Articles by: Radhika Aswani

Non-Monetary Ideas for Employee Recognition

With the end of the year approaching, it is no surprise that employees in the Health and Human Services industry have a lot on their plate. Additional monetary bonuses and benefits may not be on the table to keep motivation at an all-time-high, so what exactly can your organization do to keep the company culture intact and employees engaged?

In our recent Executive Priority Insights Report nearly half of respondents identified “unable to offer competitive pay” and “unable to offer competitive benefits” as challenges their own organization faces when retaining employees. Fortunately, monetary incentives are not the only way to keep your employees motivated.

Here are a few simple non-monetary ideas to show employee recognition within your work place:

Employee of the Month
It does not matter whether your nonprofit has 100 people or 1000. Employee of the Month is always a classic approach to employee recognition. This may feel a bit cheesy, but who doesn’t like to be recognized for their hard work every once in a while? For larger organizations, it may be more beneficial to split employee of the month by departments. That way you will be able to keep all the departments of your organization engaged and excited.

Growth
Company growth is one of the many reasons employees decide to stay or leave. This promotes employee recognition by showing fellow coworkers that you can move up within the work place. It gives a sense of assurance within the nonprofit, that makes your employees feel secure at your organization. By providing upward mobility within your organization, you’re allowing promotions to stay within the company, which will overall require less training that a new hire would take. It’s definitely a win-win.

Team bonding (It’s all about the Culture)
Organizations tend to succeed if they work as a team. By hosting mixers and happy hours for your employees, you are encouraging them to get to know each other outside of the work place. This allows employees to look forward for Monday morning. Team bonding instills employee recognition by showing employees that they work with like-minded individuals that support the nonprofits mission.

Engagement
Challenge your employees. Instead of allowing workers to be in a repetitive routine, try to switch things up in the work place. This allows your employees to not feel like they’re reliving the same day over and over again.  By creating weekly department meetings, you can allow workers to feel important with what they are doing for the company. These meetings would highlight where employees are at in their task list, and what they plan to accomplish going forward. There are many hats to wear when working for a nonprofit, so it is important to make sure all your employees are on the same page and feel valued.

There are several Human Capital Management software’s that provide the tools to check up on your employee’s hours and progress within the company. This software allows you to track the time and attendance from your employees, which will help you track their engagement overall.

The Health and Human Services industry use different tactics to implement employee recognition, what’s yours?

This DATIS Blog was written by Radhika Aswani, DATIS, on October 3rd, 2017 and may not be re-posted without permission.

The Executive Guide to Leading Through Uncertainty

The feeling of uncertainty is more common in the modern business world than some may think. With constantly changing rules and regulations interrupting the way organizations go about their daily processes, employees look to their leaders on how to react and move forward. With that said, C-Suite level executives must be confident when leading through uncertainty.

Uncertainty is also prevalent when reaching and meeting preset goals and objectives.  According to SHRM, when developing a game plan, many companies lack preparation. It’s the steps taken during preparation that can help your company achieve the goals set for the organization. Leaders must be able to motivate their team to rally being organizational milestones and  make sure that their departments are all on the same page to reach their company’s goal and maintain productivity in times of uncertainty. Here are three things executives can keep in mind when leading through uncertainty.

Set goals and objectives for employees.
It’s important for an organization’s departments to be congruent with their end goal. Talent Management software allows leaders within an organization to track and monitor their employees’ goals and performance. This software can show executives whether there is a gap in communication between departments and if goals aren’t being met. Tools like this can help leaders assess their organization’s progress towards goals, and track individual employee performance throughout their departments.

Prioritize what’s most important.
Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of their organization is key for executives when planning ahead and navigating uncertainty. Leaders can use Workforce Analytics to check key reports and gain valuable insight into their workforce, supporting strategic decision making. Leading through uncertainty can be easier if executives understand the  strengths and weaknesses of their organization. By taking a step back and prioritizing what’s most important, they can reduce the risk of uncertainty that they’re currently facing.

Stay calm.
Uncertainty is nerve-racking, and takes a mental calmness to overcome. When stressed and overwhelmed with thoughts of what the future might hold, take a deep breath, go for a run, or eat some food to relax and refocus. A level head will help leaders avoid rushing into decisions that could negatively impact their organization. Remaining calm will also help ease the mind of employees and staff members that may be worried about what the future holds.

Leading through uncertainty is something that all leaders should be prepared for. How they handle the situation not only defines them as a leader, but is crucial to the direction of their organization. By setting goals and objectives, prioritizing what is most important, and staying calm, leaders will be able to navigate their way back to normality.

This DATIS Blog was written by Radhika Aswani, DATIS, on October 26th , 2017 and may not be re-posted without permission.

Top 4 Hiring Mistakes to Avoid

Many people believe that employees are the backbone of an organization. If executives have the right employees, their workforce can strive, grow, and be successful. Considering the importance of productive employees, it’s important to make sure that HR hire the right ones.

It’s extremely crucial to make sure job listings are reaching the right candidates, and that research is done before making a hire. According to Forbes hiring an employeeout of desperation is not always the smartest option, and can end up hurting an organizations in the long run. Here are the top 4 hiring mistakes to avoid no matter what.

Hiring an employee thinking they fit your company culture.
Nonprofit’s tend to find passionate individuals who can easily align with the organization’s culture. Although the individual might be a great fit personality wise, it’s important to question whether they can get the job done. At the end of the day, we all have a job that needs to get accomplished and even though somebody might have a great personality, they might not necessarily have the ambition to get tasks, assignments, or projects completed on time.

Not providing enough information for the role needed.
Finding the right candidate is one thing, but explaining the role in its entirety and preparing the candidate for their position is another. The more direct and detailed an organization is with their job descriptions, the better understanding the applicant has when deciding if they fit the position. Nonprofits can use recruiting management software to make sure their job descriptions are congruent across all external job boards. Recruiters will also have the ability to track applicants throughout the entire hiring process. These digital tools make it easier to find the most qualified applicants for any open position.

Review potential employee’s qualifications.
One of the easiest hiring mistakes to avoid is reviewing and confirming an applicant’s qualifications. While this process might be time-consuming, it’s a step that should not be skipped. One way this process can be done is by reaching out to their references and making sure their employment information is accurate. It is better to be safe than sorry before hiring a new employee. Background checks are also significant. You will be able to tell if an applicant has been honest and open throughout their interview process.

It’s okay to let employees go.
Sometimes the best thing for an organization is to let go of employees who cost more than they produce. Talent management software can help HR keep track of how your employees are performing within the organization. If a new hire is lacking the necessities of the job after adequate training, it may be best to let them go. Although firing an employee may be hard, it might be the best for the organizations long term sustainability.

Hiring mistakes are avoidable. Plan ahead of time to know what you expect to receive from a potential employee to determine whether or not they are qualified. It is great to have a balance of fitting the company culture and accomplishing tasks. If it all goes downhill, it is okay to let a new hire go. By taking the necessary steps, it is easy to reduce the likeliness of hiring an unqualified applicant.

Have more suggestions on how to avoid hiring mistakes? Tweet us @DATISe3 today!

This DATIS Blog was written by Radhika Aswani, DATIS, on December 7th, 2017 and may not be re-posted without permission.