The value of ethics and authenticity in business today - RAVI PANTHI - hrfuture.net - HR Future
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hrfuture.net
JUNE 2019
IN THE FUTURE OF
WORK, ETHICAL
BUSINESS PRACTICE
IS NO LONGER AN
OPTIONAL EXTRA.
RAVI PANTHI
The value of
ethics and
authenticity in
business today
56
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Masterclass today!
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HR FUTURE · JUNE 2019 53
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HR FUTURE · JUNE 2019 1
Editorial
It’s time for ethical
people to lead the way
A
mid ongoing revelations of the extent companies. Encouraged by unethical leadership
to which people elected to serve the at the highest levels, they have operated on the
public robbed the nation blind, one basis that he who shouts the loudest wins the
has to battle to find a light of hope in argument. And so they have shouted. Loudly. To
the darkness. Is there any? Absolutely! cover up their unethical conduct and to distract
The fact that the corruption has been the public from what they were really up to.
uncovered and exposed means that there And the ethical people have remained quiet.
are some very courageous citizens who are I say this not as a criticism but to highlight
determined to expose criminal activity where the fact that ethical people don’t go around
they find it. Make no mistake, it took a ton of shouting about how wonderful and ethical they
courage for them to stand up to very powerful, are. They just live ethical lives.
connected people and say that they were doing With increasing transparency becoming
things they shouldn’t have been doing. the norm, unethical conduct will hopefully be
But courageous people seldom consider exposed a lot quicker and a lot more effectively.
themselves to be courageous. If asked if But nothing can be a more powerful influence
they have courage, they will probably be than the influence exerted by ethical people in
quite surprised at the thought that they are their particular spheres of influence, whether
courageous. They just do what they do because that be in the companies they run, the divisions,
of the ethical principles instilled in them from departments, teams or people they lead and
young. manage, or in the way they conduct themselves
Many such ethical people exist at all levels of when with their families, friends and fellow
our society. People who make the mistake of citizens.
thinking that only sophisticated, wealthy people If in that quiet place in your heart where
are ethical and that poor, unemployed people truth lives, you believe yourself to be an
are not, are monumentally mistaken. There are ethical person, I encourage, even urge, you to
many sophisticated, wealthy people who are consciously exert your influence where you can.
unethical and there are many poor, jobless I urge you to start practising moral leadership.
people who are extremely ethical. They just go While military leadership says, “Do as I say!”
about their lives quietly, not drawing attention moral leadership says, “Do as I do.”
to themselves. The credibility and influence that emerges as
Which raises the question: how many other a result of moral leadership cannot be bought
ethical people are there in society who are for any amount of money. No qualifications can
quietly going about their lives and their compete with such influence. No position can.
business? Ethical leaders, your time has come to walk
Take for example the recent death of Cape the talk and talk the walk. We need you to make
Town Labour Court Judge Anton Steenkamp, your voice heard where appropriate. Not only
57, who died after he was bitten by a black will you help to create a better present but you
mamba while on holiday in Zambia. His close will also help to create a better future as you
friends have described him as a man of integrity model the conduct and behaviour that younger
who was kind and generous to others. Author, generations need to embrace.
columnist and documentary filmmaker Max du
Preez said of him, “If someone asks, ‘What does
integrity mean?’ I say, ‘Go and look at Anthon
Steenkamp.’”
How many more other men and women of
integrity across all population groups are quietly
going about their business and their lives?
For too long, unethical people have tried to
have their way in running the country and their
2
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HR FUTURE · JUNE 2019 3
18
26 40
COVER
STORY
08
The value of
ethics and
authenticity
in business
today
46
4
Contents
THIS MONTH'S FEATURES
28 Be a more influential leader
30 Finance professionals have to
tech-up or it’s game over
31 Attract and retain top talent
during tough times
14 30
Upfront Mentorship
2 Editorial 32 Create Virtuous Cycles with
6 Contributors mentorship programmes
Global masterclass Coaching
10 The future of behavioural science in the 34 Why Relationship Systems Coaching?
workplace
Mental models
HR secrets 36 Is your mental model your friend or foe?
12 Solid evidence on the productivity of
highly skilled workers Pay gap
Employer branding 38 Structured management practices: a
curse or a cure for the pay gap?
14 Smart employer branding can cost you nothing
HR tech
Employee benefits 40 Why do you need an Employee Value
18 Six employee benefits for working parents Proposition?
Employee engagement surveys Labour law
20 Employee engagement surveys are 42 When is a strike not a strike?
powerful tools
Immigration law
Hiring 46 Department of Home Affairs not managing
22 Build a robust hiring process Critical Skills Visa applications well
24 How to hire the best person for the job
More to Life
Talent
48 You don’t need to die before you
26 Top tips for tapping into talent really have to
HR FUTURE · JUNE 2019 5
Meet our panel of
expert contributors
Editorial
Executive Editor
Alan Hosking
(tel) +27 11 888 8914
alan@hrfuture.net
Managing Editor
Kelsey Hosking
(tel) +27 11 782 3719
kelsey@hrfuture.net
08 Ravi
10
Helena
12
David
14
Manish
Content Administrator Panthi Rubinstein Creelman Dudharejia
Monique De Nobrega
(tel) +27 11 888 8914
monique@hrfuture.net
Advertising
Sales Enquiries
Kelsey Hosking
18 20 22 24
(tel) +27 11 782 3719
kelsey@hrfuture.net
Subscriptions Bill Bhavika Omer Anna
Gimbel Sharma Molad Curzon
Monique De Nobrega
(tel) +27 11 888 8914
monique@hrfuture.net
Finance
Financial Manager
Elvira Cruz
(tel) +27 11 888 8794
26 28 30 31
finance@osgard.co.za
HR Future Magazine Bruce Anja Tim Craig
Morton van Beek Simba Rocher
@HRFuturemag
HR Future Magazine
Photographs:
www.depositphotos.com
32 Ben
36
Jenny
38
Dr Mark
38
Daniela
HR FUTURE is SA’s human strategy Reuveni Retief Bussin Christos
magazine published by Osgard Media
as a support to all HR Executives, Chief
Executive Officers, Managing Directors,
Financial Directors, HR practitioners and
senior line managers who are committed
to creating shareholder value through
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The views expressed in articles
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Claims for non-receipt of magazines
must be made within three months of
40 42 46 48
publication of the issue. Claims made
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charge.
© 2019 All rights reserved. No part of
this publication may be reproduced in
any form or medium without prior written Rob Dr Brian Julian Alan
approval from the editor. Bothma van Zyl Pokroy Hosking
ISSN 1608-8506
6
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HR FUTURE · JUNE 2019 7
The value of
ethics and authenticity
in business today
In the Future of Work, ethical
business practice is no longer an
optional extra.
T
he topic of ethics in business, and
specifically in the technology industry,
was thrust into the limelight in the
second half of 2017 – as a number of
local ICT players became embroiled in
scandals relating to maladministration.
Share prices were hammered. Reputations
left in tatters. Quality talent fled to firms
standing on a stronger ethical foundation.
These alleged indiscretions showed that,
ultimately, unethical conduct certainly doesn’t
work in the long-run. Though there may be a
‘quick buck’ to be made, if that comes at the
cost of compromising one’s morals, it’s simply
not worth it.
Build a solid moral core
Organisations must have a solid moral core at
the centre of everything they do. In our case,
for instance, we continually return to our core
principle of ‘unyielding integrity in everything we
do’. It is important to recognise that this is more
than merely a sentence. To bring this principle
to life the ideals of integrity, authenticity and
honesty must be woven into the very fabric of
the organisation.
For an organisation to be ethically sound,
that spirit of honesty should filter down from
the executive suits, becoming embedded in the
actions and decisions of every staff member.
In short, exhibiting ethical behaviour isn’t
something that one talks about, it’s something
Ravi Panthi that one does.
8Cover story
?
Don’t take shortcuts
In any business, teams and individuals will be
tempted to take shortcuts and easy options, DID YOU
they’ll be confronted with challenging ethical
dilemmas. From the big things (like walking
away from major contracts that are tainted with
improper government interference for example),
KNOW
to the small things (like refusing to pay Exhibiting ethical behaviour
unsanctioned ‘fees’ for visas to be processed isn’t something that one talks
for their staff), the principles of integrity should about, it’s something that one
always guide business decisions.
By doing this, organisations can encourage a does.
great sense of pride in working for a company
with an excellent ethical track record. In this
way, they’re are able to attract higher-quality pro-social messages, sustainable manufacturing
individuals to their teams, and develop deeper, methods and ethical business standards.”
more sustainable business relationships with Tomorrow’s winning businesses will be those
clients. that create a positive and sustainable impact
But while integrity must be at the core of on communities and individuals.
any successful business, in many ways, merely In this spirit, we’ve rolled-out learnership,
operating ethically is still ‘not enough’. In other internship and graduate training programmes
words, it’s not about merely complying with across the African continent. We’ve attained
the letter of the law, but about delivering on a Level 2 Broad-based Black Economic
one’s commitments to transform communities Empowerment rating in South Africa; and we’ve
and improve the world, to whatever degree a developed strategic partnerships with local
company is able to achieve. organisations to ensure local investment and
This is an idea that gains ever-greater traction skills transfer.
as a new generation of consumers takes Through local initiatives such as these, a
the baton from the older generation. As one company is able to translate the organisation’s
Forbes article explains, “Millennials prefer to ethical principles into meaningful impact.
?
do business with corporations and brands with Initiatives such as these have become a tangible
expression of the sentiments expressed by Wipro
Chairman, Azim Premji, who said:
“Being consistent and not compromising got
inculcated in me at a very early age. It became
DID YOU the backbone of the organisation and a matter
KNOW
of major pride in the employees.”
Ultimately, remaining steadfast in one’s ethics,
in even the toughest of circumstances, is the
only true route to success and fulfilment – as an
The principles of individual and as an organisation.
integrity should always
guide business decisions. Ravi Panthi is the Head of Human Resources for
Wipro Africa, Wipro Limited.
HR FUTURE · JUNE 2019 9The future of
behavioural science
in the workplace
Helena Rubinstein shares
key insights on behavioural
science with Alan Hosking.
PROFILE
Helena Rubinstein is Head of
Behavioural Science and leads
the Strategic Advisory Group at
Innovia Technology, an innovation
consultancy based in Cambridge,
UK. Her academic background
is in social psychology and she
has lectured at the University of
Cambridge on the application of
social psychology to social issues
and on the psychology of ageing.
Applying Behavioural Science
to the Private Sector by Helena
Rubinstein is published by Palgrave
Helena Rubinstein Pivot, priced £49.99.
Your book is an interesting combination all of these into account if you want to change
of theory and practical guidance. How behaviours.
The other reason that it is critical to
important do you think it is to understand understand behavioural science is that it is
the background of behavioural science a ‘science’. It follows the scientific method,
before attempting to apply it in your in that we hypothesise about what needs to
organisation? change and test our hypotheses; we identify
what factors currently influence the behaviour;
I think it is critical to understand the background look for evidence and theory of what works to
of behavioural science before attempting to change behaviour before working out what
use it in an organisation. There is a vast body needs to be done to change it and creating
of knowledge about behaviour and how to effective interventions. Then we design
influence it that has emerged from psychology, controlled experiments to see whether the
economics and other social sciences. Behaviour interventions work as we intended.
is part of a dynamic and interactive system
that depends on multiple influences acting Why do you think behavioural science
simultaneously, including the overall context
and the environment we are in, social and is a particularly relevant topic for HR
emotional influences, and conscious and professionals?
unconscious motivations that can change from Many organisations want to change employee
minute to minute. Furthermore, there is an behaviour; they want employees to do more
intention-behaviour gap: people do one thing of something, or less of something or do
and say another! You need to be able to take something differently. For example, they may
10Global masterclass
From the UK
want their employees to work in a different way the public and private sectors has recently
because of the introduction of new processes or been subject to intense debate. Critics claim
technology. Or they may want employees to be that these techniques may be deceitful and
more responsive to customers or they may want manipulative because they exploit human biases
employees to waste less energy in the office. All and take advantage of a pattern of behaviour
of these individual behaviours are amenable to without peoples’ consent. When we manipulate
a behavioural science approach. a person’s choice, even if it is for their own
Furthermore, we can think of behavioural good, we are treating them like a child, reducing
interventions beyond the individual level to their autonomy by altering their free will to
consider how to change the culture of an make a decision. And there is concern about
organisation (behavioural scientists would ‘hidden consent’, whereby people discover that
call these population-level interventions such they have been signed up to participate in a
as when you want to encourage an entire programme without their knowledge.
population to be vaccinated). There are several counter arguments to this.
HR Professionals already make use of tools Many behavioural science solutions are intended
and techniques to change behaviour but they to improve people’s welfare (such as saving for a
may not be based on research or there is little pension) and in such cases it would be ethically
evidence for their effectiveness. Some widely wrong not to nudge them. Furthermore, they
used tools can actually be invalid or damaging can help people to make better decisions, so
– such as that change follows a grief model people are freed up to focus on more important
where people follow predictable patterns such matters. Persuasion using behavioural science
as denial, anger, bargaining and so on. does not have to be deceitful or manipulative.
Further, some tools have been widely used Nudges do not have to be covert and consent
but have not been validated – for example, does not have to be hidden. We can help people
personality testing. Few programmes are based to make better decisions by making the choice
on validated models or theories of change, more intuitive. We can use science and evidence
especially how to change human behaviour: to make better choices.
that is to say, evidence-based practices, biases At Innovia Technology we have developed
and heuristics, behavioural diagnostic models guidelines to ensure that we don’t cross the line.
or theories of risk perception. There is a lot These are:
of mythology about change in organisations.
The use of behavioural science is a way to get 1. Behavioural interventions built on untruths
evidence for what actually works are unacceptable;
2. Nudges that make it difficult for people to
In your work with Innovia Tech, do you choose otherwise are unethical: people must
find that clients’ senior management have the freedom to choose differently;
3. Behavioural interventions should be
teams need convincing of the value of scrutinised for unintended, as well as
behavioural science? intended, consequences;
When we first started, most senior managers 4. Consent should not be hidden: interventions
had never heard of behavioural science and should be transparent wherever possible;
we had to do a lot of explaining about what and
behavioural science is and why it is beneficial. 5. Practitioners should be comfortable to
This is not so true nowadays as most people defend their approach, methods and motives
have heard of behavioural science and many in public.
have read some of the seminal books on it such
as Nudge or Thinking Fast and Slow. Do you think we will reach a stage where
The challenge today is in explaining to
people that behavioural science is more than most large organisations will employ a
just taking advantage of peoples’ inherent full-time behavioural scientist, or will it
biases and to demonstrate that the real value always make more commercial sense for
of behavioural science is that it can give you companies to bring in external specialist
greater confidence that what you are doing will
be effective because it is based in evidence consultants to deal with specific projects?
and theory of what influences behaviour and on Many companies are now employing behavioural
conducting controlled experiments to evaluate scientists. They can be found in marketing, new
what works and, just as importantly, what product development, data science and HR.
doesn’t. In the long run it will save you time However, there are often only one or two in an
and money because you focus on what really organisation and so it will still make sense for
matters and on what is effective. organisations to bring in consultants to deal
with specific projects. It will be interesting to
see whether behavioural science becomes
Is there a risk that using behavioural recognised as an independent function like
science within an organisation could marketing and whether we will see behavioural
become unethical? science departments emerging. We are a long
The ethics of using behavioural science in both way from this at the moment.
HR FUTURE · JUNE 2019 11Solid evidence on the
productivity of highly
skilled workers
A study done with airline pilots
reveals that good management
practices pay off.
H
R Professionals should What they learned
base decisions on One might think that motivated and skilled
the best available professionals in a tightly regulated industry
evidence. A beautiful would already be operating at their best. If that
study by Greer K were the case, these management practices
Gosnell, John A List, and Robert wouldn’t have an impact. Let’s see what
D Metcalfe, with the help of happened!
Virgin Atlantic, provides solid
facts on a difficult topic: the
David Creelman productivity of highly skilled Results of the study:
workers. What makes this study • Result 1. The performance of
so impressive is that it is based captains improved considerably upon
on objective measures and well-designed announcement of monitoring performance
control groups, so we can have a high degree metrics;
of confidence in the findings. • Result 2. Providing captains with
information on recent performance
How the study was done moderately improved their fuel efficiency;
The study looked at the productivity of • Result 3. The inclusion of personalised
commercial airline captains. The productivity targets significantly increased the
metrics were fuel use, time delays, and safety. captains’ performance;
They tested four management practices: • Result 4. Adding a charitable component
to the personalised targets intervention
1. Monitoring performance. Captains got did not lead to better results than
detailed reports on their performance; providing targets alone;
2. Providing performance feedback. • Result 5. The effects of the management
Captains were told how often they hit the practices attenuate or disappear after the
targeted level of the performance metrics; practices are removed; and
3. Setting personalised targets. Captains • Result 6. Largely due to fuel savings from
were encouraged to achieve personalised the monitoring effect, the airline saved
targets; and about $6 million throughout the eight-
4. Offering prosocial incentives for month experimental period.
performance. Captains were told that, if
they achieved their targets, the company Yes, but will it work in your situation?
would donate to a charity. One of the questions we need to ask in
assessing the relevance of research is how close
In each case, there was an experimental group the context of the research is to the context
and a control group. The researchers gathered of our own situation. You probably have highly
data from 40,000 flights over a 27-month skilled workers in your company but it’s unlikely
period for 335 captains. they’re pilots. You probably have a complex
12HR secrets
From Canada
operation, but you are probably not an airline. the case of airline pilots, false. Managers may
Does it make sense to generalise these findings not notice the impact of simple good people
to your situation? management practices if they are not doing a
I believe you can generalise for a couple of scientific experiment because the improvements
reasons. One is that the apparent core causal are hidden in the noise of all the other things
mechanism that providing data on performance going on. The lesson is that the disciplined
improves performance makes a lot of sense, practices of good management pay off and
and that casual mechanism will apply in many that it’s a mistake to accept excuses that they
situations. The other reason is that in the are not really necessary. It would have been a
absence of other evidence, you have to go with reasonable guess that the simple management
what you’ve got. practices used in this study wouldn’t make a
difference with these highly trained professional
Remember, the rule in evidence-based airline captains, and yet the evidence
management is about “the best available
evidence” not “perfect evidence”. This is a good shows they do matter. That’s a finding worth
finding, use it. remembering.
What to tell your mangers Where to find the full article
Managers may believe one or more of the You can find the working paper here:
following: http://www.lse.ac.uk/GranthamInstitute/wp-
content/uploads/2017/01/working-paper-262-
1. What HR says are good people Gosnell-et-al-March-2019.pdf.
management practices don’t really Thanks to Lorenzo Galli of ScienceForWork.
have enough of an impact to be worth com for bringing this to my attention.
spending time on;
2. The skilled and motivated professionals
they have on their team don’t need to be David Creelman is CEO of Creelman
managed; and Research, in Canada, www.creelmanresearch.
3. Simple, obvious management interventions com. He is best known for his workshops on
won’t make a difference, they need Agile Analytics, Evidence-base Management
something sophisticated. and the Future of Work. His new book with Peter
This study shows those beliefs are, at least in Navin is “The CMO of People”.
HR FUTURE · JUNE 2019 13Smart employer branding
can cost you nothing
Use these four ways to improve
your employer reputation to
attract better talent.
Y
our reputation often employees who have recently quit or been let
precedes you when go. However, this does not mean that negative
it comes to business. ratings are a kiss of death.
This could not be You can show your employees and future
truer during the talent that people really matter to your business
hiring process. The perception by actively engaging with these reviews to show
that job candidates have of care and concern. For example, the majority
your business could determine of the Trustpilot reviews from employees are
whether or not they pursue an positive, but there are a few negative ones
Manish Dudharejia opportunity to work for you. here and there. Trustpilot takes the time to
Everyone wants to work for a respond to nearly every single rating, thanking
company that they love and admire. Therefore, the person for their honest opinions and taking
improving your employer
reputation can help you to not
only attract highly talented
candidates, but also keep
them more engaged with your
business operations in the long
run. This can lead directly to
a more productive workplace,
greater employee satisfaction,
and higher retention rates.
Here are four simple yet
incredibly effective ways to
build and maintain a good
business reputation.
1. Actively respond to all
employee reviews
Most candidates will do quite
a bit of research before
applying for a position so they
know exactly what they are
getting themselves into. Job
seekers often use employer
review sites, like Glassdoor, to
judge a business before they
apply. Unfortunately, 55% of
candidates will change their
minds about applying if they
spot lots of negative reviews on
these platforms.
It is not unusual for a business
to receive poor employer
reviews, especially from disgruntled Source: www.glassdoor.com/Reviews
14Employer branding
From the USA
their negative feedback into consideration so deployed overseas, took advantage of this
improvements can be made in the future. programme and went back to school to finish
By thanking each reviewer and making a her degree in elementary education.
conscious effort to improve the situation, your This is a great example of using story-telling
business can turn around negative sentiment as a recruiting device to attract candidates.
and show potential employees just how much By seeing real-life examples of how your
you care for the well-being of your organisation. business has positively impacted the lives of its
employees, candidates will feel more inclined to
2. Share real employee stories reach out and apply.
In an effort to brand themselves as a great
company to work for, many recruiters will state 3. Showcase what makes you unique,
that their company has a positive culture and
a pleasant work environment. Of course, these not better
are important factors for candidates, but it is You shouldn’t have to try to “sell” your company
often difficult to get a feel for a company’s to job seekers. Instead, they should be naturally
culture without actually experiencing it or attracted and want to work for you! While
seeing it in person. benefits are certainly influential when it comes
So, don’t just say that you offer a great work to attracting candidates, it is also important to
environment – show that this happens and share focus on the factors that make your business
real examples. truly unique and special.
Starbucks recently launched a “Stories” page This is especially advantageous for smaller
on their website that highlights real employees’ companies that may not be able to compete
experiences of working with the company. One with larger corporations in terms of benefits
of their latest publications shared the stories of offered. While your company might not have
employees that took advantage of their College a retirement plan for example, maybe it
Achievement Plan. Starbucks offers full tuition focuses on team-building and lets people work
coverage for employees through Arizona State from home on Fridays. Again, share real-life
University’s online bachelor programme. examples here through employee testimonials or
Melanie Wood (see image below), a Starbucks visual representations, such as photos from fun
employee and busy mom with a husband company events or shots of the office layout.
Source: https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/starbucks-college-graduates-where-are-they-now/
HR FUTURE · JUNE 2019 15Employer branding
From the USA
4. Use employees as recruiters Conclusion
Employee advocacy on social media can boost The most important thing to keep in mind when
your hiring team’s efforts to a whole other it comes to employer branding is to be totally
level. According to Monster’s report, 65% of genuine and transparent throughout the process
people seeking jobs would consider applying by showing candidates how much you care
for a position if they heard about it through a about your employees.
personal connection. Furthermore, candidates Embrace both positive and negative
that came from employee referrals also have a feedback, share inspiring employee stories, and
higher probability of receiving a job offer and promote
staying with the business for a longer period of what makes your company truly great. Don’t
forget to ask your current team members for
time.
assistance here – they may know just the right
The real reason why employee advocacy person for the job!
works so well is simple: people trust other people.
Consumer and employee trust in businesses
is continuously slipping. However, people Manish Dudharejia is the President and
view their friends, comrades and peers as Founder of E2M Solutions Inc, a San Diego
trustworthy, unbiased sources of information. based Digital Agency that specialises in
So, when your employees share branded White Label Services for Website Design and
messages or promote your company on their Development and eCommerce SEO. He has
social pages, people are more likely to respond over 10 years of experience in the Technology
positively. and Digital Marketing industry.
Source Name Hire Count Hire Applications Application Effectiveness
Percentage Percentage
Internal Hire 37463 0.077 145516 0.004 18.183
Referral 181268 0.374 2298343 0.067 5.57
Federated 557 0.001 12283 0 3.203
Search
Agency 23380 0.048 603749 0.018 2735
Resume Search 424 0.001 12657 0 2.366
Email 2463 0.005 97877 0.003 1.777
Campaign
Custom 26279 0.054 1062531 0.031 1.747
Campaign
Career Sites 106049 0.219 11714598 0.342 0.639
Job Board 86618 0.179 14793496 0.432 0.414
Social Media 522 0.001 111201 0.003 0.332
Shares
Notifications 817 0.002 176367 0.005 0.327
Source: www.jobvite.com/recruiting-process/7-benchmark-metrics-to-help-you-master-your-recruiting-funnel/
16BUILD AN AGILE ORGANISATION
With this unique Tool, you can:
Develop your leaders in real time
at all levels, in all regions.
Give your CEO a powerful
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Another HR Future innovation to take you into the Future of Work.
HR FUTURE · JUNE 2019 17Six employee benefits
for working parents
Retain valuable employees by
giving them parental benefits.
changer. Flexible work options like compressed
Bill Gimbel work weeks, alternative hours or work-
from-home days allow parents to balance
commitments both at the office and at home.
If these options are currently offered to some
employees but not all, it could be beneficial to
create an official flexible-work policy.
EAPs
Despite the proven benefits of employee
assistance programmes, they often go
unutilised by employees. EAPs are valuable
resources for stress management and mental
wellbeing, and employers can remind working
parents of the programmes available to
them through EAPs, like financial guidance,
confidential counseling, health assessments,
referral services and more. While some of these
may not be directly related to their children,
these benefits can help remove the stress in
other areas of their lives, which then allows for
quality time spent with their children with less
stress and distractions.
Onsite daycare or reimbursement of
childcare services
According to a recent study, “one in three
families now spend 20 percent or more of their
W
annual household income on child care”. Given
ith Mother’s Day in the rearview how expensive childcare is, providing support
and Father’s Day just around in the form of onsite daycare or reimbursement
the corner, it’s a good time for can be a huge relief for working parents and
companies to remind employees something that may retain them when they are
about the benefits they offer that getting recruited by other companies.
support working parents. The below six benefits
that many organisations may already offer can Paternity leave
help employers attract and retain parents in the Bonding with a newborn child is essential for
workforce. mothers and fathers. Offering paternity leave in
addition to maternity leave allows both parents
Flexibility to be together while caring for the child in the
For working parents, flexibility is a game- weeks after birth.
18Employee benefits
From the USA
Assisting with costs of fertility treatments (not having to pay for child care on that day is
This is a great benefit for couples who are also a plus!).
having difficulty conceiving another child. If employers already offer some or all of the
Fertility treatments can be costly, and the stress above benefits, now is a good time to remind
employees that they’re available. If these
of trying to conceive can take a toll on mental benefits aren’t currently being offered, consider
and physical health. Employers who offer this adding them to the company’s benefits package
benefit demonstrate that they care about the as a way to support working parents.
financial health and overall wellbeing of their
employees.
Bill Gimbel is the President of LaSalle Benefits,
www.lasallebenefits.com, a technology-enabled
“Bring your kids to work” day corporate benefits firm. Bill has been in the
Once a quarter or annually, employers employee benefits and insurance space for
could host a “bring your kids to work day” to over 25 years, having worked with companies in
encourage work-life integration and allow virtually every industry, as well as people in the
children to see their parents in action on the job C-suite, human resources, and finance.
HR FUTURE · JUNE 2019 19Employee
engagement surveys
are powerful tools
Here are seven reasons employee
engagement surveys promote
company growth.
M
Bhavika Sharma ost companies are running an
annual survey and it seems like this
is what everyone is doing. You want
to hear from your employees about
what’s going on and want their
voices to be heard. Yet, while it’s one of the best
ways to focus on employee engagement, it’s
become more like a “check-the-box”. Surveys
do however give employers an opportunity to
collect data to understand where things are
going well and where they are not.
But surveys should not be done just for the
sake of it. They need to be linked to things that
are important to the business, in ways that help
employers understand what it is about these
employee attitudes they want to know about,
to relate back to things that matter for the
business. When you can find ways to tangibly
link how people feel to what matters to the
business, you can create a platform for action.
And that helps an organisation make changes
based on the survey.
Let’s look at seven ways an employee
engagement survey is effective for business
growth:
1. Employee engagement surveys give
employees a platform for open feedback
They encourage two-way communication and
give employees an opportunity to directly
communicate with the management team.
Active engagement in the planning process
gives employees a sense of identity within the
company and values their opinions.
2. They measure and increase
engagement level
Once you have measured how engaged
your employees are, you have the insights to
create an action plan. Data obtained from
the assessment helps you identify the right
opportunities to improve engagement in your
organisation. You can either design a one-size-
fits-all plan for all your employees or focus
on specific problem areas. Once you have
designed an action plan, you can set priorities,
20Employee engagement surveys
From the USA
look for resources and create a plan that you satisfied with the opportunities for development,
can administer. you can use this as an opportunity to compare
with the results of the rest of the employees to
3. They provide tangible objectives for check if this is a common finding or one that
change requires improvement.
A tangible objective for change is provided
when you know how the company evaluates 5. Surveys are great predictors of behaviour
areas like employee satisfaction, the Surveys tell us a lot, even about employees
effectiveness of management and work who don’t participate in them. Employees who
environment. Assessing engagement also helps don’t fill out annual surveys are a lot more likely
you recognise areas of best practices within to leave an organisation within a period of six
the organisation. If a particular department months to one year.
rates high on engagement, by analysing the
data, you can obtain insights into how they 6. They gather and track data over time
are accomplishing it and implement effective Surveys save a whole lot of time to gather
practices throughout the organisation. valuable data from all your employees, instead
of a one-on-one session with each employee. If
4. They benchmark data for comparison your employee engagement survey reflects that
purposes your employees aren’t too happy working for you,
Employee engagement surveys let you it shouldn’t stop you from issuing another survey.
benchmark data for comparison purposes. You You need to stay wise in the process. Great
can have a look at competitive results and managers immediately work on rectifying the
problem and issue follow-up surveys to check if
?
compare them with industry-specific data to
gain insights on your company performance. they’re moving in the right direction.
Benchmarking also identifies issues specific
to your company or the industry. If the data 7. They gauge manager-employee
displays that only 30% of your employees are relationships
An employee engagement survey determines
how well employees get along with their boss. If
your survey reveals that a major percentage of
your employees aren’t happy working for you, it’s
DID YOU time to have a meeting with each employee of
KNOW
yours. In all, employee surveys provide managers
with important data to take the right action.
The increased use of smart technology and the
They need to be linked to collection of important data helps employers
things that are important to understand what matters most to employees.
the business, in ways that help And that just makes surveys all the more
employers understand what important. They help to analyse concerns,
it is about these employee discover actionable insights, and take necessary
attitudes they want to know action to encourage a more productive
about, to relate back to things workforce.
that matter for the business.
When you can find ways to Bhavika Sharma is a survey designer at Survey
tangibly link how people Sparrow, www.surveysparrow.com, Palo Alto,
feel to what matters to the California in the US, where she designs surveys
business, you can create a that work by making them more conversational
platform for action. and engaging, fetching 40% more responses.
HR FUTURE · JUNE 2019 21Build a robust
hiring process
What’s the difference between
pre-employment assessment, skill
testing and interviewing?
clarity. It’s worth listening to the entire episode
Omer Molad but I have summarised some of the key points in
this article and added my own thoughts as well.
Skill testing
Skill testing is all about understanding
whether someone can do something or knows
something. It can be a simple task, a range of
complex tasks or demonstrable knowledge. It’s
possible to test for almost any skill because you
can simply watch people perform tasks.
Dr Hamilton gives the simplest of examples:
“If someone is going to have to weld metal, you
want see them weld metal”.
This is why résumés and interviews are
inherently poor methods of validating skills. They
are focused on what candidates claim they
can do, not what they can actually do. Instead,
it’s far more compelling to see how people
perform. Literally. Moreover, it’s far simpler.
Skill testing is context-dependent, and
therefore subjective in nature. But it’s also
capable of being objectively assessed, which
means it can be a pass/fail. Confusing, right?
Let’s take a writing test as an example. The
W
e often hear terms like pre- style of writing you test depends entirely on the
employment assessment, skill job. It could be anything from creative writing to
testing and even interviewing used technical writing. So the test is bespoke. At the
interchangeably. While they may same time, it is usually possible to objectively
have similar high level goals, such determine whether a candidate performed well.
as identifying a suitable candidate, they are To use Dr Hamilton’s welding example, either
fundamentally different methods of achieving someone knows how to weld metal or they
those goals. It’s important to know the don’t.
difference because each evaluation method The opposite is usually true of pre-
will produce completely different outputs. employment assessment.
Moreover, in some cases it might make sense to
combine one or more of these methods. What is pre-employment assessment?
One of the best discussions I’ve heard Pre-employment assessment is focused on
on this topic was on a podcast called Hire predicting how people will behave in certain
Uphosted by John P. Beck, Jr. The episode scenarios, not what they can do. They explore
was titled Assessments Made Simple, Human, key personality traits based on an understanding
Smart and featured Dr Scott Hamilton, the CEO that someone’s personality can predict their
of Hamilton and Associates Consulting. behaviour. Most personality assessments are
Dr Hamilton distinguished between each based on the Five-Factor Model, which asserts
candidate evaluation method with ease and that there are five personality supertraits:
22Hiring
From Australia
1. Openness to experience; • An interview means “A meeting of people
2. Conscientiousness face to face, especially for consultation”.
3. Extraversion;
4. Agreeableness; and Interviewing
5. Neuroticism. Tests and assessments sound fairly similar.
They are ways of measuring ability or
Therefore, if we gain an understanding of quality. On the other hand, an interview is a
someone’s personality, and particularly these discussion. Technology also makes it possible
five supertraits, we will have a good chance to conduct one-way interviews using video,
of knowing how they will react in different which are essentially discussions without
situations. Unlike skill testing, this doesn’t mean real-time interaction. And yet, the most
someone can do the job. But it may shed light commonly used method for making hiring
on how they will do the job. decisions is interviewing. For some reason
the notion that skills and behaviours can be
Pre-employment assessment: does evaluated without skill tests or assessments – but
personality change? through a discussion – has become the norm.
Now here’s the tricky part. While skills can be Maybe it’s because of a lack of resourcing.
taught, many people think that personality is Maybe we trust our intuition more than
fixed. However, that isn’t entirely true. Studies third party methods. Or maybe it’s a lack of
have shown that personality can, and does, awareness. But it doesn’t make a lot of sense
change over time. While most people don’t because interviews don’t predict performance.
change in a fundamental way, it is possible to They typically focus on understanding what
change behaviours and habits, according to someone did in the past or discussing what they
Carol Dweck. And it’s those very behaviours claim to be able to do, without proof.
that are relevant to how someone will perform Can interviews nevertheless play a
in a job, not their personality per se. That’s why valuable role in the hiring process? Interviews
two people with different personalities can should be used to get to know a preferred
perform well in the same role. candidate after their skills and behaviours have
Whether we believe personality is fixed or been validated. Only candidates who have
not, it is not something that can be measured already demonstrated they can do the job
in binary terms such as pass/fail, like an Excel should be interviewed. That would allow for a
test. It’s who we are and, if we subscribe to much more valuable interviewing experience,
the theory that personality changes over time, and a far better use of everyone’s time.
it’s who we are at the time of assessment. Unfortunately, that is not normally the case.
This means that the outcome of a personality Can we combine skill testing, pre-employment
assessment can’t be viewed as “good” or assessment and interviewing?
“bad” in isolation, it can only indicate potential A strong hiring process will combine reliable
suitability for a specific job. Conversely, insights about a candidate’s ability to do
someone can be good at Excel. the job and their expected behaviour with
Additionally, if used incorrectly, personality high-quality human interaction. In theory, this
assessments can be harmful to the hiring could involve a skill test, some form of pre-
process. That’s why pre-employment employment assessment and an interview. It
assessments that test personality need to be very much depends on the type of role, and the
validated. Skill testing, on the other hand, is candidate experience the company wants to
inherently bespoke. deliver.
Hiring is not a “one size fits all” endeavour.
What does this all mean? Every situation is different. But understanding
This is where it gets interesting. Let’s start with what each evaluation method can achieve and,
the dictionary: more importantly, what it will not achieve, will
go a long way to helping companies build hiring
• A test means “a procedure intended to robust processes.
establish the quality, performance, or
reliability of something, especially before
it is taken into widespread use”; Omer Molad is the Co-founder and CEO
• To assess means to “evaluate or estimate of Vervoe, www.vervoe.com, in Melbourne,
the nature, ability, or quality of”; and Australia.
HR FUTURE · JUNE 2019 23How to hire the best
person for the job
Don’t let biases prevent you
from stereotypical hiring.
O
ne of the debates that often because they don’t look like us, verbalise their
surfaces in the diversity debate ideas like us, or lead like us.
is that we should simply hire “the They’re so ingrained in us that inadvertent
best person for the job”. I’ve sexism in our language, behaviours and social
been reflecting on how we might structures can seem quite ordinary, until we call
consider this phrase. It’s not a new argument it out.
and is often one that is raised against the As evidence of this, the recent 2018 McKinsey
concept of quotas, or as reason for a lack of report published that women experienced the
diversity. following at a disproportionately higher rate
Let’s consider for a moment that small but than men:
mighty word ‘best’. When we’re asking ourselves • Having their judgement questioned in their
who the best person for the job is, how do we area of expertise;
define it? What does it look and sound like? • Needing to provide more evidence of their
How does it shape who we hire? And how is its competence than others do;
definition shaped by who we are? • Being addressed in a less than professional
There is a bedrock of economic and way;
social structures underlying our definition • Being mistaken for someone at a much
of ‘best’. They shape our individual biases lower level than they are at; and
and our behaviour in the workplace. Gender • Experiencing demeaning remarks about
assumptions are so deeply embedded and them or people like them.
powerful that even when we’re acutely aware
of stereotypical gender roles, both men and This does not describe an optimal environment
women act them out every day. They affect for women to do the best work of their lives.
!
the way we look at the world and each other, These behaviours are often without ill-intent,
and we might even dismiss someone’s abilities, but if we don’t call them out, we’re conforming
to the same gender roles that are driving these
institutional structures forward to the next
generation.
Of course, we don’t want to ignore that every
human being is different or diminish individual
FAST achievements but, in my opinion, merit is only
FACT one variable. We should be looking beyond IQ,
a strong CV or an extraordinary confidence
in asserting an opinion. If you’re still looking
We don’t all start in the same through this old lens of what best is, there is
place. So when hiring the no doubt it will be holding you, your team and
best person for the job we your organisation back. In addition to merit,
first need to acknowledge we should be looking at the team dynamic,
what individual characteristics might be
our position of privilege and complementary, the diverse backgrounds of the
our unconscious biases and candidates and the new and unique lens they
understand the inherent power will provide, and their future potential.
they have over our decisions. Recently I heard author Stephanie Land talk
about her newly-released book, Maid. A former
24Hiring
From New Zealand
Anna Curzon
maid, now accomplished author, Stephanie immensely powerful institutional structures that
stated that: “we don’t all start from the same are confining us and the next generation?
place”. Finally, if you need another reason to make
That really resonated with me because when this a personal priority have a think about the
we’re in a position of privilege it’s hard to see impact on your business, when you’re competing
the social structures that are holding us up against those that have addressed gender
on higher ground. It’s a privileged few who inequality and unconscious bias. Diversity
still make the calls about who gets certain and inclusion in the workplace equals better
roles, promotions, public praise, inclusion in business outcomes because it creates an
environment where new and fresh opinions are
discussions, or the opportunity to make decisions. brought to the table. What’s more, when people
We don’t all start in the same place. So when feel valued and included, they can do the best
hiring the best person for the job we first need work of their lives.
to acknowledge our position of privilege and
our unconscious biases and understand the
inherent power they have over our decisions. Anna Curzon is the Chief Product and Partner
If we have a restricted view of what success Officer at Xero, www.xero.com, and a Member
looks like, how can we really even know who the of the Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Council
best person is? And how can we combat the in New Zealand.
HR FUTURE · JUNE 2019 25Top tips for tapping into talent
Six steps for attracting the best
candidates possible.
the marketplace?
Bruce Morton
2. Get employee input on their
experience
Next, find out how close your version is to what
workers have to say. You can go about this formally
or informally but be thorough and get a cross-
section of feedback from your workforce. Here are a
couple of options:
• Host roundtables on the topic. Read
off the company line, and then invite staff
to offer their opinions on how closely you’ve
described their day-to-day working lives. Then
discuss how the underlying values and culture
contribute to that;
• Go the survey route once more. This
can be as simple as a two-question email
that asks how easy it is for people to do their
assigned tasks and where improvements could
be made. Or you can print your story as you
perceive it, share it, and ask questions about
?
how accurate that is to individuals’ actual
experiences; and
• Review anonymous social media
posts. Posts about your company written by
E
very employer wants to attract the best
talent possible and here are some smart
and effective ways to do so. Follow these
six steps to attract – and recruit – talent that
makes your competitors jealous. DID YOU
1. Identify your side of the company KNOW
“story.” Bruce Morton is the Author
As you consider what your organisation is famous of Redesigning the Way Work
for in the realm of employment, think about what
you want your message to achieve. What does
Works, available on Amazon.
the candidate want to hear? Job descriptions for
certain positions are theoretically the same for
any company. Your company story is what will set
you apart from the competition in publicising job
openings. What’s unique is the experience of working
for you.
First, you’ll sketch out what company and HR leaders
think that story is. Later, you’ll get your staff’s take on
that. Things may look different from the other side
of the desk, but describing what you think makes
your company stand out will lay the groundwork for
telling a true story. Ask: What are our strong points
in company culture? How do we live our stated
values in doing the work that we do? How does our
enterprise contribute to something larger than just
26You can also read
