Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

The title of today’s article might seem a bit obvious. But it’s not intended to say that organizations are intentionally trying to get away with something when it comes to employee compensation and benefits. The title of today’s article is a reminder that when it comes to employee pay, there’s a lot of information to keep track of. And it’s changing all the time. 

I wanted to do a roundup of the articles we’ve published this year that reference employee pay, specifically focused on making sure that employees are paid equitably and in compliance with federal, state, and local laws. 

Just a reminder, in Season 2 of the HR Bartender Podcast, I chatted with Brian Reaves, UKG’s executive vice president and chief belonging, diversity, and equity officer about a research report from UKG and Harvard Business Review on pay equity. I hope you’ll check it out when you have a moment. 

There Is More to Equity Than Just Pay Equity

It’s time for organizations to realize that pay equity isn’t the only equity we need to be addressing. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) define health equity as the state in which “every person has a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of health”.  Some of the reasons that we’re not seeing progress with health equity involve other inequities like to education, employment, food, social relationships, etc.  It’s a complex topic that involves many other factors and deserves our attention.

Employers: Pay Transparency Might Apply to Your Current Employees

I’d like to think that most organizations know about the wave of pay transparency laws that are being enacted around the United States. But I read an article in the Foley & Lardner LLP newsletter that caught my attention. It was about pay transparency laws applying to current employees. It’s important for employees – at every level – to understand how pay works. And a big part of that is knowing what the pay range is for the job. And frankly, employers should want employees to understand their compensation as part of financial wellbeing.

Everything Organizations Should Know About the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC)

First created by Congress in 1996, the WOTC is a federal tax credit available to employers who invest in American job seekers who have consistently faced barriers to employment. The targeted groups include qualified veterans, ex-felons, qualified Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit recipients, qualified Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients, and qualified long-term unemployed just to name a few. 

I wanted to mention this article about the WOTC today because employers can receive a tax credit of up to $9,600 per qualified new hire, which is equal to 40% of the new hire’s qualified wages, provided the new hire works at least 400 hours during their first year of employment. The Work Opportunity Tax Credit can help talented people get jobs and provide organizations a tax credit for doing it. 

Wage Garnishments: Manage Them Effectively, Efficiently and With Empathy

Organizations are very focused on being effective and efficient. This is a common conversation when it comes to technology and compliance. Let the technology do what it does best, and HR will focus on what it does best. This same philosophy applies to wage garnishments. Find a solution that does garnishments well so HR can spend their time focused on the employee experience. 

Wage garnishments happen more than we might think. In the white paper “The U.S. Wage Garnishment Landscape: Through the Lens of the Employer”, they report that 1 in 14 employees is subject to some form of wage garnishment. The most common type of garnishment is related to child support (50% +) with tax levies being second (19%). The report indicates that the highest number of garnishments are employees between the ages of 35 and 54. This group also has the highest wage garnishment rate. And approximately one in one hundred people have more than one garnishment. 

Fiduciary Responsibilities Under Employee Retirement Plans

Employee benefits, including retirement benefits, are both important and complex. If you’re not aware, organizations and HR departments have what’s called a “fiduciary responsibility” when it comes to employee retirement plans. We often tell employees that their benefits package is a part of total compensation, which is true. But that also means we need to get it right. No one likes having their pay messed with. 

If you’re saying to yourself, “This is great information. We definitely need to stay on top of our obligations and do the right thing for our employees. But where should we start?!” It’s a great question. The answer might be to conduct an internal audit.

It Is Time to Schedule a Minimum Wage Audit – 3 Important Steps

In the United States, the federal minimum wage is $7.25/hour. It’s been that since July 2009. However, there have recently been a TON of changes to the minimum wage on a state and local level. Minimum wage laws are changing regularly. Dare I say frequently.

The last thing any company wants is to be considered “out of touch” because they don’t know what the current minimum wage is for employees. Beyond appearing to be clueless, companies can’t afford to risk the potential wage and hour or Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) lawsuits from their employees. 

As we’re getting ready for the new year, this is a perfect time to do an audit, get reliable information about compensation compliance, and put a plan in place. Organizations do not want to make mistakes when it comes to employee pay and benefits.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while exploring the streets of Fort Lauderdale, FL

The post Employee Pay Should Be Equitable and In Compliance With the Law appeared first on hr bartender.

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

(Editor’s Note: Today’s article is brought to you by our friends at Achievers, the industry leading employee experience platform. They were recently awarded first place by HRO Today for their customer satisfaction ratings. Congrats to them and enjoy the article!)

As an HR professional, I’m sure I’m not alone in reading the 2024 workplace predictions that come out this time of year. I always like to see if the predictions confirm what I’m seeing in the business world. And for 2024, I’m noticing some common themes.

• Performance and productivity will remain a primary focus.
• HR Technologies, specifically artificial intelligence, will continue to evolve.
• Wellbeing programs will be a key differentiator for organizations. 

And diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) will remain a priority. Which is what I want to talk about today. Specifically, belonging.

I recently got my hands on the Achievers report “The Belonging Blueprint” which talks about everything organizations need to create a culture of belonging. One of the pieces of the report that immediately grabbed my attention was the welcome from Kumari Williams, vice president of belonging and diversity at Workday. I really liked the way that Williams explained how belonging plays a role in the employee experience, performance, and wellbeing.

Belonging is a fundamental human need that plays a crucial role in shaping our overall wellbeing and satisfaction, both in personal and professional contexts. When individuals feel a sense of belonging within their workplace, they are more likely to be happier, healthier, and more productive. Moreover, they tend to stay with the company for longer periods, contributing to increased stability and continuity within the organization.

– Kumari Williams

I continue to hear that one of the reasons that DEIB efforts fail is because organizations spend too much time talking and not enough time doing. I also hear that organizational efforts fail because they are too focused on the “D” (diversity) and not enough on the “B” (belonging). The latest research from Achievers supports that anecdotal feedback. 

• 26% of employees have a strong sense of belonging,
• 43% have a moderate sense, and
• 31% have a low sense of workplace belonging.

Couple these research findings with Williams’ comments about belonging shaping job satisfaction and it makes an instant and important connection. Organizations with a strong sense of belonging will have better employee experiences, better performance and outcomes, and better employee retention. 

5 Pillars of Workplace Belonging

I will admit that building a culture of belonging can be hard. Even if the definition of belonging is easy. Achievers defines it as “an experience of connection, security, and community – feeling at home in one’s place, without reservation”. I like to say that belonging means being able to bring your whole authentic self to work.

In their report, Achievers introduces a Belonging Model with five pillars – welcomed, known, included, supported, and connected. Here’s a brief description of each pillar.

WELCOMED is focused on integrating employees into the organization. This applies to new employees as well as people who are taking on a new role within the same company. Organizations should have structured onboarding programs for new hires and internal mobility.

KNOWN means that employees are recognized as themselves. This doesn’t have to be intrusive about someone’s personal life. One of the first things I think of when it comes to getting to know someone is understanding how they like to work. It reminds me of the concept of a personal user manual. Managers need to learn how employees like to work and be productive. Employees need to learn how their manager likes to work so they can effectively “manage up”.

INCLUDED is exactly that … a person feels that they are included to participate. I recently wrote about the SMARTIE model, which is a variation of the SMART model adding an “I” for inclusion and “E” for equitable. When the organization is making decisions, they need to have the right people in the room. 

SUPPORTED is focused on giving employees the support they need to be successful. This includes tools, training, teamwork, and management support. If organizations want employees to do their best work – and we all know they do – then they need to set employees up for success. Not just when they’re a new hire, but all along the employee experience. 

CONNECTED means that employees are able to build and maintain relationships across the organization. This doesn’t mean that employees have to be besties with everyone. It does mean that employees should feel comfortable interacting with others in the company in terms of feeling psychologically safe to have conversations and share feedback. 

One of the things that I liked in reading the research and learning about the five pillars is how Achievers provided a roadmap to focus on belonging. Because while belonging sounds easy to talk about, it can be challenging to bring it into an existing organizational culture. 

Employees Stay Where They Feel They Belong

Today, I’ve only shared a high-level overview of The Belonging Blueprint report. If you want to learn more, and I hope you do … you can download the full report on the Achievers’ website.

And, Kumari Williams will be chatting with Dr. Natalie Baumgartner, chief workforce scientist at Achievers on Wednesday, December 13, 2024 / 2p Eastern about the report and how organizations can improve belonging in the workplace. I realize the webinar is late notice, so if you’re already booked, sign up anyway to get the recording. 

Creating a strong sense of belonging will give your employees better experiences, better performance and outcomes, and better employee retention. Organizations can bring a diverse group of employees together, but if they don’t make that group feel like they belong, then employees will leave. I know this sounds obvious, but I’ll say it anyway. People don’t want to stay where they don’t feel that they belong. 

The post Organizations: The Employee Experience Starts with Belonging appeared first on hr bartender.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Organizations continue to look for ways to entice employees to return onsite. I saw a headline in The Washington Post a couple of months ago saying “Bosses mean it this time: Return to the office or get a new job!” The article is what you would expect. While organizations would love employees to return to the office full-time, they are demanding that employees return to the office at least some of time. Right now, I think the common request is for employees to spend at least three days a week in the office.

On some level, I’m surprised that this return to onsite work conversation has lasted this long. But I also get it. Organizations don’t want employees to leave. So, they keep asking / pleading for employees to return. 

Meanwhile, employees want the onsite work environment to get better with a focus on their wellbeing. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the 2021 one-way commute to work was 27.6 minutes … an all-time high. So, if employees are going to face increasing commute times, they want to know that the work experience once they get there is going to be good. Honestly, how many people would drive for almost a half-hour only to be treated poorly for eight hours and then spend another half-hour going home? We wouldn’t do it in our personal lives, so why do it in our professional life?

However, a better work experience isn’t all about pizza parties and game tables. It’s about creating a work environment where employees feel safe and secure. 

Work Is a Contributor to Wellbeing

Employees aren’t afraid of hard work. But they want to work someplace that acknowledges that work and puts programs in place to help when things get tough. Make the onsite work environment a place where employees can do the work and maintain their wellbeing. This doesn’t mean that there won’t be tough days. But if the number of tough days outnumbers the rest, then organizations need to ask themselves some hard questions. 

Wellbeing Programs: Are Organizations Addressing the Cause

Organizations can promote wellness and wellbeing programs all day long, but if the company’s practices don’t support them, then employees will understand that the programs are simply for show. And the whole reason the program is being implemented (i.e., to help employees do their best work) will not materialize. Because employees will look for organizations that not only create programs but support them. 

Workplace Violence Prevention Resources

Organizations need to have policies with zero tolerance for workplace violence. They need to educate employees on what to do if they are subject to or witness workplace violence. Human resources departments should be trained on how to properly investigate workplace violence concerns. And the organization needs to be prepared to act to prevent incidents and also deal with them if they happen. 

Creating a Workplace First Responder Team

Hopefully, organizations create workplace first responder teams and never have to use them because they never have an incident. But I’m not sure that’s practical thinking. The time to think about emergency response is before you have an emergency.   

I’m not opposed to having fun at work. That being said, organizations need to also think about the safety and wellbeing of their employees. I believe employees can have fun when they know the workplace is safe. 

As organizations discuss the benefits of onsite work, don’t forget to talk about workplace safety and wellbeing. Make the onsite work experience worth the commute. 

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while exploring the streets of Tampa, FL

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Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

(Editor’s Note: Today’s article is brought to you by our friends at Poster Guard^© Poster Compliance Service from HRdirect, the leading labor law poster service that gets your business up to date with all the required federal, state, and local labor law postings, and then keeps it that way – for an entire year. Enjoy the article!)

A couple of weeks ago, I shared with you an article highlighting how different industries have different labor law posting requirements. It’s very easy to dismiss warnings about labor law posters with “Oh, we have all the right ones.” or “There will be headlines everywhere when our posters need to be updated.” That’s simply not true. 

While I’m not saying that government agencies are out to catch organizations that aren’t in compliance, it’s important to realize that in today’s fast paced business world, there’s no guarantee that labor law posting updates are going to automatically move into the trending topics section of your favorite social media platform.

So today, I wanted to build on the conversation we had about the different industry requirements to talk about how labor law posters have some unique requirements for certain employee groups. 

Group #1: Postings for Job Applicants. Don’t Assume Labor Law Postings are Only for Employees.

We have a tendency to think of labor law postings as being just for our employees. Truth is, four of the six mandatory federal postings apply to applicants as well. There are also state and local requirements. Physical postings must be displayed for applicants that come into your work location for interviews, pre-employment testing, or any part of the hiring process. By law, applicants must be able to view these federal postings in your business:

• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
• Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA)
• Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
• Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)

And if your organization accepts online applications, there needs to be a way for applicants to view them there too. In an article on Yahoo Finance, 99% of Fortune 500 Companies are using applicant tracking systems (ATS), and 75% of recruiters are using an ATS to some extent. As organizations take more of their processes online, they need to be prepared to take their compliance online as well. 

Group #2: Spanish Language Postings. Don’t Assume Spanish Language Postings Only Apply When You Have Spanish Speaking Employees.

As of July 1, 2021, the U.S. Census reports that the Hispanic population of the United States was 62.6 million, making people of Hispanic origin the nation’s largest ethnic or racial minority. There are thirteen states with a population of more than one million Hispanic residents: AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, NJ, NM, NY, NC, PA, TX, and WA. 

Twenty-one (21) states and territories are required by law to have certain labor law postings in English and Spanish, regardless of the composition of the workforce. Additional laws apply if you have locations with a significant number of Spanish-speaking employees who are not proficient in English. Those locations must post certain federal labor law postings in both English and Spanish. Though not mandatory, it is in your best interest to display all of the state posters in English and Spanish in those locations as well.

Organizations cannot assume that, if they do not have Spanish-speaking employees, they don’t need Spanish language posters. Also, they cannot assume if they have bilingual employees that they don’t need Spanish language labor law postings. 

Group #3: Postings for Remote Workers. Don’t Assume that Labor Law Postings are Only for Onsite Work Environments

In an article on Forbes, they reported that 12.7% of full-time employees work remotely and 28.2% work in a hybrid model. We all know the reasons that working remotely is popular for both organizations and employees. 

On the organization size, it reduces the costs for commercial office space and decreases our carbon footprint. From the employee perspective, it reduces the cost of commuting and can offer greater work / life balance. In an article from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), remote employees are more productive and save companies billions. While the SHRM article is a few years old, it does have some interesting statistics about the cost of allowing employees flexibility.  

Organizations with a remote workforce need to audit their processes to ensure everyone has access to labor law postings. There are U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) opinion letters and court cases have determined that electronic notices are a reasonable alternative for remote employees. 

Close the Compliance Gap with Your Labor Law Postings

I’d like to think that organizations know they need to have labor law postings. But I can also see organizations forgetting to take the extra steps with applicants, Spanish language postings, and remote employees. 

But the good news is that organizations don’t have to spend hours researching this information. Our friends at Poster Guard have a Labor Law Poster Service that will do it for you. Yes, that’s correct. Poster Guard monitors labor law requirements (at the federal, state, and local level) and lets you know when things change. They also provide you with replacement posters every time there’s a change FREE of charge! And, they provide a 100% guarantee that the posters are in compliance or they’ll pay the fine. 

Oh, and one more thing about the service. It includes foreign language postings, if required for all employers, regardless of the languages spoken in the workplace. 

Honestly, this is a no brainer for me. As a HR professional, I have so many other things I need to spend my time on than researching labor law posting requirements. Personally, I would much rather have a professional service do what they do best, which frees up my time to recruit, engage, and retain the best employees.

The post 3 Employee Groups with Unique Labor Law Posting Requirements appeared first on hr bartender.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

I read an article in HR Brew about how new hires are leaving organizations at higher rates than in previous years. According to a report from Qualtrics, 40% of employees who have been with an organization for less than six months are planning to leave. The report cites the reason being a disconnect in setting new hires up for success (i.e., onboarding). 

There are lots of articles declaring that quiet quitting is over and voluntary quits are down. And that might be true. But it doesn’t change the fact that turnover is expensive. Organizations should remember that there’s a direct relationship between the employee experience and retention. 

If you’re looking for an opportunity to assess your employee experience, here are a few articles that might be useful. 

A 5-Step Audit of the Candidate Experience

Some people might be saying, “I thought we were talking about the employee experience?”. Truth is that the labor market continues to be competitive. Organizations cannot have a terrible candidate experience and expect people to want to work for them. A positive candidate experience is the gateway to a positive employee experience. 

Give Employees a Better Employee Experience

Organizations are very focused on the economy and profits right now. Hopefully, they are equally focused on the people side of the business. Because it takes people to earn profits. Companies that want to thrive will make the connection and deliver the best experience.

Employees Expect an Experience Based on Trust

The employee experience is important. Candidates want to talk about it during the interview. Employees want to learn about it during onboarding. And all along the way, employees want to know that they can trust their employer to do the right thing – be honest. That helps with employee retention. Even when we don’t have all the answers. Or when we have an answer that the employee might not want to hear. 

Work is Not Like Family

I do believe there might have been a time when candidates and employees wanted to work at companies where the employment brand portrayed “family”. I’m not sure that’s the case today. But that doesn’t mean organizations have to change who they are. My guess is if they really looked at their definition of family, the company already has a great message to send. 

Employee Feedback Can Help Employers Save Money

Organizations are always going to have some sort of challenge that they’re dealing with. Start putting a process in place to ask and get employee feedback. That can help with employee retention. Employees have great ideas. Use them.

Organizations Need to Proactively Monitor the Employee Experience

I want to believe we all agree that organizations need to have a pulse on what’s happening in the workplace. The process of doing so is a never-ending task. Because expectations change all the time – company expectations, customer expectations, and employee expectations. 

That’s why using a gap analysis to set a baseline then regularly utilizing the feedback tools allows the organization to proactively monitor the employee experience. 

Organizations spend a lot of time and resources attracting and selecting the best talent. From a business perspective, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to not give those employees a great experience and setting them up for success. And we’re not just talking about new hires. Throughout an employee’s career, they should feel the organization wants them to have a good experience and wants them to be successful.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while exploring the streets of Orlando, FL

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Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

(Editor’s Note: Today’s article is brought to you by our friends at Poster Guard® Compliance Protection, a division of HRdirect and the leading labor law poster service that gets your business up to date with all required federal, state and local labor law postings, and then keeps it that way — for an entire year. Enjoy the article!)

A few months ago, I published an article about three new labor law poster changes that have been implemented lately. Quick FYI – the three changes are the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers (PUMP) Act, and the EEOC Know Your Rights. I hope you’ll check it out when you have a moment. 

Today, I’d like to offer a friendly reminder that when we’re thinking about labor law postings, not every organization is the same. Some industries have specific labor law posting requirements that companies need to know. Here are three examples of industry specific labor law postings that organizations need to remember. 

If the organization has government contracts, don’t forget your federal contractor postings.

According to the U.S. Treasury department, the United States government spent $6.13 trillion (and that’s not a typo) this year. While a big piece of government spending goes towards programs like Social Security and Medicaid, billions of dollars end up with private sector companies. And as you would expect, a big chunk of those billions go to defense contractors. 

However, according to the Small Business Administration (SBA), 23% of government contracts are targeted for small businesses. Meaning we can’t make the assumption that only big businesses are federal contractors. Many different types of organizations have contracts with the government: financial institutions, technology companies, non-profits, auto dealers, retailers, service establishments, etc. If your organization is a federal contractor, there are posting requirements. Here’s a sampling of the ten common federal contractor posters:

• Department of Defense (DOD) Hotline 
• Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Hotline
• E-Verify
• Minimum Wage
• National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)
• Notice to Workers with Disabilities
• Paid Sick Leave
• Pay Transparency Statement
• Right to Work
• Walsh-Healy Public/Service Contracts

This goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway, the penalty for non-compliance isn’t just a fine. It could include losing a government contract. I’d like to think that, if your organization has a nice contract with the government, it makes good business sense to maintain compliance and keep it that way. 

Different industries have different posting requirements. All organizations are not the same.

Currently, there are six federal labor law posters that most organizations are required to post.

1. Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA)
2. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
3. Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
4. Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) 
5. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
6. Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)

Certain types of organizations have additional posting requirements. For example, organizations in the hospitality industry might have requirements to post information about alcohol service, CPR and choking assistance information, and notices for tipped employees. 

In addition, health care organizations might have up to 18 additional notices covering areas such as biohazard materials, radiation areas, and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Notice of Privacy Practices. 

And, public-sector employee notices include whistleblower protections, right to know postings, and information about electronic monitoring. Government agencies also have their own unique versions of the OSHA and FLSA. The takeaway here is that even when it comes to federal posting requirements, we cannot assume that all organizations are the same. 

Organizations that have their federal and state postings, but not their industry specific ones, are still at risk.

It might be tempting to think that the organization doesn’t need to spend a lot of time worrying about the “labor law poster police” because the company can simply pay the fine and move on. Someone might say, “So, what’s the big deal if the company doesn’t have their industry postings?” Let’s remember that the purpose of labor law postings is to inform employees of their legal rights (and responsibilities) under federal, state, and local law. 

Sadly, I’ve actually heard senior leaders suggest not putting up posters because they were “ugly”. Thankfully, the organization came to their senses and realized they needed to focus on the purpose of the posting and their responsibilities as an employer. 

The reason I wanted to mention the ugly poster comment is because I’m not naive. I realize that organizations might have plenty of money to pay a fine. The question becomes do organizations want to pay two fines? Six fines? Ten fines? I spoke with Ashley Kaplan, Esquire, senior corporate counsel for HRdirect, and she told me that the fines for a federal notice violation could be as much as $41,000+ per location. So, let’s say that you’re an auto dealer with 4 locations that services government vehicles. That puts your risk potential at $160,000. Not to mention increased legal exposure in employment litigation and negative public relations if job candidates and employees found out about the incident. 

Stay in Labor Law Posting Compliance

What amazes me about these industry-specific labor law posting requirements isn’t that labor law compliance is complex. Staying current with legislation is complex in general. The amazing part to me is that organizations don’t look for ways to make the process easier. 

Our friends at Poster Guard have a Labor Law Poster Service that will do it for you. Yep, that’s right. Poster Guard monitors labor law requirements (at the federal, state, and local level) and lets you know when things change. In addition, they have an add-on service that covers industries like healthcare, hospitality, and the public sector. 

Poster Guard extends a 100% guarantee that all posters are compliant – or they’ll pay any government fine due to improper posting content. But to me, the best part of the service is that for an entire 12 months, you get new posters every time a mandatory change occurs … automatically and at no additional cost. 

One of the biggest business lessons I’ve learned over the years is just because I could do something doesn’t mean I should. Spending huge amounts of time on manual tasks keeps me from other activities like recruiting, engagement, learning, and retention. The same applies to other organizations. Spending lots of time manually tracking labor laws keeps the organization from their customers. That has a direct impact on the bottom-line.

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Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

I’m sure some readers might be looking at the title of today’s article and saying to themselves, “No way!”. Well, thanks for staying around to read on. 

Training programs are an important part of employee engagement. We’d like to believe that engaged employees are able to do their jobs well and training plays a role in that. In addition, it prepares employees for future opportunities. For that reason, training is directly linked to engagement, which is linked to performance, which is linked to the organization’s bottom-line. 

But what I just described has to do with the training content. There’s an equally important activity in training that can also play a role in employee engagement – the evaluation process. First, if the organization isn’t doing training evaluations, they could be sending the message that what participants think of training isn’t important and that in itself has an impact on engagement. 

If the organization is doing training evaluations, they might be using the Kirkpatrick model. The model has four levels of evaluation: reaction, learning, behavior, and results. 

REACTION: In the reaction level, participants are asked for their “reaction” to training. Often this is done with a paper or online course evaluation. The training team can review reactions and make updates to training based on employee feedback. Think about the engagement that could be created if employee suggestions were incorporated into future training programs. 

LEARNING: In this level, participants are often given a pre- and post-training quiz. Ideally, the participant scores in post-training should be better to indicate that “learning” took place. But the training team can also review scores to spot trends – like every participant got one question wrong or that aggregate scores weren’t as high as expected. This allows the training team to examine the content and possibly make changes that will have a greater impact (which will lead to better employee performance and engagement).

BEHAVIOR: The behavior level of evaluation says that participants are doing what they learned in training. For example, let’s say a company has a decision-making class where everyone learns how to create a force field analysis. After the training, senior management sees employees using force fields. That’s a sign that training was impactful. If senior management walked around and didn’t see anyone using what they learned, that would be cause to investigate. 

RESULTS: In the fourth level of the Kirkpatrick model, the organization sees a measurable outcome as a “result” of training. An example would be if the organization was seeing errors in a particular assembly, and they decide to conduct training. Ideally, after training, the errors should be reduced. If not, then the organization will want to understand why by getting feedback from employees. 

Regardless of what level of evaluation is being used, there’s an expected outcome to training (i.e., good reactions, better post-training scores, noticeable behavior change, and measurable results). If those outcomes happen, great! Training evaluations will offer insights for the future. If those outcomes don’t happen, getting participant feedback is a great way to research the reason why. And incorporating that feedback into future training programs can prove to be beneficial – for employees and the company.

Training evaluations can drive employee engagement when organizations use evaluations in the spirit for which they were intended – to get feedback about the program, suggestions for improvements, and to confirm that the training objective was accomplished. When employees know that their feedback will be taken seriously, they will be more enthused to give it.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby at the Association for Talent Development (ATD) International Conference and Expo in Orlando, FL

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