Author: Angela Crangle

Is Your Need for Speed Holding You Back?

Getting stuff done is great, right? Checking those little boxes feels super productive, and super validating. You’re happy because you’re cooking through your To Do list, and your boss will be really happy because surprise! You’re done already!

Except that you could be making more work for everybody on the team.

The myth of productivity

Many of us have been trained to think that it’s the volume and pace of our work that matters most. But in the frantic frenzy to finish first, we can miss a lot of things along the way.

I once worked with an intern who was a very stellar person. I liked her immensely. But she was super competitive and fixated on completing her work as quickly as possible. Popping her head into someone’s office to say, “I’m done! Got anything else for me?” was her favorite thing to do. Impressing people with her speed and productivity was how she demonstrated her value.

The thing is, she was so busy flying through her task list that she was skimping on processes and details. More often than not, the jobs she considered done needed to be fixed or redone. But because she would speed through those processes as well, she was often asked to do or fix things multiple times. 

At this point, staff members would often get frustrated and take their tasks back. Over time, it became apparent this was more efficient than continuing to:

  • explain the assignments over and over
  • issue warnings about the consequences of mistakes
  • coach her on how to slow down and work more deliberately

Eventually, most of us stopped giving her anything of substance because it was easier and less risky to simply keep doing those things ourselves. I discovered I could take her for coffee instead of giving her work— and still save time in the long run!

As a result, she became the queen of mundane tasks: envelope stuffing, mail runs, office storage organization. She completed these things quickly, and with a great attitude. But at the end of the day, I’m pretty sure everyone would have liked to see her to get more out of her internship experience.

Unfortunately, her focus on speed and multitasking kept her from gaining more advanced skills and experience. And it kept us from using her to her full potential. 

Slow down to improve results

Our society places a huge value on working quickly, doing multiple things as once, and being constantly accessible. But all of these things can actually cause your work to suffer.

If your team operates at a frenetic pace all the time, you could be holding your business back. People will become frustrated, mistakes will increase, and accidents will be more likely to happen. More importantly, goals that could be achieved through thoughtful intention, detailed planning, and diligent follow-through will remain unmet. And that’s no good for anybody.

So how do we retrain our brains (and our teams!) to work more carefully, thoughtfully, and efficiently?

Start single-tasking

There are lots of articles and studies about the myth of multi-tasking.

  • Research has shown that multitasking takes as much as 40 percent more time than focusing on one task at a time — more for complex tasks.
  • One study revealed that people who were considered heavy multitaskers were actually worse at sorting out relevant information from irrelevant details.
  • Still not convinced? Try this little exercise.

Get in the habit of focusing on a single task. Schedule time on your calendar or even set a timer if you need to. Commit to working on one thing in that time period and one thing only.

Ask questions

Is your mind starting to work on an assignment even before the person explaining it to you is finished? This is your first mistake. Pay attention. Listen carefully. Make sure you fully understand the project, the process, and the purpose.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions before and during the process. Clarity is your friend. Taking five minutes to discuss details as you go can save you tons of time in the long run. Many speedy employees have had to go back and rework things they thought were “finished” because they either jumped in too fast or didn’t slow down long enough to get the facts.

Prioritize

Yes, you have a million things to do. So does everybody else. But working in a scattershot manner won’t help you get the right things done at the right time. For that, you need a plan.

Work with your team to determine which items are the most important and the most time sensitive. Rank your daily or weekly tasks so that you know which ones to funnel your time, efforts, and energy into. Choose one thing that you will get done, no matter what. If you find yourself getting sidetracked or distracted, refocus on your priority item of the moment.

Reduce distractions

Even with the best intentions, we all get distracted. But some of us are better than others at letting those distractions in— or keeping them out. Are you constantly checking your phone, texts, and email? If so, you’re using up valuable time and brain space switching back and forth between your inputs and outputs.

Questions, phone calls, and emails take a huge toll on your focus.

  • According to one research study, it takes approximately 20 minutes to return to task after an in-person interruption, 15 minutes for a phone call interruption, and 64 seconds after an email interruption.
  • The same study found that workers were dealing with email interruptions about every five minutes.
  • This means we are wasting one out of every six minutes per day on email interruptions alone— not including phone calls and in-person questions!

Want to focus on a task? Put your phone on Do Not Disturb. Turn off your email alerts. Hide your Slack. The world won’t end if you’re offline for 15 or 20 minutes. And you’re much more likely to make real progress.

Quick vs. Quality

If you’re having brain surgery, do you want it to go quickly? Or do you want it to go well?

There’s a big difference here. And I think we can all agree which one sounds more appealing. 

 

Photo by Earl Walker  

4 Keys to More Effective Workplace Communication

We communicate every day in lots of ways. At work. At home. At Starbucks. Most of the time, we do it without a specific plan. And while planning out your communications may sound strange, it can work wonders for your results— especially when you’re talking business.

To make the most of your workplace communication efforts, you’ll want to consider the following factors:

  • Priorities – Are you communicating the most important things?
  • Data – Is your information accurate?
  • Audience – Are you speaking to the right people?
  • Rhythm – Does the timing make sense?

Start with priorities

Some conversations are best when they come about organically, but that’s rarely the case when you need to address a specific topic with your team. Setting your priorities before you have that conversation will help keep you from being unclear, getting sidetracked, or missing the point completely.

To get on the right track, ask yourself these key questions:

  • What is it that you need to convey?
  • Are you leading with the most critical information dancing around the topic?
  • How will you express your thoughts in a way that makes sense and resonates?

Be sure not to cram too many priorities into any one conversation. People can only process and remember so much. Keep the priority list short, clear, and succinct and you will have an easier time getting the information across.

Check your data

If your conversation centers around trends, numbers, research, and/or evidence, make sure you get your facts right.

  • Do your homework
  • Check your sources
  • Write things down
  • Don’t try to wing it or keep a bunch of statistics straight in your head

Which of these approaches sounds more effective?

“According to your last review, you’ve missed 3 deadlines in a row.”

“I feel like you’ve been missing a few deadlines.”

Number 1, right? If you have the actual review in front of you, even better! Now you can work off of documented history rather than hazy memories.

If you’re talking trends, simply saying “Sales are up!” isn’t going to be nearly as impactful as saying, “Total sales are up 12%, but online sales are up 26%.” Now that’s some useful information! But if sales are actually up 36% and you didn’t get it right, you missed an even bigger opportunity.

If you’re using numbers to make your point, the key is to be specific and accurate.

Consider your audience

Before you get into a discussion, take a moment to think about who needs to hear your message and what their respective concerns will be. Depending on who you are talking to, these things can be vastly different. Here are a few examples.

  • Prospects will be interested in what you can do for them
  • Clients need to feel appreciated and valued
  • Partners want to know the advantages of working with you
  • Employees are interested in company culture and values, and where they fit in

Of course, all of these things can adjust and change depending on the topic of the day. The key is to think about who you’re communicating with and how the information will be received and processed— before jumping into that discussion.

Thinking about your audience will help you tailor your delivery to make it as effective as possible.

Get your rhythm down

To communicate effectively, you have to know what needs to be communicated and when. Blindsiding someone with a conversation out of context (or out of nowhere) never ends well and waiting to deliver critical information does way more harm than good.

To make sure the timing of your communications make sense, ask these questions:

  • Is this information urgent or time sensitive?
  • Who needs to know about this and when?
  • Is it something that needs to be communicated regularly?
  • Who should the message come from, and in what format?
  • Is there an existing meeting where it makes sense to bring this up?

But keep in mind that it also depends on who you’re talking to:

  • Prospects don’t want to be overwhelmed with information or solicitations
  • Clients can’t just hear from you when there’s a problem
  • Partners need to be reminded of the value of your relationship
  • Employees get very frustrated when they don’t know what’s going on

Use this information to plan out individual discussions and get the most of your conversations. Or, better yet, put together a big-picture communication strategy that covers all of your needs.

Yes, may sound like a lot of work on the front end, but it’s work that will pay off in the long run.

 

Photo by rawpixel 

Job Interview Tips – For the Boss

There’s a ton of information out there about how to conduct yourself before, during, and after a job interview, and about 99% of it is geared toward candidates. This is very helpful if you’re looking for advice on how to score yourself a new job. But what if you’re on the other side of the table, looking to score a fantastic new hire?

If you’re new to the hiring game, you may not know quite where to start. If you’ve been recruiting forever, you may have fallen into some habits that no longer serve you. Either way, it’s always good to review best practices for interviewing job candidates.

Here are 7 ways to make the most out of your interview process:

Be prepared

As the interviewer, you hold the primary position of power. But that doesn’t mean you don’t need to do your homework. A great candidate will take the time to learn about your company, industry, and the specific role they aspire to take on. A good interviewer will also show up prepared.

  • Look over all of the applicant’s information carefully beforehand.
  • Compare skills and experience to the job description to see which ones apply.
  • No matter what position you are hiring for, do not simply show up and wing it.

A candidate that senses you are disorganized or phoning it in will extrapolate that behavior to the rest of the organization and set expectations accordingly. Represent your company and yourself in the best possible light. 

Be consistent

Your hiring decisions will come much more easily if you’re comparing apples to apples. Or at least fruit to fruit. If your interview questions aren’t standardized, you won’t be getting good comparative information to help you weigh your options. At least not in a way that makes sense. Likewise, if you’re making assumptions about an individual before they even show up, you’re not allowing for equal footing.

  • Ask the same questions of every applicant.
  • Treat each interviewee equally.
  • Take steps to eliminate hidden bias from your processes.

Having a clear, standardized process makes hiring easier on everyone. The more consistent your processes are, the more fair they will be to your candidates, your current employees, and your hiring committee.

Be honest

There was a time when businesses could afford to be vague and cryptic with their job listings— and still see a pile of applications come in. During the height of the great recession, it was also easy to lowball on salaries or neglect to mention them until it was time to sign on the dotted line. In today’s talent market, this is no longer the case. Job seekers have expectations about salary and benefits, as well as other things like career development, company culture, and flexible schedules. If these things aren’t in alignment with what you’re offering, candidates will move along. Sometimes without even saying a word. Just like a ghost.

  • Make sure the job description is accurate and up to date.
  • Be upfront about compensation and benefits.
  • Sell your organizational culture accurately.

If you’re trying to win great talent by overstating the role, downplaying particular facets of the culture, or portraying a workplace reality that doesn’t exist, your victory will be very short-lived. And your turnover numbers will show it.

Be interested

Think about the interview as a first date scenario. Do you really just want to spend the whole time talking about yourself? If so, is that going to garner any interest from a potential hiring match? Probably not.

  • Don’t use this as an opportunity to sell your candidate on the company or job.
  • Learn about each candidate’s hard and soft skills, as well as their career aspirations.
  • Think about how that person would fit into the role, the department, and the team.

Of course, you want your candidate to be interested in what you have to say. And any new hire worth their salt will feel exactly the same way.

Be quiet

Again, it can be really tempting to talk your way through the entire interview process, especially if you are genuinely excited about the position, the company, and the possibilities.

But communication is a two-way street. If you really want to know about your applicant, you have to listen to what they say.

  • Resist interrupting or interjecting.
  • Listen for content and nuance, look for body language and other non-verbal cues.
  • Never make assumptions about what a candidate means. If you have questions, ask. And then listen carefully to the responses.

Be aware

Don’t make future discrimination claims part of your standard hiring process. Avoid inquiring about candidate traits, beliefs, situations or preferences that are not specifically job related. The following topics are in the discrimination danger zone:

  • Race, national origin
  • Gender
  • Sexual orientation
  • Age
  • Religion
  • Disability
  • Marital status
  • Pregnancy, number of kids

Keep your conversation focused on the company, the position, and any relevant skills and experience necessary to perform.

Be thoughtful

When it comes down to it, every interaction you have is a reflection on you and your company. Are you providing a positive experience or a negative one? What kinds of things will they tell their family, friends after they’ve gone through the process? What might their 10,000 Twitter followers see, hear, and think?

Follow these basic rules to put your best foot forward:

  • Be friendly – Make people feel comfortable.
  • Do what you say – Be on time and keep appointments.
  • Communicate – Let people know where they are in the process and next steps.
  • Follow through – If you say you’ll call or email, make sure it actually happens.
  • Always follow up after an interview or phone screen, no matter what the outcome.

Even if you don’t end up hiring a particular candidate, they should still be considered a potential client, customer, and reviewer. Give your candidates a great experience and they’ll walk away with no regrets. They might even keep you on their short list of coveted employers. Who knows? Next time, they might be a perfect match!

 

Photo by  Kittisak Jirasittichai

 

Prepping for Job Interviews – It’s Not Just for Candidates! What Employers Need to Know

Job seekers spend a lot of time preparing for interviews. Unfortunately, those on the other side of the desk often forget to take this key step.

From an HR and business perspective, an investment in preparation before the interview can have a huge ROI. Not only will it save you time in the long run, it’s critical to the success of your talent search.

What (or who) are you looking for?

When a vacancy is created, too many companies blindly set out to find an exact replica of the person whose shoes they are trying to fill.

Sheila did this and this and this. We need to find someone just like her.

Bob was a real go-getter. We’d better look for someone just like him.

But does this even make sense? A better way to approach this is to ask some important questions about the role that needs to be filled and how it might be improved to help with company goals, internal processes, recruitment and retention.

What does Sheila’s position look like currently? Does this seem like the best set of tasks moving forward? Is there potential to make this position more efficient? More appealing? More career focused?

What expectations do we have for this position? Do these metrics still seem appropriate? Was Bob’s outgoing nature suited to the role he was performing? Or could it have contributed to his departure?

Finding the right person for a position requires being clear about what the position is.

What do you actually need this person to do? Is a part-time or full-time gig? Is there potential for career development in this role? Where does this job fit within the big picture company vision? How will this role contribute to the success of the company— and the individual who takes it on?

Just because you’ve been doing something one way for a long time doesn’t mean you need to continue along the same track. Think of your open positions not just as opportunities for employment, but as opportunities for your business to refresh, streamline, and innovate. Evaluate the job description as it stands and create the position it needs to be moving forward. Then, define the skills and attributes you’re looking for in an ideal candidate.

Questions to ask during this process:

  • How will we know if this role/person is successful? What metrics will we use?
  • What do we expect from this person in the first 3 months? 6 months? The first year?
  • What training and support will we provide and who will be responsible for making it happen?
  • How will we adjust if things aren’t working?

Business improvements don’t have to come in the form of complete overhauls and reorganizations. You can improve your overall efforts one thing at a time, starting with your current job listings. 

Once you’ve decided what direction you need to go in and who you are looking for, you can start developing your hiring criteria and interview questions.

What should you ask?

Establishing guidelines and consistency in your hiring process is important. Having a standard formula for recruitment will keep everyone on track and on the same page.

The same is true when it comes to interview questions. Asking random questions will get you random data. Using a consistent set of interview questions will help you effectively compare candidates.

And again, there’s no reason you need to ask the same questions you used to fill the position last time. In fact, you may benefit from trying something new.

Behavioral Interviewing

If you want to find star employees, you may want to try using a STAR approach.

The STAR approach is an interview technique that taps into the behavioral traits of your candidates by asking them to describe specific situations rather than answer general questions about skills and experience.

By asking STAR interview questions, you’re giving candidates the opportunity to tell you how they have performed in the past, and if past performance is an indicator of future performance, then asking STAR questions can garner some pretty great information.

The components of STAR interview questions are as follows:

  • Situation – What was the context?
  • Tasks – What was your responsibility?
  • Actions – How did you perform/act/react?
  • Results – What were the outcomes?

Examples of these kinds of questions include:

  • Tell me about a time when you had to work effectively under pressure. What was the result?
  • Give an example of a time you overcame a challenge with a coworker. What did you learn?
  • Have you ever made a mistake at work? How did you handle that?
  • What is one goal you’ve achieved that you’re most proud of? How did you achieve it?

Once you’ve decided on a complete set of questions to ask each of your applicants, you’re ready to move on.

Preparation is key

Hooray! You’re almost there! You’ve got your shiny new job description and your interview questions down pat. But this is not the time to cut loose and start winging it. To make the most of your recruitment effort, the rest of your processes should also be well thought out, consistent, and clear.

Before you post your position, answer the following questions to provide additional structure to your talent search and timeline.

  • What will the application process look like?
  • How long will it take?
  • Who will be involved?
  • How many interviews?
  • What days will they occur?
  • What questions will you ask?
  • How will the decision be made?
  • Where will you post positions or look for applicants?
  • Who/When/What/How will you communicate with candidates?

Once you’ve got your full plan laid out in front of you, communicate it to everyone involved and clarify any remaining questions that may be hanging out there. Once everyone is on board and ready to go, you’re free to take your plan and run with it.

Ready, set, search!

 

Photo by Валерий Качаев 

Ask the Experts: Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) Rebates

Guest blog content provided to Q4iNetwork Consultants by Think HR thinkhr logo.png

Question: Our company received a rebate check from our health insurance carrier. As the employer, we pay the bulk of premiums, although employees who enroll for coverage do pay a portion of the cost. Are there restrictions on how we can use the rebate money?

Answer: Yes, there are restrictions on using the rebate. The details depend on a few factors.

Health insurers, including HMOs, are required to spend the majority of the premiums they collect on actual health benefits, excluding administration, marketing, and profit. The percentage of premium spent on claim payments and other benefits is called the medical loss ratio (MLR). The MLR standard is 80 percent in the small group market or 85 percent in the large group market (or the percentage set by state law).

Insurers that fail to meet the MLR standard are required to rebate (refund) the excess premium back to their policyholders.

Health plans sponsored by private-sector employers are subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), which imposes rules on the use of plan assets. In most cases, at least a portion of the rebate is a plan asset, so the ERISA rules apply. The Department of Labor (DOL) provides guidance to employers who receive MLR rebates.

First, the DOL guidance indicates that the employer may retain the rebate to use at its discretion, but only if the plan’s governing documents state that:

  • A rebate is an employer asset and is not a plan asset; and
  • The amount of the rebate is less than the employer’s total contribution during the relevant period.

Next, many plan documents and SPDs do not include the necessary language allowing the employer to retain the rebate. In that case, the DOL guidance requires the plan sponsor (employer) to use all or some of any rebate for the sole benefit of plan participants (employees, COBRA beneficiaries) based on the percentage of premium attributed to participant contributions.

For example, let’s assume the employer paid 80 percent of premium costs while the total of employee payroll deductions and COBRA payments represented the other 20 percent. That means that 20 percent of the rebate is an ERISA plan asset and must be used for the participants’ sole benefit, while the employer can use the other 80 percent as it chooses.

Here are a few options for using plan assets appropriately:

  • Provide additional plan benefits, such as reducing deductibles or copays.
  • Reduce future participant contributions, such as reducing future payroll deduction amounts and COBRA premiums or granting a premium holiday.

As an alternative, cash refunds can be made to the plan’s participants. Cash refunds are not advisable, however, due to tax consequences (unless the same participants had originally contributed the premium on an after-tax basis).

Note that rebates, or at least the portion that is a plan asset, should be used within three months of receiving the funds from the insurer. ERISA requires plan assets to be held in trust, but this requirement can be avoided by using the asset within three months.

Lastly, in special cases, such as plans sponsored by governmental employers or policies that are in the name of a plan or trust, the employer should review its options with legal counsel.

 

Photo by Ion Chiosea