Wave HR Solutions

Reposting this from SHRM as it might help some of my clients think differently about what they offer to a younger (GenZ) workforce.

What Generation Z Is Looking for in a Job A majority of Generation Z job seekers are looking for positions in sales and account management, as well as marketing—and they may have lowered their hoped-for starting salaries to boost their chances of finding a new role, according to new data.

Video meetings are a part of our work culture now. During COVID, many businesses found that it is financially beneficial to offer remote work opportunities, have hired staff in multiple locations, and/or have found that they can incorporate more people in meetings if they use video conferencing. However, some employees may frequently go on mute or turn their cameras off during video calls. According to a study by Vyopta, 92% of the executives surveyed state that those who frequently turn off mics or cameras during meetings “probably don’t have a long-term future” with their company.

According to the study, managers who run video calls feel that by turning off mics or cameras, employees are displaying a lack of engagement “along with a sign of poor performance to come.” 73% of these executive believe that employees are scrolling through websites, using social media, texting, or chatting. However, employees may have other reasons for muting or turning off their cameras. So how does a manager who wants to see faces deal with these issues?

Get creative and persuasive. Here are some ideas:

Encourage employees to turn on their cameras, but if they resist, have a private conversation with them to understand their concerns. Perhaps there is a way to meet in the middle, such as using different filters or backgrounds to hide a messy room, allowing microphones to be off unless talking as long as the camera is on to keep barking dogs or crying children noise at a minimum, or allowing for the camera to be off except for when the employee is talking.

Offer incentives like camera-free Fridays (like casual Fridays in the office) if everyone is participating on camera during the week. Another option is to offer casual Fridays on camera if you require your employees to be professionally dressed for meetings the rest of the week.

Turn one meeting a week into a reason to have the cameras on – such as having a contest for the best Halloween costume, awarding a “fanatic” prize for support of a local sports team, sharing a childhood photo day, sharing important personal goals/,milestones, or even opting to share recipes or hobbies.

Acknowledge those who “flip the switch.” Try to help employees understand the value of being “face-to-face” virtually. When they turn on their cameras, celebrate their choice. Send a note, a virtual sticker, or even create a raffle prize where each meeting with a camera on becomes an entry for the raffle. Let employees know you understand that this is difficult for some, and that you truly appreciate them turning their cameras on.

Teach employees to use the “hide self-view” if they don’t want to see themselves on camera. Research shows that 30% of people spend more than half the time they are on a video call looking at their own faces, so you can minimize this and help employees engage one another by using the hide self-view option.

Lead by example. If a manager is excited to be on camera, it will positively influence their employees’ attitudes toward being on camera as well.

Remind employees that “going dark” is similar to not showing up for a meeting when everyone was meeting in person. It can impact career advancement opportunities as well as chances to network. If the management never sees your face, your intentions, or your engagement, it is unlikely that they will think of you when considering special projects or promotions.

Remind employees that “if you can do your job in person, you can do your job on camera.”

If the company has a mandatory camera-on policy, follow through with warnings and disciplinary action consistently as per company policy.

What Every Employer Needs to Know About I-9s

Lately I've had several clients asking about I-9s. Incomplete and missing forms, failure to provide supporting documentation, and many other errors can lead to potential fines if your organization is audited. You can improve your process and help avoid these errors with just a few simple pieces of information. Here's what you need to know:

1. Federal law requires that every employer who recruits, refers for a fee, or hires an individual for employment in the U.S. must complete the Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification, must physically inspect the I-9 documents produced by the employee, and must verify the authenticity of such documents. This helps verify the employee's identity and authorization to work in the U.S.

2. Due to COVID-19, those who work remotely or do not work in the office's physical location may submit their I-9 documents in a digital format for inspection and verification prior to beginning work or on the first day of work. If the employee returns to on-site work, they must produce the I-9 documents within three (3) days for physical inspection, and the employer should mark the date of the physical inspection and COVID-19 as the reason for delay on the bottom of the I-9 form.

3. If the employee is working on-site or at the employer's physical location, the employee must present the I-9 documents to be physically inspected within three (3) business days. The employee must complete Section 1 of the I-9 form by the first day of work.

4. Making a copy or getting a picture of the I-9 documents DOES NOT meet the compliance standard. While it is a good practice and provides supporting documentation, the Form I-9 and verification must be completed to be in compliance with the practice.

5. Social Security Numbers can be verified for free online. You must register (once) for the service, and can do so at https://www.ssa.gov/bso/bsowelcome.htm

The fines per individual for paperwork or technical violations ranges from $252-$2,507. If you knowingly hire or continue to employ unauthorized workers, the range for a first offense is $627-$5,016, and additional offenses range from $5,016-$25,076.

Often as an HR professional, people come to me for assistance with conflicts. I’ve found that most people prefer to avoid conflict at all costs, and this often turns what could have been a win-win situation into a toxic relationship that cannot be restored. Former employment attorney and author Jathan Janove has termed this “the instinct to avoid.”

When something goes wrong at work, there’s an immediate fear of confronting the person responsible for the issue. For example, an employee makes some inappropriate comments to a client. The manager should take immediate corrective action to prevent this from happening again and possibly losing clients. However, the manager worries, “How might the employee react? Will the employee get mad? Will they retaliate by undermining me with other employees or turning away other clients? The employee is popular with the other employees; will I become the topic of every whispered conversation? What if the employees go to HR and say I have been unfair or unreasonable?”

With each new question or possible scenario, the fear is exacerbated. If your company doesn’t have a culture that invites and fosters open communication, this becomes even worse. Particularly in cultures where employees have seen others punished for speaking up, they become even more fearful of confrontation – or even speaking to a supervisor about the problem. It becomes natural and self-protective to simply avoid the threat.

Inevitably, instead of resolving the problem, the avoidance instinct makes it worse. The problem fester and grows until it becomes unmanageable. Eventually someone has to deal with that employee who is making inappropriate comments and pushing away clients, and by then, the manager may be so upset, angry, and/or frustrated with the employee, that the exchange becomes hostile. The manager can’t let it slide anymore – or is told by upper management to deal with the situation. The manager tends to release pent-up frustrations and is more forceful than perhaps is warranted. The employee is caught by surprise because they have been allowed to continue this behavior for weeks or months or years. In the employee’s mind, this is an unfair action – adding insult to injury – and often seeks to strike back via the legal system.

Instead of avoiding, confront issues without delay. Confront the individual directly, preferably face-to-face and in real time, with all of the key players present but not including additional team members who do not need to be part of the solution. Approach the conflict with a solution-oriented mindset: “How do we fix this problem and move forward to be better and stronger together?” This isn’t about blame; it’s about making progress!

While it may be uncomfortable in the moment, this will save both you and the employee a potentially irreparable situation in the future. Working towards solutions rather than blaming will also create a better relationship with your employees.

Reassessing Your Employee Experience

We need to recognize that we are functioning in an entirely different world than we lived in 2.5 years ago. Much of the US workforce either has reassessed or is in the process of reassessing their lives after a two-year upheaval of everything that was once considered “normal.” Employees are no longer considered their “work self” and their “non-work self” as they once did. The pandemic forced employees to consider lives as a full-time person rather than a full-time employee, and employees are now looking at themselves as a person with work, family, personal, social, and community responsibilities. As employees think back to how things were – and often how employers are trying to make things once again – they are expressing, “This doesn’t work for me anymore” and moving on to opportunities that meet their needs.

“What got us here” or “How we’ve always done it” won’t work for employers anymore. A better guiding principle now is “What got us here won’t get us where we want to go.” Creative approaches and reassessing the employee experience is critical for businesses as we move out of the pandemic and into the future of business in this new world.

It's about people, process, and technology – in that order. Intellectual capital and skills – not computers, automation, or other resources – are your most valuable asset as an employer. All business decisions are people decisions because if your employees aren’t happy, they go to sites like Glassdoor to comment, making it harder for you to find new employees when your current employees get fed-up and go find a new job. So as an employer, it is important to convey to your employees the following:
1. You matter.
2. You matter here.
3. Here’s why.

Building Employee Loyalty Series #6 of 6

TIP #6: Avoid quick money fixes that lack lasting impact.

I once worked for a company that routinely ignored employees’ needs and concerns, but when they felt that they were in danger of losing key employees, they would give the valued employees a one-time bonus. There was a time when offering bonuses could deliver a lasting boost to loyalty and retention, but no that impact fades very quickly.

“What have you done for me lately” has become a mantra during the pandemic. When employees got a one-time bonus check or even a once-a-year bonus check, it raised the question of why the company didn’t pay them better sooner. Now, a more effective loyalty-building strategy is a sustained commitment to pay and treat people well. Ongoing financial incentives need to be woven into your operational strategy rather than relying on an annual pay bump, occasional promotion, or random bonus.

Whether you offer your employees an opportunity to purchase immediately vested shares of company stock, offer a higher salary, set up increases based on performance goals or objectives as they occur (rather than waiting for the end of the year), or offer non-monetary benefits such as flex time, alternate holiday options, opportunities for in-house training or cross-training, or the ability to buy into company perks, long-term strategies are the key.

Just to recap the points over the series: if you want to build loyal, committed, and motivated employees, you need to provide meaningful work or purpose for your employees, listen to them, meet their needs, address their wants, assist them with their career goals, and find ways to be flexible and help people connect. Generally, people want to be valued as people who contribute something meaningful to the business, rather than treated like someone who “just” works for you. Show your employees that you value them, that you appreciate what they do, and that they are making a difference. If you can do that, you will build strong employer-employee relationships that garner respect and loyalty even if the business down the street is offering a higher salary.