Grow Your Leaders with a 360 Review Process

The best leaders continue to learn and grow. And one of the most effective tools that can contribute to their growth is feedback. Not just from their immediate leader, but also from others they interact with on a daily basis – their stakeholders. It’s called a 360 Review Process.

Most performance management programs focus on performance only. Did you achieve your goals? Were they completed on time? Are you fulfilling your job requirements? But here’s the thing. Leaders also need feedback on their strengths and development areas in behaviors that impact the performance of their team, e.g., communication, leadership, employee development, motivation, etc. And this feedback is more meaningful if it comes from a variety of sources – immediate leader, direct reports, colleagues, and business partners, for example.

People are often promoted into leadership roles because they performed well as an individual contributor. But being responsible for a team or organization requires a different set of skills and behavioral competencies. A 360 Review helps leaders build self-awareness by shedding light on how they come across to others. It points up strengths and illuminates blindspots that may be preventing them from becoming a more effective leader. When specific themes emerge based on feedback from several stakeholders rather than just their immediate leader it’s harder to dismiss that feedback.

I recommend that new leaders go through a 360 Review Process about midway through their first year of becoming a leader.  This gives them some time to settle into their role and establish relationships yet is early enough in their tenure to prevent solidifying behaviors that are working against them.

In a typical 360 process the participating leader identifies several stakeholders who then give feedback (anonymously) via a set of questions. The same questions are answered by all stakeholders. Responses are then consolidated and summarized into a report that highlights strengths, development areas and any emerging themes.

The 360 process benefits both the leader and the organization by providing a foundation for the leader’s development to build on strengths and address any blindspots or areas for improvement. Often the next step is coaching to help with the leader’s development.

If you are interested finding out more about the 360 process for a leader in your organization, please reach out to me at michelle@connecttohr.com.

Diversity and Inclusion – How to Walk the Talk

As I shared in my last article, there are plenty of statistics that indicate the positive effect a diverse workforce can have on business results. Now the question is, how do you get there? It needs to be more than just saying you practice diversity. Or that you make sure you tick the EEO boxes in your hiring and firing practices. It needs to be a concerted effort – headed by leadership – to create a culture that considers all activities – communication, recruiting, hiring, promoting, company gatherings, team assignments, terminations, etc. – through a lens of diversity and inclusion.

You need to walk the talk. Here are some tips for doing that.

Demonstrate your commitment to diversity through the images on your website and in recruiting collateral. Be sure they are actual images of your workforce and not stock images.

Review job posting language through the lens of diversity and inclusion. Words matter. Terms such as “rockstar, “ninja” or “guru” may discourage some perfectly qualified people from applying. Use gender neutral language. Sometimes it’s as simple as changing “manage” to “develop.” A recent KQED article noted that “if you say manage a team, the applicants are primarily male. If you say develop a team, it tends to be female. And when you say lead a team, it tends to be neutral.”

Emphasize the impact of the role. Studies show that men will apply for jobs when they meet only 60% of the requirements, whereas women don’t feel confident to apply unless they meet 100% of the requirements. Consider only including the must-have requirements (versus adding all of the nice-to-haves) and focusing more on the impact the candidate would make in the position.

Confirm your commitment to diversity and inclusion on a regular basis by ensuring that teams, projects, promotions and other opportunities are open to the broader definition of diverse individuals – gender, ethnicity, points of view, sexual orientation, etc.

Encourage conversation to promote understanding. Consider organizing group conversations of diverse employees where participants share their different perspectives and experiences.

Build awareness around microaggressions. Often, seemingly innocuous statements or questions can make others feel uncomfortable. “Where are you from originally?” “Wow! You are so well-spoken.”  “You’re strong for a girl.” Statements and questions that subtly imply assumptions based on gender or race do not promote inclusion.

Building a culture of diversity and inclusion takes time and effort. It’s about changing mindsets and creating an environment that allows all to feel welcome and to thrive. It begins with you, as the leader, walking the talk.

If you need help in incorporating diversity into your hiring practices and/or culture, please contact me at michelle@connecttohr.com.

Lead the Way to Diversity and Inclusion

Numerous studies have shown that organizations who are proactive about diversity and inclusion perform significantly better than those who are not. A Harvard Business Review study showed that companies with higher than average diversity had 19% higher revenues in innovation. A McKinsey & Company study found that organizations with gender-diverse executive teams are 21% more likely to outperform others in profitability. And 43% of companies with diverse boards of directors show higher profits.

In addition to better financial performance, companies with a culture of diversity and inclusion have higher employee engagement and attract more talent. According to Glassdoor, 67% of job seekers consider workplace diversity an important factor when considering employment opportunities.

And yet, Silicon Valley is still struggling to diversify its workforce. Despite a variety of programs to increase diversity, data in a recent Morning Consult article indicated that at Facebook, Twitter and Google less than 6% of employees are Hispanic and less than 5% are African-American. Likewise, their executive teams and boards are made up predominantly of White men.

So, what does it take for companies to be more reflective of our increasingly diverse society and to create more opportunities for diverse candidates at the top? It takes leaders who show the way.

One such leader is Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit, who announced recently that he’s stepping down from the Reddit board and urging Reddit to fill his seat with a Black candidate.  He said on his Instagram site, “I believe resignation can actually be an act of leadership from people in power right now.” Ohanian also pledged $1M to Colin Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp.  Hear more of what Ohanian has to say about leading the way to increased diversity and inclusion both in hi-tech and in venture funding in this Instagram video interview.

If you need help in incorporating diversity into your hiring practices and/or culture, please contact me at michelle@connecttohr.com.

Building HR Competence and Confidence

Managing the many aspects of the HR function can be challenging at the best of times. But when you are also trying to run the business, it can be especially frustrating.  It can seem impossible to keep up with new employment laws and dealing with hiring and terminating employees.

Such was the case with a client of mine, who ran her own food services company. Like most entrepreneurs, she was highly skilled at her core business, but was learning about the HR function “on the job.” Her company was growing at a rapid pace and she wanted to be sure that her people processes were efficient and compliant with federal, state and local employment laws.

She called Connect to HR.

Over the course of several months I took a step-by-step approach to walk her through the various aspects of HR and what is most important in each area. I broke it down into simple, easy-to-understand steps: here is the issue, here are some scenarios, here are the rules.

We used actual situations within her business to help build her confidence and knowledge in how to handle them going forward.  Because she was not in a position to hire a fulltime HR person yet, I felt it was important for her to have a backup with HR knowledge to help her. I worked with her Operations Manager to ensure that he also understood the local, state and federal ordinances related to employees and provided them both with links to credible resources.

As the result of our work together, the business owner and Operations Manager both have increased confidence in their ability to handle the various people-related issues that arise as well as general HR requirements and reporting. Also, they have saved time and headaches by having policies documented and processes to follow. 

If you are a business owner and need some advice about HR processes or compliance, or have a particular HR issue you’d like to discuss, you may want to consider my Just in Time 3-Hour HR Advisory Service.

Contact me today to schedule a free 30-minute consultation to see how Just in Time 3-Hour HR Advisory Service can help you.

https://calendly.com/michellemendoza-connecttohr/30-minute-consultation

New to HR? You Don’t Have to Do it Alone!

When a company hits the 50-employee mark in California, a lot of HR regulations kick in. I wrote about some of those regulations in a previous blog.

Understanding what those regulations are and putting processes and procedures in place to ensure compliance are essential to avoiding costly lawsuits and penalties. At this point in a company’s growth, it’s wise to have someone dedicated to the HR function.

Such was the case with a hi-tech client who reached their 50-employee milestone and needed some help creating structure around the HR function. They had assigned their Office Manager to the HR role and tasked her with implementing an official HR department.  She had been with the company for many years, but had no prior HR experience. She was very concerned about her new assignment and didn’t want to face this new challenge alone.  That’s where Connect to HR came in.

The first thing we did was perform an HR audit to see exactly where the company was in terms of compliance and best practices. As with many companies with fewer than 50 employees, there was very little structure in place. Also, the practices around hiring, promotions and increases were random and inconsistently applied.

Top on our list of priorities was to document and communicate policies and procedures that reflect both legal requirements and company guidelines. These serve as the foundational piece for hiring, firing, promoting, performance management, etc.

We also helped the Office/HR Manager implement a performance management system, hiring process, and best practices around terminations. Often one of the hardest things for new HR Managers is handling employee relations issues. So for four years now, we have provided ongoing and just-in-time HR consulting services on various employee scenarios that pop up and how to handle them.

With the HR structure in place, plus the knowledge she gained from the HR audit and our one-on-one HR guidance and support, the Office/HR Manager felt more confident in her new role.  Over the years, she has recognized that she isn’t alone when facing complicated HR issues.  She’s comfortable knowing she has a resource in Connect to HR when she has questions or needs a sounding board.

If you are new to the HR function and need some advice about HR processes or compliance, or have a particular HR issue you’d like to discuss, you may want to consider my Just in Time 3-Hour HR Advisory Service.

Contact me today to schedule a free 30-minute consultation to see how Just in Time 3-Hour HR Advisory Service can help you.

https://calendly.com/michellemendoza-connecttohr/30-minute-consultation

Reopening Your Business – It’s Important to Have a Plan

As of this month, many businesses that have been closed or operating remotely during our Shelter-in-Place order are now able to reopen. If you are able to reopen, are you ready?

Public health guidelines call for continued social distancing, facemasks, and enhanced sanitation procedures in order to open while maintaining the health of staff and customers. This requires a considerable amount of planning on the part of the business owner and new processes and procedures for employees.

The most frequent request I’m getting from leaders and business owners these days who call about my Just in Time 3-Hour HR Advisory Service is for help in creating a COVID-19 compliant reopening plan. 

A recent Forbes article included a checklist of “the 5 most important things businesses must be able to do in order to return to work.”

  1. Track and comply with evolving government and healthcare protocols.
  2. Help keep employees safe.
  3. Analyze the threat of new outbreaks.
  4. Maintain the integrity of their supply chain.
  5. Audit their processes to maintain compliance.

Each of these items requires planning as well as knowledge of where to find the most recent credible information about requirements and protocols. And that’s where advice from a Senior HR Consultant can be very helpful. 

If you will be continuing to have some or all of your employees work remotely, it’s also important to strategize how to do that on a more permanent basis. Having employees work remotely for a few months is one thing, but when it becomes your standard business model there are many other things to consider. What additional equipment will employees need? How will you maintain team cohesiveness and workflow? How do you help remote employees maintain a balance between work-at-home and home-at-home so they don’t burn out?  

It’s also important to think about how you will handle specific employee issues that may come up in light of the pandemic. Some questions clients have asked me are:

  • What if an employee is afraid of returning to work in case they’re exposed to the virus and then expose a vulnerable family member?  How do we convince them that it’s safe?
  • How do we keep employees engaged when they’re working remotely?
  • What if we have another shutdown?

If you have questions or need help putting together your business reopening plan, contact me today to schedule a free 30-minute consultation to see how Just in Time 3-Hour HR Consulting Service can help you.

https://calendly.com/michellemendoza-connecttohr/30-minute-consultation

If you know of a business owner who may need advice about reopening or any other HR issue, please share our Just in Time 3-Hour HR Advisory Service flyer with them. Thank you!

Answers to Your HR Questions – Just in Time

Managing the many aspects of the HR function can be challenging, especially if you are also trying to run the business or are new to HR operations. In small and medium sized companies, the “HR person,” whether it’s the business owner or someone dedicated to that role, is often flying solo with no one to consult about an HR issue or the details of a new compliance requirement.  Trying to find answers via an online HR database can be frustrating and time consuming.

Now, as we look at returning to work following the COVID-19 shelter-in-place mandate, business owners are faced with a new set of challenges:

  • How do we safely reopen?
  • What if someone does not want to come back to work?
  • What protective equipment do we need?
  • What are the new working guidelines?
  • How do I even get started?

Connect to HR’s Just in Time 3-Hour HR Advisory Service has the answers. With this service you can access up to 3 hours of “live” HR consulting support from a trusted, senior-level HR consultant by phone, email or in person. Our service is specifically designed for small to medium sized companies:

  • Owners/CEOs/Nonprofit Leaders
  • Those running the HR function
  • People new to HR operations

Whether you need a sounding board to discuss approaches to an employee relations issue, want tips on how to create a workforce plan, or have questions about implementing a social distancing protocol in the office, Connect to HR’s Just in Time 3-Hour HR Advisory Service is here to help.

You do not have to do it alone!

Contact us today for a FREE 30-minute consultation to see how our Just in Time 3-Hour HR Advisory Service can benefit you.

https://calendly.com/michellemendoza-connecttohr/30-minute-consultation

You can reach me directly at michelle@connecttohr.com, and find out more about our services at www.connecttohr.com.  Click here to learn more about our Just in Time 3-Hour HR Advisory Service.

New Connect to HR Resource for Employers

In any given week, business owners carry out multiple employment related activities that they must be sure are compliant with current federal and state law, and relevant local ordinances. Hiring and firing. Approving leaves of absence. Displaying the most recent employment posters.

Keeping up with evolving rules and regulations is challenging in normal times, and even more so during our current health crisis. So where can employers go to quickly find the information they need?

Connect to HR is happy to announce a new resource for employers on our website. Our Employer Resource Page provides links to credible sources for information about federal and state laws relating to employment compliance, wage and hour requirements, family medical leave, workplace safety and much more.

Feeling overwhelmed or confused trying to navigate the flood of information about benefit changes related to COVID-19?  We also have a section with links to sources for the latest information about the crisis and related requirements for employers. We’ve also included links to sources for financial relief for small businesses.

Additional resources include links to local law firms and the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) who also provide COVID-19 related information.

This page is meant to be a “living” resource so we will be updating it with additional topics and information. Please feel free to contact me at michelle@connecttohr if there’s a particular topic or resource you’d like to see included.

And check back often. We’ll soon be including a section with links to articles, podcasts and other resources related to growing as a leader.  

“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” – John F Kennedy

Access our Employer Resources page at: https://connecttohr.com/employer-resources/

Podcast: Best Practices for Keeping Employees Safe and Healthy

Protecting the health and safety of employees, not just during a crisis but at all times, is a key responsibility of business leaders in both for-profit and nonprofit environments. This means putting practices in place to protect both the physical health and safety of employees, as well as their emotional and mental health.

Tune in to my recent “Inspired Nonprofit Leadership” podcast with Mary Hiland, PhD, president of Hiland Consulting, to learn some tips and best practices for keeping your employees safe and healthy. 

Mary Hiland created Inspired Nonprofit Leadership to provide nonprofit leaders with information, inspiration, and encouragement so they can be even more effective. Throughout the series, guest experts and nonprofit leaders share insights, useful strategies and lessons learned.

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to share my experience as an HR leader and consultant with her listeners.

I hope you’ll tune in.

Emergency Paid Sick Leave and Emergency FMLA – What You Need to Know

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), effective as of April 1, 2020, sets forth new requirements for employers regarding sick leave and family medical leave related to coronavirus (COVID-19). Here are the highlights of what you need to know and need to do as well as some links to more information.

Who is affected by the FFCRA?

All employers with 500 or fewer employees, both for-profit and nonprofit businesses.

What does it require?

FFCRA requires that covered employers provide to employees the following.

Emergency paid sick leave:

  • Two weeks (up to 80 hours) paid sick leave at the employee’s regular rate of pay when the employee is unable to work due to COVID -19 because the employee is
    • Subject to Federal, State, or local quarantined or isolation order;
    • Advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine, and/or
    • Experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and seeking medical diagnosis.

Note: The regulations interpret “quarantine or isolation orders” to include “a broad range of governmental orders, including orders that advise some or all citizens to shelter in place, stay at home, quarantine, or otherwise restrict their own mobility.” That being said, if a business closes because of a shelter in place order, either because its customers are required to stay at home or because the order forced the business to close, and the employee cannot telework, the employee is not eligible for paid sick leave under the Act (because the reason the employee cannot work is because the business was subject to the order, not because the employee was subject to the order). 

OR

  • Two weeks (up to 80 hours) paid sick leave at two-thirds the employee’s regular rate of pay when an individual has been employed at least 30 days and is unable to work because of a
    • Bona fide need to care for a quarantined individual, or
    • Care for a child (under 18) whose school is closed, or childcare provider is closed/unavailable due to COVID-19, or
    • Is experiencing any other substantially-similar condition specified by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Note: Part-time employees are eligible for the number of hours of leave that the employee works on average over a two-week period.

Expanded family and medical leave:

  • Up to an additional 10 weeks of paid expanded family and medical leave at two-thirds the employee’s regular rate of pay when an employee is unable to work because of a
    • Bona fide need for leave to care for a child whose school or childcare provider is closed or unavailable because of COVID-19.

Note: The expanded family and medical leave can be used intermittently between April 1, and December 31, 2020. For example, if employee does not have childcare for two of the five days of work, they can use the leave for those two days until the 10 weeks is used up or December 31, whichever comes first.

New posting required

All covered employers must post/provide to employees a Notice of FFCRA Requirements as follows:

  • Employers who are still open should print out the notice and post with other required notices.  Another option is to provide individual copies to employees.
  • Employers with staff working remotely may email the notice to all employees to meet the requirement.

Employee documentation required

FFCRA stipulates that employers must require that employees provide documentation in support of emergency paid sick leave, including:

  • Employee name
  • Qualifying reason for leave
  • Statement that the employee is unable to work, including remotely, for that reason
  • Dates of requested leave
  • Documentation of reason for leave, such as
    • Quarantine or isolation order
    • Name of health care provider advising employee to self-quarantine
    • Website post/email notice of school or childcare provider closure

For more information be sure to visit the following websites:

Federal laws may run concurrent with CA laws

California employers should keep in mind that state and local laws (city or county) related to sick leave and family leave may differ from federal law. Be sure you are complying with laws pertinent to your location and/or where you have employees as some of these laws run concurrently in certain circumstances.

Tax credits

Covered employers qualify for dollar-for-dollar reimbursement through tax credits for all qualifying wages paid under the FFCRA. Qualifying wages are those paid to an employee who takes leave under the Act for a qualifying reason, up to the appropriate per diem and aggregate payment caps. Applicable tax credits also extend to amounts paid or incurred to maintain health insurance coverage. Find out more information here.  For the most current information about the loan programs, visit the SBA coronavirus webpage, or go directly to the SBA loan application page. The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans will also be available through most major banks in the coming weeks.

I am in the process of putting together additional resources to help you during this crisis. Stay tuned, and please feel free to reach out if you have questions.

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