Randi Frank HR Consulting

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Getting to know the Kentucky business community

IPMA conference
AT the IPMA conference

As many of you know, I have moved to Louisville, KY so I now maintain offices of Randi Frank Consulting, LLC in CT and Louisville. In an effort to get to know the Louisville community I have been networking and attending many different events. It is difficult to start from scratch after 16 years in CT and a network of clients and contacts.  So, I thought I would share with you the different groups I have visited and different conferences or professional development sessions attended.

I started my networking in August after completing executive search for a Town Manager in Granby, CT and Groton, CT at the beginning of 2017.  I also completed an executive search for a 911 Director for the City of Hartford, CT and assisted my partner Bob Slavin with a search for a Fire Chief in FT Myers, FL.

River
On the Louisville Bell down the Ohio River at the SHRM conference

Once my travels were done, I wanted to get to know Kentucky.  I am lucky living in Louisville because there was the Southern Regional International Public Management Association for Human Resources (IPM-HR) Conference in Louisville at the famous Brown Hotel. As part of that conference our social event was dinner and tour of Churchill Downs.  Then the KY Society of Human Resources Managers (SHRM) had their annual conference in Louisville with the social event of trip on the Louisville Bell down the Ohio River. The Woman’s Business Conference was held in the Muhamad Ali Center or Louisville. So, I am getting my sightseeing in as well.

Other than the conferences I have started to join a number of business, professional and networking groups. They include:

I also attended a Rotary Meeting and fundraising event for Women Who Wine for a Cause.  I have also gotten involved with the public sector through the KCCMA – Kentucky City & County Managers Association and attended the Kentucky League of Cities Conference in Covington, KY.

I will share my experiences and topics of interested learned at these various meetings with you in my future Blogs.

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Executive Search Tip 9: What types of interviews are conducted during an executive search for finalists?

Once finalists have been chosen, the interview process begins. If there is an appointing authority or board of directors we usually have a full interview with the board/council so they can observe candidates in normal meeting settings.

Some of the other methods include the following…

  • One-on-one interviews of each candidate with each board member.
  • Candidates meet with stakeholders in private or public meetings or interviews.
  • Meet and greet types of meetings that are very casual and allow the stakeholders to meet each of the candidates in a social atmosphere.
  • Candidates meet privately with employee groups and department head groups so there is an exchange of ideas and input from various stakeholders.

In the public sector it is not uncommon for candidates to be in a public hearing of citizens who have the opportunity to ask questions of the candidates. Tours of the agency or community also allow another group of people to observe the candidates. Sometimes these types of interview formats are done with all the candidates at one time in the same room or as individual sessions. It is important to see executive leaders in various situations that are a part of their everyday life as a manager.

Questions? Contact me today!

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Randi Frank Joined LIBA

Randi Frank Consulting – HR Consultant for Small Businesses just joined the Louisville Independent Business Alliance (LIBA)  – see more about LIBA.

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Orientation & Onboarding Tip 8: Always follow up with new employees.

Stay in touch – ongoing communication will help you to ensure that the employee is succeeding and has all the tools they need for continued success. The better the on-boarding process and follow-up, the more likely you will avoid employee turnover.

  • Make sure new employees feels comfortable with their new job. Always have open channels for their feedback and be ready to assist them.
  • Identify the employee’s strengths and determine what knowledge, skills, abilities and assignments that will complement or enhance them.
  • Identify areas and provide them with the tools or training that the employee needs to grow and improve to achieve job competencies
  • Schedule and hold a six-month performance appraisal meeting.

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Mentoring Tip 2: How do you pick the right Mentor?

 
Ideally, the mentor has as much interest in being a mentor as the employee or intern has in being mentored. It’s only fair to both parties that the interest is mutual and can improve both parties’ knowledge, perspectives, and insights while sharpening interpersonal skills. Beyond this, the mentor must be capable of supporting, listening, and teaching his or her mentee. To be a mentor, a person must also have an excellent understanding of the organization’s culture, values, and procedures.

I am currently a mentor to a student at the University of Connecticut through a Society of Human Resources Managers (SHRM) chapter. I volunteered for the program so that I could give back since so many mentors helped me when I was in college. The program chair created the match and my mentee and I met and hit it off instantly. We have been meeting when our schedules allow and keeping in touch via email. I have assisted her with her resume, shared project documents for her review and education, and taken her to appropriate meetings in the field of Human Resources.

Stay tuned for Tip #3 coming next week!

Questions? Contact me today!

 

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Succession Planning Tip #8: Communicate a certain amount about your plans to those involved.

While it is often not considered a good idea to inform employees of their status in the company, it can be very beneficial if the high potential candidates are aware they are on track for higher positions. These candidates will be less likely to leave and more likely to become motivated and more engaged. Having a career coach available to assist both the supervisor and employees could prove to be rewarding and a great way to promote this program.

Questions? Contact me today!

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Job Description Tip 7

7. Job descriptions should be accurate and legally compliant to provide legal defense against discrimination.

State and federal laws prohibit employment discrimination. Some laws that all employers should consider when writing job descriptions include:

• Fair Labor Standards Act – Job descriptions should indicate whether the position is non-exempt or exempt; in other words, subject to overtime or not subject to overtime, respectively.

• Americans with Disabilities Act – Job descriptions should only include physical restrictions that are essential functions of that position. For example, one cannot ask a secretary to lift more than 50 pounds just because there may be a file box that is more than 50 pounds. Lifting heavy items is not an essential function for the secretary, and should instead be part of the custodian’s position.

• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 – Job descriptions should not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, national origin, age, disability (including pregnancy), genetic information and citizenship status. For example, a job description should not indicate that only a male or female can fill the position.

• Age Discrimination in Employment Act – Job descriptions should not indicate an age limitation on the position. Anyone who can meet the essential functions of the job should be eligible for the position.

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Hiring an Intern Tip #5: Do you have to pay Interns?

Tip 5 – Do you have to pay Interns?

Now that you have a project in mind, the next question is… Do I have to pay my intern? It’s pretty easy to make this determination by looking at the scope of the internship.

  1. If the intern is doing work that you would have done yourself or had another employee handle then you need to treat them like a paid intern. You must pay them minimum wage or higher. The term intern indicates it is a temporary position and they are not considered an employee. But they could become an employee if they work full time and for more than 6 months then you may be crossing the line between intern and employee.
  1. If the internship is part of a college/university course then you may not have to pay them. Since it is part of their class requirements it will be used as a learning experience. These types of internships usually require the student to keep a journal of their work and require you as the supervisor to prepare reports and evaluations about the students’ performance. If you can prove that the internship is fully a learning experience and not replacing an employee or not performing work that would be done by an employee if you did not have an intern then you may not have to pay them. However, in this case I would recommend that you consult with a labor attorney so you do not get fined by the Department of Labor.

Overall, be fair. If the intern is learning a great deal, getting credit and only putting in a couple hours a week, then an unpaid internship may be okay. However, if the work they are doing contributes to the success of the company and they are putting in a lot of hours, the intern really should be compensated.

Questions? Contact me today!

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Tips for New Leaders/New Executives Tip 9: Find a Mentor Inside and/or Outside the Organizatin

A promotion that changes your position from colleague to supervisor will change the working dynamic with your colleagues. Here are some tips to help you manage that transition successfully.

Find a mentor inside and/or outside the organization to provide guidance.

  1. A mentor who has been in a similar position as you can help you understand your new role. A good mentor will be able share their past successes and failures so that you can try to emulate successful strategies and avoid potential pitfalls.
  2. An inside mentor can help you with the lay of the land of the organization at the management level.
  3. An outside mentor may be able to provide an unbiased outside perspective that could be useful in fully understanding and managing certain situations that may be difficult for inside personnel to view objectively.

Questions? Contact me today!

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Executive Search Tip 10: What are the final steps and is there any follow up to the process?

This is another step in the Executive Search process that needs to be defined prior to choosing a firm as it can vary. With our firm, once the client or appointing authority has made a selection of a candidate, we as the Executive Search firm serve as the liaison between the candidate and the client to assist them with negotiating a contract or terms of employment. Details discussed include salary and benefits, starting date, etc. Of course it sometimes happens that the selected candidate declines the position or has received another offer that they accepted. In these cases, we need to know if the appointing authority is comfortable with candidate number two.

We continue to keep all parties informed at the end of the process and offer to assist with any concerns during the first year of employment. We will conduct another search if the candidate selected through our efforts leaves before a full year of service for no additional fee, just expenses. We also offer the services of goal setting with the new candidate and the appointing authority to establish performance measurements for the first year of employment. For more information on goal setting tips or anything else mentioned in this series of posts, please Contact Us.

 

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Tip 7: Performance evaluation can identify training and career development needs for individual employees, for departments, and for the entire organization by using consolidated appraisal data.

On one hand, performance evaluation helps to assess the training and developmental needs for future career growth of the individual employee. For example, a supervisor tells an HR generalist which HR functions he should focus on to move to his next career stage as HR manager. On the other hand, when company-wide performance evaluation results are analyzed, you can get a picture of overall training needs—for individual departments or the entire organization. This helps the company upgrade the skills of its workforce to remain competitive in today’s fast-changing world. For example, organizations can develop training programs for all employees to learn new office software, social media, or equipment based on company-wide performance evaluation results.

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Mentoring Tip 3: Preparing the role of Mentor and Mentee

Under a formal mentoring program, both mentors and mentees need to know exactly how the program will work. Some organizations have been doing this for a long time and have various documents for the mentor and mentee to complete. If not, then they need to agree on a plan, such as the length, expectations, goals, process, and roles. Mentors need to be ready to offer incentives and positive reinforcement, while mentees have to be willing to be taught and learn. While the mentees can learn by watching, it is more effective if the mentor also quizzes his or her mentees and encourages them to ask questions. Did the mentee understand why the mentor used this method and not the other? Does the mentee need to see the procedure repeated?

I learned a very valuable lesson during one of my internships with one of my favorite mentors. I had already done one project for the manager and was given a new assignment, which required that I review the budget. I was so afraid that I didn’t understand budgets that I did all the research without looking at the actual budget I was given. When I was finished, the manager met with me to discuss the project. I was so proud of the presentation I put together for him—until he told me he looked like a fool without the actual budget information. I was so worried that he had gotten in trouble because of my work. He then told me he knew I didn’t review the budget and added that information himself.

What did I learn from this mistake? I learned that I was getting too cocky and I needed to ask for help if I didn’t understand something. Now, I always check the budget on all projects and I ask questions when I need more information.

Stay tuned for Tip #4 coming next week!

Questions? Contact me today!

Member – Louisville Independent Business Alliance

member of Louisville Independent Business Alliance

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