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Workforce Magazine Guidelines for Writers and Contributors

Workforce Magazine Guidelines for Writers and Contributors

In print and online, Workforce Magazine covers HR issues through news, blogs and feature stories. In features, we often focus on how organizations manage a major asset—the company’s people—to maximize contribution to the bottom line. This is HR that is focused on business results, not on HR for its own sake. In our print publication, we write to senior-level human resources executives and C-level leaders who make workforce management decisions for the 20,000 largest corporations in the U.S. Our online content speaks to a broader HR audience, but the intent is always the same: We believe that there is no more critical element to a business and its success than its employees.

What we want from freelance writers, contributors and PR people pitching story ideas

    Most of our stories are written by our staff, with contributions from other Crain Communications publications. We do work with a small group of freelance writers, and are always on the lookout for journalists who can craft stories for our very specific audience. Our stories are timely and news-driven and offer insights to our audience on how they can better do their jobs as strategic HR leaders.

If you are a publicist for an organization with a great HR program, we want to hear from you—an e-mail outlining the story idea is best. You might also consider applying for the Workforce Magzine Optimas Awards, which recognize outstanding HR initiatives that drive bottom-line business results.

If you are a PR person for a company that markets HR products or services, and the company’s clients have impressive stories to tell concerning their success with those products and services, we’re interested in hearing about them. While we do not publish publicist-written case studies, we do read them as background for developing our own stories, if you are willing to share them with us on that basis.

Before pitching us, freelancers and publicists should become familiar with our Web site and our print publication. Please read our stories—several of them—to get a sense of what makes a Workforce Magazine article work. Here are some examples of what we consider signature Workforce Magazine articles. (If you’re not a registered user of our site, you’ll probably need to register to access these stories; registration is free, and just takes a minute. You’ll be redirected to the registration page from the article links if registration is necessary.):

here). Our Web site readers run the gamut, from high-level HR leaders at big companies to managers working in organizations of fewer than 500 people, so we look for clear, nontechnical, nonpromotional, jargon-free writing and a count of 1,000 or so words. Here are some examples of good commentary pieces:

A Benchmark Is Not a Scalpel

Is It Time to Reboot Your Defined-Contribution Plan?

Employer Stock in the 401(k) Plan: Handle With Care

Zero Tolerance for Jerks

Bearing Blame

Sharing Blame

Legal articles

    We publish contributed articles on employment-law topics on our Web site, in the channel called Legal Insight. These are most generally written by attorneys, but mediators and other HR law experts also have been contributors. We are interested in articles on timely issues in labor and employment law that are about 1,500 words long, without footnotes or case citations. The article should be in plain English, without legal jargon or “bizspeak.”

Editorial calendar

    Although we continuously cover such topics as benefits, recruiting, HR technology and training both online and in print, we also feature stories in these areas in our print publication in keeping with an editorial calendar, which writers and publicists should consult. Please pitch story ideas about three months before the issue date.

The 2010 editorial calendar is here.

    Payment: For freelance articles, fees are negotiated with each writer, depending on the complexity and length of the story.

    Rights acquired: All rights

To query and for questions, contact executive editor Carroll Lachnit at carroll@workforce.com or editor John Hollon at jhollon@workforce.com.

Workforce Magazine/Workforce.com Blogging Policy

Conflicts of interest, real or perceived, should be avoided. If you have conflicts of interest, do not blog on the topic or topics related to the conflict(s). Disclose conflicts that cannot be avoided (i.e., your spouse/significant other is in HR or works for a staffing company).

Disclose any gifts, payments or other gain related to anything or anyone mentioned in a blog post.

Tell the truth. Acknowledge and correct mistakes promptly. Disagree with other opinions respectfully.

Blogs and blog posts authored by Workforce Management/workforce.com staff members are subject to editorial review and copy editing. Blogs authored by affiliated bloggers are not edited by Workforce Management staff, and the views and opinions stated by affiliated bloggers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the positions or opinions of Workforce Management or its staff.

Promptly reply to e-mails and comments when appropriate. Comments will be deleted only when they are spam or off-topic. As a rule, we do not delete posts without a strong, compelling reason (i.e., libel).

Stay on topic. As with all articles written for Workforce Management/workforce.com, strive for accuracy and high quality.

Link directly to online references and original source materials. Anonymous sources should be kept to a minimum; sources should be name whenever possible.

Think before you blog. Keep private issues and topics private. Discussing private issues could jeopardize personal and work relationships. For staff bloggers, respect the sanctity of the newsroom and any debate that may take place there.

Workforce Magazine/workforce.com expects its staff bloggers and its affiliated bloggers to adhere to these guidelines. Affiliated bloggers not directly employed by Workforce Management/workforce.com have been vetted to the greatest extent possible by the management of Workforce Magazine/workforce.com.

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Dear Workforce How Do You Create a Fun, Yet Serious, Environment

QDear Workforce:


    I would be interested to hearof some communications strategies for situations where the owner of a businessis relatively the same age as his staff (and trying to promote a “fun”workplace), and he is having trouble letting staff know when he is serious aboutdecisions/deadlines/performance factors. Often staff members do not perceive theseriousness of an issue in the midst of the fun environment.


– Peter Moritz, HRConsultant, Shalom Business Development Centre, Brisbane, Australia


Dear Peter:


    Never forget: You are runninga business, not a club. You hire people, not to have fun, but because there is abunch of work to be done. No matter how much you treat your employees likefriends – and no matter how much they may in fact be your friends – they areworking for you because you are paying them. If you stop paying them, they will stop coming to work. Count on it.


    Yes, it is very important tocreate a work environment in which every person feels comfortable, respected, andvalued. It’s important because it is the right thing to do, it is personallygratifying from the standpoint of the boss, and it makes employees feel glad towork hard and contribute. But a healthy enjoyable work environment is perfectlyconsistent with a clear and unyielding focus on the mission of the organizationand all the work that needs to be done every day to pursue that mission.


    As to fun, per se, that meansdifferent things to different people. To one person, fun could mean playing agame, watching a movie, or going to the mall; to another fun might mean goingfor a long walk or having a meaningful talk. But if “work” is to be fun andstill be “work,” it should mean some or all of the following: Working withpeople whom one likes and enjoys. Learning new and interesting things, whileworking. Feeling a sense of excitement about work. Tackling new challenges andtaking pleasure in the fruits of one’s work. And so on. Note that the commontheme here is “work.”


    Sometimes when people saythey want their workplace to be fun, what they really mean is they want tocreate an atmosphere where most people maintain a sense of humor and don’ttake themselves too seriously. This makes for a pleasant workplace, and onceagain, such a workplace is perfectly consistent with a clearfocus on results.


    The problem is that mostbusiness leaders, like most people, want to be liked by others, including theiremployees. As a result, sometimes a boss goes too far and errs on the side ofeasygoing, soft-pedaling his or her authority to the point that the employees -and thus the businesses – loses focus. Once that happens, it can be hard to getpeople back on track without seeming angry and punitive.


    If that’s the situation,here’s what I would do: get each person or each team focused on an importantproject. If the project is the regular work of the day, give it an urgentdeadline, even if you have to manufacture the urgency. Once you have everybody’sattention, clarify goals and deadlines for each individual. Be prepared to coacheach person to success and then hold people accountable. Reward the highperformers and let people who don’t deliver know that their performance isunacceptable.


    Giving people feedback ontheir performance – before, during, and after – is the key to coaching. Butfeedback is not aimless banter. It is the banter of acute focus, ongoingimprovement, and constant accountability. The only thing that matters is what weare doing here today. So that’s what we talk about. And we talk about it allthe time. Nobody gets chewed out, but nobody can hide. Everybody gets remindedall the time, so everybody is always on notice. Standards are high. There are noexcuses, only performance. If somebody is failing to perform, his or her onlychoice is to improve or else leave the team: “Good riddance.”


    By the way, what do you do,once that special project is done? Do it again. And then do it again. And again.Every project is a special project in a high-performance organization. By theway, keep your sense of humor, don’t take yourself too seriously, and makesure everybody is having “fun” while they are
working very well, very hard, and very fast.



SOURCE: Bruce Tulgan, adviser,RainmakerThinking Inc., New Haven, Ct. is author of several books, including Winningthe Talent Wars (WW Norton, 2001), www.winningthetalentwars.com.


E-mail your Dear Workforcequestions to Online Editor Todd Raphael at raphaelt@workforce.com,along with your name, title, organization and location. Unless you stateotherwise, your identifying info may be used on Workforce.com and in Workforcemagazine. We can’t guarantee we’ll be able to answer every question.


 


 


 

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Dear Workforce How Does 1,000-Hour Rule Apply to Non-Retirement Benefits?

Dear Bedeviled:

The best-known 1,000-hour rule is contained in Part 2 of Title 1 of the Employee Retirement Income and Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and generally only applies to employee pension benefit plans. It’s also mentioned in the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Sections 410(a) and 411(a) regarding participation and vesting in retirement plans.

The concept of 1,000 hours has received attention lately in the Section 403(b) universal availability requirement in the finalpe 403(b) regulations. Under that requirement, employees who are not expected to work at least 20 hours per week need not be offered the opportunity to make salary deferrals.

However, the IRS added that once such an employee works at least 1,000 hours in a year, he or she must become a participant in the following year. As pointed out in the preambles to both the proposed and final regulations, the exclusion for employees who are “expected to work (fewer) than 20 hours” is available only for non-ERISA 403(b) plans.

Although the 1,000-hour rule is best known in retirement circles, it also has some applicability with group welfare plans—generally only with respect to nondiscrimination testing.

Unfortunately, it is not applied on a consistent basis and does not apply to all benefits.

For example, in determining eligibility for nondiscrimination purposes under a dependent-care assistance program under IRC Section 129, employees with less than one year of service (defined with reference to the 1,000-hour requirement of IRC Section 410(a) can be excluded.

Additionally, for similar purposes, under group-term life insurance plans (IRC Section 79) and self-insured group health plans (IRC Section 105(h), employees with less than three years of service can be excluded. The regulations under IRC Section 105(h) state that although other methods can be used to measure service, the 1,000-hour requirement in IRC Section 410(a) would be reasonable.

It is interesting to note that both group-term life insurance plans and self-insured group health plans are permitted to exclude part-time and seasonal employees. IRC Section 105(h) defines a part-time employee as someone whose customary employment is less than 25 hours a week.

As a result, the 1,000-hour rule for such plans may not be an absolute figure. However, any exclusion for “part-time” employees is not an acceptable exclusion for retirement plans.

Group health plans that are insured are generally not subject to nondiscrimination rules, with regard to service requirements, under ERISA or the IRC unless offered through a cafeteria plan.

Other types of benefit programs, such as education assistance programs and adoption expense programs, are also subject to nondiscrimination rules, but those rules are not as well developed as are those for the benefit plans mentioned above.

SOURCE: John Kent Graham, regional director of compliance, Sibson Consulting, New York, February 24, 2009

LEARN MORE: The U.S. Department of Labor provides an FAQ on ERISA that aims to help employees understand the law.

The information contained in this article is intended to provide useful information on the topic covered, but should not be construed as legal advice or a legal opinion. Also remember that state laws may differ from the federal law.

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Dear Workforce How Do We Decide Whether to Outsource Payroll or Bring It In-House

Dear Overwhelmed:

Payroll is one of the most complex processes found in the financial operations of companies these days. Not only do payroll administrators need to keep track of federal income tax and benefits regulations, they also must be aware of state wage and hour regulations in every state in which you operate. Most small to midsize firms find it much more economical to outsource this complicated and demanding function. It is only when you reach 1,000 or more employees that you find companies being able to afford the expense associated with maintaining payroll in-house. Even then, these firms usually have access to a variety of outside services that support their legal and regulatory needs related to payroll. If your company is growing rapidly, you may want to study this possibility further. Here are some of the relevant factors to consider in any analysis:

  • How quickly is your company growing? Are you looking to make a significant number of acquisitions or expand internationally over the next several years?

  • How complex are your payroll needs? Look at things like how many hourly employees you have, the different work/shift schedules, and which types of deduction codes and earnings types your company uses. Another indicator of complexity would be a lot of different bonus or other cash compensation programs.

  • How many distinct payrolls does your company run each month? How many physical checks or deposit stubs do you generate each month?

  • Are state regulations (in the 39 states) complex and demanding? Illinois, New York and California have some of the most complicated wage and hour regulations on the planet.

  • Do you have access to payroll expertise (including outside expert resources) to assist with preparing a formal cost/benefit/return on investment analysis?

  • What is the level of IT support at your company? Is your IT department capable of managing another system?

  • Do senior executives understand the complexity, and are they willing to support the conversion with needed resources?

These are some of the more critical questions you will need to consider in the decision to source payroll or bring it in-house. If your company decides to move to another vendor rather than insource, here are some of the significant considerations:

  • Is the vendor financially stable? How long has it been in business? What is its track record in meeting commitments? Check references in detail.

  • How strong are the vendor’s project management capabilities? Does the firm have expertise in all aspects of project management, including project planning, tracking, control, and management?

  • What capacity does the vendor have for bringing your company on board with them? Will you have a dedicated service team?

  • Does the vendor operate nationally? With 39 states, you might as well not even consider firms that have not had experience in all 50 states.

  • Does the vendor serve similarly sized organizations that are growing rapidly? Does it serve organizations that operate internationally (presuming this is a factor)?

  • Does the vendor have experience with companies in your industry? If so, quantify that experience?

  • Can you trust the confidentiality of the vendor? Does the vendor also serve your competitors?

  • Finally, can the vendor manage the variety of your company’s payrolls?

Many of these questions will form the basis for a formal request for proposal that you will send to a select list of vendors. Using these lists as a starting point, you also may want to check with your business colleagues/professional associations to find people who have gone through this type of change and are willing to share their experiences. This type of change should not be done in a “quick and dirty” manner. Invest the time and resources into making the right decision for your organization.

SOURCE: Bob Fulton, the Pathfinder’s Group Inc., Naperville, Illinois, September 7, 2007.

LEARN MORE: Please read how companies large and small have begun to contract our more HR administrative tasks.

The information contained in this article is intended to provide useful information on the topic covered, but should not be construed as legal advice or a legal opinion. Also remember that state laws may differ from the federal law.

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Dear Workforce How Could We Ensure Employee Evaluations That Avoid Subjective Measurement?

Dear Fair-Minded:

Ensuring your evaluations are fair and objective requires a little planning.

Fully understand and communicate expectations

Many supervisors don’t effectively communicate performance expectations to their employees. Misunderstandings about expectations result in diminished focus on the important aspects of the job, lower productivity and quality, and perceived (and real) unfairness in performance evaluations.

A job description that lists specific activities to be performed, the measurements to be reported, the time allocated for each task—and the required results—helps eliminate many potential misunderstandings. By making result expectations clear to your employees in advance, the evaluation process becomes fair and balanced.

Focus on data

If you’ve developed a good job description, you’ve already outlined the measurable outcomes you expect. Next, you need to consistently measure and record these outcomes. One of the simplest ways is by keeping a performance “plus and minus” log on each employee. Simple forms are available from numerous sources, or you can create your own.

Have your supervisors carve out 10 minutes a day to record the performance results of their employees that either exceed or fall below expectations. (Since it’s unlikely that every member of your team will do something noteworthy each day, 10 minutes should be more than enough time.)

At the end of the appraisal period, it is very easy to roll up your notes and complete the appraisal form. Keeping detailed, regular notes on performance helps supervisors objectively rate performance and provides employees with better, more credible input.

Involve the employee

Asking the employee to be involved in measurement and record keeping of their results will further improve the perceived fairness of those results. Give your employee a plus-and-minus log and ask the individual to note significant accomplishments, misses or extra value added.

Periodically meet with employees to go over the log together, and use the employee’s log as one of the inputs for the annual performance appraisal.

Telling your people clearly what you expect and measuring and providing specific comments on performance results help supervisors offer evaluations that are objective. Employees will be more appreciative of the performance evaluation they receive.

SOURCE: Richard D. Galbreath, Performance Growth Partners Inc., Bloomington, Illinois

LEARN MORE: Please read “Six Steps to Successful Performance Appraisals” for additional advice.

The information contained in this article is intended to provide useful information on the topic covered, but should not be construed as legal advice or a legal opinion. Also remember that state laws may differ from the federal law.

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Workforce Management— brSeptember 2003

Passing the Bucks
By Douglas P. Shuit
Exult began with a lot of technology know-how and promises of big savings for companies that handed off their messy, expensive human resources operations. Now, with $500 million in annual billings, Exult is spawning imitators who want a piece of the soon-to-be $21 billion outsourcing market.

Sound the Retreat
By Douglas P. Shuit
Although the dollars that companies spend on retreats have fallen with the weakened economy, some organizations still sign up for off-site meetings that involve physical challenges and offbeat exercises. There’s considerable debate about whether organizations can really rev up leadership skills or build a team through games, firewalking, rock-climbing or whitewater rafting. Last month’s resignation by the U.S. Postal Service’s Inspector General in the wake of her million -dollar retreats (which included mock trials and costumes) hasn’t helped the image of retreats.

Cracking the Ex-Files
By Joe Mullich
Conventional wisdom says that former employers won’t give references. But, as with so many things, the conventional wisdom is wrong. The techniques for getting the straight story on a job candidate include offering a 1-to-10 scale, expecting cooperation and even faxing over a copy of states’ laws that hold employers blameless if the information they share is truthful and without malice. Plus: Steps for fine-tuning the vetting of a job applicant’s past.

Mind Field
Andy Meisler
 
Almost everyone agrees that depression is a disease that endangers millions of lives and livelihoods. It also costs businesses billions of dollars each year. But what should business do about its treatment? That’s where the arguments begin. One approach favors “talk therapy” and medication with antidepressants, while the other relies on treatment that’s more pharmaceutical than psychiatric. Plus: Declining coverage for behavioral health.

Between the Lines
A CEO for California, Inc.
If the Golden State should be run like a business, here; how to pick the CEO.
   Reactions From Readers
Letters on the Transportation Security Administration and more on rank and yank.

In This Corner
Discovering the law of gravity
To jurors in an employment-law case, some things are as certain as gravity. But they’re often the very things that employers and their attorneys overlook.

Legal Briefings
Circumstantial evidence is sufficient to establish sexual discrimination.

Data Bank
Real wages remain frozen.
 

Deskside help for troubled waters
Companies routinely outsource payroll and 401 (k) administration, but some also are using outsourced chaplains to counsel troubled employees. Also: “Blogs” about workplace issues are proliferating. The New York Times hopes training will short-circuit scandals. A contrarian gives his Labor Day employment.
  
 

Staffing
The big brawl over federal “competitive sourcing”
The Office of Management and Budget claims savings of 40 percent can be had if government workers and private contractors bid to see who can do the public’s work for less.
  

HR Software & Technology
Software wars and hard realities
Companies could be out hundreds of millions of dollars if their ERP vendors are swallowed up in current or future rounds of software company consolidation.
  

Disability Management
Sickened by the cost of absenteeism
Internally devised tracking systems, off-the-shelf software and outsourced absence reporting services are all growing popularity as employers try to figure out where an estimated 15 percent of their payroll is going.
  

Retirement Benefits
The $300 billion pension funding shortfall
Congress ponders controversial changes to federal pension regulations, but critics say they might leave plans even more dangerously short of money.
  

Benefits
Do it right or risk getting burned
Employers planning to hike their benefit costs or reduce their coverage must carefully craft their message to employees. Just look at what happened to Lockheed Marin, IBM and American Airlines when the benefit news got out of hand.
  

 
August 2003
July 2003
June 2003
If you’re not currently receiving Workforce Management magazine, click here to request a FREE trial issue today!

 

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Dear Workforce How Do We Rein In a Touchy-Feely Employee?

Dear Trapped:

Communication and awareness of organizational policy are keys to successfully dealing with this and similar situations.

First some background: The idea of personal boundaries in the workplace is not new. Look at traditional office space here in the United States. Traditionally, the higher you go on the corporate ladder, the more personal space you are given. That corner office is desirable to employees in large part because of the privacy it offers. Culture also plays a part in a person’s comfort level regarding personal space, both in one’s personal life and in the workplace. People intuitively know that the level of trust and intimacy in a relationship dictates how much physical space should be maintained among colleagues, friends and family. Finally, studies have revealed that women tend to need less personal space than men do, and some women touch a colleague in order to make a closer connection with the person to whom they are talking. The touching is not necessarily a sign of physical attraction. However, it is always improper to touch someone if it makes him or her feel uncomfortable.

There are several steps that should be taken with the employee in question. The situation needs to be dealt with without regard to the employee’s job performance or seniority. In policy matters, all employees need to be treated equally and consistently. The employee’s professional abilities or executive standing do not make inappropriate actions any more palatable.

The following actions have proved successful in these situations:

• Train employees to understand and respect the clues given to them by co-workers. For example, have you ever watched two people talking and noticed Person A constantly taking one step closer while Person B keeps taking one step backward? Body-language clues can be addressed during employee training sessions.

• Communicate to employees that getting too close for another person’s comfort is easy to do, and can happen before they realize it. Associates, supervisors and customers may take close talking and innocent touching as a threat to their emotional or physical well-being. Also communicate that if it’s not corrected, this behavior can cost employees their jobs. Finally, employees must understand that such behavior with customers can also affect the company’s business relationships.

• Communicate and train your employees on the firm’s generally accepted behavior, and include those behaviors in your employee handbook. Such policies should, however, recognize that everyone expresses themselves differently, and we should not confuse differences with bad behavior.

• Encourage your employees to ask colleagues and supervisors to speak up if certain actions offend them.

In summary, communication and awareness are keys to resolving this situation in a manner that keeps all employees focused and working effectively together.

SOURCE: Rania V. Sedhom, principal, Buck Consultants, New York, October 30, 2009

LEARN MORE: Employee misconduct needn’t be a problem. Learn what should be tolerated and how to handle behaviors that can spell legal trouble.

The information contained in this article is intended to provide useful information on the topic covered, but should not be construed as legal advice or a legal opinion. Also remember that state laws may differ from the federal law.

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Dear Workforce How Do We Judge Return on Investment From Our Education-Assistance Benefit

Dear Education Isn’t Cheap:

Education assistance or tuition reimbursement programs are typically one of the most poorly managed benefits that companies offer. While nearly every company offers a variant of the benefit, few even attempt to evaluate the return on investment (or lack thereof). Such programs rarely have goals, and primarily exist just because everyone else has one. You are right to question what must be done to increase the program ROI, but I assure you that service return contracts are not the answer. Consider asking yourself:

  1. Historically what is the percentage of participants in the program who have voluntarily separated following completion or near completion of their education?

  2. How has completing the education affected the capability or capacity of the program participants to perform their jobs? In other words, does their on-the-job performance increase? Do they receive promotions more often? Does the quality of their work improve?

  3. Historically, how has the organization leveraged the education it sponsored? Was a career plan in place to make use of what the participants were learning? Did the organization re-evaluate the position of the participant or their compensation upon completion of the education (re-recruiting them)?

  4. What is the performance profile of the typical program participant? Is this a program that is primarily used by existing top performers, average employees or minimally engaged employees who continuously perform just above minimum performance standards?

The key in maximizing the ROI of this program, or any HR program for that matter, is to:

  • Develop and clearly articulate a business reason for the program to exist.
  • Cascade that reason down into clearly defined and measurable goals and objectives for the program.
  • Establish metrics relevant to each goal/objective.
  • Routinely communicate program performance and rigorously investigate/resolve non-ideal results.

Completing a degree or even adding new skills to one’s portfolio increases the person’s perceived market value, if not their actual value. Few organizations manage toward that perception. They do not re-recruit the program participant, placing them into a new position that utilizes their current skills. They do not adjust the compensation to levels that a competitor would now pay. And more often than not, they do not even congratulate the employees on their achievement. If such programs can have a positive ROI, achieving it will require that you manage the program for planned results, not administration.

SOURCE: Dr. John Sullivan, San Francisco State University, July 18, 2006.

LEARN MORE: Here is another article on this topic. Also, an intermediate course on calculating its ROI.

The information contained in this article is intended to provide useful information on the topic covered, but should not be construed as legal advice or a legal opinion. Also remember that state laws may differ from the federal law.

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Dear Workforce How Do I Become a Smoke-Free Plant

Dear Workforce:
I’m thinking adopting a smoke-free workplace policy. What would you suggest I keep in mind?


If you haven’t already done so I would suggest finding out from your employees exactly what their concerns are, as well as the benefits they expect to see. If might not be too late to shape your program with an attempt to meet the specific needs that are identified.


In general, the potential pitfalls that I might expect could include any of the following: smokers feeling singled out and penalized and therefore resentful; scheduled breaks expanded informally to accommodate smoker s needs to find a smoking zone to get their fix; creation of a “them” vs. “us” environment; out-and-out disregard for the new rules.


Place an emphasis on the benefits for all employees when this program is rolled out. In addition, let workers know it is “their” policy and subject to modification and improvement over time as better ways are found to create this type of environment.


SOURCE: Pamela L. Pommerenke, a professor of Human Resource Management at Michigan State University’s Eli Broad Graduate School of Business, September 1998.


E-mail your Dear Workforce questions to Online Editor Todd Raphael at raphaelt@workforceonline.com, along with your name, title, organization and location. Unless you state otherwise, your identifying info may be used on Workforce.com and in Workforce magazine.

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Dear Workforce What Are Some Techniques to Hire People Whose Personal Values Best Fit Our Company

Dear Fixated:

 

You are correct: The cultural fit between employee and the organization is an extremely important consideration. We have all had a job for which we had the skills and experience but were just not a “good fit.” Such situations often result in poor employee performance and/or turnover, both of which are costly for the employer.

During a down economy, employees who are a poor fit are way less likely to jump ship–and while this may reduce turnover, it also may perpetuate lower performance that eventually shows up in the bottom line.

So what steps can you take to ensure you hire employees whose values and interests jibe with the company? First of all, it is critical for your company to clearly understand its own culture. This requires a bit of soul searching.

This effort can be complex if yours is a larger company with many divisions and geographic locations. Each group within the organization may take on its own unique culture. In your search for a cultural identity, look at the enduring and stable things that the company values as a whole—and identify meaningful differences in these values across various branches or divisions.

Organizational culture has been studied by many different groups and has been defined in many different ways. Industrial psychologists have conducted decades of research aimed at defining organizational culture, the result being a set of relatively stable “work values” that define the aspects of work that are meaningful to an organization, based on the values of the individuals who constitute it.

Some of the most useful work has been performed by Jennifer Chatman, whose Organizational Culture Profile (OCP) identifies the following major dimensions:

• Innovation

• Stability

• Orientation toward people (fair and supportive)

• Orientation toward outcomes (results-oriented, achievement-oriented)

• Easygoing vs. aggressive

• Attention to detail

• Team orientation

The OCP uses these dimensions to measure fit via the following process:

First of all, a baseline for the organization’s culture is established. This is done by having members of the organization make ratings based on their opinions regarding which of the above dimensions they feel are most and least characteristic of the organization. These ratings are then aggregated to provide a profile that defines the organization’s culture in terms of these dimensions.

Second, an individual’s “personal value profile” is created. This process involves having individuals rank their own personal values (using the dimensions listed above) in terms of their most and least preferred work environment.

Finally, the individual’s ranking of the above work values is compared with the aggregate values profile created by the organization to summarize its culture. This comparison process yields detailed information about the overlap between the values of an organization (or one of its many groups) and those of an individual. These outcomes provide a data-based estimate of the fit between an individual and the group or organization.

As you can imagine, this information can be very useful for helping organizations make all kinds of important decisions. Perhaps the most important is within the hiring process. The work values that underlie cultural fit are relatively stable and enduring within individuals, so hiring people and trying to change their values does not often prove to be an easy task.

There are a number of different “fit” inventories available from pre-employment assessment companies, and it makes sense to look into these. When doing so, make sure to ask for the technical documentation that will demonstrate the measure has been created and evaluated using the proper scientific techniques.

SOURCE: Charles A. Handler, Rocket-Hire, New Orleans, August 13, 2009

LEARN MORE: Post-hire introductory periods provide a way to ensure people’s behaviors, attitudes and attributes actually dovetail with those of a company.

The information contained in this article is intended to provide useful information on the topic covered, but should not be construed as legal advice or a legal opinion. Also remember that state laws may differ from the federal law.

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Dear Workforce Newsletter