Come for the Job, Stay for the Challenge: Career Fairs in 2022
March 11, 2022 Business, General, Human Resources, News, Social, Technology, Uncategorized Comments Off on Come for the Job, Stay for the Challenge: Career Fairs in 2022

Come for the Job, Stay for the Challenge: Career Fairs in 2022

Samantha Badr

 

What a time to be alive, HR professionals. Let’s add recruitment to the list of functions that has completely shifted in the last few years. Forget everything you thought you knew – because I guarantee it has changed. This past week I attended a career fair, except I was looking for applicants and not looking for a job (weird, right?). I also had the luxury of attending from my “home office”. Yup, even career fairs have now become virtual, folks. If I had to guess, I would assume at least 80% of the students attending this career fair were not wearing shoes. Nevertheless, it was an experience – and as always, I will share my thoughts.

Every aspect of HR has been altered, so it’s no surprise that recruiting has changed too. Believe it or not, organizations are having a hard time recruiting talent, even with internet job portals at their disposal. Recruiters have tried to look internally to fill vacant job roles, but it’s simply not enough. With the virtual space at our fingertips, it would be a waste to not participate in any virtual career fairs this year. Virtual hiring event platforms are using chat technology and teleconferencing to replicate the interactions job seekers and recruiters once shared. Job applicants can meet with companies individually in a specified time frame, use chat functions to ask questions, and have “face-to-face” meetings with recruiters.

Virtual career fairs are easier to promote and manage. They can effectively capture attendee data and offer some sort of a personalized experience, but with a lot less overhead. The cool thing about this career fair was that organizations were provided a master list of all attendees, their anticipated graduation date, their majors, and their resumes. Job seekers waited in a virtual lobby before being admitted by recruiters into their own personal meeting room. It was almost like speed dating – five minutes to ask questions and have some light banter before going onto the next meeting.

According to a survey conducted by a recruitment marketing agency, Recruitics, 46% of employers are not using virtual hiring events. But why is that? In a few short hours, I was able to meet with 15 future job applicants. That’s 15 more people than I knew yesterday. That’s 15 more job applications. Why are organizations not utilizing these resources? I know recruiters thrive with on-the-ground efforts and conversing with candidates face-to-face, but that’s becoming more obsolete. The new candidate pool is tech-savvy, and it’s time recruiters match their energy

The most common question I received was “do you have any internship programs”? I was shocked at how many students preferred that over the part-time jobs we had open. It got me thinking though, and maybe it makes sense. College students are more likely to join your organization on an internship basis. Almost like a “free trial” – they get to experience company culture for half a semester without fully committing to the job. Additionally, most internships qualify for college credit and university stipends.

Maybe we’re approaching recruiting all wrong. Maybe organizations should start focusing on providing competitive internship opportunities, instead. These students want to be coached, and they want to get their feet wet without fully drowning in a job and schoolwork. The goal is to get more people in the door, right? I guess it’s back to the drawing board..

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Performance Reviews: Your Annual Dose of Judgement
January 12, 2022 Business, General, Human Resources, News, Social, Technology, Uncategorized No comments yet

Performance Reviews: Your Annual Dose of Judgement

Samantha Badr

 

Happy New Year, everyone! We’ve made it through another year and that’s definitely an accomplishment. Say goodbye to your 2021 PTO – it’s time for a “fresh start”. What better way to kick off the year than by sitting down with your boss and discussing all the things you’ve done right, and maybeeee some of the things you’ve done wrong? But that’s subjective right? Because perfect people don’t make mistakes.

I would’ve LOVED to have a full meeting dedicated to ~ME~ to start this year, but my organization only conducts annual performance reviews for employees with a tenure of 12 months or longer. However, I had the pleasure of creating the form and automating this process for the first time since the company’s inception. That basically makes me the CEO, right?

The organization I work for was used to the traditional method – a paper form and a yearly meeting with your supervisor. Since working from home became the reality, the company shifted to a PDF form over the last two years. Employees answered a series of questions on performance and graded themselves on a scale of 1-5. Supervisors then met with employees and went over the form and goals for the following year.

Luckily for me, the organization decided to finally automate this process by using our HRIS review platform. For the last month or so, performance reviews have become my child. I somehow figured out how to create the self-appraisal form from start to finish. That included the grading scale, the questions, the formatting, the instructions, and every detail in between.

If the organization is already paying for the HRIS system, why not utilize its every function? Working from home has eliminated the possibility of having access to hundreds of paper files. This new format could save hours of filing and lessen the possibility of errors. The HRIS system also allows the company administrator to have access to all employee reviews in one place, as well as run reports with the collected data afterwards.

Shortly after rollout, I received an email from an employee regarding the grading system on performance reviews. One of the questions on the self-appraisal form was about supervisory support. Since the questions were graded, it could technically alter an employee’s overall score if they rated their supervisor with a low score. After that email, it got me thinking about performance reviews in general. Are they even useful? Can they motivate employees, or does it discourage them altogether?

This employee was right. It’s not fair to receive a lower overall score if an employee does not feel supported by their supervisor. Although my intent was to use the scores as data to track employee satisfaction organization wide, I forgot to think about what the employee sees from their end. To an employee, this score holds a lot of value because it determines their yearly bonus. From an HR standpoint, the score is just a number. It’s easy to forget that attached to each score is an employee – a person.

I don’t think it’s super motivating to receive a grade at the end of the year that determines if you did a “good job” or not. I also don’t think it’s motivating to attach that grade to a dollar amount. People should not be graded, and I think maybe the system is outdated. A lot of companies are shifting from the generic performance review method, and I can see why. Maybe it worked back then, but maybe it’s time for something new. Maybe 2022 is the perfect time to start.

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Vaccination Status: Why We Have to Ask
November 17, 2021 Business, General, Human Resources, News, Social, Technology, Uncategorized No comments yet

Vaccination Status: Why We Have to Ask

Samantha Badr 

 

I know, I know – another COVID article. But before we get started, let me first apologize for my absence. I know my fans have missed me but it’s hard work being an HR professional! Since the beginning of this journey, my goal was to develop skills in the career field I so carefully chose. As of today, I can finally say that I have done just that – and I owe it all to this blog. Thank you for sticking around as I navigate my career path and share lessons I’ve learned along the way. This is just the beginning, and I plan to share my experiences with you all. Stay tuned….

The last few weeks were COVID-focused at my organization. That came with a lot of tasks that landed on my makeshift home-office desk. The first item on my to-do list was updating job posts company-wide. I had to make sure that the new COVID language was present and easily digestible for potential candidates. Because my organization hires a lot of field staff workers, we had to make sure to disclose that we comply with all state and federal laws. Whether that be weekly COVID tests or vaccine doses, employees must disclose their status to qualify for employment. I also had the pleasure of following up with current employees who have not yet disclosed their vaccination status. However, contrary to popular belief, the EEOC allows companies to ask for vaccine disclosure – and no, it’s not a HIPPA violation.

Employment law attorneys recommend that organizations practice caution when crafting their vaccination policies to ensure they do not ask for too much information. Employers should be careful to not “dig too deep” to avoid the potential of making medical inquiries that go against the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Asking for proof of a COVID-19 vaccination is permissible under the ADA because it is not likely to prompt an employee to provide disability-related information.

Still, organizations should make sure to keep up to date with applicable state laws, which could differ from federal rules and guidelines. If employers require workers to get vaccinated, they will need to consider reasonable accommodations for employees with disability-related or religious objections. However, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has said that employees may still decline to confirm their vaccination status for reasons that are unrelated to a disability. To summarize, employers ARE allowed to ask about vaccination status, but they ARE NOT allowed to ask follow-up questions about why an employee did not receive a vaccination.

Even if employees willingly disclose their vaccination status, it is still considered medical information that must be kept confidential. If employers do require such proof, they should control access to the information and limit its use. The best way to address employee privacy concerns is to communicate that such records will be strictly confidential and will not be used to make employment decisions.

Regardless of differing company-specific regulations, all organizations are similar in that they are trying to navigate these new policies as they emerge. There will be some push-back, and some employees will not be happy with certain rules. It’s crucial to remain firm when communicating new policies. Organizations – my “professional advice” is to always keep the human aspect alive and remind yourself that your employees are genuinely (and rightfully) scared for their safety. It might not be the most comfortable situation, but I promise it’s for the best. If all else fails, use any parent’s favorite line – “you’ll understand when you’re older”.

Good luck and stay safe!

 

For helpful tips this cold and flu season, please refer to the video below 🙂

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What’s the Vibe with Generation Z?
April 27, 2021 Business, General, Human Resources, News, Social, Technology, Uncategorized 1 comment

What’s the Vibe with Generation Z?

Samantha Badr

 

You know you’re old when the young kids in the neighborhood running on your lawn begin to bother you. Except this isn’t your lawn, it’s the office – and the young kids on your lawn are actually the new recruits in your organization. Move over everyone, here come’s Generation Z, and they’re not going anywhere. So, what do we do now? Better yet – what are they even saying half the time?

Even as a Millennial, I find myself perplexed at the newest generation. Just like any group entering the workforce, Gen Z comes with a certain style – including new terms/abbreviations, a different work ethic, and a distinctive learning style. HR already knows that one size does not fit all – and it looks like we need to go back to the drawing board to figure out how to attract and retain Gen Z. Before we get started, check out this clip from “The Office”.

 

 

Now that we got the jokes out of the way, let’s get down to business. For starters, Generation Z includes anyone born between the years of 1995 to 2012. So the next time you spot a new applicant aged 24 or younger – just know, you’re in for a treat. One thing is for sure – Gen Z makes no apologies for what they expect from their employers and a lot of companies are finding that they might have to shift their practices to suit them.

When it comes to finding a place of employment, Generation Z requires that organizations are socially aware, flexible, have a work/life balance, and provide opportunities for growth. When attracting candidates, companies must make sure to outline their commitment to social responsibility on both equity and environmental issues. It’s critical that recruiters demonstrate what their organization has done on these issues, and not just show a cute little paragraph from the CEO on their company’s website. Flexible work options are also expected these days. Most Gen Z workers prefer to work from home so it’s very likely that potential candidates will ask organizations if they have the option to do so. Since work/life balance is a requirement for Gen Z’ers, it is probable that they will align with companies that provide time off for doctor’s appointments or other such emergencies. Pro-tip for HR recruiters: stress the importance of the role your organization plays in work/life balance and how employee well-being is most important. Companies should make sure to outline career growth opportunities within their organization as well. Since bouncing from company to company is not on their agenda, Generation Z candidates will likely join and stay at a company if there are opportunities for advancement.

Similar to training other generations, Gen Z’s needs for training might look a little different than usual. Generation Z is a diverse generation, and they anticipate the same diverse environment at the organization they work for. Gen Z enjoys feeling part of a team – so different cultures, views, and skillsets from a diverse workforce will only further their productivity. Because of the pandemic, many organizations had to be creative in engaging their staff, and the same goes for this new generation. Companies should make it a point to have weekly/monthly meetings to gain feedback from employees and form connections. Mentorships could be another essential way to mix and match different generations on the same team. New candidates will thrive if they feel supported by a peer or employee with more experience. Oh, and one more thing – Gen Z loves the opportunity to rotate through several jobs during their first few years with a company. This gives them the chance to find what they like the best and the path they want to pursue. If an organization is willing and able, job rotation can attract and retain Gen Z.

As the past two years have demonstrated, it’s getting “real” out there. The world will keep on evolving and we must embrace it. Change is inevitable and it’s okay, guys. Everything will work out. It seems like the tasks never end for HR professionals, but we can’t avoid the storm of Generation Z waiting to turn our offices upside down. Do yourself a favor and brush up on some terms the “youngins” like to use – it might help you in the future.

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