Keys to Keeping Today s On-the-Go Workforce IN THE Part 3 In the Clear: How to Keep People and Processes in Line with Policies using Clear Communication
IN THE CLEAR Compliance is a big concern for service-industry employers and for good reason. They need to stay on top federal, industry and state regulations regulations that can vary from state-to-state and change constantly. And to stay ahead of the competition, they need everyone in line with the company standards that differentiate their brands. Industry demographics, paper processes and little HR support, however, put service-industry organizations at a higher risk for noncompliance. Leveraging technology in hiring, onboarding, training and scheduling standardizes practices and streamlines communication, ensuring everyone is on the same with the right requirements. Clear communication between units, systems and people is the key to company-wide consistency and compliance. Part 3: In the Clear the third installment in our four-part ebook covers what role each of these plays, as well as best practices on keeping your people and processes in line with policies to avoid big fines, penalties and brand damage. PeopleMatter Institute 2
High-performing companies are 55% more likely to have consistent workforce management processes. LINES (& MISALIGNS) OF COMMUNICATION Only 25% of companies share workforce data company-wide. UNITS... Clear communication between units ensures all locations follow the same procedures, have the right paperwork and are aware of any changes. SYSTEMS... Clear communication between systems ensures data accuracy and consistency. PEOPLE... Clear communication between people ensures managers and employees understand what they need to do, when they need to do it, and how to get it done. Companies that set clear goals and expectations during onboarding experience 80% greater increases in customer satisfaction. KEY #1 Invest in a SaaS-based platform. Software-as-a-Service solutions are Web-based for convenient access, 24/7. They also continually screen for updates and automatically incorporate them company-wide. KEY #2 Integrate HR and workforce systems. Solutions built from the ground-up as one connected Platform are your best bet for seamless data-sharing. KEY #3 Define expectations. Set clear expectations and deadlines upfront; then, send reminders, so nothing slips through the cracks. Hurry forward for Hiring >> PeopleMatter Institute 3
IN THE CLEAR: HIRING In the service industry, managers spend a lot of time trying to find the right candidates and a lot go about it the wrong way. The line between finding the right fit and discrimination can be fine, and poorly communicating the difference can cost you thousands in fines, lawsuits and lost revenue. High turnover and limited HR resources mean service-industry managers are even more at-risk for making mistakes. And, although companies may not even know their hiring practices are discriminatory, a lack of awareness won t protect managers and the organization they serve from paying the steep price for noncompliance. KEY #4 Standardize processes with an online platform. Because they re specifically built to control the hiring experience and backed by an entire organization s HR resources and research, online systems offer some of the highest hiring-compliance peace-of-mind. Corporate can standardize recruitment, screening and interview processes company-wide; automated workflows ensure all applicants and managers follow the same, set procedures. Companies using an online hiring system are 28% more satisfied with hiring practices overall. Only 1 out of 5 businesses uses an automated hiring system. 80% of eligible employers don t file for available hiring incentives. TaxBreak. Federal hiring tax credits are worth up to $9,600 per qualified hire. US Department of Labor. Go on for Onboarding >> PeopleMatter Institute 4
Companies using an online talent management system reduce federal compliance challenges by 25%. Nearly 3 out of 4 organizations use paper-based onboarding processes. Businesses that onboard via an online system are 85% more satisfied with overall efficiency than those using paper. Completing, processing and storing onboarding paperwork is ~50% easier for companies using an online talent management system. IN THE CLEAR: ONBOARDING New-hire processes and paperwork raise serious compliance concerns for service-industry companies... and recent immigration-enforcement efforts and high-profile I-9 audits are making employers re-evaluate their onboarding practices. With high workforce volume, turnover and diversity and no centralized communication platform most managers don t have the time, the resources or the patience to ensure compliance. An integrated talent management system and dedicated HR department are the best ways to guarantee compliance, but some simple communication tactics in the mean time can go a long way toward improving compliance. KEY #5 Make a list, and check it twice. Creating a comprehensive checklist of all onboarding tasks and due dates helps keep everyone on track. Managers and employees know exactly what s expected of them and when it s due, so they re less likely to miss a detail or a deadline. Online systems like PeopleMatter HIRE offer real-time checklists that update automatically once a task is complete. And filtering features let managers sort new hires, so they can see everyone they re waiting on and everyone who s waiting on them. KEY #6 Send reminders... often. Everyone in your organization has a lot going on, so it can be hard for you and for them to keep track of everything you need. Send managers and employees reminders that clearly communicate what s due when. With an online system, alerts are big, bold and automatic, so you don t spend time managing it all and can still stay ahead of key dates, deadlines and deliverables. Come on ride the Train(ing) >> PeopleMatter Institute 5
IN THE CLEAR: TRAINING There s a lot to learn when it comes to training compliance. Traditional methods make it easy to forget who s done what and difficult to comply with industry, state and company guidelines. Whether its company values or industry-required certifications, team members need to meet all of the right qualifications, before they re on the frontline. Integrated systems automatically track progress, requirements and updates; managers and employees are always in the loop and ahead of the game when it comes to knowing what training is complete and what they need to do next. You know managers always have the most up-to-date information, and team members know what makes your organization unique. KEY #7 Set system-blocking constraints. With a connected workforce management platform, Corporate can prevent managers and employees from accessing information or performing actions until certain requirements are met. For example, PeopleMatter can block employees from taking additional courses until they pass a required safety course or acknowledge a new HR policy and it ll prevent managers from putting them on the schedule until everything checks-off. KEY #8 Motivate and remind employees regularly. Today s now-now-now mentality and always-connected reality means you need to get and stay in front of employees to get your message across. Mobile-social communication tactics that are familiar, easy and instant are the most efficient way to communicate with tech-savvy team members. PeopleMatter s Facebook-like newsfeed lets managers post reminders or recognize employees who ve done well; Corporate can reinforce new initiatives or announce policy updates to managers... all at once. Keep on keepin on for Scheduling >> Companies using an online system are 46% more satisfied with training programs overall. Customer satisfaction and employee retention are 15% higher for organizations training via online systems. Lifelong Learning Magazine. Employees who train online perform 20% better than those learning with traditional methods. Training and Development World. Online systems improve content-retention rates 60% over instructor-led methods. Training Magazine. PeopleMatter Institute 6
Companies with high schedule-accuracy report 52% fewer unplanned overtime costs. When employees believe the procedures used to determine their schedules are fair they are more satisfied at work and less likely to quit. Journal of Organizational Behavior. High schedule-accuracy also leads to 2.6x greater increases in customer satisfaction. Automating scheduling processes increases compliance two-fold. IN THE CLEAR: SCHEDULING Managers need to meet federal labor regulations, company constraints and employee requests when creating the weekly schedule. But aligning skills, overtime, availability, labor laws and more make scheduling compliance tricky. Noncompliance with federal laws can result in fines, penalties and lawsuits and a visit from Department of Labor authorities; not meeting company constraints can cost your company time, money and productivity. And when companies ignore employees requests, engagement, retention and customer service can all suffer. KEY #9 Set and prioritize constraints. If you re not using an online scheduling system, get one. If your online scheduling system isn t integrated, do that next. Paper processes make labor-management compliance nearly impossible, and disconnected systems don t give you the level of company-wide control you need. Define hard constraints first; things like minimum age and maximum hours-worked are non-negotiables. Setting federal, state and industry regulations as Rules means scheduling systems factor these in first. Then, designate other, more flexible constraints as Preferences. Differentiating between labor must-haves and nice-to-haves clearly communicates scheduling priorities to your units, systems and people. Up next >> PeopleMatter Institute 7
STAY IN THE Up Next Part 4 Mobile First: How to Reach Today s Mobile Generation with Real-time Communication www.peoplematter.com/resources