Five years ago, on September 11, 2001, the world changed, and on that day the workplace changed as well. On the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, we asked NEHRA leaders to comment on the state of the post-9/11 workplace. Specifically, we asked them this question: "What has been the most significant change or challenge to organizations since the attacks of 9/11?" Here are their replies.

In the days, weeks and months that immediately followed this tragedy, organizational feelings mirrored those of the nation. Corporations took on an almost paternal role and were focused on the "protection and care" of employees and their families. The most noticeable changes during this phase were related to less frequent business travel, more security at company locations, increased background screening of candidates, more attention to and use of EAP resources, and the creation of more robust crisis management tools and processes.

The longer-term impacts of 9/11 are less noticeable. In most cases, it is difficult to say with any reasonable degree of certainty if their root cause was 9/11, Sarbanes-Oxley, or just a prudent focus on continuous improvement. As an example, the focus on distance or e-learning has increased fairly dramatically. While this may be related to 9/11, the increased cost of business travel, pronounced technological advances in this area and/or the increased attention to training in general may be equally responsible. Another less dramatic but noticeable trend seems to have developed in the recruitment area. A somewhat larger percentage of employees who currently live near family have shown less interest in relocating and more often seem to be choosing time with family over career advancement opportunities. Two other noteworthy trends involve the training and recruitment areas. In the training area the need for sensitivity training has emerged as a way to counteract the stereotyping of employees with various ethnic backgrounds. From a recruitment perspective, candidates have given much more weight to the long-term stability of a company than they have in the past.

---David C. Almeda
Vice President, Human Resources, US Stores and Distribution
Staples, Inc.
Member, NEHRA Board of Directors

As I reflect on the post 9/11 workplace, two things come to mind. The heightened awareness on workplace security, globally, has increased dramatically. We are far more aware of global events as it relates to the business travel plans of our employees as well as the need to tightly control who comes in and out of our offices. The second is a stronger focus on work/life balance for employees. Today's employees consider more thoughtfully the need to be present and available to those who are near and dear to us.

---Anne Slein
Human Resources Director, Polaroid Corporation
President, NEHRA

9/11 was a defining moment that caused people to reassess what was important to them and realign their lives to reflect their personal convictions. Our research and experiences with client workforces indicate that 9/11 did not trigger a change in personal values. It did, however, prompt many individuals to shift their priorities, moving their values "front and center" to drive their decisions and scrutinize events and actions around them. Employees are now more emboldened to question what the organization is asking them to do. As a result, employers have had to become more adept at ensuring clarity of direction, providing meaning to employees wanting to be part of something "bigger," and holding their leaders accountable for walking the organizational talk.

The post-9/11 personal introspection also triggered increased concern about work/life balance as many realized their value of "family happiness" wasn't well-supported by the number of waking hours spent at or commuting to work. (Family happiness is consistently identified as a top value by the majority of the professionals with whom we work.) As a result, more employers have had to provide tools and policies to enable employees to better integrate their work and personal lives - while delivering the results needed to stay in the game of business.

---Mary Ann Masarech
Director of Employee Alignment Programs and Services
BlessingWhite, Inc.

Since the devastation of September 11, 2001, increased global competition in all business sectors, the continued off-shoring of human and manufacturing resources, the loss of jobs due to business failures, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate corruption in some industries, have all contributed to a workplace society that is often ill at ease with itself. As organizations also juggle internal drains such as rising energy bills, the costs of goods and services and sky-rocketing healthcare costs, their employees seek higher wages and expanded benefits, better job training and advancement, and demand (and are entitled to) a safe work environment.

Government regulations have always surrounded the employment arena and were typically geared to how an organization behaved as a corporate citizen, particularly inside its "walls". OSHA and Employment laws were an everyday part of corporate life. After September 11 and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, organizations now have to look further outside those walls to ensure employee security:

• "Although expensive, in the past five years, many companies have instituted formal reference checking programs and routinely check into the criminal, motor vehicle, social security and credit histories of job candidates, in addition to their past employment history.
• "Formalized building security programs, usually associated with large organizations, are now commonplace in smaller companies and typically include employee identification badges, restricted access to visitors, and highly structured evacuation plans.
• "Business travel and associated costs have also been affected. Employees must arrive earlier at airports and security measures often cause delays that result in downtime costs. Companies who expatriate employees are often faced with additional security costs, depending upon the country in which they work.

---Bonnie Niven
Vice President, Client Services
Right Management
NEHRA "Ask the HR Expert" Panelist

I feel the most significant challenge to organizations since the 9/11 attacks is figuring out the new war against the appearance of discrimination in the workplace. The workplace since 9/11 is more confusing and tenuous than ever.

We in HR are constantly grappling with doing the right thing without violating the rights of any individual, group, or groups of employees. We are struggling with making traditional decisions in a non-traditional workforce without adverse impact. 9/11 separated race from culture, culture from religious beliefs, dress codes from cultural norms, English-speaking requirements from possible discrimination claims, and expanded the definition of accommodations in the workplace beyond its traditional meaning.

The workplace has become more complex and requires that we not only understand the positions we recruit for, but the skill set and social needs of the employees who fill our vacancies. Oftentimes there is no road map (regulation) to guide our path. And I suspect we have only begun the journey into the unknown post-9/11 world.

---Deloris S. Tuggle
Director, Human Resources
May Institute, Inc.
NEHRA "Ask the HR Expert" Panelist