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Posted on By Gladys

When is the right time for a salary raise

1) When is the right time for a salary raise

Do you think there is an exact time to ask for a salary raise and what factors need to be considered before you request for a salary raise.
Below are 6 signs that will evaluate if the time is right for a salary raise.

1)Your Company’s Good Financial Health
If things are good, revenue is up, and goals are being met across the board, then have at it. You stand a much better shot of getting what you want if everything else is falling into place.

2)Other People Have Received Raises
If you’ve confirmed that other employees are asking for and receiving raises, and you’re either at their level or do better work, then that can be a positive sign to ask for a raise of your own.
The only thing we’ll caution you on here is not to reference the raises of other employees in your request. A raise should be about you, your work, and your potential future value to the company that makes you a worthwhile investment. Dont walk in to your bosses office and start whining.

3)It’s Time for Your Performance Review
Most companies plan out a schedule for performance reviews and subsequent raises. Try to coordinate your raise request with that schedule, because it’s easier for your boss to convince the top brass at the designated time for raises, as opposed to a request out of left field at some other point during the year.

4)The Company Just Had a Big Win
If your company had a huge win or, better yet, a string of big victories, then it might behoove you to strike while the iron is hot. And if you played an integral role in those wins, then all the better.

5)You’ve Picked Up a New Skill or Degree
Did you take a training course or complete a degree program that sets you apart? Then that’s a good reason to take action.
Proving yourself invaluable and indispensable is perhaps the greatest way to earn that pay increase. The more you can set yourself apart the better.
Any time you can prove you’re a high-performer with specialized skills that make you stand out in the crowd, that’s a positive.

6)You Have Other Job Offers
Fear of losing valuable employees to other companies is a company’s biggest reason to approve raises.
So if you feel you’re underpaid and you’ve tested the waters and been offered a more lucrative position elsewhere, that’s a valuable card to play. But play it wisely. Don’t be boastful or pushy about it. Highlight your performance, let the numbers speak for themselves, and simply let them know you’ve been offered something for more money.
But you have to be prepared to leave, and you should never bluff. If you’re not prepared to walk or you’re lying, then you’ll create a toxic environment with management and getting a raise in the future will be near impossible.

Happy Reading!!!!!

Posted on By Gladys

Virtual HR Premiers Use Of Social Media To Interview Job Candidates

Virtual HR, a human resource and talent management company based in Kenya, is introducing digital interviewing. This means that applicants need not have to be physically present for a job interview and can opt for a Skype call, video conferencing or mobile-based chats especially WhatsApp recording.

Gladys Ogallo, the Managing Director of Virtual HR, says formerly time-consuming human resources tasks have been vastly improved through technology. From digital interviewing to digital records, HR teams are now able to recruit and track data faster and more efficiently than ever.

“Some of the major HR processes influenced by technology include Job evaluation, performance management, training, recruitment and selection as well as data storage and retrieval,” said Ms Ogola.

“We now use a self-service module to ensure applicants’ details are updated and available online at the click of a button including LinkedIn, Google, Twitter and Facebook links as opposed to just manual records.”

This has eliminated the need for face-to-face meeting with potential candidate especially those in far areas.

“You could be in Mombasa, Namanga or Dubai and we interview you from Nairobi but still manage to hold an effective performance review session,’’ said Mrs. Ogallo.

Virtual interviews solve geographical and distance challenge besides saving time and cost.  “There is no point of hassling both the candidate and ourselves to travel for miles for an interview while we would still achieve the same results through a simple a mechanism as even a WhatsApp chat that would end up saving us significant time and money,” she says.

She said three of every 10 interviews at Virtual HR are done digitally.

In digital Interviewing, candidates are allowed to use whichever technology they prefer — phone, tablet or laptop — to record their responses which are then reviewed by HR experts.

This saves both the recruitment firm and candidates hundreds of hours of travel costs and other logistical expenses associated with physical recruitment.

However, at the final stage of the recruitment process the candidate may be required to show up in person as the exclusive use of technology end to end may limit the recruiter’s assessment of the candidate’s personality and other softer details. It also assists in giving the whole process the human touch that technology cannot achieve especially on character judgement and detection of passion and commitment.

“Getting the right person for the job online does not end there. The real task begins as you place more focus on relationship building as this is where the true self of your applicant begins to show,” added Gladys.

Posted on By Gladys

Recruitment goes digital

Virtual HR premiers use of social media to interview job candidates

Virtual HR, a human resource and talent management company based in Kenya, is introducing digital interviewing. This means that applicants need not have to be physically present for a job interview and can opt for a Skype call, video conferencing or mobile-based chats especially WhatsApp recording.

Gladys Ogallo, the Managing Director of Virtual HR, says formerly time-consuming human resources tasks have been vastly improved through technology. From digital interviewing to digital records, HR teams are now able to recruit and track data faster and more efficiently than ever.

Screen Shot 2016-09-07 at 4.17.56 PM

“Some of the major HR processes influenced by technology include Job evaluation, performance management, training, recruitment and selection as well as data storage and retrieval,” said Ms Ogola. “We now use a self-service module to ensure applicants’ details are updated and available online at the click of a button including LinkedIn, Google, Twitter and Facebook links as opposed to just manual records.”

This has eliminated the need for face-to-face meeting with potential candidate especially those in far areas.  “You could be in Mombasa, Namanga or Dubai and we interview you from Nairobi but still manage to hold an effective performance review session,’’ said Mrs. Ogallo.

Virtual interviews solve geographical and distance challenge besides saving time and cost.  “There is no point of hassling both the candidate and ourselves to travel for miles for an interview while we would still achieve the same results through a simple a mechanism as even a WhatsApp chat that would end up saving us significant time and money,” she says.

She said three of every 10 interviews at Virtual HR are done digitally.

In digital Interviewing, candidates are allowed to use whichever technology they prefer — phone, tablet or laptop — to record their responses which are then reviewed by HR experts.

This saves both the recruitment firm and candidates hundreds of hours of travel costs and other logistical expenses associated with physical recruitment.

However, at the final stage of the recruitment process the candidate may be required to show up in person as the exclusive use of technology end to end may limit the recruiter’s assessment of the candidate’s personality and other softer details. It also assists in giving the whole process the human touch that technology cannot achieve especially on character judgement and detection of passion and commitment.

“Getting the right person for the job online does not end there. The real task begins as you place more focus on relationship building as this is where the true self of your applicant begins to show,” added Gladys.

Posted on By Gladys

Virtual HR leads recruitment firms in digital interviewing – KBC Feature

Virtual HR a Human Resource and talent management company is introducing digital interviewing in the recruitment of personnel.

Virtual-HR-

This means that Kenyans no longer have to be physically present for a job interview and instead can opt for a Skype call, video conferencing or mobile-based chats especially WhatsApp recording.

Gladys Ogallo, the Managing Director of Virtual HR says that formerly time-consuming human resources tasks have been vastly improved through technology.

From digital interviewing to digital records, HR teams are now able to recruit and track data faster and more efficiently today than ever.

‘’Some of the major HR processes influenced by technology include Job Evaluation, Performance Management, Training, Recruitment and Selection, Data Storage and Retrieval. We now use a Self Service Module to ensure applicants’ details are updated and are available online at the click of a button including LinkedIn, Google, Twitter and Facebook links as opposed to just manual records. Our processes no longer require that we have a face to face meeting with a potential candidate.  You could be in Mombasa, Namanga or Dubai and we interview you from Nairobi but still manage to hold an effective performance review session,’’ said Mrs. Ogallo.

Factors that would make the recruitment firm consider online interviews include geographical distance, time and cost.

‘’There is no point of hassling both the candidate and ourselves to travel for miles for an interview while we would still achieve the same results through a simple a mechanism as even a WhatsApp chat that would end up saving us significant time and money. As long as it is efficient there is no need,’’ said Gladys Ogallo, who also noted that 3 of every 10 interviews they conduct nowadays are done digitally.

Through digital interviewing candidates are allowed to use whichever technology they prefer — phone, tablet or laptop— to record their responses and HR screeners are given an opportunity to review either immediately or on their own time.

This saves both the recruitment firm hundreds of hours of travel costs and other logistics accrued in physical recruitment. The candidates also save on time and money to get to location.

However, it is important to note at the final stage of the recruitment process the candidate may be required to attend in person as the exclusive use of technology end to end may limit the recruiter’s assessment of the candidate’s personality and other important finer details.

It also assists in giving the whole process the human touch that technology cannot achieve especially on character judgement and detection of passion and commitment.

‘’Getting the right person for the job online does not end there. The real task begins as you place more focus on relationship building as this is where the true self of your applicant begins to show,’’ added Gladys.

Posted on By Gladys

Don’t be too impatient, you need to earn your stripes

 

… Gladys Ogallo is the founder, Virtual Human Resource services ltd.

My first job, after graduating with a bachelor of education degree from Kenyatta University, was teaching Business, English and Office management at Kianda Secretarial College. I was earning Sh20,000.

After the college was taken over by Strathmore College, now Strathmore University, my scope of teaching expanded and I did my MBA.

I went on to hold a leadership position at Africa Online, where I was head of training in charge of nine countries. I held another top management position at UUNET before moving on to start my own company.

My ultimate dream is to mentor as many women as I can, to grow board membership of competent and strong women.

  1. What were you doing at 21?

I was a happy-go-lucky University student.

  1. Which two qualities of Gladys would you attribute your success to?

The first is that I pay attention to detail. This helped me get ahead of the pack especially early in my career. My other valuable quality is my ability and willingness to compromise. I interpret it to mean “two heads are better than one.”

  1. From your experience in HR, what is the one career mistake that young people are making today?

Being too impatient with career progress. They need to earn their stripes. Most young people want instant gratification. They want promotion now. They don’t realise that their seniors have laboured patiently to be where they are.

  1. If you could go on your career journey all over again, what would you do differently?

I would spend less years heading HR departments and move on to consultancy four years earlier than I did. I feel those four years didn’t grow me much and could have been done by someone else.

  1. What advice can you give the young person reading this?

Be the CEO of your career. Make the right choices, and when you make a career mistake, don’t panic. Just get back to the drawing board. Also, be creative and innovative with your career. When you are young, you can afford to make mistakes and get back on board.

One of my favourite media personalities, Laban Califf Onsero, was my mentee, as a HR professional. He found his career joy elsewhere, in media. He left HR. He was ready to be creative and innovative and make the jump from a career that he felt wasn’t his.

MY SUCCESS SECRETS

  1. I am widely read. I strive to know more today than I knew yesterday.
  2. I believe that image matters. I take care of my physical image as well as my reputation.
  3. I am a woman of my word.
  4. I pay attention to detail. No one likes sloppy work.
  5. I laugh freely and feel deeply.

The last book I read and enjoyed is The Jewish Phenomenon by Steven Silbiger. It is a must read for everyone.

In Summary

  • Most young people want instant gratification. They want promotion now. They don’t realise that their seniors have laboured patiently to be where they are. 
  • After the college was taken over by Strathmore College, now Strathmore University, my scope of teaching expanded and I did my MBA.
  • I went on to hold a leadership position at Africa Online, where I was head of training in charge of nine countries. I held another top management position at UUNET before moving on to start my own company.
Posted on By Gladys

What Managers Can Do To Improve Employee Performance

Any time an organization carries out a performance review, the participants must be ranked. Just like in the recently concluded IAAF championships, there will be excellent performers, good performers, average performers and poor performers in any organization. It is easy focus on the excellent and good performers. The alternative demands a critical examination of the underlying causes behind the poor performance. Quite often, the poor and average performers need assistance in order to boost their performance. This could be in form of mentorship or training.

There is no shortage of literature on how to mentor employees or how to improve staff performance. Most managers fail in their efforts to improve staff performance as a result of having misguided intentions. Improving staff performance is not just about healthy profits and accolades for the team leader. It is about doing the difficult, messy work of understanding the employees, their motivations and the organization’s role in their performance.

Once the stage has been set, managers can embark on a journey towards improving staff performance in three easy steps:

Engage the employees

Research has provided sufficient evidence to support the need for employee engagement. Employees are likely to perform better when they report to managers who understand what they do and provide them with opportunities to do what they do best. Managers need to understand their talent pool and work towards managing the talent effectively. For instance, an accountant might be struggling with his job because his natural talents dictate that he should be a salesperson. The identification of talent mismatch goes a long way in enhancing employee engagement which ultimately improves staff performance.

Praise publicly, critique privately

Kenyan athletes were recently feted for their sterling performance in Beijing. The Deputy President expressed his pride and joy as he hosted the team at his private residence. The Kenyan team may have placed Kenya on top of the world but this does not mean that all the athletes got a medal. Some of them performed poorly, contrary to the expectations of their coaches and their country. Criticizing the athletes who did not perform well in public would be a miscalculation. Praising the team, on the other hand, boosts the confidence of all the athletes. Tactful managers praise publicly and critique privately. Critiquing privately provides the employee with an opportunity to confront his or her failure without the fear of shame or ridicule. Once this has been done, the path towards a better performance can be charted.

 

 

Be a resource to your team

Are you an approachable manager? Can your employees ask for your assistance? There was a time when management was all about hiding in the corner office, barking orders and spreading fear. Those days are long gone. It would be a shame to drag management back to those days in the current knowledge-based work environment. A manager’s job begins with managing his character: his words, his time and his relationships at work. A healthy working relationship between a manager and his employees fortifies the bonds of the team and promotes seamless communication. Attaining the organization’s vision in such an environment is much easier since the employees see themselves as a pivotal part of the organization’s vision.

What are you doing to improve your organization’s performance?

 

Posted on By Gladys

How to improve your organization’s interview process

There is no shortage of advice on what candidates seeking jobs need to do before interviews. We, the HR practitioners have said it all: how to dress, how to answer interview questions, how to ask questions about remuneration and so on. As the candidates pore over time tested advice on successfully going through an interview, it is important to consider what HR practitioners need to consider before interviewing candidates. After all, practice makes perfect. If you are seeking to improve your interviewing process, try incorporating some of these tips:

Research, research, research

A great interview should be based on sound research. If you are seeking candidates to fill a vacancy in another department, it is important to get the specifics of the position from the head of that department. What is the job description? What qualities and skills should the candidate seeking to fill the position possess? Whenever it is necessary, invite the head of the department to the interviewing panel. For instance, a candidate seeking to fill the position of a software developer needs to be conversant with programming languages. Inviting the head of the IT department to the interview panel could help in determining the competency of the candidate in programming.

Running a HR department can be a daunting task. At times, HR practitioners get bogged down by other responsibilities thus sparing little time for researching on candidates. HR practitioners need to carefully read and review resumes before an interview. Doing this provides the HR practioner with an opportunity to pick out gaps that are questionable such as a long break in work history or sketchy details about a special project.  It may be necessary to do a background check in some instances.

Ask the right questions

The role of an interview is to determine the suitability of a candidate by engaging him or her in person. HR practitioners need to tailor their questions in a manner that enables the candidate to provide information about their work experience and area of expertise. This does not mean that the HR practioner can rapidly fire questions at the candidate as soon as he or she walks into the room. Instead, the 80/20 rule should be followed. The interviewer should do 20% of the talking while the interviewee should do 80% of the talking.

There are questions that should be avoided because they could be deemed as discriminatory. Some of these questions include:

  • Are you married/ single/ dating?
  • What ethnic group do you belong to?
  • What is your religious affiliation?

To avoid getting into murky territory during an interview, the HR practitioner should ask open-ended questions that lead to further discussion on the candidate’s’ work experience and area of expertise. Some of the questions that the HR practitioner can ask include:

What are your primary responsibilities at your current position?

How does your job relate to the overall goals of the organization?

Which aspect of your job do you consider most rewarding? Why?

What are you looking for in your next job?

Listen carefully

There is always a task pending in the world of an HR practitioner. In this success-oriented age, it is easy to get lost in the next email, or project in an attempt to maintain a successful track record. An HR practitioner who approaches his or her job like that will easily miss what is in front of him. Good HR practitioners avoid the next-high trap. They engage every candidate during an interview. They pay attention to every detail. They are always seeking an opportunity to attract and hire the best talent because that is the first step towards winning the war for talent.

What steps do you take as a HR practitioner before conducting an interview?

 

Posted on By Gladys

Redefining Performance Management

For years, students in Kenya have sat for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams prior to graduating from primary schools and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams prior to graduating from secondary school. The highlight of these major exams is the performance ranking published by all major media houses in the country.

A bill that is set to be tabled at the National Assembly is seeking to change this. The bill proposes the replacement of KCPE and KCSE with annual assessments which will cumulatively be used to gauge the talents and capabilities of the students. Experts have come out in support of the proposed system by stating that it will promote learning and help the individual develop his or her talents. Those who are against the proposed system opine that competition is healthy hence the old performance ranking system should be maintained. The most important lesson organizational leaders can glean from this debate is that performance management needs to be evaluated and re-designed if necessary.

Performance management is more than a ‘box ticking’ exercise

In my experience as an HR practitioner, I have watched with utter dismay as employees and employers reduced performance management to a ‘box ticking’ exercise. There is a lot of negativity that is associated with performance ranking and by extension, any form of performance management.  Most employees consider performance reviews an exercise in futility. Performance management systems bring out the competitive human nature; a trait that may manifest in different ways. Some employees are quite competitive hence performance reviews will leave them bragging for days.

Most employees want to perform well hence a low-performance rating is a dent to their self-confidence. It is for this reason that human resource managers find themselves dealing with uncooperative employees whenever they carry out performance reviews. On the other hand, employers are divided on the importance of performance management. Some, based on their observations, argue that performance management encourages self-promotion and narcissism; traits that are poisonous to the organizational culture. Others contend that performance management is crucial to the decision-making process because it helps leaders make important decisions on talent.

 

Is there hope for performance management amidst such challenges?

What can organizations do to change performance management from a ‘box ticking’ exercise to a system that helps them measure individual performance and maximize productivity? Performance management systems often fail as a result of poor design and flawed implementation. Addressing the negative attitudes towards performance management needs to begin with an honest assessment of an organization’s performance management system. It is important to ask the following questions:

  1.    Is the organization’s performance system beneficial?
  2.    What is good performance according to the system in place?
  3.    What is bad performance according to the performance management system?
  4.    Is there a feedback mechanism that encourages good performance and addresses the issues that lead to bad performance?

 

Aspects of performance management

With this in mind, an organization can create a more effective performance management system by following these steps:

  1.    Performance planning

Performance planning sets a platform for the communication of objectives to employees and the development of actionable points that will guide the employees towards the attainment of the set goals. Performance planning works best as a collaborative effort between managers and the employees. The performance planning document should be used to monitor the progress made towards the attainment of the set goals. The monitoring exercises should be used as a basis for the re-alignment of goals in line with the changing business environment. Performance planning and continuous feedback foster continuous improvement of the employees.

  1.    Improve the information gathering process

Performance-related information should be gathered from a number of sources. For instance, during the evaluation of the performance of a sales executive, the HR department should consider the following: sales reports, past appraisals and observations from immediate supervisors. This will eliminate subjectivity and provide a more wholesome perspective on the performance of the employee.

  1.    Embrace technology

The digital wave is here to stay. Organizations are gradually coming to the realization that they must adapt to new technologies and innovations or become obsolete. Managers need to embrace performance management systems which will streamline performance tracking and administration. The use of technological tools helps managers create effective talent management strategies and engage employees in the process of their development.

What is the greatest challenge your organization has encountered in performance management? Get in touch with us today: Tel: +254 706 419 111.  Email: info@virtualhr.co.ke

Posted on By Gladys

Principles of Identifying High Potential Talent

As organizations seek to win the war for talent it is important that they develop a criteria that will guide them in identifying high potential talent. A high potential employee refers to an individual who has the capacity to hold a leadership position at an organization. Once a high potential employee has been identified, the appropriate opportunities to develop can be accorded to him or her in preparation for their role as leaders in the organization. According to a report in the Harvard Business review,  high potential employees possess the following characteristics:

 

  • They are passionate about excelling in their respective fields
  • They have an accelerated ability to learn and assimilate new concepts.
  • They have heightened sensors hence they can quickly assess their environment and take calculated risks.
  • They have an enterprising spirit.

High potential employees have the capacity to lead the organization to the next level by building trust, confidence and improving the performance of an organization. However, most organizations miss out on the opportunity to reap the benefits of having high potential employees because they lack systematic and formal processes that will enable them to identify high potential employees. By developing systematic approaches, organizations can arrest the notion that high potential employees are underutilized in most organizations. Arresting this dangerous notion curbs low employee morale and high turnover rates. Any organization seeking to develop a formal criteria for the identification of high potential talent ought to consider the following principles:

 

Principle I: Plan for the future

There is a popular adage that states that failing to plan is planning to fail. The HR department in any organization needs to anticipate the hard-to- fill leadership positions that may arise in the organization in the future and the strategic needs of the organization. The identification of these needs should be followed by prioritization and the definition of the roles that come with each positions. The requirements that need to be met in order to meet the human capital needs should be spelt out. In some cases, the internal talent pool needs to be mentored in preparation for the upcoming roles. In other instances, the organization may need to recruit talent from outside the organization.

Principle II: Definition of high potential criteria

According to PDI Ninth House, organizations need to define high potential criteria. A review of literature and case studies enables the organization to define terms such as performance, fitness, readiness and potential. The high potential criteria for specific positions within an organization ought to be spelt out in the process. The high potential program should be updated regularly in line with the needs of the organization. A feedback loop can be created to allow high potential employees to give their feedback. Once this has been done, the organization can create a learning program for high potential employees to foster learning.

Principle III: Make the high potential criteria measurable

Creation of metrics for the high potential criteria makes it easier for the management to determine the suitability of a candidate since it minimizes biases. Assessment tools that can be used in this process include:  Personal Development Analysis (PDA) and talent measurement tools such as SHL Talent Measurement.

Principle IV: Identify high potential

High potential employees can be identified once the organization has set a measurable criteria for high potential employees. There is often confusion between potential and readiness in course of identifying high potential employees. Readiness is an indication of whether the candidate can step into a given assignment or role. Potential refers to whether a candidate has the right motivation and focus on organizational goals. The confusion between readiness and potential can be eliminated in the course of making high potential criteria a measurable attribute.

Get in touch with us for help on talent search by calling us on Tel: + 254 706 419 111 or through this email info@virtualhr.co.ke