Randi Frank HR Consulting

HR Tips for Employers

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Hiring an Intern Tip #3: What are the benefits of Interns for you and them?

Tip 3 – What are the benefits of Interns for you and them?

We touched on this in the first blog post in this series but I’d like to expand on this topic a little further. There are many benefits to using an intern for both the company and the student.

For the company the benefits include:

  • Getting projects completed that would have stayed on the back burner by bringing in skills to your office that may not have been available
  • Mentoring someone for a potential job in the future with you or others in the company
  • Improving upon your training skills as you work with the intern
  • Being re-energized by the intern who is enthusiastic to learn and share their ideas
  • Increasing your productivity
  • Feeling good about giving back and paying it forward to someone else

The Benefits for the Intern are numerous:

  • Opportunity to learn if this type of work is really what they want to do
  • Chance to see how things are really implemented rather than just reading about it
  • Ability to get extra credit for the internship
  • Learning from a professional – You!
  • Possibility of leading to a full time position
  • Learn about the responsibilities of a real job including business etiquette and practices
  • Produce work they can be proud of and that they can use their new experience on their resume or for class projects

I had an internship that included assisting with preparation of a grant, which was also a final project requirement for my Bachelor’s. I worked with my supervisor to prepare and submit the grant which was awarded to the Town. Subsequently, I received an A since the grant process was successful.

Questions? Contact me today!

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Recruiting with Randi Frank

How to stand out with your recruiting efforts!!!!

Randi Frank of Randi Frank Consulting LLC speaks about how you can stand out with your recruiting efforts from focusing on the correct places to advertise, and developing a profile that highlights your specific agency and the position and what you really need for great candidates and using a questionnaire to screen the top candidates. Take a listen.

If you have any questions feel free to contact Ms. Frank at [email protected] or review her website for samples of Executive Searches conducted. Randi Frank Consulting can help you with full recruitment services, executive searches or just portions of the process.

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Executive Search Tip 8: What type of background work is done on the finalist candidates?

Since most executive searches are conducted for high level management positions with fiscal responsibilities we will do a credit check through a certified firm with all the appropriate waivers and offers to allow the candidate to view the credit check. We also conduct a driver’s history check, criminal and civil court check and verification of their education. We conduct a google check and ask candidates about what we find.

We let candidates know that we will be doing these types of checks and ask if there is anything we need to know upfront. Many candidates let us know in advance that they have a cousin with the same name who may have some problems with a google check. Then of course we do reference checks.

As you know, some businesses have the practice that they will not provide any information other than dates of employment and title of position. We let the references know that names will not be attached to their comments but combined with the other references so there is less of a concern about liability related to references. We summarize all this information for the client in the final report with the list of the finalist candidates to be interviewed by the client.

Some clients ask that we meet with the candidates at their current position to get a better idea of the work they do and their interpersonal relations with their co-workers. We conduct these face-to-face interviews if requested and prepare a report. Depending on the candidate, we may do the following…

  • conduct tours of their workplace and watch for the reaction of their co-workers
  • conduct a two hour interview over lunch or dinner
  • meet with some of their co-workers to learn more about the candidate

In some cases the people we meet know why we are there and in others they just think we are colleagues or an outside consultant trying to learn more about their operations for our client or organization. Some clients prefer to conduct these site visits of the top candidates themselves.

Questions? Contact me today!

 

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Tip 5: Employee morale and job satisfaction improve when employees receive recognition or rewards for their work through performance evaluation.

Performance evaluation provides employees recognition or rewards for their efforts and thus boosts employee morale and increases their job satisfaction. And performance evaluation itself lets employees know they are important to the company when managers take the time and effort to review, document, and discuss performance with their employees. This can have a positive influence on the individual’s sense of worth, job satisfaction, and commitment. One study suggests that recognition can improve work performance and increase business value. (See http://www.cashort.com/Libraries/Employee_Recognition_Programs/Linking_Recognition_to_Performance.sflb.ashx )

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Discussion of the “Me Too” Movement & Where Do We Go from Here

#MeToo and #TimesUp#ME TOO MOVEMENT

I moderated a group on the topic of “Me Too” – here is a summary

Discussion of the “Me Too” Movement & Where do we go from Here

Session on Saturday July 21 –2pm at the Truman Scholars Reunion – DC

Panel Members:

  • Randi Frank – Moderator – (Training on Sexual Harassment Prevention since 1990)
  • Lisa Cloutier – (Attorney – Title IX & Campus Sexual Assaults & Civil Rights)
  • Michelle Tran Maryns – (Experience in State Dept, US Dept of Justice & Tech industry)
  • Cristine Pedersen – (Military experience & issues with Sexual Harassment)

Ms. Frank will provide the definition of Sexual Harassment and provide some facts and figures on Sexual Harassment Cases

Some Facts and figures over the years include:

  • 2015 EEOC Task Force had 90,000 cases with 1/3 as work place harassment; estimate 75% don’t report — Fines were $164.5 mil – Recommendations were Training – cultural change starts at the top and Face to Face training
  • 2017 – EEOC Reported 99109 charges for all cases – 6696 were Sexual harassment with fine of $46.3 million – 41097 were retaliations cases for all areas of EEOC cases – 25,605 cases of sexual discrimination and $fines of $398 Mill for all discrimination
  • 2018 California Legislature put in new rules and investigations process and panel review for issues in the California Legislature related to sexual harassment claims
  • US District Court for Norther District of Mississippi heard a case that favored an employee because the employer took too long to investigate complaints

Policies must have a number of options for people to report concerns and the process should include an investigation in a fair way to allow both the victim and accused the ability to tell their story. Training is recommended to prevent harassment. The purpose of Training is to:

  • educate employees and supervisors,
  • sensitize participants,
  • prevent Sexual Harassment or any Harassment or discrimination,
  • learn how to respond to all these issues and
  • to show the benefits of a work place marked by dignity, respect and equality

Ms. Cloutier talked about assisting victims of Sexual Assault on University Campuses.  She provided an example of a case that she was handling and how the process was so long that it took a year to finally issue a report that the investigation was complete and the accused was found to be at fault, then it took another 6 months for a decision of what to do and know the victim’s family is being sued by the accused. Most woman say the complaint process is more difficult than the actual assault/rape. The fact that women are not believed and retaliated against for making a complaint is still happening

Ms. Mayrns talked about working in a very male oriented Technical environment and the fact that a lot of Sexual Harassment or bulling is happening with today’s technology. She suggested that there needs to be more monitoring of the social media and it is time to look for ways to use technology to reduce sexual harassment and harassment in general.

Ms. Pedersen discussed the difficulties of being a woman in the military especially her experience in the Marine Corp. She described her experience with those who continued to use videos to sexually harass and try to ruin a person’s reputation.  She also indicated that she was treated like an equal until rumors started.

A lively discuss was then continued by the participants and the audience about their experience and questions and thoughts. We need to continue to discuss these issues so everyone understands that it is still happening and how demeaning it is to the victims (men or women). Training with face to face discussions is the way to move the issue forward.

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Orientation & Onboarding Tip 7: Provide new employees with written objectives and responsibilities for their new position.  

Even if it may seem that the job description, job objectives and responsibilities have been discussed thoroughly throughout the hiring and orientation process, it is essential to provide written objectives and job responsibilities as well as a training plan. The written document(s) will help the new employee stay on task and meet agency goals within expected time frames.

  • Give new employees a written job description so they understand their responsibilities
  • Provide them with performance goals and objectives for their division and their position, or make sure their supervisor covers this
  • Determine a training plan (e.g., compliance, supervisory, professional development), and establish a plan and timeline for training

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Mentoring Tip 1: Mentoring programs can formal or informal

Some organizations have formal mentoring programs, and in that case they need to determine:

  • A timeline – how long will the mentoring program last?
  • What are the goals and expectations of both parties by the end of the program?
  • What will be the process? How often will the mentors and mentees meet, what types of events will they attend together, will there be any group meetings with other mentoring program participants?
  • What are high priority skills that the mentee should learn?

Most of my mentee experiences were unplanned; when I served as an intern, my supervisors showed me the ropes of their office and organization. One mentor let me sit in his office to observe his interactions with almost everyone. I was not allowed to speak during those meetings, but could ask dozens of question after the meetings to understand the dynamic of what happened.

Stay tuned for Tip #2 coming next week!

Questions? Contact me today!

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Barren River Area Development District Newsletter highlights Ten Tips to Sexual Harassment Prevention

This document was highlighted in the Barren River Area Development District Newsletter after Ms. Frank made a quick presentation about the need for Sexual Harassment Prevention Training to the City & County officials in the Barren River Area of KY. See the link to Ms. Frank’s web site for more detail on Sexual Harassment Issues10 tips to sexual harassment prevention

 

https://randifrank.com/category/hr-tips-techniques/sexual-harassment-prevention/

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Randi presents Sexual Harassment Prevention program to WKU students

Randi presents Sexual Harassment Prevention Training to students

Randi Frank presenting a Sexual Harassment Prevention training program for Western Kentucky University (WKU). There were over 35 students with a lively discussion. This was promoted by Dr. Victoria Gordon, Director, Center for Local Governments, WKU Political Science Department. She felt this was important for students going out into the work place to understand their rights.  In addition to explaining the WKU Policy we also discussed the Title IX regulations related to campus life.  Title IX originally was set up to make sure woman and men sports were equal on campus but now includes equitable treatment of both males and females on campus. Of course, Sexual Harassment falls under Title VII of the Civil Rights Laws.

Feel free to contact Randi Frank Consulting if you need Sexual Harassment Prevention Training for your organization.

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Four Tips for Employment Applications

1. When should you have an application for employment?

It is always helpful to have an application on file for all employees.  However, when recruiting for professionals you may want them send you a resume first and if they are being asked to come in for an interview then you will want to have them complete an application so you have more specific information like dates of previous employment, confirmation of education degrees and that they signed that they understand misinformation is cause for dismissal, etc. For entry positions you may want to start with an application to see if people can follow instructions and if they meet the minimum qualifications.

If your organization has walk in candidates then you will want to have a application for them to complete and keep on file for future vacancies.  If you have an online process then you may have the application format as a fillable PDF with the ability to attach a Resume.

2. What should be asked on the Application?

Section 1 – Personal Information

The first section should be personal information such as: Full Name, Date, Phone numbers, email, maybe city and state since most people receive information via email or phone; are they a citizen or legally authorized to work in the U.S; position they are applying for and whether they are available part-time or full-time, etc. Sometimes this section may include Military Service Dates.

Section 2 – Education

The second section should be about education including: the name of school, major or course of study, number of years completed and if they graduated, if so what type of degree.  This should include a section for high school if entry positions, technical schools or trade schools, and undergraduate and graduate schools or space for at least two colleges.

Section 3 – Experience/Past Employment

The third section should include information for past experience and past employers. It should include the name of employer; type of employer – what they do; title of position; supervisor name and contact information (email/phone); dates of employment; reason for leaving; summary of past job description with the ability to attach resume with more details. Usually you have room for four past employers with a note to add pages as needed.

Section 4 – Special skills and Job requirements

The fourth section should be about special skills needed for the position – you can leave it open for candidates to fill in or have a list of special skills such as typing speed, driver license, certificates, trade licenses; ability to operate heavy equipment, training or knowledge in certain type of technology – hardware & software, etc.

Section 5 – References

Fifth Section can include references or you can wait till they are finalist to collect this information along with information for background and reference checks. Background checks could include: credit check, drivers license check, criminal & civil court check, drug tests and physical examination depending upon the position. It would be at this time you would collect birthdates, social security numbers and other private information after you have made a pre-offer pending background check.

Section 6 – Legal Agreement/Signature

The final section would be when you have the candidate sign their application. This is where a lot of legal items are listed which say you are agreeing to this if you sign.  Some of the legal language includes;

  • Misrepresentation of information can be cause for dismissal
  • Acceptance of employment does not create a contractual obligation of employment for any set term
  • If credit checks are done candidate has a right to get a copy per the credit report laws
  • Authorization for the employer to do background and reference checks, etc.

3. What should not be on an Application form?

Most of the items that can not be on an application form are related to discrimination or privacy such as:

  • Birth date (age discrimination)
  • Gender, Marital Status, Race, disability (Title VII discrimination or ADA-Americans with Disabilities Act)
  • Many states do not allow you to ask about criminal convictions
  • New laws are being raised about not being able to ask about past salaries
  • Graduation dates (age discrimination)

4. Should you ask essay questions on an application?

 I do not recommend this – I think it should be a separate document or requested in the advertisement to be addressed in the cover letter.  For example, for an entry level position you may wish the candidates to describe their technology knowledge or skill levels with certain software.  You can also ask them to review the job description or advertisement and address how they meet the qualifications, knowledge, skill and abilities. I use a special questionnaire on many of my recruitments to find out more details about the candidates.  This is done only if they meet the minimum qualifications and is used to reduce the list of qualified candidates.  Some questions asked are:

  • Provide an example of dealing with an irate customer
  • Provide an example of a tough decision you had to make and provide details of the situation
  • Provide an example of how your have worked cooperatively with a team
  • Describe your strengths and weaknesses as it relates to this position
  • What is your proudest accomplishment in your past positions?
  • Why are you interested in this position and how does it fit into your career goals?

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Blue Blood says #Me Too

The Me Too Movement is now being focused on TV shows.  I watched Blue Bloods the other night and one of the stories was about sexual harassment in the work place. Nickie, daughter of Attorney Erin Regan and Granddaughter of Commission Regan, was the subject of sexual harassment. She started a new job as an intern.  Nickie used her father’s name Boyle to prevent special treatment as a Regan, which meant her new employer did not know she was related to a Police Family.

Her boss told her to call him Bobby and was very friendly and outgoing and was portrayed as an up-an-coming leader in the business world.  One of the other woman in the office told her not to wear too much make-up in the office or be too girly because of all the men in the office.  Nickie was surprised and asked if Bobby knew about it and the co-worker said he was no help.

Nickie was invited to dinner by the boss after work to join him and others from the office.  When she arrived, no one was there except the boss.  He said everyone stood him up.  He then got a business call that he had to take and said he had to go to his place next door and would have food brought up for him and her.  She did not go and was clearly nervous.  The next day the boss asked her what happened.  She said she didn’t think it was appropriate and he then made a move on her and tried to hold and kiss her.  She said no and pushed him away and ran out of the closed office.  She then grabbed her stuff and left the office and 3 other women followed her. Like they said it happened to me too and one person standing up allows others to stand up.

The show ended when Nickie went to her mother’s District Attorney’s office to tell her she quit her new job and 3 women followed her. Attorney Regan asked her what her boss did and if the women would talk to her office. Even though this was a television show, it happens every day in the real world just ask the Me Too Movement Members.

See Tips on Sexual Harassment Training for more information on this topic– The tips highlight training and what polices should say and what companies and agencies should do to create a harassment free workplace that treats everyone with respect.

Contact Randi Frank if you’re not sure your policy or training is up to date.
Randi can give you a quote for Sexual Harassment Prevention Training and Policy Development.

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#ME TOO MOVEMENT

The #Me Too Movement and #Times UP group has raised $21 million dollars in 60 days. This money will be used for legal assistance and other assistance for woman who can’t afford to file a claim of Sexual Harassment.  As we have said before many women don’t file claims because they can’t afford to lose their job or don’t know what to do or who to call. These funds will help them it these efforts.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission – EEOC (the federal agency that handles sexual harassment complaints) conducted a study in 2015 about Workplace Harassment.  This is some of the things they found.

  • Out of 90,000 charges received by EEOC in FY 2015, one third (almost 30,000) were allegation of workplace harassment. Workplace harassment includes sexual harassment and harassment based on sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, race, disability, age, ethnic/national origin, color and religion.
  • They also found three out of four individuals who experienced harassment never even talked to a supervisor, manager or union representative about the harassing conduct mostly because the fear no one will believe and take the issue seriously.
  • The EEOC alone recovered $164.5 million for workers alleging harassment. That is money that could have been spent on increased wages, investment into growing businesses, etc. As a result of these costs every employer should be training their employees and promoting a workplace of respect.

The Me Too Movement has also attracted attention of the legislatures.  Here are two examples:

  • CT is considering changing their law which requires employers of 50 or more employees to train their supervisors. They are looking into changing it to employers of 15 employees and mandating training employees and supervisors.
  • New York is looking into changing the existing law that puts a high burden on the employee to establish a sexual harassment claim is severe or pervasive enough to be actionable. Senate Bill S7193 would amend the law to make sexual harassment and sex discrimination unlawful regardless of the severity or pervasiveness of the conduct as long as the perpetrator was motivated in whole or part by the employee’s gender. (taken from article written for SHRM by Lisa Nagele Piazza)

See Tips on Sexual Harassment Training for more information on this topic– The tips highlight training and what polices should say and what companies and agencies should do to create a harassment free workplace that treats everyone with respect.

Contact Randi Frank if you’re not sure your policy or training is up to date.
Randi can give you a quote for Sexual Harassment Prevention Training and Policy Development.

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Succession Planning Tip #7: If possible have multiple people ready to be promoted at any time.

If the talent development is working correctly, there should be many candidates gaining more skills and experience. Having multiple people prepared to move up provides you with a better pool of candidates to choose from to fill the position. It is always better to have a surplus of options, than to be left with none.

Be sure to balance the competition well because if too many candidates have to compete against each other for the same position, the employees may feel frustrated and leave if they do not get the position. To avoid this you may want to train them for other divisions and provide with them choices as well.

Questions? Contact me today!

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Job Description Tip 6

6. Job descriptions help to develop equitable and competitive compensation programs according to the skills, experience and abilities needed for the positions.

The job description describes the level of skills, responsibilities, accountability, experience and education. All of these factors determine the level of the position in relation to other positions and, therefore, the level of compensation. For example, in a point-factor job evaluation system, each job is evaluated based on compensable factors to determine the relative worth of one job to another and the appropriate pay level. Compensable factors usually encompass four categories, including skills (experience, education/training, ability), responsibility (supervisory, fiscal), efforts (mental, physical) and working conditions (location, hazards, physical demand, extremes in environment). In a word, job descriptions are the basis of job evaluation and pay structure.

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