From the White House to the Workplace

Turn on your TV, radio, or take a drive – everywhere you turn political banter is being tossed at you like a bad infomercial at 3am. And, being merely weeks away from Election Day, we know it will only get worse as the political arena heats up. With all this taking place outside the office, it is inevitable that some would find its way into our workplace conversations and relationships.

From an HR perspective, while not a legally protected status, political views can often times have the same effect on employees as discussing other sensitive issues, such as gender / sex-related content or jokes, religious matters, income or salaries, etc. By allowing these conversations to take place during work hours, you run the risk of having employees feel alienated within their teams, offended, uncomfortable, or worse – the exchange can turn confrontational. Some cases have also made the link between political conversation and harassment via the hostile work environment clause¹.

 According to CareerBuilder’s last survey on politics at work², 36% of workers discuss politics at work, while 46% stated that they plan to discuss this year’s presidential election with their co-workers. Of those who discussed politics at work, more than one in five – approximately 23% – said it led to a heated work exchange or fight with a work colleague. At the same time, only about 25% of organizations have a written policy on political activities, according to a survey conducted during the last presidential election by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

Other things to think about, legally, are that our notion of ‘Freedom of Speech’ is not wholly guaranteed in a private workplace, only in public places, and where it does exist in these organizations, is constrained under certain circumstances, specifically:

§  Within state and local municipality laws that provide protections to employees during off-duty hours

§  When the NLRA protections are enforced for your workforce. These can be for both at the workplace and away from work.

o   More specifically, these begin to kick in if an employer is stating support for specific candidates, parties, etc. in terms of the conditions of employment – tying political speech to workers’ employment situation

§  Private sector employers have a right to forbid use of company e-mail for distributing political banter, cartoons, etc., and, they can restrict t-shirts or buttons with ‘political flare’, if the employee deals directly with customers.

This line can get even blurrier and harder to walk for federal or state government employers; many in these industries have solidified policies outlining exactly what, and when, employees can talk about regarding their political views. However, for those in private or public companies, taking a hard stance or creating over-reaching policies may not just be ineffective, they could be a breeding ground for resentment and mistrust.

Best practices tend to fall somewhere in the middle – realizing that different beliefs, values, and opinions are unique to every individual and should be respected as such, but it is also in the best interests of management and HR to keep the workplace as amiable and united as possible. In a teamwork environment, an issue like politics can more-often-than-not be polarizing and divergent – a cancer that can eat away at your business, customers, and moral.

Until next time, be Inspirational!

1.     http://www2.law.ucla.edu/volokh/harass/breadth.htm

2.     http://thehiringsite.careerbuilder.com/2012/03/01/is-it-politically-incorrect-to-talk-politics-in-the-office/ 

September is National Preparedness Month

This year marks the nation’s ninth annual National Preparedness Month, in honor of September 11^th. Events can be found around the country to educate the public on various events such as natural disasters, mass casualties, biological and chemical threats, radiation emergencies, and terrorist attacks. It is sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the US Department of Homeland Security. To find an event near your organization, visit: http://community.fema.gov/connect.ti/readynpm/view?objectId=191603&exp=e1

Disaster preparedness and management takes on a much more complex tone from an HR perspective than that of the everyday person. Human Resources, concurrently with Safety professionals, are typically considered the gatekeepers of these plans, and need to be proactively thinking about all of the “what-ifs” and possible scenarios that could affect your workforce. Because there are a million and one contingencies that are possible, start with analyzing your business, your workforce, and your environment. ‘Disaster and Operations Continuity Planning’ needs to include the two important steps at the outset: consider the entirety of hazards that may occur, and then assess the probabilities of any such disaster occurring and begin planning for those with the highest degree or probability. The focus must also be sufficiently broad to include planned disasters (terrorism, epidemics) and unplanned disasters (flood, hurricane, earthquake, etc). Thus, disaster planning for continuity of operations must be aware of the types of hazards presented while devoting its attention to those with the highest probability of occurrence. Once this analysis has been completed, the organization should direct its attention to disasters in the context of the work sites being operational, versus work sites being closed, and develop its plans considering both possibilities.¹ You will also need to think about how your employees are effected by the disaster external to your business operations – if their family, home, transportation, etc. was impacted negatively, what is your company’s course of action, and can this be done on a large scale (should several employees be impacted similarly).

According to the NFPA1600’s New National Standard, an employer’s disaster preparedness plan should include the following:

• Evacuation procedures should be published to every employee and evacuation drills (as well as fire drills) should be routinely conducted.
• Maintain accurate emergency contact information to reach employees and next of kin.
• Establish and publicize mechanisms (e.g., web site, telephone chain, recorded announcement) through which the employer may apprise its employees of any pertinent developments.
• Reassess the means and manner in which critical information is stored, both physically and electronically to prevent irreparable physical damage from crippling the company’s operations.
• Review existing property, casualty, business interruption, life and other insurance policies, and modify such coverage where necessary or prudent.

As always, legal review of the plan is advised, as well as periodic updates as your business grows and changes so that the plan remains relevant to your workforce. After development of the plan, training and communication of the procedures are crucial to execution.

As you go through the plan, make sure to take note of things like continuing compensation and benefits plans during a disaster, other benefits such as leaves of absence, technology issues, labor relations/union issues (should they apply), alternative work arrangements and schedules, safety evacuations and transportation issues, workplace violence and security, and communication to employees during a disaster.²

Until next time, be Inspirational!

¹ http://www.shrm.org/about/membership/Pages/EmergencyPreparedness.aspx

² http://www.shrm.org/TemplatesTools/Toolkits/Pages/ManagingEmergencyandDisaster.aspx

August Uncertainty

Hello again to all my blog readers! The warm August winds are sweeping past us, children are donning their newest back-to-school gear, and employees everywhere are wrapping up last-minute summer vacations, as Labor Day weekend will signal the close of summer. Heading into fall, we have plenty of things to keep us on our toes; political uncertainty / upcoming elections (watch for an upcoming blog post on politics in the workplace!), international economic uncertainty, stalling US job growth, and the lack of qualified talent for available jobs (i.e. “US Talent Crisis”). 

According to the most recent PriceWaterhouseCooper’s (PwC) “U.S. Private Company Trendsetter Barometer”, half of leading private companies were optimistic about the U.S. economy, but nearly the same percentage remained uncertain, citing the painfully slow U.S. economic recovery and the continued fluctuation in the Eurozone. This up-and-down movement in “Trendsetter” confidence has been a consistent pattern over the past several years and signals a prevailing sense of uncertainty, leading to talent and strategic operating decisions that have a trickle-down effect on the entire working population. Other statistics from “Trendsetter” to take note of: 86% expect positive revenue growth over the next year, though they plan a slight scaling back in spending; only 54% of Trendsetter companies looking to add new employees; and 68% of companies cite potential lack of demand as their major growth barrier, while 48% are also concerned about legislative/regulatory pressures (leading us squarely back to political uncertainty and the upcoming elections).

So, where does that leave us? Enter in Creative Talent Management. Not to say that you haven’t been utilizing these tools all along, but with the vast majority of surveys out there¹ currently putting us at a national unemployment rate of 8% by the end of 2012, down only by .2% from this summer, so it’s good to refresh the memory. Best practices in creative staffing management range so vastly by market that oftentimes we dismiss trends as something that would be inapplicable to our industry just because it’s being used elsewhere (i.e. a trend in the IT world does not always translate to a successful implementation in a traditional manufacturing facility); however, I challenge you to become more open- minded when thinking through your options. Ask how something could be modified to work for your workforce, rather than dismiss it, and possibly create something new and great in the process. You will also find that no matter how great the solution, it more often-than-not becomes not about the solution itself, but how it is received; therefore, think about how you will spin this idea to employees, and you may even be able to add a ‘perk’ to your list of benefits!

Flexible work arrangements are by far the most popular staffing management tool. Any number of things can fall into this category, but start with thinking about your employee base; can you offer anyone a job-share program? Do you have office staff who would relish the idea of a four day workweek (often times, in the summer, referred to as “summer hours”, “summer schedule”, etc.)? Could you create more flexibility within specific departments that may be experiencing a slow period, offering free half days or leave early for employees in those departments? For employers in educational fields or healthcare, oftentimes you can open up time to employees to take a hiatus to do research, pro-bono work, etc. Also make sure to take a hard look at telecommuting, which is often overlooked, for those employees who need little interaction to complete their work. Whatever the option that you look at, just remember to tout the benefits of the added flexibility you are offering; studies show that as much as 81 percent of the U.S. workforce might be looking for other opportunities, thus the engagement and retention of your top talent is at risk, which directly impacts the success and sustainability of your organization. Flexibility is one of the best tools you can use to retain and attract top talent (especially with the Millennial/Gen Y generation), and close the skills gap.

Temporary employees, independent contractors, consultants, Co-Ops, and more are another realm of creative staffing that every HR leader should utilize as much as possible when economic signals create uncertainty. Typically the benefits in hiring through these means outweigh the perceived drawbacks, specifically cost and quality of hire. For temporary employees, make sure to develop a close relationship of mutual trust with your staffing agencies in order to get the best candidates, customer service, and pricing.

Layoffs, voluntary or involuntary, should typically be a last resort, unless you are using a voluntary layoff in lieu of a flexible work arrangement. However, even then, the word “layoff” evokes fear and anxiety in employees – whether they are affected or not. Other companies, who would otherwise be faced with a layoff situation, strategically utilize “shut downs” or market the move as something different. Another useful tool to utilize when faced with a layoff situation is performance management. Making sure to retain your top talent and reduce your bottom 5% through these metrics is oftentimes an easier outlet if trimming needs to take place.

As always, hiring while implementing these practices can create an added layer of confusion, both for current employees and for those being brought on-board. Best to keep communications open, and if you can, pull from within before hiring externally, or pull from an existing temp pool. According to recent employers surveys, most employers plan to add strategic positions, but hold steady otherwise, leading to continue the tread of low-job growth that began back in June.  

Until next time, Be Inspirational!

1.     At its June 2012 meeting, the Federal Reserve Board of Governors forecasted the nation’s unemployment rate to range from 7.8 percent to 8.4 percent at the end of 2012. The National Association of Business Economics 2012 outlook survey said they expect unemployment to fall to 8 percent sometime in the fourth quarter of 2012.