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Generative and narrow AI in HR: What the 2 are and how they impact you now

Artificial Intelligence affects almost everything these days.

So what does AI in HR mean to you now?

With the arrival of ChatGPT, Generative AI that is based on algorithms known as Large Language Models (LLM) firmly established itself in the public consciousness as the ultimate AI. It is widely believed that it will propel technological progress to the next level (if used wisely). However, some will be surprised to learn that Generative AI is not the only game in town. And most of us are already using it.

We’ve known about the revolutionary potential of AI to transform our lives for decades, and we’ve been working on it for just as long. Here is a short video from almost 10 years ago where Xconomy asked me to predict the future of technology. What I was referring to in this video is AI. But not Generative AI, rather its more tenured colleague Narrow AI.

Narrow AI is hardly a new technology. For years, it has been powering countless business, commerce, production and science processes. For example, PepsiCo started embracing AI for all its business processes in 2020, and they are not alone.

So let’s unpack the difference between Generative AI (i.e. ChatGPT), which has captured the public imagination recently, and Narrow AI, which has already quietly permeated many aspects of business and life.

Why AI in HR matters

AI has the potential to benefit HR in numerous ways if applied properly — from decreasing time to hire by predicting candidate success to building diversity through the removal of bias from the hiring process or improving the candidate experience with chatbots that answer any applicant question.

But in the world of talent management, Narrow AI will most likely play a more significant role than its more spectacular counterpart — Generative AI. This is because Narrow AI is much better tuned to your specific goals and objectives and is easier to control for biases.

Understanding the differences between these two types of AI will help you identify all the ways AI could benefit your hiring process, where each type of AI works best, and how to evaluate an AI technology for your organization.

The differences between generative and narrow AI

Scope of knowledge

The very name Narrow AI implies that the subject matter that this type of AI deals with is limited. This limited subject matter could be maximizing a financial return or recognizing a face. When applied to HR, Narrow AI can understand and predict what makes a good employee in any given organization. Regardless of the type of machine learning or predictive algorithm, Narrow AI is usually highly specialized in one specific thing.

Generative AI can have some areas of specialization too, but these areas are typically far broader — for example, answering questions, creating content or providing companionship. In talent management, you might see Generative AI as a chatbot that answers candidate questions.

Learning data

Generative AI learns from a vast amount of media forms that convey information about the world: words, images, sound bites and videos. This allows Generative AI to connect words with other words, or words with images and sound bites in a way that creates the illusion that it knows what it’s talking about. This is why we see job applicants using Generative AI to write or enhance resumes and cover letters.

It can understand the job requirements listed in a publicly available job description and string together content that fulfills those requirements. The ability to learn from this vast amount of media is also why we observe AI that starts acting like a sentient being, having a personality, emotions and feelings.

Narrow AI, on the other hand, usually learns from specific data that represents the very nature of an outcome that it’s designed to predict. For example, to predict weather patterns it learns from historical data on conditions like winds and precipitation.

To make a new drug, pharmaceutical AI learns from tens of millions of data points about the components and effects of other drugs. To assess a candidate for a job, AI learns from personality data and success metrics data to predict which candidates will be successful.

Relationship with the truth

Both AI types can be wrong but in very different ways.

Narrow AI usually deals with predicting future outcomes and, as such, it’s sometimes wrong about its predictions. No matter how accurate a model’s understanding of a subject is, no predictive tool is accurate 100% of the time.

Generative AI, however, is often wrong not about the future but about the past and the present. It does not have any understanding of a subject, but rather it has a model of its subjective descriptions. As such, it can learn all the inaccuracies, biases and falsehoods in the broad data set it learns from.

Countless uses, potential risks

Generative AI rightfully created enormous excitement, as well as anxiety, because of how much it reminds us not just of ourselves, but of an infinitely more capable version of ourselves. We immediately found countless uses for it, and just as quickly identified its potential risks, from massive disinformation to job loss to AI terrorism.

Narrow AI is less flashy, but it will continue to be as important of a tool as its Generative sibling. In the field of HR, Narrow AI will continue to be the dominant technology for a few reasons:

That is not to say that there is no place in HR for Generative AI. We all could use a recruitment chatbot that is genuinely helpful.

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An $11.25M mistake: Why jury sides with fired worker who complained about harassment

A recent lawsuit provides a case study on what NOT to do when handling employee complaints. How bad was it? A jury awarded an eight-figure payout to a fired worker.

To avoid similar mistakes, download our Practical Tools guide on handling employee complaints.

Here’s what happened – and where the company went wrong:

Company fired worker who complained about harassment

Who was involved: Equinox Holdings, Inc., a luxury gym chain, and a Black fitness instructor who was fired from her job at a location in New York City.

What happened: The former employee’s lawsuit alleged a hostile work environment and unlawful termination in violation of Title VII and New York State Human Rights Law. Specifically, she said the company ignored her complaints about a co-worker’s racist and sexually inappropriate comments. Among other things, the co-worker allegedly made vulgar comments about Black women’s bodies, used racially offensive slurs and encouraged clients to work with white personal trainers. Rather than dealing with the co-worker’s misconduct, the company retaliated against the employee by firing her for her purported “lateness,” the lawsuit claimed. After a New York federal court refused to dismiss the claims, the case went before a Manhattan jury.

Result: The jury sided with the former employee, awarding:

  • $1.25 million in compensatory damages, and
  • $10 million in punitive damages.

The employee will also receive $16,000 in economic damages representing back pay, which was previously agreed to by the parties.

Info: Jury verdict in Robynn Europe v. Equinox Holdings, Inc., 5/16/23.

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Can ChatGPT really replace HR pros? New study puts it to the test 

HR can’t seem to escape ChatGPT and other AI technology.  

Although some HR pros fear that AI will completely overtake their jobs, others can see the benefits of utilizing AI to help them do their jobs better. But no matter which side you’re on, the question remains: Can AI really do the job of an HR pro?  

A new study conducted by Mineral put that question to the test, asking ChatGPT several essential HR questions. Here’s what they found. 

Putting it to the test 

Mineral’s test used several versions of ChatGPT – 3.0, 3.5 and 4.0 – to ask several HR questions, covering topics from termination and time off to discrimination and salary transparency. Questions ranged in complexity, but they covered essential HR topics like FLSA and FMLA. 

Specifically, the AI was asked: 

  • What is “at-will employment”? Does that mean I can fire an employee for any reason?  
  • I know that most of the federal employment discrimination laws kick in when an employer reaches a certain number of employees. How do we count that number?  
  • How do I calculate my employee’s FMLA leave? 
  • What is EPSL and EFMLA? Are they required? 
  • What salary range should I post to meet pay transparency requirements? 

Then, Mineral got six HR pros – five HR experts and one employment law attorney – to rate the answers on a scale of one to 10 based on factors like accuracy, relevancy, consistency, brevity and practical applicability. 

Can AI replace real HR pros? 

The results were clear: “ChatGPT is not here to replace skilled HR practitioners,” says Susan Anderson, chief services officer at Mineral. “The answers it provides are too often inaccurate, incomplete or misleading in a way that could be costly to a business that wants to lean on the tool to answer HR questions.”  

While the AI could handle linear, straightforward questions, its answers became unreliable as questions got more complex. The answers are also limited to information available in 2021 or before, so the accuracy of the answers fell when new information came into play.  

The answers weren’t just outdated, though. They also had significant inaccuracies. “In almost all cases, the answers ChatGPT provided were missing necessary nuanced details and in some cases ChatGPT completely fabricated reference material that did not exist at all,” says Anderson.  

For example, when asked, “What is at-will employment? Does that mean I can fire an employee for any reason?” The AI states that an employer could fire an at-will employee without “cause, notice or consequence.” The use of the word “consequence” could be misleading, especially to someone who isn’t familiar with the world of HR.  

“An untrained user with little or no HR experience could easily be misled by a ChatGPT answer that sounds accurate, while a trained practitioner will recognize that the answer is incorrect or that key details were left out,” says Anderson. 

How AI will change HR 

Despite the pitfalls of some of the answers, the study still reveals that AI tools can be valuable tools for HR pros. “ChatGPT can and will change how HR is practiced by streamlining certain processes,” says Anderson. “Taking ChatGPT’s answers and combining them with an HR professional’s knowledge can help get accurate and reliable answers in far less time.”  

However, there are still disadvantages that HR pros need to be on the lookout for when utilizing AI for HR questions. “One common pitfall of ChatGPT is that it does not consistently generate answers to questions with the same facts and details every time,” says Anderson. “One answer may lack the specificity needed to properly answer the question and other answers may lack necessary information based on when that information became available.” 

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5 steps to build more effective teams in your workplace

HR leaders and front-line managers regularly have to pull together teams to execute plans, meet goals or complete projects. There’s a lot at stake.

So you almost always need to build more effective teams.

Yet, many of us pull together a new team haphazardly, relying on who’s available, who we like, who doesn’t resist much or who’ll just show up.

While that’s convenient, it’s a recipe for failure. And it’s one of the biggest reasons 60% of teams fail at their goals, according to research from Dr. Eunice Parisi-Carew, a Founding Associate at The Ken Blanchard Companies.

“Many teams are brought together with no more thought than a general idea of ‘we need a team to do this.’ As a result, these teams get formed sloppily with no clear purpose or goal,” Parisi-Carew says in her research.

Design makes more effective teams

The bottom line is: Great teams are successful by design, not luck.

So building a team — whether it’s across the organization or within a small unit — should never be a matter of getting the most convenient people.

Here’s how managers can build stronger teams, then communicate effectively with them:

1. Assemble the talent

A great team is a combination of people who are strong in different, yet dependent, areas.

For instance, a group of super smart people might be good at problem-solving, but could struggle with implementing the ideas. A group of “doers” might be busy, but could have troubles creating a successful plan.

Depending on the size of your team, recruit at least one:

  • broad thinker with expertise who concentrates on overall strategy
  • creative thinker with fresh, innovative ideas, and
  • practical thinker – or doer – who recognizes how the work will get done.

In addition to these key members, there is one “must” for every team: A detail-oriented, process-focused person. He or she sees the small tasks that need to be done to reach the goal, complementing the big thinkers and doers.

2. Build on the clear goal

Every team has one major goal – for instance, fix the problem, finish the project, make the plan happen. Managers must consistently communicate that one, clear goal.

The team can map out a series of smaller goals to achieve it.

Everything the team does – meeting, gathering information, executing small tasks, etc. – pushes them closer to a major goal, which the manager wants to talk about often so the team recognizes if it’s about to drift off course.

3. Define the benefit

Not only do the team’s efforts need to benefit the group and company, the work needs to benefit every member individually.

As the team forms and grows, managers need to talk one-on-one with employees to define their personal benefits of meeting goals – perhaps promotions, bonuses, new challenges or increased skills.

4. Share a sacrifice

For the team to be successful, every member will sacrifice something – time, energy, resources, etc.

Sacrifices build buy-in. When people make sacrifices, they show they’ve committed to the major goal.

As the manager, you can ask them to make specific sacrifices – come in early, take on extra responsibility, coordinate the group, etc.

Strong team members will also recognize what they have to give up – and be willing to do it – to meet the goals.

5. Foster informal communication

MIT researchers found that regular communication was the most important predictor of team success.

Team members don’t need to be friends, but they need to be social.

Managers want to help facilitate non-work discussions. They’re critical to creating a group of people who look out for each other.

Researchers said it can be as simple as making sure they all take coffee breaks at the same time.

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Latest PUMP Act guidance: Feds release new compliance tool

Heads up, HR: The Department of Labor (DOL) just released new PUMP Act guidance to help employers comply with the law. As you probably recall, the agency just started PUMP Act enforcement last month — so the timing of this new resource is spot on.

First things first: If you aren’t familiar with Field Assistance Bulletins, they’re valuable compliance tools. The agency’s Wage and Hour Division periodically develops the documents to provide guidance to its own investigators and staff to clarify the DOL’s view on various laws.

Latest PUMP Act guidance: 3 keys

In this bulletin, the feds provide key info on three important aspects of the law:

  1. Break times
  2. Compensation, and
  3. Space requirements.

1. Break times

Under the law, employers must provide nursing employees with reasonable break times each time an employee needs to pump breast milk, the bulletin stresses. Moreover, nursing employees are entitled to such breaks to express breast milk for one year after a child’s birth.

Here’s another important aspect: Employers must understand that the frequency, duration and timing of the breaks will vary depending on the needs of the nursing employee and the child as well as the location of the space. Simply put, employers and employees may agree to a general schedule based on anticipated needs, but an employer cannot require an employee to adhere to a fixed schedule that doesn’t meet the employee’s need for a break each time the employee needs to pump.

Further, employers must understand that any agreed-upon schedule may need to be adjusted over time as a nursing employee’s pumping needs change.

In addition, nursing employees who are working remotely are entitled to the same pump breaks as employees working on-site.

2. Compensation

Under the PUMP Act, the bulletin explains, employees do not need to be paid for break time needed to express milk “unless otherwise required by Federal or State law or municipal ordinance.”

State and municipal laws vary, so employers must examine applicable laws.

As for the federal FLSA, all hours worked must be compensated. In other words, if an employee is not completely relieved from duty during the entirety of the break, it must be paid.

Short breaks, usually 20 minutes or less, provided by the employer must be counted as hours worked. Further, if the employer provides paid breaks, and the nursing employee uses that time to pump, then the employee must be compensated in the same way that other employees are paid for break time.

These rules apply to remote and onsite employees.

3. Space requirements

The bulletin clarifies that nursing employees must have access to a place to pump at work that is:

  • shielded from view
  • free from intrusion from co-workers and the public
  • available each time it is needed by the employee, and
  • not a bathroom.

Regarding bathrooms, the bulletin clarifies that a bathroom is not a permissible location for pump breaks. Expressing breast milk in a bathroom raises health and safety concerns, which may include the risk of contracting bacteria in breast milk or breast pump equipment.

However, it’s crucial to understand that employers do not have to permanently designate a space as a lactation room only. Temporary spaces may be permissible if the following conditions are met:

  • The employee must be shielded from view and have privacy from co-workers and the public. According to the bulletin, employers can meet privacy requirements by providing a lock for a door or hanging a sign while the space is in use. Remote employees are entitled to the same privacy protections. During pump breaks, they must be free from observation via computer cameras, security cameras and other web conferencing platforms.
  • The space must be functional for an employee to pump milk. In other words, it must have a place for the employee to sit and a flat surface (other than a floor) where the pump can be placed. That’s the bare minimum. What else do employees need? Ideally, spaces have electricity, allowing mothers the option of using electric pumps rather than battery-operated devices. Ideal spaces also provide access to a sink, where employees can wash their hands and clean pump attachments.

Finally, the bulletin notes that employers may take a variety of approaches to meet space requirements, depending on their facilities. Some employers may designate a vacant office or an empty storage room. Others may choose to provide a large room with privacy screens and signs to designate when an individual area is being used.

To review the bulletin in its entirety, click here to download.

Plus, if you missed it, the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division recently hosted a webinar, titled The PUMP for Working Mothers Act: What Advocates and Employers Need to Know. Check it out.

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The benefits of prioritizing employee feedback for compensation and benefits

As workers and businesses alike grapple with economic downturn and labor market woes, compensation and benefits has become a lifeline for employers to both attract and retain top talent. For employees, a solid compensation and benefits package can help them combat the cost-of-living crisis and lower outside financial stressors. 

The days of a one-size-fits-all approach to compensation and benefits are long gone. With four generations in the workplace, employees are diverse and have wide-ranging needs when it comes to benefits. 

When employee expectations aren’t met, employees aren’t afraid to leave. In fact, data shows 83% of workers expect a raise in 2023 and if employers can’t meet employee expectations, they can risk losing them altogether. 

But tailoring your compensation and benefits package to meet employees’ needs can’t be done without truly understanding what employees want and need. Here’s how two companies utilized employee feedback to tailor compensation and benefits, leading to high employee satisfaction and even recognition as a Top Workplace of 2023.

The importance of employee feedback

Even for a company that surveys employees regularly, just gathering demographics isn’t enough to truly understand what your workforce needs. For example, employees could be caregivers outside of work or have a chronic illness that hasn’t been disclosed. 

That’s why employee feedback needs to be a critical part of your company’s benefits strategy. It can give employees a chance to tell you exactly what they need so you can work it into your benefits offerings. Seeking out feedback may also help employees feel listened to and cared for. 

Many employers who have top compensation and benefits packages – like the winners of the Top Workplaces 2023 Culture Excellence Awards for Compensation and Benefits – utilize employee feedback to ensure that their package is catered to employee needs.

How these companies did it – and you can too

Two companies among the Top Workplace winners – Paycor and Gorilla Glue – utilize employee feedback as a key part of their compensation and benefits strategy. 

“The decisions around compensation and benefits first and foremost need to be centered around the people who make up the organization,” says Ashley Terrell, Director, HR Business Partner at Gorilla Glue. “Sensing and asking for feedback around these areas will help guide an impactful benefits package that will also meet the immediate needs of your organization and anticipate future needs.” 

Plus, compensation and benefits strategies that include routine employee feedback can help keep your strategy aligned with the current state of the world. 

“Our compensation and benefits philosophies support our diverse/global workforce, aligning market-competitive benefits to attract and retain top talent,” says Jennifer Gessendorf, VP of HR, and head of compensation and benefits, Paycor. “The team places an intentional focus on inclusive programs and provides deliberate emphasis on the total rewards value proposition for all of our associates.” 

Employee feedback can help inform benefits offerings that make a real impact on employee health and satisfaction. Here are some tips from Terrell and Gessendorf for revamping your compensation and benefits strategy to meet employee needs. 

  • Keep a pulse on your people 
  • Establish a philosophy that aligns with the organization’s people strategy
  • Focus on making data-driven decisions from employee survey feedback and market benchmarks, and
  • Understand the market and your competitors to keep your package competitive.
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The dangers of using AI: Feds release important new guidance

As employers’ use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools continues to grow, so does the risk of running afoul of Title VII — the federal law that bans employment discrimination based on a number of protected classes including race and sex.

To help employers stay on the right side of the law, the EEOC has released a new technical assistance document that aims to explain the application of Title VII to the use of automated systems, including systems that incorporate AI tools.

Title VII does not outright ban the use of automated systems to assist in administering a variety of HR functions, such as those relating to hiring, performance monitoring, and decisions about pay and promotions.

But “[w]ithout proper safeguards, their use may run the risk of violating existing civil rights laws,” the EEOC advises.

So what are the legal issues that can arise, and what are the safeguards that should be in place?

Let’s dive in.

Understanding ‘disparate impact’

Key to understanding the dangers that the use of AI present is an understanding of the legal concept known as “disparate impact.”

An employment practice can violate Title VII if it facially and intentionally discriminates against members of a class of people who are protected by the law. In the law, this is known as “disparate treatment.” An obvious example: An employer has a practice of not hiring people of a particular race.

But there is a second way for violations of Title VII to occur, and that is where the concept of disparate impact comes in.

Essentially, this means that even a facially neutral policy or practice can violate Title VII if it disproportionately and adversely affects the members of a particular class that the law protects.

If that happens – and the employer is unable to show that the policy or practice is legitimately related to job requirements – then the plaintiff can win a Title VII claim based on a disparate impact theory. And even if the employer establishes this “business necessity” defense, the plaintiff can still win by showing there is another way for the employer to satisfy its legitimate interests without adversely impacting a protected class of people.

Example: An employer has a height requirement that applies equally to all candidates for employment but screens out a disproportionate number of female job applicants. If the employer cannot show that the height requirement is legitimately related to the job, a female applicant can succeed on a Title VII claim based on a disparate impact theory.

So what’s the AI tie-in?

Here’s how disparate impact comes into play with respect to AI.

Fact: Automated systems can unintentionally have the effect of screening out a disproportionate number of protected class members. Let’s say, for example, that an AI tool is programmed to zero in on job candidates whose characteristics mirror those of an employer’s star employees. If the star employees are all men, then in that scenario the use of the tool can lead to disparate impact discrimination against women.

The guidance document specifically focuses on whether an employer’s selection procedures – including procedures relating to hiring, promotion and firing – result in disparate impact discrimination under Title VII.

It does not address disparate treatment or protections provided by other federal employment discrimination laws.

AI questions and answers

The document uses a series of questions and answers to guide employers in the proper use of AI when making hiring, promotion and firing decisions.

Here are some of the questions and answers that the document provides. (Some questions/answers have been paraphrased.)

Can an employer’s use of an algorithmic decision-making tool be a “selection procedure” that is subject to EEOC guidelines?

Yes. EEOC guidelines addressing selection procedures “apply to algorithmic decision-making tools when they are used to make or inform decisions about whether to hire, promote, terminate, or take similar actions toward applicants or current employees.”

How can employers check to determine whether their use of an AI tool has an unlawful disparate impact?

“[E]mployers can assess whether a selection procedure has an adverse impact on a particular protected group by checking whether use of the procedure causes a selection rate for individuals in the group that is ‘substantially’ less than the selection rate for individuals in another group.”

If the use of such a tool does have a disparate impact on a protected group, the employer must show that its use of the tool is job-related and consistent with business necessity.

If an AI tool is developed or administered by a third party, can an employer still be liable for disparate impact discrimination resulting from the tool’s use?

Yes. For example, an employer might be liable under Title VII if it uses a test that was developed by an outside vendor and produces a disparate impact. In addition, employers may be liable under Title VII if they give software vendors the authority to act on their behalf and those vendors then use tools that produce disparate impact discrimination.

The guidance essentially advises employers to vet vendors to make sure the tools they use will not discriminate against applicants or employees.

What should an employer do if it finds out that a particular AI tool would produce disparate impact discrimination?

Employers finding themselves in that position “can take steps to reduce the impact or select a different tool in order to avoid engaging in a practice that violates Title VII,” the guidance says.

Employers should continually self-analyze to make sure that the practices they are using do not result in disparate impact discrimination, the guidance adds.

The bottom line

Bottom line: The EEOC is serious about making sure employers do not use AI tools in a way that produces disparate impact discrimination. Employers must be proactive in making sure that such tools do not produce that result – and must understand that they can be held liable for the actions of an outside vendor acting on their behalf to develop AI tools and/or implement their use.

For the full guidance, which is part of a broader agency initiative addressing the proper use of AI by employers, click here.

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Escaping the trap of toxic productivity: Practical advice

Toxic productivity is when you are so obsessed with being productive that you prioritize the tasks on your to-do list over your own wellness, friends and family. You feel guilty when you’re not “on” or accomplishing something, and when you’re forced to take a break, you can’t turn off your brain. You can’t focus on relaxing because you’re always thinking about what you should be doing instead.

Productivity for the sake of productivity can be toxic in a workplace. It creates divides between team members, fosters a competitive workplace culture, and leads to employee burnout.

If you’re unsure if your workplace promotes toxic productivity, continue to read on. We’ll cover the consequences of toxic productivity, signs to watch out for in your workplace, how to prevent toxic productivity from occurring, and what to do if it’s already taking place.

Does your workplace promote toxic productivity?

Productivity is great, and as an HR professional, you want to encourage your team to be as productive as possible. But there’s a difference between healthy productivity and toxic productivity.

Healthy productivity is when team members reach milestones and accomplish their goals in a timely manner while still having time to spend with their family and friends, and focus on their mental and physical health. In other words, they have time to sleep, exercise, watch the occasional Netflix show and attend their child’s soccer game.

With toxic productivity, things are getting done, but the employee clearly isn’t taking time for themselves. They respond to every email or Slack message as soon as they receive it no matter the hour and consistently have a short fuse when communicating with their co-workers. Eventually, team members with a toxic productivity mindset snap. They burn out. They may need to take a long leave or outright quit.

Toxic productivity can be hard to spot, and if it’s not caught in time, it can lead to serious consequences for both the employee and the business.

The consequences of toxic productivity

Toxic productivity is unsustainable. A person simply can’t be “on” or “doing” every minute of every day, no matter how much grit or determination the company or the person believes they have. Burnout is real – so real that The World Health Organization qualified it as an “occupational phenomenon” in 2019. 

If your workplace encourages toxic productivity, you will soon have a team of deeply unhappy, stressed and depleted people. They will either grow apathetic, quiet quit, actually quit, or face serious mental or physical health concerns, such as depression or cardiovascular issues. One study found that people “who worked more than 55 hours per week had a 13% greater risk of heart attack and were 33% more likely to experience a stroke than those who worked 35 to 40 hours on a weekly basis.”

As an HR professional, you know these results aren’t good for your employees or the business. If you overwork your workforce, you won’t have a workforce, and you’ll spend thousands on employee turnover.

Signs of toxic productivity

Toxic productivity isn’t always easy to spot, especially if your team works remotely, but there are signs to watch for.

How to recognize toxic productivity:

  • A team member eats lunch at their desk or not at all
  • A team member refuses to take breaks on a daily basis
  • A team member hasn’t taken a vacation in a year or more, or refuses to take vacation days when they are suggested
  • A team member is visibly exhausted
  • A team member frequently loses their temper with their co-workers
  • A team member sends emails or Slack messages after working hours and gets frustrated if they’re not responded to right away
  • A team member is never satisfied with their work or performance
  • Despite working all the time, a team member’s productivity is waning
  • A team member has difficulty concentrating during meetings, and
  • A team member mentions feeling like they have no personal time.

Each of these points applies to all levels of employees. Managers, business leaders, CEOs and even HR professionals can fall into a toxic productivity mindset. Watch for these signs from all levels of your organization.

As an HR professional, it’s your responsibility to check in with your team members to ensure they’re not overworking themselves – but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. It’s highly likely your employees will keep these feelings to themselves to preserve their hard-working, professional image. No one likes to admit they need some help. That’s why the best way to combat toxic productivity is to prevent it altogether.

Preventing toxic productivity

Toxic productivity can eat away at a team from the inside. It corrodes team morale, as employees will compete to accomplish more than each other. It weakens communication, as employees fall into bad habits of quickly sending messages late at night to get more done rather than considering how to communicate effectively. And in the end, it lowers efficiency because team members burn out.

For these reasons and more, it must be prevented at all costs. It’s vital that all leaders in your business are proactive about preventing this toxic trap. Here’s how to prevent toxic productivity from developing in the first place.

1. Encourage a healthy work-life balance

Employees have a life outside of work. While this is certainly stating the obvious, it’s important to be proactive about acknowledging this. Your company isn’t more important than an employee’s family or personal wellness. Yes, their job is extremely important, but the company’s needs don’t supersede the needs of an employee’s well-being.

When an employee is made to feel like they won’t be able to get ahead or even keep their job if they’re not grinding out work day and night, it encourages toxic productivity. However, when an employee is encouraged to take time off – or forced to with mandatory vacation – they’re able to recharge and come back to work with renewed energy and fresh ideas.  

Offering flexible hours and remote work opportunities to emphasize the importance of getting out of the office will help your team find more balance. Be sure to demonstrate that taking breaks is a good thing by taking regular ones yourself. Managers and HR pros need regular breaks and vacations, too!

2. Don’t reward toxic productivity

If you have a team member who consistently puts in 55 hours or more per week, don’t reward that behavior. It’s great they’re so committed to the company and to doing a good job, and it’s only natural to want to reward someone for going above and beyond for the business. 

However, rewarding them or publicly lauding how many hours they’re putting in will make it seem like everyone should be putting in that many hours. It’ll certainly encourage the employee to continue overworking.

Of course, you don’t want to make the employee feel as though they’re doing a bad job, either. Invite them to a one-on-one meeting to thank them for their hard work, then suggest they take a short vacation or a long weekend. Share with them the science about why taking vacations improves productivity, and help to pinpoint why they’re overworking themselves.

Is too much work being assigned? Do they feel like they’re competing with their peers? Did they come from a previous work environment that expected this type of workaholic behavior? Are they picking up the slack for other team members?

Let them know that while you appreciate their dedication, wellness and work-life balance is also valued at your company. Offer to work with them on creating some personal goals unrelated to the company to give them something else to focus on.

3. Management must set an example

Toxic productivity isn’t just about employees. The entire team, and especially management, should display a healthy work ethic, and management must lead by example. A “do as I say, not as I do” attitude is detrimental to your company culture, as it reveals the culture to be a sham. If leadership doesn’t practice what they preach, why should the team listen to them?

The leaders of the company must set the tone. If employees see their managers constantly active on Slack after working hours and biting off more than they can chew, employees will believe that’s what’s expected of them.

Wellness and work-life balance must be prioritized from the top down. Your team needs to see their managers and HR pros clock out when the day is done. Only then will they feel comfortable doing so themselves.

4. Set realistic goals and expectations

We’re not saying your company’s goals shouldn’t be ambitious. Fortune favors the bold, after all, and it’s important to always strive for continuous improvement. However, setting goals that can never be accomplished repeatedly is stressful and drains employee morale. The team never gets to sit back and congratulate each other on a job well done. Never reaching goals will reduce your team’s motivation, leading to employee disengagement.

Your goals must consider your team’s capacity. What can employees realistically accomplish within the agreed upon time frame? By setting realistic goals and expectations, employees won’t feel like they need to be working 24/7 to accomplish what’s asked of them. Instead, they can consistently feel proud of themselves and each other.

Achieving goals regularly improves team morale and prevents toxic productivity from developing in the first place, as employees can feel confident they can complete their assigned work during regular working hours.

5. Support wellness initiatives

It’s important that your team knows it’s not only OK to take breaks to focus on wellness

it’s encouraged! Taking breaks makes you more productive, not less. Healthy employees are happy employees, and happy employees are productive employees, so supporting wellness initiatives can generate great returns for your business.

For example, you can make vacation days mandatory, offer additional balance days off of work or run team building events focused on wellness, such as walking in a local park, yoga or meditation class. 

You could reward team members who prioritize their own wellness or offer to pay for an employee’s choice of wellness activity, such as an exercise class, new running shoes, a step counter, a meditation app and so on.

Encourage employee wellness in multiple ways so employees don’t start to believe the only way they can improve their performance is to work more. Everyone’s performance at work is heavily influenced by their home life and their health. Supporting wellness initiatives prevents toxic productivity by reminding employees that their health is a top concern; therefore, to do well at your company and get ahead, they must prioritize their own health and wellness.

6. Build balance into the company culture

Wellness initiatives and realistic goals aren’t just a one-time thing. To avoid toxic productivity, a wellness mindset must be ingrained in the company culture.

Continue to prioritize and hone your initiatives. Regularly ask for feedback from team members about what’s working and what isn’t. How can your company, and you as their HR pro, do more to support and facilitate their wellness?

Don’t let wellness fall by the wayside. Embed it deep within your company culture so that it becomes synonymous with your business. Not only will this give your company a great reputation and attract talent, but it will ensure toxic productivity never rears its ugly head. It’s much easier to prevent toxic productivity than to eradicate it once it’s taken hold of your team.

Addressing toxic productivity when it’s already a part of your company culture

Of course, unless your DeLorean is equipped with a flux capacitor and your name is Marty McFly, you can’t go back in time. If toxic productivity has already entered your workplace, it’s going to be more difficult to snuff it out. However, there are still effective steps you can take to rid your company of its toxic positivity mindset.

1. Admit the issue aloud and take ownership

Business leaders and managers must take ownership of the issue. After all, they allowed it to happen (or perhaps even encouraged it to begin with.) Your team must know it’s not their fault this has happened. Next, leaders must say what they’ll do to fix the problem and change for the better.

HR pros can facilitate this conversation. It’s not about animosity or playing the blame game; it’s about accountability and continuous improvement. Before the situation can be rectified, it must first be acknowledged publicly.

2. Encourage open communication

Open communication is key to moving forward. Remember, it’s not about playing the blame game. Leadership has already taken responsibility. Why has a toxic productivity mindset infected the workplace? What about the workplace isn’t working? Is too much being asked of the team? What wellness initiatives would improve the lives of employees?

If your workplace is already suffering from toxic productivity, it’s very likely that your team members may feel like they can’t communicate openly. Be sure to offer suggestions to get the ball rolling. Would the team benefit from more vacation days, mandatory vacation, balance days, flexible hours or work from home options? If team members are still resistant to sharing, let them know they can do so anonymously by writing a note they can place in a suggestion box.

This isn’t a one-and-done process, so don’t stop there. Meet with team members regularly and ask for consistent, constructive feedback about what’s working and what isn’t, and continue to monitor your progress.

3. Provide support and resources to move forward

To rid your workplace of toxic productivity, you need to come up with a plan. What specifically will be different? How will the business and managers support the team in this effort? How will the company prioritize employee wellness based on company resources and the requests of employees?

Make your plan specific and realistic, and acknowledge it will take time to improve the workplace. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the toxic productivity mindset didn’t show up out of the blue. Be open to trying new strategies. If something works, excellent! If it doesn’t, assess and move on to the next idea. Consistently remind the team about the importance of their own wellness, lead by example, and ask for feedback at every turn.

Keeping toxic productivity out of the workplace

Toxic productivity occurs when your team members believe they must constantly be “on” and working every moment of the day and night in order to prove their worth and dedication to the company. It’s insidious and tough to spot, as productivity is essential to an organization’s success. When an employee is being extremely productive, you may not notice the toll it’s taking on their well-being and job satisfaction.

Working 24/7 isn’t sustainable, and the more an employee pushes themselves to pull all-nighters and skip family dinners, the less productive they’ll be and the more at risk they are of burning out.

To prevent toxic productivity from ever getting a foothold within your workplace, you must encourage work-life balance by making it clear employees should never sacrifice their wellness just to get one more thing done. And if toxic productivity is already there, business leaders must hold themselves accountable and lead by example by taking breaks, working reasonable hours, seeking continuous feedback and prioritizing their own wellness.

The HRMorning website is filled with tools and resources to help HR professionals just like you build happy, healthy and productive teams. If you enjoyed this article, check out our ultimate guide to employee recognition.

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EEOC updates COVID-19 guidance: What you need to know

Saying it is the “capstone” of its resources on the subject, the EEOC has issued another update to its COVID-19 guidance.

Demonstrating the fluidity of the situation presented by the pandemic, the agency has now updated this guidance about 20 times since its initial release.

Let’s dive in and take a look at some notable points in this most recent — and perhaps final — iteration of the agency’s COVID-19 guidance.

Medical inquiries and exams

Here are some key points about medical exams and inquiries that are part of the most recent update, which was made on May 15:

  • If an employee calls in sick, an employer can ask whether they have COVID-19 or symptoms related to it. If the answer is yes, then the employer can follow CDC recommendations regarding isolation.
  • The best source of current information on symptoms associated with COVID-19 is the CDC, the guidance advises. Those symptoms may change as new variants emerge and the healthcare community continues to learn more about the disease.
  • Taking an employee’s temperature is a medical examination, the updated guidance says, which means that it is permissible only when justified by business necessity. This generally means the employer reasonably believes the employee has a medical condition that will impair their ability to perform essential job functions, or that the employee has a medical condition that poses a direct threat. The lesson here: DON’T routinely take the temperature of employees.
  • In determining whether to require an employee with COVID-19 or its symptoms to stay home, the guidance again says to look to – you guessed it – the CDC to decide whether to tell employees to stay home, and for how long.
  • Employers can ask all employees who physically enter the workplace if they have been diagnosed with or tested for COVID-19, the updated guidance says. But employers cross a legal line, it adds, if they ask whether employees who come in to work if they have family members with the disease or its symptoms.
  • If employees choose not to cooperate (e.g., “I’m not going to tell you whether I have COVID-19”), the guidance gives employers the green light to “take whatever action [they deem] appropriate.”
  • Employers can ask employees returning from travel questions about where they have been. These are not disability-related questions, the guidance explains.

Reasonable accommodation

As to disability-related reasonable accommodation, the guidance offers this new information:

  • It’s probably a good idea to discuss an accommodation that may be needed upon physical return to the workplace while an employee is teleworking due to COVID-19 and before the return to work.
  • If there is an urgency related to the provision of accommodation, employers can provide a temporary accommodation that is implemented after a truncated interactive process between employer and employee.
  • Employers can invite employees to ask for reasonable accommodations they might need in advance of a return to the workplace.
  • Employers can consider circumstances related specifically to the pandemic (like dealing with delivery delays and trying to hire temporary workers) when determining whether a requested accommodation poses significant difficulty.
  • Employers cannot stop providing pandemic-related job accommodations just because the COVID-19 public health emergency ended on May 11.
  • Possible job accommodations for Long COVID include a quiet workspace, uninterrupted work time and alternative lighting arrangements.

COVID-19 guidance: Other noteworthy points

Here are some other noteworthy nuggets from the guidance:

  • Employers can store medical information relating specifically to COVID-19 in existing medical files.
  • Employers can screen job applicants for symptoms of COVID-19 after they make a conditional job offer.
  • Employers should take steps to address possible harassment of employees related to the pandemic, such as harassment of an employee for disability-related need to wear a mask at work.

To see the full updated EEOC COVID-19 guidance, click here.

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Fat, old and ugly: New wave of discrimination for HR to combat

Fat. Old. Ugly.

No one wants to be called any of those, but it’s happening. In the workplace, of all places.

The new wave of discrimination at work includes weight, height and level of attractiveness, according to research and legal experts. And all the while, age discrimination continues in the workplace.

It’s gotten so bad, legislators in New York City — where almost 4 million people work — banned employment discrimination based on a person’s weight or height (pending the mayor’s approval).

Half of the people at work are concerned about what others think of their appearance in the workplace. So on any given day, someone is thinking, “No one talks to me because I’m fat.” “They think I’m too old do that.” “Everyone is staring at my bald spot.”

What’s worse, some people in the workplace actually are making judgments based on weight, height, appearance and age.

“It’s important that we address all forms of discrimination, and weight {height or appearance} discrimination is no exception,” says Amy Kim, President at PowertoFly. “A person’s body shape should not affect their ability to obtain or maintain employment … Companies need to hire the best of the best, and top talent comes in all shapes and sizes.”

New wave of discrimination looks familiar

Let’s break it down to what researchers and experts know now:

Weight bias

  • 26% of employees say they ‘definitely’ or ‘probably’ faced discrimination in the workplace because of their weight, a ResumeBuilder survey found
  • 71% of those who self-identified as being obese have experienced discrimination
  • 53% of those who say they’re overweight have faced discrimination, and
  • 42% of those who self-identify as underweight say they’ve been treated unfairly.
“I am severely underweight for my height, and I feel that most people look at me as being weak and frail, so they don’t want to treat me well in the workplace. They think I am beneath them.” Participant in The ResumeBuilder Survey

Age bias

  • 30% U.S. workers have felt unfairly treated because of their age (too young or too old) at some point in their career, a SHRM study found
  • For 72% of those who were treated unfairly, it was so bad, it made them want to quit the job
  • 26% of employees over 50 say they’ve been the target of age-related remarks at work in the past six months
  • 17% of HR pros have received reports of perceived ageism in their workplace, and
  • Almost 13,000 age discrimination charges were filed with the EEOC in 2021 (the most recent reported year).

Appearance bias

  • 23% of employees say they “definitely” or “probably” faced discrimination because of their attractive or unattractive appearance (as far as being “too attractive,” mostly women cited discrimination because they weren’t taken seriously)
  • 64% of men who considered themselves “somewhat” or “very” unattractive said they faced discrimination
  • 47% of women who identified as unattractive to some degree said they were treated unfairly, and
  • 12% of employees say they have “definitely” or “probably” faced height discrimination.
“I think that I’ve been discriminated against by men and women who didn’t take me seriously or think I was very smart because of my appearance.” Participant in The ResumeBuilder Survey

Note: Employees age 40 or over are a protected class and can be victims of age discrimination under the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act. In addition, a federal law known as Title VII protects employees and job applicants from employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin. Physical appearance — height, weight and/or degree of attractiveness — is not a protected class. Yet. Local legislation often catches like a wildfire until it becomes a national issue. (Also note: Obesity may be a disability protected from discrimination by the Americans with Disabilities Act if it results from an underlying physical condition or impairment.)

“The media’s impact on self perception has permeated our culture, and although we recognize its effects on the younger generation, we do not often address the effect on those in the workplace,” says ResumeBuilder’s Chief Career Advisor Stacie Haller. “As organizations continue to improve opportunities for all by addressing discrimination issues, they should also be looking at physical appearance discrimination.”

Still, HR pros don’t want any kind of behaviors that could be considered discriminatory — or just mean — in their workplace.

“Better looking co-workers were promoted or given better projects first, despite being less experienced and having lower performance scores.” Participant in The ResumeBuilder Survey

Combat discriminatory behaviors

The EEOC’s E-RACE Initiative is groundwork for any organization to help employees be aware of discrimination and take steps to stop it, regardless of its origin. You can get advice and more details on the EEOC’s website.

Here are the critical reminders for employees (also included in handouts) to combat discriminatory behaviors in the workplace:

  • Respect all differences in the workplace
  • Be professional in conduct and speech
  • Refuse to initiate, participate or condone discrimination and harassment
  • Avoid race-based, culturally offensive, age or appearance humor or pranks. When in doubt, leave it outside the workplace
  • Familiarize yourself with the company’s workplace policies and act responsibly
  • Attend training on EEO principles and learn about your legal rights and responsibilities under the anti-discrimination laws
  • Be proactive. Report incidents of inappropriate, discriminatory, harassing or abusive behavior to your supervisor, Human Resources department, union or management, and
  • If you experience or witness discrimination or harassment contact EEOC or your local human rights commission.
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