The digital divide is real

You've probably heard the term "digital divide". Oxford Languages defines it as "the gulf between those who have ready access to computers and the Internet, and those who do not". The divide may have different causes depending on where you live. In the area where I grew up, the issue is infrastructure. The area is rural, so in many cases there is no cable or even DSL. The only option may be satellite, which can be expensive and not so fast. A story to illustrate this point: my cousin and his family were relocating back to the area from a major metropolitan area. He came back before his wife and child to oversee the finishing construction on their new home. Of course, he needed to work while he was here. He was part of a group of people running a hedge fund, and this requires fast, reliable internet. Where did he end up doing this work? From the apartment of his grandmother who's in her 90s. As he said, she was the only one in the family (aunts, uncles, etc.) for whom high speed home internet was available.

Other causes may include lack of finances or perceived lack of familiar with technology. I have really seen this during the Covid-19 pandemic. Our company, like many others, accepts applications online only. Prior to the pandemic, the local unemployment offices and libraries had available computers that job seekers could use. These, of course, were, and in many cases remain, closed. Our state, again, like many others, only accepts unemployment claims online. If you don't have a device or aren't computer savvy, where do you go since the libraries and unemployment offices are closed? These two places were also where people went to print paperwork for their interviews and/or new jobs. I've run into issues with that recently as a recruiter. Finally, my employer joined the legion of companies that went to virtual interviews. This requires candidates to have a device, internet, and some level of comfort with technology. 

The digital divide is real. It is something we as a society need to be mindful of to prevent people from missing opportunities that require technology and internet access. 

Graciousness matters

Showing graciousness can be difficult. It is so easy to disengage the link between our brain and our mouth and just let words fly. However, once the words leave our mouth, they can difficult if not impossible to recall. I was thinking today of 3 different recruiting examples that illustrate this point.

Candidate #1 recently withdraw from consideration over salary. I told him what we'd likely be able to offer him based on his education and experience. His response "I made twice that at my old job. I can't do that.". Fair enough. I wished him well in his search. A couple weeks later he called and said he's reconsidered. I have a feeling he found out what the job market actually looks like at the present time. The hiring manager allowed him to reenter the candidate pool.

Candidate #2 gave two weeks notice to leave for another position in April. He worked out his notice, and he created no issues before he left to my knowledge. A little over a month after he left, he contacted my coworker and said he wanted to come back. Due to leaving under good terms, he is eligible for rehire. He still has to apply and go through the entire process: interviewing, test, etc. But he is allowed to be considered for positions.

Candidate #3 had left and been rehired. He quit again last year with no notice for another job. He is not allowed to be hired for any position with our company since he left with no notice.

It takes time to think through what we want to say and respond thoughtfully versus react instantaneously. I would agree this investment in being gracious with our words can pay great dividends. I'll end with a quote from my dad "Don't let your mouth write checks your butt can't cash."

There must be something in the water

As an essential provider of services, my company continues to recruit during the pandemic. That, of course, means continued crazy applicant stories. I truly believe that there must be something in the water right now, because we've had some extra doozies lately. Here are 4 in no particular order:

#1
We send notifications to applicants when positions are filled. This is something every company should do so people aren't wondering what happened with the position. One recent applicant replied to this notice with an e-mail cussing me out. I forwarded this message to my coworker and manager, both of whom were horrified. This candidate has been flagged as "do not hire" in our system.

#2
A candidate turned down our offer over pay. The pay was clearly listed in the job posting. It was union position, so no negotiation. He wasted his time testing & interviewing, and he wasted the time of myself and the 2 other interview team members.

#3
After accepting our offer of employment, the candidate was scheduled for his physical and drug test. This is something required for every position, and it's something this candidate knew to expect. Upon arriving, the candidate exhibited questionable behavior. After finally submitting his sample for a drug test, he told them he refused to do the physical until the drug test results were received. His offer was revoked for not following the procedure we outlined, and he's also been marked as "do not hire" in our system.

#4
The most egregious came to light yesterday. The person had tested for a position the previous day and done terribly, as in one of the lowest scores I've ever seen for this test. Due to the type of test, this test is given in person (with appropriate distancing of course). He e-mailed my coworker yesterday, saying he was feeling poorly with a fever the day of the test and asked to retest. My coworker was livid as was I. First, we are in the middle of a pandemic, and fever is one of the indicators for the disease. The signage on our buildings says not to enter if you have a fever in cased you missed the whole pandemic thing. He knowingly exposed the test administrator to whatever he had. My coworker referred this situation immediately to our HR Director. She had our HR Manager call the candidate. He apologized and said he thought the sweating was caused by drinking coffee (unlikely), then mentioned he had a cough in December that lasted for weeks. He also coughed during the phone call with the HR Manager. The HR Manager also contacted the test administrator to alert him of the situation. He said the candidate didn't appear unwell, and he thinks the guy just wants a chance to retest. To quote my coworker "What is wrong with people?".

Moral of the story: even during a pandemic, candidates will still act crazy.

A week of mass exodus

It was a busy week in the staffing world at my employer. On Monday, two employees gave their 2 weeks notice. In the middle of the week, an employee who was selected for random DOT drug testing walked out rather than test. Late Thursday afternoon an employee who'd been employed  months asked to speak with his boss. He told her that day was his last day as he was starting a new job the next day.

On the flip side, I also got an application from an employee who quit 2 years ago with no notice. Yes, he now wants to come back. It's not my call, but I'm pretty sure that's going to be a hard no.

HR: it's never boring.

Things that make you think

Last week I read "Twelve Months" by Steven Manchester. The premise of the book is a man is diagnosed with cancer and given 12 months to live. It follows his efforts to live a full life to the end while also doing things he long wanted to do, but never had.

While there was definitely a sad overtone, it was a book I enjoyed. After reading it, a thought  crossed my mind- my dad was only 10 years older than I am when he died. This hit me like a ton of bricks. When you're a kid, 10 years seems like a such a long time. And ten years is a long time, especially if you are waiting for something. However, in some ways, it seems so short. My own dad has been gone for 13 years. As my mom said on the anniversary of his death last year, that doesn't seem possible. But when you look back, so much has happened since then.

I'm not planning to die in 10 years. Based on my family health history, I likely have many more years than that. But, my dad didn't plan on dying when he did either. My takeaway is to be more mindful of each day and every interaction in my life. We each only get one life to live, and none of us knows the our expiration date.

Always remember who holds the leverage

One of my family members has given her current employer a very long notice of her intention to leave her job. Her goal was to help successfully transition her role to someone else. Not only has her employer not done anything to facilitate this transfer, she was also treated really poorly by her boss this week over something that isn't even her job. Now, we should always treat people well. However, her boss has totally missed something beyond that- my relative holds all the leverage in this situation. She is the one who's leaving of her own volition. She no longer needs the employer. She can leave any time, and I wouldn't blame her if she decides to go now rather than on her original departure date. She has no reason at all to put up with this.

This reminded me of a similar situation when I left a previous job. At some point during my two week notice period, a member of management said something crazy to me. I literally laughed in the person's face. I don't think that was the reaction the person expected. Why? This person failed to recognize that the typical employee/employer balance of power had undergone a seismic shift. I had all the power. The company had none. This interaction was at least partly behind my decision that I would only answer specific questions about my role before I departed. I'd been at that job over 10 years, and as frequently happens, I was the only one who did it, and all the information about it was in my head. I could have provided a lot of insight before I left, but after the way I was treated, there was no way I was volunteering anything.

When you are trying to get someone to do something, you should always remember who holds the leverage. You then need to frame your approach accordingly. If you hold the leverage, you should be polite, but you can be a bit more demanding. If don't hold the leverage, you need to try to sell the person on the idea. If you try demanding in this instance, not getting what you want may be the least of your problems. You may be get a harsh reminder of who holds the power in the situation along with some very unpleasant repercussions.

Employees are crazy everywhere

People do dumb things at work all the time. The title of today's exhibit makes that obvious:

Kentucky State Police: GM employees arrested after racing new Corvettes in Bowling Green

Some of the highlights from the article include:
- new C8 model Corvettes
- 120 mph clocked speeds
- "detected an odor of alcohol"

I shared this article with my HR team, and they found it highly amusing. The best quote was from our HR Director: "It's always something... But this one is easy."

This week in HR

Humans are interesting creatures. So far this week, we have had 3 shining examples at work.

Human #1
Did a good job answering questions in her interview. Wore a sweater, nice pants, and boots. The only problem- you could see through her loose-knit sweater to her underlying undergarment. FYI, it was black. This is not a good interview look.

Human #2
Showed up for new hire interview on Monday. Was a no call no show yesterday and today. Messages were left for him and his emergency contact with no response. He was fired today for job abandonment.

Human #3
Dropped the f-bomb not once but twice during his interview. Cried during the interview- as in was literally wiping away tears. The questions we asked were in no way tearjerkers, and none of the other candidates we interviewed for this role had this reaction. After the candidate left, two of the interview team members stated the candidate smelled of alcohol.

Three great stories, and it's only Wednesday. As I told my team today, I'm excited to see what Thursday and Friday will bring.