Creating a better benefits package isn’t just good for employees. It’s good for business, too.

Growing Pains: it’s not just a classic TV series desperately in need of a reunion show. While growth is a blessing for many companies, it also brings with it many challenges. With this in mind, CareerBuilder and Inc. have just released “Geared to Growth: Building an Infrastructure for the Long Haul,” a new report designed to help companies deal with the growing pains they may experience over both the short- and long-term.

The following excerpt from Part III of “Geared to Growth” (you can check out part I here and go here for part II) discusses how benefits are critical to attracting and retaining employees – and how you can deliver the benefits employees want (without breaking the bank).

Benchmarking Your Employee Benefits Package
Benefits play a crucial role in attracting and retaining productive employees. So how do you know if you’re offering a compelling benefits plan? Start with one question:  Are employees using it?

“One important factor is utilization,” says Professor Martocchio, who is author of Employee Benefits: A Primer for Human Resource Professionals. Take stock of which benefits employees are actually taking advantage of. Perhaps your company can replace some benefits employees don’t want or need with new benefits that they’ll appreciate more. “Before you invest in those benefits and spend the money, you need to do a needs test to find out what the employees will use.”

Don’t neglect non-traditional benefits like flex-time, telecommuting, and domestic partner coverage, which many employees today consider essentials, not extras. They expect employers to recognize and respect their personal and family obligations, even in the current economic environment.

It’s not just employees who get perks from these types of benefits, either. Offering those nonstandard benefits gives you a competitive edge in attracting highly in-demand workers – and in retaining your current employees.

Benefits don’t have to break the bank.
Some of the most valued employee benefits are also some of the most cost-effective to execute. Options include:

• Providing space for weekly weight-loss program meetings.
• Offering education on use of flexible spending plans.
• Bringing in counselors to help employees assess their financial planning and insurance positions.

“These are really critical issues,” Martocchio says. “Most of us do not know how to deal with long-term wealth building or long-term care, because it is so complicated.”

Be careful, however, not to endorse or sponsor financial or insurance advisors (which introduces the potential for liability) and make it clear that the company receives no commission on these referrals.

Staff members should have a voice in designing the plans. Several strategies can help you to gather and implement their input:

• Conduct periodic surveys of employee preferences.
• Invite feedback through use of a physical or virtual suggestion box.
• Create a representative employee advisory committee that reflects a broad cross-section of job titles and employee backgrounds, both personal and professional.

These strategies not only provide a simple, inexpensive way to gauge employee concerns—they also give executives and management a way to demonstrate that the company cares about and does its best to respond to employee concerns.

If you choose to launch an employee advisory committee, make sure you have a clearly defined purpose for it. Make sure the members understand the metrics the company will use to evaluate the committee’s effectiveness and contributions to corporate-wide productivity.

These metrics should measure concerns that “play to the success of the organization,” says human capital management consultant Paul Belliveau, SPHR, HRIP. These metrics should measure success “against the problems that need to be solved to achieve strategic goals and objectives from a corporate standpoint.”

For more information, download a complimentary copy of “Geared to Growth” – and check out the Infrastructure-Building Resources on page 15 for further assistance in evaluating and enhancing your existing benefits plan.

 It’s true that your company, no matter what other aspects you may excel and grow in, is only as good as its people. Yet, your people are only as good as your process of selecting them. As a company currently growing or preparing for future growth, how can slow down enough to reverse the cycle and improve your selection process to bring in better people–and see better business results? CareerBuilder and Inc.’s just-released report, “Geared to Growth: Building an Infrastructure for the Long Haul,” will help you prepare for the recruitment changes and challenges that come along with your company’s growth and make changes in the way you’re selecting candidates now that will prove crucial later.

Below, check out a sneak peek of Part II of “Geared to Growth” (and if you missed Part I about getting the right policies and procedures in place, read it here) — it’s all about the long-term people standards your company needs create to prepare for significant growth.

In reexamining your candidate selection process, where should you start?

1. Targeted Job Descriptions

First and foremost, take a look at your job descriptions–they may be harming your prospects more than you realize.The quality of your job descriptions can have a huge impact on your opportunities to attract the most qualified candidates and make them start thinking of your company as their employer of choice.

The U.S. Small Business Administration outlines these job description essentials:

• Job title and objective
• Description of the function and scope of the position
• Review of duties and functional responsibilities
• Overview of relationships and roles within the company

Following this formula for all job descriptions makes it easier for employees to understand not only what is expected of them and their colleagues, but also how each person on the staff contributes to the company’s overall success.

Even with these four main points in place, don’t forget to offer a short description of your company culture and make an effort to personalize your company further. For example, you might say something like, “We reward original thinking and ideas, encourage our employees to grow professionally and personally, and support their efforts to take on new challenges, whether it’s to learn a new language or run the Chicago Marathon.”

This can help you to attract candidates who will go above and beyond the responsibilities outlined in the job description and who want to work for you — not just any company.

2. Standard versus performance-based pay scales

Salary: It can sometimes feel like a never-ending headache trying to get it right. As your business grows, a standardized pay scale is a great way to manage employees’ compensation expectations in a way that encourages and rewards their contributions to corporate growth. Several formulas can help you to do this:

• Key compensation to skill development—for example, acquisition of advanced skills in certain computer programs—rather than tying pay to a particular job title.
• Implement competency-based pay for employees whose value rests more in what they know than tasks they perform.
• Employ broadbanding, which groups similar jobs (for example, administrative staff) within a pay range for the group as a whole, rather than as individual jobs.
• Create performance-based pay scales that match compensation to the employee’s success in meeting established objectives.

Alternatively, performance-based compensation strategy keys salaries to employees’ value in meeting revenue and profitability goals. This approach creates another opportunity to motivate employees to exceed expectations in their job performance. It ties compensation and incentives to:

• Productivity
• Work quality and results delivered
• Success in meeting difficult challenges
• Willingness to work under dangerous conditions

There is no one best approach to compensation. Choose the strategy that best supports your business model and protects your company’s ability to attract and retain the
employees you need. That’s true even in a job market that favors employers.

Catch Part I of Geared to Growth: Building an Infrastructure for the Long Haul here, and stay tuned for Part III on benchmarking, coming soon.

Finding workers with the right skills can be a skill in itself.

If you find yourself complaining that you can’t find the qualified candidates you need for certain positions at your organization, the good news is you’re not alone – by a long shot.

According to a recent Manpower survey, 52 percent of U.S. employers can’t find the skilled workers they need to fill open positions.

Dire as these findings may seem, the situation isn’t hopeless. In a recent editorial for Harvard Business Review addressing how companies can navigate the growing skills gap, CareerBuilder CEO Matt Ferguson mentioned that companies need to take the initiative to reskill workers themselves. After all, many out-of-work Americans have skills they could easily transfer to a new career “if given the opportunity to build them,” according to Ferguson.

The question then becomes, how can you provide that opportunity? Consider the following ways organizations can take it upon themselves to reskill workers – and help close that ever-widening skills gap.

5 Ways to Train Workers for the Skills Your Organization Needs

1. Set up an internal training and development program. It’s no accident that some of today’s most successful companies also happen to make leadership development a priority. General Electric, for example, invests roughly $1 billion annually on training and educational opportunities for employees, while both Intel and McDonald’s have company-specific ‘universities’ where employees to go to learn new skills and develop existing ones. Don’t have the means to create an internal training program? Look into using a third party resource, such as CareerBuilderInstitute, which enables businesses to train their employees through online courses that range from hard- and soft-skill development to professional certification.
2. Create a mentorship program within the organization. Mentorship programs are a great, cost-effective way to prepare employees for leadership and management positions. But the benefits don’t end there. Research suggests that mentorship programs have a positive effect on morale, boost productivity and increase retention rates, as well.
3. Partner with local colleges to offer training and recruit. In hopes to reverse the trend of an increasing skills gap and labor shortage, companies across all industries are partnering with local colleges and universities to offer programs that ensure workers get the specialized skills they need for various industries.
4. Promote current employees first. When looking to hire for a new position, don’t overlook your current employees. Chances are you’ll have to train whoever you hire to some extent anyway, so why not have one of those people be someone you know is already the right fit culturally? Promoting from within not only saves time and money bringing in someone new, but it can also improve morale and increase retention, as it sends the message that you value your employees and provide growth opportunities.
5. Consider rehiring former employees. This can be a tricky one, depending on the circumstances surrounding the employee’s original departure, but rehiring a former employee could be a viable option to fill certain open positions. After all, rehired employees understand the company culture, and you don’t have to retrain them.

What is your organization doing to reskill workers?

Related posts: Four Things Great Companies Do to Develop Their Leaders

Growth can obviously be a huge boon to your company, but it can also lead to some stumbling blocks you weren’t exactly prepared to encounter. Well, detach the nails that you’ve just dug into your office chair in panic: CareerBuilder and Inc. have just released a new report, “Geared to Growth: Building an Infrastructure for the Long Haul,” with the sole purpose of helping you prepare for any changes and challenges that come along with your company’s growth, whether that growth happens tomorrow or 10 years from now.

Below, check out a sneak peek of Part I of “Geared to Growth” — it’s all about the policies and procedures your company needs to put in place to prepare for significant growth.

The employee manual

One critical component of a planned approach to growth is the sometimes dreaded, always indispensable employee manual. As Lisa Guerin, legal editor at Nolo and co-author of “Create Your Own Employee Handbook: A Legal & Practical Guide for Employers,” says, “The actual process of sitting down and writing an employee handbook is really valuable for a company. Many companies make the mistake of creating ‘scattered policies as they come up.’”

Sound familiar? Not only does this backwards approach make it much harder to create consistent policies for things like performance reviews, vacation time and employee leave, but it also leaves companies open to legal action. “The inconsistent treatment can lead to suspicions that there may be discrimination going on, or that there may be some kind of ulterior motive,” Guerin adds.

As a general guide, an effective employee manual:

• Covers internal policies .
• Includes your company’s statement of compliance with laws and regulations like the Family Medical Leave Act.
• Sets the standard for company behavior and employee conduct—for example, by stating that your company prohibits discrimination and harassment.

Guerin adds that the above three criteria handle part of companies’ need to comply with Title 7, the federal law prohibiting discrimination. “But,” she adds, “it’s also
letting employees know what kind of behavior is not acceptable, what kind of
behavior they should report, the complaint process, and what happens when
a complaint is filed.”

Note: Because the employee manual gets into legal territory, make sure your corporate counsel reviews it before you finalize and excitedly distribute it to Every. Employee. At. The. Company.

The manual is ready to go–now what?

Even though your employee manual is finalized, both your company and the world around it are likely to change from time to time. Consequently, you’ll need to review it annually and also when your company:

• Reaches certain milestones in staff size.
• Expands its operations or lines of business.
• Experiences significant competitive or market changes.
• Is affected by new laws or regulations.
• Faces cultural changes like the rise of social media.

Though a 2010 National Labor Relations Board ruling limited
the extent to which companies can restrict their employees’ personal activities
in social media, it is still important for employees to be aware of your policies and vigilant in using common sense in their social media activities.

How to get the employee manual to the people it’s meant for (hint: your employees)

Like the manual itself, how you choose to deliver your shiny new employee manual should fit the needs of your employees (if you want them to read it). For that reason, it’s best to
make it available in a variety of formats:

• Online is a good option for people who are comfortable with receiving information electronically and have access to a computer throughout the workday.
• Print is preferable for people who have limited exposure and access to computers.
• Employees with disabilities may be best served by another delivery system, like one that interfaces with an audio e-reader for people with visual impairments.

Did they get it — or did they get it?

Distributing your employee manual is only half the work — the real work comes in making sure your employees understand and comprehend its contents. Otherwise, what’s the point? Your goal should be for your employee manual to serve as a tool for corporate and individual growth and success.

Once the manual is distributed, schedule time for supervisors to conduct training sessions/grievance sessions. Yes, this is where employees can air any concerns or uncertainties they have about their rights and obligations within the company — and supervisors (or whomever you deem as point people) can give them the answers they’re seeking.

Get your complimentary copy of “Geared for Growth” and check out the Infrastructure-Building Resources on page 14 for more tools to help your company create its employee manual — and all the essentials on preparing your company for a period of growth.)

Just when we thought we’d heard it all — employees getting locked in the car trunk, dogs swallowing cell phones, and Botox appointments taking longer than expected — the results of this year’s CareerBuilder survey on employees’ unusual excuses for arriving late to work arrived — and we saw that this year, even a state governor was involved in an employee’s excuse for being late (more details about that one below).

2011 versus 2010

The percentage of workers arriving late to work has increased slightly from last year, according to the nationwide survey, conducted by Harris Interactive^© among more than 7,000 U.S. employees and 3,000 employers: 16 percent of workers reported they arrive late to work once a week or more, up from 15 percent last year. 2010 represented a dip in late workers, perhaps in part due to aftershocks of the recession and workers fearing losing their jobs over tardiness; 2011′s increase may reflect the fact that hiring has starting to pick up this past year and workers aren’t as worried about repercussions.

Here are 2011′s most unusual (and very candid) excuses for being late to work, rounded up from hiring managers themselves:

1. “My cat had the hiccups.”
2. “I thought I had won the lottery.” (She didn’t.)
3. “I had to take a personal call from the state governor.” (This also turned out to be true).
4. “I got distracted watching the TODAY Show.”
5. “My angry roommate cut the cord to his phone charger, so it didn’t charge and my alarm didn’t go off.”
6. “I believe my commute time should count toward my work hours.”
7. “A fox stole my car keys.”
8. “My leg was trapped between the subway car and the platform.” (This turned out to be true.)
9. “I wasn’t late because I had no intention of getting to work before 9:00 a.m.” (His start time was 8:00 a.m.)
10. “I was late because of a job interview with another firm.”
11. “I had to take a personal call from the state governor.” (This also turned out to be true).

The main causes for late arrivals to the office (aren’t so unusual)

Traffic, sleep schedules and weather conditions are the top three boring causes for late arrivals to the office, according to workers:

• 31 percent said they were delayed by traffic
• 18 percent said they were late due to lack of sleep
• 11 percent blamed the bad weather
• 8 percent said they were delayed because of getting their kids to daycare/school
• Other common reasons included: public transportation, spouses, watching TV or using the Internet, wardrobe issues, or dealing with pets. (With the frequency of pets being involved in so many unusual late excuses, that last one somehow doesn’t surprise me.)

In how many households is that snooze button being abused?.

More than a quarter (27 percent) of workers arrive late to work at least once a month, up from 26 percent last year. Hey, we all have rough mornings, and winter fully upon us, it’s sometimes hard to scrape down the car or trudge through the snow to make it to an 8:00 meeting.

While many employers are more flexible about work schedules and start times today than in the past, understanding that life sometimes gets in the way of work, 34 percent of employers surveyed said they have terminated an employee for being late (up 2 percent from last year’s findings). Are you one of those bosses?

As Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder, points out, punctuality – or lack thereof – can impact how an employee’s commitment, reliability and performance are perceived by an employer.

Communication is essential

While punctuality can impact how an employee’s commitment, reliability and performance are perceived, it’s also important to remember that perceptions don’t always equal reality. I would stress that as a boss, it’s your responsibility to be open and communicative about policies and preferences for work tardiness–let employees know what you expect while breeding an environment of honesty and understanding.

• Let your employees know what your expectations are in the case that they are running late to work. Open lines of communication will mean more respect from your employees — and fewer headaches for you. And chances are, if you trust and respect your employees, they will return the favor.
• Make sure employee handbooks and guidelines are readily available to employees — and offer to answer any uncertainties or get employees in touch with the person who is able to answer their questions if you can’t.
• Give your employees the benefit of the doubt – they may be stuck wrangling keys from a sly fox, exhausted from being up all night with a screaming child, or going through a rough personal time. While these reasons don’t mean you need to give them free reign to do whatever they want, listening to your employees and trying to compromise a plan that will better fit their lifestyle while still satisfying your business requirements is a win-win in the long run: As I’ve said before, improved balance between life and work = happier employees = better business.

What are the most unusual late-to-work excuses you’ve heard from your employees — or that you’ve used yourself? And do you think employees feel comfortable enough with you to honestly communicate their lateness issues?

If any of you recruiters out there, like me, obsessively watch have ever seen an episode of Bravo’s Millionaire Matchmaker, you may have noted the similarity between recruiting and matchmaking. Both jobs entail trying to deliver the best candidates possible to a customer in hopes to make the perfect match (and end up happily ever after).

The other similarity? “It’s a very crazy industry,” says Daniel Banfield, a former partnership director at a national staffing firm. Crazy, however, isn’t necessarily a bad thing: where some people burn out from the fast pace and high demands of the job, others thrive on these elements.

Whether you’re thinking of starting a career in recruiting and staffing industry, or you want to move up from your current position, Banfield and Erik Kelley, both account executives in CareerBuilder’s Staffing and Recruiting Group, offered up the following advice based of their own experiences.

Five Steps to Success in the Recruiting and Staffing Industry

1. Don’t expect success to come to you. The skills that it takes at one level of your career might not necessarily what gets you to the next point in your career. “Know what it takes to be successful, and be completely mindful of what it’s going to take to move up,” Banfield says. To do this, he suggests getting a mentor, who can help you set realistic expectations about your career path and what it takes to move up, including the challenges that come with the various roles. Make every effort to connect with others in the industry (which you can do through LinkedIn or joining a professional organization, such as SHRM or the ASA), who can guide you along in your career path.
2. Make yourself indispensable.  “You need to be looked to as leader, someone who’s putting people to work,” says Kelley, once an account executive at a national staffing firm, of how recruiters can set themselves apart and move up to senior recruiter and sales positions. How do you accomplish leadership cred? Again, it’s all about being proactive: join an organization that’s suited to your interests; attend recruiting conferences and events; sign up for free webinars online; follow industry experts on social media sites (such as Facebook.com/CareerBuilderforStaffing); and read up on industry reports to stay current on staffing and recruiting trends (such as checking out the recent Opportunities in Staffing guide), to name a few options. Become an expert in your field, and clients and colleagues will begin to see you as an indispensable resource.
3. Recognize that change is inevitable: Due to the dynamic, fast-paced nature of the recruiting and staffing industry, it requires a certain amount of agility and willingness to adapt to an ever-changing environment. “If you can’t deal with the element of change very well, then recruiting and staffing is not the career for you, because you will be on an emotional roller coaster with good days and bad,” says Kelley.  While Kelley loved “the satisfaction of putting people to work who deserved it,” there were definite downsides to the role as well, such as the disappointment of seeing a candidate ultimately not work out for reasons beyond his control – and the toll it would then take on his (compensation-based) paycheck.
4. Beware of burnout. “There’s a huge burnout factor,” says Banfield of the nature of the job. Yet there are ways to combat this, such as finding multiple projects to work on, joining a professional organization specific to your niche. Keeping up on the industry and continuously educating yourself are critical to staying ahead. Most importantly, find an organization to work for that encourages growth. “A lot of success is organization-driven. You have to foster that environment [as an organization].”
5. Do it because you love it. To paraphrase what Amber Naslund says about social media, If you don’t love it, you’ll suck at it. The same might be said about recruiting. (Okay, you might not suck at it, but passion to succeed definitely works for you in this industry.) “I think people go into recruiting by accident because they need a job, and they find out later that they either hate it or love it,” says Kelley. And it is those who love it, Banfield believes, who will find the most success in this industry: “If someone’s just out for the number, it’s not going to work out.”

What are some of the lessons you’ve learned by working in the recruiting and staffing industry? Do you think the pros of the job outweigh the cons?

Yesterday we released our 2012 Job Forecast, including some of our employment predictions for the New Year. But, before we jump into the future, let’s take a look back at the most read posts of 2011:

#1 – Workplace Bullying and Your Employees: What Can You Do?
Published April 20, 2011 by Amy Chulik, contributing editor for The Hiring Site 

A newly released CareerBuilder survey reveals that workplace bullying is still happening. We share 6 tips to help your company work toward a bully-free workplace.

#2 – Search and Review Candidates – Faster and More Efficiently with ResumeFlip
Published July 14, 2011 by Stephanie Gaspary, editorial director for The Hiring Site

Easily flip from one resume to the next with CareerBuilder’s enhanced Resume Database. You’ll view full, complete resumes – the way candidates want you to see them – instead of just generic-looking resume summaries.

#3 – 10 Global HR Trends for 2011 and How to Manage Them
Published March 17, 2011 by Amy Chulik, contributing editor for The Hiring Site

Howard Wallack, the Director of Global Member Programs for SHRM, discussed 10 global HR labor trends for 2011 at HRPA 2011 and how companies can best manage them.

#4 – Emerging Media: The Best Opportunities You Aren’t Taking Advantage Of
Published August 31, 2011 by Andrew Streiter, VP of sales at CareerBuilder

As job seeker behavior changes, so too does your recruitment strategy. Learn how today’s recruitment experts use emerging media to find the best talent.

#5 – Recruiting for Tomorrow Today: 4 Key Reasons You Need a Talent Pipeline
Published March 17, 2011 by John Smith, SVP of sales at CareerBuilder

If you want to remain competitive in today’s market, you can no longer rely on “business as usual” when it comes to your recruitment efforts.

#6 –4 Things Great Companies Do To Develop Their Leaders
Published January 26, 2011 by Mary Lorenz, contributing editor for The Hiring Site

What turns ordinary employees into superior leaders? Learn the four essential characteristics the top 20 best companies for leadership share.

#7 – The Pros and Cons of Behavioral Interviewing
Published March 2, 2011 by Jennifer Way, guest contributor for The Hiring Site

Behavioral interviews are one of the biggest leaps forward in recruitment, but that doesn’t erase the responsibilities that come along with this type of interview.

#8 – How Can Job Seekers Get Résumés Out of Your Trash and Into Your Heart?
Published September 15, 2011 by Amy Chulik, contributing editor for The Hiring Site

An overview of your most agonizing résumé errors here. After all, by letting job seekers know what you don’t want, you are also shedding light on what you do want.

#9 – A Recruitment Strategy Without Data Isn’t A Strategy At All
Published May 5, 2011 by Jason Lovelace, VP of sales at CareerBuilder

Gone are the days when employers could simply put an ad in the local paper in hopes people apply. Today recruitment requires strategy, the key to which is data.

#10 – Might As Well Face It, You’re Addicted To… Work?
Published January 4, 2011 by Amy Chulik, contributing editor for The Hiring Site

A new CareerBuilder study examines signs of work addiction and explores ways workers can find a happy medium between work and personal time as we dive into 2011.

So there you have it – 2011 in review. Looking forward, what would you like our writers to focus on for 2011?

The holidays are upon us, and you know what that means: A lot of wide-eyed excitement, crackling fires, fresh-baked treats, gatherings with loved ones, snowball fights, and more perks at work like bonuses, parties and gifts.

Wait, what was that last part? More perks in the workplace, just in time for the wallet-emptying tendencies of the holidays? Yes — but just how much extra merriment will workers see this season? Let’s take a look. (See the infographic)

2011 Holiday Perk Highlights:

Bonuses: less frosty

• Forty percent of employers plan to give their employees holiday bonuses this year, up from 33 percent in 2010. 
• Among that group, 73 percent are planning to give the same amount as last year. 
• Fourteen percent plan to provide greater bonus than last year, while 13 percent plan to provide less.

Parties: Mingling on the rise-

• Fifty-eight percent of employers are planning a holiday party for their employees this year, up from 52 percent in 2010.
• Thirty-six percent of workers say they plan to attend their holiday party this year.

Gifts: Naughty or nice?

• Thirty percent of employers plan to give holiday gifts, up from 29 percent in 2010. 
• Holiday perks in the office aren’t just coming from corporate; 22 percent of workers say they plan to buy holidays gifts for co-workers this year, with the same percentage planning to buy their boss something. 
• While gifting may be up, extravagance is still down: The majority (78 percent) of workers say they plan to spend $25 or less on average for each holiday gift they buy for the office. Thirty-eight percent plan to spend $10 or less and 12 percent plan to spend less than $5.

 Take a closer look at 2011′s Office Holiday Cheer Outlook:

A little really does go a long way

As we’ve discussed before, it doesn’t cost a large — or small — fortune to provide employees with some extra cheer this holiday season (or all year round). The price of the perfect holiday bonus is less than you might think, and a little really can stretch fairly far for your employees, many of whom are just happy to be recognized and appreciated. This season, consider budget-friendly alternatives that will avoid breaking the bank (and breaking your employees’ hearts):

• The gift of laughter: Take that holiday sweater with the light-up bells on it (c’mon, you know the one) and wear it — to work. Dressing up, or down, as the case may be, can actually do wonders for building morale and sparking holiday cheer at the office. Pick a day for everyone to don their favorite gaudy, holiday-themed sweaters and other gear, and to sweeten the pot, have employees vote on the most outrageous sweater for a prize.

Is your company giving more bonuses, gifts and parties this holiday season? How important do you think these perks are to employees?

Less than you might think, actually.

Despite what Oprah may have you believe, $10,000 bonus checks, iPads and lavish Mediterrannean cruises aren’t the only way to say “thank you” to your employees. A new survey from Parago,  indicates that even a little bit can go a long way when it comes to recognizing employees this holiday season. In fact, the majority of employees surveyed don’t expect end-of-year rewards or holiday gifts from their employers at all this year.

Not that they would turn such rewards down…

Yet employers might be surprised to hear that it doesn’t cost much to make employees feel appreciated. According to the survey, 84 percent of employees say a prepaid gift card of $100 or less would meet their expectations for a reward. In fact, 64 percent said a prepaid card of $50 or less would meet their expectations for an end-of-year reward, with 55 percent expecting $25.

The survey also indicated that when it came to type of reward employees prefer, prepaid Visa or MasterCard gift cards won out above all other incentives, including other types of gift cards, company-branded merchandise or cash, due mainly to the fact that prepaid cards can be spent nearly anywhere at multiple retailers.

Did the prepaid gift card last year? Consider offering employees extra paid time off as another low-cost holiday incentive.  Almost everyone will appreciate the extra time to run errands, – especially at this time of year – or to simply relax and spend time with family and friends.

Are you offering any type of year-end bonus this year?

CEOs, COOs, CFOs, senior vice presidents and other company leadership figures recently donned monogrammed robes, gathered around a bonfire in an undisclosed location, and answered a series of questions about their personal habits, including preferred style of dress, Bieber versus non-Bieber hairstyle, lunchtime brain wave patterns, and favorite martini garnishes. OK, not really (though that’s how it happened in my head). In reality, CareerBuilder and Harris Interactive© got together to survey 561 hiring managers in senior leader roles to get the scoop on senior leaders’ personal habits — and here’s what they had to say:

What company leaders said about their everyday habits:

Want to mass email this to everyone you’ve ever met? Download the infographic.

Which of these stats surprised you the most — or can you most relate to?

Earlier today, while you might’ve been busy vowing never to eat again, voting for your favorite Muppet (Swedish Chef, anyone?), or shopping for that very special Jaleel White fan in your life… Nationally recognized small business expert, speaker and author Jay Goltz was discussing small business hiring trends and best practices for a free webinar titled Hire With Purpose.

In case you were busy with any of the aforementioned activities – or simply want to hear it again – lucky for you, we’ve got two ways to make sure you don’t miss out on the webinar’s great content: Simply download a recording of Hire With Purpose here or keep reading to check out some of Jay’s best sound bytes on the following topics:

On why hiring the right people is crucial…

• “If you want to have a great company, you can’t do so without great people.” Seventy-five percent of management is hiring the right people in the first place, Goltz says. Unfortunately, most small businesses don’t have a hiring protocol, which can be dangerous, when, according to Goltz’s estimates, only 1 out of 10 applicants will be a great hire.
• “People might forgive bad service, but not bad attitude.” Case in point for why you need to have great employees – they are the face of your business. You can’t always account for things going smoothly in the world, but when you have great people in place to deal gracefully with occasional mishaps, your business will be all the better for it.

On three things to do now to hire great employees…

• “Create a compelling ad.” “We want an ad so compelling that makes someone say, ‘That seems like a cool company. I want to check that out.” Great job ads include things like, “You’ll love our culture,” “Our people are valued,” and “our environment is open and challenging with plenty of freedom.” Talk to your current employees to see what they love about working at your company and include that. “You want to inspire people to apply to your company.”
• “Conduct great interviews – or find someone who can.”Ironically, Goltz says, the very qualities that make people great entrepreneurs – a love of talking, the desire to see the best in people – make them terrible interviewers. They often do not dig deep enough to see why someone might not be a good employee. Fortunately, there’s likely someone at your organization who has a talent for the craft and can dig deep to find great employees. A key to conducting great interviews is to ask better questions. Below are some of Goltz’s personal favorites, the answers to which offer insights into a candidate’s personality, work ethic and drive:
•  “Why did you leave your last job?”
• “How did you handle a difficult situation at your last job?”
• “If you were in charge of your last company, what would you change?”
• “Check references. Always.” “Not only is reference-checking one of most important things you can do as part of the hiring process, but it’s also one of most unused resources out there,” Goltz says. Hiring someone without checking references is “like playing with fire.” When checking references, listen for the red flags. Great candidates’ references are often forthcoming with information and compliments; not-so-great candidates, however, have references who are less willing to talk (whether because they don’t want to be unkind or perhaps fear legal ramifications, etc.).  Whatever you do, however, do NOT skip this step, Goltz says. “Trust me, it’s better to make 20 reference calls to guarantee right employee than deal with nightmare of dealing with a bad employee.”

On the crucial first day…

• “Make sure employees walk away from their first day knowing they made the right decision.” Few things are as important to keeping new employees around as giving them a great first day on the job. To ensure this, to the following three things:  Introduce them to everyone they’ll work with; Have their work area prepared for them ahead of time; and have someone take them out to lunch (or take them yourself!)

On one final thought….

• “If you don’t love them, don’t hire them.” I can think of lots of people we weren’t sure about who didn’t work out. If you put a little more time into the front end of hiring, your life will change dramatically. You’ll have less grief in the long run if you hire people you love during the interview process and get great references. Don’t lower your standards.

Did you hear the webinar? What did you think?

Related links:

Hire With Purpose: Q&A With Small Business Expert Jay Goltz

From Q&A to A: The Hiring Manager’s Complete Interviewing Guide

A few months ago, Amber Naslund (or @ambercadabra, as some of you may know her), VP of Social Strategy for Radian6 , hosted “Social Media for Small Businesses,” a webinar encouraging small businesses to take a look beyond likes, fans and followers and rethink the way they view how they’re using social media to help reach their business goals. Amber talked about how small businesses can apply the lessons of the book she co-authored with Jay Baer (@jaybaer), “The Now Revolution: 7 Shifts to Make Your Business Faster, Smarter and More Social” to engage customers and employees and see bottom-line results.

The webinar was chock-full of great info — so much, in fact, that the session not only answered many participants’ questions, but brought to surface many more. While Amber did a fantastic job answering questions during the webinar, you all had even more dilemmas to be solved.

What better way to address your specific follow-up questions, we thought, than to ask our resident queen of social media, Jenny Weigle (@jennyweigle), CareerBuilder’s Social Media Manager extraordinaire? Jenny, a pro on all things social media-related, tackles your questions with panache. Read on:

Social Media & Small Businesses: Q&A with Jenny Weigle, CareerBuilder’s Social Media Manager:

Q1: Social Media is very useful for product-related companies… But how can you compare these efforts to service-oriented companies like IT professional services/consulting companies?

Jenny: Social media provides a platform for businesses to showcase what is unique about their products or services. Consulting or professional service companies can use social media to have an ongoing dialogue with their audience to better enhance the services they provide.  These companies can also use social media to join in on the conversation in their industry and work to establish their employees or executives as thought leaders. Think of social media as one more tool to help build relationships.

Q2: Do B2B companies have different social media “rules” as opposed to B2C?

Jenny: The “rules” aren’t that different, but your audience is. Sometimes it’s challenging to get a B2B audience to engage with you through social media. At CareerBuilder, we have found that our B2B accounts see increased engagement when they are more personalized. For example, on our @CBforEmployers account, Amy is the admin and we’ve added her to the profile picture and bio so that the audience knows there is a person behind this account. In my professional opinion, people are more likely to engage with another person than with a company or brand.

Q3: How would a business find comments about themselves out on the vastness of the Web?

Jenny: Two websites to start your search on are SocialMention.com and Search.Twitter.com. Try typing in your company name, and don’t forget to consider various spellings of your company or brand, even if they are incorrect. You can also try searching your company’s leadership names as well to see if they are being mentioned in conversations. Some other great resources are: CrowdBooster.com, YourOpenBook.org and Topsy.com. If you have a budget, tools like Radian6 can provide even more in-depth monitoring and reporting.

Q4: How would you know if there is a negative comment out there about your business?

Jenny: If you’re not monitoring your social media or online initiatives, then you probably don’t know if there are negative comments about your business. Start of by utilizing the resources mentioned in Q3. Then, if you come across negative comments, decide how you want to respond to them. Keep in mind that your response will most likely be public.

Q5. Do you have any suggestions for convincing company leaders of the benefits of social media when they view it as potentially “unprofessional”?

Jenny: People could be talking about your company or industry on social media, and chances are they already are. Business leaders have an opportunity to be part of that conversation through social media, instead of just being on the outside of it.

Q6. How do we build trust and perceive credibility?

Jenny: You can build trust in many ways. One way is not to remove negative comments from your social media account. Instead, respond to the person and start a dialogue to address the issue. While the conversation may be public, it will also show your other fans that you are listening and taking their concerns seriously.

Another way to build credibility is to offer your professional advice, free of charge. Don’t use your social media accounts to sell, sell, sell. Use them to show customers and potential customers that you are the expert in your field.

Q7. How do you feel about outsourcing social media management?

Jenny: Companies have many reasons to outsource social media management, and this could prove to be very successful for a company.  Social media is about being authentic, and the most authentic spokesperson for your company would typically be an employee of your company. If you do choose to outsource, make sure the person acts as an extension of your team.

Q8. How do you make the time when you already have little time to accomplish all the other tasks you have?

Jenny: Using tools like CoTweet or HootSuite allows you to manage many platforms at once. I always advise people not to start a social media account if they can’t keep up with it on a regular basis. To me, this is like opening a hotline for your business but only having someone occasionally available to answer the phone.

Q9. I was just hired to be the voice of a health care company. I am finding it hard to give life to a relatively very stiff field. Any suggestions?

Jenny: Take a deeper dive into the health care industry by finding people who are very passionate about their field. Ask to shadow them for a day, and then post updates and pictures on your social media accounts. Invite them to be part of a task force that you can tap for ideas on what to post on the health care company’s social media accounts.

Q10. If we use social media for business with customers, clients, and coworkers, how do we keep our personal life and friends private?

Jenny: Every business should create a social media strategy, plan and goals.  These items should be documented and shared with company leaders.  The strategy should only focus on the business, so it is the responsibility of the administrator to make sure that each post reflects the strategy and plan they put in place and that these accounts are maintained separately  from personal accounts.

As you get your business accounts started, you may want to reach out to your personal network and inform them about your new social media presence as a way to build your foundation of followers.

Q11. If you have limited time to keep up with social media, which one would you choose to do (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.)?

Jenny: I would choose the one that your target audience is most active on. How do you determine that?

There are a number of ways. Here are a few:

• Survey your clients.
• Conduct research on the Internet.
• Participate in chats or groups on each network.

Don’t open a social media account without taking the time to learn about your audience and what conversations are taking place.

Q12. I’m a small B2B manufacturing business who sells to factories and people who have been around for 30+ years. These aren’t folks who would even know how to spell social media. The industry is very low tech and not technologically oriented; how would you approach this?

Jenny: As mentioned in Q11, I would do some research to find out if your target audience is on these platforms and what is being said about your business/industry. It’s possible that you’ll discover very little and may decide that it’s not worth opening a social media account for your business at this time. You could, however, also view this as an opportunity to be a trailblazer and the first person in your industry represented on social media.

Q13. What is the life span of a twitter post?

Jenny: Depending on how many people your users are following in their own accounts, it could be mere seconds. This is why it’s important to be active and consistent on Twitter. There are many studies out there with varying results on this. Overall, the life span isn’t very long, and you shouldn’t rely on one tweet to get your message out. Reword and rephrase the message so that you can send out multiple tweets on the subject.

Q14. I just started a new company, how can I use social media? Wow, where does one begin?

Jenny: A good starting point would probably be to read “The Now Revolution.”  Use the sites I recommended in Q3 to research the conversations taking place about your competitors. Use this information to decide which social network you want to be active on first. Also, be sure that your social media strategy is in line with and part of your overall marketing plan and goals.

Q15. We’re a non-profit construction trade association; we’re trying to make the most of social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc.). But, our members don’t seem to be participating… how do we address this?

Jenny: What do your members want to hear from you?  What’s important to them? What would it take to get them to engage with you on social media?  What kind of value are you bringing to your members through social media? If you haven’t asked them these questions, then you could do so through a survey, or post one question at a time on your social media account. Also, review your analytics. Just because they might not be commenting on posts doesn’t mean that they’re not viewing or sharing them. Bit.ly provides a great way to track your clicks and other analytics on the links you’re promoting through social media.

Q16. We have a unique opportunity — how do we get our message, such as recruiting sales reps, out to the social media?

Jenny: It’s important to first learn the behaviors and perceptions of your target audience before embarking on any sort of recruitment marketing campaign – that is, any sort of successful recruitment marketing campaign. Have a plan before you jump in. Remember that you are trying to foster a relationship with current, prospective, and even unknown candidates, and it’s something that you continually need to be working on. If you’re not consistently engaging with people, you’re going to see your existing fan base decrease.

Social media is really just an extension of what you’re doing today, so taking elements of your existing strategy that are successful and applying them to social media is the easiest way to start. For example, if internal referrals are a really great source of hires for your organization, take that internal referral program and spread the word on Facebook. Engage your existing employees on Facebook and provide easier ways for them to share openings or career opportunities at your company with their Facebook friends. We’ve seen a lot of organizations post up job openings on their Facebook wall and then encourage people to share that with friends who they think would be a fit, and they get a lot of really good applications that way. So, that’s one way to take something that’s a tried and true recruitment practice and apply it to social media.

Have a lot of engaged Twitter users? Don’t simply tweet out jobs, but also link to interesting articles about something fun /exciting/positive/interesting your company is doing right now. Work on building those relationships and putting a personality behind your online social media accounts. On Twitter, Facebook, or other online networks, post reasons about why it’s great to work for your company, pictures from employee gatherings/events, or testimonials from employees. And of course, give job seekers an easy way to see/apply to the job posting for your open sales reps positions on these various networks.

Many of the companies that we at CareerBuilder have worked with who are successful in social media have become that way by getting to the root of their story. Finding those little elements that are unique about your company’s culture, and really bringing those to light on the page, is the easiest way to engage and get started.

Lastly, check out our free eBook on social media recruitment, and check out blog posts like 10 Steps to Getting Started with Social Media.

Q17. What have been some effective ways restaurants have used social media?

Jenny: There are many unique ways that restaurants have embraced social media; this article by TheNextWeb.com highlights a few of them.

Q18. What is the best way to start marketing via social media?

Jenny: As I mentioned above, start by formulating your social media strategy, plan and goals. Align these with your overall marketing plan. Ask yourself key questions: What do your customers want to hear from you? What are your goals on social media? What is the added value that you are bringing to your customers through social media?

What other questions are burning a hole in your social media-filled heart? Let us know in the comments — and Jenny just may be able to give you the answer you’re seeking.

Last week, recruiters were treated to a webinar that delved into the inner workings of the staffing experience from the perspectives of the client, the job seeker, and internal staff. In Opportunities in Staffing: The Client, Job Seeker and Internal Staff Perspective, presented by Leah McKelvey, Director of Corporate Marketing for CareerBuilder and Eric Gregg, CEO of Inavero, talked about not only how job seekers and clients, but also your own employees, perceive your firm, based on the more than 14,000 respondents in the 2011 Opportunities in Staffing Guide (yep, it’s the most comprehensive study of its kind in the staffing industry).

Potentially scary, right? Considering stats like “38 percent of U.S. clients surveyed indicated they have also worked with a staffing firm as a job seeker,” it can be — but reports like these are a great opportunity to find out where your firm is falling short and work to make positive changes.

REMEMBER: You can also get your complimentary copy of the 2011 Opportunities in Staffing Guide, view the slides, or listen to the recorded session yourself.

2011 Opportunities in Staffing Webinar Highlights:

Did you know?

• Your brand is more personal and transparent than ever, as evidenced by the recent death of Apple CEO Steve Jobs and the very personal ways in which he was remembered, not only by customers, but by his own staff. How your brand communicates with its clients, job seekers and staff can make a huge difference in how your firm is perceived.
• Nearly half of your employees have worked for one of your competitors.
• Nearly half of your employees have had an interaction with a staffing firm prior to becoming an employee of your firm (either as an internal employee, as part of their job search, or as a client.)

The Employee Experience

How happy are your employees?

On a more alarming note, temporary and contract recruiters and sales/account executives had the lowest scores (27 and 32, respectively); staffing firms should be paying careful attention to this, as these are the two audiences carrying your brand message and talking to staff — and they’re the least engaged.

Driving loyalty and retention with your staff

When it comes to the factors that best predict retention in staffing, survey results found the following six values to be most vital:

• Optimism: “I believe my staffing firm will change for the better next year.”
• Pride: “Our firm’s client satisfaction is significantly higher than our competitor’s.”
• Community: “I enjoy working with my colleagues.”
• Valued: “I am completely satisfied with my current salary.”
• Appreciated: “I receive recognition when I do my job well.”
• Growth: “I am given the training opportunities I need to improve and grow professionally.”

So, where are staffing firms excelling — and faltering?

Staffing firms were found to be doing a great job of making employees feel proud of their firm and their job. On the other hand, they scored much lower when it came to making employees feel valued and appreciated. The lowest rating employees gave on the “feeling undervalued and unappreciated” scale involved them feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work they have to complete in most weeks. How can your firm help alleviate this?  Keep in mind that your staff probably won’t take action on feeling overwhelmed if they know they won’t continue to feel that way in the future. As an employer, then, you can improve morale by reassuring your staff that the tough times will pass, letting them know why things will get better, and reinforcing that message on a continuous basis.

During the webinar, Gregg talked about how Tony Hsieh, the founder of Zappos, helps employees progress without feeling completely in over their heads. Hsieh. Gregg said, has found that employees are more successful when the company gives them a path with shorter-term goals, and gives smaller advancements but more often so employees know they’re progressing toward something and growing in ways they can be proud of.

Something to consider for your own business?

What do staffing employees love/hate most about their job?

Love: Co-workers
Hate: Politics within the organization; management causing any barriers to the job seekers they serve

Love: Talent –- they love the mission of finding jobs for talent. Management must continue to pull people back to that mission.
Hate:  A lack of acknowledgment from candidates on how hard they’re working on their behalf can be frustrating.

The Job Seeker Experience

Building job seeker awareness

The top resource for job seekers when searching for jobs is national or local online job boards (57%), followed by local newspaper online classifieds (33 percent) and Craigslist (33 percent). Only 22 percent of job seekers use a staffing or recruiting firm in their search, and only 2 percent start their search with a staffing or recruiting firm. How, then, can staffing firms become more talent centric in working with those looking for jobs?

How job seekers currently become aware of staffing firms:

• Referral (25%)
• Online Ad (22%)
• I was called by a recruiter (13%)
• Traditional Media Ad (11%)
• Industry event or career fair (7%)

To get job seekers talking about you (in a positive way), consider how you’re treating job seekers:

1. Identify those who love you – help them tell their story
2. Do something surprising – worth talking about. What about a handwritten letter?
3. Give them a reason to be proud of being in the community
4. Make it valuable for the person referring and the person receiving

Responsiveness of Recruiters: Good news/bad news

The good news: Candidates think recruiters will be more responsive than organizations. But on a scale of 1 to 10 (from extremely dissatisfied to extremely satisfied), staffing firm 3.6 responsiveness rating only slightly edges out organization responsiveness’s dismal 2.3 rating, meaning there’s still much work to be done.

The job seeker experience is more important now than ever

Candidates are usually working with at least one or two firms once they engage with the industry. The biggest factors to choosing a staffing firm largely stem from economic concerns: The potential to become permanent (59 percent); the salary of the assignment (55% percent); the job’s proximity to their house (35 percent). It’s clear from the survey that candidates would rather receive bad news from a recruiter than no news at all: The NPS of those who were interviewed and turned away is -1 percent, while the NPS of those who were interviewed and never heard back from a recruiter with news is -29 percent.

Why should you care about detractors to your firm? Well, compared to promoters, detractors are twice as likely to quit an assignment before completion, four times less likely to refer you to other job seekers or hiring managers, and nearly three times less likely to accept a future assignment from your firm.

The Client Experience

Though the staffing market includes most organizations in the U.S., the penetration of staffing firms is equivalent to that of the original 13 colonies. Yikes! Between 70 percent and 80 percent of all U.S. organizations don’t use a staffing firm. Why? Many haven’t been educated as to value of staffing firms, or may have been told things that aren’t accurate.

Though 73 percent of clients said they were aware of a firm like Kelly Services, no staffing firm brand is top of mind with more than 9 percent of clients.

How can you improve this statistic?

• Be likeable.
• Do something surprising and worth talking about.
• Identify the right people – they’re not always your largest clients.
• Ask!
• Encourage referrals by making it valuable for the person referring AND the person receiving.
• Take advantage of mobile — 72 percent of clients now own a smartphone. 9 of 10 respond to email on their smartphone, and 4 of 10 use it to review applicants, and 3 of 10 use it to view your website.

What clients say will get your firm in the door: The inside scoop

• Getting a recommendation (49%)
• Sharing hiring trends for their region or industry (32%)
• Provide useful salary information (26%)
• Recognition of staffing firm/have heard of it (25%)
• In market — the rep calls when I need to hire  (18%)
• Building a relationship at an industry conference (18%)

Better client, job seeker and staff experiences

As we start to reset the expectations of what it’s like to work with a staffing firm, Gregg noted, people will want to work with us, and we will be re-setting the bar. Some companies are doing unexpected things to set themselves apart and delight, like the firm that offered unemployed job seekers the opportunity to get an outfit for an interview cleaned for free.

You must also understand, as a staffing firm, the culture of your client. Can you go to different events they’re hosting or see them speak at conferences? The more you start to hear their messages and understand their mission and culture, the more in demand your services will be.

Download your FREE copy of the 2011 Opportunities in Staffing Guide, listen to the webinar again, or check out the whole slideshow here for the full scoop.

What surprised you most about 2011′s Opportunities in Staffing Guide results?

Many companies are making great strides in social media recruiting. This is good – social media is an excellent place to find passive and active candidates, and connect with them on a more personal level.

In addition to talking on social media, are you listening? Listening is a key strategy for engaging with individuals on social media. In order to maximize the benefit, you should follow these steps to listen efficiently.

1. Comb through reviews on social media and job feedback sites.  In addition to your Facebook and Twitter accounts, sites like Jobitorial (formerly Jobvent) and Glassdoor can help you figure out if your employment branding strategies are working. Jobitorial and Glassdoor feature anonymous reviews of your company from employees and potential employees. Jobitorial offers employee perspectives, and Glassdoor gets further in-depth by including salary information, interview feedback and more. Both sites offer rankings one through five.
2. Look for negative and positive patterns. Do employees consistently feel that the benefits are great? Do they think the interview process was lengthy and cumbersome? Are the salaries fair? Track these patterns and make adjustments internally, if needed and feasible. To be even more strategic, check in on specific dates and update your spreadsheet or tracking document to see how things have changed.
3. Use the patterns to inform your employment branding strategy. Maybe job seekers are saying that your four-hour interview process is daunting. Can you change it? Experimenting with it might result in happier job seekers and a better employment brand overall.
4. Take stock of employee reviews and see what can be changed. Are employees from one location all complaining about a manager? Maybe you need to talk with the manager about his/her work style. Are all the employees incredibly happy with the office vacation policy? Maybe this is something that should be touted more to interviewees and potential employees! You can uncover benefits you didn’t even know you had, just by listening.
5. Look at consumer sites, too. If your company offers a consumer service or product, checking in with review sites like Yelp can help you see how your employees are faring. Traditionally, happy employees are happy to provide good customer service. Problems may indicate areas for improvement in your management or training styles.
6. Monitor other social media commentary to get the full picture. Sites like Socialmention and Klout can provide insight into what people are saying about you on social media as well as how you are performing. These insights can give you focus areas and direction for your social media strategy.

To get the most out of your social media endeavors, incorporate listening fully into your strategy! What are some of your favorite “listening” sites?

If your workplace is anything like ours here at CareerBuilder, once the leaves start to fall, the office becomes riddled with sniffs, coughs, sneezes, shouts of “Gesundheit!” — you get the picture. Trash cans overflowing with tissue aside, though, you’re probably well aware that some employees who call in sick may actually have other reasons for being absent from work, whether it’s a mental health day or a holiday shopping trip. This year’s CareerBuilder survey about absenteeism finds that January-March are the most popular times for workers to call in sick, 29 percent of workers have admitted to playing hooky from the office this year, and that if you thought 2010′s most unusual excuses for missing work couldn’t be topped,you need to check out this year’s contenders.

INFOGRAPHIC: Are employees sick — or do they have the 9-to-5 bug?

Chilly days and empty desks

The survey of more than 2,600 employers and 4,300 workers found that, while employers reported heightened absenteeism around the holidays, the first quarter is the prime time of year for employees to call in sick:

• January through March — 34 percent
• April through June — 13 percent
• July through September — 30 percent
• October through December — 23 percent

“So sick, can’t be @ work TTYL”

How do your employees inform you that they’re not coming into work? Turns out, it’s becoming more common for employees to contact the boss through methods other than the traditional phone call. The legitimacy of this, of course, depends on your company or departmental rules, though as some bosses respond more on one medium versus another, it does make sense that more workers are relying on digital communications to get their message across. How do you feel about employees emailing or texting you to tell you they’re going to be absent — are both or either OK?

• Phone call — 84 percent
• Email — 24 percent
• Text message — 11 percent

2011′s most unusual excuses for missing work

• “My 12-year-old daughter stole my car and I had no other way to work. I didn’t want to report it to the police.”
  
• “Bats got in my hair.”
  
• “A refrigerator fell on me.”
  
• “I was in line at a coffee shop when a truck carrying flour backed up and dumped the flour into my convertible.”
  
• “A deer bit me during hunting season.”
  
• “I ate too much at a party.”
  
• “I fell out of bed and broke my nose.”
  
• “I got a cold from a puppy.”
  
• “My child stuck a mint up his nose and we had to go to the ER to remove it.”
  
• “I hurt my back chasing a beaver.”
  
• “I got my toe caught in a vent cover.”
  
• “I had a headache after going to too many garage sales.”
  
• “My brother-in-law was kidnapped by a drug cartel while in Mexico.”
  
• “I drank anti-freeze by mistake and had to go to the hospital.”
  
• “I was at a bowling alley and a bucket filled with water (due to a leak) crashed through the ceiling and hit me on the head.”

Peeping employers

Many employers take calling in sick without a legitimate excuse very seriously. So seriously, in fact, that 15 percent of employers said they have fired a worker for this reason. Twenty-eight percent have checked up on an employee — sometimes in cringe-inducing fashion. Of that 28 percent:

• 69 percent required a doctor’s note
• 52 percent called the employee
• 19 percent had another employee call the employee
• 16 percent drove by the employee’s home

But are some employees telling tall tales simply because they’re afraid employers can’t handle the truth (that they’re just overworked, or overtired, or way behind on life outside of work with all the work they’ve been doing)? As I’ve said before, it often comes down to trust and communication; while employees should be honest, employers should also be open and communicative about policies and preferences for work absence.

Let your employees know what your expectations are. Is it OK for an employee to tell you he wants a day at the zoo with his son, for example? By trusting and respecting your employees, they’re more likely to return the favor. And keep in mind that sometimes, taking a mental health day to catch up on sleep, spend time with family, or indulge in a day at the spa may be just what the doctor ordered for your employees — and the best thing for your business.

Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder, offers her thoughts:

“While outrageous events are known to happen, frequent absences and over-the-top excuses can start to bring your credibility into question. Many employers are more flexible in their definition of a sick day and will allow employees to use them to recharge and take care of personal needs. This is especially evident post-recession when employees have taken on added responsibilities and are working longer days. Your best bet is to be up front with your manager.”

Employers, what say you? Do you agree with Haefner that employees deserve more flexibility with their added duties, and that a “sick day” can be a day to rest, recharge or take care of pressing personal matters, as long as employees are honest about it?

Not too terribly long ago, life was a lot harder. People spent hours growing, finding and hunting their food, only to spend equal amounts of time cooking and preserving it so they wouldn’t starve in the winter. But as technology progressed, it brought along a couple of the more noteworthy inventions in recent history: the refrigerator and the microwave. Now, with the pop of a box and the push of a button, people can eat food that is grown anywhere, anytime, whenever they want.

And even more recently, something else amazing happened. While it seemed that the possibilities were endless, people started to realize that they didn’t need to be. Instead of wanting processed foods that are grown, frozen, shipped and eaten out of season, our culture has taken a step back and has begun to embrace fresh, locally grown foods.

Believe it or not, creating content on the web isn’t that much different. Providing a regular diet of fresh, organic content is the best way for you to stay engaged with your employees as well as active and passive job seekers, and grow your company’s social media presence. Because most interaction takes place on users’ News Feeds or timelines instead of a profile or page, posting new content is often the only way to stay connected with your online community on a regular basis. In fact, Facebook users are 40 to 150 times more likely to consume content via their News Feeds rather than visit actual pages. Fresh content also simply lets users know, “Hey – We’re here!” since a page with stale content or a stream of RSS-fed items doesn’t assure users that it’s a community where they’re likely to find new, useful information or have their questions answered.

Aside from keeping your company top of mind for job seekers, fresh content can truly differentiate one brand from another, separating you from your competition. Say, for instance, that you’re a relatively small lifestyle clothing company and you keep losing your target talent to your talent competitors – three more established clothing companies that also have a focus on lifestyle. When you obtain your target talent and hire them, 90 percent of individuals to remain loyal employees for at least five years. Meanwhile, your talent competitors experience consistently high turnovers every other month. Instead of simply bashing your competitors by announcing that they have much higher turnover rates or that their former employees are now a part of your team, take a different approach. Use social media to invite your current employees to share what they love most about working for your company. Interview individuals who have been with your team for years, highlighting their growth and career paths at the company. You could also take a flip cam to various retail locations to conduct store spotlight, featuring both employees and shoppers. It’s through these types of content and more that you can use social media to share your company story, allowing you to increase brand awareness, brand influence and your recruitment reach as well as build relationships with those in your community.

As a whole, to be successful in recruiting on social media, companies must produce engaging content that earns attention, creates trust, establishes credibility and authority, and, above all, converts fans/followers into people who take action. Sticking to the fresh food analogy, here are some ways to make the most of the content you’re producing.

Organic is *Usually* Better

Most people would agree that foods left to develop in their natural environments provide the most nutrients. The same is true of content. While third-party tools can be useful to cue up a large chunk of posts, studies show that using such devices can reduce engagement on Facebook by 88 percent. Facebook uses an algorithm called EdgeRank to determine what appears in any given person’s News Feed; it is based on overall interaction, the type of content, and when it is posted. The algorithm does not prioritize content posted through third-party APIs, thus lessening such posts’ exposure.

When creating content for Facebook, it’s important to keep two other nutritional strategies in mind as well: variety does a body good, and watch your portion size. Recent studies show that status-only updates receive 94 percent higher engagement. But that doesn’t mean it’s all you should post. After all, Facebook users have the option to personalize their News Feed settings, so using a variety of content – such as links, photos, and videos – can help ensure you’re reaching the largest possible audience. Similarly, don’t gorge yourself, and keep updates concise and to the point – posts with 88 characters or less receive 66 percent more engagement, according to Social Media Today.

It should be noted that other social networking sites, like Twitter, don’t rank posts the same way as Facebook. Therefore, using tools like HootSuite or TweetDeck will enable you to schedule posts at different times of the day without severely impacting engagement.

Consistency is Key

Not eating all day and then binging on two pieces of chocolate cake at night is a great way to whack your metabolism right off track. Meanwhile, a consistent diet with a normal calorie intake is key to staying healthy.

Instead of pouring a week’s worth of content onto your account at once, space out posts to maintain a consistent level of engagement. It’s recommended to post 0.5 times per day, meaning most accounts should post 3 to 4 times per week.­ In addition, post around noon local time, and on Wednesdays and Saturdays to get the highest levels of engagement.

Content has a shelf life

We’ve all been there. You’re starving, you go to the fridge, and all that’s there is an iffy box of week-old leftovers. In today’s world, as new numbers and studies are readily available online, stats have a short shelf life. While it’s tempting to schedule posts months in advance with a third-party API tool, content should be recent and relevant to current trends and events. Make sure out-of-date content is pushed out of sight on your social pages by updating them regularly.

It’s All About the Experience

One of my favorite nutrition books, In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan, argues that the experience of eating is equally as important as the food itself. Relaxing with a glass red wine and enjoying good company are ultimately better for your health than eating on the run or in your car. Social media should strive to create a similar experience and engage fans in two-way conversation – not just shove content down their throats. After all, 80 percent of active and passive job seekers say they will not follow a company on social media if posts are irrelevant, uninvited or solely self-serving.  Asking questions, listening to your fans, and answering their questions are some ways to create a strong community online.

At the end of the day, each community is different. Finding just the right recipe often takes trial and error, so don’t be afraid to experiment identify and your target talent and create content specifically for them. What types of engaging content have you used on your accounts lately?

Earlier this week, employees everywhere helped bosses celebrate National Boss’s Day. Some gave flowers, or left a handwritten card on their boss’s desk. Others took their bosses out to lunch at their favorite little bistro, or treated them to that pedicure their toes had been screaming for. Still others just wished their boss a heartfelt “Happy Boss’s Day.”

Right about now, bosses everywhere may still be basking in the afterglow of well-wishes, or high on endorphins from that chocolate cupcake display designed to spell out “B-O-S-S.” And they may be thinking to themselves, as they wipe cupcake crumbs off their suits, “Yep — they love me. So much that they wish they had my job.”  Truth? Probably not.

“I don’t want… your job”

Though it may be natural to think your employees would take your job in a heartbeat if they could, it’s not necessarily true. New research from OfficeTeam signifies that few workers today are fighting over the boss’s job. In fact, more than three-quarters (76 percent) of employees polled in the OfficeTeam survey of 431 office workers said they have zero interest in having their manager’s position. Could it be out of a mindset that they’re not equipped for the position? Possibly — after all, nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of those workers surveyed believe they couldn’t do a better job than their boss. On the flip side, of course, that means that 35 percent believe they can do a better job than their boss — so what’s really going on here?

These findings remind me of a survey CareerBuilder conducted on how workers really feel about their bosses. What much of the “I can do my boss’s job better” thinking in that survey came down to was a feeling of disconnectedness and a lack of communication. Many workers reported being disenchanted with their boss’s leadership style, believing the boss wasn’t adequately focused on career development, feedback, or support.

So, maybe it’s not so important that workers don’t want their boss’s job, but why they don’t. Workers may never want their boss’s job, and that’s OK — but negative survey results like these should be a caution sign for employers to examine their relationship with their employees. If employees believe career advancement is hopeless — and don’t think their boss cares — they will start looking elsewhere. By opening up the lines of communication and working harder to give employees what they need when it comes to their careers, bosses can begin to repair that frayed relationship and show employees they have value, worth, and room to grow.

In regard to why many employees don’t want their boss’s job, Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam, points to the fact that many managers aren’t really fit for a role as a leader. ”Many aspects of management involve making difficult, sometimes unpopular decisions, and not everyone is comfortable in this role.” Being a strong individual contributor does not necessarily equate to being an effective leader. The most successful bosses excel at motivating others to achieve great results.”

OfficeTeam identified seven traits potential leaders must have:

1. Integrity. The best managers foster trust among employees by placing ethics first.
2. Sound judgment. Top supervisors can be counted on to make tough decisions based on logic and rationale.
3. Diplomacy. Handling challenging situations with tact and discretion is a must. Effective managers don’t take all the credit for results — they consistently acknowledge individual and team contributions.
4. Adaptability. It’s essential that leaders be able to think on their feet. They should be innovative while also encouraging team members to develop creative solutions.
5. Strong communication. To motivate and guide employees, influential managers freely share their vision with others.
6. Good listening skills. Successful bosses realize they don’t have all the answers and seek input from colleagues.
7. Influence. Great managers build strong networks within the organization to gain support for their ideas.

What do you all think? As a leader, have you found the above to be true — that employees, more than most other factors in the boss/employee relationship, seek career guidance and support? Let me know in the comments. And wipe that cupcake frosting off your chin!

What do employees want? Oh, that’s such a loaded question! I’m sure many of us could make lists the length of the office hallway detailing our opinions on what we believe makes employees happy. One thing do we know for sure is that employee morale isn’t a trend, but an ongoing effort. Within that ongoing effort, though, how do we know what’s on our employees’ own wish lists?

Well, a Staples.com survey released in observance of  “Improve Your Office Day” has come along, peeled ink-stained paper out of the Trapper Keeper (where I have just decided all employee wish lists are stored), and shared their M.A.S.H. results survey findings with the world. Let’s take a look.

The survey, which asked employees about their likes/dislikes at work, as well as their suggestions for improving the office environment, found many employees aren’t too pleased with their technology – or their humble surroundings: More than half (52 percent) of the more than 300 workers surveyed gave their office furniture and office décor a “C” grade or lower, and 41 percent gave their office technology the same grade. Also on their lists? Politics, the right to work at home (or lack thereof), and privacy.

What is on employees’  office-improvement wish lists?

• Eliminating office politics (44 percent)
• Allowing or encouraging telecommuting (41 percent)
•  Upgrading computers and other office technology (37 percent)
• Getting nicer or more comfortable office furniture (35 percent)
• Providing more private work areas and more flexible work hours (tied at 34 percent each).

Though it’s true that some employees do think they can do a better job than their boss, employees seem happy overall with their superiors. Nearly half (47 percent) of respondents gave their boss a solid “A” grade, with a combined 78 percent rating their boss an “A” or “B.”

The snack dilemma

I know I’m not alone in saying that sometimes you spend what seems like days just staring at the office vending machine (or wall space where you imagine one should be), dreaming of that perfect snack you know won’t magically appear, no matter how many times you try your best Samantha Stevens nose twitch. And then, in utter despair, you don your heavy coat and slumber out into the crowded streets to hunt down the perfect piece of fruit or freshly made salad, all the while thinking of that big assignment you need to finish. But your stomach is winning the battle…

Wait a minute. Wouldn’t more snack and beverage options at work help save you a whole lot of time? According to survey results, yes: 57 percent of office workers have to buy their own snacks and beverages at work, and one in two respondents reported leaving the office on coffee or snack runs at least once a day, with some making as many as five trips per day. That’s a lot of lost productivity and unnecessary interruption. Now, I know what you’re thinking — employees can bring their own snacks. While this is true, it’s easy to forget those little things sometimes in the bustle of everyday life. As a wise man once said, sometimes, a bowl of bananas can make all the difference.*

*A wise man probably never said that… but still…

Happy employees don’t have to break the bank

Many businesses have taken measures to cut costs, and with that cost-cutting, those extras that employees enjoy so much are often the first to go. But doing little things to make employees smile or get through that extra-tough meeting don’t have to cost employers much at all — and they can make a big difference in the minds and hearts of the people so important to the business.

Staples offers these quick tips for improving the office in ways both employees and employers will appreciate:

1. Stock the kitchen or break room with coffee and snacks that will energize the staff and keep them going. Providing nutritious snacks keeps employees healthy and productive.
2. Take inventory of your technology, and replace outdated equipment that may be impeding productivity. In the last few years, technologies like wireless networks and all-in-one printers have advanced dramatically, while prices have actually fallen.
3. Consider office décor and furniture upgrades that don’t require a complete overhaul. Simply replacing old, worn desk chairs and/or redecorating conference rooms can be easy, low-cost ways to make the office more attractive and comfortable.
4. Arm employees with technology that makes it easy for them to telecommute. Tablet and notebook computers give employees the ability to take their work with them wherever they go, whether it’s on the road, at a client site, in a conference room or working from home.
5.  Take employee privacy concerns into consideration when expanding or redesigning the office. Many newer office furniture systems, such as Staples’ environmentally preferable e3 panel system, offer creative ways to preserve privacy while maintaining an open, collaborative environment.

Again, changes don’t always have to come with a parade and fireworks to be effective. Even slight (and free) touches like adding more natural light in the office or changing up the same old meeting routine can help employees — and your business — be more successful, stimulate creativity, efficiency and communication. And if you want to know more specifics about your employees really want, don’t forget to ask them.

What changes has your workplace made recently to give employee morale a little lift?

Image courtesy of theogeo on Flickr

Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.

No words can adequately express our sadness at Steve’s death or our gratitude for the opportunity to work with him. We will honor his memory by dedicating ourselves to continuing the work he loved so much.

— Tim Cook, CEO of Apple

Yesterday, we had to say our goodbyes to a man who’s been described as “a mentor and a friend” (Mark Zuckerburg), “a great man with incredible achievements and amazing brilliance” (Larry Page), “a visionary” (Barack Obama), an “iconic entrepreneur and businessman” (Meg Whitman), “clearly the most effective and successful American CEO in the last 50 years” (Eric Schmidt), and so much more by leadership figures, Apple employees, and admirers: Steve Jobs. Photographs of Jobs over the years have been shared in force — even some showing a side of him we may not normally see. (via @mike_matas)

Personally, I felt a deep sense of sadness yesterday as I heard the news, and I wasn’t alone. The remainder of my evening was spent reading and watching outpourings of #stevejobslegacy tweets, remembrances, articles, and videos from so many people around the world. Like many, I came back to this video, his commencement speech at Stanford in 2005 (if you haven’t seen it, it’s worth the 15 minutes of your time).

An outpouring of admiration

Wired posted a lovely tribute on its home page, and memes of #iSad and newly created tribute designs popped almost instantly. Reddit comments on the post relaying news of his death at last check had more than 8,000 comments, many of which have been personal anecdotes like “I would always trick or treat at his house” (with the inevitable “he only gave away half-eaten apples” jokes to follow) or “I accidentally hung up on Steve Jobs once” and the recounting of how Jobs called back, laughing.

Many sent, and are still sending, their thoughts, memories, and condolences to rememberingsteve@apple.com. The New York Times asked Twitter to discuss the impact of Steve Jobs’ work using the hashtag #stevejobslegacy, and they published their favorites here.  @stroughtonsmith was one of those people, who tweeted: “People leaving flowers at Apple stores; what other companies would expect something like that for their CEO?” So very true.

There’s a reason he was named the “world’s best-performing CEO in the world” by Harvard Business Review and “CEO of the Decade” by Fortune magazine. People didn’t simply leave flowers, either — a brand new Tumblr page dedicated to Apple store memorials shows the love and admiration people have for Jobs by displaying the photographs, candles (or images of candles displayed on their iPhones), bitten-into apples, and handmade signs left at stores around the world. Millions of people have also reportedly changed their Facebook pictures to honor Jobs.

CareerBuilder employees on what Jobs taught them

When I asked co-workers to send their stories about Jobs and what his life and leadership meant to them, it became clear right away that his legacy isn’t the same for everyone; he affected even a small group of people in such vastly different, but important, ways. Below are remembrances of Jobs from some of our own CareerBuilder employees:

“I always think about his last line from his Stanford address “stay hungry, stay foolish”. Stay foolish enough to believe you can change the world and hungry enough to make it happen. I watched it again when he announced his resignation. I showed it to our company at kick-off this year also. It provides terrific advice on life and business from the greatest CEO of our generation.”

– Matt Ferguson, CEO

“Steve Jobs was all about focus. It’s true that he dreamed big and took all sorts of risks to deliver on his vision, but what made him successful was that he knew when to block out the background noise and never to waver from his goal. He didn’t believe in focus groups and he didn’t care what analysts thought about his financials. He simply wanted to take the ideas in his head and do everything in his power to bring them to life.”

-- Rosemary Haefner, VP of Human Resources

“Certainly Steve Jobs was a great innovator and visionary, but as a leader I think his ability to inspire his employees to demand the best from themselves to give the best to Apple customers is what enabled him to create the most loved products and most valuable company. Sometimes the tactics were controversial, but you can’t argue with the results and a legacy that leaves his employees continuing to ask “What would Steve do?

While most people comment on the design and ease of use of the device, for me it has impacted me more from the fact that so many people and organizations are creating content that can be so quickly consumed on the device.   Netflix movies, educational or zombie-based games for my kids, TED talks, industry news shared through my social and professional network, all of this is possible because of Steve Jobs’ vision and ability to execute without compromise. I’m enjoying discovering on my iPhone today quotes and favorite articles from my network discussing the impact Steve Jobs had on each of them and the world.

-- Hope Gurion, Chief Development Officer

“When asked about his favorite Apple product, I’ve always read that Steve said he was most proud of the work they didn’t do. Meaning one of the attributes of their success was not to spread themselves too thin chasing down every idea that they stumbled upon, but forcing themselves to only focusing on the products that they really believed could be ‘insanely great. ‘This is much harder to do than it sounds, because all great ideas are not created equal and resources are scarce, so being able to make a bet and pick the right thing to work on, at the right time, is an amazingly valuable skill.”

“Personally, 10 years ago iPod allowed me to reconnect with my music. At the time I had hundreds of CDs all over the place and the level of effort involved in finding songs I wanted to hear increased exponentially the more music I bought. It got to the point that I would get excited about hearing a song, but I would talk myself out of it when I thought about how painful it was to find the music. iPod changed that in a profound way. It put the songs back at my fingertips and helped me rediscover how important music is. How do you value something like that?”

 – Paul Simmons, Website Development Director

“Steve Jobs, both because of his own way of seeing the world and the people he has used to create Apple’s products and culture, has done more to bring the role of design beyond just making things pretty and into the role of how things work, what it’s like to use them, and why they exist in the first place than any other person. Maybe ever. This has changed everything for many of us, from the way we create things to the way we expect them to be created.”

– Jonathan Stegall, Interactive Designer

“You don’t need everyone’s approval in order to be a success; if you really believe in your dreams nothing else can get in your way. To me, he really is the only person that truly embodied that. He went through a lot of misfortune in his short life but saw all those misfortunes as opportunities. Way too often people get sidetracked by a bad day or a negative opinion. Jobs was an adopted child, a college dropout, was fired from the company that he created, diagnosed with cancer, etc… but never let any of that break him down. Your life is what you make of it and you have control over all the obstacles that come your way. That is something that I always try to remember and something far too many forget.”

– Susan Densa, Graphic Designer

“My background is in music. With the advent of iTunes the delivery vehicle of music changed from physical to digital. This had profound impacts for the preservation and revitalization of many great recordings, since many were presumed lost and/or out of print since manufacturers would not realize a return on investment to distribute them. With iTunes, many of these titles are available again. Wonderful!”

 – Michael Taylor, Senior Director, Client Support

I think we can all agree that Steve Jobs saw things a little bit differently — and that our world is the better because of it.

It’s Your Turn:

What will you remember most about Jobs?

Many workers aren’t just enjoying the taste of coffee (as I am right this minute) — they’re using it to give their careers a jolt. From better networking, to rubbing elbows, to improved performance, a cup of Joe’s helping many workers make connections — and career strides. Workers are particular about their coffee fixings; some like it black, others with cream and sugar; and still others with another unique combination altogether. Whatever their blend of choice, they’re guzzling it down: 28 percent drink three or more cups a day, and scientists, education administrators, and marketing/public relations professionals, as well as nine other professions, adamantly say they’re less productive without it.

Let’s take a closer look:

You can also download the full infographic here. What’s your coffee drink of choice — and when have you needed coffee most at work?

This morning, Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings issued an apology on the company’s blog for failing to show “respect and humility in the way we announced the separation of DVD and streaming, and the price changes.”

For those who haven’t heard, Netflix recently announced it was going to start charging its streaming and DVD-by-mail services separately (now, the latter service will be named Qwikster). Now, Netflix customers who want only DVDs or only streaming can pay less for the one service, but will end up paying more if they want to keep both.

Not surprisingly, the veiled attempt to charge customers more while pretending that they’re charging them less made for some unhappy customers.  To add insult to injury, most customers didn’t even get the news directly from Netflix itself, but through stories leaked on various blogs and news sites. (I myself didn’t get so much as an email to make me aware of this change, and had to find out through Twitter.) To say the company lacked respect and humility is an understatement: Netflix had no regard for their customers whatsoever in this situation. As a result, the company will – and already has – lost a great deal of customers and business from the ordeal.

Now, as Hastings desperately attempts damage control, not only do businesses have the opportunity to learn from about what not to do when it comes to customer service, but leaders could also apply these lessons to handling bad news- and correcting mistakes – with their employees.

5 Do’s and Don’ts for Communicating Bad News – and Righting Wrongs

• DO: Own up to Your Mistakes. “I messed up. I owe everyone an explanation,” begins Captain Obvious’ Hastings’ blog post. Well done: straight and to the point. Some leaders frown on admitting wrong, but in Netflix’s case, the admission was necessary. So overwhelming was the backlash from customers, that for Hastings to do anything less than apologize would be an even bigger insult – and more fuel for unhappy customers’ fire. Sometimes, all customers want is to know they’re being heard, and Netflix finally took the time to acknowledge their customers’ feelings. And while many will see Hastings’ post as too little, too late, it’s at least start in a long way to winning back customers.
• DO: Utilize video. Realizing that people have shorter attention spans today – and that angry people have even shorter attention spans -  Hastings also issued a 3-minute video apology for the many customers who likely will not take the time read through the lengthy apology and want to see and hear for themselves that Netflix is sincere in its efforts to appease customers (at least, we hope that’s the case). Video is the next best thing to apologizing in person, and it’s a quick, easy way to reach your audience – be they customers, employees or candidates.
• DON’T: Try to make bad news sound like good news. Netflix keeps insisting that what is really a price hike is really a better deal for its customers. C’mon, Netflix. Give us a little credit. As NPR’s Linda Holmes puts it, Netflix’s attempts to sell the price change as a bargain is “like a shoe company deciding to sell right shoes and left shoes for 12 dollars each where pairs of shoes used to be 20 dollars and thinking that consumers will notice the lower 12-dollar price but not the fact that it buys only one shoe.” Tell your customers/employees the truth from the start; otherwise, they will notice that you’re hiding something from them, and they will lose trust in and respect for you.
• DO: Listen to what people are saying about you on social media. Netflix customers used the greatest weapon at their disposal to fight the price hike – by taking to Facebook, Twitter and blogs in droves to voice their disgust. Finally, it got to the point where Netflix could no longer ignore the overwhelming criticism on social media – try as the company might have (which brings me to my next point…).
• DON’T: Wait two $&@%ing months to make an ‘official’ announcement. Two months? That’s decades in social media time, y’all! By the time Netflix customers got the ‘apology’ from the CEO this morning, the story had already been circulating the Internet for weeks, and Netflix was way past the “My bad! Forgive us?” stage of admitting wrongdoing. This, in my opinion, was the company’s biggest offense of all. Hastings was wrong to not alert customers about the price changes in the first place, but he should have owned up to that mistake far earlier than he actually did. Customers deserve better than that, and so do employees. The more you try to ignore a problem, the worse it will get, and it’s going to take one helluva a team bonding outing to undo that drop in morale. (Good luck!)

As we’ve discussed before on The Hiring Site, your employees are your customers, and if Netflix has taught us anything, it is how imperative it is that you treat this group with respect – especially when it comes to handling bad news – otherwise, you risk losing the loyalty and respect of your employees – if not employees themselves.

Do you think Netflix was right to apologize the way it did?  Were this a company CEO addressing his employees about a leadership wrongdoing, how would you have handled the situation?

Well, September’s arrived, in all its changing leaves and apple picking and perky back to school-ness. But while we’re eyeing fall hayrides, relationships, report cards, or menu overhauls, let’s savor the last of the warm summer breezes, sit on the porch swing with a cool drink, and take a moment to enjoy August’s workplace news, trends, and gossip. After all, quite a lot happened in the last month — let’s take a look:

Klout is getting more and more buzz — but when it comes to your recruitment, what kind of impact should Klout have on your decisions (if any)? We took a closer look at the pros and cons. While you trying to improve your real-life clout by rubbing elbows with Michael J. Fox or Tony Hsieh at 2011′s SHRM conference, you just might have missed SHRM’s best presentations. Don’t worry, we’ve got some of them for you here. And hopefully you didn’t miss our monthly #cbjobchat, but if you did, you missed a lot of great exchanges about tough interview questions — not to worry, though, you can catch the next one on Monday, Sept. 12 at 7:00 p.m. CST. Join us!

Speaking of interviewing, we went ahead and created an entire ebook dedicated to the subject, From Q&A to Z: The Hiring Manager’s Complete Interviewing Guide (PDF). It’s free, it’s all for you, it’s all about interviewing... go nuts. And while interview questions can run the gamet from great to horror-inducing, resumes have their fair share of memorable moments, too, from statements about the Moonwalk to deadly animal bites.

While we’re on the subject of deadly things, have you thought about your personal brand as a recruiter — and how not having one may actually be really damaging for your business? If not, it’s a good time to start — there are some really easy ways to get your name out and legitimize you with interested candidates.

As an employer or recruiter, finding new ways to brand your company is essential — and many companies are turning to online video. Did you know it’s the fastest-growing medium for consuming content? All types of companies are investing in video to help them attract better candidates, brand themselves as an employer of choice, and more — you can download our free video, Streaming Talent, (just by answering a few questions) to find out how it can improve your own recruiting.

Shortly before July’s BLS numbers came out, CareerBuilder CEO Matt Ferguson appeared on CNBC’s Squawk Box to discuss job expectations versus job creation; the industry with the biggest skill shortage right now; the area hottest in wage growth, and more. When we did see the BLS numbers, we cringed a little. But then we realized the sky probably isn’t falling, so we hid that Chicken Little costume in the depths of our closets (you know, just in case). With finding quality workers a challenge for many employers, and unemployment still such a big issue, there are two worker groups that bring unique skills to the workplace and shouldn’t be overlooked: veteran employees and older workers.

We found out that while employers do value IQ, many are listening to their hearts (cue Roxette) and favoring emotional intelligence more strongly. But where does emotional intelligence matter most?

Many workers are also listening to their wallets — and finding them filled with empty promises (INFOGRAPHIC). Though the financial situation is improving for many, many workers are still living paycheck to paycheck — but there are still some things (cough Internet cough) they’re hesitant to give up.

 What did we miss? What was your favorite (or most cringe-worthy) August workplace news moment?

Job seeker behavior has changed remarkably in the past few years. So why hasn’t your recruitment strategy?

In this competitive market for talent, it is imperative that employers be at the forefront of what job seekers find accessible. With today’s emerging technologies job seekers have come to expect a more interactive experience when it comes their job search. In order to meet the needs and desires of top talent, employers have to meet them halfway.  The smartest employers are taking advantage of today’s emerging media to connect with job candidates where they work and play, and deliver a more interactive and engaging job seeker experience.

Two forms of emerging media employers need to take advantage of right now are mobile and online video technology. Not only are mobile and video technologies surprisingly easy to implement into your overall recruitment efforts, but they are a must for any employer who hopes to remain competitive in the new recruitment landscape.

Mobile: The New Desktop
According to the latest findings from Pew Research Center, 83 percent of Americans currently own cell phones, nearly half of whom (44 percent) use their mobile devices to get access to the internet. This finding highlights the opportunity mobile devices offer employers to reach job seekers anywhere, at any time. The opportunities to use mobile technology for recruiting are vast, ranging from mobile-friendly websites that enable easy job searches on the go; to quick response (QR) codes that point smartphone users to job listings; to text alerts informing candidates about recruiting events and opportunities.

Regardless of size or industry, every company needs to take advantage of mobile recruiting opportunities. Increasingly, job seekers are using their mobile devices to receive job alerts, search jobs and research companies. It won’t be long until this behavior is commonplace, and those companies that do not embrace this technology are losing out on candidates every day.

Video: An Underutilized Advantage
For all of its power to influence and engage people, video is one of the most underutilized recruiting tools out there today. One thing CareerBuilder has seen consistently throughout our 15 years of research on job seekers is their desire to work for companies that care about their employees, work for the greater good and are at the forefront of innovation. Video enables companies to get this message across better than any other medium, because it enables candidates to really see and hear what the true employee experience is like. The evidence supports this finding, too: According to CareerBuilder internal data, job postings with video icons are viewed 12 percent more than postings without video. On average, CareerBuilder customers receive a 34 percent greater application rate when they add video to their job postings. At the same time, only 10 percent of job postings include video, underscoring a major opportunity for employers to take advantage of this technology and differentiate themselves from their competitors.

Dispelling the Myths of Emerging Media
Change can be intimidating, but companies that fail to embrace these emerging media are only cheating themselves out of the opportunity to reach the growing number of qualified candidates who utilize this technology for their job searches. If what’s holding you back is the fear that implementing these technologies is too expensive or simply more trouble than they’re worth, consider the following popular misconceptions about emerging media.

Myth 1: It’s expensive. It’s surprisingly inexpensive to send text messages, create QR codes or create a mobile-friendly career site. Likewise, video is also inexpensive to produce, and it can be as easy as creating a video yourself and posting it (for free) on YouTube. It may not be the most polished video, but it’s a way to start the process and see how much feedback it generates.  From there, you might decide to invest in a more streamlined production process to get an even better return. Implementing mobile and video recruiting efforts can be an investment, but when you look at the return, cost should be an afterthought.

Myth 2: It’s too complicated. Mobile technology can feel like somewhat of a black hole for employers; however, integration with mobile devices is surprisingly simple, and the time it takes to build a mobile website is minimal. The same can be said for video. As mentioned above, uploading video onto any online platform – from a video-sharing site like YouTube to the company career site – is increasingly easy.  When in doubt, consult a third party expert to help you navigate these technologies for the best possible ROI. You won’t regret it.

Myth 3: It’s a trend. If there’s one thing to take away from this article, it is that emerging media, such as mobile technologies, social networking and video, is not going away. Consider the following statistics:

• In 2010 alone, the worldwide mobile phone market grew by 18.5 percent.
• More than 5 billion text messages were sent on a daily basis in the U.S. in 2010
• In the last quarter of 2010, smartphone sales surpassed that of PCs, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC).
• During the course of 2010 CareerBuilder saw over 400 percent growth in job searches on our mobile career site, and the number of job seekers storing resumes on their phones using CB’s iPhone App increased by over 350 percent.
• Web pages with video are 53 times more likely than pages with just text to show up on the first page of Google results
• Internet video is now 40 percent of consumer Internet traffic, and will reach 62 percent by the end of 2015.

These are just a few of the findings that underscore both the reach and power of emerging media, as well as the need for employers to adapt their recruiting efforts to keep up with mobile usage trends. As these technologies become the norm for candidates as they search for jobs and research companies, employers need to adjust their recruiting efforts accordingly to remain competitive. In other words, you might not be taking advantage of emerging media, but your competitors are. Don’t get left behind.

Andrew Streiter is an Area Vice President at CareerBuilder, LLC, where he is responsible for developing human capital strategies for organizations ranging from Fortune 1,000 companies to mid-sized businesses throughout the US.

Exclusive webcast: Join CareerBuilder Area Vice President Andrew Streiter and Jamie Womack, CareerBuilder’s VP of Corporate Marketing, on Tuesday, September 27 for Going Social: How to Leverage Social Media In Your Recruitment Strategy, wherein they discuss the best ways to leverage emerging media to strengthen your employment brand and find the best talent for your organization. Learn more or register at www.careerbuilder.com/GoingSocial

“Ask your neighbor what they do,” said Peter Cappelli to the room full of us in the Managing the Older Worker session at 2011′s SHRM conference. Most people in the room complied. “Then,” he continued, “ask them how old they are.” People laughed nervously; no one moved.

That was how Cappelli, the George W. Taylor Professor of Management at The Wharton School and co-author of Managing the Older Worker: How to Prepare for the New Organizational Order, started his discussion on older workers — and as he went on, he explained the current surge in older workers we’re seeing, shared his thoughts on ways in which older workers are better hires than their younger counterparts, discussed how employers can best engage the older generation, and more.

Why the big workplace shift?

The workforce is getting older — and it’s causing a lot of age-related changes in the workplace that many companies are ill-equipped to deal with. Why? Well, first of all, said Cappelli, we’re living longer — babies born in 2010 will live 10 years longer than those born in 1950. If your parents are 65, he added, there is a 50 percent chance that at least one of them will live to the age of 90.

Second of all, we’re also living healthier, and the percentage of older workers who need to work (to support living longer) is growing. And even they don’t have to work, many older people are healthy and want to keep busy; 84 percent say they would work even if they were set for life — not to work for the money, but to stay active.

As more people are increasingly working full-time and baby boomers are getting older, the workforce is also getting older. Basically, Cappelli said, longer life, baby boomers, and people working longer are the three main factors driving an older workforce.

What do older workers want?

Learning how to work with all the generations in the workplace is important for employers, but with a growing older workforce, it’s even more important that we examine what older workers actually want (hint: as mentioned above, it’s not really about the money).

• A friendly environment — 94%
• The chance to use their skills — 94%
• The chance to do something worthwhile — 91%
• To feel respected by coworkers — 90%
• The opportunity to learn something new — 88%
• The ability to help others — 86%
• Adequate paid time off — 86%
• Health care and insurance benefits — 84%
• A flexible schedule — 76%
• To do something they’ve always wanted to do — 75%

The problem? They’re not getting it — because they can’t find work

A whopping 75 percent of those workers approaching typical retirement age want to keep working — but of those workers, only about one-half actually do. Of those who do find new jobs, only one-quarter can actually get hired by somebody else. Many older workers become self-employed because they have a hard time getting anyone to hire them.

Why can’t older individuals find work?

After all, employers complain of not being able to find quality workers, but compared to their younger colleagues, older workers:

• Quit less, are absent less, and have fewer accidents (even car accidents)
• Have more knowledge and better social skills
• Have better job performance
• Are happier, as it’s shown that people get happier as they get older (you want happy workers, right?)

The only thing older workers are generally poorer at, said Cappelli, is solving novel problems under time pressure without aids (advice, calculators, or other help); for example, taking SAT tests — yep, that’s it.

What do employers say they want?

• A just-in-time workforce that doesn’t need training and can “hit the ground running.”
• Flexible workforce that isn’t expecting long-term commitments
• Better interpersonal skills
• Better “knowledge management” of tacit information

Older workers are a perfect fit for what employers say they want – more flexibility, better interpersonal skills and workers who can hit the ground running.

Do older workers cost more?

Quite simply, no. Though there’s a general misconception that this is the case, there’s no premium in the labor market for age – only for experience. Yes, older workers’ health care use is greater, Cappelli said, but they don’t have dependents to pay for (no pregnancies or little kids). In fact, doubling your percentage of 55-year-old workers raises your business’s total compensation costs by a mere 1 percent.

So why aren’t more older workers being hired?

To sum it up in a phrase, age discrimination. I was surprised when Cappellis said that age discrimination becomes apparent for 36.5 percent of older workers at the age of 50. As Cappelli pointed out, we as a society think certain topics or demographics are off-limits when it comes to comedy, yet the one topic deemed not offensive is making fun of older people, which suggests how common it is to hear, see, and accept people being disparaging about age. Age discrimination appears to be more common than gender or race discrimination, Cappelli added, and 67 percent say they’ve experienced or seen it on the job. In addition, 25 percent of employers say their organization is reluctant to hire older workers (and that’s only the percentage that admit it).

It’s even worse when it comes to the IT field: The majority of IT employers said they wouldn’t hire anyone over 40.

Older workers — and younger supervisors

As the workforce ages, executives are actually getting younger, and the percentage of supervisors who are younger than their subordinates is growing. It’s no secret that older workers and younger supervisors don’t exactly mesh all of the time — and as Cappelli said, this conflict is compounding the issue of older workers having trouble getting work.

We’re seeing retired workers coming back into the workforce and take lower jobs, because younger supervisors are acting as gatekeepers to keep many older workers out. But why?

• 88 percent of employers worry about hiring older workers because of conflicts with younger workers (talk about a never-ending cycle), among them the fact that younger supervisors are less likely to give older workers feedback or hold them accountable.
• Younger supervisors are also more likely to believe that performance problems with older subordinates can’t be fixed.
•  Younger supervisors, many of whom rely on a “carrots and sticks” mentality that encourages a promotion for doing well and a demotion/getting fired for not doing well, are afraid of managing more experienced subordinates, because these things  don’t matter as much or go over well with older workers later in their careers. Older workers are less motivated by pay, and less afraid of being fired. The formal  “because I said so” or “because I know best”type of authority doesn’t work with them.
• Younger supervisors are uncomfortable managing older workers — traditionally, it’s been flipped, and they just can’t shake their feeling that they shouldn’t be in a position of power.

Can we fix this?
The short answer? Yes. The solution, according to Cappelli, involves a different model of leadership and management practices, and in his presentation, he mentioned a few ways for organizations to better work with older workers in their organization:

• Tailor your rewards and benefits to their lifestyle and interests: The promotion, bonus or stock options don’t matter as much to older workers, as mentioned above. Instead, provide motivation through meaningful work and social relationships; these factors are a bigger priority for older workers than financial- or career advancement-motivated rewards.

• Consult and empower them: Older workers want to be consulted, so ask them to participate in the decision process on a project or challenge a bit more. They have experience behind them and wisdom to solve many workplace problems, so ask them to get involved.
  
• Don’t ignore them: Older workers don’t want to be ignored, and they still need to be managed. Remember that managing someone older doesn’t mean you’re giving up authority; older workers must be held accountable, too.
  
• Initiate mentoring/onboarding: Companies like Deloitte have taken advantage of older workers’ unique talents by asking them to share problems they see in the organization that they’d like to work on and fix. Their attitude is, “If you think it’s a good idea, we will too, almost without exception. We trust you.”

Sometimes, Cappelli said, older workers have to help younger supervisors understand how to best manage them — and to engage younger supervisors in different types of relationships by taking initiative and speaking up for things like what motivates them, the type of environment they want to be in, or their strengths.

How has your workplace found ways to better integrate older and younger generations?

As many of us keep a close watch on the latest stock market news, CareerBuilder’s just-released survey on worker finances (PDF) shows the financial situation for some workers is actually improving (albeit slowly). Forty-two percent of workers in the survey of more than 5,200 workers say they usually or always live paycheck to paycheck, an improvement from 43 percent in 2010 and in line with levels seen back in 2007, pre-recession.

Signs that workers’ finances are improving:

• The number of workers who have missed a bill payment has decreased since 2010: 20 percent say they have missed payments on bills in the last year, a slight improvement from 22 percent at this time last year.
• 14 percent of workers making six figures say they live paycheck to paycheck, down from 17 percent in 2010.
• 6 percent of these six-figure earners said they can’t make ends meet every month — but that’s an improvement from the 8 percent who said the same last year.

Gender wars

It appears that, though both genders have their share of financial issues, female workers continue to struggle more with their personal finances than their male counterparts:

• 46 percent of female workers say they live paycheck to paycheck, compared to 38 percent of male workers.
• 24 percent of female workers say they have missed a bill payment over the last 12 months, higher than male workers at 17 percent.

 They work hard for the money (so don’t mess with their cable TV)

“The majority of U.S. workers (72 percent) reported they are more fiscally responsible since the recession and have made a variety of changes to their living and spending habits,” said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder.

And while being more fiscally responsible may mean giving up some material comforts, workers said they would absolutely not give up the following regardless of their financial concerns:

• Internet connection – 56 percent
• Driving – 46 percent
• Mobile phone – 42 percent
• Cable TV – 27 percent
• Going out to eat – 11 percent

The future is now later

Although as shown above, workers may be loath to give up a night out at the newest restaurant in town, giving up money that’s not in hand yet is sometimes a little easier — so it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that some workers are making ends meet by dipping into their long-term savings.

• 21 percent of workers say they have reduced their 401(k) contributions and/or personal savings in the last year to get by.
• Others aren’t contributing to long-term savings at all: One-third (34 percent) say they don’t participate in any 401(k), IRAs or retirement plan programs.
• Nearly two in ten workers who make six figures have reduced their contributions to savings and 401(k) programs each month (17%) — and 9 percent don’t participate in a 401(k) program or other personal savings plan at all.

Consider the following tips to pass on to your employees (or to use yourself) to ride out the economic downturn and prepare for the future:

• Channel your inner Sherlock Holmes – Look at your expenses under a microscope. Takeout coffee, restaurant lunches and other everyday expenses can make a dent in your checking account. Create a spreadsheet to analyze what you spend each month. Once you see where your money goes, you can more easily determine where to cut back.
• Be like the squirrel – Put an amount away, even if it is small. Regardless of the amount, set aside money each month for your short and long-term savings. If you have trouble fitting savings into your budget (or remembering to do it at all), set up an automatic deposit into a savings account.
• Show off your flair for the frugal – Savings may be right under your nose. Talk to your HR department about how you can make the most of your organization’s benefits. Find out if your company offers discounts for vendors like banks, gyms, or car rental services, and ask for additional resources to help you select the right benefits plans for your budget.

Need a recap? Get a snapshot of workers’ current financial situations.

Your hotel may whisk you off to a Cirque du Soleil show, an upgraded luxury suite or a fabulous dinner.

That phone call about your computer issues that normally passes you through four different people may shoot you directly to Susan, the manager.

Your favorite airline may send you to the new Bali resort everyone’s raving about – on their dime.

And if you’re a job candidate, the employer you’re courting may be bowled over by your credentials and hire you on the spot –

– all because of your Klout score.

What?! Yes, it’s true – not only are brands using Klout on a consumer level, but recruiters and employers are starting to use Klout scores to gauge candidates’ effectiveness or fit as a potential hire. Is Klout + recruitment a passing trend – or a permanent hiring tool? Let’s take a closer look.

What is Klout?

Klout is, according to the company’s website, “the standard for online and Internet influence.” Klout insists it isn’t about the A-Listers, because they believe every person who creates content has influence. “Our mission,” the site says, “is to help every individual understand and leverage their influence.

And in a recent Twitter chat (#kloutchat), Klout shed light on how one’s score is determined: “Score is based on how how many people you influence, how much you influence them, and how influential they are.” It’s more about reactions to the content people create — than about the content itself; about how much people take action on your content through things like retweets, “Likes,” commenting, and clicking on your links. How much of what you do online causes people to take action? That’s Klout’s bread and butter.

Klout + Recruitment

The chatter about Klout has been growing stronger. Originally, it was about individuals using it to determine their online influence among their peers. More recently, brands have gotten into the mix and have started using Klout to create perks for customers or potential customers with a high influence index, like Spotify giving Klout users early access, Virgin America giving away tickets, or hotel upgrades or restaurant table VIP. The thinking is, getting influential users to experience your products will cause them to talk about your brand on online networks and spread sentiment about your company through their online influence.

And now, Klout is seeping into the world of recruitment — and faster than we may realize. Joe Fernandez, CEO of Klout, believes that social media is becoming an increasingly important candidate asset. “A person’s comfort and ability to leverage social media is becoming, if not critical, at least a differentiator among candidates,” says Joe Fernandez, CEO of Klout, in a recent Q&A blog post with Forbes blogger Tracey John. If he’s hiring for a marketing employee and two candidates have similar education and experience, but one candidate is active on sites like Twitter, Facebook, and blogs and one is not Fernandez says, he says he will hire the one who is.

Klout can’t be the only factor in making decision on hiring, he adds – just as you wouldn’t (or shouldn’t) base college entry based on SAT or ACT scores alone. “I think in terms of understanding somebody’s ability, comfort, reach and engagement with social media – which is becoming more and more important – that Klout is the standard and a great tool for hiring.”

The CEO of Klout isn’t the only one using Klout for recruitment. In Mark Schaefer’s blog post, The Making of a Social Media Slut, he says he recently heard about four friends or co-workers making — or being on the other end of — decisions that were arrived at because of Klout scores, all within a 72-hour time period. Though we’re far from Klout and recruitment being a mainstream practice, it’s happening — and we need to take a hard look at the potential positives of such a mix, as well as the potential pitfalls.

The Good

1. Competitive advantage.
Klout plans to externally expose numbers that signify exactly how influential individuals are about particular topics, stats which they’re currently tracking behind the scenes — meaning if you have an overall score of 32, you may still have a 65 in architecture, meaning you are very influential in that particular area. With this, not only will candidates be able to show their “social capital,” but they will be able to show potential employers (or their co-workers and superiors, if currently employed) what specific topics they’re passionate and knowledgeable about.

Java programming? Creative writing? Women’s studies? Klout has the potential to give candidates a professional layer based on the content they’re putting out there and the way others interact with that content – not simply based on their interests (e.g. “Info” listings in Facebook). If you’re particularly skilled in email marketing, Klout gives you another way to show off those talents. Because of Klout’s integration with LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare, and its hopes to integrate with others like Tumblr, Google+ and WordPress, there are many places in which job seekers can make their mark in particular specialties or markets, and raise their Klout scores in those areas to stand apart from their competition.

People want to have control over their online professional reputation, and Klout offers another way for them to do that. As Brian Solis pointed out in a recent Fast Company article, “People are now part of the equation and are willingly shedding their “audience” moniker and vacating the branded auditoriums of yore in favor of building their own stages, their own personal theaters.”

2. A more complete picture.
When hiring, Fernandez said, you have a limited amount of information about a candidate from which to make a decision — which is often true. Klout offers candidates a way to showcase their skills and talents and give potential employers more information about themselves, and it offers employers a way to garner more information from which they can make a fully informed hiring decision. Should Klout be the single factor used in making a hiring decision? Definitely not (and if you’re a hiring manager using only Klout to decide whom to hire, you are likely in the wrong profession). Fernandez says Klout is just one ingredient — but that the fact that someone takes time to build their personal brand and share their expertise and passions is valuable to employers. And whether you’re a recruiter or a candidate, it is important to develop your personal brand.

Just how important is this one method, though?

The Bad

As much as Klout can be a powerful tool, there are many potential issues with Klout that employers and recruiters should watch out for when considering adding it into their recruitment mix.

1. Candidate experience.  Is Klout a platinum card for recruitment? In the Klout consumer experience, some businesses are giving customers with a high Klout score perks, as mentioned above — or preferential treatment. While this has problematic possibilities (if other customers are being ignored), we are used to seeing certain customers receive better treatment based on rewards systems calculated through money spent or customer loyalty. We have accepted the consumer reward-based system, and it does incentivize many customers to increase business with a particular company and spread the word about the company and its benefits.

However, some businesses may want to treat the candidate experience in the same fashion through Klout, by giving candidates with high scores better communication throughout the the interview process, choosing to give the job to the person with a higher Klout score, or even offering them a better salary. Beyond unfairness, poor hiring decisions, and possible legal ramifications, the potential backlash from candidates in situations like this is immense — and for good reason. Picking and choosing who you provide with a great candidate experience can severely damage both your consumer and employment brands.

2. Abuse/Lack of knowledge.  Klout as a business looks at candidates’ scores when seeking new candidates, but as Fernandez says, they won’t pass on a quality candidate just because he or she has a low Klout score. But what about a hiring manager with shiny object syndrome? You know, the one so enraptured with a high Klout score (even if he or she doesn’t even know what it signifies) who does pass on a quality candidate for the less qualified candidate with Justin Bieber-like Klout score because it looks cool, or because their peers or competitors are using Klout and they think they should be, too? A buzzworthy case study does not necessarily equal a quality hire — and as you probably know, hiring the wrong candidate can cost you thousands of dollars, not to mention a lot of time and resources.

Companies need to be smart about how they use any kind of recruitment tool, and Klout is no different. It’s perhaps even more tricky, because it’s not by design a recruitment tool, but a social influence tool. Adapting it to recruitment in a way that makes sense takes good sense on the part of the person hiring, as well as a willingness to understand and continue to learn and adapt as the tool evolves.

3. Accuracy.  I don’t talk about Coldplay on social media sites. In fact, the only time I did, it was to make fun of the name of their new song (c’mon, Every Teardrop is a Waterfall?). So I scratched my head for a while, trying to figure out why Klout listed them as one of my influential topics. I finally realized that it wasn’t because of how often I talked about Coldplay, but about how other influential people interacted with my one comment. My tweet happened to be retweeted by a pretty influential user, which, I am guessing, must be why Coldplay was catapulted to the forefront of my page. Still, it doesn’t seem accurate — and if candidates are associated with topics they really don’t know much about, but recruiters don’t realize it, where does that leave us?

Klout has said that the responsibility is on users themselves to remove topics they don’t think they are influential in. I have yet to remove Coldplay from my own topics — probably because it’s not a priority. But it’s possible that when candidates know potential employers are looking at their Klout scores, they will care, and they will remove topics that aren’t relevant to them in order to make their page more accurate or to showcase the items they want employers to see first. After all, it’s up to a candidate to make sure the information on their resume, or their LinkedIn profile, or anywhere else that’s online and public, is accurate, honest, and projects the image they intend to put forth. If it isn’t, the truth will likely come out in the interview process. Candidates can try to game the system — but it’s up to those hiring to sort out fiction from fact.

Not all candidates will curate their own profile, however. This may be well and good — after all, Klout content reflects the topics candidates have talked about online that others have taken action on, which is relevant in some sense regardless — but it may also be misleading if employers are putting stock into it (or just look bad: “Oh, I see you’re an expert in planking?!”). Which leads me back to #2 — those who are hiring must be smart about using the tool.

4. Fairness.  Among Schaefer’s stories mentioned above was one about his friend who Schaefer claims is very talented but who was rejected for a job at a major ad agency because his Klout score was too low. If this is truly why the friend was rejected, it’s a huge red flag for the future of Klout and recruitment. Though social media savvy, personal brand, and online influence may be preferred or even crucial in roles directly related to communication or social media, or in industries which depend on your established contacts, why would we want to force candidates to engage online if they prefer not to?

As mentioned above, according to Klout, every individual who creates content has influence, but what about those who choose to stand on the sidelines — those who prefer to consume content rather than create, and to engage in other ways? What about the collectives, joiners, and spectators? They may write killer ad copy and have an amazing creative mind — but hate putting their personal life on the Internet. Do we fault them for that? Even if the position is for a social media manager, in which social media engagement is a necessity, do we simply look at a low score and assume they’re not great at tweeting or being a community manager? We shouldn’t.

Furthermore, for many industries, the measurement of the extent to which influential people online are driven to act upon the content you put out there just isn’t that important — or isn’t important at all. You must ask yourself what qualifications you need for a particular position, and seek the candidate who fulfills those needs. Flashy new sites will come — and some will stick around — but it’s up to recruiters and employers to put a process in place that is accurate, fair to candidates, and makes sense for their business. As Fabrice Calandro points out, employers are attracted to Klout scores, because in theory, “an employee with more online influence will help your employee branding through blog posts, Tweets, Facebook posts and LinkedIn updates because they’ll reach a broader audience.” While this may be true, it shouldn’t be the factor your hiring decision is hinged upon. Employees will vouch for you if they like you, whether it’s online or offline. “Buying” the probability of an employee boosting your brand is a losing game.

5. Relevancy.  As @NicoleInDC points out in her comment here, it’s not always real people or professional accounts who have the highest Klout scores. It’s true; anonymous parody account @chuck_facts tweets only Chuck Norris “facts,” and is influential about Microsoft Vista, Africa, and television on Klout with a score of 74, about the same score as user @acarvin, who is an identified person and a strategist at NPR. I could add more examples — fictional account @themime, who has only ever tweeted dots (hey, he’s a mime), has a Klout score of 61. Not too shabby — and according to Klout, he’s influential in Wall Street, statistics, and law — yet there’s no rational explanation as to why. If scores are similar between the real and the conjured up, with influential topic choices sometimes seeming completely off the mark, how can those in charge of hiring possibly use Klout as a serious assessment tool?

The Bigger Picture in Recruitment

Fernandez has said that Klout is just one ingredient in the hiring recipe. And, although some have expressed concern that Klout scores will one day be the only factor hiring managers are looking at, it will likely be the exception rather than the norm. Different people vary ingredients in a recipe according to their needs and personal tastes. It’s the same with hiring choices – some employers may be more concerned with education, while others are focused on specific certifications, and still others care most about years of experience in a particular field. No one recipe is the same, so the idea of Klout becoming the sole factor in a hiring decision seems unlikely (not to say that it hasn’t or won’t happen).

As in any profession, there are good hiring managers, and there are bad ones. It’s the hiring managers or recruiters who don’t know what they should be looking for who will abuse Klout — or any other tool, for that matter. People in charge of making hiring decisions must be careful to make responsible, sound and ethical decisions, based on a person’s actual ability to do the job at hand.

For some roles, social media interaction is important, but for others, it’s not important to the role whatsoever. Does a manufacturing candidate need to be active on Twitter to successfully perform his or her job? I don’t think so. We have to be realistic about our expectations of candidates – just because hiring managers may want something doesn’t mean it makes sense to get it. Developing a personal brand, however, is a smart move for all types of candidates – after all, the majority of recruiters and employers do search for candidates online to find out more about them.

Hello, Is It Good Candidates You’re Looking For?

I’m no Lionel Richie, but I think the bigger question might be, what are you looking for from candidates? Do you know — or are you simply following the latest buzz, and neglecting those candidates who really might be perfect for your open position? Klout, like social media in general, has the potential to better your business — but it’s not meant to keep the lights on.

As Brian Solis has wisely said, “Social media will not save business, but it will challenge them to evolve, to adapt… to do better.”

Klout is another tool for candidates to showcase their experience and talents, and it’s another tool for recruiters and employers to view a snapshot of candidates through an online lens. Just how clear that lens is remains to be seen — and just how influential Klout itself is – well, time will tell.

In the meantime, tell us — would you — or have you — used Klout in your recruitment process?

“What words come to mind when I say “Gen Y”? Aaron Kesher asked the many SHRM 2011 attendees packed into the room.  “Entitled!” shouted one person. “Job hoppers,” chimed in another. Soon, many in the room (many of them non-Gen Yers, with some Gen Y members sprinkled in) were shouting things like “smart,” “resume builders,” “technically savvy,” “stereotype,” “comfortable with change,” and “creative.”

Obviously, we all have specific words and phrases and ideas that match how we perceive Gen Y to think and behave in the workplace. Gen Y, made up of those born between 1980 and 2000, has their own notions of themselves, too. In Aaron Kesher’s “Why Y? Plugging Into a Generational Powerhouse” session at SHRM 2011, Kesher encouraged all of us in the room to rethink our notions of what we think Gen Y is all about, to consider the strengths they bring to today’s dynamic workplace, and to use this knowledge and understanding to more successfully recruit and retain Gen Y workers.

“Do not doubt that this generation will change the face of the American workplace as their parents did,” Kesher said. “In the next five to 10 years, Kesher said, the number of Gen Yers in the workforce will increase dramatically.”

As the number of Gen Y workers is only getting larger, it’s about time we as a collective workplace learn more about Gen Y so that we can understand them, appreciate their unique strengths, and more successfully integrate them with other generations in the workplace.

What is work from a Gen Y Perspective?

• Work ethic: Job loyalty, for a long time, was shown by how long you stuck around and paid your dues — and older generations still think in line with this. Gen Y, on the other hand, says, “I show you love by how hard I work, not how long I stick around.”
• Tech savvy: It’s not so much that Gen Yers are tech savvy, Kesher pointed out – they’re tech dependent.They’re the generation that’s come of age with the explosion of technology, so it’s natural that they would be comfortable with it.
• Communication and teamwork: Gen Y is not necessarily entitled; they just feel comfortable asking for what they want. When it comes to communication, you can often count on Gen Yers to spread out the message fast and often. We need to realize, Kesher said, that throughout Gen Y’s public education, the majority of the work was done in groups, and that their role wasn’t usually as the leader of a group – instead, many were “equal” team members. Therefore, many Gen Y members function fairly well as a group and as “team players,” but some struggle in standing out as individual, assertive leaders.
• Money:  Employers, listen up: Gen Y is talking to each other about the money they are (or aren’t) making at your organization. They are comparing how competitive your salary is with your competitors — and they’re not afraid to share their findings. One audience member mentioned recently hearing Gen Yers discussing openly the job offers and bonuses they were getting — and she was shocked.  After all, discussing how much money you make is one of the last great American taboos — yet Gen Y seems more comfortable with discussing this sort of information.
• Recognition: Gen Y is a generation of the “there are no losers – everyone’s a winner” mentality. “But they didn’t make that up (boomer parents),” Kesher pointed out, to a round of laughter. Gen Yers don’t care how it gets done – they just want to get it done. And they want to be told they did a good job once they do it; recognition is very important.
• Diversity: “Why do only white people work here?” might be something a Gen Y worker thinks while viewing a company site or sitting in the lobby while waiting to be interviewed and noticing the lack of diverse employees. Gen Y doesn’t embrace diversity – they expect it — and if your company says you believe in diversity, but then a Gen Y worker shows up and all workers look the same – they will think you’re not living up to your diversity message. This generation has grown up with a greater awareness of and comfort with diversity of all kinds. From home lives, to school experiences, to messages absorbed from pop culture, they often don’t see what all the fuss is. This can manifest as difficulty in understanding why others struggle with issues around differences. A question of whether gay marriage should be legalized, for example, is a non-issue for many Gen Y individuals — and this shift ties into a larger cultural shift in general.
• Work versus life: “I love my job, but I love my life more” — that’s something you may hear a lot of Gen Yers say. One of the critical issues that will need to be ironed out at work in the future, Kesher said, will revolve around workplace flexibility. We’re increasingly seeing workplace flexibility issues evolving in the workplace, and Gen Y workers in particular (though they’re not alone) want to know how they can maintain their relationship with work while still having the flexibility to live the life they envision. As mentioned above, Gen Y has no problem with work, or with the idea of working hard — it’s just that their job will never be the whole of their identity. They raised with the imperative to “follow your dreams!”, and their job and life may intersect in new ways than we’ve seen in past generations. “Gen Y,” Kesher stressed, “doesn’t want a job – they want a life that hopefully includes a job.”
• Being green: This is the generation that’s leading the green movement – so give them the power to build, make changes, and become leaders in your organization’s (existing or non-existing) green movement.

Why worry about Gen Y?

Ensuring that the different generations working together under one roof actually work well together is a big concern for many employers. After all, if knowledge isn’t able to be sufficiently shared from generation to generation, older generations will eventually retire — taking with them decades of experience. In addition, workers who work well together are likely to be happier, more productive, and better brand ambassadors for your company.

To effectively work with Gen Y workers, Kesher said, you don’t need to change who you are – just your approach. In a great reverse example of this, an audience member told the story of her (as a Gen Y worker) learning to compromise with a Silent Generation worker. The older worker, she said, took a long time to respond to emails, but whenever she had a printed piece for him to look at, he worked much more quickly. After figuring this out, she started printing out  her emails to him and putting them on his desk – and now his turnaround time on feedback to her is much faster. It’s small steps like this that can make a big difference between two generations that don’t always see eye to eye — or medium to medium.

By learning the “why” behind this generation’s interests, ideas, and behaviors, you will understand how Gen Y workers function best in the workplace, and you will be better prepared to recruit and retain them. Here are some ideas to get you started, courtesy of Kesher:

6 ways to more successfully recruit Gen Y:

1. Have fun. Use the media to get your company message out there. Gen Y is all over social networks, and as mentioned above, they are very comfortable with technology, so get in front of them on various mediums — and get creative in your efforts. Speak their language; what have you learned about the things that matter to them that you as an employer are able to provide? Connect work to their lives; how do the two successfully intersect in your work environment? Are you able to offer workers a great work/life balance and opportunities for them to enrich their lives outside of the office walls? Show them.
2. Challenge them. Gen Y workers are attracted to a challenge, so by providing your employees with interesting work that asks them to get outside their comfort zone and take risks, and lets them make mistakes and fail, you are likely to get these workers’ attention.
3. Give them opportunities. Do you give your employees multiple paths to explore when taking on a project, or find ways for their work to have an impact on the organization as a whole? Demonstrate to job seekers that you encourage employees to do work that is meaningful and and makes a difference outside of your organization. Do you give employees opportunities to further their training, brush up on their skills, or learn new disciplines outside of their current role to help them grow both inside and out of work?
4. Support their lifestyle. Recognize the importance their life outside of work has to them, and understand that they have often strong, close connections with their families (Kesher gave the example of parents calling to ask why their son or daughter got a bad review example, or dropping off a resume for their child — it happens more than you might think). Offer flexibility in your benefits, and realize that for many Gen Y workers, the line between work and personal life has blurred. Work happens at home, and vice versa — does your organization support a flexible workplace?
5. Embody diversity. Show it, don’t just talk about it! Demonstrate to potential employees how diversity integrates with your organization’s mission – but be authentic. Job seekers can see right through empty words; be true to your values by actually being a diverse workplace.
6. Reinforce your mission. Show job seekers the “why” – why is the work your organization does important to the rest of world? What is the larger context of the projects you take on, or of your core business? Reinforce your mission constantly, and help workers find connections to others in the organization through social media, your website, or in-person interactions.

… And 5 ways to retain them:

1. Make them feel at home the first day. This does not mean simply showing them the employee handbook, their cubicle, bathroom code, and then leaving them alone. Plan on a longer orientation duration than in the past. Establish personal connections with employees — and continue building those relationships throughout your employees’ tenure.
2. Give them feedback. They want more rather than less, and they want it sooner rather than later. Recognize everything employees are doing, and give them honest and open feedback. Waiting five years to get to the next step in an organization isn’t realistic anymore, Kesher pointed out — so provide them with the tools they need for success and career advancement. Give employees more chances for lateral development by helping them learn new skills, get new certifications, and expand their knowledge base.
3. Allow them to fail! Define clear expectations for tasks and projects, give them incremental goals along the way, and find ways to connect the work they’re doing to their personal values and goals. Let them stretch their boundaries, make mistakes, and learn from them — and most of all, listen to your employees. They want to give you input, so make it easier on them by asking for it where you can, and being available as a resource and mentor.
4. Again, listen. Pay attention to them (they’re going to talk to you a lot), be aware of their personal goals, and lead horizontally. They’re living in a world of connectedness and entitled communication; hierarchy isn’t as built into their mindset as it is in generations past. Try to be their leader without looking down on them.
5. Connect with them. Get to know them and what they’re all about (and hey, maybe even their helicopter parents, too). If you want respect from Gen Y workers, you have to give it. Many Gen Y workers feel misunderstood by their peers or their leaders; by working to connect with them and encouraging other employees to do the same, you will begin to chip away at the negative Gen Y stereotypes that are actually hindering generational progress in the workplace.

 Moving forward, together

During the session, a Gen Y professional raised her hand and pointed out that as an HR professional, she’s noticed a lot of overly negative critiques of Gen Y workers. She wondered why we couldn’t focus on the positive traits of Gen Y to hook into as a great resource — a great point, and one that Kesher drove home in his presentation.

After all, every time we think another generation doesn’t have something we have, Kesher said, we’re stereotyping. Every generation has boundaries and a work ethic — they may just happen to be different than ours.

But isn’t the fact that such a multitude of perspectives, ideas, backgrounds and behaviors exist what makes the workplace so great?

Editor’s Note: This concludes our five week series on the Five Ps of Recruitment Marketing (product, price, people, placement, and promotion). Special thanks to Mike Dwyer  for an afternoon conversation that inspired this series of blog posts. For a look at assessments on product, price, people and placement, view my previous posts.

Promotion involves the means by which a product is communicated to, or sold, to customers. Traditionally, these aspects of marketing could include direct mail pieces, television and radio advertisements, press and demonstration events, sponsorships and celebrity endorsements, coupons and rebates, brochures, packaging, and free samples. Today, promotions involve other tactics like websites, guerilla marketing, search engine and display advertising, email, and SMS communications.

There is an unending list of ways product benefits and features can be communicated to a highly defined audience. And what’s better is that recruitment marketers can use all these same tactics to market their product: jobs and culture. Promotions are not free however, so marketers factor cost of promotions into the product’s profitability the same way you factor cost per hire.

How do you decide which are right for your target talent?

Start with the basics – the job posting and title. Is it attention-getting and appealing? Does it excite the reader and prominently feature the attributes you know motivate your target audience? Are the images thoughtfully chosen to resonate with the type of people you seek? Some companies are taking a radical new approach to conveying their employment brand or the details of a hard-to-fill position: infographics. Like a microsite or video, infographics are a popular way to convey complex ideas visually. Since each one is unique to a job, event or brand, they are simple, quick to read, and easy to share.

Beyond your careers site and job boards, where do you distribute your message?  Hiring fairs, trade publications, and employment guides are great places to find active job seekers. Reach passive candidates as well on social networks by asking employees to share the job with their friends and families. Recruiters can form one-to-one connections with passive candidate on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Run display ads on social networks and popular websites or send targeted email by defining your ideal candidate in terms of years of experience, fields of study, and current location. Even if an individual isn’t actively looking to make a career change, an aptly placed ad on Facebook where he or she socializes could spark interest.

Try this exercise: Create a mini marketing plan for a new vacancy or a tough to fill position. Profile the attributes of the talent you wish to attract and the logic behind how your plan will deliver your message effectively. Aside from a job posting, be sure to include four additional tactics you can use to reach the candidate – including how it will tie to at least one key characteristic or motivator you listed.

Bottom line: Like marketers, talent strategists must also use a diverse mix of techniques to distribute their hiring message. In a market where top talent will flock to companies with the hottest brand, a creative message sent through the right channels can make a big difference.

There’s good news (Justin Timberlake may save MySpace!), disappointing news (we’ll probably never get Friendster back), and news that makes us want to hug a stranger on the street: Despite ongoing concerns over threats to economic growth, CareerBuilder’s 2011 Mid-Year Job Forecast shows that employers remain positive in their hiring expectations for the remainder of the year. (It’s OK, you can hug that stranger on the street; we won’t judge.)

Just how positive are employers about the future of hiring, you ask?

Well, nearly half of employers (47 percent) plan to hire new employees from July through December of this year, up from 41 percent in 2010, according to the survey conducted by Harris Interactive© of more than 2,600 hiring managers and human resource professionals. (See the infographic here.)

Things are looking pretty good in other areas, too: The percentage of companies hiring is also higher than last year in some instances:

• Companies hiring full-time, permanent employees –  35 percent this year, up from 28 percent in 2010
• Companies hiring part-time employees – 15 percent this year, the same as 2010
• Companies hiring contract or temporary employees – 12 percent this year, up from 9 percent in 2010

Which jobs are hottest for hiring?

The top three job areas in which businesses plan to hire first are those that involve being on the front lines with customers, and those that drive innovation. Customer service still claims the No. 1 spot for recruitment, with information technology slightly edging out sales this year for the No. 2 ranking on the list:

1. Customer Service  |  23 percent
2. Information Technology  |  21 percent
3. Sales  |  20 percent
4. Administrative  |  15 percent
5. Business Development  |  11 percent
6. Accounting/Finance  |  10 percent
7. Marketing  |  9 percent

As CareerBuilder CEO Matt Ferguson stressed, the U.S. is seeing job creation across the board, and though some factors may prevent a huge acceleration in hires, hiring activity doesn’t appear to be ending any time soon:

“Last year, certain sectors or departments in companies were producing jobs.  This year, the U.S. is seeing job creation in all industries, functions and company sizes,” said Ferguson.  “Our survey, listings on CareerBuilder.com, and conversations we have with employers on a daily basis all indicate that hiring activity will sustain and improve in the months to come with a diverse mix of jobs.  While higher energy prices, debt, inflation and other factors may deter a significant acceleration in hiring, employers have encouraging news for the millions of Americans who are looking for jobs.”

Hiring by region: Where are employers hiring the most employees?

There’s more news to make us look forward to the year progressing: All regions are trending above 2010 in hiring prospects for the second half of 2011, with the South leading the way in optimism:

• South: 38 percent are planning to hire full-time, permanent employees, up from 27 percent last year
• West: 35 percent, up from 28 percent last year
• Northeast: 34 percent, up from 29 percent last year
• Midwest: 32 percent, up from 28 percent last year

Two trends to watch for in the second half of 2011:

1. Employee Turnover:
   • The competition for specialized talent is expected to intensify as employers recruit and try to retain top performers for hard-to-fill, in-high-demand positions in areas like health care and technology.
   • More than one-third (35 percent) of employers are concerned that key talent will leave their organizations as the economy improves, a trend that has become increasingly evident over the last six months.
   • Eighteen percent of employers reported top workers left their organization in the second quarter, up from 14 percent in the first quarter. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, as CareerBuilder’s 2010 forecast revealed that 25 percent of all workers planned to leave their organizations within a year.
2. Shortage of Skilled Workers:
   • Fifty percent of employers reported there is a shortage of skills within their organization, up from 48 percent last year.
   • The biggest shortages were reported in the areas of Information Technology, Customer Service and Communications.
   • More than one-third (36 percent) of human resource managers reported they have positions for which they can’t find qualified candidates, up from 32 percent last year.

What happened in Q2 2011?
This past quarter, 29 percent of employers added full-time, permanent headcount, up from 24 percent last year. Eleven percent decreased headcount (same as Q2 2010), while 59 percent made no change in staff levels (compared to 64 percent in Q2 2010) and 1 percent were unsure.

What will happen in Q3 2011?

• For eight consecutive quarters, actual hiring exceeded what was originally anticipated, indicating that employers tend to be more conservative in their hiring projections than in their hiring behavior. Looking forward, 26 percent of employers plan to add full-time, permanent employees in the third quarter (only 21 percent planned to do so in Q3 2010), but if trends persist, the actual hiring number may come in higher at quarter end.
• Eight percent expect to downsize staffs.  Sixty-one percent anticipate no change, while 5 percent are undecided.

To get in-depth survey results and further predictions for the second half of 2011, download the full forecast, or for a quick snapshot, check out our handy-dandy infographic.

Have you ever compared the experience job seekers go through when searching for a job to the experience you go through when, say, buying a car? Believe it or not, the two experiences are more closely linked than you may realize. We have specific reasons for deciding to go through with a car purchase — or walk away from it — and the same is true for job seekers considering your company as a future employer in their job search process.

The experience you provide job seekers through your recruitment process is something they will evaluate, engage with, and accept or reject, ultimately deciding whether or not to “make a purchase.” A new CareerBuilder and Inavero study of more than 4,500 workers demonstrates that that decision can happen at any point in the job search process, from the time they first start thinking about searching for a new job to the moment they have your offer letter in front of them — and everywhere in between.

The job seeker/employer relationship: It’s complicated

Today’s job search experience looks drastically different from several years or even several months ago, and it continues to evolve. Now, although job boards still have a prominent place in the job search, the job search experience has become much more complex. When job seekers embark on a job search, they are actively using five specific methods to find their next job: Search engines; vertical sites (job boards and aggregators); social media; corporate and career sites; and user-generated content sites. They are using these five platforms in different ways and with varied intensity as they move through four distinct phases of the job search — Orientation, Consideration, Action, and Engagement.

To effectively build and manage your company’s employment brand, reach a large segment of the many job seekers you’re missing out on, and continue to position yourself as a visible and desirable place to work in today’s rapidly changing world, you must have a diversified recruitment strategy that incorporates these five platforms — and you must understand the mindset and behavior of job seekers as they move through the four stages of the job search process.

Job seekers have changed — have you?

The CareerBuilder and Inavero study takes you through a job seeker’s typical job search experience as it happens in today’s recruitment environment, a time in which job seekers are hungry for information and have a wealth of online resources at their fingertips. Long gone are the days of faxing or mailing a resume and simply waiting passively to hear back from an employer — today’s job seeker is much more hands-on.

By learning what job seekers are thinking and doing as they move through four distinct job search phases (Orientation, Consideration, Action, and Engagement) and crafting your strategy to align with those thoughts and behaviors, you’ll be equipped to reach the best candidates for your open jobs, position yourself as a strong and desirable brand, and ensure your approach is consistent from phase to phase.

The Four Phases of the Job Search

Phase I: Orientation — This phase consists of a job seeker’s self-evaluation and evaluation of the market. Ninety-seven percent of job seekers reported self-evaluation as one of the first five things they did when starting a search.

Phase II: Consideration – During this phase, the job search moves from a solitary to an interactive, social experience. Job seekers are seeking to validate the brands in their consideration set by posting on social media platforms and user-generated content sites, and collecting opinions from members of their online social and professional networks in order to narrow their focus to a handful of jobs.

Phase III: In this phase, a job seeker is going through the action of applying to jobs.

Phase IV: In this last phase, job seekers are interacting with employers and actively interviewing. Although the majority of research on a company is completed pre-interview, job seekers are conducting social research in this last phase by having personal conversations with employees of your company or close family and friends.

(Learn about the job seekers’ mindset and behavior during each of the four job search phases here.)

The importance of a great recruitment experience

Job seekers today are largely dissatisfied with the current hiring process offered by companies. Only 10 percent of respondents said companies they have reached out to have been responsive. The impact of this is immense: Nearly half (40 percent) of job seekers strongly agree that a poor application experience impacts their job decision. In fact, it might surprise you to find out that more than one in 10 people turn down a job at least once a month.

Bad experiences during and after the application process can easily negate the work and strategic investment in media you’ve made to bring the best talent onto your team.

Begin to create a more candidate-centric recruitment process by adding a human touch:

• Communicate with candidates when at all possible, and let them know where they stand as the process moves from phase to phase.
• Unplug cumbersome technology and flawed screening filters, and provide feedback and coaching.
• View all candidates as a customer or potential future customer, client or employee.
• Get the most out of the resources you’re investing by being responsive — in the long run, you will get better quality talent, protect your employment brand, and maintain a better reputation with clients (who once may have been your candidates).

Getting them to say “yes”

Job seekers are using a wide range of methods to find the right jobs, and by gaining a large presence through these methods, you will deepen your talent pool, engage and create trust with candidates early on, find more diverse candidates for your open positions, and, ultimately, improve your bottom line. Start thinking of your recruitment experience as a consumer product — and start
getting more job seekers to consider your brand, like what they see, and say “Yes.”

For details on job seeker behavior and mindset within the four job search phases and our recommended strategies for best connecting with job seekers at each point in the process, download the full report or learn more about adding the right platforms to your recruitment mix.

“You already possess the skills to needed to manage people you can’t see. I’m just going to wake them up for you,” Kyra Cavanaugh told the audience of human resources, hiring and recruiting professionals last week to open her SHRM 2011 session, Managing People You Can’t See.

Those “people you can’t see” to which Cavanaugh, President of workplace solutions firm Life Meets Work, Inc., was referring are the employees who work remotely, a part of the workforce that is increasing day by day.

Recognizing the need to address the challenges that come with either managing people who work remotely or working remotely oneself, Cavanaugh led a highly interactive – and highly engaging – session in which she provided eight tips for managing and working with remote teams.

Eight Tips for Managing People You Can’t See

1. Identify and Acknowledge Discomfort.Regardless of your management style, you’re bound to feel a level of discomfort when managing people you can’t see. The solution? “We have to arm ourselves with knowledge and information to get more comfortable.” Of course, this requires some introspection. Consider your management style. (Do you tend to be more trusting or more controlling as a manager?) Then identify the challenges to that style, and finally, explore the various skills or tactics you can you use to fill the gaps.
2. Evaluate Remote Work Requests Objectively. Remote work requests should be handled like any other business decision, says Cavanaugh. “It’s not about ‘Is this a good enough reason?’ It’s about ‘What does the business need?’” The following factors should come into play:
1. Needs of business
2. Nature of position
3. Individual work style
4. Department restrictions/limitations
5. Individual performance
3. Say either “Yes, and…’ or “No, and…”Always give a reason for your decision. If you say no, explain why, especially if it has to do with the individual’s work style or performance (Cavanaugh suggests saying something along the lines of “I’m not comfortable with this for these reasons, but if you improve in these areas, we can revisit this in a few months.”)On the other hand, if you say yes, make sure you explain any concerns you have going into it, and establish ground rules (e.g. “If we find in a few months that business needs aren’t being met, we may have to revisit this decision.”).
4. Agree Upon and Document Team Values.  Create a “Virtual Teams Agreement,” a physical document – to be reviewed every six months – outlining a certain set of behaviors that everyone on the team helps create and agrees on.For example, the agreement should take into account all the ways your team interacts (e.g. “How often do we need to respond to emails? Check voicemails? Have meetings where everyone is physically present? Are conference calls mandatory? What’s optional?”) and ways to hold each other accountable.A VTA will not only create mutual understanding over expectations, but it will also “eliminate any feelings of jealousy over ‘why does she get to work remotely and I can’t?’” Cavanaugh says.
5. Harness Technology. From project management software to CRM tools, to micro-blogging sites (like Twitter and Yammer), to Wiki’s, there are so many resources today that enable remote teams to work together–it’s just a matter of picking your poison (so to speak).“Every team has preference over which technologies they like.  Have that conversation with your team” to find out their preferences – and don’t be afraid to mix it up.
6. Set Goals and Track Performance. Make sure you clearly communicate deadlines and projects. Everyone should know who is responsible for completing which part of the project when in order to “ensure everyone’s on same page.”One thing Cavanaugh suggests is utilizing is flash reports, short reports employees submit each week (or maybe or even every day) outlining three pieces of information: What they accomplished this week, what obstacles they encountered, and what they’ll do next week. Flash reports not only set expectations, but they hold people accountable for finishing their goals.
7. Communicate Deliberately. “When we can’t see each other, we can’t read body language,” Cavanaugh says, and that can be dangerous, because body language tells us so much. We do not always know when someone is being serious or sarcastic in an email…but we also tend not to ask.  For that reason “we have to have those conversations we do not want to have.”
8. Build a Strong, Cohesive Team. “People want to be participating in something bigger than themselves,” Cavanaugh says. For this reason, it’s important to build a sense of community by promoting teamwork. Team building among remote teams is certainly not an easy task, but it’s not an impossible one, either. It just requires a little innovation.For example, Cavanaugh suggests building a PowerPoint, wherein each person has a section in which they can talk about anything they want – from recent accomplishments to vacation plans.

Do you work with remote teams? What management tips have you found work for you?

Editor’s Note: This five-week series is dedicated to examining the five most common Ps of a typical marketing mix and assessing how they relate to recruitment. Today’s post focuses on people; the remaining concepts – placement and promotion – will run in sequential order every Tuesday over the next couple weeks. For a look at assessments on product and price, view my previous posts.

Regardless of the business, the people involved with producing a product or a service inevitably shape the final outcome. While the nature of a particular business certainly renders some attributes more influential than others, the appearance, attitudes, experience, and beliefs of staff impact the sale of a product. In service-based businesses, like restaurants and retail, the appearance of staff reinforces commitments the company makes to health, safety, and brand position. Uniforms and service standards are just two ways businesses seek to deliver on their brand promise through their agents. These define the claims made by the company – whether it is to be the number one luxury retailer or safest car manufacturer.

A company’s people are often called upon to respond to crisis and serve as a testament to a brand promise. Toyota, who issued recalls of roughly 2.3 million vehicles in January 2010, created a series of videos featuring employees stating their commitment to safety. A number of technicians, engineers, plant employees, and dealers discussed the recall and how they planned to move forward. In another example, Domino’s created “The Pizza Turnaround” documentary featuring actual employees and their reactions to consumer opinions. The project featured people from all departments – from chefs and senior leaders to marketing and product management – who openly addressed criticism uncovered online and in focus groups.

So how do people impact recruitment? The individuals within your organization can be your biggest advocates, or the most compelling deterrent in your pursuit of top talent. Employers tell us that employee referrals are often the number one source of hire, even when the awareness of an employee referral incentive is low. What this tells us is that people are passionate about where they work. So much time is spent at work and whether the experience is good or bad – people talk.

Creating opportunities for your passionate brand stewards to publicly endorse your company as a place to work is the cornerstone of social recruitment. The content you share on social media channels should be a combination of company-created messages and unsolicited testimony from real staff. Encourage employees to join your communities, interact with potential applicants, and take a vested interest in the conversation. Not only does this substantiate your claims as a desirable place to work, but it can serve as a research mechanism to see which messages are most effective with potential candidates.

Try this exercise: Ask functional area leaders within your business to identify key individuals who demonstrate company values and could serve as a mentor to potential applicants. You can also look to staff members who have been recognized for awards, participate in corporate volunteerism, or are active in affinity groups. Pull these individuals together and create short videos documenting why they believe your company is a great place to work or what they like best about their job. The videos don’t have to be extravagant (here are a few simple examples: SCA and CR Bard), but the faces of staff will serve as an interactive influence to outsiders. Use these videos to start conversations in social media and post them on your careers site.

Bottom line: Don’t make the mistake of excluding people from your recruitment marketing presence. Physical evidence is a fundamental part of effective persuasion, so encourage employee participation in official corporate-created social media communities – their credibility on working at your company will give potential applicants plenty of authentic proof to support your claims. Discuss important topics – like culture, growth potential, and benefits. Tap recently hired staff to talk about their experiences with your recruitment and on-boarding processes – two areas most companies fail to address, yet one of the topics four out of five job seekers want more transparency on. Promote referral bonus programs and invest in a job sharing application that integrates with Facebook or LinkedIn to give your staff easy ways to share job opportunities in their networks. Lastly, create internal channels for staff to feel heard in case negative issues arise. Without support internally, your authorities won’t defend you publicly.

Editor’s Note: This five-week series is dedicated to examining the five most common Ps of a typical marketing mix and assessing how they relate to recruitment. Today’s post focuses on product; the others – on price, people, placement and promotion – will run in sequential order every Tuesday over the next five weeks.

Raise your hand if you remember Marketing 101! If you’re like most talent acquisition professionals, the principles of marketing are hazy. A few Ps here, a DMA or two there. Most recruiters know enough to be dangerous, and it doesn’t matter much for day-to-day talent attraction anyway, right?

Think again.

Follow the typical marketing mix and apply it to recruitment – you’ll find there are an astounding number of similarities. The techniques used to effectively sell a product or service work just as well in selling a career opportunity. As such, the most successful social recruiters view talent acquisition through a marketing lens.

For my next handful of posts, I’d like to focus on the five most common Ps of marketing and tie to them into recruitment. And since each concept holds significant value, it’s only fair to give them the appropriate coverage, breaking tips and exercises into a series that will run over the next five weeks.  

Today’s focus: Product

In traditional marketing, a product is the physical good or service offered to a consumer. The attributes of the product are the accompanying benefits the product boasts. These attributes – function, design, packaging, ease of use, and warranty – are weighed against costs to determine if it is desirable for the purchaser. The purchase is influenced by the seller’s overall brand identity and word-of-mouth reputation as well as the influence of other consumers on the customer (e.g. a child may influence a parent’s toy purchase).

In recruitment marketing, your product is a job. The attributes of that job – pay, working hours, essential job functions, supervising staff, full time vs. part-time or contract – are all considered by a candidate. The decision to apply for the opportunity is impacted positively or negatively by the company’s employment brand and word-of-mouth opinions of current and former staff. And, like a product, there are influencers in an applicant’s life that factor into the decision to apply for or accept a job offer. For example, the impact on family is considered when a lengthy commute disturbs work-life balance.

Just like any product, your jobs compete for mindshare among qualified talent. Before going to market with a product or service, companies work to thoroughly understand the competitive landscape and develop a defendable position that differentiates them from alternatives. You must do the same for your job and workplace. The things that make you different from other employers will be the cornerstone of your employment value proposition and social media messages.

Try this exercise: Visualize the last advertisement you saw for a food product. What are the three things you remember the most?  It could be the taste, packaging or health benefits. These memorable images or qualities are what make the snack appealing. Apply this to recruitment by defining two or three things you want candidates to remember about your job opportunity or company. It could be philanthropy, continuing education, or commitment to innovation. Once you have two or three solid attributes, emphasize these in your social media messaging so candidates remember what you have to offer.

Bottom line:  Present job opportunities and culture in terms of the benefits. Be honest about the limitations of your company and stay true to its employment brand promise. Your product’s features, core benefits, and differentiators from those you compete with for talent should be the basis for social media messages and inspire former and current employees to validate the claims with their own testimonials. Individual social proof is the closest you can get to a satisfaction guarantee.

How else will you effectively utilize the concept of product for your business?

You probably remember them from high school: The dreaded (or anticipated) “Most likely to/Best” lists. Best eyes: Sandy K. Funniest: Alex S. (you totally thought you had that one in the bag). Most likely to forget their kids at the grocery store: Lauren D. (yes, this one actually exists). Most likely to succeed: ??? This one, as many other results looking back, may not have panned out the way everyone thought it might. From the time we were filling these “popularity”-type lists out (or ducking from the paper airplane printouts of them being hurled at us), the way many of us define success, or perceive those most likely to achieve personal or professional success, has changed — and over time, so has the world around us.

Much is different since high school (including, hopefully, your hair style and taste for greasy squares of cafeteria pizza). And in the workplace, over the past few decades or even the past few years — the path to success, at least professionally, has become more open to diverse workers. The makeup of the U.S. civilian labor force has changed significantly, with women accounting for half of all workers and companies becoming both racially and ethnically diverse.

CareerBuilder’s 2011 Diversity in the Workplace Study surveyed more than 2,500 diverse workers to get a better grasp of how their work experience has evolved as their numbers in the U.S. workforce have grown. Much of what we found may surprise you. The study targeted the top 20 markets in the U.S. based on population, and the results for six diverse segments — African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, women, workers with disabilities, and Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender (LGBT) workers.

The survey findings point to continued inequalities between diverse and non-diverse segments in pay, career advancement and feelings of discrimination. At the same time, certain diverse segments ranked higher than non-diverse workers in compensation, reflecting a movement toward better equality in the workplace.

So, with that said, here’s a “Most likely to” list that hopefully won’t cause those high school-esque butterflies, but will instead make us all take a hard look at how far we’ve come toward workplace equality — and where we’re still falling short.

Compensation

Most likely to earn $100,000 or more:

LGBT workers, who lead the pack at 18 percent, outpacing non-diverse workers by 1 percentage point. Women were the least likely to report making $100,000 or more at only 6 percent, along with African Americans and Hispanic workers at 8 percent.

Most likely to earn less than $50,000:

Disabled workers. Among all segments, workers with disabilities were the most likely to report earning less than $50,000 at 58 percent, followed by women at 52 percent and Hispanics close behind them at 51 percent.

Discrimination

Least likely to feel discriminated against in their current job?

Asian workers, at 11 percent, were least likely to feel discriminated against in the workplace — and trended below non-diverse workers who were asked this question, 14 percent of whom said they felt discriminated against.

Most likely to feel discriminated against in their current job?

African American workers. When asked about their experience as a diverse worker, 25 percent of African American workers said they felt discriminated against in their current job — the highest of all segments asked. The next-highest group was disabled workers, 22 percent of whom reported feeling discriminated against, followed by women (19 percent) and LGBT workers (18 percent).

Career Advancement

Least likely to hold a management position?

Asian workers. Higher salaries don’t always mean higher titles, as survey results reinforced. Because while Asian workers were among the highest segment as far as earning six figures, they were the least likely to report holding a management position (only 11 percent did). Women and African Americans were right behind, with only 15 percent from each group reporting that they held a management position.

Conversely, 26 percent of non-diverse workers reported holding management titles, the highest percentage of all segments, followed by 22 percent of LGBT workers.

Plans to change jobs

Most likely to change jobs once the economy improves?

Asian workers (47 percent), African American workers (43 percent) and disabled workers (42 percent) are the highest segments to report a plan to change jobs once the economy improves. Nearly two in five of all diverse workers (38 percent) plan to make a move with an improving economy. Despite ranking lower in pay and title, women and Hispanic workers are the least likely diverse workers to pursue new positions, at 31 percent and 35 percent respectively.

What does the report tell us?

Well, while old high school lists may be good for a laugh, CareerBuilder’s 2011 Diversity in the Workplace Study results give us a landmark that we can use to consider how we’re educating about and treating all types of workers in our own workplaces, and gain new perspective on the larger diversity picture as it stands. And much like Debbie N.’s feathered mullet Best Hair award, it’s promising to think that we will look back on this several years from now and marvel at how different things “used to be” — and how much better they are now.

As Dr. Sanja Licina, Senior Director of Talent Intelligence & Consulting at CareerBuilder, says, “While companies have made strides in creating an inclusive workplace for all workers, there is still work to be done, especially n the areas of hiring, compensation and career advancement.”

Read the full report for other interesting details about discrimination, pay, and why some diverse workers don’t market themselves as such when looking for a position — or check out the infographic for a snapshot.

What are your thoughts on the report findings?

Chances are high that any salesperson you have met since 1992 can recite lines, if not the entire script, from Glengarry Glen Ross.  David Mamet’s 1984 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning play was adapted to film in 1992 with the likes of Jack Lemmon, Kevin Spacey, Al Pacino and Alec Baldwin giving way to memorable quotes, and providing fodder for film buffs and sales trainers alike.

Despite the origin of the term – whether or not it was Mamet – Baldwin’s character brings the concept of the “ABCs of sales” to new life and gives entrance to modern sales vocabulary in one of the film’s most memorable scenes: Always Be Closing.  

As personal online networks like Facebook grow to more than 500 million users and professional online networks like LinkedIn hit audience levels of more than 100 million, it’s evident that when fueled by technology, connectivity is easier and more accessible than ever.  The agents in Glengarry Glen Ross may not have been concerned with the relationships they were building (or not building) in always-be-closing deals; however, as the economy and job market recover today, solidifying relationships between individuals and organizations is crucial for pipelining future talent.  

Whether your organization consists of five people or you’re part of the Fortune 500, social platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, have opened up opportunities to target and attract new candidate streams that are otherwise inaccessible. Despite your industry, user-generated outlets like YouTube and WordPress have given your audiences the ability to sing your praises or sink your battleship with their reviews of your product, process, staff, and service. 

As recruitment evolves via emerging technologies, how do you make the most of opportunities to push your brand forward? Put on spin on Baldwin’s insightful speech, making your goal to “Always Be Connecting.”

Because everyone has their 2 cents
Just as the adage goes – without being crude – opinions are like certain body parts, and everyone has them.  No matter who you are or where you come from, you will think a specific way about a place, interest, topic, etc. Opinions can be formed through first- or secondhand experiences, education, and –although we might not like to admit it – even stereotypes and biases. 

Sites like Glassdoor.com, Jobitorial.com, and Careerbliss.com provide platforms for past and present employees as well as interviewees to provide reviews of your organization.  If a candidate has a bad experience and feels as though your interviewing process was unprofessional, warranted or not, the candidate has highly popular websites on which to post that opinion.  And with 64 percent of candidates researching companies before even applying to a position, overwhelming amounts of negative 2 cents can add up to serious recruitment challenges, whereas glowing employment reviews can propel recruitment efforts.

Because it’s human nature
In just seven short years, Facebook has grown to be the world’s largest online social network, with more than 700 billion minutes spent on the site each month and a 50 percent daily log-in rate. Despite your 2 cents about Facebook, not many can argue that the phenomenon is akin to who we are as human beings – creatures with a disposition to connect to others, validate our thoughts and perhaps self-worth through those that we know, and possibly even play out our innate voyeuristic and narcissistic tendencies. (OK, so this might be a stretch. But keep in mind that photo sharing and photo viewing are top activities on the site en-masse, and the average Facebook user changes their profile picture more than 18 times a year – three times the amount they did only a couple of years ago.)

Because everyone is a passive job seeker
In the last six months, I have consulted a handful of Fortune 500 organizations that are launching social media strategies aimed at employment branding for the first time.  These organizations have been active in the social space for years, but they are just now beginning to use the platforms for recruitment and employment branding campaigns.  Just a few weeks ago, The Wall Street Journal reported a similar trend in which some boutique firms have conducted almost twice the amount of employer branding analyses than in years prior. 

Regardless of whether people will actually label themselves “active” or “passive” job seekers, it’s safe to assume that at almost any given point in time, everyone, no matter how happy they are with their position and organization, is a passive jobseeker. People are typically taught and encouraged to pursue greater opportunities and not accept complacency. Managers don’t accept mediocre performance, and people shouldn’t accept mediocrity in their careers. No matter how sufficed one might be in their career, opportunities for advancement, increases in pay or benefits, better work-life balances, shorter commuting times, and more flexible hours can all be motivating factors for a happy and high-performing individual to move to another organization. As most recruiters and hiring managers know, talent is hard to find and equally hard to keep. 

As the job market recovers, expect to see more and more companies marketing their organization almost as a product to candidates – a product that is desired, offers value beyond a paycheck and has many other happy customers (in the form of current employees). 

The future of recruitment truly does transform Mamet and Baldwin’s “Always Be Closing” concept to “Always Be Connecting.”  Social media and employment branding are now part of the strategies for pipelining talent post-recession. Note that social media is not going to take the place of email marketing, targeted advertising, out of home advertising, print, TV, radio or any other platform on which your company currently sees recruitment success.  Instead, it’s a supplement – an ongoing effort. Social media takes strategy and helps forms the right path for conversations.  And while it – like people – may not be 100 percent controllable – social media gives your organization and the individuals at your organization the opportunity to create connections. Through it, you can actually show your company’s value proposition as well as give your employees – real people with unique stories – the opportunity to share how they contribute to your company’s success. It’s these stories from these brand advocates that will give life, reason and passion to why they’re working for your organization and why others should, too.  

As a company with a growing employment brand, you’ll be able to participate in online conversations where appropriate, engage current and future employees and enthusiasts, provide a platform of information and education for your targeted audience to discuss topics of interest, and truly begin a long-term and evolving strategy for your employment value proposition.   

How do you plan to enhance your recruitment efforts through the “Always Be Connecting” principle? Share your thoughts below!

The woman in the grey sweatshirt stood up in front of roughly 100 others at Borders Books’ Chicago State St. location and tearfully told Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, that she’d closed her store and driven all night from her store in Ohio to see him speak in person. “It’s an honor and a privilege to be in front of you today,” she said, her voice breaking with emotion.

She, like many of us, was at Borders to see a Q&A discussion between Schultz and CBS2’s Bill Kurtis on Schultz’s new leadership memoir, Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life Without Losing Its Soul (and perhaps get a book signed or a photo taken with the man who has changed the way many people think about coffee). After the woman thanked Schultz for all that he’d done for her and her employees, Kurtis asked her why it was that she drove so far to see him – why Schultz? “He’s an inspiration, and he’s honest,” she replied, as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

It’s hard to argue with the fact that Schultz and the Starbucks brand have a die-hard following – and as I sat listening in awe to the woman who traveled all night from my beloved home state of Ohio to see Schultz and express her gratitude and devotion to Schultz and Starbucks in such a personal way, I realized I was seeing the power of the Starbucks brand in action. Here was a company that, more than most any others, had built up nearly impenetrable company and employment brands, gained a legion of loyal fans, customers and employees, and grown to a massive 16,000-store, “there’s a Starbucks on nearly every corner” giant. But, as Schultz would point out, things weren’t so rosy just a few years earlier.

Flashback to 2007

“I could sense, or small, that something wasn’t quite right,” Schultz said as he addressed the overflowing crowd of fans and curious onlookers before him. He was referring to February 2007, a time when, he said, he became concerned about what was happening at Starbucks – or rather, what wasn’t happening. Little by little, Starbucks had been losing some of the signature traits it had been founded on.

In 2000, Schultz had stepped down as CEO (or, as a Starbucks employee would write it, “ceo”– they have used lowercase job titles since their early days) and became chairman, moving away from day-to-day operations to focus on global strategy and expansion. In the years that followed, store growth accelerated and stock prices soared as sales and profits increased every single quarter – until they suddenly didn’t. By 2007, things were taking a turn for the worse. “Starbucks had begun to fail itself,” Schultz said.

Bitter times

Over time, the company had been expanding the brand beyond its core into various media like music, books, and film. In addition, every quarter, there was more intense pressure to maintain annual revenue and profit increases of at least 20 percent – an ambitious goal that Schultz admits he was complicit in promoting. Amidst battle cries of “More growth!” the team had lost sight of what the Starbucks experience was really all about. Starbucks, he pointed out in his book, has always been about so much more than coffee. “But without great coffee,” he wrote, “we have no reason to exist.”

So, on Valentine’s Day 2007, Schultz sent an email to Jim Donald, the CEO of Starbucks at that time, warning of the commoditization of Starbucks (the email was aptly titled The Commoditization of the Starbucks Experience ), hoping to unleash an honest conversation that would prompt everyone to reexamine the path they were traveling. He stressed a need to get back to Starbucks’ core and make the changes necessary to evoke “ the tradition, heritage and passion they all had for the true Starbucks experience.” Unfortunately, he said, the email leaked, and the next thing he knew it was all over the Internet – and the public was in a furor. Starbucks – and Schultz himself — received a lot of criticism for his opinions, even from Starbucks’ own employees, and as he says, it undermined what he was trying to accomplish.

Online conversations took on a life of their own, and while the company was struggling to figure out how to create balance between growth and a need to preserve what the company was really about, Schultz realized that they could no longer use their stores and website to communicate and control the conversations – the public was really in control of what was being said.  Coincidentally, soon before Schultz’s email went out, three big communication changes had occurred: a week earlier, Apple had introduced the iPhone; four months earlier, Google had bought YouTube; and five months earlier, Facebook had opened up to the public.

Times were changing, and Starbucks was forced to either change with them or get left behind.

Back to the grind(s)?

Toward the end of 2007, as the situation reached a breaking point, the board decided Schultz needed to return as CEO. So, in January 2008, he did. It wasn’t his original intention, and it wasn’t an easy decision. In addition to having to tell Donald he was taking over, he was re-immersing himself in a company that was increasingly becoming viewed as one of the poster children of the recession (i.e. “save money, don’t drink at Starbucks”); people were being encouraged to look elsewhere for coffee easier on the pocket.

As he jumped back into his role as CEO, Schultz said, he realized that the issues he’d brought up in that now-infamous email back in 2007 were even larger and deeper than he had then thought. This was through no fault of people working there, he said — it was due to the fact that Starbucks was rewarding the wrong things. Factors like speed of service were praised, rather than keeping focus on the customer and the quality of the product.

Schultz’s reaction?

On February 23, 2008, “I closed every store to retrain 115,000 people – I said we were going back to the roots of the company.” Of course, the media frenzy that ensued from this decision brought many to believe that the end of Starbucks was near – that they were no longer relevant. Schultz admits it was a bold decision to retrain every single employee. His explanation? “It was honest, it was authentic, and it was necessary.” The company lost $6 million that day. And as he said, Starbucks still had a long, long way to go in solving their mounting problems – but this was a start.

Starting over, he said, involved metaphorically asking the question of employees, What does it mean not to be a bystander? “From this point, we had to create, attract and create new customers.” Gone, he says, was the time that Starbucks could do no wrong — that the company was on a “magic carpet ride” – and that profitability and likeability would happen automatically with every move the company made. Gone was the time that Starbucks was leading the conversation — now, they had to find a way to take part in the larger conversations that were happening.

Later in 2008, one month after Wall Street’s meltdown and a few weeks before Starbucks would announce significantly reduced profits for the fourth quarter, Schultz decided to get all of the store managers together — all 11,000 of them — for a leadership conference. They’d always done the conference in Seattle, and even though nearly every major city wanted to host them, Schultz said they chose a place very much in need of assistance: New Orleans. Despite the odds, Schultz knew it had to be done, to start rebuilding trust between Starbucks and its employees and invest in Starbucks’ continuing transformation — and New Orleans was the right place to do it.  Not only did they have a week-long meeting with interactive galleries, roundtables, and panels, but they also did service in the 9th Ward and helped to rebuild some of the city’s most devastated neighborhoods.

“I’ve always loved this company,” Schultz said in Onward. “Love is why I had some back as ceo and why I feel so personally responsible for its failure and success. Yet somewhere along our journey, the love our people had for Starbucks had blurred. New Orleans had brought it back into focus, and once again our values stood in stark relief… because of everything we experienced in New Orleans, it was apparent to all of us what it meant to love something — and the responsibility that goes with it.”

Moving forward

What’s happened since Schultz and the Starbucks team took major risks to turn the Starbucks experience around? Well, instant coffee (Via), for one. And Starbucks’ performance in the Q3 of fiscal 2009 marked its first earnings growth since Q1 2008 — the company earned $152 million, compared to its loss of nearly $7 million just a year earlier. As Schultz remarked in Onward, “for the first time in a long time, I felt as if we were winning.”

In July 2009, after riding out the December 2008 choice to make 401(k) retirement plans discretionary instead of automatic in light of a weak economy, Starbucks was again able to match the 401(k) contributions of eligible employees, which, to Schultz, “would not make headlines or mean much to shareholders, but for me… was as important as anything we were able to accomplish all year.”

In fiscal 2010, Starbucks revenues increased to a record $10.7 billion, and its operating income increased to $1.4 billion, up from $562 million in fiscal 2009. What’s next for Starbucks is anyone’s guess, but as Schultz says that every company must push for self-renewal and reinvention, constantly pushing the status quo, it appears he will continue to do just that.

Q&A with Howard Schultz & Bill Kurtis

After Schultz gave his initial thoughts on Starbucks’ journey over the past few years, Schultz sat down with Kurtis to answer some questions about what the Starbucks brand really means, his ideal employee, and more.

Q:  How do you define success to your employees?

A: “’Howard Schultz is not going to serve any customers — it’s you,’ is what I tell employees.” Schultz tells store managers they are responsible for what takes place in their stores, and that “The essence of what they do every day is the difference between success and failure.”

The greatest reason for the enduring relationship Starbucks has with its people and its customers is due to the values of the company, Schultz said. “We’re not perfect; we’ve made mistakes, and we’ll make some more.” “The last 12 months has been the most successful in Starbucks’ history,” Schultz said. “However, we did not leave people behind.” Part of that decision not to leave employees behind while striving to be financially successful involved keeping 401(k), cash bonuses, and benefits. Starbucks was, after all, the first U.S. company to offer both comprehensive health care coverage as well as stock options to part-time workers.

Which leads us into another question…

Q: Why are you not willing to cut the price of coffee?

A: “We will never – and I mean never – turn our backs on our employees,” Schultz replied.  The company wasn’t willing, he added, to get cheaper coffee or cut health care benefits for each of Starbucks’ employees to cut coffee prices. The premium price is tied into having the best quality beans and treating their employees well.

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Q: What will be the future role of businesses on a macro level?

A: As social services continue to lessen in government, Schultz said businesses will have to do more to provide a safety net for people, as well as provide a safety net for people to serve their communities. Social requirements of the business world are changing, and people expect more from the businesses they patronize. People have become more cost conscious, environmentally aware, health-minded and ethically driven — and are holding businesses to higher standards. Seismic changes with social and digital media, he added, are changing the way businesses must communicate with their customers; people are making buying decisions based on companies they trust and those that align with their values.

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Q: What is the Starbucks brand?

A: Schultz admitted this was a tough question to answer, as the brand really means so many different things. Instead of spitting out a textbook definition, Schultz said he wanted to explain by telling the story of Courtney, an employee in the Queen Anne, WA store. The story goes like this: Schultz walked into a Seattle store one day, and an employee there told him he was in the wrong place, and that he really needed to get to the Queen Anne store as soon as possible. When Schultz asked him why, the employee said, “You’ll know why when you get there.”

So, Schultz got in his car and drove to the Queen Anne store – a store where a long-time employee with special needs and past behavioral issues, Courtney, worked. When he walked in, customers were laughing and chatting, and he noticed that they had thrown a birthday party for Courtney. Schultz says this was such a testament for him as to the emotional relationship between the staff and customers at Starbucks. “You can’t invent or describe it,” he said –“you just know it’s real.”

Starbucks, he added, is defined by those who wear the green apron and what they stand for.” In corporate America, there’s been such a fracturing of trust; for whatever reason, there’s a lot of cynicism and unwillingness to believe.” Consequently, people are hungry to work for a company that’s larger than themselves, he said, a company in which they can find their unique place. Many people go from job to job with bad experiences, becoming increasingly cynical, and when they start working at Starbucks, expect the experience to be the same and are in disbelief that it’s actually different – that the employees and the experience is actually for real.

——————————–

Q: Who is your ideal employee?

A: “We want people to join Starbucks who have like-minded values. We need happy people – we’re a people company that serves coffee, not the other way around,” Schultz said. He added that while Starbucks is creating organic, fair trade coffee, people come into the store for a different reason. “The human, emotional experience our people create is why customers come in – it’s more than just for a cup of coffee.”

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Q: What leadership qualities do you look for?

A: Again, Schultz stressed that like-minded values are key. He said that when he returned as CEO, he had 11 direct reports, and he asked them all the same question: “If you don’t believe we can do this, or you don’t believe in me, this isn’t going to work – we’re going to have to have a private conversation.” In the next six months, he said, nine of the 11 people left the company. He needed people who believed in the dream; who believed in the business – and that candor left him with those who did.

Schultz said that as far as employee qualities, it’s important to have:

• People who trust one another
• Those who leave their egos at the door.
• Those who understand that success needs to be shared.

And to not have: People who do a great job of managing up but not managing down.

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Q: What is Starbucks’ biggest win in the last couple of years since you came back on board?

“Instant coffee,” Schultz said without hesitation. Why? “Because we were able to bring quality to instant. Great companies and entrepreneurs have to continue to push for innovation. People thought when we added instant coffee, it was the beginning of the end. But really, we did it to prove to themselves that they could replicate the taste of brewed coffee – and we did.”

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Q: What advice would you give to someone who wants to take a leap of faith to pursue his or her dream?

A: In addition to getting a mentor, Schultz advised, “Dream big, then dream bigger. You have to put yourself in a position to win, and surround yourself with people who’ve done it before — with those with experience and the skill set to complement you.”

And from the look of things, Schultz isn’t done dreaming quite yet.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Your alarm goes off at 7 a.m., and your personal bot removes you from your bed, super scrubs your skin, slips on your socks (no need for shoes), flosses your teeth, makes your synthetic protein shake, puts you in your moving recliner, and programs your entire life.  Well . . . at least in the world of the creative geniuses at Pixar who created Wall-e. While we may not quite be there, yet, we are definitely heading to a technology-enabled mobile world where desktop computers, TV remotes, GPS devices, cell phones, e-readers, credit cards, portable gaming systems, and who knows what else will be on our e-device.

Indeed, mobile is taking off. Today, there are 91.4 million mobile internet users in the United States and this will jump to 132.5 million—a whopping 41.5 percent of the U.S. population—by 2015, according to eMarketer.  And of those folks who are already connected via a Smartphone, they are ϋber-connected, with 89 percent using their device throughout the day according to The Mobile Movement study by Microsoft.

 So what are all these Smartphone users doing online? When they connect, 77 percent are using a search engine and 65 percent are social networking. Tablet users do even more. According to Nielsen’s Q1 2011 Mobile Connected Device Report, 77 percent of tablet users now use the device for tasks for which they formally used their laptop or desktop computers. And it’s no surprise why. People are using these mobile devices because they help us with our daily lives. For example, you can now watch a TV show while talking to your spouse and ordering dinner. Still think we aren’t going mobile before 2020? Think again.

Our connected world is forcing companies to go where the people are and speak to them in short, yet engaging snippets of content in the form of video, tweets, text messages, games, status updates, and oh so much more. However, even though human resources departments are optimistic about social media and mobile, they are late adopters of technology, social media, and mobile computing. According to Econsultancy’s “Social Media and Online PR Report 2010,” 74 percent of companies have no integration with social media within their human resource departments and only a measly 2 percent are well integrated. And since mobile technologies normally require information technology support that social media does not, I expect human resources to be a laggard in the mobile movement, as well.

Even so, this lack of technology isn’t stopping talent from researching employers, connecting with brands, and searching for jobs. In fact, CareerBuilder has seen more than a 270 percent increase in page views on its mobile website, Android app, and iPhone app from March 2010 to March 2011.

Plus, there are a handful of techno-savvy human resources departments leading the pack for the mobile recruitment revolution. Here is a smidgen with mobile apps to get you thinking. (And if you know of others, please post them with their links.)

• PepsiCo Possibilities: mobile recruitment application for Android, iPhone, and iPad
• AT&T Jobs: mobile job search app for the iPhone
• Hyatt Careers: Android app for searching and sharing jobs
• CTCA Jobs: The Cancer Treatment Centers of America® Android app for searching and applying to jobs

And if you don’t want to create an app, don’t.  Just optimize your current web site so it is mobile friendly. Does that mean you just put the same content up there to fit the screen? No. Make it as simple as possible for people to take action – yes, that does mean you shouldn’t make them scroll (at least on the home page). Give them exactly what they need so they can read it and take action. Here are some of the companies that already embraced the mobile job seeker:

• Sodexo
• MTV Networks Careers
• Fidelity Careers
• Six Flags Career Portal
• Careers @ McDonald’s

Recruiting is marketing, and human resources needs to partner with marketing and technology, and get on board with the new communications revolution – short and sweet, where talent wants it, how talent wants it, and when talent wants it. To truly find the best people, human resources is going to have to hunt down the right candidates and capture them with content. Be the mobile bot that feeds them what they need and entices them to join your team – and start today.

Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial kick-off to summer, is upon us. Grills will be dusted off and fired up; burgers, brats and corn on the cob will be prepared; bikes will be ridden down ridiculously long paths; swimming pools will be cannonballed into; bathers will be sunned; time with family and friends will be had; and… work will be done?

A new CareerBuilder study of more than 5,600 workers shows that many employees are excitedly taking the fishing rods out of storage, only to sadly put them back hours later in an Arrested Development George Michael-type moment. Due to financial constraints and demanding work schedules, many workers are giving up their vacation plans this year by either choice or necessity (see a snapshot here). Twenty-four percent of full-time workers, in fact, reported they can’t afford to take a vacation this year, up from 21 percent in 2010.  Another 12 percent reported they can afford a vacation, but don’t have plans to take one this year.

Despite these sour numbers, the majority of workers are still planning to take some time away from work — the physical “work,” at least. Three in ten workers plan to take work with them on vacation. Thirty percent said they will contact work while on vacation, up from 25 percent last year.

On the flip side…

While some workers are stuck pretending their vacuum is a jet-ski this year, more than one-third (36 percent) of workers reported feeling more comfortable taking a vacation than they did in 2010. The economy is healing in various ways, and some people’s wallets are also healing enough that vacation is now an option. Twenty-six percent of workers are planning a vacation of 7 to 10 days, while 11 percent expect to be gone 2 weeks or longer. On the more conservative side, 24 percent are planning for a 3 to 5 days for vacation or a weekend getaway. And many (including CareerBuilder’s own VP of HR), say traveling across the world or just setting up camp in your house — and away from your office — is good for your health and may translate to better work while in the office:

“Taking advantage of vacation or paid-time-off benefits is critical not only to your well-being, but to your overall job performance,” said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder.  “Workers who set aside time for R&R tend to have less burnout, more creative energy and higher quality output.  While financial challenges and heavy workloads may make vacation planning difficult, it’s important to find time to recharge away or at home.  It can ultimately translate into a more gratifying work experience that benefits you, your family and your employer.”

So, how can employers turn the vacation outlook from bleak to beachy? Here are Haefner’s tips for helping your employees — and you — take better advantage of time off:

1)  Encourage them to give plenty of notice. Twenty-four percent of workers reported they have had to work while their family went on vacation without them — which is the furthest thing from “fun.” Let your employees know it’s helpful if they coordinate schedules with family, friends and co-workers as early in advance as possible, to more effectively plan vacations before/after big projects and events. Advance notice also gives the vacationing employee, as well as his or her colleagues, plenty of time to prepare and adjust work loads accordingly. Set expectations as far as whether employees want or need to be contacted while on vacation, stick to what you both agree upon, and communicate that to the team as well.
2)  Don’t take them on a guilt trip. Twelve percent of workers reported they feel guilty that they’re not at work while they’re on vacation. Your organization’s vacation benefits are there for a reason — and by setting a positive tone and stressing that vacation is time for employees to enjoy themselves and forget about work as much as possible (and following through by not emailing and calling them while they’re away), you can ease that sense of guilt and show employees that they can, and should, feel good about taking time off work to relax and spend time with family and friends. The work can wait, and if you help them prepare effectively, their time out of the office will be virtually obstacle-free.
3)  Consider discounts — and if you have them, spread the word. Many employers offer discounts on personal entertainment and travel for employees that may make vacation plans more affordable — do you? If not, it’s worth looking into options for business-wide discounts; your employees will appreciate the perk and get better use out of their travel time, and you will be providing a valuable benefit that will not only make current employees happy, but will also help attract future employees to your organization.
4)  Make sure they’re covered. Don’t punish your employees who have scheduled a vacation by abandoning them — instead, give them a hand. Buddy them up with other co-workers to cross-train on responsibilities and keep track of upcoming deadlines, key contacts, and placement of important information to help everyone function more efficiently when someone is out of the office. Think broadly and evaluate how one person’s absence affects other employees who work with them; ensure that any involved parties are kept abreast of project shifts.
5)  Use ‘em or lose ‘em. Sixteen percent of workers reported they gave up vacation days in 2010 because they didn’t have time to use them. Remind employees that vacations don’t have to be an around-the-world trip; even a day off here and there can be a refreshing break from the office grind — and is better than no vacation time at all.

I would also add: Be realistic. If an employee misses 40 hours of work while on vacation, it’s not practical to expect them to make up that entire 40 hours of work once they return. Help employees prioritize what needs to get done before and after they’re gone, so they don’t feel so overloaded (and can actually enjoy their time off). Consult with them on what work is most important, and what can be eliminated or put off until they return and catch up. Some projects or tasks may be able to be jump-started early in anticipation of a vacation; others may be able to wait.

If you’re communicating with your employees and setting up expectations upfront that both parties agree upon, there won’t be surprises later — and employees won’t have to spend all year turning their cubicle into a beach resort and wishing the water cooler into a daiquiri machine.

Do you ever wonder how companies like Google, Best Buy, P&G, Harrah’s, Dell, Starbucks and Sysco – to name just a few – consistently rank on Best Places to Work and Most Desirable Employers lists? It’s not just the fancy perks like free gourmet meals, stock options, on-site fitness facilities and flex schedules. (Well, not just that, anyway.)

The secret to their success is data.

These companies are able to position themselves as best places to work because they rely on data to inform all of their recruitment decisions. They gather data on everything from job seeker and employee perceptions, behaviors and desires (including even the above-mentioned ‘fancy perks’ employees want most) to industry trends and talent supply and demand. They then analyze this data to understand where to focus their recruitment efforts to get the best return on their investment.

Harrah’s, for example, used metrics to evaluate the effects of its health and wellness programs on employee engagement and the bottom line. Starbucks and Best Buy have established metrics that can precisely identify the value of a 0.1 percent increase in engagement among employees at a particular store. Sysco implemented analytics to identify which workforce factors influence employee satisfaction and how they correlated to higher revenue, lower costs, higher retention and stronger customer loyalty. The company then applied these findings to identify what actions by management will have the greatest impact on the business. Similarly, Google used talent intelligence to identify eight effective leadership behaviors, which the company now uses as criteria when considering performance reviews and staffing decisions.

Six Habits of Highly Successful Employers
The above are just a few examples of how companies rely on data to understand both current and potential employees and use this intelligence to position themselves as desirable places to work. So how can you create a similar experience with data to see bottom-line results? Consider the following key concepts that companies who successfully recruit with data get right.

1. They accept data as a crucial element of their business strategy. Gary Loveman, CEO of Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc., attributes the success of Harrah’s marketing efforts to collection and analysis of data, an effort that has permitted Harrah’s to go from “what we think to what we know.”  As my colleague Jason Lovelace noted in his post last week, companies have long used data as the basis for their marketing efforts to build their consumer brand and increase customer engagement and loyalty. Now, today’s best employers are applying the same efforts to their recruitment processes.
2. They understand that talent intelligence is an investment. Unfortunately, the data employers and recruiters need to support their hiring and recruitment decision making is often inconsistent, redundant and of poor quality. More than 75 percent of companies who participated in Taleo and Human Capital Institute’s recent Talent Intelligence Study revealed that they did not have access to the talent data they need to make important business decisions. Smart employers understand that the time and money they invest in data up front will result in a greater return and save them time and money associated with recruitment over the long haul.
3. They understand that having the right data is only half the equation. Knowing how to apply that data is the other (crucial) half. Not only do the aforementioned companies gather data on job seekers, employees and the industry overall, they go the extra mile to ensure they implement it. They understand that no matter how good their data is, if they do not use it and apply it to their recruitment efforts, it’s utterly useless.
4. They set measurable goals. As with any business strategy, you need to start with a solid goal in mind. It’s easy to get overwhelmed or confused by the sheer abundance of data out there, so having a focused goal is crucial to help you narrow your efforts and stay focused. Again, data is an investment. Part of that investment should include finding a trustworthy data expert who can help you decide which data points to focus on to meet your goals, and later help you evaluate and create a strategy around this intelligence.
5. They know that data is not one-size-fits-all. All businesses are unique and have unique needs. Again, there are data experts who specialize in helping employers understand which types of data will help them meet their own unique goals, taking into account the various factors that affect their organization and its recruitment efforts.
6. They accept that there’s always room for improvement. No matter how efficient your current process is, there is always room for improvement or enhancement. Oftentimes, employers turn a blind eye to data because they do not want to face the possibility there are challenges to their recruitment process. While ignorance may be bliss, it comes at a price. Smart employers believe there’s no such thing as “negative” data: Every piece of information data reveals an opportunity to enhance their strategy and make them even stronger as an organization.

Bottom line: Data without context is meaningless.
Perhaps Jonathan Rosenberg, Google’s very own SVP product manager, said it best when he wrote, “Data is the sword of the 21^st century. Those who wield it well, the Samurai.”  Getting the competitive advantage in today’s market isn’t just about having the strongest data (or the sharpest sword, if you will), but knowing how to use it as well. After all, data is only as strong as what you do with it. And those employers who understand this concept will have a competitive advantage – both now and in the longer term – when it comes to attracting and retaining their greatest business asset: their employees.

Will Emmons is an Area Vice President at CareerBuilder, LLC, where he is responsible for sales strategies and revenue growth within CareerBuilder’s Enterprise Sales, Strategic Accounts Group, and Integral Accounts Group.

Exclusive webcast: Join CareerBuilder’s Area Vice Presidents Will Emmons and Jason Lovelace on Thursday, June 23 for Data Not Just for Data’s Sake, wherein they discuss adapting to the ever-changing recruitment landscape.  Learn more or register here.

As anyone who has found themselves knees-deep in a friend’s tagged photos can tell you, social media sites can be addicting. So it’s no surprise that this newer medium scares the pants off of many companies, causing them to block sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube at the office.

In fact, according to a 2010 survey by OpenDNS, Facebook was blocked by 23 percent of the provider’s business users, making it the most blocked website last year, beating out Playboy and Limewire.

This trend comes in stark contrast with the 2011’s projected $3.08 billion in social media advertising revenue from companies screaming, “I want to play, too!” And it’s making me think something here is amiss.

When stripped down, isn’t business simply all about communicating? Advertising the features of your latest product, talking to potential employees about job opportunities, fostering relationships with clients and vendors – it’s no wonder social media is the new forefront; it enables this communication to take place in a much more organic way. But companies need to harness its power internally just as much as they have begun to embrace it externally.

Is your company still weary of unblocking social media channels at the office? Consider the following:

• Is social media really a time suck? Whether they’re visiting the kitchen 20 times, online shopping, or heading outside for a few smokes, employees will find one way or another to take a break from work. And they should – numerous studies have shown that short breaks actually improve productivity and allow workers to better focus on the task at hand. Employees who are able to use break time in a reasonable way (read: the ones you keep around) will be happier for their ability to connect with their friends at work.
• Social media connects employees. The way people consume and share information is changing. Would your company ever dream of blocking informational sites like eMarketer or SHRM? Unlikely. Social networks have surpassed email as the number one online activity, and people are using the sites to learn about relevant information. Think your employees are just using Twitter to upload pictures of their latest meal? Think again. When used with a purpose, tools like Twitter lists can help to curate relevant industry content, allowing your employees to share updates with coworkers, and, overall, make your workforce smarter and more connected within the industry. 
• Help brand advocates show their love.  Where are your employees gaining momentum right now? What excites them? What articles are they reading?  While social media is often “owned” by a company’s Human Resources, Corporate Communications or Marketing department, the involvement should not end there. Many brand advocates are employees, and while many companies ask employees to wait until they get home to interact with the company’s social media sites, a much stronger connection can be felt when employees are able to jump into these accounts while at work and in a business-minded mode.
• Fuel your social media launch. Imagine you’ve spent the last several months collaborating on the design, content and strategy of your brand’s new social media site. But in an email announcing the site to employees, you note that they must wait until they get home to join and interact because the site is blocked at the office. What awaits your employees after they leave? Kids, appointments, social engagements – any number of things can get in the way of them joining the site and, therefore, your newly launched page may only attract a handful of employees.

On the flip side, I’ve run several campaigns with large and small companies that do not block social media sites at the office. By promoting their new page through mediums like internal emails and their intranet – along with some extra encouragement via contests – pages can gain hundreds of fans within just a few weeks of launching. Now, these pages have strong fan bases as well as a wealth of testimonials that are coming from the employees – not from an official corporate voice.

If you’re still hesitant about allowing your employees to dive into social media at work, creating a defined social media policy can help ease the fears of naysayers. This will give employees the confidence and freedom to know that what they are talking about is approved and encouraged; it will also help give you piece of mind that your employees are using social media at the office to discuss appropriate issues.

Do you think the benefits of allowing employees to access social media sites outweigh the costs? Let me know your thoughts!

My colleagues Melissa Murray Balsan and Venetta Linas Paris have already posted about the myth of, “If you build it, they will come.” But that’s not the only social media misconception that can drastically impact a company’s brand. Many businesses still believe that by avoiding social media they prevent individuals from expressing their views about their organization online.

The reality, however, is that even though it may seem scary to think about, such conversations are taking place, regardless of whether a company chooses to engage in them.

Take, for instance, Visteon, a global automotive supplier that ranked on the most recent Fortune 500 listing. The company currently does not have an official social media presence, but individuals around the world continue to discuss it online. (Please note: Visteon has several community pages on Facebook, which were auto-generated by the platform; there are also a handful of unofficial, user-generated pages from various regions.)  In fact, in a recent search on socialmention.com, using the keyword “Visteon”, more than 650 results – with positive, neutral, and negative sentiment – were found.

As you can see, Visteon’s lack of an official social presence hasn’t stopped people from expressing their opinions or sharing information about the company online. On top of that, let’s not forget about the viral effect of social media. When an individual comments or posts content online, everyone connected to him or her is exposed to those messages.

To be honest, I’m not sure why Visteon has decided not to engage in social media. Maybe it is to prevent the currently existing naysayers from posting on its accounts. Maybe the company isn’t ready to tackle such negativity. Maybe it’s unsure of how to tell its story in a positive light. Or maybe the company is still trying to figure out if they need a social media strategy. No matter the reasoning, without its own social media presence, Visteon isn’t able to respond, defend itself, answer individuals’ questions, or take advantage of the opportunities to transform unhappy individuals into brand enthusiasts. 

Speaking of brand enthusiasts, it’s important to note that while negative comments may occur and most fear the ‘what if’ of that dreaded negative comment, our team has seen substantially more positive interaction on the more than 150 client accounts we’ve worked on over the last year alone. And in taking a look at the conversations captured via socialmention.com, Visteon is also seeing a ratio of 6:1 in terms of positive to negative posts.

Even though some negative discussions about the company exist, majority of conversations are from potential or current brand enthusiasts. And that brings us to one of the keys of being successful in social media – leveraging your brand enthusiasts. Visteon has some great opportunities. One potential success may be with Akshay Koshti, who when leaving the company in March stated that his “tenure in (the) industry is a memorable experience.” While it’s not clear if Akshay left on his own accord, that’s a moot point for now. If Visteon had its own social media presence, the company would be able to leverage several opportunities. For starters, regardless of the circumstances, Visteon could thank Akshay for his years of dedicated work at the company. Secondly, Visteon could invite him to keep in touch with the company as well as all of his friends and former colleagues via the official Facebook and/or Twitter account.

By now, you’re probably wondering if people are talking about your brand. Well, let me assure you they more than likely are. So how do you find out what they are saying? Research! Today, companies are able to uncover their employment reputation by following the user-generated content and conversations on social media through various third party tools, such as socialmention.com, openbook.com, and Radian6.

But to be successful in leveraging brand enthusiasts, it takes more than just looking at the user-generated content; as referenced earlier, it’s vital for companies to analyze the findings. In order to truly uncover users’ perceptions of a company, it is necessary to identify where conversations are happening, listen to them, and analyze the findings. Every company should keep the following questions in mind:

• Where are the conversations taking place?
• What are the conversations about?
• Do the conversations show a disconnect between the company’s key initiatives and employee perceptions?
• If so, how can internal initiatives or promotions be adjusted to better align those views? 
• Are people misconstruing internal messages and, if so, is it worth adjusting the messaging?

After finding the answers to such questions, take action! By conducting research and doing nothing, you’re doing your company a major disservice – and that of your customers, both loyal and passive. Engaging with people in social spheres has the power to shift perception, broaden awareness, and drive actual transactions – whether it’s encouraging them to apply for a job or to buy a toothbrush. Instead of just watching and waiting from the sidelines, initiate conversations and foster relationships that last longer than a single website visit.

I challenge all of you to find out what people are saying about your organization and to make an action plan for engaging those in conversation with your brand today. What steps has your organization taken in creating a robust social media presence? Does your organization have an established social media policy? Let me know what you and your company are doing in the comments below.

Choosy moms choose — work? Or family? That’s the struggle many working moms are facing, as many working moms say they’re having trouble finding the time to both support their families financially and be home with their families.

Although the economy has made significant improvements since we talked with CareerBuilder’s Mary Delaney about working moms one year ago, many families are still surviving on just one working parent; more than one-third (35 percent) of working moms and 44 percent of working dads surveyed by CareerBuilder said they are the sole financial provider for their household.

In addition to the fact that one parent is often trying to be the sole provider financially while also being physically and emotionally there for their family, the burden may be even heavier for women, more of whom reported they earned a low salary than did male respondents.

Just how much lower of a salary?

Comparing these two groups, working moms who were the sole provider were three times as likely to earn less than $35,000 (45 percent of moms compared to 15 percent of dads), while working dads were more than twice as likely to earn $50,000 or more (63 percent of dads versus 28 percent of moms) and nearly three times as likely to earn six figures (18 percent of dads compared to 7 percent of moms), according to the 2011 CareerBuilder Mother’s Day survey. The survey was conducted among 484 working moms and 836 working dads, employed full-time, with children 18 and under living in the household.

Quality — but not quantity

Working moms are still facing less quality time at home due to financial challenges, heavier workloads and longer hours in the office — and despite an improving economy, this reality has actually worsened. One quarter of all working moms said they spend two hours or less with their children each work day, up from 18 percent in 2010.  Twenty-four percent take work home at least once a week.

Workers want employer support

Many workers are on the search to find that perfect work/life balance — and for working parents, it’s top priority. Despite any existing financial struggles, 31 percent of all working moms said they would take a job with less pay if it meant they could spend more time with their children.

For employers, that’s a statistic worth paying attention to. Working moms want flexible options to help them spend more time with their families — and in an environment when many of them are working with less pay, longer hours and extremely heavy workloads, consider the benefits to both them and your organization that more balance in their lives could bring. Happier employees who feel that their needs are valued in an organization are more likely to want to stay with your company and contribute in the long run.

“While all indications point to economic recovery, working moms are still waiting to feel the effects,” said Hope Gurion, Chief Development Officer at CareerBuilder and mother of two. “However, these moms possess a great deal of resourcefulness and resilience and continue to provide for their families.  While moms say they would give up things, including pay, to spend more time with their children, they are making the most of the time they do have and getting creative in work arrangements.”

Gurion recommends the following tips for working moms who are overworked:

1. Talk to other moms – Many families are in the same boat as you, and having a support network is essential to your personal and professional sanity. Get tips from other working moms on how they juggle personal and professional commitments, how they’ve managed through difficult financial situations and how they’ve moved ahead in their careers.
2. Keep an “I’m Fabulous” file – Keep track of all of your accomplishments within the organization, quantifying results whenever possible, and list out the additional responsibilities you have taken on in the last year.  It helps you to build your case when negotiating for a better salary or consideration for promotion with your employer.
3. Go in with a game plan – The vast majority of working moms who have taken advantage of flexible work arrangements said it hasn’t negatively impacted their careers, so talk to your supervisor or HR department and explore options. Make sure to come to that conversation with a game plan on how you can manage workload and cover responsibilities.
4. Get organized – Structure in your life will save you time, stress and mental energy. Keep one calendar for business and family commitments to avoid double-booking. Set up a schedule for chores, homework, family activities, playtime, and other family commitments.
5. Remember quality over quantity – Make the most of your personal time. When you’re home, it’s all about them. Wait until after the children go to bed before checking email or finishing up that presentation.
6. Schedule “me time” – Working moms need to take care of themselves too. Put actual time on the calendar for an hour or more of doing something you enjoy like going to the gym, taking a walk, or reading.

Don’t worry, working dads — though this survey focused on working moms, we’ve got you covered. Check out our five tips to help fathers better balance their work and family lives for some great ideas on de-stressing and re-focusing. And, really, many of the tips above apply to working parents in general, not just mothers — so they may also help you formulate the game plan you need moving forward.

Employers, have you been helping working parents achieve more of a work/life balance? If so, how?

Content strategist Mike Loukides recently wrote, “The future belongs to the companies who figure out how to collect and use data successfully.”

While he may have been referring to marketing data, he could easily have been referring to recruitment. After all, recruitment essentially is just another form of marketing. Why do advertisers create focus groups? Administer surveys? Study consumers? They take the time to gather information on their consumers, analyze it, and use it to inform their marketing strategy and ultimately keep them ahead of the competition in the eyes of their target audience.

When it comes to recruiting, the importance of data to inform key decisions is no different. It is crucial that hiring managers and recruiters understand their target audience – who they are, what they value, how they approach their job search – in order to ensure they are reaching this audience with the right messages, at the right times and through the right channels.

Gone are the days when recruiters and hiring managers could get away with simply putting a job ad in a local paper, hoping people apply. Today, recruitment – that is, the efforts that attract, engage and retain the highest quality of employees – requires a strategy, and the key to that strategy is data.

And with more job seeker and employee data available than ever, employers today have no good reason not to use data to inform their recruiting efforts. In fact, ignoring this data is downright detrimental to their organizations, considering that the competition for attracting and retaining the best talent is more intense than ever.  Today’s savviest employers are already using data as part of their recruitment strategy, and the trend is only increasing; those who are not quick to embrace data will simply fall behind.

Data 101
Perhaps I should back up a bit, though. When I refer to ‘data,’ I’m referring to the years of research gathered from various job seeker, employee and employer surveys and tracking tools – all of which enable employers to make the most informed decisions around how to best grow their organization.

Still skeptical about the power and importance of data? Try me. No matter how baffling, how complicated or how seemingly obscure, there is almost no question regarding your recruitment process data cannot help you answer.  Even questions you didn’t know you had may be answered through data analysis. Take the following:

• Employment brand: What are the messages I’m sending to candidates? Does the way I perceive my corporate culture differ from the way others perceive it? How can I change this? What messages do I need to send to attract the candidates I want? Data can inform the way you communicate your message about your employer brand and prove yourself as an employer of choice – enabling you to better attract and retain top talent.
• Talent drain: Which companies do my employees typically leave to come work for me? Where do they go when they leave? Is there a pattern here? Am I targeting the right candidates? Who am I competing with for candidates? What do they offer that I don’t, and can I change this?
• Supply and demand: Where are my ideal candidates located? Which area of the country? Do I need to consider non-local candidates and offer relocation services? How can I convince qualified local talent to stay and work for me?
• Relocation: Are job seekers willing to relocate? Are workers of a certain age or education level more likely to relocate than others? Are certain areas of the country more attractive to job seekers than others?
• Compensation: Is the salary I offer competitive? Does it prevent candidates from applying to my organization? How does it compare to current trends in terms of industry, location and company size?
• Diversity: How can I attract a diverse set of workers? What do job seekers with various skills, experience and educational backgrounds seek in a potential employer? What are the messages I need to communicate to attract these different groups? What can I offer at my organization to promote and implement diversity?
• Applicant drop-off: Am I attracting the right candidates, but losing them during the application process? Is there a way I can simplify the application process to ensure candidates complete the application process? What prevents people from applying to my positions?

And that doesn’t even scratch the surface…

There is so much power in recruitment data as far as what you can find out about job seekers, employees, and, ultimately, your own organization, it’s nearly impossible to justify not using it as part of your recruitment process. While the idea of implementing data into your recruitment strategy may seem overwhelming, it will ultimately save more time and money than ever once you see all the possibilities data intelligence opens up for you. Even better: you will continue to reap the rewards long after you’ve put your strategy in place.

If it helps, think of it this way: In the simplest of terms, the question you’re ultimately answering is, “How can I most efficiently attract and retain the talent who will help my organization grow?”

Otherwise, if you’re not using data, it’s all just guesswork.

Jason Lovelace is an Area Vice President at CareerBuilder, LLC, where he is responsible for sales strategies and revenue growth for companies ranging from Fortune 1,000 companies to midsized businesses throughout the U.S.

Join CareerBuilder’s Area Vice Presidents Jason Lovelace and Will Emmons on Thursday, June 23 for Data Not Just for Data’s Sake, an exclusive webcast about adapting to the ever-changing recruitment landscape. More information about the webcast and details on how to register will be posted soon.

I remember once walking across my college campus and noticing several groups of people snickering. I looked up to find the target of their stares: A girl walking ahead of me. She was wearing a flouncy miniskirt (which was very cool at the time) and she was completely unaware of the attention of the groups of people around her — attention brought on by the fact that the back half of her skirt was accidentally tucked into the waist of her underwear for the entire world to see.

Similarly, many organizations today are completely unaware that they are exposing their hiring “underwear” to the world.

There’s no real “getting away” from the public eye now; just ask any celebrity who just been caught picking their nose in public, only to have a picture of it published in the media that very day. Still, companies need to be much more aware of what is going on around them and how their actions are viewed by others before getting out into the public eye.

The Internet power shift

Candidates and employees have more power than ever before to use social media to reveal and comment on company behavior that used to stay locked behind company doors. Bad behavior is coming to light more often. And I think it’s a positive change; it’s time for us to be held accountable for proper hiring practices. Too often, we have swept poor hiring tactics under the rug, and those in authority didn’t really care about their actions, as there were no immediate or tangible consequences.

Are you a manager who is notoriously rude during interviews? Do you ask inappropriate questions?  Are you just plain lame in an interview setting? Or has your company asked someone to come in seven times for interviews, forcing the candidate to use up his or her entire vacation time, and then refused the candidate a  job offer?

It’s time to ask ourselves how this behavior would make us feel if we were in a candidate’s shoes, particularly in our current economy, as many people looking for jobs are frustrated, worn out, and looking  for a place to vent their frustrations. Turns out they don’t have to look very far — candidates with even just a little savvy can create YouTube videos, tweets, or blog post rants bemoaning their experience in seconds.

How much would it change the game if, in addition to candidates having the ability to spread negative company experiences, specific managers’ reputations were available to savvy candidates (typically the ones we most want to hire)? I propose that they already are. Anyone can do Google or LinkedIn research and find people to speak with, profiles, articles, and more that reveal how the manager truly behaves. We just aren’t thinking about that in a grand sense yet. I think we should.

I like the idea of candidates asserting themselves a bit and owning the fact that they are a primary decision maker in our hiring process. We should be partnering with them to find ways to make the process better — not inciting people to poison the candidate market from which we need to hire.

I’m not trying to tell you the sky is falling. Individuals have a remarkable way of being reasonable when a company makes a mistake or admits its flaws. It’s those who have been abused that we need to worry about. As the old adage goes, “no one will sue someone they like.” I think the same is true for potentially embarrassing rants and raves online. Good and reasonable people with whom we have positive relationships are not likely to scold us in public. The best managers and companies — those who embody a great place to work — will build fan clubs of people who want to work there now or in the future (including people who didn’t get the job for which they just interviewed.)

Transparency brings an unfamiliar level of accountability when it comes to hiring people. It may feel uncomfortable, but in the end, it’s going to make the whole process better for everyone.

After all, it’s always a smart idea to turn and check the mirror before you walk out in public.

As many of you are likely aware, today is the 41st anniversary of Earth Day (I know, doesn’t it feel like just yesterday that we were celebrating its 40th?).  Around the world, people are celebrating and raising awareness of Earth Day’s mission by taking part in everything from clean air and water projects, to bike rides as they ditch their cars, to sending text messages like “TREE” to donate to green causes. This year, 1 billion people are expected to participate in various activities toward making the planet a little bit greener. The goal of this year’s theme, “A Billion Acts of Green,” is to generate a billion acts of environmental service and advocacy before the global Earth Summit 2012 in Rio.

What are business doing to take part?

It’s not only good for the Earth for businesses to take part in Earth Day 2011 — it’s smart for recruitment. Job seekers are increasingly seeking out employment with environmentally responsible companies, and many companies are paying attention. As we reported last year, many companies are continuing to add “green,” or environmentally-focused, positions, and the trend doesn’t appear to be stopping anytime soon. According to recent data pulled from CareerBuilder’s Supply and Demand Portal, jobs like “environmental engineer” are in high demand. In addition, green jobs are expected to grow at the rate of a whopping 1.3 million jobs per year through 2030, and federal, state and private funding is fueling openings for those able to develop solutions for pollution control, recycling, waste management and other public health initiatives.

Greenbiz.com’s Tilde Herrera talked with executives to find out what they’re doing today — or planning for this year — to take part in Earth Day. Answers included such diverse activities as nature walks, dumpster dives, plant-a-tree kit giveaways, and bike donations. Michael Kobori, VP of social and environmental sustainability at Levi Strauss & Co., says the company is piloting a sample fabrics recycling program, as well as partnering with Goodwill to donate wearable apparel during the design process. And Gerri Walsh, director of sustainability at Ball Corporation, says the company will hold a sustainability fair, complete with interactive booths and an electronic recycler for employees to donate old electronics.

The tech sector is also celebrating Earth Day. Facebook’s “Billion Acts of Green” app enables users to choose activities like sending a letter to Congress to support green legislation, getting a home energy audit, or planting a garden, and Sprint has just released its first Android phone, the Replenish (to add to its collection of three other eco-friendly phones), built with recycled materials and energy-efficient operation in mind. Earlier this week, Sprint also launched its Green ID set of applications for Android users, which bundles a green-themed news feeds, recycling tips, personal carbon footprint trackers and more.

Still other companies are celebrating Earth Day (or even Earth Month) with some initiatives that are a little bit different. Old Navy and TerraCycle, for example, are partnering for a “flip-flops replay” in which people are encouraged to turn in old flip-flops to be melted down and used in playgrounds across the country, and health care company Merck, in addition to other initiatives like recently installed solar panels, is offering financial incentives to employees who conduct an energy audit at home and set up a carpooling guide.

How are you celebrating Earth Day 2011?

What is your company doing to take part in Earth Day today — or what has your business done recently to become more environmentally friendly? What kind of an impact is it having on your business and on your employees?

If you are looking for ideas of service projects in your local area, check out the official Earth Day 2011 site. And if you’re looking for a fantastic light show, check out tonight’s Lyrid meteor shower.

Say what you will about reality TV: there are quality programs out there that are not only entertaining, but that truly enrich people’s lives. Just ask Shelly Sun, CEO and co-founder of BrightStar Care, one of the nation’s fastest growing private healthcare companies. Last week, Sun, along with her husband, JD, appeared on the CBS hit reality show Undercover Boss, which follows different bosses each week as they go incognito to learn more about the inner workings of their companies.

Asked if she would do it all over again, she doesn’t need to think twice: “Absolutely,” she told me in a recent phone interview, going on to describe the experience as “really impactful.”

Shelly Sun had the itch to go undercover as a boss long before her episode ever aired.  A fan of the show since its premiere in 2010, Sun recalls watching the episode featuring 7-Eleven CEO Joe DePinto and thinking, “What a great opportunity to really see what goes on the front lines.”

So it’s not surprising that when Undercover Boss producers approached Sun about appearing on the show last year, she jumped at the opportunity.  “It was a no-brainer,” Sun says about her decision to go undercover.  Before Shelly and her husband appeared on the show, “they hadn’t featured a woman, they’d never had a minority…no one who’d ever started actually put their money on the line and risked it all to have a business.” Shelly and her husband started BrightStar Care in 2002 after they couldn’t find quality and reliable home healthcare for her husband’s grandmother.  So she was excited by the opportunity to help make that happen and represent a new face of the CEO.

More than anything, however, Sun was eager to witness and pay tribute to the dedication of her caregivers and hard work of her franchisees.

“I had every confidence in the world that my franchisees were doing a great job and I have the most amazing caregivers in the country. When you believe in your product, you believe in your service, going behind the scenes didn’t seem like a scary adventure at all, but one that would be a lot of fun and that would highlight and recognize those that make more possible in our brand every day.”

Sun was hardly disappointed. Her experience working on the frontlines with her employees surpassed her expectations.  She says she had “moments of surprise” by getting to witness firsthand just how much of a difference her workers were making in the lives of their patients and customers.

Asked if she was afraid the employees featured on the show would feel betrayed or fooled, Sun says the thought never crossed her mind. Instead, she was focusing on “the opportunity to impact their life, like they’d impacted mine and impact our clients every day” by offering them such rewards as a free vacation, tuition reimbursement, and money to start a franchise.

The experience has given her a laundry list of ideas for ways to improve her employees’ professional and personal lives. For instance, she has begun looking into ways to extend the company’s new interactive communications tool, care-together.com, to help active duty workers and their families stay connected, as well as resources for helping families that have been affected by autism.

Sun also plans to create more opportunities for corporate staff members to visit and spend time with franchisees and caregivers. She wants to enable them the opportunity to “see the care these workers provide, how special they are and the risks these franchisees are taking every day to make more possible and to build and strengthen our business…I think that could strengthen our DNA and deepen our commitment across our corporate team that’s enabling so much on the front lines, behind the scenes.”

Another positive outcome of the show? The opportunity to send the message that BrightStar is a great place to work, one that takes care of its employees, and one where employees truly take pride in their work. Sun was delighted to see the pride her employees took in “working for a company where we push it to that higher standard of quality.”

So does she have any advice for other CEOs after going through this experience? “I would encourage every CEO to do this, regardless of whether you’re part of a televised event or not,” Sun told me.

“There’s only so much you can do from the corner office. I made so many more improvements to my business model by getting out there and rolling up my sleeves. Don’t wait for the TV show. Make your own undercover boss event happen.”

Related Content: “What Working on ‘Undercover Boss’ Has Taught Me”: An Interview with ‘Boss’ Creator Eli Holzman

Workplace bullying has been getting a lot more attention in the media lately after some high-profile bullying cases have come to light — but the issue is unfortunately not a new one. After all, the Workplace Bullying Institute has been around since the early 1900s for a reason, and many states have been in the process of trying to pass legislation against workplace bullying since 2003 (none yet with any success). But for as long as workplace bullying has been happening, it doesn’t appear to be stopping. A just-released CareerBuilder survey among 5,671 U.S. workers reveals that more than one in four (27 percent) workers have felt bullied in the workplace, with the majority neither confronting nor reporting the bully.

The most common bully? The boss.

According to survey results, 14 percent of workers felt bullied by their immediate supervisor, while 11 percent felt bullied by a co-worker.  Seven percent said the bully was not their boss but someone else higher up in the organization, while another 7 percent said the bully was their customer.

Bullying reports by gender and age

• Comparing genders and age groups, the segments that were more likely than others to report feeling bullied were women, workers ages 55 or older (29 percent), and workers age 24 or younger (29 percent).
• Women reported a higher incidence of being treated unfairly at the office.  One-third (34 percent) of women said they have felt bullied in the workplace, compared to 22 percent of men. Of course, this doesn’t mean fewer men are bullied, necessarily — just that fewer men report it. And, according to research by organizational behavior and leadership expert Denise Salin, women are more likely than men to self-label as a target of bullying.
• Workers ages 35 to 44 were the least likely to report feeling bullied, with only one in four doing so.

Bullying can come in a variety of forms, and what one of us considers crossing the line might make another cringe or blush, and a third person accept as simply “part of the job.”  When asked to describe how they were bullied, workers pointed to the following examples:

• My comments were dismissed or not acknowledged (43 percent).
• I was falsely accused of mistakes I didn’t make (40 percent).
• I was harshly criticized (38 percent).
• I was forced into doing work that really wasn’t my job (38 percent).
• Different standards and policies were used for me than other workers (37 percent).
• I was given mean looks (31 percent).
• Others gossiped about me (27 percent).
• My boss yelled at me in front of other co-workers (24 percent).
• Belittling comments were made about my work during meetings (23 percent).
• Someone else stole credit for my work (21 percent).

Since bullying comes in so many forms, it’s often difficult to define bullying by one specific action. The Workplace Bullying Institute, however, defines workplace bullying as “repeated, health-harming mistreatment of one or more persons (the targets) by one or more perpetrators that takes one or more of the following forms:

1. Verbal abuse.
2. Offensive conduct/behaviors that are threatening, humiliating, or intimidating.
3. Work interference, i.e. sabotage, that prevents work from being done.

Salin describes bullying in the workplace as a “form of negative interaction that can express itself in many ways, ranging from verbal aggression and excessive criticism or monitoring of work to social isolation or silent treatment.” It’s sometimes an accumulation of many minor acts, adding up to a pattern of maltreatment. The person on the receiving end of the bullying feels unable to defend him or herself successfully.

What are companies doing to combat this workplace bullying?

Twenty-eight percent of workers who were bullied brought the situation to a higher authority by reporting the bully to their Human Resources department. While 38 percent of these workers stated that measures were taken to investigate and resolve the situation, the majority of workers (62 percent) said no action was taken.

Of those who didn’t report the bully at all, one in five (21 percent) said it was because they feared the bullying would escalate. And with so few companies taking action on bullying complaints, reporting the incident may be an increasingly unattractive option to employees, because not only will they have to worry about the bullying getting worse, they will also have to fear making the culprit aware that his or her actions will not be disciplined by the company, essentially giving the person a green light to continue the bullying behavior.

Various sources from Salin’s research on workplace bullying also show that bullying seems to be prevalent in organizations that support, accept or allow such behavior, or where employees feel that they can “get away with it” or where it is accepted as part of a “tough” climate.” Even worse, new employees and managers can become socialized into treating bullying as a normal feature of working life.

The cost to your employees – and your business

Bullying is not only harmful for the employees experiencing it, but it also has a significant impact on the workplace environment as a whole. Bullying affects morale, motivation, work performance and productivity, and can also lead to higher absenteeism, health care costs and turnover — not to mention the psychological toll it takes on your employees. Some employers have realized the importance of taking steps to prevent bullying or make employees aware that they have a strict no-tolerance bullying policy, not only for the obvious reason of protecting their valued employees, but also because it’s good for business. Many employers, however, only seem to deal with the issue after it happens — if they deal with it at all.

Does your organization thrive on competition to the point of intimidation? Do you look the other way when an employee’s behavior seems to upset another employee? Or do you cultivate a culture of respect? While organizations can’t necessarily be blamed for bullying behavior, employees can certainly draw conclusions about acceptable or encouraged workplace behavior from the way they observe their organization treat its own employees and handle conflict.

By taking a soft stance on bullying, employees will view your workplace as tolerant of the practice, and will be less likely to come forward for help when they become a victim. What can you do to better protect your employees?

Six steps toward a bully-free workplace

In an article she wrote for the Scandinavian Journal of Management, Salin references many tips that various experts have found to be effective in helping to prevent or lessen the occurrence of workplace bullying.

Consider the following 6 steps:

1. Foster a supportive culture, and encourage open communication with both peers and leaders.
2. Introduce a specific, zero-tolerance anti-bullying policy to employees to increase general awareness of appropriate work behavior. The content of the document is very important; simply having one is not enough. It should cover the definition of what is regarded as bullying and what is not, as well as a statement of consequences of breaching your organization’s standards. It should also clarify who to report to, list specific contact persons and clearly explain the procedure for making and investigating informal and formal complaints.
3. Incorporate staff from all levels of your organization to help develop your policy, and increase awareness and acceptance of it throughout the organization — having a written policy is not enough. Policies are not just for the potential victim of workplace bullying, but are also helpful for managers, to give them advice and guidelines about how to deal with bullying. In turn, having a policy may make managers more willing and competent to react appropriately to a situation.
4. Include skills to identify and deal with bullying during management training; any action taken to increase leader competence in dealing with bullying is of utmost importance.
5. Spread knowledge of both the definition of workplace bullying and your organization’s policy at all levels, so that situations that could escalate into bullying can be quickly identified (and hopefully dealt with before the level of intensity increases). Increasing awareness may also encourage more employees to feel empowered to combat bullying by refusing to take part or refusing to silently watch it happen.
6. Increase the perceived cost to the perpetrator in order to deter potential bullies from taking action by making it clear that there will be serious consequences.

These are some steps your organization may choose to take to help curb bullying in the workplace — but I’d like to hear from all of you. What is your organization’s stance on workplace bullying, and what measures have you taken to prevent it? How have you dealt with bullying situations that have arisen?

It’s dangerous — and often inaccurate — to generalize generations’ workplace preferences and behaviors. Many hiring managers, however, are still clinging onto generational stereotypes, particularly of the oft much-hyped Millennial generation (those workers born between 1980 – 1995) — stereotypes that Millennials themselves have moved well beyond since first entering the workplace in the last several years.

In How the Recession Shaped Millenial and Hiring Manager Attitudes about Millenials’ Future Careers, Alexandra Levit and I examine various research initiatives to determine how the attitudes of Millennials toward their career paths have changed as a result of the economic downturn, how these attitudes compare to the way hiring managers view Millennials’ career paths, and what hiring managers can do to better understand this generation of workers. Many of our report conclusions have been drawn from The Future of Millennial Careers research study, which was commissioned by the Career Advisory Board, presented by DeVry University, and conducted by Harris Interactive among 500 Millennials age 21-31 either employed or planning to seek employment, and 523 hiring managers age 18+ who interact with Millennials at work.

While Millennials and hiring managers can generally both agree that Millennials tend to have certain commonalities, like digital comfort and impatience with certain established processes, there is also much disparity between how Millennials view themselves and how they are viewed by their bosses. This can result in a frustrating situation for both parties — but by learning to truly understand Millennials, hiring managers can create a smoother workplace environment for the multiple generations currently working within it, as well as improve one-on-one relationships with their valuable Millennial workers.

Pre-recession to the present

The oldest Millennials blazed into the workplace in the early 2000s, many of them unabashedly demanding flexibility, seamless communication and desirable assignments right away — and from this, many employers formed their opinions on Millennials right then and haven’t since wavered. However, the recession appears to have caused a shift in Millennials’ attitudes toward achieving immediate career success, as watching hiring freezes and mass layoffs occur, or being affected by them themselves, caused many Millennials to recognize that having a good job was not just a given, but instead something that must be earned. Now, as the economy is picking itself back up post-recession, Millennials have a much different idea of what they need to do to succeed, and more of them are taking the initiative to prove their worth to employers on a daily basis while honing their soft skills in the long term.

Millennials and hiring managers: Different worlds?

While the recession appears to have pushed many Millennials to form more realistic expectations about career advancement, many hiring managers don’t yet see a change in Millennials’ expectations and are still of the belief that Millennials are driven by unreasonably high pay in return for minimal effort. Many hiring managers remain very cynical of the efforts Millennials are making, and believe that this generation continues to have a sense of entitlement and unrealistic expectations of their own career growth and success.

Millennials also believe doing work that is personally meaningful to them and achieving a sense of accomplishment are just as important as earning a high salary for a successful career. In fact, 30 percent of Millennials identify meaningful work as the single most important measure of a successful career. Millennials are also feeling a need to pursue higher education, obtain transferable skills, and hold a variety of jobs in order to get ahead in their careers. Mistakenly, however, hiring managers commonly believe Millennials’ desire to earn a high salary primarily drives their job and career decisions. Forty-eight percent of hiring managers rank high pay as the number one way Millennials measure their career success. In contrast, only 11 percent of hiring managers say Millennials consider meaningful work as the number one measure of success.

Let’s take a closer look:

Disparity in Education

Millennials: Seventy-nine percent of Millennials responded that they had completed at least some college to date, and 65 percent ranked education among their top three preparation activities for getting ahead in the workplace (40 percent of all Millennial respondents ranked “getting the proper education” as the most important choice they could make to prepare for future careers).
Hiring Managers: Meanwhile, only 28 percent of hiring managers cited “getting the proper education” as the most important method for future success (though 55 percent did place it in the top three). Preferable to education was “learning transferable skills” — 62 percent of hiring managers listed this as one of the top three steps Millennials can take today to prepare for the next 15 years. Nearly two in five hiring managers (39 percent) said “setting goals with managers” should be in the top three.

Why? With the passing years, more and more young people are getting advanced degrees. Because managers used means other than getting higher degrees to get ahead in the workplace themselves, however, they may not view education as a key step for Millennials to advance their own careers. And, as managers have more work experience than Millennials, they are able to view the career path from a different perspective as far as ways to achieve workplace success.

Tips for managers: Investigate the learning opportunities available to your employees and make specific recommendations as part of each individual’s development plan. Help your employees set realistic and achievable goals for their future, and provide a path for building transferable skills in their daily roles that makes sense to both you and them.

Disparity in Millennials’ career motivations

Millennials: Millennials equate a successful career with doing meaningful work; in fact, 71 percent reported this as among the three most important factors defining career success. Nearly a third (30 percent) believed it was the most critical factor.

Hiring Managers: Only 11 percent of managers reported that meaningful work was the most important factor contributing to Millennial success, while almost one-half (48 percent) of managers said high pay was in fact the most critical factor in defining career success.

Why? Older generations grew up in a different time, when work rules were defined and enforced by the employer, and the primary purpose of work was to provide a paycheck, not to feed the well-rounded employee who increasingly struggles with work/life balance in a technology-driven world. Though pay is still important to many employees, work expectations have shifted over the years as our culture has evolved, and employees want different things from their “work life.”

Tips for managers: Match your Millennial employees with a mentor who is able to help guide their career path and offer advice along the way. In addition, be open to your workers’ proposals to create a work environment that is meaningful to them and enables them to do their best work, such as telecommuting or flexible scheduling, if they have presented clear advantages to the organization in saving time and money and effectively addressed any concerns you may have. In the long run, it may result in a situation beneficial to both your organization and your employee.

Key challenges for Millennials

Millennials are currently faced with two key challenges:

1. They must overcome the pervasive stereotypes managers have about their generation.
2. They must identify and address areas that impact their ability to work effectively in the professional world.

As older generations tend to hold opinions of Millennial employees that sharply diverge from the attitudes Millennials have about themselves, it’s important for managers to work with the various generations in their workplace to set a positive example and work to increase understanding of this generation. While research showed us that Millennials and their managers agreed that compared to older generations, Millennials are more likely to exhibit an inability to receive criticism as well as ineffective communication skills, these weaknesses must be viewed as a learning opportunity for both parties.

Moving forward, together

Millennials and their managers have come a long way in understanding one another – though there’s still a long road ahead. That road, however, is more quickly paved by each group doing their part to move forward and understand the other.

Millennials, for example, must be proactive in seeking mentorship from senior leaders, setting goals with their managers, and participating in company-sponsored training opportunities.

In addition to the tips mentioned above,  managers can also start taking steps to better understand and effectively work with Millennials:

• Give timely and constructive feedback.
  
• Keep an open mind and learn from young professionals.
  
• Teach by example to set expectations.
  
• Implement two types of training into your organization: The first, a session or course on inter-generational dynamics that provides Millennials and their managers with concrete strategies to build a better sense of community within their teams. The second, soft-skill training provided by the organization for Millennial hires that includes instruction on 1) assimilating into a new workplace culture; 2) working with team members assertively and diplomatically and how to receive and process feedback; and 3) approaching a supervisor to seek mentorship and set long-term career goals. This type of course would also help Millennials combat misperceptions about their generation and teach them strategies (like reverse mentoring) that use their digital comfort, ability to multi-task, and multiple other strengths in a positive way.

As managers become more open and tolerant, and Millennials continue to adjust their expectations and make visible and appreciated contributions to organizations, we will continue to see a wider understanding of the Millennials generation – as well as the great additions they can make to a rapidly changing work landscape.

Read the full report here for more statistics, thoughts from both Millennials and managers, and advice on managing the Millennial generation, or listen to my recent discussion with Lisa Johnson Mandell.

About The Career Advisory Board
Established in 2010 by DeVry University, the Career Advisory Board is a panel of leading career experts and authors from business and academia who provide actionable advice for job-seekers. The Career Advisory Board generates proprietary research and commentary, and creates tools, insight and resources to prepare job-seekers for success. Its members include executives from CareerBuilder, Cisco, DeVry University, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Microsoft Corporation as well as nationally recognized career experts.

As we just discussed here on The Hiring Site, the hiring outlook for this past month was the strongest it’s been in three years — which is great news. But, while in some industries employers also have plenty of candidates to choose from, in the health care field, the demand for services is rising so quickly that there aren’t enough health care workers to fulfill the growing demand. And this year alone, the first wave of more than 70 million baby boomers will turn 65 and 30 million more Americans will be will be insured, adding to the need for jobs like nurse practitioners. So, how are companies dealing with this challenge? A newly released CareerBuilder study of more than 1,000 health care workers gives us some insight into the job challenges these workers are facing, and includes advice to help organizations continue to retain top talent. You can also download the survey report in its entirety.

What did health care workers tell us?

1. A lack of career advancement opportunities is the top challenge health care workers face in their current positions.

What’s most challenging for health care workers — a) the sometimes-stressful environment? b) The lack of time for lunch breaks? c) The scrubs they must wear? No — it’s d) none of the above. In reality, more than half (51 percent) of health care workers cited a lack of advancement opportunities as the top challenge they faced in their current job. As patients are workers’ first priority, and as work overload was second in line as far as challenges cited, with 40 percent saying it was their biggest challenge, workers need management to help them make career advancement a priority as well. With so many balls for health care workers to juggle,  it’s important for health care organizations to provide career advancement programs and opportunities, to make those opportunities known, and to support workers’ efforts to take advantage of them by making it easier for them to do so.

3.    Tenure rates for nurses are low across various health care organizations.

Analysis of CareerBuilder databases revealed that registered nurses have a median tenure of 1.4 years. This is much lower than the 4.4 years that wage and salary workers had had with their current employer (according to a 2010 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics study). Offices of physicians see the lowest nurse turnover, with a median job tenure of 1.57 years, while nursing care facilities have the highest ,at .97 years tenure. Falling in the middle were kidney dialysis centers (1.23) and home health care services (1.17). Operators of certain health care facilities may have a harder time retaining employees because of the difficult nature of the work.

3. Nurses are more concerned with doing their job well in a good environment than with the amount of money they make.

Nurses are the segment of the workforce hardest to recruit and retain — and with a median 1.4-year tenure, what factors are nurses struggling with, that, if resolved, might make a difference in workplace satisfaction? When nurses were asked about their biggest workplace challenge, salary was not at the top of the heap — they put salary as fifth (35 percent) on their list of biggest workplace challenges. Topping their list, though, was a shortage of needed staff (49 percent) and, as many health care workers across the board stated, a lack of advancement opportunities (49 percent). It’s not a surprise, then, to hear about nurses going on strike just last month over staff shortages.

4.    A wide disconnect exists between benefits offered by employers and what employees say their organizations provide.

In the CareerBuilder survey, health care professionals were asked if their current or most recent employer offered a number of different programs to their health care employees. Of the 10 programs listed, in-house skills training was the only program said to be offered by more than 50 percent of the survey-takers. Below are the full results:

• In-house skills training (57 percent)
• Education reimbursement (43 percent)
• Technology training (43 percent)
• Flexible work schedules (42 percent)
• Cross-training (40 percent)
• Opportunity to mentor others (37 percent)
• Autonomy in position (33 percent)
• Opportunity for innovation (24 percent)
• Performance-based incentives (22 percent)
• Sign-on bonus (8 percent)

In addition to the somewhat alarming statistic that nine of the 10 factors were said to be offered by fewer than half of the respondents’ workplaces, there also appears to be a disconnect between what employers are offering and what employees believe they offer. For instance, more than half (57 percent) of health care employees said that in-house skill trainings were offered by their employer; however, an even higher number of employers (68 percent) indicate that they provided this type of perk — meaning a lot of employees left in the dark about the trainings their employer provides. This disconnect illustrates that while health care organizations may be offering valuable perks, these programs are not always being messaged effectively to employees.

5.    Patient to staff ratio is strained, leaving workers spread thin with little time for career development.

We’ve heard before about health care workers’ desire to be heard — and survey data supports that idea. However, because workers are so tied down in managing their daily duties, there’s often little to no time left to focus on professional development. Nearly six in ten (57 percent) of health care workers said that the health care professional-per-patient ratio is getting worse, allowing less time for professional development and career advancement and requiring more time on day-to-day duties.

How can employers better support their employees?

It’s clear that money is not the only thing on health care workers’ minds — just like workers in many other professions, they seek opportunities for advancement in their careers, professional recognition, and benefits. They also need both the support of management and a robust enough staff to make this more easily attainable.

Although salary and benefits are important, lower-cost factors such as mentoring, career-path planning, training and support also greatly influence health care employees to apply to and stay at a job. With health care organizations battling for top talent and facing high demand for positions, it’s important for employers to take the temperature of their staff to best meet their needs, as well as keep a finger on the pulse of job seekers.

There’s no overnight solution, but it’s important to develop and nurture an environment where your employees can thrive. Talk to your employees about their biggest needs and challenges, and create a plan to help them more effectively meet these challenges. Find ways to communicate to your employees about the career advancement, training  and benefits programs your organization offers, and find ways to make it easier for them to participate. And if your organization doesn’t offer these initiatives, keep in mind you’re likely missing out on a lot of talent willing to sign on with organizations that are. Giving your employees ways to continue to learn and advance in their careers will give you a distinct advantage over your competition, and your employees will have another reason to grow with your organization, rather than look for the nearest exit.

What do you see as a solution toward fixing the turnover issues that ail so many health care organizations?

“There’s an evolution going on,” says Jennifer Prosek, author of the new book Army of Entrepreneurs: Create an Engaged and Empowered Workforce for Exceptional Business Growth, in reference to today’s workforce. “If you look at what new entrants into the workforce are looking for in terms of jobs, lives, careers and what we’re taught about the world of work have changed.” 

As the CEO of public relations and financial communications consultancy CJP Communications, Prosek has noticed that today’s workers want more responsibility, and today’s employers should be receptive to that desire.

Her philosophy is that deciding who to hire is less about finding a great employee and more about finding a great business partner – or, rather, a fellow entrepreneur. “The new generation of workers expects more responsibility early on,” Prosek told me. “They’re fearless and aren’t as willing to stick things out and do things just because their bosses say they should.”

While Prosek drew on her own experiences to write Army of Entrepreneurs, her observations are not limited to what she sees going on at her organization: a recently released Career Advisory Board study indicates that there’s an overall discrepancy between what hiring managers think Millennials value most as they enter the workforce (higher pay) and what Millennials actually say they value most (meaningful work).

It is crucial that hiring managers today understand the shift that has taken place in workers’ attitudes, especially if they expect to build their army of entrepreneurs.

Recruit now. Hire later.
While “any employee can be entrepreneurial,” Prosek says hiring managers should keep an eye out for “people who exhibit excitement about bringing their own ideas to life” when trying to identify potential entrepreneurs – which, by the way, is all the time.

Hiring managers need to take a proactive approach to recruitment and constantly be on the lookout for the next entrepreneur; otherwise, waiting until a hiring need opens up couldresult in a panicked hire.  “Panicked hires typically aren’t successful, particularly if you’re building a typical DNA [for your employment brand]. Everyone you hire is a reflection of that brand.”

Not only can a panicked hire be a costly mistake for employers, Prosek says that panicked hiring doesn’t reflect well with employees, either. Employees can sense when they’ve been hired out of desperation, which significantly lowers their excitement about the company; whereas employees who are courted over a period of time by prospective employers go into their new jobs feeling special “because they are.” 

Prosek says recruiting candidates early on and staying in contact with them is key to building that talent pipeline – and ensuring they will feel special when the time comes to actually hire. Some of the ways employers can keep candidates engaged include sending them quarterly company updates via email, going to career fairs and networking events, and, not least of all, utilizing social networking. “If you have social media presence and blog, these things make it incredibly easy to stay in touch with your talent pipeline.”

Build an army of brand ambassadors.
But perhaps the most important factor in this strategy is an employer’s current employee base. “My whole book is about giving responsibility to your employees, asking employees to be brand ambassadors. The right employees love this activity and can be more successful at it than managers.”

And while offering rewards like cash bonuses can effectively generate participation in employee referral programs, monetary incentives are not the only option here.  Giving employees ownership over the responsibility of bringing in new employees – and, essentially, helping to grow the business – can go a long way in motivating them. 

Recognition is key here, too. Employers tend to forget how much value employees place on getting recognized for their efforts and contributions to the business, Prosek says, but it is absolutely essential. “People do not necessarily understand how the business works all the time. Once they understand that, and how they fit into it, they’re engaged on a whole other level,” she says. “When you teach people the business, magic happens.”

Jennifer Prosek is the founder and CEO of the award-winning international public relations and financial communications consultancy CJP Communications (CJP). Her new business book, Army of Entrepreneurs: Create and Engaged and Empowered Workforce for Exceptional Business Growth, is available now. Visit http://www.armyofentrepreneurs.com/ to learn more.

While at HRPA 2011, Canada’s conference and trade show focusing on HR issues and trends, I stopped in to check out Howard Wallack’s session, 10 Global HR Trends for 2011 and What You Need to Know to Manage Them. Wallack is the Director of Global Member Programs for Society for Human Resource Management, and in his discussion at HRPA 2011, he drew from several studies and surveys (EIU’s Global Firms in 2020, IBM’s Working Beyond Borders, BCG/WFPMA’s Creating People Advantage 2010, and more) and gathered input from SHRM’s Global Expertise panel to determine the 10 most prevalent global HR trends for the rest of 2011.

The business world is becoming increasingly global, yet as Wallack mentioned in his presentation, there aren’t HR standards across the globe right now. Inconsistent economies and policies add complications to an already complex mix; for example, while low job growth is an issue in the U.S. and Canada, it’s not an issue in Asia, where places like China, India, Singapore and Thailand are all currently experiencing at least 9 – 10 percent growth. The U.S. is less friendly than Canada when it comes to immigration, which can present a challenge. In addition, employee engagement is driven by very different factors around the globe: In Asia, employees want titles and learning opportunities, compensation and benefits comes down the chain; in the U.S., health care coverage is most important, then compensation, then responsibility. With that said, let’s take a look at what Wallack says are the most noticeable trends for the rest of this year:

10 Global HR Trends for 2011

1. The importance of globalization and integrating markets: Companies will become larger and more global in the next 10 years, handling operations in more countries than they do today.
   —We’re living in an increasingly border-less world.
2. Talent management: Finding and retaining quality talent continues to be essential to business sustainability. Finding and retaining quality talent continues to be essential to business sustainability, though its importance in relation to other challenges differs by location. (AUTHOR UPDATE: Respondents from Brazil and Sweden rated this issue in the BCG/WFPMA study as being of lesser importance than other top-10 HR challenges relative to respondents from 15 other countries. And when polled further to rate if there were no/some/high/very high talent shortage or skills gaps across 12 different specific industries/sectors, the Brazilian and Swedish respondents rated it uniformly as “No” across all the industries.)
   —There are more contingent workers, and the rationale behind work force investment is changing and moving in multiple directions. 

   —Most industries and countries are to experience a widening talent gap, notably for highly skilled positions and for next generation of mid and senior leaders.

3. Working virtually across functions and geographies will intensify, with implications for intercultural communication, business ethics and organizational effectiveness.
   —Localizing management of overseas operations is key, but a global outlook is just as important as local knowledge. 

   —Businesses need to find new ways to connect people to each other and to information, both internally and externally.

   —The expectation of having an “always-available” employee varies around the world.

4. Global employee engagement is tentative; companies that have implemented multiple layoffs have eroded a sense of security in the global work force.
   —There is a disconnect between what companies currently have to offer employees and what employees really value. 

   —Retaining valued talent is more important, but the drivers to retain that talent are different depending on the type of market (growth opportunity is paramount in growth markets; new or challenging responsibilities is paramount in mature markets).

   —The gap in creative leadership, executing for speed, and managing ‘collective intelligence’ must be addressed.

   —Employee engagement has suffered; companies are now trying to restore pride and trust.

5. The economic crisis and fewer existing business opportunities create a high demand on the global HR function to demonstrate greater adaptability.
   —HR will be an important link between corporate headquarters and overseas operations. 

   —HR is conducting too many initiatives, with mediocre outcomes.  Companies need to reboot their HR function and boost resources devoted to HR.

6. Economic uncertainties fundamentally change motivators that attract and retain employees.
   —There is a disconnect between what companies have to offer employees and what employees really value.
7. Human capital protectionism may continue to increase in many countries in non-tariff, nationalistic forms.
   
8. Global mobility of high-value workers continues as multinational companies restrict new hires and relocate talented employees from within their existing work force.
9. Companies that originate in emerging economies will continue to succeed in the global marketplace.
   
10. Increased demand for HR metrics may bring about a widely accepted set of analytic measures and methods (global standards) to describe, predict and evaluate the quality and impact of HR practices and the productivity of the work force.  However, globalization is also driving impetus toward the use of more metrics with greater cultural sensitivity.

How can HR do more to manage these trends?

First, Wallack says, as an HR professional, you must make sure your organization understands what globalization means to you, your company and your business sector — you must be the the one to advocate full understanding of what the drivers are. It’s important, too, to keep in mind that globalization means different things to different people across the world. Ernst & Young describes globalization in The New Mindset as “the level of a country’s integration with the world economy through the exchange of goods and services, movement of capital and finance, movement of labor, exchange of technology and ideas, and cultural integration.” Martin Wolf, in Why Globalization Works, sums it up more simply as, “economic integration across borders through markets.” And every person you ask will probably define it a bit differently.

A “global mindset” is often defined as a way of seeing the world and the globalization of markets, organizations and individuals. Developing a more global mindset enables your organization to be more effectively tackle functional, organizational, and cross-cultural boundaries and move forward.

Wallack offered some ideas to help organizations adopt a more global mindset:

• Global mobility: Deepen your employees’ knowledge pool by offering short-term, focused opportunities for individuals to work in new markets and geographies.
• Develop global leadership pipelines: There is a growing expectation for leaders to have work experience outside one’s country of origin; simply having an education that includes global topics is no longer enough. Travel is a strategic management development tool.
• Get involved in efforts to create global HR standards.
• As there is a higher demand on the global HR function to demonstrate greater adaptability, provide HR managers more exposure to and rotations in global business that they need to be effective internationally. Make HR the link between corporate headquarters and overseas operations.
• As far as talent management: Include nationalities and experience in your efforts to diversify talent in other functions and other industries. Increase the span of responsibilities and decision-making of employees.

You can find more information about Wallack and SHRM’s global work here.

Which of the global HR trends mentioned above (or others not mentioned) are you seeing in your own organization?

As any good employer knows, the key to running a successful business is people.  People are what got your business where it is today, and they are the determinant of your future success.  As you begin to think about how you plan to rebuild and grow your organization following this time of economic uncertainty, the people you bring in to your organization will inevitably play a crucial role in that strategy. 

What you have to keep in mind, however, is that today’s market has drastically changed – thanks in part to things like advances in technology and changing job seeker demographics. The harsh truth is that if you want to remain competitive in this market, you can no longer rely on “business as usual” when it comes to your recruitment efforts.  What you need is a more proactive approach to recruitment. You need a strategy that not only brings in qualified applicants, but keeps them engaged and interested in opportunities with your organization. You need a strategy that keeps you top of mind with top talent. In short, you need talent pipelining. 

A talent pipeline is a community of qualified, interested candidates with the skills and experience that meet your organization’s unique needs. With a talent pipeline in place, you get to take control of the recruitment process.  You don’t have to go back to square one and wait for applicants to come in every time you have a hiring need – you already have an existing database of relevant applicants at your fingertips.

Why Talent Pipelining? Why Now?
Historically, when people had hiring needs, they would put an ad in the local newspaper, post a job on the internet, visit a career fair or ask for employee referrals, then simply wait for the candidates to flow in. This reactive approach, however, is no longer sufficient. Here are four reasons why you need to start building a talent pipeline today.

1. Recruitment is – and always has been – an ongoing effort. Even if you are not hiring right now, you should constantly be on the lookout for ways to attract and engage top talent. Consider how much time, money and frustration you would save if you already had a pool of qualified, relevant and interested applicants on hand once a hiring need does open up. This is one of the major benefits to building a talent pipeline. The effort you put in now to recruit for the future will lead to fewer hiring mistakes and a greater return for all involved in the hiring process.
2. The way candidates search for jobs has changed. Today’s job seekers are more resourceful than ever. They know what they want in an employer – great benefits, flexible work options, career development opportunities – and they know how to get it. In addition to job boards and personal referrals, job seekers use social and professional networking sites, online referral programs and talent communities to research prospective employers. They also want to be wanted: They crave constant engagement and interaction with prospective employers. This is where you as an employer have to be resourceful and proactive in your recruiting efforts, utilizing every tool at your disposal to connect with job seekers – from your company careers site and employee referrals to social media and mobile marketing .
3. The competition for top talent will only get more intense as the job market opens up. Research shows that employees tend to leave organizations following times of economic or organizational change, and employers are already seeing signs of this phenomenon today: A recent CareerBuilder survey showed that 40 percent of employers worry about losing workers as the economy improves. Think about it: If you’re competing for candidates against a company that has already built a relationship with those candidates, who do you think has the advantage when it comes to getting those candidates in the door? Building a talent pipeline helps you stay front of mind when you find yourself with a need to hire, keeping valuable candidates from slipping through the cracks, and giving you an edge over competitors who do not put forth the same effort to engage candidates. 
4. Recruitment resources are still lean. Talent pipelining enables employers to save overall time and costs associated with hiring. Think about it: How often has an immediate and frantic need to hire led to a regrettable hiring mistake? How much money goes down the drain in lost productivity when hard-to-fill positions remain open? Even if you have staffing agencies to help sort through irrelevant applications and screen candidates, consider how much you could save if you simply didn’t need to rely on them at all? You don’t – not if you already had a pool of qualified, interested candidates at your fingertips, sourced from your talent pipeline.  Fortunately, new technologies and social media tools, as well as the increasing popularity of mobile, provide employers more opportunities than ever to get in front of job seekers and keep them engaged at very little cost.

Engagement: The Crucial Next Step
It’s important to note that building a talent pipeline is not just about getting candidates interested in opportunities with your organization, but about keeping them interested for when future opportunities open up.  This next step – engagement – is often where employers run into trouble.  It’s not enough to simply build a pipeline, but to keep candidate engaged so that a month, six months or even a year down the road, when you are ready to hire, you know you’re hiring the right people.  

The strategies by which you go about building that your talent pipeline will vary based on your organization’s unique needs, but the engagement factor must always be there. Not only will you save time and money overall, but you will end up with a better quality of people, turning out a better quality of product and service.  Simply put, building a talent pipeline is one of the best investments your organization will ever make.

John Smith is a Senior Vice President at CareerBuilder, LLC, where he is charged with developing recruitment strategies for CareerBuilder’s Fortune 500 clients.

Join CareerBuilder Senior Vice President John Smith and Chief Development Officer Hope Gurion on Tuesday, April 26 at 1 p.m. EDT for Your Company in 2020: Capturing Talent to Fuel Future Growth, an exclusive webcast about adapting to the ever-changing recruitment landscape. Click here for more information or to register.

Simon Sinek was one of the keynote speakers I was most interested to see at HRPA’s 2011 Annual Conference and Trade Show, Canada’s conference and trade show focusing on HR issues and trends — and he didn’t disappoint. Sinek has a way of getting people’s attention when he enters a room — and I can attest to the many HRPA attendees (including myself) focusing intently on his words as he began his Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action keynote on that still-early Thursday morning.

Don’t hire  people who need what you have, but who believe what you believe. This was one of the points driven home by Sinek over and over again. As he says, “people who don’t believe what you believe work for your money” — and their time with your company likely won’t last long. People who believe what you believe, however, will work for you with their blood, sweat and tears.

Sinek teaches leaders and companies how to inspire their people—by finding the purpose, cause or belief that drives them. I’d like to share some highlights from his keynote speech, but I recommend that you also watch his TED talk (below).

On Starting with “Why”

All the great and inspiring leaders and organizations in the world all think, act and communicate the exact same way, Sinek says — and it’s the complete opposite to everyone else.  All companies function on three levels: 1) What you do, 2) how you do it, and 3) why you do it. The problem, he says, is that most organizations don’t know “why” their organization exists. The “why” does not mean “to make money” — that, he says, is a result. The “why” is your purpose, your cause, or your belief. He calls this concept of what, how and why The Golden Circle. The Golden Circle theory explains why some organizations are able to inspire — and others aren’t. Innovative companies are not defined by what they do; they are defined by why they exist.

As Sinek pointed out, Steve Jobs is brilliant at giving context and talking about why Apple’s products matter. Inspiring companies work from the inside out — the “why” drives them. Rationally speaking, he says, Macs aren’t better, but people will defend the brand and culture to the death because Apple inspires people through the way they talk about their company. Lehman Brothers , on the other hand, was very good at what they did, but there was no sense of community and trust, and that made all the difference.

On how we hire

On the importance of the HR profession Sinek says, “If you don’t understand people, you don’t understand business.” Why do we care more about someone’s resume and about how much money they’ve made for our competitor, Sinek asks, than in what they believe? How do you know a candidate is not passionate about interviewing but about working for you?

On engaging employees

During his talk, Sinek asked how many of us loved our job. Ninety percent of people don’t, he said. Ninety percent! Now imagine how many of your employees that equates to. Although it may seem like common sense, it’s important to remember that people who come to work excited about their jobs do better work, and as Sinek points out, it’s cyclical: Happier employees will treat their kids and spouses better, and then their kids and spouses will be happier, and they will come to work the next day happier and treat their colleagues and customers better.

How can you help employees love what they do a little more?

On roaming the halls

Are your executives roaming the halls to talk to employees? If they aren’t, Sinek said, they can’t hear or see the impact of their decisions. And even if it’s not a “physical” walking of the hallway, are your leaders out there in the online world, listening to what employees want? Are they reaching out to employees and asking what matters to them? We’re detached from the impact of our decisions; we use polls and hire outside companies to find out what employees think — instead of simply asking them.

Sinek used the example of Stanley Milgrim’s shock experiment from the 1960s to illustrate the danger of people being separated from seeing the impact of their decisions. If leaders can’t see or hear how their decisions are impacting their employees, how many of them will stop themselves from making decisions that negatively affect or hurt those employees before it’s too late (or know that they are hurting employees in the first place)?

On being a great place to work

• Take great people and help them to do extraordinary things.
• Hire those who believe what you believe and wake up every single day and compete against yourselves.
• Worry about doing what you do better and how to do it better next week, and next month, and something remarkable will happen.
• Stating what do you in company vision statements = who cares? Sinek says your company vision statement should be about why you do what you do; it should be about what you believe.

Fortune’s best companies to work for aren’t doing anything differently, Sinek says — they make the list because people WANT to be there. To lead means you have to have followers, a follower is someone who volunteers to go where you’re going. Somebody who chooses to be a part of whatever is it you’re building — not because they have to but because they want to. Employees want to surround themselves with the people and products and brands that prove to the outside world who they believe they are.

Do your employees want to go where you’re going?

Coca-Cola doesn’t do it. Neither does McDonald’s, for that matter. Or AT&T. In fact, none of today’s most recognizable – and successful – brands wait until their sales are down to increase their marketing efforts. They know that the key to creating long-term customer loyalty – through good times and not-so-good times – is staying top-of-mind with consumers and standing out among the competition.

This concept is no different from recruiting.

Smart companies do not wait until they have a need to hire to begin recruiting talent. For them, building a talent pipeline – a database of qualified candidates upon whom they can quickly and easily call upon when hiring needs do arise – is a constant, high priority effort.

Today, human resources departments and staffing organizations are faced with the unenviable challenge to deliver high quality candidates with fewer resources at their fingertips to assist them.  The need to “do more with less” has become today’s business mantra.

Fortunately, talent pipelining provides the perfect opportunity for companies that want to get more return out of their recruitment efforts using the fewest resources. Talent pipelining is a more proactive approach to recruiting, requiring companies to think about their future hiring needs and create a plan to recruit candidates based on those needs.

While the time and effort required up front may seem daunting, building a talent pipeline pays off huge dividends in the end, ultimately saving you time and costs associated with time-to-hire. Consider, for instance, how much time you would save if, instead of starting from scratch any time a position opens up, you already have a pool of relevant, qualified candidates from which to pull. Or – and perhaps more importantly - consider the hiring mistakes you could avoid by eliminating the pressure to make a hasty hiring decision.

Unfortunately, most companies either do not have a talent pipelining system in place or, for lack of time and resources, fail to utilize their current systems in a way that delivers the most benefit.  Below, I’ve outlined four steps for creating a talent pipelining system that will truly help you do more with less.

Four Steps to Creating an Effective Talent Pipeline

1. Make the commitment: Creating an effective talent pipeline begins with making a commitment. Employers need to get buy-in from everyone involved in the hiring process. It’s important that everyone sees the value in being proactive and cultivating relationships with candidates that could be valuable in the future.
2. Assess your current process: It is crucial that you objectively evaluate what about your current process is working and what is not, in order to ensure you are getting the most value. This is where data intelligence comes in.  Data intelligence, such as talent surveys, provide valuable insight into all kinds of candidate behavior, from how they search for jobs to what they value in an employer to what motivates them to apply –or not apply – for certain jobs over others. This intelligence informs employers as to where to allocate their recruitment dollars most effectively.
3. Practice constant engagement: It is not enough to simply collect resumes and connect with candidates, but you must keep them engaged. With the rise of social media, the opportunities for engagement are limitless. For example, post content such as photos and video on your company’s career site or social networking pages that keeps them informed about the culture of your company, and encourage them to ask questions about the same. Or provide links that let them opt-in to receive information about upcoming career fairs or available opportunities that arise via e-mail. And don’t forget to recruit your current employees to refer candidates and act as brand ambassadors. Whatever means you use, the goal here is to keep candidates interested, informed and excited about opportunities with your company.
4. Create a measurement system: The only way you’ll know for sure if your pipelining system is working is by constantly measuring your results. Some questions to consider: How often do candidates apply to our opportunities? How many candidates turn into successful hires? Where did these candidates come from? Understanding where your talent is coming from will help you focus your recruiting efforts and build the most effective talent pipeline.

In a recent CareerBuilder survey, employers named finding the right talent to fill open positions as one of the greatest hiring challenges they face today. As the economy recovers, the job market opens up, and hiring needs increase, this challenge will only grow. The time to start building your talent pipeline is now. Waiting until you have a hiring need is simply waiting too long.

Hope Gurion is the Chief Development Officer at CareerBuilder, LLC. She is in charge of identifying and growing new business ventures for the company.

Join CareerBuilder’s Chief Development Officer Hope Gurion and Senior Vice President John Smith on Tuesday, April 26 at 1 p.m. EDT for Your Company in 2020: Capturing Talent to Fuel Future Growth, an exclusive webcast about adapting to the ever-changing recruitment landscape. Click here for more information or to register.

Can you change the world? That’s the challenge Guy Kawasaki sets forth for his readers in the beginning pages of his latest book, Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions.

The 10th book from the former chief evangelist for Apple and co-founder of Alltop.com, Enchantment is slightly loftier in tone than his previous business books, which include The Art of the Start and The Macintosh Way. That, however, is no accident.

Kawasaki admitted to me in a recent phone interview that his latest endeavor was largely inspired by Dale Carnegie’s 1937 book, How to Win Friends and Influence People.  With Enchantment, Kawasaki aims to teach “anyone who has $26 and wants to be more enchanting.”

Why enchantment? Actually, Kawasaki doesn’t waste much time talking about why we should all strive to be more enchanting (he dedicates only one chapter – the first – to the subject, which he summed up for me in one sentence, saying, “The world is a better place when you’re enchanting”), but gets right to the how, focusing on the exact steps one might take to charm anyone from your boss, to your customer, to the stranger whose place at the front of the bathroom line you desperately covet.

The power of Enchantment lies in its simplicity. Kawasaki doesn’t put forth any advice that the average person cannot easily apply to nearly any situation, in nearly any area of life, whether personal or professional.

While the focus of the book is largely on marketing – yourself, your business, or your cause, mainly – for the reader looking for leadership and management advice, there’s much to take away. Almost every principle in the book can be applied to employee engagement.  For example, Kawasaki’s advice for creating win-win situations with clients would easily translate to the boss-employee relationship, while he might as well be talking about employment branding in his chapter on the do’s and don’t’s of social media marketing.

For those looking for more tactical career advice, however, Kawasaki does dedicate two chapters specifically to enchantment in the workforce – one from an employee’s perspective, the other from an employer’s.  Here again, though, he reintroduces the simple, but important concepts that are too often ignored or forgotten, such as “don’t ask employees to do what you wouldn’t do” and “judge yourself by what you’ve accomplished and others by what they’ve intended.”

Time will tell if Enchantment has the staying power of Dale Carnegie’s iconic bestseller, but there’s no question that it is indeed an enchanting read. Kawasaki deftly combines business advice and casual storytelling. He understands the art of brevity, keeping chapters short and concise, and peppering them with colorful anecdotes that keep readers engaged while illustrating his points. The concepts in the book might not be entirely groundbreaking, but they’re delivered with a fresh perspective that makes the reader think. At the very least, Enchantment serves to remind readers that even the smallest, most ordinary gestures can go a long way in winning friends and influencing people.

Will this book help you change the world? Maybe…maybe not. But it sure makes you want to try.

Disclosure: I received a free review copy of Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions.

Guy Kawasaki is the former chief evangelist of Apple, co-founder of the “online magazine rack” Alltop.com, and the best-selling author of The Art of the Start and Reality Check. In the following interview, Guy discusses his most recent book, Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions, as well as the key to enchanting your employees – even in the face of bad news - and how you don’t have to keep company with rock stars to enjoy life’s little perks (although it certainly doesn’t hurt).

I wanted to ask you first about your previous experience at Apple. In your bio, you describe your role there as chief evangelist. What exactly does a chief evangelist do? I was an Apple Fellow. An Apple Fellow is a position that is not a line position. The Fellow was an engineer and was supposed to sit around inventing the future in the technical sense, but I’m not technical, so I would sit around and figure out marketing innovations. They wanted to ensure the “Mac cult” was still happy at a time when the Macintosh cult and the Macintosh market was seen as imploding. So, I didn’t really have a team reporting to me. I was just supposed to be this icon representing faith and belief in the Macintosh way.

You were one of the earliest adopters of Twitter, and you say yourself in your book that it’s one of the best marketing tools around today. How did you find Twitter, and how did you know it would turn into this phenomenon? Well, the first reaction of any intelligent person to Twitter was, “This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen.” [Laughs.] And that was my reaction, too.  But the light went on for me when I learned about power of searching Twitter. The first thing an egomaniac like I would do is search my name, right? I saw all these people talking about me, and so I started to get into these conversations with them. The second thing you do is start searching for your product. In my case, that was Alltop, so I started searching for people searching Alltop, and I started conversing with them. That’s when it hit me: “Wow, I can proselytize my product and my personal brand using Twitter. It’s fast, it’s free, it’s ubiquitous…What am I missing here?” Because [with Twitter] you couldn’t be further away from traditional marketing, which was slow, expensive and limited. Hallelujah! I was born to tweet!

There are a lot of stories out there about both individuals and companies running into trouble for things they’ve said or done on Twitter. Have you ever had a bad Twitter experience? I’d say that if you haven’t had a bad Twitter experience – for example, no one called you out, no one accused you of being a spammer, whatever – you’re probably not using Twitter right. It’s just like good marketing and advertising: if somebody isn’t complaining about your advertising or marketing, it must not be good advertising or marketing.  You know, if Mother Theresa were on Twitter, someone would be complaining that she’s not Catholic enough, and someone would be that she’s too Catholic. If you try to make everyone happy, you won’t be using Twitter right, basically.

How do you know that you’re enchanting? In other words, how would someone who read this book and started applying these principles necessarily know that they’re working? What’s the litmus test? Well, pretty soon, you’ll start getting upgrades to first class, and hotels will be giving you better rooms. I have a test at the end of the book, and there’s sort of extra credit section where you can see, “Are you able to get some of these things?” Not that the purpose of Enchantment is to get upgrades to first class, but the world is a more pleasant place if you’re an enchanting person, because you’re making the world a more enchanting place for other people. I think there’s a karmic scoreboard.

What gave you the idea to write Enchantment? I’ve been evangelizing products and services since 1983, and in order to evangelize something, you need to be enchanting. And I wanted to document those skills that make someone enchanting. Now, to be perfectly clear, I don’t think I do everything in the book, but I’m saying, “This is what you should do,” not necessarily, “This is what Guy does,” because I’d be a hypocrite. The bottom line is that [enchantment] is a skill set. I’m trying to teach people a skill set at a very tactical level. I love Malcolm Gladwell, but at the end of the day [after reading The Tipping Point], you know that in order to be successful, you need to tip, but you don’t know how to tip. I don’t spend 200 pages telling you why to be enchanting, I tell you how to be enchanting. That’s because I come from a business background. I’m all about the how.

When you talk about creating win-win situations in Enchantment, you tell a story about Steve McQueen’s first wife working her way to the front of the line at service station bathroom by dropping the names of Steve McQueen, Paul Newman and James Garner, with whom she happened to be traveling. So what’s your advice for how ordinary people (who aren’t in the habit of traveling with an entourage of celebrities) create a “win-win” for themselves in that – or any other – type of situation? [Laughs] Well, there have been lots of studies that show that if you simply give a reason for something, the word “because” is very powerful. So one tip, if you’re ever in line and want to skip ahead (and I’m not suggesting you lie): if you provide some reason for why you need to be in front, people are more likely to oblige.  Or imagine if you’re standing in the line at the TSA, and you go up to someone and say, “Can I go in front of you?” There’s a big difference between that and saying, “Can I go in front of you because I’m going to miss my flight?” I don’t know if that’s necessarily enchanting, but that answers your question.

I want to talk now about enchantment from the employer perspective, because that’s something to which you dedicate a chapter in your book. What’s the key to enchanting your employees? When it comes to enchanting your employees, the most important thing is not money, but to provide what I call MAP, which stands for Mastery, Autonomy and Purpose. Mastery means that you allow your employees to master new skills and to become better at what they do. Autonomy means you allow them to work without being micromanaged. And finally, purpose means to allow them to work at a function that has higher purpose than simply making money. So if you said to most of your employees, “Here, I’m going to let you improve your skill set, you’re going to be working autonomously, and we’re doing something important for the world,” I guarantee you, you’ll enchant them.

Is there a way to be enchanting when delivering bad news? Well, yeah. Part of being enchanting is being honest and trustworthy, so there are instances of delivering bad news, and trustworthiness is everything. Enchantment isn’t about always delivering good news, it’s about being likeable and honest. 

Aside from just learning how to be enchanting, I’d like your thoughts on how to be enchanted. Given the psychological toll this recent recession has had on this country as a whole – we see a lot of people who are disenchanted from their jobs, burned out, depressed, etc. – it seems we could all use a little enchantment right now. How do you allow yourself be enchanted at a time like this? I think most of it is just keeping an open mind. Having an open mind is a quality of being enchanting. It’s close-minded people who don’t allow themselves to be enchanted. And because they’re close-minded, they also won’t be enchanting. Close-mindedness is the opposite of enchanting. And, in my opinion, it’s just easier to live life open-minded. If everything aggravates you, and you’re always trying to force your beliefs on other people, that’s just an aggravating way to live. Life is hard enough without trying to run other people’s lives.

Guy Kawasaki is the author of nine other books, including the international bestseller The Art of the Start, as well as Reality Check and The Macintosh Way. His most recent book, Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds and Actions, comes out March 8. Stay tuned for my review of Enchantment later this week.

We’ve all had a weird transportation experience at one time or another (some of us more than others.) From a guy on a bus jumping up and turning around in his seat to “scare” me with fake bloody teeth, to sitting next to a woman chanting incessantly next to me as the plane took off, to witnessing luggage fights with the flight attendants, I’ve had a few odd experiences myself. But none of them quite compare to the experiences workers in Careerbuilder’s latest travel survey reported.

Let’s not delay (travel joke) — here are survey respondents’ most unusual business travel experiences:

• Backwash city: “Woman next to me asked me for a drink from my water bottle.
• No napping on this flight: “Our plane was stormed by the Columbian military who thought there was a drug lord on board.”
• Scenic view? “A client mooned the plane.”
• Maybe he meant to say ‘the bomb’: “A drunken passenger next to me insisted my headphones were a bomb.”
• Room for two? “A naked guy tried getting in my cab in Indonesia.”
• Arrested development: “U.S. marshals arrested a passenger when the plane landed.”
• Strangers with candy: “A guy next to me had a carry-on bag filled with candy, which he kept offering me over and over and over again.”
• Hope she didn’t name her child after the airline: “A woman gave birth on the flight.”
• Upon reflection, not such a good idea: “After waking up, I accidentally walked into the hotel’s hallway instead of the restroom in my underwear. Got locked out and could be viewed by the elevator which was all glass windows.”
• This will make for an awkward rest of the trip: “Manager punched a co-worker on the plane.”
• Possibly more comfortable than airplane seats: “Fell asleep in the airplane restroom.”

Can you top these? Leave your craziest experiences in the comments below and let us know!

What do the travelers have to say?

While workers may joke about their crazy travel experiences, and while travel can definitely be rewarding, fun, and productive, there’s another side of business travel that isn’t always so amusing. While employers may be the ones pulling the strings as far as when, how often, and how their employees are allowed to (or must) travel, employees are the ones forced to sit in cramped airplane seating, get stuck at airports due to delays (hellooooooo, O’Hare), and, most importantly, be away from their homes, friends and families for extended or frequent periods of time. But how many employees are really travel warriors these days?

• The majority of workers (68 percent) surveyed said they never travel for business.
• Five percent said they travel every other month.
• Six percent said they travel every other week or more.

Though the numbers may be low, it’s important to keep in mind that the toll on those who are on a first-name basis with TSA agents can still be quite high. Nearly one in five (19 percent) of those who travel for business said the amount they travel negatively affects their home life — and that’s nothing for employers to take lightly.

To help smooth out the common bumps of travel for your employees, think about your current process:

• What’s working and what’s not?
• Have you asked your employees if they’re happy with the level of travel expected (particularly if it’s recently changed)?
• Communicate with your employees to find out if the frequency of travel is striking a fair balance, and try to work with employees to find a solution for both them and your business if there’s an issue.
• Remember to periodically thank your employees for putting in the time and work to travel on behalf of the company, a move that, yes, is part of their job, but that also actively and often takes them away from friends, family, and personal commitments.

What else have you found helpful in coordinating business travel with your employees (or with your own travel)? And what jaw-dropping experiences have you had while on business trips?

If you’re like many companies, you, in the spirit of budget-cutting, slowed down employee travel in 2010 — or even halted it altogether. According to a new CareerBuilder survey among more than 2,400 U.S. employers and more than 3,900 U.S. workers, 30 percent of companies say they cut back on business travel last year — and it wasn’t such a good move for many of them. Of the companies who cut back on travel, more than one-third (37 percent) said it negatively affected their business. Have you had a similar experience?

Lack of business trips and the bottom line

Budget cuts can often have ripple effects in other areas of the business. Many businesses who cut back on travel in 2010 had fewer opportunities for  face-to-face meetings, leading to communication issues, hurdles in fostering client relationships, and, ultimately, fewer sales. When asked how fewer business trips affected their bottom lines, companies reported the following results:

• Less effective internal communication: 12 percent
• Fewer sales: 11 percent
• Less effective execution on internal business initiatives: 10 percent
• Less customer loyalty: 8 percent

How will this year be different?

Based on 2010′s results, will companies alter business travel frequency in 2011? For the most part, it appears they won’t. The majority of companies (77 percent) report business travel levels will stay the same as last year. Eleven percent said their companies will take more business trips this year (perhaps to counter the negative effects of cutting back in 2010), while 13 percent said business travel will decrease.

Although frequency of travel may be “business as usual” in 2011, many companies have started taking a different direction to help cut unnecessary expense: Altering the way that employees travel.

“Business travel is an important part of many companies’ operations as it lets them stay connected with clients and employees across the globe,” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources for CareerBuilder. “Some companies are revisiting their policies, though, to ensure they’re maximizing the effectiveness of their business travel initiatives.”

How are companies keeping a closer eye on travel expenses?

• Taking out the extravagance: Nearly one-third (32 percent) of companies are placing specific restrictions on business travel for employees since the recession, asking them to fly coach, lowering entertainment budgets, and having them only travel domestically.
• Virtual meetings: Forty-two percent of companies said they rely more on phone/Web conferencing now to conduct business with clients, with 31 percent saying they get just as much out of virtual meetings as face-to-face meetings.

Tell me — has your business cut down on employee travel, or otherwise changed policies around travel to cut costs? What has worked well — and what wouldn’t you do again?

If you’re asking author, advertising CEO and performance coach Nigel Marsh, the answer would be an enthusiastic (and Aussie-accented) “No.” In Marsh’s TED talk (you can watch the video at bottom of this post), in which he shares his thoughts on work/life balance and asks the oft-raised question, “What does a life well-lived look like?”, he argues that it’s not up to corporations or outside interests to determine employees’ work/life balance — it’s up to the employees themselves.

Work/life balance (or whatever phrase you want to use to refer to the idea) is often on the minds of employers and employees alike, and it’s an idea that continues to evolve as technology seeps into more and more aspects of our existence and workplace/personal lines are getting even blurrier. Marsh tells the story of his own transformation from a “classic corporate warrior” who was eating, drinking, and working too much and neglecting his family, to someone who turned 40 and decided to turn his life around and spend a year at home with his family — to a man who has, for the seven years since, spent his time struggling with studying and writing about striking a balance between “work” and “life.”

Marsh’s observations during the last seven years have led him to make four observations about work/life balance:

1) If society is to make any progress on this issue, we need an honest debate. The problem, Marsh says, is that all of the discussions about work/life balance involve people complaining about the phrase itself. He also argues that discussions around perks like flex time and dress down Fridays only serve to mask the core issue: That certain career choices are fundamentally incompatible with being meaningfully engaged on a day-to-day basis with a young family. According to him, we need to start acknowledging the core issues and thinking about the issue on another level if we really want to see change.

2) We must be responsible for setting and enforcing the boundaries that we want in our lives. We have to take responsibility for the type of lives we want to lead, Marsh argues — not rely on others to do so. In his words, “If you don’t design your own life, someone might design it for you — and you might not like their idea of balance.” Translation for employers: it’s the job of your employees (and, in your own career, yours) to decide the boundaries needed to make work and personal lives work in harmony — and that formula is going to be different for everyone.

3) We have to be careful (read: realistic) with the time frame upon which we choose to judge the balance in our life. We need to elongate balance, Marsh says, without falling into the trap of, “I’ll have a life when I retire” – or of “I’ll do everything in a day.” It’s not realistic — we must find the middle road, Marsh says. We can’t necessarily achieve everything we want to in a day, but at the same time, we can’t wait until our personal lives have fallen apart because of work to find that perfect balance. And speaking of finding that perfect balance…

4) We need to approach balance in a balanced way. We must attend to various aspects of our lives, including the intellectual, emotional and physical. And the great thing is, Marsh points out, it doesn’t always take a major overhaul to strike more of a balance in our lives — small changes can radically transform the quality of our relationships and of our lives.

Which, Marsh hopes, will bring us to a more thoughtful, balanced definition of what a life well-lived looks like.

I want to know — what are your thoughts as an employer? Do you feel responsible for your employees’ work/life balance, and do you think you have the power to make changes in the workplace that will translate to powerful and lasting changes in their sense of balance? Or do you agree with Marsh — that it’s not the job of an employer to be concerned with an employee’s work/life balance, or that, even if it is, there are no changes you can make to workplace rules and perks that will carry enough weight?

Is work/life balance about changing the structure and fluidity of the workplace to more effectively fit into our personal lives, or more about finding ways to increase our dedication to our personal lives so that they work within our given workplace structures?

Is it really up to an employee to find his or her own way (home)?

Watch Nigel Marsh’s TED talk on work/life balance here:

Yesterday, FORTUNE released its annual list of the Best Companies to Work For.

Simply looking at the profiles FORTUNE provides for each company, which includes such big names as Google, Whole Foods Market and Goldman Sachs, you might be thinking, Well, sure, if my company had an annual revenue of $23.6 billion, we could afford to give our employees on-site dry-cleaning and free gourmet lunches, too.  But it’s important to remember that the perks FORTUNE highlights in its profiles of these companies are just that – perks. 

Sure, things like Google’s free laundry services, Zappos’ no-charge vending machines, or the state-of-the-art gym at SAS are nice – very nice, in fact – but those things don’t even scratch the surface of what makes these companies great workplaces.  In other words, it’s not the benefits themselves, but rather the implication that employees and their work are valued that keep employees happy, engaged and productive.

Building a Great Workplace: Think ‘How,’ Not ‘What’
Last month, I had the pleasure of speaking with Michael Burchell and Jennifer Robin, researchers at the company behind FORTUNE’s list, The Great Place to Work® Institute, to discuss what differentiates great places to work from other companies.

As they note in the opening pages of the new book they co-authored, The Great Workplace: How to Build It, How to Keep It, and Why It Matters, when it comes to creating a great place to work, “it’s not what you do, but how you do it.” And these companies execute their employee benefits in such a way that says, “We value you.”

It should also be noted that these companies don’t treat their employees well because they can simply afford to offer a bunch of perks, but they can afford to offer perks precisely because they treat their employees well.

“The research we’ve done on the business benefits are pretty clear and compelling that great workplaces just do better financially [than their competitors],” Burchell says.

Aside from the financial impact, however, Burchell notes that a lot of leaders simply believe creating a culture that recognizes and rewards employees for their hard work is just the right thing to do.  The fact that it happens to be good for the bottom line, too?

Well, that’s just a perk.

FORTUNE’s Best Companies to Work For 2011: Top 10
Get a peek at what makes these places so great…or check out the entire list here:

1. SAS: While perks like on-site healthcare, high quality childcare, summer camp for kids, car cleaning, a beauty salon, and access to a state-of-the-art, 66,000-square-foot gym are nice, the real reason employees stick around is because – as one manager told FORTUNE – “they feel regarded — seen, attended to and cared for.”
2. Boston Consulting Group: Employees here have the chance to work with the U.N. World Food Program and Save the Children through the company’s Social Impact Practice Network (SIPN), contributing to a larger community effort.
3. Google In addition to recognition from executive leadership (Google employees recently received a surprise 10 percent pay hike and $1,000 bonus for their service), peer recognition is also emphasized here: Googlers can award one another $175 peer spot bonuses.
4. Wegmans: Combining the tenants of camaraderie with wellness, Wegmans holds a companywide challenge to eat five cups of fruit and vegetables a day and walk up to 10,000 steps a day for eight weeks. Wegmans also covered the costs of flu shots and H1N1 vaccines for its employees.
5. NetApp: Even hourly employees have it good here, with executive assistants making $76,450 a year, supplemented by a $21,917 bonus.
6. Zappos: Zappos follows through on its promise to “create fun and a little weirdness” by offering, among other benefits, a full-time life coach on hand.
7. Camden Property Trust: When economic pressures forced budget cuts, Camden gave its employees a say in how it should trim $6 million in costs, which ultimately entailed renegotiating contracts and reducing pay.
8. Nugget Market: Nugget embodies the ‘Communication is key’ idea, as management uses a big flat screen computer monitor in each store to deliver important information about products, messages from the leadership team, employee awards, and pump up the troops.
9. REI: Employees get a none-too-shabby 50-75 percent discount on merchandise and free equipment rental – as well as the chance to participate in an outdoor adventure for $300 in grant money.
10. Dreamworks: Any DreamWorks employee can pitch a movie idea to company executives — and can take the company-sponsored “Life’s A Pitch” workshop to learn how best to do it.

What makes your company a great place to work?

Just a couple of years ago, the world watched as Wall Street began to rapidly unravel, and we continued to watch as the weeks and months to follow showed further signs of trouble and revealed cracks in our economy that many of us hadn’t the slightest idea existed. When what we were going through was finally officially labeled as a recession, many employers had already thinned out staff levels, cut back budgets, and slashed benefits. Consequently, businesses were forced to “do more with less” (you know, that phrase you’ve heard 1,000,001 times by now.)

No money, no problems?

Faced with fewer resources, many companies decided to roll up their sleeves, get creative, and find new and inexpensive ways to communicate with their clients and job candidates. Some of those inexpensive ways of communicating included Web-based tools like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, and they were really starting to take off. Not surprisingly, many human resources professionals were suddenly tasked with taking them on, in addition to all their other responsibilities.

Without proper methods of tracking candidates found through sites like Facebook and Twitter, however, HR managers and recruiters were spinning their wheels and wasting a lot of valuable time. In fact, according to a recent CareerBuilder study, 60 percent of recruiter time was being wasted on non-value-added activities, the majority of recruiters weren’t measuring ROI, and candidate tracking was often only 25 percent accurate due to ATS limitations. Executives were expecting HR to perform miracles through social media — and it wasn’t happening.

While HR was focused on time and cost to hire candidates, business executives were stressing the need to convert HR data to business intelligence.

Now what?

CareerBuilder realized companies needed a solution that accomplished both parties’ objectives — and soon after, Talent Network was born.

Okay, but what is it, exactly?

Talent Network, a custom career site that helps employers build their own pipeline of talent,  enables employers to connect the dots of all the things they are doing to attract job seekers, engage interested candidates, and measure the success of their efforts. Let’s break it down:

Awareness

Talent Network builds awareness for your jobs through five key areas:

1. Social — Add a link to your Talent Network on social sites all over the Web, including Facebook (via CareerBuilder’s Work@ employee referral system) and Twitter.
2. SEO — Turn your internal job terms that may be abbreviated, vague or full of company lingo into title descriptions that job seekers instantly understand, and in turn, show up in more search engine results for job seekers looking for your open position.
3. Mobile — Your Talent Network site is mobile-enabled, giving you instant reach to people searching for jobs on their mobile devices. Tap into a market with explosive growth.
4. Career Site – Get a designed, hosted and supported career site, drive your target candidates there, and track your progress.
5. Job Distribution —CareerBuilder’s partnerships with sites like Indeed.com help you gain strong referral links to your jobs.

Engagement

Interact with candidates who have expressed interest in your business or open positions and give them a more satisfying experience.

• With the click of a button that exists on sites all over the Web, potential employees can arrive at and join your talent network, stay keyed into your available job opportunities, and get personalized alerts with jobs at your company that most match their interests and experience.
• Capture job seekers’ information before they leave your site, welcome them to your community, and start connecting with them on a deeper level.
• Send members of your network tailored job recommendations and customized messages. You can even send automated communications when you need to get a broad message out to many people at once.

Measurement
Quality measurement matters. Drive informed business decisions with accurate and in-depth information about your Talent Network’s search traffic, job interactions, and candidate conversions; in other words, gain the most insight available about members of your network.

A Better Way

How does Talent Network solve some of the biggest recruitment and business challenges companies are facing? Let’s take a look:

Old way: Potential candidates are gone before you can get them to take any action on your website.
Talent Network: Encourage visitors to leave a footprint before leaving your website.

Old way: You’re missing out on job search traffic because your jobs are hidden behind your ATS.
Talent Network: Expose and search engine-optimize your jobs, driving relevant candidates to your job openings.

Old way: Your recruiters keep contacts in their own databases, which creates a lot of one-off lists.
Talent Network: Keep all recruiters’ candidate contacts in one location.

Old way: You know who your target candidates are, but you’re struggling to reach them.
Talent Network: Take advantage of the custom SEO landing pages developed exclusively for your organization, and get in front of those elusive candidates.

Old way: You’re not really sure where your website traffic is coming from.
Talent Network: Get detailed, helpful insight into where your visitors are coming from, as well as what they’re doing once they get there.

Still have questions? Learn more about Talent Network:

Watch a short video or view product demos

Visit the Talent Network page

Read the press release

Feel free to post comments and questions here as well, and we will do our best to answer them.

Are you one of those people addicted, not to love as Robert Palmer once claimed you were, but to work? Or worse yet, are your own employees stuck to their ergonomic yet stifling cubicle chairs, desperately looking for you to help them regain a sense of balance?

You might have caught my recent blog post about the increased usage of mobile devices, and how the technologically “on” mentality these devices spur is affecting the way many people work — even when they’re not actually at work. While access to mobile devices may add pressure for workers to be available at all times of the day or night, it’s just one of many reasons people are spending an inordinate amount of time thinking about, talking about, and even dreaming about Ryan Reynolds work these days. A new CareerBuilder study of more than 3,100 workers examines signs of work addiction, takes stock of how many workers are suffering from it, and explores ways workers can find a happy medium between work and personal time as we dive into 2011. 

Can you identify with any of the following signs of work addiction?

1. You spend most of your day – including your free time – thinking about work. (24 percent of workers surveyed reported that when they’re at home or out socially, they’re still thinking about work. Nineteen percent say they often dream about work.)
2. You’re more concerned about what your boss thinks than your own family.
3. You would rather be in your cubicle than in your home. (15 percent of workers surveyed said they feel this way.)

Longer Hours and Water Cooler-Themed Dinners

The leaner staffs and heftier workloads of 2010 encouraged (or forced) many employees to work longer hours than usual and take work home with them. One out of two workers said their workloads have increased over the last six months, and there’s no indication that trend is changing:

• More than half of workers (52 percent) reported they put in more than the standard 40 hours a week, while 14 percent said they work more than 50 hours a week.

• As far as taking work home, 31 percent bring home work at least once a week, while one in ten bring home work at least every other day.

• Some workers just can’t stop talking about work to family, co-workers, and friend, either. Sixteen percent of workers said most of their conversations – at work, home or out socially – always tend to focus on work.

A High Price to Pay

If you guessed that all this heightened focus and pressure on work, work, work is taking a toll on workers’ relationships with themselves and with their families, as well as increasing their stress levels and causing health issues — well, you’d be right on target.

• 22 percent of workers reported they don’t have time to pursue personal interests because they say they’re always working.
• 12 percent said the amount of time spent on work is causing friction with their family.
• 27 percent have not taken a personal or sick day in the last few years.
• 26 percent have experienced health issues tied to stress on the job.

“With increased demands at the office and greater accessibility through mobile devices, the workday literally never ends for some workers,” said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder.  “While a strong work ethic is valued, a lack of balance with your personal life can ultimately work against you in the long run.  As the year wraps up, take inventory of your personal time and see where you need to make adjustments in 2011.”

Stop the Insanity

So what’s an overworked soul to do? Well, if you find you or your employees are hitting the Excel spreadsheets a little too hard, and neglecting the gym, the dinner table, or the kids’ soccer games, here are some tips, courtesy of Haefner, for achieving a more manageable schedule and a better work/life balance:

1)    Set aside personal time. You schedule business meetings and events successfully, so do the same for “me time” or “family time” and stick to the schedule you create.

2)    Let go. Learn to delegate work-related tasks and responsibilities to others.

3)   Take off the e-leash. In most cases, that e-mail or text can wait.  Turn off your electronic devices at a certain time.  Take care of personal commitments and put the kids to bed before turning it back on.

4)   Talk to others who understand your situation. Check out support groups such as Workaholics Anonymous and find out what others have done to achieve their recovery.

New Year, New “You” Time?

As we enter a shiny new year, unmarred by any mistakes we will inevitably make (and hopefully learn from), we are ambitious in our determination to make this year better than the last. Rather than solely focusing on revenue, productivity, and the “bottom line,” then, let’s pause and ask ourselves this question: Am I being mindful of balance in my own life — and in the lives of my employees?”

Only you (and your employees) know the answer.

If there’s one thing Americans love, it’s year-end,”top ten” lists.  

Not to discount the role family time, seasonal light displays, gift-giving and Charlie Brown all play in creating an overall sense of merriment this time of year, but I’d be willing to bet that top ten lists have a lot to do with what makes this season so merry and bright. Because for everything that divides this country throughout the year – religion, politics, the necessity of airport patdowns, Jacob versus Edward, etc. – December marks the one time of year we can all seem to agree that there’s nothing we, as a country, can’t – or won’t – categorize, list, judge, rank…and then blog about. 

So in the spirit of the season (and not wanting to miss out on one of America’s favorite pastimes), I’m proud to announce The Hiring Site’s very own year-end top ten list:

The Hiring Site’s Top 10 Most-Read Blog Posts of 2010:

1. How to Craft a Candidate Rejection Letter or E-mail (Yes, You Have Time To Do It) Time was not on the side many overworked hiring managers this year, but that’s no excuse to leave a candidate hanging. While you probably don’t want to write a candidate rejection letter any more than a candidate wants to receive one, there’s a good reason why you should. Fortunately, there’s also a way to do it that won’t eat up valuable work hours. We provide both.
2. Will the Real Candidate Please Stand Up? How to Spot a Fake Resume Thanks to a rise in websites like CareerExcuse.com and FakeResume.com, it became even easier for job seekers to falsify information on their resumes. Here we give tips for making sure you don’t fall victim to fakes.
3. Job Creation Up, Unemployment Rate Down (But There’s a Catch…) Little did we know at the time, but June 2010 – the topic of our monthly summary of the unemployment situation report – would later be identified by economists as the month the recession officially ended. 
4. Social Media Recruiting Made Easy: A New (Free) eBook If you haven’t visited this post since February (or at all) be sure to go back and download our popular eBook on social media recruitment, Will Tweet for Talent: A User’s Guide to Talent Recruitment through Social Media, which has since been updated with more current facts and figures.
5. The HIRE Act — What Does It Mean for Your Business? In March of this year, President Obama signed into law the HIRE Act, which allows businesses that hire unemployed workers certain tax credits. We broke down the basics of the law to show what the HIRE Act means for both you and your organization overall.
6. CareerBuilder Unveils Its New Big Game Commercial (With a Little Help from You) Adding a little levity to our usual fare, we asked you to vote on which CareerBuilder ad you wanted to see during the Big Game – the very ad that results in one of CareerBuilder’s biggest traffic surges of the year and – more importantly – increased exposure for CareerBuilder customers.
7. Perceived Risks Don’t Negate Proven Rewards of Social Media Recruiting While it’s fun to focus on the benefits of social media recruitment, in June we took a moment to address – and clarify – the realities and misconceptions of its potential risks.  
8. How Does Your Company Promote Employee Wellness?  Sure, it helped that we sweetened the deal by adding the chance to win an iPod nano – but it was refreshing to see the huge response from employers who actively promote their employees’ well-being.  Although only one person won the iPod, everyone who read both this post and our follow-up post walked away with some great ideas for promoting wellness at their own organizations.
9. BLS Employment Situation Report for July – Channeling “Groundhog Day”? July marked yet another month of slow but sure – but definitely slow – progress, when we did our monthly summary of the Labor Department’s Employment situation report. (Five months later, can we not say the exact same thing? Maybe we are living Groundhog Day.)
10. “What Happens if the Owner Dies?” True Tales of Interview Questions That Stumped Hiring Managers When we challenged readers to share the most difficult interview questions they’ve ever gotten – from job candidates, the only thing more surprising than the questions our readers submitted were the surprisingly insightful lessons they gleaned from their experiences.  

What’s Ahead for 2011?
But let’s not dwell too much on the past…Here’s a peek of the topics we have in store to cover for 2011:

• Building a talent pipeline for today and the future
• Using talent intelligence to make smarter decisions and strengthen business operations
• Emerging media and recruitment: Strategies and best practices
• Employment branding: Taking it to the next level
• The new rules for succession planning and retention
• New recruitment trends: Do they live up to the hype?

Anything we’re missing? What topics do you want us to cover in 2011? Tell us in the comments section below!

I’ve been reading more and more articles lately about company executives and key leadership figures making a greater effort to reach out to employees in light of an improving economy — largely because of their hidden fears of employees leaving for greener pastures now coming to life. While it’s worth applauding the effort of a company’s leaders to engage employees and actually spend more time getting to know them and their concerns, the underlying motivation of some is a bit concerning. After all, your employees don’t want to feel like a commodity that’s only valuable in certain economic conditions — and they shouldn’t be made to feel that way.

One anecdote that stood out to me was from a Wall Street Journal article back in April that mentioned executives being asked to “increase the efforts” to talk with workers, as the economy turning around brought more of a risk of losing people.

Ouch.

Now don’t get me wrong — it’s better that these executives are being asked (or deciding on their own) to interact with workers now, rather than not at all.  And positives are coming out of the efforts; one company mentioned in the WSJ article, for instance, increased pay raises in July rather than September, as a result of the CEO interacting with workers and listening to their compensation woes. That’s great — but engaging with employees isn’t a retention tool to turn off and on when it’s convenient for a business; it’s a full-time job. Of course there will be times that leaders need to invest their efforts in other things, but the needs and well-being of employees should never be far out of mind.

Because while there is truth to the idea that many workers plan to leave their jobs as the economy turns around, think of how many of the employees currently plotting their escape from a company could be satisfied and happy if leaders had started consistently engaging them from the moment they walked in the door.

Hey, we can’t go back in time, but we can learn from the past — and hopefully, some leaders are realizing the errors of their ways. Despite shaky motives, the recession may still have taught (and be teaching) businesses that listening to their employees and taking the time to talk with and get to know them better is a positive move for everyone involved. And if the recession has moved some employers to make a bigger effort, well, maybe the end results of that increased interaction will make them realize it needs to be a permanent, genuine shift — not just a “strategy” worked into the “recession recovery plan.”

If your company has been slacking on engaging your employees, there are things you can do to breathe some life into your employees and make them excited to come to work again. Check out Mary’s post about keeping your employees informed, then read about seven ways to inspire them, to help you start thinking in the mindset of engagement and what that really means to employees. And remember that, while some employees may already be spending their free time making collages with their future employer’s company brochures, there are things you can do to revive and reengage other employees who are still willing to give you a chance to make things right.

A Robert Half Management Resources survey showed that 11 percent of employers have learned nothing from the recession — which, as the author notes, is worrisome for 100 percent of their employees. But that also gives us hope for the 89 percent who have learned a thing or two (or 10).

What the biggest lesson the recession has taught you or your company?

Note: This post is the second part of a three-part series on re-engaging your employees. Click here to read part one: Want to Re-Engage Your Employees? Do This First…

Even if you haven’t read the recent TowersWatson study showing that a mere 21 percent of employees are engaged in their work, you probably could’ve guessed that your employees aren’t exactly sunshine and lollipops these days. 

No doubt the heavier workload and longer hours workers have had to take on a result of the recession have done their fair share of the damage.  That’s why now is the time for employers to start engaging their workforces again. 

And that means…what, exactly? Well, for Holly Green, a workplace management expert, consultant and author of More Than a Minute: How to Be an Effective Leader and Manager in Today’s Changing World, engagement is a three-part process. You can read about the first step, Keeping Your Employees Informed, here in my previous post on re-engaging your employees.

The second step is a little loftier: Inspiring your employees. Why inspire? “Today’s employees want to believe that their work is making a difference in the world,” Green says.  While showing your employees how their work makes a difference in the world might seem like a daunting task, Green was kind enough to share with me some of her tips that managers can use as a guide for inspiring their employees:

Step 2: Inspiring Your Employees  

1. Share a compelling vision of what tomorrow looks like. Communicate how that vision will make the world a better place and improve your employees’ lives.
2. Explain what’s in it for them. Why should your employees aspire to achieve the goals of the organization? How do their goals align with those of the organization?
3. Share your own story. Talk about why you believe the destination is compelling, and what it is it about where the company is going that inspires you. After all, why would your employees care about the mission of the company if their own manager doesn’t?
4. Communicate with enthusiasm and passion. Again, if you don’t appear to care, your employees won’t care, either.  That enthusiasm and passion will help carry you through even when faced with barriers or obstacles.
5. Solicit employee input. Ask your employees what the vision means to them. Let them provide their own take on the vision – and how they see themselves contributing to it – and then share their responses via multiple channels.
6. Share positive customer feedback. This ‘customer’ can be internal or external.  These testimonials will prove to your employees that their work is affecting real people. Give them reasons to feel good about what the company does.
7. Celebrate achievement of milestones. Keep your employees motivated by recognizing their progress and success along the way to your goals.

The ultimate goal here is communication: Start the conversation about what the mission and goals mean to your employees individually. The more they focus on these areas, the more likely you are to get buy-in and alignment. Then check back here for the final part of this three-part series on engaging your employees.

In the following excerpt from CareerBuilder’s recent interview with Joseph Phelan, chief executive officer of Sunbelt Rentals, Inc., he discusses the importance of empowering employees and turning every manager into a talent manager.

What is your philosophy as it relates to people and their impact on your daily business?

Our people at Sunbelt Rentals are core to our business.  The more than 2,200 different types of construction, industrial and do it yourself equipment along with 350 locations across the country by themselves will not make us unique.  Our customers are looking for not just a national network with a wide breadth of equipment; they need these products to be supported by helpful, caring and knowledgeable employees who are motivated to provide good service with each and every transaction.  The hardest thing to duplicate in this equation is having talented people who really care about our customers and are trained sufficiently to provide the best service in the industry – this is the real differentiator for us at Sunbelt Rentals.

How do you engage with and relate to your employees?
As a management team we engage with our employees by ensuring we create lots of opportunities for open and honest communications.  Our people strategy is centered around hiring highly motivated/energetic people, providing the training needed to excel, setting performance expectations, measuring performance and providing ongoing performance feedback and recognition.  With more than 350 stores across the U.S. it is critical that we rely on multiple channels for communication.  To do this our employees are measured at the store level, provided monthly performance/dashboard information.  We start each day talking about safety by engaging in flex and stretch with our field employees.  This sends an important message to them about how we feel and how important it is to us that they return home in the same good condition them came to us in.  In addition to the daily flex and stretch, we hold monthly performance meetings at each store, quarterly town hall meetings, and bi-annual senior leadership meetings.  Our senior team spends the majority of their time in the field with customers and employees – this is the best way for us to stay close to our business and to quickly react to the needs of our customers.

How do you define Sunbelt Rental’s culture? As a leader what role do you play and what is your impact on the culture?
Our culture is entrepreneurial and our employees are empowered to do what makes the most sense for our customers and the business.  It is my belief that if provided good communications regarding our vision and strategy and we provide the necessary tools and support, our employees will make the right decisions.  We are very agile for a large company and make it easy for our employees to access management at every level.

Some people believe HR to be the only department with a responsibility for the organization’s people. Can you tell me how you make your overall talent strategy a priority and the role you play in driving it?
Let’s start with driving talent strategy.  At Sunbelt Rentals, we believe that every manager should be a talent manager.  We are constantly working to make this belief a reality by building programs that focus on the right metrics across all levels of the organization.  We also hold our managers accountable through regular performance evaluations and dashboards that update key performance indicators every month.  Using the right metrics to put our customer’s front and center provides a consistent rallying cry throughout the organization.  It is hard to argue with doing the right thing – we call it “making it happen for our customers”.

How have you leveraged your brand to grow your business?
Our employment brand and our “brand” are one and the same.  We are focused on making it happen for our customers. What is critical for us is to make sure we continue to hire professionals with the right attitude, drive and enthusiasm.  Then we must educate them on our culture, mission, vision, values and brand.  These steps followed by setting expectations, providing regular performance feedback and rewarding employees for good performance have helped us rally our employees.  Most or our employees are interested in growth and you can hear of many success stories throughout the organization of employees rising up in the organization to new challenges and opportunities.  If these steps are followed, we’ll continue to have dedicated employees.

Can you give me one or two examples of how one person had a major impact at Sunbelt Rentals?
One of the great things about Sunbelt Rentals is that our employees truly work together to make it happen for our customers.  This collaborative effort is what sets us apart from our competitors and creates the team atmosphere needed to deliver the high service levels we set.  Every day we have examples of employees in a host of positions who go above and beyond the call of duty.  This includes mechanics, counter personnel, branch managers, Vice Presidents and support office employees.  Every level of the Company is represented.  To give you examples of how our team members pull together, we have had people working around the clock to help our customers and the communities in which they live in times of natural disasters.  The floods in Nashville and St. Louis represent perfect examples.  During Hurricane Katrina, our branch manager made sure the location was open in order to serve those in need.  We had teams of volunteers who traveled to New Orleans from our support office and other branch locations to make sure we could provide as much support as possible.  But, we also have employees who will gladly run out to a customer’s home to fix a down piece of equipment or provide needed advice on a Saturday afternoon.

Some people believe HR to be the only department with a responsibility for the organization’s people. Can you tell me how you make your overall talent strategy a priority and the role you play in driving it?
To be a good leader you also have to know when to get out of the way and follow.  One person can’t take the headwind constantly and providing opportunities for others to demonstrate leadership skills is not only a learning experience for them but will be for you as well.  Leaders must also be good communicators and listening is one of the most important attributes of communication.  Listening skills start with creating the opportunities to receive input from customers and employees.  Creating these opportunities will strengthen an organization as well as allow it to run faster than you could ever imagine.

ABOUT JOSEPH PHELAN: Joe Phelan brings more than 25 years of experience, visionary style and inspired leadership to Sunbelt Rentals. With a solid understanding of the industry and an impressive management background, he was named to this position in April 2009. Mr. Phelan joined Ashtead from Deutsche Post DHL, where he served as Chief Executive Officer of DHL Global Mail based in Weston, Florida. Before joining DHL in 2004, he held a number of senior executive positions with American Airlines. He has been an Executive Director of Ashtead Group plc since April 23, 2009. Joe is a native of southern California. He holds an MBA from the University of Dallas, and a BA, Business Administration from California State University.

ABOUT SUNBEST RENTALS, INC.: Sunbelt Rentals prides themselves on their people. They realize that their national network of construction and industrial equipment rental stores, with more than $2B in equipment and small tools for do it yourselfers to large national contractors, can be duplicated by others.  What is most difficult to duplicate is the talent of the 5,000 employees pulling together to make it happen for their customers. Their employment brand and the external brand they go to market with is built on dedicated and committed employees who feel empowered to do what makes the most sense for our customers.  By creating the environment for their employees to excel with this vision, they create opportunities for career growth, successes for our customers and growth for our shareholders.

So here’s the bad news: your employees are feeling a little burned out these days. But here’s the good better other news: it’s not just your employees.  A recent study by international HR consulting firm TowersWatson shows that fewer than 21 percent of employees surveyed described themselves as “highly engaged” at work, down from 31 percentin 2009. Nearly one-tenth of workers indicated that they were fully disengaged.

The increased lack of engagement comes as no surprise to workplace management expert Holly Green, who recently spoke with me over the phone about how managers can work to re-engage employees. Even managers, Green says, are feeling a little burned out right now, thanks to the extra hours and workloads everyone has had to take on as an effect of the recession.  But before trying to re-engage employees, Green says, managers must take two important steps managers first: inform their employees, and then inspire them.  

Green, who is the author of More Than a Minute: How to Be an Effective Leader and Manager in Today’s Changing World, was kind enough to share some of the ways she helps managers inform, inspire and then engage their employees in today’s workplace.  In the first of a three-part series, below is a checklist for the first part… 

Step One: Inform  – 7 Key Topics
The first key step to engaging employees is to keep them informed. That is, make sure your employees are clear on their goals and the goals of the company. You want to align your employees and get their buy-in, so this step involves taking a moment to consider these goals. Start by discussing with them the following areas: 

1. Mission – Why does your company/team/role exist?
2. Guiding principles – How will you behave?
3. Value proposition – What do you offer key stakeholders?
4. Destination – Where is your company going?
5. Strategic priorities – What are the areas of focus for the organization?
6. Key initiatives – What will you do to get there?
7. Impact – What difference do these efforts make to the individual? The job? The team?

7 Key Questions to Ask Yourself
As you go through the process of informing your employees, keep yourself on track by asking yourself the following questions:

1. Have I provided clarity recently on these six areas?
2. What have I learned in the past 30 days that others on my team may not know?
3. Has something changed?
4. Did I use multiple channels and speak to multiple preferences?
5. Did I keep things positive while discussing the future?
6. What can I do to create ongoing management routines to keep team members informed?
7.  Who can help hold me accountable to do this?

Finally, take a moment to outline the actions you will take to ensure you keep your employees informed on each of these points. Once you’ve clarified your employees’ mission and goals – and how they play into the larger picture, then you’re ready to inspire them.  Check back in to The Hiring Site for part II of this series: how to inspire your employees.

Does the fact that you cringe at the sight of your neighbor’s 20 cats and prefer the company of your trusty Lassie companion mean you’re more likely to have a job as a police officer — or a CEO? Does your love of slithering reptiles mean you spend your days as a salesperson or a social worker? Does your strange obsession with your foul-mouthed parrot mean you’re more likely to be in construction or public relations?

Pets bring many things into our lives — including companionship, fun, and, unfortunately, more cleaning duties. Research has shown that pets may also make their owners more trustworthy, better at making connections and more apt to help out others by volunteering — “social capital” traits that can carry over into the workplace. So what do our choices in pets tell us about our professions? CareerBuilder’s newest survey of more than 2,300 workers with pets examines a person’s choice of pets in relation to chosen profession, compensation and job satisfaction — and the results may surprise you:

Which pet owners make the most money — and are happiest with their jobs?

• Highest job positions: Workers with dogs were  more likely to report holding senior management positions like CEO, CFO, or Senior Vice President.
• Most money: Workers with snakes/reptiles were the most likely to report earning six figures.
• Happiest with their jobs: Workers with birds were the most likely to report being satisfied with their jobs.

In terms of career paths, those in certain professions were more likely to have certain types of pets.

Does your chosen profession match up with your pet of choice?

• Dog owners were more likely to be professors, nurses, information technology professionals, military professionals and entertainers.
• Cat owners were more likely to be physicians, real estate agents, science/medical lab technicians, machine operators and personal caretakers.
• Fish owners were more likely to be human resources professionals, financial professionals, hotel and leisure professionals, farming/fishing/forestry. professionals and transportation professionals.
• Bird owners were more likely to be advertising professionals, sales representatives, construction workers and administrative professionals.
• Snake/reptile owners were more likely to be engineers, social workers, marketing/public relations professionals, editors/writers and police officers.

Do you think pets help you be a better person in your professional life?

While it’s common to see film and television studios convert best-selling books to screen, rarely does it go the other way around. And yet, that’s exactly what Eli Holzman and Stephen Lambert, creators and executive producers of CBS’ hit show “Undercover Boss,” have done, with the release of their new book, Undercover Boss: Inside the TV Phenomenon That is Changing Bosses and Employees Everywhere.

“It’s the story behind the story,” Holzman said of the book in a recent phone interview. An extension of the television show, Undercover Boss features new, in-depth interviews with the bosses featured in the first season of the show, offering greater detail about what went on behind the scenes, how they changed since the show and where their employees are now. 

But beyond the book’s entertainment value, readers will also be able to take away some valuable business lessons and management insights, as well. (The book even includes a “How to” guide for bosses who want to experience going undercover themselves.)

‘Boss’ as Business Book
If anyone can speak to the show’s value as a business tool, it is Holzman himself, who says that working on the show and witnessing what these CEOs experience first-hand has influenced the way he now runs his production company – and to which he attributes much of the success of the show.

“That message of appreciating people is a really powerful one, and it’s really good business,” he says. He has found that having people who work hard and dedicate themselves to their work and producing a quality product is a direct result of that message. 

Holzman just may be on to something, because he’s clearly doing something right: Undercover Boss became the most-watched premiere of a reality series in history when it premiered to an audience of 40 million viewers last February – a number that surprised even the producers.

“We loved the show and we were incredibly proud of it, but we didn’t dare to dream it would reach such a wide audience,” Holzman says.

Tapping Into Americans’ Desires for Recognition
So what accounts for the show’s popularity? Holzman believes the show gets such a large audience because so many people can relate to it. “I think every one of us has thought at one point, ‘Gosh, if they only knew what they’re asking of me, they’d appreciate me much better.’ I think we all have that longing. And we tapped into that.”

He recounts one visit to a White Castle frozen food packaging plant, when the CEO was giving him a tour of the facility prior to taping.  In the middle of the tour, the CEO stopped to introduce Holzman to a woman working on the line, pointing out that she had a perfect attendance record going back nine years.  Recalling the look of joy on the woman’s face upon being recognized for the distinction, Holzman says, “I think that’s what’s at the heart of Undercover Boss: We crave esteem, and we crave recognition for our hard work…and when someone appreciates us, it means the world to us.” So when audiences see it happening on television, he says, “it touches a nerve.”

Hitting Close to Home
But it’s not only his audience with whom these stories resonate: Simply working on the show has pushed Holzman to try to be a better boss himself.  “People tell me ‘you made me cry again. Well, we cry when we make the show,’” he says of witnessing the emotional impact this experience has on both bosses and the people who serve them.

He admits that, early in his career, he gave little thought to developing his skills as a manager, something he now realizes is as important to the success of his business as anything else.

“One of the things that is really challenging for bosses of big companies, they have so much going on that they can’t immerse themselves in the details… however, as important as [things like the bottom line and key growth areas] may be, they don’t trump the vital aspect of the quality of your workforce,” Holzman says, recalling how Harvey Firestone used to say, “We’re not in the tire business, we’re in the people business.”

“It’s an old adage,” he admits. “But it’s true.”

Listening to Holzman talk, it’s clear that with both the book and television show, he is setting out to provide more than just entertainment value. “I like to think that we [the people behind the show] help our world to the extent that we can make a show that helps people understand each other a little bit better, that helps people appreciate each other a little more,” he says. 

And while he admits that trying to make the world a better place is “a very lofty goal,” he also believes – after witnessing it firsthand – that it’s not an impossible one.  And with a new medium by which to spread that message, the co-author of Undercover Boss is that much closer to reaching this goal.

Eli Holzman is president and cofounder of Studio Lambert USA, where he launched and executive produced Undercover Boss. The second season of Undercover Boss airs Sunday nights on CBS at 9/8 CST.  Undercover Boss: Inside the TV Phenomenon That is Changing Bosses and Employees Everywhere is available for $24.95 by Jossey-Bass.

Feeling unmotivated? Uninspired? Disengaged? You’re not alone. “There’s a lot of valid reason we’re feeling burned out,” says Holly Green, workplace management expert and best-selling author of the book More Than a Minute: How to Be an Effective Leader and Manager in Today’s Changing World.

“It’s because we are,” she says.

I recently spoke with Green about the amount of stress managers are under today to re-engage their employees in an increasingly stressful work environment. If employees think they’re the only ones who need a break these days, Green says, they should think again.   “Managers are feeling the same way. And when you’re burned out, it’s that much harder to think about engaging someone else.”

So rather than add one more thing to the already-overstretched manager’s to do list, perhaps it would be easier to simply know what NOT to do…Green was kind enough to offer the following advice on how NOT to manage your employees.

Top 10 Things Managers Should NOT Do To Engage Employees:

1. Don’t Practice the Halo Effect. This is when a manager assumes that, because someone has one good quality, the person is great at everything, preventing managers from seeing the opportunities for improvement; similarly, managers should also avoid the opposite of the halo effect – the devil effect.
2. Don’t Humiliate or Demean Employees (especially not in front of others).
3. Don’t Withhold Feedback because you assume your employees already know where they need to improve or will “figure it out” on their own. “If you’re going to be a good manager, it is essential that you get good at giving feedback,” Green says. That means both constructive and negative feedback.
4. Don’t Underestimate the Power of Ongoing One-on-One Conversations to build trusting, more productive relationships with your employees.
5. Don’t Assume Your Team Knows What Winning Looks Like. “A manager’s most important role is to clarify what winning or excellence looks like, and then help people achieve it for themselves and the organization – you can’t over communicate in this regard.”
6. Don’t Assume People Understand Your Reasoning behind decisions. By the same token, don’t blame any decisions on “upper management,” “the HR department” or anyone else. Employees see right through that.
7. Don’t Forget That Praise is About Them, Not You. When recognizing employees, pause and consider what the individuals would want to receive and how they would want to receive it.  “For some people, presenting to the senior executive team could be a big perk and considered a reward for a job well done; for others, this could be the worst possible and most stressful of all scenarios,” Green says. Likewise, don’t give lavish public praise to someone who is very private, a Starbucks card to someone who doesn’t drink coffee or tea, or buy a cake for someone with dietary restrictions.
8. Don’t Speak Negatively About Other Team Members, their peers or senior management and leaders.
9. Don’t Give ‘Sandwich’ Feedback. While many managers were taught to give sandwich feedback (saying something good, sneaking in something negative and then quickly saying something good again), this method only “leaves the receiver wondering what the heck was the point,” Green says.
10. Don’t Ever Stop Recruiting. “Folks need to be re-recruited and re-energized – especially after the past few years.”

Anything you would you add to this list? What “habits” have you broken (or would like to see others break)? DO share in the comments below!

Ah, the awkward conversation. Much like death and taxes, the awkward conversation is something people will do anything to avoid.

…which is perhaps why so many managers are so poor at giving feedback: rather than have a potentially uncomfortable conversation about what their employee needs to improve upon, they avoid it completely. But giving feedback is a crucial skill that every manager needs to practice (in order to get better at giving it). After all, the only way you can expect your employees to get better at what they do is to give them constructive, candid and timely feedback. But, again, giving feedback is a skill that requires practice…and carefully chosen words.

Five Tips for What to Say (and What Not to Say) When Giving Feedback: 

1. Say This: “I noticed that you’ve missed a few deadlines lately.” Not That: “You seem disinterested in your work lately.” When giving feedback, it’s important to focus on an employee’s specific behavior, not the impression you had of it. Telling an employee that he or she “seems disinterested”  or “appears disengaged” is actually a comment about your perception or impression of the employee – which comes across as a judgment - when in reality, the employee’s perceived disinterest could be the result of something completely unrelated to work. Focusing on the specific behavior that led to that impression opens up the door to have a clear discussion about the reasons why, rather than making the employee feel judged, alienated or confused.
2. Say This: “You were effective when you…” or “You could’ve been more effective when you…” Not That: “Good job.”  In other words, feedback that is generic and vague is also useless. Focusing on specific actions has two major benefits: It prevents employees from taking the feedback personally, and it also helps them understand what they should do (or not do) in the future.
3. Say This: “I’d like to offer you some feedback on this report, is that okay with you?” Not That: “Your report was…” Whenever possible, request to give feedback. Not only will your employees appreciate the gesture, but they’ll be more likely to take the feedback into consideration and apply it to try to improve.
4. Say This: “Your presentation was extremely well-researched. Here’s where it could’ve been stronger…”  Not That: “The research you used in your presentation was a little weak in some areas.” Preface with the positive.  Point out what the employee is doing well before delving into areas for improvement. When employees feel like their work is appreciated, they are much more likely to implement the constructive criticism – and to come to you for feedback in the future.
5. Say This: “Tell me, what was your understanding of what I asked you to do?” Not That: “You seem to have misunderstood what I asked you to do.” There’s that assumption creeping back in again, which does little to open up an honest, productive conversation.  Try to really look at your employees’ work through their eyes – and make the effort to understand their approach to their work. It will help you analyze the situation in a way that helps them reach their goals….And, perhaps most importantly, this approach will help you see how you can communicate with your employees more effectively.  

Thoughts? Feedback? Anything you would add?

A while back, a friend (we’ll call her Penelope) complained to me that her manager often wouldn’t pay attention to her in one-on-one meetings. As Penelope poured her heart out and told her manager of her work woes and recent successes, her manager busily listened and offered insightful feedback typed away on her Blackberry, checking messages and responding to e-mails (likely nodding occasionally and raising her head to give Penelope an empty smile or concerned furrowing of her brow).

Troubling, yes? At the time, I was shocked, but since hearing this anecdote, I’ve encountered this type of situation many times myself. My question is, when did the “other” things we’re doing become so important that we can’t pay full attention to the person speaking to us — and is it affecting employees in ways we may not even realize?

Phones and disrespect

The other day, Gini Dietrich, CEO of Arment Dietrich, wrote that the use of phones in meetings is extremely disrespectful — and I agree. As she says, phones aren’t allowed in meetings — although it’s never been expressly stated as a “rule.” It’s just part of the company’s culture. It’s clear that the company’s employees have enough respect for one another not to be tapping away on their phones while someone is talking.

How many times have you walked past a table of people eating lunch and every one of them is texting or e-mailing? Although the sight of it always seems ridiculous to me, I’m in no way innocent of the texting-at-restaurants trend. However, in the workplace, work needs to get done (often in a team setting), attention needs to be paid to the matter at hand, and the expectation should be different. Shouldn’t it?

What kind of message are you sending to employees?

The people using smart phones in meetings aren’t always lower-level employees; often, they’re managers and leaders. After all, leadership sets the tone for what’s appropriate and what’s not — and employees follow their lead. If a leadership figure  is habitually texting, e-mailing, or browsing on a phone during meetings, how do you think employees are perceiving that person — as well as the importance of the meeting?

Employees interpret leaders using their phone and not paying attention to what’s being said (even if they say they are) as not caring — and if they don’t care, why should their employees? It’s a poor move for morale, and it’s setting a terrible example as a leader. Plus, the person speaking or presenting likely feel pretty lousy when his or her manager or even the CEO is doing other things rather than listening to this really important thing that affects the organization.

Not a hard-and-fast rule

There are of course exceptions for any employee — your wife’s about to go into labor at any moment;  you are on deadline for a project and are expecting a call or e-mail that you must respond to right away; you’re attending to an emergency work or personal situation. I get it — it happens to everyone, and that’s why I’m not necessarily saying we should have a hard and fast rule of “No phones, no exceptions.” Not at all.

There are times when using phones can even benefit a meeting; you may be able to answer a question instantly with a quick Internet search and move on to the next item in the agenda, or e-mail someone not in the meeting and get a quick answer back that you can share with others present. Or, you may want to jot info into your phone pertinent to the meeting.

What I am saying is that there are times that using one’s phone can be more detrimental than putting it aside — and we must discern between the two.

Surviving in a technological world

There was a time (you may have to strain to remember) when we didn’t have smart phones or PDAs. There was a time when people had to leave others a message on (shudder) an  answering machine. And e-mail — what was that? While technology has made communication in the workplace a million times easier in many ways, it has also made it harder to draw a line where our technological communication must end and our human interaction must begin. It’s far too easy to do and not to think — but by not thinking, we’re doing a disservice to employees. And, as an article on ComputerWorld points out, we may not be as productive as we think while multitasking on these devices; by discussing something off-topic on your phone, you may be giving half your attention to two places but ultimately accomplishing less.

Some technology power users, however, say that it’s impossible — or at least not smart — to fail to answer work-related messages in real-time.  Business happens so fast that if you don’t stop to answer, you might miss something important.

Then again, life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. (Thanks Ferris.)

What do you think about phones at meetings — and is your workplace culture for or against it?

What’s special about today? Well, sure, it’s Wednesday, which means we’re halfway through the work week. And, yes, the first U.S. Congress adjourned on this date back in 1789. And it’s also true that writer Henry Robinson opened his Office of Addresses and Encounters – the first historically documented dating service — on this day in 1650. But no, I’m talking about something a little more… delicious.

It’s NATIONAL COFFEE DAY! Judging by my caps, I may or may not have enjoyed some already this morning. (I did.) To celebrate National Coffee Day in all its glory, I suggest you:
1) Consume some of the tasty brewed beverage if you are so inclined (many coffee shops are offering free or discounted coffee),
2) Grab a cup of java for your employees if you are not,
3) Discuss your love of all that comes from the coffee bean on Twitter via #nationalcoffeeday or on Facebook,
4) Read on for a dose of the latest coffee consumption trends brewing in the workplace, courtesy of a new joint survey by Dunkin’ Donuts and CareerBuilder among 3,661 full-time U.S. workers.

According to survey results, a cup of coffee a day helps keep us U.S. workers productive and energetic! But just how productive and energetic — and are your workers benefiting the most? Let’s take a look:

• Too many TPS reports: Nearly a third (32 percent) of workers said they (yawn) need coffee to get through the workday.
• Ridin’ the coffee wave: Forty-three percent of coffee drinkers reported they are less productive if they don’t drink coffee while on the job.
• Younger workers need their fix: Forty percent of American workers aged 18 to 24 admitted they can’t concentrate as well without coffee.
• Time to brew a new pot: Thirty-seven percent of American workers drink two or more cups of coffee during their workday.
• Delivery service might be in order: Seventy-five percent of American workers who buy coffee during the workday only travel a quarter mile or less for their daily brew.
• “I deserve it!”: Twenty-four percent of American workers aged 18 to 34 buy coffee as a way to treat themselves for a job well done.

Certain professions seem to drink coffee to keep them productive throughout the day more than others. Those who said they need coffee the most?

• Nurses
• Physicians
• Hotel workers
• Designers/Architects
• Financial/Insurance sales representatives
• Food preparers
• Engineers
• Teachers
• Marketing/Public Relations professionals
• Scientists
• Machine operators
• Government workers

Why do so many workers perk up when it comes to coffee?

As John Costello, Chief Global Customer and Marketing Officer at Dunkin’ Brands, says, “A large percentage of people start their day with a cup of coffee, and more than any other product, coffee has a unique place among hard-working people looking to make it through their increasingly busy and hectic workday.”

It’s true — we’re all busier than ever, and coffee’s one way many workers are either coping with their jam-packed days, winding down after work,  or catching up with co-workers and friends. In addition, coffee can be a great morale booster. What employee wouldn’t love a fresh pot of coffee first thing in the morning after a long commute? On The Hiring Site, we offered a three-month Dunkin’ Donuts coffee subscription as one of our monthly contest prizes, and our winner, Donna, said it best: “My team will love it.”

Do you provide free coffee for your employees at work? Do you work in a coffee-adoring workplace?

“We need to look around our environment and say, ‘Is our environment encouraging the best talent possible? Are we choosing the right generational mix of people?’” Meagan Johnson says about the responsibilities managers have today.

Johnson and her father, Larry, are multigenerational workforce experts who recently spoke with me about their new book, Generations, Inc.: From Boomers to Linksters–Managing the Friction Between Generations at Work, and the challenge of managing multigenerational workforces.  One of the unique challenges managers face today, they told me, is learning to work with and manage a new generation of workers they refer to as “Linksters.”

Who are Linksters? A Cheat Sheet

• Also known as “The Facebook Generation,” this group of 15- to 19-year-olds live and breathe technology
• They still live at home and, unlike previous generations, are typically best friends with their parents
• They are more tolerant of alternative lifestyles than their predecessors
• They’re very much involved in green causes and social activism

Despite all they have to offer, however, Linksters are still very young and inexperienced, and managing them requires understanding the environment in which they grew up as well as the unique way in which they communicate. During our interview, the Johnsons shared 10 tips for managing this generation.

10 Tips for Managing Linksters

1. Ride herd on them. They have short attention spans and lose interest if the work is boring. If there’s a way to incentivize task accomplishment, do it.
2. Provide them with job descriptions. Linksters need clear direction about what you expect. This includes basics, such as when you expect them to arrive, number of hours, and duties of the job. They are used to being told what to do, in detail and explicitly.
3. Treat them like valued coworkers. Linksters are used to a steady diet of connection and communication from family friends. If you have a company party, be sure to invite them. Same with meetings, where appropriate.
4. Lead by example. Linksters are still trying to figure out how to act and behave. They will look to older coworkers and managers to shape their workplace identity and demeanor.
5. Orient them to the obvious. Be specific about expectations that may seem obvious. For example, teenagers are used to having their parents cover for them. Make sure they know the consequences of showing up late, taking lunch breaks that are too long, or texting on the job.
6. Welcome them with open arms. Let your people know them Linksters are joining your team and ask everyone to welcome them. Pair Linksters with buddies — good role models with good work ethics. Call Linksters the night before their first day. Remind them of dress code, arrival time, items to bring, traffic, snacks and water, where to park, whom to contact once they arrive, and quitting time.
7. Know what songs are on their iPods. Young people have a language that’s distinctly their own. Make an effort to get to know their culture.
8. Create microcareer paths. If you have a young person manning the cash register, give her other tasks that help her understand different aspects of the business from time to time. This keeps her challenged, engaged, and feeling valued — and sets her up for more responsibility.
9. Reexamine your uniform policy. Part of being young is having a heightened interest in how you look. Are you asking your Linksters to wear embarrassing uniforms? Are they comfortable? Are they outdated? Try to remember what being a teen felt like.
10. Thank their parents. Linksters are young and may still live at home with parents. Invite their parents for a visit, call and express appreciation for raising a great kid, and thank them for helping to get your young employee to work on time, well rested and prepared.

Meagan and Larry Johnson are the founders of the Johnson Training Group, which help companies manage multigenerational workplaces.

I know what you’re thinking: “Linkster? I hardly even know her! What’s a Linkster?” Linksters, also known as The Facebook Generation, are members of the population who were born after 1995, according to Larry and Meagan Johnson, authors of the new book Generations, Inc.: From Boomers to Linksters–Managing the Friction Between Generations at Work. I recently spoke over the phone with the father-daughter workplace expert team and founders of the Johnson Training Group, to discuss how companies can help manage multi-generational workforces.

What gave you the idea to write this book?

Meagan: Back when I graduated from Arizona State in ’93, I got a job with Quaker Oats, and I absolutely hated it. I hated the way boss managed me, I hated what I considered stupid rules, and I thought the reward system and bonus system was archaic. I was complaining to my parents about it when my dad said, “Hey, you should be grateful. When I was your age, I would’ve removed my left arm to have this great job, and a company car and make more money than my peers.” I think that was what planted the original seed of the book.  I started speaking about generational differences in the workplace, and, finally, the idea of the book came into fruition: Our own experiences with the generational gap and our own perceptions about what the worklife world should look like.

You talk specifically about this generation you call “Linksters,” which refer to teenagers still living at home, working part-time.  Where did the term Linksters come from?

Larry: Meaghan and I were looking at the new generation coming up into the workforce, and the most obvious thing about them, is that they’re digital natives, as opposed to digital immigrants. Most of us who are older have learned to be digital. For instance, I have a Facebook page, but I’m struggling with it. These kids, they were born into it. They think as much about it as I think about using a toaster. They seem to all be “linked up,” so Meaghan and I came up with the term “Linksters.” It seems to fit.

Meagan: Linksters, when they came on board – when they came back from the hospital – Facebook was already set up. Landlines were already obsolete. They are coming on board where technology is already a part of everyday life.

Is this a detriment to them, too, though? Does it hurt them to not know a world without high speed technology?

Larry: It has its pros and its cons. If you spend all of your time texting, you don’t get as much practice in personal interaction and face-to-face communication, so… it’s a scary thought to see them dealing with customers, because they have a tough time carrying a conversation and maintaining eye contact because they don’t have as much practice with it.

Meagan: The danger is that baby boomers have information in their head that’s not written in the books. If baby boomers leave without you creating some sort of mentor/mentee relationship, they’re going to walk out of the door with some very valuable info.

Larry: There’s truth to that movie Space Cowboys, about the old astronauts who had to go do something because no one else knew how to do it. It’s true! And it’s true in most organizations. These people who have implicit knowledge of the way things work – procedures that need to be adjusted as they go, or the quirks of all the big customers – that implicit knowledge you gain over years of experience…The nation, our national security and economy will be at threat by boomers exiting the workforce.

You’ve touched on how Linksters don’t have the same soft workforce skills that their older counterparts have, so what’s the solution to that?

Meagan: We need to look around our environment and say, “Is our environment encouraging the best talent possible? Are we choosing the right generational mix of people?” Making the right choices is still essential. Look around and say, “Is my environment encouraging highly talented young people?” Are there certain rules at your organization that young workers are hitting their head against, but that you’re reinforcing? If so, you need to ask yourself what I call “the three layers of why:” Ask yourself, “Why is this rule important?” And if none of the answers have to do with cost/safety, customer service or quality, I suggest getting rid of the rule because the rule is no longer serving you. Sometimes, these rules have been put into place 10 or so years ago and no longer serve a purpose.

So you’re saying that the workforce has to change to adapt to this generation. Is this a change you’ve found managers are willing to make?

Meagan: What I hear a lot is “Why should I have to do this?” Managers feel that they’re the ones doing all the bending. But it’s not about making the effort – it’s that we do things differently when we gain more information. There was a time we didn’t wear helmets or seatbelts, but then we learned that we were much safer when we did these things. It’s the same thing in the workforce – when we gain more information, we learn that we need to do things differently to be more effective. We have a whole new generation of workers whose brains are wired differently, so now we have to change the way we interact with them, so they can be more productive for us.  We operate differently as we gain new information.

I’m looking at some of your tips for managing Linksters, and you talk about calling them the night before their first day to remind them of the dress code and what items to bring, but to me, that seems like a lot of handholding.

Meagan: Rather than seeing it as handholding, it really is creating an environment where they can be successful. Now, I’m not saying you have to look the other way when they don’t do a good job, but why not create an environment where they can be successful?

Larry: It really boils down to playing the hand you’re dealt. If you’re a manager today hiring young people, you’re dealt a different hand than you were in the past, and it’s not only that they think different, but they’ve been raised differently. They’ve been raised by baby boomers who are doing it the second time around and they can be attentive at the least and in some cases, they can be…what do you call them Meagan?

Meagan: “Snowplow parents” because they remove any obstacle that might be in their child’s way.

Larry: Yes, these parents who’ve coddled them. So these young people have lived pretty structured lives and need a lot of direction. So you need to manage them differently.

Meagan: But just because management styles change doesn’t mean you lower your expectations. Just make your expectations clear to make sure they perform.

So when it comes to managing this generation alongside older generations who have an entirely different working style, how can managers work to make both parties productive (and keep them happy)?

Larry: One thing we suggest is using older employees as mentors and then reverse mentor with younger employees. By that, I mean, older employees have a lot to offer in terms of teaching and developing younger people, and so if, say you’ve got a Baby Boomer who finds it irritating to work with some Gen Y-er, one way to overcome that difference is to ask him to teach and develop this person – not just work with him. Make that a formal relationship where both of their success depends on the success of the younger person developing; likewise, you can reverse that [with a reverse mentorship]. A lot of companies are doing that, where young people are teaching the old folks to do their Facebook page and what not.

Any final thoughts?

Larry: I’d just like to add that for the older generations, rather than cry and moan about the younger generation, this is really an opportunity to make a difference for the future of the world – by the way you treat and develop and mentor young people.  It’s really a responsibility we all have – to develop them.

Meagan and Larry Johnson are the founders of the Johnson Training Group, which help companies manage multigenerational workplaces.  For more information on multi-generational workforce management, check out my follow-up post, in which I list the Johnsons’ 10 tips for managing Linksters.

Well, it’s official: the recession is over – and has been for quite some time now (shocking how we could’ve missed that), according to the National Bureau of Economic Research, which means now might be the time employers start worrying about the possibility of a talent exodus.  But while employers might be worried about which employees are going to leave their organization, instead, they might want to worry about those employees who actually stay.  

That’s because, according to Peter Barron Stark and Jane Flaherty in their book, “Engaged! How Leaders Build Organizations Where Employees Love to Come to Work,” employees quit their jobs in one of two ways:  The first is physically, where an employee moves on to another job.  Though unfortunate, at least this method is manageable because there’s a definitive next step: hiring a new employee.

The second way an employee quits – the one that “strikes fear into the heart of every manager” – is mentally. Unlike a physical quit, when an employee mentally quits an organization, it’s not always clear what an employer’s next steps should be. You can’t, after all, simply hire someone new, but at the same time, the same old engagement tactics you’ve been doing all along clearly aren’t working anymore, either.  

Stark and Flaherty idenfity five red flags employers can use to identify these disengaged workers who are no longer invested in their work or the company.

Five Signs Your Employees Have Mentally Quit Their Jobs

1. Evidence of a “whatever” attitude. The employee is not confrontational, but clearly is not motivated.
2. Minimal contribution that produces a mediocre level of performance. The employee shows up right on time, leaves right on time, and does just enough to keep his/her job, and no more.
3. Absenteeism. The employee uses up all sick, vacation, or PTO (paid time off) time on a regular basis.
4. Loss of enthusiasm. The employee may have been a motivated contributor, but now withdraws and contributes little.
5. Little or no interest in the future. Whether you are discussing a vision for the future or your office holiday party, this employee is clearly only interested in what’s “here and now.”

Unless employers act quickly to manage those employees who’ve ‘checked out,’ it could literally cost organizations: The Gallup Organization recently reported that, at the end of 2009, more than 25 million people were actively disengaged with their jobs, costing U.S. employers $416 billion in lost productivity.

What Can We Do To Make It Right Again? Salvaging the Broken Employee EngagementIt’s really no wonder employees, especially now, are disengaged: The recession left so many workers with heavier workloads thanks to organizational layoffs and slashing of resources, they’re simply burning out.  One of the first things employers can do to salvage an increasingly overwhelmed workforce is to give employees back control…with flex-time offerings, such as reduced or non-traditional hours and telecommuting, according to a recent Human Resources Executve article.

Speaking of giving back control – and what companies can do to re-engage employees – I recently came across this recent interview with Mark Hirschfeld, co-author of Re-Engage: How America’s Best Places to Work Inspire Extra Effort in Extraordinary Times, in which he identifies the two steps any employer can easily and immediately take to significantly benefit employee engagement:

1. The first is to “listen intently and deeply to your associates about what would be helpful to them in creating a more engaged place to work.”
2. And the second is to “Make sure you follow up on anything you commit to do.”

Hirschfeld’s second tip stood out to me as being absolutely crucial to re-engaging employees. After all, how many times do we see organizations administer employee surveys…only to see nothing come of them?  More often than not, employees understand that leaders can’t realistically act on every suggestion, but according to Hirschfeld, “They do want to have a sense that their opinions matter. The ability to feel genuinely heard can be very empowering, and if employees see actions being taken based on their feedback significant growth can result.”  While getting employee feedback is important for improving retention rates and productivity, it means nothing if employers don’t actually use this feedback to make a noticeable change. Otherwise, it could be even worse for morale.

(For more ideas on re-engaging employees, check out my earlier post on Peter Barron Spark’s presentation from SHRM 2010, wherein he addresses 10 Ways to Get Your Employees to Say “I Love My Job”.)

Have you noticed more employee burnout of late, and if so, what are you doing about it?

So, we’ve slid into September. And what does that mean? Dusting off the ol’ Kate Gosselin Halloween costume from last year and spending the next two months making essential topical changes to it? No. Hmm — weaving homemade baskets out of beautiful golden autumn leaves? Um, no. So what, then?

I can’t believe you didn’t guess: It’s only a few months until companies all over the place hold the dreaded yearly performance review! Well, dreaded to many (most?) bosses and their subordinates. Over the years, the debate has continually resurfaced as to whether performance reviews are a good thing or not, and whether we should keep them.

Unhappier Employees

In the wake of our recession, 29 percent of employees are more unhappy with their employer than in the past, according to CareerBuilder’s 2010 Mid-Year Job Forecast (and many of them plan to look for new jobs once the economy improves). The New York Times points to a recent survey that showed employees are “unhappy about the design of their jobs, the health of their organizations and the quality of their managers.” Businesses will soon face a new challenge, says Jennifer Deal, a senior researcher at the Center for Creative Leadership: Maintaining employee engagement and retention as the job market slowly begins to improve.

Now is an important time to focus on improving the things within your control to keep your best employees happy — and keep them from leaving. Why not start by taking a look at performance reviews, to determine whether yours are working for everyone involved? Can you make them better? Should you eliminate them altogether? Let’s take a look at the views from both sides, and talk about ways to conduct performance reviews that work.

Why Do We Have Performance Reviews, Anyway?

Definition

Wikipedia defines a performance review or appraisal as a “structured formal interaction between a subordinate and supervisor, that usually takes the form of a periodic interview (annual or semi-annual), in which the work performance of the subordinate is examined and discussed, with a view to identifying weaknesses and strengths as well as opportunities for improvement and skills development.”

History

Performance reviews as a distinct and formal management procedure used in the evaluation of employee performance is said to date back to the time of WWII. According to Archer North & Associates, these reviews or appraisals were originally done strictly to figure out whether employees would be receiving a pay increase or a pay cut; employee development was not a factor in the equation. It was thought that pay was the only motivator for employees; the idea that employees are motivated in other ways wasn’t considered. Since then, of course, performance reviews have evolved to include evaluation of employee behaviors, motivation, values, development and more.

Reasoning

Many say since it’s human nature to judge others (and since being in a work environment is no exception), it’s essential to have a formal system in place in order to judge and measure performance of employees fairly, lawfully, and accurately — with the ability to document those judgments.

The judgments that result from performance reviews can have many different ramifications, either directly or indirectly:

• Merit pay increases, bonuses, and promotions (or lack thereof)
• Further training opportunities
• A change in responsibilities
• Feedback on performance improvement.
• In worst-case scenarios, performance reviews can be a means to reprimand an employee — or even terminate employment.

Pro-Performance Reviews

Many companies still conduct performance reviews, whether yearly or on a quarterly or other type of periodic basis, and those in the “pro-performance review” camp say they are necessary for companies’ success. As Scott Stallings, professional golfer, says: You always know you need to improve on something, but you always tend to rationalize your own shortcomings” — and he says performance reviews are a huge dose of reality, showing him how far or close he is to being as good as he knows he can be. He says they’ve improved his golf game.

When done right, performance reviews are meant to assess where an employee is on his or her career path, where they are showing weakness or strengths, and which path that employee needs to take next to improve and become more successful. This success, in turn, benefits the company as a whole.

Right?

Anti-Performance Reviews

Well, some people think these reviews aren’t working as they’re meant to work… or working at all. Those in the anti-review camp say performance reviews are often not being done well, and that they’re ineffective or even detrimental to all parties involved.

Here are some reasons that have been stated:

• According to UCLA business professor Samuel Culbert, who wrote Get Rid of the Performance Review!, The pay raise (or not) has already been determined — so the bosses “come up with a review that’s all backwards.”
• The boss is the one evaluating the employee, after all. Job security depends on what they think! Because of this, it’s easy for an employee to lose sight of what they really want to achieve and just tell the boss what he or she wants to hear in order to get a favorable review (particularly if income or a promotion is tied to the review).
• Forms can be cumbersome and inefficient. The process is such a pain that management hates reviews, and puts them off as long as possible, and the focus becomes about process rather than about improving performance and giving meaningful feedback to an employee.
• The methods of determining salary increases or bonuses isn’t fair — and is often done out of favoritism or arbitrarily. Employees have no insight into the matter, so they’re often left just accepting what their boss tells them as to why they are or are not getting a pay increase — with no clear explanation.
• There isn’t any follow up after the review about things discussed in the review, so it’s for naught. Progress isn’t made, and things continue as they were (or slide downhill because no check-ups or specific plan toward improvement or growth are in place).
• Reviews often only happen once a year (at least the ones that really count), and for the rest of the year, there’s no focus on attaining long-term goals.
• Reviews are counter-productive; according to a study by A. Kluger and A.Denisi in The Psychological Bulletin, 30 percent of the 607 performance reviews they examined ended up in decreased employee performance.
• They’re antiquated. Technology has advanced, and people have altered the way they work accordingly. Performance reviews are a thing of the past; in today’s collaborative environment, focus on individual employee performance in such a structured way no longer makes sense.
• They place too much importance on the quantifiable. Employees do many qualitative things that aren’t tracked specifically in the goals of a review, and that are harder to measure with specific numbers or a multiple choice answer. Without regular observations and coaching from management, these qualities are even harder to measure.
• Alternately, some say they don’t place enough importance on the quantifiable — and managers are measuring more abstract concepts without real knowledge of how an employee is performing in these areas.

What is the Worth of an Employee?

Wikipedia also includes in its definition of performance reviews this idea: “It is the process of obtaining, analyzing, and recording information about the relative worth of an employee to the organization.”

While this definition might be great in theory, the workplace has changed significantly over the years, and that change is only accelerating. Some question, whether we updating performance reviews to match this changing work environment. Do performance reviews in fact determine the true worth of an employee, as they currently stand? Do they accurately cover the ways in which an employee has contributed, and do they give employees a voice? Or do they consider arbitrary values and goals that, when the review has been read and filed away, don’t really mean anything — to the employee or the organization?

A better future for performance reviews

As Mark Goulston stated in a Fast Company article, “The biggest problem for both managers and subordinates when performance reviews are done poorly is that in the end, both people will nod agreeing to some course of action going forward that is not clear to either.”

The key word here seems to be poorly. Most people aren’t complaining that we have performance reviews, but that they’re not executed well and consequently, that problems or inefficiencies arise as a result of them. Aside from saying “we need an alternative” or nixing the reviews altogether, what’s a performance review-stricken employer to do?

What about revamping the performance review and making it better? These reviews should be helping move your company, as well as your employees, forward. Here’s a list of some things to keep in mind when evaluating your performance review process — but I really want to hear your ideas, as you’re the ones loathing (or loving) the use of performance reviews. What else would you add?

Don’t leave them in the dark. Tell employees what they need to do to get to that next step; define what “success” means as far as your expectations of them. If there are areas in which they need to improve (and there should be), give them specific and concrete examples of where they have fallen short in your expectations, and perhaps more importantly, how they can move forward to meet and surpass those expectations in the future.

Set goals together that you both agree upon. Make these goals specific, observable, measurable — and attainable. Find out what your employees are passionate about working on, and help them shape those passions into goals that work for their personal growth and your team and company’s as well. Sometimes, employees are afraid to voice what they want for fear of rejection or disapproval; make sure your employees know you’re open to new ideas. Often, what’s good for an employee is good for your company, too.

Reviews should not be rooted in fear. Employees, now more than ever, need to know their employer is on their side; that they want to support them. Yes, employees need to know what they’re doing that can be improved — but also what they’re doing that’s good. Make sure you tell them.

Communicate on an ongoing basis. Speaking of telling your employees what they’re doing well, be sure to tell them regularly if you notice strides they’re making in their goals for the quarter, the year, or even just that week. In order to do this, though, you have to be communicating with your employees often. That doesn’t mean breathing down their neck to check on the progress on a goal, but that does mean open communication, status checks, encouragement where needed, thoughts on how they can continue to improve or whether they need to go in a different direction as the goal progresses, and praise for what they’re doing right. Another word for this might be “coaching.”

Sound Off

Are we wasting our time with performance reviews and not moving ourselves and each other forward as we should be? Is there a better way, and if so, what do you suggest or what would you add to the list above? Or, do you think things working just fine the way they are?

A recent article in the Chicago Sun-Times about Chicago Police Sgt. Jeffrey Allen’s lawsuit against the city of Chicago piqued my interest — not because he was suing the city of Chicago, but because he was suing due to the fact that he hadn’t gotten compensated for the off-duty time he spent working on his Blackberry.

As we’ve mentioned before on The Hiring Site, access to mobile devices are changing the way people work — employees are working from their smart phones while driving, on the train, or in the grocery line — and even if they don’t want to be working during all hours and from all places, bosses often expect them to. Some workers, particularly of the younger Millenials generation, are even sleeping next to their smartphones for fear of missing out on a single minute of Internet action.

And now, with this lawsuit, a new question comes to the forefront; a question that we’ve been building up to as the use of smart phones in workers’ every day lives has rapidly increased: Should workers be compensated for the work they do on company-owned mobile devices during non-work hours?

To compensate or not to compensate?

Some say yes. After all, 20 minutes here and there on the Blackberry can quickly add up to a significant amount of time spent working during non-work hours. Mobile devices like Blackberrys or PDAs leave behind a clear trail of evidence — so it’s easy for employees to prove they are actually working.

Chicago’s Mayor Daley, however, responded by saying the officer was displaying silliness in a time of economic crisis. In his own words: “This is unbelievable. We’re public servants. If I asked for that, I’d be paid millions of dollars. We’d have to take all the BlackBerrys away from public servants.”

Public servant or not, do employees have the right to be compensated for the extra work they do? As Paul Geiger, one of Sgt. Allen’s attorneys in the Chicago case, said, “We have reached a point in society where it’s very easy to get a whole lot of unpaid work from employees just by the use of these devices.” And he may have a point. Now, employees don’t have to be at home or the office chained to a bulky computer — they can access work from just about anywhere — and many employers are taking advantage of that. Employer expectations are higher than ever — yet compensation doesn’t always fall in line.

Work/life balance : Becoming a thing of the past?

More than compensation, by sending employees the message that their time is not their own if they have a company-owned device like a Blackberry, employers may be taking away any semblance of a work/life balance. This doesn’t just apply to work on mobile devices — but to work in general. With employer expectations higher and leaner staffs, employers seem to be saying that this is just the way it is. But are they unwittingly causing employees to want to leave? As CareerBuilder’s Mid-Year Job Forecast showed us, 25 percent of workers reported they have a worse opinion of their employer in the wake of the recession — and the same percentage plan to leave their place of work in the next year.

Setting guidelines for company-issued devices

As we’ve seen already in the case of a police officer getting fired for sexually explicit texts, employers want control over the messages employees are sending on company-owned devices — but with that control comes a responsibility to set and communicate clear guidelines of how these company-owned mobile devices are to be used when they are issued.

Whether employers allow overtime and compensate additionally for the extra time, or restrict employees from using the devices for work outside of working hours, or allow for a more flexible schedule, knowing that employees are working odd hours and responding to work needs all hours of the day, they need to set guidelines of where and when employees are both allowed and expected to use company-owned devices.

Where do we draw the line?

Guidelines aside, though, the bigger question remains: Is it acceptable for employees to be expected to do work e-mail while eating dinner with the family? Is doing work outside of work hours just an inevitable part of living in an über-connected society with blurred lines between our personal and professional lives? Or is this a trend that needs to take a turn in a different direction?

With multiple reports lately discussing how employers are having difficulty filling open positions – despite the high unemployment rate – now is the perfect time to invest in an employee referral program (ERP) – whether that entails creating one from scratch or enhancing your current one.

Referrals make up 26.7 percent of all external hires, making referrals the number one resource for them, according to the 2010 CareerXRoads Sources of Hire study. 

Not only are well-structured ERPs one of the best ways to generate new hires, but they’ve also been shown to increase retention, lower costs, boost morale, and essentially make your job easier. Take a look…

The Top 10 Reasons to Build Your Employee Referral Program:

1. More bang out of your budget – A robust employee referral program can help lower your cost per hire.  The 2006 DirectEmployers Recruiting Trends Survey showed that employee referrals produced the highest ROI of any other sourcing method. According to Staffing.org, companies spend an average of 16 cents for staffing for every dollar of compensation recruited, but a study of Lincoln Financial Group, whose employee referral program accounts for 55 percent of all external hires, revealed that the company boasts a much lower staffing cost ratio of 10.9 cents per dollar.
2. The possibility of actually getting through that “to do” list.  ERPs can cut down significantly on the time you spend sourcing and screening candidates, as they essentially outsource this job to your employees, whose own discretion helps ensure you don’t spend time sorting through irrelevant applicants (see #3).  And by holding on to the resumes that don’t turn into immediate hires, you won’t always have to start from scratch when new positions open up (see #4).
3. A better quality of candidates – Who better to recommend candidates who fit the culture of your company than the very people who live it every day? Because your employees already know what it takes to be successful at your company (and because no one in his right mind would refer a candidate who could reflect badly on him), employee referrals eliminate the need to weed out unqualified applicants.
4. Make that a steady supply of quality candidates – While not every employee referral will lead to a hire, a well-designed employee referral program will help you build a generous pool of qualified resumes from which to pull as more positions open up.   
5. Less turnover – Employers with robust ERPs tend to have a lower rate of turnover. One reason for this? Hires produced through ERPs tend to stay with the organization longer because they enter the organization with already established social connections and a better understanding of the culture. ERP hires are also 3.5 times less likely to be terminated than hires produced through other sources.
6. Your employees will have a new appreciation for their job - and yours – ERPs provide employees with a sense of ownership in – and deeper respect for – the hiring process. Employees value meaningful work and a sense of connection to their company even more than they do high salaries, according to the 2009 10th annual Deloitte Best Company to Work For survey. Giving them a chance to participate in the hiring process is a way to foster that sense of connection and the feeling that they are making a positive contribution to the company. 
7. A better-looking employment brand – ERPs turn your employees into brand advocates. If they’re telling friends about job openings at your organization, they are essentially sending the message, “This is a great place to work.” Not every referral will turn into a hire, but it does contribute to the notion that your organization is an employer of choice.   
8. A boost in competitive intelligence — A more indirect – but equally beneficial – result of implementing an employee referral program is that it gives your employees an excuse to proactively seek out and network with other professionals, who can be a resource for gaining knowledge, sharing best practices and, of course, generating more referrals.
9. You’ll stop resenting the time your employees spend on Facebook.  With the widespread use of social networking sites to connect with other industry professionals, your employees today have an even wider range of connections by which to source qualified, trusted candidates for you.
10. Your new employees will pay it forward – According to the American Journal of Sociology, referred workers tend to outperform their non-referral counterparts and are more likely to refer future employees.

As you and I both know, it’s not always easy to juggle time and resources to learn about the newest thing in the social space. But while you may have not even dipped your toe into Twitter, Facebook, or any other social networking site, it’s still beneficial for your business to be aware of the newest tools and observe how others (including your competitors) are using them.

The buzz around location-based social networking

For this post, I’ll be focusing on location-based social networking sites; namely, Foursquare,  Gowalla and Loopt (BrightKite, Google Latitude, and many other services are also in the space), as a lot of attention is being given to these types of sites. Brian Solis describes location-based social networking as “a universe where physical and online activity merge to improve experiences and relationships between people and also between people and businesses, services, and locales.” Simply by using these sites, businesses are already building relationships with potential candidates and strengthening relationships with employees — and there’s a lot of potential for the future.

Keep in mind, although we’re talking about location-based sites, you may be able to use the ideas in this post for that next “big thing” in the social media world; it’s all about getting creative and thinking about how you can use the new tools you discover in the social space for recruitment, engagement and retention. Before you know it, your business may be ready (or have a sudden need) to participate in something new, and by learning about  social networking sites as they emerge, you’ll be one step ahead when you do.

Location-based social networking: What is it?

Although the sites I mentioned above all work a bit differently, location-based social networking sites, or “lo-so networks,”  allow users to “check in” at venues through mobile devices, to let people in their network know where they are at any given moment — or find out where their friends are staking claim.

Essentially, it’s social networking meets gaming — users interact and compete for prestige through badges, points, items or other awards (both virtual and real-life awards). Right now, these sites are primarily for businesses like bars, restaurants, retail stores, and tourist destinations (TV networks, magazines, and foodie guide Zagat also make up the list of top brands on Foursquare) — but that’s likely going to be changing soon, as evidenced by Foursquare’s message to us at CareerBuilder when we tried to claim our business on Foursquare: “While we’re working the kinks out of our system, we’re trying to limit foursquare specials to places where people meet, socialize and linger. Think: cafes, bars, restaurants, coffee shops, museums, theaters, etc. But stay tuned! We’ll be expanding the system soon, and you’ll be one of the first to know when we’re ready for all types of business!”

How can businesses use these sites for recruitment?

Right now, the capabilities for granular recruitment through location-based services aren’t robust — but future possibilities are vast. And in the meantime, it’s smart to get familiar with these sites, gain a presence — and get creative. Every medium you use to promote your brand and expose others to your business equals another touch point between you and the users you want to reach.

1. Loyalty programs

If you’re like me, you get to a store counter, frantically fish for that “Buy 10 coffees and get one free!” paper card in your wallet, and, after a fruitless search, dejectedly get a new paper card and start the whole process over again — no free coffee obtained. Good news: Many businesses have been using location-based services to test these types of loyalty programs — but instead of a little paper card, you get your stamp by checking into their place of business.

For instance, users on Foursquare can accumulate points for checking in and become Mayor of a certain location — and many businesses are now awarding the Mayor of their location (a title that changes hands all the time) with specials or certain privileges for their patronage. Similarly, users on Loopt Star is Loopt’s mobile rewards game where users compete to become “Boss,” and are awarded with special offers and free music for checking in at venues.

Other businesses are giving significant discounts to a user’s order when they check in for the very first time — a great way to welcome new users and say “Thanks for your business.” Still, most businesses on Foursquare aren’t offering specials (only around 3 percent are) — so the potential for your business to get in the space and make yourself stand out is huge.

2. Contests and Scavenger Hunts

Contests are a great way to promote user engagement. Some companies are doing raffles, in which every user who checks in gets entered to win a prize. Other businesses are creating scavenger hunts for users — like SPIN magazine and SXSW’s recent team up for a musical hunt.

Something similar could be done as a team-building event for employees — not only are scavenger hunts a fun event, but employees can participate in a little friendly competition and get to know co-workers they may not come into contact with on a daily basis. Games like this allow employees to come together as teams or interact with customers in a new fashion. They also have a lot of potential for increasing employee engagement and recognizing employee achievements  (and, ahem, recognition is one of the top things employees said they wanted in CareerBuilder’s Mid-Year Job Forecast).

Geotoko is a site that just launched for mobile-based contests and sweepstakes that supports multiple location-based services. So, if you’re a business running a contest, you can maximize your reach by opening it up to Gowalla obsessives and Foursquare devotees all at once.

Another advantage of contests? Competition promotes teamwork among co-workers, and are a great supplement to other things you’re doing to onboard new employees and help them get to know the veteran employees.

3.Listening, observing and communicating

Foursquare recently introduced analytics tools — which allow businesses to monitor activity and adjust specials or engagement accordingly (like the P.C.C. Natural Markets, who used the tools to find out a lot of their Foursquare visitors were coming in for a specific type of organic donut).  Foursquare is also  currently testing Staff pages, which will allow employees to interact directly with customers.These pages have major potential for businesses to promote their  company culture, let their employees’ personalities shine, and put a personal spin on their “business” face.

Many companies are getting creative and finding ways to communicate with their users to increase traffic to their business and enrich their relationships with users and the user experience itself. Rev. Dave Davis, executive pastor of Glen Ellyn, Ill.’s Parkview Community Church, says if a person checks into the church on Foursquare, they are greeted by a message welcoming them to the church. He adds that by reaching out to the younger generation in particular, speaking their language, and trying to reach them at their spot, they are more likely to visit your spot. (And he seems to be on to something — according to recent Forrester research, nearly 70 percent of location-based service users are 19-35 years old, and 70 percent have college degrees or higher.)

Imagine what businesses could do if they were able to identify candidates specifically and reach out to them? Even at this point, though you don’t necessarily know which users, if any, are interested in a job with your company, location-based sites are a great way to start building relationships and listening to what users want. For instance, when people check into your venue, they can give feedback or leave a “tip” about it for others to see when they check in. This is a great way for you to find out what people do and don’t like about your brand and make adjustments quickly when needed. Taking this even further, some businesses see who’s checking into their business on a location-based service and then follow up with a personal message on Twitter — taking one touch point and expanding that relationship to another medium.

Quick Tip: Aside from finding a user’s Twitter handle on his or her Foursquare profile, you can search for your business name and Foursquare check-ins on Twitter to find out who’s checking into your business on Twitter by going to search.twitter.com and typing in “at Company Name”  4sq.

4. Search engines and Foursquare

Foursquare is now reportedly in talks with major search engines, which could change the game for businesses and recruitment, as businesses would be able to gain presence on search engines through more people “checking in” and causing their business to trend in search. What implications could this have? If a business attracts more Foursquare users and conversation around that business increases, more search engine users will see that business’s name — and the buzz around it — online while searching. This would help businesses build a stronger employment brand, expose it to a larger audience of candidates (some of whom may not have been aware of the business — or even of Foursquare — before), and get more people applying to jobs there. The addition to search engines would eliminate the need for people to be part of Foursquare to see a business’s activity on the site — meaning larger reach. At the same time, giving a site like Foursquare exposure on search engine results would increase their user base: A win-win.

How much of an impact would this move have? That remains to be seen — and as I see it, significant potential lies in the staff experience of a business being displayed in search results. How much information about the business would be given in results? Would users see comments made via “tips”? Would businesses have an option to show “staff” check-ins with commentary in results? Would there be filtering options? If so, candidates could see which businesses had the most positive staff comments and experiences, as well as how active the employee community was for that business. What speaks better to a strong employment brand than happy and engaged employees?

5. Employee Orientation/Onboarding

In “4 ways Foursquare can improve your workplace,” Sharlyn Lauby talks about the potential of using Foursquare for employee orientation, as Harvard and other schools are already testing out. College and universities are using Foursquare to orient new employees and get them acclimated to surrounding hot spots — so why shouldn’t workplaces try it too to help employees learn their way around the office or surrounding area? Workplaces with big campuses could orient new employees to the campus and surrounding area with an orientation “game”; employees could receive points for visiting  places like the gym, cafeteria, and library, and check off various venues to complete their orientation.

Any type of business could get new employees acclimated by leaving “tips” on Foursquare or other location-based sites for hot spots to eat or grab a coffee near work, getting employees familiar with the area (and helping local merchants in the process). This could also enhance the candidate experience; those who use location-based social networking sites may not only see you as active on these sites and learn a bit about your company, but could also see you leaving tips or recommendations of other places to visit in the area. This could in turn help to make your business’s location more attractive to potential candidates (it could be that one factor that makes someone want to commute a bit farther to work for you).

6. Event Marketing

Event marketers are using location-based sites to to drive participation in their events and create lasting word-of-mouth buzz about their business; Cynthia Rowley launched a new bridesmaid collection with the help of Foursquare and gave attendees at the launch unveiling a gift when they checked in. The restaurant AJ Bombers created huge buzz and the restaurant’s biggest sales days ever by creating an “I’m on a boat!” badge and having users check into a “boat” location for a restaurant event he threw. Difficult? No, it just took a couple of days of planning,  a bit of creative thinking and a willingness to experiment.

Chris Bruzzo of Starbucks says in a recent New York Times article that the company hopes to use Foursquare for things like invitations to special events, photo sharing (which some location-based sites currently support), and online reputation scores.

What kinds of events could you use location-based services to promote? One possibility may be to encourage users to check-in at your booth at a job fair, for instance. This could also be a way to quickly see who visited you, and even follow up with a short thank-you message or targeted communication.

Guidelines to keep in mind

• Make sure your business is listed on each network by making an initial “check in” to your business, even if you’re not yet able to “claim” your venue (this way, others can still find and check into your venue).
• Different sites have different options for customization — customize and brand yourself as much as you can depending on that site’s capabilities. For instance, you can create a banner ad on Loopt — giving you significant potential to brand your business, get your message across to Loopt users, and even insert unique messages like job opportunities or upcoming events. And on Foursquare, you can create to-do lists of places for users to explore in your area.
• Make sure employees understand your social media guidelines, are aware of your social media efforts, and know how to use the tools and successfully interact with users.
• Determine your goals with this, just like any emerging social media tool. Do you have the resources and the time? What is  your purpose?
• As Jonathan Carroll of Gowalla advises, don’t leave fake reviews or tips, don’t put up poorly designed ads, and don’t forget to monitor activity. “Chances are if someone has a gripe or praise with their check-in, it’s a real-time thing: The patron is probably still there… so the business has a chance to make the experience even better.” Good point.
• Get leaders involved so they understand the platform and can appreciate the application from a communication as well as a “bottom line” perspective.
• These services may be virtual, but many say the key to success is providing users with real-world value. Think about what kind of value you can bring to customers, potential candidates, and your employees.

Other advantages to participating in location-based social networking sites

• Increase your brand exposure and raise awareness of  your business (Note: Many user check-ins are also posted on Facebook and Twitter, not just the location-based service itself, so you’re automatically gaining exposure to your users’ entire networks.)
• Show potential candidates you’re savvy and interested in engaging with them.
• Give potential candidates the opportunity to notice and learn about your company.
• Connect with local candidates; users are using these sites to check in at venues in the area where they live.
• One more touch point to reach both potential candidates and your own employees.
• Vast potential to increase loyalty by customers/users and recognize that loyalty with incentives.
• Communicating with consumers at point of entry, service, or sale can be very valuable.
• See for yourself what your customers and potential candidates are doing.
• Strengthen your brand. We know that people now are much more likely to research products and services on their own, learn from their own observations, and listen to the feedback and opinions of peers rather than experts. Location-based sites are a great example of this in action.
• Empower your employees while enriching user experience. As Shelley Bernstein, Chief of Technology for the Brooklyn Museum, says, they used Foursquare to create a multi-faceted experience for museum goers. One of the prongs of their three-faceted campaign involved asking their staff for their opinion on the best stuff in the neighborhood, and then leaving “tips” at these venues for Foursquare users to find. It’s a great way to engage your employees, who enjoy having some input into the experience — and the users they come into contact with may include customers, potential candidates, and even other employees. Get them involved as much as possible.

What critics are saying

Ad Age points out recently released Forrester research on location-based startups that says these applications are still too small for major marketers, as only 4 percent of U.S. online adults have ever used location-based mobile apps like Foursquare, Gowalla and Loopt. In addition, 84 percent of respondents to the survey say they are not familiar with these apps at all.

However, sites like Foursquare are adding around 100,000 users every week, and some say now is the time to make those early adapters your brand ambassadors. One commenter even argues that “early adoption by marketers will increase the quality of venue content and number of available offers, driving mainstream consumer adoption.”

As Yan-David Erlich points out in a recent Mashable post, “Ultimately, the location-based social networks that will thrive in the long-term are the ones that design their user experiences around users’ real motivations. The checkin, as a stand-alone act, is fundamentally empty. It begs to be put into context.” What that context plays out to be, exactly, remains to be seen. And a lot of what happens will likely be a result of businesses like yours experimenting in the space — and making your voice heard.

The bottom line

While many people claim to be “social media evangelists, experts, or (insert superior-sounding word here),” the truth is, there’s a lot about social media that we’re all still kind of figuring out. As Sean Corcoran of Forrester Research states in a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, “The reality is the space is still very much a Wild West.”

It’s smart to experiment with these sites now while the user base is still relatively small (compared to sites like Twitter and Facebook), and see what sticks, knowing that the returns at this point may not be huge.

It’s important to remember that these tools often serve to complement what we’re already doing. Depending on your particular business, you may just be considering now to get involved in any kind of social media, or you may be on the cutting edge of new applications. Either way, the beauty is that you can find what fits for you, and make the most of it. Reach out to new (virtual) faces. One of those virtual faces just may become your next star employee.

Is your business getting involved with these emerging sites — and if so, how?

It’s happening. Retail stores everywhere are stocking the shelves, folding the clothes, straightening the shoes, organizing the Trapper-Keepers, and bracing themselves for restless, sun-streaked kids to come and clutter it all up. Back-to-school shopping is now in season. 

We’re not kids anymore, but as adults (employed or not), continuing to educate ourselves and hone our skills is one of the most important things we can do for our careers and ourselves. Aaaaand you’re in luck: August’s contest brings you a chance to give yourself (or your employees) the gift of education with a chance to win a CareerBuilder Institute class. We can’t promise your employees will express their immense thanks by bringing donuts in for breakfast, but we think there’s a strong possibility. Read on to find out how to win.

What’s CareerBuilder Institute?

CareerBuilder Institute, founded in 2008, offers e-learning content for businesses so that they can better assess, test, train, develop, and provide continued education to more effectively onboard and improve skills of existing talent. attract. CareerBuilder Institute has helped more than 1 million people reach their educational goals — and fill in current skill gaps. CareerBuilder Institute offers everything from computer and business skills, to language training, to licensing and certification, to sales training, to management and leadership skills.

Specifically? How about “Mastering Project Management,” “Operating Budgets for Non-Financial Managers,” “Understanding Personality Variables,” “Business Writing,” “Time Management,” “Exploring Adobe Creative Suite II,” “Real Estate Exchanges” or “Leadership Motivation”? CBI’s got you covered. Oh, and many of the courses, like 401(k), give a state-specific course option.

Expected versus teachable skills

In 2009, the average company investment in employee training was $1,200 per employee. It’s apparent that companies are investing a lot of time into their training — but on what, exactly? There are some skills that you expect candidates will have coming into a position — skills into which you’re not willing to invest time, money and resources. And then, there are others you expect to teach new employees on the job; either skills you don’t think can be taught outside of the position, or ones you’re willing to teach because a candidate is an otherwise great fit. You may be willing to teach project management skills, for instance, but expect a candidate to come into the job with superior people skills and ability to work within a team structure.

The August Contest Question

Sooo, we’re asking you: “In an interview situation, what skills do you expect candidates to have already, and what are you willing to teach on the job?” If you’re a current job seeker, just tell us what skills you expect employers expect you to have, and which skills you expect to be taught on the job.

By answering our question in the comments below, you will automatically be entered to win ONE online class (five winners; $50 value each) from CareerBuilder Institute.

Using CareerBuilder Institute can not only help employees improve skills in certain areas, but also lower turnover, decrease training and hiring costs, increase accessibility to training content, and increase overall productivity. The skills you’re spending time to teach on the job can likely be taught by a CareerBuilder Institute class — freeing up other employees’ time and resources — and saving you a significant amount on training expenses.

CareerBuilder Institute — Did you know? (Don’t worry, there won’t be a test):

• Learners can retake courses within the year at no additional cost.
• CBI has the largest learning library in the nation, with more than 12,000 titles including videos, assessments, tests and courses.
• More than 3,000 pre-license certification and continuing education courses are offered.
• CBI is the only e-learning service to offer Predictive Job Fit Assessments, Hard and Soft Skill Courses, Microsoft Courses, Learning Videos, and Professional Certification and Continuing Education Courses.
• Employee training has been shown to lead to greater employee productivity (26% higher revenue per employee) and reduced employee turnover (41% lower for high-performing employees; 17% overall).

HOW TO ENTER:
Simply answer this question in the comments section below: ““In an interview situation, what skills do you expect candidates to have already, and what are you willing to teach on the job?””– and you’ll automatically be entered to win one online class from CareerBuilder Institute (five winners will be chosen at random; $50 value per class).  Be sure to read the terms and conditions in full.

CONTEST DETAILS:
Entries will be accepted from 12:00 a.m. CST on Monday, August 9, 2010 until 11:59 p.m. CST on Friday, August 13, 2010.  Each account may only submit one answer for consideration; subsequent entries will not be considered. Spam responses will not be considered. The winner will be picked at random and notified via e-mail the week of August 18, 2010. Please read the full list of official contest rules and regulations.

“I woke up one morning and just said, ‘I…hate…my…job,’” workplace engagement expert Peter Stark told the audience of HR executives during his presentation during SHRM 2010 in San Diego last month.  “The problem was, I owned the company.”

Laughter ensued, and I took the crowd’s immediate engagement with Stark as a good sign that I wouldn’t be wasting my time in a presentation titled “Engaged!” – about how top companies create a culture where employees love to come to work. 

Turns out, I was right. Not only is Stark a dynamic speaker, but dude knows his stuff: Stark had studied 250 companies employing 100,000 people.  And after narrowing them down to the top 25 percent in terms of employee engagement, he found 10 factors these top companies have in common, which I’ll share with you now…

Oh, but first, a quick side note: Before Stark shared his list, he did something interesting.  He challenged the audience to tell him the difference between a leader and a manager…which turned out to be a deceptively difficult task. After listening to a few good (but apparently wrong) guesses from the crowd, Stark revealed the answer: A manager is just a title; whereas a leader is someone whose qualities lead people to follow them. “Followership is a conscious decision, with or without a title,” Stark said. (The more you know…)  Anyway, without further ado…your recap of Stark’s list of…

10 Ways to Get Employees to Say, “I Love My Job”  

1. Create a compelling, positive vision with clear goals. The top leaders have a very clear vision of where they’re heading. According to Stark, a great vision is composed of three key qualities: it must come from the heart, be unique to the organization, and be radical and compelling. People have to care about it.
2. Communicate the right stuff at the right time. Yes, even the “hard stuff”…Stark found that the best of the best companies were better at communicating the hard stuff to their employees.
3. Select the right people for the right job. Seems like a given, yet some companies are much better at this than others. Why is that? Stark says that what the best companies do differently is have more people involved in the hiring decision than the typical organization, and they have a thorough understanding of the competencies they need individuals to have in order to be successful at their organization. (Side note: Nancy Newell also spoke to the importance of this understanding in her SHRM panel on interviewing. Consistency!)
4. Facilitate cross-departmental teamwork. It’s important to remember that you all work for the same company – with the same goal. The best companies are better at cross-departmental teamwork.
5. Do “cool stuff.” When you’re working on cool stuff, Stark says, the rest of the organization has to respond to you; therefore, you become a leader. So practice continuous improvement and innovation. (Warning: The best companies are able to do this because they already have their day-to-day ducks in a row, so you might want to consider that first.)
6. Recognize and reward excellent performance. While some people aren’t crazy about rewards systems, it makes others work for it. (And, oh yeah, it seems to be working pretty well for top companies.)
7. Make accountability and performance count. “If I came in and reviewed your performance reviews, could I truly see a difference between employees? And could I see that the manager truly cares about the employee?” Stark asked the audience. Performance reviews are a window into how you treat your employees – and how engaged your employees are likely to be as a result. After all, a manager who can’t take time to write a performance review is unlikely to take the time to communicate clearly with employees on a consistent basis (see #2).
8. Make sure every employee has the opportunity to learn and grow. Giving employees a growth and development plan is essential, as it tells them, “I care about your success. I believe in you.”
9. Don’t let problems be any problem at all.  The top companies foster a culture that allows for mistakes, because they know they can handle them.
10. Make it all about the customer.  When you’re able to focus on the business side and the customer side, Stark says, it increases your credibility and value in the organization.

Anything you’d add to this list? Chances are you’ve heard several – if not all – of these concepts before; still, it’s always good to have a refresher, as it is probably easy to forget the crucial importance of keeping the very people you rely on to run your business motivated, and at the very least, not….hating…their…jobs.

The last thing you might expect to hear when walking into a presentation about how to inspire creativity from your employees is: “Tell your employees to think inside the box”…and yet, that’s pretty much the advice Disney’s business program consultant, Scott Milligan, had for the audience when he presented at SHRM 2010 in San Diego last month. 

“We tell our cast members to think INSIDE the box,” Milligan boasted to the audience of HR professionals during his presentation, “Disney’s Approach to Inspiring Creativity”. (“Cast members,” by the way, is Disney’s term for employees.) After all, he reasoned, how creative is it, really, to tell people to “think outside the box” anymore? (Finally, someone said it!)

The other surprising thing about this idea of “thinking inside the box” is that it seems awfully practical and structured for a company that prides itself on the very idealistic notions of making magic happen and dreams come true, etc…And yet, this structured approach works for Disney.

Thinking inside the box, Milligan said, provides companies guidance and direction, helps them avoid wasting resources and keeps everyone focused.  But what is the box? As Milligan explained it, the box is your company’s organizational identity – who you are or what you intend to be – and it encompasses four things:

• Your Customers – Who are they? What do they need from you?
• Your Vision – What do you want to be?
• Your Mission – What do you want to do?
• Your Essence – How do we want people to feel when they experience your product or service?

Find Your Essence
A lot of companies, Milligan believes, leave essence out of the equation – and that, he explained, is an unfortunate oversight, especially when it comes to recruiting: In order to find the best people, hiring managers and recruiters must understand their company’s essence in order to seek out and identify the very people who share that essence.

As an example, he cited how Disney makes it a goal to create happiness for people. Milligan then challenged the audience to find their own companies’ essence, and look to that when hiring employees. 

(When considering your company’s essence, it might help of it to think of it in terms of how blogger Derrick Daye defines essence: ”…the heart and soul of a brand – a brand’s fundamental nature or quality. Usually stated in two or three words, a brand’s essence is the one constant across product categories and throughout the world.”)

Structure, Not Confinement
Again, while you might think that a company that tells its employees to think inside the box would be fostering a culture of confinement, discouraging creative thinking by setting up rules and restrictions, the box model actually serves the opposite purpose for Disney – and it can do the same for others as well.

“Within that box, companies can expand their identity,” Milligan said, explaining how the box model has enabled Disney to expand its brand identity - from being merely about cartoons to also encompassing live action features and then expanding to theme parks, hotels and resorts and then even on to cruise lines – all while staying focused on the mission to enable “magic” to happen.

What do you think? Does your company think “inside the box” as well? Is essence something that you talk about or communicate at your company? How does it play into attracting and engaging employees?

You also need to communicate those benefits, too.

That was the message Steven Williams, Director of E-Media Innovations and Business Development at the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), had for his audience during his presentation, “Employee Benefits: Just How Competitive Is Your Company?” at SHRM’s annual conference in San Diego last month.

It should come as no surprise that benefits are crucial to attracting and retaining top talent (especially with employers complaining about how good talent is still so hard to come by these days)…but where “HR drops the ball,” as Williams put it, was in communicating these benefits. “It’s very important that you communicate your employer brand,” Williams told the audience of HR managers. After all, he said, you may have a great brand, and that’s great, but it has little impact if no one communicates it. 

Get the Word Out
“This is not the time to be modest,” Williams told the audience. If companies want to stay competitive, they have to get the best talent, and in order to do that, they have to really step up their recruitment marketing efforts. This means not only offering something unique and desirable to employees, but ensuring prospective employees are well aware of those offerings.

Williams suggested taking a cue from employers with strong brands like Google, Zappos and Southwest Airlines – all of which enjoy various “Best Companies to Work For” honors (and aren’t shy about boasting it). Not only do these companies offer unique benefits (like free gourmet meals for Google employees or getting offered $2,000 to quit at Zappos), but they also make ample use of their resources to advertise these facts – including their own websites, blogs, Twitter and Facebook pages, and, not least of all, their employees: Zappos employees, for example, blog and tweet frequently about life at Zappos, and Southwest employees keep an active blog about their work life. Google includes employee testimonials on its website.

Williams also urged his audience to look for any and every opportunity to communicate their employer brand, including (but certainly not limited to) the following:

• Company website (Side note: in addition to including info about your company’s mission and values, benefits, awards and recognition received, or job listings, think of ways you can incorporate various media, such as employee testimonial videos, virtual office tours, or photos from company events.)
• Print and online job ads
• Chat rooms/forums/blogs
• Visual branding on billboards, posters (Or take a cue from what the TSA recently did and deliver your job ads right to job seekers’ doors…)
• Job podcasting
• “Best Places to Work” lists (Don’t wait around, hoping to be recognized: Submit your company for local, regional and national awards.)
• Company lobby (You need a place to hang that “Best Place to Work” plaque, don’t you?
• Industry magazines
• Policy and procedures manual

Real-Life Benefits You Haven’t Tried
One final thing to note: Employee benefits don’t have to be of Oprah-taking-her-entire-staff-on-a-cruise proportions (although that is nice…), so long as they’re meaningful to the employees and they differentiate a company and its employer brand. 

Case in point: Throughout his presentation, Williams asked audience members to contribute the unique benefits their companies offered. Here are some of the ones they shared:

• Self-funded sabbaticals where employees bank part of their income
• Phased back-to-work for nursing moms following maternity leave
• Employee concierge service that aids in personal care
• Grocery services
• Symphony and theater tickets are reimbursed 50%
• Back up care hours for moms who must travel for business
• All employees are given their birthdays off
• A surprise all-expenses paid trip is organized for a long weekend every five years
• Employees are encouraged to purchase new outfits and expense them
• Free on-site yoga
• “Free latte Fridays”
• Free employee health screenings
• First Fridays, in which employees are treated to lunch out

These perks may seem small, but they’re also the kinds of things employees remember and appreciate (because it shows they are appreciated) and that differentiate them from other employers – so consider those things that make your company unique and don’t be shy about promoting them.

Okay, not every professional eats the healthiest things imaginable (or is free of legal troubles, for that matter) — a la competitive hot dog eater Takeru Kobayashi. However, according to the results of a new CareerBuilder survey of more than 4,400 workers, many folks are reaching less for the potato chips and more for the straight-up potatoes; less for the cigarettes and more for the treadmill. What gives?

The economy has trickled down into many areas of our lives, and our eating habits may be one of the biggest — if somewhat overlooked — of them. While the negative effects of our economy may be a bitter pill to swallow, it looks like our health is getting a boost. Largely because of tightened funds, workers are making more healthy choices — including packing lunches, smoking less, and walking more.

Let’s break it down fast. (Get it? Breakfast?):

• 47 percent of workers report they are packing a lunch more often to save money or eat healthier.
• 44 percent of workers who smoke said they are more likely to quit smoking given the state of the economy.
• One-in-five workers (21 percent) have already decreased the number of times they smoke during the workday — and 20 percent have quit altogether.

And while healthier habits may be fueled by economic hardship, it may have been the trigger many of us needed to start taking a closer look at our personal health habits — and make habit-forming changes.

“Economic stress over the last year has caused some workers to reflect on their habits, and many of them have turned to healthier routines,” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources for CareerBuilder.

“In addition to helping cut personal costs, employees who limit their smoking and lunching out habits are taking better care of their overall health. This type of ‘better-for-you’ behavior can be encouraged by companies who implement wellness programs, healthy living challenges or smoking cessation support.”

HOLD. THE. CHEESE PUFFS.

Like most feel-good stories, this one has a dark side, too. While it’s true that many workers are taking the higher healthier road, it’s also true that heavier workloads and added stress associated with a downsized place of employment may have other workers taking a different, more hermit-like, direction.

Lunch breaks — what are those?

If you ask a co-worker “What’s the weather like today?” because you haven’t seen the light of day since dawn and your body has been molded to your chair, you’ll probably relate to the following:

• Nearly one-third (32 percent) of workers report they take less than a half hour for lunch, while 5 percent take less than 15 minutes.
• One-in-ten never take a lunch break, and 16 percent report they work right through their lunch hour.
• Nearly one-in-five (18 percent) typically don’t leave their desks during their lunch break and eat in their workspace 5 days a week.

So, where do employers weigh in?

Whether your employees are going for a carrot-eating world record or reaching for that candy bar (and eating it at the desk from which they don’t move all day), do you as an employer have a right — or a responsibility — to get involved and attempt to influence your employees’ decisions?

Poor employee health has been pointed to as one of the biggest challenges to maintaining affordable benefit coverage. And with new health care reform going into effect, many businesses, particularly smaller ones, will likely be affected, as they may be penalized for not providing health care benefits to their workers. With more businesses who don’t currently offer benefits soon be incentivized to provide them (or penalized if they don’t), what will the effect be on employees? Will there be more of a Big Brother-like trend of keeping employees healthy to keep costs down?

In the “YES” camp

Many of you appear to be promoting employee wellness for various reasons, from what you’ve recently told us. Many companies don’t hide the fact that they are deeply involved in employees’ health not only because it makes their employees healthier and  happier, lowers stress, and promotes team spirit — but also because it benefits the company’s bottom line. And as a recent New York Times article  points out, 50 to 70 percent of the nation’s health care costs are preventable — which means company wellness initiatives could in fact help prevent employees from costly medical procedures. All good things, right?

In the “NO” camp

Well, not so fast. Although corporate wellness programs help companies keep insurance costs down while assisting employees in getting more fit, many people argue that employees’ lifestyle choices shouldn’t be dictated by their employer — and that it’s really none of their business. In addition, by rewarding employees who choose to participate in wellness initiatives, “unhealthy” employees may in effect be punished. For example, although Whole Foods has quite a robust benefits program, Whole Foods CEO John Mackey, in a since controversial move, decided to give his employees discounts on health insurance and Whole Foods products if they maintained lower readings for measurements like body mass index (which many people argue is a poor indication of health). While that’s great for employees who manage to stay within the company’s standard of health, what about those who don’t? Or is everyone motivated to get healthier on this type of plan?

So, which camp are you in?

It’s clear that this is a complicated issue, to say the least. There are pros and cons to both sides, but it’s helpful to everyone to keep the conversation going. If you are considering getting involved in wellness as an organization, we’ve rounded up seven habits of highly successful wellness programs to help. And if you’re not, well, we’d love to hear why.

Sorting through all the fabulous feedback we received after asking readers to share what their companies are doing to promote employee wellness, we noticed a few shared characteristics among the various initiatives readers discussed.

Below are seven standout traits that a vast number of these wellness programs share, with examples of how – in our readers’ own words – companies’ employee wellness programs embody these traits.

1.       They Don’t Focus Solely on Weight Loss

• “Our approach to exercise is very ‘functional,’ meaning it’s not intended to help you ‘look’ a certain way but to help you feel better all the time and to do your job, at work or at home, with energy, full range of motion and injury-free.” – Dave Parmly
• “Pressley Ridge believes wellness goes beyond the typical medical and stress concerns, but also into mental and personal growth as well. That is why Pressley Ridge offers Employee an Assistance Program at no cost to employees. This is a confidential assistance to employees and dependents 24 hours/day on a toll-free number and face-to-face professional counseling sessions and access to their website with a wide range of tools, resources and information. “ – Phillip Novak
• “My organization promotes wellness through Farmer’s Markets, healthy competition (Like the Biggest Loser), smoking cessation programs which are no cost and they cover any cessation programs like the patch, gum and lozenge. Additionally, they promote a healthy mind through increased awareness and programs. There is an entire website through the company that is dedicated to healthy mind, body and habits.” – Raina

 2.       They Have Buy-In from Leadership

• “Our company gives a very generous discount on the cost of our benefits for employees who participate in the wellness program…But perhaps the most important thing our company does to promote the wellness program is that is it embraced by our CEO and senior leaders within the company. Wellness is not viewed as an ‘HR initiative’ but as a core part of who we are as a company.” - Noreen
• “We have partnered with a local gym and our Senior Leaders are on board. We are trying to get as much employee participation as possible, to let them know that we care about their healthy work environment!” – Tori Hinote
• “Our CEO understands the importance of weight loss and healthy weight maintenance to offset the costs associated with healthcare – both now and in the future.” – Donna Cornwell

3.       Employees Are Never Far From Resources

• “We have an onsite fitness center with a trainer that provides continuous fitness challenges, boot camps, etc. We also have a physician’s assistant who works on site full time so we have immediate access to the seasonal ailments and we have our prescriptions delivered to the office.” – Janet J.
• “Our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provider conducts voluntary annual blood draws onsite at our headquarters. They also arrange for branch associates to visit their local lab to have the screenings performed.” – Recruiter
• “Our company provides free access to on-site exercise facilities. We also provide access to education on exercise, diet, cooking, lifestyle and behavior modification (including a stop smoking program).” – Mark

4.       They Sweeten the Deal with Incentives

• “We offer a Creating Wellness Program to employees…Those who participate for 6 months then receive $25/month in wellness bucks (for gym memberships, yoga, Pilates, etc.) as a reward for continued involvement.” – Rick Thompson
• “Recently, we sponsored an 8 week fitness challenge and gave away an Ipod Touch for the winner… This year, our grand prize drawing will be for either a gym membership, Fitness equipment or a Nintendo WII with WII ACTIVE.” – Jenny
• “Each quarter employees are asked to set a Health Improvement Goal. We pay them $50/Qtr for meeting their goal…We have had tremendous success with this approach.” – Kimberly
• “Our company has a $300 wellness credit toward health insurance premiums for non-smokers and then provides programs for employees to quit smoking.” - Ally

5.     They’re Not Limited By Smaller Budgets

• “We have researched local ‘healthy’ vendors such as local gyms, Jamba Juice, Whole Foods, etc. and invited them to come onsite to talk about their products. It’s been working out great and it’s no cost to the company!” – Stefan
• “Although our wellness budget was reduced to ZERO this year, we continue to come up with new and interesting wellness initiatives… We are even offering cost-effective prizes, like jean days and premier parking!” – Holly
• “Our company just started our official ‘Steps to Wellness’ Program… The employees complete a “scorecard” with several tasks and turn the completed card in for a chance at a “Day Off With Pay”. The more staff who enter, the more days off we will raffle.” – Sue K
• “We have…raised funds to assist with our program by producing a cookbook that we sold.” – Mary Wicker
• “One really fun wellness initiative that my company implemented is building an employee vegetable garden…We just started the garden project this year and participation has been huge. This is a really fun project and is relatively inexpensive!” – Kathryn

 6.       They Assign Measurement to Gauge Success

• “We work with our insurance carrier to hold an annual health fair each year that consists of blood work for a variety of areas and each employee is given the results that day. The results are discussed with health coaches from our insurance carrier and given advice as to how to improve results in any areas that reflect a health issue. These statistics are used to determine where we need to concentrate our efforts to best improve the wellness of our employees…Since we have implemented the program our data from the health screenings have shown improvement each year which in turn helps to keep our health insurance cost down.” – Mary Wicker
• “In the year 2009 our corporate headquarters developed a 3 component program to get the employees premium costs down and in the long run, help them develop healthy life habits… This year the Myers Lawn and Garden site is conducting their 2nd annual health fair since the first one in August of 2009 was so successful…Employee participation is growing and the savings are too for both the employee and the company.” – Lee Herman
• “The goal is overall health of our employees. If we can prove that we have lowered healthcare costs and possibly insurance premiums for our employees, because of healthier lifestyles, we have been successful!” – Tori Hinote

7.      They Empower Employees

• “The company promoted wellness with the staff by also ‘promoting’ US…For example, I had always wanted to be a nutrition education writer, a secret desire of mine…The company decided to start putting out a monthly newsletter in the club for our members and not only was I asked to be a columnist, but I was asked to be the editor as well. Our whole staff took part in the newsletter, writing about their known specialty in the field. This tactic was most rewarding for me, as I had the chance to really reach a long time goal of mine. This made me feel like I was on top of the world, how do you get more ‘well’ than that?” – Renee S.
• “List Innovative Solutions is extremely active in the community…and encourages its employees to do the same by sponsoring the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Team in Training Program…this allows our employees to be active and also give back at the same time.” – Jennifer Bonner
• “We encourage all employees to offer ideas on the ‘Healthy Life’ bulletin board so everyone gets a chance to bring something to the table!” – Dustin Shay

As I stated in my earlier post on readers’ company wellness programs, it’s great to see how many organizations take an active interest in their employees’ health – not just for employees, but for the companies themselves, as wellness programs can help employers cut costs related to healthcare, turnover and lost production.

What do you think? Care to add an “8^th habit” that makes your own company’s wellness program successful?

Sorting through all the fabulous feedback we received after asking readers to share what their companies are doing to promote employee wellness, we noticed a few shared characteristics among the various initiatives readers discussed.

Below are seven standout traits that a vast number of these wellness programs share, with examples of how – in our readers’ own words – companies’ employee wellness programs embody these traits.

1.       They Don’t Focus Solely on Weight Loss

• “Our approach to exercise is very ‘functional,’ meaning it’s not intended to help you ‘look’ a certain way but to help you feel better all the time and to do your job, at work or at home, with energy, full range of motion and injury-free.” – Dave Parmly
• “Pressley Ridge believes wellness goes beyond the typical medical and stress concerns, but also into mental and personal growth as well. That is why Pressley Ridge offers Employee an Assistance Program at no cost to employees. This is a confidential assistance to employees and dependents 24 hours/day on a toll-free number and face-to-face professional counseling sessions and access to their website with a wide range of tools, resources and information. “ – Phillip Novak
• “My organization promotes wellness through Farmer’s Markets, healthy competition (Like the Biggest Loser), smoking cessation programs which are no cost and they cover any cessation programs like the patch, gum and lozenge. Additionally, they promote a healthy mind through increased awareness and programs. There is an entire website through the company that is dedicated to healthy mind, body and habits.” – Raina

 2.       They Have Buy-In from Leadership

• “Our company gives a very generous discount on the cost of our benefits for employees who participate in the wellness program…But perhaps the most important thing our company does to promote the wellness program is that is it embraced by our CEO and senior leaders within the company. Wellness is not viewed as an ‘HR initiative’ but as a core part of who we are as a company.” - Noreen
• “We have partnered with a local gym and our Senior Leaders are on board. We are trying to get as much employee participation as possible, to let them know that we care about their healthy work environment!” – Tori Hinote
• “Our CEO understands the importance of weight loss and healthy weight maintenance to offset the costs associated with healthcare – both now and in the future.” – Donna Cornwell

3.       Employees Are Never Far From Resources

• “We have an onsite fitness center with a trainer that provides continuous fitness challenges, boot camps, etc. We also have a physician’s assistant who works on site full time so we have immediate access to the seasonal ailments and we have our prescriptions delivered to the office.” – Janet J.
• “Our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provider conducts voluntary annual blood draws onsite at our headquarters. They also arrange for branch associates to visit their local lab to have the screenings performed.” – Recruiter
• “Our company provides free access to on-site exercise facilities. We also provide access to education on exercise, diet, cooking, lifestyle and behavior modification (including a stop smoking program).” – Mark

4.       They Sweeten the Deal with Incentives

• “We offer a Creating Wellness Program to employees…Those who participate for 6 months then receive $25/month in wellness bucks (for gym memberships, yoga, Pilates, etc.) as a reward for continued involvement.” – Rick Thompson
• “Recently, we sponsored an 8 week fitness challenge and gave away an Ipod Touch for the winner… This year, our grand prize drawing will be for either a gym membership, Fitness equipment or a Nintendo WII with WII ACTIVE.” – Jenny
• “Each quarter employees are asked to set a Health Improvement Goal. We pay them $50/Qtr for meeting their goal…We have had tremendous success with this approach.” – Kimberly
• “Our company has a $300 wellness credit toward health insurance premiums for non-smokers and then provides programs for employees to quit smoking.” - Ally

5.     They’re Not Limited By Smaller Budgets

• “We have researched local ‘healthy’ vendors such as local gyms, Jamba Juice, Whole Foods, etc. and invited them to come onsite to talk about their products. It’s been working out great and it’s no cost to the company!” – Stefan
• “Although our wellness budget was reduced to ZERO this year, we continue to come up with new and interesting wellness initiatives… We are even offering cost-effective prizes, like jean days and premier parking!” – Holly
• “Our company just started our official ‘Steps to Wellness’ Program… The employees complete a “scorecard” with several tasks and turn the completed card in for a chance at a “Day Off With Pay”. The more staff who enter, the more days off we will raffle.” – Sue K
• “We have…raised funds to assist with our program by producing a cookbook that we sold.” – Mary Wicker
• “One really fun wellness initiative that my company implemented is building an employee vegetable garden…We just started the garden project this year and participation has been huge. This is a really fun project and is relatively inexpensive!” – Kathryn

 6.       They Assign Measurement to Gauge Success

• “We work with our insurance carrier to hold an annual health fair each year that consists of blood work for a variety of areas and each employee is given the results that day. The results are discussed with health coaches from our insurance carrier and given advice as to how to improve results in any areas that reflect a health issue. These statistics are used to determine where we need to concentrate our efforts to best improve the wellness of our employees…Since we have implemented the program our data from the health screenings have shown improvement each year which in turn helps to keep our health insurance cost down.” – Mary Wicker
• “In the year 2009 our corporate headquarters developed a 3 component program to get the employees premium costs down and in the long run, help them develop healthy life habits… This year the Myers Lawn and Garden site is conducting their 2nd annual health fair since the first one in August of 2009 was so successful…Employee participation is growing and the savings are too for both the employee and the company.” – Lee Herman
• “The goal is overall health of our employees. If we can prove that we have lowered healthcare costs and possibly insurance premiums for our employees, because of healthier lifestyles, we have been successful!” – Tori Hinote

7.      They Empower Employees

• “The company promoted wellness with the staff by also ‘promoting’ US…For example, I had always wanted to be a nutrition education writer, a secret desire of mine…The company decided to start putting out a monthly newsletter in the club for our members and not only was I asked to be a columnist, but I was asked to be the editor as well. Our whole staff took part in the newsletter, writing about their known specialty in the field. This tactic was most rewarding for me, as I had the chance to really reach a long time goal of mine. This made me feel like I was on top of the world, how do you get more ‘well’ than that?” – Renee S.
• “List Innovative Solutions is extremely active in the community…and encourages its employees to do the same by sponsoring the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Team in Training Program…this allows our employees to be active and also give back at the same time.” – Jennifer Bonner
• “We encourage all employees to offer ideas on the ‘Healthy Life’ bulletin board so everyone gets a chance to bring something to the table!” – Dustin Shay

As I stated in my earlier post on readers’ company wellness programs, it’s great to see how many organizations take an active interest in their employees’ health – not just for employees, but for the companies themselves, as wellness programs can help employers cut costs related to healthcare, turnover and lost production.

What do you think? Care to add an “8^th habit” that makes your own company’s wellness program successful?

“How isn’t it?” Is more like it…Two weeks ago, we asked you to share with us if and how your organization promoted employee health and wellness.  Aside from giving you the chance to brag about how your organization could easily give Jillian Michaels a run for her money in the fitness coaching department, we also wanted to give you the chance to share with each other creative – and often cost-effective – ideas for promoting employee wellness.  

As it turns out, many of you have not just one or two, but several initiatives in place to help employees focus on improving their health – an effort that is as much a benefit to your company as it is to your workers: If implemented correctly, company-sponsored wellness programs effectively reduce company healthcare costs, employee turnover and incidences of employee absenteeism, according to Dr. Steven Williams, Director of E-Media Innovations and Business Development at the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), who recently presented on this topic during the Annual SHRM Conference in San Diego last month. 

So what are you doing to promote employee wellness (and, in effect, cut costs)? Let’s take a look at the results…

READERS’ RESULTS: THE TOP 15 CORPORATE WELLNESS BENEFITS

With so much great feedback, it was nearly impossible to list all the initiatives individually, but several, listed below, were shared by a lot of you (see the full list of comments here):

1. Contests – most particularly, those inspired by TV’s “The Biggest Loser,” complete with some pretty lucrative awards (including iPods and hundreds of dollars in cash) – were among the most popular ways employers are motivating employees to get healthier.
2. In-house Weight Watchers programs offered for free or at a discount
3. Rewards systems where employees can exchange points earned through activity for “prizes” such as spa certificates, health club discounts, or gift cards toward sports apparel shops
4. Health living newsletters sent to employees on a weekly or monthly basis, complete with healthy living tips, exercises and recipes
5. Online tracking programs where employees can easily log and assess their progress toward a specified goal
6. Healthier snack alternatives to typical vending machine fare
7. On-site fitness facilities where employees can work out solo or participate in classes (often for free)
8. Organized sports teams or walking/running groups
9. Cash or discounts toward healthy purchases, including  fitness gear, weight loss programs, smoking cessation programs, or participation in community run/walks
10. On-site health fairs that include health assessments, massages and free, in-person consultations with community health professionals
11. Smoking cessation programs
12. Partial to full-paid health club membership fees
13. Free health screenings and assessments, accompanied by professional advice for understanding and improving the results
14. Employee assistance programs to help employees better their work/life balance, and providing help with everything from legal consultation to financial planning to stress management to childcare referrals.
15. Regular “lunch-and-learn” sessions where local wellness professionals present on healthy lifestyle topics

THE BEST OF THE REST – Here, in your own words, some other interesting perks that stood out:

• “We are getting rid of one of our coke machines and replacing it with a cooler that will hold 100% fruit juice.” - Sarah Benedum
• “We have onsite showers for those who go out for a run during the day or bike to work.” - Kathy
• “We’ve initiated walking groups, Weight Watchers, heart-healthy cooking demonstrations, team fitness challenges, and even a Salsa dancing class.” - Robert
• “For the month of July we have a ‘submit a healthy recipe’ contest planned. At the end of the [company’s summer-long] walking challenge, the recipes will be compiled into a book and distributed to our employees.” - Raelene Neumann
• “We have a Holiday Weigh In which runs from Thanksgiving week to the day after Super Bowl. The goal is to maintain or lose weight during the most challenging time of the year.” - Jane
• “Our agency sponsors an annual Wellness Day complete with…a spa corner featuring makeovers and massage and free organic vegetable plants for all participants.” – Rachel S.
• “One really fun wellness initiative that my company implemented is building an employee vegetable garden.” - Kathryn
• “The company promotes healthy living by providing health conscious snacks such as granola bars, fresh fruit, nuts and more. Water, protein shakes, fruit juice and sports drinks are also readily available at no cost to employees.” - Melissa
• “Our Fun Committee regularly organizes events for holidays, birthdays and, well, just for fun. Hat Day, High-Five Wednesday, Hula Hoop contests, Wii competitions - random, silly but fun and stress relieving.” - Carol
• “The company donates 40% of the fundraising amounts for [community] events that their employees choose to participate in, this allows our employees to be active and also give back at the same time.” – Jennifer Bonner
• “We…have drop-off and pick-up for our dry cleaning and a mechanic who comes on site to take care of things such as oil changes and other maintenance issues. Things like dry cleaning and auto care may not sound like a wellness issue, but when it keeps you from making additional errands with our already overloaded schedules, it reduces stress.” - Janet J.

Anything you want to add to the list? Feel free to do so in the comments section below. Otherwise, check out even more reader results in my follow-up: The 7 Habits of Highly Successful Corporate Wellness Programs.

Remember in Back to the Future II, when Marty travels to 2015 and sees that future Marty has the technology to video-conference in to his office from his very own living room and it was completely awesome?  Funny how that technology is actually a reality now.  (I can only hope this means good things for the hover board…) Sadly, video-conferencing is as far as Robert Zemeckis got in predicting what the workplace of the future would look like…

Fortunately, however, workplace experts Jeanne C. Meister and Karie Willyerd pick up where the movie director left off with their book, The 2020 Workplace: How Innovative Companies Attract, Develop & Keep Tomorrow’s Employees Today. While there’s no discussion of flying DeLoreans (tear), technology does play a major role in shaping what the workplace will look like 10 years from now – something the authors discussed in a recent MSN Careers article regarding how those changes will affect employees. 

We here at The Hiring Site, however, wanted to explore what impact those changes will have on the employer.  Read on, and then give us your thoughts below.

1. The Prediction: A More Diverse Workforce - “By 2020, the American workplace population will be more diverse: 63 percent white, 30 percent Latino, and 50 percent female. Four or even five generations, from Boomers to Generation 2020, will be working at once,” Meister and Willyerd say. What It Means for You: Certainly, a more diverse workforce means new challenges in recruiting and engaging these various groups, but if employers are up to the task, the payoffs will be significant. Employers can leverage the experiences and backgrounds of a diverse workforce for a broader exchange of ideas, knowledge and opportunities.
2. The Prediction: More Corporate Social Responsibility - “Companies that once only operated for profit will place new emphasis on the importance of its people, as well as the impact the company’s existence has on the planet. The new bottom line will incorporate profit, people and planet,” the authors say. What It Means for You: Not only will an increased focus on social responsibility benefit the community, but it will also help employers’ recruiting efforts: A recent Staffing Industry Review study found that job seekers gravitate to social responsible companies.
3. The Prediction: More Social Technology – “Vlogging, Twitter, intranet chat rooms, Skyping — even today, there’s a vast array of online communication tools, with more to come.” What It Means for You: More tools available by which to facilitate communication mean more ways to facilitate learning and collaboration – both within and across departments. Of course, there’s such a thing as too many choices, and companies that don’t take the time to find the social technology that fits within their culture may not fully realize these benefits.
4. The Prediction: Mobile Workplaces - “Increasingly powerful mobile phones are replacing laptops as the main work device.” What It Means for You: Ideally, a more mobile workforce means a more productive workforce – and more opportunities for flexible work arrangements; however, if employees feel as if they’re on call 24/7, it can blur the line between work and life altogether. In a recent CareerBuilder survey, 17 percent of workers said they feel like their work day never ends because of the technology connecting them to the office. As workplaces become increasingly mobile, employers will have to work that much harder to ensure their workers do not get burned out and allow themselves technology-free time when away from work.
5. The Prediction: More Work/Life Flexibility  - “For younger generations, work is a significant part of their life, but they don’t compartmentalize it like older generations tend to. It isn’t about work-life ‘balance;’ it’s about work/life integration.” What It Means for You: While advancements in technology make it increasingly easy for employers to offer flexible schedules, flexible schedules may not work for every company culture.  Employers who want to offer this benefit should take a good look at their company culture and see what may need to change first.
6. The Prediction: Serious Play as a Training Tool – “‘Sims’ (Simulated Games) is the new buzz word in training: online Sims allow employees to learn new jobs through low-risk direct practice.” What It Means for You: Some companies are already embracing “serious games” to train employees. As this type of technology becomes increasingly accessible to employers, virtual training programs could very well become standard. Employers would be wise to start looking into these types of training programs now to stay ahead of the curve.
7. The Prediction: A Different Kind of Mentoring – “One-on-one mentoring is still a powerful way to develop employees, but companies will also use reverse-, micro- and group-mentoring.” What It Means for You:  Mentoring will become increasingly important as employers deal with the impending talent shortage (see #10). Employers shouldn’t wait until then, however, to create opportunities for colleagues to collaborate and teach one another.
8. The Prediction: The Democratization of Information - “Digital record keeping makes company information accessible to all.” What It Means for You: More transparency means more accountability on leadership’s end to ensure they’re putting the organization’s stated mission and values into practice. Good news for employers who already do this. Bad news for those who don’t. Where do you fall?  
9. The Prediction: An Increase in Personal Branding – “Social technologies track personal ratings, referrals and reputations.” What It Means for You: Considering nearly half of employers already use social networking sites to recruit, it comes as little surprise that savvy candidates will also utilize these sites to build their personal brands. This could be a win/win.
10. The Prediction: Talent Shortage – “There’s a big gap between all the Boomers retiring and the number of Generation X’ers available to fill their shoes.” What It Means for You: Again, no surprises here as employers already complaining that, despite the plethora of job seekers out there, they still can’t find the right talent for their positions. This shortage places an even greater demand on employers to start providing training, development and mentoring programs now to build and retain their future leaders.  

What’s your take? What changes (or challenges) do you foresee the 2020 workplace?

SAS. Nordstrom. Google. Whole Foods. What do all these companies have in common beyond their brand recognition? They all made the 2010 FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For. And this year at the 2010 SHRM Annual Convention in San Diego (#SHRM10), Michael Burchell, Ed. D., vice president for Global Business Development, Great Place to Work® Institute returned to talk about what exactly these 100 company’s do to make the list (last  year his talk focused on the 50 Best Small and Medium Companies to Work For in America).  He noted that any company has the potential to make one of these two lists, regardless of industry, employee demographics, location or work status.

Commonalities between companies that make the list
Burchell started his presentation asking, “What is the difference between a good place and a great place to work?” following that up with, “It’s not about what you do, but how you do it.” Through his company’s 20-plus years of research on this topic, Burchell found the one thing all these companies have in common: TRUST. These companies are all places where employees “trust the people they work for, have pride in what they do, and enjoy the people they work with.”

The Three Components of Trust:

1. The relationship between employees and management.
2. The relationship between employees and their jobs/company (pride).
3. The relationship between employees and other employees (camaraderie).

Building this kind of trust enables companies to reap positive business benefits and increased productivity through increased caliber of employees, increased quality of products and increased levels of risk taking and innovation.  It’s an investment, but a worthwhile one.

Having this kind of trust also decreases costs by lowering turnover (best companies typically have a voluntary turnover of 9% or less) and lowering resistance to change.  Surprisingly, it also lowers health care costs: Employees who feel trusted – and trust their companies in return – tend to have healthier lives outside of work because they leave work at work, leaving them with more to give to their personal life (family and community). This also means that when they are at work, they show up because they want to and are ready to contribute because they have the perception the company offers a special and unique culture where “we are not like others.”

Building Trust
Trust between employee and company (and vice versa) begins during the pre-hire stage; although the treatment employees get on their first day of work really sets the stage for future trust. Employees who feel welcomed and appreciated generally foster a genuine level of trust much faster than those employees who are just shown to a desk to begin working right away. Makes sense, right? You’d be surprised how many companies overlook these little details. Burchell continued by saying that employees who have the opportunity to interact with senior leadership very close to their hire date are better informed and feel true value and connection immediately.

Best Companies to Work For also…

• Motivate
• Empower
• Listen
• Thank
• Develop
• Care
• Celebrate
• Share

Common Benefits that Best Companies to Work For Offer:

• Job sharing
• Telecommuting
• Compressed work weeks
• Flexible scheduling
• Phased retirement
• Paid sabbaticals
• Child services
• Dry cleaning
• On-site mailing
• Free beverages or snacks
• Personal travel experience

And while this list of perks is impressive in and of itself, what truly makes the difference is how the company communicates these employee benefits, supports them and enables employees to take advantage of them. One example given was Goggle’s TGI Fridays – and yes, it does revolve around food, but not exactly in the way you might think. Each and every Friday employees are invited into cafeterias for an agenda-less meeting where employees get to talk with Google’s CEO and senior leadership team about anything. And as you’d expect, not all questions hold the same weight but all questions are valid and go back to the idea of trust. This practice also shows employees that they are valued as a part of the business, not merely people who work for the company. This is also a time for the leadership to reinforce the company values and make everyone feel connected. Google’s success is unquestioned, but did you know they have also created a pool of quality applicants that is so extensive, they may never have to actively recruit ever again?

The Hidden Benefit to Being  a Best Place to Work
Earlier, I mentioned the benefits a company gains by striving to be a best place to work – such as higher productivity and profitability - but there’s also this other (kind of huge) perk: Once word gets out that your company is a great place to work, you’ll really start to see more qualified applicants applying to your open positions.  I’m talking about people who understand your company’s unique culture and want to be a part of it because they feel a connection to your values.

While much of this information may not seem new, it is wonderful to see so many companies really trying to step up their game to become a best place to work. Remember, employees are your greatest asset, and they leave every night. What are you doing to ensure they return? If you build around this model, everyone benefits. Hiring gets easier. Top talent is retained. Production increases. Profits grow. Build a best place to work and you build a foundation for ongoing success.

Explore our previous Building the Best Place to Work article series to gain insights on our five basic building blocks and other tips for creating the best working place. As always, we welcome your feedback in the comments section of this post. Tell us more about your own recruitment and employee engagement experiences as you try to build a company that your employees call a best place to work.

Take Your Dog to Work Day, started by Pet Sitters International, was first celebrated in 1999 (with 300 companies participating) to celebrate the companionship of dogs and encourage people to adopt dogs from humane societies, animal shelters and breed rescue clubs.  As we’ve discussed in the past, this annual event encourages employers to experience the value of pets in the workplace for one designated day, for the primary purpose of promoting pet adoptions and better the lives of shelter dogs.

And while bringing a four-legged friend to work isn’t practical for every kind of work environment, supporters claim having dogs around the office has many benefits, including lowering stress and boosting employee morale.

There are a lot of ways you can get involved in Take Your Dog to Work Day, including partnering with a local shelter to bring adoptable dogs into the office. And if bringing dogs into your work environment just isn’t possible, consider finding another way to give back to the canine community — like volunteering with The Humane Society. Some businesses, like Esser Vineyards, are getting creative with events like Take Your Dog to Dinner Night, in which they donate wine to be paired with cuisine to dog-friendly participating restaurants, while diners’ furry pals enjoy a free meal.

Those who sign up and participate in the day get celebration ideas, sucess tips, a sample “dogs at work” policy for the office, coupons, pet product offerings, and the comfort of knowing they are helping raise awareness of shelter dogs and pet adoption. Tomorrow too tight of a deadline? You can request info for next year’s event.

Steve Dale has some great tips to make the day a success (like “give your dog a job” by stuffing some food in its toys), and TakeYourDog.com offers some of their own:

• Dogs should be kept on a leash, unless in the employee’s office or cubicle.
• Employees should use a baby gate to prevent dogs from leaving their office unsupervised.
• Specific areas, such as bathrooms or employee dining halls, can be designated as dog-free.
• Have a back up plan for taking the dog home if he or she is not comfortable in the work environment.
• Find a local pet sitter at Pet Sitters International to provide midday walks to employees’ dogs.

Are you celebrating Take Your Dog to Work Day, or thinking about getting information to participate next year? Or are dogs in the office a no-go? Let us know!

I recently spoke with Dean Gualco, human resources manager and author of The Good Manager:  A Guide for the Twenty-First Century Manager, a book that focuses on how managers have gone from being respected in society and trusted by their employees to the source of blame for many workplace problems today.

Gualco rallies against this new view of managers, and lays out six attributes that he thinks are essential to being a good manager: Like What You Do, Knowledgeable, Solid Organizational Skills, Work Hard, Make Work Fun, and Be a Good Person.

During our discussion, he also shared his thoughts on everything from why employees view managers’ jobs as less stressful than their own, to the growing tendency to blame managers when things go awry, to the role managers play in their employees’ development, to the one thing managers can start doing today to become better managers.

Below is the Q&A -- simply click the “Play” button within each to hear Gualco’s answer to my question.

Q: What is the most important aspect of being a manager?

Q: Do you think many managers today are unqualified?

Q: What do you think is the most commonly lacking managerial attribute?

Q: Do you have any suggestions for how managers could make work more fun?

Q: What’s one thing managers can start doing today to become better managers?

Q: Why do you think employees tend to view a manager’s job as less stressful than their own?

Q: How can employees and managers work together to understand each others’ roles?

Q: How can managers prevent themselves from becoming less effective due to boredom in their roles?

Q: You mention in your book that it baffles you that many people aren’t in jobs they love. People may argue that they can’t find a job they love in a tough market. What do you say to them?

Q: How can workers stay competitive in their jobs in such a competitive marketplace?

Q: How are managers responsible for their employees staying competitive and continuously learning in their roles?

Q: Have you seen a lot of change in the role of a manager over the last few years, with the recession and a changing market?

You know when people ask if you should read the book before you see the movie?  Well, that’s kind of how I felt upon reading Tony Hsieh’s new book, Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose, his personal account of helping develop and become CEO of successful online retailer Zappos.

The book is divided into three parts. The first is a look back at Hsieh’s childhood, wherein Hsieh shows signs of drive, business-savvy and entrepreneurship from a young age, setting the stage to become a successful business owner before turning 30.  The second part of the book focuses on his life as CEO of Zappos and the inner workings of Zappos’ famous corporate culture. The third part of the book recounts Zappos’ Amazon buyout, bringing us to present day and Hsieh’s new role as a public speaker on the topics of culture and values.  Hsieh concludes the book by driving home its central theme that, basically, as long as you do what you’re passionate about, everything else will fall into place.

Does It Deliver?
I had the pleasure of seeing Hsieh give an incredible keynote at SXSW in 2009, so I was excited to read the “book version” of the speech – and learn even more about the inner workings of the company made famous for its unique culture, superior customer service, and innovative use of social media. In person, Hsieh is a dynamic speaker, with the ability to captivate audiences and clearly convey the passion he feels for running his business, giving his customers that “wow” feeling, engaging his employees and, of course, delivering happiness.

… And yet, something gets lost in the translation to paper. 

The book falls flat in storytelling and short on expectations. Perhaps it’s his decision not to use a ghostwriter that works against his pursuit to truly convey the entire story to his audience. While his decision to do so is brave (he admits that he is not a writer, but makes no apologies for it) and consistent with his mission to maintain transparency, it is also distracting.  He has a tendency to “tell” rather than “show” – a cardinal sin in any English writing course – and his overuse of cliché acts as filler to distract from the lack of any real emotions he might convey.

In fact, it is only through the employee anecdotes – placed throughout the section about core values to illustrate how employees incorporate these values into their lives – that the reader finally gets a true feel for the culture. At one point, Hsieh himself even mentions that his employees’ stories are among the biggest crowd-pleasers at his speaking engagements…which is why it’s disappointing that of the countless stories Hsieh claims his employees could tell about their experiences at Zappos, only a handful of these stories appear in the book. Sure, Hsieh tells plenty of his own stories, but he relies so heavily on hackneyed phrases to describe significant events that his stories lose any unique perspective and distract from the details that his audience truly craves.

We never find out, for example, what made him decide to create a formal set of core values, when he fought so long to stay away from something that once seemed “so corporate,” or how he came up with the unlikely decision to pay new employees $2,000 to quit.  And it remains a mystery as to why some things with which so many other companies struggle – mainly, letting employees use social media as both a job seeker and customer engagement tool – comes so easily to Zappos. The whole concept of using Twitter to recruit and retain employees is all but glossed over – which is surprising in light of the fact that Zappos basically set the bar for using Twitter for business purposes.

The Verdict
If you’re looking for a rags-to-riches memoir of a company that came into its own, you won’t find it here. (Compared with other companies, the obstacles Zappos has had to overcome seem relatively mild.) Nor will you find a comprehensive business book explaining how to better your corporate culture.

While Hsieh talks at length about the things that make Zappos such a unique culture, he says very little about how Zappos’ actually got to that point. What’s missing are the details of the growing pains the company went through to get to that point. Even for a company that seems to get everything about culture and internal communications right, it’s hard to believe some of those lessons weren’t learned the hard way.  What you will get is an overview of life at Zappos and, in that, several tips and new ideas for creating or strengthening your own corporate culture (and possibly the urge to apply for a job at Zappos).

Ultimately, Hsieh seeks to inspire the reader to pursue his or her passion, and, were Hsieh a better writer, he might come close to achieveing that. But he falls short of of properly conveying the level of passion he so adeptly shows in person, and thus, fails to say anything on paper that truly resonates with audiences. My advice? Skip the book, look for Hsieh at a speaking event, and see the live version instead.  You’ll get your money’s worth.

Disclosure: I received a free promotional copy of Delivering Happiness.

This Sunday is Father’s Day, and while it’s a great excuse to spoil dads everywhere with the latest gadgets, grill supplies, or bacon of the month club memberships, a little extra quality time with Dad might be in order this year, in light of results from CareerBuilder’s annual Father’s Day survey.

Survey results among 800 working fathers who are employed full-time showed that a still-struggling economy is causing many working dads to experience more stress, more work — and, not surprisingly, less time spent with their families.

Why the stress?

• One in ten working dads said their spouse or significant other has become unemployed in the last 12 months, with 50 percent of those dads indicating it’s causing stress at home.
• Forty-two percent of working dads said they are the sole providers in their household
• Nine percent of working fathers say they have taken on a second job in the last 12 months to provide for their family.

Office overtime on overdrive

As many of you know firsthand, leaner staffs have led to fewer people handling a higher volume of work. This has made it more difficult for working fathers to achieve a healthy work/life balance, as many are stuck at the office working longer hours — and less time with their kids.

But just how many hours?

• Sixty-three percent of working dads said they work more than 40 hours per week.
• Three in ten (31 percent) working dads who take work home reported they typically bring work home five days a week or more.
• Thirty percent bring work home on the weekends.

And how much less time with their kids?

• Close to four in ten (37 percent) of working dads said they spend two hours or less with their children each work day.
• More than three in ten (35 percent) reported they missed two or more significant events in their child’s life due to work in the last year.

How to be a better juggler

These are bleak statistics, but as Mary Delaney, one of CareerBuilder’s own busy working mothers, has said, there are things you can do to better balance work and family. and now, Jason Ferrara, VP Corporate Marketing at CareerBuilder and a father of two, shares his tips for working dads everywhere to better manage the delicate balancing act of providing for one’s family — and being there as a partner and a father.

“Especially in tough times, working dads have to be more creative and strategic to successfully juggle both work and family commitments,” said Jason Ferrara, VP Corporate Marketing at CareerBuilder and father of two.  “Employers understand the importance of working dads’ time away from the office and continue to place an emphasis on work/life balance through benefits that encourage employees to better manage their schedules. However, year over year, we find that nearly half of working dads do not take advantage of the flexible work arrangements offered to them.”

I’m not suggesting getting Dad a juggling set for Father’s Day (though I’m not not suggesting it, either), but the following tips are designed to help working Dads more effectively juggle their professional and personal lives. After all, although our multitudes of work and life commitments won’t necessarily go away, learning to prioritize them is a strong start.

Ferrara recommends the following tips for working dads navigating through difficult economic times:

1. Keep everyone in the mix. Remember that communication is a two-way street.  Besides just listening to what is going on in your family’s lives, talk about what is going on in your office, so everyone understands why you are away or have to do some work when you are home.
2. Learn to say no. In addition to actual work, sometimes activities associated with your job can take a toll on your free time. Determine what additional activities you can turn down and which are necessary so that you can free up more of your time outside of the office.
3. Develop a master family calendar. Add every family member’s schedule to one master calendar so there are no surprises.  Also, save vacation days for important events and talk to your supervisor about flexible work arrangements.
4. Play now, work later. Put down your Blackberry and avoid checking e-mails until after your children have gone to sleep.
5. Plan a family event in your office. Take advantage of the summer months when school is out and the office may be less hectic by scheduling a kid-friendly potluck or other event with co-workers and their families.

What’s worked for you?

Do you have a solution that’s helped you better manage your work and family lives to add? Let us know in comments — We’d love to hear about it!