I belong to many networks of consultants from around the United States,  author Randy Emelo provides a thought provoking article that deals with communication via social media.  I hope you find this as interesting as I did!

“We’ve all been there, sitting in a meeting listening to someone speak, when the person asks a question of the group. Cue cricket sounds. No one wants to speak up, and everyone is waiting for someone else to take action.

Now imagine that happening in a social learning environment when people only interact via technology. One colleague refers to this as playing “social chicken.” The long delays (or outright non-responses) between interactions can cause frustration and lead people to check out of the social learning environment never to return.

Working and learning together virtually takes much more intentional collaboration from all participants. We can begin to address the problem of “social chicken” by attempting to understand who our collaborators are and what type of collaboration style they tend to use.

Most of us have a preferred way of collaborating with others that shapes the way we are viewed by our colleagues. In the virtual social learning environment, four distinct styles or modes of collaboration exist that can greatly impact the way a virtual group works and learns together to accomplish their goals. These four collaboration styles are: Conformist, Expert, Co-Creator, and Community Builder.

CONFORMISTS observe accepted procedures and protocols in an attempt to avoid inner and outer conflict. They are very cooperative and nice toward others, but show very little concern about organizational issues beyond their immediate work team. The group member collaborating in this style does not seek out feedback, avoids negativity, and cannot openly disagree.

EXPERTS are interested in solving problems and are often critical of self and others. They tend to be dogmatic in their judgements, meaning they are assertive when stating matters of opinion. They rely on logic and intellectually determined objectivity to guide their actions. The group member collaborating in this style will work independently to discover the one provable right answer, trust only his/her own judgements, and defer to the authority of his/her chosen craft masters to the exclusion of other social learning collaborators.

CO-CREATORS are initiators of results-oriented action. They hold a vivid and inspiring vision of the future and work well with others to accomplish pre-determined goals. They genuinely care about gaining mutuality with others and seek to cultivate their relationships with coworkers. The group member collaborating in this style seeks consensus, teamwork, and the accomplishment of pre-established goals.

COMMUNITY BUILDERS are creative at conflict management and are process- and goal-oriented. They are aware of paradox and contradiction, and they enjoy playing a variety of roles. They are objective participants and very adept at creating new knowledge and decision-making. The group member collaborating in this style is comfortable with paradox and concerned with helping others reframe their perspectives based on the purposes of the situation.

The collaboration style that we operate out of can greatly influence our effectiveness when it comes to learning. If social learning groups had mainly Co-Creators or Community Builders, we may not have much “social chicken” to contend with. However, the reality is that some of us have a collaboration style that fits more in the Conformist or Expert category. By understanding these four styles, we can identify where we typically fit and work to adjust our actions so that we improve as collaborators and contributors to the social learning environment.

Action starts with intent. Therefore, if you want to collaborate at a higher level, start by capturing a vision or mental image of what effective collaboration will look like in your social learning group. After you have a clear vision for more effective collaboration, develop strategies and plans to fulfill the vision. As you act on your new plans, assess how the others in your group are responding to your actions, and adjust your strategies, plans or actions accordingly when you stumble upon those that are inappropriate or ineffective.

As you advance your skills as a collaborator, be willing to share what you are doing with your colleagues so that they can contribute to your growth and also learn from your experiences as well. This will help everyone elevate their level of collaboration and hopefully stop the game of “social chicken.”

Written by  Randy Emelo

The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office has issued final regulations regarding the new Massachusetts Earned Sick Time Law approved by voters last November. The final regulations include many needed clarifications and several employer-friendly provisions intended to allow employers to address employee fraud.

Summary of the Law

As a reminder, employers must provide all employees, including part-time, seasonal, and temporary employees, one hour of sick time for every 30 hours worked, up to a maximum of 40 hours per year. Employers with 11 or more employees must provide paid sick time; employers with fewer than 11 employees must provide unpaid sick time. The law permits employees to take sick leave for the following purposes:

(1) An employee’s own physical or mental illness or injury that requires care;
(2) To care for the employee’s immediate family member suffering from physical or mental illness or injury;
(3) For the employee’s own or employee’s immediate family member’s attendance at routine medical appointments; or
(4) To address the psychological, physical, or legal effects of domestic violence against the employee or the employee’s child.

Summary of the Final Regulations
I have summarized below some of the most significant new provisions and/or changes in the final regulations.
1. Sick Leave Runs Concurrently with Other Leaves: The proposed regulations had stated that earned sick time was “in addition” to other forms of leave. However, the final regulations provide that sick time can run concurrently with other forms of required leave (the Family Medical Leave Act, the Massachusetts Parental Leave Act, the Massachusetts Domestic Violence Leave Act, the Massachusetts Small Necessities Leave Act, and other leave laws) that allow employers to require concurrent use of leave for the same purposes. Employees may choose to use, or employers may require employees to use, concurrent earned paid sick time, as provided under the Earned Sick Time Law, to receive pay when taking other statutorily-authorized leave that otherwise would be unpaid (to the extent allowed by other leave laws). For example, if an employee is out on medical leave to care for their own illness under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the employer can require that the employees Earned Sick Time be used at the same time.
Important Note: Although the regulations say that employers may require employees to use sick time if taking those types of leave, the Parental Leave Act specifically states that used sick time is the employee’s choice, so employers shouldn’t require the exhaustion of sick time during Massachusetts Parental Leave.
… Read more →

Small business owners will on July 1, be faced with new regulations regarding sick time rules.  Passed by voters in a ballot measure last fall, the law requires that companies with 11 or more employees give workers up to 40 hours of paid sick time a year.  Those with fewer than 11 may offer it unpaid.  The law applied to all employees, including part-time and seasonal workers.  Seasonal workers such as landscapers to restaurant staff may be greatly impacted by the new law.  The full details of the law are not due until June 19, which only gives employees two weeks to accommodate the changes.  Smaller companies may now need to think about newer ways to track time which may mean different or more sophisticated payroll systems.  The original intent of the legislation was to help single mothers and parents worried about losing their jobs. or a day’s pay, if they have to take a child to a doctor’s appointment.  This may be legislations where the current provisions of the bill do not meet the unique needs of the employers.  Employers also need to think about sick time accruals.  The law requires that workers get an hour of sick time per 30 hours worked, including overtime.  Most companies calculate sick time per pay period.  Some companies lump sick and personal time together.  The law now requires that they track them separately.  The law also provides for sick time to be carried over with one major adjustment for seasonal operations–such as summer ice cream scoopers who work a few days a week–from carrying over sick time if they don’t return to work for more than six months.   For many small business owners this new legislation could have a huge impact on overall profitability.