Turnover and Temporary Employees

I started a new job in January. For the first time, I am working with temporary employees and the agencies who support them. I have met many temporary agency sales pros, worked as a recruiting manager on the consulting side (close to a temp agency), and worked WITH temps, but I have never been on the HR side of temporary staffing until now. It's a very interesting change from a talent management perspective. First, there is a unique business need that requires temporary employee - contract or project work. You have a specific need skilled (or maybe unskilled) workers for a specific period of time. These individuals are at work and being productive to meet the contract requirements - delivery date, quality, etc... So they need to know as much as you can give them BEFORE they walk into the door and the clock starts ticking. You cannot waste valuable, billable work time dealing with issues that should have been communicated during the preemployment process. They need to know as much as they can about the actual job that they will be doing BEFORE they arrive in order to avoid retraining replacements who do not enjoy or do not have the skills to meet the job requirements.

Limiting temporary employee turnover is critical to the success of a project, so what can you do about it? I was introduced to a cool way to reduce turnover of temporary employees through a Job Simulation Center at StaffMark. Job Simulations have been talked about on ERE for years, but I only know of a few progressive companies, including one that I used to work at, that actually use them. The StaffMark team in Fairfield, OH has developed a job simulation program for a few of their clients to help identify temporary employees who are not interested in a particular job or do not have the skills to do the job. A candidate performs the job required of someone who worked in a warehouse, or a pie making plant, or a glass plant. They developed simple assessments that measure time, skills and quality in manufacturing positions. They make an appointment and require candidates to arrive at the office at a particular time, which is another requirement of most temporary positions. They give the candidate feedback about their simulation and allow the candidate to withdraw from the process with no penalty before the clock - and money- start rolling. For full disclosure, I am not, nor have I ever been a customer of Staffmark. I am an advocate of telling a candidate the good, the bad and the ugly about a position (push, pull, push) and I am sending a big Sunday Shout Out to the Staffmark Simulation Center for working with employers to allowing the candidate to experience the job to reduce turnover.

Snow much to do, snow little time

Snow has been wreaking havoc on businesses across the US for the past two weeks. Managers are people too and really do want to accommodate employees during difficult, unpredictable weather issues, but have to maintain the balance between business and employee needs. So what's a manager to do? Here's a little advice for managers with snow much to do and snow little time:

1. Meet business needs and obligations. In this economy, we have to meet client deadlines and expectations. Period. Even when it's snowing. If you don't, someone else will. All employees need to understand this.
2. Allow employees flexibility with working arrangements when possible. It's not always possible too accommodate this one (especially in manufacturing and retail), but some employees can meet client expectations virtually or during nontraditional hours. For example, accountants may not have access to company at networks home, but may be able to work 6 am to 3 pm and still meet client and business objectives. Ask employees for their suggestions.
3. Create policies that encourage the behavior that you expect and represent your culture. If you want employees to come to work, give them a little extra time to come in early or a little latitude for arriving late. Explain the business objectives that require employees to be at work. If your culture encourages individualism, allow employees to make the decision about when and if they come into work.
4. Don't forget about safety! It's slick and wet - inside of your organization and out. Watch out for ice and pay attention to road conditions. Send employees home if the weather gets too dangerous and you can still meet your objectives.
5. Finally, thank employees for their effort. Unexpected snowfall is stressful and can require a lot of planning, especially for parents and commuters. Acknowledge and thank employees who show up on time with a positive attitude.

Now, who is ready for summer?

Fair and Consistent is not Equal

The issue of fair and consistent treatment is important to every employee. But, fair and consistent treatment does not mean equal treatment. Let's use an example:
Joe is nonexempt and required to clock in and out when he arrives and leaves, including lunch breaks. Joe can see his hours accumulate during the week as he clocks in and out. Joe's manager allows him some flexibility with his time as long as he does not exceed 40 hours per week per company policy. This means that he can come in early, say 7:30, if he would like to leave 30 minutes early today. Being nonexempt, Joe leaves at 5:00 and doesn't look back.
Nancy is Joe's friend. They regularly go to lunch and are on the same softball team. Nancy is in an exempt position and is not required to clock in and out. Nancy has a little more flexibility with her schedule, but she is required to work more than 40 hours when needed and is not eligible for overtime pay.

Nancy and Joe go out for lunch one day and return 1.5 hours later. Joe thinks: "if Nancy can take a long lunch, so can I" and doesn't clock out. Joe's boss discovered that he did not clock out and provides him with a written warning about not clocking out. Joe says that he is being treated unfairly. What Joe doesn't realize is that he doesn't see all of the work that Nancy does outside of regular working hours. She is checking in nightly on her smart phone and takes work calls 24/7. Nancy attends meetings or works during lunch and travels for business at least once a month. Nancy's boss has established expectations and allows her flexibility. So, Joe's manager explains to him that he is being treated fair and consistent, not equal. Joe is being treated the same as other nonexempt employees (following the Company policy). Nancy is not in a similar role and her manager has established different expectations based upon her exempt position. The result is that Joe receives a written warning for not clocking out and Nancy goes on her way. Fair and consistent, yes. Equal, no.

Turning Disciplinary Meetings into Performance Improvement Meetings

Everybody has seen the long walk of doom. You know, the one where the manager tells the employee "I need to talk to you privately" and leads the employee straight into HR. You are walking the plank, everyone knows it and all parties involved hate it.

I'd like to propose that HR folks change their dreaded disciplinary meeting into a performance improvement meeting. It may seem like semantics to some, but I really think that it is a change of mindset. A disciplinary meeting is negative: You broke the rule, here are the consequences, sign this paper. Then the employee walks out with his head hanging low. A performance improvement meeting, however, is more positive and is focused on improving performance instead of negative consequences.

1. State the Goal - Performance Improvement
2. State the Current Situation
3. State the Expectation
4. Discuss the Expectations with the Employee
5. Obtain agreement about Expectations and Consequences
6. End with a Positive Closing

Here's what it may look like...Imagine a manager asking the employee to come to HR to discuss performance improvement. When he sits down, the HR person tells the employee that the goal of this meeting is to improve performance. Huh? Let's talk about the facts of the situation, the reason for being here (attendance issues, inappropriate behavior, not meeting objectives, etc...). Then, state the expectation - what does the ideal or accepted behavior look like? It could be clocking in at 7 am daily, making 100 prospecting calls daily, or good customer service. The more objective the better. Next, discuss the expectation with the employee. The key is that the employee agrees that the expectation is reasonable for the business situation and that the employee has been told about this expectation so that this is not the first time that they have heard that they need to make 100 prospecting calls daily. Obtain agreement from the employee about the expectations and consequences, usually in writing. This is the same as in a disciplinary meeting, but the situation is more positive because you have discussed that the desired outcome is performance improvement, not termination as some employees may think.
Finally, close the meeting with a positive comment about wanting this person to be a productive member of our team.

I believe that most people want to do a good job and that performance improvement will happen by focusing on the desired outcome and retention. What do you think? Can a disciplinary meeting change to focus on performance improvement?

What I've learned since being unemployed

I've been unemployed (i.e. no money given to me in exchange for services) for three weeks. It's interesting and humbling to be on the "other side" of employment. Here are a few things that I've learned since being unemployed:

1. I like working on a PC. This is my TOP, #1 learning. I love my home laptop, but I cannot type on it without the cursor getting in the way, making my letters jump all around the screen. This makes everything take twice as long, and because I am a huge fan of efficiency, it is driving me crazy. Laptops are nice and convenient, but I'm a PC kind of girl.


2. I like working in an office. I feed off the energy in an office environment. I work straight and hard at home without taking much needed breaks. My back hurts because I do not have a great office chair (you know, the stained one that is the right height and worn in just the way that I like it). My wrist hurts from not having my mouse. I use the TV as background noise because I need noise. My dog pees in the house or barks the minute that I am on the phone because I am not paying attention to her. I eat Kitkats because they are in the fridge and I have little self-control around chocolate. I miss the conveniences of the office, like a printer and fax.


3. Unemployment stinks. It is too easy to apply (online or on the phone), so everyone does it, which puts a financial and service burden on the entire system. There is little to no information given to the unemployed worker and you have to wait on the phone for hours to try to talk to a live person. You can't go back to claim unemployment for days that you thought that you were going to be paid, but were not paid (if you can, I can't figure out how to do it). Your online account is updated, but you are not notified via email for several days, which may cause you to miss a deadline. There is no way to explain your situation or ask questions online, like Chat or email. You have no idea when or if money will be coming when you sign up. Even if it's normally 6-8 weeks, it would be nice to know for planning purposes.


4. Optional benefits vendors are calling me, the employee, at home looking for money. Even though I paid the optional benefits via payroll deduction, they want their money. If they have my checking or credit card account info, they are going to take their money after giving me sufficient notice. I'm leaning toward Kris Dunn's no optional benefits stance after this experience.


5. I like to work. I like the routines and personal satisfaction of working. I'm not made to be a stay at home mom and need satisfying projects while I am at home. Shredding my 2009 documents just isn't cutting it.

I start my new job on Monday with a new learning experience under my belt that will make me a better HR pro. I have much more compassion and empathy for those who are in transition. I've got along week ahead of me, but I can't wait to get back to work!

I resigned over email. I am a schmuck.

I resigned over email this week. That makes me a schmuck. I've been working from home recently and connecting with my boss via email. I've worked with him long enough to know his preferred communication methods: text, email, cell, regular phone. Unfortunately I am not a fan of texting (140 characters on twitter is hard enough), so I regularly email him.

Let's start with from the beginning... my company was in a transition state, spinning off a division with employee owners. (How cool is that!) Many of the old/new employees were working unpaid to get the new company up and running, including me. It was an exciting, crazy, emotional and scary time for all of us. Everyone needs a plan B in a situation like this, so I turned to my close professional network to work on my plan B. Long story short, I accepted a position at a new company down the street within two weeks of my networking. I feel very fortunate to have found a great company and fit in such a short time. But, I also know that I need to break the news to my boss as soon as possible because everything was moving so quickly.

I have always resigned the "proper" way - a general resignation letter saying that I am resigning and appreciate the time that I have worked with said Company- handed to my boss in a private setting. I've given two or more weeks notice so that a proper transition can take place. Since I have been working unpaid at home, this situation was different. The next time that I knew that I was going to see my boss was going to be at a company update meeting. Not at all private or appropriate for this type of conversation. I could have called him, but he has been in very important meetings nonstop for the past three weeks and he will answer the phone during a meeting. I can't imagine hearing this kind of news while in a meeting, so I didn't think that a phone call was the best approach either. So, I sent him an email. I was able to think about what I wanted to say and thank him for his support and tell him that I believe in him. I was able to think about what I was going to say and not get all emotional. So I wrote it, hit send quickly and waited for a response. I felt like a total schmuck.

He was disappointed, but not surprised. We had talked about having a plan B and he was always very supportive of my networking and development. I think that email was the best communication method in this situation, but I still feel like a schmuck. I like, respect and admire my boss and I think that the feeling is mutual. He's become a fantastic leader and has a great future and adventure in front of him. I think that he makes a great addition to my close professional network.

How would you describe 2009 and 2010?

I have been reading many blogs reviewing 2009 and thoughts for 2010. My favorite so far was April Dowling's "New Year Theme" post. My goals for 2009 involved coaching, feedback, change management and exercise. Although all of these things improved for me, I don't feel successful. I never could have imagined the changes and experiences that I have had in 2009. According to a Sr. HR pro that gives me advice, I earned my HR stripes this year. Here's my perspective of a crazy 2009.

Change management, feedback, coaching, networking, goals, loss, right sizing, retention, compassion, laws, COBRA, benefits, ADA, military, expense controls, revenue growth, productivity, profitability, government, employee relations, operations, talent, leadership, strengths, honesty and involvement.

Being a HR Superstar, I know how to create SMART goals, but I'm going to go with Penelope Trunk and visualize 2010 with my not-smart goals for 2010: Change management, more feedback, more coaching, more networking, goals aligned with company objectives, right size, retention, compassion, benefits, ownership, leadership, great HR, more blogging, more social media, process improvement, marketing and SHRM certification.

Whatever your goals for 2010 are, make sure that you write them down. Feel free to use the comments section as a start... Here's to a healthy and happy 2010!