Wednesday, November 27, 2019

How to Solve Issues When Theres No HR Department - The Muse

How to Solve Issues When Theres No HR Department - The MuseHow to Solve Issues When Theres No HR Department You and your co-worker had a spat. Your boss keeps throwing you under the bus. Youre looking to make an internal transfer or want to ask for a raise, but you have no idea how to approach the subject.When your company doesnt have a dedicated or reliable HR team (or any HR employees at all), dealing with certain workplace issues or questions can be intimidating- especially if you dont have the best relationship with your boss or the issue in question is with your boss. Deep breath This doesnt mean youre completely alone. All you need are allies to help guide and empower you to make the right call.There are several different kinds of allies you can turn to. They can help you express your frustrations, come up with a thoughtful solution, and formulate a detailed and professional plan so that youre prepared to confidently handle what might be an uncomfortable conversation. And remem ber, you dont have to rely on just one ally- pick the combination of people that makes sense for you and your particular situation. Turn to...Advocates on the InsideLets say your relationship with your direct manager is going south, quickly. Theres zero communication or little support, and your interactions are terse at best. Its time to turn to an inside ally.These people know the office culture- and hopefully your manager- backward and forward, so they can easily offer guidance on interpersonal issues. Before we think about who exactly these people might be, heres a script for how you might initiate a conversation with them Thank you for taking the time talk to me today, I respect your opinion and trust you to keep this conversation confidential. Here are the issues I have and see in my relationship with my manager, heres what I want, and heres how I am going to say it. I would really like your advice on how this all sounds and if you think theres a better way to address it.So who are these inside allies?A Hiring ManagerWho else did you bewerberinterview with to get your job besides your boss? Suggest meeting with them for a coffee date offsite- theyre the ones who most likely work closely with your manager and understand what makes them tick. They also probably know you and how you work, so they can tailor their responses accordingly.A Trusted ColleagueDo you have a relationship with another manager or colleague you trust and respect? This shouldnt be your work best friend who you vent to at happy hour, but someone you have mora of a professional relationship with. Tap this person for a confidential meeting to ask for advice.Turn to...Friends Outside of WorkLets say your emotions are too raw to have a professional conversation just yet. For example, your project partner took credit for the amazing slide deck you spent the last week perfecting, and youre now seeing an incredibly bright shade of red. The goal of leaning on your friends is to make sure you can first take care of yourself so that you eventually can handle the issue at work professionally. These allies are the perfect audience for the emotional-but-probably-not-work-appropriate speech you want to get out of your system, so that you can approach a conversation with a ratgeber or colleague in a calmer state- and the ones wholl make sure you actually take action once the emotions have subsided. A Friend You Can Be Vulnerable WithThis is the friend who gives you a safe place to vent freely (emphasis on safe). This should be someone whos completely unattached to your work environment, and who you trust to keep your frustrated rant confidential. A Friend Who Will Hold You AccountableThis is the friend who texts you first thing in the morning to make sure you make it on time to your weekly workout (or insert any other activity that helps you stay sane). If you need to have a direct or difficult conversation with someone at the office, your motivator can hold you accountable for f ollowing through and later follow up to make sure any changes you push for actually stick. Turn to...External ExpertsWhat if the issue is just too complex for your non-HR allies to handle? Its time to call in an expert from the outside to coach you through it. This person may not be able to sit in the meeting with you, but they have the knowledge you need and can be your cheerleaders along the way. For example, I was the first person to go on maternity leave at my last company, and I needed to figure out how to take care of myself and my future child while also following my companys policies and tying up any loose ends. With the help of my ally, a seasoned HR professional who also happens to be a close college friend, I felt empowered to call a maternity leave planning meeting with my boss and came with a thorough checklist in hand. A Third-Party HR CompanyWhile your company may not have HR onsite, they may work with a third-party vendor to help with onboarding, benefits, and payrol l. Sometimes this even includes access to HR consultants who can help you navigate tricky issues. Check your benefits paperwork for a phone number you can call or a website you can check for resources.A Career CoachWhy not entrust someone whos done this before, a lot? Many career coaches and consultants will create tailored strategies, example scripts, and go through mock conversations to make sure youre equipped to handle any difficult situations at work.A TherapistWhile a therapist may not have business expertise, theyre experts in how to explore and manage what may be personally unternehmensverbund you back, and can help in creating a plan of action. Ask yourself honestly, is this anxiety or fear Im feeling about more than just this issue at work? Therapists can help guide your self-discovery into the whys of your emotions and behaviors in a safe place.An HR Friend or MentorThis can be someone you know directly, a friend of a friend, or someone in your professional network. The p oint is, speaking to someone whos in the field and has probably faced this problem a decent amount is a great way to get an honest, unbiased opinion.Armed with the support and guidance from your allies, its time to address that issue head on. (For more advice on having difficult conversations with a co-worker or boss, try this article and this one or this one.)Navigating workplace problems is never easy, and its even more difficult without HR. But by building a trusted team that can help you with various aspects of a tricky situation, you can handle just about anything.

Friday, November 22, 2019

The Army Mantra to Get You Through Work Obstacles -The Muse

The Army Mantra to Get You Through Work Obstacles -The MuseThe Army Mantra to Get You Through Work Obstacles In the five years I spent in the Army, I picked up a number of useful phrases that have stuck with me even now that I work in the civilian world. One of my favorites stems from my time spent in the company of combat engineers- soldiers whose duties include tackling rough terrain through blowing stuff up (demolition) and building things (construction).Breach or bypass, they would say whenever we came to a sticking point in a plan. It could be a canceled training event that we were counting on to fulfill a mandatory requirement, an uncooperative commander holding up a deadline, or even the mundane (like computers crashing)- if it was identified as an obstacle to getting the job done, it triggered those three important words.In the Army, a breach is a mission when you use all available means to break through or establish a passage through an opposing forces defense. In other wo rds, its when you refuse to take no for an answer. It can mean finding a way to sign the client, negotiating for the raise you deserve, or pushing to finish a project by the deadline. Bypass is when you maneuver around an obstacle while maintaining your momentum. I like to think of it as a boulder in the river you want to be the water flowing around the immovable rock, not the dead tree limb stuck against it. Maybe its a budget that you cant increase, so you find creative ways to pull off the event youre tasked with throwing. Or, maybe its finding a way around a manager who says, Weve always done it that way, by demonstrating to your team that it can in fact be done differently.Whatever it is that must be breached or bypassed, do what you need to do to keep moving ahead. If its a factor you cant influence bypass and go under, over, or around it. If its something you have the power to break down- breach. The two options help force you to think through challenges to find solutions, ra ther than stalling out at the first roadblock and throwing your hands up in frustration. And thats why its become my go-to when Im struggling to solve a problem.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

How Pay Raises Really Work (And How You Can Get One Faster)

How Pay Raises Really Work (And How You Can Get One Faster)How Pay Raises Really Work (And How You Can Get One Faster)Just about every employed person out there wants a raise. But beyond the annual three percent that some of us are lucky enough to receive lies a myriad of negotiations, compromises and bargaining that must happen in advance of any significant raise or promotion. Although employees often like to entertain thoughts such as, If my anfhrer really valued me, shed give me a raise without being asked, its rarely that straightforward or simple. Heres what happens behind the scenesYour Work Environment Sets the Tone for Your RaiseFirst, your work environment sets the tone for what kind of raise you can get. In the best case scenario, you have a manager who cares about your professional development and actively looks for ways to reward good performance. You also work for a company that is financially healthy and can afford salary increases.Your Manager Makes the Case for Compen sationNext, your manager speaks to his manager about giving you a raise. Anticipating some potential bargaining, he cites a number at the very top of what he thinks you deserve. A boss who thinks you should receive an extra $5,000 per year will tell his manager that he thinks you deserve an extra $7,000. Your managers boss says that her boss and peers will discuss it in four months (or at the next review cycle, etc.). The Senior Team Discusses Company-Wide RaisesWhen the time comes for the discussion meeting (assuming your managers boss remembers to bring it up), a group of senior managers will discuss why the nominated people deserve raises at that meeting. The amount of money available for raises will be less than the amount of money being requested for raises. This requires senior managers to negotiate based on what they know of each employees impact to the company. If your managers boss doesnt know who you are or anything about your work, she wont be able to make a good case for why you should be one of the lucky ones. At this point, the $7,000 requested for you will turn into $5,000 that is discussed.The Senior Team Negotiates Those Raises Down FurtherSince employers want to provide meaningful raises, they will not necessarily split the amount available across all contenders. (Look, you all get an extra $1 this year), leading some candidates to not receive a raise at all. After extensive negotiations the amount of your raise will become $3,500 (assuming the people at your supervisors managers level have the authority to determine your raise at all). Depending on your level in the company, and how large that company is, this process may be repeated a few times.Take Your Raise Into Your Own HandsWhile much of this process takes place outside your zone of control, there are a few actions you can take to help this process along and position yourself for the best possible raise. Manage your own expectations and ask early. The time to ask for a raise is not aft er youve been stewing about not being granted one for the past year. Plan to ask after you have made significant progress in your work but long before youre in danger of feeling undervalued. Then be patient and wait for some time before the raise actually materializes.Understand your companys policy and philosophy around significant raises. Are they always tied to promotions? If so, ask your manager what skills or accomplishments you would need to receive a promotion. This will allow you to target your work and activities to the things that matter to your employer. If your manager says that raises are only given at certain times in the year, ask questions to find out if there are ever exceptions (and in what circumstances) or what things you can do between now and then to become a strong candidate for a raise.Ask for feedback frequently. Does your manager have concerns about your work? What does she think is going well or poorly? The sooner you find out, the sooner you can address a ny roadblocks and the better prepared youll be when its time to discuss raises.Do the legwork. Dont put the burden of assessing and communicating your value on your manager do that work yourself. Think of it as preparation for your future resume. Write in bullets and provide concrete, quantifiable examples of your work. The manager who goes into a salary meeting saying, My employee developed a process to resolve customer complaints more quickly resulting in a time and cost savings of 20% and a customer retention rate improvement of 35%, is much more likely to be successful than the manager who says, My employee is really easy to work with and always turns in assignments on time.Theres no magic formula to guarantee a raise, but by implementing these steps you can take some of the ambiguity out of receiving your next raise long before you start feeling overworked and undervalued.