This Week at Work

Psychological Safety: Balancing Worker Psyche, Rights, and Engagement

ep202: 
We welcome excellent guests this week and delve into a term some will not have heard of, but everyone with a job is familiar with. Psychological Safety is another attempt to package the complicated workplace into a simple idea. When it comes down to it, Psychological Safety is a delicate balance between worker psyche, personal rights, and their engagement with the organization.
 
0:15 - Today on This Week at Work
 
Lawyer on the Clock: 
 
3:29 - Melissa Pesce from Ogletree Deakins steps in for Burt to discuss Don’s question about an amendment for union organization change in Illinois, DOL’s attempts to revamp independent contractor text causing confusion, and Amazon rejects unionization 2 to 1 in Albany, NY, while Apple organized in OKC.
 
Philburt’s Phorum: 
 
10:02 - Phil get’s help with his new mantra “be nice to people” from Patrick Swayze’s performance in MGM’s Roadhouse
 
The Employer’s Lounge: Performance Reviews
 
12:20 - What is Psychological Safety?
14:30 - You have to help supervisors learn to create employee engagement
16:56 - Poll results - 67% say a Psychologically Safe workplace is a place where it is okay to fail and share opinions, and it’s a new term to 7%
18:45 - The First Amendment is not a license for employees to say whatever they want
24:18 - Looking through a generational lens and realizing HR professionals are challenged now  to understand worker psyche
29:28 - It starts with your interview process
 
Host(s): 
Phil Brandt, President and CEO of AAIM Employers’ Association
 
Guest(s):
Melissa Pece, Senior Counsel, Ogletree Deakins
Tanya Zion, JD, Strategic Business Consultant and Executive Coach
 
Powered by AAIM Employers’ Association and Ogletree Deakins, a Feature Group USA production 

Performance Reviews: Now and How?

ep201: 
Phil and Burt discuss why, even now, performance reviews are a must, but they must be done wisely. 
0:15 - Today on This Week at Work
Lawyer on the Clock: 
4:50 - Florida's ban on COVID-19 vaccine passports validated, a Starbucks lawsuit will determine if shareholders or employees can successfully challenge a company's diversity, equity and inclusion policy, and AMEX class action lawsuit weighs in on whether or not white employees are subject to racially discriminatory policies that fostered a hostile work environment
Philburt’s Phorum: 
11:45 - Strippers at Star Garden Topless Bar are voting to unionize
The Employer’s Lounge: Performance Reviews
16:30 - Yes, do Performance Reviews
20:35 - Grade inflation - the number one legal problem with performance reviews
25:45 - Should you share the results of reviews?
26:52 - Poll results - What is the top reason you do performance reviews? 9% say they don’t
Hosts: 
Phil Brandt, President and CEO of AAIM Employers’ Association
Burton Garland, Jr., Shareholder, Ogletree Deakins
Powered by AAIM Employers’ Association and Ogletree Deakins, a Feature Group USA production 

Employees Crave Recognition: Businesses Feed on Culture

ep200: 
What!? 200 episodes? We celebrate our 200th episode by digging deep into what employees are craving with Tanya Zion, Strategic Business Consultant and Executive Coach. Plus, Burt goes over his 6-minute allowance to bring insights into recent news from the NLRB, DOL, and minimum wage increases.
Powered by AAIM Employers’ Association and Ogletree Deakins, a Feature Group USA production 
0:16 - Today on This Week at Work
3:08 - Throwback: Tom Chibnall with Ogletree Deakins discussed how to prepare for a visit from OSHA during the pandemic 
4:42 - Throwback: Luther Wright, Jr. with Ogletree Deakins encouraged people to see color, but understand how the words we use land on the receiving end
6:53 - Throwback: Jim Plunkett with Ogletree Deakins reports impending legislation from the front line in Washington D.C.
Lawyer on the Clock: 
7:55 - NLRB revises its mail-in ballot standards, a DOL memo warns of pandemic unemployment insurance fraud, minimum wage increases for federal government contractors, California and New York City require employers to include pay scale in job postings, and Burt closes with Ken and Barbie? 
Philburt’s Phorum:
16:00 - A layoff gone terribly...hysterical?
The Employer’s Lounge with Guest Tanya Zion
19:50 - Throwback: Michael Maciekowich with Astron Solutions explained why sign on bonuses aren’t working and how past tactics are making a return
20:55 - Culture and working from home
25:16 - Employees are craving recognition
28:02 - KPI’s are key to process, people, and communication
Hosts: Phil Brandt, President and CEO of AAIM Employers’ AssociationBurton Garland, Jr., Shareholder, Ogletree Deakins
Guests:
Tanya Zion, Strategic Business Consultant and Executive Coach
Tom Chibnall, Ogletree Deakins
Luther Wright, Jr., Ogletree Deakins
James Plunkett, Ogletree Deakins
Michael Maciekowich, Astron Solutions

Unions Gaining Steam

Unions’ backs are against the wall. In the case of Home Depot, they have employees coming out swinging. This week we cover the BIG NEWS coming out of Philadelphia as Home Depot faces their first ever union petition despite their significant efforts to remain union free.

Dealing with Difficult People in the Workplace

Difficult employees - WHY keep them, WHEN to terminate them, WHERE to protect yourself, and HOW to make it a positive for your organization. This probably causes the most headaches for HR professionals, because the workplace would be better without them, but there might not be good enough reasons to get rid of them. Join Phil and Burt as they discuss ways to encourage performance or properly handle situations that require separation.
3:03 - Poll - do you have a net negative contributor in your office? 
3:52 - Moving from annual to quarterly performance reviews 
9:24 - Employment at will and how that can help you get rid of a difficult person 
12:29 - Necessary documentation in a termination process 
16:17 - What to do when the employee doesn’t want to leave 
20:41 - How do you handle the high performer who creates problems in the workplace? 
23:50 - Are people retaining problem employees because it’s hard to find more talent? 
30:20 - Home Depot’s first ever union petition - teaser for next week

Inflation and Compensation: Helping Employees Cope

Most HR professionals have never managed an inflationary period like we face today. So Michael Maciekowich, National Director, Astron Solutions, is joining us to talk about inflation and compensation. Michael has experienced inflation cycles like this before, and his expert advice can help you meet your employees where they are. 
 
1:56 - Poll - How are other companies helping their employees cope with inflation? 
3:10 - Past inflation cycles and what we can learn from them 
9:39 - Are we heading into a recession? 
12:33 - Creating realistic budget projections 
18:31 - Why so many companies seem to not be addressing inflation 
20:50 - Best practices to address inflation for your employees 
24:03 - The pros and cons of hire-on bonuses

Millennials in the Workforce: Quiet Quitting and Gender Dysphoria as a Disability

Gender dysphoria is ruled a disability in a federal appeals court. What should you take away from it? The answer may be simpler than you think, even if you’re already confused about how it relates to the ADA’s exclusion of gender identity disorders. Also, Quiet Quitting is shifting to Loud and Proud! A TikTok video is inspiring a new wave of employees to “Act Their Wage”. Phil pumps the brakes on this “new” phenomenon. People managers have been dealing with it for years.
 
1:21 - Poll - will recruiting get easier or harder in the next 3-5 years? 
2:22 - Gender dysphoria is ruled a disability in a federal appeals court and what that means for employers 
12:53 - Dissenting opinion on the gender dysphoria case 
27:05 - Quiet quitting - what it really is and what you can do about it
29:50 - The data behind the quiet quitting movement - where did it start? 

Wayfinder HR Summit Take-Aways

Kris Gfell, Business Manager, HR Services at AAIM joins Phil today to talk about recruiting, employee engagement, and take-aways from the Wayfinder HR Summit. 

Apple Employees Petition to Protest Return-to-Office: Sounds Like Organizing

Between the student loan forgiveness and Apple employees petitioning to protest against returning to the office, there’s so much to cover! On the show today, Burt and Phil discuss how the student loan forgiveness will affect the job market and potentially your contract with employees. Also, the show offers guidance on how to respond if your employees begin organizing to petition against workplace policies, like returning to work. Listen to the show today for Phil and Burt’s take. 
 
4:41 - Thoughts and facts on student loan forgiveness 
10:41- How will student loan forgiveness affect employers? 
14:07 - Using the correct language in offer letters to avoid future issues 
17:22 - Poll question: how owners vs staff feel about working remotely 
18:53 - BREAKING NEWS - Apple employees are protesting the return to office
25:13 - How to handle tensions between employees and management

Recruiting, Retaining, and Engaging Top Talent

Employees and candidates control the job market in 2022, and in order to be competitive, companies are being pressured into offering hybrid or remote working setups. At the same time, CDC recommendations are relaxing, and there is pressure from executives to get people back into the office.  Phil and Burt discuss how to navigate the return to the office for organizations that are recruiting new talent, or who are working to retain and engage existing talent. 
1:20 - Poll - Getting a read on how employers are feeling about their current ability to recruit, retain, and engage their workforce 1:53 - Analyzing the attitudes towards remote and hybrid workforces3:14 - Thoughts on compromising with your employees in light of current CDC recommendations as nearly everyone prefers the option to work remotely11:08 - How to move a fully remote team to a hybrid or in-person work set up 14:00 - Considerations to take with pay and hiring practices with remote workers 22:09 - Is remote work a reasonable accommodation according to the ADA?