained that this would not be where I would be working as they hadn’t yet found a place for me; but I could at least stay here for the balance of the week and go through the things I needed to know about my job and the company.

She logged me into a computer using her password as they had not yet added me to the system, and directed me to go through the Intranet site that housed the policies and procedures as well as the internal employee communications network.  She introduced me again to the girls in the open office and told me that she had to run off again but that if I had any questions, I could ask ‘Suzy-Q” in the corner and she’d be happy to help me.  “Suzy-Q” had her back to me (not her fault…just the positioning of the desks) and had headphones on, she was tapping her foot and nodding her head, obviously in tune with the music she was listening to, and seemed totally engrossed in whatever it was she was doing.  My boss tapped her on the shoulder and made sure she was at least aware of the fact that I was there. To my recollection, she didn’t even smile; just nodded at me, turned back around and went back to her foot-tapping. (https://yukonhunting.ca/)

For the entire week, I was left on my own.  I can honestly tell you I’ve never had such a L O N G drawn out week ever before or since that time.  I didn’t really understand why I was even there, to tell the truth.  I wanted to leave within a few days of being there; and needless to say, I did leave shortly thereafter.

So, as a result of these experiences (both good and bad) I decided that I would make it my mission to help organizations see the value in providing the best orientation and on-boarding for their employees that they can.

First impressions are quite lasting and can make all the difference between really ‘wanting to stay’ with an organization and ‘having to stay’.

What’s the point of this story?  When you say “Welcome, we hope you stay a while” – be sure you mean it!
Related to Welcome – We Hope You’ll Stay A While:

• 5 Tips to make your Orientations Successful!
• A Successful On Boarding Program to Prevent New Hires from Jumping Ship
• New hire training: paving the way for new staff

The post Welcome, We Hope You’ll Stay A While appeared first on BC Jobs Blog.

I do believe in job descriptions – and let me tell you why.

A job description helps a business in understanding what the needs are of a particular position.  What are the functional responsibilities and skills required in the position?  How will you know what a reasonable amount of pay should be if you don’t have some sort of understanding of the duties?  How would you classify the role?  Who would the person report to and who would be responsible to manage the incumbent?   For that matter, how will you hire someone into a position that has no description?  How would you construct a set of interview questions that would be relevant to the role?

A job description is valuable for the employee as well.  If you are going to measure my performance, what standards will I be measured by?  How will I know what is required of me if there is no description of what it is I am supposed to do? I’d like to know what to expect and I don’t believe I could know that without understanding the job I’m required to do based on a set of skills, knowledge and ability.

Job descriptions can also be helpful in identifying an organizational flow between positions.

So, how does the job description relate to the interview?

Part of that question has already been answered; but I’d like to give you more of an answer.  When you develop interview questions, you want to be sure that you are able to hire the ‘right person’ with the ‘right skills and attitude’.  If you define what that looks like in your job description, it will of course be easier to develop questions that will bring that out in the interview.

Take the actual skill set, list of responsibilities and duties, and think about the best fit for that role.  The best fit would be determined by how you would like to see the position managed.  If, for example, the role is one in which there will be frequent customer contact; one of the things you should be looking for in your line of questioning, is how this person gets along with others.  How do they like working with the public?  What do they do with a difficult customer?  What is their communication style?

Learn as much as you can about the parts of your position that the candidate would enjoy based on his or her past experience.  How does their past experience tie into the job you are currently offering?  Again, how would you know that without a job description?

I have heard the argument from some that having job descriptions can create responses such as, “It’s not in my job description”; however, I beg to differ.  If you treat your employees well and with respect – and they are clear on what their responsibilities are – and recognized for what they do well – I doubt you will ever hear those words.

Another argument I have heard is that they take too much work and have to be updated all the time.
Well, to this I would say; get the employee who is doing the job to assist you in the task of updating.  Look at the job description on an annual basis.  It may even help the organization in seeing where some growth opportunities could be. (crystalbaypoolsva.com) The employee will no doubt be happy to be involved in the process.

Hiring the right people is a crucial part of running a successful business.  I challenge those who do not think a job description will assist in the hiring process to answer how they will find the right fit without a job description.

Take the time, create a job description; and hire right!

Related to The Connection between Job Descriptions and Finding the Right Fit:

• How to Write a Job Description
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The post The Connection between Job Descriptions and Finding the Right Fit appeared first on BC Jobs Blog.

More and more small businesses are popping up due to the economic downturn.  People are realizing that they need to become more reliant on themselves to be gainfully employed. As these startup businesses increase, there will be some challenges that must be considered.

One of many challenges will possibly be in hiring a strong and stable group of employees. The reality is that you will probably not be able to compete with larger employers that offer higher salaries; benefit packages; stock options; flexible work-weeks, etc.  For a while, folks are going to try to hold out for these positions and may very well turn you down.

So, what do you do?  What can you offer?

Here’s an example of a struggle you could face . . .you know that you need a front line person that can be an office receptionist; do payroll; do your business accounting; as well as being a customer sales-person and an office administrator.  You need the person to be dependable, have a certain level of maturity, have excellent computer and math skills – you want 3 – 5 years solid business experience – but – and this is a big but – you can only pay them slightly more than minimum wage and you can’t offer any benefits.

What?  You’re kidding me?  They aren’t busting down your door to get in?

Here is a possible solution to think about.

If you are passionate about what you do and you can find folks who share your passion, you may find that money isn’t what motivates them entirely; however, you need to be realistic about whom you can and will attract.

You may be able to find someone willing to grow with your company but that means you need to sell the company image, your hopes and dreams and help create the desire for people to want to work there. You may need to seriously consider someone who has the ability and attitude to do the work but that may possibly need some training.  There are many pluses to this route.  You get to train the individual to be who you need them to be.  You get energy and you get a willingness to learn.

For the small business owner, it is imperative that you hire the right fit!  Skills are absolutely essential, to a degree, but perhaps not to the level you initially believed.

I recently worked with a client with exactly this problem.  At first, the client didn’t want to give up on getting the skills he wanted.  He was adamant that he could get the job filled.  After reviewing almost 100 applications, we had it narrowed down to the top 5.  Of those 5, 3 turned down the job immediately because of the salary.  One did not pass the aptitude test and the last one backed out on the day of the interview stating that after thinking about the commute and the salary, she was going to decline the interview.
We went back over the resumes we had collected overall and there were a number of folks I thought could work well but alas, they did not have the ‘required skills’.

I asked the client to explain what his ideal candidate would look like if the skills could be taught.  In doing so, I helped him realize that the ideal person would have his passion and drive for the business itself.

In the end, we found someone who is probably going to be a perfect fit!  Did she have everything he initially wanted – no – but was she willing to learn?  Did she have enough skills that we could build on them?  Did she believe as he did, that the business was a good one and there was some excitement about building the business?  Absolutely!

So, as a small business owner, consider someone that may be in your price range and has the right attitude.  Basic skills may really be what you need and can realistically afford.  Letting someone grow with your business has its benefits as well.

Related to Hiring for the Small Employer:

• Surviving an Economic Downturn: Creative Alternatives to Layoffs
• How to Identify What Motivates Your Employees
• The Importance of Corporate Culture and Fit to Employee Success

The post Hiring for the Small Employer appeared first on BC Jobs Blog.

You can never over-communicate a planned change – and in particular – to those most impacted.

Simple (but not easy) steps to think about in your communications:

• Leadership must support the change (even if in fact, they may not agree they shouldn’t share that with subordinates)
• Rationale for the change must also be communicated clearly – help make it make sense
• Be sure to ask for questions from those impacted and listen to what is said – dialogue with the impacted parties is very important – otherwise your employee buy in is hampered
• Communicate consistent messages – and communicate them often
• Use a number of ways to communicate – speaking, writing, video, training, focus groups, bulletin boards, Intranets
• Communicate what you know, when you know it – you may not know everything up front – that’s O.K. – tell what you do know and be honest about what you don’t yet know
• Be honest about what you don’t know and above all – do not make things up – you will destroy trust
• While I know this has been mentioned above already; I am going to repeat that you need to encourage dialogue – allow people to ask questions – you don’t just want to present information – you want the employees to accept the changes, so they must feel involved
• Even though a change may impact one group of employees more than another; it is still advisable to keep everyone in the loop – this will avoid gossip and fear mongering – and will also provide an opportunity for people to safely explore new behaviours and ideas about changes

While I realize this list is rather simplistic (change management typically requires a well thought out communication plan and will take time to develop) the idea here is to think about making an actual communication plan and having distinct steps to take toward successfully implementing change.
Related to Tips for communicating change:

• Onboarding: call to senior leaders
• Restoring Trust

The post Tips for communicating change! appeared first on BC Jobs Blog.

So, we need to be honest here and figure out what you can realistically do to ensure you find the right person.

What I am going to suggest may sound to some of you like it’s too much work – but my years of experience have taught me that doing the work up front will save you ten-fold as you begin to move forward and people are indeed doing what it is you hired them to do.

Things you need to think about:

• Define the job that you really need to fill?
• What are the primary duties and what is the order of importance of those duties?
• What skills does this person need to have and to what level?  (For example, if you need someone to do accounts receivable and payable – will the candidate be able to use Excel – or do they need to have experience with a particular software package to do the work efficiently?)
• Who will this person report to?
• What is the culture of your company (if new, think about your vision and who would fit that)
• How will you pre-screen the potential candidates?
• If there are specific skills required, are you prepared to test for those skills and are the tests you’re going to use validated and legally defensible?
• Do have standardized interview questions that will adequately provide what you need to know?
• If you’ve decided who you want to offer a position to, have you constructed an offer letter?  And if so, have you covered what you need to cover to clearly define the relationship?
• Do you know how you will bring this person into the organization, in terms of who will provide him or her with the orientation and on-boarding?
• Do you know how you will evaluate this person and how often?

As I said, it may seem like a lot of work; but like anything else in life, if you prepare a solid foundation, you can feel more comfortable about the stability of the structure.

The most successful businesses are those that have repeatable processes and systems in place.  I encourage you to think about your systems and processes with people management. (buckstovepoolandspa.com)   Take the time to do your homework and planning up front and when your business starts to grow, you can relax in knowing you have the right people in place to keep things moving forward.  Anything worth having is worth working for – and I truly believe finding the right fit is well worth it in the long run.

Related to Finding the Right Person for Your Job:

• Hiring Employees – Seven Winning Strategies
• The Importance of Corporate Culture and Fit to Employee Success
• What you need to know about creating a letter of offer

The post Finding the Right Person for Your Job appeared first on BC Jobs Blog.

As someone who does workplace investigations, I have had the opportunity to see first-hand how harassment and bullying can impact organizations in terms of lost productivity, decreased morale, deterioration of trust and employee turnover.

I understand why it is more important than ever to investigate complaints promptly and thoroughly, develop policies and educate all employees to ensure that bullying will not be tolerated.

As most of us know, Canadian and Provincial Human Rights laws protect against harassment and sexual harassment for protected groups but as mentioned, complaints are beginning to expand to personal harassment and bullying because while it is recognized that discrimination against protected groups is important, it shouldn’t stop there.

• The first thing we need to think about is treating complaints quickly and efficiently.  The longer we hold off on doing an investigation once a complaint has been brought forward, the worse the situation will get.  This is also something that employers should avoid in the event a complaint does go to a human rights tribunal and they will take a dim view of an organization that doesn’t recognize the importance of a prompt and thorough investigation.
• We need to take preventative action and communicate clearly that bullying will not be accepted and we need to encourage everyone to come forward if indeed they are being treated poorly.  We need to create a safe environment in which this can occur.
• One of the first recommendations I make following investigations is to make sure policies are up to date and that there is very clear communication of the policies as well as training for everyone.   We know about school yard bullies and we know how we tell our children to deal with them – it’s no different in the workplace.

Adult bullies, like their schoolyard counterparts, tend to be insecure people with poor or non-existent social skills and little empathy.  They turn this insecurity outwards, finding satisfaction in their ability to attack and diminish the capable people around them. (http://safety-council.org/workplace-safety/bullying-in-the-workplace)

I recently attended a workshop put on by the BC Human Rights Coalition and the thing that really stood out for me was the increase in complaints with respect to harassment.  It was also very clear that much of the way the investigation is handled and how quickly it is handled has an impact on how the rulings were made.

Many of the complaints that came forward were concerning a supervisor or a manager that was harassing employees; but there has been an increase in complaints about one employee to another.
Personal harassment and bullying is reaching media attention as well, and possibly this has a part to play in terms of increases in complaints.  There is also a great deal of information on the Internet about the topic – so again – education that is helping people in understanding what bullying looks like.

If you have complaints concerning harassment or bullying – be sure to investigate.  This does not mean that it can’t be done internally or informally; however, remember that there are external resources available for this purpose and it doesn’t always need to be done by lawyers.

Be sure that you use trained workplace investigators and be sure that you act promptly.  You can also use external workplace investigators to help you in the development of policies and education, if required.

Harassment and bullying is not O.K. and turning a blind eye to it (in other words, condoning the behaviour) will eventually cost your organization far more than any investigation, education or development of policies ever will.
Articles Related to Workplace Investigations:

• Employee turnover – how much is it costing you?
• Damages For Loss of Career Confirmed
• Coaching Employee Performance

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