In many of the situations he experiences, Schickman says, the employer only did one thing wrong—it hired the wrong person. All the policies were in place and were followed, all the appropriate training was done, but more care was needed in the hiring process. (Schickman was the keynoter at the Advanced Employment Issues Symposium, held recently in Las Vegas.)
Rely on your observations and listen to that little voice, says Schickman. Don’t trust some “magic bullet” software to make hiring decisions.
Schickman reminds HR managers about Mel Kleiman’s “eagles and turkeys” analogy: You want to hire eagles, but, unfortunately, turkeys can act like eagles during the interview.
Time for a Redesign?
Early in the year is a good time to take a look at whether your workplace needs a redesign, says Schickman. For example:
- Are your job descriptions geared to current needs and talents?
- Do jobs respond to current needs?
- Do you provide the right technical tools to do the job?
Sales Incentives a Challenge? Attend Sales Compensation Bootcamp: Attract and Reward Top Talent with Competitive Compensation Plans. Join us for this interactive webcast on January 28, 2014. Learn More
What About Retention?
Retention becomes a major problem when average tenure is 1.5 years, says Schickman. What can you do?
- Provide good supervision and coworkers.
- Ensure that there is opportunity for growth.
- Develop a recognition program.
- Treat employees with respect.
Ask yourself, why should an employee stay? According to Forbes, Schickman says, employees want:
- Stability
- A future
- Compensation and health benefits
- Motivation
- Feeling that they are part of the mission
- Respect
- Gratification
- Work/Life balance
- Flexibility
As for benefits, employees want:
- Ability to use vacation
- Guilt-free sick leave
- Telecommuting on occasion
- Training and development
- Flexible schedules
What Are the Keys to Success?
Schickman says:
- Don’t make hiring mistakes.
- Revamp needed skill sets.
- Maintain solid legal compliance. (Don’t try to be tricky, like calling your employees independent contractors, says Schickman.)
- Give your employees what they want.
- Adapt to multigenerational differences.
- Make benefits packages appealing.
- Engage in leadership development.
- Provide motivation, empathy, and leadership.
- Get needed skills, keep needed experience.
Finally, in 2014, flexibility and life/work balance will rule, says Schickman.
Making sense out of compensation will stay challenging throughout 2014, no doubt, and sales compensation may just be the most challenging.
You need a comprehensive sales compensation plan that aligns with your organization’s mission and key business objectives. Not that easy, but here’s good news—check out BLR’s intensive Sales Compensation Bootcamp: Attract and Reward Top Talent with Competitive Compensation Plans.
In this interactive extended webinar, on January 28, you’ll learn how to determine the method of compensation that works best for your organization, how to clearly define and communicate sales goals and targets, and so much more. It’s a must-attend event for HR professionals and employers who are serious about cultivating their sales team’s potential.
Register today for this interactive webinar.
Learn how to create a really productive sales compensation program. Join us for an interactive webcast Sales Compensation Bootcamp: Attract and Reward Top Talent with Competitive Compensation Plans . Earn 5 hours in HRCI Recertification Credit. Register Now
In just one day, you’ll learn:
- Three interview questions you should ask every potential sales employee
- How past behavior and performance generally predict sales peoples’ success
- The factors to consider before deciding how to structure your pay formula
- Key metrics for defining and assigning sales goals
- Common mistakes to avoid when drafting commission agreements
- How to tell what’s most important to the organization—from margins and profits to market share
- Tips for communicating, coaching, and providing continual feedback to consistently harness your sales team’s potential
- And much, much more!
Register now for this event risk-free or Find our more
Live extended webinar coming
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
11:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. (Eastern)
10:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. (Central)
9:00 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. (Mountain)
8:00 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. (Pacific)
Approved for Recertification Credit
This program has been approved for up to 5 recertification credit hours toward recertification through the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI).
Join us on January 28—you’ll get the in-depth Sales Compensation Bootcamp: Attract and Reward Top Talent with Competitive Compensation Plans webcast AND you’ll get all of your particular questions answered by our experts.
Train Your Entire Staff
As with all BLR/HRhero webcasts:
- Train all the staff you can fit around a conference phone.
- You can get your (and their) specific phoned-in or emailed questions answered in Q&A sessions that follow each segment of the presentation.
While hiring the wrong person is certainly a major problem, so is not remedying the situation when you realize you’ve made that mistake.