HR Pieces: August 2024 News | |
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Dear Lynette,
Greetings from the HR Advantage team! Thank you for subscribing to our monthly newsletter. Each month, we intend to provide timely and valuable tips for maintaining best practices in Human Resources.
We are truly grateful to serve our clients, candidates, and colleagues and want you to know we appreciate working with you!
As you assess your needs for 2024, please keep us in mind as your go-to resource for all things HR!
Sincerely,
The HRA Team-
Lynette, Camille, Karla, Dana, Liz, Seth, Sarah, Erinn, Anita, Sharon, and Michelle
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Lynette Weatherford MA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, President
Email Lynette
877.894.0202 ext 4
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Camille Knowles PHR,
SHRM-CP HR Advisor
Email Camille
877.894.0202 ext 3
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Karla Callaway BS
HR Advisor
Email Karla
877.894.0202 ext 2
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Dana Baldwin BS, SPHR,
SHRM-SCP, HR Advisor
Email Dana
877.894.0202 ext 1
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Elizabeth Hurst MBA
Business Development Director
Email Elizabeth
877.894.0202 ext 5
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Seth Bunn BS
Recruitment Advisor
Email Seth
877.894.0202 ext 6
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Sarah Matthews BA
Business Developement Manager
Email Sarah
(877) 894-0202 ext 8
t.
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Erinn Johnson
HR Advisor Assistant
Email Erinn
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Anita King MA, SHRM-CRP
Learning and Development Advisor
Email Anita
877.894.0202 ext 7
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HR Hotline | Email | 877-894-0202 ext. 8 | |
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August HR News
- Managing Political Expression at Work
- 1 in 3 Employers Don't Have a Pay Equity Strategy
- How to Manage a Multi-generational Workforce
- Career Opportunities
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Managing Political Expression At Work
As November draws near, there will be a lot of political chatter around the workplace. No matter how much we may wish to avoid hot-topic conversations, research shows that politics WILL come up.
What is most surprising about the following statistics is that only 8% of companies have a workplace policy set in place regarding political expression at work. In addition to that:
- 83% of workers said they have conversations about politics at work and the same number said they would rather avoid those conversations altogether
- 87% said they are concerned about managing divisive political beliefs
- 84% believe that discussions about politics will adversely affect employee engagement
- 79% believe that political talk does adversely affect productivity
This research has shown that it is necessary for employees to be given direction and for HR to lay down some ground rules now, more than ever. So, as an era of increased polarization and divisiveness rises up, what should employers do to keep political discussions at a low simmer?
SHRM suggests setting expectations for what is appropriate, instead of looking to shut down discussions completely, by letting employees know what the behavioral expectations are. Next, they should reaffirm workplace culture, and foster inclusivity and respect for one another.
Employers should also take a closer look at the political discussions going on and decide how big of an issue it has become. If a discussion has been deemed as inappropriate, then the employer needs to decide whether it is political speech or has turned into hate speech and is going against the anti-discrimination policy.
Source & Image Source: SHRM
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1 in 3 Employers Don't Have a Pay Equity Strategy
According to new data from beqom, a compensation firm, 70% of employers have stated that they have analyzed their compensation strategies and shared the existing gender pay gap statistics with their employees. According to this data, some additional problems have been uncovered, “including wage discrimination (cited by 64% of respondents), promotion disparities (57%), below-market salary ranges (54%), pay compression (53%), and gender pay gaps (48%).” Due to this discovery, most companies have taken steps towards fostering transparency and closing the wage gaps.
Though this is encouraging to note, it also shows that 1 in 3 employers do not have a pay equity strategy and this seems to be hurting their ability to attract talent. Many employers have trouble addressing wage discrepancies and promoting fair compensation while only 2 in 5 employers are even aware that global pay equity standards exist.
Some states have laws that require pay transparencies, but employers are still failing to have a pay equity strategy because of confusion surrounding the variations in standards. Though figuring out a strategy can prove to be tricky, having no strategy at all is even more problematic, ultimately exposing companies to risks such as legal repercussions and a weakened employer value proposition.
For those employers who have not established a pay equity strategy Jeremy Feinstein, managing director at Empsight, recommends examining their job architecture framework in order to correctly classify employees through “clearly defined job families, sub-families, and individual roles within them, combined with a comprehensive grading/leveling strategy.”
Source & Image Source: SHRM
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How to Manage a Multigenerational Workforce
With an age gap that can span five generations within the workforce, there can be a lot of miscommunication and a development of disrespect towards one another when assumptions fly and understanding falters. One manager may communicate better with a phone call, while their direct report prefers a quick text.
In 2017, the NIH published a study and found that, “employees threatened by age-based stereotypes concerning work performance are less able to commit to their current job, less oriented toward long-term professional goals, and are ultimately less adjusted psychologically.” Though this study was done a few years back, it still stands true today.
Instead of letting this become a hindrance within your workplace, embrace the benefits of having a multigenerational team by:
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Challenging harmful stereotypes – remember the realities that different generations have had to face and the influence they can bring to the team through their differing sense of purpose, preferences, and drivers for success.
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Communicating preferences openly – Speak with your team members about their communication preferences and try to compromise both ways to keep the communication flowing smoothly and efficiently. For example, build relationships through phone calls and face to face meetings but keep things efficient by exchanging emails as necessary.
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Respecting boundaries – How your employees feel about topics that have become less taboo will vary widely due to their age or upbringing. These topics can be handled more graciously by prioritizing psychological safety and helping employees to realize that you cannot force a particular point of view on anyone.
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Not playing favorites – Encourage open dialogue by creating an inclusive decision-making process to ensure that every voice is heard. Some team members may have more experience while others may bring valuable insight through fresh and new ideas.
You can have success bridging the generational gap by encouraging your team and reminding them “that diversity of thought helps increase the scale of new insights and allows [your] organization to make better decisions and complete tasks more successfully. [And] intergenerational collaborations can result in greater learning and success for all involved.”
Source & Image Source: Harvard Business Review
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