How to Find and Keep the Right Employees for Your

Business (Without Stealing from the Competition!)

1

Kathryne A. Newton, MBA, Ph.D. Associate Dean for Graduate Programs and Faculty Success

Program Head, Supply Chain Management Technology Department of Technology, Leadership and Innovation

Purdue University, W. Lafayette, IN

kanewton@purdue.edu

Good Morning!

Topics for Today

A Systems Approach to Productivity:

Employee-Based Management

Where to Start? Get Good at Recruiting

and Hiring

No Surprise Management: Dealing with

Change, Communications, Conflict

Feedback for Improved Performance

Must be Strategic in our Actions

Balancing Your

Management System

High Productivity

Onboarding/ Integration

Training

Coaching

Growth/ Promotion

Compensation/ Benefits

Analytics/ Technology

Collaborations/ Communications

Organization Development and Culture

(Fun!)

Participation

Recruiting/ Hiring

Action Item #1

Employees Are Your

Most Important

Strategic Asset

The Best Employees In Your Industry….

Will always have a job

and

Will typically make 20% more than the average employee

Are They Working for You?

Employee-Friendly

Companies Typically Have:

Reasonable commitments to job security

Facilities and policies exceeding legal minimums

High sensitivity to work-family balance issues

Commitment to employee health

A sense of “ownership” and “engagement”

High degree of employee autonomy

Open/cooperative communication

Friendly work environment

Recruiting for Success

Evaluate your recruiting tools…

– The “Best job on the block?”

– Pay attention to security and seniority (who is leaving, why?; who is NOT leaving, why not?)

– Best practices: Centralized HR, innovative, technology intensive, focused recruiting

Re-evaluate your hiring practices – Need new strategies for hiring and retaining (EI)

Develop a “marketing” plan for recruiting employees… be creative… “ABR”

Best Resources for Recruiting

Focused advertising – compelling ads

Employee referrals (Bounty rewards)

Recruiting firms

Networking (customer and competitors)

Job Fairs

Headhunters

Internal candidates

Internet (job web sites)

Your web site

Others….

On-Line Recruiting Sites

• http://www.indeed.com • http://www.careerbuilder.com • http://www.dice.com (tech jobs) • http://www.monster.com • http://SimplyHired.com • http://glassdoor.com • http://onmogul.com (platform for women) • http://www.ziprecruiter.com (wide net; posts to

multiple free job boards with one submission

• Social Networking Sites: • LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest

Action Item #2

Get Educated

about Hiring

Know What you Need

Take the Time to do it Right

The Best Predictors of Success

The Art and Science of Interviewing

Tests are a Tool, Not a Crystal Ball

Always, always, always……

Check References

Avoid Turnover from Day One

High Performance Hiring

Job Descriptions and Requirements Key Hiring

Tools

Most Important… Most Neglected

A Few Basics Make a Huge Difference

Predicting Job Performance has Priority!

Two Simple Planning Tools … Many Potential Uses

Job Description Template

1. Job Title

2. Full or Part-time

3. Department Name

4. Reports to:

5. Major Function and Purpose

6. Essential Duties and Responsibilities (%)

7. And other Related Duties as Assigned.

Job Requirements Checklist

1. Minimum Education

2. Minimum Experience

3. Knowledge and Skills Required

4. Consider General Mental Ability (GMA) and Integrity Tests (*conscientiousness) with Structured Interview for Highest Validity Predictors

A Good Interview is Planned

Establish Rapport and Expectations

Pace Questions Comfortably

Listen with your Ears and Eyes

Sell the Organization

Answer Questions, Explain Next Step

Check References, Administer Tests

Follow-up and Document

Targeted Questions:

The Key to Hiring Success

• Closed-Ended

• Open-Ended

• Self-Description

• Situational

• Probing

• Reflection

• Leading and Loaded

In-Depth Interview (Example)

1. Describe for me a typical day on your most recent job.

2. Which of your various jobs did you like the most? Why?

3. Why are you leaving your current position?

4. Describe an unpleasant, on-the-job situation in the past and tell me how you dealt with it.

5. What has been your single most noteworthy contribution to your present job?

6. Tell me about your experiences handling customer complaints.

7. What, in your opinion, are the pros and cons of this job?

8. Was there any company policy or practice with which you did not agree in your last job?

9. What are some of your off-the-job interests and activities?

10. Describe what you hope your job here will be one year from now (responsibilities, pay level, title, etc.)

11. What will you be looking for in this job that you did not find in your past job?

12. What kind of references do you think previous employers will give you?

References… To Check or Not to Check

Get Consent of Applicant First!

Don’t Check References, Conduct a

________ _________ ____ _________

Closed-ended Questions, Focus on Past

Don’t Forget to Check Education

Ask References for Other References

Last Question: “Would you rehire this person if you could?”

PRACTICE

“NO SURPRISE”

MANAGEMENT!

Action Item #3

Job Directives

Customer Req’s

Vendor Req’s

Policies, Proced.

Promo., Rewards

Meetings

Problems

Cust. Serv. Info.

Prod. Promotion

Actions

Workspace, Furn.

Performance

Customer Service

Relationships

Consistency

Motivation, Loyalty

Group Effectiveness

Good Solutions

Bus. Transactions

Visib., New Sales

Percep. of Others

Image, Status

Communication:

Key to High Performance

Process

Inputs Outputs

Feedback

Ways to Improve Climate Develop a Positive Attitude

Messages From Management Should:

– Be Accurate, Definite, Forceful, and SIMPLE

– Suit Occasion and be Employee-Oriented

– Have No Hidden Meaning

– Be Direct*, or Layered, to Have Impact

Triple Upward Communication

Encourage Regular Meetings, and Branch, or

Interdepartmental Projects/Exchanges

Have Realistic Job Descriptions, Organ. Charts

Communicate and Model Appropriate Behavior

Treat others with Respect

What Employees Want

Trustworthy leadership

Corporate integrity

Equity – to be fairly treated

Opportunity to learn on the job; Variety

Mutual support and respect; teamwork

Meaningfulness; sense of achievement

A desirable future

Action Item #4

“Get What You Expect”

from Employees

Expect, and Get, the

Best From Your Employees

Turn on the Hidden Talent

You Get What You Expect to Get

Goal Setting Gets Results!

– If New at this, Assign Easy Tasks First

– Focus on Items that are Critically Important – Fewer is Often Better

– Give a Framework for More than Mere Tasks: Set Bar High for New, “Great” Innovation

– Sell “what’s in it for employee” with each goal

Never Tolerate Poor Management

Action Item #5

Motivation: Feedback is Critical

Employees must know “where they stand”… Practice “Continuous Performance Appraisals”

Verbal and Nonverbal Communication Concerning Results of Performance

Two Types of Feedback Positive and Constructive Feedback

Feedback, Delivered Correctly, is Critical to Learning and Motivation

Delivered Incorrectly, is an Enduring and Destructive Experience

Effective Feedback

Getting People to Repeat Good Performance Consistently...

– Positive Feedback, Describe Behavior

– Timely Recognition

– Customized Recognition - Empathy

– Express Personal Appreciation

– Fair Reward (Perception IS Reality)

– Caution! Don’t Overdo or Mix

Action Item #6 NEVER PAY GOOD MONEY FOR NON-

PERFORMANCE...

THEY WILL NEVER LEAVE!

When Problems Arise… Use Constructive Feedback

Set Ground Rules Up Front Continue to Communicate High Expectations Use Self-Evaluations When Possible Provide Feedback on Observed Behavior (use “I” messages) Be Descriptive and Specific (example next slide)

Don’t Wait! Gain Employee’s Agreement on Next Action Keep Private and Maintain Employee’s Self-Worth Avoid Overload and Be Encouraging

Be Specific

Use Sentences Beginning with “I,”

Instead of “You.”

Use Verbs that Identify the Five Senses

I Saw You put the

I Heard You say

I Felt the Motor Start

Be Specific and Descriptive

The best coaches set in motion a continuing learning process -- that, we find, helps people

develop a tolerance for their own struggles and accelerates the unfolding of skill and

contributions that would not have been possible without the “magic” attention

of a dedicated coach.

Nancy Austen and Tom Peters

A Passion for Excellence

Last Action Item: Top Priority

Must Plan Strategically

for the Future

You Know You are Managing Strategically When…

You have a strategic plan for the future of your company….written down.

Your company’s priorities/actions reflect it.

Your employees know the plan and have the training, resources and incentives to achieve it.

You are setting benchmarks and measuring outcomes in terms of “Key Results” on a timetable

You are communicating those outcomes and making adjustments to the plan as needed

Differentiate Your Company for the Future

Make your job the “best on the block”

Get serious with using technology – use for recruiting, training, tracking, etc.

Take time to attract and hire the best

Create a learning culture that embraces innovation and change – set high goals

Never tolerate poor management

Thank You!