Month: March 2020
DEAR REWORKER: I\’M BEING FORCED TO CHANGE AN EMPLOYEE\’S PERFORMANCE RATING
Dear ReWorker,
Performance ratings are due soon, so I filled out the forms and rated my employees based on their performance throughout the year. I gave one employee an outstanding rating as I really think she has met those criteria.
I gave her the performance review and the rating, and she was thrilled. Now, my boss is coming back saying I need to adjust the review downward. Why are they asking me to do this, and what can I say to my employee?
Sincerely,
Blindsided
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Dear Blindsided,
This is one of those situations that should have been avoided by you having your manager sign off on the appraisal before you gave it, so file that away for future reference. But, I\’m going to assume this is the first time you\’ve written performance appraisals at this company or that your boss is new.
The best thing to do, of course, is to ask your boss why. But I can give you some pretty good guesses.
1) Your Company Has a Forced Rating Distribution
Many companies require performance ratings to fit a distribution. It looks like this:
- 5 percent outstanding
- 40 percent above average
- 40 percent average
- 10 percent below average
- 5 percent unacceptable
It makes for a nice curve, and it makes it easy to figure out budgets when raises and bonuses are tied to performance ratings. The problem with this is that people don\’t always fall directly into that curve. If you rated your employee as outstanding, it could be that she is really awesome, but that your manager was exceeding her \”outstanding\” budget and needed to knock someone down. She could have taken a look at all the people labeled \”outstanding\” and ranked them, and if your employee was at the bottom of that group, then she would need a different rating.
What to say to your employee: \”Jane, I\’m sorry, but I have to move you from an \’outstanding\’ to \’above average\’ rating. Only 5 percent of employees can be rated outstanding, and while you are awesome, you\’re not in the top 5 percent yet. We truly value you at the company and want you to continue to improve. Here are a few things you can do to get to the next level.\”
2) You Misunderstood What Makes an Outstanding Employee
What makes an outstanding employee? The answer is different at every company. You may say, \”My direct report met or exceeded all her goals. She\’s kind and helpful and has high potential. That\’s outstanding.\” But your boss may consider that simply \”above average\” or maybe even \”average.\” To be truly outstanding, your boss may think an employee needs to exceed at all her goals, take on new projects, and be eligible for a promotion.
That doesn\’t mean your employee isn\’t outstanding in your eyes—it just means that for this company, the bar is much higher.
What to say to your employee: \”I\’m new here, and I didn\’t realize what the requirements were before speaking with you. You met or exceeded all your goals, but the company requirement for an \’outstanding rating\’ is higher. In order to receive an outstanding rating, you\’ll need to do A, B, and C. I\’m really sorry for this. It was 100 percent my fault.\”
3) Your Evaluation Was Just Wrong
Your employee may flat out not be outstanding. You gave her a 10 on customer satisfaction when she is an objective 8. Are you sure your grading matched up with the metrics given? Sometimes we like an employee and so we push up their appraisals when we shouldn\’t. Objectives should be measurable and it\’s possible that you measured things incorrectly.
What to say to your employee: \”Jane, I screwed up. I didn\’t look closely at the grid I was supposed to use to rate you, and as a result, I did the evaluation incorrectly. I truly value you as an employee and I think you\’re awesome, but I originally gave you a 10 on customer satisfaction, when according to the grid, you\’re currently at an 8. Here\’s why and you can do A, B, and C to improve this rating.\”
In the future, make sure you match things to the company guidelines. Ask your manager for help when you\’re writing the review, and make sure your manager has signed off on the rating before you tell your employee. You may strongly disagree with your manager\’s opinion on how to rate your employees, but she\’s your boss.
File this away in a been-there-done-that file, and you won\’t ever make this mistake again.
Your ReWorker,
Suzanne Lucas, Evil HR Lady
Photo: Creative Commons
DEAR REWORKER: I\’M BEING FORCED TO CHANGE AN EMPLOYEE\’S PERFORMANCE RATING
Dear ReWorker,
Performance ratings are due soon, so I filled out the forms and rated my employees based on their performance throughout the year. I gave one employee an outstanding rating as I really think she has met those criteria.
I gave her the performance review and the rating, and she was thrilled. Now, my boss is coming back saying I need to adjust the review downward. Why are they asking me to do this, and what can I say to my employee?
Sincerely,
Blindsided
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Dear Blindsided,
This is one of those situations that should have been avoided by you having your manager sign off on the appraisal before you gave it, so file that away for future reference. But, I\’m going to assume this is the first time you\’ve written performance appraisals at this company or that your boss is new.
The best thing to do, of course, is to ask your boss why. But I can give you some pretty good guesses.
1) Your Company Has a Forced Rating Distribution
Many companies require performance ratings to fit a distribution. It looks like this:
- 5 percent outstanding
- 40 percent above average
- 40 percent average
- 10 percent below average
- 5 percent unacceptable
It makes for a nice curve, and it makes it easy to figure out budgets when raises and bonuses are tied to performance ratings. The problem with this is that people don\’t always fall directly into that curve. If you rated your employee as outstanding, it could be that she is really awesome, but that your manager was exceeding her \”outstanding\” budget and needed to knock someone down. She could have taken a look at all the people labeled \”outstanding\” and ranked them, and if your employee was at the bottom of that group, then she would need a different rating.
What to say to your employee: \”Jane, I\’m sorry, but I have to move you from an \’outstanding\’ to \’above average\’ rating. Only 5 percent of employees can be rated outstanding, and while you are awesome, you\’re not in the top 5 percent yet. We truly value you at the company and want you to continue to improve. Here are a few things you can do to get to the next level.\”
2) You Misunderstood What Makes an Outstanding Employee
What makes an outstanding employee? The answer is different at every company. You may say, \”My direct report met or exceeded all her goals. She\’s kind and helpful and has high potential. That\’s outstanding.\” But your boss may consider that simply \”above average\” or maybe even \”average.\” To be truly outstanding, your boss may think an employee needs to exceed at all her goals, take on new projects, and be eligible for a promotion.
That doesn\’t mean your employee isn\’t outstanding in your eyes—it just means that for this company, the bar is much higher.
What to say to your employee: \”I\’m new here, and I didn\’t realize what the requirements were before speaking with you. You met or exceeded all your goals, but the company requirement for an \’outstanding rating\’ is higher. In order to receive an outstanding rating, you\’ll need to do A, B, and C. I\’m really sorry for this. It was 100 percent my fault.\”
3) Your Evaluation Was Just Wrong
Your employee may flat out not be outstanding. You gave her a 10 on customer satisfaction when she is an objective 8. Are you sure your grading matched up with the metrics given? Sometimes we like an employee and so we push up their appraisals when we shouldn\’t. Objectives should be measurable and it\’s possible that you measured things incorrectly.
What to say to your employee: \”Jane, I screwed up. I didn\’t look closely at the grid I was supposed to use to rate you, and as a result, I did the evaluation incorrectly. I truly value you as an employee and I think you\’re awesome, but I originally gave you a 10 on customer satisfaction, when according to the grid, you\’re currently at an 8. Here\’s why and you can do A, B, and C to improve this rating.\”
In the future, make sure you match things to the company guidelines. Ask your manager for help when you\’re writing the review, and make sure your manager has signed off on the rating before you tell your employee. You may strongly disagree with your manager\’s opinion on how to rate your employees, but she\’s your boss.
File this away in a been-there-done-that file, and you won\’t ever make this mistake again.
Your ReWorker,
Suzanne Lucas, Evil HR Lady
Photo: Creative Commons
What Employers Want: Five Skills to Gain in College
Do you ever wish that you could read the minds of employers to figure out what they want? Unfortunately, this is not possible, but a number of books, movies and television shows suggest that mindreading isn’t a very good idea anyway.
Luckily, you don’t have to read minds to become more employable. Through Bryant & Stratton College’s Career LifePrep program, students receive the support necessary to succeed in the classroom and beyond. Based on input from industry experts, coursework is designed to teach you not only the technical skills of your trade, but also the essential core capabilities that make you versatile, adaptable and valuable in any workplace.Here are five key skills employers look for that Bryant & Stratton College teaches to help every student on their path to a successful career:
Teamwork: No matter what field you go into, or what position you hold, it’s likely that you’ll have to work with a team. Tolerance, clear communication and a positive attitude are all requirements to effectively collaborate with others.
Service orientation: You don’t have to be a natural “people person” to act like one. Interpersonal skills – and a little perseverance – will help you remain professional in any and every workplace situation.
Managerial skills: This is an ability that builds off of several others. It requires being able to work with your colleagues, to solve problems, and most of all, to be a leader. Being in a managerial role requires enthusiasm, persuasiveness and critical thinking.
Work Discipline: In the real world, no one is going to hold your hand. Any career path will require you to be a self-starter who keeps track of your own duties and deadlines. Developing a strong work ethic allows you to optimize your productivity and dependability.
Literacy: In a constantly evolving work environment, you’ve got to be able to keep pace with the times. It’s important to master key informational, technological and financial proficiencies, while “learning how to learn” so that you can adapt to your ever-changing role in a company.
Now that you don’t have to worry about learning mind reading abilities to find out what employers are looking for, your time is freed up to work on these core competencies. You’re welcome.
Accreditation: The Importance of Knowing the Facts
It is really important to understand what accreditation is if you are considering higher education. There are different types of accredited schools and by having knowledge of this and doing a bit of research on your potential school, you can ensure that you will be earning a legitimate degree.
There are two types of accreditation standards, national and regional. While both types of accreditation will earn you a valid degree and allow you to use financial aid, regional accreditation is the highest form of accreditation. All of Bryant & Stratton College’s campuses and Online Education division are regionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
If you still have additional questions and are thinking of going back to school, my previous post, “Buyer Beware: Choosing a Reputable Online College,“ may be helpful to you as well. It is important to check the facts on any school you are considering for enrollment so that you do not waste any of your time or money on a degree that is not going to be acknowledged by employers.
If you would like to enroll in a degree program at Bryant & Stratton College (click here for details) or have further questions, just contact the Admissions office.
About Bryant & Stratton College
Founded in 1854, Bryant & Stratton College has built its reputation and success on a commitment to excellence and high standards. We\’re proud to be regionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, (267) 284-5000). The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Bryant & Stratton College has campus locations in New York, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin, as well as an Online Education division, and a Professional Skills Center. For over 160 years, Bryant & Stratton College has offered students access to career-relevant education leading to bachelor\’s degrees, associate degrees and professional certificates in the fields of business, criminal justice, design, financial services, healthcare, hospitality, human resources, paralegal studies and information technology. General information can be found on the college′s website at https://www.bryantstratton.edu.
How Electronic Health Records Enhance Patient Care
By Julie Jones
I was born during the Generation X years when personal computers first came out. We had Atari growing up and learned on Apple computers before they became mainstream. In college, we had “instant messaging” but it was only between two college campuses. When I graduated nursing school in 1997, some of the hospitals where I did my clinical work were just starting to use electronic health records as well as new technology to manage patient medications.
When I began my health care career, I never once thought I would end up working in the technology field. During my clinical for the Adult Nurse Practitioner program, I trained at the VA Outpatient Center at Fort Ethan Allen. They had an electronic health care record system that listed the patient’s allergies and current medication list. It also gave the provider a reminder about health topics to review with patients. At the time, I thought how great it would be if my doctor could review my record and send a prescription to my pharmacy by simply pushing a button on his computer.
In 2007, I had the opportunity to work on a project that brought a new electronic health record system to the UVM Medical Center. The project went live on June 6, 2009. Now, not only can my provider send my prescription to the pharmacy, but I can access my chart to review my health record and request a prescription refill.
You may have heard a lot of talk about Electronic Health Records (EHR) and how hospitals and physicians are using them more and more. In 2009, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act was signed by President Obama to give a financial incentive to hospitals and physicians who demonstrate “meaningful use” of EHRs.
Meaningful use was part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. What this has meant for me was a new job, which was perfect for a girl who loved technology. The HITECH Act created many jobs in the field of informatics, which helped promote the growing field of nursing informatics and bridged the world of nursing, health care, technology, computers, and information science.
Some of my friends think that I am no longer helping with patient care because I’m working at a computer. Nothing could be further from the truth.
My friends don’t realize how much I use my nursing skills every day to take care of patients. While I don’t see patients face-to-face, I am evaluating the nursing workflow, helping a doctor on the phone place critical orders for a patient in the emergency room, or making sure that doctors’ instructions are clear and concise for patients.
The EHR is improves the quality of care for patients and their delivery of care. It also helps patients be more engaged with their health care since they now have access to their medical records to review their health information. I am thrilled to have a job that I love in the dynamic and rewarding field of nursing
DEAR REWORKER: WHEN SALARIED EMPLOYEES TAKE TIME OFF FOR MEDICAL REASONS, WHAT HAPPENS TO THEIR PAY?
Dear ReWorker,
I have a new (two-months-employed) salaried exempt employee that has been taking between three and six hours a week to go to doctor’s appointments. He says that this will not continue forever and should soon stabilize to a monthly appointment. He has expressed to me multiple times in writing that he does not expect to be paid for the hours that he is taking off. Can you shed some light on any laws that I should know about for salaried employees and taking time off?
Sincerely,
Stumped About Sick Time
________________________________________________________________________
Dear Stumped About Sick Time,
First of all, your new employee sounds incredibly thoughtful. He recognized that his medical appointments impact the business and volunteered to forgo pay.
Second, you have to turn down his generous offer.
Being paid on a salary basis means he receives a predetermined amount of compensation that must stay the same every pay period, according to the Fair Labor Standards Act. This is true regardless of how many days or hours he puts in, as long as he has completed some work, with very few exceptions. You can dock his paid time off (PTO) for the missed time, but you can’t dock his pay.
You can only dock an exempt employee’s pay for absences in strict circumstances—for instance, if these absences were covered by the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which guarantees certain employees of companies with 50 or more workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave each year (with no threat of job loss) to care for a new child or seriously ill family member, or to recover from an illness themselves. In this case, however, because he’s a new employee, he does not qualify for FMLA, which requires individuals to have been employed for at least 12 months and have worked at least 1,250 hours over that time.
Other exceptions would include if he takes a full day off work for something other than illness or if he’s exhausted all his PTO and needs a full day off for medical reasons. But neither of those applies here.
If you have 15 or more employees, you’re subject to the Americans With Disabilities Act. Unlike FMLA, which requires an employee to have worked for a set period of time to access coverage, there’s no eligibility period for this protection. The ADA requires that you make a reasonable accommodation for any qualified employee. I’d assume that his condition qualifies (though that’s just a guess, since I don’t know the specifics), but you should ask him to fill out paperwork regardless. In most jobs, taking three to six hours off per week for a relatively short period would be seen as a reasonable accommodation.
You could, of course, require him to make up the time, which he may be anxious to do anyway. But here’s what I would do if I were you. I’d have him fill out the ADA paperwork and agree to this accommodation based on the doctor’s timeline (since he’s indicated this a temporary situation). Then I’d help him in any way that you can.
Why? Because not only is this good for the employee, it’s also good for your whole office. Workers now know that if they get sick, you’re going to back them up and give them the support they need. Turnover is insanely expensive—in fact, it costs employers 33% of a worker’s annual salary to hire a replacement if they leave—so giving someone flexibility when they need it saves you a fortune in the long run.
A company that supports people through medical problems is the type of place people like to stay. When you allow exempt employees to truly take care of themselves, that will come back to you through improved performance at work. As long as this guy isn’t an entitled jerk (and since he volunteered to take the time unpaid, I’m guessing he’s not), he’ll appreciate the kindness you showed to him. And that’s worth whatever sacrifices you have to make in the short run.
Sincerely,
Your ReWorker
Is a Management Degree Worth it? Choose Your Adventure!
Are you considering a degree in general management? Turns out a career in this field is not all that “general.”
Bryant & Stratton College offers areas of specialization in the general business management degree program. Each of the four disciplines can lead students down a very different career path. Take a look at these descriptions of each career field and what students who graduate from these programs can expect in their future.
Project Management: The opportunities available to students who study project management are phenomenal, said Leslie Bishop, program coordinator.
Project managers do exactly what the title says, they lead projects. That may mean working in an office, on a construction site, or on virtually any project, anywhere on the planet. The crux of this job is to be the point person who can walk into any department, in any organization, look at how the work is processed and figure out how to fix it and make the process flow better.
Students who earn a degree will graduate and be able to immediately take the exam to earn their project management certification. Once employed, project managers gain valuable on the job experience to work toward earning more certifications. Bishop said the accolades earned by project managers are recognized globally.
Marketing: In case you hadn’t noticed, social media is huge. And the marketing industry is firmly focused on moving advertising dollars from billboards and newspapers to Facebook, Twitter and other online formats. Bishop said companies are hiring graduates who are fluent in the language of technology.
“Organizations are looking for people who can come out and set up Facebook and Twitter and post responds to clients and customers,” Bishop said. “And that can pay very well.”
There still are traditional marketing careers where graduates work as well, to include sales manager, account manager, sales representative and director of marketing. Whatever career path marketing graduates choose, Bishop said they should strive to sit for a voluntary exam with the American Marketing Association. This accolade is a symbol of marketing excellence and boosts an individual’s marketability during a job search.
Ecommerce: Again, as technology has changed the marketplace, Bryant & Stratton’s degree programs have kept pace, allowing students to learn the ins and outs of the online marketplace. Bishop said students will study topics such as supply chain management, internet marketing, online transaction processing, inventory management systems, data collection systems virtual storefronts and online catalogs.
She added that Ecommerce graduates will not set up websites or work as accounts but rather will focus on careers that allow them to be part of the mechanism of a business as it works with other companies.
“If you are looking to break into an internet-based company, this is a good place to start,” she said.
Human Resources: Professionals in the human resources field take care of employees. And within that niche, there are several avenues of concentration.
Bishop said Bryant & Stratton graduates who earn an HR specialty will probably begin their career as an HR assistant in an entry level job. There they will be exposed to payroll, collection and verification of timesheets, human resources, compensation and benefits and recruiting. And it is here where they can find their passion and begin to move their career forward.
“There are so many aspects to HR,” Bishop said. “HR at the strategic level impacts the entire system of an organization. HR is limitless.”
Bishop said HR employees can sit for certifications as they earn more experience in the field. Those certifications are recognized globally as well and can give candidates an advantage in their job search.
No matter what path students choose with the general management bachelor’s degree, there are boundless opportunities to grow, learn and advance.
So, now that you know why you want to study management, contact our Admissions office. They can help you choose the right program for you.
4 WAYS TO PREVENT A POOR CANDIDATE EXPERIENCE
Despite all the talk about HR technology and artificial intelligence improving candidate experience, the numbers say otherwise. In fact, candidate resentment has increased by 40% since 2016. But what, exactly, is the cause? A few of the top reasons cited in the just-released 2019 North American Candidate Experience Research Report include: poor communication, discrepancies between the job description and interview experience and disrespect for candidates’ time.
It’s clear that the impact a bad candidate experience can have on one’s business is more than a little troubling. Imagine receiving 100 applications for a single job posting, for which only 1 person is going to be hired. Quick math: Ninety-nine candidates are at risk for disappointment!
And what will these not-hired candidates do if they had a less than positive experience? Seventy-one percent will share it with their inner circle of friends, relatives and co-workers. Fortunately, only 35 percent share it publicly online—probably because they don’t want to announce they didn’t get the job. But that’s still an incredibly large number of people speaking ill of your company. (And trash talk is the last thing you want going around when trying to entice top talent to cut ties with current employers and join your ranks.)
But it’s not just hard feelings companies need to worry about. The impact can extend well into the future. Sixty-eight percent of candidates who’ve had a negative experience won’t reapply to that company. Worse, 54 percent said it would impact their decision to buy from said company.
The Talent Board created an online candidate resentment calculator to help translate these results into real dollars. It’s based on the assumption that 100% of job applicants are potential customers or influencers. (Some might argue with this idea, but even a fraction of the whole results in pretty significant damage.) Here’s just one example: With 1,000 annual hires, the lost revenue due to candidate resentment exceeds $2.7 million, and the number of lost customers is more than 27,700. Numbers like these are nightmarish—and more common than you might think.
1) Be Proactive
Applying for jobs at your own company to understand an applicant’s journey is likely the simplest low-cost solution you’ll ever find. Do it on several different devices—desktops, tablets and smartphones—and assess the experience using different operating systems: Apple, Google, Samsung, Windows. Remember that the candidate experience starts long before someone clicks to apply. “Google” your company career site on each device. How does it look? Is it easy to find? How long does it take the page to load? Is it easy to read, navigate and complete an application? If not, invest in fixing it!
Remember to also be proactive when it comes to communicating why someone may not be the right fit for a position or company. Resentment rates decrease by 29% when employers give rejected candidates general and specific feedback on qualifications and job fit. A bit of honesty and clarity goes a long way.
2) Be Predictive
No business function collects more data and takes less advantage of it than human resources. Ignorance is not bliss when it comes to customers these days, and candidates are no different. It’s time to become comfortable with data. Google Analytics and most applicant tracking software, for that matter, provide deep insights into candidate behavior and the corresponding behavior of your systems and processes—data you can use to make much-needed adjustments and inform hiring decisions.
In addition, ask for feedback from every candidate (whether they’re ultimately hired or not) and use that data to improve your process. Talentegy reports that 68.5% of candidates are very likely or likely to provide it, but 75% of companies never or rarely ask for it.
3) Be Pragmatic
It’s just not practical for any recruiter, HR professional or hiring manager to keep up with today’s job demands without technology. Automate every task that requires manual entry and/or is routine. But remember that tech solutions can’t solve all of your problems. Chatbots won’t negate bad reviews on Glassdoor or Kununu. Automated emails won’t make up for delays in scheduling interviews and making decisions. A new video on your career website can’t hide a toxic culture. Identify each candidate touchpoint, assess its efficiency, then prioritize the risk of it creating a negative experience—regardless of whether it’s an automated or human-driven interaction.
4) Be a Problem-Solver
Be vigilant. Be curious. Creating an awesome candidate experience is a journey. It has no finish line. The rules keep changing. The ecosystems keep evolving. The only true inevitability is that as soon as you improve the experience in one area, another issue is likely to pop up. It might be a new glitch in the software or the need to hire a new recruiter or hiring manager. In every case, delivering the most optimal candidate experience today requires a team of troubleshooters to fix the unexpected and problem-solvers to prevent recurrences.
AFTER SAFE HARBOR RULING, YOUR DATA REMAINS PROTECTED AT CORNERSTONE
In early October, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) struck down the 15-year-old Safe Harbor agreement — the most common way to legally transfer data between Europe and the U.S. — after determining the agreement was not sufficient to ensure the protection of Europeans’ personal data. The U.S. and EU have since been working on a new Safe Harbor agreement, but there’s no telling how long a conclusion may take.
The Safe Harbor news comes as data security concerns are on the rise, and in this time of uncertainty, we want to assuage any doubts about the safety of Cornerstone clients’ data. Despite the Safe Harbor ruling, our European clients have no reason to be concerned. Our team was well prepared for the potential decision against Safe Harbor, and had previously taken every necessary step to ensure your information is safe with us — as always.
The Safe Harbor agreement was known as the most common way to safely transfer personal data to the US, but it was not the only legal transfer mechanism available. As such, the CJEU ruling does not impact Cornerstone’s ability to operate in Europe or continue serving our international clients.
In fact, we can continue operating as before: EU data is stored in the U.K., and only accessed from the U.S. on an as-needed basis. In lieu of Safe Harbor, all data transfers will be fully protected under EU Model Clauses — a simple, easy-to-deploy solution. (You can find the Model Clauses on our website here.)
In addition to the Model Clauses, Cornerstone implements a multi-layer approach to security and constantly monitors our system to guarantee our clients’ sensitive workforce data is safe.
A Higher Level of Security
As the leading unified talent management software company to operate in the cloud and offer its products solely via SaaS, data security has always been part of our DNA — not just an afterthought. We have a state-of-the-art multi-tenant, multi-database architecture that meets the highest compliance and uptime standards. With clients across industries, our infrastructure has also been audited and certified to meet the most rigorous compliance requirements.
Our processes are aligned with EU regulations, including the ISO 27001 certification, and even when Safe Harbor was in place, Cornerstone was providing a higher level of protection than that assured by the now-defunct agreement.
Physical and Virtual Protection
The Cornerstone infrastructure is protected on the ground and in the cloud. We have four secure data centers — two in North American and two in Europe, each with 24-hour manned security, biometric hand scanners, video surveillance, motion detectors and alarms. Access is restricted to select personnel, and non-Cornerstone visitors must be escorted at all times.
In addition, all data in our application is encrypted in transit. On the user end, unique usernames and passwords are required to access the application, with single sign-on support — requiring all clients to be authenticated. Last but not least, the information available to users is entirely rights- and role-driven; users only see what they have permission to see.
A Dedicated Team
We have a world-class IT Security and Compliance team (that averages 10+ years of direct security experience) dedicated to maintaining and developing our infrastructure. Our culture of continuous improvement includes both product and employee development — we consistently update our infrastructure with the latest technology, and our team members strive to achieve the highest level of industry expertise. All team members hold one or more professional security or compliance certifications.
We are committed to providing a reliable and secure system to our clients, and will continue to diligently follow the development of international data transfer laws. The security and privacy of our clients’ data remains our top priority.
Respect for Sovereignty
Finally, we want to make it clear that, as a global business, we have utmost respect for data sovereignty. While data may be accessed if needed from anywhere (this is, of course, how we are able to support our many global clients) data is never copied outside of the jurisdiction of the data center. This is an important point and it is precisely why we support disaster recovery at our data centers in both England and the US. Even backup tapes are fully encrypted before leaving the data center and are secured at Iron Mountain facilities in the respective countries.
If you want to learn more about Cornerstone’s data protection policy and practices, please visit our website, and don’t hesitate to reach out to your account manager with any questions.
COMING UP AT DREAMFORCE ’13: THE FUTURE OF SALES ENABLEMENT
Next week the mega-event that is Dreamforce kicks off in San Francisco. Our services and consulting partner Appirio has been gearing up for the event for many weeks over on their Dreamforce Central site.
You’ll find a lot of interesting content there, including seasoned advice on navigating the event, information on must-attend sessions, and insights into key trends that will be making waves.
Embedded, Continuous Learning: The Future of Sales Enablement
Speaking of key trends, Cornerstone will have a presence at Dreamforce ’13 with our Cornerstone for Salesforce offering, which has been really taking off over the past year.
Cornerstone for Salesforce delivers relevant training and education directly from Salesforce. Built 100 percent natively on Force.com, Cornerstone for Salesforce also integrates with Chatter to provide opportunities for real-time collaboration, recognition and feedback for colleagues and partners.
On Appirio Dreamforce Central, Jason Corsello has written about the shifting role of learning in enterprises, especially about how smart businesses are approaching sales training and enablement. A few of his thoughts:
- A “Knowledge Value Revolution” is Afoot. The key here is that the ability of a company, organization or employee to succeed depends on their ability to acquire new knowledge on a continuous basis and apply that knowledge in an effective way.
- The Future is Real-Time and Embedded Learning. Over the past decade, learning and development has moved from a throw-it-at-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks approach to a more strategic focus on real-time learning and training embedded directly within valued business applications such as Salesforce.com.
- “Just-In-Time Training” Alone Is No Longer Good Enough. We need to start learning at the point of greatest possible impact – in the very applications and process that define our jobs.
- Embedded Learning Drives Sales Effectiveness. Cornerstone for Salesforce responds directly to this push toward point-of-greatest-impact learning by seamlessly embedding learning management directly into the Salesforce Platform, so that clients can tailor training programs for their sales and service organizations and provide contextually relevant access to sales enablement and just-in-time training from within Salesforce.
In my view, the Cornerstone for Salesforce objective of putting actionable, meaningful training directly at the point of need is a story that we will hear repeated in the training and development space more broadly. With the influx of mobile and social technologies and the evolving learning and work styles of employees everywhere, it’s only a matter of time before our learning strategies morph into something new and exciting.
Instructor Blog: The Importance of Reflection
Some students may wonder why there is such a focus on reflection. Reflection is not only about helping you remember what you learned, it is learning. The results from a Harvard Business School study confirm that reflection is essential to learning. A study was done with two groups of people. Both groups were given a test. One group was asked to write down strategies that would be helpful in a future test. The other group was not. The group that reflected performed significantly better (Christensen, n.d., para. 5). You can follow the link below to read more and also follow a link to the study itself.
Reflection serves two main purposes. By reflecting on content again, you are helping it move from short term to long term memory. Connecting learning to how you will use it in your field helps it become more relevant. Also, by reflecting on strategies, you are becoming a stronger learner. This process is also known as metacognition, which is thinking about thinking. This sounds really academic, but it means asking questions like “Did I study enough? Did I study effectively? What can I do differently next time?”
While courses are structured to encourage reflection, students will get the most benefit by putting reflection into action. At the end of session, many students say they will log in to the course on Sunday to look at the week’s assignments, or begin assignments sooner. Obviously, this knowledge is only valuable for students who actually implement these strategies.
Even beyond courses, the habit of reflection is part of being a successful professional. In the workplace, there will be approaches to procedures. Taking the time occasionally to examine whether or not a process could be improved is valuable. Also, after a problem arises, reflecting afterwards can help prevent the same issue from occurring. This would be asking questions like “Is email the most effective way to handle this issue? Should a manager have been alerted sooner? “ An article titled “Understanding Yourself and Increasing Your Professional Value through Self-Reflection” offers some additional insight on what it looks like to reflect in the workplace and why the skill is valuable. Read about it here: http://intercom.stc.org/2014/01/understanding-yourself-and-increasing-your-professional-value-through-self-reflection/
By taking full advantage of the opportunity to reflect and make changes based on those reflections, you will be able to present that critical thinking skill to future employers in an interview. Reflection is one more skill to set you apart from other candidates!
Christensen, T. (n.d.) Reflection Is the Most Important Part of the Learning Process. Retrieved from http://99u.com/workbook/25481/reflection-is-the-most-important-part-of-the-learning-process
LEARNING CORNER WITH JEFF PFEFFER: IT\’S TIME WE TALK ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH AT WORK
Mental health is finally getting more attention in the working world. In fact in January, the World Economic Forum held meetings in Davos that featured a dedicated mental health track. The goal? Raise awareness of mental health as a global challenge—outside and inside of the workplace.
According to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, 18% of adults in the U.S. (some 42 million people) have a mental, behavioral or emotional disorder. And a report from Mental Health America found that almost 20 million Americans have a substance abuse problem, while nearly 9 million people (3.8 percent of the population) reported having serious thoughts of suicide.
The workplace isn\’t immune to the challenges of mental health. And as the working world strives to master new, unfamiliar technologies, mental health issues could even be exacerbated by work. What\’s more, a systematic review of studies of work-related stress estimates costs to be as high as $187 billion, with 70% of the sum coming from lost productivity. I believe that learning and talking about mental health issues at work is a necessary first step to improving mental health in the workplace, and by extension, curbing the enormous costs they create.
How Employers Can Do More to Mitigate the Costs of Mental Illness
According to The Center for Workplace Mental Health, nearly 7% of full-time workers experienced major depression during the year, with the total economic burden estimated to be about $210 billion per year. Major depression increases absenteeism, presenteeism (reduced productivity) and has direct medical costs.
Employers bear a lot of these costs and, therefore, have a role to play in addressing mental health issues—both through the medical benefits they provide and by building cultures of physical and mental health in their workplaces through management practices that promote well-being.
In order to get to a place where managers and employees understand the implications of mental health at work, companies should stop treating it as something distinct (and less important) than other forms of illness. They should provide comprehensive mental health coverage as part of their medical benefits, all while working to reduce the stigma.
Understanding (and Treating) the Pervasion of Mental Illness at Work
In 2008, the U.S. passed a mental health parity law mandating equal medical coverage for mental and physical illness, but big differences in coverage and access remain. One study found that in 2015, behavioral care was between “four to six times more likely to be out-of-network than medical or surgical care,\” and insurers paid primary care providers 20% more for the same types of care than they paid addiction or mental health specialists.
Some of this difference is the result of the stigma associated with mental health problems. A Financial Times reporter recently told me that when doing interviews for a story about mental illness in the C-suite, a board member told her that if the CEO admitted to mental illness, the board would fire that individual. An article about depression in the technology industry noted that admitting to depression could harm company perception and would put obtaining funding at risk.
Another contributing factor in the difference in cost and access is the sense that mental illness is not a “real\” illness like cancer or heart disease. But that is completely incorrect: As my Stanford colleague Leanne Williams has demonstrated, neuroimaging studies show real changes in the physiology of the brain diagnosed with depression.
Making access to care more costly and difficult for insured employees and stigmatizing mental health issues just drives people to try and hide issues and not get care—perpetuating the problems and their associated costs.
A Path Forward for Employers and Employees
Ultimately, the best way companies can eliminate the stigma around mental health at work is to just start talking about it. EY (formerly Ernst and Young), for example, launched a program called We Care with the goal of educating employees about mental health issues and encouraging them to seek help. The program is also centered around support for colleagues who may be struggling with illness or addiction.
More employers should take a similarly proactive approach to get mental health out of the shadows. And once the lines of communication are open, HR departments can (and should) consider offering benefits that provide more accessible mental health care.
Mental illness is enormously costly, both to society and employers, yet research advances make the effective treatment of disorders such as anxiety and depression much more possible. For reasons both economic and humane, employers should work to destigmatize mental disorders, increase insurance coverage of treatments and ensure that care uses the best, most recent available evidence.
LEARNING CORNER WITH JEFF PFEFFER: IT\’S TIME WE TALK ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH AT WORK
Mental health is finally getting more attention in the working world. In fact in January, the World Economic Forum held meetings in Davos that featured a dedicated mental health track. The goal? Raise awareness of mental health as a global challenge—outside and inside of the workplace.
According to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, 18% of adults in the U.S. (some 42 million people) have a mental, behavioral or emotional disorder. And a report from Mental Health America found that almost 20 million Americans have a substance abuse problem, while nearly 9 million people (3.8 percent of the population) reported having serious thoughts of suicide.
The workplace isn\’t immune to the challenges of mental health. And as the working world strives to master new, unfamiliar technologies, mental health issues could even be exacerbated by work. What\’s more, a systematic review of studies of work-related stress estimates costs to be as high as $187 billion, with 70% of the sum coming from lost productivity. I believe that learning and talking about mental health issues at work is a necessary first step to improving mental health in the workplace, and by extension, curbing the enormous costs they create.
How Employers Can Do More to Mitigate the Costs of Mental Illness
According to The Center for Workplace Mental Health, nearly 7% of full-time workers experienced major depression during the year, with the total economic burden estimated to be about $210 billion per year. Major depression increases absenteeism, presenteeism (reduced productivity) and has direct medical costs.
Employers bear a lot of these costs and, therefore, have a role to play in addressing mental health issues—both through the medical benefits they provide and by building cultures of physical and mental health in their workplaces through management practices that promote well-being.
In order to get to a place where managers and employees understand the implications of mental health at work, companies should stop treating it as something distinct (and less important) than other forms of illness. They should provide comprehensive mental health coverage as part of their medical benefits, all while working to reduce the stigma.
Understanding (and Treating) the Pervasion of Mental Illness at Work
In 2008, the U.S. passed a mental health parity law mandating equal medical coverage for mental and physical illness, but big differences in coverage and access remain. One study found that in 2015, behavioral care was between “four to six times more likely to be out-of-network than medical or surgical care,\” and insurers paid primary care providers 20% more for the same types of care than they paid addiction or mental health specialists.
Some of this difference is the result of the stigma associated with mental health problems. A Financial Times reporter recently told me that when doing interviews for a story about mental illness in the C-suite, a board member told her that if the CEO admitted to mental illness, the board would fire that individual. An article about depression in the technology industry noted that admitting to depression could harm company perception and would put obtaining funding at risk.
Another contributing factor in the difference in cost and access is the sense that mental illness is not a “real\” illness like cancer or heart disease. But that is completely incorrect: As my Stanford colleague Leanne Williams has demonstrated, neuroimaging studies show real changes in the physiology of the brain diagnosed with depression.
Making access to care more costly and difficult for insured employees and stigmatizing mental health issues just drives people to try and hide issues and not get care—perpetuating the problems and their associated costs.
A Path Forward for Employers and Employees
Ultimately, the best way companies can eliminate the stigma around mental health at work is to just start talking about it. EY (formerly Ernst and Young), for example, launched a program called We Care with the goal of educating employees about mental health issues and encouraging them to seek help. The program is also centered around support for colleagues who may be struggling with illness or addiction.
More employers should take a similarly proactive approach to get mental health out of the shadows. And once the lines of communication are open, HR departments can (and should) consider offering benefits that provide more accessible mental health care.
Mental illness is enormously costly, both to society and employers, yet research advances make the effective treatment of disorders such as anxiety and depression much more possible. For reasons both economic and humane, employers should work to destigmatize mental disorders, increase insurance coverage of treatments and ensure that care uses the best, most recent available evidence.
LEARNING CORNER WITH JEFF PFEFFER: IT\’S TIME WE TALK ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH AT WORK
Mental health is finally getting more attention in the working world. In fact in January, the World Economic Forum held meetings in Davos that featured a dedicated mental health track. The goal? Raise awareness of mental health as a global challenge—outside and inside of the workplace.
According to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, 18% of adults in the U.S. (some 42 million people) have a mental, behavioral or emotional disorder. And a report from Mental Health America found that almost 20 million Americans have a substance abuse problem, while nearly 9 million people (3.8 percent of the population) reported having serious thoughts of suicide.
The workplace isn\’t immune to the challenges of mental health. And as the working world strives to master new, unfamiliar technologies, mental health issues could even be exacerbated by work. What\’s more, a systematic review of studies of work-related stress estimates costs to be as high as $187 billion, with 70% of the sum coming from lost productivity. I believe that learning and talking about mental health issues at work is a necessary first step to improving mental health in the workplace, and by extension, curbing the enormous costs they create.
How Employers Can Do More to Mitigate the Costs of Mental Illness
According to The Center for Workplace Mental Health, nearly 7% of full-time workers experienced major depression during the year, with the total economic burden estimated to be about $210 billion per year. Major depression increases absenteeism, presenteeism (reduced productivity) and has direct medical costs.
Employers bear a lot of these costs and, therefore, have a role to play in addressing mental health issues—both through the medical benefits they provide and by building cultures of physical and mental health in their workplaces through management practices that promote well-being.
In order to get to a place where managers and employees understand the implications of mental health at work, companies should stop treating it as something distinct (and less important) than other forms of illness. They should provide comprehensive mental health coverage as part of their medical benefits, all while working to reduce the stigma.
Understanding (and Treating) the Pervasion of Mental Illness at Work
In 2008, the U.S. passed a mental health parity law mandating equal medical coverage for mental and physical illness, but big differences in coverage and access remain. One study found that in 2015, behavioral care was between “four to six times more likely to be out-of-network than medical or surgical care,\” and insurers paid primary care providers 20% more for the same types of care than they paid addiction or mental health specialists.
Some of this difference is the result of the stigma associated with mental health problems. A Financial Times reporter recently told me that when doing interviews for a story about mental illness in the C-suite, a board member told her that if the CEO admitted to mental illness, the board would fire that individual. An article about depression in the technology industry noted that admitting to depression could harm company perception and would put obtaining funding at risk.
Another contributing factor in the difference in cost and access is the sense that mental illness is not a “real\” illness like cancer or heart disease. But that is completely incorrect: As my Stanford colleague Leanne Williams has demonstrated, neuroimaging studies show real changes in the physiology of the brain diagnosed with depression.
Making access to care more costly and difficult for insured employees and stigmatizing mental health issues just drives people to try and hide issues and not get care—perpetuating the problems and their associated costs.
A Path Forward for Employers and Employees
Ultimately, the best way companies can eliminate the stigma around mental health at work is to just start talking about it. EY (formerly Ernst and Young), for example, launched a program called We Care with the goal of educating employees about mental health issues and encouraging them to seek help. The program is also centered around support for colleagues who may be struggling with illness or addiction.
More employers should take a similarly proactive approach to get mental health out of the shadows. And once the lines of communication are open, HR departments can (and should) consider offering benefits that provide more accessible mental health care.
Mental illness is enormously costly, both to society and employers, yet research advances make the effective treatment of disorders such as anxiety and depression much more possible. For reasons both economic and humane, employers should work to destigmatize mental disorders, increase insurance coverage of treatments and ensure that care uses the best, most recent available evidence.
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