HR That Works Blog

According to former America’s Cup Captain and Oxbow Corporation Presdient, Bill Koch, “The problem of competition is primarily a management problem.” According to Koch a few guidelines are steadfast reminders of the dynamic impact of the teamwork-technology-talent relationship.

• Develop team players according to the 80/20 rule: 80 percent attitude, 20 percent talent.
• Management’s job is to keep the team focused, not perform subordinates’ jobs.
• It is the team that wins. Management must be part of the team, along with customers and suppliers. Team members must have compatible goals and agendas.
• Everyone is equally important. The only ego that counts is the ego of the team.
• Along with teamwork, technology is the most effective tool to achieve your organization’s goals. Technology can be especially effective when used in areas in which others are convinced it does not apply. This is how an organization can make tremendous gains over its competitors.
• Always improve. Mistakes are fine as long as you learn from them, and you “don’t bet the farm.”

Timeless wisdom for any team.

There’s no way around it — the American workforce is aging. In fact, this is such a major issue that the AARP publishes an annual list of those companies that do the best job with supporting senior workers. Such companies have these common characteristics:

• Help older workers adjust to the fact they might be managed by employees 20 years or more their junior.
• Tap into their wisdom and share it.
• Realize that senior workers like flexibility as much as working parents and others do.
• Place these workers in a mentoring position and give them a junior employee to mentor them on subjects such as technology and marketing trends.
• Invest in ergonomics that can make their jobs less tiring.
• Reconsider mandatory retirement programs.
• Think long term — their older employees do!

Older Americans want to work longer and many of them have to. Employers need dedicated and loyal workers willing to stick around for a while. If properly managed, this can be a win/win solution for all involved.

Caveat: A recent Jury Verdict Research Report reported three age discrimination verdicts in the amounts of $120,000, $120,000, and $500,000. That does not include the time, cost, and emotional investment associated with putting up the defense. When it comes to older workers, be careful not to step on the Age Discrimination and Employment Act landmine; realize that at times it might be cheaper to keep them, even if they’re not performing up to standard.

It’s not just employers who are feeling financial stress today. It’s every one of your employees, too. According to a January 2009 poll reported by SHRM, more employees are finding wages garnished, asking for advances on 401(k) and wages, and reporting losing their homes than any time since the early 70s. The fear of survival is real today, but we often find ourselves dealing with it alone. Smart companies will take the bull by the horns by taking these steps:

1. Open up your books. Read Jack Stack’s Great Game of Business. We recommend that HR That Works users see the Webinar on Open-Book Management.
2. Teach employees about the numbers. Most employees have a horrible understanding about accounting. Watch this month’s webinar: The Accounting Game.
3. Finally, make sure employees get their personal financial act together by offering lunch-and-learn education. Have your benefit broker discuss all the ins and outs of 401(k) and health plans. Bring in a financial planner to help employees understand basic financial management. Have your managers watch the Dave Ramsey Organization Webinar on Financial Peace in the Workplace.

The recent SHRM Workforce Diversity Conference identified nine distinct themes. Here are our insights into each of them:

1. Communication. Are your communications “inclusive”? Do they reach out to the widest range of employees, or do they focus only on the narrow few? Don’t forget such informal communication venues as the executive lunchroom.
2. Measurement. Are your diversity numbers consistent with the local population and your industry norms? Do you have the same percentage of managers as rank and file employees in the various “suspect” classifications? Remember, Coke, Wal-Mart, and many other companies faced discrimination lawsuits largely due to numerical imbalances in hiring and promotion.
3. Leadership. Are you helping women and minorities break through the “glass ceiling”? What’s the composition of your leadership team? Are minorities given a career path to follow should they wish to reach the top? Do you post management trainee positions?
4. Conflict Resolution. When conflict arises, does your company ignore, bury, or deny it? Or, do you provide a safe place for parties to communicate? Is there an ombudsperson or some other “neutral” party for employees to go to who will listen and help to iron out their differences?
5. Disabilities. How proactive is your organization in hiring the disabled? Statistics indicate that disabled employees are quite loyal and have lower rates of absenteeism and turnover. Also, many governmental agencies will provide financial assistance for hiring them. If you’re facing disability challenges, are you taking advantage of such organizations as the Job Accommodation Network (http://www.jan.wvu.edu/)?
6. Cultural Competency. “Culture” can be defined as how we collectively deal with our “stuff.” To build a powerful culture, you need to hire people who are trustworthy, get them working in a shared direction, create safe places for communication, and be very clear about your commitments. An empowering culture gives employees something “larger” to focus on than the minor differences between them.
7. Team Building. One of the greatest challenges in this area is assuming that everyone has the same concept of “playing team.” The chances are that they don’t! Don’t assume anything. Gather your team commitments through consensus, put them in writing, have people put their signature to it; and then blow it up and put it on bulletin board sized posters so that everybody can walk past it every day.
8. Sexual Orientation. With more workers “coming out of the closet” and with liberalized laws in this area, how tolerant, or even accepting, is your organization? What is management doing to help people move past their fears in this area?
9. Aging Workforce. Last but not least is the “boomerang” challenge. Are you allowing your older workers to become dinosaurs or are you keeping them invigorated? Are you taking advantage of their wisdom and placing them in mentoring roles or are you allowing newer technologies to push them aside?

These issues apply to any organization or business. Each is important, even where a diverse workforce does not exist. To learn more about the October conference, go to www.shrm.org/conferences/diversity.