By Dan Darabaris

Employee handbooks are an important HR tool for any company. They outline everything from routines, such as start times and how to call in sick, to benefits, vacation, and overtime, to most importantly, policies, procedures, and rules. With so much key information contained in this document, it’s important to have employees sign an acknowledgement form that they have received the handbook and agree to follow it. 

Why Should You Obtain Their Signature? 

Because it helps protect the business. If you don’t have a written acknowledgement, you can get into battles over what the employee did and didn’t know, making it difficult if you need to write the employee up or wish to let them go.

But What Happens If an Employee Refuses to Sign?

Whether or not the employee signs the handbook, the policies and procedures outlined in the document still apply – and this is something that you should make clear to them. The purpose of the signed acknowledgement is to have documented proof that the employee was made aware of the policies, and you have other ways to document this.

Note the Refusal

Inform the employee that their refusal to sign does not exempt them from following all policies and procedures in the handbook. Then note that the employee was given a copy of the handbook, but refused to sign it. Be sure to make this notation along with the date. 

Include Refusal Language on the Acknowledgement Form Itself

You could alternatively include language on the acknowledgement form that allows the employee to indicate that they were presented with a copy of the handbook, read it, and refused to sign.

Review the Handbook with the Employee

Have staff members, preferably both a member of the HR team and a manager, review the contents of the handbook with the employee. These staff members should indicate on the acknowledgement form that the employee refused to sign and that they reviewed the document with the employee. They should then sign and date the form. If you choose this route, be sure the staff members go over every topic, answer any questions the employee may have, and ask them if they have any questions.

Ask the Employee Why They Don’t Want to Sign the Handbook

I recommend finding out why the employee does not want to sign the acknowledgement. There could be a myriad of reasons and you should uncover them. It could be that they don’t agree with some of the policies or simply that they don’t understand them. Having a conversation with the employee allows you to address their concerns and clear up any confusion – heading off issues down the road. You could start the conversation by asking questions like, “What about signing the handbook concerns you?” or “This handbook is meant to serve as a resource for all of us and the policies apply regardless of whether you sign or not. Why are you opposed to signing it?”

Having this conversation may help you identify issues around some of your policies that need to be addressed.

If employees are having concerns regarding handbooks and policies, it may be an indication of a systemic issue with your organization.  Monarch has the experience to help you uncover potential issues and work through whatever challenges your organization is facing.

Hearing the word mentoring usually conjures up images of an older, more experienced person guiding a younger worker on their career path. This is the traditional concept that many of us have experienced, whether we were the mentor or mentee. But there is a more modern version which is becoming increasingly popular because of its tremendous benefits called “reverse mentoring.” 

What Is Reverse Mentoring?

A twist on conventional mentoring, reverse mentoring involves younger workers guiding executives. You’re probably wondering “What is the benefit of that?” Well, the benefits are numerous and the positively impact both employers and employees.

The idea behind reverse mentoring is to provide executives with a fresh perspective along with helping boost their knowledge in the areas of technology, social media, and current trends – topics on which the younger generation has plenty to share. In essence, the executive learns from the junior – a refreshing and educational initiative.

The concept of reverse mentoring can either be a one-way mentorship, where the junior worker mentors the executive, or, it can be a dual-mentorship in which each party learns from the other. If you’ve ever seen the movie The Intern with Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway, you’ve witnessed this second option in action. De Niro plays a retiree who applies for a senior citizen internship program at a new company founded and run by Anne Hathaway. De Niro is assigned to work for Hathaway and a reverse mentorship evolves, where De Niro shares the wisdom he gained over his career with Hathaway, as she enlightens him on technology and trends. Both gain much from the experience.

The Benefits Reverse Mentoring Brings to the Workplace

Reverse mentoring benefits the mentor, the mentee, and the organization. Here are some of the positive impacts it has overall:

Intergenerational Awareness

A multigenerational workforce is critical to an organization’s success. The understanding and welcoming of different mindsets, ideologies, and approaches from different generations are integral to innovation and growth. Reverse mentoring enables organizations to pair workers across generational divides spurring new ideas and strategies. With four generations working together, this is crucial.

A Bottom Up Flow of Information

Having younger workers mentor executives fosters a reverse flow of information from the bottom up. This approach provides leadership with a more robust perspective of the company and operations overall through information on how the enterprise really works helping to address challenges and changes. It also offers insight on the right terminology to use in communications. All of this seeds ideas and aids in achieving goals. 

Improvement of Business Skills

The younger generation grew up with computers, the internet, and social media. It is no stranger to technology and online forms of communication, which creates and spreads trends like wildfire. Older executives can benefit from the in-depth knowledge these tech-savvy millennials and Gen Z can provide. This sharing of digital skills boosts data analysis and strategies.

Encouraging Communication

Newer workers may be so focused on pleasing management, that they avoid speaking up. Partnering with executives helps to build valued relationships, which in turn encourages the younger generation to share their ideas and concerns, as well as welcome collaborative opportunities. Such actions aid in creating a positive culture and enhance employee engagement.

Expanding Diversity

Pairing unlikely co-workers together helps expand diversity because it cultivates a sense of belonging. Rather than simply pair workers across generational divides, with reverse mentoring initiatives you can also seek out minority groups to expand views and ways of working.

Increased Retention

With reverse mentoring, younger workers feel like they are being heard, that their ideas are appreciated and welcomed, and that they are supported. This goes a long way to enhance culture, which in turn boosts engagement and retention. 

While reverse mentoring may be turning the traditional concept of mentoring on its head, it’s still founded on sharing experiences and making others feel supported – which not only benefits the mentor and mentee, but the workplace in general.

The right mentor can propel your career on a positive trajectory. The valuable feedback and advice they share can help you land that coveted promotion, put you on the optimal path forward, or even open your eyes to new career opportunities. But just how do you go about finding the right mentor match to help you achieve your work aspirations? Below are some tips to assist you in identifying and connecting with a person who can positively impact your professional growth. 

How to Find the Right Mentor for You

Know Your Goals

In order to determine who can help you on your career journey, you first need to identify your goals – both long-term and short-term. Think about what you want to accomplish professionally in the next six months, one-year, and longer. Are there specific projects you want to work on or clients you want to work with? Is there a dream position you want to attain? When considering goals, I like to break them down into SMART goals – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant/Realistic, Time Bound. By doing this analysis, you can break down your goals into smaller and larger chunks, enabling you to see the bigger picture and understand what you need to do to reach your goals.

Think about What You’re Looking for in a Mentor

A good work mentor has certain qualities, such as more work experience, a track record of professional success, caring, invested in your success, authentic, honest, empathetic, shared values, and a good leader. These are all qualities that we hope to get in our managers, but unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out that way. What’s great about finding a mentor is that you get to choose the person who checks off the qualities you are looking for.

Look within Your Existing Professional Network

Start your search by considering people with whom you already have a relationship, such as past managers and colleagues; senior colleagues in your department or other departments; and leaders in your field that you know, follow, and respect. Consider who your role model is. You might know someone who has already been informally mentoring you. Think about who has previously provided you with support and feedback.

Look Beyond Your Network

Expand your options by searching for people who may be a few connections removed from you, belong to the same group or alma mater, or are experts you admire. Although connecting with those outside your professional network is a bit trickier, it isn’t impossible – if you approach it the right way, which I will address below.

Consider a Group of Mentors

There is no rule that you can only have one mentor. Depending upon your goals, you may want to consider seeking out a group of mentors. As the saying goes, it takes a village. Sometimes the support of different people with varying backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can be the biggest help in propelling your career.

Taking the Leap 

Connecting with a mentor should be natural. Whatever you do, don’t ask “Will you be my mentor?” The mentor-mentee relationship should be formed casually. You could approach someone you already know with a work situation and say you could really use some advice and that you respect their opinion. If your ideal mentor is someone you don’t already have a relationship with, you should be straightforward as to why you’re reaching out. For example, if you want to change fields, you could say you are looking to speak with people who have experience in the field you wish to pursue and ask if they would be open to connecting with you to share their experiences. Do your research before you make any of these asks. You want the potential mentor to know that you have taken the time to learn about their career and achievements.

Setting Expectations

Once you form a relationship with a potential mentor, it is a good idea to discuss the details of how the mentorship will work. Will you be contacting your mentor as needed, or do you expect to schedule a regular meeting? Are you meeting virtually or in-person? Aligning on these details from the start will assure your mentor that you appreciate and respect the time that they will be dedicating to you.

Being a mentee is a valuable way to get career guidance. Hopefully these tips will help you find a good mentor that will help you achieve your work aspirations.

Companies have a responsibility to respect and protect their employees’ human rights – both ethically and legally. While such respect and protection should be embedded throughout all business functions, human resource management team members are those most closely entrenched in the concept. They are the team members tasked with creating policies and procedures that promote protections throughout the enterprise, impacting how the business operates.

It’s the HR team that hardwires human rights into the organization. Two key functions for doing so are embracing DEI&B (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging) in the workplace and upholding EEOC laws. The spirit for both of these lies in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948. 

This milestone document, which is commemorated on Human Rights Day, states:  “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” The principles of equality and non-discrimination are at the heart of the document.

 DEI&B

Respecting human rights is fundamental to an inclusive workforce. Companies that invest in DEI&B are doing the right things for humans. They are ensuring that everyone in the workplace feels accepted, included, and heard. It’s HR’s job to help build and enhance DEI&B initiatives, in essence weaving them into the fabric of the culture, through a variety of initiatives, such as:

Creating Policies that Promote Inclusiveness 

The HR team should ensure policies are in place that protect and respect human rights. The policies need to define ethical behaviors that all employees need to follow and help create an inclusive culture by encouraging staff to bring attention to ethical violations. These policies help establish and reinforce a company’s culture. Any organization that values their employees feeling safe and empowered will want to ensure that this is reflected in their policies and practices.

Training

Training should not just focus on what the DEI&B policies are, but also should explain why human rights matter, how to understand your human rights, and why you need to respect the rights of others through webinars, videos, and live training sessions. HR teams should develop training programs that educate the workforce on differences (ethnic, gender, neurodiverse, etc.), tailoring them to employees and leadership in order to effectively address the issues specific to them.

Using Inclusive Language

In policies, handbooks, and in general speak, HR should use and encourage the shift from using he/she to they in documents and conversation to help workers feel safe and accepted.

Support Networks

By creating groups that recognize and support differences, such as Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), HR can provide opportunities to identify ways to improve inclusive initiatives. Groups such as those focused on women and different ethnicities are the most common, but more progressive companies are establishing ERGs that focus on neurodiversity and parenting.

EEOC

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) oversees the federal laws prohibiting job discrimination. It is the HR team’s job to make sure the company upholds those laws, which include:

• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin
  The Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA), which protects men and women who perform substantially equal work in the same establishment from sex-based wage discrimination
• The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), which protects individuals who are 40 years of age or older
• Title I and Title V of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended (ADA), which prohibit employment discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities in the private sector, and in state and local governments
• Sections 501 and 505 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities who work in the federal government
• Title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA), which prohibits employment discrimination based on genetic information about an applicant, employee, or former employee
• The Civil Rights Act of 1991, which, among other things, provides monetary damages in cases of intentional employment discrimination.

There are many ways HR teams help organizations uphold these laws, such as by:

• Adopting a mission statement that treats employees as individuals
• Establishing policies and practices that reflect the company’s EEO values and emphasizing them in onboarding and ongoing training
• Thoroughly investigating and responding to any employee complaints

Businesses have a responsibility to respect their employees’ human rights standards. And the best way to do so is by embedding the concept throughout all business functions.

With the end of the year upon us, now is the perfect time to reflect on the effectiveness of your 2022 human resources equity initiatives and plan for an even more productive 2023. Before you start designing your strategies for moving forward, you should compare your benchmarks with goal metrics to identify where you have succeeded along with where you have fallen short. As HR professionals, we also like to examine current industry trends to see if our clients are on target and are addressing key issues. 

This past year, the HR spotlight has been on pay equity, diversity, and transparency. Between rebounding from pandemic disruptions, to the Great Resignation, to current employee demands, to the signs of a possible recession, the pressure from all stakeholders to create a diverse and equitable workplace remains high. In the news, we’ve seen workers taking a stand by sharing how much they make, attempting to form their own unions, and seeking employment with companies that have the same values and prioritize the employee experience, along with new laws on pay transparency from such large cities as NYC. These actions demonstrate that stakeholders are looking for more than just gestures; they want to see real progress. Companies need to take note and take action.

All of this is underscored in a new industry report. Syndio recently released its 2023 Workplace Equity Trends Report. The company surveyed HR, Total Rewards, and DE&I leaders in order to identify trends, priorities, and sentiment related to workplace equity initiatives. According to the survey, businesses are recognizing the role they must play as 50% of respondents see their equity programs increasing in 2023. 

What Businesses Are Doing to Level Up Their Workplace Equity Programs

This survey provides some great actionable insights to help businesses boost their equity strategies in 2023. Here are three of the top takeaways. 

H3: Expanding the Definition of Diversity

Companies are looking beyond gender and race when it comes to equity. They’re including a full spectrum: LGBTQ+ identity, caregiving responsibility, refugee status, age, disabilities, and veteran status. According to the survey, companies that “track at least six employee identity groups are 64% more likely to strongly agree that they effectively build diverse teams at each level and 10% more likely to strongly agree that they effectively develop talent from historically underrepresented communities.”

Proactively Auditing Pay Equity

Rather than conducting an annual audit, more and more companies are doing more frequent assessments, every six months, quarterly, or even more often. This allows a more proactive adjustment rather than a reactive, point-in-time correction. The survey found that 50% of organizations now conduct pay equity analyses more frequently than once a year. By doing so, companies can embed equity into more stages of the employment journey, such as merit increases and high-potential programs. 

Increasing Transparency of Plans and Progress

As mentioned above, employees, investors, and customers want more than just speak. They want to see your goals, your actions, and your accomplishments. In essence, they want accountability. And those that provide it are benefitting. Organizations that are highly transparent “are 3x as likely to strongly agree that they effectively build diverse teams and develop talent” according to the survey.

We believe these are key priorities for the coming year and plan on devising strategies and noting benchmarks to see how well they are implemented.