CEOs and other high-level executives have a higher rate of burnout than the general workforce. And considering their long list of responsibilities, that makes sense.
We all know the airline safety advice to put your own oxygen mask on before assisting others. It’s a concept that applies just as well to leadership as flying the friendly skies. Yet it can feel impossible to find that kind of time outside the non-stop juggling acts, plate spinning, and balancing games.
If that’s how you feel, here’s a thought you should consider: What if the key isn’t balance at all, but integration?
Meet Mike Sharrow, CEO and president of C12 Business Forums. He and his team help CEOs build great businesses under a “Business as a Ministry” model. Based in San Antonio, Texas, they support a global force of 200 full-time C12 chairs who serve over 4,100 Christian CEOs, owners, and executives across four continents.
Mike has years of both business and pastoral experience, including scaling up a managed care subsidiary of Walgreens, leading a startup financial planning business, pastoring a local church, and starting multiple NGOs. He also served as a C12 chair in the San Antonio and Austin markets, serving over 130 leaders through monthly peer advisory groups.
Listen in as Mike and host Mark Griffin discuss a model for faithfulness and flourishing that allows executives to unlock an abundant life. Learn how to foster thriving workplace environments by assisting your leaders in achieving high performance. Discover frameworks and guiding concepts that can enable higher levels of employee engagement and productivity, corporate performance, and overall enthusiasm in any industry.
Concerned about the HR programs at your organization? The benefits of having a trusted partner to guide you and your team to excellence are invaluable. Contact us today. You—and your employees—will be glad you did.
Rise with us by implementing our high-performance remote human-resource programs to help find great people!E-mailus here.
Mark A. Griffin is president and founder of In HIS Name HR LLC. Connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter
The American Bible Society helps people experience God through the Bible. With partners around the world, they help translate the Bible, distribute the Bible, engage people with the Bible, and advocate for the Bible’s message of hope here in America and globally.
Through the Church and a global network of local Bible societies, ABS carries the gospel message where it is needed most. Research and experience tell us the Bible makes us more generous, more compassionate, more loving toward our neighbors, and more hopeful about our future in Christ.
That’s why their mission since 1816 has been to help all people experience the life-changing message of God’s Word.
Meet Jennifer Holloran, president and CEO of the American Bible Society. Jennifer is passionate about ensuring her organization exceeds expectations. In this episode of Encouragement for Work, learn how to Use Your Manual to Align Your Leadership with the Word of God. Listen in as you learn these three keys to organizational leadership success.
Know Your Role as Aligner
As the leader of your organization, God has placed you in a position of responsibility to align the direction of your organization with God’s will. As followers of Christ, we do not work from the assumption that we know best.
Proverbs 3:5-6 GNT: Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know. Remember the Lord in everything you do, and he will show you the right way.
Where do we start? Surrendering our own desires for the future to Him. Then, discerning His will and conforming yourselves and our organizations to it.
James 4:13-15 GNT: Now listen to me, you that say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to a certain city, where we will stay a year and go into business and make a lot of money.” You don’t even know what your life tomorrow will be! You are like a puff of smoke, which appears for a moment and then disappears. What you should say is this: “If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.”
Romans 12:2 GNT: Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God – what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect.
Know Your Role as Shepherd
As the leader of your organization, God has given you responsibility to care for a certain portion of His flock – those who work under your leadership, but also those who are beneficiaries of the work that your organization does. God’s Word provides clear direction about what it means (and what it doesn’t mean) to serve in a shepherding role.
Mark 10:42-45 GNT: So Jesus called them all together to him and said, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the heathen have power over them, and the leaders have complete authority. This, however, is not the way it is among you. If one of you wants to be great, you must be the servant of the rest, and if one of you wants to be first, you must be the slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served; he came to serve and to give his life to redeem many people.
In fact, the Bible breaks it down even further for us:
1 Peter 5:1b-4 GNT: I appeal to you to be shepherds of the flock that God gave you and to take care of it willingly, as God wants you to, and not unwillingly. Do your work, not for mere pay, but from a real desire to serve. Do not try to rule over those who have been put in your care, but be examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the glorious crown which will never lost its brightness.
Know Your Role as Chief Steward
Finally, as leaders, God has given us an important responsibility of stewardship for all that has been entrusted to us. We will be held accountable for how we steward our organizations and the resources God has given us. Matthew 25 illustrates how that wonderful that accountability can be when we are faithful:
Matthew 25:21 GNT: ‘Well done, you good and faithful servant!’ said his master. ‘You have been faithful in managing small accounts, so I will put you in charge of large amounts. Come on in and share my happiness!’
Matthew also shows us what happens when we are not faithful:
Matthew 25:26-28 GNT: ‘You bad and lazy servant!’ his master said. ‘You knew, did you, that I reap harvests where I did not plant, and gather crops where I did not scatter seed? Well, then, you should have deposited my money in the bank, and I would have received it all back with interest when I returned. Now, take the money away from him and give it to the one who has ten thousand coins.’
The bottom line if we want to be good stewards?
Luke 12:42-43 GNT: The Lord answered, “Who, then, is the faithful and wise servant? He is the one that his master will put in charge, to run the household and give the other servants their share of the food at the proper time. How happy that servant is if his master finds him doing this when he comes home!
The Bible has even more incredible wisdom to shape how we lead, if we will take the time to use the manual we’ve been given. When we align our leadership with the Word of God, we have put ourselves on the path to true effectiveness and satisfaction of a job well done.
Learn more about HR best practices as Mark interviews Jennifer about emerging HR practices post-pandemic, helping you to develop high performance in the workplace.
Concerned about the HR programs at your organization? The benefits of having a trusted partner to guide you and your team to excellence are invaluable. Contact us today. You—and your employees—will be glad you did.
Rise with us by implementing our high-performance remote human-resource programs to help find great people!E-mailus here.
Mark A. Griffin is president and founder of In HIS Name HR LLC. Connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter
It is vital for human resource professionals to track and assess their HR strategies’ efficiency.
That’s why they use specialized metrics to gather and analyze information about an array of workforce dimensions. While there are many possibilities to choose from, not all metrics are equal. Likewise, not all are suitable to help your particular organization.
There’s a lot of information out there to navigate through as you seek to exceed your goals, remove obstacles to success, and promote a culture consistent with your mission, vision, and values. But it’s not insurmountable.
You can learn how to develop and utilize HR metrics to gauge performance and support your organization’s strategic vision. From selection to implementation, discover the key steps for creating human resources metrics that truly matter to your organization’s success.
Understanding Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in HR
Key performance indicators, or KPIs, are an essential tool in gauging whether an HR department is meeting its objectives. They can play a critical role in strategic decision-making and enhancing problem-solving abilities that align with organizational goals and objectives.
It’s important to distinguish between common HR metrics and KPIs. Because while all KPIs are metrics, not all metrics are KPIs, which have distinct characteristics, such as:
Specificity
Measurability
Attainability
Relevance
Direct connection to broader organizational goals.
HR teams use these vital indicators about such things as employee turnover rates, employee engagement, training effectiveness, development assessments, and pay equity. Analyzing these crucial data points can pinpoint sectors that are ripe for enhancement and make HR activities consistent with the larger organizations’ goals.
These measurements can then be turned into actionable insights that elevate human resources from a purely operational arm into a pivotal, future-shaping part of the organization.
And, for the record, the more specific your metrics are, the better. Identifying Crucial HR Metrics for Your Organization At first glance, selecting suitable HR metrics for your organization may feel like trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube. It can appear overwhelming due to the vast variety of choices available.
However, when you track your organizational objectives, it becomes clear which HR metrics you can accurately apply. After that, decoding the puzzle is easy and even enjoyable.
(To learn more about what KPIs are all about, click here.)
Your organization-specific list will almost certainly include the group of HR metrics listed below. They’re designed to provide you with vital insights about the efficiency of your HR measures and areas for growth…
1. Recruitment Metrics
The success of any thriving organization depends on its recruitment. But without proper benchmarks, it can be tough to determine if your hiring is effective and efficient.
Therefore, recruitment metrics are critical measures in assessing these processes. They give you insights into how effective your processes are.
For instance, one focus is on the time to hire: how long it takes between when the recruitment process begins and when a suitable candidate accepts his or her job offer. This is an essential measure of how quickly your candidates of choice move through the pipeline. Or how about your cost per hire. Recruitment costs reveal the financial investment that goes into securing each new hire within expected salary bands.
HR authoritySHRM pins the employee cost per hire at $4,683 on average. How close are you to that figure?
Quality of hire is another important consideration – an assessment that gauges what advantages newly hired personnel add based on aspects like performance, team and/or organizational assimilation, and ongoing work contributions. Your organization itself must also exude attractiveness that draws potential applicants into competitive landscapes. The Offer Acceptance Rate elucidates this appeal by showcasing how many extended offers actually result in hires. HR teams are increasingly adopting refined tools such as talent analytics and predictive models to both:
Sharpen prospect identification skills during recruitment exercises, and
Devise stronger employee retention approaches after the contract has been signed.
2. Retention Metrics
Bringing in new talent through recruitment is one thing, but maintaining it through high retention rates is another vital aspect of organizational health. Elevated retention not only lessens the financial burden associated with frequent recruiting and training of newcomers, but also cultivates a sense of loyalty and trust among employees—crucial for ensuring stability and promoting growth within the organization. The Employee Turnover Rate (ETR) serves as an important indicator in this context, providing a measure of how many individuals leave over a given period. To calculate this rate, divide the total number of those left by the total number of employees at the start, and then multiply that figure to express it as a percentage. Monitoring for potential turnover during an employee’s initial year can flag underlying issues detrimental to both your employer’s brand and hiring finances. Thus, tracking first-year turnover holds considerable value amongst key employee metrics here. Assessing both voluntary exits—where employees choose to leave—and involuntary ones, gives comprehensive insights into job satisfaction (or lack thereof), which may be hindering successful staff retention. Imperative for grasping overall workplace morale while safeguarding against attrition is examining overtime per full-time equivalent (FTE), revealing average overtime across your workforce. This not only sheds light on potential burnout risks impacting worker contentment—which affect your retention rate, and subsequently affect continuity—it also identifies undue strain, potentially accelerating employee departure rates. By keeping these crucial data points in check, organizations are better equipped to cultivate environments that encourage continued employment tenure alongside deepening commitment from their personnel. 3. Employee Engagement Metrics
To achieve organizational success, it’s crucial to keep employees fully engaged. That’s why metrics exist to assess employee engagement.
This can provide insights into job and employee satisfaction, as well as the overall commitment of staff within the organization.
We cannot overstate the significance of these metrics. They impact work quality and employee growth rate and retention, and shape the organizational culture. The Employee Engagement Survey from the Best Christian Workplaces, which is determined through survey responses, stands out as one such metric. It offers valuable perspectives on whether employees would recommend their workplace to others. And it provides a clear picture of organization-wide engagement levels. Another important indicator is the absenteeism rate: the average frequency at which employees do not attend work. A higher-than-average absence rate could indicate underlying challenges in key areas such as:
Organizational governance
Leadership effectiveness
Workplace conditions
Work-life balance and harmony.
These four elements are integral to shaping employee contentment and dedication. As they improve, so does productivity and efficiency. Metrics require data in order to implement data-driven HR strategies With access to vast amounts of data, HR strategies have transitioned from mere intuition to solid, evidence-based insights. By harnessing the power of HR analytics, organizations can not only refine their talent acquisition tactics, but they can also diminish employee turnover and bolster overall workforce engagement. That’s why it’s crucial to delve into how applying a data-centric approach to your human resources practices could revolutionize the efficiency and effectiveness of those processes. Collecting and Analyzing HR Data HR data’s quality and applicability form the foundation of any effective data-driven HR strategy. Strategies fail when they lack precise and relevant data, which is why HR departments can employ various software tools to:
Craft customized reports and extract insights from KPIs.
Streamline data gathering from a variety of sources.
Apply sophisticated analytics to support informed decision-making processes.
Convert intricate datasets into practical, actionable insights.
Note those last two in particular. Because there’s more to an efficient HR strategy than just amassing large quantities of data.
It’s also about evaluating which training initiatives actually deliver and which ones don’t.
For instance, HR teams can monitor salary average overtime metrics to effectively manage both internal and external costs – particularly during periods when staff shortages lead to frequent and costly overtime. And an all-encompassing view of total HR-related expenditures is crucial for assessing its financial efficiency. Sifting through employee data for relevant feedback or assessing how technology investments pay off are two more examples. And the list goes on from there. Aligning HR Metrics with Organizational Objectives
Ensuring that HR metrics are in sync with an organization’s broader goals is essential for success. This entails navigating shifts within an organization and maintaining a strategic focus.
Human resources departments should establish specific targets across several areas to support central organizational aims. For instance:
Aligning the organizational structure
Developing compensation strategies
Enhancing employee skill development
Refining performance review processes
Managing transitions effectively.
In turn, they can use these data analytics for various purposes, such as:
Projecting future labor market trends that could indicate either talent deficits or surpluses in particular sectors.
Applying predictive analysis techniques for early detection and addressing potential skills shortages.
Correlating recruitment efforts directly with projected talent needs.
It can be helpful to benchmark these goals against industry leaders. This can help HR teams stay informed about current trends concerning consumer demands and workforce expectations. Of course, each organization will have specific considerations that may or may not deviate from top-ranking competitors.
Addressing Pay Equity in HR Metrics These days, it’s imperative for organizations to address pay equity as part of their human resource metrics.
This goes beyond meeting legal requirements. It’s a fundamental part of sound ethical HR practices.
Pay equity means ensuring that employees who perform similar roles receive equal pay – regardless of personal attributes such as race, sex, ethnicity, age, or religious beliefs that are unrelated to job performance. Therefore, metrics that assess how well these practices are in place are essential. Ideally, they should measure them over time to ensure they eventually lead to proper pay equity.
To achieve it, employers should take the following steps:
Perform audits dedicated specifically to pay equality.
Implement impartial criteria when determining salary.
Increase transparency surrounding remuneration.
Amend any discovered imbalances.
Most organizations with a properly maintained and applied pay equity metric end up rewarding motivated employees. This then ultimately improves retention and lowers turnover overall. Establishing Benchmarks and Targets Defining benchmarks and targets for each of the HR metrics you use is critical, and it’s important to get top management involved in the process.
You want to match benchmarks and targets with your overall organization’s strategy and individual departmental considerations. But also, evaluate your metrics by comparing with different HR departments in other organizations that are similar in size and performance. Each HR metric’s goals must represent a meaningful step toward achieving key long-term organizational objectives and goals. Benchmarking best practices include:
Selectively choosing appropriate competitors
Verifying data sources for reliability
Establishing realistic objectives
Upholding an ongoing commitment toward benchmark activities.
These metrics should also include measuring how well managers are doing their jobs, how fast employees move up in the company, and how much it costs to train each employee.
Monitoring and Adjusting HR Metrics as Necessary Human resource management is an area of constant change and realignment. It’s important to always keep an eye on your processes so they’re properly aligned with the firm’s needs and goals. It’s also essential to research how setting benchmarks and goal evolution can improve HR metrics. Once again, pair them with flexible strategies that allow for constant improvement.
This should ensure a thriving, cohesive workforce that’s in tune with the organization’s goals. HR functions must constantly evolve their metrics to effectively navigate today’s tumultuous world. By refining key indicators such as cost per hire, employee engagement rates, and eNPS (Employee Net Promoter Scores), organizations can enhance hiring practices while also highlighting improved areas.
That, in turn, should benefit the company financially and in terms of employee morale–a win-win all around.
In Conclusion…
In the dynamic world of HR, metrics are a compass to guide strategic decision-making.
From recruitment to retention, and employee engagement to pay equity to organizational alignment… putting this data to good use can transform HR from mere support to a strategic driver.
It all comes down to:
Identifying the right metrics
Aligning them with organizational objectives
Monitoring and adjusting them.
When organizations do this, the results can be immensely positive. Many organizations prosper when results are measured. This process allows organizations to monitor goal attainment, identify areas for improvement, and make informed decisions. They serve as a framework for evaluating employee performance and aligning performance and actions with strategic goals.
FAQs About Creating Human Resources Metrics for Your Organization
Q: What is the difference between HR analytics and HR metrics?
A: HR metrics focus on specific quantifications that monitor and assess various HR functions. Whereas HR analytics examine extensive HR data to glean strategic insights.
By leveraging HR analytics, organizations can make informed decisions regarding talent acquisition, employee engagement, workforce planning, and retention strategies – just to name a few areas of improvement.
Q: How can an organization use HR metrics to create value?
A: HR metrics are crucial for monitoring essential hiring and retention processes, including employee performance, compensation patterns, and levels of engagement. They offer valuable insights that help pinpoint successful initiatives, areas for improvement, and further ways to grow.
Q: How can recruitment teams use HR metrics?
A: Metrics such as cost per hire and time to hire can serve as indicators of the recruitment process’ effectiveness and efficiency. And once an organization has that information, they can better evaluate what is working and what isn’t in order to improve their searches.
Q: Why are retention metrics important?
A: Once someone accepts a job offer, there’s no guarantee they’ll stay the full year, much less longer. Organizations that have insights into employee satisfaction levels tend to have better reputations and retention – which of course make for better work environments in general.
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For further actionable insights, reach out to In HIS Name HR here. We help organizations build high-performance human resource programs designed to build your workplace into the productive, engaging, effective, integrity-filled space you want it to be.
Rise with us by implementing our high-performance remote human-resource programs to help find great people!E-mailus here.
Mark A. Griffin is president and founder of In HIS Name HR LLC. Connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter
A family-owned and operated business located in the heart of Lancaster County’s Amish countryside, Esch Manufacturing manufactures and distributes their No-Till Grass Drills throughout the United States and Canada. Their products are made in the USA and help customers improve production and soil renovation across a wide range of conditions as they create quality pastures and food plots.
Because of the incredible growth of Esch Manufacturing, they are in search of a Sales and Marketing Representative to help share their story and take the organization to the next level of new customer engagement.
Make Esch Manufacturing part of your story.
Purpose
The Sales and Marketing Representative is responsible for establishing and maintaining profitable relationships with customers. The Sales and Marketing Representative has primary responsibility for identifying potential customers and sharing products through relational selling to meet the customer’s needs.
Some Essential Responsibilities
Manage the full sales cycle from customer prequalification, engagement, proposals/quotes, ongoing customer care and relationship management, negotiations, to securing and closing sales.
Make regular customer and prospect calls. Call frequency should depend on, but not be limited to, potential of the account and the status of any pending business.
Provide weekly or as needed reports to management on customer engagement, new contacts, sales funnel and timelines.
Develop and execute effective customer marketing strategies to acquire and retain customers.
Maintain customer information accuracy on a consistent basis.
Demonstrate competence in managing, networking, relationship nurturing, and target marketing to specific prospects.
Work with leadership to identify sales lead sources and develop coordinated plans for key prospecting through segmentation practices.
Manage customer communication channels including email, text, display ads, social media and other relevant platforms.
Exhibit effective customer relations and sales principles that ensure total customer satisfaction with the products/orders and services.
Continually improve product knowledge and sales techniques to swiftly provide customers with new product awareness.
Represent Esch Manufacturing in a positive and professional manner
Perform other duties as assigned.
Position Requirements
Degree or Technical Degree in Marketing, Sales, or equivalent experience.
3+ years of Agricultural/Equipment Sales experience, required.
Digitally savvy with experience working with websites and social media to promote products and attract customers.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office/Google Workspace or equivalent.
Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, and/or sketch form, is a plus.
Ability and willingness to travel occasionally (trade shows or other short-term travel)
Self-starter, capable of working very closely with internal and external customers.
Required Personal Attributes
Must exercise good judgment and integrity.
Possess the ability to take the order from beginning to the finished order.
Possess excellent organizational skills.
Possess excellent communication and collaboration skills.
Just like all Esch Manufacturing employees, the conduct of this sales and marketing representative must be consistent with good character, and must be an appropriate reflection of our company’s heritage. They must provide complete support and willing adherence to Esch Manufacturing’s mission and vision. Applicants must hold these standards as his/her own.
This Is Not A Remote Position
Esch Manufacturing 360 Mount Sidney Road Lancaster, PA 17602
Located in Lancaster County, Edge Metalworks is an advanced laser cutting and manufacturing partner serving serious manufacturers and job shops to springboard their production quality, timeliness and profit.
With more than a decade of manufacturing experience, the team is equipped with state-of-the-art laser cutting technologies that range from 4kw – 24kw which enable them to precisely cut a wide variety of metals and thicknesses. Edge Metalworks is a production ally and offers customized engineering and customized order processing with a personal touch.
We are in search of a CAD Operator that will help take the organization to the next level of customer engagement and satisfaction.
Join our highly regarded professional team at Edge Metalworks. Together we lead!
Purpose:
The CAD Operator position is for a technically minded person with excellent customer-facing skills who can translate ideas/sketches presented by engineers/customers into real products, and document them in a 2D/3D spatial environment. The CAD Operator will partner with our customers through attention to detail, great problem-solving skills, great communication, personal excellence and commitment to the team. They will be responsible for interfacing directly with engineering staff, customers, vendors, production floor supervisors, and machine operators via phone, email and in person. Communication will include documenting processes in the system, exporting .dxf files, creating Bill of Materials (BOM), 2D drawings, and 3D models.
Responsibilities:
Draw 2D/3D CAD files for sheet metal and structural components from sketches or with customer input.
Reverse engineer parts, verify geometry utilizing calipers, scale, may require simple hand tools to dis-assemble parts.
Review and file customer CAD files for production.
Recommend improvements and value-added changes to customers if needed.
Support the press brake department with manufacturing files.
Deliver some full product design and engineering.
Communicate clearly (in person, email and phone) and answer technical questions from the manufacturing floor to ensure products are manufactured to the requirements.
Discuss designs with customers over phone and/or in person at the facility.
Contribute to the overall team in a positive manner in an environment that may at times be fast paced.
Work in compliance with company policy and objectives
Position Preferences:
1-2 years prior experience and demonstrated proficiency with 2D and 3D design software (software, such as SpaceClaim, AutoCAD, SolidWorks, etc preferably in a sheet metal/metal manufacturing setting)
Prior manufacturing experience with CNC equipment
High school diploma (2 year associate’s degree preferred in technical background)
Equivalent work experience with 2D/3D CAD software will be considered.
Experience with Microsoft Office/Google Workspace and other related computer applications.
Physical requirements:
Routinely walk, stand on concrete floors, sit for long periods of time
Job is performed sitting and standing
Periodically lift up to 50lbs
Work Remotely:
No
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $25/hour based on experience
Benefits:
Flexible schedule
Competitive pay
Paid time off including 7 paid holidays
Quarterly bonus system based on overall company performance
LANCASTER, Pa., May 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — In HIS Name HR LLC, in partnership with iKeep Institute (operating under The Progressus Companies’ umbrella), has announced a collaborative effort to provide Christian higher-education Title IX and investigational programs.
Christian education has the daunting task of staying ahead of governmental regulations. These requirements can and have pushed some organizations to the brink of collapse. It’s an unfortunate and understandable outcome considering that Title IX requirements change constantly.
In addition, many smaller and mid-sized institutions lack the compliance and human resources (HR) capabilities to meet the training and compliance mandates. That is, until now.
Mark A. Griffin, founder of In HIS Name, and Joshua T. Fischer, Ph.D. – president of The Progressus Companies – led their teams to co-create an outsourced resource. “Compliance Training With a Purpose” provides a turn-key training and investigative program for higher education.
This means that Christian colleges, seminaries, and universities now have access to a likeminded resource designed to investigate Title IX complaints. It’s built to address staffing challenges, maintain objectivity in internal investigations, and help protect against liability and bad publicity.
Employing independent investigators can now:
Support an organization’s integrity
Protect the confidentiality of its operations
Avoid internal conflicts of interest
Insulate employers from claims of retribution toward whistleblowers.
Compliance Training With a Purpose also gives students unrestricted access to file complaints. Moreover, the subsequent investigations are thorough, reliable, and impartial. The program equally weighs and considers each party’s rights, privileges, opportunities, and desired outcomes to reach the best possible conclusions for everyone involved.
Comprehensive Title IX training may be a legal requirement constructed from a secular mindset. But there is a way to implement it according to Christian guidelines. These programs can (and should) play an important role in educating students, faculty, and staff on their rights and responsibilities to prevent, address, and report sexual misconduct and foster a safe, respectful environment that aligns with their beliefs.
While there were many minds involved in this project, Kevin E. Bish, MEd, deserves special mention. As VP of enrollment management and student services at Asbury Theological Seminary, his many years in Christian higher education proved to be a critical resource in effectively and ethically reaching today’s students.
Throughout the process, Kevin offered expert insight from a biblical worldview. And he’ll continue providing his expertise to strengthen the program that much more.
His kingdom-minded perspective fits in strongly with In HIS Name HR’s overarching mission: to transform organizations into high-performance entities through HR solutions from a Christian perspective.
For more information, contact Joshua T. Fischer, Ph.D. at (918) 895-1185.
As competition for great employees increases, it’s becoming abundantly clear that employers must be creative in their approach to employee benefit design. Some organizations are providing a unique and powerful benefit: adoption assistance. In this episode of Encouragement for Work, learn how you can encourage your employers by giving them the opportunity to support life by adding adoption assistance to their employee benefits.
Meet Herbie Newell, Herbie is the President and Executive Director of Lifeline Children’s Services and its ministry arms. He holds a Master’s of Business Administration in Accounting from Samford University. Before joining Lifeline as Executive Director in 2003, he spent several years working as an independent auditor for WAKM Companies, LLC, a prominent accounting firm. Under Herbie’s leadership, Lifeline has increased the international outreach to 25 countries, grown into 18 states, attained membership with ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability), begun an extensive foster care ministry, achieved accreditation Internationally under The Hague Treaty, and started its (un)adopted strategic orphan care ministries in over 10 countries.
Herbie speaks nationally at conferences and events, and regularly preaches throughout the world on Gospel-driven justice. Herbie is the author of the book “Image Bearers.” He and his wife, Ashley, live in Birmingham, Alabama and are parents to a son, Caleb, and daughters Adelynn and Emily.
Listen in as Mark meets with Herbie and learns how employers can create an adoption assistance benefit program. Since there are costs associated with adoption such as medical, agency, court, legal, foreign, and more fees, many employees need assistance to make their adoption happen for their family. This assistance could provide financial support to adoptive families through either a one-time lump-sum payment or full or partial financial reimbursement.
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Concerned about the HR programs at your organization? The benefits of having a trusted partner to guide you and your team to excellence are invaluable. Contact us today. You—and your employees—will be glad you did.
Rise with us by implementing our high-performance remote human-resource programs to help find great people!E-mailus here.
Mark A. Griffin is president and founder of In HIS Name HR LLC. Connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter
HR practices that can best help your Kingdom-Minded organization while protecting its mission in today’s hostile world.
Presenter Mark Griffin has seen it all in his more than 25 years of Human Resources experience gained by working with a wide range of organizations, from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies to Christian Colleges, Ministries and Churches.
Let Mark help you by sharing his experiences in helping a variety of organizations manage their beliefs in the reality of today’s workplace.
Mark will share why he believes Christ-centered organizations experience:
Lower absenteeism
Higher quality products
Fewer employee morale issues
Safer work environments
Better perceptions by customers and vendors
Let Mark help you by sharing his experiences in helping a variety of organizations manage their Christian beliefs in the reality of today’s workplace. Leading your organization with Christ-centered values makes organizational sense; learn how to develop HR practices that reflect your core values and build a high-performance organization.
You Will Learn Employment Laws To Consider:
Duty to Protect
Current Supreme Court Rulings
DEI From a Biblical Perspective
Our goal is to help create courageous leaders who are informed on pertinent HR issues, trends and solutions. Knowledge will inspire participants to take action.
Mark is a human resources professional with 25-plus years of experience in both public (Quaker Oats Company, Kodak Inc., Merck Inc.) and private companies (Woolrich, Conestoga Wood Specialties, Valco Companies Inc.), Mark is passionate about building high-performance workplaces by utilizing best practices while leading organizations with strong values.
About The Presenter
Mark A. Griffin, MBA President and Founder In HIS Name HR LLC
Speaker, accomplished HR consultant, and the author of How to Build “Kingdom-Minded” Organizations and College to Career: The Student Guide to Career and Life Navigation, Mark A. Griffin encourages leaders to build values-led organizations during these increasingly complex times. Mark and his wife live in Lancaster PA and have two adult children.
Presented and hosted by the Christian Leadership C-Suite Summit.
To see the list of other speakers or to learn more about the event visit them here.
Be Bold if We Believe Jesus Is the Lord, Then We Must Be Bold at Work
Join us on this episode of Encouragement at Work. Mark Griffin meets with Peter Demos. Peter entered the family restaurant business at age 12 when he started working as a dishwasher in his dad’s Western Sizzlin’ restaurant. From there, his experience in the food industry and serving others gradually grew under the tutelage of his father, who imparted to Peter many aspects of what it takes to run a successful business.
After graduating from high school, Peter earned a B.S. in sociology from Middle Tennessee State University before studying law at the University of Missouri. He went on to earn his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree, during which he discovered that he could better fulfill his passion for helping people in the food industry.
In 1999, Peter returned to his parents’ family restaurant, Demos’ Restaurant, with the single goal of growing the organization. His experience as a restauranteur grew, and he was given the position of chairman on the Board of Directors for the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce and president of the Tennessee Hospitality Association. Currently, he is the president and CEO of Demos’ Brands and Demos Family Kitchen, owning six restaurant locations across middle Tennessee, including PDK Southern Kitchen and Pantry, and multiple other businesses.
Peter is a highly sought-after leadership source expert and speaker on business, leadership, and faith. In addition, Peter also serves as an adjunct professor at Lipscomb University, where he teaches a class on leadership and management. Today, Peter and his wife, Kristin, work closely together in both business and ministry. They are now teaching their two children to also serve God with their lives.
Author of: Afraid to Trust: One Man’s Journey into the Love of God and On the Duty of Christian Civil Disobedience. Peter brings his insight on critical organizational aspects that should be considered in any organization’s HR department to be successful in these tumultuous times. Listen in as Peter and Mark give encouragement for work.
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Mark A. Griffin is president and founder of In His Name HR LLC. Connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Key performance indicators (KPIs) are numerical or qualitative benchmarks measurements of how efficient a plan is. They give real data on not only what the goal is but what progress is being made toward that goal, showing everyone involved the impact they’re making day to day.
Their greatest value is that they turn vague goals like “improve customer satisfaction” into something you can actually measure. Doesn’t “decrease customer complaints by 50% this quarter” sound a lot more effective?
This makes KPIs central to an HR professional’s toolkit – and therefore a topic worth delving into at length.
Think about it. It only makes sense that high-performance organizations need to focus on measurable results. Without this, they lose both focus and engagement, two elements most employees crave.
Earlier in my HR career, I was blessed to be surrounded by many organizational development experts. One of the key pointers I learned from them was that if you measure a task, the majority of people will try to improve the results if given the chance.
So what do most organizations that operate within high-performance principles measure? That depends on the industry.
For instance, in manufacturing, quality, production, safety, and profitability are always shared front and center. This is true all the way from the boardroom down to the third-shift employee in a remote company facility.
Churches, meanwhile, might measure attendance, staff turnover, and volunteer participation. Or for a ministry, it could be conversions to Christ, project funding, website analytics, and country presence, to name a few.
I’ll admit I used to feel confused and overwhelmed by KPIs. It took me a while to get a meaningful understanding of them.
But that was many years ago. I now not only understand them, I appreciate how intensely useful they can be. I’ve even helped countless organizations develop meaningful KPIs.
And I’ve seen amazing results in the process.
So… What Exactly Are KPIs Again?
Simply put, a key performance indicator is a measurable value of how an organization is hitting its goals. You can think of KPIs as dashboards that give you at-a-glance views of how different parts of the organization are doing.
Revenue… Customer satisfaction… Production efficiency… Safety incident rates… These are all examples of what KPIs can track. Though really, they can monitor progress on any important metric, from sales targets to sustainability efforts.
Why Are KPIs Important?
Obviously, every organization wants to be more effective. So anything that can (ethically) make them more so is a bonus.
But there are a few key reasons why KPIs in particular are so useful:
They help everyone involved focus. With so many things going on every day, KPIs shine a light on what’s truly important so you and yours can prioritize activities that really move the needle.
They create accountability. Measurable targets make it easy to see where teams are underperforming early on. That way, you can take appropriate action to get things on track.
They provide clarity around expectations. It isn’t always easy to understand what management wants to see going forward. So metrics that can make them clear can go a long way in keeping employees focused and effective.
They drive motivation. When employers and employees can see concrete progress in what they’re doing, it proves their work is contributing to big-picture success. This boosts team engagement and morale.
They lead to better decisions. The data KPIs provide helps you understand what’s working well and what needs more attention. That way, you can make smarter choices.
What organization wouldn’t benefit from that list?
How to Use KPIs Effectively
KPIs have to be implemented thoughtfully to work. They are not a magic concept you can simply say out loud or write out on paper to make your desired results appear.
Knowing that, here are some tips to put them into practice:
Link KPI targets directly to organizational goals. Don’t just measure random things! You want KPIs that clearly map back to organizational objectives so you can see that progress is happening.
Focus on your 3-5 most critical KPIs. Tracking too few can devalue aspects and outcomes that are critical to your operations. Tracking too many can dilute their impact and makes prioritizing difficult. Therefore, identify the ones that offer the most value.
Set challenging but realistic targets. Impossible goals lead to frustration, but easy targets don’t push growth. Find the sweet spot that properly motivates your team.
Define how data will be collected upfront. Without a clear process, data quality really suffers. Make sure responsibilities and tools are set, evaluated, and maintained to capture reliable data.
Review KPIs frequently. Don’t just set them and forget them! Regular check-ins ensure that teams are on track or can course-correct early if needed.
Keep refining KPIs. As objectives evolve, so should your KPIs. Continually tweak them to link back to what matters most in the moment.
When you do, your key performance indicators can work for you in ways you have to see to believe.
KPIs in Action
To make this practical, let’s look at a few examples of common KPIs and how organizations use them…
Product Quality: KPIs can identify defects per thousand units produced. This helps organizations monitor how many units are failing quality checks that can then be improved on. When you decrease defects against a target, you drive better product consistency.
A defect goal is easily created. If the organization has 5/1000 (0.005) defects, the goal could be a defect rate of 0.0025 – which is a 50% reduction.
Naturally, product quality is important across every industry, including higher education and non-profits. But an exact organization’s defect goal can look different depending on what exactly is being measured.
Workplace Safety: The “lost-time incident rate” tells you how safe your workplace is. It compares injuries resulting in missed work time to total hours on the job. When this drops, it means you’re avoiding harm and keeping your crew productive.
One common calculation is the “days-away severity rate.” This records the average number of days injuries kept employees from work. To calculate it, you simply divide the number of lost workdays by the number of recordable safety incidents.
Admittedly, you could find that you could have a high injury rate and low severity rate this way – meaning that people are getting hurt but not severely. That’s preferable to a high injury with high severity, obviously. But most organizations should have zero accidents as their goal across the board.
Customer Satisfaction: Tracking things like customer satisfaction (CSAT) or the Net Promoter Score shows how your clients actually feel about what you provide. High marks mean they approve and will likely stick around to grow with you.
In short, make your customers happy and success will follow!
Your calculation for this KPI could simply be customer complaints per thousand sales. And similar to the product quality explanation, you can replace the input to suit your specific organization.
You probably already know what your customer satisfaction goal is, but make it as specific as possible. Say your organization is at 20/1000 (0.02) complaints. In that case, you could determine to cut that by half down to 0.01.
Production Efficiency: The Overall Equipment Effectiveness assessment rolls up how available, quick, and quality-oriented your machines are into one simple metric. Optimize OEE, and you can churn out more goods without incurring extra costs.
And, of course, efficient operations increase your revenue… bless your employees… and improve the communities in which you do operate.
Create the base line or profitability for the organization, then translate it into employee terms. So if you’re measuring your breakeven point for a production line, come up with a breakeven number per shift.
This calculation could be made by your engineering and production teams. But say they project 20,000 units per hour as your production rate goal. The KPI calculation would measure any deviation from the goal number, either above or below.
So if production is cut short by 19,000 units per hour, the calculation would be 19,000/20,000 = 95% of goal attainment. Or if they exceed the goal, the calculation could be 20,000,000/21,000 = 5% over goal attainment.
KPIs for Nonprofits
There are plenty of other ways KPIs can work for you depending on the type of organization you run, and the different types of goals and objectives you have. Here are three for non-profits specifically…
Member-Engagement KPI
This one tracks what percentage of your members are really engaged: how many are talking the talk and walking the walk.
Are they showing up for programs, volunteering, giving back financially, and otherwise helping to really make your organization grow? Maybe only 30% of your base is actively involved right now.
Maybe lower still.
Set a goal to bump that engagement up to 40% over the next year. You can get more members off the sidelines and in the game by doubling down on the programs that are already working. Likewise, rethink ones that aren’t connecting.
If more people are invested, your whole community will feel that love.
New Members Added KPI
Growth matters, so tracking new members is huge. Set a target to add 50 new members to your non-profit every month.
If you see you aren’t hitting that target, get introspective about your outreach.
How can you connect better with more folks in the community? Get creative! New ideas should be welcome (though properly vetted, of course).
When more people join your mission, it builds serious momentum. So get out there and share the word!
Donation Revenue KPI
Money matters, even for non-profits. That’s why we advise looking at total monthly donations and aiming for 10% growth year-over-year.
Consistent giving means your programs stay solid. If you spot any dips in donations, tackle that ASAP. And try asking members directly how your non-profit entity can earn their support.
Keep the faith that donations will rise, and act accordingly!
KPIs for a Variety of Industries and Organizations
If you run neither a non-profit nor traditional moneymaking business, don’t worry. There are almost certainly KPIs for your organization too.
We’ve included three particularly useful ones below, though there are plenty of others out there to research and review.
Lead Conversion Rate KPI
Isn’t it high time to turn those leads you have into actual deals? Ask yourself: What percentage of leads become customers for your business right now?
Ideally, you want to set your sights on 25% conversion.
This is not an impossible goal. To get there, follow-up faster with leads, nurture them along, and coach your team on closing skills.
Every lead is precious. Treat them that way, and you’ll see more of them stick around.
Higher conversions will pump up your revenue big time, making the effort more than worth your while.
Asset Utilization KPI
You’ve got trucks, planes, and/or other heavy equipment just sitting there collecting dust. What a waste!
An idle asset isn’t earning your organization any revenue. But a fully utilized one drives your organization forward.
So use what you’ve got to the maximum!
Let’s get that utilization percentage up by scheduling everything tighter and routing them smarter. An 85% utilization rate would be a great target to shoot for.
Customer Retention KPI
Look at what percentage of customers stay loyal to you each year.
Is it 80%? Awesome! That’s a solid start.
But there’s no reason not to aim even higher still…
Reduce your customer churn by improving satisfaction through better services and products. Make them feel the love!
Keep your people happy, and they will keep you happy by returning to your organization in ways that keep the revenue and relevance flowing.
Final Thoughts
Here’s the bottom line about KPIs…
They make goals clear and provide valuable insights to help teams work smarter. When used right, they drive better decisions, accountability, and results!
Unlike what I used to think – and you might currently think – KPIs are not meant to complicate your life. Implemented effectively, they give you the information you need to guide your team forward into bigger, better, and more effective phases for your organization.
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For further actionable insights, reach out to In HIS Name HR right here. We help organizations build high-performance human resource programs designed to build your workplace into the engaging, effective, integrity-filled space you want it to be.
Contact us today! You and your employees will be grateful you did.
