Working Hard or Hardly Working?

Exit Interviews

Last month we looked at the most commonly cited reasons for an employee to leave a business, including the management’s lack of vision or shared purpose, lack of communication, an unwillingness to change and innovate and a lack of coaching or mentoring. What can you do, however, when you feel that you are addressing all of these issues but employees are still leaving the business? You can ask those employees directly for their feedback on their decision to leave by conducting an exit interview.

What is an Exit Interview?

An exit interview is typically a meeting between at least one or more representatives of a business and a departing employee, who has usually voluntarily resigned over being asked to leave the business. An exit interview allows the representatives of the business to ask questions of the departing employee, gaining a better understanding of their decision to leave the business and what issues can be addressed to increase retention rates in the business.

What are the Benefits of Conducting Exit Interviews?

1. Exit interviews provide an opportunity to resolve any issues and airing grievances with leaving employees, or may provide the chance to retain the employee, giving the chance for them to discuss their issues with management.

2. Exit interviews are seen by existing employees, future employees, professional institutes and accrediting bodies as a sign of a business with quality effective people-management, and one that is willing to seek out feedback on themselves in order to continue to grow and develop.

3. Exit interviews accelerate managers’ understanding and experience of people and business management, with hearing and handling feedback as a powerful development tool.

4. The results and analysis of exit interviews provide relevant and useful data in the areas of recruitment, induction, training, retention and growth opportunities for employees.

5. Exit interviews can be used to obtain and transfer useful knowledge, contacts, tips and experience from the departing employee to their successor.

How to Conduct an Exit Interview:

1. Adopt a structured approach- don’t treat an exit interview in a casual manner or as a formality: ensure that it has a structure and purpose to it. Remember that the more you can find out about why an employee is leaving, the more opportunity this gives you to make improvements to the business to prevent further resignations.

2. Ensure appropriate staff conduct the interview- you should always try and use a neutral third party where possible, who is disconnected or has little day-to-day contact with the employee.

3. Environment- The room that the interview is conducted in should feel as warm and inviting as possible, in a neutral office away from the employee’s day-to-day workspace and with the seating arranged in a circle, rather than having the employee facing a panel.

4. Arrange the exit interview for their final week at the business- You should not rush to organise the interview as soon as the employee has put in their letter of resignation. It is unlikely that the employee will feel comfortable being completely honest and open in the interview if they are aware that they still have time left at the business, fearing that the information they share in the interview could be passed on to other employees or that they could be treated harshly for the remainder of their time at the business.

5. Don’t get defensive- the employee may make comments about the business during the interview that you do not agree with or like. It is important to not become defensive or question them about the truth of their statements in a manner that comes across as disbelieving, as this can lead to a confrontational situation.

If you need help conducting exit interviews within your business, please contact performHR at 1300 40 60 05 or info@performhr.com.au.

Companies Need To Get On With Gender Diversity

A great article from today’s Sydney Morning Herald by Harold Mitchell:

“Everyone will be waiting for the cry “and they’re racing” at the Cox Plate tomorrow. But there is a greater cry being heard around the country today. It’s the cry to drop the barriers to women, bringing the full force of their capacities to the boardrooms of Australia. The corporate world needs to catch up with the rest of the world, including the track.

Years ago it was that great gelding Phar Lap who carried the hopes of a nation to 14 wins in a row – a feat only matched a couple of weeks ago by the mare Black Caviar. She’s odds-on to break the great record tomorrow when she runs in the Schweppes Stakes with jockey Luke Nolen guiding her home.

Total female domination might have been achievable if one of the famous Payne sisters was in the saddle: Michelle, for instance – the reigning queen from a family of many female jockeys. And it’s worth remembering that the female jockey trend was started by the remarkable Linda Jones from New Zealand more than 30 years ago.

More female winners are at present being planned for by Finance Minister Penny Wong, who recently released new guidelines for government business enterprises which require that by 2015, “no one gender can hold more than 60 per cent of board positions”. Charlie wonders how many genders there are but assumes it means neither men nor women can be more than 60 per cent of the total.

Big business is starting to make some advances on this issue with women comprising 26 per cent of all new appointments to ASX boards in 2011, compared with only 5 per cent in 2009 and 8 per cent in the two prior years. Non-profits have been at the fore with 30 per cent of board positions being women and the group of eight universities have 37 per cent. State governments are also setting a pace. New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria have committed to 50 per cent of all new board appointments going to women by the end of next year.

But the number of women is still far too low. At the end of August, in fact, women were only 13 per cent of all the members of the ASX 200 boards. But the race is on and the Institute of Company Directors points out the success of chairmen’s mentoring programs, in which people such as Don Argus and Ziggy Switkowski have supported women into the ranks

The push is on because it makes business sense. How can a country realise its potential if it denies itself the capacities of 50 per cent of its people?

We have known for many years that women make the key purchasing decisions; 75.1 per cent of women identified themselves as the primary shoppers for their households, according to Mediamark Research & Intelligence’s Survey of the American Consumer in 2009 and, according to a study from the Boston Consulting Group, women ”control $12 trillion of the overall $18.4 trillion in global consumer spending”.

In Australia more than half (53 per cent) of our professional classes are women and in our industry, media and marketing departments have always pushed hard to get women to higher levels.

With all that economic power and key decision-making capability, why wouldn’t any board in the country, profit or non-profit, want as many women as possible to guide its business to the market and to its customers?

Back women. That’s the message.”

Sourced from  http://www.smh.com.au/business/media-and-marketing/companies-need-to-get-on-with-gender-diversity-20111020-1ma6w.html#ixzz1bNXeZerJ

Should You Get Naked With Your Boss?

A couple of months ago, Suzanne Lucas, or “Evil HR Lady”, wrote this blog that had our team in hysterics. We hope you like it too!

“Dear Evil HR Lady,

I’m an American and male and am currently filling a 2 year expat assignment in Europe.  It turns out that the high level male employees frequent the sauna in the company gym.  Naked.  I’ve been told that if I really want my ideas to be heard, the best way to do this is to join the executive team in the sauna.  I’ve also been told that it would be very offensive if I was not naked.

My American sensibilities make me cringe, but should I join them?

Aiyee, just when I thought I’d heard it all, I get this new question.  It’s perfect timing, really, as it turns out that your company isn’t the only one that has, uhh, naked activities.  Der Spiegel just reported on, well, here’s a quote:

A German insurance company has admitted hosting a decadent sex party at a Budapest bathhouse to reward its best agents for their work. Details of the secretive event include color-coded prostitutes and a ban on photos.

In another Der Spiegel article they refer to prostitution as another form of compensation:

At a certain level workers and customers can “no longer be rewarded with money,” another industry insider says. But incentives outside the ordinary pay raise or bonus are not simply a question of hierarchy, event specialist Eisner says. The likelihood of such perks is higher for certain roles.

Now, this makes me want to send a note to the compensation specialists over at Compensation Cafe and ask how they would work this into a “total compensation” plan, but I shall refrain.

Now, I realize that prostitution is nowhere near in the same category as a naked sauna conversation.  But, in my mind (and yours) naked and business should not be in the same paragraph, let alone the same sentence.  I couldn’t carry on a business conversation with my boss if she was sitting across from me, naked.  I just couldn’t.

Clearly, the sauna thing is a cultural issue.  It’s not a big deal to them, but it’s a big deal to you.  Which makes me wonder how you’d act in such a situation.  If you’re nervous and prone to giggling at the assets in question, even if you’re in the room, you probably won’t be making the best of impressions.

I have noted in the past, that if business is discussed in the cafeteria, you should probably not eat at your desk.  However, if you’re incapable of getting food from the plate to your mouth without spilling it in your lap, it’s better to eat at your desk.

It’s about trade offs.

It’s also about not looking like a fool.  If the company execs are having their bonding in the sauna and everyone knows it and you waltz in and drop your towel, it’s going to be a clear move to suck up to the bosses.  Keep in mind, that unless this European company is in England, the language they will be having these naked chats in will be their non-English native language.  If you’re not truly fluent in that language you’ll look like an interloper.

Is this truly the only way to gain their attention?  I suspect it is not.  In fact, unless you’re explicitly (probably bad word choice there) invited, I’d say it would do more harm to your career than good.  I wouldn’t stalk the sauna in the hopes of running into the Sr. VP.  If you happen to be there when he’s there, great.  Talk.

But, otherwise, I’d put your efforts into building relationships and understanding the culture of your host company in ways that don’t involve naked sweating.”

Sourced from http://www.bnet.com/blog/evil-hr-lady/should-you-get-naked-with-your-boss/2386?tag=fd-featuredStory2

Hunter Business Awards 2011

Earlier this month, the performHR team had the honour of attending the Hunter Business Awards 2011, hosted by the Hunter Business Chamber, for  our nomination as a finalist in the Small Business Excellence category.

The Small Business Excellence Award recognises the contribution businesses with less than 20 employees make to our region, and we were humbled to be a part of this category with so many other dedicated and hard-working businesses.

Over 500 guests attended this year’s Awards held in the beautiful Starlight Room at Wests Leagues Club, New Lambton.

The exceptional number of entries in this year’s Awards is indicative of a region that is powering ahead in technology, education, science and  humanities, and we are thrilled to be a part of it.

While we did not walk away with the win, we came to realise that the old cliché that we feel like winners anyway applies to us. performHR began in joint CEO, Jenny Robert’s lounge room over 18 months ago, and has since grown to an office in Hudson Street, Hamilton, where a dedicated staff of ten work with over 70 clients throughout Australia.

It has been a long, challenging, daunting, but most importantly, rewarding and exciting road to get to where we are today, and our nomination really cements to us that what we are doing is important and matters.

However, we certainly did not get here alone. The team at performHR would like to thank our family and friends for their continual love, support and faith, as well as our clients who make our time at work enjoyable, and who challenge us to continually improve our services.

We’d also like to congratulate C-E Solution on their deserving win in our category, as well as all of the winners and nominees.

On the whiteboard above our desks at the performHR office, this quote continues to motivate and inspire us:

“To love what you do and feel that it matters- how could anything be more fun?” – Katharine Graham

We hope that whatever you do in life, it brings a smile to your face and makes you feel like what you do matters.

Why Are Employees Leaving Their Jobs?

While most would think money is the greatest influence on an employee’s decision to leave their job, research has shown that employees are leaving their jobs actually because of their bosses.

While earlier decades of businesses, particularly in the 1950’s and 1960’s,had the reputation of being primarily autocratic employers, with a “my way or the highway” philosophy, employee turnover was minimal. Now, in 2011, while most companies espouse employee empowerment, work and life balance, and team building, people seem to be changing employers as often as they change their underwear.

So what has changed employee mentality from that of security to insecurity? What are some common issues that employers can address to lower their employee turnover?

The most commonly cited reasons for employees to leave their jobs include:

• Lack of communication.
• Neglect of HR issues.
• Lack of vision or shared purpose.
• Failure to create culture of mutual respect.
• Unwillingness to change and innovate.
• No hope for career advancement or career growth.
• Lack of coaching or mentoring by employers.

Bosses have the ability to change, enhance or ruin a work environment. They should be great motivators, innovators, and leaders, who inspire the team members they supervise to achieve great things. These managers understand how to treat employees fairly and with respect, and more importantly understand why they should do so. It is crucial for employers to understand and address these concerns if present in the workplace, as not only will they enjoy less turnover and a more productive staff, but will breed new leaders for the organisation who will follow the example set forth by their predecessors.

Fair Go For Kids

performHR is proud to announce that we have joined Hunter’s Kindest Companies, an initiative of LeapFrog ability and their charity, Fair Go for Kids.

Fair Go for Kids, through the generosity of businesses and the community, provides money for the treatment, equipment and support needed for children of Newcastle and the Hunter Valley who are disadvantaged or living with a disability.

Everyday, Fair Go for Kids hears about the unnecessary hardship these children and their families must endure because of lengthy waiting times for assistance. We at performHR, as well as all supporters of Fair Go for Kids, believe that it is the right of any child who is disadvantaged or living with a disability to be presented with the best opportunities to enhance their quality of life, meaning drastically shortening waitlists.

It is through Fair Go for Kids that children like fifteen-year-old Alex, who has Autism, Hypotonia (low muscle tone), Anxiety Disorder and Speech Delay, are able to experience life in the same way and receive the same opportunities as any child in the community. Fair Go for Kids has provided Alex with a laptop, weighted blanket, Swiss ball and Swiss ball chair which helps him to manage his symptoms, relax, maintain muscle tone and provide relief to his supportive family. Similarly, Fair Go for Kids has provided eight-year-old Jessica, who suffers from MPS1, with two computer learning programs which have been invaluable for Jessica’s development while she recovers from major spinal surgery, helping her connect and keep up with her school friends.

Alex and Jessica are just two examples of the many kids Fair Go for Kids helps every year. While both Alex and Jessica’s situations are one that most of us will never have to face, Fair Go for Kids’ waiting lists are full of children with stories just as touching.

That’s where you come in. As a non-government, not-for-profit organisation, your support is needed now more than ever to reduce Fair Go for Kids’ waiting list. Your support, whether monetary or through volunteer week, provides the most powerful and positive impact on the lives of the children and families FairGo for Kids helps.

There are four ways you can become involved with LeapFrog and its charity, Fair Go for Kids:

1. Donate online- all contributions over $2 are tax deductible and every cent you donate goes directly to helping a child in need. Unlike many charities, LeapFrog ability does not charge administration fees to Fair Go for Kids for running the charity. Please visit their website, leapfrog.org.au, to donate.
2. The Hunter’s Kindest Companies- LeapFrog believes that companies with a philanthropic drive should be recognized and supported by the community they support. LeapFrog is trying to bring together those who are in need with those who are willing to help, and doing its best to publicise those companies who deserve the communities’ thanks. With a donation of $1000 or more, your business can become a member of the Hunter’s Kindest Companies.
3. Community Building Partners- companies can often provide the needy with products and services that can help just as much as cash donations. Community Building Partners are those companies and organisations who are willing to provide their time, products or services to help Fair Go for Kid’s build a better, more equitable community for those suffering from disadvantage or disability.
4. Volunteer- you could run a charity event for Fair Go for Kids or get involved in one of many worthwhile causes by contacting the LeapFrog ability office.

performHR are honoured to be able to provide donations and support to such a worthwhile charity with a local focus. We’re passionate about the work Fair Go for Kids does in Newcastle and the Hunter Valley, and we think you should be too!

For more details about any of these opportunities to support Fair Go for Kids, or general enquiries, please contact LeapFrog ability at 49797777 or admin@leapfrog.org.au.

Employee Engagement

Are your employees happy? Would you know if they are ‘engaged’ in their job with you?

An ‘engaged employee’ is: “one who is fully involved in, and enthusiastic about, his or her work, and thus will act in a way that furthers their organisation’s interests.”The factors driving engagement vary from company to company, so, as an employer, how do you find out what your employees want from you to become (or remain) engaged?

The first step is to talk to them. Sitting down and listening to what your employee’s have to say is a great place to start. The more you learn about their needs and what it is that helps them stay engaged, you should find it easier to retain them and have less employee turnover.

There are many ways to establish how engaged your employees are and learn what areas your company needs to improve upon to ensure employee engagement is raised and then maintained.

Below are some ideas that should help you and your employees. The ideas should show your employees that you value them enough to listen to them and, where possible, change your business practices to meet their needs:

1. New Hire or Induction Survey
An effective induction process means that by the end of the first 4-6 weeks, a new employee would have been provided with information relating to each of the following areas:

• Resources: What tools and training do they need
• Routines: Which systems and regular events should they be a part of
• Relationships: Who do they need to connect with

By asking questions and then acting on the results, the gap between the employer’s expectations and the new hire’s performance can be more closely aligned, leading to … you guessed it … more engaged employee!

2. Satisfaction or Climate/Culture Survey
A regular survey of this nature can provide employees with an appropriate platform to voice their concerns. If you take on board the information generated, you may find that keeping your employee engaged is not as expensive as you may have thought. You can ask the following questions:

• Are your employees happy or is there an air of discontent amongst employees?
• What is making them feel this way?
• Have they got any suggestions to improve their working environment and/or the company culture?
• Would they be happy to refer a friend to work at your company?

3. Reward and Recognition Survey
No matter how much money people earn, financial compensation on its own generally won’t maximise employee performance or retain employees. By the same token if your employees aren’t getting a package that ‘matters’ to them they are more likely to be disengaged. By doing a Reward and Recognition Survey, you can learn more about your employees and see what each individual requires. Effective benefits packages combine two elements:

• Tailoring to individual needs, and clear links to organisational goals
• Ascertaining whether employees feel this is being delivered

4. Training Survey
Most employers provide training to their employees, as a way to reward and as a way to provide further advancement for that employee. However, do you actually take the time to measure what the employee really thought of the training and if it benefitted them? Doing a Training Survey, can help you find out if the employee actually benefitted from the money spent. You can ask questions like:

• Was the course content and duration appropriate
• How will you apply the training to your role
• Would you recommend the course for other people in the company? If so, have you got anyone in mind?

5. Exit Interview Survey
When someone leaves your company, do you really ask ‘why’? If you use a structured interview process you may be able to identify some common issues you need to address to improve the engagement of your remaining employees and help improve retention rates. Once you have this information, you will be able to establish strategies to rectify the issues, which in turn, will help your current employees, see that you have taken an active interest in their needs. Employee engagement levels should begin to rise and your employee turnover costs will reduce.

Focusing on engagement gives you invaluable insight into what is driving your employees and identifies the areas within your business that will have the most positive impact on your people and your business results. As well as providing a platform for positive change, participation also sends a strong message to your people that your organisation values their input and cares about the ‘employee experience’ with the ultimate driver being improvement on their businesses performance.

If you would like to find out more about any of these surveys, please don’t hesitate to contact your PerformHR consultant.

Performance Appraisal

In my 15 years as a HR and Learning and Development practitioner, I am yet
to hear of a manager who jumps out of their skin with excitement when the
topic of Performance Appraisals comes up.

“Not that time again”

“All these Gen Y’s want everything now, I just know what the onslaught of requests is going to be like”

“There are so many other things I could/need to be doing – I don’t have the time”

Sound familiar? I think on some level we can all relate to this thinking. Why is this the case?

There are generally 4 core reasons why frustration with the performance appraisal process occurs:

Purpose
Losing sight or not being clear on what the reason for doing appraisals is, be clear as to the purpose of undertaking appraisals, sell it and follow through with evidence to support this purpose. For example, if one of the reasons is to encourage people to identify their own development needs, make it possible for them to be able to do this (do you have a library of documented resources/courses that are pre-approved, is there a budget for development, is there time within working hours to spend on development).

The Appraisal Tool
Is your appraisal form/system logical to use, does it encourage information to be captured regularly throughout the review period, is it easy to access. There are many options when it comes to what tool to use, however, don’t ask something in an appraisal process that you cannot back up with action.

The Process
“What is the process for appraisals?”
“Is it clearly defined and communicated?”
“Do you send out reminders?”
“Is your process aligned with your organisation’s planning cycle?”

Manager Skills
How good are your managers at conducting appraisals – are they the hammer (go hard on everyone), the slipper (warm and fuzzy) or do they have an effective discussion with clear outcomes?

This is a clip from the UK television show, The Office.
An example of “what not to do”.

Appraisals can turn into a tick and flick exercise very easily, particularly when we want to avoid ‘those conversations’. Managers = Feedback Delivery System and this is what most people are seeking – either recognition, ways to improve or other areas of opportunity. If your managers don’t know how to have these effective discussions, question the value in having appraisals.

Perform Tips
Tip 1: Decide on an appraisal system, have a process designed to support the system but don’t skimp on equipping your managers in how to have crucial conversations!

Tip 2: Asking people for their performance improvement solutions creates ownership, builds sustainability and empowers the individual.

Celebrate the opening of our new Newcastle Office!

PerformHr have just opened there new office in Newcastle. And we are pleased to invite you to celebrate with us.
Enjoy a night out with fellow people in the HR industry.
This is a night not to be missed.