What’s Going On with HR?
“What’s going on with HR?” you ask. Well, frankly, a LOT. Human Resources is a diverse collection of disciplines. We all love a succinct answer. In short, Human Resources includes anything that impacts the people working in and around the business and may even impact the vendors, clients, customers, and consultants to the company. But even that does not quite capture all that Human Resources is and does. So, to ask, “What’s going on with HR?” you can quickly see how expansive of a question that is. Rather than share all that is going on with HR, let us look at some current events occupying a lot of time, effort, and energy within Human Resources. While the industry, unique operations, organizational headcount, and revenue volume all impact the priorities of the HR function within each business, some commonalities have a high probability of being experienced by the largest number of HR functions across all industries, operations, headcounts, and revenue volumes. Talent Acquisition This is currently the most pressing issue facing businesses today. The sourcing, screening, interviewing, hiring, and onboarding of top talent to either grow the business, stabilize the business, or backfill positions vacated through voluntary or involuntary terminations is taking up an unbalanced and overwhelming amount of HR’s work today. The pandemic is a primary driver of the issue and not just because of the dangers to the health and even lives of the employee population. Many employees are resigning their positions not to go on unemployment or even to move to a competitor but instead because of their perception of how they were treated in the early stages of the pandemic when layoffs and closures happened; because of their perception of how they are being treated today with the controversies around masking, testing, and vaccinations; and because they have discovered during the layoffs in the early stages just what is important to them or the need and benefits of a better work/life balance; and so are leaving to go into different industries, open their own businesses, or into jobs they perceive will provide better opportunity to support themselves and their loved ones. Because of this, finding top talent and convincing them to join your organization is more challenging than ever before. We are further seeing massive exits from the workforce. There have been significant drops in the labor participation rate. Many attributed this to the pandemic alone, and that is not the case. We have known since the early 2000’s that the baby boomer generation would eventually retire. Up until February 2020, it appeared they would continue working far longer than any other generation in the workforce, but the pandemic did have an effect in accelerating the exit of Baby Boomers from the workforce. They began to ask themselves, “Is this really what I want to deal with in the twilight of my life? Isn’t family more important? Shouldn’t I enjoy all that I have built, gained, and acquired throughout my life rather than add more stress or risk my life and those I love by working through this pandemic?” So while the pandemic has affected the decline of labor participation, it is primarily the exit of a generation already known to be leaving the workforce that is having the significant impact we are seeing today. And with those exits, who is left to fill the void? If the labor participation rate decreases, Talent Acquisition has a big problem on its hands. They cannot recruit people who do not exist.” Total Rewards This is the second most time-consuming issue for many HR professionals today. Closely tied to Talent Acquisition and Talent Retention necessary to stave off or stem the tide of this Great Resignation, astute HR professionals are examining pay equity and pay parity. They are researching the benefits that are offered, and not just medical/dental/vision benefits but also all wellness initiatives, continued professional education coverage, and perks which make their employees’ lives easier. Many businesses are discovering they do not have the right combination in their total rewards program to obtain and retain top talent. There are adjustments that must be made, and some of these are costly. What is the alternative? Doing the same thing the same way and expecting a different result – well – we all know what that is. The only constant in business today is Change. HR professionals should be reexamining their total reward programs to improve the mix and meet or exceed organizational and employee needs. Talent Retention This is tied closely with Talent Acquisition and Total Rewards. It is what many businesses hope is an outcome of the efforts in Talent Acquisition and Total Rewards, and that is a mistake. Retention should be an initiative all its own. While the right Talent Acquisition and Total Rewards initiatives and strategies will have a significant and beneficial impact on Talent Retention, there is so much more to it. To retain talent, businesses must understand that people do not join a company exclusively for the role into which they are hired, they enter a company for that role and the potential for personal as well as professional growth. They look for increased responsibility, contribution to organizational success, giving back to the community, and income growth to achieve their own financial goals. While companies profess to provide this growth to employees, too many have been quick to replace employees before and even during this pandemic, and it has left a sour taste in the mouths of many employees. Businesses that are successful at reducing or eliminating the impact of the Great Resignation are genuinely focused on defining how they treated and currently treat their employee population differently and better than their competition; they provide a strong and positive culture that exemplifies caring and support for their people; they develop an active social cause employees welcome giving back to, and they clearly articulate a career path and the learning and development programs that will help their employees meet personal and professional objectives. While this
Salary History? Don’t Ask and Don’t Tell
Last July, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law a bill that prohibits employers from asking a candidate for their previous job salary history. Illinois is not alone. In the U.S., there are currently 17 statewide bans and 19 local ordinances that have acted against discussing salary history. With more states adopting these practices in the next 6-12 months, the question of “why?” comes to mind. Some municipalities, like Philadelphia, are choosing not to follow this mandate, arguing that taking away this question was inhibiting an employer’s First Amendment right to free speech. The fact remains that asking a candidate for their salary history allows for discrimination and does not always provide the top-quality candidate that companies spend thousands of dollars trying to find. As business leaders, hiring managers, and recruiters, we have to ask ourselves— is knowing a candidate’s salary history all that important? After all, we have a set compensation range (low-mid-high) that we have budgeted for an open position. If a candidate meets and exceeds the requirements, qualifications, and behaviors for the role and fits within the compensation range, does it matter? After all, both the employer and candidate win. Maybe the employer doesn’t get the “deal” they wanted or lower their expenses by getting the candidate for less than the compensation range. The candidate may also get a lot more in compensation than they received in their last position. Is that an adverse outcome? Or could it have the effect of engaging and motivating the new employee to increase his or her performance? Think back to your last interview. You were probably a little nervous being the center of attention, knowing that one key answer could land you a job or send you back to the drawing board. You did your research on the role and knew the range a prototypical person in this position would make, but the company has not divulged their compensation range for the job. Then they ask the dreaded question, “How much are you currently making, or what did you previously make?” Most employers assume these guided questions are to measure compatibility between past and future positions. However, for many candidates, this question feels like a trap. If the current salary is too high, the candidate could be pushed aside for being overpriced or overqualified. Indicate a range that is too low, and the candidate might receive less than the value of the job. There are also ethical questions at work. Shift the Conversation When examining questions regarding salary history, there is an opportunity for labor compliance violations. This question allows for disparate impact, which unknowingly discriminates against a group of people, especially women when compared to men for the same position. According to Business Insider, a Hispanic woman makes 53% of what a white male makes in a given year. These statistics vary by state, as some have enacted policies to close the wage gap, but the average data shows that this gap is still very much alive. Assigning a salary based on past employment earnings continues errors of the past rather than righting a wrong and determining the adequate compensation based on the position and responsibilities it brings. By creating laws prohibiting employers from inquiring about salary history, many states feel they are taking a step toward complying with the Federal Equal Pay Act of 1963 and attempting to close the wage gap. How do we move forward and continue to find ways to make sure the candidate matches the role if salary history is now out of the equation? Carolyn Cowper, V.P. of Performance and Rewards with The Segal Group in New York City, advises, “Shift the conversation to the candidate’s salary expectations rather than salary history, then move on to focus on the candidate’s skill set and qualifications for the role.” Recruiters now feel it necessary to ask the candidate what they think they are worth — taking a net worth of all their talents, experience, and assets that they will bring to a new position. For example, one person could make twice the salary of another but only have half of the work ethic and drive. When you take a deep dive into the backend of the hiring process, we see that salary history tells us very little. In a study done by Workplace Culture, they reported that 86% of millennials would take a pay cut if it meant working at a company with a better company culture. Work-life balance, a culture of advancement, and education reimbursements are often more important than compensation to today’s candidates. As a business, it is in your best interest to find people that share similar values and goals to help grow the company into the future. The Market is Speaking Many states agree that it does not matter how much you made in your past job. You should, instead, be getting paid the market price of the current position. Candidates should take it upon themselves to research the standard salary rate before going to the interview, and employers should also monitor this as well to see if they’re competitive. There are many online sources for these statistics (Salary.com, Glassdoor, and PayScale). Company leaders, hiring managers, and recruiters should ask the question by taking a “Total Rewards” approach: What is your desired base salary? Bonus? Benefits? Vacation? Other rewards (for example, educational reimbursement) and then let the discussion progress from there. As record low unemployment continues, and there are less skilled workers available for more increasingly skilled open positions, there are already hiring and employment trends happening that would have been unthinkable just 5-years ago — retention bonuses, extraordinary counteroffers, and even limiting background checks. Even Non-Compete Agreements are on the block. They are already not enforceable in 4 states (including California), and resistance is growing with a Senate bill introduced last year looking for a nationwide ban. In such an environment, it stands to reason that asking for a candidate’s salary history and other employer-favored actions will become history. Be prepared.