employment Archives - PowerTips Unscripted

Ep.127: Engaging Employees in the New Normal with Rick Bowers

October 22, 2020 00:24:01

Working remotely, working on-site with clients and adhering to CDC restrictions, an upcoming election, social unrest and an economy that is slowly starting to recover.

Everyone is adjusting to the new world of work, and it sounds as though making those adjustments will continue into 2021.

How can you help your team connect and engage with their work?

Our guest today, Rick Bowers, President of TTI Success Insights, shares tips and tools to help business owners and leaders make the changes they need to master the ‘re-boarding’ process.

Rick is the President of TTI Success Insights and keynote speaker at TTI Success Insights International Conference. Rick has over 30 years of experience with talent management tools and has trained people on effective talent management techniques in over 30 countries on six continents.

Victoria, Mark and Rick talk more about:

Background and overview of TTI Success Insights
The concept of “re-boarding”
What the new normal looks like for businesses and organizations
How business owners and leaders can use the tools available through TTI Success Insights

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Ep.61: How I Revamped My Design Process with Chris Fox

April 24, 2019 00:27:03

Systems and processes rarely scale when your business grows. So you have to go back and create new ones that will — at least for now. Your design process is no different.

When hiring a new or additional designer, it may be time to revamp your process in preparation for that new team member.

In this episode, Chris Fox talks to Victoria and Mark about what he found when he dove deep into his company’s design process. He learned so much from his examination that he created a new self-guided training plan for designers that doesn’t require constant oversight and management by supervisors.

Chris is the founder of Fox Home Innovations in Manhattan, KS. Chris started this company during his junior year of college and ran multiple projects and crews while completing his degree in entrepreneurship from Kansas State University. In school, he met Matt Carlson, who later bought into the company. Today, they both run the organization with Chris focusing on sales and design, while Matt is the general manager.

The old design process was often on the fly and not totally repeatable at all times. They had nothing to train to or repeat when it came time to hire another designer. There was no time to train, either, because everyone was so busy. Chris details what they did and how they did it, including:

Evaluating the process you’ve got
Creating a trainable, repeatable process
Building in the details
How to create a training document
The time it takes, and why to take the time
Involving your whole team
The significant changes it made
What the onboarding and training looks like
Creating teachable moments
How to boost competence and confidence
And more …

The process is working well, so Chris plans to use it as a model for onboarding and training new hires for other roles throughout the organization as it grows.

Ep.56: The Secret to Successful Employee Reviews with Allison Iantosca

March 20, 2019 0:37:13

When it comes to performance reviews, the times, they are a-changin’. Though some managers and employees might still like a good old-fashioned numeric ranking, most prefer to take charge of their destinies — working with together to set goals and spur professional development.

Allison Iantosca talks to Victoria and Mark about why we all need performance reviews and using them to create an engaged and developmental relationship with your employees.

Allison is the second-generation owner of 40-year-old F.H. Perry Builder, a Boston-area custom remodeling firm focused on building homes and relationships of lasting value.

What happens on the inside of your organization reflects on what happens outside — with your clients and Trade Partners, says Alison. Taking care of your team’s experiences is a strategic step to making the client experience better. She leads you through the most important parts of a successful review process, including:

How often you should do reviews
Learning to love the process
Having the appreciation conversation first
Meeting people where they are
Making changes make sense to the employee
The power of open-ended questions on an evaluation form
Giving your team time to think about it all
Getting to the big picture
Handling the tough conversations
Tools that can help support your team’s growth
And so much more …

There can be so much anxiety and fear about performance reviews, but there doesn’t need to be. By presenting them as opportunities for growth and positive change, you can create a better culture and a stronger company.

Ep.54: Solving the Labor Shortage with Paul Eldrenkamp

March 6, 2019 00:30:24

Regional remodeling companies are desperate for more good labor. Regional carpentry programs are constantly on the lookout for good jobs for their students. How do you bring these groups together effectively?

In this episode, Paul Eldrenkamp talks to Victoria and Mark about the program he and his local NARI chapter have developed to bring students and remodeling companies together, and what you can do in your area.

Paul works for Byggmeister, a design-build remodeling firm based in Newton, MA. He’s working closely with his NARI chapter to build better connections to carpentry students and teachers at local high schools and vocational schools.

His first outreach experience stemmed from a talk he did at a Boston-area high school about green building practices. The school reached out for help in preparing their students who weren’t going to college to enter the workforce with those building skills.

It grew from there. At first, Paul tried building an outreach program through the company, but it was overwhelming their resources. Working through other NARI with other interested member companies, a workforce committee was born. He talks about how they did it, and the benefits, including:

How to find people in the school systems and state agencies to help
Creating internship programs
The big hurdles, and how to get over them
Coaching kids toward lifelong success
The benefits to your own team
Budgeting internship hours
Identifying good candidates
Increasing diversity
The responsibilities of the industry
And more…

The future for the Boston program is bright, filling open jobs with candidates who might not be seen otherwise. If you’d like to reach out to Paul about your initiative or for help starting a program near you, send him an email at paul@byggmeister.com.

Ep.45: Using Tools to Find the Best Talent with Rick Bowers

December 19, 2018 00:29:55

You know all about the labor shortage, you’re living with it every day. But there are tools that can help you find the right person for the right job — and help you keep them in your company.

Remodelers Advantage has been using a personality assessment tool called DISC for years, and we love it. Everyone on our team completes a DISC assessment, as do all of our Roundtables members— who also rely on them in their own businesses.

In this episode, Rick Bowers of TTI Success Insights, the maker of the DISC test, drops by to talk to Victoria and Mark about how and why to use personality assessment tools in your organization.

Rick’s the president of TTI Success Insights, and the keynote speaker at its show TTISCON. Rick has more than 30 years of experience with talent management tools and has trained people to use effective talent management techniques in more than 30 countries on six continents.

For those who don’t know, or could use a refresher, the DISC profile breaks down personality into four buckets, to see which are more pronounced in each individual:

Dominance: The take-charge type
Influencing: Outgoing and fast-paced
Steadiness: Consistent and methodical
Compliance: Follows the rules

There are unlimited combinations, because everyone’s an individual, but taken all together, a person’s DISC profile shows why people do what they do, and how best to communicate and motivate them, says Rick. He takes a deep dive into how the DISC and other tools can help managers and employees, including:

The 12 driving forces that motivate
Letting the job talk
Using the right words for each personality
Making space for individuality
Building an effective team
Importance of debriefing process after hiring
Why the DISC can’t be used to excuse a bad behavior
Why you’ll only go against the assessment once in hiring
And a lot more…

In the remodeling business, it’s especially important to hire the right person for the job, and the team — the wrong hire can mess up your company for years. These types of assessment tools can help you make better decisions, and aid you in understanding how to manage and communicate. How do you use your DISC assessments? Let us know in the comments below.

Ep.38: Learning from the Trucking Industry To Solve Your Labor Shortage with Natalie Putnam

October 31, 2018 00:30:11

So many remodelers can’t reach their production potential because of the labor shortage. With the unemployment rate at a 20-year low, the struggle to find and retain good people is curbing business growth for small-business owners, across industries.

In this episode, Natalie Putnam tells Victoria and Mark about the hiring and retention strategies that have worked for her company in the trucking space, another industry struggling to find great people.

Natalie’s the chief commercial officer at Verst Logistics in Walton, KY. She’s a an industry expert, with 35 years of experience in supply chain, logistics, and trucking. Verst is growing at 24% a year, so Natalie regularly recruits employees and drivers for warehousing, fulfillment, and truck driving — in an area dominated by Amazon, FedEx, and DHL.

While wages play a significant role in recruiting and retention, it’s not the only lever you have, Natalie says. Your company culture can be a bigger factor in making employees accept your job offer. She shares other tactics that have worked for her in hiring and retaining good employees in a highly competitive market, including:

Expanding your target market — especially toward women
Using marketing for recruiting
The power of listening
Relaxing your requirements — how and why
Creating a Mentorship program
Why respect goes farther than cash
Job-site recruiting
The rise of robots
And much more…

Finding good people to work for you is a struggle. But taking some tips from another industry can help you prosper.

Ep.15: Creating a Culture of Empowerment with Geoff Graham

May 2, 2018 00:28:24

Building a strong team can be a challenge to any business owner and creating a culture where employees feel trusted and empowered can be even more difficult.

In Episode 15, Victoria and Mark speak with Geoff Graham, Founder and CEO of GuildQuality, an award-winning firm based in Atlanta, GA.

More than 2,500 home builders, remodelers and residential construction firms currently rely on GuildQuality’s survey, measurement and marketing tools and they have recently been named a “Best Place to Work” in Atlanta for the 6th year in a row.

Geoff Graham started GuildQuality back in 2002 and now employs more than 100 team members, both full and part-time. Geoff’s firm has established a culture of empowerment, which starts as soon as an employee accepts a position with the growing firm.

Victoria, Mark and Geoff explore more about how to build a culture of empowerment, including:

Allowing the team to work remotely if needed
Building trust from the moment they join the company
Hiring and onboarding the right team members to support the culture
Sharing goals, objectives and results that are openly communicated
Identifying and measuring key metrics
Sharing financial statements and company performance metrics with the team
Offering a results-based vacation and leave policies

A great episode for any business owner looking to strengthen and improve their company’s structure and culture.

If you would like to learn more about GuildQuality, you can visit their website: https://www.guildquality.com

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Ep.11: Employment Law: The Good, Bad and Downright Scary, with Jen Cornell

April 4, 2018 00:30:39

If you are like most business owners, you don’t think about Employment Law until you’re faced with a complaint or potential lawsuit from a current or former employee. It’s inevitable… As you add employees and grow your company, the likelihood of facing a legal employment issue will increase as well.

When it comes to hiring, terminating and disciplining members of your team, there is so much to know and keep track of… You not only have state or territory regulations, but federal as well.

Our guest this week will tell you that anytime you run into a legal situation regarding an employee, the best course of action is to consult an expert… and that’s just what we did for Episode 11.

Victoria and Mark welcome Jen Cornell, an attorney at Carothers DiSante & Freudenberger LLP in San Fransisco [updated 10/7/19]. Jen represents companies in litigation involving employees, including lawsuits, charges brought to government agencies, and investigations from government auditors.

Jen also specializes in preventive workplace audits and policy implementation, such as preparing employee handbooks, wage and hour audits, and immigration compliance.

Victoria, Mark and Jen uncovered so many different aspects of employment law in this episode, and they included:

Protecting your company from hourly disputes, lawsuits.
Timeframes to consider (2-3 years of records), penalties applied, etc.
Dealing with independent contractors transitioning to employees.
How laws apply to locations (jobsite, where the company is, where the employee lives, etc.)
Payment of employees, pay periods, minimum wages, etc.
How to handle discrimination complaints from current or ex-employees
Responding to charges from government agencies, document storage, etc.
Handling terminations and disciplinary issues the proper way
Importance of Employee handbooks and policies in place.

Don’t wait until you get that notice in the mail… Listen to this episode and start familiarizing yourself with some of the issues that may arise and derail the success you worked so hard for.

We would love to hear from you if you have questions or feedback about this topic, just use the comments area below. If you have specific questions regarding employment law, Jen Cornell can be reached at jcornell@cdflaborlaw.com or (415) 821-8854 [updated 10/7/19].

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