How to Lead Through Uncertainty - #WorkTrends Podcast Encore - TalentCulture

The Struggle Continues: How to Lead Through Uncertainty

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Sponsored by HiBob

What a wild year this has been in the world of work! Of course, it started on shaky ground, with economic pressure triggering widespread layoffs in tech, retail, and other vulnerable industries. Then turnover peaked, engagement sank, and “quiet quitting” settled in as employees pushed back on return-to-office policies. Not surprisingly, all of this has taken a toll on leadership. And now, scores of managers and executives are no longer willing to lead through uncertainty.

What gives with all this turmoil? After making it past the dark pandemic years, you’d think we’d all be breathing a collective sigh of relief. The optimist in me even hoped organizations would emerge stronger, more connected, and more supportive than ever. But we’re not there yet. Far from it.

The Gap Is Growing

Frankly, it’s hard to blame anyone for being weary of workplace challenges or disappointed by a lack of progress. But the distance between expectations and reality continues to increase, which isn’t a good sign.

For instance, Gallup says the number of workers who are angry, stressed, and disengaged is still climbing. And research from BambooHR indicates that employee satisfaction is now lower than before the pandemic, dropping 10% this year alone.

So, what will bridge this growing divide? It won’t be easy, especially if employee experience takes a backseat to other business priorities. Yet sadly, that’s exactly where organizations are headed.

In fact, Forrester analysts predict a full-on “EX Winter” in 2024, as companies start to freeze their employee experience investments. Yes, you read that right. Ironically, this is starting to happen precisely when our weary workforce needs more attention and better solutions. That means anyone who cares about the future of work will need to be especially creative and resourceful.

How Do We Lead Now?

Strategies that helped organizations thrive under different circumstances are no longer relevant. But with internal and external factors continuing to change, how can you preserve what’s valuable and unique about an organization? How do you lead through uncertainty?

These questions were top-of-mind for organizations a year ago, when I invited Ronni Zehavi, Co-Founder and CEO of HiBob to join me for the first #WorkTrends podcast of 2023. Little did I know then that this topic would become even more important as we look ahead to 2024. But as I look back now on that conversation with Ronni, it’s clear how enduring his management advice is.

But that’s not surprising, given Ronni’s background. With more than 25 years of experience in launching and leading successful technology companies, he knows first-hand how to guide organizations through volatile, uncertain circumstances.

Today, as we look at workplace challenges that lie ahead, I think you’ll agree that Ronni’s unique perspective and expertise can help others continue to lead through uncertainty…

One Solution: Resilience

According to Ronni, a key to surviving and even thriving through chaos is resilience  — the capacity to survive, adapt, and grow in the face of adversity. But resilience doesn’t occur by chance. It takes a particular mindset. It also takes a commitment to developing skills and processes that help your organization remain viable and competitive, especially in a fluid, uncertain environment.

In a world filled with disruption, it’s impossible to predict what’s ahead. That means we need to build resilience so we can weather the storm. Ultimately, it pays to prepare for the worst, even as we hope for the best.

Resilience matters even more now. So how can you leverage it as you continue to lead through uncertainty? Check these takeaways from my conversation with Ronni:

Manage Multiple Unknowns With Caution

It’s a bit like driving a car. In 2020 or 2021, driving fast may have been easier because the road was clear. But today it’s bumpy and cloudy, so you need to slow down.

Uncertainty means nobody knows when this will end. We may see a recovery in 2023, or maybe 2024. So how do you deal with this uncertainty? It’s a big challenge for leaders.

First, read the map and then adjust your plan. How long is your runway? Do you have enough cash? Do you have funds to weather the storm?

Then look realistically at the environment. A slowdown will impact your customers as well as your organization. Will you be able to generate the revenues you expect?

When Slowing Down, Consider Your Culture

As you adjust to a difficult environment, layoffs are only one option in a CEO’s toolbox. First, you may decide to slow down hiring. If that isn’t enough, then you may need to freeze hiring or freeze salary increases, or both. And if needed, the next option could be salary cuts or layoffs. One or both.

But it is important to think about the people who stay as well as those who are laid off. Retention can be affected when those who remain are expected to do the job of two people or even more.

Communication and transparency are critical to preserve your culture.

Prepare Now for Better Times

It starts with your people. Invest in them. Make sure you can retain all of them. Or if not all of them, focus on your most important people. Because you’ll want them to be with you when the tailwind comes.

And more than anything else, think positive. What goes down comes back up. So optimism is critical.

Flexible Work Can Help

Flexibility was a nice-to-have perk a few years ago. Then the pandemic proved that organizations can deal with it. So I think hybrid work is here to stay.

The ultimate combination is two or three days at the office or two or three days remote. It offers flexibility, but also promotes engagement and collaboration.

Focus on Finding a Balance with Hybrid Work

It’s a journey. It will take time until it becomes a standard. But flexibility is all about what we call The Three T’s:

Trust. Transparency. Teamwork.

If your organization follows these values, it will help you create a flexible work culture.

 

More Ideas on How to Lead Through Uncertainty

Ronni Zehavi isn’t the only expert who has generously shared useful real-world lessons with us lately. Here’s helpful guidance from others in our community:

1. Resilience Starts Within

If you want a resilient business, ask yourself this central question: What are you doing to elevate employee mental health and wellbeing?

2. A Great Employee Experience = A Strong Business

To deliver an exceptional customer experience, focus on building a culture that puts employee experience first.

3. Resilient Work Cultures Put Humans First

Leadership is hard, but the most effective leaders invest in what matters to their employees: purpose, empowerment, recognition, positivity, and growth.

4. Gamification Can Defeat a Gloomy Culture

By getting serious about gamification, organizations are bringing hybrid teams together, boosting productivity, and lifting engagement.

5. Managers Need a New Toolkit

Employee growth is essential for organizations to thrive in the “Post-Everything” Era. That means managers need to embrace a fresh approach.

6. Choose Change Methods Wisely

Change management is tricky. Successful leaders bring people along by matching the method to the situation.

7. Individuals Can Develop Career Resilience

Everyone has the potential to recover from setbacks. It helps to practice proven strategies before you need to apply them.

8. A Flexible Talent Pipeline Fuels Productivity

In a fluid business environment, how rapidly can you adjust to changing talent requirements?

9. Onboarding Is Where It All Begins

No one can afford to lose great talent. For stronger retention through challenging times, start at the beginning and level up your onboarding game.

 

EDITOR’S NOTE: For more in-depth information about how to lead through uncertainty, visit the HiBob website, where you’ll find all kinds of helpful resources for employers. And for more #WorkTrends insights, check our growing collection of podcast episodes at Apple or Spotify and subscribe!

Keys to Positive Employee Experience in the New World of Work

Keys to a Positive Employee Experience in the New World of Work

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Sponsored by Cleary

Leaders, I have two critical questions for you: 1) Does your organization truly provide a positive employee experience? 2) Would your employees agree?

If you’re not sure, I get it. These days, most organizations are struggling to close a serious gap between leaders’ perceptions and workforce realities. For instance:

  • 74% of executives told Gartner they want staff to express themselves, yet only 56% of employees said they feel comfortable speaking up. Also, while 75% of executives said they consider employees’ perspectives when making decisions, only 47% of team members believe they do.
  • Sadly, this gap is even more pronounced among the 80% of workers with frontline jobs. In fact, according to O.C. Tanner, half of these people feel expendable. What’s more, only 30% feel seen and valued, while only 36% describe their work as a positive employee experience.

Factors That Turn the Tide

Of course, closing this gap isn’t easy — especially now. With so many moving pieces and parts transforming modern work culture, the definition of a positive employee experience is itself, constantly changing. All the more reason why employers should pay closer attention now. No one can afford to take their eyes off the ball.

So, in today’s fluid environment, what exactly does it take to improve employee experience? Certainly, communication, recognition, and reinforcement play important roles. But lasting impact requires a deeper cultural commitment. In fact, 94% of executives and 88% of employees agree that a distinct culture focused on engagement and motivation is the key — not only to a thriving workforce, but ultimately to business success. (It’s encouraging to see agreement on this point!)

So, what exactly can leaders do to create and sustain this kind of culture? Join me as I explore this topic with an employee experience innovator on today’s #WorkTrends podcast…

Meet Our Guest: Thomas Kunjappu

Thomas Kunjappu is the CEO and Co-Founder of Cleary, the employee experience platform for high-performing teams. Under Thomas’ leadership, Cleary elevates engagement in remote and hybrid work environments, with a solution designed specifically for the modern workplace.

With his background as a product innovator at companies like Twitter, Medallia, and HP, Thomas is a technology industry mover and shaker who understands the special connection between human behavior and business results. He’s also a very cool person who is easy to find online and at industry forums. So I’m thrilled he’s joining us here to discuss the latest issues and trends in employee engagement and how to sustain a positive employee experience.

Here are several key takeaways from our conversation…

Why a Positive Employee Experience Matters

Thomas, let’s start by clarifying the concept of employee experience. Why is it so important?

Well, it originally started with the idea of customer experience, where businesses focus on understanding what customers are going through at every step of their journey, and responding with feedback loops and processes that ensure customers have a good experience at every stage in the relationship.

But who actually takes care of customers? Employees do.

So employee experience grew out of that realization, and thinking about the employee journey in a similar way.

How Work Realities Are Changing

What does it take to create a positive employee experience in the post-pandemic world?

I think we’ve all felt the shift. Being an employee now is very different in a remote or hybrid environment. Work is much more distributed, flexible, and dynamic for many of us.

But with 50-100% of people working in this dramatically different way, any employer that wants to create a positive employee experience must also think about how to support employees in a dramatically different way.

Who Owns the Employee Experience Now

So in this new environment, who is responsible for ensuring employees are engaged, recognized, and supported?

That’s arguably the sole job of leaders and managers — getting the right people in the right places, and helping the whole company grow in the same direction — with leverage from the people team, right?

HR has shifted from focusing only on ensuring the company doesn’t get sued to actively ensuring a strong talent brand that attracts great people and fosters a positive employee experience so people want to stay.

Others have a role, too. For example, internal communications and even IT. A lot of different functions contribute because a positive employee experience is really everybody’s responsibility, now.

Tech’s Role in Employee Experience

HR tech can make a difference here. How does Cleary help organizations accomplish this?

Well, our tools fit into three categories that support our vision of a great workplace with a positive employee experience. That includes communications, culture and team efficiency. And it all comes together with journeys and moments that matter for employees, starting with onboarding.

With so many organizations trying to do more with less, we’re focusing on helping people redeem time by offering templates to streamline all kinds of processes.

For example, if you’re managing a strategic product update or managing change-related communications, we’ve got dozens of templates to help you get started much faster than if you’re starting with a blank canvas…

 

Start Creating a More Positive Employee Experience Today

>> Check Cleary’s collection of free templates and other helpful resources

 

Listen to This Full #WorkTrends Episode

Tune in on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. And while you’re there, be sure to subscribe so you won’t miss future episodes.

Want to continue this conversation on social media? Follow TalentCulture or use our #WorkTrends hashtag anytime on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Let’s talk!

What Would Your Culture Map Reveal?

What Would Your Culture Map Reveal?

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Sponsored by The Culture Platform

What makes maps so special is they tell you exactly where to find places you want to visit.

Wouldn’t it be incredible if every organization had a culture map? Wouldn’t it be even better if that culture map worked like Google or Apple Maps? Anyone could easily search to find organizations whose cultural values are clearly marked on the map, and get directions to those companies. What a useful tool that would be.

The “Why, What, and How” of Culture

I think enough has been said about the “why” of culture and its role in organizational success. Anyone who has managed people or led a business knows a healthy culture is paramount to attract the best employees. And the best cultures consistently outperform and out-execute the competition.

We also know “what” culture is. It’s a set of stated values, beliefs, attitudes, rules, and behaviors expected where you work. For example, when I worked for Cisco CEO John Chambers, one of his stated cultural values was: “Treat people the way you would like to be treated, yourself.” Another was, “Deal with the world the way it is, not the way you wish it was.”

Now, as we enter the post-everything era, it’s time to focus on the “how” of culture. Companies have no other choice. “Post-everything” signaled a fundamental change in expectations. GenZ and Millennials are ready to leave one job for another faster than any generation in history.

If your company wants to attract and keep the best employees, you need a way to prove that you “walk the talk” of your stated values. But all too many miss the mark. The top reason organizational cultures don’t live up to their stated values is a lack of leadership commitment to those values.

Any organization that wants to be a magnet for talent must prove that it can live up to its aspirations. As we used to say at Cisco, “We’re in Missouri now — the ‘Show Me’ state.”

How a Culture Map Can Show The Way

For employers, a culture map is a way to show employees what the organization actually stands for. Mapping organizational culture is a new idea. It will require the same GPS features as digital maps on our phones:

  • Pin Drops: Destinations on the map need to be accurate.
  • Step-by-Step Navigation: Destinations must be accompanied by directions that explain how to get there.
  • Re-Routing: The map should reveal better ways to get to the desired destination — how to “walk the talk.”

I started The Culture Platform because I wanted to surround myself with thought leaders who have “GPS” models to measure cultural values. Because my professional background is in research, my bar is high. I’m willing to work with a model only if it is either research-based or battle-tested in the market. In other words, the models must predictably measure a specific cultural value.

I think it is a mistake to “boil the ocean” by relying on a single culture indicator. Every organization is different and unique — and every organization doesn’t need to share the same values.

The ability to measure a specific aspect of culture with a data model is what makes culture-specific “pin drops” on a map possible. In my search, I found five models that meet my criteria. Each solves a specific element of the “how” for culture-building. Those dimensions can be either curiosity, self-awareness, a sense of belonging, transparency, or empowerment.

For example, consider these five culture scenarios:

  • Many companies say innovation is a strategy — but does their culture promote curiosity, the necessary belief that it’s okay to challenge the status quo without fear of retribution?
  • Many companies say listening to their employees is a key value — but are their leaders and managers self-aware of their behaviors?
  • Many companies say a diverse workforce is their people strategy — but does their culture fundamentally embrace a sense of belonging?
  • Many companies emphasize autonomy and decentralization — but do they truly empower every employee?

These five models do more than provide the pin drop. Each has a set of step-by-step directions that represents the most effective route to the “pin.” For example, a culture of curiosity has four main “turns” to reach the pin. It should:

  1. Encourage exploration
  2. Inspire creativity
  3. Emphasize openness to new ideas and
  4. Drive engagement and focus from the top

Culture Meets GPS

The “how” of culture has always been the hardest part. It can’t be done without leaders leading the way. That’s why I was so lucky to be a direct report of John Chambers who helped him build Cisco’s culture. We had the luxury of time, though. Today, organizations need to move faster. And the way to accomplish that is with a map that includes clear “directions” to reach specific outcomes.

I remember when we Boomers printed out step-by-step directions in MapQuest (and tried to read them while driving). A culture map transports us all to the “GPS” era. Now, we can finally get to desired cultural destinations safer, faster, and with confidence.

If you want to give culture mapping a try and see how your culture stacks up, we welcome you at The Culture Platform. To get started, just email me at:  TheCulturePlatform@gmail.com.

Is Your Employee Recognition Strategy On Point #WorkTrends podcast

Is Your Employee Recognition Strategy On Point?

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Sponsored by Kudos

The idea of employee recognition seems as natural as breathing. Who wouldn’t want to recognize a job well done? But the truth is, effective workforce recognition doesn’t just naturally happen. That’s why it pays to invest in a thoughtful recognition strategy.

Why a Strong Recognition Strategy Matters

If you follow leading workplace management trends, you know the case for recognition is compelling. For example, according to recent Gallup research:

  • Employees who say recognition is important to their organization are nearly 4x more likely to feel strongly connected with their culture.
  • When employees receive great recognition, they’re 20x more likely to be engaged than those who aren’t effectively recognized.
  • Among employees with successful recognition programs, 72% say their performance is acknowledged, even on “little things.”

Clearly, employers can’t afford to leave employee recognition and engagement to chance — especially in today’s complex hybrid work environment. But what exactly does an effective recognition strategy look like? Join me as I dig deeper with an industry expert on this episode of #WorkTrends…

Meet Our Guest: Karim Punja

Karim Punja is the COO at Kudos. As a CFA charterholder with over 15 years of experience at multiple global tech companies, Karim has found his sweet spot at Kudos. That’s because it’s a dynamic HR tech venture where data-based decisions are made at the speed of change, and everyone at Kudos is focused on improving the world of work.

With his business acumen and first-hand understanding of tools that enhance the modern employee experience, Karim is an ideal source for advice on how to develop a successful employee recognition strategy.

To learn more, check these highlights from our discussion…

Building a Recognition Budget

Welcome, Karim. Let’s begin with funding. Recognition programs should be planned, funded, and measured, just like any other business initiative. But how do we build a budget for this?

Well, a typical benchmark for a platform-supported program is 1-3% of payroll or of an employee’s salary.

But this is not necessarily a one-size-fits-all approach. You also need to consider your organization’s culture and recognition strategy.

What’s the split between hourly and salaried workers? Are your teams mostly remote workers or deskless workers? Plus, you’ll want to consider whether you’ll want to use a recognition platform to supplement income through rewards.

In addition, you may already be doing things you can consolidate into a recognition and engagement platform. For example, do you offer spot bonuses? And how do you manage birthdays and milestones?

Why Management Involvement is Key

What other elements should a recognition strategy include?

One of the most critical keys to success is getting managers on board early as stakeholders who take ownership of system adoption and usage.

We know this from analyzing our own clients. When managers are highly engaged with our system, monthly participation among non-managers is 3x higher than groups where manager engagement is low.

How a Recognition Strategy Creates Value

How should HR professionals communicate the value of employee recognition to senior leaders and others?

Measurement is an important attribute, because it speaks to the core philosophy that “you can’t manage what you can’t measure.”

With an employee recognition system, you can get measurable insights into employee wellbeing. And when you overlay that with engagement surveys, you can compare the data and see the impact of your culture over time.

I like to talk about the value of employee engagement metrics as a leading indicator of organizational health. Whereas surveys are more of a lagging indicator, because they provide a snapshot of sentiments that have led up to a particular point in time.

So, because a recognition and engagement platform provides real-time metrics and trends, it gives you a leading indicator of sentiment. This means you can use those actionable insights proactively, rather than reactively…

 

Learn More About How to Develop a Successful Recognition Strategy

Listen to this full #WorkTrends episode on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or wherever you tune in to podcasts. And while you’re there, be sure to subscribe so you won’t miss future episodes.

Want to continue this conversation on social media? Follow TalentCulture or use our #WorkTrends hashtag anytime on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Let’s talk!

The Power of Personalized Service in Business - #WorkTrends Podcast

The Power of Personalized Service in Business

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Sponsored by Social Flowers

When was the last time you received flowers? If you’re like me, a fresh bouquet always makes a memorable impact, especially if it’s filled with your favorite flowers in colors you love. That’s just one example of personalized service in action — but the possibilities are endless.

Personalization: The Popular Choice

Over the years, we’ve come to expect more than one-size-fits-all in our personal and professional lives. We want products and services that meet our unique needs and desires.

In fact, according to research by Deloitte, more than 50% of consumers say they’re interested in customized products — and more than 20% are willing to pay more for those products. No wonder so many organizations are stepping up to this challenge in innovative ways!

But exactly when do personalized solutions make sense? Today, we’re shining a light on one example, with a guest who uses high tech to provide a very cool high-touch customer experience. And if you want to give it a try, he’s happy to help…

Meet Our Guest: Brian Gomes

Brian Gomes is the CEO of Social Flowers and Florist One. He began his career as an engineer, working as an e-commerce developer at the company he would eventually lead. He is passionate about using creative technology to improve lives, and he believes in the importance of giving back.

Since it was founded in 1999, Florist One has delivered more than 1.5 million flower orders. Impressive! So, why are these companies thriving under Brian’s leadership? Personalization is only part of the story.

For highlights from our conversation, read on…

Not Your Father’s Floral Delivery

Welcome, Brian. Tell us about the service your company offers. Why is it so special?

Social Flowers is a different way of sending flowers. Normally, you need a delivery address. But with us, you don’t. All you need is an email address, a mobile number or a social media account.

This makes the process so much easier. Just think about all the people in your life. You know them, but you don’t necessarily know where they live.

We keep all the information private and we deliver anywhere in the U.S. or Canada, through local florists.

Top Flower Delivery Trends

Nice! I’m curious. What trends are you seeing in terms of who’s sending flowers these days?

Our most popular niche is dating. That makes sense because, in the early stages of a relationship, you’re not likely to have someone’s address, but you probably have their email address, or know where to find them on social media.

That’s all you need to send flowers while respecting and maintaining someone’s privacy.

We also see more business-related interest. For example, it’s an easy way to thank people, or celebrate an accomplishment, or even express sympathy in a professional context.

Next-Level Personalized Service

And now you’re adding even more personalization? Tell us about that…

Yes. Now we offer “sender’s choice” and “recipient’s choice” options. In other words, when you order, you can decide what kind of flowers to send.

However, if you aren’t sure what the recipient wants, you can set the price, but let the recipient choose the colors, flower types, and container they prefer.

Why a Personalized Approach Matters

Why do you think personalization is so important in business? 

It’s important because it means customers get what they really want. In our case, people can express themselves and be creative, so they can take pride in what they’re giving. Also, people feel special when giving or receiving something unique.

And for business, a personalized approach helps you build brand awareness and stand out from competitors. You can gain loyalty from that and be perceived as a company that listens….

 

Want to Try Personalized Flower Delivery?

Reach out to employees, customers, or others in your sphere and get $30 off your first order:
Create a Social Flowers account and get started now!

 

Learn More…

Listen to this full #WorkTrends episode on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or wherever you tune in to podcasts. And while you’re there, be sure to subscribe so you won’t miss future episodes.

Want to continue this conversation on social media? Follow TalentCulture or use our #WorkTrends hashtag anytime on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Let’s talk!

(Also, don’t forget to create an account at Social Flowers and receive a $30 credit on your first order!)

Navigating the Affordable Care Act - Strategies and Best Practices for Employers

The Affordable Care Act: Employer Strategies and Best Practices

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Sponsored by ADP

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has transformed how employers offer and deliver healthcare to their employees. Whether you’re an established employer who’s been tackling the ACA’s myriad regulations since Day One, or a newer employer navigating them now, there are two elements you can’t overlook. First, compliance isn’t an option, it’s a must. Second, the ACA isn’t simple — and there’s a lot to know.

The risks of ignoring or getting ACA regulations wrong include potentially costly penalties, as well as tarnishing your carefully built employer brand. The good news is that there are plenty of resources in place for getting it right, from information to experts to technology. Read on for some tips on the best practices and strategies employers need to know to comply with the ACA.

The Affordable Care Act Explained: A Comprehensive Mandate 

Signed into law in March of 2010 by President Obama, the Affordable Care Act established a mandate that changed the nature of employment, scaffolding a platform of healthcare offerings — and plenty of risks around non-compliance.

Size Matters

The bigger an organization, the more complex healthcare offerings are going to be, in general. The same is true with ACA compliance risks. But smaller organizations aren’t exempt. While not required to offer health coverage for their employees, if they do offer coverage, it must conform to ACA standards. For smaller businesses trying to attract and retain talent by offering benefits comparable to larger competitors, staying in compliance is critical.

1. Smaller Organizations

The ACA defines smaller organizations as those with less than 50 full-time or full-time equivalent employees. According to U.S. Census Bureau data published by J. P. Morgan Chase, nearly half of U.S. employees — 47.3% — work for small businesses. Most smaller businesses are very small: 88.1% have under 20 employees.

Smaller organizations may be eligible to offer their employees health insurance through the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) Marketplace. This marketplace provides a platform for small employers to explore and purchase health insurance plans for their employees, with the ability to easily compare plans, access enrollment tools, and potentially qualify for small business tax credits.

If an organization has less than 25 full-time equivalent employees, and the sum total of average annual wages falls below a certain threshold (which changes year to year), it may be eligible for tax credits under the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit to help offset the cost of providing health insurance coverage to employees.

2. Larger Organizations

Any employer with 50 or more full-time or full-time equivalent employees is considered an applicable large employer (ALE) according to the Affordable Care Act. ALEs need to offer at least basic health care coverage — known as minimum essential coverage (MEC). They also need to meet the ACA’s Employer Shared Responsibility Provisions, which mandate that health insurance coverage is offered to at least 95% of the organization’s full-time employees and their dependents.

The ACA describes mandated coverage as “affordable” and “adequate” — terms that can’t be ignored. Employers are prohibited from placing the burden of excessive costs onto employees (as in unbalanced cost-sharing).

Affordability criteria apply to all employers: essentially, it’s correlated to an employee’s required contribution for coverage, which is no more than 9.12% of that employee’s household income in 2023. As for adequate coverage, it must conform to ACA standards and include essential health benefits.

Timely Reporting and the Right Forms

Employers face a range of reporting requirements, including accurate documentation, timely, careful reporting of employee information, and filing by the deadline with the IRS and other state agencies. Most organizations will want to work with ACA experts to make sure they’re complying with the ACA’s strict and complex reporting requirements. There are layers of information to address correctly, along with periodic changes to adjust to as the ACA is updated.

While small employers don’t have to file the same IRS forms as large employers (see below for those), they may be required to provide a Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) to their employees, as well as other information. Again, it’s important to stay up to date to meet transparency requirements, avoid penalties, and receive certain tax credits.

As for large employers, along with various forms for state agencies, they need to file:

  • 1095-C form with information on what the coverage offers, employee eligibility, and coverage affordability;
  • 1094-C form that summarizes information on the 1095-C, and includes an overview of compliance with ACA requirements as well as the number of employees covered;
  • 1095-B form for health insurance providers and self-insured providers, which includes information on people covered under their health plans, duration of coverage, period of coverage, and other details.

These forms are usually filed at the end of February or March (if filed digitally) of the next calendar year for the year before. That means the right forms have to be provided to employees by January 31. (As with all things IRS, best not be late. Read on…)

Employer Penalties and Risks 

Depending on the size of your organization and the level of non-compliance with the ACA, you could be looking at substantial penalties.

Calculate your potential risk with ADP’s ACA Compliance calculator.

  • For smaller organizations, the penalties are understandably smaller in scale. But there are consequences if, for instance, they fail to provide affordable coverage, or if an employee qualifies for a premium tax credit through the Health Insurance Marketplace — since they didn’t have access to affordable health care coverage through their employer.
  • For large organizations, as of 2023, an ALE that doesn’t meet the 95% compliance requirements for full-time or full-time equivalent employees and their dependents could face a 4980H(a) penalty. This is a yearly penalty of $2,880 (or $240 for each month) per full-time employee, minus the first 30 employees. An ALE that provides unaffordable employer-sponsored coverage, provides coverage that doesn’t meet minimum value requirements, or has one or more full-time employees who receive subsidized coverage through the exchange could face a 4980H(b) penalty. This is a yearly penalty of $4,320 divided by 12 for each full-time employee who receives subsidized coverage through an exchange in a month.

Staying in Compliance: 6 Best Practices

Ensuring compliance with the ACA takes a multi-pronged approach, from staying on top of eligibility information, to meticulous documentation, to leaning on an expert team, to leveraging the best technology. Consider these six best practices as part of your ACA strategy:

1. Dive into Employee Eligibility

This isn’t a guessing game. Employee eligibility criteria involve multiple factors, including hours worked and full-time or part-time status. Full-time means those working at least 30 hours a week or 130 hours a month, on average. Full-time equivalency looks at the combined hours worked by part-time employees.

2. Manage Affordability

Stay on top of affordability requirements as they change year to year, and make sure you understand the ACA’s definition of affordability. Employers should also regularly review their coverage to make sure it’s still within affordability parameters, since healthcare costs are rarely fixed. Be proactive at monitoring costs so you don’t wind up in noncompliance.

3. Maintain Documentation

Create a system for keeping all documentation related to ACA. Retain all records on eligibility, coverage offers and any changes made to health plans. Keep all documentation on affordability calculations and credits, as well as communication with employees.

Retain all reports and forms, and include details about when data was filed, what data was filed, and other pertinent information. Whatever format you use — such as electronic folders or Cloud-based storage — make sure it’s secure, accessible, and permits easy, fast retrieval. Establish document retention protocols that meet industry best practices as well as your organization’s own internal practices.

4. Conduct Continuous, Careful Reporting

Timely and accurate reporting of required information is crucial for ACA compliance. Stay updated on reporting deadlines and be ready to provide the necessary documentation in compliance with ACA regulations. Another trigger for penalties is not filing accurate or on-time information returns with the IRS and applicable state agencies. A shoddy reporting system could be expensive.

 5. Build a Team You Trust

A thorough compliance strategy team can provide the critical support employers need to navigate the ACA’s complexities. It ensures that a business can benefit from a breadth of expertise, establish a coordinated approach, and stay on top of regulatory changes and developments.

The presence of an ACA team can also encourage compliance across multiple tiers and locations of a larger organization, establishing a single source of truth, as it were, along with a consistent, timely, organized strategy. Adherence isn’t always a simple matter. As with all complex regulations, there may be gray areas and there will likely be questions. How effectively and quickly these can be addressed could make all the difference when it comes to avoiding penalties.

6. Harness the Power of a Digital Platform

Combining a team that understands ACA compliance with digital tools that streamline ACA compliance processes is a win for any organization. It enables employers to focus on core business operations without losing sleep over ACA compliance risks. A robust platform designed to simplify and optimize at the same time can offer a range of functions covering everything from reporting and forms access to data hygiene and updates. It’s a highly effective approach to mitigating risk and minimizing compliance gaps.

What to look for in an ACA compliance platform? Look for a system packed with the right features. Look for automation that makes it easy to generate ACA forms with accuracy — that, alone, can be a game changer. Make sure the platform offers integration and data management between HR, benefits administration, and ACA reporting tools, as well as a central, safe location for records and data management.

Real-time monitoring and reporting, easy-to-use dashboards and analytics can provide of-the-moment status and progress, and support timely compliance. Tools for calculating potential risks and penalties can shed light on questions quickly and support better decision-making. As with any modern platform, an array of integrated features means an employer is well-supported. In this case, integration is essentially table stakes.

If You Get a Penalty Notice

The most important first step to take if you receive a penalty notice is to respond quickly. Then, reach out to your team. And if you don’t have an ACA team of HR professionals or dedicated, trusted ACA experts, this is when you’ll need it.

Lean on your team for guidance on how to best establish a plan of action. Focus on responding with thorough due diligence and correct documentation. Make sure the reasons for the noncompliance finding are clear, and carefully address and resolve each requirement detailed in the penalty notice with your team’s support.

The Affordable Care Act: New Landscape, New Complexities, New Changes

Like many transformative pieces of legislation, the ACA is anything but static. It’s a continually iterating set of requirements and standards. Established with the best of intentions, it undoubtedly raised the bar for what employers offer in terms of healthcare to their employees, as well as how much time, care, and effort goes into administration.

At the same time, modern organizations are dealing with the pressure to stay competitive, stay relevant, attract and retain strong talent, and grow in the new world of work. Healthcare as an industry has also changed — and its evolution continues.

The keys to navigating the ACA in this environment are adhering to best practices, reaching out for external expertise, and leveraging the best digital solutions available. It’s this combination of resources that will most effectively streamline compliance efforts, reduce risks, and provide the most comprehensive and affordable healthcare to your workforce.

Learn more about compliance with The Affordable Care Act from ADP’s ACA experts in this on-demand webinar: “The ACA and Health Care Reform: Federal and State Developments.”

What Does the Voice of the Employee Say About Your Culture?

What Does the Voice of the Employee Say About Your Culture?

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Sponsored by WorkForce Software

Employers, you know the story. For years, organizations have been struggling to engage and retain employees, yet few have really moved the meter. So, how do the best employers succeed? Some say the answer lies in listening more closely to the voice of the employee. Why?

Here’s what statistics say:

  • 90% of workers told Achievers they’re more likely to stay at a company that seeks feedback and acts on it. Yet 67% rate their organization as only “okay” or even “horrible” at doing this.
  • According to a Gallup survey, 52% of people who resigned say those in charge could have done something to prevent them from quitting. But only a third actually discussed their disenchantment with their manager before they left.

It is time to lean in and listen to the voice of the employee more closely and more continuously. But what should that look like in a modern work environment? This question is super important. And that’s why we’re talking about it today with an expert in the psychology of work…

Meet Our Guest: Angelina Sun

Today, we welcome back Angelina Sun, PhD, WorkForce Management Solutions Director at WorkForce Software. With extensive experience in multiple industries, she is deeply interested in innovative ways to build and sustain healthy organizational cultures.

In her current role, Angelina focuses on helping leaders more effectively manage and communicate with employees – especially deskless workers. Angelina’s finger is clearly on the pulse of modern workforce challenges and opportunities. That’s why I asked her to join us earlier this year to discuss the state of today’s deskless worker experience.

But this topic is much bigger than just one podcast episode. So I invited Angelina to return so we could dig deeper. Here are some highlights from our latest conversation…

Defining the Voice of the Employee

Welcome back, Angelina! What is the voice of the employee, and why is it so valuable in organizations?

People often think of the voice of the employee in terms of responses to staff surveys. But it’s more than that.  It encompasses all their feelings, perceptions, and experiences. And it includes all communication channels.

There are so many ways you can tap into the voice of the employee. For example, you can learn by paying attention to team meetings, one-on-ones with managers, service sentiment, and information sharing at company gatherings, interviews, focus groups — anywhere you gather feedback.

The Need to Feel Heard is Universal
You’re so right, Angelina. This extends far beyond employee surveys…

Everyone wants to be heard and valued. Whether we are office-based, remote, hybrid, frontline hourly workers or shift workers, we all want to feel like we’re doing meaningful, purposeful work.

But for deskless workers, the voice of the employee has a unique operational focus. Because these workers are closest to production or customers, their feedback is crucial. It helps identify what’s really happening in the workplace or with the customer experience, so we can take action and improve.

Technology’s Role

How can technology, especially mobile, help create a more seamless communication flow between employees and employers?

You know, smartphones are an essential tool for managing our day-to-day lives. This is why organizations really should employ these powerful, pocket-sized supercomputers to connect with frontline workers.

In fact, our research reveals that 45% of employees would prefer to receive training and information on their mobile phone. Yet only 20% of them actually have this option.

Improving the Communication Process

What are some of the best ways employers can select a communication vehicle and make it work for everyone?

The biggest obstacle is adoption. Why? Because deskless workers don’t sit or stand in front of a computer all day to check email and respond.

So if you want a successful solution, it must integrate into the technology deskless workers are already using in the field or on the shop floor.

We are not just talking about a simple chat system. It should be workflow-driven. It should help people get their job done and make it easier to manage schedules and work-life balance, while also helping managers have the right conversations with the right people at the right time…

 

Learn More About the Voice of the Employee

For more insights about how your organization can benefit from listening to the voice of the employee, listen to this full #WorkTrends episode on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or wherever you tune in to podcasts. And while you’re there, be sure to subscribe, so you won’t miss future episodes.

Also, visit WorkForce Software anytime for details about the company and its modern workforce management suite.

And whenever you want to continue this conversation on social media, follow our #WorkTrends hashtag on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Let’s talk!

How to Become a Great Manager (And Why It Matters) - TalentCulture

How to Become a Great Manager (And Why It Matters)

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Sponsored by The Culture Platform

You probably know at least one great manager. Maybe you’ve even worked for that person. If so, I imagine it was a fulfilling experience. How do I know? It’s a safe bet because research tells us just how deeply managers influence our work experience. For instance:

  • Gallup says managers affect employee engagement and performance more than anything else. In fact, 70% of the variance in a team’s engagement is determined solely by its manager.
  • A Stanford study found that productivity increases by as much as 50% when employees move from a manager with “average” capabilities to a high-quality boss. Not surprisingly, retention is also higher among those with better bosses.

Sadly, great managers are a rare breed. But we can change that. First, we need to understand what it takes to be the kind of manager everyone wants to work for. And that’s exactly what we’re exploring with a management development expert on today’s episode of #WorkTrends…

Meet Our Guest: Ron Ricci

This week, I’m thrilled to welcome a long-time friend of TalentCulture, Ron Ricci. Ron is the founder and CEO of The Culture Platform, the foremost data-based system to measure, manage, and magnify organizational culture.

With more than two decades of experience in leading large teams, Ron is an expert voice on management best practices. Previously, he held multiple senior leadership roles at Cisco, where he managed more than 5,000 employees.

Because he is so passionate about helping managers succeed in what he calls the “post-everything” era, I know Ron has a wealth of ideas to share. So let’s get started!

The Anatomy of a Great Manager

Welcome, Ron. What did your successful career at Cisco teach you about being a great manager?

I knew I was only as good as the people on my team — so to attract the best people, I needed to be a great manager. And to be a great manager, I learned that I had to be really good at setting clear expectations for people.

Being a manager is probably the toughest job in any organization. You sit between leadership’s expectations and your people’s expectations. That’s why it’s critical to be a strong expectation-setter.

Factors Affecting Managerial Success

Why do so many people fail in management roles?

I think this happens for two reasons:

First, being a manager is hard because it involves human-to-human communication. It takes a lot of courage to be a great manager. You have to tell people the truth. You have to follow through on your word. You have to hold people accountable.

So folks fail because they don’t understand how hard it is or how to develop an effective communication style.

Also, I think companies contribute because they’re often very inconsistent in how they act and behave. We’ve all seen it. Companies start a project, then stop it. They launch an initiative, then they don’t fund it. They don’t measure things consistently. Or they don’t have a calendared process to hold people accountable.

Managers need to challenge their company to do better. If companies operate more consistently, managers can do a better job of helping people see future opportunities and move in that direction.

Unsung Heroes

I really feel for anyone who is a manager these days. We talk nonstop about employees and leaders, but managers are left behind…

Good point, Meghan. Over the past few decades, organizations have emphasized leadership and over-invested in employee engagement — and it hasn’t gotten us anywhere. Meanwhile, we’ve under-invested in manager training and development.

We have to stop doing something to do something else better. We have to decide that the manager role is more important. We need to help managers improve how they set expectations, so their employees fall in love with their job and kick ass in whatever their role may be.

In my opinion, this is 20 years overdue.

The Manager’s Toolbox

I’m glad you offer a resource called The Manager’s Toolbox. What’s inside?

Rather than over-emphasizing technology, the toolbox focuses on developing the human-to-human communication process every great manager needs. It’s based on three elements:

1) How to align company priorities with a job role.

2) How to measure something people are doing so you can communicate with facts.

3) How to set priorities and make sure you measure things in a consistent way across the organization so there’s no ambiguity.

You can’t really replace this kind of communication with technology. It’s a process.

 

Learn More About How to be a Great Manager

For more insights about developing better managers, listen to this full #WorkTrends episode on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or wherever you tune in to podcasts. While you’re there, be sure to subscribe, so you won’t miss future episodes.

To get a copy of The Manager’s Toolbox, send an email request to Ron at TheCulturePlatform@gmail.com. Also, visit The Culture Platform anytime for details about the company or to schedule a demo.

And whenever you want to continue this conversation on social media, follow our #WorkTrends hashtag on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Let’s talk!

Employers, Is Your Talent Pipeline Prepared for Turbulent Times? Learn how you can operate with more resilience in this #WorkTrends podcast

Is Your Talent Pipeline Prepared for Turbulent Times?

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Sponsored by Toptal

In today’s fluid business environment, employers are still struggling to find the right kind of talent when they need it. But what does it take to build a truly flexible, modern workforce? It takes a creative strategy and a nimble game plan. For example, a growing number of companies rely on a remote talent pipeline that scales up or down with their organization’s requirements.

In this podcast episode, we explore how employers can improve organizational resilience by tapping into a diverse pool of qualified specialists whenever the need arises…

Meet Our Guest: Vicky Mackie

This week, I’m excited to speak with Vicky Mackie, SVP of Talent Operations at Toptal — the world’s largest fully remote workforce of top talent that enables companies to scale their teams. Vicky plays a central role in matching clients with talent who have specialized expertise, on-demand.

Prior to joining Toptal, Vicky honed her strategic and operational acumen as a management consultant at Bain and Company, where she helped executive teams in multiple industries tackle their most pressing issues.

With her depth of experience, I know Vicky has loads of helpful advice to share about talent strategies that support business agility. So let’s get started!

Why a Flexible Talent Pipeline Is Essential

Welcome, Vicky. The concept of a flexible workforce seems to be gaining even more popularity now. Why do you think this model works so well, especially in an unstable business climate?

When building a talent pipeline, great leaders rely on data. What metrics are we trying to hit? What projects will help us reach those goals? From there, you can build out your recruiting pipeline over the next 6 months, 12 months, 18 months.

But although planning is still very valuable in an unstable environment, you can’t always predict the future. So the option of a flexible workforce helps supplement full-time workforce planning. It also helps fill gaps when things are uncertain or unexpected.

For example, you can flex capacity up and down as needed. Or you can tap into highly qualified talent much more quickly. Or you can find a new type of talent that matches growing demand for emerging technologies, like AI and Generative AI.

Linking Flexible Talent With Remote Work

How do you see talent management evolving with the shift to remote work and the need for flexible talent?

Research by Manpower Group says almost 80% of companies face talent shortages today. And with the pandemic, companies saw firsthand how effective remote work can be, right? Now, more processes and technologies are available than ever to make that experience incredibly smooth.

So, to attract talent that will differentiate your company, you need to leverage remote work. You’ll not only find and attract the best talent, but also retain them.

And because you’re not limiting yourself to a specific geography means you’ll have access to capabilities you may not have had in the past.

Staying Productive Through Change

While building a flexible remote pipeline, how can employers maintain quality and productivity?

First, make sure you rely on a vetted network. By ensuring the people in your talent pool are really experts in their field, you remove the risk of working with contingent talent.

Also, you’ll want to be sure you’re considering the broadest, most diverse pool you can find, so you’re able to choose the best available talent for each role.

Lastly, it’s important to build a culture around outcomes and results. When you’re in the office, you can see people doing the work. A remote environment is different. So focusing on outcomes helps people produce high-quality work without micromanagement.

How Work Culture Fits In

That point about culture is key. It’s important from the outset, right?

That’s right. You want to treat flexible talent as part of your team. They are part of the solution to the problem you want to solve. They’re the experts. And they want to be partners with you.

So you’ll want to be very clear about what success looks like. Investing in that kind of onboarding will improve the experience for everyone.

 

Learn More About Building a Strong Talent Pipeline

For more insights about how your organization can benefit from a flexible talent pipeline, listen to this full podcast episode. And be sure to subscribe to the #WorkTrends Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

You’ll also find a wealth of helpful insights and resources for employers on the Toptal Blog.

And anytime you want to continue this conversation on social media, follow our #WorkTrends hashtag on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Let’s talk!

Using Employee Perks to Beat Inflation

Using Employee Perks to Beat Inflation

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Sponsored by Abenity

Employee perks are like mom and apple pie. Who doesn’t love them? Still, employers may hesitate to invest in “extras” like perks programs in this shaky economy. But perks and discounts are much more than just a fun way to help employees feel special. They’re also a smart talent strategy.

Want proof? Here are several impressive statistics:

  • 60% of job seekers told Glassdoor that perks are a big factor when they’re choosing to accept a job offer.
  • When companies prioritized employee engagement (including meaningful benefits and perks) 31% saw increased productivity, while 80% saw reduced turnover, according to Brandon Hall Research.

Perks Aren’t Just for Big Companies

You may be thinking only large-scale employers can afford to offer great employee perks. Or if you’re on a tight budget, you may think offering a complete program would be too costly. But actually, that’s not the case. If you check out this podcast conversation, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised…

Meet Our Guest: Ben McIntyre

I’m excited to introduce you to Ben McIntyre, Client Success Manager at Abenity — an innovative employee perks and discounts company. Ben and his team help organizations of all sizes provide employees with meaningful savings that help stretch their earnings further. This means employees can afford more necessities and nice-to-haves, as well.

As a big fan of creative perks and benefits, I want to know more. So let’s dig in!

Why Employee Perks Matter

Welcome, Ben. Why are perks and benefits so important now, for employees and employers alike?

As prices continue to rise and employers look to the year ahead, they’re concerned that pay raises won’t be enough to help employees overcome inflation.

But perks can make a difference. They provide added purchasing power, both for things employees need to do, and for things they want to do more.

This crosses into financial wellbeing. But perks tie into other benefit areas as well. Physical wellbeing is an example. Some employers have had to cut back on subsidies for gym memberships and related benefits. But we have an entire health and wellness category that can touch physical and mental wellness.

An Innovative Approach to Perks

You have such a cool platform. I’d love to hear why your founders, Brian and Tim Roland, started this 15 years ago…

At the time, Brian worked for a cell phone service provider, offering employee discounts to large companies. And of course, he wasn’t the only one sharing exciting perks with these employers. But although HR teams appreciated it, they found it a burden to maintain accurate information and communicate with employees about all these perks.

So Brian and his brother built a platform where employers could centralize all their perks and discount offers in one place. It gave merchants and employees direct access to the platform, as well.

Over the years, we’ve expanded on that with our own network of national and local offers. And now, we have over 1 million redemption locations with savings in 12 categories.

Why Some Employers Hesitate

This seems like such an easy, low-cost way to show appreciation. What issues prevent companies from adding employee perks to their benefits package?

One of the biggest obstacles is probably the time people think it takes to offer great perks.

For example, we’re working with a large university that previously devoted a full team member to managing all of its perks. But now, almost all of that person’s time is available for other priorities.

What Undecided Employers Should Know

Right now, I’m sure many organizations are on the fence about investing in new benefit programs. What would you tell them?

No matter what size your organization may be, your employees will stretch their payroll dollars further than the cost of offering this benefit.

For instance, last week I was looking at the savings for a large healthcare provider we serve. Their employees saved $30,000 last year on Disneyland tickets! And that’s just one merchant out of thousands.

Plus this is really flexible. No matter what a person’s income and expenses may be, they always want to save money. And along the way, they want to feel special and appreciated.

Perks can help make that possible.

Learn More About Employee Perks

For more insights about how organizations can make the most of employee perks, listen to this full podcast episode. And be sure to subscribe to the #WorkTrends Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.

You’ll also find tons of helpful resources on the Abenity blog.

And anytime you want to continue this conversation on social media, follow our #WorkTrends hashtag on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Let’s talk!

What are the benefits of being a podcast guest? And what success tips can help you know? Check this advice from a long-time podcast producer

5 Benefits of Being a Podcast Guest and How to Prepare for Success

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In less than 20 years, podcasting has revolutionized the way we consume and engage with informational content, offering a powerful digital platform for individuals to share their knowledge, experiences, and ideas. Today, with more than 5 million podcasts attracting 464.7 million listeners worldwide, overall podcast reach is staggering. And every podcast guest has a unique story to tell.

Why Preparation Is Everything

Over the past 12 years at TalentCulture, I’ve helped hundreds of HR practitioners, business leaders, analysts, and authors prepare to appear on our popular #WorkTrends show. And along the way I’ve learned just how vital it is for every podcast guest to plan ahead. If you understand what listeners expect and how the production process will unfold, you’ll be better equipped to share your insights, advice, and expertise on a global stage.

Preparation makes all the difference. The process isn’t difficult, but it can have lasting consequences. Who knows? Just one solid, memorable podcast guest appearance could change your career path for you or open a new chapter for your business.

Tips for Podcast Guest Success

Whether you’re a subject matter expert, a business leader, an industry analyst, or an author, being a podcast guest is a valuable opportunity to connect with a broader audience and amplify your voice. But with so many podcasts, you’ll want to choose one that fits your message and personality.

As you explore the multitude of options, don’t just look at total reach. Also consider things like the theme and tone, audience composition, frequency, brand reputation, and familiarity. These factors will steer you to podcasts that can showcase your particular story in the best light.

And once you’ve been booked to appear on a relevant podcast, you’ll want to be ready to shine. Here are tips to help you prepare:

CONTENT STRATEGY

  • For context, listen to other episodes of the podcast and others focused on similar topics.
  • Verify the length of your interview, so you can work within expected time limits.
  • Think about the story you want to tell. How can you help listeners relate to it?
  • Create a list of key points for quick recall as you tell your story.
  • Use data and case studies to support your statements, if possible.
  • Organize your messages to fit the timeframe.
  • Prepare a list of questions for the host to ask.
  • Practice thorough responses, but be prepared to summarize or jump forward if the host moves in that direction.

TECHNICAL AND LOGISTICAL DETAILS

  • Ask if the conversation will be streamed live or recorded and edited.
  • Will it be produced with audio, video, or both formats?
  • Familiarize yourself with the podcast platform, as well as tools that can help you look and sound like a professional. (For example, is your laptop microphone sufficient?)
  • Be sure to request a tech check before the live podcast.
  • Confirm whether you’ll need to log in through a specific portal/app, or if you should call in.
  • Choose your location wisely. You’ll want to be in a quiet room with a closed door.
  • If you’re using an online portal, shut down any alerts on your computer and switch your phone to mute or vibrate mode.
  • Wear a headset or use AirPods for better audio fidelity.

PRODUCTION AND PROMOTION

  • If the session is recorded, ask if you can listen to the episode before it is published.
  • Verify if you have the option to request edits.
  • Keep in touch with podcast producers, so you can align your promotional efforts with the show’s marketing plans.

5 Benefits of Being a Podcast Guest

Participating in podcasts can be rewarding both personally and professionally. In particular, appearing on a popular show like #WorkTrends can amplify your voice, extend your influence, and open doors to exciting new opportunities. For example, it can help you:

1. Expand Your Network 

One of the biggest advantages of being a podcast guest is the opportunity to expand your sphere of influence. The connections you make can have a lasting impact on your career trajectory. You can connect with hosts, fellow guests, and listeners with similar interests. This can lead to enduring collaborations, partnerships, and friendships that enhance your personal and professional growth. Moreover, podcast hosts typically have their own networks, which can expose you to new opportunities, introductions, and potential clients or customers.

2. Build Credibility

As a podcast guest, you are showcasing your distinct knowledge and perspective. By sharing your experiences and know-how with listeners, you establish yourself as an authority in your field. This credibility can enhance your professional reputation, open doors to other speaking engagements, and increase your chances of being quoted or featured in industry publications. Think of it as a platform to demonstrate your expertise and offer valuable insights, which can solidify your position as an industry thought leader.

3. Increase Brand Awareness and Visibility

Being a podcast guest is an excellent opportunity to build brand awareness. Podcasts often have dedicated, loyal listeners who are actively engaged and interested in the topics discussed. Sharing your story, expertise, or insights about a product or service can generate awareness and interest in your individual brand or business. When you participate in meaningful podcast conversations and your message resonates with listeners, organic word-of-mouth marketing naturally follows. Also, podcasts are often distributed through multiple channels (Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, and many more). This further extends your reach beyond the original podcasting network.

4. Reach New Audiences 

Podcasts attract diverse listeners from all walks of life. This means you’re likely to reach new, untapped audiences. As a podcast guest, you can connect with people who may not have encountered your work or brand through other channels. This broader exposure can increase followers, subscribers, and customers. In addition, podcasts often have global reach that transcends geographical boundaries. This further extends your ability to influence new demographics and communities. You can leverage your podcast appearance by posting about your episode before and after on social media. You may even want to write one or more blog articles about the discussion, emphasizing key points and expanding on the topic in ways you didn’t have time to address with the host. By adding a link back to the podcast episode from these articles, you can drive even more downloads.

5. Improve Communication Skills 

Participating in podcast interviews can significantly enhance your communication and presentation skills. Podcast hosts often ask thought-provoking questions, challenging you to articulate your ideas clearly and concisely. This experience can improve your ability to think on your feet and engage in meaningful conversations. In fact, the preparation process, alone, can be valuable. Synthesizing complex information into a storyline based on simple sound bites makes it easier for listeners to understand and connect with your message. Also, you can apply this messaging to other communication efforts in the future. Plus, the communication skills you develop are transferable to other aspects of your life, such as formal and informal meetings with industry colleagues, employees, and customers.

Interested in Being a Podcast Guest?

I hope I’ve convinced you to share your unique insights through the power of podcasts. As someone who has been on both sides of the microphone, I can assure you that the process of producing an episode is fascinating and even fun. It’s also one of the best ways to grow.

Because #WorkTrends welcomes professionals from across the HR spectrum, I am continuously learning from smart people about the latest ideas and best practices in leadership, talent acquisition, employer branding, HR technology, and the future of work. And listeners seem to agree because they keep coming back for more. That’s one of the reasons why #WorkTrends download volume is among the top 6-7% of all podcasts, globally, according to Buzzsprout (in April 2023). 

If this article has piqued your interest and you’d like to learn more, I invite you to submit this inquiry form. In response, we’ll send you information about how you can become a featured guest on the #WorkTrends podcast. 

Managers need a toolbox for the "post-everything" era. Here are ideas for elements that organizations should include - by Ron Ricci of The Culture Platform

Managers Need a Toolbox for the “Post-Everything” Era

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TalentCulture Content Impact Award Winner - 2023
Sponsored by The Culture Platform

What tools actually help managers manage their people? That’s the most important question every organization needs to ask itself as the workplace enters the “post-everything” era. Post-pandemic, post-work-from-home, post-boomers, post-engagement-software’s-failure-to make-a-difference, post-wondering-if-AI-will-affect-work. You get my drift.

I believe this new era will be defined by how well organizations adapt their approach to managing people, as well as the responsibilities they put on managers’ shoulders.

Inside the “Post-Everything” Manager’s Toolkit

“Post-everything” has created a new starting line for managers. Expectations have changed. Most importantly, the number one reason why individuals leave a job today is a lack of growth opportunities. In fact, more than any generations in history, Gen Z and Millennials are ready to quit their current job for another role that promises better opportunities.

This is why managers need to focus on setting clear expectations. But here’s the catch — it requires human-to-human communication.

I’ve managed about 5,000 people in my career. My on-the-ground experience taught me that no two people are exactly alike. Career planning is a process of ongoing communication. It’s a give-and-take conversation about strengths and weaknesses, about roles and responsibilities, about goals and metrics, about performance and results.

As every manager knows, it’s remarkably easy to make mistakes when setting expectations. Being consistent is hard. But it’s even harder if your organization is also inconsistent.

Think for a moment about your career. Ask yourself this question: Have you ever seen an employer dedicated to providing a single, consistent, unified process that helps managers set expectations about career opportunities for team members? Is this happening where you work now?

The “Post-Everything” Process

Of course, a toolbox is only as good as the process it uses.

I’ve spent a decade talking to hundreds of organizations around the world about the role of the manager. Along the way, I’ve repeatedly heard that if we want to help managers set clear expectations, inconsistency is the biggest problem to solve.

Inconsistency comes in many forms. It may come from a lack of formal goals or goals that are continuously changing. You may see it in a failure to establish metrics or metrics that mean different things. It could be about reorgs or reductions in force, weak communication, managerial changes, or language differences. The list goes on and on.

At its heart, inconsistency breeds distrust in management’s ability to be accountable and follow through on an employee’s career growth. These triggers cause people to move on in search of better opportunities. And that’s why I think organizational inconsistency is failing managers today and is the real reason employees are so disengaged at work.

3 Steps For Success

I’ve come to believe that every unified process to help managers consistently set clear expectations must include three essential steps. Individually, each step is helpful. But linking all three end-to-end is the key to empowering managers, especially at scale. So this is my call to action for leaders:

1. Embrace a Common Vocabulary

Communicate with common terms. Think of company-specific languages like V2MOM from Salesforce or standardized vocabularies like OKRs. A common organizational vocabulary eliminates communication gray zones or ambiguities. What words do people use in running your business? You need to define the meaning of those words. For example, what does strategy mean to your organization? How do you distinguish a priority from a program? What is an initiative, and how does that differ from a project?

2. Emphasize Shared Goals

To be clear about which activities matter to operational execution, develop and publish shared goals. These goals are the way people can connect their job role to what will be rewarded. Shared goals serve the important role of distinguishing what’s important from what’s urgent when communicating. Do we care about growth? Or do we care about efficiency? Shared goals help managers align job roles to what the organization actually values.

3. Focus on the Standard Metrics

Are you measuring everyone’s success the same way? A single taxonomy of metrics sets up what employees really want — a consistent accountability system. If people can’t communicate with facts about their performance and results, it leads to an insidious way of getting ahead: relying on who you know. And we all know what that leads to.

Alignment Matters in the “Post-Everything” Era

A common vocabulary, shared goals, and a single system of metrics. Together, they form an end-to-end process that minimizes inconsistency when setting expectations.

Yes, this process is more difficult than buying a software tool. It requires leaders and managers to do the hard work of agreeing on specific elements of the process. But that said, it’s no different with Six Sigma or Lean/Agile methods. And the results are worth the effort.

The “post-everything era” is defined by what the best employees want — growth and advancement. This era demands end-to-end alignment. That means every employee in an organization should be able to align their job role to current and future opportunities. It is hard work for any manager, but it’s the new “post-everything” reality.

Want to Manage Well? Alignment is the Answer

End-to-end alignment requires human-to-human communication up and down the organization. It’s why I believe employers have been getting engagement wrong. It’s upside down. Instead of being engaged, employees want their leaders and managers to be engaged in conversations about their individual career success.

The core premise of The Collaboration Imperative, which I co-authored about Cisco’s best practices, centers on the idea that any great productivity leap forward or new strategic direction requires the alignment of process, culture, and technology. In other words, it may be tempting to depend on a tool for this, but technology alone cannot substitute for a complete process.

Organizations already put significant weight on managers’ shoulders. In the “post-everything” era, it’s time to lighten the load. It’s time for leaders to carry some of the weight by giving managers what they need — a process that consistently and systematically eliminates inconsistencies in expectation-setting. Let’s give managers the toolbox they really deserve. Your people are depending on it.

I want to give you a head start with this process. Send an email request to me at TheCulturePlatform@gmail.com and I’ll send you a PDF of Chapter 4 from The Collaboration Imperative: Creating Commitment to Shared Goals.

What's new about working remotely - and employers are you listening? #WorkTrends podcast with Robert Graham of Poll Everywhere

What’s New About Working Remotely?

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Sponsored by Poll Everywhere

Working remotely is nothing new. Yet somehow, it has changed. Wait. Weren’t we just (finally) getting comfortable with Zoom meetings and 4-day workweeks? What exactly is different? And why should leaders be paying much closer attention right now?

Well frankly, the stakes are getting higher. Even during today’s economic headwinds, the market for qualified talent remains remarkably tight. And let’s face it — if you lose strong people because you don’t see eye-to-eye on remote work, replacing them will be costly, time-consuming, and may even end the same way.

How Can Working Remotely Succeed, Going Forward?

Maybe it’s time to shift your work structure. Maybe not. But here’s the bigger question: Whatever you do, how will you know if you’re moving in the right direction?

Every company is unique — no matter what the work structure may be. The tradeoffs you need to consider are specific to your team. So it makes sense to engage people in honest, open conversations about how to map their work expectations with your organization’s mission and business realities.

How can you make that happen? Let’s talk with someone who understands this process from the inside out…

Meet Our Guest: Robert Graham

Please join me in welcoming Robert Graham, CEO of Poll Everywhere — a SaaS company that offers live online polls and other interactive feedback tools that help organizations gather and act on valuable insights from employees, customers, and other stakeholders.

Robert is a software engineering expert and serial solo entrepreneur who is passionate about empowering his team — all of whom are working remotely. He’s also interested in helping other leaders grow their teams personally and professionally, while building successful companies. I’m interested in that, too, so let’s get started!

What People Want From Work Now

Welcome, Robert. To set the stage, tell me your perspective on the modern workplace. What are you seeing?

We see people being more interested in a relationship with work that is tied to a mission, especially for Millennials and Gen Z. And these expectations are defining what employers need to provide.

There’s a video by Simon Sinek that talks about how we all used to be more involved with “third places.” People were members of a church or a softball team or community groups.

But now we spend a lot of that time online or watching Netflix. So we’re looking to work to fulfill more aspects of our lives.

Motivations Haven’t Changed

You recently published a LinkedIn article about engagement and working remotely. What should employers consider about these issues?

Key features of the modern workplace haven’t changed much. However, our relationship to them has changed a lot, and our context has also changed a lot.

For example, you and I are able to do this podcast remotely. A lot of our work can be done remotely now. And that’s mostly about new tools and processes that make it possible.

But as Daniel Pink says, people are motivated by autonomy, mastery, and purpose. Those things haven’t changed much, even though the environment has changed quite a bit.

So if you want people to feel engaged while working remotely, you need to get them connected to those intrinsic motivators. How do you build a remote culture and teach managers to be effective in that setting? There are so many trade-offs.

The Value of Continuous Listening

How can organizations respond to these changes?

Doing this really well requires curiosity and consistent listening. Because when you try new things you’ll make some mistakes. Or sometimes the context will shift, so what worked previously may no longer be right for your organization or your people.

It’s important to find ways to build systems that encourage new ways of working, and promote people who work effectively when things are changing. That’s especially important if your organization is growing.

Where Listening Fits In

Whether people are working remotely or not, how can listening help improve employee engagement?

Start by asking yourselves if your organization has a clear purpose. Have you communicated it? And do your people believe in it?

And another part of that journey starts with asking your team what motivates them. Do they feel they have autonomy? How can you enable them to be more autonomous? Do they feel they’re able to grow and develop mastery over their work? Do they feel connected to a purpose?

Every organization is going to start in a different place with those questions. And that’s why this process depends on listening.

Learn More About Working Remotely 2.0

For more insights from Robert about how organizations can adjust to today’s changing workplace, listen to this full podcast episode. And be sure to subscribe to the #WorkTrends Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.

Also, to continue this conversation on social media anytime, follow our #WorkTrends hashtag on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Let’s talk!

Menopause at Work What We All Should Know - TalentCulture

Menopause at Work: What We All Should Know

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Sponsored by Peppy Health

When you think of menopause, what comes to mind? If you’ve already experienced this transition, you know the symptoms can disrupt your work life in unexpected ways. (Imagine a hot flash suddenly coming on when you’re leading an important team meeting. Didn’t your body get the memo?)

Concerns like these are causing far too many mid-career women to leave their jobs at a critical stage in their work journey. In fact, research says 1 in 4 menopausal women consider resigning, while 1 in 10 actually do walk away.

This is a double whammy for the world of work. It damages the earnings potential of women in their prime, while simultaneously jeopardizing business momentum for employers. After all, replacing experienced talent is tough — especially in today’s competitive market.

What to do? Let’s dig deeper…

Meet Our Guest: Barb Dehn

Please join me in welcoming Barb Dehn, VP of Menopause and Women’s Health Services at Peppy Health — specialists in gender-inclusive healthcare. Barb is a practicing nurse practitioner, award-winning author and nationally recognized health educator. She is certified by the North American Menopause Society (NAMS), and is also a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (FAANP).

We’re so fortunate Barb is bringing her expertise to us today, so we can learn about the all-too-often underestimated impact of menopause on today’s workforce. So let’s dive in!

The Stigma of Menopause

Welcome, Barb. Why don’t we start by discussing the stigma surrounding women and menopause. Do you think this is a byproduct of ageism?

Absolutely, there’s a stigma. And it directly affects a lot of women for several reasons:

First, we don’t want to let our biology telegraph that we’re getting older. So if you’re having a hot flash or a night sweat, or maybe you’ve noticed a little chin hair, you may feel like you’re not in control of your biology.

Also, you may wonder if others notice you’re not as young as you used to be. You may suddenly go blank in a presentation because you’re one of the 67% of menopausal women who experience brain fog.

We want to be part of a team and we want to be super productive. But that can be difficult if we’re not sleeping well. And sleep issues can last for 3-7 years before menopause even begins.

Linking Menopause With Wellbeing

Since the pandemic, wellness has taken center stage at work. What kind of menopause support can employers provide?

There’s so much companies can do. They may offer health insurance, but it can be difficult to get an appointment with a specialist about menopause-related issues. Even then, specialists sometimes dismiss people or minimize their symptoms.

So employers are stepping up and offering easy access to specialized health-related services for women, men and the LGBTQ community.

The Impact on Midlife Careers

I was surprised to see that 25% of menopausal women have considered leaving the workforce. Why is that?

Women may struggle because they’re juggling other stressors. Perhaps they’re caring for family members — elderly parents or maybe teenagers at home.

But then if their sleep cycles are disrupted by hot flashes or night sweats, they’re up all night. So it’s not surprising when they feel they can’t function.

Resources for HR

So, what kind of resources are available to managers and HR?

Well, listening to this podcast is a start. We need to be open and more curious about this.

Also, an anonymous survey might help you find out what people are experiencing so you can respond to their needs, rather than making assumptions.

Plus, you don’t need to be an expert to offer a safe, open door policy and give people some flexibility when they need it.

And of course, I invite everyone to visit Peppy.Health online, because we have all sorts of free resources, from anonymous surveys to downloadable PDFs you can use to help people talk with their managers about this…

For more insights from Barb about how to help people manage menopause at work, listen to the full podcast episode. And be sure to subscribe to the #WorkTrends Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.

Also, to continue this conversation on social media anytime, follow our #WorkTrends hashtag on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Creating a Culture of Recognition What Works and Why - TalentCulture

Creating a Culture of Recognition: What Works and Why?

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Sponsored by Blueboard

Great employers know that creating a culture of recognition can be a game-changer. An appreciation-first environment naturally attracts high-quality talent and helps people feel more connected with the organization’s mission and values. In fact, research says employees are 69% more likely to dig deeper when managers recognize their efforts.

But creating this kind of culture is easier said than done — especially in today’s challenging post-pandemic world of work. That’s why I’ve invited an expert in employee appreciation and recognition programs to share her expertise with us.

Meet Our Guest: Shireen El-Maissi

Please join me in welcoming Shireen El-Maissi, a seasoned HR and talent acquisition professional who currently serves as Director of People and Talent at Blueboard, a platform that helps organizations implement and manage effective employee recognition programs.

Shireen brings nearly eight years of experience in talent strategy, recruiting, people relations, and employee development to this conversation. And her creativity and enthusiasm for workplace appreciation is infectious. So I invite you to join us as we discuss factors that can make or break employee rewards and recognition…

The Importance of Creating a Culture of Recognition

Welcome, Shireen! Let’s start with a central question: Why do you think creating a culture of recognition is important for all companies?

Human beings need acknowledgement. It is part of our survival. Gratitude helps us connect with something larger than ourselves. So, when appreciation and recognition are built into an organization’s culture, engagement increases.

In fact, companies where appreciation is embedded into the culture see about 6x higher employee engagement and retention.

So when you say thank you — whether that’s verbal or through something like Blueboard’s recognition platform — it creates a much deeper connection with your larger organization.

Linking Recruiting With Recognition
When attracting new talent, where do recognition programs fit in?

Interviews should be a sneak peek into your work culture and the employee experience. That means you’ll want the process to be highly authentic.

Think of interviews as an opportunity to help people understand what it would actually be like to work for your organization. For example, showcase some ways you recognize people by giving them the gift of time and opportunities to experience life outside of work.

Recognition as a Process

Great advice, Shireen! If we oversell or we’re not transparent, we’re not doing ourselves any favors. Because that will come back to haunt us down the road. Why not just be real upfront?

Absolutely. That’s one reason why we conduct “check-ins” with new hires after 30 days, and again at 90 days. A key question we ask is if the job matches their expectations.

Plus, we want everyone to know what Blueboard rewards are really like, so all new hires receive a “welcome” experience on day one. Then at 90 days, we check back to see if they’ve used the experience and ask them what it was like. This helps us verify if these reward experiences are helping them connect with our organization’s broader mission.

Key Metrics When Creating a Culture of Recognition

How can HR get leadership buy-in for recognition programs like yours?

Throughout my career, I’ve focused on how to hire the best people and how to incentivize them to lean into the company’s mission. We know these people can do the job, but what will they contribute if they truly feel valued and connected with the company’s mission?

At Blueboard, we have a spot recognition program that is manager driven and leadership approved. It’s intended to be part of the organization’s broader ecosystem. And programs like this are leading to increased motivation and productivity. That’s the kind of data executives are looking for…

For more insights from Shireen about why and how to create a culture of recognition, listen to this full podcast episode. And be sure to subscribe to the #WorkTrends Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.

Also, to continue this conversation on social media anytime, follow our #WorkTrends hashtag on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Generative AI in recruiting - peril, promise, or both?

Generative AI in Recruiting: Peril, Promise, or Both?

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Sponsored by Radancy

Generative AI has risen to the forefront of work technology at a staggeringly rapid rate — bringing opportunities for employers to achieve powerful productivity gains. But, as with other disruptive technologies, it is also raising some serious concerns. For example, what are the implications of generative AI in recruiting?

AI-based content creation tools may be relatively new, but they’re clearly here to stay. That’s why it’s important for employers to understand how this technology is changing HR ecosystems, and prepare for its impact on recruitment and hiring processes.

Meet Our Guest: Todd Maycunich

Please join me in welcoming Todd Maycunich, a driving force behind Radancy, a leading talent acquisition platform. During his 17 years at Radancy, Todd has held multiple strategic roles, including VP of Product Innovation and Director of Platform Development.

Currently, Todd serves as SVP of Radancy Labs, where he leads a global insights team that leverages primary and secondary data to understand and address key trends that are shaping the future of talent acquisition. Join us as Todd and I dig deeper into the promise and pitfalls of generative AI in recruiting…

Behind the Rise of Generative AI

Todd, welcome to #WorkTrends! Why such a massive interest in generative AI now?

ChatGPT was released to the public on November 30, 2022. It wasn’t the first conversational user experience that demonstrated the ability to reason — but it was the most popular by far. In fact, it reached 100 million users faster than any other application.

These tools are capturing the imagination. People are suddenly having experiences they haven’t had with conversational bots. And they’re wondering if we are at the precipice of the next paradigm shift in computing. So I understand the hype.

The Downside of Generative AI in Recruiting
What are some of the risks of using these tools in HR – particularly in the recruitment process?

When new technology emerges, so do new problems. That’s particularly true when the pace of technology moves as quickly as AI is today.

But after six months of studying and using this technology in the context of hiring, here’s one of my concerns:

We’re using AI now in many ways to generate content. And that content is training the AI that will ultimately generate content in the future.

I think this poses more risks than opportunities. It creates a homogenization effect, so it’s harder to stand out. This can have a negative impact on brands, among other things.

Avoiding AI-Induced “Sameness”

That’s so scary. I think this tech is wonderful, but the risk isn’t just to recruiting and hiring. It will touch everything, yes?

There’s a lot of energy focused now on making sure some guardrails are put in place. Most companies are already thinking about how to protect their brand and their voice when AI helps generate content.

So the good news is that this is top-of-mind now. And companies like ours are integrating it safely into the talent acquisition process, as opposed to being a little bit fast and loose.

Implications for the Hiring Process

Can this technology make candidates seem indistinguishable by obscuring certain characteristics or attributes?

Yes, this is fascinating. Will it make a hiring manager’s job easier, or harder? I’m torn.

For example, what happens when a candidate uses AI-based writing suggestion tools to communicate with an employer, instead of directly researching the company, the job, or even the hiring manager? Will it make suboptimal candidates seem optimal?

This is a good example of how these tools can make it difficult to see people as individuals…

For more insights from Todd about how your HR team can make the most of generative AI in recruiting, listen to this full podcast episode. And be sure to subscribe to the #WorkTrends Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.

Also, to continue this conversation on social media anytime, follow our #WorkTrends hashtag on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

How can you design a more productive, people-centered organization? Listen to this #WorkTrends Podcast with successful startup leader, Alex Furman of Performica...

How to Design a More People-Centered Organization

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Sponsored by Performica

In today’s world of work, it’s easy to find two very different types of people — self-promoting “squeaky wheels” whose voices are often the loudest, as well as those who quietly deliver without much recognition. Both bring something to the table. Still, leaders often judge an employee’s value based primarily on their visibility. This kind of bias is a critical reason why it’s important to build a people-centered organization.

But what can leaders do to better understand everyone’s true contributions? And how can they use these insights to develop more engaged, productive teams?

This issue matters, not only now, but for the future of work. That’s why I want to dig deeper with an HR tech innovator and entrepreneur who understands what it takes to design a more productive, people-first work culture.

Meet Our Guest: Alex Furman

Please join me in welcoming Alex Furman, CEO and Co-Founder at Performica, a people analytics platform provider. Previously, Alex co-founded Invitae, where he was responsible for growing the company’s collaborative culture of innovation at scale.

His first-hand experience as a senior business leader with technology expertise makes Alex an ideal guest for this discussion. Join us as we explore how you can leverage technology to build a more equitable and effective work environment…

Designing a More People-Centered Organization

Welcome, Alex! How do you define a people-centered approach to organizational design?

For a truly human-centric organization, we need to understand how people actually operate in the context of getting work done. Historically, we haven’t done that. We’ve thought in terms of org charts, business units, profit centers, and vertical silos.

But people are our greatest asset. And they’re social. The dynamic, cross-functional way people actually work doesn’t show up on org charts.

So to optimize people as an asset, we need to make sure everyone is seen, heard, valued, supported. That means moving away from analyzing org chart boxes and looking through the lens of humans working together.

Finding Hidden Influencers
You say teams rely heavily on “stealth influencers.” Could you tell us more?

As the head of people at a rapidly growing tech company in 2014, I wanted to see who was actually working together in real time. So I asked our engineers to connect our internal systems and create an org graph.

Soon it was clear that we had been over-celebrating those who were good at promoting themselves. Meanwhile, we were under-recognizing quieter “non-leaders” who were actually stronger influencers.

It was humbling. But that was the beginning of a solution to an important problem in the corporate world.

Tech’s Role in a People-Centered Organization

How can technology help leaders build a more people-centered organization?

We all know people are a company’s biggest asset. At most companies, 75-85% of expenses involve things like payroll, office space, travel and entertainment.

But people are also our biggest liability. We see this when cultures go sour and top performers start leaving. It becomes hard to attract talent and this can cripple a company.

But truly knowing your people and how they work is like a superpower. For example, one of our customers is going through significant change management. In this company of 1000 people, we identified only 24 people who are driving about 50% of employee sentiment and engagement.

So we’ve worked with senior management to target their interventions through that group of influential people. Now we’re seeing a massive and very measurable positive effect.

For more insights from Alex about how you can build a more people-centered organization, listen to this full podcast episode. And be sure to subscribe to the #WorkTrends Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.

Also, to continue this conversation on social media anytime, follow our #WorkTrends hashtag on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

What Do Deskless Workers Need in an Employee Experience?

What do Deskless Workers Need in an Employee Experience?

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Sponsored by Workforce Software

Most HR and business leaders know that their employee experience profoundly influences organizational success. It shapes morale, productivity — even the bottom line.

So, if you want to improve the future of work, it’s time to think outside of the standard office “box” when you think about employee experience. Why? Consider this fact: A whopping 80% of the world’s workers don’t even sit behind a desk. Instead, these deskless workers show up each day on the frontlines of healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, transportation, and other industries.

It makes sense to offer these workers an employee experience that meets their unique needs. But what exactly do they want? That’s a good question. And it’s why we’re exploring this topic today with an expert in the psychology of work…

Meet Our Guest: Angelina Sun

I’m excited to welcome Angelina Sun, PhD, Workforce Management Solutions Director at Workforce Software. Angelina has worked in various industries, including education, consulting, computing, electronics, e-commerce, and enterprise software.

In her current role, Angelina focuses on how to manage and communicate effectively with deskless workers. She’s inspired by technologies that offer intelligent and innovative responses to social changes and contemporary workforce issues. And I think she’s the ideal person to talk about how employers can better address the interests of deskless workers. Please join us as we explore this topic…

Defining Employee Experience

Welcome, Angelina! What would you say employee experience means for shift-based deskless workers?

The concept of employee experience is interpreted in multiple ways. I think of it as all the individual moments and interactions along an employee’s journey, as well as their perception of those moments.

For deskless workers, it’s about meeting their expectations for better pay, schedule flexibility, and work-life balance. They want to feel better informed and more fully supported. And they want to know that they are heard.

Deskless Realities
Could you tell us more about the challenges these workers face?

Our research found that 50% of deskless workers deal with weekly shift changes. And the same percentage receive their schedules at most one week in advance. This means their employee experience is constantly falling behind.

These people need more work schedule flexibility. They need multiple training options. And they need to have a voice in their work.

These are real issues that organizations must address to improve the employee experience for deskless workers.

Technology’s Role

How is technology helping organizations address these needs?

Improving employee experience definitely requires more than human effort, alone. The right tools and technology are certainly a critical enabler.

For most deskless workers, that means going mobile. If resources are directly available where they’re working, they don’t need to go out of their way to find information, or have to email their colleagues and managers. In fact, most deskless workers don’t even have a work-specific email account.

Benefits of Supporting Deskless Workers

Your point about email is so important to keep in mind!

Absolutely. These people are doing their jobs on the shop floor or behind the wheel, so they don’t have access to a computer. Their requirements are very different.

But organizations that optimize the employee experience for deskless workers report 18% higher productivity, while reducing turnover cost by 25-59%.

They also see improvement in key business performance metrics…

For more insights from Angelina about how to improve the employee experience for deskless workers, listen to this full podcast episode. And be sure to subscribe to the #WorkTrends Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.

Also, to continue this conversation on social media anytime, follow our #WorkTrends hashtag on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

When you train employees do you also boost retention? Find out how to make this strategy work in from FranklinCovey CEO Paul Walker on this #WorkTrends podcast

When You Train Employees, Do You Also Boost Retention?

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Sponsored by FranklinCovey

If you’re involved in hiring or managing people, no one needs to tell you that competition for top talent is incredibly fierce. And keeping teams engaged and motivated is getting more difficult all the time. That’s why it pays to be especially thoughtful and strategic about how you train employees.

This isn’t just my opinion. It’s the conclusion of organizations like SHRM, which found that employees are 76% more likely to stay onboard when their organization has a dedicated process to support workforce learning and growth. Similarly, Deloitte estimates that retention is 30-50% higher among companies with a strong learning culture.

But this begs the question — exactly how can you build and sustain a learning environment that engages people so they want to stay onboard and advance your agenda? That’s the topic we’re exploring today with a brilliant business leader who is also a recognized expert in learning and development…

Meet Our Guest:  Paul Walker

I’m honored to welcome Paul Walker, President and CEO at FranklinCovey! As the company’s chief strategist and operational leader, Paul is committed to transforming organizations and enabling greatness. He actually started his career at FranklinCovey 22 years ago, and has grown and adapted along with the company. So clearly, he knows first-hand how learning and development can help retain top talent. Please join us as we explore this topic:

Connecting Learning With Retention
Welcome, Paul! Let’s dive right in. How is training tied to workforce retention?

Our work with clients and research from others tell us that training is integral to retention for several reasons:

  1. When you train employees, they feel valued because you’re investing in them. And the more valued people feel, the more likely they are to stay.
  2. It helps people perform better. We all want to do our best work everyday. If we need skills to do that, and our employer is helping us acquire those capabilities, it not only helps us do better today, but may also prepare us for something exciting in the future. Again, we feel valued.

How to Train Employees Effectively
What do people really want from work-related training?

There are probably more factors, but over and over again we see employees focusing on these things:

  1. Is it easy for me to access, so I can get the most out of it?
  2. How well does it fit into the flow of my daily work life?
  3. How relevant is it now, and will it prepare me for where I want to be in the future?
  4. Is it useful? Does it actually help me perform better?
How Can You Train Employees for Retention? Join us for a live #WorkTrends Twitter Chat - Wednesday, March 29th - 1:30-2:00pm ET. Follow @TalentCulture on Twitter for questions - and add the #WorkTrends hashtag to your tweets so others can see your comments and interact with you!

JOIN US ON TWITTER!

Choose Learning Metrics That Matter

Retention is important, but what other KPIs should we consider?

When we want to train employees, we need to be sure we’re not just advocating for retention or other objectives that may feel a bit soft to people who make budgetary and strategic decisions. These leaders don’t necessarily see how learning supports what they want to accomplish.

Instead, we need to focus on how learning improves the quality of the team’s results. That’s crucial to the organization’s performance.

We need to talk in the language Deloitte used in its research that says:

  • 92% of companies with more intentional, sophisticated learning develop more novel products and processes,
  • 56% are often first-to-market with products and services,
  • 52% are measurably more productive, and
  • 17% are more profitable.

Make It a Leadership Priority to Train Employees

Absolutely. There’s value here, and our KPIs should reflect that…

I would also say the best organizations have figured out how to ignite a passion for employee learning in their leaders. In other words, people development is a key leadership expectation, and leaders want to be involved in helping their people grow and develop. It’s not just the responsibility of HR or L&D…

For more insights from Paul about how to train employees for retention, listen to this full podcast episode. And be sure to subscribe to the #WorkTrends Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.

In addition, we invite you to join our live Twitter chat about this topic on Wednesday, March 29th from 1:30-2:00pm ET. Follow us at @TalentCulture for questions and be sure to add the #WorkTrends hashtag to your tweets, so others in the community can easily find your comments and interact with you!

Also, to continue this conversation on social media anytime, follow our #WorkTrends hashtag on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Employers: What are some simple ways you can help remote employees feel connected? Check these ideas from Social Flowers CEO, Brian Gomes

Simple Ways to Help Remote Employees Feel Connected

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TalentCulture Content Impact Award Winner - 2023Sponsored by Social Flowers

What a difference three years can make! I’m sure that’s what many remote employees are thinking these days. Before the pandemic, only 6% of people worked remotely in the U.S. Now, after peaking at 60% during the height of the pandemic, that number has leveled off to about 30%. But we’re all still learning how to navigate this new work-from-wherever terrain without leaving anyone behind.

Why Remote Work is Here to Stay

I understand why people want to continue enjoying the flexibility of working from a distance — even for a few days a week. Remote work remains popular because it offers advantages to employees and employers alike. For example:

BENEFITS FOR REMOTE EMPLOYEES:

  • Less commute time
  • Higher productivity (90% say they’re more productive)
  • Better mental health (74%)
  • Increased happiness with work (In fact, 61% would accept a pay cut to continue)

BENEFITS FOR BUSINESS:

  • Lower overhead costs from less office space
  • Increased work output (4% more hours each week, on average)
  • Lower absenteeism (52% are less likely to take extra time off)
  • Potential savings in employee pay (People value working from home as much as a 5-7% pay increase)

Remote Employees Face Real Challenges

Despite the flexibility and freedom of working from anywhere, working at a distance also has its drawbacks. For instance, research says many remote employees struggle with social isolation and disengagement. Specifically:

To ensure remote work strategies succeed in the long term, leaders need to help people feel more connected. But that’s not always easy to accomplish from a distance.

Helping Remote Employees Feel Connected From Afar

It’s natural for remote employees to feel disconnected and lonely sometimes. After all, work relationships play a vital role in keeping employees happy, healthy, and productive. So, how can leaders bridge that gap? Start with stronger support and communication. For example:

1. Clarify Remote Work Expectations

McKinsey says remote employees who receive detailed information are 5x more productive and 3x less likely to experience burnout. That’s a good reason to articulate your vision, policies, and practices so people understand how they fit into your overall work structure and strategy. Be sure to capture this information in documents, videos, and other reference materials that are regularly updated and available to all.

2. Think Outside the Virtual Meeting Box

Many employers have learned the hard way that online meetings aren’t the only remote work solution. In fact, 56% of employees say these sessions are too frequent or too long, and 42% say they feel Zoom fatigue. Avoid overload by promoting the use of asynchronous chat and collaboration tools like Slack. Also, let people choose when and how they want to conduct team meetings or 1-on-1 conversations.

3. Leave Room for Face-to-Face Communication

There is no substitute for in-person meetings. They are the fastest, most effective way to build trust and strengthen relationships. Even if you can bring people together only for an occasional planning, training, or team-building event, you’ll find it’s worth the investment.

4. Support Social Interaction

Connections won’t flourish with all work and no play. Encourage your entire staff to develop relationships by organizing online lunches, coffee breaks, and fun online events. Offer digital community tools and resources so everyone can casually exchange information and ideas.

5. Double Down on Appreciation

When organizations celebrate together, employees are 20x more likely to feel connected and want to stay on board. That’s an impressive reason to acknowledge personal and professional milestones. Set up a channel on Slack or Microsoft Teams for managers and peers to honor individual and team achievements, as well as birthdays and other life moments. Also, if you’re a manager, lead by example. Take time to acknowledge individuals, personally.

A Powerful Way to Connect: Send Flowers

I’ve discovered sending flowers is one of the simplest but most effective ways to help remote employees feel connected. Research says all humans have a basic need to be recognized. And the most successful kinds of recognition are timely, genuine, personal, and meaningful. Receiving flowers ticks all of those boxes.

How Flowers Made a Difference in My Life

As a flower delivery business owner, I’ve seen first-hand how flowers can play a key role during life’s most important moments. But I didn’t truly understand how much they mean until my father passed away.

My immediate family had ordered arrangements for the casket and the funeral service. But I was really touched when extended family and friends also sent flowers.

Initially, I was surprised. But upon reflection, I was grateful so many people wanted to express how much my dad meant to them by sending gorgeous arrangements. Through their efforts to honor his life with the beauty of flowers, I felt a deep emotional connection that remains with me to this day.

Social Flowers: An Easier Way to Connect With Remote Employees

I created Social Flowers so others could feel this same kind of connection. The idea is simple. We make it easy to send flowers to anyone, anywhere, anytime — even if you don’t know where they’re located.

When ordering, you simply enter the recipient’s email address or mobile number. They receive a link to choose where and when they want to receive their flowers, which a local florist delivers.

You can send flowers to celebrate a birthday, a work achievement, or just to brighten someone’s day. This service ensures that you can be present for all the important moments in a remote employee’s life.

How Social Flowers Works

How to send flowers to remote employees - an easier wayAs we’ve developed our business, I’ve relied upon Social Flowers, myself, to solve logistical problems that can make it difficult to send flowers.

In one case, I knew my friend Nancy was having surgery. I didn’t know the exact date of her procedure, or if she was staying at the hospital overnight, and I didn’t want to bother her. I knew where she lived, but I hadn’t been to her home in years and I couldn’t find her address. Fortunately, I did have her mobile number, so I used that to send an arrangement through Social Flowers.

After I placed the order, Nancy accepted the text notice and chose to receive the delivery at her house. Soon afterward, I received a “Thank you!” text from her. It’s gratifying to see first-hand how this modern tool makes it so much easier to keep in touch and support others when they need it most.

Closing Note

Helping remote employees feel connected doesn’t need to be complicated. Even small gestures can make a big difference — whether people are face-to-face in an office, or are working together from a distance.

It’s the same lesson I learned from my father’s funeral. With sincere intent and just a bit of thoughtful effort, you can lift anyone’s spirits anytime. Chances are, that gesture will bring you closer together in a way neither of you will forget.

WOTC Prescreening Employer Tax Credit Compliance

The WOTC and Prescreening: How Employers Can Stay in Compliance and Reap the Benefits

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Sponsored by ADP

The WOTC (Work Opportunity Tax Credit) offers businesses a tremendous opportunity for tax credits based on hiring. But for organizations to participate and leverage the advantages of this federal program, they have to be in compliance. That means prescreening applicants. Given the recent update released by the IRS that clarifies the need to prescreen, the time is now to learn more.

As with so many complex tax credits and other regulations today, successfully navigating them requires not only understanding how to stay within the bounds, but then how to create a process to make it part of your hiring system.

A Tax Credit and a Boost

The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) was first introduced in 1996. Since then it’s gone through a number of changes and extensions, including incorporating a credit for long-term welfare recipients in 2006. It’s authorized to stay in effect until December 31, 2025, so it’s anything but a flash in the pan: it’s a well-institutionalized regulation.

It’s designed to be both a tax credit for employers and a boost for employees, a combination of business advantage and social good. Companies who hire those American job seekers who consistently face barriers to employment can see up to $9,600 per employee — depending on a number of factors. In turn, qualifying new hires get the chance to break free from depending on government assistance and become self-supporting, steady earners and contributing taxpayers.

Leveraging the WOTC means respecting it: in its intent, the WOTC is designed to lift the barriers to employment among specific groups, and that’s why it includes specific criteria for compliance. It’s also opening up wider talent pools for employers at a time when hiring is tight, to say the least — and this should be seen as an added opportunity.

For larger companies that hire in numbers, it could be a windfall if done right. For smaller businesses it can make a tangible difference in a hiring budget: for every 4 or 5 new hires who fit within the target group, you may have the means to hire another employee as well.

Who Qualifies

Employees need to belong to a list of targeted groups, as specified by the IRS, and jobs must entail a minimum of working hours. Pay attention to the descriptions as well as the durations specified in each (adapted here):

 

Qualified IV-A Recipient:

  • A member of a family that receives state assistance under IV-A of the Social Security Act providing Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
  • Assistance must be received for any 9 months during the 18-month period, ending on the hiring date.

Qualified Veteran: 

  • A member of a family that receives assistance under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) (food stamps) for at least a 3-month period during the 15-month period, ending on the hiring date, or
  • Unemployed for a total of at least 4 weeks (consecutive or not), but less than 6 months in the 1-year period, ending on the hiring date, or
  • Unemployed for a total of at least 6 months (consecutive or not) in the 1-year period ending on the hiring date, or
  • Entitled to compensation for a service-connected disability and hired not more than 1 year after being discharged or released from active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces, or
  • Entitled to compensation for a service-connected disability and unemployed for at least 6 months (consecutive or not) in the 1-year period ending on the hiring date.

Qualified Ex-Felon:

  • Hired within a year of either being convicted of a felony, or
  • Released from prison for the felony.

Designated Community Resident (DCR): 

  • At least 18 and under 40 years of age, with a principal residence either in an Empowerment Zone (EZ) or
  • A Rural Renewal County (RRC).
  • The WOTC credit doesn’t cover wages paid or incurred for services performed while the person lived outside of an EZ or RRC. (You can find the latest list of EZ and RRC designations here.)

Vocational Rehabilitation Referral: 

  • Has a physical or mental disability and was referred to the employer while receiving or upon completion of rehabilitative services under:
  • A state plan approved under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, or
  • An Employment Network Plan under the Ticket to Work program, or
  • A Department of Veteran Affairs program.

Qualified Summer Youth Employee:  

  • At least 16 but under 18 years of age on the hiring date or on May 1 (whichever is later), and
  • Only working for the employer between May 1 and September 15 (not employed prior to May 1) and
  • Lives in an Empowerment Zone (EZ).

Qualified Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Benefits Recipient:

  • At least 18 but under 40 on the date of hire, and
  • A member of a family that received SNAP benefits for either the last 6  months or at least 3 of the last 5 months.

Qualified Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Recipient:

  • Received SSI benefits for any month ending within the 60-day period that ends on the hire date.

Long-Term Family Assistance Recipient: 

  • At the time of hiring, is a member of a family that meets one of the following conditions:
  • Received assistance under an IV-A program for a minimum of the prior 18 consecutive months, or
  • Received assistance under an IV-A program for a minimum 18-month period beginning after 8/5/1997, and it has not been more than 2 years since the end of the earliest of such 18-month period, or
  • Ceased to be eligible for assistance under an IV-A program up to but no more than 2 years before because a federal or state law limited the maximum time those assistance payments could be made.

Qualified Long-Term Unemployment Recipient: 

  • Unemployed for not less than 27 consecutive weeks at the time of hiring
  • Received unemployment compensation during some or all of the unemployment period.

How to Certify

Eligibility for WOTC is not as simple as just hiring a member of one of these underrepresented talent pools and receiving a credit. As with many federal programs, the devil is in the details — and you can’t certify after the fact.

The IRS recently published additional guidance that clarifies the need to prescreen, and how to do it. As the update notes, “​​To satisfy the requirement to pre-screen a job applicant, on or before the day a job offer is made, a pre-screening notice (Form 8850, Pre-Screening Notice and Certification Request for the Work Opportunity Credit) must be completed by the job applicant and the employer.

To reiterate, both employer and job applicant need to complete Form 8850 in advance. Certification has to happen before you can claim this tax credit, which means establishing that the employee you hired is indeed a member of one of the targeted groups on the list.

And there’s more: employees in the targeted list qualify as long as they work at least 120 hours — any less, and the hire isn’t in compliance. Employers also can’t claim the tax credit for rehired employees (it’s not that much of a stretch to imagine that some employers might think they could rehire an employee in order to certify them for the WOTC).

While the maximum credit is $9600 for an eligible employee, the amount of credit an employer receives depends on the WOTC target group identified, as well as how many hours the employee works:

  • If the employee works at least 400 hours during the first year of employment, the tax credit equals 40% of the employee’s qualified wages.
  • If the employee works less than 400 hours but at least 120 hours, the credit equals 25% of the employee’s qualified wages.
  • Eligible employees MUST work a minimum of 120 hours to qualify.

Reading Between the Lines

It means something that the IRS releases an update clarifying its rules on prescreening. Clearly, there were issues being found in terms of when employers were screening: noncompliance was on the radar. Compound that with wanting to increase participation in the program, and likely a decision was made that it was time to set the record straight. Again, complying with the WOTC could mean a major windfall for a larger employer and a key difference in the budget for a smaller one.

But many employers may have been caught in a blind spot. Some have been customarily conducting certain screening processes post-hire, considering the practice a viable shortcut. The intention may be to assume the new employee qualifies, since there has been some due diligence on the part of the employer already. Another assumption may be that by certifying after the hire is complete, the credits will come sooner. But both approaches are wrong.

For one thing, Form 8850 covers specific information in a specific way in order to certify a hire — and as such, is far more effective in terms of fact-finding for WOTC compliance. From an HR standpoint, since both employer and job applicant need to fill out the form, there may be more incentive for the applicant to get all the information right if it helps boost their getting hired. And minor missteps can really add up, putting companies at greater risk, and great costs stemming from an accumulation of noncompliant hires.

Getting the Process Right

Simply making the shift to when an employer conducts screening and sends in their certification request, and then keeping clear and adequate records to stay in compliance would make all the difference. Here’s what you need to know:

Recruit potentially eligible candidates through the state workforce agency (SWA) or the local employment office. Then, screen them: the applicants need to answer the questions on page 1 of IRS Form 8850 on or before the job offer date. 

If the applicant is eligible (they qualify for one of the WOTC target groups), the next step is up to the employer. Employers must sign and submit the IRS Form 8850 — as well as Department of Labor (DOL) ETA Form 9061 or 9062 to the state workforce agency (SWA) within 28 calendar days of the new hire’s start date. 

Keep careful records of hours worked and qualified wages paid. Remember: WOTC-certified employees need to work at least 120 hours in the first year of hire.

Claim the tax credit using IRS Form 5884, and make sure you have not only accurate records but copies of all the forms and supporting documents submitted to the SWA. Keep tracking your employee’s hours in case the IRS wants to conduct an audit.

Better Practices, Better Results

Remember: audits potentially contributed to the IRS’ decision to publish an update with clarifying language on the need to prescreen. It’s clear some employers weren’t being compliant. The line in the sand has already been drawn. But it’s also possible that not all employers are aware of the ramifications of being out of compliance with the WOTC.

Not only does post-screening forfeit initial benefits, but there’s an overall risk of having the WOTC credit revoked if an employer is found to have systematically not complied with prescreening requirements. In a big company that is always hiring, that could be a disaster.

The solution isn’t to hope for the best here. It’s to lean on solutions that help you make the shift without adding complexity. An integrated solution can make it far easier to change a long-held process consistently across the board. But given the historic lack of clarity on compliance and why shortcuts won’t work, this may be the time to look for better guidance.

The Benefits of an Outside Provider

Consider partnering with an outsourced solution provider who has experience with prescreening. A solution provider who has a solid track record with successful prescreening will be able to create a better process that’s streamlined and efficient. They can help get your organization over the common hurdles and build better ways to ease the pain points.

Given the pressures organizations are under — from intensely competitive hiring to a need to scale and adapt within shorter windows than ever — being able to leverage the advantage of the WOTC could be a key differentiator.

Minimizing your organizational exposure to risk is never a bad idea. But having a well-run, successful, WOTC-compliant hiring program may do even more. It’s a huge boost to its employer reputation that could pay off in a steady talent pool and a great workforce.

EDITOR’S NOTE: ADP has developed additional information about the WOTC and how employers can apply it. Learn more here

Screening Job Candidates Online - What recruiters should know 1-9-23Alexey Boldin Shutterstock.com

Screening Job Candidates Online: Risky Business?

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Sponsored by: Fama.io

It’s no secret. On a daily basis, recruiters and hiring managers are screening job candidates online by simply entering their names in search boxes at Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and beyond. Experienced professionals know they shouldn’t be doing this, but many do it anyway. Why?

The Slippery Slope of DIY Candidate Screening

Publicly available online information can reveal a lot about potential employees. It gives employers insight into an individual’s hobbies, interests and personality traits. It also shines a light on controversial opinions, political affiliations and protected class information. 

Gaining unrestricted access to a candidate’s public social media profiles may be easy. But instant access isn’t a free pass to engage in unethical or potentially illegal hiring practices.

That’s why it needs to stop. Screening job candidates without permission is an invasion of their privacy rights — especially the right to consent to the search.

Catching Up With the Rules

To be fair, most recruiters and hiring managers don’t fully understand laws involving online background screening. That’s partially due to the relative novelty of this practice, as well as a lack of updated guidance.

But now that online screening has become so widespread, employers need to know how to protect their organization as well as job candidates. That’s why it’s important to understand the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).

Learning how to comply with these regulations is worth an employer’s effort. Online screening can be a powerful tool to determine an individual’s hireability. And when performed correctly, an online background check is an effective and perfectly legal hiring practice. 

How can you make this process work better for your organization? Let’s look closer at key legal aspects of screening job candidates online. First, I’ll explain how problems tend to arise. Then, I’ll suggest steps for a fully compliant, worry-free screening process. 

Understanding the Controversy

Why exactly is social media screening so controversial? Calling it an invasion of privacy is hard to defend, since many social media profiles are publicly available. Furthermore, applicants freely choose what, when and how they share on their social media profiles.

Much of this information may reflect positively or negatively on a candidate’s ability to perform in a work-related capacity. For example, education, work history, extracurricular activities and hobbies are often prominently featured on social media profiles. And employers typically evaluate this kind of information during the interviewing process, anyway.

However, the issue isn’t about employers using information that would otherwise be discussed during a standard interview. Instead, it’s about access to information that organizations are legally and ethically obligated not to consider.

We’re talking about legally protected categories such as race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status or religion. This is where issues arise, because the moment anyone views a social media profile, it may inherently reveal details about protected categories.

How Widespread is This Practice?

In a 2018 CareerBuilder survey, 70% of employers said they regularly review social media profiles as part of the hiring process. Furthermore, 54% acknowledged that they’ve rejected applicants based on a social media review.

However, the survey does not indicate how often social media reviews were being conducted by hiring managers who are legally obligated not to consider protected information. 

When used correctly, online screening can highlight positive work traits like compassion or open-mindedness. But it can also reveal negative traits. For example, what if a candidate threatens others in a post or shares a video while committing a violent act? This kind of behavior isn’t welcome in the workplace and would likely hinder the candidate from performing effectively in any role.

Steps to Achieve Better Outcomes

For a fully compliant screening process, consider these best practices:

1. Clarify the Rules

Defining a clear set of guidelines is essential for all background check methods — including online screening processes. According to leading U.S. employment attorney, Pam Devata, “In general, the same rules apply, whether you are using social media or more traditional methods for conducting background checks.”

In a recent interview, Devata explained, “The keys are consistency, accurate record keeping, ensuring that any data accessed is not legally protected information prohibited from being used in employment decisions, and that any decisions are rooted in business necessity.”

2. Focus on Documentation

Before attempting to navigate the nuances of social media screening, it’s important to establish consistent, generalized hiring practices across the organization. This includes putting a process in place to record and track all pre-employment decisions and FCRA-required disclosures.

Although it can be challenging to document online screening activity, consistent, accurate record-keeping will put your organization in a better position to address any issues that may arise. 

3. Partner with a Specialized Service Provider

One of the easiest ways to address the complexities surrounding online candidate research is to rely on a trusted online background screening partner like Fama.

With a proven, independent team managing the screening process, employers can gather only the information needed to assess an applicant’s job potential, without the risk of revealing protected categories. In fact, the strongest digital screening solutions include compliance filters. This ensures that reports shared with hiring teams focus solely on job-relevant information.

At Fama, we go beyond bare-minimum compliance protections by applying ethical AI and machine-learning technology. Also, a team of skilled humans reviews our screenings to ensure their legitimacy and accuracy. This helps us continuously improve our screening capabilities and our results.

Final Thoughts

No doubt, social media screening is bound to remain a controversial topic. But when you’re not sure about the legal implications, it’s important to avoid the false assumption that it’s safe to assess a candidate’s online presence on your own.

Guaranteed compliance is always possible by working with an objective, third-party screening solution. This means your team will benefit from a fully compliant screening process. And ultimately, it means your organization can focus on finding the best candidate for every job.

How to Improve Employee Experience with HR Tech

5 Ways to Improve Employee Experience With HR Tech

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Sponsored by: Neocase

Did you know more than 160 million people are employed in the U.S.? Unfortunately, however, rising turnover is eroding workforce retention. In fact, 48% of hiring managers say turnover is higher this year – up from 44% in 2021. And the cost of replacing those people isn’t cheap. No wonder employers want to build a positive work culture that attracts and retains top talent. That’s why many are turning to HR technology to improve employee experience.

But here’s the catch: In recent years, the HR tech landscape has been bursting at the seams. This means choosing the best solution for your organization’s needs can be overwhelming. To overcome this obstacle, think first about how you want to improve employee experience, and work from those objectives to define your selection criteria.

HR Technology 101

To provide some context, let’s start with a brief overview of core HR systems. In most HR technology stacks you’ll find at least one of these systems as a foundation for all other people platforms, tools and applications:

1. HRIS – Human Resource Information Systems

HRIS was developed to help organizations track and store employee data and records for essential administrative needs. As the HR function grew more complex, HRIS platforms added modules to support talent acquisition processes and recruitment operations, as well as employee information management and maintenance. 

2. HRMS – Human Resource Management Systems

Over time, HR became more deeply integrated with other functions, so HR tracking software had to meet these expanded business requirements. Now, HRMS/HRIS systems are used interchangeably to support operations such as payroll, time tracking and compliance management. 

3. HCM – Human Capital Management Systems

HCM supports a more expansive set of HR operations, including employee performance analysis, compensation planning and projection, workforce development and more. HCM covers all HR functions with a comprehensive solution that can be customized to support the entire employee lifecycle.

Why Employee Experience Matters

A strong employee experience is essential to attract top talent and keep people engaged with your work culture. As Gartner says, “Employee experience is the way employees internalize and interpret the interactions they have with their organization, as well as the context that underlies those interactions.”

But as many organizations have discovered, an exceptional employee experience isn’t easy to develop and maintain. In fact, according to Gartner, “Only 13% of employees are fully satisfied with their experience.”

What’s at stake? A negative employee experience leads to low morale, poor work performance, and other issues that directly affect organizational culture and business results. On the other hand, a positive employee experience helps lift morale, productivity, efficiency, and work quality.

How HR Tech Can Improve Employee Experience

Clearly, creating the best employee experience possible leads to significant business benefits. So, to achieve the highest potential impact, consider these five priorities:

1. Automate Tasks and Streamline Workflows

Is anything worse than monotony? It is just as painful for your HR team as it is for others in your organization. Many manual HR tasks are excellent candidates for automation. Focus first on business processes that will free your HR team from tedious, time-consuming, redundant paperwork, and email communications.

Start by developing an employee journey map to better understand your current processes. Then look for bottlenecks, gaps, and disconnects. These issues are opportunities to streamline processes or speed response times.

Organizations often begin by mapping onboarding or offboarding processes. This ensures that an employee’s first and last impressions will align with company values and the employer brand.

2. Gather Employee Feedback

A silent employee can be a dangerous or at-risk employee – even if they don’t realize it. Many workers hesitate to speak up for a variety of reasons. Some fear punishment if they express negative opinions, while others think their input won’t be heard or appreciated.

If an employee doesn’t have a chance to share feedback or ideas, they could feel undervalued and unimportant. You can remedy this with HR technology specifically intended to improve communication.

Consider feedback tools that encourage employees to make their voices heard. Monthly surveys, quarterly outreach messages, and other kinds of digital communication can help build stronger connections and spark more useful conversations.

But that’s just the beginning. Once you receive input, you need to respond or implement changes. Otherwise, people could become more frustrated if you solicit input but don’t seem willing to act upon it.

3. Provide Self-Service Portals

One of the best ways HR technology improves employee experience is through self-service applications. Many platforms can help organizations build and deploy custom tools that help employees serve themselves at their convenience.

One of the best-known examples is a benefits portal. Many employers offer secure web-based destinations with all the information and tools people need to research, select and manage their particular benefits. This frees employees from having to manage the constant back-and-forth of emails or phone calls just to get basic benefits information or answer common questions.

This kind of solution increases efficiency, while giving employees more control. At the same time, portal analytics can help your HR team understand employee preferences and identify content and functionality that can better them.

4. Offer Anywhere, Anytime Access

Unfortunately, many employees feel totally disconnected from HR. Some need guidance and oversight, but HR teams and managers are stretched too thin to engage.

Integrated real-time HR communication tools can help you and your management team focus less on paperwork and more on people. Think of it as the digital equivalent of an office with an open door!

The benefits of integrated communications extend to employees, as well. This leads to a more closely-knit workplace culture that operates more efficiently and is better aligned with business priorities.

5. Design Intuitive Workflows

Demand for better, faster response started with customer service. But it has quickly spread to internal organizational functions, as well.

When we ask HR a question, we want the answer now. We also want to find answers ourselves, ideally with no more than one or two taps on a smartphone.

This aspect of HR technology requires decision-makers to put themselves in an employee’s shoes for a reality check. How easy is it to perform a task you want to accomplish? For example, if you’re a full-time manager using a self-service benefits portal, how intuitive is the path to information you need at the moment you need it? How much information do you have to dig through to find a useful answer?

This aspect of HR technology is central to the employee experience. Why? Because, if employees struggle to use a digital tool, they will also struggle to adopt that tool and succeed with it.

Final Thoughts

HR technology can play an important role when you want to improve employee experience. Whether you’re implementing a self-service portal to support job applicants, deploying an employee feedback tool or expanding business process automation to improve HR response times, your efforts can positively influence talent acquisition and retention. These 5 priorities can help your team focus on solutions that will make a strong impact.

Why Build Your Own Freelance Talent Network

Why Build Your Own Freelance Talent Network?

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Sponsored by: Worksuite

The case for building a flexible talent network has never been more compelling. During the “Great Resignation” of 2021, 47 million U.S. employees voluntarily left their jobs. And in 2022, a wave of disengagement took hold among remaining workers, giving birth to the term “quiet quitting.” Now as 2023 begins, the global talent shortage continues to play havoc with hiring strategies.

Access to skilled people who can keep your business moving forward is no longer a sure thing. That’s why smart employers are investing in freelance talent options. But what’s the best way to find and manage a qualified pool of on-demand talent?

When building a contingent talent network, you may be tempted to source contractors from public marketplaces. This seems easy enough, but it can be a frustrating and time-consuming option. On the other hand, if you run an established business, you could grow your own talent pool by leveraging your brand presence, network connections and internal resources.

This do-it-yourself approach means you don’t need to rely on potentially low-quality, unknown talent from a third-party network. However, it does require some careful planning. So to help you achieve better results, here are our best tips for sourcing, hiring and retaining top freelance talent.

Why Avoid Public Talent Marketplaces?

Marketplaces like Fiverr and Upwork are often an easy and popular first stop for employers seeking on-demand talent. And they can be useful if you need support in a pinch. Whether you’re looking for developers, designers, writers, or photographers, these platforms let you choose from hundreds of eager freelancers — often at bargain prices. 

But with so many potential candidates for every opportunity, finding a freelancer who meets your specific requirements can take longer than you’d like. And these marketplaces tend to produce hit-or-miss results. Here’s why:

1. Barriers to Entry are Low

It’s possible to find some fantastic people on these platforms. But sourcing them can be time consuming for your managers and teams. That’s because it’s so easy for anyone to join these public marketplaces. No experience or qualifications are necessary. All it takes is an account and a profile that attracts clients.

Literally anyone can promote their freelance services on these sites, whether they’re capable and qualified, or not. You never know exactly what you’re getting until you actually work with a contractor.

2. Faking Performance Rankings is Easy

You might think it’s a safe bet to hire a freelancer with hundreds of glowing five-star customer reviews. But don’t be fooled. Social proof can be easily bought.

Positive reviews are essential to get found and hired from among the hundreds of other marketplace hopefuls. So naturally, freelancers want to look as good as possible, as fast as possible. But accumulating strong legitimate reviews for freelance services takes a lot of time and effort.

Artificially enhancing your marketplace ranking is illegal. Nevertheless, this has spawned an underground network of people who buy, sell, and exchange reviews so they can get ahead.

These false ranking services aren’t visible on public freelancer marketplaces. But a Google search quickly reveals plenty of opportunities to buy or swap reviews in places like these:

Some websites even blatantly offer to help freelancers falsify their marketplace rankings. Well-known options include ReviewXchange and Fiverr 5 Stars. 

Bottom line: When hiring from public freelance marketplaces, “buyer beware” is a smart strategy. But if you can achieve better results in other ways, why take unnecessary chances and spend limited time and resources on public marketplaces?

Are Any Public Talent Marketplaces Credible? 

If your only option is hiring from a third-party marketplace, we recommend considering a handful of “focused talent service platforms” (FTSPs). Freelancers accepted by these platforms have been rigorously screened to ensure they are qualified for positions they’re pursuing. This reduces your risk as a hiring organization and makes it easier for you to conduct a talent search with confidence.

Below are four viable FTSPs that offer fully vetted, high-quality talent:

  • MarketerHire — Provides access to qualified marketing specialists
  • IndieList — Offers carefully-screened freelancers, contractors, and consultants from Ireland 
  • BetterUp — Connects businesses with expert coaches
  • Springboard — Provides access to fully trained, vetted professionals in cybersecurity, software engineering, design, data science and tech sales

Harnessing the Power of a DIY Talent Network 

Generally, businesses recognize it’s cheaper and easier to retain existing customers rather than continuously hunting for new prospects. The same principle applies to talent acquisition. An internal talent pool offers multiple benefits:

1. Speed to Hire 

Sourcing new talent often requires substantial time from your team. But by tapping into an existing talent pool, the process can be as fast as running an advanced search in your freelancer management system database to find the best fit among available people.

A good platform can provide granular details about anyone in your talent pool. For example, you should quickly be able to find someone in your extended organization who has demonstrated the skills you need on another project. You may also see a note or ranking about this person’s contributions, so with only a few clicks you can determine the strength of the individual’s qualifications.

2. No Training Downtime 

Your existing talent is already familiar with your organization, its operations, and its work practices. This means you don’t need to spend extra time continually onboarding and training new people.

3. Leverage Talent Across Your Business 

By extending access to existing talent across your organization, you can improve cross-functional business performance and reduce overall hiring spend.

4. Grow Your Internal Talent Pool 

Freelancers don’t exist in a vacuum. They all are connected with other skilled people. You can expand your internal talent pool by tapping into these networks. It’s as easy as sending emails requesting referrals.

Experienced freelancers won’t refer you to people they don’t trust because they know it could damage their own reputation. But many will happily refer viable colleagues.

You may decide to incentivize referrals – or not. Either way, existing contractors can be a highly effective and efficient source of network growth.

For example, with an internal talent network platform like Worksuite, you can use the Marketplace module to post and share opportunities for upcoming work. You can also vet new candidates, assign work opportunities to individuals, and invite them to submit RFI-style proposals for upcoming projects. In addition, you can maximize your reach by sharing new opportunities with both internal and external sources.

Where to Look for Contingent Talent

Freelance marketplaces and job boards aren’t the only way to find great contingent talent. Consider these alternatives: 

  • Social Media — Outreach on platforms like Twitter and Facebook can attract candidates from members of your global brand community.
  • LinkedIn — You can search and contact freelancers directly or spread the word more broadly with posts on your LinkedIn company page or in specialized groups.
  • Referral Campaigns — Offering “finders fees” for referrals from employees and contractors can generate significant interest.
  • Alumni Talent Pools — Adding former employees and contractors to your database of on-demand resources is an easy way to maintain ties with qualified people.
  • Networking at Industry Events — Gathering profile data from participants at key professional conferences and other events can help you easily develop an extensive pipeline over time.

Developing Talent Network Trust and Loyalty

Sourcing is vital when building a high-quality freelance talent network. But that’s only the beginning. It’s also vital to keep people onboard and engaged with your organization.

Freelancers (especially in the Gen Z age bracket) know many opportunities are always available online. All it might take to land the next assignment is a single email or application. To keep potential candidates connected with your company, you’ll want to develop trusted relationships with valued contractors.

For example, these tactics are often effective:

  • Assign a steady, interesting flow of work opportunities
  • Communicate regularly and directly with active members
  • Gather ongoing feedback with periodic surveys 
  • Offer new assignments that expand on relevant skill sets
  • Provide loyalty incentives
  • Host annual awards to recognize excellent performers 
  • Increase pay rates to ensure top members are appropriately compensated

 

Worksuite: A Talent Network Solution

If you want to develop and manage your own talent pool, a specialized solution like Worksuite can make the process much easier. This platform includes essential features and metrics employers need to build and maintain a compliance administration and quickly identify top candidates whenever contractors are needed. Here’s how customers use Worksuite to support freelance talent strategies: 

1. Customize Onboarding Workflows

Worksuite partners with you to create an onboarding process that meets your exact needs. This includes capturing all the contracts, documents, tax information, and banking details needed before new freelancers are assigned to any project.

2. Add and Invite Freelancers to the Platform

Use sourcing and onboarding tools to reach out to prospective talent, and add qualified individuals to your detailed, searchable internal talent pool hub.

3. Ensure Contractor Compliance

Before assigning work to a freelancer, you must ensure they’ve received proper background checks and are compliant. This prevents costly legal problems down the road, especially when hiring global talent.

With Worksuite, background checks are managed through our partner, Checkr. This saves time for you as a hiring company while giving you peace of mind that every contractor you hire is legitimate. Worksuite also coordinates compliance administration. So, whether you’re working with 10 freelancers or 10,000, you know all NDAs, contracts and tax documents are in place to meet local and international regulatory requirements.

4. Publish a Searchable Talent Directory

Posting profiles of everyone in your talent pool gives your team a highly accessible overview of every contractor in your database. You can dive in deeper to see more details for any individual. Also, freelancers can access and edit their own profiles to be sure their information is always up to date.

5. Assign Groups, Tags and Rankings 

In addition to using the platform’s overview capabilities, you can easily organize freelancers in your dashboard. This gives HR and hiring managers full transparency into a member’s work history, background information, experience, skills, and abilities. 

You can also segment members into custom groups that make sense for your business, so you can easily search and select ideal candidates for any assignment at a granular level.

6. Rank, Rate, and Review Freelancers 

Talent rankings, ratings, reviews, and internal notes help your hiring team easily find any freelancer’s performance record at a glance. This helps you quickly decide who should be assigned to an opportunity (and who would not be an ideal candidate).

7. Track Key Metrics 

With Worksuite, you can set up metrics that reflect the quality and quality of deliverables your contractors produce. Here are some examples of metrics that help customers identify attractive candidates: 

  • Highest-rated members
  • Most engaged members
  • Talent active on multiple assignments (vs. only one assignment)
  • Percentage of assignments canceled prior to the start date 
  • Percentage of assignments rejected by members
  • Average number of assignments per member
  • Individuals who have not been assigned to any projects within the last 12 months 

8. Communicate Regularly With Network Members

You can manage all communication with network members directly from the Worksuite platform. Also, you can send personalized bulk messages using your organization’s filters. This helps freelancers stay engaged with your business, and keeps them up-to-date with your news and job opportunities.

9. Archive Talent Records

With Worksuite’s archive feature, you can remove access to the platform for freelancers who haven’t worked with you in more than 12 months. This helps keep your talent database current, so you know who’s still interested and available to work with your organization.

 

EDITOR’S NOTE:
To learn more about how Worksuite tools and services can help you start or grow a high-quality freelance talent network, contact Worksuite directly.

Job Design: Is it time to rethink your approach? Learn more in this article...

Job Design: Is It Time to Rethink Your Approach?

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the last article in a 4-part series sponsored by Unit4. The series outlines a new approach to talent strategy for people-centric organizations. This final post looks at why and how employers should rethink job design.

 

As we close this series about how employers can reinvent their talent strategy for the future of work, we turn our attention to one of the most important ways to attract and engage the people your organization needs to succeed. Namely, we’re looking at why this is the right time to revisit your approach to job design.

For most of the past 100 years, employers have used the same techniques to scope job vacancies, write job descriptions, and hire employees to fill roles. But these classic job design methods aren’t particularly efficient or effective.

In fact, only about 50% of interviewed candidates who receive a job offer actually become employees. Plus, the talent acquisition process, itself, is expensive. This means the perceived cost of a “bad hire” is so steep that decision-makers often become paralyzed. And that inaction forces organizations to offset costs by relying too heavily on long tenure.

It’s not an ideal solution by any measure. But focusing on the 4th talent strategy pillar can help you address these issues. How? Read on…

Reworking Job Design: Where to Start

Employers can no longer afford to ignore the need to address ever-changing talent rosters. Average employee tenure is decreasing, even as demand for future-ready skills is increasing. This means leaders must fundamentally rethink the way they structure jobs.

Here’s a good starting point: Design new roles based on the assumption that whomever your hire will stay onboard for 2-4 years. Then work backward from there.

In this game plan, onboarding and robust initial training are especially important, so you can ensure faster time-to-value from new hires. In addition, jobs designed with shorter tenure in mind will benefit from being supported by onboarding and “bedding in” processes that are much more tightly controlled.

This means that skills mapping, employee learning, and professional development will need to become a more prominent part of the HR function, along with talent pipeline development. It also means that the skills you expect to develop in employees should become central to the benefits you offer candidates.

Reframe Benefits for Shorter Job Cycles

In addition to packaging skills as benefits, you’ll need to reorient benefits so they’re compatible with shorter terms of service. Rewards for time-in-role or time with the company are relics that don’t make sense in today’s workplace. They need to be replaced.

For better results, focus on performance-based incentives for contributions to specific projects and programs with more clearly defined targets and expectations.

What Does This Look Like? An Example

One way to illustrate this new approach to job design is through the rise of the contractor. This increasingly popular option is a way to tap into skilled talent on a temporary basis. It helps employers find and deploy people more quickly, while simultaneously reducing operational overhead and risk.

At the same time, contractors benefit from more options in today’s predominantly hybrid working environment. They also benefit from a faster learning curve that comes from working on a more diverse portfolio of projects over time.

Reliance on contractors has increased dramatically—but not at the same rate in every region. For example, in the U.K., contractor usage has grown by about a third since the 2008 financial crash. By comparison, in the U.S., it has surged by the same proportion since only 2020.

Nevertheless, the shift to a contingent workforce shows no sign of diminishing. And many organizations still struggle to find permanent employees in today’s tight labor market. So the advantages of hiring contractors make project-oriented hiring a highly attractive option.

Repackaging Jobs to Attract Top Talent

In your job descriptions, do you still use this kind of phrase?

“The successful candidate must be willing to…”

If so, prepare to leave that kind of thinking behind. Instead, think in terms of asking this question:

“How do you want to work for us?”

In other words, you’ll need to let new hires determine some of the terms of their engagement with you. This makes sense because it encourages deeper ownership of the role’s success. Besides, if you’re designing jobs around shorter “tours of duty” with specific goals and objectives, why not configure these positions so they can be performed on a contract or project basis?

This model offers multiple benefits:

  • You can more accurately assess jobs and redefine them so they deliver the most value to your organization.
  • You’ll be better prepared to tap into a much larger talent pool. (After all, the huge increase in today’s contractors is coming from somewhere. That “somewhere” is the rapidly growing segment of the working population currently seeking greater flexibility in how they market and sell their skills.)

Where to Find Help

This blog series may be over, but your job restructuring journey is just beginning. For an in-depth view of our insights into this and other future-minded strategies for people-centered organizations, download our white paper:

Rebuilding Talent Strategy: Finding and Retaining People in a Changing World.

Also, as you consider technologies needed as the backbone of a reimagined talent strategy, we invite you to take a closer look at our ERP and HCM suite of solutions. These advanced platforms can provide the advantage your business needs to stay at the forefront in the future of work.

For example, you’ll be better equipped to:

  • Audit and map workforce skills
  • Target and deliver timely, relevant learning and development programs
  • Take the pulse of workforce engagement
  • Increase pay equity and transparency
  • Provide people with seamless connections to colleagues and resources in hybrid work settings.

In combination, these capabilities can help you build sustainable business value, going forward. To learn more about how Unit4 solutions can make a difference for your organization, book a demo here.

 

Related Reading

For other articles in this series, check the following links:

Part 1:  Reimagine Talent Strategy: Make Development a Core Part of Your Business

Part 2:  Commit to Careers

Part 3:  Engage in the Employee