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In today’s episode of RelTalk, Michelle and Maria talk to special guest Valerie Bowden, who is originally from Indiana and has experience working in HR. She shares her insights on sourcing talent internationally and why outsourcing is a smart move for filling critical positions. She also discusses her experience living in Ethiopia and working to help make it an outsourcing hub. Valerie also talks about the benefits of remote work and how it can open up the talent pool to include international workers. She then joins our hosts in a discussion regarding the importance of getting out of your comfort zone and gaining new perspectives in order to better integrate diversity and inclusion policies in the workplace. The Finer Details of this Episode: Valerie’s experience living in Ethiopia Helping to establish Ethiopia as an outsourcing hub The benefits of remote work Hiring internationally The importance of getting out of your comfort zone  Gaining new perspectives for diversity and inclusion in the workplace Quotes: "When you outsource internationally, you do have the opportunity to tap into a much larger talent pool and find people who have a different skill set or a different perspective." "Living in Ethiopia and being involved in the outsourcing industry there taught me a lot about the value of different perspectives and different ways of thinking." "Remote work can open up the talent pool to include people from all over the world, which is really exciting." "Getting out of your comfort zone and gaining new perspectives can help organizations better integrate diversity and inclusion policies." "Diversity and inclusion are important for so many reasons, but one of the key benefits is that it can lead to better decision-making and more creative solutions." Links: REL Talent: HR Consulting Email REL Talent REL Talent on LinkedIn

In this week’s episode of the RelTalk series, Maria and Michelle once again welcome AJ Vollmoeller. AJ is a tenured recruiter and current staffing agency owner. He’s also a resume writing and career services advisor and the author of ‘How To NOT Get Hired.’ If you’re looking for an insider perspective on recruiting, AJ is your go-to guy. First, AJ starts by shedding some light on what a job recruiter’s role actually is. As he nicely puts it, recruiters are on your side - they want the best possible outcome for both you and the company. So, don’t pretend to be someone you’re not during your first interview. Be yourself and show your personality. Next, AJ shares some valuable tips for acing any first job interview with a company. According to him, you shouldn’t lie to get in for one specific role because the recruiter may have something else that’s even a better fit for your actual skillset. Finally, Maria, Michelle, and AJ address the current market environment and the real reason why companies are losing employees at a rapid pace. The Finer Details of This Episode: Recruiters are on your side The importance of showing your personality Tips for the first job interview Being honest Higher-level positions Discussing the new environment in tech Quotes: “You never know waking up what you're going to get, what market shift is going to happen, what the new headline or the new trend or the new TikTok trend is going to be.” “Recruiters, whether they're internal at the company you're applying directly to, or on the staffing agency side, they're on your side.” “Don't lie. Don't fabricate. Be honest and truthful, especially to the recruiter.” “It's not polishing a lie at all. It is stating what you're comfortable telling.” “Sometimes people just don't connect. As long as you connect with that recruiter, you feel they're doing good; you get the warm and fuzzies about them, work with that recruiter and see where it goes from there.” “When you have a transition like that overnight, there's going to be 5% of your staff, 10% of your staff that is not well versed or just can't grasp working from home.” “If you're losing workers because you're still what I would consider to be an old-school type of culture, that's on you. The writing has been on the wall.” Show Links: REL Talent: HR Consulting Email REL Talent REL Talent on LinkedIn AJ Vollmoeller on LinkedIn

In this week’s episode, Doug Levin joins Maria and Michelle on the RelTalk series. Doug is the Owner of JobStars, a platform dedicated to delivering top-notch career services for professionals of all industries and experience levels. He's also a certified professional resume writer and a career coach. Doug knows the ins and outs of resume writing, and he’s happy to share his wisdom with the world.  First, Doug talks about the most common mistake that people make when writing their resumes. They overstuff it with graphics and unnecessary content. This can cause issues with applicant tracking systems that companies use to manage the flow of applications - so, make your resume ATS-friendly. Then, Doug continues to unpack some of the key tips for making your resume stand out. As he points out, you shouldn’t neglect the importance of structure and formatting when creating your curriculum. Finally, Doug explains why you need to first reflect on who you are as a professional before finding suitable jobs to apply for. Once you know what you bring to the table, it’ll be much easier to find your ideal position. The Finer Details of This Episode: Doug’s introduction Making your resume ATS-friendly The importance of resume structure and formatting Knowing your values How to convey your values Getting your resume together Quotes: “The important thing to think about as a job seeker to remember is that these systems automate the process oftentimes of evaluating your resume. So before your resume ever gets to the eyeballs of a human being, it’s going through this applicant tracking system.” “When you kind of try to pretty up the resume, it might look good to the human or viewer, but at the same time, it can cause issues with the applicant tracking system.” “You want to paint the picture for the reader of what was this person's scope of responsibility.” “Once you know those things, you know your seniority level, you know your functional role and you know the industry specialization. At that point, it's selecting the right keywords, the right core competencies, and the right kind of language to just align with those types of roles.” “Definitely, it takes some work to have a conversation, explore things, ask difficult challenging questions, and then once you do that, oftentimes the client provides all this really valuable information, and we can formulate it into a powerful message. ” Show Links: REL Talent: HR Consulting Email REL Talent REL Talent on LinkedIn JobStars Website Doug Levin on LinkedIn

Join Maria and Michelle for today’s short REL Talk episode, where they discuss how things have quickly shifted from an employee’s market to an employer’s market. Much of this is due to predictions of an impending recession, but the fourth quarter also plays into it a bit. Where applicants could, during and immediately following COVID, make more demands of potential employers and even had their pick of multiple options, this is no longer the case. Now applicants need to stand out. Today’s episode is the first in a series, where our hosts plan to spend 20-30 minutes on each step of the recruiting process. So don’t miss today’s episode of this new series! In each episode, Michelle and Maria will offer three to four tips to help applicants find success. The Finer Details of This Episode: Where demand is low, you must stand out Look attractive on paper Does your professional social media align? Get past the screener Should you hire a professional? Quotes: “Organizations are being overly cautious and we’re starting to see some layoffs.” “This is a great time for everybody to get their resume in order.” “You’re probably not going to get headhunted unless you are in a really critical position that’s hard to fill, or in senior leadership or executive positions, which are almost always hunted.” “You have to look attractive on paper.” “What are those key words you’re using to describe your experience and skill, and do they link back to the keywords that are part of the job description?” “You also want to make sure that your professional social media… are aligned and have the same message that you are presenting through the applicant tracking system.” “We highly recommend, if you’ve been searching aggressively for more than three months, that you seriously consider reaching out to a professional. Whether it is us at REL Talent, one of our partners, or people that we collaborate with, reach out to someone to get help either with your resume, the screening process, or the hiring process.” “Find a way to talk to a recruiter to get feedback.” “Even when…you’re not looking, this is a good time to sit with recruiters and get some insights.” Show Links: REL Talent: HR Consulting Email REL Talent REL Talent on LinkedIn

In this week’s episode, Maria and Michelle continue their RelTalk series about the workplace buzzwords, such as quiet firing, quiet quitting, Great Resignation, etc. We’ve been hearing about these buzzwords everywhere lately, but what is really happening? What is changing the world of work? And how can companies discover the root of the problem and stack the odds in their favor? Tune into this episode to get some helpful insight from Maria and Michelle. They open up the episode by addressing the impact of current world affairs on the working world. From the global pandemic to the unprecedented rise in social unrest, there are many reasons why workers around the globe are deciding to put their foot down and finally walk away from toxic jobs. But unfortunately, some employers haven’t been able to deal with these challenges adequately, and they’ve only managed to dig the hole deeper through unfair stay bonuses and ultimatums. To help out, Maria and Michelle share some proven tips for leaders who want to turn the situation around. So, if you’re looking for some advice on how to become a desirable employer that attracts employees instead of chasing them away, make sure you tune into this episode today. The Finer Details of This Episode: The impact of current world events on the work environment The mixed feelings after quitting a job Why stay bonuses and employer traps are not a good idea Digging the hole deeper as an employer The purpose of unionization Discussing the roles of the HR department and the leaders Quotes: “People are living through some pretty extreme conditions. And because of that, it's forced people to have to be able to sit in their lives, and in some cases sit in their house by themselves and the lives that they've created.” “It's exciting and scary. So it's exciting because opportunities are popping up around the world. It is scary because there are lots of really talented people looking for jobs right now.” “You're digging the hole deeper; they're already disengaged. They're already frustrated at the belief that they can't change their environment. They are already stressed out because they don't see development opportunities in their near future.” “If HR has brought these items as areas of opportunities and attention to you, as they've been coming up, or in surveys and assessments, and you select not to do anything because of the financial constraints or risks to your organization, you have created this problem for yourself. And now it's going to cost you more money.” “People are willing to work in a way that works for their life; they are no longer willing to work in one way. ” “Here's the problem - most companies don't want to say they have a problem.” Show Links: REL Talent: HR Consulting Email REL Talent REL Talent on LinkedIn

Join Maria and Michelle today as they dive deep into another buzzword that has taken the business world by storm - quiet firing. If you haven’t been living under a rock lately, you’ve probably heard about the two popular workplace buzzwords: quiet quitting and quiet firing. But what do these two newly coined terms refer to? Today, we’re going to hear what Maria and Michelle have to say about quiet firing and what managers can do about it before it’s too late. In this episode of the RELTalk, they start off by explaining these two concepts and where they came from. Next, Michelle explains why quiet firing is actually a sign of weak leadership and passive aggression. Instead of neglecting employees, managers need to find the confidence to have open and honest conversations with them. Michelle goes on to share a few useful tips for leaders who are struggling with disengaged employees. She recommends honest conversation as the number one strategy for tackling quiet firing. Let’s normalize open communication and get rid of toxic workplace cultures once and for all. The Finer Details of This Episode: Quiet quitting vs. quiet firing Weak leadership Why HR often gets a bad reputation Common misconceptions about HR Advice for leaders The importance of open communication Quotes: “The idea of quite quitting is when someone gives the bare minimum, like, ‘I could do this much without getting in trouble, and that's how much I'm going to do when I come to work every day.’” “The idea behind quiet firing is when you, as the leader, want someone gone, but you are not willing or able to actually terminate them. So instead, you create work situations that are so bad in their mind that they quit themselves.” “Cutting someone's hours versus having a conversation, again, makes you a coward; suck it up and do your job.” “That's the reason that HR gets a bad rap from employees is because in larger HR corporate environments, what they see is HR constantly supporting a manager in the company and not there to support the employee. It always feels like they are skewed to believe the boss versus what they're hearing from the employee.” “We make recommendations on the fact that we see the big picture, and we have that knowledge. We don't tell people what to do.” “If people would just have a conversation with someone about their performance, we wouldn't all be jumping to termination or quiet firing.” Show Links: REL Talent: HR Consulting Email REL Talent REL Talent on LinkedIn

Join Michelle and Maria with their special guest, John, for today’s episode on “quiet quitting”. This phenomenon has been in the news quite a bit lately and it’s been gaining traction. While it is often framed as an employee problem, Michelle and John believe it can also be caused by the employer and the organization. Since quiet quitting can really affect your business, REL Talk wants to address it, help you understand it, and provide suggestions and tips for how to proactively prevent quiet quitting from happening on your watch. They also recommend an invaluable book for more details about quiet quitting, that also includes more tips, tricks, and solutions than what can fit into a 30-minute podcast. The Finer Details of This Episode: The definition of quiet quitting Who are the quiet quitters and what is their motivation? Baby boomers (and their work ethic) are no longer the majority in the workforce What is the job of the leader/supervisor? What causes the shift? How DE&I plays into quiet quitting Are all quiet quitters the same type of individual? Quotes: “Quiet quitting is the concept of doing the bare minimum that you need to do, in order to not get fired.” “Baby boomers were like, all in. They were going to give 150%.” “That’s not the case anymore. I think younger people have realized that. And especially through the pandemic and even inflation right now, when companies are boasting about record profits and saying they don’t have money for raises… like, you can’t do both.” “Is it the fault of the company for not engaging the employee? Or should the employee be getting in trouble for doing exactly what their job description says they’re supposed to do?” “Your job as a leader is to make sure your team is engaged and motivated in the right role.” “I promise: people don’t go from trying to make you and your department look like a rock star to giving the bare minimum overnight, without having some element of frustration… you need to find out what is happening.” “Here’s how you be proactive. Go look at those job descriptions and the expectations of the roles. Because I promise you, you’re asking for more than you’re paying them.” “They’re okay with you paying them what their job is worth. They’re not okay with being asked to do more than you’re willing to pay.” “So the reality is, as a leader…, you’re going to have to assess everyone individually, just like you would with any employee and address it based on where that person is.” Show Links: REL Talent: HR Consulting Email REL Talent REL Talent on LinkedIn

Join Maria and Michelle today as they share some effective tips for building an effective onboarding process. Now you may be wondering where to start and what is the first thing you should do. Always ask yourself: what am I trying to achieve in this process? Then, consider the six Cs of a successful onboarding process which Michelle addresses in this episode:  culture, connection, clarification, compliance, competence, and confidence. Next, they proceed to share the seven steps to building a better onboarding process. As Michelle nicely puts it, these steps are the building blocks of onboarding success. As you put your onboarding together, Michelle suggests you make sure you weave your culture into it instead of just stating your values in an opening document or statement. What’s also vital to understand is that you should always be open to making necessary adjustments as you go because the world is changing at a rapid pace - as the world changes, it’s inevitable that your employees will change with it. Michelle and Maria conclude the episode by encouraging you to reassess and revamp your onboarding process when needed. Establish your building blocks individually, and then weave them all together to set your new hires up for success.  The Finer Details of This Episode: The importance of setting a clear onboarding goal The six Cs of a successful onboarding process The seven building blocks of onboarding success Making the pre-boarding process more engaging Weaving your culture into the onboarding process Adjusting your company to a new environment Quotes: “There are always commonalities in the world… one of those being that onboarding is seen as a checklist of activities that you are required to do by some internal or external deciding party.” “Think about that as it relates to your compliance. Are you checking a box, or are you actually teaching your people to be better?” “Two podcasts ago, we gave you tips on how to do some research to assess whether or not your onboarding was effective. That particular podcast… will now help you to write your business case for why you need to address onboarding.” “You do need to shake things up just a little bit by including something that, instead of being a handbook with 20,000 words, is a really quick video with lots of employees, talking about how they see the organization.” “Orientation is about nothing other than who we are and how we behave. That means it's your purpose, it's your vision, it's your mission, it's your values, it’s your organizational structure.” “I think of it more as a thread that ties all of this together versus being a call out.” “Onboarding is going to look different for every role.” “A vision is irrelevant if the people that work for you do not live that vision.” Show Links: REL Talent: HR Consulting Email REL Talent REL Talent on LinkedIn

Join Maria and Michelle for today’s episode as they discuss some things to consider when onboarding, teaching, and training through your organization. Has what needs to be learned changed or is it the way adults learn that is different these days? You know our hosts have their trademark strong opinions on a topic such as this and are ready to share them with you here today. They’ll go over a handful of principles, define what they are, why they’re important, and even offer some tips on how to prioritize things so that your organization and workforce avoid stagnation - more excellent information and advice from the wise professionals at REL Talent. The Finer Details of This Episode: Hybrid workforce Build in DE&I from the very beginning Prioritize inclusion Consider long onboarding timeframes Make training curriculums self-paced Quotes: “The minute you can take learning and apply it the way they like it, they are more likely to participate.” “Companies are either going to have to step it up or they’re going to lose it… If you haven’t figured out that remote or hybrid work is effective, you need to figure it out or you will start to lose potential talent.” “What you need to consider with hybrid or remote work…: how are you fully integrating them to understand the culture of your company?” “When you look at orientation and onboarding for new employees, you’ve got to come up with some creative ways to address those. One of the most common ones that we’re seeing right now is actual welcome kits.” “DE&I should be a part of your mission and vision.” “Current studies show that a 90-day onboarding program significantly lowers turnover rates.” “We’re not talking about 90 days of training; we’re talking about 40 hours of training…spread throughout 90 days, with recurring check-ins where we can make sure they’re getting what they need.” “When we say ‘self-paced’, …we’re saying that between the learner and the manager, in those recurring one-on-ones, that they can start making intelligent decisions about how quickly they go through stuff. Maybe there’s a quiz or test-out option.” Show Links: REL Talent: HR Consulting Email REL Talent REL Talent on LinkedIn

Keith joins Michelle and Maria in welcoming Heather Hansen to the show today to discuss authentic adaptability. Heather helps top global professionals show up, speak up and inspire action and change the world and is the author of the book Unmuted: How to Show Up, Speak Up, and Inspire Action. Today, Heather shares nuggets on how to foster effective communication between leaders and their teams. Heather starts by sharing the purpose of her book, explaining that the book was written to understand and promote good communication, which is built on more listening, rather than speaking. She also reveals that there are dangerous effects of language bias as it is often a result of deeper discrimination and explains the meaning of authentic adaptability and how we can remain true to our values even if we seem different every day. Heather concludes by sharing insightful tips to help leaders and teams develop good communication and action. The Finer Details of This Episode: Heather discusses her book, Unmuted The importance of listening rather than speaking What are the effects of language bias and linguistic discrimination? Exploring authentic adaptability How can leaders practice authentic adaptability? Making the change and growing Understanding your values Heather’s tips on developing teams and leaders Quotes: “My primary goal with the book was to inspire those who have not been speaking up in the world to begin sharing their brilliance. We've been listening to the same demographic for a long time, and as I look around the world today, I think this can't be it.” “We're facing so many extreme crises all over the world in all different areas, from the environment to political conflict. I just refuse to believe this is the height of human potential - there has got to be more.” “Unmuted is trying to give a toolkit or a skill set to leaders and everyone in the organization, to know when to press mute and listen, when to speak up, how to do so in a way that's respectful of our differences, how to become more self-aware in our leadership practices and how we are appearing before others.” “The key is learning to listen so that people want to speak up. And that means as leaders, we have to give space for that. We have to build relationships, we have to create psychological safety in the organization so people feel comfortable coming to us with new ideas.” “It's about connection, not perfection.” “Linguistic discrimination is the last acceptable form of discrimination in our society, people don't recognize it or realize it exists. And they don't realize how deep it runs, how it is connected to discrimination according to socio-economic status.” “Authentic adaptability is the ability to show up and adapt to the surroundings, adapt and be flexible to others, other ideas, different ways of doing things, as long as we are remaining true to our values.” “We have had it drummed into our heads that if you're showing up different, you're not being yourself, but I am.” “Sometimes what you are told to believe and raised to believe and your entire culture and society believes is not something you necessarily have to embrace. And it's not something that necessarily has to define you or those around you.” Show Links: REL Talent: HR Consulting Email REL Talent REL Talent on LinkedIn HeatherHansen.com Heather’s Linkedin Global Speech Academy

In today's episode, joining Michelle and Maria is Keith, who brings up a topic that impacts a broad spectrum of people: influential versus authority power. Together, they look at how we spend a lot of time discussing how leadership is not a position and how anybody can be a leader. But when it comes down to day-to-day operations, sometimes people are fearful about stepping outside the parameters of what's always been done. They go on to review that one important thing for people moving up their ladder in their career is to remember that the most potent power they're going to have is the power of influence. If somebody is given power based on a title, they don't have to exert much influence on the people reporting to them. Positional or authority power is only going to maintain the status quo. It's not going to help anything grow. So even for those in positions of authority, our panel today clearly advises that the more you develop and flex those skills of influential power, the more impact you will have on your career. The Finer Details of This Episode: The difference between authority and influential power The value of influential power, even in positions of authority What to do when your authority is not respected Why you need to focus on influential power over authoritarian/positional power The negative impact of authoritarian power Influential leadership books and resources Quotes: "The stronger your ability to influence others is, the less you will have to rely on the power of authority." "If somebody is challenging your power as an authority figure, there's a problem with your influential power because that means people are not willingly following." "The only time that you're going to be followed for your authoritarian or positional power is when you're being followed out of fear, when people are fearing losing their position, when they're fearful of being reprimanded." "Influential power leaves the choice up to the employee whether or not they're going to follow you, whereas authoritarian power is you are not giving them any choice; you're giving them an ultimatum." "If the only tool in your bag is a hammer, you will treat everything like a nail." "My style is more of an influential style, where I want people to follow me because they believe in the message. They believe in the value of our organization." "The best leaders can positively influence the thoughts, feelings, and actions of others that promote growth. If you were to look up a psychological definition of love, it is thoughts, feelings, and actions that promote growth." "The influential leader genuinely cares about the people following them." Show Links & Resources: REL Talent: HR Consulting Email REL Talent REL Talent on LinkedIn Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action How to Win Friends and Influence People How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack  AuthorityLeaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't

Changing a company's culture is as hard as turning a ship in the ocean. It's not like in the Fast & Furious movies where they slam the brakes, shift gear, and do a 180 without thinking about it. With a ship, you turn the rudder a little at a time, and the bigger the ship, the slower you go because you don't want to tilt and bring down the ship. People are the same way, so to move culture takes slow progression. In today's episode, Michelle and Maria talk about what it takes to create a more inclusive company culture and introduce a valuable resource, The Leader's Guide to Unconscious Bias along the way. They discuss how to revamp the systemic issues all over corporate America and positively impact diversity, equity, and inclusion. Michelle gives some tips on infusing DE&I into a culture, including assessing and revamping your recruitment process, employee resource groups, institutional boarding programs, and mentorship. Finally, the hosts recommend resources to guide you to inclusive company culture. The Finer Details of This Episode: What it takes to be a more inclusive corporate culture Why we need to encourage diversity Steps to infuse DE&I into a culture Reshaping your hiring process to build DE&I How to effectively use employee resource groups The value of mentors during onboarding DE&I resources Quotes: "We're going to keep revisiting this topic until we start to see the progression that we need to be a more inclusive society." "To be a more inclusive society, it's going to take a village." "What makes you you is part of how you grew up. What makes you better than you is how you start incorporating other positive things into your life." "This is a great time to look at your recruiting process and identify what is working and what is not, but also use this as a chance to step up your game from a DE&I perspective." "Most people who do not fit into the norm of your culture do not bring their authentic selves to work. Instead, they show how you have communicated that it's acceptable to show up. And so by having that mentor, that connector, who is a voice within the organization, you help to give authenticity to their voice." "This is one of her first books. It works well as the toolkit for anyone hoping to address institutional or individual unconscious bias. And the very first step of the process, Pamela writes, is discounting the idea that bias means one is inherently ill-intended or morally flawed. And discounting that concept opens people up to own their bias, so people don't become defensive." "It's incredibly uncomfortable, but we can't allow lack of comfort to stop us from progressing." Show Links & Resources: REL Talent: HR Consulting Email REL Talent REL Talent on LinkedIn The Leader's Guide to Unconscious Bias

Michelle's voice still isn't back fully, so Dan joins Maria for today's episode. Together, they discuss the pros and cons of outsourcing recruiting to a third-party firm, the current trend being seen in companies, and what Dan calls 'the great rescinding' that is taking place globally. Dan and Maria delve into the need for creating wellness initiatives in order to assess the well-being of employees despite the rise of remote jobs, and also explore the impacts of outsourcing recruiting efforts to a firm and why internal recruiting should be considered first. 'The great rescinding' and how it is shifting the market to an employer’s market is explained as well in this insightful and informative episode. The Finer Details of This Episode: The importance of assessing the well-being of your employees How COVID resulted in elevated stress in the workforce Implementing wellness initiatives in a virtual world When is the right time to outsource? Filling up competitive tech roles Internal vs external recruiting The great rescinding Quotes: “There's a lot of key decisions that come into changing organizations.” “Are we providing enough work-life balance, or at least reiterating what we expect from a work-life balance?” “A lot of folks are ready to leave because they don't feel fulfilled at work, and they don't feel like the work they're doing matters.” “The talent team internally can tell a better story, and can facilitate a better candidate experience. It can also have that close relationship with the hiring managers.” “Hiring managers and HR folks need to put a little bit more emphasis on emotional intelligence these days, especially in the selection process.” Show Links: REL Talent: HR Consulting Email REL Talent REL Talent on LinkedIn Emotional Intelligence Power vs Force

Michelle and Maria are back again this week to discuss some of the reasons behind businesses outsourcing HR, as well as the accompanying problems that can arise as a result. They also take the opportunity today to explain the importance of building relationships with employees by inspiring a shared vision. Our hosts discuss the different categories of HR and how they differ in the roles they play. They explain the reason why employers have to inspire a shared vision amongst their staff and how they can go about it, and conclude with recommendations on how to set futuristic goals that include involving your team in your plans. Rest assured, today's episode is yet another one filled with invaluable insight and advice for all listeners from the REL Talk, REL Talented team. The Finer Details of This Episode: The importance of communicating to your workforce The disadvantages of working from home What are the different categories of HR? Why getting rid of your HR team during a crisis is dangerous The pros and cons of outsourcing HR How to inspire a shared vision Quotes: “Do your research, and understand how working from home impacted your business. And if you decide that you're going to go with a flexible work environment, or you're going to make them come back completely, or you're going to let them go home, whatever decision you make, tie it to information that is relevant to those people.” “Your inability or unwillingness to communicate your reason treats people like children.” “It is my hope that you guys did not eliminate your HR team during a social crisis and a global pandemic, that would have been as dumb as getting rid of your safety team.” “It's helpful for you to have sometimes a third party conducting your investigations because then there's no biased situations or issues transpiring.” “Inspire a shared vision.” “What we've got to make sure is that not only do the people that work for us, see themselves in that finished place, that they need to see themselves getting us to that place, they need to be a part of the journey, as well as an integral part of the final destination.” Show Links: REL Talent: HR Consulting Email REL Talent REL Talent on LinkedIn

Studies have shown that employee learning and development usually takes a significant drop in spending during a recession. With the increasing likelihood of recession today, this episode could not have been more timely as Michelle and Maria make a case for L&D. To kick off, Michelle asserts that however much you love your job, you still have bills to pay; therefore, you need to get adequately compensated for your time and effort. Our hosts get into the crux of the episode, reflecting upon why L&D is usually the first place to get cut during times of recession. Discussing the implications of this, Michelle and Maria segue into looking at outsourcing L&D as a cheaper alternative and highlight its pros and cons. Finally, they talk about people leadership and why leaders must be trained before a promotion. The Finer Details of This Episode: The need to be adequately compensated The pros and cons of outsourcing L&D Why learning and developing need to be prioritized in times of recession Shifting from instructional design to eLearning The role of a consultant for organizational strategy Why training is essential before a promotion Inspiring a shared vision and encouraging the heart The balance between people leadership and people management Communication as a solution to interpersonal problems Quotes: "Most of us would not work for other people if we did not require money to live our lives successfully. So is money the only reason people come to work? Absolutely not. Surveys show it over and over again. Is it the motivator to get people to apply? Yes, it is." "We come to work because we have bills. So pay us." "In every situation, there are reasons that make something easy to do as well as reasons that make it hard. You have to consider all of those in relation to what's happening in your business to see if the pros outweigh the cons." "Even if it's just the three years that this pandemic has screwed the world, what's the potential impact of three years with little to no training from orientation to development?" "If you're behind on staying up to speed and being challenged in technology, even one year, you're like five years behind in technology. You're not going to stay innovative with an innovative company." "Cutting your L&D organization and making it into zero investment is worse than not doing anything at all, including outsourcing." "What are the strengths and weaknesses of getting rid of your L&D department and outsourcing it to someone else?… I'm going to go with a big con of outsourcing: it is a super-short-term solution because those people are not engrained in your business the same way an internal L&D department would be." "When you look at a lot of the initiatives in outsourcing your L&D, you get a lot of different expertise. Sometimes when you're honing in on one person, you either get instructional design, OD, or somebody focused on training. But when you outsource it, you get the best of all worlds from anybody because they have different skill sets that they can apply to you and use in different formats." "You cannot afford three years of untrained people. There's no way to recover if they learn the wrong way." "By having a consultant come in and look at the bigger picture for where those gaps are, they can quickly identify the headcount you need to bring in." "In our world, the ability to manage or use the analytical side of your brain is as important as the ability to inspire and motivate people, which is equally as important as your ability to move people's progress and skill set to the direction that you need it to be to be effective within your group." "We at REL Talent believe that you must be able to inspire, develop, and lead your team into the future by having a well-thought-out strategy." "If I could be paid to be a full-time student where I'm constantly learning stuff, I would be all in every day of the week." Show Links: REL Talent: HR Consulting Email REL Talent REL Talent on LinkedIn

In today’s episode, Michelle and Maria shine the light on mental health issues in the workplace. Throughout their discussion, they provide tips on how employers can provide necessary resources to help their staff maintain physical and emotional wellbeing. Delving into the subject at hand - the mental health issues observed in employees – our hosts address the current burnout rate being seen globally. Due to the pandemic, more employees are seen to take on more roles, causing this burnout and stress. In this extremely timely and crucial episode, Maria and Michelle offer advice to leaders to focus on how their employees are functioning, and to provide resources that can benefit them and their organizations as a whole. The Finer Details of This Episode: Mental health issues prevailing in the workforce The need to provide resources to keep employees healthy Addressing the current burnout rate Resources that can help employees with mental health issues Advice to employers, employees, and HR leaders Quotes: “Mental health continues to increase as a priority concern for employees.” “We keep talking about those things like you need to be resilient, you need to bounce back quickly. But what we're ignoring is the fact that it's not always that easy. Sometimes, where people are, it's hard to be there. And it's also hard to bounce back from it without the right support and the right resources.” “If you want to maximize your employees, it means that you have to look out for their well-being physically and mentally, at least to the point that you're giving them resources.” “It's not your job to keep someone else healthy. But as an employer, it is your job to find solutions that can help your employees stay healthy if they choose to do so.” “We live in a culture where we don't acknowledge the stress and the burnout that comes from mental stress.” “It's funny when it comes to respecting people's time, we do things passive-aggressively to create the stigma that you have to work harder.” “There's this lack of loyalty to organizations because they have lacked loyalty to their employees.” “It's time to shift that paradigm, to stop just focusing on what is new, or what's happening or when the new benefits are rolling out. Maybe it's time to engage your leaders in conversations about how their people are doing.” “You also need to process how, as an organization, or how you as a leader, or how you as an employee are functioning during time off and how you want to re-pivot them.” Show Links: REL Talent: HR Consulting Email REL Talent REL Talent on LinkedIn

Today’s episode of REL Talk features Michelle and Maria as they continue their series about the companies that are doing things really well. They are joined by a special guest, John, a “long time listener, second-time caller” (he’s been on the podcast before!), to talk about employee engagement surveys. John expressed an interest in returning to the podcast to debate Michelle and Maria on this subject. Maria and Michelle have mentioned several times over the course of the podcast’s history that they believe employee engagement surveys--specifically the process surrounding them--are crap. John, however, disagrees. So get ready for today’s great debate, and listen in as Michelle, Maria, and John opine and discuss employee engagement surveys--the good, the bad, and the ugly. The Finer Details of This Episode: How often should you survey? Common problems with engagement surveys Building trust Using a combination of data gathering techniques Targeted questions How to get the C-Suite on board How to do engagement surveys well Quotes: “So somebody told me once before that while they recognize a lot of things I say are opinions, I say them so emphatically that if someone is not informed on the topic, they just assume it to be fact.” “I have seen companies do other things to collect feedback and be successful, just not a climate survey.” “You can over-survey a population or over-collect data.” “Just the average company, collecting feedback at least annually is appropriate… If they’re in a place of crisis already, obviously, we would start with more frequent and more thorough data collection. If they had a very stable culture, we’d fall into something cyclical.” “Yeah, that’s appropriate. But I would argue a smaller collection… that’s part of a regular cadence… That way you can track change over time… if you’re only making your survey collection once a year, you’re not actually going to know if it worked until 12 months later.” “So that’s problem number one: organizations are not good at doing this. I also believe, number two, that most organizations, HR does not have enough authority to usurp executive decisions. And when it comes to engagement surveys, they should be driven by someone who understands… Then problem number three is human nature or employees’ reluctance to be completely honest in a survey for whatever reason.” “Give people the option to add comments or not add comments... Surveys aren’t going to catch everything… you’re not going to get perfect data from this especially because it’s an opinion-based survey. But if you’re not going to ask, you’re not going to at least give them the opportunity.” “I just think you should do both. Create an environment with a trained facilitator who can draw this information out in a small group setting, and do an employee engagement survey, and check those results against each other… If there’s a difference there, that’s something to explore.” “Before you even do an employee engagement survey, you need a champion. Is your CEO, is the C-Suite on board with this? And if they’re not, …don’t do it. If your CEO, if your C-Suite executives are not on board with taking this information, analyzing it, and making meaningful change, …you’re just going to end up upsetting your employees.” “I think the great companies that truly are wonderful, and maybe they’re not the most profitable companies, but the great ones: the C-Suite gets it, that employee engagement is a benefit for all.” “Engaged employees are more productive, more productive employees have better ROI. You want to increase your bottom line? Have engaged employees.” “It’s about a culture of trust, a culture of common vision and goals.” “But Google builds an atmosphere around what their employees or desired employees want… It was the culture around allowing people to be innovative, make mistakes, try things that other companies weren’t willing to invest in. That culture is what brings people to Google.” “It’s ultimately human failure and not a tool failure.” “At the end of the day, if you’re not taking action on anything, it’s not really going to help support anything.” Show Links: REL Talent: HR Consulting Email REL Talent REL Talent on LinkedIn

Join Michelle and Maria as they talk today about the companies that are out there and doing things really well. Today’s episode focuses specifically on DE&I, a topic that was inspired by two articles Michelle recently read, which highlight eight companies who are addressing this area effectively. Michelle focuses much of today’s episode on the Rock Family of Companies and their CEO’s response to George Floyd’s murder, and how they implemented a six-point plan to address their response to and implementation of DE&I. Don’t miss today’s episode, as Maria and Michelle acknowledge that it’s vital to evaluate policies and practices often, as things are changing and evolving rapidly. The Finer Details of This Episode: Hire a Chief Diversity Officer, a consultant, or an HR leader who knows and understands this space REL Talk tips for implementing a DE&I strategy based on the programs of companies doing this well Companies to learn from Open up your applicant pool Things to keep in mind Quotes: “So they hired a Chief Diversity Officer and started making momentum here, which is a critical role in your organization.” “If you’re not in a place where you can hire someone, you’re not in a place where you can get a consultant, at the very minimum, you can start looking at what other companies do well. Then you can start to implement that within the teams you have.” “But one of the downfalls was how they brought people into the organization to begin with. Their recruiting strategy… they were primarily word of mouth, which meant people were likely to hire ‘like’ individuals, to hire people they could get along with because that’s human nature.” “Essentially, when you’re talking about setting up a DE&I strategy, that’s what you need to look at. You need to have it fully well-rounded; you need to have everybody educated on what that means within your organization, and how you’re going to apply it.” “They’ve done some incredibly good things, including taking a look at their benefits, because benefits can either include or exclude people in the process.” “A company that has not only looked at diversity, equity, and inclusion, but also started to integrate remote or digital aspects that allow them to recruit from anywhere in the world, which changes your applicant pool pretty dramatically.” “If you want to understand the impact of doing an employee resource group well… so an employee resource group isn’t just about letting people of the same religion hang out together, right? It’s about having that group of people use the knowledge of their religion to help the entire organization see what they bring to the table.” Show Links: REL Talent: HR Consulting Email REL Talent REL Talent on LinkedIn

In today’s episode, Michelle and Maria begin a new series discussing the positive things going on around the world. Join them today as they start this series with a recap and update on REL Talk, REL Talent, what’s going on with them, and what they have to offer. Their new series will focus on their continued assessment of the things going on around the world from an HR perspective. Make sure to also tune in for the next few episodes where they will talk about current trends, who are doing those things well, and how to prioritize and incorporate those things into your role or organization. The Finer Details of This Episode: Michelle takes back a previously held opinion Planned debates and discussions with REL Talk listeners REL Talent updates REL Talent’s role as consultants Changes and evolutions demanded by fully remote and hybrid working situations REL Talent tips for making necessary changes REL Talent certifications, tools, and products to help your team and business succeed Quotes: “My greatest personal growth has happened when someone was willing to take an opposite opinion of mine on a hard topic... that’s when some of my greatest professional growth happens as well.” “We’ve had incredible opportunities to help organizations launch procedures and processes, help organizations launch software that makes learning easier, we’ve been able to jump into leadership development…” “Leadership development is critical, and how you set up your business and set it up for success is also critical. If you take a look right now, Amazon and Starbucks are unionizing. That’s a result of people not feeling heard, or not getting the benefits or items that are important and critical to them as employees within an organization.” “It just means that you, as the owner, take a stand and say ‘Here’s who we are and this is the way we behave’.” “You have to be invested in them in some way, you have to know what’s going on with them, you have to care what matters to them. And when you become invested in another person that’s really when the teamwork clicks, and people start to step up for each other.” “Some of those are really great products that people at any company can obtain from us whether or not you just want it sent to you, reporting wise, or you actually want us to come in and facilitate any sort of conversation.” “We just wanted to spend some time and create a relatable moment again, where you guys know what we’re working on, what we’re doing, and what’s keeping us busy and motivated.” Show Links: REL Talent: HR Consulting Email REL Talent REL Talent on LinkedIn

Join Michelle and Maria for today’s Impact episode, part of their series on those aspects currently impacting human resource departments. Today’s installment features a short chat about how to utilize and identify the right data and metrics to be successful and impact business for the better. This topic comes from a recent survey showing that 59% of HR professionals interviewed not only don’t use data properly, but they also do not know how to do so. While data analytics and showing ROI is not something that has been traditionally done within the scope of HR, it is vital and requires time. Today, Michelle and Maria demonstrate the benefits that come from evaluating and using metrics properly to make decisions. The Finer Details of This Episode: How to identify metrics or ROI that HR professionals can bring to the table What providing measurable impact can mean for you or your department While “butts in seats” and “smile sheets” are important, most organizations want more Dig past the surface level metrics Two choices to help improve ROI Benefits of digging into the data The areas you should really look into REL Talk tips to keep in mind Quotes: “People don’t want to know what my gut thinks. They want to know how it’s going to matter.” “Even if you do it conservatively and don’t aim for the stars, imagine for a second if you, as a leader, were able to say, ‘Here’s what it takes, here’s how I’m gonna fix it, here’s what “good” is gonna look like when it’s done,’ you would open up the doors for virtually anything that you needed. If you were a leader or a department that could show a track record of predicting your impact in a measurable way, people would listen to you.” “Ultimately, it’s not ‘butts in seats’ that most organizations care about. They care about whether or not you actually reduced defects by a certain percentage, if that’s what you’re proposing.” “So maybe I negotiate a better deal on benefits and I’m able to show that I spent less money on benefits this year than I did last year. That’s one example… Notice I said because I negotiated a better deal, not because some benefits got cut. So cost savings can always be something that you can show as an actual contribution to the business.” “More often than not, your contribution will be an aspect of another department’s success, which means that you’re going to have to partner with that other department in order to come up with numbers that feel successful.” “You have to be very thoughtful and methodical about how you’re going to be saving the organization money. And it’s not just about what’s impacting your department, but how what you do in HR impacts other departments.” “What are the benefits of actually digging into data and looking at the metrics? First of all, it helps you plan for the future, and you can get beyond what I call crisis management… It helps ensure that not just you, your HR team, is making informed decisions, but it gives the other executives within the organization the information they need to make informed decisions.” “This entire topic is not the sexiest or most attractive, but it is the most important. How you’re outlining your data, your metrics, your return on investment back to the business is most critical.” Show Links: REL Talent: HR Consulting Email REL Talent REL Talent on LinkedIn