Horizon Point Consulting

Author: Lorrie Coffey

Building Culture When There’s No Building: Remote Workforces
Even with today’s technology, many people have a hard time wrapping their minds around the concept of a virtual company. When someone asks me where Horizon Point’s office is located and I respond that we are a virtual organization, I often get some puzzled looks.

Their first question is usually “If you don’t have an office, where do you work?” And that’s often followed up with something along the lines of “Don’t you miss interacting with other people?”

Truthfully, I’m always interacting with people, including co-workers, clients, fellow HR professionals, and other members of the community. I just don’t do any of that from a central location. Depending on the day my office is at home, at a client site, in my car, or even at Panera Bread.

Virtual organizations have unique challenges when it comes to creating a sense of company culture. How do you get your employees around the water cooler when the water cooler doesn’t exist and even if it did, your employees aren’t there to congregate?
1. Clearly define your company’s mission and core values. Make sure employees know the organization’s mission and core values, speak to them often, and ensure your employees actions are guided by them. Recognize employees when they exemplify your organization’s mission or core values.
2. Take opportunities to bring your team together, whether in-person or virtually. If your employees are all local, hold regular meetings with the entire team to talk about what’s going on in the company or plan social events to bring them all together. If they are spread out, hold virtual meetings regularly. Give them opportunities to get to know each other and build a sense of teamwork. Come together at conferences, workshops, or other work-related events.
3. Recognize employees for a job well done. Remote employees still need feedback and recognition. Give them a call to congratulate them or thank them, send them a card in the mail, or even send out regular recognition emails to your staff.
4. Be there when they need you. Virtual employees can’t just come knocking on your office door when they need help, but you can ensure that you’re there when they need you. Be prompt in responding to their calls or emails. Take the initiative to check in with them regularly. Don’t ever make them feel like you’re too busy to give them your time and attention.
5. Encourage them to lean on each other. Another way to help build teamwork is to encourage your team to support each other. If an employee comes to you with an issue and you know another member of your team has expertise in that area, connect the two and encourage them to work together to resolve the issue.
Communication is key to building company culture, whether your employees are all under one roof or spread far and wide.

For more on remote workforces, read our blog It Doesn’t Matter How and Where Work Gets Done. The Death of Office Space, Office Hours and the Employee-Employer Relationship.
October 9, 2018
Preparing for the Worst: Business Continuity Planning
Hurricane Florence had residents and businesses along the East Coast scrambling to prepare for what could have been a catastrophic event. Even though the storm was downgraded, it still had a major impact on some areas hit.

My mother, who lives in Northern Virginia, found it hilarious when I called her and made her go down the storm preparation checklist:
- Non-perishable food? Check.
- Flashlights and batteries? Check.
- Candles and matches? Check.
- Bottled water? Check.
Of course she had each item, but I had to make sure just for my own peace of mind.

Disasters, whether natural or man-made, can have a lasting impact on organizations if they are not prepared. My husband spent about two years working in disaster recovery for Customs and Border Patrol. Twice a year he and his team had to travel to an undisclosed location and complete a test run of their disaster recovery plan, setting up all of the CBP systems at the secondary site and ensuring those systems were fully functional.

Has your organization considered what the response would be in the event of a disaster? Have you considered what you need to do to ensure that there is minimal impact to your organization, your employees, and your customers? What resources will you need to keep your company up and running during the recovery period?

A great way to ensure that your organization is prepared is to create a Business Continuity Plan. A Business Continuity Plan allows your organization to continue operating during a disaster and helps to minimize the impact. Planning ahead allows you to:
- Assess your organization and determine what functions are essential to your operation.
- Determine what resources are needed to maintain those essential functions, or to get those services back up and running as quickly as possible.
- Designate employees or departments responsible for acquiring certain resources in preparation of a disaster or restoring certain services in the aftermath.
- Practice for the real thing.
Is your organization prepared if a disaster strikes?

For more information on Business Continuity Planning, click here.
September 18, 2018
Bullying Doesn’t Just Happen at School: Workplace Bullying
I recently saw an article about a nine year old boy in Denver who took his own life after being bullied during his first four days of school. My youngest son is eight and I can’t imagine him ever feeling like his only choice is suicide.

When my oldest was in elementary school he was bullied by another child at his daycare. While he has always been a very headstrong child, the bullying continued to the point where he had put up with enough. Together we sat down with his martial arts instructor, who is phenomenal at working with children to tackle such hard issues, and he helped us to formulate a game plan on how to handle it. With his help, my son was able to show his bully that his words weren’t having the effect he was aiming for, and eventually the two actually became friends.

Bullying isn’t limited to children. A survey sponsored by the Workplace Bullying Institute in 2017 showed that a staggering number of U.S. workers experienced bullying in the workplace.
- 5 million U.S. workers reported experiencing bullying in the workplace
- Women experience bullying, from both women and men, at a much higher rate with 65% of male bullies targeting women and 67% of female bullies targeting women
- 61% reported that they were bullied by a boss
- 25% reported that their employer did nothing while 46% reported that their employer conducted a “sham” investigation
Bullying in the workplace has an impact on the organization as well, including increased turnover, loss of valuable talent, decreased productivity, increased absenteeism, and even the risk of litigation. So how can employers minimize these risks?
1. Have a well-defined Harassment Policy. Workplace bullying is a form of harassment. While most bullying may not be illegal, that doesn’t make it okay. Make sure your Harassment Policy includes workplace bullying. Train your leadership on what bullying is, how to conduct themselves to set the example, and how to handle it if an employee reports bullying. Review your Harassment Policy with all new hires, and annually with all staff.
2. Have and follow a formal investigation process. Your policy should include information on how reports will be handled. Determine who will conduct the investigation, how it will be conducted, and make sure your findings are well documented. Do not ignore reports of bullying and do not put off investigating those reports.
3. Take proper action to eliminate the behavior. Once you have completed a thorough investigation, determine what action needs to be taken to make the bullying behavior cease. That could be anything from a documented verbal conversation with the accused up to termination. If the accused is not terminated, monitor the situation to ensure that the actions have in fact ceased. Do not assume that it has and let it go.
4. Promote a workplace that welcomes diversity, inclusion, and a difference of opinions. Work hard to promote an organization that encourages teamwork, uniqueness, and freedom to communicate- even when what an employee has to say may go against the grain. Pay attention to where there may be breakdowns in this and work to build them up. Host company functions that encourage employees to get to know each other. Provide new employees with mentors who can help guide them and integrate them into the organization. And have an open door, where employees feel comfortable voicing concerns or issues. And again, take those concerns or issues seriously because not doing so leads to a breakdown of trust.
5. When needed, provide employees with outside resources to help them cope. I’m a huge proponent of Employee Assistance Programs. If you have one, make sure both the accused and the accuser are provided with that resource. If you don’t have an EAP, there are other resources available to employees that may help them. You never really know why someone bullies, or what is going on in the mind of someone who is being bullied. Sometimes it takes a trained professional to assist them.
60.5 million is a staggering and unacceptable number. Bullying is not an inherent trait, it is a learned behavior. Just as I aim to teach my children acceptance and kindness, employers can aim to promote those values in throughout their organization as well.

Below are some additional resources on bullying:

www.stopbullying.gov

https://www.apaexcellence.org/resources/special-topics/workplace-bullying

https://www.employmentattorneyla.com/blog/2016/05/workplace-bullying-online-anti-bullying-resources-for-employees.shtml
September 6, 2018
7 Steps to Know if Workers’ Compensation Carrier Working for You
Workers’ Compensation is designed to provide medical coverage and lost time coverage to employees who are injured on the job or develop a work-related illness as a result of the work environment. Unfortunately, determining if an injury or illness is work-related isn’t always easy for physicians to do.

During a recent visit to a client, she asked me how to handle a claim situation that she had in which the attending doctor couldn’t determine if the injury was work related. She said that she felt as though their carrier was approving all claims, regardless of the legitimacy of the claim.

So how do you ensure that you are getting the most out of your Workers’ Compensation carrier?
1. Train your staff. Make sure that anyone who will be responsible for submitting claims understands the process and what information to include in the claim documentation.
2. Document the scene. If the claim is the result of an accident, take pictures of the scene as soon as possible after being notified of the injury. Look for potential hazards that may have been in the area, caution/warning signage that was posted that was not properly followed, and any other clues that may help determine the validity of the claim. Send those along with your First Report of Injury to the carrier.
3. Communicate concerns. When an employee comes to you with a claim, you have to report it. But as the employer, you also have the right, and honestly the obligation, to let the carrier know if you have concerns regarding the validity of the claim. Include your concerns in the report sent, and if necessary, pick up the phone and call them once a claim number is established.
4. File Claims Immediately. Stress the importance of reporting injuries or illnesses immediately to both your managers and your staff. Failure to report a claim immediately, even a minor injury, could result in a delay or denial of claim payment. A delayed report of injury may also be an indication that the injury didn’t really happen at work, so be sure to obtain as much information regarding the reported injury as possible.
5. Implement a Return to Work Program. If your organization doesn’t already have one, put one in place. It will help to get injured employees back to work quicker and cut down on potential lost wage claims, as well as deter false claims.
6. Monitor your claims regularly. Audit your active claims on a regular basis. Stay in touch with the carrier on claims that are taking longer than usual to process, claims that have excessive payouts, or claims in which employees have missed an excessive amount of time away from work.
7. Build a relationship with your preferred physicians. Communicate with the physicians that you send employees to when they are injured on the job. Some physicians will be more open to communication with the employer than others. If you have an employee who is out of work, make sure the physician understands your Return to Work program and what type of light duty assignments you can offer the employee. It may help to get them back to work quicker.
The more information you are able to provide when submitting claims, the easier it will be for the carrier to properly assess the claim and make an informed decision.

Is your Workers’ Compensation carrier working for you?
August 23, 2018
Improving Applicant Conversion Rates

We recently switched dentist offices. With three boys I always try to schedule their appointments at the same time and that normally means being handed a clipboard loaded with forms; one set for each child.

To my surprise, when I walked up to the receptionist to sign in, she asked me to look at a computer screen on the counter and “fill out” their paperwork. On each screen, the information was pre-filled. All I had to do was make sure it was correct and click through the screens, then use an electronic signature pad to sign a few pages. It literally took me two minutes to complete the paperwork! Needless to say I was thankful for their easy new patient process. (That was just the beginning, the entire visit went very well)

Job applicants want ease of use during the application process as well. Research shows that applicant drop off rates are anywhere between 60-75%. One of the top reasons cited is the length of the application. The longer it takes the candidate to complete the application, the higher the drop off rate. Applicants get frustrated with being required to provide information that isn’t necessary during the applicant process such as providing references or having to enter information that is available on the resume they are required to upload.

According to Appcast, conversion rates can be increased up to 365% by reducing the time of the application process to five minutes or less. Many applicant tracking systems available today allow for easy applications, oftentimes even supporting one-click application processes. These systems also provide organizations with easy access to application metrics including drop off rates.

When was the last time your organization analyzed applicant drop off rates and reviewed the application process?

August 16, 2018