HR and business leaders can expect this wage pressure to continue in 2023.  But the issue goes beyond simply the amount of pay an employee may receive.  Research by the Bersin Institute finds that workers are six times more impacted by pay equity than they are by level of pay.  It is crucial to take a systemic approach to revisiting compensation practices to ensure that disparities in pay equity are addressed; just giving all employees a raise, without addressing underlying pay equity issues, does little but exacerbate the inequities between groups of employees.

While there is no single solution for pay, research from the Bersin Institute shows that companies tend to evolve through four levels of maturity when it comes to pay.  First, there is a focus on basic transactional pay, often evident in smaller or newly established companies.  As the business matures, companies focus next on total rewards, then move on to performance-based pay.  Ultimately, however, high-performing companies see pay as an organization-wide strategy and evolve to a systemic pay and rewards system. So, then, what to do?  Savvy organizations will consider the following guidelines as they address pay practices in the coming months:

1. Alignment with Business Goals – An effective compensation strategy should be aligned with the overall business strategy and goals of the organization and support the mission and vision of the firm. While competitive benchmarking is important, every company’s pay program must be uniquely situated to reward performance that aligns with the company’s needs.

2. Competitive and Fair Pay – The compensation strategy should ensure that pay is competitive, fair, and equitable within the industry and all relevant job markets in which the company competes for talent. But that’s only the external view – the pay strategy must also be fair and equitable within the company itself, taking into account the value of each position, the skills and experience required, and the level of responsibility and performance for each role.

3. Flexibility and Customization – While adhering to an overarching pay philosophy, allowing for flexibility and the ability to customize to meet the individual needs and preferences of employees is important. This may include, for example, variable pay, such as bonuses and incentives, or different options for benefits packages to address specific employee needs.  With customization comes the risk that changes in pay practices for one group of employees may create inequities with other employee groups, and HR and Compensation leaders will need to guard against this.

4. Performance-based Incentives – Incentivizing and rewarding employees for their performance and contributions can be a win-win for employees and the company. The company benefits at a broad level from the overall contributions of all employees, while the incentives serve to motivate and enhance retention for individual employees.

5. Communication and Transparency – The pay strategy needs to be communicated clearly and transparently to all employees, so they understand the value of their compensation, how it is derived, and how it aligns with the organization’s goals. These are key tenets of a pay system that will improve employee morale, engagement, and retention.

6. Ongoing Evaluation and Adjustment – An effective compensation strategy should be regularly evaluated and adjusted to ensure it continues to meet the changing needs and objectives of the company Conducting competitive market analyses, soliciting feedback from employees, implementing routine and recurring salary and total rewards reviews, and completing pay equity audits are just a few examples of the fundamentals of effective pay system management that all firms should practice.

7. Compliance with Laws and Regulations – Certainly complying with all applicable laws and regulations related to compensation – such as minimum wage laws, equal pay requirements, FLSA standards, etc. – is a necessity, as failure to comply with these regulations can result in legal and financial liabilities for the company. However, businesses today are operating in an environment in which pay transparency is increasingly being demanded by employees and regulatory authorities, which only highlights the importance of this often-under-valued activity.

While all the above steps are key to an effective pay strategy, a reminder to HR and business leaders about the importance of communication and transparency.  Today, as employees worry about inflation, they want to know what the organization’s pay strategies are to adapt to an inflationary environment that hasn’t been witnessed for 40+ years.  If companies keep them in the dark, employees may fill the information void with gossip or grapevine feedback, they may think more about leaving for another organization, or they may discuss pay with a union representative.  Companies will be well-served to create and maintain open channels of dialogue with staff to ensure your employees are receiving timely, factual, and relevant information about their pay.

When you think about it, people are the only appreciating asset on a company’s balance sheet.  Pay is an investment in this appreciating asset.  HR and business leaders are advised to act accordingly.

Rob Croner
Senior Consulting Advisor
CCI Consulting

The post 7 Keys to an Effective Compensation Strategy appeared first on CCI Consulting.

Why Respect Matters in the Workplace

Feeling respected by superiors was ranked as the most important leadership behavior in a Georgetown University survey of 20,000 employees worldwide. However, employees continue to report disrespectful and uncivil behavior each year. In fact, research shows 98 percent of employees experience uncivil behavior at work.

Respect for employees by management—as well as mutual respect among employees—plays a major role in the health of a company’s culture—and its bottom line. When employees feel respected and confident that they matter, they are more satisfied, happy, engaged, and motivated. However, when employees experience rude or disrespectful behavior at work, they report lower engagement, suffer more mental and physical health problems and are more likely to burn out and quit.

The most important process for eliminating harassment in the workplace is being able to identify it. Since harassment comes in many different forms (and sometimes is not so overt or easily detected), it is vital that employers educate themselves so they can identify when it is happening.

What Disrespect in the Workplace Looks Like

Disrespectful behavior in the workplace is any behavior that is unprofessional, inappropriate, rude, unpleasant, disturbing, or offensive. This type of behavior can come in many shapes and sizes; it can be obvious such as bullying or discrimination, or subtle, taking the form of rumors or passive aggressive remarks.

Disrespectful behavior can fall into several categories, including the following:

Bullying

Bullying is something that almost all people experience starting from a young age. Efforts are implemented in schools to prevent bullying in all aspects, but often, this does not end the cycle, thus, leading to employers having to execute similar programs into their places of work. Picking fun at, isolating others, spreading rumors, and hostility all transfer from the playground to the conference room seamlessly.

A study conducted by Workplace Bullying shows that 30 percent of Americans are bullied in the workplace, with 61.3 percent of that bullying being same-gender bullying. This can range anywhere from:

• Isolation
• Implementing impossible expectations
• Excessive micromanaging
• Spreading rumors
• Aggression

These behaviors may not seem to be as impactful as what many believe to be harassment, but often, such bullying can lead to a loss in production and morale. In fact, bullying results in companies losing more than $250 million every year, or about $14,000 per employee.

Cyberbullying

Since the rise of the Covid-19 pandemic, many companies have opted for a hybrid work schedule in hopes of curbing the virus in their workplace. However, the same cannot be said for workplace harassment.

The idea that “no one is watching” plays a large role in the continuity of harassment even in a remote setting. According to Jennifer Brown “…employees have felt as if online environments are the Wild West, where traditional rules don’t apply.”

Fifty-two percent of women have reported experiences of harassment within the past year. Remarks pertaining to children and unavailability due to household responsibilities still make their way around the office, even if it is a remote setting. The correlation between working women and discrimination dates back hundreds of years. Although the glass ceiling has shattered, there are still people eager to glue the pieces back together.

Harassment  

Depending on who you speak to, harassment can be defined in a multitude of ways. Harassment is defined as unwelcome conduct based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetic information.  Often, the most common form of harassment that comes to mind is sexual harassment.

Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment in the workplace can stem from what one believes to be a friendly touch on the shoulder to a supervisor insinuating a quid pro-quo-based incentive.

Between 2018 and 2021, women filed 78.2 percent of all sexual harassment charges and 62.2 percent of all harassment charges according to the EEOC. Although women make up most sexual harassment victims, it is not exclusive to them.

In the past decade, 16-18 percent of men have filed sexual harassment complaints to the EEOC as stated in an article published by Porzio, Bromberg & Newman. Men are less likely to report sexual harassment overall, fearful of stereotyping and retaliation.         

Discrimination

Discrimination is, unfortunately, an aspect of social climate that is difficult to eliminate. Whether it be on basis of race, disability, religion, or sexual orientation, no one is excluded from the harms of it because discrimination knows no discrimination.

Disability

People with disabilities make up the largest minority group in the United States and encounter discrimination on a daily basis.

Take the case of EEOC vs. Walmart Stores East for example. In 2014, Walmart incorporated computerized scheduling for employees. This may sound easy or convenient to some, but not to someone with a disability. A veteran employee with Down Syndrome faced the challenges of this new computer system when it changed the hours she was working. Given her condition, she is required to maintain a specific daily routine, one that had been implemented in the entirety of her employment. When concern was raised about the schedule change, nothing was done to accommodate it. Due to the lack of consideration on Walmart’s behalf, this resulted in the employee having attendance issues, leading to her termination in 2015.

What could Walmart have done to prevent this? What trainings could have been implemented for supervisors to make accommodations for disabled employees? The lack of respect for the work of a long-term disabled employee goes to show the lack of respect and lack of value Walmart held for this employee; surely, she has not been the only one who has been a victim to such discrimination.

Race

The line between discrimination and race is a fine one. Even with the Civil Rights Movement in the sixties, race discrimination is still a very real problem for people of color in their everyday lives. Race discrimination in the workplace can range from unequal pay to hostile work environments, leaving people of color with not only physical safety concerns, but also job security concerns.

In 2019, Glow Networks had to pay $70 million in favor of 10 employees for the following race-discrimination practices:

• Promotion denials
• Unequal pay
• Hostile work environments
• Firings and lay offs

Ensuring that all employees feel safe and respected in the workplace should be a top priority for all people in all work settings regardless of their race. Implementing safe spaces where issues can be addressed discreetly is one way of reassuring employees of color that they are safe and respected. It can also lead to less litigation and more resolution.

LGBTQIA+

With recent laws pertaining to protections of sexual orientation, more and more people have made it known they are a part of the LGBTQIA+ community in their place of work. However, as with race, just because there are protective laws does not mean there is not a fine line between discriminatory practices.

For those in the community who feel safe enough to come out in the workplace, it is the job of the employer to maintain that safety at all costs to ensure that all employees, regardless of sexual orientation, are treated equally. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. According to UCLA School of Law, in 2021, LGBTQ employees felt like they are twice as likely to feel they are treated worse than non-LGBTQ persons. On top of this, 45 percent of employees report the use of anti-LGBTQ remarks in the workplace—roughly ¼ of employees report unfair treatment.

3 Ways to Promote Respect in the Workplace

Communication – Having an effective communication process where employees can voice their concerns also plays a role in eliminating harassment. Having anonymous complaint boxes, an open-door policy, or regular one-on-one meetings with employees are just a few ways employers can implement anti-harassment culture in the workplace. This will allow employees to feel safe, seen, and heard when it comes to concerns.

Surveys & Feedback – Conduct employee engagement surveys and feedback to know if disrespectful behavior is occurring at your workplace. In 2019, a study by NCBI found that black employees face 60 percent more discrimination than white people in workplaces. Such incidents lead to stress and job dissatisfaction. By obtaining insights from engagement surveys and employee feedback, disrespectful behavior can be prevented or addressed, which will help keep the workplace culture healthy and under control.

Training & Policies – Anti-harassment trainings and policies set the tone and expectations for your organization, leading to fewer issues and happier employees. Whether your organization is remote, hybrid, or in the office, these trainings and policies will benefit everyone.

I recently had the pleasure of assisting with a client presentation about harassment in the workplace. Tailored to the employees, it set focus on the many types of harassment in the workplace and how something that may seem harmless can be perceived. The presentation covered race, disability, and gender discrimination, among the other protected classes. The presentation also covered the laws set forth by the government when it comes to harassment. Not only did this information provide insight but it also sparked conversation amongst employees, many of whom shared their own experiences.

Respect is one of the key drivers of a positive employee experience and influences engagement, intent to stay, inclusion, well-being, and motivation. It’s important for all organizations to continually monitor and improve respect in their workplace by engaging in ongoing training, collecting feedback from employees, and effectively responding to and addressing employees’ concerns or conflicts when they arise.

Hannah Selheimer
Human Resources Consultant
CCI Consulting

Looking to build and support a more positive and productive workplace climate?

Fill out the form below to download our Respectful Workplace brochure and learn more about our offerings and how CCI Consulting can help foster a culture of respect in your organization.

The post The Importance of Respect in the Workplace and How to Foster It appeared first on CCI Consulting.

Performance management is a critical business process that focuses on and aligns individual efforts and performance expectations with what is required to achieve organizational goals. Unfortunately, according to Gallup, only 23% of employees strongly agree that their manager provides meaningful feedback. Unclear expectations and lack of meaningful feedback hurt both performance and engagement.

For many organizations, performance management is anchored in an annual review process that crams a year’s worth of feedback into one annual meeting. Limiting your performance management process to an annual review leads to recency bias and holds people accountable for past behavior at the expense of improving current performance. It is an inefficient and frustrating model dreaded by all involved.

Progressive organizations know the importance of frequent feedback, so they prioritize it and implement processes to support good two-way communication about performance. They ensure that every employee understands the performance expectations and how they perform relative to those expectations. These organizations also recognize the power of clear, consistent communication in retaining motivated employees who understand their roles and the roles of others in contributing to the organization’s overall success. As a result, these firms are either supplementing or replacing traditional performance management processes with continuous performance management.

The core concept of continuous performance management is frequent, ongoing feedback throughout the year as opposed to those waiting to provide feedback at a traditional annual or semi-annual appraisal. The idea is to use regularly scheduled 1:1’s to provide continuous feedback, alignment of goal setting, and assistance. These frequent and focused meetings help the employee feel valued and supported and allow the manager to celebrate successes, identify any areas of concern, and support ongoing development.

Regular touchpoints and conversations reduce stress by normalizing the experience of talking about performance. It also shifts the manager’s role from evaluator to coach, working with their people to help them be their best instead of reserving judgment to be shared once or twice a year. Providing effective performance feedback can motivate employees, enhance their performance, and increase their level of engagement.

Five steps to implementing a continuous performance management process:

1. The first step is ensuring employees have clear expectations and understand how success will be measured. The OKR methodology is a simple goal-setting process based on defining a measurable objective and a set of critical results that contribute to that objective.

2. The second step toward implementing continuous performance management is establishing a regular cadence for 1:1 meetings between the manager and their direct reports. Ideally, this should be every week, but if that’s not sustainable, start with monthly check-ins.

3. The third step is to standardize the structure of these meetings. Here are a few tips:

• • These meetings have the most impact when the employee owns the agenda. The employee should do most of the talking with the manager asking questions and actively listening.
  • These scheduled meetings should be viewed as firm commitments. Therefore, if a meeting must be postponed, it should be rescheduled as soon as possible rather than canceled.
  • Agreed-upon actions should be confirmed at the end of the meeting. A status update on these agreed-upon actions should be added to the agenda of the next meeting.

4. The fourth step is having the meeting. In advance of each session, the employee and the manager must reflect on and document points for discussion. An example of the reflection questions that can frame the meeting:

• • How is the person feeling (level of energy, excitement, stress level, etc.)
  • Progress on the action items from the last meeting
  • How are they tracking toward their big goals?
  • What went well?
  • What didn’t go so well, or where is support needed?
  • What else do they need to achieve the results?

5. The fifth step is the most challenging and the most important. It is the commitment to consistently maintaining the cadence meetings defined in step two and the discipline to follow the process outlined in steps three and four. The power of continuous performance management is that it provides a forum for continual ongoing performance feedback. Having your leaders engage with each employee frequently to have them reflect, document, and discuss their performance (feeling safe doing so) will drive sustained focus that will generate improved results and greater engagement. The benefits are significant but only realized when the process is followed continuously.

As previously noted, it is essential to document what was discussed and the commitments made. Meeting notes provide documentation of successes, areas needing attention, and agreed-upon action steps. These can be tracked and stored in a performance management system, saved in an employee file, or memorialized in a follow-up email.

Recognizing and rewarding good performance is more important than penalizing bad performance.

Rather than punishing bad performance, use these sessions as an opportunity to provide coaching to remediate and address gaps. If gaps persist, they can be addressed with a performance improvement plan (PIP) that is managed by setting clear expectations and providing objective and frequent feedback.  A PIP is more directive and prescriptive than a regular ongoing performance conversation, and the documentation of agreed actions is more formal. The outcome of continued non-performance or non-compliance is spelled out in disciplinary terms.

If you have not already embraced continuous performance management, take the first step by being more disciplined around providing real-time feedback on current performance. Doing so will likely drive immediate increases in performance and engagement. However, to avoid the Hawthorne effect and sustain this impact, leaders need to commit to delivering on the “continuous” aspect of continuous performance management. Those organizations and leaders that do will outperform those that don’t, just as the sports coach that provides timely feedback and coaching throughout the season will outperform those coaches who withhold feedback and coaching until the end of the season.

Brian Clapp

President

CCI Consulting

The post Embracing Continuous Performance Management: 5 Steps for Success appeared first on CCI Consulting.

But one thing we all know is that change is constant and the conditions that exist today will not be the same in 6 or 12 months.  And predicting what the future will bring can be a fool’s errand – would anyone have guessed, when the financial markets hit a peak in January 2022, that the S&P500 would fall over 20% by June, its worst first-half performance since 1970?  But several issues are becoming clearer as 2023 approaches:

• The Federal Reserve has made clear its intent to continue raising interest rates in the battle against inflation with the goal of slowing down the economy; this is very different from where the Fed was a year ago.
• It seems increasingly likely the economy will experience a recession or, at least, a sustained period of slower economic growth.
• And the Fed is actively trying to slow down job growth, hoping to soften the labor market which the Fed believes will ease the pressure on wage increases – and, perhaps, the pace at which people are changing jobs.

So, what might this mean for HR and business leaders?  There is an adage that leaders always fight the last war.  In the throes of a still-hot labor and talent market, HR leaders may be consumed by scenarios of tight job markets, rising salaries, and high employee churn and still using talent strategies focused on helping them compete in a tight and growing economy.  But what if the next “talent war” must be fought in the context of a tightening economy, slower job growth, and concerns about reducing labor and operating costs?  What impact would a slowing economy have on your business?  What talent strategies would make sense in these scenarios?  And how can HR leaders know when to pivot to a different approach?

We’ve said this in some of our previous CCI articles, but it bears repeating – the core career and talent management issues HR leaders have always focused on remain critical to an organization’s success: ensuring the right talent is in the right roles, creating opportunities for internal talent mobility and employee development, and designing a work environment that ensures “stickiness” and encourages retention.  Over the past 12-18 months, the focus and efforts of many HR teams were on talent acquisition: finding, hiring, and onboarding new employees.  With the prospects of a softening labor market in 2023, shifting the focus to retaining and leveraging your existing workforce will provide more positive returns.  Savvy HR leaders will want to pay attention to a few key areas:

• Job vacancies – In August, about 1.1 million job openings vanished, dropping to 10.1 million from a high of 11.2 million in July. This is evidence that some companies are responding to a slowing economy by canceling open positions rather than laying off workers, in an acknowledgment that existing employees represent an investment in training and culture acclimation.  This strategy allows a company to retain and leverage its investment in current employees while not spending on acquisition costs to fill vacant positions that may not be needed.
• Continue to leverage flex/hybrid work environments – The growing willingness to allow remote work means companies can compete for talent in expanded markets and can thoughtfully assess the need for physical office space (and the associated costs).
• Be aware of the “loyalty tax” – Recent data from the Pew Research Center shows a growing pay gap between employees who left to take a job with a new company compared to employees who remained with a company. The data shows that the median worker who changed jobs saw an increase of 9.7% in real earnings while the median employee who stayed experienced a loss of 1.7% in real earnings.  This is further evidence that HR leaders need to ensure that compensation programs are not only competitive with market rates but that they also have the flexibility to allow pay raises on accelerated cycles to ensure key talent is retained.
• Re-engage and re-recruit your employees. Employees have also experienced the turmoil of the past year or two.  Spending time to re-engage and re-recruit your current staff will acknowledge their value and strengthen their bond with your company.  Think of it as an opportunity to deepen your relationship with your workforce.

It’s been a wild ride for the past two years.  As HR and business leaders, you’ve moved from crisis to crisis, barely having time to catch your breath.  But don’t let the turmoil of the past two years, with trends like the “Great Resignation” and “Quiet Quitting” make you think the current trends will continue.  Give yourself permission to pause, take a breath, and really reflect on how you can best help your company prepare for some of the trends now looming on the horizon.

Rob Croner

Senior Consulting Advisor

CCI Consulting

The post Looking Ahead – How HR Leaders Can Prepare for 2023 appeared first on CCI Consulting.

Believe it or not, 70% of senior leaders are unsatisfied with their onboarding experience. We have found that the best onboarding strategies provide a successful track to purposeful, productive work and strong employee relationships. 

Leadership onboarding programs must take that extra mile to set up their new leader for success. Let’s take a look at some of the important components of executive onboarding strategies HR professionals can utilize to achieve success.

Create Customized Programs

Understanding where the new executive stands in terms of knowledge of the role as well as their skill set can alter the way they are onboarded. Tailored onboarding programs can be utilized for a successful transition by providing different progression tracks to each new employee based on their specific needs. Furthermore, with this program, if an internal hire was promoted to an executive position, they too should have a custom onboarding program based on their skills and experience. 

Pre-boarding is Key 

The first step to a successful onboarding strategy starts with pre-boarding. This is the time to get in contact with the executive before their official start date. Engaging in conversations to outline expectations in the employee’s mind is a crucial step in pre-boarding. Having this conversation can allow the new hire to assimilate and digest all of the information provided. It can be helpful to discuss: 

• Position goals 
• Due dates of approaching projects 
• Past accomplishments of the position
• A contact list for other executives or stakeholders

Creating a Mentorship 

Assigning a mentor, coach, or transition accelerator to support a new hire during the onboarding process will benefit them throughout their transitional phase by having someone to turn to when questions or concerns arise. Mentors can be responsible for guiding the new hire to get acclimated to the organization as well as answering questions about the work environment, culture, and other employees.

One-On-One Role Plan

A one-on-one role plan program provides new executive hires with a general overview of the position straight from the source – the current leader. The created report plan details tasks and responsibilities as well as a chance for the appointed executive to ask questions. Including this component in the leadership onboarding program ensures the new executive leader obtains all of the content that is needed to perform their new role as well as knowledge of how the organization operates. 

Executive onboarding is far too important to not have a well-established strategy as the stakes are high for the individual as well as the organization. It is a fact that implementing a well-executed strategy can improve new hire retention by up to 82%. When onboarding transforms into a strategic process, an environment is formed where employees become more productive, engaged, and enthusiastic about their roles. Organizations should treat the onboarding process as an ongoing journey of learning that helps not only the new leader but the entire organization as a whole to succeed long-term. 

The post Executive Onboarding Strategy appeared first on CCI Consulting.

Yes, unusual times.  Uncommon. Over 70 million workers quit jobs in 2021, 33% of the total workforce.  The labor force participation rate declined to 61.8%, the lowest level in 40 years.  The statistics are staggering.  But is this situation truly unprecedented?  A closer look at data shows the Quit Rate is consistent with other post-recession periods; it was 28% after both the 2001 and 2008 recessions.  In fact, the Quit Rate increased each year from 2009 to 2019, and the unusually large turnover in 2021 reflected a continuation of underlying trends in the labor market that were accelerated by the COVID pandemic and economic disruptions.

So, what’s really going on?  There are fundamental changes in the nature of work. Three significant business trends that have occurred over the past two decades that were accelerated by the pandemic include:

1. The impact of digitization and technology-driven transformation
2. The reinvention of “office work”
3. The increased attention to social and environmental goals. 

These trends have shifted the source of value in business today.  In the 20^th century, the source of value was access to capital and physical infrastructure; it was a “physical” world.  In the 21^st century, the source of value is People.  Human capital is now the scarce resource and attracting and retaining the “best and brightest” talent is critical to success.

This should be good news to HR leaders.  While some new workforce challenges have emerged over the past two years – notably, the impact of remote & hybrid work and helping employees address work/life balance – the core career and talent management issues HR leaders have always focused on remain critical to an organization’s success: ensuring the right talent are in the right roles, creating opportunities for internal talent mobility and employee development, and designing a work environment that ensures “stickiness” and encourages retention.  Yes, we live in a “VUCA” world – volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous – but research shows there are constants to what employees desire: a sense of connectedness to a broader purpose, a work experience that provides growth and development opportunities, and respectful, collaborative relationships with their co-workers and leaders.

How then can HR and business leaders help employees and companies navigate the new world of work?  Creating an effective roadmap will require fresh thinking at the macro level – looking at the design of the HR function – as well as innovative and creative solutions in HR programs and solutions delivered at the operating level.  Let’s start with reshaping the HR function, which has a history as a support function.  Moving to a future as a Strategic Partner requires a more dynamic model, with three areas of focus:

1. Elevating HR through digitization and improving the capabilities of HR professionals, especially regarding agile processes and workflow.
2. Focusing on the design of the employee experience by treating employees as customers and identifying the “moments that matter,” similar to how retail stores interact with their customers.
3. Emphasizing a “friction-less” HR delivery model in which the core tenets of the classic Ulrich model – HR Business Partners, Centers of Excellence, and Shared Services – remain but cross-functional, cross-regional collaboration is heightened.

And at the HR program level, consider these areas:

• Think broadly about recruitment by re-evaluating job requirements to become more skill-focused, and resisting implicit bias against non-industry experience, career changers, or unemployed individuals.
• Think beyond compensation by emphasizing total rewards, flexibility, training opportunities, and family-friendly benefit offerings.
• Prioritize mental health.  The pandemic toll on mental well-being has been widely documented; show that this is understood by offering extensive resources.
• Think carefully about Work-from-Home policies, recognizing that a “one-size-fits-all” approach will likely not work for most organizations.  Seek employee feedback, understand the organization’s needs, and constantly communicate the rationale for any policy decision.
• Re-engage and re-recruit your employees.  Recognize that employees need to be re-oriented to the values, culture, and work environment.  Think of it as an opportunity to deepen your relationship with your workforce.
• Teach Leaders to lead with trust, support, and flexibility.  The remote work experiment forced on most companies by the pandemic required managers to interact differently with their teams, with less micro-management and more trust and support.  Don’t let a return to in-person work, including hybrid models, erode the trust and autonomy that employees seek.

A primary responsibility of the HR function is to enhance the “health” of the organization.  A healthy organization values its employees, provides growth and career development opportunities, and seeks ways to nurture, strengthen, and grow the relationship.  As an HR leader, don’t let the turmoil of the last two years take your focus off this path, and you will serve as an exceptional guide in helping your workforce navigate the new world of work.

Rob Croner
Senior Consulting Advisor
CCI Consulting

The post Navigating the New World of Work appeared first on CCI Consulting.

A tailored approach to learning and development can accelerate your organization and provide a competitive advantage within your industry—and the ROI can be enormous. When you partner with CCI Consulting, we utilize a dynamic process grounded in adult learning theory that cultivates creativity, encourages critical thinking, and provides opportunities for all employees to actively apply new skills. 

Let’s take a deeper look into how developing effective leadership skills through a learning and development program can transform your organization.      

What Is Leadership Development?

Leadership development isn’t just about developing talents and competencies within a single individual, it’s about unlocking your organization’s full potential across the board. It’s about developing the talent you already have to shape them into the leaders you need for the future. At CCI, during our leadership development programs, we help individuals and teams move from building awareness to taking action, and the impact cascades throughout your entire organization. You will then notice internal growth that can drive transformational change for your organization.  

Reasons to Invest in a Leadership Development Program

A tailored approach to leadership development programs helps build, strengthen, and elevate performance and business results. With a well-designed program in place, participants enjoy effective leadership skills that can transform them from great to exceptional leaders. Here are a few reasons why your company should invest in leadership development and how it can maximize your business impact.    

Improve your bottom line

When you improve the effectiveness of your leaders, you can achieve better results across your organization. Companies with leadership development programs in place for employees enjoy an ROI five times higher than those with little to no emphasis on talent development. Leadership programs can have a direct and measurable impact on key business drivers, including reducing costs, increasing productivity, and improving overall satisfaction.  

Attract and retain top talent

A strong leader can build and maintain productive work relationships, drive collaboration, increase team effectiveness, and help other employees be the best version of themselves. Not only does leadership development boost employee engagement, but it also increases your organization’s ability to attract, hire, and retain great people. Through CCI’s leadership development training programs, participants increase personal effectiveness while improving team performance across the board.  

Drive strategy execution

Increasing the capacity and capability of your leadership team can build more significant success and sustainability for your organization’s business strategy. When employees are equipped with leadership skills aligned with the business strategy, a favorable climate is created, and it inspires team members to contribute their best. 

Increase success in an ever-changing world 

The global pandemic has created a shift in how businesses operate. Leadership development stimulates new ways of thinking, drives collaboration, and inspires employees to help achieve organizational goals and objectives. 

From improved retention to increasing the capability of your leaders, there are several reasons why your company should invest in leadership development. At CCI, we’re here to empower employees at every level to find success. If your organization desires a robust leadership development plan, connect with us today at 1-866-836-3032.

The post Measuring & Maximizing the Business Impact of Leadership Development appeared first on CCI Consulting.

While it may seem like flexible work arrangements are primarily an employee benefit, savvy employers know that it benefits them in many ways as well: it increases productivity, boosts engagement, and improves attraction and retention of talent.

What is Workplace Flexibility and What are the Benefits?

Workplace flexibility is a mutually beneficial arrangement between employees and employers in which both parties agree on when, where, and how work gets done to meet the organization’s needs.

In a flexible workplace, both the employee and employer benefit:

Benefits to Employees:

• Improved work/life balance
• Less commuting time
• Increased job satisfaction
• Lower stress levels
• Reduced intentions to leave an organization
• Reduced number of days absent
• Financial savings for lunch, commuting, and wardrobe costs

Benefits to Employers:

• Enhanced ability to attract and retain talent
• Reduced turnover and absenteeism
• Expanded availability to clients and/or customers (employees on flextime are working before 9am or after 5pm)
• Increased levels of employee loyalty, productivity, and engagement
• Increased employee morale
• Cost savings and better return on investments
• Increased ability to meet the demand of globalization
• Increased innovation/creative work environment
• Improves diversity (remote work increases candidate pool)

How to Build a More Flexible Workplace

There are many ways organizations can implement workplace flexibility to help give employees the work/life balance they desire while striving to achieve company goals. A flexible workplace can include:

• Flextime – Allowing employees to do their job in a way that suits their lifestyle and responsibilities and benefits the employer. For instance, an employee with a young child may choose to start work at 7:00 am and finish at 3:00 pm so they can eliminate the need for childcare after school.
• Compressed work weeks – Employees work the same number of hours within a shorter workweek. For example, an employee might work four 10-hour days instead of five 8-hour days.
• Part-time employment options – Employers give employees the option to go part-time.
• Job sharing – Two permanent employees share a job that would usually be considered a full-time position for one employee, thus creating two part-time positions.
• Remote working options – Working from home/anywhere is accepted and encouraged. Some employees may desire a set schedule, such as working remotely every Monday and Wednesday; other employees may desire a more flexible schedule.
• Unlimited paid time off – Employees are encouraged to take the personal time they need without counting days.
• Phased Retirement – Gradually decreasing the number of responsibilities and hours worked by an employee approaching retirement.
• Summer Hours – Work hours during summer months are reduced, for instance, shifting to a four-day workweek or closing the office early on Fridays.

Workplace flexibility is all about a willingness to adapt to circumstances. You can choose to adopt all or none of the above approaches. The key is to find an approach that works for your employees, organization, and business goals. Here are four guidelines to help you effectively build and implement a flexible workplace culture.

1. Assess Your Organization’s Intentions and Situation

When building a flexible workplace, it’s important to understand the reasons for offering this type of work environment. Do you hope to attract more candidates for open positions? Decrease operating and real estate costs? Improve employee morale and reduce turnover? Establishing the ultimate goals of your flexible work program will help bring structure to the plan and ensure the options you choose align with your company’s goals.

2. Understand What Matters to Your Employees

In order to determine which flexible work options to include in your organization, you must involve your employees in the process. Different demographic groups or departments may prefer different flexible work options because of their unique interests and needs. As mentioned earlier, a flexible workplace is a mutually beneficial arrangement between employees and employers; therefore, it’s important to get input from employees to ensure you’re offering options that appeal to them.

You may find that different types of flexibility are needed for certain departments or job roles. For example, front-facing positions and factory workers typically can’t work from home, but they might be able to adopt flexible hours or a compressed work week.

3. Train Managers and Team Leaders

Managing workers and teams with flexible work arrangements is very different than managing in-office employees with set schedules. Considering that managers play a key role in the effective implementation of flexibility, it’s critical they are provided with the right tools and training to develop their skills specific to workplace flexibility. A few key areas that should be addressed include:

• Performance Management: Just as in the traditional office environment, there should be specific check-in channels in place, such as a daily check-in call, e-mail, or other outreach to confirm that employees have what they need to do their work and meet their goals.

• Communication: Flexible teams need to determine how and when to communicate using tools such as instant messaging, text messaging, or video chat. It’s also important to provide training around written communication as words and tone can often be misinterpreted through digital channels.
• Team Culture: Maintaining connection and camaraderie in a flexible team can be challenging for managers. Train managers on ways they can create time for the team to catch up, share recent successes or announcements, and celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions. Additionally, help managers create guidelines and expectations so all employees and team members feel connected and engaged, regardless of when or where they’re working.

4. Seek Feedback on Flexibility in Pulse Checks.

Once you’ve implemented flexibility into your workplace, it’s important to ask for feedback to learn what’s working well, what could work better, and what’s not working. Regular, anonymous employee engagement or pulse surveys are a great way to collect quick and frequent feedback from employees and team members. Use the input from employees to make improvements wherever possible and be sure to discuss the feedback and improvements at weekly or monthly team meetings, keeping employees engaged and involved in the process.

From improved retention and engagement to increased productivity, there are plenty of reasons to incorporate workplace flexibility into your company culture. Luckily, there is much flexibility in the approach your organization can take to ensure it not only supports your employees’ needs but also drives your company’s goals forward.  Laying a solid foundation and growing the program slowly and deliberately, with regular evaluation from employees, will improve your chances for success.

Kimberlee Beck

Director of Marketing

CCI Consulting

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