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HR as Workplace Peacekeepers

At this time of national crisis, Workforce interviewed clerics throughout thecountry about what they would say or do if they were a director of human resources.

The Rev. Pamela Harvey is a minister at the Riverside Church, aninterdenominational, interracial and international congregation in Manhattan.
 
“We’ve got to find ways in corporations to be helpful to people andto learn from this. Employers need to be aware that times will get worse beforethey get better. There probably will be more incidences of bad behavior atwork, and we have to be prepared to deal with it. We have to be attentiveto people’s pain.
 
“New York is a war zone. As the Novocain wears off, the tooth reallystarts to hurt. Then there is more fear and rage. The fragile people are fallingapart. The caregivers are more stressed.
 
“Also, everyone is downsizing. If I were director of human resources,I’d encourage people to go to their mosque, their church, or their synagogue.I would give them time off. I would invite people in to talk about interfaithand interracial issues.
 
“If there are a lot of different faiths in the workplace, talking isimperative. You can’t separate people from their faith places. Those placesoffer people both big strengths and deep biases.”
Muzammil Siddiqi is one of the religious leaders who spoke at thepresidential ceremony at the National Cathedral three days after the terroristattacks. He is a past president of the Islamic Society of North America, andserves as director of the Islamic Society of Orange County in Garden Grove,California.
 
“I would emphasize how to be good to each other in the workplace — how toshow more courtesy and kindness to people who don’t look like you or havethe same faith.
 
“We are living in a more dangerous world now. There is a lot of mistrust.We need to remove the fear. We must emphasize good, trustworthy relationshipsin the workplace. We should encourage people to discuss different opinions.And we must do more than say prejudice will not be tolerated. We have to doall we can to actually build relationships.”
Acharya (master) Judith Simmer-Brown is a professor and chairmanof religious studies at Naropa University, a liberal arts college with a Buddhistheritage in Boulder, Colorado.
 
“Since Sept. 11, I think we’ve all seen an incredible growth in kindnessand gentleness. A key in Buddhism is to work with one’s own anger and aggression.A single act of peace has to start with ourselves. We have to begin to seeourselves as a member of a large international family.
 
“You don’t have to enforce kindness in the workplace — merely encourageit. Workshops about dealing with conflict in a non-adversarial way, and mediation,are tremendously positive approaches in the workplace.
 
“We work on seeing the anger and initiating compassion rather than just reacting.I would take this time as an opportunity to appreciate the preciousness oflife. If you see people who are upset or angry and stressed, try to receivethem with as much kindness as possible.
 
“It’s good to reflect on one’s own experience about what has happened, andto work on not being reactive, as in, “This is my agenda, my projectis the most important.”
Rabbi Peter Rubinstein is the senior rabbi at Central Synagogue,largest reform congregation in New York City.
 
“If I were director of HR, I would bring the whole staff together. One, fora time of memorial — even if you don’t know anyone who was killed. It wouldbe conducted in a ritual voice, not necessarily a religious voice. Two, Iwould acknowledge the spectrum of emotions we are all going through — thesadness, the short temperedness, the anxiety — the very real impact it hashad on us.
 
“I would be proactive. I’d say to the employees, “We understand we areall creatures of emotions, and this may impact our feelings with our co-workers.If you are the object of someone’s anxiety, it may not be personal.”Anxiety is clearly there. Now we have mail and security issues. People areafraid, and they are vulnerable. They wonder, “Is my job going to last?”One anxiety triggers another.
 
“These are extraordinary times.”
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Think Twice It’s a Good Time for Quiet Radicals

You know that classic philosophical question: If a tree falls in the forest, and no one hears it, did it really make a noise? Let’s change it: If no one notices something you do, and it doesn’t change the world, is it worth the effort?


No, and yes. No, most of us don’t feel like it’s worth it. And yes, it’s not only worth it, it’s the only way to get things done.


Stanford business professor Debra Meyerson spent much of the last decade studying what she calls “Tempered Radicals.” In her new book by the same name (Harvard Business School Press, 2001), she found that many changes in management — work/life benefits in particular — were instituted by a new kind of workplace activist.


These are non-revolutionary people who work incrementally to create change. They do small things, in small steps — often deeds that go unnoticed and are against the norm. But their acts make big differences in the workplace.


One large consumer-products company had few women in senior management. HR facilitated brown-bag discussions among employees to discuss the problem. Senior managers, including the CEO, learned about cultural impediments to women’s success in the organization, and worked to remove the obstacles.


Brown bags aren’t revolutionary, nor is the idea of sharing information about a company’s culture. But in this company, the informal conversations were small but significant steps toward change.


In another case, Western Financial was having trouble recruiting non-white employees. Senior vice president Sheila Johnson created a much bigger pool of candidates by launching a job-posting campaign in minority communities. It was the company’s first outreach program of its kind.


How can you become a “tempered radical”?


Here are some of my ideas:


  • Use this down economy to invest in technology that your company, however techno-resistant, could use to cut costs in the long run. This could run the gamut of applicant-tracking systems, benefits-administration software, or e-learning.


  • Point out to your CEO the negative potential of a proposed merger or acquisition before it’s final. Or, recommend an acquisition candidate that has a similar corporate culture and values. Too often, a company’s top brass finds out after a buyout is completed that — from a workforce standpoint — the match was a failed blind date between two incompatible organizations.


  • Take a hard look at the extent of your layoffs, and ask tough questions about whether they’ve gone too far. If they have, put an end to it, and start hiring the talent laid off by your competitors.


  • On the other hand, take a look at your business needs. Do you still have a workforce that was sized up for the rapid growth of the 1990s? Could these fixed costs soon take a toll on your profits, stock price, and eventually, jobs? If so, you may have to slow down your hiring.


  • Tell the employees who are working their tails off that you appreciate it. Tell the ones who aren’t that you don’t. It’s not a novel idea, but it’s a tough one to pull off.


  • Before Congress goes home for a winter break, ask your representatives to work on changing one of the many onerous laws and regulations (OSHA record-keeping requirements come to mind) enacted during the litigation binge of the last few decades.


Finding yourself short on ideas? You don’t have to come up with them yourself. One of the best things that quietly radical HR professionals and managers can do is to develop mutually trusting relationships with employees. When employees trust their managers, and can speak their minds without fear of retribution, ideas percolate.


If you’re waiting for a better time to do this, don’t.


“By facilitating a meaningful two-way dialogue with people, managers can tap a deep well of innovation,” says Michael McLaughlin, of Deloitte Consulting in Chicago. “It’s more important now than ever.”


Why now? Because customer needs are changing faster than ever. Charles Schwab learned this from its employees, who recommended that the company start online trading. Schwab listened to these employees and beat others to the punch, giving the company an early and significant online-investing leadership position in the mid-1990s.


Your employees — or you — may see opportunities to make small changes. Go ahead. Making them will be worth the effort.


Workforce, November 2001, p. 80 — Subscribe Now!


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Dear Workforce How Should A Supe Handle The Perception She’s Unfair

Q

Dear Workforce:


We have a supervisor who is perceived as treating a majority of those underher in an unfair manner. What’s the best way to address this: Should she seeeach employee separately to discuss the problem, or have a meeting with allemployees to address any misunderstandings/issues?


— Quelling controversy, HR assistant, manufacturing, Newnan, Georgia.


A Dear Quelling:


Assuming that this perception has been communicated through 360-degreefeedback or some method in which the supervisor does not know whose perceptionthis is, she should not talk to employees either individually or together atfirst. Most likely, the question would sound more defensive than intended.


Instead, the supervisor first should think about what may be causing thisperception. In our coaching experience, we find that many times the supervisorhas some ideas about what the cause of the perception might be. In addition, bytrying to figure out what it may be, the supervisor becomes owner of theproblem. This is important, even when the problem is the perception of others.


If the supervisor knows what might be causing the perception, she has anumber of options. She can change the behavior, confirm it is the source of theperception, or explain the reasons for the differential treatment. If thesupervisor wants to confirm the source of the perception, she could ask forfeedback. For instance:

“I received feedback that some people believe that I treat othersunfairly. I do not know whether this is your perception, but I would like yourhelping in understanding this perception. When I give out assignments, does itseem certain people get assignments that have more exposure to higher managementthan others?”

The supervisor should wait for the response, which likely will either agreeor disagree.


If the person disagrees, the supervisor then should ask:

“If it is not that, could you give me some ideas about what might becreating this perception?”

It is critical that, when seeking clarification, the supervisor does notargue or defend herself. You are just searching for information. Decide whethera change in behavior is needed is a later decision.


SOURCE: Susan Gebelein,Executive Vice President for Personnel DecisionsInternational Corp. (PDI), May 29, 2001.


LEARN MORE: See “Managers MatterMost,” tolearn how managers should take the lead in helping retain key employees.


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

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Alternatives to Business Trips Can Pay Off

Executive recruiter Dick Cotterell doesn’t have to board an airplane to meet jobcandidates. He often interviews them by videoconference from his office.


    “You hit a button, dial a number and you’re connected. It’s very user-friendly,”says Cotterell, president of Management Recruiters International of Salt LakeCity, Utah, a franchise of the Cleveland-based executive recruiting firm. The26-employee company uses videoconferencing eight to 10 times per week.


    The idea of avoiding business travel, especially byplane, appeals to many companies in a time of increased attention to safety.Various forms of teleconferencing offer alternatives to travel, letting employerswith scattered operations and clients run their businesses and help theiremployees feel safe. It doesn’t hurt to save a buck, either.


    The surge in teleconferencing caused by last month’s terrorist attacks is acceleratingan existing trend toward virtual meetings, experts say. Even before suicidehijackers and overseas bombing became headline news, companies were turningto technology to reduce travel costs such as airplane tickets, hotels, and meals.


    “The No. 1 factor is, ‘Can I save money by physically not traveling?’but that’s not where the real savings are. The savings are in productivity,”says Andrew H. Nilssen, a senior analyst and partner at Wainhouse Research LLC,of Brookline, Massachusetts, which studies the conferencing market.


A travel alternative — sometimes
    More than ever, the time and trouble of getting to and flying out of an airportmakes companies rethink the need to travel. “That in-person meeting cancost up to seven times more than an audio call. You can save tons of time andmoney (by teleconferencing),” says Sprint Corp.’s Becky Replogle-Wilkes,director of collaborative applications marketing.


    The key question is: Do I really need to meet this person face-to-face to achievemy goal? Sometimes the answer is yes, as when it’s time to meet a sales prospectfor the first time, to conduct a final interview with a job candidate, or tohold an all-day session in one time zone. There’s also value in the informaland spontaneous meetings that occur at trade shows and conferences.


    “The human element of sitting around a meal and getting to know someonebetter and brainstorming is still valuable,” says Hazel A. Wagner, presidentof B9D Inc., a Barrington, Ill., education-marketing firm.


    That said, there’s still an awful lot of business — staff meetings, projectreviews and training, to name a few — that can be done without meeting personally.Even small and medium-sizes businesses can afford some type of conferencingthat gives them real-time, almost-like-being-there communication.


    Geoworks Corp., an 85-person company that makes software for wireless services,spent approximately $10,000 to install a videoconferencing system this yearthat allows staff at its Alameda, Calif., headquarters to communicate regularlywith satellite offices in Morganville, New Jersey; the United Kingdom; and Japan.Geoworks also pays about $4,166 in additional monthly fees. Although it hasn’tdocumented exact savings, the payoff in holding effective meetings is clear,says Steve Mitchell, vice president of human resources.


    “It’s not cheap compared to a phone call. On the other hand, it’s cheaperthan getting on an airplane,” he says. Geoworks uses videoconferencingmainly for weekly executive staff meetings and product training sessions. Withoutvideoconferencing, training would entail “cost-prohibitive” meetingsin one location or time-consuming trips by a trainer going from one office toanother, Mitchell says.


    Teleconferencing still spooks some technophobes. But the experts say it’s notas hard as it looks. In general, equipment and services have become less expensiveand easier to use during the past several years.


    Here’s a look at three main teleconferencing technologies currently in use.They are — in ascending order of cost and complexity – audioconferencing, Webconferencing, and videoconferencing.


    Audioconferencing connects more than two peopleto a telephone conversation. It’s simple: You need only your own phones. It’scheap: 20 cents or more per minute per connection, depending on the provider.Price rises along with the number of connections and the length of the call.Sometimes there’s a small setup fee (AT&T charges $15.) You can pay extrato record the call and make it available for dial-in replay.


    Up to 200 or more participants can call in. Callers dial a toll-free numberand a passcode to get into the conversation. It’s least expensive to set upthe call yourself (called “host dialing”). Calls involving more than20 people tend to use operator assistance for setup and monitoring. Local andlong-distance phone companies as well as independent conferencing specialistsprovide the service.


    The disadvantage of audioconferencing is that it’s voice-only, so you missthe nuances of facial expressions and gestures.


    Web conferencing. This real-time technologyallows thousands of participants simultaneously to hear each other, normallyvia audioconferencing, and to see and share documents on their computers viathe Web.


    “The ability to retain information is higher if you see it,” saysNathan Bieck, director of sales at e-Conference Inc., a Boulder, Colorado, conferencingprovider. So Web conferencing is great for presentations, training, and otherinteractive meetings.


    The downside is that people normally can’t see each other, and there can beproblems with delayed transmissions and jerky images.


    Even so, Web conferencing is growing fast because it provides at least someof the visuals of videoconferencing without the higher cost. Many offices alreadyhave what they need: two phone lines (or a shared line), one for audio and onefor Internet access, plus a computer with a Web browser. Presenters need a desktopcamera, available for $60 to $100. Users also need at least 56K dial-up Internetaccess; higher-speed connections are preferred for meetings with more intensiveuse of visuals.


    To conference by Web, participants dial a toll-free number and passcode forthe audio portion and log onto a Web site for the video portion. Once online,a leader (or leaders, as presenters can switch off) takes users through themeeting. The slick part is that users can see and alter documents — PowerPointpresentations, whiteboards, spreadsheets, and more — in real time. Peoplecan ask questions over the phone or through a Web chat feature.


    PlaceWare Inc., WebEx Communications Inc., and other conferencing specialistssell the service. So do companies including Sprint and Polycom Inc. They alsoprovide technical support and operator assistance.


    There are three pricing models, according to Bieck. Good for new users is aone-time, per-minute/per-connection deal whose total cost depends on the lengthof the call and the number of people connected. Audio may or may not be included.Prices start at about 45 cents per minute. Frequent users can buy a licensefor a certain number of “seats” (computer connections) per month oryear, which costs $100 per seat and up. You can also reserve seats for a one-timeevent lasting an hour or more, but you pay for what you reserve, regardlessof actual participation.


    Videoconferencing is the only technology thatallows two-way, interactive audio and video. The advantage is superior videoquality and the ability to see people’s facial expressions and gestures,though there can be problems with blurred images and dropped connections. Thedisadvantage is relatively high cost.


    A good option for occasional users is to hold a videoconference off-site atKinko’s, universities, and other semi-public spaces for rent. Kinko’s pricesstart at $225 per hour per site and include all equipment and amenities.


    A step above is to get a desktop video system, such as Polycom’s $600 ViaVideo,which plugs into a USB port on a personal computer. There’s software but noother hardware to install. Participants see and talk to each other through theircomputers.


    If you want a videoconferencing room of your own, you must buy a system thatincludes a camera, monitor, speakers, and peripherals, such as a document camerathat allows application sharing. It’s usually all mounted on a portable cart.A low-end, business-class system starts at $4,000.


    In addition, there is the fixed monthly cost of a network connection — aimfor a 384-Kbps transmission speed. This can be $150 per month and up, dependingon the type of network connection. Also, there’s the cost of each call, whichgenerally runs $60 to $75 per hour. These costs may seem high, experts say,but can easily pay for themselves through the avoidance of four or five businesstrips.

GlobalTeleconferencing Market
Technology 2000 2005
(est)		 2000Market
Share
Audioconferencing $2.3 $3.9 85.2%
Videoconferencing 0.285 0.868 10.6
Webconferencing 0.119 2.9 4.4
Total: 2.7 7.7 100.2*
*Figure does not total 100% due to rounding

Source: Wainhouse Research

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How the Web Can Help You Weather a Crisis

As corporate managers and communications consultants who weathered the World TradeCenter attack know, the Web can provide a very effective way of communicatinginformation and support to employees. During a crisis, backup server capacitycan keep companies online, even if the infrastructure at headquarters has beendamaged or destroyed. In case the intranet goes down, however, it’s wise to create a contingency plan for quickly converting the company’s publicly accessibleWeb site into a disaster communications and information portal. That way, employeeswho are scattered can gain access from their neighbors’ home computers, publiclibraries, or cyber-cafés wherever they are in the world. Here are somefeatures you may want to incorporate into your emergency page:

  • A list of confirmed survivors and missing employees. Update this vitalinformation as often as possible, but to avoid causing confusion and additionalheartache, make sure that the information you post has been carefully verified.

  • Frequently updated company news about the status of the recovery effort,and any other developments that you think employees should be made awareof. Get the information up on your site quickly, so that employees focuson the site as their source of information about the company, rather thanrelying on the news media.

  • Audio Webcasts by management, to give employees the reassurance that comesfrom hearing the chief executive’s voice. Real Audio or Windows Media filesof conferences can be archived, so employees who miss a Webcast can listento it later. (Don’t use video, because employees with dial-up connectionsat home may not have the bandwidth.) Provide a text transcript to reinforcethe message.

  • Contact information for your employee assistance program, health insuranceprovider, message center, and other corporate services. Include phone numbersas well as e-mail addresses, so that employees and family members can speakto a person if they like.

  • A Web-based e-mail form that enables employees to communicate with management,even if they can’t access their company e-mail accounts. It might be a goodidea to provide links to Yahoo, Hotmail, or other free e-mail services,so that employees can create a return e-mail address in case they don’talready have a personal account.

  • A message board, to facilitate communication among many people at once.A manager can try to set up off-site meetings with team members, or an employeecan find out if anyone knows where a colleague is hospitalized. Messageboards also give employees a chance to discuss among themselves their feelingsof grief and loss, and to share ideas about how they can help others. Moderatethe board, to make sure the discussion stays focused and constructive.

  • Information about alternative work sites or temporary offices. Includemaps or links to a site such as MapQuest.com. Provide advisories about trafficrerouting, the availability of public transportation, and expected delays,or else link to local government sites with that information.

  • Links to outside resources that may help employees, such as relief organizations,local hospitals, and government agencies. Sites with information about trafficrerouting and availability of public transportation may help.

  • Information about whatever community relief efforts the company itselfis undertaking, and links to organizations where employees can volunteeror make donations.

Workforce, November 2001, p. 32 — Subscribe Now!

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Crafting the Crisis Communication Message

In the shock wave of a catastrophe such as the September 11 terrorist attacks,companies find themselves having to react to events moving at disorienting speed.There’s little time to neatly tailor the message for the various constituenciesto which management must speak — not just the employees and their families, butalso investors and customers. And according to some corporate communications experts,it may be better to not even try. Instead, the secret of crisis communicationsmay be to speak to the diverse stakeholders with one clear, focused, timely message.


    “I’m a big believer in the idea that internal and external communicationsneed to be strongly linked,” says Linda Grosso, a veteran corporate communicationsspecialist with Watson Wyatt Worldwide, a New York-based consulting firm.


    “But it’s all the more acute in a crisis, when the interests of all thesedifferent people tend to blend together. Once you get the question of whetherpeople are safe from harm, you get into other questions — what does this meanfrom an economic standpoint for the company, and for me? The employee is wondering,’Is my job safe? Can I go back to work, and when?’ The investor is worryingabout whether the company is going to be able to do business. And the customeris worried about whether he’s going to get the things he needs to buy. So alot of the messages you would send to them are the same as what you’re tryingto send to the employees.” Additionally, there’s a good chance that investorsand customers will see whatever messages a company puts out to employees –especially if they’re distributed through the company’s Web site, the latesttrend in crisis communications.


    The most critical challenge in speaking to all these audiences, Grosso says,is establishing a sense of trust. To that end, it’s vital for management notto blow its credibility by putting out incorrect or confusing information. “Untilyou understand the scope of a situation, you don’t want to do a lot of detailedcommunication,” Grosso explains. “You should get the first-stage messageout as quickly as possible, but it should be brief. Basically, you say thatyou’re on top of the situation, that you’re concerned about employees’ safetyand welfare. You’re doing everything possible to get more information, and you’llshare more as soon as it’s available.”


    Once the company has compiled and provided a list of survivors and casualties,the emphasis should quickly shift. “You have to get the double messageout that ‘we’re here for you,’ and at the same time that ‘we’re all going forward.’One of the things I’ve seen companies communicate effectively to people who’velost coworkers, or lost their homes, or whatever, is that they’re sensitiveto their needs, and flexible, and that they’re going to help. At the same time,they were also putting out the message that they’re going to get people backto work as soon as possible. Those two things actually fit together — you haveto address people’s needs so they can focus on their work, and getting backto one’s routine can be very healing, in itself.” That dual message speakspositively to investors and customers as well, even if it’s not directly addressedto them. Says Grosso: “The key thing is to get people to feel that thecompany has a plan to take care of them.”


    The final phase of crisis communication, says Grosso, is to provide some closure.”One company I know of is thinking about eventually putting out a specialinternal magazine, highlighting what employees have done to cope with the crisis,and recognizing their contribution. I think that’s a really nice idea. It acknowledgesthe fact that they’ve all been through this terrible event that we’ll neverbe able to forget. But also that it’s time for us all to move on.”


Workforce, November 2001, p. 34 — Subscribe Now!

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Dear Workforce How Do I Convince Employees To Volunteer For Projects

Q

Dear Workforce:


I am the new manager of a 15-person technical group that always has been runin a traditional manner. I am trying to switch to a team-based culture byinviting people to volunteer for the first project. I was clear about theproject requirements, resources needed, and project life cycle. Short andfocused — yet nobody volunteered. What should I do next to convince people tojoin the team?


— Manager of technical resources, software/systems, Miami, Florida.


A Dear New Manager:


Congratulations on your new opportunity. It’s always a challenge for anorganization to switch its culture. Everyone resists change; it is our naturalhuman reaction to the unknown. The best way to ease this concern is to allowpeople to digest, question, and take ownership of the changes. You might want toconsider the following:


Hold a meeting to share ideas on the new outlook with the group and ask fortheir feedback. At the meeting, describe the culture change you envision and howthis change will improve current team efforts and the company as a whole.Discuss the reasoning behind this shift in focus. Explain how these changes willbenefit the employees. People will respond to your emotions and excitement, soshow enthusiasm for the future and the growth of the team.


After setting the context for the changes in culture, allow the group to talkit out. Ask them for thoughts and ideas on improving the group. (Of course, ifyou are going to ask, you must listen and respond to their ideas). Take notes ofall the suggestions and/or write them on a white board or flip chart ifavailable. Be open to adjusting your ideas to include the most reasonable andeffective products of this discussion.


Once the group has discussed the various issues surrounding theorganizational change, recap the goals and suggestions made and possibly outlinethe next steps. Then ask the group directly for volunteers for the task team youare forming.


Keep everyone in the loop once expectations and goals are clearly set.Determine your team’s most effective forms of communication, whether it ise-mail, regular group meetings, postings, or company newsletters. It isimportant to perpetuate the teamwork concept by continually updating the groupon its progress.


Taking on the task of switching to a team-based culture is a laudable one.Giving employees the opportunity to identify themselves as members of a trueteam is a great step toward your continued success. Congratulations again onyour new opportunity, and good luck.


SOURCE: Liz Petersen, human resources manager, Personnel Management Systems,Inc., Kirkland, Wash., May 20, 2001.


LEARN MORE: See “Five Effective LeadershipQualities“


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

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HR is Frazzled But Resilient at the Centers for Disease Control

If you wonder whether the HR profession can be chaotic and complicated, welcometo the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


The CDC is a federal agency, which, among other things, practically eradicatedsmallpox from the world in the 1970s. It’s now working — every hour, every day– with a myriad of federal agencies to investigate incidents of possible anthraxexposures around the United States. It’s also responding to calls from aroundthe country from people concerned about bioterrorism.


“People are using the word ‘fried’ to describe how they feel,” saysSylvia Bell, the CDC’s chief of organizational development. “We are preparedto respond to emergencies, but this one is beyond anticipation.”


Through it all, there have been few worries about employees quitting becauseof burnout. “This is a phenomenal place,” says Bell. “The peoplewho work here, you couldn’t make them go home if there’s work that needs tobe done. They could make a lot more money somewhere else, but they’re here becausethey want to help the world. They have a passion for the health of the world.I find it a daily honor to support people here.”


Most of the CDC’s approximately 8,500 employees in 170 occupations are in Atlanta,Georgia–normally.


The CDC deployed people to Washington, D.C., and New York, sites of two ofout of the three scenes of terrorist attacks, as well as to Florida. Followingthe World Trade Center murder, the CDC had 24 hours to get trucks to New York.It took them only 12. The trucks were loaded with supplies to help people dealingwith hazardous materials. For HR, that means figuring out what to pay theseemployees, as federal employees receive extra pay for handling hazardous materials.


HR and the anthrax command center
When biological terrorism attacks turned up, so didthe second wave of the CDC’s HR effort. The organization has set up an “emergencyoperations center” in Atlanta — a sort of anthrax war room. Bell saysthat when they asked for volunteers to help staff the center, “We wereoverwhelmed. This is an agency of people who want to help people.”


It’s a 24-hour operation, which means HR has to deal not only with overtimeissues, but with “night differential” in the federal government,for compensating employees working at all hours of the night. Also, HR has to make sure unionsare notified when employees are re-deployed from one job location to another.


On top of that, the human resources team is handling the inevitable psychologicaleffects this is having on even the most resilient employees. Bell says parentsdon’t always want to talk about what’s going on when they’re at home in frontof the kids, so the workplace is the only venue. “People are very tried,very stressed. They’re running on adrenaline. I mean, we’re saving lives here.”


To this end, HR is coordinating numerous sessions on stress relief. The EAPhas conducted discussion groups in various buildings in Atlanta for employeesto share their feelings. Stress management “lunch and learns” alsoare available. “We’ve tried to respond to what we perceive to be the need,but not to overdo it or underdo it,” Bell says. “We’ve gotten a lotof feedback that (the EAP and other efforts) have been extremely valuable.”


Bell says HR’s biggest role, whether at the CDC or in another emergency, isto be a stable place for information for those people that have other thingson their minds.


“HR’s role is helping people dealing with the crisis directly, managersand employers who are focused on the task. HR needs to think for them aboutwhat the HR implications are of everything they do, and answer the questionsbefore they’re even asked. We can think about it by considering possible HRsolutions. What are the flexibilities we can offer managers they might not havethought of? I’m talking about work assignments, schedules, helping people dealwith stress–that sort of thing. We’ve had a massive shift in how people aredeployed, both in terms of hours, responsibilities, and roles. It was chaosat first and is now very orderly.”


Now on to recruiting
The CDC also is turning its attention to a potentialrecruiting and hiring binge. This may mean seeking “emergency hiring authority”to quicken the process a federal agency would normally go through when hiring.


HR will have to figure out how to get new hires through background checks quickly.The normal process, through the FBI, may be too slow. Bell’s been through thisbefore, when she prepared for a possible terrorist attack at the 1996 Olympics inAtlanta.


At the same time, the CDC is dealing with a deluge of calls from the public,from doctors, and from the media. This has meant some workforce planning forHR. Media specialists, for example, have had their schedules reworked into a seven days a week (four-days-on,three-days-off) schedule.


Bell says the CDC has been shaped by previous public-health incidents, from Lymedisease to foodborne illness. The CDC, she says, has an excellent emergency-preparednessplan, and it paid off. “You cannot have enough emergency responses andprocedures,” she says. “It was a huge crisis but our response to thathas really shown our agency at it’s best.”


There is more information on dealing with crises available, and you can watchthe Workforce Week newsletter and Workforce magazine for a large amount of upcoming, additionalinformation on HR’s role in helping businesses recover.

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Defining the Leader of the Future

If your organization is developing people for senior management position,you’re going to have to have a well-defined profile of what you want in futuresenior leaders.


In a new book by William C. Byham, Ph.D., Audrey B. Smith, Ph.D., and MatthewJ. Paese, Ph.D. entitled Grow Your OwnLeaders, the authors contrast thecharacteristics of traditional leaders with contemporary leaders:

TraditionalLeader ContemporaryLeader
Makesall major decisions; solves team problems; acts as expert Sharesresponsibility with team members; helps team solve problems
Controlswork flow; responsible for work group’s results Promotesself-management and responsibility as well as ownership of tasks/processes(e.g. direct reports measure own progress and take corrective action asnecessary)
Givesanswers; plays “expert” role Asksthe right questions; allows direct reports to be experts
Laysdown the rules Articulatesand rallies troops around a vision and set of values
Valuesunanimity/conformity Valuesdiverse perspectives
Seeksto eliminate conflict Seesconflict as an opportunity for synergy and enriched decision-making
Reactive;resists change Proactive;initiates change; embraces change as necessary for organizational survival
Focuseson tasks, products, technical skills Focuseson processes, people
Linear,analytical thinking Non-linear,holistic thinking (systems)
Seeksfunctional, specialized expertise Seekscross-functional, cross-cultural expertise
Concernedonly about own area of responsibility Concernedabout total organization; tries to be good partner with other groupswithin company
Fiercelycompetitive Fiercelycompetitive, but must often partner with competitors, vendors, customers
Concernedonly with domestic operations Preparedto think on larger, global scale
Thinksof people as interchangeable resources Thinksof people as organization’s most valuable resource, knows they aredifficult to replace
Putsorganization’s needs before employees’ needs Seeksa balance between organization’s and employees’ needs
Avoidsrisk Takesrisk
Usesfunctional, short-term thought process Usessystematic, long-term thought process

© MMI, DevelopmentDimensions International, Inc. Reprinted with permission from DevelopmentDimensions International, Inc.

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Money Doesn’t Buy Job Satisfaction

Money is important, but it’s not always the most important factor in determining whether employees stay with a company or leave for other opportunities. At Cellular One, “We believed in our heart of hearts that managers had a great deal to do with retention,” says Karen King, director of organizational development and training. But before managers could act on that corporate belief, they needed to learn successful retention strategies and incorporate them into their own managerial styles. The basic question, King says, was clear: “What can we do other than throw money at people?”


The answer, of course, was to learn and incorporate effective retention strategies at all levels of management. But Cellular One wanted more than dime-a-dozen management theories. For real-world solutions, the firm turned to Integral Training Systems Inc., a Behavioral Technology partner. Its “Retaining Top Talent” program focused on the day-to-day realities that theories sometimes neglect, and also emphasized the Cellular One corporate culture.


“They had practical tools,” King says, “and they customized them for us using our data.” As a result, the data and examples are truly relevant to Cellular One.


Behavioral Technology takes several approaches to retention.
Retaining Top Talent incorporates a workshop, self-assessment and action-plan development. The workshop discusses retention strategies using examples and attrition data from Cellular One and from the industry to give managers more tools to enhance retention, followed by a managerial self-assessment and the development of retention plans for specific employees. The goal was to move from the short-term solution of raises and bonuses, to a long-term solution that addresses the causes of attrition.


The program is mandatory training at Cellular One.
Before offering the course to all managers, Cellular One and Integral Training Systems ran a pilot project involving some vice presidents, directors and managers. “Everyone, to a person, said the workshop was practical and should be conducted for other managers,” King says. Now it’s part of the company’s mandatory training. The presence and commitment of senior managers was invaluable in assuring the program’s success, King says. That commitment has continued. Vice presidents routinely attend the workshop with their departments and review each manager’s action plan.


That attention is worthwhile. King says retention figures for 1999 are 15 percent higher than for 1998 for information services employees, and 4.1 percent higher for finance employees. “Since the program started in 1996, we’ve seen a real shift in why people leave,” she adds. In 1997, the top three reasons for leaving, in order, were relocation and personal reasons, higher salaries and lack of opportunity. One year later, in 1998, the top three causes of attrition were career changes, relocation and a perceived lack of opportunities, although the latter declined by 7 percent. Notably, salary issues were no longer among the key concerns.


These changes occurred because, since the training, “Managers think ahead now when it comes to retaining people,” King says. Since attending the program, the sales division has created a career development program for each position, a skills matrix and a listing of educational opportunities to help each sales associate develop a personal career development plan. Results like that, King says, “show we’re more committed to employee growth.”