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In this episode, host Jim Morgan, VP of Workforce Strategies at MRA, speaks with Andres Gonzalez, VP of Community Engagement and Chief Diversity Officer at Froedtert. They discuss how organizations can transition from simply raising awareness to actively implementing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs. Andres shares insights from Froedtert's journey, emphasizing the integration of DEI initiatives within leadership and organizational strategy. The episode provides actionable strategies for embedding DEI into the core of organizations to create lasting impact on both employees and the community.
Episode Highlights:
Strategic Alignment: The importance of aligning DEI efforts with organizational goals and ensuring strong leadership support.Employee Resource Groups (ERGs): How ERGs contribute to talent management, development, and community outreach.Culturally Equitable Care: The role of providing culturally and linguistically appropriate care in improving healthcare outcomes.Community Collaboration: The impact of working with community-based organizations to address broader social determinants of health.Helpful Resources
Contact Your Host, Jim Morgan
About MRA
Get HR assistance however, wherever, and whenever you need it.
Plan your organization’s strategies for growth.
Find, develop, and retain the right people to build a high-performing workforce.
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In this episode, John Komosa, Director of Global Compensation at Generac, shares insights on how the company approaches compensation and benefits in a global marketplace. He discusses key influences like the economy, industry changes, and market alignment across various countries and industries. John also highlights the challenges Generac faces in the competitive engineering and technology job markets.
Key Takeaways:
The importance of market influences and economic conditions on compensationHow Generac aligns compensation strategies globally while considering regional differencesThe role of benefits in total rewards, tailored to generational and individual needsStrategies to attract and retain talent in a tightening labor marketUtilizing compensation surveys and consultants to ensure market competitivenessTune in to learn how a global company navigates the complexities of compensation!
Helpful Resources
Contact Your Host, Jim Morgan
About MRA
Get HR assistance however, wherever, and whenever you need it.
Plan your organization’s strategies for growth.
Find, develop, and retain the right people to build a high-performing workforce.
Related Episodes
HR's Role in Corporate Strategy
Strategies for Building a Strong Corporate Culture
Key Trends from SHRM 2024
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In this episode, we dive into the key HR trends emerging from the SHRM 2024 conference. Join us as we sit down with three SHRM 2024 attendees who share their unique perspectives on the event. They discuss the most impactful sessions, the latest developments in HR practices, and the innovative strategies they plan to implement in their own organizations. Whether you attended SHRM 2024 or missed out, this episode offers valuable insights and takeaways from the forefront of the HR industry. Tune in to stay ahead of the curve in the ever-evolving world of HR!
Helpful Resources
Contact Your Host, Jim Morgan
About MRA
Get HR assistance however, wherever, and whenever you need it.
Plan your organization’s strategies for growth.
Find, develop, and retain the right people to build a high-performing workforce.
Related Episodes
Voices from SHRM24: HR Stories, Challenges, and Roles Uncovered
HR's Role in Corporate Strategy
The Road Ahead: Strategic Career Planning and Progression
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Join us in this special episode recorded live from the national SHRM conference, where we dive into the heart of HR through the voices of attendees. Listen as professionals share their personal HR stories—both positive and negative—highlight the HR roles they believe would benefit their organizations the most, and discuss the pressing challenges they face in today’s workplace. This episode provides a unique snapshot of the current HR landscape, offering insights and experiences straight from the front lines of human resources. Tune in to hear the candid and thought-provoking perspectives of your peers.
Helpful Resources
Get HR assistance however, wherever, and whenever you need it.
Plan your organization’s strategies for growth.
Find, develop, and retain the right people to build a high-performing workforce.
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Join us in this insightful episode as we explore the pivotal role HR plays in shaping and executing corporate strategy. Our special guest, Amy Jones from Didion, an esteemed MRA member company, brings her extensive experience and unique perspective to the conversation. We'll delve into how HR can drive organizational success, align talent management with strategic goals, and foster a culture of innovation and growth. Whether you're an HR professional, a business leader, or simply interested in the intersection of human resources and corporate strategy, this episode offers valuable insights and practical takeaways. Don't miss it!
Contact Your Host, Jim Morgan
About MRA
Helpful Resources
Get HR assistance however, wherever, and whenever you need it.
Plan your organization’s strategies for growth.
Find, develop, and retain the right people to build a high-performing workforce.
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Join us as we chat with Laura Cullen from JP Cullen about essential career strategies. Laura covers effective onboarding, creating impactful learning plans, and nurturing young leaders. Learn how to develop tailored learning plans and empower emerging talent within your organization. Tune in for practical advice to advance your team!
Contact Your Host, Jim Morgan
About MRA
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In this episode we dive into the latest trends in succession planning as unveiled LIVE at MRA's HR Conference. Join us as we explore expert insights and innovative strategies shared by leading HR professionals. Whether you're an HR veteran or new to the field, this episode provides valuable takeaways to help you ensure your organization's leadership pipeline is robust and future-ready. Tune in to stay ahead in the evolving landscape of human resources and gain actionable tips to implement in your succession planning process. Don't miss this insightful discussion on preparing your organization for tomorrow's challenges today.
Contact Your Host, Jim Morgan
About MRA
Succession Planning Resource
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In this episode, we sit down with Kelly Kauffman, a seasoned executive from the Milwaukee Bucks, to delve into the secrets of building and sustaining a winning culture within a corporate setting. From fostering teamwork to nurturing employee engagement, Kauffman shares invaluable insights and practical tips drawn from her experience with one of the most successful sports franchises. Whether you're leading a team or aspiring to enhance workplace dynamics, this podcast offers actionable advice to empower your organization's culture and drive success. Tune in and discover how to cultivate a culture that inspires greatness.
Contact Your Host, Jim Morgan
About MRA
MRA can help with Culture, change, & Strategy
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Exciting changes are coming … new content, new host, and new podcast schedule … 30 minutes THRIVE is now Talent Report+THRIVE – get even more Talent Report highlights featuring one-on-one Q&As with MRA members—the expert guests, industry leaders, and change-makers taking on the business challenges of today.
Join us for this special episode where we celebrate changes and welcome Jim Morgan as our new host! Reflecting on invaluable insights from the past year and a half, we talk about the lessons learned and unveil the thrilling new podcast format! We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Sophie Boler for her leadership in guiding 30-minute THRIVE to success, and we wish her the best in her exciting next chapter at MRA.
Join us for the next episode of Talent Report+Thrive Podcast on April 24th and get ready to embark on this exciting new direction with Jim Morgan leading the way! Tune in every 4th Wednesday for your next episode.
Resources:
MRA Membership
About MRA
Register for the next Talent Report+
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Description: In this episode, we delve into the crucial role of HR in empowering managers to excel in their leadership roles. We explore the various facets of HR support, from department alignment to performance management and employee development, providing listeners with actionable insights and practical steps to enhance their management skills and foster a thriving, engaged workforce. Join us as we unlock the secrets of "How HR Can Help Managers Manage"!
Resources:
MRA Membership
About MRA
Let's Connect:
Guest Bio - DQ Spencer
Guest LinkedIn Profile - DQ Spencer
Host Bio - Sophie Boler
Host LinkedIn Profile - Sophie Boler
Transcript:
Transcripts are computer generated -- not 100% accurate word-for-word.
00:00:00:00 - 00:00:21:03UnknownHello everybody and welcome to 30 minute Thrive, your go to podcast for anything and everything HR powered by MRA, the Management Association. Looking to stay on top of the ever changing world of HR? MRA has got you covered. We'll be the first to tell you what's hot and what's not. I'm your host, Sophie Boler, and we are so glad you're here.
00:00:21:05 - 00:00:49:14UnknownNow it's time to thrive. Well, hello everybody, and welcome to this episode of 30 Minute THRIVE. Thanks for joining us today. I'm excited for our conversation today because you get to hear from DQ spencer. DQ is an mra. HR Business partner located in our golden valley, minnesota location. But i know you come with a lot of experience and enthusiasm, especially for our topic today, how our can help managers manage.
00:00:49:16 - 00:01:06:08UnknownSounds like a big topic, but I'm excited to kind of break it down. I know we're going to run through a lot of aspects of HR and kind of give our listeners some good action items and stuff so that they can walk away with. So I know this is your first time on the podcast, so I appreciate you come on and excited.
00:01:06:10 - 00:01:26:20UnknownAwesome. Me too, hi podcasters. I know that you recently spoke at an event on this topic actually. So before we kind of kick things off, I'm just curious to know why is this really an important topic for our listeners? Yeah, I know you're right. I did speak on the event. It was an awesome event.
00:01:26:20 - 00:01:49:13UnknownA lot of energy and enthusiasm. This is a very important topic because a lot of organizations are still struggling with aspect of the function of HR organizations talking about people and people assets being the most important aspect of the company. But they have a hard time showing that people are, because they're the only nonrenewable asset that organizations have.
00:01:49:15 - 00:02:15:23UnknownYou can't copy the processes, equipment, technology, terminology, but you can't really copy people. So that's why this one is very important. Yeah, that's a great point as we kind of dive in. Now, can you explain how HR really collaborates with managers to emphasize their functional strengths? And kind of part two of that question is how can they use those strengths with their teams to achieve those organizational goals?
00:02:16:00 - 00:02:37:16UnknownYeah, So as you know, I don't know. I don't know. I have a football background. I like to use sport terminologies. That's great. Yeah, Yeah. So, I mean, HR is part of a team, right? HR is one of the few functions that truly supports the whole organization. So they have knowledge throughout each function, but they're not be the subject matter expert on that function.
00:02:37:16 - 00:02:50:12UnknownRight? So to probably collaborate with them, you have to just include that clue to include them in our communication conversation and work to collaborate and build that functional component.
00:02:50:14 - 00:03:19:12UnknownSpeaking of teamwork, we're in a world where teamwork is crucial. So how can HR departments kind of facilitate collaboration among their employees and help managers foster that culture of cooperation and teamwork and collaboration? Yeah. So that collaboration comes from that communication, right? And so a big part of HR is communication, and it's talking to the employees, talking to the supervisors, the managers, the leads.
00:03:19:14 - 00:03:43:09UnknownIt's really getting to know your people, your biggest assets. HR is a science and that you'll understand that. I mean, as HR, you have that strength, you have that background of understanding people behaviors, thought processes, patterns and processes. But as a as a functional leader, let's say, in accounting or finance, your your, your function, your strengths are going to be with that.
00:03:43:11 - 00:04:03:17UnknownSo you can you can collaborate with them and to partner with them, engage them. You have to communicate, you have to get in there, you have to go to them. You have to understand what the culture is and how you can THRIVE that. Those behaviors in and and processes to to and build and engage their culture properly. Absolutely.
00:04:03:17 - 00:04:26:22UnknownAnd I know as an HR business partner, you work with a lot of different companies, a lot of different HR department. So do you have any examples or success stories, I would say, of kind of where the HR departments work with teamwork and kind of fostering that collaboration? Yeah, I don't know. Somewhere along the line, HR has gotten such a bad rep as as the good Lord.
00:04:27:01 - 00:04:48:07UnknownYep. And I've been in HR for about 16 years. I have my my Bachelors of Science in HR McMaster Science and during my doctorate business in HR. And through that, I've learned a lot. But I've also learned just as much through my experience. For example, I worked with an organization known, as you mentioned previous to me joining in.
00:04:48:09 - 00:05:21:12UnknownIt was a very strong union environment and that created a kind of trifecta. Three headed obstacle course because it was the union, it was the business, the factory manufacturing, and it was HR and that's how they viewed it as three different portions, three different aspects of business. And that was a very tall task. So I really had to go in there and work on our collaboration first, partnering with the organization, the plant manager, building that relationship, and then partnering with building that relationship.
00:05:21:14 - 00:05:41:10UnknownAnd I was kind of that liaison that brought it all together, you know, that that organization lacked trust amongst the three. So that was that was very challenging. But just working with them, showing my commitment, my dedication, my, my, my, my processes and my procedures, showing them that, hey, you know this, we're a team. We want the same goal.
00:05:41:14 - 00:06:11:01UnknownWe set different paths to get there. Yeah, I'm sure a lot of our listeners can kind of resonate with that and relate to that story too, and how their organization like that. So that's good advice. But we also know that compliance is also a critical aspect of HR, too. So do you have any insights on how HR can support managers and ensuring their teams adhere to the regulations and policies that always seem to be changing and updating?
00:06:11:03 - 00:06:36:13UnknownYeah. Yeah. So I'm going to kind of get off topic, but get back to topic is going to be. So when I first started in the HR, I tried to assimilate to that that stereotype, that prototype of a human resource manager saying no and yes, and you can't do this and you can't do that. And I wasn't truly myself and I truly started being successful when I started, you know, venturing on and being original.
00:06:36:15 - 00:06:54:04UnknownSo I took the mindset of that. I wasn't going to tell leaders and managers, No, you can't do this Right off the bat. I was going to tell them, Hey, I want to get that goal that you want, but here's how we can do this. Here's how we can get it done versus knowing. Yes. So it's compliance. It's the same kind of issues in that aspect versus telling them no or yes.
00:06:54:06 - 00:07:13:06UnknownI'll give them parameters and say, Hey, I see what you're trying to do. This is the most compliant and best way to get there. So let's get it done together. Yeah. So, so running through kind of the task of all the tasks of HR, another one is to motivate employees, which can be kind of difficult. So how can HR
00:07:13:06 - 00:07:41:05UnknownProfessionals and managers work together to keep their teams engaged and motivated? That's that's a tough one, right? Because, you know, I say this all the time is that we're called individuals for a reason. So we're usually created in the we have individual values and views and perspectives. So to have that motivation, it's going to take really knowing and building a relationship with your organization, your culture and your employees.
00:07:41:07 - 00:08:00:07UnknownSo know your employees. One thing I told a member that I talked to, you know, he asked me, how can I motivate my employees? What's going on? They're not gauging. And I you know, I sat there and I said, Hey, you mind if I watch it for a little bit? Watch for a little bit? No problem. No problem.
00:08:00:09 - 00:08:21:09UnknownSo I sat down and took half the morning and just kind of watch his interactions with the employees. And I literally told him, I said, I saw four separate times where people were trying to talk to you and you didn't talk to people trying to walk. My actually, I didn't even look at and on two separate times we were trying to talk to you and you said, you know, you're busy with tomorrow.
00:08:21:11 - 00:08:42:10UnknownI said, Engagement goes both ways, motivation goes both ways. You have to go and engage with them. Right. As a position of authority. Naturally. I think the way people are going to be timid to engage with you so that you have to said that you're setting a standard. Like I said, the engagement and motivation goes both ways. Show them that you're willing to do what you're asking them to do.
00:08:42:12 - 00:09:02:17UnknownYeah, absolutely. I feel like that's a good point. I know a lot of companies right now just have to kind of reevaluate what they're doing. Like you kind of sat in as a fly on the wall and you were able to see it. The HR department may not be able to see it because they're in it. So sometimes you kind of need an outsider almost to come in and see that.
00:09:02:17 - 00:09:32:14UnknownALL Yeah. So when it comes to achieving results, alignment with an organization is key, obviously. So how can HR create that alignment between different teams and departments? Yeah, so alignment comes out. You know, I talked about inclusion, communication, conversation alignment comes with understanding the goal, right? And creating processes and procedures that align with that, that THRIVE toward that goal.
00:09:32:16 - 00:09:55:11UnknownA lot of companies have processes just because they happen. They said, we always have this or this is what we were always. But your goal changed, the business changed. You know, the world of business is very dynamic. It's always changing for you to keep the same processes. It might not make sense to achieve that goal. So I always tell the people, you know, look at what you're trying to achieve, work backwards and this is what we want it.
00:09:55:14 - 00:10:15:18UnknownThis is what we want to achieve. So let's do this. This, this is to get there versus, well, let's do this and go kind of around it, you know, align toward that goal, direct your process, your behavior and your diet and your actions toward achieving that ultimate goal. And just what you said right there, the world of business is very dynamic.
00:10:15:18 - 00:10:47:18UnknownSo I guess that kind of brings us to our next point of how can our assist managers in adapting their strategies and tactics to meet new challenges when business is always changing? Yeah, it's just constant reassessment, right? So like I said, I've been organizations all different functions and industries, and the thing I hear the most is this is how we've always done it or this is what they told us to do versus, you know, having that critical thinking skills, thinking about, hey, this is what they told us to do.
00:10:47:18 - 00:11:03:20UnknownAnd so I was done it. But it doesn't kind of make sense. We're trying to do so we're going back to think about this is what we're trying to we're trying to achieve organic business. We're trying to grow. We're trying to we're trying to set customers and employee satisfaction. So what can we do to get better? Understanding your culture.
00:11:04:01 - 00:11:26:13UnknownCulture is big, so I don't know if you know that I'm a teacher as well. Professor There's that. There's perio, pedagogy and anthropology. The type of learning that adults when when they learn, they want to learn by seeing what you do and looking what you do versus when you're a kid, you do this because you're told to do because you have to go through this.
00:11:26:13 - 00:11:43:23UnknownYou have to work through school, you have to go to high school as adults. They're there because they only want to be there. So let's make it a department that they want to be there right there. It's going to be changing. Not everyone's going to be the same, just like business is going to be evolving. It's going to be dynamic.
00:11:43:23 - 00:12:12:02UnknownIt's going to be contemporary. Some things may stay traditional, but it's going to move. You have to move with flexibility. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. I should have mentioned that you were a teacher in the beginning too. I got so many different perspectives now from, well, we've kind of mentioned this throughout the whole podcast, but it seems like employee engagement is often one of the biggest concerns for managers.
00:12:12:04 - 00:12:44:19UnknownSo and you've touched on this briefly, but how can it really assist in measuring and improving employee engagement then to enhance team performance in an organization? Yeah, and that's that's a tough question, right? Because everyone is going to be different. But the thing it can say is, you know, just like business and sales engagement is building relationships, then understanding where you're talking to, what you're talking about, understanding the optimal goal and just building everybody should go toward it.
00:12:44:19 - 00:13:09:14UnknownAnd earlier, making that effort to engage with their employees, making that effort to be as transparent. That's transparent as possible. And so you can't be completely transparent all the time, but be as open as possible because more people understand them more than want to THRIVE that goal and helping them get those fingerprints and open and get that engagement and touchpoints within that plan.
00:13:09:16 - 00:13:28:24UnknownAnd that also helps, you know, they have a little skin in the game that will help them engage and help them. So, you know, I'm a part of this, right? But it starts and starts with the culture. And how is your culture is an engaging culture. Is it an open door culture? Is it, hey, I know we're business here, but how is your day and how are you doing?
00:13:29:01 - 00:13:45:18UnknownLook at the example I gave previously. When a manager, you know, shoot people off or was too busy to talk to people or, you know, he walked from his office right to where he needs to go at to engage. You have to show them this is what engagement looks like. You have to show that, hey, I'm motivated to do my job.
00:13:45:18 - 00:14:13:12UnknownYou have to think, what do you think about this? Talk to them and increase that communication, increase that inclusion and then kind of full support. HR Is a big portion of that because a lot of people really don't have that perspective or understanding or mindset. And as a human resource manager, we understand that people are our business and people should be everyone's business because that's what business is created on.
00:14:13:14 - 00:14:40:05UnknownEven even technical businesses, even process oriented businesses. They're all about people, right? We understand our people. The more we can utilize to take advantage of how great that asset can be and how much we can get to them, how much they can get does Yeah, absolutely. I love that you emphasized the importance of culture and having a good culture because that honestly THRIVEs your organization.
00:14:40:05 - 00:15:07:23UnknownAnd you can tell on day one and even probably both before you work at the organization what their culture is because she's a very prominent thing in an organization. So it's like, you know, example that I give, which I've seen many times, is when you're interviewing people, show their best in the best of times and say, Hey, we're going over their culture where, you know, we want to hear everything you're saying.
00:15:08:00 - 00:15:40:02UnknownBut when you start, it's absolutely And I walk down the hall, every door was closed, closed door meetings, Everything feels like it's secretive. It feels like you're very being excluded. And that's absolute culture. So part of my research for my my doctorate was how to decrease turnover. The intention was really, truly millennials because I do my research on generation, but in how to decrease turnover intentionally with the number one decrease, there was the culture right?
00:15:40:04 - 00:15:56:16UnknownAre you saying you do or are you being transparent? Are you including is are you hiring and retaining people? You need to cultivate that culture and that's a big thing is if you don't have a culture where you if you don't have what you want now, that's not a big deal. A lot of lot religion are in there.
00:15:56:20 - 00:16:18:03UnknownThey don't have what they want to go. They want to achieve. So but how are you going to get that right? What's your plan and how are you communicate and really in that plan, to your people, to your to your managers, and how are they acting on that? Well, you know, it's one thing to say it, but it's another thing to actually let them go.
00:16:18:03 - 00:16:43:00UnknownI know you've given a ton of best practices and advice and tips throughout this whole podcast, but do you have any best practices for HR Professionals to really identify and leverage the functional strengths with within their organization to THRIVE that success that everybody wants? Yeah. Yeah. So a lot of times i will say this is a very known saying, but get comfortable with being accountable.
00:16:43:04 - 00:17:15:01UnknownRight? So a lot of times when you talk the functions this is my first experience with my career when I taught the different functions and I wasn't prepared to talk to them about their business or their function. And so that decreased their trust and decrease their trust in me. So the more time to understand it and functions, I can have a direct conversation with about what their strengths were and and they can see that I'm taking that action to really understand what their strengths are and what their function is and what their goal is.
00:17:15:01 - 00:17:43:14UnknownAnd the more I understood how they act, how they behave, what their processes were, the more I could create strategy to more insert myself into their function and help them grow. And it helped me grow so much. Understand business financially, understand business through the processes of manufacturing, understand business details and marketing. But I just, you know, like I said, part of the reason why I got my BBA was because I had a master's in science, which is great.
00:17:43:17 - 00:18:11:11UnknownBut I want to understand business as a whole more holistically. And that helped me grow so much, helped me grow immensely understanding different functioning business. And that's what I would give to each age and professional in any, anyone, any function. I try to learn business. Don't try to, you know, obviously, you know, you do. You're your expert at what you do, but be an expert at understanding the business and that will help you grow with your organization.
00:18:11:11 - 00:18:30:01UnknownThere's so much that is great advice. That's something that I'm trying to do too, is just even shadowing an apartment for a day to see what their day in the life is. And that, like you said, will help you understand the business as a whole and will help you do your job better, too, on the long run. Yeah.
00:18:30:01 - 00:18:48:20UnknownYeah. And with that is I know it sounds boring, but you know, what do you what's, what's going on in that meeting. I said in that meeting where. Hey, you mind if I, you know, tag along with you? Like I said, Do you mind if I show you? Do you mind if I hang out and kind of the following a little bit and understand what you're going through so I can better help you, better assist you and better support you.
00:18:49:01 - 00:19:09:00UnknownAnd that's what it's about. You know, selfishly, I was trying to grow the business, not trying to grow myself, so I was trying to be a better project, better employee and a better person and more advanced to business. Absolutely. Well, as we wrap up your last question, can you share any key takeaways for our listeners on how HR
00:19:09:00 - 00:19:38:00UnknownCan really be that strategic partner in helping managers manage effectively and achieve the optimal results in their organizations. Bring it full circle here. We'll circle sort of our circle like i would say, kind of like I said, understand the business more. You understand that business and that function and that environment, the more alignment you can create, right? So again, help them understand processes that they don't know the process of, hey, this is what we're doing.
00:19:38:02 - 00:20:08:20UnknownIs that process, that HR Role. When i don't understand it, then they probably won't rule it out to the best of their ability. They probably won't engage in it to the best of your abilities. So help them understand it, right? Understand their business. They can understand your business. Say that that alignment, that inclusion, you know, still in their meetings, our conversation with them, engage with them, go out of your way, you know, go beyond a little bit to make them feel, you know, that they trust you, that the understanding that they believe in you.
00:20:08:22 - 00:20:30:23UnknownBecause the more trust, more understanding, the more inclusion you have, more transparency, you'll get more engaging, you'll get, the better you be able to help them and support them. And the more the business will be able to grow and that's what it's about, is creating that organic growth and that internal growth as well as that external world. So you can be successful in the business, can be successful decades.
00:20:31:00 - 00:20:54:01UnknownThis was great. I want to thank you for being on the podcast today and sharing all that great content and all the advice on how HR Can really help managers manage. So to our listeners, i would just encourage you if you liked our chat and topic today, comment something new that you learned today or something that you're going to start implementing or anything else that you'd like to add on to the conversation.
00:20:54:01 - 00:21:18:04UnknownWe want to know your thoughts, what you're thinking. If you have any new ideas on this topic. And don't forget to share out this episode, of course, and consider joining MRA if you aren't a member already. We have all the resources you need in the show notes below. We've also included resources on this topic and DQ's contact info and LinkedIn profile if you want to connect with him.
00:21:18:06 - 00:21:39:18UnknownOtherwise, thank you so much for tuning in today and we will see you next week. And that wraps up our content for this episode. Be sure to reference the show notes where you can sign them to connect for more podcast updates, check out other MRA episodes on your favorite podcast platform. And as always, make sure to follow MRA's 30 minutes THRIVE so you don't miss out.
00:21:39:18 - 00:21:44:11UnknownThanks for tuning in and we'll see you next Wednesday to carry on the conversation.
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Whether you are just starting an internship program or you have one already, discover the key qualities that make interns thrive, learn how internship programs can shape future leaders, and explore innovative approaches to foster a culture of continuous learning and development. We'll share tips on creating challenging projects that elevate interns to showcase their leadership potential.
Resources:
MRA Membership
About MRA
Intern Program
MRA's 2024 Internship Leadership Program Calendar
Recruiting
Let's Connect:
Courtney’s email
Courtney’s LinkedIn profile
Transcript
00:00:00:01 - 00:00:05:13Hello everybody and welcome to 30 minute Thrive, your go to podcast for anything
00:00:05:13 - 00:00:09:22and everything HR, powered by MRA, the Management Association.
00:00:09:24 - 00:00:12:24Looking to stay on top of the ever changing world of HR?
00:00:12:24 - 00:00:14:19MRA has got you covered.
00:00:14:19 - 00:00:17:17We'll be the first to tell you what's hot and what's not.
00:00:17:17 - 00:00:21:04I'm your host, Sophie Boler and we are so glad you're here.
00:00:21:05 - 00:00:22:21Now it's time to thrive.
00:00:22:21 - 00:00:26:16Hello, everybody, and welcome to 30 Minute Thrive.
00:00:26:18 - 00:00:29:24Today we're going to be talking about the ins and outs of internships.
00:00:30:03 - 00:00:34:15So if you're looking to start an internship program at your organization,
00:00:34:21 - 00:00:37:17or maybe you have one started already, but you're looking to make it
00:00:37:17 - 00:00:41:13even more successful, it's a good thing you're here today with us
00:00:41:13 - 00:00:46:04because we're joined by Courtney Lamers, MRA, senior manager of member Engagement
00:00:46:10 - 00:00:50:08and MRA's Intern Leadership program organizer.
00:00:50:10 - 00:00:54:10So Courtney's really here to help organizations
00:00:54:10 - 00:00:58:04not only design and implement an internship program,
00:00:58:04 - 00:01:02:17but also help develop existing ones into successful programs.
00:01:02:19 - 00:01:06:06And having been an intern myself at Emory,
00:01:06:08 - 00:01:09:21I love this topic, and I'm really excited to talk about it.
00:01:09:21 - 00:01:12:11So, Courtney, let's start.
00:01:12:11 - 00:01:14:24Start from the top here.
00:01:14:24 - 00:01:18:22Those who have never implemented an internship program before.
00:01:18:24 - 00:01:23:22What are some of the key starting factors that a company would really need?
00:01:23:24 - 00:01:24:13Absolutely.
00:01:24:13 - 00:01:27:05Great question. And thank you for having me today.
00:01:27:05 - 00:01:27:13You know,
00:01:27:13 - 00:01:27:23it really
00:01:27:23 - 00:01:31:16is that time of the year where everyone is reaching out about internships.
00:01:31:16 - 00:01:35:09And it's been exciting to hear from a lot of companies that are just
00:01:35:10 - 00:01:37:05beginning their internship journey.
00:01:37:05 - 00:01:40:14So I think it's going to be a really fun summer and I'm super
00:01:40:14 - 00:01:43:14excited for all of you that have interns.
00:01:43:20 - 00:01:46:08I think those that have had interns have really found it
00:01:46:08 - 00:01:50:02valuable and continue to see that year over year.
00:01:50:04 - 00:01:53:12And so I'm really excited for all of those companies that are starting it.
00:01:53:14 - 00:01:56:04I think that's a great question to start with, just because we do
00:01:56:04 - 00:01:59:21see a lot of companies that are starting internship program.
00:01:59:23 - 00:02:03:21And I would say the key in starting an internship program
00:02:04:02 - 00:02:07:04and there's a lot of things that go into it, but one of the most important
00:02:07:04 - 00:02:10:24things is making sure that you have the correct manager
00:02:11:01 - 00:02:15:18and managers in place to support and intern support their experience
00:02:15:18 - 00:02:17:00as a whole,
00:02:17:00 - 00:02:18:11and be able to have some of those
00:02:18:11 - 00:02:21:16difficult conversation zones where I think we see with companies,
00:02:21:16 - 00:02:27:01a lot of times managers will come and say, I really want an intern,
00:02:27:03 - 00:02:30:23but if that manager may not have the culture in the department,
00:02:30:23 - 00:02:31:20that character may not
00:02:31:20 - 00:02:35:17necessarily be equipped with the tools to be a great manager for an intern.
00:02:35:19 - 00:02:40:02Someone companies are having those conversations, so I think manager buy in
00:02:40:02 - 00:02:43:12and understanding of what it really takes to have an intern is huge.
00:02:43:12 - 00:02:47:22I think like any new employee, I think interns
00:02:47:22 - 00:02:52:23take a little bit of extra time and really supporting that experience
00:02:52:23 - 00:02:57:00from mentorship and coaching and giving them opportunities.
00:02:57:00 - 00:03:00:01There is a little bit of additional work
00:03:00:03 - 00:03:01:14for an intern, so
00:03:01:14 - 00:03:05:15I think we see companies that have super successful intern programs
00:03:05:15 - 00:03:09:22and what you see behind those are managers and companies that have complete buy in.
00:03:09:22 - 00:03:13:07So I think honestly, before you even get to the manager piece,
00:03:13:08 - 00:03:17:16you need to think about and talk with your leadership team and understand
00:03:17:16 - 00:03:22:15that there is a buy in needed and an investment honestly,
00:03:22:15 - 00:03:28:11between both time and money and what goes into a great experience.
00:03:28:12 - 00:03:31:08So I think, you know, really the buy in is the first step
00:03:31:08 - 00:03:35:07and then there are a lot of steps along the way to get to that manager piece.
00:03:35:07 - 00:03:38:04But I think that is so key.
00:03:38:04 - 00:03:40:05Just kind of starting about with the whole experience.
00:03:40:05 - 00:03:42:20So obviously once you have the manager buy in, that's huge.
00:03:42:20 - 00:03:44:22Or leadership by an excuse me.
00:03:44:22 - 00:03:48:06And then I think really think about why you're having an intern.
00:03:48:06 - 00:03:54:04You know, I think in the past interns have historically been added
00:03:54:04 - 00:03:57:12to a team to help with some of those, you know, daily tasks
00:03:57:12 - 00:04:00:12and some of those things that can be taken off of other people's plates.
00:04:00:12 - 00:04:03:20But we see a lot of companies that are looking to hire
00:04:03:20 - 00:04:06:20interns for a long term perspective.
00:04:06:21 - 00:04:11:01So one from a brand awareness standpoint, these interns are going back to
00:04:11:01 - 00:04:14:01and talking to their friends on campus
00:04:14:01 - 00:04:16:23and even on social media about their experience as a whole.
00:04:16:23 - 00:04:21:05So those you know, word of mouth brand, ambassador pieces is a huge part of it.
00:04:21:05 - 00:04:24:20And we also see interns a lot as their town supply chain.
00:04:24:20 - 00:04:26:20So really trying to hang on to those interns.
00:04:26:20 - 00:04:28:19So just really understanding the why.
00:04:28:19 - 00:04:32:07What's the purpose of your program and then putting some of those structural
00:04:32:07 - 00:04:37:11pieces around to support the intern throughout the length of their internship.
00:04:37:13 - 00:04:38:10And then, of course,
00:04:38:10 - 00:04:42:09thinking about what are those elements that make this an experience as a whole?
00:04:42:09 - 00:04:44:18So of course there's the work component of it,
00:04:44:18 - 00:04:48:15but what mentorship opportunities, what networking, professional development,
00:04:48:17 - 00:04:50:24all of that staff to provide this great experience.
00:04:50:24 - 00:04:54:07So the interns really want to either
00:04:54:08 - 00:04:57:09say at your organization or go back and tell their friends all about it.
00:04:57:09 - 00:05:02:01So long winded way of saying like, there's a lot of pieces to get started.
00:05:02:03 - 00:05:05:09But the most important one, just having that manager
00:05:05:11 - 00:05:07:07really be there to support their interns.
00:05:07:07 - 00:05:08:15Sorry that as long you continue to hear.
00:05:08:15 - 00:05:13:14Question So there's a lot that goes into starting an internship program,
00:05:13:14 - 00:05:17:22and like you said before, even thinking about it, it's the whole planning process
00:05:17:22 - 00:05:21:14and evaluating why am I having interns
00:05:21:16 - 00:05:24:15who at the company can manage the interns
00:05:24:15 - 00:05:30:16and has the capacity to do that, and then it's also thinking about like
00:05:30:18 - 00:05:31:21some companies may
00:05:31:21 - 00:05:34:21have one intern, but some may have 30.
00:05:34:21 - 00:05:35:16So it's like,
00:05:35:16 - 00:05:40:14how do you split that up between managers and and roles and stuff like that?
00:05:40:16 - 00:05:43:04But once you have that plan
00:05:43:04 - 00:05:47:01in place, like you were talking about, even then, even if you already
00:05:47:01 - 00:05:51:00have a great internship program developed, how do you find the interns?
00:05:51:00 - 00:05:56:18I think that's a huge question, like recruiting best practices.
00:05:56:20 - 00:06:01:20Do you have any suggestions on where to find interns, when to find interns?
00:06:01:20 - 00:06:05:00I know now is a great time to start talking about it,
00:06:05:00 - 00:06:08:23but just looking for any best practices you might have there.
00:06:09:00 - 00:06:09:21Yeah, absolutely.
00:06:09:21 - 00:06:13:03Shameless plug for companies Recruiting services team.
00:06:13:05 - 00:06:13:23They really do
00:06:13:23 - 00:06:18:17all of their recruiting for interns, so they are a great resource to tap.
00:06:18:17 - 00:06:21:21But I would say we see
00:06:21:21 - 00:06:26:00a lot of interns get hired from networking and schools.
00:06:26:00 - 00:06:30:02We just had a hot topic survey not too long ago
00:06:30:02 - 00:06:33:15and I think like 87% of our respondents have that.
00:06:33:20 - 00:06:38:04They find their interns and they have a lot of great luck by
00:06:38:06 - 00:06:41:04going to job fairs at universities and colleges
00:06:41:04 - 00:06:45:21and just different locations where they're able to network with people.
00:06:45:23 - 00:06:48:14I would also say share it out to your LinkedIn page.
00:06:48:14 - 00:06:49:14You know,
00:06:49:14 - 00:06:54:17I think we see a lot of interns get hired because of connections they have.
00:06:54:17 - 00:06:55:06And I
00:06:55:06 - 00:06:59:00you know, I get we'll find out something about MRA's intern leadership program
00:06:59:00 - 00:07:02:22and I'll get people come back and say like, well, I don't have
00:07:03:02 - 00:07:05:07an intern at my company, but I do have a daughter
00:07:05:07 - 00:07:07:17that's looking for an internship or a niece or a nephew.
00:07:07:17 - 00:07:10:18And I'm always willing to help pair that.
00:07:10:18 - 00:07:12:23So you just never know who is going to see some of that.
00:07:12:23 - 00:07:15:23But like I said, I think for the most part,
00:07:16:02 - 00:07:18:18people have a lot of luck getting in front of the universities,
00:07:18:18 - 00:07:21:23the colleges and being on campus in front of the next generation
00:07:21:23 - 00:07:26:02of talent and just from a brand awareness standpoint, there's always a benefit
00:07:26:02 - 00:07:27:15there, too.
00:07:27:15 - 00:07:31:09As far as timing, you know, I think we've seen it
00:07:31:11 - 00:07:35:20be done successfully at various times throughout the year.
00:07:35:22 - 00:07:36:23You know,
00:07:36:23 - 00:07:40:14we are seeing a lot of companies now that are ramping up for summer internship.
00:07:40:14 - 00:07:44:16So they are starting to just find their interns.
00:07:44:16 - 00:07:48:06Now, we do recommend a little bit earlier than now at this point of the year.
00:07:48:06 - 00:07:52:23We'll see some of the schools and the organizations
00:07:52:23 - 00:07:57:02that have bigger internship programs are starting right after the summer.
00:07:57:02 - 00:08:01:03So they're starting in September hiring all the way for the next summer.
00:08:01:03 - 00:08:03:15And I mean, it's a lot of work to fill.
00:08:03:15 - 00:08:08:1535 internships or however many there are, but a lot of the career
00:08:08:16 - 00:08:12:00offers happen early in the fall and again in the spring.
00:08:12:00 - 00:08:13:15So just kind of thinking,
00:08:13:15 - 00:08:16:21being strategic about that, it doesn't mean you have to start in the fall.
00:08:16:23 - 00:08:19:20People have a lot of great luck in the spring,
00:08:19:20 - 00:08:22:01so definitely an option to.
00:08:22:01 - 00:08:26:04But as far as best practices, I would also say think about your job
00:08:26:04 - 00:08:29:22description and your job ad and you don't have to put
00:08:29:22 - 00:08:33:18every single detail, every single project that they're going to be working on.
00:08:33:18 - 00:08:37:23But some highlight some of those main responsibilities,
00:08:37:23 - 00:08:39:24of course, but then some of those fun things too.
00:08:39:24 - 00:08:41:10So like, for example,
00:08:41:10 - 00:08:45:06we have a company that's participating in the Intern Leadership Program program
00:08:45:06 - 00:08:49:10that I'm a grant offers, and they put that as part of their job description
00:08:49:12 - 00:08:52:23in every single one of their interns
00:08:53:00 - 00:08:55:01that they ended up hiring have said
00:08:55:01 - 00:08:57:15they had to ask the question, like, Why did you apply for this internship?
00:08:57:15 - 00:08:59:24And they also had the intern leadership program.
00:08:59:24 - 00:09:02:24So some of that professional development that's part of that intern
00:09:02:24 - 00:09:06:01program can be part of the the job at that job description.
00:09:06:01 - 00:09:09:19So some of those fun key elements in showcasing the mentorship
00:09:09:19 - 00:09:12:09and networking opportunities that they're going to have.
00:09:12:09 - 00:09:13:19And also I would just say
00:09:13:19 - 00:09:17:04if there's an opportunity for them to learn the business as a whole,
00:09:17:04 - 00:09:21:00put some of that stuff in your job ads as well.
00:09:21:00 - 00:09:25:03I think interns in general are just trying to gain as much experience
00:09:25:03 - 00:09:26:04and knowledge as they can.
00:09:26:04 - 00:09:29:04So if they see that in your job description, in your job ad,
00:09:29:07 - 00:09:32:06I think that's going to be a huge draw for them.
00:09:32:08 - 00:09:32:23Absolutely.
00:09:32:23 - 00:09:37:16I was going to say you're trying to attract these interns like a new employee.
00:09:37:16 - 00:09:43:12So like like you said, be creative and show off what flexible arrangements
00:09:43:12 - 00:09:46:12you may have something that's going to attract
00:09:46:14 - 00:09:49:21an intern to work for your organization.
00:09:49:23 - 00:09:54:16Well, those are the things that we hear about from the interns, is
00:09:54:18 - 00:09:57:09they like I mean, they like the flexibility, of course.
00:09:57:09 - 00:09:59:08But I think some of the struggle is
00:09:59:08 - 00:10:03:06they really want to learn from others and be mentored.
00:10:03:08 - 00:10:07:08And it's really hard to do that if they're coming into the office,
00:10:07:08 - 00:10:09:14which they a lot of them have shown that
00:10:09:14 - 00:10:12:24they want to come into the office for that mentorship opportunity.
00:10:13:01 - 00:10:14:04But if they're coming in
00:10:14:04 - 00:10:17:23and nobody else is in the office, that can be a really challenging thing too.
00:10:17:23 - 00:10:20:17So if you are able to express
00:10:20:17 - 00:10:24:18what those mentorship opportunities and those learning opportunities are, that
00:10:24:19 - 00:10:30:23I think is a great way for them to like, really understand how that could happen.
00:10:31:00 - 00:10:33:03And the other thing just kind of going back to,
00:10:33:03 - 00:10:36:00you know, the timing of hiring interns,
00:10:36:00 - 00:10:38:17we've seen a lot more in the last year
00:10:38:17 - 00:10:42:17to of companies that are hiring interns and then
00:10:42:19 - 00:10:45:22they're struggling to retain them, even to start their internship.
00:10:45:22 - 00:10:48:22So, you know, you have to find that balance of
00:10:49:01 - 00:10:51:21hiring them early enough, but then also keeping them engaged.
00:10:51:21 - 00:10:54:06So if you do hire them in January,
00:10:54:06 - 00:10:57:22that's still another five or six months until they start their internship.
00:10:57:24 - 00:11:00:10So just think about how you're going to keep them engaged
00:11:00:10 - 00:11:02:19and excited about your internship experience.
00:11:02:19 - 00:11:05:18You know, we typically we've seen some data
00:11:05:18 - 00:11:09:01and we recommend, you know, every three weeks that you're reaching out
00:11:09:03 - 00:11:13:09or three to every three weeks, you're reaching out to those interns,
00:11:13:11 - 00:11:16:05you know, with some type of communication, whether it's
00:11:16:05 - 00:11:19:23their managers are reaching out, whether it's different people on the team,
00:11:19:23 - 00:11:23:16HR Sharing company newsletters, all of that stuff to keep them engaged
00:11:23:22 - 00:11:26:04so they're not like i still have this internship.
00:11:26:04 - 00:11:28:18I haven't heard from them in a couple of months. Like, what's going on here?
00:11:28:18 - 00:11:32:17So just keeping them excited and engaged is important too.
00:11:32:19 - 00:11:35:23Yeah, absolutely. Those are all great points.
00:11:36:00 - 00:11:36:15Let's say you have
00:11:36:15 - 00:11:39:15your group of hired interns. Now.
00:11:39:17 - 00:11:44:14What steps are really taken then to integrate them into the company's work
00:11:44:14 - 00:11:47:23environment and to kind of
00:11:48:00 - 00:11:51:15what does the onboarding process look like for them?
00:11:51:17 - 00:11:53:23Yeah, I think, you know, that's a great question.
00:11:53:23 - 00:11:57:00And I would say I would just start
00:11:57:00 - 00:12:00:09by looking at what your current onboarding process is for any new hire.
00:12:00:09 - 00:12:03:19I mean, a lot of that will pertain to them as well.
00:12:03:21 - 00:12:07:08But then looking at what additional pieces are you going to add?
00:12:07:10 - 00:12:10:15Again, I think less the internship experience really is
00:12:10:20 - 00:12:12:09what I just had an experience.
00:12:12:09 - 00:12:15:17So what are you doing for them on day one
00:12:15:17 - 00:12:18:21to really provide that impact and get them excited for the summer?
00:12:18:21 - 00:12:20:19Obviously there are some major
00:12:20:19 - 00:12:21:13things that you just have
00:12:21:13 - 00:12:24:17to take care of on day one, but what swag are you giving them?
00:12:24:17 - 00:12:28:08Are you buying them lunch or are they getting to meet with a lot of people?
00:12:28:10 - 00:12:31:20You know, I think day one really should be about building some of that excitement.
00:12:32:01 - 00:12:37:02But then how are they learning and growing throughout their entire summer?
00:12:37:02 - 00:12:40:11And what is that learning plan and onboarding look like beyond day
00:12:40:11 - 00:12:43:14one and how to integrate them within the organization?
00:12:43:14 - 00:12:45:11And of course, every company is different.
00:12:45:11 - 00:12:47:06And what they need to know.
00:12:47:06 - 00:12:51:03But I would just really recommend that you look at your own current
00:12:51:03 - 00:12:54:22onboarding process, how to even enhance that even a little bit further,
00:12:54:22 - 00:12:58:14like knowing that this a lot of them this might be their first real
00:12:58:19 - 00:13:00:03job in the workplace
00:13:00:03 - 00:13:03:17and how do you help them feel comfortable and navigate some of those,
00:13:03:19 - 00:13:08:04you know, nuances or things that people you assume people just know
00:13:08:04 - 00:13:12:00by being in the workplace and even just like dress code.
00:13:12:00 - 00:13:14:17I know that's not the most exciting thing, but like,
00:13:14:17 - 00:13:17:05you know, we've had a lot of companies say
00:13:17:07 - 00:13:19:00our interns don't even know what our dress code is.
00:13:19:00 - 00:13:22:20And, you know, you forget that sometimes this is their first real job.
00:13:22:20 - 00:13:24:05So having to help them out.
00:13:24:05 - 00:13:26:13And honestly, the earlier, the better.
00:13:26:13 - 00:13:29:23That can be something you can communicate even before they start.
00:13:29:23 - 00:13:31:04So I think really just
00:13:31:04 - 00:13:33:07how do you assimilate them with your organization
00:13:33:07 - 00:13:36:19and your best practices within your company and how they can,
00:13:36:24 - 00:13:40:11you know, feel comfortable and be set up for success from the beginning?
00:13:40:13 - 00:13:41:19You know, I look at it.
00:13:41:19 - 00:13:45:04So if you when you were an intern, which was, you know, a while ago now, but,
00:13:45:06 - 00:13:48:06you know, you texted me and your manager at
00:13:48:06 - 00:13:51:18the time was like, hey, like we're about a week and a half out.
00:13:51:18 - 00:13:52:15Like what?
00:13:52:15 - 00:13:54:00You know, what is the dress code?
00:13:54:00 - 00:13:55:02And we're like, my gosh.
00:13:55:02 - 00:13:58:00Like, how did we not even tell her about? Like, that's a great question.
00:13:58:00 - 00:14:00:21You know, like, you're just trying to be set up for success.
00:14:00:21 - 00:14:05:08So any of those things that might be on their minds just let those know upfront.
00:14:05:08 - 00:14:08:08And I think also just a side note of that, it's like
00:14:08:09 - 00:14:10:11make sure they have your phone number so they can text you
00:14:10:11 - 00:14:12:09those questions and encourage them to do that.
00:14:12:09 - 00:14:14:12Because like when you text us, we were like,
00:14:14:12 - 00:14:16:20my gosh, like, of course, how do we not even think about that?
00:14:16:20 - 00:14:20:08And obviously it was on your mind because you sent us a message.
00:14:20:10 - 00:14:24:19Yeah, that's funny because I was going to bring that up as an example here.
00:14:24:21 - 00:14:28:06Just showing the importance of onboarding in the interim
00:14:28:06 - 00:14:32:24because like you said, a lot of the time an internship is
00:14:33:00 - 00:14:36:19maybe somebody's first real life kind of job experience.
00:14:36:19 - 00:14:42:00So the onboarding process is just as important, as important,
00:14:42:00 - 00:14:44:08if not the most important stuff, in my opinion.
00:14:44:08 - 00:14:46:08Just because you want to
00:14:46:08 - 00:14:50:05make that group first impression and get them excited on day one.
00:14:50:07 - 00:14:54:15And yeah, I think for my experience
00:14:54:17 - 00:14:59:04I felt comfortable to text you guys and say, Hey, like
00:14:59:06 - 00:15:03:02we're a couple days away from first day, what's the dress code?
00:15:03:04 - 00:15:04:14But then I also remember
00:15:04:14 - 00:15:07:00feeling very comfortable when I first walked in
00:15:07:00 - 00:15:09:09because I got to meet everyone at the company.
00:15:09:09 - 00:15:12:19There is a swag like gift
00:15:12:19 - 00:15:15:19bag or laid all over my desk.
00:15:15:19 - 00:15:19:00Just the process of day one one. Awesome.
00:15:19:00 - 00:15:23:06And I remember also being in the car because
00:15:23:08 - 00:15:28:11you and my manager took me out to lunch and I remember like taking a picture,
00:15:28:11 - 00:15:33:00a selfie in the backseat, and I'm like, Mom would be taking me out to lunch.
00:15:33:00 - 00:15:34:23And I had my name tag.
00:15:34:23 - 00:15:38:02But it is the little things that make the day
00:15:38:02 - 00:15:41:04one experience and it gets I don't know, it made me excited.
00:15:41:04 - 00:15:44:10Hey, to come back day two and like, what's day two going to look like?
00:15:44:10 - 00:15:46:06What stage three gonna look like?
00:15:46:06 - 00:15:49:20So kind of like continuously sparking
00:15:49:20 - 00:15:53:15that excitement to make make the experience great.
00:15:53:17 - 00:15:58:09And it was also I mean, I think that's so true.
00:15:58:09 - 00:16:02:03And you know, I think you start to take some of those things for granted
00:16:02:04 - 00:16:03:09like a business card,
00:16:03:09 - 00:16:07:11a name tag, like, you know, you've been in in the business world for a while.
00:16:07:11 - 00:16:08:06And, you know,
00:16:08:06 - 00:16:10:03I think business cards were such a big deal
00:16:10:03 - 00:16:12:18when I got them for the first time was like, my gosh, she's an intern.
00:16:12:18 - 00:16:13:22I have business cards.
00:16:13:22 - 00:16:16:06And it was like giving them to my family members.
00:16:16:06 - 00:16:19:08And it's like, you know, it's such a little thing, but it really does.
00:16:19:08 - 00:16:22:08You're like, my gosh, like I'm an adult now, you know?
00:16:22:09 - 00:16:25:19So I think, like you said, it's all about those little experiences.
00:16:26:00 - 00:16:26:11Yeah.
00:16:26:11 - 00:16:31:17And just to add on to that, to I know we talked about going out to lunch
00:16:31:17 - 00:16:36:01or doing something special, but even if you have virtual interns
00:16:36:01 - 00:16:39:06or remote interns, which I think is kind of
00:16:39:08 - 00:16:41:21becoming the new normal, almost,
00:16:41:21 - 00:16:44:21you can still do those special things.
00:16:44:21 - 00:16:46:13Maybe you send them a gift card on day
00:16:46:13 - 00:16:51:05one to go grab something for lunch or maybe do a virtual lunch with them.
00:16:51:05 - 00:16:54:10So we were talking about our experience in person,
00:16:54:10 - 00:16:58:18but this can definitely apply virtually to Absolutely for sure.
00:16:58:21 - 00:17:02:13I mean, I think gift cards, just DoorDash and something to their door,
00:17:02:15 - 00:17:03:18There's a lot of there's
00:17:03:18 - 00:17:07:14a lot of creative things out there that companies are doing, for sure.
00:17:07:16 - 00:17:08:07Yeah.
00:17:08:07 - 00:17:09:22So next step here now
00:17:09:22 - 00:17:13:15we talk about recruiting interns, kind of whole planning process.
00:17:13:17 - 00:17:17:11So let's say your internship program is established.
00:17:17:13 - 00:17:21:21How would you really ensure its sustainability and what strategies
00:17:21:24 - 00:17:25:01would you employ for the continuous improvement
00:17:25:01 - 00:17:29:09based on feedback and just industry trends?
00:17:29:11 - 00:17:31:04Yeah, I mean, I always saw companies
00:17:31:04 - 00:17:33:15like don't be afraid to just ask your interns
00:17:33:15 - 00:17:35:14what they're thinking and ask for feedback.
00:17:35:14 - 00:17:36:23You know,
00:17:36:23 - 00:17:41:16I think some interns are more comfortable than others about giving their feedback,
00:17:41:16 - 00:17:45:17but I think, you know, even just a full survey every week
00:17:45:17 - 00:17:49:14or every other week, whether it comes from HR Or the hiring manager,
00:17:49:16 - 00:17:51:19just giving them an opportunity to share
00:17:51:19 - 00:17:54:19what's on their mind and what recommendations they have.
00:17:54:20 - 00:17:58:24We see a lot of companies that typically do you know what is known
00:17:58:24 - 00:18:01:19as an exit interview where they're just asking for feedback
00:18:01:19 - 00:18:05:13and the amount of times companies say like, wow, that was such a simple thing.
00:18:05:13 - 00:18:07:22We could have implemented that if we knew.
00:18:07:22 - 00:18:12:08So we're even seeing companies that are doing poll surveys like I
00:18:12:08 - 00:18:17:04mentioned, or a couple of weeks in, like how was your first month on the job?
00:18:17:04 - 00:18:21:08Is there anything else we can do to support you in For the most part, and
00:18:21:08 - 00:18:25:03HR Has reported, at least from the groups that i've talked with,
00:18:25:05 - 00:18:27:12they're getting really good feedback from their interns,
00:18:27:12 - 00:18:29:19and they're like some of the things are so small
00:18:29:19 - 00:18:32:15that we can just implement right away, and some of them are bigger picture
00:18:32:15 - 00:18:35:15that we can take, you know, in a white company. Why?
00:18:35:15 - 00:18:39:03And so I got to just talk to them, see how they're doing, and give them
00:18:39:09 - 00:18:43:12an opportunity in a safe space to have those conversations.
00:18:43:14 - 00:18:45:15I would also just say,
00:18:45:15 - 00:18:48:15talking to other companies and reading more on best practices
00:18:48:15 - 00:18:50:15about what other companies are doing,
00:18:50:15 - 00:18:52:10there's a lot of great information out there.
00:18:52:10 - 00:18:57:11You know, of course, we have our roundtables and internships
00:18:57:11 - 00:19:00:21typically come up in a lot of the different roundtables.
00:19:00:21 - 00:19:02:09So just being able to hear
00:19:02:09 - 00:19:06:02what cool things other companies are doing are a great way to benchmark,
00:19:06:04 - 00:19:09:03you know, what your program looks like and what you're providing to your interns
00:19:09:03 - 00:19:10:00and even just spark
00:19:10:00 - 00:19:14:16some additional ideas and, you know, help bounce ideas off of each other as well.
00:19:14:18 - 00:19:16:00Yeah, for sure.
00:19:16:00 - 00:19:19:15So we've talked about the importance of continuous
00:19:19:15 - 00:19:22:22learning and skill development with interns.
00:19:22:24 - 00:19:25:14So how do you really foster a culture
00:19:25:14 - 00:19:30:19of that continuous learning with your internship programs?
00:19:30:21 - 00:19:34:08And I guess how do you kind of encourage interns
00:19:34:08 - 00:19:41:21to stay updated on industry trends and kind of want to acquire new skills?
00:19:41:23 - 00:19:45:24Yeah, You know, when you sent this to me in advance, I was looking through this
00:19:45:24 - 00:19:51:19and I was thinking a lot of a lot of the term culture of continuous
00:19:51:22 - 00:19:56:09learning and continuous professional development mindset.
00:19:56:11 - 00:19:59:19And at first when I started reading the question, I was like,
00:19:59:21 - 00:20:04:07I was thinking about it from a manager and culture standpoint beyond the intern.
00:20:04:07 - 00:20:08:07And I think, well, we hear from companies and managers is they learn so much
00:20:08:07 - 00:20:11:12and get a whole different perspective by bringing in the interns.
00:20:11:14 - 00:20:12:18So part of that is like when you're
00:20:12:18 - 00:20:15:04building the intern program from the beginning,
00:20:15:04 - 00:20:18:10you're setting expectations of your company and your culture of we're
00:20:18:10 - 00:20:22:15bringing these interns in to do real work, make a real impact,
00:20:22:17 - 00:20:25:09and kind of setting that up from the beginning and be open minded.
00:20:25:09 - 00:20:26:13So they're not just here to do
00:20:26:13 - 00:20:30:21some of the dirty work, if you will, and they're really here to make an impact.
00:20:30:21 - 00:20:34:02So I think, you know, the continuous learning goes from both sides.
00:20:34:02 - 00:20:37:15From the intern perspective, I think
00:20:37:17 - 00:20:41:05we see so many interns, almost all of them that we see
00:20:41:05 - 00:20:45:11already come in with just a hunger to learn and absorb so much.
00:20:45:11 - 00:20:49:20I think you're you're lucky with that demographic of people and interns
00:20:49:20 - 00:20:53:08because they just naturally are here to learn as much as they can.
00:20:53:13 - 00:20:54:24They're excited to learn and they're excited
00:20:54:24 - 00:20:57:14to grow in their career and they want to do whatever they can.
00:20:57:14 - 00:20:59:23You know, again, I think part of it
00:20:59:23 - 00:21:03:14even can go back to their job description or job expectations of
00:21:03:18 - 00:21:06:14what is your professional development, How are you going to learn this?
00:21:06:14 - 00:21:08:07And even having maybe
00:21:08:07 - 00:21:13:24an individual development plan for them and learn it, you know, part of it being a
00:21:14:01 - 00:21:17:08an opportunity for them to learn industry standards, maybe some job shadow,
00:21:17:08 - 00:21:18:09some of that type of stuff.
00:21:18:09 - 00:21:21:16But then also some of those are skills that they can take no matter what role
00:21:21:16 - 00:21:23:21they have in their career
00:21:23:23 - 00:21:24:22communication.
00:21:24:22 - 00:21:28:06You know, all those leadership skills change management, all of that is all
00:21:28:08 - 00:21:32:02good and things that they can put on their resume.
00:21:32:04 - 00:21:36:14I also recommend talking about it in your one on one conversations with managers.
00:21:36:14 - 00:21:39:14And it doesn't have to be every single day.
00:21:39:14 - 00:21:42:16But I think, you know, when I was an intern again, this is a while ago,
00:21:42:21 - 00:21:46:19but I think you're doing projects that might feel mundane to you
00:21:46:21 - 00:21:50:16and you don't necessarily even realize the impact that you're having.
00:21:50:18 - 00:21:55:12And like I remember when I was talking to one of my managers in
00:21:55:14 - 00:22:00:10a previous internship and they were like, my gosh, like you did a great job
00:22:00:12 - 00:22:04:08with this project management, like project management to your skill set
00:22:04:08 - 00:22:07:02and add that to your resume. And I was like, Project management.
00:22:07:02 - 00:22:10:14Like, all I did was schedule some meetings and take some notes or whatever,
00:22:10:16 - 00:22:12:07and they were like, No, you did way more than that.
00:22:12:07 - 00:22:16:10But even just being able to explain the impact that the interns are having,
00:22:16:10 - 00:22:19:05and I feel like I don't know if you can speak on experience,
00:22:19:05 - 00:22:22:23but I feel like interns don't always realize, like they just feel like
00:22:22:23 - 00:22:24:24they're doing a small project and then it's like,
00:22:24:24 - 00:22:28:10No, this was actually huge and this is what I did and X, Y and Z,
00:22:28:10 - 00:22:30:13and these are the skills that you learn from it.
00:22:30:13 - 00:22:33:00So we can talk about feedback in a minute.
00:22:33:00 - 00:22:36:12But as far as you know, having those conversations and helping
00:22:36:12 - 00:22:40:08them understand what they've done and the skills they have is huge.
00:22:40:10 - 00:22:42:09Yeah, I going off of that.
00:22:42:09 - 00:22:48:15I was recently reading an article, a LinkedIn article on 2024
00:22:48:17 - 00:22:52:21internship trends, and one of them was
00:22:52:23 - 00:22:58:03something like Prioritize skill development over traditional work.
00:22:58:05 - 00:23:02:18And I think we've emphasized that a lot here on the skill development.
00:23:02:18 - 00:23:05:24And it doesn't mean interns can't do traditional work
00:23:05:24 - 00:23:11:00like the hands on kind of mundane stuff like you were saying.
00:23:11:02 - 00:23:14:13But it's really like talking about what skills they're developing
00:23:14:13 - 00:23:19:17and what skills you as an employer want them to develop so that they succeed
00:23:19:17 - 00:23:23:07in an internship and kind of growing into their career path.
00:23:23:07 - 00:23:26:20So just kind of goes to show the importance.
00:23:26:20 - 00:23:29:01It's on 2024 internship trends.
00:23:29:01 - 00:23:32:13So yeah, if I were to ask skill development
00:23:32:13 - 00:23:35:23in your interns, for sure.
00:23:36:00 - 00:23:38:10So kind of going off,
00:23:38:10 - 00:23:43:05I know you said that interns are usually they have that hunger
00:23:43:05 - 00:23:47:05to develop new skills and to do great work.
00:23:47:07 - 00:23:49:22What other qualities and skills
00:23:49:22 - 00:23:53:11should leaders really help develop in their interns?
00:23:53:13 - 00:23:57:22Yeah, you know, I think now that this is necessarily a skill,
00:23:57:22 - 00:24:03:07but helping them understand, even just like workplace one on one and
00:24:03:09 - 00:24:05:20terminology and just like
00:24:05:20 - 00:24:09:02business lines, I just, I think sometimes we all are like,
00:24:09:06 - 00:24:10:11yeah, we all know what this means,
00:24:10:11 - 00:24:14:05like end of day and the business day, even just things like that.
00:24:14:07 - 00:24:19:08But as far as skills, we've seen a lot of emphasis
00:24:19:08 - 00:24:23:13on communication and I think that goes just beyond interns as well.
00:24:23:13 - 00:24:27:21In a hybrid remote workplace where people are working in different time
00:24:27:21 - 00:24:30:21zones and all of that, I think communicate and even just different generations.
00:24:30:21 - 00:24:35:04We've seen a lot of conversation about what does good communication look like.
00:24:35:04 - 00:24:37:19And so I think that's a big one.
00:24:37:19 - 00:24:42:03I think bringing ideas to management is a big one.
00:24:42:05 - 00:24:45:08I think interns have a lot of great ideas,
00:24:45:08 - 00:24:49:19and I think what we've seen over the years as interns
00:24:49:21 - 00:24:52:22are finding the balance of I'm trying to make an impact
00:24:52:22 - 00:24:56:06and a name for myself and showing the great ideas I have.
00:24:56:08 - 00:24:59:18But also I don't want to overstep and talk in meetings,
00:24:59:23 - 00:25:03:02you know, that I was invited to to listen and learn
00:25:03:02 - 00:25:06:06and like, where am I allowed to speak up and where am I not?
00:25:06:06 - 00:25:09:18Or and whether they call it imposter syndrome, where you're like,
00:25:09:18 - 00:25:12:02I don't know if my idea is good enough and am I really willing
00:25:12:02 - 00:25:13:24to speak up in front of a whole group of people?
00:25:13:24 - 00:25:17:21And so I think kind of helping balance and navigate some of that stuff
00:25:17:21 - 00:25:22:08and helping build some of that confidence is huge for them.
00:25:22:14 - 00:25:27:01We've seen an emphasis on problem solving project management.
00:25:27:01 - 00:25:29:20Some of that
00:25:29:22 - 00:25:30:24is really big too.
00:25:30:24 - 00:25:36:20So I think all of the skills that you're developing in your employees and
00:25:36:22 - 00:25:40:22your leaders, I think that really they're just trying to learn and grow.
00:25:40:24 - 00:25:45:21So however you can help them in that way and really understand what they're good at
00:25:45:21 - 00:25:46:15and what other skills
00:25:46:15 - 00:25:50:20they need to continue to develop is just a conversation worth having.
00:25:50:20 - 00:25:53:04And the ones that interns are really open to.
00:25:53:04 - 00:25:57:24And they I mean, I think we see this in all shapes of business, of people.
00:25:57:24 - 00:26:01:01People like to learn about themselves and talk about their experiences
00:26:01:01 - 00:26:05:19and whatever you can do to help them learn and grow is a big piece of it.
00:26:05:21 - 00:26:07:05Absolutely.
00:26:07:05 - 00:26:12:16And for interns, I would always go back to that quote,
00:26:12:18 - 00:26:16:03higher character train skill.
00:26:16:05 - 00:26:20:05Just I don't know, I think it's a good reminder that
00:26:20:07 - 00:26:25:17when you're hiring an intern, they might not have all of the skills that
00:26:25:19 - 00:26:28:12you may want them to have at the end of the internship, or
00:26:28:12 - 00:26:34:18they might not have all of the knowledge coming into it because it probably is
00:26:34:20 - 00:26:38:05one of their first really
00:26:38:07 - 00:26:39:18first jobs.
00:26:39:18 - 00:26:42:23So I think that code, your character
00:26:43:00 - 00:26:47:04train for Skill, is just always a good reminder too,
00:26:47:06 - 00:26:51:12because you can train for skill and so like that.
00:26:51:14 - 00:26:54:14So going on here, in what ways does
00:26:54:15 - 00:26:58:12your organization support interns in building professional networks
00:26:58:12 - 00:27:03:15and how does really networking contribute to development as emerging leaders?
00:27:03:17 - 00:27:05:12Networking is huge.
00:27:05:12 - 00:27:05:24Yeah.
00:27:05:24 - 00:27:07:11I mean, I think there's a lot of ways
00:27:07:11 - 00:27:11:19that organizations can support professional development for interns.
00:27:11:19 - 00:27:12:00You know,
00:27:12:00 - 00:27:15:22I think there is the traditional trainings in the classroom that can be done.
00:27:15:22 - 00:27:21:08There's a lot of great modules online that companies can use, you know,
00:27:21:09 - 00:27:23:01LinkedIn, Learning's, all of that great stuff.
00:27:23:01 - 00:27:24:16Of course, memory has training as well.
00:27:24:16 - 00:27:28:14But I also think, you know, when I look back
00:27:28:14 - 00:27:31:14at my professional development and my growth over my career,
00:27:31:20 - 00:27:35:17I think a lot of the most influential pieces that have helped me grow
00:27:35:19 - 00:27:40:06are being part of organizational projects, working with cross-functional teams,
00:27:40:06 - 00:27:44:00working with people that are different than myself and think differently.
00:27:44:00 - 00:27:47:20And then eventually growing into leading some of those projects.
00:27:47:20 - 00:27:52:06So what what projects can interns lead that maybe, maybe they
00:27:52:06 - 00:27:54:24not on your to do list for a while and you just haven't gotten to it.
00:27:54:24 - 00:28:00:01So any start with anything that they do is better than not doing it at all.
00:28:00:03 - 00:28:05:05So I think some of that project work, job shadowing,
00:28:05:07 - 00:28:09:18being able to just network and learn from other professionals is huge.
00:28:09:18 - 00:28:14:19We offer an intern leadership program at Emory for our members
00:28:14:19 - 00:28:20:02and we really focus on that professional development and networking because it
00:28:20:04 - 00:28:23:17it really helps them learn from other people,
00:28:23:17 - 00:28:27:12learn about different industries, learn about business as a whole, and learn
00:28:27:12 - 00:28:32:01with other learn from other leaders around the entire country.
00:28:32:01 - 00:28:35:07And just I think for the interns, some of their biggest takeaways
00:28:35:07 - 00:28:40:08is just hearing the journey that leaders have gone on to get to where they are.
00:28:40:08 - 00:28:48:01And I think by the end of the summer, they truly realized that most leadership,
00:28:48:03 - 00:28:50:17I guess, journeys are not linear.
00:28:50:17 - 00:28:53:10It's not it's not a ladder. You don't just go straight up.
00:28:53:10 - 00:28:56:10But there's a lot of you know, I think it's so funny
00:28:56:10 - 00:28:59:10when we do the CEO panels, it's like half of them
00:28:59:16 - 00:29:04:07started in a completely different field or industry than where they got to today.
00:29:04:07 - 00:29:06:10And I think that's really promising for interns.
00:29:06:10 - 00:29:09:10And I think it just really helps them relate and see
00:29:09:15 - 00:29:11:24almost inspire them as well.
00:29:11:24 - 00:29:14:24Yeah, I think just going off the networking pieces,
00:29:15:03 - 00:29:17:02when people network correctly,
00:29:17:02 - 00:29:20:22they really get further in their career.
00:29:20:24 - 00:29:22:20And again, it's that inspiration.
00:29:22:20 - 00:29:24:17But then what are you doing to make that impression
00:29:24:17 - 00:29:29:24after and connect with them and our burgeoning team earlier today?
00:29:29:24 - 00:29:34:00And they always say they're like most people, after your first job,
00:29:34:00 - 00:29:35:24you're going to get most of your jobs after that.
00:29:35:24 - 00:29:38:16By who you know and who you've networked with.
00:29:38:16 - 00:29:39:24And, you know,
00:29:39:24 - 00:29:43:05we do stuff during our internship program to help them, you know,
00:29:43:05 - 00:29:46:17just even build up their LinkedIn resume, their LinkedIn profile, I'm sorry.
00:29:46:20 - 00:29:50:13And just so they can connect with people that they meet throughout the summer.
00:29:50:13 - 00:29:53:15And, you know, and ten years from now, it might be like, my gosh.
00:29:53:15 - 00:29:58:11So if you bowlers connect into this person, like, how can I reach out?
00:29:58:11 - 00:30:02:01So it's just it's just crazy how how small of a world it is.
00:30:02:01 - 00:30:06:21So I think the professional development and networking is huge for interns
00:30:06:21 - 00:30:10:14and I think any audience that HR And the hiring managers
00:30:10:14 - 00:30:14:23can do to help them with that is is super appreciated by the interns,
00:30:14:23 - 00:30:18:00especially with the mentorship more
00:30:18:00 - 00:30:21:08so than ever, especially in a hybrid world.
00:30:21:10 - 00:30:24:21We hear from interns asking how do i find a mentor
00:30:24:23 - 00:30:29:13that can help me grow and, you know, say my name in a room full of opportunities.
00:30:29:13 - 00:30:33:06And I always love that quote about mentors, but that's not necessarily
00:30:33:06 - 00:30:34:09always your manager.
00:30:34:09 - 00:30:38:05And in such a short period of time, how do I get an actual mentor
00:30:38:05 - 00:30:40:16that can see my skill set and help me grow in my career?
00:30:40:16 - 00:30:44:09And I think just networking is a piece of it.
00:30:44:11 - 00:30:45:05Absolutely.
00:30:45:05 - 00:30:49:04And you talked about our MRA's intern leadership program
00:30:49:04 - 00:30:53:04and being able to network with leaders and ceos.
00:30:53:04 - 00:30:57:09HR Professionals and young professionals too.
00:30:57:11 - 00:31:00:16But also coming from an intern perspective,
00:31:00:18 - 00:31:03:17that program is so beneficial in the way
00:31:03:17 - 00:31:06:17that you're also networking with
00:31:06:18 - 00:31:13:0080 to over 100 other interns who are practically in the same boat as you.
00:31:13:00 - 00:31:18:06So that just that's a whole other benefit that we could talk about
00:31:18:06 - 00:31:22:23for an hour having 82
00:31:22:23 - 00:31:26:13over 100 people that you can talk to every day,
00:31:26:13 - 00:31:31:16kind of see what they're going through, ask them questions
00:31:31:18 - 00:31:32:18and they can.
00:31:32:18 - 00:31:35:13I know I'm so connected with interns
00:31:35:13 - 00:31:38:21from a couple of years ago, and I don't know.
00:31:38:21 - 00:31:43:01I've really appreciated that from the intern program.
00:31:43:03 - 00:31:43:21Yeah, because
00:31:43:21 - 00:31:47:00networking connections, even for my internships too.
00:31:47:00 - 00:31:52:04It's yeah, I still talk to some of them, the friendships and future,
00:31:52:06 - 00:31:54:22maybe even colleagues again, and networking connections.
00:31:54:22 - 00:32:00:03Yeah, Well, and it's just interesting to see what they're up to because
00:32:00:05 - 00:32:03:13you might have two completely different roles at different organizations.
00:32:03:13 - 00:32:05:19But it's interesting to be like, Hey, what are you doing this week?
00:32:05:19 - 00:32:07:12What are you working on this week?
00:32:07:12 - 00:32:09:00that's cool. I'm working on that.
00:32:09:00 - 00:32:11:20So you can kind of connect that way too, which is awesome.
00:32:11:20 - 00:32:14:02Even just brand awareness from company to company.
00:32:14:02 - 00:32:16:21Yeah, definitely.
00:32:16:21 - 00:32:19:13And we talked a little bit about mentorships,
00:32:19:13 - 00:32:24:13but is there any other mentor kind of pieces of advice that you want
00:32:24:13 - 00:32:31:00to give in how that kind of ropes into the success of an internship program?
00:32:31:02 - 00:32:34:04Yeah, I think just really highlighting
00:32:34:06 - 00:32:38:11that mentorship, that question about how you can find a mentor
00:32:38:11 - 00:32:40:05that's right for you and how to find a mentor
00:32:40:05 - 00:32:44:09that's not your manager at your company during an internship came up so many times
00:32:44:09 - 00:32:45:05last year.
00:32:45:05 - 00:32:50:24So if you can go in to an internship program, say to the intern or interns,
00:32:51:01 - 00:32:53:23we have a dedicated mentor to you.
00:32:53:23 - 00:32:55:23I think that will be huge.
00:32:55:23 - 00:32:59:21And I think even part of it again goes up with the manager,
00:32:59:23 - 00:33:03:03you know, having the tools to be successful until you this intern,
00:33:03:09 - 00:33:04:18I think same with the mentors.
00:33:04:18 - 00:33:06:12If you can provide them with
00:33:06:12 - 00:33:10:10maybe some training and some guidance and maybe even like a coaching certificate
00:33:10:10 - 00:33:14:20or what their expectations are and how they can help interns.
00:33:14:20 - 00:33:16:06I think
00:33:16:08 - 00:33:19:08having that common
00:33:19:08 - 00:33:22:06playing ground, I guess for mentors would be huge
00:33:22:06 - 00:33:24:23and they can really help the interns be successful.
00:33:24:23 - 00:33:27:24And I think that's just another really close networking connection
00:33:27:24 - 00:33:31:08that the interns will walk away with throughout the summer.
00:33:31:08 - 00:33:36:15So but I would also be strategic and you know who you choose as a mentor.
00:33:36:17 - 00:33:39:18But we have seen some companies that have used some emerging leaders
00:33:39:18 - 00:33:43:12and some young professionals that are looking to grow their leadership skills
00:33:43:14 - 00:33:46:10who maybe aren't quite ready to be a supervisor or manager yet.
00:33:46:10 - 00:33:51:12But this is a great way to kind of mentor and coach and grow your own skills.
00:33:51:12 - 00:33:55:24So just think about that with your own emerging leaders within your organization
00:33:56:01 - 00:33:57:04for sure.
00:33:57:04 - 00:34:00:12Well, do you have any examples of talking
00:34:00:12 - 00:34:04:21about more projects and more hands on work now?
00:34:04:23 - 00:34:07:13any examples of projects or initiatives
00:34:07:13 - 00:34:11:10that are designed to kind of challenge interns
00:34:11:10 - 00:34:15:05or any of those like structured projects that you would recommend
00:34:15:07 - 00:34:20:01giving to interns to let them showcase their leadership potential?
00:34:20:03 - 00:34:22:23Yeah, I honestly, I'd have to look at a list
00:34:22:23 - 00:34:25:18because I, I always every summer I'm like, Wow,
00:34:25:18 - 00:34:29:17that is such a great search project for interns and
00:34:29:19 - 00:34:31:20but I'll just share a couple off the top of my head.
00:34:31:20 - 00:34:36:23I think directly from the HR Perspective, those that have had HR Interns
00:34:36:23 - 00:34:42:11will do like exit interviews and they'll do
00:34:42:13 - 00:34:46:07like they'll develop a whole structured program about an intern program.
00:34:46:07 - 00:34:49:17They can even build out the mentorship program.
00:34:49:19 - 00:34:53:12And just generally speaking, I think look at your own to do list
00:34:53:12 - 00:34:56:12and see, like, what projects are like strategic initiatives.
00:34:56:15 - 00:34:59:12Have you been thinking about a know your team needs to get to
00:34:59:12 - 00:35:02:13that you really haven't had time for and let them run with it?
00:35:02:13 - 00:35:06:12Like I said, it's if it's just sitting on your desk, it's not going anywhere.
00:35:06:12 - 00:35:09:22So you at least have some momentum to keep it moving forward
00:35:09:22 - 00:35:14:14and having someone bring fresh ideas and perspectives to it.
00:35:14:16 - 00:35:15:00I saw
00:35:15:00 - 00:35:18:21one company that knew they needed to implement
00:35:18:21 - 00:35:22:22a strategy within their organization and there they were.
00:35:22:22 - 00:35:24:21They had a smaller internship program.
00:35:24:21 - 00:35:26:15I think they had four or five interns.
00:35:26:15 - 00:35:30:03I don't recall off the top of my head, but they had that group of interns work
00:35:30:03 - 00:35:34:05together to build a new strategy internally at their organization,
00:35:34:07 - 00:35:38:18including which included obviously some research, but also understanding
00:35:38:18 - 00:35:42:03like what an employee resource group looks like, how we get one started,
00:35:42:03 - 00:35:45:03who is going to lead that, what is the communication look like?
00:35:45:05 - 00:35:48:23And they built out a whole new program for their organization
00:35:49:00 - 00:35:52:01and then they presented it to their executive team.
00:35:52:01 - 00:35:55:04So all of their CEO and all their senior leadership
00:35:55:04 - 00:35:58:10and they were able to go forward and start to implement this.
00:35:58:10 - 00:36:01:06So just a huge
00:36:01:08 - 00:36:03:21kudos to them for doing that and running with that.
00:36:03:21 - 00:36:05:06That's not an easy task.
00:36:05:06 - 00:36:06:11And obviously they had guidance
00:36:06:11 - 00:36:10:07along the way, but I think that's a great project to show.
00:36:10:09 - 00:36:15:06And then actually had there was one I'm picturing
00:36:15:06 - 00:36:19:06that they documented all of their standard operating procedures
00:36:19:08 - 00:36:23:14and then along the way they were asked to one, you have to document it,
00:36:23:14 - 00:36:27:09but then to come back with recommendations for efficiencies in the process
00:36:27:09 - 00:36:32:10and a lot of times even documenting it, that's really curious.
00:36:32:10 - 00:36:35:16Wanting to learn interns is asking why, like why do we do it this way
00:36:35:16 - 00:36:39:11and not in a negative way, but just like they were curious and then,
00:36:39:13 - 00:36:44:17you know, if you as a manager or whoever is doing the teaching,
00:36:44:19 - 00:36:48:20isn't able to answer that, why I think it's a good, you know, sign.
00:36:48:20 - 00:36:51:12Maybe we need to look at our process and think of some other way.
00:36:51:12 - 00:36:54:02And so I think even just being able to showcase
00:36:54:02 - 00:36:57:21the efficiencies that have been put on because of someone just documenting
00:36:57:21 - 00:37:01:07standard operating procedures is another really cool project.
00:37:01:07 - 00:37:03:02So those are a few off the top of my head.
00:37:03:02 - 00:37:07:02But again, I would take a look at your own task lesson and see
00:37:07:08 - 00:37:12:10what what you're hoping to get done and let them run with it.
00:37:12:12 - 00:37:15:00Yeah, and I think another
00:37:15:00 - 00:37:18:08great big project or kind of stretch project
00:37:18:08 - 00:37:23:01that any company can do at any internship too, would just be looking
00:37:23:01 - 00:37:26:06at your own company from an audit perspective,
00:37:26:07 - 00:37:29:07like auditing the website or doing an
00:37:29:07 - 00:37:32:13in the analysis of the website or for example,
00:37:32:13 - 00:37:35:19I know I did a competitive analysis when I was an intern,
00:37:35:19 - 00:37:40:02which was a big project, but it was, I think, a great opportunity
00:37:40:02 - 00:37:44:12and a good big project to work on throughout the summer too.
00:37:44:14 - 00:37:47:09Also gave me a chance to work with some great leaders
00:37:47:09 - 00:37:51:13and kind of show it off to our executive team to.
00:37:51:15 - 00:37:56:00So yeah, I would, I would say that that's an easy project,
00:37:56:00 - 00:37:59:19but it's something that all companies can do and something
00:37:59:19 - 00:38:05:07that can improve your website, improve your organization as a whole.
00:38:05:09 - 00:38:07:02So we talked
00:38:07:02 - 00:38:11:00about kind of performance management a little bit, but
00:38:11:02 - 00:38:15:06how do you what are some ways to assess the performance of interns
00:38:15:06 - 00:38:19:10during and at the end of the program
00:38:19:12 - 00:38:23:01and what mechanisms do you have in place for providing
00:38:23:01 - 00:38:27:09that constructive feedback to help them grow?
00:38:27:11 - 00:38:29:20Yeah, I think feedback is so important
00:38:29:20 - 00:38:33:13and that's something that we really hear from interns of.
00:38:33:15 - 00:38:39:00I think again, this goes to does your manager know how to manage interns?
00:38:39:00 - 00:38:43:14But feedback is something we hear and managers typically are like, well,
00:38:43:19 - 00:38:45:21if they're not hearing from me, they're doing a good job.
00:38:45:21 - 00:38:49:02And we have weekly check ins and, you know, we just kind of talk
00:38:49:02 - 00:38:51:18through their projects and any challenges they have.
00:38:51:18 - 00:38:57:06But I think interns want to know honestly, daily and speak to this
00:38:57:06 - 00:39:00:04from your own experience, what like are they on the right track?
00:39:00:04 - 00:39:03:20Are they doing a good job, really doing a bad job and tell them right away?
00:39:03:20 - 00:39:05:05I think,
00:39:05:07 - 00:39:07:19you know, people don't want to hear this, but I would honestly
00:39:07:19 - 00:39:10:19check in with your interns at least once a day, if not more than that.
00:39:10:24 - 00:39:14:13I think, you know, a week, a lot of things happen in a week.
00:39:14:13 - 00:39:15:21And especially,
00:39:15:21 - 00:39:19:11you know, if you look at like a ten week internship program that's like ten times
00:39:19:11 - 00:39:20:11you're meeting with your intern
00:39:20:11 - 00:39:22:13and think about how much they're doing in a day,
00:39:22:13 - 00:39:24:13how many people they're trying to interact with.
00:39:24:13 - 00:39:27:06We hear interns are
00:39:27:06 - 00:39:29:22not always, but sometimes they don't like to be bored.
00:39:29:22 - 00:39:35:03So if you're only meeting with them once a week, how are they feeling?
00:39:35:03 - 00:39:36:2340 hours of their work week?
00:39:36:23 - 00:39:41:24Are they truly busy and gaining knowledge and skills?
00:39:41:24 - 00:39:47:05Every all of the all of the week and having those great experiences. So
00:39:47:07 - 00:39:49:20I know managers sometimes are like,
00:39:49:20 - 00:39:52:20I don't want to tell them they're doing a good job for just doing their job,
00:39:53:01 - 00:39:55:14but I think if they're not hearing anything,
00:39:55:14 - 00:39:57:22they really just don't know where they stand.
00:39:57:22 - 00:40:00:18So I recommend talking to them every day.
00:40:00:18 - 00:40:01:17And I know.
00:40:01:17 - 00:40:05:21So my favorite example from you was like, Well, give me something negative.
00:40:05:21 - 00:40:09:07It's always so positive and it's like, Wow, you're doing a great job.
00:40:09:07 - 00:40:12:05And it's like, there's got to be something I can improve on.
00:40:12:05 - 00:40:14:03And you're not the only intern that has said that.
00:40:14:03 - 00:40:17:23And I completely agree that even though you are doing
00:40:17:23 - 00:40:22:18a great job, are there even skills that maybe like
00:40:22:20 - 00:40:25:18that aren't being shown in this project, but maybe in other projects
00:40:25:18 - 00:40:26:15that I could develop?
00:40:26:15 - 00:40:28:07So I think being very specific
00:40:28:07 - 00:40:31:14in that feedback and very intentional is very important.
00:40:31:16 - 00:40:32:10Absolutely.
00:40:32:10 - 00:40:35:18And to piggyback off that, I would say something
00:40:35:18 - 00:40:39:13that I love that you did when I was an intern.
00:40:39:15 - 00:40:43:05You mentioned interns don't like being bored and that's very true
00:40:43:05 - 00:40:45:15because that can make or break an internship.
00:40:45:15 - 00:40:48:21I think in what you did that really helped
00:40:48:21 - 00:40:53:07was checking in each day, like how was your workload going?
00:40:53:07 - 00:40:55:02Do you need some more projects?
00:40:55:02 - 00:40:57:03Do you want to sit in on this meeting?
00:40:57:03 - 00:41:01:05So it's like always giving me an opportunity to be doing something
00:41:01:05 - 00:41:02:19new each and every day.
00:41:02:19 - 00:41:06:12So I think, like you said, that communication with an intern
00:41:06:12 - 00:41:11:08is vital for an internship program to really succeed
00:41:11:10 - 00:41:18:10and to make sure that your intern is enjoying the work that they're doing
00:41:18:12 - 00:41:20:02and that they have an opportunity to,
00:41:20:02 - 00:41:23:21like, openly communicate, communicate that with their manager.
00:41:23:21 - 00:41:29:01If they aren't filling their 40 hours a week or have finished a project
00:41:29:01 - 00:41:33:12and don't know what to do after that, well, it also helps just reprioritize.
00:41:33:12 - 00:41:36:18I think I chuckle and this is not the best way to do it,
00:41:36:24 - 00:41:38:21but we gave you like five pages of projects
00:41:38:21 - 00:41:42:18that we want you to work on throughout the summer and I don't.
00:41:42:20 - 00:41:45:21And in the best way possible, I don't think I think you go through
00:41:45:21 - 00:41:48:21one page or whatever, because so many other things came up
00:41:48:22 - 00:41:53:03throughout the summer that it was kind of like if we came to you in the morning
00:41:53:03 - 00:41:56:20and we were like, Hey, we have this cool project, and you were like,
00:41:56:22 - 00:41:58:09but I'm working on X, Y and Z.
00:41:58:09 - 00:41:59:07We could be like,
00:41:59:07 - 00:42:03:12yeah, I finish, I X, don't worry about Y, and then Z can wait till next week.
00:42:03:14 - 00:42:04:22But it was able to have us
00:42:04:22 - 00:42:09:03give us a chance to really learn what you like if you new opportunities,
00:42:09:03 - 00:42:14:14but also just to prioritize who you aren't just taking on things without
00:42:14:16 - 00:42:15:00feeling
00:42:15:00 - 00:42:18:00like you had the bandwidth to do it all and be successful.
00:42:18:00 - 00:42:20:02Yeah, I'm definitely not.
00:42:20:02 - 00:42:22:20That will just give you another project management skill.
00:42:22:20 - 00:42:24:12All right, There you go.
00:42:24:12 - 00:42:29:19But just as we wrap up your career, any any lasting thoughts
00:42:29:19 - 00:42:30:15that you want to share?
00:42:30:15 - 00:42:33:10Actually, I'm going to turn it back to you.
00:42:33:10 - 00:42:35:09Just you know, you've been involved with the intern
00:42:35:09 - 00:42:39:03leadership program for a couple of years and you obviously were an intern and.
00:42:39:03 - 00:42:42:21You still talk with, you know, a couple of interns from previous years.
00:42:42:22 - 00:42:45:22So just anything anytime to you is here to employers
00:42:45:22 - 00:42:53:02or maybe even hiring managers about creating a great memorable experience?
00:42:53:04 - 00:42:58:15I would just say the big takeaway, I think just from today to
00:42:58:16 - 00:43:01:16is that an effective internship
00:43:01:20 - 00:43:05:09benefits both the intern and the organization.
00:43:05:10 - 00:43:08:19I think that's always something to just keep in the back of your head
00:43:08:19 - 00:43:12:11that don't just have an intern to have an intern.
00:43:12:11 - 00:43:16:12Like like bring us back to the first question there.
00:43:16:12 - 00:43:19:18The planning process and the planning stage.
00:43:19:20 - 00:43:23:02And of course, you can add on to this because you were part of that
00:43:23:02 - 00:43:23:24planning stage.
00:43:23:24 - 00:43:27:07But I think that is the most vital
00:43:27:09 - 00:43:32:22step in an internship program is making sure
00:43:32:24 - 00:43:35:23you kind of have your priorities and your goals
00:43:35:23 - 00:43:41:08and just the value of having an intern that you have that confidently set.
00:43:41:10 - 00:43:44:24Well, for an intern comes in and you're not trying to figure out
00:43:45:01 - 00:43:48:06an intern role while they're there.
00:43:48:08 - 00:43:52:09No, I think that's that is absolutely crucial.
00:43:52:09 - 00:43:55:09And I think now that this is like the most important takeaway, but
00:43:55:09 - 00:43:58:15something that hasn't been mentioned yet is really make sure
00:43:58:15 - 00:44:03:03that the interns and all of the candidates that you're interviewing
00:44:03:05 - 00:44:08:01feel like you matter and that you're part of the organization from the beginning.
00:44:08:01 - 00:44:11:24And I think I just remember when we were interviewing candidates
00:44:11:24 - 00:44:13:13from the beginning,
00:44:13:13 - 00:44:13:23you know,
00:44:13:23 - 00:44:17:05I think we always wanted to keep them in the loop of where they were
00:44:17:05 - 00:44:18:12in the hiring process.
00:44:18:12 - 00:44:21:05And I mean, I think we made a decision very quickly.
00:44:21:05 - 00:44:25:11And as soon as we made a decision, we we let everybody know.
00:44:25:11 - 00:44:30:08And, you know, I think even for those that we didn't end up hiring,
00:44:30:10 - 00:44:32:19we still wanted to have a great relationship with them
00:44:32:19 - 00:44:35:07because you never know with opportunities in the future.
00:44:35:07 - 00:44:37:20And we didn't want them to feel like, it's just an intern.
00:44:37:20 - 00:44:39:09We'll get back to them in a couple of weeks.
00:44:39:09 - 00:44:41:22And I think the
00:44:41:24 - 00:44:44:04for us, it was important that everyone knew
00:44:44:04 - 00:44:46:17that this is a critical role in our organization
00:44:46:17 - 00:44:49:05and they are going to make an impact and they're part of our team.
00:44:49:05 - 00:44:52:03So not necessarily that they're just an intern.
00:44:52:03 - 00:44:56:01And I think we tried to treat you like you were part of the team
00:44:56:05 - 00:44:59:04throughout the entire summer and beyond, and obviously you're part of our team now.
00:44:59:04 - 00:45:01:23So it all worked out definitely.
00:45:01:23 - 00:45:05:20And that was actually another 2024 internship
00:45:05:22 - 00:45:08:22trend that I read about was
00:45:09:00 - 00:45:12:21the importance of meaningful work in an internship
00:45:12:21 - 00:45:16:12and just ensuring that your interns
00:45:16:12 - 00:45:21:08can connect to your organization and to the work that they're doing.
00:45:21:08 - 00:45:24:10And it's not just you're doing work to do work.
00:45:24:10 - 00:45:29:19It's like you, your interns need to care about your organization's
00:45:29:19 - 00:45:36:10mission and values and their work's mission and values too. So
00:45:36:12 - 00:45:39:06to get my drop moment there,
00:45:39:06 - 00:45:40:24I love it all.
00:45:40:24 - 00:45:45:01Courtney, thank you again for sharing your expertise with us today.
00:45:45:03 - 00:45:46:13And to our listeners,
00:45:46:13 - 00:45:51:07I would just encourage you to head to Emory net dot org to check out
00:45:51:09 - 00:45:55:17our Emory can help you recruit retain as well
00:45:55:17 - 00:45:59:17as enhance your internship programs if you have an existing one.
00:45:59:17 - 00:46:03:00And then also feel free to reach out to Courtney
00:46:03:00 - 00:46:07:11to choose our manager of our internship leadership program.
00:46:07:11 - 00:46:10:13So we'll include her
00:46:10:13 - 00:46:13:22email down below in her LinkedIn profile if you want to connect with her.
00:46:13:23 - 00:46:17:08But otherwise, I appreciate the chat.
00:46:17:08 - 00:46:17:23Courtney.
00:46:17:23 - 00:46:22:14Thanks again to our listeners and we'll see you next week.
00:46:22:16 - 00:46:23:13Thanks for having me.
00:46:23:13 - 00:46:26:04And that wraps up our content for this episode.
00:46:26:04 - 00:46:27:22Be sure to reference the show notes
00:46:27:22 - 00:46:30:23where you can sign in to connect for more podcast updates,
00:46:30:24 - 00:46:34:17check out other MRA episodes on your favorite podcast platform.
00:46:34:17 - 00:46:38:10And as always, make sure to follow MRA's 30 minutes THRIVE
00:46:38:14 - 00:46:40:20so you don't miss out. Thanks for tuning in
00:46:40:20 - 00:46:44:06and we'll see you next Wednesday to carry on the conversation.
-
Description: Embark on a journey of self-discovery and professional growth, where we unravel the intricacies of modern-day career development and its pivotal role in personal and organizational success.
Resources:
Developing Career Paths Resource
Learning & Development
MRA Membership
About MRA
Let's Connect:
Guest Bio - Amanda Mosteller
Guest LinkedIn Profile - Amanda Mosteller
Host Bio - Sophie Boler
Host LinkedIn Profile - Sophie Boler
Transcript:
Transcripts are computer generated -- not 100% accurate word-for-word.
00:00:00:00 - 00:00:21:04UnknownHello everybody and welcome to 30 minute Thrive, your go to podcast for anything and everything HR, powered by MRA, the Management Association. Looking to stay on top of the ever changing world of HR? MRA has got you covered. We'll be the first to tell you what's hot and what's not. I'm your host, Sophie Boler and we are so glad you're here.
00:00:21:05 - 00:00:44:01UnknownNow it's time to thrive. All right, Well, hi, everybody, and thanks for joining us today. And today's podcast, we're going to be talking about career pathing. And I'm joined by Amanda Mosteller, who is MRA's director of talent development and organizational development. So we really have a true career expert with us today. So I welcome you back, Amanda. You always do such a great job.
00:00:44:01 - 00:01:12:21UnknownSo I'm excited for this topic. Thanks for having me back and I love this topic as well. So, absolutely. And I know I talked a little bit about this before, but I know crew passing is not just for younger emerging leaders who have just started out in the workforce. It's really for everybody. So I guess kind of diving in then what is career path and exactly in why would you say it's important for an organization?
00:01:12:23 - 00:01:54:17UnknownYeah. So career pathing is typically quite what you would think. It would sound like taking a role or a career from entry into the organization and mapping out the path within that career within your organization. Why it's important is because it gives people a roadmap to see where they can go. Whether I'm coming in new to my career, as you were mentioning, or just newer to the organization, I might be popping in mid-level, but just seeing what is the opportunity for me in this role, in this space, in this organization?
00:01:54:17 - 00:02:22:21UnknownWhat does that pathway look like? Is it mapped out? Is it defined? And can somebody walk me through it? Helps initially engage folks in not only their current space, but seeing the potential. I was just talking with my mother the other day about how I had 27 and a half years left before retirement. All right. Almost there. So close.
00:02:22:23 - 00:02:47:03UnknownAnd I said to her, gosh, 27 and a half years, that feels like a long time. And if I thought in our organization, those 27 and a half years are in this role I'm in right now and there's nowhere else to go, no other way to grow my skills or move eventually into other spaces and roles within the organization.
00:02:47:04 - 00:03:19:16UnknownThat really becomes a defeating lot regardless of how much you love an organization. And I love being a part of me very much. But 27 and a half years in one role feels like a long time right? So that's why it's so important, that opportunity to look forward in your future and see evolution for yourself happening within an organization creates that that engagement and that increased retention and that connection to the company.
00:03:19:18 - 00:03:51:10UnknownYeah, for sure. This is something I think Jim Morgan talks about in some of his talent reports. I feel like speaking speaking for like a younger generation employee, surely, like when you're getting a job, like you talk about your current role, but it's like the career path is just as important as like this job that you're getting. So, I don't know, just talking to friends, I know some of them are like, Hey, if they don't kind of map out where I'm going to be in the next couple of years, I'm not interested.
00:03:51:11 - 00:04:24:10UnknownSo I know how important it is now. And I know you'll get to kind of like the evolution of it, how it's changed. But I just I've seen like a very big emphasis on career passing and making sure that employers talk about it right away in the interview process even. That's such a good point. In doing interviews in the past six months, I have noticed an increase in people asking me instead of my saying, Where do you see yourself in the next 3 to 5 years?
00:04:24:10 - 00:04:52:04UnknownThat standard question and most people, if they're any type of practice to interview viewers, they are with your organization. But if I have them turning around asking me what's the growth opportunity for this type of role within your organization and to get to where you're mentioning where we'll go during our conversation today, questions changing around what's the growth opportunity in your department?
00:04:52:06 - 00:05:20:16UnknownThat's not the question as much anymore as what's my growth opportunity in your organization? Meaning your company. So within the company you work for, not just your department. And that's that's telling that people are asking an interviewer is they're asking the hiring manager and they're changing their wording. And that's on purpose again, too. So then can you kind of talk about how career passing has evolved throughout the years?
00:05:20:18 - 00:05:51:21UnknownAnd then why is that evolution really crucial for both employers and employees? Well, get to it like now. So. So traditionally, a career path. As an example for a sales professional, you come into an organization and you might be working foot in the door. Well, at lead generation and lead uncovering and then handing those leads off to a salesperson.
00:05:52:02 - 00:06:14:09UnknownAnd that salesperson might have sales engineers come in depending on what they're selling. Eventually you become a sales manager. There might be an account executive in there where the size of territory or the size of client gets bigger and bigger. So you're getting bigger deals, eventually become a sales manager, then you become the sales director, then you become the sales VP, right?
00:06:14:14 - 00:06:56:06UnknownVery linear career path and that is a defined career path. All within one type of job, role building on one another. That's the traditional career path. How it has evolved is people no longer think of a career path as a linear within this same type of job role. I mentioned that question changing the wording of the question changing, and that's because people are starting to say what skills and abilities can your organization provide me for myself that I can apply as I grow in my career?
00:06:56:08 - 00:07:25:06UnknownPeople we know individuals coming to an organization and staying for 15, 20, 30 years is less and less common. Regardless of how amazing your culture is, regardless of how engaging and supportive and development focused your organization might be. And that's because if I'm sitting and waiting to become that leader or that manager or that next role, that means I'm waiting for somebody else to choose to leave in.
00:07:25:06 - 00:07:55:20UnknownThat can take a very long time, especially the higher up in an organization you go. So people are looking more for what knowledge, skills and abilities can you give me? Not necessarily just in one space, but cross-functionally in your organization? What that means is, as people are asking that question and that question is changing, instead of what is the growth opportunity in your department to what is the growth opportunity in your organization?
00:07:55:22 - 00:08:40:16UnknownI might come in the door as a sales individual and skills that I'm looking for around maintaining multiple projects, time management skills, influencing for others, maybe owning a big opportunity within my organization and getting buy in across all groups. Those are all skills that can translate to any job role. So what I might find as I come in as a lead generation expert in a sales space and within two years I'm moving over to the marketing department because I'm starting to hone what does the buyer look for and how do I communicate that to the buyer effectively?
00:08:40:16 - 00:09:06:18UnknownAnd marketing does a lot of that stuff also. So as I'm honing those skills, an opportunity in marketing is opened up and I might look over there to start building that skill. Now I have uncovering needs and I have really translating to what the buyer is looking for through my marketing expertise and then an opportunity in our bigger project management group opens up some of the skills I've been looking for.
00:09:06:18 - 00:09:49:11UnknownIf I want to become a leader someday does include managing multiple irons in the fire. I need to be able to do that. So I'll move over to that role because now I'm continuing to develop these knowledge, skills and abilities that eventually will get me into leadership positions. Now look at all these different spaces. I've been within one company, so when we talk about creating this modern evolved way of looking at career pathing, talk about engagement and retention, people aren't waiting till the next account executive leaves so that an account manager can become an account executive so that a lead generator could become an account manager.
00:09:49:13 - 00:10:18:18UnknownYou're doing a lot of waiting. That's what you're relying on your organization to do. And so looking at this evolution of career passing instead on where do you want to be in five years? Where do you want to be in ten years? Do you want to move into leadership? What types of skills do you want to grow in an eye as your organization can help identify opportunities for you that leverage those skills and will develop those skills in you?
00:10:18:20 - 00:10:49:14UnknownYou've created a different kind of career path that will really build your bench. I mean, now you have folks really learning all these different areas of your business, creating lots of effective, impactful needed skills as they move up and a well-rounded employee base, of course, THRIVEs a really effective and impactful organization. So what is modern day career path thing?
00:10:49:15 - 00:11:22:04UnknownWhat is it evolve to? Not linear is what you really spiderweb it in a way. And yeah, focusing on transferable skills. Why is it crucial? For the same reasons. Everything else that we talk about in terms of development and culture and building your bench and growth is crucial. It's it's engagement for your employees, which creates high, effective, high, impactful workforces to THRIVE your business's success.
00:11:22:06 - 00:11:47:17UnknownYeah, that's a great point. And I feel like they've even started started the whole career passing thing, even on like when you're an intern, I know some intern programs. It's now not just focused on the type of internship you have. Maybe you're marketing intern, but they're putting you through all different departments so that you can start to see what the organization is as a whole.
00:11:47:17 - 00:12:21:06UnknownAnd then you're also gaining skills from each of those departments. But your focus is a marketing term, but later on, maybe when you're applying for jobs, that's when you can apply what you've learned in the other departments. Kind of like what you said, the universal, universal transferable skills. So that leads me to another question on can you give any examples of how individuals can really assess those skills and interests and even identify them?
00:12:21:06 - 00:12:44:20UnknownHow do they know that? Yeah, So first it takes some self-reflection when you get asked that question of where do you want to be in five years, you better know the answer. Where do you want to be? If the answer is not a people leader, that's important to know because that's a different set of skills that we could develop in somebody that you might not be interested in.
00:12:44:22 - 00:13:14:16UnknownIf it is becoming just the best of the best and in your space, then let's identify what the best of the best looks like when we talk about how can you identify it, how do you know what to work on? There are I think it's a common misnomer that a 360 tool is something that only a leader in a high level leader should go through.
00:13:14:18 - 00:13:40:18UnknownThree sixteens or just one eighties even, but are excellent sources of identifying your hidden strengths, your blind spots and things like that. And then identifying does that apply in the job? Well, I want the job well, I have. I might have a blind spot in an area that I don't need to use right now anyway. And so I'm not going to focus my energy on developing it.
00:13:40:20 - 00:14:09:20UnknownBut to that question of where am I trying to go with my career, I might need it when I try to get to that level. So what do I start developing now? So knowing the answer to the question is number one, knowing that there are tools out there that give you a well-rounded view of just universal competencies. Two, they don't have to be related to a certain type of leadership.
00:14:09:20 - 00:14:42:13UnknownThere are tools out three, six tools out there that that we utilize that could apply just just to an individual. Then the third one is start looking around at your organization, at what roles pique your interest, have conversations with your manager and with your peers around. What about those roles? Pique your interest so that you can start to get a view of what types of skills and activities are enticing to you and engaging to you that you want to learn how to try out.
00:14:42:15 - 00:15:09:03UnknownSo what? What levels and a career do I want to achieve? That's an answer you have to figure out for yourself. It might take some self-reflection and chatting with folks within your organization to see whether that's something of interest, chatting with your folks in your network outside of your current organization to see if that's something of interest. Using some tools that aren't just self reflection.
00:15:09:03 - 00:15:30:10UnknownBecause I love to THRIVE self awareness. Very few of us are just fully self aware in all of our strengths and the way we get self-awareness is by having somebody else give us some feedback. So looking at some tools that are out there for that and then starting to chat about what job roles are interesting to you and why do shadowing.
00:15:30:12 - 00:15:56:24UnknownGo spend a day watching that job role to see if it is interesting it c It might sound cool. We can create some really cool job titles. That doesn't mean the role is as exciting as someone might think. So figuring out what's going on in your organization role wise, asking for opportunities to shadow, and then sitting down with with your manager to say, Here's what really did interest me about that role.
00:15:56:24 - 00:16:21:04UnknownAnd then that can create we can you can start to get an idea of what types of jobs interest you and therefore what skills might be transferable to those jobs within your organization or any organization. And to your point, sometimes it's hard to identify your own skills and maybe you only have a couple that you write down or couple that you're definitely self aware of.
00:16:21:06 - 00:16:41:13UnknownBut or it's like personally help me as to like just taking a step back and asking maybe it's your manager or just a peer at work. Like in some their opinion. I know I've done that before and they're like, Well, you know, you did this project and I think you did a really good job on these things during that project.
00:16:41:13 - 00:17:01:02UnknownMaybe you should start looking at that. So I think just trying to be outside sometimes and getting their perspective helps too, when you're doing some of that stuff. Yeah, it has to be somebody that you would define as like. And I talk to folks about this a lot and I say, Don't let the phrasing throw you off, but a safe person.
00:17:01:02 - 00:17:22:01UnknownAnd what I mean by that is somebody that I think I've talked about this before, but somebody that you're open to their feedback, they will be honest with you, not in a hurtful way. So they're safe from that perspective. They'll be honest with you, but they're also somebody that you value and trust their opinion so you'll be less resistant if you hear something you don't like.
00:17:22:03 - 00:17:43:05UnknownSo who are those people that you could ask how that project went and you'd be open to hearing if they didn't basically just sing your praises and tell you how amazing you are, right? Yeah. Yeah. Well, kind of moving on here. We've talked about this on the podcast, but we also hear it a lot about work life balance.
00:17:43:09 - 00:18:14:01UnknownSo I'm kind of thinking about that. What advice do you have for individuals who are trying to balance their personal life and their professional goals while they're planning their career path? You know, I've I've mentioned up until now about competencies and what are the elements of that role you like and what are things that they're doing. But there are also, depending on where you want your career to go, education requirements, certification requirements.
00:18:14:01 - 00:18:44:18UnknownI mean, if you want to be the best of the best and managing large projects, you probably want to go get your PMP certifications. So what does that look like? So connect your HR Department and and i know we're in HR Organization. And so, of course, amanda's going to say go talk to HR But for real, your HR department as all of these, you know, job descriptions which which they can look at trending lee And they also know, you know, trending.
00:18:44:18 - 00:19:15:16UnknownLee Okay, you're talking about being a people leader one day. Most of the time, people leaders tend to require a certain level of education requirement, not always, but most of the time they'll certainly know in their own organization what's required to see whether you have that. Are there certain certifications that are required? Because if if that's an opportunity for you that you want to this balance, they'll also know what resources are out there to help you start going down that path and how much is too much right away.
00:19:15:18 - 00:19:48:16UnknownSo we have team members that move into the learning and development space. And if you want to be the best of the best in certain things, there are certifications we would encourage you to get. Some of them are quick and easy to do certificates. Some of them are larger, you know, six month to a year and several tests certifications depending on your goals and your aspirations for your career, we might say you should go the certification route.
00:19:48:18 - 00:20:24:10UnknownIt takes a bit longer. Here are several different ways to do that, and we can talk through what makes the most sense and when starting makes the most sense for somebody. So the balance becomes what things outside of shadowing in my organization and talking to mentors and doing some development within my daily work hours, what else is out there and what else might I need to invest my time and energy into to get to the level of what I'm aspiring to get to?
00:20:24:12 - 00:21:00:24UnknownThis to the same word Moore claims in one sentence. But because some of the stuff you just can't do it work, there's just going to be some things that that would be more impactful. A pimp certification, for example, whether you want to be a project manager or not, that teaches you a lot of great organizational and executional structure and how to keep people and a large group on track and how to communicate effectively and what metrics you can utilize to not only measure success but identify budgets.
00:21:00:24 - 00:21:21:17UnknownAnd there's a lot of things that would be transferable to other roles that that certification would teach you. And then going and trying it at an organization. But you can't get that through many of your own internal companies. You have to go somewhere to prep for that and take the test. So there's going to be outside work put into it.
00:21:21:17 - 00:22:18:15UnknownSo it's talk with your HR Department. They know those kinds of things. They have that knowledge. Yeah, absolutely. What we're talking about building your career path. How can individuals really align their personal values with their career choices? And why is that alignment really important for long term satisfaction? This is where i always encourage folks, excuse me, to really lean on their network, whether it is an internal network or their network outside of their organization, because values of time, values of family, values of excitement in travel, the values around what you just are comfortable and not comfortable doing, whether you will ever be the person that does that or not.
00:22:18:17 - 00:22:46:21UnknownThose are things that you really need to understand. Does this industry require that? Does this level of career growth require that? There was for myself, for example, there was a long time where I had a vision of sea level at a high international company that was my I will be that someday I will be a chief learning officer.
00:22:46:23 - 00:23:15:21UnknownI was very adamant that was going to be the end. That's my where I'm trying to get to. And then things in my life changed and I continue to evolve and I said as I started to connect with mentors in the space and those that are at that level, it's a very exciting level. But I started to say, Gosh, you're you're, you're always on an international level that includes travel.
00:23:15:24 - 00:23:34:00UnknownDo I really want to travel? I got to work at an international company and started to recognize I want to be home at my values. You know, I want to be at home at night to help my kids do their schoolwork. I want that on my own. No one's telling me to do that. It's just something I want.
00:23:34:02 - 00:24:03:21UnknownAnd so it really it really made me pause and think. So I think before you start to go down the path of investing your time and your energy and your plans and your excitement into something, really understand the whole of what that role looks like to see if it's what you want and also continue to reassess what I wanted at 25 and what I want now.
00:24:03:23 - 00:24:29:07UnknownMy birthday is tomorrow. So what I want as I turn a milestone birthday tomorrow are vastly different. And I think that's something we need to remember too, in this whole conversation is it is okay for your career path to change? Yeah, that's a great point. That's you need to. I thought that in the show notes, it's okay. That is change.
00:24:29:09 - 00:24:48:23UnknownSo I feel like a lot of people want things kind of set in stone. Like, like you said, like I want to be here and that's where I'm going. But it is okay if it's if things change. So I told my husband we were having one of those big, you know, rarely in our lives conversations that we one tends to have.
00:24:48:23 - 00:25:21:12UnknownAnd I said, gosh, if we could pull it off, I would totally be happy to just, you know, retire and well, who wouldn't be happy to in the next five years? So, you know, he'd always gone on this. You want to be a C-suite. I mean, we talked about this for a very long time. So my move to say, I think I just like to write, I think I would be very happy, you know, stepping back and writing and just write books and write articles and just do that.
00:25:21:14 - 00:25:41:05UnknownAnd he was like, okay, well, I don't think one a different one doesn't just do that. Five years ago, I invested some time. I thought, maybe I want to be there, see, like I don't want to be a C-suite leader in a giant international company. I've learned I don't want that. That didn't align with my values. I want to run my own business.
00:25:41:10 - 00:26:08:02UnknownThat's what I want to do. So I went through the process to get my LLC and I went and got individually certified in several things so that I was a certified seller of those things to THRIVE my business. And then I started building my network of of others in this space with their own LLC. And for some reason in my head, I'd be less busy if I ran my own business.
00:26:08:02 - 00:26:34:10UnknownI'm not sure what I was thinking. Newsflash, everyone, you're not less busy. You're having. It's fun. So. So then I thought, Well, I'm home with my kids, so I'm not traveling internationally, but I'm working at night and in the morning and on weekends and always. And I was like, That doesn't really align with my values either. So it's okay to to have your career path change up.
00:26:34:12 - 00:27:09:07UnknownAnd I think the big value to an organization is recognizing people do that too. They can invest your time in somebody that, you know, came in and they were really excited and then they all of a sudden sit down with you ten years later. And they're like, So I've been thinking for a while, wrapping up here today. I know we've given a lot of great practical, practical steps, but do you have any last steps or pieces of advice that employees and employers can really take to create their own personalized career path and plan?
00:27:09:09 - 00:27:42:16UnknownAnd if you have any resources that you kind of want to draw up here today, I think that would be a good ending to that. So, yeah, so a great step for organizations is to create that kind of open door conversation process where employees can come and chat with HR About what are job roles and what are kind of some universal expectations at different levels within the organization or different job roles.
00:27:42:16 - 00:28:24:08UnknownAre there certain certifications that i'm completely unaware of and and for the organization to have an understanding of resources you can connect team members to. It's excellent to have tuition reimbursement, it's excellent to have certification. You know, spotlight staffs or bonuses if you go get the certification or will pay you back for it. But to also have that resource bank of where people can go to get those certifications and especially, you know, price preferred means for you as an organization, build that resource bank so that when folks do ask their managers or do come to your company's HR
00:28:24:08 - 00:28:51:15UnknownDepartment, you have an answer for them from an individual perspective, it is one of the answer to that question. So do some self-reflection and prepare that kind of stuff, but also take some stock. And it doesn't have to be a full 360 assessment tool or anything. But to the resources, what what would I consider my strengths to be?
00:28:51:15 - 00:29:12:19UnknownLook at the job description you applied for. What about it made you apply for it? If you can look back at different roles, you've had within your career, what are those skills you've built up over time? Create your own skill bank so that you can reflect back on that skill bank and say, Here's all the things I've learned, here's what I have, here's how I know I'm strong in it.
00:29:12:21 - 00:29:53:05UnknownWhat gaps am I seeing? Because only you know your career better than anybody else. So when you know what things you've done better than anybody else. So really take your own self-assessment, make your own list of what you've created and what your strengths are, so that when you go have that conversation, folks can try to help you say, this type of job role utilizes that this type of job or utilizes that to help you get a sense for those things, you can go to it from a resource perspective, depending on the industry space that you do think you want your career to grow in.
00:29:53:05 - 00:30:20:10UnknownAgain, it might not be a specific job role, but it might be an industry specific. There can be lots of industry competency models out there that you can do your own. Do I think I need to grow? I'm I'm strong in this or have mastered it. ATD has one for learning and development professionals. They have one for sales professionals.
00:30:20:12 - 00:30:59:04UnknownSherm has them for HR Professionals and hrc has them for HR Professionals. P i don't even know who does the vp the project manager certifications, but it really depends on industry space, where or what assessment tools are out there to find out where you are within that space. But there's tons of them out there. Just give it a google and you will find find lots of resource is depending on what industry peaks your interest and why.
00:30:59:06 - 00:31:23:23UnknownYeah, for sure you can put some resources that we use in the show notes below as well. But that was, that was great advice. And with Amanda and I think everyone, whomever where they are in their career can relate to this somehow, which is, which is really great. So thank you for coming on today and being today's guest and really sharing your expertise in this area.
00:31:24:00 - 00:31:45:09UnknownI always love your examples and the tools that you share to our listeners. If you liked our chat and topic today, don't forget to share our episode and consider joining MRA. If you aren't a member already. Like I said, we have all the resources you need in the show notes below, including resources on this topic. Career paths and the course.
00:31:45:09 - 00:32:06:24UnknownWe'd love to hear from you, so feel free to chime in and share any great success stories that you've had of your own career path or career path planning otherwise. Thank you so much again for tuning in today and we will see you all next week. That wraps up our content for this episode. Be sure to reference the show notes where you can sign in to connect.
00:32:06:24 - 00:32:22:07UnknownFor more podcast updates, check out other MRA episodes on your favorite podcast platform. And as always, make sure to follow MRA's 30 minutes THRIVE so you don't miss out. Thanks for tuning in and we'll see you next Wednesday to carry on the conversation.
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Description: In this episode, we explore the concept of a mindful workplace, its practices, and the profound impact it can have on employee and business success.
Resources:
Wellness Toolkit
Wellness Guide
Welcome to Workplace Wellness Publication
MRA Membership
About MRA
Let's Connect:
Guest Bio - Laura Ruby
Guest LinkedIn Profile - Laura Ruby
Host Bio - Sophie Boler
Host LinkedIn Profile - Sophie Boler
Transcript:
Transcripts are computer generated -- not 100% accurate word-for-word.
00:00:00:00 - 00:00:21:04UnknownHello everybody and welcome to 30 minute Thrive, your go to podcast for anything and everything HR powered by MRA, the Management Association. Looking to stay on top of the ever changing world of HR. MRA has got you covered. We'll be the first to tell you what's hot and what's not. I'm your host, Sophie Boler, and we are so glad you're here.
00:00:21:05 - 00:00:48:24UnknownNow it's time to thrive. Well, hello, everybody, and thanks for joining us today. We're we're really hearing more about mindful workplaces nowadays. We thought we would take today's podcast, really think about this topic more in-depth. So i'm here with Laura Ruby senior HR Business partner and HR Business advisor for mra. We're really going to talk about why mindful workplaces are trending or what you really need to be aware of.
00:00:49:05 - 00:01:11:19UnknownWhat are some of the challenges that come along with it in more so or thanks so much for joining us today. I really, really appreciate it. Well thank you. So I'm really pleased to be here. This is definitely a timely concept, I think, for a number of employees to consider or employers to consider. Yeah, absolutely. And I know we were talking about that.
00:01:11:21 - 00:02:02:12UnknownYou're very passionate about this topic and you've been working in the HR for such a long time that this is kind of the perfect topic to go over today. So I think we should kind of start out with what is a mindful workplace. Can you define it? Yes, so mindful workplace is really a combination of factors as we look at new initiatives that people are working towards in that space is really developing an awareness of an individual's thought processes, their emotions and their actions, and helping to enable them to laser focus on those and remove obstacles to productivity and really improving the work workplace from a variety of different aspects.
00:02:02:14 - 00:02:50:21UnknownYeah, absolutely. And you guys in part two to that question. Can you describe what that whole concept of the mindful workplace really encompasses? It's actually quite broad in as well. In talk today we'll touch on all of those components but it's it's combining more Eastern philosophies about issues of meditation or focus and concentration, breathing, as well as branching into mental health aspects that are damaging workplaces right now and helping individuals to deal with their own anxiety, stress, as well as other things like other issues they may be experiencing.
00:02:50:21 - 00:03:20:21UnknownAnd in relationships, finances, you know, you name it. So it's a very good I'm going to discuss how the company can actually sort of work with developing a healthier source. And actually, I feel like it's definitely transformed throughout the years or in my opinion, I feel like employers didn't really talk about this kind of stuff as much as they do now.
00:03:20:22 - 00:03:48:15UnknownThey didn't care as much about, you know, providing all these resources and mental health resources and wellness resources to employees. So I think it's great we can kind of cover that and talk about it and just the process and how it's evolved over the years, too. So my next question then would be, do you have any practices that a mindful workplace can kind of what can you implement?
00:03:48:15 - 00:04:35:23UnknownWhat practices can you implement to create a mindful workplace? I mean, it's all over the map, but I think that really companies that are finding great success with implementing mindfulness, they're starting more starting small programs available to employees, maybe with classes or chair yoga, breathing exercises and some of those smaller components into helping the individual so as to what they're thinking and to continue to say that laser focus on what's in front of them rather than all these other things that may be coming from local personal life or other anxieties.
00:04:36:00 - 00:05:16:00UnknownSo really, it's starting small forces or activities designed to encourage that, as well as programs designed to work to tell physical and mental health things like walking programs or competitions within companies where people compete on a physical level to the mental health aspects and making sure that insurance programs feel great. And it's available to employees, including people who are in search of more provided.
00:05:16:00 - 00:05:48:07UnknownSo it's a very broad spectrum. Some of the larger companies are also includes things like meditation rooms or Zen areas or places where it's cool to take a break there and get reflective. And there are things that people want to address. Yeah, those are all great examples, Laura And I'm thinking about Emirates specifically, some of the cool things we do with our wellness.
00:05:48:09 - 00:06:10:01UnknownSomething I love in the summer, we'll kind of get a group of employees together and walk around. We have some trails around here and the walk show location and that's just great to kind of take like a mental health break, take a walk kind of reboot almost. And we also have a masseuse come once in a while, which is awesome.
00:06:10:03 - 00:06:48:06UnknownThat's a plus. So, yeah, a lot of great examples of what organizations can do well. And I know are you talked about starting small. You don't have to implement this huge idea right away. But what's what other steps can be taken to create a culture that values and supports this mindfulness? Well, that's a really good question. You know, a lot of research out there is built in on more so management assertiveness and exhibiting these behaviors and then having that trickle down effect within the organizations.
00:06:48:06 - 00:07:42:15UnknownSo many companies will start to train their managers on the basic concepts and helping them to modify their behaviors to help other people. And so along with this process, because a lot of them view that managers are kind of the key to their success in the organization. And if you have a manager that's been, you know, like micromanaging to use the term or, you know, laser focus on what people are doing right then, and that can really put a bad tone in the organization as employees, more stress and so more specific, the focus is really to train the managers first and then implement some of these programs for the interviews to help encourage them to
00:07:42:15 - 00:08:14:02Unknowntake that step back and begin to give themselves some additional brave souls. Feel throughout the day. And so a lot of the programs that were designed or have some training programs in the beginning where they'll people there are a number of number of mental health app type applications or mindfulness applications that people install on their desktop or their cell.
00:08:14:04 - 00:08:44:04UnknownSo they encourage that as well as integrating a lot of training, maybe even utilize you to come in and talk about more stressful things that might be pressing individuals who trying to work with children and then someone is engaged with adult care for them, trying to manage those needs. It's on both ends of the spectrum to put that stuff aside and let yourself levels.
00:08:44:06 - 00:09:22:10UnknownAbsolutely. And I know we talked about this a little bit in the beginning, but what about the physical workspace being designed to encourage this mindfulness and others quiet areas, massage room, but any other examples that you can give the physical workspace, specifically? And I think this one is really important and I find myself doing this every at least once a week, just decluttering your office and taking that time to organize it so that things are not visually distracting you.
00:09:22:12 - 00:10:03:08UnknownYou have easy access to them. For example, I support simple members as well as working on the front line. So I basically moved all of my materials out of the visual area. So a couple of computers set up on my desktop and I tried very diligently to only have one computer on the time, but decluttering, moving things where they're easy to get to, but not in the visual space and using common colors, things like to look at, you know, I have a number of pictures in here with my grandchildren and they're kind of between the screen here.
00:10:03:08 - 00:10:32:01UnknownBut, you know, you can use the same concept in your own workspace, even a cubicle or, you know, things just to create that environment. So the grid, as we mentioned, setting up spaces where things can get a little comfortable. Both of these have been stored on a break room. They have like couches and easy chairs for people to sit in versus just the table and a more sterile environment.
00:10:32:03 - 00:11:01:08UnknownAnd as you mentioned, like having a Zen room or meditation or just a space that people can go into. But so yeah, I love those. Yeah. And I would add to for the Quiet Areas piece at MRA, we have focus rooms and those are something I definitely take advantage of on a day to day basis. And they're just quiet rooms.
00:11:01:08 - 00:11:24:01UnknownYou can go to solo rooms, kind of gets rid of all the distraction and allows you just kind of focus on your own work. So that's something that I really love about our physical workspace, but also the natural light to think having windows is so important and letting the sun come in or is snow light I guess right now.
00:11:24:03 - 00:11:57:10UnknownRight, Right. But yeah, even in the offices there in Wisconsin, the turkeys come up near the windows. And so you kind of get this natural breaks throughout the day, taking a step back to nature and kind of disengage from work stress. So stressful opportunities just get into a different. definitely. Definitely. Well, now that we've kind of talked about all the logistics of it, what impact does it really have on employees and business success, too?
00:11:57:12 - 00:12:31:17UnknownWell, it's not staggering when you talk about the mental health aspect of this. There was a recent study done that nearly half of the employees that were surveyed, I believe this is survey of people they had mentioned almost half the time that their mental stress or issues that they had got into the workplace and in fact they it to so, you know, this is a pretty serious area when you have our high pressure environments.
00:12:31:17 - 00:13:11:14UnknownWe have technology that is helping us to be more efficient. That can sometimes be a distraction as well, where those types of things can certainly effect productivity at work. You also see where employee absenteeism increases when they have to deal with stress or dealing with lots of issues. But now you have employee satisfaction and engagement, which is a huge factor in this as well, is highly impacted by developing those mindfulness practices there.
00:13:11:14 - 00:13:54:19UnknownAs the workforce becomes more engaged to it, we'll see other things like reduced toxicity as a higher productivity and just a number of other things within the organization, especially the team will sort of go into these like best companies to work or those organizations or you see continue to be up there addressing these issues regularly. You absolutely. I think it's also helpful to give some examples of wellness programs so that companies can start thinking about some ideas for themselves.
00:13:54:19 - 00:14:35:19UnknownSo what wellness programs are in place to support employees mental and emotional well-being? For example, there are a couple of other offenders that are out there that have websites within engagement, and they can provide things from training to other directed things for the organization. A lot of companies can work with their community against some training or some other activities to help themselves establish these programs and really it's initiatives that a company needs to undertake and puts in it.
00:14:35:21 - 00:15:10:09UnknownSo they know the company is saying, we recognize that we need to improve mental health so they can begin to throw out some of those initiatives. So again, focusing on the key points that they want to bring into focus group and being mindful as well as the challenge that there's something one of the other things we've seen a lot of conference engaging in is really looking at the effectiveness of our job is goals.
00:15:10:11 - 00:15:51:00UnknownSo we may have a job description, but it could be that the person fails to do so. Do set the tone. So we structured those positions to be acceptable, normal. And again, we're working with some of those wellness providers to implement some of those programs and really give them a start of influence to start us with. They've already given hope to or different types of services into the organization, or they can project because they've worked with some of these programs as well.
00:15:51:02 - 00:16:22:15UnknownAnd then I think the next step we see HRC developmental University for tax and spend is outward to see what services they can provide in that space, because again, it's going to be a balancing act of financial commitment. So the company will do little space to implement some of these ideas again and again. The other important aspect to serving themselves to actually find out what it is that they would do, just sitting, just sitting.
00:16:22:16 - 00:16:47:09UnknownAnd I think that's another survey back to said, you know, companies go where, you know, about 60% of companies to be doing a great job if you ask their employees and they're like, no, I'm not participating. I'm not really seeing some interest to me. So we're going to get their feedback soon. So let's do the work for you as an individual.
00:16:47:11 - 00:17:18:04UnknownAnd then using that David style, allow it to influence the audience. Yeah, that's a great point to bring up. Absolutely. You talked about that stat with how mental health impacts productivity. So wondering if you're kind of seeing anything else here with our mental health really impacts productivity at work. It's well, if you look at company, it's going to be a little bit different.
00:17:18:06 - 00:17:51:05UnknownBut I think if you were thinking about mental health, there are a number of programs designed to work the same as you're providing additional counseling services, maybe through your income, more services available to employees, and then financial wellness and helping them to work with their retirement programs into the future. Now let's look and see what we can set up to really help support financial unexpected financial things.
00:17:51:05 - 00:18:21:16UnknownSo with individuals who are gearing those programs to help minimize anxiety or stress or know that concept or those day to day activities or childcare is another area where, again, you know, it's a huge worry for people watching as to how they're going to provide support to have the right resources available to them, what happens with their child.
00:18:21:16 - 00:18:45:06UnknownSo how they deal with that. So a lot of those focuses to help minimize stress for people and allow them to step away from that. And the other great focus and I think going off of that work life balance talk, when you're talking about care, spending time, that's where the work life balance kind of also comes into play here.
00:18:45:06 - 00:19:14:20UnknownSo we actually had a whole podcast alone on work life balance. So it's definitely important and something you know, everyone wants. So do you have any suggestions for employers how they can help balance work life, work life balance for their employees? Yeah, I think there's a number of things that a company can do. One, they talked battles for reevaluating the jobs being done.
00:19:14:22 - 00:19:47:20UnknownAre they being done effectively because a lot of work stress comes from that. That very aspect that my job is, is to do an area where I don't have the right tools to get the job done or there may be other efficiencies. So you do not want to remove that stress, but it seems like very flexible hours so people can stylize hours so they're the best person, that sort of thing to do to get kids to school and pick them up in the day they can.
00:19:47:22 - 00:20:24:07UnknownA special hybrid workplace is also really powerful in addressing that. So identifying when you want to stack all that work around you do work from home. It's that's with a manufacturing environment. It might be implementing, you know, five minute breaks in manufacturing or some other ways to stagger breaks so that people can stop working a little more frequently throughout the day versus just confining that small your ten or 15 minute period.
00:20:24:09 - 00:20:54:02UnknownSo there's a lot of things that something you can evaluate that would work in day and again, contribute to some of that work life balance. You know, and it just shows. I think that's the final thing. You know, companies can use. They're buying talent. So speed is providing it for brands or a health care child. You know, some of these are very aspects of THRIVE.
00:20:54:04 - 00:21:32:10UnknownI know several companies I work with nowadays. And how do they bring you directly into work and they take it up and have it done for you. And so, you know, and utilizing tools like, you know, ordering your groceries online from the microwave. So there's a person that you can co-champions. Lots of people do. Yeah. Why don't we try to This is how we work for you to help in that flexibility that we're trying to develop in.
00:21:32:13 - 00:22:04:11UnknownWell, yeah. What's going to make their life easier, right? Yes. I'd like to draw on my laundry and have somebody to get done. Something I read about when I was kind of restructuring for this topic today was Holistic well-being initiative. So things that kind of encompass physical, mental and emotional health. So what are some initiatives employers can implement around here?
00:22:04:13 - 00:22:37:00UnknownWell, and that's, you know, again, if you take a step back to look at all your wellness programs, what are you offering today and what can you bring in? There are programs that we've been developed that are a little more integrated. So you can say here, I want to create a program about, you know, balancing work so and so things where you coach them and say, you know, when you get into work, take 5 minutes at the beginning of work to just kind of arrive and be at your desk.
00:22:37:02 - 00:23:02:13UnknownDon't check your email, save your email review. So maybe 20 minutes into the job or, you know, or implementing, there's a technique called the Pomodoro technique, where you divide up your your time into 25 minute increments and you take just a slight break between them. So you just only focus on one thing for 25 minutes to explain two things.
00:23:02:13 - 00:23:40:03UnknownSo if you're implementing, if you're doing project management, you can build that into it as well. So I think just really being open minded as an employer as to what options and again, this is for the survey too. So in handy is to help isolate, you know, what are things that employees interested in. And really I think what inhibits of employees from participating in those initiatives at work is sometimes the time you're hosting a one hour training course.
00:23:40:05 - 00:24:07:13UnknownMany employees, more than ten of them because they're like, I can't go that. But you can break that down to 15 minute sessions. You'll see that your attendance rates increase. So again, you're really trying to find a sweet spot for what you're offering and how much observation is in that program and then doing follow up. So that was useful.
00:24:07:15 - 00:24:35:16UnknownYou know, how learned about this topic. One of the topics that they want to and so that's not so good, but it's again, taking that to the stage where our approach, it's not just one solution, but there are many aspects to it. Yeah, finding the balance, Google optimization. And I would just emphasize what you said on surveys and employee surveys and Emery can help you with that.
00:24:35:16 - 00:24:57:23UnknownWe have employee surveys, we can help you with custom surveys. So I will make sure to add the link in the show notes. So if you do want to check that out, absolutely go for that. But we're I feel like a lot of managers or leaders may be asking the question right now, how do you know this is having an impact on your employees and your organization?
00:24:58:00 - 00:25:40:03UnknownYeah, actually, using metrics, we can implement a lot of metrics within your own organization to measure. First, I would suggest to a baseline to consumer research. So like how often are we missing deadlines or other aspects within the organization? Absenteeism, utilization of PTO also seems to give you an overall view of where we'll start today, even serving and things again we've utilized since then, since getting baseline on the effectiveness of the program is today.
00:25:40:05 - 00:26:17:23UnknownAnd then as you move forward with these, once you're putting them out one by one by one, you can measure it into the survey information of that work, which is improving things long term and a little bit annually, you look at absenteeism rates and see how that's being affected or turnover statistics is number one. So as you see absenteeism rates starting to decline now, people lower turnover in the organization and all of these are indicators of several components of success, the wellness.
00:26:17:23 - 00:26:59:12UnknownBut I think again, like I keep harping on it, surveys are a good way to pinpoint work as this affected where you can use exit interviews for people who do leave the organization and find out where do you see the lowest since or something that could have helped to reduce you? And then again, employee feedback about their managers, because again, we've talked about this all starts with leadership and has a trickle down effect and identifying leaders that maybe needs some additional support as well in their managerial style indicators.
00:26:59:14 - 00:27:36:10UnknownSo these are all ways that you can say, yes, we will evaluate that. Some statistics to look at are performing over time. Yeah, sounds like there's a lot of indicators and tools out there to help you kind of measure that impact. And even some of those are mobile applications that people are downloading and which is the organization will store information that can with what effect without utilization and maybe help identify some other areas that people might want to expand upon.
00:27:36:12 - 00:28:12:08UnknownWell, or as we kind of close out the episode today, is there one thing that you want our listeners to really take away from today's episode on Mindful Workplaces? I know it's it's a lot and there are a lot of stigma associated with meditation or, you know, doing yoga or a lot of things like that, but recognizing that there isn't a one that's all sort of solution, that it's got to be customized to workplace.
00:28:12:10 - 00:28:40:15UnknownNo being well connected experiences to be able to get that feedback, but was one of them in one thing. This is a journey that's about me as an individual. First and then come to me as a company. How we're going to provide resources and tools for each individual on that labor station. So keeping that in your mind, it will help you to develop these break ins.
00:28:40:17 - 00:29:13:23UnknownNow it's up to me in to help them to use it to help reduce stress, anxiety, stress, anxiety. Just for sure. Absolutely. Well, thank you so much for being our guest on today's topic and sharing all of your expertise, because I know you have so much in this area. I think everyone can really walk away with a lot of great new ideas and action steps that they can take to create a mindful workplace if they haven't already.
00:29:14:00 - 00:29:36:21UnknownBut to our listeners listening and watching, if you liked our chat and our topic today, I would encourage you to share this episode out and consider joining MRA if you aren't a member already. Like I said, we have all the resources you need in the show notes below and we have resources on this topic too, so make sure to look at the show notes and thanks for tuning in, Laura.
00:29:36:21 - 00:29:57:00UnknownThanks for joining us today and we will see you next week and that wraps up our content for this episode. Be sure to reference the show notes where you can sign in to connect. For more podcast updates, check out other MRA episodes on your favorite podcast platform. And as always, make sure you follow MRA's 30 minute THRIVE so you don't miss out.
00:29:57:00 - 00:30:01:22UnknownThanks for tuning in and we'll see you next Wednesday to carry on the HR conversation.
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Description: We're here with the latest talent trends in January, with a spotlight on the evolving role of AI in the workplace. Join us as we discuss the latest advancements, challenges, and opportunities surrounding artificial intelligence, and how organizations are harnessing this transformative technology to shape the future of work in the early months of the year.
Resources:
Talent Report+ Webinar Series
MRA Membership
About MRA
Let's Connect:
Guest Bio - Jim Morgan
Guest LinkedIn Profile - Jim Morgan
Host Bio - Sophie Boler
Host LinkedIn Profile - Sophie Boler
Transcript:
Transcripts are computer generated -- not 100% accurate word-for-word.
00:00:00:00 - 00:00:21:04UnknownHello everybody and welcome to 30 minute Thrive, your go to podcast for anything and everything HR, powered by MRA, the Management Association. Looking to stay on top of the ever changing world of HR? MRA has got you covered. We'll be the first to tell you what's hot and what's not. I'm your host, Sophie Boler, and we are so glad you're here.
00:00:21:05 - 00:00:42:16UnknownNow it's time to thrive. Hi, everybody, and welcome to this episode of 30 Minute Thrive, which is on the January edition of MRA's Monthly. Taylor Report, which is an up to the minute review of what's going on in the world of business with an emphasis on talent. With Jim Morgan, MRA's vice president of Workforce Strategies. So thanks, Jim, again for being here.
00:00:42:17 - 00:01:06:01UnknownYeah, it's good to be back in the studio. yeah. Well, this month the special focus was on essentials for HR Professionals. So I guess my first question to you is really why this topic now? And maybe before we get into that, let's look at your quote of the month, which was related to A.I.. So can you kind of speak on that for a little bit, why you chose that and then the topic.
00:01:06:04 - 00:01:34:02UnknownYeah. Sure. The quote was A.I. is moving from traditional Human Resources Shared Services Administration up to human resources, business partner work using virtual assistants who provide us with cognitive insights like Alexa. It's going to happen faster and harder than HR people are ready for. And that was somebody from Deloitte. And I just thought it was interesting because where we're at right now with A.I. in HR is the very beginning.
00:01:34:04 - 00:01:55:20UnknownAnd, you know, we did some polling of our own members and talking to our own staff. I mean, it's really at its beginnings stages, and we're just trying to help our 4000 member companies kind of get out in front of it, see what's happening, you know, and where do I belong in all of this? And I think what really launched this is it took someone in the technology field to explain this to me.
00:01:55:20 - 00:02:18:04UnknownBut they said, you know, when they're when they're working on products, theirs is very much a ready fire aim philosophy. It's it doesn't have to be done. Let's just throw it out there and see what happens because our customers will scream at us with whatever is wrong. And if you think of any new version of Microsoft or any new Apple phone, there's a reason it's 2.02.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2.
00:02:18:06 - 00:02:38:24UnknownAnd that they put something out there and they say, okay, what don't our people like? And then we'll fix it. And that's different than most any other industry that usually is like, we got to get this thing right to our customers or satisfied. But in the technology world, everything's moving so fast, it's more or less put it out there and then we can just pivot and go in a different direction of That's all we need to do.
00:02:38:24 - 00:03:06:10UnknownSo we pick now at the start of the year because I think this is going to be a huge year for artificial intelligence and certainly for our members and people in HR. Yeah, absolutely. And you had kind of subject matter expert Chris Krause, vice president and principal consultant at Naviant join you for this talent report as well. And he gave kind of insight into all things AI related in terms of implementing it in companies and with HR teams specifically.
00:03:06:11 - 00:03:34:17UnknownSo can you highlight some of his key points that you kind of talked about? And Yeah, and I would encourage people to watch that. One is Chris really did do a good job, but he was just sort of breaking it down in terms of where are different places that this will be used in HR And a lot of people have used Chad GPT or some other generative artificial intelligence to do things like how to write a job description or put together a career path.
00:03:34:17 - 00:03:53:06UnknownAnd he was sharing examples of that. And again, you know, everybody has to understand this is is not perfect. You don't ask a question, print it out and send it out to an interviewer, closest friends. But it's a good place to start. And he used the example of a machinist he just typed in, you know, what's a good job description for a machinist?
00:03:53:08 - 00:04:14:24UnknownAnd it came back with responsibilities and requirements and then he asked what would be a good, you know, career path for a machinist. And it came back with beginner, intermediate, advanced Leader and so, again, it wasn't the it wasn't the this is what's going into our policy handbook answer, But it was, wow, this is a pretty good start.
00:04:14:24 - 00:04:32:02UnknownAnd now if I'm a company looking for that machinist, I figure, okay, this is a good start. Now I need to add what is it that we need and what are the things that we're looking for? And he talked about, you know, using things like chat bots because there's just so many things that are standard questions in HR
00:04:32:07 - 00:04:53:20UnknownAnd i know that when benefits come around our age, our department and everyone would like to have some. If there was a way to just answer these, you know, what's the difference between plan one and plan two? What's duct to bowl? What does it mean to be out of service area? Those are all programable easy, you know, ready to answer questions.
00:04:53:22 - 00:05:17:16UnknownAnd so looking at it from a what are the administrative tasks or the redundant things that might be able to be better done in a different way? That's kind of where he started, but then went on to say, you know, artificial intelligence is being used in learning and development, it's being used in recruiting, and all of it is how do we take advantage of this asset and use it for good and not for you all?
00:05:17:16 - 00:05:37:06UnknownAnd he just had some real good examples of ways in which it was being used specifically in human resources. Yeah, I was going to say he did give a lot of great examples and I would urge you to take a look at that recording. And also while we're on this topic, do you want to kind of give an inch of the AI series that's going to be coming out?
00:05:37:07 - 00:05:57:10UnknownYeah, sure. We're we're very excited by this, are just putting it together. It'll probably be March, April, but we're really trying to break it down into sections and talk about, you know, here's a AI, here's the basics of what's going on, but then talk about what does this mean for our administration? What does this mean for HR And learning development?
00:05:57:12 - 00:06:17:11UnknownWhat does this mean for HR and employee engagement? Yeah, all of them have samples of ways in which artificial intelligence is being utilized in a jar already. So i think it'll be a really good starting point for a lot of people who are like, I don't know where to go. I don't know where to start. I even know what the possibilities are.
00:06:17:13 - 00:06:32:12UnknownWe're going to bring in some folks. I think they're going to be able to lay things out, not here's the answer, not here's prescription as to how you should do it. But, you know, here's the possible you got to figure out where it fits in your company. So I'm we'll be putting those out pretty soon. I think that'll be very exciting.
00:06:32:15 - 00:07:02:21UnknownYeah. We also have a whole section on artificial intelligence at our employee law update that's coming up. So that's another one that, you know, again, we're trying to just help our members see where this might be going and they figure out what's going to be best for our company for sure. So stay tuned for that. But I'm kind of moving on here, looking at your actual talent report now with recruiting and retention innovation, it looks like you've pulled some stats from a new report from intelligent AECOM on some new and interesting happenings in recruiting.
00:07:02:21 - 00:07:26:09UnknownSo can you kind of highlight what was seen here in some of those stats? Yeah, what we what we pulled out there was really it was looking at bachelor's degrees, quite frankly. And I think I think a lot of companies have picked up on this already. But, you know, many if they haven't updated anything in a while, Bachelor degrees 30 years ago were a separation of two piles of resumes like has one doesn't have one.
00:07:26:09 - 00:07:59:19UnknownAnd that's kind of the way things functioned. And the world has changed. And now it's you might be looking for a specific skill set and you might be looking for a certificate. You might just be looking for someone who's got the right attitude and fits your culture, and we can teach them the rest of it. So it was just looking at companies now that are starting to drop bachelor's degree from something that might have just been in there because it's always been in there and saying, what is it that we actually have to have, especially at in some entry level jobs and even middle level jobs where they may have gotten all kinds of experience
00:07:59:19 - 00:08:23:13Unknownsomewhere else or have the ability and the skill set to do things and don't necessarily have that degree. So it was really encouraging companies to take a hard look at their the job postings in their job descriptions, to say even beyond just bachelor's degrees. You have a bunch of things in there that maybe just don't apply anymore, or that if you find the right person, you can teach them some of the things that.
00:08:23:15 - 00:08:53:17UnknownSo it's just interesting. I think companies, again, are trying to get as big a funnel of candidates as they possibly can and not eliminate someone that might still have the ability to do the job. So get rid of those just qualifiers. Yeah, that is interesting. Kind of moving on from that point, then going off of recruiting and retention specifically going into more of the talent thinking talent pool, it looks like LinkedIn released its 34 big ideas that will change our world in 2024 or less.
00:08:53:19 - 00:09:16:20UnknownAnd I know you took you looked at that list and from that list, what do you see that's really of interest to HR Professionals specifically? Yeah, it's a really interesting list. And if someone's got the time to go, look, i'm sure if you just google linkedin's 34. Interesting things for 2024, you'd find it. It's just overall, it was a look at just society in general and some things that are going on.
00:09:16:22 - 00:09:41:01UnknownBut some of the interesting ones that I thought, okay, well, these applied HR Specifically we've been talking about employee shortages, you know, here in the united states, but they had an interesting section in there on, you know, other countries that are actually encouraging and trying to put incentives in place for people to have children, whether that we're going to pay for child care or there's a bonus when the child is born.
00:09:41:03 - 00:10:17:03UnknownThey're really trying. I mean, they've got some serious problems. And, you know, years and years of China, you know, people having one male child, that's got consequences to it. And now some of those countries are starting to see it. So it's not just happening in the United States. It's it's happening other places as well. Were they also we're looking at this might be the year where tensions kind of come to a head between primarily, I would say, newer and younger employees and traditional employers where new employees expectations might not mij meet employers.
00:10:17:05 - 00:10:35:04UnknownAnd I'm not saying one sided right or wrong, but if this is the way we've been doing things for 100 years and now you're coming in and you're telling me you want it done completely differently or you were expecting 10% raises every year, or the employer is saying, no, you have to come back to work, you have to be in the office.
00:10:35:06 - 00:11:05:09UnknownA lot of these things may be coming to a head, you know, this year to say, all right, whereas an employee do I bend, whereas an employer do I bend, and probably somewhere in the middle is the fair answer. But we may see some some long held beliefs that are going to be tested this year and and see, you know, employer versus employee, you know, who ends up winning out on that and expected unretired payment wave in 2020 for people who just said, this is it, I'm getting out.
00:11:05:11 - 00:11:25:02UnknownBut now they're out and one they might miss the money, too. They might miss the socialization. Three, they might miss the purpose in life that some people maybe don't want want to go back to work in 60 hours a week. But they did get an awful lot out of work. And so now they might be taking a look at it again.
00:11:25:05 - 00:11:46:05UnknownYeah. And then just some interesting things around, you know, I think colleges and universities are starting to figure this out, teaching a little bit more about entrepreneurship and creator society and helping people. 1920, 21, 22 that might be looking to get into, you know, their own gig and get out there and get going sort of that might not have been taught.
00:11:46:05 - 00:12:04:12UnknownThere might have been more traditional business practices. Yeah. And so even they are now starting to see that there's a market here to say let's let's start looking at this creator environment and see if there are some things we can do there. So the world is changing and that was like three or four of them. But there was some pretty interesting insights into what might be coming down the pike.
00:12:04:13 - 00:12:31:14UnknownYeah, that just made me think of I saw a class, it was being offered online, unlike how to be an influencer, which I just thought was funny, but it's like that's kind of where you're shifting almost and it's funny, but it's true and it's happening. So. So the Healthy Boulder influencer on her podcast, you know, I guess you could say that class, I feel like there's so many different types of influencers though, so anyway though, let's talk about our creativity.
00:12:31:14 - 00:12:58:23UnknownSo you bring up generational diversity and what HR Professionals and MRA's roundtables are kind of sharing around this topic. So i'm curious to know what what are some of the things that they're saying about generational diversity that, you know, a lot of this, you know, looking at especially younger workers, you're starting to see some things like as a younger worker right now, I would say most look at it as like, I'm going to try out a bunch of things.
00:12:58:23 - 00:13:17:14UnknownI'm going to have three, four, five, six jobs in the first ten years that I'm working, and I'm going to get this great breadth of experience that makes perfect sense. I understand what they're doing. My life, it was, Well, I'm going to find this job and I'm going to learn as much as I can about it, and I'm going to climb the ladder and I'm going to be here for ten or 15 years.
00:13:17:16 - 00:13:33:15UnknownI'm not saying either one of those again is right or wrong, but if I'm looking at a resume and I've got my bias, I'm thinking, Wow, this person's moving all over. They can't hold a job. Yeah, that person's thinking, Wow, I'm a great candidate. Look at all the places that I've gone in order to get as much experience as I can.
00:13:33:17 - 00:13:55:10UnknownSo there's just a little bit of a we got to understand, you know, where each one's coming from. So I think people are starting to look at that a little bit. The feedback issue, you know, the traditional once a year will have some sort of review and we'll go through your entire year. Well, I'm not sure that's the best way to That's why it's been done.
00:13:55:12 - 00:14:17:11UnknownBut okay, So I'm trying to remember right now what my employees did last February. I'm likely to remember what did you do in December and January or December? In November. And if they had really good months, I'm probably thinking now is a great year for you. And if they had a maybe a mess up or two in the last two months, I'm thinking, boy, this has been a rough year and that's not what a lot of the younger talent is looking for.
00:14:17:11 - 00:14:38:22UnknownIt's, you know, monthly, it's immediate. You know, these sayings like, well, you'll learn if I go, don't make me make too many mistakes in order to learn, just tell me what you want me to do or what I didn't do, right? I guess so, Yeah. Yeah. So you're you're a living example of it. So I think it's, you know, understanding that that immediate feedback actually makes more sense.
00:14:38:24 - 00:15:01:11UnknownIt's more helpful, it's more productive when you've got, you know, a happier employee. And then we've talked about this before, but just the generational differences with communications. I text with you. If you know that you want to find me right now, you're liable to text me not emailing sure is like you're not picking up your phone and calling me, but that's the preferred method.
00:15:01:11 - 00:15:22:14UnknownAnd for a lot of older folks, it's like we have email, just email. We need to do it that way. Am I giving you my phone number? Yeah, I'm not. I don't know which one is right, wrong or indifferent, but they're different. And so we either as a company have to figure out what our policy is or just as employees and employers figure out, you know, what's our philosophy going to be on this so that we're at least consistent with it?
00:15:22:16 - 00:15:59:19UnknownAbsolutely. Well, kind of going into some HR Trends from the field section. McLean company recently released some HR trends in 2024. So what were some of the interesting findings that you saw here? I think some of the things are still not surprises. Recruiting was at the top. Providing a great employee experience was up there and I think that has to go with the retention part as companies are seeing that now controlling labor costs is in there, which is interesting because we did go through a few years where we were just about paying whatever it took to get people, and I think we did that.
00:15:59:19 - 00:16:24:23UnknownWe had to do it. But now there is there's a business decision to be made here that we can't be increasing by six, seven, eight, 9% our employee costs every year because we can't afford to do it. So now there might be an emphasis on how do we get smarter, how do we maybe use machines, how do we use technology to do it a little bit better so that one's on their developing leaders is on there?
00:16:24:23 - 00:16:50:11UnknownWe're seeing a lot of that and I think a lot of that is all kinds of retirements, younger people coming in and how do we train them a little bit more quickly. And the good news side, actually a good news bad news side for the HR Folks, an increase in HR Departments and HR People that are being used and are a part of organizational strategy and over the last three years rose from 36% to 50% that they are involved in those decisions.
00:16:50:13 - 00:17:12:08UnknownI don't know if this is a coincidence or not, but at the same time, we saw an increase from 34% to 47% of our professionals saying they're stressed out. so I wonder why you asked for something. You got it. Now you got more work, you know, as a group. But, you know, the good news is I think that companies are much more conscientious about our people are a big part of our strategy.
00:17:12:08 - 00:17:29:01UnknownAnd so folks are more engaged. And while I think that's part of the stress, I think the stress has more to do with just more things on their plate. You can of COVID. Now we're into remote work and where are people going to work and how do we get more out of less and how do we figure out where our compensation is right now?
00:17:29:01 - 00:17:47:19UnknownBecause the market is changing so quickly, we can't my people or I'm not I'm keeping people. There's a lot going on. And so I think that had an awful lot to do with them with the stress and the last one, I think is about 80, 81% of the people said, we think we're settling into the whole remote work thing.
00:17:47:19 - 00:18:04:09UnknownNow, I think people are starting to figure out whatever that means for them, were totally remote, were totally in the office, or most likely we've got a combination, but we've we've kind of figured out what it is. It's three days a week. There's a week two days a week, whatever it might be. Companies are starting to figure it out.
00:18:04:14 - 00:18:28:16UnknownYeah, So I think we're getting there with that one. Yeah, definitely. And I feel like maybe part of the reason why there's more HR Folks doing more strategic work now too. Could be because of ai or that i could help grow that percentage just because, like you've mentioned, i kind of helps you focus on the strategic work while ai is helping you with more of the operational day to day routine tasks.
00:18:28:16 - 00:18:52:14UnknownYep. And kind of going off of AI. Then Emery actually released a recent hot topic survey on AI in the workplace in this month and charts you kind of looked at a couple of the questions from that survey. So can you give us some of the data and what were the questions? First of all, I guess, yeah, first, we were trying to figure out where our members were at, you know, because our job is to is to really to serve them.
00:18:52:18 - 00:19:21:11UnknownYeah. But we asked them the first question we asked them is what percentage of your employees are currently testing out AI? And we laughed at that broad. But really we're willing to take, you know, almost anything. You know, I've been on chatbot once. Okay, yeah, that qualifies. But we still had 76% of our members have less than 5%, or at least they think less than 5% of their folks are active in in AI and another 14% that 5 to 10%.
00:19:21:11 - 00:19:43:20UnknownSo still very new. You know, for all of them. We also asked them if they had an individual or a department, somebody responsible for whatever they were going to do and whether that was can you just figure out what's going on all the way to strategic development? And 74% of them were at a point of we have nobody in charge.
00:19:43:20 - 00:20:01:15UnknownWe might have people looking at it, we might have people taken, you know, stabs added, but they really didn't have someone who said, you know, your job is to make sure we know where we need to be and what's going on. So very new with all of them at the same time, you know, we said, well, what do you need from us?
00:20:01:17 - 00:20:25:03UnknownAnd we had, you know, 80% of the people saying, geez, I could use some user guides and goals and objectives. I could use more content on what's going on. So they're looking for can you give me some things and start feeding me stuff? Because I think people know this is coming. Yeah, I'm not going to stop and you're not going to be able to control it, so we better get out in front of it a little bit.
00:20:25:05 - 00:20:50:18UnknownSo there was a lot of interest in that. And then because we had the webinar series coming up, we asked them about, you know, what exactly in age are you looking for? Is it? I think we offered them learning and development, just the admin side of our employee engagement recruiting, and all of them came back and, you know, different mixes and matches, but all of them, there were about 60 to 65% had an interest in every one of those.
00:20:50:20 - 00:21:15:07UnknownYeah. So I think it's I just need some help, Right. Well it's like just provide me something and I think that I'll be happy. So we are, you know, like everybody else, we not only have to figure it out for mirror with our own products and services and our own staff, but also figure out where our members are at and, you know, try to help them get to where they got to get because there's going to be a big year for I think a lot is going to happen.
00:21:15:09 - 00:21:31:06UnknownI mean, we all got to be ready for it. Yeah, well, good thing we have the air series coming out. We do? Yeah, we do. So. So we've got your Alberts. Well, Jim, as a kind of close out here, can you give us a look ahead at next month's or February's talent report and the kind of topics you'll be talking about there?
00:21:31:10 - 00:21:58:05UnknownYeah, we're we're going to look at internships again, but a little bit deeper around. I think it's becoming one of the leading ways for companies to find people. But those strategies around how, you know, when do I find them, how do I find them, how do I prepare them, how do I make sure their experience is a good one and how do I hang on to them and kind of give them a path right into our organization?
00:21:58:05 - 00:22:21:21UnknownBecause if we're going to invest in bringing these people in and having these interns and helping them learn, it can't just be three months of busy work. Now we have to look at them as we're almost onboarding them, right? Three months. We're trying to prepare them, one, to understand the business and two, to want to work here. And then especially for those that, you know, maybe have another year of school left, we've got nine months now.
00:22:21:21 - 00:22:35:17UnknownThey figure out how to hang on to them. So what are we doing to make that a good experience that they're not looking anywhere else and we know we can count on them when they graduate the next May. So it is kind of going to be a, you know, right from the beginning to getting them to come work for us.
00:22:35:19 - 00:22:57:22UnknownYou know, how do we just look at this as this is our supply chain and we all take care of it? Yeah, well, that will be a great topic and February is a great time to start that conversation. So looking forward to a time to all. Jim, thank you again, per usual for all the back. Great information and kind of recapping what you were seeing, January's talent report.
00:22:57:24 - 00:23:24:02UnknownBut to our listeners, if you liked our chat and our topic for today, don't forget to share out this episode. Give it a like we recommend and consider joining MRA if you are not a member already. As usual, we have all the resources for you in the show notes below, so make sure to look at those. We have Jim's LinkedIn profile if you want to get in contact with him or have any questions for him and we'll see you next week for our next episode.
00:23:24:07 - 00:23:42:06UnknownSo thank you again. Jim. Yeah, my pleasure. And that wraps up our content for this episode. Be sure to reference the show notes where you can sign them to connect for more podcasts updates, check out other MRA episodes on your favorite podcast platform. And as always, make sure to follow MRA's 30 minutes THRIVE so you don't miss out.
00:23:42:06 - 00:23:47:00UnknownThanks for tuning in and we'll see you next Wednesday to carry on the conversation.
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Description: In this episode, we explore cutting-edge HR trends. From optimizing employee experiences to balancing tech with humanity, we delve into the evolving landscape. Discover how HR navigates challenges like hybrid teams and sustainability, while implementing innovative recruitment and leadership development strategies to shape the workplace of the future.
Resources:
2024 HR Trends
2024 HR Trends
2024 Employee Trends
Labor Shortage
MRA Membership
About MRA
Let's Connect:
Guest LinkedIn Profile - Keri Wozniak
Host Bio - Sophie Boler
Host LinkedIn Profile - Sophie Boler
Transcript:
Transcripts are computer generated -- not 100% accurate word-for-word.
00:00:00:00 - 00:00:21:04UnknownHello everybody and welcome to 30 minute Thrive, your go to podcast for anything and everything HR, powered by MRA, the Management Association. Looking to stay on top of the ever changing world of HR? MRA has got you covered. We'll be the first to tell you what's hot and what's not. I'm your host, Sophie Boler and we are so glad you're here.
00:00:21:05 - 00:00:54:07UnknownNow it's time to thrive. Hello, everybody, and thanks for joining us today. In this episode specifically, we're going to be talking about cutting edge trends with MRA, our business partner, Kari Wozniak. From optimizing employee experiences to balancing tech with humanity, we'll give you advice on how to navigate challenges like hybrid teams and sustainability, while also implementing innovative recruitment and leadership development strategies to really shaped or the workplace of the future.
00:00:54:09 - 00:01:16:15UnknownSo, Kari, I know you really work directly with a lot of our member companies and you've been in HR for over 20 years, I think so you've really seen it all when it comes to trends and challenges. So I'm excited about the opportunity to really sit down and talk with you on what you're currently seeing trend wise. So thanks again for being here today.
00:01:16:15 - 00:01:44:08UnknownI'm excited. Thanks. I'll be excited to be here to all just kind of kick in kicking it off. Employee experience is often cited as a critical factor in organizational success. So how are HR Professionals really working to enhance and optimize the overall employee journey with their companies? Sure. You know, this is an ongoing area of concern and has been for for for quite a while.
00:01:44:10 - 00:02:07:15UnknownAs as everyone is aware, we've been involved in a labor shortage for quite a while. It's not expected to change anytime soon. As you know, birth rates are low and generational changes and all that stuff's kind of coming through. So the employee experience becomes critical to attracting and retaining your talent. So some just key things to think about is you really need to be listening to your employees.
00:02:07:17 - 00:02:23:03UnknownYou know, it's okay to read the articles out there, listen to trends, you know, pay attention to what's going on in the world because that will help guide you in the right direction. But your teams, your environment is going to be a little bit different than anywhere else. So you want to make sure that you're you have frequent and targeted feedback loops of your employees.
00:02:23:03 - 00:02:49:08UnknownSo think about things like pulse surveys, small group listening sessions, day interviews, things like that, so that you understand why people stay and why you believe and you can address those to make sure that you have the right employee experience. You also want to make sure that you're starting small and implementing quickly. We just don't have the time anymore to plan for a year and then take a long time to implement and have the perfect programs.
00:02:49:10 - 00:03:05:16UnknownInstead, we need to look at these things as continuous improvements. Pick a few things that you can implement quickly that will have an impact on your team and move those over the finish line so that you actually see the impact of those. And then, of course, circling back with your employees, making sure that did you actually hit the mark?
00:03:05:16 - 00:03:27:18UnknownIs this what they wanted? So that's general guidelines and how to tackle things. But some actual specific ideas here are communication tools. So you need to make sure that you are communicating with your employees for the channels they actually use. And, you know, we are so used to using email newsletters, even home mailings that are now pretty old school versions.
00:03:27:21 - 00:03:46:10UnknownYou still need those because you have a lot of people who are comfortable with them. But now you need to be looking at your texting your employees. Are you recording video messages or are you utilizing instant messaging? What about like communication apps like Slack, things like that? You need to make sure that you're communicating with your teams in in those areas.
00:03:46:10 - 00:04:10:07UnknownIt is in all of these places or at least in a select few, and that you're having that same consistent message regardless of where you're communicating because you want them all to hear the same things, but where they're actually going to go, where they're going to go use it. And in that you're considering your generations, you're considering learning and communication styles and then what technology is actually available to the individual.
00:04:10:09 - 00:04:34:01UnknownYou know, your manufacturing employees don't necessarily have the same access to drop as team has. So how are you making sure that they're still getting the messages that you need to have them out there? And time is always an issue, so don't overwhelm your communications team with a million different things to focus on. Make sure it's a sustainable process and that you're automating where you can.
00:04:34:03 - 00:04:57:03UnknownSo some other things beyond communication tools is you want to make sure you're integrating and simplifying your technology tools. Again, the more things you have, the more you going to manage. So looking at fewer sources of truth or better aggregated tools to be able to pull your information and think about the the consumer experience your employees are used to when they're at home, right?
00:04:57:03 - 00:05:26:13UnknownThey're using Alexa, Siri and Google in order to get the information they need to do their personal work in seconds. But then at work, we're going into different THRIVEs, different disparate systems. You got to remember where everything's housed and how you actually pull everything together. It's time consuming and it's frustrating. So how do you mirror that consumer experience at work that they're used to at home or actually watching technology things?
00:05:26:15 - 00:05:45:23Unknownabsolutely. And I feel like just to add on that, the employee experience, it comes down to how well you can listen to your employees and implement the things that they want and that they're interested in. So I like that you highlighted that you don't always have to listen to that outside conversations that might be kind of pulling you in.
00:05:45:23 - 00:06:11:06UnknownIt's really about what does your company value, what do your employees value, and something that might work for one person might not work for another. But I'm glad that you personalization, right? Like at the end of the day, your employees want to know that you know them. You absolutely very well kind of moving on now into flexible work arrangements that's been a key trend the past couple years now.
00:06:11:08 - 00:06:35:17UnknownSo how how is really addressing the challenges of managing hybrid teams then and what strategies are being implemented to ensure collaboration and communication remain effective? Sure. So there's a couple different different things in there. So being flexible in the first place, creating those flexible work arrangements is going to be really, really important. And we're all we're hearing a lot about.
00:06:35:19 - 00:07:01:13UnknownIt's no longer about work life balance, it's about work life integration or fit and the concept there is it's not how do I fit my life around my job, it's how do I how do I have meaningful work that's going to support the life that I want to have? And while that seems like a nuance, it's a really important distinction because employees maybe don't want their whole identity to be what they do for a living anymore.
00:07:01:15 - 00:07:24:17UnknownAnd everybody has different challenges, whether it's the raising children, if they've got aging parents, if they've got just hobbies or, you know, desires to travel the world or whatever, those things are, they want to figure out how to balance that while providing the opportunity to be a professional, to contribute in different ways. So to me, one of the key things that employers need to do is be creative.
00:07:24:17 - 00:07:50:13UnknownWe can't just sit there and look at, well, everybody has to work 9 to 5 in an office and do things exactly the way that we've historically used it, you know, the pandemic that we always want to bring that up. But it just changed people's expectations and how they can how they know they can get work done. So so whether it's remote hybrid, so where you actually do work, but there's also the actual schedule itself.
00:07:50:13 - 00:08:14:17UnknownSo can I work maybe four tens? Can I work long hours on weekends or even a combination of those things? Is it more I just need to get my work done when I get it done, maybe matters a little bit less. You can even look at hiring people into job sharing kind of situations where maybe you're hiring two part time people to accomplish the tasks of one full time job.
00:08:14:19 - 00:08:35:14UnknownA lot of companies are starting to use contractors and consultants, kind of this gig concept. Like, I have a project, I'm going to pick that up, I'm going to work on it. So if you're employing people in these these new ways, it's not all just full time Monday through Friday kind of employees. Then you've got to figure out how do you how do you communicate amongst all these different schedules?
00:08:35:14 - 00:09:00:16UnknownHow do you ensure that people feel like a part of a team and that especially you hear it on weekends and like night shifts and things like that, They don't feel like they're part of the team anymore. So so a key is actually pulling people together in collaborative and community and strong communication ways. So with a focus on actually getting to know each other, having that social connection while you're still being productive.
00:09:00:20 - 00:09:30:16UnknownAnd so can you build your team meetings in person, maybe have core hours that everybody has to be there on Wednesdays from from tended to. But other than that, we can kind of work around it. But in those times when you're having people in these more collaborative work environments, make sure it's fun and make it worth driving into the office when if I could have just done my meeting on Zoom at home anyway, why did I THRIVE 45 minutes into the office today?
00:09:30:18 - 00:09:57:24UnknownSo make sure it's worthwhile that they're having that those connections. And it's not always just work like some of it's getting to know your team, having just that time to talk so that they can work better on other things outside of those meetings too. So I think it's just really important that there is that environment when you're together, that you're having fun, you're still getting things done and you're building that that team environment, you know?
00:09:58:01 - 00:10:22:20UnknownAbsolutely. I love all those ideas. Kari And we talk a lot with Jim Morgan. You mentioned the generational differences and export work arrangements, brings up a lot of ideas and even challenges with with generations and working flexible hours. I know sometimes we talk about these like, why are you emailing me at 2 a.m. and it's like, Hey, that might work for me and it might not work for you.
00:10:22:20 - 00:10:45:02UnknownBut if the employer can understand that not everybody is the same, I think that will I don't know. It just helps create kind of that more cohesive team. Even if I'm working the same 9 to 5, like you mentioned one, when you get with employers, I think the resistance comes from we've never really learned how to manage people that way.
00:10:45:04 - 00:11:06:14UnknownYou know, historically I kind of button seat management, which is maybe not the best term, but we're so used to like, I see you, I see working on your computer, you're actively engaged in a meeting. I can tell that you're doing your job when you're not in front of me, when I can't actually see the work that not even seeing an output in that scenario.
00:11:06:14 - 00:11:33:09UnknownBut when I can't see that you're working, then people question, Well, maybe they're doing something else. And then there starts to be this little bit of distrust. We need to change our management styles to focusing on outcomes instead. So it's not as much about how many hours I worked or when I worked or, you know, whether or not you went through 100 emails today or, you know, all of that is I need to produce this result.
00:11:33:09 - 00:11:56:11UnknownSo is it in my doing something of quality? Is that effective and am I having a positive impact on my team? You know, those are things we need to start measuring. But the harder they're just because a lot of jobs, they don't make widgets. You know, it's not that I'm going to produce 30 of these things an hour so how can you say I have strong output in, in what I'm doing?
00:11:56:13 - 00:12:15:19UnknownSo managers and I need to take a step back in these and evaluate the roles? How do I manage these these positions effectively so that I'm not questioning whether or not they're actually doing the job, the right thing. The right thing is, is what I produce now, how long it takes me to produce and where I do it.
00:12:15:21 - 00:12:44:18UnknownAbsolutely. That's a great point, Harry. We're also in the age of social media and increased transparency. So I'm curious, how is employer branding evolving then, with that in mind, in what role does it really play in shaping and promoting a positive employer brand and culture? Sure, a lot of this goes back to that employee experience that we talked about as the first question, and this is now your content for your employer brand, right?
00:12:44:18 - 00:13:08:10UnknownLike when you're asking the questions of your team, of what they want, then when you actually put programs in place, when things are effective, then that's what you need to do and tell tell the outside world about it and remind your your current employees when you're doing those things and what the benefits of having them are. So making sure that you're telling people the things that you're working at and getting that out there.
00:13:08:10 - 00:13:34:01UnknownBut you need to also make sure that the employer brand rings true to what your environment actually is. I think historically, marketing would put together this really professional and buttoned up program that made everything look perfect. We're seeing now instead that employers are taking their phones out and they're recording things just as much more casual, but it's more real.
00:13:34:03 - 00:13:57:16UnknownAnd I think the candidates today and employees are they connect to that because they know that things aren't always produced. And it's not that everyone's always beautiful in an actress and they should leave things instead. I want to see my coworker wearing their uniform actually working on a piece of equipment, talking about what their day is. This comes in as like workers always refer to it as the realistic job preview.
00:13:57:16 - 00:14:27:19UnknownYou know, you want to know if you're coming into an organization, what you're actually going to experience, not just what your leadership wants people to see. So being very, very honest about it, making sure that what you're putting out about your employer brand, whether it's on social media, whether it's just through word of mouth, that it actually matches what your organization does, so that when someone comes into the organization that you know, okay, this is what I thought I was getting into.
00:14:27:21 - 00:14:52:01UnknownAnd there's fun ways to do that, especially in small businesses. I think the they tend to think they need a full marketing team to build this out. You can put little notes out about employee promotions or new hires and anniversaries. You can talk about your long term employees and you know, what is their career path, kind of then throw out the time they've been there or, you know, you brought in pizza posted that's okay.
00:14:52:03 - 00:15:14:20UnknownBut those are truly things that you're doing as an organization. But then try to encourage people to do more. Like if you do volunteer days, can we post about those? If there is training that's been received, maybe you sent somebody to Emory and they got certified. Put that out there too, because these are things showing how you're actually supporting your employees in real life.
00:15:14:22 - 00:15:37:16UnknownYou know, absolutely. Those are all great examples, too. And I like that pulling out your phone and just taking a casual video feel like I've heard that so much recently. And I think Amanda Mosteller one of our working and developing instructors called it like the TikTok era, where you just do a quick 32nd video, kind of showcase who you are, what the brand is.
00:15:37:18 - 00:16:07:24UnknownAnd I had a story about that. Our marketing team was in. We worked on some project for, like we to bring in the light, to bring in the cameras, kind of like you said, the full produce. And it's like, no, just take out your phone, your cart recorded selfie style. That's what everyone wants to see. And like you said, it's very relatable and it may or may not be a generational thing, as in, I think the younger generation is used to seeing that same all over.
00:16:08:01 - 00:16:42:16UnknownAnd maybe that's something that the more seasoned professionals have to get used to that style. But I definitely agree that that's that's where branding and kind of digital content is going is the more relatable content. And I think while it is generational from the standpoint of expecting it in, I think all the generations kind of recognize that it feels more accurate in that it's like, okay, that actually probably happened, right?
00:16:42:20 - 00:17:07:09UnknownThey didn't spend $100,000 to produce this video, you know, and the questions behind that messaging. So I think it is a it's more about being transparent as an organization. And I think there's tools to make that easier to do. And actually, just as I'm saying, the word transparent, the other thing that is really important with employer brands and HR
00:17:07:11 - 00:17:30:14UnknownKnows this is is your pay pay transparency is really, really important. It's it's coming. If it's not already in your state, it's coming and know the legislations their candidates expect it. We got to stop trying to pretend it's something nobody talks about and start being more upfront about it. And so how do you wrap that into your employer brand?
00:17:30:16 - 00:17:52:01UnknownAnd, you know, we can't necessarily be the top payers and with all the benefits, you know, you have to balance your your dollars. But you can talk about what's key, you know, do you have incentive compensation that helps you stand out? Do you you know, maybe you are paying at the higher, higher level or you have some special employee benefit to your total rewards is is a is a balancing act.
00:17:52:01 - 00:18:24:01UnknownBut make sure that you're talking about that and and that you're just you're being upfront about what you believe the job is worth because then you're going to get the people to apply who and who also think that's what the job's worth, right? For sure. So just continuing with the digital digital training here with the rise of automation and I was really balancing technology adoption with the human touch in managing talent and fostering a positive workplace culture.
00:18:24:04 - 00:18:42:04UnknownSo that's been a big challenge for a lot of people recently. Well, it's so new and it's in I mean, my guess is not new. I grew up in the nineties. If we're watching The Terminator, right? Like, I mean, you expected it to come and, and now it's a question of what does it mean in reality and not in science fiction.
00:18:42:06 - 00:19:11:02UnknownAnd so every business function, including ours, is grappling with this at some, some level. I think the most important thing that needs to get out in front of this is to remind employees and themselves they are not replacing you. There is still another job on the other side of it, no different than in in the Industrial Revolution when we started seeing machines come into manufacturing, we didn't stop hiring people because the machines were there.
00:19:11:04 - 00:19:32:05UnknownNow we just needed a different skill set and so we had to make sure that that we're keeping people trained, that they're learning along the way so that they don't get left behind because the DNA not your replace your job, but you are not learning how to use it, will make someone else replace your job. The person who actually does have that skill.
00:19:32:07 - 00:19:53:04UnknownAnd so that's important for for each of us as as professionals, You know, we're employees too, but we need to stay in front of our employees and remind them that their that jobs will exist. It just might not look tomorrow exactly the way that it looked today, but it never has. So that's not completely unheard of anyway. But so we need to get in front of that.
00:19:53:04 - 00:20:27:12UnknownWe need to communicate with them, you know, where we see AI coming into their particular roles and then take the time to build training and adoption tools to help them get there because it is going to be new for everybody. So let's just keep everybody moving at the same time. Things that I think about and where I probably should be coming into play is you're trying to automate manual, repetitive processes that don't require creativity, strategic thinking or what I think is important, an empathetic response, right?
00:20:27:12 - 00:20:54:12UnknownPeople need to do that. But if the rules are already there and it's a plus B, we'll see. Get people out of that. It's not worth their time. That's when you start to have the technology come come into play too, to do that. So for our specifically, that might be answering questions on policies and benefit inquiries like it's factual and be able to use a chat bot for something like that.
00:20:54:14 - 00:21:34:21UnknownHow do you, how do you use systems and tools? You don't necessarily need to have somebody standing in front of them doing the training. How can you help affected training that that's there that they can utilize and access without the without taking up the time of an individual? Things like metrics and data reporting. I mean, I'll be able to set up automated resume screening and interview coordination are hugely time consuming things that again, as long as you define your factors and can can very much be done by by software and then performance cycle administration, I think is an area that can really get focused on what I want.
00:21:34:21 - 00:22:07:06UnknownScaring people is the idea that performance management, actual management might get in been used with I, I don't see that happening for quite a long time because there is still that's the creativity and strategic thinking and we have to have pretty pretty fancy software to be able to get that right. But that leads into HR Has to be a gatekeeper of if you want to call it algorithms, if you want to call parameters, whatever the rules are that are being built, HR
00:22:07:06 - 00:22:32:01UnknownHas to review those for bias. So you can't have your recruitment software picking your hires because there is inherent bias in the data that we're using to automate this process in the first place, and we have to question it. We got to put those on that scene with compensation, career development, anything that is truly career and employment impacting HR
00:22:32:01 - 00:22:57:06UnknownReally needs to be reviewing what those rules are that are being put into the system and and doing adverse impact analysis to make sure that we're not going to have whether conscious or unconscious bias come in because that's going to get you in legal trouble. But more importantly, it's unethical, right? No, i'm i'm really glad you reiterated the point that I is not going to get rid of your job and that we still need you.
00:22:57:08 - 00:23:23:00UnknownI feel like I've heard that in a lot of places and we've talked about it on a couple of podcasts. But those are all great examples of where HR and just business overall can use AI and how you can kind of integrate it into your automated processes so you can focus on all of the strategic planning processes if the things you don't like to do because they're boring.
00:23:23:02 - 00:24:00:17Unknownthere you go, There you go. And then you can focus on like the stuff that you actually really want to do, which is using your brain. Exactly. Well, the concept of agile HR Is also gaining popularity. So my question is, how are HR teams embracing agility to respond quickly to changing business needs and marketing market dynamics? Yeah, this is a it mentioned a little bit earlier, but it's it's changing your mindset from only implementing things when they're perfect to getting into an iterative continuous improvement process.
00:24:00:19 - 00:24:29:01UnknownWe just don't have time with how quickly things change to make sure everything is perfect. We can't build a handbook, have to go sit on a shelf and five years from now look at it again. But you have to be pulling things out every six months, reviewing, making sure that there's minor tweaks and rolling things out. Was looking at some of my concepts like technology is becoming obsolete in 3 to 5 years.
00:24:29:03 - 00:24:53:10UnknownSo if it takes you six months to select a new system and a year to implement it and six more months to optimize and get it really working for you, you're now ready to replace it again. So you need to be constantly changing and tweaking and adjusting and that is going to to be the case for for not just your technology tools, not just your HR
00:24:53:11 - 00:25:14:06UnknownResources, but really anything that you were touching in support of the business. So when you're talking about career development, maybe you're creating career ladders, trying to retain people. You can't just build the program and come back to it a couple of years later and expect that it has been working the whole time. So we something out 80% good.
00:25:14:08 - 00:25:49:09UnknownLearn from that and then make adjustments and be transparent with your employees. Be like, Hey, we tried it. We found something that didn't work. So now we're going to adjust and try to make it better. So that's necessary with just about everything. When regulations keep changing your employees and candidates, expectations are changing so rapidly. We're just in a in a world where the iterations are coming so much faster that you have to you just have to keep adjusting along the way and don't worry about perfection.
00:25:49:11 - 00:26:13:13UnknownAnd then of course, we sort of automate where you can so that you don't have to spend your time on administrative tasks and you can focus more on on these things that need to keep changing in response to the needs your business. And I would say and celebrate wins because we kind of forget that step. We keep the burnout, all that stuff kind of comes because everything is coming so quickly.
00:26:13:15 - 00:26:35:11UnknownSo when you do implement something, remember to celebrate it. Say thank you, Remind people that it's happened so that they see the work and effort that's happening. Take a little bit of a breath before you move on to the next project. Yeah, no, absolutely. That's great advice. I'm kind of moving the conversation to a little different topic here.
00:26:35:13 - 00:27:07:18UnknownHow is HR addressing the growing importance of sustainability in corporate social responsibility, in shaping workplace values and practices? I think this is something our listeners are very curious on and they kind of want to want to know more about this topic. So we set out on this question that it's it's it's very different now than when when I started my career, I was even in even five or ten years ago when people were talking about corporate responsibility.
00:27:07:20 - 00:27:35:14UnknownBut it was more like, don't be a bad player, you know, don't don't have the you know, the Environmental Protection Agency coming in and doing something from a legislative standpoint. Now it's more about aligning your organizational values with your business process. So if you go out on many, many company websites, they'll have their mission, vision and values. You see common things about integrity and ethics.
00:27:35:16 - 00:27:59:23UnknownYou know, maybe environmental sustainability is is listed out there. But I think the most important thing is aligning that to, again, what you what you're actually doing. So it's important to to walk the talk. So you want to make sure that you're integrating your business practices in in that that social responsibility that you're saying you feel is important.
00:27:59:23 - 00:28:26:14UnknownSo think about like maybe you need to review your supply chain contracts because you want to align with, you know, maybe you've got a DEA and B program that you're very vocal about you're putting on your employer brand. You can't sit there and say, I'm in support of a particular group, but then never use them as your supply chain.
00:28:26:16 - 00:28:51:23UnknownSo what are your criteria for selecting vendors? How do you bring that in from from a social responsibility standpoint? You know, looking at your manufacturing practices, it's great to sit there and say we will we recycle, reduce, reuse, recycle. But what if your manufacturing practices are creating significant amounts of waste? You need to look at that process and find ways to to have a direct impact.
00:28:52:00 - 00:29:18:15UnknownYou might want to implement a scholarship program that's in support of, you know, organizations or groups that you're providing support to. So again, just that deeper integration that rings true to your organization. So it's not enough just to to post support out on social media or write a donation check. You need to align who you are as an organization, which you're saying in your values.
00:29:18:15 - 00:29:43:05UnknownThis is who you are with, what you're actually doing. And so that's going to help with your employees will see that it'll gain trust with them candidates where this is important to them. They'll be attracted to your organization because it aligns with their values. And I mean, that's the perfect scenario is if you can recruit people who believe what you believe, they're going to fit your culture.
00:29:43:05 - 00:30:14:02UnknownThey're going to they're going to they're going to stick with you, too, because there is more to the relationship than a paycheck. Instead, they feel good about what they're doing. So a couple of common areas, because I think people question, you know, what is it all mean? What's the definition of this? Some common areas that organizations are considering under that social responsibility kind of umbrella is, as I mentioned, the diversity equity inclusion, belonging activities, environmental sustainability, fair trade.
00:30:14:04 - 00:30:37:19UnknownYou know, again, you want to buy from vendors in potentially third world countries that are not paying people effectively or just have to the sustainable wages and then responsible labor practices within your own, your own environment, within anybody that you're doing business with. So those are things to to measure as well as make sure that you're considering when you're making decisions.
00:30:37:19 - 00:31:00:18UnknownAnd as an organization. Absolutely. Those are great examples and I feel like a common one too, is just volunteering. A lot of organizations say they value volunteering, but then it's like, do you give your employees volunteer opportunities to sit out, kind of start to finish thing? Like, do you follow up with them? How is their experience? How how they get involved in the community?
00:31:00:18 - 00:31:19:16UnknownLike you can't just stop at 25%. You got to keep it going kind of thing. There are some organizations and I won't name any, but I'm very recognizable that you see out in the world wearing their volunteer t shirts and you see them at events all over the place. And so, you know that that's really something that that organization takes seriously.
00:31:19:18 - 00:31:48:02UnknownRight? Right. Well, just kind of wrapping up here today. One more question for you. Leadership development is obviously crucial for organizational growth. So what initiatives are HR Departments implementing to identify and nurture leadership talent within organization? This is a really key area for me, and i feel like we don't spend quite enough time and energy on this in an actual practice.
00:31:48:04 - 00:32:23:01UnknownYou know, so often we promote the best individual contributor into running a department, but we haven't necessarily stepped back and said, are they a leader? Are they somebody that people go to naturally when when when the managers in a meeting, who do they actually reach out amongst their team members to get support and help? So first, I think your selection process needs to definitely be evaluated a little bit more and you need to make sure that the individual contributors can still grow without becoming managers because not every person should become a leader.
00:32:23:03 - 00:32:47:04UnknownBut then another aspect of leadership development for me is actually the job evaluation of our front line and mid-level managers. We have a lot going on in these positions. There's high, high expectations of them and they don't always have the time and resources to be able to actually do the job effectively. So it's a really common pressure point.
00:32:47:04 - 00:33:20:22UnknownAnd what I mean by that is senior leadership has expectations of goals and initiatives and growth plans that need to be executed on by these team members. And now we're seeing employee expectations and the employee experience has increased a lot of what they expect out of their frontline manager. You know, they're expecting that their managers want to know them as individuals, that they adjust their leadership style to them, that they're helping them develop in their careers, that they're representing the organization on a day to day basis.
00:33:20:22 - 00:33:55:12UnknownStrong communication, regular feedback. You know, there's just a there's a lot that's being expected at that. And then these roles commonly have extremely high spans of control. So you see it's not uncommon to see a supervisor have 20 to 30 direct reports if you expect them to know their employees on an individual basis and provide a strong employee experience, while also meeting the strategic goals and needs of the organization, probably need to take a look at the span of control because that's probably not a realistic ask.
00:33:55:14 - 00:34:20:14UnknownAnd they also have a lot of administrative work, whether it's time cards and performance reviews and you just all these tools and resources that they have to do on an ongoing basis. So I think it's a really important that we especially as we take a step back and then look at whether it's a program we're implementing, what's the impact on them, but also are we really designing the jobs in a way that's going to make them successful?
00:34:20:15 - 00:34:47:05UnknownSo that's a it's just a it's a key area for me is making sure that they're spending that time, especially given we know the direct managers are a key reason why employees stay or leave an organization. So if we don't provide the support to those specific individuals, how are we really long term impacting our ability to to get the right talent in the organization?
00:34:47:07 - 00:35:12:16UnknownSo it's like I said, we need to make sure that we're focusing on evaluating what those responsibilities are, how many direct reports they might have, what's the the individual contributor tasks we ask them to, because oftentimes they're also expected to be a producer on top of being the manager of a very large team that you might need to provide administrative support to them or an automation tools or something to make their jobs a little bit easier.
00:35:12:18 - 00:35:33:02UnknownAnd then being clear on training them and the skill sets that they need to do their job well and providing very clear expectations of what they're responsible for so that they can be successful. And of course, Emery can help with the training and the development and even the job evaluations if that's something that people are interested in. But I do think it's important.
00:35:33:02 - 00:35:55:24UnknownWe very often look at our senior leaders and we're looking a lot at our individual contributors these days, but this group in the middle gets kind of forgotten. Well, I think that's a great place to close out on a great conversation today. So, Keri, I want to thank you for for your expertise in ensuring that sharing the trends that you've been seeing in HR currently.
00:35:56:01 - 00:36:18:10UnknownBut to our listeners, I want to thank you also for tuning in. When Keri mentioned we have resources linked in the show notes, so make sure to check those out today or you can find them at MRA. Net dot org. We also I'm curious LinkedIn profile linked in the show notes. So if you like to connect with her or ask or any follow up questions, be sure to connect with Keri.
00:36:18:10 - 00:36:38:15UnknownI'm sure she'd be happy to do that. Keri Again, thank you for joining me today. And to our listeners, we will see you next week. And that wraps up our content for this episode. Be sure to reference the show notes where you can sign them to connect. For more podcast updates, check out other MRA episodes on your favorite podcast platform.
00:36:38:16 - 00:36:48:09UnknownAnd as always, make sure to follow MRA's 30 minutes THRIVE so you don't miss out. Thanks for tuning in and we'll see you next Wednesday to carry on the conversation.
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Description:
In this episode, join us for an insightful conversation with Susan Fronk, President and CEO of MRA. Get ready to kick-start your new year, as we explore trends, strategies, and expert insights that will define success in 2024. Whether you're a professional, entrepreneur, or anyone seeking to thrive in the fast-paced future, Susan shares invaluable advice for making 2024 your best year yet.
Resources:
2024 National Business Trends Survey
MRA Hot Topic Surveys
MRA Membership
About MRA
Let's Connect:
Guest Bio - Susan Fronk
Guest LinkedIn Profile - Susan Fronk
Host Bio - Sophie Boler
Host LinkedIn Profile - Sophie Boler
Transcript:
Transcripts are computer generated -- not 100% accurate word-for-word.
00:00:00:00 - 00:00:21:04UnknownHello everybody and welcome to 30 minute Thrive, your go to podcast for anything and everything HR, powered by MRA, the Management Association. Looking to stay on top of the ever changing world of HR? MRA has got you covered. We'll be the first to tell you what's hot and what's not. I'm your host, Sophie Boler, and we are so glad you're here.
00:00:21:05 - 00:00:41:11UnknownNow it's time to thrive. Well, hello, everybody, and thank you for joining us and happy New Year. And welcome back, Susan. Hey. Well, Susan, since your New Year podcast from last year is actually in our top ten podcasts of all time, we thought it would be great to really bring you back this year and share your insights for the coming year of 2024.
00:00:41:12 - 00:01:04:09UnknownYeah, I saw that, that it was in the top ten, but you know, sort of thing too much credit because I was one of the first podcasts. So it's top ten for a still call me season, right? Okay. But for those of you who may not know, Susan Fronk is MRA's president and CEO. And you're really here today to help you get your new year off to a great start, really help you and your business thrive.
00:01:04:11 - 00:01:31:17UnknownSo speaking of where to start, Susan, let's take a look at a recent national Business Trends survey from the Employers Association of America, the EAA. I know, Susan, you always talk about using data THRIVEn decisions and using those for results. So let's take a look at the results that we're seeing from the 2024 National Business Trends Survey. We know that the economy impacts everything every day, life in work.
00:01:31:19 - 00:01:58:05UnknownSo let's talk about the numbers for this year specifically. According to the survey, 67% of organizations say the economy will improve or stay the same. And that's an 18% increase from last year's report. So we're really seeing greater confidence in this year's economy. So my first question to you is, with business leaders feeling more confident, how will that impact employers for this year?
00:01:58:11 - 00:02:28:12UnknownSure. Well, first, a word about the National Business Trends survey and how relevant it is for our members. The EAA, the Employer Associations of America. Organizations like us across the country. So employers of all sizes in all industries and tens of thousands of employers. So this survey is really reflective of kind of coast to coast thinking in how they're planning for the next year.
00:02:28:14 - 00:03:14:14UnknownAnd you're right, there is a greater confidence that business will at least stay the same or improve in the year ahead. And that's great because where confidence goes, usually production follows, sales follow and hiring follows. So I know we're going to get into that, but that's kind of a mixed blessing. So hiring is still really tough. When you look at the comfort index in production and sales and where companies are going, that means there will be investments, investments made in their companies, in mergers and acquisitions, plant expansions, maybe more experimentation and innovation as well as additional hiring.
00:03:14:16 - 00:03:45:17UnknownYeah, absolutely. And according to the business Trends survey, 52% of employers here in the Midwest are looking to hire permanent staff. So when it comes to hiring and recruiting for 2024, what suggestions do you have for employers out there? Really? Sure. Generally, when I'm talking with members, whether those are our constituents or the C-suite, they are still having great difficulty finding qualified experience hires.
00:03:45:19 - 00:04:23:03UnknownSo if you think of hiring as filling positions and not just hiring somebody from outside the organization and bringing them in, it may make a little more sense. And that's some of the creative D that I see. Employers are not necessarily looking for that needle in a haystack. Well, they certainly are, but they're also saying, who in my organization may have the ambition and the skills and characteristics to move up and what kind of development most training and professional experiences would I need to give them to grow them into that position?
00:04:23:05 - 00:04:53:00UnknownIf you can't buy it, meaning hire, you've got to make it and that'll develop. Yeah, absolutely. And we'll talk a little bit more later, especially on emerging leaders and from a CEO perspective, what qualities and characteristics do you specifically look for in those emerging leaders? We'll talk more later. But Susan Talent acquisition TA has been a serious challenge for employer employers in the past year and this year looking ahead.
00:04:53:01 - 00:05:26:10UnknownSo let's talk about what executives identified as some other top challenges of this year. Talent acquisition was top at 50 to 2%, but also making the top five list was cybersecurity at 44%. Talent retention also at 44%, inflation coming in at 41%. And then developing future leaders, as you've mentioned, at 34%. Looking at that, cyber security is new on this list for this year and really an issue top of mind for executives And, you know, all employers.
00:05:26:12 - 00:05:52:00UnknownWhat are you hearing from other organizations in business leaders overall on how what they are doing to increase cybersecurity? Sure. And it's coming up in many business conversations. Before we move to that with your commission, Sophie, could I circle back to the talent, get perhaps a lesson? Because the survey did highlight some things that I think are worth underscoring in this conversation.
00:05:52:01 - 00:06:28:21UnknownOne is that compensation, as a starting wage went up. No surprise there, but also that the ranges of the jobs themselves have been adjusted upward in the majority of organizations. And again, no surprise with inflation being kind of break away in 2022 and maybe moderating a bit in 2023, just that those are table stakes. Right. We all know that compensation alone isn't a satisfying necessarily, but it's a dissatisfying.
00:06:28:23 - 00:06:47:04UnknownSo what I mean by that is if you don't get it right, people will leave. But even if you have it right, meaning that you pay competitively and you know what the market pay is and your benefits are appropriate, the right amount of paid time off, just the fact that you get that right, those are table stakes. That doesn't mean people won't leave.
00:06:47:06 - 00:07:09:20UnknownYou have to have culture and environment and professional growth and development opportunities as well. The innovation is just the doubling down on the fact that it is a total package and human resources is right at the center of that and leadership conversation to say, here's here's how we have to touch all those bases. So pay alone will get you there.
00:07:09:22 - 00:07:34:02UnknownBut you do have to know how your jobs stack up to off. And I think business leaders may say this job title and what does this job title pay? That almost doesn't matter because titles are just that. You have to really look at the responsibilities and the role itself and the job duties to make sure that you're comparing apples to.
00:07:34:04 - 00:08:02:14UnknownAbsolutely. Thank you for circling back. Sure. Yeah. I think that was an important point, and I neglected to say that originally. Absolutely. If you asked me about cybersecurity. Yes. Well, I think it is a big question. It's like describing the you and I am no cybersecurity expert, but I do have the catbird seat, I guess I would say, and I always feel honored to have those conversations with so many business leaders.
00:08:02:16 - 00:08:26:23UnknownBut our members do share confidential information with us, and cybersecurity is keeping people up at night. It can ruin a business in the blink of an eye. Before I get to a couple of recommendations that I would make as a layperson, not as a cybersecurity expert, but as a business leader, that that does have this advantage of talking with a lot of other smart business leaders.
00:08:27:00 - 00:09:03:23UnknownAnecdotally, I happen to be in Las Vegas last fall for my husband's birthday, and it was during the MGM data breach and Hurd worldwide, everybody was talking about it because they decided not to play ball with the threat actors. And there are a thousand decisions that businesses need to make about cybersecurity. But one of them is am I going to capitulate, potentially pay ransom, try to secure my data and hope and pray that that the bad right.
00:09:03:23 - 00:09:28:09UnknownYou're going to honor their word, which is interesting all by itself mean you trust in criminals to do what they say. That makes no sense. But then the other branch is to say, forget it. I'm going to take what comes right. And what was so unique about the MGM? Brett breach is that just prior to that, the whole Caesars Entertainment family worldwide was in it.
00:09:28:11 - 00:10:04:17UnknownThey paid a seven figure ransom. Whether that was there's two huge hospitality, gaming, entertainment, playing in the same space, trying to attract the same customers in the same industry. And they went in it very different ways. So I guess an umbrella is you have to know your own company, your own culture, your appetite for risk, and that the subject matter experts you've got on hand and higher tech to move you through any threat, hopefully to prevent a threat.
00:10:04:19 - 00:10:34:04UnknownAnd then what's the fallout? Can your company with stand whatever it is from your employees, from your customers, from your vendors who say, maybe I don't trust you as much anymore, So now two organizations, very similar, could have been brought to their knees, and I witnessed it staying at an MGM property. My husband and I saw it was basically shut down.
00:10:34:05 - 00:11:18:14UnknownThey must have lost millions and millions every day. So just having that kind of ringside seat and talking to who I could. Dealers and Uber THRIVErs. Yeah, customer service people, they highlighted the fact that it was really only one employee who unintentionally who did a very bad and reckless thing against the training that he'd had, which brought the company to its knees, and that because they were networked so thoroughly at all of their properties worldwide for economy and efficiencies, a scalability, knowledge and interest locking this out.
00:11:18:16 - 00:11:55:17UnknownIt also was once somebody got in their room, they got in every. So how does that relate to our members here in the Midwest, wherever you happen to be? It's that employee training is an absolute again, just ticket to the show. If you're going to be in business today, you have to realize the threat really is everywhere and your employees, advertently or inadvertently are likely going to be the access point.
00:11:55:19 - 00:12:25:15UnknownSo train your employees and keep training and keep training and can don't take no for an answer. You just have to have that level of knowledge of what the risk is out there and and how they could jeopardize your organization. It's one thing. The second thing is I would really advocate for an independent outside audit of all of your systems.
00:12:25:17 - 00:12:56:07UnknownYes, it takes time and yes, it costs money, but they will highlight areas of opportunity, areas of risk. Can I give you a report card and a game plan to say if this is your report card, where you're strong and where you're weak, here are some gaps. Here are some systems or practices that make you vulnerable. The devil you know is better than the devil you don't.
00:12:56:09 - 00:13:26:09UnknownAnd then you can address those gaps that an outside third party, nothing in the game has identified to help make your company stronger. And it isn't a one and done sort of thing. I undertook one in 2020 and again in 2022. We plan to do it again next year. So that's just like maintenance review. You do what you can and that doesn't that, that doesn't ensure you're not going to have a problem, right?
00:13:26:11 - 00:13:58:24UnknownIt just maybe reduces the likelihood. So those two things extensive of ongoing kind of black and white employee training must do it. And second and a regular practice of outside objective audits of your systems so that you can become stronger and less vulnerable. Absolutely. Those are great takeaways, Suzanne. And I appreciate the examples, too, that came with it was very interesting to watch in real time.
00:13:59:01 - 00:14:26:18UnknownCybersecurity has been one of our was highly requested topics coming from our 30 minute Thrive listeners. So I'm glad we can address that today. Well, I'm not a cybersecurity expert. I would suggest we get some for future podcasts. We will really dig into it. Absolutely. Another topic that's been very highly requested is I we have a couple episodes out there if you'd like to go in depth about A.I..
00:14:26:18 - 00:15:15:01UnknownBut Suzanne, I guess I'm curious from your perspective how you feel about a A.I. in HR overall, MRA's first steps to kind of incorporate air in our company. I'm sure just kind of briefly touch on that. I will. I wouldn't say that we're ahead of the game. I would say we're writing this tsunami with most of the organizations out there and learning as best as we can so we understand not only do we need to get it right and become more knowledgeable about our own services and how we're going to offer, connect with produce what we do, and that our members are 4000 strong, are turning to us to say, What should I be concerned
00:15:15:01 - 00:15:42:07Unknownabout? And specifically, I guess as it pertains to human resources. So my thought is there is no there is no value in saying a AI is bad, more A.I. is dangerous. It can be in the wrong hands. And without a plan. But I just is it is coming on strong. So it's not it's not an argument to be debated.
00:15:42:09 - 00:16:06:23UnknownIt's a fact to be managed and wrestled with and resolved. And as best as each company can. So what do I think the impact on each I would be, I think is going to be huge. I'm making this big universal statement without a lot of detail under it. But we're learning, as I said, as fast as we can.
00:16:07:00 - 00:16:53:08UnknownThis practice might work for our members too. We have developed last year we developed an AI task force so people internal, aided by some external experts that would just make us smarter, that would take a look at it and study it regularly and carved out a bit in their time and their goals to be help us elevate our skills with regard to artificial intelligence, not necessarily deciding what our projects would be because it's a small group of people, but elevating the knowledge of our leader team, our employees in general, our senior leaders, and to say, here's what we're learning and to keep that in front of us so that we can make good decisions about
00:16:53:10 - 00:17:27:20Unknownboth internal and external offerings, program services and expertise we may do, I will say, one thing. I strongly recommend that every company who is trying to get their arms around AI and who isn't, that they start with something that sounds like you're putting on the brakes before you even get in the car, which is data governance policy, because every company has employees, whether you know it or not, who are already working with A.I., It could be in a side hustle.
00:17:27:20 - 00:18:04:15UnknownIt could be that they're using it for what they do for your organization and you just don't know it. Or it could be that innocently. They're just one of those early adopters that are saying, Well, I'm just going to experiment through having listened to some outside experts and some people in the legal realm who talk about copyright and many other legal issues, I guess I would just say help your employees be the best they can be by having a data policy and guidelines that give them the parameters.
00:18:04:17 - 00:18:26:17UnknownSo you want to make sure you know what's going on in your organization so you can make sure you don't get in trouble. But also you want to make sure that it's a conversation daily, weekly, ongoing, so that you can harness whoever is an early adopter and excited about it and use that to help further whatever you're trying to do.
00:18:26:17 - 00:18:57:23UnknownSo it's really going to impact and this is just fundamental, you know, the basic knowledge of of things I've seen, it's really going to impact the employment world, how you hire and attract source, bring on board employees. Absolutely. So HR needs to get its arms around that second thought. When you think about marketing production and content production communications, it's really going to impact that as well.
00:18:58:00 - 00:19:25:10UnknownI would never put something out there written by a guy who. What is that and who is that? You know, the the very old adage garbage in, garbage out applies might be more garbage, might be digital garbage, but it could still be art. So that I almost think artificial intelligence, I'm never going to change the title. That is what it is universally, but it's almost like it should be called augmented in time.
00:19:25:10 - 00:19:51:11UnknownJust plainly put a computer brain is helping humans do their job better. So you augment how you do your job with artificial intelligence. So artificial always kind of gives me the creeps, but neither it's real or it's not right and it's real. So I would I would say you want to use augmented and I like the do your job from the heard it here first.
00:19:51:15 - 00:20:19:15UnknownAll right. We're changing artificial intelligence. Right. It's just you know, it's not even 9 a.m.. We're getting things done. Get things that I would just add to that, too, from the conversations that I've had with some subject matter experts specifically on AI and how it will affect the workforce. And each are specifically I feel like they're seeing that A.I. is going to help with operational and more routine tasks.
00:20:19:17 - 00:20:49:23UnknownAnd that's going to leave HR Professionals and professionals in general more room to focus on the strategic planning tasks that maybe they don't have enough time on right now. That's well said. And i think HR People should be excited about that. But first, it's scary. Before you get excited about said you first have to get your arms around it and know how i'm going to harness it and you don't left behind and and and and though I do think it could help HR
00:20:49:23 - 00:21:14:03UnknownPeople focus on the more strategic conceptual things and getting more routine tasks out of the way. It won't stop there, though. I think that's a bridge to to something even bigger. Yeah, absolutely. Well, thank you for those recommendations. In fact, we have a hot topic survey coming out very soon on ai in the workplace, so stay tuned for that.
00:21:14:03 - 00:21:45:16UnknownAnd if you want to learn more about how I will affect your workplace in HR specifically, that hot topic survey is going to be coming out next week, actually, so the week of January 7th. And we will also have a podcast covering those results of survey results. But so, Susan, let's talk more about some other business trends, survey results here to our attention was among the top business challenges for 2023 and heading into 2024.
00:21:45:18 - 00:22:13:08UnknownSo what are organizations doing now to really retain top talent once hired? There's very little like earth shaking and VR and tremendously different. But I can say again with the confidence of thousands of employers weighing in, that some fundamentals that again put it, are right in the middle of that business conversation session. You need to be an employer of choice.
00:22:13:08 - 00:22:56:14UnknownYou need to be an employer that competes not just on being in the top of the range you need to pay competitively, as we've determined. But there are so many other things. And one of those other things that is trending more strongly isn't new, but trending much more along strongly is learning in growth. How how are you going to take a new employee, an existing employee, a long service employee, and continue to give them opportunities to learn and to grow in your organization, that that deserves more time and attention on a regular basis?
00:22:56:16 - 00:23:35:20UnknownThen then most of us either devote to because you're there's a crush of other things to do, or maybe we don't realize just how important it has become and the talent shortage and the fact that employers are looking to hire more in a stronger economy and those people just don't always exist. And so for self-preservation as well as for growth, you really need to keenly focus on career paths and opportunities to develop your current team.
00:23:35:22 - 00:24:05:00UnknownThat doesn't mean you all have to create a university. That doesn't mean you need to have a ladder, a and a ladder being a ladder. I guess it would be the other way around. Let's see. Matter be ladder. But in some organizations that makes sense. Maybe more of a manufacturing organization, but it does mean the quality of supervision and management, the quality of those conversations are really important so that that employee knows.
00:24:05:02 - 00:24:37:04UnknownAll right. The job to which I aspire or the pay that I'd like to earn someday is achievable with these steps. My employer is going to do these three things and I'm going to do these five things and we're going to arrive at this happy destination together. So spending more time and thoughtful consideration of each employee's career path, no matter the job, is really trending strongly.
00:24:37:06 - 00:25:07:11UnknownAnd that's not going to change as the talent market stays really challenging, challenging in that there just aren't enough experienced, qualified candidates out there. And even at the very entry level or new to the job market range, I'm not letting those great employees get away and happy somewhere else. Absolutely. And I have a follow up question for that.
00:25:07:11 - 00:25:50:19UnknownThen, in addition to, like you said, table stakes, the competitive wages we've seen variable pay has also come into play to overcome these recruiting and retention challenges. Are you seeing any incentives used by our members or other organizations, employers with variable pay to kind of overcome the retention challenge? Sure. I'll give you what we've learned from our survey and then I'll give you a little Susan Twist, because, well, my opinion doesn't always carry the day, but we want to hear it.
00:25:50:19 - 00:26:24:00UnknownWell, it is what it is. What I think would work if you had an organization that you started from scratch with people that you were able to select carefully and grow the way you wanted to. You would treat everybody in a very custom way. Your best employees would get 10% raises and you, your average steady, at ease would get far less than that, and you wouldn't have poor quality employees.
00:26:24:00 - 00:26:55:17UnknownAnd in real world that doesn't exist. But I do see to sell them that employers use whatever matrix they have for pay and benefits, they use it to too much the same year. At the end of the day, what is the difference to you or to me or to anyone? You know the difference between a 2.7 raise and a 3% raise.
00:26:55:17 - 00:27:26:07UnknownIt just isn't meaningful. So if you really want to keep that better employee, what is meaningful for great performance. So again, that's the real trend with my twist using HR Being very nimble and able to layer on its policies and practices not as consistently maybe as a lifetime has taught us. You need to treat everybody the same. Not necessarily.
00:27:26:10 - 00:27:58:01UnknownYou need to have business justified reasons for doing that. You need to make sure it's tied to documented perform means but achievement of goals. Those employees who truly are head and shoulders above, they're going to go elsewhere in this market unless you do treat them differently. Ways that you can do that. Variable variable pay tied to performance, not universal bonuses, but those that say if the company achieves this, then we all get that.
00:27:58:03 - 00:28:25:15UnknownThat means gain sharing, Whatever you call it, it's gain sharing. Second would be if you in this role achieve this, you're going to get this. Those things benefit the organization and they will lift all boats instead of variable pay that isn't as tightly tied for goal achievement. And again, that brings the spotlight right down on the quality of management in supervision.
00:28:25:17 - 00:28:50:15UnknownAre your managers and supervisors savvy, trained and strong enough to say, Sophie, here's where you hit your goals. Here's where you missed your goal. Here's what that earned in our variable pay plan and here's what you going to do next year. That should be a dialog. Usually saying that's achievable might be a stretch goal, but I can do it.
00:28:50:17 - 00:29:25:05UnknownNot pie in the sky. What are you talking about? I could never do that. So it should feel like a partnership, but it should also feel like a stretch and your manager has to be able anyone's manager has to be able to say, Great job or here's the gap. And that's saying a lot. If you're not going to use things very consistently which can water down performance if you treat everybody the same, the great performers say, What the heck?
00:29:25:07 - 00:30:01:11UnknownWhy should I tie on my son Jr's every day and run at 100 miles an hour when he is and she is and they are running at 50 miles an hour? No, you know, why would I do that? It tends to it tends to breed mediocrity instead of excellence. So the key to that is high quality management and supervision and the ability to have conversations in a partnership way so that people understand, here's how I can excel, here's how I can earn that variable pay, and here's, you know, what caring what I do to improve.
00:30:01:13 - 00:30:30:14UnknownIf that was Susan's twist, that makes sense. Yeah, but it doesn't exist. It doesn't reflect. Well, Susan kind of rounding out the top five challenges from this year's survey is developing future leaders. So I know we touched on this briefly, but what recommendations do you have for developing an organization's up and coming leaders or emerging leaders? I would say, well, one of them, I think, is what I just touched on with regard to variable pay.
00:30:30:16 - 00:31:00:06UnknownPeople work for intrinsic feeling of accomplishment. That's true. I think if you hire good employees, they want they come in saying, I want to do a good job because that's just how I'm wound. That's my theory. But let's not make the mistake that an achievement is an important and compensation isn't important. And recognition and rewards are an important and I'm probably wound a little differently that way.
00:31:00:11 - 00:31:29:17UnknownI'm not saying intergenerational, but it tends to be in that newer workers in the workplace just need more care and development and to feel a part of the team. And I think sometimes longer service workers missed that. By missed that, I mean don't recognize that enough. Don't think about it often enough. Not out of bad intention, but because that's not what they experienced.
00:31:29:22 - 00:31:53:11UnknownSo so you don't want to allow that disconnect to become pervasive in your company. You want to make sure it's fluid and organic is a word I like to use there, meaning it's growing and changing all the time and it's an in an into flow of information going back and forth, people communicating about what they need and what they want and what they have and they like and what they don't like.
00:31:53:12 - 00:32:24:23UnknownI mean, then you can respond to it back to the career passing. Just make sure that's part of your performance system. Whatever your performance system is, it isn't just about goals, it's about what's next and where you want to go and what you want to achieve and and help with how you get there. So if any employee is willing to say, I want to grow my job and I'm willing to put in these things, room managers should want to work with them all day long.
00:32:25:00 - 00:32:50:21UnknownIt's great advice. Well, common sense, right? Well, Susan, unfortunately, we're running out of time here. But I know we asked this question a lot to our members, but now I'm curious to know what keeps you up at night, Susan, looking forward into the future, 2024 for business? Well, thanks, Sophia. You you actually gave me some nightmares during this conversation because most things.
00:32:50:21 - 00:33:16:19UnknownYeah, this is what I'm you. You you touched on two of them because they're so external to an organization. I think many leaders and I like to feel that I really know how to run this business and that I communicate with this team really well that you that you know where we are financially. You know what our goals are.
00:33:16:22 - 00:33:47:01UnknownOur strategic placement is tucked up in your cubicle, whatever, you know, where we're going. But cybersecurity and artificial intelligence that are tiger by the tail, both of those things, you can do everything right and not see the train coming on the track. So again, business people are paid to square their shoulders and say, how do I how do I capitalize on those opportunities?
00:33:47:01 - 00:34:13:01UnknownNot how do I run afraid from them? What your question was, what keeps me up at night? I would say it's those two things, among others, because they are so external to minimization. They are so foreign and fast moving and in the hands of other people and things and technology that today a few of us are expert in.
00:34:13:03 - 00:34:39:12UnknownSo so that's what keeps me up at night. And that's why through our conversation I highlighted just the fundamentals of policy governance practice. Outside audits, you do what you can and then hopefully you can just put your head down on the pillow and sleep because you've done what you can. That doesn't mean it will protect or be perfect or optimize artificial intelligence the impact on your business.
00:34:39:14 - 00:35:08:09UnknownBut you can't be an ostrich either and stick your head in the sand and just say, I hope it doesn't impact me for two years or five years. It will come in my CEO roundtable. We talked about cybersecurity and there were 14 really smart business leaders, owners in the room, and four of them had had data incidents, let's call it threat actors attack their business.
00:35:08:09 - 00:35:35:18UnknownSo four out of 14 just in the last year, it's not if, but when. So make yourself as bulletproof as possible. Absolutely. And we have resources linked in the charts below. You can also find them at MRA Talk. But Susan, we wrap up here. Any last thoughts, any words of inspiration for the new year, your mike drop moment here?
00:35:35:20 - 00:35:55:00UnknownI'll tell you what I told my employees and my partner over the holidays. Bring it on, We’re Ready! I love it. I need to. I'm excited. Perfect. Well, thank you, Susan. I really appreciate you coming on. And I appreciate your leadership here, too. Like I mentioned, we have resources in the show notes below, so make sure to refer back to those.
00:35:55:02 - 00:36:15:24UnknownThey are also found on our website, mranet.org. And thank you so much for listening and tuning in today. We hope you have a great New Year in a successful New Year and we are always here to help. So thank you again, Susan. Happy New Year. And that wraps up our content for this episode. Be sure to reference the show notes where you can sign them to connect.
00:36:15:24 - 00:36:31:04UnknownFor more podcast updates, check out other Amari episodes on your favorite podcast platform. And as always, make sure to follow MRA's 30 minutes THRIVE so you don't miss out. Thanks for tuning in and we'll see you next Wednesday to carry on the conversation.
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Description: Join us as we dive into the excitement of the new year, exploring the power of setting fresh goals. Explore practical tips and proven techniques to align individual, team, and organizational goals, setting the stage for a year of unprecedented success and growth.
Resources:
Quarterly Goal Tracking Chart
SMART Goals Tracking Form
MRA Membership
About MRA
Let's Connect:
Guest Bio - Amanda Mosteller
Guest LinkedIn Profile - Amanda Mosteller
Guest Bio - Brittany Czirr
Guest LinkedIn Profile - Brittany Czirr
Host Bio - Sophie Boler
Host LinkedIn Profile - Sophie Boler
Transcript:
Transcripts are computer generated -- not 100% accurate word-for-word.
00:00:00:00 - 00:00:21:04UnknownHello everybody and welcome to 30 minute Thrive, your go to podcast for anything and everything HR, powered by MRA, the Management Association. Looking to stay on top of the ever changing world of HR? MRA has got you covered. We'll be the first to tell you what's hot and what's not. I'm your host, Sophie Boler and we are so glad you're here.
00:00:21:05 - 00:00:42:16UnknownNow it's time to thrive. Well, we can get started right away, but we're excited that you're all here with us for our first ever live podcast. But really, we're here to make your 2024 your best year yet. And it's all about goal setting. So today, find out the impact of intentional goal setting and the value that modern day goal setting brings.
00:00:42:18 - 00:01:05:12UnknownIt's a new year. It's time for new goals, and MRA, as always, is here to help you get set. So like I said, we're here on LinkedIn live today, super excited. And for our listeners out there who have questions about goal setting specifically, ask away, definitely encourage you to put your questions in the chat. And Amanda and Brittany will answer them here and now.
00:01:05:14 - 00:01:29:05UnknownPlus, we can save some time at the end of the episode to really answer any additional questions that might come up. But for now, I'm curious to know where you all joining us from. Like we said, we're from Waukesha, Ohio, Kentucky. We're all over the place right now. So curious who's joining us today. Kind of as we get set here, I'll introduce our guests.
00:01:29:07 - 00:01:59:02UnknownMy name is Sophia Boler and the host of MRA's 30 Minute THRIVE podcast. And joining me are Amanda Mosteller, MRA's director of talent development. And Brittany Czirr learning and development facilitator also with MRA. So kind of as we get started and warming up here and as chats are going to be coming in. Let's talk about goals. And these are really not just your typical New Year's resolutions, which may be not about just a few weeks.
00:01:59:04 - 00:02:24:02UnknownThese are really long term as well as short term goals intended to really help you realize your greatest personal development and productivity for about 2024 year ahead. So today we're really going to be talking about the evolving standards that are reshaping the way we pursue success in every aspect of our lives and the goals we actually achieve to to get that success.
00:02:24:04 - 00:02:49:17UnknownSo let's first kind of talk about the importance of goal setting. Why don't we? So, Amanda, you want to start us off and kind of tell us what the value of setting goals is? Thank you. Yes, I do. And I love your highlight, which really ushers us into modern day goal setting of this is different than end of year New Year's resolution goals that you set three weeks later.
00:02:49:17 - 00:03:12:16UnknownHey, look, I'm not at the gym anymore. I hit it strong for about 25 days and then petered off. And and I would challenge that traditional goal setting strategies kind of resulted. Similarly, I would set my goal at the beginning of the year, and then at the end of the year I go, yeah, I was going to do that professionally for the team this year.
00:03:12:17 - 00:03:37:01UnknownDidn't get to it. And so when we really talk about the change and how it's been modernized, that that was such a great highlight. So because it comes into play is why it has evolved as well. But in terms of the value and the importance goal setting theory, I can talk about theory for a moment and I promise everyone just a moment.
00:03:37:03 - 00:04:06:15UnknownDr. Edwin Locke and Dr. Gary Lape actually started the conversation around setting actionable task performance related goals in the sixties. Now, I know you're saying modern day goal setting in the 1960s do not connect. And that is accurate. That's why we talk about modernizing a lot of their approach. But theory tends to be pretty universal in terms of how we implement it over time.
00:04:06:15 - 00:04:45:20UnknownThat modernizes and changes. But one stat that will not change and they actually updated their stats. They started doing research again in the nineties and updated it in the early 2000 in the Psychology Today Journal. But they really highlighted how 90% of individuals with performance s team personal organizational goals that they want to accomplish if they create is actionable goal, they write it down big key there and then they refer back to it.
00:04:45:22 - 00:05:15:11UnknownThey are 90% more likely to achieve success. So when I think about the value of goal setting, I think about the value of actually having an accountability partner of writing it down because we're 90% more likely to achieve success if we do some simple steps that we're going to talk about today. Brittney, what other thoughts do you have on the value of goal setting?
00:05:15:13 - 00:05:36:10Unknownmy gosh, it's so crucial, right? Because it really does allow you and to the point of writing it down, you know, putting stuff out there, speaking it into fruition, that is there's a lot to be said for that. If you just kind of keep it in and you internalize it. What are your checks and balances there? How are you tracking what you're doing to your point of accountability partners?
00:05:36:10 - 00:06:00:24UnknownYou know, how do you measure success? Because it's not going to be this like linear or not even linear, but open to the right. Like it's not going to look like that at all. It is peaks and valleys step forward and backwards. So how do you how do you navigate that and making sure that you have it somewhere that you can refer back to really helps navigate that aspect of it?
00:06:01:01 - 00:06:25:09UnknownAbsolutely. Those are all great points. And again, I would encourage our listeners, if you have any comments you want to share, how goal setting has really helped you and your organization achieve better success, We're all ears. We want to know what you're doing and what how you're finding success. But kind of moving on now that we know why we need to set goals, let's kind of talk about the what and how of goal setting.
00:06:25:09 - 00:06:55:21UnknownSo I heard you mentioned modern day goal setting five times. So what really is modern day goal setting and how does it differ from what most people think about when setting their goals? And so in the sixties, when goal setting theory and task performance coach, that element of their initial theory published in the sixties really was related around performance for the team or the organization, right?
00:06:55:21 - 00:07:21:04UnknownSo as an individual, how do I fit into the team performance, which fits into the organization performance? And we set it in January and then we come back and talk about it in December and we set my new wins in January. Modern day goal setting is much more fluid, so I establish goals that might evolve and change in 90 days.
00:07:21:06 - 00:07:50:19UnknownI establish goals that might take me three years to get to. All of them are welcome. All of them are important into that accountability partner piece, whether that's your manager or a mentor or a peer or they're checking in. So that set it and forget it truly is the older way of thinking, whether they're associated with. And we can get to talking about, you know, associations with financial gain.
00:07:50:19 - 00:08:17:04UnknownSo whether I have it's allocated with my merit increase, that's going to doesn't change the amount of check ins and this cadence of fluidity that our goals are. Additionally, people are looking to their organizations to help develop their career, which is different than being a piece of the team or the department of the or great. It's a two way relationship.
00:08:17:04 - 00:08:48:01UnknownSo the organization I'm also looking at the organization to develop me in my career so that I can continue to better the organization. It's a cyclical relationship, so goals aren't just team and department related. They're my personal career growth goals as well. And how can the organization help me set those goals and THRIVE me towards success in those goals, even if it doesn't have to do with the job I'm doing with you today?
00:08:48:03 - 00:09:06:09UnknownThe job I have today is this. But maybe I have a career aspiration of this and I could do that here. That's organization and probably will be more likely to if the organization is helping me develop my skill sets in that kind of a goal as well. That's a very modern view. Brittany, anything to add on to that?
00:09:06:11 - 00:09:35:04UnknownI do. So a couple of things. The the piece where it is a relationship that Amanda had mentioned. So it's having, you know, an investment into the person so the person can reinvest into the company. I think that that is so critical for companies to realize that because what is the saying where you provide someone with enough resources and get them where they want to be and feed into them so that they want to stay right, Like train them and get them to the point where they can leave but they choose to stay.
00:09:35:10 - 00:10:04:06UnknownIt's so much more rewarding and from a financial gain standpoint, from a satisfaction and morale and engagement standpoint, to have a culture of folks that want to be there, they have made the proactive choice to be, you know, as a company because you as a organization have fed into them. So I think that is so critical. And I also love the art and concept of the modern way of, you know, because in the past it very much was create the plan.
00:10:04:11 - 00:10:24:16UnknownJanuary 1st, it goes into effect. We revisit it in December and then see where we are right from a more modern approach. It's very much of what are your short term goals and then your stretch goals and your long term goals and how does that all feed into one another? Because again, it's not going to be a series of steps that, you know, everything aligns perfectly.
00:10:24:21 - 00:10:53:19UnknownSometimes it's this little, you know, nice shuffle along that works well and it's smooth. And then sometimes to get to that goal, if you've ever done a lunge, it's a deep lunge. You feel the burn and you're like, This is even painful at the moment, but you have to navigate through that to get to that next step. So being able to really understand like, you know, what can I do to make the lunge a little, you know, a little less of a knee is the way to go.
00:10:53:21 - 00:11:15:19UnknownYeah, well, Brittany, you hit on something that I think really highlights the connection also to another modern day thing, which is career pathing, as you mentioned, that growth and engagement. And as I was saying to I can do it, I'm going to do it somewhere. And I think as organizations we need to own that individuals are going to do it somewhere.
00:11:15:21 - 00:11:45:07UnknownThey can do it here or I can move on. If I didn't feel supported in that initiative and this is directly connected to modern day career path thing is no longer this concept of I grow the ladder, right? I come in as a individual contributor on this team. My goal is to become a supervisor of one of my teams in the department that does the work and then the department head and the vice president and I move up the ladder.
00:11:45:09 - 00:12:11:05UnknownNow, career path thing is, I have knowledge and skills I want to learn, and sometimes that's in the space I'm in. Sometimes it's cross training over into marketing and I do some things for marketing and maybe I even foyer into a marketing role for a while because there are certain business skills that I want to grow in my own repertoire that the marketing type job role will give me, that my current role will not.
00:12:11:07 - 00:12:34:18UnknownAnd that's another way, if I know to the modern goal setting, if I'm telling my leadership or my my supervisor, I want to learn how to be a great, a great strategist. And I'm trying to think of my own in filling seats for our public programs. And that's that's a big push. I want to learn how to help do that.
00:12:34:20 - 00:12:58:15UnknownWell, I could either start shadowing and learning how to do sales things, or I could start shadowing and learning how to do marketing things. But it's a goal that isn't necessarily within my job role, that traditional you know, I've had coaching conversations with leaders in the past and organizations where it's hard for them to wrap their head around, but that's not what your job role is.
00:12:58:15 - 00:13:25:20UnknownAnd so why would we throw energy into developing that if that's not what you do today? And I need you doing these things for the job and and the goal being instead reframe our thinking, amend. That's going to be a great benefit all around. And you as an individual are looking for that and and we can absolutely help you with that as it also reciprocally helps the organization have so much less siloed approach.
00:13:25:20 - 00:13:51:21UnknownRight. Like it's not so much of like you're restricted to this, you're understanding the whole organization and seeing how all the pieces in the COG work. And in Brittany, you kind of mentioned support from the organization too with goal setting and that makes a lot of sense. It's much easier to work and achieve your goals when you both have and you have both your leader and your organization supporting you in those efforts.
00:13:51:23 - 00:14:25:24UnknownAnd it looks like we do have one question in the chat kind of on this, and that is how is goal setting really help everyone in your organization that directed at us? We take that yeah yeah. From that approach Yeah you know it's interesting MRA has really done a wonderful job of creating these actionable goals that team leaders, of course will have like a waterfall goal, right, that we're doing for the department, which is also important even.
00:14:25:24 - 00:14:51:11UnknownAnd we would not say in modern day goal setting, throw out the goals. That's where you lead, that we are here to continue to grow as a team as well as individually. But you also put in your own goals and then have these fluid conversations. One of the things I love organizationally is there is an encouragement of like we encourage you to touch base quarterly.
00:14:51:14 - 00:15:17:11UnknownI will always say you should set some sort of cadence because if left to our own devices, some of us naturally are better at touching in than others. But it does not mean you can't go in and have goal conversations through this system. So we're leveraging technology to grow individually as a team or individually and as a team, rather, as well as just any time it comes up.
00:15:17:13 - 00:15:46:12UnknownBut the system we do leverage our systems for this does allow for individual growth conversations unrelated to your first biannual touch base and your annual performance review rate. And what I've seen and how it has helped. And I can only speak for our department. I haven't had cross conversations with other departments on how has this year goal setting gone for you and Sophie?
00:15:46:12 - 00:16:07:12UnknownYou can tag into on how it's gone for for your team. But what I have seen is this real feel that each of us are working individually on the things we need to work on individually. And there is some that account, some of that accountability piece, but we can see the progression. And then imagine looking back at the performance here and saying, You accomplish these things.
00:16:07:17 - 00:16:26:09UnknownAnd so then we added another one and you accomplish that one too, because you wanted to, and then we added another one you cared about and been like, Now instead of the ones goal you accomplished personally in the set it and forget it. Strategy accomplished for personal goals plus our two team goals. That's a lot. That's a lot to celebrate.
00:16:26:13 - 00:16:48:15UnknownAnd that's what I've seen is it's much more fluid. And so things drop off because they've been accomplished and then we add new ones because it's this fluid approach. Brittany You're also on the learning and development team here at MRA. Are you kind of the same thing that Amanda is saying or any other new thoughts and I am.
00:16:48:15 - 00:17:11:00UnknownBut I also want to add from my perspective, one of the things that I thought was the coolest from the MRA and goal setting standpoint was that there was actual conversation, right? Because how often have goals been assigned to folks or, you know, again, like it's kind of the less modern approach of like, how does this feed into what we need from an organizational standpoint?
00:17:11:00 - 00:17:33:03UnknownAnd the conversations are have always been, you know, where do you feel like your strengths lie? What are some things you want? You know, your opportunity areas, What are your interests? Where would you like to grow to? And then how can we mesh all of that together to get you where you want to go? And the focus on the person was really, really impactful to me.
00:17:33:03 - 00:17:55:08UnknownAnd it was one of the things that I thought, this is it makes an enormous difference. Yeah, absolutely. I totally agree with that. I actually coincidentally, I just had a conversation with my manager this morning on goals, had to align to look at that perfect timing, Brittany and me. And I can definitely attest to everything you're saying on that.
00:17:55:11 - 00:18:19:09UnknownThe accountability part is huge, and I would say that you have to hold yourself accountable, too, because some goals that you make and even organization wide goals, it is up to you as the individual to make sure you're staying on task with the goal and kind of keeping up with the progress. I mean, personally, for my goals, I, I have kind of a progress tracker that really helps.
00:18:19:11 - 00:18:37:02UnknownKind of like Amanda. You say writing down the goals really helps. Also keeping track of the progress really helps because maybe you set a goal early in the year and you're 55% of the way done. You don't want to wait to do that other 55% at the end of the year. You want to kind of keep that pace going.
00:18:37:02 - 00:19:09:16UnknownSo that was a good reminder this morning, kind of when I was talking to my manager on that. Well, and another thing I think about to that question of how we've seen it impact MRI as a whole, as I'm continuing to process and think through that too, where we were talking about personal professional goals being supported internally in an organization, we have a lot of folks that step into other projects or things that MRA as a whole wants to focus on and needs to focus on.
00:19:09:21 - 00:19:31:14UnknownAnd we have someone that's raising their hand saying, I would love to do that. We have a team member that started helping doing stream maps for processes and things like that, kind of in a newer way that that's not typically the types of things they do internally in their own department, but they wanted to and they did it for every department within the organization.
00:19:31:14 - 00:20:08:03UnknownAnd what a benefit that is, and it's an internal support. It was masterfully done and a huge outcome benefit plus a team member who is developed in a skill set. They want to do that. They wouldn't have had an opportunity otherwise. But because of our philosophy for how we goal set here, supporting your own personal professional goals and not having that, you're only allowed one, you know, not any of the restrictive mindsets because I've experienced that to where organizations say, Yeah, you have three department goals and one personal goal.
00:20:08:05 - 00:20:30:18UnknownAnd then I'm like, Well, I'm really limited. And then they did the annual review and then you set your new goal. And I'm like, So I got one thing done this year, darn it. So this kind of blew it approach allows for a lot of growth. Absolutely. Those are all great examples and glad we covered that. Kind of moving on.
00:20:30:18 - 00:20:55:05UnknownWe've touched on this a little bit, but why is modernizing an organization's goal setting approach important? And do either of you have any talking points that our listeners can kind of take back to their leadership to bring this concept home? I mean, I think it's it's the it's the term that is used a lot and very applicable in this stage.
00:20:55:11 - 00:21:29:11UnknownEngagement, engagement, engagement, retention, retention, retention. I think part of the beauty of a modernized approach to is it is inclusive of those that like the annual and I said a big goal that I think will take me 12 months to get to anyway is works for that because I'm still checking in on how you're doing. And for those of us that like more Sure shorter, shorter term you can tell I've been speaking for 20 minutes is shorter term achievable goals that build it works for that too.
00:21:29:11 - 00:21:56:18UnknownSo in terms of a strategy that engages all preference types, the answer is yes. And here's how we do that. So it can become very personal ties to the individual based on how they like their performance goals. Goals to work. I wouldn't tell someone. No, you have to. I've worked at an organization like that, too. You have to have a personal goal and it has to be unrelated to work in your.
00:21:56:20 - 00:22:25:22UnknownIt felt very forced and random because I didn't want it. It wasn't internally motivating to me. But when organizations do need to do regardless strategically is determine are our goals associated with any merit increases at the end of the year? If they are, how what is the meet needs it improvement meets and exceeds structure looked like so that this aligns with that.
00:22:26:01 - 00:23:01:14UnknownNot that it's one or the other. You can do both. You just strategically have to make that decision so that we can align everything. And then you do have to because if left to our own devices, like I said before, some of us are better than others in touching base and having these conversations, even if it's fluid, because I might get really bogged down in the day to day and I forget to touch base and say, Hey, I know you wanted to work on flexing skills, needs, analysis, conversations and have we provided enough opportunities for you to do that?
00:23:01:14 - 00:23:30:15UnknownHow are you doing? How are you feeling? If I'm still in the day to day, which many of us get into naturally, because that's how work works, I won't set those conversations, so I will do a minimum expected cadence of touch basis. Often our accountability partners are managers minimum expectation with allowance that it can be much more fluid than that bringing in the other.
00:23:30:17 - 00:23:53:05UnknownYeah well and I agree. I agree with everything that Amanda said and then emphasis placed on the conversation. Right. So this is a partnership. It's not the managers dictate it. It's it's very much THRIVEn by the individual. But in a collaborative effort of like where can we make sure that everything does align? And then again, to continue to have those conversations?
00:23:53:07 - 00:24:11:16UnknownAbsolutely. Absolutely. And we do have one more question to cover here. Yeah. What is the best way to make sure team members that come in mid project are on the same page with the team's goals? You I love everything about that question.
00:24:11:18 - 00:24:34:15UnknownI get really excited when they're like really great thought provoking questions. Burning. Do you mind if I dive in first at all? Get at it. I think first is catching them up to speed with I'm always going to go vision and every project has a vision. There is an end goal that this project is trying to create. And so what are we trying to create?
00:24:34:17 - 00:24:55:17UnknownWhere are we at? Where have we been? And then I think to your point, Brittany, what strengths do you bring to the table here and how do you think we can leverage them the best? And where do you want to grow? Because I happen to project sometimes where I know why I'm there. I'm aware of what I'm bringing to the table.
00:24:55:21 - 00:25:21:07UnknownThere are pieces that I know I'm not strong in. I'm hoping somebody else on the project team is strong in that. And then it being asked, What do I want to grow in? I would say for me it's analytics. So if I'm in a project and we're getting to the measurements of success piece and we're reviewing the data for measurements of success, that's not my strength, wink, because it's not my where I like to spend my energy and my time.
00:25:21:07 - 00:25:41:17UnknownI love the visioning, I love the frontend, I love all of that stuff. Doesn't mean I can't do it because in my career I have to, but it's not my favorite space to be. So I don't know that I know the best ways to do it. So if I'm asking for a goal, it would be put me on that sub team within the project.
00:25:41:19 - 00:26:09:17UnknownWho's running that piece? Can I partner with them and can they give me some tests to help? Because I want to get better at that for my own career growth. I think you bring up a good point with that too, Amanda, like making sure that the vision is there, but also again, having the conversation about what you know are your strengths and what are some areas that you want to grow because like the growth is on the other side of stretching yourself a little bit, right?
00:26:09:19 - 00:26:24:23UnknownSo as a manager and as a leader, how do you nudge your folks along to make sure that the vision is aligned and that they're bought in, but so that they're not just phoning it in because they can do it every day, day in and day out with their eyes closed. So how do you keep them engaged? Right.
00:26:24:23 - 00:26:45:12UnknownSo have that conversation to make sure that the vision is there were aligned on the vision. How can I get the most out of what you can do in your sleep, you know? And then how do we also kind of test you a little how do we nudge you along so that you're engaged, so that you want to do it right, so that you feel the build and even getting someone outside their comfort zone?
00:26:45:12 - 00:27:05:23UnknownBecause sometimes as a leader, you're going to have to kind of pull them along a little because they are maybe you're going to have some resistance there. But and it goes a long way with engagement and driving that vision forward. Yeah. Brittany, that's great advice. We have another chat question and listeners to keep on coming. How many goals is enough?
00:27:06:00 - 00:27:37:12UnknownMy advice on that down right? How many goals is enough? I would say a minimum of three. Like if, if I'm creating a structure, right, I would have, you know, a department goal at least that I've assigned someone. And then do they have a current job role goal? If I'm setting a cadence of expectation because even then left to our own devices, if you're going to ask me to if you ask me to set goals, I'll give you 50.
00:27:37:12 - 00:27:59:14UnknownIf you're going to ask my husband to set goals, he'll give you zero. They'll say, Just keep doing what I'm doing. So if you want to set up some sort of minimum expectation of three goals now, they don't have to. To my point earlier about someone, I worked in organization where I had to have a personal goal and had to be unrelated to my job and it had to how you had to.
00:27:59:16 - 00:28:18:01UnknownAnd I wasn't motivated by it because I was checking a box. I would just say we have three goals. We're going to have a departmental goal that your team leader is going to assign to the department where each team has to do it, and then, you know, you and your accountability partner, your supervisor, can talk through what the other two are going to look like.
00:28:18:03 - 00:28:48:21UnknownNo more than. And this comes from strategic execution goals. No, it depends on your length of time, but I would say no more than seven. And if you're setting them ahead of time because you have to do your day to day job still and seven goals evaluate it not for anyone, especially if you have an overachiever that wants to set all seven on day one and spend the year getting through them all and then drop it.
00:28:48:22 - 00:29:18:04UnknownWho, that would be a lot. So I would say best practices, no less than three, No more than seven at a time. Absolutely. Me Do you agree on that? I do. I'm a huge fan of the way. Three, right. Three is easy to absorb when you're giving information and easy to attain when you're talking about actionable steps on things, because you have to also factor in that as you set these goals, you're also going to be working with other people in life is going to happen, right?
00:29:18:04 - 00:29:38:11UnknownSo it's not like, I give myself seven goals or ten goals or 50 goals and it's just boom, boom, boom. I'm not going to model. It generally does not work that way right? So I think three is very manageable and it gives you a sense of accomplishment, like you want to see the progress. So I'm kind of wrapping up here.
00:29:38:11 - 00:29:58:04UnknownWe're closing in on time, but what are some actual steps that an organization can make quickly to kind of get that needle moving in the direction of modern day goal setting? If they don't really do that today? From my perspective, an organization like because I know Brittany has a great add on to this too, and I want to give her time.
00:29:58:04 - 00:30:25:24UnknownSo I'm going to be short for once, but just determine your strategy. So. All right. Off the bat, yes or no, do our goals equate to compensation? Do they have a connection? We need to know that because then we need to be very clear in what constitutes needs. Improvement means expectation or exceeds expectations. If it is a I do not encourage you to have that concern.
00:30:26:00 - 00:30:46:10UnknownWhat constitutes it being? If you meet three goals, you need improvement. If you meet for because that changes the fluidity, it locks it back in. What I encourage you to do, if they do not connect to compensation, then you have a lot. Either way, you have a lot of freedom, but there's a lot more freedom because you can start implementing things.
00:30:46:10 - 00:31:13:11UnknownDay one if your merit increases have already happened or are going to happen in the next couple of months, this would be a post that stretch strategic initiative to make that shift. And then in terms of needs, improvement, exceeds or meets expectations as it relates to goals, I would have them be the departmental and job performance goals, specifically, and personal goals are just cherry on top.
00:31:13:11 - 00:31:40:18UnknownThey don't actually hit your compensation piece. Those are the two depending on which arm you go down. Those are some of the quick actionable pieces to to put into place. There. But I know Brittany's got some something as well. So when you think about how do you then accomplish it and lay it out, right, Because that's the overarching this is what we want to do.
00:31:40:18 - 00:32:05:18UnknownSo there's a couple acronyms, which is smarter goals. But then there's also one that's fast goals, which really resonated with me. Like, I love that one because FAST stands for frequently discussed, ambitious, specific and transparent, right? So it feels very much even just the word fast that you're moving things along, because if you set a goal, sometimes it can feel very drawn out.
00:32:05:18 - 00:32:25:23UnknownEven if it's a 90 day goal, it's like, How do I get to the end of this? Sometimes, you know, or or that three year goal? When am I going to get to that? When do I hit that level of achievement that I have really been working toward? So using that, that concept of fast so frequently discussed it does the relationship ambitious, it makes it a bit more aggressive.
00:32:26:01 - 00:32:48:22UnknownRight? So instead of something just be timely and measurable. It's ambitious. Let's go ahead and reach for the stars. Why not write specific again and make sure that is things that you can attain and then transparent. Making sure that those conversation do happen, that other people are aware. So you have a team and cheerleaders behind you who doesn't want to be routed on, you know, as we as we move toward progress.
00:32:48:24 - 00:33:13:06UnknownAbsolutely. Yeah. That's all great advice and well, good good way to kind of close out today. So like I said, that is all the time we have. But thank you to all of our listeners for tuning in today for this live episode. This episode is recorded, so it will actually be published next week. So if you want to watch it again or you want to share it out, going to rewatch it, that will be available for you next week.
00:33:13:08 - 00:33:41:02UnknownWe also have some great episodes coming up over the next few weeks, including an episode on the year ahead with MRA's president and CEO Susan Frank, an episode on 2024 Trends and a lot more so make sure to kind of look out for those episodes. You can find MRA's 30 minute Thrive podcast on your favorite podcast app. You can go to YouTube or you can go to MRA's website at mranet.org.
00:33:41:04 - 00:34:01:09UnknownAmanda and Brittany, thank you so much for joining us live today. I really appreciate all your insights and your expertise to our listeners. Have a great day and have a great rest of your week and we will see you for the next episode. And that wraps up our content for this episode. Be sure to reference the show notes where you can sign them to connect.
00:34:01:09 - 00:34:16:14UnknownFor more podcast updates, check out other MRA episodes on your favorite podcast platform. And as always, make sure to follow MRA's 30 minutes THRIVE so you don't miss out. Thanks for tuning in and we'll see you next Wednesday to carry on the conversation.
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Description: 🎧 In this December Talent Report, we're spotlighting the freshest trends in the realm of talent. Uncover cutting-edge recruitment tactics, explore the surge in demand for emerging skills, and stay informed about the latest developments throughout the month of December. Tune in to stay one step ahead in the dynamic landscape of the competitive job market! 🌟
Resources:
Talent Report+ Webinar Series
MRA Membership
About MRA
Let's Connect:
Guest Bio - Jim Morgan
Guest LinkedIn Profile - Jim Morgan
Host Bio - Sophie Boler
Host LinkedIn Profile - Sophie Boler
Transcript:
Transcripts are computer generated -- not 100% accurate word-for-word.
00:00:03:24 - 00:00:25:03UnknownHello everybody and welcome to 30 minute Thrive, your go to podcast for anything and everything HR, powered by MRA, the Management Association. Looking to stay on top of the ever changing world of HR? MRA has got you covered. We'll be the first to tell you what's hot and what's not. I'm your host, Sophie Boler and we are so glad you're here.
00:00:25:04 - 00:00:45:07UnknownNow it's time to thrive. Hello, everybody, and welcome to this episode of 30 Minute THRIVE. It is time to go over this month's talent report, which is an up to the minute review of what's going on in the world of business with an emphasis on talent. With Jim Morgan, MRA's vice president of Workforce Strategies. So thanks for being here, Jim.
00:00:45:09 - 00:01:09:00UnknownYeah, thanks for having me. Happy holidays. Happy holidays. Well, this month you are looking at 2024, actually the year ahead. So talking about the opportunities that await and some of the challenges that might be on the horizon as companies prepare for this next year, 2024. So starting out with recruiting and retention innovation, Jim, you pulled some stats from MRA's recent comp trends report.
00:01:09:02 - 00:01:32:24UnknownWhat is really shown here? Well, what we were talking about from the comp trends report was basically miscellaneous perks. Where are companies trying to distinguish themselves for others? Where are they trying to stand out? Just try to get some creative ideas of what people might be up to. And chuckled during the talent report that the number one item is employee lunches.
00:01:33:01 - 00:01:56:05UnknownAnd any time I'm meeting with HR people, I always say food. You know, it doesn't make any difference how, where or when, why food is always a winner. But food also brings with it the side effects of chance for people to talk to each other and get to know each other better and help with the culture. But it's always something that you know, was relatively simple and is appreciated by people.
00:01:56:07 - 00:02:33:07UnknownBut on a more serious side of things, tuition assistance and flexible scheduling were numbers two and three, with about 65% of the companies saying that and the tuition assistance. Two things I think are happening. We talked a little bit about it last month, I think. But companies are starting to include tuition reimbursement in there. And so those students that might have student loans as becoming a part of that and I think you've got more both younger and seasoned workers that are looking for the specific training, which may be in an educational institution of what are the skills I'm missing.
00:02:33:07 - 00:02:57:07UnknownSo if we say to you, boy, you know, Sophie, you're an up and comer, emerging leader, but we need you to work on these two things. Maybe you should go get a certificate in this and go take a class in that as people are trying to build those career paths, I think it's starting to be singled out a little bit more that let's just identify what this person maybe is lacking right now and give them the opportunity to grow there.
00:02:57:09 - 00:03:17:05UnknownThen we have some other things for allowance, additional time off office technology, enhanced benefit packages. And all of this comes back to what we're seeing more and more and is added the better that I know my employees and the people who work for me, the better I can figure out what matters to them. And we use the word benefits.
00:03:17:07 - 00:03:38:16UnknownBut I mean, it could be simple as knowing, you know, you like a triple latte shot of peppermint, soy milk, something or other drink whole class. Okay, good. And that just black coffee or not tea. And so I come to you with a 12 pack of coke. I bring you I shop at Starbucks and get you the fancy drink that you like.
00:03:38:16 - 00:03:59:11UnknownYou know, the benefit there is really, boy, he's paying attention and he cares about what's going on. So I think a lot of companies are just trying to figure out who are people. And one of the little things we can do besides offering a401k in health care and time off, that might make a difference to them. So that I think is really becoming a bigger part of the retention strategy.
00:03:59:13 - 00:04:25:02UnknownYeah, absolutely. Kind of going off of that recruiting and retention and moving into talent thinking, you highlighted succession planning in that it's really top of mind for companies. But before we dive into that, let's look at your quote of the month, which talks about succession planning. So why did you exactly pick this quote and you? Well, first you got to tell us what to call it.
00:04:25:04 - 00:04:48:03UnknownThe one that I picked was on John Maxwell. And he's a he's an author and speaker. And the quote was, when all is said and done, your ability as a leader will be judged by how well your people and your organization did after you were gone. Your lasting value will be measured by succession. And I picked that one because of what we're going to talk about here in a second is succession planning is becoming a bigger deal.
00:04:48:03 - 00:05:22:19UnknownWe've talked about that not only for the C-suite but for all of the key positions. Companies are trying to build a deeper bench, have a number two person. So whenever somebody leaves, we've got someone in the pipeline. We're not starting over every time, just good business decisions. But then we talked with the CEOs about it all of those things still apply, but they're looking at it almost holistically from a strategy point of view that says, well, if you take those things I just said, that adds stability to the organization, we all get thrown into turmoil when someone goes.
00:05:22:21 - 00:05:46:21UnknownThat type of transparency puts our employees at ease. That they know. All right. Well, whether I like the person or don't like the person, it's the enemy I know versus the enemy. I don't know. And I'd like to know what's what's happening there. It certainly reduces costs. So we have to find someone. I would much rather have to find the number three position because number two, field number one.
00:05:46:21 - 00:06:10:10UnknownNumber three, cell number two. And now I'm looking for the third person down the system rather than the top of it. And so if we built that, that's just better for that for the organization. And it's a chance for us to show value to employees. If, you know, if someone sits down with you and say, you know, Sophia in the marketing department, here's what our plans are for the department, Here's where we think you fill in, here's where we think you fit in.
00:06:10:12 - 00:06:35:06UnknownIt gives you something to say, okay, I know what what they're thinking about for me. Then I can have discussions on maybe that's not where I want it to go, or that is where I want to go. But just organizationally, that succession planning makes a big difference. I think what that quote really points out is, you know, we can have an influence while we're here, but probably the biggest influence we can have is do we set the place up for success after we're done?
00:06:35:08 - 00:07:01:11UnknownAnd so the process that we put in place, the things that we do, are not people dependent. It's not over. When Jim leaves, all of this stops. It's Jim built this and so it's all going to continue and nobody else has to figure it out. And I think that's that's really the type of succession planning there they're looking for is how do we make this systemic so we don't have to go through this big deal every time somebody might retire or go somewhere else.
00:07:01:13 - 00:07:22:02UnknownYeah, absolutely. And I guess you you kind of touched on it, but is there anything anything else that you wanted to add was talent thinking and succession planning in terms of why we're kind of touching on this now and any other information? Yeah, that's that's a good follow up. You know, I think we're touching on it now because of all these demographic things that we've been talking about.
00:07:22:04 - 00:07:49:21UnknownYou know, we have 10,000 people turning 65 every day. That means a lot of folks are leaving the workplace more than ever before just because of the size of the baby boomers. So the numbers are driving it. And then just some of the generational things that we have in place. We're just building the list right now of what's different between the Z's and the Xers versus the Boomers in the Xs versus Z’s and the Millennials.
00:07:49:23 - 00:08:12:05UnknownAnd it's it's a pretty big gap in the succession. Planning helps the younger people coming up, you know, understand better what the older folks have done and how they've done it, maybe what's good and what's bad and helps the older folks figure out how are we going to transfer this knowledge down to a group that maybe thinks differently, learns differently.
00:08:12:07 - 00:08:33:01UnknownThere's just lots of things that have to also be overcome because that's kind of a negative. But there's there's a ton of opportunities if we can figure out how to speak the same language. And I was in a you know, I was in a webinar today on Artificial Intelligence, actually, and the woman that was presenting it and this was just another difference that made me think about it.
00:08:33:03 - 00:08:54:09UnknownShe said, You know, these younger two generations have grown up with this growth mentality that you shoot for the moon. If you make a mistake, you fail fast and then you pivot and you go in a different direction. And that's just because the world moves so fast. Now, that's what they grow up with. I grew up with let's have a solid process in place.
00:08:54:09 - 00:09:21:04UnknownLet's make sure it's controlled. We don't release anything until it's 100% perfect, you know, it's not ready. Fire, aim. It's always ready and fire. And so just the way we approach things is so incredibly different because of what we've seen that I think that's what's causing companies to try to plan out a little bit more because we're going to have we got to transfer all this knowledge and there might be a couple of gaps in there that we've got to figure out how to fill in for sure.
00:09:21:04 - 00:09:45:18UnknownAnd I would just add on and encourage listeners, if you do want to learn more about succession planning and some new tips and advice, we just did a podcast episode with our mogul Meyer in our Ohio office actually on succession planning solely. So she gives a lot of great advice and some resources too, on just how to get started and challenges to overcome.
00:09:45:18 - 00:10:09:15UnknownAnd kind of, Jim, like you mentioned, involving the whole organization, that's a good call out too, because I mean, in our organizational development area, there's just so much going on around strategic planning, strategic talent planning, succession planning. The people side of a lot of things is really getting a lot of attention. Absolutely. Well, moving on here, let's talk about some HR creativity.
00:10:09:15 - 00:10:35:18UnknownIf so, you bring up AI in this section and the stats on companies stances on it. So what are you really seeing here? We had a report by an organization called Better Works, and it's how the workforce is responding to generative A.I. challenges and opportunities. That's mostly the work around Chat GPT and some of the other systems like that out there, trying to get a feel for where folks at right now.
00:10:35:18 - 00:11:01:12UnknownAnd with a little over 40% of the companies have made evaluating the use of generative AI for HR a top priority. Now what does that mean? I don't know. But at least it means that a lot of companies are starting to think about it. Another 20% are interested in starting to ask questions. 20% more said, Well, you know, people are talking about it in the hallway, but we're not really doing anything.
00:11:01:14 - 00:11:37:16UnknownBut less than 10% really said we don't want anybody touching the thing, you know. So I think like it or don't like it, it's coming. You know, it's not coming here. And so I think companies are starting to understand that. And if you go a step further, the survey also said, you know, if you talk to your company, to your employees and how they're using it, you know, and they're like, yeah, about two thirds of them are using some of their strategic work, 60% generating ideas, 52% for simple writing, you know, So there might even be a little bit of a dichotomy here between where the company might think it is and where its employees
00:11:37:16 - 00:11:58:22Unknownmight be, because nobody's asking questions yet, you know, and that I mean, at MRA, you know, we put out part of the survey that said, are you doing anything? Let's let's find out who are dabblers are because, one, you want to encourage the innovation, but two, you want to make sure that people are getting into places where maybe they don't have the knowledge yet to do it.
00:11:58:22 - 00:12:20:08UnknownSo I think as an employer, we really we've got to move and stay ahead of our own people to say, here's the culture, here's what we're thinking. You know, here are some do's and don'ts here, the user guide. And that's what we're working on right now at MIRA. And for our members, we're going to release the results of our artificial intelligence survey we just did with our members.
00:12:20:08 - 00:12:47:11UnknownAnd one of the questions we said was, what do you want from us? You know, over 80% said, I'd like our users policy. I would like do's and don'ts. I'd like to know, you know, basic information. And so we're working on that and we'll get that out to our members because I think they know their you know, whether they're doing it on their own or doing it for work or whatever it might be, it's happening out there and they've got to figure out what to do.
00:12:47:13 - 00:13:27:01UnknownAnd the last part of the report and again, this is by an organization called Better Works, they asked what specific areas are their employees hopeful about that could support bias removal? And the participants said, well, we think if you remove bias in employee training and development, performance evaluations and promotions, employee feedback, those three were all over 50%. You know, so people's initial reaction is, you know, if we're all on the employee feedback, if we're providing feedback to the organization but it's going in, we're not to a human, but in via artificial intelligence, one, it's anonymous.
00:13:27:02 - 00:13:52:10UnknownNobody knows what happens. And then it removes the human from saying, Well, I know what that person's trying to say there, and that's not really true. So we're going to drop that one out. If it's going in through artificial intelligence. I mean, they'll read what was written and try to figure out exactly what that means. So people are at least open to it, probably more so than what I thought they were crucial in the pudding.
00:13:52:10 - 00:14:07:24UnknownWhen you start doing it there, people are going to be like, wait a minute, it all sounded really good, but I just want to make sure I can sit down and talk to Sophie through I'm talking to Sophie. I know what's going on versus, you know, feeding it in and different in different places. So it's new territory, it's new ground.
00:14:07:24 - 00:14:27:09UnknownPeople are trying to figure it out. And one of the other interesting things I heard just this morning is they were talking about if you talk to people initially and say, well, it could be evaluated by a human or an algorithm or an or an algorithm, people will pick the algorithm and they say, well, you know, if it's an algorithm and, you know, it must be true and honest.
00:14:27:11 - 00:14:46:24UnknownBut the more people have the opportunity to question, well, what's in the algorithm, the less confidence they have that maybe that's what they want it to do. So it's almost like algorithm that sounds important, you know, but people are still writing the algorithm. So I start asking you questions about, well, how did you measure for this? Well, we took this, this and this.
00:14:47:01 - 00:15:08:04Unknownwell, that's not what I would have taken. And then people are like, boy, you know what just happened? So new stuff that's always new stuff without a lot of guardrails. So people, I think, are really just they're feeling their way through it right now. Yeah, that's all so interesting. And I think there's so many functionalities like with AI and chat TV too.
00:15:08:04 - 00:15:26:12UnknownAnd I was just talking with a coworker and he, I don't know, he taught me so, so many new things that I didn't learn about chat that I thought, I get the gist of it and stuff, but it's like, my gosh, no, there's a whole other 50% that I didn't think are going to keep figuring that out each week.
00:15:26:18 - 00:15:49:08UnknownYep. And this was, this was the discussion of the AI this morning was the growth mentality. This person has spent a lot of time out in the Silicon Valley and working for Google and other kind of companies. And the mindset out there is just we're going to release it. It may not be perfect and we're not even sure what's going to happen, but we're going to put it out there, which is basically what happened with the generative AI.
00:15:49:10 - 00:16:10:23UnknownAnd then we're going to pivot and we're going to go in different directions and, you know, that sort of has freaked people out like, my gosh, how can you do this without making sure you had it right? And their philosophy is we wouldn't have a 10th of the stuff that we have on our cell phones if somebody had just said, well, let's just try this and see what happens, you know, and then they try it.
00:16:10:23 - 00:16:29:05UnknownAnd if it works, great, and if it doesn't, they keep trying to fix it. And that's kind of where we are with all of this. And that was kind of difficult. Let's figure out how to do it differently. So it's it's a new world order, that's for sure. Yeah, absolutely. Well, how about what C-suite leaders are thinking about right now?
00:16:29:05 - 00:16:53:17UnknownWhere do their concerns and thoughts really lie heading into 2024? Well, the artificial intelligence rears its ugly head again. But I think as people are starting to learn more and more about artificial intelligence, they're really starting to understand that any data analytics or any analysis that's done is based on the data. And if your data isn't any good, it's not going to make any difference.
00:16:53:19 - 00:17:22:02UnknownAnd I think for not the first time, because people have always wanted to have quality data and data integrity, but now that they see the next level coming, they're thinking, well, we're not even going to be able to do this. If the data that we have is mush. We can't run good analytics, we can't utilize artificial intelligence. So I think, you know, they're taking a step back here and saying, you know, we've been talking about all this stuff, but who truly is in charge of our data integrity?
00:17:22:02 - 00:17:46:09UnknownWho's truly in charge of collecting it, making sure that it's in there? What is the status of it? And I think that's what's starting to kind of keep people up. Now is to say we're we're living in a data analytics world with artificial intelligence about to take it to a whole new level. If what we have is not very good, then right now is the time for us to make sure we start filling in all the blanks for sure.
00:17:46:12 - 00:18:08:07UnknownMoving on here from the field, looks like you pulled some stats from a new survey from the Conference Board on U.S. Workers and Compensation in September of 2023. So you kind of summarized the data here and what you're seeing here. Yeah, this was from the Conference Board and it was trying to look at Non-salary compensation and say, you know what matters here?
00:18:08:12 - 00:18:32:00UnknownAnd I don't think there's any real surprises, but top of the list, workplace flexibility and options, whether by location, by hours, whatever, everybody's hearing it. But I think, you know, it's good to check in every once in a while and just say, is that still what's remaining at the top of the list? And it is right behind that was bonus and commissions and incentive pay.
00:18:32:02 - 00:19:00:04UnknownSo not just your base salary, but it means something to people if they know they're going to be rewarded for certain achievements, certain revenue numbers or whatever. So 64% of the employees said that, 60% said generous paid time off. And I'm not sure what the definition of generous is, but it's a competitive market. So I'm guessing part of that is based in are you giving me enough that I can do the work life balance that I want?
00:19:00:06 - 00:19:24:24UnknownAnd is that a potential reward? Is that one of the things that we're giving away for a project well done for going the extra step or whatever, it may not be money for some people it might be take another day or something along those lines. Forth was retirement plans at just under 60%. And last but still over 50% in fifth place with health care plans that are flexible and affordable.
00:19:25:01 - 00:19:46:04UnknownSo, you know, we got done talking about alternative benefits a little bit ago as people are trying to figure out other things out. But when you ask the question, what is it, you know, you still get paid time off retirement, health care, you know, the biggies are still the biggies. And so it's how do we make sure we're hitting the right parts of the biggies, I think.
00:19:46:04 - 00:20:04:18UnknownAnd then finding the creative one again, it comes back to knowing your people what what, what's a value to them. Because if I give days off to people who don't even use their time off, now they're looking at me like, what are you nuts? You know? And so no value add there. So what is it that they're looking for?
00:20:04:20 - 00:20:29:19UnknownRight? So you also had just seen vice president of commercial banking at BMO join you for this webinar and he gave insight into reviewing 2023 and then looking ahead into 2024 from an economic and financial standpoint. So what were some of of his key points? I'll I'll summarize them here, but I will say that Jeff really did a good job.
00:20:29:19 - 00:20:58:07UnknownAnd so if anybody wants to actually see the recording with his charts and things, they should, you know, go to our Web site at Marinette Dawg and look up the talent report for our December. But his outlook was actually pretty positive. He said. At this point, most economists are predicting that stocks are going to have a pretty positive year in 2020 for some of the terms and quotes he used was slow but controlled growth.
00:20:58:07 - 00:21:27:16UnknownAnd the hard part is over, which I think right now people would take as great optimism if you could just give me, you know, just give me something relatively stable and put the probability of a recession in 2024 between 15 and 25%. So that's pretty optimistic that, you know, we're not going to see something in 2024. You know, good news, bad news in the United States, the economic conditions are pretty good.
00:21:27:18 - 00:21:53:18UnknownThere's a lot of geopolitical noise out there around the rest of the world. And so that, you know, is always a wild card in all of this. Good news Backlogs for companies continue to be relatively strong. University of Michigan puts out a consumer sentiment report, which is basically, you know, how are they feeling about what's going on? And the score is on a scale of 100.
00:21:53:18 - 00:22:23:17UnknownAnd it was 61 in November and jumped to 69 in December. So people are feeling a little bit better that their wages are covering their food and their rent and things like that. So, you know, I think that those are all relatively positive signs for people that maybe trying to plan for a softer landing is may actually going to happen and there isn't going to be perhaps the catastrophe that we thought there might be a lot more interest in Mexico and Canada.
00:22:23:19 - 00:22:45:00UnknownThe trading partners that are right here, it's the easiest, you know, So I think companies are picking up on that on the down side of things. As I said, the geopolitical risk, there's an awful lot going on right now. And in their survey, for the first time in quite some time, geopolitical risk overcame talent as the top concern for CEOs.
00:22:45:00 - 00:23:13:18UnknownSo it's certainly on their mind. The interest rates will probably stay up a little bit. So that's a little bit of a concern. And we're heading into an election year. And any time that there's an election year, heaven knows what could happen. And it doesn't even really matter so much on which party. It's just all kinds of information is going to be being thrown out there and most of it will be negative and that starts to affect people and then it has to settle down again.
00:23:13:18 - 00:23:37:18UnknownSo I think elections might just be a wild card in all of this for 2024 as well. And like you said, I've had a lot of slides with a lot of great information on them. So so for you to go to MRA's website and watch the reporting there, Jim's got his report, your PDF version on there too. So you look at that, but kind of moving on into church.
00:23:37:18 - 00:24:11:10UnknownNow, the last section, you've included some data on population and some projections. You also have a map showing the median age in each state. So this data show. But here's the here's the two takeaways. I would say we had one that looked at people over the age of 65 and people under the age of 18, and those two lines crossed in 2034, meaning at that point we'll start having more people over 65 and actually not shrinking, but leveling off children under 18.
00:24:11:10 - 00:24:29:10UnknownAnd we're living longer. People are sticking around longer. We're not having as many children and it's just sort of, okay, well, so what? And the so what basically means we're going to have fewer people to take care of more people. You know, if you want to really just sort of cut through it all, that's what's about to happen.
00:24:29:10 - 00:24:58:21UnknownSo we're going to see pretty good growth in the over 60 fives and slide decrease in the under 18. It's common. Beware. The other one was the median age in the states and every state just had a number in it. And northeast Midwest are all in the if not in the forties pushing it 3839. Florida being kind of the outlier in the whole thing for for obvious reasons retirement wise.
00:24:58:23 - 00:25:20:08UnknownBut this is starting to THRIVE policy now where you're seeing states start to say, well, you know what? So if you if you move to North Carolina, we'll help you with the down payment on your house or we'll get you a better rate on a mortgage or the tri, you know, we'll give you will allow you to deduct your your mortgage percentages from your income tax, whatever it might be.
00:25:20:10 - 00:25:38:19UnknownThey're trying to set up tax policy and other types of incentives that say if we can get people to come and build a house, we're probably going to hang on to them. And it's beginning. You know, companies are knowing that they're fighting for that shrinking population group to say, you know, it's great that, you know, Florida might be thinking, hey, we're growing like crazy.
00:25:38:19 - 00:26:01:08UnknownAnd all these 75 year old snowbirds are coming down here. But those are going to be expensive people at some point, you know, just strictly from a health care point of view, a friend, if for no other reason. So it's really starting to THRIVE policy. It's forcing companies then to say, look, if we're in those states where we're already 40 something and going older, what does that mean for our workforce?
00:26:01:08 - 00:26:23:12UnknownWhat do we have to automate? What might have to go someplace else? So I think, you know, the two charts just sort of show two mega trends of things that are happening that, you know, if you're in HR And you're 65 years old, you're thinking, well, that's somebody else's problem. But if you're an hour and you're 30 years old, you're probably thinking, holy smokes, we're going to have to deal with this too.
00:26:23:14 - 00:26:42:07UnknownSo it's just another one that's that's out there on the horizon. So a couple of things to model over during the holidays and have a conversation with your family about, you know, how old is your state and what's it like there. So perfect topic of conversation. Yeah. Yeah. What else do you have to talk about at the house?
00:26:42:09 - 00:27:11:09UnknownWell, Jim, as we wrap up, this was the last tailor report of 2023. So how does the report schedule look like for 2024? I think we'll probably be able to bring some different ideas and things to the podcast in 2024. We're changing the format a little bit. We've used a lot of our own subject matter experts from Mirror in 2023, and now we're going to start bringing in companies that maybe are excelling at something.
00:27:11:11 - 00:27:37:15UnknownSo start out the year we're starting with our artificial intelligence. And so we're going to use a company that's already using it both in their company and their HR And we'll go through the talent report, but we'll also utilize them in terms of their expertise and then we'll talk about internships, but we'll be using companies that have interns and how are they using that as a strategy to develop their next group of leaders and things like that.
00:27:37:15 - 00:27:59:09UnknownSo you'll get the mirror perspective on what's kind of going on in the big picture. But I think we'll also be able to share with your listeners a little bit more boots on the ground expertise from a company that's actually practicing whatever we're talking about that day. Well, I'm excited. It sounds like a good start to 2024, so make sure you tune in, everybody.
00:27:59:11 - 00:28:26:21UnknownYou're bet. And thank you for all that great content today. And kind of recapping what you've been seeing in business with an emphasis on talent in December. To our listeners, if you liked our chat and topic today, don't forget to share out this episode and consider joining MRA. If you aren't a member already. Like always, we have the resources in the show notes below, including resources on this talent report and the 2024 Talent Report schedule.
00:28:26:23 - 00:28:47:00UnknownOtherwise, thanks for tuning in and we will see you next week. And that wraps up our content for this episode. Be sure to reference the show notes where you can sign them to connect for more podcast updates, check out other MRA episodes on your favorite podcast platform. And as always, make sure to follow MRA's 30 minutes THRIVE so you don't miss out.
00:28:47:01 - 00:28:51:18UnknownThanks for tuning in and we'll see you next Wednesday to carry on the conversation.
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Description:
FMLA is one of our top requested topics from our 30 minute Thrive podcast subscribers. We are glad to have this opportunity to talk about the complexities of FMLA eligibility, outlining who qualifies, and exploring the spectrum of covered events. This episode will help provide some clarity on navigating leave requirements!
Resources:
FMLA Toolkit
FMLA Made Simple - Training
HR and Employment Law Essentials - Training
FMLA: Tips for Tackling 5 Everyday Challenges - Training
MRA Membership
About MRA
Let's Connect:
Guest Bio - Rob Lapota
Guest LinkedIn Profile - Rob Lapota
Host Bio - Sophie Boler
Host LinkedIn Profile - Sophie Boler
Transcript:
Transcripts are computer generated -- not 100% accurate word-for-word.
00:00:00:00 - 00:00:21:03UnknownHello everybody and welcome to 30 minute Thrive, your go to podcast for anything and everything HR, powered by MRA, the Management Association. Looking to stay on top of the ever changing world of HR? MRA has got you covered. We'll be the first to tell you what's hot and what's not. I'm your host, Sophie Boler and we are so glad you're here.
00:00:21:05 - 00:00:46:09UnknownNow it's time to thrive. Well, hello everybody, and welcome to this episode of 30 Minute THRIVE. FMLA is one of our top requested topics from our podcast subscribers, so no pressure on today's guest, but we're really glad to have this opportunity to talk about all of the complexities of FMLA eligibility, outlining who qualifies and exploring the spectrum of covered events.
00:00:46:11 - 00:01:12:21UnknownSo our goal really for today's podcast is to help provide some clarity to you on federal FMLA. So I'm joined by Rob Lapota HR director, part of MRA Learning and Development Team. Rob, you have over 30 years of HR experience. You've answered more than 15,000 member calls on the HR hotline, and you're recognized as one of the top knowledge experts on our topic for today.
00:01:12:21 - 00:01:33:09UnknownAnd that's a federal FMLA scrub. I'm really excited to have you here today as the subject matter expert and thanks for joining us. Thank you for asking me to be here today. And welcome to everybody for our interesting talk. Yes, I like I like to tell people in our training program with FMLA made simple, get your notebook out because you're gonna be taking a lot of notes.
00:01:33:11 - 00:01:56:03UnknownYeah, absolutely. Get them out. Well, Rob, let's kind of start out with the big overarching question here, and that is what is FMLA. I know we have a lot of HR Professionals obviously, who listen to the podcast, who know what FMLA is, but some of our other listeners who may not be in that HR professional may not know exactly what FMLA is.
00:01:56:03 - 00:02:28:15UnknownSo can you kind of just give us an overarching picture? So we start out the first acronym, FMLA. First, let's talk about that Family Medical Leave Act. So that took on a federal basis, that was a law. Those passed back in 1993. And it impacts employers that have 50 or more employees anywhere in the United States. Here's a kind of like a short definition of here's what the law is all about 12 weeks of unpaid leave with no penalty to the employee.
00:02:28:17 - 00:03:01:09UnknownNow, that sounds like a very simple one sentence definition of what is FMLA, but they're in wise the complexity, the no penalty to the employee. That's a challenging aspect of the law. And what qualifies as a reason for taking FMLA. That's the other big challenging portion. And then the overriding complexity of this law by the employee when I'm going to be off of work, I don't ask for FMLA.
00:03:01:11 - 00:03:19:15UnknownSo, for example, if you are a supervisor, I don't call in and say, Hey, Sophia, it's Rob. Last night, my daughter, she was knocked unconscious in a soccer match, but she's actually been admitted to Children's Hospital in Milwaukee. That's where I am right now. I'll give you a call a little bit later today and I'll give you an update on what's going on.
00:03:19:17 - 00:03:48:12UnknownThat said, I the employee is not mandatory under the law for me, the employee to say, and by the way, Sophia, why don't you give me some of the FMLA stuff? The way the federal law is written, it is the employer's responsibility in all circumstances to designate leave as FMLA qualifying. So therefore, because of the complexity, that's what makes it our number one call on our hotline.
00:03:48:18 - 00:04:14:22UnknownYeah, I was shocked. Over 20% of our calls are just on FMLA. I was just going to mention that this is one of our top calls on the HR hotline and still remains to be. Yes. And we've had some topics on the podcast on FMLA, just because it is one of our most highly requested topics. And like you said, there's so many different complexities within that, even though that one sentence you gave us seems so simple, it's not as simple as you may think for experts.
00:04:14:24 - 00:04:42:16UnknownWhat factors and determine an employee's eligibility for FMLA, FMLA leave? And how does an employer ensure compliance with these criteria? So there's several criteria. And the first is I need to be working at a covered employer for FMLA. And a covered employer is one that has 50 or more employees on their payroll anywhere in the United States. And it also includes temporary employees from a temp service.
00:04:42:18 - 00:05:02:13UnknownSo if I have 25 employees that are on my payroll and I use 25 from a temp service, I actually have 50 employees for federal employee purposes. I'm covered by the law. So for an eligible employee, first of all, I have to be working for a covered employer. Then I have several other criteria that need to be met.
00:05:02:15 - 00:05:24:20UnknownNumber one, I need to be working for at least 12 months for that employer. Number two, I work at least 1250 hours in the 12 months prior to my need for leave. And third, I have to be working at a facility that has 50 or more employees within a 75 mile radius. Now, again, just like that, a little definition I can give you FMLA.
00:05:24:22 - 00:05:46:18UnknownWell, that seems pretty straightforward, doesn't it? But there's a lot of twists and turns within those definitions. So, for example, the 12 months service on a federal level, it need not be consecutive. So I could be working, for example, as a college intern. As for an organization, let's say, in marketing and work for four summers in a row of three months each summer.
00:05:46:20 - 00:06:12:17UnknownAnd we're recording this in December. So let's say that I'm graduating in December. I'm going to start with the employer January of 2024. Well, you actually cannot my three months of service going back four years because it's a seven year lookback period. Okay. So here's the strange thing. Effective January 2nd, 2024, since my official start date, I'll actually have 12 months of service for that employer.
00:06:12:19 - 00:06:38:19UnknownThe same thing goes when people leave organizations. Let's just say I worked at an employer from 2015 to 2020 and then I get rehired on January 2nd, 2024, by that same employer. Well, again, there could be up to a seven year break in service. That's well within that. So I will actually have 12 months of service on my first day of employment reemployment, I should say, with that employer.
00:06:38:21 - 00:07:04:09UnknownSecond of all, the 1250 hours that is paid time only, that does not include things like holiday pay, PTO, sick pay, self-funded short term disability payments. Those are not included. And that's it's just actual work hours. And then the third criteria, this is and again, another strange one. I work in a facility that has 50 or more employees within a 35 mile radius.
00:07:04:11 - 00:07:33:03UnknownWell, let's just take it for plain value. Let's say that we have an organization that has three facilities. They're all within 75 miles of each other. And one employs 30, another one employees 20 and a third facility. Employees 20 there, or that's 70 employees. So if I work at any of those facilities, I'm working in a facility that has 50 employees within a 75 mile radius.
00:07:33:05 - 00:07:57:02UnknownNow, that's also extended to include remote employees and all that's since COVID. You know, a lot of remote work going on. And still today, the little twist with that, I'm included in the headcount where I get my work instructions from. So here we are. We're in Waukesha, Wisconsin, recording our program. And this is our call, our corporate offices for me.
00:07:57:04 - 00:08:28:20UnknownSo let's say that I live in Iowa and I work remotely, but I report to my manager, who is here in the Waukesha, Wisconsin, location for the 50 employees within a 75 mile radius. I'm actually counted in the Waukesha, Wisconsin, head count for FMLA eligibility. Now, some employers don't have that. They might have facilities for example, in one state that are not within 75 miles of each other.
00:08:28:22 - 00:08:53:11UnknownAnd we don't have 50 employees within that 75 mile radius. However, they still have 50 total employees. So they're covered employers under the law for now. What do you do? I'm a covered employer, but I literally I don't have any eligible employees because we don't work at a facility that has 50 employees within a 35 mile radius. What do we do?
00:08:53:13 - 00:09:14:08UnknownWell, if I was your head of HR What i would recommend is that we treat all of our locations as though we have 50 employees within a 75 mile radius. This could also become a little bit of an employer relations issue. Let's say that one of those facilities has 125 employees, and the other ones are outside of the 75 mile radius.
00:09:14:09 - 00:09:42:14UnknownLet's just say they have, you know, 40 employees each. Well, during employment meetings, I've had this happen before. Our plant that has 125 people that's going to be eligible employees, got 50 employees within a 75 mile radius, the location being C, we're not going to call you covered employers, eligible employees. Excuse me, because you don't work at a facility that has 50 employees within a 75 mile radius.
00:09:42:16 - 00:10:05:19UnknownSo too bad, so sad you lose. Well, for an employer relations standpoint, we need to go have your employee meetings. The employees are company B and C are going to immediately throw their hands up in the air to go. Why does everybody at location, age, how come they get FMLA and we don't get FMLA? Well, you got to understand, you don't work at a facility that's 50 employees with a 75 mile radius.
00:10:05:21 - 00:10:29:16UnknownThat's an employee relations disaster. So that's why I suggest mandatory. But I suggest you treat those locations as though they do have 50 employees within a 75 mile radius. Absolutely. And I love that you're giving those scenarios because that that helps helps a little more to, I don't know, understand. I'm sure a lot of people have these certain situations, laws to absorb.
00:10:29:18 - 00:10:54:19UnknownSo are there any common misconceptions? And with FMLA eligibility that you often encounter kind of sees or working with members in, how can these kind of be clarified? Then the biggest misconceptions for the employee eligibility portion it covers around those the areas of tribute to a seven year break in service. So the example I gave that I'm a college student working in marketing Pimp.
00:10:54:24 - 00:11:14:16UnknownI work for you through 2020 Rehire Me. A lot of employers are not aware I have 12 months service effective on day one. And the other big misconception about eligibility, All of our members of MRA, they will work on what's called a temp to perm basis, or they'll have employees from a temporary service work for like 90 days.
00:11:14:16 - 00:11:41:11UnknownAnd if they work out, they'll put them on their payroll. Well, that's a situation called Joint Employment. So for those temporary employees that we put on our payroll, effective on day one, the hours that they worked and the months of service that they worked actually do count towards their eligibility of 12 months of service and 1250 hours worked through like a walking book of knowledge, you know, like that's what they're on.
00:11:41:11 - 00:12:00:05UnknownTell me. Yeah. I've even had some people tell me I know a little bit too much about FMLA, I think, but that's why you're the perfect guest here. You can answer your question. So I have an advantage. I've been in here at Emory 25 years. Yes. As an instructor. We're not attorneys here, but I love the law. I read a lot of court.
00:12:00:06 - 00:12:19:11UnknownI mean, I've read thousands and thousands of court cases. Keep up with employment blogs, Talk about FMLA. Jeff Nowak is one of the top people in the United States at his blog FMLA Insights. And yeah, I just I actually find it very fascinating. Well, that's right. And you probably get a lot of calls, too, on FMLA, where you are.
00:12:19:11 - 00:12:42:12UnknownYou want to kind of give those scenarios. And here's what I would do in that situation kind of thing. Correct. So next question here. In what situations might employees find themselves ineligible then for federal FMLA leave? And do you have any alternatives or options that may be available to them that you can suggest? So go back to the eligibility requirements.
00:12:42:12 - 00:13:00:04UnknownI worked for you for 12 months and I have at least 1250 hours worked in the 12 months prior. And we already kind of explained that 50 employees within the 35 mile radius once we don't need to hit that one. That would be a point of ineligibility that I don't can, you know, work there. So let's focus on those first two.
00:13:00:06 - 00:13:26:24UnknownSo for the hours of work, let's say that I get what's the score? January 2nd, 2024, since it's right around the corner here. Let's say that it's my first day of work. Let's see. Then in March 2024, I'm diagnosed with cancer. They catch it early. It's not very advanced, but I do need to miss work or radiation treatments and then, if necessary, to recover from those radiation treatments.
00:13:27:01 - 00:13:50:22UnknownWell, I still have to send me as the new employee who's only been there for three months now, I still need to get an eligibility notice from the employer. There's three mandatory notices that need to go out, so I need to get that eligibility notice. It states you're not eligible for FMLA, federal FMLA. Why You haven't been here 12 months as of the date of your need for lead.
00:13:50:22 - 00:14:15:19UnknownThis is on the eligibility notice. You've worked X months towards 12 months of eligibility, so the employer would write three months in their hours of work. If I am working part time, I could be working for you for over a year. But again, if I don't have that 1250 actual work hours, that could be our second issue, where I will not be eligible as the employee.
00:14:15:21 - 00:14:39:14UnknownNow in our training, I always told employers, if you can't give FMLA, if it doesn't qualify, it's an issue that's not covered by FMLA. We need to be much more flexible as employers today with time off and adjusting schedules and what other policies to you have as an employer so that employee can have time off. Maybe you have a policy.
00:14:39:15 - 00:15:06:01UnknownIt's called a force substitution policy. You must use any accrued, unused PTO, whatever you're going to be missing work. Maybe that's what'll be implemented. Maybe there's a personal leave of absence that can be used now if it's for the employee's own medical issues. For example, the cancer that I gave you that's actually now going to fall under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
00:15:06:03 - 00:15:42:13UnknownNow we have an employee who's suffering with cancer, which is considered a disability, and they're not eligible for FMLA. So we would actually need to provide unpaid leave as an accommodation under the American Disabilities Act. So I'm going to get a eligibility notice. You're not eligible for FMLA, but then I'm also going to receive a cover letter I should from the employer saying, okay, although you're not eligible for FMLA, you are covered under the American Disabilities Act and we will be providing you with unpaid leave as an accommodation under that law.
00:15:42:18 - 00:16:09:24UnknownSo it's very, very important that the employer state specifically what laws are applying during what time of their lives. Interesting. Yeah, well, that's great to know. And I know you've covered this a little bit in her past. Questions, uncertainty, examples of medical leaves. But do you have any other examples that are covered instances or events under FMLA? And are there specific nuance says for each type of leave.
00:16:10:01 - 00:16:13:21UnknownSo how much time do we have?
00:16:13:23 - 00:16:37:00UnknownThis is worth over a long problem. This is where we're getting into the nuts and bolts of the mechanics of FMLA that can get very, very complicated. We were very, very fast. So let's try to summarize this for our listeners and our viewers. So I like to refer to these as buckets of leave. So there's nine completely different buckets of leave.
00:16:37:02 - 00:16:59:23UnknownAll of them can have completely different operating orders. For example, when does that one come into impact? You know, when are we when do we apply to excuse me, I said that when do we apply that particular need for leave? How do we certify it? How long will that individual be off of work? And here's again, another big misunderstanding on employers.
00:17:00:00 - 00:17:22:15UnknownAnd I hear this now. I've been doing this for 25 years. The law has been in place for over 30 years now. I will still have no, I'm not surprised. Managers and supervisors in our supervisor in the law, of course, are FMLA overview class and even HR People in our FMLA simple administration class for FMLA. So how long do you need to be off of work in order for FMLA to apply?
00:17:22:15 - 00:17:49:24UnknownHer hands go up and they go, I know, I know, I know. You have to be out of work. Three consecutive workdays, and then when you're out for three consecutive workdays, that's when FMLA applies. The answer is, No, it doesn't. But I was like, No, nice try. No, no, it doesn't. In fact, all of the buckets of leave except for one can actually be taken in our concurrence.
00:17:50:01 - 00:18:17:11Unknownwow. So let's talk about the one that you do need to have multiple days of absence, because this is a common one that happens in this particular book. It's called Continuing treatment. And part of this bucket of leave, i.e., the employee need to be out for four consecutive calendar days or I'm off of work taking care of the same family member for four consecutive calendar days.
00:18:17:13 - 00:18:36:21UnknownNow, it's tricky about this bucket is that this is the only one where the employee can actually just call in and say, I'm sick and it could be FMLA. You know, the reason why we said could be FMLA once it meets these requirements for these particular buckets, well, then the employer response. Remember I said earlier, the employee doesn't ask.
00:18:36:21 - 00:19:02:15UnknownThe employer responds with all the mandatory notices, but all these absences need to be documented with a certification form. None of this is done verbally. It's all documented. So how we use that medical certification form. So, Sophia, it's Rob. It's Monday. Soviets. Rob, I'm sick. I'm not going to be in today. That's not FMLA Tuesday. Sophia, it's Rob.
00:19:02:15 - 00:19:27:07UnknownI'm still sick. I won't be in today no matter familiar. Now, Wednesday. Sophie Last night, my wife took me to urgent care. I don't have COVID, but I've got some sort of a respiratory thing that's going around. I actually feel worse not going to be in today. We're not there yet. Again, the way the law defines this particular bucket, it says more than three consecutive calendar days of incapacity.
00:19:27:09 - 00:19:55:15UnknownSo literally what that means is I need to call in four days in a row. So now, Thursday. Hey, Sophie, it's Rob. I'm still not feeling good. I'm not going to be in today. Now use my manager. I notify our leave administrator. Could be HR Could be somebody else. Payroll, maybe. And that starts the familiar paperwork process. Okay, so once the employer's notified of my need for leave, which in this case would be Thursday.
00:19:55:17 - 00:20:20:06UnknownNow, the employer has five business days from that date to give me the eligibility notice. Then rights, responsibilities notice a medical certification form goes along as well, and that needs to be returned within 15 calendar days. And then after that time period ends, there's a third mandatory notice called the designation notice. So this is really it's a paperwork here.
00:20:20:06 - 00:20:44:01UnknownIt really, really is. So we the employer, we act on that fourth day of absence Now for this particular bucket, in order to be covered by FMLA, the employee would have to go see a health care provider medical certification form and need to be returned within 15 calendar days. And on their certification form, it's documented. They were out for four consecutive calendar days or more.
00:20:44:03 - 00:21:07:21UnknownThey saw a doctor in person tell the visits are included in that and they got a prescription medication that's like 90% of the certain forms I've seen in the past. The other could be they saw a health care provider two times in person. When that's documented, that then would be qualified and can be marked as FMLA for that particular employee.
00:21:07:23 - 00:21:29:11UnknownSo the key there for consecutive days of absence calendar days. If I work Friday, I'm off Saturday and Sunday. Friday. So if it's Rob, I'm sick. I won't be in today. I don't work Saturday and Sunday. Monday. So if it's where I am sick, I won't be in today. Believe it or not, under the law, that's considered more than three consecutive days.
00:21:29:11 - 00:21:51:24UnknownI mean, capacity that actually starts the FMLA paperwork process. Now, the way that the employee says I don't want FMLA. Yeah. Is they never return their medical certification form. Their employer still needs to go through all the paperwork, all those monitoring notices. But eventually you're going to get a designation notice at the end that says absences for these four days, not FMLA.
00:21:52:01 - 00:22:14:19UnknownWhy you didn't return a medical certification form. So that's that's just one bucket, the only one where you can call in sick. And these are short term illnesses and injuries. Now, there isn't a list that I can give you that does not exist, but this could be the area like colds, ear infections, pinkeye. COVID falls into this bronchitis.
00:22:14:21 - 00:22:40:08UnknownYou strange your back moving grandmas are more. Over the weekend you went skiing and you broke both of your arms and you can't work. And it's going to be about 6 to 8 weeks for your bones to heal. So these are short term illnesses and injuries. And a remember for either the employee or covered family member, which would include a spouse, children or parents and then stepparents as well.
00:22:40:10 - 00:23:08:08UnknownSo that's that's one particular bucket. Things like pregnancy covered by FMLA, even absences for prenatal visits or morning sickness, those are covered by FMLA. Anything to do with adoption or foster care placements, those are all covered by FMLA, any pre placement issues that need to happen, court medical evaluations, traveling to different countries, post adoption, post foster care placement, being with them.
00:23:08:10 - 00:23:32:03UnknownThat's covered by FMLA to stay. So let's talk now about the number one headache. And I don't mean to be a pun with that, the number one headache under FMLA is a bucket called chronic conditions. So short term illnesses and injuries, that's the continuing treatment. It's got to have at least three consecutive days. I mean, capacity, chronic conditions.
00:23:32:03 - 00:24:01:20UnknownHowever, these are long term or permanent medical conditions. Okay. The employee or the covered family member are probably on some sort of a medication. And with our certification forms, it's very typical for these chronic conditions to be certified for up to a year. And what we need to look for on the certification form, it's actually the last question on the certification form, and it's the area called frequency and duration.
00:24:01:22 - 00:24:24:04UnknownSo the number one medical issue that we get in our hotline is migraine headaches. So as migraines, we send them to their health care provider, they bring back the medical certification form. We're going to go look back at that frequency and duration frequency. How many times a month is this issue going to happen? Duration? How long will any event last?
00:24:24:06 - 00:24:48:05UnknownWell, the search form states 1 to 2 episodes per month, 1 to 2 days per episode. That means that that employee could be up to four days of FMLA per month, though. Here's why This is the most complicated bucket to deal with. And actually for managers and supervisors, the most frustrating bucket to deal with. When's that employee going to have the next migraine?
00:24:48:07 - 00:25:17:03UnknownWhen is their child going to have their next seizure? You don't we don't know. And there's never a good day to be off of work. Yeah. Now, sadly, this is also the bucket where occasionally we may have an employee that will be a little bit abusive with us. For example, Fridays and Mondays is a pattern of absences days before and after paid holidays, even vacation time to make some sort of an extended period of time offering.
00:25:17:06 - 00:25:40:08UnknownNow that does happen, but thankfully it's not a very large portion of our employees that are using FMLA, But it's going to be the most frustrating one that we have now. Please keep in mind that all these different areas that we're talking about do not require multiple days of absence. These can all be hourly, right? So I think right now it's about 10:30 a.m..
00:25:40:10 - 00:25:59:08UnknownI can give you a call or I can come over to you by your office and say, Hey, Sophie, I feel my IBS about to act up your irritable bowel syndrome. I need to get out here and get home. You know, I go home and if I work until 3:00, you can charge me 6 hours of FMLA. So I can charge half a million hourly increments.
00:25:59:10 - 00:26:25:21UnknownSo it's not missing holidays, chronic back parking. It could be parts of days, leaving work early, coming to work late because of that chronic condition. And again, this is why that particular area of leave, that's the most frustrating for employers. These are long term. So I've been in Emory 25 years and let's say that I have the migraines up to four days a month of FMLA.
00:26:25:23 - 00:26:48:22UnknownWell, if I'm working 12 weeks of leave at my work schedule, that's five days per week, 12 weeks, that's 60 individual days. I work 8 hours a day. That's 480 hours of FMLA. Or if my health care provider certifies me as for four migraines a month for, you know, total days of migraines, well, four times 12 is 48 days.
00:26:48:24 - 00:27:11:12UnknownI didn't really use up all of my FMLA that I'm eligible for. I still have 12 days left. Once I'm eligible for FMLA for the next 24 years, I could be missing 48 days for migraines, unscheduled partial days coming in late. And there's very little that you can do as an employer. That's why that's one of the most frustrating.
00:27:11:14 - 00:27:37:18UnknownNow i always told managers and supervisors and HR People when we talk about this frustrating bucket that we take a little bit of pause here. Everyone struggles with this. They all know exactly what i'm talking about and we get upset with these employees and somehow we try to do something to make that person's life miserable. I'm leaving now of irritable bowel syndrome.
00:27:37:20 - 00:28:11:17UnknownYou look at me and you raise your eyebrows and half by suppose under the law, there's two legal things that can happen interference of my ability to take leave and retaliation for taking that leave. So a story that I had an actual event, a manager for a manufactured usual. It's the last week of the month. We do a lot to get everything out, got to get our orders shipped and we're try to get as much as possible.
00:28:11:17 - 00:28:41:22UnknownSo end of the month for a manufacturer, that's a big deal. So on the beginning Monday of the last week of the month, individual again suffered with migraines and this person typically was off at the end of the month because their migraines were stress induced. So on Monday, the manager has pre shift meetings always. So on this Monday morning meeting Cavs all the employees together and talks about the week and the jobs that they're working on right now.
00:28:41:22 - 00:29:01:09UnknownThen at the very end of the meeting he goes now as you know this is the last week of the month we got a couple new customers. We got to make sure that we get this out the door to make these people happy. And then he looked directly at the individual with migraines right into their eyes and said, and I'm counting on everyone to be here this week.
00:29:01:11 - 00:29:26:19UnknownNow, I do say kudos to the employee. Actually, congratulations. Employee they went right to their HR Department and they said the right thing. My manager just threatened me that i better not have a migraine this week. So i got that call on the hard line. And the member's question was, did her supervisor create any problems? Yeah. And the answer is, you bet they did.
00:29:26:19 - 00:29:51:03UnknownThey are now interfering with that person's right to take leave. I think I forgot to mention this before when I was kind of going on with another explanation that's really tell about people. The chronic bucket. You might be frustrated with your employees understand you might be here one day right now. Although my time here at MRA, I've actually had three major surgeries, two shoulder surgeries and a major back surgery.
00:29:51:05 - 00:30:15:16UnknownSo I was actually off of work and using FMLA, and none of that was held against me. The revenue lost my coworkers that need to substitute for my training aren't seats. They couldn't get booked because I was not available so that the lost revenue. None of that can be held against that employee. So again, that's that time off unpaid with no penalty to the employee.
00:30:15:16 - 00:30:37:04UnknownThat's why it's a very simple statement. But there's a lot to that implication of the workplace. So we saw the continuing treatment, the chronic conditions at school. We see a lot of her mileage when you use now the other buckets. So we have the employee who literally needs to see something medical. For example, a parent has stroke and end up in the hospital.
00:30:37:06 - 00:31:04:13UnknownSo inpatient hospitalizations, anything to do with nursing homes or hospice care, including home hospice care covered by FMLA? My mom has structures in the hospital that is way, way beyond I'm sick or opiate work today. It's very, very specific issues like dealing with end stage of life covered by FMLA. If the employee needs time off, not the bereavement part, but if I need time off to be with that family member.
00:31:04:15 - 00:31:31:13UnknownSevere arthritis and getting treatment, for example, physical therapy. How can you dialysis reconstructive surgery after an accident or a cancer? So the reasons for leave are very, very specific medical reasons. Yeah. Now under the law, there's actually two additional military related leaves. One's got a really unusual name called military exigency leave, and the other one's called Care for Recovered Servicemember.
00:31:31:15 - 00:31:54:08UnknownNow those are for family members of the employee of a covered employer that can take time off when that family member is either deployed on active duty or is injured or become sick because of their active duty deployment. Now, on our hotline in my training programs for the last several years, I have not had any examples of those.
00:31:54:10 - 00:32:11:02UnknownSo if you have an employee that comes in and says, Hey, my son's being deployed in the military, can I get some time off? Well then that said military exigency. You deal with that at that point. But that that's the summary for those two conditions. Basically that is the area of the coverage and a quick summary for our familiar leave.
00:32:11:04 - 00:32:35:14UnknownAll that was a lot. So I hope you all were writing the writing notes. TSA at the beginning, get your notepad out. I take a lot of notes like now would be a perfect time for a pop quiz or something. Right now, let's take a break and look at all your notes so far. But moving on here, what advice do you have for employers navigating intermittent FMLA leave requests and balancing business needs with employee rights?
00:32:35:16 - 00:32:52:23UnknownSo here again with our examples with that chronic condition is probably we're going to see that most often with the intermittent leaves, it can happen with the other areas of leave as well. Let's focus on those products. Yeah, once I'm certified by my health care provider, there's actually very little that an employer can do to manage those situations.
00:32:53:00 - 00:33:16:24UnknownHowever, if we do have patterns of potential abuse, there are a few things that we can do as an employer to deal with those abuse issues, and it's a little bit too much for our little overview that we're doing today. But there's a couple things that we can do as employers other than just catching the person an outright fraud, fraudulent use of leave.
00:33:17:01 - 00:33:40:10UnknownYeah, it's a bunch of hurdles that we need to come to deal with that specific issues. Yeah, absolutely. Well, kind of wrapping up here, Rob, we've talked a lot a lot today about FMLA and just kind of the overarching picture. But can you end with any insights and best practices for employers to ensure smooth and fair practice regarding FMLA eligibility in covered events?
00:33:40:12 - 00:34:04:19UnknownSo, number one are HR People who are administering FMLA, you need to be trained on how to administer properly. Now that's what we here at emory. We have our FMLA made simple class where we deal with that issue for our managers and supervisors training as well. Not how to administer FMLA but understanding what do i need to listen for those buckets of leave that starts the FMLA process?
00:34:04:21 - 00:34:26:07UnknownAnd then also, what does it mean that I have no penalty under the leave and also of the basic rights are under the law. So training and awareness are two big compliance tools that we need to use. Yes, absolutely. It also lets mention about training employees. I've had this brought up many, many times during my training programs on FMLA.
00:34:26:09 - 00:34:53:00UnknownWell, Rob, this is a really complicated law, so can you come to our organization and just do like a one hour overview for our employees? Well, first of all, the law doesn't state any mandatory training for our employees. In fact, it assumes that any mandatory training for HR People are mandatory. The supervisors but unfortunately, it's not required. You're putting the posters up, responding to the requests when they come in properly.
00:34:53:00 - 00:35:15:08UnknownThat's the way that we deal with FMLA. We have to be very careful about training our employees because if we just did an explanation of what we just covered, literally, you're going to open a Pandora's box. Hey, do you know how to be off on FMLA? Here's how you do it. No, I'm not saying that with a cold shoulder or unsympathetic, but we don't want to encourage the issues.
00:35:15:10 - 00:35:35:19UnknownWe've had a lot of situations in the past where the entire shipping department all of a sudden, though, has chronic depression. because that word spreads, right? So we don't need to encourage that. But again, the majority of our cases that we deal with under FMLA, people legitimately do have medical issues of themselves or a covered family member, and they really do need that time on.
00:35:35:19 - 00:36:04:00UnknownYeah, that makes sense. I'm sure you've seen a lot and heard a lot of story. Well, Rob, I want to thank you for being on the podcast today and thank you for sharing your expertise on FMLA specifically, like I mentioned, this is a highly requested topic, so I appreciate you coming on the podcast today to cover that. And to our listeners, if you liked our chat and topic today, I would urge you to come and something new that you learned today or anything that you'd like to add on to this conversation.
00:36:04:00 - 00:36:27:15UnknownWe'd love to hear, hear from you. Don't forget to share out this episode. Consider joining MRA If you aren't a member already. We have all the resources you need in the show Notes below, including resources on our topic for today and training links. So check those out. And we've also included Rob's bio and LinkedIn profile. So if you'd like to connect with him, we've got the resources for you to do that.
00:36:27:17 - 00:36:50:12UnknownOtherwise, thank you so much for tuning in and thanks again, Rob. Thanks for having me. Here's a lot of fun and we'll see you next week for this episode. Be sure to reference the show notes where you can sign them to connect. For more podcast updates, check out other Emery episodes on your favorite podcast platform. And as always, make sure to follow MRA 30 minute Thrive so you don't miss out.
00:36:50:13 - 00:36:55:05UnknownThanks for tuning in and we'll see you next Wednesday to carry on the conversation.
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Description: Join us as we unravel the key components of a successful succession plan, offering insights into:
Identifying and developing internal talentFostering a culture of continuous learningMitigating potential risksLearn how to navigate leadership transitions and ensure the long-term success of your organization through effective succession planning strategies.
Resources:
The Business Case for Succession Planning
Succession Planning Program
Succession Planning Guide
Succession Planning Tracking Chart
MRA Membership
About MRA
Let's Connect:
Guest Bio - Dana Vogelmeier
Guest LinkedIn Profile - Dana Vogelmeier
Host Bio - Sophie Boler
Host LinkedIn Profile - Sophie Boler
Transcript:
Transcripts are computer generated -- not 100% accurate word-for-word.
00:00:00:00 - 00:00:21:03UnknownHello everybody and welcome to 30 minute Thrive, your go to podcast for anything and everything HR, powered by MRA, the Management Association. looking to stay on top of the ever changing world of HR? MRA has got you covered. We'll be the first to tell you what's hot and what's not. I'm your host, Sophie Boler, and we are so glad you're here.
00:00:21:05 - 00:00:45:18UnknownNow it's time to thrive. Well, hello everybody, and welcome to this episode of 30 Minute THRIVE. So today we're going to be talking about succession planning, and I found this stat a bit shocking. So every day in the US, 10,000 people turn 65. And to add to that stat, the average retirement age in the United States is 61, according to a 2022 Gallup survey.
00:00:45:20 - 00:01:07:17UnknownSo those are all pretty significant numbers in the world of work. So the impact is huge. Today, like I said, it only makes sense now that we're here to talk about succession planning. So succession planning is a business necessity, and it's as critical to strategic planning for business as a whole. But succession planning is not just about retirees.
00:01:07:17 - 00:01:36:22UnknownAnd it's not just for CEOs in leadership. It's also a part of employee development. So it's a really great topic of discussion for us today. And I'm 30 minutes Right podcast. And a lot of you a lot of our listeners have actually requested this topic. So we will finally get into it and we're excited. And I'm here with Dana Vogelmeier, MRA senior instructional designer who's worked with our members to help develop and implement succession planning programs.
00:01:36:24 - 00:02:00:07UnknownSo, Dana, I'm super excited to have you on today and thanks for coming coming on the podcast as the expert and really covering how to create that successful succession planning. Thank you so being happy to be here. So, well, let's just start out by defining what business succession planning really is and why it's essential for business owners. Okay, sure.
00:02:00:09 - 00:02:22:21UnknownSo succession planning, as you mentioned earlier, it is it's critical and it is something that sometimes gets kind of pushed to the background because it feels like it's not important work. But if you think about the sustainability for an organization, it is really one of those critical things we should do. And succession planning is it's a process of talent identification.
00:02:22:23 - 00:02:52:02UnknownSo we dedicate time to looking at all of the people in our organization and who has what kinds of skills, what kind of potential or performance do they have, what do they need, and then get them what they need. We'll talk about that too. But it's really just first about identifying what that what the talent is in the organization, what it is not is a process to go through for determining who you're going to hire for a role.
00:02:52:02 - 00:03:20:12UnknownThat's that's different. This is about putting documentation together and determining what kind of talent and skills you have in the organization and then what people need and then getting them the development that they need. Absolutely. You highlighted a lot of good points there, and I feel like something to emphasize is to not put this planning on the back burner because I feel like we've heard that a lot with challenges on succession planning is, I didn't think of it till now or we're not ready.
00:03:20:12 - 00:03:52:06UnknownSo I'm glad today we can help with those steps and kind of that preplanning process. So kind of the next step then, what are some key components of a successful business succession plan? Tongue twister. Yeah, it is a tongue twister. Yeah. So some of the kind of key components to think about are identifying critical roles that you might have in the organization where if for some reason there was a gap there and someone had left, the organization like that would really create a problem.
00:03:52:06 - 00:04:11:00UnknownSo what kinds of critical roles do you have? What kind of niche roles do you have where it's hard to find a good pool of candidates with that skill set might be super unique. You know, you want to identify that. You also want to, as one of these key components, think about business challenges that you either currently have or are coming.
00:04:11:02 - 00:04:30:24UnknownSo an example might be you currently have this issue of we're in the middle of expanding. Maybe we only do operations on the East Coast. We're going to expand to the West Coast or only in the U.S. We're going to go global, you know, like so that might be something you're in the middle of, but also looking out and that could be part of your strategic planning process.
00:04:30:24 - 00:04:55:00UnknownAnd you learned some information there. So bring that information in to your succession planning and think about there's a new law that's going into effect that might impact your industry. There could be a new competitor that is entering the marketplace. There could be some kind of restrictions or maybe you experience some supply chain issues or one of your big suppliers is going out of business.
00:04:55:02 - 00:05:25:08UnknownYou know, those business challenges that are going to impact you, how does that impact your succession planning and some of the things? Well, some of the things may not, but do you have people with that knowledge about how this is going to impact the organization? So you're really kind of looking at the the areas where you might have some deficiencies in knowledge and skills, talent and how how we can maybe make a plan to start addressing that.
00:05:25:10 - 00:05:50:04UnknownYeah, absolutely. And you talk about plan and process. So follow up question to that is what would a typical process really look like? Yeah, so this is a good question. And what I will say about like the process to think about, I'm going to give you a good example of a process that I've used in the past, but the first thing to think about in your for any company and your own process is what makes sense for you.
00:05:50:04 - 00:06:12:09UnknownAnd if you haven't done it at all before, you want to start small and just maybe pilot with a role or a department and then kind of build off of that. But one the process or approach that I have used in the past is called the climb up approach. And it starts with and within the process you establish your meetings.
00:06:12:11 - 00:06:37:05UnknownBut the first meetings are the first line supervisors meeting and someone's going to facilitate this conversation and they're going to talk about the high performing people on their teams and the high performing the high potentials and the high performers on their teams. And so who are those people? And somewhere we want to have like a database. So that we can document everything so that information goes in there.
00:06:37:07 - 00:07:11:10UnknownThen the next step is to have the second line leaders meet. They're going to talk about the first line leaders and who is a high potential, who's high performing, what people need, what do they do? Well, unique skill sets, but they're also going to have knowledge of the people that were talked about in the first round, because those might be people that fill backfill roles of first line supervisors, but also those second line leaders and every leader above that need to have some knowledge of these other folks that are in the database and what kind of unique skills or talents do they bring.
00:07:11:10 - 00:07:41:21UnknownMaybe they worked for a competitor in the past or maybe they worked for an organization that was like competitor adjacent, and they might have a different perspective that would be beneficial in a particular project or something like that. So everybody needs to be know kind of what's in there, especially with unique skills and experiences. So your your second line leaders may talk about first they see what who the first line leaders talked about and then go up to the third line or the executive team, depending on what your particular structure looks like and you do the same process over.
00:07:41:21 - 00:08:05:15UnknownBut it's beneficial that everyone now have at that higher level look and see in the database who has what. So you go through your that's your climb up approach and you have all of your meetings now you have your data so you can work with that, but also something to think about in the process is your cadence of meetings and if you always have them in certain months.
00:08:05:17 - 00:08:30:19UnknownSo people just know, as I need to be ready for that, like it's January and June or whatever, like do I need to be ready for that or do I need to be? And so I get my planning done and then thinking about the accountability piece and how you're going to how you as the executive leadership or whoever is kind of owning the process oftentimes is down through h.r.
00:08:30:21 - 00:09:00:19UnknownBut how is that accountability going to happen and explaining exactly the process of what needs to happen there. But you know, one thing that i will just ask people to think about is if you're in a leadership role and you have this accountability or this succession planning meeting and you're supposed to do the work and you come to the meeting and say, so busy, my department, you know, this or that, but your people are missing out then.
00:09:00:21 - 00:09:22:14UnknownAnd how would you imagine those employees of that person who didn't do the work? And now no one knows that they have a unique set of skills, that they have an interest in going to another area or any of that. And so they may miss out. And as a leader, you would never want your people to miss out on a future opportunity, especially if they were the best candidate.
00:09:22:16 - 00:09:47:24UnknownSo you have to do the work and have all of that information stored somewhere so that we have the knowledge. You know, it's like, garbage in, garbage out kind of thing. We had good data in there, so we can work from that. But you definitely want to dedicate time to doing the work. Yeah, and I feel like what you just described there is probably a common challenge for many organizations and just getting started in the accountability piece, that invention.
00:09:48:01 - 00:10:18:06UnknownSo it's a perfect weekend or next question of what are some other common challenges that business owners face when it comes to the succession planning? Yeah, that's a great point because time is for sure one of the I would say one of the biggest issues is just getting started and kind of knowing where to start. And you have to just figure it, figure it out along the way if you've never done it, or if you don't have somebody who has done it somewhere helping you, but, you know, start small and then you can build on that.
00:10:18:08 - 00:10:41:22UnknownBut getting started is one of the biggest challenges. And then the second thing is ensuring accountability and dedicating it at the time and working the plan because it doesn't stop after you've had the meeting. Now you have all that data from each of those meetings. You still have work to do after that. So it's working the plan. So Dana, you mentioned that a common challenge is really just starting the whole process.
00:10:41:22 - 00:11:00:20UnknownSo where would you say a good place to start is? Yeah, and it could be like many things both feel kind of daunting sometimes, especially if you've never done it before. And it's like, where do we even begin? And and I would say get the right people in the room to have some discussion around why are we going through this?
00:11:01:00 - 00:11:21:22UnknownWhat's driving the need for doing succession planning? And it really is about preparedness and kind of being ready when something changes, getting ready so you're not caught off guard when now all of a sudden, we have to hire three new leaders. And who would they be? You might have some great people in there, but you can use the time to get people developed.
00:11:21:22 - 00:11:48:20UnknownSo, you know, why are we doing this? What is it that we hope to get out of this? You know, answering that question now, everybody's on the same page. You've got some foundation set, then you can start looking. And I'm going to just say there's a metaphorical board here, you know, in the air. But put on the board and a like an employee journey map or a leader journey map, and it might look something like picture sort of a road map.
00:11:48:20 - 00:12:12:04UnknownHow do we get from here to there? So for an employee, there may be a number of different career paths that they take. And I'll just use an example from one of my old experiences in an organization I worked for in the past. I was in leadership in a call center. We had customer service reps and they might become a coach, which is not a leadership role, but it's kind of a step up.
00:12:12:06 - 00:12:33:14UnknownThey might become a trainer again, not a leadership role, but it's a step up. But they also then might go to first line supervisor and it could go those three things, but it could go right from customer service representative to supervisor, depending on the individual. No, there's never like it has to be this kind of path. I'll take that back.
00:12:33:16 - 00:12:55:19UnknownI won't say never, but in in generally speaking, people might take different paths to get where they're going. So you have this employee journey and in that journey map, you know what might be some skills that they like as a trainer, they're going to get great presents and skills experience, thinking on your feet, but also some planning for the class and things like that.
00:12:55:19 - 00:13:23:17UnknownAnd as a coach, they're going to get some experience coaching other employees, which is essential for leaders. So you could get some development along the way. Then when you think about the leader map in in my old experience, I'm going to use another example for later maps. We did things like you might have a first line supervisor who's only ever worked kind of in this area and we want to get them some experience in another part of the organization.
00:13:23:19 - 00:13:45:16UnknownThey might lateral over into an analyst role and so they're not supervising people now, but they're learning some of the business problems and they're working on cross-functional teams. So they're getting a whole new set of experiences that help them learn more about the company. And especially if you're in a large organization, it can give them some different experiences.
00:13:45:18 - 00:14:03:05UnknownThen they might go to a second line manager or they might go to a manager of analyst or something different. But you could also go from first line supervisor to second line manager or something like that. But you just need to think about what are the needs and who has a unique set of skills and an interest in a particular role.
00:14:03:07 - 00:14:21:22UnknownSo kind of figuring all of that out and you can start with your why statement, then go to your journey maps and that will help you once you do those individual development plans ultimately. So we've done the why now, we've done our journey maps and we've had some discussion. Then we had our meetings and we built all that data in our database.
00:14:21:24 - 00:14:49:21UnknownYou can see what people need individually, but as a leader now, it's my responsibility for my people to get them what they need. So so there's kind of that leg, if you will, but then you'll have people in the database who have common learning needs, development needs. So for example, maybe they've never done any type of coaching or performance management or employment law.
00:14:49:23 - 00:15:11:18UnknownSo if there's 20 people in the database that need that now, you can send people into a comment class and that could be something like RPA classes or it could be something you do on site. There also might be some some kind of really easy things to get off the ground. If you give everybody a link to a TED talk and say, watch content between now and 30 days, we're going to have a meeting and we're gonna talk about it.
00:15:11:20 - 00:15:31:04UnknownThat's great development for people to come to the meeting and hear what other people's perspectives were and share their perspectives. So get some experience with all of that and collaborating on a project. Or it could be any number of things that you could do that could be quick hits within just within the company. You could do like a book club.
00:15:31:06 - 00:15:50:02UnknownBut then there are other things that might be bigger, like a plex or a roundtable or going to a class on a law or something like that. But, you know, use that data to help you make your plans and do your the execution of the plan. No, absolutely. Those are great examples. I'm glad that you brought those up.
00:15:50:02 - 00:16:13:14UnknownAnd I loved hearing about your success in your past roles, too, and kind of just sharing your real life, your real life stories. So we talked about gaining new skills and some of that includes technology skills too. So I guess my question here is how do you use data then specifically to assist in succession planning in appraisals? Yeah.
00:16:13:16 - 00:16:50:23UnknownSo I'm assuming that everybody, you know, the new hires are going in and putting their information into whatever your h.r. Software is about. However that process looks, that could be just through h.r. Maybe putting that information in, but again, garbage in, garbage out. So the data has to be in there, but there are usually your h.r. System has an element of, like, ways to search so you could search for, like, degrees in accounting, or you could search for people who have a certain certification or speak multiple languages.
00:16:51:00 - 00:17:16:06UnknownYou could also use that information in your database to search for what's the age range as you kind of opened up with 10,000 people are retiring every day. So what is that age range? How many people are in that group and in what roles? And is it that one critical role or there's only one person with that institutional knowledge and you don't want to ask people like, Hey, I'm turning 65 or whatever, You don't want to ask that.
00:17:16:08 - 00:17:36:21UnknownYou're just looking at the data and taking that to your meeting and saying, This is what the data is telling us. This is these are things that could happen and we should be prepared for these things. So use the reports and the information that you already have in there. If it's possible you might want to automate with some succession planning software.
00:17:36:23 - 00:17:53:00UnknownThere are some great programs out there that make it so easy, very intuitive, user friendly programs. So again, you can put the information in and it can you can even set alerts and it will tell you like date of the meeting is next month and you need to be prepared to talk about your team members, that kind of thing.
00:17:53:00 - 00:18:19:01UnknownBut you can also kind of move people from ready now, or maybe they're ready with development in the next 12 months or maybe ready with development 1 to 3 years or something like that, so you can set it up and whatever makes sense in your organization. But then, you know, educating everybody on what what all those things mean, ready now what does that mean?
00:18:19:03 - 00:18:49:11UnknownSo if there's an opening and your names on the list, she's ready now. So we've got 35 people who are ready now for this first line supervisor job and great place to be if you've got a big pool like that. So you can use that data to kind of age you and in this process. Yeah, I'm glad that you brought up automation and automating the process a little bit more because I'm sure a few people are a little overwhelmed with the whole succession planning process.
00:18:49:11 - 00:19:22:06UnknownSo at least now that there are tools to help you with the process, that's another one. Yeah. So we talked about in the beginning that planning isn't just for CEOs and leadership for retirees. So are there specific roles to priority prioritize or are there high risk roles that need more attention than other roles? Yes, and I would say think about three in particular.
00:19:22:08 - 00:19:42:10UnknownSo one is if you have a particular role where only one person does it, and especially if one person has done it for years and they have all that institutional knowledge and you don't want to lose that and it's easy to just, you know, so and so it's always done and they've always been there, but at some point they're not going to be there.
00:19:42:12 - 00:19:58:22UnknownSo what are what are the plans in place so that you don't have an issue when that person does leave? So you're planning for. That's why succession planning is so essential for organizations You want to be prepared for when these things happen that you're not caught off guard going, my gosh, what are we going to do now?
00:19:58:24 - 00:20:22:16UnknownAnd somebody could hit the lottery, right? And they're gone. So so that's the first one. And then the second one to think about is any of those niche roles, unique skills. There's not a big candidate pool. It's hard to hire. Think about like what are the competitors doing, What are they paying? Are they doing anything like signing bonuses or some things to attract people?
00:20:22:18 - 00:20:49:18UnknownAnd are those things that you need to consider? Maybe you've never done it in the past, but things have changed and it might be that now you need to change to accommodate that pool. So that you can attract the best talent. And then the third thing to think about really are your growth plans. So if you are going to expand, I mentioned going global or something like what are what are the needs there?
00:20:49:20 - 00:21:18:15UnknownIf you're even just from a growth perspective, maybe it's not even going global or anything like that, but you're one of your strategic goals might be we're going to increase sales by 20%. Well, as everything increases. So do oftentimes the number of employees. So you might need to hire multiple leaders next year. Do you have anyone in the pipeline that's going to be a good leader in the meantime, if you know that's going to happen, if that's the plan?
00:21:18:15 - 00:21:42:01UnknownIn the meantime, can you work on getting people prepared so you have all that great information from your meetings in the database and you see who might be the next first line leaders, particularly your people that have some potential and have been performing. So let's say there's 20 people in there. You could take 20 people and send them through some kind of a development class to get them prepared.
00:21:42:03 - 00:22:04:14UnknownAnd then you have a good candidate pool to choose from when you have that growth that you've been expecting. So those are kind of the three areas that I would, I would say to consider. Yeah, absolutely. We talked a lot on emerging leaders here on the podcast. So again, that's a great group of people to kind of get roped into this discussion to Absolutely.
00:22:04:16 - 00:22:30:19UnknownAnd we've also mentioned kind of emphasize the point that succession planning is not for one specific type of role or not for just leadership roles. And with so many baby boomer boomers, many of them may be in leadership roles leaving the workforce, there is a greater emphasis on the younger generation needing to fill in these leadership roles. So let's talk for a little bit about succession planning for these younger generations.
00:22:30:21 - 00:23:04:00UnknownMaybe they haven't been in the workforce very long and they don't really have a ton of experience or the leadership skills. So do you have any recommendations for developing this process? A little earlier on? Yeah, I would say, you know, a couple of things to think about when looking at sort of that, I'm going to use your phrase about next generation of leaders, because consider, especially for people who've been in the workforce for a long time, you know, about the evolution of the workforce itself.
00:23:04:02 - 00:23:37:17UnknownAnd currently there are the workforce is really looking for development and opportunities and not just, you know, getting hired to work in this one job forever, but it's the the workforce, you know, the people that you hope to retain that can see that they're you care about their development. You the leader care about their development and that there is going to be future opportunity, then that's a little more attractive to that that part of the workforce.
00:23:37:19 - 00:23:54:15UnknownThe other thing about that part of the workforce, a lot of times you have people who they want to know their leader and they want their leader to know them as a whole person. There used to be an old adage back in the day that, you know, check your bags, your baggage at the door when you come to work.
00:23:54:15 - 00:24:14:19UnknownIt's work time. But there really has been an evolution in the workforce about the whole person. You're leading the whole person and you can't often as as a human, we can't. There are certain things we just can't leave at home and things that might be hindering our ability to focus or whatever it might be. But, you know, that's attractive to help retain some of the workforce.
00:24:14:19 - 00:24:38:04UnknownSo you're thinking about the next generation of employees. What's next? What is going to be the next part of the evolution? You may as an organization have a diversity goal and you might want to focus on that. You might also have new tech knowledge that's going to be coming into your work world, and you'll need people who understand that technology know how to do whatever it is.
00:24:38:06 - 00:25:01:06UnknownBut you also could be just like in a growth mode. And so all of a sudden now you find it beneficial that you need to have a project manager on staff that could be part of your next generation. Maybe we've never had that before, but with all the change that we're going through and, you know, we're going to add this madness and that it might be beneficial to have somebody with that kind of a skill set to manage projects as they go through.
00:25:01:08 - 00:25:22:18UnknownSo you just kind of have to think about what are those skills, what are some changes coming? There might be get lost, but you're looking at your next generation of hires and your next generation of leaders and what are they going to need to. Again, it's all part of the process going into leadership skills, digging in there a little bit more.
00:25:22:20 - 00:25:45:06UnknownHow do you exactly know what is needed or how do you help develop those successful leadership skills specifically? Yeah, so a lot of that is really through observation, you know, so for example, if I am a leader and I have, you know, ten people on my team and I've worked with them, I've got some experiences and I can assess from my perspective.
00:25:45:06 - 00:26:24:10UnknownSo so my observations are going to play a huge role in that, which back to what we said earlier about if the leader isn't going to the meetings and talking about so-and-so skills and abilities, sometimes they missed out. The other thing now can be through like cross-functional teams or cross-functional projects committees. So for example, if I am a sponsor of a new project and I have people from ten different departments that are on my project team, so I can see that person's work product, if you will, because they come to the meetings, are they prepared?
00:26:24:10 - 00:26:50:20UnknownDo they meet their deadlines? Do they work well with others? Just all those things. And then I can speak to that too. So their first their manager can speak to their their performance. I can speak to their performance. So there are some other examples. And in that too, I might have a different perspective because I might say they were great at these five things and you know, what they could benefit from is learning more about this other part of the organization, and that's a complement to their work.
00:26:50:22 - 00:27:12:22UnknownAnd if they understood more of the ins and outs over there, I think that it can help them understand kind of what levers to pull or when things happen, how that's going to impact another department, just kind of seeing the organization more holistically or that organization more as the system that it is. And that can really help when it comes to things like problem solving or cross training or anything like that.
00:27:12:24 - 00:27:39:07UnknownYou know, really a lot of that is, again, through observation. But then, you know, you also think about what they need next and how do you kind of meet those needs. A lot of that is through the development plans and things. Yeah, absolutely. I feel like that's been a common trend of what we've also talked about this year is that cross training and the leadership development opportunities and all that great stuff that you mentioned.
00:27:39:07 - 00:28:08:01UnknownSo I love those examples. That was great advice. But Dana, as we wrap up here, can you share any any real life success stories or case studies even of businesses that have effectively navigated this succession planning process? Yes, sure. So I will share that. There was a company that I worked with not long ago and they had a pretty good succession planning process already in place with their meetings and their documentation.
00:28:08:01 - 00:28:32:10UnknownAnd and it wasn't automated. They were they were using an Excel sheet. It worked for them. It was not a large organization. So as they continue to grow, they might want to automate. And that was one of the things we did talk about. And but what they really wanted to focus on were accountability and what kind of enhancements could they do to their existing process.
00:28:32:12 - 00:28:50:15UnknownSo there were a couple of things that we talked about, and one was moving from meeting twice a year to for a while. Let's make four times a year and then people get it's it's closer, right? So you've done it more times and people are kind of more ready each time because it's like, that's three months now.
00:28:50:16 - 00:29:23:05UnknownNot six months away. So I've got to be ready. And what have I done from from this meeting to the next? And that's a reflection of me as a leader on my performance. Did I take time to dedicate to developing my people? So kind of making those meetings more frequently can really help with that accountability piece. But then the other thing that one of the things that I had had experience with in the past I recommended was make one of the leaders or the owner of a particular meeting.
00:29:23:07 - 00:29:43:09UnknownSo if it was my turn to be the leader of the meeting, then I set the meeting. I sent out the invites, I pull up the database for doing it virtually, and I show it online and we have and I facilitate the conversation. That's a different level of ownership. You know what? If I know I'm going to be responsible for the meeting, I'm going to do all my prep work ahead of time.
00:29:43:09 - 00:29:59:10UnknownAnd it's just like anything else, like riding a bike, right? The more you do it, the easier it gets, the better you get at it, the more comfortable you are with it. So if I have to have ownership in a meeting, I'm going to work a little harder to get prepared and I don't want to go in ill prepared.
00:29:59:12 - 00:30:32:20UnknownBut also it's a way to get more used to it. So you've got somebody that can kind of run that meeting. And then the other thing we did talk about was potentially automating the process and again, just making it easier for the leaders to to do that work. That's that's part of our work as leaders. So the executive team, if they need to approve like the purchase of some kind of software to make this work easier and better information, better data to work with, that might be part of this your succession planning work too.
00:30:32:22 - 00:30:56:10UnknownSo that was a company that I worked with before or one of our member companies that I worked with, but in my own role before I came to MRA in my past. When our past lives, if you will, one element in our succession planning process that I liked was so you had accountability to your leadership to do the work, to come in to the meetings prepared.
00:30:56:15 - 00:31:20:16UnknownAnd if we were not prepared, our leader was having a conversation with us about not doing the work. But the other thing is kind of like dual accountability was the expectation was after those meetings and after the conversation and all, I would go back and have a meeting with the people on my team that we talked about the high potentials and the high performers, and to have the conversation around here is what you do really well.
00:31:20:18 - 00:31:38:03UnknownAnd here are some things we think you could benefit from. And so let's make that happen. But that was an expectation. So my leader would say, have you had your accountability meetings with your team yet? So it's kind of coming from both directions and it's just another way to kind of make the work happen. But it is a little bit of muscle memory.
00:31:38:03 - 00:32:05:03UnknownYou know, again, the more you do it, the easier it gets and you start having those conversations and planning it and it just becomes part of the work after that for sure. Those are great examples too, and even some action steps that listeners can take away and start implementing right away too. Yeah, it's very. Dana, I want to thank you for being on the podcast today and thank you for sharing your expertise and your success with succession planning.
00:32:05:05 - 00:32:27:03UnknownThank we yeah, and to our listeners, if you like the chat and topic today, I know a lot of our members and listeners request this topic, so I would urge you to comment something new that you learned today or anything that you really like to add on to this conversation. We always want to hear from you and your what you're doing specifically on this topic too.
00:32:27:05 - 00:32:49:03UnknownDon't forget to share out this episode and consider joining MRA if you aren't member already. We have all the resources you need in the show Notes below, including a number of succession planning resources in the show notes below too. So take a look at those. We've also got Dana's bio and LinkedIn profiles, so if you'd like to connect with her, Dana, I hope that's okay.
00:32:49:03 - 00:33:09:22UnknownYou might be getting some good connections lately, otherwise. Thank you so much for tuning in, Dana. I appreciate you being here and we'll see you next week. And that wraps up our content for this episode. Be sure to reference the show notes where you can sign them to connect for more podcast updates, check out other MRA episodes on your favorite podcast platform.
00:33:09:23 - 00:33:19:15UnknownAnd as always, make sure to follow MRA's 30 minutes THRIVE so you don't miss out. Thanks for tuning in and we'll see you next Wednesday to carry on the conversation.
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