by Beth | Apr 6, 2022 | Company Culture, Employee Hiring, Employee Retention
As most of you know, my daughter, Katy, is a nursing major at the University of Miami. Now that she is finishing her junior year, she started applying for internships, and in the second week of January, she got hired at a rehab center, which is a coveted place to work.
Katy is fluent in Spanish, she has a 3.93 grade point average and her Clinical Instructor told her that she would be a great nurse one day. As her mother, I think that she is a very qualified candidate. đ
Katyâs training for her new role took 7 weeks to get scheduled. When she showed up on her first day at 8 AM as instructed, she waited in the lobby for an hour and a half for the hiring manager to show up. She finally decided to find the floor where she would be working and spent the rest of her shift taking vitals for patients on the floor. She spent almost the whole shift speaking Spanish to patients.
From a recruiting standpoint, I am completely appalled. She is the best of the brightest, and to be treated this way before she even started?
And companies wonder why they canât keep peopleâŠ
POWER THOUGHT: If you want to keep your employees, start valuing them on day one.
by Beth | Mar 23, 2022 | Company Culture, Employee Hiring, Employee Retention
Imagine that you are starting your new job today. You have your new outfit, your new backpack, and your lunchbox. You are so excited but also a bit nervous. You canât wait to get started! This is the dream job that you have wanted for a long time! You arrive 5 minutes early, open the door and walk up to the reception desk.
Scenario 1: There is no one to greet you. You sit for 30 minutes before someone comes out and says, âNo one knew you were coming today!â You are placed in your office to fill out paperwork, and see no one else for hours. Then you are told that you will meet your hiring manager next week, because they are on vacation and oh by the way, your computer wonât arrive for 2 weeks.
Or
Scenario 2: You arrive 5 minutes early and the receptionist says, âWe are so excited that you are here!â Your new boss greets you enthusiastically and shows you your office with a balloon tied to your chair and a welcome sign on your door. Your computer sits on your desk gleaming, and you are handed your itinerary for the week. You put your things down, and your boss invites you into a conference room where they have a breakfast to introduce you to your team. The whole team rallies around you, and you feel touched, moved and inspired.
Who will stay in their job longer?
Here is the secret to retention: it starts from minute 1. If you want your employees to stay and be productive, you must set the stage for them to be successful from the very beginning. Most people naively believe that retention starts in the end with stay interviews, exit interviews and going away parties. But retaining your employees is an ongoing effort from hiring the right person for the role, training them fully and completely, and incorporating them into the department as fast as possible.
POWER THOUGHT: Want your people to stay? Value them before they even start.
A big shout out to Cassy Nicholl for the topic!
by Beth | Mar 9, 2022 | Company Culture, Employee Hiring
Over the course of 3 years, our family rescued 37 animals, fostered them and got them adopted into great homes. One of my all-time favorites was a lab mix named Angel. And she was an angel! She was so sweet and loving, and she stayed right with you, no matter where you went.
We lived near a park, but in order to get there, we had to cross a very busy street. I always put a leash on Angel before walking over there, just to be safe. And frankly, it pissed her off. She would look up at me like âDude. I got this. Why the hell are you putting a leash on me?â
Last week, a friend of mine quit her long-time job as a fundraiser for a high-powered non-profit. She ran the department that raised 8 million dollars in 2021. She quit, because the Executive Director insisted that my friend show up at 8 am and stay until 5. After working there for 9 1/2 years, my friend was justifiably insulted. She gave a 6 month notice to see if things would change. They didnât, so she left.
I have heard story after story of details, just like this one. When you as the leader put leashes on employees who have consistently proven themselves, they will start looking for another job. Then, you lose a great employee, and you have to start over with someone new. What good does this do for anyone? My advice? Hire a lab that walks themselves, step back, and let them shine!
Power thought: Leashes work during training. They do not work for long-term, high-performing and trustworthy employees.
by Beth | Feb 9, 2022 | Employee Hiring
A few weeks ago, I had the most awkward thing happen in an interview. I mean, it happens. And every time I think that I have seen it all, some candidate does or says something so completely random. And in this instance, unprofessional.
I was interviewing over the phone for a Project Manager. I called him on the phone and told him that my clients were listening in on his interview. He was very excited and said so.
Then, I hear him urinating. And flush. And wash his hands.
At least he washed his hands, but really?
There are so many things wrong with this scenario, itâs hard to know where to begin. At the very least, this is a professional interview, and this behavior shows a gross lack of preparation. Do you want this candidate urinating while he is on the phone with your clients? I think not. Do I need to say that you take care of your bodily functions before you call a client or have an interview? I guess so.
For all of my clients, in an interview you are seeing the best of the best of a candidate. Is this the best you want to hire?
For those of you who are seeking interview advice: Prior preparation prevents piss-poor performance. Literally.
Power thought: You have NEVER seen it all⊠I promise.
by Beth | Dec 15, 2021 | Employee Hiring
Over the Thanksgiving holiday, my daughter and I were listening to the radio. A song came on that we both love. I began belting out the tune at the top of my lungs and sang along to the chorus of the Zac Brown Band song. I sang âLong Goneâ along in perfect pitch (to me at least). My kid laughed uproariously. âMOMâ, she yelled, âThose arenât the words!â I said, âYes they are!â She giggled âNo, really. Itâs not âLong Goneâ. Itâs âHome Grownâ!â She had to Google it for me to believe her.
This misunderstanding happens in interviews for new employees all the time. Someone on the interview team will recount what the candidate said and someone else will have heard the words from the person completely differently. The very first step in the analysis of an interview for the hiring team is to agree to what the candidate actually said. The actual choice of words that they used are very important. For example, âMy boss is really great to work withâ. Did they really say âwithâ? Are you sure they didnât say âMy boss is really great to work âfor’â? That simple word changes the entire meaning of the sentence as well as the intent of the comment. The word âwithâ denotes that the candidate doesnât acknowledge their bossesâ authority, and if they donât acknowledge it in the interview, they really wonât when they have direct deposit.
I talk about listening to the exact words all the time to my clients to ensure they get to hire someone who will fit with the company culture, leadership style and even the position itself. If you are not paying attention, you can miss something really important in an interview which can lead to a bad hire. You can also really embarrass yourself in front of your beloved daughter.
POWER THOUGHT: Did you really hear what you thought you heard?
by Beth | Dec 8, 2021 | Employee Hiring
âI have a problemâ confessed one of my favorite clients on a conference call last week.
âOh yeah? What is it?â I asked.
âI have too many employees,â she sighed.
Well, THATâS one I havenât heard before!
Meet Lindsay Shaw, from Lindsayâs Boulder Deli and Haagen Daas. She and I did some hiring and management consulting in 2018, and she has since gone on to hire and train successfully on her own. I called her randomly to find out how she was doing, especially during a labor shortage for restaurant staff. She has the opposite problem of most other restaurants. She has former employees coming back to her and begging for hours.
Which presents the question: Why is that?
Lindsay: âI think that when you are short on staff, it is tempting to lower your standards. But when you do that, the good people will leave to find a better place to work. The âgreatâ employees want to work in a place with high standards; a culture that values being the best and the brightest, and because they are so great, they can get hired wherever they go.â
While it seems counterintuitive, when there is a shortage of staff, do NOT lower your standards. Hold those great employees in high esteem and hold out for the best candidates. Then you can be like Lindsay with amazing staff, low drama, happy customers and a healthy and thriving work environment.
Happy hiring!
Power thought: Great staff thrive with high standards. Bad staff thrive with low standards.
