Author Archives: Dorothy Dalton

Does excessive after hours contact need legislation?

In a new study published by Deloitte, they identify 12 challenges facing today’s organisations and H.R. leaders. One of the greatest has been newly termed “the overwhelmed employee.” This is a direct response to employees being forced to deal with the constant flow of messages and to cope with semi-permanent availability demanded by modern business life and after hours contact.

Burnout

With a well identified connection between multi-tasking, inefficiency and stress it should be in any organisations best interests to protect the psychological well-being of their workforces. But can organisations be relied upon to establish voluntary codes for their managers to not excessively contact their reports or colleagues outside the employee’s business hours? Do we need to see legislation protecting employee mental health with after hours contact having clearly defined maximum legal limits or even being made illegal?

Research shows that we check our mobile phones on average 150 times a day and our concentration has been reduced to seven minutes. With Gallup research telling us that only 13% of employees are engaged, in the executive search sector we know that over two-thirds of workers are “actively passive” candidates, open to approach from people like me. Employee engagement is now a major challenge for most organisations with many, both men and women, willing to leave corporate life to “have a life”. Those with highly marketable skill sets and top performers will move around until they find the companies which offer the best overall conditions. The negative impact on organisational effectiveness will be high. A strong employer brand will become of increasing importance based on employment conditions and culture.

Is excessive after hours contact an invasion of privacy?

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Saul is a Director in an international consulting company and already identified as being on track to become Partner. His business development commitments and targets have ratched up as a result of this. He told me that not one single meal out of a possible 15 were with his girlfriend, not even dinner. He was also leaving on Sunday to take a flight to the U.S. Not unsurprisingly he is contemplating other career options. During our session he told me that his boss had sent him yet another task for his already overfilled, potentially 15 hour Monday. His smart response was to ask him to prioritise. “If I complete this new task I will need to drop one of the others. We can’t all keep going on like this. Some of my senior managers almost brag about how little time they spend with their families and then they are surprised when their kids start getting into trouble at school.”

Legislation

In Germany it is now illegal for public service managers to contact employees after hours by phone or email, a measure introduced by Ursula von der Leyen, the Labour Minister to protect workers mental health and to avoid burnout. The new guidelines stipulate that ministry staff should not be penalised for switching off their mobiles or failing to pick up messages out of hours. They should not be contacted at all for any task that could be effectively carried out the following day.

The U.K. Institute of Management calls for companies to work “smarter not harder.” In a leaflet to its 89000 members they say “that calls made to an employee at home could be construed as an invasion of privacy.”

Do you think organisations will be able to impose voluntary codes of conduct on their managers, or do you think we have reached the point where legislation is required?

Complete the poll!

The Carnival of H.R. Changing Times & H.R.

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We are seeing change in all aspects of our daily lives at a phenomenal pace. I am fascinated by the impact this has on the workplace and even more so on organisational response. Whether cultural, economic or technological each shift eventually has some sort of effect on and H.R. policies and practises and leadership input. The need to adjust, cope with or harness those developments seems to become stronger with each passing year. This week’s Carnival of H.R. looks at some of the impact of some of these trends.

In the 2014 Report on Human Capital Trends the international consulting organisation Deloitte, identify a number of key areas for attention. Most significant is the measurement of H.R readiness for some of the major shifts.

Here is the input of our international commentators:

Amit Bhagria, on Young H.R. Manager writes from India about the arrival of Gen Z in the workplace and Future challenges in Human Resource management .

With a focus on “Business Bullshit, Corporate Crap and other stuff from the World of Work” in Flip Chart Fairy Tales, Steve Toft in his post Work in 2030: even more precarious than it is now , examines projections for our future workplace, where the organisational values are shaped by Gen Y. Flexibility, transparency and employee engagement are widely adopted by business, but he maintains their application is effectively limited to the highly skilled. But what does this mean for the rest of the workforce?

Ian Welsh, based in Toronto, Canada, focuses on providing creative solutions to meet H.R. needs asks How Must HR Adapt to Changing Times? He considers specific ways and areas the H.R. function can try to reposition itself “to be ready and adaptable to business needs as they change”

Chris Fields in eSkills Blog examines the downside of our current corporate culture with an emphasis on “presenteeism” when sick employees continue to come to work with a significant impact on productivity and therefore hidden costs to the organisation. Sick but Still at Work – What’s the Real Cost of “Presenteeism”?

Australian recruitment leader, Greg Savage, founder of leading recruitment companies Firebrand Talent Search, People2People and Recruitment Solutions exhorts recruiters in his blog the Savage Truth to get up to date in a world where recruitment practises have been overturned by technology. In the post Dead recruiter walking, he argues how consultants who fail to adapt, will go under.

Employee Conditions & Benefits

It is estimated that by 2020, 60 million Americans will be working as freelance contractors. It is a growth sector in most geographies. Annabel Kaye, UK-based employment law specialist and CEO of Irenicon, flags up the impact of this shift from traditional corporate contracts on H.R. functions in her post Is freelancing the way to bypass HR?. Many companies she maintains are not equipped to deal with and manage the growing numbers who effectively work for themselves not the organisation.

The impact of the changes to the nuclear family are filtering into our organisations. I explore how these trends are creating significant challenges for organisations in Why parenting is an H.R. issue

Communication

Jesse Lyn Stoner Founder of the Seapoint Center, looks at how technology has opened up communication to encompass the globe in fraction of a minute. Online meetings and communication are becoming the norm in today’s fast paced hi-tech world. In her post Tips for Cross Cultural Communication she gives useful insight to help us all navigate cross cultural differences especially in the growing virtual workplace.

Donna Svei, Avid Careerist, Resume and LinkedIn profile writer tells us how hiring and HR managers can amplify the generic term “communications skills” and drill down to ask for specific competencies which will help job seekers focus more precisely. 10 Better Ways to Communicate Your Communications Skills

Work-Life & Employee engagement

With references to the perhaps not so new term ” the overwhelmed employee,” Mark Morford, columnist and culture critic, takes a look at the new and much discussed concept of work-life balance as technology makes us all contactable 24/7. With Millennials committed to not working as hard as their parents, he asks us Is work-life balance a lie? and should we really be talking about work-life synergy?

Employee engagement is being seen as key to the success of any business and Katie Richard and Sarah Clarke at ChangeBoard Blog consider the implications of a disengaged workforce in How to make your employees happy on International Happiness Day

Dr. Anne Perschel of Germane Consulting and Co-Founder 3Plus International tells us that Employee Engagement Starts with Leadership Engagement. She gives six questions to test leadership engagement.

Leadership

As we hope to emerge from the grips of a savage global recession many writers are reflecting on the type of leadership and organisational values to take our businesses and cultures forward. Is is business as usual or does it require a different approach?

Lolly Daskal, Founder of Lead from Within, a global leadership and consulting firm advocates for Tough minded leadership with tender hearted skills to achieve business success.

Susan Mazza, Random Acts of Leadership, challenges the “unspoken belief for many that, if you get to a certain level or position, you will have to change who you are.” A leadership coach and organizational change consultant, she suggests that the best leaders are the ones who Be their own brand of leader

What other trends would you add?

Personal security and work

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As someone who is an active networker both on and off-line, I am frequently asked about personal security. I have to say that although it doesn’t overly pre-occupy, I am always judicious.

Online networking

There is a certain irony that men and women will go on dating sites without hesitation, connecting with each other romantically and eventually meeting, with really only minimal precautions.The same basic security measures also apply to professional networking.

There are clearly potentially psychopaths on all social networks and online networking which can lead to some inappropriate or extreme situations but there are many safety nets in place to protect us. We can block and report. Many people will only connect with people they know personally, although I’m not in that camp. On LinkedIn I always check credentials and ensure that profiles are reasonably complete, with a picture. I am more relaxed on Twitter, but consider it generally wise to avoid naked people. My content is always completely professional.

I have a vast online network and have had very few poor experiences. Sometimes these have been rooted in cultural or language issues, when a short note indicating that I use the network for professional purposes does the trick. I was once asked for my private telephone number, but as the gentleman was the same age as my son, a kindly recommendation to consult an optician seemed the appropriate course of action.

Actual networking

If you go on to meet an online connection (and I have) then apply the same personal security measures as if going on a date. Always arrange to meet in public places, well-known reputable venues, let someone know where you are going and keep your mobile switched on. If the contact wants to meet in a dubious watering hole, in an isolated location, late at night – don’t go. It’s really not hard.

Every day professional situations

The anomaly is that although there are many cautionary safety tales published about the vulnerability of our personal security when networking, in some ways we can be more exposed in other seeming routine areas of our daily professional lives. This is not just women, Increasingly men are also tell me that they are also becoming more cautious.

Travelling – I have probably seen too many movies, but I find underground car parks particularly challenging, following a late night incident some years ago. Arriving alone in train stations or airports late at night is especially creepy. If it’s not possible to be collected or take a cab, some car parks have well-lit women’s parking zones. Make a note of your space number so you can go easily and quickly to your car. Don’t write that on the ticket. Carry a whistle or alarm. Anecdotal evidence suggests that even some of the burliest guys are investing in key chain alarms. If driving late at night is part of your professional life, membership to an emergency breakdown service would be wise – just in case.
Working late: many companies will provide taxi services to employees working after a certain hour for security reasons. That is a great bonus – use it or ask for it. It’s always best to let someone know you are working late and not to work late alone of that can be helped.
I.D badges: Many large organisations have increased security against accidental or malicious harm, crime and other threats. Our bags are searched at the entrance or even screened through a security monitor. Sometimes we have to pass through metal detectors and are obliged to wear badges with photo ID, our name and quite often the company logo. I heard two stories where individuals were approached on the metro because of their ID badge. One was from an old school chum visiting Brussels from the United States and the other was unwelcome. After a drinks party with his ID badge on display all evening, a contact found himself the object of a total stranger’s interest and she pursued him relentlessly until he threatened to file a police report. Keep your badge in your briefcase when not in the office. Many forget, especially at lunch time or at after work drinks. In a reputation economy, a name and company is the only lead a person needs to start tracking someone down.
Collection: I was collected at Manchester airport by a man who after some conversation claimed to be from a taxi service where I had booked a cab . It was only afterward did I realise that I didn’t ask for ID, and actually hopped into a car with someone who may not have been bona fida. He was, but I had failed to do due diligence in the same way as I would have done online. It’s easily done.

What other security situations have you encountered as part of your professional activities?

6 ways to shine in a group interview

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An increasing number of companies are now carrying out group interviews to reduce recruitment costs. As an added benefit, this process also allows hiring managers to measure the performance of potential candidates simultaneously and to make behavioural and leadership assessments which they can rank. Although this type of interview practise is carried out more frequently at junior levels, I am starting to hear that this selection style is being implemented for more senior roles.

For many this can be a nerve-racking experience.

Some key tips for a group interview:

Non verbal communication – grooming is paramount in a group situation and an authoritative professional image will be significant in making a strong first impression and as a way to stand out from the crowd. Dress appropriately for the sector you are targeting, always erring on the side of caution and being more conservative. Unless you are interviewing in the fashion industry avoid making fashion statements. If you know you are presenting anything to camera, avoid bold patterns Make sure body language, posture and diction are all flawless. Practise all your intros even the shortest USP.
Be punctual – for you this means early. You could be assessed by everyone from the receptionist onwards. These informal situations give you the opportunity to showcase your social skills.
Your 30 second commercial – this should be in your DNA with skills and success stories so deeply engrained that you can highlight them fluently, even when under pressure. Sometimes you maybe asked to do a presentation to camera or even to present a fellow candidate. Listen to them attentively when they recount their own bios. I coached someone recently who learned he had a tendency to use “upspeak“ and “like” and “you know” figured at the end of every second phrase. This makes every sentence sound like a question and you appear hesitant which you clearly don’t want. It took two coaching sessions to recalibrate his speech patterns. Practise into your answer machine or record yourself on Skype if you are unsure.
Be both a team player and a leader many believe that they have to stand out from the group and try too hard. This isn’t always necessary. It is important to be mindful of your fellow candidates without being passive, and assertive without being overbearing. Leadership isn’t about the person who talks the most or the loudest. Your individual role in the group will be assessed as well as a number of skills including your ability to handle pressure, plus giving and receiving feedback. For group interviews which span a weekend, and include team exercises, depending on the nature of the open positions, a general guideline is to come in the top percentile in all activities. This will highlight you as a good all-rounder. If there are specific requirements (technical tests for example ) you will want to excel at those.
Don’t get too relaxed – very often group interviews span a whole day or days, which might include lunch and coffee breaks. You are being assessed all the time, so take care not to get too comfortable and over share. Your social skills are being monitored in detail. Your personal and social life or political and religious views should stay private. If you are offered alcohol don’t drink it and obviously watch your language. You absolutely don’t want to be overly friendly and pally with your interviewers. They are not your friends, even if some are near your own age. The same applies to the fellow candidates. Remember you are in competition. You can always follow-up after the interview.
Prepare questions – always do your homework. You may also be asked for feedback on the exercises and an analysis of the roles of other candidates, as well as your own. Answer honestly, constructively and professionally. Don’t run your fellow candidates down.

Good luck!

Need any help with your interview performance? Check out the individual coaching programmes

Accused of being a bully: “I meant'” vs “They heard”

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I have been involved in many bullying cases from the point of view of the target. Interestingly I have been approached twice in the past week by individuals who have been on the other end of the accusation spectrum. They told me in horrified tones “I have just been accused of being a bully.” Both were delivering feedback related to poor performance to a member of their team.

Charlotte’s story

Charlotte is a confident, vibrant, authoritative and dynamic young woman in her early 30s. Already a Regional Communications Director in an international organisation she has recently taken over responsibility for a small communications unit. One of the team, only slightly younger than her, has made a series of errors and has been in Charlotte’s view underperforming.

Charlotte believes she dealt with the performance situation in a professional way, drawing the errors to the attention of the direct report by email. This young woman has now filed a formal complaint with H.R., located in the company headquarters. Seemingly the employee took exception to Charlotte’ approach, which she perceived as being micro-managing and bullying.

Charlotte told me “I believe it was a straight forward disciplinary and feedback issue. I don’t think it would have been dealt the same way, if I was a man, nor would I get accused of being a bully or harassment.”

Simon’s story

Simon, a somewhat introverted and measured Finance Manager, has recently given a poor appraisal to a report following a series of errors which impacted performance. These errors compromised the accuracy of the monthly reporting information presented to senior management for business planning. There were also time keeping issues.

He was accused last week of racist bullying, being notified that he treated other team members, all of Caucasian ethnicity, more leniently. Simon was mortified but adamant “The individual’s timekeeping was consistently erratic and record keeping sloppy which accounted for the errors. I’m appalled that a race card has been presented” .

Impact

It is easy to underestimate the impact accusations of bullying can have on an individual. Many feel this is a direct attack on the very core of their integrity, character and interpersonal skills. Charlotte was very upset by this news and now finds herself dreading going into work. Simon is having difficulty sleeping. Bullying in the workplace is clearly a critical issue, but organisations also need to be able to ensure that managers and supervisors are able to communicate poor performance without bullying accusations. What to Charlotte and Simon was routine performance feedback, has now escalated into a major H.R. issue.

There are three possible scenarios in cases like these:

the behaviour is bullying,
the behaviour is received as bullying
the accusations are entirely spurious.

Instinctively anyone finding themselves in this situation is likely to be defensive. It may be hard and no matter how hurtful and outrageous the accusations are, the “accused” have to dispassionately examine all possibilities to consider the experience of the complainant neutrally.

The behaviour is bullying

Most organisations have guidelines for what constitutes bullying behaviour and ACAS certainly does. A critical analysis and audit is vital to check if firm management could have crossed the line into bullying. It is possibly best done with the support of a coach or other neutral professional. This can happen in organisations with a top-down, embedded bullying corporate culture. If the answer is no – go to the next step of analysis.

**The behaviour is received as bullying**

In my lengthy experience most people accused of bullying have no idea that this is how their communication style is perceived and received. Very often we all forget to factor in how our behaviour is experienced, especially if we are nervous, busy or stressed. It is therefore always subject to misinterpretation.

One person’s assertiveness can be another’s intimidation. Factor in gender issues when authoritative women managers are perceived more harshly by women reports than male managers. With a new manager such as Charlotte, this situation of resentment is possibly exacerbated.

Self- assessment

But where do we draw the line when there is a “I meant” / “They heard” situation? The first responsibility of the person accused of bullying is always to carry out an honest self-assessment in two key areas which lay the foundations to what happens next :

Content – is the nature of the appraisal 100% accurate? Make sure you have all the facts documented and covered. Accusations of “you are always late” might factually be twice because of a train strike. Establishing the facts is the cornerstone of the process. Do your reports have clear objectives, departmental standards and goals or even job descriptions?

Communication style review – this can take place via mediation channels, with a coach or even independently. Getting neutral feedback is important. Be honest, has anything similar happened before? Carry out a litmus test with colleagues or reports. Do you have a tendency to be overbearing/aggressive/heavy or high-handed? What is your feedback style? Do you deliver feedback to your reports or colleagues in an accusatory tone? Are you inclined to make assumptions before asking questions?

Research from the CIPD suggests that those who experience bullying or harassment (or feel they do) are more likely to be depressed and anxious, less satisfied with their work, have a low opinion of their managers and senior managers, and want to leave their current job. There is an increased likelihood to react badly to poor performance appraisals. Are you completely sure that your communication style is neutral and constructive?

It won’t go away

Managers are also doomed if they ignore a problem within the team. ACAS report that a manager’s failure to tackle poor performance impacts team harmony, causing friction if one team member is seen to ” get away” with errors and sloppiness. Setting clearly defined boundaries and communication expectations from the outset is critical to avoid this. What is perceived as constructive communication and firmness by the manager maybe received as aggression by the report. It is also key to remember that the messages contained in 80% of email communication are not received as they were intended.

If you are accused of being a bully what can you do?

In addition to the content and style check above the following guidelines are helpful.

Check the internal organisation policy. Most have an established grievance policy. Make sure all response are within the official guidelines.
Always ask to be allowed to formally present your own experience of events to the hierarchy and confirm in writing.
Establish the exact nature of the complaint requesting precise details relating to the time, location and content to gain full insight into the “victim’s” experience of the events. This can even be done informally over lunch in a business neutral manner possibly with a third- party present. In more sensitive and extreme situations, a formal in-house meeting with a third-party present recording the conversation might be advisable and more appropriate. Most spurious cases simply disappear at this point because of a lack of factual information.
Separate the managerial behaviour from the personal. This can help distil the problem into specific issues. Personality clash can be a core factor and it’s a card H.R play: sometimes correctly, sometimes to make a problem go away. This is where the data issue is critical.
What are the complainants communication and performance expectations? Where are the gaps? What if anything can be changed? Create a blue print going forward.
Request coaching or mentoring support during what can be a challenging time.
Ask judiciously for feedback. This is when trusted colleagues can be helpful. Being alert and empathetic to the reactions of others is vital because it is the only way to understand how you are perceived

Spurious accusations

If after thorough examination there is no room for compromise, then following a formal disciplinary/grievance procedure will be the only option. If poor performance continues then the appropriate official warning systems should be invoked which could lead to termination of the report.

All organisations should have clear guidelines for disciplining employees and notifying them of under performance. The last things that any manager wants is a need to mount a personal and professional defence as a result of what should be routine performance feedback.

As the manager you should be allowed to expect your team to meet clearly communicated, reasonable, measurable and achievable departmental goals and standards.

If you need support on bullying and harassment issues – get in touch NOW

When will we see the term “Career Dad”?

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I just realised we have phrases for:

stay at home Mum

career woman

stay at home Dad

??????

Where is the term “career father” or “career dad”?

It would seem that terms have crept into our language to cover the work-parenting continuum with one noted exception. We are left with the assumption that men, even when they become fathers, will automatically assume the responsibility for a career within a couple. This is so strong, that we don’t even assign a name to the role.

It is an unstated given.

We assume that all men wish to be assigned the lead position as revenue generator when there is growing research to suggest that they too in increasing numbers, want to be released from the unrelenting 24/7/365 grind that corporate life is becoming. Even a small straw poll vox pops indicates that men would quit their jobs as readily as women for greater work/life balance.

Men are marginalised

Flexi- time or part-time working is associated with the notion of lack of commitment. This means that men have minimal involvement in any discussions on flexible hours. Working half-time (and I have) means that generally the only thing that hits 50% is the salary. Responsibility probably hovers at 90% and hours worked at 75%. In addition men report being discouraged from working reduced hours or taking paternity leave, despite research indicating that there are any number of positive business benefits.

The 2013 World Economic Forum Gender Gap Report suggests that companies which close the gender gap and allow women (who now tend to be better educated than men) to remain productive in the workplace once they become mothers, are seeing greater dividends. Organisations which implement H.R. practises facilitating paternal involvement in childcare, support and boost the workplace participation of women who would have previously chosen to leave, are going to be ahead of the game.

When the phrase “Career dad” slips into our lexicon, we will know that both men (and women) are finally being offered a firm choice , rather than simply default settings.

If you are a dual career couple and want to manage your careers, check out the individual coaching programmes

Gender convergence

Claudia Goldin a U.S. economist in her research suggests that while we saw a “a grand gender convergence” during the last century in many aspects of workforce participation between men and women, that this process has not continued. Since the 1990s there has been limited closing of the gender pay gap with hours continuously worked allocated a higher economic value penalizing anyone who works part-time or flexi-time. Her proposal is to shift to equalising schemes, where remuneration would be based on total hours worked in any given period, not just the hours which are worked continuously. We all know that offices are inherently inefficient places anyway, where it is almost impossible to measure unproductive time lost in any given working day. In a presence based system these hours are significant. Twelve hours in the office doesn’t necessarily mean twelve hours of productive work. Combining a total hours worked system with results based initiatives, would introduce a greater number of options to all players: men, women and companies.

Fathers who share childcare responsibilities with working mothers, release their partners to pursue career options and with that the opportunity to increase their salaries.

Increased salaries for the Mums will lead to greater economic flexibility within a couple.

It should be a win/win.

What do you think?

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Personal branding: don’t forget email set up

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It is often said that “The devil is in the detail”. When it comes to job search the smallest nuances can make a difference and all sorts of minor details are frequently overlooked. One of the first points of contact a job seeker has with a hiring manager or recruiter is via email. It is now particularly important to get this absolutely right as reading emails shifts to mobile technology, when it can take as little as three seconds to read the body of the text.

But if a mail does land in your inbox and not in your junk folder, what happens when you have no idea who has sent you the email in the first place?

One item which for many job seekers gets scant if any attention at all, is email format and signature. I am always astonished how the creators of some of the most polished profiles and CVs let themselves down by not extending their thorough branding approach to their email set up.

Meg Guiseppe wrote a very informative post on the dilemma of email signatures. Her focus is on the signature, rather than the overall format of the email. After some frustrating experience last week, I feel for many the problems come earlier than that!

What to look for

This is what to look for as it appears on your device:

From box: This you would think would be quite straightforward but surprisingly it isn’t. This week alone I have had emails, as shown below (names changed to save acute embarrassment)

First name only: Denise instead of Denise Smith
Funky family account: The Hatter Family when the sender was Jennifer Dawson
Partner’s account: Tom Davies when the mail was coming from Susan Davies.

Please use your own name in full, usually with first name first. This is why it’s called a first name. The starting point of brand recognition in any incoming email is who it is from! Ladies, if you have name changes due to marriage or divorce make sure the same name is used on all platforms.

Another potential area of confusion is Asian candidates who have two names including a western name – once again be consistent for easy retrieval. I have also just coached someone with seven names, so anyone from cultures where names are long and convoluted (Portugal and Spain come to mind immediately, there maybe others) simplify them to maybe three and use them on all platforms.

Email address: use your full name starting with first name. Your signature should be if possible: firstname.lastname@serviceprovider.com or the nearest equivalent. This week I have had the following mails:

mj_p68@serviceprovider.com from Poala Jenssen
jonprof@serviceprovider.com from Jonathan Pinsett
v_d_perez.c from Carlos Van Dyke Perez

Do you need help on personal branding? Check out the individual coaching programmes

Subject Line: The subject line is the root cause of many mails going to spam. Make sure your headline is as specific as possible and generally about 50 characters in length is recommended. This week I have received in my spam folder, mail which had been I think, languishing there for weeks, containing the following headings:

Hello!
CV
Job Opportunity
Looking for new challenge

File save: Any attachment should be clearly labelled especially if it’s a CV with full name and date so that it is easily retrievable . ( CV_TOM_SMITH Feb2021) Separate words with underscores so it’s easy to read. Sometimes it can be possible to add a short USP for example. TOM_SMITH_ Ideas_Merchant.

What I received this week was:

CVMJPENG – from Poala Jenssen
Matthieu – from Pierre M. Delvaux

Email signature: Personally, I’m not a fan of hugely long email signatures, tending to subscribe to the theory that people don’t read them. Additionally long signatures can distort replies and forwards and can make it difficult to follow the thread. They are further complicated because clarity can depend on the type of device receiving the mail and the email format of the originating provider. Mail may come through in plain text and have image blocking in place. Many systems will peel away altogether signatures and shift them together with logos, to attachments.

Whether you go long or concise, you can experiment until you get something that suits and works for you.

What an email signature should include

Your full name – the one that you use consistently on all platforms
Phone number
Company name and job title or your USP
Email address
Web site or LinkedIn url or as hyperlink – the latter though visually neater, could get peeled away

Who would have thought that something so basic could be so complicated!

If you need help navigating the basics of job search and personal branding get in touch NOW!

The candidate journey and employer brand

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Employer brand

Much time is spent encouraging and coaching candidates to create and present a Personal Brand to make the right impression on potential employers. But many organisations are not as in touch as they should be with their employer brands. By that I mean how they are perceived not just by current employees, but by prospective candidates. For many the concept of employer branding is some part of a passing social media fad which will be replaced by the next fashionable trend within weeks. To others it’s the domain of large conglomerates with massive budgets.

But like it or not all organisations have employer brands. They just don’t realise it or even know what their brand is. Very often leadership teams scratch their heads in wonder when their company fails to attract the best talent, blissfully unaware that their brand has tanked to all time lows.

One thing for sure is that the concept of an employer brand is definitely not a fad. It will not go away and will become more important as economies move into recovery. Companies will need to start flexing those brand muscles to attract and retain the best talent for their organisations. A pristine employer brand will be key in any upcoming war for talent.

Flexing brand muscles

Today any news travel fast, but bad news travels faster. Online research allows all information to circulate with speed and unfettered. Poor employee and candidate experiences do the rounds at high velocity. So when employees complain about long hours, salary issues, lack of strategy, unfilled vacancies, not being able to take vacations, reduced perks and poor leadership, it’s not a case of “if” these problems seep onto the wider market – but when.

Only 13% of employees are reported to be engaged at work. The much touted war for talent is seemingly on the horizon as we move into recovery. More than 66% of employees are categorized as actively passive (executive search speak for open to the right offer!) creating a strong and appealing employer brand is critical in today’s market to maximise a talent management strategy.

Damien told me yesterday that he had been contacted by a recruiter earlier this week. The consultant made five sloppy mistakes that left him feeling uncertain if he wanted to proceed: he was late for the telephone interview, he did not send the necessary job profile beforehand as promised, he called via a VOIP platform where the connection was so poor he couldn’t understand what was being said and then did not follow-up promptly with paperwork. An interview proposed on the phone has not been confirmed in writing. He has now filled his afternoon.

These are small things, but cumulatively they become compounded to form an overall negative impression, especially when the competitor’s hiring team is on the ball.

Candidate experience

The candidate journey should be a seamless and incremental process where he/she becomes familiar with the organisation to such and extent that they are so highly motivated that they are ready and waiting with pen at the ready to sign a contract shortly after receipt of a written offer. Every level of engagement should be “on brand” and convey the essential message of the core values of the organisation.

Is your company struggling with your candidates’ experiences? Check out services and training to create a strong employer brand

This brand plays an integral role at every stage in the candidate development process and should be firmly embedded for maximum success across every intersection of interaction:

Website – easily navigable and informative giving clarity and consistency to the brand image and core corporate values. This is usually the first point of contact and can “make or break” at this stage.
Use of technology – text, social media invaluable for entry-level recruitment particularly.
Application process – user-friendly and simple to follow with numerous possibilities to save information and modify afterwards
Communication – timely, positive, effective for keeping the candidate warm.
Screening – thorough, professional, open
Interview – everyone from the receptionist to the hiring manager should be aware of the brand image to convey
Interaction – timely, effective, professional
Offer – uncomplicated, ethical and transparent
Rejection – empathetic and encouraging paving a way for the future
Welcome pack and induction instructions should be clear, informative and motivating
Onboarding support – to achieve a seamless transition

The employer brand is intrinsic to the whole spectrum of the recruitment process. It is not just about what companies do that sends resonating messages, but what they fail to that will set warning bells clanging.

It’s time for many companies to go through a thorough self-assessment to establish what shape their employer brand muscles are in.

Quarter-life crisis and over communication

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In today’s high-tech, 24/7, global communication, we are seeing a pace of communication that is super charged. This is something we would have thought should lead to rapid, informed and correct decision-making.

Everyone happy… right?

My observation is that the reverse could indeed be true.

I would even go as far as to say that in many cases we are creating a pattern and expectation of communication that is totally overwhelming which is damaging performance. I have noticed this particularly in junior and mid-level employees, who unlike other generations cut their teeth on this notion of being constantly in touch. As a consequence their boundaries are not as distinct. It’s great fun receiving updates from friends around the clock, but becomes very different and stressful in a professional context.

A friend’s daughter recently wondered somewhat perplexed, why privacy is really important to my generation! I believe the lack of it, is contributing to what is becoming known as Quarter -Life Crisis in hers.

Permanently “on call”

Working across multiple time zones and constantly on stand-by, leaves many junior and mid level employees overwhelmed, over supervised and exhausted. Matthias a young and highly successful marketing executive in a Fortune 500 company, a Director despite being in his early 30s, says he starts checking his emails at 0600 and as late as midnight. He told me he hears alerts on his iPad throughout the night.

Shouldn’t he just turn it off I suggested naively and respond in the morning? At the beck and call of senior management located on all continents, failure to respond instantly he told me is perceived to be “a lack of energy or engagement.” He is now questioning his commitment to a corporate career as he examines his work/ life balance.

All company mail

Another unforeseen outcome of the wide-reaching and easy communication technology is increased control and policing. This can be so tight that it leaves many employees so fearful of making a mistake they become paralyzed. Factor in the viral consequences of the reporting of any misdemeanour, then the culprit is faced with company wide shame and humiliation via the ubiquitous all company e-mail.

Take Marianne. She has a postgraduate qualification in HR management and is a junior recruitment coordinator for a major international company. Despite having three years experience in the function, plus a professional qualification, every aspect of her job is supervised by a barrage of emails and reporting instructions, so time-consuming she is almost unable to learn the skills of her function. Six months ago she made a minor scheduling error. This was picked up and circulated on a global all department email where she felt international humiliation. As she said “if God could have been cc’d he would have been, it was escalated so far up the chain.” She also wonders about her corporate future.

Take Lucien. A marketing graduate, slightly dyslexic, made a typo on an email to a client. His boss instead of addressing the situation professionally, copied the whole company (yes …everyone) in what he thought was a riotous joke. Suitably shamed Lucien could barely face going into work where instead of creating some Outlook templates to support him, every email was scrutinised individually. Massive delays were created and customer satisfaction fell off. Lucien finally left and has no intention of returning to corporate life. His Quarter-Life Crisis was profound.

Everything urgent

Others report receiving non-urgent mails and texts from bosses during vacations and on public holidays many carrying a high priority red-flag. Amanda told me “my boss made it very clear that he was unhappy that I couldn’t respond to a query on my expenses when I was in a wedding! ”

Re-wind

Back in the day when I started work, communication was significantly slower. Would I want to turn the clock back to those days? I am no Luddite, so not at all. I love fast communication. But there were certainly advantages from days gone by. If someone made a mistake it would probably take a few days for it to come to their bosses attention via laborious manual processes which were imputted into the system and eventually printed out on continuous computer listing pages the size of breeze blocks.

Things clearly went wrong, but nothing too horrendous. Only a small number of people were usually aware of the issues and certainly not the whole company. Mobile phones did not exist. Neither did the internet.

So although we see many significant benefits, not all technology is without a downside. Needs will vary from one organisation to another, but what is needed is clear protocols about appropriate frequency of contact and what constitutes an emergency!

Why parenting is an HR issue

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One of the areas of greatest disconnect between corporate culture and the wider world, is the issue of parenting. This is going to present significant challenges to many organisations in terms of H.R. policy in the upcoming years, especially for those that don’t confront those issues.

The successful running of organisations is largely dependent on a fully functioning nuclear family. That is: a revenue generator (usually the man) and a childcare/homemaker (usually the woman.) Any move to deviate from this model impacts the employee and therefore ultimately the organisation.

We are already seeing major repercussions.

Outdated model

By 2015 Gen Y will out number Boomers in the workforce. They are the 21st century generation of men and women who want something different for themselves, their careers and their families than their parents. Added to this we see the emergence of other demographics:

the rise of the single parent
the rise of the two career family,
men who don’t want the stress of being the single bread winner or to be pigeonholed into gender stereotyping roles assigned in a bygone era.
Reverse parenting: elder care

These significant cultural changes render the old school model flawed and potentially ineffective.

Crusader vs Realist

These developments impact organisations in a number of areas and requires some out of the box thinking to adapt to changes in the supply side of the employee market. Some organisations have evolved, yet for most their systems remain resolutely unchanged. In the last two weeks I have been conflicted in my roles as crusader for change and realistic coach, fully aware of the all too prevalent discrimination that exists around family obligations for both men and women.

I have discussed with candidates the wisdom of embracing motherhood on their CVs and LinkedIn summaries. How to handle resume gaps of 15 years for stay at home Mums is a frequent challenge, with lack of continuous service heavily penalised. Cap that with the dilemmas facing men who have taken or wish to take paternity leave when they are viewed with suspicion. Or more serious still, STUDS (Spouses Trailing Under Duress) who have given their partner’s career priority. And of course stay at home dads. I know of some couples who don’t broadcast their non stereotypical approach for concerns about social stigma.

This blinkered thinking impacts human resource programmes in a number of key areas, as organisations are slow to recognise and respond to the pace of change.

What we see is an approach to find people to suit the model, rather than changing the model to suit the workforce

Where does this happen?

Recruitment: with as many as 30-40% of families in some geographies now being headed up by a single parent oftentimes the mother, organisations are struggling to attract the best talent to suit their corporate culture. They are obliged to restrict themselves to candidates who are available, rather than the best. Combined this with stereotyping prejudice related to childcare responsibilities in the recruitment process where illegal questioning is still commonplace, many excellent potential candidates are cut or not fully considered.

Absenteeism: Many single parents do not have the 10 hours per day required by many employers locked into presence rather than results models. What they could offer is core, prime time hours contracts with flex time covering non core hours. Lack of flexibility leads to increased levels of absenteeism. U.S. companies reportedly lose $3 billion each year attributable to childcare related absences.

Lack of mobility: many single parents cannot be geographically mobile. They may be restricted by custody and access arrangements under divorce agreements to relocate or travel. Perhaps they are reliant on local family members for support. Two career couples are also in the same situation having to factor in the overall responsibility of running their families. In a recent 3Plus Mini-Coaching event on Having it All , one participants told us that in her couple when it comes to travel “the first into the Google calendar wins.” This impacts recruitment cycles.

Retention: with schools still operating on the same schedules that they have done probably for a hundred years, closed for 14 weeks a year with a 3.00pm or 4.00pm pick- up, making that after school gap until they get home from work a parent’s worst nightmare to fill. This has spawned a host of after school businesses which eat into the incomes of all involved with no tax breaks or support. Add to this routine medical care and possibly emergency attention for kids, there are a number of different demands made on parents which contribute to making life hard to manage. There might also be an element of senior care and reverse parenting as their own parents age. Under duress many women in particular leave their companies unable to find that elusive work/life balance.

Under-performance: Other employees work below their potential accepting lower level jobs in exchange for flexibility. Men who would be willing and want to share in these responsibilities and take paternity leave are also discouraged by macho cultures. It is reported that men are twice as likely to be refused flex working conditions as a woman. Any investment made in employees early in their careers is therefore not maximised.

Succession planning: Research from Right Management suggests that an increasing number of Boomers are postponing complete retirement with a shift to working part-time. This can be attributed to the devaluation of savings and pensions, but as the Boomer divorce rate surges many men at least, go on to have second families well into their 50s. This makes early retirement a pipe dream with family commitments for an increasing number as late as mid- 60s, reducing turnover at senior levels and therefore development opportunities for employees lower down the hierarchy.

So in an era of a declining population in most developed economies with aging populations to support, organisations have to move away from out of date thinking and come up with some new approaches. It is essentially basic maths. Something’s got to give. The nuclear family is no longer the mainstay of our wider culture and cannot continue to be the lynch pin for our corporate environments.

Which parenting benefits would be most helpful to you? Please take the poll: