6 STEPS TO DEFINING YOUR ORGANIZATIONAL VALUES

Organizational culture can be seen as a “personality\” created by the organization\’s values, attitudes and behaviors. This “personality\” attracts and keeps great talent, creates a positive public image and helps build long-lasting relationships with stakeholders, vendors and customers.

But a good organizational culture doesn\’t spring up out of serendipity. It requires intentional and thoughtful identification of the core values the organization is built upon. Last month, I discussed how strong personal values can direct your organization in a positive direction, but it\’s also important to identify values for the whole team .

Here, six steps to identifying those organizational values and building a strong company culture:

1) Assess Your Current Organizational Culture

First, take a benchmark of your current culture. To do this, you need to truly assess where your company stands—not what you think it represents or what you want it to represent, but what impression the current brand truly gives off. What do people say about your organization, both externally and internally?

To figure out your organizational identity, interview vendors, clients, employees and your leadership team—either in focus groups or via an online survey. Ask them what words they would use to describe what\’s important to the organization and how effective the organization is at putting those values into action.

2) Review Your Strategic Business Plan

Next, think about your company\’s future. Where does your organization want to be in one, three or five years?

Since your corporate culture is closely tied to your business strategy, it\’s important to define where you\’re headed early on the values process . Meet with your executive team to figure out a plan for revenue, growth, staff, productions and expansion.

3) Determine the Culture Needed to Achieve Your Plan

Now that you have a clear picture of what your organizational culture is today, and where you want your organization to be in the next one to five years, it\’s time to look at your organizational values in this context.

Review your strategic plan and answer this question: \”In order for us to get from point A to point B, what organizational culture do we need to achieve?\” Consider the variety of personalities, backgrounds, skills and education you want to have on your team.

For example, some of Starbucks\’ core values are diversity, customer service and quality products. When you walk into a Starbucks store, you know you can expect a diverse staff, happy clientele and delicious drinks.

4) Decide If Your Values Need to Shift

Now that you know the culture and the talent you need, you can start to finalize your new—or revised—set of values. Take a look at your initial survey or focus group results, and decide if those are the values needed to reach your strategic goals. One tool that can be tremendously helpful is a pack of Values Cards.

You can put them on a conference table, and let the executive team start picking the ones they identify with the company. Or you can pick a few values, and explain why you think they are the most relevant to your organization\’s mission.

5) Define What Your Chosen Values Really Mean

An organizational value is not just a word painted on the wall. It must be clear what specific behaviors and processes the employee is supposed to do at work to honor this value.

For example, if your organization values loyalty, who does this loyalty refer to? Does \”loyalty\” mean the client comes first? Does it mean your team comes first? What about loyalty to your boss? Members of the organization should have a clear understanding of how to put each value into action.

6) Incorporate These Values into Organizational Processes

Finally, your newly defined values will need to be integrated in all operational areas, including the talent lifecycle. During recruiting and hiring, ask candidates about their own values and reiterate values in employee contracts. Within on-boarding and employee development, align your values with performance reviews and compensation.

A solid foundation of values for your organization will not only help you hire the right people, but also build an organization culture that\’s engaging, genuine and most of all, impactful.

WITH 27 MILLION WOMEN IMPACTED EVERY YEAR, IT\’S TIME TO TALK ABOUT MENOPAUSE AT WORK

It started with persistent fevers. Then there was night after night of insomnia. On top of that, I was completely unable to focus on my work. I went to see my doctor expecting to walk out of the office with some antibiotics, or at the least, a reassurance that I\’d feel better soon.

Instead, my doctor said matter-of-factly, “It\’s menopause.\”

I was confused, as it was the last thing I expected to hear. But I was also angry. Why? My symptoms made it extremely difficult to work—and, according to my doctor, I was experiencing light symptoms. I wondered, how are millions of women in the workforce dealing with symptoms worse than these on a daily basis? Why isn\’t this issue addressed in HR policy? Why aren\’t leaders talking about this regularly?

The Facts

First, let\’s take a quick look at the sheer magnitude of the workforce impacted by menopause. More than 27 million women between the ages of 45 and 64—which comprises 20 percent of the American workforce—experience menopause each year. By 2018, this number is predicted to rise to 31 million. Symptoms can last between two and ten years, and it\’s possible for symptoms to start as early as 35 years of age, before officially reaching menopause.

When going through menopause, women experience hot flashes, headaches, insomnia, loss of energy, anxiety attacks, brain fog, aches and pains, and dry skin and eyes. This translates to 20 percent of the workforce potentially coming to work with little sleep, intermittent headaches, and an achy body.

Yet, somehow, discussing policies around menopause—or even mentioning it—is taboo in the workplace. The British Occupational Health Research Foundation found that 20 percent of women believe menopause has had a negative impact on their managers\’ and colleagues\’ perceptions of their competence. The University of Nottingham found that many women don\’t even want to disclose the issue to their manager, particularly if the manager is younger (male or female).

It\’s time to bring menopause to the table, in order to benefit both those experiencing menopause and the organizations that employ them.

Five Menopause Policies Every Employer Should Have

1. Educate Management

This is a no-brainer that often goes overlooked. Managers should know the symptoms and challenges women face during menopause, so employees feel comfortable disclosing their experiences and managers can approach the situation knowledgeably.

2. Offer Support

Appoint a person (or a few) to act as advocates for women in the workplace going through menopause. This person should know about any special absence allowances, related wellness programs and flex policies. They should also speak to leadership or management on behalf of women if needed/requested.

Alternatively or in conjunction with an internal advocate, you can offer a wellness hotline which provides access to coaches, dietitians, and other advisors for women experiencing menopause.

3. Expand Benefit Programs

Many women are looking to alternative therapies for managing menopausal symptoms such as acupuncture, Chinese medicine and bio-identical hormone replacement. Though women often see significant improvements from these treatments, paying out of pocket for integrative health treatments can be cost prohibitive. Including these options as part of a benefits package would enable more women to seek treatments.

Organizations can also add sick day policies that cater to menopause-related sickness or absence. Women should experience no disadvantage if they need time off during this time.

4. Include Menopause Activities or Speakers in Wellness Weeks

When organization host a \”wellness week\”, they often bring in yoga instructors, massage therapists, nutritionists, chefs specializing in healthy meals and more. Why not add a component to the wellness week that addresses menopause? Some possibilities are a yoga instructor who can offer poses and breathing exercises particularly for women in this group, a dietician to recommend the best diet for symptoms or a funny speaker to \”break the ice\” on the topic while educating the team.

5. Allow Flexible Schedules When Needed

If a woman is struggling to sleep or feels nauseous at work, a flexible schedule or work from home policies can help tremendously by letting her work and manage her symptoms. As long as she is still being productive and delivering results, it shouldn\’t matter if she\’s not in the office at 8am or needs to take a work from home day once in a while.

I hope leaders will take a serious look at the reality women face in the workplace when experiencing menopausal symptoms, and truly consider how they can mitigate the inherent challenges. By implementing these tips, leaders have a real opportunity to make a positive impact on how we provide for women\’s health and productivity.

WITH 27 MILLION WOMEN IMPACTED EVERY YEAR, IT\’S TIME TO TALK ABOUT MENOPAUSE AT WORK

Instead, my doctor said matter-of-factly, “It\’s menopause.\”

The Facts

It\’s time to bring menopause to the table, in order to benefit both those experiencing menopause and the organizations that employ them.

Five Menopause Policies Every Employer Should Have

1. Educate Management

2. Offer Support

Alternatively or in conjunction with an internal advocate, you can offer a wellness hotline which provides access to coaches, dietitians, and other advisors for women experiencing menopause.

3. Expand Benefit Programs

Organizations can also add sick day policies that cater to menopause-related sickness or absence. Women should experience no disadvantage if they need time off during this time.

4. Include Menopause Activities or Speakers in Wellness Weeks

5. Allow Flexible Schedules When Needed

WITH 27 MILLION WOMEN IMPACTED EVERY YEAR, IT\’S TIME TO TALK ABOUT MENOPAUSE AT WORK

Instead, my doctor said matter-of-factly, “It\’s menopause.\”

The Facts

It\’s time to bring menopause to the table, in order to benefit both those experiencing menopause and the organizations that employ them.

Five Menopause Policies Every Employer Should Have

1. Educate Management

2. Offer Support

Alternatively or in conjunction with an internal advocate, you can offer a wellness hotline which provides access to coaches, dietitians, and other advisors for women experiencing menopause.

3. Expand Benefit Programs

Organizations can also add sick day policies that cater to menopause-related sickness or absence. Women should experience no disadvantage if they need time off during this time.

4. Include Menopause Activities or Speakers in Wellness Weeks

5. Allow Flexible Schedules When Needed

IS UNCONSCIOUS BIAS SNEAKING INTO YOUR WORKPLACE?

“Okay you guys; it\’s time to get down to work,\” Jordan says to her team. “Man, this is really going to be a challenge,\” Luke replies, exasperated. “Oh brother, here we go, another late night at the office,\” Sarah sighs loudly.

This conversation seems like a typical team exchange about a big project, right? Well, it is—and it drives me crazy. Why? Because of the language used: \”you guys,\” \”man,\” \”oh brother.\” This is a mixed gender team, yet the pronouns and expressions are entirely male.

It\’s true that male pronouns are traditionally used to represent all members of a group regardless of gender. However, defaulting to what\’s “traditional\” is very tricky. One could argue that traditionally, women didn\’t really have a voice in business anyway, or that traditionally, women were not leaders. The problem with “traditions\” is they can be safe-havens for unconscious bias.

The Problem with Unconscious Bias

When language promotes bias, the impact is bigger than you might expect: it expresses an inherent belief that male teams are better. Or worse, that women don\’t even belong on a team at all. The language may appear neutral or non-sexist, in that it applies to everyone, but it discriminates against women because it reflects the values of the men who created or developed the workplace. Another poignant example is the expression, “Are you man enough for the job?\” Even if sayings like this are meant to be harmless, they contribute to many of the challenges women face in the workplace. For example, consider this: How often do you assume the CEO of a company is male?

It\’s not only men and women that are guilty of this, the Oxford Dictionary is also an offender. Anthropologist and Ph.D. student Michael Oman-Reagan identified the following biased definitions (and more) in the Oxford Dictionary:

However, gender-biased language isn\’t all we\’re guilty of. I hear age-biased language about millennials all the time. For example, “I just hired a new kid.\” The hire is most likely a “recent graduate\” or “young person\” which are better terms to use than kid.

I even saw generational bias in a recent article: “…many kids admitted into top schools are emotional wrecks.\” If this is the language we use to describe young people, then our words subconsciously allow us to treat them like children, which partly explains why Gen Y feels like no one takes them seriously. Is this really how we want to treat the second biggest generation, who happens to have the most educated people in its cohort?

When to Watch Your Words

That brings me to an important question: Are leaders giving enough thought to the language they use daily? I\’m not talking about overtly offensive language or ethnic slurs. I\’m talking about the subtle language we say on autopilot, the type of language that comes from—and worse, reinforces—unconscious, biased behavior.

My challenge for all of you is to eliminate these biased words from your vocabulary and try these alternatives instead:

\”You guys\”: Instead use \”everyone,\” \”all of you,\” \”team\”
\”The kid\”: Instead use \”the young person,\” \”young lady,\” \”young man\”
\”Oh man\” or \”Oh brother\”: Instead use \”wow,\” \”ugh,\” \”yikes
\”Attendees and their wives are invited\”: Instead use, \”Attendees and their guests…\”
\”Congressman\”: Instead use \”Member of Congress,\” \”legislator,\” \”representative\”
\”Mankind\”: Instead use \”humankind,\” \”humans,\” \”people\”
\”Manpower\”: Instead use \”personnel,\” \”staff\”
\”Salesman\”: Instead use \”salesperson\”

Seems simple enough, doesn\’t it? After you start with the eight words above, you\’ll begin to notice how much this language is used on a daily basis. All it takes is practice and awareness to help lower the burden of bias on the women and young people around you. Remember: language creates action and action becomes accepted behavior which informs organizational culture. Your language, and your actions, matter.

5 TIPS FOR MANAGING UNCONSCIOUS BIAS AT WORK

Bias—a tendency to believe that some people and ideas are better than others—wreaks havoc in the workplace. It keeps women and people of color out of the boardroom, limits job opportunities, prevents organizations from the true monetary and cultural benefits of a diverse workforce, makes it difficult for Baby Boomers to get jobs and more. While it\’s easy to identify and limit bias when it\’s overt, that\’s not always the case—in fact, bias can often be completely unconscious.

Even those with the best intentions behave in biased ways, and simply have no idea they\’re doing it. Most of us use biased language without giving it a second thought.

Companies like Google, whose employees are 70 percent male, 3 percent Hispanic and only 2 percent Black look to unconscious bias, or hidden bias, as a way to explain their inequitable diversity statistics. How else could such a well-educated, well-intentioned company account for hiring mostly young white and Asian men?

The good news is that unconscious bias hiding in plain sight works in management\’s favor, because the concept is relatively blameless. If we all have hidden biases, then working to eliminate them won\’t single us out—hopefully increasing employees\’ and leadership\’s willingness to learn.

Here are seven tips for managing unconscious bias that you can use for yourself, your team and your company\’s leadership. Remember: No one is immune to unconscious bias and all initiatives should be company-wide.

1) Take an Implicit Associations Test

A good place to start is with an Implicit Associations Test (IAT), developed by Tony Greenwald, a University of Washington professor who started researching unconscious bias in 1994. The test takes five minutes and cuts through the perceptions of our own biases on gender, religion, race, sexuality and more. Prepare test takers for the fact that about 75 percent of people who have taken the race IAT show biases.

2) Watch Your Language

Avoid words or phrases like: \”the kid,\” \”oh man\” or \”oh brother,\” \”manpower,\” \”you guys,\” \”attendees and their wives,\” etc. These phrases are biased and feed the subconscious biases of those around you. Here is more information about biased language, including a table of alternative words to add to your vocabulary.

3) Identify Entry Points for Bias

Start by taking a look at these four things:

How people are hired
How work is assigned
What happens during performance evaluations
How compensation is determined

Where does bias have the opportunity to influence each process? For example, when looking at how people are hired, you may notice that 70 percent of people interviewed are men. You could then strip names and other identifying aspects from resumes before review to see if those statistics improve. This tactic is referred to as the interruption strategy. In addition, you could ensure the interview panels are more diverse—for example, when one gender has more decision making power than another, it perpetuates gender bias . People tend to hire and promote people who look like them.

4) Visualize a Positive Interaction

Psychological research shows that visualizing a particular situation can create the same effects behaviorally and psychologically as actually experiencing the situation. In addition, brain studies reveal that mental imagery impacts several cognitive processes in the brain, including attention, perceptions, planning and memory. This means you can train your brain for action through visualization.

What should you visualize? You can imagine yourself in a positive and productive meeting with team members who are of a different ethnicity, generation or gender from you.

5) Encourage Workers to Hold Each Other Accountable

Part of making a concerted effort to eliminate prevailing bias is working together. This is especially key when it comes to hidden bias. Awareness is the first step to enacting any sort of change, so help those on your team be more aware of their behaviors so they are able to self-correct. This goes for management and leadership, too. All major organizational changes need to have complete buy-in and support from leaders.

Biases come in all forms. There are biases against each generation, people with disabilities, LGBTQ people, working parents—even a person\’s height can cause bias! It\’s important to realize that all biases hurt the success of organizations. By creating an environment for open dialogue, you can make a strong effort to address this issue.

WILLIAM TINCUP: 7 STEPS TO DEFINE YOUR PERSONAL BRAND

HR leaders spend a lot of time thinking about how to support and enrich other people\’s careers. But it\’s also important to turn the lens on ourselves, making sure we\’re fully present and fulfilled at work. To wit, we asked William Tincup, principal analyst at Key Interval Research, for his advice on polishing up your personal brand:

Would you hire yourself? Don\’t answer just yet.

Just for a moment, think of yourself as a product. What are your features, benefits and attributes? What is your brand strategy? In order to create your true and unique brand, you need to ask yourself some hard questions. This won\’t be easy, but I promise it will be worth your time.

To get started, here are 7 suggested exercises to follow as you define your personal brand.

1. What is your vision?

What is the vision behind what you do, who you are, how you behave?

Try to visualize what your life and career looks like now, 6 months from now, 3 years from now. What are some of the paths that enable these visions? Even if your vision of your future self is blurry, it\’s okay. You just need to have an idea—an inkling—of said vision. No one else is going to manage your career, it\’s up to you.

2. What are your values?

What do you really stand for? What line cannot be crossed?

Your brain should hurt when you conduct this exercise. At the edges of these thoughts are: What would you be willing to die for? There are no easy answers, but you must be in touch with your values. Period. Those that don\’t understand their own values, generally speaking, end up having their values trampled.

3. Where do you flourish? Where do you fail?

You need to have an understanding of where you shine, what support structures you need and what types of people inspire you. These qualities will define the \”Feng Shui\” of your employment and help you predict success.

Being able to predict your own failure and—hopefully—avoiding it is another story. You must be able to explain that to your bosses and potential employers, and step away from opportunities that you know will be toxic. Read: \”The only times I\’ve ever failed in life is where I tried to be someone else. If you want me to be someone else, let\’s part ways now.\”

4. Admit that when you\’ve sucked, you\’ve sucked in a big way.

Most candidates try to present themselves as perfect. All recruiters know know they\’re lying. Get comfortable with your warts—all of them. If you cuss, own it. If you\’re a social drinker, own it. When you\’ve let others down, own it. Tell the truth. And, more to the point, if your potential employer wants someone that\’s perfect, you were just going to get fired anyway. Save everyone the time and sorrow. Own up to your flaws.

5. Why are you so awesome?

Own up to your strengths, too. Inventory all of the amazing things you\’ve accomplished. Turns out, you\’re probably pretty awesome—don\’t be afraid to share it. Modesty is attractive, but too much humility will make you appear either weak, not compelling or both. It\’s hard to know when to beat your chest, but take your inventory of success and be brave enough to spread the word about your awesomeness.

6. When are you rational? When you are emotional?

Personality experts would have you believe that personality is everything—who you marry, who you befriend, how you act at the Christmas party, etc.

I\’m not sure I buy the depth of that, but I do believe personality is critical to matching employers happily with employees. So, as an employee, how well do you really know your own personality? No perfect answer. Just inventory yourself and ask some really difficult questions: When am I at my rational best? When do I become emotional, and why?

In this exercise, you\’re just trying to become aware, that\’s it. So you can tell a compelling story about your personality. Like fingerprints, it will be only yours.

7. How do you make other people better?

I\’d use a sports reference here, but that\’s really boring and lazy. Truth is, we\’ve all been in situations (groups, classes, parties, etc.) where we\’ve seen it with our own eyes: a person making everyone around them better. We\’ve also seen the opposite—a person who destroys the things and people around them. People be damned. Success be dammed. Scorched Earth.

You should be able to articulate, specifically, how you can and will make everyone you interact with better. This is where you align your brand with your company\’s brand.

So, there are seven (simple?) exercises. You\’ll think of more “brand called me\” exercises as you think about yourself as a can of soup or box of cereal. You\’ll come up with more inventories. The game is simple and yet oddly complex: know thy self.

And by “thyself\” I mean your \”true and unique\” brand. If the exercises above were easy for you, then start to inventory your passions and your competencies, and look for the sweet spot where you align those with your brand. Oh, and by the way, 99 percent of Americans haven\’t created this said alignment.

That stat was completely made up, but you get the idea.

LEARNING CORNER WITH JEFFREY PFEFFER: AS AI ENTERS THE WORKPLACE, ORGANIZATIONS HAVE TO GET ACTIVE

The general consensus is clear: automation is poised to transform (or disrupt, if you prefer) present work arrangements in profound ways. Where the jury\’s still out is just how many jobs will be lost to automation.

One artificial intelligence expert forecasted that 40 percent of the world\’s jobs could be replaced by robots in 15 years. Meanwhile, the World Economic Forum predicted that robots will displace 75 million jobs globally by 2022, simultaneously creating 133 million new ones. What seems clear is that all of the numbers, even the most optimistic, suggest that unemployment risks exist and extensive retraining, re-skilling and job movement will be required in a world of work where automation plays a key role.

I believe that current trends in training by both governments and employers are inadequate to cope with the coming labor market dislocations. Employers should focus on training, investing in human capital and taking responsibility for the changes coming our way in order to remain relevant and reap the benefits that both people and technology have to offer—together.

1) Increase Your Training Efforts—And Implore Buy-In From the Public Sector

A February 2019 Brookings report shows that while in 1996 employers paid for 19.4 percent of workers\’ formal training, a comparable figure in 2008 was 11.2 percent—a decline of 42 percent in just 12 years. If training is going to help with the transition to a more automated workplace, long-standing trends toward less training will need to change.

That same Brookings report also compared what the United States government spends on “active labor market policies\” that train people and match them to jobs to what other industrialized countries spend. The U.S. ranked 31 out of 32 total countries evaluated for public expenditure on labor market policies as a proportion of GDP. And between 1985 and 2015, U.S. government cut labor market spending in half. The implication? Our government needs to invest more in training, job matching and other efforts that help labor markets work more effectively.

An administration that relies on employees to acquire training and transition to new occupations on their own almost certainly will leave too many people in dire straits. Just as government has tried to mitigate the effects of jobs lost to foreign trade, public policy should seek to mute the economic effects of automation through training and other policies.

2) Focus on Human Sustainability

Employers should embrace the issue of human sustainability and stewardship of the work environment with the same vigor they\’ve brought to environmental sustainability—and for many of the same reasons. Just as companies today tout their physical environmental bona fides, in the future they may want (or need) to tout their human sustainability accomplishments. Things like high retention rates and internal growth are all things for companies to highlight. We see this already in competition for good ratings on sites like Glassdoor and in rankings like those put out by Great Place to Work.

Despite this, over the past decade I\’ve seen the relationship between companies and their employees become much more transactional. And that will need to change if companies are to embrace the task of getting their people ready for coming workplace transitions and dislocations.

Multi-year careers at one company have transitioned to jobs of shorter duration—“gigs.\” With limited attachment between employers and employees, neither party has an interest in investing in the relationship, which provides one explanation for why training has declined in the U.S. and is lower here than in countries with less “flexible\” labor markets. This is a good time for companies to recognize the trend and reinvest in their people through training.

3) Take Responsibility for AI and Employees

If employers don\’t accept some responsibility for helping their workforce adjust to a world with more automation and artificial intelligence, employees will likely falter, but many companies have no intention of providing them a lifeline. Technology columnist Kevin Roose\’s observations of discussions at the recent World Economic Forum meetings are instructive of the attitude of the moment: “In public, many executives wring their hands over the negative consequences that artificial intelligence and automation could have for workers. But in private meetings, these executives tell a different story: They are racing to automate their own work forces with little regard for the impact on workers.\”

Companies face the problem of collective action—few firms want to be the only ones to provide training while other firms free-ride on those efforts. Therefore, it may fall to industry associations, local associations of businesses and national organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers to promulgate and possibly enforce guidelines for retraining and upskilling employees.

It\’s almost impossible to predict what will happen as automation and artificial intelligence increasingly penetrate workplaces. But it seems fair to forecast that it will not be possible for companies—or governments—to simply continue on the same path. The labor market transformations and their economic consequences are simply too large to believe that continuing a relatively hands-off, laissez-faire approach will be politically or economically viable.

Staff Spotlight – Ryan Maxwell, QC Supervisor

Often referred to as “the voice of Bryant & Stratton College” there is a good chance you’ve heard Ryan Maxwell in either a recording or a live call.

As Ryan nears the beginning of his fifth year with Bryant & Stratton College, he is transitioning to a new role with our Qualification Center after spending time in the admissions department and as one of our hardworking QC Representatives. With so much of his time here spent in the QC and Admissions, Ryan has had the opportunity to work with countless students and help them towards their educational goals. His most current role has allowed him to work with many different departments to help staff members better manage and assist student needs. Ryan came to Bryant & Stratton College after majoring in Communications at Medaille College in Buffalo, NY.

During his time at Medaille, Ryan climbed up the record books as a four-year starter on the men’s volleyball team. In fact, he remains in the top-five of the school’s all-time leaders in assists, blocks, games played and digs.

An avid Buffalo Bills fan, Ryan rivals anyone in the office in terms of fandom as he “proudly wear my red, white and blue, Zubaz and often show up to work without a voice on Mondays”. Ryan’s adopted Pit-Bull Terrier, Colby, is a regular topic around the water cooler as the pup has been a loving addition to Ryan’s family.

Favorite thing about Bryant & Stratton College The team atmosphere certainly resonates with the athlete in me. It’s mostly the teamwork that must exist between coworkers as well as students to help realize goals and make a difference.

Favorite student related story While working in Admissions, it would have to be the extra mile I trekked for one student in particular who had trouble tracking down her high school transcripts from a school long since closed in the NYC School District. Not only was I able to track down the records for my student and help them continue their college journey unhindered, but I was also able to utilize the information in the past few months, helping a current Admissions Representative with a student who was having a similar issue.

What advice do you have for Bryant & Stratton College students? Stay in contact with your instructors. Some of the most interesting conversations I’ve had since graduating college have been with former instructors over email/social media. Lifelong learning is important and building professional relationships with instructors can help to open doors in the future. Your instructors have never stopped learning and you shouldn’t either. Keep that in mind and know that you have more knowledge to share with them than you may think.

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

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

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

How Employers Can Do More to Mitigate the Costs of Mental Illness

Understanding (and Treating) the Pervasion of Mental Illness at Work

A Path Forward for Employers and Employees

LEARNING CORNER WITH JEFF PFEFFER: IT\’S TIME WE TALK ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH AT WORK

1) Assess Your Current Organizational Culture

2) Review Your Strategic Business Plan

3) Determine the Culture Needed to Achieve Your Plan

4) Decide If Your Values Need to Shift

5) Define What Your Chosen Values Really Mean

6) Incorporate These Values into Organizational Processes

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The Facts

Five Menopause Policies Every Employer Should Have

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The Facts

Five Menopause Policies Every Employer Should Have

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The Facts

Five Menopause Policies Every Employer Should Have

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The Problem with Unconscious Bias

When to Watch Your Words

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1) Take an Implicit Associations Test

2) Watch Your Language

3) Identify Entry Points for Bias

4) Visualize a Positive Interaction

5) Encourage Workers to Hold Each Other Accountable

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1. What is your vision?

2. What are your values?

3. Where do you flourish? Where do you fail?

4. Admit that when you\’ve sucked, you\’ve sucked in a big way.

5. Why are you so awesome?

6. When are you rational? When you are emotional?

7. How do you make other people better?

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1) Increase Your Training Efforts—And Implore Buy-In From the Public Sector

2) Focus on Human Sustainability

3) Take Responsibility for AI and Employees

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1) Your Company Has a Forced Rating Distribution

2) You Misunderstood What Makes an Outstanding Employee

3) Your Evaluation Was Just Wrong

Rate this:

1) Your Company Has a Forced Rating Distribution

2) You Misunderstood What Makes an Outstanding Employee

3) Your Evaluation Was Just Wrong

Rate this:

1) Your Company Has a Forced Rating Distribution

2) You Misunderstood What Makes an Outstanding Employee

3) Your Evaluation Was Just Wrong

Rate this:

How Employers Can Do More to Mitigate the Costs of Mental Illness

Understanding (and Treating) the Pervasion of Mental Illness at Work

A Path Forward for Employers and Employees

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How Employers Can Do More to Mitigate the Costs of Mental Illness

Understanding (and Treating) the Pervasion of Mental Illness at Work

A Path Forward for Employers and Employees

Rate this:

How Employers Can Do More to Mitigate the Costs of Mental Illness

Understanding (and Treating) the Pervasion of Mental Illness at Work

A Path Forward for Employers and Employees

Rate this: