Horizon Point Consulting

Category: Beyond Work

Beyond Work is our line of resources for people and community leaders looking for something new and innovative outside, be it a new job, career change, or personal development outside of work.

  • 5 Tips for Inclusive Recruiting

    5 Tips for Inclusive Recruiting

    “Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At (company), we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You might just be the right candidate for this or other roles.”

    This was recently included in an actual job posting. I found it posted in an HR group on Facebook and the feedback from HR professionals was pretty negative. The company may have had good intentions, but the message sent was, as one respondent put it, “offensive”.

    So how can companies ensure that they are being inclusive in their recruiting processes? How can they put their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policy to work and make it effective in recruiting talent? Yes, the statement in the job posting is correct, women and people of color ARE less likely to apply for positions if they don’t meet all of the requirements of the job posting. One study shows that men will apply for a job if they meet 60% of the requirements while women will not apply unless they meet 100% of the requirements, but what is the right way to combat that? It’s definitely not putting that statistic in a job posting.

    Here are 5 practical steps:

    1. Review your job descriptions. Be honest with yourself, are your qualifications must have or really wants? Break out your qualifications into required and preferred. Also ask yourself if the degree requirements are absolutely necessary. Can someone who is self-taught with five years of experience in the field perform the work just as well as someone who has a degree and no experience? If you’re job description has a weight lifting requirement, is it accurate for the job? Is that position really required to lift 50 pounds on a regular basis or are they lifting 15 pounds on a regular basis and once every month they might have to lift 50 pounds and can actually get someone else to lift that for them if necessary. If you’re not sure about your requirements, do a job analysis and ask someone currently in the role what they feel someone needs to have in order to be successful in that role.
    2. Use gender neutral language. Instead of using he or she, try speaking directly to the person reading the job description by using “you” instead. If that won’t work, use they/their.
    3. Consider where you are posting your jobs. While Indeed and Linkedin are great sources for candidates, are you utilizing resources that can help you target underrepresented populations? Are there veterans’organizations that you can send your job postings to? Are there job boards or associations that target specific populations (like Women Who  Code)?
    4. Incorporate diversity into every step of your recruiting process. Think carefully about who to include in the interview process. Imagine being a female interviewing for a leadership role and you’re scheduled for a panel interview with five members of the leadership team. You walk into the panel interview and the five individuals sitting across the table from you are all men. What impression do you think that would give? Would that be representative of the diversity of your organization?
    5. Train interviewers on biases. We all have biases, whether we realize it or not. And those biases play a part in how we interview and how we rate candidates. By understanding what the potential biases are, we can better identify them and minimize the impact they have in our decision making.

    How can you create a more inclusive recruiting program in your organization?

  • How to Develop Inclusive Training

    How to Develop Inclusive Training

    When was the last time someone asked you how you prefer to learn? Has someone ever asked if you need assistive technology? 

    As a trainer and facilitator, I definitely miss the mark sometimes on inclusive training. It’s hard. There’s no way around it; it’s not easy to design or deliver training in a language, structure, platform, etc. that works well for every learner. It’s hard, but it’s so important to try. 

    There is robust research out there about learning styles, learner variability, and inclusive curriculum design. Let’s look at this excerpt from research about Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a “framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn”. 

    UDL is based on the premise that learner variability is the norm. UDL researchers emphasize that there is no “average” or “typical” learner and that all learners have varied abilities, strengths, experiences, and preferences… aspects that can be dynamic and changing depending on one’s context and development… 

    As an instructional design framework, UDL provides a structure to proactively build in supports that address the learner variability that exists within any group. Taking learner variability into account, the process of planning instruction in alignment with UDL guidelines allows educators to consider and integrate flexible and supportive options that are helpful for all learners from the outset. 

    UDL-based instruction can make existing educational practices more inclusive, by providing support to a wider range of learners.  

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Here is a graphic from CAST, the creators of UDL, that outlines the three major components of UDL and questions to ask yourself as a trainer or educator:

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    What is your team doing to acknowledge and understand different learning styles? How are you accommodating differences? 

    One great, free resource for understanding learning styles is The VARK Questionnaire. This is a free, simple quiz that anyone can take on a smart device. VARK stands for Visual, Aural, Read/Write, and Kinesthetic – the four primary learning styles. The quiz measures a person’s preferences for each style and includes a Multimodal Style for those of us who prefer to learn through more than one method. 

    VARK also provides free insights, such as “How can VARK help my Business?” and “Using VARK in Online Learning”.  

    Once we understand the instructional design piece, we need to think about inclusive training from a participant perspective. Who’s in the room? Is it only top leadership? Only junior managers? A combination? 

    Here’s research to consider from the NeuroLeadership Institute about “everyone-to-everyone” learning, a practice that shifts the paradigm of traditional training to a model that allows all team members to engage with learning at the same time.  

    Because social norms are based on the assumption that everyone else is doing something, if people aren’t engaging in the new behavior — which is likely in a company of 10,000 people if only 100 of them learned new habits — they’ll continue to engage in old, undesired behaviors since that’s what they see.

    A better approach is what we call ‘everyone-to-everyone learning’.

    In this model, the entire organization goes through the same learning experience at the same time. Instead of day-long or multi-day, in-person workshops — which can’t be administered to all employees at once without bringing the organization to a standstill — learning consists of memorable, bite-sized sessions delivered virtually.

    Simply put, you’re able to shift from a model of teaching a few people a lot slower to teaching a lot of people a little bit very quickly. And at an organizational level, this ends up being far more effective.

    Is everyone-to-everyone learning something you can implement? Could this model be adapted for your organization’s structure and needs? 

    Ultimately, it’s not easy to design learning for everyone, but it’s important to do the work and make our best effort at inclusive training. Talk to your team about their preferences and needs, and do some research and experiment. Be the first domino!  

     

  • Benefits Benchmarks: North Central Alabama

    Benefits Benchmarks: North Central Alabama

    A few weeks ago, I asked the question “Are Employees Utilizing Those New Perks?” and highlighted benchmarking as a critical activity for evaluating workplace benefits. Now, we have the published results from the 2022 North Central Alabama Wage & Benefit Survey!

    First up, Average Benefit-Cost Per Employee (Annual) increased 25% over 2021. Employers reported an average of $16,608 spent annually per employee in benefits, compared to $12,459 one year ago. Some hot categories for increased benefits spending are Child Care Support, Adoption Support, Pet Insurance, and Elder Care Support. These types of benefits are increasingly attractive, and the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber Foundation is now providing the Best Place for Working Parents® program in recognition of companies that are focusing on family care.  

    Next up, 72% of companies are now offering a PTO (Paid Time Off) structure in place of set hours/days for Sick Leave, Vacation, etc. Last year, only 58% were using a PTO structure. This shift aligns with increases in Flex Time and Remote/Telework benefits as options to give some autonomy back to employees. If you’re thinking about shifting your Leave and/or PTO policies, look for a blog post coming soon from Mary Ila Ward on Flexibility and Unlimited PTO. 

    Paid Family/Parental Leave is more available, with a 17% increase in the number of employers offering any amount of leave designated specifically for family/parental leave. The median leave times in weeks jumped from 2 weeks to 4 weeks.  

    If you are in the North Central Alabama Region, how do your benefit offerings stack up against these benchmarks? 

    If you are outside of this region, where can you find local data? Check with your local Economic Development Agency and/or Chamber of Commerce to find out if local data is available. 

    Benchmark, benchmark, benchmark! 

    This wage survey covers Cullman, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, and Morgan Counties in Alabama and represents 132 company respondents in 2022. Learn more here. 

     

  • 5 Reasons to Vote in the Alabama Primary May 24th

    5 Reasons to Vote in the Alabama Primary May 24th

    I met Katie Britt- Katie Boyd as we all knew her then- for the first time on a trip to visit The University of Alabama during my senior year of high school. Katie was serving in leadership roles with a couple of groups I was considering being a part of once I started at The University in the Fall, and she made me feel welcome.

    The two groups I was considering joining were groups that seemed to be worlds apart when it came to their purpose and approach on campus. One was intellectually based, the other social. Katie made me see that it was possible to be a part of both. She didn’t have to pick one, or even two things that would define her, and neither would I.

    As college went on, Katie would become President of one of these groups while also serving as the Student Government Association President. At twenty-one years old, Katie was leading organizations with combined budgets of close to a million dollars.

    Katie was and continues to be this. Both as someone who serves in multiple roles with grace and poise and who acts as a leader in all things. She hasn’t defined herself just as an attorney even though she has a law degree, or a mother even though her two wonderful children are the center of her world, or a wife even though she and her husband Wesley are deeply committed to one another. She isn’t just someone who knows Washington even though she’s served in various capacities in Senator Shelby’s office, or just as a fifth-generation Alabamian who is devoted to its citizens and the business community even though she’s led the Business Council of Alabama and served in roles with The University of Alabama.

    Because she is all of these things, and she refuses to choose one identity, she is the very best at each role. She is a difference-maker, and therefore, just as my second grader’s teacher says, she’s a leader. Difference makers are the leaders.

    Katie, of course, is now running for The United States Senate. She’s seeking again to be the person chosen to represent us. Her experience and accomplishments speak for themselves as to why she’s most qualified for this role out of the candidates seeking the office, but I’d like to offer a perspective that I believe speaks to the person Katie is that has led me to get involved in a political campaign when I swore I never would. It is the perspective that will lead my family and me not only to vote for her on May 24th but to set aside our desire to stay out of political controversy to spend our time and energy on her campaign.

    1. Katie is the hardest worker. No one works harder than Katie.
    Stemming out of her mentality of whom much is given, much is required, Katie is like the servant who was given ten talents and then produced ten more. She’s good and she’s faithful. She’s been the only candidate who has put her own boots on the ground in all 67 Alabama counties, meeting with individuals of various walks of life throughout the state. On the few occasions I’ve been with her on visits in Morgan County, her message is: “We are working hard to win your trust and your vote.” That she is. And that won’t stop when she gets to Washington. She’s the one to invest in that will put Alabama First and continue to work hard to invest her energy and love of Alabama to make a difference for us.

    For example, she was instrumental in getting federal dollars to help strengthen infrastructure in our area. And if you’re like me and spend a lot of time driving back and forth on I-565, this is so important. What’s going on to equip I-565 to handle the growth we are experiencing is happening, in part, because of Katie’s efforts.

    2. Katie cares. Katie is a listener.
    Katie’s worked hard to make sure she’s in all counties and all areas of our state to win trust and votes, but also to listen.

    I had the opportunity to be with Katie when she visited Kiwanis Pancake Day in February this year. She shook hands with lots of people that morning, but no one handshake was any more important to her than another. What struck me the most was the way she interacted with a little girl in line waiting for pancakes. As her campaign team was trying to direct her to move towards the exit to make it to another event on time, Katie bent down, lighting up to speak to the little girl. It was clear this precious little girl had some developmental delays. Katie looked her in the eye and told her she loved her glasses. The girl lit up and started talking to her and Katie listened. Katie sees and listens to the ones that often go overlooked. I know Katie will go to Washington with little girls like this one on her mind. And she will continue to shine her light equipping others to do the same.

    3. Katie is a consensus builder.
    On another occasion when Katie was in Morgan County campaigning, she was asked what impacted her the most while working for Senator Shelby (she spent time serving as both his Press Secretary and Chief of Staff). When did she learn the most from him, the gentleman in the audience asked. Katie thought for a second and cited a time when she got to watch Shelby and one of the most liberal Senators at the time work together to keep the government funded and going. I wasn’t shocked that this is what she mentioned because the Katie I know is a consensus builder.

    I watched her do it in college and I heard about how she did it as the leader of the Business Council of Alabama when the situation was less than ideal. At a time when things are so unbelievably polarizing in our country, I believe what we need the most in Washington is people willing to 1) work hard 2) listen and care well and know that this combination equips someone to build consensus.

    This doesn’t mean compromising on what matters most to the constituents Katie will represent, it means building relationships in D.C. and beyond so that what matters most to Alabamians will be heard and recognized because the person voicing them on our behalf is respected. This will be unbelievably important as Alabama steps into a situation where both of our senators, regardless of who is elected, will not have seniority.

    4. Katie knows the government’s place.
    Katie is unequivocally focused on continuing to build the American Dream for the next generation of Alabamians. She knows that this will only happen when freedom is at the forefront of what we do as a country and where we aren’t strapping our children and our children’s children with a level of national debt that will cripple the dream. The first line of where Katie stands reads, “As the Senator for Alabama, Katie Britt will be our advocate for smaller government, modern job growth, constitutional liberties, and greater opportunity.”

    She knows that greater opportunity comes when Alabama families, our faith-based communities, and business and industry lead the way. It is not the government’s job to lead and to spend more than it can ever possibly sustain. It is to support good-paying, competitive job creation and provide all citizens with the education, opportunities, and safety to realize the American dream.

    Katie also has the business experience to do this. She walked into a debt-ridden situation at the Business Council of Alabama and when she stepped down to run for Senate, left the entity not only with a balanced budget but with a surplus. She advocated and lobbied for policies while at BCA that supported and spurred business and job growth in Alabama. Any government funding or spending she has ever advocated for is an investment in the future competitiveness and attractiveness of our state and nation, not a government handout or a pet project.

    5. Katie represents a perspective and a demographic that we need more of in Washington.
    There are currently twenty-four females in the United States Senate, one-third of which are Republicans. Of these eight female Republicans, none have children at home or are younger than the age of 18, thus labeled “working moms.” Approximately 25 million women in the United States are “working moms.”

    Katie turned 40 this year. There is only one person, Senator John Osoff (D- GA) who is under the age of 40 currently serving in the Senate.

    Selfishly, I want someone in the Senate that represents a voice more similar to my own. Currently, there are none. A wife, a mom of school-aged children, a business and political leader, and an Alabama-born and bred Senator is needed. So needed.

    Katie has come under some criticism for running for such a demanding job given the age of her children (they are both in middle school). To them, I say, you don’t know Katie. And you also don’t know that her children were among the first to challenge her to run- to step up. Katie is not one to sacrifice one role for the sake of another. Throughout the campaign, she’s still dropping her kids off at school more days than not, cheering them on at their sports endeavors and supporting them in academic and social excellence. I know this first-hand. On her visit here in the fall, she made sure she left an event here to get back in time for a basketball game. But she will accomplish more while here because she’s present while here, just like she’s present at home. As one dear friend of mine noted, “She’s got her priorities straight.” And she’s still visiting more places across the state and visiting with more Alabamians than her opponents.

    I know her role as a mom will make her a better Senator, and her role as Senator will make her a better mom. She’s started Moms on a Mission to drive home the need and the way to ensure our country and our state are places where our children can thrive.

    Thank goodness for people like her who refuse to choose and who refuse to back down to criticism that is a result of her excellence in all that she does. As her campaign website reads, “Katie and Wesley have chosen Alabama once again by putting themselves forward, enthusiastically volunteering to fight to ensure their kids — and our kids — have the opportunity to choose an Alabama worth fighting for long into the future.” Amen to that.

    The enthusiastic and genuine Katie Boyd, now Katie Britt, that I met over twenty years ago and made me feel like I mattered is who I will be voting for in May. Maybe that is all that needs to be said of her. She knows you and I and the little girl with glasses at Pancake Day matter. If you’ve met her you know it to be true because she made sure you knew you mattered when you interacted with her. And I know she’ll lead with this attitude in Washington, representing every Alabamian with grace and poise.

    You matter. And your vote matters. I hope you’ll join me in exercising your right and privilege to vote on May 24th.

  • Servant Leadership

    Servant Leadership

    I recently helped a top security government employee with developing a resume. His leadership philosophy centered around supporting his employees (as opposed to the other way around); he believes in empowering subordinates with authority, as opposed to responsibility. His view of leadership embodies serving which is what great leaders do.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Servant leaders are a revolutionary bunch—they take the traditional power leadership model and turn it completely upside down. This new hierarchy puts the people—or employees, in a business context—at the very top and the leader at the bottom, charged with serving the employees above them. And that’s just the way servant leaders like it. – The Art of Servant Leadership, SHRM.org

    At HPC, we have a textbook servant leader. Our CEO lives this out daily and truly makes our staff want to be better every day, for our company and our clients.

    Here are a few things servant leaders do differently:

    • Servant Leaders share power.
    • They consistently put the needs of others first.
    • They help people develop and perform at their highest level of potential.

    Check out 10 Principles of Servant Leadership from Indeed.Com for more insight.

    Are you a servant leader? Do you have servant leaders in your life?

    If you’d like to learn more about this type of leadership, hit us up at HPC. We love to train & empower servant leaders!