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10.    Employee Motivation and Retention - Three tactics that employers can use to make work rewarding for employees and increasing retention.  Introduce more flexible employment policies. Offering flexible arrangements that create a work-life balance help employees manage their personal and professional responsibilities.  Employers can offer competitive pay and comprehensive benefits that foster career growth and professional development. Employers can listen to the concerns of every employee. Offering wat for employees to provide input, and providing impactful feedback are ways to make workplace improvements to policies and procedures.   Lost productivity and costs to train new hires are obvious costs due to turnover. Cost due to burnout did surprise me. But it makes sense that if the companies are not staffing correctly, it places higher burden on employees to be productive. Many do not even report burnout, and abruptly quit. This leaves employers blindsided and struggling and under staffed.

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9.  Downsizing - - The downsizing process should be fair and legal by understanding the criteria for lay off, such as decreased demand, lack of work, and/or restructuring. Priority given, in order, to seniority, performance, skill level, knowledge and abilities.  These can be used in combination to ensure a fair, well documented, and lawful approach is taken. The decision should not discriminatory.  Legal laws referenced in WARN Act, COBRA, and if any collective bargain agreement were in place. Being laid off from a job is not related to the employee’s job performance, rather it is due to company financial reasons such as economic downturns or company restructuring. Being fired from a job is due to performance related issue, or something your employer feels was wrongdoing on your part, and is a company business decision. COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA) IS A Is a federal law that provides rights to temporary continuation of group health plan coverage for certain  employees and retirees at their family members for continual health coverage at group rate.

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8.    Employee Discipline and Termination - Follow the Progressive Discipline Process:

a.     ●Step 1: Counseling,

b.     ●Step 2: Verbal Warning

c.     ●Step 3: Written Warning

d.     ●Step 4: Possible Next Courses of Action – Transfer, Demotion, Suspension or Termination.

Best Practice 1: HR should have policies in place to follow and track performance issues.

Best Practice 2: Managers should have a plan in place and be prepared for the termination meeting.

Best Practice 3: Managers should consider the possibility of legal issues, retaliation, discrimination, or restriction.

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7.    Performance Appraisal -It is important that employee performance appraisal criteria is based on job and industry specifications, best as noted in job descriptions, and not general. Improvement plans are not intended to be punitive, but should guide an employee with expectations towards improvement and success in their jobs. Performance Improvement Plans (PIP) should include a plan of action and indicate consequences of failure to meet expectations. Regular Formal Performance evaluation meetings should be reflection, and never be a surprise conversation between employer and employee. Performance evals should not be used as workplace crisis strategy. Effective employee performance management can be used to retain good employees.

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Performance Appraisal Mistakes to Avoid: Secure Your Raise & Promotion!

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6. Conflict Resolution - best practices that are useful tactics to resolve conflict in the workplace include Define Acceptable Behavior: Set up a workplace culture, outline a framework for expected job duties and behaviors, decisions making protocols, and encourage team collaboration will help avoid conflicts. Hit Conflict Head-on: It best to resolve conflict quickly, as soon as it arises. Or better yet, being proactive on potential issues and resolving issues before they become conflicts is best practice.   Understanding the What’s In It For Me: Understanding the opponent’s perspective helps others achieve their goals before conflict arises. The Importance Factor: Don’t argue for the sake of arguing, choose what issues are important to make a stance and require resolve. View Conflict as Opportunity: Disagreements can become a learning moment and are ways to expand, grow and develop.

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Conflict Resolution Skills - HelpGuide.org

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When handled in a respectful and positive way, conflict provides an opportunity for growth. Learn the skills that will help.

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5. Training and Development - Employee training is important to employee retention. Employees develop their personal and organizational skills, knowledge, and abilities through development. There are four main requirements of successful training: orientation,  In-house training,  Mentoring,  and External training.

Workplace training, and proper on boarding, is important too because it sets the tone and expectations of the new employee. Employers, and particularly managers, act as role models and together with training ensure employees understand their new jobs, initiate a workplace culture, and set organizational expected norms for the office.

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4.    Diversity and Multiculturalism - Although the terms multiculturalism and diversity are often used interchangeably, they are different. Diversity includes differences between people such as race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, background, and socioeconomic status, while Multiculturalism focuses on inclusiveness, understanding, and respect and review unequal power in society.

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Toastmasters International -Quotes on Celebrating Diversity

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3.      Compensation and Benefits - - A compensation package is an important part of the overall strategic HRM plan, since much of the company budget is for employee compensation. Employees who are fairly compensated tend to provide better customer service, which can result in organizational growth and development. It appears many employers do not properly account for, or properly pay their employees overtime violating many federal laws. Every employer, and employee, should understand what their compensation package consists of (Pay, Healthcare, Benefits).  It appears many candidates just focus on pay during interview process without an understanding of employer’s policy and laws regarding overtime requirements and pay and how the employer’s documents all compensation. Compensation is a tool that can be used to motivate employees to work at their peak performance and improve morale.

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Questions? The Employee Benefits Security Administration has answers!

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2.      Employee Selection – Without knowing, employers have how unconscious bias in their hiring practices, in searching for their “perfect, most suitable” candidates. An interview can help hiring managers assess a potential employee, but it is all a chance for the potential employee to assess whether the company is a good fit from them as well. Leaders should focus on candidate centric interviews asking questions more focused on them experiences, skills, with familiar context, providing hints to employer’s specific questions. This is instead of traditional interviews where recruiters look to hire people more like themselves. Interviewers should try to reduce unconscientious bias in the recruiting process. By creating a pause and remove emotional clutter, and helps focus on what is important to make judgements and decisions, not biased decisions.  This pause helps question how an individual’s differences can collectively build a company’s strengths.

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When the interviewer asks, "Do you have any questions for me?" it's crucial applicants take advantage of this opportunity. Luckily, there are plenty of smart ones to pick from.

It's important to remember that every interview is a two-way street. You should be interviewing the employer just as much as they're interviewing you because you both need to walk away convinced that the job would be a great fit. It's the best way to determine if you'd be happy working for this employer and whether your goals are aligned with theirs.

"The very process of asking questions completely changes the dynamic of the interview and the hiring manager's perception of you," says Teri Hockett, chief executive of What's For Work?, a career site for women. "Asking questions also gives you the opportunity to discover details that you might not have otherwise unveiled."
19 questions you should never ask in an interview - and what you should ask instead
Amy Hoover, president of TalentZoo, says there's another reason you should always prepare questions. "It's expected - and if you don't ask at least two questions, you will appear disinterested, or worse, less intelligent and engaged than a prospective employer would like." You should have at least four questions prepared, though, in case your original two are answered through the course of the interview.

But, Hoover says, don't just ask questions for the sake of it. To actually benefit from them, you'll need to think carefully about what you want to ask.

"Your questions can, in fact, make or break an interview," she explains. "If they're not thoughtful, or if you ask something that has already been addressed, this can hurt you way more than it can help. Asking smart, engaging questions is imperative."

Here are 32 great questions to choose from - if they weren't already answered - to help you get a better sense of the role and the company and to leave the interview with a positive, lasting impression.
Vivian Giang and Natalie Walters contributed to previous versions of this article.
1. Who do you think would be the ideal candidate for this position, and how do I compare?

Hoover recommends this question because it's a quick way to figure out whether your skills align with what the company is currently looking for. If they don't match up, then you know to walk away instead of wasting time pursuing the wrong position for yourself, she says.

2. Who would I be reporting to? Are those three people on the same team or on different teams? What's the pecking order?

It's important to ask about the pecking order of a company in case you have several bosses, Vicky Oliver writes in her book, "301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions."

If you're going to be working for several people, you need to know "the lay of the internal land," she says, or if you're going to be over several people, then you probably want to get to know them before accepting the position.

3. How has this position evolved?

Basically, this question just lets you know whether this job is a dead-end or a stepping-stone.

4. How would you describe the company's culture?

Hoover says this question gives you a broad view on the corporate philosophy of a company and on whether it prioritizes employee happiness.

5. Who do you consider your major competitors? How are you better?

This question is not for the faint of heart, but it shows that you are already thinking about how you can help the company rise to meet some of its bigger goals, says Peter Harrison, former CEO of Snagajob and current CEO of Schroders.

6. Beyond the hard skills required to successfully perform this job, what soft skills would serve the company and position best?

Knowing what skills the company thinks are important will give you more insight into its culture and its management values, Hoover says, so you can evaluate whether you would fit in.

7. Do you have any hesitations about my qualifications?

While this question puts you in a vulnerable position, it shows that you are confident enough to openly bring up and discuss your weaknesses with your potential employer.

8. What do you like most about working for this company?

Hoover says this question is important because it lets you "create a sense of camaraderie" with the interviewer because "interviewers - like anyone - usually like to talk about themselves and especially things they know well." Plus, this question gives you a chance to get an insider's view on the best parts about working for this particular company, she says.

9. Can you give me an example of how I would collaborate with my manager?

Knowing how managers use their employees is important so you can decide whether they are the type of boss that will let you use your strengths to help the company succeed.

10. Can you tell me what steps need to be completed before your company can generate an offer?

"Any opportunity to learn the timeline for a hire is crucial information for you," Hoover advises.

Asking about an "offer" rather than a "decision" will give you a better sense of the timeline because "decision" is a broad term, while an "offer" refers to the point when they're ready to hand over the contract.

11. How would you score the company on living up to its core values? What's the one thing you're working to improve on?

Harrison says this is a respectful way to ask about shortcomings within the company - which you should definitely be aware of before joining a company. As a bonus, he says it shows that you are being proactive in wanting to understand more about the internal workings of the company before joining it.

12. What are the challenges of this position?

If the interviewer says, "There aren't any," you should proceed with caution.

13. What have past employees done to succeed in this position? / What could people in this role in the past have done better?

The main point of this question is to get your interviewer to reveal how the company measures success.

14. If you were to hire me, what might I expect in a typical day?

Obviously, this shows your eagerness about the position, Harrison says, but it also gives you a better idea about what the job will be like on a daily basis so you can decide whether you really want to pursue it. "A frank conversation about position expectations and responsibilities will ensure not only that this is a job you want, but also one that you have the skills to be successful in," he advises.

15. What type of employee tends to succeed here? What qualities are the most important for doing well and advancing at the firm?

This question shows the interviewer that you care about your future at the company, and it will also help you decide if you're a good fit for the position, Oliver writes. "Once the interviewer tells you what she's looking for in a candidate, picture that person in your mind's eye," she says. "She or he should look a lot like you."

16. Is there anyone else I need/you'd like me to meet with?

Hoover says knowing if they want you to meet with potential coworkers or not will give you insight into how much the company values building team synergy. In addition, if the interviewer says you have four more interviews to go, then you've gained a better sense of the hiring timeline as well, she says.

17. How do you help your team grow professionally?

Harrison says this question shows that you're willing to work hard to ensure that you grow along with your company. This is particularly important for hourly workers, he says, because they typically have a higher turnover rate, and are thus always looking for people who are thinking long-term.

18. When your staff comes to you with conflicts, how do you respond?

Knowing how a company deals with conflicts gives you a clearer picture about the company's culture, Harrison says. But more importantly, asking about conflict resolution shows that you know dealing with disagreements in a professional manner is essential to the company's growth and success.

19. Will I have an opportunity to meet those who would be part of my staff/my manager during the interview process?

Getting the chance to meet with potential teammates or managers is essential to any professional interview process, Hoover says. If they don't give that chance, "proceed with caution," she advises.

20. How do you evaluate success here?

Knowing how a company measures its employees' success is important. It will help you understand what it would take to advance in your career there - and can help you decide if the employer's values align with your own.

21. and 22. What are some of the problems your company faces right now? And what is your department doing to solve them?

Asking about problems within a company gets the "conversation ball" rolling, and your interviewer will surely have an opinion, Oliver writes. Further, she says their answers will give you insights into their personality and ambitions and will likely lead to other questions.

23. What's your timeline for making a decision, and when can I expect to hear back from you?

This one tells them you're interested in the role and eager to hear their decision.

"Knowing a company's timeline should be your ultimate goal during an interview process after determining your fit for the position and whether you like the company's culture," Hoover says. It will help you determine how and when to follow up, and how long to wait before "moving on."

24. Is this a new position? If not, why did the person before me leave this role?

This might be uncomfortable to ask, but Harrison says it's not uncommon to ask and that it shows you are being smart and analytical by wanting to know why someone may have been unhappy in this role previously.

If you found out they left the role because they were promoted, that's also useful information.

25. Where do you see the company in three years and how would the person in this role contribute to this vision?

Asking this question will show your interviewer that you can think big picture, that you're wanting to stay with the company long-term, and that you want to make a lasting impression in whatever company you end up in, says Harrison.

26. I read X about your CEO in Y magazine. Can you tell me more about this?

Oliver says questions like this simply show you've done your homework and are genuinely interested in the company and its leaders.

27. How do you handle new business pitches? Who gets involved in generating new business at this company? Is there a team in place, and do they cull employees from different teams depending on the business that your firm is going after?

Asking about a company's game plan shows that you are eager and proactive, Oliver writes.

"Star performers are usually eager to get involved in the new business effort, even if they are not technically on the new business team," she says. "When you ask about new business, you're signaling that you're an A player."

28. What's your staff turnover rate and what are you doing to reduce it?

While this question may seem forward, Harrison says it's a smart question to ask because it shows that you understand the importance of landing a secure position. "It is a black and white way to get to the heart of what kind of company this is and if people like to work here," he says.

29. Is there anything else I can provide to help you make your decision?

This simple question is polite to ask and it can give you peace of mind to know that you've covered all your bases, Hoover says. "It shows enthusiasm and eagerness but with polish."

30. Why did you choose to work at this company?

Similar to "What do you like most about working for this company?" this question allows the interviewer to respond with a personal answer and allows the interviewee to get an insider's view. Interviewees may find they have similar feelings as their interviewer or - if not - the job may not be the best fit after all.
How could I impact the company's bottom line in this role?

This question, suggested by Hoover, shows your interest in improving the company on all levels - not just impressing the most senior executives.

31. Is there anything we haven't covered that you think is important to know about working here?

Hoover says this is a good wrap-up question that gives you a break from doing all the talking. In addition, she says you may get "answers to questions you didn't even know to ask but are important."

32. What's the best way to follow up after today?

After asking the timeline of the decision-making process, this question will provide the interviewee with another direct answer: You will know the best way to communicate moving forward, instead of speculating whether you should call or email days later.

Read more:

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The 32 smartest questions to ask at the end of every job interview

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Here's what to say when the interviewer asks, "So do you have any questions for me?"

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1.    Recruiting – Is this first step for any company or organization in obtaining essential entities required in order to perform the mission. Effect recruiting identifies, attracts and connects specific talent to ensure the company has the right skills required for success.  By hiring the employees with optimal talent that aligns with company goals and culture allows a company to grow and innovate with a strong reputation.