About our Program The goal of this presentation is to enhance morale, motivation, and performance through a fun, high-energy, motivational presentation which explores the lessons learned from studies of successful companies, teams and individuals. It will review specific steps to leverage the lessons and offers tips for implementing them. Work is Social – it is done by people with people for people. Individuals who attempt to be successful at work without understanding it is social, is like trying to have a new car last over 100,000 miles without an oil change. This keynote speaker will overview the following: Why is success social? What do we need to do to use social principals successfully? Four actions that we can take today to help us realize personal and professional success? About the Presenter Dale has spent the past four years providing programs to over 240 client companies and thousands of people as a trainer/consultant for Best Care EAP. He has also traveled all over the United States as a Management and Leadership training expert for Skill Path Seminars. Before joining Best Care EAP in August 2005, Dale spent six years as an officer in the US Air Force where the SOAR to Excellence Program he developed and facilitated was nominated as a US Air Force Best Practice. His passionate commitment to employee/management development has been shaped by his experiences as a high school teacher and coach, a licensed mental health professional and a father of four boys. Dale is an experienced and engaging Performance Coach, facilitator for the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Insight Personality Spectrum. He is also actively involved in Toastmasters International, where he has earned numerous awards as one of the region’s top speakers. Afternoon Workshop H1N1and Human Resource Departments - This presentation will give information on how employers can deal with the spread of the disease and keep their businesses operating while not conflicting with employment laws (OSH Act, ADA, FMLA, FLSA, and NLRA). About the Presenters Mark A. Fahleson is a partner with Rembolt Ludtke LLP in Lincoln, Nebraska. His practice centers on employment and labor law. Mr. Fahleson served as judicial clerk to Judge D. Nick Caporale of the Nebraska Supreme Court. He practiced management-side employment and labor law in Omaha before becoming Legislative Director to a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in November 1994. In May 1995, Mr. Fahleson was promoted to Chief of Staff, advising the congressman on all legislative initiatives with directed responsibility for all tax, health and labor issues. Mr. Fahleson is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and graduated with high distinction from the University of Nebraska College of Law, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Nebraska Law Review. He currently serves as the Chair of the Executive Committee of the Labor Relations and Employment Law Section of the Nebraska State Bar Association and is an active member of the steering committee of the Employment Law Section of the Defense Research Institute. Mr. Fahleson serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Nebraska College of Law teaching employment law, and was recognized for his employment law expertise in 2007 in The Best Lawyers in America®, Great Plains Super Lawyers and Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. Presenter to be announced, Division of Public Health, Department of Health & Human Services, State of Nebraska LHRMA / P.O. Box 81066 / Lincoln, Nebraska 68501 / www.lincolnhr.org October 2009 October 2009 Program DUAD MEETING WITH ASTD LUNCHEON PROGRAM TOPIC: WORK IS SOCIAL AFTERNOON WORKSHOP: H1N1 AND HR DEPARTMENTS Presenters: Dale Sunderman- MSW When: Tuesday, October 13, 2009 Where: Country Inn and Suites 5353 North 27th Street Registration: 11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Meal & Program: 11:10 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Cost: $16.00 Luncheon Meeting $35.00 Workshop (refreshments served) Meal: Mama Mia Italian Buffet (Vegetable lasagna, white chicken Alfredo, Caesar salad, pasta salad, fresh green beans, garlic sticks, coffee, tea and soda, AND double chocolate cake)
Transcript
About our Program The goal of this presentation is to enhancemorale, motivation, and performance througha fun, high-energy, motivational presentationwhich explores the lessons learned from studiesofsuccessfulcompanies,teamsandindividuals.Itwill review specific steps to leverage the lessonsandofferstipsforimplementingthem. WorkisSocial–itisdonebypeoplewithpeopleforpeople.Individualswhoattempttobesuccessfulatworkwithoutunderstandingit issocial, is liketrying to have a new car last over 100,000 mileswithoutanoilchange. Thiskeynotespeakerwilloverview the following: Why is success social?What do we need to do to use social principalssuccessfully?Fouractionsthatwecantaketodaytohelpusrealizepersonalandprofessionalsuccess?
About the Presenter Dale has spent the past four years providingprograms to over 240 client companies andthousandsofpeopleasatrainer/consultantforBestCareEAP.HehasalsotraveledallovertheUnitedStatesasaManagementandLeadershiptrainingexpertforSkillPathSeminars. BeforejoiningBestCareEAPinAugust2005,DalespentsixyearsasanofficerintheUSAirForcewheretheSOARtoExcellenceProgramhedevelopedandfacilitatedwasnominatedasaUSAirForceBestPractice.Hispassionatecommitmenttoemployee/managementdevelopmenthasbeenshapedbyhisexperiencesasahighschoolteacherandcoach,alicensedmentalhealthprofessionalandafatheroffourboys.DaleisanexperiencedandengagingPerformanceCoach,facilitatorfortheMyers-BriggsTypeIndicatorandtheInsightPersonalitySpectrum.HeisalsoactivelyinvolvedinToastmastersInternational,wherehehasearnednumerousawardsasoneoftheregion’stopspeakers.
About the Presenters MarkA.FahlesonisapartnerwithRemboltLudtkeLLPinLincoln,Nebraska.Hispracticecentersonemploymentandlaborlaw.Mr.FahlesonservedasjudicialclerktoJudgeD.NickCaporaleoftheNebraskaSupremeCourt.Hepracticedmanagement-sideemploymentandlaborlawinOmahabeforebecomingLegislativeDirectortoamemberoftheU.S.HouseofRepresentativesinNovember1994.InMay1995,Mr.FahlesonwaspromotedtoChiefofStaff,advisingthecongressmanonall legislative initiativeswithdirectedresponsibility forall tax,healthand labor issues.Mr.FahlesonisagraduateoftheUniversityofNebraska-LincolnandgraduatedwithhighdistinctionfromtheUniversityofNebraskaCollegeofLaw,whereheservedasEditor-in-ChiefoftheNebraska Law Review. HecurrentlyservesastheChairoftheExecutiveCommitteeoftheLaborRelationsandEmploymentLawSectionoftheNebraskaStateBarAssociationandisanactivememberofthesteeringcommitteeoftheEmploymentLawSectionoftheDefenseResearchInstitute.Mr.FahlesonservesasanAdjunctProfessorattheUniversityofNebraskaCollegeofLawteachingemploymentlaw,andwasrecognizedforhisemploymentlawexpertisein2007inThe Best Lawyers in America®,Great Plains Super LawyersandChambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. Presentertobeannounced,DivisionofPublicHealth,DepartmentofHealth&HumanServices,StateofNebraska
2 Newsletter of the Lincoln Human Resource Management Association
President’s MessageCathyMaddox,President
I’m going to Oprah!! By the timethat you get this newsletter I willhave been there already, but I can’ttell you how excited I am! I’m goingwithmybestgirlfriends,andmyoldestdaughterwho lives inDallas isflyingin.We’vebeenbusytryingtofigureoutwherewewanttoeat,whatwewanttosee,andofcourseleavingenoughtimeforshopping! Don’t you sometimes wonder howit is that one person can amass sucha fortune? You will see some smallinventionandthink–nowwhydidn’tIcomeupwiththat?Howdoessomeonewho had a number of odds againsthergettothepointwheresheisrightnow?? She was doing what all of usHR people are constantly preaching–takeadvantageofyouropportunities,continue to manage your strengths,keep persevering in what you believein. It seems at times that in HR wearefrequentlydefendingourpositionswithinacompany.AllofusknowhowimportantHRisforthesuccessofanycompany, but it can be frustratingsometimes to have to feel as thoughyouarealwaysfightingforaseatatthetable.GuesswewilljusthavetobelikeOprah and continue to push for whatwebelievein!Hmmmmm,anOprah’sHR favorites show?? Dare I suggestit? IfyouwereabletoattendtheStateConferenceIhopethatyouenjoyedit,andcameawayfromtherefeelingthatitwasbeneficialandeducational.Havingbeen on the conference committee Iknow that the committee striveseach
year to continue to bring high qualityspeakersandbreakoutsessions.Ifyouhavesuggestionsonwaystoimproveit,pleaselistthemwhenyoureceiveyourconferencesurvey. OurOctobermeetingwillbeajointmeeting with ASTD. In the past wehave recognized our Past-Presidentsin October but we will now do this atthe November meeting. Then at theDecembersocialwewillberecognizingallourvolunteers–watchformoreinfoonthat–it’sgoingtobefun! OK, 2 down, 10 more to go. I amgoingtotheMissourigameinColumbia,so if I come to themeeting inOctoberwithbumpsandbruises,youwillknowwhy!Haveawonderfulfall!! -Cathy Maddox
AttenDAnce DrAwing winnerS
Who Says There’s No Such Thingas a Free Lunch? Congratulationsto Kendra Knauss with GeneralExcavating . Kendra will receivefreelunchregistrationattheOctober2009meeting!
reAch oUt to the StUDentS
LHRMAmemberscanusetheLHR-MA website toadvertise Stu-dent Intershipsor summer jobs.The three Stu-dents Chapterswill be told thatthey can look ontheLHRMAweb-site, throughout the school year, tofind job openings as well as intern-ships. Please use this as anotherFREE advertising tool to get quali-fiedinterestedcandidatestohelpfillyouropenpositions. Send jobpost-ingstoKathyHarperat:[email protected].
LEGAL UPDATEMandated Posters in the Workplaceby Jack L. Shultz • Harding & Shultz, P.C., L.L.O. • Lincoln, NE
INTRODUCTION Have you checked recently yourpostersintheworkplace?FederalandNebraskastatelawsrequirethatcertainpostersbedisplayed in theworkplace.The following isachecklist tobeusedaspartofaquickcompliancecheck-uporinpreparationforastateorfederalaudit. Plaintiff ’s counsel will oftenask their clients to check to see if thefollowingpostersareinyourworkplacetodetermineevidenceofdiscriminationorstatutoryviolations.REQUIREDFEDERALPOSTERS 1.EEOC/OFCCP.“EqualEmploymentOpportunityisTHELAW”(PublicationOFCCP1420-Rev.August2008). 2.FederalMinimumWage-OvertimePay - Child Labor. “EMPLOYEERIGHTS UNDER THE FAIR LABORSTANDARDSACT”(WHDPublication1088-Rev.July2009). 3.Family & Medical/Military LeaveAct. “EMPLOYEE RIGHTS ANDRESPONSIBILITIES UNDER THEFAMILY & MEDICAL LEAVE ACT”(WHDPublication1420-Rev.January2009). 4.Veteran’sRights.“YOURRIGHTSUNDERUSERRA”(U.S.DOL-October2008).REQUIREDSTATEPOSTERS 1.Workplace Safety. “JOB SAFETYAND HEALTH” (Nebraska WorkforceDevelopmentDepartmentofLabor).2.NEOC. “DISCRIMINATION INEMPLOYMENT” (Nebraska EqualOpportunityCommission-June2007). 3.UnemploymentInsurance. “UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCEADVISEMENTOFBENEFITRIGHTS”(Nebraska Workforce Development
DepartmentofLabor).“FREE” POSTERS AREAVAILABLE The Nebraska WorkforceDevelopment Department of Labor(www.dol.state.ne.us) provideselectronic copies of these requiredfederalandstatepostersandsomeofthepostersareavailableinlanguagesotherthanEnglish.Thestatewebsitealso provides the name, address, andtelephone number of the governmentagencytocontacttoorderaposter.Thestate posters should be at least 11” x17” in size. Printing the poster anddisplaying it in any smaller size doesnotmeetlegalrequirements.Thereisa “3-in-1” Nebraska labor law posteravailableonthestatewebsite.Thereisalsoa“6-in-1”federallaborlawposteronthestatewebsite.POSTINGREQUIREMENT The mandated posters shouldbe placed in conspicuous placesavailable to employees, applicants foremployment,andunionrepresentativeswherethereisalaborcontract.Failuretohavethesepostersintheworkplacemay subject the employer to possiblecitation and penalty. For example,under the Family and Medical LeaveAct,anemployerthatwillfullyviolatesthe posting requirement may beassessedacivilmoneypenaltyby theWageandHourDivisionnottoexceed$110foreachseparateoffense.CONCLUSION The notices employers need togive their employees are periodicallyrevised by the government agenciesandsignificantlychangedbynewlawsandregulations.Checkingyourposters
with the posters described will help toensureyouareincompliancewithstateand federal laws and help to defeatthat potential discrimination claim orstatutoryworkplacelawviolation.Editor’s Note: This article is not intended to provide legal advice to our readers. Rather, this article is intended to alert our readers to new and developing issues and to provide some common sense answers to complex legal questions. Readers are urged to consult their own legal counsel or the author of this article if the reader wishes to obtain a specific legal opinion regarding how these legal standards may apply to their particular circumstances. The author of this article, Jack L. Shultz, can be contacted at 402/434-3000, or at Harding & Shultz, P.C., L.L.O., P.O. Box 82028, Lincoln, NE 68501-2028, or [email protected] or [email protected].
4 Newsletter of the Lincoln Human Resource Management Association
ShrM StUDent chAPter hAPPeningS
SHRMStudentChapterUpdates The NWU chapter of SHRM held anorganizational meeting on Tuesday, August25th.Theofficersforthe2009-2010academicyear were selected. The President positionwill be held by Mishayla Richardson,KatelynDelaneywillbetheVicePresidentofProgramming,andHollieThomaswilloccupythe Secretary/Treasurer position. Also, plans for membership recruitment andthesemesterwerediscussed.Specifically,“3GoodReisenstoJoinNWUSHRM”wasselectedastheInvolvementFaircampaign.BagswereassembledwiththreeReisensandinformation.OurfirstmeetingofthesemesterwasheldSeptember1stat7PM.WehadfourspeakersexplainHR,SHRM,andLHRMA.Thesemesterisofftoagreatstart!
heLP AchieVe the SUPerior Merit
AwArDYoucanhelpachievetheLHRMAChap-ter Superior Merit Award by notifyingTara Jennings, Workforce ReadinessChair, with any dates that you provideservice to local schools or adults in re-gards to: career days, mock interviews,speakingon theHRprofession,provideinternships to stu-dents to gain HRknowledge, etc..The following in-formation would beneeded: name, dateof event, location/school name, hoursspent or durationof program. Email your information [email protected].
boArD Meeting recAP
•Have a separate Board meeting on9/8toreviewPolicyandProcedures
•Taxes have been completed by thenewCPAfirm
•Student chapters are active gettingnewmembers
•Staying ahead of cost per meetingexpenses – workshops are helping tooffsetthecost
•27 participating in the Fall StudyGroupforPHR/SPHR/GPHR
Membership Renewal Statements
Watch themail formembershiprenewalinformationinOctober.Thecost will remain the same $50.00per member, payments are due byDecember31.
2009
2009 AFFIRMATIVE ACTION TECHNICAL
SESSION
Tuesday, October 27, 2009First National Tower1620 Dodge StreetOmaha, Nebraska
As Human Resources people wefrequently get asked by our supervisorsforhelpwithanangryemployeeandhowtodealwithit.Herearesomefactsaboutangerandsomesuggestionstohelp.Whatisanger? Angerisastrongfeelingofdispleasureorhostility.Althoughangerisabasichumanemotion,feelingangrycanbeaproblemformanypeople.Thisisbecausemanypeoplebelieve: -nicepeopleshouldn’tbeangry -becomingangrymeanslosingcontrol -ifothersareangryatus,wemusthavehurt them in somewayandare thereforeresponsible Some people have trouble controllingtheirbehaviorwhentheyareangryandmaydo things that are hurtful or destructive.Others feel so guilty about their angerthattheykeep it inside,andmayevenbeunaware of feeling angry. Pain, fatigue,poor sleep, emotional stress, and alcoholordruguse,canloweraperson’sthresholdforangry feelingsandbehavior. Whethera person yells and hits, or fumes silently,long-term anger is linked to both healthproblemsandunhealthyrelationships.What physical changes occur whensomeonegetsangry? During an angry episode, the bloodpressure and heart rate rise. After the“fightorflight”hormonesreleasedbyangerareactivated,somepeopledonotreturntonormal right away, but stay in a state ofalerthostilityforawhile.What kinds of difficulties do peoplewithangerproblemsface? Peoplewhoexpresstoomuchangeroften
end up feeling alone and distantfrom others because their sullen,hostile, or sarcastic behavior canmakepeopleturnawayfromthem.Aviciouscircleisthensetup:Theyfeelangrybecauseofthewayothersarereactingtotheiranger.Peoplewhofeelitiswrongtoeverbeangryoftencanbeoutoftouchwithotherfeelingsandmaybeunableto feeljoy or love. They may fear theywould not be loved if others knewhowmuchangerwas inside them,sotheycontinuetoconcealit.Then,becauseangercanalmostneverbecompletelyhidden,theymayactitoutbydoingthingslikebeinglateornotkeepingpromises.How can I tell if someone hasproblemswithanger?-Do they easily lose patience withpeople?-Do they feel that life is unfair tothem?-Do they say threatening or nastythings?-Do they get mad enough to hit,throw, kick things, or raise theirvoice?-Whentheyreallylosetheirtemper,are they capable of slapping orhittingsomeone?HowcanIhelpsomeonewhoisangry? Talking with a sympatheticfriend, spouse, doctor, or therapistaboutlifestressescanhelptodefuseanger. So can learning relaxationtechniques. Self-statements can
alsobehelpful. These statements canreplace old ways of thinking. Somehelpfulself-statementsare: -Iamdisappointed,butIcanhandlethiswithoutblowingup. -Thiswillpass,andIcantakeafewdeepbreathswhileitdoes. -I can relax my body, and not beupset. -I amgettingbetterathandlingmyangerasIgetmorepractice. -Idon’tneedtoprovemyselfhere. -Maybe this person is having a badday. -Idonothavetoletthisbotherme. -Time-outscanalsobeuseful.Time-outsworkbestwhentheangryperson: Designates a specific amount oftime(15minutesto1hour)tocooloff. Leavesthesituation(forinstance,walkintoanotherroom). Calmsthemselvesmentallywithdeepbreathingandself-statements. Does some non-aggressivephysical exercise such as walking,jogging,orbicycling.Howdoesangermanagementhelp? Helping the employee to learn anduse anger management tools canbe highly beneficial in a number ofways. Situations thathadbeenoutofcontrolcannowbehandledconfidently.Assertivenesscanreplaceaggressivenessor passive silence when dealing withothers. BesureandconsultwithyourEAPprofessionalforhelpwithissuesofangerintheworkplace.DirectionsEAPisonlyaphonecallawayat(402)434-2900.
6 Newsletter of the Lincoln Human Resource Management Association
Check and verify your nameand address on this month’sLHResource for accuracy.Please contact Kathy Harperour LHRMA AdministrativeAssistant,foranyofyourpersonaljobandaddresschanges.Pleaseeither email your changes [email protected].
HR Employee of the Year This year’s HR Professional of the Year is Scott Messersmith,PHR,DirectorofHumanResourcesatColumbusCommunityHospitalinColumbus,Nebraska.Scott’sworkoverthepastyearhasallowedhimtoadvancetheprofessionathiscurrentemployerandalsoinhisregion. Over the course of the last year he has laid the foundation ofemployee success by bringing structure, consistency and directionvia new and improved HR policies, updated compensation andbenefitsplans, tailoredtraininganddevelopmentprograms, increasedrecruitment and customer service efforts, and through his guidancewith management and staff alike. He has a strong belief in processimprovementandisalwaysencouragingchangestoachievethosegoals.Hedutifullybalancesthewantsandneedsofthe500+employeesattheHospitalwiththegoalsanddirectivesestablishedbyhisseniormanagementteam. ScottisanactivememberofSHRM,havingservedinvariouscommitteeandofficerrolesatthelocalandstatelevels.HeiscurrentlythePresidentoftheColumbusAreaHumanResourceAssociation(HAHRA)andhasbeeninstrumentalinthechapter’sSHRMaffiliationefforts.HeisamemberoftheNebraskaStateCouncilandhasservedinnumerousBoardandVolunteerrolesofhischurch,theChamber,theRedCross,Optimists,Jaycees,andothers. ScottisthedirectsupervisorofsixindividualsintheHR/EducationdepartmentatColumbusCommunityHospitalwhoappreciatethecontinuoustrustheplacesinthem,aswellastheprofessionalandpersonalsupportheprovidesonaregularbasis.HeisaconstantHRknowledgeseekerandeducatorwhoencouragesemployeedevelopmentatalllevels.Scottisalsoafirmbeliever inhiscompetentandcomplimentaryHR/EducationteamatColumbusCommunityHospitalandwantstoacknowledgeandthankthemfortheeffortstheyhavemadetomakethisawardpossible.
In photo: Columbus Community Hospital HR Staff Back row (L-R) Kathy Kruse, Jennifer Uhlig, Michelle Meyer,
Reye Snitily Front row (L-R) Joan Jahn, Scott Messersmith, Peggy Wojcik
8 Newsletter of the Lincoln Human Resource Management Association
Coach’s CornerListening - The Skill to Buildby Jane Weddle, M.A. • Weddle Performance Group
“Listening ranks among the most important and challenging of all human activities.”
~Dr.KenBlanchard,Best-sellingauthor(The One Minute Manager)
Studiesrevealthatwespendover90%ofourworkinglifeinoneofthefourmodesofcommunication:reading,writing,talkingand listening. Of these four modes over50%ofourtimeisspentlistening.Yet,itisestimated that the average leader ignores,forgets, or misunderstands at least 75% ofwhat he or she hears. Amazingly, on theaverage, people are only 25% effective aslisteners. Listeningisourprimarycommunicationactivity; however can you recall a timeeither in grade school, high school or evencollege taking a course just on Listening?Numerous studies identify listeningas themost critical leadership success skill, andemployersconsistentlyrateitasoneofthetopfiveskillstheyexpectofemployees.There are 3 levels of listening: Level1: Listeningwithout judgmentwith understanding to the intent andfeelings, paying attention to the speaker’stotal communication, processing what isbeingsaid.Showingbothverballyandnon-verballyyouarelistening.Oftenreferredtoasempatheticlistening. Level2:Hearingwords,butnotreallyhearing the speaker’s intent, appearing tolisten intently when in fact only slightlyconcentrating.Moreconcernedwithcontentofthespeakervs.incorporatingthefeelingsofthespeaker. Level 3: Listening in spurts, morehearing going on than listening; being
passive, judgmental. Tuning inandout,beingsomewhatawareofothers,butmainlypayingattentiontooneself. Coaching Challenge: Think for a moment about your day. How often did you listen at level 1? When? With Whom? Is there a level you seem to spending to much of your listening at? Growth begins with awareness—become aware of what level of listening you are doing in your interactions with others. Your highest % of time should be spent at Level 1. Factoid: Effective listeningcanhelpthespeakerreducetheiremotional level so theycan thinkthroughaproblem.Tips To Build Your ListeningSkills: 1. Our perceptions abouta person, situation, or a subjectcaninfluenceourreceptionofthemessage and how much we payattention. Become self aware ofthose perceptions that may blockyou from listening and challengeyourself to practice listening atLevel1. 2.Resistexternaldistractions.They can range from loudnoises,room temperature, views ofoutside activity or scenery, clockwatching, interruptions, timepressures,thepersontalkingmaybetoloud,softorhavethingstheyaredoingthatcreateadistraction.Whentheseoccur—concentrateonconcentrating. 3.Holdyourrebuttal;watch
for hot buttons. What words throwyou? Begin to recognize certainwordsorphrasesthatimpactyoutothepointwhere you stop listening and startformingyourrebuttal.Jotdownmajorrebuttal points as questions; do thisbrieflyandthenreturntolisteningwithanopenmind. 4. Beawareofwhatisbeingsaidnon-verbally.7%ofaperson’smessageisreallyinthewords,38%isinthetoneofvoiceand55%isinfacialexpressions,posture,gestures,andeyecontact.Askyourself: What isbeingcommunicatedthatisn’tbeingverbalized? 5. Use clarifying questions orsummarize the message in your ownwords. Assuming that words containthe same meaning and visual imagesforthetalkerastheydoforthelistenercanhaveanimpactoncommunication.Some listening check phrases: “As Iunderstandit,you….”.“Itsoundslike..”,“I am curious does that mean..”, “MyassumptionbasedonwhatIheardis….isthatcorrect?” 6. Allow for silence. Get in thehabit of waiting a minimum of 3 to 4secondsbeforeresponding. Thispausewill make the person feel heard andcomfortable to talk more. The silencecreatestheopportunityforthepersontoshareadditionalinformationandforustomakesuretheyhavecompletedtheirthought.Jane Weddle is the Sr. Performance Consultant and Certified B-Coach for Weddle Performance Group. To find out more about the services and products ranging from hiring to development that WPG offers or for more information on other organizational needs, go to www.partnerinperformance.com or call 402-429-5224.
By Mark Butler • Consultant and Manager of Diversity • Marathon Petroleum Company
Weallprobablyrememberatimeinourliveswhenwefeltlikewejustdidnotfitin.Perhapsitwasasituationwhereyoudidnotfeelrespectedorvaluedbyothers,ormaybeyoujustfeltlikeyouwere“hangingoutthereonthefringes”andnotsurewhy.Ofcourse,thenyouwondered,wastheproblemsomethingaboutme?Orwasitsomethingabouttheothergroup?Theenvironment?Both? Thesamedynamiccanexistintheworkplace.Atsomepointinyourcareer,youmayhaveworkedinadepartmentorworkgroupwhereitseemedlikethatparticular department was not as valued as highly as others. The feeling ofbeingundervaluedcantakemanyforms.Maybeitwashowyourdepartmentwasreferredto,orattentiontheydidnotseemtoreceive,lesserbudgets,orseeminglydifferentrulesandregulations.Ormaybeyoujustcouldnotputyourfingeronit;butnevertheless, somethingwasdifferentandyour co-workers could feel it too.Possibly,notfeelingvaluedevenimpactedhowpeoplefeltaboutthemselves,takingprideintheirwork,ortheirabilitytocontribute. Aninsider-outsiderdynamiccanoccur ineverydiversityrelationship. Andin some cases, depending on the company, the industry, geographic location,or other factors, the dynamic may be particularly profound and impactful. Forexample,generallyspeaking,inU.S.societyaswellasinU.S.companies,menhavetraditionallybeentheinsidersandwomentheoutsiders. Otherinsider-outsiderexamplesmayincludeable-bodiedpeopleandpersonswithdisabilities,whiteandnon-white,corporateandfield,engineerandnon-engineer,linestaffandsupportstaff,straightandgay,managementandunion,companyemployeeandcontractor.Thelistcangoon. As companies continue togainmorediversityawarenessandmove towardcreating an “inclusive culture” where everyone can contribute to their fullestpotential, they are exploring their own potential insider-outsider relationships.Thegoalistoidentifyandremoveanybarrierssothereareonlyinsidersandnooutsiders. Companiesanddepartmentswithin companies that can successfullyachievethiswilldistinguishthemselvesfromtheircompetitioninmanyways,frombeinganemployerof choice, improving their image, increasingrecruitmentandretentionrates,andperformingatahigheroveralllevel. So,howexactlydowegoaboutsuccessfullyidentifyingandremovingbarriersfor outsiders? First, it is important to understand a few characteristics of bothinsidersandoutsiders.Insidersarethegroupwithpower,control,andinformation.Theirmostsignificantcharacteristic,especiallywhenaninsiderischargedwithidentifyingandremovingoutsiderbarriers,isthatinsiders are often unaware they are insiders. Many times, insidersmayalsounintentionally operate offstereotypesthattendtopushthemupandkeeptheoutsidergroupsdown.Ifyouare an insider, it is especially important to keep an open mind and stay awareof thedynamicsaroundyou.Assessingwhotheoutsidersare inyourparticular
department or organization andlistening to outsider’s experiences isessentialtobreakingdownwalls. Outsiders,on theotherhand,arehaving a different experience. Theytend to have less power, control, andinformation,andaresometimesseenasscapegoats.Theyareveryawareoftheirdifferences, and, unlike the insiders,they know they are the outsidersbecausetheyliveiteveryday.Ifyoufeellikeanoutsider,taketheopportunitytocommunicate with your managementand begin to open a dialogue aboutwhatmightbehinderingyourabilitytocontribute. Attheendoftheday,bothinsidersand outsiders have a responsibilityto create an inclusive culture and tohelp eliminate the insider-outsiderdynamic. This is why employees areasked to attend various diversity andinclusion workshops and why moreand more managers and leaders areconducting “inclusion assessments” intheir departments. These managersand companies believe that if we cancreate an inclusive culture together,whereall employees can contribute totheir full potential, then the companywill outperform its competition.That is nothing less than a win-winpropositionforboththeemployeesandtheorganization.
Lincoln Human ResourceManagement AssociationP.O. Box 81066Lincoln, NE 68501
