EmploymentMetrix.com

Five Ideas to Discourage Your Staff from Calling in Sick After the Super Bowl

Monday mornings are hard enough, but factor in a night of indulging, watching commercials (I mean football) and you have a recipe for disaster.

With Super Bowl Sunday rapidly approaching employers around the country should be bracing themselves for a bombardment of calls from employees calling in sick Monday morning because according to a survey conducted on Glassdoor.com, 12% of employees plan to call in sick or schedule a vacation day for the Monday after the big game. 

What’s great about the Super Bowl is that people host parties specifically for this game—even if their team isn’t playing and even if they don’t care about football—it’s amazing! But as a result many overindulge and neglect their responsibilities the next day, i.e. work.

So as an employer how should you handle the day after the big game?

There have been several suggestions:

1. Make it a flex day. Allow employees to flex their time and come into the office later in the day and stay later in the evening to make up the time.
   
   
2. Distribute a post Super Bowl kit. Create these easy “gifts” for your staff.  In them provide some antacids, Alka-Seltzers, breakfast bars, and anything else that’s fun that you can think of that would send the message that we want you to come to work.  These kits are meant to bring relieve to those who went overboard during the game.
   
   
3. Allow employees to come in late. By allowing staff to come into work later in the day, you’ll still get some work out of them—how the employees physically feel is another story.
    
   
4. Throw a post Super Bowl party in the office. Encourage staff to bring in any leftovers from the parties they hosted or attended for a potluck lunch. Allow staff to enjoy lunch together in the office to chat about the game and of course their favorite commercials.  By encouraging employees to take a leisurely lunch together at the office, you might encourage more workers to come into work as the day will seem less official.
   
   
5. Let employees work from home. Permitting employees to work from home is a nice compromise. This way employees that might not feel so great can work from the comfort of their own home. We just hope that they’re actually working.

We hope that everyone has a great time watching the game—even if your team isn’t playing—mine isn’t but I’m going to watch anyway as an excuse to eat guacamole.

Why You Should Hire Overqualified Employees

Lately, I've been asking myself if in this kind of economy are professionals focusing on their career or are they focusing on keeping or getting a job? I ask this question because I hear so many stories about American workers struggling to get by. 

When I came out of school (seven years ago) I was able to secure a job right away, in fact I was still in school when I received my first job offer and that offer wasn’t my only one.  Before starting my first real job, I would have two other offers in my hand, and then I had to choose which one would put me on the right path for my career. Today, it doesn’t work like that (at least that’s the impression I’m getting based on what I've seen and heard), it seems as though those searching for new opportunities are looking for jobs and jobs that are not necessarily on their career pathes.  Securing a job on your career path is a plus, but it seems as though securing a job that’s even in your industry is “a nice to have”, while securing any job regardless of the field is what people are looking for. 

And thus it brings us to the topic of the overqualified candidate.

Many HR professionals shy away from giving the overqualified candidate a shot; because they’re afraid that the candidate will find something else they’re more suited for and leave them high and dry.  And while this is an understandable concern as it is costly to hire new talent, there are some benefits to hiring the overqualified.

1. It's a great way to help a candidate get their foot in the door. While the position they’re currently being hired for is not their ideal fit, their advanced skills and knowledge will benefit the rest of the team, as well as possibly lead to a better position within the organization down the road for your fancy new hire.

2. Get more bang for your buck.  Now I’m not saying you should lowball your overqualified candidates when it comes to salary, but if they accept a position that is below their skill level, they should expect to earn an appropriate salary for that kind of job.

3.  Save on training expenses and time.  There may be less of cost to train a more skilled worker.  While you should always expect that there will be a learning curve, with an overqualified employee, that learning curve may be cut in half—saving your organization time and money.

4. Instant mentorship. Junior staffers look to experienced workers to set an example and they’ll feel even more at ease with an experienced colleague on their same level.

5. Keeps the rest of their staff on their toes.  Hiring a candidate that is overqualified might be the morale boost you’ve been looking for.  Because an experienced staff member is more likely to take  their job seriously—their work effort might encourage those around them to kick it up a notch as well. 

While the overqualified worker is not as prevalent in healthy economies, we unfortunately are coming across numerous candidates that are underemployed or taking survival jobs just to get by. So the next time an overqualified resume comes across your desk, don’t immediately move it to the rejected pile because you're scared they'll leave you, read it with the benefits above in mind—you never know who you might meet.

 

Staying On Task Before a Vacation Is the Hardest Part

This will be my last post for 2011, it is sad yet exciting to think that the year is coming to a close.  It’s been an exciting year—Charlie Sheen went crazy crazier, Kim Kardashian got married, the St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series,  Apple introduced the world to Siri, protesters gathered around the world thanks to Twitter, Kim Kardashian got divorced, Kate and William got married, and Bin Laden is no longer, but I digress, because the post I actually sat down to write was on the topic of staying on task despite the anticipation of vacation time.

I’m on this topic because I like many others am prepping to go on vacation, so as I write this blog all I can think about is sleeping late, celebrating the holidays, seeing friends and family, drinking tasty beverages, and most importantly sleeping de-stressing. 

Now my last day in the office is today, however I haven’t been able to stay as focused as I would like (hence that first paragraph).  The anticipation of watching A Christmas Story for 24 hours is too exciting to keep me fully focused on my work (and trust me there is A LOT to do before I leave this afternoon).  As I’m sure I’m not the only one feeling the stresses before a “stress free” holiday I thought I’d share some things that work for me (or usually work for me) to keep my head in the game.

• Feel Distracted? Take a Walk. If you’re desperately trying to concentrate on a task and your mind keeps wandering, your body might as well wander off with it.  Take a break, clear your mind, and come back to what you were doing with a fresh perspective.
  
  
• My favorite—Make a List. Write down all the outstanding items you have to do. It’s always a great feeling to cross things off.
  
  
• Only Do What HAS to be Done.  If something has to wait to be addressed when you're back in the office-keep in mind that that is okay.  It is not a life or death situation (unless you're a medical professional, world leader, soldier, etc...).  So if it comes down to leaving something unfinished, don't let it ruin your time off.
  

We hope these pointers help you enjoy your time off and we here at EmploymentMetrix will see you in 2012!  Seasons Greetings, Happy New Year, and thanks for reading!

 

Our Top 5 Favorite Fictional Company Party Moments in Honor of the Holiday Season

So many dread the company holiday party.  While some of them are great and others are a bust, you can always rely on the company holiday party to provide a good laugh and if that doesn’t happen enjoy our top five favorite fictional company party moments (even if they’re not holiday specific).

5. Chandler’s company is having a party because they had a lot of liquor leftover from the Christmas party on Friends. Monica attends Chandler’s company party with him and learns he has a fake work laugh and informs her that she will need one too to survive the night.

4. Elaine Benes’s “little kicks” dance on Seinfeld.  As president of J. Peterman Elaine thinks it is her duty to get the dancing portion of the evening started, however her dancing is so terrible that she loses the respect of her staff in the process.

3. The cast and crew of TGS vow to chop down the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree on 30 Rock. Office parties are a time for togetherness, and, apparently public vandalism. After briefly embracing the spirit of giving during the holiday season (can’t stress briefly enough here) within seconds the cast and crew of The Girly Show are back to their usual selves with a mission to chop down the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.

2. Afternoon Delight on Arrested Development. Gob can’t wait for the company celebration as he believes the employees will toast him, but he has alienated them by boasting about his expensive suits so he is more likely to be roasted.  Meanwhile the innocent tune “Afternoon Delight” embarrasses the Bluth family even more when they discover that the song is not so innocent.

1. A Benihana Christmas on The Office. Michael is depressed because his girlfriend breaks up with him, so to cheer him up the guys take him to lunch at Benihana where Michael and Andy make dates with two waitresses that they invite to the company party—hilarity ensues.

 

Happy Thanksgiving

As much as I point out the annoyances about things that happen in the workplace, (for instance, right now there is an incessant hammering going on) I thought that for just one week, I would try to put all those things aside and be thankful.  So I decided to make a list of things I’m thankful for. 

Here it is:

• Thank you commuters for taking off the week of Thanksgiving, my drive into the office this morning was a breeze.
  
  
• Thank you Black Friday for distracting my coworkers from doing actual work— as they are too focused on plotting their course of action to receive as many door busters as possible.
  
  
• Thank you to my coworkers who are getting a jumpstart on the holiday (eating) season and have already started to fill the communal kitchen with delicious baked goods.
  
  
• Thank you to those teammates on vacation this week, because they thought it would be a slow time, but them being out makes my supposed slow week crazy.

But in all seriousness, I truly am thankful for the wonderful team, I get to work with everyday at Beyond.com.  Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and I hope you all have safe holidays!

Take This Job and…

Resignations have been big in the news this week.  With the scandal at Penn State University and Eddie Murphy withdrawing as host of The Academy Awards I have resignation on the brain and it got me thinking about resignation best practices from an HR perspective.

Resignations can go sour fast—employees can be asked to vacate the premises immediately, the resigned can check out for the last two weeks on the job, transitions might not happen in a timely and orderly fashion OR they can go smoothly, with the resigned staying on board to recruit and train their replacement, tie up loose ends, work hard until their last day on the job, etc… But to be honest—after a resignation is tendered—a combination of both the good and the bad probably follows suit.

So for those of us who are left behind and for those of us that resignations are tendered to, here are a few tips to follow to ensure the resignation goes smoothly for both parties.

• Be happy for the person moving on. Wish them the best in their next phase and secure their contact information to stay in touch—either as a networking contact or simply as a friend.  
  
  
• Don’t burn any bridges. Allow your former colleague to leave on good terms, if you were in their shoes you wouldn’t want to leave on bad terms. Besides, you never know who you may cross paths with again in the future.
  
  
• Don’t kick the recently resigned to the curb. Taking a resignation personally is never a smart move. When a resignation is tendered, don’t overreact and ask the employee to leave immediately.  You’re only hurting yourself and the staff left behind that has to pick up the slack and make assumptions about unfinished projects—all while feeling like they did something wrong to be treated that way.
  
  
• Respect the remaining staff and inform them in a timely manner. Telling those who are staying on staff that a resignation was given in a timely manner is crucial.  If the staff finds out that a team member is leaving and that team member gave notice six days prior—that makes the team feel wronged.  While relaying this kind of information may not be easy, it’s best to do it sooner rather than later.  If you wait too long you might have other resignations heading your way.     

Am I The Only Person That Thinks There’s Too Much Unnecessary Talking In the Workplace?

Have a coworker that likes to talk just to hear themselves talk?  Maybe you’re even that coworker.

Yeah well I have news for you, there comes a point where you should just stop talking and walk away. And while you’re at it stop using big words and elusive phrases to sounds impressive.  While you think you’re sounding really smart, the person you’re talking to is thinking, “Why is the conversation still happening? Jokes on you because while I’m in agreement with what you’re saying, I stopped listening to you ten minutes ago. Now you might as well be standing in front of a mirror talking to yourself because I’ve been thinking about my plans for tonight as I occassionally nod my head.” 

That’s what’s really happening, so if you think that what you’re saying is actually being heard, you’re SO wrong.

Talking just to talk is pointless—only if it’s in a social situation and even then it’s questionable.  So if you’re someone who likes to hold court, know when you should stop.  Just because you have the floor doesn’t mean that people are listening to you—in fact in today’s world of Smart Phones, Reality Television, and Social Networks where you get all of the day’s news in 140 characters—the chances of your coworkers tuning into what you’re saying is small—no matter how important it is.  In actuality, you probably have a better chance of your colleagues absorbing your thoughts by sending your ideas via text.

Just a thought from the Millenial Generation.

Your Messy Coworker: Are They Lazy or Creative?

I was recently sent an infographic by a coworker about office hoarding. To sum it up it said that employees with messy work spaces were less likely to be promoted than those coworkers with organized desks and offices.  I was sent this as a joke; because this is what my desk looks like on a consistent basis.


Now if you ask me for a document I know exactly where it is on my desk, so my messy desk doesn’t keep me from doing my job.  But I can see how the messy desk can be discouraging, however I learned all of my business etiquette from Seinfeld's George Costanza. 

George had it all figured out, he said that it looks like you’re not working hard enough if you don’t have a messy desk. He emphasized that volume counts and stressed the importance of piles, in fact he even threw in this gem: “If you know somebody is coming to your cubicle, bury the document you’ll need halfway down in an existing stack and rummage for it when he/she arrives.”

Now this doesn’t really translate all that well for the modern workplace—now that everything is digital for the most part, but it’s still relatable and I can see how it  would be a turnoff for management.

But really—should those with messy workspaces be looked down upon for having a different work style? Having a messy space shouldn’t crucify you as a hopeless case of disarray not worthy of promotion, in fact I would think it should be seen as just the opposite, a sign of creativity and potential for advancement. 

In fact, I’m proud of my messy desk, when I get comments about it, I chuckle, because I think that the mess keeps me on my toes and sometimes the silly things I prominently displayed like a giant novelty pen, magic wand, koosh ball (an original one for the ‘80s), a bobble head, and a piggy bank in the shape of a monkey keeps the creative juices flowing.  In fact when I sat down to write this post, I didn’t know what I was going to write about, but I looked around for inspiration and all the silly things on my desk sparked my interest and here we are.

So if you’re frustrated with your coworkers messy spaces don’t sweat it, as long as they do their job and do it well, you should be happy to have a little diversity on your team.  After all, the coworkers I sit near with tidy spaces many times have a skill set that I lack, but I’m happy that they’re there to help when I need their expertise and vice versa. 

Does Fit Matter When It Comes to Hiring?

You wouldn’t choose to hang out with someone on a consistent basis that you have little in common with, right? So why should that not be a factor when screening a candidate for a position within your organization? If you’re anything like me, you spend the majority of your waking hours Monday through Friday at work and if I had to work people I had nothing in common with (BESIDES work) I’d go crazy! 

While we do a good job of screening candidates here I know that personality doesn’t always win out when it comes to hiring, which in my opinion is a big mistake, but I wanted to validate my feelings so I turned to the masses.

We recently asked more 7,400 professionals across the Beyond.com Career Network, “Should the person that is most qualified get the job?” and more than 73 percent said that a candidate’s personality should play a part when bringing new employees on board. But there are of course always exceptions to the rule.



Sometimes you’re looking for that specific skill set that can only be found in a personality type that doesn’t mesh with your corporate culture, so sometimes it’s unavoidable, but in the long run hiring people that ease into the team will make going to work that much easier for everyone else. 

So how do you ensure you’re hiring candidates that fit?

1. Know the typical personality type of the position you’re filling and stick to those guidelines throughout the interview process.
   
   
2. Ask the appropriate interview questions that will draw out the candidate’s true-self-not just their interview-self (or as I like to call it “first-date-self").
   
   
3. Have the job candidates take a personality test, so you can see what kind of worker they are, how they handle stress, etc…
   
   
4. Have the team members that will be working closest with this person have the final say.  By the time the potential employee meets the team, there should already be a pretty good sense of the candidate’s skill set—so the team should be able to give a quick yay or nay on if they’ll mesh.
   
   
5. Set expectations for the candidate appropriately.  To avoid any confusion or miscommunication, make sure the potential teammate has a clear idea of what the job entails and how the organization works as a whole.
   
   
6. Don’t hire someone out of desperation.  When you make that offer make sure it’s to a candidate that’s going to be the best person for the job when it comes to both skill set and personality. Don't do it because you need to fill a spot and you need to do it NOW!

What You’re Supposed To Get Out of Team Building Events

Whenever we have a team building event at work most people groan and roll their eyes at what is in store.  We’ve done everything from word scrambles, to scavenger hunts, to reading comprehension (yes you’ve read right), so when we were told we were going to do a team building event we were a little skeptical. 

But we were pleasantly surprised.  This summer’s team building event would be held at the renowned Valley Forge Military Academy at boot camp!  Nothing brings your team closer together than hating what you’re being forced to do together—at least that’s what we were thinking about when we imagined ourselves marching in formation and giving a drill sergeant 20.  But we quickly learned that our boot camp would be a bit modified from that of the actual cadets—we’d be spending the day with our colleagues to learn to work better together to complete the obstacle course in record time, repel down the 50 foot climbing tower, participate in trust falls, flip a 175 pound tire up a hill, and to test our sense of direction we’d do some orienteering.  A fun time was had by all and disguised among the fun were some useful skills that could be applied in the workplace.

So what should you get out of a teambuilding event?

• Improved Communication Skills—The lack of communication is a very
  common weak spot when  it comes to teamwork so any kind of event where your team needs to communicate or even better—over communicate is valuable and the best part—the lessons learned can be applied back at work. Effective communication skills were put to work when having to flip a 175 pound tire up a hill.
  
  
• The Ability to Trust—The most important part of working on a team is  trust.  You want to be surrounded by people that are just as committed to being successful as you are.  You don’t want to be carrying the weight for someone else and you certainly don’t want someone to feel that they’re pulling up the slack for you.  Hence the trust fall—it is a pretty scary feeling to be standing six feet off the ground and falling backwards into the arms of your team.  You pretty much trust them with your life and if you can trust them to catch you when you fall you sure as heck should be able to trust them to do their part.     
  
  
• Effective Team Organization —Declaring each team members role before you start a project is critical to the group’s success.  To avoid animosity and overlap everyone’s roles should be agreed upon before starting work to reach your goal—that also means choosing a team leader (someone to make sure each piece comes together).  Additionally those who bring specialized skills to the table should be appropriately paired with the tasks that best fit their skill set.  When it came to orienteering (a fancy name for a scavenger hunt?) we matched our team members with the skills they brought to the table like navigation and speed.
  
  
• The Drive to Set Goals and Clear Expectations Ahead of Time—Many times we work so quickly  that projects get underway and work gets started without team members having a full understanding of the final goal.  Knowing the final goal is a fundamental component for a team to be working in sync. Without clear expectations, team members may not work to their full potentials because they don’t know what is expected of them. We participated in a truck push.  As a team we were to push the truck to a certain point (first goal set) and beat the record time (second goal set).

So what does this all have to do with common team building events like paintball, bowling, and go-karting?  In my opinion not much—they’re a nice distraction from work and a way to blow off steam with your co-workers—which also has its place in corporate America, but if you really want your team to learn something about working together—send them to boot camp!

For your enjoyment here are some pictures from our Team Building Event