Category: Staffing Management

Dear Numbers Game:
The essential question you have to answer is this: How many people are needed to get the job done efficiently and effectively? To determine the optimal ratio, you need to consider a number of items.
Gain insight on workflow. By mapping out the workflow in operations, leaders can compare it to the workflow being considered in the support function. Themes and trends will emerge that parallel work in operations with corresponding support work in administration, safety and wellness, among other areas.
Determine core competencies. Once the workflow is understood, then the specific competencies for support can be analyzed in relationship to tasks in operations. Traditionally, this phase would include detailing a job description, but much more is involved. A job description provides only a starting point. Along with competencies, you need to identify a strategy for bringing them to life, including the role of supervision and training.
Survey your operations staff. Ask questions of your current operations and support staff. As an expanding company, you already have teams to assist in problem solving. Engage them and give them a sense of involvement, buy-in and ownership.
Internal and external benchmarking. What is your company’s experience with similar operations or competitors in the industry? You can learn critical lessons by understanding what works and what doesn’t. Sometimes, it is simply a matter of uncovering more stones to get to the real answer.
Conduct a “what if?” analysis. This allows leaders to test-drive various scenarios without actually deploying resources. This helps you determine a staffing ratio that makes sense.
Engage mission, vision, values and culture. Examine the mission, vision, values and culture. If your staffing ratios line up with critical organizational needs elements, then success is likely. If not, don’t be surprised if it fails.
Analyze and compare ratios. Based on the data generated above, determine which ratio makes the most sense. For example: by plotting the total number of operations’ employees with total hours worked vs. projected support staff and hours worked, the ratio will come into sharper focus. This does not need to be complicated: You could use a basic spreadsheet to test various assumptions.
SOURCE: Dana E. Jarvis, adjunct professor of leadership and management, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh
LEARN MORE: Please review a series of tools, including worksheets, for workforce planning.
Workforce Management Online, January 2011 — Register Now!
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 Peering Into the Future:

I applaud your inquiry. Rarely do human resources professionals take time to understand the importance of recruiting future skills. For a not-for-profit in the recreational field, there are three main categories of skills you will want your people to have as you move into the future: people skills, technology skills and developmental skills.

Because you will probably continue to rely on sponsorship, you will want your development people to have excellent powers of persuasion. This skill will also be helpful in recruiting new members as well as new employees. Hint: Have your internal and your external marketing people work together so that your employer brand and your organizational brand are aligned. (Sometimes not-for-profits forget this important step.)

Also in the area of people skills: You will need good leaders as well as good followers. As you grow, you will need people who are good at working in teams to accomplish projects. When you are ready to expand to a second club, you will need people who are good at establishing systems and procedures in new environments. You can recruit for these particular skills by using behavioral interviewing.

Second, as we all know, technology is becoming more and more important in recreation and fitness. You will want to hire some people who are familiar with the “latest and greatest” in gaming and simulations. Today, it’s the PlayStation, Wii and the Xbox. Who knows what tomorrow’s technology will bring? Hire people who pride themselves in staying on the leading edge. They will probably be members of the millennial generation—sometimes called Generation Y.

To repair these systems and your increasingly sophisticated machines in the club, you will also need people who are good (and fast) technicians. Machine downtime discourages people from visiting your club, so you will want to have any broken machines up and running as soon as possible. Be sure to include a practical test in your pre-employment candidate assessment. (One of the worst hires I ever made was when I believed a young woman whose résumé said that she was able to program in HTML; I didn’t find out until after I hired her that she thought being able to use Dreamweaver was the same as being able to program from scratch.)

Finally, you will want to hire people who have the ability to develop and grow, so that they may grow with your organization. Many of the jobs that will exist in 10 years do not exist now. Hire people who are adaptable and who not only can learn new things, but also enjoy learning them as well. And although in your area of recreation you will hire many young people, do not dismiss your candidates from other generations. What is most important is that the candidates want to keep developing themselves.

SOURCE: Joyce Gioia, strategic business futurist, The Herman Group, Austin, Texas

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Mayor Michael Bloomberg released a 23-step plan Jan. 7 to overhaul civil service work rules and make it easier for the city to fire and discipline workers—drawing immediate fire from municipal union leaders.

The mayor’s Workforce Reform Task Force said in its report that civil service exams are not suited for the modern work force and called for abolishing state oversight of the city’s hiring. The city has more than 300,000 employees, and the report argues that evolving technology, growing service needs and limited resources require workers with new skills and rules that allow for more flexibility in their deployment.

The task force of 10 administration officials came up with its recommendations without input from the city’s municipal unions. The state’s civil service law is more than 120 years old and was enacted to prevent cronyism in hiring.

“We have the best work force in the world, but the civil service is so antiquated that it prevents them from performing up to their abilities, costs taxpayers millions of dollars in unnecessary expenditures, and prevents us from retaining and promoting our best workers,” Bloomberg said, in a written statement.

Union officials said they did not receive the report until it was released publicly on Jan. 7 and that they were not consulted by the task force. “These proposals, as currently constituted, would not reform but instead destroy key elements that make the current system fair and equitable,” said Harry Nespoli, chairman of the Municipal Labor Committee, an umbrella group of city unions.

“Civil Service was created to ensure that city workers were appointed and promoted on the basis of merit and fitness, not cronyism and patronage,” said DC 37 executive director Lillian Roberts. “Why would you want to dismantle a system specifically designed to protect the integrity of government and reintroduce a system where appointments and promotions are made based on who you know, not what you know?”

The task force recommended getting rid of seniority in teacher layoffs and suggested major changes to how other city workers are laid off. Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, called the task force’s work “predetermined,” and said “it clearly was not an objective thing.”

Deputy Mayor Stephen Goldsmith has been the driving force of the city’s attempts to reconfigure workplace rules, building on his experience as mayor of Indianapolis. In an article on Governing.com in November, he wrote, “When we reward the mediocre, promote the less qualified, restrict problem solving discretion and turn the public’s work into a mechanical production of commodities, we demean public servants, degrade the quality of service and cheat taxpayers.”

Of the 23 proposals in the report, seven can be accomplished administratively by the city, 11 require changes in state law and five need to be negotiated via collective bargaining.
A spokesman for Bloomberg said legislation would soon be introduced in the state Legislature on some of the measures.

The report calls for eliminating testing for certain positions and for changing the method of examination for other jobs to account more for experience. It calls for taking job performance into account for provisional employees and not relying solely on their test scores. And it recommends doubling temporary appointments from a maximum of 18 months to three years.

It also calls for changes to disciplinary procedures to allow managers flexibility to impose sanctions without a hearing.

State Sen. Diane Savino, who chaired the New York Senate’s Civil Service and Pensions Committee when Democrats were in the majority, called the city’s proposal to end the State Civil Service Commission’s authority over hiring in the city a “nonstarter.” She said she was not consulted by the task force.

“I think I just heard Teddy Roosevelt roll over in his grave,” she said. She added that she’d be open to changes that modernize some rules, but would fight any attempt “to dismantle a system that protects economic opportunity for every New Yorker.”  

Filed by Daniel Massey of Crain’s New York Business, a sister publication of Workforce Management. To comment, e-mail editors@workforce.com.

 

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The National Labor Relations Board’s Hartford, Connecticut, regional office has sued a medical transportation company, alleging it illegally terminated an employee who posted negative remarks about her supervisor on her personal Facebook page.

The NLRB regional office filed the complaint late last month against American Medical Response of Connecticut Inc. It alleges that the company illegally terminated and denied union representation to the employee during an investigatory interview and maintained and enforced an “overly broad” blogging and Internet posting policy.

Dawnmarie Souza, a union worker for American Medical Response’s New Haven office, was fired in December 2009 after disagreements between her and her supervisor. The friction that lasted about a month culminated when Souza was asked by her supervisor, Frank Filardo, to prepare an incident report about a client’s complaint about her work, according to the NLRB complaint.

Souza asked that a Teamsters Local 443 representative be present during the interview, which management denied and threatened her with discipline because of her request, according to the complaint.

Later that day, Souza went on her personal Facebook page at her home computer and posted a negative remark about her supervisor, which drew supportive responses from co-workers and led to more negative comments by Souza about her supervisor, according to the NLRB investigation.

Greenwood Village, Colorado-based AMR terminated Souza, saying she had violated the company’s Internet policies with her postings.

The NLRB regional office’s investigation found that Souza’s Facebook postings were a “protected concerted activity,” and that AMR’s blogging and Internet posting policy contained “unlawful provisions, including one that prohibited employees from making disparaging remarks when discussing the company” and another that “prohibited employees from depicting the company in any way over the Internet without company permission.”

According to a written statement by the NLRB, such provisions interfere with employees’ rights to engage in the protected concerted activity.

The case will go before an NLRB administrative judge and a hearing is set for Jan. 25, 2011.

According to a spokeswoman for the NLRB, if the case is appealed and reaches the board level of the Washington-based federal agency, that decision will set the precedent on a private company’s blogging and Internet posting policies for all the NLRB’s regions.

A request for comment was not returned by American Medical Response.   

Filed by Jeff Casale of Business Insurance, a sister publication of Workforce Management. To comment, e-mail editors@workforce.com.

 

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Volt Information Sciences Inc. reported the Securities and Exchange Commission is conducting a private investigation into what the company believes is accounting matters.

The company is cooperating with the investigation, Volt reported. Although, it said “the company cannot predict or determine whether any proceeding may be instituted as a result of the investigation, the timing of the final outcome of the investigation or the effect that an adverse finding, if any, may have on it.”

Volt is presently in the process of restating financial statements because of errors that impacted the timing of recognition of revenue.

In July, the New York Stock Exchange gave the company an extension until Dec. 31  for the company to file its annual report for its last fiscal year.  

Filed by Staffing Industry Analysts, a sister company of Workforce Management. To comment, e-mail editors@workforce.com.

 

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Dear Salvage Job:
Most organizations have a process called “corrective action” that guides managers on the proper steps to take when addressing an employee’s poor performance. To persuade the employee to improve, however, focus on the coaching aspects of performance improvement. It positions you to address the root causes of performance difficulties and inspires employees to take ownership of the issues.
Coaching is designed to improve the work of the employee, the team and departments. The idea is to engage employees to take accountability for improved performance, relying on your support to make it happen.
Persuasion is about getting people to want to do what you want them to do. It’s how you tap into their values and needs, and link your goals to the realization of their dreams.
To be persuasive, three key ingredients must be mixed in the proper proportions:
1. Trust. People trust you when they can rely on you. They may grant you a certain level of trust because of your position, your credentials or your reputation. But trust is built through relationship consistency. Trust in oneself is also an important ingredient in persuasion. Self-doubt can undermine employee achievement. You reduce employees doubt by building their confidence through consistent, achievable successes.
2. Logic. To persuade someone to adopt your goal, it must pass the test of reason. If a goal does not make sense, you’ll have a hard time persuading the employee to take it on. So be reasonable in your expectations.
3. Emotion. Your goal must appeal to the employee’s imagination and sense of purpose. By understanding the employee’s interests and needs for success, you’ll go a long way in persuading the employee to take on the goal. By treating your employee as someone who wants to achieve extraordinary results, you show good faith and respect. To understand what it is that individual employees need and care about, listen to their words and observe their body language and emotional expression.
See how the Chatfield Group’s 7-Step Coaching Process fits with your leadership style:
• Engage the employee. Express confidence in the employee’s ability and willingness to solve the problem. Ask the employee for help in solving the problem.
• Get clear about the problem. Describe the performance challenge as you see it, and ask the employee to help clarify relevant issues. Use effective questioning skills to get the employee to provide specific examples and describe the desired outcome. Help the employee estimate what the problem is costing him or her.
• Identify the barriers to performance. Listen carefully to determine if the problem is because of a lack of skills and ability or a lack of interest and motivation. Typical barriers to high performance are time, tools, training and temperament. Check with the employee to determine what is getting in the way of top performance. With the employee’s involvement, determine how to remove or sidestep performance barriers.
• Create an action plan. Agree on a plan for improving the situation. Put the plan in writing and share it with the employee. Remember, work performance should never be a mystery, so make the plan a working document and be sure it reflects the employee’s input.
» What will you do to help the employee accomplish goals within desired time frames?
» What will the employee do to facilitate improvements?
» Are these items reasonable and achievable?
• Inspire success. Create a picture of what success looks like that captures the employee’s emotion. Coaching is about helping to unlock the employee’s true potential by encouraging creativity and ensuring development.
• Follow up frequently. Don’t wait too long. Check on progress to be sure necessary improvements are taking hold. Offer your help when it’s needed.
• Celebrate success. Offer encouragement and positive feedback when things go well. Support the employee’s can-do attitude and express appreciation for the employee’s contribution
SOURCE: Patsy Svare, managing director, The Chatfield Group, Northbrook, Illinois
LEARN MORE: Please read how Motorola used training to change employee behaviors.
Workforce Management Online, November 2010 — Register Now!
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

Caterpillar Inc. increased its “flexible workforce” by 9,000 people so far this year, according to the company’s third-quarter earnings announcement.

The flexible workforce includes workers from staffing firms as well as part-time and temporary Caterpillar employees.

The Peoria, Illinois-based equipment-maker also added more than 6,000 full-time employees.

“I am pleased that we have put so many people back to work this year, and with continued global economic growth, we will add people in 2011 but remain keenly focused on cost control,” Caterpillar CEO Doug Oberhelman said in a news release.
“While we are expecting positive economic growth in the United States, the recovery is weaker than we’ve seen historically, particularly given the depth of the 2009 recession.”  

Filed by Staffing Industry Analysts, a sister company of Workforce Management. To comment, e-mail editors@workforce.com.

 

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Dear Trust Deficit:

In this time of organizational restructuring, rapid operational/technological changes and uncertainty, rebuilding trust is definitely a challenging (and not uncommon) task. However, all levels of management can take the lead in this rebuilding process if they follow some basic principles and seven strategic steps.

1. Hold a focus group. One of the best ways to begin a healing and trust-building process is a meeting, or a series of meetings, that allows people to appropriately share their concerns or vent frustrations about people or processes that have contributed to a destabilizing or trust-eroding organizational atmosphere or culture. Of course, you need a skilled and objective facilitator. When employees see that management doesn’t get defensive during this exchange and acknowledges broad concerns and, in fact, takes meaningful problem-solving steps, trust levels begin to rise.

2. Acknowledge hidden agendas. When possible, speak the unspeakable—that is, acknowledge the 800-pound gorilla in the room. Being transparent doesn’t mean you have to put everything on the table, but certainly share appropriate information about problematic issues or about what is and is not in your immediate control, along with what information you do and don’t have. (These last two issues are particularly salient when there are rumors about a possible restructuring or downsizing.)

3. Talk straight and ask good questions. Try to get to the point without too much digression or overexplanation, as this diminishes your credibility with an audience. When possible do some preparation; precision of language commands attention. If this is an issue, what keeps you from talking straight—fear of consequences or being wrong, fear of hurting others, wanting to be liked, a duplicitous environment, etc.? Conversely, ask good questions. The essence of a good question is a) humility: “I don’t have all the answers” and b) openness: “I really would like to hear and learn from your point of view.” Remember, when a person is communicating with high emotion, he or she likely still feels misunderstood.

4. Don’t bad-mouth others behind their backs, especially folks no longer in the company. All this does is fuel employee mistrust: “What do (or will) people say about me when I’m not around (or when I retire)?” And if people are talking negatively about a current employee, encourage people to talk directly with the person; offer to mediate (or to find a mediator) when appropriate.

5. Don’t overpromise and underdeliver; keep your commitments. As I like to say, beware of being motivated by ego goals: that is, when your goals are driven less by the needs, demands, resources and challenges of a situation and more by ego and false pride. Remember the advice of Stephen M.R. Covey: When you make a commitment, you build hope; when you keep a commitment, you build trust.

6. Create a learning, trust-building culture. In addition to acknowledging a personal mistake in a timely manner, when possible view errors as less a sign of incompetence and more an indicator of inexperience or some immaturity, maybe even boldness.

7. Extend trust. Design rules and procedures for the overwhelming majority of people you can trust. Grant trust abundantly to those who’ve earned it; extend conditionally to those earning it, while examining the situation, risk potential and credibility—the competence and character—of those involved for more opportunities to extend trust.

SOURCE: Mark Gorkin, The Stress Doc, Washington, D.C., August 9, 2010

LEARN MORE: Please read “5 Questions With Dov Seidman: Inspiration as Worker Incentive” for more on how companies can reconnect with employees.

Workforce Management Online, October 2010 — Register Now!

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 Proceeding With Caution:

Your question is a timely one, as the Labor Department is stepping up its enforcement efforts concerning student intern programs. Although media reports may focus on the use of unpaid interns at large, for-profit companies, the regulations in this area apply to all employers—whether for-profit or not-for-profit companies. The purpose of the regulations is to ensure that employers are not using the “intern” label to avoid paying their workers the minimum wage and overtime.

The Labor Department applies a six-part test to determine whether an intern program is exempt from the minimum wage and overtime requirements of the wage-and-hour laws. To pass that test, you need to understand what a qualifying intern program is, and just as important, what a qualifying program is not. A student intern program is not a source of free or low-paid labor for your organization. If the intern is doing the same type of work that a paid employee would have been performing, then your program is unlikely to pass the test. For example, if the intern is spending all or most of his or her time answering phones, opening mail, making copies and performing other administrative tasks, this probably would result in a finding that the intern is an employee.

A qualifying intern program primarily should be about providing an educational benefit for the intern. Although the intern can perform tasks for your company, it should be in the context of offering training in your field or industry. Factors the regulators will look for include whether you are allowing the intern to shadow one of your employees (to learn more about your organization or your field generally), and whether you are providing your interns with periodic seminars and/or training for their benefit. In this regard, it is helpful, although not essential, if the intern is receiving course credit from a school for the internship experience. You should know, however, that course credit alone will not be enough if the internship is not of educational benefit to the intern.

Finally, your organization should spell out in writing what its internship program consists of, with an emphasis upon the educational benefit to the participants. The writing also should make clear that the internship is unpaid; it could, perhaps, include a stipend to cover certain expenses.

If you keep the above concepts in mind and adhere to them, it will go a long way toward ensuring that your internship program qualifies under the federal test. Please be aware, however, that states are free to impose even stricter regulations, and these may vary from state to state. Seek the advice of a knowledgeable employment attorney as you review your intern program.

SOURCE: Joel W. Rice, Fisher & Phillips, Chicago, July 12, 2010

LEARN MORE: Please read about the DOL internship regulations in greater detail.

Workforce Management Online, October 2010 — Register Now!

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