RECRUITMENTS ARE ON THE RISE...The Light at the End of the Tunnel

In the last few months, TPO has experienced an increase in requests for recruitment assistance. Across the board, it appears that TPO members and clients are ramping up their recruitment efforts. From Agriculture, to Non Profits, to Education, organizations are once again hanging out the “NOW HIRING” signs. After some brief research, it appears that online job postings are up, one source saying that Q2 showed gains of 12% over the previous quarter.

So, perhaps, the light at the end of the economic tunnel is beginning to appear. If your organization is starting to think about adding staff, here are just a few TPO recruiting recommendations.

 

1.     Get the job description right! Really think about what the actual “requirements” are for the position. For example, is it 100% necessary that the incumbent has a 4-year degree (which we would expect for Engineers, Accountants, Attorneys, etc.) or will a combination of education and experience be acceptable? Does the person really need to be a math whiz or will a calculator be readily available? Understand what is truly a “Must Have” to perform the job versus what is just on the “Wish List.”

2.     Make sure you are targeting the appropriate audience. For example, if your position is administrative or customer service oriented, then Craigslist or local job boards might be the right place to post an ad. If you are looking for a higher level, more specific candidate, try LinkedIn or Association websites (example: SHRM for HR Professionals or Blueskysearch for produce related jobs). Don’t forget your current employees! They know the work environment and may be able to refer the perfect candidate for your open position. Employees generally won’t refer someone who isn’t going to “fit”, since it is their reputation on the line. Explore an Employee Referral Program to enlist their assistance.

3.     Ask the right questions! The use of well-crafted behavioral based interview questions is helpful in finding a good match for the position. Think about what behaviors, skills, traits, etc. the “ideal” candidate should possess in your company’s environment and build questions around them. An inside sales person will likely need a different skill set than an outside sales person. Maybe the organization is a start up as opposed to a non-profit or government agency. There are a lot of differences between these work environments, hence different questions will be asked.

4.     Use real life work assessments in the selection process. If the position requires an incumbent to have in depth knowledge of employment regulations, quiz candidates about them. If the position requires a bilingual/biliterate employee, ask candidates to write a memo addressing a certain issue in both English and Spanish. Ensure that these assessments/assignments are job related.

5.     Sweat the small stuff! The way that a candidate responds to an ad can be highly useful in your selection. For example, we recently recruited a Communications & Electronic Media Manager. Candidates’ resume submissions disclosed a lot about their qualifications. One of the ways that a candidate could prove he/she was a qualified marketing professional was presentation of an eye appealing resume. Did they fully understand that different website technologies could alter their document and turn it into garbled, hard-to-read, undecipherable junk? Did they adjust to this knowledge by ensuring the format of their resume was presentable or allow the websites to alter it? Another way we assessed whether an applicant was qualified for the electronic media portion of the position was to see if they were “plugged in” to the latest technologies. How quickly did they respond to the request for a telephone discussion? Did their responses have “Sent from my iPhone?” These small details were considered in the ultimate selection. The client ended up with a person who was such a great fit that they indicated “We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect match.”

6.     Make sure that the organization is presented in a positive light. Be professional and consistent in your advertising, acknowledgements and communications with everyone in the recruiting process. Simply acknowledging that the company received a resume, places the company in good favor with candidates (who might not be your next employee, but may be a future customer).

7.     Trust but verify! Ensure that all “qualified applicants” (which we will define as those who are successful in the initial screening and are invited to interview) complete legally compliant Employment Applications and appropriate Identification documents. TPO’s HR Administration Kit outlines this process and had fully compliant documents ready for use. Also ensure that appropriate background investigations are completed. At a minimum, references and education should be verified. A criminal background check completed by qualified persons is strongly recommended. TPO provides excellent verification and background checks.

We are glad to see employers are now able to increase the size of their organization because of an increase in business or more profitable business.

If you would like TPO to assist you with all or any of your recruitment and staffing duties, we have great systems in place and can take the load off of your employees to bring you great candidates!

TPO is an award-winning firm established in 1991 made up of a group of highly experienced, nationally certified HR experts and trainers. TPO is licensed by the State of California (PI-25638) to provide investigative services. For more information, please contact us at 800-277-8448 or visit our web site www.tpohr.com.

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2011 TPO Human Resource Management. No part of this article may be reproduced, excerpted or redistributed in any form without express written permission from TPO Human Resource Management.

Mismatch Letters and How To Handle Them

I got a letter from the Social Security Administration with a list of about 10 names and social security numbers that they say they have different names for those numbers. What does this mean and why am I getting this now?

These letters, referred to as "mismatch" letters, are sent when names submitted to the IRS with social security numbers do not match the name on record or when the mismatch is discovered through an audit of other employment eligibility forms (I-9). This can be caused by an error on the part of the employee, the employer or a governmental agency. It does require the employer to take action when the notice is received. Some of the most common reasons for these mismatches:

• Typographical error in data entry to payroll system or Human Resource Information System (HRIS)
• Misreading of employee handwriting on payroll enrollment forms
• Use of different name form for the same person, e.g. Tom Jackson, Jr. vs. Thomas R. Jackson, Jr.
• Marriage name changes not reported to both systems
• Use of fraudulent identification

Recently, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has stepped up enforcement of the Immigration Control and Reform Act which is the Act requiring employers to complete and retain I-9’s. The new focus on this issue means many more of these letters are going out.

When an employer receives such a letter, the following steps should be taken:

• Employers should not jump to the conclusion that the employee has been dishonest nor that they are in trouble.
• Employers should check files and electronic systems to be sure all of the documentation and data they have agree.
• Resolve any internal errors.
• If employer documentation shows no discrepancies, they should talk with the employees involved if they are still employed and notify them of the issue.
• The employee must contact the Social Security Administration (SSA) to research the error if there is no discrepancy found.
• The employee should receive verification from the SSA if it is an error on the part of the SSA and a receipt or letter that new documentation is being provided.
• If the employee is no longer employed, employers should still recheck all of the documents for that employee and resolve any error they find in that research.

Members may email TPO to request a copy of the "Mismatch Checklist.”

DHS has two new rules being considered (issued June 9, 2006). One of the new rules being promoted by the DHS includes a "Safe Harbor" provision for employers who respond to the letters. Employers must do the following in order to qualify for the provision:

• Check the employer’s records to ensure that the discrepancy did not result from a typographical or similar clerical error.
• Resubmit the information if a clerical error resulted in the discrepancy.
• Ask the employee promptly to confirm that the employer’s records are correct if the discrepancy cannot be resolved.
• Take steps to correct an error if the employer’s records are not right.
• Ask the worker to pursue the matter personally with the relevant agency (such as contacting the SSA) if the employer’s records are correct.
• Re-verify the individual’s employment authorization without using the documents that were the subject of the no-match letter if the employer is unable to resolve the discrepancy within 60 days of receipt of the no-match letter.

The DHS has warned that continuing to employ a worker when the mismatch cannot be resolved could be seen as "employer [having] constructive knowledge of employing an alien unauthorized to work in the U.S." This means that employers should not allow employees to continue to work if they are unable to resolve the mismatch issues.

In addition to review of documents and completion of I-9’s for new employees, employers can check for match between name and social security numbers at www.socialsecurity.gov/bso/bsowelcome.htm.

Important things for employers to remember include:

• Employers may not specify which documents from the lists provided for I-9’s an employee presents.
• Employees may not work beyond 72 hours without having provided the necessary documentation to show they are legally allowed to work.
• Only original documents are acceptable for the employer to review.
• Documents that have expiration dates (other than a US passport) must be re-verified and some sort of reminder system should be put

TPO is an award-winning firm established in 1991 made up of a group of highly experienced, nationally certified HR experts and trainers. TPO is licensed by the State of California (PI-25638) to provide investigative services. For more information, please contact us at 800-277-8448 or visit our web site www.tpohr.com.

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2011 TPO Human Resource Management. No part of this article may be reproduced, excerpted or redistributed in any form without express written permission from TPO Human Resource Management.

New Year A Good Time To Review Anti-Discrimination Policies

Just released Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charge statistics for FY 2010 set yet another record - both in number of charges, and total dollars recovered from employers. On the heels of two consecutive years of record high charges in 2008 and 2009, the 2010 statistics demonstrate a resilient and powerful trend of increased exposure to costly discrimination claims.

The total number of charges filed in FY 2010 rose to a record 99,022, up 7.1% from FY 2009. While the agency has not yet released the charge details by protected category, employers can expect to see retaliation, race, religious and disability discrimination top the list as they did in 2009.The rise in EEOC charges is not surprising. The ADA Amendment Act, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act have expanded the EEOC’s statutory authorities, making it easier to file a discrimination claim.

Continued high unemployment is also a major factor in these numbers. Significant layoffs and terminations, coupled with a scarcity of alternative employment, has drastically expanded the pool of potential claimants and litigants. Given our “jobless recovery” employers can expect to see the trend of rising discrimination claims continue into 2011. Along with the number of charges filed, the EEOC is boasting a record $319 million recovered from employers - the highest level in the Commission’s history. The agency is crediting the increase to easier filing procedures and extensive training for their employees - both part of a bigger systematic initiative to more efficiently and effectively enforce discrimination laws. The EEOC’s increased efforts are clearly working. Despite the surge in charges, the agency was able to keep its backlog relatively constant from 2009-2010.

The shift in control of the House of Representatives will also drive even greater enforcement activities in the coming year. Though Republicans now control the House, the Obama Administration does not need Congressional approval to work through federal agencies (like the EEOC) to enforce existing laws. So in 2011, the Administration will undoubtedly place even greater emphasis on enforcement. The EEOC is better equipped than ever to investigate the record number of claims being filed - and employers need to be prepared.

Now’s the time for organizations to enhance their comprehensive anti-discrimination policies to cover all forms of discrimination. But remember, employees rarely read policies and policies alone do not effectively guide and change behavior. U.S. Supreme Court and EEOC guidelines require companies to provide the entire workforce with effective and periodic anti-discrimination training and anti-harassment training. Being able to prove that such preventative education programs are in place can help employers to establish a robust and valuable litigation shield that can help to eliminate claims, and to significantly reduce damage awards.

With both strong policies and effective anti-discrimination training, employers will be well equipped to avoid the rising tide of EEO claims. But if the EEOC comes knocking on your door, effective training can help to assert powerful affirmative defenses that can save your organization millions. Call on TPO for gold standard harassment and discrimination training programs.

TPO is an award-winning firm established in 1991 made up of a group of highly experienced, nationally certified HR experts and trainers. TPO is licensed by the State of California (PI-25638) to provide investigative services. For more information, please contact us at 800-277-8448 or visit our web site www.tpohr.com.

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2011 TPO Human Resource Management. No part of this article may be reproduced, excerpted or redistributed in any form without express written permission from TPO Human Resource Management.

How to Handle a Complaint of Harassment

What do I do if an employee can't or won't put a harassment complaint in writing when my handbook says it must be in writing?

While it is a good idea to get all complaints in writing when possible, requiring it is not something we recommend. There may be literacy issues or cultural issues or other reasons why an employee can't or won't put concerns in writing.

If an employee comes forward with a report of what he/she believes is harassment or discrimination, it is a good idea to ask him/her to write down whatever he/she is able to and comfortable with writing. You may get only dates and some names of witnesses or you might get the entire story. Anything is better than nothing in writing.

If the employee does not put it in writing, then the supervisor/manager should collect enough information to pass along to the appointed organizational contact who deals with such reports.

This information might include things such as the following:

• "What was done/said?"
• "Who was involved including participants and witnesses?"
• "When it happened including all incidents where similar things occurred."
• "What the reporting employee did about the incident and what he/she may have done about previous incidents."

The supervisor/manager should not attempt to conduct an investigation. This information should be passed along IMMEDIATELY to the appropriate persons for review and possible action.

The supervisor/manager should also tell the employee:

• "Thank you for bringing this to the company's attention."
• "Only those who need to know will be advised of this issue." DO NOT PROMISE CONFIDENTIALITY.
• "The company takes these actions seriously and will review promptly."
• "No retaliation against the reporting employee will be allowed and he/she should notify the supervisor/manager if there are any such instances or if the reported actions continue to occur."

We recommend training on Harassment and Discrimination Prevention in the Workplace for all employees. If you have not yet scheduled your company for this training and would like to do so, you can contact TPO for either a customized training course for your company or information on our Open Enrollment Classes.

TPO is an award-winning firm established in 1991 made up of a group of highly experienced, nationally certified HR experts and trainers. TPO is licensed by the State of California (PI-25638) to provide investigative services. For more information, please contact us at 800-277-8448 or visit our web site www.tpohr.com.

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2011 TPO Human Resource Management. No part of this article may be reproduced, excerpted or redistributed in any form without express written permission from TPO Human Resource Management.

Green Teams—Optimizing Business Sustainability & Employee Management

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead


Over the last few decades, environmental sustainability has become an increasingly important topic for organizations in every sector. During this time, Green Teams have proved to be an effective mechanism for helping organizations adopt greener operating practices, making them more environmentally and economically sustainable.

Often, organizational sustainability efforts have been conceived and launched by one or a few employees passionate about making their organization’s business practices more environmentally responsible. The earliest Green Teams grew out of such employee efforts. Increasingly, organizations have begun to encourage the formation of Green Teams.

Green Teams are a grassroots collective of cross-functional employees who volunteer to develop and implement sustainability practices and to educate and inspire other employees on corporate environmental sustainability issues and practices.

For many organizations, hiring dedicated sustainability staff is not a viable option. Green Teams allow such organizations to develop and adopt greener operating practices through their existing staff. Another advantage of Green Teams is the breadth of perspective their members bring to discussions about developing more sustainable operating practices.

Because many functional areas and staff levels are represented in Green Teams, a broad spectrum of experience informs the development of these practices. Potential challenges can be anticipated and averted.

The National Environmental Education Foundation agrees that engaging employees at every level of the company is essential to the success of sustainability efforts. Case studies have clearly shown that employees must not only understand, but also embrace, green business practices in order for them to succeed. Green Teams have emerged as a highly effective tool to optimize employee engagement in organizational sustainability efforts.

Since Green Teams design many of the sustainability practices, their buy-in and support develop organically during the process. The stakeholders who will be impacted by new, sustainable practices have input into the process which results in employees at every level of the organization becoming champions of the change.

Want to learn more? TPO can help you establish and/or lead your Green Team. Our experience spans helping a small on-line marketing organization develop and lead a Green Team of 5 individuals focused on overall operational and supply chain sustainability to helping a large biotech company establish and lead a 50-person team dedicated to reducing on-campus bottled water consumption, saving the organization over $200,000.00 annually!

TPO is an award-winning firm established in 1991 made up of a group of highly experienced, nationally certified HR experts and trainers. TPO is licensed by the State of California (PI-25638) to provide investigative services. For more information, please contact us at 800-277-8448 or visit our web site www.tpohr.com.

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2011 TPO Human Resource Management. No part of this article may be reproduced, excerpted or redistributed in any form without express written permission from TPO Human Resource Management.

Discovering the Underlying Reasons for Poor Performance

Sometimes as managers and supervisors it seems that we have tried everything possible to teach and motivate our employees. Often we throw our hands up and exclaim, "He just has a bad attitude!"

When dealing with a "poor performer" or an employee performing below standards, it can be helpful to look at the most common reasons (but often the most overlooked reasons) that employees do not meet our expectations.

THEY DON'T KNOW HOW

Often the employee either does not know what to do, or how to do it. They do not have this knowledge because it was never communicated to them, or it was poorly communicated to them.

How often do you:

• Assume your employees have been trained properly?
• Expect employees to know what to do, instead of telling them what you would like them to do?
• Retrain employees?

Solutions:

Have clear job descriptions that spell-out exactly what their job duties are. Develop training procedures for all employees and continually check their success. Keep communications open by asking and listening to feedback. Use performance evaluations to continually monitor how the employee is performing their job.

THEY CAN'T

Some people can't do certain things; not because they don't want to, but because they do not have the physical or mental aptitude needed for success in that specific job. People will often try to cover-up their areas of weakness.

Solutions:

Acknowledge we all learn differently. If different methods of teaching don't work, transferring the employee to a different position, or ending the employment relationship might be your only alternatives. Make sure that you are realistic during the interview process – again, a well-written job description can be useful in screening applicants and ensuring a good match.

THEY DON'T

Many times employees don't do what is expected of them, because of barriers (either imagined or real) that they have a lack of control over.

Examples of barriers:

• An inherent problem in the work process.
• Poor management and/or communication skills of supervisors.
• Resources that do not meet the individual's needs, or that are inadequate.
• Excessive interferences that are distracting.
• They are rewarded for not doing well.

Solutions:

Make sure you are not part of the problem--often poor performance results from poor management. Prioritize projects and reduce outside distractions. Hold all employees accountable to set standards.

THEY WON'T

Okay, we're to the employee that chooses to have a bad attitude. Believe it or not only about 10% of poor performers are attributed to this category. Most often a bad attitude is a result of one or more of the first three.

Solutions:

If you have looked beyond the less obvious reasons for poor performance and you still come-up with, "She just has a bad attitude!" – you might be right. Now it is up to you to establish goals for this employee and controls if the employee does not meet the set goals. Counseling or disciplinary actions might be required. Buckle-up and hang-on, you could be in for a wild ride!

TPO is an award-winning firm established in 1991 made up of a group of highly experienced, nationally certified HR experts and trainers. TPO is licensed by the State of California (PI-25638) to provide investigative services. For more information, please contact us at 800-277-8448 or visit our web site www.tpohr.com.

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2011 TPO Human Resource Management. No part of this article may be reproduced, excerpted or redistributed in any form without express written permission from TPO Human Resource Management.

How to deal with conflict management

just knock it off and get back to work!

Admit it, you've wanted to say that at least once to an employee! We have some other CONFLICT MANAGEMENT approaches to consider...

As managers, each one of us has the responsibility to jump in and talk with employees about unacceptable performance or behavior to get them back on track or transition them out of the organization. Not our favorite thing to do, but letting poor performance, coworker relationships, or employee conduct continue can have a devastating effect on morale, productivity, profitability...the list goes on.

And guess what? If you are the manager turning your head on the situation, your employees won't respect you and your boss will eventually view you as an ineffective leader. That said, as humans we each have different approaches to managing conflict, the key is knowing your preferred style: the style that you automatically use when faced with a problem in the workplace. Once you are aware of your preferred style and other options to handling conflict, you might find that your preferred style is not the best choice in every situation.... another one of the styles might be a better fit to get the results you are after.

So let's acknowledge that conflict can and will happen at work...in other words, it's inevitable. Which communication style do you feel describes your typical approach to resolving conflict?

• AVOIDING: Always withdrawing from or sidestepping the conflict; keeping disagreements to oneself; staying away from conflicts entirely. (Not usually the best approach, but sometimes the ideal choice!)
• SMOOTHING: Giving in or accommodating the needs of the other person(s) at the expense of one's own needs; going along for the sake of agreement.
• COMPETING: Win-Lose mentality; adversarial; standing one's ground; not giving in on issues.
• COMPROMISING: Reaching an acceptable solution; giving up something to get something; trade-offs are involved.
• INTEGRATING: Goal-oriented solution to conflict; reaching a decision that addresses the concerns of each party arriving at a mutually beneficial solution. Integrators understand that the other side of the story might provide useful information. They use open-ended questions to draw information from the other party BEFORE deciding on a measured response - and they do not focus on blame.

Any one of these styles might be appropriate, depending on the people involved and the situation at hand. Really understanding these individual styles and impact of using one or the other- or even a combination- will help you refine your conflict management skills.

Need help with employee communications and conflict management? Click here to learn more!

TPO is an award-winning firm established in 1991 made up of a group of highly experienced, nationally certified HR experts and trainers. TPO is licensed by the State of California (PI-25638) to provide investigative services. For more information, please contact us at 800-277-8448 or visit our web site www.tpohr.com.

Contents 

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2011 TPO Human Resource Management. No part of this article may be reproduced, excerpted or redistributed in any form without express written permission from TPO Human Resource Management.