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As organizational development (OD) consultants, we are adept at solving clients’ issues by using a host of interventions. Additionally, we help companies prioritize OD principles before a crisis to maintain or elevate their organization’s performance and prevent a crisis.

When using intervention tactics, a good vulnerability assessment holds the key to understanding where to start. But when you’re looking to take it a step further, a vulnerability assessment can help, though what’s often missing is a broader set of principles that explain what companies must do well to become highly effective companies.

Here are five OD principles that can help your company bolster developmental initiatives to enhance performance.

Organization development’s central goal is to help organizations become highly effective companies by achieving cooperative order and reversing siloed self-interests. Most managers will never admit to being poor collaborators because they mistake being cooperative as collaborating. Being cooperative means being friendly and willing to share information—akin to wanting to help a friend, not some stranger.

Being collaborative also means working together towards a common goal or purpose. Collaboration as a company-wide practice involves activities that encourage cooperation and collaboration in both formal and informal work settings.

How is your company creating meaningful opportunities for employees and leaders to cooperate and collaborate regularly?

In highly effective companies, change competency is the presence of a culture that expects change and reacts with the understanding, perspectives, tools, and techniques to make change seamless and effortless.

Is making change a part of your “business as usual”?

Flexibility helps companies respond to market changes quickly and effectively. If COVID taught us anything, it’s that highly effective companies must be disciplined AND flexible during turbulent times–meaning disciplined about the outcome AND flexible with its approach the method for achieving what it needs to do.

How well does your company react to the unexpected during turbulent times? Does it flexibly bend when demands are placed on leaders and employees alike?

Effective talent management programs fill and replenish the talent pool efficiently and provide a wide range of support services to train and develop their leaders and employees. The most notable way companies expect people to improve is in job-related skills, knowledge, and expertise. Just as importantly, highly effective companies encourage employees to grow personally through self-care and well-being. Allowing employees to grow personally and professionally alongside business growth builds confidence, improves productivity and effectiveness, increases employee satisfaction, and reduces turnover.

Do employees know of, and avail themselves of, the career development and growth opportunities provided at all levels of the company?

Most everyone who has worked in a toxic workplace culture knows how poor leadership and management practices can adversely affect employees’ mental and physical health, engagement, job satisfaction, and performance. In highly effective companies, leadership and comprehensive management practices create psychological safety spaces where employees are encouraged to take risks, speak up, and contribute their unique ideas without fear of repercussion.

What does the current level of psychological safety look like in your company?

At IRI, we are experts in leadership development, employee training, organizational communication and development, and skilling, reskilling, cross-skilling, and upskilling strategies. We use this expertise to regularly help organizations develop and implement engaging and personalized organizational development programs to maintain and elevate company performance. If you’re interested in upleveling your organizational development program, contact us using the chat on the right to discuss the next steps, or give us a call at (313) 965-0350.

Episode 4.22: The past year has been a tough one for company culture – between “quiet quitting” causing strife, conflict between employees and leaders on the concept and practice of “work from home”, and rampant layoffs for many companies, morale is on shaky ground. This year, however, hopefully, puts some of that in our collective rear view mirrors, and offers companies a chance to reset, readjust and return to basics, adapting tested strategies to fit our distributed work world. Joining us today is Cris Chouinard, a Lead Consultant with IRI Consultants. Here, she explains:

If you prefer to read along while you listen, we’ve done all the hard work for you! We listened back to this episode and took notes below, and access is free!

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On June 29, the Supreme Court ruled the admission programs at the University of North Carolina and Harvard College can no longer take race into consideration as a specific basis in admissions, effectively striking down longstanding affirmative action programs at universities across the country. In response, many legal experts and civil rights advocates shared how this decision could impact students, workers, and other groups beyond prospective university students.  

The consequences of this ruling are still being determined, and employees may be experiencing increased anxiety as they wonder what this means for them, their families, and their workplace. Moreover, this isn’t the only issue on employees’ minds, as they are constantly being pushed stories and news updates about topics with real-world implications—legislation decisions, climate discussions, healthcare concerns, and more.  

 For most people, a job or career is a significant part of their identity—but only one aspect of how they define themselves. Employees have other roles, duties, obligations, and hobbies outside of their work, which means they may be dealing with stressful events that have nothing to do with you as an employer.  

The constant, often troubling news cycle may also exacerbate any worry employees already feel, as they follow stories with potential outcomes that could affect themselves or their loved ones. This stress is amplified when political or social events happening outside of the workplace can potentially affect their experience inside of the workplace.  

 That’s why it’s more important than ever for organizations to acknowledge how the news relates to your industry, understand how it affects your employees, and convey this in open and honest communication to your workforce. Demonstrating empathy and allowing your employees to show up as their “whole person” on the job can be a release to the pressure valve. 

 Supporting your employees in times of uncertainty starts with making sure leaders and managers are aware of what current events could be impacting employees inside and outside of the workplace. This means following national news, as well as trade news that relates to your sector or industry. While this may feel like adding yet another thing to your to-do list, it can be as simple as taking 10-20 minutes each morning to read credible news sources. Often, your organization’s media relations or corporate communications team monitors issues that may affect both your industry and your employees. We recommend working closely with these teams to be sure they are aware of any niche topics they should keep track of. 

When news breaks that could affect your employees or how your business operates, it’s important to quickly bring your leaders together to evaluate the immediate and long-term effects, determine your organization’s next steps, and then communicate openly and transparently with your employees. If you are not filling the information void on critical topics or addressing lingering uncertainties, you can be certain your detractors are – including labor unions. In fact, recent research shows that employees trust their CEO more than many other sources. 

Leaders must be prepared to have conversations and answer questions from employees. Today’s workforce, especially those in younger generations, is more open than ever about daily stressors, so it’s important for managers to lead with empathy and understanding.   

 Back to the recent Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action: while it may appear to be an issue isolated to higher education, effective leaders are thinking now about how it will affect the future of their field. For example, in healthcare, this ruling may limit the diversity of healthcare providers entering the field – a concern for hospitals and care providers who are not only facing widespread staffing shortages, but who are also committed to hiring a workforce that represents the vast diversity of patients they serve.  

 This is an excellent time for organizations to prioritize their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) initiatives, which must be authentically embedded into their culture and long-term mission. Companies should not take for granted that employees will be as immersed in the company’s corporate values as leadership is, so consistently communicating with employees the steps they are taking to increase diversity will not only add value to the employee experience, but will help companies attract and retain the best talent. In fact, young employees from Generation-Z, for example, often evaluate a company’s values, like DE&I, when making employment decisions. 

Here are some ideas on how to incorporate transparent and authentic DE&I initiatives into your organization’s communications:  

 At the end of the day, employees want to feel empowered and supported to show up as themselves and do good work. Communicating with employees in a timely and thoughtful way about major news events and providing additional support where necessary, whether it be making time for open conversations or educational resources, is a great way to help employees feel confident in their employer and in their ability to contribute to their full potential. 

 At IRI, we’ve helped clients across industries communicate current events effectively with their workforce. We believe every business is different, and each requires its own holistic and customized approach to communications. Whether you need an internal communications assessment, guidance in developing your internal communications strategy or social media strategy, digital media intelligence, crisis communications services, media relations, or media training, we have expert communications consultants who can quickly provide a specialized solution. Contact us using the chat on the right to discuss the next steps, or give us a call at (313) 965-0350.

Philippa Levenberg

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What Is Digital Media Intelligence? 

• Digital media intelligence is the real-time capturing of public data and intelligence regarding an organization.
• At a basic level, this can look like mentions or tags of an organization's social media or an examination of competitors.
• Additionally, digital media intelligence can mean tracking legal, regulatory, or legislative issues that impact a company.
• Outside of the regulatory landscape affecting a business or organization, it also explores larger trends that may impact a business or industry. 
• An organization should view digital media intelligence gathering as a form of insurance. 
• Per Ms. Levenberg: “I see [digital media intelligence] as an early warning system … You may not have to act on what shows up as a part of these reports, but you want to be the first to know about it if it does so that you can get out in front of it.” 
• Digital media intelligence can measure several KPIs, which can include
• Number of views or impressions
• Specific keywords
• Sentiment

Managing Workplace Issues Through Digital Media Intelligence Strategies

• When a company or organization faces any kind of workplace issue that spills over into the public eye, a solid digital media strategy can help. 
• When an issue or crisis becomes public, it impacts the organization (leadership and employees), the media, policymakers, regulators, and investors. 
• That’s why it’s critical to have a digital media intelligence strategy to help pull all information into one place. This makes it easier to develop a strategic approach. 
• Examples of workplace issues that benefit from digital media intelligence strategies include: 
• Labor Organizing
• Leadership Changes
• Merger and Acquisition Activity
• Workplace Safety Problems
• Financial Irregularity
• Sexual Harassment
• DE&I
• Companies, if faced with a challenging workplace issue, should monitor a conversation’s: 
• Ebbs and Flows
• Sentiment
• Key Voices and Contributors 
• If a company is committed to keeping a pulse on these conversations, this can help them evaluate the scope of a crisis and the platforms and accounts you need to engage with to help shape the narrative in your favor.
• For labor and labor organizing issues specifically, it’s important to understand that employees may not feel comfortable talking about issues they're having at work with their managers or within an employee satisfaction survey. 
• As a result of this discomfort, employees will enjoy the anonymity of certain social media platforms (like Reddit) to discuss their issues. 
• Labor unions often frequent anonymous social media platforms, so organizations must have a handle on the issues discussed on these platforms. 

The Process of Collecting Digital Media Intelligence

• Due to the fact this information is public, there are usually no legal issues surrounding the capture of this information. But it’s always important to check current federal, state, and local regulations that would impact the use of this data. 
• Many social media platforms have public APIs allowing automated data pull from these sites. However, not all platforms have this functionality – TikTok and Snapchat are examples. 
• Companies and organizations must develop a digital media intelligence process that works for them.
• A byproduct of collecting this data is often a report of key findings. A digital media intelligence findings report often includes: 
• A summary of critical platforms and topics to monitor
• An examination of key themes and issues that are being discussed
• Examples of top posts to watch relating to these themes
• Commentary and discussions relating to top posts
• An analysis of spikes in conversation and theorizing as to why said spikes occur
• A platform-by-platform breakdown of where this conversation is active
• Key players within these conversations
• These reports can be pulled as often as needed. If a client faces an active issue, this report can be run daily or multiple times daily. If not, a weekly or quarterly report can help paint a full picture of the client's issue. 
• Artificial Intelligence can be factored into this collection process to help automate it, but for the nuances in the stories being told, it’s important to have human analysis.

Why Ms. Levenberg Works In Digital Media

• Ms. Levenberg started her career in broadcast journalism but soon pivoted to focus on online news outlets and social media.
• She has extensive expertise in digital, social, and paid media strategies for many previous clients with work experiences across multiple industries. 
• Her previous work taught her that communication with internal and external audiences is equally important for an organization’s reputation management and long-term growth. 
• “The digital landscape moves at lightning speed, and the rules of engagement, the goalposts are changing literally every day. The unknown and unpredictable, can be intimidating and scary for some clients to jump into. But I think the most rewarding thing for me is instilling that sense of curiosity, enthusiasm, and love for this work in them, ideally, so they don't need me anymore.”

How IRI Consultants Helps With Digital Media Intelligence

• Digital media intelligence collection can be managed in-house, but sometimes it is useful to pull in a consultant to manage this effort on an organization’s behalf. This is especially useful if an internal issue spills into outside channels. 
• For example, IRI Consultants offers digital media intelligence services, including customizable daily and weekly reports with quarterly analysis. 
• Daily and weekly reports are highly customizable, examining the client’s desired KPIs. Usually, IRI chooses four KPIs to monitor and track at the beginning of the client relationship. 
• Quarterly reports look at the overall trends over the past three months and provide in-depth competitor analysis. This analysis will capture earned content (3rd-party mentions or tags) and owned content (the client’s online presence). 
• This quarterly report will measure a client against their competitors in the domain of: 
• Posting Frequency
• Follower Growth
• Top Three Quarterly Posts
• Additionally, it includes analysis, recommendations, and opportunities for growth.
• To learn more about IRI Consultant’s communication services, visit iriconsultants.com. 

Philippa Levenberg Background 

• MA in Communication, Journalism, and Public Affairs from American University
• BA/Honors in Journalism and Political Communication from the University of Cape Town
• Ms. Levenberg began her career as a Producer with Voice of America
• She served as Digital Communications Manager for America Abroad Media
• She worked as Senior Account Executive, Digital with LEVICK, Creative Strategist with iStrategyLabs, and Senior Director, Digital Communications and Advertising with Story Partners
• She served as the Director, Digital Media for North Bridge Communications
• Ms. Levenberg also worked as Senior Vice President and Head of Digital for Qorvis Communications
• She is the Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Sable Strategy
• Currently, she serves as Director of Digital Strategy for IRI Consultants

Contact

• Philippa Levenberg on LinkedIn
• Philippa Levenberg email: [email protected]

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How...

The recent 2022 midterm election held high stakes for Biden’s agenda, and the National Labor Relations Board. The result of those elections ushers in a divided federal government for the next two years, likely putting Biden’s labor-focused agenda on the back burner. But what does that mean for employers? Today we are joined by Scott Purvis, Chief Operating Officer for IRI Consultants. Here, he explains: 

• What President Biden has been able to do without congressional support over the last couple of years;
• What was at stake for the NLRB with the midterm elections;
• How the NLRB and General Counsel Abruzzo can make impactful changes on their own; and
• What companies should be doing right now, to stay ahead of these concerns.

If you prefer to read along while you listen, we’ve done all the hard work for you! We listened back to this episode and took notes below, and access is free! 

President Biden’s Pro-Union Promise

• When running for office, President Biden promised to be the most pro-union President, and he’s delivered on that.
• In the first two years of his administration, he has embedded a number of labor officials throughout his administration, he has a very active labor relations board, and he has created a significant amount of tailwinds behind the organized labor movement’s current goals, which are to increase organizing and to secure their place in today’s workforce.
• President Biden has been effective in the labor movement, through executive orders, the placement of National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) members, his influence within his administration, and other items outside of the control of Congress.
• He launched his White House Task Force committee, which is co-chaired by Vice President Kamala Harris and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, and was able to create a lot of publicity with this initiative.
• On the legislative side, President Biden has not been able to get the PRO Act through Congress, and was stalled in the Senate because it was stalled by moderate Democrats. 
• What he has been able to accomplish, has fulfilled tangible actions to mobilize his organized labor base.

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Midterm Election Impact on Labor

• If Democrats had been able to maintain a supermajority in both chambers of Congress, and even increase their presence in the Senate, they would have had a better chance at delivering President Biden’s legislative agenda.
• More importantly, the midterm elections impact on labor zeros in on funding of the NLRB. 
• The NLRB claims to be vastly underfunded, writing letters to Congress to ask for funding, or risking furloughs and layoffs. There is internal maneuvering happening right now to keep the agency afloat.
• Now that Republicans have achieved a majority status in the House of Representatives, it will have a significant impact on funding of the NLRB. 
• They will have the opportunity to stall the appropriation bill, and could heavily curtail the board’s agenda, prolonging the board’s backlog, and exacerbating potential furloughs. 
• Looking more broadly, the Republicans gaining control of the House is their way of curtailing President Biden’s labor agenda. 
• The NLRB is currently asking for more that $300 million, which is a significant increase over their current budget. 
• The midterm elections have less of an impact on the upcoming NLRB nominations because President Biden will control the Democratic dominance on the NLRB. The members of the board whose terms expire in December, will be renewed by members of their own party.
• There could be significant efforts to retain the majority of the board at 5 members for the Democrats, but this is still developing.
• There is a significant enough influence inside the Board, giving it full operating strength, even if the number of seats are reduced, because the Democratic majority would still prevail.

The PRO Act

• Another way the midterm elections impact labor is legislatively. The state of the Senate remains in the balance with the run-off election that is underway in Georgia, but otherwise, Democrats will maintain their majority status in the Senate.
• There are a small handful of Democrats who have held out on President Biden’s PRO Act. It is unlikely that legislation will have much movement over the next two years.
• Instead, elements of the PRO Act could be seen in other bills and pushed through in smaller ways.

How Impactful is the NLRB?

• As seen in the first two years of the Biden administration, NLRB General Counsel, Jennifer Abruzzo, has been very active, and has made her agenda clear. 
• She has already followed through on some items of her agenda, focusing on tilting the scale of power back to workers, and reversing measures made during the Trump administration and earlier. 
• Through rulemaking and case law, the NLRB can impact how businesses interpret and are held accountable to the National Labor Relations Act.
• The NLRB has a say in how companies can communicate with their employees, how unions can access property, how 1099 and contract employees are treated and processed, the speed of election processes for collective bargaining agreements, and more.
• In recent years, the NLRB has had an enormous impact on the way companies can engage with and educate their employees, and that is intentional.
• The goal under General Counsel Abruzzo is to limit the opportunity for employers to persuade or influence their employees from unionizing.
• The current NLRB is prioritizing the limitations of employers to have educational meetings with employees about the pros and cons of unionization.
• These meetings are also known as “captive audience meetings” by organized labor and the NLRB.
• These meetings can be critical communication vehicles for employers to connect with their employees. 
• The NLRB is looking to eliminate them, or grant unions fair time to do their pitches inside the workplace. 
• The current NLRB board sees this as “leveling the playing field”, and some Democrats feel employers have the upperhand in communicating with employees. 
• Some people interpret “leveling the playing field” as meaning that labor unions have the same access as companies to potential collective bargaining members to share their messaging.
• Business leaders argue that unions can influence employees outside of the workplace, at any time they want. 
• Access is a hotly contested issue on the NLRB board, and something to look towards on the future agenda.
• The latest memo from General Counsel Abruzzo frames social media monitoring of companies as “surveillant”.
• Before social media, instant messaging, and other methods that employees use to collaborate today, employees would talk around the water cooler as a forum. 
• Today, employees can use digital platforms for employees to instantly share their thoughts with each other and online about their workplace.
• According to the current agenda of the NLRB, companies should face required transparency if the company monitors employees’ social media platforms.
• The board is trying to modernize and be more progressive in the way it handles employers listening to their employees’ online activities. This could have an impact on a company’s ability to protect against concerted activity. 
• During COVID, mail-in ballots became the norm for bargaining elections, something companies strongly pushed against for years.
• While there have been more in-person elections in recent months, mail-in ballots are likely not going away.
• Companies rejected these ballots because of potential fraud opportunities, unfair influence, etc. 
• General Counsel Abruzzo has attempted to breathe new life into the NLRB’s Joy Silk doctrine.
• The doctrine would create a burden of proof for employers to make claims there are no majorities in union voting, and would essentially bypass secret elections.
• This is something that has legs with the current board, and is part of their agenda to redistribute the balance of power in the workplace. This could become an ongoing battle for the NLRB.

How Companies Can Prepare for Change

• The speed of change coming from the NLRB is unprecedented after COVID, workplace dynamics have shifted, worker burnout, and economic instability. These have developed a perfect storm of stress and strain across all industries, and companies need to be tuned in to potential stressors.
• Employers need to be engaging and communicating with employees to keep them to maintain the employee experience.

There was a time when the job of a manager was fairly cut and dried – you knew what needed to be done, taught your employees how to do the work, and evaluated their performance. But in today’s disrupted and rapidly changing new world, managers can’t have all the right answers. Their role has moved from command-and-control to support-and-guidance – which means that leaders have primarily become coaches. Today we are joined by Marcey Uday-Riley, a Senior Consultant with IRI Consultants. Here, she explains:

• The difference between coaching for performance and coaching for development;
• How use of The Coaching Continuum can help employers assist employees become more successful;
• Why conversations are important for continued growth; and
• A key strategy managers can use to avoid getting sidetracked during these critical conversations!

If you prefer to read along while you listen, we’ve done all the hard work for you! We listened back to this episode and took notes below, and access is free!

What Is Coaching?

• Coaching is asking individuals what they think, so they are able to come up with solutions on their own through guided questions.
• The goal of coaching is to close a gap between what an employee is doing now and what they could or should be doing. Coaching can also close the gap for goals that employees may have.
• While training is typically a group of people, sharing information and learning exercises, with the goal being that they discover something that everyone can relate to. Well designed and well delivered training is very effective.
• Coaching is training, but for one specific individual, and personalized goals, ideas, and strategies. Because it is so individualized, it can be even more powerful.
• There are a few different kinds of coaching.
• Coaching for Performance is about trying to close the gap between what an employee is doing now, and what they could or should be doing. It can be beneficial for everyone, regardless of if they are meeting their job expectations or not. If more employers started using performance coaching on all employees, that can create more long term growth and potentially job retention.
• Coaching for Development, on the other hand, is about trying to close the gap between what the employee is doing now and what the goals are for their future life. The goal of development coaching is overall growth.
• In an ideal world, managers would do both performance and development coaching. However, because of reduced workforces and overburdened tasks, most managers are only thinking about how to coach for improved performance, and not coaching their stronger employees and coaching them to be better or helping them with long term career goals.
• Having a deeper understanding of an employee’s life can give managers a better idea of how to coach for improved performance and development.
• Before, employees were told to leave their personal life at home, but now, managers need to know their people and some of the forces that are impacting employees lives, because that can end up having an impact on job performance as well.
• Younger generations of workers are more comfortable talking about their life as a whole, and tell employers that they are giving their entire selves, not just their work self.

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The Coaching Continuum

• The coaching continuum is a way of looking at five different approaches for coaching for performance that a manager can take to help their employees be successful, and determining which approach is going to be best received by that individual, because people need personalized coaching for individualized performance expectations.
• In short, managers need to give employees what they need in the way they need it in order for it to work.
• The first style of coaching is direct. When a manager is direct, they tell people what to do. This is best for newer employees to lay down the job expectations.
• Then, the coach can become more of a guide, advisor, facilitator, or supporter. Each of these approaches can describe management style, and that decision is made based on the needs of the person, job, and organization.
• Each style of coaching for performance is outcomes based, and everything should be measurable to provide value to it. Employers and managers can assess where their employee is in terms of needs and goals, and determine what style of coaching works best.
• Newer hires, or someone with experience, is described as a novice. As they get more comfortable, they become a learner, and when they keep becoming more successful, they become a performer, then an expert, and then finally a master.
• The coaching styles, for the most part, line up with development levels for employees.
• Direct coaching assesses how much knowledge, skill, and ability an employee has, as well as how much experience they bring to the job. It also means confirming their knowledge level of the employee is accurate, and coaching for performance in a kind and caring way.
• New employees benefit well from direct coaching because it provides structure for expectations and training.
• Guided coaching is asking the employee questions about what they know so far, and then providing guidance as they continue to learn how to meet expectations.
• Performers are meeting job expectations, and the role of the manager is to advise, monitor, and continue to ask questions. At that point, managers are only providing advice when they do not know the answer, or cannot find it by themselves.
• High performers are often neglected, and managers stop coaching them, but they still need coaches to become facilitators to oversee continued development and growth. This neglect can make strong, high performing employees feel like they are not valued in the workplace and could decide to leave.
• Coaching should not stop because employees are experts and masters in their field. They still need support and guidance, just in a different way than job training.
• When thinking about the best approach for how to coach for improved performance, employers need to either be observing employees or observing the results of their work.
• This is evaluated based on an employee by employee basis, depending on their experience and performance expectation.
• Once employers have an idea of their work and their results, they can assess them based on their performance or results against the expectation. This determines how hands-on managers need to be, and the style of coaching for performance the employee needs.

Coaching Conversations

• Conversations surrounding coaching for performance can be uncomfortable for managers but they are important for continued growth. And because people learn best through processes, there is a guided process for facilitating conversations on how to coach for improved performance.
• The first step is describing the expectations for each employee, and why the conversation is necessary, whether the employee is underperforming, or just checking in for enhanced development.
• The second step should turn back to the employee, giving them the chance to talk through their performance, and why they might not be meeting their expectations.
• Once managers get an idea of the employees perspective, they can describe that experience back to the employee to show active listening, and a better understanding, as well as offering feedback.
• The final step is closing the gap, and developing a plan for improved performance based on what was discussed in the first three steps.
• Where managers sometimes fail to do, is provide the crucial step two before providing feedback, which is offering the employee a chance to explain their situation and make it an active conversation.

Coaching Sidetracks

• A sidetrack is what an employee does when they try to derail the conversation or make an excuse. This happens when they do not like that the manager is holding them accountable, even if it is in a caring way.
• Sidetracks do not help the coach help the employee be successful.
• There are a couple of strategies for leaders who feel the conversation is getting sidetracked during a coaching conversation.
• The easiest strategy is called ARP: acknowledge, respond, and pivot.
• When an employee throws out a sidetrack can managers acknowledge it, and do not dispute them. Letting them feel heard, but not agreeing with them.
• Responding is paraphrasing what the employee said, and making them feel listened to.
• Then, managers can pivot away from the sidetrack, and return to the conversation at hand.
• These sidetracks can also be used to discuss broader topics such as labor unions, but employers need to be clear and remember employer provided guidelines when discussing unions.

LEAD...

The biggest labor news of the past year has been the organizing efforts of Starbucks Workers United, an independent union led by Starbucks employees themselves. For many, this has been a new concept, but in reality, independent or in-house unions have been around for decades. How do these unions develop within a company and how can a company best respond to their advances? Our guest today is Mark Codd, Vice President and Managing Director for IRI Consultants. Here, he explains:

• What inspired this recent interest in independent labor unions;
• The organizing tactics employed by in-house unions;
• Why “independent” unions are often not as independent as they may seem; and
• The next phase in these independent drives, and what’s at stake for the movement.

If you prefer to read along while you listen, we’ve done all the hard work for you! We listened back to this episode and took notes below, and access is free! 

Setting the Stage

• The current circumstances of independent worker movements are influenced by working in a post pandemic world.
• In the 1960’s psychologist David McClelland developed a theory about acquired needs. His theory stated that humans have three basic needs: for power, for achievement, and for affiliation. Mr. Codd believes the isolation from the pandemic created an increased need for affiliation with others.
• This, coupled with the social turmoil of recent years, has created a social justice movement in the workplace.
• The simple “transactional” nature of the workplace has changed over the years.

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Independent Unions vs. Traditional Unions

• One of the key differences between a traditional union and the independent unions is the independent union’s lack of a basic foundation in the labor regulatory environment – they are lacking experience, sophistication and history.
• Worker support of independent unions is not an indictment of traditional labor unions, but a sign that people prefer to align themselves with the known, rather than the unknown. 
• The decision to support any union is an important one for workers, because it’s a decision that can have a direct impact on their wages, retirement, health benefits, and more. 
• It is very challenging for aspiring in-house organizers and independent unions to keep up with labor disclosure laws and compliance.
• Lack of compliance can lead to criminal penalties for organizers.
• As a result, many independent unions are quietly aligned with national or international unions, for support. 
• Even with all of the publicity surrounding some of these unions, like Starbucks, the help they get from traditional unions is often not in the press or a part of the conversation. 
• Some of the in-house unions may gain enough support, and eventually become their own larger union, but many of them lack the resources and structure to grow and advance.
• The process surrounding the signing of authorization cards, for example, is something national or international unions are well-versed in, understand how to comply with the law. Independent unions will sometimes make mistakes during organizing campaign, particularly with regards to making promises as to what can be reasonably gained or attained in the collective bargaining process.
• For example, inexperienced in-house unions may make campaign promises about broad political issues, such as climate change, immigration, the war in Ukraine. These issues are simply not within the sphere of the collective bargaining process.

Signs of Independent Union Organizing

• Management should not only monitor the workplace for union organizing, but create a positive employee experience.
• Some of the indications of workplace union organizing are an isolation, a means of employees not committed to the organization’s core values, deteriorating job performance, absenteeism, people not seeking feedback, and increasing turnover.
• This also shows that employees may not be as committed to the company, and do not share the organization’s goals.
• Many employers even outside the independent worker movement should be on the lookout for these warning signs.

Independent Union Organizing Tactics

• In order to understand the Independent Union process, HR professionals should become familiar with traditional organizing tactics. 
• An example of a documentary that showcases union tactics is The American Dream, which demonstrates the reality of organizing in the workplace. 
• Another example is the 1979 film Norma Rae, which is a fictionalized film about an organizing campaign.
• Independent union campaigns do embrace some traditional organizing tactics. 
• There is still a use of authorization cards to represent them for collective bargaining, they still have meetings, and use modern tools online for collaboration and organizing.
• However, independent unions typically pursue smaller units of employees, focusing on a single location, department or job classification. 
• These smaller units can keep organizing efforts quieter, as it eliminates the need to communicate with workers in public or online.
• The local nature of an independent union may encourage local involvement in the campaign, depending on the nature of the community. 

What’s Next for Unions?

• There is an evolution within union organizing. The last two years have been transformative, and an increase in affiliation. Mr. Codd believes a second phase of organizing is coming, which is negotiating, and that is a complex process.
• During this second phase, the workforce is going to see whether the independent worker movement is capable of delivering on its promises. Workers, especially retail workers, are really counting on the independent union movement to deliver.
• There has already been some frustration from workers represented by local independent unions, who are seeing a lack of progress being made on promises delivered months ago. 

The Power of Positive Employee Relations

• The goal of most HR professionals is commiting to workplace improvements, and it is the secret for making companies a great place to work. 
• One of the characteristics of a great place to work is a shared understanding and commitment to the goals and values of an organization, and that can naturally satisfy the need for affiliation.
• The best companies aim for more than net operating profits, and exist to accomplish a superordinate and overarching goal. 
• The concept of unionization is focused on the promises of one side of the relationship between a company and its employees. 
• Employers have an obligation to be transparent and share their philosophies when it comes to unionization and unions in the workplace. Transparency helps attract workers and influence the behavior within an organization. 
• The independent unions often lack the guidance and support of national unions; the challenge for employers is to address the issue of representation, but address the logistical challenges and educate employees on how the process works
• Some of the employees who joined independent unions have gotten locked into less-than-ideal situations because they did not understand their options and the challenges that face an inexperienced independent union. 
• Employers have to create a shared understanding of the representation process, because it can be very complex and can entail criminal liabilities if done wrong.

IRI Consultants

• IRI Consultants has been involved in thousands of cases, working with companies who are going through labor disputes.
• IRI can play an active role in part of an organization’s process to prepare for potential unionization, offering training, developing organizational tools, and more.
• Communications can play a powerful tool in mediating the communications with employees, consumers, and leaders. 
• IRI Consultants offers the Labor Relations Readiness Assessment which is a preventative tool to help organizations of any size and structure deal with potential union campaigns.  

Mark Codd Background

• Ph.D. in Organizational Conflict from Nova Southeastern University
• MBA in Human Resources Management & Services from The University of Texas at San Antonio
• He began his career as Division HR Manager and Manager of Compensation with HB Zachry Company
• Dr. Codd served as the Director of Labor Relations Group for Publix Supermarkets, Inc,.
• He was an Adjunct Full Professor at Webster University-Lakeland, and is currently an Adjunct Professor/Instructor at both N...

When a disruptive event occurs in a workplace – be it a natural disaster, a labor strike, or a pandemic – whenever it ends, life goes on, work goes on, but those events do not occur without negatively impacting your workforce in some way. It’s only through acknowledgement of the crisis, and processing its effects that we can envision an eventual “return to normal” and truly begin to rebuild relationships. Today’s guests are Carol Hutchins, a Labor, Communications and Organizational Development Consultant with IRI Consultants, and Sam Hutchins, who is an Organizational Development Consultant, also with IRI. Here, they explain:

• What restorative practices are, and why they are so critical after a crisis ;
• The dangers of moving forward after a crisis event without restoration;
• What to expect from the restorative process; and
• How third-party facilitators can assist in the initiation of this process!

If you prefer to read along while you listen, we’ve done all the hard work for you! We listened back to this episode and took notes below, and access is free!

Restoration

• Restoration is a process to promote good health amongst employees with the intent of reinvestment into the organization, creating a renewal to the organization.
• This includes mental health, wellbeing, and engagement, and the overall health of an employee translates to the health of the business.
• Mr. Hutchins references the Japanese art of kintsugi, where people take broken pottery and put it back together with gold, as an analogy for restorative practices after a crisis event. He calls it labor-intensive, delicate, and artful.
• It is important to take action soon after a crisis, to put the pieces back together as soon as possible.
• Actions after a crisis are not always perfect, but addressing the crisis, and the sense of isolation that comes with crisis, is important to restorative practices which require some sense of guidance.

The Decline of Social Connections

• Over the last two or three decades, people’s social relationships have shrunk by roughly 30%.
• Social media and the pandemic have become isolating factors which have had a social impact on the workplace, and there is a general lack of social relationships.
• The average person spends 2 hours on social media at work, therefore, people are looking for connection but not finding it in a meaningful way.
• Using COVID as an example, there have been high rates of turnover in the workplace, particularly in leadership, which creates the sense of instability.
• Other events such as an election, labor events, strikes, are triggering events in the workplace because it also brings the stability of relationships into question.
• This shrinking of social relationships, alongside the instability from the pandemic and other triggering events in the workplace highlight the critical need for restorative practices in the workplace.

What’s At Stake

• Crisis events in a workplace, such as a labor election or strike, can create fractured relationships and trust issues.
• Without initiating restorative practices after a crisis event, there can be a sense of worthlessness and loneliness which is not only negative for employee morale, but also overall morale across the company.
• A crisis event can have a serious impact on the way that people work and their relationships with one another, their relationship with the company and with senior leadership.
• Restorative practices after a crisis event allow companies to engage with their workforce, address these issues and provide the opportunity to build back what was lost in the midst of the crisis.
• These practices also acknowledge that something happened, and create a fresh start through a shift in perspective and creating a new pathway to a restored relationship.
• Restorative practices can be transformative. Going through this process is subjective to each person’s experience, and while it may not need to be mandatory, it can be beneficial for people to go through the process across the board.

The Restorative Process

• The restorative process starts by getting senior leadership involved to understand and support, and even engage in, the process.
• It is important to look at the most impacted groups from the crisis, and bring them together in smaller groups to have the opportunity to share their stories and develop compassion, and look towards ways of healing and engagement.
• The restorative process is complete in two different senses. In a formal definition, it is when intentional dialogue takes place, and informal processes begin to take shape. This includes peers at different levels supporting each other and engaging with each other, more meaningful dialogue between leaders and employees, and responsive management. These informal practices are a strong sense that the restorative process is nearing the end.
• A crisis should be addressed upfront, and quickly so that the workplace issues are handled quickly. There are benefits of initiating the process of healing when it is addressable.
• While addressing problems does increase vulnerability, it can help with underlying issues that could have been held for a long time.
• It is important to have senior leadership involved in restorative practices after a crisis event because they may also be in need of the process and connection as much as other employees.
• However, this process is strengthened when it is a peer process, and people at similar levels talk through their issues so they do not feel pressured to talk through some of their issues and to create a sense of compassion.
• While management should be involved in this process, companies may wish to engage a third-party to initiate restorative practices after a crisis event, to maintain confidentiality and build trust in the process, trust that may not be immediately in place if the process is initiated by an internal crisis management team.

Leadership’s Role

• It is important for leaders to be mindful of restorative practices after a crisis event and being able to address those problems upfront to prevent further damage.
• The following are signs leaders should look for, indicating a need to take proactive steps and initiate restorative practices after a crisis event:
• Any decreases in productivity, retention, morale, and motivation after a crisis event;
• Any decline in employee health or trust;
• Any increases in absenteeism, personal conflicts, or indifferencein the workplace.
• Leaders also benefit personally from restorative practices! 33% of leaders who left their position in the past 5 years did so because of their mental health, and there are metrics that show the reality of meaningful engagement having a positive impact on mental health.

IRI Consultants

• IRI Consultants offers third-party consultant services, including restorative practices after a crisis event, helping both companies and their employees find solutions to organizational management, relationship-building, and engagement strategies.

Carol Hutchins Background

• BS in Communication from Columbia College Chicago
• Arbitration Certification from Hamline University
• Mediation at the Center for Conflict Resolution, Chicago
• ADA Mediation at John Jay College (CUNY)
• Divorce Mediation, Ann Arbor Mediation Center
• Ms. Hutchins is the Founder and Owner of Communcation Solutions
• She currently serves as Labor, Communications and Organizational Development Consultant for IRI Consultants

Sam Hutchins Background

• MS (ABT) in Psychology from Lipscomb University
• Masters of Divinity from Beeson Divinity School at Samford University
• BA in Psychology from Wartburg College
• Mr. Hutchins has worked as a college Faculty Assistant, as a hospital Mental Health Associate, and as a university Residential Coordinator
• He currently serves as an Organizational Development Consultant with IRI Consultants

Contact

• Carol Hutchins on LinkedIn 
• Carol Hutchins email: [email protected]
• Sam Hutchins on LinkedIn
• Sam Hutchins email: [email protected]

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Over the years, there have been a number of films created whose purpose was to shine a light on the inner workings of a company or an entire industry. These kinds of films can have a deep impact on an organization’s reputation. What can be done if your company ever finds itself in the crosshairs of this type of action – and how can you prepare, in advance, for potential attacks on your corporate reputation? We are joined today by Mike Lake, Managing Director of Communications at IRI Consultants. Here, he explains:

• How today’s unprecedented access to information magnifies the impact of corporate attacks;
• What’s at stake for targeted companies and industries;
• The importance of being proactive, versus reactive; and
• The critical role HR professionals play in corporate reputation management!

For even more information on corporate reputation management, check out our article on strategies to keep your organization prepared for any attack thrown your way!

If you prefer to read along while you listen, we’ve done all the hard work for you! We listened back to this episode and took notes below, and access is free!

Targeted Attacks On Corporate Reputation

• While there have been numerous documentaries targeting certain industries — including American Factory, which targeted the manufacturing industry, Rotten which targeted the food industry, and the film Dark Waters, which specifically called out DuPont — most organizations will not face a widely published documentary or film.
• Even though this threat might seem small, every organization is at risk of bad publicity due to the increase in exposure these types of films have seen.
• There are always eyes on any controversial, bad, or even just funny behavior that occurs within an organization, and that creates risk.
• Social media allows for stories to spread quickly and can cause serious uproar that can and will affect an organization directly (see recent Ben & Jerry’s boycott and the 2021 relocation of MLB’s All-Star Game).

Why Are These Attacks So Damaging?

• A major factor in the damaging impact of these attacks is the fact that the arguments presented are one-sided.
• Organizations are often not given an opportunity to respond – or if they are, their response may be limited due to litigation stemming from the attack.
• These attacks damage the brand and reputation of the organization, and can be difficult to defend against.

What’s At Stake?

• “It takes twenty years to build a reputation and only five minutes to destroy it.” – Warren Buffet
• Today, information is more accessible than ever before, which allows the public to research an organization more thoroughly than ever before and develop an opinion based on that research.
• Employees want to work for organizations that align with their own personal values and mission — so if an organization comes under attack, it can severely hinder the efforts to attract, hire, and retain top talent.
• Full recovery from an attack on corporate reputation is possible, but organizations should be prepared for a significant investment of time, resources, and personnel to rebuild that reputation.

Prevention & Preparation

• Corporate Reputation Management is an investment in the future because it allows organizations to prepare for an attack before it occurs.
• The first step is to change the mindset from reactionary to proactionary.
• Reputation attacks often occur prior to union organizing campaigns — for more information on these corporate campaigns, see Jarol B. Manheim’s book The Death of A Thousand Cuts: Corporate Campaigns and the Attack on the Corporation.
• Implementing a corporate reputation management plan or crisis plan, an organization that has plans in place will be better equipped to avoid a widely public attack on their reputation.
• Conducting a vulnerability assessment to examine the organization from the inside will allow for better strategies to protect corporate reputations.
• When it comes to brand & reputation, each must be defined.
• Your brand is the public promises you make to the market.
• Your reputation is how well you uphold those promises.
• This applies internally as well.
• As mentioned previously, people want to work for organizations that align with their own personal values and goals.
• Employees must see, hear, and feel those values and goals being worked toward, and the organizations should show genuine appreciation and gratitude to those employees for their efforts in that cause. This appreciation can be shown in many ways, from competitive pay, benefits, and incentives to interactional appreciation in the office.
• Employees should feel like they’re part of the organization’s success, and they should find a sense of pride in that success.
• At IRI, client organizations are encouraged to participate in “company brand” activities such as interviewing employees to get a glimpse into the positive experiences they’ve had at their organization.
• These videos and quotes can then be shared with prospective hires to provide something more than just a job description and a brief summary of the company culture.

InHospitable Healthcare Industry Preparation

• The Inhospitable film will draw attention to healthcare practices that may have not been previously addressed.
• Those within the industry should prepare for potential exposures of their business practices that could be spun in a negative light.
• Once again, organizations in the healthcare industry should look into their vulnerabilities to prepare for this attention.

Connecting With Other Organizations & Strategizing Around Communication

• Information is valuable, and when a situation presents itself, sometimes it can be difficult to share information due to legal ramifications.
• That being said, trade associations are a great place organizations can go to collaborate as an industry as opposed to organization to organization.
• It is also important for organizations to have a good social media monitoring system to stay ahead of any bad publicity that may arise within the industry.
• From there, consolidating the content and drawing conclusions from that content is key.
• IRI focuses on doing just that for clients and will help organizations develop their corporate reputation management plan.

The Role of HR Professionals in Corporate Reputation Management

• HR serves as the gatekeepers for helping people understand the corporate brand — both before they accept a position within a company, as well as reinforcing that understanding afterward.
• One of the most important roles an HR Professional can play is to always ensure the organization is recruiting the right people and onboarding them thoroughly.
• This will help employees develop a sense of appreciation for their organization to where they feel comfortable sharing that appreciation with others.
• Forrester consulting recently did a survey where they found that up to 75% of decisions customers make are tied to the executive leadership team of that organization.This means that the leadership team should not only articulate the vision, mission, and values of the organization, they should also live them.
• Living the brand is truly what corporate reputation management is; Showing that the values and mission of the organization are being practiced every day is paramount.

IRI Consultants & Support For Corporate Reputation Management

• It is important to consult with people who have experience in corporate reputation management. IRI Consultants have been in the trenches and know what works and what doesn’t.
• IRI Consultants employ experienced practitioners in healthcare, retail, communications, organizational development, crisis communications, and more.
• What separates IRI from other firms is the relationship between client and their IRI seasoned practitioner, who works side-by-side with the organization.
• You can learn more about IRI Consultants and all the services offered here.

Mike Lake Background

• BA in Economics from California State University, Fullerton
• Mr. Lake actually began his career working in both the United State Senate as Assistant Press Secretary to former Governor of California and Senator Pete Wilson and in The White House as Staff Assistant to the President.