OCTOBER 2024
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Identifying Red Flags from Employees
What a Bad Date Can Teach You
By: Chelsey Moore
HR Business Partner
One of our jobs in HR is to identify possible risks. One of these risks is employees that have demonstrated toxic or disruptive behavior. However, unlike a date where you can wriggle yourself out of the window if you begin seeing those red flags, letting go of a toxic employee isn’t always this black and white. Let’s take a look below at some of the differences between ditching a bad date and addressing a toxic employee.
(Reminder, these are just an example and there are always multiple answers for each situation)
SCENARIO 1:
"Why can't you be more like my Ex?!"
A First Date
Bad Date Red Flag
​Shows you pictures of all of his ex-girlfriends and asks if you would mind dying your hair to match Tanya’s.
Acceptable Responses
Leaving!
“I will if you will”,
or
“I’m sorry, I think I’m at the wrong table”.
A New Employee
Employee Red Flag
“This isn’t how we did it at my last job and I refuse to change my process”.
Acceptable Responses
“While I understand your hesitance, our processes are created from our specific company needs, if you are not able to follow our specific processes then we will need to write you up/terminate you”. Or “I appreciate that you are used to your old processes, let’s set up a time to talk about how we can integrate some of your processes into our SOPs”.
SCENARIO 2:
Bringing their mother to your first date...
A First Date
Bad Date Red Flag
Brings his mother to the date.
Acceptable Responses
Enjoy dinner and then ask his mother to go out for a girl’s night.
A New Employee
Employee Red Flag
Has their mother send angry emails to HR when their child gets in trouble.
Acceptable Responses
To the mother- “While I understand your concern for your child, we are not permitted to share personnel details with non-employees” To the employee “I value your close relationship with your mother, however moving forward please reach out to me yourself if you have any questions or concerns regarding your employment”.
SCENARIO 3:
Proposing on the first date
A First Date
Bad Date Red Flag
Acceptable Responses
On the first date they tell you that they already have their wedding venue picked out and they were just waiting for the perfect significant other, you!
“I already have plans for that weekend.” Take the food and run!
A New Employee
Employee Red Flag
On their first day employee proudly claims that they will have the CEOs job within five years.
Acceptable Responses
“I would love to see what you have to offer the company, let's wait until your year 1 review to create some long-term growth projections for you.”
Ignoring Red Flags
While it's fun to joke about red flags in both dates and employees, toxic employees can spell trouble for companies of any size. Toxic employees can erode the trust of managers and culture within an organization. They can negatively impact employee engagement. And they can increase costs associated with turnover and recruitment. A toxic employee can reduce the entire team’s performance by 40%, makes good talent want to quit, influences others to become toxic, and can leave long lasting effects. Employees who have to deal with a toxic co-worker are 46% more likely to be fired for misconduct themselves, resulting in the spread of toxic behaviors in your workspace.
What is a toxic employee?
​A toxic employee is a person that dilutes the work of themselves and others with the following behavior. A toxic employee may bully or harass employees, often this is done in a way that seems like friendly mocking. Be aware of employees that seem uncomfortable with jokes at their expense. Absenteeism is another sign to watch out for, if an employee is consistently absent or late, this signals to other employees that punctuality is not important. An employee that is constantly boastful or takes credit for other employees’ work can lead to resentment and the disengagement from other employees. Toxic employees can often be blameful and not take responsibility for their own actions, this creates a cycle of toxicity that can be hard to end.
How to spot a toxic employee (and what to do)
Have regular check-ins with all of your team members and be sure to monitor engagement and employee satisfaction. The best way to spot a toxic employee is to be present. If you notice engagement waning in a specific department do a root cause analysis to determine what is causing this trend. It may be a management issue, or it may be a toxic employee. If you notice that a particular employee is having a hard time adjusting to the team, take some time to work with that employee to curb any detrimental behavior before it starts.
How to spot a toxic employee (and what to do)
Does it stem from poor management? It could be caused by an employee’s past trauma at another job. May it be because the toxic employee picked up the behaviors from someone else? Lack of necessary tools and resources can also be a cause. If you feel that you have a toxic employee gather evidence of the employee’s behavior. Once you have determined the root cause of the behavior issues you can then move forward with an action to mitigate this behavior. Sometimes coaching or constructive criticism will work. However, be prepared to correct behavior with write-ups, performance improvement plans, and in extreme situations termination.
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There is no one size fits all solution to dealing with toxic employees, so be sure to be alert and aware of red flags and have coaching and mitigation tools in place to deal with them when necessary.
Compensation Analytics -
Empower Your Strategy with Data-Driven Insights
In the competitive landscape of talent acquisition and retention, having a robust compensation strategy is paramount. isolved Compensation Analytics equips HR or Management teams with the tools needed to navigate compensation management effectively, offering insights that ensure your offerings are competitive and equitable. This month, we delve into how isolved transforms compensation management into a strategic asset for your organization.
Learn More with a Video
Discover how isolved Compensation Analytics can transform your compensation strategy by watching the 60-second video overview. This presentation will guide you through the key functionalities of Compensation Analytics, showcasing how it simplifies and enhances the process of managing merit increases, salaries, bonuses, and more.
Streamlined Compensation Management
Automated Workflows
​Simplify the management of merit increases, salaries, and bonuses through automated workflows that assign tasks, send reminders, and consolidate all tasks in one view.
Integrated System
Changes in compensation flow directly into isolved payroll, facilitating swift implementations and reducing administrative steps, making the compensation management process seamless and efficient.
Enhanced Decision Making
Detailed Insights for Managers
Empower your managers with detailed, accessible data on compensation changes, enabling informed approvals and adjustments that align with organizational goals.
Advanced Analytics Dashboard
Remove the guesswork from compensation decisions with tools that analyze base salaries, compensation ratios, and total salary distributions by groups. Drill down into the Compensation Dashboard to make impactful adjustments based on solid data.
Trend Analysis and Industry Benchmarking
Visibility into Compensation Trends
Gain direct insights into ongoing compensation trends within your organization and across the industry. Compare your company’s compensation against industry averages using data aggregated from over 168,000 organizations and millions of employees.
Talent Intelligence
Predictive People Analytics
When combined with isolved's Predictive People Analytics, Compensation Analytics evolves into Talent Intelligence. This powerful integration leverages both historical and real-time data to forecast trends and model potential outcomes, giving HR leaders a powerful tool for strategic decision-making.
Holistic View
Integrating Compensation Management with Predictive People Analytics and Performance Management, isolved Talent Intelligence offers a comprehensive solution that enhances your ability to attract and retain top talent.
Strategic Compensation Planning
Make informed, equitable compensation decisions with a data-driven approach that factors in individual, team, and overall business performance, improving operational efficiency and aligning compensation with corporate objectives.
Optimizing Talent Retention
Performance and Feedback Integration
Conduct and review performance assessments, including 360-feedback, to ensure compensation decisions are well-informed and reflective of actual performance and potential.
Retention of High-Potential Employees
Identify and focus on high-potential individuals through targeted compensation strategies such as promotions and succession planning, ensuring you retain key talent and prepare for future leadership needs.
Driving Future Success
Equip your HR team with the capabilities to make compensation a strategic advantage. isolved Compensation Analytics not only simplifies the compensation process but also provides the insights needed to offer competitive, fair, and impactful compensation packages.
QUESTION:
When can a company search personal belongings of employees?
I brought a gym bag to work for the first time, planning to hit the gym right after. While I was out for lunch, I came back to find my manager going through it. They said they were checking for a “potential security risk,” but it just felt like an invasion of privacy. They went through my personal belongings, but the manger claims it’s within the company’s right, since I brought it onto work property.
Answer:
As long as there is a clear workplace policy put into place stating you have a limited expectation of privacy when it comes to workplace property or personal property you bring into the workplace, a private employer can conduct a search for legitimate business purposes or reasonable suspicion of possessing fire arms, illegal drugs, or criminal activity.
More Details:
There’s a lot of moving parts that determines what rights an employer has when it comes to searching an employee’s property. Public employees are protected under the Fourth Amendment against unreasonable search and seizures, so if the employer did not have reasonable suspicion that something illegal was contained in the bag, it would be an unlawful search.
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For private employees, the answer is a lot more dependent on various factors. Generally, private employers can search an employee’s purse or bag, as well as their desk or locker. However, if the employer doesn't have a workplace policy in place that says the employee should have a limited expectation of privacy in the workplace, the employer could be at risk for an unlawful search lawsuit.
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Employers should only be conducting searches for legitimate work-related reasons or due to reasonable suspicion of firearms or criminal activity. For example, a legitimate work-related reason for a search could be that a theft occurred in the workplace, and the employer is searching for the stolen object. Legitimate reasonable suspicion would be if the employer has reason to suspect the employee may be carrying a firearm.
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However, this might change depending on what state you are employed in. For example, while some workplace search policies may include employee vehicles as something an employer might search, this is unlawful in the state of Washington. Washington employers have limited reasons why they can search an employee’s vehicle, and generally it has to be a situation where any reasonable person would believe access is necessary to prevent an immediate threat, or an otherwise lawful search by a law enforcement officer.
EMPLOYEE HIGHLIGHT
EMPLOYEE HIGHLIGHT
EMPLOYEE HIGHLIGHT
Hello, I'm Kelsey!
Raised in Texas, I started my payroll career with ADP in 2008 and was there for ten years. During that time, I also attended college and started a family. In 2020, I moved to Colorado Springs on a leap of faith that turned out to be a great move for me and my children. Over the past almost two decades I have learned and grown thanks to the amazing companies I have had the pleasure of working for.
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According to the Predictive Index, I am characterized as a Specialist, which aligns well with my current role. Though I have held many positions, including roles in Implementation and Management. I am always striving to growing into other opportunities and supporting my team and company.
A little about me:
I have a busy home life with three children, my two boys keep me laughing and on my toes with their wild adventures. My daughter is my little bestie and has a confidence that I adore. I have a rescue golden retriever and an orange kitty; we are all very attached. My children and I enjoy camping and fishing when we can get away from the city and we love taking nature walks near Fountain creek.