Are Your Interview Questions Tired and Dated? Consider Dumping This One

We all have our standard list of interview questions we use when vetting candidates for a position. Perhaps it is a list of standardized queries based upon the position description. Maybe it is something that has been in the file drawer we inherited with the job lo those many years ago.

Whatever the situation there is one question we ought to consider dumping like a hot potato. That tired question is: "What are is your greatest weakness?" 

Stop and think for a moment. How is this any of your business? Really. How? Is the candidate qualified? Do they meet the basic qualifications? Do they appear to be a good fit for the team with whom they will be working? Is the work history valid? Did they pass the background check? 

If so, then why are we still asking about a person's weaknesses? Everyone has weaknesses? But you aren't going to get an answer that really matters. The candidate will likely choke, might get up and walk out and/or give you an answer that tries to turn a strength into a weakness. They work too hard, they care too much, etc.

An recent article on Forbes' website addresses this issue and advises candidates on how to answer such a question. The subtext however is clear: we really need to stop asking this one. It serves no real purpose. Instead, why not focus on the job and the skills required to perform it. Get to know the candidate a little bit but please stop with the weaknesses line of questioning. You won't get the answer your looking for anyway.

Recruitment - We Have Jobs, Now Where Are the Applicants?

It is a dilemma every company faces. How to recruit talent. Whether you are a local government trying to entice minority candidates to apply, a manufacturing firm looking to hire fresh faces and expand production, a healthcare provider seeking qualified STNA applicants, or even a school district trying to add newly minted teachers the problem is everywhere. The jobs exist, yet we are all lamenting that qualified people aren't applying.

What's that you say? 'But I received over 100 applicants for the manager's job I posted last month' of course you did. A management job that pays well is the brass ring everyone wants. How many actually had the qualifications you asked for in your job posting? 

How many people applied for that non-management-foot-in-the-door position you also posted last month? Less than twenty? How many of them meet your criteria? Of the five you interviewed, how many would you actually hire? Of them, which ones filled out all the paperwork correctly, had solid references and/or showed up for the drug screening? If your organization is part of a regulated industry how many passed the background check? Better still, how did these people hear about you?

Competition for qualified individuals who are willing to work in non-management positions is fierce. For a difference of less than twenty-five cents an hour that bright young STNA the care facility just hired will quit (most likely without notice) and bop on down the road to your competition.

So how do we recruit talented, bright young people to offset our graying workforce and bring fresh faces into our offices, plants, schools and care facilities?  It's a good question.

I don't have all of the answers of course, no one really does. Goodness knows there are hundreds if not thousands of firms out there willing to sell you their strategies and plans for tens of thousands of dollars. And maybe they would work. But what if they don't?

Ask yourself: what is my current recruitment strategy? Where am I posting my job openings?

You know your field best. You know your company/organization. You know the kind of people who would fit your team. But do you know your local media? And by "media" I do mean social media. Let's be honest for a moment, today's job hunter is not necessarily going to be reading the local newspaper and getting newsprint on their hands. Today's job hunter is going to be using digital sources primarily: LinkedIn, job boards and yes, even Craig's List. But you still have to target your audience. Also take another look at the filters you have set up for your automated online applications and HRIS tool - maybe you're missing good candidates because they are getting caught in the filters. Are you ruling out older workers unintentionally by having extremely tight keywords built in or asking what year they graduated from college for example? 

There is a social media outlet for every type of candidate. Corner office job? The Ladders, Ivy Exec, iHire, professional associations (think SHRM for example), and so on. Scrappy, youthful creative thinkers? Craig's List and FlexJobs are good starts. Target your digital recruiting the way you used to target your print media recruiting. Know the audience for each platform and go from there. Not sure? Ask! You have people in your organization right now you can ask for input. That up and coming young woman you hired a year or two ago, ask her what tools she used to find you. Ask her what people like her look for when looking for work and where they are looking for it.

Yes, keep using traditional methods too, but don't put all your money in the local paper. Use it by all means because that 40-something middle management hotshot might still be reading the paper, albeit on his/her iPad. Yes, contact college and university placement offices and post on their electronic outlets. Yes, be mindful of where the minority audience looks when they are job seeking - for them it may not be electronic media but maybe it is. Again, ask! 

Your current employees are your best focus group for this kind of thing so don't count them out. Pull together your best and brightest, have lunch brought in and brainstorm. Feeling as though their ideas and insights matter not only will lead to some solid recruitment strategies for you it will also go a long way towards making these employees feel as though they are contributing and when employees feel that way you score retention points.

Have You Checked Your Employee Handbook Yet?

As the first quarter of 2016 winds down and the craziness of open enrollment, budget planning and strategy development for a new year grow smaller in the rear view mirror it is time to ask yourself: what shape is my employee handbook/policy manual in? Have I incorporated everything necessary for 2016? Is this critical document up to date?

Let's look at the Top Ten Updates for 2016:

1. Social Media Policy - How specific is your policy in regards to what an employee may or may not disclose online about your organization? Typically we tend to be very broad believing that the more specific we are the less adaptable the policy is to varying situations. And that is a valid point. However, the National labor relations Board has heard a number of cases in recent years  pertaining to this issue and come down (mostly) on the side of freedom of speech. The overly broad policies we all strive to develop have been considered in these cases to violate collective bargaining rights even when there has been no effort to form a union. Savvy attorneys are looking at these cases and rulings. If your disciplinary actions move to the termination level these rulings could be used against you in a wrongful termination lawsuit. What to do? Review your language. How broad is it? Are you specifically talking about disclosure of vendor identity, customer identity, confidential business information, things that would damage the organization's ability to conduct business? Tighten up the language. You should still talk about time-loss activities on company time of course. But a broad statement along the lines of "thou shalt not discuss where you work at all on social media" isn't such a good idea and in the hands of an attorney could come back to bite you.

2. Data Privacy - This follows along from item #1, make sure your policy clarifies that employees are not to download apps onto a device that contains employer information and not to click on links in unsolicited emails. There is a LOT of malware out there just itching to access your data. Also, be very clear that employees are not to leave a device used for work in a car (laptops, cell phones, tablets, etc.) and to report any theft of such a device immediately. This may seem like common sense but it isn't. There have been numerous reports int he news over the years of employee laptops being stolen and customer data being hacked.

3. Reasonable Accommodations - Make sure you are fully aware of the reasonable accommodation laws in your state, not just the federal version. Clarify in the handbook what the legal basis for such accommodations is and that the organization intends to comply. Managers must be put on notice that if an employee mentions a condition that might qualify the manager needs to ask if the employee is seeking an accommodation. Used to be the employer could wait until the employee specifically made the ask. Now the dialog must happens even if there is a possibility. Spell out your process for making such a request and remember - if you accommodate one employee for their condition you need to make certain to accommodate others with the same condition. Always keeping in mind that an accommodation means whatever the adjustment might be it allows the employee to fully perform all of the essential functions of their position. They still need to be able to do the job. ALSO if you are accommodating someone with a lifting restriction and you have a pregnant employee with the same or similar lifting restriction due to her pregnancy, you have to offer her the same accommodation. You cannot discriminate based on pregnancy.

4. Retaliation - Always a fun topic. And one that comes up often in unemployment cases (I was fired because I spoke up ...) and EEO claims (The employer retaliation against me by ...). We all know to state that the organization will not tolerate retaliation. But does your policy also state that you will protect witnesses and others who participate in the investigation of a retaliation claim at least so far as is permissible under the law? Be careful not to promise complete confidentiality, instead state that identities will be revealed only on a need-to-know basis. Be sure to discuss with your legal counsel the full meaning of "whistle-blower" protection. It doesn't necessarily mean what employees think it means. 

5. Wages & Payroll - There are two areas that ought to be clearly addressed to minimize liability: unauthorized overtime and improper deductions from employee pay. The first issue (unauthorized overtime) is of special concern as we all wait to see what the final rule ends up being for the revised FLSA exemptions. However, unauthorized overtime is where that really great dedicated employee can get the employer in trouble in an FLSA audit without meaning to. They come in early, they stay late, they work over weekends... and they don't record their time. If this employee is eligible for overtime then they must be compensated for this time worked. No way around it. If the Wage & Hour Division shows up to do an FLSA audit they are going to talk to people and it is going to come out that this employee is working all these extra hours and not being compensated. Hello back pay, fines and headaches! Therefore, make it 100% clear in your handbook that employees may not work overtime without advance permission from the manage and that the manager can (and should!) discipline employees after they work unapproved overtime. Also make it clear that nonexempt employees may NOT access job-related emails or conduct other business outside of work hours.

Deductions that are not court-ordered (garnishments) or required by law (taxes, etc) are not uncommon . The handbook should spell out practices that the organization does and does not engage in with regard to pay. Be certain to note that good-faith efforts will be made to correct errors and encourage employees to bring such errors to the employer's attention immediately upon notice.

6. State-Specific Laws - Every employer is responsible for not only keeping up-to-date with the federal regulations but also with the state and local laws pertaining to employment as well. Has your state legislature been busy? Do you know when any changes or new laws go/went into effect? It is easy to miss some of these as they don't garner the headlines the federal laws do.

7. Leave Benefits - Are your leave benefits up to date? Do you address the 30 hour workweek for the purpose of insurance under the Affordable Care Act? Is it clear that FMLA is actually unpaid leave but employees may (or perhaps are required) to utilize paid leave concurrently. Speaking of FMLA have you updated the spousal section to incorporate same-sex couples? Do you have a multi-state organization wherein one or more states now mandate an amount of paid sick leave? Are you a federal contractor with various leave mandates? How are these reflected in your handbook? Remember this is the first section a new employee turns to upon being hired. 

8. Attendance - Employers should be very careful how they treat an employee who does not qualify for FMLA or who has exhausted it. It may be that the condition in question falls under the ADA and thus the employee may be eligible for leave under that legislation. You should note that this is a possibility and cross-reference the reasonable accommodation language.

9.  Smoking and Marijuana Use - We're all familiar with cigarette smoking bans, no tobacco use policies but times have changed... again. Now we have e-cigarettes and in some states legal use of marijuana. If you do not already address e-cigarettes you should update your handbook to do so and treat them like any other tobacco product. The use of marijuana for medical or recreational purposes can generally be treated the same as any other drug. You can't use alcohol at work or come to work under its influence, marijuana can typically be treated the same way. HOWEVER some states have enacted laws prohibiting organizations from firing an employee who tests positive for marijuana if they hold a valid medical marijuana registration card. And there are court cases that have upheld terminations of employees even with a medical marijuana  prescription. Be sure to talk to your legal counsel regarding what the current legislation is in your state.

10. LGBT Rights - Laws are still evolving despite the 2015 Supreme Court ruling that permits and recognizes same-sex marriage. This means a same-sex married couple has the same rights to insurance coverage that a married hetrosexual couple has under your policy. Communities in some areas have extended the anti-discrimination protections to transgender individuals, are you aware what your municipality has done is this regard? Gender identity is now included under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Take a look at your anti-discrimination statement. Compare it not only to the federal classifications but also to your state and local. 

It is a good idea to review your handbook on an annual basis, especially these days. Time was you could go three to five years without an update this is no longer the case. When in doubt ask an expert - your legal counsel, a consultant who specializes in human resources and labor law in your state and the best place to start is with your senior human resources professional. 

Credit: SHRM - check out their website for more info 

Employee Social Media Use & Brand Damage

Today's topic is both a pivot and a policy. Pivot: Social Media Use. Policy: Your Employees Use It and It Can Bite You.

Social media is everywhere and constantly evolving with more and more platforms coming online every day. Even the most savvy marketing/PR professional can be hard pressed to keep up. You want your company to be visible, to interact with your clients, your audience and to get all the great news about your wonderful products and services out in front of that audience. So your marketing/PR team works to keep your website and social media accounts fresh, no stale news to be found. All top of mind awareness, lots of reach and frequency, etc. However....

What about what your employees are saying about you? Do you know what they are saying about you? Do you treat them as your audience as well? In all the focus on the external audience are you overlooking the internal?

The optimist in you wants to capture all the "it's a great place to work" and "we make/do great stuff" remarks on social media and point to them as evidence that your company is wonderful but the pessimist in you worries about the disgruntled, having a bad day, just plain not happy employees. What are they saying? Are they bashing you? Can it hurt your business if they are? Can it impact your brand identity?

The answer is... kind of, potentially. 

First thing to remember: once something is out there on the Internet it never dies. It's doesn't go away even if the original post is removed. Odds are it has been shared, copied and bounced around the web by other people besides the originator. And the originator has followers even if it is only family members and THOSE people have followers. So you can't simply make it go away by demanding a negative post be taken down and assume that fixes the problem. You have to address the problem itself. HOW is this situation reflective of the company brand? WHY is the employee upset? WHAT can you do about it (if anything)?

Second thing to remember: everyone has a bad day on occasion and they are going to complain about it. Social media gives people a much larger platform on which to voice that complaint. Unless it is really, really bad you are better off to ignore it. Although if you are friends with this person on Facebook and this has been going on for a while or seems severe, you might want to ask if they are okay. Again, addressing the problem. Just don't do that online. You could inadvertently start an online argument and no one wins those. That sort of thing can damage your brand identity especially if you are trying to maintain a warm and fuzzy persona. Remember it will be viewed by others, potentially shared and never go away.

Third thing to remember: unless you have a policy that clearly states employees are not to exhibit your logo, list their place of employment, disparage the organization and/or its clients/customers in ways that will damage business on their social media pages there isn't a thing you can do about it expect ask politely that they please refrain. Keep in mind the courts have been going back and forth on what you can and cannot enforce in regards to social media use by employees. In some circuits the employer wins these things, in others the employee wins and then BAM! next case it flips back the other way. Don't expect the courts to help you if you fire someone over social media use and they sue you. Take a deep breath and don't overreact.

Of course if the employee is using your computers during work time to bash your organization, you can approach the behavior from a use of employer-owned equipment for personal use and engaging in time loss activity while at work. The exact same way you would if you caught them shopping online during the work day. After all, you aren't paying them to complain about you online, or to shop. 

The best defense? Approach this from an internal marketing/PR perspective: Ask yourself, how can I build a culture that promotes positive engagement by employees? How do I "sell" this culture to my internal audience? How do we go about living this culture? How can this culture foster positive social media marketing? How can the company tap into this positive engagement to further the brand? Your employees are a resource as well as an audience. How are you engaging them in this way? 

Focus on the positive but be aware of the negative. See the negative as a concern, a problem that you can address with the employee(s) and ultimately resolve. Just as you would if the problem had been brought to your attention by an external client/customer. Maybe you had no idea there was a problem until it popped up on the employee's social media page(s). You can't fix what you don't know about after all. But once you know, you can pivot the negative into a positive.

Here's an article that might be of interest regarding employees and the employer brand (click here).

BYOD Policies - Do You Have One? Do You Need One?

Bring your own device (BYOD). What does this mean? In short BYOD is when your employees use their own devices (smart phones, laptops, tablets, etc.) for work purposes. 

Sounds a little scary doesn't it? How can you the employer control what the employee is doing? Are they really working? Are they shopping online? Can I ask to see the device? How can I enforce Internet policies about time wasting activities? What about nonexempt employees? How do I when when they are working and should be compensated? What about security? What about record retention? In the public sector: what about public records?

For the employee it becomes a question of privacy. This is my device, the employer does not have a right to peruse it! I don't want to carry two phones/laptops/tablets but I don't want my employer to have access to my personal stuff either.

SHRM has some guidelines on putting together policies to address this trend and what to avoid (click here). They aren't offering any sample policies just yet but the guidance is solid. At the end of the day it will be a balancing act. How much should the focus be on employee privacy and how much on employer concerns.  

It's A Launch Party!

Welcome to Pivot and Policy!

In public relations/media relations much of what an organization is attempting is to pivot: either away from something that didn't go so well or towards something that they want to go well. The pivot away is to show the audience that yes, that was an "oops" but look over here! We do great stuff over here! The pivot towards is to get the audience to support the service/event/business model/idea/whatever the organization is promoting even when they are simply stating they have hired a brand-new executive who is going to make things great.

Policy is the foundational component of human resources. An organization needs sound policies that are easy to understand by all employees, enforceable and comply with local, state and federal regulations. One leg of HR's proverbial three-legged stool: policies, position descriptions and performance evaluation systems. That three-legged stool is evolving and the seat of it (to carry the analogy forward) is the goodwill of the employees. Goodwill that sometimes, okay often, an organization has to pivot to achieve/maintain.

This blog will be exploring both public relations and human resources, sometimes separately, sometimes in combination. There is a lot of data out there. A lot of tricks of the trade. No one can keep up with all of it and still get the day-to-day job done. This blog won't capture all of it either. But maybe, just maybe it will pick up something you missed that will be useful to you.