Question

Human Relations & Workforce Planning:For your final project, you need to write a 8-12 page.This project will require you to design a Human Relations Plan for an organization. The situation this company is facing and all facets you must consider will be in the assignments tab on Blackboard as well as the bottom of this syllabus. Your plan will use the major topics covered in this course to produce sound human relations practices. Keep in mind you will need to consider the following: 1-The issues the workforce will face, both now and in the future.2-The methods you will employ to implement your plan.3-How you will measure your success.PHARMANETIX Profile:Established as a family owned operation in 1955. Three generations have been in the executive positions running the firm and created a positive work environment. They are a development group specializing in cell and gene therapies as well as their new drug delivery system. For years they have operated and provided drug companies with functional clinical data through laboratory procedures and testing. Pharmanetix is a private firm.  Below is the company information and case scenario:Employee Population: 1,000 (all Full-time) & (Lab employee’s are on shifts)

New York	400 Headquartered Office	Marketing, Sales, Lab, Legal, HR & Accounting
	50 Field Sales Reps.	Pharmaceutical Sales
	100 Warehouse	Distribution & Warehouse
Florida	125 Regional Office	Marketing, Sales & Office
	25 Field Sales Reps.	Pharmaceutical Sales
	50 Warehouse	Distribution & Warehouse
California	125 Regional Office	Marketing, Sales & Office
	50 Field Sales Reps.	Pharmaceutical Sales
	75 Warehouse	Distribution & Warehouse

Note: NY Warehouse employees are Unionized.

Total Revenue: $3 Billion

Current Business Challenges

1. Banking on new drug, RDX, which was only clinically tested, to put them ahead in the market. The new drug was denied by the FDA for further testing. This pushed back the possible approval and release by several months. Projected sales have dropped already 20%.
2. They were hoping to go public and now have to change their testing procedures to using live recruiting participants (mostly mice). Their employee population has always voiced their pleasure that testing has always been clinical and not on live subjects.
3. In an effort to save money, the company has elected to contract out distribution. This results in a lay-off in NY Distribution Center and a closure of the Florida Warehouse.
4. There has been voluntary turnover experienced based on what has transpired.

You have been recently hired as the Director of Human Relations for Pharmanetix. Long known as one of the most stable pharmaceutical companies in the industry, which has now begun to experience problems such as:

a) Denial of new drug therapy b) Change in testing procedures c) Layoff and closing of one of the Distribution Centers  d) Turnover in sales and distribution

Your essential function is to assess the situation and make recommendations for a new Human Relations Program that will enable the company to sustain itself and retain employees while re-establishing morale. Here is what you must address in your project:

1. How are you going to gauge current employee morale?
2. What means and forms of communication are you going to rely on?
3. How would you gauge the management style employed throughout    Pharmanetix?
4. How should the company address the changing of testing procedures with employees?
5. How do you handle the layoff? Directly and indirectly? Indirectly means how do you handle the existing workforce after the layoff.
6. What problems would you anticipate with the union?
7. What new programs would you recommend to increase the quality of work life for the employees?
8. Examine the reasons for turnover and what is the most cost efficient method(s) to resolving it.
9. What are the laws that we must be aware of?

10.How would you coach and counsel employees to see the big picture?

Answer 1

Answer:

First of all, we need to understand that what is workforce planning and why is it vital for the organization.

Workforce Planning is the process of analyzing, forecasting, and planning workforce supply and demand, assessing gaps, and determining target talent management interventions to ensure that an organization has the right people - with the right skills in the right places at the right time - to fulfill its mandate and strategic objectives.

To do this there are various steps involved:

1. Strategic Direction: Understand key mission goals and future objectives set by organization leadership and how the workforce needs to be aligned to achieve them.
2. Supply Analysis: Understand the current workforce and how it is projected to change over time, due to attrition and other trends.
3. Demand Analysis: Understand the organization's current and future workforce requirements.
4. Gap Analysis: Understand the gaps between workforce demand and supply and to define top priority gaps with the greatest impact on organizational performance.
5. Solution Implementation: The appropriate workforce interventions and activities to close identified workforce gaps and enable your organization to meet its strategic goals.
6. Monitoring Progress: Monitor the performance of solutions and their impact on the gaps they were designed to address, and to continuously improve the solutions to maximize their effectiveness.

Now let’s start with the resolution of the company’s problem:

1. How are you going to gauge current employee morale?

It’s no secret that employees who are happy and satisfied with their jobs are more productive at work. And the reverse is also true: employees who are disengaged are more likely to be unproductive—and to spread discontentment and negativity to others.

In Gallup’s most recent State of the Global Workplace poll, which included more than 150,000 U.S. respondents, only 30% of American workers reported being engaged at work, while 52% were “not engaged,” and 18% were “actively disengaged.” Gallup found that engagement increases marginally to 32.5% for college-educated Americans who work in a managerial, executive, or official role. But no matter how you slice it, more than two-thirds of employees in the U.S. are either ambivalent about or actively unhappy with their jobs.

What factors contribute most to an employee's satisfaction level?

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) has found that the following consistently rank among the top five aspects of job satisfaction, alongside compensation, benefits, and job security:

1. opportunities to use skills and abilities

2. relationship with immediate supervisor and

3. the work itself.

Below are the 4 Important Effective ways through which we could Gauge the Current Employees Morale:

• Ask the Right Question: Buckingham and Coffman's 1999 book introduced what is now called the Gallup Q12 Employee Engagement Survey. This essential measuring stick has been used by businesses worldwide for more than 15 years to gauge workplace satisfaction. This consists of 12 questions which can enable to understand the employees current state of mind. The questions are as below:
  1. Do I know what is expected of me at work?
  2. Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right?
  3. At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?
  4. In the last seven days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work?
  5. Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person?
  6. Is there someone at work who encourages my development?
  7. At work, do my opinions seem to count?
  8. Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel my job is important?
  1. Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work?
  10. Do I have a best friend at work?
  11. In the last six months, has someone at work talked to me about my progress?
  50. This last year, have I had opportunities at work to learn and grow?
• Don’t ask Anonymously: The reason you measure something is to create a feedback loop that informs behavior and indicates progress, Gowans says. Some teams can be very resistant to feedback in interpersonal areas, especially with questions that may seem "squishy and soft and unimportant" like "Do you have a best friend at work?"

In order to foster a healthy work environment, managers should be doing this kind of swamp clearing a couple of times a year. "Individual satisfaction levels should be part of ongoing interactions and conversations," Gowans says, "Unfortunately, we often title them ‘performance reviews.' I'd personally get rid of that label as a way to make the conversation more open and reciprocal."

• Follow the Performance Data: Numbers don't lie. Even in the softer science of employee satisfaction, the symptoms are usually highly visible and quantifiable, if you have the right systems in place. Consider, for example, a discouraged member of your team. As this team member's satisfaction falls, he will begin to fall behind his deadlines. His communication with other team members will start to fade, become more negative, or disappear altogether. If you are relying on sporadic email or spreadsheet updates alone, you might not spot these patterns. You might think he's just having a case of the Mondays.

And this is where visibility into your team member's work and his communications becomes crucial.

If you are tracking all of your team member's tasks, which ones are meeting their deadlines and which ones aren't, you'll be able to see patterns and anomalies. When a typically productive team member starts to show falling on-time delivery rates, you'll know something's up. The same is true when one team member's output is chronically below those of other team members.

Of course, the lynchpin in all this is the availability of that data. If you're not collecting it, you'll never know. That's why it's highly recommended that managers keep a close eye on key productivity metrics for each individual of their team.

• Act on what you Learn: Perhaps you've done employee satisfaction surveys before, and they haven't made a difference. Consider the possibility that you asked the wrong questions, or that you went directly from data to action—especially if your survey was anonymous—without making sure you understood the commonalities and the individual satisfaction levels first.

Sometimes the best thing you can do is look in the mirror and learn what you can do differently as a manager, rather than implementing an initiative that may or may not address the real issue.

"The easy things to deal with are the technical issues and technology that we don't have defined," Gowans says. "But it's the human dysfunction that causes poor morale. When you lose top performers, it often has to do with the human side."

2. What means and forms of communication are you going to rely on?

Here are just a few communications approaches that will help you effectively reach your employees and encourage behaviors that advance your strategy and improve your results:

1. Keep the message simple, but deep in meaning: Most organizations have a deeper meaning as to why they exist. This tends to influence strategy, decision-making and behaviors at executive levels, but often isn’t well articulated for employees. What you call it doesn’t matter, your purpose, your why, your core belief, your center. What does matter is that you establish its relevance with employees in a way that makes them care more about the company and about the job they do. It should be at the core of all of your communications, a simple and inspiring message that is easy to relate to and understand. Strategy-specific messages linked to your purpose become tools to help employees connect their day-to-day efforts with the aspiration of the company.
2. Build behavior based on market and customer insights: For employees to fully understand how your strategy is different and better than the competition they need to be in touch with market realities. The challenge is in how to effectively convey those realities so that your people can act on them. By building internal campaigns based on market and customer insights, you bring your strategy to life for your employees through this important lens. Package your content so that it can be shared broadly with all departments in your organization, but in a hands-on way. Expose managers first then provide them with easy-to-implement formats for bringing their teams together, with toolkits that include all the materials they’ll need. The purpose is to encourage their teams to develop department-specific responses, and to generate new ideas and new behaviors based on what they’ve learned.
3. Use the discipline of a framework: Not all messages are created equal. They need to be prioritized and sequenced based on their purpose. I suggest using an Inspire/Educate/Reinforce framework to map and deliver messages on an annual basis.

• Inspire. Messages that inspire are particularly important when you are sharing a significant accomplishment or introducing a new initiative that relates to your strategy. The content should demonstrate progress against goals, showcase benefits to customers, and be presented in a way that gets attention and signals importance. The medium is less important than the impression that you want to leave with employees about the company. Whether you’re looking to build optimism, change focus, instill curiosity, or prepare them for future decisions, you’ll have more impact if you stir some emotion and create a lasting memory.
• Educate. Once you’ve energized your team with inspiring messages, your explanations of the company’s strategic decisions and your plans for implementing them should carry more weight. To educate your teams most effectively on the validity of your strategy and their role in successful execution, make sure you provide job-specific tools with detailed data that they can customize and apply in their day-to-day responsibilities. It is most important for these messages to be delivered through dialogues rather than monologues, in smaller group sessions where employees can build to their own conclusions and feel ownership in how to implement.
• Reinforce. It isn’t enough to explain the connection between your company’s purpose and its strategy — and between that strategy and its execution — once. You’ll need to repeat the message in order to increase understanding, instill belief and lead to true change overtime. These reinforcing messages need to come in a variety of tactics, channels, and experiences and I’ve highlighted some approaches below. Ultimately, they serve to immerse employees in important content and give them the knowledge to confidently connect to the strategy. You’ll also want to integrate these messages with your training and your human resource initiatives to connect them with employee development & performance metrics. Recognize and reward individuals and teams who come up with smart solutions and positive change.

4. Think broader than the typical CEO-delivered message. And don’t disappear: Often corporate communications has a strictly top-down approach. I’ve found that dialogue at the grassroots is just as important, if not more so. Employees are more likely to believe what leaders say when they hear similar arguments from their peers, and conversations can be more persuasive and engaging than one-way presentations. Designate a team of employees to serve as ambassadors responsible for delivering important messages at all levels. Rotate this group annually to get more people involved in being able to represent the strategy inside the company. And when the message comes from leadership, make sure it’s from your most visible, well-regarded leaders. Another mistake is the “big launch event and disappear” approach. Instead, integrate regular communications into employee’s daily routines through detailed planning against the messages mapped in your Inspire/Educate/Reinforce framework.
5. Put on your “real person” hat: And take off your “corporate person/executive” hat. The fact is, not many people are deeply inspired by the pieces of communication that their companies put out. Much of it ignores one of the most important truths of communication — and especially communication in the early 21st century: be real. “Corporate speak” comes off hollow and lacking in meaning. Authentic messages from you will help employees see the challenges and opportunities as you see them and understand and care about the direction in which you’re trying to take the company.
6. Tell a story: Facts and figures won’t be remembered. Stories and experiences will. Use storytelling as much as possible to bring humanity to the company and to help employees understand the relevance of your strategy and real-life examples of progress and shortfalls against it. Ask employees to share stories as well, and use these as the foundation for dialogues that foster greater understanding of the behaviors that you want to encourage and enhance versus those that pose risks. Collectively these stories and conversations will be a strong influence on positive culture-building behavior that relates to your core purpose and strategic goals.
7. Use 21st-century media and be unexpected: The delivery mechanism is as important and makes as much of a statement as the content itself. Most corporate communications have not been seriously dusted off in a while, and the fact is, the way people communicate has changed tremendously in the past five years. Consider the roles of social media, networking, blogs, and games to get the word out in ways that your employees are used to engaging in. Where your message shows up also says a lot. Aim to catch people somewhere that they would least expect it. Is it in the restroom? The stairwell? On their mobile phone?
8. Make the necessary investment. Most executives recognize how important their employee audience is. They are the largest expense to the company. They often communicate directly with your customers. They single-handedly control most perceptions that consumers have about the brand. So if this is a given, why are we so reluctant to fund internal communication campaigns? I suggest asking this question: What am I willing to invest per employee to help them internalize our strategy and based on that understanding, determine what they need to do to create a differentiated market experience for our customers? Do the math and set your hoped-for ROI high whether it is financial performance or positive shifts in behavior and culture. If you choose not to invest be certain of the risk. If you don’t win over employees first, you certainly won’t succeed in winning with customers, as they ultimately hold that relationship in their hands.

3. How would you gauge the management style employed throughout Pharmanetix?

A manager is generally responsible for a project or a team of people and, essentially, must be able to communicate, negotiate and influence. However, these skills can be performed in different ways. A key component of job satisfaction is the relationship between managers and their staff. This, in turn, is influenced both by the people and management styles involved.

“Management style” is a term often used to describe the “how” of management. For a while it was believed that there were only two basic management styles: autocratic and democratic. An autocratic style is used to instruct and command. Managers who use this style impose their decisions on staff and expect or demand compliance. A democratic style allows decisions to emerge from a consensus (eg, a vote).

Management styles are functions of behaviour and linked to personality. Mel Smith, head of medical and pharmacy affairs at Reckitt Benckiser, agrees. Mr Smith uses a democratic rather than autocratic style of management because it suits his personality. “People work better if they are listened to. I think a belligerent style of management breeds resentment in staff,” said Mr Smith. “I am pretty extrovert and quite like talking so the consensus style of management works best for me. Obviously if things need to be done quickly, I would use a different, more appropriate style of management,” he added.

The most effective way of choosing the correct management style is the below:

Charismatic A charismatic style relies heavily on personality to lead and inspire others. Managers who use this style tend to be good communicators.

So, this company requires a Charismatic way of Management style which can influence them to do their best and understand company’s perspective as well.

4. How should the company address the changing of testing procedures with employees?

One of the most baffling and recalcitrant of the problems which business executives face is employee resistance to change. Such resistance may take a number of forms—persistent reduction in output, increase in the number of “quits” and requests for transfer, chronic quarrels, sullen hostility, wildcat or slowdown strikes, and, of course, the expression of a lot of pseudological reasons why the change will not work. Even the more petty forms of this resistance can be troublesome.

All too often when executives encounter resistance to change, they “explain” it by quoting the cliche that “people resist change” and never look further. Yet changes must continually occur in industry. This applies with particular force to the all-important “little” changes that constantly take place—changes in work methods, in routine office procedures, in the location of a machine or a desk, in personnel assignments and job titles.

No one of these changes makes the headlines, but in total they account for much of our increase in productivity. They are not the spectacular once-in-a-lifetime technological revolutions that involve mass layoffs or the obsolescence of traditional skills, but they are vital to business progress.

Does it follow, therefore, that business management is forever saddled with the onerous job of “forcing” change down the throats of resistant people? My answer is no. It is the thesis of this article that people do not resist technical change as such and that most of the resistance which does occur is unnecessary. I shall discuss these points, among others:

1. A solution which has become increasingly popular for dealing with resistance to change is to get the people involved to “participate” in making the change. But as a practical matter “participation” as a device is not a good way for management to think about the problem. In fact, it may lead to trouble.

2. The key to the problem is to understand the true nature of resistance. Actually, what employees resist is usually not technical change but social change—the change in their human relationships that generally accompanies technical change.

3. Resistance is usually created because of certain blind spots and attitudes which staff specialists have as a result of their preoccupation with the technical aspects of new ideas.

4. Management can take concrete steps to deal constructively with these staff attitudes. The steps include emphasizing new standards of performance for staff specialists and encouraging them to think in different ways, as well as making use of the fact that signs of resistance can serve as a practical warning signal in directing and timing technological changes.

5. Top executives can also make their own efforts more effective at meetings of staff and operating groups where change is being discussed. They can do this by shifting their attention from the facts of schedules, technical details, work assignments, and so forth, to what the discussion of these items indicates in regard to developing resistance and receptiveness to change.

5. How do you handle the layoff? Directly and indirectly? Indirectly means how do you handle the existing workforce after the layoff.

Letting people go is an emotional event — not just for those being laid off but for those who remain. Of course those who are let go need help with the transition to new employment. But the employees who survive the cutbacks also need reassurance about their own future — and an understanding of the strategic goals behind the cuts.

The following guidelines will help companies handle layoffs in a way that affords dignity to those let go and reassures survivors that the downsizing decision wasn’t made arbitrarily. It will also help the remaining employees feel positive about the organization, optimistic about their future, and committed to working toward a better day. Keep in mind that employees who resent how their laid-off colleagues were treated and are fearful about the company’s direction are not productive employees.

Communicate widely and often: Managers often think they shouldn’t let employees know when things are going poorly. They don’t want their workers to become discouraged. But people aren’t stupid; they know when things aren’t going well. Even if top managers spin the circumstances positively, the message comes across through unclear goals, a decrease in resources committed to ongoing projects, and other subtle clues. Discussing and acknowledging the company’s position is the first step to keeping people involved — and committed to solving problems they understand.

Never delegate pain: The most delicate challenge is letting someone know that he or she has been let go. Don’t delegate this painful mission to the HR department. Most people are loyal first to their manager, then to their company. The person’s manager should deliver the message. Companies need to allow managers a realistic timetable to have one-on-one conversations with the employees that are being let go.

Deliver the message personally and respectfully — and listen: It does no one a favor to lay off employees with a note on their computer saying, “Don’t turn this on today!” Deliver the message in private, and give employees time to react. People have different reactions — some need to vent, some need time to think, and some need facts and explanations. Be prepared to give each person what they need to reach a stable emotional keel. Then, as quickly as possible, get them thinking about their future rather than the company’s. The primary message should be “How can I help?”

Provide outplacement support: The question everyone asks after a layoff is, “What do I do now?” Few people have a resume at hand and a job-hunting network mobilized. Outplacement helps them land on their feet. You’re offering help at a high-stress, emotional time. It sends a signal to them and to the remaining employees that you’re treating the ex-workers as people, not as line items on a budget.

Along those lines, give people the chance to pick up and immediately begin moving toward their future. Letting people go on a Friday afternoon, for example, is a terrible idea. Employees have all weekend to stew and won’t be able to do any job-hunting until Monday morning.

Exit interviews can also be useful, but may best be performed by a third-party firm. Employees can provide valuable information that they might not be willing to share with an insider. Make sure that they’re asked: “How do you feel the layoffs were handled?” This will help them vent and may also reveal important tips to make the process a little less painful.

After a morning of layoffs, no one is in an emotional state to work. Give people the space to deal with what just happened. Accept that you’ll lose (at least) a day of productivity, and do whatever it takes to help people cope with their emotions quickly.

Support survivors, too: Employees who survive the layoffs will struggle with doubts about the company’s future. They want to know how their jobs will change. Will they now be expected to do their jobs plus the jobs of their ex-coworkers? Or will their goals be changed accordingly? What is the precise state of the company financially? Are further layoffs imminent? Their doubts will begin with their own roles and expand outward to their teams and to the company as a whole. You must address each level of concern with as much rational discussion as possible.

CEOs: Be front and center: The CEO must be there for the managers as well as the terminated employees. One company planned to shut down an entire branch without coaching its managers in delivering emotionally troubling news; instead, the CEO was to come make the announcement. The branch manager and her employees gathered for the CEO’s visit, but he didn’t show. Instead, he sent the branch manager a FedEx box with termination packets and no instructions whatsoever. After an unsuccessful attempt (in front of the assembled employees) to get the CEO on the phone, the branch manager opened the box and proclaimed, “Today is my last day with the company and I’m so selfish, I’m taking you all with me.” It was a horrible moment for everyone, and the no-show CEO was instantly detested for his callous behavior. Each one of those terminated employees became an ambassador of ill will in the marketplace. You can bet that story was widely told in the months and even years after the event.

In contrast, another CEO helped his managers by giving them his prepared, written statement to read. It covered the relevant facts, including logistics concerning health insurance and other benefits, and outplacement options. After each manager conveyed the news to her employees, she directed them immediately to the outplacement center. This was a good way to orient them toward the future and help them feel supported as they started their new life as a job seeker.

6. What problems would you anticipate with the union?

Community unionism, also known as reciprocal unionism, refers to the formation of alliances between unions and non-labour groups in order to achieve common goals. These unions seek to organize the employed, unemployed, and underemployed. They press for change in the workplace and beyond, organizing around issues such as welfare reform, health care, jobs, housing, and immigration. Individual issues at work are seen as being a part of broader societal problems which they seek to address. Unlike trade unions, community union membership is not based on the workplace- it is based on common identities and issues. Alliances forged between unions and other groups may have a primary identity based on affiliations of religion, ethnic group, gender, disability, environmentalism, neighborhood residence, or sexuality.

7. What new programs would you recommend to increase the quality of work life for the employees?

Dissatisfaction with working life affects the workers some time or another, regardless of position or status. The frustration, boredom and anger common to employees can be costly to both individuals and organisations.

Managers seek to reduce job dissatisfaction at all organizational levels, including their own. This is a complex problem, however, because it is difficult to isolate and identify the attributes which affect the quality of working life.

Profitability of a company is linked to satisfaction of its work force. A company that does not measure and improve employee satisfaction may face increasing turnover, declining productivity and limited ability to attract and retain qualified replacements.

Employee satisfaction and quality of work life directly affect company’s ability to serve its customers. Efforts towards QWL measurement help in efficient and effective allocation of resources to enhance productivity and stability of the workforce.

The following aspects improve the QWL:

1. Recognition of work life issues:

Issues related to work life should be addressed by the Board and other important officials of the company like why people are not happy, do they need training, why employee morale is poor and numerous other issues. If these are addressed properly, they will be able to build, “People-Centred Organisations”.

2. Commitment to improvement:

QWL can be improved if the staff is committed to improvement in productivity and performance. This issue can be taken by the board through staff recognition and support programmes. Board should prepare QWL reports on periodic basis to boost the system. They can also introduce reward system which will be of help to them.

3. Quality of work life teams:

Board members should form the combined team of managers and workers and all the issues and common themes must be identified.

Work Life Teams = Managers + Staff

All issues must be addressed like loss of morale, lack of trust, increased intensity of work, reward, recognition etc. and commonly, managers and staff should arrive at solutions.

4. Training to facilitators:

Both the leader and staff can assess the job requirement and decide jointly what type of training is required to improve the quality of work life

5. Conduct focus groups:

Formation of focus groups can affect the QWL and discuss the questions in a positive way like:

(a) What brought you here today?

(b) What do you feel are the top three issues that affect your quality of work life?

(c) What do you want the organisation should do for you?

(d) Do you want company to increase the salary, etc.

6. Analyze information from focus group:

After the formation of focus groups and their discussion on different issues and collection of information, the information should be analysed to give right direction to organisational activities.

7. Identify and implement improvement opportunities:

It is important to identify and implement improvement opportunities like communication, recognition and non-monetary compensation. Improving support structure, constant review of reward and recognition system etc. would help in formulating communication strategies, focusing on linkages between managers and staff.

8. Flexible work hours:

The diverse work force of today does not want to work for fixed hours or days. They want flexibility in their work schedule so that professional and personal life can be managed together.

Flexibility can improve the QWL in the following ways:

i. Work for longer hours in a day with less number of working days in a week.

ii. Going to office for fixed hours but in different time slots rather than fixed working hours. Many companies even provide the flexibility of work from home.

9. Autonomy to work:

Delegation is an essential element of organisation structure. People want freedom to work in their own way, in terms of forming teams and making decisions. If they are allowed to do so, it enhances the QWL. An organisation with high quality of work life is “an organisation that promotes and maintains a work environment that results in excellence in everything it does – by ensuring open communication, respect, recognition, trust, support, well being and satisfaction of its members, both, personally and professionally”.

8. Examine the reasons for turnover and what is the most cost-efficient method(s) to resolving it.

Employee turnover is something that every business with workers experiences. Even my own businesses experience employee turnover. Employees come and go. When employees leave, it’s costly for your business. It takes time and money to find and train a replacement. That’s why it’s best for businesses to reduce their turnover as much as possible.

How To Reduce Employee Turnover

If you have high employee turnover, it’s in your best interest to reduce it. Lucky for you, you can use free and inexpensive methods to convince employees to stick around.

1. Hire The Right People

Keeping employees starts with hiring the right employees. You likely hire employees who have strong skills that match your open position. But, how well do your employees fit in with your business’s culture?

You must hire employees who are behavioral and cultural fits for the job. You can ask employees behavioral interview questions to find out how they react in certain situations. Also, during interviews, be sure to show candidates around your business and tell them about your workplace culture. Candidates will hopefully eliminate themselves if they don’t fit in.

If employees don’t fit in with your work environment, I guarantee they won’t be happy. They won’t fit in, they won’t get along with their co-workers, and they’ll feel lonely. An outstanding candidate that doesn’t match the behaviors and culture of your business won’t stay around long. They’ll take their skills somewhere where they fit in.

2. Offer Competitive Pay And Benefits

People want to be compensated well. They need to cover standard expenses like housing, utilities, and food. And most people want enough money for extras, too. If you don’t pay your employees well, they’ll find a business that will.

When determining compensation for your employees, it’s good to do market research on wages. Find out what your competitors pay their employees. Research a competitive salary range based on similar jobs in your local area. For example, if you want to hire an IT specialist in San Francisco, you should consider what other businesses in San Francisco pay their IT specialists.

And you can’t simply give employees paychecks and be done. Employees want good benefits, too. You must offer competitive benefits that your employees want. Learn about common employee benefits. Then, find out what benefits competitors and other businesses in your area offer.

3. Give Praise

Your employees need encouragement and recognition. When employees do something right, show your appreciation. When they finish a large, difficult project or submit a project before the deadline, congratulate them. Show them that you see their hard work.

Now, don’t feel like you have to shower employees with praise for everything they do. You don’t have to praise employees for small, everyday tasks. But, when employees truly do something worth congratulations, give it.

The goal here is to create an encouraging, positive work environment. When employees feel respected, acknowledged, desired, and motivated, they are more likely to stay. Best of all, this method to decrease employee turnover is free. You just have to use your words.

4. Show The Career Path

If employees stay stagnate in one job for too long, they might search for another job where they can advance. Most employees want to increase their skills and knowledge and move up the career ladder. Showing employees a projected career path gives them a sense of direction and purpose.

You should show your employees a clear career path. Where can they go from their current position? Maybe it’s an upward or lateral move. Or, maybe your employees can earn more responsibility in their current position. Whatever it is, let your employees know how they can advance.

You can help employees advance along their career path. Provide them with coaching by recommending ways to advance. You can also provide employees with training opportunities. Give them opportunities to learn new skills and practice them.

5. Allow Flexible Work Schedules

If it’s possible, allow flexible work schedules. Flexible work schedules let employees adjust their work time and location. Employees can create a work-life balance for themselves. Your workers can pursue things beyond work, go to appointments, and take care of their families.

Flexible work schedules might not be possible for all businesses. Your employees might need to be at your business at specific times. But there still might be ways you can offer flexibility, such as flexible lunch times.

9. What are the laws that we must be aware of?

Running a business means staying apprised of the current legal landscape and making sure your operations comply with the rules. Labor and employment regulations are among the easiest to violate, but failing to follow them can also become quite costly.

Large companies have the luxury of hiring HR professionals and legal counsel to stay informed of their compliance status and any changes in the pipeline. For small businesses, this can be a more difficult task, but a lack of resources doesn't serve as a valid excuse for breaking the law.

"Many small businesses think they can fly under the radar with some of the bigger federal labor laws," said Ashley Kaplan, a senior labor and employment law attorney. "But the truth is, the labor law umbrella covering businesses is extensive, and every employer needs to be aware."

The below four laws in particular are often a concern for small businesses. In a previously conducted Business News Daily interview, Kaplan offered her advice on how to ensure compliance.

FMLA and employee leave

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is a commonly misunderstood employment law. Private-sector employers with 50 or more employees are required to grant eligible workers up to 12 weeks of job-protected, unpaid leave for certain family and medical reasons during a 12-month period. [Want to learn more about FMLA? Read our compliance guide here.]

"In addition to very specific requirements regarding coverage and eligibility, the FMLA prohibits employers from interfering with, preventing or denying any rights provided by the law," Kaplan told Business News Daily. "It's important to understand the nuances."

Employers also play a role in reducing employee abuse of the FMLA, Kaplan said, and can do so by closely examining the reasons employees give to justify their leave through an employee request form and mandatory medical certifications. By doing so, employers can determine whether an employee's absence meets the standards for FMLA leave set out under the law.

NLRA's role with non-unionized employers

Even if your company doesn't employ unionized workers, you're still subject to the requirements of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). This law applies to most private employers, and grants employees the right to unionize, collectively bargain, and engage in concerted activity for their "mutual aid and protection" — commonly referred to as Section 7 rights. These rights include the permission to discuss the terms and conditions of employment, such as wages.

The National Labor Relations Board's aggressive approach to social media policies in the workplace has proven problematic for employers in the past, Kaplan said. Although most employers have limited what employees may post on Facebook or Twitter, such efforts can get companies in trouble if the rules interfere with Section 7 of the NLRA. Kaplan advised employers to carefully craft their social media policies, and perhaps even seek legal counsel to ensure they aren't restricting permitted online activity.

However, it is worth noting that since President Donald Trump's election, the NLRB has become markedly more friendly toward employer policies. In December 2017, the board overturned previously standing precedent that made it easy for an employee to push back against policies they believed could be "reasonably construed" to interfere with their rights under Section 7. Now, employers' rationale for establishing the policy are taken into consideration before the board determines that a rule violated employee rights.

OFCCP and affirmative action requirements

In 2013, the Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) issued two new rules to strengthen discrimination protections for veterans and individuals with disabilities: the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act. The affirmative action requirements for covered federal contractors and subcontractors went into effect in 2014 and include measurable hiring targets, as well as record-keeping and data-tracking obligations.

Contractors must now strive to achieve an "aspirational utilization goal" for hiring qualified individuals with disabilities: 7 percent of the total workforce for contractors with 100 or fewer employees, or 7 percent for each job group for larger employers. The OFCCP also requires contractors to establish hiring benchmarks for protected veterans.

As an additional compliance requirement, employers should invite applicants to voluntarily self-identify as protected veterans or disabled individuals at both the pre-offer and post-offer stages, via an OFCCP-compliant form.

FLSA and IRS employee misclassification

Many small business owners rely on independent contractors to keep operations running. But depending on their relationship with the business, these workers may be considered employees by the federal government.

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires covered employers to pay overtime to employees working more than 40 hours per week at a rate of one-and-a-half times those workers' regular hourly rates. Any employee ineligible for overtime pay must fall clearly under the FLSA's executive, administrative or professional exemptions (often referred to as "white collar exemptions"), which involves specific job responsibilities.

Both the IRS and the Department of Labor are targeting businesses that purposely misclassify workers to avoid paying overtime, payroll taxes and other employee-related expenses, Kaplan said. The IRS uses a 20-factor test to determine worker status, based on three key areas: behavioral factors, financial factors and type of relationship. The level of control the employer has over the worker's day-to-day operations, as well as his or her contributions to the business, will usually dictate the worker's status.

If you're unsure about how these or any other employment law issues affect your business, visit the Small Business Administration website, or consult with an attorney.

It's important to note that many regulations (and even some agencies) have come under consideration for significant changes since the beginning of the Trump Administration. As such, it's important to remain prepared for new developments and keep an eye out for further changes to the existing rules.

10.How would you coach and counsel employees to see the big picture?

Imagine how your company would look and perform if every single person at every level really understood why your company needs to change, what most needs to change and how they contribute to “us” winning. Think it is impossible to truly engage all of your employees in the big picture so they can work together to help your business succeed? Think again!

What if:

Every person in your organization understood the big picture and was engaged in it, including the economic, technological, competitive and market realities of your business?

All of your people had an understanding of your strategy far more focused and meaningful than murky visions and missions?

They understood your organization’s core competencies, knowing exactly what skills would be required to achieve your strategy for the future?

Everyone realized how slim your margins are and how each person could help them grow?

They recognized where your money comes from, how difficult it is to make and what is really involved in creating sustainable, profitable growth?

Your people realized it was imperative to innovate?

Your organization went beyond the current rhetoric of customer service and deeply explored the hard realities of customer value?

They really understood the need for a shareholder return in a ferociously competitive world, where stockholders have many other investment alternatives?

Your people discovered that all customers are not alike?

Your organization went beyond the “blue sky” rhetoric of internal mandating slogans to true engagement that captures the hearts and minds of your people?

Many may scoff at the idea that it’s possible to get every person in the organization to understand everything it takes to run a successful business. It’s not only possible; it should be the norm for every organization. Yes, getting your people engaged in the big picture is a must!

As organizations set out to bridge their canyons, it’s important to keep these realities in mind:

1. Employees, team members and associates are customers of organizational strategy.

And organizational learning execution speed is not determined by the speed of the brightest individuals, but by the average speed of the entire organization.

2. People will tolerate the directives of leadership, but they will ultimately act on their own.

This is a chilling statement for any company undergoing change. This means no leader can dictate, sell or cajole people across the Grand Canyon. Leaders must set the stage for people to build a bridge and cross it. Leaders must allow people to go on a journey of discovery and draw their own conclusions about critical business issues. Only when people change their conclusions will they change their actions.

3. Everyone in the organization must see and understand the big picture.

They must understand the “why” behind the strategy and/or change. If they are only informed on what they must do, and not the why behind it, the business will not be set up for success.