If You Can't Hire Them

 

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There is a lot of talk about not being able to hire right now (see this Capelli article for a rebuttal), but periodically, I help employers talk through the "buy versus develop" question about people. I have always been predisposed to grow my own versus buy new, so I suppose it is best to just get that bias on the table to start with. It's part of the reason I keep a car until it falls apart in the street. I know what I have and as long as it is performing satisfactorily, why take a chance on an expensive shiny new vehicle? Regular maintenance and an occasional part overhaul have tended to be less expensive and more satisfactory for me.

Regardless of your current hiring situation, there is a seismic shift in the skills needed in the economy going on. New career fields are opening up, with the numbers of skilled workers needed growing very quickly. If you have watched the news lately, cybersecurity should be an obvious example. You can hire the technical expertise for cybersecurity from an IT company with that expertise, but much of the risk involves people, not hardware and software. So even having the best company on retainer can't always keep you safe. This means pretty much every employee who has access to a computer or other smart device needs to have some level of expertise in cybersecurity. In addition to cybersecurity, changes in laws and regulations in many industries call for a constant update in compliance, tools, and techniques.

I was talking to someone this week who told me the employers she talks to just want someone who will show up dependably and work. I hear that some as well, but I also find employers also want experience and proven expertise so they don't have to spend much time training. I get it. As in most things, there is always a tradeoff between I need it now, I need it good, and I need it cheap. For some reason, employers tend to think they can get it all. Not so.

I would suggest companies need to do a thorough review to determine the types of skills that employees need now and may not have (gap analysis), but also look ahead to prepare for the future, in order to develop some skills before the need is upon you. You may not be able to hire that skill set--so begin developing your good people with updated skills.

Time Off? Or Not?

 

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This week I have had some discussions around paid time off and about hiring/retention. They are interrelated. Most companies offer time off to be competitive in recruitment and retention. However, paid time off is also important for employee health, and it is a good internal control measure for the company. However, let's focus on paid time off as a recruitment and retention tool. Paid time off is especially appreciated by younger employees.

Many employers try to keep track of what other employers are doing in order to stay competitive in the marketplace. Since there are really no rules federally or in Texas for vacation/sick/PTO/holiday time, employers can be fairly creative in designing their programs and have a lot of options for how they structure their paid time off programs.

There are still some companies that have no paid time off or any kind, but most companies have at least some. Here are a couple of questions for consideration:

1. If an employer feels that an employee who takes all of the time allowed under their policy is somehow taking advantage of the employer, then should you be offering that much paid time off?
2. If an employee feels they cannot take the time off permitted under their employer's policy (regardless of the reason), then is your paid time off really an effective retention tool or could it be a source of dissatisfaction?

In asking these questions, I am not talking about unscheduled time off. It is always a problem to have to shuffle schedules without notice, although there is no way to avoid it occasionally. What I am talking about is scheduled time off that does not exceed the amount of time permitted under the policy you made.

Paid time off is a part of an employee's compensation. Just as an employee would feel cheated if you shorted their paycheck, they often feel cheated if you short them on time, whether it is because you express frustration if they ask for time off or they know there is so much work to do that taking the time makes them feel guilty.

Is your time off policy a true reflection of the benefit your company offers or is it a false promise?

Carrots and Sticks

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 I hear many employers complain about the "everybody gets a trophy" mindset of "young people today." Our younger employees (and really, the Millennials many complain about are not that young anymore) want many of the same things we do, they are just more willing to ask for it. Everyone wants to be recognized for doing a good job.

Some of you have probably heard the expression, "The absence of pain is its own reward." In other words, if no one is yelling at you, life is good. You have probably also heard, "What gets measured, gets done." The stick aligns with the first statement. The stick tells an employee the minimum bar. If I go below this, I'll get yelled at. So the goal is to stay above that line. However, the stick doesn't tell me what you really want, just what you don't want.

This brings us to the carrot. We tend to think of the carrot as money, but the carrot is recognition. Yes, money can be a carrot, but truthfully, it isn't the most effective carrot over the long term. The carrot is feedback to show what gets measured, gets done. In other words, I know what you want, so I can give it to you. Carrots allow us to raise performance, not just get it to exceed the minimum required.

We Boomers may have grown up in the era of the stick, but we liked the carrots too and we worked at our best for those who served them to us. Some methods are more effective than others, especially if you are trying to change behaviors or raise performance to higher levels. You need to tell people exactly what they did that you are pleased with and why it's important. If I know what you are happy about, I will likely repeat that behavior again.

Regular servings of carrots will get you more than regular beatings with sticks.

Looking Ahead

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 Happy New Year! Aren't we glad 2020 is behind us? Not that 2021 is all that great starting out on the COVID-19 front, but somehow, it seems there is light at the end of the tunnel. It may all be psychological, but I don't care. I'll take what I can get.

I don't know about you, but 2020 took a toll on business. I went from very busy to nothing in a matter of a couple of weeks. That should have meant I got a lot of business things off the ground that had been in the "when I get around to it" pile and this blog should have been easy to keep up. But I have to admit, those things did not happen. In part, because we were homeschooling the granddaughter and babysitting the grandkids, since their parents luckily were able to continue to work. There were also parent care issues in 2020. But I think the biggest issue was uncertainty. 

I had a plan for 2020 and was making progress and all of a sudden, that plan wasn't going to work. I made adjustments, but my clients' plans were also going bust. If there had been an end date in sight, it would have been okay, but most of my clients are very small businesses, and the uncertainty meant they hunkered down. I answered a lot of questions about the FFCRA and the CARES Act, but for the most part, my clients put everything on hold and went into survival mode. Other than a few employee issues that absolutely could not wait, those businesses put everything else on ice. They're starting to peek out of their shelters now, but none appear to be returning to anything approaching normal.

We're in a new year. Other than for lessons learned, 2020 is in the rearview mirror. And I did learn some lessons. Hopefully, you did too, or 2020 could be a complete bust.

Uncertainty still exists, but I have made a plan for 2021 that takes that into consideration, and I am working on new lines of business. I'll let you know when I am ready to announce the launch. I'm in a full-court press for the end of the first quarter.

High Potential or Right Potential?

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I hear a lot about high potential employees. I also hear many references to A, B and C players. The first is about the future and the other is about current performance. Personally, I am not much in favor of categorizing people in either system, although I understand what the proponents are trying to do.

Both systems are based upon subjective opinions and often, unclear criteria. They are also judgments made at a specific point in time. I have seen people move between the categories depending upon the organization, job, manager and life circumstances at that time.

But the issue that causes me the most concern is the focus on individual contribution. I am not saying individual contributions are not important, because they are. However, most companies state teamwork is important to them. The best individual contributors are not necessarily the best in a team environment (although they can be). You have only to look at various team sports to see how a high-performing star performer can disrupt the performance of the overall team.

Yes, if the job we have is largely independent, then a star performer may be the best option. However, in a team environment, I am more interested in bench strength and complementary talents. I want the right potential for the position I want them to play--both now and in the future. Once I place a person in a position, I need to constantly evaluate if they may be more effective to the team in another role. That may change over time.

Do We Have the Right Tools?

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This isn't a picture of my husband's garage, but it could be. The man has a 4-car garage in which neither of our cars can fit because of the number of tools, but it seems almost every project requires a different one. How many different screwdrivers can there be?

But I admit he takes care of all those fix-it jobs around the house that I cause. If something can be broken, I will break it. So there's a reason for all those tools (or so I am told).

In the last blog post, I talked about setting clear expectations. Obviously, people have to know what you want before they can do it. However, if they don't have the proper tools, they may still fall short. And that's on managers, not the employees.

In order for employees to perform to standards, they need a clear understanding of the performance standards and they must have the proper tools. These tools include proper training, required tools (equipment and supplies), and adequate time. If we have not provided those items, it isn't fair to chastise the employee. Yes, I have seen employees do extraordinary things with a shortage of all of these things, especially in a crisis, but it isn't reasonable to expect superior results with inferior support on a continuing basis.

Ask yourself, have I:

• Provided comprehensive training on the task I want them to accomplish?
• Given them adequate supplies and equipment to get the job done safely?
• Provided enough time to do a quality, safe job?

It's our job to provide what employees need to meet our expectations for performance. Let's not let them down.

Do They Know What You Want?

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Today I had a coaching session. Nothing new there, but some people are a joy to work with because they really want to make themselves better leaders and are willing to do the work necessary to make that happen. David is one of those people.

He asked for a book to read during a hiatus in our coaching schedule due to his company's workload. I recommended, It's the Manager by Gallup. He said a previous book he had read by Gallup, First Break All the Rules, was one he had found very helpful, especially two questions, "Do they know what you want?" and "Do they have what they need to do it?" I could see this was very much a part of his leadership style and had helped successfully improve the performance of his people and his section.

Our conversation reminded me of the importance of setting clear expectations. Many times we believe we have been clear. Or we may just believe we shouldn't have to spell things out because "everyone knows" about certain expectations in the workplace. I have had managers tell me they shouldn't have to tell their employees what they expect because, "No one told me. I figured it out."

And we wonder why the performance we get isn't the performance we want.

My husband and I used to play in a dart league when we were younger. You had a scoreboard and you knew exactly what you needed to hit in order to make your target (and it wasn't always the bullseye.) Once you knew what you needed, it was a matter of focus and skill to win.  You could always just throw the dart in the general direction of the board and hope for the best, but in that case, winning was a matter of luck, not focus or skill. And winning wasn't likely. You have much better success when you have a specific spot on the board you're aiming at (a clearly defined target.)

Clear expectations tell people exactly what they have to do to be successful. You may need to demonstrate or to provide examples. One of the managers I coached had a fast food restaurant and was frustrated because his people had "no work ethic." He said he would tell them to "stock the front," but when he checked their work, it wasn't done. The issue wasn't that his employees were lazy, it was that their idea of what he meant by "stock the front" and his idea, were not the same. I told him to stock the front the way he wanted it to look when he gave that instruction and then bring his employees out and show them. Explain the standard for each element of the task. Once this was done, they understood what he wanted and he had much better performance.

Give your people a clear target if you want to win.