Latest / The Confident Entrepreneur With Jennifer Ann Johnson / Hiring with Heart: Building a People-First Company Culture with Karen Shepherd

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Hiring with Heart: Building a People-First Company Culture with Karen Shepherd · The Confident Entrepreneur With Jennifer Ann Johnson

• 0:37
  Jennifer Johnson: Today, we welcome back into the studio author and HR expert Karen Shephrd.
• 0:44
  Jennifer Johnson: Karen is the author of the book Lead with Love 10 Heart-Centered Strategies to Build a More Profitable Business.
• 0:50
  Jennifer Johnson: She's the owner of HR by Karen and has over 15 years of experience in HR, and many people, including myself, describe her as passionate and creative, and she's always going to be the brightest smile in the room always.
• 1:07
  Jennifer Johnson: And she's the partner that you want to help you take your business to the next level.
• 1:11
  Jennifer Johnson: She wants to work together with you to change the why not you to why not us.
• 1:16
  Jennifer Johnson: Welcome back into the studio.
• 1:18
  Karen Shepherd: Thank you for having me, Jennifer.
• 1:20
  Karen Shepherd: This is so fun.
• 1:22
  Jennifer Johnson: It is fun and I love this topic.
• 1:24
  Jennifer Johnson: This topic, I don't think a lot of people really think about it.
• 1:27
  Jennifer Johnson: They hire someone and they're like here's the handbook, here's everything.
• 1:32
  Jennifer Johnson: Go do your job.
• 1:33
  Jennifer Johnson: How many times have you know?
• 1:36
  Jennifer Johnson: I know I've had jobs like that where I've had to figure it out.
• 1:39
  Jennifer Johnson: I call it baptism by fire, figure it out.
• 1:41
  Jennifer Johnson: I call it baptism by fire, figure it out.
• 1:43
  Jennifer Johnson: That's a good one and that's not how it should be right.
• 1:49
  Karen Shepherd: No.
• 1:51
  Jennifer Johnson: Ah no.
• 1:51
  Jennifer Johnson: So what are some really important things that, as employers, we may be forgetting, or, as employees, that we should be?
• 2:00
  Jennifer Johnson: You know, on the other side of when we're starting with a new company, like what should, what should those steps be?
• 2:07
  Karen Shepherd: Yeah well, the first, most important step is don't hire just to fill a seat.
• 2:13
  Karen Shepherd: Okay, just because you have a pulse doesn't mean yeah because I can't tell you how many times a company will say I have so much turnover and I'm like let me hear what your onboarding process is and they tell me.
• 2:29
  Karen Shepherd: So onboarding doesn't start when they walk in the door.
• 2:37
  Jennifer Johnson: Oh, okay, see, okay, this is good because you know I'm thinking.
• 2:41
  Jennifer Johnson: Okay, it starts before that.
• 2:43
  Karen Shepherd: It starts way before that the recruitment process If you don't hire the right person and do the proper assessments and have a professional really understand your culture, your work environment, because someone might look really great on paper but their personality, their lack of flexibility may not be the best culture fit Okay, and pre-hire assessment is a great way.
• 3:22
  Karen Shepherd: Like a test.
• 3:23
  Karen Shepherd: It is not really a test, it's more.
• 3:26
  Karen Shepherd: Have you ever done?
• 3:27
  Karen Shepherd: Like a disc assessment?
• 3:29
  Karen Shepherd: Okay so that's a behavioral assessment.
• 3:32
  Karen Shepherd: So what I use special is called Trait Set, and what Trait Set does?
• 3:40
  Karen Shepherd: It allows me to see if a candidate where their strengths and where their weaknesses are and, should they have a weakness, it provides the actual question I should ask in the interview.
• 3:56
  Jennifer Johnson: Oh, are you serious?
• 3:56
  Jennifer Johnson: Yes, oh my gosh, this is life changing Really.
• 4:00
  Karen Shepherd: It is one of my favorite assessments to use and I will say that a lot of the times that I don't use it, it comes out right in the end when I say I don't use it, I don't listen to it.
• 4:19
  Karen Shepherd: I see you administer it, but you don't.
• 4:23
  Karen Shepherd: You know, sometimes, if it says to decline the candidate, I dive deeper, I ask the questions and, even though sometimes my gut says no, I go ahead because they seem so nice and we're getting along and you know I mean, that's what I mean.
• 4:42
  Karen Shepherd: And once they're in there, you know, you really know within the first 24, 48 hours, to be honest, if they are going to be a good fit or not.
• 4:55
  Karen Shepherd: Because you can't fake it.
• 4:58
  Karen Shepherd: Oh, not for, yeah, you can't fake it for very long.
• 5:02
  Karen Shepherd: No, you can do it in an interview, you can do it in an interview, but I'm sorry, after a week forget about it.
• 5:09
  Karen Shepherd: So when I I always say hire fast and fire faster, what I mean by hire fast, that doesn't mean fast, that doesn't mean that you should hire just to fill that seat.
• 5:27
  Karen Shepherd: Hire fast means don't allow your process to go on for weeks and weeks and weeks, because if you really do have the best candidate, the top candidate, they're not sitting around waiting for you.
• 5:37
  Jennifer Johnson: They already have five other offers.
• 5:41
  Karen Shepherd: And my other great tip is don't make onboarding a process, Make it an experience.
• 5:50
  Karen Shepherd: Oh, that's cool.
• 5:51
  Karen Shepherd: Okay Again.
• 5:53
  Karen Shepherd: So recruitment is the first thing with onboarding.
• 5:57
  Jennifer Johnson: Which I you know.
• 5:58
  Jennifer Johnson: You taught me something here, because when I think of that, I don't think of recruitment, but it makes sense because you don't want to compromise the values of your company or or the culture of your company just to fill a seat Right.
• 6:11
  Jennifer Johnson: So you need to do it at the very beginning.
• 6:14
  Karen Shepherd: Yes, and there's a quote in my book Honestly, I don't remember who said the quote anymore, but he'd rather interview 50 employees instead of just hiring someone, because the turnover rate and what it costs a company is ridiculous.
• 6:35
  Karen Shepherd: What it can cost, you're just better off not having someone in that seat.
• 6:40
  Karen Shepherd: You're just better off not having someone in that seat.
• 6:41
  Karen Shepherd: So making onboarding an experience is so important, important, and send them a swag bag or send them a handwritten note After you've hired them.
• 6:53
  Jennifer Johnson: After you've hired them and before they start, yes, make them feel welcomed.
• 6:57
  Jennifer Johnson: I like the swag bag.
• 6:59
  Jennifer Johnson: I'm writing that one down.
• 7:00
  Jennifer Johnson: Yeah, like a t-shirt and a cup and whatever.
• 7:07
  Karen Shepherd: Welcome to the team.
• 7:07
  Karen Shepherd: It doesn't have to be an exorbitant amount of money, especially with a small business, but a handwritten note.
• 7:14
  Karen Shepherd: How often do you get those in the mail.
• 7:16
  Jennifer Johnson: I know it's really funny.
• 7:17
  Jennifer Johnson: I do that for people anniversaries or birthdays, and I can't believe the amount of people that go.
• 7:26
  Jennifer Johnson: Oh my gosh, thank you, because nobody gets mail anymore, right.
• 7:29
  Karen Shepherd: That's why direct mail is not a bad marketing.
• 7:33
  Karen Shepherd: You're right.
• 7:33
  Karen Shepherd: That's very true.
• 7:35
  Karen Shepherd: That's very true.
• 7:36
  Karen Shepherd: You're setting yourself apart right, exactly, exactly so.
• 7:41
  Karen Shepherd: Swag bag handwritten note and then, once they get to your office, are you just throwing them in the room to sign documents or is someone sitting with them?
• 7:55
  Karen Shepherd: Is someone going over the handbook?
• 7:57
  Karen Shepherd: I'll never forget.
• 7:59
  Karen Shepherd: I had this one client had this aha moment that I talk about in my book and they said Karen, once a new employee comes in, said Karen, once a new employee comes in, they don't seem to still understand the expectations and the values that the organization and the culture is.
• 8:21
  Jennifer Johnson: And I said explain your onboarding process.
• 8:26
  Karen Shepherd: Right.
• 8:27
  Karen Shepherd: And they said well, everything is online.
• 8:29
  Karen Shepherd: And I said automation is lovely, it makes things faster, but you have to have the human connection.
• 8:40
  Karen Shepherd: Automation does not give way to that and they probably didn't even read the handbook, of course.
• 8:50
  Karen Shepherd: Right, okay, they probably just signed the page that said that you had to acknowledge that you received it and went on with their day.
• 8:59
  Karen Shepherd: So, after they get done with the onboarding documents, sit with them for 30 minutes.
• 9:05
  Karen Shepherd: Are you walking them around the office or the store and introducing them to the other employees?
• 9:12
  Karen Shepherd: Are you having coffee talk?
• 9:16
  Karen Shepherd: Are you bringing in maybe you know, some fruit for the healthy ones, or donuts, you know and having a little welcome party?
• 9:23
  Karen Shepherd: I used to do that all the time and it makes a huge difference.
• 9:29
  Jennifer Johnson: It does.
• 9:29
  Jennifer Johnson: It's always cookies and cakes in my store.
• 9:31
  Jennifer Johnson: Yeah, I love my sweets, but it's you know it's welcoming.
• 9:38
  Jennifer Johnson: How would you want to, how do you want to feel it's you're welcoming them, welcoming them into your home?
• 9:44
  Jennifer Johnson: Yeah, it's the old cliche.
• 9:47
  Karen Shepherd: Treat others as you want to be treated.
• 9:49
  Karen Shepherd: It isn't rocket science.
• 9:51
  Jennifer Johnson: No, it's not.
• 9:52
  Karen Shepherd: The heart-centered approach is not rocket science.
• 9:55
  Karen Shepherd: It's not something that, honestly, that I created.
• 9:58
  Karen Shepherd: It's just being human.
• 10:02
  Jennifer Johnson: Is your closet overflowing, or maybe your kids' closets are as well, or maybe you just want to redecorate your house.
• 10:07
  Jennifer Johnson: If you're wondering what to do with all that stuff that you've accumulated, bring it all to True Fashionistas, or even ship it to them for free.
• 10:14
  Jennifer Johnson: They'll sell your unwanted items for you, take away all the hassle and do all the work, and all you have to do is sit back and collect your money.
• 10:20
  Jennifer Johnson: It's pretty easy.
• 10:21
  Jennifer Johnson: You can reach them online at truefashionistascom.
• 10:25
  Jennifer Johnson: Come into the store or check them out on Facebook or Instagram and that's truefashionistascom.
• 10:30
  Jennifer Johnson: All right, friends, we are back with Karen S, author and HR expert, and we're talking about that first 30 days of somebody's hire, which starts even before they start.
• 10:42
  Jennifer Johnson: It starts in your recruiting process, like you said.
• 10:44
  Jennifer Johnson: Now they're in your company.
• 10:47
  Jennifer Johnson: You've sent them the swag, like we talked about, and now they actually have their first day.
• 10:51
  Jennifer Johnson: Okay, and they've done the whole, like we talked about, and now they actually have their first day.
• 10:53
  Jennifer Johnson: Okay, and they've done the whole walking around the office, meeting everyone and all of that.
• 10:57
  Jennifer Johnson: But how can they become socialized to the culture of your business?
• 11:04
  Jennifer Johnson: Yeah?
• 11:05
  Karen Shepherd: So I highly recommend aligning someone up with a mentor.
• 11:12
  Karen Shepherd: Okay, and everyone thinks there's this huge generation gap.
• 11:19
  Karen Shepherd: Okay, in companies, and there really isn't a generational gap.
• 11:24
  Karen Shepherd: Uh, someone more seasoned loves the ideas and the creativity from someone else that is not as seasoned.
• 11:36
  Karen Shepherd: And if you hire right, any generation loves to learn from each other.
• 11:45
  Karen Shepherd: And if you don't hire right, they're going to say I got this, I don't need you.
• 11:51
  Karen Shepherd: Do you see the difference?
• 11:52
  Karen Shepherd: I do so.
• 11:57
  Karen Shepherd: Training is not an option.
• 11:59
  Karen Shepherd: You have to train.
• 12:00
  Karen Shepherd: If you are hiring someone because you need a body in there to do the work and you're not going to have time to train them, you're setting up the new employee for failure.
• 12:14
  Karen Shepherd: So you might as well not even have hired for that position.
• 12:17
  Jennifer Johnson: And you're throwing money out the door.
• 12:18
  Jennifer Johnson: You could just go in back and burn it.
• 12:20
  Jennifer Johnson: Yeah, right, because you've just hired somebody that you can't work with.
• 12:25
  Jennifer Johnson: You can't train them, right.
• 12:28
  Karen Shepherd: Right and you know, if you don't have time to train them, you know, maybe work it in.
• 12:34
  Karen Shepherd: You know they're going to sit with this person and watch this person for a while and maybe they really don't do anything for a day, that they're just observing and that's the training is observing, I mean they.
• 12:50
  Karen Shepherd: On the industry and the size of the company, there's probably more flexibility on that.
• 12:59
  Karen Shepherd: Small companies probably have the biggest challenge.
• 13:03
  Jennifer Johnson: Oh, really See, I would think small companies are a little more agile, but maybe they haven't.
• 13:08
  Jennifer Johnson: Why is that?
• 13:10
  Karen Shepherd: Smaller companies don't have the bandwidth to train you know where a larger company, there's more people to help, more hands on deck, and even though there may be more flexibility with a smaller company See, that's what I was thinking.
• 13:27
  Karen Shepherd: Yes, yes, there's more flexibility, but time is smaller.
• 13:35
  Jennifer Johnson: And how can we improve that?
• 13:36
  Jennifer Johnson: Being small business is just putting more time into doing it or making it a priority.
• 13:41
  Jennifer Johnson: A commitment, yes, commitment, there you go, a priority.
• 13:44
  Karen Shepherd: You know, I always say if something is a priority to us, we are going to find a way.
• 13:52
  Karen Shepherd: If it's not a priority, we're just going to find excuse after excuse after excuse.
• 14:00
  Karen Shepherd: Instead, be honest with yourself, and if you can't do something, just say it.
• 14:12
  Karen Shepherd: It's not in my bandwidth.
• 14:14
  Karen Shepherd: Someone just asked me yesterday if I'm going to attend something, an event this week, and I'm like I would love to, I really would love to.
• 14:27
  Karen Shepherd: I have been going and going and going and I am saying no.
• 14:32
  Karen Shepherd: So I say yes.
• 14:33
  Jennifer Johnson: Yes.
• 14:34
  Jennifer Johnson: That's what I love to hear, because we have to.
• 14:40
  Karen Shepherd: We have to.
• 14:40
  Jennifer Johnson: I can't remember what it was.
• 14:41
  Jennifer Johnson: I had heard something similar going back to.
• 14:46
  Jennifer Johnson: That is about giving to your family.
• 14:49
  Jennifer Johnson: Yes, you know, don't give them what's left.
• 14:53
  Jennifer Johnson: Yes, Don't give them the leftovers, you know.
• 14:56
  Jennifer Johnson: And the same could be said also for employees right.
• 15:02
  Jennifer Johnson: Because you're so busy doing your job, if your job isn't necessarily training somebody and you're doing all these other things and then you're just like, okay, I have five minutes, right, I have five minutes to train you.
• 15:10
  Jennifer Johnson: That's not fair to them, just like it's not fair to yourself If you keep saying yes to things instead of no, right, it doesn't give you any time for self-care.
• 15:23
  Karen Shepherd: That's right.
• 15:24
  Karen Shepherd: You know HR leadership.
• 15:26
  Karen Shepherd: If you don't self-care, you aren't helping anyone.
• 15:30
  Jennifer Johnson: You got to talk the talk, not even yourself.
• 15:32
  Karen Shepherd: Walk the walk, that's right.
• 15:34
  Jennifer Johnson: If you're telling everybody else to do it, then look from within.
• 15:38
  Jennifer Johnson: Start there, right.
• 15:39
  Jennifer Johnson: I agree it's a very important part, yes, of what we have to do every day, right.
• 15:45
  Jennifer Johnson: As leaders in our community, as business owners, we're setting examples for other people.
• 15:52
  Karen Shepherd: You have to, the leader has to follow the leader.
• 15:56
  Jennifer Johnson: I love that you said it in the last podcast that we had you on and so important, because not all the time will they do what you do, but you're putting it out there.
• 16:09
  Karen Shepherd: And you're not going.
• 16:10
  Karen Shepherd: You don't expect them to think like the business owner Right.
• 16:14
  Jennifer Johnson: But that's a common thing, that a lot of business owners a common pitfall is they expect their employees to think like them.
• 16:25
  Jennifer Johnson: And that's not going to happen.
• 16:26
  Karen Shepherd: That is not going to happen.
• 16:27
  Karen Shepherd: They're not going to have that same mindset, they're not going to have that same passion.
• 16:32
  Karen Shepherd: At five o'clock they're checked out out the door.
• 16:34
  Karen Shepherd: Sometimes they're getting their stuff together at five minutes to five and it is frustrating.
• 16:40
  Karen Shepherd: I get it.
• 16:41
  Karen Shepherd: However, maybe she has to deal with the traffic to get to daycare to pick up, like do you ask why they're collecting their stuff five, 10 minutes early?
• 16:52
  Karen Shepherd: You've got to be curious and ask questions and because maybe there's a solution in there that you can work together on and yeah, and that's part what people say.
• 17:05
  Jennifer Johnson: You know we want you to work.
• 17:06
  Jennifer Johnson: You know, like you tell people what can we do together?
• 17:09
  Jennifer Johnson: Right, it's not just you know what can I do, what can we do Exactly?
• 17:14
  Jennifer Johnson: Very important.
• 17:15
  Jennifer Johnson: Okay, I love everything we talked about today.
• 17:19
  Jennifer Johnson: If our listeners want to get in touch with you, want to buy your book, how can they do so?
• 17:24
  Karen Shepherd: They can, because I'm a human optimist.
• 17:27
  Karen Shepherd: Okay, I like conversation.
• 17:29
  Karen Shepherd: Human optimist.
• 17:37
  Karen Shepherd: Okay, I like conversation.
• 17:38
  Karen Shepherd: My phone number is 239-776-5919.
• 17:43
  Karen Shepherd: Or they can always visit my website at wwwhrbykarencom and get all my digits and email address and social media links and all that.
• 17:50
  Jennifer Johnson: And buy your book on your website or Amazon and, guys, you need to read the book.
• 17:53
  Jennifer Johnson: I've read it.
• 17:54
  Jennifer Johnson: I'm going to read it again because it's one of those books where you dog-eared everything and then you marked it all up.
• 18:00
  Jennifer Johnson: They're like, oh, I've got to go back to that.
• 18:02
  Jennifer Johnson: So definitely read her book.
• 18:04
  Jennifer Johnson: Thank you so much for being on today.
• 18:05
  Jennifer Johnson: Thank you for having me.