MyWorkChoice’s Post

Let’s cut the crap. Trying to make $16/hour jobs appealing with long shifts, no flexibility, and strict attendance policies isn't working.    Think about it, how do you attract salaried people? You allow them to work remotely a few days a week or take a morning off for a doctor's appointment. Could you imagine putting your accounting department on an attendance point system? Good luck with that.    Here’s what we need to do: - Treat new hires like they’re in an "incubator." They need different support and benefits, not the same old crap. - Offer more unpaid time off. Offer shift swapping. Allow them to volunteer for OT instead of it being mandatory.    It’s what they want, and it doesn’t cost you anything if you’ve got someone to cover (more on that later).   Give people some flexibility and a supportive environment, and they'll actually stick around. This no-bullshit approach is exactly how we started MyWorkChoice. We were tired of fighting against what workers are going to do whether we like it or not. They're going to take the occasional day off, they're going to ask to swap a shift from time-to-time, and they're going to jump to another $16 an hour job tomorrow if you don't let them.    By giving workers the flexibility they want, we've created a win-win for employees and the company. How can we do it? By always having a group of long-term part timers who fill in when someone calls off. No scrambling at the last minute to get someone to cover the shift, no asking 2nd shift to work OT to cover for the 3rd shifter who didn't show.    Giving people more options costs you nothing, but the payoff is massive. You save on recruitment, you save on overtime and you save on turnover. If you want to know how we’ve made it work and learn from our successes (and failures), let’s talk. 

Mondays are tough and they make me wanna 😖💥🔫 . So I've decided to make it a day of hot takes 🔥 to let off some steam 😤 Here we go... 🔴 If you see a lot of unplanned overtime in your business, there is a 1/3 chance that you don’t have a workload or a staffing issue. 🔥You have a workforce management issue. 💡Businesses that automate leave and absence management see around 33% less unplanned overtime. According to the study by Aberdeen Group. ❓ What does this mean for your company? I DON'T PRETEND TO KNOW! But chances are good that you can do something about it. Virtually all CEOs believe that their company is facing disruptive change, and around 70 percent say their business does not have the skills to adapt. And it's just one example I think that more businesses can benefit from looking outwards and brining in new skills. Either via 3rd party solutions/services or by hiring new talent that can introduce real change management within the organization. Your work environment, tools, business processes should change in order for your organization to adapt. 😨 We currently have FIVE generations in the workforce. Each have their own expectations, motives, challenges and desires. How are you planning to manage all of them with Excel? I like Excel, it's a powerful tool. But it wasn't build for those issues. 😇 Innovation inspires collaboration between generations. I strongly believe that with the right expertise at your side you can not only adapt, but thrive 😎 in any market. I decided to adapt to Mondays by writing about conventions I disagree with. Now, I'm calm, and i can resume my Monday in peace. Feel free to disagree with me in the comments 👇 , I'd be happy to chat. Or post your hot take 🔥 #ProductivityHacks #FutureOfWork #overtime #hrexperts

Q. Hi Liz, at my job you get better assignments and bigger pay raises by working more hours. These are salaried positions. They make snide comments about people who aren’t in the office working at 7 PM, and we’re also not allowed to work from home. Working late almost every night is part of the culture. The unpaid overtime is expected. There’s no thank you and no appreciation. How can I set a boundary around my life outside of work when none of my coworkers do? A. That’s a tough thing to do. I recommend that you start a job search and as you begin to have second interviews, start setting boundaries at work. Don’t put your job at risk before you have your job search boat in the water but once you do, start shortening your workday to a reasonable length and let them comment about you all they want. At that point, it won’t matter if they gossip about you. It won’t matter if they give you a meh performance review and raise. Your focus will be on the external job market, not your current job. A very common phenomenon is that as you turn your attention away from your managers and their insatiable needs, they’ll value you more. Your boss may sidle up to you one day and say, Everything OK? You know, you’re a key part of this organization. They will pick up on the energetic shift in you. But by then it will be too late.

Dinner at 1am. Breakfast at 2pm. That’s how my Thursday is going so far, and I am nowhere near finished work and it’s 4:45 as I write this. However, it helps that I love my job. I often find myself absentmindedly walking to my desk when I have some free time. However, it’s not ONLY because I love my job. It’s also because I care about the business and want it to succeed. Why wouldn’t I, I’m the founder. (Check us out HR Habitat Ltd ). I speak to many business owners, managers, leadership every single day, and so many expect the above working ethic from their workforce. They expect employees to respond to emails at 11pm, come into work at 5am and work through the weekends. Ok. I’ll admit. I’m old fashioned. I do think that graft shows dedication and loyalty. But I don’t for a second think that employees who don’t work significant overtime are NOT dedicated. There has to be a fine balance. Also, they don’t own the business. Their dedication will be reflective of how much they view they are an asset to the company, or how far they think they contribute to the wider organisational goals. That being said, if I had employees, would I want/expect them to work through the night like I do? No. But would I reward and recognise hard work and overtime if this happened? Yes. This is my approach with our lovely interns at HR Habitat. My message here is this; Don’t expect employees to work stupid hours. Reward them if they show dedication (how ever they may choose to show it). Be mindful of those who always “show face” and are loud- this doesn’t always mean they are productive or dedicated. The only way to assess employee productivity, performance and progress (the 3 magic P’s) this is through employee reviews and 121 appraisals. If you’ve made it this far into my post, you’re probably now questioning if you have a performance review process in place at your organisation, and if you do, then you’re wondering if it’s affective. 🤔 Give me a call 0330 133 5088 . Photo credit 📸: Inc Magazine #hrconsulting

Read about the Three Magic P’s ✨

Bernie Sanders' proposal for a 32 hour, 4 day workweek absolutely DOES mean workers would see reduced pay and here's why... Most employers have policies in place that non-exempt employees (i.e. hourly workers) are not permitted to work more than 40 hours/week without supervisor approval. This is necessary in order to contain overtime costs. If, as Bernie suggests, overtime pay kicks in at 32 hours, employers would no doubt schedule hourly workers on 32 hour rotations, thereby resulting in a loss of 8 hours' of pay for those workers. I also call bs on BS' statement that U.S. workers work "hundreds of hours longer" than other countries- that's literally impossible as there are only 168 hours per week. Not to mention, the average U.S worker works about 34 hours per week. Folks, a 32 hour workweek for 40 hours of pay is one more example of the government promising free money. Nothing is free. 

Senator Bernie Sanders Pushes Forward Rep. Mark Takano’s 32-Hour Workweek Bill By Jack Kelly The global movement toward a 32-hour workweek is gaining traction in the United States with an endorsement by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Last Wednesday, Sanders introduced the Senate companion bill to Rep. Mark Takano’s (D-Calif.) Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act that would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act, reducing the standard workweek from 40 hours to 32, and lower the maximum hours threshold for overtime pay for non-exempt employees. “Today in America, 28.5 million Americans—18% of our workforce—now work over 60 hours a week, and 40% of employees in America now work at least 50 hours a week,” said Sanders in his opening remarks. “We were talking about a 40-hour workweek 80 years ago, and that’s what people today, despite the explosion of technology, are working. The sad reality is that Americans now work more hours than the people of any other wealthy nation.” The Vermont senator added that although American workers are 400% more productive today, “the average worker in America makes almost $50 a week less than he or she did 50 years ago, after adjusting for inflation.” Read full story for Jack's interview with California Congressman Mark Takano... https://lnkd.in/e982iuAV

🚩 Red Flag Alert: "We work hard and play harder" If you see this phrase in a job offer, think twice. Let me explain why, based on my personal 9 to 5 experience: 1. "We work hard" This often implies a "we are a family" mentality that pushes for extra effort. However, we are not a family; we are coworkers collaborating for the company. "We work hard" usually means "the newest team member works hardest" to prove their worth. This can lead to long hours, unpaid overtime, and a significant imbalance in work-life harmony. My family—my wife and four kids—deserves my time and energy too. My 7-year-old, for example, wouldn't understand why I can't play with him because I have to work late. 2. "We play harder" This phrase typically indicates high-pressure environments to meet deadlines. While pressure can sometimes bring results for cooking vegetables, it’s not a healthy or sustainable approach for people. High stress levels can undermine productivity and well-being. Disclaimer: I am sharing my personal experience and not generalizing and might be a hot take. These are the reasons I lasted only one year as a 9 to 5 employee. For more on my first experience as a junior developer back in 2020, check out the article in the first comment.

I loved reading this story because it highlighted so many of the core advantages small manufacturers have access to simply because of the strong relationships that smaller businesses can build with their employees. Solving problems (like how overtime will work in a 4-day workweek) should be a collaborative endeavor, one that both makes business sense and keeps the best interests of employees in mind. A shorter workweek doesn't have to be a blow to productivity and instead can be a transportive boost to morale. #Leadership #Wellness #Manufacturing

Hello! I’d like to invite all the employees and managers from companies that provide on-site services to join in on a discussion. We’re going to talk about work schedules, wages, and workers' rights. (Based on real case) Typical scenario: a service company. It has an office in a port city and does ship repairs at various harbours, terminals, and shipyards in the area. According to the contract, employees have an 8-hour workday from 8 AM to 5 PM, with overtime paid separately. Here’s where it gets interesting. At 8 AM, the employee is in office, gets their assignment, tools and equipment, and by 9 AM, they head to the ship. The trip from the office to the ship takes about 1.5 hours, considering traffic, waiting for passes, etc. So, the question is: when should they leave the ship and where should they go then? Here are some options, each with its own drawbacks: 1 - They leave the ship at 5 PM and head back to the office to unload equipment, then go home. The downside? The employee gets home 1.5 hours later and is understandably unhappy. 2 - They leave the ship at 3:30 PM to be back at the office by 5 PM, ending their workday as per contract. The downside here is the employer (and possibly customer) is unhappy because the employee effectively worked on the ship from 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM, minus an hour for lunch – so only 4 hours in total. 3 - They leave the ship at 5 PM and head straight home with the equipment. This is a compromise but a tricky one. First, it’s unclear where the employee lives: closer to the terminal, the office, or the other side of the city. Second, it’s unknown if they’re alone, if they have personal or company transport, and if it’s convenient and safe to store the equipment in the car. So, colleagues, what should we do? What’s the right move? We’re not considering option 3 since it varies too much depending on the object location and persone. Should we pay workers for the extra travel time? If so, how much (as a percentage of base pay)? Should we accept them only working 4 hours on-site? Any other options?