iCIMS Hire Expectations™

Close to three years ago, when I was onboarded at iCIMS, I was part of a group of about 12 other new hires. As we were given a rundown of all the benefits and programs available, I remember with amusement that one member of our group asked about pet insurance for his cat. But while the group laughed at the notion of having pet insurance as an employee benefit, it was not the first time I had run across the concept.

In a previous life, I worked for a large insurance company in the employee benefits division. One day we received a Request for Proposal for a full slate of voluntary workplace insurance products, such as cancer care, accident insurance, and other similar elective products funded by the employees themselves, who can take advantage of the workplace for group buying power. One of the products that the employer wanted to add to their benefits program was pet insurance! We didn’t have a pet insurance product to offer them, but I submitted the idea to a new products contest sponsored by the insurance company. 

My rational for submitting the idea was the fact that more and more pets are becoming true members of the family. In fact, a 2009 survey revealed that 50% of Americans felt that their pet is as much a part of the family as other people in the household. Furthermore, the same survey reported that about a third of Americans included their pet in either a family portrait or holiday card, and over 40% had taken their pet on vacation with them, reminding me of a story that my neighbor recently told me about seeing a woman on a hotel elevator in Florida carrying a fishbowl with her pet fish in it!

Here at iCIMS, pets are no less valued. And while the coworker above was particularly fond of his cat, dogs seem to rule the day for the rest of the team. In just a quick survey of the iBlog alone, 6 entries feature photos of dogs, two of which are actual iCIMS pets, (see The Pursuit of Happiness and Gaining a Competitive Advantage). And, along with all these four-legged family members come medical bills and the question of whether or not to buy insurance to lessen the economic impact of pet healthcare. 

Dr. Stephen Batich of Shark River Veterinary Hospital examines the Blogger’s new pup Salty.

Typically, the decision about purchasing pet insurance is a personal one. But according to a recent article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, more and more companies are adding it as an employee benefit. In 2010 alone, one pet insurance provider added an additional 400 large companies and associations to its pet insurance book of business of 2,200 groups. And, while many employers might balk at the idea of offering pet insurance as a benefit in these tough economic times, they are still open to the idea of offering a group discount for employees to purchase pet insurance themselves like some of the other workplace group discounts available today.

My new product idea submission was not successful, but in coming years the concept of pet insurance as a workplace perk or benefit is sure to gain traction, especially as the economy strengthens and the war for talent heats up. For those companies already offering such innovative benefits, be sure to let job seekers know about them through your Recruitment Marketing programs and internal and external recruitment websites. With 39% of US households owning dogs and 33% owning cats, this is a benefit that promises to get tails, and tongues, wagging.

How transparent are your HR initiatives?

And, I am not talking about your external recruitment and branding efforts. We will save those for another date. As an HR Professional, it’s likely that you are in charge of all of those fantastic employee benefit programs that everyone is so very grateful for.

When a new recruit starts, they are usually given a run down of all of the benefits available and how they can take advantage of those programs and opportunities. I know I was. Usually these recruits are excited to be starting at a company that cares enough about them to offer all of these great extras.

As time passes, the employee is no longer a new recruit. Theoretically, they have succeeded at their job and have contributed to company excellence. So, why have they become unhappy as compared with their first few weeks with the company? You may or may not have run into this at your company, but it is always something HR Professionals must keep in mind. What has happened to make your employee unhappy and how can you deter this from happening?

Easy. Reopen that Employee Benefits Handbook. In a recent survey, benefits were considered the second most important determinant of job satisfaction. Let's leverage that.

If employees have excelled in their position it is probably due to the time and dedication they have given to their career development, which probably includes improving their work efficiency, industry expertise and management skills. But we are human, and sometimes we forget about the other stuff. These employees may have forgotten all the good opportunities available at the company and that could be one reason for unhappiness.

One of the easiest ways to counter this problem is by reminding employees of company benefits that they may not be taking advantage of. Why not try sending out an email campaign: “Benefit of the Month”? As the holidays approach, send them a reminder of some discount programs that may be good for this time of year (e.g. www.workadvantage.com).

I know most HR Professionals are bogged down by day-to-day tasks or long-term strategic planning, so the idea of “reminding” employees of something you have already told them may not seem like the most productive use of your time. But, it may be necessary. Try a correspondence tool that can automate the process and send out mass messages. Or another great tool to try is an Employee Portal where employees can go on their free time to learn about benefit programs.

Why not try it? It’s an easy first step towards improving employee satisfaction!

And the Number One Answer Is:  A Chicken Attacked my Mom.

It is a stretch, but considering the fact that our fine-feathered friends are known harbingers of dangerous flu strains that can jump to one human and infect millions, perhaps one could make the argument that this excuse for taking a sick day is not too outrageous. However, that being said, the folks at iCIMS’ partner CareerBuilder, who just compiled their annual list of the wackiest excuses employers received from employees calling in sick, listed the "chicken attack" as their number one choice. Other notable responses included a finger stuck in a bowling ball, a foot stuck in a garbage disposal, and my personal favorite, just not feeling very clever that day. Unusual excuses aside, most employers did report believing their workers when they called in sick, while 29% checked up on the sick employee, and 16% said they had fired an employee whose excuse had not quite panned out.

Growing up with a mother who is a physician, I learned early on that I could not feign an illness and score a day off from school as I suspected some of my friends did, and that ethic has carried over into my working years. No crazy excuses about bowling balls, poultry, fake coughs and sniffles on the phone when I call the office. I appreciate the ability to take time off when I am feeling under the weather and use the privilege sparingly. However, it is important as we again enter cold and flu season (as evidenced by the timing of the annual CareerBuilder survey, and even my colleague’s blog from this time a year ago) to take that day off when seasonal viruses start flying around the office. During the H1N1 pandemic in 2009, for example, about 8 million American workers went to work with the flu, spreading the infection to an estimated 7 million more workers. The ability to take paid sick days is more than just a benefit for individual employees, it also serves an  important public health purpose and probably saves employers money thanks to less lost productivity.

With such strong evidence to support the case for paid sick time, however, many workers simply do not have that ability. They either have jobs that don’t offer paid time off or actually fear they may lose their jobs if they call out. To remedy this situation, many locales, including New York City and Philadelphia, are considering legislation to mandate paid sick days. In San Francisco such legislation has been on the books since 2007. Of course, many business owners argue that extending such a benefit would harm their business, despite the fact that the Bureau of Labor Statistics has found that the real cost for paid sick days would work out to about 8 cents an hour for private sector jobs.

For those employers who do offer paid sick days, whether by mandate or not, be sure to let prospective talent know it by touting it on your Career Portals. And if it seems like you have heard the excuse about the chicken attack before, start tracking how many run-ins with renegade barnyard fowl that your employees have experienced (as well as their more conventional sick day excuses) with an Employee Management System. 

What are some of the best excuses that you have received from employees calling in sick?  Be sure to list them in the comment section below.

Aloha Kakou, E Komo Mai!

At the risk of incurring the wrath of my coworkers when I get back, I have to admit that as this blog is being posted, I am well on my way to a much anticipated vacation in Hawaii.  It is an especially welcome break since last year I could never seem to get away for any considerable amount of time, which as a dedicated world traveler I find surprising.  Oh, I managed to eat up my allotted days off with a long weekend here or there to take care of this or that obligation, but I never really got away from it all.  And according to the “Wellness in Travel” study recently released by Westin Hotels, I am not alone. 

The Weston study surprisingly found that 64% of Americans have cancelled their vacations due to job worries, despite the fact that 58% feel that they are in need of a vacation and 48% say that they are happier and more positive at work after a vacation.  Granted it is Weston’s job to sell vacations, so some may say these figures are self-serving, but the benefits of vacation time for employees and the workplace are well documented.  For example, a study of workers at Air New Zealand revealed that employee reaction times were 30-40% faster after a vacation than before.  Additionally, workers who take vacations are far less likely to suffer from heart disease than those who do not vacation, and women who do not take time off are twice as likely to suffer from depression as their well rested counterparts.

With all the evidence out there pointing to the health and consequently workplace productivity benefits of vacation, one would think that taking time off would be mandated.  In researching this blog; however, I was surprised to learn that the United States is the only advanced economy in the world that does not require a minimum number of paid vacation days or holidays for workers, thus winning it the dubious title of “No-Vacation Nation” from the Center for Economic and Policy Research.  Furthermore, nearly one in four US workers do not receive any paid vacation or holidays as a part of their workplace benefits programs. As a result, the average American ends up with just 9 days of paid time off, less than the average worker in Japan, the country with the next lowest government mandated paid holiday time of 10 days.

At the other extreme, however, a small handful of US employers are experimenting with vacation policies that some may find hard to fathom, namely unlimited paid leave.  The pioneer in this movement was Netflix, and the apparent success of the program has inspired enough copycats that this year 1% of companies reported to World at Work that they offer unlimited paid leave.  “But how do these companies function at all?” one might ask when hearing about their liberal vacation policies.  Well, the CEO of one such company reports that none of her employees seem to be taking any more vacation than they did under a more traditional vacation program, and the benefits of the new policy seem to include an improvement in morale and productivity. 

Of course, it is up to each employer to determine the vacation policy that makes the most sense for their particular situation, while at the same time recognizing the importance of vacation to the health and productivity of their employees.  Additionally, vacation can prove to be a valuable recruiting tool when trying to attract the best talent.  With maintaining productivity and morale, and finding qualified candidates among the top three challenges HR Managers say they are facing in the next 6 months, a well thought out vacation policy can go a long way to helping with those challenges. And once the optimal vacation policy for your workplace has been agreed upon, make sure to let prospective employees know about it on your Career Websites, because you can be certain that they will be looking.  Mahalo, a hui hou.

A garden?

A solid company culture can have a myriad of benefits ranging from improved employee motivation to better retention rates.  But what elements of a company culture do candidates and employees say set their business apart?

Some organizations are suggesting it might be the greener things in life. Most recently, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care made the news for its company garden, and they aren’t the only ones doing it. Kohls, Google, Yahoo, and Aveda are some of the big named corporations with company gardens – and the benefits go further than you might think.  Harvard Pilgrim cites promoting healthy eating as the motivation behind the garden but has seen benefits ranging from an improved corporate responsibility program (the food raised is donated to local charities) to boosted moral, increased teamwork and sustainability.  Some even think that having a company garden could be a new recruiting tool – an inexpensive addition to their business' bright company culture.

Don’t have the space for a company garden in your business park? Here are some other easy ways to add to your company culture (courtesy of about.com) and ultimately, your recruiting tool box:

Performance-based compensation and reward programs:
Don’t let good performance go unnoticed! Our traffic coordinator, Corey Milloy recently blogged about some employee retention tips, and this is what he had to say: "Reward repeated positive behaviors—when an employee has consistently done well for your team and is committed to helping your organization succeed, make sure that you show them how much you appreciate those efforts. Give them an appropriate (financial) reward for their efforts but be sure to clearly explain why they are being rewarded.  This is an especially valuable tool now, as top contributors are starting to have other options for employment."

Effective 360-degree communications:
Be transparent! Let your employees know exactly what is happening within their departments and the company.  One on one meetings, weekly departmental meetings, and quarterly company-wide conferences are all imperative – but having an open door policy is crucial.  Also, think about investing in an instant messaging service for improved company communication via a casual outlet.

Commitment to learning and skill development = better employee performance:
Maximizing the performance potential of your existing talent pool can provide your organization with significant benefits, from a reduction in turnover to improved employee morale and more. By creating an open forum for learning employees' expectations, goals, and perceived performance levels, your organization can empower individuals to take control of their own career paths.

Training management software comes equipped with easy-to-use training data management tools so users can post training courses online and track employees who have registered for courses through web-based portals. Department heads can then track employees against training requirements; from training course request through attendance through post-class assessments.

In addition to these employee management strategies, some good old fashioned perks and benefits don't hurt either! Here at iCIMS, we benefit from generous financial security, health benefits, career development plans and extensive time away options.  But sometimes it's the extras that really set us apart from other companies:

iCIMS Extras:
Casual Dress Code
Complimentary Soda, Coffee and Tea
Complimentary “Bagel Fridays”
Complimentary Monthly Luncheons
Group Discount Auto and Homeowner’s Insurance
Corporate Gym Discount
National Discount Program
After Hours Social events.

And to wrap it all, did I mention that iCIMS is hiring?

I guess it’s the kind of thing you take for granted.  A few annoying emails throughout the year entitled “Open Enrollment”, or a new plastic insurance card to change over in your wallet.  Here a co-pay, there a co-pay, and how much is your deductable again??  Most employees don’t even look at how much is being taken out of their weekly or bi-weekly paychecks to contribute to these plans.  Quick!  Tell me how much per month you pay for your family or individual benefits package?  Without looking at your last pay stub, I bet the majority of you can’t.

I recently had a mishap on the soccer field.  (See my Blogger Bio, I’m quite sporty.)  A head ball landed me in the Emergency Room with stitches, a concussion and a broken nose.  I’ll spare you the photos.  The ER trip was followed by plastic surgeon consultations and then surgery.  Now that it’s all said and done, I am back on my feet and looking fabulous again (see my Blogger Profile Pic).  But the experience truly made me appreciate my corporate benefits package and insurance privileges.  Remember, these aren’t free for you or your employer. 

Medical, and Dental, and Vision, oh my!  401k, Life Insurance,  these are all overseen by your HR Department.  Use this blog post as a friendly reminder- don’t take it for granted, it’s important!  When a company offers a comprehensive benefits package, sit up and take notice.  You pay for it, and your company pays for it.  When you apply for a job, ask questions.  Don’t wait until you head butt somebody on the soccer field (or something like that!).

So, I headed over to our friendly HR Department to show off my newly-repaired nose to and to give John, iCIMS’ Benefits Coordinator, a hug.  I thanked him for negotiating a top notch insurance plan for all of us, and for working hard to keep iCIMS employees’ health and best interests at heart.  I also high-fived Colin, our President and CEO, and thanked him too.  After all, we’re in this together.