Make sure that you are interviewing the best insurance broker candidates. Sign up for Workable’s 15-day free trial to hire better, faster.

5 good Insurance Broker interview questions

1. How much did you sell at your previous firm and how much do you project to sell this year?
2. Do you specialize in a line of business? If so, which one(s)?
3. Do you currently have a book of business in play?
4. How much have you produced in terms of sales?
5. Can you give us a market insight?

Here are 5 essential interview questions with sample answers to help you identify the best candidates for this role.

1. How much did you sell at your previous firm and how much do you project to sell this year?

This question assesses past performance and future goals.

Sample answer

“Last year, I sold policies worth $1 million at my previous firm. Given the opportunities here, I project to sell around $1.5 million this year.”

2. Do you specialize in a line of business? If so, which one(s)?

Specializations can cater to specific client needs.

Sample answer

“Yes, I specialize in health and life insurance. I’ve found that focusing on these lines allows me to provide more tailored solutions to clients.”

3. Do you currently have a book of business in play?

This gauges the broker’s current client base.

Sample answer

“Yes, I have an active book of business with a mix of long-term clients and newer ones I’ve acquired over the past year.”

4. How much have you produced in terms of sales?

Understanding past sales gives insight into the broker’s performance.

Sample answer

“Over the past five years, I’ve produced sales totaling around $5 million, with consistent growth year over year.”

5. Can you give us a market insight?

This tests the broker’s knowledge of current market trends.

Sample answer

“Certainly. With the recent health crisis, there’s been a surge in demand for health insurance policies, especially those covering critical illnesses. It’s essential to stay updated with such trends to cater to client needs.”

What does a good Insurance Broker candidate look like?

An ideal Insurance Broker candidate should have a strong track record of sales, a deep understanding of insurance products, and the ability to build and maintain client relationships. They should be proactive, knowledgeable about market trends, and possess excellent communication skills to explain complex policies in simple terms.

Red flags

Be wary of candidates who lack knowledge about current market trends or seem unfamiliar with basic insurance products. A lack of enthusiasm for building client relationships or an overemphasis on hard selling without understanding client needs can also be concerning.

The post 5 real-life Insurance Broker interview questions appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

What is the employment agreement policy?

These agreements are essential in setting clear expectations, defining roles and responsibilities, and protecting the rights of both parties. By having a standardized policy, your organization ensures that all employment agreements are consistent, fair, and in line with organizational values and legal requirements.

An employment agreement policy should include:

• A clear description of the employee’s job duties and responsibilities
• Details about compensation, including salary, bonuses, and benefits
• Information about employee benefits, such as health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off
• Provisions for terminating the employment relationship, including notice periods, severance pay, and non-compete clauses

Is there a difference between an employment agreement and an employment contract?

An employment agreement and an employment contract are terms that often get used interchangeably, yet they carry different implications and are utilized distinctly in various global contexts. 

The term employment agreement, predominantly used in the U.S., generally refers to a broader, sometimes informal understanding between employer and employee, which may or may not be legally binding. 

Conversely, employment contract is a term more common in European countries and Canada, typically referring to a formal, legally binding document that meticulously outlines the terms and conditions of employment, including specific job responsibilities, duration, compensation, and other pertinent terms.

Step-by-step instructions for writing your own employment agreement policy

1. Review existing policies and agreements: Start by reviewing your organization’s current policies and agreements related to employment, including offer letters, contracts, and handbooks. Identify any gaps or areas that need clarification.
2. Define job duties and responsibilities: Clearly outline the employee’s job duties and responsibilities. This section should provide a detailed description of the employee’s role, including specific tasks and expectations.
3. Determine compensation and benefits: Outline the employee’s compensation package, including salary, bonuses, and benefits. Provide details about health insurance, retirement plans, and other perks.
4. Establish termination procedures: Explain how the employment relationship can be terminated, including notice periods, severance pay, and non-compete clauses. Be sure to include provisions for both voluntary and involuntary termination.
5. Include confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements: If appropriate, include provisions that protect your organization’s confidential information and intellectual property.
6. Review and revise: Once you have drafted the policy, review it carefully and make any necessary revisions. Seek input from legal counsel and other relevant stakeholders.

7. Implement and communicate: Once the policy is finalized, implement it immediately and communicate it clearly to all employees. Make sure everyone understands their rights and responsibilities under the new policy.

Employment agreement policy template

[Organization Name] 

Employment Agreement Policy

1. Brief & purpose

This policy outlines the terms and conditions of employment for [Organization Name] employees. It is designed to provide a clear understanding of the expectations and responsibilities of both the employee and the organization, and to establish a positive and productive work environment.

2. Job duties and responsibilities

The following job duties and responsibilities apply to all [Organization Name] employees:

• Position description: Each employee shall have a clear understanding of their position description, including specific job duties and responsibilities. This information shall be provided to the employee upon hiring and updated as necessary.
• Performance expectations: The organization shall establish performance expectations for each position, including measurable goals and objectives. Employees are expected to meet or exceed these performance expectations to maintain their employment status.
• Work schedule: Employees shall adhere to a regular work schedule, unless otherwise approved by management. The organization reserves the right to modify work schedules as needed to meet business needs.
• Job requirements: Employees are expected to perform their job duties in accordance with established policies, procedures, and standards. They must also comply with any applicable laws, regulations, and industry standards.
• Professional development: The organization encourages professional development and may provide opportunities for training, education, and career advancement. Employees are expected to take advantage of these opportunities to enhance their skills and knowledge.
• Collaboration: Employees are expected to collaborate with colleagues, departments, and other stakeholders to achieve organizational goals and objectives. They must foster a positive and respectful work environment that promotes teamwork, open communication, and mutual respect.
• Compliance: Employees must comply with all organizational policies, procedures, and guidelines, as well as any applicable laws, regulations, and industry standards. They must immediately report any violations or suspected violations to their supervisor or HR representative.
• Confidentiality: Employees must maintain confidentiality regarding sensitive information, including client data, financial reports, and trade secrets. They shall not disclose such information to unauthorized individuals or entities without prior written consent from the organization.
• Intellectual property: Employees agree to assign all intellectual property rights to the organization for any inventions, designs, patents, copyrights, trademarks, or trade secrets developed during their employment. They shall not claim ownership or compensation for such intellectual property.
• Return of property: Upon termination of employment, employees must return all organizational property, including equipment, software, documents, and confidential information. They shall also delete any confidential information stored on personal devices or cloud storage services.
• Non-Compete clause: For a period of [X] years after termination, employees agree not to engage in any activity that is in competition with the organization’s business. This includes starting a competing business, working for a competitor, or soliciting clients or employees.
• Dispute resolution: Any disputes arising from this policy shall be resolved through binding arbitration, in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association. The parties agree to share equally in the costs of arbitration.

3. Compensation and benefits

Salary: The employee shall receive a salary of $X per year, paid in equal installments on the last day of each month.

Bonuses: The employee may be eligible for bonuses based on individual or company performance. Any bonuses will be paid in accordance with the organization’s bonus policy.

Benefits: The employee shall be entitled to the following benefits:

• Health insurance: The organization will pay 80% of the premium cost for health insurance coverage for the employee and their dependents.
• Retirement plan: The organization will contribute 4% of the employee’s salary to a retirement plan, subject to a maximum contribution of $X per year.
• Paid time off: The employee shall be entitled to X days of paid vacation per year, plus X days of sick leave per year.
• Other perks: The organization will provide X other perks, such as gym membership, free parking, and a flexible work schedule.

4. Termination procedures

• Notice periods: The employee must provide at least X weeks’ written notice prior to terminating their employment with the organization.
• Severance pay: In the event of involuntary termination, the organization will pay severance pay to the employee equal to X weeks’ salary.
• Non-compete clauses: For a period of X years after termination, the employee agrees not to engage in any activity that is in competition with the organization’s business.

5. Confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements

The employee acknowledges that they have access to confidential information and intellectual property belonging to the organization. They agree to keep this information confidential and not disclose it to anyone without the organization’s prior written consent.

6. Review and revision

This policy may be reviewed and revised from time to time by the organization, and the employee will be notified of any changes.

7. Implementation and communication

This policy is effective immediately and supersedes all previous policies related to employment agreements. The organization will communicate this policy to all employees and ensure that everyone understands their rights and responsibilities under the new policy.

8. Governing law

This policy shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of [State/Province].

9. Entire agreement

This policy constitutes the entire agreement between the employee and the organization regarding employment terms and conditions. No other agreements, representations, or warranties have been made.

10. Amendments

This policy may be amended from time to time by the organization, and the employee will be notified of any changes.

By signing below, the employee acknowledges that they have read, understood, and agreed to the terms and conditions outlined in this policy.

Employee signature: ________________________________ Date: _______________________________

Organization signature: ______________________________ Date: ______________________________

Disclaimer: This policy template is meant to provide general guidelines and should be used as a reference. It may not take into account all relevant local, state or federal laws and is not a legal document. Neither the author nor Workable will assume any legal liability that may arise from the use of this policy.

The post Employment agreement policy template appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Make sure that you are interviewing the best staff accountant candidates. Sign up for Workable’s 15-day free trial to hire better, faster.

7 good staff accountant interview questions

1. What do you do to ensure accounting accuracy?
2. If you’re doing a physical inventory account and you find a big difference, what do you do?
3. What documentation do you use when sending invoices?
4. How have you ensured accuracy in your work?
5. How do you manage multiple tasks when an important deadline is approaching?
6. What was your favorite high school course?
7. Are you comfortable using technology on the job?

Here are 7 essential interview questions with sample answers to help you identify the best candidates for this role.

1. What do you do to ensure accounting accuracy?

Ensuring accuracy is fundamental in accounting.

Sample answer

“I consistently double-check my entries and use accounting software that has built-in error detection. Additionally, I stay updated with accounting standards and guidelines to ensure compliance.”

2. If you’re doing a physical inventory account and you find a big difference, what do you do?

Handling discrepancies is a common challenge in accounting.

Sample answer

“I would first recheck the count. If the discrepancy remains, I’d review recent transactions, check for documentation errors, and consult with the inventory team to identify any potential oversights.”

3. What documentation do you use when sending invoices?

Proper documentation ensures clarity in transactions.

Sample answer:

“I use detailed invoices that include item descriptions, quantities, prices, terms of payment, and the client’s purchase order number. I also attach any supporting documents, like delivery receipts or contracts, for reference.”

4. How have you ensured accuracy in your work?

Accuracy is paramount in accounting roles.

Sample answer

“I always reconcile accounts regularly, use automated tools for error detection, and maintain a checklist for monthly closing processes to ensure no steps are missed.”

5. How do you manage multiple tasks when an important deadline is approaching?

Time management skills are crucial in accounting roles.

Sample answer

“I prioritize tasks based on their urgency and importance. I also break down larger tasks into manageable steps and set specific milestones. If needed, I’ll seek assistance or delegate to ensure timely completion.”

6. What was your favorite high school course?

This question provides insight into a candidate’s background and interests.

Sample answer:

“I enjoyed Mathematics the most. It challenged me to think critically and solve problems, skills I use daily as an accountant.”

7. Are you comfortable using technology on the job?

Modern accounting relies heavily on technology.

Sample answer

“Absolutely. I’m proficient in various accounting software like QuickBooks and Excel. I believe leveraging technology streamlines processes and enhances accuracy.”

What does a good Staff Accountant candidate look like?

A strong Staff Accountant candidate should have a keen eye for detail, be well-versed in accounting principles, and possess excellent analytical skills. They should be comfortable using accounting software and have a proactive approach to problem-solving. Good communication skills, both written and verbal, are also essential to convey financial information clearly.

Red flags

Beware of candidates who lack a systematic approach to tasks or are unfamiliar with basic accounting software. A reluctance to adapt to new technology or methods can also be concerning. Additionally, if a candidate seems unsure about basic accounting principles or lacks problem-solving skills, they might not be the right fit.

The post 7 real-life staff accountant interview questions appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Make sure that you are interviewing the best junior account manager candidates. Sign up for Workable’s 15-day free trial to hire better, faster.

5 good junior account manager interview questions

1. Discuss a time when you performed an analysis and it was incorrect. What did you do to correct it and what did you learn?
2. Imagine you need additional resources to deliver a project to a client. How would you go about sourcing them?
3. Tell me about a complex problem you faced and the solution you proposed. What alternatives did you consider?
4. How quickly do you make decisions? How do you do it? Do you prefer thinking things through carefully before making a decision or acting on instinct?
5. What is critical to maintaining a strong client relationship?

Here are 5 essential interview questions with sample answers to help you identify the best candidates for this role.

1. Discuss a time when you performed an analysis and it was incorrect. What did you do to correct it and what did you learn?

Understanding mistakes and learning from them is crucial.

Sample answer

“Once, I misinterpreted client feedback, leading to an incorrect analysis. When I realized the error, I immediately informed my supervisor, corrected it, and presented the revised analysis. I learned the importance of double-checking and seeking clarification when unsure.”

2. Imagine you need additional resources to deliver a project to a client. How would you go about sourcing them?

Resource management is a key aspect of the role.

Sample answer

“I’d first identify the specific resources needed, then check internally if they’re available. If not, I’d discuss with my supervisor about outsourcing or reallocating resources from other projects, ensuring timely delivery without compromising quality.”

3. Tell me about a complex problem you faced and the solution you proposed. What alternatives did you consider?

Problem-solving skills are essential.

Sample answer

“A client was unhappy with our initial proposal. I analyzed their feedback, proposed a revised strategy, and considered alternative solutions like bringing in a specialist or using a different platform. The revised strategy was well-received.”

4. How quickly do you make decisions? How do you do it? Do you prefer thinking things through carefully before making a decision or acting on instinct?

Decision-making style can impact client relationships.

Sample answer

“I prefer a balanced approach. For critical decisions, I take time to analyze and think things through. However, in fast-paced situations, I trust my instincts while ensuring I have enough information.”

5.  What is critical to maintaining a strong client relationship?

Client relationships are the backbone of the role.

Sample answer

“Clear communication, understanding their needs, delivering on promises, and being proactive in addressing concerns are critical. Regular check-ins and feedback sessions also help in strengthening the relationship.”

What does a good Junior Account Manager candidate look like?

A strong Junior Account Manager candidate should possess excellent communication skills, a proactive approach to problem-solving, and the ability to manage resources efficiently. They should demonstrate a keen understanding of client needs, be adaptable, and show a willingness to learn and grow within the role.

Red flags

Be cautious of candidates who avoid discussing mistakes or show an inability to adapt to changing client needs. A lack of emphasis on clear communication or not valuing client relationships can also be concerning. Additionally, if a candidate seems indecisive or lacks confidence in decision-making, it might indicate potential challenges in the role.

The post 5 real-life junior account manager interview questions appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

This is not just a template that you can easily download. We will provide you with a complete set of templates for all the crucial new employee forms, along with valuable tips to streamline your onboarding process. Let’s dive in!

What are new employee forms?

New employee forms are a collection of documents that are filled out by new hires during the onboarding process. These forms serve multiple purposes, including:

1. Compliance

New employee forms ensure that your organization complies with federal and state regulations regarding employment eligibility, taxation, and reporting.

2. Information Gathering

These forms collect essential information about the new employee, such as personal details, emergency contacts, and demographic data.

3. Policy acknowledgment

New employee forms include acknowledgments for company policies, employee handbooks, and benefits information.

4. Documentation

Forms like the Form I-9 and W-4 verify the employee’s eligibility to work in the United States and determine the correct amount of federal income tax withholding.

By having new employees complete these forms, you can establish a solid foundation for their employment journey and ensure a smooth onboarding process.

New Employee forms

Now let’s explore the various new employee forms that are essential for a seamless onboarding process. Each form serves a specific purpose and contributes to the overall compliance and efficiency of your HR operations. Feel free to use the provided links to download the templates and adapt them to your organization’s requirements.

Employment Eligibility Verification (Form I-9)

The Form I-9, also known as the Employment Eligibility Verification, is a crucial document for verifying a new employee’s identity and eligibility to work in the United States. This form is required by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and must be completed by the employee within three days of their employment start date. As an HR professional, it is your responsibility to ensure that the employee provides the necessary identification documents and that the form is properly completed. You can download the Form I-9 template here.

Federal Withholding Form (W-4)

The W-4 form is used to determine the correct amount of federal income tax to withhold from an employee’s paycheck. It is crucial for HR professionals to provide new employees with this form and ensure that it is completed accurately. The information provided on the W-4 form helps employers calculate the correct withholding amount and ensures compliance with federal tax regulations. You can download the W-4 template here.

State Tax Withholding Forms

In addition to federal taxes, some states require employees to complete state tax withholding forms. These forms help determine the correct amount of state income tax to withhold from an employee’s paycheck. To ensure compliance, it is essential to familiarize yourself with the specific requirements of your state and provide the relevant state tax withholding forms to your new employees. You can find state-specific tax withholding forms on the IRS website.

Statement of Prior Federal Service (SF-144)

The SF-144 form, also known as the Statement of Prior Federal Service, is required for employees with prior federal service. It helps determine retirement benefits and other entitlements based on their previous federal employment. HR professionals should provide this form to new employees who have previously worked for the federal government. You can download the SF-144 template here.

Employee Address Form

The Employee Address Form is specific to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) new employees. It collects essential contact information to ensure effective communication and accurate record-keeping. HR professionals working in the BLS should provide this form to new hires for address verification and contact details. You can download the Employee Address Form template here.

Fast Start Direct Deposit (FMS-2231)

The Fast Start Direct Deposit form is used to set up direct deposit for an employee’s salary. Direct deposit offers convenience for both employees and employers, eliminating the need for physical checks and ensuring timely payments. HR professionals should provide this form to new hires to facilitate the direct deposit process. You can download the Fast Start Direct Deposit template here.

Emergency Information (DL1-65)

The Emergency Information form collects important contact details for an employee’s emergency contacts. It is crucial for HR professionals to have this information on file in case of any emergencies or unforeseen circumstances. HR professionals should provide this form to new employees to ensure the safety and well-being of everyone in the organization. You can download the Emergency Information template here.

Self-Identification of Disability (SF-256)

The SF-256 form, also known as the Self-Identification of Disability form, allows employees to voluntarily disclose their disability status. This information helps organizations track and monitor diversity and inclusion efforts. HR professionals should provide this form to new employees to ensure equal opportunities and accommodations. You can download the Self-Identification of Disability template here.

Ethnicity and Race Identification (SF-181)

The SF-181 form, also known as the Ethnicity and Race Identification form, collects data on an employee’s ethnicity and race. This information is used for statistical purposes to ensure equal employment opportunities and diversity in the workplace. HR professionals should provide this form to new employees to promote inclusivity and track diversity initiatives. You can download the Ethnicity and Race Identification template here.

Appointment of Affidavits (SF-61)

The SF-61 form, also known as the Appointment of Affidavits, is used to appoint individuals authorized to administer oaths or affirmations. HR professionals should provide this form to new employees who may be required to administer oaths or affirmations as part of their job duties. You can download the Appointment of Affidavits template here.

Previous Investigations Check (PIC) (DL1-7007)

The DL1-7007 form, also known as the Previous Investigations Check (PIC), is used to verify whether a new employee has previously undergone any background investigations. HR professionals should provide this form to new hires to gather information about their previous investigations, ensuring transparency and compliance. You can download the Previous Investigations Check (PIC) template here.

Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306)

The OF-306 form, also known as the Declaration for Federal Employment, collects information about an employee’s suitability for federal employment. HR professionals should provide this form to new employees to gather information related to their background, conduct, and fitness for federal employment. You can download the Declaration for Federal Employment template here.

Remember, these forms are crucial for compliance, information gathering, and policy acknowledgment.

By using our policy templates and following our tips, you can save time and effort while ensuring a smooth onboarding experience for your new hires. 

The post New employee forms appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Top 3 takeaways

1. Job clarity is more important now, up to 22.5% from 16.8% two years ago
2. Career advancement is growing as a job attractor from 28.3% to 37.8%
3. Compensation is still the top consideration for a job across all scenarios

You can’t have a thriving garden if you don’t give your flowers the opportunity to blossom and your plants to grow.

Such is the same when it comes to running a business. Career growth is climbing in importance for UK workers when they’re thinking about applying for (and accepting) a new job opportunity.

According to our new survey in 2023, 37.8% of UK workers considered this a significant factor in what they’d find attractive about a new job, up 9.5 points from 2021.

Clear as the daytime sky

Also growing in importance is clarity about job expectations and responsibilities. That’s cited as a major decision factor for 22.5% of all UK workers in 2023, up from 16.8% two years ago.

This suggests greater dissonance in the workplace over the last few years leading to worker frustration about what they’re expected to do in the jobs they’re hired to do. And moreover, the increased uncertainty in the overall social and political fabric specifically in the United Kingdom (thanks to Brexit, prime minister turnover, and of course, COVID-19), and it’s understandable that a UK-based worker will find clarity in their job to be refreshing. At least something is clear!

Show them the money – and then some

Even with all of that, compensation still reigns supreme. Be it in the form of salary, perks, or benefits, what a worker gets in exchange for their work is number one in the list of job attractors in the UK with 68.8% citing that as a deciding factor in a career move. That’s only down slightly from 70.1% in 2021.

That’s not much of a change, right? Wrong. For those workers who are actively looking, we asked them why they’re actively looking. There’s a huge increase in active jobseekers citing more money as a reason – 66.4% now compared with 53.5% in 2021. That’s a phenomenal 12.9-point increase.

But tangibility doesn’t mean everything. Those actively in the hunt for new work are also putting greater value on “meaning” in their job – 23.1% cite that as a priority in 2023, up from 16.6% in 2021.

Workers today want clarity in their work, and they want to feel like their work means something to them. Add greater compensation and the three top-growing priorities are very clear in the mind of those working in the UK.

What can you do?

1. Promote the opportunity of the work

As career growth grows in importance, employers should promote the real value of working for them – in short: if you work with us, you’ve got a bright future.

This can be demonstrated by showcasing longer-tenured employees and their accomplishments, the strong company history, and a pipeline of future projects.

2. Highlight clarity and meaning of the job

In a world of seemingly unrelenting change, the least an employer can offer is stability and clarity in the job itself. And make it really mean something.

Ensure that your job expectations, responsibilities, and overall OKRs crystal clear from the get-go, and promote the value of the work beyond mere pounds.

3. Keep your salaries competitive

Compensation remains key. Employers should ensure their compensation packages remain competitive, encompassing not just salary but also benefits and perks.

This can demonstrate a company’s commitment to rewarding new employees who sign up for the long haul.

The post UK workers want clarity and growth, not a hard day’s night appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Make sure that you are interviewing the best Chief Revenue Officer candidates. Sign up for Workable’s 15-day free trial to hire better, faster.

8 good CRO interview questions

1. How would you run an annual planning process?
2. What forecast process would you implement here?
3. What KPIs do you rely on when managing a business?
4. What sales methodology do you follow?
5. What strategies have you implemented that have successfully decreased churn and/or increased existing customer expansion?
6. How do you best enforce collaboration between sales and customer success?
7. How have you successfully aligned sales and marketing in prior roles?
8. What needs to be included in the Sales Rules of Engagement?

Here are 8 essential interview questions with sample answers to help you identify the best candidates for this role.

1. How would you run an annual planning process?

This question gauges the candidate’s strategic planning capabilities.

Sample answer

“I start by reviewing the previous year’s performance metrics, then gather input from key stakeholders. Based on this, I set clear revenue goals, allocate resources, and outline strategies to achieve these targets.”

2. What forecast process would you implement here?

Understanding forecasting methods is crucial for revenue predictions.

Sample answer

“I’d implement a rolling forecast approach, updated monthly. This allows for real-time adjustments based on market changes and provides a more accurate revenue prediction.”

3. What KPIs do you rely on when managing a business?

KPIs provide insights into business performance.

Sample answer

“I focus on Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR), Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC), Lifetime Value (LTV), and churn rate. These metrics offer a comprehensive view of revenue health.”

4. What sales methodology do you follow?

Different sales methodologies suit different businesses.

Sample answer

“I’ve found success with the Challenger Sale methodology, focusing on teaching, tailoring, and taking control of the sales process.”

5. What strategies have you implemented that have successfully decreased churn and/or increased existing customer expansion?

Customer retention is as vital as acquisition.

Sample answer

“I introduced a post-sale customer success team dedicated to onboarding and training, ensuring clients derive maximum value from our product, leading to increased renewals and upsells.”

6. How do you best enforce collaboration between sales and customer success?

Seamless collaboration ensures customer satisfaction.

Sample answer:

“I hold joint meetings and set shared goals. This fosters a unified approach where both teams are invested in customer success.”

7. How have you successfully aligned sales and marketing in prior roles?

Alignment ensures consistent messaging and efficient lead conversion.

Sample answer

“I initiated regular sync-up meetings, co-created content strategies, and established a feedback loop, ensuring both teams were aligned in their efforts.”

8. What needs to be included in the Sales Rules of Engagement?

Clear rules prevent internal conflicts and ensure focus.

Sample answer

“The rules should define lead ownership, territory divisions, conflict resolution processes, and guidelines for pricing and discounting.”

What does a good CRO candidate look like?

An ideal CRO candidate should have a proven track record of driving revenue growth, expertise in sales methodologies, and the ability to align multiple teams towards a common goal. They should be data-driven, possess strong leadership skills, and have experience in both customer acquisition and retention strategies.

Red flags

Beware of candidates who lack a clear strategy for aligning sales and marketing or don’t emphasize the importance of customer success in revenue generation. A CRO who doesn’t rely on data for decision-making or lacks experience in diverse industries might not be adaptable to changing market dynamics.

The post 8 real-life Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) interview questions appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Make sure that you are interviewing the best compensation and benefits manager candidates. Sign up for Workable’s 15-day free trial to hire better, faster.

5 good compensation and benefits manager interview questions

1. Have you had experience presenting to a board’s compensation committee in a public company?
2. Can you share your experience implementing benefits and creating structures for smaller companies?
3. How have you demonstrated management capabilities, both with people and vendors, in larger organizations?
4. For smaller companies, have you had more hands-on experiences?
5. Do you have specific experience with 401(k) plans, as our company has particular needs in that area?

Here are 5 essential interview questions with sample answers to help you identify the best candidates for this role.

1. Have you had experience presenting to a board’s compensation committee in a public company?

Engaging with a board’s compensation committee is a vital aspect of the role in larger, public companies.

Sample answer

“Yes, I’ve presented to the compensation committee multiple times in my previous role at XYZ Corp. I provided insights on market trends, proposed compensation structures, and ensured our packages were competitive and aligned with company goals.”

2. Can you share your experience implementing benefits and creating structures for smaller companies?

Smaller companies often require more tailored benefits structures due to budget constraints and unique needs.

Sample answer

“At ABC Start-up, I designed a flexible benefits program that allowed employees to choose the benefits most relevant to them, ensuring satisfaction while staying within our budget.”

3. How have you demonstrated management capabilities, both with people and vendors, in larger organizations?

Managing both internal teams and external vendors is crucial for this role.

Sample answer

“In my role at DEF Ltd., I led a team of five and oversaw relationships with multiple vendors. I ensured timely reviews, negotiations, and managed any conflicts or issues that arose, ensuring smooth operations.”

4. For smaller companies, have you had more hands-on experiences?

Smaller companies often require a more hands-on approach due to limited resources.

Sample answer

“Absolutely. At GHI Tech, I was directly involved in every aspect of the compensation and benefits process, from designing to implementing and even addressing individual employee queries.”

5. Do you have specific experience with 401(k) plans, as our company has particular needs in that area?

401(k) plans are a significant component of employee benefits in many U.S. companies.

Sample answer

“Yes, I’ve managed 401(k) plans at both large and small companies. I’ve worked closely with plan providers, ensured compliance, and conducted regular employee education sessions about maximizing their benefits.”

What does a good compensation and benefits manager candidate look like?

An ideal candidate for this role should possess a deep understanding of compensation and benefits structures across various company sizes. They should be adept at data analysis, negotiations, and have a track record of designing competitive packages that align with business goals. Strong communication skills, especially when presenting to senior stakeholders, and a hands-on approach, especially in smaller companies, are also essential.

Red flags

Watch out for candidates who lack experience with diverse company sizes or specific benefits like 401(k) plans if that’s crucial for your organization. A lack of strategic vision or an over-reliance on one-size-fits-all solutions can also be concerning. Additionally, poor communication skills or a lack of confidence when discussing presentations to senior stakeholders might indicate potential challenges in the role.

The post 5 real-life compensation and benefits manager interview questions appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

This not only safeguards the organization legally but also enhances employee morale and trust, knowing their well-being is a priority.

What is an employment short term disability pregnancy policy

An employment short-term disability pregnancy policy is designed to support employees who experience medical complications during their pregnancy, which prevent them from performing their regular job duties.

This policy ensures that affected employees receive a portion of their regular income during their medically necessitated absence. It’s distinct from regular maternity leave, focusing specifically on unforeseen health challenges related to pregnancy.

By having such a policy, organizations demonstrate a commitment to the well-being of their employees, ensuring they can focus on their health without the added stress of financial insecurity.

A short-term disability pregnancy policy should include:

1. Eligibility criteria: Clear guidelines on who qualifies for the benefit.
2. Duration of benefits: The maximum period an employee can avail of the short-term disability.
3. Compensation details: Percentage of regular income provided during the leave.
4. Documentation requirements: Medical certifications or documents needed to avail the benefit.

Is there a difference between maternity leave and short-term disability?

There’s a significant difference. Maternity leave is a predetermined leave period provided to mothers around the time of childbirth or adoption, allowing them to care for their newborn or newly adopted child.

Short-term disability due to pregnancy, on the other hand, is specifically for complications arising during pregnancy that prevent an employee from working. It’s not about the act of childbirth itself but about medical challenges that might arise during pregnancy.

Step by step instructions on how to write a short-term disability pregnancy policy

1. Research and understand laws

Familiarize yourself with federal and state laws related to short-term disability and pregnancy.

2. Define eligibility

Determine which employees qualify, considering factors like tenure.

3. Determine benefit duration

Decide the maximum duration for which the benefit can be availed.

4. Set compensation percentage

Decide what portion of the employee’s salary will be provided during the leave.

5. List documentation requirements

Specify what medical proofs or certifications are needed.

6. Consult legal counsel

Before finalizing, ensure the policy is compliant with all relevant laws.

7. Communicate the policy

Once drafted, communicate the policy to all employees and provide training to HR on its implementation.

Short-term disability pregnancy policy template

Brief & Purpose

At [Organization Name], we understand the unpredictability of health challenges during pregnancy. This policy aims to provide a safety net for our employees, ensuring they can prioritize their health without the added stress of job security or financial instability.

By offering this support, we aim to foster a compassionate work environment where employees feel valued and cared for during critical life events.

Eligibility

All full-time employees of [Organization Name] are eligible for short-term disability leave due to pregnancy complications, provided they have been with the organization for a minimum of 12 months.

This duration ensures that employees have a reasonable tenure with the company, reflecting our commitment to both newer and long-standing team members.

Duration

The standard duration for short-term disability leave due to pregnancy complications is up to 12 weeks. However, we recognize that every individual’s health situation is unique. If an employee requires an extended period of leave beyond the initial 12 weeks, they can request an extension.

This request will be considered based on the medical certification provided and the nature of the complications.

Compensation

During the short-term disability leave, employees will be compensated at 70% of their regular salary. This compensation rate ensures that employees can manage their financial obligations while focusing on their health. The rate has been determined keeping in mind a balance between organizational sustainability and employee welfare.

Documentation

To avail of the short-term disability leave, employees must provide a medical certificate from a licensed healthcare provider. This certificate should detail:

The specific nature of the pregnancy complication.
The anticipated duration of the disability.
Any treatments or interventions prescribed.

This documentation ensures transparency and helps the HR department make informed decisions regarding the leave request.

Procedure

1. Immediate Notification
As soon as an employee becomes aware of a pregnancy-related complication that may require leave, they should notify the HR department. Early notification allows for smoother transitions and planning.

2. Submission of medical documentation
Employees must submit the required medical certificate to HR. This documentation will serve as the basis for the leave approval.

3. HR review
The HR department will review the submitted documents, verify the eligibility criteria, and then approve or decline the leave request.

4. Regular check-ins
During the leave period, employees might be required to check in regularly with HR. This ensures the organization stays updated on the employee’s health status and any potential changes to the leave duration.

5. Return to work
Before resuming their duties, employees may need to provide a fitness certificate from their healthcare provider. This ensures they are fit to return to work and that there’s no risk to their health.

The post Employment short term disability pregnancy policy template appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

However, as organizations seek skilled employees to assist their organizations in properly incorporating AI tools into their operating environments, the types of skills and employees needed are broader than one might think. AI is not a single monolith.

There are many tools, categories, and branches of AI which an organization can leverage to solve problems.

As a result, understanding the job to be done and the types of AI tools that exist is an essential prerequisite to help organizations identify the right skills they may need to support their goals.

In fact, a recent survey on AI in the workplace and higher education indicated that understanding the nuances and different capabilities around AI is an opportunity area.

There are several different skill areas that organizations can look into on a global basis that will help staff their teams to support the wave of advancements that companies can benefit from with the AI boom. Let’s look at those now.

1. Data science and programming

Two almost universal skill areas that organizations need to invest in if they want to leverage AI capabilities are in data science and programming, and foundationally these skill areas come from having good mathematical backgrounds.

Data science skills

Ultimately, the majority of AI models are consuming and responding to data in some way shape or form. The stimuli, data format and consumption pattern of the AI model may differ, but the output of AI decisions and responses depend on data.

Individuals skilled in data science, and the principles behind it, are essential to identifying and implementing the right kinds of methods to solve organizational problems using AI.

Programming skills

Equally important are individuals that are skilled in programming languages that support AI such as Python, Julia, and R. To build tools suited to solving the problems organizations have, there is a need for skilled programmers to build and enhance these tools to be aligned to the organization’s goals and consumer’s needs.

Although several off the shelf AI tools and programs can potentially be incorporated into an organization’s infrastructure through application programming interfaces (APIs), many organizations find having talented in-house programmers remains important to customize output and results to match organizational needs.

As organizations specify the type of AI branch or approach they want to lean on to solve their problems, this may require the organization to specify the types of specializations they want their data science and programming talent to be versed in (i.e. machine learning, neural networks, pattern recognition, etc.), but the general need for data science and programming resources will be consistent.

2. UX/UI and front-end developers

Data science and programming resources are essential in creating working AI tools and algorithms that help solve the problems an organization may have, but they are only one part of the equation of getting these tools in the hands of employees or customers to achieve their intended results.

To do this organizations need skilled employees that are well versed in UI/UX design and front-end developers that can bring these designs to life.

UX/UI design skills

Although it may be a benefit to have UX/UI designers that understand coding and programming in some organizations, this is not essential when searching for skilled UX/UI designers.

Additionally, when looking for the best UX/UI resources to support the implementation of AI into your customer or employee-facing tools it is also important to recognize the difference between UX (product effectiveness to solve the job to be done) and UI (product aesthetics to guide digital user behaviors) skills as both are needed to create the most effective synergy between AI tool and intended user outcome.

Front-end developer skills

To get the designs of UX/UI resources into the hands of users it is important to have front-end developers. In a sense, the data scientists and programmers that create the AI models and tools could be considered the back-end development team.

Front-end developers, on the other hand, are experts in using web applications or similar tools to bring the design principles and back-end AI code into a format that works for general-user consumption.

Although both of these roles and skill set areas may not get as much focus as compared to AI programming and data science roles, they will be an essential part of incorporating AI tools and products effectively into the customer experience. This could influence adoption rates and product sustainability long term.

3. Skills to support adoption and effectiveness of AI tools

Two things that stand out concerning AI are:

1. The goal of AI is to use tools to replicate human-like behavior and thoughts
2. AI represents a large change for how we will approach work and tasks in the future

With these concepts in mind, it shouldn’t be surprising that skills in these areas are also helpful to organizations that are looking to leverage AI into their infrastructure.

Given that AI tries to replicate components of the human experience, individuals that are balanced in critical thinking, verbal, linguistic, and problem-solving skills are needed. In fact, some organizations are specifically looking for individuals that have strong writing skills and experience interacting with AI tools to support their organizational efforts.

Organizations should keep a keen eye out for those who understand human behavior and can interact with AI tools effectively, as skills in these areas can assess the value and/or get the most out of AI applications.

Change and adaptability skills

The incorporation of AI into our lives and the workplace also represents a big change for many, and there is some trepidation around this. To offset these fears organizations may also seek talent that is well-versed in change management principles.

The best fusion of AI into the job environment is to use it to unlock the talent of our human capital to focus more on complex and engaging tasks for them and leveraging AI as a peer that can remove roadblocks from reaching this state by having AI run through time-consuming or staid activities.

Experts in change management can help organizational cultures pivot to an adoptive rather than adversarial stance with the implementation of AI and so resources in this area should be considered.

Skills in critical thinking, linguistic, and change management areas may not be top of mind for many employers as they seek to leverage AI into their companies; however, organizations that look at skills that go beyond the functional aspects of just building AI protocols and algorithms may find they have a competitive advantage over others.

AI-relevant skills will continue to evolve

The conversation around the impact and level of disruption that AI will cause continues to evolve, but if there is one absolute truth about AI, it is this: AI will change the way we work and how much time we spend on certain functions over others.

Because of this, the modern organization needs to prepare for these changes by looking at skill-set needs on a holistic basis that focuses on implementing AI, but also critically, on the responsible use and adoption of these tools to meet organizational goals and results to improve productivity and products.

Marc Booker, Ph.D., is Vice Provost of Strategy at the University of Phoenix. 

The post AI skills in the workplace: what hiring teams should look for now appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Make sure that you are interviewing the best CHRO candidates. Sign up for Workable’s 15-day free trial to hire better, faster.

8 good CHRO interview questions

1. What does “culture” mean?
2. How have you measured company culture in the past?
3. Do we have a differentiated culture?
4. How many cultures do you see our company representing?
5. What should be HR’s top priority at this company?
6. What are your top three people initiatives for the year?
7. Discuss your relationship with the CEO and other members of the executive team.
8. Give me an example of when you had to comply with a policy that you didn’t agree with.

Here are 8 essential interview questions with sample answers to help you identify the best candidates for this role.

1. What does “culture” mean?

Culture refers to the shared values, beliefs, and practices within an organization.

Sample answer

“To me, ‘culture’ signifies the collective mindset and behaviors of an organization. It’s the unwritten code that guides how employees interact, make decisions, and approach their work.”

2. How have you measured company culture in the past?

Understanding the metrics and methods used to gauge culture can provide insights into a CHRO’s approach.

Sample answer

“I’ve used a combination of employee engagement surveys, feedback sessions, and attrition rates to measure company culture. These tools help identify areas of strength and opportunities for improvement.”

3. Do we have a differentiated culture?

This question assesses the candidate’s perception of the company’s unique cultural attributes.

Sample answer

“From my observations, your company has a culture that emphasizes innovation and collaboration, setting it apart from many traditional firms.”

4. How many cultures do you see our company representing?

This question delves into the candidate’s understanding of diversity and inclusion.

Sample answer

“While the company has a unified organizational culture, it’s evident that there’s a rich tapestry of sub-cultures representing various departments, geographies, and backgrounds.”

5. What should be HR’s top priority at this company?

Understanding the candidate’s vision for HR’s role can be telling.

Sample answer

“HR’s top priority should be aligning talent management strategies with business goals, ensuring that the company has the right people in the right roles to drive growth.”

6. What are your top three people initiatives for the year?

This question seeks to understand the candidate’s strategic priorities.

Sample answer

“My top three initiatives would be enhancing leadership development programs, implementing a more robust diversity and inclusion strategy, and optimizing talent acquisition processes.”

7. Discuss your relationship with the CEO and other members of the executive team.

The CHRO’s relationship with top executives is crucial for HR’s success.

Sample answer:

“I’ve always maintained a collaborative relationship with CEOs and executive teams, ensuring that HR’s strategies align with overall business objectives and that we’re addressing leadership’s primary concerns.”

8. Give me an example of when you had to comply with a policy that you didn’t agree with.

This question tests the candidate’s adaptability and professionalism.

Sample answer

“At a previous company, there was a hiring freeze policy I didn’t agree with. However, I understood the financial rationale behind it and worked within those constraints, focusing on internal talent development.”

What does a good CHRO candidate look like?

A standout CHRO candidate is more than just an experienced HR professional. They are strategic visionaries who understand the intricate balance between business objectives and human capital. A strong CHRO candidate will have a proven track record of aligning HR initiatives with business goals, driving organizational change, and fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation. They should be adept at leveraging data analytics to make informed decisions and predict future HR trends.

In terms of interpersonal skills, an ideal CHRO will be an exceptional communicator, able to articulate complex HR strategies to other members of the executive team and ensure that these strategies resonate throughout all levels of the organization. Their leadership style should be both empathetic and decisive, recognizing the value of diverse perspectives while also being able to make tough decisions when necessary.

Furthermore, given the evolving nature of the workplace, a top-tier CHRO candidate should demonstrate a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. They should have experience implementing D&I initiatives and show a genuine passion for creating an inclusive work environment where all employees feel valued and heard.

Lastly, their relationship with other executives, especially the CEO, is crucial. A good CHRO will have experience collaborating closely with executive peers, acting as both a sounding board and a strategic partner. They should be seen as a trusted advisor, someone who brings a unique, people-focused perspective to high-level business discussions.

Red flags

Lack of strategic vision: If a candidate focuses solely on tactical HR tasks without discussing broader strategic initiatives, it might indicate a lack of experience or vision necessary for a CHRO role.

Poor communication skills: A CHRO needs to communicate complex ideas clearly. If they struggle to articulate their thoughts during the interview or don’t engage effectively with different stakeholders, it’s a concern.

No emphasis on data: Modern CHROs leverage data to make informed decisions. A lack of familiarity or emphasis on HR analytics can be a significant gap.

Limited D&I experience: In today’s globalized world, a CHRO without a strong background in diversity and inclusion initiatives might not be equipped to handle the complexities of a diverse workforce.

Overemphasis on past achievements: While past successes are essential, a candidate who doesn’t show a forward-thinking mindset or a willingness to adapt to new challenges might struggle in a dynamic business environment.

Tense past executive relationships: If a candidate hints at strained relationships with past CEOs or executive teams, it might indicate potential collaboration issues in the future.

When considering a CHRO candidate, it’s essential to look beyond their resume and assess their vision, adaptability, and how they approach the ever-evolving challenges in the HR landscape.

The post 8 real-life CHRO interview questions appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Make sure that you are interviewing the best head of people operations candidates. Sign up for Workable’s 15-day free trial to hire better, faster.

7 good head of people operations interview questions

1. In your previous role, how did you support change within the organization?
2. We have a unique company culture. How do we keep our culture at scale?
3. What metrics do you measure in recruitment analytics?
4. How do you avoid micromanaging your team?
5. What are your top three people initiatives for the year?
6. Why did you leave your prior company?
7. Tell me about your experience in previous roles.

Here are 7 essential interview questions with sample answers to help you identify the best candidates for this role.

1. In your previous role, how did you support change within the organization?

Supporting change within an organization is a complex task that requires strategic planning and effective communication.

Sample answer

“In my previous role, I initiated a series of town hall meetings to communicate the reasons for the change and its benefits. I also established a feedback loop where employees could voice their concerns and suggestions, ensuring everyone felt heard and involved.”

2. We have a unique company culture. How do we keep our culture at scale?

Maintaining a company’s unique culture while scaling is challenging but essential for long-term success.

Sample answer

“To preserve our unique culture, I would focus on clear communication of our core values, invest in leadership training to ensure consistency in management styles, and regularly gather feedback from employees to make necessary adjustments.”

3. What metrics do you measure in recruitment analytics?

Recruitment analytics provide insights into the effectiveness of the hiring process and help in making data-driven decisions.

Sample answer

“I prioritize metrics like time-to-hire, quality of hire, candidate experience, and source of hire. These metrics offer a comprehensive view of our recruitment process’s efficiency and effectiveness.”

4. How do you avoid micromanaging your team?

Micromanagement can stifle creativity and reduce employee morale.

Sample answer

“I believe in empowering my team by setting clear expectations and providing them with the necessary resources. Regular check-ins and feedback sessions help in understanding their challenges and ensuring they are on the right track without being overly intrusive.”

5. What are your top three people initiatives for the year?

People initiatives are strategies aimed at enhancing employee experience and organizational growth.

Sample answer:

“My top three initiatives would be implementing a comprehensive employee wellness program, enhancing our diversity and inclusion efforts, and setting up a mentorship program to foster growth and development.”

6. Why did you leave your prior company?

This question seeks to understand the candidate’s motivations and potential red flags.

Sample answer

“I left my previous company because I was looking for new challenges and opportunities to grow. While I learned a lot there, I felt it was time to step out of my comfort zone and contribute to a different organization.”

7. Tell me about your experience in previous roles.

This question delves into the candidate’s professional journey and accomplishments.

Sample answer

“I have over a decade of experience in people operations, starting as an HR executive and gradually moving up the ranks. In my last role, I successfully led a team of 20 HR professionals, implemented new HR tech solutions, and reduced employee turnover by 15%.”

What does a good head of people operations candidate look like?

A competent Head of People Operations candidate possesses a blend of strategic thinking, excellent communication skills, and a deep understanding of organizational dynamics. They should demonstrate a proven track record of driving change, fostering a positive work culture, and leveraging data to make informed decisions.

Their approach should be people-centric, ensuring that employees feel valued and supported.

Red flags

When interviewing for a head of people operations, several red flags can indicate potential issues. Be wary of candidates who provide vague or inconsistent answers, as this might hint at dishonesty or a lack of clarity about their experience. If they struggle to give specific examples of their past work, they might be exaggerating their qualifications.

A focus on administrative tasks over strategic initiatives can suggest a lack of leadership vision. Avoid candidates who dodge discussions about past challenges or mistakes, as this could indicate an inability to learn from experiences.

It’s concerning if they’re unaware of current HR trends or show poor listening skills. A lack of questions about the company might hint at disinterest, while consistent negativity about previous roles can raise questions about their professionalism.

Ignoring the importance of diversity and inclusion or being defensive when receiving feedback are also significant concerns. It’s crucial to assess not just their qualifications but also their interpersonal skills and alignment with company values.

The post 7 real-life head of people operations interview questions appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Make sure that you are interviewing the best talent acquisition specialist candidates. Sign up for Workable’s 15-day free trial to hire better, faster.

7 good talent acquisition specialist interview questions

1. In your opinion, what are some of the ways in which our company can find better candidates?
2. Can you explain the steps of your talent acquisition process?
3. With regard to the most recent job you filled, how did you identify the best candidates?
4. What skills have you developed that make you a great talent acquisition specialist?
5. How did you get into talent acquisition?
6. How would your previous employer describe you?
7. Why do you want to work for our company?

Here are 7 essential interview questions with sample answers to help you identify the best candidates for this role.

1. In your opinion, what are some of the ways in which our company can find better candidates?

This question seeks to understand the candidate’s innovative approaches to sourcing top talent and their ability to tailor strategies to specific company needs.

Sample answer:

“In my opinion, leveraging employee referrals, attending industry-specific networking events, and utilizing advanced AI-driven recruitment tools can significantly improve the quality of candidates. Tailoring job descriptions to be more inclusive can also attract a diverse talent pool.”

2. Can you explain the steps of your talent acquisition process?

This question aims to gauge the candidate’s systematic approach to recruitment and their understanding of the entire hiring lifecycle.

Sample answer

“Certainly! My process begins with understanding the job requirements, followed by sourcing candidates through various channels. I then screen resumes, conduct initial interviews, and coordinate with hiring managers for further rounds. After final interviews, I assist in the offer process and onboarding.”

3. With regard to the most recent job you filled, how did you identify the best candidates?

This question delves into the candidate’s recent experience and their ability to discern quality candidates from the pool.

Sample answer

“For the recent role, I focused on candidates with specific technical skills. I used a combination of behavioral and situational interviews to gauge their expertise and cultural fit. Feedback from team interactions also played a crucial role in the final decision.”

4. What skills have you developed that make you a great talent acquisition specialist?

This question assesses the candidate’s self-awareness and the value they bring to the role.

Sample answer

“Over the years, I’ve honed my skills in active listening, negotiation, and data-driven decision-making. My ability to build strong relationships with both candidates and hiring managers sets me apart.”

5. How did you get into talent acquisition?

This question provides insight into the candidate’s passion and journey into the recruitment field.

Sample answer

“I started in HR and was always drawn to the recruitment side. The thrill of matching the right candidate with the perfect role and seeing them thrive is what led me to specialize in talent acquisition.”

6. How would your previous employer describe you?

This question evaluates the candidate’s self-perception and their impact on previous roles.

Sample answer

“My previous employer would describe me as a proactive, results-driven professional who always goes the extra mile to find the best fit for the company.”

7. Why do you want to work for our company?

This question determines the candidate’s motivation and alignment with the company’s values and goals.

Sample answer

“I’ve always admired your company’s commitment to innovation and diversity. I believe my skills and experience align well with your values, and I’m excited about the opportunity to contribute to your growth.”

What does a good talent acquisition specialist candidate look like?

A stellar Talent Acquisition Specialist is not just adept at sourcing and interviewing but also understands the company’s culture, values, and long-term goals. They are proactive, data-driven, and possess excellent interpersonal skills to build strong relationships.

Red flags

Over-reliance on traditional methods: If a candidate solely depends on traditional recruitment methods like job boards and doesn’t leverage modern tools like LinkedIn, AI-driven platforms, or social media, they might not be keeping up with the evolving recruitment landscape.

Lack of metrics or data-driven insights: If a Talent Acquisition Specialist doesn’t measure their success with metrics like time-to-hire, quality of hire, or candidate experience, they might not be as results-oriented as the role demands.

Inconsistent communication: If there are inconsistencies in what they say during the interview or between interviews, or if they cannot clearly communicate their processes and strategies, it’s a sign of potential communication issues down the line.

No adaptability to feedback: A candidate who seems defensive or unwilling to adapt to feedback during hypothetical scenarios might struggle with real-time feedback in a team setting.

Lack of passion for the role: If a candidate seems more focused on the perks of the job rather than the core responsibilities or doesn’t display enthusiasm for talent acquisition, they might not be genuinely invested in the role.

The post 7 real-life talent acquisition specialist interview questions appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

By featuring expert interviews, case studies, and discussions, these podcasts offer valuable insights and practical advice, aiding in the continuous development and enhancement of HR strategies.

If this is your first time in the podcast world, this insightful guide is for you to start your own podcast.

What are podcasts?

Podcasts are a collection of audio programs usually gathered in large streaming applications like Apple Podcasts, Spotify Podcasts, Google Podcasts (to be part of Youtube Music in 2024), etc. You can easily explore, download and listen at your own convenience.

It’s like the Netflix of radio. You can listen to podcasts while driving, at work, at home, during workouts, and practically anywhere. There’s a saying: “If you can Google it, there’s a podcast about it.”

For the tech-savvy, a podcast is defined as a digital audio file available on the internet for download to a computer or portable device, typically available on demand, and its updates can be automatically received by subscribers.

Podcasting began primarily as an independent way for individuals to convey their message and create a community of like-minded people, similar to the logic behind social media. This still holds true, but today it has been integrated into more sectors due to its recognized value.

You can find individual podcasts, corporate podcasts, radio podcasts, TV station podcasts, fiction podcasts, podcasts by actors, comedians, narrators, religious podcasts, and many more. There’s no predefined length, format, style, production level, or any other constraint.

A podcast is essentially a series of audio episodes. These episodes are audio files stored on a podcast hosting company.

Another great thing about podcasts is that you can subscribe to them for free, making it easy to get notifications (via your favorite podcast app) when new episodes are released. As of September 2023, there are currently 3.02 million podcasts.

Why should you create your own HR podcast?

If you aim to promote your business a step further, or if you simply wish to share your ideas in Human Resources with a dedicated audience, then you already know the answer. But here are some benefits of creating your own podcast:

• You don’t need to be a renowned content creator or have a blog to become a successful podcaster
• A podcast is an excellent way to build an audience from scratch and establish yourself as an authority in your field, sharing your knowledge and perspectives
  Podcasts are gaining traction worldwide because they’re easily consumable
• Most podcasts are free. You have the freedom to produce them, and your listeners have the freedom to tune in.
• One of the best aspects of podcasting is the close connection you forge with your audience. Your listeners will spend 30 minutes or more with you at a time of their choosing. In today’s era, where social media has captured all our attention, this level of engagement is quite rare, allowing you to delve deep into the topics you choose

Search for your podcast’s topic

Choosing the best HR topic depends on your objectives, audience, and the current needs or challenges of your organization or industry. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you make an informed decision:

1. Identify your objective
Are you looking to educate, inform, address a specific challenge, or drive organizational change? Your objective will guide your topic selection.

2. Know your audience
Understand who you’re addressing. Are they entry-level employees, managers, C-suite executives, potential clients or other HR pros? Different audiences have different needs and interests.

3. Assess current challenges
What are the pressing issues in your organization or industry? Topics addressing these challenges will be more relevant and engaging.

4. Stay updated
Keep abreast of global HR trends, emerging technologies, and changes in labor laws. This will help you choose topics that are timely and relevant.

5. Feedback and surveys
Regularly gather feedback from your audience. Surveys can help identify areas of interest or concern.

6. Analyze data
Use HR analytics and metrics to identify areas that need attention. For instance, if employee turnover is high, topics related to retention strategies might be pertinent.

7. Consider expertise
If you’re bringing in external speakers or HR experts, consider their specific areas of expertise and how it aligns with your audience’s needs.

8. Diversity of topics
Ensure a mix of strategic, operational, and soft-skill topics to cater to a broad spectrum of interests.

9. Relevance to business goal
Choose topics that align with the company’s broader objectives. For instance, if the company is expanding globally, topics related to managing diverse teams or global HR practices might be apt.

10. Review past content
If you’ve covered HR topics before, assess which ones were well-received and why. This can give insights into audience preferences.

What equipment do you need for your first HR podcast?

You’ve decided on your topic, you’ve prepared a script to guide you during recording, and now you need to choose the right equipment.
The options for equipment are countless, as you can imagine, and it depends on the budget you’ve set.

The most easy-to-use equipment is already in your pocket, your mobile phone. Most mobile phones nowadays support very good recording quality.

You should be in a very quiet place and make sure to speak directly to the source but please… not too close. Maintain a distance of about a palm’s length to avoid problems with the sound. In the end, transfer the file to your computer for editing.

The next best option, and the one we recommend for beginners, is a USB microphone, which you can connect either to your computer, laptop, or even your mobile with the appropriate adapter.

Choose a cardioid microphone, which absorbs more sound from the front while limiting sounds coming from behind it.

The third option you have is to invest in a professional microphone with XLR connectivity. This type allows you to connect it to a mixer, which you also need to purchase, offering real-time intervention capabilities.

You can also connect a second microphone to the mixer and conduct live interviews.

Interviews are easier with a mixer, but you can do the same job with USB microphones.

The difference is that XLR-connected microphones offer better sound quality and performance.

How do you record and edit your podcast?

The best way to have control over your recording is to use a good software that will also give you the ability to further edit, such as increasing or decreasing the sound, cutting, adding music, etc.

There are very good programs in the field, some more demanding and some easier. If you want to invest in a subscription program, you can check out Adobe Audition, while if you’re looking for an easy and free solution, you can check out Audacity. There are very helpful videos available for all of them that can train you to use the basic tools useful for your podcast.

If you need to have the best sound quality by exporting your file in .wav format, you may not be able to upload it to the Host that will distribute your podcast to streaming applications as they all set a limit on the file size, whether you are on a paid plan or free.

Therefore, it might be wiser if your .wav is not accepted to go directly to .mp3, which is a compressed sound format, but will slightly affect the quality.

How do you upload your podcast?

And then comes this wonderful moment when, after creating the first episode of your show, you need to find a way to upload it.

You don’t need to manually upload your podcast to each of the dozens of streaming platforms out there.

A host can do it for you and take care of distributing it to streaming apps. When choosing a host, you have many options.

There are many hosts – with free plans – to help you distribute your podcast. We can mention Spreaker, Anchor/Spotify, and Buzzsprout.

As your podcast grows, you may need to upgrade your plan on these applications and may need to pay a monthly subscription.

What is an RSS Feed?

There are two ways someone can listen to your episodes. The first is from your RSS Feed. The second is from a streaming application (Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, etc.) where you will also need to indicate your RSS Feed to be able to claim them and have access to statistics, followers, and other useful information.

So, what is an RSS Feed in simple terms?

An RSS Feed is a tool that provides updates from websites, including new podcast episodes. For podcasts, the RSS Feed contains essential details like the title, description, and episode links. Streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts use this feed to automatically update your content.

Instead of manually creating an RSS Feed, which can be complex, many podcast hosting platforms like Spotify/Anchor and Buzzsprout automatically generate one for you. If you host your podcast on your website, you can create a local RSS Feed, though it’s not recommended for beginners.

How do I promote my HR podcast?

Most Hosts will create a webpage for you with the basic information about your podcast and will automatically add the streaming platforms where your show is available.

This webpage could be your mini site to promote it on social media.

In general, there are dozens of things you can do to promote your podcast. Let’s look at a few for starters:

• If you have the capability, create your own site or a new subdomain for your podcast where all your work will be organized, and the way someone can listen to you.
• In the beginning, to start having listeners, rely on your own HR network. Share your episodes on your social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok) so that those interested can listen to your shows.
• Create pages or profiles for your podcast, which you will update frequently (the frequency varies, but you can schedule 2-3 posts a week regardless of whether you release a new episode).
• A post could be the announcement of your new episode, an audio snippet, or a quote you can highlight from your show.
• Use Canva to create visually appealing covers for your show and for each episode separately. You can get ideas for posts through the ready-made templates it offers.
• Network with others who do the same subject. Follow their podcasts and declare your presence on their profiles to have the opportunity to be promoted to new audiences.
  Create a nice trailer that you will select from the host as the show’s trailer and will appear higher compared to your new episodes.
• Pay attention to the vocabulary you use. Choose keywords that accurately describe your subject matter and philosophy and make sure to repeat them in the descriptions of the episodes and your posts.
• Write short texts that arise from the interviews or what you say in your Podcast and promote them on blogs asking to keep the link to your podcast.
• Contact online list owners with top podcasts and ask them to listen to your work.
• Of course, maintain a regular frequency in publishing your episodes to increase your credibility with your listeners.

Now you have the info you need to get started on creating a successful HR podcast. If you have a team, it may be faster to execute all the steps, but you can manage the whole process alone as well.

The best advice here is obvious: just begin and learn as you go.

Happy podcasting!

The post How to launch your first ever HR podcast appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Top 3 takeaways

1. Job security is more important now, up to 38.6% from 32.1% two years ago
2. Career advancement is growing as a job attractor from 15.8% to 22%
3. Compensation is still the top consideration for a job across all scenarios

Job security is always important, of course – people need to put food on the table and to pay their bills, so they’re reliant on that employer-employee arrangement where they provide their services in exchange for compensation. It’s the basic structure of labor.

Naturally, it would follow that one side of that equation would have leverage over the other. One may have a luxury of choice that the other may not have. In the last few years, we saw employees exercise their leverage by pushing for higher salaries, more flexible working arrangements, and better working conditions.

But now, things have shifted again. Job security is growing in importance for US workers when evaluating the value of a new job. In 2021, 32.1% considered job security as a significant factor in what they’d find attractive about a new opportunity – and this climbed to 38.6% in 2023.

This suggests a desire for stability and predictability among workers who are rattled by the weird chaos of the post-pandemic economy. Workers now want to be able to count on a reliable income stream for the foreseeable future.

The percentage of workers looking to move to another job overall is also dropping. Why fix what ain’t broke, right? When workers would rather stick with something they already have rather than go into the wild blue yonder looking for new roles, that suggests they’re valuing stability over opportunity. It’s another effect of the uncertain times we’re living in right now.

What else is growing in importance for workers who are looking for new opportunities? Career advancement. In 2021, 15.8% of workers in the US considered this a major factor in changing jobs – that’s since climbed to 22%.

But it’s still mostly about the money

Money still talks. No matter how you look at it, compensation in the form of salary, perks, and benefits is still the top priority for all workers regardless of the situation they’re in – whether they’re looking, whether they’re staying in their current job, or anything else.

Comp is also growing in terms of attractiveness when potential candidates are being wooed to a new job – from 62.2% in 2021 to 68.9% now.

Interestingly, we asked active jobseekers why they’re looking for a new opportunity, and we found that compensation dropped in terms of importance from 63.4% in 2021 to 58.5% now. What’s growing in importance for those who decide to start looking for a new job are, yes, career advancement opportunities and meaningfulness of work (25% now compared with 20.8% two years ago).

Job security in itself is valued hugely – that much is clear. And compensation is part of that security – when a worker gets paid more, that’s security in the form of personal finance.

Even a focus on career advancement can be indirectly related to workers’ desire for greater security – people don’t want to be just mercenaries brought in to do a specific job with an end date to that job. They want to flourish, grow, and evolve in their existing role. They want to be invested for the long haul.

Today’s workers are looking beyond the financial aspects of a job, seeking roles that offer intrinsic satisfaction. Plus security and stability, too.

What can you do?

1. Promote job security

As job security grows in importance, employers should communicate the stability of their organization and roles during the recruitment process.

You can demonstrate this by showcasing a strong company history, financial stability, and a reliable pipeline of future projects. Your careers page is a great opportunity to show off all this stuff about you.

2. Highlight growth opportunities

With career advancement becoming more important to workers, employers should highlight opportunities for career growth in their organizations.

This can be communicated by promoting examples of career progression within the company, mentoring programs, and opportunities for ongoing professional development. Again, put this in your careers page in the form of employee testimonials and workplace videos.

3. Keep your salaries competitive

Despite the growth in importance of job security and career advancement, compensation remains key. Ensure ensure your compensation packages remain competitive, encompassing not just salary but also benefits and perks.

This can demonstrate your commitment to rewarding and retaining your employees – leading to a happier and more productive workforce in the end.

The post Don’t rock the boat: stable and secure is the way to float appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

An employment contract should include:

• Terms of employment: Duration, job role, responsibilities, and probationary period.
• Compensation and benefits: Salary, bonuses, benefits, and any other allowances.
• Termination clauses: Grounds for termination, notice periods, and severance pay.
• Confidentiality and non-compete clauses: Protecting company information and preventing employees from working with competitors for a specified duration post-employment.

What is an employment contract?

An employment contract is a binding document that delineates the rights, responsibilities, and obligations of both the employer and the employee. It serves as a reference point for both parties, ensuring that they are aware of their duties, compensation, benefits, and other pertinent details.

Furthermore, this contract acts as a protective measure, offering legal recourse in case of any breaches or disagreements. By having a clear and comprehensive employment contract, both employers and employees can operate with a clear understanding of expectations, leading to a harmonious working relationship.

What types of employment contracts are there?

Contracts serve as the backbone of professional relationships, clearly defining the terms, expectations, and obligations of both parties.

As organizations evolve and adapt to changing business landscapes, the need for varied employment arrangements arises.

Let’s delve into the different types of employment contracts, offering insights into their unique characteristics and applications.

Permanent employment contract

This type of contract is designed for employees who are hired for an indefinite period. It provides stability and assurance to the employee, indicating that the organization intends to employ them for the long term unless unforeseen circumstances arise.

Fixed-term employment contract

Tailored for employees who are brought on board for a specific duration or for a particular project, this contract has a clear start and end date. It’s commonly used for project-based roles or seasonal work.

Casual employment contract

This contract is for employees who are hired on an as-needed basis. They don’t have set regular hours but are called upon when there’s a demand. It offers flexibility to both the employer and the employee.

Zero-hours contract

Employees under this contract have no guaranteed hours. They are essentially on-call and work when required by the employer. It provides maximum flexibility for the employer but can be unpredictable for the employee in terms of income.

Freelance/contractor agreement

This is for self-employed individuals who provide specific services to the organization for a predetermined period or project. Unlike traditional employees, freelancers or contractors handle their own taxes and benefits.

Apprenticeship contract

Designed for individuals who are brought into the organization to learn a specific trade or profession, this contract ensures that the apprentice receives both training and a stipulated wage during their learning period.

Step by step instructions on how to write your own employment contract

1. Understand the role

Begin by detailing the job description, responsibilities, and expectations.

2. Determine the contract type

Based on the nature of the job, decide which type of employment contract is suitable.

3. Specify compensation

Clearly outline the salary, frequency of payment, bonuses, and any other financial benefits.

4. Include working hours

Define the regular working hours, overtime provisions, and any flexible working arrangements.

5. Detail leave entitlements

Mention annual leave, paid time off, sick leave, and other leave types.

6. Add termination clauses

Clearly state the grounds for termination, required notice periods, and any severance packages.

7. Confidentiality and non-compete

Ensure clauses that protect company secrets and prevent the employee from joining competitors immediately after leaving are included.

8. Review and legal check

Before finalizing, have the contract reviewed by legal professionals to ensure compliance with labor laws.

Employment contract template

This Employment Contract (“Contract”) is entered into as of [Date], by and between [Organization Name], herein referred to as the “Employer,” and [Employee Name], herein referred to as the “Employee.”

1. Position and duties: The Employee is hired as [Job Title]. The duties and responsibilities will include [Detailed Job Responsibilities].

2. Duration: This is a [Type of Contract, e.g., “Permanent”] contract, commencing on [Start Date].

3. Compensation: The Employee will receive a salary of [Amount] payable [e.g., “monthly”]. Additional benefits will include [List Benefits].

4. Working hours: The regular working hours are [e.g., “9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday”]. Overtime provisions are [Details about Overtime].

5. Termination: Either party can terminate this contract by giving [e.g., “one month”] notice. Grounds for immediate termination include [List Grounds].

6. Confidentiality: The Employee agrees not to disclose any confidential information pertaining to the Employer.

7. Non-compete: Upon termination, the Employee will not work with a competitor or start a similar business for a duration of [e.g., “one year”].

8. Governing law: This Contract is governed by the laws of [Country/State].

Both parties hereby agree to the terms set forth in this Contract.

Employer’s signature & date employee’s signature & date.

The post Employment contract template appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

The interview process policy is ready to be tailored to your company’s needs. It could be part of your hiring guide.

What is the interview process policy?

The Interview Process Policy outlines the steps and guidelines to be followed when interviewing potential candidates for a position within the organization. 

It begins from the moment a job vacancy is identified, through to the screening of applications, shortlisting of candidates, conducting interviews, and finally, making a job offer. 

The policy ensures that every candidate is given an equal opportunity and is assessed based on merit, skills, and fit for the role. 

Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of maintaining professionalism, confidentiality, and respect throughout the process, ensuring that the organization’s reputation is upheld and that candidates have a positive experience regardless of the outcome.

A interview process policy should include:

1. Stages of the interview: A clear outline of the different phases, such as initial screening, technical interviews, HR interviews, and final discussions
2. Roles and responsibilities: Defining who is responsible for each stage, from screening resumes to conducting interviews and providing feedback
3. Evaluation criteria: Setting clear guidelines on how candidates will be assessed, ensuring consistency and fairness
4. Feedback and communication: Procedures for providing feedback to candidates and communicating the next steps or decisions

Why is it important to have an interview process policy?

An Interview Process Policy is crucial for ensuring that the recruitment process is consistent, transparent, and fair. It provides clear guidelines for both interviewers and candidates, ensuring that everyone is on the same page. 

A well-defined policy reduces the risk of biases, ensures that the best talent is selected, and upholds the organization’s reputation as a fair and desirable employer. 

Moreover, it ensures compliance with employment laws and regulations, reducing potential legal risks.

Step by step instructions on how to write your own interview process policy

1. Identify the need

Understand the specific requirements of your organization. For instance, tech companies might require coding tests, while marketing roles might focus on portfolio reviews.

2. Define the stages

Break down the interview process into clear stages. For example, initial screening, technical round, managerial round, and HR discussion.

3. Set roles and responsibilities

Assign specific individuals or teams to each stage. For instance, the technical team handles the technical round, while HR manages the final discussion.

4. Determine evaluation criteria

Set clear metrics or guidelines for evaluating candidates at each stage. This could include technical skills, cultural fit, or problem-solving abilities.

5. Feedback mechanism

Establish a system for interviewers to provide feedback and for candidates to receive updates on their status.

6. Review and update

Periodically review the policy to ensure it remains relevant and effective, making adjustments as needed.

Interview process policy template

Policy brief & purpose

This policy aims to provide clarity, structure, and fairness to the interview process at [Organization Name], ensuring that we consistently identify and onboard the best talent aligned with our values and objectives.

Scope

All recruitment activities and roles within [Organization Name].

Policy Guidelines

Interview process

Our interview process begins with a collaborative meeting between the hiring team and our recruiters to align on the role’s requirements. Once the job is posted, the initial interaction with potential candidates typically takes the form of a screening call or a one-way video interview.

This is followed by a cognitive assessment and a role-specific assignment to gauge their practical skills. The next phase involves a detailed interview with the hiring manager, where we use a scorecard for consistent evaluation. Candidates then engage with our senior leadership, allowing us to assess their strategic fit with our company’s vision.

Before finalizing our decision, we conduct reference calls to gain insights into the candidate’s past performance. The process concludes with successful candidates receiving an offer letter.

Things to avoid

As interviewers, it’s crucial to maintain professional boundaries and avoid certain topics:

Previous employers: While it’s acceptable to discuss reasons for leaving a past job, refrain from engaging in negative talk about former employers. If a candidate veers into unprofessional territory, redirect the conversation to more relevant topics.

Personal matters: Avoid delving into personal topics unless the candidate brings it up in a context relevant to their career. Remember, if it’s not a topic you’d discuss in a professional meeting, it’s likely inappropriate for an interview.

Sensitive topics: Politics, religion, and other controversial subjects have no place in interviews.

Overly casual conversations: While building rapport is essential, the primary focus should be on professional matters. Ensure the discussion remains centered on the role and the candidate’s qualifications.

Avoiding conflicts: Encounters with challenging candidates are inevitable. Regardless of their behavior, always remain calm, professional, and steer the conversation back to the job at hand.

Conclusion

[Organization Name] is committed to a transparent, fair, and comprehensive interview process, ensuring that we bring onboard individuals who resonate with our values and contribute to our vision.

The post Interview process policy template appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Here’s the thing: a recent LinkedIn poll by Hung Lee of Recruiting Brainfood posed an intriguing question to recruiters – have they ever encountered a ‘no white men’ policy? The results are eye-opening:

In short: one in five respondents say they have received explicit instruction for a ‘no white men’ policy. Another one in five say they’ve been implicitly instructed to follow this kind of a policy.

When nearly 40% indicate explicit or implicit experience in being discouraged from hiring from a specific demographic group, that becomes a conversation we need to have. Obviously, it’s more nuanced than a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

In the comments that followed, some did call it discrimination – and explicitly so:

“There are large corporations that are prohibiting white applicants from access to training or promotion, basically sanctioned discrimination. It has been ongoing for a long time. Definitely an issue.”

Others pointed to the good intentions in establishing balance in the hiring process – but called out the legal challenges:

“Yes, we do want to diversify the talent pipeline. No, we do not have a ‘no white men’ policy. But it is extremely hard to create opportunities for women in a male-dominated profession, especially because we operate in a male dominated industry. So how to communicate in a legal way ‘We want more female engineers cos we think it’s gonna be really good for the business and all.’ without being discriminative? ”

“How to communicate in a legal way ‘We want more female engineers cos we think it’s gonna be really good for the business and all.’ without being discriminative?”

Other commentators suggested that policies are not the way to ‘solve’ gender imbalance – instead, they noted the challenge of diversity hiring in specific sectors and industries:

“Positive discrimination is still discrimination. Just hire based on skills. Whether you’re male or female, should not matter. And it just happens so that men tend to like certain professions/sectors more than women and vice versa.”

Another noted that the existing imbalance in the talent market should be addressed at the grade school level, not in the hiring stages for a company. Ultimately, it’s about the long game and it’s not something employers can realistically solve:

“We’ve got to be realistic, you can’t strive for a 50:50 split for male and female engineers in your organisation until the number of engineers in the industry is evenly split. We need to take a medium-to-long term approach and encourage our female engineers and our engineers that are ‘non-white’ to go back to the schools they went to, not universities or colleges, but the schools they went to and talk about engineering as a career there. Until we have an equal amount applying to colleges and universities for these courses then the numbers will be always skewed towards the white male candidate.”

One commentator suggested focusing on fostering equal representation in the form of allyship – and having strategies in place to ensure that:

“There’s a difference between explicitly excluding groups versus making efforts to promote diversity. I have worked for a company that mandated a shortlist [that] had to have at least one ‘diverse’ candidate. Nobody was excluded, but extra efforts were made where necessary to ensure that the slate presented to the hiring manager had at least 1 qualified person who was from an under-represented group. This was only a part of the organisation’s drive to increase diversity, there was also focus on developing internal talent and succession planning, and leadership and HR focus on teams and managers that were not meeting the organisation’s own internal benchmarks for diversity.”

Ensuring a diverse range of candidates was also highlighted as an important strategy:

“I always recommend recruiting strategies that enforce diverse pools (beyond just race; inclusive of experience level/similar skillsets or industries/internal talent etc) before proceeding with final interviews. This intentionally creates space for a wealth of experiences and perspectives for the interviewers consider in making their decision, while also avoiding favoritism for one group or demographic over another.”

And finally, diversity is nuanced beyond gender and race:

“I’m a white male. I’m also a diverse candidate when it comes to several parameters (neurodiverse, bisexual and no longer living in the country I was born). I never say that to pick in a spot for other diverse candidates, because I’ve had it easy. But in the hope it makes people think differently about diversity, what makes us different and how we can talk about diversity.”

How do you establish diversity, then?

So, when your organization emphasizes the importance of diversity and it falls on you as a recruiter to make a difference, what can you do? The many nuances and variations in hiring strategy already are a lot to unpack, and it gets more complex when diversity enters the picture.

Let’s agree on one thing from all the noise in LinkedIn: most do think that diversity is important. Not only is it a clear moral imperative, as 50.6% of respondents in a recent Workable survey say, there’s also a clear business case for diversity, particularly in leadership according to McKinsey.

But, obviously, an up-front ‘no white men’ policy isn’t going to cut it morally or legally. That beign said, you can still progress with good intentions and results if you establish some clear guardrails. Let’s look at a few of those now.

What you CAN do as a recruiter:

Embrace diversity: Prioritize hiring from various backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives without sidelining any group. Focus on the actual diversification – not on restrictions.

Blind or anonymized screening: More firms are moving towards this model, where personal identifiers are removed to combat unconscious bias. The Canadian government, for instance, saw a measurable increase in screen-in rates for minorities via an anonymized recruitment pilot project.

Continuous learning: Just as the workplace evolves, so must our knowledge. This means L&D for inclusive leadership, unconscious bias trainings, and other initiatives designed to establish a more level playing field.

What you CAN’T do as a recruiter:

No blanket exclusions: It’s unlawful to exclude a group based on race, gender, religion, etc. EEOC regulations are no joke.

No strict quotas: While targets can guide, hiring solely to fill a quota can be both ethically and legally problematic.

No assumptions: Every candidate is unique. Making assumptions based on background or identity is counterproductive.

We’re all in the game together

Championing diversity does have a consensus across the board – 93% of respondents say DEI is important to them, according to the above-mentioned Workable survey.

But Hung Lee’s poll shows us the complex quagmire we’re working through right now. While diversity hiring is not necessarily a new concept, it’s not matured to the point where we can all agree on best practices (yet).

One thing’s pretty clear, though – no group can be sidelined, regardless of whether they’re overrepresented or not. It’s a mess you don’t want to get yourself into.

Instead, focus on the big-picture goal – and establish a recruitment process that’s fair, transparent, and beneficial for all involved.

The post ‘No white men’ policy: what you can & can’t do in diversity hiring appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Top 3 takeaways

1. Seven out of 10 are now working full time, compared with 60.1% two years earlier
2. The percentage of those working part-time or for themselves is down
3. Those not working are due to health or government benefits

In 2023, nearly seven out of every 10 respondents (68.8%) report working full time, a significant growth from the 60.1% recorded in 2021. This shouldn’t come as a surprise – the data in 2021 was fresh off the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic which saw considerable job loss across numerous sectors. And of course, Brexit made for further complications in the system.

The percentages of those in part-time and self-employed work are also down in 2023.

This ultimately means we’re seeing relative stabilization of the UK job market after those two horsemen set foot on British soil – more full-time workers means greater security, after all.

Big differences between UK and US

The percentage of those who aren’t working hasn’t changed at all – it’s 10.4% in both 2021 and 2023 – this is interesting because in the same survey in the United States, that percentage is half of what it was two years earlier (9.9% now, down from 20.8%).

Meanwhile, those actively looking for new work also didn’t change much, from 29.5% in 2021 to 29.1% now – again, markedly different from US-based respondents (22.6% now vs. 33.4% two years earlier).

What did change in the UK job market over the two-year time period is the reason why those not working aren’t actively working: it’s more due to health and government benefits now. A full third (33.3%) cited “health priorities” as the reason they’re not working, up from 26.9% two years earlier – and “government benefits” also grew in importance fro 15.4% to 22.2%.

What can you do?

Retain your employees by supporting their health

The increase in employed workers means employers should focus on enhancing retention strategies. And the emphasis on health as a reason to not work highlights the need for that kind of support in the workplace.

Allow your teams to be flexible

As personal reasons, i.e. health priorities, are leading factors for not working, employers need to consider flexible work policies that can accommodate personal needs. This might include offering remote work options, flexible hours, ease of commute, accessibility, or increased family and health support.

Market yourself as a great place to work

The higher rate of employment combined with the increased emphasis on government benefits points to the latter as being potentially by choice rather than by necessity. If you market yourself as a great place to work via more generous compensation, supportive environments, flexibility, etc., you may inspire those not working to reenter the workforce.

The post Full-time’s up in the UK – but not much else is changing appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

This, of course, requires deliberate planning and self-awareness. You and your teams can’t grow and flourish unless they know their shortcomings well enough such that they can grow out of these shortcomings with smart development and growth.

That’s where a personal development plan can come in incredibly useful. Often referred to as a PDP for short, it’s a roadmap for professionals to not only set goals, but identify the right targets and provide the means to achieve them.

Here’s everything you want to know about a PDP, and we even have a template ready for your use to ensure the holistic development of any professional – not just yourself.

Related: Employee development and the Peter Principle

What is a PDP?

A Personal Development Plan (PDP) is a vital tool that encourages self-awareness, continuous growth, and progression in a professional setting. Not only does it pave the way for skill enhancement, but it also aids in setting clear career objectives.

By having a visual guide and regular check-ins, professionals stay on track, motivated, and accountable.

How is this specific PDP template designed?

This particular template caters to both the professional and the personal side of an employee. It combines both past and present evaluations for a holistic development experience and, more importantly, has a detailed action plan.

That action plan breaks goals down into measurable objectives and then into actionable steps – making an overall development plan more achievable. This ensures clarity, focus, and a tangible sense of accomplishment.

Who should use this PDP?

HR professionals, employers, team leaders, and managers can introduce this PDP template to their teams, irrespective of the scale of the organization.

Honestly, anyone can use this template. It’s ideal for any professional looking to organize, monitor, and accelerate their career trajectory so they can succeed in the areas that they want to grow in.

When should a PDP be used?

Consider the PDP, especially this version, to be dynamic and perpetually evolving. It should be used continuously throughout a professional’s journey, and adapted according to that professional’s progress towards their objectives and goals.

Regular reviews are a must – for example, establish quarterly updates and check-ins to ensure that goals stay relevant and timely, and that accomplishments are celebrated as deserved.

Where can the PDP be implemented?

This PDP can be incorporated into an employee’s annual reviews, onboarding processes, or even as a self-initiated tool by employees looking to optimize their growth and development.

What’s the difference between a PDP and a PIP?

This is important: don’t confuse the PDP with the much-feared PIP. The PDP is a proactive, forward-looking document that outlines an individual’s goals, skills they want to acquire, and steps they plan to take for personal and professional development.

In contrast, a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) is a reactive tool used by employers to address specific areas where an employee is underperforming, detailing the corrective actions required to meet the expected standards within a set timeframe.

In short: PDPs focus on growth and potential, while PIPs address existing performance deficiencies.

How do I make the most of this PDP?

1. Take time to reflect: The past and present sections encourage a balanced reflection, allowing individuals to understand their roots and celebrate their growth.

2. Set clear goals: Setting 3-5 goals ensures focus without being overwhelmed. By aligning them with professional aspirations and development areas, the goals are both ambitious and relevant. The SMART goals framework can be followed here.

3. Tackle step by step: By breaking down objectives into specific actions and setting deadlines, the path to achieving each goal becomes clear.

4. Review regularly: Scheduled reviews keep the momentum going. They provide an opportunity to celebrate milestones, reassess objectives, or adjust action steps.

Your template for growth

This PDP template isn’t just a tool – it’s a roadmap. It’s your path to personal and professional growth.

Don’t leave professional development to luck or happenstance – you and your colleagues can proactively pursue goals using this deliberate endeavor. The future you will thank you for working the PDP into your regular work habits.

The post Your PDP template: a tool for your team to shine appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Top 3 takeaways

1. Seven out of 10 are now working full time, compared with 55.3% in 2021
2. Those “not working” is down from one in five to one in 10 – more due to choice than extraneous factors
3. One in two workers are now only passively open to other opportunities, up from 37% two years ago

In 2023, nearly seven out of every 10 respondents (69.2%) in the United States reported that they are working full time. That’s up from 55.3% in 2021.

Meanwhile, the percentage of those who say they aren’t working dropped from 20.8% in 2021 to 9.9% now.

In short, the US job market is healthier than it’s been since pre-COVID. There’s more work out there, and it shows.

But it’s not just the raw percentages that tell the tale; it’s the reasons behind them. When those respondents were asked why they’re not working, they point to personal choices rather than job scarcity or financial pressures.

For example: the top two reasons cited by US workers for not working in 2023 are family priorities (31.1%) and health priorities (25.7%). That’s up from 30% and 18.8% respectively in 2021.

Also, it seems to be largely due to choice rather than simple necessity: the percentage of those who aren’t working because they’re focused on personal and professional development also more than doubled to 8.1% in 2023 from 3.8% in 2021.

And they’re hardly looking

Those who say they’re actively looking for new opportunities dropped from 33.4% in 2021 to 22.6% now – regardless of whether they’re currently working or not.

For those who are working, this suggests that workers in the US are now more content to be in their current work situation.

But does that also mean they’re not interested in other roles? Not necessarily. Those who say they’re passively open to new opportunities – in other words, they’re open to a conversation or are curious to see what’s out there, but not actively hunting for new roles – grew significantly to 51.1% from 37.3%.

What does that mean for hiring teams? Well, for one, the talent availability out there isn’t limited to those who actively apply for your open roles. If you open a new job and aren’t seeing those star candidates showing up in your inbox, rest assured that they’re out there. You just have to reach out to them and initiate the conversation.

What can you do?

1. Prioritize your employees’ happiness

The increase in job stability means employers should focus on enhancing retention strategies.

This could involve prioritizing employee satisfaction, job security, and providing opportunities for growth and development within the organization.

2. Allow your teams to be flexible

As personal reasons, i.e. family and health priorities, are leading factors for not working, employers need to consider flexible work policies that accommodate personal needs.

This might include offering remote work options, flexible hours, ease of commute, accessibility, or increased family and health support.

3. Market yourself as a great place to work

With more than half of the respondents only passively open to new opportunities, employers should work on making their company stand out as an attractive option.

This could involve marketing the unique benefits and opportunities of their organization, showcasing strong company culture, and emphasizing their dedication to employee well-being and personal growth.

The post 69% employed and 51% passive: Working hard & hardly looking appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

What is an employee recognition programs policy?

Employee recognition programs are designed to acknowledge and appreciate the hard work, dedication, and achievements of employees. Such programs not only celebrate individual accomplishments but also reinforce the organization’s values and objectives. By recognizing employees’ efforts, organizations can enhance job satisfaction, increase engagement, and promote a culture where excellence is celebrated and emulated. These programs can be both formal, with scheduled award ceremonies, and informal, allowing for spontaneous recognition of exceptional work.

An employee recognition programs policy should include:

1. Clear criteria for eligibility and selection
2. A diverse range of recognition methods, both monetary and non-monetary
3. A transparent nomination and selection process
4. Guidelines on the frequency and timing of recognition events or awards

Why is it important to have an employee recognition programs policy?

Having a structured employee recognition programs policy is crucial for fostering a positive work environment. Recognizing employees’ achievements boosts morale, increases job satisfaction, and encourages continuous excellence. Moreover, it reinforces the organization’s values, promotes loyalty, and can lead to increased productivity. Such a policy also ensures fairness and consistency in how recognitions are awarded, eliminating biases and promoting a culture of meritocracy.

Step by step instructions on how to write your own policy

1. Define the purpose

Start by outlining the main objectives of the recognition program, such as boosting morale, reinforcing company values, or promoting specific behaviors.

2. Set clear criteria

Determine what achievements or behaviors will be recognized. This could range from project completions, innovative ideas, to years of service.

3. Choose recognition methods

Decide on the types of rewards. This could include monetary bonuses, certificates, public acknowledgment, or additional leave days.

4. Nomination process

Establish a process for colleagues or managers to nominate deserving employees. Ensure this process is transparent and free from biases.

5. Selection committee

Form a committee responsible for reviewing nominations and selecting awardees. This committee should represent various departments for diversity.

6. Frequency of recognition

Decide how often recognitions will be awarded, be it monthly, quarterly, or annually.

7. Communication

Clearly communicate the policy to all employees, ensuring they understand the process and the value the organization places on recognition.

Employee recognition programs policy template

Brief & Purpose

At [Organization Name], we believe in the power of recognizing and celebrating our employees’ achievements. This policy aims to acknowledge the hard work, dedication, and contributions of our team members, reinforcing our organizational values and promoting a culture of excellence.

Scope

This policy applies to all full-time employees of [Organization Name].

Guidelines

Employees can be nominated for significant contributions to the company’s success.
Rewards should be meaningful and reflect the achievement.
All recognitions should align with the company’s values and promote a positive work culture.
Monetary rewards are separate from regular salaries or bonuses.

Nomination and selection

Nominations can be submitted by colleagues or managers, highlighting the nominee’s achievements. A committee will review these nominations quarterly, selecting individuals who best exemplify [Organization Name]’s values and have made significant contributions.

Types of recognition

Performance Awards: For employees who consistently meet or exceed their targets.
Innovation Awards: For those who introduce beneficial new ideas or processes.
Service Awards: Recognizing long-serving employees.

Conclusion

At [Organization Name], we understand the importance of acknowledging our team’s efforts. Through this policy, we aim to foster a culture where excellence is recognized, celebrated, and emulated.

Disclaimer: This policy template is meant to provide general guidelines and should be used as a reference. It may not take into account all relevant local, state or federal laws and is not a legal document. Neither the author nor Workable will assume any legal liability that may arise from the use of this policy.

The post Employee recognition programs policy template appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

• Save time – easily select relevant boards based on how and where you hire, right within Workable.
• Save money – take advantage of lower prices for premium posts with discounts of up to 20% against rate card prices.
• Get better results – widen your reach with a variety of boards.

Check out these newly added boards in Workable on the “Find Candidates” page under “Premium Job Boards”. We’ll continue to add even more job boards in the near future.

This update includes the first of many customer-requested additions, including:

• EvenBreak
• Diversifying
• WomenInTech
• Trademe
• XING
• Craigslist
• (and see the full list below for even more!)

Two of the most frequently asked questions we encounter from recruiters are: “How do I reach the right candidates?” and “How do I improve the quality of our applicants?” This all links back to recruitment marketing and here’s why:

Candidates are exposed to hundreds of communication triggers each day. As a recruiter, be aware of this reality and adjust your practices accordingly.

You have to make sure that the information being shared is interesting to your target audience.

You need to target them where they spend most of their time.

On average, candidates encounter 10 or more online touch points before they apply for a job – this means the number of times a potential candidate comes across your company.

The key to reaching the right candidates is following a multi-channel approach when it comes to job advertising. This way, you don’t only reach active candidates, but passive ones as well.

That’s where our new integrations come in – they give you even more niche targeting options for your job postings. Get in front of more of your ideal candidates by advertising jobs through a variety of channels, including niche ones that are of specific interest to them, and end up with qualitative and relevant applications.

Did you know you can reach out to support@workable.com to provide feedback about what boards you’d like to see added?

See all the new boards below and stay tuned for what we add next.

DEI-focused job boards

• National Diversity Network
• The Sierra Group Recruit Disability
• Diversifying
• EvenBreak
• CareerCast Veterans
• Disabilitytalent
• LGBTJobNetwork
• RetirementJobNetwork
• WomeninTech

Tech-focused job boards

• WomeninTech
• Technojobs
• CW Jobs
• Techjobs
• ITjobPro
• Jobvector
• Just Join IT

Remote job boards

• Remotive
• Flexjobs.com
• Remote.co
• Relocate.me

Social media job postings

• Craigslist
• Reddit

Academic job boards

• Academic Keys
• Academic Positions

General hiring job boards

• Pando
• Joblift UK
• Experteer UK
• Joblift Germany
• Meine Stadt
• Joblift FR
• Apec
• Vivastreet FR
• Trademe
• Jobs.bg
• Jobup.ch
• PEOPLEnJOB
• Jobindex
• CV Online
• XING
• CareersinAnalytics
• CareersinCompliance
• CareersinRisk
• Biophysical Society
• Mediabistro
• eFinancial Careers Canada
• eFinancial Careers US
• HRjob.ca
• Lensa Hospitality/Travel
• Lensa HR
• Lensa Marketing, Advertising & PR
• Lensa Transportation & Logistics
• Lensa Customer Service
• FleetJobs
• Security Cleared Jobs
• Career Rookie

Healthcare job boards

• American Nurses Association
• Aerztestellen
• Lensa Healthcare

The post 50+ new job boards for DEI, tech jobs and way more appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

What is the 360 feedback policy?

360 feedback, also known as multi-rater feedback, is a system where employees receive confidential and anonymous feedback from multiple sources within the organization. This feedback process differs from traditional performance reviews as it incorporates perspectives from various individuals who interact with the employee in different capacities. The primary aim is to provide a holistic view of an individual’s performance, strengths, and areas for improvement. By gathering diverse insights, the organization can foster a culture of continuous learning and development, ensuring that feedback is well-rounded and actionable.

A 360 feedback policy should include:

1. Clear objectives defining the purpose of the 360 feedback process, whether it’s for development, performance evaluation, or both
2. Selection of reviewers with guidelines on choosing appropriate reviewers who have significant interaction with the employee
3. Feedback confidentiality assuring that will remain anonymous to encourage honest responses
4. Feedback implementation with Steps on how the feedback will be used for the employee’s development and growth

Why is it important to have a 360 feedback policy for your organization?

Having a 360 feedback policy is crucial as it promotes a culture of open communication and continuous improvement. It provides employees with a comprehensive understanding of their performance from multiple perspectives, highlighting both their strengths and areas for growth.

This holistic approach ensures that feedback is not skewed by a single viewpoint.

Moreover, it aids in identifying potential areas of bias, promoting fairness, and fostering a culture of diversity, equality, and inclusion. By institutionalizing this feedback mechanism, organizations can enhance employee engagement, boost morale, and drive overall business success.

Core competencies to check during feedback

Core competencies to check during a 360 feedback process often revolve around both technical and soft skills that are crucial for an individual’s role and the overall success of the organization. Here are some of the core competencies that are commonly assessed:

1. Technical proficiency: Depending on the role, this could involve assessing the individual’s knowledge and skills related to specific tools, technologies, or methodologies relevant to their job.
2. Communication skills: This encompasses the ability to convey ideas clearly, listen actively, and interact effectively with colleagues, subordinates, superiors, and external stakeholders.
3. Leadership and management: For those in leadership roles, it’s essential to evaluate their ability to inspire, guide, and manage teams, as well as their strategic vision and decision-making capabilities.
4. Teamwork and collaboration: This assesses an individual’s ability to work cohesively with others, contribute to team goals, and foster a collaborative environment.
5. Problem-solving and critical thinking: This involves evaluating the individual’s ability to analyze situations, think critically, and come up with effective solutions to challenges.
6. Adaptability and flexibility: In today’s rapidly changing work environment, the ability to adapt to new situations, learn from experiences, and be open to change is crucial.
7. Customer focus: For roles that interact with customers or clients, it’s essential to assess the individual’s commitment to meeting customer needs and ensuring satisfaction.
8. Initiative and proactiveness: This competency evaluates the individual’s drive to take the lead, anticipate challenges, and act without always waiting for direction.
9. Integrity and ethics: This assesses the individual’s adherence to the organization’s values, ethical standards, and principles in their daily work.
10. Continuous learning and development: This competency evaluates an individual’s commitment to personal and professional growth, including seeking feedback, learning from experiences, and pursuing further training or education.

Step by step instructions on how to write your own 360 feedback policy

1. Define the purpose

Clearly state the objectives of the 360 feedback process. Decide if it’s for development, appraisal, or both.

2. Choose the reviewers

Set guidelines on selecting reviewers. They should be individuals who have frequent interactions with the employee, such as peers, supervisors, and direct reports.

3. Design the feedback form

Create a balanced mix of open-ended and closed-ended questions. Ensure questions are specific, actionable, and unbiased.

4. Feedback collection

Decide on the medium (online surveys, paper forms) and set a timeline for feedback submission.

5. Feedback analysis

Collate the feedback and analyze the results. Look for patterns and areas of consensus.

6. Feedback Discussion

Arrange a meeting with the employee to discuss the feedback. Ensure the conversation is constructive, focusing on growth and development.

7. Action Plan

Based on the feedback, create an actionable development plan for the employee.

8. Review

Periodically review the policy to ensure it remains relevant and effective.

360 Feedback Policy Template

[company name] – 360 Feedback Policy

Brief & Purpose

This policy outlines the process and guidelines for conducting 360 feedback reviews at [company name] . The primary objective is to foster a culture of continuous learning and development by providing employees with a holistic view of their performance.

Scope

All employees of [company name].

Policy guidelines

Objectives: The 360 feedback process aims to provide comprehensive feedback for individual development and growth.
Selection of reviewers: Employees will receive feedback from peers, supervisors, direct reports, and any other relevant stakeholders.
Feedback confidentiality: All feedback will remain anonymous to ensure honest and unbiased responses.
Feedback implementation: The HR department will collate and analyze the feedback, which will then be used to create individual development plans.

Feedback process

• HR will initiate the 360 feedback process annually
• Employees will be informed about the process and timeline
• Reviewers will be selected based on their interaction frequency with the employee
• Feedback will be collected through an online survey platform
• Post-analysis, individual feedback sessions will be scheduled
• An action plan will be developed based on the feedback received

Review

This policy will be reviewed annually to ensure its effectiveness and relevance.

Disclaimer: This policy template is meant to provide general guidelines and should be used as a reference. It may not take into account all relevant local, state or federal laws and is not a legal document. Neither the author nor Workable will assume any legal liability that may arise from the use of this policy.

The post 360 feedback policy template appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

It also provides mechanisms for employees to raise concerns about potential discriminatory practices, ensuring that such concerns are addressed promptly and effectively.

What is a corporate affirmative action policy?

The Corporate Affirmative Action Policy is a commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. 

It aims to ensure that all employment decisions, from hiring to promotions, are made without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic. 

The policy not only addresses the legal requirements but also emphasizes the organization’s dedication to creating a workplace where every individual has an equal opportunity to succeed and is valued for their unique contributions.

A Corporate affirmative action policy should include:

1. Scope of the policy defining who it applies to and under what circumstances.
2. Equal employment opportunity statement
3. Procedures for reporting violations including clear guidelines on how employees can report potential violations 
4. Review and monitoring on employment practices to ensure compliance with affirmative action principles

Why is it important to have a corporate affirmative action policy for your organization?

A Corporate Affirmative Action Policy is essential to demonstrate an organization’s commitment to fairness, equality, and diversity. 

In today’s globalized world, diverse teams bring a range of perspectives, fostering innovation and better decision-making. 

By actively promoting equal opportunities, organizations not only comply with legal requirements but also attract a wider talent pool, enhancing their competitiveness. 

Furthermore, such a policy boosts the company’s reputation as an inclusive employer, leading to improved employee morale, retention, and overall organizational success.

Step-by-step instructions for HR to write a corporate affirmative action policy

• Understand legal obligations

Familiarize yourself with federal, state, and local regulations related to affirmative action. For instance, review requirements under Executive Order 11246 or the Equal Pay Act.

• Engage stakeholders

Consult with department heads, legal teams, and employee representatives to ensure the policy is comprehensive and addresses specific organizational needs.

• Draft the policy 

Begin by defining the scope. For example, “This policy applies to all employees, contractors, and job applicants of [Company Name].”

• Detail reporting mechanisms

Clearly outline how employees can report potential violations. For instance, “Employees can report concerns to the EEO-AAP coordinator or any officer of the company.”

• Incorporate monitoring procedures

Describe how the company will regularly review its employment practices to ensure compliance. For example, “Annual reviews will be conducted to assess hiring and promotion trends.”

• Seek feedback

Circulate the draft among a select group, including legal experts, for feedback to ensure clarity and compliance.

• Finalize and communicate

After incorporating feedback, finalize the policy and disseminate it widely, including training sessions, company publications, and the company’s website.

Corporate Affirmative Action Policy Template

[Organization Name]

Corporate Affirmative Action Policy

1. Purpose & Brief

This policy underscores [Organization Name]’s commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace, ensuring equal employment opportunities for all.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all employees, contractors, and job applicants of [Organization Name].

3. Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

[Organization Name] is dedicated to ensuring that all employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic.

4. Reporting violations

Employees can report potential violations to the EEO-AAP coordinator or any officer of the company. All reports will be treated with confidentiality and promptly investigated.

5. Review and monitoring

[Organization Name] will conduct annual reviews of its employment practices to ensure compliance with this policy and the principles of affirmative action.

6. Commitment

[Organization Name] is committed to creating a workplace where every individual is valued, and their unique contributions are recognized and nurtured.

Signature:

[Employee Name] ________________________ Date: ____________

This is a simple policy template. For a more detailed approach you can visit US Department of Labor here.

Disclaimer: This policy template is meant to provide general guidelines and should be used as a reference. It may not take into account all relevant local, state or federal laws and is not a legal document. Neither the author nor Workable will assume any legal liability that may arise from the use of this policy.

The post Corporate affirmative action policy template appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

With insights from our own real-life hiring guide, you are determined to find the best candidate who fits your company’s needs.

Don’t forget to customize it depending on your organization’s standards and read the instructions to craft the best possible version for your company.

Let’s begin.

Hiring guide template

The front page

In the front page:

• Put your logo at the top
• Mention the title (i.e. Guidelines for hiring managers)
• Don’t forget to align the colors according to your brand’s identity colors

Introduction

[This is the introduction of the guide. Feel free to customize it depending on your organization needs and standards. Here is a sample you can use]

If you’re reading this then it’s likely you are growing your team or someone on your team has recently resigned and you’re looking to hire a backfill. The People Team can’t wait to get the ball rolling!

This document will walk you through all the steps required to get your new job approved and live.

Also, it will provide you with lots of useful information and advice for making each step of the hiring process enjoyable and effective which will lead to the best new hires for your team.

And remember, the culture [Link of your culture at your company webpage. Check an example here] and ability of [your company name] to become a large global market leader all starts from recruiting.

• Every role in the organization matters
• Do not compromise on hiring
• Do not compromise, even under pressure
• Personality and motivation matter a lot
• Look what they have done, not what they say

The process

[Here, you should describe the steps involved in the hiring process for the recruiter. If the recruiter needs to prepare a job requisition, contact the HR manager to agree on terms, or secure approvals from the hiring team and other stakeholders, it should be mentioned here.

Additionally, this is the appropriate place to describe the hiring process, screening procedures, and interview stages]

Step 1: Create a requisition in a hiring plan

[If you have a requisition demand, you must provide guidance regarding the file path, the type of form, and the required fields that your recruiter needs to fill out]. 

Approvals

[Is there an approval process in place within your company? If so, please provide the contact information of the person or department that the recruiter should contact in order to obtain approval before proceeding to the next steps].

Step 2: A meeting between the hiring manager/team and the recruiter – Posting of the job

[This step may include a meeting with the hiring manager and the job posting terms. You can find below a sample].

The new role will be discussed here. Things that need to be covered in this meeting:

• The process (steps)
• The job description
• The ideal candidate profile
• Assessments (if there is the option to choose some of them)
• What the prescreening call should cover
• Important timelines (updates to candidates)
• Important timelines: when the successful candidate should be in place by, and why, then working back from that, to understand when interviews should be taking place
• Setting expectations – for example, no candidate should wait longer than X days for an update or feedback.
• The scorecards (different members of the hiring team shouldn’t ask the same questions in separate interviews)
• The assignment (the assignment should assess the specific skills required for the role)
• The assignment feedback format
• Offer letter details for when the time comes
• The candidate experience surveys and actions in [your company name]

The candidate experience survey

[Using a candidate survey is always a good idea. If you choose to use one, it is important to explain how it works, including when it should be administered, whether it is an automated process or if the recruiter needs to send it out, and whether there is a template available for use.

It is also important to identify the questions that are most relevant to the hiring process and provide guidance on how to use the survey effectively. Below you can find a sample survey with relevant questions that could be helpful in this regard].

• Were you well-prepared for the interview?
• Did the information provided by the hiring team give you a good understanding of the role and the team at [your company name]?
• Did you have the chance to highlight your skills and experience during the interview?
• Are you satisfied with the overall interview experience with [your company name]?
• Would you recommend a friend to apply to [your company name]?

Step 3: The screening call or the one-way video interview

[In this step, you need to describe the stages of the process. Who is responsible for shortlisting candidates? How should they handle incoming CVs? How are screening calls scheduled? What should be the key outcome of the screening call? How is a potential one-way video interview organized, and what are the desirable results?] 

• Prescreening: [Your instructions here]
• The screening call: [Your instructions here]
• Video Interview: [Your instructions here]

[If everything goes well and the candidate meets the expectations, they proceed to the next step, which may involve an assessment or assignment. In this step, you should describe the process clearly. Will it be an email with an attachment, a link to your site, or a document? Be clear about this with your recruiter].

Step 4: The cognitive assessment & the assignment

[If you decide to proceed with the cognitive assessment and the assignment, this is a sample you can use for your recruiter. In any other case, feel free to customize this step according to your hiring procedure]

The cognitive assessment

The online assessment consists of five parts: 

1. Abstract Reasoning 
2. Numerical Comprehension 
3. Verbal Comprehension 
4. Attention & focus
5. Workplace personality

Those are some tests that aim at evaluating candidates’ cognitive ability and should be sent before the assignment since the threshold is an overall rating of X. If the candidate do not pass the assessment we can’t proceed to the assignment. If they pass, the recruiter can send the assignment.

The assignment

The promising candidates typically proceed to the second step of the process which is the assignment and assessments. The assignment is up to the hiring manager to create and decide how long the candidates will have to complete it.

The assignment is meant to emulate the sort of work the candidate would be asked to  do in their job. The goal is to explore the way the candidate approaches a problem, test basic skills for the job and reveal the candidate’s ability to present their work and thought process clearly.

The assignment is the best chance to examine the candidate’s technical skills. The best advice before drafting an assignment is to leave some leeway for more in depth questions during the interview.

Also, remember that many candidates are extremely good communicators. They can sell themselves and we can buy them even after hours of interviewing, so the assignment combined with interviews, helps protect us from making poor hiring decisions.

When the candidate sends their assignment back you need to evaluate it within a couple of days. You should include detailed feedback in [your company name] using the [you decide the procedure], including where the candidate has done well and areas they could have done better.

If you don’t want the candidate to proceed further, the recruiter needs to send a disqualification email with feedback X days after the candidate’s submission. The hiring manager’s feedback is encouraged to be written as if you were talking to the candidate, in the second singular pronoun (you).

We really appreciate the effort you have put into your application so we’d like to give you some detailed feedback on your candidacy, hoping that it might prove useful to you in the future.

Let’s start with what we think are the good points of your solution:
(Hiring managers input)

Things that you could have done better:
(Hiring managers input)

The Recruiter is the person who will move or disqualify candidates. 

[This is the time to send a survey to the candidate for their feedback. If you choose to do so, please explain the procedure here].

Step 5: The first Interview with the hiring manager

[In this step, you need to be more thorough about the essence of the interview and the rapport building between the interviewer and the interviewee. Depending on your patterns, you can share your guidelines and points of attention during the interviews. Here is a sample].

Interviews are less formulaic than other parts of the process. There are still some guidelines that you ought to observe:

Review the scorecard

Make sure you are prepared for this and you know how to evaluate the candidate. Spend some time to prepare a scorecard and discuss with the recruiter which questions  can be asked. Scorecards help us ensure that all candidates are evaluated equally allowing us to make the best hiring decisions.

Respect the candidate

The candidate is making an important life decision. They probably prepared extensively, went through several calls and tests and maybe took time off their job to meet us. Whether you like the candidate or not you should respect the effort they are putting into this.

We have all interviewed for a job we wanted so we can all relate to the candidate’s situation. Treat them as you would like to be treated yourself.

1. You should be on time. A few minutes earlier is ideal. This will help you make sure that everything is working properly (In case of a virtual meeting check mic, headphones, or your background image). If you’re late by 5 minutes, apologize. If they are late but sent a message to notify us something happened to them, put them at ease and tell them it’s not going to affect their chances. If they are late without good reason, make a mental note, but don’t antagonize the candidate about this.
   
2. You  should  be  prepared,  meaning  you  must  read  the  Resume/CV  and  all comments/evaluations/scorecards about the candidate at a minimum. Sometimes it’s useful to have a quick chat with the recruiter or whoever has been evaluating the candidate before you.
   
3. You should be able to describe what the role is about in a few sentences, more on this further down.
   
4. You should demonstrate your preparation by not asking candidates about things that have already been addressed, or you should explain that you are asking a clarifying question when you do. E.g. “I know you discussed the reasons you are  looking for a job with X, I’d love to hear more about your objective to be in a  more X-facing role.
   
5. You should be polite and show appreciation for the candidate as a person and as a professional regardless of their suitability for the job in question. It’s a good idea to congratulate the candidate for their education and career so far and thank them for considering working with us.
   
6. The candidate is here to discuss a job opportunity. It’s fine, and often a good idea, to make a bit of small talk or pick up a tangent in the conversation. But make sure that most of the discussion is about the role in question.
   
7. Pay attention to the conversation and be engaged. You should look at the screen all of the time in case of an online interview but make sure you aren’t always typing or taking notes. You can do this after the interview.

Prepare for a substantial discussion

It’s a good idea to have a few specific questions you want to ask. What are the main things you want to learn about the candidate? It is often a good idea to tell the candidate from the beginning that you’re hoping to learn more about X, Y and Z in this interview.

Here are a few areas that are often explored in interviews and some ideas on how to think about them:

1. Ice breakers

A useful question that shows respect and opens up the conversation like if we have been prompt and informative in the process so far. Or ask them what they thought about the assignment. If the interview is onsite offer to show them around the office if they wish so they can see where they would be sitting and what amenities we offer.

2. Describe the role and the company

It’s good to establish early on that the interview is a two-way street and it’s your job to answer any questions the candidate has. Offer to describe the role if the candidate wants to hear it again from you. You should be able to explain what the company is about, what this team does for the company and what the role is expected to do.

The candidate needs to know what the main duties are, who they’ll be working with, who they report to, why the team’s role is important/interesting and what success looks like.

[Here, you can include an example of a dialogue that the Hiring Manager can ideally use to explain your product or service in a more engaging manner and put the candidate in the employee’s shoes.] 

You should be prepared to answer specific questions about the job and the company, about the team’s remote work status – always give a straight answer to the best of your knowledge. If you don’t know how to answer a question you can always say that you’ll get back to them via email or that this is a discussion they can have at the next interview.

Make sure you note these questions down so they can be followed up on.

3. Understanding the nature of the candidate’s most relevant work experience

This does not mean walking through the CV together. Simply asking them to describe their current company and the scope of their role tells you a lot about their ability to make sense of what they do. Asking them what they don’t do is also important. 

For example, a product manager does different things in different organizations. By asking them questions like “who develops the pricing?” or “who provides product explainers to marketing?” you can determine whether this is a technical or commercial type of product manager. 

Similarly, for managerial positions, you can find out whether a person is hands-on or not. Asking who decides or approves this or that can tell you whether their “director” role is really what it sounds or merely the result of title inflation

4. Exploring specific skills

You should ask about their familiarity with specific tasks or methodologies relevant to the role. You can start by asking things like “are you familiar with Monte Carlo simulations?” and then dive deeper asking if they have used it, asking to describe a problem they used it for, what it’s good for, or what its limitations are, etc. 

Sometimes this sort of discussion can start from something about the assignment – so you have a common example to work with. You want to understand what the candidate knows, but also how they think and hopefully open up a discussion that reveals their level of expertise about a few topics that matter to you.

Sometimes, the same goal can be accomplished by presenting a hypothetical (but realistic) problem and asking the candidate to think how they would tackle it.

How would you deal with a customer who’s upset about X? What would we need to do to upgrade our security infrastructure? How would you measure the quality of our onboarding process? How would you decide how to prioritize these two projects?

5. Understanding what they are like

Instead of the dreadful “tell me about your weaknesses”, you can have a meaningful discussion about the things they like more or less about the job. Why do they like or dislike X? 

If the candidate takes the job what would help them be successful? What should you avoid as a manager with them? This type of questioning is often more productive than lists of strengths and weaknesses.

Sometimes it’s more interesting to understand if the candidate has good knowledge of themselves. People who know their strengths and weaknesses can show others how to work best with them.

6. Understanding how they work with others

This is perhaps the hardest area to explore in an interview. An indirect approach is usually easier here. Who is someone they enjoyed working with in the past and why? Who is someone they found difficult to work with and why? Can they explain an argument/conflict they had and fairly represent the other side’s argument? If this is a leadership/managerial position, what kind of team would they build? What would they look out for in people?

7. Getting problems and objections out in the open

Chances are that you have some potential objections or issues about any candidate at this point. That’s really your last chance to address them. If you can’t think of a better  way, you can ask point-blank. E.g. “You seem to be a good fit in many ways but I have a small concern that you have no experience in a technology company. How do you think this will affect you?”

The recruiting process reveals a lot about a candidate and almost everyone will have some weak/questionable aspects.

Make sure you address them and get to the bottom of them – otherwise you won’t be able to make a fair decision.

8. Management role questions

For leadership positions – especially people with a long experience in managerial roles – there are a few topics that will reveal a lot and can easily start a good discussion: how  they would organize their team, how they would hire people, how they decide to let go of people, what was great about their best people, what they disliked about the ones who didn’t work out, etc. 

Ideally, you want to get into a discussion about a difficult situation and see if they can articulate how they thought about a problem, how they thought about the people involved, their motivations, their skills and possible solutions and their implications. People who can’t sound interesting or thoughtful in a discussion like this one are probably managers in title only.

9. Compensation

This is usually dealt with by the Recruiting team in their screening call or Video Interview. Unless told otherwise by the Recruiting team or your manager, don’t ask about compensation. 

It’s actually illegal in some jurisdictions, so it’s not just our preference but a legal issue. If asked, it’s OK to say that it’s not your role to discuss or negotiate salaries but the Recruiter will be happy to answer any questions they have.

10. Encourage the candidate to ask questions

Their questions often reveal as much as yours. Plus, it’s your duty to make sure that the candidate is making an informed decision. Answer questions truthfully and directly, to  the best of your knowledge. 

If unsure, say so and offer to get back to them via email or defer to your Manager or the Recruiter.

Here are a few common topics that candidates ask about and how to address them:

1. Questions about life at the company, office culture, etc.

Usually, the candidate will want to know what it’s like to work here. Tell them what it’s been like for you or for others in the role the candidate has applied for. Maybe you don’t know everything about the company but you know your own experience and it’s probably close to what they would experience here. Don’t take anything for granted. 

[You can mention here benefits and amenities of your company.]

You want to sell the role to the candidate but also don’t sugarcoat it. If they are bothered by something, it’s better if they know about it before accepting the job. 

For example, you can say things like, “People are friendly and helpful and there’s hardly any politics in the workplace – it’s very meritocratic” but also things like, “This is a very ambitious company with smart competitors so everyone is expected to be performing at the top of their profession to advance their career here – it is not an easy job”.

2. Questions about funding, financing, revenues, investors, etc.

[Customize this text according to your company funding and investors.]

There’s a public record for funding and it’s fair to say that we are backed by venture capital firms [if this is the case]. 

You should decline to share revenue or other financial metrics. Tell the candidate that your department leader is a better person to tackle those questions in the next interview.

3. Questions about career development

You can tell candidates that the company has a systematic approach to track and encourage career development. You can say a few things about the internal grades system and how performance reviews work. You probably have examples of people in the same job or team that got promoted or moved to a different role and those are often the best way to show a candidate what’s possible.

4. Questions about compensation and benefits

For compensation, it’s best to defer to the Recruiting team.

[For benefits such as healthcare, maternity leave, etc., you may have documents that can also be shared in the first email to the candidate. These documents may have been discussed with the recruiter and may also be available on your career site.]

5. Questions about the way we work

The smartest candidates will have a few specific questions about the tools and technologies we use, the processes we have, how responsibilities are allocated, how decisions are made, etc. This is the area that you know best, so here’s your chance to demonstrate your knowledge. 

We probably have some weaknesses too, things we want to improve or hope to do in the future. Talking about them in a thoughtful manner shows that we are not a stagnant organization so don’t be afraid to touch this discussion.

6. Family and work-life balance questions

Some candidates are concerned about how a job can interfere with their family obligations. If the job requires shift work make sure you clarify what it’s like and how much.

Remember, it’s OK to say you don’t know something, or “I can’t speak for the company about this, but here’s how I understand it”. Good candidates appreciate honest and forthcoming interviewers. 

Things to avoid

Interviews are sensitive. You’re in front of a stranger and you are both trying to make an important decision, so you each want to learn more about the other. But there’s an asymmetry of power. Even if we don’t see it that way, many people will see you as the gatekeeper for a job that may be very important to them.

They feel obliged to go where you want to go and act as if it’s totally OK, even if it makes them uncomfortable. 

It is your responsibility to stay within the boundaries of acceptable conversation. Here are a few common mistakes and topics to avoid:

1. Discussions about other people or previous employers

It’s OK to discuss what they didn’t like about their previous job or why they were let go. Some candidates will badmouth employers or trash talk this or that. Don’t participate in it and gently bring back the conversation to what’s strictly professional.

For example, if  they lost faith in the success of their current employer, that’s something useful to know and it may suggest that this is something important to them.

If they want to go on for 20 minutes about why their boss was a terrible person to work with, we don’t want to hear this and it doesn’t make the candidate look very good either.

2. Personal matters

This is not the time to discuss their family, health or other personal matters. If it’s offered by the candidate and relevant to their resume/CV, it’s OK. E.g. “I quit my job a year ago to look after my baby and now I want to go back to work” or “My wife is a doctor who works 80-hour weeks so I need a job that allows me to pick up my children from school in the evenings”. 

A simple rule of thumb here is if you wouldn’t talk about something in a professional meeting with people you don’t know (e.g. a customer) then you probably shouldn’t do it in an interview either.

3. Politics, religion and any controversial non-work topic.

These have no place in interviews.

4. Too casual

The meeting should focus on professional matters and be conducted in the same manner as any other professional meeting with strangers. It’s OK to spend some time building rapport, talking about some common interests or making small talk but remember that this is not a social occasion and the candidate expects you to discuss substantial work-related matters. 

Personable and confident people may appear pleased to have casual conversation and both of you may be enjoying this, but it’s your job to make this a discussion about the role in question.

5. Arguments in general

If you do enough interviews you’ll get to meet someone who’s rude, late, aggressive, trash talking this or that, etc. Don’t let them drag you into an argument, don’t be judgemental, always stay polite and steer the conversation on topic even if they infuriate you and you are 100% right. 

If we don’t like someone we don’t have to hire them but we must behave professionally even if they don’t.

Evaluation

Now you need to write down your opinion about the candidate. Here are a few tips on writing evaluations:

1. Use a scorecard. This way the entire hiring team knows what has been covered in the previous step.
   
2. Your role is to form an opinion, not just to write a transcript of what happened in the interview. Use notes and facts from the interview to document your opinion, don’t just list them.
   
3. Your opinion should have a specific bearing on things we care about: Can the candidate do the job? Do they bring skills we don’t have? Will we learn something from the candidate? Are they missing skills you wish they had? Will they work well with our team? Will they function well in our processes and style of work? Will they be happy with the job?
   
4. Use facts from the CV and the interview to support your opinion. Past achievements demonstrate skills, intelligence or work ethic. Specific statements in the interview suggest motivations or interests. Personality and demeanor suggest how the candidate would fit in a team.
   
5. There’s always room for “gut” or undocumented reactions. If you really liked or disliked someone you should mention it in the evaluation. But do take the effort to inquire why. E.g. “I had a hard time making good conversation because the candidate was dominating air time and interrupting all the time – it will be tough to deal with customers without better conversational skills.” Don’t just say, “I didn’t like him.”
   
6. Write the evaluation right after the interview. A Pro Tip: block 15 minutes after each interview for overruns or completing your scorecard right away. A day later you will forget important points and you’ll only remember your impressions not the facts. Also, if you see other candidates in-between the interview and the evaluation then it becomes a comparison game. If you find yourself writing things like “John is great, but not as good as Liz” then you’re doing it wrong. We’ll get to do this thinking later when we have an individual evaluation for everyone. 

Also, people tend to like people who are similar to them. We tend to be biased towards someone who has the same hobby as us, or went to the same university or has the same age or in general has something similar. If we know it before an interview we eliminate the chances of liking someone regardless of the actual technical skills or interview performance.

Please avoid using subjective assumptions for candidates’ personalities or attitudes and be based on those to make a final decision. Eg: Sophia, was communicative, smiley but seems an introvert and too arrogant so, I believe she won’t fit in our culture. 

Try to give data from the interview and before using those words to back them up. So why couldn’t a non-smiley, introvert and arrogant person add value to the team? Back up your opinion in a correct way. 

Also, the term “culture fit” can lead to several misconceptions. A lack of diversity is the biggest drawback of hiring for cultural fit. If like-minded people are hiring folks who are similar to them, it’s not likely the organization is diversifying its workforce. We prefer to use the term “culture add” instead.

A culture add is someone who brings diverse experiences, perspectives, and ideas to the workplace. A culture add is someone who enhances the company culture, a missing piece that changes the picture. A culture add models desired behaviors and values while empowering growth.

Experienced interviewers know what they want to learn about a candidate before the interview and they make sure they use the interview to provide them with the facts they need to write a comprehensive evaluation. Thinking about the evaluation before the interview is the best way to figure out what you want to discuss in the interview itself.

Step 6: The executive interview

This is the last interview of the process. The department Head will make the final call for the candidate. If you’ve done a good job selecting and evaluating candidates, the executive interviewer should know what areas are unclear or potentially problematic so they can focus more of their attention there and make a decision.

Step 7: Reference calls

The reference call is done by the Recruiter to two cases. The first is for roles that are [grade X] and above. The second is to anyone for whom we have slight doubts personality wise.

1. We only make reference calls for people we intend to hire as a last step before the offer letter. A reference call reveals that the candidate is looking for a job to a third person so we should never do this earlier in the process. The guiding principle here is that you should be prepared to make an offer tomorrow if the reference turns out positive.
2. Ask the candidate to provide contact information for their suggested references. Make a note of the candidate’s relationship to their reference. Were they reporting to this person? Were they peers? Is it some other senior member of their previous organization?
3. References will rarely be negative about the candidate. The way to get to the truth is by asking indirect but specific questions. Instead of “which are the candidate’s weaknesses”, ask “how can I get the most about this person?”, “how do you advise me to manage this person?” or “what should I know or avoid?”. This line of questioning is usually more revealing.
4. Sometimes the best references are ones the candidate didn’t offer. If you know someone you trust who knows the candidate this is the best way to learn about them. There is nothing unethical about back-references if done correctly. As with normal references we only do them at the end of the process when we know we want to hire that person. We don’t do back-references with the candidate’s current employer under any circumstances. We do them only with people we know and trust to be discreet. The general principle here is that we don’t want to reveal the fact that the candidate is looking for a job to anyone we can’t trust to keep it confidential.

Step 8: The Offer Letter

[Customize this to meet the standards and flow of approvals of your organization]

When the Hiring Team agrees on the ideal candidate and decides to move on to an offer, the following steps should be followed.

The VP mails to the Recruiter and SVP or C-level Executive the offer details, which include:

1. Candidate Name:
2. Position title:
3. Grade:
4. Salary:
5. Bonus:
6. Starting Date:
7. Team:
8. Reports to:

Process

1. The SVP or C-level Executive approves by replying back.
2. The Recruiter prepares the approved offer letter and shares it with their manager for final approval.
3. The Recruiter sends the email with the offer letter to the candidate while on phone with them and cc’s the Hiring Manager/VP.

As soon as the candidate accepts then HR takes over for the pre-boarding process.

Happy Hiring!

The post Hiring guide template: guidelines for hiring managers appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Dive in and start building the perfect blueprint tailored to your unique challenges – your future star performers will thank you.

Related: Build a high-performing sales team: your comprehensive guide

Let’s start with common sales team organization structures and org charts for each:

1. Functional sales team structure

A software company has a sales team that is divided into three main functions: lead generation, account executives, and customer success.

The lead generation team is responsible for finding and qualifying potential customers, the account executives are responsible for closing deals, and the customer success team is responsible for onboarding and retaining customers.

2. Geographic sales team structure

A multinational pharmaceutical company has divided its sales team based on geographic regions: North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America.

Each regional team is responsible for all sales activities within its assigned region, allowing them to cater to the specific needs and regulations of their respective markets.

3. Market-based sales team structure

A financial services company has different sales teams for each of its market segments: individual investors, small businesses, and institutional clients.

Each team understands the unique needs and challenges of its specific market segment.

4. Product sales team structure

A large tech company with multiple product lines, such as laptops, smartphones, and software services, has separate sales teams for each product line.

Each team specializes in understanding and selling its specific product.

5. Hybrid sales team structure

A large consumer goods company uses a hybrid structure. It has a geographic structure for its field sales team, with different teams responsible for different regions.

It also has a product-based structure for its inside sales team, with different teams specializing in different product categories.

6. Account-based sales team structure

A B2B software company that sells high-value enterprise solutions has an account-based sales structure.

Each sales team is assigned a set of key accounts that they are responsible for managing and growing.

7. Channel sales team structure

A manufacturing company sells its products through a network of distributors and retailers.

It has a channel sales team that is responsible for managing these partner relationships, providing them with product training, and supporting their sales efforts.

8. Customer success sales team structure

A SaaS company has a sales team that focuses on acquiring new customers and a customer success team that focuses on retaining and growing existing accounts.

The sales team works on bringing in new business, while the customer success team ensures that existing customers are satisfied and identifies opportunities for upselling or cross-selling.

Different team building plans to think about

Regardless of which organizational structure you follow above, there will be different scenarios for you to consider when building your sales team. Some of these are longer-term, others are quick and nearly off-the-cuff.

Related: Build a sales team with ChatGPT – with prompt examples

Let’s start with a potential scenario, variables to consider, and what the sales team organizational structure might include for each of these. Consider bundling one or more of the following scenarios into your overall sales team structure to align your sales system with overall business strategies.

Scenario 1: you are just getting started

Variables:

• Limited resources
• Small customer base
• Need to establish market presence

Organizational structure:

• Startup sales lead: Multi-tasker who handles account management and some admin tasks
• Generalist sales reps: Team members who handle everything from lead generation to closing deals
• Customer success associate: Focuses on onboarding and retaining the initial customer base

Scenario 2: you have landed a new funding round and you’re looking to grow

Variables:

• Sudden influx of resources
• Aggressive expansion plans
• High growth targets.

Organizational structure:

• Growth manager: Specializes in scaling businesses and managing large teams
• Recruitment specialist: Fast-tracks hiring of new team members
• Sales reps by tier: Separated into junior and senior reps, each focusing on different customer segments
• Sales analyst: Uses data analytics to optimize sales strategies

Scenario 3: you’ve got a new product in place and you’re looking to push it

Variables:

• Newly launched product
• Need for market adoption
• Focus on product-specific sales

Organizational structure:

• Product sales manager: Specializes in the new product and its market positioning
• Product evangelists: Focus on storytelling and explaining the product’s USP
• Cross-selling sales reps: Leveraging existing customer base to introduce the new product
• Technical support: On-call for product-specific inquiries and demonstrations

Scenario 4: you’re facing high attrition rates

Variables:

• High turnover
• Low morale
• Dissatisfied employees

Organizational structure:

• Team lead: Responsible for morale and personal development
• Retention specialist: Focused on employee engagement
• Sales reps: Generalists with rotation across different accounts to prevent burnout

Scenario 5: you’re transitioning to remote work

Variables:

• Remote work
• Need for smoother communication
• Need for streamlined coordination

Organizational structure:

• Remote team manager: Oversees remote operations
• Communication liaison: Ensures effective communication and project tracking
• Sales reps: Allocated to regions/time zones for customer convenience

Scenario 6: you’re entering a new market

Variables:

• Unknown market dynamics and consumer behavior

Organizational structure:

• Market specialist: Expert in the new market’s nuances
• Cultural advisor: Provides cultural training and guidance
• Localized sales reps: Hired from the local market for authentic engagement

Scenario 7: you have a seasonal business

Variables:

• Fluctuating sales depending on the season or time of year

Organizational structure:

• Seasonal team lead: Oversees seasonal hires and operations
• Stock analyst: Focuses on inventory and demand prediction
• Temporary sales reps: Hired for peak season, focus on short-term goals

Scenario 8: you’re facing stiff competition

Variables:

• Increased competition affecting sales and market share
• Sudden ascent of a new presence in the marketplace

Organizational structure:

• Strategy lead: Focuses on competitive tactics and market analysis
• Product evangelist: Specializes in the USP and brand storytelling
• Sales reps: Special training in negotiation and advanced selling techniques

Time to start building

Building a sales team isn’t a one-size-fits-all endeavor. Depending on your company’s unique circumstances, goals, and challenges, your organizational structure should adapt and evolve.

Whether you’re just breaking ground, scaling rapidly with new funding, launching a product, or grappling with issues like high attrition and remote work, the right setup can be a game-changer. It aligns your resources and focuses your efforts, serving as the backbone of your sales strategy.

Remember, an effective sales team is not just about the number of people but about putting the right people in the right roles. These eight scenarios offer a versatile blueprint for assembling a sales team that’s not just built for the present, but also adaptable for the future.

The post 8 sales team structure models – plus scenarios to build them out appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Introduction

The past few years have been nothing short of a roller coaster – this much is true. 2020 was just the beginning.

Since then, we’ve dealt with a seemingly endless pandemic, ongoing political and social upheavals nationally and internationally, the departure of the UK from the EU via the much-maligned Brexit movement, and the biggest invasion of a European country since the Second World War.

That’s not all. There’s also the rise of artificial intelligence as a disruptive and assistive tool in day-to-day work for many and, finally, what feels like an externally impending recession charged with layoffs, restructurings, and considerable dissonance.

It’s all a bit much, is it?

And it impacts the workplace over time. If you asked people five years ago what they want in a job, those answers would be just insanely different from what the answers would be today.

In fact, if you asked workers in 2021 what they want in a job – that would still be different from today, even though it’s barely two years later. Such is how much things have changed in a short time.

To save you the trouble of finding out for yourself, we surveyed 500 UK-based workers in 2021 to gather insights. We did it again in 2023 to continue to understand the changing preferences, aspirations, and values of employees over the last two years.

And now, we have results for you – summed up in four key highlights for hiring teams looking to fill positions right away.

1. Clarity and comp are clear

UK workers really want their roles and responsibilities to be clearer – and that’s growing in importance from 2021. Comp is huge, too.

This reflects an increasing need for straightforward job descriptions and clear expectations of roles. But let’s not overlook the obvious elephant in the room – that being compensation.

Amid economic wackiness and global weirdness, a well-defined role serves as an anchor, whilst a generous salary package acts as a powerful magnet. And remember, compensation isn’t just numbers on a payslip; it’s a tangible marker of an employee’s worth, competencies, and contributions to your business.

As an employer, sit up and take note. Structure your comp packages to align not only with industry benchmarks but also cost of living. This is not a nicety; it’s a necessity for retaining your staff in the long term.

2. Flexy isn’t just sexy; it’s normal

While flexible work options surged during the pandemic, it is now balancing out to a new normal – and it’s becoming more of a permanent option for many employers.

It’s ultimately about personal autonomy and bolstered agency – and a rejuvenated work-life equilibrium. These aren’t just buzzwords anymore; they’re now evolving norms in the workplaces of the UK.

Consider this a baseline expectation along with compensation and clarity among UK professionals. It’s now another element of the industrial yardstick that candidates will measure your company by.

3. The benefits of flex have crystallized

Employees love that they get time and money back from not having to commute – and they feel more productive at work too.

What does that mean? It means that with practice and experience, workers now know what’s so great about having that flexible option in the workplace. Two years ago, some of the benefits were clear – but now, they’ve really crystallized.

For one, the elimination of the daily grind to and from work results in palpable savings in both time and money. Workers are also more productive and happier – it’s a win-win for your employees and for your business.

4. Connect at the core

When considering new employment opportunities, company leadership & culture and relationships with colleagues have grown significantly in importance. Gone are the days when job seekers were solely transfixed on roles and compensation.

In the UK worker mindset, it’s now not just a role – it’s a sense of belonging, a sense of purpose, a sense of ‘us’.

Evolve your employer value proposition

This is your blueprint – your roadmap – for fostering an internal ecosystem where teams are not just productive but deeply engaged. Adopt it, and you’ll find that you’re not just constructing a workforce; you’re building a robust and resilient community.

Want to learn more? Read the full report for yourself!

The post The Great Discontent survey: what do UK workers want now? appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Introduction

The past few years have been nothing short of a roller coaster – this much is true.

2020 was just the beginning. We dealt with the pandemic, political and social upheavals, increased focus on mental health and work flexibility at that time.

Now, we’re seeing the biggest invasion of a European country since the Second World War, the rise of artificial intelligence as a major tool in day-to-day work, and what feels like an externally impending recession charged with layoffs, restructurings, and considerable dissonance.

It’s wild times and it continues to be wild times. And it all impacts the modern worker’s mindset as well. Worker priorities are shifting and changing as we speak, and – we think – they have not yet stabilized into a new kind of normalcy.

So, it’s pertinent for employers – in other words, you – to understand the evolving preferences and motivations of the workforce in the United States. You want to continue to connect with new candidates and retain existing employees – and keep them motivated to do well.

So how do you do that? Well, why not ask the workers themselves?

We took care of that for you. We surveyed 750 US-based workers in 2021 to gather insights. We did it again in 2023 to continue to understand the changing preferences, aspirations, and values of employees over the last two years.

And now, we have results. You can have a look at the full report itself, and in the meantime, we’ll present these top four highlights from what’s amounted to be a fascinating study into the modern worker’s brain.

1. Stability is paramount – so is compensation

Our data shows a clear trend towards full-time employment, indicating that individuals are seeking stability and security in their work amidst economic uncertainties – and money is a huge part of that.

The message is loud and clear: in times of economic unpredictability, a secure job is an absolute beacon and a lighthouse in the turbulent waters. But it’s not just about job security; it’s also about fair pay. Paychecks aren’t just paychecks – compensation is a reflection of an employee’s value, skill set, and overall contribution to the company.

As an employer, this is huge. Tailor your comp packages to reflect not just local market rates but also costs of living. It’s a key ticket in keeping your employees around for the long haul.

2. Flexy isn’t just sexy; it’s normal

While flexible work options surged during the pandemic, it is now balancing out to a new normal – and it’s becoming more of a permanent option for many employers.

This isn’t just about where and when workers settle in for their day-to-day. It’s about increased autonomy, personal agency, and a healthier work-life balance (and even integration).

This is now an expectation among workers going forward. It’s a new industrial standard.

3. The benefits of flex have crystallized

Employees love that they get time and money back from not having to commute – and they really like that they can integrate their personal and professional lives.

It’s not about working in your bathrobe or being able to start your day while eating breakfast. There are many other very real benefits: time and cost savings and enhanced productivity among them.

It’s a wi-win situation – your employees are happier and less stressed, and you get greater output and a more harmonious working environment making your workplace more attractive to potential new applicants.

4. Connect at the core

When considering new employment opportunities, company culture and relationships with colleagues have grown significantly in importance.

It’s not just about a job – it’s about who you’re working with – and who you’re working for.

A deeper connection to your company’s core values and to each other – this ultimately fortifies your very foundations as a business and makes you stronger together.

Evolve your employer value proposition

Think of this as a blueprint or compass for how you can reconnect with your workers and candidates during these times. You want an ecosystem of engaged and productive teams – this can help you get there.

Want to learn more? Read the full report for yourself!

The post Key insights in Workable’s Great Discontent US survey appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

What is a drug and alcohol policy?

The drug & alcohol policy is designed to promote a safe, healthy, and productive workplace by addressing the potential challenges and risks associated with drug and alcohol use. 

Substance misuse can lead to decreased productivity, increased workplace accidents, and compromised decision-making. 

A drug & alcohol policy should include:

• Scope of the policy defining who the policy applies to and under what circumstances
• Prohibited behaviors outlining specific actions that are not allowed, such as the use or possession of illegal drugs at work
• Support and rehabilitation assistance to employees who self-disclose or are identified as having substance misuse issues
• Consequences of violation detailing the disciplinary actions that will be taken if the policy is breached

Why is it important to have a drug & alcohol policy for your organization?

Substance misuse can lead to impaired judgment, increased risk of accidents, and decreased efficiency. 

By setting clear guidelines, the organization can mitigate these risks, uphold its duty of care towards its employees, and maintain its reputation. 

Furthermore, a well-defined policy provides a framework for supporting employees facing substance misuse challenges, emphasizing the organization’s commitment to employee well-being.

Step-by-step instructions to write a drug & alcohol policy

1. Research legal requirements: Understand the legal implications related to drug and alcohol use in the workplace, considering both national and local regulations.
2. Consult with stakeholders: Engage with department heads, legal teams, and employee representatives to gather insights and ensure the policy is comprehensive.
3. Draft the policy: Start with the scope, defining who it applies to. Detail prohibited behaviors, such as the consumption of alcohol during work hours or the use of illegal drugs. Use real-life examples, like “Employees are prohibited from consuming alcohol during lunch breaks.”
4. Incorporate support mechanisms: Outline procedures for employees to seek help, such as counseling or rehabilitation programs.
5. Define consequences: Clearly state the disciplinary actions for violations, using examples like “Possession of illegal drugs on company premises will lead to immediate termination.”
6. Review and feedback: Circulate the draft among a select group for feedback, ensuring clarity and comprehensiveness.
7. Finalize and implement: After incorporating feedback, finalize the policy and communicate it to all employees.

Drug & alcohol policy template

[Organization Name]

Drug & Alcohol Policy

1. Purpose & Brief

This policy aims to ensure a safe, healthy, and productive work environment by addressing the use and misuse of drugs and alcohol within [Organization Name].

2. Scope

This policy applies to all employees, contractors, and visitors of [Organization Name].

3. Prohibited behaviors

Consumption of alcohol during work hours, including lunch breaks.

Use or possession of illegal drugs on company premises.

Reporting to work under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

4. Support and rehabilitation

Employees struggling with substance misuse are encouraged to seek help. [Organization Name] offers counseling and support programs to assist in recovery.

5. Consequences of violation

Violations of this policy, such as possession of illegal drugs, will result in disciplinary actions, up to and including termination.

6. Reporting

Employees are encouraged to report any suspected violations to their supervisors or the HR department.

7. Review

This policy will be reviewed annually to ensure its continued relevance and effectiveness.

Signature:

[Employee Name] ________________________ Date: ____________

Disclaimer: This policy template is meant to provide general guidelines and should be used as a reference. It may not take into account all relevant local, state or federal laws and is not a legal document. Neither the author nor Workable will assume any legal liability that may arise from the use of this policy.

The post Drug and alcohol policy template appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

But as with all things Musk, the move is not without its critics and skeptics. Let’s delve deeper into this development.

What is X hiring?

X’s latest offering, the “X Hiring Beta,” is not just another job-hiring tool. It’s a statement. By introducing this job-listing feature, X has opened its doors to verified organizations, allowing them to post job listings directly on their profiles.

The intent is clear: to help these companies find the most relevant candidates for their roles.

But this feature comes with a not-so-humble price tag.

A hefty monthly fee of $1,000 is required to access the job-hiring tool on X. While this might seem steep, it’s evident that X is targeting a premium segment of the market, perhaps aiming to offer a more curated experience than its competitors.

Currently, while everyone can see job ads, only US-verified organizations can post jobs.

Eager to see the first job ad? Click on the following tweet:

Meet our new job card, how you'll start to discover new jobs directly on @X.

Available today on web and iOS.https://t.co/60oWBzvOht

— Hiring (@XHiring) September 7, 2023

The bigger picture: X as an ‘everything app’

The introduction of the hiring feature is just a piece of a much larger puzzle. Since Musk’s takeover, X has undergone a series of modifications, each pointing towards a grander vision: transforming X into an “everything app.”

Drawing parallels with giants like WeChat, X’s ambition is to create a platform that goes beyond mere social networking.

Whether it’s payments, news, or video content, Musk envisions a future where X is the go-to app for a myriad of services.

This strategy is not without precedent. Platforms like WeChat have successfully integrated various services, from payments to bookings, all under one digital roof. But can X replicate this success, especially in markets outside of China where the “everything app” concept is still nascent?

Who's ready to start seeing jobs in all the places? pic.twitter.com/nrvedZL9PZ

— Hiring (@XHiring) September 1, 2023

Why the move into the hiring industry?

Musk’s foray into the hiring domain might seem sudden, but it’s a calculated move. With platforms like LinkedIn dominating the professional networking space, there’s a potential gap that Musk believes X can fill.

As a social medium with 450 millions active users, it could be the first stop for future candidates to search for a new job. Facebook tried this before but without much success. Musk believes he can do it better.

Moreover, with more than 118 million companies using X, almost double the number of companies using Linkedin (which has 61 million), there is a huge market to leverage, especially if he charges less.

If the above is not enough, his recent comments, where he labeled LinkedIn as “cringe,” highlight his desire to offer something different, something “cool” but only for a special audience until now.

Tweet of Elon Mask’s “cringe” statement:

People send me LinkedIn links sometimes, but the cringe level is so high that I just can’t bring myself to use it, so I ask for the resume or bio to be emailed.

We will make sure that the X competitor to LinkedIn is cool.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 27, 2023

But why the hiring industry? For X, it’s a strategic move. The platform has seen its ups and downs, with fluctuating user engagement and advertisers coming and going.

By introducing a premium hiring feature, X not only diversifies its offerings but also provides a fresh incentive for advertisers to return.

Potential development and challenges

While the vision is grand, the road ahead is fraught with challenges.

Currently, the “X Hiring” feature is in its beta phase. It’s still in its infancy, with many features yet to be rolled out.

As it stands – for now, at least – the tool is a far cry from being a comprehensive LinkedIn competitor.

However, Musk is no stranger to challenges. His ventures, from Tesla to SpaceX, have often faced skepticism, only to prove critics wrong.

With X, the approach seems to be similar. Despite the initial limitations of the hiring feature, there’s a method to Musk’s brain. Industry watchers might be skeptical, but if history is any indication, Musk’s unusual strategies often pay off.

And this is perhaps due to Musk’s strategy that can be identified by recurring themes in three key aspects: the alignment of his vision with the problems he aims to address, the organizational structure he adopts to tackle these problems, and his exceptional ability to mobilize resources towards achieving these solutions.

Yet, the exclusivity of the feature raises eyebrows. By catering only to verified organizations and sidelining smaller businesses or startups, X risks alienating a significant user base.

Furthermore, the high monthly fee might deter many organizations from adopting the feature, especially when platforms like LinkedIn offer a free base layer.

Is X Hiring a good option for your organization?

The exclusivity of the feature, both in terms of its target audience and its pricing, make it a difficult decision to make.

On one hand, it ensures a premium experience for users. On the other, it risks creating a walled garden, accessible only to the elite.

Comparing it with LinkedIn’s model, which offers a free base layer for all registered users, X’s approach seems restrictive. While LinkedIn does have its premium tiers, the barrier to entry is significantly lower there.

Based on our research among the top companies in the world, which are verified organizations on X, no one is currently using this feature as of the time of writing this article. Is it because it is a beta feature? Or does it require more communication?

With the backing of Elon Musk and his grand vision of an “everything app,” the potential is immense. However, the journey is just beginning, and the road ahead is filled with challenges.

As with all things Musk, the world will be watching closely. Will X redefine professional networking? Only time will tell.

But one thing is certain: in the world of tech, change is the only constant, and X is determined to be a significant part of that change.

Tip: If you decide to take the next step and start using X Hiring, you can still link it back to your favorite hiring software, as X at the moment is giving the opportunity to redirect candidates to your preferred career page.

The post Elon Musk’s X enters the hiring arena: what you should know appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Is returning to the office a good option after a long period of remote working? For the higher-ups, maybe it is. But what about the employees?

While our recent data from the Great Discontent in 2023 shows a decline in remote work among US-based workers, down 17 points from 58% in 2021, 46.1% of remote workers have been doing so for more than two years, and it’s increasingly difficult for them to change back.

It’s about time to delve into the various facets of returning to the office, from understanding what it means to the pros and cons, and even the small details of making the transition smooth for everyone.

What is Return To Office, a.k.a. RTO?

Beyond the obvious interpretation, RTO is about rethinking how we work. The models vary – full-time in the office, a hybrid approach, or a remote-first strategy. The one-size-fits-all approach is long gone, and it’s time to tailor your strategy to fit your team’s needs, unless you’re President Biden, who is urging federal workers to return to the office starting this fall.

Understanding the nuances of these models is crucial. A full-time return might work for some roles but could be disastrous for others.

A hybrid model offers flexibility but requires robust management to ensure productivity.

Remote-first is the most flexible but could lead to feelings of isolation among team members – especially newer ones.

Each model has its pros and cons, and it’s your job to find the best fit.

Will people return to the office now?

Quick answer is no. Obviously.

According to ResumeBuilder, 90% of companies are expected to return to the office by the end of 2024. That’s a significant number, but it doesn’t tell the whole story.

PromoLeaf’s data indicates that 35% of Americans capable of full remote work are choosing that route. So, what’s the output? The answer lies in a blend of employee preferences, company policies and, of course, the ongoing pandemic.

It’s a complex cocktail that requires a nuanced approach. Some employees are eager to return for the social interaction and structured environment, while others have found that they’re more productive at home.

Company policies also play a significant role. Some organizations are adopting a “remote-first” policy, while others are insisting on a full return to in-person work.

The ongoing pandemic adds another layer of complexity, with fluctuating infection rates and varying comfort levels about in-person interactions.

Bring people back to the office

There’s a strong case for bringing people back to the office. Collaboration, team-building, and those invaluable water-cooler conversations between employees are hard to replicate online.

Moreover, 72% of companies say that returning to the office (RTO) has improved revenue.

As a result, returning to the office can benefit both sides.

We know working from home can be a savior when it comes to avoiding huge traffic and saving time – making for a better work life balance according to nearly two-thirds of all respondents in the Great Discontent survey.

But what about your privacy at home? The majority of companies are tracking employees to ensure they are actually working.

However, it’s essential to approach this with sensitivity. The tracking of employees, for instance, can be a double-edged sword.

While it ensures that people are working, it can also create a culture of surveillance if not handled correctly. Transparency about why and how tracking is done can alleviate some of these concerns.

Also, working from home can blur the lines between the estimated time of working and the actual one. Returning to the office (RTO) can standardize working hours and offer a more solid work-life balance.

A recent study shows that more than half (54%) have worked from their bed, and 76% work in pajamas at least one day a week. Nearly one in five (19%) have even worked from the toilet! While it may seem humorous, these stats reveal the blurred lines between work and personal life in a remote setting.

Related: WFH vs. RTO: what really works for your business

Culture of fear doesn’t help anyone

On the flip side, there are valid concerns about rushing back to the office. Employee well-being, work-life balance, and even productivity can take a hit.

A startling 28% of companies are willing to fire employees who don’t comply with RTO policies.

This hardline approach can create a culture of fear and resentment, which is the last thing any of us want.

Moreover, the threat of termination for non-compliance can lead to a toxic work environment. It can cause stress and anxiety among employees, which is counterproductive.

A more empathetic approach that takes into account individual circumstances and needs can go a long way in making the transition smoother. So, how prepared are you to persuade your employees to return back to the office?

How to prepare employees for RTO?

Communication is key when announcing a return to the office. Whether it’s through company-wide meetings, detailed emails, or one-on-ones, clarity is crucial.

A phased approach that allows for flexibility can make the transition smoother.

A return-to-work meeting is a great opportunity to set expectations and address concerns. Key points to cover include safety measures, new office policies, and support systems for employees.

An agenda, a Q&A session, and a follow-up can ensure that everyone is on the same page.

The meeting should be more than just a one-way flow of information. Encourage questions and discussions. This is a significant change for everyone, and people will have concerns and suggestions. Listening to these can provide valuable insights and also make the employees feel valued and heard.

Remember, you’re not just relaying information; you’re setting the tone for the company’s next chapter.

Make the transition smoother

Incentives can go a long way in easing the transition back to the office. According to PromoLeaf, 91% of remote workers think employers should do more to show appreciation.

Whether it’s a revamped break room, flexible hours, or even a small stipend for commuting, little things can make a big difference. Addressing concerns and fears openly can also help in making the transition smoother.

It’s also essential to recognize and validate the concerns that employees may have about returning.

Some may be worried about health and safety, while others may have childcare concerns.

Addressing these issues openly and providing solutions can go a long way in easing the transition.

Flexy is the new normal

As the pandemic has progressed, the initial surge in flexible work options has now settled into a new normal, with many employers considering it as a permanent option.

According to our report, the Great Discontent 2.0, the second most influential factor that would lead someone to consider changing their job is flexibility.

Consequently, It is crucial for employers to allow their teams to have flexibility in their work arrangements, taking into account personal reasons such as family and health priorities.

This may involve offering remote work opportunities, flexible hours, convenient commuting options, accessibility measures, or increased support for family and health-related matters.

Coming back to the office is a complex matter that requires collective decision-making and open dialogue.

It should not be imposed on employees, but rather seen as an opportunity to explore new hybrid work models that align with their preferences.

Instead of creating a hostile environment, let’s use this as a chance to develop incentives that will facilitate a smooth transition for everyone.

Be proactive, be empathetic, and be flexible.

The post Return to office strategy: can RTO harm your business? appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

The executive embodies the visionary, the manager, and the technical specialist – the three personalities that are needed for a business to succeed.

They’re central to the functioning and future success of your business. Executives are hired and fired based on the revenue they bring to the organization.

That’s why when a new executive joins your core leadership team – be it a CMO, a CFO, or a COO – effective executive onboarding is a must-have strategic necessity, even more so than normal onboarding.

Related: CEO vs. COO: What’s the difference? and CEO vs. CFO: What’s the difference?

Traditional onboarding methods often miss the mark when it comes to getting new executives up to speed. They’re time-consuming. They’re tedious. They lack a personal touch. They’re inefficient.

Here, ChatGPT can be a transformative tool for modernizing your executive onboarding and positioning your business for future success.

Let’s dive into how a ChatGPT-guided executive onboarding process differs from traditional methods, and offer a step-by-step guide on how you can use ChatGPT in your executive onboarding plan.

Traditional vs. ChatGPT-enabled executive onboarding

ChatGPT and AI tools have their own limitations, but their benefits far surpass those of more traditional methods of onboarding.

With ChatGPT’s help, executives can frame their decisions, explore possibilities, and think of alternatives they may have missed otherwise. A recent article by Harvard Business Review explored how ChatGPT can help executives make better decisions.

Forward-thinking executives and business leaders embrace new ways of doing things and then adapt them if they improve on the old methods.

An onboarding plan made with ChatGPT improves on more conventional onboarding methods in several ways:

1. Increased efficiency

ChatGPT can streamline your executive onboarding plan and free up valuable time for your HR team.

Traditional onboarding involves a mountain of paperwork and often grueling manual effort, a waste of your HR team’s resources.
The traditional method is also much more prone to human error and subjective bias.

2. Personalization

ChatGPT can create a personalized onboarding experience tailored to each executive’s needs and role – like a personalized concierge or onboarding assistant you only have to pay $20 a month.

In contrast, traditional onboarding fits all of your new executives in a box. It gives your bright and promising new executive talent a more generic and less engaging experience.

3. Scalability

Using ChatGPT for executive onboarding is much more scalable, and is easy to implement whether you’re onboarding one executive or 10.

Having multiple executives join the team at the same time – such as what might happen if your business is in a more advanced stage of growth – just isn’t something that traditional onboarding methods can deal with very well. It can make it hard to give all of them the individual guidance and attention they need. That’s a one-way ticket to stretching your HR team thin.

How to use ChatGPT for executive onboarding

When a new executive takes the helm, they need to get brought up to speed fast and learn everything they need to know about what’s what, who’s who, and how things get done.

This is a problem with slower and less efficient traditional onboarding methods, which can often leave gaps that make the new executives have to take shots in the dark. A 2020 workplace learning report from LinkedIn showed that 49% of learners don’t have time to learn at work.

Let’s look at some of the ways you can use ChatGPT to expedite this process and bring your new leadership into the fold.

1. Drafting an offer letter

The offer letter is usually the first official document your new executive receives from your company. It sets the tone of their entire experience working together with you, be it months, years, or decades.

This isn’t a problem with ChatGPT, which can automate the drafting process and create a customized offer letter that aligns with your company’s policies and the specific role they’ll be entering into.

Example prompt: “Please generate an offer letter for a Chief Marketing Officer with a starting salary of $200,000.”

Note that you may have to input a few specific, necessary details, like the position, salary, and benefits. Give ChatGPT that input, and let it take care of the rest.

Example prompt: “Please generate an offer letter for a Chief Marketing Officer with a starting salary of $200,000, including the following benefits: comprehensive health insurance, 401(k) with 5% company match, 20% performance bonus, stock options, 25 vacation days, $5,000 for professional development, $10,000 for relocation, and $100 monthly for wellness.”

2. Creating a mentorship program

Mentorship isn’t just for entry-level rank-and-file employees.

New executives might need a mentor who’s been with the team for longer when they’re first starting – at least while they’re finding their feet and learning the lay of the land.

Where ChatGPT can be an asset in this regard is in creating your mentorship program, in such a way that provides the new executive with guidance, resources, and support they’ll need to succeed in their new position.

Example prompt: ”Suggest a mentorship program outline for a new Chief Technology Officer.”

3. Training executives on leadership

Leadership training equips your new executives with the skills and knowledge they need to lead your team effectively and further your company’s strategic goals.

ChatGPT can create personalized leadership training programs after analyzing the executive’s role, career goals, and the company’s strategic objectives.

That way, the leadership training stays relevant but also directly aligned with your company’s business objectives.

Example prompt: “Create a 90-day leadership training plan for a new CFO, whose career goals include streamlining financial operations and leading an IPO. The company aims to achieve 20% YoY revenue growth, expand into new international markets, and reduce its carbon footprint.”

You can also give them additional resources and pathways for further learning while you’re at it.

Example prompt: “What are some leadership books and resources suitable for this new position?”

4. Create a strategic alignment plan

Your strategic alignment is the compass that your new executive uses to make sure the ship is on course and headed in the right direction.

Give ChatGPT data like the executive’s role, career goals, and the company’s strategic objectives, and it can make a comprehensive strategic alignment plan that outlines how the executive can help the company achieve those goals.

Example prompt: “Draft a strategic alignment plan for a new Vice President of Sales whose responsibilities include overseeing the sales team, setting quarterly targets, and building client relationships. The company aims to increase market share by 15%, launch two new products, and improve customer satisfaction rates.”

You can also give them some KPIs to use as benchmarks for their success. A prompt you can follow up with may be:

Example prompt: “List key performance indicators for this position.”

5. Building networks

If you want to build a million-dollar business, you need to shake 10 million hands.

In the realms of entrepreneurship in business, who you know is often more important than what you know. Networking is key for savvy executives who want to build professional connections – both in and out of your organization – that add value to the team.

Here, ChatGPT can be useful for:

Internal networking

Identifying key departments and teams that the executive can connect with.

Example prompt: “List internal teams that a new General Manager should meet in the first month at a SaaS company focused on HR solutions.”

External networking

Web-enabled ChatGPT-4 (using plugins such as VoxScript and Wolfram) can recommend industry events and conferences where the executive can meet potential partners or clients.

Example prompt: “Suggest networking events for a new Chief Human Resources Officer.”

6. Performance tracking

After a few months have gone by, at some point it’ll be time to sit down with the new executive and have a chat about how things are going.

You, the executive, and maybe one or two other members of the leadership team will sit down together at a conference table or a Zoom call to measure the executive’s success against the KPIs outlined in previous stages of the executive onboarding process.

You can use ChatGPT to simplify this process by making your generating performance review templates for the new executive’s role.

Let’s say you need a list of customized KPIs. You could have ChatGPT generate the list of KPIs for you based on the executive’s role and the company’s objectives.

Example prompt: “Generate KPIs for a Chief Financial Officer focused on cost reduction and revenue growth.”

Then, once you have those KPIs, you can use them to track the executive’s performance during their quarterly review.

Example prompt: “Create a performance review template for a new Chief Financial Officer.”

7. Compliance and legal training

Ambition, vision, and motivation are all well and good. However, they need to be kept in check by a strong integrity so that the company stays on the right side of the law, and stays committed to doing the right thing.

The consequences of violating industry violations and upholding contractual obligations can be severe – even brutal – but what kind of executive has the time to sift through piles of legal documents?

ChatGPT can create your compliance checklists and review legal documents for your executive. The executive can then use these briefs to make sure your organization is legally compliant.

In the long run, this can save the executive much of their valuable time, and minimize the likelihood of causing expensive legal errors.

Example prompt: “Create a compliance checklist for a new executive in the healthcare industry.”

ChatGPT can also give you advice on legal documents to review before the new executive starts their new role, based on their industry.

It’s important to know though that ChatGPT is not a legal expert, and only serves as a place to start. You’ll want to have any templates it creates reviewed by professional legal counsel to ensure it’s accurate and in line with your industry’s regulations.

Example prompt: “Generate a list of legal documents a new executive in a fintech startup needs to review.”

Use ChatGPT to get your best and brightest up to speed

Integrating ChatGPT into your executive onboarding process can address the limitations of traditional onboarding methods. It just doesn’t help you onboard new executives faster, it helps you do it smarter, more effectively, and more strategically.

Build ChatGPT into your onboarding plan for executives together with Workable’s onboarding tools, and create a bigger, brighter, better leadership team.

For more ways you can use ChatGPT in your HR processes, check out our series of ChatGPT tutorials.

The post ChatGPT for executive onboarding: hiring the big shots appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Return-to-office orders look like a way for elite, work-obsessed CEOs to grab power back from employees!

It’s a battle of headlines, none of which are grounded in reality. First of all, only 12% of employees work exclusively from home, so 47% of 12% is a measly 5.6%, and the survey actually found they would start looking for a new job, not up and quit.

But somehow, “5.6% of employees say they will start looking for a new job if they have to return to the office!” doesn’t get all those juicy hits that headline writers crave.

The article from the second headline does not support the headline at all. Yes, CEOs are generally more work-obsessed than the average person, which is how they got to be CEOs in the first place. You don’t get the top job at a blue-chip company by working 37.5 hours per week. Is it possible that this isn’t a power grab but a foundation in reality?

We know, for instance, that remote school was in large part a disaster. Children did not learn well, and test scores dropped. Plus, children preferred to be in school. Perhaps these “elite, work-obsessed CEOs” simply understand something that the average employee does not.

Related: The effects of ‘long remote’: how remote’s changed since 2020

But wait! Working from home can increase worker productivity by 77%!

OK, wait: the actual survey didn’t show that: it showed that 77% of people who worked from home reported being more productive.

How about the study that did an actual randomized control that found a 13% increase in productivity? Of course, that was one Chinese company, and the study took place over a nine-month period.

And, of course, other studies show that 2023 productivity is down, and those evil (ahem, elite work-obsessed) CEOs blame remote work.

There is no clear answer

All of this shows there is no way to make a blanket statement that remote work is good and in-person work is bad.

And what about hybrid work?

Related: The in-person vs. remote shuffle – what’s next? Hybrid!

As someone who has worked in person, remote, and hybrid, I strongly prefer hybrid. (I work from home exclusively, so I’m not saying that in hopes of getting to work from home a few days per week. Rather, I’d love to have an office to go to.)

What you have to do is right for your own business. And that will vary from company to company and perhaps even department to department. Here are some tips to help you figure out what works best for you.

Elon Musk got everyone’s knickers twisted when he demanded that Tesla employees return to the office.

He said:

“Anyone who wishes to do remote work must be in the office for a minimum (and I mean *minimum*) of 40 hours per week or depart Tesla. This is less than we ask of factory workers.“

Elon to Tesla team: no more remote work pic.twitter.com/aSmZAAOm7G

— Whole Mars Catalog (@WholeMarsBlog) June 1, 2022

Tesla’s primary business is making cars. That means all the staff ultimately support the factory workers, who must be onsite.

If your business is retail, hospitality, healthcare, or manufacturing, consider your primary business when considering remote work. If the people ‘doing the work’ must come to work, you probably want your office staff to be there.

Yes, they probably can work remotely – just about anybody whose job involves sitting behind a computer can – but if your primary business is onsite, your people probably should be primarily on-site.

Otherwise, you end up with a two-tiered system. This can breed resentment among the people who do the hard work of meeting customer demands and building products.

Related: Balance remote with in-person for a more productive workforce

At a minimum, you should focus on ensuring that everyone (except people with valid medical needs) works in the office at least some of the time.

Suppose your primary business is software development, a think tank, or something where absolutely everyone in the company can work behind a computer. In that case, having a largely remote workforce is much more logical.

But with that remote workforce, make sure you have plenty of opportunities for communication with each other!

Do you hire a lot of entry-level workers?

Experienced professionals know how the business world “works.” They know that savvy business people understand what is going on in other departments and are more likely to work to build relationships across the company – even in a fully remote situation.

New grads? Forget it. They don’t know how things are supposed to work. They don’t know how to run a meeting. They don’t know what they are doing, let alone what other departments do. They need training and lots of it.

And, despite Gen Z being raised on internet culture, they won’t learn how to work as adults unless you train them.

And, of course, you can’t just have the Gen Zs come into the office while everyone else works remotely. That’s a Lord of the Flies philosophy that doesn’t play well outside an English class.

If you need to train people from the ground up, you need people in the office both to be trained and trainers.

Is what you’re doing now working for you?

Are you remote? Onsite? Hybrid? Is it working out for you? Can you hire? Are your employees productive? What’s your turnover like? Sometimes, we spend a lot of time fretting about what we should do without considering whether what we are doing actually works.

If everything is going well and employees are engaged and productive, keep doing it. You don’t need to listen to the crowds shouting one way or another – there’s no perfect way to run a business.

Don’t use remote/hybrid/in-person work as a ‘fix’

If what you’re doing is not working and everyone is miserable, allowing remote work won’t solve the misery of anything other than the commute and the need to take a half day off when the washing machine repairman is coming.

If you have bad managers, remote work won’t fix it. If you have bad managers, bringing everyone into the office won’t fix it.

Your business may run better if everyone is in the office, if everyone is hybrid, or if everyone is remote. But make sure bad managers are the actual issue before you act. You can’t fix lousy management by changing employee location.

Overall, no single solution applies to every business. The working world isn’t that simple. Ensure you focus on what works for your employees and your business, and never mind the rest of them.

The post WFH vs. RTO: what really works for your business appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

A temporary disability policy should include:

• Eligibility criteria considering factors like duration of employment and the nature of the disability
• Benefit amount on the percentage of wages that will be provided as benefits during the disability period
• The duration of benefits and the specific conditions under which extensions can be granted
• Documentation requirements

What is a temporary disability policy?

This policy ensures that employees receive a portion of their wages during their period of disability, allowing them to focus on recovery without the added financial stress.

It provides clarity on eligibility, benefit amounts, duration, and the application process, ensuring transparency and fairness in the provision of temporary disability benefits.

Why is it important to have a temporary disability policy?

Having a temporary disability policy in place is essential for both the well-being of employees and the overall health of an organization.

For employees, it offers a safety net during unforeseen medical challenges, ensuring they receive financial support when they are temporarily unable to work due to non-work-related injuries or illnesses.

This financial cushion alleviates the stress of potential income loss, allowing the individual to focus solely on recovery.

From an organizational perspective, a temporary disability policy provides a structured framework that ensures consistency and fairness in handling such situations.

It sets clear guidelines on eligibility, benefit amounts, and the duration of support, minimizing ambiguities and potential conflicts.

Step-by-step instructions for HR to write a temporary disability policy:

1. Research and benchmarking

Start by understanding legal requirements and industry best practices related to temporary disability.

2. Define the scope

Clearly state who the policy applies to, considering full-time employees, part-time employees, and other staff categories.

3. Draft the policy

Begin with a clear title and brief overview. Delve into a detailed explanation, ensuring clarity and comprehensiveness. List down the key components.

4. Consultation

Engage with legal experts and insurance providers to ensure the policy is compliant with regulations and is financially sustainable.

5. Feedback loop

Circulate the draft among a select group for feedback. This helps in identifying any gaps or ambiguities.

6. Finalize and implement

After incorporating feedback, finalize the policy. Organize training sessions to familiarize employees with the new policy.

7. Regular review

Set a periodic review, preferably annually, to ensure the policy remains relevant and effective. Update based on changing organizational needs or legal requirements.

Temporary disability policy template

[Organization Name]

1. Purpose & Brief

This policy aims to provide employees of [Organization Name] with guidelines and support when seeking temporary disability benefits due to non-work-related injuries or illnesses.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all full-time employees of [Organization Name]. Part-time employees and other staff categories may refer to their specific contractual agreements for related provisions.

3. Eligibility

Employees who have been with [Organization Name] for a minimum of [e.g., “six months”] and have exhausted their sick leave are eligible to apply for temporary disability benefits.

4. Benefit amount

Eligible employees can receive up to [e.g., “80%”] of their regular wages during the period of their temporary disability.

5. Duration of benefits

Benefits can be availed for a period of up to [e.g., “12 weeks”]. Extensions can be considered based on medical certifications and organizational requirements.

6. Documentation:

Employees must provide a valid medical certificate from a registered medical practitioner, detailing the nature of the disability and the estimated recovery time.

7. Application process

Employees seeking temporary disability benefits should submit their application along with the necessary medical documentation to the HR department within [e.g., “7 days”] of the onset of the disability.

8. Confidentiality

All medical records and information will be kept confidential and will only be accessed by authorized personnel for official purposes.

9. Non-retaliation:

Employees availing temporary disability benefits will not face any form of retaliation or discrimination. Any such incidents should be reported to HR immediately.

Signature:
[Employee Name] ________________________ Date: ____________

Disclaimer: This policy template is meant to provide general guidelines and should be used as a reference. It may not take into account all relevant local, state or federal laws and is not a legal document. Neither the author nor Workable will assume any legal liability that may arise from the use of this policy.

The post Temporary disability policy template appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

A medical leave policy should include:

• Eligibility criteria with clear guidelines
• Duration of leave and under what conditions extensions can be granted.
• Documentation requirements

What is a medical leave policy?

A medical leave policy is a formalized set of guidelines and procedures established by an organization to address the circumstances under which employees can take time off from work due to health-related reasons.

This policy outlines the conditions under which medical leave can be granted, the duration of the leave, the documentation required, and any compensation or benefits associated with it.

It serves as a protective measure, ensuring that employees have the necessary time to recover from illnesses, surgeries, or other medical conditions without the fear of losing their job or facing workplace repercussions.

Why is it important to have a medical leave policy?

Having a medical leave policy in a company is crucial for both the well-being of employees and the smooth operation of the organization.

Firstly, it demonstrates a company’s commitment to the health and welfare of its employees. When employees know that their health and recovery are prioritized, it fosters a sense of security and loyalty, leading to increased morale and job satisfaction.

Furthermore, a well-defined medical leave policy provides a structured framework for managers and HR professionals, ensuring consistency in decision-making and reducing potential legal liabilities. It sets clear expectations regarding the process, duration, and documentation required, minimizing ambiguities and potential conflicts.

Step-by-step instructions to write a medical leave policy

1. Research and benchmarking

Start by understanding legal requirements, such as the FMLA, and industry best practices related to medical leave.

2. Define the scope

Clearly state who the policy applies to, considering full-time employees, part-time employees, contractors, etc.

3. Draft the policy

Begin with a clear title and brief overview. Delve into a detailed explanation, ensuring clarity and comprehensiveness. List down the key components, ensuring they are exhaustive and relevant.

4. Consultation

Engage with legal experts to ensure the policy is compliant with all regulations. Also, consult with department heads and managers for practical insights.

5. Feedback loop

Circulate the draft among a select group for feedback. This helps in identifying any gaps or ambiguities.

6. Finalize and implement

After incorporating feedback, finalize the policy. Organize training sessions to familiarize employees with the new policy.

7. Regular review

Set a periodic review, preferably annually, to ensure the policy remains relevant and effective. Update based on changing organizational needs or legal requirements.

Medical leave policy template

[Organization Name]

Medical leave policy

1. Purpose & Brief

This policy aims to provide employees of [Organization Name] with clear guidelines and support when seeking medical leave due to illness, injury, or other medical conditions.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all full-time employees of [Organization Name]. Part-time employees and contractors may refer to their specific contractual agreements for related provisions.

3. Eligibility

Employees who have been with [Organization Name] for a minimum of [e.g., “six months”] are eligible to apply for medical leave.

4. Duration of leave

Employees can avail up to [e.g., “12 weeks”] of medical leave in a calendar year. Extensions can be considered based on medical certifications and organizational requirements.

5. Documentation

Employees must provide a valid medical certificate from a registered medical practitioner, detailing the nature of the illness and the estimated recovery time.

6. Return to work

Upon recovery, employees are expected to notify their respective managers and HR at least [e.g., “one week”] in advance of their return. A fitness certificate might be required based on the nature of the illness.

7. Compensation

As per the FMLA, employers are not mandated to provide paid leave1. However, [Organization Name] allows employees to utilize their accrued paid leaves like sick leave or vacation during this period.

8. Confidentiality

All medical records and information will be kept confidential and will only be accessed by authorized personnel for official purposes.

9. Non-retaliation

Employees availing medical leave will not face any form of retaliation or discrimination. Any such incidents should be reported to HR immediately.

Signature:
[Employee Name] ________________________ Date: ____________

Disclaimer: This policy template is meant to provide general guidelines and should be used as a reference. It may not take into account all relevant local, state or federal laws and is not a legal document. Neither the author nor Workable will assume any legal liability that may arise from the use of this policy.

The post Medical leave policy template appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

However, it can also be a daunting task, especially if you are new to event sponsorship and participation. In this blog post, we will walk you through some key steps to successfully participate in and sponsor a technology event.

1. Identify the right event

The first step is to identify the right technology events for your company. When selecting an event, consider the target audience, location, and theme of the event, and ensure it aligns with your company’s goals and values.

Look for events that attract the right demographic and provide opportunities to showcase your products or services.

At Workable, we stay up to date with upcoming events by researching new events, joining relevant communities, and keeping in touch with event organizers.

2. Determine your budget

Once you’ve identified the right event, determine your budget. Consider how much you’re willing to spend on sponsorship, booth space, marketing materials, travel expenses, booth attractions, giveaways, and other associated costs.

Keep in mind that events can be costly, so allocate your budget wisely. At our last two tech events, Workable branded hats, blue light glasses, pencil cases and camera protectors were really popular giveaways as they are useful in a person’s everyday life and that were cost-effective.

3. Choose your level of participation

Most events offer a range of sponsorship and participation levels. Therefore, it’s crucial to select a level that matches your budget and offers the best return on investment. The options often include booth spaces, sponsorships, and networking events. Carefully consider which choices will maximize your visibility and help you achieve your goals.

Having a technology professional from your company speak at the event can effectively showcase your innovative projects, thus attracting potential job candidates. For example, candidates for Workable job positions often mention the presentation by our VPs of Engineering at Voxxed Days Athens in 2022:

This impactful speech has prompted many to apply to our company or respond positively to our LinkedIn InMails.

4. Plan your marketing materials

Before the event, plan your marketing materials, including banners, flyers, brochures, and business cards. Ensure that your materials are visually appealing and informative, and that they convey your company’s message and brand.

If you plan to offer demos or giveaways, prepare them in advance. A great tip is to include open positions in your QR codes on your banner so that potential candidates can easily access and learn more about your company’s job opportunities.

5. Engage with attendees

During the event, engage with attendees and make connections. Ensure your booth is adequately staffed, and your team is knowledgeable and friendly. Having a good number of technology professionals at the event, including hiring managers, can help potential candidates learn more about your company’s culture and job opportunities.

At Workable, our engineers and hiring managers have better knowledge of our products and technologies than anyone else, making them great candidates to engage with attendees. Offer demos, giveaways, or other incentives to draw people in, attend networking events and sessions, and be open to meeting new people and making connections.

6. Follow up with leads

After the event, follow up with leads by sending personalized messages to thank attendees for stopping by your booth or attending your session. Follow up on any promising leads, schedule meetings or demos as appropriate.

The cost of participating in an event can be compared to hiring a recruitment agency to find one technology professional. Agencies usually charge a 15-20% fee of the gross annual salary of the new hire.

So, if an event leads to a single new hire, it’s well worth the investment, and any additional hires translate into profit. It’s important to remember that the effectiveness of an event can be measured by new hires even one or two years down the line.

Tech events are a brand builder

Participating in and sponsoring technology events can be an excellent way to increase your company’s visibility and connect with industry professionals.

By identifying the right event, determining your budget, choosing the right level of participation, planning your marketing materials, engaging with attendees, and following up with leads, you can make the most of your event experience and maximize your return on investment.

The post Tech events: how to sponsor them – and how to participate appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

The Bryq assessment offers a flexible and unbiased tool for organizations to make quality hires by measuring candidates’ cognitive ability and personality traits.

By utilizing psychometrics and information technology, Bryq provides a transparent and evidence-based evaluation of candidates’ cognitive ability and primary personality traits related to job roles and workplace performance.

This comprehensive assessment enables a deeper understanding of candidates’ fit for specific job roles and organizational culture, while mitigating conscious and unconscious biases in the hiring process.

Book a demo with Bryq today.

2. Welcome to this month’s Partner Profile. Could you introduce yourself with a brief bio?

Hello! I’m Chryssa Takou, Partner Relationship Specialist at Bryq. I joined Bryq almost a year and a half ago as a Business Development intern and recently moved to the partnerships team. I am passionate about using data-driven approaches to improve the hiring process and help organizations build high-performing teams.

3. As an integrated partner of Workable, Bryq leverages assessments to eliminate bias within the hiring process, promote internal mobility through career pathing, and grow and cultivate your company culture. Could you elaborate on how Bryq specifically does so?

Bryq, as an integrated partner of Workable, offers a unique solution to reduce bias in hiring. Our platform utilizes scientifically validated assessments to evaluate candidates based on their cognitive skills, personality traits, and job-related competencies.

By removing the reliance on resumes and subjective evaluations, Bryq enables companies to make more objective and fair hiring decisions.

Additionally, our career pathing feature helps organizations identify internal talent and create opportunities for employee growth and advancement, fostering a positive company culture.

4. What are some general trends you all are noticing in the assessment landscape?

In the assessment landscape, a prominent trend is the increasing adoption of data-driven approaches and technology to improve hiring decisions. Companies are recognizing the limitations of relying solely on traditional methods and are turning to assessment tools to make informed choices.

Skill-based hiring is gaining traction, indicating a shift towards valuing specific skills and competencies rather than solely focusing on formal qualifications. Soft skills, such as communication, adaptability, and emotional intelligence, are being prioritized over hard skills, as they are essential for fostering effective collaboration and driving innovation in dynamic work environments.

Another significant trend is the utilization of assessments to address bias and promote diversity and inclusion. By leveraging objective evaluation tools, companies strive to ensure a fair and unbiased selection process, resulting in the hiring of more diverse and talented candidates who can positively impact organizational success.

These combined trends aim to create a more robust and equitable assessment landscape, ultimately leading to improved hiring outcomes and better-matched candidates for various roles.

5. Now is your chance to brag about what’s on the horizon for Bryq. Any exciting product developments our readers should be aware of?

Bryq is constantly evolving and has exciting product developments in the pipeline.

We are thrilled to announce two major updates: Bias Audit and Talent Matching for Employees.

Bryq has successfully undergone a rigorous bias audit, ensuring a fair and unbiased assessment process for all candidates. Our commitment to compliance and ethics led us to proactively conduct this audit in alignment with the standards set by NY 144 to safeguard protected groups.

Further, Talent Matching is our newest feature that allows you to match existing employees with currently open positions within your organization, making Internal Mobility easier than ever.

6. Any closing thoughts you’d like to share?

In closing, I would like to emphasize the importance of data-driven hiring practices. By utilizing assessments and technology, companies can improve the quality of their hires, reduce turnover, and create more inclusive workplaces.

At Bryq, we are committed to helping organizations make better hiring decisions and build successful teams. We are excited to continue supporting organizations in their quest for better hiring decisions and a thriving company culture.

The post Workable Partner Profile: next-level assessments with Bryq appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

The challenge

The solution

• Recruitment is a challenge for TAF’s member associations with some positions taking up to 7 months to be filled
• Lack of awareness among jobseekers about the prospect of working in an association
• Limited tools and self management options when it comes to managing recruitment processes

• A platform to build TAF’s brand and help grow awareness and applications to trade jobs
• Member-managed posting to reduce admin time and fill jobs faster
• More commercial opportunities through partnerships and premium job ads
• Intuitive and streamlined job posting and management tool

Workable partnered with TAF – a group of trade associations who come together to share best practices, network and learn from each other – to launch Jobs at UK Trade Associations, a job board dedicated to helping TAF’s member associations attract quality applicants.

With Workable’s recruitment expertise and inspired by the results of our first branded job board, IG@work, we created Jobs at UK Trade Associations to help TAF’s members deal with recruitment challenges and increase awareness among candidates of the impact working for a trade association can bring. Trade associations are a vital part of the UK economy, representing their sector to the Government, driving standards and sharing best practice.

Since the launch, over 150 trade associations have joined the job board, with an increasing number of jobs being advertised and more and more candidates coming in every day. 

We spoke with Harry Shackleton, Commercial Director at TAF, about their organization’s experience of working with Workable to launch a job board and give TAF’s member associations necessary tools to manage their recruitment processes. 

“Partnering with Workable offered a great solution to raise the profile of the job board and help our members access more and better qualified candidates,” Harry says.

“Partnering with Workable offered a great solution to raise the profile of the job board and help our members access more and better qualified candidates.”

“Having a job board is a great member offer for trade associations and helps raise the profile of the association as well as delivering real world value to members and the community.”

Why TAF wanted to create a job board for its member associations

The recruitment market has become more and more challenging in the past few years, with 62% of TAF’s member associations reporting that hiring has been more difficult for them in the past year, according to Trade Association Forum’s Annual Benchmarking Survey.

This increased difficulty is driven, in part, by the number of quality candidates that associations were able to find – with 42% reporting fewer applicants when recruiting and 35% reporting less high-quality candidates.

According to Harry, this is in part due to the fact that working for a trade association “is not a common career path, so getting candidates to see themselves in these roles is hard.” Unless candidates stumble across it, working in a member organization is often not under consideration.

Harry adds that another reason why getting quality candidates is a struggle for associations is that while “the most in-demand roles at trade associations are for marketing or member engagement and retention”, these skills are most of the time universal and in demand everywhere, therefore associations often find themselves competing with the private sector.

As Harry mentions, even though associations can’t always match the offers from private businesses, they can “offer great flexibility and a clear sense of purpose to candidates.”

Finally, although Trade Association Forum had experimented previously with creating its own jobs board, it did not succeed in “attracting enough candidates for roles”, nor did it have any self management options, limiting its usefulness for member organizations.

Since TAF knew from its benchmarking with members that access to talent is one of the biggest challenges facing associations, they decided they “needed to find a solution”.

How Workable helped

With over 10 years of experience building software, working with small businesses, and enabling organizations to find and hire great candidates, Workable offered a solution that could solve the challenges that Trade Association Forum and its member associations were facing.

“Partnering with Workable offered a great solution to raise the profile of the board and help our members access more and better qualified candidates.”

One of the main benefits that TAF achieved by building their job board with Workable is the ability for members to self manage.

“Previously we had to do all the admin ourselves, Our branded job board allows our members direct access to the platform to create and post their own jobs – giving them control and reducing the capacity burden on us,” says Harry. “The admin portal is nicely designed and easy to use.”

“Our branded job board allows our members direct access to the platform to create and post their own jobs.”

He adds that the implementation of the board was an easy process for TAF. “The Workable team did all the hard work and we were up and running within a month or so.”

From first interaction through to ongoing account management, the board is up and running and already starting to see results.

Successes so far

Since the launch, more than 150 associations have joined the job board and although it’s early days, TAF already is “seeing more candidates come through the board”.

Workable is also able to offer a more professional recruitment offer to TAF’s members.

Harry explains: “As the board grows, we hope to make our board the home of trade association jobs in the UK.”

Moreover, the board is not only helping with TAF’s member associations recruitment, it is also a great hope for TAF’s own sustainability efforts.

“As we grow the board then we will also grow more commercial opportunities through partnerships and paid-for job ads, which will also bring a welcomed new revenue stream.”

Read more customer stories here.

The post How TAF helped its members get more talent for hard-to-fill jobs appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

“I have so much on my plate; I can’t afford to take time off right now.”

“I have a hard time relaxing and fully disconnecting from work.”

“What if everything falls apart when I’m not here?”

“I feel like I’m expected to be available all the time – even on my days off.”

“There’s no one who can cover for me while I’m away.”

Sound familiar? You’re not alone. Taking time off has become a stressful process. Paid Time Off or what I like to call Paid Time Out – and the anxiety associated with time away is real. And the stakes are high – for employees and their leaders and the cost for not taking a ‘time out’ is dangerous for productivity and wellness.

Related: Working Hours, PTO and Vacation policy template

Anxiety Before PTO

With so many employees experiencing overwork and overwhelm on a regular basis, even just the thought of taking time off can be a stressor. Fear and anxiety may arise from the idea of requesting time off, particularly if the absence may inconvenience others or if the workplace culture does not support work-life balance.

Not knowing how it will be perceived can lead to concerns about job security or job loss, ultimately holding some individuals back from taking time off.

Unfortunately, many employees feel that they have too much work or too many responsibilities to even take time off. Worries about the tasks that may accumulate during an absence are common.

We sometimes even feel pressured to stay and work if there are ongoing projects or if there is inadequate coverage. Many of us feel guilty and don’t want to burden our colleagues by adding to their workload.

What you can do as a leader

Leaders have a key role in cultivating a safe, supportive, and accommodating work environment for everyone. A company culture that values work-life balance and promotes self-stewardship and the use of PTO can help to address some of the barriers and ensure that everyone is taking the time off that they need and deserve.

Creating an open dialogue around concerns and anxieties about taking time off, assisting in finding coverage, and being flexible and willing to redistribute tasks can alleviate a lot of undue stress. This can also help shift our mindset from “I” to “we.”

Anxiety During and After PTO

The truth is that some people may struggle with disconnecting from work during their time off. We are so used to being busy that it can be hard to slow down. In a survey conducted by Elvtr of 2,300 workers from the U.S. and Canada, 46% reported struggling to switch off from work while on vacation and 68% admitted to working on their time off.

We have grown so hyper-connected that it can be difficult to set boundaries, avoid checking emails, and resist the urge to stay involved with work.

Anxiety about re-entry after PTO can closely resemble the Sunday Scaries (anticipatory anxiety and feelings of dread experienced on the eve of a workweek) but on a much greater scale depending on the amount of time taken off. The full inboxes, tasks, and responsibilities that await can be overwhelming.

With feelings of being behind or out of touch with ongoing projects, paired with the belief that we need to prove our dedication or productivity upon return, it can be challenging to know how to effectively get back on track. Readjusting to the work routine can take some time.

What you can do as a leader

It is important to be mindful of the shadow cultures and narratives in our workplace. If we are answering emails on our days off, it can send the message that our team members are expected to as well. We need consistency between what we say and what we do. By modeling a healthy work-life balance and respecting the boundaries of others, leaders create the invitation for others to do the same.

Being aware of the expectations and pressures we are putting on employees is also important. To ease anxiety upon an employee’s return, leaders can allow time for them to adjust gradually, take time to check in, and make clear the support that is available.

Encouraging PTO

We are seeing people in the workplace doing too much for too long. They are exhausted. I can tell you that sacrificing our own health and wellness is not sustainable. The cost will become much higher. Burnout is a real condition that happens when there is nothing left in the tank, and we go into debt with our own self-care.

In a 2023 survey conducted by Pew Research Center of more than 5,000 working Americans, 89% of workers reported it being extremely or very important that their employer offers paid time off for vacations, doctor appointments, and minor illnesses.

Related: What is unlimited PTO and how does it work?

In the same survey, 46% said they take off less time than they are entitled to. Despite the importance placed upon having this PTO available to them, this means that nearly half of workers are not taking all of their PTO.

You want to encourage your teams to take the time they need to take care of themselves so they can continue to do the good work that you hired them to do. Your wellness and company success depends on it.

You want to encourage your teams to take the time they need to take care of themselves so they can continue to do the good work that you hired them to do. Your wellness and company success depends on it.

Even framing PTO as a ‘time out’ is often helpful. Knowing that you need to rest, recover and get back into the work pace is essential. You cannot realistically be ‘game ready’ every single day. Take the rest and re-enter with more focus, energy and clarity, which is only possible when you take that time out first.

People feel valued and respected when they feel as though their workplace supports employee well-being. Companies that promote and encourage team members to take their PTO foster a positive workplace where individuals can prioritize self-care and enjoy a healthy work-life balance. This can improve team morale, contribute to higher job satisfaction and employee engagement, and help prevent burnout.

Research consistently shows that taking regular breaks and vacations is essential for our physical and mental health. One nine-year study found that there are cardiovascular health benefits of taking more frequent annual vacations. Taking a step back from work can allow us the space to rest, recover, recharge, and return to work with renewed energy and motivation. When we feel well-rested and less stressed, our mood, focus, and productivity tend to improve.

The reality is that these restorative effects of taking time off can present themselves whether we are away for two weeks or two days.

In this fast-paced society that praises productivity, busyness, and the relentless hustle-no-matter-the-cost mentality, it is important to remember that we are all human beings, not human doings at the end of the day.

In this fast-paced society that praises productivity, busyness, and the relentless hustle-no-matter-the-cost mentality, it is important to remember that we are all human beings, not human doings at the end of the day.

While the constant doing offers a sense of accomplishment and supports a belief that our lives have meaning and value, it’s not okay for us to be doing the work at the cost of our health and wellness. The time, space, and attention we give to our being can have a profound impact on the quality of our doing.

We need to take care of ourselves and our teams in a way that allows for a healthy integration of ‘being and doing’. Then we will see our people showing up as their best selves where and when it matters most.

There are plenty of time-off management tools to assist you in this direction.

Robyne Hanley-Dafoe is an education and psychology author, scholar and educator. Her newest book, Stress Wisely: How to Be Well in an Unwell World, was published in June of 2023.

The post The importance of ‘paid time out’: why it matters so much appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

This time management worksheet can help you break down complex projects into manageable tasks, setting realistic deadlines, and tracking progress. 

For HR professionals, it’s an invaluable resource to guide employees towards better productivity and work-life balance.

But what is time management and why is it so important? Let’s delve more into this powerful tool for professional and personal life. 

What is time management?

Time management is the strategic allocation of one’s time to prioritize tasks, increase efficiency, and achieve goals. It involves planning, setting deadlines, and organizing tasks to maximize productivity. There are seven critical steps to implementing a good time management strategy.

Here are the 7 steps you need to take: 

1. Goal Setting: Define short-term and long-term objectives.
2. Prioritization: Arrange tasks based on their importance and deadlines.
3. Task Breakdown: Divide larger tasks into smaller, manageable tasks.
4. Time Allocation: Assign specific time slots to each task.
5. Execution: Focus on completing each task within the allocated time.
6. Monitoring: Keep track of time spent and adjust plans as necessary.
7. Review: Evaluate the outcomes and make necessary adjustments for future tasks.

Why is time management important in work?

Time management is vital in the workplace for enhancing productivity, as it allows employees to accomplish more tasks in a shorter period. 

It also plays a significant role in reducing stress; when employees have a clear plan and know what needs to be done, they experience less work-related anxiety. 

Moreover, effective time management contributes to the improvement of work quality. With well-structured planning, employees can allocate more time to critical aspects of their tasks, such as analysis, execution, and review. 

This, in turn, elevates the quality of their work. 

Lastly, good time management skills are often associated with reliability and competence, qualities that are crucial for career advancement. Therefore, mastering time management is not just beneficial for immediate work outcomes but also for long-term career growth.

Ready for a real-world example that brings these concepts to life? 

Example of implementing a time management strategy

In a bustling marketing agency, team members leverage a time management worksheet to meticulously allocate time for various activities, from brainstorming sessions to client consultations and content creation. 

Tasks are prioritized based on their level of importance and looming deadlines, ensuring that the most critical projects are tackled first.

To elevate their productivity even further, the team identifies their ‘peak productive hours,’ those invaluable periods of the day when focus and energy are at their zenith. 

These prime hours are reserved exclusively for tackling the most challenging and crucial tasks. 

Here’s the worksheet they used: 

This strategic approach to time management has led to a 20% uptick in team productivity and a marked improvement in work quality, showcasing the transformative power of effective time management in a professional setting.

How do you create a time management worksheet?

Eager to create a time management worksheet that’s both practical and easy to use? 

If you don’t already use software to do that, the first step is to identify the key components that should be included in the worksheet. Typically, these would be:

• A task list
• Priority levels
• Estimated time for each task
• Actual time spent
• Deadlines
• Status (Completed/In-progress/Pending). 

You can create this worksheet using various tools, from a simple spreadsheet in Excel or Google Sheets to specialized project management software. 

The idea is to have a centralized place where all tasks are listed and can be easily managed.

Once the framework is set up, the next step is to populate it with tasks and details. 

Start by listing all the tasks that need to be accomplished within a specific timeframe, such as a day or a week. 

Assign priority levels to each task based on their importance and deadlines. 

Next, estimate the time you think each task will take and allocate specific time slots in your day to work on them. 

As you progress, update the ‘Actual time spent’ and ‘Status’ columns to keep track of your accomplishments and adjustments. 

This dynamic document serves as a living guide to your day, helping you stay focused, organized, and productive.

Related: Time management tips for recruiters

Time Management for HR Professionals using an HRIS

When we talk about human resource management, choosing a software that will organize your time seems to be a one-way street.

Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) serve as powerful tools for HR professionals in mastering time management within an organization, without losing time creating tables and timelines manually. 

By automating routine HR tasks such as leave management, time tracking, and performance evaluations, HRIS allows HR teams to focus more on strategic initiatives like talent development and organizational planning. 

The system’s automated features not only streamline administrative processes but also provide insightful data that can be analyzed to enhance time management strategies across the board.

Performance metrics can be monitored in real-time, allowing for timely interventions that can improve productivity and work quality. By integrating HRIS into their time management strategies, HR professionals can create a more efficient, productive, and data-driven work environment.

Time management when someone is on PTO

When an employee is on Paid Time Off (PTO), it’s crucial to strike a balance between relaxation and productivity. Before your employee’s break, let them set clear boundaries by informing colleagues of their unavailability and use out-of-office notifications. Employees should plan their time off by prioritizing tasks, scheduling downtime, and limiting technology use. Remember, the primary goal of PTO is to recharge, so respect their time for self-care and relaxation.

By implementing these time management strategies and tools, HR professionals can empower their employees to manage their time more effectively, leading to increased productivity and job satisfaction.

The post Craft your own time management worksheet appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

What is the performance management cycle

The Performance Management Cycle is a continuous loop that begins with planning and ends with rewarding, only to start again.

It is designed to be a structured process for the ongoing management of employee performance.

The cycle involves setting clear objectives, monitoring performance against these objectives, offering opportunities for skill development, and finally, evaluating and rewarding performance.

This approach ensures that employees are aware of what is expected of them, receive regular feedback, and are fairly assessed and rewarded.

The four stages of the performance management cycle

The Performance Management Cycle is generally divided into four key stages that guide the process from start to finish.
These stages are not isolated events but are interconnected, each feeding into the next. They are designed to be flexible and adaptable to the needs of both the organization and the individual employee.

Here are the four main stages:

Planning

This is the foundational stage where the groundwork for the entire cycle is laid. Managers and employees collaborate to set achievable yet challenging goals.

At this initial stage, the focus is on setting clear, measurable objectives that align with the organization’s broader goals.

For example, a manager and a marketing executive might use the SMART goals framework to set an objective like “Increase website traffic by 20% over the next quarter.”

Monitoring and developing

This stage is all about tracking progress and making adjustments as necessary. It’s a dynamic phase that involves ongoing communication between the manager and the employee.

This is an ongoing stage that requires regular check-ins and adjustments.

For instance, if a project is falling behind schedule, the manager and employee can discuss strategies to get it back on track during their weekly one-on-one meetings.

Reviewing and rating

This is the evaluative stage where the focus is on assessing performance against the goals set during the planning phase.

The aim is to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the employee’s performance.

For example, a 360-degree feedback system might be used to collect input from peers, subordinates, and supervisors, in addition to self-assessment.

Rewarding

This final stage is about recognizing and rewarding achievements, thereby closing the loop and setting the stage for the next cycle.

For instance, an employee who has consistently exceeded targets might be given a performance bonus or even a promotion.

Related: Top employee engagement ideas to achieve success

Why performance management cycle is essential for your company

The Performance Management Cycle is essential for companies as it aligns individual goals with organizational objectives, fosters employee development, and enhances accountability.

Through continuous feedback and structured evaluations, it helps in timely identification of performance gaps and facilitates data-driven decision-making.

This not only boosts employee engagement and retention but also drives overall business success by ensuring that human resources are effectively utilized.

The post What is the performance management cycle? Stages and examples appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Now more than ever, you’re going to need the best and brightest working for you and by your side if you want a sales team that can succeed in the age of AI.

In this respect, ChatGPT can potentially be a godsend for you. ChatGPT and other generative AI tools can automate and enhance many of your existing sales processes, so you can spend more time and energy thinking of ways to close more leads, get more customers, and drive growth.

A strong sales team is the backbone of any successful business. ChatGPT can help you strategically build a better sales team that’s stronger, smarter, and more efficient than ever.

In this tutorial, we’ll offer some ways you can use ChatGPT to build a sales team – one that’s forward-thinking, adaptable, and innovative.

1. Recruiting top sales talent

Half the battle in building a sales team is finding the right people.

B2B sales is a notoriously competitive industry, and not everyone is cut out for it. Being good at sales requires a blend of strategic thinking, adaptability, resilience, and determination to meet goals and overcome challenges, and a fierce ambition coupled with the ethical integrity to keep it in check.

Finding the right mix of all those qualities is rare. Using ChatGPT in your recruitment process can not only help expedite your sales team recruitment but can make it easier for you to find the best sales reps.

Using ChatGPT for job description writing

There is a fine art to making a good job description. It’s about striking the right balance between outlining the key responsibilities of the role, attracting the right candidates, and sparking their interest in the position.

When you tell it your needs and requirements of the sales reps you’re looking for, ChatGPT can create compelling job descriptions. ChatGPT can tailor the job description to the role,

Give ChatGPT a clear outline of the responsibilities of the role, your company culture, and your expectations in the position, and ChatGPT can make a job description that helps you find the right candidates for your sales team.

You can also use it in conjunction with Workable’s AI job description generator to create something that’s more personalized and aligned with your business goals.

Example prompt: “Write a job description for a Sales Manager position focusing on B2B SaaS sales.”

Screening resumes with ChatGPT

Sales is also an oversaturated field, and sales hiring teams often have to sort through a mountain of resumes and cover letters before they arrive at a candidate who’s worth talking to.

With ChatGPT’s help, you can dig through all the filler resumes and unqualified applicants and find the star candidates who can be a true asset to your team.

ChatGPT can quickly analyze resumes, summarize key qualifications and work experiences, and help you gauge whether a candidate is a good fit for the role.

Example prompt: “Analyze the following resume and summarize the key qualifications for a Sales Executive role.”

2. Streamlining team onboarding

Finding rockstars to hire for your sales team is one thing, but you also need to onboard them and get them up to speed with how you do things before they can start making money for you.

Your sales onboarding process lays the foundation for your new hire’s success and helps them get started on the right foot.
ChatGPT is useful here as well because it can optimize and streamline your onboarding experience and get your recruits on their phones and in the field as soon as possible.

Creating onboarding guides with ChatGPT

An onboarding guide helps your new sales reps to understand your company policies, sales tools, and tech stack, and immerse themselves in your company culture. They can start on day 1 already feeling as though they’re a part of the team.

Give ChatGPT a structured outline for your onboarding, and it can create detailed content for an onboarding guide that tells the new hire everything they need to know.

Example prompt: “Create an onboarding guide for new sales team members, including company policies, sales tools, and team culture.”

Automating FAQ responses

The new hires on your sales team will naturally have a lot of questions as they get their feet wet and learn the lay of the land.
Giving them immediate and consistent answers will help things go smoothly all around – both for them and for you.

You can program ChatGPT to field common questions and offer guidance and support where it is needed. That can be explaining your key performance indicators, or outlining your company values.

Example prompt: “Generate a response to a common question from new hires for an entry-level sales rep position: ‘What are the key performance metrics for sales representatives at our company?’”

3. Enhancing sales training

Training your new team will enable them for their future success and give them the skills, knowledge, and know-how to excel on your sales team.

You can use ChatGPT to enhance your training, nurture your new talent, and help them stay prepared for modern sales challenges they’ll encounter on the job.

Developing sales scripts with ChatGPT

Persuasive sales scripts help to guide the conversation in a way that earns the lead’s trust and allows things to flow naturally.

ChatGPT can generate persuasive sales scripts and templates tailored to specific products, audiences, or real-world scenarios.

Your sales reps can use these scripts as a starting point when interacting with potential customers.

When you give ChatGPT context and objectives to follow, it can make sales scripts that align perfectly with your sales goals.

Example prompt: “Write a sales script for introducing our latest product to potential clients. The product is called ‘X’, its core benefits and features are ‘Y’, and it’s made by company ‘Z’.”

Creating role-playing scenarios for training

There is no better teacher than experience. Practice makes perfect, as the saying goes.

ChatGPT can create realistic role-playing situations emulating hypothetical scenarios that the reps and executives on your sales team might encounter in the real world.

These scenarios might include anything from negotiating deals to relationship building. Playing through these scenarios in a controlled setting can help your reps hone essential skills before trying them out on real customers. With them, your sales reps can practice handling rejection and keeping the conversation going.

Example prompt: “Design a role-playing scenario for training sales representatives in handling objections. The scenario should involve a potential client objecting to the price of our latest product, and the sales representative must use value-based selling techniques to overcome the objection.”

4. Sales prospecting and lead generation

In the world of sales, the name of the game is finding leads.

Finding potential clients and engaging with them with a personalized, conversational approach to outreach between success and failure when it comes to building a sales pipeline.

ChatGPT offers you some unique opportunities here when it comes to optimizing your sales process.

Generating personalized outreach emails with ChatGPT

Striking a balance between personalization and scalability is a common one in sales and marketing. Here, ChatGPT can be the key to making a personal outreach email that’s scalable.

If you tell it your client’s industry, needs, and interests, ChatGPT can create engaging emails that get your lead’s attention, invite a response from them, and convince them to purchase from you. Then, you can repeat this process no matter how many times you do it, be it hundreds or thousands.

Example prompt: “Compose a personalized email to a potential client in the B2B SaaS industry, expressing interest in their business needs and highlighting our product’s ability to streamline their sales process.”

Brainstorming sales strategies with ChatGPT

Innovation is what drives success in sales. Making cutting-edge strategies that speak right to the heart of your customer’s wants and needs is what separates an exceptional salesperson from a mediocre one.

For this reason, sales managers are always looking for fresh new ideas and practical strategies to reach their customers. ChatGPT can be very useful in this creative and strategizing process.

Give ChatGPT insights into your target markets, your competitors, and your business goals, and ChatGPT can brainstorm a list of creative and effective sales strategies. You can then take the strategies it comes up with and adapt them to your needs.

Example prompt: “Generate a list of 10 innovative sales strategies for targeting the healthcare industry, focusing on our product’s ability to enhance patient engagement and streamline administrative tasks.”

5. Sales performance analysis and feedback

Sales performance analysis lets you know that whatever you’re doing is working.

Having the right insights shows you what needs improvement, what’s doing well, and how individual team members are progressing.

ChatGPT has valuable tools to enhance your performance analysis and cut right to the heart of the information you need to drive your sales team’s success.

Automating sales performance reports with ChatGPT

You can use ChatGPT to create a standardized sales performance template to highlight key metrics such as revenue growth, conversion rates, customer satisfaction, sales rep achievements, and areas for improvement.

That automation can help ensure consistent reporting that allows you as the sales manager to track the progress of your reps over time.

Example prompt: “Create a monthly sales performance report template focusing on key metrics such as conversion rates, revenue growth, top-performing products, and areas for improvement.”

Providing constructive feedback through ChatGPT

Feedback provides an opportunity for growth, but it has to be delivered with care, empathy, and precision.

You can use ChatGPT to draft constructive feedback emails that are clear, supportive, and actionable. You can tell your sales rep what they’re doing well, and give them suggestions for future development.

Outline specific areas of success and improvement, and ChatGPT can help you deliver feedback that encourages growth.

Example prompt: “Write a feedback email to a sales representative who exceeded quarterly targets but struggled with customer engagement, highlighting areas of improvement and success, and providing actionable steps to enhance customer relationships.”

6. Integrating ChatGPT with existing sales tools

Your team doesn’t just include your sales reps, but the digital tools you use to be good at your jobs as well.

Sales teams rely on various tools as a part of their technology stack, like their Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems and sales enablement platforms. Integrating ChatGPT with these existing tools can unlock whole other levels of efficiency.

ChatGPT-4 comes with a Plugin Store that lets it integrate with many popular sales and marketing tools such as Zapier, and others for specific marketing and sales use cases like personalized outreach and sales prospecting.

You can also ask for ChatGPT’s help in integrating with other sales tools in your tech stack using your API key.

Example prompt: “Describe the process of integrating ChatGPT with Salesforce for automated data entry, including the necessary API connections, data mapping, and testing procedures.”

Ethical considerations and best practices

Using ChatGPT and AI tools can be so helpful for building your sales team that you’ll wonder how you ever managed without them.

With that said, this technology is still very new and comes with several ethical considerations that should be addressed before implementing it.

Here are a few considerations to keep in mind to ensure responsible and ethical use:

Transparency and accountability

Clearly communicate with your team and customers how and why you use AI in your sales process. Implement ways to keep yourself accountable with regular audits and reviews.

Bias and fairness

Be on the lookout for any potential biases that can arise from the training data or algorithms. Make sure that the decisions the AI makes are fair and don’t discriminate against particular groups.

Ethical guidelines and training

Create and keep ethical guidelines for using AI in sales. Provide training to your sales teams on responsible AI practices, including understanding its potential for bias, ethical considerations of AI technology, and how to use these tools appropriately.

ChatGPT can help you create the best sales team – if you know how to use it

ChatGPT and generative AI technology represent a watershed moment in how businesses approach sales team building.

The potential of this technology is still being explored and is largely untapped. Whether it’s enhancing customer interactions, automating data entry, or providing valuable insights, using ChatGPT to build your core sales team can give you an edge over your competitors who are still just dabbling with it. Explore, experiment, and find out for yourself what it can do!

The post Build a sales team with ChatGPT – with prompt examples appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

It serves as a roadmap for employees, detailing how they can give back to the community in a way that also benefits the organization.

An employee volunteering policy should include:

• Types of supported volunteer activities
• Time-off and compensation policies
• Eligibility and participation
• Liability and risk management

What is a corporate volunteer policy?

A corporate volunteer policy is an organized framework that enables employees to participate in volunteer activities while aligning with the company’s values and objectives.

It often includes guidelines on the types of volunteer activities supported, time-off policies, and procedures for reporting and evaluation.

Why is it important to establish a volunteer policy?

Companies with robust volunteer programs often experience enhanced employee engagement and retention, contributing to a more stable and motivated workforce.
Additionally, these volunteer initiatives significantly bolster the company’s reputation within the community, serving as a form of positive public relations.

A well-crafted volunteer policy not only provides legal safeguards by setting clear guidelines but also aligns seamlessly with other company initiatives.

This creates a more cohesive work environment, where corporate social responsibility and business objectives mutually reinforce each other.

Step-by-step guide on how to write an employee volunteering policy

Step 1: Define the purpose and objectives

Start by outlining the overall goals for the volunteer program. Make sure these align with the company’s broader objectives and values.

Step 2: Specify supported volunteer activities

List the types of volunteer activities that the company will support. This could range from environmental clean-ups to educational initiatives.

Step 3: Set eligibility and participation criteria

Clearly define who is eligible to participate in the program and outline the process for signing up for volunteer opportunities.

Step 4: Detail time-off and compensation

Explain the company’s stance on time off for volunteer activities. This could include paid time off, flexible schedules, or other compensation methods.

Step 5: Address liability and risk management

Include provisions for managing potential risks, such as requiring employees to sign a waiver or ensuring appropriate insurance coverage.

Step 6: Implement reporting and evaluation mechanisms

Set up a system for tracking volunteer hours and activities. Also, establish metrics for evaluating the impact of the volunteer program.

Step 7: Review and revise

Once the initial draft is complete, review and revise as necessary. It may also be beneficial to seek legal advice to ensure all bases are covered.

Employee volunteering policy template

Introduction

Welcome to [company name] Corporate Volunteer Policy. This document outlines the guidelines and procedures for employees who wish to engage in volunteer activities. Our aim is to foster a culture of giving back to the community while aligning with [company name] core values and objectives.

Policy brief and purpose

The purpose of this policy is to:

• Encourage employees to contribute positively to the community.
• Provide a structured framework for volunteer activities.
• Align volunteer efforts with [company name] corporate social responsibility goals.

Supported volunteer activities

[Company name] supports the following types of volunteer activities:

• Environmental conservation efforts.
• Educational programs for underprivileged children.
• Community health and wellness initiatives.

Eligibility and participation

All full-time employees are eligible to participate in volunteer activities.
Interested employees must fill out a Volunteer Activity Request Form and submit it to the HR department for approval.

Time-off and compensation

Employees are allowed up to 16 hours of paid Volunteer Time Off (VTO) per year.

Additional unpaid time off for volunteering may be granted at the discretion of the department manager.

Liability and risk management

Employees must sign a liability waiver before participating in any volunteer activities.
[Company name] holds a general liability insurance policy that covers employees during approved volunteer activities.

Reporting and evaluation

Employees are required to log their volunteer hours using [company name] Volunteer Tracking System.

The HR department will evaluate the impact of volunteer activities annually, using metrics such as the number of volunteer hours logged and community feedback.

Code of Conduct

Employees must adhere to [company name] general Code of Conduct while participating in volunteer activities.

Any misconduct may result in disciplinary action and revocation of volunteer privileges.
Amendments

[Company name] reserves the right to amend this policy at any time. Employees will be notified of any changes.

Signature and Date
[HR Manager’s Name]
[Date]

Disclaimer: This policy template is meant to provide general guidelines and should be used as a reference. It may not take into account all relevant local, state or federal laws and is not a legal document. Neither the author nor Workable will assume any legal liability that may arise from the use of this policy.

The post Employee volunteering policy template appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Does anyone want to guess what happened to that relative?

If you want to guess that she was offered early retirement in lieu of termination for poor performance, you’d be right. (She accepted it and did not sue because she had no case.)

People worry about disciplining or laying off people in “protected classes” because they don’t want to be sued.

Well, I don’t want you to be sued either. So, I’ll walk you through the Evil HR Lady’s guide to firing anyone – even my relative.

Understanding ‘protected classes’

Often, people think protected classes consist of women, minorities, LGBTQ+ people, people over 40, the pregnant, and the disabled. But that’s wrong. Everyone on the planet is in a protected class.

This term means that you can’t terminate or punish someone because of their gender, race, gender identity, pregnancy status, disability status, or other protected characteristics. The only group you can (from a federal perspective, but not in every state) are people under 40.

You can’t terminate someone because they are White any more than you can terminate someone because they are Black. And even when people say, “But I’m in an at-will state!” that doesn’t make much difference. First, every state but Montana is at-will.

Second, at-will means you can terminate for any reason or no reason as long as that reason isn’t illegal.

Read that again. As long as that reason isn’t illegal.

Courts have already caught on to this “one great trick for being a racist” where you fire someone because of their race but say, “Hey, it’s at-will, so I just felt like terminating someone, and Jane walked in first!”

They know that’s not true. Courts call this “pretext,” and it gets you in big legal trouble.

But isn’t a minority/LGBTQ+/Pregnant/older person more likely to sue?

Sure – because it’s more likely that you will discriminate on that basis. Plenty of people believe that there are people who are protected and people who are not, so there are people who won’t do anything because they think there is no way they can win.

But, you should not have anyone in a position where they think you terminated them for a protected reason. And it’s not hard to do. It just requires that you do your job and follow best practices.

Here’s how you can fire literally anyone.

How to fire anyone

1. Don’t be a racist/sexist/whateverist

This is the easiest part. If you judge people based on their immutable characteristics, get yourself to therapy to understand what is wrong with you and fix it.

2. Document everything

This is more than documenting when someone does something terrible; you must also note when someone does something good. Why? You need evidence that this person was poorly behaved and that other similarly situated employees were not poorly behaved.

3. Use performance improvement plans and progressive discipline

These provide solid documentatio showing you’ve let the employees not only know precisely what the problem is – but also that you’ve given them ample opportunities to improve.

4. Be consistent

If you write up one employee for being late, you need to write up all employees who are late. If you let one employee print her wedding invitations on the company equipment, you must let all employees print their personal stuff on the company equipment.

5. Conduct neutral investigations

Whether you need to investigate a claim of racial harassment or supply theft, approach it from a position of neutrality. If the alleged perpetrator has authority over the person conducting the investigation, hire an outside person to conduct the investigation.

If you do these steps, and you want to terminate someone for poor performance, a general layoff, or because of rule-breaking, you’ll be set to go. When someone has been on a PIP for 90 days, and you have documentation that they haven’t reached the goals, it’s pretty airtight to terminate them.

When you’re conducting a layoff and have to choose one person from a group to terminate, having years of employee evaluations demonstrating that this person performed at a lower level than their coworkers, you can feel pretty confident.

The court doesn’t require you to be perfect in how you terminate. You just have to act in good faith. These things will satisfy the good faith requirement.

How did the boss fire my 60+-year-old relative?

Naturally, the boss didn’t allow me to see any of the paperwork, but my relative had bragged to me about being untouchable and told me her side of the story.

The boss documented the number of times my relative came in late, left early, and called out ‘just because.’

The boss encouraged the relative to go to the doctor and get an ADA accommodation if needed because the relative complained she was late due to health problems. My relative refused to do that, even after the boss encouraged it.

The boss put my relative on a PIP with clear guidelines for improvement, which my relative should have taken seriously. She did not.

No one is untouchable. At least, no one should be.

The post How to fire anyone without legal repercussions appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

At the core of all this is building a high-performing sales team that will help you make a strong impression straight out of the gates.

No matter your background or experience in leading sales teams; it’s always good to have a guide to help you stay on top of the important elements of building high-performing sales teams.

A huge undertaking

Let’s cut to the chase: building a sales team from scratch is no small feat. It’s a process that requires careful planning, strategic thinking, and a deep understanding of why you’re tasked with building that team and what its role is. The role of a sales team is multifaceted, encompassing everything from lead generation and customer acquisition through to account management and customer retention.

When you’re building sales teams, it’s important to consider the unique needs and goals of your organization. What are your company OKRs and how might you and your team contribute to that? It’s no secret: sales is key to business success. So, when building your sales team, you want to build a clear strategy, establish the team KPIs, and make the right hiring choices.

So, let’s get started.

How to build a high-performing sales team

How do you build a high-performing sales team that delivers results? Let’s go through the steps one by one.

a. Define the team structure and role(s)

The first step is to clearly define the sales team structure and each of the team member roles within your organization. This involves outlining the sales team responsibilities and expectations, from identifying and qualifying leads to closing deals and managing customer relationships.

Examples of sales team structures can be seen in this article from Hubspot, which outlines teams across four distinct categories: geography/territory, product/service line, customer/account size, or industry/vertical segment.

b. Hire the right people

Once you have a clear understanding of what a sales team is and what a sales team does, you can start to recruit and hire the right people. Look for individuals who are not only talented and experienced but also motivated and team-oriented. Remember, a successful sales team is more than just a collection of high-performing individuals. It’s a cohesive unit that works together to achieve common goals.

This in-depth guide on how to hire salespeople can get you started in this area.

c. Provide the right tools

Building a sales organization also involves providing your sales team members with the tools and resources they need to succeed. This could include everything from sales training and professional development opportunities to CRM software and other sales enablement tools.

This comprehensive list of sales tools from Crunchbase is ideal for your needs.

d. Ensure an agile mindset

As you build your sales team, keep in mind that this is an ongoing process. The sales landscape is constantly evolving, and your sales team needs to be able to adapt and evolve along with it. This means continually reassessing and refining your sales strategies, processes, and team structure to ensure they remain effective and aligned with your business goals.

Businesses can overcome uncertain times with an agile mindset, and so can hiring teams – even with leaner teams and budgets. There’s no reason you can’t adopt the same approach in your sales team.

The key elements of a high-performing sales team

Let’s delve deeper into the process of building a sales team, providing practical advice and insights to help you create a sales team that’s not only effective but also resilient and adaptable. Whether you’re just starting to build a sales team or looking to strengthen and expand your existing sales team, this is for you.

1. Sales hiring data/metrics to know

First things first: when building your sales team, you need to have realistic expectations on the challenges and opportunities facing you – in other words, establishing benchmarks for your sales team building plan. And we don’t mean sales metrics. We’re talking about hiring benchmarks here.

These benchmarks include typical timelines of the sales recruitment process (otherwise known as Time to Fill), the competition you might be facing in your area and industry when it comes to attracting talent to your open sales roles (otherwise known as Total Job Openings), and the number of candidates you might expect on average for a given sales role (also known as Candidates Per Hire).

Let’s look at them one by one:

a. Time to Fill

Workable defines Time to Fill (TTF) as the time elapsed between the point when a job is posted and the point where a job is filled. It’s always helpful to know what that looks like for sales so you know what’s “normal” and what’s not in terms of your own Time to Fill when hiring for the sales function.

The following graph provides an insight into the TTF trends (calculated by looking at a month’s data using the 2019 average as a baseline). In this case, we’re presenting the entire timeline from January 2020 to June 2023 so you can see how trendlines have risen and fallen over the years.

b. Job Openings

Job openings are presented differently – we display here the average sales job postings per company per month going back to the start of 2022, and also segmenting that data into three size buckets of less than 50 full-time employees, 51-200 FTEs, and more than 200 FTEs. We’ve also included “all companies” as a separate trendline so you can compare and contrast.

c. Candidates Per Hire

Candidates Per Hire is, succinctly, the number of candidates who apply for a job that you’ve posted. Like Time to Fill, we measure these data against the average of 2019 as a baseline. Here’s the data, again contained within the sales function:

2. Sales compensation

Compensation is a critical component in the sales world, acting as both a motivator and a reward for hard work. Our recent surveys find that it remains a top priority for most jobseekers – and that’s no different in sales.

So, how much do you pay your salespeople? That depends on a number of factors – and you should research this and get a good understanding of regional standards around compensation.

When doing so, consider the following variables:

a. Industry

The industry in which the sales job is located can play a significant role in determining the salary. Certain industries, such as technology or finance, tend to offer higher salaries to their salespeople due to the complexity and high value of the products or services being sold.

b. Company size

The size of the company can also be a determining factor. Larger companies typically have more resources and higher revenue, which can translate into higher salaries for their sales team.

c. Experience

The amount of experience a salesperson has can also impact their salary. Those with more experience and a proven track record of success in sales are often able to negotiate higher salaries.

d. Performance

A salesperson’s performance is typically tied to their salary in the form of commissions, bonuses, or other incentives. High-performing salespeople may be able to earn significantly more than their peers who struggle to meet their sales targets. More on this below.

e. Location

We mentioned this above – the location of the sales job plays a huge role in determining salary. Sales jobs in major metropolitan areas or regions with a high cost of living may offer higher salaries to compensate for the increased living expenses.

f. Education

A higher level of education, such as a bachelor’s or master’s degree in a relevant field, may also lead to higher salaries for sales jobs.

g. Type of Sales

Different types of sales jobs have different earning potentials. For example, B2B (business-to-business) sales jobs may offer higher salaries than B2C (business-to-consumer) sales jobs, while commission-based sales roles may offer the potential for higher earnings but may also come with more risk.

Let’s look at two salary examples: Account Executive and Inside Sales Representative. According to Workable data, the median salary range for an Account Executive in the United States is $60,000 to $75,000. For an Inside Sales Representative, it’s $60,000 to $90,000.

However, in California, the salary range for Account Executives increases to $70,000 to $94,000 and, for Inside Sales Representatives, it’s $60,000 to $80,000. As stated above, do your just homework to best understand what salary range is a good fit in the role you’re hiring for.

3. Sales compensation structure

You not only want to think about how much you pay your sales team members, but also how that pay is structured.

So, here’s a breakdown of the various compensation structures for salespeople:

a. Base Salary

This is a fixed amount paid to salespeople, regardless of their performance. It provides financial stability and is often used in industries where long sales cycles are the norm.

b. Commission Only

Salespeople are paid solely based on the sales they make. This model can be highly motivating, as the potential earnings are uncapped. However, it might not provide stability, especially during lean periods.

c. Base Plus Commission

A combination of a fixed salary and a commission on sales. This balances the stability of a regular paycheck with the motivation of earning more through sales.

d. Base Plus Bonus

Salespeople receive a fixed salary and a bonus for reaching or exceeding specific targets. The bonus acts as an incentive to achieve higher sales goals.

e. Commission Plus Bonus

Here, salespeople earn commissions on their sales and bonuses for hitting specific milestones or targets.

f. Tiered Commission

Salespeople earn different commission rates based on tiers of sales achieved. For instance, they might earn a 5% commission on the first $100,000 in sales and 7% on everything above that.

g. Residual or Renewal Commissions

Particularly common in industries with subscription models, salespeople continue to earn a commission for as long as the customer remains with the company.

h. Draw Against Commission

Salespeople receive an advance payment, which they then “pay back” through earned commissions. If their commissions don’t cover the draw amount, they might owe the company.

i. Team Commissions

The entire sales team is compensated based on collective sales targets. This promotes teamwork but can sometimes lead to friction if team members perceive unequal effort.

j. Profit Margin-Based Commission

Salespeople’s commissions are determined by the profit margins of their sales, encouraging them to sell more profitable items or services.

k. Straight-Line Commission

Salespeople earn a commission based on every sale, with no thresholds or tiers.

l. Variable Commission

The commission rate changes based on different factors, such as the type of product sold or the season.

Each compensation model has its benefits and drawbacks, and the best choice often depends on the specific industry, company goals, and the nature of the sales cycle. It’s crucial for companies to choose a structure that aligns with their objectives and adequately motivates and rewards their sales team.

4. Sale skill sets

Sales can be complex. One type of salesperson in a specific industry selling a specific kind of product is not the same type of salesperson in another industry selling another kind of product. There are also hard skills – actual knowledge of a product, the ability to use Salesforce, etc. – and soft skills that focus more around intangibles such as connectivity to others.

But there are some fundamental elements in a salesperson’s skill set.

These include:

a. Communication skills

In the realm of sales, communication is more than just a skill – it’s an art. Salespeople must master the art of conveying information in a clear, concise, and compelling manner.

This includes active listening, which involves truly understanding and responding to the customer’s needs and concerns.

They must also be adept at persuasive speaking, using their words to influence and convince potential customers of the value of their product or service.

Negotiation is another key aspect of communication in sales, requiring the ability to reach mutually beneficial agreements with customers.

Use our Communications interview questions & answers kit to analyze a sales candidate’s skills in this area.

b. Interpersonal skills

The ability to connect with people on a personal level is a cornerstone of successful sales. Salespeople should exude warmth, friendliness, and approachability, making potential customers feel comfortable and valued but without coming off as overly persuasive or “salesy”.

Empathy is also crucial, as it allows salespeople to understand and respond to the emotions and perspectives of their customers. Moreover, interpersonal skills help in building long-lasting relationships that can lead to repeat business and positive word-of-mouth for the company.

c. Product knowledge

A salesperson’s expertise in their product or service is a key determinant of their credibility and effectiveness. They should have a deep understanding of the features, benefits, and potential applications of their product.

This knowledge enables them to answer technical queries, provide tailored recommendations, and demonstrate how their product can solve the customer’s problem or meet their needs – a fundamental ingredient in successful sales.

d. Time management and organization

The world of sales is fast-paced and often involves juggling multiple tasks and clients. Salespeople must be proficient in prioritizing tasks, managing their schedules, and maintaining organized records of their sales activities.

This ensures they can follow up on leads, meet deadlines, and keep track of their progress towards sales targets.

e. Resilience and persistence

The sales landscape is fraught with challenges and competition. Salespeople must have the mental fortitude to handle frequent rejections and high-pressure situations, learn from failures, and stay motivated despite setbacks. Building a resilient team that can handle these challenges without becoming discouraged is crucial.

This can involve providing support and training in areas such as stress management and resilience, and fostering a positive and supportive team culture.

f. Analytical and problem-solving skills

Sales is not just about selling; it’s about solving problems. Salespeople must be able to analyze customer needs, identify their pain points, and devise solutions that address these issues.

This requires a blend of analytical thinking, creativity, and practical problem-solving skills.

Evaluate a candidate in this area with this analytical interview questions & answers kit and this problem-solving interview questions & answers kit.

g. Adaptability and flexibility

The sales environment is dynamic and ever-changing. Salespeople must be agile, ready to adapt their strategies in response to market trends, customer feedback, or changes in company policies.

They should also be open to continuous learning, seeking out new sales techniques and strategies to stay ahead of the competition.

Use this adaptability interview questions & answers kit to determine a candidate’s skill in this area.

h. Self-motivation and initiative

Successful salespeople are self-starters who take the initiative to seek out new leads, learn about new products, and set challenging goals for themselves. They don’t wait for opportunities to come to them; they go out and create them.

i. Digital literacy

In today’s digital age, salespeople need to be comfortable using a range of technologies, from CRM systems to social media platforms. They should be able to leverage these tools to track sales activities, engage with customers, and research market trends.

j. Cultural sensitivity

With the global nature of business today, salespeople often interact with customers from diverse cultural backgrounds. Understanding and respecting these cultural differences can help build stronger, more trusting relationships with customers.

k. Cultural fit

While skills and experience are important, it’s also crucial to consider cultural fit when building your sales team.

This involves hiring people who share your company’s values and vision, and who will contribute to a positive and productive team culture.

Read our interview with a client on a successful cultural fit strategy which prioritizes cultural integration in recruitment, creating a dynamic workplace that motivates employees and drives business growth.

l. Customer-centric approach

A successful sales team needs to be focused on the customer. This involves understanding the customer’s needs and preferences, and striving to provide the best possible service. This is a key part of the sales skills bucket. A customer-centric approach can lead to higher customer satisfaction and loyalty, and ultimately to increased sales.

For something more high level when evaluating sales candidates, check out our article on sales skills assessment.

5. Sales KPIs

If you don’t have KPIs, you don’t have quotas, and you don’t have goals. You absolutely need to identify clear KPIs for your sales team to pursue if you want them to succeed. When you have a KPI or KPIs for your team and team members, they know what they need to attain in order to be successful, and they know what they’re being measured against.

The good news is that there are numerous different sales KPIs that you can focus on. These include but are not limited to:

a. Revenue

The cornerstone of all KPIs, revenue is the ultimate measure of a sales team’s performance. It quantifies the total income generated by the team through sales activities.

It’s crucial to track revenue trends over time to understand the growth trajectory and the effectiveness of sales strategies.

b. Sales quota attainment

This KPI gauges the effectiveness of a sales team by comparing the actual sales with the predetermined sales targets or quotas.

It provides insight into how well the team is performing against expectations and helps identify any gaps that need to be addressed.

c. Average deal size

This KPI provides an average value of the deals closed by the sales team. It’s a useful metric for understanding the profitability of sales and can help in strategic decision-making, such as targeting larger deals or focusing on volume sales.

d. Win rate

The win rate is a measure of the sales team’s success in closing deals. It’s calculated by dividing the number of won deals by the total number of deals pursued.

A high win rate indicates a successful sales strategy and effective sales skills.

e. Lead-to-customer conversion rate

This KPI tracks the efficiency of the sales process by measuring the percentage of leads that become paying customers.

It provides insights into the effectiveness of the team’s lead nurturing and conversion strategies.

f. Sales cycle length

This KPI measures the average duration from the initial contact with a lead to closing the sale. A shorter sales cycle can indicate a more efficient sales process, while a longer cycle may suggest potential bottlenecks that need to be addressed.

g. Sales activities

This KPI tracks the number of sales-related activities, such as calls, meetings, and emails, completed by the sales team.

It provides a measure of the team’s engagement and productivity and can help identify areas for improvement in the sales process.

h. Sales by product, region, or segment

This KPI helps identify trends and patterns in sales performance across different products, regions, or customer segments.

It can guide strategic decisions, such as where to invest resources or which markets to target.

i. Customer acquisition cost

This KPI measures the average cost of acquiring a new customer, including marketing expenses, sales team salaries, and other related costs.

A lower CAC indicates a more cost-effective sales process.

j. Customer lifetime value

This KPI estimates the total revenue a business can reasonably expect from a single customer account. It helps businesses understand how much they should be willing to spend to acquire and retain customers.

k. Sales per rep

This KPI measures the average revenue generated by each sales representative. It can help identify high-performing reps and provide insights into the effectiveness of sales training and development programs.

6. Niche strategies in sales team building

Of course, every team-building strategy has niche elements to them. When building your sales team, you’re likely thinking about unique high-level priorities that are specific to your organizational and team goals.

These can include the following:

a. Specialization

Specializing allows sales teams to become experts in their chosen field, understanding the nuances and intricacies of the industry.

This deep knowledge can help in identifying potential clients’ needs and providing tailored solutions, leading to higher customer satisfaction and loyalty.

b. Personalization

Personalization goes beyond just knowing the customer’s name. It involves understanding their business, their challenges, and their goals.

By offering personalized solutions, sales teams can show customers that they are valued and understood, which can lead to stronger relationships and increased sales.

c. Digital marketing

This one’s plainly obvious, but better to have more information than less so that it’s on the sales radar. As more businesses move online, digital marketing becomes increasingly important. Sales teams can use digital channels to reach a wider audience, engage with customers, and track the effectiveness of their strategies.

Digital marketing can include everything from email campaigns to SEO, content marketing, and social media advertising. This is more in marketing’s realm, but sales teams will do well to align closely with the marketing department in this area.

d. Cross-selling and upselling

Like digital marketing, this isn’t a de facto property of sales – but rather, customer support or account management. Still, by understanding the full range of their company’s offerings, sales teams can work closely with those teams to identify opportunities to offer additional value to customers.

This could be in the form of related products or services (cross-selling), or more premium versions of the products or services the customer is already using (upselling). This strategy can increase revenue and deepen customer relationships – ultimately boosting retention.

e. Social selling

Social selling involves using social media platforms to find and engage with potential customers. This can involve sharing valuable content, participating in discussions, and building a strong online presence.

Social selling can help sales teams to reach a wider audience, build their personal brand, and establish themselves as thought leaders in their industry.

f. Collaboration

Sales teams can benefit greatly from a collaborative approach, where members work together to share insights, strategies, and resources. This can lead to more innovative solutions and a more cohesive team dynamic.

Collaboration can also extend beyond the sales team, with members working closely with other departments such as marketing, customer service, and product development to ensure a unified approach to customer engagement.

g. Data-driven decision making

In the era of big data, sales teams can leverage data analytics to inform their strategies and decisions. This can involve analyzing customer behavior, market trends, and sales performance data to identify opportunities and challenges.

A data-driven approach can lead to more targeted and effective sales strategies, and can help sales teams to continuously improve and adapt.

h. Customer retention

While attracting new customers is important, retaining existing customers can often be more cost-effective and valuable in the long run.

Sales teams can adopt strategies focused on customer retention, such as providing exceptional customer service, understanding and meeting customer needs, and building strong, long-term relationships with customers. This can lead to increased customer loyalty and repeat business.

7. Additional priorities in team building

There are other goals you may be thinking about when building your sales team based on your goals. While these aren’t necessarily focused on the actual day-to-day work, they are important ingredients when building your sales team. These can include:

a. Diversity and Inclusion

Building a diverse and inclusive sales team can bring a range of perspectives and experiences to your business, which can lead to more innovative solutions and better understanding of a diverse customer base.

This can involve hiring people of different genders, races, ages, and backgrounds, and fostering an inclusive culture where everyone feels valued and respected.

Read more: Learn about how one-time Workable sales leader Rachel Bates established gender diversity in her sales team in Boston’s male-dominated tech sales sector.

b. Training and development

Investing in ongoing training and development can help your sales team to continuously improve and adapt to changing market conditions.

This can involve providing training in areas such as product knowledge, sales techniques, and customer service, as well as offering opportunities for professional development and career progression.

d. Team structure

The structure of your sales team can have a significant impact on its effectiveness. This can involve decisions about the size of the team, the roles and responsibilities of different team members, and the way the team is organized.

For example, you might choose to have separate teams for different stages of the sales process, or for different market segments. Or you might have full-cycle sales processes, where prospects stay with the same sales representative through the entire experience with a company.

d. Communication

Good communication is crucial for a successful sales team. This involves ensuring that all team members are kept informed about company news, product updates, and sales targets, and that they feel comfortable sharing their ideas and concerns.

Regular team meetings, one-on-one check-ins, and effective use of communication tools can all contribute to good communication within the team.

8. Additional resources

Additional reading is always helpful. Check out these resources for a deeper dive in different areas of sales team building.

Building a sales team globally: Do it right with these 6 easy steps

If you’re entering different markets around the world – or your company is already positioned that way – this article bolsters the value of standardized processes when building a global sales team.

How to hire a sales team: 5 tips to attract talent

This one shares tips on how to source and attract the right talent to your sales teams, including utilizing personal networks, encouraging employee referrals, employing efficient evaluation tools, and providing competitive compensation.

How to hire salespeople

Packed with actionable tips, this in-depth guide gives you everything you need to know about hiring salespeople, including sourcing top talent via referrals, niche job boards, and social media. It stresses the importance of clear job descriptions, transparency, and evaluating candidates’ qualities and interest in the job.

Hiring a sales team? Avoid these 4 candidates

Just as important in sales team-building success is who not to hire. This article identifies four types of candidates to be cautious of during the recruitment process. It offers insights into potential red flags and pitfalls to avoid, ensuring you hire the most effective salespeople for your team.

Inside Workable: Scaling a sales team successfully

Want to know how it’s done behind the scenes at Workable? We’re happy to share our own story about how our sales leaders doubled its sales team within a month by implementing a strategic hiring process. The importance of planning, team alignment, and quality control in rapid scaling are all emphasized here.

Sales career path: A way to attract and retain salespeople

High turnover rates in the sales industry can be mitigated by investing in career development. Workable’s one-time sales and business development manager, Paul Mathieson, and former account executive Olivia Spector discuss the importance of career progression for a happy and productive sales team based on their own unique career trajectories.

Behind the scenes with 3 members of Workable’s sales team

Three members of Workable’s Athens-based sales team share insights into their roles and experiences. That team, consisting of Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) and managers, emphasizes the importance of understanding the needs of potential clients and offering tailored solutions. Despite diverse backgrounds, the team members highlight the value of continuous learning, adaptability, and a positive work environment.

And finally – a video!

This panel discusses how the sales market in Boston has evolved and how finding and nurturing talent can be challenging. They suggest building a network and having constant communication with recruiters to overcome these challenges.

Does this all seem like a lot? Sometimes it makes sense to hire a sales recruiter who can specialize in bringing the very best salespeople to your organization. This sales recruiter job description can get you started.

9. Tools to help you get there

Building a high-performing sales team often goes beyond backfill to scaled growth within a short time as you look to capitalize on new markets, launch a new product, or put a new strategy into action.

This means your hiring team will often be hiring for multiple sales roles at one time – especially in the entry-level SDR/BDR positions. This will require you to establish a scalable recruitment process free of breakdowns.

There are a number of ways you can establish a more scalable hiring process in sales. These include:

a. Video Interviews

Asynchronous or one-way video interviews will come in incredibly handy when hiring in sales. It gives you an opportunity to screen numerous candidates in one sitting.

Also, because sales are by nature very public-facing, you will want to be able to assess a candidate’s ability to speak comfortably and at length on an assigned topic – video interviews also gives you that opportunity to evaluate a candidate in this way.

Workable Video Interviews is a great tool to establish this process.

b. Automated actions

When you’re hiring 12 SDRs in a short time, that will likely involve the processing of hundreds of candidates at any given time. Automating parts of the hiring process – including emails that trigger when a candidate has applied for a role or is moved to the next stage, for example. These can come in incredibly handy when “employer ghosting” is one of the major grievances that candidates have about the recruitment process.

When you have a lean hiring team – often consisting of a single recruiter and one or two hiring managers – it’s easier to manage the load of candidates through the system without breakdown when you have automated actions as a feature in your ATS.

c. AI Recruiter

Sometimes, you’re looking to hire a salesperson in a very niche industry or you’re in an area that doesn’t have the talent availability that other areas have. This means you might need to do the legwork to find the right candidates for your roles – whether that’s finding and contacting passive candidates or just finding the candidates who aren’t finding you.

That, of course, is a tremendous amount of added work for any recruiter or hiring manager. Workable’s AI-powered candidate sourcing engine will take care of all that for you.

d. Recruitment marketing

A core tenet of marketing is awareness. If a sales candidate isn’t aware that you’re hiring, they won’t apply for your job – in other words, you don’t exist in their world. Employer brand awareness is already nailed down for the Googles and Microsofts of this world, but it’s a little more challenging if you’re one of the thousands of startups in San Francisco or a relatively new company building its very first sales team.

Workable’s numerous tools help you get your jobs in front of the right candidates – including a careers page builder, one-click posting to more than 200 job sites, and even custom social posts designed to appear in a specific candidate’s social feed.

e. Interview self-scheduling

One of the most annoying elements of the recruitment process is the back-and-forth communications between sales candidates, recruiters, hiring managers, and executives when scheduling times for interviews.

Workable’s self-scheduling interview feature – much loved by recruiters for its time-saving benefits – will circumvent that challenge and free up plenty of bandwidth for your sales hiring teams to focus on the important parts of hiring. For example, the actual interviewing.

Learn more about how Workable’s hiring software can help you build a high-performing sales team for your business. You can also manage that team with Workable’s HRIS which comes free with the ATS.

The post Build a high-performing sales team: your comprehensive guide appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Here, we’re going to explore 10 aspects of digital payroll systems that are having a huge impact on how we work today.

The rise of digital payroll

The rise of digital payroll systems in modern times has represented a significant shift away from traditional business operations. These new systems offer increased efficiency and accuracy in payroll processing and a much more integrated approach to staff compensation.

With automated pay and tax calculation, along with real-time analytics, these tools have empowered HR departments across the globe to become more productive. Enhanced security features protect sensitive data, while cloud-based access allows for remote payroll management.

Additionally, these systems can streamline regulatory compliance across multiple legal jurisdictions, generating reports and updating tax rules automatically. This makes it more straightforward for businesses to expand internationally and employ distributed teams from multiple countries.

Once those employees have been onboarded, these tools make it easier to retain them too. The wealth of features available make it far simpler to deliver a streamlined and positive staff experience all around.

So, let’s dive in and explore 10 emerging trends in payroll management today.

10 digital payroll trends to improve retention

1) Personalized compensation packages

While salaries have always been negotiable to a certain extent, the biggest change we’re seeing in this area is the advent of personalized benefits packages. These are now key factors in attracting top talent and employee retention in general.

In 2023, it’s not unusual for new hires to negotiate benefits on a case-by-case basis. Commonly offered or requested perks include:

• Work-from-home stipends. As remote work becomes more popular, some companies are embracing this by providing money for home office setup or coworking space memberships.
• Wellness programs. These might include subscriptions to meditation apps, teletherapy services, or wellness retreats.
• Student loan repayment assistance. This is particularly popular in the UK and US, especially among younger workers.
• Professional development. Funds for attending conferences, enrolling on courses, obtaining professional certifications, etc.

Some companies also offer more unusual perks, such as adoption assistance, donation matching, or even paid time off to look after a new pet.

2) Real-time payroll access

Access to real-time payroll data is becoming more of a priority for various reasons:

• Accuracy. It allows for instant verification and corrections of any errors or discrepancies, saving both time and money.
• Transparency. Employees have ongoing access to their earnings, deductions, and benefits information, and managers can see up-to-the-minute payroll costs.
• Budget forecasting. Real-time payroll data can feed into budgeting and forecasting models, providing a more accurate picture of costs.

Offering real-time access to payroll data is much easier now than it used to be. For example, the increasing popularity of cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) platforms has enabled many organizations to centralize critical operational data in a single digital repository.

These cloud ERP tools are often specifically designed for synchronizing real-time data updates. They also provide a better understanding of your business by combining your financial management with your time and attendance data. Ultimately making them ideally suited for this.

3) Flexible pay options

There are new developments in how employees receive payments too. While a physical check or bank transfer once a month still reigns supreme, employers are increasingly offering alternatives to suit the varying needs of their staff.

For instance, some businesses offer payroll cards, which are prepaid debit cards loaded with an employee’s wages. These are very useful for employees who don’t have bank accounts since they allow the user to do everything they would usually do with a standard bank card. Payroll cards are widely available from major names like Mastercard and Visa.

Granted, they do require additional administration to set up and manage, but this expense can be offset by other savings e.g. reductions in the cost of printing and distributing physical paychecks. Once you have this system up and running, it’s super simple to use.

4) Integrated benefits management

The ability to administer all staff benefits from a single platform can have a huge impact on efficiency.

For example, Celine is a senior HR manager at a well-known financial institution in the City of London. It recently introduced a unified benefits management platform for its staff, and she’s a big fan.

“It’s made such a difference,” she says. “Before, we used lots of different tools to manage our staff benefits. Pension payments, private healthcare plans, insurance – all separate. It was hugely time-consuming, particularly because this is a large company with thousands of employees, and a lot of them work abroad, so we have to be mindful of compliance with a range of regulatory environments.”

Since moving to a new platform and integrating it fully with payroll, Celine has noticed a sharp reduction in errors needing rectification. Overall, it’s been a boost for her team, who now have more time to focus on other core work.

5) Payroll data security and privacy

Payroll systems often contain sensitive employee information, such as social security numbers, bank account details, and addresses. This means payroll and HR software needs to have watertight security.

Firstly, it’s crucial organizations comply with all relevant data privacy regulations. Depending on where a business operates, that might mean the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), or any number of other legal frameworks.

Payroll systems are becoming more sophisticated to deal with the proliferation of rules around data privacy, and many modern systems have features to support compliance, such as tools for data anonymization, data rights management (right to access, correct, delete), and data use reporting.

There’s also the question of protecting against cybercrime, such as data breaches and phishing attacks. As more payroll systems are being hosted in the cloud, businesses have to make certain their cloud provider is following best practices regarding security.

Generally speaking, most vendors will make sure their client data is protected with top-tier encryption protocols. That said, anyone using third-party cloud data storage needs to take ultimate responsibility for ensuring this is the case.

6) Personal financial management tools

Using apps to manage personal finances is becoming increasingly mainstream. According to Straits Research, the personal finance software market was worth $1.2 billion worldwide in 2021 and is expected to grow to $1.9 billion by 2030.

It’s easy to understand why. The convenience of being able to manage all your financial accounts and transactions from one platform is immensely appealing.

Although payroll departments are just beginning to wake up to the possibilities, we’re likely to see improvements in integration between business payroll systems and personal finance tools in the coming years.

For example, there already exists tax software that can pull data from various payroll systems to help individuals with several streams of income prepare their tax accounts. This kind of functionality is a big plus for anyone working multiple jobs.

7) Employee self-service portals

Self-service payroll portals like Payslip allow employees full access to their pay data at their convenience. This kind of service typically includes features such as instant payslip download, document management, and up-to-date tax information. Portals also often have additional functionality such as automatic leave entitlement tracking.

This level of transparency is, quite simply, what modern workers expect. In particular, younger cohorts of employees joining the workforce have grown up around apps that help them manage every aspect of their lifestyle.

Employers that move with the times and put software like this in place are far more likely to build a relationship of trust with their staff.

8) Mobile payroll applications

With the advent of cloud-based payroll applications comes the potential for managing this on the go. As remote and hybrid working has become more common, being able to offer flexible working routines is proving to be very popular with employees.

This applies just as much to HR staff as it does to everyone else. Businesses that normalize flexible working for the team members in charge of payroll tasks are more likely to be able to retain them in the long term.

Free-to-use image sourced from Unsplash

9) Enhanced payroll analytics

One of the premier features of modern payroll software is the sheer wealth of data it generates. Right from the start, applicant tracking and recruitment features can provide key insights into candidate expectations and help inform pay package policy and onboarding plans.

It doesn’t stop there. Sophisticated modern payroll solutions can also use predictive analytics to forecast future payroll costs based on current data. They can predict staffing needs and labor costs and identify potential problems or bottlenecks before they arise.

Some tools even include benchmarking features, which allow businesses to compare their payroll performance and expenses to industry standards and competitors.

10) Integration with performance management systems

As more and more organizations switch to using ERP platforms, an increasing number of HR departments are prioritizing the full integration of payroll with ERP workforce management solutions.

The benefit of doing this is that it makes for more streamlined operations. These performance and workforce management tools bring together all your business-critical data on workforce scheduling, attendance tracking, and work/time data collection. So, bringing payroll fully within them just makes sense.

Doing this is particularly useful if your business has a workforce comprising a mix of employees, freelancers, and independent contractors. That’s because it simplifies the complexities of dealing with what can otherwise be a very complicated bundle of rules.

Digital payroll trends: the big takeaway

The payroll trends we’ve listed here indicate one thing quite clearly: gone are the days of payroll being walled off from other business processes. The features offered by modern payroll systems focus on integration as a core virtue.

With the growing popularity of third-party cloud services, the ability to offer enhanced features and improved access to data is now within reach, even for smaller organizations.

In today’s business environment, top talent has a choice of where to work. Employers that recognize this and put processes in place to encourage transparency and convenience are the ones that will attract and keep the best of the best.

The post 10 digital payroll trends to improve employee retention appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

The pandemic pressed the Great Reset button on work. We’re entering a new era that calls for evolved priorities and preferences from employers.

To help leaders adapt, we surveyed 750 US and 500 UK workers to better understand what’s important to them in a job. We then compared the findings to the data from our original Great Discontent survey in 2021.

The results – in Workable’s brand-new Great Discontent 2.0 survey report – spotlight clear transformations in what employees now value most. Companies that tune in to their people’s changing needs will be primed to attract and retain top talent. Those that ignore the new reality risk driving their best people away.

Across both markets, one priority emerges crystal clear: employees are seeking stability. Commitment is a two-way street: when organizations commit, this breeds loyalty in return among today’s workforce.

With economic and geopolitical uncertainties abounding, workers crave a reliable income stream. Full-time roles are increasingly in demand, with a drop in self-employment and side-hustles. The active jobseeker herd has thinned as employees hunker down in their current roles – although they’re not entirely dropping out of the new-job sweepstakes.

Smart companies are promoting stability and security. This could involve highlighting a strong company history that makes one proud to work for them, robust plans for growth that tap into workers’ desire to grow and shine in their careers, and assurances around job security to show people that someone’s got their back.

Beyond stability, the data reveals evolutions in what attracts and retains workers in the US and UK today:

Flexibility

Flexibility has become firmly entrenched as the new normal. Whether it’s remote work, hybrid arrangements, or flexible scheduling, employees want options. After adapting so extensively through the pandemic, inflexible work seems unthinkable to many. Savvy employers aren’t just allowing flexibility – they’re embracing and perfecting it.

Society and humanity

The social and human elements of work matter more than ever. Employees want to connect with leaders who inspire them. They want collaborative relationships with colleagues who feel like family. Cold corporate machines have little appeal – workers seek warmer environments where they feel valued. Forward-thinking companies are strengthening culture, facilitating connections, and communicating with transparency.

Growth and advancement

Hunger for growth and advancement persists. Employees still want opportunities to continuously develop skills, take on new challenges and progress their careers. However, potential now outweighs paychecks for attracting new talent – highlighting the motivational power of personal growth. Workplaces that invest in people’s futures, instead of just exploiting their presents, have the edge.

Compensation

Of course, compensation still stands number-one atop the priority pyramid. While other factors have grown in importance, pay still matters. Fair compensation, generous benefits and updated rewards strategies are essential for retention. But they’re just one part of a bigger picture – financial incentives alone aren’t enough in today’s environment.

In many ways, the new era requires a back-to-basics approach. What prevailed before was often surface-level attractions and momentary exchanges. Moving forward, employees are seeking simplicity, clarity and meaning. They want to connect, contribute and grow. Employers that tap into these fundamentally human desires will be poised to flourish.

Those that cling to outdated assumptions risk losing today’s top talent to those that just “get it”.

This is just a high-level overview. The full data provides richer insights into the forces shaping the workforce. Check out the highlights!

Are you ready to not just survive, but thrive in the new era of work? Uncover more about what employees value most today – and how to align your organization with their evolving needs and preferences.

The post The Great Discontent 2.0: What workers want in this new era appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

The process of hiring new employees can sometimes make you feel overwhelmed.

Deciding on the right job brief, communicating it to several job boards, sourcing and screening the right candidates, and arranging interviews, etc.

A structured hiring process is about ensuring that each hire is a strategic fit, aligning with the company’s goals and culture.

Fortunately, with our checklist, you can breathe a sigh of relief and simply follow the process to make a great hire. 

Why is it important to have a hiring checklist?

A hiring checklist is the HR professional’s toolkit. It ensures that every recruitment step is not only methodical but also compliant with industry standards and legal requirements. This tool is pivotal in ensuring both efficiency and effectiveness in hiring. From deciding on the proper job brief to onboarding, this checklist can be a helpful tool for your efforts.

What should include an effective hiring checklist?

Let’s go deeper into the different stages of the hiring process and the boxes you have to check.

Preparation and Planning

Authority to recruit: Before posting a job, ensure you have the necessary permissions within your organization.

Job description: Craft a detailed job description that outlines responsibilities, qualifications, and any other pertinent details.

Selection criteria: Clearly define what makes a candidate qualified for the position. Distinguish between mandatory requirements and “nice-to-have” skills.

Job Posting and advertising

Diverse platforms: Post the job on various platforms, from job boards to social media, to attract a diverse range of candidates.

Engagement: Engage with potential candidates by hosting webinars, attending job fairs, or leveraging recruitment agencies.

Screening and interview process

Standardized questions: Develop a set of standardized interview questions to ensure consistency across all interviews.

Shortlisting: Review applications methodically, ensuring that shortlisted candidates meet the defined selection criteria.

Interview logistics: Organize the interview process, from scheduling to selecting an appropriate venue or platform.

Post-interview procedures

Reference checks: Always check references to validate a candidate’s background and work ethic.

Background checks: For critical positions, background checks can provide an added layer of security.

Salary negotiations: Be prepared for salary negotiations, ensuring that offers align with industry standards and the candidate’s experience.

Onboarding

Orientation: Organize a comprehensive orientation program to help new hires integrate into the company culture.

Documentation: Ensure all necessary paperwork, from contracts to tax forms, is prepared and signed.

The role of automation in streamlining the hiring process

A Human Resource Information System (HRIS) is an invaluable asset for modern organizations.

It streamlines HR processes, centralizes employee data, and enhances decision-making through data-driven insights.

By automating routine tasks, HRIS allows HR professionals to focus on strategic initiatives, fostering efficiency, and promoting a more proactive approach to workforce management. In an era where data is king, HRIS ensures that HR departments remain agile, informed, and ahead of the curve.

How Workable can enhance your hiring process

Workable is more than just a tool—it’s an HR professional’s ally. It offers a plethora of features:

• Automated job posting: Post jobs across multiple platforms with a single click.
• Applicant tracking: Monitor applicants’ progress throughout the hiring process.
• Interview scheduling: Coordinate interviews seamlessly, reducing logistical hassles.
• Insightful analytics: Use data to refine and enhance your hiring strategies.

Hiring process checklist – the cheatsheet

Time for action! Whenever your manager asks you to hire a new employee, now you know what to do. Just save the following checklist. 

• Obtain necessary recruitment permissions
• Draft a detailed job description
• Define clear selection criteria
• Post jobs on diverse platforms
• Engage with potential candidates proactively
• Develop standardized interview questions
• Systematically review and shortlist applications
• Organize the interview process, from scheduling to execution
• Conduct thorough reference and background checks
• Prepare for and conduct salary negotiations
• Organize a comprehensive onboarding process
• Leverage platforms like Workable to automate and streamline tasks

By following this checklist and embracing both empathy and technology, HR professionals can transform the hiring process from a daunting task to a strategic initiative

The post Hiring process checklist appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Workable CHRO Rob Long knows. “It’s a top 5 metric that we track at Workable,” he wrote in LinkedIn. “When it’s high enough, you can do incredible things – things that other companies cannot do. It’s a huge competitive advantage.”

So what is human capital efficiency? Let’s take a look and learn.

What is human capital efficiency?

In short, human capital efficiency refers to how well a company uses its human capital – the skills, knowledge, and experience of its workforce. It measures the output and business impact generated per dollar spent on employee-related costs.

With today’s tight talent market and competitive hiring landscape, human capital is more precious than ever. Maximizing your workforce’s contributions relative to their cost is essential for SMB success.

Why human capital efficiency matters

High human capital efficiency means your workforce is delivering substantial value in relation to what you spend on compensation, benefits, training, and other employee costs. The higher your HC efficiency, the better your return on human capital investment.

For SMBs, improving HC efficiency can lead to:

• Increased productivity and revenues without expanding headcount
• Ability to pay team members more competitively by boosting revenue per employee
• Reduced costs via streamlined operations and automation
• Better identification of skills gaps to target training and recruitment
• More accurate performance measurement to reward top talent

“It’s like an ROI on all the human elements that go into your company,” Rob adds. “When you’re operating a business, you’re making investments in it to make it run more smoothly and bring greater return. Your employees are a huge part of that – you’re investing in your people so they can bring their best to the job.”

So how do you invest in your people?

Rob answers: “Salary is the obvious one. But there are also other investments: benefits, perks, learning & development, all-hand retreats, lunch & learns, even team dinners and social outings. Any and all of these can tie back to employee productivity and a direct impact on revenue. That’s human capital efficiency in a nutshell.”

Calculating your human capital efficiency

So how do you calculate human capital efficiency? Easy – it’s simple math. Take your total revenue or net income, and divide it by your total employee expenses for a given period.

Let’s say your company generated a million dollars in revenue last quarter, and spent $200,000 on employee costs. That means your human capital efficiency would be $1M / $200K = 5.

This means for every dollar you spend on human capital in the last quarter, your business earns $5. The higher the ratio, the better.

You can track this metric over time to monitor what’s going well and what’s not – and benchmark against competitors in your industry to see how you stack up against them.

You can go deeper. Here are three other, more specific ways to calculate human capital efficiency:

1. Human Capital Value Added (HCVA)

This method calculates the economic value added by employees, beyond any material, overhead, and other operational costs.

HCVA = Operating Profit − (Capital Charge × Capital Employed)

Where:

• Operating Profit is the profit generated from operations before interest and taxes.
• Capital Charge is the rate of return required by capital providers.
• Capital Employed is the value of all the capital used in the business.

Then, to get the Human Capital Value Added per employee:

HCVA per Employee = HCVA / Number of Employees

2. Human Capital Return on Investment (HCROI)

This metric measures the rate of return on the investments a company makes in its workforce.

HCROI = Operating Profit / Total Employee Costs (Salaries + Benefits)

A higher HCROI suggests that a company is getting more return from its investments in its people. Conversely, a lower HCROI might indicate inefficiencies or that the company is not realizing the full potential from its human capital.

3. Revenue Per Employee

While simpler and more direct, this method offers a quick gauge of how much revenue each employee contributes to the company. It’s particularly useful for comparing efficiency across different firms in the same industry.

Revenue Per Employee = Total Revenue / Total Number of Employees

This method, although straightforward, is a gross measurement. It doesn’t take into account the nuances of capital structures or the specific roles and responsibilities of employees within different departments. Nor does it give you an indication of how much you’ve invested in human capital.

“We’re always thinking about ways to optimize the work we do at Workable,” Rob says. “When we’re making a decision on people, we’ll ask ourselves; ‘Will this grow our human capital efficiency? And how?’ And that’s our needle for success right there. We want to move that needle in the right direction. These formulas help us measure our progress on that.”

Strategies to boost HC efficiency

Once you know your starting point, here are some proven tactics to maximize human capital efficiency:

1. Analyze revenue per employee: Which employees, teams, or departments are generating the highest revenue relative to their cost? Determine what makes them successful and replicate across your organization.

2. Identify automation opportunities: Can any manual processes be automated to reduce labor costs? Do repetitive administrative tasks take up time that could be spent on high-ROI activities?

3. Review skills utilization: Are employees operating in their strongest skill areas? Are any skills being underutilized that could drive new revenue streams?

4. Invest in training and development: Targeted training to close skills gaps can greatly increase productivity. Offer development opportunities to boost engagement and retention.

5. Reward top performers: Incentivize and retain your standout talent. Be cautious not to overpay low performers.

6. Track performance rigorously: Tie individual goals to company objectives. Maintain clear metrics to identify low and high performers.

7. Promote knowledge sharing: Collaboration and documentation prevent knowledge loss when employees leave.

8. Seek cost-effective hires: Hire for culture fit and train for required skills. This expands your talent pool.

Making the most of your human capital

For SMBs facing stiff competition for talent, maximizing your workforce’s impact is vital. Boosting human capital efficiency allows you to extract more value from your employee investments.

“If you don’t have this metric in your OKRs, you need to add it,” Rob emphasizes. “Your company is nothing without its people. Investing in your human capital is crucial to your success – and so is the return on it. It’s how you can get ahead of others.”

So, as Rob stresses – take the time to calculate your current human capital efficiency, identify problem areas, and capitalize on opportunities to grow this ratio. Your closest business advisors – your employees – are your number-one asset. Optimize their output through calculated input, and your SMB will reap the rewards.

The post What is human capital efficiency and why is it so important? appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

But then, PTO isn’t always so easy to navigate, especially when an already approved PTO needs to be reversed by an employer.

This bears the question: can you deny PTO after approval? Let’s dive into this complex issue.

The legal perspective

The legal landscape surrounding PTO is a blend of federal ground rules and state-specific stipulations. The United States, specifically, has no federally mandated PTO minimum, so it follows that the related Fair Labor Standards Act will not support employees if you revoke PTO after approving it.

So, it really falls to the states when it comes to laws around time off management. A pivotal point is the employer’s commitment to the employee once the PTO is approved. That’s the long way of saying: check with local legislation and legal counsel for guidance in this area.

Meanwhile, while the law may offer some leeway, it’s in the moral and cultural implications where this becomes the bone of contention.

When can PTO be denied after approval?

The big question – under what circumstances is it even conceivable (or ethical) to backtrack on PTO? Let’s look at some potential scenarios in which this scenario might occur:

1. Business crises

Maybe something unforeseen happened, and it’s so sudden and needs immediate attention. Maybe there’s a high-profile client visit, a product launch that’s gone awry, or a breakdown in the system requiring urgent work from IT. These are things that don’t wait for Zofia to return from her staycation or allow for Claude to take off at noon on Friday no matter how buttoned-up the team’s processes are.

2. Unavailability of replacements

Some roles are so specialized that finding a substitute, even for a short while, becomes a Herculean task. Or, maybe, there’s a sudden employee departure that leaves a team entirely unavailable until the end of the month – and you’re left twisting in the wind until then.

3. Approval errors

This is where human error enters the scene. A slip in the system or miscommunication can lead to overlapping PTOs that leave the department shorthanded. That’s why it’s crucial to have a reliable software to manage PTO requests and approvals to reduce or even eliminate these problems.

PTO reversal and its impact on morale and trust

Now, reversing PTO after it’s been approved should never be common practice. You should reserve it only for last-gasp situations and stop-gap solutions.

Why? Well, imagine you’re Zofia. You’ve booked an amazing trip to Italy and you’ve been building towards that for months on end. Then you receive a call from your managers that something happened in engineering that puts the company’s existence in balance – and only you can fix it.

OK, legally, you can find ways to do this with Zofia or Claude. But is it really the best thing to do? The fallout of this isn’t just the immediate disappointment but potential long-term mistrust of you as an employer and as a management team. If you can’t keep your [bleep] together, then who’s to say this won’t happen again? That kind of uncertainty can lead to unnecessary stress among employees including Zofia or Claude above.

There are ways to avoid this situation to begin with (more on that below). There are also ways to mitigate the situation – for example, you might allow them to continue with the original plan but invite them to work one or two days during their time off (with recompensation, of course).

But sometimes, the decision is 100% unavoidable. You really do need Zofia to cancel outright. Let’s look at ways you can mitigate the damage that might follow.

How to remedy the damage of PTO reversal

Even when faced with the undeniably tough call of retracting approved PTO, your responsibilities as an employer are manifold. Not only is it crucial to manage the immediate situation, but it’s also essential to ensure that Zofia’s sense of trust isn’t irreparably damaged. Here’s how you can approach it:

1. Compensation for financial losses

Your employee has probably already made arrangements – hotel bookings, flight tickets, or other plans – and those are likely to be non-refundable. Stepping up to cover these expenses (and then some) goes a long way.

2. Offer additional perks

Consider giving them extra time off immediately after said crisis is resolved. Perhaps set up an all-expenses-paid weekend getaway on the company coin or something similar. It’s a tangible way to express gratitude for their flexibility and understanding.

3. Future PTO assurance

Now, this is where you can truly shine. Assure them of a priority status for their next PTO request. Let them choose their dates without the usual red tape, ensuring swift and hassle-free approval. This isn’t just about giving them a rain check; it’s a promise, a pledge of regret and a gesture that underlines their importance to the organization.

It’s important, nevertheless, to recognize that PTO was booked for a reason. It’s not just for fun. Some people have weddings planned. Others have booked a dream holiday. Others are headed home to visit family. Stuff can’t always be moved around.

Meaning: while these steps are reactive measures to manage the fallout, it’s pivotal to delve deeper and understand why such a situation arose in the first place. More often than not, these are symptoms of larger management or communication issues within the organization.

Prevention is better than cure

As the custodian of both business interests and employee well-being, it’s imperative to introspect. Could this situation have been avoided with better workforce planning? Was there a breakdown in communication channels? Or perhaps, it’s an indication that the existing PTO policy needs a revisit.

By proactively addressing these systemic issues and bolstering internal processes, not only do you reduce the likelihood of facing such situations in the future, but you also foster an environment of trust, transparency, and mutual respect. Being proactive rather than reactive can save a lot of headaches. No one wants to reverse PTO – let alone the employee themselves. It’s not a bridge you ever want to cross.

Let’s look at how you can prevent such a scenario.

1. Implement a more robust PTO system

This is about creating an ecosystem where PTO requests, approvals, and changes are transparent and accountable. This ensures that anomalies are caught early on. This can be done with a reliable PTO management software with consistent human oversight.

2. Communicate more openly

Creating a bridge of understanding between teams and their managers is invaluable. Regular check-ins or even casual conversations can preempt many last-minute surprises. You can also bolster a policy with clear backup plans – if Jimmy isn’t immediately available, Agnieszka can provide backup.

3. Establish backup plans ahead of time

On that last point about Jimmy and Agnieszka: cross-training is a word you’d want to consider seriously. Ensuring more than one person is equipped to handle critical roles can be a game-changer.

Deny PTO after approval only as a last resort

This is not kids’ play. You’re working with professionals who have complex personal lives, and you have a clear agreement in place (if not, you should) for PTO. It’s part of the fabric of employment.

Don’t let the small thread of PTO unravel your relationship with your employee. The legal aspect of it is fine and well – but in this case, any legal rights should take a back seat to employee engagement.

As the custodians of workplace culture, it’s upon you, the HR professionals and employers, to manage the denial of pre-approved PTO with extra care, ensuring that even when tough decisions are made, they’re made with empathy and foresight. The Zofias and the Claudes of this world will thank you.

The post Can PTO be denied after approval? appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

So, let’s dive in and demystify this term for you.

What is retroactive pay?

At its core, retroactive pay (or “retro pay” for short) is pretty straightforward. It’s the compensation you owe an employee for work they’ve already completed but were underpaid for.

This can happen for a variety of reasons, ranging from simple clerical errors to more complex issues like backdated promotions. Think of it as a way to correct past paycheck oversights.

Why does retroactive pay exist?

Imagine if you were that employee caught in this situation. You’d want assurance that, even if there’s a hiccup in your paycheck, your company has a mechanism to fix this. Retroactive pay exists primarily for two reasons:

Contractual and legal obligations

Sometimes, an employee’s pay rate changes (due to promotions or agreed raises), but this change doesn’t immediately reflect in their paycheck. Or perhaps new legislation mandates certain payments.

Retro pay ensures you’re up-to-date with all legal obligations – after all, you don’t want to have a lawyer banging on your desk because your company accidentally underpaid an employee a couple of months ago.

Employee morale and trust

Financial stability is paramount for your staff. By ensuring they receive every cent they’re owed, you bolster their trust and morale. You have signed an agreement with them – you pay them for the work they do, and you don’t want that to get misaligned in any way.

Plus, if you’re proactive and tell your employee: “Hey, we noticed that your last two paychecks were actually below what you were supposed to get based on your promotion/raise last month. We’ve gone and fixed that for you, so you’ll see that reflected in your next paycheck at the end of this month.” That sends a powerful message to them that you have their best interests at heart.

When is retroactive pay used?

So, how might you find yourself dealing with retro pay? A few scenarios to consider:

Contractual changes

Let’s say you’ve awarded an employee a raise starting the 10th of the month, but payroll is processed on the 1st. Retro pay comes into play to cover that gap.

Clerical errors

Even in the best systems, mistakes happen. Perhaps someone was inadvertently underpaid; retro pay allows you to square things away.

Overtime corrections

If an employee’s overtime was miscalculated, submitted late, or simply overlooked, retro pay ensures they’re compensated correctly.

However, be cautious. If you’re frequently resorting to retro pay, it could signal deeper systemic issues in your payroll system. And trust us, repeatedly dishing out retro paychecks won’t do wonders for your company’s reputation. It can also be a headache for your friends in Finance.

Pros and cons of retroactive pay

Let’s quickly go over the pros and cons of retro pay, one by one:

Pros:

Fairness: Above all, it demonstrates to your team that you’re committed to honoring your financial commitments.

Boosts morale: Employees trust employers who correct their mistakes.

Legal safeguard: Protect yourself from potential legal repercussions by ensuring everyone gets paid what they’re due.

Cons:

Administrative burden: Handling retro pay can be a paperwork nightmare – especially if it starts piling up.

Financial strain: Large retroactive sums can strain your company’s financial health – and makes it more difficult for the finance department to keep those books balanced.

Potential damage: Relying on retro pay too often can erode trust in your payroll system for existing employees – which can spill over to negative commentary on Glassdoor and other employer review sites.

Retro pay: it’s best to have it and not need it

Being in HR or leading an SMB is no walk in the park. But by ensuring accurate and timely pay, you foster a positive work environment, solidifying employee trust and commitment. So, take a moment to review your payroll systems. Perhaps even consider regular audits. It’s always better to be proactive than retroactive when it comes to pay. The same goes for time off management as well, but that is a topic for another article.

Stay informed, stay proactive, and always prioritize your employees. Because at the end of the day, a company’s greatest asset isn’t its products or services – it’s the people who make it all happen.

The post Retroactive pay: what it is and what you need to know appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

A smooth workflow while accommodating employees’ personal needs is crucial. One of the ways companies maintain this balance is by using structured processes for routine requests, such as time off.

The employee vacation request form serves as a bridge between the employee’s personal needs and the company’s operational requirements, ensuring transparency and efficiency.

What is an employee vacation request form?

The vacation request policy is a set of guidelines and procedures that companies establish to manage and approve employees’ time-off requests. This policy ensures that there’s a systematic approach to handling vacation requests, minimizing disruptions and ensuring fairness.

The policy typically outlines the process of submitting a request, the notice period required, the criteria for approval, and how the company handles overlapping requests.

It also provides clarity on how vacation days are accrued, whether they can be carried over, and the implications of not using them. By having a clear policy, companies can ensure that business operations continue to run smoothly while employees get their well-deserved breaks.

An employee vacation request form should include:

Employee details: This includes the employee’s name, department, designation, and employee ID.

Vacation details: Specific start and end dates of the vacation, along with the total number of days requested.

Reason for vacation: A brief description of the reason for the vacation request, be it personal, medical, or leisure.

Backup or point of contact: Details of a colleague or team member who can handle the employee’s responsibilities in their absence.

Step-by-step instructions

In general, creating an employee vacation request form is an easy task for the HR department.

Here are some guidelines that will help you craft your own:

Choose a format: Decide whether you want a digital form (like a Google Form) or a paper-based form. Digital forms are easier to track and manage, but some companies prefer traditional methods.

Header: Start with a clear header like “Employee Vacation Request Form” to make the purpose of the form evident.
Employee details section: Create fields for the employee’s name, department, designation, and employee ID.

Vacation details section: Include fields for the start and end dates of the vacation, total days requested, and a calendar widget if it’s a digital form.

Reason for vacation: Provide a text box where employees can briefly describe the reason for their vacation.

Backup details: Create fields for the backup employee’s name and contact details.

Approval section: Leave a space for managerial signatures or digital approval mechanisms. This might include spaces for the immediate supervisor and HR manager.

Notes or comments section: Provide a space for any additional notes or comments from either the employee or the approving authority.

Footer: Include a declaration that the employee has adhered to company policies in making the request and understands any implications of their absence.

Review and test: Before rolling it out, test the form with a few employees to ensure it’s user-friendly and captures all necessary information.

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Every employee plays a pivotal role in the success of an organization. When employees are absent, especially unexpectedly, it can disrupt the workflow, leading to decreased productivity and potential financial losses.

This is where absence management comes into play. It’s a little different from time-off management, which covers pre-approved and pre-planned time off.

What is absence management?

Absence management is a program designed to control absences due to various reasons such as illness, injury, or other emergencies. It encompasses policies and action plans tailored to monitor and reduce unplanned leaves, which are absences not scheduled in advance or those that employers cannot predict or control.

Examples include short-term sick leave, long-term medical leaves, lateness, unauthorized leaves, and more.

Why is absence management important?

Absence management is crucial for several reasons.

The importance of effective absence management cannot be overstated. From a financial perspective, unplanned absences can be a significant drain on resources.

Since 2019, organizations believing in underreported absences rose from 36% to 55% by 2023, post-COVID.

Average absence days per employee annually increased by 2.6 days since pre-COVID times.

The direct cost of absence per employee surged from $3,395 to $4,025. Four out of five (80%) surveyed companies attributed increased absences to COVID restrictions.

Beyond the monetary implications, absenteeism directly affects the productivity of an organization.

Tasks might face delays, or the overall quality of work could see a decline.

Furthermore, when some employees are absent, others might have to shoulder additional responsibilities, leading to increased stress and potential burnout.

This can have a cascading effect, where the increased workload on present employees might lead to further absences.

Moreover, in sectors where customer or client interaction is frequent, inconsistent staffing can lead to a decline in the quality of service provided.

Benefits of absence management

The benefits of a well-implemented absence management system are manifold. For starters, it leads to improved productivity.

By proactively addressing and reducing the root causes of absenteeism, companies can maintain a consistent and productive workforce. This, in turn, translates to cost savings.

Fewer unplanned absences mean fewer disruptions and a more streamlined operation.

Additionally, by fostering a supportive work environment where absenteeism is addressed, companies can boost employee morale and job satisfaction.

Lastly, in customer-facing roles, consistent staffing ensures that clients and customers receive a uniform and high standard of service.

How to track absence?

To get a grip on absence management, it’s imperative for organizations to have a robust system in place to track all instances of absenteeism.

Modern tools, such as self-service HRIS systems, can be invaluable in recording and analyzing this data.

Regular reviews of this data can help organizations identify any emerging trends or patterns related to absenteeism.

Open communication is another cornerstone of effective absence management.

By ensuring that there are open channels of communication between employees and management, organizations can gain insights into the reasons behind absences and address any underlying issues.

The post What is absence management? appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

But – are these workers really lazy, or are their pithy phrases an attempt to communicate something deeper? The latter is more likely. Older generations have always complained about younger generations at work. A University of Calgary professor went viral when he pointed out that people have been saying “nobody wants to work anymore” for more than 100 years.

1905 pic.twitter.com/k4eoLAUjPO

— Paul Fairie (@paulisci) July 20, 2022

It’s not so much that people don’t want to work – it’s that they don’t want to work the same way their predecessors did. Given that, managers have two choices: they can whine about the workers or they can help those workers win.

For those who choose to take the coach approach, the first step is to identify the “quiet quitters.” Despite viral “lazy girl” sensations, most disengaged employees won’t announce their apathy online.

How to identify disengaged workers

Most managers will easily identify blatant issues like missing deadlines or incomplete projects. The most successful managers will notice more subtle signs before problems escalate that far.

Here are three subtle signs someone on your team is disengaging.

1. They don’t offer suggestions for improvement

When it comes to employee communication, no news is not good news. Engaged employees communicate with their teams.

When an employee fails to offer constructive feedback or new ideas, you may have one of two problems. The first could be that the staffer simply doesn’t care about the company’s success enough to say anything. If an employee who once shared a lot of ideas suddenly goes silent, that’s a giant red flag.

The second issue could be that your team member doesn’t feel safe speaking up. Team members who feel like managers will snap at them or ignore them are likely to shut down.

2. They keep their webcam off

With cameras off, employees could be browsing the internet, shopping online, scrolling social social media, texting, or any other of a thousand distractions available at home. Remember that viral story about the woman who accidentally kept her camera on in the bathroom?

3. They don’t put the company sticker on their laptop

A lack of team spirit can be a sign a team member is disengaged. Of course, not everyone will want to put a sticker on their device. However, if you notice they don’t carry that swag corporate water bottle at work, wear their company polo, or generally avoid the logo, that could indicate a problem.

If they don’t participate in team building exercises or make snarky comments about company events, you likely have an even bigger issue.

How to inspire self-proclaimed ‘lazy’ team members

Employers who want their employees to level up cannot continue to play pong in a world that’s moved on to playing immersive virtual reality games.

Here are three things managers and HR departments can do to meet employees where they are.

1. Reframe the job

Focus not on what “lazy girls” can do for the company but on what the company can do for them. Employees are disillusioned by businesses that they believe see them as disposable. They simply don’t feel loyalty to companies.

You can help them be their best by reframing their work. Rather than focusing on how they can help the business, help them focus on what they can do to achieve their personal best as if they are playing against themselves.

2. Emphasize impact

The incoming generation of workers is especially concerned with having an impact on the world. Help new employees connect the dots to see specifically how their efforts impact the people who use your company’s services.

3. Bribe them

In the business world, we might more delicately call this an “incentive.” Find ways within your corporate policies and budget to offer incentives, or out-and-out bribes.

Something as small as an afternoon off or a Starbucks gift card can show that you get what they are going through, and are at least trying to help them get through their boring day

These three things combined with more traditional advice like respecting work-life boundaries, setting clear expectations and providing regular feedback can go a long way towards making employees feel seen and heard, which improves performance.

With the right coaching and support “quiet quitters” could eventually become your business’ loudest supporters.

Marc Cenedella, founder of Leet Resumes and The Ladders, is a nationally recognized thought leader on careers, resume writing, job search, career management and recruiting. He is the author of seven Amazon Careers #1 bestsellers, including Ladders Resume Guide and Ladders Interviews Guide.

The post The ‘lazy girl’: unpacking apathy in modern workplaces appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Also discussed: the need to focus on maintaining a human touch in the hiring process, the use of technology in recruitment, and the idea of promoting from within.

Don’t worry if you missed the webinar. We’ve got you covered offering all the important tips to help you hire better, surpassing the economic headwinds.

Better hiring practices – the takeaways

Let’s delve deeper into each of the major takeaways of the webinar:

1. Empathy is key

The hiring process isn’t just about filling a position. It’s about understanding the human element behind each application. Empathy plays a pivotal role in ensuring that candidates feel valued and understood especially when creating a hiring strategy in tough times.

It’s essential to put oneself in the shoes of the applicant. Consider their journey, the challenges they might face, and the anxieties they might have.

“From the recruiting perspective, we try to create a timeline of each department’s process, leading with empathy. It’s really just putting ourselves in the shoes of the candidates and understanding if this recruiting process is enjoyable for us,” Dave Deguzman, Head of Recruitment at Ylopo, comments.

By approaching the hiring process with empathy, HR professionals can foster a more inclusive, understanding, and efficient recruitment process.

Jordan Greenstreet, Sr. Partner Marketing Manager at Checkr adds: “From the Checkr perspective, our whole mission is fair chance hiring. It’s built on the premise that everyone, regardless of their background, has the right to be fairly assessed for the role that they’re qualified for.”

This not only enhances the candidate’s experience but also positively impacts the company’s brand in the job market.

2. Dealing with inundated qualified candidates

When a job posting is inundated with qualified candidates, it’s crucial to maintain a transparent, communicative, and empathetic recruitment process. Firstly, leverage technology to ensure timely communication.

Automated emails can be set up to acknowledge receipt of applications, providing candidates with a clear expectation of the timeline for feedback.

For instance, if a match is identified, the candidate could be informed within a set number of days. If not, a courteous rejection email should be sent.

While it’s disappointing to receive a rejection, it’s preferable to being left in the dark.

Setting clear expectations from the outset ensures candidates are not left waiting indefinitely.

Additionally, personalizing communication, even if it’s automated, can make a significant difference in how the company is perceived.

Remember, word of mouth is powerful; candidates will share their experiences with peers. The recruitment process should align with the company’s brand, ensuring every interaction reflects the company’s values and ethos.

Deanna Baumgardner, President at Employers Advantage, agrees that “it sucks to get a thanks note but it’s better than getting nothing. Even if it’s not as easy as a click of a button, I think the investment in the time that it takes to communicate with candidates is worth it”.

3. Onboarding is crucial

The initial days of a new hire are critical in setting the tone for their entire tenure at the company.

Effective onboarding goes beyond just introducing a new hire to their role.

It’s about integrating them into the company culture, ensuring they have the necessary resources, and providing continuous support.

Deanna Baumgardner states: “It’s really just planning ahead. Plan through the recruiting process to know who is involved, what is each person’s role in the recruiting process, and what specifically are you looking for from your candidates.”

Especially in remote settings, where face-to-face interactions are limited, HR professionals should prioritize regular check-ins, assign mentors or buddies, and provide clear documentation and training materials.

“One thing I think about when it comes to onboarding is that it is the most important aspect of a team member’s lifecycle experience when they join the company. Having a solid onboarding experience is especially crucial when working remotely,” Nadia Alaee, senior director human resources business partner at Deel, comments.

4. Promoting from within

Internal growth and development are essential for employee satisfaction and retention.

Encouraging and facilitating internal promotions can lead to higher job satisfaction, increased loyalty, and better overall morale.

HR professionals should ensure that employees are aware of potential career paths within the organization, offer training and development opportunities, and maintain open communication about potential growth opportunities.

As Melissa Escobar-Franco, VP of HR in Workable, puts it: “We really want everyone here at Workable to see that they have a career here, that they have a career path in place. We want to keep people on board for longer, while still having a healthy turnover rate.”

5. Challenges of global hiring

Hiring across different geographic locations presents its own set of unique challenges and considerations when your are implementing your hiring strategy in tough times.

When hiring globally, it’s crucial to be aware of cultural nuances, local employment laws, and compensation standards.

Additionally, with varying time zones and work cultures, HR professionals need to ensure that communication remains consistent and that all employees, regardless of location, feel integrated into the company culture.

Lastly, the time between the signing of the job offer and the starting date is crucial. Especially, when hiring from abroad, these times may increase.

Nadia Alaee offers her view on this: “We’re keeping them excited about the deal, sending them any sort of documentation they can start, introducing them to team members. Having the hiring manager have a touchpoint with them on a cadence that makes sense to make sure that they’re still really excited even though it’s two or three months away”.

6. Gamifying recognition

Gamification can be a powerful tool to foster a culture of appreciation and acknowledgment within an organization.

Implementing gamified recognition systems, like awarding points or badges for achievements, can motivate employees and encourage positive behaviors.

However, it’s essential to ensure that such systems don’t inadvertently create a competitive or exclusionary environment. The focus should always remain on fostering collaboration and appreciation.

Dave Deguzman shares his experience at Ylopo: “we typically give people five tacos a day to offer. We have the reward store, but we really focus on the gamification around. We’re trying to foster a culture of recognition and giving rather than a popularity contest of the one who receives the most tacos. So it’s the people that are appreciating the most versus the popularity.”

7. Using technology in hiring

While technology can streamline the hiring process, it’s essential to balance automation with a human touch.

Leveraging technology in recruitment, like Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) or AI-driven screening tools, can make the process more efficient.

However, HR professionals should be wary of over-relying on these tools. It’s essential to maintain a personal touch, ensuring that candidates have a point of human contact and don’t feel lost in an automated system.

Deanna Baumgardner comments: “Technology creates a lot of efficiency and it can bring people to the surface or it can eliminate people that aren’t qualified. But we need to take the time to remember that there is somebody on the other end who is a human trying to get their next job and to create a livelihood for themselves and their families”.

By understanding and implementing these insights while crafting your hiring strategy in tough times, HR professionals can enhance their hiring practices, ensuring a more efficient, inclusive, and empathetic recruitment process during economic headwinds.

Candidate to employee, made easy. Book your demo at Workable and make use of the world’s leading hiring platform.

The post Evolve your hiring strategy in tough times: 7 webinar lessons appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

However, the invention of Barbie was a game changer – literally.

Barbie was introduced by Mattel, Inc. at the American International Toy Fair in New York back in 1959. She was created by Ruth Handler and named after her daughter, Barbara. Ruth aimed to create a doll that would inspire children to “dream dreams of the future.”

Throughout the years, this famous doll has evolved in various ways, surpassing the notion of just being a beautiful girl. Now, Barbie can teach us better hiring practices.

From controversial Barbie to a diversity icon

Over time, Barbie has faced a slew of negative criticisms, many centered around her representation of women and the potential influence on young girls.

Critics argue that early depiction of Barbie could perpetuate harmful beauty standards, potentially leading to negative body image and self-esteem issues.

Additionally, Barbie’s early roles and accessories, often centered around fashion, beauty, and domestic scenarios, were criticized for reinforcing traditional gender roles and limiting girls’ aspirations.

The lack of racial and ethnic diversity in the Barbie range, especially in the early years, also drew criticism for not providing inclusive representation.

All these negative judgement turned to valuable feedback for the company and over the years we saw Barbie better reflects our multifaceted society.

Barbie becomes workaholic

Barbie has worked hard, becoming the first astronaut to go into space before the first (hu)man landed on the moon. She took a huge interest in dinosaurs as a paleontologist before deciding to devote herself to science, becoming first a nurse and later a surgeon.

Barbie has already transformed from a housewife to a workaholic woman, reflecting the need for gender equality in the first two decades of her existence. Until today, she has followed almost 200 career paths.

It is not surprising that every aspect of Barbie has both inspired and been inspired by world culture.

If you’re still wondering how a popular toy relates to recruiting and human resources, doll yourself up and keep reading.

Drawing parallels between Barbie and Human Resources

From diversity and inclusion to adaptability and professional growth, Barbie can correlate with the modern workplace and provide insights to HR professionals for better hiring practices. The hit movie itself has led to changes in perspectives, with a ResumeBuilder.com study finding that three out of four self-declared conservative men say the movie has improved their view of women in leadership positions, and that two out of three respondents say it’s made them more aware of patriarchy in the workplace.

There’s many more takeaways from the Barbie phenomenon, especially for hiring teams. Let’s delve into how Barbie can teach us better hiring practices:

Diversity, equity, and inclusion

Over the years, Barbie has evolved to represent various ethnicities, body types, and professions.

From different ethnicities such as African-American, Asian, Hispanic, and Middle Eastern to a range of body types including petite, curvy, athletic, and those using wheelchairs, the spectrum of representation has broadened.

This mirrors the importance of DEI in the workplace, emphasizing that talent comes in all forms.

No matter the ethnicity, religion, appearance, or gender, the best employee for your company could be waiting for you to give them a chance.

Understanding the importance of a diverse workforce means that you pay attention to innovative ideas and growth.

Adaptability

Just as Barbie has taken on numerous roles from astronaut to teacher to president, HR professionals must be adaptable, recognizing the multifaceted nature of potential candidates and the various skills they bring.:

Related: Famous career transitions: 6 real-life lessons for employers

Every candidate should be treated as a unique personality, bringing their soft and hard skills to meet the expectations of the job position, and sometimes combining their different skills in unexpected ways can truly assist in the company’s growth.

Continuous evolution

Barbie’s continuous reinvention over the decades teaches us the importance of staying updated with current trends and needs. Similarly, HR and recruiting strategies must evolve to stay relevant in a changing job market.

Who knows? We may soon see an AI Barbie offering voice recognition features and augmented learning capabilities, making the game personalized for each kid.

In the HR world, following workplace trends can enhance talent acquisition, which will boost your company’s efforts in evolution.

Branding

Barbie is not just a doll; she’s a successful brand. In recruiting, employer branding is crucial. How a company presents itself can determine the kind of talent it attracts.

Easy. You don’t need a $150-million marketing budget like Barbie’s movie to build your employer branding. You can do it with less by utilizing affordable tools and composing a structured strategy.

Skill development

With Barbie’s myriad of professions, there’s an emphasis on continuous learning and skill development. In recruiting, it’s essential to not just look at where a candidate is now, but their potential and willingness to grow.

Be sure to explore this potential from the screening interviews.

Cultural impact

Barbie has, for better or worse, influenced societal norms and expectations. HR professionals must recognize the cultural impact of their hiring practices and strive for practices that promote positive societal change.

Also, the culture of a brand can determine the hiring process and the way that employees are working together. Being clear about your vision and your goals can help you attract people that could be a culture fit to your company.

Although lately, we have been seeing a growing tendency to escape from the narrow confines of culture fit and embrace the concept of culture add.

Generation gap

This is a very common topic of discussion inside the HR circles. We will just say this. In Mattel there are currently four solid generations of employees working on making Barbie relatable to everyone.

Ageism can become a daunting situation within a company, but instead of focusing on the differences between generations, HR professionals can focus on similarities and specific skills that each generation can bring. Furthermore, providing proper training and communication, this gap can be narrowed significantly.

Feedback makes everyone better – even Barbie

Constructive feedback and a healthy competition could lead to the generation of new ideas. It can also help a company to have better control of the workflows and more satisfied employees. Barbie’s example can teach us once again better hiring practices and offer tips for better employee engagement.

HR professionals can ask for feedback after candidate interviews and run regular employee engagement surveys to gain valuable insights from their existing personnel.

Barbie came with the message that if you follow her suit you can be perfect.

Later, this message became that everyone is perfect as they are.

The movie set it right for everyone: we often underestimate our potential and self-worth, and we become obsessed with trying to be perfect.

Workplaces don’t need perfectionism. They need adaptability, potential, and different voices to reach greater heights and make an impact.

The post What Barbie can teach you about better hiring practices appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

What is an acceptable use policy?

An acceptable use policy established clear guidelines on the appropriate use of IT resources. Also, iit ensures that employees and stakeholders operate within a secure and productive digital environment. From data confidentiality to software licensing, this document addresses potential risks and sets clear expectations. Regularly updating this policy in line with technological advancements and regulatory changes will further enhance its effectiveness in safeguarding your organization’s assets and reputation.

An acceptable use policy should include:

• Acceptable use
• Prohibited use
• System and network activities
• Email and communication activities
• Software and intellectual property
• Confidentiality

Step by step instructions

Writing an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) requires a systematic approach to ensure that all necessary elements are covered and that the policy is clear, enforceable, and aligned with the organization’s goals and values. Here’s a step-by-step guide to writing an AUP:

1. Define the Purpose

Determine why you need an AUP. This could be to protect company assets, ensure a productive work environment, or comply with legal and regulatory requirements.
Clearly state the purpose at the beginning of the policy.

2. Determine the scope

Decide who the policy applies to (e.g., employees, contractors, visitors, etc.).
Specify which systems, networks, and devices are covered by the AUP.

3. Research and benchmarking

Look at AUPs from similar organizations to get an idea of industry standards.
Stay updated with relevant laws, regulations, and best practices.

4. Outline acceptable uses

Define what constitutes acceptable use of the organization’s IT resources.
Include examples where necessary for clarity.

5. Detail prohibited uses

Clearly list behaviors and actions that are not allowed.
This can include things like illegal activities, accessing inappropriate content, or using resources for personal profit.

6. Address system and network activities

Set guidelines for accessing and using the organization’s systems and networks.
Include rules about password security, unauthorized access, and software installation.

7. Set email and communication standards

Provide guidelines on appropriate email usage, including sending mass emails, content standards, and data sharing.
Address other communication tools if relevant, like instant messaging or collaboration platforms.

8. Discuss software and intellectual property

State the organization’s stance on software licensing, unauthorized software, and intellectual property rights.
Emphasize the importance of not violating copyright laws.

9. Emphasize confidentiality

Highlight the importance of protecting sensitive and confidential information.
Provide guidelines on how to handle, store, and share such information.

10. Define enforcement procedures

Detail the consequences of violating the AUP.
This can range from warnings and retraining to termination or legal action.

11. Review and revision procedures

Mention how often the AUP will be reviewed.
Outline the process for making updates or changes to the policy.

12. Obtain legal review

Before finalizing, have the AUP reviewed by legal counsel to ensure it’s compliant with local, state, and federal laws.

13. Communicate and train

Once the AUP is finalized, communicate it to all relevant parties.
Provide training or informational sessions to ensure understanding and compliance.

14. Obtain acknowledgment

Have users sign or electronically acknowledge that they have read, understood, and agreed to the AUP.

15. Review and update regularly

As technology, laws, and business needs change, revisit and update the AUP as necessary.
By following these steps, you’ll create a comprehensive AUP that protects your organization and provides clear guidelines for users.

Acceptable use policy template

Acceptable use policies may differ from company to company. Here’s a template based on a hypothetical software company, called TechNova.

This Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) outlines the acceptable use of computing resources at TechNova Solutions. All employees, contractors, and affiliates are required to follow this policy when accessing and using TechNova’s network and IT resources.

Brief & purpose

The purpose of this AUP is to ensure the security, reliability, and privacy of TechNova’s IT resources and users’ data.

Scope

This policy applies to all users accessing TechNova’s IT resources, including but not limited to employees, contractors, visitors, and external partners.

Acceptable use

• Users must use TechNova’s IT resources for business-related purposes only.
• Personal use is permissible as long as it does not interfere with company operations or productivity.

Prohibited use

• Users must not engage in illegal activities.
• Users must not access, upload, or distribute offensive, threatening, or harmful content.
• Users must not use IT resources for unauthorized commercial activities.

System and network activities

• Users must not attempt to access data or accounts for which they do not have authorization.
• Users must not introduce malicious software into the network.
• Users must not perform any action that compromises the performance or security of IT resources.

Email and communication activities

• Users must not send unsolicited email messages or spam.
• Users must not engage in any form of harassment via email or other communication means.

Software and intellectual property

• Users must respect all copyright and licensing agreements.
• Users must not download, install, or use unauthorized software.

Confidentiality

• Users must protect sensitive and confidential information.
• Users must not disclose confidential information without proper authorization.

Enforcement

Any user found to have violated this policy may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment and legal action.

Review and revision

This AUP will be reviewed annually and may be revised as deemed necessary by TechNova’s IT department.

Agreement

By accessing and using TechNova’s IT resources, you agree to comply with this AUP and all other related policies.

Disclaimer: This policy template is meant to provide general guidelines and should be used as a reference. It may not take into account all relevant local, state or federal laws and is not a legal document. Neither the author nor Workable will assume any legal liability that may arise from the use of this policy.

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These deductions serve multiple purposes, from contributing to public services to ensuring employees have access to essential benefits. Understanding these deductions is crucial for both employers and employees to ensure accurate and lawful processing of wages.

What is payroll deduction?

A payroll deduction plan refers to the systematic withholding of money from an employee’s paycheck. This can be for benefits, taxes, or other specific purposes. The deductions can be categorized into two main types:

Pre-tax deductions: Amounts taken out before calculating taxes. These help in reducing the taxable income of employees.
Post-tax deductions: Amounts deducted after taxes have been calculated. They don’t reduce the tax burden.

The final amount after all these deductions is what the employee takes home, often referred to as the net salary.

Payroll deduction in the U.S.

In the United States, these deductions are categorized into:

Pre-tax deductions: Health insurance premiums and contributions to retirement savings plans like 401(k)s.
Post-tax deductions: Wage garnishments for child support or student loans.

Mandatory deductions include federal income tax, FICA taxes for Medicare and Social Security, and state income tax where applicable.

Payroll deduction in Canada

In Canada, employers use the Payroll Deductions Online Calculator (PDOC) to calculate federal, provincial, and territorial payroll deductions. Mandatory deductions include federal and provincial income taxes, the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), and the Quebec Pension Plan (QPP) for Quebec residents.

Payroll deduction in Europe

European countries have diverse deduction systems, but some commonalities exist:

• Income tax: Most European countries have a progressive income tax system where higher earners pay a higher percentage.
• Social security contributions: These are mandatory in most countries and fund various social programs, including healthcare, pensions, and unemployment benefits.
• Healthcare: Some countries have mandatory healthcare deductions, while others operate on private insurance systems with voluntary deductions.

Payroll deduction in Asia

Asia, with its diverse range of economies, has varied deduction systems:

• Income tax: Countries like Japan, South Korea, and India have progressive income tax systems.
• Mandatory provident funds: Places like Hong Kong have mandatory provident fund contributions to ensure retirement savings for employees.
• Health and social insurance: Countries like China mandate employers to deduct amounts for health insurance, unemployment insurance, and housing funds.

Payroll deductions are a universal concept, but the specifics vary widely based on regional laws, economic policies, and cultural norms.

The same applies to time off management.

Whether in North America, Europe, or Asia, these deductions ensure that employees contribute to essential public services, have access to vital benefits, and can manage their finances more effectively.

As global business continues to expand, understanding the nuances of these deductions across different regions becomes increasingly important.

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Some big businesses – including American Airlines, Apple, Bayer, Ikea, Paramount, Starbucks, and Hershey – submitted an Amicus Curiae brief to the court saying that prohibiting universities from running their affirmative action programs would negatively affect businesses. These businesses (called Amici in legal terminology) state:

“An essential part of the diversity Amici seeks is racial and ethnic diversity. Given these priorities, Amici have a significant interest in how universities consider and admit applicants: they rely on the nation’s schools to educate and train their future workers.”

Because the court rule against the universities (specifically Harvard and University of North Carolina, but applicable to all universities that accept federal funding), are these businesses correct that this will have a negative impact on their companies? If we assume that the Amici are correct, here’s what businesses must do to overcome this problem and keep increasing their diversity.

Expand your entry-level recruiting

While people panicked about the effect this would have on Black students, they ignored a reality of American higher education: Everyone with a high school diploma can attend college somewhere. There are many schools with open admissions policies. Some schools will even help you get your GED or high school diploma so that you can attend college.

Another truth is that anyone admitted to Harvard or UNC, even with a boost from affirmative action, could gain entrance into another good school. Very few students get into Harvard, regardless of race or background. Every single one that has could easily excel at another school.

In other words: companies that focus their recruiting only on the top schools limit who can get a job. Rather than relying on schools to seek out diverse students, businesses can recruit diverse candidates at more schools.

Because you can do recruiting virtually, you don’t have to increase your college job fair costs by sending recruiters to every school you want to consider. Arrange video conferences and fly in top candidates.

Make your business a place people want to work

You will never increase your diversity if you strictly rely on recruiting people from universities. Getting people in the door is only a temporary fix if you don’t create an environment where everyone feels welcome.

A Workable survey found that businesses do focus on demographic diversity but need action plans once they get people onboard. What are you doing to make employees of all races and backgrounds feel equal and included?

Do you focus on building strong teams, or do you focus on pointing out differences? A recent episode of Freakonomics looked at whale hunting in the 19th century. Michele Baggio, an associate professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Connecticut, looked at whaling ships to study crew diversity’s impact on performance.

Baggio found something interesting that businesses can learn from today: the U shape involved in diversity. He said:

“We find that the relationship between racial diversity and performance measured by revenue has a U-shape. So that means that very homogeneous teams, they perform well. The revenue is high. As diversity increases, the revenue decreases, so there’s a cost to diversity until it’s just a minimum. And then a higher level of diversity, the performance increases again, and basically overweights the initial costs.”

In other words, when you have a group of similar people, adding a few outsiders makes the situation worse. But when you have a genuinely diverse crew, they learn to work together and bring an increase in strength.

As long as you focus only on getting a few people in the door rather than building an environment where people can use their strengths, you won’t be a great organization for all people.

Provide opportunities at the high school level

If it’s important to you to hire candidates from certain high-ranking schools, then help high school students achieve the grades, test scores, and experience burdens necessary for admittance. Instead of waiting for universities to find and train diverse students, find them yourselves.

Offer summer internships to low-income students – regardless of race – who wouldn’t necessarily have the parental relationships to get such opportunities. Provide donations to struggling schools for things like AP classes that wouldn’t otherwise be available. Ask school districts what they need.

Is a college degree necessary for success?

Do the jobs you struggle to fill need college degrees? If yes, do they need to be from specific schools? Do they need to be recent? Can you look at people with some life experience instead? What about people with alternative forms of training and education?

College is valuable, but it’s not the only experience of value. And pay attention to people who perhaps didn’t have the opportunities to do unpaid internships because they had to keep working fast food to feed themselves and their families.

Evaluate what you need in a role before using a university degree as a proxy for capabilities. This is more difficult, but you’ll value looking beyond big-name schools if you value diversity.

Remember Title VII

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits employers from discriminating on the basis of race. This means you cannot hire someone because they are Black any more than you can hire someone because they are White. You can seek out people from a wide variety of backgrounds, make your application process easy for all to apply, and advertise jobs on niche job boards, but you have to hire the best candidate, regardless of race.

That’s been the case for many years, and this ruling doesn’t change that. It only changes your traditional pipeline, so expand that pipeline.

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What is a shared parental leave policy?

This policy outlines eligibility criteria, entitlements, application procedures, and return-to-work provisions. It promotes a family-friendly workplace, adheres to legal requirements, and provides clear guidance to employees, fostering a supportive and inclusive environment.

What a shared parental leave policy should include:

• Eligibility criteria: Detail the conditions that an employee must meet to be eligible for SPL. This often includes length of service, shared responsibility for the child, and the status of the partner.
• Procedure for requesting SPL
• Rights during SPL: Clarify the rights of employees during SPL, such as the accrual of annual leave and pension contributions.
• Return to work process

Step by step instructions

Creating a Shared Parental Leave (SPL) policy involves several steps. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Understand the legal requirements

Before you start writing, familiarize yourself with the legal requirements for SPL in your jurisdiction. This will help you understand what you must include in your policy to comply with the law.

Step 2: Define the purpose and scope

Start by defining the purpose of the policy. This should include a statement about your company’s commitment to supporting employees who are new parents. Then, define the scope of the policy, i.e., who it applies to.

Step 3: Define key terms

Define any key terms used in the policy. This might include “Shared Parental Leave”, “Shared Parental Pay”, “eligible employee”, “partner”, and any other terms that are relevant to your policy.

Step 4: Outline the eligibility criteria

Clearly outline the criteria that an employee must meet to be eligible for SPL. This might include length of service, shared responsibility for the child, and the status of the partner.

Step 5: Define the entitlement

Explain how much SPL and Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) an employee is entitled to, and how this can be split between parents.

Step 6: Explain the procedure for requesting SPL

Outline the process that employees must follow to request SPL. This should include any notice periods, forms to be completed, and how the leave can be split (e.g., into discontinuous blocks).

Step 7: Clarify rights during SPL

Clarify the rights of employees during SPL. This might include the accrual of annual leave, pension contributions, and the right to remain in contact with the workplace.

Step 8: Outline the return to work policy

Explain the employee’s rights upon returning to work. This should include the right to return to the same job (or a suitable alternative) and any potential flexible working arrangements.

Step 9: Address policy abuse

Mention the consequences if the policy is misused. This could include disciplinary action.

Step 10: Include a policy review statement

State that the policy will be reviewed periodically to ensure it remains relevant and compliant with any changes in legislation.

Step 11: Review and legal approval

Once the policy is written, it should be reviewed by HR and legal experts to ensure it is legally compliant and suits the specific needs of your company and its employees.

Shared parental leave policy template

Brief & purpose

Our company is committed to supporting the families of our employees. We understand the importance of parental involvement in the early life of a child. Therefore, we offer Shared Parental Leave (SPL) to eligible employees. This policy outlines the terms and conditions of SPL.

Scope

This policy applies to all employees of the company, regardless of their gender or type of contract (full-time, part-time, temporary).

Eligibility

To be eligible for SPL, an employee must:

• Be the mother, father, adopter, or intended parent of the child.
• Share the main responsibility for the care of the child with the child’s other parent.
• Have a minimum of 26 weeks of service with the company by the end of the 15th week before the child’s expected due date or adoption placement.

Entitlement

Eligible employees may be entitled to a maximum of 50 weeks of SPL and 37 weeks of Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) which can be shared between the parents. The actual amount of leave and pay will depend on how much maternity or adoption leave and pay has been used.

Notice of Intention to take SPL

Employees must notify the company of their intention to take SPL at least 8 weeks before they want the leave to start. The notice must include the expected week of childbirth or adoption, the duration of the leave, and how it will be divided between the parents.

Booking SPL

After providing the notice of intention, employees must also provide a leave booking notice at least 8 weeks before the start of each block of leave.

Returning to work

Employees have the right to return to the same job after SPL if the leave is for 26 weeks or less. If the leave is for more than 26 weeks, they have the right to return to the same job, or if that is not possible, to a similar job with equivalent terms and conditions.

Policy Review

This policy will be reviewed annually to ensure it continues to meet the needs of our employees and the company.

Disclaimer: This template is meant to provide general guidelines and should be used as a reference. It may not take into account all relevant local, state or federal laws and is not a legal document. Neither the author nor Workable will assume any legal liability that may arise from the use of this policy.

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Fortunately. we’ve done the heavy lifting for you, analyzing various companies and plans across multiple categories such as general features, additional features, third-party reviews, and popularity.

We have created an easy-to-read list for you to identify which features work for you and the needs of your company.

First things first, do you know what features you need to look out for before making your choice?

Let’s delve into the best features to assist you with it.

Features of a good onboarding software

A good onboarding software should offer more than just digital documentation and automation.

It should include the following general features:

• onboarding checklists
• compliance tools
• mobile apps for on-the-go onboarding
• time and attendance tracking and peer reviews

Some unique features you may consider include the following:

• shift scheduling
• engagement tools
• integrations with other HR software
• tax functionality
• live customer support

Additionally, a good onboarding software should offer a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for HR professionals and new hires to navigate. It should also be customizable to fit the specific needs and branding of your organization.

Moreover, a good onboarding software should offer robust analytics and reporting features. This allows HR teams to track the effectiveness of their onboarding process and make data-driven improvements.

Top employee onboarding software

Here is our list of the top 7 employee onboarding software.

1. Workable

Long story short, you are reading this article from Workable’s resources center, so we think you are in the right place to choose a top onboarding software.

By using Workable, you can not only onboard and manage your new hires, but you can also source talent using AI technology, create your own workflows while hiring, and manage your employees through the same software.

Workable is considered a top Human Resources Information System (HRIS) due to its comprehensive suite of features. It provides a centralized, structured source of truth for employee information, making it easy to find and update details about employees.

The system also securely stores company documents, ensuring easy access and safety.

Additionally, Workable’s HRIS enables teams to visualize the company structure and plan for hiring needs, aiding in strategic planning. It manages paid time off, ensuring accurate tracking of employee leave.

Lastly, the software automates the onboarding process, allowing new hires to get to work faster.

These combined features make Workable a robust and efficient solution for HR teams.

2. BambooHR

BambooHR is a comprehensive HR platform that includes a dedicated onboarding solution. The software allows HR teams to automate many of the administrative tasks associated with onboarding, such as filling out paperwork and setting up benefits.

BambooHR’s onboarding solution also includes a customizable onboarding checklist, ensuring that all necessary tasks are completed in a timely manner. The software allows HR teams to track the progress of each new hire through the onboarding process, ensuring that nothing falls through the cracks.

3. Zavvy

Zavvy is a complete HR onboarding software that ties all onboarding processes together while creating a standout and personalized onboarding experience. It helps businesses and organizations carefully manage the growth path of their employees.

Zavvy’s automated employee onboarding process turns complex, repetitive processes into beautiful and rich experiences. It offers features like preboarding, automated workflow management, event scheduling, buddy programs, and rich content among others.

4. Rippling

Rippling‘s onboarding software automates the manual work involved in onboarding a new hire. From sending offer letters to setting up payroll and benefits,

Rippling makes it easy to onboard new employees. It also helps with IT tasks like ordering new equipment and setting up apps for the new hire, ensuring they have everything they need to start work on day one.

5. Zenefits

Zenefits offers a comprehensive onboarding system that allows HR teams to turn a candidate into an employee with just a few clicks. It automates many of the administrative tasks involved in onboarding, such as filling out paperwork and enrolling in benefits.

Zenefits also offers a mobile app, making it easy for employees to complete their onboarding tasks on the go.

6. UKG

UKG provides a powerful onboarding solution that helps organizations engage new hires from the start. It allows HR teams to create personalized onboarding experiences that align with the company’s culture and values.

UKG Pro also offers interactive onboarding checklists and the ability to track progress, ensuring new hires complete all necessary tasks.

7. ADP Workforce Now

ADP Workforce Now includes an onboarding module that automates many of the tasks involved in bringing a new hire onboard. It allows HR teams to create a step-by-step onboarding plan, complete with tasks and deadlines. ADP Workforce Now also integrates with other HR functions, allowing for seamless data transfer and reducing the need for manual data entry.

By considering the features of various software options, you can find the solution that best fits your organization’s needs.

Remember, a good onboarding software should be user-friendly, customizable, integrable, analytical, and scalable.

It’s not just about automating the process, but enhancing the experience for both the HR team and the new hires.

The post Employee onboarding software – check our top list appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

This data serves as the foundation for numerous HR functions, including payroll processing, benefits administration, performance management, and succession planning.

Moreover, in the event of workplace emergencies, having immediate access to an employee’s emergency contact information can be crucial.

Additionally, maintaining up-to-date employee records helps HR professionals ensure compliance with labor laws and regulations, which often require employers to keep certain employee information on file.

Therefore, the role of an employee information form becomes indispensable in the HR toolkit.

What is an employee information form?

An employee information form is a standardized document used by companies to gather essential details about their employees. This form typically includes sections for personal information, job-related data, and emergency contact details.

How could an HRIS help you gather this information easily?

A Human Resource Information System (HRIS) like Workable can significantly simplify the process of gathering and managing employee information.

Workable allows HR teams to store all employee data in one place, making it easily accessible and manageable.

It also offers features like digital forms, which employees can fill out online, eliminating the need for paper forms and manual data entry.

This not only saves time but also reduces the risk of errors.

What a good employee information form should include?

A good employee information form should be comprehensive yet straightforward. It should include:

Personal Information: Full name, address, contact details, marital status, and spouse’s details.

Job Information: Title, department, supervisor, work location, start date, and salary.

Emergency Contact Information: Name, address, and contact details of the emergency contact.

The form should be easy to understand and fill out, with clear instructions and well-defined fields. It should also comply with privacy laws, ensuring the data collected is stored and used responsibly.

An employee information form is a vital tool for effective communication and smooth administrative processes within an organization.

You can download the form from the right sidebar.

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However, let’s take a moment to review and understand what employee engagement truly entails.

What is employee engagement?

Employee engagement is more than just job satisfaction. It’s about an employee’s passion and commitment to their work and their company’s mission.

Engaged employees are invested in their roles and are motivated to go above and beyond their job duties. They feel a sense of belonging and purpose, which drives their productivity and performance.

HR professionals are responsible for creating an environment that promotes engagement, from hiring the right people to implementing policies that encourage employee involvement and recognition.

What employee engagement is not

Employee engagement is not the same as employee satisfaction.

A satisfied employee may be happy with their job and workplace conditions, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re engaged. Engagement goes beyond satisfaction; it involves a deep emotional commitment and a willingness to put in extra effort for the success of the company.

Benefits of good employee engagement

Engaged employees are more productive, more customer-focused, and more likely to stay with the company.

According to a 2022 Gallup report, 32% of employees in the U.S. and 23% worldwide are engaged in their work. However, in best-practice organizations, this figure rises to 72%.

Companies with a highly engaged workforce show a 41% reduction in absenteeism, 28% less shrinkage, and a 41% reduction in quality defects.

Organizations should pay attention to this and make more efforts to increase their employee engagement rates.

But how can you increase these rates for your organization? Let’s delve into some good examples.

Good examples of employee engagement

Companies like Google and Microsoft are renowned for their high levels of engaged workforce.

They achieve this by fostering a positive work culture, offering opportunities for growth, and recognizing employee contributions.

For instance, Google’s ‘20% time’ policy, which allows employees to spend 20% of their time on personal projects, has led to innovations like Gmail and Google News.

Microsoft has a program called “Hackathon” which is the largest private hacking event in the world. Employees from all over the globe come together to create and innovate, working on projects they’re passionate about.

This event fosters a sense of engagement and camaraderie among employees.

Workable, also, participates in this program giving employees the opportunity to express themselves and increase their productivity.

Related: Top employee engagement ideas to achieve success

Best practices for employee engagement

Several factors are responsible for a highly engaged workforce, including overall satisfaction, clear expectations, availability of equipment, opportunities to do what one does best, recognition, care and encouragement at work, mission/purpose, commitment to quality work, talking about progress, and opportunities for learning and growing.

Best practices include:

• regular communication
• recognition of employee achievements
• providing opportunities for professional development
• promoting work-life balance

It’s also crucial to gather and act on employee feedback, ensuring that employees feel heard and valued.

Understanding and implementing effective employee engagement strategies is crucial for any organization’s success.

Related:

Related: Team engagement ideas at work to boost productivity

As HR professionals, it’s our responsibility to create a work environment that fosters engagement, driving productivity, and business growth.

Let’s continue to learn, adapt, and innovate in our approach to create a highly engaged workforce.

The post What is employee engagement? appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

As we strive to push the boundaries of innovation, it’s increasingly evident that diverse perspectives and inclusive environments are key drivers of creativity and progress.

This article delves into four insightful reports: Snap Inc. diversity annual report, Buildin’s state of DEI in Tech, Google diversity annual report, and VMware diversity, equity, and inclusion report.

Each provides a unique lens into the current state of DEI in tech, offering valuable insights into the triumphs, challenges, and future directions of DEI initiatives within the industry.

The importance of DEI in tech

DEI is not just a moral imperative; it’s a business one. Tech companies thrive on innovation, and diversity fuels this by bringing together individuals with different experiences, ideas, and perspectives.

A diverse workforce fosters creativity and innovation, leading to the development of more comprehensive and inclusive solutions.

Inclusive environments, where everyone feels valued and included, boost employee satisfaction, productivity, and retention.

Employees who feel included are more likely to be engaged, motivated, and committed to their organization. They’re also more likely to feel comfortable sharing their ideas and perspectives, further driving innovation.

Equity ensures fairness, which further enhances employee morale and commitment. When employees see that opportunities, resources, and rewards are distributed fairly, they’re more likely to feel satisfied, committed, and motivated to perform at their best.

Together, diversity, equity, and inclusion contribute to better decision-making, problem-solving, and ultimately, improved business performance.

Current state of DEI in tech

Despite the recognized importance of DEI, the tech industry faces significant challenges. The four reports highlight that while strides have been made, there’s still a long way to go.

For instance, Snap Inc. reports a modest increase in the representation of women in tech roles, while Google has seen a 30% increase in leadership representation of Black+, Latinx+, and Native American+ Googlers.

However, the 2023 State of DEI in Tech report reveals that 51% of tech professionals feel their company needs to improve its DEI efforts, indicating a gap between efforts and employee perceptions.

These statistics underscore the need for continuous improvement in DEI efforts. They also highlight the importance of aligning DEI initiatives with employee perceptions and experiences.

After all, the success of DEI initiatives ultimately depends on how well they resonate with employees and how effectively they address their needs and concerns.

DEI strategies in tech companies

Each company has implemented unique strategies to enhance DEI. Snap Inc.’s strategy revolves around three pillars: Inspiring Empathy, Redesigning Systems, and Driving Accountability.

These pillars reflect a comprehensive approach to DEI that addresses not only the representation of diverse groups but also the creation of an inclusive culture and the accountability of leaders and managers.

Google, on the other hand, focuses on building a representative workforce, centering inclusion in their products, and strengthening investments for educational, economic, and health equity.

This approach reflects Google’s commitment to integrating DEI into all aspects of its operations, from its workforce and products to its broader societal impact.

VMware emphasizes business-led DEI initiatives and provides resources and support for business leaders to implement them. This approach recognizes the crucial role of business leaders in driving DEI and provides them with the tools and resources they need to succeed.

Despite the different approaches, a common thread is the commitment to creating an inclusive culture and increasing representation.

All companies recognize that DEI is not just about numbers; it’s also about creating an environment where everyone feels valued, included, and able to contribute to their full potential.

Progress and challenges

Progress in DEI is evident but varies across companies. Google’s leadership representation of Black+, Latinx+, and Native American+ Googlers has increased by 30%, while Snap Inc. reports a 1.6 percentage point increase in the representation of women in tech.

However, challenges persist. Retention of underrepresented talent, unconscious bias, and the need for continuous improvement in DEI efforts are common themes across the reports.

These challenges underscore the complexity of DEI and the need for a multifaceted approach.

They also highlight the importance of continuous learning and adaptation. As companies implement DEI initiatives, they need to monitor their impact, learn from their successes and failures, and adapt their strategies accordingly.

Future of DEI in tech

Looking ahead, companies plan to increase their DEI investments. The Builtin’s State of DEI in Tech report indicates that companies plan to increase the budget for current DEI initiatives and implement new ones, such as flexible work opportunities and wage transparency.

Google plans to continue transparently sharing its data and progress, and to refine and strengthen its most impactful efforts.

These future directions reflect the ongoing commitment of tech companies to DEI and their willingness to innovate and adapt their DEI initiatives in response to changing needs and expectations. They also underscore the importance of transparency and accountability in driving DEI progress.

Role of leadership in promoting DEI

Leadership plays a crucial role in promoting DEI. Leaders set the tone for the organization, and their attitudes and behaviors can significantly influence the organizational culture and climate.

Leaders must demonstrate a commitment to DEI through their actions and decisions, and hold themselves and their teams accountable for progress.

They must also foster an environment where everyone feels valued and included, and where diverse perspectives are not only welcomed but also sought after.

The importance of data transparency

Transparency in sharing DEI data and progress is crucial for collective action and improvement. It allows companies to hold themselves accountable, identify areas for improvement, and measure the impact of their DEI initiatives.

All four companies emphasize the importance of data transparency in their DEI efforts.

The journey towards DEI is ongoing, but with commitment, transparency, and collective action, we can create a tech industry that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive.

The post DEI in tech: an opportunity for innovation, say giants appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Lost time is one of the most obvious impacts of a difficult commute, as is lost money, including fuel costs and wear and tear on your vehicle. For the average American, commuting in 2022 costs $8,466.

But commuting also has a psychological impact. If you deal with a difficult commute, you know how stressful it can be — just thinking about your commute may be enough to stress you out. What you may not know is that the stress you experience during a difficult commute can lead to more serious psychological side effects, including anxiety and depression.

How commuting leads to anxiety

Even when commuting is a regular part of your routine, it can still involve a good deal of uncertainty. A breakdown on the road, for example, can lead to further slowdowns, while a collision can stop traffic altogether.

The unpredictability involved in the daily commute is one factor that can trigger anxiety. Essentially, the brain is quick to see uncertainty as danger, which leads it to activate its fight-or-flight response. Once that occurs, anxiety can quickly follow.

A difficult commute can also trigger anxiety by making you feel that you have lost control. When a one-hour commute becomes a two-hour commute, forcing you to miss dinner with the family or a 9:30 meeting, you might say the delay was “out of our control.” When those situations lead to feelings of powerlessness and frustration, it can also cause anxiety.

For those who use public transportation, overstimulation is another factor that can lead to anxiety. Statistics show that public transportation more than doubles the average commute time, which means spending more than one hour a day with crowds, noise, and commotion that can put you on edge.

In any of these cases, fatigue can exacerbate the problem. A long day leaves your energy levels depleted, draining your resilience, motivation, and coping skills, making it more difficult to fight off anxious feelings. Fatigue also fuels irritability, which can make you more tense and more likely to experience anxiety.

How commuting leads to depression

Whereas anxiety is caused by the threats you feel during your commute, depression stems from the loss you feel. Lost time, which could be spent on any number of more satisfying and meaningful activities, is one of the key variables that can lead to depression in those who deal with difficult commutes.

A difficult commute can also rob you of the time needed for self-care, which can further contribute to depression. A healthy work-life balance requires time for leisure, exercise, and relationships, so the time that a difficult commute takes from your schedule can make it impossible to keep up with those important activities.

A long, stressful morning commute can also lead to tardiness, exhaustion, and low morale. If that leads to poor work performance, it can contribute to feelings of depression.

How companies can help their commuters

Recognizing the reality of the problem is the first step for organizations wanting to mitigate the negative impact of a difficult commute. Commuting is not only a logistical challenge, but can also be a challenge to our health. Studies have routinely shown elevated levels of stress can contribute to a higher risk of high blood pressure, which can lead to heart attacks or strokes.

Organizations can reduce commuter stress by communicating to their employees that they care about their struggles and are willing to help ease them. Providing commuters with training on “survival techniques” is another step organizations can take to decrease stress. For example, passing the time with conversations is one technique that can help reduce anxiety and depression, so encouraging commuters to get on the phone with loved ones while they commute can dramatically improve their experience, assuming all safety precautions are followed.

Listening to podcasts or audiobooks is another way to salvage the time spent commuting. Organizations can offer to pay for subscriptions to services that provide access to audiobooks and podcasts. If the topics explored during the commute are job-related, organizations may want to consider seeing the commute as work time.

Organizations can also help by subsidizing the cost of the commute, as giving commuters travel stipends can reduce the stress they feel about the cost of fuel or tolls. By reducing stress and improving employee performance, travel stipends become an investment in greater profitability.

Shifting to remote or hybrid work is a more recent solution that some organizations are choosing to address the stress of commuting. While this can require a significant investment in
technology, as well as a shift in mindset, remote work has been shown to increase employee productivity. Studies have also shown that remote workers use some of the time they once spent commuting to get more work done for their employers.

Related: Hybrid work: the middle ground of the in-office vs. remote debate

For the commuter, getting a proper perspective on the commute is critical. A difficult commute can take a toll on your health. But not all commutes are truly difficult. If stress can be minimized, commutes can actually provide some benefits.

A manageable commute can bring healthy structure to the workday, providing workers with the opportunity to transition between work and home life. For those whose work life and home life are both busy, a commute can provide “me time” that allows you to breathe, think, and relax.

Still, many workers must endure commutes that are more than just an inconvenience. If you are feeling stressed from your commute, try some of the “survival techniques” listed above, or explore with your employer options that can make your commute more manageable.

If nothing provides relief, make whatever changes are necessary to alleviate stress, avoid anxiety and depression, and give yourself the peace you need to enjoy a healthy work-life balance.

— Darren D. Moore, Ph.D., MAED, LMFT, is a Father, Husband, Clinical Professor, and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. He owns I AM MOORE, LLC, a counseling and consulting practice in Georgia providing individual, couple, family, and group therapy services in GA, AL, NY, NC, IL, and FL, as well as consulting across the United States. Dr. Moore currently serves as the Associate Director for Clinical Training and Supervision in the master’s program in Marriage and Family Therapy at the Family Institute, Northwestern University. His areas of expertise include fatherhood and fatherlessness, higher education administration, workplace and mental health, men’s health, mental health, couple, and family relationships, and obesity, weight loss, eating disorders, and mental health. Dr. Moore obtained his Ph.D. in Human Development: Marriage and Family Therapy from Virginia Tech, his MS. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Valdosta State University, his BA. in African American Studies from the University of Minnesota and holds a MAED in Higher and Postsecondary Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Dr. Moore has been featured on various television stations as well as Newsweek and Men’s Health.

The post The psychological impact of difficult commutes appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

It will provide them with a clear understanding of their eligibility for relocation assistance, the types of expenses that can be reimbursed, and the process for requesting and receiving reimbursements.

What are employee moving or relocation expenses?

Employee moving or relocation expenses refer to the costs incurred when an employee has to move or relocate to a new location due to professional reasons. These expenses can include costs related to moving personal belongings, travel, temporary or new housing, and other related costs.

An employee moving or relocation expenses policy should include:

• Clear definitions of who is eligible for relocation assistance
• A detailed list of reimbursable and non-reimbursable expenses
• The process for requesting and approving relocation expenses
• Guidelines for submitting receipts and other documentation
• Any limits or caps on relocation expenses

Step-by-step instructions

1. Define the purpose of the policy

Start by stating the purpose of the policy. This should be a clear and concise statement that explains why the policy exists and what it aims to achieve.

For example, the purpose of the employee relocation expense policy is to provide guidance to the organization regarding reimbursement for relocation expenses incurred by new personnel.

2. Define eligibility

Clearly state who is eligible for relocation assistance. This could include new employees, specific roles, or positions within the organization. Specify any conditions for eligibility, such as the distance of the move or the timeframe within which the move must be completed.

3. Define reimbursement amounts

Outline the maximum amounts that can be reimbursed for different roles or positions. This could include direct costs of relocation, indirect costs, and mileage. Be specific about what each of these categories includes.

4. Define direct and indirect costs of relocation

Provide a detailed list of what is considered a direct cost and what is considered an indirect cost of relocation. Direct costs might include packing and unpacking, transportation of household goods, etc. Indirect costs might include travel costs enroute, house hunting, etc. Be clear about what is not considered a direct or indirect cost.

5. Outline the process for using commercial carriers

If your organization has contracts with specific moving companies, provide details about this. If employees are allowed to use other carriers, explain the process they need to follow, such as getting estimates from a minimum number of vendors.

6. Outline the process for self-moves

If employees are allowed to move themselves, provide guidelines for this. This might include limits on reimbursement, requirements for receipts, and restrictions on who can be paid for their labor.

7. Define the process for transporting the employee and family

Provide guidelines for how employees and their families are transported to the new location. This might include a maximum reimbursement for mileage and requirements for the route taken.

8. Define the responsibilities of the organization and the employee

Clearly outline what the organization is responsible for and what the employee is responsible for. This might include approval of expenses, payment and reporting of stipends, and adherence to the policy.

9. Provide references and resources

Include links to any relevant laws, regulations, or other policies that employees might need to refer to. This could include IRS publications, organizational policies, or other resources.

Employee moving or relocation expenses policy template

Policy Brief & Purpose

Our employee moving or relocation expenses policy aims to provide clear and comprehensive guidelines for the reimbursement of expenses incurred by employees who need to relocate for work-related reasons. The purpose of this policy is to ensure that employees are adequately supported during the relocation process, and that the process for reimbursement is fair, transparent, and consistent.

Scope

This policy applies to all employees of our company who are asked to relocate permanently or temporarily for work-related reasons. This includes both domestic and international relocations. The policy does not apply to employees who choose to move for personal reasons or those who commute long distances to work.

Policy Elements

Eligibility: Employees are eligible for relocation assistance if they are asked to relocate more than 50 miles from their current work location for a period of more than six months.

Reimbursable expenses: Reimbursable expenses may include the cost of a moving company, packing and shipping of personal belongings, travel expenses to the new location, temporary housing for up to 30 days, and certain costs associated with setting up a new home (e.g., utility connection fees).

Non-reimbursable expenses: Non-reimbursable expenses include costs related to selling or buying a home, meals during the move, costs related to moving pets, and any expenses not directly related to the move.

Approval process: Employees must submit a relocation request to their supervisor or the HR department. The request should include an estimate of the expected expenses. All requests will be reviewed and approved on a case-by-case basis.

Reimbursement process: Employees must submit all receipts and documentation related to the move within 30 days of incurring the expense. Reimbursements will be made through the regular payroll process.

Limits on expenses: The company reserves the right to set a reasonable cap on relocation expenses. Employees will be informed of this cap at the time their relocation is approved.

Disclaimer

This policy template is meant to provide general guidelines and should be used as a reference. It may not take into account all relevant local, state or federal laws and is not a legal document. Neither the author nor Workable will assume any legal liability that may arise from the use of this policy.

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Is a higher salary the golden ticket to employee satisfaction, or are there other, more nuanced factors at play?

As HR professionals, it’s our responsibility to delve deeper into these questions, understanding the multifaceted nature of job satisfaction and how we can foster it within our organizations.

The salary-happiness misconception

There’s a common misconception in the world of work: a higher salary equals increased job satisfaction. It’s an easy assumption to make. After all, who doesn’t appreciate a generous paycheck at the end of the month? However, recent data and real-life experiences are challenging this notion, revealing that job satisfaction is a complex construct influenced by a myriad of factors beyond just monetary compensation.

Money can’t buy… job satisfaction

Three recent studies shed light on the intricate relationship between salary and job satisfaction, each from a different industry perspective.

The first, a survey conducted by Vivian Health, focused on the healthcare industry, known for its competitive salaries.

The survey revealed that despite the attractive compensation packages, a staggering 48% of respondents reported their jobs as stressful, with 50% considering or actively applying for a new role in a different industry within the last year.

This suggests that a high salary isn’t enough to offset the stress and dissatisfaction experienced by these workers.

On the other end of the spectrum, a recent study by Moneyzine found that self-employed individuals, who typically earn significantly less than their employed counterparts, reported greater work-life balance, job satisfaction, and lower stress levels.

Despite earning 56% less on average, 4 in 10 self-employed respondents described themselves as happy or very happy with their current employment status. This stark contrast underscores the fact that factors beyond salary significantly contribute to job satisfaction.

Contrary to expectations, a study conducted by My Perfect Resume found that there were no major disparities in overall job satisfaction between individuals earning less than $25,000 and those earning $75,000 or more per year. In fact, 77% and 74% of respondents in each income bracket, respectively, reported high levels of job satisfaction.

Factors that contribute to job satisfaction

So, what are these factors that contribute to job satisfaction beyond salary? Here are some of the top factors that you have to consider:

Work-life balance: The self-employed individuals reported a better work-life balance compared to employed workers. This balance, or the ability to juggle work demands with personal life and family needs, significantly contributes to overall job satisfaction.

Autonomy: Being one’s own boss was the top factor that self-employed individuals enjoyed about their job. The freedom to make decisions and control one’s work can lead to a greater sense of satisfaction and fulfillment.

Job security: While not explicitly mentioned in the surveys, job security often plays a significant role in job satisfaction. The uncertainty of job loss can lead to stress and dissatisfaction, regardless of salary.

Workplace culture: A supportive and positive workplace culture can significantly impact job satisfaction. This includes factors such as relationships with colleagues and supervisors, opportunities for growth and development, and recognition and appreciation for work done.

Meaningful work: Employees who find their work meaningful and purposeful are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs. This sense of purpose can come from the nature of the work itself or from the impact of the organization’s work.

Related: The real reasons your employees don’t want to work for you

The role of HR in enhancing job satisfaction

As HR professionals, we can leverage these insights to enhance job satisfaction within our organizations. Here are a few strategies:

• Encourage flexible work arrangements where possible, and respect employees’ personal time.
• Wherever possible, give employees the freedom to make decisions about their work. This can increase their sense of ownership and satisfaction.
• Transparent communication about the company’s health and future plans can alleviate fears about job security.
• Foster a supportive and inclusive workplace culture. Recognize and appreciate employees’ efforts, and provide opportunities for growth and development.
• Help employees find purpose in their work. This could involve connecting individual tasks to the organization’s broader goals or engaging in corporate social responsibility initiatives.

In conclusion, while salary is an important factor in job satisfaction, it’s not the end-all, be-all.

We need to look beyond the paycheck and consider other factors that contribute to job satisfaction.

By doing so, we can create work environments where employees feel valued, satisfied, and engaged, leading to better outcomes for everyone involved.

The post Why money alone can’t buy happiness at work appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

What is an Independent Contractor Agreement?

An Independent Contractor Agreement is a legal document that outlines the contractual obligations between a client and a contractor. It’s used when a client hires a contractor to perform a specific task or project. The agreement ensures that both parties understand their responsibilities, the scope of work, payment details, and other terms and conditions.

What should an Independent Contractor Agreement include?

An Independent Contractor Agreement should include the following sections:

• The Parties: Identifies the client and the contractor, including their legal names and addresses.
• Services: Describes the services the contractor will provide.
• Compensation: Details how and when the contractor will be paid.
• Assignment: States whether the parties can assign their rights and obligations under the agreement to another party.

Brief & Purpose

The purpose of an Independent Contractor Agreement is to clearly define the relationship between a client and a contractor, establish the scope of work, and protect both parties’ rights. It provides a legal framework that can help prevent misunderstandings and disputes.

Step by step instructions

The parties: Clearly identify the client and the contractor. Include their full legal names and addresses.

Services: Describe in detail the services the contractor will provide. Be as specific as possible to avoid any confusion.

Term: Define the start and end dates of the agreement. If the end date is dependent on the completion of the services, state this clearly.

Termination: Specify the conditions under which either party can terminate the agreement. This could be due to a breach of contract, or at the discretion of either party with a certain amount of notice.

Compensation: Detail the payment terms, including the amount, payment schedule, and method of payment. If the contractor will be paid hourly, per project, or on commission, state this clearly.

Other expenses: If the client will cover any additional costs, such as materials or travel expenses, list these in this section.

Indemnification: Include a clause stating that the contractor will compensate the client for any harm or loss related to the contractor’s work.

Insurance required: If the contractor is required to maintain certain insurance policies, list these requirements. The client may wish to review these policies before work begins.

Other business activity: If the contractor is allowed to engage in other business activities during the term of the agreement, state this. If the contractor is prohibited from soliciting the client’s employees or clients, include this restriction.

Assignment: Typically, neither party can assign their rights and obligations under the agreement to another party without written consent. If this is the case, state it in this section.

Relationship defined: Emphasize that the contractor is not an employee, agent, or partner of the client. The contractor is an independent contractor, responsible for their own taxes and benefits.

Other agreements: Affirm that the agreement is the complete and exclusive statement of the parties’ understanding, superseding all prior agreements and discussions.

Legal notice: Specify how legal notices will be delivered, typically in writing and either personally or by certified mail.

Governing law: Identify the state law that will govern the agreement. This is typically the state where the client is located or where the services will be performed.

Signatures: Both parties should sign and date the agreement to make it legally binding. Include a line for each party to print their name.

Independent contractor agreement template

I. THE PARTIES

This Independent Contractor Agreement (“Agreement”) made this ____________, 20__ is by and between:

Contractor: ________________ with a mailing address of ________________________ (“Contractor”), and

Client: ________________ with a mailing address of ________________________ (“Client”).

II. SERVICES
The Client shall pay, and the Client shall provide the following services: ________________________________________________________.

III. TERM
The services shall begin on ____________, 20__ and end: (check one)
☐ – When the services are complete.
☐ – On the date of ____________, 20__.
☐ – Other. ________________________________.

IV. TERMINATION
Either the Client or the Contractor:
☐ – Cannot terminate this Agreement unless either party breaks its terms.
☐ – Can terminate this Agreement, without cause, by giving the other Party ____ days’ notice and providing their obligations up until termination.

V. COMPENSATION
In exchange for the services provided by the Contractor, the Client agrees to pay the following: (check one)
☐ – $________ / Hour.
☐ – $________ for the services.
☐ – Commission in the amount of: ________________.
☐ – Other: ________________________________.

VI. OTHER EXPENSES
In addition to the Contractor’s compensation, the Client agrees to pay the Contractor for the following: (check all that apply)
☐ – Materials. The Contractor’s materials used for providing the services.
☐ – Travel Expenses. The Contractor’s travel expenses to and from the location of where the services are being provided in addition to any other needs the services require.
☐ – Insurance. Any insurance required by the Contractor that is needed specifically for the services provided.
☐ – Other: ________________________________.

VII. INDEMNIFICATION
The Contractor shall indemnify and hold the Client harmless from any loss or liability from performing the Services under this Agreement.

VIII. INSURANCE REQUIRED
The Contractor is required to have liability insurance and workers’ compensation insurance in accordance with industry standards and state law. The Client has the right to review such insurance policies prior to the commencement of the services.

IX. OTHER BUSINESS ACTIVITY
The Contractor may engage in other business activities provided, however, that Contractor shall not during the term of this Agreement solicit the Client’s employees, clients, accounts, or other related business endeavors of the Client.

X. ASSIGNMENT
Neither the Client nor the Contractor may assign this Agreement without the express written consent of the other party.

XI. RELATIONSHIP DEFINED
Nothing in this Agreement shall indicate the Contractor is a partner, agent, or employee of the Client. The Client employs the Contractor as an independent contractor, and the Contractor hereby accepts.

XII. OTHER AGREEMENTS
It is agreed between the parties that there are no other agreements or understandings between them relating to the subject matter of this Agreement. This Agreement supersedes all prior agreements, oral or written, between the parties and is intended as a complete and exclusive statement of the agreement between the parties. No change or modification of this Agreement shall be valid unless the same be in writing and signed by the parties.

XIII. LEGAL NOTICE
All notices or required or permitted to be given hereunder shall be in writing and may be delivered personally or by Certified Mail – Return Receipt Requested, postage prepaid, addressed those mentioned in Section I.

XIV. GOVERNING LAW
This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws under the state of ________________.

SIGNATURES
Contractor’s Signature: _____________________________ Date: __________
Print Name: _____________________________

Client’s Signature: _____________________________ Date: __________
Print Name: _____________________________

Please note that this eforms template is a general structure and should be customized to fit the specific needs and legal requirements of your situation. Always consult with a legal professional when drafting legal agreements.

Disclaimer: This policy template is meant to provide general guidelines and should be used as a reference. It may not take into account all relevant local, state or federal laws and is not a legal document. Neither the author nor Workable will assume any legal liability that may arise from the use of this policy.

The post Independent contractor agreement policy template appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

Recruitment involves a broad range of skills, tasks, and specialties — it requires efficiency, data assessment, and organization but is also largely dependent on human instinct, experience, and understanding. Using AI for recruitment is the ideal scenario where a technological tool simplifies and enhances the work and expertise of hiring managers.

Integrating AI recruiting tools into your hiring process can automate tedious tasks, reduce the likelihood of human error, and help you make hiring decisions quickly and with greater confidence.

The benefits of artificial intelligence in recruiting

Implementing artificial intelligence in recruiting can optimize your talent acquisition strategy and streamline the workflows associated with hiring and onboarding. Attracting, identifying, and securing top talent involves many moving pieces — different people, tons of paperwork, back and forth communication, a lot of scheduling, and stacks of information to sift through.

Adding recruitment AI tools to the process has benefits that go far beyond cutting down the workload though, such as:

• Reduced time-to-hire: Hiring can be disruptive and expensive. Shortening the cycle without compromising the quality of candidates is in everyone’s best interest.
• Improved candidate experience: A clear, streamlined process that keeps applicants and stakeholders informed along the way shows candidates that you value their time and effort.
  Less bias in hiring: Data-driven insights can help reduce or eliminate unconscious hiring biases, creating a fair and consistent process for each candidate.
• Improved performance: Outsourcing repetitive or data-heavy tasks to recruiting AI tools frees up hiring teams to focus their time and talent on aspects of the process that require a human touch.
• Cost Savings: By automating repetitive tasks, AI can help reduce the need for manual labor and minimize hiring costs associated with the recruitment process.
• Scalability: AI-powered tools can handle large volumes of applicants efficiently, making it easier for companies to scale their recruitment efforts as needed.
  Identifying Passive Candidates: AI tools can search through various online platforms to identify passive candidates who may not have applied directly but possess the required skills and experience.
• Continuous Improvement: AI systems can learn from past interactions and outcomes, allowing them to continuously improve their performance and accuracy over time.
• Personalization: AI can tailor the candidate experience by providing personalized content and recommendations based on a candidate’s background and interests.
• Employee Retention: AI can analyze employee data to identify patterns that indicate potential retention issues, helping organizations take proactive measures to improve employee satisfaction and reduce turnover.
• Increased collaboration: A lot of applicant tracking systems incorporate AI for recruiting; having one central repository for information makes it easy for stakeholders to stay informed and offer opinions.
• Accurate analytics: Data analysis and reporting offered by AI recruiting tools facilitate HR compliance and add quantifiable metrics to the decision-making process.

The most obvious benefits, increased accuracy and efficiency, are valuable day in and day out to hiring teams and candidates alike, but AI has a lot to offer when it comes to attracting and identifying top talent.

How does AI in recruiting work?

The benefits of AI for recruitment sell themselves, but it may still be hard to imagine how AI tools could be integrated into a hiring workflow. The most convenient way to add AI to your recruitment strategy is by implementing an AI-based applicant tracking system (ATS).

Here are some of the features and functionalities that many offer:

Resume Screening: AI-powered systems can automatically screen and analyze resumes, identifying relevant skills, qualifications, and experience. This helps recruiters sift through a large number of applications more quickly, saving time and effort.

• Candidate Sourcing: AI tools can scour various online platforms, job boards, and social media networks to find potential candidates based on specific criteria and keywords, helping to identify passive candidates who may not have applied directly.
• Chatbots and Virtual Assistants: AI-driven chatbots can engage with candidates, answer their questions about the company and job roles, and even conduct preliminary interviews. This provides a more interactive and responsive experience for applicants and helps gather initial information about them.
• Candidate Matching: AI algorithms can compare candidate profiles with the requirements of a job to assess the suitability of applicants. This can help in shortlisting candidates who are the best fit for the position.
• Video Interview Analysis: AI-powered video interview platforms can analyze candidate responses, facial expressions, and tone of voice to assess various traits, such as communication skills and emotional intelligence. This data can help in evaluating candidates more objectively.
• Predictive Analytics: AI can analyze historical data on successful and unsuccessful hires to identify patterns and characteristics that lead to successful outcomes. This information can be used to predict candidate success and make better hiring decisions.
• Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives: AI can be used to identify and minimize unconscious biases in job descriptions, resume screening, and candidate evaluation, thus promoting diversity and inclusion in the hiring process.
• Employee Retention: AI can be used to analyze employee data and identify patterns that may indicate potential retention issues. This helps companies proactively address employee needs and reduce turnover.
• Onboarding and Training: AI-driven systems can provide personalized onboarding and training plans for new hires based on their skills and knowledge gaps, helping them ramp up more quickly and effectively.

Related: Boost your employer branding & retention using AI

The landscape of AI recruiting tools is continuously evolving. When considering AI recruiting tools, it’s important for organizations to assess their specific needs and choose tools that align with their recruitment objectives and values.

Identify existing pain points in your recruitment workflow and research AI recruitment tools that can help you mitigate bottlenecks or obstacles so that you can make hiring decisions efficiently and effectively.

Talent acquisition is essential to the success and longevity of your business. You’re not only hiring for an open role — you’re hiring a piece of the puzzle that makes your organization whole.

A new hire can affect everything from day-to-day performance to overall company culture; enhancing hiring decisions with the help of artificial intelligence is an investment that can pay off for years to come.

The post How to use AI for recruitment appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

AI recruiting software is changing the way organizations attract and identify top talent by eliminating some of the more costly and time-intensive pain points of the hiring process. Supporting your hiring team with AI recruiting tools that improve productivity and enhance hiring decisions can positively affect the performance of your entire organization.

What is artificial intelligence recruiting software?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) recruiting software is a specialized type of HR technology that utilizes artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to optimize and automate various aspects of the recruitment and hiring process. AI recruiting software is also commonly referred to as AI-powered applicant tracking software (ATS) or AI recruitment tools.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning excel at performing repetitive tasks, organizing information, and analyzing data quickly and accurately, which helps streamline talent acquisition workflows and facilitate collaborative efforts involved with hiring new employees.

Key features of AI recruiting software

AI recruitment software is designed to assist HR professionals, recruiters, and hiring managers in sourcing, screening, and selecting candidates more efficiently and effectively.

Helpful features and functionalities of AI recruitment software may include the following:

• Candidate Sourcing: AI recruiting software can automatically search and source candidates from various online platforms, job boards, social media, and other sources by using AI algorithms to match job requirements with candidates’ skills and qualifications.
• Resume Parsing: The software can parse and extract relevant information from resumes and CVs submitted by candidates, such as work experience, education, skills, and contact details. This makes it easier to organize and analyze applicant data.
• Candidate Screening: AI algorithms can analyze and assess candidate qualifications against job requirements, shortlisting the most suitable candidates for further consideration. It can identify key phrases, skills, and experience mentioned in resumes to gauge a candidate’s fit for the role.
• Automated Interview Scheduling: Some AI recruiting software can handle interview scheduling by coordinating with candidates and interviewers, reducing the need for manual back-and-forth communication.
• Candidate Engagement: AI-powered chatbots or automated communication tools can engage with candidates, answer frequently asked questions, provide updates on the application process, and maintain candidate interest throughout the recruitment journey.
• Bias Reduction: Advanced AI recruiting software is designed to minimize unconscious bias in the hiring process. By focusing on skills and qualifications, rather than demographic factors, it aims to promote a more diverse and inclusive candidate selection.
• Predictive Analytics: AI-driven recruitment tools can analyze historical data to identify patterns and trends in successful hires, helping HR professionals make data-driven decisions and improve the quality of hires.
• Onboarding Assistance: Some AI recruiting software extends its capabilities to support the onboarding process, providing a seamless transition from candidate to employee.
• Continuous Improvement: The AI algorithms in the software can learn from recruitment data and user interactions, continuously improving their recommendations and matching capabilities over time.

Using AI tools for recruitment can reduce human error, improve the candidate experience, and lead to more confident hiring decisions based on data.

Related: AI, ChatGPT and the human touch in hiring

The importance of AI recruiting software

In the past, making a good first impression was primarily a concern for candidates. However, in today’s competitive job market, organizations need to be putting their best foot forward, as well.

As technological advances continue to reduce time-to-hire, the ability to screen applicants, schedule interviews, make hiring decisions, and communicate quickly and effectively can make a significant difference in the quality of hires.

The recruitment process is continuously evolving due to changes in technology; failing to incorporate AI tools for recruiting into your strategy gives your competitors an unfair advantage.

How to choose AI recruitment software

Investing time and money into implementing a new system is often a little anxiety-inducing, even if you’re confident that it will be an overall improvement. Making changes to an already-existing workflow and getting buy-in from stakeholders can present a host of challenges, making it even more important to choose the right AI recruiting tools the first time.

Get stakeholders involved early on by asking which steps of the current workflow feel cumbersome and/or which features are most likely to benefit your organization. Consider the following as you research your options for AI recruiting software:

Once you’ve narrowed down your options, these questions may help you select the right AI recruiting tool for your organization:

• What specific AI features does the software offer for candidate sourcing and screening?
• Can the AI algorithms be customized to match the organization’s unique job requirements and preferences?
• How accurate and reliable are the AI-driven candidate matches and recommendations?
• What data sources does the AI software use for candidate sourcing and how comprehensive is the candidate database?
• How does the software handle candidate data privacy and security?
• Can the AI recruitment software integrate with the organization’s existing HR systems and tools?
• Does the software provide real-time analytics and insights on the recruitment process? What metrics does it track?
• How does the software handle candidate engagement and communication throughout the recruitment process?
• Does the AI software have the capability to reduce bias in the hiring process? How is this achieved?
• What kind of support and training does the vendor provide for the HR team during implementation and ongoing usage?
• Can the AI recruitment software support high-volume hiring and accommodate peak recruitment periods?
• How does the software handle international recruitment and multilingual capabilities?
• What is the pricing model for the AI software? Are there any additional costs or hidden fees?
• Can the AI recruitment software support both active and passive candidate sourcing?

Furthermore, HR professionals should also consider requesting a live demo or a trial of the AI recruitment software to evaluate its user-friendliness, interface, and overall functionality. Additionally, reading reviews from unbiased sources or seeking references or feedback from other organizations that have used the software can provide valuable insights into its performance and effectiveness.

Taking the time to thoroughly assess the AI recruitment software ensures that your choice will meet the organization’s specific needs and will contribute to a more successful and efficient hiring process.

Using AI recruiting software offers numerous benefits, including time savings, improved candidate matching, enhanced candidate experience, data-driven decision-making, and increased efficiency in the overall recruitment process. By leveraging the power of artificial intelligence, HR professionals can focus on strategic talent acquisition while letting the software handle repetitive tasks and streamline recruitment workflows.

The post How to choose the right AI recruiting software appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

AI marketing for recruitment is evolving rapidly, and it is essential to stay up-to-date with these changes.

Recently, we had the opportunity to watch a very insightful interview organized by Hung Lee, the Curator at Recruiting Brainfood, with guests such as Steven Rothberg, the Founder of College Recruiter among others. They discussed how Google’s AI search is transforming recruitment marketing.

Recruitment marketing has gone through some major changes lately, which means that there are some new challenges and opportunities for all you HR professionals and small business owners out there.

We decided to elaborate more on this and help you out with the most recent updates.

Recruitment marketing hits a new level

There has been a lot happening in recruitment marketing lately, wouldn’t you agree?

The significant increase in the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning, the central role of employer branding, the automation of communication processes, the emphasis on sharing candidate experiences, the implementation of personalization techniques, and the growing utilization of video for engaging and interactive content are some of the trends that we can see happening now. You may know all these features if you use an HRIS.

While all of these things are grabbing our attention, we are constantly being in front of new developments that take recruiting marketing to new levels. This is what makes working in HR so exciting today.

Actually, these trends indicate a shift towards more efficient and targeted approaches in attracting and retaining top talent, as well as adapting to the changing dynamics of the job market.

But, how google AI is changing the way we work? Let’s find out.

Related: 11 recruitment time-saving tips for the overburdened recruiter

Google AI search for recruitment marketing

The rise and development of numerous LLM tools in the market is forcing companies to be aware of their next steps as it will have a significant impact on their way of working.

ChatGPT is changing the way we search online by introducing a conversational way of gaining information just by asking.

Google AI may have arrived late, but it will attempt to expand this conversational type of searching to new levels.

That being said, in terms of recruiting, this may mean that Google AI promises to assist you with more visibility if you optimize your job ads with relevant keywords and attract talents for your pool.

Google’s generative experience aims to enhance the user experience by providing comprehensive information directly in search results, eliminating the need for navigation across multiple websites.

If we want our company and job briefs to be displayed in Google AI search results, we must redefine our recruitment marketing strategy.

And it all begins with your employer branding. Let’s see why.

Employer branding & AI Marketing

In order to achieve better results, we must redefine our recruitment marketing strategy. And it all begins with your employer branding. Let’s see why. Employer branding.

Imagine a potential candidate searching for your role and company.

Conversational AI tools may gather information about the company, reviews, and publications available online, and provide outcomes.

We need to produce content and build an identity that showcases what we want to display about ourselves to the world when these search engines gather critical information about us.

By saying that, we don’t mean to manipulate the procedure, just to pay attention to your work and your brand’s value.

“It’s a tremendous way of getting your brand known to people who might be in your future talent pipeline, but they’re not actively looking for jobs right now”, states Steven Rothberg, College Recruiter in the aforementioned interview.

“It’s a tremendous way of getting your brand known to people who might be in your future talent pipeline, but they’re not actively looking for jobs right now”, states Steven Rothberg.

“If people don’t know the industry sector, they’re just gonna pick out the top brands and they’re gonna say this is the best ones” adds Hung Lee, Curator at Recruiting Brainfood, to the discussion.

From a different perspective, Neil Patel, SEO expert, comments about the Google AI Search: “You can and probably will lose some traffic from this. But at the same time, it will create a better experience for people using Google, which will cause Google’s overall traffic and usage to go up, which should help you continue to get a lot of traffic from Google and potentially even more”.

It becomes clear that keeping up with the latest developments in marketing during the era of generative AI will effectively aid your recruitment efforts.

Adapting recruitment marketing strategies

As the landscape continues to evolve, marketers and recruiters need to adjust their strategies accordingly. It’s essential to optimize content, such as job postings, career pages, and employer value propositions (EVPs), to make sure they’re visible and engaging in search results.

Using images and videos can also help grab users’ attention in the era of generative AI.

The introduction of Google’s generative search experience creates uncertainty for companies in terms of how to adapt their recruitment marketing strategies.

To differentiate themselves and provide a unique user experience, companies may need to

• Invest in interactive content on their career pages. This could include calculators, career mappers, psychometric tests, or other engaging tools that can only be consumed on the website
• Create career pages that will play a crucial role in the validation process for candidates. Instead of being a primary discovery platform, career pages will serve as a place for candidates to verify information about a company and assess whether it aligns with their needs and preferences
• Incorporate conversational elements, such as chatbots, on their career pages to facilitate interactions with candidates. This will allow candidates to ask questions and receive personalized responses, enhancing their engagement with the company’s brand

In order to provide relevant information to both candidates and search engines, companies should focus on creating rich content, including:

• videos
• audios
• blog posts
• employer value propositions (EVPs)

This content will be crucial in shaping the conversational experience and ensuring accurate information is presented by generative AI systems.

The more value you invest in your brand, your copies, and your user or candidate experience, the more AI search tools will extract information from your company to the audience.

But it’s time for a disclaimer now.

The blur line of AI search profit

It appears that there is another game-changing development on the horizon, and this time it’s all about profit. The new era of search engines is keeping their income generation methods under wraps for the time being.

Once we gain a clear understanding of how they will generate revenue, it will mark a new chapter in the world of recruitment marketing.

The balance between organic search and paid search in the AI era will play a significant role in shaping people’s perceptions of the information.

Additionally, the budget of an AI ad campaign will decisively determine how recruitment marketing and digital marketing, in general, will take place.

The importance of human expertise

While AI-driven recruitment strategies offer numerous benefits, human expertise and recruitment agencies would continue to play a crucial role in the recruitment process.
These entities possess valuable information and intuition that AI cannot replicate. Smaller companies may need to leverage networking, offline marketing, and specialized service providers to compete for candidates, while larger companies with more resources can invest in AI-driven recruitment strategies.

Remember that all of these AI tools are making our workflow more efficient by providing automations that save time for us to focus on more important tasks.

Perhaps now we can concentrate more on our efforts to produce more value for our clients and our company, and view all these changes as an opportunity to do so in a more digitized way.

Hopefully, all these efforts will pay off in the long run of AI search.

The post AI is changing recruitment marketing – your next move appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

What are floating holidays?

Floating holidays are typically paid days off that employees can use at their discretion. Unlike fixed holidays, such as Christmas or Independence Day, floating holidays can be used on any day that the employee chooses.

They were introduced to accommodate the diverse cultural and personal needs of employees, offering a more inclusive approach to time off.

Can you use a floating holiday anytime?

In most cases, yes. The beauty of floating holidays is their flexibility. However, company policies may dictate certain restrictions, such as requiring advance notice or prohibiting use during peak business periods. It’s important to clearly communicate these policies to avoid confusion.

For example, an employee might use a floating holiday to observe a religious event, celebrate a personal milestone, or simply enjoy a long weekend.

Are floating holidays paid out?

Typically, floating holidays are paid days off. However, whether unused days get paid out at the end of the year or upon termination varies by company. Some organizations may allow a carryover to the next year, while others may have a “use-it-or-lose-it” policy. It’s crucial to clarify these details in your company’s time off policy to ensure transparency.

Floating hours: What does it mean?

While floating holidays are entire days off, floating hours refer to flexible hours that an employee can add to their workday.

For instance, an employee might start work early one day and leave early another day.

This flexibility can boost employee satisfaction and work-life balance. However, like floating holidays, clear policies are needed to prevent misuse and ensure fair application.

How many companies offer floating holidays?

While exact numbers fluctuate, various HR surveys indicate that a significant number of companies – particularly those with diverse workforces – offer floating holidays.

This trend is growing as organizations recognize the benefits of flexible time off in attracting and retaining talent. As an HR professional or SMB employer, it’s worth considering if this approach aligns with your company culture and operational needs.

Floating days around the world

Floating days vary from country to country. In this section, we will discuss the most common cases worldwide.

Floating days in the US

Floating holidays in the US can be used for any day the employee chooses, but they are often used for observances like Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, or personal events like birthdays if these days are not already recognized by the employer.

Some companies also allow employees to use a floating holiday for New Year’s Eve if it falls on a weekend.

Floating days in Europe

In Europe, the practice of floating holidays is becoming increasingly common as companies recognize the need for more flexible time-off policies.

These holidays are often provided as additional paid leave, allowing employees to observe personal, national, religious, or cultural events not recognized as public holidays.

For instance, Spotify, a Swedish company, has implemented a policy where employees can work on a public holiday and then exchange it for a day off at another time that holds more personal significance.

Similarly, in Italy, an employee might choose to work on Christmas Day, a recognized public holiday, and then use that day off at a later time that is more personally meaningful.

In the UK, this concept is less common, but it’s gaining traction. Employees might use a floating holiday to observe a cultural event, religious holiday, or personal occasion that isn’t recognized as a public holiday. The specifics would depend on the company’s policy.

Floating days in Australia

In Australia, some companies offer a “floating” public holiday per year, which allows employees to “swap out” an Australian public holiday for another day during the year to celebrate a religious or cultural holiday such as Chinese New Year or Diwali.

This approach is part of a broader effort to promote inclusivity and accommodate the diverse cultural backgrounds of employees.

Floating days in Asia

In Asia, this concept varies due to the region’s cultural diversity and differing labor laws.

For example, in China, employees might use a floating holiday for cultural events like the Lantern Festival, which aren’t recognized as public holidays.

Similarly, in India, a floating holiday could be used to observe widely celebrated festivals such as Diwali, which isn’t a public holiday in all areas.

Meanwhile, in South Korea, floating holidays could be used for cultural celebrations like Seollal, the Korean New Year, or Chuseok, the harvest festival, if these aren’t already recognized as public holidays by the employer.

How to implement floating holidays in your company

Implementing floating holidays requires careful planning.

Start by reviewing your current time off policies and considering how they could fit in. Consult with legal counsel to ensure compliance with labor laws.

Communicate the changes clearly to your team, explaining the benefits and any restrictions. Be prepared to handle questions and possibly adjust the policy based on feedback.

Floating holidays offer a modern, flexible approach to time off that can enhance employee satisfaction and inclusivity.

By understanding and implementing these policies effectively, you can position your organization as a forward-thinking employer that values its employees’ diverse needs.

As with any HR initiative, clear communication and thoughtful planning are key to success. So, why not float the idea in your next team meeting?

The post What is a floating holiday? Is it considered PTO? appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

The handbook contains useful information to assist new employees during onboarding. It is not solely focused on policies and processes. It can also stand as a guide on your wiki pages as well. Please make any necessary changes to align it with your company’s tone of voice and spirit.

In the next chapters, we will see every aspect of a good employee handbook, part by part. Add your policies to each section, and you can have an excellent output.

You can download this template now by clicking on the right sidebar. Begin customizing it based on your needs.

Introduction

This is an introduction to your company’s employee handbook.

This could be a head start for your employee handbook:

If you’re a new member of the team we’re so pleased you joined us! This handbook will help you get up to speed on how our company operates with useful signposts to people, tools or guides that will not only help you ramp up faster but also make every day at [your company name] a little bit easier, so you can focus on doing great work you enjoy.

Our employee handbook is accessible by anyone so that prospective candidates or customers can get a better understanding of [your company name] – its history, product, customers and the way we work.

1. About [your company’s name]

This is the best place to express everything about your company. Feel free to gather your values, vision, and mission to make your employees feel aligned with them. Regardless of the product or service, this section allows you to share critical information about it. It’s the right place to get creative about how someone can quickly share with a third party what your company does.

Briefly, share with your employees the following:

• Values, vision and mission
• How did it all start?
• How to explain your product or service to someone
• How your teams are structured

a. Our values, vision and mission

Depending on the format of this handbook (e.g. PDF, website, third-party app like Confluence), you can share your company’s values, vision, and mission as text, a brief presentation, a video, or any other preferred way.

What is your company motto? What impact do you want to create in the world? What are the stable values that govern you?

The more realistic and descriptive you can be, the more you will give your employees the opportunity to follow the same vision and integrate into your company.

For example, at Workable, we envision a world where there are no barriers between talent and opportunity. What is your vision for your company?

Be concise and robust.

b. How did it all start?

In every company there is an underlying story of success, or not. Show your employees how you managed to grow a company like this and make them feel like a part of this story.

The Google story began when Larry Page met Sergey Brin at Stanford University in 1995. Despite initial disagreements, they formed a partnership in 1996. Together, they built Backrub, a search engine that used links to determine page importance, which was later renamed Google. Google quickly caught the attention of the academic community and Silicon Valley investors, and with a $100,000 investment from Sun co-founder Andy Bechtolsheim, Google Inc. was officially born. The team moved from their dorms to a garage in Menlo Park, California, owned by Susan Wojcicki, where they worked tirelessly on their mission to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.

Shopify was created by its founders who were looking for a shopping cart solution for their snowboarding ecommerce site but couldn’t find one, so they built their own using Ruby on Rails. Their solution ended up being perfect for many others, and they ran the business independently for six years before raising funds from VCs and eventually going public, resulting in a valuation of $14 billion.

Jon Oringer, a professional software developer and amateur photographer, utilized his skills and personal photo library of 30,000 images to launch a stock photo service known as ShutterStock.

Workable was founded by Nikos Moraitakis and Spyros Magiatis, who had previously worked together for five years at Upstream. They realized that great hiring was essential to scaling a business, but the recruitment software available at the time was outdated. With the aim of creating a beautiful product, building a successful business, and creating a workplace they love, they founded Workable to provide modern recruitment software.

Regardless of the size of the company, there is always an interesting story to share about how it all began. Write this story in an engaging manner and allow your employees to gain a deeper understanding of the organization they are working for.

c. How to explain your product or service to someone

In a company, there may be complex procedures and multiple products or services for your audience. Perhaps your new hire is not familiar with them from day one. People will ask them about their new workplace and the domain of activity.

Here, you can write a short description of your services or products to clarify your target market and strengths making it easier for someone to explain it.

d. How our teams are structured

It is important for your new hire to have a comprehensive understanding of your company’s hierarchy. You can provide a link to your organizational chart or briefly explain the various departments, their missions, the managers, and the cities in which they are based if you are a hybrid or remote company.

2. Our Product & Customers

In this section of your employee handbook, it is necessary to mention a few things about the process of designing a new product and how you track your customers’ needs. Who is your buyer persona? What is your target group? How do you manage to get new customers in the funnel? This is a great place to take a more detailed approach towards product development and growth.

You can include optionally the above subcategories:

• How the product is made
• Who we sell to
• How we get customers
• Learn more about the product and customers

a. How the product is made

By describing the process, you can make it easier for a new employee to understand the progress of new development.

At your company, especially if it is a service, you may constantly enhance it by launching new editions, features, or even creating entirely new offerings, enabling the company to stay competitive, meet customer needs, and foster innovation.

What is the process of product development in your company?

You may begin the product development process by gathering customer feedback through surveys, interviews, focus groups, social media, customer support interactions, and sales data.

This valuable feedback is probably stored in a centralized repository, such as a CRM system or a product management tool, for easy access and analysis.

Your cross-functional teams may collaborate to analyze and prioritize the feedback, ensuring you address critical areas for improvement and align with customer needs.

You may create a product roadmap to provide clarity and direction, regularly reviewing and updating it to adapt to evolving requirements.

By utilizing project management software, you can effectively track progress, assign tasks, and facilitate collaboration.

Your dedicated quality assurance team conducts comprehensive testing to ensure high-quality, reliable, and user-friendly products/services.

After launch, you collect customer feedback to continually improve and meet their expectations.

Depending on your market (product, service, infrastructure), you may follow different guidelines in the production.

Feel free to explain them briefly here.

b. Who we sell to

It is time for a new presentation. You can use infographics to depict the different segments of your customers. Additionally, you can provide more information about your ideal customer profile/buyer persona. This will greatly aid your new employees in better understanding who you sell to. It can prove to be very beneficial for all positions within your company.

c. How we get customers

What is your competitive advantage that makes customers prefer you? Is it your excellent customer service experience? Is it the special features that only you offer? Or is it your brand awareness that makes prospective customers eager to work with you? Describe the top reasons someone is interested in your brand and explain them.

You can also add some infographics here that show the sources driving traffic to your product or service and be clear about how these are generating new leads.

d. Learn more about the product and customers

How can an employee gain a better understanding of your product or service from the client’s perspective? Do you have a video explainer that is typically sent to new customers to guide them through the product? Is there a trial use available for employees to experiment with the product? Perhaps your employees could test your manufactured products in some way? Depending on your industry it’s always good to have your employees check and use your product.

It is important to explain to new hires how they can become familiar with what you sell. This will drive their future decisions in many cases.

3. Some of our rituals

If you have annually planned events for business purposes or entertainment, here is the place to write them down for your new hire. These ‘rituals’ can be:

• Retreats
• All-hands meetings
• Performance reviews

a. Retreats

Is it a summit at an all-inclusive hotel or an annual team-building event in nature? Describe your efforts to improve employee satisfaction. If you organize such annual events, this is the perfect opportunity to showcase them.

b. All-hands meetings

If you regularly organize all-hands meetings throughout the year, it is important for your new hires to be aware of them. This is because these meetings provide an opportunity to gather all employees, including managers and stakeholders, to discuss matters concerning your company. It is crucial to explain the importance of these meetings to ensure everyone is on the same page and can contribute to the success of the company.

c. Performance reviews

This performance management tool can help you recognize high performance and boost productivity within your company. By providing your employees with a detailed approach, you can help them understand the significance of these reviews. Some companies link these reviews to bonuses or salary increases.

4. The company cadence

Things are getting more serious here as this is where we explain the company’s cadence. This may include the company’s budget forecast procedures, critical executive meetings throughout the year, employee survey periods, critical product announcements, and the flow of information throughout the company.

a. The things we do every year

Write an informative piece about the major procedures of the company and the missions behind them, and explain why you are sharing this information. These annual or biannual events play a crucial role in shaping the future of the company. They set the rhythm of your company and they can set or reset new goals for the organization.

5. Mode of work (hybrid, remote, work from office)

This section is entirely optional and is intended for companies that have implemented a hybrid or remote working environment. In this chapter, you can explain the work policies and rules that are of utmost importance to your employees. Depending on any additional rules you may have in terms of hybrid working or working from abroad, you can add new subchapters here.

a. Working from home or the office

You can list here all of the office addresses where someone can work, and additionally explain the company’s work-from-home policy. If there is a rotation policy that permits or obliges everyone to work in a hybrid format, it must be presented clearly. If all approaches are acceptable, list the benefits of both options.

b. Work from abroad

If you offer your employees the ability to work from abroad, but there are limitations, you must provide those limitations here.

c. Getting together in real life

Does your company have a plan for getting employees together? If you regularly organize team bonding events such as dinners, retreats, nature activities, etc., please feel free to write them down here.

6. Operating Principles

We are certain that your company operates under specific principles, and sharing them with new hires is an excellent step. This will help them better understand the culture of your organization and position themselves in a way that enables them to contribute to the organization’s success.

You are free to express your own principles here. To aid you in this process, we have chosen to provide a set of principles for you (some of them are in Workable’s employee handbook) to take as inspiration.

a. Know where you want to be

What are the qualities that drove the company’s success? How can your new hire learn from them and continue this journey? Let them know where you want to be, how you position your company in the market, and what your aspirations are. This way, you can both be looking at the same goal.

b. Drive a performance culture

Perhaps you want your employees to focus on their performance. In order to do so, it is important to explain to them why keeping track of their performance is crucial and how it can assist them in achieving greater things within the company. To help them understand, consider using an example of a team whose performance plays a significant role in their development (you can draw inspiration from sports).

A performance culture could include:

• Clear Goals
• Constructive Feedback
• Ownership and Accountability
• Collaboration
• Teamwork
• Continuous Learning and Development

c. Make the difference

Your employees want to feel valued while working for you. Your efforts should be directed towards achieving this goal. This means that everyone must take their role seriously and work towards a greater objective. You do not need employees who share the same perspective on everything. Collaboration is essential for success, and diverse opinions can contribute to it. Describe how an individual can have a positive impact on your company. Is it through their ideas, work ethic, or dedication? Take a few minutes to jot down your thoughts.

d. Keep exceptions exceptional

Maintaining a high-performance team necessitates minimizing exceptions and embracing clear, streamlined processes. Underestimating the time and effort required to manage exceptions is common, and their impact affects not just the individual involved, but also other team members.
By avoiding unnecessary exceptions, your company ensures efficiency and productivity, benefiting both your organization and customers.

e. Avoid process escalation

To avoid unnecessary process escalation at your company, it is important to foster a culture of open communication and collaboration. Encouraging employees to address concerns and challenges at an early stage helps prevent issues from escalating further.

Providing clear guidelines and training on decision-making authority empowers individuals to make informed choices without constant escalations.

Unnecessary escalation at work can occur in various scenarios.

For instance, a minor disagreement between team members over a project’s approach quickly escalates into a heated argument, creating tension and disrupting productivity.

Another example is when a supervisor immediately involves top-level management in a minor performance issue instead of addressing it directly with the employee. T

his escalates the matter unnecessarily, undermining trust and bypassing opportunities for constructive feedback and growth.

Additionally, escalating a customer complaint without first attempting to resolve it at the frontline level can lead to an unnecessary involvement of higher management and potential damage to customer relationships.

If you feel that this principle is crucial for your company, please use this space to expand on it.

f. Foster collaboration with international colleagues

Whether you have hires beyond the border or closely cooperate with companies around the world, you can share this principle with your new hire. Here is a sample with basic guidelines you can use:

When collaborating with international colleagues, it’s crucial to consider time differences, opting for asynchronous communication like email when possible. Plan meetings thoughtfully, accommodating different time zones. Take the initiative to learn about their country, customs, and holidays, either through research or by asking colleagues directly.

Remember to see your colleagues as individuals with personal lives and interests. Ensure clarity in communication, as cultural and language differences can lead to misunderstandings. Give the benefit of the doubt, assuming good intentions in case of errors. Whenever feasible, utilize video chats or meet in person to strengthen relationships and foster a sense of connection.

g. Embrace diversity

Embracing diversity means actively recognizing, respecting, and appreciating the differences and unique perspectives of individuals from various backgrounds.

If your company has a principle of diversity, it’s the right time to elaborate on it.

Here is a sample you can use to explain it to your employees:

You can embrace diversity in these ways:

• Foster inclusion: Actively include and involve colleagues from different backgrounds in discussions, projects, and social activities. Seek their input and make sure everyone’s voice is heard and valued.
• Cultivate cultural awareness: Educate yourself about different cultures, traditions, and customs. Show genuine interest by asking questions, attending cultural events, or participating in diversity and inclusion workshops.
• Challenge stereotypes and biases: Be mindful of your own biases and prejudices, and challenge them. Avoid making assumptions based on stereotypes and treat each individual as unique.
• Be open-minded: Embrace different perspectives and approaches. Listen attentively, be willing to learn from others, and consider alternative viewpoints when making decisions.
• Engage in dialogue: Initiate respectful conversations about diversity and inclusion. Engage in discussions that promote understanding, empathy, and awareness of diverse experiences.
  Support and advocate: Stand up against discrimination, prejudice, or exclusionary behaviors. Be an ally for colleagues from underrepresented groups and support inclusive policies and initiatives.

You can implement diversity by following some of these examples:

• Actively seeking diverse perspectives in team meetings and ensuring everyone has an opportunity to contribute.
• Participating in employee resource groups or affinity networks that celebrate different cultures, ethnicities, or identities.
• Collaborating with colleagues from diverse backgrounds on projects, embracing their unique ideas and approaches.
• Attending diversity and inclusion training sessions or workshops to enhance cultural competency.
• Mentoring or being mentored by someone from a different background, fostering cross-cultural understanding.
• Supporting and participating in initiatives like Pride Month, Black History Month, or International Women’s Day to raise awareness and celebrate diversity.

7. How we hire

By making the way you hire known, you increase the transparency of your business and help attract more talent. Although employees have already been hired at the moment, it’s important to confirm that there is a dedicated process in place.

In this section, you will explain your company’s hiring process and suggest a referral system if it is utilized in your hiring strategy.

a. Our hiring process

This chapter is crucial for your company, and it needs to be properly integrated here. What is your hiring process? If you divide the process into stages, you can outline them in this section. For instance, you may begin with a screening interview or a one-way video interview. The next step could be sending assessments and assignments to your candidates, followed by an interview with the hiring manager and/or an executive interview. Finally, you may request reference calls. Whatever your procedure may be, it is highly recommended that you document it here.

b. Referrals

In this section, if you utilize a referral system, you must provide your new hire with any useful information and the procedure for suggesting someone for a specific job position.

Referrals in hiring bring numerous benefits to organizations. Referred candidates align well with company culture, resulting in higher quality fits. Hiring processes are faster and more efficient, bypassing lengthy sourcing and screening stages. Referred candidates exhibit higher retention rates and job satisfaction, enhancing long-term employee engagement.

8. Benefits

If your company offers amenities to employees, this is the right time to mention them. Are there any requirements for receiving these benefits?

You may provide a pension plan, private health insurance, or company bonuses. Perhaps you offer equipment to new hires to work more efficiently.

In other cases, you may offer extra days off (PTO) per year depending on specific circumstances (blood donation, volunteering etc.)

Please feel free to list your benefits in this section.

Here are some benefits you may have or you want to include in your company:

• Health Insurance: Companies often provide health insurance coverage, including medical, dental, and vision plans, to support employees’ well-being and help cover healthcare expenses.
• Retirement Plans
• Paid Time Off (PTO) under circumstances (blood donation, volunteering, unexpected events)
• Flexible Work Arrangements (flexible work hours, remote work options, or compressed workweeks.)
• Employee Assistance Programs (mental health, work-related stress)
• Professional Development (training programs, workshops, mentorship opportunities, or tuition reimbursement.)
• Performance Bonuses:
• Stock Options or Equity
• Wellness Programs
• Parental Leave

Take the time to elaborate on each benefit by creating a subsection.

a. Vacation / PTO

Here, you need to gather all the benefits related to vacation. These could include summer bonuses, fully paid vacation, discounts on hotels, flights etc.

b. Company Bonus Scheme

Explain to your new hire the structure of your bonus and the requirements for earning it.

Some useful things to mention

This section will assist you in including any useful information that was not suitable for the above but is still essential.

It could be a brief biography of the founder or the board of directors, office regulations, or a presentation featuring the company’s investors. Perhaps you want to be transparent about your revenues and wish to share some charts with your new employees.

It is up to you to create your subsections and include information about anything you consider significant.Some ideas:

• Performance Metrics
• Get to know our founder
• Our investors
• Office rules

9. HR FAQs

This section needs to include answers to common questions and directions for getting assistance. Your new hire wants to know more about holidays, sick leave, and the flow of information within the HR team.

You can either provide a link to your help center or write some common questions and answers here to assist them.

Some useful questions:

• Where do I find my time off balance?
• I’m sick. What should I do?
• I want to work from the office/home, what should I do?
• I have a new passport/ID/home address? Do I need to provide it to you?
• I want to attend a training, who should I speak to?
• How do I submit expenses?
• Where can I find a calendar of public holidays?

10. IT FAQs

This includes information on how to contact IT, if there are sessions for software installation, hardware guides, and more.

11. Meet your HR team

Introduce the HR team and explain how they can support your new hire. Provide contact details and clearly outline their responsibilities.

You are now ready to prepare your own employee handbook

A well-informed and engaged workforce is the foundation of success. This employee handbook serves as a testament to your commitment to transparency, collaboration, and growth. Make the onboarding process a delightful experience for your new employees and enhance your employer branding.

Workable offers thousands of templates to help you hire faster. Check them out here.

The post Employee handbook policy template appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

While it’s true that robots won’t be replacing hiring managers any time soon, the recruitment process can be time-consuming, expensive, and involves a lot of moving parts. Using artificial intelligence, such as AI applicant tracking software, to automate and streamline aspects of talent acquisition can reduce time-to-hire and increase confidence in hiring decisions by empowering HR professionals to use their time and talent more productively.

What is AI Applicant Tracking Software?

AI Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) is a type of recruitment software that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies to optimize the recruitment and hiring process.

Many of the aspects of the talent acquisition process are important but time-intensive tasks that cater to the logistical steps of attracting and screening applicants. AI technology can orchestrate and manage many of these tasks efficiently and effectively, freeing up recruiters and HR professionals to oversee the entire workflow while focusing their own efforts on the areas that require human experience and insight.

What are the benefits of an AI Applicant Tracking System?

Hiring a new employee involves a ton of paperwork, scheduling, reviewing, record-keeping, and internal and external communication. Recruiters use AI-based applicant tracking systems to streamline the hiring process from start to finish, increasing productivity and reducing the likelihood of human error.

An AI applicant tracking system can function not only as a central repository of information, but also as an ever-ready human resources assistant capable of writing job descriptions, advertising job openings, reviewing job applications, performing assessments, scheduling interviews for qualified candidates and more.

Artificial intelligence also offers an unbiased source of information based on data, which can help ensure that candidates receive fair and consistent consideration. Combining the insights of AI tools with the instincts and experience of hiring managers adds scientific objectivity to the art of attracting and identifying the best candidates for a role.

AI-based ATS applications may include the following functionalities and features:

• Resume parsing: The ATS can automatically extract and parse relevant information from resumes and CVs submitted by job applicants. This makes it easier for recruiters to search and filter candidates based on specific skills, qualifications, experience, and other criteria.
• Job posting: The software enables the creation and distribution of job postings across various online platforms, job boards, and social media networks like LinkedIn. Some ATS tools can even suggest suitable job titles and keywords to optimize job descriptions to improve the visibility of job listings.
• Candidate sourcing: ATS can use AI algorithms to search for potential candidates from various sources, including online job portals, social media, and internal databases. This feature helps recruiters expand their talent pool and discover passive candidates.
• Automated screening: With AI-powered screening, the ATS can analyze and match candidates’ qualifications and experience with job requirements. This process helps in shortlisting candidates who are the best fit for the position, saving time and effort for recruiters.
• Candidate communication: ATS often includes features for automated communication with candidates, such as chatbot integrations that can be used to send acknowledgment emails, interview invitations, and rejection notifications. This ensures a smooth and professional candidate experience throughout the hiring process.
• Interview scheduling: Some ATS tools offer interview scheduling features that allow recruiters to set up interviews with candidates directly within the system, eliminating the need for back-and-forth communication.
• Performance analytics: ATS provides valuable insights and analytics on the recruitment process, such as time-to-fill, source of hire, candidate engagement, and more. This data helps HR teams make data-driven decisions to optimize their hiring strategies.
• Diversity and inclusion: Some advanced ATS platforms come with features that promote diversity and inclusion by removing bias from the hiring process. They can help identify potential biases in job descriptions and applicant data and support record-keeping for compliance purposes.

The implementation of AI in applicant tracking software significantly improves the efficiency of the recruitment process by automating repetitive tasks, enhancing candidate matching, and providing valuable data for better decision-making, allowing HR professionals to focus more on strategic aspects of talent acquisition and employee engagement.

How to choose an AI ATS

Choosing the right AI applicant tracking system is a critical decision — it directly impacts the effectiveness of the recruitment process and implementing a new workflow or system can be temporarily disruptive as stakeholders adjust to the change.

Here are some steps to help guide the selection process:

1. Define your requirements: Start by identifying the specific needs of your organization. Consider factors such as the size of your company, the number of job openings you typically have, the desired features and functionalities, budget constraints, and any specific integration requirements with existing HR or recruitment tools.
2. Research and compare options: Conduct thorough research to explore various AI ATS providers in the market. Look for vendors that have a good reputation, positive customer reviews, and a track record of successful implementations. Create a shortlist of ATS platforms that seem to align well with your requirements.
3. Check for AI capabilities: Verify that the ATS platforms you are considering have genuine AI capabilities. Some platforms might claim to be AI-powered but have limited functionality. Look for features like resume parsing, automated candidate screening, and intelligent candidate matching.
4. User-friendliness: A user-friendly interface is crucial for a smooth adoption of the ATS within your HR team. Request demos or trials of the shortlisted systems to evaluate their ease of use, navigation, and overall user experience.
5. Integration options: Consider the compatibility and integration options of the ATS with your existing HR software and tools. Seamless integration can streamline data sharing and improve overall HR processes.
6. Mobile accessibility: With the increasing use of mobile devices, ensure that the ATS offers a mobile-friendly interface for both recruiters and candidates. This allows for greater flexibility in managing applications on the go.
7. Candidate experience: Choose a system that offers a simple and intuitive application process, clear communication, and timely feedback to applicants.
8. Data security and compliance: Given the sensitive nature of candidate data, it’s essential to prioritize data security and compliance. Ensure that the ATS provider follows industry-standard security practices and complies with relevant data protection regulations.
9. Customer support and training: Look for a vendor that provides excellent customer support and training resources to help your HR team maximize the benefits of the ATS.
10. Scalability and future-proofing: Consider the scalability of the ATS, as your organization’s hiring needs may change over time. Additionally, inquire about the vendor’s plans for future updates and developments to ensure the system remains up-to-date with the latest technologies.
11. Obtain feedback from stakeholders: Involve key stakeholders, such as other HR team members, hiring managers, and IT personnel in the decision-making process. Get their input on the features they find most valuable and any concerns they may have.
12. Request references: Ask the ATS vendors for references from their existing clients. Reach out to these references to gather insights into their experiences with the system and the vendor’s customer support.

By following these steps and conducting a thorough evaluation, the Human Resources manager can make an informed decision and choose an AI applicant tracking system that best aligns with the organization’s needs and objectives.

Why use AI Applicant Tracking?

Using an AI applicant tracking system as part of the recruitment process saves time, reduces bias, facilitates collaboration, and analyzes helpful data, which makes life infinitely easier for hiring teams.

An often under-appreciated benefit is that an AI-based ATS also improves the candidate experience. AI tools make it easier to keep applicants informed throughout the process, and improved efficiency makes it clear that your organization values the time and effort of everyone involved. A positive candidate experience increases the talent pool for future roles, making it even more efficient to find and hire the right candidates for open positions in the future. As a result, incorporating AI tools into your hiring process is an investment in attracting and retaining top talent for years to come.

Overall, AI applicant tracking empowers HR professionals to be more efficient, make data-driven decisions, and improve the quality of the hiring process, ultimately leading to better hires and a stronger workforce. Artificial intelligence won’t be replacing the human resources department any time soon, but it can maximize the impact of their efforts.

The post The benefits of using AI applicant tracking systems appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

The webinar aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of Workable’s features, demonstrating how they can be used to optimize the hiring process. From customizable pipelines and automated actions to AI-generated job descriptions and onboard features, we delved into the many ways Workable can save time, improve team performance, and facilitate data-driven decision-making.

Customizable pipelines

Workable’s customizable pipelines allow users to tailor the hiring process to different job types, departments, or salary grades. This feature ensures consistency across roles and streamlines the hiring process. For organizations not currently using Workable, the concept of customizable pipelines underscores the importance of a flexible and adaptable hiring process.

Automated actions and bulk actions

Workable’s automated actions, such as sending thank you or disqualification emails, save time and ensure all candidates receive a response. The platform also allows for bulk actions, such as sending emails or moving candidates to the next stage en masse. These features highlight the value of automation in recruitment, reducing manual tasks and freeing up time for more strategic activities.

Interview kits and scorecards

We provide interview kits and scorecards to standardize the interview process and facilitate data-driven decisions. These tools underscore the importance of a structured and unbiased interview process, regardless of the platform you use.

People search and AI Recruiter

Workable’s People Search feature and AI recruiter tool offer robust sourcing capabilities, allowing users to fine-tune their search and identify passive candidates. Even if you’re not a Workable user, the principles of effective candidate sourcing and the potential of AI in recruitment are universally applicable.

Productivity report

Workable’s productivity report provides detailed insights into each user’s actions within the platform, enabling tracking of team performance and determination of KPIs. The concept of monitoring recruitment metrics to improve performance is crucial for any organization, regardless of the tools they use.

Hiring plan feature

Our hiring plan feature allows users to create detailed requisitions and approval workflows, promoting intentional hiring and budget tracking. This feature emphasizes the importance of strategic planning and cross-departmental collaboration in the hiring process.

Onboard and managed features

Our onboard and managed features allow users to send custom onboarding workflows and create employee profiles. The upcoming time-off feature further enhances these capabilities. These features highlight the importance of a seamless transition from candidate to employee and the value of a centralized system for managing employee information.

AI-Generated job descriptions

Workable now offers AI-generated job descriptions, allowing users to choose between a friendly or formal tone and manually edit the descriptions. This feature underscores the potential of AI in recruitment and the importance of well-crafted job descriptions.

Internal comments and tagging

Workable encourages the use of internal comments and tagging to keep track of notes and historical records. This practice emphasizes the importance of effective communication and record-keeping in the hiring process.

If you are a Workable user, you can get more insights by joining the Workable Academy. It is a place that assists you with all the provided tools from Workable ATS and helps you make the most out of them.

The principles and strategies discussed underscores the importance of a structured, data-driven, and efficient hiring process. Whether you’re a user or not, these insights can help enhance your recruitment strategy and ultimately, help you hire the best talent.

The post Workable using Workable webinar: features and takeaways appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

This rate of joblessness among the formerly incarcerated can contribute to a downward spiral of mental health issues, drug use, and even often reincarceration. Unfortunately, it is a cycle that many formerly incarcerated individuals often cannot find their way out of.

But by including this marginalized group in the wider DEI discussion, a spotlight can be given to their unique needs, and a plan can be developed to address those needs and break the cycle many find themselves caught within.

Reintegration challenges for formerly incarcerated people

Upwards of 700,000 people are released from prison every year in the United States, with a staggering 9 million people released from jails after stints ranging from a few hours to over a year. Every one of these people is released needing direction, a plan, and some assistance to get back on the right track. Many of them face the same reintegration challenges and find themselves unsure of where to turn for the help they so desperately need.

Employment, as we saw from the statistics above, is one of the biggest barriers to post-incarceration success. In statistics provided by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, it was found that 93% of those who were able to secure employment following their time in prison were able to follow that up with a successful reintegration back into their communities and did not return to prison. From these numbers, it is clear that helping formerly incarcerated individuals find gainful, meaningful employment is a significant stepping stone to their ultimate success.

Education is another challenge for reintegration. For instance, an Omnibus Crime Bill passed in 1994 stripped away access to Pell Grants for incarcerated students. This access was not reinstated until 2021, leaving incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals 27 years behind others who had better access to higher education.

Furthermore, almost 40% of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals over the age of 18 have not graduated from high school. The problem comes down to accessibility and educating the public on what has been kept from these individuals, as well as what can be done to bridge the gap.

In addition to education and employment, housing is also a concern for formerly incarcerated individuals, as public housing authorities and managers are allowed to consider the criminal history of someone before agreeing to rent to that person. Although this allowance was meant to keep people safe from dangerous criminals, many public housing managers have adopted policies that apply blanket rules to tenant screening, leaving many formerly incarcerated individuals out in the cold literally and figuratively.

Other issues that contribute to formerly incarcerated individuals feeling discriminated against include the stripping of voting rights and the social and community stigma attached to having served time. All of these factors take an immense toll on the mental health and wellness of these individuals, who frequently begin to lose hope for their future after facing such inequality.

The impact of incarceration on mental health

Incarceration and the hardships experienced post-incarceration can lead to mental health concerns or exacerbate concerns that were already present. Because incarcerated individuals are removed from society and their families — and forced to live within a formed community built around corrections and punitive measures — they can often experience depression, anxiety, and hopelessness.

Common occurrences within prisons, such as periods of solitary confinement, overcrowding, violence, and squalid living conditions, can make these mental health issues far worse. Were that not enough, they also tend to follow formerly incarcerated individuals as they leave prison behind and attempt to start a new life on the other side.

Experts have likened the mental health issues experienced by formerly incarcerated individuals to PTSD, dubbing it “Post Incarceration Syndrome”. A keen understanding and education on these issues unique to previously incarcerated individuals is integral to changing the trajectory for many of these people, as they often require mental health resources fashioned around their particular needs and experiences.

Advocacy and inclusion

To change the way formerly incarcerated individuals experience life beyond prison, there must be community-based support for their needs. DEI initiatives need to be expanded to include this community, and blanket approaches to housing and employment policy need to be changed to account for personalization and individualized nuance.

Communities and advocates should promote programs that help formerly incarcerated people ease back into society with job training, access to educational opportunities, and resources to find available, affordable, and safe housing. Much of the mental health and wellness concerns with formerly incarcerated individuals come hand-in-hand with the uncertainty of securing the basics of living within a community, including food, shelter, and employment prospects.

There is absolutely a clear cycle that can pull formerly incarcerated individuals down just as they attempt to rebuild their lives. One wrong turn or missed opportunity begets another, until many begin to experience the serious mental health issues that plague this marginalized group or end up reoffending.

More education and advocacy is needed to shine a light on the particular needs of formerly incarcerated people. Through these avenues of better information and opportunities, more people can live full lives post-incarceration and turn the tides on instances of mental health issues, substance abuse, and reincarceration.

Trent Griffin-Braaf is the CEO & Founder of Tech Valley Shuttle and GB Logistics. His mission is to combat poverty through transportation solutions and employee empowerment. As a former incarcerated person, he is leading the way for other employers to learn how to become an employer of choice for formerly incarcerated persons, single parents, and veterans.

The post DEI for formerly incarcerated people: reintegration & wellbeing appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

He arrived at the office only to find his workstation was not set up. His computer was still in its box, and there was no sign of any office supplies. He was handed a stack of paperwork to fill out, with no guidance or context provided.

His manager was tied up in meetings all day, leaving him with no one to answer his questions or provide direction. He felt like an afterthought, rather than a valued new team member.

By the end of the day, John felt overwhelmed and unsure about his decision to join Alpha Corp.

What was missing? A concrete employee orientation plan – also referred to as an onboarding plan.

What is employee orientation?

Employee orientation is a process that introduces new employees to their job, the organization, and its culture.

It is typically conducted by the human resources department or a designated orientation team and is designed to help new employees feel welcome, informed, and prepared for their new role.

During employee orientation, new hires are typically provided with information about the company’s policies, procedures, and benefits, as well as any necessary training or paperwork.

The orientation process may also include introductions to key personnel, tours of the workplace, and opportunities to ask questions and clarify expectations.

The goal of employee orientation is to facilitate a smooth transition for new employees and set them up for success in their new position.

Benefits of employee orientation

It was that day when John believed that this bad onboarding experience would make him search for another job very soon. “How can I work for someone who doesn’t respect me from day one?” he thought. He wished his employee orientation process was better.

Indeed, the benefits of a well-structured orientation program are numerous and backed by compelling data. According to a 2023 report by Octanner, 43% of employees said that their onboarding was completed after only one day, affecting retention rates.

Furthermore, according to research by Brandon Hall Group, there is a strong correlation between company culture metrics and the onboarding process. A significant 88% of organizations consider it crucial for employees to have faith in the organization’s values and principles during onboarding.

Employee orientation offers concise and accurate information that helps the new employee feel more comfortable in their new role. By providing them with a clear understanding of their job responsibilities, expectations, and company policies, orientation encourages employee confidence and helps them adapt faster to their new job. This, in turn, contributes to a more effective and productive workforce.

Lastly, orientation promotes communication between the supervisor and the new employee, fostering a positive working relationship and setting the foundation for ongoing feedback and development.

Now that we have knowledge of all these, we can structure better strategies for onboarding new hires.

Best practices for employee orientation

Working on HR today means staying abreast of current trends. One significant trend is the shift towards hybrid onboarding, accommodating both in-person and remote employees.

This approach has become increasingly important in the wake of the global shift towards remote work.

Another trend is the increased focus on integrating company culture and values into the orientation process. This helps new hires feel connected to the company’s mission from day one.

These trends can help you build an employee orientation strategy that will create a positive environment for your new hires.

Let’s delve into these best practices to assist you further:

• Preboard before day one: Send new hires necessary information and paperwork before their first day. This allows them to hit the ground running
• Create an orientation schedule: A clear, comprehensive schedule helps new hires understand what to expect and reduces first-day jitters
• Automate paperwork: Use digital tools to streamline administrative tasks, freeing up time for more valuable orientation activities
• Introduce managers and colleagues: Personal introductions help new hires feel welcomed and part of the team
• Be mindful of information overload: Break down information into manageable chunks to avoid overwhelming new hires

To help you implement this strategy we built an employee orientation checklist for you.

Checklist for a successful employee orientation

• Prepare for the new hire: Set up their workspace, provide necessary tools, and complete any administrative tasks
• Hold a formal company orientation: Discuss the company’s history, values, and culture
• Define job responsibilities clearly: Ensure the new hire understands their role and expectations
• Provide ongoing support: Check in regularly with the new hire, provide feedback, and address any questions or concerns

Related: New employee orientation program checklist

In conclusion, effective employee orientation is more than a nice-to-have—it’s a strategic necessity. By implementing these best practices and staying abreast of evolving trends, you can create orientation programs that not only welcome new hires but also set them up for long-term success. Remember, as HR professionals and SMB employers, our role in a new hire’s journey is pivotal. Let’s make it count.

John would be happy too.

The post Employee orientation: checklist, benefits, and best practices appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

PTO is always a breath of relief for your employees, giving them the chance to take some distance, fueling their energy, and returning rested and ready to perform at their best.

Offering unlimited time off is a common practice only for a few companies. According to the 2023 SHRM Employee Benefits Survey, only 8% of employers offer paid open or unlimited leave.

Is it beneficial to the employers? Does it actually work? Let’s address those questions now.

What is PTO?

PTO, or Paid Time Off, is time employees can take off work and still receive their regular pay. Unlike traditional vacation policies, PTO groups together vacation, personal, and sick days, offering employees a more flexible way to manage their time off.

Unlimited PTO is an innovative policy where companies allow their employees to take as much time off as they need. The aim? To foster a culture of trust, autonomy, and ultimately, higher productivity.

Top companies offering unlimited PTO

Let’s delve into some of the companies leading the charge in this ‘unlimited’ arena:

1. Netflix – Netflix was a trailblazer in adopting unlimited vacation time, encouraging employees to take the time they need to rest and recharge.
2. HubSpot – With its ‘flexible vacation policy,’ HubSpot underscores its culture of flexibility and autonomy [HubSpot Culture Code, 2023].
3. Dropbox – Believing that rest and recovery are an essential part of productivity and collaboration, Dropbox rolled out its unlimited PTO policy to attract top talent.
4. Virgin Group – Inspired by Netflix, Richard Branson introduced unlimited PTO at Virgin, advocating that employees would only take time off when they feel fully up-to-date with their tasks.
5. Buffer – Buffer, the social media management company, offers unlimited PTO as part of its “default to transparency” and “work smarter, not harder” values. This allows employees to manage their time and workloads effectively.
6. General Electric – GE started offering unlimited PTO to its senior employees as a means of attracting and retaining top-level talent. The policy has been hailed as a positive move towards prioritizing work-life balance.
7. GrubHub – The online and mobile food-ordering company GrubHub allows its employees to take time off at their discretion, believing it fosters a healthier and more productive work environment.
8. Gusto – Gusto, a cloud-based payroll and benefits provider, offers unlimited PTO, claiming that trusting employees to manage their time has led to higher levels of productivity and job satisfaction.

These companies serve as leading examples of the growing trend of unlimited PTO.

It’s crucial to note that while the implementation and specifics of the policy might differ among companies, the underlying aim is the same: fostering a culture of trust, promoting work-life balance, and driving productivity.

Why you might consider adopting unlimited PTO

Wondering if it is worth joining the above list?

Unlimited PTO can bring substantial benefits. It has been linked with increased employee satisfaction and retention. It also empowers employees, promoting a culture of trust and flexibility.

This condition can have positive results for employers too. Better performance aside, a study showed that those with unlimited PTO took only 13 days off yearly compared to those with prescribed and limited time-off benefit packages, who took 15 days on average.

Why you might consider not adopting unlimited PTO

However, it’s not all rosy. Some employees can feel anxious about taking time off, fearing it may reflect poorly on their work ethic. Employers may also grapple with potential abuse of the policy and difficulties in tracking PTO.

It’s essential for us, as HR practitioners and employers, to carefully consider whether this trend aligns with our company culture and goals. Implementing an unlimited PTO policy requires a strong culture of trust, clear communication, and guidelines to prevent potential misuse.

The rise of unlimited PTO among top companies signifies a shift in our work culture. It’s a trend that’s well worth our attention as we seek to foster an environment where our employees can thrive. As leaders, it’s our responsibility to balance the benefits and potential challenges of such policies, and tailor them to best serve our teams.

The post Top companies with unlimited PTO – they do exist and thrive appeared first on Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.

What is a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) Policy?

A Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) policy is a set of guidelines that outline how employees should handle sensitive and proprietary information. It’s crucial to protect your company’s intellectual property, trade secrets, and other confidential data. An NDA policy helps ensure that employees understand their responsibilities and the potential consequences of disclosing sensitive information.

A Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) policy should include:

• The definition of confidential information
• Handling of confidential information
• Disclosure rules
• Consequences for breach

How restrictive should my company NDA policy be?

The restrictions in your NDA policy should be reasonable and necessary to protect your company’s interests. It should clearly define what constitutes confidential information and provide guidelines on how to handle such information. It should also outline the potential disciplinary actions for breaches of the policy.

How do I distribute it?

Your NDA policy should be part of your employee handbook or live inside your policy database (e.g., in your HRIS). Make sure all employees have read and signed it, especially those who have access to sensitive information. Remember, this policy is a living document and should be updated as necessary to reflect changes in laws, regulations, and business practices. Again, every update should be read and signed by all employees as well.

Policy Brief & Purpose

Our Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) policy provides a framework for handling confidential information. This policy provides practical advice to avoid issues that might arise from the careless handling of sensitive data.

Scope

We expect all employees at [Company] to follow this policy.

Policy Elements

Handling Confidential Information

We expect our employees to handle confidential information responsibly and to ensure that such information is not disclosed to unauthorized individuals or entities. Confidential information includes, but is not limited to, trade secrets, business plans, customer lists, financial data, and proprietary technology.

We advise our employees to:

• Understand what information is considered confidential
• Not disclose confidential information without proper authorization
• Securely store and dispose of confidential information
• Report any suspected breaches of this policy immediately
• Representing our Company

Some employees may be required to discuss confidential information with clients, vendors, or other third parties. In these cases, employees should:

• Only disclose the necessary information
• Ensure that the third party understands the confidential nature of the information
• Seek to have the third party sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement when appropriate

Disciplinary Consequences

We take breaches of this policy seriously.

We may have to take disciplinary action leading up to and including termination if employees do not follow this policy’s guidelines. Examples of non-conformity with the employee NDA policy include but are not limited to:

• Unauthorized disclosure of confidential information
• Failure to properly secure confidential information
• Failure to report known breaches of this policy

If you violate this policy inadvertently, you may receive a reprimand. We expect you to comply after that, or stricter disciplinary actions may apply.

Disclaimer

Remember, this is a template and should be customized to fit the specific needs and culture of your company.

This policy template is meant to provide general guidelines and should be used as a reference. It may not take into account all relevant local, state or federal laws and is not a legal document. Neither the author nor Workable will assume any legal liability that may arise from the use of this policy.

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What is a long-term disability policy?

A long-term disability policy is a systematic process that involves providing financial support to employees who are unable to work due to a long-term disability. This policy outlines the company’s approach to managing long-term disability, including the process of filing a claim, the benefits provided, and the return-to-work plan.

A long-term disability policy should include:

• The definition of long-term disability
• The responsibilities of the employer and employees in the long-term disability process
• The process for filing a claim and receiving benefits
• The steps the organization will take to support the employee
• The potential consequences for fraudulent claims

Policy brief & purpose

Our Long-Term Disability Policy provides a framework for supporting employees who are unable to work due to a long-term disability. This policy provides practical advice to avoid issues that might arise from the disability management process.

Scope

This policy applies to all employees.

Policy elements

Understanding long-term disability

Long-term disability is a condition that prevents an employee from performing their regular work duties for an extended period. The process includes filing a claim, receiving approval, and receiving benefits to replace a portion of the employee’s income.

Implementing long-term disability policy

We are committed to supporting all employees in times of need. In that spirit, we will:

• Ensure that the process for filing a claim is clear, transparent, and easily accessible
• Maintain open lines of communication with all employees to address concerns promptly
• Provide support and resources to employees to navigate the long-term disability process
• Regularly review and update our long-term disability policy to ensure it is fair and transparent

Addressing disability issues

If you are experiencing a long-term disability, we encourage you to:

• File a claim as soon as possible
• Discuss these issues with your supervisor or HR department as soon as possible
• Seek advice and support from the HR department

We will investigate all reports thoroughly and take necessary actions to support the employee. This may include providing resources, facilitating the claim process, or creating a return to work plan.

Disciplinary consequences

We will accept and process each long-term disability claim in good faith. In the rare instance that an employee’s claim is found to be fraudulent, they may face disciplinary action, up to and including termination. Examples of such behavior include, but are not limited to:

• Filing a fraudulent claim
• Misrepresenting the extent of the disability
• Failing to comply with the terms of the policy

Disclaimer

Remember, this is a template and should be customized to fit the specific needs and culture of your company.