Employee Development - Whose Responsibility is It? (Part I of II)

Wouldn't it be easy to say the responsibility for developing your career rests solely in the hands of your employer and supervisor? After all, you're giving your time and effort to them, so shouldn't it be their responsibility to ensure you develop into the superstar you're meant to be? Aren't they supposed to give feedback on what you're doing well and how you can improve?

These expectations create a constant struggle for both employers and employees. This newsletter focuses on the importance of taking control of your career development - and provides strategies to help you do so. After all, you're not responsible for your boss's leadership skills. But you alone are responsible for the goals and strategies you put in place to succeed. (My next newsletter will focus on providing support for employers.)

Consider this example as a lesson: Almost two years ago Renee resolved to develop her leadership capabilities and begin increasing her responsibilities at work. Fortunately, the CEO of her company, Ted, saw Renee as capable, moved her into the office next to his and promised to provide guidance. While he has been more than willing to give ideas and provide support when she approaches him, he has yet to reach out on his own with feedback.

Just a couple of days ago, Renee came to me frustrated - with lots of questions and concerns:

• "Why do I keep doing the same things and expecting different results?"

• "Clearly I am not the type of person who does well under Ted's leadership. Why isn't he providing the guidance he promised?"

• "How am I to know what I'm doing well if he never provides feedback?"

• "How am I going to get promoted if I can't capture his attention?"

• "What are my markers for success?"

Renee was stuck. She wanted to grow and develop, to dive into the leadership position she so desired. But she had no idea how. Fortunately, she realized there's no point in playing the blame game. This new-found understanding (what I'm doing isn't working, so I need to try something different) was the perfect starting point.

Below are some tips I gave Renee:

-> Take full responsibility for your own professional development. If you blame your lack of guidance on someone else, only you lose.

-> Create a plan for your development - with specific goals.

-> Share your plan with your supervisor or a trusted mentor. Let them know what areas you would like to improve on and request their support. Be specific about what this means - the time commitment you're asking for and the frequency with which you'd like feedback.

-> Be ready to grow. Feedback is a way of letting you know you are or are not on track. And if your mentors are truthful (and therefore effective leaders), it's very likely you will hear some things you don't want to hear. Remember: It is simply feedback. It's not good or bad; it just is. Understanding and becoming aware is awesome for your growth.

The vast majority of professionals choose not to take responsibility for their development. They go through the motions, hoping they will be noticed, admired, promoted and given projects that excite them. Do you want to leave your career to chance? I don't.
Rock on!*88

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By Misti Burmeister
Misti Burmeister is a recognized expert in Generational Communication. Learn more about how to improve the communication between generations at Inspirion Inc.

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Dealing With Compensation 101

I once supervised a Compensation Analyst who had spent a great deal of time attending professional seminars and workshops. She had attended these instructional sessions to learn about Compensation, as part of her professional development.

One result of that education was a favored response when faced with a challenge at work; she would fall back on her class work experience by saying, "the greatest minds in Compensation say that . . . ". It took a great deal of patience on my part to educate this part time practitioner / part time student in the difference between the classroom / textbook answer and the reality of the workplace.

A short while ago I came across an HR blog in which the author was instructing readers in how to create a merit performance matrix. Very good stuff, I thought, admiring the technical step-by-step instructions, except I knew from long experience that the procedure being described would never work in the real world. Didn't the author realize that?

Yes, it is very important to understand the technical foundations of Compensation methodology and practice, but first and foremost you need to anchor yourself in the real world, to know what will work and not work in your own organization - no matter what the finest minds in Compensation think.

Why doesn't Compensation theory always match compensation reality in the workplace?

• Business realities: management will typically know more about a particular business situation than you do. What you are able to provide to the decision-making process as a Compensation professional is limited to your particular subject area, while management usually has the bigger picture - the perspective of multiple viewpoints. Your compensation advice may not fit their business reality, no matter how logical an argument you make.

• Bias of decision-makers: decision-makers may feel that they intuitively *know* the right approach to take (they've done it before, if-it's-not-broke- don't-fit-it mentality, a friend / relation / old college chum suggested an approach, etc.). Perhaps they read an article just the other day and now are insistent to follow the advice of an author who doesn't have a clue about their particular business. Years ago I worked for a company whose CEO forced HR to implement a particular benefit plan because he had read a magazine article. It does happen.

• Problem avoidance: short of killing the messenger, one solution for management is to do nothing about a problem (you've exaggerated it, the solution costs too much, there's still time, etc.). Senior managers can be like politicians in avoiding the *big* decision unless it bites them in the leg. It can sometimes be dangerous to your career if you try to force a decision.

• Business culture or model: some initiatives just don't "fit" in your organization. Managers with a laid back organization style will not be interested in demands to document everything, standardize policies and procedures and have approved forms for every possible use. Picture your head banging against the wall.

Aside from management giving you a dose of reality across the cheek , sometimes those subject matter experts who instruct in Compensation techniques fail to ground their instructions with a caution to their students: check this process out in the reality of your workplace *before* you take a laboratory technique and wave it in the face of your management.

Two examples:

1) Merit matrix: when designing a pay-for-performance merit increase matrix the standard rule is to place the average increase percentage in the cell block most populated by employees (average performance and average position-in-range). The sound reasoning for this technique is to better manage the costs associated with that year's annual increase process.

A lot of years ago I followed that approach in my first compensation leadership role. I still have a little bump where my head hit the wall.

Here's the rub; such a technique requires that the matrix change every year, as the analysis demands you study where the population averages are for each year. But management will likely have none of that. They want the same matrix every year, for ease of administration and communication.

2) Cost of living as a basis for pay increases: I once watched over a fascinating exchange on a Compensation bulletin board where the debate raged on for days over the appropriate formulae to use for calculating the cost of living vs. cost or labor as it affected the average pay increase that management would approve. Each side would provide formulae, charts and graphs and quotes from notable experts to press home their opinion.

The reality for this exchange is that management does not use the cost of living as a prime determinant in their decision-making. They are more likely to roll their eyes at the technical debate and ask only about competitiveness and bottom line cost - and why can't we do the same as we did last year? If their decision relates to the cost of living in some way, that's only a nice coincidence that they can use in their communications.

An area that separates the compensation technician from the compensation professional is the ability to deal with what I call the "softer" side of compensation. Survey statistics, charts and formulae are very good to a point, but management will want to know what it means and what to do about it. So the answer isn't simply reporting the data, but in taking that next step to help management understand and strategize their next move.

The contribution you can make to your organization is blending the technical knowledge (the how-to) with seasoning and experience to understand what will work for your organization, considering culture and management bias. Technical knowledge will give you the same answer every time, but knowing how to use that knowledge like a craftsman's tool to aid in achieving business objectives - that is the key to success as a Compensation professional.***

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By Chuck Csizmar
With over 30 years experience Chuck Csizmar is a Global Compensation Consultant with deep and broad experience in the design, implementation and communication of domestic and international compensation and reward programs. He is the Principal of CMC Compensation Group, providing organizations with the compensation expertise necessary to ensure business success in a challenging but resource-limited environment. He can be reached via http://www.cmccompensationgroup.com.

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Employees From Hell - How to Steer Clear of Bad Employees

As employers, we all have our shares of horrifying stories of seemingly good applicants who transformed overnight into horrendous employees from hell. Surely, they are not fond memories to remember. We all know how bad a bad employee can be for your company, which is why all employers do everything they can to avoid these bad eggs getting into their companies.

But is there a foolproof way of being able to steer clear of these bad employees? These tried and tested techniques will surely help you a lot in staying away from the bad ones.

Know the signs of a bad employee
You will not be able to avoid them if you do not know how to tell the difference between a bad employee from a good one. Sure, it is easy to picture the bad employee looking filthy and menacing but the truth is many bad employees actually come in good packages.

They look decent, speak well, and have excellent employment history or educational background. But of course, looks can be deceiving so get to know the telltale signs of a bad employee so you can stay away from them before it's too late.

Bad employees are those who are fond of gossiping and of talking behind people's backs. They could also be the ones who love to boss around or manipulate people. These people are the ones who are self-centered, who cares about no one but themselves and would do anything to get their way to the top. They cannot get along well with co-workers and with the employer.

Moreover, bad employees are also the lazy ones who lack initiative to excel in work. These people are contented with average or less than average results and could not care less about the company as long as they get paid. These are the people who lack passion for the job and who do not really care about giving their best.

Other examples and signs of bad employees are those who find it very difficult to follow and comprehend instructions, those who think their way is always the better way or those who are hard to train and manage.

Finally, the worst kinds of employees are the ones who are actually felons who have had criminal offenses in the past involving violent behavior, stealing, fraud and sexual abuse. These are the employees who can do a big damage in the name and reputation of your company.
Conduct background searches

An employment background search is an effective way of avoiding bad employees because this gives you information about an applicant's background including criminal records, driving records, education records, medical records, employment history and many others. This also helps you avoid people who lie in their resumes as resume falsifications are growing at an alarming rate.

Do intensive interviews
Get to know the real person behind the mask the applicant has put on for impression management. Be sure to take note of the applicant's nonverbal behavior, conduct psychological tests aside from skills and knowledge tests, and do interviews more than once so that the interviewee will reveal more about himself.
Bad employees can surely be an employer's biggest nightmare. Follow these techniques so that you will be able to stay away from these kinds of people.***

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By Marcus Kane
For more tips and information about resume falsifications, check out http://hubpages.com/hub/Avoiding-Bad-Employees-Top-6-Tried-and-Tested-Techniques.

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Time Away From Work

Everyone needs time away from work. Employers who provide time off benefits for their employees are showing them that they truly care for each employee's well-being. Having a work-life balance is hard to do, but when the employer has an established time away from work policy, such as vacation time, sick time and paid holidays, they are providing a way in which employee's can take that much needed break away from work.

When employers provide paid time off for vacation, sick and holidays, morale and job satisfaction is higher. The time off, as outlined in your policy, can either be time accrued throughout the year or time off given at the beginning of the calendar or fiscal year. One benefit of providing accrued time off for employees is that the time is taken in a little more even and regular fashion versus the employees having all the time-off accruals in their PTO account at the beginning of the year, with the potential for using it up right away.

When establishing your policy, make sure it clearly outlines how the time away from work will be administered, and train the employees on the policy, so there is no confusion about how the employees accrue time off, and when they can start using this great benefit you're providing to them. It is also a good idea to have a "use it or lose it" policy, which forces employees to take that much needed time off away from work. It also helps to ensure consistent coverage at work. Without a "use it or lose it" policy, an employee could accumulate a couple of years of time-off accruals and be away from work for more than a month at a time, which could have a severe impact on your company's workflow.

You'll also want to figure out a way to administer the accruals and deductions for your time-off policy to make sure that all employee information is managed in a consistent and fair manner. There are software solutions that will automatically calculate your time-off accruals and keep an accurate, up-to-date balance of the hours or days left in an employee's time-off bank.

Allowing your employees time away from work is a great employee benefit. Establishing a policy, informing your employees about the policy and finding an easy way to administer the policy will help you save time while providing this benefit. ***

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By Brandy Pelzel
Staff Files HR software allows you to set up an auto accrual policy that will calculate time-off accruals for you. It's easy to add the deductions for time used. And, Staff Files will keep the correct balance for each employee. Try it for yourself by downloading a free Staff Files demo at http://www.time-off-accruals.com

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Appraising the Appraisal System

Most businesses today use some form of process to review staff performance. This is either done using a performance management approach or appraisal process. But, if you have an appraisal process in place in your organisation, is it actually doing what it's supposed to be. Ask yourself the question - There is an appraisal process in place but what is it actually doing for the business?

If it's doing little or nothing, then maybe it's time for a revamp; however, before you go off and reinvent the wheel with a whole new process, there are a few things to consider about the existing process. Let's face it, introducing a brand new process could have more of a negative impact on the business than what the current one may be having.

Depending on the job you do may depend on how you feel about appraisals. Don't get me wrong, I'm not insinuating that everyone has a negative view of appraisals but from some research that has been carried out in organisations will show that there is a difference of opinion.

For example, let's say you are a Trainer. Your view of the appraisal process may be that it's there as a development tool. It's there to encourage motivation, help people to understand what they need to achieve and a great opportunity for an employee to sit with their line manager and get some feedback to help them improve. From the appraisal process you should be able to identify what the businesses training and development needs are. You should be able to see who the top performers are and prime for development into a higher role.

Now, ask the same question to a manager. Depending on their view of the world and the type of manager they are will depend on what answer they give you. They may give you the answer described above; however, their view may be very different. There is potential that they may totally dislike the process and give you feedback such as 'Appraisals are always at the wrong time for me', I feel uncomfortable doing appraisals', 'the process is too long', 'what difference does it make', 'we have enough to do without filling in all of these forms', 'appraisals are unfair' etc.

So, if people in the team feel this way about appraisals, maybe its not the process that needs changing, but the people who apply the process. Re-educating them on the purpose of the appraisal process and helping them to see that appraisals are about the first answer may be all that is required to re-invigorate the process in your business. If the feedback you are getting suggests the documentation is too complex, can you change it? Is there some way that you can simplify the whole process so that its not so labour intensive? This will surely get you some more buy in to your process.

If the feedback you are getting shows that the process simply isn't working then maybe its time for change. Its so easy as the person developing the new process to go out and build something that suits them. Doing that will probably give you the same results as what you currently have. You need to get feedback from the business and consult with them to understand what they want the process to do. Ask them questions such as 'Why should we have an appraisal system?', 'What should the process deliver?', 'What do you want people to do that they most probably won't do if without an appraisal process?

This will give you a great indication of what to add to your process and how to tailor it to your individual business needs. So remember, it may not be the process that needs changing, but maybe the way people think about the process.
Good Luck***

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By David Lumley
David Lumley
Director
Revolution Learning and Development
http://www.revolutionlearning.net

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Addressing All HR Professionals - Are You Up to the Task in 2009?

Managing human resources in a stable economy is challenging enough to track the daily dynamics for all related HR functions. Yet, in a troubled world economy with literally millions of jobs on the line, 2009 promises to test the stamina, knowledge and capabilities of every human resource professional. By identifying problems, societal trends and economic patterns and the potential impact they could have on our daily ability to effectively manage HR, we can better anticipate and prepare ourselves to positively and proactively manage HR in our organizations.

Top 3 predictions for 2009

1). Many employers will be downsizing and hiring simultaneously. While this doesn't make sense when first read, the premise is that cost reductions through staff elimination whenever possible will continue through the first half of 2009, with selective hiring conducted ongoing in the same time frame to acquire specialized skills.

With businesses under continued economic pressure to cut costs, estimates of up to one million additional jobs lost this year are being predicted (Investor's Business Daily, 1/5/09). The sheer number of potentially lost jobs multiplied by the number of family members is staggering to say the least.

To bring this huge statistic down to meaningful terms, consider the number of your company's laid off employees and their family members. The reported "millions of lost jobs" becomes very personal very quickly when it's your own job that's been eliminated.

Laying off employees is one of the most challenging and hardest jobs you'll ever have to do as a HR Pro. Chances are good that you'll gain expertise in this area in 2009.

2). The number and complexity of employee relations issues and resulting litigation will dramatically increase. In a negative economy, people are stressed and worried about their own job stability, financial security and increased workload due to lower staffing levels. This translates to escalated irritability and sensitivity in employees, leading to more workplace conflicts. This year you will be handling a higher number of employee relations issues and increased formal complaints or litigation due to a higher stress level in the workplace.

3). 2009 will truly test human resources professionals causing many to leave the profession. Quite simply, in extraordinary times HR has an increased responsibility and opportunity to perform a lot of tough, challenging jobs. Because you're dealing with employees and directly affecting their personal lives, this kind of work can take its toll on us empathetic, caring HR Pros.

Your health may even suffer due to increased stress levels of managing RIFs and related issues; to prevent this from happening you'll need to focus on providing extra care for yourself too during this time. More HR pros than normal will choose to exit the field and find other work because of the additional challenges associated in managing HR in this downward economy.

Looking Forward to the Year's Second Half

It's not all doom and gloom, however. Many economists predict the economy will begin to recover in the third quarter of this year and that economic conditions will be much improved by the end of 2009. In my experience, challenging times present unusual opportunities for you to grow and learn at a much faster pace than in normal times, allowing you to demonstrate your capabilities.

If you're up to the challenge, this high-pressure, dynamic work environment can lead to increased job responsibilities and even a possible promotion once you come out on the other end of the transition. If you are a HR Pro who thrives on assuming new challenges and increased responsibilities, 2009 will provide a genuine opportunity for you to shine! ***

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By Becky Regan
Copyright 2009 Regan HR, Inc.
Becky Regan, M.A., CCP began her own consulting practice in 1995, Regan HR, Inc. to provide human resources consulting services to businesses in California. She has been successful in growing her business through reputation and client referrals. Her work as a consultant includes the full spectrum of HR technical expertise, including C-level recruitment, compensation studies (design, market and executive pay studies, sales compensation plans), training & teaching, interim assignments as a HR Director for organizations, and employee relations, including workplace investigations and written responses to formal complaints. For more HR tips and to receive my FREE "The Top 5 Secrets to Building a Better Organization that Every HR Pro Must Know" go to http://www.ReganHR.com

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