workforce.com
M
E C H A N GE
RS
GA
July/August 2019
2019
WORLD CLASS
Pritika Padhi, left, and Dharshana Ramachandran are two Game Changers reshaping HR in India.
Why did she borrow $67,928 for tuition?
She did it to work for you.
Now there’s a job benefit that helps your employees pay off their student loans.
Gradifi is gratitude.
Learn more at gradifi.com or call 1-844-GRADIFI
From Our Editors
FROM PERSONNEL TO WORKFORCE
Transformation is the word for many in business today. It’s not hard to understand why. Facing a host of internal and external pressures, many business leaders are spearheading change initiatives as a result. But what some forget as they chart the path forward is that transformation is an exercise of both the head and the heart. That’s why HR is poised to be a catalyst, bridging the vision for where business needs to go with the empathy needed to help those making it happen. That’s also why it’s important to recognize the next generation of HR leaders through the annual list of Workforce Game Changers.These emerging leaders play a crucial role in transforming the future of not just HR but of work. — Mike Prokopeak, Editor in Chief 4
Workƒorce | w o r k f o r c e . c o m
The workplace has changed a lot since 1922. That year The Journal of Personnel Research debuted, rebranded later as Personnel Journal and finally Workforce. Now in our 97th year, we take a look back at what was on the minds of past generations of people managers.
A Nuanced Approach to Mental Handicaps, SEPTEMBER 1957 The concept of “normal” means different things to different people, according to researcher and writer Silas L.Warner in the article “Spotting the Neurotic and Helping the Maladjusted.”This article was sympathetic toward the plight of employees who are emotionally or mentally ill. Warner used war-taught lessons to make the argument that people formerly excluded from the workforce can become valuable workers.World War II required that women do manual labor previously done by men and, in some cases, that people recovering from strokes work with different machines. If the stroke impacted the right side of their body, they could depend on left-hand operated machines. If physical handicaps can be overcome this way, so can emotional handicaps,Warner argued. Let’s first acknowledge that obviously being a woman isn’t a physical handicap. Overlooking that, his argument is pretty progressive. He highlighted a few types of mental or emotional handicaps: paranoia, neuroticism, alcoholism and depression. As long as the “paranoid” person in question is ultimately harmless, there’s “no psychiatric reason why this person’s job should be taken from him,”Warner wrote. Further, certain jobs require a certain degree of skepticism. Warner also had a nuanced approach to “neurotics.” Contrary to popular beliefs, he wrote,“[They] are not spoiled weaklings who can’t stand up to what you and I do, but are unhappy individuals, most of whom are productively working.” Finally, he stressed how much of a medical emergency depression can be, due to the dangers of suicide. He noted that serious depressions occur most frequently in one’s 40s and 50s.That’s a very different narrative than what we hear about now, which is that young people are more likely to experience mental health problems. — Andie Burjek
The New Workforce,
JANUARY 1998
From the mid-1920s until December 1997, this publication was known as Personnel Journal.That all changed with the January 1998 issue as the first edition of Workforce rolled off the presses. And like any good publication would in its first appearance, the writers, editors and a series of distinguished panelists made a splash with some bold predictions as they gazed upon 2008. Panelists ranging from longtime HR tech analyst Jac Fitz-Enz to University of Michigan professor Dave Ulrich to then-McDonald’s Corp. HR director Bob Wilner offered their thoughts in “60 HR Predictions for 2008.” Under the header “Work and Society” – “Just as defined-contribution plans have begun to take over from Social Security, companies will take on responsibility for elder care, long-term care and other social needs through cafeteria-style benefits programs.” In “Definition of Jobs” – “Organizations won’t pay for the value of the job but the value of the person.” And under “Strategic Role of HR” – “Leading change will become HR’s greatest contribution to the corporation.” One last forecast many wish would come true:“We can all expect to attend fewer meetings in the future.” Maybe by 2028? — Rick Bell J u ly / A u g u s t 2 0 1 9
your
talent game
is not a
Machine Learning. Gamification. Artificial Intelligence.
These are the catchphrases resonating across the personality assessment space, but what do they actually bring to the table? At Hogan, we know there are no shortcuts when it comes to personality assessments that accurately predict workplace performance. Over the last five decades, we’ve gathered an unprecedented quantity of data that shows our assessments do what we say they do. Predicting performance is serious business, and Hogan doesn’t play games.
hoganassessments.com
A PUBLICATION OF July/August 2019 | Volume 98, Issue 4 PRESIDENT Tasmin Trezise tasmin@workforce.com VICE PRESIDENT, GROUP PUBLISHER Clifford Capone ccapone@workforce.com VICE PRESIDENT, EDITOR IN CHIEF Mike Prokopeak mikep@workforce.com EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Rick Bell rbell@workforce.com MANAGING EDITOR Ashley St. John astjohn@workforce.com ASSOCIATE EDITORS Andie Burjek aburjek@workforce.com Elizabeth Loutfi eloutfi@CLOmedia.com ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR Christopher Magnus cmagnus@workforce.com
VICE PRESIDENT, RESEARCH AND ADVISORY SERVICES Sarah Kimmel skimmel@workforce.com RESEARCH MANAGER Tim Harnett tharnett@workforce.com
MARKETING DIRECTOR Greg Miller gmiller@workforce.com MARKETING SPECIALIST Kristen Britt kbritt@workforce.com REGIONAL SALES
DATA SCIENTIST Grey Litaker glitaker@workforce.com
MANAGER
VIDEO AND MULTIMEDIA PRODUCER Andrew Kennedy Lewis alewis@workforce.com
TECHNICAL OPERATIONS
MEDIA & PRODUCTION MANAGER Ashley Flora aflora@workforce.com
Daniella Weinberg dweinberg@workforce.com
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Michelle Anderson Tanya Axenson Jennifer Benz Carol Brzozowski Kris Dunn Sarah Fister Gale Jon Hyman Patty Kujawa Rita Pyrillis Daniel Saeedi Rachel L. Schaller
FREE, LIVE, WEBINARS.
MANAGER Skyler Gold sgold@workforce.com DIGITAL & AUDIENCE INSIGHTS DIRECTOR Lauren Wilbur
lwilbur@workforce.com VP OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT FOR EVENTS DIGITAL COORDINATOR Kevin Fields Steven Diemand kfields@workforce.com sdiemand@workforce.com EVENTS MANAGER Malaz Elsheikh melsheikh@workforce.com
WEBCAST MANAGER Alec O’Dell EDITORIAL ART DIRECTOR aodell@workforce.com Theresa Stoodley EVENTS GRAPHIC tstoodley@workforce.com DESIGNER EDITORIAL ASSOCIATES Latonya Hampton Kerry Snider lhampton@workforce.com ksnider@workforce.com BUSINESS MANAGER Bethany Tomasian Vince Czarnowski btomasian@workforce.com vince@workforce.com
AUDIENCE INSIGHTS COORDINATOR Micaela Martinez mmartinez@workforce.com LIST MANAGER Mike Rovello hcmlistrentals@infogroup.com BUSINESS
CHECK OUT WHAT YOU’VE MISSED!
ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER Melanie Lee mlee@workforce.com
WORKFORCE EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Arie Ball, Vice President, Sourcing and Talent Acquisition, Sodexo
Winning Hearts, Winning Minds — A Strategic Blueprint for HR Communications Ways to Boost Business Results Now Making an Impact: The Candidate Experiences That Matter Most
Angela Bailey, Associate Director and Chief Human Capital Officer, U.S. Office of Personnel Management Kris Dunn, Chief Human Resources Officer, Kinetix, and Founder, Fistful of Talent and HR Capitalist Curtis Gray, Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Administration, BAE Systems Jil Greene, Vice President, Human Resources and Community Relations, Harrah’s New Orleans Ted Hoff, Human Resources Vice President, Global Sales and Sales Incentives, IBM
Available live on the air date and on-demand for one year after unless otherwise specified. Check them out today and keep the education going!
Tracy Kofski, Vice President, Compensation and Benefits, General Mills Jon Hyman, Partner, Meyers, Roman, Friedberg & Lewis Jim McDermid, Vice President, Human Resources, Cardiac and Vascular Group, Medtronic
WORKFORCE.COM/WF-EVENTS/
Randall Moon, Vice President, International HR, Benefits and HRIS, Lowe’s Cos. Dan Satterthwaite, Head of Human Resources, DreamWorks
EARN RECERTIFICATION CREDITS!
Dave Ulrich, Professor, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan Workforce (ISSN 2331-2793) is published bi-monthly by Human Capital Media, 150 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 550, Chicago IL 60601. Periodicals postage paid at Chicago, IL and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Workforce, P.O. Box 8712 Lowell, MA 01853. Subscriptions are free to qualified professionals within the US and Canada. Digital free subscriptions are available worldwide. Nonqualified paid subscriptions are available at the subscription price of $199 for 6 issues. All countries outside the US and Canada must be prepaid in US funds with an additional $33 postage surcharge. Single price copy is $29.99 Workforce and Workforce.com are the trademarks of Human Capital Media. Copyright © 2019, Human Capital Media. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Reproduction of material published in Workforce is forbidden without permission. Printed by: Quad/Graphics, Sussex, WI
The use of this seal is not an endorsement by the HRCertification Institute™ of the quality of the program. It means that this program has met the HR Certification Institute’s criteria to be pre-approved for recertification credit. 9
Human Capital Media is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for the SHRM-CPSM or SHRM-SCPSM. For more information about certification or recertification, please visit www.shrmcertification.org.
CONTENTS
ON THE COVER CHANGING THE GLOBAL GAME Pritika Padhi, left, and Dharshana Ramachandran lead an international contingent of the Game Changers Class of 2019.
M
E C H A N GE
RS
GA
COVER PHOTO BY SANKET KHUNTALE
32
2019
SECTOR REPORT
FEATURES
52 BACKGROUND CHECKS AND IMBALANCES
32 GAME CHANGERS CLASS OF 2019
24 MAKE WAY FOR GENERATION Z
54 THE YEAR OF L&D
34 GLOBE-TROTTING GAME CHANGERS
46 BOOMER BINGO
A patchwork of regulations and gaggles of gig workers are making the screening process a lot more complicated. Executives and employees are clamoring for more training, and learning leaders are happy to oblige.
8
Workƒorce | w o r k f o r c e . c o m
Let’s congratulate 40 people in the HR field who make up the 2019 Workforce Game Changers, domestically and abroad. From Mumbai to Manama, Nigeria to Norway, these global Game Changers are making a world of difference.
Cultural change is coming to HR. It’s time to welcome the new kids on the block: Gen Z. With a tight job market and a drain on experience, don’t let baby boomers bail out of the workforce just yet. j u ly / au g u s t
2019
46
ON THE WEB SPEAK UP!
TRENDING
The Workforce online community provides you with virtual meeting places to chat about issues and trends affecting you and your workplace.
10 CRIMINAL COMPLAINT
Employers are rethinking stances on candidates’ criminal pasts.
LIKE US: workforce.com/facebookpage
11 PEOPLE MOVES;
FOLLOW US:
BY THE NUMBERS
workforce.com/twitteraccount
24
JOIN THE GROUP: workforce.com/linkedingroup
WATCH US: workforce.com/youtubechannel
FOR YOUR BENEFIT COLUMNS 4
YOUR FORCE
Transformation Is Growth.
14 WORK IN PROGRESS
Are Your Leaders Credible? Are You Sure?
16 AN HSA ‘HOW-TO’
Employers communicating the strategy of pairing a health savings account and retirement benefits.
17 THE AGING MILLENNIAL
Older millennials are seeing increases in the diagnoses of depression, diabetes, high blood pressure and hyperactivity.
19 BENEFITS BEAT
Is Trust the Biggest Workplace Benefit?
22 THE PRACTICAL EMPLOYER An FYI on Taking PTO
58 THE LAST WORD
Burnout Is No Fairy Tale.
j u ly / au g u s t
2019
17 LOAN DEBT DILEMMA
A matching student-loan plan to ease employees’ financial burden appears to have hit a federal roadblock.
18 AILING TIME-OFF POLICIES
Whether employees are sick or just need a vacation, companies should consider addressing presenteeism.
Borden names Paulin sr. director of HR; move over, millennials.
12 Q&A
Amy Cappellanti-Wolf is CHRO for Symantec.
12 ALL HANDS ON DECK
Volunteerism is sky high at CSAA Insurance Group.
LEGAL 20 REQUIRED READING
The employee handbook can be a lifesaver or nightmare in court.
21 LEGAL BRIEFINGS
Virtual marketplace; individual vs. class action.
CORRECTIONS
In the May/June Workforce 100 list, Kronos Inc. should be headquartered in Lowell, Massachusetts.Additionally, in By the Numbers on pg. 11, “HR managers” by gender should have its percentages swapped. w o r k f o r c e . c o m | Workƒorce
9
TRENDING
Criminal Past Less a Predictor for Workplace Futures One oft-arrested CEO is setting the example that employment doesn’t end with felony convictions. By Carol Brzozowski
A
t Nutrition Solutions, most employees are formerly convicted felons. Not exactly the type of employee one would expect to find at a trendy lifestyle meal preparation company. But then again, founder and CEO Chris Cavallini was arrested 17 times before he was 18 years old. Now leading a $10 million company, Cavallini gives others opportunities to move forward despite pasts including felony convictions, homelessness or substance abuses. Still, Cavallini won’t just hire any convicted felon who applies for a job. “We look for how has that person has taken responsibility for what has happened in their past and if they are ready to do whatever it is they have to do for it as long as they need to do it to create a better life for themselves and their families,” he said. With unemployment at historic lows and a large amount of the workforce gravitating toward sharing economy jobs, there are currently more job openings than job seekers, noted Marco Piovesan, CEO of InfoMart, a global background screening company. That leads employers to consider hiring nontraditional candidates such as ex-offenders, who demonstrate lower turnover rates than their peers, he added. Some 75 million Americans — about 1 in 3 adults — have a criminal record. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, nearly 700,000 people are released yearly from prison with 75 percent remaining unemployed for a year. With employers desperately seeking to fill vacant positions, a criminal past may not tarnish a job candidate like it once did. Several initiatives from HR’s leading association as well as the current administration are closing the gap between fulfilling a prison sentence and finding fulfillment in gainful employment. The Getting Talent Back to Work initiative led by SHRM and Koch Industries to end noninclusive hiring practices rolled out after President Donald Trump signed the First Step Act into law in December 2018. 10
Workƒorce | w o r k f o r c e . c o m
SHRM’s initiative has led hundreds of individuals and companies to sign a pledge to seriously consider qualified formerly incarcerated people for jobs. The initiative includes a toolkit providing employers guidance in compliance issues, background checks, interviewing and assessment, screening, risk analysis, insurance, negligent hiring, hiring incentives and understanding criminal background report language. While significant uncertainty about hiring workers with criminal records exists among some senior executives, only Tammy Cohen, InfoMart 14 percent of HR professionals and 26 percent of managers are unwilling to It also ensures fairness in hiring decisions, work with or hire someone with a crim- she said, adding, “the EEOC is against the inal conviction, according to a SHRM use of bright-line rules such as refusing to and Charles Koch Institute study. hire anyone with a criminal conviction “As employers, we acknowledge peo- and instead encourages employers to comple make mistakes in life, come back plete individualized assessments.” from it and want to do better. They EEOC guidelines encourage recency need to be able to have a livelihood,” and relevancy related to offenses, Pazdra said Dale Pazdra, a Barry University ad- said. A “whole person” approach includes junct HR professor and Coral Springs, work history, education, references, and Florida, HR director. physical requirements to ensure a good hire, he added. Cavallini said for formerly incarcerated felons to be successful after release, they must reconfigure their belief system, priorities, values and social circle. His company’s second in command spent time in solitary confinement. “If they can make it through that, they can make it through any workplace adversity,” Cavallini said. “Be open-minded, but protect yourself At Nutrition Solutions, all employees and your company by deploying the must do two weekly boot camp style same mitigation strategies you would workouts with a personal trainer to build with a more traditional hire and weigh discipline and channel aggression, and also the gravity of the offense against the na- write reports on how leadership lessons ture of the job,” said Piovesan. taught in the book “Extreme Ownership” Some ex-offenders commit a repeat — written by two U.S. Navy SEAL veteroffense and are reincarcerated despite ans — apply in their lives. immediate employment upon release, “We’re paying our team to do things to noted Tammy Cohen, InfoMart founder make them smarter, more efficient, effecand chief visionary officer. tive, mentally resilient, disciplined, and Compliant background checks ensure more valuable to the company,” said Caspecific types of ex-offenders are restrict- vallini. “They’re willing to do whatever it ed from working in positions catering to takes because they don’t want to go back vulnerable populations, Cohen added. to that dark place in life.”
NEARLY 75 MILLION AMERICANS — ABOUT 1 IN 3 ADULTS — HAVE A CRIMINAL RECORD.
j u ly / au g u s t
2019
TRENDING
PEOPLE STEVE F. CUNNINGHAM TDIndustries named Steve F. Cunningham as chief people officer. Cunningham will support the growth of a company that has grown to 2,600 partners. His duties will include talent acquisition, employment compensation, benefits, training, succession planning, and safety. He has more than 20 years of executive HR experience. MARIA GOTES Cloud computing company Masergy named Maria Gotes as CHRO. Gotes has more than 15 years of experience leading human resources teams, having held senior positions across recruitment, operations and strategic talent development at a number of leading technology companies. She joins Masergy from TriTech Software Systems, where she was SVP of HR. VINA LEITE Global advertising technology leader The Trade Desk named Vina Leite as chief people officer. Based in Ventura, California, Leite will lead the company’s worldwide human resource strategy and operations. Her team is responsible for developing and managing employee programs to help nurture and grow the unique and special culture at The Trade Desk. She will report directly to CEO and founder Jeff Green.
By the Numbers
moves
DARLENE PAULIN Dairy processor and distributor Borden named Darlene Paulin as senior director of HR. Paulin brings more than 33 years of HR experience, including 25 years in the beverage industry. For the past seven years, she has led the southern region’s HR function at PepsiCo, supporting 5,500 union and non-union employees across eight states, 51 locations and five manufacturing plants. MARY RADDANT Affinity Living Group named Mary Raddant VP of HR to help lead the company’s continued growth. Raddant joins ALG after serving as the senior director of human resources for David’s Bridal Inc. Raddant earned a master’s degree in global human resource development from the University of Illinois. PHIL ULRICH Flex named Phil Ulrich as CHRO of the 200,000-employee manufacturing solutions provider with more than 100 locations across 30 countries. Ulrich has helped combine complex organizations, managed global labor strategy and negotiations, onboarded tens of thousands of employees for greenfield plants, and implemented business-centric HR organizations in his previous roles.
To be considered for People Moves, email a brief announcement and a high-resolution color photo to editors@workforce.com. Include People Moves in the subject line. j u ly / au g u s t
2019
compiled by Grey Litaker and Rick Bell
Move Over, Millennials Gen Z is your future workforce. Here’s what to watch for.
Changing of the Generations Gen Y ends
1996 1997 Gen Z begins
Seeking Intel Gen Z dominates generational online searches.
63%
Gen Z ...
Source: Pew Research Center Analysis of Google Trends, 2019
Diverse Outlook Percent believes diversity is good for society. Generation Z
Millennials
Generation X
Baby boomers
62% 61% 52% 48% 12.3%
Gender-Neutral Bringing Home Gen Z the Bacon
Knows someone who prefers to use gender-neutral pronouns.
Gen Z’s views on household financial responsibilities.
Baby boomers
Father
12%
18%
Mother
3%
35%
Both equally 79%
Gen Z
Source: Pew Research Center, 2019
Gen Z’s Median Weekly Earnings Men
$613
Women
$556
White
$815 $612
$491 $457
Black or African American
Asian
$575
$520
Hispanic or Latino
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics prepared by Talent Tracker data scientists.
o r k f o r c e . c o m10| Workƒorce workforce.com | w Workƒorce
11
TRENDING
All Hands on Deck By Bethany Tomasian
STRENGTH IN DIVERSITY Bethany Tomasian Amy Cappellanti-Wolf is the chief huAmy Cappellanti-Wolf, CHRO man resource officer for global cybersecurity and defense company Symantec. Cappellanti-Wolf has extensive experience in the consumer and tech sectors, having worked companies such as Pepsi, Disney and Cisco Systems. Cappellanti-Wolf spoke with Workforce Editorial Associate Bethany Tomasian on diversity as a driving force for a successful business operations model. Workforce: How does diversity fit into Symantec’s business strategy? Amy Cappellanti-Wolf: I believe that diversity is an important business driver. Symantec is located in more than 42 countries around the world, and if you’re going to be a global company you need to have an employee population that reflects the different geographies of your customers. You need different ways to operate and go to market and you aren’t going to be able to do that with a homogeneous employee base. You need people that bring different perspectives and experiences into the business. Diversity is a critical enabler for the business to be successful.
Workforce: Can you describe Symantec’s initiatives to overcome diversity barriers regarding women and minorities? Cappellanti-Wolf: Our first part of our three-pillar approach is centered around amplifying the work that we do and creating a platform for it. That affects our employees and potential employees in the marketplace, as well as our customers and partners. Our CEO Greg Clark signed the diversity pledge for CEOs to show that we are committed to creating a diverse work environment. The second pillar is about taking bias out of the system. We did this when we introduced Textio to our system. Textio allows you to look at job descriptions and ensure that the language is gender-neutralized. We don’t want words of phrases that might not be attractive to a diverse set of candidates. That change allows everyone a level playing field when they look at these jobs. The third pillar surrounds inclusive leadership and that starts at the top. You need a company where people have a voice and they know that what they say counts because different voices bring different solutions. Diversity is an outcome of good inclusion practices.
Workforce: What advice would you offer other companies and startups regarding HR? Cappellanti-Wolf: I would tell them to start with diversity now. Be clear about the three to four things that you want to do and focus on those, rather than launching 1,000 different ships. Leadership teams have a responsibility as officers of the company to drive this type of strategy so that it becomes a way by which you do business. I would tell startups to plant the mindset early by not to hiring the likely suspects: friends from college or previous colleagues. Bring different perspectives into the room. If you start at the beginning, it will become the operating model of business as it grows.
12
Workƒorce | w o r k f o r c e . c o m
S
core a perfect 100 for corporate social responsibility. CSAA Insurance Group announced that the company achieved a 100 percent employee volunteerism rate in 2018. All 3,800 employees, including executive leadership, donated a total of 47,045 hours through the company’s 609 volunteer events across the United States. The hours employees spent volunteering represented about $1.16 million, according to company officials. Some of the volunteer projects supported nonprofit organizations such as American Heart Association, Habitat for Humanity, Junior Achievement and The Crayon Initiative. The AAA insurer is based in Walnut Creek, California, and provides AAA-branded insurance to 23 states and the District of Columbia. It originally set a corporate goal in 2012 to achieve 80 percent volunteerism participation among its employees, said Senior Manager of Community Affairs Vanessa Chan. The company did not initially aspire to have all of its employees participate in the volunteer program, she said. “That wouldn’t be authentic of us,” Chan said. “We wanted volunteers, not volun-tolds.” The following years saw employee participation climb to 98 percent in 2015 and finally 100 percent. Chan gave credit to the employees for making that happen. In fact, Chan noted that she was not surprised that the volunteer programs achieved 100 percent participation. “Our company values include being caring and doing the right thing. When you hire people based on those values, our results are not surprising,” she said. While the employees manifested this achievement, leadership played an important role by reaffirming a culture that empowered employees to pursue their passions. “As a company, you really need to understand why you want a volunteer program,” Chan said. “You have to be authentic when you roll out a volunteer program.” j u ly / au g u s t
2019
TRENDING
3 Ways to Cultivate a Global Business Mindset By China Gorman
I
n today’s increasingly connected and international marketplace, HR professionals who have a strong understanding of global dynamics are going to have an advantage.The question I hear often is “How do I develop that global mindset?” Many people in HR assume they can’t travel abroad and build valuable global knowledge unless their company sends them on an official work trip overseas. The reality is that you can take that initiative yourself and learn to become an effective global leader — whether you travel abroad regularly or not — and there’s a good chance your employer will take notice if you do. Develop global relationships online: No matter what function you’re in within an organization, there’s a global community you can join via Facebook, LinkedIn or a professional association. These online communities are excellent ways to connect with your peers in other parts of the world and start meaningful conversations. Investing time and energy in global social media groups can both help you with your professional development and expand your understanding of the global scope of your industry — all from your home or office. Travel to an overseas conference, then hang out: To fully expand your global understanding you’re going to have to travel. I would suggest figuring out how to travel internationally once a year — with an intention to visit a different country every trip. If you’re traveling to a three-day conference in another country, add a few days and use the connections that you’re making in your online groups to meet with people face-to-face in that city. There’s nothing better than immersing yourself in another culture. Explore international development opportunities: A very powerful way to expand your global mindset is to travel with a group of like-minded professionals to really explore a specific country. An associate and I organize an HR delegation every year to a different country. In recent years, we’ve taken 21 HR-related professionals to Cuba for a week and another dozen to Japan. Last year we traveled with an HR group to the Czech Republic and Hungary. On one of the trips, an attendee was the head of talent acquisition for a specific business unit inside a global organization, and she said the trip was part of her strategy to take on a more global job. When she returned her company took note of her willingness to invest her own funds and time in an international learning perspective and put her into a global job within a few months. If you truly want to understand how things work in other parts of the world and make the investment to start your learning curve, your employer is likely to notice that effort and support your journey.And if they don’t then you have a great foundation to find an organization that’s more conducive to your global learning. China Gorman is managing director America for Unleash and is the former CEO of Great Place to Work. This content was developed in partnership with Unleash America. To comment, email editors@workforce.com.
j u ly / au g u s t
2019
Workforce Acquired Australian tech entrepreneur buys Workforce magazine and Workforce.com.
A
group led by Australian technology entrepreneur Tasmin Trezise acquired Chicago-based Human Capital Media, the parent company of business-to-business publications Workforce, Chief Learning Officer and Talent Economy. Trezise, 26, is the co-owner of Brisbane, Australia- based Tanda, a 7-year-old technology firm that produces time and attendance software. “I look forward to working with the team as we continue to uphold the dignity, research and empowerment of the working man and woman and promote the world standard in workforce management,”Trezise said. The Human Capital Media entities will operate separately from Tanda with a shared ownership, said Trezise, who will be president of Workforce, a multimedia publication that covers the intersection of people management and business strategy. Kevin Simpson will remain president of all other Human Capital Media properties, Trezise said. “[This acquisition] is more about me as a person than it is about Tanda,” Trezise said. “We got into this for the same reason we started Tanda — to help improve the lives of people at work.” Trezise aims to shape Workforce into the clearinghouse for the most advanced thinking and solutions on the future of work; how to improve the happiness, welfare and efficiency of workers. He pointed to the long history of Workforce as inspiration for its planned future. The publication’s history dates back to 1922 with the founding principles laid out by James R. Angell, former president of Yale University, Carnegie Corp. and the National Research Council, to coordinate the efforts of over 250 scientific, engineering, labor, management and educational bodies. “I want to bring my background and experience as a contributor to carry on the mission that was formulated in 1922,” he said. “The big problem is the complexity for people in this space who are bombarded by different technology. … It’s becoming harder and harder to connect with people who actually can help them and who want to deal with this change but are unsure of the right choices. My contribution here is to still that noise, which is a benefit to both the audience and advertisers.” Founded in 1999, Human Capital Media is an integrated information services and market intelligence company whose brands include Human Capital Media Research and Advisory Services, and Chief Learning Officer and Workforce magazines. Terms of the private deal, which closed April 30, were not disclosed. The company will remain headquartered in Chicago. w o r k f o r c e . c o m | Workƒorce
13
TRENDING
ARE YOUR LEADERS CREDIBLE? ARE YOU SURE? By Kris Dunn |
L
Wo r k i n P r o g r e s s
et’s talk about something that impacts every organization: the perception of whether your executives do anything, and in a related topic, whether they are viewed as credible. Every organization is impacted by this. You can have great executive talent executing at a high level but if they do it 60 hours a week from floor 37 and never connect with your employee base, the perception can become “What do these people do?” There are four buckets every executive falls into: 1. Works hard/does stuff; viewed as credible. 2. Doesn’t work hard/does stuff; is viewed as credible. 3. Does stuff/works hard; isn’t viewed as credible. 4. Doesn’t work hard/do stuff; isn’t viewed as credible. The gold standard is to have execs in No. 1 — does stuff/is credible. Engagement is always easier when this is the case. For the most cynical of executives, they’d love to be viewed as credible without really trying to dig in or understand what’s going on several levels below them. Entire TV series have been based on the disconnect — “Undercover Boss,” anyone? The CEO puts on a stupid wig, goes to the front lines (with a camera crew) and finds that special person they want to help moving forward. Everyone cries and the CEO is now aware of how hard the work is. Check.Then it’s back to the corporate jet and the Ritz. Why am I writing about this now? I was reminded of the four buckets of executive perception recently when basketball legend Magic Johnson resigned as the president of the Los Angeles Lakers. For the uninitiated, Magic is one of the top five players in the history of pro basketball, and he’s royalty when it comes to Los Angeles. So, the Lakers hired him two years ago to return their organization to glory. There was just one problem. Magic wanted the leadership job, but he didn’t want to have to work hard. In addition, the fact he didn’t work hard in a job he didn’t know how to do destroyed his credibility in his workplace, which for him was the community of other presidents doing work within the National Basketball Association.That fact spiraled into media coverage, which soon made fans wonder if Magic could do the job. It ended with Johnson resigning abruptly and stating that “he just wanted to go back to being Magic.” But back to your company. Evaluating whether an executive works hard and is viewed as credible is tough for the following reasons:
A. It’s not necessarily the executive’s job to understand what everyone does and how the sausage gets made. They have a job that’s different than the first layers of your company, and at times, just as important. B. Employees love to hate. Just because they don’t know what the executive does doesn’t mean the exec in question doesn’t work hard. But it might tell you they need to connect more to be credible. How do you determine whether an executive works hard and is credible? Ask their executive peers who rely on them for services. Peers at the executive level are aware of the demands of the job. They’re slow to say, “I don’t know what he does,” because they’ve heard that before about themselves. Next, look for the ability to connect with the masses in all-hands meetings, listening tours, etc. You know what success looks like in this area. It’s a leader committed to connecting with employees and doing it in a way that makes them incredibly likeable. Some execs just don’t have it. Maybe they are unnaturally introverted (succession from finance is a normal path for this condition). That might be unfair, but ability to connect matters. Need a couple of examples of world-class ability to connect? T-Mobile CEO John Legere is known for consistently getting on the road and visiting all service locations in the company. I had the chance last year to hear JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon do Q&A in a small group, and his authenticity in communication style made me wish he would run for president. Finally, look for command that’s related to talent management two to three levels below them. Someone trying to understand the work and add value to the way your company’s product or service gets delivered is likely to know who’s good and who’s not, and base it on tangible items clearly linked to success in the job, not politics or rumors. There’s a lot of people at your company who think your executives don’t do anything.They might be right. You should try to understand if you’re dealing with John Legere or Magic Johnson and take action accordingly.
HOW DO YOU DETERMINE WHETHER AN EXECUTIVE WORKS HARD AND IS CREDIBLE? ASK THEIR EXECUTIVE PEERS WHO RELY ON THEM FOR SERVICES.
14
Workƒorce | w o r k f o r c e . c o m
Kris Dunn, the chief human resources officer at Kinetix, is a Workforce contributing editor. To comment, email editors@workforce.com.
j u ly / au g u s t
2019
YOU NEED A
PARTNER At WorkPartners, we believe that when things work together, they work better. That’s why we offer fully integrated solutions to more efficiently manage the health and productivity of your workforce. The result? Reduced costs, improved employee engagement, and a healthier bottom line. Now that’s the power of partnership.
Absence Management
Life Solutions
Visit us at WorkPartners.com
Workers’ Comp
Onsite Services
Analytics
FOR YOUR BENEFIT
Pairing HSAs and Retirement Benefits a Growing Strategy Focus has shifted to maximizing employees’ investment opportunities. By Patty Kujawa
E
ven though health savings accounts have been around for nearly 16 years, employers are still having a tough time getting employees to understand the vehicle’s triple tax benefit in saving dollars today for health care costs tomorrow. Employee education was the top concern for nearly 62 percent of employers in a newly released survey on HSAs by the Plan Sponsor Council of America. There was a significant difference between education and administration concerns, which ranked second at just under 16 percent. People often confuse HSAs with flexible savings accounts, said Kenneth Forsythe, head of product strategy for Empower Retirement. Forsythe was part of a panel of experts speaking at the PSCA national conference in May. Part of the reason for the confusion is the number of acronym-rich savings accounts that can accompany high-deductible health care accounts, and that employers typically only talk about HSAs during open enrollment, he added. The survey backed that up by showing that 76 percent of plan sponsors only offer HSA education during open enrollment. Only 21 percent offer education at different times during the year. Group presentations were the most popular education resource (59.9 percent), followed by HSA “how-to” guides (56.6 percent), and flyers (45.1 percent).
who are 55 or older are allowed a $1,000 annual catch-up contribution. Like 401(k)s, employers can help out employees by contributing to the accounts as well. The PSCA survey of 216 employers showed that 189 offered HSAs in 2018. HSA consulting firm Devenir’s 2018 “Year-End HSA Market Survey” reported a 13 percent growth in HSA SEVENTY-SIX PERCENT OF PLAN accounts from 2017-18, to 25 million. Mercedes Ikard, director of retirement planning at Atrium SPONSORS ONLY OFFER HSA EDUCATION Health, said the company uses as many communication channels as possible and positions the HSA alongside its 401(k). DURING OPEN ENROLLMENT. Atrium uses a branded campaign called “Plan. Partner. ParticSurprisingly, educating employees via mobile technology ipate.” It also uses a dedicated microsite, weekly emails, posts on ranked nearly last at 15.4 percent. Glen Kvadus, vice president a company-only Yammer site, and printed materials to explain of Optum Financial Services, said education needs to be acces- that the HSAs are linked to the consumer-directed health plan sible and easy to understand. and the 401(k) plan. “We need to take the confusion out of [HSAs] for consumers,” “The HSA sits in both worlds,” Ikard said. “The key is to Kvadus said at the PSCA conference, adding that providers communicate often and as simply as you can.” need to “make it as easy as shopping on Amazon.” As a result, the number of employees investing assets (past the $1,000 threshold) grew to 1,000 in December 2018, from 117 Defining an HSA in May 2016. Meanwhile, HSA investments grew to $6.4 milCreated through the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improve- lion in December 2018 from $42,000 in May 2016. ment and Modernization Act of 2003, HSAs are savings acDespite the confusion surrounding HSAs, Kvadus said counts linked to high-deductible health plans as a means to save he felt good about how the investment portion is evolving. and pay for medical expenses today as well as in retirement. Devenir’s report showed HSA investable assets have grown Unlike other savings vehicles, HSA dollars do not expire at the to $10.2 billion in 2018 from $100,000 in 2006. That end of the year. HSAs are known for their triple tax benefit: amount is expected to grow to $16.7 billion by 2020. money goes in tax free, it grows tax-free and can be withdrawn Overall, HSAs held $53.8 billion in 2018, compared to tax-free to pay for qualified health care costs. $1.7 billion in 2006, Devenir data showed. Each year, the Internal Revenue Service sets limits on HSA “Ten years ago, the focus was on getting employees to open an contributions. For 2019, individuals can contribute a maximum HSA account,” Kvadus said. “Now it is about maximizing inof $3,500 where families have a $7,000 cap. Account holders vestment opportunities.” 16
Workƒorce | w o r k f o r c e . c o m
j u ly / au g u s t
2019
FOR YOUR BENEFIT
The Aging Millennial
Student-Loan Matching Hits Snags
Mental health a growing concern.
Some gray areas seen as potentially ripe for abuse.
By Rita Pyrillis
By Patty Kujawa
M
illennials are the driving force behind the booming wellness industry, embracing trends from meditation and holistic medicine to the latest tech gadgets and gear.Yet a growing number are facing middle age with more health problems than previous generations, according to recent studies. In particular, older millennials — those between the ages of 34 and 36 — are seeing dramatic increases in the diagnoses of depression, diabetes, high blood pressure and hyperactivity, among other conditions, according to a new study of medical claims by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Health Index. A third of millennials have health conditions that reduce their quality of life and life expectancy, making them more likely than Generation X to be sicker when they’re older, the study showed. The findings do not surprise Rachel Druckenmiller, 34, a wellness industry leader whose fasttrack career nearly came to a halt when she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease in 2017. She is a 2019 Workforce Game Changer and director of well-being at the Alera Group, a national insurance and financial services firm. “In September, 2016, I had a dream that I was drowning,” recalled Druckenmiller, who was diagnosed with Epstein-Barr. “After that I started having trouble with my memory. My doctor said I was doing too much. A few months later I ended up with swollen lymph nodes and I lost my voice. I literally burned out.” She blames the lack of meaningful social connection for many of the health problems facing her generation. Of the top 10 health conditions effecting younger workers, more than half are psychological, with depression rates increasing 31 percent between 2014 and 2017, according to the Blue Cross study. “There’s a perception that millennials are healthier because we’re into sustainability, yoga and cross-fit, but we’re also labeled the ‘anxious’ generation,” Druckenmiller said. “Chronic diseases start with psychological dysfunction.” She urges employers to check in with their younger workers frequently and get to know what motivates and inspires them. “They should ask them questions like, ‘What is the most important thing in your life outside of work? Are you able to use your strengths at work?’ People need to be heard.” j u ly / au g u s t
2019
P
lan sponsors have shown a lot of interest in a recent ruling that allowed one company to make 401(k) matching contributions while employees repay their student loans, but two attorneys following the progress of the idea are doubtful that federal guidance allowing others to implement the idea will be issued any time soon. In August 2018, the Internal Revenue Service issued a private letter ruling allowing an unnamed company to amend its plan so workers who voluntarily agree to put at least 2 percent of pay toward a student loan would be eligible to receive an employer contribution equal to 5 percent of pay to their 401(k) plan. That letter addressed the issue facing 44 million graduates today: the $1.5 trillion they carry in student loan debt. Organizations also are seeing a rapid rise in popularity for plans that ease the loan burdens of recent grads. Since that time, the IRS has met with trade groups to talk about possible federal guidance, said David Levine, a principal at Groom Law Group who was speaking at the Plan Sponsor Council of America’s national conference in April. “The outcome of the meeting was not as optimistic as one might hope for,” Levine said. Jeffrey Holdvogt, a partner with law firm McDermott Will & Emery, said that there are other ways to help employees with their student debt, but this private letter ruling was a strategic way to shoehorn the benefit into a tax-friendly vehicle. He suspected that other plan sponsors have been asking for similar private letter rulings, but the IRS has turned them down. He and Levine agreed that there may be unintended consequences in broadening the scope of the initial private letter ruling or offering separate rulings to other plans sponsors. First, the two agreed that the idea may get trumped by pending legislation. The Retirement Security & Savings Act, sponsored by Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Ben Cardin, D-Maryland, would allow employers to make matching contributions with respect to student loan repayments. In addition, the Retirement Parity for Student Loans Act, sponsored by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, would allow 401(k) and 403(b) plan sponsors to make matching contributions on qualified student loan repayments. Employees must submit to the employer proof of the student loan and the loan repayment. Next, Levine posed several questions about how this ruling, if expanded, could set a precedent for other repayment programs. It could get as crazy as someone buying a yacht and asking for compensation. The general issue of needing to pay off a large liability while saving for retirement fits the same scenario as the student debt question. “Where do you draw the line?” Levine asked. Levine cautioned that plan sponsors interested in adopting similar strategies in their 401(k) plans need to rely on the guidance exactly as it was outlined in the original private letter. Companies that simply follow the “spirit” of the private letter may wind up having issues with the IRS. w o r k f o r c e . c o m | Workƒorce
17
FOR YOUR BENEFIT
Experts Advise Revising Ailing Time-Off Policies Whether employees are sick or in need of vacation, presenteeism should be addressed. By Andie Burjek
P
resenteeism is heralded as a big prob- “chilling effect” on future requests, he said. lem in business as it’s something that In unhealthy workplace environments, an can decrease an individual’s productivity employee may return from a vacation only or affect that of their co-workers as well. to hear from their manager that somePresenteeism, which is chiefly defined thing stressful would not have happened if as employees who are not functioning at the employee had been at work. maximum capability due to illness, inju“Companies should lay out some strucry or another condition, could be helped ture, and not just about the number of if employees took time off when sick or weeks but about how managers should vacation days to unwind. But the issue is handle the request, the return and everynot that simple. Reasons for presentee- thing about it,” Koepp said. ism depend on many factors, whether Leadership expert and coach Jack it’s an individual’s attitude toward work, Skeen shared other ways to address prean employer’s workplace culture or the senteeism. Managers can help create an overall economic environment. environment where people feel comfortEmployees taking time off bottomed able taking time off, perhaps by taking out during the Great Recession. Over time off and talking to employees about the past decade, the numbers haven’t re- how they used it. covered, said Steve Koepp, former Time Skeen had further suggestions for emInc. editor and founder of From Day ployees anxious that their career, salary or One, a Brooklyn-based conference series reputation could be tarnished by using focused on creating a more collaborative, paid time off. The crux of the matter is empathetic and productive workplace. that you can’t convince people of anything if there’s not trust in the employCOMPANIES SHOULD LAY ee-management relationship, he said.That trust is key to delivering PTO-friendly OUT SOME STRUCTURE messages successfully. Skeen suggests that employers clearly ABOUT BOTH THE NUMBER and repeatedly tell employees that PTO is OF WEEKS AND ABOUT HOW encouraged, supported and respected. Employers can share stories about employees who both used PTO and were promoted. TO HANDLE THE REQUEST. For formal vacation and sick-day polThe United States is the only country icies, Skeen said that they must be fair to without mandated vacation or sick leave. everyone in the company, from the frontIf the nation doesn’t set the tone that line workers to the executives at the top. time off is important, it doesn’t trickle Also, employers should make sure that the down to companies, Koepp said. policy is clear, specific and not open to There are some things companies can excessive interpretation. do to address presenteeism, based on the Tom Parry, president for the Integratreasons why employees are not taking ed Benefits Institute, a nonprofit focused time off. on research and benchmarking the link between health and productivity, agreed Company Culture that trust between the employer and emEmployees may face barriers to taking ployee is paramount. time off if the company has overt or subtle “Employees have to trust their emways to vacation-shame employees, Koepp ployer. If they don’t trust their employer, said. If a manager responds to a request for if they have that culture that lacks trust, time off with a negative response like,“But then you’ve got a problem [bigger than this is the worst time,” that may have a presenteeism],” he said. 18
Workƒorce | w o r k f o r c e . c o m
Given the vast number of reasons employees don’t take time off, Parry said it’s important to survey employees anonymously to determine what’s standing in the way.
Reasons to Support Time Off The institute seeks to quantify the impact of presenteeism, Parry said. Absenteeism is visible but presenteeism often isn’t, he stressed. While managers can clearly see if an employee is not at work and estimate some business impact, it’s harder to quantify presenteeism. IBI has done four studies with CFOs in recent years, Parry said. Conceptually, they understand the link between presenteeism and business impact. Practically, though, they won’t take action unless there’s data. The most important takeaway for employers is to consider the forces outside of their company, Parry said. “What happens a lot of time is we take employers out of that economic and business circumstance that they’re in,” he said. When an employer is thinking about its individual business, long-term thinking is key alongside short-term opportunities. “You have to be willing to bite the bullet and maybe not take advantage of every business opportunity if it’s going to have a long-term effect on your workforce,” Parry said. j u ly / au g u s t
2019
FOR YOUR BENEFIT
TRUST — THE BIGGEST WORKPLACE BENEFIT? By Jennifer Benz |
E
Benefits Beat
mployers are a trusted source of information.Trust could even be the most important unnoticed benefit in any workplace. For years I have strongly believed that trust is a key ingredient to any successful workplace, and two recent studies confirm it in ways that surprised even me. First, the Edelman Trust Barometer has followed trust around the world for 19 years. The 2019 survey included more than 33,000 people around the globe, and it shows some significant changes from previous years. The summary report says “Trust has changed profoundly in the past year — people have shifted their trust to the relationships within their control, most notably their employers.” Around the world, 75 percent of people say they trust “my employer” to do what is right. Compare that with the percentage who say the same about NGOs (57 percent), business (56 percent), and the media (47 percent). But that’s not the most interesting finding. People want leadership from their employers, too. Seventy-one percent of employees say it is “critically important for my CEO to respond to challenging times.” The general population agrees — 76 percent say they want CEOs to take the lead on change instead of waiting for government to impose it. Edelman’s final conclusion? Employee trust is incredibly valuable to the organization. “Employees who have trust in their employer are far more likely to engage in beneficial actions on their behalf — they will advocate for the organization (a 39-point trust advantage), are more engaged (33 points), and remain far more loyal (38 points) and committed (31 points) than their more skeptical counterparts.” That conclusion mirrors MetLife’s 2019 “U.S. Employee Benefit Trends Study.” This survey, in its 17th year, follows workplace and benefits trends. This year MetLife concludes: “Our research reveals that trust — primarily in an employer’s leadership and their commitment to employees’ success — is the most significant driver of employee happiness at work.” Why does employees’ happiness matter to the business? The survey shows happy employees are more satisfied with their job, and are loyal, engaged, productive, impactful and successful. Trust and happiness seem like abstract concepts, but building them is entirely within our control. MetLife identifies these five drivers of happiness at work: • Employee trust in their company’s leadership. • Employers’ commitment to employees and their success. • Culture where employees are encouraged to share ideas and individual opinions. • Workplace where co-workers feel like family or friends. • Benefits customized to meet employee needs. j u ly / au g u s t
2019
People trust their employers more than they trust nearly any other organization or entity. Trust is also the biggest driver of happiness at work, and when they trust you, employees are more committed to your success and will work harder. Let’s use this moment to do great things!
Employees who are happier at work are more ... Employees who are happy at work Employees who are unhappy at work Satisfied with their job
90% 17% 90%
Loyal Engaged
42% 81% 24% 89%
Productive
45% 79%
Impactful
20%
Successful
20%
82%
Source: MetLife
Every organization should be taking specific steps to foster even more trust.This could mean: • Making your leadership more accessible and transparent. • Taking a more vocal stand on current issues and events, including their impact on your local communities. • Showing how your organization is committed to employees and their success and taking specific action to give them more of a voice. • Fostering a greater sense of community and connection at work. • Helping your people unite around your organization’s mission. • Focusing on helping individuals to understand their sense of purpose and how they fit in your organization. • Showing your commitment to your employees’ health and financial security by making it easier for them to understand and take advantage of their benefits. And if you can, do it all.The results will be great for your people and your organization. Jennifer Benz leads Segal Benz, a national leader in HR and employee benefits communications. She was honored as one of Workforce’s “Game Changers” in 2013. To comment, email editors@workforce.com.
w o r k f o r c e . c o m | Workƒorce
19
Legal Employee Handbook: Lifesaver or Nightmare? Few tools are as important and oft-neglected as the employee handbook. By Michelle Anderson
W
hen done correctly, employee handbooks can be great tools for employers. But often employers treat them like a meal simmering in a crockpot: set it and forget it. Creating a handbook, particularly for employers in multiple states, is a major undertaking. Many employers do not give their employee handbooks the attention they need and deserve. Some cobble together a collection of policies borrowed from the internet or other businesses that may not only fail to reflect their actual business practices, but may also run afoul of state, federal or local laws. Some businesses delegate the task of creating an employee handbook to someone with little or no experience in human resources, and the handbook turns into a glorified “how-to” manual for submitting expense reports and timesheets, with a few personnel policies thrown in. Even when an employer puts the time and resources necessary into the creation of a good employee handbook, completion of a comprehensive handbook project often induces a sense of relief that quickly turns into complacency if the company does not have a plan to routinely revisit the handbook for periodic updates. A well-written and up-to-date employee handbook can be a litigation lifesaver, but an out-of-date handbook can be an employer’s nightmare. Recognizing and treating employee handbooks as important HR assets will pay off in the long run by providing consistency and guidance in day-to-day operations and legal protection in the event of a government agency action or lawsuit.
What Should an Employee Handbook Do? Think of the employee handbook as a “best practices” guide that sets forth key expectations for employees, as well as any notices or policies that are required by law. It should explain the personnel practices about which there is to be no confusion, so they can be applied consistently and fairly. Put yourself in the shoes of your employees; what would you want to know about company policies, practices and expectations? Examples of some key policies include equal employment opportunity and nondiscrimination; harassment; at-will em20
Workƒorce | w o r k f o r c e . c o m
ployment; leaves of absence; reasonable accommodations for pregnancy or disability; drugs in the workplace/drug testing; an overview of company benefits (vacation, sick leave, holidays, health insurance, 401(k) plans, etc.); absenteeism and tardiness; safety rules; discipline; performance reviews; use of company email, voicemail, telephones and computers; an explanation of complaint-handling procedures; and an acknowledgment of receipt signed by the employee.
A well-written and up-to-date employee handbook can be a litigation lifesaver, but an out-of-date handbook can be an employer’s nightmare. Additionally, many states have written policy requirements that are dictated by the size of the employer’s workforce in a particular state. Recently, there has also been a wave of paid sick leave laws being enacted by states and localities — many of which have written notice and policy requirements. Additionally, some states have written policy requirements for pregnancy accommodation, protection of social security numbers, family leave laws and more. It is incumbent upon the employer to keep track of these laws and the requirements that go with them. j u ly / au g u s t
2019
Employers in multiple states need to be mindful that states do not all play by the same rules. Something that seems benign could land a company in hot water if the state law is not considered. For example, some states prohibit use-it-or-lose-it vacation policies, including California, while other states, such as Louisiana, require that all accrued vacation be paid out upon separation of employment, regardless of the reason. Many of these state laws have significant penalties associated with them that can be costly to businesses. Further, agencies such as the National Labor Relations Board have also weighed in on whether certain language in an employee handbook may chill employee rights to engage in concerted and protected activity, particularly in nonunion workplaces. In sum, an employee handbook should balance educating employees with legal requirements developed through several legal channels, including statutes, court opinions, agency interpretations of laws and implementing regulations.
How Often Should a Handbook Be Updated? Ideally, an employee handbook should be reviewed and updated at least once a year. Employment laws change frequently, especially at the state level, and policies that were perfectly fine several years ago may be incomplete or problematic today. For employers operating in multiple states, particularly those with active legislatures that tend to make changes to the laws effecting employers each session, a review every six months is recommended.
Can It Be Made Available Online? The short answer is yes. The cost and logistics of distributing paper copies of handbooks has led a number of employers to make their employee handbook available electronically (e.g., on the company’s intranet or through a third-party host site). If your company opts for an online employee handbook, remind employees periodically that the information is available online and make sure that every employee has access to a company computer. If they don’t, make hard copy handbooks available as a supplement. In the end, maintaining your employee handbook is akin to getting an oil change for your car or rebalancing your retirement portfolio — a small but necessary step to keep your company on track. Consulting an employment lawyer who routinely prepares employee handbooks is strongly recommended. A partner in the Fisher Phillips New Orleans office, Michelle Anderson represents employers in all aspects of employment law in both state and federal courts and before administrative agencies. To comment, email editors@workforce.com.
j u ly / au g u s t
2019
Legal Legal Briefings TESTING: CONTRACTORS IN THE VIRTUAL MARKETPLACE Recognizing the proliferation of virtual marketplace companies (VMC) like Uber and TaskRabbit, the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor issued an opinion letter applying the six-factor test to evaluate whether a service provider is an employee or independent contractor. Control: The service provider has the flexibility to choose if, when, where, how and for whom they will work. The VMC lacks oversight concerning the quality of the service provided. Permanency: The service provider is engaged on a project-by-project basis and is free to accept work from a competitor of the VMC. There are limited grounds upon which a service provider can be terminated. Investment: The service provider invests their own money in the facilities, equipment or helpers needed to provide services on the VMC’s platform. Skill and initiative: The service provider, through their own skills, initiative or judgment, is able to independently manage the work, and is not dependent on the VMC for training. Opportunity for profit/loss: The service provider’s own skills, initiative and judgment dictate their opportunity for greater earnings or exposure to loss of their investment. Degree of integration: The service provider does not develop the VMC’s platform and they are not integral to the business of referrals.
INDIVIDUAL VS. CLASS ACTION A COST CONSIDERATION When Convergys hired Sean Abner, it required him to sign an agreement stating that he would not pursue any collective or class action lawsuit against Convergys. This waiver of Abner’s rights was not accompanied by an arbitration clause in the agreement. Abner brought a collective action against Convergys under the FLSA, claiming that he and his co-workers worked three to five hours of off the clock each week and were not compensated for that time. Convergys filed a motion to strike Abner’s collective action claim under Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis, upholding mandatory arbitration clauses in employment agreements that waive class and collective action procedures. Convergys claimed under Epic, the FLSA’s collective action mechanism was a procedural rule that could be waived, not a substantive right. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio disagreed, holding that a class or collective action waiver outside of an arbitration clause is unenforceable. The court noted that Epic found arbitration agreements, which waive class and collective action procedures in court in favor of single-plaintiff arbitration, are enforceable. Critically, in Epic, the Supreme Court counterbalanced the right to pursue a collective action under the FLSA against the right to enforce arbitration agreements under the Federal Arbitration Act. Thus, as the district court in Abner recognized, without an arbitration agreement, there is “no countervailing federal policy that outweighs the policy articulated in the FLSA,” and a waiver of class or collective action procedure is unenforceable. IMPACT: When exploring class action waivers, weigh the economic impact of arbitrating individual claims versus litigating class or collective claims in court. Rachel L. Schaller and Daniel Saeedi are attorneys at Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP. To comment, email editors@workforce.com.
w o r k f o r c e . c o m | Workƒorce
21
Legal
An FYI on Taking PTO Jon Hyman |
M
The Practical Employer
y family and I recently spent eight days in Italy. My kids (ages 10 and 12) each year get the last two weeks of March off school.This year, we decided to spend our spring break in Rome and Florence. It was a whirlwind tour. We covered a lot of ground — per my Apple Watch, 63 miles and 140,000 steps, to be precise. And we saw a lot of stuff — the Vatican, the Colosseum, lots of beautiful churches, lots of ancient sites and ruins, lots of famous works of art, and (almost) too much pizza, pasta and gelato (but never too much vino rosso). It was completely glorious. If you’ve never been, you are ordered to starting booking your trip now. Some people live to work; I work to live, and part of that living is time off for travel. There are so many places in the world to experience, and it brings me so much joy to be able to share those experiences with my family. Sadly, however, not everyone shares my philosophy. Too many workers are leaving vacation days on the table. According to one recent survey, American workers forfeited over 200 million hours of vacation time last year alone, with only 23 percent using all of their allotted time, and more than 50 percent using less than half of their paid time off.This is a shame, and it needs to stop. Employees need to take their vacation days. No one awards a trophy for having the most unused vacation days at retirement or for working the most hours. Think of it this way. For every vacation day that goes unused, an employee is working a full day for free. It’s their benefit, and they should be using all of it. Employers, we should be encouraging employees to take their vacation days. It improves employee morale, wellness, and productivity. No one should want an overworked, burned out or stressed out workforce. Yet, this is exactly what you’ll end up with if your employees do not use their time off. According to Project: Time Off, employees who report that their employer encourages vacations are much happier with their jobs than those whose employer discourages vacations or is ambivalent about them. Moreover, according to the American Psychological Association a rested brain is 31 percent more productive than a tired one. Thus, let me offer five constructive suggestions to encourage employees to use their full bank of vacation days. First, teach your employees the benefits of taking va-
cations. Make it a part of your wellness education. Communicate the health and wellness benefits of taking a vacation. If employees understand that vacations lead to improvements in performance productivity, they will be more likely to leave work behind for a few days. Second, do not permit employees to roll over unused vacation days. This benefit should be use-it-orlose-it. Otherwise, you risk employees not using it annually. This doesn’t necessarily apply, however, to how you handle the payout (or lack of payout) to an employee at the end of employment for unused vacation or other paid time off. That depends in which of the 50 states you are located and what that state’s specific law says, or doesn’t say, about the payout of accrued unused paid-time-off at the end of employment. Third, prohibit vacation shaming. No one should be permitted to discourage from, or tease employees who, take vacation. If you send or permit negative messages about vacations, your employees won’t take them. They will fear letting the team down or the time off impacting their employment. This form of bullying cannot and should not be tolerated. Fourth, take your own time off. If the boss never takes a vacation, employees won’t either. If you want your employees to take time away from work, do so yourself. Leadership and messaging starts at the top. If you make vacation a priority, your employees will, too. Fifth, ease employees back to work. When asked why they don’t take time off, most employees cite the fear of returning to a backlog of work and thousands of emails to which to respond. Plan for coverage when employees are out, and provide a day upon their return for catchup, so that they won’t fear the return-to-work ambush or avalanche. Finally, when you make it to Italy, can you please do your best to dissuade everyone you meet that American culture extends beyond “Baywatch” and “The Dukes of Hazzard.” They were the only English-language television shows I found during our few moments of downtime each day, and I’m frightened of the image they paint of us as a society.
Employers should be encouraging employees to take their vacation days. It improves employee morale, wellness and productivity.
22
Workƒorce | w o r k f o r c e . c o m
Jon Hyman is a partner at Meyers, Roman, Friedberg & Lewis in Cleveland. To comment, email editors@workforce.com. Follow Hyman’s blog at Workforce.com/PracticalEmployer.
j u ly / au g u s t
2019
Download our new ebook and start talking about what matters. fierceinc.com/5-conversations
LEADERS, LET’S CREATE A HEALTHY WORKPLACE CULTURE. Transform your company culture with conversations that matter. In the 18 years that we’ve been training people about how to talk about what matters, we’ve pinpointed five that are mission critical:
1
FEEDBACK Leaders need to know how to deliver and request feedback in a way that facilitates development, improves performance, and encourages transparency. Anonymous or non-existent feedback is counterproductive to positive cultural change. Feedback needs to be an ongoing conversation, one that continually invites us to see what we may not see and invites others to see what they may not see.
2
COACH When leaders can effectively coach without giving advice, it allows the coachee to gain powerful selfgenerated insights that will guide them to growth and solutions. Knowing the right questions to ask helps others chart their own developmental path and gain trust in themselves.
3
CONFRONT Confrontation is an essential conversation skill for leaders. To strengthen relationships and increase transparency, they need to know how to approach issues and go shoulder-to-shoulder instead of headto-head. When the confrontations taking place in an organization are successful, it leads to a culture of greater psychological safety where people across all levels feel comfortable bringing issues to the table.
4
5
TEAM When leaders request input from their teams, they not only make better decisions, but they also tear down any detrimental communication barriers that may exist between teams and leadership. When perspectives are actively sought out, it creates the type of open environment necessary for employees to feel comfortable sharing what they really think and feel. DELEGATE When delegation is done skillfully, it gives employees an opportunity to drive their own growth and discuss with their leaders in what areas they would like to grow. This then allows leaders to be proactive where they’re needed most and delegate some of their own tasks to their team members who are ready for a new challenge. Stress is mitigated when new tasks are chosen, rather than dictated from the top.
let’s have a conversation Our experts work with you to customize training programs for your team. fierceinc.com/chat
Move Over,‘Net Kids,’ Gen Z Has Arrived Cultural change is coming to HR as the post-millennial generation enters the workforce. It’s time to welcome those new kids on the block: Generation Z. BY BETHANY TOMASIAN
N
early two decades ago Workforce published the article, “Ready or Not, Here Come the Net Kids.”The story highlighted the entrepreneurial exploits of several youthful tech whiz kids including then-17-year-old Michael Furdyk, who had already co-founded and was about to sell his first dot-com, mydesktop.com, before starting up his second company, buybuddy.com. Furdyk was one of many faces among this new breed of tech entrepreneur. He was also among those christened as the “Net Kids,” although that term didn’t stick long. They soon became widely known as Generation Y and today they’re the millennials, arguably the most researched generation ever. They heralded a new generation entering the workforce, bringing their technical acumen and entrepreneurial spirit, and they developed a reputation — deserved or not — for craving attention and being team-oriented. They’ve since grown up (Furdyk is now 36) and like generations before them now own homes, have families and run companies. And like their predecessors, Generation X, the millennials are giving way to the next generation of “net kids.” Also known as Digital Natives and the iGeneration, it’s time to welcome Generation Z to the workforce. There are some 74 million so-called Digital Natives in the United States. Going by the Forbes definition of a Gen Zer as being born between 1995 and 2010, the oldest among them turns 24 this year and the development of their career paths is already underway. Leadership should be prepared to manage this new generation of young adults who, much like the millennials, are set to change the face of the workforce. Due to their proximity to the age of the internet, some of the characteristics of millennials and Gen Z can blend into
24
Workƒorce | w o r k f o r c e . c o m
one another. However, one of the aspects that makes them most similar is also one of their key differences. Millennials had to acclimate to a new technological landscape as the World Wide Web took root in the early 1990s, while Gen Z was born into advancements like the internet, Wi-Fi, search engines and social media already at their fingertips. Vina Leite, chief people officer of online advertising company The Trade Desk, described Gen Z as “digital-first.” Leite has two decades of experience with HR leadership at tech-based companies including Cyclance Inc. and QLogic, and was managing employees as millennials entered the workforce. Leite foresees that more tenured, traditional companies and HR teams will have to undergo a huge transformation in order to attract, retain and engage this new generation. “HR teams need to think beyond the traditional definition of HR,” Leite said. “That means doing everything from changing training, onboarding and communication programs, to constantly evaluating social media policies to reflect rules that give Gen Z the autonomy to post but give them a lot more guidance.” When it comes to social media, Gen Z has proven to be expert. Millennials might have ushered in the age of the “influencer” as they pushed their digital skills toward entrepreneurial efforts via social media platforms like Instagram and YouTube, but Gen Z has taken that foundation set by millennials and built upon it. Leite said that The Trade Desk has already begun incorporating tech into more traditional areas of the business, such as training. Now, training includes making podcasts and YouTube videos.
j u ly / au g u s t
2019
Michael Fu rd From the yk Feb 2000 issue . of
Workforce
Furdyk in 2019
j u ly / au g u s t
2019
w o r k f o r c e . c o m | WorkĆ’orce
25
Pros and Cons of Always Being On Besides being highly autonomous and digitally skilled, Barbara Fisher, chief operating and people officer of Aduro, sees that Gen Z is interested in work/life balance and what it means to them. Before joining the employee wellness company, Fisher had 20 years of experience as vice president and CHRO of talent management with tech giant Intel. Fisher said that Gen Z approaches work/life balance a bit differently than previous generations. She said that Gens X and Y had a clearer balance between the workplace and home life, but technology has muddied that boundary for Gen Z. With the abundance of technology at their fingertips 24/7, they’re always on and plugged in. “They’re always connected. We talked about it with the millennials and it’s dialed up for [Gen Z]. They just grew up with it,” Fisher added.
GEN Z WILL BE A HIGHLY INDEPENDENT, PURPOSE-DRIVEN WORKFORCE THAT SEEKS TO BE CHALLENGED IN THE WORKPLACE. Being plugged into the internet and fast-tracked communication with social media isn’t all bad. Fisher described a generation that is more sensitive to current events and more globally aware.The plus side of this is that Gen Z will offer up a larger understanding of different populations and geographies, which is a breeding ground for diverse ideas. “But they also get to see some not-so-good things, too,” Fisher said. “How does that affect them and how does that weigh on them?” Gen Zers might feel as if they carry the weight of the world in their pocket through their smartphones, which will weigh them down when they come to work stressed and anxious. Fisher said that being constantly plugged into technology will be a challenge to overcome in order to achieve workplace wellness. “One of the things that I focus a lot on is trying to help [Gen Z] find that more balanced ground of almost: Disconnect and go back to you, and focus on making yourself the best ‘you’ you can be,” Fisher said. Finances will also be a source of anxiety for the young generation. The American Psychology Association rates money as one of the leading causes of stress among these individuals. Their financial worries are going to affect the way that they approach higher education, banking and future career paths. Fisher said that offering both financial and career stability is going to be key in attracting and retaining Gen Z. “That doesn’t mean that they are money hungry or that money is the only thing that matters,” Fisher said. With rising costs of higher education, Gen Z is graduat26
Workƒorce | w o r k f o r c e . c o m
ing with massive college debt into a highly competitive workforce. Compared to Gen Z, Fisher said millennials were more concerned about their purpose within a company and corporate giveback to the environment. What will be most valuable to Gen Z is a clearly defined career path that offers them financial security and stability to alleviate the stress of paying off their loans. Fisher and Leite emphasized that Gen Z will be a highly independent, purpose-driven workforce that seeks to be challenged in the workplace. They are curious, hungry learners who will offer companies new and different ideas. More importantly, “They want to have a voice and they want to be heard,” Fisher said. Not only does this mean allowing these young adults to express their thoughts and ideas, it also means offering them transparency throughout the decision-making process. That’s not to say that leadership ought to involve them in every decision. Rather, Fisher said that leadership should be aware that Gen Z craves strong, transparent communication. “They definitely want that partnership, communication and collaboration as decisions are rolling out,” Fisher said.
The Net Kid: Then and Now Since his days co-founding internet start-up companies, Furdyk has appeared on the “Oprah Winfrey Show,” presented at TED Talks, and in 2000 was named one of Teen People’s “Twenty Teens that will Change the World.” Today he serves as director of technology at TakingITGlobal alongside co-founder and Executive Director Jennifer Corriero and is a member of several nonprofit boards such as Pollution Probe, Better the World and Reinventing Schools Coalition. Workforce caught up with Furdyk to muse upon the new generation and how they compare to the expectations of his generation when they were entering the workforce. Furdyk appreciated how times have changed for young entrepreneurs. He thought back on the challenges that he and mydesktop.com co-founder Michael Hayman faced. “The challenge continued to be access to capital [and] being 17, in high school, getting an investor to take us seriously,” he said. “Now, that’s not such a crazy idea.” Furdyk noted that the change in attitude comes from people like Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg, among others, who started some of the world’s largest online businesses while in their late teens and early 20s. “Things are quite different now with a lot of the young people that are starting to do major enterprises,” Furdyk said. For one, access to capital has been revolutionized for young entrepreneurs through crowdfunding forums like KickStarter, Patreon and GoFundMe. Nowadays, anyone can gather thousands of investors for business ventures. Furdyk expects for Gen Z to carry their highly ambitious and challenge-hungry spirit to the workplace, which people managers can turn to their organization’s advantage. j u ly / au g u s t
2019
“One of the things that I have seen, from an employer point of view, is creating opportunities for them to bring an idea to life. Be entrepreneurial within the scope of an idea or a task,” Furdyk advised. For a workforce as independent and autonomous as Gen Z, offering opportunities for them to take the reins means making room for their voice and ideas. Furdyk said that this is something Gen Z will be challenging their employers to do. Creating an atmosphere of shared ownership in the workplace will motivate Gen Z to seek out a purpose-driven experience within their organizations.
an organization, according to Furdyk.They are creative, confident, intellectually curious and ready to be engaged. To them, Furdyk said, “Keep pushing [and] keep experimenting.” Bethany Tomasian is a Workforce editorial associate. To comment, email editors@workforce.com.
Feeding With Feedback Furdyk said that constant feedback will be another motivational factor for Gen Z. It makes sense if you think about a generation that thrives in social media and offers instant satisfaction through likes. The Trade Desk’s Leite, Aduro’s Fisher and Furdyk all agree that feedback will be key to a healthy working relationship with this generation, and that means offering it more frequently as opposed to the traditional quarterly or annual basis. Furdyk also expects Generation Z will want to use their voices in the workplace, especially in the decision-making process. He proposed that these opportunities can even be offered in small and inexpensive ways, but ultimately, they are creating space for Gen Z to speak up and out. “I think that will create a more motivating environment,” Furdyk said.When it comes to making those decisions, he said that Gen Z will want to look at the data before making a move.They will want to collect and analyze data that will better inform the decision-making process which can be done with smart tools at any organization. Leadership will need to be flexible as Gen Z enters the workplace. As always, challenges lie ahead, but challenges also offer room for growth. Gen Z appears willing to adapt and grow within j u ly / au g u s t
2019
Add to your benefits package, not your workload. When it comes to education benefit programs, BenefitEd offers the most options and flexibility for you and your employees. This includes Employee Choice, a program exclusive to BenefitEd that lets employees decide where your matching dollars have the most impact—whether that’s retirement savings, student loan repayment, or both. Like all of our programs, it’s easy to administer so you can focus on the rest of your work. Discover the best in education benefits at YouBenefitEd.com.
w o r k f o r c e . c o m | Workƒorce
27
SPONSORED CONTENT
Talent Activation
Unpacking Skills Throughout the Employment Lifecycle By Adina Sapp With unemployment rates at record lows, employers are looking to strategically capture the untapped skills of their current workforce rather than seeking new talent elsewhere. The year 2018 closed with an unemployment rate of 3.9% — the lowest it’s been since 2000. Prior to 2000, the rate hadn’t been that low since 1969.1 Business growth is difficult when the unemployment rate is this low. Companies looking to expand their workforce have difficulty finding good workers because the talent simply isn’t available. Even when new talent can be found, hiring and firing is expensive. As Mike Prokopeak, editor in chief of Chief Learning Officer, put it, “It has always been more expensive to find talent to fill gaps. It may be more advantageous to develop the people who are already in your workforce.” The law of supply and demand means it is difficult to find good employees, and so employers want to retain the ones they have and provide them with the skills the company needs. This is where organizations like DeVryWORKS come in. DeVryWORKS is the partnership team of DeVry University and works with employers to transform talent development. It does this by breaking traditional university coursework into effective online, collaborative modules that provide a workable skill set more tangibly than a traditional university course of study. To explore the important topic of talent activation and how to tap into the right skills at the right time throughout the employment lifecycle, DeVryWORKS sponsored a panel discussion at Chief Learning Officer’s Spring Symposium. The discussion was based on the findings of a 2018 study by DeVry’s Career Advisory Board. Panelists included Kimberly Isley-Pesto, HR manager at United Airlines, and Adam Morettin, senior director with DaVita Kidney Care, along with Joe Mozden Jr., vice president of DeVryWORKS. The discussion was hosted by Prokopeak.
Talent Activation vs. Training A common mistake is to confuse talent activation with training or upskilling. As Mozden put it, the definition of talent activation is easy; the hard part is that everyone comes with their own idea of what that means. Mozden defines it as a corporation designing and then prescribing a very specific series of talent activation experiences for an employee over the employee lifecycle: recruitment, onboarding, employment and retirement. “Talent activation moves away from training (a one-time event) and asks how you create engagement for an employee through the entire employee lifecycle,”2 Mozden said.
“
Talent activation attempts to unpack those skills that come at a certain point in time during the employment lifecycle and release them into the organization. — Joe Mozden Jr.
This is different from what has typically happened in the HR space, because it’s about what employees are doing, not what they’re feeling. Employees aren’t always engaged throughout their employment lifecycle due to personal events and other temporary situations, but that doesn’t make them bad employees. The key is for them to still be productive and learn even during times of low engagement. The takeaway is that talent activation is a series of experiences throughout the employee lifecycle.
The Benefits of Re-Skilling Re-skilling is another component of talent activation. When you have good employees whose skills are no longer relevant, re-skilling
1 Amedo, K. (2019). “Unemployment Rate by Year Since 1929 Compared to Inflation and GDP.” The Balance. 2 Joe Mozden Jr., from the 2018 panel discussion “Activate Talent and Unleash Potential”
SPONSORED CONTENT
can be a rich option for both the employer and employee. In addition to cost savings, the primary benefits of talent activation are risk mitigation and building employee loyalty and engagement.
Successful Rollout to the Organization There are two essentials to successfully rolling out talent activation: budget and executive buy-in. Additionally, you must determine the right balance of prescriptive and self-driven learning. There’s an ROI on talent activation that’s easy to grasp from a short-term perspective as it solves a hiring need; all HR executives are familiar with what it costs to hire and fire. Making a case from that perspective is how you will capture the immediate budget. To succeed in attaining a long-term budget, you must continue to track the long-term data. Executive buy-in is essential, as best practice training should come from the top down. People won’t engage with an optional set of best practices.
Finding the right balance of prescriptive and self-driven learning depends on the culture of your organization. Meet individuals where they are in the employee lifecycle, but also require them to take initiative. Mozden said, “I’ve seen successful talent activation programs go two different ways: prescriptive and self-serve. They were both correct because they matched the corporate culture.” Research and simple observation show us that employees all have innate skills, but there are also skill sets that comes with time. Talent activation attempts to unpack those skills that come at a certain point in time during the employment lifecycle and release them into the organization. This creates engagement and productivity for the employee, and it also creates loyalty between the employer and employee. The result is a competitive advantage for the corporation. For more ideas on how to approach your talent activation program, be sure to view the Talent Activation recording at video.closymposium.com/ category/videos/clo-symposium-spring-2019.
At DeVryWORKS, we understand that some of the biggest challenges for any business are related to the workforce—hiring skilled people, retaining strong talent, and developing the leaders of tomorrow. DeVryWORKS seeks to truly understand your company’s talent strategies and goals, so we can help you build a brilliant workforce and drive success across your organization. Look to us as the resource you need to support your talent development, skills gap training and talent acquisition initiatives. devryworks.com
SPONSORED CONTENT
Six Things We Know About Effective Leadership By Ryne A. Sherman, Hogan Assessment Systems The fate of any organization is critically dependent upon its leadership.1 Organizations with effective leaders repeatedly outperform organizations with ineffective leaders. Economists estimate that CEOs account for between 17-30% of the variance in firm financial performance.2 However, organizations are notoriously bad when it comes to identifying effective leaders. In fact, a recent Gallup poll found that 85% of the global workforce is either not engaged or actively disengaged at work, and that is the result of poor leadership.3 There are many reasons for the persistence of bad leadership, but three of them stand out among the rest. First, when choosing leaders, organizations succumb to the allure of charming employees who are skilled at playing corporate politics to advance their own careers. Second, organizations tend to rely more on gut and intuition when it comes to staffing decisions, rather than making decisions grounded in science. Third, organizations don’t know what competencies are required to be an effective leader. So, what does effective leadership look like? Unfortunately, you won’t find the answers in the leadership section of your local bookstore; those shelves are filled with personal and historical anecdotes that don’t generalize beyond their specific situations. The systemic and scientific study of leadership effectiveness, on the other hand, has identified common competencies of highly effective leaders. In this article, I describe the six scientifically supported competencies of effective leaders. INTEGRITY. Effective leaders have integrity.
Integrity builds trust. Trust is the foundation for
every relationship. If you don’t trust your spouse, divorce is inevitable. If you don’t trust your business partner, your business is doomed. If you don’t trust your boss, you might as well start updating your resume. Effective leaders build trust by keeping their word, not playing favorites. GOOD-DECISION MAKING. Effective leaders make
good decisions in a timely fashion. This does not mean they always make the right decision. It means that they base their decisions on the best data available and don’t spend unnecessary time and energy overthinking those decisions. Ineffective leaders tend to make decisions that are irrational or illogical and/or make decisions very slowly. Both drive their teams crazy, and lead to dissatisfaction and disengagement. TECHNICAL COMPETENCE. Effective leaders have technical competence in at least some aspects of the organization. Nobody expects a leader to know everything, but they ought to have some technical knowledge of whatever they are overseeing. Science professors want their Dean of Science to be a scientist, as opposed to an expert in contemporary literature. Designers want their director to have formal training in design principles. Football players want their coach to have had experience playing football. Having
“
…a recent Gallup poll found that 85% of the global workforce is either not engaged or actively disengaged at work, and that is the result of poor leadership.
1 Hogan, R. (2006). Personality and the Fate of Organizations. 2 Quigley, T. and Hambrick, D. (2014). “Has the “CEO effect” increased in recent decades? A new explanation for the great rise in America’s attention to corporate leaders.” Strategic Management Journal, Volume 36, Issue 6. 3 Harter, J. Dismal Employee Engagement Is a Sign of Global Mismanagement. Gallup.
SPONSORED CONTENT
technical competence gives the leader credibility. No one will listen to a leader who lacks credibility. VISION. Effective leaders provide a vision for the future. Team members want to know where the organization is headed and how we are going to get there. Providing a vision gives the team purpose in their work and creates buy-in. All other things being equal, teams that have a purpose will be more motivated and more productive. HUMILITY. Effective leaders are humble. Contrary to popular belief, the most effective leaders are not necessarily charismatic and charming. Humble leaders give credit to their team, listen to feedback from others, and accept responsibility for their team’s failures, instead of blaming others. People want to work — and will work — for humble leaders who create environments where their accomplishments are recognized and appreciated. AMBITION. Effective leaders are fiercely
competitive and persistent. Do not be fooled into thinking humility means a lack of passion. The most effective leaders are deeply competitive. Most critical thought is their competitiveness regarding their team’s success. They want their
team to succeed above all else, and they are willing to sacrifice personal glory, accolades, and rewards if it results in their team’s success. Although we know that these six competencies are critical for leadership effectiveness, bad leadership is still the norm.4 This is, unfortunately, the case because organizations tend to do a poor job of selecting their leaders. Even today most leaders are chosen for political reasons or on the basis of an in-person interview; situations where charm and sociopolitical skill are critical. The only remedy for ineffective leadership is scientifically validated assessments for leadership selection and development. Organizations that have adopted scientifically validated assessments for leadership are seeing increased worker engagement and productivity, as well as decreased turnover. Leadership drives organizations and personality drives leadership. Effective leadership begins with effective personality assessment.
As Hogan’s Chief Science Officer, Ryne is responsible for managing the primary functions within Hogan’s industry-leading research department, including client research, product development and maintenance, and Hogan’s research archive and infrastructure. Ryne’s previous research in personality psychology focused on the role of personality in career pursuits and workplace performance. He has also researched and experimented with new approaches to personality assessment, including unobtrusive assessment via new talent signals, such as voice prosody, word use, and affective responses to stimuli.
4 Chamorro-Premuzic, T. (2013). “Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders?” Harvard Business Review.
RS
GA
M
E C H A N GE
2019
Game Changers,
Assemble! Nine years strong with new HR heroes answering the call.
B
ecause of an influx of impressive entries Workforce has named 40 winners, making this the first “40 under 40” list of HR Game Changers. This year touts a variety of winners in different industries. One honoree is known as a “trailblazer within the transit industry” by his peers. Another decided to address sexual harassment in a truly creative way by creating a harassment-training comic book. And another pursued a diversity and inclusion program that did more than just “check the box,” allowing employees to get quality, actionable diversity training. We’ve also received nominations for human resources practitioners spanning the globe, from Nigeria to India to France to Norway to Bahrain.These winners allow us to explore HR issues outside of the United States and what the most determined HR professionals in these countries are doing to address these issues. Five of their experiences are shared in this special 2019 package, creating a more detailed picture of HR internationally and those who are changing the game. Congratulations to Workforce’s 2019 class of Game Changers!
Globe-trotting From Mumbai to Manama, Nigeria to Norway, these global Game Changers are making a world of difference in people management. BY ANDIE BURJEK
A
s a U.S.-based publication, it’s logical for Workforce to dig deep into human resources issues that confront American companies, but there’s quite literally a whole other world of HR challenges out there. And these global Game Changers are using their expertise to make a difference internationally. While the program recognizes up-and-coming young talent in people management, 2019 is first year in Game Changer history that the awards are a true 40-under-40 list, partly thanks to the many outstanding international entries. These 10 winners come from six different countries — Bahrain, Canada, France, India, Nigeria and Norway — and each dealt with the unique problems in their company and country in impressive ways.
Employee Angst and Analytics in India Pritika Padhi made quite the impression in the 2019 Game Changer awards. Padhi, team leader — talent management at L&T Financial Services in Mumbai, India, has had many major HR wins even before assuming her current role in May 2019. She was nominated by her former employer, Reliance Industries Ltd., one of India’s largest private sector organizations, for her accomplishments in the role of lead — talent management. Before Reliance, Padhi was an HR professional at K12 Techno Services Pvt. Ltd., an organization that runs school chains. She was hired to put new initiatives in place, but knew she needed to address a much more vital problem before any of these initiatives could be successful.That issue was “angst” among school employees.Their grievances weren’t being addressed, causing dissatisfaction. In a span of 15 days, Padhi said she developed a “branch 34
Workƒorce | w o r k f o r c e . c o m
visit” program that trained the entire HR team to visit more than 50 school branches and meet with employees directly to resolve grievances.“My belief that personal connection is the most effective way of handling grievances was well justified,” Padhi said. “We resolved 441 issues in the first month and witnessed a significant reduction in the number of issues escalated on an ongoing basis.” In her role at Reliance, Padhi created a recruiting tool that resulted in great success. Finding the right talent for the right job can be difficult, especially when there’s an eligible employee base of more than 5,000 people in the high-potential talent pool. Padhi designed an assessment process that narrowed down the pool to 50 people. “I am proud to say that the process we built has stood the test of time, and is in its third annual cycle,” Padhi said. She had several passion projects while at Reliance. One project was creating a culture of inclusivity.“Diversity is a fact, but inclusion is a choice,” she said. “While a lot of organizations focus on metrics that showcase diversity of talent, inclusion is a more fundamental leadership characteristic about the ability to respect different views and opinions.” Some of the work done regarding inclusion at the organization includes unconscious bias training for managers and guidance for managers that can help them identify and change their unintentional excluding behaviors. Padhi’s passion continues outside of work for big-picture issues that impact people in and out of the workplace. As a counseling psychologist, she strives to promote mental health. This has typically been a taboo topic in India until recently, she said, and insurance companies don’t cover the cost of mental health expenses.Also, most organizations haven’t done anything concrete for mental health. At a time when more organizations in India are realizing the need for mental well-being aid for their employees, Padhi does everything she can to advocate for it as well. Dharshana Ramachandran, lead — HR management, analytics and technology at IT consulting company TCS also in Mumbai, excels both in and out of the workplace. In 2015, she was selected as one of the top 10 HR icons by India’s National HRD Network. Further, Change.org has recognized her as one of their 30 women change makers in India. Additionally, she’s passionate about bringing mothers back into the workforce. She recently launched a campaign to creGAME CHANGERS continued on page 56 j u ly / au g u s t
2019
PHOTO BY SANKET KHUNTALE
Game Changers
j u ly / au g u s t
2019
w o r k f o r c e . c o m | WorkĆ’orce
35
GAME CHANGERS Bilal Ali, 30
Ali
Head of HR, Sharif Group Manama, Bahrain
At the age of 27, Ali become head of HR at the Sharif Group. In the past three years, he has continually proven his leadership skills while also maintaining a humble attitude and vouching for employee rights.
Alycia Angle, 31 Senior Talent Management Consultant, Ochsner Health System New Orleans
Angle
Angle served as a student assistant for the Principles and Practices of Performance Improvement Workshop and played a major role as a volunteer coordinator. Angle oversaw the progress of the workshop and conference as she devoted 14-16 hours a day to ensure their success.
Ebru Arslan, 35 HR Business Partner, Continental Europe, Kronos Brussels
In her short time at Kronos, Arslan has played a major role in transforming the perception of HR across the Continental European region, showing that HR is more than just payroll. She’s gained a new reputation of leadership for the role, and now she’s not only valued as a core HR professional but also as a key business manager.
Temitope Azeez, 35
Arslan
Azeez
Azeez
People Director, Jumia Global Ikeja, Nigeria
With 13 years of HR management experience, Azeez has gone the extra mile and introduced longdesired initiatives that were never executed at her organization, such as a mentoring program and the Jumia Management Development Program.
36
Workƒorce | w o r k f o r c e . c o m
j u ly / au g u s t
2019
GAME CHANGERS Bagsby
Patricia Bagsby, 35 Vice President, Organizational Consulting, Psychological Associates St. Louis
Bagsby’s Psychological Associates colleague Jill Pioter described her as “a skilled learning designer and workshop facilitator who is instrumental in the revamp of our L&D arm.” Bagsby’s enthusiasm and curiosity has benefited the entire organization down to the bottom line.
Samina Banu, 35 Specialist HR Senior Manager — TCS Research & Innovation, TCS Mumbai, India
Banu has been “instrumental” in finding the right talent to fulfill the staffing demands of TCS’ R&I unit, according to EVP and Chief Technology Officer K. Ananth Krishnan. She’s also done a lot to build a TCS R&I brand among students and the professional community, which has helped raise awareness of this niche unit and attract talent.
Banu
Valentina Baratta, 35 Senior Manager, Human Resources, Kronos Montreal
The sole HR professional for all Kronos employees in Canada, Baratta has held a crucial role in managing several distinct and different strategies across Canada and connecting these to the larger Kronos vision. She is a truly collaborative HR professional. Baratta
Bettencourt
Rebecca Bettencourt, 37 Corporate Workforce Planning and Training Senior Program Manager, E. & J. Gallo Winery Modesto, California
Bettencourt cares about her community. She has been instrumental in launching new workplace pipeline programs that benefit low-income communities in California, and she’s created four company-sponsored apprenticeship programs. j u ly / au g u s t
2019
w o r k f o r c e . c o m | Workƒorce
37
GAME CHANGERS Jennifer Beyer, 36 Global Employer Brand Manager, MicroStrategy Tysons Corner, Virginia
Within one year at MicroStrategy, Beyer not only proved herself as a determined employee but also an effective leader, taking on the challenge of building the organization’s employer brand for the first time. “Jen accepted this challenge without blinking an eye,” said Employer Brand Strategist Emily Fritz. Beyer
Courtney Bigony, 29
Bigony
Director of People Science, 15Five San Francisco
After joining the company in 2017, Bigony has been responsible for breaking down leading psychological research into actionable items. She is reinventing the way people think about the workplace and the role of HR while uncovering the science of people’s potential.
Andrea Black, 30 Senior Consultant, Organization and Talent Management, Airlines Reporting Corp. Arlington, Virginia
In 2018, Black played a central role in a wide-scale transformation adapting new systems and incorporating a shift to the cloud.“I see in Andrea not just exceptional potential for the future but also amazing performance in the present,” said CHRO Eric Barger.
Black Black
Cain
Sean Cain, 34 VP of Career Development, 21st Century Fox Los Angeles
Cain’s passion for helping others thrive in their careers has put him at the forefront of promoting professional development and internal advancement of employees. Cain’s “MentorMatch” program connects employees across the enterprise with professional development needs around the globe. 38
Workƒorce | w o r k f o r c e . c o m
j u ly / au g u s t
2019
GAME CHANGERS Chakraborty
Vincent Cavelot, 38 Director, Talent Management, TechnipFMC Paris
Leader of TechnipFMC’s groundbreaking new Emerging Talent program, Cavelot has been innovative and experimental with new technologies like virtual reality to instill leadership and management skills in the program’s 84 participants.
Samik Chakraborty, 35
Cavelot Chung
Senior Manager HR, TCS Kolkata, India
Change management can produce lots of tension and stress.When 50 new employees were insourced to TCS, Chakraborty dealt with this change in a balanced, transparent and humane way, listening to the new TCS employees’ feedback and easing their anxieties.
Rebecca Chung, 30 Program Manager, Online Campus, Columbia University School of Social Work Los Angeles
Coleman
Managing her organization’s live support specialist team is a big challenge since they are spread across the United States. Communication is key for Chung, and she reaches out to the staff through a weekly communiqué and a formal mentoring program she created and piloted.
Stefanie Coleman, 36 Director, PwC People & Organization, PwC New York
Coleman j u ly / au g u s t
2019
Coleman’s passion for coaching and developing teams has been instrumental in areas of practice where clients are focused such as performance management, diversity and inclusion, and digital workforce transformation. “Stefanie’s passion for inclusion was clear from the start,” said Bhushan Sethi, joint global leader people and organization. w o r k f o r c e . c o m | Workƒorce
39
GAME CHANGERS Megha Das, 27
Das
HR Specialist — Talent Analytics and Branding; TCS Mumbai, India
The youngest person on her current corporate team, Das has proven her dedication, passion and “go-getter” attitude by looking past her job description and carving out her own role at TCS.
Rachel Druckenmiller, 34 Director of Wellbeing, Alera Group Baltimore
Druckenmiller encourages companies to evolve their definition of wellbeing. In 2015, the Wellness Council of America selected Druckenmiller as the No. 1 health promotion professional in the country. “The bottom line is that she is passionate about helping others live their best life,” said EVP Jessica Tiller.
Martell Dyles, 34 Workforce Development Manager, Triunity Engineering & Management Inc. Denver
Dyles began his career in 2011 with Denver’s Regional Transportation District. That same year he led the charge to create a workforce development program called Workforce Initiative Now. “Mr. Dyles has been a trailblazer and innovator within the transit industry,” said CEO Marvin Thomas.
Kerri Gaouette, 28 Manager, HR Programs and Operations, Blueprint Medicines Cambridge, Massachusetts
Druckenmiller Dyles
Druckenmiller Gaouette
Gaouette took ownership of several L&D programs to engage employees. She helped evolve a peer-mentoring program that boasts an 80 percent participation rate. Her approach to new-hire integration has lead to a redesigned onboarding program that includes a two-day orientation that she designed and facilitates. 40
Workƒorce | w o r k f o r c e . c o m
j u ly / au g u s t
2019
GAME CHANGERS Sara Hopkins, 33 Vice President, Custom Design and Consulting, Paradigm Learning Inc. St. Petersburg, Florida
Hopkins’ creativity, resourcefulness and “contagious enthusiasm” led to the development of a business acumen program tailored for health care organizations, among other new programs. “Sara’s leadership skills are exceptional,” said nominator Rosalee Fortune. “She leads by example and is a natural leader.” Hopkins
Jonathan Hulbert, 28 Director, Leadership Organizational Development, SUNY Buffalo State College Buffalo, New York
Hulbert
Besides being a high-profile brand ambassador for university partnerships, Hulbert has revised the Professional Development Center programs, its leadership certificate programs as well as coaching to support the school’s management of organizational change.
Nikki Larchar, 32 Co-Founder of simplyHR LLC and of Define the Line Fort Collins, Colorado
Larchar, the co-founder of HR consulting firm simplyHR took a look at how ineffective sexual harassment training often is and did something about it through a graphic novel called “Define the Line.” She is a “smart, creative, resourceful HR professional,” said simplyHR co-founder Tina Todd. Lee
Roger Lee, 33 CEO and Co-Founder, Human Interest San Francisco
Larchar
j u ly / au g u s t
2019
Lee’s company is breaking down complex barriers surrounding retirement benefits with a solution that helps HR pros navigate a 401(k) plan. His company allows HR teams and their employees to have a tech-enabled solution to guide and support them through their 401(k) benefit and provide financial solutions. w o r k f o r c e . c o m | Workƒorce
41
GAME CHANGERS Rachel Light, 39 Director of Global Employee Experience, Cornerstone OnDemand Santa Monica, California
Through Light’s guidance, onboarding has become a threeday immersive onboarding experience replicated across all offices. By diving into new challenges and evolving her skill set, Light also empowers colleagues to do the same.
Light
Lopez
Diana Lopez, 39 HR Manager, Pegasus Building Services San Diego
Lopez helped implement recruiting and hiring and onboarding programs that sliced employee turnover by 50 percent, which in turn helped earn several large accounts. An employee development program she implemented also had a profound impact on the company culture.
Kelly Lum, 35 Complex Director of Talent and Development, Highgate Boston
Lum Lund
Lum’s “relentless thirst for knowledge” led to the development of innovative training programs for a diverse and ever-shifting workforce. “[Lum] is not wed to time-worn approaches, but rather is constantly in search of a better mouse trap,” said nominator Pat Buhler, professor at Goldey Beacom College.
Carly Lund, 37 Director, Global Head of Organizational Leadership, YSC Consulting London
In 2017, Lund was promoted to director of the company’s innovation team.“She went straight to our customers and client teams, developed a deep understanding of the challenges, solved immediate problems, and then started planning for change,” said CEO Robert Sharrock. 42
Workƒorce | w o r k f o r c e . c o m
j u ly / au g u s t
2019
GAME CHANGERS Angelo Markantonakis, 39 Associate Vice President of Academic Programs, RowanCabarrus Community College Concord, North Carolina
Markantonakis’ vast experience in admissions, as a dean and now as an associate VP, has allowed him to bring new perspectives to those around him and challenge the status quo. His change management strategies push his team and the institution forward.
Italo Medelius, 25 National Director of Recruiting, BlueCrew New York
Markantonakis Medelius
Morris
Medelius created an internship program focused on hiring youths who are members of underrepresented groups to begin their professional development. He is also an active, visible member of High Line’s first Equity and Inclusion Council.
Kassy Morris, 31 Manager of Construction Education Programs, Procore Technologies Carpinteria, California
Morris’ company is in the midst of hypergrowth mode and instead of hoping to find “unicorns” for employees, she is building them. Among her colleagues Morris is a coach, mentor and cheerleader rolled into one. She does all this while still leading several groups supporting women in the construction industry.
Padhi
Pritika Padhi, 31 Team Leader — Talent Management, L&T Financial Services Mumbai, India
Padhi has done vital work in the talent management and succession planning areas to create a sustainable leadership pipeline for what is one of India’s largest private sector organizations. In the next two years, one of her major initiatives is to build a culture of inclusion and attract more diverse talent. j u ly / au g u s t
2019
w o r k f o r c e . c o m | Workƒorce
43
GAME CHANGERS Dharshana Ramachandran, 31
Ramachandran
Lead-HR Management, Analytics & Technology, TCS Mumbai, India
With her storytelling capabilities and technical data analytics skills, Ramachandran is an emerging leader in workforce analytics. She’s also been recognized as one of Change.org’s 30 Women Changemakers in India.
Rachel Richards, 38 Talent Acquisition Manager, George P. Johnson Experience Marketing Torrance, California
Richards made a smooth transition from marketing to recruiting, which is more than merely finding candidates. She has developed an entire external network from scratch while building internal relationships, and is responsible for all recruiting operations and management of the West Coast.
Richards
Maria Roots Morland, 38 Talent Acquisition Manager, TechnipFMC Kongsberg, Norway
Roots Morland created her organization’s first ever employee value proposition program, which helped reinforce company culture and retain the best talent following a merger. Roots Morland
Shapiro
Nathan Shapiro, 37 Senior Manager, Digital HCM Platform Strategy, Paychex Webster, New York
Shapiro’s vision has helped Paychex take its platform to new heights, particularly in the areas of mobile, self-service and ethical delivery of artificial intelligence. An effective leader, his eye for high-potential individuals also has enriched the IT organization and led the push for the way people view HR technology. 44
Workƒorce | w o r k f o r c e . c o m
j u ly / au g u s t
2019
GAME CHANGERS White
Wilson
Aaron White, 39 Workforce Reporting Analyst II, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare Memphis, Tennessee
Seldom does a nomination arrive with kudos from more than one executive.White’s work received endorsements from no less than six company leaders. He works across multiple organizational functions and has overhauled its HR dashboard that helped streamline numerous HR operations.
Dave Wilson, 37 Wilson
Senior Director, IT Infrastructure and Architecture, Paychex Webster, New York
Wilson was one of the leaders overseeing the company’s transition as a payroll service organization to a tech-enabled HR company. “Dave is a master motivator, building a culture where employees are encouraged to take chances and ownership,” said colleague Tracy Volkmann in the nomination.
Loreli Wilson, 36 Director of Inclusion and Impact, Veterans United Home Loans Columbia, Missouri
Yamaoka
Building a visionary D&I program that isn’t just “check the box,” the United Initiative program has an impact that extends beyond company walls.Wilson also seeks to provide diversity education in a relatable format to an employee’s work and home environments.
Colin Yamaoka, 36 LLESA Program Coordinator, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Livermore, California
With a passion for data analytics, Yamaoka has produced a series of recruitment tools, co-written and co-produced a video to entice potential candidates, and was the lead engineer for a D&I game focused on the behaviors of inclusivity at LLNL. j u ly / au g u s t
2019
w o r k f o r c e . c o m | Workƒorce
45
Boomer
BING
With a tight job market and a drain on experience, baby boomers can help employers fill out the winning workplace card.
BY TANYA AXENSON
I
t’s no secret that the retirement of baby boomers is contributing to a shortage of workers. Recent reports show that the United States is predicted to see a 38 percent increase in the over-65 population between 2015 and 2025, while the U.S. population of those between ages 18 and 64 is only expected to rise by 3 percent. Baby boomers are estimated to comprise 15 percent of the total global population, according to a resource on website employmentcounselor.net. Around the world, employers are trying to retain these tenured resources with creative incentives. Some countries are increasing wages, and others are increasing retirement ages. At the same time, companies are finding that the work styles of baby boomers are changing. After long careers spent largely working as traditional, full-time employees, many in this generation are shying away from retirement and are instead looking for smaller, more flexible work as contractors or consultants. In a tight labor market, this shift can be a significant opportunity for employers desiring the deep level of subject matter expertise, hard and soft skills, and management experience that boomers carry. Boomers’ preference to continue working can be a big win for any company. To keep this generation in the workforce, however, companies
46
Workƒorce | w o r k f o r c e . c o m
will have to embrace several basic approaches to improve worker engagement. These approaches include creating flexible schedules and engagement models, partnering with senior workers in their career progression, and empowering senior workers with technology.
Embrace Flexibility As baby boomers find their own balance between easing into retirement and staying productive, employers can aid the transition by providing flexible work options and alternative engagement models. For example, consider the sales executive who looks forward to cutting the hourlong commute from her morning or evening schedule. For the employee, retirement may be a big, drastic step, but the personal and lifestyle benefits of removing the commute, even if just a few days per week, outweigh the anxieties of not working. By engaging that worker in meaningful dialogue around her real needs and proactively offering remote work as an option, the employer can dramatically alter the equation, often resulting in the employee staying on board for several valuable years. Similarly, flexibility in scheduling may include four-day weeks or alternative hours. j u ly / au g u s t
2019
TECHNOLOGY T E N A BL E ME N
RETIREMENT RE ADY?
A GENER ATION M E N T OR S
EMBR ACE FLE XIBILIT Y
19461964 LONGEVIT Y ECONOMY
D E XPERIENCE MANAGERS
CA R EER N PROGRESSIO
AGEISM CONCERNS
SUBJECT MAT TER E XPERTISE
j u ly / au g u s t
2019
w o r k f o r c e . c o m | WorkÆ’orce
L
47
Along with schedule adjustments, an open mind about engagement models is also an advantage. Talent may come in the form of consultants or contractors, allowing a more flexible engagement model. Hiring managers need to become comfortable in looking at both traditional employees and flexible workers when considering talent needs. That level of comfort requires an environment that enables the employer to quickly and easily identify and access all available talent, including permanent employment candidates and contractors alike.
Become a Career Partner When employing baby boomers, it is critical to partner with them in their career progression and understand what they want from the position, as well as their overall career goals. For example, they may be interested in expanding their skills.
WHEN EMPLOYING BABY BOOMERS, IT IS CRITICAL TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY WANT FROM THE POSITION, AS WELL AS THEIR OVERALL CAREER GOALS. From technology to processes and new fields of expertise, workers of all generations value learning, and employers would do well to meet their needs with appropriate resources and learning programs. Likewise, visibility into job openings across the company is also valuable to pre-retirement workers. What the boomers desire in development (or increased flexibility) may come simply in the form of a role in a different department or functional group. Along with traditional training opportunities and job visibility, boomers can benefit greatly from the give and take of knowledge transfer among workers in the organization. Mentorships are an obvious option for knowledge sharing from pre-retirement workers to those of other generations. Less obvious, but just as important, are reverse mentorship arrangements that give pre-retirement workers a chance to learn from younger generations.
Provide Up-to-Date Technology Employers wishing to continue working with highly skilled baby boomers should not only provide them with workplace flexibility but also enable them to do that work with easy and transparent digital interactions.While baby boomers may have lived a substantial portion of their lives before the rise of digital communication, they also have grown accustomed to the consumer experience of using applications for everything from shopping on their phone to using Facetime to connect with distant family members. 48
Workƒorce | w o r k f o r c e . c o m
Unconscious Bias Cuts Across Generational Workplace Lines Every generation in the workforce may experience some level of bias in their careers. That bias gives rise to many issues faced by employers today, such as the gender pay gap, and too few women and minorities in leadership. Unfortunately, baby boomers may find themselves being excluded through many types of bias, conscious or otherwise. For example, companies may rely heavily on campus recruiting to fill certain positions, automatically excluding older workers. Alternatively, job descriptions may skew toward “entry level,” cutting off interested, older workers who may be considered overqualified. Through focused, diversity and inclusion strategies in talent acquisition and workforce management, companies can do a better job of engaging the boomer workforce. The key is to focus on improving the inclusion across all generations. Apprenticeships can be available to workers of all ages. Similarly, mentoring across generations helps drive knowledge sharing. Programs to bring workers back into professional life after extended absences are also highly effective in connecting companies to the older workforce. Finally, education and creating awareness about generational differences can advance collaboration among workers. — Tanya Axenson
In the workplace, baby boomers can benefit from the same level of technology enablement. For example, the use of cloud-based technologies for collaboration should make workflow, documentation, feedback, and approvals on projects transparent and accessible any time, any place. Likewise, telecommuting tools like videoconferencing are no longer new, but many organizations have not fully adopted the concept in their core business. As more boomers opt to avoid or reduce the number of days spent commuting to onsite locations, use of these tools will become more widely accepted as part of corporate cultures and more widely sought after by generations approaching retirement.
Make Workplace Accessibility a Priority Regardless of age, employees need to believe that their employer is committed to their well-being, and removing barriers to access is an important part of that commitment. j u ly / au g u s t
2019
For workers with disabilities, an employer’s commitment to improving employees’ ability to utilize physical and virtual resources can be instrumental to a positive work experience. Considering that the percentage of the U.S. population with a disability jumps from 10.6 percent for those between 18 and 64 to more than 35 percent for those over 65, according to research by the University of New Hampshire, the importance of access and accommodation for baby boomers is clear. The most obvious example of accessibility is the corporate website. Captions with audio and video, along with visual options such as larger formats and contrasting color schemes, can help to ensure that the employer does not place unnecessary barriers to work and interaction for employees. Many organizations can help companies assess their accessibility and provide paths for improvement. At the same time, employers should consider that accessibility often leads to a better experience for everyone and not just workers with disabilities.
Engaging Talent of All Ages Organizations will continue to compete for valuable baby boomer talent.The competition may come from different employers, or it may come in the form of competing life choices, from full retirement to relocation. In all cases, core principles that drive great talent engagement will make the difference between employers that successfully engage baby boomers and those that miss out on the opportunity these workers present. These commitments — being flexible, empowering their careers, and providing the right tools and technology to get work done — are more than strategies for recruiting senior workers. They are basic paths for any company to become a better employer to the people it hires and aims to retain, whatever their age and experience group. When it comes to attracting and retaining talent of any age, what’s good for people is good for business.
Keep Looking Ahead Companies face persistent challenges in attracting, finding and retaining critical talent. They are struggling to get work done in a market where demographics are shifting, and the technology is constantly evolving. When positioning a talent acquisition strategy to better engage the workforce, regardless of generation, an open mind for change is essential. A new solution may supplant the technology that works today for virtual work. The model that engages pre-retirement professionals as consultants may evolve as part of a total talent approach. Amid such conditions, the leaders, today and in the future, will be the employers that continually question how work gets done, who needs to do it, and how they will go about securing that talent. Tanya Axenson is the global head of human resources for the Allegis Group. To comment, email editors@workforce.com.
50
Workƒorce | w o r k f o r c e . c o m
Evolving Talent Acquisition for a Changing Workforce As baby boomers embrace flexible work options, employers need to position themselves to accommodate those work styles. The good news is that companies are already adjusting to flexible work due to the growth in self-employed contract workers and freelancers. With that in mind, three key priorities can help employers become more competitive in securing flexible workers — especially baby boomers. 1. Sharpen visibility into the workforce supply and demand. New technologies enable employers to bring together data on talent demand and the total available supply. That data can come from multiple sources and when used in the right context, it can help support informed decisions about everything from how much to pay for talent to the best work model for a role, whether for a traditional employee, contractor, or another worker type. Such visibility can help companies find the available baby boomer talent they may have overlooked in the traditional recruiting process. 2. Streamline requirements to attract more talent with the skills you need most. Clarify the goals of the job and streamline requirements. For boomers, consider whether on-site attendance is needed every day or whether the narrow definitions of skills and experience are all essential. For example, a retirement-age worker may want to apply her transferable skills in a different role than she held previously. Often, the only barrier to a productive relationship is a lengthy set of irrelevant job requirements. 3. Create a process to consider multiple work models. Adopt a clear and consistent set of criteria to assess the ideal work model for the talent need, whether that includes an employee or flexible worker. The strategic importance of a skill, the length of need, and the availability of talent are all factors in the decision. A consistent approach to assessing such needs can help companies better position themselves to gain the most value from their employees of all ages. —Tanya Axenson
j u ly / au g u s t
2019
Retirement is Changing Help your mature age workers find meaning and purpose from phased redeployment to retirement.
RiseSmart Creative Retirement™ Our mature age career solutions are designed to provide creative alternatives to
Retirement Transition Coaching
traditional retirement. We guide your employees to find new beginnings through
Personal Brand Services
entrepreneurship, the gig economy, volunteerism and philanthropy, or joining a board of directors. No matter which path your employees choose, you'll be making an investment in their future — and yours — as they become your consultants, brand
Assessments & Research Tools & Resources
ambassadors, and company references.
Learn more about generational challenges in the workplace: RiseSmart #SmartTalkHR webinar : “How to Navigate a Multi-Generational Workplace”
WATCH NOW: www.risesmart.com/gen-workplace sales@risesmart.com © Copyright 2019 RiseSmart, Inc. All rights reserved.
1-877-384-0004
SECTOR REPORT
Background Check Providers
Background Screening Gets Even Harder Patchwork regulations and gig economy workers are making the employment screening process a lot more complicated. By Sarah Fister Gale
R
emember when “ban the box” was the worst part of the background screening process? Welcome to pay-equity laws. This new regulatory trend, which is gaining steam even faster than Ban the Box, prevents employers from asking about candidates’ prior salary history in an effort to eliminate gender-based salary disparities. Both regulatory trends have noble goals, but their implementations have been confoundingly complex. “It has become another patchwork law, that is applied differently in different states, cities and municipalities,” said Dawn Standerwick, vice president of strategic growth for Employment Screening Resources. In some cases, state or city rules conflict with federal rules, and the adoption and interpretation of these rules and how to comply with them is changing constantly. For example, with Ban the Box — the campaign by civil rights groups and advocates aimed at removing the check box on hiring applications that asks if applicants have a criminal record — some cities say you absolutely must consider everyone who applies, however state rules say you cannot hire people with certain types of criminal records for roles supporting vulnerable populations, or that require driving a vehicle. “Understanding what these rules mean is a challenge for a lot of companies,” said Mary O’Loughlin, managing director for health care and life sciences for HireRight. Platforms need to be customized to only pull information about candidates where it’s allowed and to send the proper alerts to candidates when the information is being reviewed.
HIDDEN RISKS What’s worse, many companies falsely assume their background screeners have it all covered.“They think it’s the responsibility of their background screener to automatically do it for them,” she said. They are wrong. Every vendor agreement lays out the details of what the vendor will provide, including screenings and required notices and waivers to employees. But as these regulations get more complicated, many vendors are rethinking the services they provide. “It used to be background screeners handled most of the notices and disclosures,” Standerwick said. But some vendors have begun leaving these steps out of their contracts because following these rules has gotten so complex. She noted that in 2001 there were fewer than 500 Fair Credit Reporting Act class-action lawsuits, but in the past year there have already been more than 5,000.
52
Workƒorce | w o r k f o r c e . c o m
“Even if it is just a technical violation on a waiver of disclosure, if you sent 1,000 waivers it could cost you $1,000 per waiver,” she said.
SCREENING GIGS These frustrations are driving new innovation. Many of the technical evolutions in this space are designed to improve the candidate experience, while ensuring employers are protected, said Lou Paglia, president of Sterling Talent Solutions. The rise in gig worker platforms in particular is driving companies to adopt biometric screening tools, simplified mobile log-in features and identity authentication to speed the process and make it more user-friendly while ensuring every applicant is who they say they are. The rise of gig workers has also forced screening vendors to innovate their back-end technology to integrate with more hiring platforms and talent pools, he said. “The gig worker hiring workflow may be totally remote, but you still need to follow the right processes.” Screening is especially important for customer-facing gig workers, like ride-share drivers and food delivery people, added Standerwick. “Consumers have a false sense of security that these workers have been vetted,” she said. “But doing a database screen is not comprehensive enough.” She anticipates concerns that consumer safety will drive increased investment in background screening by gig worker platforms. “It’s too soon to say there is a market-shift happening, but companies are definitely concerned.”
PROTECT YOURSELF The resounding advice from experts — whether they are hiring full time employees or contract workers — is to be sure your processes are thorough, compliant and user-friendly. O’Loughlin advises her clients to create a formal screening policy for all new hires with feedback from HR, legal, vendor management and talent management to determine what is acceptable, and what can they do to accelerate the process without making regulatory mistakes. “Have your legal counsel review your contract,” Standerwick warned. “A lot of companies don’t realize just how wrong this process can go.” Sarah Fister Gale is a writer in Chicago. To comment email editors@workforce.com.
j u ly / au g u s t
2019
HOT LIST Background Check Providers Listed alphabetically; compiled by Bethany Tomasian; editors@workforce.com INDIVIDUALS SCREENED IN THE MOST RECENT 12 MONTHS
CLIENTS USING EMPLOYMENT-RELATED SCREENING SERVICES
ACCURATE BACKGROUND accurate.com
2.7 million
15,369
ASURINT asurint.com
3.4 million
1,735
CAREERBUILDER EMPLOYMENT SCREENING LLC* careerbuilder.com/employmentscreening
3.8 million
7,000
CERTN certn.co/
60,000
500
CISIVE** cisive.com
5 million
600
EMPLOYMENT BACKGROUND INVESTIGATIONS ebiinc.com
1.75 million
6,000
EMPLOYMENT SCREENING SERVICES es2.com
1.35 million
5,050
FIRST ADVANTAGE fadv.com
17.2 million
35,000
GLOBAL HR RESEARCH ghrr.com
4 million
5,000
GOODHIRE goodhire.com
536,839
28,227
INFO CUBIC EMPLOYMENT SCREENING infocubic.com
350,000
4,000
INFOMART informart-usa.com
1.9 million
5,900
INTELLICORP RECORDS, INC. intellicorp.net
2.8 million
13,500
JUSTIFACTS CREDENTIAL VERIFICATION justifacts.com
275,000
2,500
PEOPLEG2 peopleg2.com
555,823
3,500
PRECHECK precheck.com
1.02 million
4,000
VALIDITY SCREENING SOLUTIONS validityscreeening.com
200,000
2,500
VERIFIED FIRST verifiedfirst.com
336,764
6,131
COMPANY NAME & Web Address
*CareerBuilder acquired Aurico in March 2016. Aurico was later rebranded to CareerBuilder Employment Screening in August 2017. **Cisive acquired PreCheck in January 2019, however the two companies operate as separate entities. Source: Companies. j u ly / au g u s t
2019
w o r k f o r c e . c o m | WorkÆ’orce
53
SECTOR REPORT
Tr a i n i n g P r o v i d e r s
The Year of Learning and Development Executives and employees are clamoring for more training, and learning leaders are more than happy to oblige. By Sarah Fister Gale
I
t’s a good year for learning leaders and their vendors. After decades of fighting for budgets and justifying their existence, these L&D professionals are finally getting the respect and resources they deserve. Almost of half of learning leaders report that in 2019 their budgets are increasing, 77 percent say they are adding staff, and 82 percent say their executives actively support efforts to engage employees in professional development. This is translating into larger investments in learning content and platforms, and more conversations about the link between learning and business outcomes, said David Mallon, vice president and chief analyst, Bersin, Deloitte Consulting. “The C-suite is finally catching up to what they have always intuitively understood but never addressed,” he said. “That learning and performance are two sides of the same coin.” Learning leaders are also facing increasing pressure to address the ballooning skills gap in the workplace and to create a culture where employees are constantly building new skills. Fully 85 percent of companies report that they are ‘reskilling their workforce’ — and more than half say they are either doing this to a significant extent or that they plan to in the future, according to data from APQC. “Those numbers really stand out,” said Elissa Tucker, principal research lead of human capital management for APQC. Companies now see learning as an integrated element of the work experience and it is changing the way they create and deliver content to meet the needs of employees. “They want consumer grade learning experiences that are available on demand and pushed to employees at the point of need,” she said.
AUDIO-FIRST DESIGN To do this, companies can’t just roll out a catalog of content and assume people will use it, noted Tanya Staples, vice president of product, learning content at LinkedIn Learning. “Employees need motivation and direction, and access to the right content at the right time.” In response, many learning providers are deploying artificial intelligence tools that can recommend content for every employee based on their role, learning preferences, career map and other personalized criteria so they have exactly what they need when they need it. The content is also getting chunkier, giving employees options to learn bits of knowledge between meetings, on their lunch hours and on the way home. This has led LinkedIn to take an “audio first” approach with several courses so
54
Workƒorce | w o r k f o r c e . c o m
employees can listen to them on their commutes. “You can’t do audio first for tech skills like coding, but it works well for leadership and other soft skills.” Virtual reality is also emerging as a tool to help employees experience immersive learning experiences in a self-paced learning environment. DDI, for example, is testing a VR course on diversity, where participants in a meeting experience common diversity-related biases, like being excluded from the discussion, having their ideas stolen and not being allowed to voice an opinion. “It’s incredibly powerful,” said DDI CEO Tacy Byham. She’s seen several men complete the course in shock. “They put down the goggles and say, ‘Oh my god, I’ve done this,’ ” she said.
DON’T GET DISTRACTED These innovations aren’t just driving new forms of content. Companies are also looking to vendors for better monitoring tools so they can assess whether employees are using the content and learning new skills that are relevant to the business.That includes understanding when they access content, what drives their learning needs, whether they are completing courses and whether it is driving new behavior. “They want vendors to provide data on what’s working so they can course correct,” Mallon said. These monitoring efforts have to go beyond whether a new channel or catalog of content is being used. “The world of learning and development has a history of chasing bright and shiny objects,” he said. “But that can be a trap.” Instead, he urges companies to look for proof of value from their learning investments. “It doesn’t matter what channel they are using, what matters is whether it made them more successful in their roles.” Learning leaders also cannot forget that there will always be a human element in learning – especially for soft skills training, said Byham. Self-paced content, virtual reality, AI and other automated features may be useful enablers of learning but they don’t eliminate the need for a personal touch. “You can learn coaching in a virtual course but you still need to practice,” she said. “Technology will never be a panacea for human interaction.” Sarah Fister Gale is a writer in Chicago. To comment email editors@workforce.com.
j u ly / au g u s t
2019
HOT LIST Training Providers Listed alphabetically; compiled by Bethany Tomasian; editors@workforce.com
COMPANY NAME & Web Address
AXONIFY axonify.com
MILLER HEIMAN GROUP millerheimangroup.com
KEY KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS TOPICS COVERED
EXISTING OFF-THE-SHELF PROGRAMS
CUSTOM PROGRAMS DEVELOPED EACH YEAR
FULL-TIME INSTRUCTIONAL SERVICES PERSONNEL
SELECTED KEY INDUSTRIES SERVED
Communication; customer service; safety; retail environment essentials; grocery
200
650
12
Sales; marketing; retail; manufacturing; supply chain and logistics; financial services; pharmaceuticals
Sales performance and effectiveness
25
125
180
Technology; financial services; retail; professional services
RAYTHEON PROFESSIONAL SERVICES rps.com
Cybersecurity; after-market sales; technical services; product training; automotive; medical/ pharmaceutical
Would not disclose
500
204
IT; financial services; banking; automotive; energy; oil/gas; utilities; insurance; government; manufacturing; health care; pharmaceutical; telecommunications
SKLLSOFT skillsoft.com
IT skills & certification; digital skills; environmental health & safety; leadership development; business & management skills
165,000
100
2,500
Federal government; financial services; health care; manufacturing
VITAL SMARTS vitalsmarts.com
Workplace productivity; communication & management; leadership development
7
Health care; technology; education; executive training; federal government; small business
4
Would not disclose
Source: Companies. j u ly / au g u s t
2019
w o r k f o r c e . c o m | WorkĆ’orce
55
GAME CHANGERS continued from page 34 ate awareness of postpartum depression for new mothers in Maharashtra, India, and leads a Facebook page called “Workplace Needs Moms.” “Being a well-rounded HR professional along with my passion to create change for society, positively, in any way possible is what will make me a game changer in the workforce management field,” Ramachandran said. In her current role at TCS, being a “well-rounded HR professional” entails successfully blending digital and human skills like data analytics and storytelling. Having the right data isn’t enough. “While the data-based insights will help, a powerful story designed around the audience along with the right communication strategy can make or break the deal,” she said. Currently she’s working on analytical tools and frameworks that generate meaningful insights from people data that translate into business performance. As the IT industry has gone though so many technology cycles and changes in the past few decades, the workplace must keep up with these demands to stay relevant. At TCS, Ramachandran uses analytics to build a that superior employee experience with focus on a high-performance culture. She’s also worked in several areas of HR analytics — descriptive, diagnostic, predictive and prescriptive — for the talent management function to help them with decision-making. “My work in these areas has led to improvement in the overall employee experience, which has led to career growth as well as increased retention rate of the critical workforce segments,” she said.
Employee Development in Africa Temitope Azeez, people director at Jumia Global in Ikeja, Nigeria, is recognized as a thought leader in the HR field in the West African nation. In addition to practicing HR, she also coaches and mentors budding HR professionals and speaks at conferences. One of her passions in HR is employee development, and she’s currently working on several initiatives. Tag-An-Employee is a recognition program that encourages managers to recognize good work done by employees. The JUSME, Jumia Services Mentoring, program is sixmonths-long mentoring program in five different countries (Egypt, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Morocco and Nigeria) that’s designed to help both the mentor and mentee grow in their roles. And the Jumia Certified Trainer program allows Azeez to create a pool of trainers in each country she manages so they can deliver the right curriculum. A major HR challenge in her company and country currently is “the unavailability of e-commerce skills,”Azeez said. These important skills include website search engine optimization, data collection and data analytics. As an HR practitioner in her country, it can be easy to be neglected by management or the board, but Azeez is constantly driven to develop herself and improve HR processes. “This has given 56
Workƒorce | w o r k f o r c e . c o m
me a seat at management in all the companies I have worked with regardless of level,” she said. One noteworthy initiative she’s introduced is the cross-country talent exchange program, which features coaching and job shadowing across borders. Azeez also has worked to improve the employee happiness score from 56 percent in 2016 to 95 percent in 2018. Employee feedback was key in creating initiatives to contribute to this improvement. “I would not have done this all alone if it hadn’t been for the employees themselves who report the issues that I turn into projects that bring smiles to their faces,” Azeez said.
Culture Shifts in Bahrain Organizational culture is the only HR function that creates a difference between a mediocre company and the best company, according to Bilal Ali, head of HR at Sharif Group in Manama, Bahrain. He has adopted a “strict working style” centered around culture ever since he began working in HR. When assessing his role at a company, Ali observes the prevalent culture and rolls out surveys and questionnaires to employees to get their points of view. Most of the time, Ali said, this reconnaissance reveals a more traditional culture. “Then, gradually, I start turning the culture more toward progressive models,” he said. Elements of progressive culture models include smartly using learning and development, embracing innovation and caring about employee happiness. “This is one of the top achievements I’m proud of because I believe that even if I leave for a different opportunity, the organizational culture will stay,” he added. Just as company culture is a major talking point for American companies, Ali has a similar point of view about organizations in Bahrain. He said there is room for improvement where understanding and shifting cultures are concerned. Besides culture, data analytics is another of Ali’s people management passions. “We all have lots and lots of data, and all this data is saying something. It needs only an empathic HR ear,” Ali said. He believes that HR metrics and data analytics have the potential to shake up the entire HR discipline and could be one of the top HR roles in the “upcoming/ongoing Fourth Industrial Revolution.” “I believe that my focus on data analytics and organizational culture makes me a game changer in HR; if not in the world, at least in the Arab world,” he said.
Change Management in France When two companies merge, there is no shortage of tension. Technip and FMC Technologies merged in January 2017, and Vincent Cavelot stressed the importance of HR playing a role in that big change. Cavelot, director of talent management at TechnipFMC in Paris, holds the fundamental view that HR can and j u ly / au g u s t
2019
should be a major player in business transformation. The Emerging Talents program he developed is designed to help the performance management function support the merger. Further, Cavelot’s involvement with the continuous performance management program is something that excites him, as it touches all 37,000 employees. The program will allow HR to get continuous feedback and transform the employee experience using that performance feedback. Cavelot also enjoys sharing his HR knowledge and experience. As a guest instructor at The Sorbonne Business School in Paris, he teaches students practical guidance: “The reality of the HR practice,” he said. He also loves opening the minds of students to “the transformative possibilities that a thriv-
ing culture and excellent but flexible HR processes can empower.” Further, the advice he gives young HR professionals is to keep an open mind and to “pursue learning every day and always seek a fresh perspective.” A France-based HR professional, Cavelot maintains a global perspective on HR and chooses teams that are globally diverse. Diversity of any kind helps “overcome the certainty” that any one approach is the only way to get something done. “I like diverse perspectives, diverse mindsets and cultures and am always recruiting people from all over the world,” he said. “We can’t just stay in the familiar and keep doing the same things.” Andie Burjek is Workforce associate editor. To comment, email editors@workforce.com.
ADVERTISING SALES Clifford Capone Vice President, Group Publisher 312-967-3538 ccapone@Workforce.com Daniella Weinberg Regional Sales Manager 917-627-1125 dweinberg@Workforce.com CT, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT, Quebec, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Europe
Kevin M. Fields Director, Business Development 312-967-3565 kfields@Workforce.com Melanie Lee Business Administration Manager mlee@Workforce.com
ADVERTISERS’ INDEX Advertisers/URLs Page
Advertisers/URLs Page
BenefitEd 27 Youbenefited.com CLO Breakfast Club Video Library 6 ChiefLearningOfficer.com/BreakfastClubVideos CLO Fall Symposium 3 fall.symposium.com DeVryWORKS 28-29 devryworks.com Fierce Inc. 23 fierceinc.com/5-conversations Gradifi 2nd Cover gradifi.com Hogan 5, 30-31 hoganassessments.com
RiseSmart risesmart.com/gen-workplace Ultimate Software ultimatesoftware.com/events Unum unum.com/patrickwf Varidesk varidesk.com/workforce WorkPartners workpartners.com Workforce Webinars workforce.com/wf-events
Advertising: For advertising information, write to sales@workforce.com. Back Issues: For all requests, including bulk issue orders, please visit our website at Workforce.com/products or email hcmalerts@e-circ.net. Editorial: To submit an article for publication, go to Workforce.com/contribute/ submission-guidelines. Letters to the editor may be sent to editors@workforce.com.
j u ly / au g u s t
2019
List Rental: Contact Mike Rovello at (402) 836-5639 or Mike.Rovello@infogroup.com. Permissions and Article Reprints: No part of Workforce can be reproduced without written permission. All permissions to republish or distribute content from Workforce can be obtained through PARS International. For single article reprints in quantities of 250 and above and e-prints for Web posting, please contact PARS International at MediaTecReprints@parsintl.com.
51 49 3rd Cover Back Cover 15 7
Subscription Services: All orders, inquiries and address changes should be addressed to Workforce P.O. Box 8712 Lowell, MA 01853 or call customer service at (800) 422-2681, email us at hcmalerts@e-circ.net or visit Workforce.com/subscribe.
Please provide both the old and new address as printed on the last label at least six weeks before the change. The first copy of a new subscription will be mailed within eight weeks of receipt of order. Missing issues must be claimed within six months after publication. Subscriptions are free to qualified individuals within the U.S. and Canada. Nonqualified paid subscriptions are available for $199 annually for 6 issues. All countries outside the U.S. and Canada must be prepaid in U.S. funds with an additional $33 postage surcharge. Single copy price is $29.99.
w o r k f o r c e . c o m | Workƒorce
57
LAST WORD
Rick Bell
BURNOUT IS NO FAIRY TALE
O
nce upon a time there was a king who ruled over his subjects in the land of Conscientiousness.This king was extremely concerned about his subjects’ safety and serenity. But as you can imagine, ruling over a kingdom like Conscientiousness came with great responsibility. So dependable and conscientious was our king that every morning he would rise before dawn, enter the Chamber of Contentment, rub his hands with perseverance powder from the Mines of Meticulousness and dutifully crank the Lever of Loyalty so that the sun would rise.
NO MATTER HOW CONSCIENTIOUS WE ARE, NO ONE — KING, SUBJECT OR PERFIDIOUS PRINCE — IS IMMUNE FROM THE DANGERS OF SINKING INTO BURNOUT BOG. The king would then toddle off and tend to the kingdom’s business. As evening neared, the king would drop his debate with the Duke of Diligence or reschedule a rap with the Regents of Respect, hop off the Throne of Thoroughness and scurry back to the Chamber of Contentment, rub his hands with perseverance powder from the Mines of Meticulousness and dutifully crank the Lever of Loyalty — this time assuring that the sun would set. Dawn and dusk. Day after day. Week after week. Month after month.Year after year. Decade after … well, you get the picture.This was indeed one devoted leader. Being as conscientious as he was, the king never took a vacation. In fact, he never took a day off. The king knew the exact amount of time it would take to return from Fidelity Forest or Allegiance Archipelago in order to turn the lever. On one such journey to Steadfast Shoals the king became separated from his vanguard. He was nearing a part of the kingdom that few dared enter. Evening was nigh. Despite the king’s best efforts to steer his steed named Staunchly back home, the king found himself entering the Edge of Exhaustion. A fork in the road offered little hope. The king was immediately overcome by a degree of dread. A weather-beaten wooden sign pointed one way. The king strained to see the worn-down words, finally making out the destination: Weary Wilderness. The other weathered sign was even more ominous.The king now bordered Burnout Bog. The king had heard hushed talk for years among his subjects of Burnout Bog but never gave it a second thought. 58
Workƒorce | w o r k f o r c e . c o m
The king considered it a myth, a fable concocted by a perfidious prince he locked in the Tower of Treachery for his propagandizing. As the king gazed across Burnout Bog he fell into a funk of fatigue. His appetite waned, his eyes drooped and his mind went blank.The king stared at the sign, astonished to realize that Burnout Bog was not just a far-flung destination for the weak and tired. “Such a place truly exists!” he muttered, realizing that the most dedicated and loyal ruler the Kingdom of Consciousness had ever known could find himself at the Edge of Exhaustion, wandering in the Weary Wilderness and blundering through Burnout Bog. As darkness fell, the king’s dread melted into resignation, since he would not crank the Lever of Loyalty that evening. Dejected, he slid off Staunchly, sat under a tree and slipped into a deep sleep. The king awoke the next morning to the voices of his vanguard. As they approached he realized that not only did he not crank the handle to make the sun set, he did not crank it to make the sun rise.Yet the sun had risen and set without him turning any handle. The king then knew he had to change. Upon returning to his castle he immediately released the perfidious prince from the Tower of Treachery only to learn that the Overworked Ailment Centre was at capacity since so many loyal subjects were emulating their ruler’s routine. The king praised the prince and began preaching the perils of Burnout Bog and the highlights of Holiday Highlands. The king continued to crank the handle morning and night because, well, old habits die hard for conscientious leaders. But he slowly discovered new, relaxing ways to occupy his mornings and evenings. He took a day off, then two days and ventured on his first-ever trip to Vacation Valley, where … yes … he looked in the Pond of Self-reflection and meandered up and down Mindful Mountain. The moral of our tale? That morally as employers, managers, supervisors and employees we understand that burnout is no myth. In late May the World Health Organization labeled burnout as a legitimate workplace medical diagnosis. No matter how conscientious we are, no one — king, subject or perfidious prince — is immune from the dangers of sinking into Burnout Bog. Keep cranking the lever. It’s cool to be like our king. Just know that the sun will rise and set whether or not you’re turning that lever. Rick Bell is Workforce’s editorial director. To comment, email editors@workforce.com.
j u ly / au g u s t
2019
patrick
isn’t thinking about his benefits right now. And that’s exactly how it should be. Because he’s got more important decisions to make today. Like vanilla or chocolate? (Or both?) After all, teeth are made to last a lifetime. So, what’s one afternoon of sugary indulgence? Nope, Patrick isn’t worried about his benefits. Because his company has Unum, to help close the gaps in coverage and keep his family in smiles through the years. Go big, Patrick.
From dental and vision plans to income protection, get benefits that keep your employees going at unum.com/patrickWF
Insurance products are underwritten by the subsidiaries of Unum Group. ©2019 Unum Group. All rights reserved. Unum is a registered trademark and marketing brand of Unum Group and its insuring subsidiaries. NS18-231
VARIDESK® is office furniture made simple. Our complete line includes standing desks, meeting tables, seating, storage, and more. Everything is easy to order, assemble, and reconfigure as your needs change. No markups. No long lead times. No hassle. Just the furniture you need for your space, when you need it.
FREE DELIVERY & INSTALLATION INCLUDED. DETAILS AT VARIDESK.COM/WORKFORCE | (877) 388-4693
Free installation only in the continental US. Minimum order value: $5,000. Additional restrictions may apply and availability subject to change. | Patent and trademark information: VARIDESK.com/patents | ©2019 VARIDESK®. All rights reserved.