Let me explain…

In Cincinnati a group of people who don’t believe that a god exists have placed a billboard reading, “Don’t believe in God? You are not alone.”

Don’t panic.  This isn’t a post about whether you should believe in a god or not.  That’s your choice.  What this is though, is a conversation about being dissatisfied and alone.  Two things that we, as a society, seem to really reinforce.  Every day I see an academic article, a book, a TV show or a radio program talking about how “we are the minority, and we are being oppressed.”

It seems to not matter if you really are the minority.  What seems to matter is whether people agree with your opinion.  If they do, then you aren’t being oppressed.  If they don’t, then you are being oppressed.  Seems like a flimsy definition of oppression to me.  But lets look at this billboard issue some more.

The group responsible for the billboard, the United Coalition of Reason, had this to say, “Nontheists sometimes don’t realize there’s a community out there for them because they’re inundated with religious messages at every turn … we hope this will serve as a beacon and let them know they aren’t alone.”

I’m pretty sure if you talked to a Christian he or she would tell you the world is filled with “nontheist messages at every turn.”  Isn’t this the argument often cited against Hollywood?  That Hollywood does not embrace “family values” and is “pushing an agenda”?  How do you think Muslims feel today?  They certainly are under the public microscope.  Especially following the massacre at Fort Hood.  And we haven’t even discussed Hindus, Wiccans etc…

It seems to me that everyone is desperate to claim “despised and alone” status.

Of course this isn’t limited to religion or politics.  We’ve all worked with someone who is convinced that “the man” is out to get them.  Someone who is always playing the “poor me” card.  It’s never their fault, because someone else messed up, dropped the ball, or didn’t tell them something important.

Research tells us that some people are going to be naturally negative.  Their personalities will always be pessimistic.  They will always feel more negative emotions about situations.  In short, no matter the situation, they will complain.

But our culture also plays a role.  Because news stories tend to emphasize the “dissatisfied people of America” front, that message of dissatisfaction is reinforced.  This is why it is so important to bring meaning with you.  Because when you bring meaning to work, it doesn’t matter what others say.  It doesn’t matter if  you are alone or only alone in your imagination.  Because your meaning doesn’t come from the task.  It doesn’t come from being negative or isolated.  It comes from following through on your mission.

If you want your life to change, you can not play the “woe is me” card.  You are not alone and isolated.  The reality is that there are millions of people just like you.  I once heard someone say humorously, if you are one in a million, then in China there are a 1300 of you.

photo provided by flickr

As anyone who’s lead volunteers knows, one of the hardest things to do is keep them motivated and committed.  Part of this challenge comes from the volunteers themselves.  They lead busy, hectic lives with wives, boyfriends, kids, friends, work etc….  Sometimes the last thing they can fit into their schedule is volunteering.

But lets face it, it’s not always the volunteer’s problem, is it?  Sometimes we promise volunteers amazing experiences, life changing encounters, and even high levels of recognition.  What do you think happens when we don’t deliver on those promises?

They leave or become disillusioned.  What was once an awesome volunteer suddenly becomes someone who doesn’t show up when promised.

One way of fixing this is through the use of Realistic Job Previews.  Obviously the volunteer position isn’t a formal job.  But that doesn’t mean we can’t apply some of those same principles we would in a business-setting.  In fact, because it’s an informal position we need to make sure we do everything we can to make it easy on our volunteers.  Some volunteers put in as much time as a staff member.  We owe it to them to give a realistic view as to what’s going to happen.

So here are a few steps you can take to use Realistic Job Previews with volunteer positions:

1. Identify what tasks and skills are needed for a position. Do they need to be able to write?  To speak?  To make phone calls?
2. Be honest about what is most important in the job. You need to identify the critical skills for the position.  This needs to be done for their sake, as well as yours.
3. Have a conversation with them. Don’t send a form letter.  Realistic Job Previews don’t have to be fancy and formal.  Just talk to them.
4. When you ask them to join in the volunteer effort, make sure they understand what they are signing on for. Give them the good and bad again.
5. Talk about other possible opportunities. Will this lead to a job?  Will you be able to do other volunteer projects?  Will you get to meet someone famous, interesting, or important?  Will you receive public recognition?

Most volunteers are there because they are committed to the same ideas you are.  They want to help you succeed.  And they want to help you do it for free!  The very least we can do is give them a clear view of what their role will be.

photo provided by flickr

Research has said for years that the best way to conduct interviews is through a “structured interview.”  A structured interview is simply one that asks the same questions to every applicant, has standardized scoring, and has questions that are job-relevant.  Unfortunately most organizations hire through unstructured interviews, falsely believing that they can “tell” which employees are the best.

Research has identified 6 steps for conducting interviews.

1. Build rapport with the candidate – let the candidate calm down and settle into the environment.  Don’t lead off with questions first.
2. Explain the process – despite most people’s experience with interviews, very few have gone through a structured interview.  Plus, psychology tells us that people will view the situation more favorably if they know what’s about to happen.
3. Ask the questions – It’s only in step 3 that you ask the questions.  If you jump the gun too soon you’re going to get less valid results.
4. Provide job information – once the candidates have answered the questions you’ve asked, give them some information about the position, the company, the salary, etc…
5. Answer their questions – by this point, most candidates will have questions.  Some will relate to the job, some to the company.  Take time to answer their questions.
6. Conclude on a positive note – if you end on a positive note, even something as simple as, “it was a pleasure to meet you” candidates will view the process more favorable.

Have you noticed the theme that runs through all of these steps?  There is a thread of concern for the applicants perceptions.  Not only is caring for a person’s emotions the moral thing to do, it is also the smart business thing to do.  If someone feels like you mistreated them in the interview process (but you still hire them) they may work for you for a time, but they will not be satisfied.

In the past I’ve interviewed for jobs that have violated these steps.  And when that’s happened I’ve gone from having neutral opinions of companies, to having negative opinions of them.  One company in particular, the interviewing process was handled so poorly that I have no desire to ever work for that company or to do business with them.  Do they care about my reaction to their organization?  Probably not.  But based on the size of the company I’m not the only person they interview like this.  At some point, that turns into negative customer satisfaction.

It’s easy to focus on the immediate goals – I need to hire someone for position X.  But we need to always keep in mind the larger picture – what kind of message are we sending to the community.  Because at some point every company needs to hire new employees.  And at some point every company needs to have a positive brand image.

Treating people with respect is good for people and it’s good for the bottom line.

photo provided by flickr

And that’s really the goal.  Realistic Job Previews want to “weed out” applicants who aren’t a good fit for the position.  It doesn’t do anyone any good to find out after 6 weeks that the position isn’t right.  The company loses money on hiring costs, training, and lost productivity.  While the employee spends 6 weeks in a position that they despise.

Sometimes though, we look at Realistic Job Previews as being “negative”.  That somehow we are scaring away our best candidates by being honest about the work.  But that’s exactly the opposite of what’s happening.  Employees are only “the best” if they fit with the job.  Someone who is destined to be a rocket scientist would never be happy cleaning bathrooms.  While someone who loved the idea of working on a predictable assembly line would not enjoy the chaos of being an Emergency Room doctor.

To be great employees our passions need to line up with the job.

This is why here, at Meaning To Work, we stress the importance of  identify the meaning in our lives before we come to a job.  As I’ve said before, no job brings meaning to someone.  They can only bring meaning to their work.  And if you have someone who despises sales calls, they will never be a great salesperson.

With that said, there are three things you can do to improve the results of Realistic Job Previews within your company.

1. Give your Realistic Job Preview orally - spoken RJP’s work more effectively than written ones
2. Give your Realistic Job Preview at the time of the offer – if you wait until after they accept it’s too late (the expectations for the job have already been set).  If you do it too soon, people may make up their minds before they have all the information.
3. Include the possibilities of career advancement – if there isn’t advancement let them know.  If there is, people want to know that as well.

Realistic Job Previews can make a difference in your organization.  After all, do you want to simply have a body in the job?  Or do you want to have a motivated employee contributing to the company?

photo provided by flickr

related information: a TSA video designed to be shown to potential candidates

Employment Law is practically its own beast.  It’s hard to be a generalist in this area because the law changes so frequently.  Political maneuvering, legislative updates, and lawsuits all contribute to the changing nature of employment law.  Now, thanks to a recent Supreme Court ruling it may be changing again.

In a highly politicized and public case, white firefighters claimed that they were discriminated against because the results of a promotion test were thrown out.  The city (New Haven, CT) said, in essence, that since no minorities were identified as worthy of a promotion the test must be discriminatory.  New Haven stated they were concerned about the possibility of disparate impact (i.e., unintentional discrimination through the treatment of different groups of people).

So they threw out the test results.

The Supreme Court, through Justice Kennedy, said that in order to eliminate an employment test there must be evidence for it’s bias.  It was the lack of evidence that the Supreme Court ruled against New Haven.  Kennedy wrote, “there is no evidence — let alone the required strong basis in evidence — that the tests were flawed because they were not job-related or because other, equally valid and less discriminatory tests were available to the city,”

Prior to this ruling the concern in employment law was from minorities.  If a test was unfairly promoting non-minorities, a city, company, or organization would be vulnerable to a law suit.  But now, this case may open up the opposite door – if a non-minority feels they didn’t get a job or promotion simply because of a fear of disparate impact (without the evidence) then they may also sue (and win).

In lecture I always stress the importance of validation.  If your test if valid, if you measure what you’re supposed to be measuring, your organization will be fine.

While this is still true, validation may be even more important than before.  It looks like if your test is not validated, then you may be opening yourself up to lawsuits from both minorities and non-minorities.

photo provided by stock.xchng:

Additional Thought:  One other point to consider – this Supreme Court ruling may open up some challenges of disparate impact to the 14th Amendment.  While the current ruling didn’t address the Constitutionality of disparate impact, it did weaken the position (according to some legal experts).

Related Information:  High Court Rules for White Firefighters in Discrimination Suit