Employee Engagement – Page 3

September 3, 2020June 29, 2023

Safety as a top priority helps Easy Ice slip past COVID-19 challenges

Considering that a worker is injured on the job every seven seconds, prioritizing employee safety is of utmost importance for virtually all organizations.

While such a figure is staggering, the National Safety Council says that each one is preventable. Employers can teach and hopefully minimize the back strains and falls of everyday employee safety, but once the pandemic hit in early March, organizations faced an unforeseen challenge and were largely unprepared to address the issues COVID-19 presented to a healthy workplace.

While there was a bit of breathing room for companies that could send employees home to work, others including Marquette, Michigan-based Easy Ice, scrambled to find safety solutions with little time to spare. As a national ice machine provider, Easy Ice provides an essential service. Its employees are essential workers, which meant company leaders had to quickly create a safety plan for workers while still servicing its customers.

Also read: Automate how your staff clocks in and out and cut hours of admin work each week.

Easy Ice Safety Manager Ryan Mahru was assigned to design a reopening plan specific to Easy Ice while also keeping in mind the different conditions for its 200-plus employees in 14 locations across the United States.

“The first step was making sure all of our employees followed best safety practices,” said John Mahlmeister, co-founder and chief operating officer of Easy Ice. “We created a COVID response task force that meets weekly to discuss emerging technology and update our best practices. We also consulted the OSHA Occupational Risk Pyramid, which classifies workplace exposure risk into lower, medium, high, and very high.”

Safety for in-office and field employees

A comprehensive 17-page preparedness and response plan spelled out protocols for in-office employees and field technicians servicing commercial ice and water dispensers for other essential employers including manufacturing plants, hospitals and fast-food restaurants.

Technicians were provided with latex gloves and eye protection when servicing ice machines in the field. They also were limited to one individual per vehicle when traveling between jobs, Mahlmeister said.

Case study: Hoffer Plastics’ ‘family first’ philosophy puts people over profits

“We also factored in industry-specific scenarios where our employees were most likely to have in-person contact and we were able to adjust some of our protocols,” he said. One example, he said, was allowing technicians to give verbal confirmation that a job was completed versus doing it in-person.

A safe return to the office

All Easy Ice offices, which house about 60 percent of the company’s workforce, are now open, Mahlmeister said. There are no-touch thermometers at each sanitization station so employees can check their temperature, and Hepa air filters were installed to help reduce the number of airborne particles floating throughout the office.

“Policies and mandates differ from state to state,” he said. “So we followed a gradual return in accordance with local guidelines and COVID testing numbers. In areas where we identified it would be safe to reopen offices, employees were given the option to continue to work from home for extenuating circumstances, such as caring for high-risk family members.”

Also read: Knock out the practice of buddy punching for good

To assure compliance, all branch managers perform a routine safety audit to identify areas for improvement and ensure compliance with federal guidelines, he said. Branch managers also attend weekly safety briefs where leadership shares new and emerging safety information to prevent coronavirus in the office. Managers also conduct training sessions with employees to ensure these safety measures are implemented into daily practices.

Addressing the emotions

Taking care of the physical side of employee safety was crucial. But Mahlmeister and his team realized they needed to address the emotional side of a pandemic that has deeply affected workers.

“Changing work conditions can be stressful for employees, so we created programs to ensure our team stayed healthy and happy throughout the pandemic,” he said. Easy Ice’s workforce is made up of 74 percent hourly while the remaining 26 percent are salaried employees. Some 40 percent of the workforce is dedicated to serving customers in the field, he said.

Also read: Labor tracking in an increasingly complex legal environment

“Transparency was key,” he said. “We held all-employee meetings monthly during the height of COVID so employees knew that Easy Ice was standing strong through uncertain times.”

Like many organizations, Microsoft Teams became a staple of the work day to help employees physically and emotionally.

“Activities include yoga, healthy breathing and chair exercises, lessons to help parents with home schooling, urban gardening classes and photo and recipe-sharing events,” he said.

The comprehensive plan has helped Easy Ice employees endure the pandemic. But this is not short term, Mahlmeister said.

“Safety should be every company’s top priority,” he said. “I encourage all employers to create an effective response plan while consulting health organizations and recommendations made by professionals. When employees feel safe coming to work, it will allow for a boost in morale and ensure they are able to focus completely on the job.”

Managing and scheduling an hourly workforce can be a challenge in the best of times. With so many employees working virtually give them the convenience of the Employee Scheduling App so you can manage your business from anywhere.

August 19, 2020June 29, 2023

Hoffer Plastics’ ‘family first’ philosophy puts people over profits

Like many companies facing massive disruption as COVID-19 spreads across the world, Hoffer Plastics Corp. had to make hard decisions.

Among the tough choices was fulfilling its customers’ needs while simultaneously protecting the health and welfare of its employees. As a global supplier of custom injected plastic parts used in everything from baby food pouches to lawnmowers, deadlines still had to be met despite the growing pandemic.

Most of the company’s 350 employees were working in three shifts at Hoffer’s 360,000-square-foot plant in the Chicago suburb of South Elgin. They couldn’t simply tuck a laptop under their arm and manufacture blender parts or speaker covers from their dining room table. They had to clock in every day as COVID-19 spread, seeking direction and support from company leaders.

Also read: Cut hours of admin work each week and automate how your staff clocks in and out.

Hoffer’s executive team acted quickly to calm workers’ anxieties by relying on an enduring “family first” philosophy that has served the company from its humble beginnings in 1953 to an internationally recognized, award-winning plastics manufacturer today.

Employees are part of the family

As a family-owned and operated company, Hoffer’s leadership has consistently applied family values to its operations. And its employees, most of whom are hourly, are considered to be an extension of the Hoffer family.

The company is now led by second-generation family member William Hoffer along with his children, known as the “G-3” (for third generation) in executive leadership roles. Daughter Charlotte Hoffer Canning is Hoffer Plastics’ chief culture officer and has been instrumental in leading the organization through the pandemic.

“I may be biased but family was our advantage in these last six months,” said Hoffer Canning, the granddaughter of founders Bob and Helen Hoffer. “Our first core value is family, and family chooses one another over everything else. The focus of our decisions was on the safety and well-being of our people.”

Protecting jobs

As company leaders, Hoffer Canning added that their primary duty was to look after the welfare of their employees.

“The most important thing for us was to remain clear that it was our job to protect people over profits, and remain visible and transparent about the decisions we were making,” she said. “We were all navigating the unknown, but we were on the same page that we wanted to keep people employed.”

In the early days of the pandemic Hoffer executives met consistently to establish their approach to addressing employee concerns and keeping the business operational. As chief culture officer, Hoffer Canning was keenly aware of employee morale.

“Aside from communicating regularly, often two or three times a week, we made sure to lead our teams with empathy, recognizing that everyone is in very different places with how they are experiencing and responding to the pandemic,” Hoffer Canning recalled.

Listen, learn and lead

Simply listening to their employees was among the most important factors considering that each of them had their own perspectives regarding COVID-19, Hoffer Canning said.

“We knew that we had to understand that everyone was having very different experiences in their lives,” she said. “Our first choice was to listen closely, be supportive and empathic in places we could be. We checked in, held listening sessions and added a corporate chaplain to visit with our people. Our attitude was that we could get through it together.”

Case study: Building a safety policy was vital to Shawmut Design and Construction’s health

Considering all the challenges that accompany social distancing and employee safety in a manufacturing plant, the design of Hoffer’s sprawling 24-acre facility became an advantage as leaders reconfigured the building’s layout.

“We have a mature facility, and our building is segmented into focused factories, which has been viewed at times as a disadvantage in manufacturing today,” Hoffer Canning said. “Over the past few months, it has actually been an advantage and assisted greatly with many regards to maintaining proper social distancing. The only place we struggled with social distancing were the break rooms but we now have plexiglass barriers on our tables to maintain a safe environment for eating as well as break times.”

Keeping three shifts operational

Despite the potential roadblocks COVID-19 presents in a large manufacturing facility, Hoffer has maintained its pre-pandemic pace.

“We run three shifts and have run three shifts all the way through COVID-19, of course with new protocols in place,” Hoffer Canning said. “Because we follow good manufacturing practices very closely, our workforce was already used to following safety and health guidelines.”

Unlike many manufacturers that have been forced into layoffs, Hoffer is hiring.

“We are finding great candidates to join our team,” Hoffer Canning said. “Some of the positions require more experience than others, but our main focus is on hiring for ‘humble, hungry and smart.’ We will give you the tools, train you and from there, it’s up to you to work your way up.”

Whether you have a staff of 10 or 10,000 employees, building schedules is easier and faster with Workforce.com’s scheduling software platform. See employees’ availability as you go, be on top of wage costs and customize the way you manage attendance based on your unique requirements.

August 7, 2020August 4, 2020

Time is money, but not all time is created equal

time clock, workforce management, scheduling, time and attendance

We’ve all heard the saying time is money, but as many employers and HR directors have witnessed, an employee’s time can be used in vastly different ways.

One hour of work for employee A could equate to three hours of work for employee B for the same project, even when employee A turns out better quality work in less time.

As roughly 51 percent of employees report being disengaged or actively disengaged at work, workforce absenteeism is costing U.S. companies around $550 billion a year in lost revenue.

In the 21st century, we live in a world full of distractions, stressors and vastly changing technology that has never existed before, placing our 40,000-year-old brain into new and unforeseen territory. Are we surprised that employee engagement has decreased as a result of this change?

The standard eight-hour workday resulted from Henry Ford’s efforts to attract better workers to his Ford Motor Co., eventually paving the way for unions to demand changes in how business was conducted during the Industrial Revolution. While the eight-hour day has been the set standard over the last century, the workplace has vastly changed since those times.

Is it possible for an employee to put in an eight-hour workday by working fewer hours with greater prioritization of time and focused effort?

After looking at the data, all signs point to a resounding yes.

According to McKinsey and Co., the average business professional spends 28 percent of their workday checking e-mail and answering messages, which can amount to nearly 2.6 hours per day, and roughly 120 messages exchanged between correspondents. Since email is the lifeblood of communication between businesses and their customers, these statistics may seem difficult to change, but they aren’t.

The average employee checks their email 15 times a day, which is alarming, considering it takes an estimated 23 minutes and 15 seconds to reach the appropriate level of resumed concentration to return to the previous state of work. Taking these statistics into consideration, it makes sense why some people struggle to put in an eight- to 10-hour day with few results to show.

Even more alarming is the fact that the average amount of time someone spends on a given task without being interrupted is about 3 minutes and 5 seconds, which decreases to 2 minutes and 11 seconds when using an electronic device such as a computer or phone. Interruptions are bound to happen at work, especially for those stuck in a managerial position, yet 44 percent of the interruptions that occur throughout the day are self-induced.

In the 2020 workplace, we must minimize distractions to maximize our time and overall productivity. And what if we don’t need a 40-hour workweek to achieve maximal results?

In 2019, Microsoft Japan implemented a four-day workweek “Work-Life Choice Challenge” to test a new model of workplace efficiency, which showed some very promising preliminary findings. Their data showed a 40 percent increase in workers’ productivity, with a 23 percent drop in electricity costs and a 60 percent drop in the amount of paper being printed, all while providing a three-day weekend.

Although these outcomes are still in the early stages of adoption, they show promising results and further support the notion that time is relative to the focused efforts placed onto it. And as Parkinson’s Law states, work expands to fill the time allotted.

Limiting the amount of time spent on a project may have the potential to increase performance and productivity vastly, pending that the work performed isn’t truly constricted based on time (i.e., baking goods, laboratory testing, etc.).

These factors are vitally important because they all support many underlying principles held in cognitive neuropsychology and behavioral economics. The recurring trait that all of these statistics hold in common is that they all deal with people.

In order to truly maximize our business outcomes, we must help our employees maximize their brainpower and subsequent use of time. Working smarter doesn’t mean we have to work harder. We merely need to utilize the power of time management to minimize distractions and help our employees optimize their brain to maximize their results.

July 26, 2020October 19, 2021

Make managers more successful with the tools to retain and engage their employees

shift scheduling for hourly restaurant workers, shift swap

Many managers cannot pinpoint their employee headcount at any given moment.

On top of that, data published in global leadership consultancy DDI’s 2019 Frontline Leader Project establishes that 57 percent of employees quit because of their boss. DDI’s study also reports that 14 percent have left multiple jobs because of their managers and an additional 32 percent have seriously considered leaving because of their manager.

Many managers are ill equipped and poorly trained to efficiently run a workforce. Whether it’s tallying employee headcount or engaging workers, employers can arm managers with the tools to ensure they become valued top-line supervisors prepared to retain and sustain their employees.

Start with scheduling software

One of the most confounding aspects of a manager’s responsibilities is properly scheduling staff. Tracking employee rosters, hours worked and remaining PTO on paper or on outdated spreadsheets is fraught with opportunities for mistakes.

According to a 2017 survey, 38 percent of employees who track time said they still use manual processes like paper time cards and traditional punch clocks. By eliminating tedious and time-consuming paper-based systems, managers can easily and accurately schedule the right person in the right place at the right time.

Employee scheduling software allows managers to see the big picture and make more accurate, data-driven decisions in just a few clicks. Following are five ways that workforce management software eases scheduling headaches.

Implement scheduling technology

Efficiency is the key to workforce scheduling software. Determining staffing levels is a constant challenge and can be the most perplexing aspect of staff scheduling. Labor analytics fueled by a comprehensive software solution can forecast resource needs and gaps. It also integrates both timekeeping and attendance functions. Employee profiles — who is available when, or who is on paid time off — are available with a few clicks.

Know organizational needs to create a smart schedule

Don’t let your schedule dictate you. Be the boss — literally and figuratively — with software that puts you in charge of the process. Eliminate the gut instinct and implement a software solution to accurately assess customer needs and employee resources. Effective, analytical employee scheduling lowers the company’s labor costs and maximizes customer satisfaction by matching resources to demand.

Make changes on the fly? Go for it!

There are plenty of times when the unexpected occurs. From freak snowstorms that impede travel to a flu bug sweeping across the workplace, scheduling adjustments have to occur quickly and effectively in times of an emergency.

Scheduling software allows for quick communication with workers. Incorporating a scheduling tool with mobile technology including a communications app builds 24/7 schedule access and puts real-time communication at a manager’s fingertips.

Shuffle the deck: Matching A + B + C players shouldn’t be a game of chance

Good managers know how to mesh the strengths and weaknesses of their employees.

Pairing varying talent levels can be a game of chance unless there is data behind the decision. Scheduling software removes the guesswork and incorporates analytics-based information into the decision making process.

Measure, assess and fine tune

OK, so a schedule is a tool and not an employee. Still, like all staff members, scheduling should undergo regular performance reviews and frequent analysis.

Incorporate employee feedback and business performance indicators into the assessment. Robust scheduling software will collect crucial data to assess and reveal insights. By understanding and evaluating the data, managers can better optimize their scheduling process.

Like a carpenter has a hammer and a plumber relies on a wrench, supervisors need the proper online tools to effectively manage their employees. Workforce.com’s scheduling software helps managers control costs, enhance communication, build engagement and focus on the bigger picture of the business. Shifts can be scheduled a month in advance. Give your managers every opportunity to succeed beginning with scheduling software by Workforce.com.

July 20, 2020June 29, 2023

Employee performance shines bright with valuable, continuous shift feedback

With the number of engaged employees consistently hovering at a disappointing 33 percent, it’s little wonder that retaining good workers is an elusive endeavor.

Disengaged employees can break down an organization. Minimal effort and a lack of productivity shouldn’t be the standard expectation, and building a quality workforce takes teamwork and constant inspection and fine-tuning of the processes. There are better ways than “hire and pray they work out” to develop, engage and evaluate a workforce.

Rate your employees’ performance

For managers there is no greater feeling of satisfaction than watching an employee grow into their role. Some employees thrive immediately, and others take time to bloom and flourish. Building a strong team takes a keen eye for talent, but assessing and developing effective talent also requires time and patience.

One solution is utilizing software that allows managers to evaluate employees through continuous, ongoing shift ratings and feedback. Much like tracking an actor from cameo appearance to leading role, the five-star rating system follows an employee’s pathway for success from an ordinary start to a meteoric rise in achievement.

‘A’ ratings — assessment and accountability

How do you hold your team accountable while also inspiring them to grow?

Managers can take the input and build skill profiles for their front-line employees with a shift rating and feedback solution. Qualitatively assessing an employee’s performance may at first seem arbitrary, but as the assessment continues over the course of that person’s tenure with the organization, the solution reveals ongoing performance over time.

Using a five-star rating system, managers can record employee performance immediately after their shift ends.

Assessments aid scheduling

Too often managers are forced to guess which employees mesh best. This should not turn into a game of Whack-a-Mole hoping to guess which person to pair with your cadre of five-star employees. There are likely a handful of two-star employees, while the bulk of the workforce ranks among three- and four-star staffers and it is imperative that managers consistently find the proper Triple-S balance: seniority, salary and skill.

A shift feedback and rating tool provides the perspective and guidance managers need to blend top talent with those who are competent in their work as well as those who require more training. While having a lineup of all five-star talent is a manager’s dream, conversely, scheduling an entire shift of two-star talent has the potential for disaster.

Incorporating a shift rating and feedback app into a manager’s arsenal provides that quick-glance guidepost to maximize the available talent at any given time.

Don’t hesitate — rate!

Like a forgotten item on a grocery list left on the counter, it’s easy to forget the nuances of an employee’s performance in the days following their shift. Implementing a shift rating app leaves nothing to memory.

Wait two weeks or even two days and recollection of that employee’s performance is as hazy as the IPA they were serving that day. Rate the employee’s performance from one to five stars immediately after the shift ends and there is no room for doubt.

Managers then gain the confidence that their assessment maintains pinpoint accuracy and removes the guesswork from scheduling future shifts. The ratings also can be averaged per team to determine where staff performs best.

You’ll be a star when scheduling your employees with the confidence you need through a continuous system of rating their performance based on one to five stars. Get the Workforce.com shift rating and feedback app and let your stars shine through.

June 25, 2020June 29, 2023

Your time clock is better with GPS functionality

frontline workforce, Boost your managers’ effectiveness with an essential mobile clock-in tool

A manager’s effectiveness depends on many variables.

Support from company executives is critical. Possessing the know-how to hire and retain a reliable staff is another. And having the personal attributes to interact effectively with others — the so-called soft skills such as communication, positive attitude and leadership — are absolute musts for an effective manager.

Hard skills are equally as important, and employers can clearly boost managers’ effectiveness by equipping them with the right tools to successfully supervise their teams. Provide your managers with a mobile tool that boosts their ability to know in real time that all shifts will be covered, who is scheduled for what shift and when that employee clocks in.

Scheduling concerns are a thing of the past

Mobile time clock software automates how the staff clocks in and out while improving the accuracy and efficiency of every manager. Every internet-connected device essentially becomes a time clock. No one has to touch a communal device or handle paper time cards. Spreadsheets and calculators are no longer necessary since a mobile solution streamlines cumbersome administrative tasks.

A mobile solution will:

Free up managers’ time.
Simplify scheduling by tracking attendance, paid and unpaid breaks, and time off.
Ensure that every shift is covered without guesswork.
Assure the right person clocks in for the shift.
Allow staff to communicate with managers and each other.
Integrate with other tools to manage staff.
Eliminate bulky paperwork.

Target employees on the go

Your employees are checking their phones to pass the time. Whether at home or on the move, make their phones an essential work tool when it is equipped with a mobile time clock. From anywhere and at any time, a time clock app integrated with workforce management solutions authorizes your staff to check their schedule, communicate with a fellow employee about a shift swap or ask a manager for time off. More than a time clock in their pocket, the multi-tool mobile app lets employees use their phones to clock in and out and allows managers to monitor in real time where and when the punch in or punch out occurs.

Multipurpose mobile app

The best mobile clock in apps do more than merely track an employee’s work hours. Paired with a powerful scheduling tool, managers will simplify the time-consuming task of creating complicated rotating or overnight shifts. Timesheets created from clock ins can be auto-approved to relieve an overwhelmed business manager and improve an organization’s overall effectiveness.

Easing compliance concerns

Sloppy recordkeeping, inaccurate payroll and incoherent time-and-attendance protocols can quickly bog down an organization with costly, burdensome compliance issues. A paper timesheet system just can’t ease those stresses compared to a mobile clock in solution, which efficiently tidies the payroll process and saves trees by eliminating the need for unnecessary paperwork.

Managers also can be assured that the right person is clocking in for the right shift through electronic photo verification and unique passcodes. The nagging problem of buddy punching is a thing of the past with photo ID verification.

Since a mobile time clock app is so easy to use, employees are helping their bosses avoid costly wage-and-hour disputes, trim unnecessary overtime and eliminate embarrassing and expensive payroll corrections. Clocking in and out is simple, as employees use their own device to tap into the app to clock in and out.

Empower your managers

Soft skills may be hard to come by but hard skills are indispensable to a manager’s ability to supervise staff. Give your managers the tools they need to manage their employees and administer digital timesheets, payroll, budgeting and labor compliance reporting. A mobile time clock app gives your managers a powerful tool that makes employee supervision a breeze.

Empower your employees

Make clocking in and out, requesting absences, viewing current and past timesheets and communicating with one another while on the go a snap for your hard-working staff. With an intuitive, mobile-first user experience, employees will find the Workforce.com Time Clock mobile app easy to use without any training.

Start tracking their time today!

June 22, 2020June 29, 2023

How to communicate when an employee tests positive for COVID-19

essential workers; workers' compensation, mask

Positive COVID-19 tests are sadly the reality of 2020 and likely at least part of 2021.

Nationally, 2.23 million of us have tested positive for coronavirus. If your employees have been fortunate enough so far to avoid the virus, the odds are good that before this pandemic is over one or more of your employees will test positive.

Before we discuss the right way to communicate a potential workplace exposure to your employees, let’s explore the wrong way, via one of my favorite punching bags, the WWE.

Via Deadspin:

As “Monday Night Raw” was wrapping up last night, reports started to leak out that a member of WWE’’s developmental program had tested positive for COVID-19.… It’s hard to pinpoint which is the more galling aspect: that the talent and crew of WWE found out about the positive test the same way the rest of us did, through social media and the internet last night, or that everyone showed up to work thinking they were safe, or however close to that word they felt by working for WWE, when in fact they weren’t.

If one of your employees tests positive for COVID-19, your other employees deserve to hear the news from you, not from a Facebook post, a tweet, a local news reporter or otherwise. You just have to make sure you are communicating the news legally.

The ADA’s confidentiality rules still apply to these communications, and an employee’s positive coronavirus test is still a confidential medical record. This means that you cannot divulge to anyone else the identity of the employee(s) who tested positive. It does not mean, however, that you can’t (and shouldn’t) communicate to employees that they might have been in contact with someone who has tested positive (or is displaying symptoms consistent with COVID-19) and that they should be diligent about monitoring their own health for potential symptoms.

Your only limit is disclosing the identity of the corona-positive employee. Otherwise, you are free to make any communication you want.

And you should. Your employees will resent you if they learn of the diagnosis of their potential exposure from anyone but you. Moreover, you can flip the story around into one focused on everything you are doing to protect the health and safety of your employees.

Dear Employees:

It saddens us to inform you that one of your co-workers has tested positive for COVID-19. The law prevents us from telling you the identity of that co-worker, but we want to assure you that we will continue to support this employee as your co-worker heals from this virus, and we will welcome them back to join you at work once it is safe to do so.

We are doing everything within our ability and resources to keep you as safe and healthy as possible at work. Still, with many cases of COVID-19 transmitted before anyone knows they have been exposed, and with you only being at work for a fraction of you day, we cannot 100 percent guarantee the virus won’t enter our workplace.

We continue to require that you self-assess daily for your own potential COVID-19 symptoms (fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea). If you have any of these symptoms, please let us know, and do not return to work until you have received a negative COVID-19 test, or you are symptom-free for at least 72 hours and at least seven days have passed since your first symptoms.

We are also continuing to take the following steps to help ensure, as best as possible, your health and safety here at work:

Employees are required to wear masks or other facial coverings at all times while at work, unless you granted a specific exception (such as for safety, a medical reason, or because you are working alone in a closed office).

employees are required to maintain six feet of social distance from others at all times.

Employees must diligently wash their hands and otherwise use hand sanitizer (which we are providing in intervals around the workplace).

Employee must self-assess their own health before reporting to work, and no employee is permitted to come to work if they have any of the known symptoms of COVID-19.

Lunch room and other common areas are closed until further notice.

Each employee is responsible for cleaning their own work station at the end of each shift.

We are deep cleaning the entire workplace on a weekly basis.

Additionally, because of the unfortunate positive test, we had the facility deep cleaned and sanitized prior to anyone being allowed to reenter after we learned of the positive test.

Our commitment to your health and safety is our top priority. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact ______________. Our door is always open.

June 19, 2020October 7, 2021

A midterm outlook on the future of the workplace

The COVID-19 pandemic is the first of its kind for virtually everyone living on this planet. We’ve survived SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) in 2003, MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) in 2012, Ebola around 2014, and even AIDS.

We’re still here, and yet this feels different. As of this writing, we still don’t know what we don’t know about this virus’s trajectory, its reinfection rate, or the longer-term ramifications to the health of those infected.

It’s difficult to speculate how and in what ways this health crisis will affect the workplace globally, but in the nearer term, it’s reasonable to predict certain outcomes with a fairly high degree of certainty. The phases of COVID-19 will likely follow a pattern of illness, mitigation, and control (where we are now), economic impact in terms of stock markets and unemployment, and anticipated litigation, especially in the areas of employment, wage and hour, and disability discrimination. Finally, a “new normal” of sorts will establish itself, but things many never be quite the same. We’ve lost a certain innocence about many of the things we take for granted.

For example, there will certainly be a gradual, staged reintegration of workers back into the workplace. Some nations, states and companies may lurch right back in, while others will be more cautious, prudent, and mindful about the upcoming reintegration. What’s for sure, though, is that we’ll gradually move back into a fully operational and integrated workplace.

Working remotely

Two changes, however, are likely: a smaller workforce at each company and a remote approach to working. To that latter point, Gen Z’s desire for more flexibility and greater work-life balance may dovetail nicely into this paradigm of remote telework. Technology creates new opportunities for face-to-face, real-time meetings, even if they aren’t in person. Likewise, a smaller, leaner workforce will likely be the new norm as organizations pare down corporate infrastructure and spans of control and retain only the strongest performers.

A practical impact of more remote work from smaller teams, however, may be the threat to managers’ exemption status. For example, in California, “concurrent duties” are permissible during emergencies. An exempt employee may perform both exempt and nonexempt duties, all the time qualifying as exempt.

However, outside of an emergency, exempt managers must spend 50 percent or more of their time engaging in “exempt” level duties, meaning responsibilities with a high degree of independent judgment, discretion, and decision-making. If remote managers in smaller organizations start doing more of the work their subordinates have typically done, their exemption status could be threatened. And if your managers’ exempt classification is in jeopardy, class action wage and hour lawsuits may result.

HR steps up

How can HR leaders step up? By predicting the natural reintegration curve that’s coming our way. Some workers may truly suffer from anxiety and depression as they return to work. Expect new medical diagnoses of “adjustment disorder with anxiety” and PTSD—pre-traumatic stress disorder—as workers experience a new paranoia about coming to work, their surroundings, and everything they touch and come into contact with.

Think about it: simply using public transportation to get to work may cause some to seek medical treatment for an invisible enemy that surrounds them. Employees may ask about “proximity alarms” and warning devises that trigger when coming within six feet of coworkers and customers. Partitions and barriers like the plexiglass windows seen at the grocery store may be at the top of certain employees’ wish lists, as may be requests for staggering arrival times to avoid overcrowding.

Likewise, as an employer, you may want to implement new rules on PPE (personal protective equipment), hand-washing and other sanitation standards. You may likewise look to introduce attestation language to your electronic timekeeping system when nonexempt workers clock out at the end of the day verifying that they have no COVID-19 symptoms.

Challenges ahead

Whatever this looks like in your particular organization, rest assured that change is coming in the form of predictable and unforeseeable challenges.

Be the wisdom. Lead and welcome the change. When in doubt, err on the side of compassion and leave judgment behind when supporting your workers through this.

There will likely be no greater opportunity for you to exercise selfless leadership than you’re getting right now at this very moment in your career. We’re at a point of pure creation, with few policies, precedents, or practices to fall back on or guide us. See this as an opportunity to excel, shine, and lead.

Teach what you choose to learn. Help your team members and employees know that you’re there for them and you’ve got their backs, no matter what challenges come your way next. This crisis is the making of inspirational leadership that will define you for the rest of your career.

Now, more than ever, you have an opportunity to demonstrate role model leadership and touch and inspire those around you. Never let a crisis go to waste.

April 24, 2020June 29, 2023

The benefits of an engaged federal workforce also benefit the nation

federal workforce; public employees; police officers

It should not be a surprise that the benefits of an engaged federal workforce reflect the same rewards as private-sector organizations that tout high engagement figures.

Successfully engaging employees offer outcomes including higher retention, increased innovation and productivity. Organizations with an engaged workforce also often see decreased absenteeism. It is also a strong predictor of both job satisfaction and organizational commitment.

Despite the clear advantages when an organization commits to promoting employee engagement, annual engagement figures typically hover around 33 percent. Even with record low unemployment in 2018, a Gallup survey revealed that just 34 percent of American workers claimed to be engaged employees.

Sense of Commitment Vs. Money

Yet studies show that federal employees often are driven more by a sense of commitment to public service than by financial incentives. Mika J. Cross, a federal workplace expert and vice president of employer engagement and strategic initiatives for job-search provider FlexJobs, said in a 2019 interview that there is a strong correlation between overall engagement and an employee’s propensity to stay in government.

Mika J. Cross, federal employees, employee engagement, benefits of an engaged federal workforce — Mika J. Cross, VP-employer engagement and strategic initiatives, FlexJobs.

“Those who indicated they intended to stay are generally more engaged than their colleagues who aren’t,” said Cross in an interview with the Federal Employment Law Training Group.

Cross elaborated in a recent email interview with Workforce that there are tangible differences between federal employees and the private-sector workers.

“There is more flexibility with access and use of so many of the workforce collaboration tools and benefits that can help to foster higher levels of engagement,” Cross said of most private sector employers. “There is more variety and creativity in benefits and rewards/recognition tactics to acknowledge good work.”

A 2015 study by the Office of Personnel and Management — the federal agency that manages the government’s civilian workforce — provides insight into the benefits of an engaged federal workforce.

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Titled “Engaging the Federal Workforce: How to Do It and Prove It,” the 32-page report takes a deep look into variations in employee engagement.

Because federal employees often are motivated by a sense of altruism, a worker’s experience, as well as job security and better benefits, positively affects their engagement, the report notes. Yet the unpredictability of the federal government’s fiscal environment — affected by factors including an economic slump such as the current coronavirus pandemic — are beyond the federal employee’s and supervisor’s control. Budget uncertainty also has resulted in sequestration and furloughs.

“An organizational climate with these kinds of uncertainties has the potential to undermine employee engagement efforts,” the OPM report states. Therefore, when targeting the benefits of an engaged federal workforce, “it is essential to consider external factors in addition to those that may be influenced by leadership and the individual.”

Proactive Personnel Engagement

The study also takes into account individual differences that are likely to influence an employee’s tendencies toward engagement. Traits such as conscientiousness and proactive personality have been found to be related to engagement, the study notes. Individuals who exude initiative, perseverance and immersing themselves in their work demonstrate proactive personalities.

Cross reiterated in her 2019 interview the strong connection between overall engagement and an employee’s willingness to remain in government.

“Those who indicated they intended to stay are generally more engaged than their colleagues who aren’t,” said Cross, a U.S. Army veteran known as the “Public Service Passionista” who frequently provides expert testimony on Capitol Hill and speaks at numerous conferences.

Cross also told Workforce that engaging federal workers comes down to greater access and choice in workplace flexibility programs.

“Offer more variety of options in choosing flexible work schedule options, access to telework or remote work options and other supportive work/life resources,” she said. “Invest in the proper technology tools that increase efficiencies for accomplishing work, collaborating and communicating with customers, stakeholders and co-workers.”

Supervisors can make a big difference in driving and promoting the benefits of an engaged federal workforce, Cross said in 2019.

“Focus on organizational citizenship behaviors, meaning inspire, encourage, motivate and reward employees for their discretionary behavior and positive activities that help contribute to the overall welfare of the organization, and that go well beyond simple job duties and work requirements,” she said. “Overall, supervisors can directly impact employee dedication, sense of purpose and their attachment to their mission and the organization.”

Communication Remains Key

Frequent check-ins to understand their team’s personal and professional goals, listening and responding to how federal employees feel about their roles, and the work they do serving the American people should be part of regular conversations, she said.

Cross also offered tips that supervisors can implement to enhance the benefits of an engaged federal workforce.

Reinforce and explain the connection between an employee’s actions, workload, projects and activities to the organizational and business unit vision.
Redesign work to encourage more autonomy, creativity and innovation.
Enforce effective performance management practices that focus on early course correction, learning and growing and always striving to be supportive, not dismissive or overly critical.
Offer and encourage using all the supportive employee and workplace resources that are available, such as onsite wellness programs, flexible work schedules, telework programs, employee advocacy and community affinity groups, financial literacy, continuing education and other workplace activities that help make a federal agency a better place to work.
Encourage frequent and open communication with employees; model and reward appropriate co-worker relationships.

There also are some basic communication strategies to follow, Cross said. Reinforce good behavior and ask employees about incentives that would engage them in a meaningful way.

“You may be surprised to hear that an incentive for one employee may be a time off award, or ability to take a training course or attend a networking event during duty hours rather than a monetary bonus,” she said.

“Additional flexibility in their work schedule or permission to telework more frequently; or for others, taking on a new assignment or gaining permission to work on a project outside of their normal position description may be a wonderful way to incentivize a job-well-done and inspire more creativity and innovation.”

February 21, 2020June 29, 2023

An employee engagement formula that cuts stress in a turnover-plagued industry

Turnover on the front lines is always a hiring challenge. But in the world of drug development, it can directly affect how quickly and safely drugs get to market.

Clinical research associates, or CRAs, are the pharmaceutical industry’s front line workers. These associates are in charge of making sure trials run smoothly, which includes constant travel and high-stakes tasks. “It’s a very stressful job,” says Domantas Gurevicius, director of clinical monitoring for Advanced Clinical, a contract research organization, also known as a CRO, based in Deerfield, Illinois, which runs trials for pharmaceutical companies.

Before a trial starts, the clinical research associates have to be sure site staff have all the equipment and training they need. Then once it begins, they are responsible for gathering and uploading all trial data, ensuring protocols are followed, monitoring patient safety, and making sure patients and staff have everything they need for the trial to be a success.

Each clinical research associate manages 10 to 15 trial sites, which means they are constantly on the road and are often the only representative from the contract research organization that trial staff will engage with. That means that when staffers have questions or complaints or require additional support, they turn to the clinical research associate for help.

The constant pressure, isolation and travel leads to a lot of burnout. Despite relatively high salaries, industry turnover rates among the associates is more than 25 percent, creating a constant risk for their employers and pharmaceutical companies. When these workers quit — or get recruited away by competitors — it can cause trial delays, and force other clinical research associates to pick up the slack, which creates a ripple effect of frustration and attrition.

It’s impossible to eliminate these risks, but Advanced Clinical has employed a number of tools and engagement strategies to keep its turnover rates at less than half of industry averages.

Part of the Team From Day One

Engagement starts with a multi-day onboarding process. The focus is less on paperwork and more on introducing the new associates to staff, sharing company success stories and helping them build a network in the organization. “It lets them see where they fit in the company, and why people love to work here,” Gurevicius said.

Once on the job, managers use a number of tools to make the associates feel connected and heard, including regular one-on-one calls to check up on trial progress and make sure they have what they need.

“You can talk about whatever is on your mind, whether it’s about the study, regulations or something going on at a specific site,” said Wes Boynton, a senior clinical research associate who has been with Advanced Clinical for six years. “They make it feel like a safe environment to talk about anything.”

This open communication doesn’t just make associates feel good. It helps the company constantly improve, Gurevicius said. The associates often have the most relevant information because they spend so much time at the sites, he said.

For example, in a recent call, an associate pointed out that the company’s database for tracking site staff had to be accessed by someone internally, even though the associates have the most up-to-date knowledge about the site. Gurevicius agreed and provided all of the associates with their own access to more efficiently manage that content. “We leverage their experiences so we can improve,” he said.

NPS for Engagement

Managers also use a number of practical tools to keep clinical research associates engaged, including an online expense reporting platform so they don’t have to scan every receipt, and a messaging app for frequent check-ins that asks associates to rate their day on a 1 to 10 scale. “It’s like a net promoter score for engagement,” said Steve Matas, senior vice president of strategic solutions for Advanced Clinical. The ratings give Matas an instant pulse on employee engagement, and allows him to identify issues before associates start looking for another job. “Anything under a 7 prompts an immediate call,” he says.

To minimize the burden of travel, clinical research associates are assigned sites based on their home location, and the company tries to limit on-site days to eight per month. Occasionally that number will go over due to site set-up or because a site has some issues, but in those cases, managers check in to make sure they aren’t overwhelmed. “We find out if they need extra help, and we try to push that number down for the next month,” Gurevicius said.

It is a low number of site-days for the industry, but it pays off because people stay, Matas said. When associates are overworked they quit, which puts more pressure on other clinical research associates and negatively impacts site productivity while their replacements ramp up.

“They make sure we aren’t stressed out,” Boynton said. The associates also have a weekly group call to discuss their trials and share best practices, and a dedicated administrator for all the trial sites who they can tap if they are having difficulties. “It helps to know you have someone you can rely on at the home office.”

All of these methods are paying off. Advanced Clinical’s turnover for clinical research associates is 10 percent, part of which is due to promotions. “They see opportunities for growth here, and that keeps them around,” said Gurevicius, who began his own career as an associate at the company. “We don’t ever want to hold someone back from taking the next step.”

Whether a company is hiring clinical research associates or parking attendants, or any other front line position, the key to engagement is investing in your people and showing them you care, he added. “When you build relationships and give your people a voice they won’t want to leave.”