Page 12 - BusinessWest October 27, 2021

Editorial
Another Unwanted Challenge
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The past 20 months or so have been a living hell for most businesses in this region. Owners, managers, and HR execs (who have been earning their keep, to say the
least) have had to cope with everything from the many stages of the pandemic to the worst workforce crisis anyone can ever remember; from supply-chain issues to the ‘Great Resignation’ and retirements.
It’s been a long, hard stretch that has challenged everyone and forced too many small businesses to simply pack it in.
The last thing these businesses needed was another stern chal- lenge, but that’s what many of them got with the vaccination man- dates recently announced by the Biden administration. These man- dates involve businesses of 100 or more employees (which must soon have all employees vaccinated or tested regularly) and those with contracts with the federal government — all those employees must be vaccinated by Dec. 8, with no testing option (see related story, page 6).
The vaccine mandates are well-intended — they are designed to greatly improve vaccination rates and move the country closer to herd immunity — and in some ways they relieve the employers in these categories from having to implement a vaccine mandate on their own, a controversial decision to say the least. Now, they can simply say, ‘the government is making us do it.’
But as well-intentioned as they are, these mandates are simply
Opinion
not what struggling business owners and managers need right now. They don’t need the additional costs, and there are many of them, from paying for vaccines and tests to paying employees while they’re getting vaccinated or even recovering from side effects. They don’t need the burden of trying to make sure they are in com- pliance with the new regulations, and they certainly don’t need the additional turmoil when it comes to their workforce.
Businesses across every sector of the economy are not only have trouble filling positions, they’re having trouble simply getting appli- cants to apply for open positions. It is already a nightmare scenario for these businesses, many of which are trying to fully rebound from the pandemic and get back to something approaching nor- mal — or what existed before March 2020.
Talented workers are already leaving hospitals and other health- care providers, police departments, state agencies, and even col- lege football programs because they refuse to be vaccinated. Forcing more businesses, especially small businesses with federal contracts, to also require vaccination or testing as a condition of employment is a step that is only going to wreak more havoc on an economy struggling to pick up steam.
We understand why the Biden administration has taken these steps, and everyone wants to be able to put the pandemic behind us. But mandating vaccinations in this fashion is only going to cre- ate more turbulence for employers at a time when they simply don’t need it. v
Are Your Employees Happy?
By Pam Thornton
Organizational leaders are ready to pull their hair out over the chal- lenges they are fighting to recruit
and retain talent today. The best recruit- ment strategy always includes having a strong retention plan. We know what can happen when we take our eye off the ball ... ouch!
By the end of 2022, we expect more than half of all employees in the U.S. to be looking for a new job. Employers are really going to need to assess the value they bring to the reasons why their employees stay.
Gallup has provided us with the 12 most important factors that employees evaluate as they consider staying put or testing out opportunities with a new employer. They are:
• I know what is expected of me at work;
• I have the equipment I need to do my work right;
• I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day at work;
• I’ve received recognition or praise for doing good work in the last week;
• My supervisor seems to care about me as a person;
• There is someone at work that encour- ages my development;
• At work, my opinions seem to count;
• The mission of my organization makes me feel my job is important;
• My co-workers are committed to doing quality work;
• I have a best friend at work;
• In the last six months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress; and
• In the last year, I’ve had opportunities at work to learn and grow.
All of this comes down to our culture and level of engagement. Do you know how your employees would respond to these statements? If you aren’t sure, now is the time to find out. Here are a few ways to increase engagement with our employees:
• Encourage managers to define and discuss the expectations with each employ- ee they supervise on a regular basis.
• Remember that employees use tan- gible and intangible resources to do their work well. Ask employees what would make it easier to perform their tasks. You might find out you don’t really need the fancy new software, but you do need the entire team to be trained on how to use what is already in place with consistency and efficiency.
• Encourage managers to ‘connect the dots’ with the talents and interests their employees demonstrate and even share
in social conversations. Those elements of interest and excitement might be just what is missing from their job description today.
Giving employees tasks that are a natural fit will increase productivity all the way around.
• Learn which employees like which types of recognition — and give it! Work- place recognition provides a sense of value and accomplishment. It also shows other employees what success in your organiza- tion looks like.
• Challenge employees, but give them the tools for success. Create learning opportunities and ask employees what they are learning as they go, and give them the opportunity to demonstrate it. Talk with them about their short-term and long-term growth goals with an open mind about where those goals align with today’s and tomorrow’s needs within your organization.
We all know that compensation and benefits are the lure that can attract some- one to your organization, but it’s your cul- ture that can keep the top talent you’ve already won. Keep the lines of communi- cation open, and you might just find that some of the talent you have been trying to recruit is already on your payroll. u
Pam Thornton is director of Strategic HR Services at the Employers Assoc. of the NorthEast. This article first appeared on the EANE blog.
12 OCTOBER 27, 2021
OPINION
BusinessWest