Start your job search off on the right foot. Here’s what you need to know.

Job seeking is never fun, of course, but a well-prepared job seeker is more likely to find the process less stressful. Looking for work is not a science and there are many factors that come into play, but in conducting a job search in today’s current market, there are a number of things that everyone will be happier to know from the outset.

1. Use your network. 

Let’s start with something that may be out of your control. More and more positions are being filled without being advertised. You would have a hard time conducting a job search now without hearing about networking and how important it is, and that’s especially true in the market as it stands. A referral is more likely to get the position, simply because HR staff are busy and why not hire someone who already has an advocate within the company? Since informal hiring is happening on a greater scale, if you’re currently looking for work, remember that you are always looking for work. That 4th of July cookout? Perhaps your volleyball teammate knows of an opening that would fit your skill set. Don’t focus only on the old ways of looking for a job – get out, get to know people, and treat every interaction as a potential opportunity!

2. Clean up your act on social media. 

Companies often Google search a candidate before hiring, and social media can be an immediate red flag. Before starting your job hunt, clean up your Facebook! Many people respond to this advice defensively, feeling that it’s Orwellian to have your actions monitored even on social media, but the truth is, once it’s out there, it’s hard to remove it. Review your privacy settings and if it’s questionable, maybe leave it off the Internet.

3. You are going to need a strong resume.

Standards for resumes change all the time and just because it worked three or ten years ago doesn’t mean your resume will work now. Since a vast majority of positions that do make it out to job boards will be using online applications, the look of your resume matters far less than the content. It certainly should still be attractive and easy to read, but color and artistic flair are just going to confuse the computer screens. In fact, some of the ATS software doesn’t read serif fonts at all, so your amazing career background is not even reaching a person just because your font isn’t one the computer recognizes. Keep your resume simple! Content is key in the digital age, not the visual bells and whistles.

4. Be mindful of the ATS.

Another element that will impact how likely your resume is to get past the applicant tracking software is your use of keywords. When advice columns tell you to utilize keywords or to read the posting, they mean it! If the ad states you need experience with x, y, and z, then be sure X, Y, and Z are on your resume if you have that experience! It may be more work, yes, but sending out a resume to be rejected by a robot isn’t an effective use of your time, either.

5. Focus on your accomplishments.

Another resume tip: If you are applying for a position as a nurse or as a sales manager, we all have a basic understanding of your job description. Sending in a resume with a generic list of nursing or sales responsibilities isn’t going to make you stand out. Why are you the perfect nurse? What makes you different from the other 200 sales managers applying for the position? The answer is simple: accomplishments. Did you create a new training module for new nurses on HIPAA compliance? Was your sales team the first to tap into that challenging market? These are the key points to focus on in your resume. While the job description details can hit the keywords, they should not be the meat of your resume. What makes John Smith different from Joe Jones? John was the first sales manager in the region to secure a contract with Google. That’s worth noting!

6. Get a feel for the company during the interview.

So you’ve gotten your resume updated and it’s working. You started getting interview calls! The first interview you go on if you’ve been out of the job hunt for a while may feel very different. First of all, you may be expecting to go in and meet with one person, only to be greeted by an entire department. Team interviews are more common because it’s not just about the job. It’s also not about how you do with one person, but how you fit with the team. Work is collaborative, so why would interviews not be? This can take some getting used to, but remember, no matter how badly you want or need this job, if you don’t feel comfortable with the interview team, do you really want to work there long-term?

7. Be patient post-interview.

The interview is done. They’ll call in a week, right? Very likely, they will not. Not only will it take a while to hear back – if you do – but the interview process takes longer than it used to take. If you go into the interview thinking that will be it, you may be surprised when they tell you the next step is another interview – and then there are three or four more steps. In fact, companies are often now having candidates and finalists come in for trial periods. Sometimes it’s an hour and sometimes it’s a full day of shadowing. It may feel time-consuming, but in the end, the goal is that you have found something you will be able to do for a while, and the company has found someone who will want to stick around.

8. Keep an open mind.

The hard truth is that this is a terrible job market for job seekers. The salaries are lower in general and more positions are being reduced to freelance or part-time. The work you have always loved may not have the same title and may be shared by a team now. Instead of viewing this as a negative, though, consider the opportunities. Maybe you like sales, but always wanted to do some consulting. With the market as it is, you may be working harder, but you will also be able to open yourself up to new things. And new things bring new skills and connections. The lower salary is an adjustment, but less hours means volunteer work or pursuing that entrepreneurial idea you’ve had. In the end, that may be a blessing.

9. Keep it all in perspective.

Another difficult reality is that this means it’s even more competitive. It’s not unheard of to show up for an interview and realize you’re interviewing with other candidates for the same job. You may think you are one of five who was called for an interview, only to discover they are interviewing 100 people – out of 500 applicants. Keep it all in perspective, but again, chances are if you don’t get the job, another position just opened when the candidate they selected left their position for this one.

10. It’s not personal.

The final thing it’s helpful to know, and probably the most important, is that it’s not personal. It’s very hard not to get discouraged. You may go on hundreds of interviews, send out thousands of resumes, and still be waiting for that call. Friends and family will offer advice and say things like, “The right job will come along,” but it is hard to believe it sometimes. You’re not alone – and the truth is that it only takes one. For every rejection, remember it’s just not the right fit. It’s not you. Someone suggested keeping a tally – every application or every interview that’s a no, mark it down. When you reach 100, start over, but chances are, as much as it may seem endless, it’s unlikely you will reach 100 without an offer. It will feel like it’s inevitable, but the job is out there. Somewhere a hiring manager is looking for someone just like you. Jobs aren’t that different from dating, though, and all those frogs you have to kiss? They’re the interviews that don’t pan out for whatever reason. This is the hardest piece of advice to believe, but it’s imperative because some days, it does seem like there’s no end. If it gets really hopeless, allow yourself a day off from the search to do something that makes you happy. Then dust yourself off and get back out there.

Written/ Contributed by Tara Clark, a writer and former operations associate for Talent, Inc.

In an ideal world, we would all have fantastic managers—bosses who helped us succeed, who made us feel valued, and who were just all-around great people. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. But, whether the person you work for is a micromanager or just isn’t very competent, you still have to make the best of the situation and get your job done. To help out, we’ve gathered the best advice from around the web for dealing with a difficult manager. Try one or more of these tips to find some common ground with your boss—or at least stay sane until you find a new gig.

Make Sure You’re Dealing With a “Bad Boss”

Before trying to fix your bad boss, make sure you really are dealing with one. Is there a reason for her behavior, or are you being too hard on him or her? Observe your boss for a few days and try to notice how many things she does well versus poorly. When s/he is doing something “bad,” try to imagine the most forgiving reason why it could have occurred. Is it truly his/her fault, or could it be something out of his/her control?

Identify Your Boss’ Motivation

Understanding why your boss does or cares about certain things can give you insight into his or her management style. …if the rules are totally out of control, try to figure out your boss’ motivation. Maybe it’s not that he really cares about how long your lunch break takes; he actually cares about how it looks to other employees and their superiors.

Don’t Let it Affect Your Work

No matter how bad your boss’ behavior, avoid letting it affect your work. You want to stay on good terms with other leaders in the company (and keep your job!). Don’t try to even the score by working slower, or taking excessive “mental health” days or longer lunches. It will only put you further behind in your workload and build a case for your boss to give you the old heave-ho before you’re ready to go.

Stay One Step Ahead

Especially when you’re dealing with a micro-manager, head-off your boss’ requests by anticipating them and getting things done before they come to you. … a great start to halting micro-management in its tracks is to anticipate the tasks that your manager expects and get them done well ahead of time. If you reply, “I actually already left a draft of the schedule on your desk for your review,” enough times, you’ll minimize the need for her reminders. She’ll realize that you have your responsibilities on track—and that she doesn’t need to watch your every move.

Document Everything

Make sure to document interactions with your boss—be it requests or criticisms—so you can refer back to them if she ever contradicts herself. When your boss asks you for something, get it in writing. You need to create a paper trail of all requests as well as everything you produce. If your boss is the type who gives you directions verbally, follow up with an email that outlines the discussion to ensure that you heard everything correctly. Cover yourself at all times and be prepared to pull out your documented proof if your boss questions your outputs.

Wait it Out

Dealing with a conflict? Make sure to give it some time before reacting. Timing is often everything when managing conflict with a boss. Sometimes it makes more sense to wait it out than confront the situation head on. If your boss has a lot on her plate this month, her stress level may be high and she might not take as kindly to your issues.

Act as the Leader

When dealing with an incompetent boss, sometimes it’s best to make some leadership decisions on your own. If you know your area well enough, there is no reason to not go ahead creating and pursuing a direction you know will achieve good results for your company. People who do this are naturally followed by their peers as an informal leader. Management, although maybe not your direct boss, will notice your initiative. Of course, you don’t want to do something that undermines the boss, so keep him or her in the loop.

Identify Triggers

If your boss has anger management problems, identify what triggers her meltdowns and be extra militant about avoiding those. For example, if your editor flips when you misspell a source’s name, be sure to double and triple-check your notes. And if your boss starts foaming at the mouth if you arrive a moment after 8 AM, plan to get there at 7:45—Every Single. Day.

Use Tips from Couples’ Therapy

When dealing with disagreement, pull on some tenants from couple’s therapy to work through the issue. Simply repeat back to him what he said and ask “Is that what you meant?” (a standard trick ripped from couples’ therapy). If he agrees to your recap, ask him to tell you more about it. When you repeat someone’s perspective back to him, you give him a chance to expound and, crucially, to feel heard.

Avoid Future Bad Bosses

When interviewing with a new company, do your research ahead of time to make sure you’re not getting into another situation with a less-than-ideal manager. Have coffee or lunch with one or more staffers at the new company. Ostensibly, your purpose is to learn general information about the company and its culture. However, use this opportunity to discover as much about your potential boss as possible, without appearing creepy, of course.

Contributed by Adrian Granzella Larssen

Being Black is truly a soulful, eye-opening, and enriching experience. But behind all the #BlackExcellence, #BlackGirlMagic, #BlackBoyJoy tags, TikToks, and beautifully shot images, there are often struggles that most don’t see because they’re blurred by social media filters. 

The last several years have been stressful for all of us. From pandemics to unexpected unemployment to rising tensions to police brutality, and, most recently, rising inflation, nothing has been easy. While this stress impacts us all, regardless of race, gender, or ethnicity, Black Americans are often statistically impacted more than other groups, due to structural inequalities that have persisted over generations. Simply put, being Black in America is stressful. Constantly being perceived as a threat, stereotyped, and oversexualized from an early age can take a toll on the mind, body, and spirit. When they were younger, many Black men were taught to “man up,” learning to never show emotion or talk about their feelings. And with society’s long-held stereotypes about masculinity, the concepts of self-care, mental health and wellness are often viewed as “unmanly” or worse yet, unnecessary. It’s a one-two combination that quietly beats us up from the inside out, issues you can learn more about in Bevel’s “Get Your Mind Right” campaign clip below. 

Thankfully, the stigma surrounding open and honest conversations about mental health have begun to fade in recent years. Tasnim Sulaiman, a licensed psychotherapist and founder and CEO of Black Men Heal, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing men of color with mental health treatment and resources, and Tristan Walker, founder and CEO of Bevel, a head-to-toe grooming brand specifically for Black men, have a shared vision of supporting Black men through  their mental health journeys. Both Sulaiman and Walker are committed to providing Black and Brown men with the tools they need to treat themselves from the inside out.  

Recently, Sulaiman and Walker came together to discuss Black men and the best ways for them to maintain their mental health. Read on below to see their thoughts on why so many men of color avoid talking about their emotional struggles, what we as a community can do to change that for future generations, and why it’s important to create a safe space for men to ask for help.

What Black Men Heal Offers

Tasnim: We’ve tailored our mental health resources across both in-person and virtual [platforms] to help us meet men where they are. We have an Individual Therapy Program, [which includes] eight free therapy sessions. [There], we match men up with clinicians of color that can relate to the unique presenting issues and cultural needs of each individual. Our proprietary matching system ensures each man is matched up with the therapist they are most likely to have a productive relationship with, which, most-often, leads to successful therapeutic outcomes. 

We also offer a free weekly virtual group session for men called Kings Corner. The Kings Corner group provides a safe space for men to fellowship, create, and hold space for one another while developing tangible mental wellness tools. Each virtual session features a different guest host [who covers] a variety of  mental health-related topics. [Lastly], we also do an in-person version of Kings Corner that travels from city-to-city.

What Signs Men Should Be Aware of Regarding Their Mental Health 

Tasnim: There are many signs to keep an eye out for. Some of the common signs are or can be: feeling chronic states of stress, sadness, guilt; helplessness or emptiness; constant worry or overthinking (especially worrying about things you have no control over); fatigue; difficulty sleeping; loss of interest or joy in family/relationships, work, hobbies, etc…; [and] difficulty concentrating or completing tasks. [Other signs are] an increase in agitation or angry outbursts; becoming more controlling or abusive in relationships; and numbing behaviors such as alcohol, drugs, gambling or irresponsible sexual behaviors. 

Men should also pay attention to a “work obsessively” mode. Because working and providing for family and self are such highly defining traits of masculinity, often men can miss that obsessive work with no breaks or time for rest or self care can be avoidance/overcompensating for not wanting to face what comes up if you are still. Black men often carry a lot of intergenerational trauma and can be constantly triggered and retraumatized regularly within their daily existence.

Why It’s Challenging for Some Black Men to Open Up About Mental Health Struggles

Tasnim: Life is hard, and it’s challenging to be vulnerable in the face of uncomfortable things. Everyone is going through something, especially the last few years. Conversations about mental health force people to look in the mirror and really see themselves. Historically, mental health has been synonymous with “weakness.” For a Black man, the world can often not feel like a safe place to be vulnerable. We founded Black Men Heal to create more of those safe spaces for Black men.

Tristan: As a founder and entrepreneur, I’ve spent my adult life becoming very familiar with the idea of “investing” (in other start-ups, brands, etc). For me, mental health is just a personal investment into myself and in support of my family [and] loved ones. My community needs me to show up in the world in a way that is authentic, transparent, and empathetic. I can’t do that if my own mental health is clouded. When I think about mental health as a personal investment into myself, as a form of self-care, all of sudden these conversations aren’t hard or impossible, they’re absolutely vital.

Experiences That Can Trigger Mental Health Stressors

Tasnim: Trauma is the key. We are constantly retraumatized and having our deepest wounds triggered by what we experience or see in the media. Other triggers might include developmental stages, rites of passages, or major life transitions. For example, moving [away] from home for the first time; getting married; having a child; a break-up; the death of a loved one; getting sick or having an accident; are all examples of experiences that can trigger mental health stressors. 

Tristan: The last two years have been both traumatic and stressful for everyone. You pair a pandemic with the on-going challenges of being Black in 2022 and that equals a lot of stress on your mental health. Everyone is engaged in some type of shared suffering and it’s important for us to realize we are all in this together.

How Can Black Men Regulate Their Mental Health to Achieve Black Boy Joy

Tasnim: Therapy is just one tool to help with healing and overall wellness. It’s also important to think about holistic healing, head to toe, inside [and] out. This means paying attention to the eight dimensions of your wellness: physical, spiritual, social, intellectual, emotional/mental, occupational, environmental, and financial.

Tristan: Accept that it’s okay to be a little selfish about your own joy and mental health. Understand that no one has more control over your joy than you do. You have to consistently invest in yourself.

How Black Men Should Address Mental Health With Their Sons

Tasnim: It starts with the example that the father or parent gives—not only what you say, but what you do. Your children will ultimately imitate how you care for your physical, spiritual, and emotional health. Your son should know that it’s ok to not be ok.

Tristan: I think all good parenting leads with embracing empathy, and by letting your children  see you being comfortable working on or dealing with your own mental health. If my sons, as they’re growing, mimic what I say and do, why wouldn’t I give them the best example possible of addressing my own mental health? 

How to Access Mental Health Care or Services Without Insurance

Tasnim: Black Men Heal is definitely an option for men [without insurance] because all of our services are free. There are other amazing groups that offer free or low cost resources for people such as Alkeme Health, The Loveland Foundation, The Boris L Henson Foundation, and Open Path Collective. There are so many amazing podcasts (Let’s Talk Bruh, etc.) and social pages (@ExpressYourselfBlackman) that provide free content aimed at helping improve your mental health. Something that works well for me personally, is to set up my social media profiles to only follow accounts that provide what I wish to feel, think, or be.

Why It’s Important to Understand Your Mental Health

Tasnim: Understanding your mental health is your personal blueprint to knowing your triggers, how your thoughts work, [how you] make certain choices, and why you react to certain things but not others.

Once you learn how to master your own personal mental health, you free yourself. You can control negative or irrational thoughts of doubt or fear; you know what to prepare for and how to manage your triggers; and most importantly you learn how to respond instead of react while making better decisions. 

Tristan: Life is about growth and it’s challenging to grow into your best self without understanding the impact of your life’s experiences on your own mental health. We can’t do it all on our own, and it’s, at times, difficult to ask for the help we might need.

Why It’s Important to Ask for Help

Tasnim: Often, when we’re physically hurt or injured, we go to see a doctor or [something] similar. Mental health is no different, and asking for help opens the door to healing.

Tristan: It reminds me of something often credited to the great James Baldwin: “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” Without ever talking about mental health or asking for help, it is almost impossible to address any needs you might have. We are more powerful together than we are alone.

Contributed by Anslem Samuel Rocque, Amber MCKynzie

In real life situations, performance appraisal is a daily activity as it is also to organisations. We evaluate our activities daily, weekly, monthly or yearly to see our achievements and, challenges, correct our mistakes and set new targets.

More so in organisations. The continued success of organisations is dependent on its employees who in all thinking is the primary resource and, the focal point as all decisions revolve around her.  Their development and retention is a critical success factor if it must meet with its present and future requirements and surpass same.

Performance appraisal sometimes referred to as performance evaluation or personnel evaluation, is very important in HR Management; a tool that places high in people Management. Other factors / functions which contribute to employee development are staff orientation and career development and all these add-up to enhance organizational effectiveness.

Infact, performance appraisal is a fulcrum on which major HR activities revolve.  Many informed decisions such as promotions, wage hikes, transfers, terminations, job rotation, job enlargement, succession planning etc emanates from this. Again, allocation of organizational resources is facilitated by performance appraisal.

What is Performance Appraisal?

“Performance appraisal is the process by which an organization obtains a feedback about the effectiveness of its employees”. It is the evaluation of employee’s job performance and contributions to the organisation. In other words, it is a mechanism through which employees and the organization obtain feedback and provides organisation with assessment data for present and future use. It is the measurement of performance against set and agreed target over a given period of time so as to obtain to obtain feedback.

The purpose of Performance Appraisal stems from the need to improve organizational efficiency by ensuring that employees perform to the best of their ability and also develop their potentials for improvement. A good performance appraisal or management system is designed to serve two (2) main purposes:

1. Evaluative purpose and
2. Developmental purpose

Evaluative Functions: This function helps to promote or reward higher performances while at the same time assists to determine low performance.

Development Function: On the other hand, this performance appraisal function is useful in determining training needs of the subordinates while at the same time motivates them to higher performance.

Unfortunately, many people lay more emphasis on the evaluative function to the neglect of the developmental function.

A good organization should have a well laid down policy on employee performance management and the potential of each employee to access his/ her future development.

Performance appraisal must be seen as a result-oriented machinery for the growth of individual and company and not as firing squad or punitive measure. You should note that organisations decide on what performance appraisal system to be adopted based on its laid down policy, suitability and operational modus.

Performance appraisal is either open or closed. The open system is profound in the private sector while the closed system is more practiced in the public sector.

Performance appraisal can be classified under two broad systems: Individual and Multi-Person Appraisal Systems.

Individual Appraisal Method:

In the individual appraisal method, employee’s performance is studied over a given period. This is aimed at identifying their strengths and weaknesses. Examples of these are Annual Confidential Reports, Essay Evaluation, Management by Objectives (MBO) and Check List Methods.

• Confidential Reports:

Perhaps, this is the oldest method. It is a report prepared by employee’s senior/ supervisor wherein he/ she highlights the subordinate’s strength and weaknesses in the past year. The flaw about this method is that the feedback on the report prepared is not disclosed to the employee for whom this has been written because every report is kept confidential.

• Critical Incident and Checklist Techniques:

In the critical incident technique, the superior studies and analyze the subordinate’s best and worse incidents of behavior in the past year; analyzing the most critical incidents while in the checklist method, the supervisor is given a paper that has set of statements that are expressive and purpose in nature, and the answers to which are either YES or NO. Here, the usual and typical questions are whether/ or not the performance was satisfactory and whether or not the standards were met.

Multiple Persons Appraisal Methods:

The multi-person appraisal method compares the performances of the employees in a particular department and are pitted against one another to identify the best performers and the worst performers. Examples of multi-person appraisal methods are Ranking System, Paired Comparison, Forced Distribution, Performance Tests and 360-Degree Appraisal.

• Paired Comparison Method:

In this technique, the superior compares each individual to all the other individuals working in the team and the subordinates are all ranked on the basis of criteria and traits analyzed. The comparison method could be from the best to the worst or the worst to the best.

• Management by Objective (MBO)

The Management by Objective (MBO) is the well-known technique for setting goals, then judging how they are met; it emphasizes on tangible and measurable goals. The Key Result Areas (KRA) and the means to attain maximum results are concentrated upon. This system gives the superior the opportunity of knowing his/ her team’s KRAs and the results expected at the end of the year/ or given period. In this method, the job is delegated and the authority, responsibility and relationship is defined.

In this method, both the supervisor and the subordinate discuss, negotiate and agree the goals to be attained over a period. The objectives/ target are expected to adhere to the SMARTER rules – Specific, Measurable, Agreed, Realistic, Time-bound, Ethical and Recorded.

• 360-Degree Method:

The 360-degree appraisal method involves various stakeholders – the employee’s immediate supervisor, other supervisors who are not the bosses but comes in contact with the employee/ appraisee on a daily basis, the top management, and the employee’s subordinates as all provide data/ information on his/ her performances.

All 360-degree of employee working and working styles are analyzed involving the whole cycle of individuals with whom the employee comes in contact or interacts with on the course of work. The feedback from the appraisal is passed on to the employee for increased performance.

Why do we conduct Performance Appraisal?

Performance appraisal aims at regularly assessing and reporting on subordinate’s performances, attainment, abilities and potentials for future development. It further seeks to:

• Clarify the Key Result Areas (KRA) of the job and provide basis to agree on targets and standards of performance for a given period;
• Assess performance of employees and agree on how to foster continuous improvement;
• Provide opportunity for a formal recognition and documentation of performances (the subordinate has opportunity to bring certain achievements or constraints being experienced on the job to the attention of the boss, his/ her career plans and aspirations);
• Generate information for management’s decision-making on issues like promotion, transfers, succession planning, job rotation, job redefinition, job enlargement, disengagement etc;
• Determine employee potentials and provide guided development;
• Provide opportunity for identifying individual training and developmental needs;
• Take stock of skills and talents available, strength and weaknesses of employees in the organization
• Provide feedback to employees on how organization view their (employee) performances;
• Improve communication by compelling superiors and subordinates to hold periodic dialogue/ meeting and provide feedback;
• Provide basis for reward decisions – merit increases, reassignment and expatriation
• Generate data/ information upon which workplans, budgeting and HR Planning can be based
• Inform job distribution/ redesign, job enlargement, career planning and development;
• Provide a ready tool for evaluating the effectiveness of selection and placement decisions;
• Identify training and development needs for individual employees and entire teams/ divisions within the organization;
• Provide a good criteria for assessing the success or otherwise of previous training and development efforts
• Help in determining salary related decisions;
• Serve as a counseling forum;
• Emphasize the strength and weaknesses of employees;
• Improve motivation

Conclusion:

Without mincing words, it must be stated that performance appraisal is key to the success of organisations as managers constantly make judgments about their subordinates based on performance appraisal and are expected to provide periodic feedbacks.

Note that performance appraisal system to be adopted by any organisation, could be predicated on its policy and developmental plans. There is no perfect method and several methods could be combined..

To make feedback a powerful instrument in performance appraisal and in improving the level of satisfaction, performance appraisal must not only be based on an objective criteria, but such criteria should have been jointly put in place and agreed between the supervisor and subordinate as employees who are involved in actually setting their own goals tend to perform at higher levels.

Contributed by Agolo Uzorka, CEO/ Lead Consultant, Eugene + George Consulting Limited

HR Analytics, People Analytics and Workforce Analytics are all same terms interchangeably used. HR Analytics is about using data to make better business decisions; it is a data-driven approach geared towards managing people at the workplace.

Many HR professionals have variously defined it and they have been unanimous in their definitions. It is “the systematic identification and quantification of people drivers of business outcomes”. “HR Analytics is a data-driven approach towards HR Management“. “it is the quantification of people drivers on business outcomes”. It measures why something is happening and its impact.

Again, Workforce Analytics is about analyzing people data to answer critical questions about people in your organization. For instance, What is your annual employee turnover? Or What percentage of your employees are likely to resign their appointments from your Company in the next six months? These questions can only be answered using data.

HR Analytics starts with an opinion and data helps to confirm the opinion. Thereafter, we compare the data and make valid judgments. This is where metrics come in.

HR Metrics are measurements used to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of HR policies – they compare different data points. For instance, if last year’s labour cost was 10% and it is now 15%, it then means that it has increased by 50%. Metrics measure the difference between numbers and compare different data – they don’t show you the cause. Measures or metrics without analysis has no true value.

It is a fact that HR Departments are very good at collecting data (for example the Performance Appraisal) but how much of these data are put into use?! A lot of them remain unused. As soon as organisations start analysing these collected data, they are involved in HR Analytics.

HR Analytics assists HR professionals in making data-driven decisions to attract, maintain, develop and motivate the workforce and improve ROI; enables managers make better business decisions, create conducive and better work-environment and maximize employees’ productivity.

What I have learnt as a Consultant over the years is that applying HR Analytics changes how Companies do business and add values to the business. it helps organisations identify different levels that they can turn better decisions. In effect, when HR Analytics is well utilized, it creates positive impact on the bottomline.

Truly, Talent Analytics is connotative and more often used in the academic environment, while workforce analytics is more used by software providers whilst assisting in workforce planning. People Analytics and HR Analytics simply refer to the statistical analysis of people data. Of these, HR Analytics is more globally used and popular according to RS Research and ranks highest in Google search while People Analytics ranks second. Although, People Analytics is increasingly becoming popular because HR Analytics is becoming overused and everything referred to HR data is now being referred to as HR Analytics!

Again, the term HR analytics is very narrow because it only refers to Human Resources. Ideally, analytics go beyond HR as it includes financials, and other data. Infact, HR department sometimes don’t have the skill-set requisite to carry out data analysis hence it requires professionals with experiences in IT, Finance and other related data analytical areas.

Whether you are looking at performance, calculating productivity trends, employees’ turnover, reviewing ROI or engaged in long-term workforce planning, you are involved in studying and analyzing people. HR Departments have focused on people-related matters that transcends Human Resources for decades.

Without mincing words, the responsibility of managing people in the workplace has always been a shared responsibility between the business and HR. An attempt to distinguish between HR Analytics and People Analytics appears to be a bit difficult because it is a matter of semantics. Rather, we should focus on the value that analytics bring or adds to the overall business performances by improving the overall decision-making process.

Benefits:

• It changes the way people are managed in a significant way as you no longer rely on emotions, gossips etc in decision-making;
• Helps HR professionals in making informed data-driven decisions and also tests the effectiveness (HR output) and efficiency (input) of HR policies and interventions;
• Engenders better compensation, incentive and drives employee performance
• Minimises the incidence of making decisions based on intuition
• Promotes better employee development and improves engagement
• Identifies causes and its impact on the business;
• Tracks the effectiveness of HR metrics on HR business outcomes;
• Provides answers to very salient questions;
• Enables better workforce planning
• Points out the effects of metrics on business performance
• Helps create a business case for HR interventions, moving from operational partner to strategic partner;

HR departments these days simply focus more on reporting employee data but this approach is outdated in today’s data driven economy. Mere keeping records is not sufficient to add strategic value. The data should be turned into information and the information into insight. Turning data into insights enables HR to be more involved in decision making at a more strategic level and adds value to the organization, enhancing its efficiency and effectiveness.

I must state at this juncture that any monies spent on general business analytics delivers multiple values in return.

Contributed by Agolo Uzorka, CEO/ Lead Consultant, Eugene + George Consulting Limited

Termination of Employment contract is one of the most difficult aspects of Human Resource Management, depending on the side of the divide you are. It is one assignment many HR Managers or whoever that manages the assigned role of workforce management deplores because it is a negative role, but a difficult aspect of the job that must be executed. This was one of my albatross as a Human Resource Manager, when I worked in one organisation because the Managing Director always used it wrongly as a threat to employees which should not be – it could be very demotivating!

According to Wikipedia, “termination of employment is an employee’s departure from a job and the end of an employee’s duration with an employer. Termination may be voluntary on the employee’s part, or it may be at the hands of the employer, often in the form of dismissal (firing) or a layoff”.

“Termination of employment refers to the end of an employee’s work with a company. Termination may be voluntary, as when a worker leaves of their own accord, or involuntary, in the case of a company downsize or layoff, or if an employee is fired” – Investopedia.

Termination of employment according to Oladosu O. in his book, The Nigerian Labour and Employment Law, “is the bringing to an end the employment relationship”. It is the severance of relationship between the employer and employee.

Termination of employment could occur from either the employer or employee but should meet the written terms of the contract. The employer nor the employee is neither under any obligation to give reasons for the termination of employment contract.

You should know that Section 11 of the Labour Act in terms of contract of employment, provides for a compulsory issuance of notice or payment in lieu of notice by either party. Section 11(6) of the same act provides that “the right”to notice may be waived by ether party to the contract of employment by a payment in lieu of notice“.

Be reminded that contract of employment may not always be a written document; all that is required is that parties involved should reach an agreement and abide by the terms of engagement.

The termination of employment and dismissal brings the contract of employment to an end. The law on termination and dismissal in Nigeria is built around Common Law.

Factors leading to termination of Contract of Employment:

i). Expiry of Contract of Employment: at the expiry of fixed term contract for which the employee services may no longer be required, termination may be the next option;

ii) Mutual consent/ agreement: this could be occasioned by retirement or may be a “constructive dismissal”, a situation where employee is advised / forced to resign by the employer due to some irreconcilable differences.

iii). By notice e.g.

• Resignation
• Dismissal
• Redundancy (when an employer ceases to carry on the business)

iv). Breach of contract, necessitating the employer to dismiss the employee without notice.

Examples:

a). willful disobedience of lawful order, evidencing total disregard for the terms of contract and utter disrespect for constituted authority;

b). dereliction, abandonment or desertion of duty;

c). serious negligence or prolonged incompetence;

e). misrepresentation or falsification of information supplied in any official document;

f). on the receipt of unsatisfactory report(s) from the previous employer of the employee on probation;

g) giving out or divulging confidential information about the company’s trade secrets to a third party or person not entitled to know;

h). conviction for felony or any other criminal offence by a competent court of law;

i). dishonesty, misconduct or any act likely to bring the company’s name into disrepute or ridicule;

j). frustration emanating from the death, illness or imprisonment of employer or employee.

Dismissal:

The Webstar’s Dictionary and Thesaurus defines dismissal as the act of removing a person from office. Nigeria Law refers to dismissal as the determination of a contract of employment due to the employee’s misconduct and it is carried out summarily without advanced notice nor payment in lieu of notice. Employers adopt this to erring employees in cases of gross misconduct. In most situations, it takes immediate effect and it is the sole right enjoyed by the employer. The principle of fair hearing and natural justice must apply in such situation.

Dismissal does not only include the termination of an employee’s contract by his employer; it is also ending a fixed term contract without a renewal on the same terms.

Secondly, it is the termination of employment by the employee where the employers conduct forces him/ her to do so. This is referred to as “constructive dismissal” significantly precipitated by employer’s breach of contract, signifying that the employer no longer wants to be bound by one or more terms and conditions of the contract. The employee may decide to leave immediately depending on the gravity of the breach and ability to meet up with such conditions and responsibilities that appertains thereto (if any) to such actions.

Dismissals vary as follows:

Summary dismissal: This is when the employer dismisses the employee without the required notice period and as such, the employee may also not be entitled to payment(s) – entitlement(s). This occurs and can only be justified if the employee has committed a serious breach of contract otherwise he or she could seek redress in a competent court of law.

Unfair dismissal: An employee may approach the National Industrial Court to bring claim if he/she believes that he/she has been unfairly dismissed. The onus will lie on the employee first to prove that he/ she has been dismissed; and the employer’s responsibility at this point will be to prove that the dismissal was fair.

Wrongful dismissal: The employee can lay claim for wrongful dismissal if he/ she can prove with evidence that the dismissal was without justification as he/ she has not breached any part of the contract. The employee will also have to prove that it was not with appropriate notice and that that was ignored by the employer, thereby suffering losses as a result. The employer will be liable to wrongful termination in the Court of Law.

If wrongful dismissal can be proved, the employee may be able to claim some damages resulting from loss of earnings payable during the notice period or balance of wages due under fixed term contract.

In dismissing an employee, the employer is not justified except there were some serious offenses.

Resignation:

Resignation is a form of termination of contract by notice. Contracts are expected to specify notice periods. Be that as it may, termination of employment during probationary period carries minimal notice period or none, depending on several variables – position, company policy, reasons for resignation etc. Notice may be waived, or payment made in lieu of notice.

Employees may resign appointment for any number of reasons, personal or occupational which could be a reflection on the management style, company’s culture, harassment, increased work hours, new work location etc.

When an employee announces his/ her resignation, verbally or by letter, it is pertinent for Management to find out reasons why he/ she is leaving through the exit interview so as to make possible adjustments, where necessary.

Conclusion:

In managing termination of employment, the Human Resource Manager and Management generally should consider how the factors above apply in a given situation, depending largely on the individual concerned, the responsibilities of the incumbent job holder, cost of replacement in terms of time and finance, public perception and corporate image, company’s policy etc.

Contributed by Agolo Uzorka Eugene, CEO/ Lead Consultant, Eugene + George Consulting Limited, a front-line Human Resource Company, providing world-class services to a wide-range of clients (www.eugenegeorgeconsulting.com)

The National Industrial Court on Friday fixed Sept.19 to deliver ruling on Federal Government’s prayer asking the court to order the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to call off its seven months strike.

The matter which was first mentioned on Monday was adjourned until Friday for further mention before Justice Polycarp Hamman.

When the matter came up, Mr J.U.K Igwe (SAN) informed the court that going by its directive on Monday that the claimant should file its process latest by Tuesday, that they had filed two processes.

He added that the first one was motion on notice dated and filed Monday for an interlocutory injunction.

Igwe further stated that the claimant also filed on the same date an affidavit of facts in support of the referral sent by the Minister of Labour and Employment.

He also averred that some questions were raised with a full complement of a written address.

He also submitted that the defendant had been served with proof of service before the court.

The counsel said that however, as at the time the court was sitting, he had not received an response from ASUU.

Igwe proceeded to urge the court to take the applications as it was ripe to be taken, stating that the matter is of national interest and urgent as millions of students have been at home since Feb.14.

Mr Femi Falana, SAN, counsel to ASUU in response acknowledged receiving process from the claimant and stated that they were already filing their reply in the court’s registry.

Falana added that the Minister of Labour and Employment lacked the power to ask the court in his referral to order the defendant to go back to work.

He also informed the court that ASUU will be meeting stakeholders in the House of Representative on Sept.20 to ensure that the matter is resolved.

Earlier Mr Ebuolu Adegoruwa SAN, counsel to Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) had raised the issue of joinder and consolidation of the suit, citing section 36 of the 1999 constitution to fair hearing

He submitted that the court should invoke the cited section in SERAP’s favour to be joined in the suit as a defendant and urged the court to take his application to that effect before entertaining any other application in the suit

Adegoruwa said relief 3 of their application is for stay of further proceeding for the court to determine whether or not they will be a party in the suit.

He added that the process had been served on the claimant on Thursday.

He proceeded to seek to withdraw an earlier filed process dated Monday and sought to replace it with the one served on Thursday.

Igwe in response objected to Adegoruwa’s application, stating that he was in receipt of the application he filed on Monday, that was served on them on Thursday by 5pm.

He also argued that it was the same application Adegoruwa was applying to withdraw.

He added that he had not received any process dated Thursday as claimed by Adegoruwa.

Adegoruwa in response stated that there was proof of service of said application on the Attorney-General of the Federation on Thursday.

Falana said he was not objecting to Adegoruwa’s application seeking to be joined as a party in the suit and for the suit to be consolidated with the other one filed by SERAP as a claimant.

The court after listening to the submissions of counsel ruled that the application was not ripe to be taken as it was served at the Attorney- General’s office on Thursday.

The court in addition stated that the application for interlocutory injunction will be taken first on Sept. 19 by 11am.

The judge therefore adjourned the matter until Sept.19, for hearing .

Recall that the Minister of Labour and Employment on behalf of the Federal Government had filed the matter before the court by way of referral to resolve the issue of the ongoing strike by ASUU.

Courtesy: Fresh News Channel

Chelsea legend Didier Drogba is delighted seeing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang move to Stamford Bridge.

After completing the last-minute move from Barcelona on deadline day, Aubameyang posted a photo of him wearing the Blues’ No 9 shirt.

Drogba in response, wrote: “Finally!!!!! Remember the time we spoke about it years ago. Happy for you brother.”

Drogba and Aubameyang are close friends, with the Chelsea legend once describing the latter as his “little bro” after the Gabon striker did Drogba’s trademark celebration after scoring a goal during his time at Arsenal.