Workforce 2020

 I was cleaning out a bookcase of business books over the summer of 2020 and came across Workforce 2020. Written in 1997 and published by Hudson Institute, this study was the sequel to Workforce 2000. Thumbing through it, I saw a passage about telecommuting. The authors had some interesting things to say about the topic.

High-speed, reliable telecommunications devices (meaning mobile) open up options, and the rapid advances in telecommunications in the 1980s allowed increasing numbers of Americans work outside a traditional office setting, mostly at home. “Telecommuting,” they said, “is becoming increasingly common.“ They went on to cite predictions by the U.S. Department of Transportation regarding the percentage of the labor force (10%) that will telecommute by 2002. 

It is unlikely the authors of Workforce 2020 could have predicted the lightning speed at which remote work occurred on a large-scale basis in the year 2020 when employees were sent home to work because of the pandemic. 

The study went on to say that telecommuting would become more common and be increasingly attractive to both employees and employers, affording employers the opportunity to decrease real estate costs and increase worker productivity by up to 20 percent.

Fast forward to December 2020 and a holiday letter from a friend. His organization moved to near 100% telework and, to his surprise, it had gone relatively smoothly. He attributed it to many core services moving to the cloud during 2018 and 2019, and having the infrastructure pieces in place to handle the switch. As a manager, and he’s not alone in this sentiment, he had been skeptical of remote work. (So much for increasingly attractive.) However, to his surprise productivity hasn’t lagged and in some areas it increased—as predicted in the study. He enjoys the environment where he can focus near exclusively on the task at hand and doesn’t miss the one-hour commute each way, every day, another point made in the study. Of course, he has a very real concern that lack of in-person professional contact is having a negative effect on his team. 

By now, there is no denying that working, at least for people who work in offices, will not go back to the way it was. Change was thrust upon organizations and many found they were not prepared. Out of the chaos that we’ve experienced comes opportunity. Organizations are finding new ways to work which are efficient and productive. New ideas are emerging and people are learning new skills. As we emerge from the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, hopefully the new normal will embrace accepting change and putting people first. 

Cornelia 

The Legend of Larry King

 

It seems to me that we are losing a lot of amazing people lately. I’m thinking of the recent death of broadcast legend Larry King. HE will be missed.

When Larry was on CNN five nights a week, I tuned in as often as I could—especially if his interview was with someone I either admired or knew could teach me something.

What I didn’t think about until reading all the tributes to Mr. King was the things I was also learning from watching him interview people from all walks of life and doing it in a way that appeared to be effortless.

In my HR career, I’ve interviewed thousands of job applicants, so I know a little about how to gather information during an interview. Now that I am a published author, I’ve been interviewed many times for radio, podcasts, and webinars as well as a speaker at conferences and meetings. So, I’ve seen interviews from both sides.

Larry King had a wonderful way of getting people to talk. He made them feel comfortable. He asked the questions any of us would have asked if we’d met the person, but most importantly, he listened to their responses.

When asked about his tips for interviewing, he said, “I open with broad questions, listen carefully, focus on details, interrupt if the person filibusters or grows boring, and have the discipline to stay out of the way.”

In our book, The Manager’s Answer Book, we talk about the importance of being a good listener. We say on page 126, “Listening is hard work for most of us, and we’ve spent little time learning how to listen. A good listener makes a deliberate effort to understand the other person’s message. A good listener listens to learn, is interested in what the speaker is saying, and lets the speaker know they’re listening.”

Larry King said he wasn’t afraid to sound like he didn’t know everything—another key to being a good interviewer and manager He said he was willing to admit he knew a lot less than his interview subject. This is another good piece of advice to anyone who wants to be a good listener.

He excelled at concentrating on what the interview subject was sharing. He wasn’t focused on what his next question would be. He really listened to what was being said because he trusted his instincts to come up with the next question. 

This last point takes some work but can be done. We wish you well as you work to become a better listener.

Barbara Mitchell

Ratings & Reckonings

 

Washington Post columnist Michele L. Norris wrote a piece about racial reckoning in December 2020. She described a reckoning as “...not an action item on a wish list. It is a thing. An accomplishment. A checked box. A reckoning by definition refers to the moment when we finally deal with an ugly situation. It is more than just admitting that there’s a problem.” An epiphany, she explained, is not the same thing as a reckoning. Think of epiphanies as those aha moments we often have.

Undoubtedly, 2020 was a year of disruptive discovery with lots of aha moments. Turned on our heads by the pandemic, we saw drastic changes when it came to working. Leaders in likely all organizations had epiphanies on many aspects of work. One that comes to mind: performance appraisals and evaluations.

Many organizations adjusted their performance evaluations in 2020 to account for the challenges created by the coronavirus. Google combined its usual two review periods into one and rated employees against revised expectations. Facebook suspended performance ratings in the first half and used a formula to calculate bonuses that were above the standard target. In the second half, it returned to its typical process. Box, the file-sharing service, encouraged more regular feedback between managers and employees and had just one, not two, formal review cycles.

On the same day that Norris’s column appeared, there was a post on LinkedIn by Dan L. Ward. “My best advice for those considering what sort of rating/ranking process to inflict on employees who have survived 2020 is to leave those poor people alone. They have suffered enough for one year!” Ward has led the redesign of employee performance management systems at three major organizations, processes that were rated industry best practices.

Other organizations made changes in 2020. Goldman Sachs, acknowledging that the dynamics of today’s challenges underscore the need for more transparency, had managers meet with employees three times a year, formalizing a process that was only encouraged before. Hopefully, employees received more meaningful feedback.

Some organizations suspended formal reviews for 2020, recognizing that no one, employees and managers alike, needed the additional stress. Some of these organizations are contemplating never bringing back a formal review process. 

Have these changes accelerated the shift toward more frequent feedback? The world of remote work forces managers to have more check-ins with team members. Will this be the new default?

When work returns to its normal rhythms, or something close to it, will leaders in organizations have a reckoning about performance management—namely, taking a systems approach rather than being preoccupied with performance ratings and rankings?  

Granted, performance management systems must be unique to every organization and meet their individual needs. However, the dreaded performance review, with its associated ratings, is an ugly situation in many organizations. One reason is that they are often tied to pay increases, promotions, and future layoffs. If the only time you talk to employees about their performance is when you are also talking about money, what are they listening to hear? Perhaps it’s time for a reckoning in many organizations―an opportunity to move their performance management system to a feedback mindset rather than one focused on quantitative measures.

Cornelia & Barbara

Powerful Inspiration

I love all the pageantry of an inauguration. There is the majesty of the Capitol Dome as a backdrop. There are the military bands playing patriotic songs. There are the former presidents seated together—not by party affiliation but by the office they held.

On January 20, 2021, if you were watching the Inauguration, you witnessed a remarkable event. Not only did a new President and Vice President take their oaths of office. Not only did Lady Gaga sing our National Anthem and Jennifer Lopez remind us that this land is ours, but a 22-year-old poet from California, the National Youth Poet Laureate, recited a poem she’d written that sent shivers down my spine. I think most of will agree that the star that rose from that day on the steps of the Capitol was this young poet from Santa Monica, CA.

Amanda Gorman at 22 years of age showed more poise than many people three times her age. She walked up to the podium, after a step was placed for her to stand on so her face would show above the microphones. Without missing a beat, she read a poem that was so powerful and so on point that it was hard to believe she’d written it. And we found out that she’d had to revise it just two weeks prior when the Capitol where she was standing to read her poem was targeted by a mob of insurgents.

Not surprising, she became an overnight sensation—adding almost a million Twitter followers in a day. However, according to those who know her, this was nothing out of the ordinary for young Amanda. She’s been inspiring people her entire life.

Her 10^th grade teacher, Alexandria Gazzaniga Padilla says she “used to save Amanda’s pages to read last so she could savor every word.” 

The Southern Poverty Law Center wrote, “The future is us: Amanda Gorman’s powerful inaugural poem inspired us to reflect on our past and rise together.”

These days, I will take inspiration where I can find it and I certainly was inspired by Ms. Gorman. Here are the closing words of her poem:

“When day comes we step out of the shadows

aflame and unafraid,

the new dawn blooms as we free it.

For there is always light

if only we’re brave enough to see it.

If only we’re brave enough to be it.”

Amanda Gorman, 2021

Simply Engaging

 Engaging employees is one of the many challenges for today’s managers. This has always been true but never more so than in 2021.

Here are a couple of suggestions for you to try to increase employee engagement:

• Solving all the issues facing your team at any one time can be exhausting for any manager. Ask your employees for suggestions to improve productivity or resolve a particularly tricky issue with a customer or client. Take time at each staff meeting or in one-on-one meetings with your employees to ask for their ideas. Simply put—give them a voice.

• Consider asking your employees what processes, reports, or paperwork gets in their way. You may learn that some of what you think is motivating them isn’t and is counterproductive. You certainly don’t want to be a demotivating manager. 

• Refrain from immediately rejecting ideas. Nothing will shut down new ideas quicker than being told “that won’t work” or “we’ve tried that before.” Instead, take the time to consider or even brainstorm these ideas. You might be surprised at the results.

It may take a while for them to be comfortable making suggestions, but give it time. You may solve a problem while finding a new way to energize your staff.

You’ve probably heard that people don’t leave organizations. Rather, they leave managers. Look at the people who manage or supervise others in your organization. 

• Do they listen to their employees? 
• Do they know how to counsel employees who are underperforming? 
• Are they providing coaching to their superstars? 

If the answer is no to any of these questions, the managers and employees may need professional development.

What engagement ideas work for you? We’d love to hear your best engagement ideas so send them on, and we’ll share them in future blogs. In the meantime, you can find additional information about employee engagement in The Big Book of HR which is available on Amazon  https://tinyurl.com/ya5vheak has a chapter devoted to the subject. 

Barbara Mitchell

Servant Leadership

 In the midst of a tumultuous post-election season, we lost a humble, but impactful, national leader. Former Maryland Senator, Paul Sarbanes, best known for the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act which overhauled accounting rules for publicly held business, died on December 6, 2020 in Baltimore.

Sometimes described as a “phantom senator,” he maintained a low profile and rarely issued news releases or held news conferences. Not comfortable with the backslapping, glad-handing and grandstanding of public office, he avoided the spotlight and the social circuit in the nation’s capital. Rather, he drove home to Baltimore each night to be with his family.  

Mr. Sarbanes described himself as a “different sort of politician. I’m not always out there blowing my own trumpet. . . . You can get a lot done if you let others take some, maybe all, of the credit for it.”

Throughout his public service, he worked to promote low-income housing, environmental protection and preservation, investor protection, and consumer privacy, and helped shape legislation affecting Social Security, tax policy and campaign financing. In 1974, while serving on the House of Representatives House Judiciary Committee, he drafted the first article of impeachment of President Richard Nixon—something not widely known. 

As I read about Senator Sarbanes’ death, I thought of all of the positive leadership characteristics he possessed and displayed—characteristics discussed in The Manager’s Answer Book. It inspired me to start writing this blog. Committed to his values and principles, he never contradicted them in his actions or words. A collaborator and negotiator, he focused on important, but unglamourous work such as drafting and redrafting amendments, and working on details that drew bipartisan support. 

That other’s sought him out for advice, especially on difficult issues, is a testament to his listening skills and his reputation of being a sound and ethical advisor. He was not afraid to delegate or let other’s take credit. These actions showed that he trusted people, knew their strengths and weaknesses, and recognized what motivated them. He saw value in recognizing other’s accomplishments. 

Critical thinking skills are important in any leader. Sarbanes’ colleagues in the Senate thought of him as someone who studied hard and was meticulously prepared—a clear and thorough thinker. A courageous leader, he knew the issues that were important to the people he represented and advocated for them and for the state’s natural resources rather than grandstand and advocate for his own self interests.

One month to the day after his death, on January 6, 2021, the U. S. Capitol building was stormed by our own citizens brandishing weapons and laying siege to the seat of our government and disrupting a joint session of Congress. Later, when Congress convened, some members took the opportunity to grandstand for their own self interests. This is not leadership in any form. It  certainly is not servant leadership as exemplified by Senator Paul Sarbanes. 

It’s time to have many critical and difficult conversations in our organizations and in our nation.

We’ll leave you with the words of another servant leader we lost in 2020, Representative John Lewis: “When you see something that is not right, not just, not fair, you have a moral obligation to say something, to do something.” 

Cornelia & Barbara

Tackling 2020 Challenges in 2021

 

Every new year gives leaders the opportunity to reset and look forward. What did we learn last year that will shape this new year? This year the question will be: What did the pandemic teach us, and what do we need to change?

Everyone who worked in an office went home in 2020, dramatically changing how work was accomplished. Leaders collectively realized that remote workers are productive, and the nature of the workplace and the workforce can and should change. Expect 2021 to bring more flexibility: flexible space and flexible schedules. Forget occasional telecommuting. Some fashion of remote work is here to stay.

Eliminating specific geographic places as absolute workplaces removes a barrier to talent acquisition. With location no longer a hindering factor, workers may choose to relocate elsewhere. For organizations, removing specific geographic places, much wider and diverse talent pools become available. Of course, this opens challenges in employee compensation. Should salaries be cut if employees choose to move to, or are recruited from, less expensive places? Do we provide remote employees home office allowances since they cannot take advantage of on-site perks?

Then there are the challenges of managing a workforce that is remote, whether that means people who are never in the office, or those who are in the office on a limited basis. One example of a challenge: the pandemic experience has been a very individual one for each employee. Managers will need to sharpen their listening skills to understand the needs of each team member.

The workspace, for organizations where workers will still come together regularly or occasionally, will also undergo change. A greater emphasis will be on health and safety: sanitation stations, social distancing, and personal protective equipment. Expect to see a reduced use of common areas, such as kitchens (yes, no more smelly leftovers in the communal fridge) and recreational areas, if they continue to exist at all. One thing the pandemic taught everyone is the importance of mental health, and organizations will likely assign this a greater priority. Other likely operational changes are reductions in business travel and more virtual meetings and conferences. 

If there was any winner in 2020, it was technology. Everyone struggled to learn collaborative tools and how to be effective over video platforms. Many workers struggled with unstable Internet connections, and these networks were, at times, overloaded. One challenge for leaders will be reskilling the workforce so they can work effectively with new technology. Another is managing the privacy of workers in their homes. During work-from-home pandemic restrictions, the constraints of household space and responsibilities were often in full view of coworkers. Finally, reimagining where and how work is performed requires that all workers, such as field and service workers, customer service, or general staff, have access to the technology they need.

The 2020 pandemic also brought to light many issues we face as a society—issues that impact organizations. These include the need for income stability, paid sick leave, and paid family leave, and access to affordable child care. All of these issues can’t be addressed in one newsletter or blog, but we can address them throughout the year. As we all embark on 2021, we would love to hear about the challenges your organizations are facing. 

Cornelia and Barbara