Stay Home, Sicky!

Since when did going to work sick become a badge of honor? If I had to guess, it was right around the time that employees began to recognize that supervisors and managers did not care about what they actually accomplished, only that they showed up.

See, not so long ago in a land not so far away our work output became less tangible. No longer were we sewing garments, molding candles, or otherwise producing widgets. All activities that can be measured by the number completed. Blame it on technology, or simply process improvements, but either way, our work shifted to developing programs, processes, and even motivating others, things that were not so easily measured. Well, that sounds like progress! Isn't that a good thing? It is. However, it would be great if we had taken the time to teach managers and supervisors how to measure productivity in this new age. It's not too late, but it won't be easy.

First, an organization must have realistic goals.  There must be something to be achieved.  Not your run-of-the-mill, daily grind activities, but goals that improve something.  Maybe it's increased revenue or increased market share or even reduced defects.   The goal must be finite and able to be measured.  If we are going to increase revenue, we need to know by how much and when.  We must also have tools in which to measure the goal. 

Next, we must identify activities that will help us achieve the goal.  Everyone on the team is responsible for some element of the activity or even an entire activity.  Like the goal, it must be measurable. 

Finally, progress toward goal achievement must be tracked.  We will have no idea if we are close to meeting the goal if we are not tracking our progress. 

With these three elements, leaders can focus on what's getting done and not whether Flo with the Flu shows up to share her germs with the rest of the staff.  If we focused on getting work done rather than showing up at a specfic time, we might accomplish much more.  Or maybe we'd have more productive hours, thus work less time. 

The Great Divide: Pay Inequality. Whose fault is it?

Recently, I’ve been searching for a regular full time position. I’ve been in my career for almost two decades. During that time, I’ve worked for great companies and some not so great. I started a business, and then later closed that business. Throughout it all, I’ve had some awesome experiences and really developed my skills. Every consulting assignment that I have had, I’ve been asked to stay beyond the initial engagement. Suffice it to say, there have been some dynamic experiences in my career and I feel well qualified to do what I do. And just for good measure, lack of confidence is not something I typically struggle with. So why as women, do we question ourselves about the compensation we expect? Why do we cower when it’s time to talk money?

People that know me well know that I do not fear talking about money in a social setting. To the point that I have even coached others on their money situation and methodologies for handling different circumstances. I know down to the dollar how much I need to earn to maintain my current standard of living. I also do research on what my skills and experience are worth. So imagine my amazement when preparing for a phone interview, I began to question my salary requirements.

Am I asking for too much?
Since it’s not a Fortune 100 company, should I reduce my requirement?

Ultimately, I shook it off and stayed with my established range. But the question lingered, as women, why do we do this? Do men have this same struggle? Do men question themselves on why they ask for what they ask for? I’m reminded of the anecdote in Sheryl Sandberg’s book Lean In about how she was convinced by her husband to negotiate her salary at Facebook. That said to me that no matter whether you are offered $20,000 or $20,000,000, as women, we are inclined to shy away from standing up for ourselves financially.   So until WE decide that WE are worth it, women's pay will always lag behind.

What do you think?

Were you in jail?

I often see resumes that show significant employment gaps. Usually, when I speak to the candidate, it's revealed that he or she only wanted to include past employment relative to the position they are seeking. While I certainly understand keeping the reader focused on relevant experience, this approach almost inevitably causes the reader to believe you haven't been working or worse yet, you were in jail.

A bit sarcastic? Well, maybe. In 2009, the Bureau of Justice Statistics reported that Non-Hispanic Blacks made up 39.4% of the prison and jail population. Hispanics of all races made up 16.9%. That said, a gap in employment is likely to be viewed as if the candidate doesn't want me to know something, so it must not be good.

To avoid such stereotyping, list all employment in the most recent 10 year period. What if some of the positions weren't relevant to the job I'm seeking? That's easy. Nine times out of ten, there is some part of every job that is relevant. Say for example, you've worked as an commercial architect but for last few years you've been a short-order cook. As an architect, you determined client needs and applied building principles to develop a solution. As a short-order cook you recognized client demand (most popular orders), determined kitchen/pantry needs (food & equipment) and developed a solution (new menu item, adequate stock of ingredients).

Keep in mind, recruiters see many resumes on a daily basis. With the average view being 10 seconds or less, you need to connect the dots for the recruiter. Never leave your future solely to the thoughts of a recruiter. Make the connection for them. You'll be happy you did.

What Had Happened Was...

Our current economy has opened the door for many more people to experience the sting of layoff, displacement, downsizing, etc. No matter what term you use, at the end of the day, it means I won't be going back to the job I had. But how do you move beyond something so emotional?

Lets break it down, it's not just that your job has been snatched from you. It's all of the ancillaries. Jason's soccer, Katie's ballet, weekly manicures, vacations, even the occasional at home shrimp dinner. Though it feels like it, this is not the end.

First, surround yourself with positive messages. Those may come from books, posts, tweets, friends, family, anywhere. This also means that those people that want to cosign on your misery must go. Who am I talking about? Anyone that wants to remind you that it's hard to find a job nowadays, or that they know someone that's been out of work for three years. Just because it happens, doesn't mean you have to dine on the message for breakfast, lunch, dinner and a late night snack.

Next, carry no guilt, nor a badge. Do not feel guilty because you were laid off. In most cases, the company existed before they knew your name, but more importantly, you existed before you knew their name. It is not necessary to carry your job loss as a sandwich board. It should not be your opening remark when speaking to someone. Talk about what you ARE doing, such as volunteering, planning activities for the kids, reading a book, etc. I've often heard people refer to this state as being in transition. I believe that is a very healthy way to approach it. It implies you are going somewhere.

Finally, get out of your own way. Often we stay focused on a specific job title, work schedule, industry or even location. Figure out what flexibility you have and incorporate that into work job search. You may be at a point in your life where you can relocate to another city or state. If that's the case, do your research about the area, if it is unfamiliar to you, and start looking. Maybe you need to stay put. That does not prevent you from checking out other industries and even positions that may be different from what you were doing that draw on your existing skills and allow you to develop new ones.

So, don't shy away from the situation, get out there and see what's over the horizon. I'll bet it's beautiful.

You put WHAT on Facebook?

Often we think of our personal lives separate from our work lives. However, the two now can easily intermingle thanks to social media...and employers know it to!

People sometimes forget how easily accessible their drunken photos, bad behavior and otherwise distasteful situations are with a simple search. Yes, you could say that social media sites invade our privacy with their practices, then again, it's their servers. So how do you keep from being seen in a negative light while seeking a new employment opportunity?

Here are a few recommendations:

1.) Purge your Facebook. Only "friend" people you know and trust. One rule that I use is to only friend people I would invite to my house for a visit. Connect with work-only friends on LinkedIn. Also consider "unfriending" people that consistently post inappropriate and fowl language.

2.) Risqué photos are risky. Of course it's best not to take the photo in the first place, but if you do, limit sharing. It's all kicks and giggles when you send it to your BFF, but it becomes something totally different when your BFF turns into your Frenemy.

3.) If you don't have anything nice to say... Keep in mind your online identification when posting comments to articles or blogs. A super sleuth can easily link you to what you said.

Overall, use your best judgment when playing, and posting, online.

Enjoy the ride and learn along the way.

It's the truth! I swear!

In the wake of  former Yahoo! CEO Scott Thompson's troubles, many are asking "What's the cost of a lie that didn't have to be"?   For most of us, a lie about education on our resume or application does not yield a payment valued at over $6 million.  Yes, we might get back the dollar we put in the vending machine this morning for the strawberry Pop-Tarts.  Then again, why would we?  We are now known to the public as liars, people who lack integrity, and more importantly people who lied for no good reason.

In my HR experience, I've had the occasion to come across an employee that stretched the truth about their education.  The worst part, is that like in Mr. Thompson's case, the lie made no sense and was completely unnecessary.  Go figure!

It appears that people believe that claiming a degree that more closely fits the organization's product or focus makes them a better candidate.  Basically, they are saying, I don't trust that you will consider someone with limited education, so in order to make sure you choose me, I'll polish it up a bit, worrying about the truthfulness of the statement when I get caught.  So now we know...even CEOs get fired for lying. 

When I first heard the story, I wondered how Yahoo!  would resolve this.  No doubt the company has fired employees for falsifying their education.  No doubt they had intended for Mr. Thompson to stay with them longer than 5 months.  For Yahoo!, there was no easy way out.  Even though he's resigned in the midst of this scandal, the image to the brand and the executive selection practices leave people wondering, if the practices are so loose that they inadvertently encourage people to lie, what other lies does the company support?  Is my information really private?  Or are you just saying that so I'll feel secure?  

The next time you are tempted to say something that is untrue (and can be easily verified, by the way) on your resume, remember, you don't get a $6 million payout.  You'll be lucky to get a box to pack up your fake degree. 

Until next time.

Do HR folks train for education or information?

Yesterday, I was speaking with a friend about training.  Our conversation began about content delivery and how boring and static HR training seems to be.  Though he knew it from experience, it perplexed him as to why this was the case.  See, he is a phenomenal trainer.  He is very thorough and thoughtful in his content development and uses a variety of media in delivery.  He has shared with me some of the training he has created and delivered and I must admit, upon hearing about the topics, I was lukewarm.  Then he blew me away with his delivery and his ability to maintain a high level of engagement throughout the course.  So, you can see why, he struggled to understand why someone training HR policies and procedures would not strive to be engaging.  After all, aren't we the ones that guide our business partners to specific actions that generate high employee engagement?

I shared with him why I believe HR training does not seem to have much of a pulse.  It comes down to objective.  Typically, when one is training individuals on HR policies and procedures, the objective is to familiarize the audience with the content and give them resources to navigate through the issue.  The result: more lecture, less learning.

I too, am guilty of delivering training by showing a sterile presentation deck.  At times, I've linked to active intranet pages to show participants where to find the related information.  If I'm really feeling frisky, I'll throw in a survey, to make sure the participants are paying attention, or at least to interrupt their multitasking.  But as we were speaking, I had to ask, how have I contributed to bland, tasteless training and what could I have done differently.  Here are a few suggestions, courtesy of my trainer friend:

1. Make it interactive.  Even discussions about understanding ADA or local wage and hour laws can be interesting, dare I say, even exciting, if you bring people into the picture.
2. Reach outside the content area to connect everyday occurrences to the topic.  This may be easier said than done, but you can bet that participants will remember the content if you can connect it to something that seems unrelated and remote.
3. Check for learning.  When asked whether they understand, most participants will say they understand or just nod and agree.  The best way to know that there is understanding is to provide quizzes and tests throughout the course.  Remember our focus should be on learning not just the sharing of information.  

If HR folks do this in every training opportunity,we will become effective trainers yet!

Until next time...