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Quiet Quitting – What Employers Need to Know

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Quiet quitting by employees is shouting a profound message to their employers that Human Resources professionals, and organizations as a whole, cannot ignore. The pandemic impacted businesses in myriad ways, and for many employees, the pandemic delivered an epiphany. Through lockdowns, quarantines, and long periods of remote work, workers had the opportunity to reevaluate their personal and professional lives. Part of this evaluation was taking a hard look at their daily lives and discerning what really mattered to them. Many determined that a healthy work-life balance was essential.

LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends 2022 report attests to employees’ wants and needs evolving into a more distinct work-life balance. The intrinsic flame burning in many employees started to flicker, and for some that flame went out completely. While quiet quitting is not a new concept, it is on the increase in many organizations. Leadership needs to identify and implement solutions to address the concerns of “quiet quitters” on their teams.

Quiet quitting is getting increased notoriety through social media today. However, the idea has been around in some form for quite a long time. In the past, the idea was used to describe employees who had hit burnout and shifted gears to do the minimum work needed to do the job adequately. That definition is accurate for some quiet quitters; however, quiet quitting has evolved into a more broad concept.

What is Quiet Quitting?

Quiet quitting does not have a strictly defined meaning, nor does it look the same for all employees. Some quiet quitting employees do not take on additional work or responsibilities, but still complete their responsibilities with excellence. For other employees, their version of quiet quitting is doing the minimum required–and nothing further.

TechTarget generalizes quiet quitting as a “rebellion” against the “hustle culture” of going above and beyond what a job requires, and instead, limiting their tasks to only those within their job description to avoid longer hours. These employees are technically fulfilling their job duties; however, they reject the “work-is-life” mindset where they feel obligated to continually do more. They are not seeking the “golden employee” label. Rather, they are trading long hours, additional projects, and accelerated promotions for the ability to go home and focus on non-work activities. They leave work at work. Ultimately, less is more for them.

From data collected in June 2022 through a Gallup poll, quiet quitters make up at least 50% or more of the United States workforce. Mic drop. Over half of the country’s employees are “quiet quitters”.

What is the Impact of Quiet Quitting?

Quiet quitting is increasing the level of apprehension within companies and impacting productivity. Productivity levels are crucial for a business to thrive especially in our current economic state. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States non-farm worker productivity in the second quarter has fallen 2.5% since the same period last year which is the largest annual drop since 1948. The economy may be on the cusp of a recession due to supply chain issues, inflation, and other factors stemming from the pandemic. Companies are fearful that their financial bottom line will suffer if the production of goods and services cannot meet the demand.

The challenge for employers as they grapple with quiet quitting is that not all employees actually want to leave their jobs; hence the “quiet” part of the quiet quitting concept. Lack of advancement opportunities, low pay, and feeling disrespected were the top reasons Americans quit their jobs in 2021, according to a Pew Research Center survey. But many quiet quitters are not experiencing those reasons to quit, they are content with their job…as they decide to perform it.

There will always be a population of employees who feel content being “worker bees” and whose job performance “meets expectations” on their performance evaluations.nd there will always be the employee population that strives for the “gold star” and attains “exceeds expectations” on the performance evaluation.These groups of employees can coexist, but is labeling the “worker bees” as quiet quitters accurate?

Why are People Quiet Quitting?

With layoffs and terminations at a record low, employees have heightened sense of job security. Companies cannot afford to lose employees since they are scrambling to fill a high number of job vacancies. Even if a termination does occur, the odds are favorable for the employee to find another job quickly.

According to the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM), an organization’s culture directly contributes to employee behavior. Some cultural issues that may contribute to quiet quitting, include:

  • Lack of engagement by and between management and employees fosters weak relationships.
  • Communication challenges, along with the fear of conflict, mitigate open dialogue between teams.
  • Remote and hybrid work is a contributing factor to quiet quitting because additional challenges exist to have candid, honest dialog.
  • Management faces additional challenges validating work efforts and task completion in remote and hybrid environments.

Workplace culture sets the foundation of an organization and reiterates what behaviors and performance levels are accepted, rejected and tolerated.

Disadvantages of Quiet Quitting

Quiet quitters who are emotionally uninvested in their jobs often have challenges working in a team environment through a lack of motivation and flexibility. Employees who are not quiet quitting might become frustrated at having to pick up additional responsibilities or tasks from those employees who will not. Resentment builds amongst teams and that dissolves trust and motivation. Employees who do the minimum in tasks have a higher chance of being passed over for promotions and pay increases as compared to other employees.

Advantages of Quiet Quitting

Advantages to quiet quitting do exist. Employees who leave “work at work”, and then spend time on personal interests, might be more relaxed and motivated when they return to work. That could help increase productivity. Quiet quitting for a temporary time could help reduce burnout if the employee takes time to refocus and prioritize. So quiet quitting is ultimately a plea for open communication between employees and management to discuss concerns and deficiencies in the working environment.

How to Combat Quiet Quiet

HR professionals have quite the challenge on their hands, as they are the catalyst for communications between management and quiet quitting employees. HR and senior management within an organization need first to check how engaged entry and mid-level managers are within the organization and with their teams. If engagement is lacking, senior leadership needs to help reskill and motivate managers to help others, especially in new remote and hybrid working environments.

Managers need to find 15-30 minutes weekly to have a sincere, purposeful conversation with members of their teams. These conversations should strengthen relationships and reiterate value in each team member’s efforts. If employees see how their work contributes and is a benefit to the organization, they will be motivated to see value in their work and heighten their accountability for performance.

Listening is just as important. Often employees convey a message without saying a word. So managers need to learn how to recognize these messages and, in response, hold conversations to address and reduce burnout. All employees have challenges in their work and personal lives to varying degrees. It’s up to managers to know their team’s needs and be cognizant of ever changing factors that could transform productive employees into quiet quitters.

Employee Engagement Matters

Considering that the average person will spend over 90,000 hours working in their lifetime, spending that time completing tasks that are enjoyable in a generally positive environment matters. Time magazine shared that Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report found that job dissatisfaction is at a staggering all-time high, and that unhappy and disengaged workers cost the global economy $7.8 trillion in lost productivity.

Organizations cannot afford to lose talent through attrition or sustain a loss of productivity without it impacting the internal dynamics and the external competitiveness of an organization. Quit the status quo and invest in designing and maintaining a workplace culture where employees thrive, and do not just simply survive. When an organization is invested in its employees and is committed to providing a supportive and rewarding culture, employees will see that quitters–even quiet ones–really do not win.

The win-win comes from both inside and outside the organization, where employers and employees agree on how work and life can balance together.

 

 

Photo by Kristina Flour on Unsplash

Post-COVID Hiring: Job Candidate Motivations

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Recently, I was fortunate to spend several days, in-person, at the HR Indiana SHRM conference in Indianapolis. Those three days consisted of learning, collaboration, communication of forecasts and trends, networking, and sharing of best practices in the human resources world. HR colleagues, I highly recommend attending your state SHRM chapter’s annual conference. It is enlightening, engaging and fun!

One of the overarching themes of the conference is that HR has changed since COVID evolved into a global pandemic. Throw supply chain deficits, cost-cutting, and increased employee vacancies into the mix, and that developed a storm that HR has had to weather together.

HR’s goals of finding and retaining essential talent, improving employee development, and fostering a collaborative, productive work environment has not changed. However, the methods through which HR professionals seek to attain those goals have changed dramatically.

As HR practitioners have witnessed, recruiting key talent has evolved. Job candidate motivations–their wants and needs–have changed, and candidates are leveraging those wants and needs as companies seek to fill numerous job openings from a tiny, ultra-competitive applicant pool.

Job Market Statistics

A few key stats before delving into a couple job candidate motivations that HR must evaluate to attract talent…

  • In the US, an average of 4 million people per month have quit their jobs since January.
  • In the US, almost 48 million employees quit their jobs last year.

Your Playbook for Activating Non-Traditional Talent Acquisition Channels, HR Indiana 2022

  • About 10,000 Baby Boomers are turning 65 each day until 2030.
  • There will be a shortfall of five million workers over the next few years.
  • 40% of workers reported they are unlikely to stay with their organization post-COVID.
  • 57% of Baby Boomers have shared less than half of their knowledge needed to perform their jobs when they retire.

-The Good, The Bad & The Ugly: HR Lessons Learned, HR Indiana 2022

Deep breath in. Deep breath out.

This blog post is not meant to scare or discourage HR professionals; it is meant as a proactive resource to help increase HR’s awareness of these ongoing and upcoming hurdles. Additionally, any HR team–from teams of 1 to 100+, can use this information to strategize and identify strengths that align with job candidate motivations. Then, with this alignment in place, hiring managers can more easily make the case that their company is the right company for top job candidates.

Job Candidate Motivations

What are job candidates’ wants, and in particular, needs? There is no “one-size-fits-all” compensation package for employees. This fact has become blatantly apparent since COVID cemented adaptability and flexibility as needs for both employers and employees.

  • 95% employees want flexible hours.
  • 78% employees seek location flexibility.
  • 72% of workers reported they are likely to seek a new opportunity within the next year as a result of their employer’s current level of flexibility.

-The Good, The Bad & The Ugly: HR Lessons Learned, HR Indiana 2022

Tough crowd with unrealistic expectations? No, not really. COVID became the driver for employees of all levels to reevaluate their life, family and work responsibilities. Early retirements soared. COVID changed the way many industries and individuals’ roles were performed. Roles that were thought as necessary to be onsite were validated otherwise.

Remote Work and Flex Schedules

It did work for people to do their work at home. Of course, there are professions that are legitimately challenged to work full-time or part-time remote–such as teachers, mechanics, and healthcare practitioners to name a few. But overall, many roles and professions that were originally required to be onsite no longer must be onsite.

According to a Gartner survey, if a remote organization were to go back to a fully onsite arrangement, it would risk losing up to 39% of its workforce. Organizations cannot erase the past 2.5 years. Remote work increased, and many employees thrived personally and professionally with that option.

An organization must look into the mirror deeply and reflect on what remote and/or flex options they can offer employees at all levels that help with retention. Not all employees seek to work remotely, but multiple surveys show that the ability to be remote and/or flex is paramount to the majority. Here are a couple other items to consider as companies seek to reevaluate the employee value proposition.

Look at Internal Talent as a Candidate Source

Internal mobility is up 20% since the onset of COVID-19, according to LinkedIn data. This talent pool is readily accessible and often willing to explore new, challenging opportunities for internal growth. An organization’s HR department must start crafting plans to facilitate their employees’ mobility towards existing openings, leadership positions and newly created roles.

Encourage managers and employees to actively recommend teammates for internal openings. According to a Gartner survey, only 27% of active job seekers agree that their organization makes it easy for them to find job opportunities that suit their interests. Now, more than ever, employees must easily access internal openings and find opportunities that correlate to their skills.

Make Mental Health a Priority for Job Candidates

Many current employees are now feeling the negative effects of stress from attempting to balance personal and professional responsibilities during the pandemic. According to the World Health Organization, burnout is a syndrome resulting from workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions: feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion, increased mental distance from one’s job or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job, and reduced professional efficacy (World Health Organization, 2019).

  • $23 billion spent annually in the United States on work productivity loss due to depression.
  • $16 trillion in loss output by 2030 due to mental illness.
  • 200 million workdays are estimated annually due to depression.

-The Good, The Bad & The Ugly: HR Lessons Learned, HR Indiana 2022

Research is showing that the cost of implementing a workplace health and wellness system is significantly less than the cost of doing nothing to formally address and resolve workplace mental health issues. Loss of productivity and absenteeism will continue to rise if channels of assistance are not readily available to employees. And addressing mental health in the workplace cannot only improve employee morale and operations, it can attract new talent.

So HR should broadcast the details and goals of wellness programs to job candidates. In this way, the candidates understand the company’s commitment to physical and mental health without having to ask about it. Wellness programs are an investment in employees and should be rightfully included in employee branding. This will help an organization stand out among the competition and better align with important job candidate motivations.

HR Strength Post-COVID

In addition to change, a recurring theme at the HR Indiana SHRM conference was strength. Even in the midst of the chaos internally and externally, HR professionals will continue to rise to the challenge and overcome adversity successfully. Craft your plans and goals, then seek assistance to fulfill those goals from your support channels–resources in your senior and C-level management to help with funding, implementation and buy-in from your hourly workers who can voice support of new initiatives.

You can do this!

 

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

Free ATS Buying Guide

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Recently released on ExactHire’s website is a comprehensive overview of applicant tracking systems. We have a detailed account of features provided, the cost of the software, important integrations, and the overall importance of the product. This guide breaks down the components that make up an applicant tracking system and explains each of them in detail. The guide also goes over potential cost savings associated with an ATS, as well as the importance an applicant tracking system has on a company.

Why create a Free ATS buying guide?

You might wonder why would we be interested in providing such information? Well at ExactHire we frequently find ourselves receiving questions about how our ATS compares to others. This often leads to a conversation centered around a prospect’s hiring challenges and how an ATS–any ATS–can address those. So considering we have these discussions on a daily basis with the people who ask, we figured there are thousands of more people out there who need basic, non-biased information regarding applicant tracking systems, but who don’t ask us.

Countless search items on Google lead straight to dead pages, outdated information, or biased answers. We saw a problem with this and wanted to make a resource where small business owners, new HR practitioners, and others can go to receive the information they need. So we took it upon ourselves to create a free ATS buyer’s guide!

We believe that by providing a wealth of information on the topic, consumers are better prepared to make buying decisions with better accuracy as to what they need. This, in turn, will lead to a happier ATS customer and thus better relationships between customers and ATS vendors (hopefully that vendor is us, but if not, we’ll take the positive karma).

What is in the buying guide?

The content of the free ATS buying guide, as stated before, is comprehensive. We start off with a basic definition and other key points. Then the guide dives into different features and integrations you can expect or want out of different applicant tracking systems. Then we talk about costs associated with applicant tracking systems and what kind of returns on investments you receive from an applicant tracking system. Lastly, we delve into the importance of an applicant tracking system and what difference it can make for your company.

This and more are all included in the buying guide, all completely free! If you, your HR department, or anyone else in your company wants to learn more about applicant tracking systems and what they can do for your company, then there is no better place to look then our ultimate buying guide!

ExactHire ATS Buying Guide

Linked below and throughout the blog is the buying guide, please use the link to explore the buying guide and all it has to offer. If you feel that any questions of yours aren’t answered, or would like an elaboration on any point made, please contact a member of our team.

Access Guide

Click to Access Free ATS Buying Guide

How to write a rejection email for job candidates

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A rejection email for job candidates is not always easy to write. And informing an applicant that they were not selected for an open position is definitely not the highlight of a human resources professional’s day. The task is one of the hardest to complete, as no one wants to deliver disappointing news to others. However, rejection is inevitable, even for individuals with a stellar background and coveted skills.

It’s important to keep in mind that we have all experienced rejection at some point in time. Whether it was not being selected for a lucrative job opportunity, or being passed over for a particular award or acknowledgment–we’ve all felt the sting of rejection. Recalling how that sting affected oneself can often lead an HR professional to take extra steps to buffer the disappointment when delivering rejection messages to job applicants. Kindness truly matters.

Can You Kindly Reject Job Candidates?

Jobseekers want to know their status in the application process. Even if it’s a “no”, applicants need to know their status so they can have closure and shift their job search direction. Receiving feedback, even if it is a rejection, is especially instrumental for those applicants who have had some form of interview. Imagine the confusion that a jobseeker might have if they never hear back from an organization after spending time discussing their qualifications and how they seek to contribute to a prospective employer.

A paramount function of HR is to build relationships with individuals. This goes not just for current employees, but also  for prospective employees. What type of relationship can be built if an employer does not update applicants on their application statuses, or let applicants know that they are no longer in consideration for a position?

Starting the rejection conversation is hard, but it demonstrates professionalism within the organization’s HR department and gives the two parties, HR and the jobseeker, an opportunity to form a connection. While this jobseeker might not be the best fit for the particular role in which they applied, that same person might be the person best qualified for a future opening, so don’t burn bridges

Candidate Rejection Letter Template

In the rejection email template sent by an organization, craft the content with sincerity. The sincerity genuinely shown in the rejection email can help the jobseeker stay motivated and interested in your company. Also, this will help mitigate the chance the jobseeker will spread negativity about their applicant experience to others. Word of mouth can be the best or worst recruitment marketing for an employer, so strive to leave applicants with a positive experience.

Time is of the essence in the HR world. Using personalized mass emailing within your ATS will help make the communication process quicker and easier when communicating with applicants. ExactHire HR Software offers the ability for users to create communication templates for immediate and future use. This templates streamline communication with applicants, and allows users to view the communication flow between your team and the applicants.

When crafting communication templates, it is helpful to use personalization tags (AKA shortcuts that personalize content) to customize your message. Personalization tags in a communication template allow the sender to specify items such as name, job listing, company name, etc. This ensures a more “personal” feel with less work.

When writing a rejection email, be concise. Longer emails, at first glance, can imply favorable news. Also, it is more personable for an actual employee to sign the message.  However, if there are safety concerns after sending a rejection email, do not include specific names or direct contact information.

Example of Candidate Rejection Letter

Here is an example of a sample rejection message for your use. Words between the # symbols indicate variable content found in the candidate record. CAPS indicate customized content (based on hiring manager or company).

Dear #first_name#,

Thank you for your interest in the #job_listing# at #company_name#. Your time is valuable, and we appreciate your effort in applying. (Use interviewing if an applicant has interviewed.)

We are grateful to have had many qualified applicants for the role. We carefully evaluated candidates’ qualifications and skills. Although your qualifications were impressive, we are moving forward with another candidate whose qualifications best fit the requirements of the position.

(If an interview has been conducted, consider including: Although your interview itemized your skills, we did not proceed because of REASON FOR REJECTION. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at email address or phone number.)

Please visit COMPANY JOBS PAGE to explore opportunities to join our organization as we encourage you to apply again in the future if you find a job opening better suited to your qualifications.

Again, thank you for your interest in working with us!

FIRST NAME LAST NAME
TITLE
COMPANY NAME

Personalized Candidate Communication

HR professionals can simplify a challenging task by using personalized candidate communication templates to soften news of a rejection. By delivering personalized updates to job applicants, even if it is a rejection, employers promote a positive employer brand. In return, employers will enjoy a larger applicant pool and succeed in providing clarity around what their organization’s needs. Creating personalized communication templates in ExactHire HR Software can help streamline the communication process. Click here to learn more!

A Strategy for Veteran Hiring

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A strategy for veteran hiring may seem difficult to develop, but you don’t need to create one from scratch. However, first your company needs to commit to employing veterans and realize the added value this population of jobseekers can bring to your organization.

Veterans bring unique and sought after qualities to an organization. After leaving their domestic and/or international deployments, veterans conclude their military careers with a wealth of job skills and professional experience that successfully translates to the civilian world. If your organization does not have a strategy for veteran hiring , now is the time to create one.

Why Hiring Veterans Makes Sense

Not only is hiring veterans good for an organization’s culture, but there are also financial benefits to hiring veterans. First off, employers that hire veterans might be eligible for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC). But there other veteran employment programs as well, such as:

Non-Paid Work Experience Program

The Non-Paid Work Experience program allows local, state, and federal government offices to temporarily employ a veteran without having the position count against the agency’s full-time equivalent allocation.

Veteran Readiness and Employment

Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) pays the veteran a monthly subsistence allowance while the veteran learns valuable work-related skills and experience. Through this Special Employer Incentive program, employers receive an incentive to hire veterans who face extraordinary obstacles to employment, which includes reimbursement of as much as 50 percent of the Veteran’s salary for up to six months.

VR&E can provide specialized tools, equipment, and workplace modifications to eligible veterans allowing them to perform their duties. Through the on-the-job training program, VR&E subsidizes veterans’ salaries so employers pay an apprentice-level wage while training veterans. As the veteran progresses, the employer pays a larger portion of the Veteran’s salary, until the training program is completed and the employer is paying the full salary.

Veteran Hiring Events

There are various events that can help introduce an organization to this skilled jobseeker population. Connect with your state government’s workforce development board to learn what hiring events are held for veterans in your state and in the states where you hire. The National Labor Exchange has an interactive map that will connect veterans and employers to employment resources.

Follow the events going on within the Department of Veterans Affairs. Consider having your organization participate in a federal resource program such as the Department of Defense’s SkillBridge program, which connects soon-to-be-discharged veterans with employment opportunities. VETS2INDUSTRY also offers employer strategies for veterans recruitment and support for profit and non-profit organizations.

Building a Veteran Hiring Process

Ideally, an organization should have a dedicated member of the HR team focused on veteran and veteran family recruiting and support – bonus if the dedicated HR team member is a former military member or military spouse. If senior management is unsure of the need for a dedicated veterans recruiter, here are ten reasons why your organization should hire veterans. The Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) understands the need for HR specialization and education towards veterans so SHRM, in partnership with Comcast NBCUniversal, created the SHRM Veterans at Work certificate program.

Translate Veteran Skills into Civilian Skills

Resume writing can be cumbersome even for the most linguistic jobseekers. Translating military responsibilities into civilian language can be challenging for veterans. HR resume screeners need to review veterans’ resumes with supportive resources, if needed, since veterans’ accomplishments might be communicated in military lingo. To help novice and seasoned HR staff better understand the accomplishments and successes of a veteran in their particular military roles, CareerOneStop offers an online civilian/military occupation translator.

Recruiting Veterans

Recruiting veterans can be completed in a variety of ways. Ensure that your organization vocalizes and adheres to the mission of providing support to veteran employees. This can be done by boldly expressing your organization’s commitment through your organization’s website and social media channels. Coming from a team focused environment, veterans will be more interested in finding another team-based culture.

Onsite and virtual job fairs are excellent recruitment events to help connect with prospective veteran employees. Promote your jobs on veteran specific job boards and on social media. Get involved with the veteran community to connect with candidates. PsychArmor offers online training modules to learn about veterans’ needs. Specifically, they provide organizations a robust training module specializing in creating a veteran hiring program.

One item to keep in mind is that not only is an organization recruiting the veteran themselves, but also the veteran’s spouse. Don’t forget to include military spouses in recruitment. The United States Department of Labor provides specific resources to recruit and support military spouses. For active duty military families in particular, remote jobs are of primary interest to military spouses as a military family might be relocated often for new assignments; however, remote jobs offer the ability for the spouse to work uninterrupted anywhere.

It’s About More than Hiring

Veterans have risked so much for our daily freedoms. They have sacrificed safety and comfort so we can have that. We can never fully return the favor to veterans for their sacrifice and courage; however, let’s support them in their civilian endeavors and provide them with an opportunity to utilize their skills in a role that fits both the company and the jobseeker.

 

ExactHire HR Software offers the ability to streamline the applicant process and tag applicants’ skills and characteristics, such as applicant veteran status, for you and your team’s convenience in applicant screening and candidate communication. For more information about our solutions, please contact us.

 

 

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Screening Applicants for Soft Skills

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Soft skills are interpersonal skills that enable you to communicate and interact. Soft skills emanate from your personality or your attributes. These skills help you interact effectively and pleasantly with others, enabling you to navigate complex relationships.

Soft skills are critical in the workplace. That’s because organizations are looking for individuals who are not only good at their work, but who can interact, connect, collaborate, and manage across diverse cultural lines. Job candidates with good soft skills can excel in contemporary workplaces because they can learn and adapt.

Soft Skills Examples

Some key examples of soft skills include:

  • Teamwork
  • Communication
  • Collaboration
  • Listening
  • Problem-solving
  • Time management
  • Decision making
  • Critical thinking
  • Adaptability
  • Stress management
  • Leadership
  • Creativity
  • Organization
  • Persuasion
  • Resourcefulness

Soft Skill Benefits

There’s no doubt that when the Covid-19 pandemic struck, most people who work outside their homes found themselves thrust into the work-from-home lifestyle. This unexpected change brought about anxiety around what was to happen next. Most employees found themselves wondering about the murky future of their jobs and workplaces.

Indeed, while it’s difficult to predict what the future holds, there’s no doubt that soft skills remain a key highlight in business leadership. Organizations that remained intact and successful throughout the pandemic were those whose employees and leadership had strong soft skills to survive and adapt.

Knowing the roles that soft skills play in contemporary workplaces, there’s no excuse for employers to ignore the many benefits that soft skills bring. Let’s delve deep into those benefits.

  • Improved adaptability.  A key highlight for all competitive organizations is that their workforce and leadership are adaptable and flexible. The pandemic has revealed first-hand how the most adaptable organizations can get through while others drown or close doors. While adaptability is not new to businesses, it’s become altogether critical in recent years. Adaptability means that employees have strong critical thinking skills to pull through a crisis. Adaptability also implies that the workforce has collaborative and meaningful research skills to survive difficult situations.
  • Improved feelings of belonging. Soft skills help nurture feelings of belonging, often thanks to leaders who can practice active listening. There’s no doubt that work-from-home directives have led to increased feelings of loneliness and isolation for many employees. And as months continue to go by with employees unable to return to the workplace, listening and communication skills are becoming increasingly important for leaders. Therefore, leaders who have developed soft skills in this area are better prepared in adapting to changes in the work environment, and are able to make distanced employees feel more at home through communication, listening, and interaction skills.
  • Excellent communication. Excellent organization-wide communication is a critical element of leadership. Organization-wide communication captures many different types of communication, including how we communicate the words we speak, written communication, verbal cues, and even Zoom meetings. Although the importance of communication in the workplace cannot be overstressed, still almost 60% of employees report not receiving clear instructions at work. Soft skills provide management personnel with excellent communication skills to convey work requirements.
  • Enhanced teamwork. As the pandemic unfolded, most organizations likely sent out an internal memo reading “we’re all in this together.” Perhaps this message was reinforced throughout and after the pandemic. Well, why send out such a message? The answer is simple: to promote feelings of togetherness and empathy. Soft skills are critical as they help individuals and teams to overcome difficult and trying situations.

Examples of Jobs that Require Soft Skills

Organizations of all sizes and complexity require different soft skills. Soft skills are sought by organizations of all sectors and industries – from manufacturing to mining, sales, administrative, healthcare, education, technology, and retail.

But soft skills are especially required, and vital, in the following industries:

  • Communication services
  • Information technology
  • International relations
  • Healthcare
  • Real-estate
  • Retail
  • Hospitality
  • Finance and accounting
  • Law
  • Human resources
  • Business

How do you Test for Soft Skills?

There are many ways to assess applicant skills, including sift skills. Some of the ways are discussed below:

  1.  Watch for physical and social cues. One way to assess soft skills is to look out for physical and social cues. Now, we are not asking you to spy on your candidates when they’re reporting for interviews. Rather, we’re asking you to examine their behavior and interactions with other people when they arrive at the workplace. Do they greet the receptionist – do they talk or interact with other candidates, and are they curious to learn more about the work? All these things are critical in assessing soft skills in job candidates.
  1.  Inquire from the candidate about important soft skills. Ask the candidate what core skills they perceive as important. Instead of telling the candidate the soft skills you think are crucial for the job, inquire from them about what skills they think are crucial. At the very least, this inquiry will help you know how well your candidates understand the job. And if you’re lucky enough, their list of soft skills will likely match yours. So, actively interacting and obtaining feedback from your job candidates is a great way of learning about their core skills.
  1.  Ask for scenarios and examples. Ask candidates to demonstrate scenarios where soft skills are used. Now that you’ve obtained their list of  top core skills, ask them for examples where they’ve seen or used these skills in action. Get your candidates talking about their previous work experiences and look for what they were most impressed with. By constantly talking and engaging with candidates, you can identify their soft skills based on their previous performance and experience.
  1.  Test them using job simulations. Test candidates through a real-life scenario to identify their soft skills. If you ask a candidate whether they think they are a good leader, you’ll get a “yes” nine out of ten times. Put candidates to the test. Create a situation or a real-life job audition and see if the candidates take the lead. Also, look at whether those who take the lead listen to others and take feedback seriously. It’s only by simulating job duties that you can obtain genuine feedback on your candidates’ soft skills.

Why Test for these Skills?

Testing for soft skills helps you evaluate job candidates not based on their technical or hard skills, but based on their ability to adapt and cope. Soft skills provide an end-to-end view of candidates, providing an extra layer of information beyond just experience and qualification. So, testing for these skills provides you with a comprehensive understanding of prospective job candidates, streamlining and improving your selection process.

Soft Skills Assessment Questions:

Most talent acquisition managers create assessment questions that help them evaluate soft skills. Some common soft skill assessment questions include:

  1. When people are arguing, I can understand all their viewpoints whether or not I agree with them (T/F).
  2. I can make sense of complex and ambiguous situations (T/F)
  3. When someone speaks to me, I think of open-ended questions to ask them (T/F)
  4. When someone talks to me when I’m doing something, I stop and give the person full attention (T/F)
  5. I quickly de-escalate myself when arguments become serious (T/F)
  6. Discuss a time you had to manage your team through a hard situation…
  7. How do you prioritize your time and tasks when you have too much to handle?
  8. What’s the most serious problem you’ve ever solved at the workplace?
  9. Tell me your most challenging situation and your solution to it?
  10. Discuss positive contributions you’ve made in school and beyond…

Why do Job Candidates Need these Skills?

Job candidates need to have good soft skills to excel in what they will be asked to do on the job. Training for these skills can be very difficult and time-consuming–more so than training for hard skills. And by only having technical skills, it’s impossible to meet the changing work requirements. Job candidates who bring soft skills with them are better prepared for changes, enabling them to learn and adapt on the go.

Here again is a quick summary of the key reasons job candidates need these vital skills:

  • Customer service. Improved customer service based on their day-to-day interactions with customers
  • Employee self-confidence. Interaction and communication increase an employee’s confidence in themselves and their hard skills.
  • Better client retention rates. Employees who make clients feel valued and respected create return business for themselves and their organizations.
  • Higher job satisfaction. Communication, listening, interaction, and negotiation skills improve job satisfaction because employees can openly talk, be listened to, and feel as if they belong.
  • Customer loyalty. Communication and persuasion skills can increase loyalty in customers, especially when customers feel their pain, concerns, and issues are taken into account.
  • Better team dynamics. Employees can interact and collaborate with others and improve relationships through teamwork.
  • Greater adaptability. Core skills like listening, communication, curiosity, and feedback provide greater adaptability to employees who know how to use them.

So, if you’re looking for the perfect candidate for your open position, soft skills are critical. Indeed, the best hiring processes are balanced in identifying and evaluating a combination of soft and hard skills.

To learn more about how to test the core skills of your candidates, or how an ATS can do it for you, contact ExactHire to learn more!

Job Descriptions that Attract Diverse Job Candidates

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Attracting diverse job candidates is essential to finding high quality talent for your positions. That’s because trying to find the right person to fill a vacant position is challenging, especially in our current job market.

In the past, companies mostly competed against similar industries for talent; however, that has distinctly changed. Today, workers are expanding their interests and education along with examining how to transition into different fields. The competition for essential talent has never been more fierce. Companies must compete with competitors in and outside their industry.

So when an organization has a job to fill, it is crucial to examine the content advertised to ensure that all qualified individuals feel welcome to apply. Making your company an inclusive organization–ready to recognize and appreciate diverse skill sets–should be a huge priority.

 

Companies with a diverse workforce are 35% more likely to experience greater financial returns than their respective non-diverse counterparts. –Forbes

 

Why is Attracting Diverse Job Candidates Important?

According to an article published by Forbes, diverse teams are better decision makers 87% of the time as compared to non-diverse teams. Approximately 35% of applicants will not apply to a job if the listing and/or the company do not seem to support diversity. Companies with a diverse workforce are 35% more likely to experience greater financial returns than their respective non-diverse counterparts. Diversity and inclusion help expand the knowledge, insight and social connectivity of an organization so it is a priority that needs consistent support. But how can companies ensure that they are attracting talent from all backgrounds?

Unbiased Job Description Content

Often it’s department managers who create job descriptions for their areas. They know the intricacies of the functions they oversee, so this makes sense. But this might also lead them to create or revise job descriptions with the only the current employee(s) in mind.

And while that’s a good starting point for identifying tasks and responsibilities, that exact employee will not be in that role permanently. So it’s imperative to avoid biased job description content because the next person to fill that role will likely have distinctly different, individualized attributes.

How can my Job Postings be More Inclusive?

In the “relay” to fill job vacancies, Human Resources can take the baton from other internal departments and thoroughly examine job descriptions. This provides a clear and bias-free interpretation and, if necessary, revisions of the content. Doing this helps ensure that job descriptions reach diverse populations and offer a sense of inclusivity to all applicants.

To help with consistency of verbiage, Human Resources can create an inclusive style guide available to all departments. This ensures that consistent language is used when communicating job description content with external and internal audiences.

Here are some key items to evaluate when reviewing job descriptions:

  1. Avoid Gender Coding which is assigning traits, characteristics or behaviors to a particular gender. Curious as to how the organization’s job description’s content passes or fails in gender coding? Check out Gender Decoder to scan content, and learn about the purpose of the tool here along with a list of feminine and masculine perceived words.
  2. Check pronouns. Are the pronouns “He” or “She” used in the job description? Not all individuals identify with “He” or “She”. Using “You” in the job description will leave the reader more focused upon themself and the characteristics they personify to help give the reader a better opportunity to picture themselves fulfilling the duties of that particular role. “You will lead the success of your clients…You will assist senior management with strategic planning…etc.” To the reader, hearing what “You” can do is motivating!
  3. Include the organization’s EEO statement. Job seekers need to know the organization is committed to equal opportunity and supports hiring for all individuals. Personalize the company’s message to all audiences that they are truly welcome.
  4. To accommodate readers of all levels, keep sentences and paragraphs short. Use verbiage that the reader would not have to look up in a dictionary to define. This is a job description to attract interested, qualified applicants; it is not a dissertation.
  5. Approximately 10% of the population is dyslexic. Dyslexia is a learning disorder that affects written and comprehended language. Individuals with Dyslexia are also part of a protected population by the EEOC. Using fonts that help language processing such as Arial, Comic Sans Verdana, Tahoma, Century Gothic, Trebuchet, Calibri or Open Sans, are easier to read because they are are sans serif. Crowded text makes it more challenging for readers with language processing challenges so avoid the use of italics and underlining and go bold instead.
  6. Stop buzzing around! Using buzzwords and jargon can be confusing and overwhelming. Job seekers want the job description to be to the point and simple to follow without the need to go search the online dictionary for acronyms or jargon translation. This site, Milkround, helps scan for jargon and gives a good resource of what to revise. Keep in mind, the site is based out of the United Kingdom so there could be a bit of difference between UK and US English.
  7. When discussing benefits, focus on generalities. “Parenting” leave as compared to maternity or paternity leave. “Parents and Guardians” as compared to “Mothers and Fathers”. “Partners” as compared to “Spouses” or “Husbands and Wives”.
  8. Individuals with disabilities have skills to offer. Review the job content for items that could isolate individuals with physical or cognitive disabilities. Does the person have to actually “lift” an item to move it, or could the person move the item in an alternative way? Does a person have to read instructions, or could that person listen to an audio recording instead? One size does not fit all

Commit to a Diverse, Inclusive Culture

Creating diverse content in job descriptions is an important step toward attracting diverse job candidates. But they are only words if the organization’s culture does not embrace diversity and inclusion initiatives. Make sure that what is written in the job description regarding the warm welcome for all qualified individuals to apply is sincere.

Human Resources is a champion for diversity and inclusion. Taking time to inspect job descriptions and promoting inclusive language and actions within the organization will save time in the long run. And crafting content to reach diverse audiences will become a norm as time evolves. Diverse, inclusive job descriptions will help organizations yield an opportunity to fulfill its main goal – supply the organization with talent for company growth.

Click here to learn how ExactHire HR Software can help your team create a library of diverse job templates that can be used to help save time posting jobs, screening applicants, and attracting diverse job candidates.

 

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5 Considerations for an Applicant Tracking System Vendor

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If your organization is exploring the use of an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), or if your company has taken the first step towards internal efficiency by approving the investment of an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), it might seem like a daunting challenge. Many questions resonate as implementation can be a bit overwhelming even for the most seasoned tech users. What should I do next? Where do I go from here? How does this product work?

Don’t let fear get in the way of efficiency. Implementing an ATS into your organization is an investment of time and financial resources. As HR professionals explore the caveats of an ATS, it is essential to find the tool that works best for your organization with a support team that defines ongoing value.

 

When evaluating a system, here are five items to consider:

 

1) Applicant Tracking System Support

If you are asking yourself, “How do we use this new product?”, that’s an essential question that needs to be answered in depth, in addition to other questions centered on product support. What type of training will we receive from the product vendor? Is training personalized to meet our organization’s needs? After training, if we still have questions, will we be able to contact someone in the United States?

Best-in-class vendors offer personalized training by a Client Success team composed of professionals who are genuinely vested in your organization’s success. Training is provided to your team, and follow up questions, which are expected, are supported by the Client Success team. The Client Success team lives up to its name; they are a bonafide, dedicated team who wants to make your lives easier by using employment software solutions. Relationships are important, and those are built here. Tap into their wisdom and expertise to help guide your use of the ATS.

2) The Applicant Experience

Applicants won’t waste time. Can job seekers apply quickly on mobile devices? If a job seeker finds more than one job to which they want to apply, do they have to start over again?

Convenient for the job seekers you are attracting, look for an ATS that is mobile responsive so that your applicants experience a seamless application process. No passwords should be needed by the applicant; the applicant can use their contact information, such as an email or phone number, to access their applications.

More than one job of interest to your job seekers? Not a problem – top of the line HR Software will offer multi-apply where the applicant can apply to more than one job at a time.  And since the best HR Software offers an organization the ability to use different applications to collect data essential for screening, the applicant will complete the questions you specify in one experience without interruption even if the applicant is applying to multiple jobs based on different application templates.

 

3) ATS Job Board Integrations

Visibility of my jobs is important in this competitive job market. What type of boards are available? To which boards are my jobs automatically sent? Does the ATS offer diversity and niche job boards?

The best HR Software offers the ability to automatically push jobs to free boards like Indeed, ZipRecruiter, Snagajob, Job Inventory and indexed for Google for Jobs. No effort needed on your part for those job boards. Interested in other job boards? Some of the best ATS software offers other options to automate job postings to various boards such as diversity boards, niche boards, and many other options.

4) Building Applicant Pools

An applicant today might be the fit for tomorrow’s opening. How can I search for applicants’ talents and skills for my current and future roles? When I find applicants that meet our requirements, how do I communicate with them?

As you screen your applicants, you can “tag” your applicants’ skills and talents using keywords of value to your organization. Best-in-class HR Software offers ways to navigate your view of applicants and jobs to filter to the criteria you are seeking at the moment.

As you find applicants you want to move forward, you’ll need the option to communicate with them via texting  (ideally without additional fees). But not all applicants will want to be texted, so integrated email with customizable communication templates will be required as well. Be sure that your vendor allows you to attach the files with your email communication as well.  Finally, you’ll want to find a software solution that provides communication history displayed on the applicant’s record; however, be sure that HR Managers can restrict access to this area if necessary.

5) ATS Compliance Reporting

Subject to Affirmative Action reporting? Compliance to EEO guidelines and internal company parameters is crucial. Will I be able to analyze data?

You absolutely should! Whether an organization is subject to governmental reporting requirements or simply if they want to keep track of data to fulfill internal parameters, Best-in-class HR Software will offer robust Affirmative Action Plan reporting and reporting compliant with Equal Employment Opportunity guidelines. Whether you are seeking reports for formal reporting, or if you are looking for data specific to particular job(s), top HR Software allows users the opportunity to delve into data using distinctive insights.

An ATS is meant to make HR, hiring managers, and other system users’ lives easier. ExactHire HR Software offers the ability to effectively screen applicants, communicate with those of key interest and identify the talent you seek to fill existing vacancies. ExactHire HR Software can save you time and money through automation and simple quick clicks to perform tasks confirming that an ATS is not an expense but an investment that yields a plethora of rewards.

To see a demo of ExactHire HR Software, click here.

 

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What Should a New Employee Do for the First Week?

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Are you interested in increasing new hire retention by 50 percent? How about boosting your team’s productivity by 62 percent? Then, you need a solid onboarding plan. One study found that companies with an effective onboarding plan retained 91 percent of their first-year hires. And those that just wing it when it comes to onboarding? Their new hire retention rate is an abysmal 50 percent.

Now that you know how much is riding on your new employee onboarding process, how do you go about designing the most effective onboarding plan? While the best onboarding plans extend to the new hire’s first anniversary, it’s your employee’s first week that will make or break the effectiveness of your onboarding plan.

Welcoming New Employees During the First Week

Onboarding provides new hires with the support, encouragement and foundation they need to become successful, long-term employees. The first week of onboarding, when excited new hires are most vulnerable to second-guessing their decision, plays a pivotal role in the success of your onboarding process.

According to The Work Institute’s 2021 Retention Report, the average quit rate among new hires during their first year is about 34 percent. One study found that 40 percent of new hire turnover happens within the first month. So, the first week is all about reassuring the new hire that he or she made the right choice.

Several factors help determine employee longevity. Clear expectations, meaningful work and great friendships are just a few of the reasons good employees decide to stay at their jobs. Making meaningful efforts to engage your new hire on these points during their first week will dispel any lingering doubts they may have about you as an employer.

On the other hand, leaving new hires to fend for themselves will increase their apprehension. The more your employee is left questioning the basics, such as where to park or what she should do next, the more she will feel like an outsider. Instead of integrating with the team, she’ll be scouring the job sites with her cell phone while eating lunch alone.

New Employee First Day Agenda

The first day at a new job isn’t unlike the first day of school. We all remember that mix of nervousness and excitement when you desperately want something to go well but you’re not sure that it will. Your paperwork and training are important. But even more important is ensuring that when your new hire goes home and is asked by his friends and family how his first day went, he can answer with a resounding “Great!”

Before New Employee’s First Day

Your new employee first day checklist sets the stage for your new hire’s great first day long before you greet him at the door. A series of emails to welcome your new employee before her first day eases first-day jitters. Emailing the following information will help your new hire prepare for his first day:

  • Links to digitized new employee forms for 2022 and policy documents. Provide these links several days before the new hire’s start date.
  • An organizational chart and bios of team members, if available. Invite the new hire to write a brief bio as a way of introduction. Or create a “Get to Know You” questionnaire.
  • Basic information, such as parking, possible road construction, and dress attire.
  • Let him know who his first point of contact will be and also that he will be eating lunch with the team. Be clear about whether the company will provide his lunch.
  • An email of introduction and welcome from the new hire’s supervisor and others on the leadership team. An email from the CEO will help the new hire connect his role to the company’s mission.

Basics of a New Employee’s First Day

When your new hire arrives for her first day of work, the following strategies will help her feel welcomed and integrate more quickly in her role and within the team.

  • Make sure her workstation is fully set up, with all the tools and network access her role requires.
  • Make sure her point of contact introduces her to the team before leaving her.
  • Provide her with tasks. New employees need to be told what to do. You can set her up with training modules or assign her to shadow a fellow employee for the day. Just make sure she has something to do.
  • Plan a team welcome lunch for the new employees to set the stage for collaboration and friendship.

New Employee Checklist Template for the First Week

Your new employee first week schedule template needs to accomplish a few objectives during the first to help ensure your new hire will go on to become a successful long-term employee. These objectives are related to the Four C’s of onboarding: compliance, clarification, culture, and connection.

Compliance deals with the documents required for the new employee as well as the necessary safety and anti-discrimination training. Clarification means the new hire understands her new role and how it connects to the company’s mission. Culture loosely refers to the company’s values and how those values translate into its daily operations. Connection refers to the emotional bonds and friendships your new hire will form with her colleagues and the company.

We like to suggest a fifth C: check-in. It’s important to periodically assess how things are going. During check-ins, the feedback the employee provides is just as important as the feedback she receives.

Below is a new hire schedule template for the first week to help you cover all five C’s.

New Hire Checklist Template Before the First Day:

  • Send a series of welcome emails to your new hire.
  • Have new hires fill out digitized paperwork.
  • Set up a workstation with necessary tools, devices and access.
  • Make sure IT sets up all necessary accounts and logins.

New Employee First Day Agenda Template:

  • Make a new employee announcement on the company’s intranet and social media pages.
  • Introduce the new hire to the team and supervisor(s).
  • Provide a tour along with interdepartmental introductions.
  • Introduce the new hire to the executive leadership team, who can then share words of advice for the new employees.
  • Provide a team lunch.
  • Give the new hire a prepared set of tasks.
  • Assign a peer mentor to assist the new hire.
  • During the first week:
  • Send the new hire to work for a day in different departments to help him understand how his role connects throughout the company.
  • Schedule lunch for the new hire with the peer mentor.
  • Schedule a one-on-one meeting with the new hire’s supervisor to help her gain clarification on the role.
  • Assign training modules to the new hire.
  • Give the new hire a “real” work-related project to demonstrate your confidence in his abilities. Make sure it’s a project he can accomplish with his current company knowledge.
  • Give the new hire a list of coworkers he can contact regarding various issues, such IT or HR related questions.
  • Schedule an orientation during which the new hire learns about the company’s history, mission, values and future direction.
  • Schedule an end-of-the-week check-in to answer any lingering questions or concerns.

Design an Onboarding Day by Day Plan

Providing the best onboarding experience for new hires will improve your employee retention.

Your new employee’s first week is pivotal to your onboarding plan. Anxiety and lingering doubts threaten your new hire’s long-term success. By designing a first week onboarding plan, day by day, you can welcome your new employee to the team and increase his engagement and productivity.

Your first week onboarding plan begins long before you greet your new hire on her first day. By sending out informative and welcoming emails, as well as ensuring her workstation is complete prior to her start date, you help ease her anxieties surrounding a significant life change.

Then, by organizing onboarding first day ideas in which she is enthusiastically welcomed to the team and immediately assigned tasks, you reassure her that her new role is meaningful to the organization. Finally, by creating daily onboarding activities to orient your new hire to the company’s culture, mission and values, you lay the groundwork that will boost your new hire retention rate. And always remember to include opportunities for onboarding experience feedback and answers to questions.

ExactHire’s employee onboarding software, OnboardCentric, can help you create an effective, streamlined and consistent onboarding process for new employees. Take the hassle out of coordinating the moving parts of your onboarding plan digitized paperwork, reminders and more. Schedule your free demo today to find out how ExactHire’s OnboardCentric can increase your new hire retention.

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