Archive for Workforce planning

Looking Back to Move Forward

It’s hard to believe, but Summer, 2022 is nearly over and Q4 is fast approaching. This is a great time to do some serious thinking about the past year (reflection) and what you need to do to prepare for 2023 (planning). It’s also a good time to dig out your checklist of the various HR items that need to be completed before year end. I’ve included a sample list at the end of this article to get you started. 

Set aside some time to think about what worked and what didn’t work for your organization in 2022. This will help inform the changes you need to make for 2023. You may want to do this with your leadership team and/or some key employees.

Here are some areas to discuss as you reflect:

  1. What went well? What didn’t go well? Consider budget, hiring, retention, employee engagement, customer acquisition/retention/relationships, adapting to the new (COVID) work environment, infrastructure, brand recognition, etc.
  2. Did we achieve our goals (or are we on the way to achieving our goals)? If not, why not?
  3. Do we have the skills sets we need – the right people in the right jobs?
  4. Do we have leaders/potentials who are prepared to lead us into the future?

Add to this list other areas of discussion that are specific to your business or situation.

Something else to consider as you reflect on where you are as an organization is conducting a SWOT analysis. This will help you identify trends both inside your company as well as in your industry.

Once you’ve established a clear picture of the past year and have identified areas that need improvement or modification, it’s time to start planning. Your planning should begin with forecasting what your workforce needs to look like in 2023 and beyond so you can create a talent management strategy around your needs.

There are two sides to workforce planning – the operational side and the strategic side. The operational side 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 involves 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. Be sure that you develop comprehensive job descriptions for future jobs and update current job descriptions.

Thoughtful planning is always important, but more so during an environment of economic uncertainty. Having a clear picture of where you are and where you want to go will help you prioritize, especially when hiring for new positions and considering replacements.

Year-End HR Checklist

And before year end don’t forget to address the items on this list and any other items relative to your particular business that aren’t included here.

  • Order any updated Federal and State Labor Law Posters
  • Review your Employee Handbook to identify any changes needed based on new laws, policies and/or procedures
  • Review and update employee addresses in preparation for W-2 distribution
  • Review and update job descriptions
  • Finalize the HR Budget for 2023
  • Finalize focal process for 2023
  • Finalize company goals
  • Determine dates of company holidays for 2023
  • Finalize and announce any new benefits/employee perks for 2023
  • Renew any annual memberships and subscriptions
  • Schedule annual reviews with employees
  • Deal with any lingering employee relations issues

If you need help with workforce planning or addressing any of the items on this checklist, please reach out to me at michelle@connecttohr.com

Strategies to Recession-Proof Your Workforce

Unless you’ve been avoiding the news (which is tempting these days) you know that many pundits are predicting that we are headed toward a recession. In the past, a recession typically meant that companies would be cutting expenses, freezing hiring, and laying off employees.    

But these are different times.

If we’ve learned anything from what we experienced during COVID over the past two years, letting go of employees – their company experience and knowledge – may not be the best solution. Consider that many employees who lost their jobs at the beginning of COVID decided not to return to them. Others just quit to seek better opportunities elsewhere as the job market came roaring back. And some Baby Boomers decided to just permanently retire.

So how do you “recession-proof” your workforce, that is, keep them motivated and onboard while minimizing the need to make reductions?

Here are some tips:

Conduct a business analysis to determine where you can improve efficiency and where you can make adjustments to use your employee resources more effectively.

Consider alternatives to laying people off, such as furloughs and/or job sharing:

Furloughs are temporary – the employee works a reduced schedule – and allow employees to stay connected to the organization. They also often include continued benefits. The employee can apply for unemployment for the time reduced from their regular schedule.

Job sharing, as its name suggests, is when two people share the work hours of one position, for example one working the job in the morning and one in the afternoon. As with furloughs, this option helps employees stay connected to the company, keep their benefits, and apply for unemployment for the work hours missed.

Communicate, and involve employees in your recession strategies. Retaining employees during the hard times has a lot to do with the trust and relationship you’ve developed with them during the good times. A trusting relationship begins with open, honest communication. Be honest about the challenges the organization is facing and communicate your plans to overcome them. Give employees the opportunity to ask questions and share their thoughts.

Stay tuned for part two of this topic. Next time we’ll talk about another recession-proofing strategy – cross training.

To Improve DEI, Choose Culture ADD Over Culture FIT

As I wrote in my last article, building a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) begins with leaders.

Leaders need to create an environment where ALL employees, regardless of their gender, race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, etc. feel welcome, valued, and included. An environment where ALL employees have opportunities for advancement and where ALL employees are treated equitably in matters of compensation, development, and benefits.

Equity and inclusion don’t just happen on their own. They need to be intentionally woven into HR strategies, policies, procedures, and leadership expectations. DEI shouldn’t be focused just in the hiring practice.  It needs to continue throughout the employee experience. The commitment to DEI needs to be talked about at new hire orientation and reinforced at team meetings and at all hands meetings.

A recent Fast Company article – 5 Things You Probably Haven’t Thought of That Will Help You Be More Inclusive – provides some additional ways for companies to become more inclusive. Two of their tips stood out to me.

Focus on culture ADD not culture FIT. Too many workplaces are focused on hiring for culture fit. This framing is exclusionary and biased, especially when it comes to hiring for leadership roles. If your organization is made up of white men, then you’re consciously or unconsciously going to pattern match for a ‘culture fit.’”

As you do your workforce planning, think about hiring for people who aren’t already represented by race, gender, age, educational background, languages spoken – people who will add to your culture.

Cultivate cultural humility, not cultural competency. The difference is that cultural competency means learning about other cultures while retaining the idea that your culture is dominant. This approach assumes that the non-dominant culture’s way of doing things is often exasperating or exotic—a quirk to accommodate, not something to respect or learn from. Cultivating cultural humility means recognizing that you do not know everything about another’s culture, and that there may be a lot to learn from it.

The most inclusive companies evaluate their practices on a regular basis, collaborate with employees at all levels on how they can improve, and monitor their progress.  They celebrate and reward those who add to the culture and recognize leaders who see potential in employees who may be different than the established norm.

If you need help improving diversity, equity and inclusion in your organization, please reach out to me at michelle@connecttohr.com.

Planning Today for Your Workforce Needs Tomorrow

As we approach 4th 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!

Contact us today for a FREE 45-minute consultation to see how Just in Time: Your Guide to HR can benefit you.

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. 

Don’t Let Your Talent Walk Out the Door

It’s being called The Great Resignation and the facts are startling.

On top of that, in June, the number of job openings in the U.S. jumped to 10.1 million, the highest since the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics started tracking job openings 21 years ago.

There are a variety of reasons why workers are quitting. Some have safety concerns about going back to an office environment when we are still fighting COVID. Others have gotten used to working at home and want to maintain that flexibility. Or they are frustrated with their job, their company, their pay, or their leader and want to take advantage of what’s clearly a “workers market” to find something new.

So, as a leader what can you do to get ahead of The Great Resignation and reduce the risk of your top talent walking out the door?

First of all, there are three important things to remember:

  1. Employees do not want to go back to the pre-COVID work environment. According to a recent Accenture report, 83% of workers surveyed said they prefer a hybrid model in which they can work remotely at least 25% of the time.
  2. Bad leadership has always been and is still one of the top reasons employees quit.
  3. Replacing an employee can cost between 50-60% of that employee’s salary with overall costs ranging from 90-200%.

Retention strategies should be an integral part of your workforce planning. Here’s a refresher on some best practices/strategies with a few additions for our new way of working.

Begin retention at recruitment. Be sure that the job candidates interview for and accept is the job they get. Provide an engaging, thorough orientation with opportunities to connect with the team (even remotely) and the culture. Show them where they fit into the organization now and into the future.

Train your leaders. Too often leaders are thrown into the role without any leadership development. The result is that they end up repeating the bad habits of their leaders, perpetuating a negative cycle. Or they fail. 40% of new leaders fail because of poor fit, poor delivery, or poor ability to adjust to a change down the road. Just because they were successful as individual performers does not mean they will succeed as leaders. Train them to avoid #2 above.

Be flexible. Consider each job role and each individual as you create your plan for reopening/bringing workers back to the office. Be willing to acknowledge that employees can be productive working from home, and in fact, are often more productive without the commute and other distractions.

Provide feedback and recognition.  Employees want to know how they’re doing and be recognized for their efforts. Don’t wait until the annual review to have those conversations.

Provide career development and opportunities. Make it a point to understand each employee’s career aspirations. If they want to do something different than their current role, maybe there’s an internal opportunity for them in a different department. Retain them by giving them a chance to grow within the broader organization.

Connect employees with resources. Many employees are stressed and burned out from all that we’ve been through over the past 18 months.  Let them know about your Employee Assistance Program (EAP) if you have one, or connect them with other resources for help.

And finally, be sure that you and other leaders in your organization are paying attention to your own burnout and accessing resources as necessary. Another startling statistic: 73% of teams with burned out managers said that they were feeling burned out. (Predictive Index)

It’s important for leaders to model behavior that encourages employees to take time off and to not work around the clock.  For example, sending email at 10 pm to employees doesn’t encourage work life balance.

If you have questions about employee retention or need help putting together retention strategies, please consider Connect to HR’s 3-hour Just in Time Advisory Service. Many of my clients are finding this service helpful as they develop their return-to-work plans.

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.

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!

Contact us today for a FREE 45-minute consultation to see how Just in Time: Your Guide to HR can benefit you.

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. 

It’s Time to (Finally) Close the Gender Pay Gap

March 24, 2021. For many this may have been just another day. But for working women it marked Equal Pay Day – the day (3 months into the new year) that women had to work to in 2021 to earn what white, non-Hispanic men earned in 2020 alone. According to the National Women’s Law Center, women working fulltime, year-round are paid, on average, 82 cents for every dollar paid to men.

It’s amazing that in the 21st century we’re still seeing a significant gap in the way men and women are paid. And we see it in every industry – from hi-tech to sports to entertainment. And given the impact the past 12 months have had on women in the workforce – 2.3 million have left it all together – it’s well past time to change things.

So, what is the long-term impact of this wage gap for women?

According to one study, over the course of a 40-year career, women on average could be paid nearly a half million dollars less than their male counterparts. The gap is even wider for women of color, many of whom earn only 75 cents for every dollar a man makes. As a result of lower lifetime earnings, women receive less in Social Security and pensions. In overall retirement income, women have only 70% of what men do.

An AAUW (American Association of University Women) study – The Simple Truth About the Gender Pay Gap – provides additional statistics about the impact of pay discrimination on women.

Although gender-based discrimination has been illegal since the 1960s, it still thrives in many workplaces, especially those that discourage open discussion of wages and that rely on prior salary history in hiring. If the bar is set low for a woman early on, it may follow her from job to job throughout her career. Also, women may leave the workforce temporarily to raise children or to care for an aging parent. When they return, that employment gap works against them. It may result in their being offered (or accepting) lower pay to enable their re-entry.

It’s time for this to change, and there are many things that men can do to help close the gap.  A recent article outlined 5 specific actions men can take to promote pay equity.

  1. Sponsor, coach and mentor female coworkers. Men can advocate for their female co-workers to ensure their value is recognized and that they are considered in promotion opportunities.
  2. Compensation transparency. Salary discussions are often taboo so women may not know that a man doing the same job is paid more. Men can take the lead in exposing inequity by sharing this information with their female mentees.
  3. Take paternity leave. This could help reduce the so-called “motherhood penalty.”
  4. Speak up when women are not present. Again, advocate for women.
  5. Recognize unconscious bias. Don’t assume that a woman won’t want (or be able to handle) a job that requires long hours or travel. Advocate for their equal consideration.

Pay equity is an important discussion. We’ll continue it next time with some actions that employers can take to help close the gap, and what women can do to advocate for themselves.

Helping Women Get Back to Work

As I described in my last article, women – especially women of color – have been disproportionately impacted by job losses during the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, according to data from McKinsey & Company, women accounted for 56% of people leaving the workforce since February 2020.  This has turned back the clock for women in terms of their gains in leadership and pay equity. And it has widened the opportunity gap for women of color, many of whom were employed in the industries hardest hit by the pandemic, such as hospitality and care.

This issue should be a concern not only for the women who have felt forced to leave the labor pool, but also for companies that could potentially employ them. According to the Center for Creative Leadership, gender-diverse teams have higher sales and profits compared to male-dominated teams, and gender-diverse business units have higher average revenue than less diverse business units. Furthermore, a higher percentage of women in an organization predicts:

  • More job satisfaction
  • More organizational dedication
  • More meaningful work, and
  • Less burnout.

Fortunately, some companies are recognizing the gap that fewer women in the workforce will leave and are trying to address it. One example is Google, who recently announced an initiative to provide 100,000 Black women with career development and digital skills training by Spring 2022. The initiative is part of a $15 million commitment by Google to help Black job seekers grow their digital skills. The program will include training in resume writing, interviewing, online marketing and more.

A number of other large companies offer a variety of return-to-work programs for women who have left the workforce to raise their children or to care for an aging loved one.

What can you, as a small or medium sized company, do to create an environment that attracts and retains women?  Here are some ideas:

Be clear about expectations and performance standards. The date when schools will fully open for in-person learning is still uncertain in many areas. This adds to the mounting stress for parents who may be worried about whether they will be required to go back to the office before their children go back to school. Or whether they will be able to secure childcare in time. Be as specific as possible about your return-to-office plans and give an adequate amount of lead time (and flexibility) to accommodate parental needs.

Implement flexible scheduling. Be creative about work hours, taking into consideration that during normal work hours parents, especially moms, may also be supporting their child’s distance learning or caring for an infant who would normally be in childcare. Consider allowing evening or weekend hours in place of daytime hours (not in addition to!) when the other parent or a relative/friend may be able to provide childcare support.

Practice empathy. Demonstrate that you understand that moms are going through a lot right now as they try to juggle work, distance learning support, and domestic responsibilities that traditionally fall to them. Make time for individual check-ins and co-create options that will ease the burden while continuing to advance the work. Assess priorities. Maybe the less critical goals can wait.

Don’t forget that that I will be participating in a panel discussion during a webinar – Professional Women Returning to Work – on Thursday, March 25, hosted by Phase2 Careers.  You can register for the program here.  Learn more about Phase2 Careers by visiting their website.

I hope you will join us!  

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.

Accelerate Your Business Through a SWOT Analysis

As we approach the end of the year, it’s a good idea to set aside some time to reflect on your business and prepare for what’s next. What is going well? What needs to change? What are the company’s strengths and what are the opportunities for improvement?

I’m working through this process with one of my clients. They have grown significantly over the past three years, more than doubling the number of employees. They are looking at adding some new business offerings and want to make sure that they have the right administrative functions, skills and organization in place to support them.

To determine this, we’re using a simple but powerful tool called a SWOT analysis. “SWOT” stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. By taking an objective look at each of these areas as they pertain to the company, we can identify any gaps and then strategize how to fill in those gaps.

The Strengths and Weaknesses components require looking inward – evaluating things you have control over and can change. For example, your processes, location, team. The Opportunities and Threats components require looking outward – external forces you may not be able to control, such as competitors, customer buying trends, new regulations.

Key to an effective SWOT analysis are good questions and honest, well thought out answers.  Here are some examples of questions.

Strengths:

  • Which of our processes are working effectively?
  • What are the strengths of our team, e.g., experience, knowledge, level of education, skills, network or reputation?
  • What are our tangible assets, e.g., customers, technology, equipment, capital, or patents?
  • What is our competitive advantage?

Weaknesses:

  • Which of our processes are not working?
  • Are there skill, knowledge or experience gaps on the team?
  • What assets are we lacking, e.g., capital, equipment, up-to-date technology?
  • Is there something within our control that is holding us back from being competitive?

Opportunities:

  • Are there recent changes in the market that could create an opportunity?
  • Is the timing critical to take advantage of that opportunity?
  • What events are coming up that we could leverage to grow the business?
  • Are there any impending changes to regulations that could work in our favor?

Threats:

  • Who are our current and potential competitors? What are their strengths?
  • Is there potential for a significant change in prices or availability of key suppliers?
  • Are there shifts in customer buying trends or the economy that could impact revenue or profits?
  • What other factors beyond our control could put the company at risk?

Of course, you’d want to add more questions that are specific to your business. Understanding your company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats will help you make informed decisions about what you need to do to take your business to the next level.

Next time we’ll talk about some specific things to do and not do in your SWOT analysis.

Please contact me if you need help in going through the process.

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