Spring 2012

In Search of Candidate Courtesy

Somewhere, in the midst of the economic decline and massive job eliminations, many companies have adopted a cavalier approach to dealing with both outside vendors and employment candidates. The attitude seems to be such that no response is required, even to those who the company themselves contacted to request a proposal or to attend an interview. As a consultant primarily responsible for my own company's business development, I have become somewhat hardened to this practice; but it is nonetheless frustrating to be pursued for an immediate meeting, asked for a 24 hour turnaround on a service proposal and then receive no response whatsoever, despite numerous attempts to follow up with the person who asked for the information. It's as if there is no perceived expectation to return the same level of courtesy as that which was extended to them in the exchange.

Sadly, today's job seeker experiences this frustration everyday. Many of these folks already have fragile egos and diminished self confidence from losing a position and dealing with unemployment perhaps, for the first time in their career. Each day, they work the internet job boards, network with peers, and reach out to friends and family in an effort to get a lead on a new opportunity. Many of these individuals I meet throughout the course of my work are tireless in this effort and, despite the emotional roller coaster of the job search process, they are upbeat and optimistic about their future. But I see these incidents of lost candidate courtesy slowly eroding their optimism as they continue to experience this mistreatment by company representatives responsible for recruitment and hiring.

I recently heard from my friend Larry who was wooed by a recruiter for a senior level position and asked if he would be willing to fly to Arizona for an interview with the hiring manager. Two weeks passed and Larry heard nothing more from the recruiter until 48 hours before he was to fly out. He was emailed the airline ticket, given the address of the office, and left to arrange his own transportation from the airport. Nonetheless, he arrived on time for the interview and after a 40 minute wait, was escorted to the interviewer's office. The discussion went well and Larry returned home feeling positive about the day. He sent his thank you notes to all involved and waited to hear from the recruiter who promised to contact him later that week. After 2 weeks, Larry has not been contacted nor have his follow up emails been acknowledged. Larry told me he has accepted the fact that he probably is no longer under consideration for the position, but it's the way he was treated that bothers him more than being rejected for the job. Unfortunately, Larry's experience is not unique and has become the new normal for many companies.

What many of these companies and HR practitioners who lead the recruitment process fail to realize is that as the job market continues to improve, the war for talent will be won by those organizations that recognize the importance of candidate courtesy and take the necessary steps to create a culture that values this attribute. It's not a difficult concept and is based on the age old "golden rule" theory of treating others as you would want to be treated. Clearly, those companies that embrace this philosophy will be the employers of choice for Larry and other talented candidates who know that good or bad, the treatment they receive as a candidate, is likely indicative of the same treatment they will receive as an employee.

If we can help to provide your hiring managers a "refresher" on candidate courtesy give us a call at 610-287-1162 or email me at phil@hrsolutionsonline.com.

Have a safe and happy spring!

Phil


Social Media and The NLRB

As the use of Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter becomes commonplace, companies have recognized the need to develop some policy guidelines around the use of social media by their employees. Most social media policies are designed to promote employee awareness of how the company has chosen to use social media to market its brand, recruit employees and generally reach a broader audience. Included in many of these policies are statements that guide employees on the use of social media so as not to have the company's image tarnished by a disgruntled worker or to create a forum where employees can publicly complain about the company or its management.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) recently posted a report from last year, that outlined their opinion on various social media cases they recently reviewed, They included a case where an employee was released for identifying and calling a supervisor a "scumbag" on a social media site. The Board reinstated the employee under the premise that his action was within the context of protected concerted activity because it involved a protest of unlawful supervisory actions, occurred outside the workplace and during non-working time, and was not overly egregious or accompanied by threats.

Another case involved a policy prohibiting employees from using the company name, address, or information on their profile page. The NLRB considered this policy as written, to be unlawful.

This area is one currently being shaped by case law but if the NLRB's decisions are any indication of how social media cases will be viewed by the court, employers must take into account these issues when reviewing or investigating issues involving social media.

Don't go it alone. Take advantage of our free consultation and HR audit to see if your company is at risk. Call us today at 610-287-1162 or email me at phil@hrsolutionsonline.com.