Happy Floating Holidays!

As HR professionals we recognize that diversity breeds collaboration and new ideas and better communication. We understand that by being inclusive in our hiring practices we do a great service to our workforce by providing different cultural perceptions to business challenges. We know that Title 7 is the crux of the law for adding value to companies of almost every size and every industry. But all too often companies with the best of intentions miss the boat during the days that reside on the calendar from around mid December though the end of the month. Even seasoned HR professionals can be found guilty of isolating certain parts of their employee base without even realizing it. 

If the idea of a floating holiday policy seems foreign or even worse, unnecessary to you; here's a few things to remember. Holidays are important to different people for different reasons. Webster's Dictionary defines the word "holiday" as 1) a holy day 2) a day for which one is not obligated to work. So even the origins of the word "holiday" references a religious aspect. And with that being said it is important to realize that there are employees in your workforce that place different variations of that "religious significance" on different days of the year. In many cultures or religions the calendar does not even account for when the holiday is actually recognized. Factors like the Lunar Calendar or the Solar Calendar or even the years particular Solstice can impact when a certain holiday is observed. 

So while the majority of the Western Civilization is celebrating one particular holiday; keep in mind others in your company could have a different view or variation the celebration or have no regard for the observance at all. So in light of the wonderful holidays in all of the different parts of the world, no matter what day of the year it is...

"Happy Floating Holidays" from Team LotusHR!

Top 10 ways to stay out of EE litigation...

Lotus HR Top 10 List - Avoid being invited into the courtroom by your employee!

1. Review ALL documents an employee is to sign! Be sure they are not biased or slanted. Have an employee that does not speak English and only Spanish? Make sure the documents are available in Spanish!

2. Make sure job application and any other document presented to a new hire (offer of employment) is signed by the candidate!

3. Turnover happens when hiring is done without strategy! Hiring an over-qualified candidate? Expect them to eventually get bored. Hiring a candidate who may not have the qualifications you are looking for? Don’t hire them unless you have a plan to train them.

4. New Hire orientation for EVERY new hire! Avoid the “I was never told” defense!

5. Every new hire must understand the “communication process” within your company! Who can they go to if they have an issue, complaint or question? Make it known.

6. Develop performance by instituting a formal review program. Commit to it and get it done!

7. Discipline or Termination? Review the employee file for all pertinent information that supports your case.

8. Laying off several employees? Make sure you consider age, sex, race – any detail that may result in an employee feeling they are being discriminated against. Have a plan. Consult an expert!

9. The employee you are terming has a life, family – treat them the way you would want to be treated.

10. If it isn’t in writing, it didn’t happen! Document everything – email, memo’s, warning, compliments and praises – they all go in the file and will help support your decisions.

Happy Holidays! 

Team Lotus.

Office Boo's!

I’m sure you’re like most people in that you’ve worked for more than one company; which naturally brings to light the urge to compare them. I only bring this up because in my line of work I have the opportunity to go into many different companies and offices throughout the week. So I naturally do a lot of mental comparisons of culture, dress, energy, and people interaction between our clients and potential clients. And this week I got to see first-hand how 2 large companies in the Houston Area “handle” Halloween. Although it’s not a nationally observed “day off type holiday”, like Christmas; I am amazed at how absolutely crazy people get about decorating their offices for Halloween! This week I saw a Hospital (yes a hospital) with a decoration of a half decomposed body hanging from a rope inside their main lobby with a sign that said “Enter at your own Risk!” I honestly couldn’t believe my eyes! Not to mention the not so subtle implication about the quality of their medical care. Now I’m not your (sorry for the generalization and possibly offensive stereo-type reference) stodgy old hard-line HR fuddy-duddy, but even I thought it was probably poor judgment.

I also was in the world HQ of a major pre-paid funeral service company and (no-kidding) they had decorated a hearse with zombies (which were actually mannequins, complete with fake blood and missing limbs) coming out of the doors and carriage! Now I actually liked that personally but I do think it might have bordered on poor taste.

So for all of the employee issues, practical jokes gone bad and complaints about attire that the holidays will bring to light and end up heaping loads of investigative work on all of you HR professionals out there, relax! Go easy on your employees. You know as well as I do that they were more than likely under the influence of 4 Jolly Ranchers, 6 Chico Sticks, more candycorn than should be allowed by law and enough Hershey Kisses to keep the Chilean coal-miners alive for a year.

Holiday parties, Halloween office haunts and a sugar-saturated workforce is obviously a recipe for disaster. So be pro-active and make sure you’re prepared to have those tough conversations with that secretary who shows up in the “scary hooker” costume or even the white executive who thinks it’s funny to come dressed as “Buckwheat” from the Little Rascals (yes I’m showing my age and yes that really happened) But remember the holidays, especially Halloween, can really bring out the dark side (and the stupid side) of even your best employees! And besides it’s not really even a new conversation… remember all the conversations you had to have with some of your employees after your company decided to go to Casual Friday? The two scenarios are virtually the same! So in a salute to all of the tough conversations and disciplinary action forms you had to write up because of someone’s pixie stick-fueled temporary lack of judgment, enjoy this clip of a Casual Friday gone bad!

Happy Halloween to all of the Lotus HR clients and partners! BOO!!!!

"Help Wanted" says Government Agencies...

Government Agencies "We are Hiring" continues...

Check out a recent post from our friends at BLR:

OSHA's requirement that training be comprehensible to employees is nothing new. What is new, however, is the enforcement angle. Says Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, "OSHA compliance officers will verify not only that training has been provided, but that it was provided in a format that workers being trained can understand."

An OSHA memorandum provides examples of what is required:

· If an employee does not speak or comprehend English, training must be provided in a language the employee does understand.

· In the case of an employee with a limited vocabulary, the training must account for that limitation.

· If an employee is not literate, an employer will not satisfy its training obligation by telling the employee to read training materials.

"As a general matter," says the memo, "employers are expected to realize that if they customarily need to communicate work instructions or other workplace information to employees at a certain vocabulary level or in a language other than English, they will need to provide safety and health training to employees in the same manner."

While meeting this requirement may present difficulties and extra costs, it can also improve safety performance and reduce the risk of accidents. Employees who don't understand safety instructions or safety training information are much more likely to have accidents and be injured on the job.

Generation OMG

In board rooms and war rooms and think tanks and strategy committees all across the nation in both small and big business, there is a dangerous assumption being made. The assumption is that the higher unemployment rate is lessoning the demands of today’s applicant pool. The reality is much different! And if hiring managers think that they’re going to have the pick-of-the-crop when their budgets allow them to start the hiring barrage we all look so forward too… As the great Rob Halford sings…"You've got another thing coming!"

It’s true that Baby Boomers still have the lion’s share of the management job market and still drive the majority of the executive level gigs in the corporate arena but their numbers are dwindling - fast. For the first time in a generation Baby Boomers don’t make up the majority of the overall job population. Retirement and death are attributed to the decline of the most prolific workforce in American history. But most managers are conducting business as usual and are likely to get a huge wakeup call the next time they check the resumes flooding their desks. Here’s the new paradigm for all of you managers that have been put in the hiring hot seat: If you combine the total number of the working-age candidates in Generation X and Y; it would trump the Baby Boomer workforce by more than 24 million. That’s about 103 million compared to 77 million… OMG! – yep... OMG is right!

If you’re not a parent of a 20something or a mid-teener you may not know this. But here is a list of the four most important trends in recruiting and hiring in the new-economy and in the new generational working world. If you haven’t read "Why Recruiting Good People Will Get Harder and Harder”, by Kevin Wheeler, go pick it up – it could save you a mint.

Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964) are obviously very traditional – we say “traditional” because the Baby Boomers have created the working model of traditionalism for the past 40 years. They get in a car to go to an office or factory or plant and they like that way. They are much more comfortable sitting in a cube next to someone that they have to work with on a daily basis. And for the most part; they define themselves, their social identity and their hierarchical status by their work.

Generation X (born 1965-1979) still identifies their working environment as “a place to go” or a destination where they must attend to complete tasks. But it was the X’ers who created the Virtual work place. Truly they have used the internet and communications technology to their advantage. So the trend that’s creeping quickly is a healthy openness to work exclusively from home or in virtual teams. When evaluating promotions, firm switches, new roles or new titles; their career choices often are made by considering which one can give them more flexibility for them and their family.

Generation Y (born 1982-1995), Welcome to the OMG generation. Some experts will tell you that Y’ers just simply do not want to work (in the traditional sense). For them, work is just a sea of hierarchy, bureaucracy and policies. Work is not who they are and they don’t understand working in a building, sitting in a cube or even an office. And work isn’t even something you do for very long in one place or for one company. Y’ers crave flexibility and virtual workspaces and even multiple jobs! According to Wheeler, “they are the hardest to recruit and the hardest to retain. Yet, they are the future of most organizations as Baby Boomers age and move out.”

A 3rd trend, according to Wheeler, is flexible work arrangements. Working 9 to 5 went out with Dolly Parton. And even as regulations increase, to track and report on hours worked; punching in and out is becoming difficult to manage. You can rest assured that compensation for almost any industry is eventually moving toward a pay-for-performance system. The question being asked by the growing work force sounds something like this… Does it really matter if an employee works from 4AM to 7AM and then mountain bikes from 8AM to 4PM and then finishes their assignments and duties from 6PM to 10PM? As long as deadlines are met – accuracy of the work is on point and communication is timely. The lines of work time / family time / play time are beginning to fade together. So Mr. and Mrs. Hiring manager; Are you scared or can you adapt?!?!

The 4th trend that produces a major hurdle for traditional recruiting is the challenge of an applicant that has another job or multiple jobs. “Organizations still expect and seek loyalty,” says Wheeler, “even though they have shown their employees little of that when times get tough.” Whatever the reasons are; X’ers and Y’ers are more likely to have 2 or more jobs. Often times it’s simply a need for cash still others are looking for diversity or haven’t yet defined their career. Others are trying to become entrepreneurs (before and after hours), while clutching to the safety net of a consistent paycheck. Is your collar getting a little tighter? Well welcome to the future.

As a hiring manager, company owner or department head, there really isn’t anything you can change to prevent these trends from happening, they are here already. You simply have to think about the new Generation’s ideas as substantial in your recruiting, hiring and work assignment practices. Trying to convince a recent graduate with honors from the University that they must show up from 8 – 5 with an hour for lunch, will be an easy way from them to post “C ya” to your Facebook page. They are going to expect flexible hours, flexible arrangements and options – lots of options. They may even communicate with their supervisors through txting or OMG! Twitter!

So if you’re scared - don’t be. Every other American company is faced with the same new challenges in their recruiting game as well. The new generation will likely follow with their own ideas on the work place and what it really means to their life style. So decide now to lead the charge with new innovative ways to reach and attract these radical new X’ers and Y’ers; like it or not Boomers will be gone in completely in 15 years. And this crazy flexible workplace that seems so unique will be the new “Traditional” way to work.

Fairways and Greens,

Team Lotus.

The Rules of Baseball

Both of my children, Sydney and Davis, love sports. Sydney's sport of choice is Lacrosse, Davis plays baseball - and they both have a mean jump shot. I was bragging on my kids one day with a friend of mine and a few hours later received "The Rules of Baseball" - he told me I needed to share them with my kids.

After reading the rules, thought I would share with everyone. I may have sent this to you via email, if so, hope you passed it on! There are some of the rules that apply specifically to baseball, but if you look hard enough, you will see how it fits. Don't know who to give credit to for drafting such a fine document...so whoever you are, nice job and thank you.

You will know what I mean after you've read the rules...enjoy!

The Rules of Baseball
1. Persistence is more important than talent
2. There is a reason that the word STUDENT comes first in student/athletes
3. Respect the game as much as you want to be respected
4. Tuck in your shirt
5. Don't wear your hat backwards
6. Practice hard because you play the way you practice
7. It doesn't take any talent to hustle
8. Be a student in baseball. Learn the game - Study the history of baseball
9. Help your team win whether you play or not
10. Keep a daily diary of what you do at practice and keep notes of your observations. This will help you see the progress you have made
11. Never argue with an umpire
12. Agree to let your coaches train you
13. Don't cut class
14. Maintain the grades that keep you eligible
15. Set high standards along with knowing the steps to attain them
16. Don't tell people what you are worth, prove it to them
17. Your girlfriend is not more important than your career
18. Your parents love you, but they don't know more than your coach about baseball
19. Don't let anyone make an excuse for you
20. Maintain eye contact with all adults when they talk to you. Practice on your friends
21. It is your coach's opinion of you that counts. He makes out the lineup. Fail to understand this point and you will soon be out of the game
22. Life is not fair. Regardless of what some people want you to think
23. Be passionate about your teammates
24. Love the game
25. Players are not the only people in the game. There are coaches, trainers, announcers, umpires, broadcasters and writers. All those jobs are honorable professions as well as keeping you young
26. The only thing that coaches owe you is HONESTY
27. Body language screams. It never whispers
28. Balance makes champions. If you focus on hitting and ignore the defensive part of your game you will never be a complete player
29. Be as diligent on defense as you are on offense
30. Defense wins more games than offense
31. Pitching sets the tone
32. Games are lost not won. Mistakes lead to losses
33. You can win a league with a few good pitchers. Well developed pitching staffs win the tournaments
34. Work on your game every day of the year. The guy who beat you out for the starting job did and the team that always beats you
35. Who you are today is a result of who you were in the past. Fill your past with smart work and good deeds and you will maximize your potential
36. You don't have to be a great athlete to be a good baseball player
37. Show off your talent to your current coach and your future coach by doing the following: (ALL THE TIME)
o When you jog to warm up finish first.
o When you stretch do it best.
o When you play catch, throw to a target and hit it every time.
o When you play catch, catch the ball or block the bad throw and keep it in front of you every time.
o When you are doing a drill, do it perfect, every time.
o Go hard all the time. Never walk on a baseball practice field.
o As a batter/runner run to first as though it matters that you are safe.
o Know the situation on defense and do the right thing.
38. Baseball reveals character it doesn't build it.
39. Character means doing the right thing when nobody's watching.

Thought you would like it!

Jack Walsh
Lotus HR and My Kids Dad

Was the EE Survey predictable? Go "Undercover"!

I have been intrigued by a television show of all things, for several weeks now –“Undercover Boss” was rolled out to millions right after the SuperBowl. The show ends tonight, so I thought I would add the Lotus HR slant to the deluge of blogs that have been written on the show. Some blogs love it, some not so much – “propaganda” one blogger wrote. As a person who understands and has a passion for HR – I think it is brilliant!

Here is the premise:

(Announcer as the show starts) "Each week, we follow the boss of a major corporation as they go undercover in their own company…Posing as a new recruit and finds out what is really going on inside the company…” Then a CEO that is highlighted says: “Having people that are frustrated is the worst thing a business can have…” Each show starts about the same way. The employees think they are part of a documentary on “entry level job seekers” so they don’t question the cameras…then the saga begins.

The companies profiled are all billion dollar corporations (Waste Management, 7-11, Hooters, Roto-Rooter, to name a few participating companies), with tens of thousands of employees. The company executive (CEO, CFO, COO) meets several “front-line” employees and works with them for a few days. The exec finds out what is really going on in the trenches and reports back to the executive management team what they uncovered and they come up with ideas to improve the lives of the people they met and make improvements to the processes these front-line employees deal with – brilliant.

There have been a few “corny” scenes and scenarios, but for the most part, each episode had good take-aways…it really is about the employee! Every episode ended with management coming to the realization that they were disconnected from the “front-liners” – and they all realized this must change in order for the company to prosper – both financially and culturally. They realize their employees are real people, with real issues, real passion to do a good job – people doing the best with what they have, from where they are, with no clue what “management” expects from them. Most "front-liners" believe “management” resides in the glass building with no clue what is going on in the trenches – very disconnected. Disconnected, in the HR world, is not a good thing.

Don’t get me wrong, EE Surveys are good – they provide feedback on employee satisfaction and level of engagement – but they don’t tell the entire story. What about going “undercover”? Based on the television program – the concept has real value.

Arrange for Lotus HR to go “undercover” for you…although there won’t be any TV cameras following us around, guarantee we will all learn something!

Jack Walsh
Lotus HR

2010 - Year of Developing the Top 20%ers!

Early in 2010 it is becoming obvious that business leaders are taking inventory of "talent management" goals for the upcoming year and beyond. Leaders took the opportunity in 2009 to cut costs and at times, people. 2010 will be the year leaders develop their talent - it just takes a few simple steps to ensure you are prepared for the task.

How does a company hold on to their top performers? Talk to recruiters and they will tell you that the top talent - the top 20% - are dusting off their resumes and waiting for a change in the market. You have heard of the 80/20 rule: 80% of your profit/revenue goals are generated by 20% of the employees...time to invest in the top 20% so they remain a key part of your organization and your strategy going forward. They will be the ones leading your company over the next 3, 5 years - if you play your cards right.

Ready for some practical and simple advice from the HR office down the hall? Time to invest in these key people - create an action plan to develop and empower. Assign a leader within the organization to spear-head the project, let the top employees know they are appreciated, that they are part of the company's future, and that the company is willing and able to invest in their development. You will get "buy-in", commitment, and an engaged winner to help you move your company through whatever lies ahead.

Workshops, mentors (from within the company and externally), leadership classes, coaching - whatever it takes (within your budget) to move these future leaders along. Your organization will benefit from any action taken NOW, and it doesn't require a huge investment, just a strategy, intelligence on resources available, attention to the details, follow-through, and communication.

2010 can be the year your organization establishes the leaders for the future - "get 'er done"!

Debra Short
Director of Human Resources
Lotus HR

Mr. Covey was on to something...

As I haved moved through my career in the world of Human Resources, I often asked myself “why is HR important”? I found that answer a few years ago…allow me to explain:

Stephen R. Covey's book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People®, has been a top-seller for the simple reason that it ignores trends and pop psychology for proven principles of fairness, integrity, honesty, and human dignity. He followed up this book with The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness. According to Mr. Covey, there is a great unmet need in our world for purpose and clarity. He provides this entry on pages 2 and 3 of that book:

I frequently ask large audiences, “How many agree that the vast majority of the workforce in your organization possesses far more talent, intelligence, capability and creativity than their present jobs require or even allow?” The overwhelming majority of the people raise their hands, and this is with groups all over the world.

He then provides the following data from a Harris Questionnaire of 23,000 U.S. residents employed full time within key industries and in key functional areas:

• Only 37 percent said they have a clear understanding of what their organization is trying to achieve and why.
• Only 1 in 5 was enthusiastic about their team’s and organization’s goals.
• Only 1 in 5 workers said they have a clear “line of sight” between their tasks and their team’s and organization’s goals.
• Only half were satisfied with the work they have accomplished at the end of the week.
• Only 15 percent felt that they organization fully enables them to execute key goals.
• Only 15 percent felt they worked in a high-trust environment.
• Only 17 percent felt their organization fosters open communication that is respectful of differing opinions and that results in new and better ideas.
• Only 10 percent felt that their organization holds people accountable for results.
• Only 20 percent fully trusted the organization they worked for.
• Only 13 percent have high-trust, highly cooperative working relationships with other groups or departments.

To drive his point home, he ends with the following:

If, say, a soccer team had these same scores, only four of the eleven players on the field would know which goal is theirs. Only two of the eleven would care. Only two of the eleven would know what position they play and know exactly what they are supposed to do. And all but two players would, in some way, be competing against their own team members rather than the opponent.

I consider my job helping companies not be that soccer team Mr. Covey speaks of!

Each problem listed above can be controlled by effective Human Resources. Drop the administrative junk and get to real HR! Raise the numbers on the list above and you raise your profit margin, your cash flow and your shareholder value.

Thank you Mr. Covey for helping lay the cornerstone that built Lotus HR – as this is in our DNA!

Jack Walsh
Lotus HR

Welcome to the world of Lotus HR!

Welcome! The first official “blog” and entry into the world of Human Resources as Lotus HR sees it.

Who we are: We are a team of HR professionals who are passionate about “getting it right”…building a better mousetrap…helping companies help themselves…all while anchoring HR into an organization so that companies can focus on what they do best – while “taking care of” the employees that drive the ship.

Why: Because company management is in denial they need HR – we can deliver in a way and at cost – that has real value to an organization.

How: We deliver what is needed – no more, no less. We determine early on, with the help of company management, where the company is going and what role HR needs to play for the journey. We diagnose, implement, and deliver.

This blog will be more of an “op-ed” piece around HR. The blog may include client stories – both funny and sad, will be inspirational at times, but it will deliver our message…HR is critical to the success of ANY organization.

Welcome to our world! Let the games begin!

Team Lotus