October 2013

Here’s a newsflash: Management is responsible to employees, but not for employees. The whole notion that we’re somehow responsible for employees came out of the control and domination era of the manufacturing age. ” Just do what we tell you to do, don’t think yourself, follow our agenda until you’re 65, and we’ll take care of your health and finances until you pass away actuarially at 67.”. Here are some examples of when you know you’ve been stuck in the position of being responsible for employees rather than responsible to them:

1. You find yourself doing too much for them. When people can’t get their jobs done, do you step in and save them? Or do you let go of control and allow them to take responsibility for their results?
2. You think that you have to bribe them to perform well. Frustrated parents will try to buy their children’s behavior. It’s a mistake when managers try to do the same thing.
3. You’re overprotective. You won’t share an employee’s true shortcomings with them because to do so would put them at risk. As a result, you’ll start engaging in a codependency with this person, thus enabling continued poor performance.
4. You micromanage.. Do really want to spend your time trying to control a bunch of adults, anyway? Smart managers are clear about their objectives then empower employees to reach them.
5. Your meetings are one-way communications. You spend time lecturing employees as if they were schoolchildren, rather than empowering them to share problems, ideas, and solutions.
6. You fail to draw a line in the sand. Many managers will never draw this line because they’re playing “savior games.” You know you should fire an employee, but you’re also aware that if you do so this person might go into a financial tailspin. As a result, you keep the employee, which harms both them and the company.

When you’re responsible to employees, you put them in a position where they become capable of success. It then becomes their responsibility to succeed. You can identify your expectations, express your limits, and provide feedback and judgment without trying to fix things yourself, and encourage but not enable them.

Finally, realize that you and anyone that you manage will make some mistakes. Don’t freak out when this happens; just ask yourself what can be done so it never happens again. In this situation, explore your responsibility and allow the employee to explore theirs.

Your business needs an employee referral system that rewards and encourages employee referrals properly. The feature story for Inc. Magazine Database May 2013 issue, discusses how social media is replacing job boards as the primary outlet for sourcing candidates. . According to the Aberdeen Group, 50% of companies with high retention rates decreased their investment in job boards last year. The most popular site use by recruiters is LinkedIn. The most popular tool used by job seekers to find work is Facebook.Interestingly, JobVite stated that employee retention rates skyrocket when they’re referred by other employees. After three years, 47% of referrals were still around, compared to only 14% of job board applicants, (not sure what happened here).

Interestingly, JobVite stated that employee retention rates skyrocket when they’re referred by other employees. After three years, 47% of referrals were still around, compared to only 14% of job board applicants were. As mentioned on this previously, have an employee referral system that properly rewards and encourages employee referrals.

Wage claims keep rising. According to the Seyfarth Shaw law firm, there were 7,764 federal lawsuits alleging the failure to pay overtime and other wages in the year ended March 31, 2013 –a record high, up 10% from the previous year.

An article in Corporate Counsel magazine discussing the Seyfarth Shaw report, state that these claims usually fall into one of three categories: 1) salaried employees who believe they are owed overtime pay; 2) hourly workers who contend that they weren’t paid for all hours worked, and 3) restaurant workers who claim that they received no additional pay under the FLSA “tip credit” provision. According to Seyfarth Shaw partner Noah Finkel, DOL investigators have been focusing on hospitals and restaurants. Finkel points out that although these cases have been traditionally filed in California and Florida, states such as New York, Missouri, Georgia, and others are experiencing more and more claims. He and other attorneys suggest that you conduct an audit or assessment of your wage and hour practices.

Here are some additional recommendations:

1. If you’re uncertain whether employees are exempt or nonexempt, treat them as if they were nonexempt. They can end up getting paid the same amount at the end of the year as long as you calculate the appropriate wage rate when including overtime payments.
2. Use a tool such as the Employee Compliance Survey to find out if there are in fact any concerns about wage payment and follow-up on any “yes” answers.
3. Consider the hours worked by employees both before and after work. For example, in a recent case, a warehouse that required all its employees to go through a security search before they left had been required to pay wages for employees going through that screening.
4. Know the rest and meal period requirements in your state. Because federal law doesn’t govern this, make sure you that you know your state provisions Check out your BNA State Law Summary on HR That Works.

I remember my wife and I going to a parenting class and learning the mantra, “firm, but fair.” It’s okay to have clear rules in your household and enforce them; however, you want to do so in a fair manner. When we’re clear about the rules, we can be firm. . I’m sure you’ve shared my personal experience where parents or bosses have punished you for rules you never knew existed –until after you were punished for them!Often, the knowledge is so “commonsensical” to the parent or boss that they just assume the child or the employee know it also. Never mind that it took 20 years for that boss or parent to finally “get it” themselves. When we’re clear on the rules, there’s predictability. There’s integrity. There’s consistency. The rules don’t change overnight based on emotions. When we’re out of balance on the side of clarity we’ll see people begin to fear us, rebel against us, and leave us – not a good outcome at home or work!

When it comes to being fair, the first thing to remember is that life wasn’t designed to be fair, either at work or at home. Life was designed to be a learning lesson. However, fairness has become the filter of today’s workplace. Everyone wants to feel they’re being treated fairly. ‘A fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.’ Of course, what might seem fair to me could seem onerous to you. We treat people fairly when we follow the Golden Rule. By asking how we can serve and help others, practicing kindness and compassion despite any differences we may encounter along the way. We understand to separate the conduct from the person.

Managers will continue to struggle with employees about work hours, compensation, communication, expectations, safety, insubordination, conflict, and more. Great managers, like great parents, strike the appropriate balance between firm and fair.