The word you’re looking for is appreciation. If Oprah said it, we have to take it seriously!

Creating a culture of recognition builds a thriving workplace. It is a way to acknowledge and motivate employees for their work contribution and commitment to bring value to the table. It is considered to be a cornerstone of effective employee management. 

Many organizations have the best employee recognition programs, which aim to reward and recognize the efforts of dedicated individuals. Think about it. If you had some employees who bring meaningful contributions to their projects, wouldn’t you want to cherish them? 

Periodic recognition drives better employee engagement, reduces attrition rates and creates a high-performance culture. In fact, positive feedback has a 12.5% increase in productivity among employees compared to neutral or negative feedback. 

Impact of rewards & recognition on employees

According to Statista, 45% of employees chose impactful work as one of the most important attributes of an organization. In another workplace survey by Gallup, there is a 56% attrition rate in organizations that prioritize employee rewards and recognition. Let’s be honest now, there are significant numbers that we cannot overlook. 

Building desired organizational culture

At the core, recognition should be authentic, personalized, and candid. Good workplaces have some of the best employee recognition platforms to appreciate honest and hardworking human resources. It helps streamline the recognition process and set clear directives. 

On the other hand, rewards are tangible and are distributed to the best-performing employees for their exceptional performance. These are ceremonial occasions conducted at a specific time of the year to acknowledge the star performers. Also, it sets company standards in terms of goal orientation and benchmark performance. This is the opportunity to send a clear message about the desired behavior from the workforce. 

So, the best employee rewards programs are created with clear eligibility criteria, transparent nomination, and proper guidelines. 

How useful is employee recognition software?

We all seek validation in our formative years. This behavioral pattern continues throughout our life. The desire to get positive affirmations gets stronger in every stage of life. 

Hiring managers and companies have figured out the importance of building a motivated and loyal workforce. This aids in employee retention, increased engagement, and elevated performance. It explains why organizations are investing in employee recognition software. It is best to encourage people for the work they have put in and allow them to flex their discretionary muscles, which can only be done by building a robust muscle. 

Best employee recognition programs for a high-performing workplace

• Employee of the month

It is one of the best employee rewards and recognition programs to acknowledge the best-performing individual in different teams. “Employee of the Month” recognition is a great way to highlight the extraordinary work of the star performer. It is a structured recognition that gives a boost and positive reinforcement to the workforce. Many organizations have a formal ceremony once a month to distribute tokens of appreciation, certificates, and awards.

• Performance-based incentives

This employee appreciation program is to incentivize the best employees who have achieved performance-based goals. It can include a bonus, a variable component in the salary, or an additional payout. 

• Innovation awards

Innovation awards are highly encouraged in modern-day workplaces. It is part of the best employee recognition program and concedes the innovative ideas of talented employees. The nomination is based on how impactful the idea is for the overall welfare of the organization. It gives a pedestal to budding minds exploring new processes for better organizational outcomes.

• Milestone/service recognition

The best human resource management practices include rewards for loyal and committed work personnel. Those employees who have achieved certain milestones in their careers or have served a certain number of years are rewarded. The best employee recognition platform has this award to express appreciation towards the long-associated employees. 

• Social recognition platforms

Social media is integral to every individual’s life, right? It has also become a part of every organization’s online presence. Utilizing platforms like LinkedIn to recognize employee efforts is a great way to validate their performance. Additionally, it helps build a fostering community. 

The best employee recognition software provides the right solution and policy to acknowledge the hardworking people of the organization. It helps management, hiring managers, and line managers to identify the right people making the extra effort from their office desks. Based on the research of Great Place to Work, there is a 69% increase in efforts by employees when their work is recognized. 

Check out our free Employee recognition programs policy template! 

The post Best employee recognition programs for a robust workplace appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

What is employee onboarding?

Onboarding new hires is the process companies go through to welcome and integrate employees into the workplace. This very definition suggests that the employee onboarding process extends far beyond the first day of a new hire – it continues until they’ve fully adjusted to their role and team.

And this is the main difference between onboarding and orientation. The employee onboarding definition refers to any action that helps new hires understand how things work in their new work environment, get acquainted with the company culture, and feel welcomed and valued in their team.

Employee orientation, on the other hand, is the first step of onboarding. It’s when new hires learn the basics of their environment: for example, they might familiarize themselves with the office building and company policies, understand their new job duties and get introduced to their colleagues.

Why is onboarding important?

Think back to your first day in any job – chances are you were excited but nervous. If you don’t receive enough attention and instruction, that may not bode well for your mood or your motivation to get up to speed in your new capacity.

This may be one of the reasons that more than 25% of new hires quit their jobs after their first three months. And this is a huge loss for a company that must repeat a costly hiring process to find a replacement so soon – not counting the resources spent to train or compensate that new employee during their time with your company.

So onboarding new employees effectively can improve your company’s employee retention.

Another benefit of a good onboarding policy is that new hires reach full productivity faster. If they don’t receive adequate help from HR or their manager, and they’re just trying to make sense of everything on their own, your company loses potential revenue this employee would otherwise bring. If new hires go through a well-developed onboarding process, they’ll be quicker to settle in their role and start producing value for their team.

And an effective process is even more imperative when you’re onboarding remote employees (who have extra difficulties in connecting with their colleagues due to distance) or interns and graduates (who are new to your company and also to the world of employment).

Why it’s crucial to welcome new hires

Employee onboarding shouldn’t stop at company policy, benefit enrollment, job training, and tech logins — the way your company makes employees feel is a significant part of company culture, which is an essential ingredient of attracting and retaining top talent in today’s job market. It also goes a long way in building lasting employee engagement.

There should be two main components involved with a successful onboarding strategy: making sure new hires are prepared with all of the necessary information to work within your organization and creating a positive, comfortable environment where everyone feels supported and included. A fully optimized onboarding experience should welcome a new hire in a way that leaves them feeling prepared to perform their role and excited to be part of your team.

Additional resources for welcoming a new hire:

• How to Welcome a New Hire

Onboarding process steps

When designing the onboarding process, there are many things you can do to help new hires, like sending them a welcome package with company swag, arranging a team lunch or dinner with colleagues, or preparing a presentation. Whatever you include in your own process, there are several onboarding best practices that you could follow:

1. Communicate with new hires regularly

If your new hire’s start date is more than two weeks away, make sure to keep communicating with them and show that you’re looking forward to having them on board. You can prepare a welcome package with company swag or send them your employee handbook in advance. You could also ask the new hire’s prospective manager to send an email welcoming their new team member.

2. Plan the new hire’s first week

When the new employee first arrives for work, they will be uncertain about what their day will be like. It’s up to you to show them that you’re fully prepared to welcome them properly. So, prepare a plan for their first few days on the job and check all the important boxes (like setting up their workstation or informing the front desk employees about the new hire’s arrival).

3. Welcome them with open arms

Be enthusiastic, friendly, and positive from day one. Give the new hire a company walkthrough and introduce them to their co-workers at nearby desks first. Schedule a team lunch for them to get acquainted with others on their team and make sure their manager meets with them regularly throughout this crucial first week. It’d be useful to provide the new employee with a checklist or schedule with all the onboarding activities you have planned.

4. Keep it up

The onboarding process doesn’t end after the first week is over. You need to ensure your new hire has enough basic yet meaningful work to do almost from the beginning to help build confidence. Their manager should have a plan to assign that work and also support their smooth integration into the team. Check in with both the new hire and their manager after two weeks and at the end of the new hire’s first month and give them any support they might need.

A well-thought-out employee onboarding program – taking into account these four steps – could make all the difference in successful employee retention and engagement. It’s imperative both to employee retention and engagement that new hires know that your company values them right from the start.

Additional resources for creating an onboarding process:

• Onboarding Process Survey Questions Template
• How to Build a New Employee Onboarding Process

Why an onboarding checklist is important

There are a lot of moving pieces to a comprehensive employee onboarding strategy and starting a new job is already a situation that can inspire feelings of anxiety, uncertainty, or information overload. Remember the first day of school? It’s like that, but with even more at stake.

An onboarding checklist provides a loosely-structured schedule that prioritizes the most important aspects of welcoming a new hire while also helping them gain confidence about their new role and environment. Onboarding is your best chance to make a strong first impression as an efficient, organized, and thoughtful place to work and a new hire checklist is the ideal tool to help you do it.

Improve the initial employee experience by providing them with a copy of the list so that they know what to expect.

Additional resources for creating an onboarding checklist:

• Onboarding New Hire Checklist
• Remote Employee Onboarding Checklist
• IT Onboarding Checklist
• Onboarding Checklists Templates
• Onboarding New Managers Checklist

Remote onboarding

The rise of remote work has added new obstacles for HR professionals to consider. It’s even easier to feel lost, overwhelmed, or confused if you can’t check in with a friendly face nearby. How do you make a new hire feel welcome and supported from a distance?

It’s extremely important to streamline the formal onboarding workflow and communicate the process and all information involved as clearly as possible for remote workers. Help them get comfortable with company communication tools as quickly as possible, set up some video calls or virtual meetings with relevant managers and team members, and consider assigning them an “onboarding buddy” to reach out to with any questions.

Onboarding software is an ideal tool for organizing the process and a friendly colleague can help personalize and support the experience.

Additional resources for remote onboarding:

• Remote Employees Onboarding Checklist
• Working, Hiring, and Onboarding in the New Normal
• Remote Onboarding FAQs

Employee onboarding tools and software

Hiring a new employee involves a significant investment of time, money, and resources. From interviewing to onboarding, it’s important to be thorough and organized each step of the way — not only for logistical reasons, but also because making a positive impression is a key component of acquiring highly-qualified talent in a competitive job market.

Using employee onboarding tools and software can help streamline communication, facilitate training, ensure compliance, and manage necessary paperwork, among other things. It can also make the entire process easier for human resources professionalwhat is s by incorporating automation and notifications into the workflow to ensure all tasks are completed in a timely manner.

Creating and implementing a consistent and comprehensive onboarding strategy improves the efficiency and productivity of your organization as you empower new hires to step into their new position with comfort and confidence.

The post What is employee onboarding and how to get it right appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

This immediate boost in productivity can be attributed to clear guidance, structured training, and the provision of necessary resources from the outset. 

Additionally, research by BambooHR indicates that employees who feel they had an effective onboarding experience are 18 times more likely to feel committed to their organization. 

This heightened sense of commitment is crucial for fostering long-term loyalty and reducing turnover rates.

How can you make the onboarding process smoother and more efficient? Explore our six core onboarding checklists and experience the positive impact in your company.

1. New employee checklist

The New Employee Checklist is designed to ensure that all essential tasks are completed before the new hire’s first day. 

This checklist covers everything from sending the offer letter to preparing the workspace, ensuring a smooth transition into the company. 

By following this checklist, you can create a welcoming environment and provide new employees with the resources they need to start their new role confidently.

Here’s what you need to do:

2. New hire checklist: before the first day

While the above provides a comprehensive checklist for new hires, the following one delves deeper into what you should do before the first day of work.

Preparing for a new hire’s arrival involves several critical steps to ensure they feel welcomed and ready to start their new role. 

This proactive approach helps to streamline the onboarding process and ensures all administrative tasks are handled efficiently before the new employee’s first day.

3. New hire first day checklist

The first day of a new hire sets the tone for their future with the company. The New Hire First Day Checklist focuses on making the first day as smooth and welcoming as possible.

This checklist includes greeting the new hire, giving an office tour, helping with initial HR paperwork, and providing an overview of company policies. By carefully planning the first day, you help new employees feel comfortable and ready to begin their journey with your organization.

HR team tasks

Hiring manager tasks

4. New hire paperwork checklist

Completing all necessary paperwork is a crucial part of the onboarding process. The New Hire Paperwork Checklist ensures that all required documents, both legal and internal, are prepared and signed. This includes employment contracts, tax forms, and benefit documents.

Properly managing paperwork helps in maintaining compliance and sets clear expectations between the employer and the new hire.

5. New employee orientation program checklist

Orientation is a key component of the onboarding process, helping new hires acclimate to their new work environment and understand company policies.

The New Employee Orientation Program Checklist guides you through the tasks needed to support new employees during their first few days.

This includes administrative support, an overview of company policies, office tours, and introductions to team members. A comprehensive orientation program helps new hires integrate smoothly and quickly into their new roles.

6. IT onboarding checklist

A seamless IT setup is essential for new hires to start their roles without technical hitches. The IT Onboarding Checklist details the steps required to prepare all necessary technology and accounts before the new hire’s arrival.

It also includes instructions for the first day and ongoing support to ensure new employees have everything they need from a technical perspective.

Efficient IT onboarding helps new hires be productive from day one and reduces the likelihood of technical issues disrupting their workflow.

Before the first day

On the first day

First week or month

Implementing comprehensive onboarding checklists is a vital step toward fostering a productive and committed workforce. By systematically addressing each aspect of the onboarding process—from pre-arrival preparations to first-day introductions, ongoing support, and technical setup—organizations can ensure that new hires feel welcomed, informed, and equipped to succeed in their roles.

As evidenced by research, investing in effective onboarding is not merely a procedural necessity but a strategic imperative that drives organizational success and growth.

By following these checklists, companies can create a positive and lasting impact on their new employees, setting the stage for a mutually rewarding professional journey.

The post Six core onboarding checklists you need for your HR toolkit appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

While the core of those challenges may be recognizable – even common – how they happen in the first place is usually not. Being stuck between a rock and a hard place is never somewhere you want to find yourself, but contrary to popular belief, it’s a privilege to be there. 

It’s an invaluable lesson that puts us at the crossroads of what is right and what is easy. 

And that’s where FishingBooker found itself in July of 2023.

As the biggest online travel company that specializes in organizing fishing trips worldwide, our goal is to make it possible for everyone to access enjoyable fishing experiences, anywhere. 

We’ve been on that mission for over a decade with successes and failures always coming hand in hand. 

But the summer of 2023 brought about a ship-horn-sounding wake-up call that FishingBookers now known as “The Reset.”

The path that led to reset

Every business in the world felt the chaotic effect of the COVID pandemic, and FishingBooker was no exception. We grew substantially over those couple of years, and as a result, our ideas and our staff were also getting bigger. 

Success comes with incredible perks, but it’s easy to forget its challenges. 

We still talked about the importance of improving our path, processes, and decisions, but we missed the changes in the bigger picture because we followed a charted road. 

In other words, we became comfortable in our success without really questioning everything it brought.

As we entered 2023, the landscape started shifting. FishingBooker’s mission and vision became blurry to the people of FishingBooker, which had a ripple effect through every aspect of our work. 

This lack of a clear understanding of the company’s direction was the foundation for all other challenges.

Insufficient open communication between different teams led to the creation of silos, in which everyone was doing their job, but there was rarely much contact, let alone cross-team cooperation.

These changes saw the growth of our ideas and personnel start to outweigh the growth of the company as a whole, directly endangering our future. 

It was time for hard questions, candid feedback, and shifting our focus to what mattered, not what we were used to. This is where the idea of the Reset came in.

The first steps – the good, the bad, and the ugly: feedback

The core of the Reset was to go back to the drawing board to rediscover our mission and values, and to reexamine what worked and what didn’t in our business approach. 

This was no easy feat, and it started as so many great discussions do – with candid feedback and uncomfortable conversations.

FishingBooker’s leadership came together for the first Team Lead Summer Retreat in July 2023. 

In the days that followed, we shared our experiences and ideas on how to develop a growth mindset within each team, what was holding them back from doing their best work, and what steps needed to be taken to overcome the autopilot mode we were struggling with.

Getting on the same page is no small feat, but the first step was identifying the stumbling blocks – the unquestioned and ultimately unsustainable growth that the company experienced in the previous years, as well as the lack of clear mission and communication around it. 

The comfort zone we sailed in was cushioning us for too long and, if we didn’t change course, we were set for a brutal wake-up call. 

Developing a growth mindset

It all came down to needing to reframe what truly mattered – our mission and our goals. Our mission – Fishing trips made easy – remained our guide. 

And to achieve this, the priorities were to make our platform lightning-fast and ensure a seamless user experience for both our captains and customers. 

Achieving these goals required fully focusing on impactful actions and execution with the highest quality standards. 

The recipe for making this happen included:

• Focusing on impact, not ego – replacing the “this is how we always do things” approach with initiatives that would drive the growth of the platform.
• Breaking the team silos – understanding the power of bringing together teams with different perspectives and specialties to usher in a more holistic approach to our initiatives. 
• Over-communication – learning from previous communication failures and applying those lessons to over-communicate the company’s direction, mission, and goals, giving a clearer picture of how every employee can impact them in a meaningful way.
• Continual improvement of FishingBooker’s culture is essential – ensuring that employees’ needs are taken care of is the only way to ensure sustainable growth and success. In turn, growing and being profitable are the only ways to keep offering career development opportunities to FishingBookers.

And thus, the balancing act began. Everyone in the company faced fundamental questions about their team’s work and opportunities to elevate it. 

This led to big changes in how we developed processes and workflows at FishingBooker, as well as the establishment of numerous cross-team initiatives that broke the silos barriers. 

The Reset mentality was gaining momentum by the day.

Coming Together

Not to much surprise, the first months of the Reset were scary and uncertain. 

This was expected as it’s a part of every in-between period – when everything old is falling away, and new ideas have not yet taken shape. 

It was becoming clear that if we weren’t aligned, it would be hard to stay sustainable for years to come. 

We focused on continuous direct and open communication between the leadership and teams, ensuring that we had a clear and shared understanding of our vision and goals.

One of the ways we achieved this is by organizing a Winter Leadership Retreat in December 2023. During those two days, we reiterated the importance of the Reset’s lessons and how they affected our goals for 2024. 

Developing a growth mindset takes time and dedication, and the retreat was a big step in that direction. 

Developing a growth mindset takes time and dedication, and the retreat was a big step in that direction. 

Team leads had the opportunity to be in the same room, share their teams’ ideas and achievements, and voice concerns about the path ahead. 

The retreat proved the significance of over-communication among teams, while breaking the silos brought about promising initiatives that had never been tried before. 

It was in this mindset of focus and innovation we moved into 2024.

Post-reset FishingBooker – prioritizing impact, focus, and constant improvement

Change is always hard, but staying stuck between a rock and a hard place is infinitely harder. At FishingBooker, the Reset isn’t an event anymore, but a mindset. 

It’s a shift that more than ever makes us examine our projects in the “effort vs. impact” frame and one that insists on a blend of innovation and analytical, data-driven thinking. 

The post-Reset period made it clear that it was vital to develop a growth mindset on an individual level, learn about how teams in the company operate, and find ways to work together toward achieving set goals. 

Prioritizing impact, relentless focus, and constant improvement were the main takeaways from the Reset period – the biggest lesson learned in the past year. 

Prioritizing impact, relentless focus, and constant improvement were the main takeaways from the Reset period – the biggest lesson learned in the past year.

Developing a growth mindset takes time, energy, and perseverance because falling back into old habits is an easy slope to slide down. 

Introducing the Reset at FishingBooker was much more than a business decision, it affected every single person working in the company because it challenged them not to think outside of the box, but to break it altogether.

There are many external factors that we have no control over, but what we do control is our approach to our successes and failures, and how much we learn from them. 

It’s possible that, in the future, we’ll have many more mini-Resets that will equip us for whatever challenges we face next. 

But for now, we focus on impact not ego, and carve our path one decision at a time.

Andrijana has been in love with nature since before she could walk, and she lives to explore the great outdoors whenever she has the chance. Be it traveling to far-off lands, hiking, or mountain climbing, Andrijana loves discovering new places and writing about them. The first time she went fishing with her dad she insisted on returning all the catch into the water. Dad was not pleased. 

Her curiosity about fishing only grew from there, and that’s what brought her to the FishingBooker’s Content Team. For the past 6 years, she’s had the opportunity to learn and write about all things fishing and pair that knowledge with her passion for digital marketing.

The post Resetting for growth: FishingBooker’s approach appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

That’s why a structured employee onboarding framework is so critical – it’s more important than onboarding itself.

That’s the 30-60-90 day onboarding framework for you – it’s to provide a consistent, uniform and thorough onboarding experience. It clearly outlines the activities, resources, and expectations for those first three months of an employee’s journey, setting them up for success in their role.

The benefits for the employee are clear – they reach higher productivity in a shorter time (in other words, their ‘time to ramp’ is shorter).

They’re more vividly engaged, they understand what’s expected of them, and they know how to do the work.

For the organization, this results in greater average revenue per employee, lower turnover, and a stronger reputation as an employer that believes in developing their people.

This 30-60-90 day onboarding blueprint is structured in three phases with end goals for each: at the 30-day mark, you’ve set a foundation for that employee.

By the 60-day mark, you’re establishing a clear momentum for the employee to thrive.

And, finally, at the 90-day mark, you’re ensuring that this fully onboarded employee is ready to work autonomously and independently because they’ve learned what they need to know to succeed in their role.

Let’s go into these three stages in depth.

30-day plan: the foundation

We’ll start the 30-60-90 onboarding plan with this famous adage: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”

It’s a given that you’ll be spending a fair bit of time during the first 30 days giving job-specific training to your new starters. But equally, a key focus should be on embedding them into the company culture and helping them build connections.

Here are some ideas to get started:

1. Designate a work ‘buddy’

This should be someone from the team who isn’t their manager. They can be the go-to person who shows them the ropes and gives advice. As this person will be a peer, rather than a manager, they’ll probably have gone through the same experience themselves so can empathize.

Link up new starters who are in a similar boat to each other. For example, you could set up a dedicated Slack or Teams channel which joiners are part of for their first few weeks.

2. Organize a team lunch

Ideally this can be done together in the same place, but if it’s not possible, you can still do it virtually. Why not send the new starter a voucher for them to order the meal of their choice?

Regardless, you should send them a small reward and note of appreciation after their first week – it’s a nice gesture which will put a smile on their face!

3. Set up casual meetings

Arrange “get to know” meetings with people the new starter will be working closely with. This is not a work-related induction, but more of a social meeting to break the ice and find out about each other. These meetings should be quite casual and don’t need any sort of agenda beforehand.

You can group people together – for example, instead of meeting all the web developers individually, they can be part of the same meeting. At the same time, try to keep the number of people in these chats quite small, perhaps to a maximum of four or five. Any more can make them feel daunting, which is the opposite of what you’re trying to achieve!

Basically, it should feel more like a coffee date, and less like you’re being grilled on a reality show!

4. Set up daily syncs

At this stage, managers should have a quick 10-minute catch-up with the employee at the end of each day, just to see how they’re getting on. Meeting lots of different people can be a little overwhelming, so having a regular chat with the same person each day adds a sense of routine.

5. Keep a finger on their pulse

One constant throughout the 30-60-90 day onboarding plan (and beyond) is wellbeing, so ensure managers are still checking in regularly. Pay particular attention to signs of burnout – it’s not uncommon for employees to push themselves extra hard during these opening few weeks.

6. Ensure a solid training plan

As mentioned earlier, training is very important during this stage of the 90 days plan. If you aren’t giving people the tools they need to be successful, it won’t work out for you or them. Things which should be included within the training plan are:

• Company strategy
• Sales positioning
• Department objectives
• Individual KPIs
• Best practice methods
• Systems and ways of working

7. … and be clear about those KPIs

A quick word on those individual KPIs: ensure you are completely clear on what these are – the employee needs to know three things, exactly:

• what’s expected of them
• how that links into the wider organization goals
• what metrics you’ll be using for their work

Setting expectations properly reduces the chances of confusion later on down the line.

8. Make it a two-way street

When it comes to training, try to make this as interactive as possible. People should be able to ask questions and even make suggestions. When training them for the tasks they’ll be doing, incorporate a mix of different learning methods. There may be some things which they can study and practice in their own time, whereas others may require them to learn on the job or be shown step by step.

If you have an online L&D program in place, select the courses which you think will be most relevant to their job. This tailors their training and saves them from having to scroll through lots of different ones.

9. Keep it fun and engaging!

As for the actual work your new starter will be doing, this can vary based on the role and level of seniority. Try to make it engaging though – enthusiasm levels are normally super high at this stage, so you want to tap into this as much as possible. Perhaps you could set them a list of things to do each week and turn it into a fun challenge with points and prizes?

60-day plan: the momentum

Now you’re at one month in the onboarding plan. Your employee should be mostly familiarized with their work and the company’s processes, but that’s just the first step to success. Here’s what you need to think about in the second month of the 30-60-90 day onboarding plan.

1. Maintain a feedback loop

Feedback is crucial, and it’s a very important way to keep the new starter engaged and focused. Managers should give this on each piece of work. Remember it’s still early days, so don’t expect perfection.

At the same time, employees appreciate honesty so give them constructive feedback, and ask for theirs as well. Is there anything they think should have been done differently in the opening weeks?

2. Check on goal progression

It’s also a good time for managers and employees to have an honest discussion about the goals that were set early on. Does anything need to change? Does the employee feel like there are more things they could take on? Either way, do what you did the first time and communicate clearly.

3. Celebrate the small ‘wins’

It’s also important that people feel appreciated. Make sure you celebrate the small successes. If they work in Customer Service, make a big deal of the first ticket they resolve. If they’re in Marketing, recognise them for that first blog they wrote.

This could be a formal shoutout on the recognition platform you use, or even just a round of applause during your end of week wrap-up.

Try and link these recognitions to your company values – this is a great way to remind the employee what you stand for. Try to back the recognitions up with a reward as well. By getting a reward for displaying the right behaviors or for good work, it gives them a morale boost and a sense of gratitude.

You’re now building on the learning

Remember, learning doesn’t just stop after day 30 – but now it continues with the act of building. This is where you trust them to do more independent work and go deeper into their responsibilities. Normally, there are two routes you can take.

If there’s a specific project that was earmarked for them before they joined, allow them to run with this.

If the type of work they do is naturally quite repetitive – perhaps they work on the tills at a shop – ask them to come up with ideas to improve some aspect of what you do. This is a great way to keep them engaged and shows that you see them as a valuable part of the business. It also usually involves them needing to collaborate with other departments, which brings its own benefits in terms of relationship building.

Whichever one of the two routes you choose, ask them to follow the Plan, Develop, Implement model. Here’s a quick breakdown.

Plan

This is where the employee does their research, asks the questions they think are relevant, and puts together a strategy for what they think needs to be done. Give them the time, space and tools to do this.

Develop

Once the plan has been put together, the employee uses it to develop a solution. For example, if they’re in Business Development, maybe they have a better way to reach out to prospects. They can get these new ideas together and test them internally.

Implement

Now the employee takes the results from their tests and puts them into practice. This is where they’ll feel like they’re doing what they were brought in to do, and managers will be able to judge how far along they are.

At all times, managers should ensure help is available if needed – but allow the employee to take control.

Now, we mentioned how this type of task allows employees to build relationships with others in the company. But there’s other ways to do this as well, for example organizing social events. For example, Perkbox has monthly ‘Meet ‘n’ Greet’ events which are an opportunity for new starters to meet with people in social settings.

90-day plan: the independence

This last phase of the 30-60-90 day onboarding plan should help employees feel like they’re a fully-fledged part of the business. All being well, by the end of this period, they should have less of a ‘new starter’ feeling.

The employee should by now be nicely bedded in from a cultural point of view. This doesn’t necessarily mean they run to the karaoke machine on nights out – but they should feel comfortable with their colleagues. If they still seem a little uncomfortable, it’s the manager’s job to get to the bottom of this.

1. Assign full ownership and independence

A core measure of success at the 90-day stage is whether or not you’re able to grant full ownership to the employee. You should be able to confidently assign them projects without walking them through the steps of how to see it through to completion.

At the 90-day mark, that employee is equipped with the knowledge – and experience – to independently make decisions to move the project forward. They no longer will need to ‘check in’ with their manager or seek approval or validation before moving forward.

Of course, there’s always that question of making a mistake – can you trust your employee to do the right thing to ensure success? Well, that’s what onboarding is for in the first place – when you can trust your employees, you’ve onboarded them successfully.

2. Conduct a performance review

What else? Performance reviews. While you no longer require the employee to be checking in with you or other colleagues to get a job done, you do check in with them at the end in the performance review.

This is your opportunity to go through their performance, both in the first 90 days and in the long-term, and identify areas where they can do better and shine a light on areas where they’ve done well. In fact, it’s not simply a review – think of it as a refinement.

3. Ask them about their onboarding experience

A little different from the performance review is a simple check-in with HR. Ask the employee how they’ve found the onboarding process to date. Is there anything they feel should’ve been done differently?

Not only does this help you improve the process for the future, but it shows the employee you take their opinions seriously.

4. Identify their passions – and support them

Hopefully by now they can also let some of their other passions shine through. For example, do you have any Employee Resource Groups or social clubs that appeal to them? Send a reminder of these and encourage them to put themselves forward if they want.

Often, people who join up with these things early on in their time at a company, develop really strong connections with colleagues. This can only be a good thing from a retention point of view!

Those first three months are key for success

Those first 90 days of an employee’s journey within an organization, a new strategy, a different process, etc., sets the tone for their entire tenure going forward. A bad onboarding plan has obvious adverse effects – someone who isn’t properly familiarized with their roles won’t be able to rise to expectations. They get frustrated, demoralized, and worst of all, toxic. Cue ‘quiet quitting’, costly turnovers, and overall disenchantment.

Think of it as keeping a car properly maintained. When every part of the car is well-maintained, the engine is tuned regularly, the tires are leveled, the exterior is washed, the interior deep-cleaned, then the car lasts longer and performs better.

Your organization is your ‘car’ – keep it attuned, updated and optimized with a well-structured, 30-60-90 day onboarding plan for every step of the way, and it’ll pay dividends for you in the long run.

The post Your 30-60-90 day onboarding plan: set your people for success appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

It’s not just the cost. Organizational knowledge and familiarity take a hit. Employee morale takes a downturn, as remaining colleagues pick up the leftover pieces left behind. Overall productivity is affected in all this.

A Work Institute report finds that 78% of the reasons employees quit are preventable. What if you could use AI to help in all this? Yes – there are perpetually evolving digital solutions that can predict, analyze and influence employee retention rates.

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Understanding employee attrition retention

Why do people leave their jobs? First, they may have found a better-paying position elsewhere. Work-life balance is a factor as well; perhaps an employee wants more flexibility in their work. In another opportunity, they can be better parents, or are able to focus on non-work things like training for a marathon or volunteering in their local community.

Or, perhaps, their career trajectory hasn’t gone the way they hoped – and they see better paths elsewhere. Finally, the company’s culture may not be the right fit.

Normally, you would find out all this information via exit interviews, employee surveys, and periodic reviews.

However, AI can enhance this process by continuously analyzing a broader spectrum of employee data points. This includes performance reviews and engagement surveys to social media behavior and communication patterns.

Your AI bot can comb through all this on a regular basis and not only identify what influences employee attrition and also how these factors interact in complex ways..

Applications of AI in employee retention

Let’s look at the different ways in which you can use AI in employee retention.

1. Predictive analytics

Predictive analytics is one of AI’s most powerful contributions to HR, enabling proactive talent management by forecasting employee behavior. Through sophisticated machine learning models, organizations can analyze historical and real-time data, such as:

• employee demographics
• performance metrics
• engagement survey results

These data points help identify early warning signs that signal an employee might be considering leaving.

By understanding these patterns, HR teams can implement targeted interventions to address potential issues before they escalate.

Real-world application

IBM’s AI-powered predictive attrition model is a notable example of how predictive analytics can revolutionize retention strategies.

With a reported accuracy of 95% in identifying employees at risk of leaving, this tool helps HR departments design personalized retention plans tailored to individual employee needs. This can ultimately reduce turnover rates and boosting engagement.

Extended insight

Predictive analytics shifts HR from a reactive approach to a proactive one that prioritizes employee well-being.

This capability enables organizations to cultivate a healthier work culture by addressing employee concerns and aligning them with strategic business goals.

2. Sentiment analysis

Sentiment analysis, powered by natural language processing (NLP), provides organizations with a deeper understanding of employee morale and satisfaction.

By processing and interpreting unstructured data, such as feedback from internal communications, emails, social media posts, and review sites, sentiment analysis can pinpoint recurrent themes that affect employee engagement.

Real-world application

Amazon utilizes AI-based sentiment analysis tools to monitor employee satisfaction across its workforce.

By analyzing comments from internal communication channels and employee surveys, Amazon can quickly identify areas of concern and implement targeted solutions. Through this, Amazon ensures that employee feedback is integrated into strategic decision-making.

Extended insight

Sentiment analysis empowers HR departments to address the nuanced factors that contribute to employee satisfaction.

By continually monitoring sentiment trends, organizations can foster a transparent environment where employee voices are not only heard but also acted upon.

This proactive approach not only helps in mitigating discontent but also strengthens trust and alignment between employees and management.

3. Personalized employee experiences

The customization of employee experiences through AI is not just a tech upgrade but transforms how human resources nurture talent. Companies can use AI to analyze each employee’s performance data, preferences, and feedback to offer tailored career development paths.

This targeted approach can include recommending specific training programs that align with their skills gap, suggesting career advancements based on their success patterns, or even proposing suitable mentors within the organization who match their career aspirations and style.

There’s value in building career paths for your employees – Workable’s Great Discontent survey in 2023 found that 22% of workers say career opportunities are a factor in choosing to move jobs, and that’s up from 15.8% two years earlier. Meanwhile, when asked what could be better about their current job, 23.3% pointed to training and development – up from 20.9% in 2021.

Real-world application

Cigna is one example of AI use in career pathing and internal talent mobility. Faced with hiring for three to five thousand positions on a daily basis, the company realized its own employees were not properly informed of these opportunities within their teams.

To solve this problem, Cigna picked an AI-supported HR platform to surface open roles with its own employees in a setup described by its director of product marketing as a Netflix-style recommendation system based on user data.

Extended insight

Utilizing AI for career pathing allows HR departments to act more like career coaches than administrative bodies, providing employees with a more engaging and supportive work environment. This not only enhances the employee experience but also promotes a culture of continuous improvement and personal development.

You can also use ChatGPT to build a career development plan for your employees – complete with ready-to-use prompts.

4. Automation and employee support

AI-powered tools such as chatbots and virtual assistants represent a significant leap in providing real-time support to employees. These AI solutions can handle a wide range of inquiries related to HR policies, benefits, payroll queries, and job responsibilities efficiently, allowing HR professionals to focus on more complex issues.

This immediate assistance helps in reducing the turnaround time for query resolution, thereby enhancing employee satisfaction and operational efficiency.

Real-world example

As a 300-person company across three different major hubs (Boston, London, Athens) and sales and support on the ground in multiple other locations and time zones around the world, Workable’s HR team addresses numerous needs and questions on a regular basis.

To step up on its communications via an email, Slack, or even Confluence pages, the HR team built an “HR Workabot” trained on all the data, information, and content in its human resources.

This enables employees to immediately get answers to any question, including when the next holiday is, what benefits they have, how to get their tax documents, and more. The result is a speedier and more engaged workforce that knows it can get an answer to anything it needs.

Extended insight

By automating routine inquiries, AI not only streamlines operations but also collects valuable data on the types of queries being raised.

This data can be analyzed to further refine HR policies and procedures, ensuring they are clearly communicated and effectively meet employee needs.

Moreover, the constant interaction with a responsive AI tool fosters a tech-friendly atmosphere that can accelerate digital transformation across the organization.

Implementing an AI-powered retention framework

There are four fundamental steps when introducing AI into your employee retention strategy.

1. Data collection and integration

The success of any AI system heavily relies on the quality and quantity of the data fed into it.

For HR, this means integrating data across various systems – payroll, performance management, employee engagement, etc. – to create a comprehensive view of each employee.

2. Choosing the right AI tools

The market is replete with AI solutions, each offering different capabilities. Selecting the right tool involves understanding the specific needs of the organization and the problem it aims to solve.

It also requires considering the scalability, integration capabilities, and support offered by the vendor.

3. Ethical considerations

As AI systems are fundamentally driven by data, they are susceptible to the same biases present in their training data.

It’s essential for HR professionals to ensure that the AI tools they use are not only transparent but also regularly audited for bias and fairness.

4. Change management and employee buy-in

Implementing AI in HR processes can evoke concerns about surveillance and job displacement among employees.

Addressing these concerns transparently and highlighting the benefits of AI for employees is crucial for gaining their buy-in and ensuring the successful adoption of AI technologies.

Future trends in AI and employee retention

The future of AI in HR looks promising, with ongoing advancements in machine learning, predictive analytics, and natural language processing.

As these technologies become more sophisticated, they will provide even deeper insights into employee behavior and more refined tools for enhancing employee retention.

The post The role of AI in talent acquisition: a study for recruiters appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

As we delve into this blurry territory, it’s crucial to understand not just the act, but the implications it carries for HR practices and the overall workplace culture.

Faking leaves is a revamping trend

A post in Reddit – since deleted – by an employee fabricating a paternity leave narrative, complete with borrowed baby bump photos to secure two months off work, opens a Pandora’s box of ethical and operational dilemmas.

In a surprising turn of events, an employee at a large company has admitted to faking his paternity leave. 

Despite not having a girlfriend or any children on the way, he managed to deceive his employer by showing them pictures of a pregnant acquaintance. 

With the leave scheduled for December, the employee started feeling nervous about the consequences of his actions. Although he was prepared to face termination, he regretted the extent to which he had made this deceitful decision.

This case is far from isolated. Across forums, social media, and even whispered in office corridors, stories circulate of employees bending the truth to gain unearned leave or benefits. 

The reddit revelation is not something new. In 2022, an HR professional took to TikTok to reveal a startling revelation about their workplace. She disclosed that within their company, they had encountered not one, not two, but a staggering five incidents involving fake babies. 

@judithfiddler

Fake Baby Fraud. Beware!!! #hrprofessional #hrtrends #fakebaby #hrprofessional #hr #fyp #hrtiktok #goodhr #freemasterclass #cipd #hrinrehab

♬ original sound – HR Mindshift

This trend extends beyond paternity or maternity leave. There are tales of extended sick leaves based on non-existent medical conditions, bereavement leaves for fictional relatives, and mental health breaks leveraged without a shred of truth. 

Each case chips away at the mutual trust foundational to the employer-employee relationship, raising questions about the sustainability of current leave policies and the mechanisms in place to validate claims.

Other lies you may have encountered in the past include the following: 

1. Claiming sudden illness or flu
2. Fabricating a family emergency or crisis
3. Stating car trouble or transportation issues
4. Falsely claiming the death of a distant relative or friend
5. Exaggerating the need for medical consultations or procedures
6. Asserting sudden problems with childcare arrangements
7. Describing home emergencies like burst pipes or power outages
8. Claiming a mental health day without actual mental health concerns
9. Pretending to be summoned for jury duty
10. Using the excuse of a sick pet needing urgent care

These fabrications can be difficult to verify, posing challenges for HR professionals in distinguishing between genuine and deceitful claims.

Ethical and legal implications

The ethical quagmire presented by these deceptions is profound. On one hand, the necessity for compassion and support for employees through genuine life challenges is paramount.

On the other hand, the exploitation of these policies erodes trust, potentially disadvantageous to those with legitimate claims. 

The consequences for employees caught in the act range from termination to legal action, a stark reminder of the risks involved.

Yet, the implications extend beyond individual cases, touching on the very ethos of the workplace. 

A culture of skepticism can emerge, where employers feel compelled to scrutinize every claim, potentially invading privacy and damaging morale. 

The balance between trust and verification becomes a tightrope walk, challenging HR professionals to navigate these waters with both firmness and empathy.

Strategies for prevention and verification

Here are some strategies that you can follow and provide to your company another shield of protection to prevent these cases. Here are some strategies that you can follow and provide to your company, providing another shield of protection to prevent these cases. 

1. Employ future-proof HR policies and data analytics

As the workplace continues to evolve, so too must the policies that govern it. The rise of remote work, the increasing emphasis on mental health, and the changing dynamics of the employer-employee relationship call for a reevaluation of traditional leave policies. 

Future-proofing these policies means not only adapting to the current trends but anticipating the needs and challenges of tomorrow’s workplace.

Innovative approaches, such as flexible leave policies that accommodate the diverse needs of the workforce, can offer a solution. 

These policies, built on the principles of trust and accountability, allow for a more personalized approach to leave, reducing the temptation for deceit by addressing the genuine needs of employees.

Moreover, the integration of data analytics into HR practices can offer insights into patterns of leave requests, identifying potential areas of concern and allowing for proactive adjustments to policies and procedures.

This data-driven approach, combined with a steadfast commitment to ethical practices, can guide HR professionals in crafting policies that are both compassionate and robust, capable of withstanding the challenges of deception.

2. Do periodic check-ins

The introduction of periodic check-ins for long-term leaves, where employees are engaged in conversations about their situation and return-to-work plans, can also serve as a subtle yet effective form of verification. 

These interactions, when handled with care and empathy, can deter misuse by reinforcing the presence of an attentive and caring HR department.

3. Combine trust with verification

The heart of the matter lies in the delicate balance between trust and verification. An overzealous approach to verification can erode the foundation of trust that supports a positive workplace culture, leading to an atmosphere of suspicion and resentment. 

Conversely, a system too lenient opens the floodgates to abuse, undermining the very policies designed to support employee well-being.

HR professionals must, therefore, navigate these waters with a keen sense of fairness and a deep understanding of the human element at play. 

4. Build a culture of integrity

Building a culture of integrity starts with leading by example, where honesty and transparency in HR practices encourage similar behavior across the organization. 

Regular training sessions on the importance of work ethic, the implications of policy abuse, and the value of mutual respect can reinforce these principles.

The battle against the abuse of leave policies is not won through strict enforcement and rigid verification alone.

It is achieved by cultivating a culture of integrity, where mutual respect and understanding form the basis of every policy and interaction. 

As we move forward, let us remember that the strength of our organizations lies in the strength of our people and the values we share.

The post ‘I’m faking my paternity leave’: a Reddit post calls for HR action appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Are you onboarding remotely? These remote onboarding FAQs will give you a head start, and you’ll also want to read insights from real-life remote employers on standardizing the onboarding of remote employees.

Here’s a planning timeline and some checklists (plus this onboarding new hire checklist) that HR professionals and hiring managers can use to design a good employee onboarding experience:

1. During the hiring process

Hiring and onboarding are often treated as separate. But their edges blur. New hires get their first impressions of your company during your hiring process, so your candidate experience efforts should be as thoughtful and welcoming as the rest of your onboarding efforts:

• Write a clear job description that gives your new hire a concrete list of their responsibilities.
• Tell candidates how you structure your hiring process and how long each stage is likely to take.
• Follow up early and often and communicate with candidates at each stage of the hiring process.
• Give candidates your full attention at interviews and respond to any questions they may have.
• Give candidates full information about reference checks and background checks.

2. During the offer stage

• Opt for a phone offer, if possible. Phone offers are more personal than email offers and can help you better communicate your enthusiasm for a candidate. It’s best to schedule your call ahead of time, so you don’t end up catching your candidate off guard.
• Follow up with an enthusiastic offer letter. Aim for a warm tone and include all relevant benefit details and contact information, so you can easily address any remaining questions.
• Be courteous during salary negotiations. Salary negotiations, done badly, can be tense and confrontational. Done well, they can help solidify your new employee’s value on your team and build a foundation of mutual respect. So, be open and try not to penalize candidates for being their own best advocates.
• Set a start date and share it with your new hire’s team. Offer some start date flexibility, if possible. It’s best to respect your new employee’s need to finish up projects and give appropriate notice with their current employer. Once you’ve set a date, share it with your new employee’s team so they can prepare to welcome their new colleague.
• Transfer your new hire’s information from your applicant tracking system to your Human Resource Information System (HRIS) or onboarding software. To avoid asking new employees to give you all their personal information again for your HRIS records, see if you can transfer their relevant details from your ATS. This will allow you to create a seamless transition for HR, hiring managers and new employees alike.

3. 1-2 weeks before your new employee’s first day

Prepare your new hire paperwork. Consider including the following policies and forms for new employees to fill out and sign:

• An Employment Agreement.
• A Non-Disclosure Agreement.
• An Employee Invention Agreement.
• An Employee Handbook.
• IRS form W-4.
• IRS form I-9.
• A direct deposit form.

Set up your new employee’s online accounts, including:

• Company email.
• Company instant message.
• Company HRIS software.
• Company password management software (LastPass, etc.)
• Company productivity software (Asana, Jira, etc.)
• Company ATS for members of hiring teams.

Prepare your new hire’s tech, including:

• A laptop.
• A monitor.
• A phone.
• A mouse.
• A keyboard.
• A headset.

And then:

• Confirm your employee’s new office phone number.
• Order business cards and/or a desk nameplate.
• Arrange for new employee ID card/building access fob.
• Schedule introductory meetings with key colleagues for the new employee’s first few weeks.
• Encourage team members (especially those on the interview panel) to reach out to your new hire to congratulate and welcome them prior to their start date. This goes a long way in establishing relationships early in the process.
• Ask your new employee to fill out an onboarding form, including information about allergies, food preferences and T-shirt size, if you’re including a company shirt in your welcome package.
• Make a welcome lunch plan for your new hire’s first day.
• Schedule a HR onboarding meeting for your new hire’s first day.
• Arrange for parking access, if needed.
• Plan your new hire’s first assignment.
• Arrange any relevant internal (or external) trainings required for the job.
• Send your new hire a welcome email telling them what to expect. Include maps, meeting details, etc. Make sure they know when to arrive on their first day and ask if they have any more questions.

4. The day before your new hire’s first day

Clean your new employee’s desk and set up their equipment and welcome kit. Consider including the following in your welcome kit:

• A welcome letter.
• New hire paperwork and HR documents.
• Technology setup instructions.
• A company notebook.
• A company T-shirt.
• A company mug.
• Pens.
• Stickers.
• A copy of your office map.
• A copy of your company org chart.
• A copy of your new hire’s first week schedule.
• A copy of a book relevant to your team culture.

And also:

• Make sure your new hire’s company email account is set up and forward regular team meeting invites to them.
• Send a message to your new hire’s department to remind everyone of their start date.
• Add your new employee’s email to relevant distribution lists and add their new phone number to relevant phone lists.
• Add your new employee’s details to your HRIS system, if you haven’t done so already.
• Add your employee’s desk to your office’s internal desk map.

4. On your new employee’s first day

• Have someone ready to welcome your new hire when they get to the office.
• Give your new hire a detailed office tour and make them aware of their schedule for their first few days.
• Arrange for a welcome meeting with your new hire’s manager to provide an overview of their new team, their role and how their success will be measured.
• Schedule time for new hire paperwork.
• Take your new hire out for lunch with some of their key team members.
• Allow your new hire some downtime to set up their new equipment, set new passwords and log in to their new accounts.
• Conduct a formal HR onboarding meeting, including details about benefits enrollment, company holidays and policies, company structure, team culture and review your company’s vision, mission and values. (If you have formally documented them.)

5. During your new employee’s first week

• Schedule your new hire’s regular 1:1 management meetings.
• Set clear goal and performance objectives for your new hire’s first 3 months, 6 months and year.
• Go over a 3 month roadmap for key projects they will be working on.
• Schedule meaningful work tasks that get them up and running.
• Provide quick feedback on their initial work tasks and establish management expectations for their performance.
• Schedule introductory meetings with each department, not just those the employee will partner but all departments throughout the company, so that they can get a full understanding of different parts of your business.
• Check in with them on a regular basis and respond to any questions they have.

6. During your new employee’s first 3 months

• Continue to have regular 1:1 meetings.
• Hold an informal 30 day check in to address any immediate concerns followed by a 90 day check in to see how everything is going.
• Ask for feedback on your onboarding process so you can improve the process for future new hires.

The post How to build a new employee onboarding process appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

As he settled into his workstation, he wished he had a better onboarding experience and maybe a peer to help him navigate the intricacies of the company’s project management software. 

A seasoned colleague could have easily stepped in, guiding him through the software, explaining the project workflows, and sharing tips on effective collaboration. 

Later in the day, when Jake tried to grab a cup of coffee from the high-tech espresso machine in the breakroom, he realized he was in for a challenge. 

A buddy could have been there to demonstrate the machine, highlight the preferences of the team when it came to coffee, and share the unwritten office rituals associated with the daily caffeine fix. 

Having a knowledgeable buddy by his side would be an opportunity for connection and camaraderie in the workplace.

And guess what? This buddy actually has a name.

Let’s get to know them better. 

What is an onboarding buddy

An onboarding buddy is essentially a current employee who volunteers or is selected to act as a guide and support system for a new hire during their initial period at the company. 

Unlike formal mentors, who are often involved in long-term professional development and career guidance, an onboarding buddy focuses on the immediate, practical aspects of settling into a new job. 

This includes understanding company culture, navigating the workplace, and integrating into new teams. 

The buddy system is designed to be informal and approachable, providing a safe space for new employees to ask questions and express concerns that they might hesitate to share with their managers or HR representatives.

The distinction between an onboarding buddy and a mentor is crucial. While both roles aim to support the new hire, their objectives and durations differ significantly. 

A mentorship relationship is typically more structured, with set goals and a longer timeline, often extending beyond the onboarding phase to focus on career growth and development within the organization. 

In contrast, an onboarding buddy is there to ease the immediate transition into the company, focusing on short-term goals like understanding job responsibilities, company policies, and workplace culture. 

This difference ensures that new employees have a comprehensive support system that addresses both their immediate and future needs.

Onboarding buddies can boost productivity

The implementation of an onboarding buddy system can have a profound impact on a new hire’s experience and their productivity. 

Having a robust onboarding process is proven to increase new hire retention by 82% and boost productivity by more than 70%.

One of the most significant benefits is the provision of context. 

New employees, regardless of their experience level, face a steep learning curve when joining a new company. 

An onboarding buddy can offer invaluable insights into the nuances of the workplace, from identifying key stakeholders to understanding the unspoken rules that govern office dynamics. This insider knowledge helps new hires navigate their early days with greater confidence and ease.

This insider knowledge helps new hires navigate their early days with greater confidence and ease.

By having a go-to person for questions and guidance, new hires can quickly learn the ropes and begin contributing to their teams more effectively. 

This not only benefits the new employee in terms of job satisfaction and engagement but also contributes to the overall productivity of the team and organization.

This emotional and professional support can make a significant difference in how new employees perceive their new workplace, influencing their decision to stay with the company in the long run.

The onboarding buddy’s responsibilities

The effectiveness of an onboarding buddy system hinges on the clear definition of the buddy’s responsibilities. 

These duties are designed to ensure the new hire feels supported, informed, and welcomed into the company. Here are some of the key responsibilities that an onboarding buddy typically undertakes:

Meet the new employee on their first day: Making a positive first impression is crucial. The onboarding buddy is often the first friendly face the new hire sees, offering a warm welcome and easing the natural anxieties of the first day.

Introduce the new hire to other employees: Integration into the social fabric of the company is as important as understanding the role itself. Buddies facilitate introductions to team members and other colleagues, helping to build the new hire’s internal network.

Answer questions about the job and the company: Buddies act as a knowledge resource, answering questions about day-to-day operations, company culture, and policies. This open line of communication helps to demystify aspects of the new role and the organization.

Take the new employee on a tour of the workplace: Familiarizing the new hire with the physical workspace helps them navigate their new environment and understand where key facilities are located.

Teach the new hire unfamiliar tasks: Buddies provide hands-on guidance for tasks and processes that are new to the hire, ensuring they have the practical skills needed to perform their job effectively.

Cover the company guidelines, culture, and unwritten rules: Beyond the employee handbook, buddies share insights into the company’s culture and the unwritten norms that guide behavior within the organization.

Allow the new hire to shadow on the job: Shadowing allows the new employee to see firsthand how tasks are performed, which is invaluable for learning the nuances of their new role.

Hold weekly check-in meetings: Regular meetings between the buddy and the new hire help to address any ongoing questions or concerns, ensuring the new employee’s smooth transition into the company.

The 4-step onboarding process with a buddy system

A structured onboarding process, complemented by a buddy system, can significantly enhance the new hire’s integration and productivity. Here’s a breakdown of a 4-step onboarding process that incorporates the use of an onboarding buddy:

Preparation: Before the new hire’s first day, select an appropriate onboarding buddy and brief them on their responsibilities. Ensure the buddy has the resources and time needed to support the new employee effectively.

Integration: The buddy plays a key role in helping the new hire integrate into the company culture and team. This phase focuses on making introductions, explaining company norms, and answering any immediate questions the new hire may have.

Development: As the new hire becomes more comfortable in their role, the buddy assists with more in-depth learning and development opportunities, such as shadowing on projects or guiding them through more complex tasks.

Transition: Eventually, the new hire should feel confident and integrated enough to navigate their role independently. The buddy system can be phased out, with the buddy remaining a friendly and familiar face for any future questions or support.

The checklist

To ensure consistency and cover all necessary aspects of the onboarding process, creating a buddy checklist can be incredibly helpful. This checklist might include:

• Schedule a welcome meeting on the first day.
• Arrange introductions to team members and key personnel.
• Provide a tour of the office, highlighting important areas.
• Share insights on company culture and unwritten rules.
• Offer guidance on specific tasks and processes.
• Set up regular check-in meetings to discuss progress and address questions.
• Provide resources for professional development within the company.
• Facilitate the transition to independence while remaining available for future support.

This checklist serves as a roadmap for the buddy, ensuring that they provide comprehensive support to the new hire throughout their onboarding journey. 

It also helps in standardizing the onboarding experience, ensuring every new employee receives the same level of support and information.

An onboarding buddy system is more than just a mechanism for welcoming new employees; it’s a strategic investment in the long-term success and integration of new hires into the company. 

By providing immediate support, facilitating cultural integration, and enhancing job satisfaction, onboarding buddies play a crucial role in the overall employee experience.

The post Νew hire struggling? Onboarding buddies can help you (+checklist) appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

There are three different types of salary transparency according to Harvard Business Review:

Process transparency refers to openly communicating the methodology and criteria used by an organization to determine salaries, including how compensation levels are set, how raises and bonuses are awarded, and how performance is evaluated in relation to pay adjustments.

Outcome transparency involves disclosing the actual compensation figures, such as specific salary ranges or benchmarks for different roles and levels within the organization, allowing employees and candidates to see where their pay stands relative to those benchmarks.

Communications transparency refers to the openness and ease with which employees can discuss and share information about their own salaries with each other, without fear of retribution or policy violations, fostering an environment of open dialogue about compensation. It is illegal to prohibit conversations about salary in the workplace (in the US, especially) – here, it’s the explicit openness that’s emphasized in communications transparency.

The pros and cons of salary transparency

What are the pros and cons of pay transparency? There are many – while holistically it makes sense to be transparent about the compensation that one may receive if they were to get a specific job, or the pay that your colleague receives for the same job that you do, it does get more complicated than that.

In other words – it makes perfect sense in theory; in practice, it’s more nuanced.

Let’s first have a look at the main reasons why salary transparency is a good thing.

Arguments for pay transparency

1. Fairness and equity

This is probably one of the most resounding arguments in support of pay transparency – the assurance of equal pay across gender, race, and other demographics.

As ZipJob career consultant Amanda Augustine told us:

“We know that salary transparency […] shines a spotlight on any major wage gaps that may occur across various sectors of your population, of your workforce, whether that’s ethnicity or race, whether that’s gender,” she says.

“Those things tend to be more apparent and there’s a greater need to then address them.”

Related: Can’t afford to pay more? Be radically transparent with candidates

Economist AnnElizabeth McMahon of Indeed Hiring Lab also highlighted this benefit of pay transparency in an interview with Bankrate:

“Salary transparency does help eliminate those asymmetric information problems that can contribute to the gender wage gap, racial wage issues and the labor market,” says AnnElizabeth.

Linkage’s Chief Product Officer Kristen Howe agrees.

“Women can leverage this pay transparency to negotiate better salaries and start to level the playing field toward pay parity,” she told SHRM.

“Women can leverage this pay transparency to negotiate better salaries and start to level the playing field toward pay parity.”

2. Employee satisfaction

Employees will appreciate knowing exactly how much their peers are making – and being allowed and even encouraged to talk openly about it at work.

According to Bankrate, more than two out of five Gen Z workers (42%) and two out of five millennials (40%) have shared their salary with a colleague or another person in their network. According to ZipJob, 65% are all for salary transparency.

Employers would do well to support that openness.

Also, when salaries are demystified, this not only helps in setting realistic expectations but also empowers employees to navigate their career progression within the organization more effectively.

It’s not just about the pay itself. Workers feel respected when employers are transparent about salary strategy.

A PayScale study finds workers are five times as likely to be satisfied with their employer when they understand the reasoning behind their salary versus getting the compensation they want and need from a job. That speaks loudly to the value of openness and communication about pay structures in your company.

Moreover, the knowledge that their compensation is in line with market rates and organizational standards can motivate employees to enhance their performance, knowing that their efforts and contributions are recognized and rewarded appropriately.

This trend towards openness not only boosts individual morale but also cultivates a culture of accountability and fairness within organizations. Everyone wins.

3. Candidate motivation

There’s a huge benefit at the entry point into a company as well. SHRM finds that 70% of organizations saw more applicants as a result of listing pay ranges in their job descriptions.

“These results highlight that many organizations who provide salary ranges in job postings find doing so helpful to applicant quality and quantity,” says Derrick Scheetz, a senior researcher with SHRM.

“These results highlight that many organizations who provide salary ranges in job postings find doing so helpful to applicant quality and quantity.”

Interestingly, it’s not just about pay. Transparency in compensation can even lead to a richer applicant pool; SHRM’s research also highlights that 66% of employers found the inclusion of pay ranges in job postings increased the quality of applicants.

A broader pool of applicants, and higher quality at that. Employers get more of what they’re looking for when hiring for an open role – that’s a huge benefit.

4. Improved business outcomes

It’s not just a good thing in the eyes of employees and candidates. There are positive business outcomes for businesses as well.

For instance, a NBER study authored by Harvard Business School assistant professor Zoë Cullen finds a link between clear and understandable compensation structures and improved hiring processes and employee retention. Hiring can be an expensive business, so any way you can improve that process – and couple it with decreased need for backfill – it will reflect on the bottom line.

Also, openness about the salary range for a job ensures that those applying are better aligned with the role’s compensation expectations. Your candidates know right away what they stand to make if they get the job – and less time is wasted on evaluating job applicants only to find out later in the recruitment process that you’re not aligned at all on compensation expectations.

Salary transparency can also significantly impact employee retention rates at the onset – organizations who are transparent about pay can mitigate common causes of employee turnover related to pay dissatisfaction or perceived inequities.

Arguments against pay transparency

OK, it’s not all roses and cream. There are some drawbacks to pay transparency to consider.

1. Increased competition and envy

One undesirable consequence of opening up about salary across a company is increased turnover as a result of angst and disillusion when employees realize they should be making more for what they do.

Envy and competition can also be stirred up – not always a healthy thing for company culture, especially when others are making more than you do for the same job in the same company.

The good news is that this is only when you manage it poorly. It can be preempted if you go about it the right way.

Zoë in her NBER paper discusses how transparency can lead comparisons with peers in a counterproductive way – if Jer learns that he’s making $10K less per year for the exact same role as Maria, he’s naturally not going to be happy.

Transparency can have that complex impact on overall workplace dynamics.

2. Demotivation and turnover

Just as full transparency of salaries give employees a boost knowing their real worth and what they can do to move up the next salary band, it also can have a negative impact on engagement and motivation. Following on the point above, your employees can become more disengaged and turnover will spike as they hit the bricks looking for new, better-paying roles.

The aforementioned ZipJob survey found that 34% of professionals left their jobs in 2023 for better pay – and Workable’s Great Discontent 2023 survey found that 68.9% of workers say they’ll move jobs for a higher salary, up from 62.2% in 2021.

And 58.5% of those currently open to new work say money is a huge driver of that.

So be careful when you open things up like that. If you haven’t established fair and equitable pay in your organization, you might want to do that before opening up the coffers.

3. Challenges with implementation

Introducing pay transparency into your company isn’t a cut-and-dried process. There are numerous standards, variables, and even intangibles that go into the determination of one’s salary (or the salary band of an open position) – that reality is more so for companies with a complex range of roles and responsibilities.

Also what we discussed at the top about the different kinds of transparency – process, outcome, and communications. Which one do you establish (first)?

You can avoid these challenges by first sitting down and looking at the structure as it is, and ensuring that there’s a full structure, plan, playbook, set of rules, career pathing strategy, and so on before you open the information vault.

Skillsoft Chief People Officer Ciara Harrington discussed this with SHRM.

“The challenge this presents for companies is that many are simply not ready for this level of transparency.”

“The challenge this presents for companies is that many are simply not ready for this level of transparency.”

4. Loss of employer bargaining power

Pay transparency will bring a more standardized structure – ultimately eliminating a crucial negotiation point in the job offer and acceptance dance. And leverage usually rests with the employer since they’re the ones with the money – if you don’t accept their offer, they can bring in the next candidate who will agree to that arrangement.

Then again, there’s leverage on the side of employees as well. They can point to the market’s standards for similar roles to their own – and employers will have to adapt accordingly.

Another nuanced drawback is pointed out by Harvard Business Review: pay compression.

In other words, when performance-laden incentives (and base pay, in general) are made public, a common denominator is determined. That often leads to lower compensation across the board.

This isn’t theory. HBR described a study where when the government of California made city managers’ pay transparent in 2010, average compensation actually dropped by about 7% in 2012.

Pay transparency best practices

So, do you want to implement pay transparency in your business? If yes, then there are clear best practices. Here are a few to get you started:

1. Define your goals

Start with clear objectives. Do you want to address pay gaps? Improve employee confidence in compensation? Attract and retain top talent? Defining your goals helps tailor your approach.

2. Consider the scope

Will you disclose individual salaries, ranges for specific roles, or a combination? Align this with your goals and organizational culture.

3. Establish clear guidelines and policies

Be clear about what information will be disclosed, how, and to whom. Ensure it complies with relevant laws and regulations.

4. Define fair comparisons

Outline factors used to determine pay, such as experience, qualifications, and performance, to avoid confusion and potential inequities.

5. Communicate the policy effectively

Explain the rationale, goals, and expectations to employees clearly and transparently through multiple channels.

6. Address employee concerns proactively

Anticipate questions and concerns. Prepare for how you’ll address worries about unfairness, competition, or potential discrimination.

7. Offer training and support

Equip managers and employees with resources to understand the policy, answer questions, and navigate discussions constructively.

8. Establish open communication channels

Create safe spaces for employees to voice concerns and seek clarification without fear of retaliation.

9. Implement gradually

Start with a pilot program. Implement transparency in a smaller department or group first to test its effectiveness and address any initial challenges that come up.

10. Gather feedback and iterate

Conduct surveys, focus groups, and discussions to gauge employee sentiment and refine your approach based on their feedback.

11. Monitor and evaluate

Track key metrics like employee satisfaction, turnover, and recruitment success to assess the impact of transparency and make adjustments as needed.

Pay transparency: decide what’s right for you

The debate on pay transparency remains nuanced, with potential benefits and drawbacks to consider. While the ZipJob study highlights employee openness to discussing salaries and the desire for higher pay as a motivator for job changes, concerns about competition, demotivation, and implementation challenges persist.

Careful implementation, addressing employee concerns, and clear communication are crucial for success in pay transparency in your organization.

The post Pay transparency: the pros, the cons, and best practices appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Given the fact that, according to PwC, only 40% of employees said their company is upskilling, there is room for improvement in terms of talent mapping and professional development. 

Understanding talent mapping

Talent mapping, by definition, is a proactive approach used by HR professionals to create a strategic alignment between an organization’s current talent capabilities and its future goals. 

This process involves a thorough analysis of the workforce to identify not just the skills and competencies present within the organization but also to forecast future talent needs. With skill-based hiring coming to the fore, implementing talent mapping is more critical than ever.

Unlike traditional talent management practices that often focus on immediate staffing needs, talent mapping takes a long-term perspective, considering internal and external talent pools and how they can be developed or tapped into to meet strategic objectives.

At its core, talent mapping serves two primary functions: internal assessment and external benchmarking. 

Internally, it evaluates the readiness and performance of the current workforce against anticipated developments and identifies high-potential employees whose growth aligns with strategic priorities. 

Externally, it involves analyzing the talent landscape outside the organization, including competitors, to build a comprehensive talent pipeline for future needs. This dual focus not only prepares organizations for upcoming challenges but also ensures they remain competitive in attracting and retaining top talent.

Related: Talent Acquisition vs. Talent Management vs. HR: A primer

The strategic benefits of talent mapping

The implementation of talent mapping within an organization brings forth several strategic benefits, fundamentally transforming the approach to talent management.

Enabling strategic workforce planning 

Talent mapping is instrumental in forecasting future talent needs and identifying skill gaps. By understanding the competencies required to achieve business goals, HR professionals can devise strategies to fill these gaps, whether through internal development or external recruitment. 

This foresight allows for more effective workforce planning, ensuring that the organization is well-equipped to meet its future challenges head-on.

Driving employee development and retention 

One of the most significant advantages of talent mapping is its impact on employee development and retention. By identifying the aspirations and potential of employees, HR can tailor development programs that align with individual career paths as well as organizational needs. This personalized approach to development not only enhances skill sets but also boosts employee engagement and loyalty. Employees are more likely to stay with an organization that invests in their growth and provides clear pathways for advancement.

Supporting organizational agility

In today’s fast-paced business environment, agility is key to survival and success. Talent mapping offers organizations the ability to quickly mobilize talent in response to emerging business needs and opportunities. By having a clear understanding of the skills and potential within their workforce, organizations can rapidly deploy talent where it is most needed, ensuring swift adaptation to market changes and internal shifts.

Implementing talent mapping in your organization

Implementing talent mapping requires a structured approach, starting with a clear understanding of the organization’s strategic objectives.

The following steps outline a practical guide for HR professionals looking to integrate talent mapping into their talent management strategy:

1. Define key competencies: Begin by identifying the core competencies and skills essential for success in your organization. These should align with your strategic goals and be clearly defined for each role within the organization.

2. Inventory your talent market: Conduct a comprehensive assessment of your current workforce, including skills, capabilities, and potential for growth. Utilize a variety of data sources such as performance reviews, manager feedback, and skills assessments to create a detailed talent inventory.

3. Identify skill gaps: Compare the current talent capabilities with the future needs identified through strategic planning. This comparison will highlight skill gaps and areas requiring development.

4. Create individual development plans: For each employee, develop a tailored plan that addresses identified skill gaps and aligns with their career aspirations. These plans should include specific actions, training programs, or experiences designed to enhance their skills and competencies.

5. Monitor and adjust: Talent mapping is not a one-time activity but an ongoing process. Regularly review and adjust your talent mapping strategy based on changes in business strategy, workforce performance, and the external talent landscape.

By following these steps, organizations can effectively implement talent mapping, ensuring that they not only meet their current talent needs but are also prepared for future challenges. 

This strategic approach to talent management not only enhances organizational performance but also fosters a culture of continuous development and growth.

Related: Workforce planning strategy in the AI-driven economy

Overcoming challenges in talent mapping

While the benefits of talent mapping are clear, HR professionals often encounter several challenges in its implementation. These hurdles can range from gaining organizational buy-in to managing the complexities of data collection and analysis. 

However, with strategic planning and communication, these challenges can be navigated successfully.

Gaining company-wide buy-in: One of the first challenges is securing support from all levels of the organization. Talent mapping is not solely an HR initiative; it requires engagement from managers, leaders, and employees across the board.

To overcome this, HR professionals should clearly communicate the benefits of talent mapping, demonstrating how it aligns with the organization’s goals and benefits every stakeholder.

Addressing data collection and analysis hurdles: Talent mapping relies heavily on data, and collecting this data can be daunting. Organizations must ensure they have the right tools and processes in place to gather, store, and analyze data effectively.

Implementing a centralized talent management system can streamline this process, making it easier to track performance, skills, and development needs.

Balancing short-term needs with long-term goals: Often, immediate staffing needs can overshadow the strategic goals of talent mapping. HR professionals must balance these short-term demands with the long-term vision, ensuring that talent development initiatives do not get sidelined.

Regularly revisiting the talent mapping strategy and adjusting plans as necessary can help maintain this balance.

The future of talent mapping

As the business world continues to evolve, so too will the practices surrounding talent mapping. Emerging trends, such as the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, promise to revolutionize how organizations identify, develop, and deploy talent. 

These technologies can provide deeper insights into talent capabilities and potential, enabling more precise and predictive talent mapping.

Moreover, the growing emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in talent management underscores the need for talent mapping strategies that not only identify skills and competencies but also foster a diverse and inclusive workforce. 

By incorporating DEI principles into talent mapping, organizations can ensure that their talent management practices promote fairness, innovation, and resilience.

As we look to the future, the role of talent mapping in shaping successful, adaptive, and inclusive organizations will only grow. By embracing this strategic tool, HR professionals can ensure their organizations remain competitive, innovative, and prepared for whatever the future holds.

The post How to implement talent mapping in your organization appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

You are faced with managing the new reality of a reduced workforce, which causes its own problems, while at the same time dealing with the morale and emotional challenges of those who remain.

Fortunately, there are practical and effective steps you can take to win back the hearts of the folks who feel discouraged or disenfranchised.

Bear in mind that it’s not always necessary to “win back” their hearts; sometimes what’s necessary is merely to revitalize them. Rather than demoralized, many may simply be sad, confused, or uncertain.

With that said, the most important thing you can provide the organization when there are layoffs is great communication.

Related: Effective workplace communication: 6 tips for distributed teams

There are five key areas you can focus on in communicating to your teams.

1. Rationale

The first is the rationale.

Clearly explain the reason for the layoffs. Your teams need to understand why you felt the action was necessary, and the steps you took before you made the decisions you did.

Understanding is an incredibly powerful motivator for people. When I understand why a decision was made, even though I may not agree with it, I am still able to get behind it and even support it. When I don’t understand, it’s easy to criticize it, or worse, fight it.

2. Honesty

The second of the five keys is honesty.

Often, because of legal, contractual, or other reasons, we’re unable to share with everybody the reasons behind everything that led to the decision, but we can share much of it.

Do so in a way that demonstrates you are being honest, telling the people what you can tell them, and telling them what you can’t tell them, and why.

This builds trust, and trust is essential as you go through a layoff’s consequences.

3. Timeliness

The third component is that the communication must be timely.

To build trust, and be seen as honest and transparent, you must communicate information as soon as possible after the event, and if possible, before the event. Often leaders are unwilling or hesitant to share the information, and so they procrastinate, which is one of the worst things to do.

Think if you were left behind after layoffs. You would want to know as much as you could, as soon as you could, about the situation. When leaders delay, people make up information and share that among themselves.

I call this “filling vacuums.” Inevitably you can’t get to everybody with all the information immediately, so there will always be some vacuums. But if you are quick off the mark the vacuums will be small and easily filled by what you have to say.

4. Frequency

The fourth area is linked to frequency.

My company offers an “effective presentations” course in which we teach that communication typically isn’t understood until it’s been “heard 10 times in 10 different ways.”

While that may not be exactly accurate, it reflects the fact that a message delivered the first time is rarely understood and remembered as intended.

The sender has to repeat the message frequently, often with different words, examples, illustrations, or facts. As you manage your way through low morale and the gaps in understanding that occur after layoffs, you simply cannot address the situation once and forget it.

Come back at it repeatedly until you are sure the organization is back on track, aligned with the direction that you’re taking it in, and that everyone understands and has bought into the decisions that led to the layoffs in the first place.

5. Humanity

The fifth and final area is to make sure you are ‘seen to be human’.

By this, I mean that as you communicate, you don’t need to always feel as though you are “on stage” and have to be “corporate,” with every word scripted.

Show people that you care about the decisions you made and that while it may not have been easy, you had to make them. Show people that you empathize with how they feel.

Related: What is inclusive leadership?

Let them know you understand where they are coming from. In doing so you will be seen to be in the boat with them rather than on the shore shouting at them to survive in the storm.

Prioritize your people

In addition to communication, I would strongly recommend you pay attention to one other thing and that is the priorities of the people.

Those who remain after layoffs will inevitably have to pick up additional work, or come to realize that work that was done before is no longer required, or in some cases the work hasn’t really changed. People are asking whether the layoffs mean they’ve got to work longer, or harder, or do different things. These issues need to be addressed early and effectively.

To do so there’s a great tool that I would suggest, and that is that you tell people what it is they need to Stop, Start, or Continue to do.

For example:

• Stop: “As a result of the layoffs here’s what we want you to stop doing because it’s no longer necessary, or important.”
• Start: “Here are the things that we want you to start doing; things which perhaps you didn’t do before, but are expected to do now.”
• Continue: “And, here are things we want you to keep doing because they remain important and you’re a vital cog to getting them done.”

You are the one your people will look to for guidance about their new priorities. If you do not make this clear they will be left to their own devices. They will inevitably end up either working on the wrong things, or working too long and too hard. In both cases, they will remain demotivated and blame it all on the layoffs.

Great leaders not only pay attention to the communication that is necessary, but also to the work that flows from the layoffs. They manage both so that people feel they are cared for and that someone is looking out for their best interests in this new world of which they are now a part.

Phil Geldart is founder and CEO of Eagle’s Flight, a company focused on improving individual and team productivity. Prior to founding Eagle’s Flight, Geldart was with Nestlé Canada, where he worked for 18 years, the last five of which he served as a member of the executive team in the capacity of Senior Vice President of Human Resources. He also is author of several books, including In Your Hands: The Behaviors of a World Class Leader, Experiential Learning: Changing Behavior to Improve Performance, and Lead Yourself Lead Others: Eight Principles of Leadership.

The post Leading through layoffs: five tips to restore confidence appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Onboarding, when executed effectively, is not just a process – it’s the beginning of a meaningful relationship between an employee and an organization. And many organizations don’t have good onboarding best practices – only 12% of employees say their employer does a great job of onboarding new employees, according to Gallup.

And that same Gallup study finds that just one in 10 (29%) new hires say they felt fully prepared and ready to crush it in their new role after their onboarding.

Who can blame them? Another study found that 81% of employees felt overwhelmed in the onboarding process. That’s no surprise, as many companies have numerous processes, tools, and strategies that need to be learned – plus the people themselves.

So, the value of having good onboarding best practices is pretty clear. Let’s get into it.

Onboarding best practices – the benefits

There are many benefits to a great onboarding program – but these three stand out.

1. It boosts retention and employee satisfaction

Employees who undergo a structured onboarding process are more likely to feel valued and aligned with the company’s goals. According to Gallup, those who strongly agree their onboarding process was exceptional are 3.3 times as likely to strongly agree their job is as good, or better, than expected.

And SHRM reports in a 2017 study that 69% of new hires were more likely to stay with their new employer for up to three years after a great onboarding experience.

2. It enhances productivity

Effective onboarding is not just about retention; it’s also about setting the stage for employee productivity. Employees who are well onboarded can quickly become productive members of the team .

When you see higher engagement from those new hires who are happy right off the bat, and they’re staying with you, productivity will increase.

3. It has long-term company benefits

The far-reaching effects of effective onboarding extend beyond individual employee success. A strong onboarding process fosters a positive work culture, enhances team dynamics, and builds a foundation for sustainable business growth – plus, turnover is lower and productivity is higher, lessening impact to the bottom line.

Clearly, there are benefits to having an effective onboarding strategy at your company – just as much as there are drawbacks to not having one.

So, let’s talk about onboarding best practices so you can turn this crucial phase of the work experience into a supercharged launchpad for long-term success.

Key elements of successful onboarding programs

Crafting an effective onboarding program is pivotal to ensuring that new hires are well-integrated, productive, and aligned with the organization’s goals. That’s the core purpose and goal of onboarding.

Here’s what you need to include when building the foundation for a successful onboarding program:

1. Structured plan with flexibility

A well-structured onboarding plan serves as a roadmap for new hires. However, flexibility is key to accommodate individual learning styles and paces.

This balance ensures that all new employees receive the support they need to succeed.

2. Clear communication of expectations and roles

From day one, it’s crucial to communicate job roles and expectations clearly. This transparency helps in reducing uncertainties and setting up new hires for success.

Make it a two-way street – encourage the new hire to ask questions (even ones that they might be scared to ask). And answer them honestly and clearly.

3. Cultural integration

Beyond job functions, integrating new employees into the company culture is vital. This includes involving them in team activities and providing an understanding of the company’s values and ethics.

You don’t want them to feel like the new kid on the block – get them involved, and have people proactively introduce themselves.

4. Mentorship and support systems

Assigning mentors or buddies can significantly improve the onboarding experience by providing new hires with a reliable go-to person for queries and support. Even better when you build a specific plan for that buddy system – i.e. regular weekly 1-1s, job shadowing sessions, and so on.

Emphasize that the 1-1s can be a safe space to tackle any potentially awkward or difficult questions.

5. Utilizing technology effectively

Incorporating technology in onboarding best practices can streamline the process, making it more efficient and engaging. There are many reasons why tech so crucial.

Workable’s HR software comes ready-made with an onboarding feature allowing you to migrate employee information from their initial job application, e-sign crucial company documents, and more. And the global onboarding software market is expected to grow by 11.2% annually to 2027 – you don’t want to miss the boat.

6. Feedback and continuous improvement

Onboarding should be an evolving process. Regularly collecting feedback and making improvements is key. Every new onboarding brings valuable information and lessons – not just from new hires, but also pinpointing areas for improvement.

Remember that nothing is perfect, not even onboarding – but everything can continually be perfected.

7. Break down onboarding into digestible sections

Instead, use microlearning techniques to deliver information in manageable chunks – and more so, have regular check-ins to ensure memory retention.

A study by Dresden University found that the short bursts of content in micro-learning improved retention of information by 22% over traditional learning. And a California State University Stanislaus study argues that regular post-learning reviews can flatten the Ebbinghaus “Forgetting Curve” by a significant amount.

These elements form the foundation of an effective onboarding process, setting the stage for new employees to thrive in their roles and align with the company’s vision. And you know what? Onboarding isn’t only for new hires – check out our five different types of onboarding plans.

Common mistakes in onboarding

While onboarding is a crucial process, it’s often fraught with challenges that can hinder a new hire’s integration and productivity. Here are some common mistakes and strategies to avoid them:

1. Inadequate preparation for new hire’s arrival

One common mistake is not being fully prepared for the new hire’s first day. This includes not having their workspace ready, not setting up necessary tools and accounts, or failing to inform current team members of the new arrival.

Such unpreparedness can make new hires feel undervalued and overlooked during an understandably stressful time in their working life.

2. Overemphasis on paperwork and procedures

Focusing too much on paperwork and administrative procedures at the expense of more engaging, interactive learning experiences can be a misstep.

This approach can make the onboarding process feel bureaucratic and impersonal. It’s definitely not best practice.

3. Insufficient clarity on role expectations and career path

Failing to provide clear information about the new hire’s role, expectations, and potential career path within the organization can lead to confusion and misalignment – and even some kind of controlled chaos.

This lack of clarity can hamper a new employee’s ability to integrate effectively and grow within the company – and they’ll leave, too.

4. Lack of early and meaningful work assignments

Delaying the involvement of new hires in meaningful work or projects can result in a sense of underutilization and disengagement.

Give employees the opportunity to wet their feet right away – it’s not just an act of inclusion, but also helps them learn on the job more quickly.

5. Ignoring the importance of social integration

Remember when you were in high school and you felt like everyone was in cliques and no one talked to you? Exactly.

Neglecting the social aspect of onboarding, such as team introductions, social events, or informal meet-and-greets, can hinder the formation of important workplace relationships and a sense of belonging.

Incorporating technology in onboarding

You absolutely must incorporate tech in your onboarding. It’s one of the best practices you can include for success and save you many headaches. It’ll make for a more efficient, engaging, and informative experience for new hires – and it’ll take a lot of that horrible grunt work off your plate as an HR professional or hiring manager.

1. Use onboarding software

First things first, add onboarding software to your tech stack, or ensure that your HR software has a good onboarding feature.

It’ll help you tackle some of the paperwork more efficiently, and can even help you preboard new hires by having them digitally sign crucial contracts ahead of their first day, as well as review important information about the company and job.

Check out our list of top onboarding software choices for your company.

2. Incorporate microlearning tools

It’s been documented: bite-sized information and post-learning reviews boost memory retention.

Those first few weeks on a new job are overwhelming – the amount of information, tools, processes, and even colleagues is tough for many new hires to digest. Make it easier for them!

3. Use virtual reality and gamification

The benefits of using VR in onboarding are clear. A study from the University of Maryland found that VR learners demonstrated an 8.8% higher recall accuracy compared to those using traditional platforms.

And PwC found that employees who were trained using virtual reality were up to 275% more confident in utilizing the skills they learned, and were even four times faster in completing their training.

4. Document and resource management tools

It isn’t always comfortable for a new hire to feel like they have to ask questions of HR all the time – and it’s not easy for you either. Make it easier for both of you by providing access to online documentation and resources for new hires to easily find the information they need.

This can include company policies, role-specific guides, and other relevant materials. Workable’s HR software has document management functionalities.

5. Incorporate communications tools

Effective communications tools are crucial to ensure connectivity (both literally and technologically!) – especially in remote or hybrid working environments where not everyone is working together in the same physical space. Use Slack, Zoom, Google Meet, and other tools to facilitate easy communication and collaboration.

Personalizing the onboarding experience

Tailoring the onboarding experience to individual needs and preferences can significantly enhance employee engagement and retention. Here are ways to personalize the onboarding process:

1. Look at the individual needs

Begin by assessing the unique needs and preferences of each new hire. This could involve pre-onboarding surveys or informal discussions to understand their learning style and any specific support they might require.

2. Customized learning paths

Based on the assessment, create customized learning paths. For instance, some employees might benefit more from visual materials, while others prefer hands-on training.

3. Mentorship programs

Pairing new hires with mentors or buddies who have similar backgrounds or skills can foster a more personalized and supportive onboarding experience.

4. Flexible scheduling

Flexible work has immense value – in fact, it may be a reason why your new hire wanted to work for you. In that spirit, allow flexibility in the onboarding schedule to accommodate the personal commitments and work preferences of new employees, ensuring they can absorb new information without feeling overwhelmed.

5. Regular check-ins and feedback

What we shared above about memory retention? Exactly. Regular check-ins are crucial in onboarding best practices – and keep the conversation open to discuss progress, address concerns, and tailor the process as it happens.

All in all, you’re showing the new hire that they’re a valued individual and not just another cog in the machine.

Measuring the success of your onboarding program

Evaluating the effectiveness of your onboarding process is crucial for continuous improvement and ensuring long-term benefits for both employees and the organization. Here are methods to measure success so you can further evolve your onboarding best practices:

1. Employee feedback surveys

Your employees are the direct beneficiaries of your onboarding strategy – so why not ask them what they think? The feedback you receive can provide valuable insights into the strengths and weaknesses of the onboarding process.

2. Performance metrics

There are actual data points you can monitor – and even establish as KPIs in your own scorecard. Keep an eye on time to ramp, time to productivity, job performance, and onboarding task completion rates. These metrics can help assess how well new hires are adapting and contributing – and you can make small improvements in your strategy accordingly.

3. Retention rates

Again in the spirit of KPIS – track the retention rates of employees who have undergone the onboarding process. If your people are sticking around for a long time, that’s a great indicator that you’re running an effective onboarding program.

4. Engagement levels

This one’s a little harder to measure – but you can track it in terms of productivity. Happier, more engaged workers usually are better workers. Keep an eye on engagement levels both during and after the onboarding progress, as it ties directly back to their onboarding experience.

Regular evaluation and adaptation of your onboarding program based on these measures can lead to a more effective and satisfying onboarding experience for new hires.

Case study: Netflix’s onboarding approach

This isn’t all just abstract stuff. There’s a real-life example of the benefits of onboarding best practices at Netflix. Their approach to employee onboarding is a standout example in the corporate world, combining innovative methods with effective engagement strategies.

Let’s look at highlights from a Comparably study on Netflix’s onboarding best practices:

1. Preboarding initiatives

Netflix’s onboarding journey begins before the employee’s first day, focusing on cultural immersion and the completion of essential paperwork – in other words, the preboarding stage. This early engagement sets a positive tone for new hires.

2. Onboarding buddy system

Each new hire is paired with an onboarding buddy, a peer mentor crucial for navigating the initial days at Netflix. This system has been particularly effective, with 91% of employees stating their direct manager was incredibly helpful during onboarding in the first 90 days, according to the Comparably review.

3. Project assignments and team interaction

Early project involvement and team interactions are key. Impressively, four out of 10 (39%) employees socialized with team members outside of work at least once a week or more. This will go great lengths in fostering strong team bonds and a sense of belonging.

4. One-on-one meetings and feedback

Regular one-on-one meetings during the onboarding process ensure new hires receive the necessary feedback and support. At Netflix, 52% of employees say they get helpful feedback at least once a week that helps them get better at their jobs.

Ultimately, 90% of employees say they had a positive onboarding experience at the company. The correlation between that number and Netflix’s onboarding practices are clear.

Onboarding best practices: time for progress

In this exploration of onboarding best practices, there are three crucial insights:

1. Structured onboarding = higher retention
2. Tech is a great onboarding tool
3. Personalization is key

What’s next for you? You don’t have to be a behemoth like Netflix – a lot of these tips can happen in a small or medium-sized business. There are plenty of onboarding best practices outlined in this tutorial – incorporate as much as you can into your overall strategy and you’ll see the benefits in the bottom line.

The post Onboarding best practices: boost your new hire experience appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

But remote onboarding is no longer an unusual part of the job. It may become more the norm than the exception – according to Workable’s survey, 71.1% say remote work and distributed teams will be a major paradigm shift going forward.

It’s also a welcome shift; in the TalentLMS study, 77% of employees say they would accept a job even without a physical visit to their employer’s office, while 73% say they’d accept a job even without meeting any of their new colleagues in person.

If remote is accepted both by employer and employee – the focus then moves to onboarding remote employees. And an effective remote onboarding process is essential if you want your new hires – and your business altogether – to be set for success.

Related: 9 remote onboarding FAQs to level up your process

New jobs are stressful – and can be costly

Onboarding is not only important for business performance – it’s a concern for new hires as well. Starting a new job is a stressful experience. The tips for new employees range from finding support to not being afraid to ask for help – but how do you do that if you can’t even see your work environment or even know who you’re working with? Fast Company recommends designing familiar schedules outside of work and sticking to a regular work routine. Great, but even our non-work activities are severely disrupted by COVID-19. This just adds to the existing challenges of a regular work routine in a remote environment.

If you don’t solve or at least alleviate those stresses in a new hire, the costs to business are clear, both factoring into the cost per hire:

Increased employee turnover

A clumsy onboarding experience can make new hires feel frustrated and lose faith in you as an employer. Culture Amp’s Joshua Bach told us at an event last year: “10% of people [leave] within the first six months of starting a new job. And many people decide if they’re going to leave a job within the first six weeks.“ So, it’s crucial to make that strong first impression as an employer.

Those are important numbers considering that the costs of employee turnover can be a real eye-opener.

Increased time to ramp

When it takes longer for a new hire to know how to do their job properly, be it in utilizing new technologies or fitting into the existing workflow, it causes delays and even breakdowns in operations and processes. You want your new hires operating at full productivity as quickly as possible – and onboarding is a huge factor in that.

A good onboarding process can increase new hire productivity by 70% and employee retention by 82% according to Sapling, an onboarding/offboarding platform. The numbers speak for themselves, including at the bottom line.

People like predictability

Structure. Systems. Clarity. Uniformity. Organization. People trust people – and employers – who are organized ahead of time. If a new hire comes into your company and experiences a clear, well-thought-out process for onboarding remote employees, that’s a powerful first impression, showing them that your company cares about them and that you’ve got their back.

There’s a reason why process standardization is a heavily emphasized necessity in the survival and sustainability of a company: it’s because it works. When you have a clear blueprint that everyone can follow to a T, the benefits are numerous:

• It reduces costly errors and breakdowns in process.
• It ensures higher-quality and quicker execution.
• It enables scalable training when you need to fill numerous positions at once.
• It helps you identify specific areas for change and improvement – and act on them.

Inna Shevchenko, the CMO at iGMS, a short-term rental management SaaS company headquartered in North Vancouver, Canada, says that the most important lesson she’s learned after five years of hiring, training and managing employees remotely is to have a well-established process to follow.

After 12 years in the marketing biz during which she managed and trained remote teams, Inna finds that remote onboarding really isn’t all that different from ‘normal’ onboarding – the core components are the same.

“Creating a well-crafted process and structure, preparing detailed training documentation, and hiring the right person are the secrets to success.”

Business executive Erik Rivera of Thrive Talk, a telehealth platform focusing on mental health, emphasizes the importance of setting up a system beforehand, to increase clarity and reduce cost.

“A premade onboarding process followed by assessment tests helps ensure that employees know the essentials before working. Since the process is entirely automated, it lessens the expenses of the company because it eliminates the need to hire onboarding specialists.”

SuperAwesome’s Nick Yockney highlighted structure as one of his four go-to strategies in successful remote onboarding.

“We have a very, very structured way that anyone joining SuperAwesome comes into the business.” Nick said. “We call it a 30/60/90. And when someone comes in, they will have a list of tasks that they need to do for their first 30 days, and they will be specific to the role that they’re doing, but there’s also a core foundation of exactly what they do.”

Meanwhile, this comprehensive, step-by-step guide on how to build a new employee onboarding process will give you the framework to build on.

On board with us now?

Let’s start with four top tips for standardizing your onboarding process for remote employees:

1. Start with existing templates and tools

Not having an onboarding foundation already in place is a big mistake, says Max Harland, CEO of Dentaly, one of the world’s largest online dental health resources.

“The biggest challenge in remote onboarding is starting from scratch without any robust plans to start,” Max says, pointing to unreliability in the process and cost creep as potential issues. “You might end up creating a structure that is not suitable for remote onboarding and spend resources aimlessly without getting any results.”

Max recommends procuring an existing remote onboarding template from a colleague or investing in a reliable onboarding tool to more quickly set you up for success.

Following up on Max’s point – it’s better to have something in place and build on that. You can customize to your unique needs as they reveal themselves, and identify areas for improvement. Premade onboarding tools such as Rippling or Click Boarding can help you get a head start with your online onboarding until you’re ready to refine the process.

Also, here’s a remote onboarding checklist template you can use.

2. Line up your training materials – and diversify the format

The second point of advice from Inna at iGMS, that of having detailed training documentation to share with the new hire, is also crucial to a standardized process for onboarding remote employees.

“Documenting the processes, steps, training, and related materials make it easier both for the trainer and the new hire.”

She recommends having training materials with easy-to-follow instructions enriched with visuals, creating how-to videos, and recording online training sessions for future reference. And, she adds, it’s better to be short, legible, and to the point.

“In the end, all these materials help build an internal knowledge base and make the process of onboarding smoother.”

Greg Hayes, the CEO/Founder of Branch Furniture, a venture-backed office furniture startup in New York City, also likes to have starting guides for new employees including all the information they need to know about their department, past and ongoing initiatives, and goals to aim for in their first week and first month.

“These guides help give them practical, tangible to-dos so that they can get active on day one,” Greg says.

As above, use templates to get started, and build from there. Be informative and make sure everything’s covered – more so than in a normal onboarding, even. These training materials give new employees a treasure trove of resources they can tap into if they’re feeling uneasy about asking colleagues for tips or guidance.

Keep the resources diversified. A folder with 25 wordy documents is boring – include videos, audio, infographics, and other forms of media. Make it interesting and digestible.

3. Have a handbook ready – packed with information

Similarly to #2 is an employee handbook. It’s the ultimate go-to guide for everything you want the new hire to know about your company. It can include:

• Mission, visions, values, positioning statement, corporate social responsibility statement
• Organizational chart
• Guidelines for work and code of conduct
• Benefits, perks, trainings, programs, incentives, bonuses, etc.
• Performance reviews
• Important dates for reviews, holidays, annual functions, etc.
• All policies as they relate to employment (i.e. parental leave, time off, sabbaticals, etc.)

There’s a lot more that goes into an employee handbook, of course.

Husam Machlovi has seen a lot of success in having a detailed handbook. He’s the founder of digital studio With Pulp, which operates fully remotely out of New York state. His company has served notable clients such as AMC Networks and World Wrestling Entertainment, and he’s found a lot of success hiring remotely.

“Something that’s really helped is sharing the company culture very early on. From the hiring process into day one.” says Husam. “We took a page out of Valve (the game development company) book and designed a fun and casual employee handbook. The goal was to share more about the history of our company, how we work and to inspire new employees.”

Like Husam, Greg has found a larger business benefit to having a ‘user’s manual’ for onboarding remote employees.

“It’s forced us to consider more than we normally would, as everything now must be written down and contextualized in critical detail.”

Think of it as an all-inclusive guide to working at your company and an opportunity to show off your company culture. Create an employee handbook using this tutorial. And you’ll want to check out GitLab’s comprehensive employee handbook which is available for the public to look at. If printed, it would be 7,100+ pages!

4. Have a pre-set schedule – and stick to it

You also want to have a schedule in place for the new hire. Preload a calendar with meetings, training sessions, inaugurations, introductions, 1-1s, and anything else for the new hire so they’re already busy from day one.

CEO Neal Taparia of Solitaired, a new NYC-based company that ties classic games to brain training, speaks to the value of a detailed, well-planned onboarding schedule.

“You don’t want new employees twiddling their thumbs [during] their first week of work. That’s an awful first impression,” says Neal. “Our HR leader with their manager schedules out almost every hour of their day in their first week to make sure they have a productive first week. It sets the precedent that we are serious and thoughtful.”

Tara Lilien, the Chief Talent Officer at Peppercomm, a communications agency located in NYC, San Francisco, and London, transferred her team to a fully remote environment in early March. It was a steep learning curve, but she and her team worked hard to determine the right touchpoints for new remote employees.

“Video introductions, a very solid orientation week 1 schedule, and a ‘buddy’ program allowed us to ensure that we were setting up our new hires for success even if they were remote,” she says, admitting that it was easier to have met new hires in person prior to March before getting to know them via video communication.

That being said, she’s pragmatic about the remote onboarding process:

“We acknowledged early that there would be a longer ramp up period to get to know the agency, our clients and our culture and spent time checking in with our new hires to see how they were doing at the 30-60-90 day period.”

In addition to the aforementioned onboarding softwares, use these calendar tools to organize a schedule in advance of the new hire’s first day.

Success can be standardized

Templates, software, training materials, an employee handbook, a set schedule. It’s really not that different from a normal onboarding process, as Inna says.

But there are some important differences – you’re utilizing tech more often, you’re arming your new hires with the needed tools and information to be able to work autonomously in their new remote job. And, in a remote environment where spontaneous meetings are nearly impossible to come by, you’re laying out a schedule so that those meetings still happen.

Now that you have a system that can familiarize the new hire with the essential components of the job, you need to think about the more nuanced parts of onboarding remote employees: building connections with colleagues, familiarizing the new hire with the company culture, and helping them feel like part of the organization. Yes, they’re the new kid on the block, but if you follow a standardized plan, they won’t feel like it for long.

The post Onboarding remote employees: A standardized process for the win appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

What is HR software, and why do companies need it?

By automating some of their more mundane tasks, they can refocus on what is most important – those who make up their organization. HR software benefits not only HR staff but other employees too, giving them a better understanding of their organization’s HR policies and procedures.

The remote work revolution has made it necessary for businesses to learn how to foster dynamic and successful teams in an ever-evolving environment. Therefore, HR departments are tasked to introduce performance management solutions that employees can use, regardless of location. Investing in these tools is essential for companies hoping to remain competitive and achieve optimal results from their teams.

Understanding the different types of HR software

When it comes to digital solutions for Human Resources, three major types of software stand out from the rest. Each has unique capabilities and strengths, so understanding their differences can help you determine which best suits your needs.

Here are the three systems that dominate the realm of modern Human Resources technology:

Human Resources Information System (HRIS)

To maximize efficiency, many organizations rely on HRIS software as their main source of employee information and management. These tools are available both online and in a software form and can be hosted by the company’s server, a cloud provider, or a third-party vendor.

Primary benefit: A centralized database houses all personnel data that can be accessed at any time from any location. This makes it easier for HR teams to enter and manage employee records confidently.

What are the benefits of an HRIS?

An HRIS offers numerous benefits, including streamlined HR processes, centralized employee data, and improved reporting and analytics.

It automates repetitive tasks like payroll, attendance tracking, and benefits administration, reducing manual errors and freeing up HR staff for strategic activities.

It also facilitates employee self-service, allowing employees to update their information and request leaves online.

Additionally, an HRIS improves compliance by helping organizations adhere to legal and regulatory requirements, and enhances decision-making by providing data-driven insights on employee performance, turnover, and other key metrics.

Human Capital Management (HCM)

Human Capital Management (HCM) is a more comprehensive version of HRIS, integrating all the same features with more sophisticated solutions and a focus on talent management.

Primary benefit: HCM focuses on employees’ life cycle and career paths within an organization, from recruitment to management and optimization. Furthermore, it can be tailored to any company’s requirements enabling close supervision of employee well-being and satisfaction, resulting in a higher retention rate.

Human Resources Management System (HRMS)

HRMS is an advanced HR software combining the best of HRIS and HCM features with a focus on administrative processes. Its dynamic features extend beyond just the management of time and labor to encompass an automated payroll system.

Primary benefit: Organizations can take advantage of its powerful capabilities, such as productivity reports and analyses, designed to maximize efficiency in the workplace.

Not enough? Take a deeper dive into the differences between HRIS, HCM and HRMS.

Essential features of HR software

For small and midsize businesses (SMBs), a Human Resources system with specific features is essential. Here are some key functionalities that an SMB should consider when selecting HR software.

Personnel tracking

Personnel management, or employee information management, helps businesses keep tabs on the whereabouts and details of their staff.

• It includes personal information, contact info, previous work history, and demographic data
• It enables organizations to plan ahead for absences and delays so resources may be swiftly reallocated
• Employers can easily monitor the hours worked and location of remote personnel such as salespeople

Benefits administration

Organizing your company’s multitude of benefits programs is made easy with the help of this feature.

• Allows the HR staff to stop chasing after employees to sign paperwork
• Lets employees manage their benefits autonomously through an online portal
• Automatically notifies employees about vendor upgrades or government regulations

Reporting

Data collection and management is a key component of the role of Human Resources, and reporting allows for a greater understanding of this data.

• Organizations will be able to identify trends that can inform future hiring decisions
• Data can be used to pinpoint issues to determine how to best address them
• Gives you accurate insights on how to upgrade your business strategy
• Helps ensure your compliance with local, state, and national regulations

Other features

The size of your organization and the sector you work in will determine the type of HR software that is right for you. Further features that are available with some of the best HR software on the market include:

• Employee management: This feature involves managing employee workload and compensation
• Recruiting: This feature uses a centralized database for candidate information
• Benefits management: This feature allows employees to self-manage benefits by choosing their preferences via a self-service portal
• Learning and Development (L&D): Organizations need to be able to deliver training uniformly and in a well-structured way, which is where a learning management system (LMS) comes into play

A look at the top 5 HR software providers

Understanding the HR software marketplace can be a daunting task. To save you time and effort, here are the top 5 HR companies for businesses.

WebHR

Highlights:

• Cloud-based service is ideal for small businesses that require a high level of communication between employees
• Paid-for subscription service available for up to 1,000 employees
• Options become more complex and varied as you transition from the free plan to the paid version
• Internationally oriented thanks to multi-language and currency options

Why we like it:

• Offers most features that an SMB needs to manage and track staff
• Built-in messenger and employee discussion forums
• Upgrades available one module at a time
• Available in 30 languages and multiple currencies
• Does not have any special hardware requirements
• SSL security, strong encryption, and other data security

Why we don’t like it:

• Free version’s features are limited
• Visual style could be improved
• Limited customization
• Limited choice of built-in templates

Zoho People

Main highlights:

• Available in six versions, including a free version for companies with fewer than five users
• Provides tools to manage the entire HR process
• Integrates with other Zoho products easily, such as its payroll solution

Why we like it:

• Affordable and transparent pricing
• Integrates with other Zoho offerings
• Active community forum
• Mobile app available
• Professional setup services are available
• Virtual support assistant

Why we don’t like it:

• Custom quotes needed for larger organizations
• Some features are limited to the upper tiers of the plan
• Lack of direct support options
• Payroll isn’t included
• Limited phone support

OrangeHRM

Main highlights:

• A good choice if scalability is a priority
• Free starter package provides time tracking, reporting, HR admin, and recruitment features, along with employee self-service and other features
• Complete interface for almost all things HR needs

Why we like it:

• Companies can self-host
• User-friendly and good UI
• Excellent time-tracking functions
• Mobile app
• Permission levels for different users

Why we don’t like it:

• Plugins may be required
• Customer support limited
• Price point is comparatively high

Bitrix24

Main highlights:

• Unlimited number of users in the free version
• Portfolio of task and project management features
• Tools include profile pages, company structure, a social network, and a company knowledge base
• Includes software automation features, file sharing, and email marketing integration
• Will suit companies that want to easily connect to other aspects of the business, such as customer relationship management and website building

Why we like it:

• 35 free tools
• Constant notification of opportunities, tasks, and activities.
• Kanban user interface available
• Free up to 12 users
• Simple reporting features
• Affordable pricing

Why we don’t like it:

• Complex user interface
• Social networking limitations
• Doesn’t support chatbots
• Steep learning curve

Workable

Highlights:

• Comprehensive HRIS software with tools for onboarding and employee management
• Branded onboarding portal for a seamless experience
• Dynamic employee profiles for easy organization and updates
• Automatic org chart generation and updates
• Efficient time off tracking and management

Why we like it:

• Streamlines the entire hiring process, from candidate selection to onboarding
• Customizable onboarding activities tailored to each new hire
• Easy-to-use dashboard for tracking multiple onboardings
• Automated onboarding processes save time and ensure timely completion
• Supports multiple profile templates for different locations and employment types
• Company file storage and document templates for easy access and organization
• Flexible time off policies and accrual options to cater to diverse workforce needs

Why we don’t like it:

• Limited in scope and features compared to some other HR software solutions
• Best suited for small businesses with under 20 full-time employees, with limited scalability for larger organizations
• Continuously evolving, meaning the platform may not yet offer the most complete HR software experience on the market

How HR software saves businesses money

HR software can save you money in many different ways.

• Streamlines HR admin: It allows HR teams to spend less time on administration and more on strategic activities
• Efficient onboarding: Technology replaces paperwork, reduces the time to replace an employee, and cuts the cost of hiring an employee
• Employee self-service saves time: Fewer HR calls; therefore, a leaner team is needed
• Cuts the cost of outsourcing: A broad range of HR functions, including payroll, can be performed in-house.
• Eliminates costly errors: Automation reduces the risk of human error
• Ensures compliance: Avoid missing regulatory deadlines that may lead to penalties being imposed
• Supports remote work: Reduces the need for office infrastructure and can therefore save on overhead costs

When you look at the considerable time and monetary savings you can achieve by investing in HR software; you can then weigh them against the costs your organization is currently carrying. This will give you a clear idea of your return on investment (ROI). Once this is clear, you may even decide it’s worth exploring other HR software modules that initially didn’t fit your budget – meaning access to even more savings.

HR hiring software – what is it?

Organizations are turning to specialized software to streamline their recruitment process. Commonly referred to as an applicant tracking system or ATS, this type of software covers every detail, from sourcing and screening candidates to issuing offer letters. Although the two terms are often used interchangeably, it is important to note that the scope of recruiting software extends beyond just ATS functions – they also provide tools specifically designed for each step in the selection process.

Hiring (or recruiting) software can provide a range of benefits to assist in the process of hiring qualified candidates:

• They often include features for sourcing, engagement, selection, and hiring
• Sourcing helps uncover potential applicants who may not have seen job postings while engaging with them ensures they remain informed throughout the process
• Selection capabilities help narrow down the list of candidates based on assessments or evaluations
• Some platforms manage the actual step of hiring as well as provide an interface between candidate and employee experience

Related: What is HR software?

Here’s how HR recruitment software works

Through the company portal, hiring managers and recruiters can create job postings, view all relevant job applications, update information as candidates are interviewed, send out job offers, handle paperwork related to onboarding the new employee, and generate reports relating to the hiring process.

This powerful tool organizes and streamlines the entire hiring journey for everyone involved – freeing up more time for additional tasks that need to be accomplished.

The cost of HR software

The cost of an average HR software package typically starts from $3 to $1,200 per month per user, depending on the number of personnel involved. This is how pricing typically works – you get more features as the price increases. The basic plan covers only essential functions, while a higher-priced product will include additional tools for supporting larger organizations or teams.

Choosing the right HR software for you

When choosing the right HR software for your business, start by focusing on what processes you wish would be simplified and which features are most essential. This will help you zero in on the perfect fit and narrow down your selection.

• What to look for: Try to select a program that includes all the Human Resources Information System (HRIS) requirements within its base price; otherwise, acquiring extras could lead to overspending your assigned budget.
• What to be wary of: When selecting a software package, you must be aware of which features are included in the standard version and any extra elements that may require an additional cost.

If you are working with a service provider directly, ensure you secure a service contract providing ongoing maintenance, updates to address changing compliance needs, and software updates to ensure compatibility with other software packages.

Steps to take when choosing HR software

Step 1: Make an initial assessment

Determine if the process will be carried out by internal HR auditors or a consultant that may have the time, data-gathering and evaluation skills your organization lacks.

Step 2: Assess organizational needs

Look beyond the HR department’s needs and consider the organization’s and other department’s strategic plans. This will guide you on the features and modules you require. For example, if you’re a tech startup, consult our SaaS HR software guide.

Step 3: Determine needs vs. wants

Consider how the HR software could improve current procedures, such as new-hire processing. The more value it offers your organization, the higher it will rank as needed.

Step 4: Assess the project parameters

Once you have a list of minimum requirements and additional features you require, see how they hold up against your current infrastructure, for example:

• Budgetary constraints: what are the price points you can afford?
• Technological limitations: do you have the necessary server space and infrastructure in place?

Time constraints – what lead time do you need to complete the request for proposal (RFP), technology selection and review, and implementation processes?

Step 5: Assemble a project committee

This should include IT, payroll, finance, accounting, HR, performance management, operations, training, and recruitment.

Investing in HR software should not be a knee-jerk decision. Taking the necessary steps to ensure you pick the right package and that it can grow alongside your business will also save you time and money in the long term.

HR software: do your homework

For a human resources administrator or executive, having access to good software can make all their complex daily tasks much easier. With modern technology, many of their frequent, time-consuming activities can be automated so that they can spend more time focusing on what’s truly important – their employees.

You now should understand what HR software is, why your company might require it, the available types of HR software, and the features that all HR software should have.

What’s next? Put your assessment process into practice and start weighing up your options. It’s always a good idea to do your homework when investing in new software.

The post Choosing the best HR software for your business needs appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

The room glows with a harmonious blend of twinkling Christmas lights, the soft glow of the Hanukkah menorah, the vibrant hues of Diwali lanterns, and the symbolic Kwanzaa kinara. 

Laughter and music fill the air, blending traditions and creating a unique tapestry of celebration. 

A recent academic study showed that human relations culture, fun activities, informality, and symbolism increase employee satisfaction with company Christmas parties. Imagine if we also aimed for inclusion, how much better the results could be. 

Make this season a celebration of diversity and inclusivity for everyone by adopting some of the following ideas. 

Inclusive festive activities for onsite teams

From specific office decorations to food and festivities, this season is well-deserved by everyone. Let’s take a deeper look at the ideas that will foster inclusivity and diversity in your workplace. 

Office decorations

Decorations are more than just festive flair; they’re a reflection of our cultural identities. 

Encourage your team to contribute decorations that represent their traditions. 

A Christmas tree can stand alongside a Hanukkah menorah, a Kwanzaa kinara, or Diwali lights. Let the holiday season be a powerful visual representation of your organization’s commitment to inclusivity. 

Each decoration can be accompanied by a small card explaining its significance, turning your office into a festive, educational gallery.

Inclusive festive events

Move over, standard office Christmas party! Let’s shake things up with events that cater to everyone. 

Organize a ‘global festivities fair’ where employees can set up booths showcasing their cultural holidays through food, games, and storytelling. 

This not only fosters inclusivity but also sparks curiosity and camaraderie among employees. Such events can become a much-anticipated annual tradition, eagerly awaited by everyone in the office.

Food and Festivities

The way to a team’s heart is through their stomachs, and what better way to celebrate diversity than through food? 

Organize a multicultural potluck, where employees bring dishes from their cultural backgrounds. 

This can be a delightful culinary adventure, exposing team members to new flavors and stories behind different cuisines. 

Remember, inclusivity also means considering dietary restrictions – offering vegetarian, vegan, halal, and kosher options ensures everyone can partake in the feast.

Engaging remote employees in festive celebrations

While there are many things you can organize in your workplace, don’t forget about your remote employees. They are also celebrating and need to be a part of this game. Here are some ideas:

Virtual team-bonding activities

For our remote team members, the festive cheer is just a video call away. Plan virtual get-togethers with a cultural twist – perhaps a festive trivia contest or a virtual tour of different holiday traditions. 

Why not have a virtual background contest, where team members design their own festive-themed background? These activities are not just fun, they are a lifeline of inclusion to those who might be miles away from the office.

Gift exchanges and tokens of appreciation

Gift-giving is a universal part of many celebrations, and it can be inclusive and thoughtful even in a remote setting. 

Coordinate a virtual Secret Santa, or perhaps a ‘Cultural Surprise Exchange’ where gifts reflect different cultural festivities. And for a more personal touch, handwritten notes or personalized e-cards can add warmth to these digital exchanges.

Inclusive communication strategies

The power of words cannot be underestimated, especially during the festive season. Ensure all your communication – be it emails, newsletters, or social media posts – reflects the diverse spirit of the season. 

A simple acknowledgement of different festivities in your communication can make a world of difference. It’s these little things that contribute to a culture of inclusivity and respect.

Remember, as HR professionals, you have the power to shape the culture of your organization. 

By fostering an environment of understanding and respect, you’re not just celebrating the festive season; you’re building a stronger, more cohesive team.

Ready to bring these ideas to life in your workplace? Let’s make it happen.

Happy holidays! 

The post Top inclusive team bonding activities for the festive season appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

What do I do about the other half? We have 120 employees in two states, and I’m the HR manager. Can I require them to return to the office? Pay people who work from home less money? The owner is angry that they are defying his order to return to the office.

Of course, the standard advice here is to present data to the owner “proving” that people are more productive working at home. The owner would then counter with reports from big named CEOs (Tesla CEO Elon Musk, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon) that want people in the office.

They should pretend to work somewhere else

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 1, 2022

In the meantime, employees don’t want to come in and some are probably quitting.

And there you sit, the HR manager, with your head in your hands (regardless of whether you’re one of the rebellious who is still at home or you’ve also returned to the office), wondering if perhaps you should have gone into marketing instead.

Here are some suggestions on how to get through this.

Evaluate everyone’s ‘temperature’

It is not time to pull out the old COVID-19 thermometers – you just want to check how hot and cold the various groups are in their positions. It’s pretty clear that the employees don’t think anything bad will happen to them if they don’t come into the office – as they would have already either come in or quit outright.

What if the owner put his foot down and gave an ultimatum? How many would actually leave? What if you could convince the owner to do a hybrid office where everyone was in the office two or three days a week? How would people respond to that?

You want to know what you’re actually facing here.

Likewise, talk to the owner about how serious he is about having people come in. Is this the hill to die on or does he want people in the office just because it’s always been done this way? Hybrid, of course, is the best of both worlds. How does he feel about that?

Related: Remote, hybrid or back to the office? How to decide on the right return-to-work plan for your company

And if after all this discussion, the owner insists: everyone in the office or else! Then that brings you to your next step.

Decide if you’re all in

If it’s come in or else, you probably think it’s a bad decision, even if it’s a legal one. You can require employees to return to the office (as long as working from home isn’t a legitimate ADA accommodation). You can absolutely fire people who refuse to come in. You can slash salaries to minimum wage if people want to work from home. That’s all legal.

Related: Return to office has huge benefits, says one talent director

But the reality is that slashing salaries won’t make people come in. It will make them quit. Forcing people to come in will work temporarily, and then you’ll lose your best people who want to work from home. And you may even lose those who came into the office but aren’t happy with losing their favorite colleague or are dismayed at the eventual drop in morale.

You can replace all of them. Honestly, there are people who want to work in the office. Some people are willing to work in the office for more money. You can find them. But as the HR manager, it will be you who has to find the people. Even if you have a recruiter focused on replacing these people, you know a good portion of the burden will fall on you.

So, decide if you’re all in. Is this a boss you want to support? Because if he’s chosen this as his hill to die on, as the HR manager, you need to be willing to join him on that hill. It’s not something you can do half-heartedly.

If you’re telling the CEO you’re working on getting people back, and then (wink, wink) you’re telling the employees you’re working on softening the owner’s heart, you’ll just get yanked back and forth.

It’s OK to say, “No, I’m not all in. I can’t support this.” Make your final case to the CEO, and then start looking for a new job if you can’t win him over.

But if you decide to stay, you need to be all in. You have to support the efforts and be the rah-rah cheerleader. This is not a time for a lukewarm attitude.

Make the office a place people want to be

No, it’s not HR’s place to be interior decorators or pool table installers. But, if you’ve decided to stay and be all in on this, it is your place to make this company a place where employees want to physically be.

This means your focus should be on building a collaborative environment where people benefit from being around each other. As you will undoubtedly have people quit over this new rule, make sure the new hires truly want to be in the office. Try to weed out those who are hoping to work from home and took the job as a stop-gap measure. I know this is hard, but it will be helpful if you emphasize that being in the office is part of this job.

And yes, occasional lunches, free sodas in the kitchen, and maybe even a pool table will be worth your trouble. But don’t stop there. There are many ways to make an office an attractive place to work.

Being the HR manager in a situation isn’t easy, but you can do it – if you want to. It will take concerted effort, but it can be done.

Further reading: 37.5% of US workers value flexwork – but companies aren’t on board

The post Ask the Evil HR Lady: How do I get reluctant workers back to office? appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Working from home is an excellent thing for many people. The time saved by being able to commute down the hall rather than an hour through metropolitan traffic is a life saver for many.

Working from home allows many people more time with their family, friends, pets, and hobbies. Those are great things! Not to mention the convenience of ordering everything on the internet and being home to collect the packages, thwarting the efforts of porch pirates everywhere.

Benefits of working remotely: UK workers get back an hour a day – and they like it

But what if it’s not sunshine and roses for everyone? What if working from home is actually bad for some people? Some researchers discovered some downsides that you should be aware of. To be perfectly clear, no study said this happened to everyone or that no one should work from home. But, it is clear that working from home isn’t the best thing for everyone.

Here are some of the problems researchers found and how you can help your employees succeed anyway.

Exhaustion

As you would expect, not having to commute decreased exhaustion, but according to one report, working from home led to “lower social support, lower feedback, and greater role ambiguity which increased exhaustion.”

Yikes.

While researchers conceded that this isn’t a reason to stop working from home, these are all problems that businesses can fix:

Lower social support

This is the hardest for a company to fix, as you can’t force people to leave their house and make friends! But you can make sure you encourage social interactions with your employees. It turns out you don’t want them constantly working for eight hours. They need a break.

Lower feedback

It’s easy for bosses to drop feedback here and there when you’re all in the same space. Sometimes, feedback only happens in formal, scheduled meetings when people don’t see each other. Or worse, bosses only convey negative feedback.

Managers need to understand the importance of feedback. Feedback should increase when people work from home, not decrease. Why? Because it’s harder to get feedback through non-verbal communication like you do when you’re in the office.

Greater role ambiguity

This is something managers can solve. Clear guidelines, clear boundaries, and clear feedback can clear this up. Managers need to update job descriptions regularly and communicate with their employees. Everyone works better when they know their responsibilities.

Eating more and exercising less

Many people have joked about gaining the Pandemic 15, but it turns out that was the exception, not the rule. According to a Harvard study, 39% of people gained weight during the pandemic, but most gained less than 12 pounds.

But the ability to graze during the day and limiting exercise to walking from the bedroom to the kitchen and back can profoundly impact your work-from-home employees. The good news from another study is most people don’t report an overall change in food intake – but for those that do, you can help.

Encourage people to keep regular hours

Work can blend into leisure time when you work from home, and sometimes people spend too much time in front of their computers. That can lead to less physical activity and fewer healthy balanced meals. If you can make it clear that employees can turn off their computers and put their phones on mute, it might help with their overall health.

Make sure your health insurance is great

If your business was an in-office business and now everyone is working from home, use that money you save by not renting office space to fund better health insurance. Make sure people get the help they need.

Provide food and exercise-based perks

The last thing you want to do is become the fat police, but if you can add a subsidy for a gym membership or a discount with a food company that delivers the ingredients for healthy meals, it can make a big difference.

Longer hours at work

When companies sent everyone home at the beginning of the pandemic, many feared employees would not actually work as much if they could be easily distracted by Netflix and laundry. Some companies installed tracking software so they could monitor their employees.

While there will always be people who slack off, some people work more and work a lot more. And because everything is in front of a screen, it can stress workers’ eyes and brains. There are no screen breaks for meetings because everyone is on Zoom and inexplicably waving at each other.

The boss needs to create boundaries

Maybe work is the big boss’s favorite thing, but if the boss emails, messages, and calls people at 9 pm, employees will feel obligated to answer. Constant contact means no downtime and no time to rest our brains and eyes. If bosses want to work crazy hours, they’ll burn out, but that’s their choice. Burning out employees is not an excellent long-term strategy.

Make sure employees have childcare

Schools and daycares are back in operation, so children should be in care while the employee works. While it can be fun to take breaks for the kids, if there isn’t someone else taking care of them, it can cause the workday to become disjointed, which means people end up feeling like they work all the time – even if they actually take multiple breaks during the day.

Working from home is great for many people, but don’t ignore the downsides! Keep on top of how your employees do and support them so they can succeed from their home offices.

The post WFH depression: why it happens and what you can do appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Tragic examples, I’m sure, but also not the fun, shareable stories I hoped for. And I wondered why. Did all companies have smooth onboarding experiences? Has the onboarding problem been solved?

I don’t think so. Here’s what I think is going on. Employees don’t know what to expect from onboarding.

My first job was at a fast food restaurant. I’m pretty sure my onboarding experience included filling out tax paperwork that I didn’t understand and then watching a video or two on food safety. Then someone trained me how to run a cash register.

There was no attempt to integrate me into the culture. (Just as well, the management was terrible.) No one bought me lunch to welcome me to the Unnamed Fast Food Restaurant family.

I suspect a lot of onboarding sessions are similar today. Here’s your paperwork; now get to work.

Other companies have extensive onboarding programs with mentors and speakers and planned lunches and follow-ups and it is a BIG DEAL.

But a new hire has no idea what to expect with a new job. Will it be like a fast food job circa 1989, or will it be an elaborate production? And which is better? And how do we know whether an onboarding program was great or a disaster? Just because people like a free lunch isn’t the key to a positive onboarding experience.

So what’s the key, then?

What good onboarding looks like

Of course, you should have paperwork in order (and information sent to the new hires before day one), and IT should have the computer ready to go. The direct supervisors should be available to meet with the person–either face to face or via video conference if it’s a 100% remote job.

We know this.

But for the rest of onboarding, you need to remember the purpose: This is to integrate the new employee into the company and set them up to succeed.

That can vary from company to company. Honestly, all I needed to succeed in a fast-food job was the training I received. (Although I wouldn’t have said no to a free lunch.) But, if I get a new job as an HR director, that won’t do.

Ensuring a good onboarding experience needs three specific things:

Competent paperwork

If a company can’t pull this together, you might as well call it quits. The new hire will peg the “company” (whatever that means) as incompetent and see it through that lens for evermore.

A specific plan

You should not just throw people into a room and hope for the best. You need a plan for how you will help the new hires become part of the team. You need a plan for their technical training and their cultural training.

Follow up

Two days of seminars or one lunch with an assigned “mentor” is not good enough. You need to know how people adjust to their new job before you know if they have the support they need.

And you need to be able to measure success.

This is the hard part. How do you measure if your onboarding programs work? What do you look at?

Measuring your success or failure

The first is the easiest – are people filling out their paperwork correctly? Is everyone’s health insurance correct? Are you withholding the proper taxes? (Although, to be fair, the US government chose to make that form a disaster, so you deserve a pass on that.) Does everyone have the equipment they need?

If you can say yes to all this, pat yourself on the back.

And if you can also say yes to “Do you have a plan?” and “Are you following up?”, then great.

But are those things effective? That becomes a bit stickier.

1. Check your short-term turnover

First, you want to look at your short-term quits. If people leave in less than a year (assuming it’s not a business where short-term labor is the norm), that’s a sign that your onboarding fails to make the grade.

Yes, maybe it was just a bad hire. They do happen! But if you have many people leaving quickly, that’s a huge red flag. Changing jobs is a massive pain in the neck. Why are your people leaving?

2. Survey your new hires

Second, talk to people. So often, companies don’t ask employees what they think and feel about the company outside exit interviews and the occasional engagement survey, which people may or may not answer honestly.

You must make “stay” interviews an important part of an employee’s first six months. What’s working? What isn’t? Does the employee have the support they need? If not, what do you need to do to get it?

If you ask consistent questions over time you can gather the data needed to make necessary changes to your onboarding programs.

3. Talk with the new hires’ managers

Third, talk to the direct supervisors. While new employees may not feel comfortable telling you what they think about their new job, the supervisor will happily open up. A supervisor will tell you if an employee is adjusting, is engaged, and working as part of a team.

If a supervisor repeatedly has employees that don’t adjust, it’s probably a problem with either your overall onboarding program or the supervisor’s abilities. Either way, you can address the problem and fix it.

And fixing it is a key part of good onboarding. An onboarding program that worked perfectly in 2019 is unlikely to be your best bet today. Adjust, review, measure, adjust, lather, rinse, repeat.

So the true horror stories on onboarding gone wrong are slow burning stories. It takes time to see the problems and you need to watch for them. A failed new employee doesn’t always mean you hired poorly – it may mean you onboarded poorly.

The post When onboarding goes bad – and how to fix it appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

This is almost always the wrong decision, and yet our desire to put something off overwhelms logic, reason, and experience, resulting in a hurried morning where you curse yourself for not getting gas last night.

This is a minor example of what happens when you don’t tackle problems as soon as they arise. While getting gas on the way to work is a minor annoyance, it’s a small example of what happens when you don’t proactively tackle problems.

If you engage in this pain procrastination at work – not just on the way home from work – you’ll end up suffering the consequences. Here’s why proactive management is crucial to your success.

Proactive problem-solving saves pain in the long run

Let’s say you run a retail business. If you say that your doors open at 8:30, then you need employees to be there by 8 at the latest – otherwise, you can’t get everything done on time and get the doors open at 8:30.

You have a new keyholder who shows up at 8:05. You say nothing. Then it grows to 8:10. Then some days, she’s showing up at 8:25, and you finally crack and angrily tell her she has to be on time. She is now resentful – after all, why did you have to yell? The non-keyholding employees are annoyed because they have been standing outside, waiting for her to show up, and as such, they’ve started coming in later. Your employees’ morale drops.

Now, what would happen if you gave a brief reminder to your late employee that she has to be on time? If that didn’t fix it, you could work with her to find a solution. Maybe she has a child who must get on the school bus before she comes to work, and the bus has been late. Perhaps she’s just hitting the snooze button. You can’t solve the problem until you address it head-on.

But ignoring the problem can make it worse than just unhappy employees and a late opening. It can lead to a lawsuit.

Let’s look at this situation again. The keyholder starts coming in late, causing you problems. You’re non-confrontational and just drop hints that she must be on time. Finally, you can’t take it anymore, and you tell her if she doesn’t start coming in on time, you will have to terminate her.

She responds, “You’re punishing me because I’m pregnant!”

You can sputter that you didn’t know she was pregnant, or even if you did know, this is purely a decision based on bad behavior. But, without documentation and early correction, it looks like you’re only upset because she’s pregnant. Just imagine her attorney saying, “You never said anything about her timeliness before. Why did it only become a problem once she was pregnant?”

You can prevent a lot of minor problems.

Correcting people is not only time-consuming, but it can also be awkward. If you’re conflict avoidant, it can be almost painful to tell someone they’ve done something wrong. But, never fear! It turns out you can avoid a lot of problems by being proactive.

Here are a few things you can do when managing proactively.

1. Set very clear expectations

Mistakes go down when you tell your employees exactly what you want them to accomplish. Please note that this is not micromanaging. You set expectations and let them work it out themselves.

2. Give proper training

You might assume that everyone knows you should answer a business phone with, “Thank you for calling [Business Name]. This is [name].” But did you tell all your employees that? Or do you just get annoyed when someone answers the phone wrong?

3. Answer questions cheerfully

If you respond to a “Hey boss, what do I do about this?” with annoyance or anger, your employees will stop asking you and start guessing. If they start guessing, they will make mistakes and cause problems. Make yourself available, and tell your team that you’re available and willing to support them – especially your new hires.

4. Zero tolerance for bullies

By the time bullies reach employment, they’ve spent a lifetime perfecting their bullying skills and flying under teachers’ radar. How can you be expected to root them out? Well, the first thing is prevention. Don’t listen to gossip – the tool of the bully. Setting a standard of treating people fairly will help prevent bad things.

5. Communicate

If people know what is going on, they are far more likely to do the right things. If people have to guess? Well, sometimes they will guess wrong, and problems will result. This is especially crucial when working with distributed teams.

Get your procrastination under control

Mark Twain famously said, “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” Identify your live frogs – the things you absolutely do not want to do and do them first.

If you take care of those right away, they don’t fester and get worse. And they don’t hang over your head. You eat those live frogs, and then, whew! They aren’t there ribbitting at you anymore.

If you start with the most challenging, terrible things, you also discover their problems before they get out of control. This proactive management approach will save you time and anxiety.

What about “wait and see?”

Sometimes this is a great strategy. But you need to choose it. If you actively say, “I am not tackling this problem because it may resolve on its own,” that’s fine – as long as you can articulate how it might resolve. If you can’t, you’re not “waiting and seeing”; you’re avoiding.

Be proactive. Take control and take care of those little things immediately, and your life will be much easier in the long run.

The post Get ahead of the problem: establish a proactive management strategy appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

“Oppenheimer” is a historical drama released this year in 2023. It tells the story of how Oppenheimer oversaw the Manhattan Project which led to the creation of the atomic bomb.

The movie is a gripping and intense. It captures not only the stakes at play in this important historical moment but also the internal struggles the man himself faced throughout.

Not only was Oppenheimer an unrivaled genius, but he was also a competent leader who knew how to source the best talent, navigate team dynamics, and put their collective genius to work. There are many worthwhile lessons that team leaders can learn from his life story.

The historical Oppenheimer and the character portrayed in the movie built teams under immense pressure.

The Manhattan Project was one of the most intensive research programs in history. 130,000 team members from all around the world were brought together to build the atomic bomb. It was an undertaking that cost $2 billion ($21 billion in today’s dollars) over the course of four years.

The development of the atomic bomb ushered in the nuclear age and represented one of the most important scientific breakthroughs in modern history.

Let’s explore what you can learn from Oppenheimer’s story as a business leader.

The importance of leadership under pressure

Both the historical Oppenheimer and the character portrayed in the movie demonstrated vision, decisiveness, and resilience under extreme pressure and difficult circumstances.

Oppenheimer had to make many difficult and morally complicated decisions involved in the creation of a potentially civilization-destroying technology. That led him to put aside his own values for the greater good, and he lived to regret many of the things he did.

Why did he do them? Because he knew that if he didn’t build the atomic bomb first, the Nazis would.

To quote one of the most memorable lines from the Oppenheimer movie: “I don’t know if we can be trusted with such a weapon. But I know the Nazis can’t.”

“I don’t know if we can be trusted with such a weapon. But I know the Nazis can’t.”

Any team needs a purpose – a north star. The Manhattan Project team, and all of Oppenheimer’s decisions when recruiting and leading his team, led to that single overarching purpose of beating Nazi Germany to the technology. There’s a lesson from this: everything you do as a team leader should bring your team closer to a clearly defined purpose.

Identifying skill sets and acquiring top talent

Oppenheimer, of course, was extremely capable but he couldn’t build the atomic bomb all on his own. He had to complete a difficult task in a short amount of time. Doing that required him to be aware of his own limitations and find talent who had the skills that he lacked.

To accomplish his task, Oppenheimer had to build a team. He recruited experts in various scientific fields, including both theoretical and applied physics, metallurgy, and chemistry.

He needed to find the best scientists in the world and get them working, fast.

How did Oppenheimer do it? Through a meticulous selection process that ensured he had access to the top scientific minds of his time.

His process included vetting, background checks, and consultations with other experts to assemble his team.

For the Manhattan Project to succeed, he had to identify what kinds of scientific knowledge he needed, and how to get them working together in synergy.

He didn’t just need good skills, he needed the right skills. Oppenheimer was working with an incomplete jigsaw puzzle, and he needed to find the right pieces.

For example, Oppenheimer sought a collaboration with physicists Richard Feynman and Hans Bethe.

Their complementing skills worked off each other. From Feynman, Oppenheimer had access to knowledge of quantum mechanics, an emerging sub-field of physics. From Bethe, Oppenheimer sought knowledge of nuclear physics.

Together, Oppenheimer could draw the knowledge he needed to create a weapon by splitting the atom.

Related: How to conduct a skills gap analysis

Recruiting Niels Bohr

One of the standout scenes of the movie was when Oppenheimer recruited Niels Bohr, a physicist from Nazi-occupied Denmark, to the Manhattan Project.

Oppenheimer had met Bohr as a physics student and saw the necessity of his expertise. He went to great lengths just to bring him across enemy lines and bring him into the project.

Doing this diversified the team’s skill set. It also served as an example of Oppenheimer’s aptitude for recruiting top talent with a diverse range of synergetic skills. That’s what made the Manhattan Project successful, as much as his own scientific genius.

As an HR professional or hiring manager, acquiring good talent isn’t as important as acquiring the right talent. It’s about getting together a group with complementary skill sets that amplify each other. It even means sourcing people globally and going beyond borders to find people with the exact know-how you need.

You, too, can build teams across borders with our comprehensive e-guide: Unlocking global talent: your borderless hiring playbook.

Communication is key

When the future of the world depends on the success of your project, it’s vitally important that everyone is on board and on the same page about what needs to be done.

The Manhattan Project had its fair share of interpersonal drama and conflict, just like any group acting together in a high-stakes environment.

It was Oppenheimer’s job to see that his team would overcome their differences and work together. He managed that through regular team briefings that would keep everyone informed about objectives and have aligned goals.

One of the ways he did this was through memos and classified documents.

Oppenheimer knew that sensitive information needs to be communicated securely. The wrong information falling into the wrong hands could spell doom for the project.

These documents made sure everyone knew what the objectives were, and what their individual roles contributed to those objectives.

Things are rarely straightforward in HR. Clear, transparent communication is what keeps the ship sailing in the right direction, especially when time is of the essence and the stakes are high.

Adaptability and problem-solving

Nuclear physics is one of the most dense and challenging fields of science. In a project with as many moving parts as the Manhattan Project, experiments will fail and things are bound to go wrong from time to time.

Oppenheimer saw to it that these setbacks were kept to a minimum and didn’t derail important timelines for long.

He did that by encouraging a culture of collective problem-solving. When experiments failed or when theories reached dead ends, other team members could propose and test other possible solutions.

The start of the Manhattan Project saw many initial failures during testing.

Rather than seeing them as unsolvable problems, Oppenheimer and his team revisited their calculations and methodologies and eventually found the solutions that led to the successful Trinity Test, a key moment in the success of the Manhattan Project.

When managing and building teams, you have to adapt as a manager of your team.

When you encounter hiring challenges or troubled team dynamics, you have to look at problems and find opportunities. The ability to adapt and find solutions is key.

Employee wellness

With the fate of the world on your shoulders, mental and emotional strain take their toll.

For the Manhattan Project to succeed, Oppenheimer realized that his team’s well-being had to be maintained to keep them doing their best work.

For this reason, Oppenheimer encouraged his team to take short breaks. They would engage in group discussions or walks to get fresh air and clear their heads.

These brief moments of rest helped keep their heads clear so they could push forward.

Employee wellness is important because you can only push someone so far before they break. You need to be able to manage stress in the workplace.

In HR, you have to remember at all times that your team members are not robots. They are human beings with their own limitations. Providing mental health resources and initiatives can make all the difference in how well your team functions.

Management lessons from Oppenheimer

The story of J. Robert Oppenheimer and how he led the Manhattan Project provides valuable lessons for anyone who works in HR.

From Oppenheimer’s effective leadership under pressure, skill identification, clear communication, and adaptability, team managers and HR professionals can get actionable insights into how they can run their own teams.

So where can you assemble a dream team of the best and brightest as Oppenheimer did?

A good start is to use Workable’s interview questions generator to tailor your vetting and interview process to make sure you’re not just getting good skills, but the right skills. Our job description generator can help set up your process so that your talent finds you, not the other way around.

Start a Workable free trial today, and you’ll have the tools at your disposal to achieve the impossible as Oppenheimer did.

The post Oppenheimer: what leaders can learn about building teams appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

It’s easy for new employees to feel isolated when they start work at a new company. They’re either rushed from one department to the next for introductions, with no time to socialize, or abandoned at a desk or work station, or left to complete a ream’s worth of induction paperwork.

With the onboarding process intrinsically linked to the employer brand, you can’t afford for your candidate to have a negative experience. First impressions are crucial, and poor onboarding can start things off on the wrong foot for your new employee.

You can avoid this by implementing employee onboarding software. With this HR system, your new recruit can submit all their relevant information into a single portal that’s accessible by all relevant parties. Done and dusted, it leaves them with plenty of time to enjoy the onboarding experience.

How does onboarding differ for small businesses?

Onboarding in small businesses is often more personalized and hands-on, with new hires likely interfacing directly with decision-makers. The processes might be less formalized, focusing on cultural assimilation and relationship-building. Limited resources may require broader role orientation, but can also allow for more flexible and adaptive onboarding experiences.

Here are some of the best employee onboarding software packages you’ll find.

Best onboarding software for small businesses

BambooHR

Renowned for its comprehensive HR applications, BambooHR follows the pattern with a feature-filled onboarding program. Quick paperwork completion, the gathering of electronic signatures, IT checklists, and welcome emails streamline an employee’s entry into a company.

They also offer New Hire Packet Templates that are personalized for each new recruit, creating a welcoming experience for them.

Trainual

Trainual has a quirkier take on the onboarding process, offering fun features like gifs, in-app recordings for guides, and the ability to embed company videos. Along with these, there are simple steps to share your founding story, mission, vision, values, products or services, and competition with your new employee.

Their onboarding playbook includes a hiring process checklist template as well as various company policy templates.

RUN Powered by ADP

This cloud service promises smart onboarding with a form library specific to your industry that can be accessed and completed anywhere. You can create personalized employee portals, landing pages, and information packages for your employee to explore before they even start work. Compliance is also taken care of, including the completion of identification and citizenship documentation.

If you’re using ADP payroll, RUN’s onboarding software is easily integrated. Both systems are automatically populated with employee information and simultaneously update.

Ease

Ease ranks in the third spot on G2’s list of top onboarding software. With a 93% overall satisfaction score and “ease of use” polling at 95%, Ease is a great option for small businesses that have simple HR requirements.

A central, secure employee database means that all the information entered, including W-4s, I-9s, and direct deposit details are well looked after as evidenced by Ease’s HITRUST CSF Certification.

Elmo webonboarding

Elmo promises to save you 80% of your time when it comes to contracts and signatures by digitizing the process. With a user-friendly dashboard that shows you the high volume of onboarding projects the system can manage, HR can track progress and check unfulfilled items.

By creating a program for digital and remote onboarding, Elmo assists hiring managers and the recruitment team to engage with employees on a regular basis.

Deel

With Deel’s international connections, they can help you hire and onboard employees throughout the globe. Saving you the hassle of opening a local entity to hire an employee from a specific country, Deel ensures all local regulations and compliance requirements are adhered to.

Taking on all employment liability, Deel digitally gathers all the relevant tax, payroll, and compliance documents to streamline the onboarding process.

How do you choose the best onboarding software for a small business?

There are endless options available when it comes to employee onboarding software providers, so how do you choose? Here are a few factors to consider:

1. Functionality – What do you need it to do?

Consider the specific features and capabilities that the software offers. For example, does it allow you to create customizable onboarding plans, assign tasks, and track progress?

2. Integration – Will it fit in with your current system?

Think about how the software will integrate with your existing systems and tools. Does it integrate with your HR software or learning management system?

3. Ease of use – Does it have a user-friendly interface and intuitive navigation?

The software needs to be clear and well-designed, allowing any user to easily navigate through the program.

4. Scalability – Will it grow with you?

While this article is aimed at small businesses, it’s a happy hope that you soon expand and grow your business to peak levels. As you develop and grow, so should your software.

5. Cost – How much are you willing to spend?

It always comes down to the bottom line. How big is your budget? What features can you let go of and which are must-haves? Do your market research before you buy to make sure you’re getting the best bang for your buck.

With answers to these questions, you’ll soon have the right software to create an onboarding experience your new recruit won’t soon forget.

Need more information on choosing the right onboarding software for your business? Check out our comprehensive buying guide on the choosing the best HR onboarding software.

The post Best employee onboarding software for small businesses appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

This time management worksheet can help you break down complex projects into manageable tasks, setting realistic deadlines, and tracking progress. 

For HR professionals, it’s an invaluable resource to guide employees towards better productivity and work-life balance.

But what is time management and why is it so important? Let’s delve more into this powerful tool for professional and personal life. 

What is time management?

Time management is the strategic allocation of one’s time to prioritize tasks, increase efficiency, and achieve goals. It involves planning, setting deadlines, and organizing tasks to maximize productivity. There are seven critical steps to implementing a good time management strategy.

Here are the 7 steps you need to take: 

1. Goal Setting: Define short-term and long-term objectives.
2. Prioritization: Arrange tasks based on their importance and deadlines.
3. Task Breakdown: Divide larger tasks into smaller, manageable tasks.
4. Time Allocation: Assign specific time slots to each task.
5. Execution: Focus on completing each task within the allocated time.
6. Monitoring: Keep track of time spent and adjust plans as necessary.
7. Review: Evaluate the outcomes and make necessary adjustments for future tasks.

Why is time management important in work?

Time management is vital in the workplace for enhancing productivity, as it allows employees to accomplish more tasks in a shorter period. 

It also plays a significant role in reducing stress; when employees have a clear plan and know what needs to be done, they experience less work-related anxiety. 

Moreover, effective time management contributes to the improvement of work quality. With well-structured planning, employees can allocate more time to critical aspects of their tasks, such as analysis, execution, and review. 

This, in turn, elevates the quality of their work. 

Lastly, good time management skills are often associated with reliability and competence, qualities that are crucial for career advancement. Therefore, mastering time management is not just beneficial for immediate work outcomes but also for long-term career growth.

Ready for a real-world example that brings these concepts to life? 

Example of implementing a time management strategy

In a bustling marketing agency, team members leverage a time management worksheet to meticulously allocate time for various activities, from brainstorming sessions to client consultations and content creation. 

Tasks are prioritized based on their level of importance and looming deadlines, ensuring that the most critical projects are tackled first.

To elevate their productivity even further, the team identifies their ‘peak productive hours,’ those invaluable periods of the day when focus and energy are at their zenith. 

These prime hours are reserved exclusively for tackling the most challenging and crucial tasks. 

Here’s the worksheet they used: 

This strategic approach to time management has led to a 20% uptick in team productivity and a marked improvement in work quality, showcasing the transformative power of effective time management in a professional setting.

How do you create a time management worksheet?

Eager to create a time management worksheet that’s both practical and easy to use? 

If you don’t already use software to do that, the first step is to identify the key components that should be included in the worksheet. Typically, these would be:

• A task list
• Priority levels
• Estimated time for each task
• Actual time spent
• Deadlines
• Status (Completed/In-progress/Pending). 

You can create this worksheet using various tools, from a simple spreadsheet in Excel or Google Sheets to specialized project management software. 

The idea is to have a centralized place where all tasks are listed and can be easily managed.

Once the framework is set up, the next step is to populate it with tasks and details. 

Start by listing all the tasks that need to be accomplished within a specific timeframe, such as a day or a week. 

Assign priority levels to each task based on their importance and deadlines. 

Next, estimate the time you think each task will take and allocate specific time slots in your day to work on them. 

As you progress, update the ‘Actual time spent’ and ‘Status’ columns to keep track of your accomplishments and adjustments. 

This dynamic document serves as a living guide to your day, helping you stay focused, organized, and productive.

Related: Time management tips for recruiters

Time Management for HR Professionals using an HRIS

When we talk about human resource management, choosing a software that will organize your time seems to be a one-way street.

Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) serve as powerful tools for HR professionals in mastering time management within an organization, without losing time creating tables and timelines manually. 

By automating routine HR tasks such as leave management, time tracking, and performance evaluations, HRIS allows HR teams to focus more on strategic initiatives like talent development and organizational planning. 

The system’s automated features not only streamline administrative processes but also provide insightful data that can be analyzed to enhance time management strategies across the board.

Performance metrics can be monitored in real-time, allowing for timely interventions that can improve productivity and work quality. By integrating HRIS into their time management strategies, HR professionals can create a more efficient, productive, and data-driven work environment.

Time management when someone is on PTO

When an employee is on Paid Time Off (PTO), it’s crucial to strike a balance between relaxation and productivity. Before your employee’s break, let them set clear boundaries by informing colleagues of their unavailability and use out-of-office notifications. Employees should plan their time off by prioritizing tasks, scheduling downtime, and limiting technology use. Remember, the primary goal of PTO is to recharge, so respect their time for self-care and relaxation.

By implementing these time management strategies and tools, HR professionals can empower their employees to manage their time more effectively, leading to increased productivity and job satisfaction.

The post Craft your own time management worksheet appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

1. Boardon

Boardon’s gamification features make it the perfect onboarding solution for companies focusing on Gen Y employees. You can create your own onboarding content. Interactive quizzes, informative articles, YouTube videos? Check, check, check. Once all the content is in place, simply add your candidate’s details and send an invitation.

The candidate can view a detailed schedule of planned activities and events and an onboarding plan. Boardon is free for one admin member working with one candidate at a time, which makes it suitable for those who onboard less than 20 new employees per year.

2. Wrike

Wrike is so versatile – you can use it for project management as well as employee onboarding. It’s easy and efficient to assign each step of the onboarding process to new employees in the same way you would with a project task. There’s even a free onboarding template to get you started.

HR managers can track progress and save forms, documents, and information as employees move through each step. Bonus: New employees can get familiar with the software they’ll be using daily and find everything they need without opening a dozen apps.

3. WebHR

Use of the WebHR system is free for companies with up to five employees. The onboarding solution allows new employees to complete their paperwork from anywhere, at any time, using any device – so handy for hybrid setups.

Automatic reminders and alerts provide convenience and remind employees to complete the onboarding process to access their personal dashboards.

4. Scribe

Scribe is the perfect tool for quickly and easily creating employee onboarding documents. With its Chrome extension or desktop app, you can capture any workflow you want to document and turn it into step-by-step instructions with screenshots. This makes it easy for HR teams and hiring managers to create professional onboarding guides that you can share with individuals, teams, or company-wide.

Its extension is free with unlimited use but you may want to top up to the Pro plan at $29 per month per user for other features like a desktop recorder and image redaction.

5. Click Boarding

Click Boarding is the perfect tool for creating impactful onboarding experiences thanks to pre-built templates and content. They make it so easy to set up your onboarding flow exactly how you want it and you don’t need major tech or design skills. With the drag-and-drop builder, you can create a completely customized flow.

Plus, you can track employee progress during onboarding and seamlessly integrate with most major HR software platforms.

Final thoughts

When bringing aboard a new employee, it is essential to have onboarding software at your fingertips that covers all the bases from a compliance standpoint. The software sets the stage for success and a positive employee experience from day one. The best free employee onboarding software will help maximize onboarding success and ensure key moments are memorable for all the right reasons.

The post The best free employee onboarding software for 2023 appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

First, a quick look at the importance of employee onboarding and what it should entail.

What is employee onboarding and why is it necessary?

Employee onboarding is an imperative process when introducing a new employee to your organization. It’s a way to help your new recruit integrate into your company in a welcoming and efficient manner – and to calm any nerves they may feel. This can include, but is not limited to:

• Workstation setup
• Meet and greet with fellow employees and managers
• Guidance on organization processes
• A company culture briefing
• Presentation of mission, vision, and values
• Administrative paperwork for tax and benefits
• On-the-job training
• Security clearance
• Provision of technology requirements (hardware and software)

The process of employee onboarding is exactly that – a “process”. It can take anything from a week to a year for your new employee to truly acclimate to their surroundings.

“My new employees go through orientation; why do they need onboarding too?”

Orientation is vital to a person’s new work role, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to proper induction. Orientation is a once-off event that usually takes place in one day to give that first welcome to the company. Onboarding is a process that is made up of a series of events meant to provide your new hire with everything they need to perform at optimal levels.

“This sounds expensive; do I have to do it?”

According to SHRM, 69% of employees who have had a good onboarding experience are more likely to stay with a company for three years.

Higher retention rates means lower turnover rates. This means money saved.

How so? The average cost per hire is about $4,000 and takes 24 days to fill a role. With a high turnover rate, you spend that amount of time and money whenever you hire a new employee to replace the last. So, make sure you’re giving your recruits a great onboarding experience – it will save you thousands in the long run!

What are the major challenges of employee onboarding?

While it’s entirely possible that your onboarding process won’t go off without a hitch, here are a few challenges for which you can prepare yourself:

1. Paperwork, paperwork, and more paperwork

Multiple copies of the same document, forms for IT, clearance information for security, contracts…it’s an endless ream that’s sure to result in paper cuts and ink-stained fingers.

2. Immediate access to information required for work

Your poor new employee has copious amounts of information thrown at them that’s near impossible to remember. A quick-access guide to the most important bits will be appreciated.

3. Struggling to keep track of upcoming events

There are workshops and training sessions aimed at getting your latest recruit up to speed. Creating a schedule that alerts them to when their presence is needed and allows them to track their movements during onboarding gives them some control.

4. Feelings of isolation and incompetence

Joining a new company can be stressful and new hires getting lost in the shuffle is a serious risk. Being bogged down with a backlog of work while expected to perform under pressure can lead to rapid burnout and a swinging door as they throw in the towel. Checking in regularly with new employees and keeping an eye on their progress will make them feel supported and appreciated.

How can HR onboarding software support you?

All these challenges you just read about? Forget about them. Employee onboarding software takes care of the nitty gritty so you can get on with the fun stuff. Let’s see how it stands up to the challenges you could face in onboarding new employees.

1. Paperwork is a thing of the past

Electronic signatures, remote access so they can fill in documents before they even enter the building, and immediate delivery to all the relevant departments – it’s a simple process that can be done within minutes. This will give you the opportunity to focus on employee integration. Time saved, money saved, trees saved.

2. Electronic handbook of work processes and important information

HR onboarding software allows you to create a central repository of documents to which your new hire will have access, guiding them as they find their way through your organization. This knowledge base inspires independence and saves you all from time-consuming queries.

3. Built-in, customizable schedules

When your new employee joins (whether in office or remotely), they will already have a clear idea of what their day looks like, where they need to be, and when they need to be there. Any system that allows a new recruit to operate somewhat autonomously and gives them a sense of self should be instantly incorporated.

4. Communication portals and dashboards

A simple “Hi, how are you doing?” can mean the world to an employee who feels alone or overwhelmed. HR onboarding software usually has a chat function that will allow you to communicate easily and instantly. There are also dashboards for projects allowing those involved to see completed tasks and those that need to be done. You might be able to pick up on red flags by keeping an eye on this data.

What are the essential elements of onboarding software?

Now to consider the absolute must-haves when you’re selecting the best HR onboarding software for you. Here are the essentials every system should have:

1. Includes cloud-based technology

Your employee could be sitting in an office, their home, or a random workspace – you need the seamless integration that cloud-based technology provides for easy but secure sharing.

2. Simple, user-friendly interface

With every new employee, there’s a possibility of a tech knowledge gap. Don’t take it for granted that your new hire is tech-savvy. Choose a software provider that offers a great layout, requires simple inputs, and won’t have your employee calling tech support for every little curveball.

3. A welcome portal

This is where your knowledge base goes. Your new employee’s introduction to the company via this portal should be engaging, fun, and personalized. Videos, welcome messages, quick presentations, etc., should be available to your new recruit as well as instant communication with their colleagues and managers.

4. Automated workflows and processes

A shared task list of everything that needs to be completed should be accessible to everyone involved. The conveyance of information from your employee’s fingertips to the relevant stakeholders should be effortless and once-off. Not only does this ensure the data is accurate across the board, but it also allows your employee to focus on acclimating to their new environment and less on “paperwork”.

5. The ability to set goals

Setting daily and weekly targets allow managers to track their employee’s progress and gives the employee a sense of accomplishment when these targets are met. Any struggles can easily be identified whereas quick completion can indicate potential untapped strengths.

6. Reporting and analytics

There’s always room for improvement, but you need data to implement a plan. Good onboarding software will keep track of your high and low points, allowing you to make changes where necessary and measure the effectiveness of your processes.

7. Easy integration

Some onboarding software is offered as a standalone product, whereas others form part of a Human Resources Information System (HRIS). Opting for a separate program means the onboarding software must complement your current HRIS. A full HR suite might be your best bet to avoid the hassle.

Top HR onboarding software providers

There are hundreds of options when it comes to HR onboarding software. Here are our top picks:

ApplicantStack

This software combines an applicant tracking system (ATS) with an onboarding package. Operating through WorkforceHub and powered by swipelock, ApplicantStack has won G2’s Leader and Fastest Implementation awards for Winter 2023.

Pros

• Highly customizable – easily add training videos, upload forms and information, and you can include your employee handbook
• Constant rollout of updates and new features – the system is developing as the needs of new employees evolve
• User-friendly and intuitive – simple to set up and creating workflows is easy

Cons

• Combining the ATS with onboarding software costs extra
• Lack of reporting options
• Limited search capabilities
• No notifications of changes to the system

ClearCompany

Operating for close to a decade and having helped over 2,500 clients, ClearCompany considers itself to be customer-led, professional, and ethical. The software is modular, so it’s possible to just choose the onboarding software and not the other options.

Pros

• Autofill technology – carries information from one form to the next
• Introduce team members via the Employee Self-Service Portal
• Bulk onboarding – onboard groups of new hires at the same time

Cons

• After-service customer care is lacking
• Not easily customized
• Hard to navigate workflow stages especially when multiple managers are using the same requisition

Enboarder

This onboarding software has been used by the likes of McDonald’s, Fujitsu, and Deloitte. It won G2’s High Performer award in Fall 2022 and claims to have previously increased employee productivity by 25% and decreased 6-month leavers by 20%.

Pros

• Provides data-led coaching to managers
• Best practice journeys are offered as well as personalized experiences
• Great training and support made available

Cons

• Difficulty integrating with other programs
• No notifications when managers or employees haven’t completed a stage in the process
• Cannot track when changes have been made or see a version history prior to those changes

What should you base your decision on?

Before taking a leap of faith with any of these software providers, consider the characteristics, needs, and future of your organization. Clarifying your position, your affordability, and your goals will help simplify the decision-making process. Here are some factors you should take note of:

1. How much do you need your onboarding software to do?

If your needs are complex and call for intricate detailing, an all-inclusive HR software suite might be best suited to your requirements. If your operation is smaller and you need basic functions performed well, then a simple ATS and onboarding package will be more than enough.

2. What are your thoughts on scalability?

If the onboarding software needs to grow with you at an exponential rate, then buying a more advanced program now will save you in the future.

3. Will it integrate with your current HRIS?

If not, do you plan to replace the entire system? Or will you set your sights lower/higher? And if you don’t have an HRIS, will the uncomplicated ATS and onboarding software suffice?

4. Mind the tech gap

Take on software that is easy to customize and straightforward to use. Your tech-challenged employees will thank you. It’s also best if the visual layout is bright and attractive – your new hires must be inspired by the warm welcome they receive.

5. Let’s talk money

Very few have the ability to dismiss a price tag. Figure out how important onboarding software is to you and work out your budget accordingly. Although, as we mentioned earlier, HR onboarding software is worth the expenditure if it increases your retention rates.

Conclusion

Whether it’s remote or in-person, onboarding is a vital element of recruitment that lays the foundation for the new employee’s tenure at your company. Do your utmost to keep them engaged, happy, and fulfilled during their onboarding process with the support of HR onboarding software to perpetuate that good feeling even once the program has ended.

The post Choosing the best HR onboarding software for your new employees appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

He arrived at the office only to find his workstation was not set up. His computer was still in its box, and there was no sign of any office supplies. He was handed a stack of paperwork to fill out, with no guidance or context provided.

His manager was tied up in meetings all day, leaving him with no one to answer his questions or provide direction. He felt like an afterthought, rather than a valued new team member.

By the end of the day, John felt overwhelmed and unsure about his decision to join Alpha Corp.

What was missing? A concrete employee orientation plan – also referred to as an onboarding plan.

What is employee orientation?

Employee orientation is a process that introduces new employees to their job, the organization, and its culture.

It is typically conducted by the human resources department or a designated orientation team and is designed to help new employees feel welcome, informed, and prepared for their new role.

During employee orientation, new hires are typically provided with information about the company’s policies, procedures, and benefits, as well as any necessary training or paperwork.

The orientation process may also include introductions to key personnel, tours of the workplace, and opportunities to ask questions and clarify expectations.

The goal of employee orientation is to facilitate a smooth transition for new employees and set them up for success in their new position.

Benefits of employee orientation

It was that day when John believed that this bad onboarding experience would make him search for another job very soon. “How can I work for someone who doesn’t respect me from day one?” he thought. He wished his employee orientation process was better.

Indeed, the benefits of a well-structured orientation program are numerous and backed by compelling data. According to a 2023 report by Octanner, 43% of employees said that their onboarding was completed after only one day, affecting retention rates.

Furthermore, according to research by Brandon Hall Group, there is a strong correlation between company culture metrics and the onboarding process. A significant 88% of organizations consider it crucial for employees to have faith in the organization’s values and principles during onboarding.

Employee orientation offers concise and accurate information that helps the new employee feel more comfortable in their new role. By providing them with a clear understanding of their job responsibilities, expectations, and company policies, orientation encourages employee confidence and helps them adapt faster to their new job. This, in turn, contributes to a more effective and productive workforce.

Lastly, orientation promotes communication between the supervisor and the new employee, fostering a positive working relationship and setting the foundation for ongoing feedback and development.

Now that we have knowledge of all these, we can structure better strategies for onboarding new hires.

Best practices for employee orientation

Working on HR today means staying abreast of current trends. One significant trend is the shift towards hybrid onboarding, accommodating both in-person and remote employees.

This approach has become increasingly important in the wake of the global shift towards remote work.

Another trend is the increased focus on integrating company culture and values into the orientation process. This helps new hires feel connected to the company’s mission from day one.

These trends can help you build an employee orientation strategy that will create a positive environment for your new hires.

Let’s delve into these best practices to assist you further:

• Preboard before day one: Send new hires necessary information and paperwork before their first day. This allows them to hit the ground running
• Create an orientation schedule: A clear, comprehensive schedule helps new hires understand what to expect and reduces first-day jitters
• Automate paperwork: Use digital tools to streamline administrative tasks, freeing up time for more valuable orientation activities
• Introduce managers and colleagues: Personal introductions help new hires feel welcomed and part of the team
• Be mindful of information overload: Break down information into manageable chunks to avoid overwhelming new hires

To help you implement this strategy we built an employee orientation checklist for you.

Checklist for a successful employee orientation

• Prepare for the new hire: Set up their workspace, provide necessary tools, and complete any administrative tasks
• Hold a formal company orientation: Discuss the company’s history, values, and culture
• Define job responsibilities clearly: Ensure the new hire understands their role and expectations
• Provide ongoing support: Check in regularly with the new hire, provide feedback, and address any questions or concerns

Related: New employee orientation program checklist

In conclusion, effective employee orientation is more than a nice-to-have—it’s a strategic necessity. By implementing these best practices and staying abreast of evolving trends, you can create orientation programs that not only welcome new hires but also set them up for long-term success. Remember, as HR professionals and SMB employers, our role in a new hire’s journey is pivotal. Let’s make it count.

John would be happy too.

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In the infographic below, you’ll find some simple ways to practice self care in the workplace both for your own use and for sharing with your colleagues. Before diving in, remember that self care shouldn’t be treated as a temporary stop gap to resort to when feeling overwhelmed – it’s a way of living.

The post Self care at work: tips and tricks appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Determine the best retirement benefit plan for your company and employees

In the United States, there are two primary options for retirement benefit plans:

• A defined retirement benefit plan
  • Funded by the employer.
  • Promises employees a specific monthly benefit at retirement.
  • Often calculates employee benefits based on tenure at the company and age at retirement. Pension benefits will equal a percentage of an employee’s income at a designated time.

• A defined contribution plan
  • Does not promise employees a specific benefit amount at retirement.
  • Employers and employees contribute money to the employee’s individual account in the plan.
  • In many cases, employees are responsible for choosing how these contributions are invested, and deciding how much to contribute from their paycheck through pre-tax deductions.
  • Employers may add to employees’ accounts, in some cases by matching a certain percentage of employees’ contributions.
  • The value of an account depends on how much is contributed and how well investments perform.
  • At retirement, employees receive the balance in their account, reflecting the contributions, investment gains or losses and any fees charged against their account.

Is a 401(k) plan right for your company?

A 401(k) plan is a popular type of defined contribution retirement benefit plan. There are four types of 401(k) plans:

• Traditional 401(k)
  • A 401(k) is a qualified profit-sharing plan for employees to contribute a portion of their salary to individual retirement accounts.
  • Elective salary deferrals are excluded from enrolled employees’ taxable income (except for designated Roth deferrals.)
  • Employers can contribute to employees’ accounts.
  • Distributions and earnings are included in employees’ taxable income.

•  Safe harbor 401(k)
  • A safe harbor 401(k) plan is similar to a traditional plan. However, it provides for employer contributions that are fully vested at the time they are contributed.
  • These contributions may be employer matching contributions. They also may be contributions made on behalf of all eligible employees, regardless of whether they make elective deferrals.
  • Safe harbor 401(k) plans are not subject to the complex annual nondiscrimination tests that apply to traditional 401(k) plans.
  • Employers sponsoring safe harbor 401(k) plans must satisfy certain requirements regarding minimum and maximum contributions.

•  SIMPLE 401(k)
  • SIMPLE stands for “Savings Incentive Match Plan For Employees Of Small Employers.”
  • This type of 401(k) plan is available to employers with 100 or fewer employees who received at least $5,000 in compensation from their employer during the preceding calendar year.
  • SIMPLE 401(k) plans are not subject to the annual nondiscrimination tests that apply to traditional 401(k) plans.
  • Employers are required to make contributions that are fully vested.
  • Employees who are eligible to participate in a SIMPLE 401(k) plan may not receive any contributions or benefit accruals under any other plans offered by their employer.

•  An automatic enrollment 401(k) plan
  • An automatic enrollment feature allows employers to automatically deduct a fixed percentage or amount from their employees’ wages to contribute to a 401(k) plan, unless employees intentionally opt out.
  • These contributions qualify as elective deferrals. Many companies use this model to increase participation in their 401(k) plans.

• A SIMPLE IRA plan, Simplified Employee Pension plan (SEP), employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) or profit sharing plan are other examples of defined contribution retirement benefit plans.

Who will your retirement benefit plan cover?

• Typically, retirement benefit plans cover full-time employees. Full-time employees are usually considered employees who work 40 or more hours per week. The exact distinction between full and part-time employees is left to the discretion of the company. However, in order to remain competitive, retirement benefits should be, at minimum, offered to full-time employees.
• Part-time employees are often not covered under an employer’s retirement benefit plan, or are only covered with minimal benefits. However, if a part-time employee works more than 1000 hours a year they must be included in your plan, according to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). Competitive retirement plans offer full or limited retirement options to part-time employees.
• Union employees may have part or all of their retirement benefits covered by a union-sponsored 401(k) or other retirement account. Working with a union representative will help you support union employees’ retirement needs.

Create a summary plan description

When your employees enroll in your retirement plan, ERISA requires you to provide a summary of benefits to your employees. According to IRS.gov, you should include the following in your summary plan description:

• Name and type of plan.
• Plan’s requirements regarding eligibility.
• Description of benefits and when participants have a right to those benefits.
• Statement that the plan is maintained pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement, if applicable.
• Statement about whether the plan is covered by termination insurance from the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.
• Source of contributions to the plan and the methods used to calculate the amount of contributions.
• Provisions governing termination of the plan.
• Procedures regarding claims for benefits and remedies for disputing denied claims.
• Statement of rights available to plan participants under ERISA.

Related: How to include employee perks in benefits in your employee handbook

Make your retirement plan competitive

Even if you can’t match the best retirement options available, adding retirement benefits will encourage your employees to invest in their future.

• Generous matching: some of the most competitive 401(k) plans provide 100 percent matching up to five, or even six, percent of an employee’s income.
• Immediate eligibility: companies where employees don’t have to bank a certain number of years before enrolling in a plan will encourage new employees to start saving.
• Immediate or quick vesting: though an employee’s contributions to their plan are always 100% vested, or owned, by the employee, employer contributions only have to be fully vested by the time the employee reaches retirement age. By providing contributions that vest quicker, combined with matching, your plan will be more attractive to employees. Quick vesting plans provide a competitive recruiting edge.

Incentivize your employees to save for retirement

If a high percentage of your employees participate in a retirement savings plan, if reflects well on you as an employer. Consider implementing incentives to encourage employees to contribute to a retirement plan. Incentives could include:

• High contribution limits: allow your employees to contribute as much as they can to begin saving quickly and see their early investments pay off. Allow employees over 50 to contribute larger sums.
• Debt relief programs: many employees come to companies with student, credit card or other debts that they prioritize over saving for retirement. If you’re able to offer a debt relief or student loan repayment service, like Fidelity does, you’ll gain a competitive edge for recruiting highly-educated employees.
• Resources and advice: by bringing in a financial planner for your employees to meet with and determine their retirement plan, you show that you’re invested in your employees’ futures. That’s never a bad HR or recruiting move.

Consider international retirement plans

Retirement plans and options vary internationally. Many countries offer earlier retirement ages and use pension programs instead of benefit or contribution plans. To tailor your retirement benefits for your international employees, be sure to research the specific laws and options available in their respective countries. Here are some resources for more information:

• Factbox: Legal conditions for retirement in Europe (Reuters)
• Guide to Social Security and Retirement in Mexico (North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation)
• Canada Pension Plan – Overview (Government of Canada)

The post How to create a retirement benefit plan appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Events since 2020 have been a much-needed eye-opener for many corporations, with many taking steps to move DEI into a central role of their corporate culture and strategy. Diversity in the workplace is already a key component, with clear benefits. Mentoring is part of that – and at a deeper level, diversity mentoring.

The benefits of mentoring

Organizations that want to attract, engage, and retain diverse talent make this happen through mentoring as a key piece of their talent development strategy. The benefits of mentoring are huge:

• It helps employees feel more valued by their employers
• It builds supportive networks with coworkers
• It develops critical skills that help advance their careers

And that’s just the first phase of output.

All of those can lead to job growth opportunities, more engagement at work, and longer tenures with the organization.

A survey of mentees and mentors by MentorcliQ found impressive results:

• 90% of participants said mentoring helped them develop a positive relationship with another individual in their company
• 89% said mentoring allowed them to contribute to the success of their company
• 89% said that they felt like their company valued their development because they offered a mentoring program

The importance of diversity mentoring

Taking this a step further, many companies that want to retain and engage diverse talent in the workplace have implemented diversity mentoring programs as a way to provide visibility with senior leadership for diverse employees.

One type of these programs is reverse mentoring, which are different from other types of mentoring programs in that senior leaders participate in the programs as mentees being mentored by junior employees – in the case of reverse diverse mentoring, junior employees from diverse backgrounds are the mentors with executive mentees.

This type of program helps mentees and executives increase skill and knowledge in sometimes challenging content areas, while also bolstering engagement and career opportunities for mentors.

According to Camille Lloyd of Gallup, “Black employees in the U.S. are significantly less likely than White employees to report seeing leaders of their own race in their organization, and that appears to matter in creating a healthy corporate culture.”

Addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion through a mentoring program has become a way for many companies to engage employees in a thoughtful way that doesn’t involve stale training sessions that will soon be forgotten.

Examples of diversity mentoring

A great example of a strong diversity mentoring program is the Nielsen marketing research company which, as part of a larger diversity and inclusion strategy, implemented mentoring as an innovative and thoughtful way to weave DEI into all aspects of career development.

Fueled by employee resource groups, its MyMentor program matches mentors and mentees of all backgrounds across different functions, lines of business, and job grades for increased social connectedness, developmental learning, and culture building.

In the program, individual and career development emerged as key discussion topics and the program has received rave reviews from people at all levels of the company as well as amongst participants. In the program, Nielsen learned about the challenges their associates faced and how to overcome them, as well as what areas of professional development were most important.

Since its initial success, Nielsen expanded their programs to support targeted growth throughout the organization.

How to create a diversity mentoring program

Every mentoring program is different, but a few key best practices should be followed to ensure success. First, standardize the process with the following:

Determine length of program

Based on what we’ve seen, a six-month timeline is beneficial for both mentors and mentees. This duration strikes the right balance between being long enough to work on goals related to more complex topic areas such as implicit bias, while also being cognizant of demands on senior leaders’ time.

Establish relationship structure

One of the defining characteristics of these mentoring programs is a one-to-one (1:1) match between mentees (senior leaders) and mentors (junior employees).

Participants often discuss complex and sensitive topics, which requires a high level of trust and comfort best accomplished in a one-to-one format.

Use match logic

Mentoring programs use a combination of rules based on participant profile, stated preferences, and the results of a personality survey for match scores. A few areas we’ve found are important for matching including: identity & experience, expertise and job-specific skills.

We’ve also found it’s essential that the mentor and mentee do not have a direct-report relationship. Plus, if the company is distributed across time zones, ensure that there’s enough overlap in the work schedules of both mentor and mentee.

Don’t forget the human

While other factors might impact the type of matching process used, we’ve found Admin Matching works best for these programs. Program administrators, who are able to see all of the data and make the best decisions, can select participants based on their match score, and then match mentoring partners across different aspects of identity and experience.

Diversity mentoring action items

Once you’ve put down the groundwork, it’s time for action. To implement a powerful and effective top-down mentoring program that will help retain and engage diverse talent, follow these four tips:

1. Listen

Listen to your diverse employee populations. Ask them what they need, understand the obstacles they face, and work to uncover what will help them advance and grow with your organization.

2. Include

Include your diverse employees in the program planning process, get their input on key factors of your mentoring program design, and ask them to be ambassadors for the program to help spread the word.

3. Act

Act on the feedback you hear from the employees, create a program that reflects their needs, and look for opportunities for growth within your mentoring program to help you create and sustain a mentoring culture.

4. Expand

This is only a first step. Use feedback from your mentoring program to understand where additional opportunities may be necessary. Include supporting sponsorship opportunities, paid anti-racism / racial justice education, and encouraging community building through employee resource groups for starters.

Research shows that diverse workforces outperform less diverse organizations by 35% in profitability. Diversity mentoring programs are instrumental in helping achieve diversity, equity and inclusion goals; in fact, it may be the springboard you need.

Lora Zotter is the VP of Employee Experience at MentorcliQ, a mentoring software solution that helps organizations launch, support, and grow high-impact employee mentoring programs. As VP of Employee Experience, she makes sure MentorcliQ is an amazing place to work by leading talent attraction, onboarding, and retention initiatives.

The post How to create a diversity mentoring program appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Table of contents:

1. How can a company adopt a virtual onboarding approach when it is not tech-savvy or/and doesn’t embody a learning culture?
2. Can you share a sample agenda for a new hire for the first week of onboarding remotely?
3. Do you conduct “culture trainings” to communicate what culture looks like at your organization? If so, what do these look like?
4. How can you replace the experience of a new hire meeting coworkers over lunch?
5. What is the most important thing we shouldn’t miss or the best learning/best practice you’d share with a company who is looking to onboard remote employees soon?
6. How do you complete I-9s & W-4s remotely?
7. What software do you recommend for remote onboarding?
8. Do you have experience with hiring independent contractors? If so, does the onboarding look the same for them as it does for a W-2 employee?
9. How can we execute drug tests that are required as part of onboarding?

1. How can a company adopt a virtual onboarding approach when it is not tech-savvy or/and doesn’t embody a learning culture?

If your company is not tech-savvy, you’ll need to invest some extra energy to lead the “tech way” – at least in the beginning. First off, do a thorough research to find what kind of software and tools you could use to onboard new hires successfully, and learn how they work. Opt for platforms that seem easy to use, match your business requirements, and integrate well with other platforms you’re planning to use. Use this list to find the tools you’ll need to communicate with remote employees virtually, such as a video-conferencing solution, and manage essential onboarding steps (e.g. completing HR paperwork).

But, how can you ensure that employees will learn how to handle these tools effectively, too? Melissa Bruno, VP Head of People at Stack Overflow, suggests organizing online class sessions where you can train new employees on how to effectively use these tools. This will boost their confidence in using tech gear, which according to Ryan Malone, CEO and Founder at SmartBug Media, is necessary, especially in a work culture that isn’t initially tech-savvy:

“What we found [at the company] is that if you mix mentorship and small videos and exercises, and give people small wins where they can create some momentum, then [onboarding is] not as daunting.”

In the absence of a learning culture, Melissa adds that even when there are not officially established onboarding trainings for new hires, there are always people who can voluntarily train or mentor their new colleagues on how to best utilize tech tools. She suggests identifying those employees and assigning them an active training role:

“In every single program in an organization, I look for my champions, the people who really care deeply about these things. I engage them, and then they go out. […] They share and spread the really great things that we’re trying to initiate in the organization. That’s how I would approach it.”

2. Can you share a sample agenda for a new hire for the first week of onboarding remotely?

When onboarding new remote employees, during the first week you can focus on:

• preparing gear and tools
• completing necessary HR paperwork
• explaining company culture
• connecting with team members

Use this remote employees onboarding checklist as a guide to schedule the first week’s events and tasks. But don’t forget that you’re still onboarding in general – this how to build a new onboarding process guide and this onboarding new hire checklist will help you succeed.

Hope Weatherford, Head of Talent Attraction at InVision, describes her company’s remote onboarding process and which areas they focus on during the first few days:

Successful onboarding, of course, at the core of it all – whether remotely or not. This step-by-step new employee onboarding process guide will help you refine your strategy.

3. Do you conduct ‘culture trainings’ to communicate what culture looks like at your organization? If so, what do these look like?

It’s to be expected that a remote workplace has different norms and culture as opposed to a typical in-office one. There’s more room for flexibility, which even though it is worth savoring, it can also impact the employers’ – and employees’ – ability to set clear expectations and boundaries. That’s why you should dedicate the first onboarding days to showing the culture and company norms to the new hires.

As in the video above, Hope Weatherford, Head of Talent Attraction at InVision, shared tips on delivering ‘cultural trainings’ virtually, through official or less structured calls and video meetings (you can also jump to the video in question 2):

“The ultimate goal is to really teach our InVision operating system, and how we work, what our culture’s like, what you can expect; [it’s about] really being able to bring your whole self to work, which a lot of times you’re not able to do in an office setting. We talked about kids walking around or maybe a new puppy that you just got, that is barking in the background and wants to jump up and see you all day. Those are things that we expect. Those are things that we appreciate.”

Ryan Malone, CEO and Founder at SmartBug Media, says cultural marketing plays a pivotal role in understanding what type of family employees are joining. Moving to an earlier stage, you can demonstrate your culture to candidates early on, for example, at the interview stage or through your careers page and prepare them beforehand. Share glimpses of your daily virtual work life through posting photos and videos, and allow new hires to get a sneak peek into what a working day looks like at your company.

4. How can you replace the experience of a new hire meeting coworkers over lunch?

There are many creative ways to integrate new hires to your existing teams and nurture a friendly atmosphere among colleagues. For instance, Hope Weatherford, Head of Talent Attraction at InVision, suggests scheduling a weekly video call with a loose agenda, where employees can jump in to socialize:

“We call it Friday fun day and we just come in and we just chat about anything and everything; sometimes related to work, sometimes not. And sometimes there’s an agenda and most of the time there’s not. Jump in if you want, you don’t have to join if you don’t have time. And that’s been helpful as well.”

She also encourages employees to use video-conferencing tools for chit chat, too, and not just for scheduled work meetings.

Ryan Malone, CEO and Founder at SmartBug Media, sets up 20-minute calls with team members for new remote hires, where they can discuss non-work-related interests and get to know each other better. Also, you could plan a large-scale event, such as a corporate retreat, for all teams to get together and bond:

5. What is the most important thing we shouldn’t miss or the best learning/best practice you’d share with a company who is looking to onboard remote employees soon?

In the first days of onboarding, it’s important to keep employees motivated to understand company culture and goals, connect with co-workers, and gain new skills. Ryan Malone, CEO and Founder of SmartBug Media, says this is the first practice he introduces to nurture healthy communication among co-workers:

“The first thing that you do when you come here, is you set up a get to know you call, which is a 20-minute call with everybody at the company. And the only rule is you can’t talk about work. And it’s a way for people to figure out who their crew is and what they have in common with people, so that they can quickly get integrated into teams that are like social teams.”

He also advises managers to avoid providing the new members with an extensive list of videos to watch as part of their training – and instead, putting the onus on on-the-job learning. They should support new team members to build core job-relevant skills and learn their role’s primary tasks, to build confidence and feel valuable.

6. How do you complete I-9s & W-4s remotely?

Normally, employers should examine and verify I-9 forms only in the physical presence of the new hires*. But when you hire and onboard a remote employee, this is not always a feasible step. In these cases, the employer can assign an authorized representative, a notary, or partner with a I-9 completion center to fill-out the I-9 form on their behalf, in the physical presence of the employee. You can also use a software, such as i9advantage, to help you out with this process.

As for W-4s and other HR paperwork that doesn’t typically require physical presence, you can ask the employee to complete and sign them digitally. You can easily manage this process with a digital onboarding tool, such as Rippling, and by enabling an e-signature solution such as HelloSign.

* The DHS recently announced that during the COVID-19 pandemic, completion of I-9 forms in businesses where physical distancing precautions are being applied, can be temporarily examined virtually by the employer within three days after the initial hiring date, as long as certain criteria are met.

7. What software do you recommend for remote onboarding?

Rippling and Click Boarding deliver digital onboarding solutions that enable you to streamline onboarding effectively (and both seamlessly integrated to our recruiting solution). Other useful tools are:

• An HRIS – e.g. BambooHR
• An online chat platform – e.g. Slack
• A video-conferencing tool – e.g. Zoom
• An e-signature solution – e.g. HelloSign

Find more tech tools, easy to implement in the virtual workplace, in this guide.

8. Do you have experience with hiring independent contractors? If so, does the onboarding look the same for them as it does for a W-2 employee?

Melissa Bruno, VP Head of People at Stack Overflow, advises employers to follow these two steps when hiring independent contractors:

1) Consider moving to a global provider employment organization (PEO) to ensure compliance with the legal requirements of each jurisdiction or country (e.g. local tax laws or statutory benefits), and

2) Follow the same onboarding agenda from day 1, as you would with other employees. In her own words:

9. How can we execute drug tests that are required as part of onboarding?

Employee drug testing is a sensitive matter. Considering that drug testing rules vary in different countries and jurisdictions, it’s easy to lose sight of local laws and regulations. That’s why you should always consult with your legal counsel to ensure compliance and transparency for each individual case before requesting or conducting pre-employment drug tests.

If you have a drug-testing policy, all candidates, both in-office and remote, should know what to expect beforehand. Hand over the drug testing policy to them, including all the recent updates and individual steps they should follow. Once you’ve ensured you’re fully legal and compliant, you can set an appointment for them at a state-certified lab that conducts the drug screening process.

The post 9 remote onboarding FAQs to level up your process appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

However, a new challenge is coming: your company has decided to incorporate AI into its overall workflow. You’re under a lot of pressure from the higher-ups to get everyone on board the AI train, but when you look at your team, you’re worried about the range of reactions you’ll get from your talented team members.

In short, you know this can make your team more productive and competitive, but you also understand it’s a change. You are determined to navigate this transition smoothly.

So, how do you do it?

Introducing your team

Let’s identify five distinct personas who may be in your team and what motivates them.

1. Traditional Terry

Traditional Terry is your company’s historian, having been with the company for over 15 years. He’s a senior project manager known for his methodical approach and rich industry knowledge. Everyone knows Terry and everyone respects Terry. He’s a good egg.

Terry aspires to retire in this company, and his goal is to maintain the reliable and efficient work processes he’s developed over the years. He’s driven by a sense of duty and a strong belief in the company’s mission – and colleagues look to him as a stabilizer whenever things get a little hectic.

2,. Eager Enrique

Eager Enrique is fresh out of school. You just hired him last year as a junior developer because he’s incredibly keen and brings an absolute smorgasbord of nascent tech skills. He’s always on top of the latest tech trends and isn’t shy about voicing his ideas.

Enrique’s ambition is to become a tech influencer someday – heck, he even has his own YouTube channel with more than 10,000 followers. The chance to work with AI might just be the exciting break he’s looking for.

3. Cautious Chloe

Cautious Chloe is your meticulous and dedicated data analyst. She joined your team five years ago and has consistently demonstrated her ethical and thoughtful approach to work. She absolutely crushes it every time she has a data project on her desk, and she’s your go-to anytime you need to pull insights out of those nascent data sets.

In your 1-1s with her, you’ve come to learn that Chloe’s career goal is to move into a leadership role where she can influence company policy, particularly around ethical use of technology.

4. Strategic Sven

Strategic Sven is the team’s product manager. When you interviewed him for the open role, you knew he was the one. He brings with him a huge background in tech startups, plus an MBA from a top-tier business school.

Sven’s ambition is to improve the company’s strategic planning and he’s motivated by driving impactful change. He doesn’t like just getting the job done and going home – he wants to do a lot more than that.

5. Tech-Averse Thanh

Tech-Averse Thanh is your administrative assistant who has been with you for more than two years. Thanh’s goal is to excel in administration – and stability and harmony in the workplace are huge motivators.

Thanh prefers traditional methods and isn’t as comfortable with technology as the rest of the team. In fact, they prefer to do things the way it’s always been done (and proven to work, too).

At this week’s Monday meeting, you deliver the news from the higher-ups: the company wants to incorporate AI into everyone’s workflows. You highlight the benefits of AI – greater productivity, optimized processes, the ability to scale faster – and underscore its importance for meeting the company’s ambitious goals.

You reassure the team that you will support them throughout this transition.

Watching your team’s reactions

You see your team murmer and look at each other across the table. Yes, AI has already been in the news and this was somewhat expected, but you see that reactions are mixed and varied. Some nod and roll with it, others look a little more hesitant.

Let’s look at the five personas again and see how they react to the news.

1. Traditional Terry

Traditional Terry looks taken aback during your announcement, his brow furrowing. You’re not terribly surprised at this – he’s not necessarily averse to change, but you know he’ll see the “big picture” in everything that happens at the company.

In your 1-1, Terry expresses fear that AI will change the way he does his job or, worse, make him redundant. You can see the genuine concern in his eyes. Sure, his kids are grown up, but he still has his mortgage to pay and it’s not like he can easily migrate to a new job.

2. Eager Enrique

Eager Enrique, on the other hand, is visibly excited. As an early adopter of many technologies, even so far as to approach you regularly with new recommendations for your tech stack, there’s no question he sees this as an opportunity.

He’s practically brimming with ideas when you meet him, speaking rapidly about potential applications of AI. His enthusiasm is contagious both for you and the larger team, but you’re worried that he’s a bit too optimistic and not thinking about the realistic challenges that could surface.

3. Cautious Chloe

Cautious Chloe listens attentively during the meeting, her face thoughtful. She’s never been one to wear her heart on her sleeve, and to be fair, that’s one of her strengths – she’ll process new developments internally and meticulously, and then make decisions later.

In your 1-1 later that week, she voices concern about AI’s ethical implications and how job security will be ensured. You appreciate her frankness and careful consideration and, especially, the time she’s; taken to think it over rather than react strongly.

4. Strategic Sven

Strategic Sven listens attentively, nodding occasionally. You can see his MBA background whispering in his head, and of course, he’s seen a lot in his career in tech startups. This isn’t his first rodeo.

When meeting privately with you, he notes that he agrees with the strategic importance of AI in your 1-1 but admits he’s unsure about the execution. This needs to be carried out properly in order to succeed and, when you ask, he lists out the potential obstacles worth thinking about. You’re grateful to him for being pragmatic.

5. Tech-Averse Thanh

Tech-Averse Thanh looks nervous during your announcement. You’re not terribly surprised, but you’re worried. You know Thanh really needs to be a bit more flexible, but their administrative and organizational skills more than make up for that – so you really need them to be on board.

In your 1-1, they confess that the thought of using AI is a major stress inducer. It’s literally another thing they need to learn in order to do their job. They’re clearly anxious, worrying about whether they can keep up with the changes.

After hearing your team’s reactions, you realize that you have a critical task ahead. Everyone brings unique strengths to your team, and it’s vital that their voices are heard.

You know you must engage them individually to help them adapt to the new changes.

Engaging your team

Now that you’ve met with each of your team members, it’s time to put in an action plan for each one of them. It’s your job to bring the best out of them – and part of that involves getting them to adapt readily to AI’s entry in their day-to-day work and continue to flourish.

1. Traditional Terry

For Traditional Terry, begin with open conversations about his fears and reservations. Those hesitations are legitimate and understandable and you want to help him work through them. For starters, reinforce that his years of experience and established skills are invaluable to the team.

Show him – don’t just tell him – how AI can take over repetitive tasks, freeing him to focus his time and energy on complex, high-value work that draws on his experience. Provide real examples from other organizations that have successfully adopted AI without any impact to their actual team structure – and emphasize that job roles at those companies have actually evolved rather than disappeared.

And to further support him, work with HR to set up a personalized training program for him that helps him integrate AI, and touch base with him regularly to monitor progress.

2. Eager Enrique

With Eager Enrique, the prelude has already been covered. He’s already on board. Now, you have the opportunity to channel his excitement constructively in a way that benefits him and the team. Set up regular meetings to discuss his ideas, urge him to consider potential challenges, and ensure a balanced perspective on AI.

Encourage Enrique to join AI-focused groups or events to broaden his understanding. Given his aspirations to become a tech influencer, suggest that he document and share his AI learning journey, turning him into a proactive AI advocate within the team. Invite him to host lunch & learns every month – if he’s keen to be an influencer, he’ll jump at the idea.

3. Cautious Chloe

Cautious Chloe doesn’t like unknowns, so transparency is key here. Get her involved in discussions about the ethical framework within which the AI will operate. Invite her to decision-making meetings regarding AI deployment, allowing her the opportunity to voice her concerns.

Like Terry, you can also reassure Chloe that roles will evolve rather than be replaced and encourage her to think about how AI can boost her own work. Her concerns can be converted into a mechanism for constructive feedback, helping your team and company foresee and mitigate potential risks.

4. Strategic Sven

When dealing with Strategic Sven, focus on business strategy and execution because that’s what speaks to him. Give him the resources to design a clear and effective AI implementation strategy – after all, you’ll be needing one anyway, so let him play a leading role in that.

He can also be a great sounding board during your 1-1 sessions. Encourage him to pose questions, discuss doubts, and explore solutions. And bring in external AI consultants where needed, to provide expert opinions and recommendations. This will bolster Sven’s confidence in navigating the change and benefit the team as a whole.

5. Tech-Adverse Thanh

Tech-Averse Thanh needs an approachable introduction to AI. Explain the technology in simple terms, direclty linking benefits to everyday tasks. Pair Thanh with Enrique, as Enrique’s enthusiasm can be infectious.

Offer additional support, such as optional training sessions or learning resources. Make sure to frequently highlight their progress, praising them for each successful step – and regularly provide reassurance that the job won’t be tech-first but rather, tech-supported. The human is still core to the job.

This engagement doesn’t happen in a vacuum, nor is it something you can strike off as ‘done’. You need to continue working with your team to ensure success – you’re their manager, after all. That’s no different when bringing AI into the picture. It’s an ongoing process.

So, how does your team respond? Let’s look at the results of your work (and make no mistake, you’ve worked hard!).

Gauging your team’s results

A few months have passed, and you’re seeing positive changes. Let’s look at what those changes are.

1. Traditional Terry

With your encouragement and reassurance, Traditional Terry has started to warm up to the AI tools. He’s really appreciating how they free him from those annoyingly repetitive tasks – and you can see how much more relaxed he is when he shows up for work.

Plus, he now has more time to mentor younger team members, sharing his invaluable experience and sage advice with them.

2. Eager Enrique

Eager Enrique is thriving, regularly sharing his AI learning journey and experiences with the team. He’s even turning to blog posts on the company’s internal platform, and those have been receiving positive feedback from people at all levels in your company.

He’s now a go-to resource person for AI-related questions and his YouTube channel is now accumulating more and more subscribers – positioning him to be the tech influencer he always wanted to be. And because of his fan base, he’s able to bring in fresh candidates whenever your company needs to fill important tech positions.

3. Cautious Chloe

Cautious Chloe’s pragmatic, level-headed approach has positioned her as a key player in ensuring that the AI deployment aligns with overall ethical standards and with the company’s own values.

Because her work is producing results that are very much in tune with her own personal priorities, she’s become more confident in her work. She appreciates that her concerns were heard and addressed, and her insights have proven invaluable in foreseeing and mitigating risks.

4. Strategic Sven

After several brainstorming sessions and expert consultations, Strategic Sven has designed a comprehensive AI implementation strategy that incorporates all the elements that must be considered to see it succeed. He’s learned a lot from watching other tech startups succeed and fail and knows the importance of having a thoughtful, well-planned plan that executes smoothly.

Not only is Sven motivated by finally being able to put his MBA learnings into action, the team has also responded positively to the well-planned rollout. This boosts Sven’s confidence as a strategic leader.

5. Tech-Averse Thanh

Tech-Averse Thanh is slowly but surely learning the ropes of AI. Paired with Enrique, Thanh is making steady progress and showing less resistance to using the AI tools. You’re even seeing them hanging out in the lunch room together talking animatedly about tech.

It turns out Thanh is a people person, not a tech person. They’re motivated by human connections and teamwork, not weird tech things and robots and paperwork and stuff. But now that Thanh has put a ‘human’ face on AI in the form of Enrique, there’s a sense of familiarity and achievement as they become more comfortable working with the technology.

Not bad, not bad. You, Alex, have done a good job. The team is in sync and they’re driven to succeed.

Watching your team thrive

As you look at your team, you feel a sense of accomplishment. Despite initial resistance and fear, every team member has adapted to the incorporation of AI in their own way that works for them.

Your belief in each individual, open communication, and personalized strategies have all paid off. You’ve mastered the fine art of inclusive leadership here, by bringing out each individual’s strengths and setting each one for success.

The team is now more productive, and they’ve evolved professionally in the process. AI is no longer a foreign concept; it’s now just another tool that your team uses to thrive in their work.

The post Lead a team through AI: an inclusive approach to change appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

So if you’re thinking of building effective benefit plans or looking to boost your existing policies, we got you covered – we present the basics of employee benefits, including types of employee benefits, common benefits per location and insight on what candidates and employees truly want:

What are employee benefits?

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of employee benefits (or fringe benefits), let’s define the term:

Employee benefits are any kind of tangible or intangible compensation given to employees apart from base wages or base salaries.

This employee benefits definition points to examples of job benefits such as insurance (including medical, dental, life), stock options and cell phone plans. But, employee benefits can be much more than these, from training opportunities to startup perks (let’s not focus on the notorious ping pong tables, though).

Basically, any kind of non-wage gain attached to an employee’s position can be classified as an employee benefit, be it mandatory or voluntarily given by an employer.

Why do employers offer benefits to employees?

Benefit packages take a lot of time out of many HR professionals’ time. And with good reason: they’re one of the most basic employee engagement and retention strategies, and they support talent attraction as well.

The numbers speak for themselves about the importance of employee benefits. Extensive research by the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) indicates that 92% of employees consider employment benefits as important for their overall job satisfaction (in itself, a great element of retention and productivity). Almost one third of employees also cited work benefits as the top reason of looking for a job outside their organization; and for choosing to stay at their job, too.

Benefits are also among the top driving factors candidates look for in job ads – 63% of job seekers surveyed say they pay attention to what benefits a company offers. This means that offering benefits, and mentioning them in your job ads and careers page, is a great part of your employer branding efforts.

Employee benefits also help you take care of high-performing employees without the need to keep investing in exceptionally high pay raises. All employees should get paid enough to pay the bills and live comfortably, but they might accept less pay if they have strong health insurance, flexible hours and other benefits important to them. The practice of employees giving up a part of their salary for benefits is called salary packaging, and may also result in tax deductions or other gains for either party.

What are the four major types of employee benefits?

The major types of benefits are those categories of benefits that are more commonly met in companies across countries. Many cite these benefits as health insurance, life insurance, disability insurance and retirement plans. However, this view is focused on the different types of insurance, and neglects other equally major benefits. In an effort to expand our scope, we’ve grouped insurance benefits together and listed three other major types of benefits offered by employers:

• Insurance
• Retirement plans
• Additional compensation
• Time off

Insurance

This category includes health insurance (dental, medical, vision), life insurance, and disability insurance. Offering health insurance, or some kind of medical plan, is mandatory in many countries, and there’s often publicly available medical care sponsored by employers. However, many companies opt for private group or individual insurance in order to provide better options to their employees.

Life insurance shows that the company cares not only about the employee, but also about their family. If the employee dies, their family will get a sum to cover funeral and other related expenses, and their cost of living for a set time period. Life insurance may also be complemented by Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) policies which pay a sum to employees who either die or sustain injuries which render them unable to work.

Disability insurance may cover long-term and short-term disability or illness. For example, if an employee gets sick, they can receive payments for as long as their sickness lasts. In the U.S., some employers may sometimes use short-term disability policies to fund paid maternity leave for female employees.

Retirement

Retirement benefits help employees feel more secure about their future after retirement. In the U.S., for example, a common benefit is the 401(k) in which both company and employee make defined contributions to the employee’s account on a regular basis.

The 401(k) is a type of defined contribution plan which doesn’t guarantee employees a specific benefit amount at retirement. This is because the money invested from the account may be lost if investments fail. Employees choose how to invest contributions, or how much to contribute from their paycheck through pre-tax deductions. Employers may also contribute, in some cases by matching a certain percentage of employees’ contributions. At retirement, employees receive the balance in their account. Before you decide whether to implement a 401(k) plan, learn about its different forms.

There’s also the defined retirement plan which is entirely funded by the employer, so employees can receive a specific monthly benefit at retirement. The amount may be determined based on retirement age and tenure at the company.

Time off

In many countries, paid time off is mandated by law, like in the European Union (Austria, for example, has a legal minimum of 22 paid days for vacation and Finland has five weeks). Employers in countries like the U.S. may not be obliged to offer paid vacation leave, but those that do it voluntarily can get a competitive advantage in talent attraction and retention – 9 out of 10 employees reported that paid leave is important to their overall job satisfaction, according to SHRM.

For similar reasons, employers around the world may choose to extend law-mandated leave, such as giving extra days for sickness. In the U.S., 71% of all workers in the private sector had paid sick leave as a benefit, according to a 2018 report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The same goes for other types of leave such as parental or bereavement leave. For example, the law in the UK doesn’t provide for bereavement or compassionate time off, so offering a few days of this type of leave can be an important benefit.

Other time-off benefits may include training days and sabbaticals, which are usually voluntary for employers, but can have just as much impact on employee engagement.

Additional compensation

This category refers to any money offered to employees apart from their regular compensation. This money includes bonuses, commissions, awards and gifts, as well as indirect compensation, like stock option plans and profit-sharing.

Bonuses can be contractual or discretionary and may include:

• Sales commissions
• Individual or company-wide performance awards
• Lump sum gifts (e.g. for exemplary actions on the job)

These compensations are usually part of incentive programs that motivate employees to produce more and better quality results. They may also help keep morale high. Often, bonuses are determined by union contracts.

There are some arguments against monetary benefits though; financial rewards may sometimes spur unethical behavior or create envy among coworkers. For example, a salesperson who knows that the most successful salesperson of the month will get higher commission might resort to stealing prospects from coworkers or otherwise contributing to an unhealthily competitive atmosphere in the office. To prevent these outcomes, make sure you give everyone the same chances to earn bonuses and make the criteria for those bonuses transparent to all, and be suspicious of discrepancies in employee results.

If you want to formulate a clear and transparent bonus policy, here’s our policy template to get you started.

Common and best employee benefits

Apart from the major categories, there are several other types of benefits that appear frequently in company benefits plans.

Here are the top 10 employee benefits worldwide:

• Private Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• Retirement / Pension plans
• Training and Development
• Stock option plans
• Work From Home and/or flexible hours
• Food and snacks
• Life insurance
• Extended leave (Vacation, Sick)
• Bonuses / Awards / Gifts
• Company equipment (including vehicles, laptops, phones)

Note that the most popular benefits vary per location and there are also benefits that are exclusive to certain areas. For example, Australians can receive novated leasing as a benefit, enabling them to lease cars with their employer taking on the contract’s obligations.

In the U.S., where paid parental leave isn’t federally mandated by law like in other countries (although it exists at the state level in some jurisdictions), time off for mothers and fathers is a popular company-offered benefit.

In four English-speaking countries, employee benefits may include: (this list isn’t exhaustive for any of these areas and the order of items isn’t significant)

So what are good benefits for employees?

Or rather, what employee benefits do people value the most? The easy answer is that employees value all benefits. But, budgets are limited and companies need to find the benefits mix that will have the most positive impact, while also not breaking the bank.

To do this, first be sure to learn what benefits you need to offer by law. This could be national or state law. Make a list and decide if you can extend some of those benefits. For example, in France, employees are guaranteed three to five days of bereavement leave. You could decide to extend this leave if you find that your employees need it.

Then, take a look at surveys to help you determine voluntary benefits your company should offer. Glassdoor’s Benefits Review survey in the US investigated the correlation between certain benefits and job satisfaction. A correlation of 1 means the benefit is a good predictor of employee satisfaction, while 0 shows no correlation. Here’s the list of employee benefits with correlations of more than 0.5:

Another recent survey by a benefits provider identifies the three most popular non-insurance benefits:

1. Paid family leave
2. Flexible/ remote work
3. Professional development

You can also look at employee benefits examples from big companies with high employee ratings. You may not be able to afford all these benefits, but they can certainly give you ideas.

Of course, it never hurts to investigate what your own employees want – perhaps, they have different needs than workers in other industries or locations. Ask for feedback via email or create an online survey using a free tool like Google Forms. Also, some employers pay attention to the demographics of their employee base to give everyone the benefits they need most based on their characteristics. For example, in order to retain and engage millennials, businesses may offer them benefits such as student loan repayment support and co-sign support for auto loans.

How much do benefits cost a company?

According to a 2019 report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employee benefits in the U.S. make up 30% of total compensation costs. Insurance benefits accounted for 8% of compensation costs and legally required benefits were at 7.7%.

Health benefits especially might average $15,000 per employee in 2019, prompting employers to make changes in order to lower the cost of employee benefits (e.g. adding more virtual care solutions).

Benefits do cost money, and their importance is such that these costs will not (and should not) be reduced too much. But, not every benefit has to create heavy financial burdens for companies. You can try your hand by introducing cost-effective benefits and perks, such as:

• Free lunches and/or snacks
• Remote work / Flexible hours
• Public transit cards or reimbursement for tolls, gas and other travel-related expenses
• Company-sponsored discounts (e.g. for coffee places, gyms, restaurants, daycares)
• Extra time off for training or volunteering
• Free parking spaces
• Cellphone plans with free calls/texts/internet
• Housing and relocation benefits for new hires (where applicable)
• Wellness resources (such as standing desks, first-aid training)

Many of these unique employee benefits are on the rise: for example, in the U.S., out of all the organizations that increased their offered benefits, 44% increased their employee wellness resources. These can help boost morale, but they can also help you avoid indirect costs, like costs associated with missed work and associated productivity (about $1,685 per employee each year, according to SHRM).

And this may be the case for most benefits. What seems expensive at first glance might actually save you money in the long run. So make sure you examine the possible costs and gains for each employee benefit before you decide what to include in your plan.

Employee benefits management: How to do it effectively

Employee benefits have a significant impact on the administrative aspect of HR, especially when regulatory issues are involved. But there are ways to manage benefit plans more effectively to save time and reduce the possibility of mistakes. Here are five things to consider:

• Hire a dedicated employee benefits specialist. This person could be in-house (as a Benefits Administrator or Compensation and Benefits Manager) or external (such as a Benefits Broker). They will help you find the best options based on your company’s needs, calculate costs and gains, and even negotiate prices for certain benefits.
• Find the right software. It’s very difficult (and unnecessary) to manage benefit packages without the help of technology. A good employee benefits information system helps you see which employees receive which benefits, export statistics and administer benefits (it might also integrate with your talent acquisition software to further streamline the entire HR process). To find the right software, do your research and make a compelling business case.
• Measure benefits and costs diligently. This will be the responsibility of the finance department, but it’s important for HR to keep track of rising or plummeting costs and gains. Having data will be vital to form your long-term benefits strategy.
• Include a description of benefits and perks in your Employee Handbook. No number of great benefits will be effective if employees don’t know they have them. Prepare a section in your Employee Handbook to give important information on what your company offers (use our benefits and perks template as an employee benefits package example to get started with your own).
• Monitor employees’ wishes and needs. Employees’ needs may change. Offering free lunches and gym memberships is great for younger employees. But, as they grow older and have families, flexible hours or parental leave might be more important. Listen and make changes when needed.

The post Employee benefits: A guide on common and best benefits appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Why you need structured employee compensation

Pay structures (also know as salary structures or compensation structures) help companies offer equitable, competitive salaries and map out employees’ path to growth and higher pay. They enable companies to attract and retain talented people.

Compensation structures create a fairer and more predictable process for determining an individual’s compensation. The alternative to setting up formal pay structures is to determine salaries based on:

• Candidates’ salary history. This may perpetuate the gender pay gap and, as a result, create systemic pay disparities that prompt discrimination lawsuits. Plus, the practice of asking for salary history has been banned in several U.S. states (most recently in California.)
• Arbitrary figures. Competitive compensation packages play an important part in persuading candidates to accept job offers. Also, companies may end up paying managers the same salary as what their direct reports should earn, or even paying employees more than the maximum salary for their job.

Both methods would confuse managers and team members regarding pay levels and career development and raise suspicions of discrimination. To avoid these issues, it’s a good idea to set up a pay structure, especially once companies reach 200-250 employees.

How to set up a pay structure

Conduct job analysis and job evaluation

Internal job titles and job descriptions may not always be aligned with the market (e.g. a director in your company may actually be considered a mid-level manager in the market.) Knowing what each job entails and its value to your company helps you benchmark salaries more effectively. As a first step, conduct a:

1. Job analysis. If you don’t already have job descriptions in place, start by outlining job duties, requirements and qualifications for each position. Talk with your department heads about positions within their departments and look at common job descriptions in your industry.
2. Job evaluation. Determine the relative value of positions in your company with the help of senior leaders (e.g. VP of HR, CFO.) This means comparing each role with others according to important criteria like necessary knowledge and skills, effort required, level of responsibility and impact on revenue. In this stage, it’s best to bring in an external consultant (e.g. an Organizational Expert) to help you avoid biased decisions. An external observer will ensure you distinguish jobs from employees.

Determine the form of your employee compensation structure

There are two ways companies can create their compensation plans for base salary:

• Benchmarking (or market pricing) where each job is assigned an individual salary range based on market trends.
• Pay grades, where jobs are grouped and salary ranges apply to each group.

Many companies use both methods to determine their compensation structures, doing market pricing first to aid the process of creating pay grades. Here are both approaches with examples and how you can combine them:

Benchmarking

Benchmarking helps make your salaries more competitive. For example, paying higher salaries than the market can result in hiring the best candidates and retaining your best employees.

This approach revolves around market salary research, usually according to geography and industry. Websites like Glassdoor, PayScale (employee-reported data) and Salary.com (HR-reported data) are good places to look for this information. These websites provide insight on the minimum, midpoint and maximum salary for each role that you can use to create your own ranges. Before you collect the data, compare the job description provided by the website to the one from your job analysis to ensure they refer to the same role.

If you want more detailed data reported by employers, consider surveys like the Radford Global Technology Survey for the technology sector. There are also similar reports by governmental institutions. For example, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports average salaries per hundreds of jobs. O*NET OnLine reports data from BLS along with detailed job descriptions.

This research helps you create salary ranges for each individual job. Here are two examples:

Pay grades

Pay grades are groups of jobs (often sorted by business function) that have the same or similar internal value as defined by your job evaluation process. For example, customer support specialists and customer support technicians may belong in the same grade if they demand the same skills and education and have the same level of responsibility. In this case, the salaries of every customer support role in the same grade would fall between the same minimum, midpoint and maximum range.

There are two ways to set pay grades:

• Using benchmarking to set salaries. For example, you could use market data to determine a pay grade’s salary range. If a pay grade includes three different positions (e.g. administrative officer, office manager and personal assistant), you can average the salary midpoints of these three positions to find the midpoint in your pay grade’s range.
• Creating grades according to existing salaries. Companies can look into their existing organizational levels and salaries and group jobs accordingly. For example, if you have various roles with similar value on the same hierarchical level, put them in one grade. The average of those salaries can be the midpoint salary of the grade. The minimum and maximum is largely at your company’s discretion, but could be from +/- 5% to +/- 20% of the midpoint. The midpoints of each grade can also be determined by increasing the midpoint of the previous grade by a percentage (the mid-point differential.) For example, if the midpoint of Grade 1 is $40,000 and the established mid-point differential is 15%, then the midpoint of Grade 2 can be $40,000*15% + $40,000 = $46,000.

Here’s a scenario where pay grades are created based on existing salaries. Imagine your company has the following HR roles:

• HR Assistant with salary of $30,000
• HR Manager with salary of $60,000
• HR Generalist with salary of $40,000
• Recruiter with salary of $50,000

Through your job evaluation process, you may decide there are three grades:

• Grade 1 includes HR Assistant and midpoint is $30,000.
• Grade 2 includes HR Generalist and Recruiter and midpoint is $45,000 (average salary of these two positions.)
• Grade 3 includes HR Manager and midpoint is $60,000.

Grades might often overlap. This means that the maximum point of one grade could be higher than the minimum of the next grade (or even the midpoint.) Here’s an example based on the previous pay grades about HR roles:

The number of grades depends on the number of positions, your company’s size and its hierarchical levels. Few grades with large ranges often result from broadbanding – a process that reduces hierarchical levels and pay grades and leaves a lot of room for salary increases. Broadbanding has drawbacks though, so consider how useful it is to your company.

After you have set your pay grades, assign a grade to every new position that’s created.

Also, you can divide each grade and assign salary ranges within that grade. Large companies and governmental institutions often divide a grade in “steps” according to criteria like experience and performance. For example, assuming the salary range of Grade 3 is $52,000 to $66,000, here are three steps of experience and skill:

• Entry-level from $52,000 to $57,000.
• Mid-level from $57,000 to $63,000.
• Experienced from $63,000 to $66,000.

These steps indicate how employees can receive salary increases. When someone in Grade 3 is given a promotion, they move to the next pay grade and have greater room for pay increases.

Plan to update pay structures

As market conditions change and unemployment rates fluctuate, companies need to update salary ranges. Revise pay structures every 12 to 18 months and ask questions like:

• Are our salaries competitive?
• Are there new positions that need to be placed within our pay structure?
• Do our employees have room to receive raises as performance rewards?
• Are our salary ranges aligned with the proper organizational levels?
• Is our pay structure synced with our succession plans and career development plans?
• Do our employees perceive our pay structure and compensation plans as fair?

Also, after you readjust your salary ranges, use your pay grades’ midpoints to calculate compa-ratios for your employees. This will help you determine the competitiveness of their salaries:

• If you discover some employees are overpaid, you may decide to freeze their base salary until it must be adjusted due to market changes.
• If some employees are being underpaid, plan to raise their salary in the next performance review cycles so that you bring them up to the correct step in their pay grade. If performance review periods are too far away, consider giving those employees an immediate raise (if you have the budget and senior management approval) to prevent loss of morale.

Educate managers

Managers should understand your compensation philosophy and how they can administer pay raises and promotions. Also, those who serve as hiring managers should know the value of new positions. Schedule 1:1 or group meetings with managers to discuss:

• How your company’s benchmarking and/or pay grades work.
• The process your company uses to evaluate job roles.
• Why your company chose this particular pay structure.
• How managers can administer pay raises according to experience levels.
• Whether hiring managers could diverge from established salary ranges when hiring new team members and by how much.

Arrange to discuss these topics after revising your pay structure or when compensation plans and payroll budgets change. Ensure your managers understand how they should act when hiring or promoting employees.

The post How to structure employee compensation appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

As you build your company and hire new employees, it’s important that they stay engaged, motivated and incentivized to do well. A disengaged employee is not only a drain on your resources, but can create a culture where no one is motivated to succeed. 

Building a culture of motivation is a great way to keep your employees happy at work. Employees should feel motivated by their projects, compensation and benefits. Job performance is said to be a function of ability multiplied by motivation.

Employee motivation techniques

Learning incentives

Employees who invest in themselves and their education over time not only have a renewed sense of perspective and focus on their projects, but they can actively increase your bottom line. A report from health insurer, Cigna, showed every dollar they invested into their Education Reimbursement Program generated a 129 percent return on investment. By giving employees the opportunity to get more education, companies improve their culture and profitability.

Learning incentives can come in a variety of packages: tuition or student loan reimbursements, budgets for conferences, online courses or flexible schedules for pursuing classwork. If you have a small budget, you could start building a culture of learning by creating a library or online drive to share resources.

Perks: PTO, childcare and services

Employee benefits and perks are part of almost all compensation packages. It has become standard (and often mandated) for companies to offer benefits like health insurance, paid time off and flexibility. However, employees are looking for their benefits to be taken to the next level. For many companies, this translates into infusing more fun into offices by adding game rooms and beer fridges. However, though employees probably won’t turn up their noses at these perks, they are more likely to appreciate benefits that will allow them to maintain a better work life balance.

According to a report from Glassdoor, employees are most interested in health insurance, paid time off, performance bonuses, paid sick days and a 401(k) plan, retirement plan or pension. These kinds of benefits boost health, increase motivation and incentivize people to stick around and become more invested.

Companies are finding innovative and standout ways to offer these benefits. Netflix offers unlimited maternity and paternity leave. MOZ offers “PAID paid Vacation,” which includes a $3,000/year vacation expense reimbursement in addition to paid time off. Adobe closes their company for one week in December and one week over the summer. By staying competitive with benefits, these companies create a motivated workforce who are committed to their work and act as ambassadors for their brands.

Appreciation, feedback, improvement

More than anything, the biggest motivating factor for employees are words of affirmation. Showing recognition of work, encouragement and giving employees opportunities to improve will often reap the biggest productivity benefits. Lack of appreciation is the number one reason people leave jobs and appreciation is the number one thing people say causes them to do great work. Showing this appreciation thoughtfully and consistently is the best way to motivate your employees to commit to their jobs and create a more positive workplace.

Employers often show their appreciation for employees through performance bonuses, raises, promotions and career growth. However, companies can motivate their employees even more by showing appreciation on a daily basis. By offering a specific and clear compliment, trust with a new or bigger project or another kind of growth opportunity, you can show gratitude for your employees and encourage them to perform. 

When you’re launching an employee motivation program, collecting and measuring results and feedback from your employees is crucial. Without employee buy-in, you risk creating a less engaged workforce.

Employee motivation tools

• TINYpulse: Software that allows leaders to pinpoint workplace problems. TinyPulse’s tools feature real-time feedback for recognition, as well as technology for weekly check-ins, feedback and goal-setting.

• Kudos: Kudos is an employee recognition system and corporate social network that engages employees to create a strong connection to corporate culture. It provides opportunities for employee-to-employee feedback, manager-to-employee feedback and customizable badges and certificates.

• Culture Amp: Culture Amp provides surveys and insight for engaged employees. Their surveys can be customized to suit your organization and they offer an intuitive dashboard and analytics engine.

• HighGround: HighGround offers an HR cloud platform designed for employees to help companies build highly engaged and high-performing cultures through continuous feedback, ongoing employee development and real-time recognition.

The post 7 employee motivation techniques and tools appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Onboarding remote employees – in many cases, without having ever met them in person – is no easy task. In Workable’s New World of Work survey, 37.4% cited remote onboarding and training as major issues when hiring in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, while 49.7% said candidate onboarding would be problematic in recruiting in the post-COVID work world.

But Eric isn’t one to be discouraged by those numbers.

“Regular meetings and discussions on Zoom, Hangouts, and Google Duo have helped us in overcoming all the challenges,” he says.

He adds that there are business benefits as well.

“There’s been a reduction in costs because no infrastructure is required in the workplace. Team members are arranging it at their distant locations themselves.”

That’ll be a welcome reassurance to the 26.4% of budget-conscious senior-level executives in the above-mentioned survey who said new hire onboarding would be one of the main overall challenges in the new world of work.

Camaraderie makes the team merry

Eric is just one of the dozens of business owners and managers who responded to our query for tips and tricks on remote onboarding. One lesson was clear from many: while a standardized process is especially important in successful remote onboarding, there’s a lot more to it than that.

Companies thrive on teamsmanship and camaraderie, so you want to build those strong connections from the first day forward if you want the new hire to be set for success.

That’s easier when it’s done face-to-face, as those connections are built via introductions, meetings, and team exercises in a shared physical space. But strengthening work culture and bonding between colleagues is tougher virtually.

“Remote onboarding has been a big challenge because with this we’re not able to introduce the new team members to the culture and environment of the organization,” Eric says.

So, how do you get started on building connections in a remote work world, particularly when onboarding? It’s not easy, but if you follow these best practices from those we heard from, you’ll be able to build those important connections between your new hire and their new colleagues.

Here are four best practices for you to stay ahead of the new trends in remote employee engagement.

1. Be even more hands-on

It’s easy enough for new hires to spontaneously chat with others when in the same physical workspace, but it’s not easy when that new hire is sitting invisibly in front of their computer. They can’t look around and chat with their desk neighbors or take a tour of the office and introduce themselves to people. That can severely impact new hire engagement from day one.

This puts the onus on you to be even more hands-on than you would in a normal onboarding process. This applies not only to HR but to colleagues and managers as well, says Neal Taparia of Solitaired.

“You have to be very hands-on to ensure successful onboarding,” says Neal, the CEO of this new NYC-based company that ties classic games to brain training. “New employees are [more] hesitant to speak up via online channels than they are in person to get an understanding of everything. They don’t want to ask too many questions over Slack, and ask for additional Zoom calls.”

He adds that you also need to check in regularly to ensure that a new hire is headed in the right direction and is on track throughout your new hire onboarding plan.

Involve the hiring manager

The value of inclusive leadership is especially crucial for new hire engagement when working remotely, Neal emphasizes.

“It’s easy for managers to forget to check in on new employees that have started remotely. [At Solitaired], we train our managers on what successful remote onboarding means. Specifically, we have a rule where managers should be checking in at least 10 times through the week to make sure everything is going in the right direction.”

Husam Machlovi is the founder of digital studio With Pulp, which operates fully remotely out of New York state. His company has served notables such as AMC Networks and World Wrestling Entertainment. He also advocates for the active participation of hiring managers in the new hire’s engagement.

“The most effective remote onboarding tool for us is simply to check in with each other,” says Husam. “I like to check in with new hires and ask them how I can support in any way, how things are going, do they have any questions? My goal is to create a space where people feel safe to ask questions.”

Grant Aldrich, CEO/founder of the Los Angeles-based online learning site Online Degree, says the manager or CEO is responsible for making sure everyone feels connected throughout the company, keeping new employee engagement high at this crucial time.

“This goes beyond checking in and extends to starting conversations and asking questions in your communication channels,” he adds.

Michael Alexis, the owner of New York-based Teambuilding, a virtual team cohesion service, emphasizes the importance of active participation by all parties included – both the newly hired and the ones doing the hiring and onboarding.

“Following documents and watching videos alone is boring,” says Michael. “It’s important to us that these early days and weeks for a new team member are as engaging as possible.”

Make yourself available – and ensure the new hire knows it

Dan Bailey of WikiLawn, an online lawn and garden care resource center which lists services all across the United States, notes that it does take more time to onboard someone remotely, as he simply cannot sit next to the new hire and walk them through all the steps of their job. But it’s still important that he and his colleagues are available to the new hire for anything they may need on the spot.

Not only do his teams record videos with instructions and prepare documents to be more detailed, but also set response time as a critical measurement. In fact, he applies customer support standards to ensuring his new hires get what they need quickly.

“We’ve found that new hires often have many questions that can go unanswered for an hour or more if someone isn’t assigned to being available to help them, so that is one way we’ve improved how we manage onboarding,” Dan explains.

“At least one other teammate is available during working hours by messenger, email, and phone so the new hire doesn’t have to waste time and become frustrated waiting on a reply.”

2. Make the employee feel welcome

Austin Heerwagen of Koda Digital, a medical marketing agency operating out of Carrollton, Texas, admits that disconnection was an issue when operating remotely, especially with new hires coming on board.

“Our biggest pain point initially was gaining buy-in from new employees. There is no tour around the office, parking space, elevator ride, or birthday parties – employees can feel like they are a replaceable cog in a machine.”

That makes it even more critical to make your new hire feel welcome and connected.

Caitlin Byrnes can speak firsthand to the value of this. When she was hired as VP at Peppercomm, a public relations firm in NYC, she found that her new company had a great new hire onboarding plan in place, but some things stood out above and beyond HR obligations particularly in a remote work environment.

“For instance, team members carved out time for virtual coffee with me, and gave me a positive ‘shout-out’ in my first all-hands meeting,” Caitlin says.

“These personal touchpoints made me feel more comfortable working with a team I’d never met in person. Even more importantly, it helped me understand who I could go with questions when I couldn’t just pop around the corner.”

Line up meetings with everyone

Shayne Sherman, the CEO of TechLoris, a computer service in Brookline, Massachusetts, highlights that importance in the absence of water cooler conversations and “quick drops by one’s desk”.

“We made sure to make company intros and offer the chance to say a few words at the latest company all-hands meeting. From there, the new hire’s manager would schedule a remote lunch or after-work drinks, via Zoom, to get to know each other and open the chat up to be a bit more informal.”

Greg Hayes, CEO and co-founder of venture-backed office furniture startup Branch in NYC, makes sure the new hire is properly and formally acquainted with their full team right away.

“We ensure that each new team member has a lengthy 1:1 video chat with everybody on our team, to ensure they better understand everyone personally and what their scope of work entails. We also plan a happy hour around each new member’s arrival to welcome them in.”

Tara Lilien, the Chief Talent Officer at Peppercomm, takes it one step further.

“I think giving the new hire an opportunity to lead a meeting, facilitate a staff learning event or shadow a client meeting or call are all great on-the-job moments that will allow for stronger and quicker integration into the team.”

Send them a welcome package

Austin at Koda Digital likes to make sure the new employee receives a gift basket containing company swag and attire, business cards, and gift cards for restaurants near them. He’ll even make sure to include personal gifts based on interview discovery.

“For example, one employee really liked sloths, so we sent her a desk-buddy sloth to let her know that we care about her too – not just her work. In addition, on the employee’s first day, we send out UberEats gift cards to everyone and have a ‘catered’ nice-to-meet-you lunch.”

Kick things off with a friendly, informative email before their first day, setting the tone going forward.

3. Don’t assume everyone knows your tech, because they don’t

When you’re working in a company that utilizes a lot of technologies and has fully jumped on board the digital transformation train, it’s easy to fall into the trap of assuming that everyone knows your tech stack. Don’t do that, says Neal at Solitaired.

“Some of us use Google Apps and Microsoft apps so regularly, we assume everyone knows these systems as well as we do. This is definitely not the case.”

He learned this the hard way, too. One time, he hired an employee that had never used the Google productivity suite and they were too embarrassed to admit that. That made onboarding an especially painful process.

Doesn’t matter who’s at fault for it – it’s a negative first experience for the new hire that starts things off on the wrong foot.

Get them acquainted with tech quickly

Get ahead of the problem, Neal recommends. “Take an intake survey beforehand. If someone does not know about Google apps, we ask them to read up on it beforehand, and give them a tutorial on their first and second day of work.”

Amy McWaters, the CEO of Gifts Australia, a souvenir e-commerce company in Sydney, Australia, also finds that tech adoption remains an issue in the remote new hire onboarding plan. Late logons, lost connections, and struggles with tech integrations continue to be a pain point for her company. She recommends taking care of things even before the first day of onboarding or training – effectively preventing a problem before it even occurs.

“Work under the assumption that tech issues will arise, if not on your end, then on the trainees’ end,” Amy says. “Give installation instructions at least three days out.”

Gargi Rajan, general manager of human resources at Mercer / Mettl, an HR technology company operating just outside of New Delhi, India, likes to get several birds with one stone: hackathons. The benefits are multiple: it helps onboarding in a remote manner, gets new hires quickly acquainted with their new colleagues, and puts everyone on a level playing field bonded by a common interest. Tech adoption is a huge, huge bonus.

“Since everyone understands the challenges at hand,” Gargi explains, “they all come together to accept the technological tools and processes as partners in working smoothly and seamlessly.”

But don’t be fazed if you do run into some issues with tech adoption among your existing and new employees. It may seem daunting on the surface, but with a silver lining underneath.

“Every aspect has its limitations,” Eric at Couture Candy says. “Maybe we wouldn’t have known the creativity required in businesses if tech adoption was quick and easy.”

4. Make it a two-way street

Even as an employer who knows your company inside and out, you can’t assume to know everything that the new hire needs. So, establish a two-way street – solicit feedback from your new employees and refine your new hire onboarding plan based on what they’ve shared with you.

Neal at Solitaired is quick to that point, having new employees fill out a daily survey about their onboarding during their first week on the job.

“It became a forum where they could clear up any confusion, and for us to get them back on the right track. It’s simple and effective.”

At Branch, Greg encourages new employees to be “hungry learners” and not to be afraid to ask any questions.

Listen, learn, and improve

Phil Strazzulla, the CEO at the online review site Select Software Reviews, doubles down on collecting feedback from your new colleagues, acknowledging that it is new ground for many companies.

“Ask your new hires for feedback on the [new hire onboarding plan], what worked and what didn’t. Get your HR team as well as your managers together to go over the results and make changes to address them.”

Jitesh Patil, SEO and content specialist at project management software company Toggl Plan in Tallinn, Estonia, also advocates for this measure of successful remote onboarding – and himself works remotely from Maharashtra, India.

“We request regular feedback from new joinees — end of week 1, end week 2, end of the first month, and so on.”

This series of sample questions for your new hire can help you collect valuable feedback on your remote new hire onboarding plan.

Set up an open Q&A channel

Michael at Teambuilding takes a unique approach to the two-way street in his company’s remote onboarding strategy.

“One way we’ve made the onboarding process more engaging is using employee journaling. For each new hire, we create a private channel in Slack where they can share their thoughts and ideas,” Michael explains.

“For example, it might be a note like, ‘I’m a little confused at who these people are’, and then we can chime in with info about team members or organizational structure. The journal also introduces fresh eyes to our systems to help improve. For example, ‘I noticed that XYZ is inefficient, and in previous roles I’ve done it this way that was more efficient’.”

It can also be a morale booster for those doing the actual onboarding, he adds.

“[We] are happy to receive feedback like ‘never felt so welcome in any of my jobs before’ or ‘everyone is so welcoming here’”.

Maximize the connectivity

Nuances are often lost in the remote work world. You can overcome that by getting everyone as involved as possible, ensuring the new hire feels part of the team from day one, staying on top of any potential tech hiccups, and establishing open two-way communication channels. That will set your new hires for success as early in the game as possible.

It also helps your existing employees get better acquainted with each other – including their individual styles and working habits – and fosters a more cohesive team environment, even in a world where few people have actually met but still work together on a daily basis.

And this doesn’t need to be a chore, either, says Eric at Couture Candy.

“Remote onboarding is fun if you enjoy it,” he says with a smile.

Want to read more? Check out our tutorial on reducing new hire turnover in your company.

The post Your remote new hire onboarding plan: Build those connections appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

The executive embodies the visionary, the manager, and the technical specialist – the three personalities that are needed for a business to succeed.

They’re central to the functioning and future success of your business. Executives are hired and fired based on the revenue they bring to the organization.

That’s why when a new executive joins your core leadership team – be it a CMO, a CFO, or a COO – effective executive onboarding is a must-have strategic necessity, even more so than normal onboarding.

Related: CEO vs. COO: What’s the difference? and CEO vs. CFO: What’s the difference?

Traditional onboarding methods often miss the mark when it comes to getting new executives up to speed. They’re time-consuming. They’re tedious. They lack a personal touch. They’re inefficient.

Here, ChatGPT can be a transformative tool for modernizing your executive onboarding and positioning your business for future success.

Let’s dive into how a ChatGPT-guided executive onboarding process differs from traditional methods, and offer a step-by-step guide on how you can use ChatGPT in your executive onboarding plan.

Traditional vs. ChatGPT-enabled executive onboarding

ChatGPT and AI tools have their own limitations, but their benefits far surpass those of more traditional methods of onboarding.

With ChatGPT’s help, executives can frame their decisions, explore possibilities, and think of alternatives they may have missed otherwise. A recent article by Harvard Business Review explored how ChatGPT can help executives make better decisions.

Forward-thinking executives and business leaders embrace new ways of doing things and then adapt them if they improve on the old methods.

An onboarding plan made with ChatGPT improves on more conventional onboarding methods in several ways:

1. Increased efficiency

ChatGPT can streamline your executive onboarding plan and free up valuable time for your HR team.

Traditional onboarding involves a mountain of paperwork and often grueling manual effort, a waste of your HR team’s resources.
The traditional method is also much more prone to human error and subjective bias.

2. Personalization

ChatGPT can create a personalized onboarding experience tailored to each executive’s needs and role – like a personalized concierge or onboarding assistant you only have to pay $20 a month.

In contrast, traditional onboarding fits all of your new executives in a box. It gives your bright and promising new executive talent a more generic and less engaging experience.

3. Scalability

Using ChatGPT for executive onboarding is much more scalable, and is easy to implement whether you’re onboarding one executive or 10.

Having multiple executives join the team at the same time – such as what might happen if your business is in a more advanced stage of growth – just isn’t something that traditional onboarding methods can deal with very well. It can make it hard to give all of them the individual guidance and attention they need. That’s a one-way ticket to stretching your HR team thin.

How to use ChatGPT for executive onboarding

When a new executive takes the helm, they need to get brought up to speed fast and learn everything they need to know about what’s what, who’s who, and how things get done.

This is a problem with slower and less efficient traditional onboarding methods, which can often leave gaps that make the new executives have to take shots in the dark. A 2020 workplace learning report from LinkedIn showed that 49% of learners don’t have time to learn at work.

Let’s look at some of the ways you can use ChatGPT to expedite this process and bring your new leadership into the fold.

1. Drafting an offer letter

The offer letter is usually the first official document your new executive receives from your company. It sets the tone of their entire experience working together with you, be it months, years, or decades.

This isn’t a problem with ChatGPT, which can automate the drafting process and create a customized offer letter that aligns with your company’s policies and the specific role they’ll be entering into.

Example prompt: “Please generate an offer letter for a Chief Marketing Officer with a starting salary of $200,000.”

Note that you may have to input a few specific, necessary details, like the position, salary, and benefits. Give ChatGPT that input, and let it take care of the rest.

Example prompt: “Please generate an offer letter for a Chief Marketing Officer with a starting salary of $200,000, including the following benefits: comprehensive health insurance, 401(k) with 5% company match, 20% performance bonus, stock options, 25 vacation days, $5,000 for professional development, $10,000 for relocation, and $100 monthly for wellness.”

2. Creating a mentorship program

Mentorship isn’t just for entry-level rank-and-file employees.

New executives might need a mentor who’s been with the team for longer when they’re first starting – at least while they’re finding their feet and learning the lay of the land.

Where ChatGPT can be an asset in this regard is in creating your mentorship program, in such a way that provides the new executive with guidance, resources, and support they’ll need to succeed in their new position.

Example prompt: ”Suggest a mentorship program outline for a new Chief Technology Officer.”

3. Training executives on leadership

Leadership training equips your new executives with the skills and knowledge they need to lead your team effectively and further your company’s strategic goals.

ChatGPT can create personalized leadership training programs after analyzing the executive’s role, career goals, and the company’s strategic objectives.

That way, the leadership training stays relevant but also directly aligned with your company’s business objectives.

Example prompt: “Create a 90-day leadership training plan for a new CFO, whose career goals include streamlining financial operations and leading an IPO. The company aims to achieve 20% YoY revenue growth, expand into new international markets, and reduce its carbon footprint.”

You can also give them additional resources and pathways for further learning while you’re at it.

Example prompt: “What are some leadership books and resources suitable for this new position?”

4. Create a strategic alignment plan

Your strategic alignment is the compass that your new executive uses to make sure the ship is on course and headed in the right direction.

Give ChatGPT data like the executive’s role, career goals, and the company’s strategic objectives, and it can make a comprehensive strategic alignment plan that outlines how the executive can help the company achieve those goals.

Example prompt: “Draft a strategic alignment plan for a new Vice President of Sales whose responsibilities include overseeing the sales team, setting quarterly targets, and building client relationships. The company aims to increase market share by 15%, launch two new products, and improve customer satisfaction rates.”

You can also give them some KPIs to use as benchmarks for their success. A prompt you can follow up with may be:

Example prompt: “List key performance indicators for this position.”

5. Building networks

If you want to build a million-dollar business, you need to shake 10 million hands.

In the realms of entrepreneurship in business, who you know is often more important than what you know. Networking is key for savvy executives who want to build professional connections – both in and out of your organization – that add value to the team.

Here, ChatGPT can be useful for:

Internal networking

Identifying key departments and teams that the executive can connect with.

Example prompt: “List internal teams that a new General Manager should meet in the first month at a SaaS company focused on HR solutions.”

External networking

Web-enabled ChatGPT-4 (using plugins such as VoxScript and Wolfram) can recommend industry events and conferences where the executive can meet potential partners or clients.

Example prompt: “Suggest networking events for a new Chief Human Resources Officer.”

6. Performance tracking

After a few months have gone by, at some point it’ll be time to sit down with the new executive and have a chat about how things are going.

You, the executive, and maybe one or two other members of the leadership team will sit down together at a conference table or a Zoom call to measure the executive’s success against the KPIs outlined in previous stages of the executive onboarding process.

You can use ChatGPT to simplify this process by making your generating performance review templates for the new executive’s role.

Let’s say you need a list of customized KPIs. You could have ChatGPT generate the list of KPIs for you based on the executive’s role and the company’s objectives.

Example prompt: “Generate KPIs for a Chief Financial Officer focused on cost reduction and revenue growth.”

Then, once you have those KPIs, you can use them to track the executive’s performance during their quarterly review.

Example prompt: “Create a performance review template for a new Chief Financial Officer.”

7. Compliance and legal training

Ambition, vision, and motivation are all well and good. However, they need to be kept in check by a strong integrity so that the company stays on the right side of the law, and stays committed to doing the right thing.

The consequences of violating industry violations and upholding contractual obligations can be severe – even brutal – but what kind of executive has the time to sift through piles of legal documents?

ChatGPT can create your compliance checklists and review legal documents for your executive. The executive can then use these briefs to make sure your organization is legally compliant.

In the long run, this can save the executive much of their valuable time, and minimize the likelihood of causing expensive legal errors.

Example prompt: “Create a compliance checklist for a new executive in the healthcare industry.”

ChatGPT can also give you advice on legal documents to review before the new executive starts their new role, based on their industry.

It’s important to know though that ChatGPT is not a legal expert, and only serves as a place to start. You’ll want to have any templates it creates reviewed by professional legal counsel to ensure it’s accurate and in line with your industry’s regulations.

Example prompt: “Generate a list of legal documents a new executive in a fintech startup needs to review.”

Use ChatGPT to get your best and brightest up to speed

Integrating ChatGPT into your executive onboarding process can address the limitations of traditional onboarding methods. It just doesn’t help you onboard new executives faster, it helps you do it smarter, more effectively, and more strategically.

Build ChatGPT into your onboarding plan for executives together with Workable’s onboarding tools, and create a bigger, brighter, better leadership team.

For more ways you can use ChatGPT in your HR processes, check out our series of ChatGPT tutorials.

The post ChatGPT for executive onboarding: hiring the big shots appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

But to do better, we need to pinpoint exactly where we’re going wrong. Ready to pull off the band-aid? Below are four common mistakes teams make when it comes to people data. Luckily, once you target these issues, you’ll start working towards a better employee experience and stronger employee lifecycle.

1. You’re not gathering information during the onboarding process

One of the top reasons candidates choose to accept an open role is the chemistry they have with their prospective manager. The issue there is, in a volatile economy and rapidly changing job market, people move to new positions all the time. The solution? Collect pertinent data in the onboarding process.

Simply put, a robust onboarding process – which includes gathering information to help support new hires in their first 90 days and beyond – signals your values and investment in your people. Furthermore, by tracking your onboarding in tangible ways, you’ll understand why your new hire and manager clicked in the first place, and use that information to create stronger employee experiences across the board. And the better your employee experience, the higher your retention rate.

Alternatively, if you don’t collect the right data during your onboarding process, your new hires could be among the 33% who quit their job within the first 90 days.

While there’s various pieces of information you can collect during the first few weeks of your onboarding process, consider adding the following to your strategy:

Self-ID data

Encourage new hires to fill out self-ID forms (remember, these campaigns should be voluntary) to help measure DEIB efforts across your organization. For example, you can use this information to better plan your employee resource groups and holiday celebrations.

‘How to Manage Me’ forms

When new hires share how they best like to be managed – such as receiving praise or needing help goal-setting – they’re more likely to feel supported by leaders. If your organization sees steady workforce changes, this practice helps reduce risk and uncertainty for your people.

‘Get-to-know-me’ information

Other pieces of information – like t-shirt size and dietary restrictions – help you plan welcome packages, personalized social events, and on-site experiences for new hires.

2. You’re not tracking the right metrics

It’s easy to get bogged down by day-to-day tasks and forget big-picture strategy. But in stressful times, people often work in the business instead of on the business.

When you work on the business, you focus on your overarching people strategy and track metrics to help ensure employees feel supported in reaching their goals. You need to track employee data throughout your entire employee lifecycle to help make the right decisions and plan future initiatives.

Consider collecting the following data, but if this task seems too daunting, determine which part of your employee lifecycle needs the most improvement and start there.

Attraction and recruitment: Track your recruitment efforts to assess how much time, money, and resources you’re investing. In this stage, calculate Time to Fill and Cost per Hire.

Onboarding

The data you collect in this stage isn’t only a reflection of your new hires, but a reflection of your onboarding process. It’s therefore important to calculate time-to-productivity and new-hire-turnover to determine potential changes for the future.

Development

After your employees’ first 90 days, it’s important to collect a variety of data points – such as the employee net promoter score (eNPS), engagement surveys, and promotion rates – to analyze employee satisfaction and areas in need of further improvement.

Retention

In order to keep your top talent, you’ll want to track employee retention rates, turnover rates, and engagement rates to pinpoint any potential risks down the line.

Separation

While people’s reasons for leaving your organization may differ, it’s important to track responses to discover themes to help make your employee experience even better.

3. You’re not using data to develop your people

One of the biggest challenges with data isn’t in collecting it. It’s actually in using that data to make a change.

Therefore, one of the smartest moves you can make is to invest in your greatest asset: your people. To make people-first decisions, use your data to pinpoint areas of weakness and sources of strength. Next, plan initiatives to help create a stronger employee experience and retain top talent.

Some places to start are:

Identifying skills gaps

Many people leave their organization due to lack of development and career advancement – and to use a more specific example, 58% of tech workers cite skills development as their top motivator when choosing a new company. When you understand individual employees’ skills gaps, you can proactively offer professional development opportunities.

Furthermore, understanding the team’s skills gaps helps inform headcount planning scenarios so you can hire the best fit. In the end, you’ll have a well-rounded team, ready to collaborate and tackle any challenge ahead.

Tracking individual performance plans.

If only executives are privy to your people data, you’re missing out on empowering your managers. By granting middle managers certain access to their team’s data, you can enable them to track performance plans and OKR progress to better support their people.

Creating succession plans

You’re bound to experience expected and unexpected departures from your workforce, so it’s best to have plans in place so business is disrupted as little as possible. Luckily, you can use your people data to determine who has or needs the skill sets to become potential successors.

4. You’re not continuously analyzing your people data

You’ve collected the data. You’ve implemented your findings. Now what?

You guessed it: time to dive back into your data, regularly and often. It makes sense. How else would you really know if your initiatives are working or conditions are improving?

However, just because it makes sense doesn’t mean it always happens. In fact, out of 5,000 People leaders surveyed by Sapient Insights Group in 2021, 0% said they looked at diversity, equity, and inclusion metrics monthly. Yes, you read that right. Zero. This, in spite of the moral imperative that drives the majority of businesses according to a Workable survey on DEI also in 2021.

Therefore, in order to make data-driven and people-first decisions, develop a regular cadence to look over your metrics. Once you develop this habit, you’ll see a resounding difference in the impact you make on your entire organization.

Use your people data to create a stronger organization

It’s easy to make mistakes when it comes to your people data. Unfortunately, these errors – not collecting information during onboarding, tracking the wrong metrics, letting them go unused, and looking at data sporadically – put more than just your employee experience at risk.

When you don’t prioritize your data throughout the employee lifecycle, you also jeopardize your organization. And as we know, negative experiences can lead to disengagement, attrition, and missed goals, especially if you find issues in multiple stages of your employee lifecycle.

However, by implementing the tips above, you’ll be on your way to using your metrics effectively and make people-first, data-driven decisions to help your organization thrive.

The post 4 people data mistakes you’re making in the employee lifecycle appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Tracking employee engagement can be tough. Employers could lookout for red flags to help them spot disengaged employees. But, with Gallup reporting that 70% of millennials are disengaged, this could turn out to be a full-time job. Some employers opt for exit interviews instead. In fact, 71% of companies use exit interviews to measure employee engagement, according to a 2011 SHRM/Globoforce survey. Still, that could be too little, too late.

Ask questions before sending surveys

Employee engagement surveys are a popular method and can yield good results, if used correctly. Yet, they have their share of limitations and problems. Anyone who wants to improve their employee engagement surveys should ask themselves the following questions:

• Are our surveys valid and reliable? Expertly-administered employee engagement surveys are costly. To cut back on expenses, many companies choose to create and administer their own surveys. Unfortunately, this can raise doubts about their validity and reliability. Questions should measure what they need to measure (validity) and should produce consistent results (reliability). Professional survey companies test their surveys many times to ensure they’re reliable. They’ll also control biases like selection bias and response bias to ensure surveys are valid. For example, good surveys avoid ‘leading questions’ that point to a right answer. Companies might not have enough time or know-how to ensure their surveys are effective. This often translates into skewed results.

• Do surveys answer the ‘why’? It’s useful to discover your employees’ engagement levels. But, what do you do with your results? If you discover high engagement, how do you maintain it? If your employees are disengaged, what actions should you take? Intuition and assumptions won’t do. You need to know the reasons behind employees’ answers. Without concrete reasons, you can’t know what you’re doing right and what you should change. For example, yes or no questions like “are you satisfied?” can tell you how engaged employees are. But they don’t tell you why employees think the way they do.

• Will employees actually respond? Surveys often struggle with response rates. If half your employees get around to completing your survey, it’d be a cause for celebration. Good response rates matter for employee engagement surveys, because they’re not designed to draw conclusions about all employees from a small sample. You want to hear as many voices as possible. Another possible problem with surveys is nonresponse bias, a common type of selection bias. Disengaged employees are less likely to bother completing engagement surveys. This means the majority of results might come from fully or moderately engaged employees. In that case, they won’t represent overall employee engagement.

• Are results accurate? As with any survey, you can’t be sure that responders will tell the truth. Social desirability bias is an issue, because people want to create a desirable picture of themselves, often misrepresenting their opinions and feelings. Also, employees might think they’ll be penalized if they reveal something negative. Even in anonymous surveys, people might give moderate answers if they’re afraid low engagement rates will affect bonuses, influence managers’ attitudes or cause unwanted disruptions.External factors could also pose a problem. For example, if you conduct a survey in the middle of an economic crisis, employees might report higher engagement than they really feel—either because they’re glad they have work or because they don’t want to upset their managers.

• Are surveys and results timely? If you conduct employee engagement surveys annually or semi-annually, it’s difficult to know what happens during the rest of the year. Plus, results can often take a couple of months to process. In the end, they’re nothing more than a snapshot of the past.

• Am I ready to act on the results? Companies can instruct employees to spruce up their office. But, they often fail to address the real underlying issues, the ones that take longer to change and are harder to get right. In other words, the ones that’ll make a difference to engagement levels. In fact, this is one of the reasons why employee engagement surveys could foster disengaged employees. Eighty percent of employees don’t really expect employers to act on survey results. Ignoring meaningful employee feedback isn’t a great way to maintain a good employee-employer relationship.

Even if surveys didn’t have all these issues, they still wouldn’t go far enough. An employer’s ultimate purpose is to boost employee engagement. Just gathering and analyzing results, no matter how valuable, won’t get them there.

Complement surveys with other approaches

The best way to make employee engagement surveys useful is to avoid relying on surveys alone. Direct, real-time feedback from employees (through regular 1:1 meetings) and open communication (through intranets or apps) are good ideas too. Combined with more frequent surveys, they could present an interesting picture of employee engagement. Here are some tips to help you get the most out of employee engagement surveys:

• Explain objectives. Emphasize that you aim to improve things for employees. Make it clear that employees won’t be penalized for negative feedback but will be listened to.

• Use the right tools. Many companies use tools like Officevibe and TINYPulse to track employee morale in real-time, analyze data and do pulse surveys. With SurveyAnyplace, you could also discover your employees’ opinions about events and training programs, as well as assess employee engagement levels.

• Consider an external service. Using a third party to administer surveys and collect results may make employees more comfortable. Response rates might rise and you could get more honest answers. Experts can also assist with benchmarking and analytics.

• Ask the right questions. Answers should be actionable. For example, don’t ask “do you enjoy collaborating with your team?” There’s nothing you can do with yes or no answers. Instead, ask employees to rate statements like “teamwork is valued and encouraged in the company.” Assess key areas like wellbeing, recognition and autonomy. Give employees an opportunity to speak their minds. Also, employees’ personal lives influence work engagement. For example, employees who have long commutes might not be happy when coming to the office in the morning and try to leave as early as possible. Use open-ended questions to find out if there are any personal issues that prevent them from feeling good at work.

• Take results with a pinch of salt. (Unless your response rates are phenomenal.) A larger sample size can help you get more reliable results. Encourage employees to respond. Making engagement surveys mandatory will boost your response rates, but it might also harm engagement levels, frustrating disengaged employees even further. Offering incentives could be a better option.

• Be ready to act. When results are analyzed, plan your course of action immediately. Communicate any changes you’ve decided and take small steps fast. If you haven’t found a way to deal with a problem yet, or think it’d be impossible to do so, tell employees. Explain your reasoning and tell them what you’ll do instead.

• Involve managers. Most managers and supervisors think HR have ownership of employee engagement surveys. It’s true that HR play a big part in the process. But, employee engagement won’t improve unless managers are involved.

Finally, it’s important to understand that employee engagement surveys measure, rather than drive, employee engagement. The key to driving engagement and employee retention is to build a pleasant and empowering workplace. And that can only happen through a systematic and holistic approach. Improving employee engagement should be an everyday goal.

The post How to approach employee engagement surveys appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

The needle of diversity is moving too slowly. Perhaps change can be accelerated by showing how diversity can drive extraordinary value. It’s now about determining how to unlock it.

Diversity is more than gender

The dominant focal points for diversity are gender and ethnicity. The deficit in these dimensions is obvious in most organizations, as they’re relatively easy to measure. They’re also well informed by moral, ethical, and social drivers, as much as anything else.

When you consider organizational performance, there is a range of categories you can add to gender and ethnicity that provide an even greater opportunity for unlocking value. Differing perspectives are shaped by people’s sexual orientation, their age, their immigrant status, the industries they’ve worked in, the physical locations they’re in, and even the size of the organizations they’ve been part of. The list goes on.

The more you can adopt the mindset that difference equals value, the more attuned you’ll be to that value when you encounter it in a job interview, a meeting, or a business case.

What’s the point of having a highly diverse team if you can’t draw out the unique experiences, capabilities, and perspectives of each of your people? The challenge for every leader is to create an environment where people feel safe to contribute, to challenge each other, and to debate issues with a view to getting the best outcome – and not simply pushing your own opinions.

Competing against this ideal are two things: our natural tendency to avoid conflict, and our fear of being wrong. But high-performing teams aren’t built on unanimity and consensus. They are built on robust debate, respectful challenge, and fearless honesty.

Six tips for leveraging diversity

Leveraging diversity is most important in two scenarios:

1. When you’re solving a complex problem.
2. When you’re making a difficult decision.

These are the points at which you want as much diversity of input as possible. It will help you to avoid groupthink, and consider factors that may not have been identified by a less diverse group.

As most of this type of work occurs in group settings, these six practical tips on leveraging diversity will help you to maximize the opportunities when they present themselves.

1. Qualify the room

Only people who can add value to a decision or problem should be in the room, and this is usually fewer people than you think (or they think). People love having input in an all care, no responsibility way, but that’s not constructive. It slows the process down and adds little value to the outcome.

Get the right people in the room, give them all the information they need to fully contribute to the topic, and create an environment where it’s easy for them to express their views.

2. Don’t speak first

As a leader, it’s important to empower and encourage people to contribute before they have the benefit of knowing your position. Only the most resilient and robust individuals will contradict or offer alternatives to a strong leader, once that leader has shown her hand.

Facilitating the conversation to draw out people’s views and incorporate them into the framework of the discussion will do a lot to unlock diversity, so you don’t want to stymie that in any way.

3. Listen objectively

Listening is a much underrated skill, but one that’s critical to fostering diversity. We naturally tend to discard any information that doesn’t conform to our own world view.

Putting aside your own preferences and viewpoints, and asking yourself a few simple questions will improve your listening skills:

• What can I learn from this?
• What am I hearing that I hadn’t considered previously?
• How can this perspective improve our current position?

When you open yourself to the input of others, you’ll pick up some valuable insights that can only add to the existing conversation.

4. Draw in the quiet ones

Many people don’t like to talk in group forums. They need to learn to, and as a leader you need to teach them how. Although it might be safer and less confrontational to send an email to express their views, people only bring true value when they allow their ideas to be challenged.

When moderating group discussions, call on these people by name. Support them, and show them that their perspectives are valued, and that it’s safe for them to contribute.

5. Show a willingness to shift

When something changes your mind, or improves your understanding of an issue, be explicit about the fact that you’re changing your mind based on their input. This will encourage people to contribute in the future. If you don’t constantly demonstrate a willingness to be convinced of an opinion other than your own, people will stop offering theirs.

Once people can see that their ideas can make a real difference, they’ll be more likely to offer them up. Over time, this will become a key motivator for your people.

6. Encourage robust debate

Respectful, robust debate is the means by which alternative viewpoints are uncovered and challenged. Help your people to become more confident by rewarding them for engaging in this way.

Public praise and one-on-one reinforcement can motivate someone to up the ante in their contribution, because they understand why it’s important and they’re prepared to take a little personal risk to see that unfold.

Without robust debate of alternative viewpoints, people’s input is only of marginal value.

Make performance through diversity your brand

Your ability to liberate people’s talent and experience is the real key to unlocking and leveraging diversity. Ultimately, this becomes a true driver of performance, and a defining characteristic of your team. Results speak louder than anything else, so if you learn to harness the power of diversity to drive better results, people will sit up and pay attention.

Once this becomes part of your culture, it forms an important plank in your employee value proposition. Why would people want to work for you? Because you value diversity in a way that takes the organization to new levels of performance – it’s your brand, after all.

Who wouldn’t want to work in a company like that?

Martin G. Moore is the former CEO of CS Energy. Within five years, he grew earnings from $17 million to $441 million, a compound annual growth rate of 125%. Moore hosts the chart-topping No Bullsh!t Leadership podcast, and his book, No Bullsh!t Leadership, is scheduled to be published in August 2021.

The post Diversity on its own isn’t enough: 6 tips to leverage value appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Employees want skills development, growth opportunities, and connection

The pandemic was an “awakening” for many people. Most welcomed remote work with open arms. Unsurprisingly, a majority of office employees would prefer remote work to continue in some form, with 68% preferring a hybrid remote working model, according to a Slack survey.

And nearly a third of workers in Workable’s Great Discontent survey put considerable value on remote work.

Integrating work and home a top benefit of working remotely in US

The idea that work could be done remotely was not the only thing employees realized and latched onto. Multiple surveys have revealed that the pandemic caused many people to rethink their career paths. Now, people see upskilling and career pathing as an even greater priority. In fact, BCG found that 50% of U.S. employees are happy to reskill for new roles.

We’ve seen this play out at our own organization. MentorcliQ recently hired a Client Partner from outside of our industry. During their interview process, the candidate proactively asked what resources were available to learn more about the HR space. After hiring, we paired them with an experienced Client Partner through our functional onboarding program who helped them come up to speed in a new space.

Employee needs now go beyond remote work and skills development, however. The pandemic has dramatically increased feelings of loneliness. Even as people demand more remote work and upskilling opportunities, they’re also seeking more options to connect with their colleagues.

Finding ways to foster those types of connections is critical, as loneliness at work increases the risk of turnover. And that’s not lost on employers, who say building connections is a major priority when onboarding new employees remotely.

Mentoring programs offer a solution for all of these challenges. They’re easily adaptable for 100% virtual work environments, in-person workplaces, or remote hybrid workplaces. Your company can also create multiple types of mentoring programs that serve different needs, such as functional skills training, onboarding, or interest-based group mentoring to help employees form deep and lasting connections with their colleagues.

Candidates want to see what you’re doing for DEI

Many companies have been slow to adopt diversity, equity, and inclusion goals. That’s a serious mistake. If you still think DEI is a fad, it’s time to change your thought process. Studies by McKinsey and many others have shown that, on average, companies that are more diverse have better financial performance than their non-diverse counterparts.

While that’s an important business case for DEI, diversity is also a priority for potential new hires, especially those from the Millennial and Gen Z generations. A 2020 Glassdoor survey found that 76% of employees use available diversity metrics to evaluate whether they even want to apply to a potential job. Putting your DEI cards on the table is a distinct advantage.

Consequently, that means if you have mentoring programs that focus on DEI, as well as data to back up the value of those programs, you should make that information available. That can include reverse mentoring programs, talent networks for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ employees, and employee resource groups (ERGs).

Importantly, don’t just say that you have these programs; be willing to give potential hires the freedom to speak to employees who utilize and benefit from these programs.

All good relationships are built on trust. Better quality candidates will be attracted to your company when they feel like you aren’t holding back information that’s critical to their decision to work for you. Show them how you’re using mentoring to increase and foster DEI and they’re more likely to find that your company aligns with their value

Replicate what’s already working to attract better candidates

Hiring managers often feel pressure to get innovative and creative to attract talent. Sometimes, however, the best thing you can do is to see what successful companies are doing and apply those strategies to your own organization.

Recently, MentorcliQ found that 84% of U.S. Fortune 500 companies have mentoring programs. That number goes up to 100% among the top 50. The reason why so many of these companies offer mentoring programs is fairly straightforward: through trial and error, the most successful companies in the world discovered that mentoring works.

Consequently, during the economic upheaval of 2020, Fortune 500 companies with visible mentoring programs experienced year-over-year profit changes that were 53% better than Fortune 500 companies with no known mentoring programs.

What you’ll find is that most of these companies also proudly advertise their mentoring programs on their company websites, in job advertisements, and throughout the hiring process. They want potential applicants who research the company to see exactly what perks they offer, and they recognize that most applicants will be attracted to mentoring as one among many perks they look for.

Source: Hilton careers page

Mentoring is versatile; that’s why it works

If your company already has mentoring programs in place, consider leveraging those programs across your public-facing presence and prominently within your hiring process. Make it obvious that you offer mentoring programs so that it’s not a mystery, and ensure that potential applicants know what type of mentoring programs are available.

Don’t have mentoring programs at your organization? It’s never too late to start. Many companies use their existing ERGs as a launching pad for structured mentoring programs. Even starting with an onboarding mentoring program is an easy way to step into mentoring with a huge potential value-add to your organization, both in reducing turnover and attracting talent.

The great thing about mentoring programs is that they’re highly versatile. Understand what your potential applicants are looking for beyond just the salary. Then, speak to that by focusing on the perks that you offer, including how your mentoring programs support personal and career growth, connection, DEI, and/or overall well-being. That’s an investment with high value and return both for you and for your employees.

Lora Zotter is vice president of people operations at MentorcliQ, a mentoring software solution that helps organizations launch, support, and grow high-impact employee mentoring programs. Lora leads MentorcliQ’s global People Ops team with a focus on optimizing every aspect of the employee journey from hiring & onboarding to comp & benefits to internal mentoring & professional development, all while maintaining a fun, engaging, and inclusive culture.

The post Invest in your employees: It’s worth it for both you and them appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Some companies such as Microsoft, IBM, Slack, Ford, Target, and Citigroup have already planned out and gone full steam ahead on their own version of a hybrid work model that includes both remote and in-office work, but that return-to-work plan is not going to work for every company.

Your return-to-work plan: What’s best?

To even begin to decide on what will work best for your team, you’ll need to ask yourself:

• Has the remote setup been working well for my company?
• Do my employees even want to go back to the office?
• If some do, how do we decide when, how and who goes back?
• And if opinions are split, how do we balance each side and make sure all employees’ preferences are heard and accounted for?

Those are the types of questions we’ll help you sort through.

Here are 6 tips to help you decide whether you should return to the office (if at all), so you can put together the best return-to-work plan for your company:

1. Listen to employee feedback

As challenging as this past year has been for businesses, it has arguably been far more challenging for individual employees since they’ve had to continue being productive despite what’s going on in their new working environment (their home), or how much child and family care coverage they have, and to what level their home office is equipped for remote work. Employees also have no choice but to look to their company leaders for guidance on what to do and how to move forward.

For that reason, you should take your employee feedback into consideration when deciding whether to go fully remote, go back to the office, or start a hybrid work model in your return-to-work strategy.

You can unlock your employee feedback in a few different ways:

• Sending an employee survey
• Having an open forum at an all-hands meeting
• Incorporating feedback exchange during individual 1v1 discussions

A perfect example of a company who has relied on employee feedback for their approach to returning to the office is IBM.

Earlier in 2021, IBM held a “global brainstorm” with the entire company to get real-time feedback about whether employees want to return to work, and how often. In that session that they call a “Jam” – 60% of employees said they wanted to go into the office one to three days a week and 72% said they saw the office as having a vital role for employees to come together and collaborate on projects in the future.

That exact employee feedback helped shape how IBM is approaching its future hybrid work model, which they admit isn’t set in stone and will need to adapt as the global pandemic situation develops differently around the world where their employees are.

An example of what not to do in a return-to-work plan comes from none other than Google.

Before vaccines were even available to most of their employees (CEO Sundar Pichai voiced intentions in early April 2021 about bringing employees back to the office; in L.A., vaccines were only made available to individuals 16 and older in mid-April), Google leadership decisively shared their commitment to return to the office, even while many of their employees don’t want to go back.

Google subsequently publicly backtracked their initial return to work plans in favor of a much more remote-friendly stance after finally listening to their employees’ feedback.

2. Refer to the data

Like with any major business decision, data is your friend. It helps give you an objective perspective of how others are approaching the same decision you’re about to make. Pair that current, relevant data with the employee feedback you’ve been gathering from inside your organization, and you’ll be in a much better position to design a path forward that works for you.

Some key questions to gather data around:

• Which working setup do employees typically prefer: remote, in office, or hybrid?
• How many days a week in the office vs. remote is most desirable?
• How are other company leaders thinking about returning to work?

In a PwC study, more than half (55%) of 1,200 workers surveyed said they prefer working remotely three days a week. Meanwhile, 68% of 133 U.S. executives said workers should be in the office at least three days a week, citing concerns that company culture will not survive a purely remote work model. Likewise, in an Envoy return to the workplace survey, nearly half of respondents (48%) say they’d like to work some days remotely and some days from the office.

Using data can also steer you towards something you hadn’t even thought about, such as the idea of negotiating a compromise with employees who feel strongly one way or another.

In that same Envoy study, 41% of workers said they would be willing to take a job with a lower salary if their company offered a hybrid work model. And a WeWork study revealed that 75% of employees are willing to give up at least one benefit or perk for the freedom to choose their work environment, while 64% would pay up to $300 for access to an office space.

If the operational costs of managing a hybrid work model is something that is holding you back from making a decision on a return-to-work plan, referring to data about different angles of this back-to-the-office challenge can offer alternative solutions to make everyone happy.

3. Assess the impact on your tools & processes

Whatever decision you make regarding going remote, back to the office, or hybrid, remember that your decision doesn’t just impact where your employees work but how they work – by themselves, with each other and with everyone else in their professional lives.

This means you’ll need to think about how your tools and processes would need to adapt to suit your future setup. These are some areas of your return-to-work plan where your tools and processes may change:

• Hiring. Your stance on remote, hybrid or in-office will impact your future recruiting efforts and who you’ll be able to attract. At the very least, your HR team will likely need to rework job descriptions and contracts, not only for new hires but for all your existing employees and contractors.
• Communication. Your employees have already done a lot of adapting to make employee communication work while remote, whether that means setting standard working hours, defining when to use Slack vs. email, or communicating more asynchronously. Whatever your future setup is, this is an area that you’ll need to continue to refine and create norms and standards around.
• Onboarding. Your onboarding process is designed to set your new team members up with everything they need to succeed, so you don’t want to drop the ball on that. Going forward, you’ll need to be clear on: how will employees be onboarded if they are working from home? How much in-person onboarding, if any, is required or expected? What does a remote employee onboarding process look like?
• Technology. Your company may have already provided a work-from-home stipend to employees to ensure they could continue to be productive while working from their homes. Will that be enough support in the long term? If not, what other technology needs will you need to address? Are there equity issues at play? What will these technologies cost?
• Performance evaluations. If employees and their managers rarely or never interact in person, what does that mean for your evaluation, promotion and compensation processes?

4. Consider your goals and vision as a company

How does a decision to go fully remote, hybrid, or back to the office align with your vision and goals as an organization?

This question is a crucial one to think through carefully, because you need to balance your company’s driving beliefs with the practical impact of those decisions on your business and HR processes.

A great example of a company who has managed this well is social media software company Buffer, who ditched their office way back in 2015 and have been a distributed company for years even before the pandemic. Their leadership’s perspective on remote work is well documented, and they were able to align on a remote work model as the right solution for their employees, for reasons including freedom, time zone coverage, productivity and lots more.

Does your team have to reach the same level of consensus as Buffer’s leadership team? Not necessarily. But you’ll always be better off using your company goals as a guide to your decision making than to neglect them.

Also, keep in mind that this step will be easier for some companies than others. Different people in your organization might view your company goals differently, which may prolong your ability to reach an agreement on a return-to-work plan. And if your business’ product or service requires regular, real-time face-to-face interaction with customers and clients, it might mean you can’t get rid of your office altogether even if you’re strongly considering it.

5. Be transparent

If you’re holding off any sort of employee communications about your decision until after that decision has been made, you’re communicating too late. What you’ll essentially be doing is fostering uncertainty among your employees and within your organizational culture, where rumors, gossip and assumptions will thrive.

What will typically follow closely after that is a wide sense of employee unrest and insecurity about your company’s (and their) future, and then a trend of team members starting to look for a job elsewhere where the remote vs. in-office stance is clear.

What happens if even you as a leader are uncertain about the future, and don’t have any information or decisions yet to share with employees? You can still create a communication plan in times of uncertainty, by sharing:

• What decisions you expect to make in the near future
• What your decision making process entails / who is involved
• When and how employees should expect to get updates on that decision

Covering these points of communication in periodic small meetings and one-and-ones will help you understand your individual team members’ most pressing issues. Also, ideally your organization has designated some forum or message board where employees can pose their questions, so that the communication on a return-to-work plan isn’t only flowing top-down.

6. Commit to a decision timeline

Deciding if (and then how) your employees are going back to the office isn’t something you should do lightly. And while, fortunately, nobody is forcing your company to make a decision by a certain date, it’s in your best interest to consider all of your options and pick a direction sooner than later.

Many employees already have their own expectations about what’s going to happen this year: according to a survey of 7,000 professionals on Blind, an anonymous professional network, 67% believe everyone will be back in the office by the end of next year. The other one-third of professionals believe they will be back in the office in the summer of 2021.

Rather than staying stuck in limbo, make your decision – or at least commit to when you will make your decision – to give employees peace of mind and certainty, and also give your HR and operations teams something to build upon.

A well-planned return-to-work plan can reap dividends for your organization in the form of increased employee engagement and mitigation of costly turnover. It’s worth putting some thought into it before rolling it out as a formal policy.

Linda Le Phan leads content for Compt, an employee stipends platform that’s fully customizable to your company’s needs, 100% IRS-compliant, and supports global teams.

The post Remote, hybrid or back to the office? How to decide on the right return-to-work plan for your company appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Employee training and development programs, when thoughtfully implemented, are the cornerstone of a company’s success.

Here’s a guide on how to build your first employee training program:

Where to start with employee training programs

Identify your training needs

Before designing your learning and development program, assess your needs. You could start with a skills gap analysis. Here’s how to structure your analysis:

Once you’ve identified your needs and desired skills, begin planning your employee training program. Your program should aim to develop the skills you deem most important.

Set your objectives

Training just for the sake of it costs money and time. Define the goals of your programs before you commit. Ask yourself questions like:

• How will employee performance improve after this program?

  • For example, “Our accountants will learn how to use X tool to handle transactions faster.”

• How will employees better achieve business goals after this program?

  • For example, “Our sales team will use new negotiation skills to increase sales quotas by X% in Y months.”

• How will this training program better prepare employees to take on managerial roles?

  • For example, “X employee will be able to implement constructive performance reviews for his/her team.”

• How will this program improve our employee retention rates?

  • For example, “Our turnover rate next year will decrease by X% after we plan team-building activities that boost employee morale and retention.”

Include your employees

Ask your staff what they would like to learn more about, and get them involved in designing a training program. Employee training and development programs work best when employees shape them.

Before launching a program, ask employees:

• What would make you feel more confident at work?

  • A salesperson might say: “I would feel more confident at work if I participated in a sales role-playing exercise with a senior coworker for difficult sales scenarios.”

• What learning methods work for you?

  • Some people find live sessions more interesting, while others prefer training at their own pace through online courses.

• What would improve your team’s performance?

  • Some employees might want training on communication techniques and time-management methods.

• What are your interests outside of work?

  • The kinds of conferences employees like to attend or the books they like to read can provide insight into how to build better employee retention programs.

Types of employee training programs

Before you pick a training program, consider your options. Different training programs address varying needs, budgets and desirable outcomes. Here’s an overview of training program types to help you choose the most suitable one.

Internal vs. Outsourced

Decide whether you want to design internal training programs, or hire a professional company to help train your employees. There are benefits and drawbacks to both in-house and outsourced training program types:

If you want to outsource your employees’ training, you could start by checking out these companies:

• 1Source Professional Training Solutions
• TrainSmart
• Idea Learning Group

Classroom-style vs. Workshop-style

Classroom-style training works best for storytelling sessions and presentations. Host workshop-style programs for brainstorming, simulation and role-playing games. Here’s a breakdown of both classroom-style and workshop programs:

In-house seminars vs. Industry conferences

Train more employees at the same time by hosting an in-house seminar. Paying for industry conferences allows you to offer custom learning opportunities to your employees. Here’s an overview of the qualities of both training types:

Individual vs. Group training

Group training will go a long way for departments that benefit from cross-team training, (e.g. communication skills training may benefit both sales and marketing teams.) Build individualized learning programs into your training plans to give employees more freedom to shape their own learning.

Skills-based training vs. Management training

Hone your skills-based training programs to help employees perform their every-day job duties better (e.g. technical training, like how to use Salesforce). Use management training to help individuals develop leadership qualities.

On-the-job training vs. External resources training

On-the-job training involves coaching and works well for new hires. You could also consider giving your employees access to educational resources (like physical or digital libraries and e-learning tools) which are easy to use and cost-effective.

Other types of training that may apply to your organization include:

• Professional training, where employees are required to update their knowledge and/or get industry certifications. For example, accountants may obtain CPAs to advance their careers.

• Safety training, which aims to protect employees from accidents. For example, first aid, fire drills and hazardous materials training.

• Quality training, to certify workers conform to standards. For example, eliminating product flaws or complying with environmental laws.

Assess employee training programs

No training program is complete until you measure its results. Review and redesign your educational programs if they don’t meet your intended objectives. Use employee feedback to inform the process. Ask employees:

• What new (e.g. task, tool, skill) did you learn from the program?
• How will (or did) you apply this newly-acquired knowledge on the job?
• What did you like about the program and what should we improve (e.g. topic, methodology, instructor, material)?

Over time, you can gauge the effectiveness of your training programs by tracking improvements in employee performance.

Training programs work best in smaller, routine chunks, as opposed to one-time educational blips. Adopt a learning and development culture at your company to prompt all employees to seek personal and professional advancement.

The post How to build your first employee training program appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

In fact, some surveys tell us that as many as 54% of all members of Gen Z want to become freelancers or start their own business. The number of self-employed people in 2021 was up 34% from 2020 to a staggering 51 million people in the United States. That’s roughly 15% of the entire population in the country working for themselves.

Cultural factors such as the rise of side hustles and part-time employment opportunities available through the Internet and social media are contributing to these numbers. More than two-thirds (68%) of those who began freelancing in 2021 were either millennials or Gen Z. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that self-employment is due to rise quicker than average employment growth over the next 10 years.

Employers need to catch up

During the pandemic and this challenging employment market, employers must reckon with these trends and consider how to incorporate this cultural shift into their recruitment policy.

During the pandemic and this challenging employment market, employers must reckon with these trends and consider how to incorporate this cultural shift into their recruitment policy.

While some effects of these trends can certainly be traced back to timing and the pandemic, the broader move towards virtual work and self-employment is a permanent one.

Those who choose the freelance and self-employed route are doing so for a variety of reasons. Employers need to understand what those are, and think about how to replicate them in their own workplaces if they want to remain competitive in the talent market.

There are, of course, benefits and drawbacks to self-employment and business ownership. Let’s first look at the main benefits:

What are the advantages of being self-employed?

1. Flexible schedule

Our collective understanding of work-life balance is changing to prioritize more time with family and better mental health. One of the themes we saw over and over again in the research we shared in our Great Discontent report was that candidates increasingly value a flexible work schedule.

This trend is reflected in candidates’ preferences – and often, their need – for jobs that allow them to work when it’s most convenient for them.

Flexible work, of course, is one of the hallmarks of self-employment. By definition, the contractor/client relationship prohibits clients from dictating how and when the contractor does their work, as they do for their employees.

2. Remote work

Despite some predicting that remote work would end en masse as soon as the pandemic did, we haven’t seen that occur. Instead remote work, like COVID-19, appears here to stay.

Candidates in our recent survey responded that, like flexible work, remote work options were very important when making the decision on where to work. Many are flat-out turning down jobs that are requiring employees to return to work in-person. And as is also the case with flexible work, countless self-employed people choose to work remotely.

Remote work also reduces or eliminates time spent commuting – we found that to be a perk in the Great Discontent survey as well. It’s also a benefit in other areas, as commuting is bad for our mental health, our finances, and the environment.

3. Better balance of caretaking/parenting challenges

Self-employed people can choose to work when and where they please. This is a bonus when it comes to caring for other family members – especially parents of young children.

They can take time off to take children to doctor’s appointments, or for a leisurely lunch with a friend, without needing to justify their actions.

4. 100% ownership of your business

Freelancing allows individuals the chance to create and retain their business’ value. This compared to a full-time employment scenario, in which a person rents out their labor to build value for a company, but retains no ownership stake or long-term financial investment in the company’s success.

The self-employment model potentially offers more financial stability and opportunities for wealth generation in the long term than traditional full-time employment. In fact, in a recent Upwork-commissioned study from September 2020, 60% of freelancers said they make more than they would in a traditional full-time job – and that percentage is up seven points from 2019.

5. No red tape or corporate politics

Excluding the red tape associated with handling your own business affairs like taxes, self-employment is refreshingly free of the red tape and politics associated with the corporate world.

When you’re outside of the corporate hierarchy, the contortions that full-time corporate employees must go through to manage social expectations, coworker relationships, and bosses are none of your concern.

This can be remarkably freeing, especially for introverts or others who are averse to the petty politics that often govern an office’s social structure.

6. Uncapped earning potential

Very few traditional full-time professions offer the benefit of uncapped earning potential, though this is one of the coolest and most convenient benefits of freelancing.

Freelance work, and therefore one’s income, can be scaled up or down depending on a person’s income targets for a given month. Your nanny is on vacation so you need to focus on taking care of your three children this month? Scale down for less responsibility and more free time. Looking to save for a down payment on a home? Scale up by looking for more, or higher paying, clients.

7. Ability to do work you’re passionate about

For many, self-employment represents the opportunity to do work they’re deeply passionate about. Often we are skilled in areas that we’d enjoy working in but in which there are no real full-time jobs available. Freelancing can give individuals the opportunity to combine their unique skill sets and pursue work they’re uniquely qualified for.

We see this play out in the arts industry specifically, where rates of self-employment are significantly higher than of all other professions – with 30% of artists working in freelance, according to a report from the National Endowment for the Arts. Full-time, profitable jobs in the arts are few and far between, but working as a freelancer can offer a better income and more job opportunities.

8. Freedom and control over one’s own career

A freelance career offers complete freedom. Lost interest in accounting and instead prefer to start a business doing wedding floral arrangements? Go for it! Want to cancel all your Friday meetings and go to a spa? No one’s stopping you!

It’s never been easier to start freelancing with zero startup capital, making this an open-source opportunity available to anyone with a solid internet connection and a willingness to work hard.

9. Pride in a job well done

Freelance work offers rewards based on a job well done, rather than simply showing up to work every day. Because it’s so results-focused, freelancers feel a sense of pride and ownership when they complete a project.

Got all that? Good. Now, let’s look at the main disadvantages of running one’s own operation.

What are the disadvantages of being self-employed?

1. Lack of insurance/benefits

One of the most difficult (and expensive) issues to navigate as a freelancer is finding benefits. With the widespread prevalence of employer-offered healthcare in the United States, leaving one’s job and finding healthcare on the open market can feel scary and risky. Self-employed people often end up paying more for healthcare.

Self-employed people also miss out on other financial benefits offered by employers, like 401K matching, stock options, temporary disability insurance, and vision/dental care.

2. Fluctuating income and work load

This one is a double-edged sword. While a variable work schedule can be harnessed for benefits like scalable workload and uncapped earning potential, it can also be difficult to cope without financial literacy, a healthy emergency fund, and the tenacity to get through some lean months.

3. Risk and stress

Likewise, some find that the risk inherent to business ownership, innovation, and self-employment is simply too stressful to cope with. That’s okay! What works for one person doesn’t work for everyone, and we all have different levels of risk tolerance depending on our financial situation.

While risk is to some degree a key component of any business venture, many self-employed people testify that they actually feel freelancing gives them financial security they never had while working a traditional full-time job. No one client makes up the entirety of a freelancer’s income, and should one client go under, they are easily replaced.

4. Loneliness and isolation

Psychologically, working for yourself is quite challenging. To use a common phrase, the buck stops with you. If something needs doing, you’re probably the one who does it.

While you can pick up many unique and helpful skills in this situation, it can also be lonely and isolating to deal with everything about your business on your own. There’s no one to hand the reins to when you want a break.

5. Tax disadvantages

There are financial advantages to traditional employment that employees take for granted. For example, employers pay half of the payroll tax due for their employees. The other half is generally automatically withheld from an employee’s paycheck. But self-employed people pay both parts themselves in the form of self-employment tax. The difference? Freelancers pay an additional seven percent of gross revenue to taxes, or 15.3% in total. That’s a major financial disadvantage.

Self-employed people also have to manually withhold their own taxes and pay them quarterly throughout the year to the IRS and their state’s department of revenue.

6. Added burden of business development

Freelancers must regularly spend time marketing their services to other businesses. This can add to your workload, but without it, it may be difficult to find new clients. Some find this cycle exhausting.

Use this to your advantage

As mentioned above, a key talent attraction opportunity for employers here is to incorporate the benefits of self-employment, and emphasize the things they can offer in a job that self-employment does not.

Employers suffer when they struggle to hire or retain great people, and employees suffer when their employers don’t respect their full lives and personal responsibilities. Creating a more balanced working relationship benefits everyone involved.

Employers suffer when they struggle to hire or retain great people, and employees suffer when their employers don’t respect their full lives and personal responsibilities. Creating a more balanced working relationship benefits everyone involved.

How employers can attract candidates with the benefits of self-employment

1. Fast-track the hiring process

Getting rid of unnecessary red tape is an easy way to emulate the freedom self-employed people enjoy. And furthermore, everyone hates it when the hiring process takes too long.

2. Support a collaborative culture

The managerial hierarchy of large corporations can be exhausting, confusing, and demoralizing. Creating a more collaborative culture, where employees of all ranks feel listened to, can give a taste of the creative freedom self-employed people enjoy.

3. Offer ownership stake in the company

Partial or full ownership of the fruits of your labor is a key element of financial freedom, and while small business ownership offers this in spades, traditional employers typically do not. But they can. This desire for ownership stake is a significant reason people work at startups – because they offer the chance at partial ownership which can become extremely profitable down the line.

There are also other methods of sharing ownership for companies that aren’t public, like tying bonuses to company performance.

4. Compensate fairly and competitively

With record inflation this past year, employees across the country are hurting financially. Finances are one of the most commonly cited reasons employees give to explain why they’re switching jobs. Reevaluate your compensation structure to make sure it truly is fair and generous in today’s environment.

Unpredictable finances are a major factor that drives people to leave freelancing and seek traditional employment. You can take advantage of this angle by offering a generous, regular paycheck.

5. Give flexible work and remote options

Flexible and remote work are now the norm for most white-collar workers, and if you don’t offer these perks, you’re falling behind. Keep in mind, too, that many people become freelancers because they can’t cope with the rigid work schedule most employers require.

Whether because they deal with a chronic illness or because they have young children to care for, flexible work is the answer for many who struggle to balance personal and work responsibilities. If you already offer flexible or remote work options, sweeten the deal with a home office stipend or student debt repayment assistance.

6. Encourage creativity and independence

Creative or entrepreneurial employees often leave to start their own businesses in part because their unique contributions go unappreciated or ignored within the narrow-minded managerial structure.

If you can show employees that those qualities add value to the company and are appreciated, you’re more likely to keep them. Everyone likes to have autonomy and agency at work.

7. Create purpose and engagement

What does your company serve? Whose lives do you benefit? Do you manufacture products that destroy the environment or rely on inhumane, cheap labor?

People are highly motivated to give their time and energy to causes they believe in. Emulate the feeling of purpose and pride a person feels when they do work they know will make a positive impact.

8. Foster community and team building

Many self-employed people struggle with feeling isolated. There is nothing quite like working on a team of intelligent, hard-working people to collaborate on a common goal. Present your company culture as a real employment benefit – because it should be.

9. Give praise where it’s due

Self-employment is often thankless. Retain your employees by showing them that you support them, financially and personally. Spotlight employees who are doing great work and offer opportunities for growth and higher education for everyone.

If your organization is struggling to find candidates right now, as so many are, take note of the trend towards self-employment. There are real cultural and economical factors driving many highly qualified candidates to choose self-employment right now. If you want to work with them but aren’t willing or able to do so on a contract basis, you can use this insight about advantages of self-employment to tailor your recruiting messaging for today’s labor market.

The post Starved for talent? Support the freelance lifestyle at your work appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Instead of firing them, help your employee remain a productive team member by following these seven tips.

1. Discuss outpatient treatment

Many people with addictions require inpatient treatment. That means they live at the treatment center, which makes it difficult to continue working.

However, people with milder addictions and strong support systems at home may qualify for outpatient treatment. In outpatient treatment, a person regularly attends a treatment center while living at home. They can then schedule their treatment sessions around their work schedule.

Encourage your employees to ask their doctors whether they qualify for outpatient treatment.

2. Set up an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a work-based program that helps employees cope with addictions and other personal issues that affect their job performance. It provides free, confidential resources such as education, assessments, counseling, and referrals to support groups.

These services can help your employees navigate the challenges of working during treatment. They’re usually available via phone, e-mail, video chat, or online chat.

Most employers operate EAPs through third-party providers. To find a provider, search online EAP directories, such as this one. You can also ask fellow employers for referrals.

3. Provide accommodations

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), employers must provide reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities, including addiction.

An accommodation is a change to a job or work environment that helps a person with a disability complete the job’s essential functions. Common accommodations for people with addictions include:

• more frequent breaks
• special break locations
• support animals
• weekly meetings to determine whether the accommodations are working

Accommodations can help your employees feel more calm and productive as they balance work with addiction treatment.

4. Offer a more flexible work schedule

When you provide a more flexible work schedule, employees won’t miss out on therapy appointments, support groups, or other important services that boost their overall well-being and productivity.

As a bonus, flexible work schedules decrease stress. Stress often causes a person with addiction to relapse (start using drugs again).

Before your employees start addiction treatment, ask if they’ll need any adjustments to their work schedules. Hold regular meetings to ensure their current schedule is effective for both your employee and the company.

5. Encourage self-care

As mentioned above, stress is a common cause of relapse. That’s why you should create a workplace that promotes self-care and relaxation.

For example, you could designate a quiet area of the office for meditation and mindfulness. The area may include features such as:

• dim lighting
• soothing artwork
• a comfortable couch
• yoga mats or prayer mats
• peaceful music

Employees with addictions can come to this area when faced with cravings or other stressful emotions.

To further reduce stress, remind employees to take full lunch breaks and avoid taking work home on weekends (unless they find the extra work helps keep their minds off drugs).

You can also encourage self-care by reminding employees to:

• get at least eight hours of sleep per night
• eat a well-balanced diet with plenty of vegetables, fruits, and other nutritious foods
• exercise regularly

6. Reduce stigma

Like other mental health conditions, drug addiction attracts a large amount of stigma. Other people in your office may judge an employee with addiction as lazy or weak. This type of judgment can cause stress, which increases the risk of relapse.

To help your employee stay calm and productive during treatment, create a stigma-free workplace. For instance, you could hold mandatory meetings that explain how addiction is a disease rather than a moral failing.

Also, tell your staff to avoid stigmatizing language like “addict” or “junkie.” They should instead use person-first, non-judgmental language such as “a person with addiction.”

7. Discuss medical leave

If your employee needs inpatient treatment, remind them that they can take medical leave.

If your company has at least 50 employees, you’re probably covered by the Family and Medical Leave ACT (FMLA). This Act provides up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for medical reasons, including addiction treatment.

To qualify for FMLA leave, your employee must have worked for your company for at least 12 months and at least 1,250 hours during the 12 months before taking leave.

If your company isn’t covered by FMLA, it might be covered by your state’s family and medical leave laws.

Aside from medical leave, your employees can also take time off for treatment using their Paid Time Off (PTO).

Once your employee completes treatment, facilitate a smooth transition back to work by encouraging frequent, open communication. Also, point your employee to resources such as the EAP when necessary.

Amy Matton is a content writer for Ark Behavioral Health. She strives to reduce the stigma surrounding addiction and other mental health conditions.

The post Employees with addiction: 7 tips to retain them during treatment appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Fostering a positive environment that supports team members as people instead of human capital is important, and in many instances, those initiatives are actually part of a compensation strategy, but a generous compensation package is a surefire way to catch the attention of quality candidates and establish loyalty with high-performing employees.

What does employee compensation really mean?

When people think of employee compensation, it’s usually the base salary of a position that initially comes to mind. However, total compensation includes employee benefits and perks.

Health insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, 401k matching, stock options, employee assistance programs, profit sharing, paid time off, sick days and additional incentives could all potentially be included in an employee benefits package and would count as compensation.

Read more: Money for nothing: are we ready for universal basic income?

Direct and indirect compensation

There are generally two different types of compensation: direct and indirect. A generous mix of both helps create an attractive compensation package for employees and organizations alike.

Direct compensation

Direct compensation is monetary and usually the most appealing aspect of employee compensation. Direct compensation options include:

• Salary/base pay
• Hourly pay
• Commission
• Bonuses

Indirect compensation

Indirect compensation may have a financial benefit, but doesn’t involve an exchange of money. Indirect compensation usually includes benefits and perks that improve an employee’s quality of life, such as:

• Healthcare
• Life Insurance
• Paid time off
• Family leave
• Sick leave
• Retirement plan contributions
• Company car
• Technology allowance
• Remote or hybrid work environment
• Four-day work week or flex days
• Tuition reimbursement
• Physical or financial wellness program
• Team outings or retreats
• Childcare
• Other perks

Indirect compensation options offer the additional advantage of increasing engagement, improving employee satisfaction, and demonstrating company culture.

Although a mountain of money always holds great appeal, a fair balance of cash plus life-improving benefits is a sustainable way for organizations to stay competitive when it comes to recruiting and retention.

Read more: New overtime law: How it works and what changes for employers

The importance of competitive employee compensation

The vast majority of employees work as a way to secure financial stability. So although your product could be amazing, your mission statement inspiring, and your corporate culture the coolest, it’s your ability to positively impact someone’s bottom line that’s going to make or break your staffing efforts.

Securing a highly skilled and/or productive workforce is one of the best investments an organization can make, and recruiting can be a challenge in a competitive job market. A generous compensation package can help attract talent, but maybe even more importantly, it can also help you keep valuable employees.

We learned this ourselves. According to our Great Discontent survey of over 500 full-time workers in the UK, 70.1% of respondents listed compensation as the leading motivator that could lure them from their current job. In the US, that number is 62.2%, but still the top choice for workers.

Employee turnover is costly and disruptive — the act of seeking out applicants, interviewing candidates, onboarding, equipping, training, and developing employees requires time, money, and expertise. An attractive employee compensation package builds loyalty and makes employees less vulnerable to competitor offers or recruiters.

As stated by a US-based respondent from the survey, “Employees will go where the money is. And where they’re treated respectfully and valued. But, mostly, it’s the money”.

This does raise a question around when in the hiring process you can start discussing salary. There’s a growing consensus on including salaries in job descriptions from the get-go – here’s why you can and should consider this in your own recruitment process.

How to build a competitive employee compensation plan

As you develop your employee compensation strategy, the first step is to decide how you’ll determine compensation for individual employees or positions. Options include:

1. Pay structures

Also known as salary or compensation structures, pay structures clarify an employee’s path to career growth and higher pay. This process for determining salaries is more transparent, predictable, and equitable than other options, particularly for companies with more than 250 employees. This compensation and development template can also be useful for your own work.

2. Salary history

Offering compensation based on prior salary history is tempting to many employees, however, it may perpetuate systemic pay disparities and could leave your organization vulnerable to discrimination lawsuits. Also, a growing number of US states prohibit employers from inquiring about salary history.

3. Arbitrary figures

A position that’s urgent or difficult to fill, or a particularly qualified candidate, may cause employers to offer whatever salary might persuade a candidate to accept their offer. A potential adverse effect is that direct reports could end up earning more than their managers or more than already-established employees with more seniority or experience.

Structure and strategy are key

To establish a pay structure, you need to first perform a job analysis to better define each position, and its duties, requirements, and qualifications. Then you need to determine the relative value of positions within your company.

You can determine base salary through benchmarking, where market trends would influence salary ranges or pay grades, where jobs are grouped and ranges are applied to each group. Some organizations use a combination of benchmarking and pay grades to establish compensation structures.

Enhance your compensation strategy by deciding on indirect compensation offerings to include in your employee benefits package. Consider not only benefit costs, but also what aligns with your company culture.

A competitive employee compensation package paired with being the type of organization talent wants to work for can pay off far beyond the costs.

The post Employee compensation – what you need to know and why appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Which bears the question: how do businesses recognize Juneteenth in a way that shows substantive support both now and in the future? And more importantly – it’s not just for the actual holiday itelf. Consider this a primer on how to ensure a truly inclusive working environment throughout the year and to recognize the day going forward.

Let’s start from the beginning:

What is Juneteenth?

A portmanteau of the words “June” and “Nineteenth”, Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas to announce the abolishment of slavery in the state under President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.

Also called Jubilee Day, Black Independence Day and Emancipation Day, Juneteenth is regularly celebrated across the United States but until Biden’s announcement was only a paid holiday in eight states including Massachusetts, New York, and Washington.

Five ways for employers to offer substantive support

While it’s important for employers to recognize this federal holiday, it’s also critical to strike the right tone considering the day’s historical significance and gravitas. Striking the right balance between celebratory and serious is essential.

With that in mind, here are five ways for employers to effectively show their support:

1. Offer paid time off

While employers aren’t obligated to offer time off — or holiday premium pay if staff work on federal holidays — this is the gold standard of support. If this isn’t logistically possible given the short time between the presidential announcement and the holiday itself, consider adding an extra day’s paid leave to staff accounts for them to use later this year, and subsequently recognizing Juneteenth as a paid holiday every year thereafter.

This is the approach taken by Workable. According to a recent email from CEO Nikos Moraitakis to US-based employees, “Workable will honor Juneteenth in 2021 by adding 1 bonus day to employee time-off balances. Going forward, Juneteenth will be observed following the federal holiday calendar.”

2. Create corporate events

Another way to show support for Juneteenth is by creating corporate events. These could include in-person information sessions or digital webcasts featuring guest speakers and experts who can help explain the history of Juneteenth, why it matters and how it relates to other U.S. holidays such as the Fourth of July. Here, your best bet is creating a healthy mix of fun events that celebrate the impact of Juneteenth while also paying respect to its more painful legacy.

3. Invest in worthy causes

Investment in causes such as fundraisers, charity drives or memorial races can also highlight the impact of Juneteenth and help corporate team-building efforts. If your company takes this approach, two components are critical: Finding the right cause and ensuring staff buy-in.

Before spending on any support effort, do your research so you understand the backstory of the event, are confident in where donations are going, and are clear about the expectations. Once you find the right cause, encourage staff participation by making it a full-day event during the regular work week that’s focused on both social recognition and socializing, rather than asking staff to show up on their own time.

4. Connect with black-owned businesses

Money talks. And with a host of black-owned businesses operating in every state and city across the United States, companies can show their support for Juneteenth by supporting black businesses owners that are instrumental in their communities.

While it doesn’t matter what product or service your company chooses to support, it does matter that this is an ongoing relationship — if you’re only supporting these businesses in June, expect some backlash.

5. Share staff stories

You can also recognize the federal holiday by highlighting the stories of your own employees and what Juneteenth means to them. Sharing these stories (with permission) across both internal networks and external social media accounts can serve to showcase your support — but must be done with caution. While posting on social media is quick, easy and offers substantive reach, this approach will appear self-serving unless it’s paired with more substantive support efforts.

Ready to show your support for Juneteenth? Just remember the three Rs — relevant, responsible and respectful — and you’re on the right track to highlight this federal holiday.

The post Juneteenth: 5 ways employers can recognize the holiday appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

While it’s important to cultivate a positive environment, we believe that prioritizing employee satisfaction is a more effective way to support our team and drive success.

Let’s explore why we emphasize employee satisfaction over happiness and how this approach benefits both our employees and our company as a whole.

Defining employee happiness and employee satisfaction

Before diving into our approach, let’s clarify the difference between employee happiness and employee satisfaction.

Happiness is a transient emotion that can be influenced by numerous factors, both personal and professional.

Employee satisfaction, on the other hand, refers to the overall contentment an employee feels in their role and the workplace environment.

Why we strive for employee satisfaction over happiness

At Workable, we believe that aiming for employee satisfaction yields more sustainable and meaningful results for employees and the business. Here’s why:

1. Satisfaction is a holistic approach

Employee satisfaction encompasses various aspects of the work experience, such as compensation, work-life balance, career development, and company culture. By focusing on satisfaction, we address the multiple factors that contribute to an employee’s sense of fulfillment, rather than simply aiming for momentary happiness.

2. Satisfaction fosters commitment

When employees are satisfied with their job and workplace, they are more likely to stay committed to the company and its goals. This, in turn, can lead to lower turnover rates, higher engagement, and a more productive and cohesive team.

3. Satisfaction drives performance

Satisfied employees are more motivated to excel in their roles, as they feel valued and supported by their employer. This, in turn, can lead to higher levels of productivity, innovation, and overall performance.

Satisfaction supports employee well-being: By focusing on the factors that contribute to satisfaction, we’re also supporting our employees’ overall well-being. This can translate into a healthier work environment, where employees feel more motivated, less stressed, and better equipped to tackle challenges.

Effective strategies for enhancing employee satisfaction

Let’s dive into a variety of actionable strategies that companies can adopt to elevate employee satisfaction and create a thriving workplace environment

1. Offer competitive compensation and benefits

Two-thirds of US workers and more than half of UK workers say salary is a top priority. Ensure that your company provides competitive and fair compensation packages, along with comprehensive benefits that cater to employees’ physical, mental, and financial well-being. Regularly review and adjust these offerings to keep pace with industry standards and employee needs.

2. Provide opportunities for growth and development

The opportunity to learn is a huge motivator for workers – especially in tech. Invest in your employees by offering training, professional development, and career advancement opportunities. Encourage employees to broaden their skill sets and support them in pursuing their career goals within the organization.

3. Cultivate a flexible and supportive work environment

Our recent survey finds that 58% of US-based and 57% of UK-based workers put a huge value on flexible work.Promote a healthy work-life balance by offering flexible work arrangements, such as remote work or flexible hours, if possible. Additionally, create policies that support employees’ needs.

4. Encourage open communication and feedback

Foster a culture of open communication where employees feel comfortable sharing their opinions, providing feedback, and participating in decision-making processes. This can be achieved through regular check-ins, town hall meetings, or anonymous feedback channels. Actively listen to employees’ concerns and suggestions and demonstrate a willingness to address them.

5. Implement recognition and rewards programs

Acknowledge and reward the hard work and achievements of your employees through various recognition programs and initiatives. This can include employee-of-the-month awards, bonuses, team celebrations & events, long service awards or personalized tokens of appreciation. Recognizing and celebrating successes can help boost morale and motivate employees to continue performing at their best.

By adopting these suggested strategies, companies can work towards fostering a more satisfied workforce, which in turn can lead to increased commitment, higher engagement, and better overall performance.

Focusing on employee satisfaction not only benefits individual employees but also contributes to the growth and success of the organization as a whole.

The post Why employee satisfaction matters more than happiness appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Is returning to the office a good option after a long period of remote working? For the higher-ups, maybe it is. But what about the employees?

While our recent data from the Great Discontent in 2023 shows a decline in remote work among US-based workers, down 17 points from 58% in 2021, 46.1% of remote workers have been doing so for more than two years, and it’s increasingly difficult for them to change back.

It’s about time to delve into the various facets of returning to the office, from understanding what it means to the pros and cons, and even the small details of making the transition smooth for everyone.

What is Return To Office, a.k.a. RTO?

Beyond the obvious interpretation, RTO is about rethinking how we work. The models vary – full-time in the office, a hybrid approach, or a remote-first strategy. The one-size-fits-all approach is long gone, and it’s time to tailor your strategy to fit your team’s needs, unless you’re President Biden, who is urging federal workers to return to the office starting this fall.

Understanding the nuances of these models is crucial. A full-time return might work for some roles but could be disastrous for others.

A hybrid model offers flexibility but requires robust management to ensure productivity.

Remote-first is the most flexible but could lead to feelings of isolation among team members – especially newer ones.

Each model has its pros and cons, and it’s your job to find the best fit.

Will people return to the office now?

Quick answer is no. Obviously.

According to ResumeBuilder, 90% of companies are expected to return to the office by the end of 2024. That’s a significant number, but it doesn’t tell the whole story.

PromoLeaf’s data indicates that 35% of Americans capable of full remote work are choosing that route. So, what’s the output? The answer lies in a blend of employee preferences, company policies and, of course, the ongoing pandemic.

It’s a complex cocktail that requires a nuanced approach. Some employees are eager to return for the social interaction and structured environment, while others have found that they’re more productive at home.

Company policies also play a significant role. Some organizations are adopting a “remote-first” policy, while others are insisting on a full return to in-person work.

The ongoing pandemic adds another layer of complexity, with fluctuating infection rates and varying comfort levels about in-person interactions.

Bring people back to the office

There’s a strong case for bringing people back to the office. Collaboration, team-building, and those invaluable water-cooler conversations between employees are hard to replicate online.

Moreover, 72% of companies say that returning to the office (RTO) has improved revenue.

As a result, returning to the office can benefit both sides.

We know working from home can be a savior when it comes to avoiding huge traffic and saving time – making for a better work life balance according to nearly two-thirds of all respondents in the Great Discontent survey.

But what about your privacy at home? The majority of companies are tracking employees to ensure they are actually working.

However, it’s essential to approach this with sensitivity. The tracking of employees, for instance, can be a double-edged sword.

While it ensures that people are working, it can also create a culture of surveillance if not handled correctly. Transparency about why and how tracking is done can alleviate some of these concerns.

Also, working from home can blur the lines between the estimated time of working and the actual one. Returning to the office (RTO) can standardize working hours and offer a more solid work-life balance.

A recent study shows that more than half (54%) have worked from their bed, and 76% work in pajamas at least one day a week. Nearly one in five (19%) have even worked from the toilet! While it may seem humorous, these stats reveal the blurred lines between work and personal life in a remote setting.

Related: WFH vs. RTO: what really works for your business

Culture of fear doesn’t help anyone

On the flip side, there are valid concerns about rushing back to the office. Employee well-being, work-life balance, and even productivity can take a hit.

A startling 28% of companies are willing to fire employees who don’t comply with RTO policies.

This hardline approach can create a culture of fear and resentment, which is the last thing any of us want.

Moreover, the threat of termination for non-compliance can lead to a toxic work environment. It can cause stress and anxiety among employees, which is counterproductive.

A more empathetic approach that takes into account individual circumstances and needs can go a long way in making the transition smoother. So, how prepared are you to persuade your employees to return back to the office?

How to prepare employees for RTO?

Communication is key when announcing a return to the office. Whether it’s through company-wide meetings, detailed emails, or one-on-ones, clarity is crucial.

A phased approach that allows for flexibility can make the transition smoother.

A return-to-work meeting is a great opportunity to set expectations and address concerns. Key points to cover include safety measures, new office policies, and support systems for employees.

An agenda, a Q&A session, and a follow-up can ensure that everyone is on the same page.

The meeting should be more than just a one-way flow of information. Encourage questions and discussions. This is a significant change for everyone, and people will have concerns and suggestions. Listening to these can provide valuable insights and also make the employees feel valued and heard.

Remember, you’re not just relaying information; you’re setting the tone for the company’s next chapter.

Make the transition smoother

Incentives can go a long way in easing the transition back to the office. According to PromoLeaf, 91% of remote workers think employers should do more to show appreciation.

Whether it’s a revamped break room, flexible hours, or even a small stipend for commuting, little things can make a big difference. Addressing concerns and fears openly can also help in making the transition smoother.

It’s also essential to recognize and validate the concerns that employees may have about returning.

Some may be worried about health and safety, while others may have childcare concerns.

Addressing these issues openly and providing solutions can go a long way in easing the transition.

Flexy is the new normal

As the pandemic has progressed, the initial surge in flexible work options has now settled into a new normal, with many employers considering it as a permanent option.

According to our report, the Great Discontent 2.0, the second most influential factor that would lead someone to consider changing their job is flexibility.

Consequently, It is crucial for employers to allow their teams to have flexibility in their work arrangements, taking into account personal reasons such as family and health priorities.

This may involve offering remote work opportunities, flexible hours, convenient commuting options, accessibility measures, or increased support for family and health-related matters.

Coming back to the office is a complex matter that requires collective decision-making and open dialogue.

It should not be imposed on employees, but rather seen as an opportunity to explore new hybrid work models that align with their preferences.

Instead of creating a hostile environment, let’s use this as a chance to develop incentives that will facilitate a smooth transition for everyone.

Be proactive, be empathetic, and be flexible.

The post Return to office strategy: can RTO harm your business? appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

1. Regular communication and feedback

Your employees need to know what is going on, what plans are underway, and what struggles the business faces. Without this knowledge, they can’t make the best decisions in their sphere of responsibility.

So, managers must provide clear feedback – both negative and positive – to ensure that employees know what they need to do. Managers must provide this feedback in clear and effective ways. It should mirror the SMART goals. If feedback isn’t measurable or timely, it isn’t clear feedback.

Telling an employee, “That was a horrible presentation,” doesn’t help them make a better presentation next time. Telling an employee, “that was a great presentation,” is nice but, again, it doesn’t highlight the things that work.

Make sure your feedback is, at a minimum, specific and timely. “Your slides had so many typos. Please ensure you have someone else proofread before you present next time,” is a specific item that someone can act on.

2. Acknowledge top performers

Top performers often work independently, and managers are relieved not to have to directly manage them, opening up the bandwidth to focus on the lower-performing employees. There’s a side effect of this, however – this can result in top performers feeling unappreciated or unsure of their abilities.

Even top performers need feedback and acknowledgment that they’re continuing to perform at a high level. And it is critical that you create career plans for top performers.

Unless they say they don’t want to move up the ladder, you should assume they do. And while it may be difficult to lose a top performer from your department, it’s worse when they leave the company altogether.

Focusing on the top performers, giving them growth opportunities, and rewarding their high performance are all critical management jobs.

Related: What is employee management?

3. Use the best management tools available

There are employee management tools everywhere. Of course, employee management software helps you keep track of everyone’s progress and helps you identify areas of concern. But you also need solid training programs for managers and employees alike.

Why is training an important part of this? First of all, training is part of employee development. But second, and more importantly, employees leave managers, not companies. You’re neglecting your most important tool if your managers don’t receive proper training.

Related: What’s included in a good employee management strategy?

4. Identify opportunities for development and progression

While each individual is ultimately responsible for their own career progression, they don’t necessarily know what they need to do to advance. Additionally, they may not know what is available at your company. Good employee managers help develop employees.

Developing employees includes giving stretch assignments and providing cross-training opportunities. A best practice is to use a skills-gap analysis to determine what skills your employee needs and what skills the business will need in the future and then match the two of those together. Sometimes this can include formal education or training outside the business.

Your employees want to succeed. Helping them to achieve their goals benefits your business and your individual employees.

Remember, it’s almost always cheaper to bring your employees’ salaries up to market rate than to replace them.

By focusing on employee development you decrease your turnover and increase your performance. It’s time and money well spent.

The day-to-day of good employee management

It’s easy enough to say you want things to be better, but you have to do something about it, and if you want your goals to be SMART, you’ll need to be able to measure improvement.

Ensuring good management is difficult for any business, but especially as your company grows beyond the original start-up crew.

You’ll need to place more trust in managers you don’t necessarily interact with every day. And you’ll need to make sure your managers follow procedures.

One thing that can help refine your employee management practices is employee management software. This can help automate mundane tasks, remind people to follow up, and give a central location for plans and progress.

The post Mastering employee management: 4 best practices appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

But first, to ensure a good process, you’ll need to address each one of the following aspects of the employee lifecycle to ensure an effective employee management strategy.

1. Employee onboarding

The onboarding process begins when a candidate applies. Every step along that path prepares the future employee for success or failure at the company. Having a clear recruitment process builds trust in the company bureaucracy, which will play a role later in employee management.

When a new employee starts, paperwork is only a tiny part of the onboarding process. A good onboarding program integrates the new employees into the company and the company culture.

By the end of the onboarding process, employees should have their paperwork done, know where the bathrooms are, and know how their role fits into the larger company perspective.

2. Employee development and progression

While some employees may wish to stay in the same position for 20 years; most want to develop and progress.
And even if an employee wants to stay in the same position, the technology, company goals, and general economic environment mean that every employee needs development and progression.

Each employee needs a development plan that indicates a path forward. This should include:

• Possible career paths
• Skills needed
• Plans for developing lacking skills
• Stretch projects
• Cross training opportunities

While not every business will be capable of taking someone from entry-level to CEO, most companies do have the potential for growth for some, if not all, of their employees.

Managers need to provide regular feedback and support candidates through internal movements. Make sure your policies don’t artificially keep people in their current jobs by giving power to current managers to block movement.

Also, remember to keep salary increases at the market rate as employees move up the internal ladder. If you don’t, they will leave for greener pastures.

3. Employee engagement

Employee engagement is a fancy way of saying how involved and happy your employees are at work. Gallup found that five factors lead to high employee engagement levels:

Measure progress

If you aren’t measuring something, you cannot be sure whether it is improving or failing. To have good employee engagement, you need to know your current status and in which direction you are traveling.

Have growth-oriented conversations

If your employees don’t know there is a plan, they will assume there isn’t one. If you don’t speak with them, you won’t know if they are engaged and what it will take to make and keep them engaged.

Provide clear, ongoing conversations

Do your employees know how their roles benefit the company? Do they know where the company stands? Are you keeping things secret just because it’s always been done that way?

While there are some legal reasons to keep some decisions to a small group, your employees should largely be aware of everything going on. Communication is critical to engagement.

Focus on well-being

Gallup identifies five areas of well-being: “career, social, financial, physical and community.” If your employees don’t have the ability to remain well in all these areas, they risk disengagement at work while struggling with the other areas.

Your business cannot be responsible for all aspects of an employee’s life, but you can provide support in these areas.

Have strength-based conversations

Your employees may not be working in their current areas of strength. They may have hidden skills that you don’t know about. Having these conversations can not only increase employee engagement but can also help your business as well.

Employee engagement doesn’t need to be fancy, and it’s not about pizza parties and team-building programs. It’s about communication and meeting employee needs. This leads to the next aspect of your employee management strategy.

Related: What is employee management?

4. Talent retention

Turnover is insanely expensive. Gallup estimates that turnover costs vary from one-third of the employee’s salary to twice the employee’s salary. When you balk at giving a 5% raise to a high performer, consider that, at minimum, you’ll pay 33% more just to get someone new in the door and trained – that doesn’t take into account the new salary you have to offer to attract new talent.

Consider that, at minimum, you’ll pay 33% more just to get someone new in the door and trained – that doesn’t take into account the new salary you have to offer to attract new talent.

Retaining employees can be a difficult task. Overall, the average job tenure was 4.1 years in 2022 and varied by profession and industry, with government employees having the longest average tenure (6.8 years) and service industries having the lowest tenure (2.8 years). Your retention plans should reflect the industry and positions.

Employee engagement correlates highly with retention, so listening to your employees’ needs can help you develop retention plans.

5. Internal conflict resolution and reduction

People do not like to work where they don’t feel comfortable. This means that good employee management strategy requires you to reduce internal conflicts. This does not mean everyone has to agree on everything–it means that you need to remove the emotionally charged disagreements that lead to real conflict.

Psychologist and business strategist Liane Davey posits that there is a difference between healthy conflict and destructive conflict.

Passionate idea discussion is a type of healthy conflict, while jockeying for position, gossiping, and undermining people are all examples of destructive conflict.

Your job is to reduce the latter, but not the former. How do you do this?

Set and maintain boundaries

When people know where those boundaries are, they are less likely to push against them, reducing some types of conflicts.

For instance, if your boundary is no f-bombs at work and you maintain that for everyone, you don’t have to sort out if it was a neutral f-bomb (for instance, swearing at a printer) or a conflict one (swearing at a person). The boundary is clear.

Don’t give in to your biological desire to be nice

Davey says humans are wired to get along, but this can go too far for leaders managing employees. Yes, nice is good, but sometimes we have to override the ‘conflict avoidant’ urge to ultimately reduce conflict. Instead of weakly laughing at a sexist joke, a manager must deal with it immediately.

Don’t let bullies run roughshod over the department because confronting them is uncomfortable. As the manager, it is your job to promptly take care of bad behavior.

Set an example

Bullies get away with bullying because leaders allow it. Sexual harassers get away with sexual harassment because the leaders allow it. If the manager encourages destructive conflict, employees will engage in destructive conflict.

Make it OK to discuss ideas

This, again, must come from the top. If the manager doesn’t listen to other people’s ideas, the employees will not either.
Be transparent

When people know why X and Y happened, it reduces conflict and backbiting. If you cannot explain a decision, it’s possible it’s wrong.

6. Clear organizational goals

Without organizational goals, you cannot effectively manage employees. Until this point, employee management strategies have focused on the people side of things, but without organizational goals, it doesn’t matter how warm and welcoming an environment you’ve created.

Managers need to inform employees what the company goals are and how their part fits into the organization. Break down goals into workable targets with rewards (which can be simple praise) at each step.

While there should be a discussion (good conflict) before the leadership sets the goals, once the CEO signs off on the goals, managers need to promote those goals, even if they disagree. (Excluding, of course, morally or legally wrong things.) It is critical that everyone work toward the same goals.

7. Succession planning

Who will take over the marketing function if the chief marketing officer leaves? Who will run payroll if the payroll manager gets sick and needs to take six weeks of protected FMLA leave?

Succession planning isn’t just about the big positions but every task that needs to be done. When you think about succession planning, remember that the average tenure is only four years. People will leave, or they will be promoted, and you need to work on your pipeline.

You should correlate your succession planning with your career planning for your employees. You create an internal pipeline that saves time and money and preserves institutional knowledge.

8. Clear objectives and expectations

Do your employees know exactly what you expect? When the job description said “flexible schedules,” did you clearly define that? Sometimes expectations can be as simple as explaining whether people generally eat at their desks or go out to lunch.

For achieving business goals, how often should people meet to discuss progress? Should employees provide progress reports? Do employees present their own work to the senior team, or do department heads compile it and present it? What measurable goals do you assign to each person?

There are many ways to set expectations and goals, but one helpful acronym is SMART. Goals should be:

Specific

For example, a goal of “increase sales” sounds great. A specific goal would be even better, such as: “increase sales by 5%”.

Measurable

If you can’t count it, the goal isn’t measurable. So, “be nicer to customers” isn’t a measurable goal. “Decrease customer complaints by 5%” is.

Achievable

Is this goal realistic? Increasing revenue from $150K to $150,000,000 is probably not achievable, as nice as that outcome would be. Make sure you can actually meet the goal.

Relevant

There are lots of great things but is this relevant to your job and your company? Giving everyone in the company a sales goal probably isn’t relevant for everyone.

Time-bound

If there’s no deadline, there is no goal. Make sure you put time parameters around the goals. Often it’s best to break the goals down into manageable time periods. It’s better to say you’ll accomplish X in one month than 100 times that in five years.

With those things in mind, you can set goals for your company, department, and employees.

If you want your employees to succeed which in turn will help your business succeed – focusing on employee management can make a direct impact.

Make sure you create a clear plan for managing your employees and train your management team in order to maintain a uniform experience throughout the organization.

With all of these in place, you’ll have the groundwork for a solid employee management strategy.

The post What’s included in a good employee management strategy? appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

But – are these workers really lazy, or are their pithy phrases an attempt to communicate something deeper? The latter is more likely. Older generations have always complained about younger generations at work. A University of Calgary professor went viral when he pointed out that people have been saying “nobody wants to work anymore” for more than 100 years.

1905 pic.twitter.com/k4eoLAUjPO

— Paul Fairie (@paulisci) July 20, 2022

It’s not so much that people don’t want to work – it’s that they don’t want to work the same way their predecessors did. Given that, managers have two choices: they can whine about the workers or they can help those workers win.

For those who choose to take the coach approach, the first step is to identify the “quiet quitters.” Despite viral “lazy girl” sensations, most disengaged employees won’t announce their apathy online.

How to identify disengaged workers

Most managers will easily identify blatant issues like missing deadlines or incomplete projects. The most successful managers will notice more subtle signs before problems escalate that far.

Here are three subtle signs someone on your team is disengaging.

1. They don’t offer suggestions for improvement

When it comes to employee communication, no news is not good news. Engaged employees communicate with their teams.

When an employee fails to offer constructive feedback or new ideas, you may have one of two problems. The first could be that the staffer simply doesn’t care about the company’s success enough to say anything. If an employee who once shared a lot of ideas suddenly goes silent, that’s a giant red flag.

The second issue could be that your team member doesn’t feel safe speaking up. Team members who feel like managers will snap at them or ignore them are likely to shut down.

2. They keep their webcam off

With cameras off, employees could be browsing the internet, shopping online, scrolling social social media, texting, or any other of a thousand distractions available at home. Remember that viral story about the woman who accidentally kept her camera on in the bathroom?

3. They don’t put the company sticker on their laptop

A lack of team spirit can be a sign a team member is disengaged. Of course, not everyone will want to put a sticker on their device. However, if you notice they don’t carry that swag corporate water bottle at work, wear their company polo, or generally avoid the logo, that could indicate a problem.

If they don’t participate in team building exercises or make snarky comments about company events, you likely have an even bigger issue.

How to inspire self-proclaimed ‘lazy’ team members

Employers who want their employees to level up cannot continue to play pong in a world that’s moved on to playing immersive virtual reality games.

Here are three things managers and HR departments can do to meet employees where they are.

1. Reframe the job

Focus not on what “lazy girls” can do for the company but on what the company can do for them. Employees are disillusioned by businesses that they believe see them as disposable. They simply don’t feel loyalty to companies.

You can help them be their best by reframing their work. Rather than focusing on how they can help the business, help them focus on what they can do to achieve their personal best as if they are playing against themselves.

2. Emphasize impact

The incoming generation of workers is especially concerned with having an impact on the world. Help new employees connect the dots to see specifically how their efforts impact the people who use your company’s services.

3. Bribe them

In the business world, we might more delicately call this an “incentive.” Find ways within your corporate policies and budget to offer incentives, or out-and-out bribes.

Something as small as an afternoon off or a Starbucks gift card can show that you get what they are going through, and are at least trying to help them get through their boring day

These three things combined with more traditional advice like respecting work-life boundaries, setting clear expectations and providing regular feedback can go a long way towards making employees feel seen and heard, which improves performance.

With the right coaching and support “quiet quitters” could eventually become your business’ loudest supporters.

Marc Cenedella, founder of Leet Resumes and The Ladders, is a nationally recognized thought leader on careers, resume writing, job search, career management and recruiting. He is the author of seven Amazon Careers #1 bestsellers, including Ladders Resume Guide and Ladders Interviews Guide.

The post The ‘lazy girl’: unpacking apathy in modern workplaces appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

As HR professionals, we’re not just managing processes – we’re shaping experiences that can make or break an employee’s journey with our organization.

Recent Gallup research indicates that organizations with a strong understanding of the ELC have 41% lower absenteeism and 24% lower turnover in high-turnover organizations.

What is employee lifecycle?

The ELC is a holistic view of an employee’s journey with an organization, from the first point of contact to the final goodbye. It’s a continuous cycle that includes 6 critical stages: Attraction, recruitment, onboarding, development, retention, and separation.

Each stage presents unique opportunities and challenges that can significantly impact our organization’s performance and reputation.

Let’s delve into these stages and get a real look at what this journey is.

The stages of the employee lifecycle

Everything in life begins with attraction; this is not a secret. The same principle plays a vital role in recruiting. From seeking the best candidates to hiring them, offering them a great experience, and possibly saying goodbye at some point, these stages encompass the employee lifecycle.

1. Attraction

This is where our employer brand comes into play. As HR leaders, we need to ensure that our organization’s values, culture, and opportunities resonate with potential candidates. According to Workable’s survey report (to be released in August 2023), 1 out of 2 candidates are passive talent. That’s why we have to put a lot of effort into attracting the right candidates.

Related: Advanced Careers Pages: Talent Attraction Made Easy

2. Recruitment

Recruitment, a vital stage in the employee lifecycle, begins with identifying a vacancy and defining job requirements. The process continues with attracting potential candidates through various channels, followed by screening applications to shortlist suitable candidates.

The next step involves conducting interviews, which can range from phone calls to face-to-face meetings or even practical assessments.

The recruitment process culminates in the selection of the most fitting candidate, considering their skills, performance in interviews, and alignment with the company’s culture and values.

A well-executed recruitment process enhances the employer’s brand and ensures high-quality hires.

Related: Talent Acquisition: everything you need to know

3. Onboarding

A robust onboarding process is invaluable in setting up new hires for success. It not only helps employees understand their roles and responsibilities but also integrates them into the company culture. Effective onboarding can boost job satisfaction, performance, and commitment, leading to higher retention rates.

It’s an investment that not only enhances the new employee’s experience but also contributes to the overall productivity and morale of the organization, making it a critical component of the employee lifecycle.

Related: Onboard new hires easily and efficiently with Workable

4. Development

Employee development is a strategic investment that drives organizational growth.

It equips employees with the skills and knowledge needed to excel in their roles and adapt to evolving industry trends.

By fostering a culture of continuous learning, organizations can boost employee engagement, productivity, and innovation.

Moreover, development opportunities are a key driver of employee retention, as they demonstrate the organization’s commitment to its employees’ career growth. Thus, employee development is a win-win for both the individual and the organization.

Related: What’s included in a good employee management strategy?

5. Retention

Employee retention is, also, crucial for organizational stability and growth.

Retaining top talent reduces the costs associated with turnover, such as recruitment, onboarding, and lost productivity.

Moreover, long-term employees develop deep institutional knowledge and strong relationships, which can enhance team performance and customer satisfaction.

A high retention rate also boosts the organization’s reputation as a desirable place to work.

Therefore, investing in retention strategies, such as competitive compensation, career development opportunities, and a positive work environment, can yield significant returns.

Related: Boost your employer branding & retention using AI

6. Separation

The separation stage, marking the end of the employee lifecycle, is as important as the beginning. It involves managing the exit process when an employee leaves the organization, whether due to resignation, retirement, or termination.

A respectful and well-managed separation process can minimize disruption, preserve relationships, and maintain the organization’s reputation.

It also provides an opportunity to gather feedback through exit interviews, which can yield valuable insights for improving retention and overall employee experience.

Related: Why to conduct an exit interview and how to do it

The impact of AI on the employee lifecycle

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the employee lifecycle, making HR processes more efficient and personalized.

From AI-powered recruitment tools that streamline candidate sourcing, to chatbots that enhance onboarding experiences, and predictive analytics that aid in retention strategies, AI is reshaping HR practices.

People think AI will free up the recruiter’s time (44%), provide valuable insights during the recruitment process (41%) and enhance employee experience.

However, it’s essential to balance AI’s efficiency with a human touch.

While AI can automate tasks and provide insights, the human element remains crucial in decision-making, empathy, and fostering a positive workplace culture.

As HR professionals, we must stay ahead of the curve. The rise of remote work, the increasing importance of diversity and inclusion, and the rapid advancement of technology are reshaping the ELC.

Remember, the employee lifecycle is not just a journey for our employees – it’s a journey for us as HR professionals too. As we guide our employees through their lifecycle, we’re also evolving, growing, and learning. And that’s what makes our work in HR so incredibly rewarding.

The post Employee lifecycle: it’s not the destination, it’s the journey appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Employee engagement becomes a pain point

Employee engagement is the emotional commitment an employee has to the organization and its goals. It involves making employees feel passionate about their jobs, and it’s about fostering a culture where employees are motivated to contribute to the organization’s success.

We used to see many reports stating that well-engaged personnel tend to outperform their competitors, but things have changed rapidly after COVID-19.

In the post-COVID era, 82% of individuals are experiencing communication obstacles, while 83%feel disconnected from their workplace culture. Τhis can have dire consequences for a business.

A less engaged workforce can lead to increased turnover costs, underperforming employees, and poor outcomes.

Best practices for effective employee engagement

Effective employee engagement is not a one-size-fits-all approach. It requires a combination of strategies tailored to the organization’s culture and employees’ unique needs. Here are some proven approaches:

Communication

Clear and well-understood communication is the foundation of any successful team. Forbes states that poor communication is affecting trust for 45% of workers.

Inclusion in decision making

Employee involvement in decision making has been found to have a positive impact on worker performance, according to a recent research study. The study revealed that allowing all employees to participate in decision making is an effective tool for enhancing productivity. Not only does it increase worker commitment, but it also promotes creativity and innovation within the organization

Goal alignment

Aligning employees’ goals with the organization’s objectives fosters a sense of purpose and direction. Employees who establish goals are 6.5 times more inclined to affirm that their job enables them to enhance the necessary skills, and 7.7 times more inclined to state that their employer offers opportunities for skill development.

Positive work environment

A safe and motivating work environment is essential for employee engagement. Over the past three years, there has been a significant push towards prioritizing personal purpose and values.

However, despite the majority of employees (82%) expressing the importance of being seen as individuals rather than mere workers by their organizations, only 45% feel that their organization truly acknowledges them in this way. This feeling of being undervalued in the workplace can undermine the desired positive work environment.

Recognition and rewards

Recognizing and rewarding employees’ efforts significantly contributes to their engagement. Employees who consistently feel recognized at work are more likely to have positive perceptions in various areas.

They are 2.6 times more likely to view promotions as fair, 2.2 times more likely to contribute to innovation and present new ideas, and twice as likely to believe that their colleagues are willing to go the extra mile.

Opportunities for growth

Providing professional training and skill development opportunities not only enhance employees’ capabilities but also increase their engagement and loyalty. According to LinkedIn’s 2023 Workforce Learning Report, only 26% of employees say that organizations challenged them to learn a new skill.

Real-life employee engagement ideas

Creating an engaging work environment involves a multifaceted approach.

Regular feedback sessions can be implemented to foster open dialogue and make employees feel valued. Peer recognition programs can be introduced to boost morale and create a positive work environment, where employees appreciate and acknowledge each other’s efforts.

Offering professional development opportunities, such as workshops or training sessions, demonstrates an investment in employees’ growth.

Team building activities, both in-person and virtual, can strengthen relationships and improve collaboration.

Flexible work arrangements, such as remote work options or flexible hours, can enhance work-life balance and increase satisfaction.

Health and wellness programs, including gym memberships or mental health resources, show a commitment to employees’ well-being.

Finally, organizing volunteer opportunities allows employees to give back to the community, fostering a sense of purpose and a positive company culture.

Here are some real-life examples of employee engagement strategies:

• Google’s 20% project: Google encourages its employees to spend 20% of their time on a project of their choice, fostering innovation and creativity.
• Salesforce’s volunteer time off (VTO): Salesforce offers its employees 7 days of paid volunteer time off each year, encouraging them to give back to the community and promoting a culture of social responsibility.
• Netflix’s freedom and responsibility culture: Netflix promotes a culture of freedom and responsibility, giving employees the autonomy to make decisions and encouraging them to take ownership of their work.
• Atlassian’s Shitpit Days: Atlassian hosts quarterly “ShipIt Days” where employees can work on any project they choose, fostering creativity and innovation.

Automation for effective employee engagement

Fortunately, today is easier than ever to utilize new technologies and become a master of employee engagement.

HR or performance management tools can evaluate employee performance, uncover data-backed insights, and facilitate informed decision-making without spending too much.

Some top tools include Leapsome, Bamboo, Paycor, and Workable’s HRIS.

Don’t underestimate the power of employee engagement as it can significantly contribute to the success and growth of an organization.

By understanding its value and implementing proven approaches, innovative strategies, and best practices, organizations can significantly enhance their productivity, employee satisfaction, and overall performance.

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As HR professionals and SMB employers, you’re at the forefront of fostering an engaged workforce. But with recent shifts in the workplace landscape, maintaining high levels of team engagement has become a complex challenge.

Employee engagement does not flourish

Employee engagement is vital for companies as it boosts productivity, commitment, and innovation, leading to improved business outcomes and a positive workplace culture that attracts and retains top talent.

However, according to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report, employee engagement in the United States has decreased in 2022 for the first time in ten years. In 2020, it was at 36%, but it dropped to 34% in 2021 and further to 32% in 2022. These figures are alarming, considering that high engagement levels are associated with increased productivity, improved employee morale, and lower turnover rates.

On a global level, Kincentric employee engagement report states that the global employee engagement rate dropped to 62% in 2022, down from 68% in 2021.

The shift to remote and hybrid work models has disrupted traditional engagement strategies. In this brand new environment, all you have to do is develop new engagement ideas for your teams.

Team engagement ideas

Engaging employees with their teams is a multifaceted process. Here are some effective strategies to foster a more cohesive and productive team:

1. Create an engaging onboarding experience

Those first few days/weeks of a new employee experience are crucial and they’re your opportunity to set the tone going forward. You should:

• Make new hires feel welcome from day one.
• Provide access to resources and communicate expectations clearly.
• Introduce them to other team members.
• Organize fun activities such as a happy hour or a new hire club.
• For remote hires, adjust the onboarding process to ensure they feel included.

Remember, a positive first impression can go a long way in fostering team engagement.

2. Spice up the work environment

Break the monotony of the 9-to-5 routine by introducing different opportunities and creative ways to engage employees.

• Schedule walking meetings for a breath of fresh air and a change of scenery.
• Allow employees the flexibility to work from home or remotely.
• Take your next team meeting to their favorite restaurant or coffee shop.

Shake it up! Make things interesting for your team. They’ll appreciate it.

3. Foster a positive start to the day

For hybrid or fully remote teams, consider a “Good Morning” meeting. Just 15 minutes of small talk can set a positive tone for the day.

And it doesn’t have to be about work. Someone in your team might be excited about the new Black Mirror episode they watched over the weekend and they’re keen to talk about it.

4. Encourage employee suggestions

Ask your employees to suggest team activities and find ways to incorporate them into your work routine. This sends the message that you’re listening to your employees and you want them to succeed in ways that work best for them.

Implementing these strategies can help keep employees engaged and motivated, fostering a more cohesive and productive team. Remember, an engaged team is a successful team.

5. Organize team building activities

Regular team building activities can foster a sense of camaraderie and mutual respect among team members, leading to increased employee engagement.

These activities can range from simple ice-breaker games to more complex problem-solving tasks. For instance, a virtual escape room can be a fun and engaging way to promote teamwork and problem-solving skills.

6. Activities for remote teams

A remote team can also participate in team-building activities.

• Consider dedicating an online game night when colleagues collaborate to solve puzzles.
• Friendly competition and engagement can also be achieved with virtual trivia nights.
• Movie nights or book clubs can help employees express their interests and feel connected.
• You can incorporate these activities into workdays by scheduling coffee breaks for small talk.

Many employees may value working from home, but the isolation can be hard on some. You can open up channels for social interactions online – and your team will appreciate that energy. But keep it optional – let your employees decide if they want to participate.

Related: Remote employee engagement: a new world of work

The role of HR professionals and SMB employers

As HR professionals and SMB employers, you play a pivotal role in developing and executing on team engagement ideas. It’s up to you to create an environment where your employees feel valued, connected, and motivated to do their best work.

This involves staying abreast of evolving trends and developments in the HR space and adapting your engagement strategies accordingly.

Remember, as HR professionals and SMB employers, your actions and decisions can significantly influence your team’s engagement. So, let’s prioritize team engagement and shape the future of our workplaces.

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