The first day at a new job can be an intimidating and uneasy experience, even for the most extroverted among us. New setting, new management, new environment! There is plenty to be anxious about and it's totally justified. However, I think there are some simple tricks that will make the first day jitters slightly less overwhelming.
1. Plan Out Your Route
Take the time before the first day of work to plan out your route to work. The last thing you want to do on the first day is stress out about being late or getting lost. Be sure you know EXACTLY where you are going. If possible, do a test drive the day before. Just do not forgot to account for traffic.
It'll be a good idea to...
2. Leave Earlier than Normal on the First Day
Even if the GPS says it takes 10 minutes to get work, try leaving a little bit earlier on the first day. It's better to arrive with time to kill than to get lost, not be able to find parking or get caught behind an overturned truck on the first day. Arriving early and with time to spare is a good way to walk in with a bit more ease on day one.
Just make sure that you...
3. Get a Good Night's Sleep Beforehand
Sleeping is not an easy task for me especially when I am anxious. Do your best! Try to get at least eight full hours of restful sleep. Turn off your electronics and find something that soothes you so you can relax.
But before you go to bed, be sure to...
4. Prepare for the Morning the Night Before
Pick out your outfit. Make sure it's ironed and neat. Prepare breakfast; make sure it's something you can easily heat up and then consume in the morning. Make sure all your morning coffee and other necessities are easily accessible--the last thing you want to do before entering a brand new environment is to be lost in chaos in your own environment.
And I did mention breakfast, so...
5. Make Sure You are Well Nourished
Eating when I am anxious is difficult--but it's worth it. Even if you have to eat small or settle for a breakfast shake, make sure you're not going in on an empty stomach. Hunger increases anxiety and you are less likely to be able to focus, which you'll need to do plenty of on your first day, if you're hungry.
And it's good idea to...
6. Dress to Impress
Even if on the interview they've told you that it is a casual working environment, consider dressing up as you would on an interview (or maybe a tier below) on the first day. As silly as it sounds, it will help relieve the anxiety of being under-dressed, especially since everyone's definition of casual is quite different. You'll feel slightly more professional and more at ease--and it gives you time to examine just exactly what the dress code is really like, so you can see for yourself. Obviously if you're working somewhere with a uniform and you have that, wear that but make sure it is clean, ironed and ready to go!
It isn't easy being the new kid on the block and if you already suffer from anxiety, the first day can be daunting. While nothing will totally eliminate the first day nerves, hopefully you find yourself slightly more prepared and at ease by following these tips. What are some first day tips you'd like to offer?
Monday, February 18, 2019
Monday, February 4, 2019
Modern Solutions to the Pay Gap
Let me guess. You are cringing at the thought of talking about the gender and race pay gap in the United States. It doesn't exist--we're "post racial", women are just not good negotiators? All of that is denial and none of that will actually effect change. It's well-documented that race and gender are factors in determining pay in the workplace--and that needs to change.
Now, in theory, this change should come in the form of legislation. I believe a comprehensive federal law that implements what I am about to propose, along with other solutions, are the only way to lower the pay gap. While you can't legislate away racism nor sexism, or any other ism, you can definitely make it harder to commit.
1. Pay Transparency
Pay transparency sounds like a simple enough concept. But has your boss or supervisor ever implied "not to talk about salary?" The National Labor Relations Act prohibits policies against allowing employees to discuss salary with one another. Yet, this is deeply embedded in our culture.
It's easier to get away with inequities when the culture norm is not discuss salary. This is an example of how status quo can be maintained in a workplace--and it's wrong.
Pay transparency, however, takes it another step. If you are truly an ethical company that is not discriminating, purposefully or not, you should adopt pay transparency. One company found, as cited in the article, that it boosted employee morale and reduced bias in their pay structure. It also held management accountable to performance metrics and objectivity.
Imagine if you could pull up everyone in your department's salary in real time. Let's say Joann is a Customer Service Representative at a Call Center. She pulls up her department's salary. She's been there 3 years and makes $16. If she notices Paul who has only been there 1 year makes $18, she can then talk to her employer about it. If they're smart, they'll have a good reason handy.
Most companies likely won't adopt pay transparency because of the legal ramifications. With proof in hand, Joann now has more ammunition to file a pay inequity complaint and win. This is why I think local, state and federal legislation should be written to mandate this transparency regardless of company size.
Further. a smart company would take this measure as an opportunity to evaluate their pay structures regularly BEFORE a complaint comes forward.
In this comprehensive article, the author suggests passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act. This would effectively require employers to post the salary offered on the job listing. By advertising a pay range, say between $15-$20 an hour, we give some power into the hands of the job seeker, who are often left frustrated and unadvised of what salary expectations are offered. It would also prohibit asking questions about previous salaries, which is an old-time technique used to low-ball applicants.
2. Pay Matrix for Hiring
Pay matrixes are a tool that I am quite fond of. Take the human out of the decision and you also have a better chance of taking the bias out of the equation--although algorithms can replicate the -isms we all know so well.
A well-designed pay matrix system can also serve a dual purpose. If you use it as an interview measure, it can help track disparities in hiring, at least on objective factors. In other words, you will have a paper trail (or digi-trail?) of your rationale--which can help (or hurt) in an EEO biased hiring claim.
In short, a pay matrix is determining your pay based on a set of pre-set values which are immutable. They would need to be written to each specific position within a company and followed to the tee to be effective. It would also eliminate negotiation and counter-offering out of the equation. This way all parties know exactly what they're getting.
Say your job offering posts an offer of $15-$20 hour for a Scheduling Coordinator position in a health care agency. You would then need to create a matrix in three categories. Minimum, exceeds, maximum.
In this scenario, let's say a minimum graded item was worth $15 and a maximum graded item was worth $20. The average between the two would be the exceeds at $17.50.
Minimum would be the minimum requirement for the job. Say you require a Bachelor's degree for this position. In this scenario, the Bachelor's Degree is valued at $15, a Master's at $17.50 and a Doctorate at $20.
Because it's a matrix, you are not going to evaluate it on one single requirement. You could have licensing requirements, education, years of industry experience, years of working experience as factors. The pay you would offer would then be based upon the average of all things considered. Here's a visual example:
In the above example, the applicant's skillsets are highlighted in yellow. We see the two applicants are offered a different rate based on the differences in the skillsets they have to offer. Alicia and Maxine have the same education level and the same number of years in the health care field on the matrix but Maxine actually knows two languages, instead of one, and therefore, she is eligible for $18.33 an hour versus Alicia's $17.50. Obviously, in real life, a pay matrix would probably have more than three factors but this is to give you a general idea.
Aside from that, if these items are documented, the EEOC has ammunition if a pattern of discrimination as existing. While subjective matters can't really be aggregated the same way, it would be pretty suspicious if Maverick Maxine Shaw was not hired for this position over Alicia, because Maxine exceeds the hiring expectations. If it happens a few times, an employer might be able to get away with "subjective matters". If it keeps happening though, we have a paper trail of discrimination in the hiring process--which is mostly absent in the current processes.
And employers needn't worry about applicants lying about their experience. Companies like HireRight can go back and do job verification as well as educational degrees. They can even sort out diploma mills from accredited colleges and universities!
3. Objective Performance Evaluations
Performance evaluations can also be used as another tool to reduce racial and/or gender discrimination in the workplace. Usually when a job evaluation is based on solely or mostly subjective matters (like "professionalism") it can really reflect hardcore in the biases of a manager.
An objectives-only evaluation is the best idea to maintaining a solid, bias-free, indisputable evaluation. Aside from this, most employees don't like the performance review structures, they are prone to discrimination on identity factors and personal favoritism. They rarely feel properly represented in the work they materially do.
Now, I will say, it may not always be possible to do objective-only interviews but it can be possible in many organizations.
Attendance and punctuality are obvious. How many unexcused absences (non-pre-approved PTO absences) and how many times tardy? It's a raw number. It can be backed with facts (like a time card) and is not prone to personal biases (in most cases...).
Think about a cashier. Their performance factors could include Till Count Accuracy, Checkout Speed and Credit Card Sign Ups. Similarly to the pay matrix above, the objective can be ranked in categories. So, let's say you evaluate a cashier every six months and offer a pay tied to performance factor. For each criteria, you have a set metric that fits in each category on a ranked basis.
Here's a visual example of a couple of cashiers:
As you can see, both Cashiers are evaluated on the exact same metrics--each of which is verified by a hard number. While Archie is faster in his items per minute, he doesn't compete very well in the other categories.
Metrics like attendance and punctuality can still be harmful, however, to parents, especially mothers, who are more likely to miss work due to sick children--and also poor workers who rely on transit in unreliable cities. So it would be imperative to use it as an objective only if it's absolutely necessary--like in a customer-facing role--and to make sure you differ from excused absenteeism versus unexcused absenteeism.
4. Paid Family Leave
About one-fifth of the 20 million FMLA absences annually are due to care of a new child. As a country, the United States falls behind many other nations in our paid time off policies. Despite efforts to change the norms, women still are more likely to have work-related absences due to childcare than their male counterparts. Because of this, women are forced to take unpaid absences, which will impact their annual salaries, at much higher rates, and this greatly contributes to the pay gap in the workforce. In Italy, new mothers can take paid leave up to eight weeks before childbirth and twelve weeks after, at an 80% rate of their normal weekly salary. (Of course, this will still create some gap but much less) In Kenya, new mothers are granted a full 90 days of pay for maternity. Denmark has an interesting and complex paid leave program that alternates between parents but totals about 52 weeks overall.
Further, it should be clear that absenteeism, such as FMLA approved absences, do not count as a performance metric, especially when it can be validated by a doctor's note. Doing so will not only increase morale and workplace health, it will also reduce the likelihood of discriminatory pay or employment disparities.
What are some ideas you would propose to reduce pay discrimination due to race and/or gender in the workplace? Comment below
Now, in theory, this change should come in the form of legislation. I believe a comprehensive federal law that implements what I am about to propose, along with other solutions, are the only way to lower the pay gap. While you can't legislate away racism nor sexism, or any other ism, you can definitely make it harder to commit.
1. Pay Transparency
Pay transparency sounds like a simple enough concept. But has your boss or supervisor ever implied "not to talk about salary?" The National Labor Relations Act prohibits policies against allowing employees to discuss salary with one another. Yet, this is deeply embedded in our culture.
It's easier to get away with inequities when the culture norm is not discuss salary. This is an example of how status quo can be maintained in a workplace--and it's wrong.
Pay transparency, however, takes it another step. If you are truly an ethical company that is not discriminating, purposefully or not, you should adopt pay transparency. One company found, as cited in the article, that it boosted employee morale and reduced bias in their pay structure. It also held management accountable to performance metrics and objectivity.
Imagine if you could pull up everyone in your department's salary in real time. Let's say Joann is a Customer Service Representative at a Call Center. She pulls up her department's salary. She's been there 3 years and makes $16. If she notices Paul who has only been there 1 year makes $18, she can then talk to her employer about it. If they're smart, they'll have a good reason handy.
Most companies likely won't adopt pay transparency because of the legal ramifications. With proof in hand, Joann now has more ammunition to file a pay inequity complaint and win. This is why I think local, state and federal legislation should be written to mandate this transparency regardless of company size.
Further. a smart company would take this measure as an opportunity to evaluate their pay structures regularly BEFORE a complaint comes forward.
In this comprehensive article, the author suggests passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act. This would effectively require employers to post the salary offered on the job listing. By advertising a pay range, say between $15-$20 an hour, we give some power into the hands of the job seeker, who are often left frustrated and unadvised of what salary expectations are offered. It would also prohibit asking questions about previous salaries, which is an old-time technique used to low-ball applicants.
2. Pay Matrix for Hiring
Pay matrixes are a tool that I am quite fond of. Take the human out of the decision and you also have a better chance of taking the bias out of the equation--although algorithms can replicate the -isms we all know so well.
A well-designed pay matrix system can also serve a dual purpose. If you use it as an interview measure, it can help track disparities in hiring, at least on objective factors. In other words, you will have a paper trail (or digi-trail?) of your rationale--which can help (or hurt) in an EEO biased hiring claim.
In short, a pay matrix is determining your pay based on a set of pre-set values which are immutable. They would need to be written to each specific position within a company and followed to the tee to be effective. It would also eliminate negotiation and counter-offering out of the equation. This way all parties know exactly what they're getting.
Say your job offering posts an offer of $15-$20 hour for a Scheduling Coordinator position in a health care agency. You would then need to create a matrix in three categories. Minimum, exceeds, maximum.
In this scenario, let's say a minimum graded item was worth $15 and a maximum graded item was worth $20. The average between the two would be the exceeds at $17.50.
Minimum would be the minimum requirement for the job. Say you require a Bachelor's degree for this position. In this scenario, the Bachelor's Degree is valued at $15, a Master's at $17.50 and a Doctorate at $20.
Because it's a matrix, you are not going to evaluate it on one single requirement. You could have licensing requirements, education, years of industry experience, years of working experience as factors. The pay you would offer would then be based upon the average of all things considered. Here's a visual example:
In the above example, the applicant's skillsets are highlighted in yellow. We see the two applicants are offered a different rate based on the differences in the skillsets they have to offer. Alicia and Maxine have the same education level and the same number of years in the health care field on the matrix but Maxine actually knows two languages, instead of one, and therefore, she is eligible for $18.33 an hour versus Alicia's $17.50. Obviously, in real life, a pay matrix would probably have more than three factors but this is to give you a general idea.
Aside from that, if these items are documented, the EEOC has ammunition if a pattern of discrimination as existing. While subjective matters can't really be aggregated the same way, it would be pretty suspicious if Maverick Maxine Shaw was not hired for this position over Alicia, because Maxine exceeds the hiring expectations. If it happens a few times, an employer might be able to get away with "subjective matters". If it keeps happening though, we have a paper trail of discrimination in the hiring process--which is mostly absent in the current processes.
And employers needn't worry about applicants lying about their experience. Companies like HireRight can go back and do job verification as well as educational degrees. They can even sort out diploma mills from accredited colleges and universities!
3. Objective Performance Evaluations
Performance evaluations can also be used as another tool to reduce racial and/or gender discrimination in the workplace. Usually when a job evaluation is based on solely or mostly subjective matters (like "professionalism") it can really reflect hardcore in the biases of a manager.
An objectives-only evaluation is the best idea to maintaining a solid, bias-free, indisputable evaluation. Aside from this, most employees don't like the performance review structures, they are prone to discrimination on identity factors and personal favoritism. They rarely feel properly represented in the work they materially do.
Now, I will say, it may not always be possible to do objective-only interviews but it can be possible in many organizations.
Attendance and punctuality are obvious. How many unexcused absences (non-pre-approved PTO absences) and how many times tardy? It's a raw number. It can be backed with facts (like a time card) and is not prone to personal biases (in most cases...).
Think about a cashier. Their performance factors could include Till Count Accuracy, Checkout Speed and Credit Card Sign Ups. Similarly to the pay matrix above, the objective can be ranked in categories. So, let's say you evaluate a cashier every six months and offer a pay tied to performance factor. For each criteria, you have a set metric that fits in each category on a ranked basis.
Here's a visual example of a couple of cashiers:
Metrics like attendance and punctuality can still be harmful, however, to parents, especially mothers, who are more likely to miss work due to sick children--and also poor workers who rely on transit in unreliable cities. So it would be imperative to use it as an objective only if it's absolutely necessary--like in a customer-facing role--and to make sure you differ from excused absenteeism versus unexcused absenteeism.
4. Paid Family Leave
About one-fifth of the 20 million FMLA absences annually are due to care of a new child. As a country, the United States falls behind many other nations in our paid time off policies. Despite efforts to change the norms, women still are more likely to have work-related absences due to childcare than their male counterparts. Because of this, women are forced to take unpaid absences, which will impact their annual salaries, at much higher rates, and this greatly contributes to the pay gap in the workforce. In Italy, new mothers can take paid leave up to eight weeks before childbirth and twelve weeks after, at an 80% rate of their normal weekly salary. (Of course, this will still create some gap but much less) In Kenya, new mothers are granted a full 90 days of pay for maternity. Denmark has an interesting and complex paid leave program that alternates between parents but totals about 52 weeks overall.
Further, it should be clear that absenteeism, such as FMLA approved absences, do not count as a performance metric, especially when it can be validated by a doctor's note. Doing so will not only increase morale and workplace health, it will also reduce the likelihood of discriminatory pay or employment disparities.
What are some ideas you would propose to reduce pay discrimination due to race and/or gender in the workplace? Comment below
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