MARCH 4, 2014
Simplify, simplify, simplify: 5
uncomplicated engagement tips
WHAT’S ONLINE
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www.WhatsWorkinginHR.com
Employment Law
for Managers
for common legal issues
that supervisors face daily.
Compliance Checklist
to ensure you’re
in compliance with
employment law.
■ Quick but effective strategies to help your managers
G
etting a handle on what keeps
employees engaged is no walk
in the park.
That’s why author Todd Patkin’s
approach to boosting engagement is
welcome advice for managers.
Three words: Keep it simple.
Patkin argues that happiness is
connected to simple things in life. So
why not apply that principle to work?
Here are Patkin’s uncomplicated
engagement strategies for managers:
Catch people doing things right
WHAT’S INSIDE
Not only can praise improve
staffers’ perception of supervisors, but
it’s also a morale and motivation
booster. Why? Praise, especially when
it comes from an authority figure, is
very fulfilling.
Something like, “Steve, I’ve noticed
you always double-check your reports
for errors, and I want to thank you
for your commitment to quality,”
takes five seconds to say, but can
pay off big for everyone.
Praise publicly (and praise more)
Managers shouldn’t stop with a
“mere” compliment when they catch
(Please see Engagement … on Page 2)
2 Sharpen Your Judgment
Did customer harass staffer
– and was company responsible?
3 Employment Law Update
Employees ‘liked’ Facebook post:
Should they have been fired?
4 Effective Communication
Tips for managers: Tricks
to keep conflict manageable.
6 News You Can Use
More good news about healthcare
reform’s employee mandate.
8 What Would You Do?
Another applicant turns down
offer due to salary: What to do?
Retaliation is the most common claim – again
■ EEOC releases latest discrimination stats from 2013
T
he Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
received more than 90,000 charges of
bias in 2013 – and you can probably
guess which claim was most popular.
For the fifth year in a row,
retaliation was the most common
complaint – 38,539 claims in total,
or 41.1% of all claims.
Almost all other types of
bias charges decreased, but the
number of retaliation charges grew.
Race bias (35.3% of all claims)
and sex bias (29.5%), which includes
sexual harassment and gender
discrimination, had the secondand third-most claims, respectively.
Top offenders
The EEOC received 5% fewer
claims in 2013 than they received
in 2012.
And for the fourth consecutive
year, the agency resolved more
charges than were filed.
Info: tinyurl.com/2013EEOC
QUICK BUT EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES
Sharpen your
JUDGMENT
Engagement …
(continued from Page 1)
an employee doing something right –
they should tell the rest of the team.
Many employees feel that their
leaders take them for granted.
It only makes sense for supervisors
to make it their daily mission to prove
that perception wrong.
Handle mistakes with care
Mistakes are going to happen.
Your supervisors can’t control
everything.
What managers can control is how
they handle these hiccups – and what
impact they have on the operation.
Lambasting an employee may
make a manager feel better in the
short term, but it’ll negatively
impact that employee’s self-confidence,
poison the worker/supervisor
relationship and create negative
EDITOR: DAN WISNIEWSKI
MANAGING EDITOR: TIM GOULD
ASSISTANT EDITOR: JULIAN LOPEZ
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR: CURT BROWN
PRODUCTION EDITOR: JEN ERB
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feelings about the firm.
As Patkin says, “You don’t want
to create an environment where
people don’t take potentially
productive risks because they’re afraid
you’ll get mad if they screw up.”
Widen decision-making process
Not many managers put enough
emphasis on the thoughts and
opinions of their employees.
After all, line workers are paid a
fair wage to come to work each day
and perform specific tasks.
But good leaders get their people
involved in decisions as they come
up – giving their reports a genuine
sense of having some control over
how things get done.
“Employees who are told what
to do feel like numbers or cogs in
a machine,” said Patkin. “Yes,
managers might get the results they
want, but never more than that – and
often, the team’s performance will be
grudging and uninspired.
“To unlock buy-in and
achievement, make employees feel like
valued partners by seeking out their
opinions, ideas and preferences.”
Help them grow
Managers have a lot to deal with
on a daily basis.
But no matter how full their plates
may be, managers can’t lose sight of
the fact that a crucial part of
leadership is developing people.
“Ultimately, the success or failure
of any business depends on the people
who show up each day to do the
work,” said Patkin. “So managers
need to place a strong emphasis on
developing them.
“They must get to know each
member of their team and give each
person progressively more autonomy,
authority and responsibility when they
show they can handle it.
“When they feel challenged and
know that their talents are being
utilized, employees are more engaged.”
Info: toddpatkin.com
This feature provides a framework for
decision making that helps keep you and
your company out of trouble. It describes
a recent legal conflict and lets you judge
the outcome.
■ Did customer harass staffer –
and was company responsible?
Employee Joanne Keller had
asked to speak with HR manager
Lynn Rondo – and Lynn could tell
Joanne was upset before anything
was said.
“He’s creepy,” Joanne said.
“I’ve visited his office three times,
and every time he’s said something
inappropriate about my legs, butt
and more.”
Joanne was talking about Chris
Cardillo, a long-time customer who
regularly ordered and talked big.
“He’s really harmless.” Lynn
had heard Chris was a little rough
around the edges. “How about
I speak with your manager and
arrange to have someone else go
with you next time you visit Chris?”
“How about you do something
to stop him?” Joanne said.
Didn’t stop the bad behavior
Lynn asked that a male employee
accompany Joanne next time she
visited Chris. But it didn’t stop Chris
from saying nasty things to her.
“It’s disgusting,” Joanne told
Lynn when she returned to work.
“You did nothing to stop it. You
just sent someone to witness it.”
That wasn’t Lynn’s intention.
“I tried to help.”
In Joanne’s eyes, Lynn didn’t
do enough, so she slapped the
company with a sexual harassment
suit. The company fought it,
claiming it couldn’t do anything
about non-employee harassment.
Did it win?
■ Make your decision, then please
turn to Page 6 for the court’s ruling.
WhatsWorkinginHR.com
2
March 4, 2014
EMPLOYMENT LAW UPDATE
Picture-perfect response to sexual
harassment still yields lawsuit
■ Firm couldn’t prevent woman from suing – but it still won in court
E
ven when an incident may
not seem like big-time sexual
harassment, it’s still crucial to
investigate the worker’s complaint.
That’s how J.C. Penney responded
to a recent harassment issue. The only
problem: It still got sued.
He stopped after she complained
Loralie Musolf, a J.C. Penney loss
prevention supervisor, had several
uncomfortable interactions with a
male manager.
Musolf said that the manager
rubbed her shoulder, gave her a
back rub and gave her a hug – all
unwanted advances in Musolf’s eyes.
Musolf followed J.C. Penney’s
policies and reported her concerns.
Her manager then met with the
supervisor, who agreed to leave
Musolf alone.
Soon after, Musolf was fired for a
policy violation. She came back with
a lawsuit alleging sex bias based on
a hostile work environment.
The court wasn’t convinced: The
incidents of physical contact lacked
“sexual or vulgar undertones.”
But more importantly, said the
court, the unwanted contact stopped
after Musolf brought it to the
attention of her manager.
That meant Musolf couldn’t show
that J.C. Penney hadn’t taken proper
steps to try and correct the behavior.
Cite: Musolf v. J.C. Penney Co.,
Inc., U.S. Dist. Crt., D. Minn., No.
12-1591(JNE/FLN), 10/11/13.
Employees ‘liked’ Facebook post:
Should they have been fired?
■ NLRB decision will follow public-sector ruling from 2013
Y
ou know that employees can be
fired for posting certain negative
comments about their firm online.
But what about just “liking”
a post?
A mistake on tax paperwork
That’s the question being asked by
the National Labor Relations Board
(NLRB) about the Triple Play Sports
Bar in Connecticut.
Triple Play allegedly fired one of
its waitresses and a cook after they
“liked” a Facebook post that called
out the firm for making a mistake
on employees’ tax paperwork.
Triple Play claims the employees
were fired for violating important
company policy. The NLRB has yet
to come to a decision.
First for private employer
This isn’t the first time firing a
worker for “liking” a post has come
up: Last October, a court ruled
against a sheriff’s office that fired
people for liking a post that was
critical of their supervisor.
The difference in this case: It’s the
first time a private employer has come
under fire for the same issue.
The NLRB is most concerned with
whether “liking” a post counts as
protected, concerted speech. We’ll
keep you posted on the result.
Info: tinyurl.com/FBLikeIssue
COMPLIANCE ALERT
■ Hiring bias allegedly
hurt 3,000 candidates
When a few thousand job
applicants suspected foul play was
keeping them out of available jobs,
they wanted answers. They walked
away with $2.24 million.
Cargill Meat Solutions was
recently hit with a Department of
Labor (DOL) lawsuit on behalf of
almost 3,000 job applicants turned
down for positions – allegedly due
to their gender and race.
The DOL claimed the company’s
discrimination affected female,
Latino, African-American and
Caucasian applicants.
Cargill chose to settle the case,
agreeing to pay $2.24 million in
back wages and interest – along
with making 354 job offers to
affected applicants when positions
become available.
Info: tinyurl.com/HiringBiasWoes
■ Ruling could severely
change severance agreements
The Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission (EEOC) just
filed what could be a monumental
lawsuit concerning employers’
severance agreements.
The agency has taken issue
with CVS’ fine print in severance
agreements the company gave to
three employees it fired recently.
The EEOC says the agreement’s
“covenant not to sue” clause, which
prevents staff from taking legal
action against the firm, is illegal.
Even though the agreements also
include a note that staff still have a
right to take part in government
suits or investigations, the EEOC
feels employees are being denied
their right to communicate and
cooperate with the agency and
file discrimination charges.
The suit is awaiting a decision.
If the court sides with the agency,
companies everywhere may have
to rework key components of their
own severance policies.
Info: tinyurl.com/CVSSeverance
WhatsWorkinginHR.com
March 4, 2014
3
ANSWERS TO TOUGH HR QUESTIONS
Experts give their solutions to
difficult workplace problems
HR professionals like you face new questions every day on how to deal with
workplace conflict and employment law. In this section, experts answer those
real-life questions.
available by phone, email or text
and recording hours worked.
Why do that? For a variety
of reasons: ensuring exempt
decision-makers are available
to address operational concerns
throughout the day, for client
billing purposes, to determine
employees’ eligibility or accrual
of certain benefits, etc.
The better question:
Should you?
Some exempt people may
feel micromanaged when you
set their work hours.
Depending on your corporate
culture, keeping a closer eye on
employees’ hours may not be
such a hot idea.
FMLA medical certification:
Employees pay for that, right?
Q
: One of our employees is refusing
to return medical certification
for FMLA leave because
she doesn’t want to foot
the $50 bill quoted by her
physician for completing
the certification form.
She says we need to pick up
the tab.
Is she right?
: Nope, says Jeff Nowak
([email protected]) on
the FMLA Insights blog
(fmlainsights.com).
FMLA regs make it clear that
an employee is solely responsible
for obtaining the initial
certification.
If you want a second opinion,
however, it’s on you to pay.
And finally, if you ask a
staffer to be examined by
a physician chosen by you, the
EEOC says it’s also on you to
pay for all costs that come with
the exam.
A
Exempt workers and schedules
Q
A
: Can we require our exempt
staffers to work certain hours?
: Technically, yes, says Joanna
Vilos ([email protected])
on the Employers’ Lawyers blog
(employerslawyersblog.com).
The Fair Labor Standards
Act permits you to require
exempt staff to comply with
scheduling and tracking
procedures, such as working
certain days and times, being
Is that a ‘real’ religion?
Q
: We have an employee who’s a
member of a religion I’ve never
heard of. Can we ask for proof
of membership before granting
him a religious accommodation?
: Nope, according to the Equal
Employment Opportunity
Commission (tinyurl.com/
EEOCReligion).
A request for religious
accommodation doesn’t need
to be supported by proof of
membership.
The law doesn’t just cover
people who belong to traditional
religions but it also covers those
who have “sincerely held religious,
ethical or moral beliefs.”
A
If you have an HR-related question,
email it to Dan Wisniewski at:
[email protected]
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
■ Tips for supervisors: Tricks
to keep conflict manageable
Conflicts will pop up in the
workplace – and if your managers
aren’t prepared to handle them the
right way, you could see some
serious productivity issues.
2 sound conversational cures
You know how important it
can be to face workplace conflicts
directly, but your managers
might not.
Author Judith Glaser offers
some practical conversation-based
techniques to help supervisors with
employees’ inevitable conflicts:
• Managers should encourage
workers to talk through their
issues to clarify what’s really
going on.
This can shine a light on each
person’s thoughts and opinions –
and clarify if there have been any
misunderstandings.
• Come to some point of common
ground to focus and redirect
your conflict management
around. This can help managers
refocus the conversation.
This way, supervisors can
tell workers to leave certain
disagreements aside and
approach the core issue
from another angle.
Ounce of prevention
According to attorney Michael
P. Maslanka, planning for conflicts
ahead of time can further keep
conflict management productive.
Writing down any possible
conflict “triggers” and challenges
that managers may encounter
during disputes can help supervisors
avoid messy scenarios with their
workers.
It can also be helpful for
supervisors to think about their own
attitude and how it may influence
their interactions with staffers.
Info: tinyurl.com/TackleConflict
WhatsWorkinginHR.com
4
March 4, 2014
WHAT WORKED FOR OTHER COMPANIES
Our subscribers come from a broad range of companies, both large and small. In this regular feature, three of them
share a success story illustrating ideas you can adapt to your unique situation.
1
Do more with less?
How we made it work
Our company was growing fast,
which was great news – with a
couple caveats.
The big one: In order for us to stay
competitive, the company was finding
new areas to expand into.
In short: more work for everyone.
Talk to me
With hiring not on the table,
we were asking employees to learn
2
We didn’t settle
for a lesser network
Our insurance program’s old
network of preferred doctors
wasn’t up to snuff anymore.
I kept finding mistakes in our
paperwork that made it tougher to get
our claims paid. Plus, the network’s
doctors weren’t as conveniently
located for workers as we’d hoped.
Biding my time
The issues with our network might
not have been huge, but they were
3
Why we boosted our
internship offerings
We were looking for ways to shore
up our hiring process.
We do our best to find qualified
people, but we were finding there was
only so much we could learn about an
applicant during an interview.
A new partner
We finally got tired of the lengthy
interview processes, the dead ends
and the bad hires – and we decided to
do something about our hiring issue.
new skills and take on bigger and
harder challenges.
We knew that any time we asked
people to take on new assignments
there was bound to be at least
a little apprehension.
To set staff members’ minds at
ease, we’ve begun holding regular
companywide meetings.
At those meetings, we’ll talk them
through any specific issues they have
about the increased workload.
But it’s more than talk:
We also offer continuing
education and training opportunities
like seminars or college courses to
further hone their skills.
All of this helps to convey the
message to them that we’re not
just throwing them to the wolves.
It builds their confidence and
shows them that we’re right there
with them through the changes –
and that we’ll give them all of the
resources they need to be successful
on a new assignment.
(Mike Bird, CFO,
Virginia Lutheran
Home, Roanoke, VA)
enough to make looking
for an alternative
worthwhile in case those
small issues became big
problems later on.
So when the new year rolled
around and we had the opportunity to
resubscribe to our network or make a
switch, I decided to do some research.
I found a couple possibilities, and
when I thought I found the right
match, we made the switch.
The new preferred providers
network we have is working
out great.
Not only are there
more doctors included,
but they’re also located
all over a larger area.
That makes it as easy as possible
for workers to find a nearby doctor
they like.
We’ve also dealt with fewer errors
in the claims processing now that
we’ve switched – which is one
more headache I don’t have to deal
with anymore.
(Michele Halfhill, HR
administrative assistant,
Fremont Company, Fremont, OH)
Our solution: We partnered with
a local company to help us bring in
more interns.
Here’s how it works: This company
takes students who are in or just
finishing college and helps place them
in paid internships by giving them
training and mentoring them.
We fill the company in on what
kinds of skills and expectations we
want from applicants, and it
recommends good fits.
The company then does much
of the pre-hiring work, from
initial interviews to skills tests
to drug screenings.
When they recommend someone,
all we do is bring him or her in for
an interview.
If we like what we see, he or
she can hit the ground running
right away.
It’s taken a lot of the guesswork
out of hiring interns and entry-level
employees.
The best part: Several of our best
staffers started with us as interns
through the program.
(IT manager of an east coast firm,
name withheld by request)
REAL
PROBLEMS,
REAL
SOLUTIONS
WhatsWorkinginHR.com
March 4, 2014
5
WHAT COMPANIES TOLD US
NEWS YOU CAN USE
The rise of retaliation
More good news about
reform’s employee mandate
The feds have made health reform
a little bit easier for companies.
How? It will implement a new
two-phase installation of the mandate,
which requires all firms with
50 or more “full-time equivalent”
employees to provide “affordable”
health insurance to 95% of those
employees or pay federal penalties.
The new phase-in looks like this:
• Part 1 – Employers with at least
100 full-time employees will be able
to avoid federal penalties if they
offer affordable coverage to at least
70% – a change from 95% – of
those workers by Jan. 1, 2015. The
95% requirement has been pushed
back to the start of 2016.
• Part 2 – Employers with between
50 and 99 full-time employees will
now be required to offer affordable
coverage to 95% of those workers
by Jan. 1, 2016 – a delay from
2015 – to avoid federal penalties.
Info: tinyurl.com/NewReformStuff
New study: Work gossip
can keep teams efficient
Did you hear the latest news? A
new study that says gossiping can
help groups run smoothly at work.
Stanford professor Matthew
Feinberg and his team found that a bit
of gossip can expose selfish thinkers
and keep group work collaborative,
letting workers know they’re
accountable for their behavior.
The problem now for employers
is knowing how to toe the line
between what’s valuable gossip
and what’s irrelevant and hurtful.
Info: tinyurl.com/GoodGossip
2009
2010
28%
20%
47%
2011
49%
2012
59%
2013
57%
2014
Source: PayScale
Employees better
behaved than ever in 2013
Are employees finally getting the
message about behaving well at work?
Only 41% of employees said they
observed misconduct last year, says
the new National Business Ethics
Survey of the U.S. Workforce.
That’s the lowest figure ever
reported by the Ethics Resource
Center, which has released data on
misconduct every two years since
1994. The high was 55% in 2007.
Info: tinyurl.com/2013EthicsReport
Lighter side: He mailed
WHAT to 20 companies?
A St. Louis job hunter took the
phrase “crappy job market” to a new,
smelly level.
Jevons Brown mailed packages of
Sharpen your judgment…
T H E
Companies that considered retaliation
a main concern
D E C I S I O N
It may be hard to believe, but
retaliation wasn’t that big a deal
only four years ago. Now,
retaliation claims are the most
common complaint brought to the
Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission. (see story, Page 1)
Each issue of WWHR contains an exclusive
survey to give executives insight into what their
peers nationwide are thinking and doing.
cat feces to 20 firms that turned him
down for jobs. Brown pled guilty in
court, and was sentenced to two years
of probation.
He’s vowed this will never happen
again – and every St. Louis employer
and postal worker hopes he makes
good on that promise.
Info: tinyurl.com/CatFecesMail
liable for acts of non-employees if the employer knew
about the conduct and failed to take immediate and
appropriate corrective action, said the court.
In this case, Lynn knew about it and didn’t go far
enough to appropriately correct it, the court ruled.
(See case on Page 2)
No, the company lost.
■ Analysis: Got to take action
Joanne’s attorney claimed that Lynn and the company
should’ve demanded that the customer stop harassing
her – regardless of whether he was an employee or not.
The company’s responsibility was to keep its employee
(Joanne) safe while working.
The company’s attorney argued it couldn’t control what
customers did – especially when they were at their places
of business – so Lynn wasn’t in a position to demand that
Chris stop his alleged behavior.
The court ruled in favor of Joanne – employers are
The bottom line: When an employee complains of any
kind of harassment – sexual, racial, religious – on the job,
employers must investigate immediately and take action. It
doesn’t matter if the accused is an employee or a customer:
If an employee feels in danger, the employer must protect
him or her.
Cite: EEOC v. Southwest Virginia Community Health
System, Inc., U.S. Dist. Crt., W.D. Virgina, No. 7:12cv424,
10/23/13. Fictionalized for dramatic effect.
WhatsWorkinginHR.com
6
March 4, 2014
A REAL-LIFE SUCCESS STORY
We took major steps to
get the most out of our employees
■ ‘How do we get people to want to come to work?’
were able to deliver results above and
e’re a small, growing company,
beyond the expectations.
and we ask a lot of our
employees.
To celebrate, we gathered the entire
company, rented pontoon boats and
What that means: We need our
headed down to a local lake for some
staff to want to be in the office and
much-needed fun and relaxation.
be ready to work hard every day.
Not only did this reenergize
So we do everything in our power
the team, it also showed how much
to make the office environment and
everyone’s efforts were appreciated.
culture as fun-filled as possible while
also keeping the concept
From interns to full-time
of “team.”
Another benefit we offer
“Work Hard, Play
Case Study:
staff is opportunity – the
Hard” is our company’s
opportunity to expand
mantra. The first part of
WHAT
their roles and grow with
that mantra is the result of
WORKED,
the company.
hiring the right people for
our team.
WHAT
We’re big fans of
interns.
We’re always
And the second part is
DIDN’T
looking for savvy people,
made up of a number of
and we’re not afraid to let
different components, with
them stretch their muscles.
benefits playing a key role.
This has paid off in a big way. A
Key perks, team events
number of interns have gone on to
become full-time employees. And
Because the work environment
because they have experienced how
itself is so important, we offer a
our company works from the ground
number of unique perks which help
up, they’ve become tremendous assets
keep the team comfortable and
to us as we continue to grow.
excited. These include:
Of course, we encourage everyone
• a dog-friendly workplace
to step out of their regular roles if
• whiteboard walls where ideas are
they believe they can help.
encouraged to be shared, and
Example: Our tech guy had a
• extremely comfortable furniture
background in sales, so when we
(not the standard office variety).
added new markets, he offered
We also frequently hold happy
some key selling advice to the team.
hours and offer catered lunches.
Major success in a short time
On top of the perks, we also offer
extremely flexible scheduling because
Staying true to our motto has
we know how valuable work-life
helped us achieve major successes
balance is to everyone.
in a short time.
In addition, recognition is a huge
We’ve received a ton of industry
part of our culture. Whenever we
press as well as some major awards –
finish a particularly challenging
like being named one of the “Best
project, we make it a point to
Young Companies to Work for”
celebrate the success.
by Turnstone.
Example: when our company
(Matthew W. Marcus, executive &
created our new brand. Thanks to a
co-founder, Hoopla.io, Kansas City)
ton of hard work and team effort, we
W
HR OUTLOOK
■ 3 tips for top-notch
employee recognition
When it comes to employee
recognition programs, some HR
pros forget one crucial step: getting
input from the actual employees.
All that glitters isn’t gold
Here are some best practices
from YEC to help you and your
team effectively set up recognition
programs together and make
rewards worth working for:
• Recognize one of their own.
Recognition often comes down
from management, but it’s also
important for workers to feel
recognized by one another.
Picking a worker or workers to
head employee recognition can
ensure that appreciation isn’t
overlooked during the day-to-day
hustle.
It’s good to have somebody on
the front lines to pick up on the
individual and team successes
around the office – and arrange
suitable rewards.
• Vary appreciation. Having
employees recognize each other
can also ensure that all positions
and types of employees are
appreciated, not just the most
outspokenly successful.
Doing this may require you to
think of new ways to reward
employees.
Rather than have a plaque, try
more personal signs of
appreciation — handwritten
thank-yous, dinners or other
treats.
• Give consistent approval.
A way to give your recognition
program consistency is to use
common benchmarks (weekly,
quarterly, annual) and create
contests and awards for meeting
those benchmarks. Focusing
energy on the ceremony of those
awards, rather than the awards
themselves, is another way to
keep costs low but moods high.
Info: tinyurl.com/BestRecognition
WhatsWorkinginHR.com
March 4, 2014
7
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
Companies face competing agendas when dealing with their employees. They must find ways
to inspire their people to excel, while controlling costs and staying within the law. Here we
present a challenging scenario and ask three executives to explain how they’d handle it.
QUOTES
T
alent works,
genius creates.
Robert Schumann
Another applicant turns down offer
due to salary: What should HR do?
The Scenario
“Well, Will, we’ve got to take another
look at the candidate pool, unfortunately,”
said HR manager Stu Capper.
“You’re kidding,” said manager Will
Stratton. “Amber Hyde turned down
our offer?”
“She did,” said Stu. “She said she
loved what we do here and loved the
people, but that, in the end, the money
just wasn’t right.”
“Unbelievable,” said Will. “So that’s four
people who’ve said more or less the same
thing, right?
‘We’re stretched as it is’
“Yup, four applicants,” said Stu. “I know
we’d discussed changing the salary on this
position after the last candidate turned us
down. Sure you’re not willing to bend a
little here on the money?”
“Doing that is going to mess up my
whole salary structure, Stu,” said Will. “You
know as well as anyone we’re stretched as it
is, and these applicants are asking for what
some of my best staff members make.”
Adjust money or expectations?
“Will, money is the main hang-up for
most people here,” said Stu. “We either
change the salary or look for lessexperienced applicants.”
“I don’t want a second-rate candidate,”
said Will. “This is a pretty crucial job. I need
someone to hit the ground running.
A
lways live in the
ugliest house
on the street – you
don’t have to look
at it.
David Hockney
T
he single biggest
problem in
communication is
the illusion that it
has taken place.
George Bernard
Shaw
I
’m a heavy smoker.
I go through two
lighters a day.
Bill Hicks
“What do you suggest?” asked Will.
If you were Stu, what would you do next?
S
Reader Responses
1
Terrance Jones, HR assistant,
Job Corps, Philadelphia
What Terrance would do: If there wasn’t
money for a salary adjustment now, I’d try
other ways to incentivize the position.
We could offer applicants a six-month
probation period at the original salary
with the promise of negotiating an
adjustment later.
Reason: A trial period gives us time
to tweak the pay structure to give a new
worker a salary closer to what he or
she needs.
Plus, if the candidate really loves the
work, it may not take a large raise to
convince him or her to stay.
2
Denise Fetty, HR director, Alameda County
Public Works Agency, Hayward, CA
What Denise would do: I’d do a little
digging to see what other companies
in the same industry are offering for
similar positions.
From there we could revamp our position
to include incentives that attract quality
candidates, like flexible scheduling.
Reason: Sacrificing candidate quality isn’t
an option because then the company suffers
in the long run. Reworking our position
based on the research we do ensures we
stay on the radar for top applicants.
3
ooner or later,
those who win
are those who think
they can.
Paul Tournier
I
have had more
trouble with
myself than with
any other man.
Barbara Lay, HR director,
Denison University, Granville, OH
What Barbara would do: I’d suggest
delaying the search for a while. Ideally,
that would give us time to do some research.
We could rework parts of our pay
structure and market the benefits of the job
to better appeal to candidates.
Reason: We have to think of ways
to stay competitive in the job market,
which means finding out what the
competition is like.
Hopefully giving ourselves some extra
time also gives us the opportunity to see
how we can better market the position.
Dwight L. Moody
E
xperience is one
thing you can’t
get for nothing.
Oscar Wilde
T
he greater the
effort, the
greater the glory.
Pierre Corneille
WhatsWorkinginHR.com
8
March 4, 2014