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Now that we are hitting winter hours and get even less sunlight…it’s time to light it up! Employees who work in buildings without windows or in cubicles in the middle of a floor are susceptible to light deprivation disorder (LDD). Study after study has shown the benefit of increasing employee’s exposure to sunlight and non-fluorescent lighting. LDD symptoms can include insomnia, napping, depression, and lethargy. Even a corner office is still unlikely to get the 2,500 lux (the level of light the sun emits during daytime hours) that your body needs to be fully functional.

For more information about LDD or Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), go to www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/seasonalaffectivedisorder.html andwww.lighttherapyproducts.com/articles.html. To learn how you can improve lighting at a computer workstation, click on www.nih.gov/od/ors/ds/ergonomics/lighting.html.

Don Phin, Esq. is VP of Strategic Business Solutions at ThinkHR, which helps companies resolve urgent workforce issues, mitigate risk and ensure HR compliance. Phin has more than three decades of experience as an HR expert, published author and speaker, and spent 17 years in employment practices litigation. For more information, visit www.ThinkHR.com.

In today’s knowledge economy, you need well-trained workers to leverage your bottom line. Training can be either technically or emotionally based. Although it’s relatively easy to provide technical instruction through written or computer-based resources, emotional training often requires people to communicate with each other directly, often in conjunction with online training.

To develop and maintain effective training programs, we recommend these guidelines:

1.     Create a training system. Commit to training as a process, rather than an event. Set clear standards for your hard and soft skill-set needs. Create a strategic plan, budget, and schedule.

2.     Provide the right tools. Not all training resources are created equal. You want to examine the user experience of the training platform (Learning Management System) as well as the content available.

3.     Follow up. If one-time training worked, you could ride a bike after reading a single book on bicycling. Provide a continuing process to help employees incorporate what they learn during the training experience.

4.     Offer incentives. Give your employees rewards or payoffs for their participation in training programs. These incentives can be either financial or non-monetary perks (dinners, entertainment tickets, and so forth). Reward and reinforce the learning experience so that the employee wants to repeat it.

5.     Leverage training. Whenever an employee gains a valuable insight during a training session, encourage them to share this information with co-workers who it might affect. Multiply the impact of training by having workers immediately use what they’ve learned to help the company run more effectively.

6.     Know who pays. It can be hard to determine whether a worker or their company should pick up the tab for third-party employee training. Here are some brief pointers on the legal obligations involved:

• An employer must compensate for mandatory training time unless it’s directly related to professional licensing;
• Time spent on voluntary training is not compensable if it’s outside normal working hours and not directly related to the employee’s job. For example, training a programmer on using a current application is compensable; paying for an MBA program so the employee can become a future manager is not;
• Training that directly benefits an employer is always compensable. For example, new-hire training on welding procedures on an object eventually purchased by a client is compensable; voluntary welding training that results in no end product is not.
• Training expenses can be reimbursed on a pro-rata basis if an employee agrees to do so beforehand and leaves the company a short time afterwards. So, if the employee goes through a year-long training program that costs the company $10,000 and they take another job a month later, it’s appropriate to demand reimbursement for most, if not all, of this expense;
• An employer that operates a for-fee training program cannot use completion of the program as a condition of hire.

7.     Sell it to all stakeholders. Know that you have a sales job to do so that you have the full support of executives, managers and employees. This means you must show the benefit to each group that exceeds the value of the time and money commitment.

There you have it. The basic, yet powerful, formula for training success!

Don Phin, Esq. is VP of Strategic Business Solutions at ThinkHR, which helps companies resolve urgent workforce issues, mitigate risk and ensure HR compliance. Phin has more than three decades of experience as an HR expert, published author and speaker, and spent 17 years in employment practices litigation. For more information, visit www.ThinkHR.com.

Demographic studies reinforce our daily experience: it’s getting harder and harder to find good employees — but not for everyone! Whether you’re a local contractor or national airline, there’s an employer of choice in every market; these companies find good people knocking on their door because they enjoy a high Attractiveness Factor. For example, Southwest Airlines is probably getting far more qualified candidates than United, American, and Delta because they have a business model and culture that attracts employees, rather than repels them.

Survey after survey reveals that one third to one half of the employees in any industry are looking for a better employer — a far higher figure than the 5% to 15% unemployment rate in those industries. Why would these people, who already have jobs, leave to come work for you? Your Attractiveness Factor is related directly to the job satisfaction of your existing employees. Great Places to Work Institute Award winners have an 82% satisfaction level. You can bet that the recruiting offices in these companies have a far easier time than their competitors.

To improve your Attractiveness Factor, we’d recommend these steps:

• Put the right people on every seat of the bus. No excuses. Nothing upsets team members more than management placing the wrong employee on their team — especially without their input. Have the discipline required to hire only the best.
• Have your employees market on your behalf. Referrals from existing employees are a great source of leads. Also, get employees involved in the hiring process by using such tools as group interviews.
• Show employees that you care by asking them what they need to be successful and take pride in their work. This applies even when they’re leaving. On average, one dissatisfied customer will tell seven people about their grievance — and it’s no different with a dissatisfied employee. When you terminate someone, do it with grace and understanding. Conduct exit interviews to address any potential resentment that might fester into a lawsuit or negative social media campaign.
• Brand your company as a great place to work. Southwest Airlines brands the fact that their employees Love the Work They Do Every Day. Zappos states on its hiring page “Sure, we know that Zappos is a phenomenal place to work but it’s pretty cool when others recognize how great our company is too. Learn more about the awards, news features, benefits and incredible perks that set our company apart.” Now that’s branding! What’s your brand? How do you show and tell it?
• Lighten up. Whether you label it fun, joy, love, or nonsense, find a way to whistle while you work! Many of us are looking for that something extra out of our daily grinds. Tap into that opportunity and you’ll increase your Attractiveness Factor!

Don Phin, Esq. is VP of Strategic Business Solutions at ThinkHR, which helps companies resolve urgent workforce issues, mitigate risk and ensure HR compliance. Phin has more than three decades of experience as an HR expert, published author and speaker, and spent 17 years in employment practices litigation. For more information, visit www.ThinkHR.com.

Recruitment bonuses can be a powerful tool for growing your workforce. To set an effective price point for employee referral bonuses, consider:

• The cost of using recruiters (up to 25% of the employee’s first-year salary)
• The rate of turnover in the position
• The income generated by the position
• How strong the need is to find the employee
• How much your competitors’ referral programs are paying

Now that you have a referral amount in mind:

• Define the skills, experience, and personality desired on a one-page sheet that employees can use to describe the job opportunity. This reduces the variance in describing the opportunity.
• On a separate sheet, give them a place to fill in follow up contact information for job prospects.
• Consider paying the bonus in installments (for example, 1/6 every 30 days). Make it clear that the total award will be paid only if the new employee works the full six months.
• Some companies include vendors, customers, clients, and others in this process using the same approach. The only caveat here is to watch potential conflicts of interest.

One company that hires predominately customer service reps gives every CSR a stack of business cards so that when they interact with someone who offers good service, they can hand them a card. The back of the card says something to the effect of, “You’ve given me good service today. Our company is always looking for people who can provide good service. If you’re interested, contact us at (123) 456-5678 or go to company.com.” It’s important to provide guidelines for avoiding conflicts of interest. The last thing you want your employees to do is hand those cards out at a client’s office!

Don Phin, Esq. is VP of Strategic Business Solutions at ThinkHR, which helps companies resolve urgent workforce issues, mitigate risk and ensure HR compliance. Phin has more than three decades of experience as an HR expert, published author and speaker, and spent 17 years in employment practices litigation. For more information, visit www.ThinkHR.com.