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Honesty in the workplace is a hot topic. Employers continue to face difficult decisions in our economic state. With the challenging environments comes a heavier focus on honesty from employees. Organizations want honest employees, but how do employees always know their honesty will be well perceived? Continue Reading →
When the topic of turnover comes up in organizations, most organizations believe they have this concept all figured out. Managers will tell you their thoughts about why employees leave their organization. If you have ever heard some of the reasons, like me, you may laugh to yourself thinking that they are missing the ball. Continue Reading →
Whether you subscribe to the idea that there are or are not generational differences in employees, it is important to make an effort to try new methods for retaining employees of all ages. However, when considering the massive ambition that Millenials are said to have, it is hard to ignore that employers are looking for ways to hold onto younger talent that may be likely to leave for advancement opportunities. The following are a few quick tips for communicating with Millenial employees in such a way that they feel valued and empowered to achieve great things at your company. Continue Reading →
Whether you’ve heard it from a colleague or read about it online, you’ve probably heard a few hiring horror stories. But as shocking as these stories can be, chances are you probably believe you’re immune to the repercussions of a bad hire. I don’t mean to put a damper on your day, but even the most experienced interviewers are at risk of making a poor hiring decision.
Let’s take a look at some hiring horror stories, and how they could have been prevented:
“We hired a summer intern to help with office work. We asked him to send an audiocassette to a client. He just stuck it in an envelope, and in a week it came back smashed to pieces. We asked him what he was thinking. His response: ‘It didn’t look like that when I sent it.’”
“We also asked him to mail about a dozen 9 x 12 envelopes. He put the postage on the flap, instead of the upper right hand corner. They all came back. BTW, he was the valedictorian of his college class!” — The Grindstone
Assuming a large portion of this intern’s day was performing administrative duties, it’s questionable why he, a college graduate and valedictorian, would be working as an intern. It also seems strange he was assigned tasks that don’t necessarily require a degree to complete. Nonetheless, had this company conducted a pre-employment skills assessment to evaluate the intern’s office administrative competencies, they probably would have made a different hiring decision. The skills assessment would have shown that despite his status as valedictorian, he didn’t have strong administrative skills.
“I was heading up a hiring committee to hire an executive director for a social service agency in New Hampshire. I led him into the interview in front of the six or so committee members. I asked him to tell us a little about himself. The first thing he said: ‘I just want you to know that I can’t be hired for less than “X” amount of dollars. I think you should know that first of all. Since his request was $10,000 more than the highest amount we could offer for the position, I said, ‘Thank you for telling us that. Let’s not waste your time with an interview today. Thank you for coming.’ I got up, shook his hand and led him from the room.” — Sun Journal
With a panel of six interviewers, there’s no doubt this interview was a challenge to schedule. Additionally, the time each interviewer spent preparing for the interview went to waste – and in a society where time is money, companies just cannot afford to operate that way.
If the head of the hiring committee had conducted a phone screen, the concern regarding the position’s salary likely would have come up. It’s proper phone screen etiquette to end the conversation asking if the candidate has any questions. Because salary seemed like a significant concern to this individual, he probably would have brought it up then. This would have saved the committee head time that could have been dedicated to interviewing more qualified candidates.
To avoid becoming a character in the next hiring horror story, do your homework. Before an interview, make sure you know just whom you’re bringing in for an interview. Phone screens are a great way to do this. It gives you the opportunity to talk with the candidate, and to address any concerns before bringing them in for an interview.
Once you do conduct an interview (or two) with the candidate in person, and you think you’ve made a hiring decision, don’t hand over the offer letter just yet. Even if you are just hiring an intern, it’s important to conduct pre-employment skills assessments and other verification services, such as background checks. This verifies (or disproves) the claims your candidate has made so you know exactly whom you are hiring.
There are lots of options out there when it comes to skills tests and background checks, so shop around. Take a look at the features each product offers as well as customer reviews. Happy hiring!
Employees typically spend much of their time at their desks working. I often joke that I spend more time at my desk than I do in my apartment. If we are spending so much time at our desks, what is the least we ask from our employers? How about the ability to add a few personal touches. Continue Reading →
For retail-based organizations, the reality is that turnover is rather high. Unfortunately, this can be a frustrating reality to organizations. Often it seems the second a new employee is trained, they are already out the door. What is it about retail employees that causes high turnover? Continue Reading →
Today’s workplace utilizes working in groups more than ever. Organizations have realized that part of working with a lean number of employees is group work. Employees depend on one another and make the most of each other’s skills and abilities. Continue Reading →
It’s not a huge surprise to say that an employee should fit his or her organization. If an employee does not necessarily fit the organization (or vice versa) problems can occur that could lead to employee separation. For example, an individual could feel uncomfortable at a company that generally disregards eco-friendly efforts when he or she holds said values. A person may also feel as though he or she does not fit the organization if a major company value includes an emphasis on long work hours and little time for outside activities and family if that is something that is important to the employee. Continue Reading →
Guest Author: Maggie Coffey, marketing intern for Hireology
Before you know it, the job market will be replenished with the latest set of recent college graduates. We’re eager, we’re dedicated and we’re picky. Even with a bleak job outlook and the impending repayment of student loans, millennials aren’t going to settle. Continue Reading →
In the world of sports, a common adage used to motivate members of a team is to use the stronger team members to push you harder and help you improve your own skills. I played soccer from kindergarten all through high school and there is truth to this. I always had a sense for the “best” player on my team and I learned as much skill as I could from their example. Continue Reading →
While catching up with a friend over Christmas, the topic of work came up. My friends and I are still relatively new to the workforce and adjusting to the vanished Christmas break and long hours spent at the desk. When talking about workload, one of my friends said to me, “Gail, you can handle working long hours because you actually like the people you work with.” Never before had I stopped and thought about this, but quickly my academic background made the connection to employee engagement. Continue Reading →
When we look at organizations, there are so many different components that comprise the relationship between employee and organization. It is hard to pinpoint the most important aspect the influences this relationship. The hottest topic is normally job satisfaction. Why is this? I believe that while job satisfaction is not “easy” to diagnose and solve, it is often used as a scapegoat for organizational problems. Continue Reading →
When you start a new job at an organization, beyond the interview you likely underwent, what is your first impression of the organization as a whole? With a new job comes training and with training comes one of the first judgments a new employee may make about their new organization. Continue Reading →
When we think about customer experiences from organization, we often think of customers as those individuals who purchase something from the organization. In the human resource field, our customers become our employees. Continue Reading →
As jobs require employees to take on more and more responsibilities and work, employees can get burnt out very quickly. Long hours and lack of resources can leave employees feeling anything but engaged on the job. While organizations are not currently always able to give employees large wage increases, there are other options available to keep morale high.
The Ping Pong Table and Bags set setup in a storage area at the TNSei office near Chicago. Employees can take a break, have some fun, and team build at the same time.
One of the most effective ways to take all the work out of the workday is to provide employees with opportunities to step away from the desk and refresh themselves. This does not have to mean that the organization needs to take extravagant measures, however, something as simple as a group lunch out can provide employees with a break. Not only does this allow employees to eat away from their desks, but also it provides valuable bonding among employees.
Suppose you have decided that it is time to move on from a current position to a new one. There are countless reasons for this, from finding a better opportunity for advancement, better pay, more convenient work location, to avoiding bad qualities of the old job like a bad supervisor, or a culture that doesn’t fit your values, and the list goes on. Despite the reason, when you choose to end your current employment you are deciding to begin employment elsewhere.
Typically, a 2 week notice period is most common for giving an advanced resignation notice, but is this really the best way to communicate to your employer that you are leaving? The answer, as in most areas of Industrial/Organizational Psychology issues, is: it depends. It is dependent on the amount of time needed to fill your position, how many people report to your position title, and what kind of relationship you hope to maintain after you leave.
First, check your current employee handbook. Your company probably has a policy that states the amount of notice they would like to receive before termination of employment depending on how long it typically takes to fill the position. For many upper-level jobs, two weeks may not be nearly enough to time to conduct a full recruiting plan and to effectively review candidates’ qualifications.
You may also consider providing your current employer more notice as an additional courtesy. If you hope to maintain a connection with your supervisors and the organization as a whole, this is probably a wise idea. Not only will you be ensuring that you receive positive references from them in the future, but you never know when the networks you’ve built at your current job will prove useful for your career in the future.
In my graduate program, some of my classmates who worked full-time spoke often of a fear of getting bored in their career. Many spoke of feeling that they may hit a point where “climbing the corporate ladder” ceases and they become stuck in a position they are unhappy. With organizations tightening promotions and creation of new jobs, this a real fear that many employees experience. Continue Reading →
Written by guest bloggers Tom Wooldridge, PsyD and Caroline Mok, PhD
Bullying in the workplace is a silent epidemic that is costing organizations millions of dollars. Even worse, it is wreaking havoc on employees in the form of psychological and emotional turmoil. While workplace bullying impacts half of the United States workforce, it is relatively unknown by the other half. Furthermore, in most cases employees that experience workplace bullying receive no assistance from their employers, and thus suffer silently.
Workplace bullying is costing organizations tremendously. Bullied employees experience long periods of leave due to physical and emotional distress. Their productivity decreases and interventions by company managers, human resource departments, and health care centers are required. In fact, as much as $100,000 dollars per year are lost for each bullied employee; a survey of 9,000 employees, cited by Dr. Michael Harrison in the Orlando Business Journal, estimated a cost of more than $180 million in lost time and productivity. Clearly, workplace bullying is a financial problem that leaders cannot continue to ignore.
HEAR YE, HEAR YE!
Come visit us at HRMAC Summit 2012 on November 8 th in Rosemont, Illinois!
TNS will participate in will be HRMAC (Human Resource Management Association of Chicago) on Thursday, November 8th at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. HRMAC believes, “The role of human resources has never been more important to business success than it is today. HR leaders must have the knowledge, skills and agility to respond to changing demands from various internal and external forces and to meet the needs employees, shareholders, senior leaders and other stakeholders. SUMMIT 2012 examines the forces affecting business today and the role human resources can play in driving success.”
Attending the HRMAC Summit are Ken Pfligler, Christy Kessler, Mary O’Brien and Scott Spayd from TNS Employee Insights.
We often hear organizations talking about wanting to engage their employees or boasting that their employees are highly engaged. The real question is: why do we want engaged employees? What are the true benefits? Continue Reading →
