Let Us (Re)Introduce Ourselves
To the many friends of Rose Street Advisors, As we embrace this new year, we are more committed than ever to living out our core values and our mantra "What We Do and How We Do It Matters". Enjoy this glimpse into the people and the heart of Rose Street Advisors from the team themselves. With humble appreciation for our clients and our people,
Rob Hunt
LIC, CLU | PRINCIPAL & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
As Principal and CEO, Rob spearheads the vision, drive for growth, and pursuit of excellence at Rose Street Advisors. Rob loves being outdoors with his wife Erin and kids. He has slalom skied for the past 35 years, never missing a season. He also enjoys spending time at the lake and on the golf course.Interested in more?
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While a New Year typically involves a fresh start, 2022 may find employers feeling the New Year is kind of like a bad movie sequel: 2021 – part 2. Many of the issues that we thought would be ending with the past year, have continued.
Each January we publish a blog with thoughts of what to expect in the coming year. With the speed of change this past year and a half, it has been difficult to accurately predict much in advance. Currently, some of the things we’re watching, include the spike in Covid cases, the vaccine mandate that may or may not happen on January 10th, the great resignation, maintaining a culture for employees who are spread between working remotely, in hybrid arrangements, and onsite, and pandemic fatigue.
So how do you make plans for this year? Here are some things to take into consideration:
Be Flexible: There will be new things to consider in 2022. Be prepared to change whatever plans you make based on the newest conditions.
Be Creative: Think about your unique culture and ways to get out of the traditional work environment box. I’ve had some great customer meetings on hiking trails this year. What could your organization be offering?
Plan for the short term: When you roll out your plans, announce that you will be doing it for 60-90 days to start. That will give you time to evaluate the effectiveness and sends the message that we’re all trying something new together.
Overcommunicate your plans: If this is a significant change, make certain that you provide advance notice and communicate via multiple channels. Adding the element of surprise to a major change is a clear recipe for disaster.
Be Understanding: None of us have done this before, so there are bound to be some hiccups.
The good news is that organizations have been able to demonstrate their resilience in 2021. With what we’ve learned, 2022 should be a breeze!
Our best wishes to all of you for a safe, healthy, and productive New Year!
This past year has brought EDI (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) conversations to the forefront more than ever before. As a part of that focus, organizations have formed EDI committees. But what should an EDI committee do? How can they best be successful?
We’ve been hearing from some of our customers that their EDI committee discussions have been difficult, at times contentious, but most importantly, not effective. None of this is surprising. EDI issues are complex, wide ranging and are often highly emotional.
What can organizations do to actively address EDI issues in a way that makes progress, opens conversations, and ultimately makes a difference for the organization?
We recommend that EDI committees be established with a clear internal focus. A focus that directly relates to making a difference at your organization. One way to achieve that is to have the committee look at one policy or procedure at a time through an EDI lens.
Here’s an example: In a recent conversation with a customer, we talked about their tuition reimbursement policy. What they learned was that their policy required the employee to pay the course tuition and cost of books up front and many of them did not have the financial means to do so. If the goal of this policy is to provide employees with a ladder to grow and advance within the organization, it’s missing the mark for the people who need it the most.
How many of your policies are holding employees back from achieving their full potential? Evaluating them individually through an EDI lens will result in tangible, actionable results.
Will focusing internally on EDI issues solve the larger problems of systemic racism, discrimination, and harassment? Certainly not initially, but if we all do our part making small changes, we can feel better knowing that the net result will be a much better environment for everyone.
What successes have you had with your EDI efforts? Let us know what has worked for you!
Looking at options for bringing your team back together? If you’re wondering what could possibly meet the needs of all of the members of your team, you’re not alone. It’s a lot like getting the band together for the first time after a long break and you have to relearn how to play together. Expect some discord.
To help you conduct this, we did some homework on the most frequently asked questions about returning to the workplace. Here’s what we learned:
Can employers ask for proof of vaccination?
Yes, you can ask to see an employee’s vaccination card, but should not engage in actual medical inquiries.
Can we require our employees to be vaccinated?
Yes, especially if your organization is in an industry with a high risk of Covid transmission. Having said that, our recommendation is to encourage but not require vaccinations.
Is it true that unvaccinated employees still need to wear masks in common areas?
Yes, that is the current rule in Michigan although it is subject to change on July 1st.
Can an employee choose to wear a mask even if vaccinated?
Yes, employees can continue to wear masks if they choose to do so.
Can employees wear masks with slogans/political statements?
Maybe. The standards here should be the same as your regular dress code requirements. If you would not let an employee wear a certain statement or image on a t-shirt, you should not allow them to wear it on a mask.
We think we are communicating clearly, but our employees still seem confused. Are we missing something?
Only that this is a major change, and it is one that employees are going to adjust to gradually. Be patient and over communicate using multiple channels, including in writing, in meetings, and one on one conversations to ensure a smooth transition.
We are concerned that the required wearing of masks for unvaccinated employees is going to highlight those employees with medical issues and/or amplify a political divide in the workplace.
This is absolutely a valid concern. While there is no easy answer, we encourage reminding all employees that we expect professional and respectful behavior in the workplace. Demeaning, abusive, or bullying comments are not acceptable and should be addressed accordingly. Likewise, no employee should be asked to share personal medical information with a co-worker.
Years ago, I worked with a consultant/mentor who shared that with a wide variety of ideas, personalities, and activities, even the best organizations never sounded like a symphony. However, the ones who were successful getting their diverse teams on the same page could create some really cool jazz.
Getting through this past year has required a significant amount of improvisation. As much as we’d like to put that behind us, we still have a ways to go.
Let’s encourage our musicians to be creative, play their best, and trust that it’s going to come out sounding cool.
2020 was an interesting year and we learned a lot. We learned new words like: COVID, Zoom, and social distancing. We learned about working remotely while keeping pets and family members occupied. We learned that we are good at learning and have the ability to do it quickly.
Thanks to Zoom, we learned more about our co-worker’s homes, kids, and pets as they made appearances in the background of meetings. We learned who was having construction work done at their homes, who has family members who play instruments, and who has the most reliable internet.
Thanks to COVID, we learned a new version of alphabet soup. Including the FFCRA, EFMLA, and the MDHHS. Was anyone else surprised to find out the MDHHS apparently has been around a while, we just didn’t know who they were?
Thanks to social distancing, we learned that you really can still meet outdoors in Michigan in December, that walking meetings are a good thing, and that while we like to meet in person, remote meetings are functional. We learned that wearing a mask fogs up your glasses and makes it really hard to drink coffee.
Personally, I learned a lot more about what goes on in our house during the day. I also learned that I miss having regular contact with our customers and coworkers and that fun socks don’t matter during a Zoom call.
As we look to 2021, we think that more employers than ever will appreciate that an employee’s personal and work lives really are inseparable and that we need to allow space for both. We will continue to get better at unmuting before we start talking and to look behind us prior to turning on our cameras.
Most importantly, we now know that no matter what life throws our way, we can still have fun.
What did you learn in 2020 that you want to carry over into 2021?
As the pandemic drags on and the weather turns colder, it is becoming harder to keep remote workers engaged as active participants in our organizational cultures. As we head into the holidays, this isn’t going to get any easier.
What can we do to keep people engaged, while reducing stress and anxiety?
We spend a lot of time working to develop our cultures and don’t want to lose that momentum. To find answers we reached out to some of our HR friends and customers who consistently do this well. We wanted to know their secret sauce. Here’s what we learned about keeping culture alive when working remotely:
You knew it was only a matter of time and today was the day that you got the call. Two employees in your organization ended up in a heated argument over the upcoming election. You know from experience that their political beliefs are polar opposites and it finally came to a head. What do you do now? Better yet, what could you have done to prevent things from escalating to this point?
First off, employee arguments over any topic are unacceptable if they cross the line into being unprofessional or counterproductive. When those situations occur, they should be addressed based upon the terms of your discipline policy, the severity of the situation, and the history of the employees involved.
What can we do to prevent these situations? Here are some proactive steps organizations should take:
Expect Professionalism: Remind employees of the expectation to work together in a professional manner. Arguments, name calling, or other unprofessional behavior isn’t acceptable for any reason and should result in some type of corrective action when it occurs.
Ban Campaigning: Some aspects of political discourse are protected by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Campaigning for a specific candidate is not protected and has no place in the workplace. Be clear that this is not allowed.
Limit or Direct Political Conversations: It is acceptable to request that employees limit political discussions in the workplace. If a conversation needs to occur, consider providing a neutral mediator to facilitate the conversation in order to ensure that it is both productive and appropriate.
Encourage Employees to Address Co-workers Directly: If any employee feels that a conversation is too uncomfortable or inappropriate for the workplace, encourage them to speak up. Likewise, once addressed, employees leading the conversation need to, without debate, move on to a new topic.
Emphasize Your Anti-Harassment Policy: Many of today’s hottest political topics such as citizenship status, race, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, and gender are also legally protected categories in the workplace. Remind your employees that derogatory statements, jokes, harassing or demeaning behavior based on these categories is considered harassment.
A healthy debate in the workplace is a good thing if it results in a better process or improved customer service. Political debates at work are unlikely to accomplish either of those and need to be discouraged and managed appropriately.
How is your organization addressing this? Let us know if you have questions or have a best practice to share. We’d love to hear from you!