The Employers' Association
 
 An E-newsletter for TEA Members
Business peopleEXECUTIVE UPDATE
TopAugust 28, 2014 Volume 34, Issue 12
In This Issue
TEA Welcomes New Partner: Health Care Advocate
How to Get the Best Return on Your Survey Investment
Why Teams Continue to be the Future of Healthy High Performing Work Cultures
Resume Reading: Terms that are Major Turn-Offs
Quick Links
  
  
  

Upcoming Programs

  

September

  

  9 - The Hiring and On 

       Boarding Process

  9 - Fall HR Skills Certificate 

       begins

10 - MIOSHA Creating a 

       Positive Culture

11 - Introduction to 

       Supervision (class full)

12 - CPR Certification & First 

       Aid

16 - HR Recordkeeping & 

       Documentation

17 - Effective 
       Communication
17 - Situational Leadership 
       & One Minute Manager

18 - Fall Core Leadership 

       Skills begins

23 - Basic Blueprint Reading 24 - HR Policy Writing and 
       Handbook Development

24 - Feedback Fundamentals

26 - Introduction to 

       Supervision (Holland)

30 - Fundamentals of FMLA


Click on dates for more information or refer to the 2014-2015 Training programs schedule here.

Legal Briefing - Beyond the Headlines

Legal  
Presented by Rhoades McKee attorneys

9/19/14

7:30 - 9:00 a.m.

 

This members only briefing provides a practical breakdown of recent court decisions and agency guidance, as well as offer helpful tips you can implement immediately.


Limited to the first 40 participants!!

More details.

Simulcast Event

October 8, 2014
11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Prince Conference Center

featuring Mark Sanborn, CSP, CPAE

 

Lead Like Fred

Lessons for Extraordinary Leadership

 

Based on Mark's international bestselling book, The Fred Factor, and the sequel, Fred 2.0, this insightful leadership keynote presentation uncovers the secrets of extraordinary leadership. Mark explores how leaders can engage anyone in their organization to create added value, build better relationships and make a bigger, bolder difference.

 

More details & registration.

Stay Connected with Us!!

 

Find us on Facebook  View our profile on LinkedIn  Follow us on Twitter  Visit our blog  View our videos on YouTube

President Dave SmithFrom the President - 

The Future is Now (Will You be Left Behind?)

 

Once recognized by how well we could "make things" (as evidenced by our diversity in manufacturing), our region is transforming itself into an incubator of ideas by utilizing traditional methodology to create innovative products and services.  Education, once a privilege, has become a necessity if individuals expect to find work within this changed world.  Life-long learning is a requirement for advancement (or even job retention) within our tech-driven world.  A Career Readiness Certificate (part of our high school testing process) is becoming a requirement for employment rather than something that might simply open the door for an interview. 

 

No longer able to thrive by servicing a local market, business must now compete on an international stage.  Organizations thinking about change are probably too late in their transformation - they have already been left behind to pick up the pieces abandoned by more proactive peers.  Unless we (as individuals) proactively and intentionally move forward, we will find ourselves drifting upon a becalmed sea without hope or direction - without a course we can chart that would take us from where we are to where we might wish to be.  Unless we identify AND move towards new opportunities as they present themselves, we will live like gulls as they scavenge through the debris that others have left behind.

 

Lost in the call for change is the definition of reality.  Should we prepare for the future by dwelling on what may have worked in the past to accomplish what needed to be done or by seeking new avenues and processes that might lead us to destinations that have yet to be realized?  Far too many people look into the tunnel rather than beyond it.  Every tunnel, however, provides two perspectives.  One can look into a tunnel as if it were a portal into the darkness, not knowing where it may lead OR as an entrance to the possibilities revealed when we look beyond the tunnel into new horizons.  To succeed within a changing environment we must look back just long enough to acknowledge our shortcomings, analyzing why our actions may have caused undesirable reactions.  Understanding yesterday's mistakes and acting to prevent them from recurring allows them to become tomorrow's memories rather than a predictor of future reality.

 

The only way we can thrive is by learning to accept the previously unacceptable - to innovate rather than dwelling in the comfort of our accomplishments.  We once sought knowledge so we could perform a job by applying our "learning" to known, well-defined situations.  Today we must learn to think rather than simply thinking that we can "do as expected".  We must move away from rewarding effort towards recognizing accomplishment.  We must strengthen teams by insuring there is competent leadership driving them towards the fulfillment of missional objectives.  We must accept the reality that people's abilities are not equal (so do not treat them as if they were).  Greatness comes from leveraging the power of divergent thoughts, gifts and individual perspectives to create a consensus solution that will accomplish much more than could been individually imagined - from treating individuals differently while measuring their performance against defined standards rather than comparing them to each other.   

 

West Michigan is becoming a globally competitive leader by doing what we always do - innovating, creating, recognizing and responding to opportunity.  Embracing the possibilities an uncertain future offers is much more productive than worrying about things we cannot control or obsessing over change that will happen with or without us!  Knowledge is power that, when utilized appropriately (ethically, consistently and with the good of the whole as a guiding principle) allows us to accomplish much BUT it can be gained ONLY when we seek (and act upon) opportunities to learn.  TEA has been offering practical HR Solutions designed to promote excellence for more than 75 years.  Let us help you chart your personal path to greatness!

 

Visit our BLOG (Dave's Deliberations) to view recent posts.

2014/15 TEA's Local Wage & Salary Survey Questionnaires

 

Coming Soon

 

Participate and receive a FREE copy of West Michigan's most comprehensive wage & salary survey report.  Check your email for instructions soon.


Thank you for your participation in our Pay Trends Survey. Watch for results early September.


Questions? Contact Marla at 698.1167.

HRG September Meeting


Topic:  Workforce Development Strategy for our Evolving Economy

Presented by: Diane Wong
 
September 18, 2014
Watermark Country Club
7:30 - 9:30 a.m.

 

More details to follow.

Michigan Minimum Wage Increase Reminder 


Don't Forget

 Starting September 1, 2014, Michigan's minimum wage will increase. This change will require you to post the new, updated state minimum wage poster.

 

Click here for the most recent updates. To order Labor Law Posters, please visit our store for more options. 


Questions? Contact Marla at 698.1167.

 


Providing practical solutions to Human Resource-related issues BEFORE they escalate into legal problems.

TEA Welcomes New Partner: Health Care Advocate

by Rob Strate, SPHR, Director of HR Services

   

We are pleased to announce a new addition to our Valued Partner Program, Health Plan Advocate (HPA).  HPA is a health management and wellness group that has provided services to employers since 2001 and offers a wide range of health and wellness options tailored to employer needs. HPA works on behalf of their members to assist in controlling costs and improve their health and well-being.

 
For new clients, HPA offers a 10% discount for the first year's services and TEA members will receive a free evaluation and proposal.  For more information about the advantages of working with the corporate wellness specialists at HPA, click here or contact Toni at 616.575.0211 x108.
 
 

How to Get the Best Return on Your Survey Investment

by Maggie McPhee, PHR, Director of Information Services

   

We all know that labor costs are the largest "cost" to any organization.  How to manage those dollars allocated to labor (i.e. talent) and developing your philosophy to support that plan is a major factor in establishing (or re-establishing) the culture for your organization.  Do it well and your retention will be high (and your turnover low), do it poorly and your retention will be low (and your turnover high).  Understanding the local employment market is key to helping any organization manage this tightrope - TEA's annual Wage & Salary Survey is this areas premier tool to help members stay on top and balance the needs of attracting and retaining talent.


TEA is currently preparing to send out our annual Wage & Salary Survey Questionnaire.  In order for this survey to remain the number one tool used in compensation planning we would like to offer some suggestions to help you get the most from the time investment of completing the survey.

  • If possible, have the same person complete the survey that did it last year.
  • If you would like to have a copy of what data you submitted last year, please contact Marla or Maggie in the Information Services area.
  • Become familiar with the job families so that your data is entered in the most appropriate job (utilizing the job descriptions).
  • If a job has dual responsibilities in more than one area put the data in the job where the majority of the functions occur.  Questions?  Call us.
  • Enter all the data requested - number of incumbents, highest rate paid, lowest rate paid, average.
  • Enter any variable/bonus pay for all jobs that receive it.

TEA has provided invaluable wage and salary information to West Michigan employers for the past 75 years.  There are over 400 jobs in the Wage & Salary questionnaire, spanning a wide variety of industries and job families.  Our surveys help members to be competitive and effective in a number of ways including:

  • Hiring
  • Promotions
  • Internal equity adjustments
  • Benchmark and design comprehensive compensation programs

TEA's Wage & Salary survey provides data breakouts based on industry, size, geography and union/non-union.  We also provide quartile data (25th/75th) and data on variable pay.  We have the professional staff that can interpret the data and help you find the best match for your jobs.


 
Thank you in advance for supporting TEA as we provide you with HR Solutions that promote operational excellence.  Please contact us if you have any questions or are unsure where something should be reported!


 
back to top

Why Teams Continue to be the Future of Healthy High Performing Work Cultures

by Ron Scott, SPHR, Director of Training & Member Engagement

 

The future is talent management and maximizing the resources you have. To be competitive is to have self directed people work teams willing to address the brutal reality of their market and collaborate as a high performing team.

 

Casey Stengel, the fabled baseball coach, once said, "Gettin' good players is easy, gettin 'em to play together is the hard part."  If we can maximize the teams we have with a higher level of accountability, the organization will perform at a higher level with less structure.  Below are important steps to consider when building high performing teams. 

  1. Individual team members need to see the value of working together. Superstars are already successful and many times do not see the value of collaborating with their peers. It is important that you hire people who value working with others rather than competing. As Jim Collins discovered from his research for the book, "Good to Great," half the battle is getting the "right people on the bus." If a team member is not a team player and cannot be coached into one, either move him into a solo contributor role or move him out of the organization and find a better player.
  2. Establish clear goals for the team that are big, stretching and are understood by each team member. Without goal clarity, it's difficult to galvanize the attention and direct the energy of a team. Interestingly, one mistake many chief executives make is to think that they personally must come up with the goals for a team. In fact, if an executive enlists the aid of her direct reports in goal setting and prioritization, there will be much more buy-in and enthusiasm.
  3. Create an environment for honest communication. Honest communication is raw and starts with "this is what I see happening, can you help me understand your perspective?" The more issues that are covered up, disregarded or not given attention to, the more the team will have a propensity to divide, segregate and pull back from the established goals that have been set.  People want to be able to bring up their concerns, ideas and thoughts without fear of judgment, disdain or disregard.
  4. Being willing to commit and "trust" the plan we have is the plan that we are all going to work from.  The team decides on a plan of action. It is critical that debate happens beforehand once the team decides to go with a plan, no one should passive aggressively or overtly subvert the plan.
  5. Lean into accountability. It is important to lean into one another and call each other out if a team member is not "participating or holding back information". If you do not hold people accountable, there will be the natural tendency to ignore the rules when it suits the needs of the individual. Accountability needs to be talked about openly and frequently in order for it to be normalized.
  6. Celebrate achievement of results:  When goals are set and results are met, it is important to celebrate and recognize results.  Highly effective teams expect to reach their goals and see results.  It is still important to recognize the results as a motivator to continuous performance.

TEA offers a new Team Dimension training programs that incorporates a team assessment profile. We also offer training onsite for intact teams.

 

back to top

Resume Reading: Terms that are Major Turn-Offs

by Rob Strate, SPHR, Director of HR Services

   

In preparation for an upcoming Employee Selection training program that I'll be conducting for the hiring managers at one of our member companies, I reviewed the portion of the program material that deals with the screening of resumes.  At this point in the selection process we suggest sorting resumes into three piles: "Yes" (the candidate appears to have most or all of the qualifications we're looking for); "No" (the candidate has few if any of the qualifications required) and "Maybe" (the candidate has some key qualifications but not enough to put into the "Yes" pile). When deciding into which pile to place resumes, we discuss various "red flags" to look for such as too much or too little information provided, significant gaps in employment history and length of employment, spelling and grammatical errors, a poorly organized resume, etc. 


A recent CareerBuilder survey conducted by Harris Poll that included responses from 2,200 hiring managers and HR representatives gives additional clues when screening resumes. There were 17 terms that were identified as major turn-offs on resumes.  The main problem with the terms outlined below?  They help candidates talk a big game but usually result in a lack of proof that the job seekers' achieved any actual results.


Here are the worst turn-off terms that can be found on resumes, according to the survey:

  1. Best of breed - identified by 38% of HR/hiring pros
  2. Go-getter - 27%
  3. Think outside of the box - 26%
  4. Synergy - 22%
  5. Go-to person - 22%
  6. Thought leadership - 16%
  7. Value add - 16%
  8. Results-driven - 16%
  9. Team player - 15%
  10. Bottom-line - 14%
  11. Hard worker - 13%
  12. Strategic thinker - 12%
  13. Dynamic - 12%
  14. Self-motivated - 12%
  15. Detail-oriented - 11%
  16. Proactively - 11%
  17. Track record - 10%

Survey participants also shared the terms they want to see.  These are terms HR/hiring pros thought helped candidates better convey past job results or performance:

  1. Achieved - 52%
  2. Improved - 48%
  3. Trained/Mentored - 47%
  4. Managed - 44%
  5. Created - 43%
  6. Resolved - 40%
  7. Volunteered - 35%
  8. Influenced - 29%
  9. Increased/Decreased -28%
  10. Ideas - 27%
  11. Negotiated - 25%
  12. Launched - 24%
  13. Revenue/Profits - 23%
  14. Under budget - 16%
  15. Won - 13%

It is no secret that the most successful organizations excel in attracting and retaining top talent at all levels, from entry level positions through upper management.  TEA can make a difference in the critical employee selection process by conducting onsite training programs, providing pre-employment testing and background checking resources and by referring members to our Employee Solutions group of staffing and recruitment partners.  For more information on any of these programs, please contact Rob Strate at [email protected] or 616.698.1167.


 

This newsletter is published at 5570 Executive Parkway SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan as a general information service to all members and offers data from many sources. It is not designed to render legal advice or opinion. Such advice may only be given when related to actual situations. Our staff can assist you in interpreting and applying this information to your needs.  For questions or replies to this newsletter, email [email protected].  
 
NOTE ABOUT SAFEUNSUBSCRIBE:  If your company is a TEA member and you unsubscribe, you will no longer receive ANY TEA e-communications.  If someone else should be receiving this information, please email [email protected] and we will update our records.