Talk HR to Me: Motivating High Potentials, Hybrid Team Cohesion and More
Welcome to Talk HR to Me, a People Managing People advice column with Alana Fallis, VP, Head of People at Quantum Metric.
Every two weeks, Talk HR to Me digs into your pressing HR questions and provides advice that helps you navigate the stickiest of situations.
This week, she tackles a range of HR challenges submitted to us via our anonymous question form.
So, without further ado...
Disability Disclosure
"Do you ever admit to having a disability on a job application? Like do we admit this stuff? or nah? What happens to that stuff?"
For those not in the know, our friend here is asking about the EEOC questions on a job application, which ask you to voluntarily select your race, gender, and other demographic information.
For the most part, the selection of these questions are not actually visible to the recruiter, and stored in a separate place for reporting purposes. And that's really what these questions are for: this data is anonymized, aggregated and reported to the EEOC to meet requirements for workforce reporting.
Essentially they're using it for research on workplace data, and if needed, to investigate discriminatory hiring practices. So in sum to your question, typically no one internally is looking at these results.
HR may in aggregate as a part of wider results (for example, to analyze the demographics of the workforce and assess any gaps in recruitment strategy), but recruiting teams don't and neither do hiring managers. That said, it's all voluntary. Would I feel comfortable filling them out honestly, yes I would, but if you don't... you have no objection from me!
Dating Reports
"A top-performing manager was secretly dating a junior teammate. The relationship came to light after a loud argument in the office. The manager is up for promotion that would put them in a more senior, cross-functional role. We don’t ban office relationships, but leadership is divided. Should we promote him, and what precedent does that set?"
Let's back up here, a critical component of this question is whether this teammate is within the manager's reporting structure. If no... well, it's still not great and you should have a direct conversation about my concerns below, but I can see a way to a promotion when the dust settles (a few months).
If yes, then hell no you should not promote him! Even in the absence of a policy (which I highly recommend you implement - the crux of which should be that relationships within a reporting structure are not permitted, must be disclosed, and will likely report in a change of reporting structure for one party)... this is an ethical minefield.
For one, it can create the reality or the perception (just as bad) of favoritism - given that a manager has direct jurisdiction over an employee's pay and career path. How is it going to look when he promotes her or submits for a raise?
How is he, or her manager, going to fairly manage her performance? Beyond that, if things don't work out, or this teammate goes on to have performance issues, etc - you are hugely at risk for a claim of harassment or retaliation. Also, to be frank, it sounds to me this manager has terrible judgment - they got into a public argument in the office??? The gossip is all over the group chat!
But seriously, I'll tell you what precedent it sets: that top performing leaders can behave badly, demonstrate bad judgment, have chaotic public office drama and still be promoted if they are a favorite. It's really bad for morale, sincerely legally risky and will send the wrong message to the rest of your team. You will lose their trust.
FMLA
"Help - I went on FMLA for a procedure that was meant to just be 2 weeks of recovery, but after complications it's looking more like 10 to 12. I am not being paid, and I don't have any kind of short term disability through my company. I am so stressed, which is making things worse. What options do I have?"
Firstly, I'm so sorry to hear about your procedure complications, and I'm sure this stress is not helping. There are a few things I would do here:
- Check to see if you have any leave laws in your state. Many states have temporary wage relief programs that may fall under Paid Family Medical Leave or others. This will allow you to receive some wage relief directly from the state, to offset your wage loss while you are out of work.
- If you do not have any paid state medical leave programs, I would get creative in looking up any disability hotlines or other resources to help steer you in the right direction. For example, Florida has no state paid leave laws, but does have a 211 hotline for disability. I would call and get some partnership from an expert in what resources are available.
- As a last resort, consider intermittent FMLA. FMLA doesn't require you to take the time continuously, meaning you may return sooner than the 12 weeks, but work on and off for an agreed period of time with your manager. I know this is not the ideal solution, but may help you ease back into work and not go the full period without pay.
High Potential, Low Motivation
"I have a team member who is incredibly talented and meets all their basic duties and job metrics, but she consistently shies away from leadership opportunities, never volunteers for new projects, and seems disengaged in team meetings.
"When I try to encourage her to step up, she just defers or makes excuses. How can I motivate this high-potential individual to take more initiative and ask her to contribute more actively to the team's growth without micromanaging or alienating her?"
It sounds to me you have a strong performer who is happy where she's at and doesn't want to take on a leadership role at all. How would you feel about that? Is there an opportunity to promote a different team member more hungry for leadership to a management position, or hire from the outside?
I would first sit down with this team member for a career development conversation. Consider a "career development" conversation different from a performance review (which is more typically focused on progress against business goals), and ask questions around her individual career and development goals.
What does she like and not like about her role, what skills does she want to be honing, what does she see as a next step for herself?
During this conversation, you can ask more directly around her appetite for managing. If she says that she wants to stay where she is, you should believe her and find an alternative solution to team leadership. I expect that feeling supported and well resourced in her role will contribute to that second component you're looking for... job engagement.
Feeling Undervalued
"I've been with my company for five years, consistently exceeding expectations and taking on extra responsibilities. Recently, a new position opened up that I was perfectly qualified for and had expressed strong interest in. However, the role was given to someone external with less experience than me, and I wasn't even given an interview.
"I feel undervalued and frustrated. How do I approach my manager or HR about this without sounding bitter, and what steps can I take to ensure my contributions are recognized for future opportunities?"
Aw man. I can imagine how frustrating this feels. Was this a role on your team (ie: in your career path) or a role in a different part of the organization? There is a piece of the puzzle here you are missing, and I'm not sure what it is.
Either the job didn't suit your qualifications as well as you think, OR there are concerns about your performance that are unknown to you. I would start with sitting down with your manager and saying this:
"I recently applied to x role, which to my understanding was an exact fit for my experience in the following ways, however I wasn't even invited to interview. I respect the company's decision, but I wonder if there is feedback about my performance that may help me to know?"
Approach the conversation in the spirit of curiosity and collaboration, and not framed like an accusation. It's possible this was just a complete oversight, i.e. that your manager didn't realize how strongly you were interested. If this is the case, map out a plan for progression together, where you identify the next position you would be eligible for, and what experience, exposure and skills you need to get there. This will help with clarity and alignment between you both, while putting you back in the driver's seat of your career.
If your manager can offer no feedback at all, or the reasons for a lack of interview are political in nature, I hate to say it, but you may want to start exploring elsewhere.
Hybrid Team Cohesion
"Our team has recently transitioned to a hybrid work model, with some employees fully remote and others coming into the office a few days a week. I'm finding it challenging to maintain a sense of team cohesion and ensure everyone feels equally connected and included.
The remote team members sometimes feel left out of impromptu office discussions, and the in-office team misses the spontaneous collaboration they used to have with remote colleagues. What strategies can I implement to foster a stronger, more inclusive team culture that bridges the gap between our in-office and remote employees?"
My approach here would be to get the team into a routine, and develop a framework for collaboration including defining:
- A rhythm of recurring meetings
- Which meetings take place in what format
- How to manage asynchronous communication and the tools you will use for digital collaboration.
Ask for your team's input on this and make it a collaborative exercise. As a best practice to bridge the gap, I would consider having a zoom stand-up multiple times a week for 15 minutes that everyone joins to give a quick update on what they're working on, and to surface any issues.
Define which meetings are in person and not. Prioritize projects and ways of working based on team schedules.
For example, it may make sense for the full team to have collaboration meetings on days when the hybrid team is in office, and remote working days to be typically used for deep work, research and solo work for everyone (getting the whole team on the same schedule).
Leverage a tech stack - have slack channels dedicated to certain projects, and spaces for people to connect. Make sure everyone has access to the same resources and is using the same source of truth (utilize an Asana or Trello for project management, for example).
If you can - build in some time for community and rapport building. Maybe this looks like a quarterly team event such as a trivia, or work lunch. On my team we have weekly wins, where we celebrate wins as a group and thank each other for hard work every Friday.
In sum: define the working parameters, create a structure, and make space for collaboration and socializing.
