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Planning Today for Your Workforce Needs Tomorrow

As we approach 4^th quarter and start to wind down 2021, now is good time to begin thinking about year-end activities that need to be completed as well as what you need to do to prepare for 2022. Your planning should begin with forecasting what your workforce will look like now and into 2022 and creating a talent management strategy around your needs.

Given the labor shortage, the uncertainty around the coronavirus, and the increased tendency toward a hybrid work model, attracting and retaining employees in this market can be challenging. In my next blog I’ll share some specific ideas on how to address those challenges. For now, though, here’s a refresher on what you need to consider in your workforce plan.

The operational side of workforce planning includes considerations such as your labor budget, work schedules and hours, distributing talent among divisions and departments, identifying functions no longer needed, and reassigning workers. The more strategic side of workforce planning looks at identifying skill sets needed as the company grows and changes, re-assessing the needs of the department and company as employees leave, and defining, and in some cases retooling, the recruitment strategy for future workforce needs.

Start by defining job roles. This includes defining the work that needs to be done, and asking the important question of what is it that the organization really needs? Then move to identifying the skills and competencies required for that work. If you’re starting from scratch, you may want to identify required skills, experience, and behaviors, keeping in mind that a job should be designed around the role requirements and future business needs, not a particular person. Remember that as remote work increases you may need to redesign and automate certain tasks.

Once you’ve defined and designed the critical job roles to meet your needs today, spend some time thinking about the skills/job roles you may need in the future. This will be helpful in identifying skill gaps and determining whether it makes more sense to hire for those skills gaps or to develop current employees to fill the gaps. More and more, companies are hiring for job potential because in many cases skill sets can become obsolete quickly.

Next, create formal job descriptions. Job descriptions should be as detailed as possible. Be sure your job descriptions include at least the following:

Job title
Job location
A summary of the job objective/purpose
Scope of responsibility
Reporting relationships
Qualifications required (experience, skills, competencies)
Key functions and duties (including standards)
Physical requirements of the job

A well-developed job description will help you recruit the right person for the job. It will also give you a legally-defensible document, or ‘benchmark’ for performance management.

If you have questions about developing your workforce plan for next year, please consider Connect to HR’s 3-hour Just in Time Advisory Service. Many of my clients are finding this service helpful as they navigate the challenges of our new world of work.

You do not have to do it alone!

https://calendly.com/michellemendoza-connecttohr/45min

You can reach me directly at michelle@connecttohr.com, and find out more about our services at www.connecttohr.com.

Flexibility is Key in Your Return to the Office Planning

As the world is beginning to reopen, businesses of all types and sizes are finding that they don’t have enough staff to handle the demands of a public that is desperate to get back to normal. Hardest hit are the travel, hospitality and restaurant industries who had to dial back significantly during the pandemic and now are struggling to ramp back up.

The shortage has also affected the supply chain – there aren’t enough truck drivers to move gasoline, materials and other products from origin to final destination.

Even Disney, the world’s largest theme park operator and the “happiest place on earth” is finding it a challenge to bring people back to work, especially housekeepers and cooks. About 20 percent of service trade employees at Walt Disney World have not returned to work. To attract workers, the company is offering $1,000 sign-on bonuses.

So, what’s causing the labor shortage? According to economists, there are a number of factors that may be contributing. Lack of available/affordable childcare, concerns about going back to work when we’re not quite through the pandemic, early retirements, and health complications for COVID long-haulers.

Another factor is that the past 16 months or so have given many workers time to reassess their careers – what they do, whom they work for, and where they do their work.

According to a McKinsey & Co. report, 26 percent of workers in the United States are preparing to look for new employment opportunities and 40 percent of workers globally are considering leaving their current employers by the end of the year.

This is a pretty shocking statistic and should be of concern to business leaders who don’t want to lose their talent. It’s much easier (and less costly) to retain top talent than to replace it.

Two of the key reasons cited for this “resignation wave” by SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) are better compensation and benefits and better life balance.

As you develop your plan to return to the office, let flexibility be your mantra. McKinsey & Co. found that there was a significant disconnect between what employers perceive as the best way forward (in the office) and what employees want (a hybrid model).

To bridge the gap, carefully evaluate which roles require being in the office and which can be performed partially or fully remotely. Take each employee’s personal situation into account. For example, parents may have childcare issues until schools are fully reopened. Consider delaying their return to the office until then. Offer a flexible work schedule. And follow the advice I gave in a previous article about best practices for the post-COVID return to work.

If you have questions or need help putting together your return-to-work plan, please consider Connect to HR’s 3-hour Just in Time Advisory Service. Many of my clients found this service helpful last year as they made the shift to a remote work model or needed to keep their essential business open safely.

You do not have to do it alone!

https://calendly.com/michellemendoza-connecttohr/45min

You can reach me directly at michelle@connecttohr.com, and find out more about our services at www.connecttohr.com.

Leadership Tips for Managing Back to the Office Anxiety

As of this month, many states, including California, have “re-opened” following the pandemic. A lot of people are embracing this transition with long awaited travel, outings to restaurants, bars and ballgames, and other social gatherings.

At the same time, there are also a large number of people who, after more than a year of isolation, have some angst about getting back out there.

And that includes concerns about returning to the workplace.

As you begin to bring your employees back to the office – whether completely in person or in a hybrid model – it’s important to be empathetic to those employees who are struggling with the transition.

For some it may be the fear of leaving the safety of their home and potentially contracting the virus. Others may feel anxiety around exercising social skills they haven’t used in over a year. And others may just be challenged in general by change. It was a transition going into pandemic-mode and it’s another transition coming out. Change can be difficult.

So, what can leaders do? Here are some tips.

Observe. Look for warning signs that an employee is struggling. They’re moody or argumentative. They come in late. The quality or timeliness of their work is lacking. They just don’t seem to be themselves.

Acknowledge. Make time to have a one-on-one with each of your team members as they return to the office. Gauge how they feel about returning to work and acknowledge that transitions can be difficult. Give them the opportunity to share their concerns. Listen without judging.

Educate. As early as possible, have an all-hands meeting to talk about the importance of self-care – both physical and mental. Remind them of the importance of taking breaks, eating properly, getting exercise, and participating in whatever stress-relief activities work for them. Make them feel more comfortable in talking about mental health by sharing what you do to relieve stress and anxiety. Let them know that your door is open if they need to talk.

Support. If your benefits program includes an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), inform employees how to access it and encourage them to use it. EAP is one of the most underutilized programs because of the stigma related to mental health. Remove the stigma. If you do not have an EAP, talk to your insurance broker about adding it. Provide information about other resources such as how to find childcare. Check into university counseling programs where students need to build up their hours in counseling fieldwork. This could be a free resource.

The important thing is for you, as a leader, is to be aware that sometimes the smallest thing can trigger an unexpected behavior, or worse. We have all heard about the rising number of violent incidents on flights and fist fights in stores due to the mask mandate.

Be proactive in keeping your workplace and employees safe – observe, acknowledge, educate, and support them.

If you have questions or need help putting together your return-to-work plan, please consider Connect to HR’s 3-hour Just in Time Advisory Service. With Just in Time Advisory 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.

Whether you need a sounding board to discuss approaches to your return-to-work plan, need to create a return-to-work communication, or have questions on how to be compliant with the various State, County and City required safety protocols in the office, Connect to HR’s Just in Time Guide is here to help.

HR Best Practices for the Post-COVID Return to Work

Now that companies have been given the green light to bring employees back into the office, many business owners and leaders are wondering how to do this safely and effectively.

I had the privilege last week to present at a webinar on this topic with the McManis Faulkner employment law team. Here are some tips I shared at that event.

Create a plan. Assemble a cross-functional team who will provide input on business needs to determine when to bring employees back and what that will look like. Survey employees to understand their concerns. Review individual jobs and decide which need to return to the office and which can stay remote. Take into account any out-of-state situations where guidelines may be different.

Be flexible – consider a “soft” re-opening. Some employees are anxious to return to the office. Others are not. Consider opening in phases to allow those with “wait and see” concerns to return at the later date. Also, based on your review of jobs, can you offer a hybrid work situation to those employees whose jobs aren’t required in the office five days a week?

Be compassionate. Over the past year there has been an increase in substance abuse, depression and anxiety. Some employees may still be struggling with fears and the effects of isolation even as they are able to return to work. Offer mental health services and brown bag lunches on mental health topics to help those with concerns.

Create an environment that attracts and retains women. Women were disproportionately impacted by the effects of the COVID pandemic. In fact, nearly 2.2 million women left the workforce entirely due to school closures, caring for a loved one, or the lack of affordable childcare. Consider implementing flexible schedules and parent-friendly policies. Review compensation annually and make adjustments to achieve pay equity. Promote more women to leadership positions at all levels of the company. And when hiring, give credit for activities and leadership roles taken during work gaps (for example, PTA president).

With Just in Time Advisory 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 Guide is here to help.

You do not have to do it alone!

Contact us today for a FREE 45-minute consultation to see how Just in Time: Your Guide to HR can benefit you. Click the link below to schedule an appointment.

https://calendly.com/michellemendoza-connecttohr/45min

You can reach me directly at michelle@connecttohr.com, and find out more about our services at www.connecttohr.com.

Preparing to Return to the Office

A recent Gartner survey of HR leaders showed that 45% of them expect their workforce to reopen in the third quarter of 2021, while 24% plan to reopen in the fourth quarter.

But while everyone is anxious for things to get “back to normal” the survey indicated that the new normal will be more of a hybrid model, with most employees working remotely at least part of the time. Nearly 32% of respondents said they will let employees work remotely all of the time, while 49% said they would let employees work remotely on certain days.

This hybrid model presents a number of challenges for leaders as they wrestle with how to reconnect their teams, navigate various new rules and regulations, and manage the impact that the past 15 months has had on their people.

To provide some guidance around these challenges, I will be presenting at a webinar with legal experts from McManis Faulkner’s employment team on Wednesday, May 19 at 10:00 am PT.

We’ll be looking at the legal and HR side of returning to work and providing answers to questions such as:

Can I require employees to come back to the office?
What requirements can I put in place regarding vaccines?
How do I keep up with the ever-changing rules and regulations issued by various agencies?
How has the pandemic impacted men and women differently, and what effect will that have on the workplace?

This virtual training is brought to you by McManis Faulkner and the Santa Clara County Bar Association. It qualifies for 1 general MCLE credit from MCLE provider, McManis Faulkner (# 3573). To receive credit, please provide your CA State Bar Number on the registration form. If you have any questions, please contact events@mcmanislaw.com.

I hope to see you there.

2021: Looking Back to Move Forward

Happy New Year!

A new year gives us the chance to start fresh. And while 2021 will certainly give us that opportunity in some respects, I think it’s also important to take some time to reflect on lessons learned from 2020, and how we can leverage that knowledge going forward.

We are still in the midst of a global pandemic and although the vaccines give us hope, it’s still essential for each of us to follow mandated health and safety guidelines to protect ourselves and others. Business leaders are responsible for protecting their employees. This means putting practices in place to protect both the physical health and safety of employees as well as their emotional and mental health. For tips on best practices for keeping employees safe and healthy, tune into my podcast with Mary Hiland, PhD, president of Hiland Consulting.

It’s important for leaders to be up to date on any new regulations relative to COVID-19. There are several that went into effect January 1, which I discussed in my blog, New COVID-19 Regulations, last month. Also, check out the Employer Resource Page on our website which has links to a variety of sites that deal specifically with COVID-19 information.

And leaders, remember that it’s also important to take care of yourself. Just like when there’s trouble on a flight, when the oxygen masks drop, put yours on first to be better able to help others with theirs. Check out my blog, Self-Care for Leaders in Uncertain Times, for some tips on caring for your own health and well-being.

Although the election is over, our country remains divided. Unfortunately, this can bubble over into the workplace, impacting teamwork, collaboration, and/or performance. A couple of months ago I attended a roundtable led by my colleague, Susan Nelson, Founder, The Pragmatic Life. Check out my blog, Managing Employee Post-Election Anxiety for some tips I learned on how leaders and organizations can help employees through the post-election transition period.

2020 was a year that took the lid off a number of issues, not the least of which was social injustice and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Many organizations are increasing their efforts to create DEI leadership positions and more focused programs in this area.

To succeed, organizations need to do more than just lip service. They need to go beyond just ticking the EEO boxes in hiring and firing practices. Leaders at every level need 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. As I said in a previous blog, they need to Walk the Talk.

Connect to HR provides strategic HR advice and executive coaching for leaders of small to mid-size for-profit and nonprofit organizations. Please contact me at michelle@connecttohr.com to schedule a conversation about how we can support you and your organization.

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.”

Track and comply with evolving government and healthcare protocols.
Help keep employees safe.
Analyze the threat of new outbreaks.
Maintain the integrity of their supply chain.
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!

Thinking of Hiring Employees? Start with a Strong Foundation

One of the things that I think has helped my business grow and thrive for the past 10 years is that I spent significant time at the beginning building a strong foundation.

As I mentioned last time, I went to a SCORE workshop to learn about the requirements (and challenges) of running a small business. I also made sure that I put the proper systems in place to manage my finances, do required reporting, etc. I invested in getting a basic website up and developing quality marketing materials to create Connect to HR awareness. I researched and joined relevant networking groups to build business connections.

Starting and maintaining a strong foundation will help see you through the good times and the challenging ones.

If you have or plan to have employees, there are additional foundational steps you need to take. Here are some key foundational HR items you need to address.

Effective hiring. As you identify the need to hire employees, be sure that you have developed a workforce plan that clearly defines job roles and requirements. Check out my previous blog about effective workforce planning for some tips. Don’t forget, in California there are required notices and forms that employers must provide new hires. Connect to HR offers a new hire tool kit that makes it easy for companies to understand their compliance requirements in the new hire process.

Job descriptions. Detailed and up-to-date job descriptions will help you recruit the right talent and assess their performance. They are also key in ensuring that you are legally compliant. A detailed job description not only protects you when you terminate an employee for non-performance, it also ensures that you comply with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other legal requirements.

Goals and objectives. Setting and communicating clear goals and objectives for employees (that are tied to company goals) will help reduce performance issues and keep employees engaged. Goals are a great tool to help monitor performance with clear standards. We suggest you review them with employees monthly, at a minimum, to ensure they are still relevant over time.

Labor law posters. Be sure you post all the required federal and state employment posters and have a system in place for managing your HR records. These posters are required for all businesses with two or more employees.

Employee Handbook. It’s important to have an Employee Handbook that includes basic employment policies as well as policies specific to your company. You can avoid employee and legal issues if you clearly communicate expectations about work hours, conduct, etc.

Health and safety. Company management is responsible for creating and maintaining a safe and healthy work environment. In California, all employers should have an Injury Illness and Prevention Program (IIPP).

Terminations. Just as it’s important to have an effective hiring process, it’s important that you have an effective (and legally compliant) process for terminating employees. Creating and following a Termination Checklist will help ensure that you cover all the bases. Terminating an employee is never easy, but putting some structure around it can make it less stressful for both you and the employee.

Please reach out to me at michelle@connecttohr.com if you need guidance on any of these items.

Tips for Performing an Effective SWOT Analysis

In my last blog I talked about the benefits of taking some time to review your business by performing a SWOT Analysis. This will help you plan for next year and beyond as you understand your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.

This time I’d like to give you some best practices to help you get the most out of your SWOT Analysis. Here are some tips about what you should do and not do as you are performing your analysis.

Do:

Get multiple perspectives by gathering input from employees, customers, suppliers, and partners.
Involve more than one person in the analysis. It’s also helpful to include someone external to the organization who can help you look at things objectively.
Use the goals and objectives from your overall business plan in your analysis.
Be forward-thinking. Where are you today, where do you want to be next year, in 5 years, in 10 years?
Create a clear definition of what a strength is as opposed to a weakness. Apply the definition consistently. Likewise, establish clear definitions of an opportunity vs. a threat.
Benchmark your strengths or weaknesses in comparison to your competitors.
Establish a process (and responsibility) for keeping abreast of what your competitors are doing and identifying any changes in the market.
Be realistic about how your business compares to your competitors.
Keep your SWOT short and simple but be sure you include all critical details.

Don’t:

Rely on opinions. Instead, focus on facts.
Limit input to just a few people.
Make too long of a list of suggestions under each category. Prioritize your list to those that are most critical and financially feasible.
Hesitate to admit weaknesses. Identifying them is the first step in improving.
Forget to include both technical skills and soft skills as you consider the skills you need going forward.
Use your SWOT analysis as your only planning tool. Combine what you learn from your SWOT with other business planning tools.

Please feel free to reach out to me at michelle@connecttohr.com if you need some help in putting together your SWOT analysis.

Archive for Business planning

Planning Today for Your Workforce Needs Tomorrow

Flexibility is Key in Your Return to the Office Planning

Leadership Tips for Managing Back to the Office Anxiety

HR Best Practices for the Post-COVID Return to Work

Preparing to Return to the Office

2021: Looking Back to Move Forward

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

Thinking of Hiring Employees? Start with a Strong Foundation

Tips for Performing an Effective SWOT Analysis

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